Water

In about 48 hours, I'll be in an airplane for the first time since I was 10 or 12 (I don't remember pre-high school very well). This time it will be without my nervous mother. I'll admit, though, that I am the nervous one now. I'm not nervous about flying. I'm nervous about forgetting to take my pocket knife out of my purse. I'm nervous that I'll pack things in my carry-on that I'm not supposed to. I'm nervous that I won't get to the airport on time. I'm nervous either Harvey or I will forget our passport. I am sure everything will go well and my fears won't come true. But I am my mother's daughter.
I will experience quite a few "firsts" on this trip. My first time in an airplane without my mother, first time on a cruise ship, first time snorkeling, and first time kayaking.
I'm nervous about the snorkeling. I swim okay. I'm just worried about the breathing part. As far as the kayaking, well, I just hope Harvey and I don't paddle in circles.
Despite all the worries/fears, I am incredibly excited. It is going to be a great adventure with my best friend.
On another note, I just happened to notice that, even though I am right-handed, I drink with my left hand. Even when I am drinking out of a water bottle, I use my left hand. Weird.

Checking Back into the Blogging World

Lately I have been given the "parties all the time and needs to get serious with life" label. Well, I have finally finished school, I bought a car, and it is summertime. Therefore, I take advantage of having a reliable car and the freedom to go places and see new things. Here are just a few pictures of my adventures

I've been on a few awesome 4-wheeling rides. This one was right before Brother left for his mission.

Celebrated my two favorite holidays (4th and 24th of July). Shared the experience of the Redmond parade with Harvey.

Took my 3rd trip to Havasupai! It was as awesome as usual. I even got to go to church there.

I met this man and look forward to more fun with him.

Sent Brother on his mission. Sometimes I miss him so much. Yes, both my older sisters are pregnant in this picture. Liz's baby was born July 10th and is very beautiful. Amy's baby girl will arrive in October.

A few other things of note:

• I had my first true boating experience this summer
• I get to go on my first cruise in only 22 days!
• I've started the job application/interviewing process
• I have my first post-college interview today actually
• I live with a Chinese woman who cooks me awesome food all the time.
  

Blessings, Birthday, and Boots

Today I realized I am so blessed. I have an awesome family, a job, the opportunity to get my education, and friends.
My favorite day of the year is coming up. My birthday. I love surprises and presents and the attention that comes with birthdays. And I love that I can eat at my favorite Mexican place and eat my favorite dessert. Secretly I have always wished somebody would throw me a surprise party, but it never happens. I can still hope for that dream to come true, right?
Also, I look forward to one day owning a pair of these boots.

Sincerely Me

Dear Texas Rangers,
Thanks for showing up for the World Series...
Sincerely,
Me

Dear College Football,
Isn't it time to implement a playoff just like every other sport? I think so.
Sincerely,
Me

Dear Brett Favre,
Just call it quits already. You had a good career, but know when to stop.
Sincerely,
Me

Dear Campaign season,
I'm sick of you. I don't want to watch anymore commercials telling me who to vote for. That doesn't work for me anyway.
Sincerely,
Me

Dear Southern Utah radio,
I don't care who is running for Senate in Nevada.
Sincerely,
Me

Random

I was driving to work today (late since that is how my day started) and came to a 4-way stop. I got there at the same time as another driver who was going the opposite direction as me. He was going straight, I was turning left. So, as the rules of 4-way stops suggest, I was yielding to the other driver. He sat there for what felt like forever until I finally got annoyed enough and took my turn. I wish people knew how those things work!!!! I think 4-way stops send some people into a panic.
I recently realized that I wish I could remember the "Annie Bangs" song. Oh and the Gooseberry song too.
I love swimming.
I am getting so fast at sudoku. Perhaps it's a sign I have too much time on my hands?
I discovered a new puzzle similar to sudoku. It's a mix between sudoku and crossword puzzles. It is called Kakuro. Check it out! http://www.krazydad.com/kakuro/books/KD_Kakuro_15x15_s2_b002.pdf

Food on My Mind

I recently got a couple melons that look like those pictured above. I was excited because I thought I was going to be eating honeydew. Then I cut into them. Well, I found a cross between honeydew and cantaloupe. For me, food is a big deal and when I try new things, I have to mentally prepare for it. I have been trying to mentally prepare myself to eat these things since yesterday. I still haven't tried it. How bad could it be? I love cantaloupe and I love honeydew, so it could be the perfect combination. They call it the orange flesh melon or the temptation melon.


Also, I recently discovered that I actually enjoy shrimp. After mentally preparing for a meal consisting of shrimp and salmon for a few hours, I found seafood isn't really that bad. I liked the shrimp even if it is weird looking/smelling and the texture is kinda weird too. In the end, a good discovery for me.
On that note, some other foods I find weird are mushrooms- slimy and not so appealing to the eye. I still wonder who decided to eat fungus. Sardines- do these actually taste good? Hot dogs- I don't need to go into detail about how these things are made... all we need to know is that it is weird and yucky.

Too often restaurant experiences become quite stressful for me. Deciding on something from a menu with far too many choices is stressful. For this reason, I very rarely try new things. Does this happen to other people? Or is it just me? Maybe it is because I know either me or someone I am with will be paying for my meal so I better eat it and if I'm going to eat it, I better at least kinda like it.

HAVASUPAI

We had a great trip to Havasupai this year! We stopped for our "last meal" of the week in Kingman Carl's Jr. It was there we found out that Aly is the only normal one.

After our hike through the night, we camped in the village for a few hours until the tourist office opened. I managed to sleep 0 hours that night. We checked in and then made our way to the campground. Above is a newer waterfall that was created from the flood 2 years ago. It is so amazing!

At the campground, I found two trees right next to the creek where I hung my hammock and slept for as long as I possibly could! That felt so good!

We played in the water everyday and every chance we could. It felt so good in the heat of the days. We even played some ultimate frisbee in the creek. I'm not sure how well it worked out, but it was still fun.
The monster I promised myself I would never climb down again. Well, I climbed down it. It was not nearly as bad the second time!

This is just before the hike out. I really was faking the smile because I was secretly in pain. It turns out during our adventure one of the days, my foot was overworked. I thought it was a dehydration cramp, but it never got better and continually got worse. My foot was swollen, but I thought it was probably just from the heat. Well the pain never quit and as we hiked the two miles from the campground to the village it put me into tears. At the village we inquired about a mule or a horse to take me out of the canyon. Well, there were no more going up the trail that day. My only other option was a helicopter ride. I'm not gonna lie, it was kinda exciting. My friends got me a seat on the helicopter and gave me a few things to make their packs lighter then went on their way. There was nobody to take pictures of me getting on the helicopter, so I took pictures of the view and the pilot's face. The ride was really an amazing experience. Being able to see the Grand Canyon from that view was AWESOME! Though I will admit, there were times I was way scared. There was a storm blowing in and thus it was extremely windy up at the top. Well this made the helicopter drop suddenly a few times. Oh man. Anyway, it was a good experience in the end.
I was able to get a picture of the trail I didn't get to hike up. At least I can say I've done it once before. And now I can say that I experienced it from a helicopter as well!
And this would be the awesome ride. It carried me and five men. One very large man too. I didn't get to go up with the ladies.