Grasping for Gratitude

Get it on Etsy here

Confession: Coming into November, the plethora of daily thankful posts on Facebook made me cringe. And roll my eyes.

Thankful? I thought, filled with grump and vinegar. Are you kidding me?! This has been the WORST year of my life. Heartbreaking family fallings-out, a disappointing relationship, health problems, watching a dear one's health speedily decline, and, on top of it all, moving into the Orem condo rental version of The Money Pit.

Needless to say, 2012 is a year I'll be happy to see come to an end.

But, honestly, I repent of that formerly shortsighted attitude. I have an amazing life, filled with wonderful blessings for which I am indeed grateful. And, admittedly, it seems like the best growth comes through the worst trials, and I will be closing out 2012 a far better woman than when I began it.

So, without further adieu, let me count my blessings:

• The gospel of Jesus Christ--I don't know where I would be without it! So grateful for the knowledge that Christ lives, that He died to save me from sins and sorrows, and that God is involved in the details of our lives. I'm also immensely grateful for the impressions and promptings that empower me to serve others or that give me a heads up which spares me from heartache down the road.
• Phenomenal friends--Seriously, I have the BEST friends in the world!!! It's funny; I honestly didn't have good friends until middle school, but I think all of those years spent without them has helped me make and keep wonderful friends because I never take them for granted. It's such a blessing to have so many of my nearest and dearest friends within an hour's drive, too--friends from high school, college, Orange County, and new ones from the last few years. It's even more fun seeing them all mix and mingle!
• Perspective--This year has led to a LOT of deep thinking, processing, and pondering. I love how we can see things more clearly with some distance, and I hope that I can parlay that perspective into better, wiser decisions and more selfless, aware actions in the future.
• Discovering new talents and hobbies--The good news? I learned how to make Grandma's delicious candies. The bad news? Ummm... I know how to make the candies that I got once a year as a treat... and now I can make them whenever. This could be DANGEROUS, folks!
• Music--Pretty sure there are few things I love more deeply than music, whether it's listening to the Utah Symphony play Rhapsody in Blue at Abravanel Hall, singing gorgeously arranged Christmas music with the Mapleton Chorale, discovering a new band in Provo's surprisingly awesome local music scene (from whence sprang Neon Trees and Imagine Dragons, I'll have you know!), or catching an impromptu jam session at sunset in Washington Square. Music has the most amazing ability to express and translate emotions and energy where words fall flat. I will be forever grateful that I was raised in a home where music was at the heart, and I hope I can share that passion as long as I live!
• Art in all its forms--Art is amazing!!! I love how people can capture the essence and beauty of life, translated into whatever medium they choose--film, canvas, stage, written page, and even culinary arts. Spending time in New York City last month was such a treat because we spent so much time steeped in the finest art America has to offer, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's American Wing (which, yes, made my eyes get misty, I was so touched and overwhelmed to stand in such greatness!!!) and the MoMA to three Broadway shows, each so different from the others. It makes my heart sing!
• The ability to indulge my wanderlust--Speaking of NYC... I'm so grateful I've had the opportunity to travel so much in the last few years. It's been incredible!!! I average a trip for just about every month I've lived in Utah. Excessive? Perhaps. But I also know that as soon as I marry, it'll stop--my life and time will be for my family, and I wouldn't want to wander from home too far or often. But as long as I'm footloose and fancy free, I'll keep bouncing around from coast to coast: Seattle (x2), San Francisco, Denver (x4), Savannah and Atlanta, Southern California (x10+?), Island Park (too many times to count!), the Tetons, Capitol Reef, Glacier, Banff, Calgary, New York City, Washington D.C. (x2), Little Rock, Memphis and Nashville, North Carolina, Mount Vernon, Williamsburg--I've covered some serious distance in the last few years!!!
• My darling condo--Yes, even though it's been a headache to bring up to par, leading to some heated text-versations with my landlord... I absolutely adore my place!!! And not just because it's all my style or spacious for my things, but because it is my home. It feels beyond wonderful to have a place I can call that!
• My job--It has been the greatest blessing in my life these past few years!!! Words fall short to express just how grateful I am for it, especially considering how tenuous my career was in California. Property insurance software certainly wasn't what I envisioned as my life's work, but it's interesting, and I adore the people, the paycheck, and the values and focus of my company. Here's to more wonderful years ahead!
• My grandmother--Funny how knowing her time on this earth is waning makes me appreciate and value every moment with her all the more. Grandma Doris has been the familial foundation in my life, the constant source of unconditional love (albeit tough love at times) and the best example of selfless service and kindness I've ever seen. She'd give you the shirt off her back--my shoe collection can attest to that (we're the same size, and she's given me shoes when I've forgotten to bring more than flipflops in the rain many a time!). She's a truly amazing woman, and if I live to be a fraction of the woman she is, I will consider my life a success.
• Roots and wings in Utah Valley--I never, ever, ever wanted to end up here. And yet? I love it. I really, truly, honestly do... much as it pains me to admit that. :P Silly California girl pride! Provo has never been anything but good for my soul, from my life-changing 8th grade year at Farrer Middle School to four and a half glorious years as a BYU student to the last three years as a professional. It's funny how the lives overlap--visiting a current friend who lives around the corner from my 1996 home (or, heck, going to my friend Melody's a few weeks ago, only to realize she lives in my old house from summer 2004!!!), or going to classic movie screenings at the BYU library and walking down the stairs on which I sat and had my first post-college job interview, a phone call for a job at The Orange County Register while I was studying for my last set of finals. It may not be as glamorous as reporting about Laguna Beach or doing PR for Toshiba, but it fits well, and I am so, so, so happy here, it's a lil' bit ridiculous. Even with the snow.

