Like I said before, My Job Rocks!!!

New Findings:

1) The Navajo describe rain fall as being either male or female. Male rain is the thunderous down pours; testosterone giving off energy. Female rain is a gentle rain that the Earth can soak-up and use to nuture new growth.

So, some of you that know me know that I work at an amazing organization called SPLORE. SPLORE is a non-profit that provides outdoor recreation to folks with disabilities. The Story below is from a local news station doing a story on us. This is just a tiny example of what we do. We've been around for 30 years this summer and there are several other stories that can be told, but I wanted to show an example to all of you. My job rocks and I'm soooo happy that the news finally put a positive story out to the public instead of all of the negative "stuff" we hear all the time!

The direct link to the story is:

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=1149049
(Watch the video!)

WooHoo for Camping Trips

New Things I've Learned:

1) The desert is amazing!
2) A dry wash in the desert usually has a trickle of water running through it at night. There is no water running through the wash during the day because trees and plants like cottonwoods are photosynthesizing during the day and using all of the water that passes by. However, at night, the cottonwoods are Not photosynthesizing and therefore are not using water and the water trickles through the wash
3) I want to write a children's educational book

I love getting away. I love going some place new to explore, learn and relax. I love wide-open spaces. I love mini-vacations and road trips and this weekend that well was nicely filled. I went to the deserts of Utah, hiked in Bell Slot Canyon, camped under amazing stars, woke to one of the most amazing sunrises I have seen in my life and turned into a kid again playing in Goblin Valley. I had been longing to get away, see and do new things and enjoy a little solitude. I could write forever about how much fun I had, all of the new things I saw and learned, how theraputic this trip was for me, but for right now, I just wanted to share a few pictures with everyone.

ENJOY!!

A picture of the dry wash and the water-guzzling cottonwood tree

Disco Sheila flying high!

Goblin Valley!

Just thought this was a cool shot through the Goblins.

Me, standing on top of ancient volcanic ash over-looking the Muddy River

Our lunch spot gazing off to the snow-capped Henry Mountains

Just me enjoying a climb in a beautiful cottonwood tree

Bell Canyon

Disco Sheila!

Some New Things I've Learned:
1) There are about 200,000 Catholics in Utah

The other day I was "Blog surfing" (that's a technical term I just made up by the way) and came across one guy's site that said, "Screw it, it's nice outside, I'm not writing today. Instead, I'm going to grab a beer, my sketchbook, a chair and head outside."

I sorta wish I would have took better note of this site so I could have checked back later to learn how this guy enjoyed his day off in the park. However, I decided I didn't want to learn how his experience went and instead I created my own lazy day in the park.

The weather has been getting much nicer here in Utah and I, for one, couldn't be happier. (Tulips and daffodils are starting to bloom, the red bud tress are living up to their names and the grass is turning green! Green, I love the color green and today, as I was driving back from a rock climbing program, someone was cutting their grass; what I wonderful smell I've been missing!) In celebration of the nice weather, I decided to buy a kite. I went the the park with some friends and we let the kite fly while we enjoyed a sun bath, the Spring air and just the wonderful outdoors.

I decided to name the kite Disco Sheila because she's bright and colorful and has some pretty cool moves when she's up in the big blue sky!

Disco Sheila and me; despite the scary butt-shot of myself I still thought this was a pretty cool picture. Check out the mountains, the pond below, am I lucky or what?

It had been years since I had flown a kite but I soon remembered why it is so much fun! It's an easy activity to do, the kite is pretty entertaining to watch, you're outside and it's a relaxing activity where can go into an almost meditative state...all of which is highly enjoyable to me. I'm lucky enough to be in a setting where I could fly Disco Sheila and then gaze at the snow-capped mountains in the background, or get distracted by the park's lake at the bottom of the hill filled with ducks, geese and sea gulls (despite the fact that I'm NO where near a beach, it sure felt like it because of the sea gulls always calling and soaring above). In the end, I'd always come back to watching Disco Sheila and her bright colors and being very happy about my Spring activities.

