.i went to the Big A show in slc.

.it was good.

.even better?

.meeting the lead singer.

.i still cry out of excitement thinking about it.

It's one thing to fall for a guy you know and another to fall for one that's your best friend. And said best friend is pursuing a girl you also know.

Aaaaagh.

I really would rather just run from my problems. Like how work was so awful yesterday. My first instinct is to just quit. But I can't let myself :(

I don't function well after eleven at night.

I used to be what we call "easily manipulated".
Now I'm "a little harder to manipulate but still susceptible to it on occasion."

On judgment:

condemn the sin, love the sinner.

Sometimes I wonder who reads my blog that I don't know and then I remember that my blog is so odd that no one would read it unless they knew me. hahaha.

Being a full-time student is arguably comparable to working a full-time and part-time job, depending on the number credits you take. I'm taking fifteen. And I spend all afternoon, every day working on homework. Not to mention going to classes for four-five hours a day. Between classes and homework I work on school about ten hours a day. No joke. Some days more, some days less. That's definitely a full-time job and more. Add to that the whole I'm-independent-and-have-to-support-myself part-time job thing. And that takes out four more hours of my day each day. 
         Now, of course we need to stay healthy so we devote an hour a day to exercising. But, we're also social people and cannot neglect that aspect of life. Devote, maybe, two hours a day to that? How about one? One and a half over the course of the day. Eating, that's important too. If you were to eat fast you'd spend like an hour and a half total eating for all of your meals. That includes cooking since we can always multi-task eating. Well, I'm a girl, so I have to spend some time getting ready every day. On average it takes me about forty minutes in the morning and twenty at night. So, an hour a day, shall we? Luckily, I'm Mormon. Unfortunately that comes with the burden of a million meetings and obligations. How about an hour a day to spiritual things {don't forget keep a prayer in your heart, kids, and don't check your religion at the door with what I'm saying} that includes praying, reading scriptures, doing VT, going to FHE, fulfilling callings {if your'e in the RS presidency like me that's kind of a biggie}, and everything else around church things. Ah, but we're human and need eight hours of sleep.
Are you counting?
Because, we're up to 28 hours. As good as I am at prioritizing my time {what's that facebook..?} and all, that four hour deficit comes straight out of where?

Sleep.

Always out of sleep. Maybe not at other, easier schools, but at BYU, what a good friend told me at the start of my college experience definitely applies, "no one successful sleeps while they're in college."

Can I just say.
I'm tired.
So. So. Tired. I'm a month into the semester, just starting a job, and so tired.



Zzzzzz

Today I look like a hopelessly tragic disaster. It's so cute.

*school*

all day er'ry day.

Philippians 3:13

Move onward and forget what's behind you. Keep pressing on. Don't stop.

I don't think you should choose to love people who think you less than extraordinary.
Because if there's anything that hurts and scars it's when someone you care deeply for thinks of you as ordinary, predictable, and unoriginal.
Why would you let your heart be subject to that beating repeatedly?
That's kinda dumb.


Come on, me.

Eighty five percent of Polish Jews died in the Holocaust.
holy..

I did Crossfit last night.
If you don't know what that is go look it up and then be impressed with me.

I am now am employee at the Creamery on Ninth. THIS IS LITERALLY MY DREAM JOB.

;)

"And even though she moved away, 

we always get calls from our daughter. 

She has eyes just like her father's 

they are blue when skies are grey 

And just like him, she never stops, 

Never takes the day for granted, 

works for everything that's handed to her, 

Never once complains."

-fun.

Had an interview with the Creamery this morning! I'm trusting the Lord will help me out with this one!

"I swear when I grow up, I won't just buy you a rose.
I will buy you the flower shop, and you will never be lonely."
-Fun. 'the gambler'

"I would give you infinite cuddles if you properly consented me to do so."

How weird is this.

Alex, my last boyfriend, is serving a mission in McAllen, Texas.

Andrew, a boy I liked and then was awkwardly dropped by before Alex came along, is serving a mission in McAllen, Texas.

Alex is apart of two pairs of missionaries in a small town outside of McAllen called Mercedes.

