nostalgia

do you ever hear a song that immediately takes you back to a specific time and place and memory? so vivid that you can almost see the people you were with down to the way the light hit their face or the way the air smelled or the way the pavement sounded under the tires of the car you were riding in? Sometimes the first few chords hit you hard in the stomach with that leaves you gasping for air. Sometimes the the first few words leave a smile lingering on your face as you pause to relive the moment that comes so fast you literally don't think twice.

I am nostalgic tonight.

Whenever I start to clean my room, I always end up sitting on the floor with my back against my bed, thumbing through my blue binder, full of letters and photos from my best friend and reliving our adventures and story. That leads me to my iTunes playlist with over 50 songs that he made for me almost a year ago titled "this is love" and i finish cleaning my room listening to it and sometimes singing along. It's a really good playlist.

But there are a few songs that when they start playing, I am physically frozen in the middle of whatever I'm organizing because I am reliving a moment or a memory. And I realize that I am so grateful for memories and for the opportunity I have to escape to them every once in a while. I've learned that there is a fine line between living in the past and visiting the past. One has the tendency to destroy a person, the other has the ability to strengthen a person. The past can't be changed and that's a hard thing to come to terms with at times. But, I've realized that the past builds our futures. We are literally built out of experiences; things we've done or seen or been through. What's the point of doing something if you can't remember it or visit that memory? How are you to remember the things you have learned or the people who changed you or inspired you? Living in a memory isn't wise, but living with memories makes all the difference.

I embrace my memories-the good, the bad and the beautiful. Especially the beautiful. Without taking the time to remember my life, I forget the things I learned, and I have done an awful lot of learning over the last five years.

So tonight, I'm going to fall asleep while wandering in memories of late night drives and icy air, the wave of headlights running across the back wall of a guest room, blue bows and bare feet, the feeling of a bald head under my hand and the beep of an IV pole and the sound of a clear river running over boulders. Because my memories make me who I am.

why i'm an english major

"for some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. what a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet or excite you. books help us understand who we are and how we are to behave. they show us what community and friendship mean; they show us how to live and die. they are full of all the things that you don't get in real life--wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. and quality of attention: we may notice amazing details during the course of a day but we rarely let ourselves stop and really pay attention. an author makes you notice, makes you pay attention, and this is a great gift. my gratitude for good writing is unbounded; i am grateful for it the way i'm grateful for the ocean."

anne lamontt

i believe in miracles

Today, my family and I walked around the Lost River Flume Gorge and Caves. 

It was over a mile of endless stairs and crawling through and around rocks in the heart of the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

And not only did I make it through the whole hike without tripping or falling,

I made it through pain free.

Being "crippled" for the last five years was something I learned to adjust to. It was pointless to get upset about the adventures I was missing out on because I was alive and that was all that mattered at the end of the day. Yeah, I had my days when I through myself pity parties because I was left out or because I was physical unable to do things-I can't even express how frustrated I was at times at being so limited and at the loss of my left leg's usage.

But today...

Today, I hiked through a Gorge and went up and down over two hundred steps. Today, I was not limited or scared of pushing my boundaries. Today, I was pain free. Today was the first time in five years I pushed myself to my limits without feeling the hurt.

Today, I remembered what it was like to have two legs-and I appreciated it more then I ever have in my life.

Today, I was reminded why I chose to put myself through those months of pain and why I continue to work through the tough days of rehab. Today, I was reminded of how real miracles are, because I'm only four months out from a total knee replacement on an alleograph and I wasn't even supposed to be off crutches yet.

Miracles are everywhere.

Just Believe!

Snapshots on Wednesday

Normally, I would save these photos for my weekend snapshot post, but I was so excited about these photos that I wanted to share them now.

Today, my Dad, Mom, my little sister, Katie, and I went up north to Cornish, NH and toured the St. Guadens National Historic Site. St. Guadenes is a very famous scultptor during the civil war and made his home in the beautiful state of NH. The grounds are absolutely breath taking and I took some of my best photos to date while exploring the expansive woods, gardens and buildings. 