Above all, I am deeply and profoundly grateful for my life, and that it didn't turn out as I wanted it to. The plan I had for myself wasn't nearly as amazing as the one God had in store for me. These last 12 1/2 years of adulthood have been filled with so many unanticipated adventures, both happy and heartbreaking, but I wouldn't trade any. Each provided experience that has shaped me into who I am today, and I can't wait to see what's in store in the years to come!

Lather, Rinse, Repeat

Funny how history repeats itself -- even in a personal scale. Like so:

• Go back and read this.
• Remember that my entire life changed within 10 days.
• Understand that I've been feeling like this again.
• And then I came across this a couple days ago (which is within my company).
• And applied. (With my boss's blessing, of course.)
• And told the sole person I know in that office -- who is higher in the ranks than I realized -- who immediately put in a good word with the right folks.

And here I sit... on pins and needles... waiting to see what and when and if my entire life is going to uproot and shift again. Knowing that this might be absolutely nothing (and preparing for being let down), but also knowing it could be something. Desperately hoping it will, but also being incredibly intimidated by all that will mean.

Oh, and having a blast considering the possibilities of living places like here and here and here. Swoon!!! Lifelong dream within my grasp, folks. I've dreamed of living in the Big Apple for as long as I can remember. Blame it on admiring Stacey from The Baby-Sitter's Club and listening to a lot of Billy Joel as a child.

I can hardly stand the anticipation!

But back to work I go, seeing as this craziness starts in less than a week, and there is SO much to do for it - I'm in charge of writing room host scripts, compiling room host binders, and editing all PowerPoints and handouts, in addition to writing just about every word on that website. Whew!

30 by 30: The 1/3 Update

Hard to believe it, but yesterday was the four-month mark since my birthday - which means there are only eight months left to make my 30 by 30 list a reality. How's the progress coming along? Well, I thought it was time for an update, so here's where we stand:

• #2: Visit five new states - I went to Georgia in October, so one down, four to go. Boston's up in the air, but I'm feeling strongly like Route 66 will be a go this year, so I'll start making actual plans for it soon. 
• #3: Go on 30 dates - Well, I've made it to 22, so just eight more to go. I think it's doable. Counting them seems silly, so I'll be glad to check this one off, honestly. It feels wrong to make each date a hash-mark on my way to making a goal, especially when some of these guys are just plain wonderful.
• #5: Attend the temple 30 times - Shoot! This one's tough, because I don't always jot down in my planner if I go, and I didn't think to start a hash-mark tally until now. So, from what I could count from my dayplanner, I've been eight times. I think it's more - I was going pretty much weekly from September through November, with some interruption from all the traveling I did in that time - but it's not like it'd be bad to go more than 30, so I'll start counting the next 22. Starting in January, I'm planning to do a session at each of the temples in Utah in 2012, of which there are 12 in operation - I'll try to get through as many of those as I can by my birthday. And for the record, I have come to love the Draper temple deeply, so check on that one!
• #6: Learn to ski - Four lessons booked at Alta, starting Jan. 21. I'm excited!

• #7: Drive Route 66 - See #2. When else will I have friends scattered literally all the way along the route? Chicago, St. Louis, Tulsa, Amarillo, Albuquerque, Sedona, and L.A., not to mention friends in Denver and Omaha for the drive from Utah to Chicago (I think I'd rather drive Lola than get a rental) - I'll only have to pay for a place to stay a handful of nights if I do it this year! So now the debate is timing. I'd wanted to go in the fall, so it'd be cooler, but I don't want to miss out on stuff that closes Labor Day, so... we'll see. Again, whether Boston happens and when will impact this trip's timing.

• #15: Read 30 books / #16: Read the Book of Mormon twice / #28: Make the most of my commute - At least five read so far, according to my Goodreads. Thank heavens audiobooks count! They're making my commute so enjoyable. I finished the Book of Mormon that way and got so much more out of it listening than I usually do reading. I'm a couple chapters into The Late Bloomer's Revolution and am LOVING it. I've got another five audiobooks from Audible to dive into after that one, too, including E.L. Doctorow's Ragtime, which I've wanted to read forever, David McCullough's 1776, and Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers.
• #21: Sing, sing, sing - I'm starting voice lessons in just a few days with my cousin Rob's friend Amanda, through Hale Center Theatre Orem. Pretty excited!
• #25: Give up the Diet Pepsi - This'll be a tough one, but I'm biting the bullet and giving it up with the advent of the new year tomorrow. I've got a detox drink a friend recommended (which is delish!) in lieu of the soda, and I've got PLENTY of ibuprofen on hand for the impending headaches. And, how perfect is this, but I've got one refill left on my soda punch card. Time to redeem that and be done.
• #27: Learn to poach an egg - DONE!!! Today I was feeling particularly culinary, so I not only poached an egg - I made Eggs Benedict, complete with from-scratch Hollandaise sauce and steamed asparagus. It was amazing! The egg wasn't nearly as hard as I'd expected, especially thanks to a handy-dandy video tutorial made just for me by my dear friend Emily.

The rest of them need some work, but I'll get there... eventually. At least I've made a good start, right?

