Reasons I Love My Hometown

I've loved being home this summer. Mostly because I love my family and I'm soaking up the last bit of time and hugs I have with them before I start on this crazy grad school adventure. 

However, I also have loved this summer because I LOVE my hometown. 

Reasons why? 

1. The View

It doesn't get much better than the view from the middle of 65 acres. I'm telling you. Especially during a lightening storm like tonight. Gorgeous. 

2. My Neighbors

Really, it doesn't get much better than having your grandparents, favorite aunt and uncle and cousins all living next door. Best part? You always have people to play catch with a football. 

3. Mint Fields

I adore - ADORE - the smell of mint fields. They are a gorgeous green color and I love driving past them on a cool summer evening when they are damp and smell delicious. 

4. Cropdusters

There is something so comfortable about the sound of a crop duster flying overhead. Plus they are absolutely amazing to watch. Their daredevilish stunts that are actually their job take me away from the real world for just a moment. 

5. My Home Away from Home

I love this house, this family. They are my favorite. My best friend, someone who loves me like a daughter, little sisters I can borrow since mine has bummed out to get married [what's that about? geez.], and the man who cuts our hay. Couldn't ask for more. Especially since their mom let's us invade her kitchen for our girl's night brownie traditions. :]

6. Trucks

Do I really have to elaborate? Trucks are the epitome of hometown for me. Driving, riding in the back. We have a beautiful new Dodge on the farm that I am just itching to drive. 

7. Haystacks

Haystacks are right up there with trucks in screaming home to me. But this summer I especially love haystacks because we had a sleepover on top of one. That's me at the back. And you can see the staircase Jess's dad build so we could get up. It was fantastic. :]

8. The Shooting Range

We've discussed this before. But a list of why I love my hometown would be incomplete without me including the shooting range. I thoroughly enjoy shooting things. The only two games I really play on our Wii: MarioKart and Top Shot Arcade [a shooting game].

9. Movies in the Park

Every other week my hometown has been putting on movies in the park. Free. Just bring a blanket or a chair. I love it. I feel all community like and get to have fun too. I see no problems with this scenario. 

10. The Snow Cone Shack

This is close to my favorite thing about where I live. I have tried a good many other snow cone shacks and very few have even come close to meeting the expectations set by my snow cone experiences I've had growing up here. Grape. Always grape. 

11. Floating the Boise River

What more do I need to say? Except that really it's much better on a hot hot day and not a almost chilly day. We were frozen when we got out. But I love everything about it. The water. The sun. The huge bruise on my butt from hitting a rock. 

12. Boise

I love the city. The trees, the downtown, the people. The football team. And for reasons such as the Boise Music Festival. He is We and Andy Grammer live? I don't mind at all. :] 

13. Canyon County Fair

There are few things I love more in this world than the smell of the pig barn at the fair. Except maybe the view of the fair from the top of paratroopers. It's my very favorite ride. I just learned so much at the fair. Changed and grew so much. And the smell and the sights and the sounds take me right back. Plus I love my once a year heart attack inducing fair food meal. 

14. Back Roads

The thing I love very most about where I live though is the back roads. Windows down, radio blasting on a cool summer night. There is no better feeling in the whole entire world. 

Right there in that moment I am the me I like most. The girl I want to be every single moment of every single day of my life. The girl who lets her hairdo gets blown out. The girl who sings at the top of her lungs. Because she honestly doesn't care what other people think right then. The girl whose cares and stresses and worries can be summed up and then carried away in a country song or two.  

When I'm in that place life is simpler, solutions are within my grasp and I just don't give a darn what any one thinks of the crazy girl with blown out hair and music too loud. In my car, driving with my music, that's my happy place and I love how much I get to drive on the back roads to get to where I live. 

p.s. meg's wedding is this coming saturday. that's why i've been noticeably absent from this blog and why i will be absent for a little while longer. as far as that goes. i still have mixed feelings daily but i'm in a good place. i know that i'm where i am supposed to be in life, doing what i am supposed to be doing and for now that's enough for me. i'm trusting, hoping, and learning patience. 

p.p.s. other things worth noting in the time I haven't written: i got an iPhone. i swear it is smarter than i am. but i love it. i saw harry potter 7 and cried through about the last half hour of it. more on this later.  i paid off my car. i am totally debt free. [for two weeks til i take out my student loans. but still]. and i have an accepted offer on a house! i don't have to live in a box in las vegas! 

