Mountaintops

I've never been much of a hiker.

I complain too much. 

I wouldn't have made a very good pioneer.

But I do enjoy seeking adventure. And I do love being out in the wilderness. Beth and Amy and I decided that we would be adventurous. And we would go to Timpanogos caves. It's a mile and a half hike that gains 1,065 feet in elevation. Yep. It's pretty steep. But we decided to take it on.

We were good for the first half a mile.

Pretty views.

Pretty friends.

Perspective.

Holding up the mountain.

Almost engagement picture... (We didn't know what else to do!)

But then things got rough. Meaning that I started complaining. And maybe hunching over and hating life.

It took us about 45 minutes to get to the top. I was impressed. And then, at 1:10 PM, we headed into the caves. That was pretty cool. It was cold. 

At the top (that's why I'm all red...)

Proof that we did it!!

At one point, the guide turned out all of the lights in the cave so that we could experience being in utter darkness. It was profound to be in complete darkness. And probably it was more profound since I feel like I'm currently in a state of darkness... unsure of where to go or where to find light or shelter. I'm just wandering with my hands forward, shuffling my feet in the hopes that I don't hit any rocks or fall and break my ankles. Anyways, it was profound.

The hike down wasn't so bad. And I discovered that my phone totally takes panorama shots:

I sure do love my phone.

Life Via Instagram

It's really been like a month since I did one of these posts. Here we go:

 

1. Stopped in at the local theater production of "Hello, Dolly" to support my friend who played Irene Malloy. Delightful evening.
2. Got my final reading material before school starts again next week. What you can't see is that book is like 3 inches thick. I may not finish it before school.
3. For my friend's birthday. I now request that this be my birthday breakfast: maple bars and candles. Yum!

 

1. I got a new cell phone. The beautiful Samsung Galaxy S3. And it's perfect. And beautiful. And so on my walk with Julie, I had to take a picture of the beautiful sunset.
2. These are the slippers I made for my little niece, Claire, for her blessing. I'm hoping they fit. I was so concerned that I made another pair that were slightly bigger. Maybe I might take this to etsy and bank on my talents.
3. It's been hot around here. Hot. Soooo... maybe I stopped by Iceberg and got a milkshake. It was delicious.


 

1. Drove to Logan last week to attend my friend, Amy's sealing in the Logan temple. Beautiful temple. I wish I would've gone through that temple sooner.
2. Amy and Jason as they came out of the temple.
3. The view from their reception in Smithfield. Maybe it was right by a cemetery and I was tempted to stop in and visit Grandma & Grandpa Teuscher. Didn't have time.

Me and the beautiful bride... 

 

1. My new office. I traded down... lost my beautiful view (and my fun floor mates) but gained a white board. Already being put to good use.

2. Christmas lights are already being put up around Temple Square. It's 90 degrees out.

3. Went miniature golfing the other day. My ring finger on my left hand has swelled up from a mosquito bite. Hopefully it survives.

My souvenir from the mini-golf game. A hole-in-one.

Apparently, I'm a decent mini-golfer. 

Which is even more funny since the last time I played golf, putting was the worst part of my game.

Fifteen Seconds of Glory

It's not often that someone (like myself) gets to be on TV.

Normally, I like being on the other side of the camera. You know, behind it.

And yet, one day, I had to find myself in front of it. 

You remember the picture:

Don't worry... We really made it into the Music and the Spoken Word broadcast on July 1st, 2012. 

Here's the screenshot from that broadcast:

Hopefully this is the last time I show up on a broadcast... At least until I lose some more weight and get back to my natural hair color....