we came, we did.

or we saw, we conquered. however that phrase goes.

this morning my friend and i hiked up to silver lake. it was an absolutely perfect day for the occasion.  we knew where the trail head was, but since there are several lakes and trails, we thought that we would explore a little and see how far we could get. 

poor ruby got herself very intricately wedged between several aspens and dry dirt...bad combo (sorry papa randy).

well...

we made some friends (literally...they asked us to come jeeping with them sometime. digits exchanged and everything.).   i was so pleasantly surprised at the readiness of strangers to come help us. mind you, this was no short task. we had gotten ourselves pretty far up there and caught in the tightest possible spot on that road. whoops. but 5 men, 1 beckie, 2 jeeps, 1 truck, 1 tow rope,1 wench and 1 hour later... we were ready for our hike.

holy gorgeous. it was a decently difficult hike (only priming us for timpanogas next month) and well worth it in the end.

when we arrived at the top, we were greeted by this lovely lake scene. and of course there is only thing to do when you reach the peak of a hike- jump in. but please note all the snow that surrounded that lovely body of water. let's just say that once i got under water and started to swim to shore- i didn't almost drown because i cannot swim- but because i could not feel anything from the extremely cold temperatures of the water. dan jumped in a bit a after me and when he came out he exclaimed "i feel so alive! well... that was either death or alive- i am not sure which!" and right he was. it was refreshing, but frigid.

we hiked around the lake a bit and i cannot wait to get the pictures that he took with his super cool camera. it was breathtaking being up there. i could see for miles and it was all landscape brushed by the hands of god and untouched by "human intrusion" (para daniel). 

how does beckie survive a hike? nothing like sweedish fish to get those glucose levels up. we pretty much ran down the rest of the way and it felt great (my knees have only been throbbing the last 4 hours, nbd).

pictures just do not serve the view justice. we found a pretty cool rock ledge to climb out onto (only slightly, totally stupid and scary since our legs were jell-o) and just sat out there in our soaking wetness and overlooked all of this. it is moments like these that i just cannot understand how people don't believe in a god. our bodies were capable of getting there and to see that view: simply stunning.

we got home around 7 pm and as we were grabbing things out of the jeep some girls were also just getting home and so we chatted for a moment. i looked at them- in their adorable little dresses, hats and shoes and they told me that they had just returned home from a tea party. there was a stark contrast between their ladylike attire and my own...i looked down at my tie-dyed t-shirt, muddy legs, and shoes (not to mention the hair, no make up, need i really go on??) and just sort of laughed to myself. what is worse is that only a part of me was horribly embarrassed for my messy, boyish, disheveled look- but the larger part of me didn't care at all. i was explaining this to my friend's husband tonight and just laughing about it and said,

"and that is why those girls will get married someday, unlike myself." 

and his perfect reply, 

"no. that just means that you and your husband will be kick ass together!" 

so my resolution to become more feminine--> short lived. i may love cute clothes, but muddy hikes and lakes will always win out in my book.

team edward.

gotchya. because i am, of course, referring to edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros.

every summer, SLC hosts this amazing free night out- the twilight concert series. they bring in some pretty spectacular talent for your viewing and listening pleasure (not to mention the masses of oddities in the crowd to look at). i pretty much cried when i realized that i would be out of town for explosions in the sky, but last night made up for it.

i am always hesitant to eagerly claim my fanhood of bands/singers like edward sharpe, fleet foxes, ben kweller, mason jennings (oh and i love him), etc. because by fan, i simply mean that i own and love their music. but it does not mean that i am some vintage hipster- which tends to be the surrounding stereotype assosicated with said performers. not there is anything wrong with those people, met plenty of them last night and they were a blast to dance and sing with. but it just isn't me. there is quite a difference between hipster and hippie. and i tend to veer much more towards the latter.

i ran into so many people that i had not seen in years and being there made me all the more excited for moving out of the valley.

the performance was absolutely smashing. they have such an entertaining presence and really put on a fantastic show. and there is a trumpet player...so obviously i love them.

it is recommended to arrive early for good seats. gary and i take that pretty seriously. i thought that i would get some reading done, but found far too many distractions. we walked around the farmers market first where i ate my first and my last vegetarian hot dog, found some insanely cool journals made of recycled books, and many other treasures. second only to the music, were the people there. sure it was nice to be surrounded by people that also love chacos and birkenstocks (gary was still embarrassed by me), but there were some straight up freaks. oh, how i love to people watch.

this old man was a real trooper. but i can only imagine that a watching a concert with pain killers flowing your body would be all the more enjoyable. pretty sure that there were plenty of people doing just that (no worries, he is still in recovery. his narcotics were legit.). 

