Journal Find

I keep a little thought book in my bag at all times; just a place to jot down random thoughts, quotes, Sunday notes, poems, or whatever's sparking my imagination at the moment. I recently got to the last page of my little book, so I went back and read it through all the way, which was really fun!

One of the little gems I wanted to share was an entry I made on my birthday. I'd gotten up waaayy earlier than I wanted to to catch a train up to Salt Lake to apply for a bunch of jobs, so I got to watch the sunrise over the mountains, and this came out:

The morning light is beautiful, almost white around the sun coming up over the mountains, then slowly fading into blue. The mountains themselves are clouded, as if seen through a frosted screen, revealing only shape, with no detail. On the ground, all the greens are bright, the yellow brought out in every shade. Everything around the greens is dulled by residual haze of the mountain mists. 

In the river running next to the train, the cotton-ball clouds are reflected and wrinkled as unseen webbed feet or tiny wings disturb the depths. 

(okay, it wasn't quite this beautiful, but you get the idea ;) )

A Leap of Faith

As we close in on 7 weeks until I leave for Panama/Italy, I'm finally starting to stress out a little (okay, a lot). It's actually sinking in that I'm going to be on the other side of the world for almost a year, away from my family, my friends, my language, my culture, my dance scene, and everything familiar. This must be how missionaries feel....except I get the comfort that I'll be able to talk to my family whenever I want and I'm free to actually have a life over there. Don't get me wrong, the excitement far outweighs the stress, but the stress is just a new part of the ball game for me now.

I'm trying to go with as few possessions as possible, so thinking about how to fit everything I could possibly need in a foreign country in 2 backpacks and a messenger bag is freaking me out a little. But I can't think of a more reasonable way to do it. I want to feel light, yet prepared, and I think the perfect balance will work itself out. This website has been super helpful in researching which kinds of backpacks are best, what to pack, and how to travel smart. Check this chick out!

In the midst of the stress/excitement, there is an immense calm. I have never wanted something so badly or worked this hard for anything up to now, and as the weeks go by I only feel more and more right about it. My housing is falling into place, the tickets are being purchased, and soon I'll have a passport. The more I trust that God has it in hand, the easier things get. He's so awesome that way :)

Anyway, I just wanted to take a minute to express how grateful I am and keep you all in the loop of how things are progressing! Thank you for all the love and support you've been sending my way, you have no idea how good it makes me feel!

Happy Friday!!

Also, just to make you a little jealous ;) this is where I'll be in 7 weeks:

And a couple weeks after that, I'll be here: 

Yup, be jealous. 

Summer Rain

It's been raining almost every day in the afternoon for the past week, and it has been glorious! It's the kind of driving, window-clattering rain that is accompanied by thunder that makes the walls shiver and lightning that illuminates the whole sky from horizon to horizon. Nature is truly a magnificent, untamed creature that is all at once exhilarating and terrifying and at times makes you grateful to be behind glass.

Right now it's raining incredibly hard, but everything is light. Against the gray sky, the light is almost white; it's such an interesting, beautiful contrast. As the rain dissipates, the ground will glisten with little puddles, the snails will make their tiny windy trails of goo across the sidewalks, and the air will be heavy and fresh. And maybe later today I'll get to play the game of watching the droplets chase each other across the windows of the car...admit it, it's your favorite rain game ;)

Happy 4th of July!

This year for the 4th of July, I didn't actually get to see any fireworks, but it was still one of the best 4th of July celebrations I've ever had. A group of about 10 of us went up to my friend Griffin's cabin up Provo Canyon, which his great-great grandfather built for his wife way back in the day. It is GORGEOUS! I want my husband to love me enough to build me a cabin someday....I guess we'll see ;)

We took a hike in the twilight hours up to this incredible waterfall:

It wasn't gushing or anything, but it was misty, green, and had such a pleasant sound. I don't know if you can see the couple in the top right hand corner (they're wearing blue and yellow) but I climbed barefoot up to that ledge, and then a little higher to get closer to the water and look back over the valley. It was seriously a view out of Lord of the Rings; it was simply breathtaking. I got covered in mud and it was glorious :) 

Here's the 3 girls after I climbed the falls (me trying not to get mud on Miriam)

And a shot of the front part of our little Fellowship trekking through the greenery:

We spent the rest of the evening eating tin foil dinners, laughing until we cried, watching Juno, snuggling, and having philosophical discussions about super powers, atomic physics, and mid-life crises, just to name a few. We stayed up a little past midnight, cleaned up and drove back down the mountain to our respective homes, spent and full of the beauties of the day :) 

Special thanks to Glen Hinkle for the photos! 

