St. George

Last weekend Peter and I, along with my sisters Sarah and Michelle, and their husbands, Grant and Randy, drove down to southern Utah. We were all in need of a little break so we drove about 5 hours to stay at the condo owned by Peter's grandmother in St. George. It was so much fun! I don't think we've ever gone on a trip before as couples, so it was definitely due.

We left Friday afternoon and made our way down to what we were hoping would be a warmer climate. Unfortunately a snowstorm decided to blow in that same day and about the time we reached Filmore we ran into it. It was pretty nasty and cold! Not what we were expecting. At one point Sarah looked out upon the vast expanse of nothing that is the middle-of-nowhere Utah and said, "Oh look! Sheep!" Unfortunately what she mistook for sheep were merely snow-covered sagebrush. We had a good laugh at her expense and teased her about it mercilessly. Eventually we made it through the snow and to our destination in St. George where we unpacked and watched the movie Marley and Me which made me and Sarah cry, which then gave our husbands plenty to tease us about. If there's anything I have learned about living with a man it is that they love to do anything that results in a big reaction. Just the other day I was walking towards my apartment after getting home from work and Peter saw me coming so he hid under the stairwell and then leaped out and grabbed me. I screamed loudly and Peter got a huge kick out of it.

Any ways, the next day we all got up and went to Zion National Park which is one of my favorite places in the world! It is an absolutely gorgeous area with plenty of hikes and incredible vistas! If you've never been you should! Unfortunately we didn't get much hiking done because not only was it very chilly due to the cold front that had blown through the day before, but we also had Michelle and Randy's baby, Riley, with us because they couldn't find anyone who would watch her over the weekend. I had no problems with the baby coming along but I felt badly for them because I'm sure they would have preferred a baby-free weekend for once. So we ended up just doing the Riverwalk hike along the Virgin River, while I looked longingly at Angel's Landing as we passed it in the shuttle. For all of you who have never done the Angel's Landing hike it is pretty intense. The hike itself is not difficult but at the end of the hike you have to walk along a narrow ledge with nothing but an iron chain to hang onto and a several thousand foot drop on both sides. Definitely not for those who are afraid of heights, but the view from the top is magnificent! I hiked up it for the first time on my honeymoon, and I've always wanted to do it again since. Any ways, our trip to Zion was relatively tame, but it was nice to be out nonetheless, and Riley had fun seeing all the squirrels along the path. The little critters were everywhere, and they were fearless! I watched as several people reached out and petted the darn things! Here is a picture of one of the adventurous squirrels as well as a group shot of the crew sans Michelle who was taking the photo.



On the way to Zion we passed an ostrich farm that was advertising ostrich eggs for sale. Grant kept talking about getting one on the way back, and I thought he was kidding...but on the way back to the condo he actually had us stop at this farm and get one. I could hardly believe it! There was a gate in front of the long driveway to the farm and you had to honk to get any service. I laughed as I watched this rather hick looking guy run up to the gate where Grant proceeded to purchase the egg. Sarah and I rolled our eyes at the foolishness and then we were back on the road again with the the egg in tow. Michelle and Randy were a ways behind us on the road and didn't know we were stopping to buy an egg. We saw them driving passed us and we waved at them but they didn't notice. Later Michelle said that she saw someone there buying an egg but didn't realize it was us and was thinking, "Who would be crazy enough to buy an ostrich egg?" Apparently Peter and Grant are. The next morning Grant made good on his promise to cook up the egg and the whole process actually turned me off from eating eggs for a good long while. You start by chiseling holes in both ends of the egg, then you stir up the yolk with a stick, and then blow it all out. It's pretty disgusting to watch. I was brave enough to try eating it, but I couldn't get passed the fact that it came from an ostrich. They tasted just like chicken eggs, though. My favorite quote was from Sarah who said, "Is this FDA approved?"






The whole trip was really fun, and I loved spending time with my family, especially my sisters. We made some great memories and I really hope that we can make this an annual thing. Except for the ostrich egg...we don't need to do that every year...or ever again for that matter.

No Line on the Horizon: A Review

Everyone who knows me well will agree when I say that I am a huge U2 fan. I can list off every album they have ever made over their nearly 30 year music career, and if you play me any of their songs, I can tell you what the name is (and the album, of course). I even shelled out hundreds of dollars for great seats when they visited Salt Lake City on their Vertigo tour in 2005. Seeing U2 play live ranks as one of the top 5 best days of my life...so far. I know Bono's and the Edge's real names, birthdates, names of children, etc. Obsessed much? Yeah. I wonder if there's a U2 12-step program? Any ways, I digress...my intention is not to brag about my U2 knowledge but to review their latest album No Line on the Horizon. It's been out for a couple of weeks and I've had some time now to drink in their latest work and analyze it a little.