2011: A Year in Review

Ringing in 2011 with the Davis clan in Provo - can't believe that was a year ago!

Hey, friends! Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to all of you! 2011 has been quite an incredible year. In many ways it's been "the best of times and the worst of times," filled with amazing adventures and the realization of long-held dreams as well as some heartbreaking disappointments. I've also been a sidelines observer to some amazing triumphs and hard times friends have experienced, and the resilience of the human spirit never ceases to amaze. I'm no doubt a better, stronger, and more authentic woman than I was when the year kicked off in January, and I can't wait to see what further growth 2012 will bring.

Anyways. On to the fun stuff. Here are some highlights from the past year:

• 16,250 miles traveled on 10 trips to/through 9 states and 1 Canadian province - and that doesn't include many trips along the Wasatch Front to Layton, Logan, and the like (which, on days like today, tack on 200 miles!). This year I journeyed to San Francisco, Capitol Reef, Glacier/Waterton/Banff/Calgary, Yellowstone/Island Park, Denver, Savannah/Atlanta, and Southern California times four (but at least to varying parts - L.A., Orange County, and San Diego). For the record, I miss Savannah and/or Banff on a near-daily basis. And I LOVE that I can say that I miss places like Savannah and Banff. Jet-setting has been a blast!



• 18 plays, 20 concerts, and 4 Sundance Film Festival flicks thoroughly enjoyed. There's such a vibrant scene of local performing arts talent around here, it's awesome!!! Those concerts range from local bands in block parties, clubs, and even their parents' homes to choirs like OCMCO or the Mormon Tabernacle in concert halls to the Pacific Symphony playing the 1812 Overture in the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater while visiting Orange County; the plays range from Broadway tours and professional companies to very, very amateur local productions. Professional or amateur, I've loved them all!



Rosie and I got to meet Kevin Clash, the man behind Elmo!


Photo snagged from Justin Hackworth


Photo snagged from Hue & Hum - see my shoulder in the tan jacket on the left?
• Oh, and let's not forget taking the stage for 1 amazing, technicolor production and 2 performances at Temple Square during the Christmas season with the Lehi Chorale. Wish I had bandwidth to do more! Can't wait to start voice lessons next week and dive into next summer's show in the spring.


• 21 dates with 12 amazing men, ranging in age from 25 to 43, with 1 more date (with possibly 1 more guy) slated for the weekend... but still 0 relationships to show for it (despite getting the label of "wifeypoo" from this summer's stage hubster). All this dating's exhausting! But I'd rather be dating than not, so... it's worth it. I've really enjoyed getting to know these guys, but I'm still definitely not used to interacting with guys I know strictly in the dating sense (as opposed to my former normal of going on dates with guys who were friends first). It's a learning process, that's for sure. Better late than never!
• 3 roommates and 2 wards, despite not moving an inch (which was LOVELY, considering I moved three times from Nov. 2009 to Sept. 2010!)
• 1 royal wedding viewed with 2 lovely friends at 3:30 a.m. via streaming internet - and yes, many happy tears were shed. Love Wills and Kate!


• 3 speeding tickets - I know, I know, slooooooow doooooooown...
• 5 temples visited, including many a trip to the temples in Newport Beach and Draper, lest this list seem all vapid and ridiculous. I wish I could've actually gone in and spent time at the Cardston Temple, but it didn't work with the travel schedule. Ah, well - maybe next time. I can't wait to add the Brigham City temple to the list next year, and the Fort Collins, Colorado, temple soon as well!

• 30 lbs. lost... but let's not talk about how many came back from 7 boxes of Candy Cane Joe-Joe's, mmmmmkay? ;) Hitting the gym again tomorrow... *sigh*

• 1 promotion at work and a 2-year work-iversary celebrated - hooray for finally finding a job into which I can settle and stay put! 
  
• 3 sections of the GRE passed with flying colors, and 1 Utah State University class toward my masters completed with an A! Just 10 more classes to go...

WHEW!!! What a year! 

Just flipping through my planner to recap makes me exhausted. It's been an intense year, but wow, it's been such a blast. Being too busy has been great in some ways because it's made me evaluate how I'm spending my energy, and there are certain things that just plain aren't worth it. If it means dropping some relationships, sadly, so be it - much like Elphaba sings in"Defying Gravity,"

I'm through accepting limits 'cause someone says they're so

Some things I cannot change, but 'til I try, I'll never know.

Too long I've been afraid of losing love I guess I've lost - 

Well, if that's love, it comes at much too high a cost! 

I'd sooner buy defying gravity.

Amen and amen! My theme and goal for 2012 is to truly defy gravity - to stop imposing silly limits on myself, being hemmed in and held back by insecurities lacking in any real basis other than falsehoods that got drilled into me over the years by people who should've complimented instead of criticized, myself included. Why I let such negativity seep in over the years, I'll never know - but now that I see it, I can make the future better, and that's what really matters, right?

Anyways... that's my adventure from this year. I can't wait to see the exciting things 2012 will bring!!! 

How about you, friends? Any fun journeys taken or lessons learned in 2011?

Greetings from Canada!

Well, hey, friends! Greetings from Canada! I'm having such an amazing trip with my dear friend Stacy, adventuring through the beauty of the Rocky Mountains - Glacier, Waterton, Jasper, Banff - before wrapping up our stay in Calgary, seeing Wicked and going to opening day of the Calgary Stampede (with Prince William and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge - gah!!!).

