According to Hemingway

I saw Midnight in Paris tonight (an interesting movie) and was stopped in my tracks by this Hemingway line, had to pause the movie, get my notebook, rewind the scene and write it down right then:

Have you ever made love to a truly great woman? And when you make love to her, you feel true and beautiful passion and you, for at least that moment, lose your fear of death? 
I believe that love that is true and real creates a respite from death. All cowardice comes from not loving or not loving well, which is the same thing. And when the man who is brave and true looks death squarely in the face, like some rhino hunters I know, it is because they love with sufficient passion to push death out of their minds…until it returns, as it does to all men. And then you must make really good love again. Think about it.

I was so struck by this description of true love. That it gives you the capacity of passion and will to face your worst fears, even death. I think true love is that balance of feeling completely peaceful, yet ready to take on the world together. I can't wait for that moment when we look at each other and just know that there's nothing that can stop us.

Eleven

Eleven Things:

1. My favorite place in the house is in front of the heater. 

2. I went on 2 dates in one day with the same guy. Impossible you say? Nope, totally happened. 

3. Cheese on toast is my new favorite treat. 

4. I need to find housing for fall. Kinda missed the boat on that...oops

5. My goal for the summer is to only read high-level literature. I'm tired of all the fluff. 

6. I'm way more excited than I should be for Hunger Games this week.

7. Hot chocolate and good company can fix almost anything.

8. I have the most supportive roommates ever. Be jealous. 

9. I want Howard Shore to write the score for my life. 

10. I can't wait for the butterflies that will come with the spring. 

11. I love recommending books and watching people experience their magic for the first time. 

Questions from Brittany:

1. If you could have a cat or a dog (but not both) which would it be? Neither. Dogs bark and poop too much and I'm allergic to cats. But I don't mind when other people have dogs, then they're their problem. 

2. What is one personality trait of yours that you are glad you possess? I don't usually judge people for the way they choose to live. As long as you're happy, I'm happy. 

3. What is one physical trait of yours that you are glad you possess? I love my short hair. 

4. Would you rather sleep in or wake up early? I wish I liked to wake up early, I love the quiet time with the morning light when everything is quiet...but sleeping in is such a simple joy. 

5. Do you have any weird quirks? I eat handheld foods (like sandwiches, cookies, burgers etc.) upside-down.

6. If time and money were not an object, what job would you like to have? I would LOVE to be a wedding planner.

7. What do you find yourself doing in your free time? Reading, sleeping, or talking on the phone. 

8. Would you like to live in a big city or a small town? I want to live in a big city so badly. Please, oh please, let me move to San Francisco tomorrow.

9. If you were famous, what would you want to be famous for? (Singing, acting, whatever.) I've always wanted to be quoted. Like to have said something that people quote to each other to pass along strength or a little wisdom. 

10. What is one habit you would like to break? Staying up late just because sleeping feels like a waste of time.

11. What is one habit you would like to form? To write letters to people on a regular basis. 

My Questions for You:

1. If time/money were not an issue, where in the world would you spend 6 months?

2. What are you doing right now to change the world, even in the smallest way?

3. What is the book that you snuggle down with on a rainy day?

4. If you could be anyone for a day, who would it be? 

5. Who taught you how to ride a bike?

6. What is the most important thing you learned from your mother/father?

7. When was the last time you cried?

8. What are some of your everyday pleasures?

9. Do you have a bucket list? If so, name 3 things on it. If not, make one. I dare you. 

10. What is something you've always been good at? 

11. What talent would you like to develop?

I'm tagging everyone.

Write 11 random things.

Answer my 11 questions.

Write 11 new questions.

Tag someone else.

Capitol Reef

At the end of February my outdoor creative writing class took a 3-day trip to Capitol Reef National Park and stayed at the field station there which runs on its own solar power--totally off the grid. Down there in the desert, it's a different world, untouched by the rush and bustle of most places. I couldn't get over how quiet it was there, especially at night. And the stars--my gosh. Here's a little excerpt from a journal entry I made while sitting on the edge of a cliff overlooking the valley beneath the field station:

The quality of the sunlight is different here. I feel like my vision is clearer--I can see further and the colors are vivid and deep. 
The valley spread out beneath the cliff is an oval bowl full of green. The first thing I noticed was how many different shades of green there are in just a few square feet. There are short, round trees that are like something between pine and sagebrush that are a dark, rich green. Then underneath is the actual sage, the most beautiful combination of pale green, hazy blue, and silver. The other shrubs and grasses range from bright green, almost yellow, to a dark kind of lavender purple. Then always the underlying layer of rusty, sun-baked earth. 
The oval dish is segmented in random shapes by an old wooden fence that snakes through the valley. Even though it is man-made, it somehow doesn't feel out of place here. As if the wood of the trees conspired with the dirt to grow this structure out of the ground, if for no other purpose than to have a change of scenery. 
Like the sunlight, the quality of silence is different here. I noticed it first last night in bed and I wondered what made the quiet of this desert night so different from the night back home. I realized it was the combination of the absence of any traffic whatsoever and the total darkness. Out here there is no light at night except the stars and the barely visible sliver of moon. When the darkness rolls in, it is not like a muffling blanket, but rather like dark water dispersed in the sky that makes the black-blue air cold and clear. 


On our second day we climbed to Cassidy Arch, what an amazing view:

We stood on top of the arch itself (a scary thing to see from the other side) and generally frolicked around. Then our last day, we climbed this mountain:

It looks impossible, but it actually wasn't that bad. We played in the slot canyons for hours that morning, climbing with our backs against one wall and our feet against the other, shimmying around and giggling like crazy. 

Needless to say, it was an amazing trip. I love my whole class, and it was so neat to bond in the desert, really getting to know each other, staying up late and telling funny stories til we were all crying and doubled up with laughter. There's really nothing like it. 

It's Officially Been Forever

It's been almost a month, I know, but I have some very exciting things to post about over the next couple of days so that I don't flood you with an overload of how awesome Kimber's life is. 'Cause let's be honest, my life is pretty freaking awesome.

The weather this week has been so incredibly beautiful I can hardly stand it, and I had no idea how lacking I have been for the sun. On Monday I made myself a white bread-mustard-and-cheese sandwich, opened the front door, and just sat in my perfect patch of sunshine and grinned. I don't think I've ever smiled at so many strangers before, I hope they didn't mind. For only having gotten about 3 hours of sleep the night before, I was very chipper and simply stoked to be alive. I wish every Monday was that awesome.

Tomorrow, or sometime this weekend, I'll be giving you the updates on 2 trips I've taken in the last month with my outdoor adventure creative writing class, which, can I just say, is the best class I've ever taken. I learn more in the 3 days we're gone than I ever do in a semester in school. Talk about practical education. All my love, and happy Friday!!