This weekend, I hope you say "screw it" and head outside too!

Hurry-up Weekend!

Things I've Learned:
1) When backpacking, it's recommended to only carry 1/4 of your weight in your backpack.

2) If you're backpacking or camping and you're trying to light a fire, bring a set of those birthday "trick" candles that don't go out when you blow on them. That way, if you're match keeps getting blown out, or if they get wet, etc., you'll have the birthday "trick" candles to add some extra lighting support.

Oh, how I wish the weekend would get here soon! On Friday, I'm leaving Salt Lake to head-up to Jackson Hole, Wyoming...woohoo! I'm going up there to go snowshoeing at the Grand Teton Science School and to also go dog sledding. I went on the trip last year for work and it was one of the most amazing trips of my life! I never thought that I, a girl from small-town Missouri, would go on such an amazing trip with great people and now I get to go for a second time!

I'm also looking forward to this weekend because Sunday is one of my favorite times of the year. Sunday is the day we get to "Spring" our clocks forward. Some folks might think I'm a little crazy for being so excited about this one day because we also lose one hour of sleep. I'm so excited about this time of the year that I could care less about losing an hour of sleep, I could lose a whole day's worth of sleep and I'd still be incredibly giddy. Losing one hour of sleep for one day to gain an hour of extra sunshine in the afternoon is a heck of a trade to me!

I like this day not only because I gain some extra sunshine, but because it's the sign that Spring is soon to arrive. Don't get me wrong, I like winter, especially in Utah as everything is beautiful covered in snow, but I can't hold my excitement back knowing that Spring and all the wonders that come with it, are fast approaching. Right now I feel like a kid in a candy shop as I'm daydreaming about the day that I get to wear a short-sleeved t-shirt, drive in my car with the windows down while listening and whistling to some great music.

Learning to be Small

So, I usually start off each post stating all of the new things that I've learned lately. This time, however, I don't have much to report along the lines of new facts I've learned (unless you want to learn that Alanis Morissette has a twin brother named Wade). I have learned a lot though since the last time I wrote, but instead of learning random facts, I've learned a lot about myself.

I took an amazing hike this weekend (the pictures above don't do the hike justice). Lately, I've been hearing a lot about a place in Utah called Donut Falls. Donut Falls is a waterfall that runs across the top of a slab of granite rock. The granite slab creates a cavern, which opens up and you can walk into a room. On top of the granite slab runs a creek and there is a hole on top of the slab that the water pours through. After hearing so much about this wonderful place, I decided to check it out myself.

At first, I was a little nervous about going on this hike by myself because I wasn't positive of the way. After guessing which paths to take and asking a few fellow wanders for some directions, I was on the right track. I finallly made it to the falls and realized that I had to scramble up (and thus also down) a few snow and ice-covered boulders.

Another group in snowshoes were also scrambling up the rocks at the same time. A lady turned to me and said, "You must be brave to do this by yourself." Joking back I told her that I was either brave or stupid. After the scramble, I reached the top and a state of gratitude and awe that I can't explain. The falls were beautiful and the scenery that I passed through behind me was powerful. I was so grateful that I made this journey and so grateful to witness such a great gift from God. I was also grateful that I went by myself; some time to pass through this wonder on my own, with solitude on the mind, refreshing my soul.

The hike back seemed shorter that the hike there (they always do). I was in a great mood and my mind was wandering from one joyful thought to the next. I started thinking about how I read earlier in a magazine that one of the readers' favorite things about the outdoors was the feeling of being small. At first I didn't understand what was so great about feeling small because sometimes that can be overwhelming. As soon as that thought crossed my mind, however, my attitude changed and I realized that I did like feeling small, feeling surrounded by beauty and wonder for miles around me. At that same moment, I looked to my right and saw this cute, little pine cone on the branch of a huge tree. This pine cone was so small compared to me (about the size of my thumb), and the tree on which it grew. It was at that moment, a sign, that no matter how small we are, we have a purpose and I'm where I'm supposed to be. Just that one realization made this an amazing hike, let alone all of the wonderful sights along the way.