Where Did June Go??

Guys...I leave for Italy in 10 weeks!!! Also, did I mention I'm stopping by Panama for 12 days on my way? I'm so excited! I get to visit Chancy, who, if you remember, is teaching English down there for the foreseeable future. I figured it would be easier to visit on my way to Europe now rather than waiting a couple years and making a whole separate trip. Plus, from the beginning, he has been by far the most supportive and excited about my trip, so it seemed appropriate that he should be the one to see me off :)

The time is flying by, which is wonderful, and aided by the fact that work takes up most of my time. Someone asked me yesterday what I do when I'm not working and the first thing that came to mind was dancing, of course, but beyond that, there's not much else haha. If I'm not working, I'm either dancing, on a train, or sleeping. I have been sneaking in a little reading on my lunch breaks and when I'm riding the train to Provo on the weekends, and that has been a lovely luxury. I like being so busy, though, it really makes the time go quickly. I just finished Life of Pi yesterday, and if you haven't read it or at least seen the movie, I highly recommend both. The extent of human creativity never ceases to amaze me.

Speaking of dancing, my new favorite place to dance is at The Green Pig on Monday nights downtown. The music is live, made up of a hodge-podge of local musicians who bring their instruments and sign up for slots throughout the night, and people who have never even met play incredible, soulful blues as if they've been playing together for years. Here's a great photo from last night's shenanigans:

A Super Belated Birthday Post

I realized I never blogged about my birthday!! That whole month was such a whirlwind (hence, I only blogged once, for Mother's Day) that it didn't even occur to me. But let's fix that...a month late.

My actual birthday was not exactly orthodox, but it was definitely packed and productive. I woke up at 6:30am, which might I point out was the earliest I think I'd woken up all year, and caught the 7:50am train to Salt Lake, where my sister took me around to all the businesses around her house and I handed out resumes like free candy. I was so needing a full time job and wasn't finding one in Provo, so if I found one in Salt Lake, I would take it. (And as we know, those efforts were rewarded with an awesome job!) At 11 I caught a ride back to Provo to do my daily babysitting for the cutest little boy, Henry, who I'd been watching since January for a couple hours a day. Once Henry was gone, I ran to the store to get ingredients for dinner, came home and cooked with my roommate Amy to make a gorgeous birthday feast. We both showered and got ready for the evening and received our dinner guests: Aldo, his girlfriend and my good friend Kristin, and my brother Jared. We enjoyed a lovely omelette, mashed potatoes, green beans, with lemonade and Amy's masterpiece of a triple chocolate cheesecake! It was simply amazing. Then we all went dancing at our local blues/west coast venue and tore up the night.

The following Saturday was my actual party, which was at Keys on Main in Salt Lake, the dueling piano bar. If you haven't been there, you really should go! Those guys were so incredibly talented; the show was engaging from the time they started til well past midnight, it was amazing. Since it was my 21st birthday, it was my first time in a bar and it felt so good to finally be old enough to go out with all my older friends! Also, it being my birthday, the performers got to pull me up on stage and sing a very inappropriate, yet hilarious song to me, much to my friends' delight and my embarrassment. It was fun to sit on the pianos and show off my pretty dress though! My friend Glenn snapped these for me:

So there you have it, the birthday update! It was seriously one of the best birthdays I've ever had. It's so great to be officially an adult and on my way to big, exciting, adult things :)

I Live a Beautiful Life

I feel like everyone comes to this conclusion several times throughout life: My life is beautiful. I am so incredibly, unfathomably blessed. How can I complain about anything at all when there is such abundant, exquisite experience being had at every turn? That's how I feel today. Sure, there are struggles and minor set backs in my plans from day to day, from week to week, but in the grand scheme of things, everything is turning out exactly right and God is unrolling such a spectacular vista before me that I can't see the edges.

