I am absolutely fed up

Hear that? I am absolutely fed up. Maybe more just heartbroken, frustrated and discouraged. Maybe those are better words to describe what I am.

With every passing second our world becomes a less stable, accepting, loving, safe place. How many days have passed since the last mass shooting? Zero. 0. None. That's how many. Do we need to start counting in minutes? How pathetic. Where did our conflict resolution skills go?

What has happened? Why do we trust our leaders less now than before?

So what we have a shit president? What happened to Power to the People? Why haven't we done anything about it? Why can't we do anything about it? What happened to the days where when things were going wrong we could change them as a team, a country?

Why do we trust one another less now than before?

What has happened? Why are we so entitled and selfish and dangerously unaware of those around us and yet so willing to offer our commentary on others?

When did it become acceptable for people to expect things they have neither earned nor deserve? How did it happen?

When did we begin to need validation from individuals we see only once yearly?

When did our sense of worth move from what our parents, teachers, mentors, God and we ourselves thought of us to what acquaintance, stranger, random person you'll never meet thinks of us?

When did we stop respecting our elders? At the rate we are going at the least they can say they didn't singlehandedly destroy all of humanity in a single generation. 

When did some other country's citizens become more important than the men and women who are responsible for this country's freedom?

When did we get so spineless? Why can we not stand up for what we believe without some entitled cretin claiming some PC card?  When did differing opinions become "hate" instead of growth? Get a hold of yourselves, you ignorant swine. 

Why does Dr. Everett Piper, President of Oklahoma Wesleyan University, have to write a blogpost like this?

"This past week, I actually had a student come forward after a university chapel service and complain because he felt “victimized” by a sermon on the topic of 1 Corinthians 13. It appears this young scholar felt offended because a homily on love made him feel bad for not showing love. In his mind, the speaker was wrong for making him, and his peers, feel uncomfortable.

I’m not making this up. Our culture has actually taught our kids to be this self-absorbed and narcissistic. Any time their feelings are hurt, they are the victims. Anyone who dares challenge them and, thus, makes them “feel bad” about themselves, is a “hater,” a “bigot,” an “oppressor,” and a “victimizer.”"

Because we are weak, entitled, selfish, arrogant, ignorant. That is a lethal combination of characteristics. It is despicable. We are a despicable people. We are hateful. We are selfish. We are close minded. We have lost so many valuable lessons from humanity like hard work and unity, conflict resolution, not being an ass to name a few. We are individualistic to a fault. We are judgmental to the worst degree. It is no wonder society is literally crumbling before us all with more hatred and division than ever. What else would anyone expect when we ignore people in need, when non procreating couples are wedded, when we care about no one but ourselves, when the safety, health and wellbeing of our own citizens is put far down on the to do list? What else can you possibly expect?

As of yet I have no idea what I am supposed to do about it all. Seems like a hefty task. But the first step is recognizing you have a problem, right? That's more than millions of entitled little freaks have done. 

Trailer Trash - Classy Version

Alright team.


I am going to live in a trailer. Correction: We are going to live in a trailer:
Him:

And me:

and sometimes her:

We look like we could be trailer dwelling folks, right?

Well we have been looking for months for a trailer to buy. 

Finally we found one. A beaut. From the 80's. Mmmmmmmmmmhmmmmmmmmmm

Here she is:

 



 
 
 

BUT: While my partner has been gone fighting fires - hence the ashy face - I have been working my fingers to the bone to get this trailer revamped.

The plan is to paint some stuff, take some stuff out, put some stuff in, etc, etc.

Here she is midway through the prepping process:

 

Mostly I just took all the doors off of everything. I was pretending to be a carpenter/painter/whatever job takes doors off of things.

Here I am pretending to be a seamstress:

I like to pretend I know how to do things until I actually do know how to do things. It works out super well actually.


Stay tuned for the rest of the revamp of our camper. I like to call it our recamp.

25d15h

I am a traditionalist. I like to do things by the book. Status quo is my fave. I am a rule follower. Very much a rule follower.


SIKE


Lies. All of those. Were lies. I am a liar.

I am not a traditionalist. Most are just stupid social customs that don't serve great purposes. I think there need to be more people willing to change things up a bit. No matter how difficult.

Like ME.