Dad has the week off, so tomorrow we're going up North to see the White Mountains!

New England sets my soul on fire. 

glasses and hair cuts

I'm trying desperately to grow out my hair ever since it started growing back five years ago. 

it is a losing battle on a general basis.

I finally got it past the awkward hair length stage a year ago and was doing really well until December when I decided I needed a trim. 

Apparently "trim" means two-three inches off.

so I haven't cut it since that fateful December, until last week when I realized that my ends were so fried, that I needed to do something about it.

But once again, a trim apparently means "two-three inches off."

and also, "reshape my side bangs" means this concoction: 

I have learned that when you go for a hair cut, you need to be VERY specific with your hair dresser about what you want. So, I came up with a list of things to keep in mind when going to get your hair cut.

1. Specify how much hair you want off. Don't say things like "trim" or "take off the dead stuff" because that is basically saying: "cut whatever you the heck you want, I don't care." Specifically state "only a half inch off" in order to preserve length.

2. Bring in pictures. Having something specific to show your hair dresser will always help them see what you can't put into words. As an English major, I'm often describing concepts instead of physical attributes. "I want edgier ends instead of whimsical." Yeah, that doesn't get you ANYWHERE, let me tell you.

3. Never say words like "heavy" when referring to your bangs. Ever.

4. When getting your bangs recut or shaped, ALWAYS pick a spot on your face that is lower then where you want your shortest piece to be. For instance, I should have said "below my eye" instead of "below my eyebrow" in order to have the length of bangs that I wanted.

5. Remember that hair grows back. 

IN OTHER NEWS! My grandparents took me to see Captain America today. I'm still completely unsure about what I think of it, but I was excited that I got the 3D glasses and remembered to keep them. I always thought that the "nerd glasses" fad that is going on right now was a bit ridiculous, but when I popped these babies on my face, I was hooked. I wore them to dinner and all evening. And, my sister now owes me five bucks because I bet her that the first thing Mom would say to me when I came home was how ridiculous I looked. Her words exactly were: "What are you doing with those silly things on your face, you goober!"

Five bucks richer!

VEDA

The other day, in the middle of my blog re-vamping process, I was trying to figure out how to be a better blogger and become more involved in the blogging community. And lo and behold, my friend showed me this site called We Blog, We Vlog, a place full of bloggers and vloggers who VLOG every day for the month of August. It looks like a lot of fun and quite a challenge and is exactly the kind of project I was wishing for in order to become more involved in the blogging community. I'm stoked.

Evolution

I have had this blog since the end of 2008. Can you believe that? That is three, going on four years of blogging at There and Back Again. 

But, as you can see, I have gone under a major redesign and renaming of this little refuge of mine.

Welcome to Into the Wild.

(be sure to grab a blog button from the right!)

There are a bunch of reasons I decided to rename my blog. 

There and Back Again represented my journey of discovering myself in the face of many trials and people.

I decided it was time to embrace this new chapter of my life that includes my new knee, working at Zion's Camp, the upcoming adventures in China, finishing up my degree and maybe, one day, welcoming home the Love of my Life; as well as representing the passion I have for my life and the beautiful world I live in.

Anyway, I came across a bunch of saved headers that I used over the last three years. 

It's cool to see how I evolved, through my blogging, editing, photography and emotions.

(Alexandra did this one for me)

heat adviosry

we're in the middle of a super sonic heat wave of epic proportions. Temps are in the 100's and the humidity index is well in the 90 %. So, I am hunkering down in my grandparents house for the weekend, were they have central air and on demand. Keep cool, kids!

Links and Logs

it is hot hot hot today and the weather channel says it's supposed to stay that way for the rest of the week. I love summer here, but I could do with a little less humidity, please and thank you. I keep on thinking about the missionaries in the New England area when the weather is like this, and I hope that mine is staying hydrated while doing the work in Massachusetts.