First off, I like the title. It's not quite as big a mouthful as their All That You Can't Leave Behind and How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb albums were. It conjures an image of a placid ocean where the color of the sky and sea merge and you can't tell where one begins and the other ends, much like their album cover depicts. However, I have to admit I'm fairly disappointed with the album content. It has some decent songs, don't get me wrong, and I'm sure they'll walk away at next years Grammys with a few awards in hand like they do every time they release an album, but I just don't feel that this album is at the same caliber as their previous albums. The songs are reasonably enjoyable to listen to, but it's failed to grab my attention. Bono's usually poetic lyrics were weak in this album, and the melodies tend to fade into the background. The song "Get on Your Boots" has a rather catchy tune, but I have no idea what the heck it's even about. It's more like spouted pop dribble, in my opinion. I will admit that their albums have always had heavy political undertones (they grew up in a tumultuous country, can you blame them?), and they tried to veer away from that in this album...and it doesn't really work for them. This album reminds me a lot of some of their earlier albums like The Unforgettable Fire (which I have nicknamed "The Forgettable Fire" because it's the most forgettable of all their albums), Boy, October, and Pop. All three of those albums have a couple of classics on them like "I Will Follow", "October", "Pride (In the Name of Love)", "Bad", "Discotheque" and "Gone" but the rest of the songs are not worth buying the whole albums for (unless of course you're a huge fan and must have them all...like me). Just go out and buy The Best of 1980-1990 and The Best of 1990-2000. It has all of those songs plus other classics on it. I will recommend buying their older albums War, Joshua Tree, and Achtung Baby, though. They are U2 essentials! Even Zooropa, as weird as it was, was fairly enjoyable. I also recommend How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. Nearly every song on that album is fantastic! Especially the song, "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" which is about Bono's relationship with his father who passed away in 2002. I think it's a very touching tribute to a man who obviously inspired him, even if their relationship was rather strained at times. Needless to say, their latest album, when compared to their past work, just doesn't quite cut it. I can forgive them, though, considering they've put out some amazing work, and I'm sure they'll continue to do so. No one can be expected to be #1 all of the time. I can't imagine the pressure to crank out material all of the time, and considering they've been doing it for 3 decades, they're bound to hit the creative wall every now and then. Maybe they've hit their musical peak and it's all downhill from here. Who knows. I would recommend checking out their new album any ways, if only to form your own opinion. Maybe you'll think it's their best ever! Maybe I'm just too critical.

I've heard that they're releasing a second album later this year which will kind of be like their B-sides, their album leftovers, if you will. Maybe it will be more interesting, but I'm not going to get my hopes up. Hopefully in another 5 years they'll get their act together and produce another fantastic album. I'll be looking for it around 2015. Until then, I still have their old (but fantastic) stuff to listen to...and that's good enough for me.

Weekend Update!

It's halfway through the spring semester and Peter is mostly busy with classes again. After this year he just has one more year until he has his bachelor of science degree in forestry and then just one more year to obtain his master of science degree in natural resources. Hopefully we can hang in there for that long. Even though Peter had an intense semester in the fall he did well and made the dean's list. He's been busy recently applying for jobs for the summer and applying for scholarships for next year. He has also been busy this weekend working on his initiation into the Forestry Honor Society, Xi Sigma Pi. Yup, that's right. Peter is joining a fraternity. His initiation consists of carving a tree out of wood and then getting signatures on it from all of the fraternity members from the USU chapter. I find the whole thing very amusing. He is also working on getting ready for the GRE he has to take by the end of the semester. Yay tests.

I haven't been up to much. Just working and trying to keep a roof over our heads and food on our table. It's been a somewhat stressful year with how the economy has been, but I consider myself fortunate that I have a job, even if most days it drives me nuts. I'm anxious to find out where we will be this summer. I want to start planning on housing and everything since we'll be moving in two months, so I'm kind of frustrated that we don't know yet. That's kind of how it goes every year, though. It's almost like being in the military. I’m also trying to figure out school next year. Things, unfortunately, didn’t work out this year, but I am bound and determined to go in the fall. I am mostly trying to figure out how to finance the whole thing. It’s kind of rough trying to put two people through college at the same time, but I know a lot of people who have done it, so I know it’s possible.

We're also excited about the two nieces or nephews we will be getting later this summer on both sides of our family. I am now officially the last girl to have a baby in my immediate family. I'm still holding out for my puppy, though!

In January Peter's parents came up for a visit. We decided to go up to Hardware Ranch and see the elk up there. We got to go on a horse-drawn sleigh out amongst the elk. I LOVE big draft horses, so it was even more of a treat for me other than seeing a giant herd of wild elk. The whole thing was pretty neat, although we nearly froze our butts off. Afterwards we went to a yummy Thai restaurant that we have in Logan called Kamin. Peter and I don’t have any room in our budget for eating out, so we only get to go whenever our awesome parents come up (or we go down to visit them) and they are kind enough to feed us. Here are a few pictures that my father-in-law took of our little excursion.