My story:

In approximately 25 days and 15 hours I am marrying the greatest human. (Yes, the firepits, frozen, and flames one) The. Greatest. Human. Never was there another human who handled my repulsion to physical touch, my tendency to bite, my strange woman's health philosophy, my inability to follow rules, and my tendency to enjoy doing nothing.

We will be sealed in the Salt Lake Temple. This is during my spring break, and over a weekend for him. He's in school and we will probably be doing a lot of homework over our honeymoon. *Yay for struggling college students* We will be sealed at 11:40 in the am and then...here is where our follow the tradition train ride ends.

So, we are not doing a reception at that time. Ain't nobody got time for that. Our reception will be in August of 2015. Nearly 6 months after we actually get married. *Yay for the wildland firefighting life* See, he will be gone June to August. So prime time for marriage and receptioning is out of the question for us.

BUT we need to do something to include our families and have a celebration of some sorts. SO, a dutch lunch at Sweet Tomatoes it is. I know...we are just oozing convention. Then, Christopher and I will get in the car and drive to Saint George for two days and then come back to real life.

It gets better.

He has an apartment with his two besties with a lease until June. In Orem. He works. In Orem. He goes to UVU has classes 6-10 pm. In Orem. I live with my dear family. In Sandy. I work 40ish hours a week. In Sandy. I don't finish until 8:15ish pm most nights. In Sandy. The solution: He will go back to his apartment in Orem and I will stay at home in Sandy. Until about August. *Remember the summer firefighting thing?* About 6 months until we will reside in the same dwelling for longer than a weekend.

**WOOPWOOP**

Anyways, that is the plan. It's been pretty stressful. Going against all tradition is hard. What are people going to think? Oh wait, I don't care. But really though. It has clearly been a worry of mine.

I had a dream the other night where after I had sent out the EVITES (HAHA Oh yea, also, we didn't send out paper invitations, we sent out EVITES...without pictures, because we didn't do an engagement shoot.....HAHAHAH) my grandma had come over for something and she said something about how rude and improper our whole plan was. She said it in an underhanded way, just mumbling under her breath and I got very defensive and said it was the way it was going to go. I started to cry as I walked up the stairs. After a few steps I stopped crying and said, "No, you know what? This is how it is working. I will NOT apologize for it." And that is how I feel.


So take up your flags people! Change things up a bit! Do what you want and not what other people expect! It is liberating.

The Truth About Triple Forward Helices - 3

This is great and all. I mean really. I don't regret it but holy cow. A LOT OF WORK. haha

 

 

Here are a bunch of pictures that document the healing and changing of the piercing (and also the growing out of my red hair...) It is August now and I did it in the beginning of April so that is (April, May, June, July, August halfway) 4.5ish months. Just halfway through the 8-12 month healing time. And let me tell you, when they say it will be 8-12 months before it is healed, they mean it will be 8-12 months before it is healed. I mean really. Really. Really. I heal pretty completely and quickly and this is still healing. Very much still healing.

The bottom one I would say is 87% healed. The middle one I have no clue since I have not changed that one...haha. The top one is maybe 49% healed. It gets the most irritated because it is the one getting caught in my hair and all that. So it has been slow going for that one. The middle one...well we will see...haha

Overall I do love it. But it is a lot of time before it can be really enjoyed.

Update: I have now changed them all at least once, some of them multiple times. I have horseshoe like rings in the top and bottom and I am letting the middle one heal some more with the new stud I put in last weekend. I am trying to figure out which style of earring I like so I bought this: It has a million things I have no need for....but there were plenty I can try out in my ear just to check out styles before I lay a lotta $$ down for some really high quality nice ones. So far I am enjoying trying them all out. 

The Truth About Triple Forward Helices - 2

If you missed The Truth About Triple Forward Helices - 1 <-- There it is
So day one was a breeze. Second hole hurt like the dickens and it got hot, but mostly it was fine. Ya know...

Day 2

...Aiya. Not fun. Hurts. Sore. I mean, you just put three holes through your ear. Sheesh. You can't smile. It hurts too bad. Smiling smooshes it all up and OUCH. Still not much you can't handle. It's freaking swollen and yucky but still...it's just been over a day. Just don't lay on it cause that is bad. Also make sure you are cleaning it. Clean it good, but not too much.

Day 3...