Before we head out to get our hike on, I just had to share with you the ridiculousness from yesterday, high atop a mountain overlooking Jasper. We'd taken the Jasper Tramway to the top, and... well... I just couldn't resist. It's probably the closest I'll get to Salzburg - gotta take what I can!

Next Year's BIG TRIP Destination?

Forget Israel or Europe. After watching this, I think I'm heading to Peru! And not the one in Nebraska, either.

No, really. One of my friends leads expeditions to Peru, among other places, through Eagle Condor. He and his wife, who's been one of my dearest friends since college, lived in Peru last summer, and I loved hearing all about the work they were doing. After visiting with them last night, I'm thinking this may be the perfect adventure for next year - five days of service, three days of tourism, including Machu Picchu (and two days for travel). If anyone feels like trekking to Peru as well, let me know!

Meanwhile, can I just tell you how happy that video makes me?! It's 15 minutes but totally worth the view. Isn't it amazing how we really are just one big human family? People can come from varied circumstances on the global scale and yet still find common ground. That's one of the most intriguing things to me about travel - and I haven't even left the continent yet! But I've read others' narratives of their experiences, and I've been around the U.S. enough to find that to be true. Heck, I experienced that right here in Salt Lake City with our company's conference in February! Customers came in from around the country - plus a few from around the globe - and it was just delightful to put faces with names, to chat with customers and feel of their awesomeness as human beings.

There are billions and billions of people on this planet, and each is a child of God with unique talents, abilities, needs, experiences. Sometimes that is just so mind-blowing to me! The world is HUGE - and yet, at the end of the day, we're all brothers and sisters, sharing this mortal sojourn, sharing that basic need for love, understanding, and security. Putting it in that perspective makes me want to open my heart to each individual - less judging, more loving. How much better would the world be if we could just see each other through those eyes?

Where in the World Is... Christa Gonna Visit?

As a child, I LOVED "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?"

(Really, what child of the '90s didn't?)

My intense love (borderline obsession) with learning as much as I can about the people and places around the globe has been around as long as memory permits, and this show/game was delicious fuel to the fire. Some of my happiest childhood memories are of playing the game on our Apple ][ (ah, yes, Apple fan for life!), running upstairs to tell my mom the clues I didn't know, racing back down with the correct answer (always marveling at how smart my mom was!), and feeling vicariously like I was jetting around the globe.

Well... that "vicariously" part ends next summer.

See, as yet another part of the Thirty, Flirty and Thriving Initiative, I am bound and determined to get off of the North American continent before hitting the big 3-0. Despite being a travel addict, I've never explored much internationally. Beyond the other side of Niagara Falls and an orphanage in Tijuana, I haven't left my homeland - so, really, I've never even spent a night outside of the good ol' U.S. of A. Granted, that'll change with my big Canada trip this summer, but still - Canada is practically the 51st state. (Just don't tell that to my Canuck cousin-in-law - pretty sure he'd get feisty about me saying that!) I mean, if I can roadtrip there, then it isn't cutting my need for a major international adventure.

So where am I headed, you ask?

Ah, friends. That's where you come in.

I may not have put a passport to use, but I know PLENTY of you have. I run with quite the well-traveled, sophisticated set, if I do say so myself. ;) Seriously, I'm pretty sure every continent is covered among my friends, and I have GOBBLED up reading or hearing of your adventures, wishing it could be me! Backpacking excursions through Europe, missions in India, time spent living in Brazil or Hong Kong or Morocco, hopping around Australia and the isles of the Pacific, study abroads in London, surfing trips in Costa Rica, safaris in Kenya. (Seriously, who ARE you people?!)

So, do tell. Where are your favorite spots? What do you recommend? I'm drawn to Europe, but that's only natural for a European mutt like me with roots in England, Denmark, Ireland, Scotland, the Netherlands, and Bohemia (which is no longer a country, I know - but it sounds way cooler than the Czech Republic, no?). A tour of the Holy Land would be incredible, too, especially with Latter-day Shalom in mind. But maybe something more exotic could hit the spot?

And does anyone want to come with? I'm barely comfortable doing a trip along the Big Sur coastline solo, let alone traipsing around the world...

Rethinking Route 66

After chatting with a fellow travel-loving coworker just now, I've decided that Route 66 might not be the best trip to take next fall. On the one hand, I'm DYING to go, and there are so many friends along the way, it seems like the perfect time to go.

But on the other hand, traveling a few thousand miles on mostly abandoned roads pretty much alone might not be the safest, wisest idea. (I know - weird, right?) He made the point that most of the motels along there are like the Bates Motel, it's a fairly boring drive, and I really, really shouldn't go alone. He's probably right (darn it!).

I still want to plan some MAJOR, amazing trip for next year, though - the "yay, me!" reward for digging out of debt and saving for a rainy day. So, if not Route 66, what big trip should I take? Back to NYC? Finally head to DC? Maybe do a weeklong East Coast tour from Philly to Boston? Or a weeklong Southern excursion, visiting a dear friend in the Atlanta area and then renting a car and exploring the region? Or is it time to hit up the Windy City and spend some time taking in Chicago? Should I break out of the continental United States FINALLY and go to Europe or to Hawaii? Take a relaxing cruise?