I worked out today for the first time since my knee replacement and boy oh boy, was it a reality check on how out of shape I've become and how much effort I need to keep putting into recovery. I'm not going to lie, it was a little frustrating and discouraging to get on the eliptical and only be able to handle seven minutes of it before my knee started to get tremors (nasty muscle convulsions). But, my iPod knew exactly what song to play as I started to let those emotions get the best of me. Thirty Seconds to Mars reminded me to keep fighting this fight, because my recovery is an ongoing battle. Okay knee replacement. This Is War.

Super empowering.

In other news, I had the super awesome opportunity to guest blog for Paige about New England, so you should go check it out. Paige was one of my guest bloggers last month during the opening weeks of Zion's Camp and she wrote an awesome letter to her 16-year-old self, so if you missed out on that, go read it here.

also, in the coming days, I will be doing a major blog redesign, so hold tight while I get my head on straight and figure out what I want to do with my life/blog.

and finally, my contact for my housing is in and the deposit has been made. I'm living in the newest apartments in Rexburg this semester (though it was not by choice) but I'm excited, none the less. I can't wait to have my own washer and dryer, because I had to roll all my quarters to pay for my cell phone bill this month. As much as I love having a summer to just focus on recovering, it is a pain to not be making money!

the truth is

even if i could break through the velvet layers
and reach through the summer haze,
the heat saturating the world with color so vivid
even my perfect sight cannot
focus on a single entity
and it all twists into one perfect blur of deep brown,
truth is, i wouldn't stop it.

truth is, i used to wish that i could reach up into the sky and
past all of the clouds and stars and planets
and find the sooty corners of a seemingly endless space
where treasures were waiting just
for me, but now
as i squint through the muggy vapor and watch as colors
forget their names in a dance of uniform harmony,
i wish to collapse into the earth
and crawl into the empty spaces left by shadows and profiles,
listening to the whisper of silence
and find myself drifting away in a granite lullaby.

and the truth is,
even those who leave their lives engraved in stone become sand,
and no one cares that they are washed away
and smoothed down into miniscule grains that no longer make a difference in the world
but long to be remembered as the boulder originally hewn from, and no longer
exists.
so i let the heat haze vaporize the colors and
turn everything into a chestnut
haven and i sink knee deep into the ground
and i listen to the silent voices of stone
because their grains of sand still have stories to tell.

truth is, i am a grain of sand
hewn by God from a granite boulder,
part of the earth,
reduced to a shadow of a memory.

on Health and Goals

I'm the kind of person who loves goals. I set New Year's resolutions every year and I work hard to achieve them and check in with them constantly. I'm in love with the idea of bettering myself every day and crossing things off the many lists on the post it notes I keep close by. I love working hard and feeling accomplished.

This summer was all about getting my knee replaced and recovering from that-the biggest and hardest surgery I've ever faced. Now that I'm finally on my feet again, I have been a little lazy and lost when it comes to working on myself. I realized that when I don't have a goal I'm actively working on achieving, I tend to lose focus on many other aspects of my life. So, I decided that it needed to stop.

Now that I've finally got this beautiful new knee, I really need to work on getting healthy in other areas of my life. I've been healing well, but I've gotten to a really frustrating stand still in my physical therapy and I will only be able to overcome it if I can get over the hurdles I've placed in front of myself.

Normally, I'm the kind of person who gradually eases into new habits, but since I decided to go back to school in the fall, I have a limited amount of time to teach myself how to live in a new mindset in order to get my body to fully succeed.