Andrew is apart of the second set of missionaries in the small town of Mercedes.

They live in apartments right next to each other. Their emails and blogs mention each other. Come next transfer they could be companions.

Does this weird anyone else out like it does me?!?!

Two boys that I had romantic interest in and definitely made out with {hehe} are practically serving their missions together now.

*shudder*

It's a small world and that freaks me out.

Sometimes I get so overwhelmed with all of the things that I have to do that I stop, lie down, and don't do any of them.
It's really great.

I believe in smiling.

I believe in working hard for everything you have.

I believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I believe in happiness and its role as a choice.

I believe in second chances and forgiveness.

I believe in the hope of the future.

I believe in hugs.

I believe in chocolate on bad days.

I believe in good cries every once in a while.

I believe in compliments and constructive criticisms.

I believe in thick blankets and snow days.

I believe in good smells and happy colors.

I believe in spontaneous decisions and living life all the way.

I believe in trying new things every single day.

I believe in family.

I believe in naps.

I believe in love.

I believe in a life beyond this.

I believe in the Book of Mormon.

I believe in will power.

I believe in loving yourself.

I believe in grace and passion.

I believe in change regardless of how big, how old, how hard.

I believe in silence and meditation.

I believe in long car rides and loud music.

I believe in thunderstorms.

I believe in acceptance.

I believe in life.

"I shall come boldly unto the throne of grace, and ask for mercy and His grace to help me in my time of need. With that help I cannot fail. Without I cannot succeed."
 - Harold B. Lee

For all of those curious as to what happened with my Forever 21 job... they asked me to work on Sunday and I said I couldn't/wouldn't. So, they let me go basically.
Oh well since I've got an interview with the Creamery this Monday! Yeah girl!

You will never guess who I just saw. Taylor! The tool that played me last fall! The reason I moved out of the dorms! He's back apparently, since he doesn't leave for his mission until the end of this semester.
It was really weird to see him.
At first I thought I was hallucinating. And then he smiled and waved at me.
Talking to him shot me right back into last year and may I just say that I am so so glad that I am not there any more. That time of life was great. For then. But I've moved so far on that it's not even funny.

I can't remember the last time I slept in on a saturday. How sad.

Ballet is so intense. We learn SO MUCH every day and I can't remember it all! I try really hard though. Today my teacher was giving me individual help before class and she said "because of the way your body is built you're going to have an extra hard time with the arabesque moves." Aaaagh, that's all we're working on for the next few weeks. It's a beautiful art though, that's for sure!

1. I can't wait to take a nap.
2. Thunderstorms next week!!! Probably! Hopefully.
3. If you watched regional conference last weekend...

I'm really happy.

Even if it doesn't sound like it, I am.

Isn't it funny when the things you never thought would happen ... happen? Life is always changing for me. Man.

When you get ip in the morning what is the first thing you want to do?

Go back to bed.

Well... one day closer to Friday.

C.S. Lewis

"No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting against it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness. They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because he was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means--the only complete realist."

Ohhhh blue-green eyes get me every time.
That and musical ability.
Play guitar or piano for me mr. pretty eyes and I'm yours.

I'd like to point out that my name has a C in it. People are neglecting that a lot lately and I'm not sure why.

Not gonna lie, this weekend was emotionally exhausting. My holy goodness.

The byu-utah game is incredibly disappointing. Come on Cougs!

some things hurt

My dad's wi-fi password is "i miss sharko". Sharko being the nickname of his ex-wife's 5-yr-old daughter.

He cries all the time from missing his "little girl". Every time we see a father and daughter he talks about missing her. "Oh, Sharko.."

Daddy, don't take so much time missing the daughter you lost that you forget the daughter you still have.

Julie and I ran\biked three and a half miles this morning.
We're rewarding ourselves with Taco Bell for breakfast.
It all evens out right?

Pre-date jitters.
Does any one else sweat profusely when nervous? Or is it just me and my mother?
Thanks, mom.

