Zoo-Lander

Every once and a while, Andy and I have a Salt Lake Day. These excursions date back to our first big date when we went to the Leonardo, the Living Planet Aquarium, and Ikea all in one day. Our Salt Lake Days have continued and we've since taken trips to Tracy Aviary, Comic Con, Capitol Hill, and now Hogle Zoo.

Although my memories of the zoo have always included massive crowds, sweltering heat, the inability to see any animal, and screaming children, I have always enjoyed the zoo. To avoid reliving most, if not all, of these unpleasant memories, Andy and I planned to go to Hogle Zoo on a Friday morning. In the winter.

It was amazing.

There were a total of maybe 30 visitors to the zoo that day. Yes, it was a brisk day, but we could go to each exhibit and enjoy the views of the animals by ourselves!! There was no one around! We got to see every animal up close and personal (behind glass or a fence). There were no screaming children, and no one to block our pictures.

We were also very lucky to have visited around feeding time. All of the animals were up and active. The lions and tiger were roaring as they were impatiently waiting for their food. 

We also got to see this gem:

It even tried to woo me!

Our trip to the zoo was very enjoyable. The lack of crowds, due to the season and the time of day, made for a very quiet afternoon, and I actually preferred the cold to the blistering summer heat. I highly recommend Hogle Zoo and deem it an acceptable outing for any time of year. 

My Greatest Adventure

Over the past year, I've shared my desire to leave my small town. Last year I applied for out of state internships, I bought a ticket to India, and I had every intention on escaping my known world for that of the unknown.

It all fell through.

My internship applications for out of state were rejected--all if them, an old hip injury became unbearable, resulting in a surgery rather than a flight to India, and it seemed like my life was going in the opposite direction of what I wanted.

It was utterly perfect.

I ended up working in a laboratory in Salt Lake City for the summer. This internship was in state and definitely not what I had intended, but it was exactly what I needed. My internship allowed me to live at home and allowed me to strengthen past connections. Through my seemingly ruined plans I found a greater plan: I started dating Andy.

We started dating and as August and my India trip approached, we became very close. It also became apparent that there was an ongoing problem with my hip. After a few doctors visits and an MRI, it was determined that I would need surgery, and my trip needed to be canceled.

I was devastated. My chance to escape was gone.

As I became increasingly depressed, Andy had an idea: Disneyland. Andy's mother is a Disney Queen, she loves everything Disney, and she jumped at the chance to go.

About a week after my surgery we were in the car on the way to California. We spent two days in Disneyland. I spent one day in a wheelchair, and one on my crutches. I was the only person in the park on crutches.

Although Disneyland is no where near the caliber of an India trip, I loved every minute of it. Andy and I became so much closer. We continued dating and, on October 11, Andy proposed.

We made plans for forever and were married December 29 in the Salt Lake Temple.

Although my summer didn't go as I had hoped and planned, it turned out better than I could have ever imagined. My out of state internship applications were rejected, and my India trip canceled, but because of it I was able to build the most important relationship of my life. Andy is my everything, and I'm so grateful for the unexpected path life took me down this past year.

Semi-Local Adventures

Yesterday I told you that I had caught the travel bug. I mentioned that I had visited England last summer and had the most wonderful time and couldn't get enough. I also told you about my recent quest to leave my small town and set out on my own. While that is still under way, I do have a few other recent developments.

Two weekends ago I set out on a small adventure to Arizona. I went with group of about 50 people down to Havasupai.

Gesundheit.

I had never heard of Havasupai, but was still excited to go. Basically everyone I talked to had one of two reactions:

"Wow, really?? That's fantastic! You're going to love it there! I'm so jealous!!"

Or

"...What's that?"

Well, to spare you the effort of Googling it, Havasupai is a part of the Grand Canyon on an Indian reservation. It's an eight mile hike to the reserve and then another two miles to the camp site. 10 miles total.

Too much. But I made it.

We drove around 10 hours from my small town, stopping in Vegas and a random petting zoo along the way, and arrived at the trail head at about 3 am. We slept--well, tried to sleep--until we started our hike at 4 am.

I was deliriously tired.

My friend and I spent the first hour quoting Finding Nemo, from start to we ran out of brain power. We still had about 4 hours until camp.

Walking into Havasupai was an amazing experience. The red rock, the blue water.

No, really. The water was BLUE. Straight up blue.

The river bed was white and the water looked like God had let a kindergartener color the scene with crayons. The colors were all so intense!

This picture doesn't even begin to capture the beauty of Havasupai, but you start to get the idea.

The hike out was torturous. Another 10 hours. We started at 4 the very next morning after hiking in, and we were wiped.