So, starting tomorrow, I'm going to embrace a healthy lifestyle as fully as I can. My goals for the rest of the summer are as follows:

1. Go to bed no later then 11 and don't sleep in past 9. No naps, unless on Sunday.
2. No more unnecessary snacking. Time to eat healthier and control the calorie intake
3. Go to the gym 3-4 times a week. The only way to combat the issues I'm facing with PT is to strengthen my muscles in my leg and my core and to stay on top of my weight.
4. Scripture study every night-I've gotten lazy.
5. Swimming every day
6. Reading as many novels as possible before going back to school to prepare for English Class
7. (slightly unrelated) but I want to eliminate the word "like" from my daily conversations. As an English major, it's unprofessional of me, and I realize how uneducated I sound when I use it more then five times in one sentence. It's terrible.

wish me luck! Healthy Body, here I come!

in numbers

27 days until Juli comes home

38 days until I get to write a letter


53 days until I'm back in Idaho

3 hours i spent sleeping this afternoon

34.3 minutes i spent talking on the phone with Jillise

25 auto correct entries read

12 fried zucchini chips consumed

3 different kinds of Poison Ivy treatments used

6 bracelets on my wrist

17 photos taken today

2 fans currently blowing

1 kitty sleeping in my room.

Betty Crocker Moment

One of my favorite things about summer is that my dad grows a full out garden in our backyard. He plants everything. Corn, Watermelon, Cantelope, Pumpkins, 3 kinds of squash, Zucchini, Peppers, Green Beans, Eggplant, Potatoes and Cucumbers, just to name a few. Every day after work, my dad is out in his little veggie garden, watering, weeding and tending to his plants. He puts a lot of hours into it, and gets really annoyed when silly animals like woodchucks sneak under the fence and eat his plants. (It's been war in our yard for the last three weeks-not uncommon for dad to randomly come slinking down the hall with his shot gun because the woodchuck is back...he hasn't gotten him yet, though.)

 I like to putt around with him on the cooler nights and ask obnoxious questions about what plants are what and how to harvest them and when will the cucumbers will start growing. Dad usually responds by squirting me with the garden hose. 

This weekend was the first harvest of his garden! He came in carrying three beautiful Zucchini's and we decided to celebrate by frying them up! THEY WERE AMAZING! And I didn't even feel guilty about eating so much because it was a veggie after all. 

anyway, here is how we made them:

Fresh Zucchini, cut in slices and in chips:

We took the zucchini and dipped them in egg before rolling them in the corn meal and seasoning (we used rosemary and thyme) mixture.

Dad used his turkey fryer in the yard because it was too hot to do this in the kitchen. But, on cooler summer days, this can be done with veggie oil heated to 250 degrees.

Waaalaaa! Fried Zucchini! They take maybe two minutes tops! We decided we liked the chips better then the strips because they were thinner and not as mushy:

We ate them with a little extra salt and some ranch to dip them in.

nom nom nom.

I've been dabbling a lot in the kitchen this summer and I decided I would blog a little more about it because it's fun and I like sharing these things and learning too.

How to Tell if Somebody Loves You

Somebody loves you if they pick an eyelash off of your face or wet a napkin and apply it to your dirty skin. You didn’t ask for these things, but this person went ahead and did it anyway. They don’t want to see you looking like a fool with eyelashes and crumbs on your face. They notice these things. They really look at you and are the first to notice if something is amiss with your beautiful visage!

Somebody loves you if they assume the role of caretaker when you’re sick. Unsure if someone really gives a crap about you? Fake a case of food poisoning and text them being like, “oh my god, so sick. need water.” Depending on their response, you’ll know whether or not they REALLY love you. “That’s terrible. Feel better!” earns you a stay in friendship jail; “Do you need anything? I can come over and bring you get well remedies!” gets you a cozy friendship suite. It’s easy to care about someone when they don’t need you. It’s easy to love them when they’re healthy and don’t ask you for anything beyond change for the parking meter. Being sick is different. Being sick means asking someone to hold your hair back when you vomit. Either love me with vomit in my hair or don’t love me at all.

Somebody loves you if they call you out on your bull. They’re not passive, they don’t just let you get away with murder. They know you well enough and care about you enough to ask you to chill out or to tell you to stop. They aren’t passive observers in your life, they are in the trenches. They have an opinion about your decisions and the things you say and do. They want to be a part of it; they want to be a part of you.

