I promise I didn't cry...

About three weeks ago, I went up to Salt Lake City for my dear friend Kate's wedding. It was absolutely beautiful! Camille, Amber, and I met up with Tanya, Stephanie, and Aubrey and Parker Dixon at the wedding dinner and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! The food and was amazing, the ambiance was amazing, and most of all, it was to celebrate our amazing friends - Kate and RJ. The next day Amber and I hurried to Kate's house to assist in the make-up procedure. She looked so gorgeous and excited...only a little nervous.

Kate and RJ were married in the Salt Lake City Temple. The sealing was so beautiful and I felt privileged to have been invited. After the ceremony, we waited outside the Temple for them to come out and it was windy and cold. I definitely was not prepared for the October weather in Utah! I felt kind of stupid for not remembering that it gets cold there...

The reception that night was so elegant. They had it at this little indoor greenhouse and it was really beautiful. My parents came down from Wyoming. My mom, Kate, and I spent 3 days together at Disneyland, so they bonded! It was nice to see my family and to have friends gathered there too. Once of the highlights was seeing the Forsyth family. Bro. Forsyth used to be in our very own North Star Ward Bishopric and I just love their family!

Overall, it was a great time! The next day I left for Arizona...more on that later. Here's a few more pics:

Taj Mahal, Here I come!

I was recently browsing My Documents on my home computer (too much time on my hands?) and came across a little gem of a file simply titled GOALS. It's a list of things I'd like to do before I die - I wrote it about four years ago when I was teaching High School. In the Freshman Careers classes I taught (I know - argh!) we were discussing the importance of goal-setting and I read a story a man who had written his own "bucket list," if you will, when he was a boy. He had about 114 things on his list and had actually completed most of them! I was completely inspired by this and set out to make my own list.

So I commenced in making my list. A few of the things on there are givens, like marrying in the Temple and having a family. My list also has categories for Sites/Cities To See and Countries to Travel, catering to my love affair with all things travel-related. Some are a bit more random, though, like my desire to learn how to fly a helicopter. Don't know where that one came from! (Actually, I do... Can anyone say Magnum P.I.?)

As I was reading through my list, I realized that I'd actually accomplished a few of the things I wrote four years ago. I walked on the Great Wall of China, rode a camel, visited Alaska, saw Itzhak Perlman in concert, learned Tai Chi, went whitewater rafting, and started my goal to be in at least 10 musicals - 3 down, 7 to go...

In celebration of many exciting list-items to cross off in the future, I thought I'd post a few more of my life's ambitions. So here they are, in no special order...I present to you -

'Cole's Goals:
Learn to tap dance
Visit Angkor Wat in Cambodia
Run a 1/2 marathon (don't care to go for the whole one)
Be in a movie
Visit Lhasa, Tibet
Learn to play guitar
Ride an elephant
See a space shuttle launch
Cruise the Li River in Southern China
Read the entire Bible at least 10 times
Solo in an oratorio
Learn to ride a horse well
Go to Antarctica
See the Pyramids in Egypt
Meet the President of the United States
Learn to decorate a cake
Meet all 12 Apostles

and of course...

Sing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

I don't know if these others will ever happen - though I'll certainly try - but this last one is non-negotiable. So remember to watch for me in future Conference Sessions! Then you can say, "I knew her when it was only a dream..."

What do you have on your lists? I'd love to hear...

Continued...

There are way too many details of the Yellowstone trip to ever post them here. Besides, it's been so long I can't remember everything anyway! All I know for sure is that we had a lot of fun! I'll try to mention a few highlights that stand out to me.

When we were in Yellowstone, driving through the beautiful Hayden Valley, our car got blocked on the road several times by a herd of Bison. This is fairly common, so we weren't surprised, but it's still just as exciting for me now as it was when I was a kid. These animals are so HUGE! It's incredible to see them up close. A few more close encounters with Yellowstone animals include two ginormous bull elk right next to the road, a wily coyote in a parking lot at night, a young buck right in our campsite, and some kind of weasel-like animal that ran across the road in front of us at Lake. Most of our more exciting animal encounters occurred in Grand Teton National Park. We saw a bull and cow moose on our hike up Cascade Canyon, a little black bear on our hike up Garnet Canyon, and some over-zealous chipmunks on our hike up to Inspiration Point. Seeing the animals up close and personal has always been one of my favorite aspects to visiting this area.