My criteria for the trip is pretty basic - it 1) needs to be some place I've never been (it's time to broaden travel horizons beyond San Francisco, Seattle, and Idaho - although a return to NYC is fair game, since I was only there one day), and 2) needs to be somewhere where I either already have friends or where someone would want to come with me. As much as I really enjoy traveling alone (which I really, really do - is that weird?), it's not always the safest. I just have to make sure I travel with the right friends, as I learned on a recent trip. Makes ALL the difference in the world!

So... thoughts?

The Emerald City

One of my favorite, favorite cities in the world is the Emerald City.

No, not this one...



... but this one:

Oh, Seattle. I love you so. Tonight I get to venture to my much-beloved city to visit my older brother - you know, the genius one who's a programmer for Microsoft? Yup. Pretty much awesome.

Looking forward to a weekend filled with family bonding and some Seattle awesomeness. One of my brother's hobbies is sailing, so that's on the agenda, along with a trip to the Seattle Art Museum (in all my trips, I've never been! Ridiculous, no?). And, of course Pike Place Market. How can any trip to Seattle be complete without stopping there?

And if I have my way... some shopping at H&M is in order. Holy crepe, I miss that place!!!

A New York State of Mind

This afternoon it hit me - I'm going to New York City a week from tomorrow!

OH.

MY.

GOODNESS!!!

Hence my new theme song for the week:



Friends, words fail to express just how danged thrilled I am about this trip. The reason for the trip is to see my best friend in upstate New York, but neither of us have ever been to the city, so we're kicking our Labor Day weekend off by meeting in the Big Apple a week from Saturday. ONE WEEK. When that clicked in my pretty little head this afternoon, I just about started doing a happy dance in my cubicle! Grinning ear to ear, my trip became all I could think about (well, in the background - I did somehow manage to focus enough to finish that briefing doc for a client and rewrite something else, but that's another story).

Anyways, I digress.

Going to New York City has been a LIFELONG dream of mine. Honestly, cheesy as it is, I think it stems from reading about Stacey's adventures in the city in the Baby-Sitters Club books as a kid. She was the coolest! As long as I can remember, I've DREAMED about finally going to New York City.

And now it's really happening!

Only one more week to prep, and I haven't even locked in an itinerary yet! So much planning to do. (I love planning stuff!) I've got a couple of ideas... but I'm not going to spoil it and tell you. You'll just have to find out when I get back in a couple of weeks. Or by catching my Facebook updates, because goodness knows I'll be doing updates aplenty that day! :) I will say, though, that I'm planning to stick to midtown Manhattan as much as possible - it seems like that's where most of the fun stuff is concentrated.

Meanwhile, I'm planning to try to squeeze in one NYC movie a night for the next week: 13 Going on 30, On the Town, You've Got Mail. Any other NYC flicks you recommend?

And if you had ONE DAY - and not a ton of money - to see the sights of New York City, what would you see?

What I Did on My Summer Vacation

Honey, I'm home!

Vacation was fabulous. FABULOUS. Seriously, I had such a blast! The trip definitely merits some more in-depth chronicling (complete with some pics), but seeing as I'm terrible about blogging these days, here's a teaser list of what I did on my summer vacation:

* Star-gazed with a dear old friend in Cache Valley (near Logan)

* Went four-wheeling - and discovered that makes your back all tight and sore for a few days, lol. Who knew?

* Ate Cafe Rio. Twice.

* Went through the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house in flipflops - it was a spur-of-the-moment decision (and a wonderful one at that - thanks, Melissa!)

* Marveled at an awesome summer storm with my little cousins in the cabin loft

* Saw three black bears in Yellowstone (including one who hopped up on his hind legs and scratched his back against a tree - awesome!!!)

* Caught a fish - and watched in disbelief as my uncle and grandma released aforementioned fish back into the lake. And then watched as they managed to catch a dozen-plus fish between them while I didn't get a single other bite all day. Lame, lame, lame - I so wanted to eat a fish I caught!

* Took in a fabulous production of Guys and Dolls at the Playmill Theatre - my favorite tradition for 20 years now!!! 

* Ate way too many of my grandma's homemade chocolate-covered peanut butter balls. Soooo worth it, though!

* Slept in five beds in nine days. (Alone, of course - not a hussy! That could soooo be taken the wrong way...)

* Loved the "biggest fireworks show west of the Mississippi" on the banks of the Snake River in Idaho Falls - it was amazing! And hearing my friend Elise sing the national anthem at the swanky party across the creek wasn't too shabby, either.

* Marveled at the bizarre hairstyles so prevalent in Idaho. Note to the men: mullets are not attractive. Get over it. Note to the women: lay off the hairspray, ladies! And teasing should be done to children, not your hair.

And that, my friends, pretty much encapsulates the last week and a half of my life. So delightful! More tales to come soon, I'm sure...

Utah Adventures

So... I never blogged up my Utah trip, did I? (Or my Arizona trip, for that matter - sheesh! What is wrong with me?!

Well, I just discovered the awesomeness of Picasa, so here's a little teaser from my Utah trip. I went on some pretty awesome trips in 2008, and I think the Utah trip is the only one I blogged (since I wasn't blogging yet when I went to San Fran). So, I may have to do a year's travel-in-review kind of recap soon... but not tonight. For now, enjoy!

Route 66, East Coast Tour or Swedish Surprise?

Ennui: a feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from satiety or lack of interest; boredom

I love my life. Really, I do. But lately, I'm getting so bored with the same old, same old!