Somebody loves you if they don't mind the quiet. They don't mind running errands with you or cleaning your apartment while blasting some annoying music. There's no pressure, no need to fill the silences. You know how with some of your friends there needs to be some sort of activity for you to hang out? You don't feel comfortable just watching bad reality TV with them. You need something that will keep the both of you busy to ensure there won't be a void. That's not love. That's "hey babe! i like you okay. do you wanna grab lunch? i think we have enough to talk about to fill two hours!" It's a dream when you find someone you can do nothing with. Whether you're skydiving together or sitting at home and doing different things, it's always comfortable. That is love.

Somebody loves you if they want you to be happy, even if that involves something that doesn't benefit them. They realize the things you need to do in order to be content and come to terms with the fact that it might not include them. Never underestimate the gift of understanding. When there are so many people who are selfish and equate relationships as something that only must make them happy, having someone around who can take their needs out of any given situation if they need to.

Somebody loves you if they can order you food without having to be told what you want. Somebody loves you if they rub your back at any given moment. Somebody loves you if they don't care about your job or how much money you make. It's a relationship where no one is selling something to the other. Somebody loves you if they'll watch a movie starring Kate Hudson because you really really want to see it. Somebody loves you if they're able to create their own separate world with you, away from the internet and your job and family and friends. Just you and them.

Somebody will always love you. If you don't think this is true, then you're not paying close enough attention.

-Ryan O'Connell

This may possibly the best description of love I have ever read. Had to share.

on Poison Ivy and Kitties

once upon a time, there was a mama kitty with four kittens living in the basement of the dinning hall at camp. they were precious, but when camp started to become active, the mama kitty moved her babies somewhere else. there hadn't been any sight of them over the last few weeks until last night. as dad and i went to check the status on some poison ivy by the Fayette cabin that he had sprayed a week ago, the mama kitty (a precious orange and black spotted thing) came crying out from behind the cabin. cautiously, i approached her and had to climb through a bush to get to her, where she started to purr and rub against my legs and hands. i spent twenty minutes petting her before she got spooked and scampered off. i spent the rest of the evening with my parents at the testimony meeting that the Springfield Stake held at the amphitheater, and feeling inspired and close to God.
today, i noticed that i had some how contracted poison ivy all along my scar-poison ivy that my father sprayed last week and was supposed to be dead. so that stinks. good thing i live with my mom who is a walking drug store and came in with five different kinds of lotions to help take care of that little situation.

in other news, my sisters, mom and i are all currently obsessed with Toddlers and Tiaras (TLC show about beauty pagents) and we've been watching it on demand all week. we had breakfast for dinner tonight and it was fantastic. i'll be back in idaho in approx. 55 days and i'm excited. i just like my life.

making plans and stuff

Today I called my boss at school and confirmed that 1. I still had a job there and 2. I would be back in the fall to work. I sent her my schedule and talked about when I needed to be out there (she's hiring at the beginning of the semester and might need my help). THEN I did all my loan stuff for school and got that going. After that, I printed out my housing application and signed it and have it ready to be mailed in tomorrow (just need to call and see if I can use my credit card for the deposit). I figured out my schedule for classes and called to officially change my major. (I'm declared a history major and an english minor, but I've been taking classes for an english major since my third semester at school and just never changed it officially. Apparently, I needed to be on top of that sooner, because I now have too many credits for a simple switch and need to petition to change it). But at least I have that process started now and I'll finish it when I'm back in Idaho. I called Symone and talked about living together again (and praying and crossing my fingers that it works out!). I started looking at flights and hopefully will have that booked by the end of the week. I also wrote letters to Elder Geddie and Sister Moore and have them addressed and stamped, along with applying for a Southwest Credit Card (should have done that years ago because I fly them soooo frequently) and I did my visa paper work for China. AND I joined a gym so that I can 1. work on my knee for the next seven weeks and so that I can also tone up a little bit. 