Day 3 I thought it was infected or going to get infected. I got paranoid. My ear was red and I thought I was seeing that streaky thing that happens when you get a really bad infection and it moves into the blood stream. Also it is hotter than you remember it being yesterday...Seriously paranoid. What if I go septic and die? That would teach me for making poor decisions, wouldn't it? Holy crap. I am going to die.

Spend like 7 hours Googling "infected piercing", "piercing infection", "triple forward helix infected" "get rid of piercing infection" and all sorts of combinations of those words. You read that you should not use Neosporin even though you think that's crap cause that junk works on everything. You read not to use rubbing alcohol cause it's too harsh. Well what can I do to make it not kill me?! Salt soak! That seems to be the key. Salt soak!

So there I go, doing salt soaks every day with warm water to make sure I am not getting an infection. I want to smile. I can't smile still cause it hurts.

Keep going with The Truth About Triple Forward Helices - 3

The Truth About Triple Forward Helices - 1

Alright you trendy folks who are wanting the triple forward helix piercing. Listen up so you know what you are getting yourself into.

I'll break it down for you so you can make an informed decision about this (major) piercing.

Day 1: 
I don't know about you guys but I wasn't thinking too hard about this whole thing. I had decided like the week before that I wanted it. I knew it was not the most responsible decision, but I also realized that I have never made an irresponsible decision in my life and that my young years were runnin' out. So I decided to do it and then I did it. Not much thought in between.

So I get there and say to the tattooed & pierced lady with purple asymmetrical hair, half leopard printed, "I want the triple forward helix." There we have it. She said she didn't know if she had the supplies and she would check. Again, not thinking about what I was actually getting into. Just wanted it. That was all. There we go. HA! I feel like my sister Lindsay.

So she got the stuff and told me to come on back. Still not thinking about it. I sat in the chair and looked away so my ear was facing her. She cleaned it, marked it with a pen, gave me a mirror and asked if that was good. I said yes and she got started.

When she was about to stab me through she would say, take a deep breath in. I would take that deep breath in and then she would stab me through. The first one was not bad at all. Just like my other piercings, a pinch and then it was ok. It would get hot but ya know, its all good. I thought, "Yeah man, this is cool. Not too bad."

So then, she got the second one ready, told me to breath then stabbed me through. This time it hurt. It hurt a whole ton. Worst thing ever. So bad. At that point I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be able to get the third one. I wanted to quit. I got all sweaty and blehhhhh. Ew. Sweaty and hot and gross. HA! So fun. So fun!

Anyways, then they did the third one and it was as bad as the first. AKA fine. Didn't hurt. Then she started soaking up the blood in my ear. Awesome. Lots of blood in and around my ear. Awesome.

She said, "______ will tell you about aftercare." No idea what his name was but he mumbled about showering and cleaning and don't touch, salt soak with the stuff they gave me. 8 weeks before I can change them and 8-12 months before they heal totally. Blah blah.

So then I went and paid for the piercing and walked out. This is what it looked like right after:

It felt fine. I mean really hot and swelling but what the heck did you expect after putting 3 holes in your ear in the same place...AIYA!

So I got home a few hours later and cleaned it up:

Didn't seem like anything I couldn't handle. I knew day 2 would be reallllllyyyy fun.

Check out The Truth About Triple Forward Helices - 2

What I want:

I want my life to be full of color. I want the brightest colors to light my path. I want a green door and a yellow mailbox. I want my lamp to have a purple light bulb. I want music to push me around. I want the notes to urge my steps, helping me do the dishes and vacuum the halls.  I want the notes to come from the artists and from me. I want music always whispering to me, “Dance. Sing.”

I want a treehouse with a bookshelf and a two-person sleeping bag. I want a lantern to light the words on the page. I want books. Real books. Not a tablet with ePages and ePapercuts. I want REAL papercuts. I want to read poetry and hate it. I want a rope ladder to climb into my treehouse. I want to have sleepovers in that treehouse with my family, my kids, my grandkids. I want to have dogs that we pull up into the treehouse in a basket pulley-system.

I want to observe people. I want to come closer to the truth about us all, about human nature. Nature? Nurture? Does it matter? I want to befriend the elderly, the homeless. I want to ask them about their scars and hear their stories. I want to talk to and understand millions. I want their lives to change me. I want to change. I want to listen more than talk. I already know that.

