Back In the U.S.S.R.

Ok- I know its been a while. But I'm back from the dead. A few changes will be made to this blog. First of all- it will now be in use. Secondly, I might just ditch my beatle's blog titles out of laziness. (as if anyone cares)....and that's about it.

Real Love

Well, I know I have turned out to be an awful blogger. But I'm going to try to make a comeback. Jan. 17th, one of my best friends, Julie, got married in the Timpanogos temple to Aaron Dalley. It was a lovely ceremony and reception. As sad as it was to "lose a friend" to marriage, I highly approve of Aaron and I know they will both be happy. Julie's dress was beautiful. She's not a lot of fuss, so she found it and decided on it real quick...something that I'd be incapable of. Sarah and I were the bridesmaids and Julie was kind enough to let us wear black. (No offense but my worst nightmare is having to wear a very "bridesmaidy" dress....like periwinkle or pink) Well, congrats Julie and Aaron!!!



Julie and Sarah at the bridal shower
The last moments of Julie's "single life"
Me and Julie at the reception
Cutting the Cake
ride and Bridesmaids- best buds
It was a pretty cold day

What Goes On

I just want to give props to my cronies, Julie and Sarah....they've been my go-to buddies for years now. We have a good time and usually just hang out, go eat, go on soda runs, and watch Grey's anatomy and the Office together. We do other stuff too on occasion, but these guys don't need to be accompanied by a party or activity. Its fun just to sit and talk and laugh...usually at the expense of Sarah. Hehe...I spend most of my "down time" with these two-


Me and Sarah

Julie, Me, Sarah

Ob-la-di Ob-la-da...life goes on

So a few of us got together to watch the BYU vs. Utah game. I'm not really sure if any of us really cared much about it. It was more a good reason to have a party and at least acknowledge the importance of the event. But I have to admit, it wasn't all that important to me. For the record, we all root for BYU. I'm not too sure that their loss had any effect on the mood of the party. Amy had ordered hot wings from Wingers, there was soda in abundance, and T.R. and I picked up a Papa John's pizza. So, all in all, it was a good time. Maybe next year, Cougars...



As you can see, getting a soda was more impotant than the play that is taking place ....priorities, man.
Contrary to what this picture depicts, this party was out of control with enthusiasm...ok, maybe not
Aaron (her fiance) and Julie

Dig It

So I have been wanting to respond to my sisters' emails, bloggings and general requests to share what sort of new music I've been into. Lately, I've been going to a lot of concerts with Julie and Sarah- small ones- and I've loved them all! First off my shultes, I highly recommend discovering Ray LaMontagne. I'm sure a few of you have heard his song off of the Last Kiss soundtrack. His newest album, Gossip in the Grain is amazing. I mostly listen to him these days. You at least have to love "Trouble", "Hold You in My Arms", "Shelter", "Let It Be Me", "I Still Care For You", "You are the Best Thing", and "A Falling Through". So there are some good ones to check out. We went to his concert a month ago and he's one of those guys that is somehow even better live- Love him. Also I went to Missy Higgins' concert. She's quite the little firecracker. I like her live better, but her recorded stuff is great too. My favorite from her is probably "River". We also just went to the Hotel Cafe tour which included the likes of Mieko, Thao, Kate Havenik, Emily Wells, Lenka, and (the reason why we went) the one and only Rachael Yamagata. And yes, it was awesome. So that's some newer stuff. As for what I've been listening to that's not so new but worth listening to-
"To Sheila"- Smashing Pumpkins, "My Lovely"- Eisley, "Subterranean Homesick Alien" and "House of Cards"- Radiohead, "A Call to Apathy"- The Shins, "Sweet Surrender" and "Answer"- Sarah McLachlan, and "Two"- Ryan Adams.....ok, That's enough for now.

There's a Place

Basically, you walk around this place with no pants...its very acceptable
lunch- and a bit of down time at our camp picnic table
Julie, first day in (not to camp yet) This was the first waterfall we saw
those guys up at the top are about to jump off into the water- fun stuff

There is a path in there somewhere, cause we crossed through this


Ok, so I know I've taken a "break" from the blog- but I'm back. I wanted to post about my Havasupai trip last month, but I haven't gotten a hold of Sarah's pictures yet. You see, my camera was stupid the whole time and for some reason takes blurry pics. So I am only posting a few of the ones that turned out (hardly any of me) and I will post more later. First off, this place was an absolute surprise! A little paradise hidden in the bottom of the Grand Canyon. We started hiking down around 4 or 5am. It took about 4 and a half hours. It wasn't too bad until the sun started coming up! Then it got a bit toasty with our packs on. Our party consisted of Julie, Sarah, and I...and two friends and a bunch of their friends joined us later at the bottom. Once we got there and set up our little camp (which consisted of two tarps- one on bottom, one on top, and a floaty raft for each of us) we got to take a nap. Aahh. Then, the rest from there was pretty much hiking, swimming, climbing- and occasionally eating. The whole place reminded me of somewhere you hope to find while playing in the backyard as a kid....the water was literally the color of Blue Hudini Kool aide, there were lizards everywhere, and all sorts of hidden paths and trails through jungle-like terrain. (Obviously, I was a tom boy as a kid.) I'll try to post more pics later- but the highlights of the trip were:
*Finding a cool water cave underneath a waterfall- ( kinda scary to swim to. Googles were a must)
*Hiking over an hour back into the "town" (the indian res) our third day there just to get some COLD sodas, and some crappy diner food- so worth it!
*Seeing the breathtaking waterfalls
*Playing card games one night- lots of bugs, lots of fun
*Spending all day 5 days with Julie and Sarah- lots of laughs
*Hiking out of the grand canyon the last day in...flip flops. Yup, my blisters were too bad for shoes. It was pretty comfy, and I was proud of my accomplishment.
*Hot warm weather- and basically being in water the whole time
*Huge rope swings


Some of the not-so-fun highlights:
*Getting cactus in my thigh...and not even noticing til the next day- gross.
*Nasty port a potties
*Somehow losing my balance and falling into the river we had to cross (multiple times a day) to get out of our camp- actually this was funny. I had just woken up and obviously didn't have my balance yet. I awkwardly lost my balance enough to fall in up to my neck- I got my clothes and my little backpack wet (annoying.) Sarah and Julie had a good laugh at it....the water is only about crotch-deep. I'm still baffled about how it happened.
*So many blisters and cuts on feet- my flip flops became my best friends
*Waking up SO sore from the day before's hikes that I couldn't straighten my legs for at least 5 minutes....only way to cure it- HIKE MORE

This trip was a lot of fun, and a lot of work- pretty physically demanding. Mostly cause we just went from place to place and never took a break. But it was all beautiful. I even think my mom would agree on that. (she's not a desert fan.) Overall, a way fun adventure. I felt like I needed a few days off work after hiking so much to recuperate- but of course, I started work six hours after arriving home.