on Sunday, June 27, 2010
one day three years ago some dear friends and i got in the car and drove to lake powell on a whim. that night, after setting up camp at some random beach, we walked to the top of a hill to watch the sunset and talked about our philosophies for life; how beautiful it is to be alive and how to make the most of it. my friend summed it up when she simply said "i like doing stuff."

me, too. i like doing stuff. having adventures. being outside. laughing when it starts raining and trying to get as wet as possible. spontaneously taking advantages of opportunities to feel alive and exuberant. living purposely and deliberately. i like spending my time and money on experiences. i like doing stuff.

manti pageant with dear mission friends
riding the chair lift and exploring sundance with jules
cheering on real salt lake under the stars
hiking to lake blanche with sister higbee

discovering stewart falls with cath // floating the provo river with julie
beautiful summer evening dinner with dear old friends
cruising the streets of provo with keri and about a hundred other cool kids - critical mass

picture-less adventures as of late:
-riding bikes to utah lake and watching the devastatingly beautiful sunset, all the world aglow from the fire in the sky
-sunday picnic with kerianne in south fork canyon - perfect sunshine, clear creek and stunning mountains
-divine moments of peace in the temple
-crying during a dollar-movie showing of the delightfully over-dramatic, sappy and romantical "last song"
-cruising with a scooter brigade in the cedar hills parade and giving hundreds of kids high-fives
-jumping in the pool with my clothes on at the ward bbq and then getting launched into the air, back flipping and surfacing stunned with delight
-exploring the incredible new exhibit at the moa -a collection of remarkably beautiful and detailed watercolor paintings of the life of christ
-dozens of perfectly beautiful moments and emotionally exhausting experiences at work
-listening to my dear friends make beautiful and unique music at velour with its uber-cool atmosphere - i have officially become a kara h and the shiveree groupie
-reading the biography of my great grandmother at an extended family reunion and feeling unexpectedly choked up at her story and the beauty of my heritage
-sitting at the end of the pier on the south rim of utah lake under the sparkling sun surrounded in majestic beauty and trying to capture a little of the perfectly gorgeous landscape in a watercolor painting
-driving from park city to provo the "canyon way" blasting music, belting along and soaking in the views

“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.”
Roald Dahl
on Monday, June 21, 2010
for example:

-the taj mahal
-games at fenway park
-the twilight series (i'm kidding...kind of)
-skinny-dipping
-zac efron
-the mission
-iphones

this weekend i added something else to the list: THE GRAND CANYON. they were seriously not kidding when they said grand. i would also like to add thrilling, majestic, stunning, magnificent, breathtaking, incredible and awesome. as in left in awe.



god is a genius. it was a delight to see his handiwork from provo to jacob lake to lake powell and horseshoe bend to cathedral wash to the flipping grand canyon and back again.

I LOVE THE EARTH and i love being alive.

on Friday, June 18, 2010

cheers for this, emily dickinson -

HEART, we will forget him!
You and I, to-night!
You may forget the warmth he gave,
I will forget the light.

When you have done, pray tell me,
That I my thoughts may dim;
Haste! lest while you’re lagging,
I may remember him!

something fascinating about the human condition is this extreme emotion we cannot really describe and so hopelessly label "heartache." hooray for mortal experiences.

on Sunday, June 13, 2010
well, another june 12 has come and gone and i can't believe i am 24! crazy how life keeps going - and sometimes i really dislike growing up.

but i did love celebrating being born and being alive with a lot of people that i love very dearly. last monday lisa hosted an incredible birthday dinner for me and miffy and megan (whose b-day was on the 4). we ate out on the porch and it was magical with the sunset and twinkle lights.


it is tradition in megan's family that the birthday girl/boy take a bite right out of the cake! thanks cath for the from-scratch absolutely heavenly goodness!

on my actual birthday, i ran in a 10 mile race! i have been looking forward to and training for this for a while, and doing it was so, so exhilarating! the course was stunningly beautiful down south fork and provo canyons and the weather was perfect in its chilliness. as i ran i felt so brilliantly alive and so triumphant as i sprinted the last few yards and over the finish line.



i am so blessed to share my birthday with my oldest and one of my very dearest friends, miffy. after i came back from the race, we had fun going to the farmer's market, watching the world cup, eating at pizza factory (where they give you a free pizza on your birthday shaped like the number of how old you are turning!), and going to the temple. we also got to go to dinner with my mom, dad and sweet niece lucy.



megan made us an amazing cake (and lisa made the icing!) and miff and i blew out the candles together like we have many other years celebrating our mutual birthday. it was great to be surrounded in friends and sweets.


i love being alive and i'm grateful for another year to explore, discover, learn and enjoy. it was a happy birthday indeed.