I want my life to be present in my bones. I want you to be able to say, “She loved riding horses and playing lacrosse. She loved eating peanut butter. She loved playing basketball, look at that finger. She hated the cold and the hot but lived through both. She did not like seafood. She wrote. A lot. A blog maybe? She got migraines too. ”

I want to believe in angels and demons and ghosts and fairies and Peter Pan and Neverland. I want to reread Harry Potter every year with my family. I want them to believe in it. Put their hearts in it. I want to knock on wood and change paths when I see a black cat. I want to believe in reincarnation and talking animals.

I want to get mad and say mean things about people. I want to mean those things but have it not even matter. I want to hate things about people but love them unconditionally anyways. I want to be able to cry…hard and then get up the next morning and make others smile.

I want to never experience -45 degrees again. I want to remember Wyoming with fondness and a little pity and awe. I want to hate football and not care because others love it and I can share with them.

I want to go the extra mile but have it go unnoticed. I want to create light and life. I want to have nothing left at the end of my life. I want to die at 73. 75 at the latest unless there is something greater here than what awaits us all. I want to be sure in this life and not wait until the next. I want to hear, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”

I want to not give a damn and I want people to not care that I don’t care. I don’t care. Stop caring. Let me have my purple lights, green door and yellow mailbox. I want people to mind their own business but notice when someone needs a hand. These are a few of the things I want.

Firepits, Frozen, and Flames - Part 11

Since they were all starting school the next week, her family decided to go to The Little America for brunch on Sunday. (Ha, Sunday Brunch with the family - so sophisticated).

She was looking for a good opportunity to casually mention that they decided they were dating and going to do long distance.

Do I just throw it in there? Like this, "I am so excited to eat! We decided we are going to date and do long distance for the next year of our lives. I think I will eat the crepes first!" OR do I wait for it to come up...?

"So what's up with you guys?" her dad asked casually.

Guess that answers that question...

"So...." Just say it! Just say it! "....yeah"

She looked at one of her little sisters in the backseat since she had told her yesterday. Her sister shrugged her shoulders...

"Well yeah, so....we are dating." She cringed waiting for the reaction.

"WHAT?! WHY?! You don't even know him!"

Well this is going pretty much how I expected. That's comforting.

"Yeah...so mmhmmm."

Her siblings piped up with, "It's not that big of a deal" and "I'm pretty sure they've spent enough time together in the last two days that they have some idea." She was so thankful she didn't have to go up against them.

They discussed it for a few minutes more and then got to the restaurant. As they sat down, her mother said to her, "You know were are just giving you a hard time. We don't really care one way or another."

That was a great sign...

Firepits, Frozen, and Flames - Part 10

They were in the movie Frozen. She had already seen it once with her sister Regan before Christmas but it was so incredible she would have gone to it 16 more times.

It had been about 34 hours since they had met, but felt more like 34 lifetimes. They, thick as thieves, sat in the theater watching the movie.

Hmm...this is great. Although now that I think about it, this movie sort of points a microscope at us. The whole "You can't marry someone you just met" thing...I mean, we aint getting married, but we did decide last night we were going to date and do long distance. Same difference really....awkward...and his name is Kristoff....coincidence? I think not....HA!

She tried her best not to sing along to all of the songs she already knew by heart, but failed at some points.

Ugh I hate people like me in the theater. SHUT UP ALREADY. This is probably the first time these people have seen this movie so let them enjoy it you waif! ...I need to stop using the word waif...

Ana was saying, "I got engaged but then she freaked out because I'd only just met him..." and they had a good little chuckle. 

She leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Remember when I didn't know you....yesterday?" They laughed.

It came to the part in the movie where the grandpa troll tells Kristoff that only an act of true love will thaw Ana's frozen heart. Kristoff then says he needs to get her back to Prince Hans and Olaf asks why but realizes Kristoff is thinking of "a true love's kiss!"

At "true love's kiss" he turned, looked at her, leaned over and kissed her.

shutupShutUpSHUTUP. Who is this guy? Is he for real? That just happened. *Gag from the immense amount of cheese* *Swoon* ohmanOhManOHMAN...watch the movie...watch the movie....watch the movie....what the??? HA! That just happened! This guy's great!!