Earlier this month I passed the four-year mark since moving to Orange County, and March will mark three years since I moved into my lovely little apartment. And while I have a myriad of things going for me - great roommates, amazing ward, fabulous friends, wonderful job - lately I've just been feeling so stifled and ready for a change. I don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth here, because I realize how good I've got it - but, I don't know. Even perpetual sunshine and frequent Disneyland trips get blase and mundane after a while.

Problem is, as initally mentioned, I do, in fact, love my life! Orange County is lovely - you really couldn't ask for better weather. The thought of actually up-and-leaving my life makes me sad. I just don't think I could do it!

And so, this morning I woke up determined to plan my next vacation. Granted, at the moment I'm broke, but at least if I start planning, I'll have something to look forward to, right? I should be able to pull off a Big Trip by August (which, incidentally, is my birthday) or September - and, as long as I don't take days off between now and then, I should be able to bank up a couple weeks of vacation time to boot!

In planning the Big Trip, I'm thinking I should do something extraordinary (but not necessarily expensive) - something I've always dreamed of doing that I won't be able to do when I'm tied down to a husband and children. The older I get, the more I'm realizing that certain whimsies of singlehood will, in fact, shrivel up and die someday - for a greater gift of an eternal family and all, so I'm sure it'll be a worthwhile tradeoff, but still. Gotta live up being footloose and fancy-free while I can!

So, here are three possible trips I've come up with after a day of plotting and scheming (in the back of my mind while working on client work, of course, lest you think me a slacker):

TRIP #1: Route 66


Driving Route 66 has been a lifelong dream of mine. I actually started plotting out making the drive a few years ago, but my would-be road buddy went and got herself married, so the trip plans fell by the wayside. Nevertheless, I'd love to make the trek someday - and if someday, why not now?

Route 66 is a 2,448-mile drive from Chicago to Santa Monica (which I'd make in the reverse, of course, since Santa Monica is in my backyard, practically). The cool thing is, looking at the route, I'm realizing that I have quite a lot of friends along the path! That could make for some inexpensive accomodations and great visiting time.

The problem is, driving Route 66 and then home again is pretty much a two-week adventure of driving all day - WikiTravel breaks it into nine days one way, and then it'd be another four days home via the interstate. I can handle driving to Utah or Seattle solo, but a full two weeks behind the wheel might be intense, even for me, and I doubt I'll be able to find someone willing to join me on the trek.

It might not be the safest thing for a single gal to make that drive alone, either, I s'pose. I hate feeling limited by the safety factor! So not fun! I enjoy traveling alone, but I'll admit, I do get a little creeped out, too.

TRIP #2: East Coast tour

Going to New York City and Washington, D.C. have also been lifelong dreams of mine. Truth be told, I've always wanted to move there, but I hate humidity and cold weather, so that's not likely to ever actually happen. From what I hear, though, autumn in New York is enchanting, as is New England that time of year, with the colorful leaves.

So, my other thought is, I miss my BFF, Karen, who lives in upstate New York. So, I could always head back east for a week or two to spend time with my bestie and split away to check out the amazing sites of New York City and Washington, D.C. (plus possibly Boston and Philadelphia, plus stopping to see a friend in Pittsburgh). Oh, and Scranton, of course. If I'm in the neighborhood, I gotta hit up the hometown of Jim Halpert, my one true love!

The problem with this trip is that it will require some strategic travel arrangements and accomodations. I don't know think I anyone in the Big Apple or the Beltway right now with whom I could crash, so traveling on the cheap might be tough. Plus, I'd have to rent a car to get from upstate to the city and back (although I could stick with public transportation once there).

TRIP #3: Swedish surprise

My friend Tina and I discussed a possible autumn trip to London and Sweden when we were in Arizona for my last birthday. I've never hopped the pond to Europe, and I really would love to make that trip happen sooner than later. Tina served her mission in Sweden, so she has the lay of the land and the language down (and I've got the English thing covered for the London part of the trip, teehee). Who knows when else I'd have that opportunity? It would be amazing to see Scandinavia, possibly adding in a jaunt to my native Denmark and some of my ancestral hometowns in the U.K.

Of course, a trip to Europe would be waaaay more pricey than the other two trip options. I'd love, love, love to go to Europe - but that's a trip that I can take later in life, when I have a family (and a larger pocketbook!).

And who knows what life will bring between now and August/September? When changes come for me, they tend to come quickly. But I don't want to put off planning, dreaming and scheming. I worry that if I keep putting off adventures until "someday," I'm going to look back on a lot of empty yesterdays. That's hardly a good option, either.

What do you think? Which trip would you do if you were in my shoes?

Phoenix Phun with the Pink (House) Ladies

This Labor Day weekend I will be soaking in some hot desert sun with some of my favorite gals in Phoenix.

I am sooooo thrilled!!! This will be the first Pink House reunion since, well, the girls still lived in the Pink House! Hayley, Tina and Brittny are three of my favorite roommates EVER. Brittny and Tina had already been roomies for a year at University Villa before I moved in for my senior year at BYU, taking my cousin's new wife's spot in the apartment. Hayles was roommates with my bestie, Karen, upstairs, and when summer came, Tina, Hayley and I moved into the Pink House a few blocks away while Britt went home for the summer.

I followed Karen to an apartment across town when Britt returned, but we all kept in touch despite scattering after our Provo days.