Summer Summer Summer

Stream of Consciousness version of my summer:

I'm still of course working the farm and for my parents. Last week my uncle & his family were gone on vacation so I had a lot more to do. I played vet for a baby calf that is crippled. We are trying to help it's legs straighten so it will be able to walk. If it doesn't it will die. :( So I went out a couple times a day to help it. We also had a horse get tangled in a fence. That was really bad. She kicked at another horse through the fence but got caught and twisted. We had to cut the fence to get her out. Luckily she didn't cut any muscle and looks like everything is healing just fine.

I've also of course been doing a lot planning for Megan's wedding. Things are going well with that. I think it will all work out quite well in the end. I've had a lot of inspiration involving burlap and wheat and wildflowers and mason jars and old benches. I think it will turn out quite lovely.

I've been working on a Stake Committee for our 24th of July Celebration which is going to be our day of service that they asked us to do in Conference. I'm way excited. I also got asked to teach Relief Society. Of course I will.

So I'm constantly exhausted. Even when I sleep for 9 hours and take a 2 hour nap I can hardly drag myself out of bed. I've also been bruising like crazy. I have a huge one on my inner thigh right now. Plus like 5 randoms. The thing is I never remember getting hurt. It just shows up. I promise I am not in an abusive relationship. :)

I took my brother and 6 of my cousins to see Kung Fu Panda 2 on Monday. They had fun but boy was that a handful! I don't actually know how the movie was because with all the bathroom trips, passing popcorn, switching seats, a popcorn refill I couldn't actually pay attention! But they were happy so I was happy.

I am really liking my singles ward. We have a lot of fun. We went on a campout to Cascade that was a ton of fun.

I went to Vegas last weekend with my parents to find my townhouse or condo. It was HOT. I didn't realize that it doesn't cool down at night like Utah and Idaho. Our plane landed at 11:00 at night and it was 95 degrees. GROSS! I've never praised the man who invented A/C more. But at the same time. After 95 it all feels the same. It was 110 on Saturday and I couldn't tell the difference.

We found a couple of condos, one I loved but they both fell through. So currently I'm at square one trying to decide how much money it is worth to spend to live in the area I want to be in and picking new places to make offers on.  House hunting = NOT FUN. I found a blog post yesterday that describes my feelings EXACTLY. It's so true. I just want one to work out at this point. And I'm trying to figure out how much work I'm willing to do to fix it up and how much money I'm willing to spend to live in the area I want. Hopefully the next time you hear from me we'll have some more offers in. :]

However, as frustrating as house hunting itself was, I'm also SO excited to live in Las Vegas. My parents and explored from one end of of the valley to the other. Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon, the Las Vegas Temple and UNLV campus. I think it's going to be a great two years. :]

Fourth of July is my very favorite holiday and it didn't disappoint this year. Food, family and fantastic fireworks. I couldn't ask for anything else.

Yep, summertime is grand. :]

Rainbows

Life's been a little hard for me lately. In case you hadn't noticed. Sister getting married. Trying to span the gap between BYU and UNLV. It's a weird time of life. And I hadn't really felt like myself.

The other day we were driving and I saw this rainbow. It's not the best picture ever nor was it the best rainbow ever but it triggered a thought that has meant a lot to me.

Rainbows only come after rain. [Well duh Rachel.] But really. To see a rainbow there has to be a rainstorm.

Sometimes to see some of the most beautiful things you have to weather the storm first. And life can kinda be like that.

It's stormy now. And not a refreshing summer thunderstorm kind of storm. A rainstorm that leaves you wet and miserable and cold. But you know what. That's okay. Because after the rainstorm comes the rainbow. And I'm willing to wait it out for that.