Firepits, Frozen, and Flames - Part 9

They had been together since just after she dyed her hair red that morning. She was looking pretty good as a redhead if this narrator may say so herself. They hung out with her family, played the piano and guitar *swoon*. Since they had missed going to Frozen the day before, they had decided to go today. The movie wasn't for a little bit so they had some time to kill.

They took Rocket on a walk through the neighborhoods for a while.

Freak, this is awesome. I am so at peace right now. I could do this forever. I've never felt very strongly about having a dog when I am older but this right here makes me think otherwise...I could do this forever.

They walked and talked or walked in silence. It was chilly, but not too bad. Rocket weaved back and forth, marking everything he could. He may have even gotten someone's shoe. Rocket was never a very good walking dog. Occasionally he would wind himself up in the leash or wrap it around her legs. But it was great.

"I didn't really have any idea why I was supposed to come back home up until now. I think I might have an idea now."

"Oh?" she asked.

"Yeah, things are sort of becoming clearer."

"Why do you think?" she asked although she was pretty sure she knew the answer since she had been thinking the same thing for some time now.

"I'll let you figure it out," he replied.

shutupShutUpSHUTUP. This is totally what I have been thinking, but then I was like, "no. stop flattering yourself." but then I was like, "HA! who am I kidding?" But like if that is what he is thinking too....Holy crap holy crap holy crap

"I just have no idea what it could be," she feigned ignorance.

"I'll give you some time to figure it out."

Firepits, Frozen, and Flames - Part 8 and 8b

"Well, I'm pretty sure we missed the movie..."

They were going to go see Frozen but after talking with Regan for so long after snowboarding they had missed the start. She didn't really care. She (they) smelled really bad and she really didn't want to leave the house again. She was exhausted from her first ever snowboarding experience, but she also didn't want him to leave.

"We can just go check what we have and watch something in the theater."

Though they had missed the showtime they had originally planned on, he really wanted to go despite her offer to stay and watch a movie at her house.

"What was that movie you loved? The one you said you could watch over and over again?"

"OOH! Minority Report! Let's watch that one!"

They went to the theater and found it in the "M" section of her DVD collection. (Yes, she alphabetized her family's DVDs.) She told him to make himself comfortable on one of the many couches and love sacs in the room.

Once the movie had started the inevitable happened and one minute at a time, he ended up a few inches closer to where she was sitting on the couch five feet behind him. It seemed to be the greatest distance he had ever travelled.

What am I doing.. what in the heck am I doing. This. Is. Nuts. You only just met her man, take it slow. 

He pressed on anyway, feeling wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove, hoping she didn't notice the fact that he was moving closer to her.

*BOOM!*

Her sister and three friends burst in to the room where they had slowly but surely gravitated towards each other. Aspen jumped on her, giving her a huge hug and Autumn, Lindsay and Mau followed in after. They wanted to know how snowboarding went. (Or, like her mother, they were astonished that the two were still together after nearly 13 hours and wanted to see what was up). They talked for a few minutes, sharing the general happenings of the day. Lindsay and her friends told them about the camping trip they were going to take that weekend and then they left the room.

As the movie came to a close, there they sat, hand in hand. His mind was blown. Completely blown. His heart felt like it was going to blow up, too. Though it had only been 13 hours, they had been through so much together and he really cared about her. It seemed to them that this should be weird; but it wasn't. Everything about the day should have been weird and wasn't... which was weird.

They sat and talked for a while about nothing and everything (*gag*). It was perfect. They acknowledged the non-weird weirdness that had characterized the day.

"This should be weird. I should be freaked out right now. This should be weird. I don't even know what is going on."

"Remember when I didn't know you this morning?"

"Ha! This is weird. Or it should be."

It wasn't the most intelligent conversation the two had shared, but their minds were kinda blown. Then there was the fact that she kept having the same thought cross her mind...

"You've got me whipped.." he said interrupting the thought.

"Well that didn't take long," she joked.

"Remember though, I have three weeks on you."

"Oh yeah. That's weird. It will take me a while to get used to that."

Uh oh...here's that thought again...I really want to kiss him right now...

Firepits, Frozen, and Flames - Intermission

Here we will pause for a brief intermission.


If you haven't already, check out parts 1-7:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7


Also, if he is feeling merciful, you might get his parts during this intermission.

Check here for that!