Flirting is a back and forth game, my friends. You gotta show him you're interested before he'll make a move.
Cute sociology kid made a move today and a lunch date has been arranged :)


Moments later Julie mocked me for over-flirting.
I just can't nail that delicate balance can I? ;)

What made yesterday so good.

• Classes were a total blur. That's not to say I didn't learn anything, haha. I just mean that they went so fast that I was left wondering if I even went to class or if it was just a dream. Know what I mean? That's always a great feeling, when four hours of classes go by super fast.
• I did my work out and ran an 8 minute mile. You may think that's kind of pathetic {because it is}, but if you knew me you'd be proud! I avoid cardio like the devil. I will lift weights and do strength training all day every day and never run or jog or bike. Ick. But I know I need to so I do. And yesterday I broke my PR. :)
• Calculus! I'd been avoiding this last section, integrating work and force, because it was totally beyond me. So after my work out I showered, got back on campus, sat down and tried my best. I stared at it for three hours. It was the online homework {which has unlimited attempts} and I could not get any of the answers for the life of me. None. Three hours. Well my battery had about thirty minutes left on it so I took a quick break, refreshed my mind, and started in anew. I got them all done in twenty minutes just before my battery died. It was stunning, haha.
• Cupcakes with Julie! I picked Julie up at work and we went to the Cocoa Bean for cupcakes! Ohhh holy delicious. We talked about our lives and laughed and what not. It was nice.
• Free pizza! My apartment complex had a free pizza-welcome back party-thing at six. Domino's. The best.
• I took my roommate Denisse to this ELC Study Buddy thing right after the free pizza. It's basically a program for students learning english to pair with students learning their native language and they help each other. Did that make sense? Denisse is learning Russian and there are like seven Russian/Ukrainian students needing to learn Russian! Perfect! It's all volunteer based so I signed up too. :) I can't help too much since I don't actually speak Russian but I can help with English!
• Then we ran across town to the info session for ILP. International Language Programs. It's a study abroad-ish program but it's a volunteer-abroad. We pay way less than a study abroad and go teach little kids English. Awesome, right?! I'm totally doing it. Thailand, Russia, China, Mexico, or .. somewhere else. I won't be doing it soon since I'll need to somehow save or raise $2,500.... but I will go through this program someday! Bonus: after you've gone as a volunteer once you can go free as a teacher as many times as you want. Some people are on their fourth and fifth trip and they've only paid once. Holy cool right?! And there was also free pizza here. :)
• Went home and hung out with some guys from a neighboring apartment!!!

Such a great day. :)

It's Friday. Thank goodness.

my alarm goes off..

I just did my first ever 8 minute mile. I'm improving. :)

Alright, now I understand why friendzoning people is so cruel. This sucks! Haha but it's okay. I'd rather be friends than nothing!

Waking up is the hardest part of life.

"Chastity without skin beauty may enkindle the soul; skin beauty without chastity can kindle only the eye. Chastity enshrined in the mold of true womanhood will hold true love eternally."

David O. McKay

the curls are back in town

And by "curls" I mean the remnant waves of what was once an abundantly curly head full of hair.

I hate spaghetti.

Today was pretty awesome.

Thus far.

So, this morning I went to work out at 6 freaking am {after going to bed at 1230 and waking up at 530 I was miserrrrable} alone and lo and behold who was there? Julie! That was a nice surprise since she quit going like two weeks ago.

While we're working out these two guys {one was fairly attractive!} come up and are all "hey, we see you here all the time and figured we'd introduce ourselves." Well hello there! Feel free to hit on me all you want, sir.

Just after my ten o'clock class I was hustlin' over to the MARB for my eleven o'clock and the guy walking in front of me suddenly turns around. SPENCER. It was Spencer!!! I haven't seen him in ages! I kind of had a minor freak-out attack and may have crushed his lungs from that hug. We chatted for a minute and I couldn't help noticing that he looks so cute. Like, way cuter than when I knew him last winter. Oh, those green eyes and dirty blonde hair! Mm.