I Love Utah

Note: This post is late. Sorry. I just haven't felt like sitting on my computer lately or have been busy doing other things. Apologies to those of you just dying to hear about my exciting life. [Crickets chriping.] Oh. Never mind. 

Utah. [Insert state song that gets stuck in your head here.]

Once upon a time we went on a family vacation. We were supposed to go gemstone mining in Montana but the combination of bad weather in Montana and my parents wanting to meet Megan's fiance's parents meant that Southern Utah really was going to be the better option. So to Southern Utah we went. We went to Bryce Canyon National Park, which I'd actually never been to before. I LOVED it. We hiked down in the canyon which actually isn't a canyon and has a name that my sister could tell you but I forgot. I thought it was gorgeous and such a unique version of red rock because there are pine trees everywhere. And since we all know that I love red rock I was a happy camper. Literally. :] Although I did get kinda grumpy at one point when I hadn't eaten enough. [Note to future roommates, husband, etc: I get grumpy when I don't eat. I don't need a four course meal. Just a granola bar will make a world of difference.]

When we got back from that we spent two days doing wedding stuff for Megan. Wedding dress. Check. Bridesmaids dresses. Check. Wedding Shoes. Check. It was quite productive. 

Then Mom and Megan went home and I moved back into Roman Gardens for a week. It was fantastic. :]

We started with a birthday party for Andrea and Russell who were turning 22 and 23. It was a classic birthday bash with party hats, birthday cake [yes, there are 80 candles in it.], pin the tail on the donkey charades and prizes. We ended outside in the pool. A lovely time was had by all. 

Wednesday was the day Eva went into the MTC so I drove to Lehi and picked up Alyssa and then we drove together to Salt Lake to pick up Eva from the airport. She looked positively radiant. So beautiful and so ready to go and serve her mission to South Korea. We talked and laughed all the way back to Provo where we dropped her off. Her flight was delayed so she was late getting there so we got to take her all the way into the front desk. I only cried a little. I will miss that girl so much. She has been a HUGE part of my life since Heather invited her into join our big hair competition early in our Freshman year. I cannot possibly explain how grateful I am to know her.

That night I did senior pictures with Claire and went to The Princess Bride outdoor at the Scera in Orem. So fun!

Thursday night Tayte, Aubrey and I went down to Manti for the Mormon Miracle Pageant. I LOVE the Manti Pageant. I love eating Turkey before it starts and sitting under the temple for the show. I love that it's a little cheesy but so full of the spirit.

On Friday Aubrey and I hung out. Just the two of us. I can't tell you how much this girl has blessed my life. I've said it before and I'll say it again. She was exactly the roommate I needed this year. I adore everything thing about her. Just a peach of a girl.

Saturday I had lunch with Patrick. Just a good catchup with a good friend. And that night Alyssa, Dan, Jacob and I hiked the Y and because Dan was craving it we literally ran down the Y and got J Dawgs afterwards. So much fun.

Sunday was Andrea's farewell talk so we all drove up to Ogden for her. She did such a great job. She is so ready for her mission and is going to do just a stellar job. I can't believe how close we've gotten in the last few months. It's going to be really hard to not have her just a phone call away. However, I will be writing her obnoxiously often and we have grand plans for when she returns. Cruise, skydiving... :]

On Monday I was planning on going home but Aubrey talked me into staying for one more night so we went on a stroll up by Bridal Veil Falls with Nunja and played games at FHE. I really like Aubrey's current roommates Natalie and Christie. They are so nice to let me bum at their house for a week.

Finally on Tuesday I packed up and went home. :]

In addition to all of that I spent the week going back to basics. Scripture study first thing in the morning. Going to the temple. Laying out in the sun and getting warm to the bone. Reading Harry Potter. Spending time just sitting looking out the window. Eating well. And all of that healed my poor broken heart. I'd been spending so much time on edge that I kept crashing and then would spend my time getting back up to the edge and then something else would make me crash again. My little vacation week gave me time to actually regroup, put life back into perspective, breathe. I felt so much more like myself.

And that my friends is why I love Utah. Just don't tell anyone. :]

The End.