Something that often gets overlooked when people talk about Yellowstone is the amazing amount of spectacular waterfalls. The Lower Falls in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is particularly stunning. We spent two very long but fun-filled days driving the upper and lower loops through the park. Thank goodness for all of the ice cream stops! We all piled into the Excursion and stopped at almost every point of interest. We definitely saw our fill of bubbling pools, geysers, steam vents, and pots of mud. After a while, they all start to look the same, but it's amazing to think about the vast underground system that connects them all. One thing I would definitely not recommend before a Yellowstone trip is watching the mini-series "Supervolcano." That might put a bit more stress into your trip than you'd like... (but it's a pretty good movie!)

My favorite part of the trip was visiting the Tetons. I've been going there for family reunions since I was 4 years old, so naturally, I love it! It truly does feel like home to me. We did most of the important things - hike, hike, hike. There's no better way to get a feel for these mountains than to just get up there in them! We rode the ferry across Jenny Lake and hiked to Hidden Falls, Inspiration Point, and Cascade Canyon. I have yet to make it to the forks in Cascade, but I'll get there someday! There just never seems to be enough time! But, luckily for us, tradition held - we saw moose. I don't think I've ever been up Cascade and not seen a moose!

The next day we hiked up Garnet Canyon to the meadow at the base of the Middle Teton. I'd only done this hike twice before and for some reason, this last time seemed the easiest. I was thoroughly surprised at this! I thought for sure I would be huffing and puffing all the way up the mountain, but to my great satisfaction, I made it up easier than I did when I was 12! Believe me, no one could have been more surprised than myself.

While there are plenty of spectacular hikes in the Tetons, this is one of my favorites because of the amazing vistas from the top. The jagged peaks and rocks are stunning and you can see out across the whole valley. It truly feels like you're on top of the world. The meadow is so pretty too! Full of wildflowers, streams, and huge boulders left by glaciers (they're called erratics - thank you 9th grade physical science), this meadow is like a little piece of alpine paradise. It's where I first saw a pica, slid down a glacier on my behind, and had filtered water from a mountain stream. We relived all three of these memories while we were up there, though Jen West and I were the only two to venture over to a small glacier and slide down. I love this hike!

Another highlight was going to the Bar J Ranch outside of Jackson for the dinner and show. It's worth absolutely every penny to visit the Bar J! The food is good, and the entertainment is gooder! I just love the Bar J Wranglers! They're extremely talented, folksy, and hilarious. This is definitely a must for anyone in the Jackson area. (No, I don't get paid to advertise for them...but I should...)

The last highlight I'll mention was our white-water rafting trip. Now, I'm the kind of person who is very careful of my surroundings, and if anything has the potential to cause me pain, I generally try to avoid it. So whenever anyone mentioned white-water rafting, I usually demurred. This time though, I really didn't have a choice. Everyone else wanted to go, so I was just along for the ride. I don't think I was the only one who was nervous, but I was definitely apprehensive about this. Knowing what I know now, I can only think how much I've been missing out on! It was completely awesome and fun in just about every way! We even saw a beaver! Good times...

I'm currently compiling these highlights into a movie version of our trip, but who knows when I'll finish that! Hopefully I'll get some photos up soon also, but this will have to do for now.

Teaser: Next up - weddings and New Kids...

Where Was I?

So...where was I? Oh yes, the vacation that happened two months ago about which I have written only a measly amount...

A highlight of the trip for me was the drive there. I know that sounds slightly mundane, but I do really love driving. There's nothing like a good old-fashioned road trip! There are so many things in favor of road-tripping. Planes are all well and good, but I love being able to really experience the journey - to see what lies between me and my destination. I love the spontaneity inherent in highway driving, with its various and sundry "points of interest." I remember stopping in Metropolis, IL with my family on a cross-country road trip just to see a 25-foot statue of Superman - well worth the stop! I love the element of surprise involving weather and road construction. I love car activities: games, songs, books on tape, etc. But possibly most of all, I love the conversation. You get to know people on a road trip like nowhere else. You're equally a captive audience to the other passengers. It's major bonding time.

I definitely experienced this on our drive through Utah and Wyoming. My favorite part was when the girls were all together in the big "rig" (the moniker assigned so appropriately by Jen West to our main vehicle). We had some serious girl-talk time and really got to know each other better. I think that was the perfect way to start out our trip! Maybe the guys would have enjoyed their road-trip bonding time too, if Parker could stay conscious through an entire sentence...