The last time I saw Brittny was when Tina and I were bridesmaids in her wedding to our friend Casey (and they now have a 15-month-old boy, so it's been a while!)...
... and March 2007 was the last time I saw Tina and Hayley on a Utah trip.
These days Tina works in the great outdoors in southeastern Utah, Brittny is a mommy in Tucson and Hayley is in Houston for the summer before heading back to grad school in London. Weekend after next, however, the four of us will congregate in good ol' Phoenix for some fun (and my birthday!).
Soooo... any suggestions of the best things to do, the best places to eat, etc.? I've never been to Phoenix; my travel agenda is a blank slate. If you have some good ideas, I'm all ears!

*sigh!* Writing this post makes me miss these girls more than EVER!!! We had way, way too many good times together. I'll have to scan some archive pics. In all the years since I left home I've had plenty o' roommates, but I gotta say, these ladies are in my top 5! I can't wait to see you girls!!!

Adventures in Yellowstone, Provo, and Beyond

So, when I left off blogging consistently, I was off to Utah and Idaho for a delightful little trip. What a blast it was!

Here are a few shots of some of my fav Utah spots:

The Provo Temple

 Rock Canyon Peak

Mount Timpanogos

The first leg of my trip put me in Provo, where I was blessed to stay at the Witt condo. And, lucky for me, Pam was in town! Pam is amazing. She's been like a second mom to me ever since her daughter, my close friend Sarah, passed away a year and a half ago. I love that whole family!!! They're just plain wonderful. Anyways, Pam was in town from Albuquerque, and I hadn't seen her since October, so it was a blast hanging around with the Witt fam for a few days.

And, of course, I got to spend some quality time with my own family. My wonderful grandma, Doris, had been in Provo, nursing her brother and sister in law. I saw her briefly in Provo and then reunited a few days later at her cabin in Island Park, Idaho.


I just have to gush for a moment here - my grandmother is such a truly incredible woman. She's set such a wonderful example for me and my family, setting a lot of firsts: first to graduate from college (she got a BS in nursing from the U of U in the early 1950s, when college wasn't exactly a must, and followed it with a successful nursing career), first woman in the fam to serve a mission (as far as I know, that is - she served in the Georgia Macon mission in the early 1990s, shortly after my grandpa's passing). She's a skilled golfer (who, I'm proud to say, once scored a hole in one at Aliso Creek!), a talented seamstress and quilter (who made ALL of my childhood dresses before switching to quilting - and she won the Fremont County Fair blue ribbon at that, to boot), a gifted cook and chocolatier... and one of the most giving, service-oriented women I've ever seen. She takes such good care of her siblings and her mother-in-law when their health requires, and she's always so willing to help with just about anything when there's a need. She's not your typical teddy-bear type of grandma - she's definitely more of the tough love variety - but her love is always there. I love her soooo much!!!

Anyhoo... so, Idaho. My timing worked out so perfectly - my good friend Stacy, from my college days, happened to be in Provo the same weekend, so instead of heading straight to her home in Idaho Falls, Stacers came with me (and provided the transportation) to my grandma's cabin, which is about 20 miles from Yellowstone National Park, for a few days.

Grandma's cabin is, hands down, my FAVORITE place in the world. It's more of a home and a refuge to me than anywhere else in the world. Every inch of that place is saturated with memories - and that's not an exaggeration! - from childhood rounds of "Life" or "ToeJam and Earl" with my cousins and brother in the loft, to a giddy phone call to my best friend after my first kiss, to a phone call a few years later with the first-kiss-giving fella as he told me about his first kiss with his now-wife.



Memories of childhood ice cream cones on the patio, of swimming in the mucky lake and peeling off the leeches (yeah, nasty, I know!), of lying on the cool grass and stargazing on a clear summer night while chatting on the phone with my then-squeeze. Walking into the cabin, inhaling its certain aroma - man, I felt like I was home, like I never wanted to leave!


But, alas, three days were all I had - and a snowy three days at that! That's right - snow. In June. Lame, huh?

Here's a shot of Stacy, working on our wonderful breakfast-for-dinner from our first night there:
Our first full day, Stace and I had a lazy morning and then headed into Yellowstone for about four hours, savoring the scenery despite the somewhat bleak weather. I had a field day playing around with my dad's camera, which he graciously loaned me for the trip (I had ordered the same one, but it didn't arrive 'til after I got home). Here's a smattering of my favorite shots:

Grandma arrived that night, and then Day Two of the trip, Stacy and I woke up to snow and rain! So much for the full Yellowstone day we'd planned. Instead we spent the majority of the day curled up in the basement, fire burning in the fireplace, while I devoured the Twilight series and she worked on homework (she's getting a master's from Idaho State). May I just say, those Twilight books are insanely addictive!!! I read the first three all the way through, plus all of Twilight and half of New Moon again during my 10-day trip. Granted, there was plenty of travel time for reading, but still - I couldn't put them down! I got Stace started in Twilight too.

Look at how choppy Henry's Lake got in the storm!


That night we braved the snow to grab dinner in West Yellowstone and see "Oklahoma!" at the Playmill Theatre, a darling little summerstock theater with a cast composed of mostly BYU and BYU-Idaho kids.

(And yes, I did chuck that at Stacy after she took the picture!)

The play was fabulous, as it always is. The Playmill is, again, one of my FAVORITE things in the WORLD!!! I mean, I've always been an arts-loving girl, but I think going to the Playmill as a child was my first exposure to live theater, and the Playmill Players were my heroes when I was little!