Firepits, Frozen, and Flames - Part 7

"I would definitely use a carrier pigeon over any other form of communication," she was saying to him. "How rad would that be? Or an owl like in Harry Potter. How the heck do they even do that? How do they know where to go?" She had always been baffled by carrier pigeons.

"I don't know how it works," he replied.

"Hmmm...I will have to research that cause how cool would that be?"

"Seriously! I could send you letters by bird when you go back to Wyoming."

"Haha! That would be so awesome. It would further solidify my status as the cool kid on the block." She liked the way this kid thought.

Their conversation had flowed from the serious to the funny to the ridiculous. One minute they were discussing her papa (a touchy subject amongst some) and the next carrier pigeons or owls or the movie Frozen.

"You haven't seen it yet?" She felt bad for anyone and everyone who had not seen the movie Frozen.

"No, but I hear it's pretty good."

"Good? That's an understatement. It is the best. Ever. I love it. Oh man it is so good. Like Tangled status. It is one that I would go to the movie theater again for."

"That good, huh?"

"Absolutely."

"Well then," he began, "what are you doing after snowboarding?"

Is this guy serious? It's not like we've already spent 8 hours together. That is usually more than enough time for me to piss off every around me. Why isn't he itchin' to ditch me? Welp if there was any doubt whether or not he liked me it's gone. But let's be honest here, there wasn't really any doubt...

"Let's do it," she said. "I'll check movie times on my phone."

Firepits, Frozen, and Flames - His & Hers

We thought it might be fun to do a his side/her side kind of thing.


So check it www.firepitsfrozenflames.blogspot.com

Might be entertaining...

Firepits, Frozen, and Flames - Part 6

Silence. No verbal communication. Skiers and snowboarders and wind and noises of the mountain. No speaking.

Silence. I don't mind silence. I think I told him that. Hopefully he doesn't mind it either. I don't think he does. I can't feel the discomfort from him that I feel from others when I remain silent. He doesn't feel the need to fill it up. Silence doesn't need filling.

He suggested they take a break and head up to one of the lodges and see what there was. They left their snowboards down by the lift area and walked quietly, observing their surroundings, lost in thought.

They got up to one of the lodges and there were two firepits with some chairs around them. No one was seated there, probably cause it was cold and the fire didn't do a whole lot since it was windy. They sat down by one of the fires. The fires had the little decorative rocks that she had always called humitrophises. They got really hot and worked really well as hand warmers as they would soon find out.

"Are these those things you wrote about that your sister named when she was little?"

How the freak does he remember this!? It was a tiny paragraph on one of my blog posts last spring from an assignment I had to do for my Beginning Acting class....I only remember cause I wrote it. 

"Ha! Yeah! These are pretty much the same thing! Humitrophis. Haha, that's so funny." She was astonished he remembered such a small detail that she wrote. This whole thing was weird for her....or it should have been, but it wasn't...which made it weird. 

All she knew was that she felt comfortable.

I feel comfortable. It's weird though...it isn't the kind of comfortable I feel with people I've known for a long time, but the kind of comfortable I feel with my dog. Like I know there is no judgement or expectation or assumptions. It's just pure contentment and love. Well that is a weird way to put it...You're a freak. This is weird...or it should be...but it isn't....that's weird. 

Firepits, Frozen, and Flames - Part 5

"She just cares about things that Linds and I never cared about. It's harder for her than it ever was for us."

"Like what kind of stuff? Like is she....I don't know how to ask, like more girly or something?"

"Well thats a given, haha, but that's not what I am talking about now. Like for example, when I was a senior, Linds was a sophomore and Regan was in middle school we all got our ears pierced again. Lindsay and I got our cartilage and Regan got a second hole on her ear lobe. My friends were pretty judgmental but I couldn't have cared less. They said all sorts of stupid condescending things but it did not bother me at all. Regan's friends however, were just as judgmental and probably more vocal about it. It was a lot harder for her to let that go. She is just more sensitive. She's a better person than I am for that, but it makes life harder for her."

It had basically been the best first date she had ever had. They had spent the day alternating between talking as they rode the chairlifts, snowboarding down the mountain, walking down the mountain (it took some quad strength she didn't really have), and taking short breaks and talking as they just sat on the mountain as other skiers and snowboarders passed them.

