I Can Camp!

this weekend i went camping. i don't camp, but i went. we spent the weekend in and around calf creek falls (southern utah) and it was one not to be forgotten.

after missing our first exit (thank heavens for google maps & gps) and shortly into the trip (but well past civilization) we realized we forgot a lot of things, however, we used some creativity and made it work:
cereal bowls - we cut the tops off water bottles and made bowls
spoons - we drank our cereal
knives - we spread our pp&j with a pair of scissors (which also served as a stirring spoon)
plates - ate our food in one holding
cups - no hot chocolate for us
a couple toothbrushes - wisps came in handy for some
propane - luckily we found an open general store and bought some (didn't think to buy serving ware while we were there)
matches - found a nice man who loaned a few
a second tent - just squished 5 in a two-man tent until the boys decided to sleep in the open
flashlights - luckily we had one headlamp and my trusty wind-up light
3 sets of church clothes - alex and kristen looked nice (well at least our clothes, not much could be said for the hair), angie, trevor and nate wore their sweats with pride and we got a lot of funny stares
sleeping pads -their loss
directions to the actual campground - thanks for the nice lady working late at the one hotel
firewood - no campfires for us, however, we still left with the smell
a camera - i have no pictures, angie got a few though

night one: we camped in the middle of nowhere, literally. we took a dirt road in about 45 minutes and there was not a soul to be found. turns out it was on a pretty cool overlook which we found in the morning.
saturday: we ate our cereal out of water bottles then hiked two slot canyons (spooky and peek-a-boo) which were very cool. i've never done anything like it before. in the afternoon we hiked up to calf creek falls, again very cool, very beautiful. hiking down the trail we entertained ourselves by making animal noises and impersonating friends who chose not to come.
night two: the campground had one spot open up which we gladly took (i was most happy to have some facilities) and went to bed fairly early after a warm meal and a very entertaining game of cards
sunday: we realized how beautiful the canyons down through the capitol reef area really are, stopped in the bustling metropolis of Salina for church, and made it home before the rain (a definite plus since we only had one windshield wiper on the passenger side)

moral of the story: i can camp and i can camp without all the gear i would have liked to have (not saying i'd want to do it again anytime soon). southern utah is more beautiful than i thought (some seriously amazing scenery). you can get a headache from laughing too hard :)

the things we don't say

found this in a list of posts i never actually posted. kind of funny.

once while shopping with a boy (who wanted to be much more than friends) he asked if he could buy my sweater for me. i said no, no again, and no. when asked why, i said he didn't need to be buying things for me. really, i wanted to say, "because then i'll never be able to wear it after i end things with you next week." definitely a premeditated break up

hobble creek

yesterday we rode up and down both forks of hobble creek canyon and had two conversations I never expected to have in my lifetime.

1-the width of road tires (mine are 23 mm and devin's are 25mm) and pricing on carbon wheel sets2-something very important-the best flavors of clif bar shot bloks and which ones we have yet to try. on the ride we had a mix of mountain berry, cran razz, and strawberry; we also determined that the margarita flavor was better than expected.

yes, two conversations i never would have expected to have in a million years.

that was pathetic

tonight i tried to do a pull up. one simple pull up.

i pulled for all i was worth and maybe budged two inches.

as i dropped to the ground, my trainer gave me the sorriest look he's ever given and said, "that. was. pathetic."

not much in goshen

today i rode 68 miles. my longest ride yet. we traveled from saratoga springs down to goshen - a one gas pump town - on the road west of utah lake. did i want to cry at times? yes. did i want to quit? more than once. do i want to live in elberta or goshen? no way. did i allow matt wilson to literally push me for a mile? heck yes! did i survive? you betcha. miraculously i made it the whole way in just over 4 hours. am i ready to do it again? of course! even with the soreness, tiredness, and sunburn(ness) i'm ready to try it again. (especially since next time i'll finally have shoes and pedals - performance is only improving!)

personal trainer

I got a personal trainer. the day it happened I was just at the gym to do my usual non-yoga, or cycling day workout and hoping that I wouldn't run into anyone or have to talk to anyone. they found me early, warming up with a nice little jog on the treadmill. they came full force. three muscular guys, a little flirt action, the promise of looking like arnold schwarzenegger (except not, just looking better than ever), and a testimonial from another trainee.

