Devil's head

We thought that we needed to do something really Colorado-ish while we were there, so hiking seemed like the natural choice. Luckily I got a good suggestion for a not-so-long hike just south of Denver, so once Dustin, Kylee, and I finished up for the day, we set out for the trailhead... not really expecting to have to drive 10 miles down a dirt road in my Altima, but oh well. We still made it!

So we were a bit pressed for time because Kylee had a flight to catch that evening, so we started out at a run. That lasted about a minute and a half. 

 The hike was beautiful, though!!

 

This rock looked a whole lot cooler in real life. Whatevs.

 

Thank you, iPhone, for your panoramic option. :)

Like our shirts? Gotta represent. We passed these kids on the trail--10 years old or so--and they go, "hey, Mormons!" Their mom was a little way behind them--also sporting a BYU shirt. Love it!

So the hike was to this cool fire lookout station.Obviously no one uses it anymore (except maybe that old man who lives in the house at the foot of the stairs... hmm...), but it's still super cool!

By the way, these are the steps to get to the top. At least we got in our cardio for the day!

We literally ran the whole way down--but luckily I was in front, so I got to choose the pace, which was slow. Twisted ankles never save anyone time. But here's a nice action shot from our run down the mountain:

If you're ever in Denver, I'd definitely recommend this hike!! So awesome.

Casa Bonita

Because you know how much I love South Park... 

Just kidding. I actually didn't even know about how there was an entire episode based on this place, until I got there.

Luckily Bryce had been up for going with me--and he'd actually seen the show and explained it all to me. Maybe one of these days I'll watch it. Probably not.

So the food was good (there was way too much of it), and the show was... corny? I guess the whole fire juggling thing was cool, but I didn't get the gorilla suit thing.

Denver

Denver is pretty cool, I guess.

Of course, random works too...

Aren't outdoor malls the greatest?

This thing is in front of the Denver Art Museum. Again, random.

And we found this in front of an English restaurant... I wonder what they serve there--fish and chips and beer? I should've thought about this while I was there. 

Mall trauma

Have you ever gotten lost in the mall? Maybe at age six or so, right? Me too. Twenty years later, it happened again. I'm not sure if it was the late night/6 am flight or the confusion of looking for a non-existent kiosk, or maybe I got disoriented after asking directions from an extremely good-looking guy, but either way, let's just say this sign:

 

didn't work, and I ended up in the parking lot half laughing/half sobbing on the phone to my sister because I couldn't remember where I'd parked. I think using a GPS to try to find my way around the mall was an all-time low for me. Lessons learned: get more sleep, always pay attention when walking into unfamiliar malls. But I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I don't have to go into another mall anytime soon anyway.

Washington nostalgia

Warning: this post is basically a watered-down version of my journal from last week. For those of you who don't know, I lived in Washington for about 6 months, 6 years ago... hence all the nostalgia.

 So. Back to Washington.  I didn't make it down to Tacoma/Lakewood, which is too bad, but I guess it's okay because I can still imagine perfectly that bridge that I would run to, that water tower by the chapel, and the train tracks near my apartment. Maybe it was just the fact that I was by myself on this visit (as opposed to the road trip two years ago with Megan and Gavin), but I was so taken back to six years ago when I spent honestly some of the most miserable months of my life in this beautiful state. As I was driving around the past two days, I thought about all of the tears I shed there and all of the heartache I went through. It was mostly (okay, pretty much all) self-imposed, but still. I just kept thinking "trial by fire." I thought about how much has changed since then and how different I am from that girl. It's crazy to think how much has happened in these past six years and how every good thing and every blessing I have in my life now has kind of been a result of what happened there. Despite all of the really awful days spent in Washington, I probably wouldn't trade it for anything. I might go back and tell myself to not eat entire boxes of cereal in one sitting, though. 

Those six months in Lakewood were so awful in so many ways, but also so great in so many ways too. I was able to get to know my cousins, I started learning how to be alone, and I really came to understand the Atonement. I learned about how merciful and long-suffering Father in Heaven is toward His children. I think that was also the time that I started to learn what Father in Heaven had in store for me, and when I started reconciling what it meant to align my will with His. I remember so many internal debates about what I wanted vs. what felt right and how upset I was that they weren't the same thing. How is it that He knows so perfectly what is best and right for us in the end?

I couldn't see then what my life could be or what blessings were in store for me. I'm not saying that even now I have a perfect perspective on the Lord's plan for my life, but now I trust in it--whatever it may be. 

I was at my ward on Sunday, and this guy in Sunday school made a comment about how sometimes while he's reading his Patriarchal Blessing or something, he'll think, "I understand the plan, Heavenly Father--I'm just not so sure that You do." And once as he was thinking that, the impression that he received was, "You're adding in details where I never had them." I just love that. Father in Heaven is definitely aware of every detail of our lives, and things will happen when it's best for us. I'm just really grateful that He was able to take that time in Washington, along with all of my mistakes, and turn it into so many blessings. When I think about my life now and how completely blessed it is, I feel almost like Ammon: "How great reason have we to rejoice; for could we have supposed when we started . . . that God would have granted unto us such great blessings? And now, I ask, what great blessings has he bestowed upon us? Can ye tell? . . . I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God. Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever." (Book of Mormon, Alma, Alma 26) 

He just says it so perfectly: "my heart is brim with joy." Isn't it amazing what the Lord does to bless us? I think Washington will always be a reminder to me that He is planning every detail of our lives. What a comforting thought :)

Seattle

I love how with big cities like Seattle, you can go back again and again and see something new every time. For example, this was the first time I went when the market was totally closed down--it's a lot different! Haha. No we didn't get to see any fish-tossing, but we still managed to have some fun.

Here was a new thing for me: the gum wall. For some reason, I'd always thought it was way far away from Pike Place, but it's just hidden down some stairs! Go figure. This wall is so cool and gross at the same time. I think more cool than gross though.

Mmmm... gum...

I used my sneaky offer-to-take-someone's-picture-so-they-feel-obligated-to-reciprocate trick here. Works every time.

Dustin is the cyclist in the group. Obviously.

 

The Space Needle! 

One last bad picture:

In retrospect, we probably shouldn't have stayed out so late the night before a 6 am flight... Stay tuned for what happened the next day because of that.

Weekend at home

In between all my fun summer travels, I came home for a weekend! Woot! And I was so glad that I did--just in time for this guy's birthday:

The only downside, however, was my accommodations. Not quite up to my normal Marriott standards :)

I also got a loooong overdue haircut, so I'm happy to say that I no longer look like a hobo.

I also got to go out to dinner with these lovely ladies:

And then breakfast with two more of my favorites--two of my best friends from high school, who are both pregnant! There was a lot of baby talk this weekend. We went to this breakfast place in Sugarhouse, and it was sooo good. I will definitely be going back.

On Saturday I packed up my bike and headed down to Provo to spend some time at one of my favorite places--the Provo river trail. I sure love my beach cruiser :)

That scenery, right?

Finished off the weekend by checking off a summertime must-do: a drive-in movie (which I regrettably didn't get a picture of, sorry), along with a birthday party for my two nephews. Lesson learned: even if it's a plastic bat, it can still cause black eyes.  

Love this baby. She's getting way too big.

 I also got to hang out with some of my favorite cousins--right before Leavitt went into the MTC to start his mission to Perth, Australia. Don't know how they all got so tall...