how cute are these two. too bad miss on the left is going on a mission. well not too bad, she is going to rock those argentines. of course, once the opening band (woof) was finished, we couldn't stay sitting for long. 

alexander ebert may very well be certifiably insane, but the man and his buddies can jam. 

seeing as how i am child size, it was rather difficult to get all the way to front, let alone to get any good pictures. luckily i met some men that were vertically blessed and without hesitation, they offered to throw me up on their shoulders. it was like safe crowd surfing. dancing on some strangers shoulders and getting mediocre pictures? great experience. but just when i thought that i had a good thing going, these monkeys showed up

use what ya got. those two were instantly famous. they received a band shout out, cheers and flashing cameras from a few hundred of their closest new friends.

poor gary literally got kicked by a midget (i am pretty sure if he wasn't broken right now, he would have kicked him back), i stepped on his newly sutured toes, and we stayed at the pie until after midnight. one sketchy gas station, a long chat on the ride home, sleeping in til 10, awful waffle stop and a blog post later- here we are.

i cannot wait to go to bright eyes next week. going with a great group of friends and it's free again. cannot beat that. of course, today i do look and feel a bit like i was hit by a train, but nothing a good run, a nap and some snuggle time can't fix. school starts in exactly one month. i have to get all this out of my system while i actually have the time (ah but we all know that i have peter pan syndrome so my need for fun will never die...).

ps: yoga in the park is tomorrow at 10 AM. be there...

and here is a little mason for ya.

busy bee.

this post should pretty well answer the text messages, phone calls, emails, fbook messages and nice notes that i have not really responded to regarding my recent whereabouts (i am really bad at that sometimes...).  i will admit, that i have been a bit mia from the group that i normally spend time with (ok and by that i mean apt 205 and a few others) but for good reasons. gary is still in town for his surgery and recovery, the marrieds wanted to hang out, it is a holiday, the weather has been great for running, and i just needed some adventures.
* went to wy to get fireworks.  this is what half of $1,500 worth of big boy sparklers looks like.

it was a little out of control. but you tell gary, a pyromaniac (who is hopped up on major narcotic pain killers) that it is "buy one get one free"- it is a little difficult to have a rational shopping trip. but we were already all the way there... why not.

i found 36 inch sparklers. fantastic. these little kiddos had a blast. they were so cute. and there was no mass destruction of property or people. it was a successful evening.

* spent 6 hours in a river fly fishing with my own brad pitt. it was so much fun. but the aftermath? not so much.

i got my first real real sunburn and i pretty much hate life (we used SPF 85. trust me, he may have a body builder physique, but you do NOT want to see the havoc that the sun had on z's back. stupid sunscreen.) and i couldn't find my camera, so i was not able to get any real pictures of the trip. but z and i had a grand ol time. he is pro (for real. his fanny pack is legit.) and his patience and skills wore off on me. i am excited to go again on our trip in the fall...it will be better without all the bugs. camping, flannel, wellies, fly fishing, fairview, and friends? it will be heavenly.

oh and we got these super hip mosquito repellent bracelets. which is marketing code for plastic thingy doused in citronella. we almost passed out on the ride down from the overwhelming smell. but they did their job as far as the squitos go.

* went to the drive in movie. captain america was fun and transformers was a great nap (don't worry..i had already seen it at the midnight premiere). double features are a little difficult for me. i get antsy or tired. so sleepy sleep snuggly buggly time it was.

we loaded up b's truck with air mattresses, treats, blankets and pillows (can you tell that he was really excited for the cuddling that would ensue? either that or captain america.).  you would not believe the bed that spud made for us. he has this down to a science. spud and katie are die hard drive in movie people. i was blown away by their preparation and knowledge of how to create the perfect movie night. 

they really are pretty adorable. it was more like katie and i were on a date just watching those two.

told ya. 

homosexuals? nope. just best friends and sweet men. 

we had 2 slumber parties in 1 weekend. it was like living together all over again. perfect.

the week has begun, everything on my body is burning and itching, i have a ton of books to read, and more fun plans. and while conditions are not exactly ideal, it is really nice having my parents back in the states. i was able to have a long chat with my dad last night and it made me so happy. 

i love summer. 

the one thing i do right.

if there is one commandment that i can say, with confidence, i follow pretty perfectly, it would be journal writing. it is something that i have been known for my whole life. every gift giving occasion i know that a friend or family member will present a new journal to me. and i go through them quickly- so it has always been appreciated. in my purse alone, i always have 3 moleskines. my daily planner, one full of lists and the last is full of words that i like. nerdy? totally. but if i feel the need to just carry those around with me at all times, imagine how much i have to write at the end of every day in a personal journal.

this brings me to telling one of the most tragic material losses of my life. perhaps because it was much more than just a bunch of leather notebooks.