I am so thankful for my job, that it's interesting, pays well, is close to my house, and will serve me in a variety of ways for the rest of my life. I am thankful for my sweet sister who is letting me live with her for the remainder of the summer, at a more than fair price, and who is always willing to do whatever she can to support my social life. I am thankful for my bike, for the buses and trains, and for generous friends who help me get around to my various activities. I am thankful for the sunshine, for good books, and the freedom to enjoy them, to get lost in another world for a little while every day.

In essence, I'm just really happy to be alive and well with plans moving forward for Italy. Happy freaking Friday!!

For My Papa

(Sorry this is a few days late)

This is the only picture I could find with my dad in it, he's always the one behind the camera!

Of course, everyone says they have the best dad in the world, and mine is no exception! My dad married my beautiful mother (who we celebrated last month) and together they have raised 7 amazing children. Not only do we get our handsome genes from him, but we also were lucky enough to inherit his goofyness, his willingness to work hard, his fearless attitude toward big dreams, and his awesome people skills. From the time I was little, my dad has always been the biggest supporter of my dreams; he will do everything in his power to make sure that I am living my full potential and getting the best help available, no matter what it is. I always think of him when I give a presentation or go into a job interview, knowing his example is what gave me the ability to speak and present myself well. I value his guidance and his advice so much, and I know he loves me more than anything in his world. I am so lucky!! 

Happy belated Father's Day, Papa! You have my whole heart :)

--your special

Lots of BIG NEWS!

Okay, I know I was more absent in May than usual, but I promise I had a good reason: I was making big, life-rocking plans that I finally get to make public!

Recognize this view?

 

In case you don't, that's Florence, Italy. And....guess what? I'm moving there in September!! AHHHHH!!! I've seriously been internally (and sometimes externally) screaming about this for almost 2 months now! I'm so unbelievably excited. So why Florence you ask? Well, let me tell you the story. 

As you may or may not know, I've been working as a figure model for the last year and a half. I started working at BYU and then started working for a private studio as well last February. (Just to clarify, a figure model is one that poses for anywhere from 30 seconds to 20 minutes at a time for a class of art students who are learning the fundamentals of figure drawing.) It has been one of the most fulfilling, horizon-expanding experiences of my life. I love getting to be part of the art, especially since my drawing skills are less-than-even-proficient, and I love watching the students grow and progress in their skill, knowing that I'm part of what facilitated it. 

So, last November, I was talking to one of my artist friends and upon finding out that I was a model, he said, "I have a friend who modeled in Italy for a year and a half, you should talk to her!" And I thought, "Italy? Modeling? SIGN ME UP!!" So I sent his friend, Vanessa, a message, but I never heard back from her. 

Fast forward to the beginning of this April. I was dating Chancy, and he up and decided that he was moving to Panama. Once he bought the ticket, he had the bug of making other people do crazy, awesome things like him, so he asked me what I really wanted, where I would really like to be. I was originally planning to move to California, but now my options were wide open and I knew I had the freedom to do whatever I felt like, gosh dang it! So I mulled it over for a little bit and then it hit me like a brick: ITALY! Duh. I sent Vanessa another message, telling her I was seriously looking at moving to Italy and wanted to know about her experience working as a model there. She called me the next day and we had a blast talking about how amazing Italy is and what a life changing experience it was for her, and would hopefully be for me. She gave me all the information I needed to get in contact with the 3 art academies in Florence, and I was set on the path. 

Fast forward to now. I got an amazing job in Salt Lake City that's paying me enough that I can save up over these 3 months of summer and have enough at the end to cross the pond and have myself an adventure! Needless to say, it's been a whirlwind of a month, but I couldn't be more thankful or more excited about the changes and sacrifices. It's such a gratifying feeling to chase a dream and actually have it within your sights to have it come true. And of course, there is so much more to the story underneath, all the divinely guided moments and encounters that all string together to make the path that led me here. I feel so blessed to be able to see even a few of those experiences as more than coincidence.

What are your deepest desires, the dreams you thought impossible? Really think about it. They might not be as far out of reach as you think....:) Get happening!