And then later, in my noon sociology class this kid Collin and I flirted. He's way cute too. He and I took notice of one another last Friday in class during an activity in which we were in the same group. That was when I was like "this is happening" and started working on getting him to talk to me outside of class. Monday I smiled and looked at him a bunch and today I managed to bump into him as we were leaving the JFSB. Mission accomplished. He and I chatted all the way across campus and he even told a friend that came up to talk some other time because he was busy getting to know this "beautiful girl". Aw shucks. :)

As far as boys go.. today was pretty awesome.

It ain't even over yet. ;)

Two things that Julie says that made me feel homicidal.

1. Julie and I are an inch and a half apart. I'm, 5'2", she's 5'1/2". I'm super curvy. She's super skinny. Naturally our weights vary. Oddly though, they vary by twenty pounds. Not to get too personal or anything but I'm 115 and she's barely 95. She raves about it. "I just can't believe I weigh so much less than you! Wow!" Julie. Shut up.
2. Julie has a great job and has been working since she was sixteen. Of course she's saved up a lot of money over the years. As we are best friends we discuss personal finances and stuff. I'm dirt poor. She's crazy loaded. Every time we talk about it she's all "I've worked really hard and saved my money very well. blah blah blah." What she always fails to mention is that her parents pay tuition, rent, car insurance, phone bills, etc, etc. I'm sure it's easy to save up several thousand dollars when you aren't spending it all on living like a real adult.

"I swear the sound of rain could heal every piece of broken there could be in a person."

I don't like DTRs. They may be necessary at times but they are not my style.
Jus sayin.

I go in to sign my new hire paperwork in two hours!!!
For now I'm "studying".
Really, I'm just doing this:

I just got friendzoned! Me! haha after all these years of notoriously friendzoning I have it happen to me. Justice is served haha

Being this ambitious might be bad for me.

.matt pond.

I live on five to six hours of sleep a night. I don't know how my body functions. But I won't question it!

I am a horrible, horrible person.
There are two guys. That I liked before they liked me. I got really close to them as friends. And now all of a sudden they both like me. Which would be mildly obnoxious if one of them wasn't making moves all the gosh darn time. I don't know what to dooooooooo.

Ohhhhh boy I've made a mistake. My love life just became a lot more tangled.

I get less sleep on weekends than I do on school days. How backward Haha.

*giggle*
breakfast this morning with the cute boy from last night.
and ice blocking this evening with best friend Scott!
ohhh yes :)

seven am meeting tomorrow though.... uaahamgmg

fall in love with the beauty of human nature

Well that ended up being a better night than I'd planned.
Hung out with prospective cute boy.
Holyyyyy holy he is too cute. I'm diggin him.

Holy swear word.

I just got a job at Forever 21. Oh my gosh.

"lend me your eyes, I can change what you see."

~mumford & sons.

My Daddy hates that I have an environmental streak in me. And try as I might to tell him I'm no tree-hugger, he ignores me and, speaking over me, starts quoting scripture about how the Lord has the earth in his hands. I wait until he's done ranting and then say "if you want to get doctrinal, we're supposed to be good stewards over what we've been given." And then he gets all mad and huffy, repeating his stupid argument over and over.
So.
How funny would it be to major in geological sciences with an environmental emphasis? >:) It's an option. Might as well, right? Hahhaha.

I'm not the biggest fan of his voice but it's so creative and cute I had to post it! :)

geoooology

Okay.

Some things gotta be said.

Mom, don't take anything personally. Tanner, don't correct me.

I'm considering majoring in geology. Very, very seriously considering it. {James E Talmage was a geologist by the way!} It's an awesome program and I like it a lot. Unfortunately, every single freaking time I talk to my dear parents I get this response, "geology..? what are you going to do with that?" and even after I assure them that geology, the study of the earth, is nowhere near art history or psychology, or some other bogus major {no offense my artsy friends!}, they still say incredulously "geology...." and I can totally see their eyes narrowed and one eyebrow up.
I have several responses to this.

