Twilight vs. Harry Potter

This morning I finally finished Breaking Dawn, the last book of the Twilight series. I LOVED Twilight, was saddened by New Moon, relieved with Eclipse, and kind of disappointed with Breaking Dawn, which is why it took me awhile to finish it, although, I was glad it ended happily ever after!
So now I am thinking of starting the Harry Potter series. I have had no interest with Harry Potter, even after seeing the first two movies. But everyone I have talked to says Harry Potter is awesome, so since I read Twilight I am going to give Harry a try. I saw the the 6th movie, The Half Blood Price on Wednesday in the IMAX theater...the first part of the movie was in 3D, which was amazing! I was intrigued by the movie so that's my next fictional journey! I guess I am making up for all of those years I was opposed to reading :)

Awesome 3D glasses!!!

Park City

Park City is probably my favorite place in Utah, I love going up there, it's so peaceful! So on Wednesday I decided to go explore there. There is a really neat old barn that I have driven by so many times and I wanted a picture of it, I pulled off the side of the road to get my picture, when I looked to the other side of the street and saw cars parked so I checked it out and there was a sign with a map of trail heads. One of the trails led to the farm, awesome! The trail was nice and paved, great for running :) The trail led to a Catholic church, which was pretty. It was a great day and I enjoyed the cooler weather!

What a Girl Wants

The two things that are constantly on my mind are the Peace Corps and Hawaii. I want to know that I am accepted so I can start planning out the time and getting things organized. I already picture myself packing, flying, learning a new language, and living in a foreign country helping others. But I want that invitation!!!

The other thing I want is to live in Hawaii...the feeling to go is getting greater. It's like I am being drawn there. I know I will live there and I just have to be patient...but I want it!!!

Ensign and Saltair

Today I hiked up to Ensign Peak, over looking the Salt Lake valley. The view was amazing and I enjoyed reading about some of the history of the LDS Church. It was neat to look to the left and see the City and then the Great Salt Lake to the right. From there I decided to walk around the State Capitol. I see it all the time from afar but it was neat to see it up close and the buildings surrounding it. Then I walked down to Memory Grove, which was really cool. I felt like I was a tourist, but these places I had not seen before and are highlights of Salt Lake.





Very cute little church

Memory Grove


In the evening I drove out to the Great Saltier and I walked out to the lake. That's the closest I have been to the beach this summer but it definitely was not the same. It was smelly and there were tons of gnats. It was good to see the sun rays coming out of the clouds shining down.
There is so much to see in Utah, let alone the world. I truly enjoy exploring and seeing new things!

Good Weekend

On Saturday mom, Dan, and I went exploring! We went up Mill Creek and it was beautiful, we found a spot and walked around a little by the creek. There was a tree that had fallen across the creek and I decided to walk on it. Dan and I walked in the the creek and the water was ice cold! Then we walked up a trail for a few minutes. I want to go back and hike!!




From there we went up Big Cottonwood Canyon again, we went to Brighton Ski Resort. It was so pretty we walked around the lake and even saw a moose...so cool!


I've even had the opportunity to learn how to drive/operate a tractor!

Monuments and Melodies

I saw Incubus live for the 3rd time and it was awesome! They sound amazing live and they put on a great show! It brought back a lot of old memories.
Here are some lyrics from the songs they played. A lot of their songs are very meaningful to me....
"Some people fall in love and touch the sky, some people fall in love and find quicksand"
"Wish you where here, I am a wounded satellite"
"Love hurts but sometimes it's a good hurt"
"Hey, babe let's call it what it is, oil and water"
"There was never meant to be only one"
"We'll always have each other when everything else is gone....We all have someone who digs at us"
"I will survive"
"I am making a choice to be out of touch....Leave me here in my star craving sick sad little world"
"Whatever tomorrow brings I'll be there"
"Kill your doubt....Kiss to send us off"
"How do you do it, make me feel the way I do?"
"Don't ever let life pass you by"
"What are you waiting for a certain shade of green?"
"Pardon me while I burst into flames"
"I lean against the wind pretend I am weightless and in this moment I am happy"
"I haven't felt the way I feel today in so long it's hard for me to specify"

Usana Amphitheater

So Good!

Hiking

Last night a friend and I went hiking at dusk in Kaysville. We wanted to make it to the top for sunset but didn't make it. The hike was a little rugged, I think we went off the main trail a few times! It was a fun adventure and we want to try another hike when we have more sunlight!
There are so many hiking trails in Utah and I would like to hike as many as possible this summer. So I have decided that at least once a week I will try a new hike. Today I choose to hike Doughnut Falls in Big Cottonwood Canyon. I was blown away driving through the canyon, it was so green and beautiful, I guess it was a good thing it rained the entire month of June! The streams were very full and Doughnut Falls was awesome. I would like to go again and hike further up to see the fall better...I was not completely prepared for water and rock climbing today.

Kaysville At Sunset



Doughnut Falls Hike

The Arhets' Family

I have known the Arhets' family for 17 years!
Tonight my mom and I went to Dani's baby shower and I was thinking about that day in Kindergarten when I met Andrea and how she has been my friend ever since. She is truly a great friend and no matter what she has been there for me. I then started thinking about the times I have shared with her and her family and I feel truly grateful to know such a kind, welcoming, fun-loving family. Her mom and oldest sister use to babysit me and Amie- take us to school, feed us snacks and let us play. How nice of them to open their homes to us! I have enjoyed watching their family grow and being a close friend!

"Warning"

Bat your eyes girl, be otherworldly.
Count your blessings. Seduce a stranger.
What's so wrong with being happy?
Kudos to those who see through sickness.
Over and over and over and over and ooh...

She woke in the morning.
She knew that her life had passed her by
And she called out a warning:
"Don't ever let life pass you by!"

I suggest we learn to love
ourselves before it's made illegal.
When will we learn?
When will we change?
Just in time to see it all come down.
Those left standing will make millions
writing books on the way it should have been.

When she woke in the morning,
she knew that her life had passed her by
And she called out a warning:
"Don't ever let life pass you by!"

I love Incubus and this is such a meaningful song for me!
We cannot be afraid to live our lives...to take risk even if that means making a mistake or failing or opening yourself up or getting your heart broken. Life is what you make of it.
Life is short so have fun and don't regret anything!

Exploring

I had a fun day exploring. I went up to Bountiful Peak and hiked around there a little. It's at the top of the hill where the big "B" is for the city of Bountiful. It was neat to look out over the valley and see the Temple and half of the valley covered in storm clouds and the other half sunny. From there I decided to go to Mueller Park and hike. It was beautiful, so green. It was sprinkling and I could hear the thunder which was peaceful. I love being in nature. I love the backyard of Utah...there is so much to explore and natural beauty!