Which brings up another point, I never named our travel group. Easily fixed: Stephanie Gourley, Stephanie Janes, Jennifer West, Michelle Hagfeldt, Parker Smith, Ryan Gourley, and yours truly. Kate Rampton (Bruland now, but that's for another post) joined us for a few days as well. It was almost the perfect group! We had such a good time and everyone helped with everything.

So, after our incredibly long yet enlightening drive, we arrived in the charming town of Cody, Wyoming. There's just something so Western and American about this town...I don't quite know how to explain it, but whatever it is, I love it! Cody is an extremely endearing town. I don't know what it's like to live there, but I wouldn't be averse to giving it a shot! My friends did some incredibly cute things on this day because it was my birthday. They were so adorable! I'd have to say that this was one of the best birthdays ever! Thanks again guys!

From Cody we drove to the Northeast Entrance to Yellowstone by way of the Chief Joseph scenic highway and the Beartooth Mountains. This is perhaps the most beautiful place on earth, in my humble opinion. I don't know what more I can say about it other than GO THERE! It is not a place to be passed up. But from one traveler to the other, let me give you a bit of advice for your visit - take plenty of bug spray and wear layers. Trust me...

We stayed at Canyon Campground in Yellowstone and it was really nice. I think a few people in our group expected it to be a little more rustic than it was. They were pleasantly surprised! We had this amazingly huge tent for the girls and waking up the first morning in the freezing cold was so much fun. Everyone's hair was funny, and we all just laughed. Good times! I do have some pictures of this, but I like my friends too much to publish them here.

I'll see if I can actually write a post from home one day and I'll throw a few photos up then.

Much more to come...

Random Things Tag

Heidi, if you weren't one of my best friends ever, I'd never submit to being tagged by you. Just so you know!

Okay, so I may be totally kidding, but this actually might be tricky. I've never done a tag before. Let's see what random things I can come up with.

1. One of the most random things about me is all the various jobs I've had. I think they speak for themselves, so here they are in slightly consecutive order:
- Piano teacher - on and off
- Receptionist - Tg Soda Ash (underground mine in WY) for 2 summers
- Surface Maintenance Crew - Tg Soda Ash/FMC for 2 summers
- Treadmill Tester - Logan, UT
- Bus Driver - Logan Transit District
- Sold Cutco knives - Logan, UT
- Wal-Mart Garden Center - Logan, UT
- Choir Office Grad Assistant - University of Florida in Gainesville, FL
- Ward's Market Produce Dept. - Gainesville, FL
- Choir Teacher - Canyon Springs High School in North Las Vegas, NV
- Las Vegas Golf Adventures - office/marketing/website/anything else - Las Vegas, NV
- Music Teacher - Hollywood Kids Academy in Las Vegas, NV
- Voice Teacher - Las Vegas, NV

2. At the risk of copying Heidi's post, I LOVE sleep! Bedtime is my favorite time of day. Not kidding. Whether it's going to bed early, sleeping in, or napping, I just love to sleep. Period.

3. I have a deep affection for the game Guitar Hero. Let me clarify... I don't have a deep affection for all of the songs on any of the Guitar Hero games (in fact, I even refuse to play some of them), but I just love the game in general. I'll have to admit, I've gotten pretty good at it too. Not nearly as good as other obsessed members of my family, (boys) but good enough. Favorite songs to play: Sweet Child Of Mine, Thunderhorse, Gemini, Seventeen, Holy Diver, Beast and the Harlot, Monkey Wrench, Hold On Loosely, Them Bones, and War Pigs.

4. If cold cereal filled all of our nutritional needs, I would happily exist on that alone for the rest of my life. (Please note: This may be a slight exaggeration and should not be taken literally or put to the test.)

5. I firmly believe that pets were designed for life outdoors and therefore will never have an "inside" pet...unless it's a fish. Granted, in extremes of weather, pets may be permitted inside but only within a specially-designated area. Harsh, I know...

6. I LOVE to dance! Seriously... That might not even be a strong enough word. I know I don't look much like a dancer, but that hasn't stopped me from trying! I particularly enjoy dancing while cleaning the house...when nobody else is home. Also, I learned the Thriller dance last fall and remember the whole thing - it's a blast!! Salsa is fun too, and I'm exploring the world of belly-dancing thanks to a great instructional video and recent bachelorette party exploits... Don't ask.