1. It's my life. I'm paying for it. Support me.
2. Don't worry! You raised me well {debatable.. ;) } and I'm not going into any major just because I like it. I will only go into something that will benefit me positively after I graduate. I love theater but I'm not going into it am I? No, because you taught me that as much as I need to follow my dreams, I also need to be practical. Geology is practical.
3. You guys are smart, k? But sometimes you can be narrow-minded. To you the idea of a "good major" is engineering or business or something traditional and well-known. Believe it or not, just because you don't hear of successful geologists or volcanologists, they exist just as much as the other, more popular, "typical smart-person" careers. Geology can be so broad!!! It is the study of the earth! Before you scoff at this choice do your research and see that geology is actually a really door-opening option.

Let's take a look, shall we?
"In modern times, geology is commercially important for mineral and hydrocarbon exploration and for evaluating water resources; it is publicly important for the prediction and understanding of natural hazards, the remediation of environmental problems, and for providing insights into past climate change; plays a role in geotechnical engineering; and is a major academic discipline."
That's wikipedia.
Wanna know the branches?
Geological mapping, topographical mapping, petrology, paleontology, hydrology, geomicrobiology, glaciology, structural geology, stratigraphy, planetary geology {other planets!}, mineralogy, and on and on and on and on.
Any of those sound successful and necessary in today's world to you?
Who's going to assist in the discovery and implementation of alternative forms of energy? Geologists. Who's going to find the oil that fuels your car and modern lifestyle? Geologists. Who's going to make sure your town is safe from a natural disaster? Geologists. Who's discovering the places where the precious minerals used to make everything you buy as a modern-day consumer? Geologists.
This is the field that has no bounds. You can basically do anything.
Yeah, having a daughter that is a nuclear engineer sounds way cooler. But, having a daughter that is a geologist is more practical given my skill-set and just as impressive, in my opinion.

I feel like a fool trying to justify my almost-decision to declare my major, but, really, it's not as lame as you think. We don't just sit around analyzing rocks and making up things about the past. Geologists are really cool people. If I decide to change my major in a semester or two, so be it. But, even after, I will defend this major as a good choice for anyone because it is a great choice.

Wow. I just went to a paleontology lecture and it was the COOLEST THING EVER HOLY GOODNESS GRACIOUS

My professor just gave me a dollar as a bribe for me to declare in geology. He threw it at me in the middle of class. Hhahaha he's hilarious.

I don't understand why waking up has to be so hard. Mleh.

If you catch yourself checking your phone more often than usual you probably like him. It's a good indicator.
Stupid phone.

Yesterday. I woke up, worked out, and went to classes until ten. Then I did homework for a long, long time. When I got home I took a wee little nap and went back to homework. Around six I went to Seven Peaks with my stake and had free pizza and made friends {Janessa is so cute!} and had a dandy time. Unfortunately, I didn't bring a towel {I didn't think I'd actually go on any of the rides and get wet!} so I walked back home {two blocks} dripping wet. And then I was locked out. Hahaha. So I went over to my bestie Scott's apartment, stole a towel from him, and then we went swimming in our apartment pool together! He's the best. Afterward I fell asleep doing some readings. Today! I got up, worked out, went to classes until noon, did homework, met with two of my professors, almost declared my major, went to the math lab for homework help, came home, had a temple recommend interview {barely passed.. ;) }, had a relief society meeting, made Scott some cookies in exchange for the borrowed towel, and am now sitting here debating whether I should go to bed or pull an all-nighter doing homework.

I upped my credit load from 14 to 15. And I'm still looking for a job.

Life.

I really love mine. :)

If I may be so bold as to impart some of my knowledge upon you...
This last year I found a frustration with this university. A frustration I first believed to be local and confined to those professors I was learning under but then discovered was more widespread. It is the apparent lack of communication. If I had a question or concern I would email my professor, yet no response ever, ever came through. In my time here I have had 15 professors and only one has ever emailed me back. I found this an excusable course of action for those professors teaching courses with over 75 students, that's perfectly understandable. But for the professor teaching our seven-student course? Really? This troubled me all of last year.
So, it is with great pride, and a little shame for only now taking advantage of this, that I give you, prospective BYU student, this advice: office hours. Every professor has something called office hours. He/she will say "my office hours are held from 2-3 every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday," and you will furiously scribble that down some place you won't forget it. Then, when you have a question, drop by their office. Yes, emailing is way easier, and sometimes moving from that comfy seat in the JSB all the way to the Talmage is just too hard. But, it will be worth it. Not only do you get your question answered immediately since you've cornered them like a cat and mouse, but you get some valuable face time - a precious commodity in your larger classes where the professor is not aware of your existence in the slightest. Your professors actually do want to talk to you {why they can't do that through email I have no idea} and their office hours are precisely for that! So, dear incoming freshman, prospective transfer students, and all others curious about the workings of BYU, take advantage of your office hours.