Well, that's about all that's going on around here. I'll let you all know where Peter and I end up this summer. Hopefully it will be someplace fun where people will want to come and visit us. :)

Commission

A woman I work with commissioned me to draw a portrait of her and her late husband for Christmas. Aside from it being another project I can add to my portfolio/resume, it was also my first paid commission, so I was very excited about doing it. It was a lot of fun, and it helped to remind me of why I love to draw people. It's so challenging. Once I get in "the zone" I can draw for hours straight and wonder where the time has gone when I come back to reality. It keeps my normally flighty mind engaged, which is saying something.

Any ways, here is the finished product. Unfortunately, I don't own a scanner so I have to rely on my camera for digital images. It loses a lot of the detail that you would normally see. The actual piece looks a lot better, I assure you. One of these days I'll be able to afford new art supplies...one of these days.

Brandon Sanderson Came to Logan!

Today I had the great pleasure of meeting one of my favorite authors, Brandon Sanderson. He's been on tour recently for the release of his book "The Hero of Ages" which is the third installment of his Mistborn trilogy, and he happened to stop in Logan to do a few signings at the local Borders. If you haven't read his books, I recommend them highly. He has a stand-alone book titled "Elantris" which is a good read, but his Mistborn trilogy is superb. I have first editions of all of his books, and he was kind enough to sign them all for me. Below is a picture Peter took of me and Mr. Sanderson. He's a very friendly and gracious fellow.

Brandon Sanderson has made recent national and worldwide attention recently, not only because his most recent book made the top 25 of the New York Times, but last year he was personally selected by Robert Jordan's wife to finish the last book of the Wheel of Time series. Robert Jordan passed away while he was writing the last book, but he left ample notes with the major plot points with his wife before he died. I was already a fan of Sanderson's work when I heard the news that he was going to finish Jordan's series, and needless to say, I was thrilled that he was chosen. On another note, Brandon Sanderson is also a local fellow! He lives right in Provo and even teaches a writing class at BYU.

If you would like more information about Brandon Sanderson and his works you can check out his website www.brandonsanderson.com

If I wrote Peter's Research Papers...

The other night I went with Peter over to USU's main library to help him find research materials for a paper he has to write. Mostly I think he just wanted me to keep him company. He's been fairly stressed out recently over all the tests, projects, and papers he has due in the next few weeks. So much so that he hasn't even touched a video or computer game in several days, which is quite surprising if you know Peter. It's even more surprising considering that World of Warcraft released their most recent expansion last week. The fact that he hasn't been up all hours of the night checking out the new content only goes to show that he really must have his work cut out for him right now.

So, as we we're sitting there in the library with several tomes about trees stacked around us, he asked me (in obviously a moment of desperation) if I would write his final paper for his dendrology class (dendrology literally means "the study of trees" for all you people who don't speak Latin fluently). He was obviously being facetious, but I enthusiastically (and sarcastically) said, "Okay!" and this is what I came up with:

"I like trees. I think they're neat. They make great homes for cute little critters like squirrels, chipmunks, and little birdies. However, they sometimes can be bad. Like when they have all that sticky sap on their branches that gets all over your hands and in your hair when you try to climb them, or if one of those cute little birdies decides to poop right on your head as you walk underneath. That always sucks. However, trees provide us with oxygen, which is a good thing because I like to breathe.

So, in conclusion, I think trees, as a whole, are good and we should have more of them. The end."

For some reason Peter didn't think the paper I wrote would get him the "A+" he was aiming for. Clearly, he needs to get his priorities straight. I think my paper clearly defines what trees are all about. It's not like this final paper counts as half of his grade for this class or anything...

Oh...wait...it does.

Good thing I'm not writing it then or he'd be screwed.

It's Not Even December!

I love Christmas music. I can't wait until the day after Thanksgiving when I can blast my Christmas music and sing carols until my throat is raw. However, there is a time and a place where Christmas music is not acceptable, at least in my opinion. Last night, I stopped by a grocery store on my way home from visiting my family over the weekend, and I heard the distinct sound of "Silent Night" coming over the PA system. It was only November 1st, the day after Halloween, and this store was already moving onto the next big holiday to over commercialize and hopefully make big money from. It appalled me, and I quickly made my selection, purchased it, and left the store with a bad taste in my mouth. It wasn't the song that upset me, like I said before, I love Christmas music...I just can't stand the fact that the holiday means nothing more to some people than a marketing gimmick that they can heavily exploit. I understand that a lot of retail companies rely heavily upon the holiday season to put their accounting books into the black, but honestly are we going to start promoting Christmas as early as July some day? Where is the limit? It's almost enough to turn me off from the whole holiday...but I won't allow it to embitter me. It's a wonderful, and heartwarming time of the year that hopefully reminds people of what is truly important. I just choose to wait until it's December before I start getting all excited about it.