Though she had just met him officially that morning, she didn't feel it. The conversation was completely comfortable and natural. She felt at ease saying those things her mother would tell her to keep to herself on a first date. It was remarkable.

This is awesome. Seriously. What the??? I don't have to conceal all those things that I would normally conceal until we raise. This is great. I mean this conversation is actually meaningful. I usually don't have meaningful conversation until weeks in. It's only been hours. What the???

Firepits, Frozen, and Flames - Part 4

They were on the chairlift headed up to the top of the bunny hill for what seemed like the millionth run even though they had probably only been 6 or 7 times.

It was a rough first go and she fell kind of *alot*, but by the second run she figured out how to get down the hill without falling. She still had no idea whether she was goofy or regular. She started goofy like she was when she rode her longboard and wakeboard but it felt weird so she switched to regular. It felt good for a run or two but now she switched back and forth down the hill trying to figure it out. But the fact that he was there literally holding her hand didn't hurt either.

"So.....you've probably noticed my concentration face," she said to him referring to the face where she stuck her tongue out the left side of her mouth and curled it upward over her lip.

"Haha, yea I definitely have."

"I do it *alot*. I can't help it. I do it when wakeboarding, playing tennis, learning new chords on my ukulele, reading really intently. Pretty much any time I have to concentrate on doing something well. People will tell me I am doing it and I'll stop but will be back to doing it 45 seconds later without realizing it."

"Maybe you should just go with it and not think so hard about it," he suggested.

"Yeah maybe I'll be able to figure out which foot should go first if I stop thinking about it. Maybe both are fine and I am just that good."
There I go being all humble and stuff. Sheesh. But seriously, I have nothing to prove here. It's this guy in the hot seat. And if he has read my blog he knows how freaking crazy I am right? That is all my blog is...my crazy on display. Clearly there's something wrong....right?....with him if it was my blog that attracted him to me.

Firepits, Frozen, and Flames - Part 3

"So how many siblings do you have?"

They were driving up the canyon to Snowbird where she would attempt snowboarding for the first time with a perfect stranger.
Awwww yeah, this couldn't get any more hilarious. I am in a car, driving to a ski resort with someone who crept on me. And we are having this great small talk. Wait, if he has been reading my blog he probably knows the answers to these questions. Why is he asking me this? Hmmm...
She had borrowed her friends snowboarding gear and was pretty excited to see how it would go.

"Uh...that might sound like a straightforward question, but it isn't. I have 9 siblings; 5 sisters and 4 brothers. But if you had asked me that last summer I would have said 8. How about you?"
Meh, maybe I should have just given the simple answer....oops

"I am an only child," he said to her.

ONLY CHILD?! Uh oh. 
"No one likes an only child."
I definitely said that out loud. Oops. Ah well. I don't have much to prove here. HA!
"I mean I couldn't tell you were an only child so that is great news for you"
...and me...

Firepits, Frozen, and Flames - Part 2

"Snowboarding?!"

"Yeah", she said to her mother. 

"You are going snowboarding with the guy who asked you out on your blog last week?" 

"Yeah.....pretty much."

"Why? You don't snowboard. You don't even like skiing." Her sisters agreed with their mom. 

Pshhh, they think they know me. 

"Ok well that might be true, but I could like snowboarding. I've never been before. Maybe I am a pro and I don't even know."

"So you are going snowboarding on a first date with this kid." Her mom said it skeptically as though she had said they were going shopping for their first date.

"That is the plan," she said. 

She knew they would be astonished. Incredulous even. But whatever, it didn't bother her. She didn't even care. She thought it was brilliant. The whole thing. Completely nuts and completely brilliant.

Firepits, Frozen, and Flames - Part 1

She woke up in the house she grew up in. Christmas break. She was home from college for a month. A glorious month before she started her last semester in Wyoming before studying abroad in Guatemala.

She didn’t feel like getting out of bed yet so she used her phone to check her email. She had heard all the who haw about not sleeping with your cell phone cause it causes cancer and stuff but she occasionally did it anyway. One new email: “New activity on the post “Relationships are like a Poker Game”. 

New activity? Who commented on that? I mean it was a cool post but…hmmm. 

I do not know this person. Ugh…if this is another freaky stranger who feels like they know me cause they read my blog I don't know what I will do. 

And that is how it began.