For those of you scoffing at me for never having gone to a professors office hours before.... shut up. I'm an introvert and almost hyperventilated going to see my religion professor today.

Really diggin' Of Monsters and Men today.

Seriously hate pop quizzes. Ugh.

Holy crap we just learned a super real world application for calculus. MY GOSH

I feel super hot today. >:)

That is such a good feeling!!!

"ya young hippie college kids! eatin yer gluten free pot brownies and blowin all yer pell grant money on 200 consecutive rounds of laser tag!!"
BWAHAHAHAHAHA

Uh...
Remember how I was all "I don't want to date right now.. I'm not feelin' it.."
Uh....
I just met a guy who might change that. Seriously he's so cool.


Crap.

If you knew me four years ago you would not recognize me now.

I have changed in almost every way from who I was.

I didn't want to be unhappy any more.

I didn't want to be the person I was.

So I changed.

Just like that.

Studying Confucianism in my east asian history class is way cool!
Check out what this dude said:

• If one has faults, one should not be afraid to change.
• The noble person is concerned with rightness; the small person is concerned with profit.
• Those who are clever in their words and pretentious in their appearance, yet are humane, are few indeed.
• To learn, and at due times to practice what one has learned, is that not also a pleasure?

A missionary's advice:

"I love Malachi 3:8-10 because God's literally challenging us. He's basically saying "bring it on. Try me. See if I don't bless you more than you can take in. I dare you" and that is so cool. I love putting the Lord's promises to the test because he always is right."

It's cute seeing how much this kid has grown. Missionaries are so cool!

To answer the question none of you were asking... Yes, I am a moderate feminist.

Springsteen.

First world problems:

• I went to the devotional today for the first time in nine months. I sat front and center, like I did all of fall semester last. Ballet requires us to wear our hair in a bun so when I took it down {wearing a bun too long makes my head ache - too much hair!} it was this nasty wavy bumpy mess. And my face is super gross too. That's just biology though, not my fault, haha. Anyway, the devotional starts and we're all singing and what not and suddenly my phone explodes with texts. "Mackenzie! You're on tv!" "I see you on international tv!" "Mackenzie, your face is all over the tv screen!" And, sure enough, that stupid freakin' camera was pointing straight into my face, just two rows down.
• As I walked back from the devotional this guy started talking to me. It started like this "so, is this your first devotional?" {I have gotten that sort of thing all semester thus far. I'm not a freshman even if I look like it thank you} ... no. Well he talked to me allllll the freakin' way back to campus. About the most random things. I really tried to get him to back off but no, he was very determined to eradicate the silence between us despite the deafening roar of the crowd we were in. He was awkward. That weird, awkward, fresh RM kind of odd person. And I should have seen it coming, I should have, but it was unavoidable and then BAM he asked for my number. I wanted to say "Uh, I'm not interested.." or "I don't even know you.." or  just started screaming so as to create a distraction. But no. I said "Sure!" like the idiot I am.

My life is really super hard.

;) Just kidding. I'm having a great day. And I get to go to Seven Peaks with my stake tonight! I'm mostly going for the free pizza. Yeah, I eat healthy crap these days but I do not pass up the offer of free food... I'm a college student. It's what we do.

Did you know that Monday emails are actually the worst of all time ever no matter how pleasant they can be?? Did you?! HUH? HUH?!

Basically... if you don't have the same sort of crazy ambition and drive that I do.. you can say goodbye to any thought of being with me.
I dream big. I go hard. I make things happen.

And I'm not settling for less.