On the drive back, ADD hit us again and we stopped at some random exotic animal sanctuary and saw tigers, panthers, cougars, and wolves. 

We stopped again at Hover Dam (yes, very ADD).

We didn't get back home until 1 am. I was so shot it took all I had to walk up the stairs to my apartment.

The next day someone asked me if I had just run a marathon. I could barely walk.

But it was totally worth it.

Looking Forward

I do this way to much--forget about my blog. So much has happened since I last shared! I've had lots of good times, and lots of bad times. I won't bore you with the details, but I will tell you about my recent and applicable developments.

Currently I am applying for internships--yes this is to make me seem smart to all of you who come across my rather boring blog. I've applied to internships in the Boston area as well as in the San Jose Valley in California. Right now I'm looking into corporate options in the pharmaceutical development industry.

On a more exciting note, I have caught the bug. The travel bug. I know everyone must experience this, so it's not really a rare or novel thing, but it is starting to consume my life. I have the need to leave my small town and start up somewhere else (hence the internships), to visit far off places, and have adventures.

It all started this last summer. My family visited England for our family vacation and it was amazing. London, one of the most international cities in the world. Lacock, a small village off the beaten path and across the English countryside. Portsmouth, a still bustling port with history and tradition. All of it so real and new and different.

I have to leave Provo.

I have to get out of my small town life, even if it's just for a little while and even if it is in my own country. But I have to leave. I want to go, live, and be free.

And I'm going to.

I'm going out of state to work for the summer, and I'm going on vacations as well. My friend has graciously volunteered for the role of travel buddy.

Destination: Adventure.

New News

Audience!! I am please to report that last week we had a record number of views... in ONE DAY! Crazy, right? I am so proud of you, my small number of followers. I take pride in knowing that somewhere, somehow, there are people who care about my random, nonsensical ramblings...

But on the other hand...

Seriously guys? Record number and then BOOM!!

Nothing.

Consistency is key, people. That's what my coaches (NOT life coaches) and boss have always said.

So let's try and keep up our numbers ;)

Have good days.

Love Hate Relationships

Couples. They're everywhere, especially at the "Get Married RIGHT Now" college I go to. You don't see them that often during fall semester, but as soon as the harsh winter is over and the sun starts to peek its head out from behind the clouds--BOOM!

But really, though. They're everywhere. It's nearly impossible to get to class without getting clotheslined by some couple holding hands or trip on a pair of love birds trying to say their last goodbye...until they get to see each other in an hour.

I used to hate couples. They used to bring out the grumpy cat glare in me as I saw them canoodling all over campus.

I've had a change of heart. I feel like the Grinch.

I think it's the over exposure to adorably irresistible couples. Sometimes you can't help but love them. Now I see couples and instead of, "Gosh dang it... why can't that be me... I hate you all!" I feel more like, "AWWWWWW!!! I LOVE you guys! Why can't that be me?!"

Sometimes it can be equally frustrating, but most of the time I just simply live vicariously through the adorable couples...

That is the end of my little rant on how I hatelove couples. As always, my small audience, I love and treasure each one of your page views.

Have good days.

Not All That Surprising

Hello again, small audience! I'm pleased to see that at least a few people out there have taken a peek into my rather normal life. It makes me feel abnormal.

My stories for today are pretty short.

To give you a little background and context, I work in sales--knife sales. I've been working for about two weeks and my manager is convinced I'm the best. Okay, not really, but he still has WAY to much confidence in me. (Advertising Note: If anyone wants to help me out, that'd be awesome! I get paid to do demos and I am lacking. I also need 200 names for recommendations for a contest coming up!)

Anyways, yesterday we had a meeting about selling knives. No way, right? During the meeting I look down and I am bleeding. I have an inch long cut on the side of my leg.

How the FREAK did that happen?! I had been sitting down and the only time I had recently moves was to go to lunch! The only possible thing I could think of was when I had gone to sit down I had to squeeze past some people and someone must have sliced me with a knife. That sounds CRAZY, but at my job, that would be completely normal..

After my meeting, my coworker, Abbie, and I went shopping. Simple task, right? WRONG. I was just finishing trying on some clothes and was putting my skirt back on when SNAP. My zipper broke. My skirt was now unwearable. I had no back up. NOTHING.

Solution: I had to BUY pants. I went to the counter with a pair of their pants on and another in my arms. I bought the pants, then went back to change. I also bought a new shirt. I had to buy a completely new outfit so I could get home without being a public menace.

Stupid knives. Stupid clothes. Anyone know where to get a nice, denim pencil skirt? I seem to need a new one..