I still remember seeing "Brigadoon" there when I was 6 or so - the couple starring in the show, Roger and Heidi Merrill, eventually married (if they weren't already by then) and stayed involved in the Playmill through the years - now they run the theater and their college-aged daughter is in the shows! (And that means I'm old... but whatever). Now I'm older than the majority of the Playmill Players, but I still feel a glimmer of that hero-worship for them. (And yes, I did audition for the Playmill in college, which was a lifelong dream of mine. Sadly, I choked on my second song despite a brilliant intro number - but that was the summer I interned in Seattle, and I'm glad I didn't miss out on that life experience, so it all worked out...)

But I digress... Stacy went home early Wednesday morning, and I got to spend a day with my grandma, just the two of us, which was delightful. I stayed in my PJs until late afternoon as we played round after round of Scrabble. I finally showered and dressed just in time to go to dinner at Dolly and Andy's, my grandma's neighbors a few doors down, for dinner. I've known of Dolly forever, it seems, but this was the first time I remember spending much time with them. Joining us for dinner was Dirk, another longtime Island Park resident. Yep - me with four septugenarians/octogenarians. It was such a blast!!! Admittedly, I was worried I'd feel out of place, but I wasn't at all. I just listened to story after story, which was just plain awesome. I love spending time with people older than 30!!! It's great to be enriched by their wealth of life experience.

The next morning was my last in Idaho. Grandma was kind enough to drive me to the airport shuttle in Idaho Falls, which is about a two-hour drive from the cabin. I enjoyed the scenery the entire way - I'm such a city girl, so the rural beauty of the Idaho countryside is just amazing to me!




Grandma and I did a session in the Rexburg temple (which is lovely!)...


... and grabbed lunch, and then I was on a shuttle back to Salt Lake, where I rented a car and returned to the Witt condo in Provo. My second weekend there, I had it to myself and enjoyed the R&R. I actually spent a LOT of time during that second leg of the trip at Bill and Necia's place in Orem (Sarah's brother and sister-in-law who is pretty much the big sister I never had!).

Finally, the whole reason for the trip came on Friday night: a retirement dinner for Dr. Frank Fox and Dr. Clayne Pope, the founders of American Heritage, the oft-maligned BYU general ed course for which I TA'ed for three years. Dr. Fox is my academic idol!!! Not only did he found the class that was such an integral part of my college experience, but he also founded the American Studies Department and taught two of my all-time favorite classes (San Francisco and the American Imagination, and Pop Culture).

Organized by the current American Heritage course coordinator, the dinner in the brand-new Hinckley Alumni Building was for all American Heritage TAs and professors.

While wandering through the alumni building, I found a bunch of old BYU yearbooks - including one with my Aunt Janet's pic! Can you spot which one is her?



(Top row, in the middle - see a family resemblance?)

The dinner was soooo worth the trip!!! I'd worried that I wouldn't know anyone, but instead I gladly reunited with Jordan and Kiersten, a couple of fellow TAs from my AHtg days. We sat together, plus Kiersten's hubby (who she met when *gasp!* he was one of her students!) and a really nice husband, wife and daughter from Louisiana - he had been a TA during the course's first year ever. We had such fun conversation - I especially enjoyed catching up with Jordan after the dinner. I wish I'd gotten to know her better during college!

Here we are - Jordan's in the red, Kiersten's in the pink. Huh, we're kind of color coordinated, now that I think about it...

The official presentation was just powerful. I don't think there was a dry eye in the house as we watched some classic clips from Drs. Fox and Pope's lectures.


That class has had a profound effect on my life, from the subject matter influencing how I see the world to the TAs I met there becoming some of my dearest friends in college and beyond. It made me so proud to be among the elite group who call themselves American Heritage TAs! People may grumble and groan about American Heritage, but I can attest to the fact that it is truly divinely inspired.

My final full day in Utah was devoted to my La Crescenta girls - Rebecca, Tabitha and Haas, my BFFs since high school. Haas's birthday had been that week, so I thought it would be fun to surprise her - Rebecca and Tabitha helped me in the ruse by arranging for a girls' day out with Haas's hubby, Mike. The surprise totally worked!!! I hid behind as we got to the door and totally got the shocked reaction I was hoping for. :)

Haas has an annual pass to This is the Place Heritage Park, just up the hill from her Salt Lake apartment, so we headed up there first and enjoyed looking at the historical buildings from the pioneer days. Here are some of my favorite shots:

By the time we were done there, we were all starving - especially a very-pregnant Tabitha! - so we piled into Rebecca's Prius and winded our way up Emigration Canyon to Park City for lunch at El Chubasco, my fav Mexican restaurant up there. It was fun, going back there with them - we'd gone there on a group date 5 1/2 years earlier during the Sundance Film Festival (it was Tabitha's second date with her now-husband).

After lunch we hit the Park City outlets, where they shopped for kid clothes while I beefed up my professional wardrobe (which was a must, since I got rid of my PR clothes during Round 2 of the Register and therefore had nothing to wear to the job I'd start the next week!). Man oh man, do I ever looooove the Park City outlets! Unfortunately, we had to head home before I could really sink my teeth into the Ann Taylor outlet (although I'm sure it was better for my wallet, in the long run).

All in all, it was a delightful trip. Somehow I keep traveling back to Provo - I've been at least a half-dozen times since leaving - but when you've got such good friends and family there, who could stay away?