Homework time.
Tanner and I went to this crazy good Indian place for lunch and it was so spicy. Then we went to the Latino Festival and got in the bubble-hamster-ball things!!! Haha! It was on such a whim and was so fun and I laughed the whole time! I definitely enjoyed that. :) Then we drove up to Canyon Springs behind Mt. Timp. That was amazing. Natural springs are so cool and beautiful! Tanner was fun to hang out with. He's a young'n, but super, super brilliant. Like. Holy swear word. His humor is so subtle and dry sometimes that he has me in stitches. I enjoyed my time with him.
It's weird, but I just don't feel like dating. Anyone. At all. Part of it is because it's hard to jump back into the dating pool once you've found {and subsequently lost} that person that almost completely encompasses your type. It just kind of feels like.. why try since I already know no one will measure up? That's not to say I'm still hung up on him. I'm over that dear boy. He's a wonderful part of my past. The other part of my not wanting to date is because it's so much effort, haha. Let's all just be friends, okay? Yeah. Let's do that. :)

Agh.

Seriously.
Homework time.

I went hiking again today! With some friends from my ward! This time we all went to this legit waterfall hike near Bridal Veil. Ohhhhh so fun. :) It was only like an hour and a half hike but it was straight up. But I made so many friends! And had so much fun! And my calves are killing me! And it was a really great attempt to procrastinate my homework but I really need to get on that!
Eh.
I'm going to go to lunch with Tanner and then do homework. Or not.. ;)

I have not slept in in ages. Even today, on my day off, I was up at six. Agh.

My adventure camping and hiking.

A picture story.

I didn't get any pictures of the drive to Zion because it was midnight. But this is what morning looked like.
I was super angry at Julie for waking me up.
It may look like I'm smiling but I'm actually glaring at her.

I smiled for the picture but was not happy to be awake.
What did make the situation better was the beautiful scenery upon exiting the tent!

Our campsite with that massively huge mountain cliff-face right behind it.
You can't tell in the picture but we were so close.

We had to take a forty minute bus ride through the park to get to the trail we were going to hike.
Moments after this picture was taken a guy sat down behind us, next to that chick, and started telling her all about Mormons and how they worshipped a guy named Moronee. It was hysterical. If he wasn't clearly semi-Autistic we would have corrected him but it was all good.

No camera can fully capture the intense beauty and amazing geological features in Zion.

Just one of the many beautiful views on our way.

At the trailhead! So it was a mile walk along the river on pavement to the actual Narrows themselves.
This is the start.

This is what we were hiking through majority of the time.
A river!
This log is the aftermath of flash flooding. Glad we didn't get caught in one.

The gang! Jared, Shanel, Julie, and I all went down and had a blast.

The Narrows. Hundreds of feet straight up on either side and a river in the middle.
The geological forces required to carve this out absolutely astound me.

Just, ya know, livin' the dream.

The current got pretty rapid in some spots and Jared let me use his hiking stick.
I did not like using it. I much more appreciated roughing it. ;)

Another beautiful spot.

We took a branch-off slot canyon and came to a really narrow Narrows. Shanel, Julie, and I were about to pose for a picture...

And there it was. Our perfect jump. I kind of love this picture, haha.

This rock is so much bigger than it seems in this picture. It was in the middle of the river and it was a good four feet deep all around it. We waded to it and climbed on up after numerous failed attempts.

When we went down the alternate slot canyon that was way narrower than the main Narrows we came across maybe five waterfalls like this. We had to climb up them to keep going. That was way intense and super fun.

On our way back down the tiny canyon we slid down a waterfall like a slide! The water was about six feet deep and I went straight in. Luckily the water isn't terribly cold this time of year and is super clean.

The gang.

Can you see how freaking cool this is?!?!

Wading through the water for thirteen miles gave me gnarly blisters but was well worth it. Look at this place!

The Narrows goes on for miles and miles and miles {like 17} and doesn't really end so much as go into the cliffs so everyone just turns back when they're done. This is us when we got back to the trailhead.

After hiking for seven hours and thirteen miles this accurately describes how I felt.
Dead.
But super happy and good sore.

Basically. Holy amazing.
I am so grateful that I went on this trip.