last summer i moved from the apartment upstairs to the one that i am in now. instead of packing, i just made a million trips back and forth with things until i was finished. before i officially moved out, i left 3 boxes and my favorite vera bradley duffle bag upstairs. when i went back the next day to gather those things, i was informed that they had been taken by the cleaning service to be thrown out. i frantically called everyone i could but to no avail. i was unable to retrieve my belongings. the three boxes had winter clothes and shoes in them...i was a bit broken over losing my hunter wellies, my anthro mary janes and some of my favorite jeans and sweaters...but worse: in the vera bradley were about 13 journals. all of the journals that i had kept since i had left home, 5 years ago. just thinking about that makes me ill. generally i do not treat my journals as scrapbooks- full of pictures or memoirs, but if there are a few very special things, i will tuck them in there. so... i lost a lot of those few very special things. along with my oeuvre of journal entries about the most formative years of my life.  during those years i went through the darkest tragedies i couldn't have even imagined, but i also learned and grew from them. i learned so much and that was my place to record all of those experiences, both for myself and for my posterity (well... i am sure my posterity has benefited from this loss...they don't need to know everything...).

since then, i have of course continued my journal writing (and reconsidered how much i really need to spend on shoes and jeans...). but i have also since gotten a different, more time consuming job, become more serious about certain hobbies and returned to school. thus time is more limited. so i have recently begun keeping my journal on my computer (backed up a bagillion times and printed out at the end of every week) so that i could be a bit more efficient. i never liked typing my entries because i felt that something very personal was lost. the perfect punctuation, grammar and spelling aren't exactly realistic of me either. but it has allowed me to write epic entries in a much more timely fashion and i suppose it does still have the same effect. 

president kimball (of course i reference him again) was renowned for his passion for personal journal keeping.  these are some quotes from him on the subject:

"your story should be written while it is fresh and while the true details are available. do not suppose life changes so much that your experiences will not be interesting to your posterity. experiences of work, relations with people and an awareness of the rightness and wrongness of actions will always be relevant. your journal, like most others, will speak of problems old as the world and how you dealt with them."
"begin today! and write your goings and your comings, your deeper thoughts, your achievement, and your failures, your associations and your triumphs, your impressions and your testimonies. we hope you will do this, for this is what the lord has commanded, and those who keep a personal journal are more likely to keep the lord in remembrance in their daily lives"

some of the most sacred moments that i have experienced have been when prayerfully writing in my journal. i have had some of the greatest realizations come to me through pen and paper. whether it be direction as to what i should do, remembering all the amazing gifts the Lord has given me, or feeling His comfort as write about the more painful parts of my life. i am always reminded of His love for me as i evaluate and write about my daily life. and like president kimball said, write about everything. some of my entries are absolutely nonsensical. sometimes they are downright angry. some are purely absurd about love and marriage and kissing and stuff. others are just an update on what i have been up to and the random thoughts that came to my head throughout the day (like i said...long entries). but it is way for me to remember to take a moment to look at things a little more objectively and to be a little more grateful for what i do have.
if you don't keep a personal journal now, start. even if it is just a notepad of lists or thoughts. or letters to yourself. or whatever. just start and don't ever stop.

some of my things.

i have a list (surprise) of all of my "best feelings in life". 

lately, i have had the opportunity to experience a lot of them and it has just been splendid.

1. walking through thrift stores and finding just what you never knew you needed.  and since my sister and most of my friends are young married couples- the victory of a good deal is something to worth sharing.

$.75 for an old school San Diego Chargers beer stein mug for josh. 

and three books that i cannot wait to relish in.

yes, i went in for mason jars and left without them. but $5 at the DI will still get you pretty far.

2. being there for a friend. i feel blessed that i have so many great friends in my life- particularly friends that trust me enough to tell me things, ask my advice, have me watch their dogs, their children, their houses, their plants (that's probably the most risky one) and whatever else. but the last night was a little different. gary had to have surgery again and has become a temporary invalid. well, knowing him- he will get bored and guyish and try to walk around and do things. so i loaded up with snacks, movies, stories and smiles and we just laid around and talked and watched movies ALL night long and it was great. it was nice to be able to keep gary company, help him out and to just be still and lazy with my friend.

3. to make up for some of that laziness... today madison and i met up for some rock climbing (she left her husband behind, so it was just us-- this is a big deal). i am amazed that i can even type right now because my hands are raw and my muscles are dead. but it was great. that is another great feeling- rock climbing. getting to the top, finding those grips, using all the muscles in your body to keep from dropping, the mental and physical challenge of rock climbing are definitely on my good feelings list (and the really good looking and extremely talented guys that approached us and asked if we wanted to join them for a climb and then dinner later- not too bad either... just sayin').