ON TOP of that, I worked at camp ALL day, helping with check-ins, orientation, and sawing an old bench in half and lugging a chainsaw around in the back of the ATV. It was close to 100 degrees today and it was HUMID! After doing all that work, Mom, Bishop, Ed and I sat in the office with the fan and talked for a couple of hours. It was honestly so great. As I sat there, listening to them all tell stories and make jokes, all's I could think of is how lucky I am to be able to serve with these people every day, and how lucky I am that they all love me and support me and care about me. I'm so humbled to have such a small part in working at camp with these incredible people who truly inspire me and have shown me Christ-like love and service. I am going to miss them (my family, the Bratts and the Yorks) the most when I go back to school. 

So, all in all, it's been a busy and productive day. Tomorrow I need to make a few phone calls to my apartment complex, my credit card company and ILP to make sure everything is in order. And I'm going on a kayaking adventure with a new friend! yay!

Happy Tuesday! 

it is official

well, i first need to call the office tomorrow and make sure I still have a job, but other then that...
I'm going back to Idaho in September.

I can't even describe how hard of a choice this was for me. I have loved every single second of being home this summer-my family is amazing and through the opportunity to serve at camp, I have grown close to some very extraordinary people who I will have a hard time leaving. I don't have a lot of worries here, and every day, I fall more and more in love with New England. I was looking forward to spending my first autumn here in over three years and having Thanksgiving with my family. I would be close to Boston, in case something went wrong with my knee. So much of me wants to stay home.

But after crunching the numbers, it looks like it will be smarter to go back to school, where I have a solid job, loan money and the opportunity to adequately prepare and save for China. By going back to school, I would be saving 150 dollars a month by not paying for Cazz (he'll stay home) and that will go to the China fund. I'll also be able to see a ton of faces that I haven't seen in AGES, hopefully live with Misao again, be around for the birth of Trish and Russell's first child, be able to hang out with my new friends Elysha, Tara and Paige, I'll be able to write to my best friend again and not stress out about running into him at every possible stake activity and I'll stay busy with work and school.

There were so many pro's and con's to each choice. For the past week and a half, I've woken up with my mind made up and then through out the day, changing it. The reality of the situation is that once school starts back up, being home will not be as fun because I won't have anyone to play with. My friends are all across the country. And today I found out that the one job that would have kept me home was no longer available and that was it. Choice made. And everything seems easier now.

I've gotta grow up and be someone. I can't stay at home forever. I can't be afraid of being far away from Boston. The whole point of this new knee was to give me more freedom and my life back. I can't be afraid to live it! I found a path, I'm taking a breath, and I'm gonna run!

See you in a few months, Idaho.

Garret Sherwood

playing loud music in a big empty house full of big empty memories
has got my soul on fire
i'm heading north tomorrow...
i'm heading north
tomorrow.

There are two trees,
one perfect and tall, the other
is twisted like me.
i don't think i can climb them both
but even if i could
i don't think i would, because the ground
isn't not as giving as the God who twisted me up
in the first place
who place tightly wound seeds under my fingernails
and toenails, expecting me to stay golden and rustless.

but the truth is that my fruit is only sweet until
the second bite
and the truth is that i don't even actually know
why, but i know there must be a reason
some piece of history that god has sent for me to retreive
so i broke that window in that big empty house.

the place where god made me.

About Hair Colors

My name is Chelsie, and I have a problem.

Hair Dye.

When my hair was long enough for a pony tail, I whipped out hair dye faster then you could say "you have hair again!" I was determined to do whatever I wanted with my hair while I had it back-being bald is no fun at 16 years old! So I dyed it. and I dyed it. and I dyed it.

Five years later, and I'm still not sure what my natural color hair is anymore.

I recently blogged about going blonde for the summer and how fun of a change that was.

It was fun. But my mother absolutely hated it and after hearing that every day for weeks on end, I decided I would put it back.

