Mother Earth is my Home Girl

I was driving to work this morning and I remembered: I LOVE outside.

It was a beautiful morning, warm, sunny, everything was green and glowing from the early sun. I loved it. Being outside (especially in the summer time) is like medicine for my psyche. I love it. It makes me want to quit my job, pack up Charlie, and go play in a field all day.

A few Sundays ago Bradford and I drove up Butterfield Canyon. He had run up it the previous day with his brother and thought it was a really pretty area and wanted to take me up to see it too. It was a beautiful drive. And I am so glad that Bradford didn’t expect me to run up it also.

At the top of the mountain you can over look a few of the counties as well as get a pretty neat view inside the Bingham Copper Mine.

 

There is a little bit of a hippie in me. It surfaces in a few areas of my life and being outside is definitely one of those. I very much believe that there is a connection between nature and our souls. Maybe it’s the trace amount of American Indian in my blood?

It probably has something (or everything) to do with sensing the majesty of all the beauty around me, in the trees, the sky, the landscapes… it makes me feel like I must be pretty amazing too, seeing how I was created by the same hands that made all this. Not often enough do I remember that.

Whirly Twirly

This past Friday, Bradford and I went to the Orem city carnival with our friends, Justin and Heather. The city park (the very park where Bradford and I had our first date over 5 1/2 years ago) was transformed with food vendors, booths selling their many wares, mini-concerts, and temporary carnival rides. All the things you’d expect to find at a carnival (though no clowns sighted, thank the lovely heavens).

After chowing down on some delicious roasted corn on the cob, teriyaki chicken, burgers, navajo tacos, and funnel cake, we decided to take our newly full tummies on some of the rides. In hindsight, that could have been disastrous. And very unpleasant. Luckily for us, and everyone else, we kept dinner down. (Sidenote- does anyone else get a teensy bit nervous about hopping onto a collapsible, transportable, ride that flips and spins every which way?)

First up was the ferris wheel. I had never been on a ferris wheel and I must say it was an enjoyable experience. Even despite the fact that Bradford thought it was fun to tip the car and nearly dump us out. Though it was mostly only scary because I was trying to also take pictures, meaning I didn’t have free hands to hold on to anything. Once I stowed the camera away (realizing he most likely wouldn’t stop) it was more exhilarating than terrifying. However, I found that my trust in him to not kill me has slightly diminished after that experience.

 

After that, the three of us watched and waited as Justin took a turn on the swings.

Next, we headed over to the Zipper. Apparently this was the ride to ride because everyone and their grandpa was in this line. Maybe not grandpas actually, since I think we were some of the oldest people in line... I guess city carnivals make a good Friday night hangout for the local middle/high schoolers.

After about an hour of waiting, with very little hope of the line getting any smaller any time soon (plus we thought everything was going to shut down before we could get on it anyway), we hopped over to the ride next to us that had no line at all and rode that instead. The Gravitron it was. You know those things that you stand against the wall and it spins really fast and you can’t move because the centrifugal force is keeping you in place? I was surprised at everyone turning themselves upside down and every which way on the wall, I could barely move my arms let alone my entire self. Also, Heather, being a responsible future mother, sat out for that ride. Sorry we abandoned you Heather, next time you’ll be right there with us!

      

Thanks Justin and Heather for a fun night!

P.S. Saturday night we had a Birthday party. For me. It was 1920s themed. I don’t have any pictures yet, but stay tuned!