7. With all my talk about dancing and the hand-eye coordination fest that is Guitar Hero, this next tidbit may seem surprising to all except those who know me well. I totally suck at basically all sports. Especially those involving a ball. I think it all started back in 4th grade PE when we were learning how to play volleyball. All I remember is this big white sphere coming closer and closer and finally making contact with my eye. I sat out for the rest of the game. That experience set the groundwork for what was to be a humiliating PE career. If there was a ball involved, it usually hit my head. The volleyball was just a portent of things to come. I've been hit in the head with kickballs, dodgeballs, basketballs, soccer balls, wiffle balls, tennis balls, and yes, even birdies and ping-pong balls. Thankfully, somehow I was passed over by the softball. Rather than hitting my head, the softball seems to be magnetically diverted away from my glove. Two things I actually can slightly do: throw a frisbee and tread water.

Well, there you have it...my first tag. I guess now I have to tag some other people, so here goes: Steph Gourley, Ranger Janes, Sara-face, Jen Law, Katie Miner, Sheree Flick, and The Amazing Robyn. Can't wait to see their randomness!!

Slightly out of control...

Per yesterday's post, I'm trying to stop my blog procrastination habits. There is one trip from this summer that I haven't written about yet, so, despite my not having pictures available at the moment, I'll attempt to rectify that situation.

This was possibly the best trip of 2008! Back in the fall of 2007, some friends and I discussed the possibility of taking a trip to Yellowstone the next summer. Some of them had never even been before! (shock and outrage) I thought this was a complete travesty! My family has an annual family reunion in Colter Bay Village in Grand Teton National Park, and we often travel through Yellowstone and see all the sights while we're there. In fact, so many of my childhood memories involve that area, that I think of it as a kind of second home - my favorite place on earth. So naturally, the idea of someone never having seen that place with their own eyes was appalling to me. What else could I do but organize a trip?

I don't know if many are aware of this little tidbit, but I really enjoy organizing things. I think somehow as I've gotten older, my obsessive-compulsive tendencies have kicked it into high gear because I tend to get slightly out of control... Add to that plenty of down-time during work in the summer (and autumn, apparently, as this is being written at the office), and you have a recipe for uber-organizational-bliss! This is evidenced in a few different ways - please allow me to elaborate. After getting our little group together, I proceeded to draw up a day-by-day itinerary, complete with lists for packing, financing, tips on camping in Wyoming, a mammals-of-the-area checklist, sight-seeing musts, hiking trails, and a Yellowstone quiz. These were put into folders which I then personalized for each member of our trip with fun travel/camping stickers and their names. Did I mention I get slightly out of control?

So, with the organizing complete, we were ready to roll. Unfortunately, I am now ready to roll from my office, so this blog will have to be continued on tomorrow's downtime.

Ahh, productivity...

Procrastination...

I typically work well under pressure. I like 'pressure situations' (props to Brian Regan). In fact, I feel in many cases my best work is done as close to the deadline as possible. This is mainly obvious in my schoolwork and study habits through my many years in school. I don't believe I have ever, and I mean EVER, completely finished a paper for school before the night before it was due. Even in my Master's program! I will concede that I may have started some of those papers up to a few days before the due date, but those were the exception and not the rule. Several papers were written late at night with the aid of Mountain Dew and Goldfish crackers - a quality combination. Yet, surprisingly (and perhaps luckily), despite my zombie-like consciousness when writing, I almost always got good grades on my papers - from high school through grad school. In addition, I commonly did my studying for exams just minutes before actually taking them. This was a source of constant frustration to my friends from various classes who had developed very meticulous study habits. Especially when my scores equaled or topped theirs. Sorry guys...

I learned a few things from these experiences:

1. I work well under pressure.

2. The aforementioned combination of super-foods must have some kind of brain-stimulation effect that enhances the creative writing process. Could it be the caffeine? Or maybe the cheddar cheese flavoring...

3. What some people call procrastination, I like to call 'the creative process.' Sometimes your brain just needs time to compute.

4. Rough drafts are for sissies.

5. There is nothing like a good short-term memory.

6. I really don't like writing papers. Or studying.

Somehow, I have been 'procrastinating' writing in this blog. I've given myself good reasons, like "I don't have anything exciting enough to write," or "I just don't have time...I think I'll read a book instead," or "But I don't have any cute pictures, and what's a blog without pictures?" Somehow, these and other reasons just don't hold sway today. So here I am, finally making another entry after a long absence.

Ah...it's good to be back.