Turns out I was meant to be a brunette.

I've decided that I need to take a break from the dye. My hair is getting that terrible "fried" feeling and if I want to be successful with growing it out, I need to calm down on the chemicals. 

So, here is the plan: No more hair dye for the rest of the year.

On another note:

I am currently digging plain white v-neck t-shirts. I think it is so refreshing to wear something that fits well, but is simple enough that I can play up my accessories without over doing it-like today! Butterfly earrings that my brother gave me for christmas and a pink bow in my newly colored hair! Add a pair of dark denim jeans and cute flats and ta-da! A simple, but awesome and flattering summer evening look.

Cazz the Transformer

It's no secret that I'm a bit obsessed with Transformers.

I love the movies-I never tire of watching them; but just the idea that cars are really awesome alien robots truly fascinates me. How cool would it be if your car was a crime-fighting robotic being who was a really awesome driver? 

It would be super cool.

And I am convinced that Cazz is a transformer-he just doesn't know it yet. 

Ashley, Katie and I had a sister night a week ago to go see the third Transformer movie.

Yeah, it was a movie full of explosions and giant alien death matches, but I loved it.

Something about those autobots just gets my imagination going.

It would just be so cool if transformers were real.

Snapshots on Sunday

fact:

It is easy to forget the girl who is in a different time zone and on a different coast.

lists and other things

IN:

scriptures. sunshine. Harry Potter. Jane Austin. grammar. cucumbers. trucks. transformers. bracelets. 

face wash. freckles. piano. camp. deadliest catch. ATV's. Bon Iver.

OUT:

money. orange hair. weeding. wisdom teeth. poor attitudes. illegal cars. reruns. bug bites.

bangs. decisions. working. oxycodone. insurance companies. MTV. gas tanks. chlorine.

three things I've done this week that I need to blog about:

1. taught primary

2. caught a flying squirrel. 

3. made plans

three things I've yet to do this week:

1. clean my room

2. mail paperwork in for China

3. write to Geoffrey

three songs I'm currently digging:

1. Keep Your Head Up-Andy Grammer

2. You Are A Tourist-Death Cab

3. Bon Iver's whole new album

three hi-lites of the week:

1. Zion's Camp passed state inspection 

2. finished Wurthering Heights

3. first swim of the summer

In numbers:

36 days until Juli is home.

44 days until Beach Week.

48 days until I can send a letter to my best friend.

55 days until I'm in the White Mountains

61 days untilllllll i'm possibly back in Idaho. =]

shhhh, it's still up in the air. 

Hello July

HI I'M BACK!
The last few weeks have been an absolute crazy chaotic whirl, but I made it out alive, I've recharged my batteries and I'm ready to hit the ground running and see what July has in store! I've got some pretty exciting ideas for blogging series this month that I want to try out-so we'll see how that goes. Happy 4th! Live Free or Die!

July:

Current guilty pleasure: Anything Transformer related. I'm obsessed. 

Current color: teal

Current playlist:

a mixture of We the Kings and 30 Seconds to Mars. 

Current read:  Still reading Wurthering Heights. 

Current drink: Barqs. 

Current food: Shrimp salad or potato salad. Summer Salads. 

Current favorite show: So You Think You Can Dance

Current wish list: New bathing suit top

Current needs: Pain meds.

Current triumphs: 1/2 a mile hike last week with the 7th year girls

Current bane of my existence: Hip Arthritis. Dumb.

Current celebrity crush: Shia Labeof 

Current indulgence: Ring Pops

Current blessing:  Zion's Camp.

Current outfit: Grey shorts and blue tank top.

Current excitement: Finally first swim of the summer

Current mood: Lazy/relaxed

Current link: These guys blow my mind with their covers/mix ups. Check out their whole channel, if you get a change. 

(The kid playing Wii in the background in that video is my little sister's best friend, Dane. He's hysterical!)

Sunset at Zion.

"Be still, and know that I am God."