at first, it was just for a one time, free workout so I figured, "what the heck, we'll see what they can offer?" in 20 minutes that kid worked me harder than I would have in an hour. I still wasn't convinced and didn't want to spend the money, and then they started talking. we talked about everything that wasn't related to personal training and out of no where the manager was driving me home to get my credit card and drivers license. soon enough I was signed up for 6 months of personal training with my first appointment 3 days later. was it completely unexpected? yes. was I a lot-a-bit excited about it? yes!

it's only been a few weeks, but I've really enjoyed my training sessions. my trainer is great and works me so much harder than I do myself and doesn't let me cheat(I tried one of my workouts on my own the other day and totally cheated. don't tell). I've learned not to tell him his counting is off because then the count magically goes from 17 to 12. it's been good motivation and hopefully in 6 months I'll be looking fabulous!

Denver 2010

I recently went to Denver to visit miss Kali Harris, best friend that lives way too far away! I had a great time thanks to her and her awesome family.

To some (mainly the male gender), it may not have been a desirable vacation, but when you love to shop, converse over yogurt (every day), and lay by the pool, it was perfect!
On the shopping log, we hit Pearl St. in Boulder, Cherry Creek, Park Meadows, 16th St. Mall and a few small shops along the way. Luckily, every store was getting ready for fall so there were some great deals which meant we got a lot more bang for our buck and there were many bucks spent.


We did throw some culture in there by spending one day at the Denver Art Museum viewing the King Tut exhibit and the more permanent exhibits at the museum. It was quite amazing and very well preserved. Some of the stuff in the other exhibits was just odd, but I guess all art can't be to my liking. In keeping with the trip standard, the day was finished with yogurt and shopping.


We did spend an unforgettable evening at Casa Bonita (the disneyland of mexican restaurants). Not unforgettable because it was fabulous, but because it was so unreal that people actually go there. The food was served cafeteria style (we carried our own trays), looked terrible, and tasted worse. We were entertained by cliff divers, mariachi, and a man in a gorilla suit (since when did mexican = gorilla?). We went for an experience, and it definitely was "an experience."

Another non-shopping activity was a Sunday drive (with Kali's sister Kayce and her best friend Brittany) in the mountains followed by a short walk around a lake. It was so pretty and relaxing!

All in all, it was a great extended weekend and I was so so so happy to see Kali!. I miss her way too much and think she needs to move back already:)

tired, sore, pink, and well worth it

that is how i feel today after a great long weekend. i had a great 4th thanks to family and friends and it makes the pain i've felt today seem well worth it.

i started friday night by finding my pyro-side by lighting a few pre-fourth fireworks with mr. ryan freeman.

saturday morning began early with a bike ride up to the summit on the alpine loop (32 miles round trip and 3200 ft. vertical climb). poor mr. matthew wilson had to deal with my complaining and telling him i was mad at him and hated him at the moment. however, he kept pushing me and i made it somehow--it was by far my hardest ride to date, but it felt great. next, was a nice lunch at sammy's with mr. devin ashby who i haven't seen forever! it was great. then, i was supposed to do some relaxing at the pool, but some ward boys quickly talked me into to playing pool volleyball (how could i say no?). quite fun, but i stayed out too long and got a little too pink under the sun, but i couldn't leave, my team kept winning. i finished the day by making some caramel popcorn, watching the stadium fireworks, and of course doing some fireworks of our own with mr. ryan, mr. devin, mr. jordan gluch, and sister and the boyfriend (hers not mine).

sunday was relaxing, but still full of good church meetings, time with family, and great food. unlike the rest of provo, i didn't sleep out on the ave. i slept at home away from it all. if there is one thing i know about myself, i need sleep to be pleasant and functional so staying far away from the noise and crowds was a smart choice for me.

monday started fairly early with boating at good ol' utah lake. the lineup included miss dani robison, miss angela robins, mr. jason woodward, mr. michael carlson, mr. devereaux smith, mr. todd, mr. trevor jones, and mr. jace jones. we wakeboarded (i got right up after 6 years of not wakeboarding which i found as a pleasant surprise), got some rays, and did some serious tubing with ruthless drivers. it was so fun, however, my neck may not agree today. finally, monday concluded with the annual neighborhood on fire! homemade ice cream, star cookies, sparklers, loads of fireworks, and patriotic music with the neighbors must be had to make the holiday complete. i'll just say this, you wish you lived in our neighborhood. it is that great.

i'm usually not one for travel logs, however, this 4th of july weekend was great even if it left me tired, sore and pink. the only thing i didn't do is take pictures. there were plenty to go around, just not on my camera.