4. NPR has broadcasted 3 different times about running in the last week. they featured christopher mcdougall- the author of that book, born to run, that i mentioned before, along with several other experts and it is just fascinating. plus, i have met someone that loves npr as much as i do and it is a regular conversation topic for us. dad is proud.

5. though i have stacks of books that i want to read, i have been trying really hard to dedicate more time to my scripture study. i have some really good examples in my life of people that are so good at this and i see how it blesses them. i try to be consistent but there are times that are much better/worse than others. especially in this phase of life with school, work, friends, dating, working out, playing- it is so easy to get home late and just want to go to bed. but recognizing this has allowed me to prioritize a little bit better so that i am getting to bed at a decent hour with some time to spend with the scriptures before shutting off the light. it requires small sacrifices here and there, but just in the past two weeks, i have already seen a strength come from my efforts and i know that the Lord recognizes my desire and blesses my life and my study everyday.

i saw a quote the other day that said "a bible that's falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn't...".

we are more than halfway through the week. b and i are going to the drive in movie with the marrieds on friday, yoga on saturday, meeting up with some more married people for lunch, 10 mile run, friend visiting for the weekend (the 24th is a big deal here) church, skypey time, and my laundry is already finished. things are lookin' good.

"it's the bulls and blood. it's dust and mud.

it's the white in the knuckles, the gold in the buckle...it's the boots and chaps, it's cowboy hats. it's spurs and latigo. it's ropes and the reigns. and the joy and the pain. and they call the thing rodeo. "

last night i doubled with some friends to the ute stampede. it was so fun to be back there. it had been about 3 years since i had been down to the stampede and it was just like i remembered- just no rodeo burger this year. some fun things:

1. the town of nephi has the funniest lounge/bar this side of the mississsppi. not that i have been to many, but wow...when you don't drink- you chat and watch. oh the things i saw especially with that post rodeo crowd..

2. small town utah girls have the biggest hair and most intense makeup that i have ever seen.

3. there were so many cute little kids there. i saw a baby in chaps and spurs and i wanted to take her.

4. the carnival games and rides never change. 

and men will never stop needing to prove themselves to other men. 

and while some men had to win prizes for their dates, i would just like to announce that not only did i win my own prize- i beat EVERYONE. 

but i will admit, i have always been a sucker for a country boy. 

harry pothead.

this harry potter glossary will be the death of me.

this was my fixed facial expression (apparently iphone cameras are actually pretty decent) for 2 hours of agonizing harry potter synopses from my friend sammy sam today. bless his heart, i think that he was just dropping by to say hello and return my book but i figured while he was already here and such a fan, he might as well help a girl out.

i am still completely sleep deprived from last week and have wisely decided to attend the david gray concert and then go straight to the midnight showing of harry potter. yep. the 3 hour film finale of the legendary series that i know nothing about. what can i say, i strive to be cultured.

ps last night was spud's bday. we went to dinner at chili's (where else would the group go now that tgifriday's is gone) and what do you know- for some reason the waiter gave my meal to me for free. how nice. 

how do i know this man??

because i know and love this lady with all of my heart.

 our times with these boys go so far back. it was great to spend time with them again and celebrate the day of spud's birth. he is a triathloning, disney watching, katie loving guy and i am so glad that we are friends.  thank you for being such an amazing husband to my best friend. love you both.

i am a horrible tourist.

i really did not take very many pictures...at all. perhaps 10 in total.

B and A driving in rita to the airport. funniest moment about this picture: as soon as we took it we both looked at each other and said, "nancy cannot ever see this picture". well too late. mama, i promise, A is a fine driver. 

i had to fight back the tears of joy (or maybe my eyeballs were sweating from the extreme humidity) upon exiting the airport in washington dc. everything there is green and beautiful. i was in heaven and felt a pang of home sickness. it was wonderful to see jacob and to spend a little time with him before he jettsetted off to thailand. he braved the dc rush hour (such a sweedish champ) to fetch me from the airport and then we just relaxed a bit.

perk of being in dc: there are so many vegetarian restaurants. it was extraordinary to have options available to me. i heartily partook right away.

i had the opportunity to ride up to the top of the washington monument. very cool. so much history there and amazing views.

please feel free to pretend that the reflection pool was not under construction. 

it is easy to get a great landscape shot when you are 555 feet high.

and that is what happens when a 14 year old boy takes your picture. but i should be grateful that it cut off half of my perma shine face that i was sporting the entire trip. adam looks great. but he's adam, he always looks great. and what a savvy tour guide. the man knows everything about everything. i didn't realize that it was such a big deal, but apparently, georgetown cupcakes are all the rage...kk- you would have died. not just from the near diabetic coma, but from the sheer site of all of the adorable cuppycakes.

i also had the opportunity to attend the washington dc temple. this did require a rather interesting metro trip during rush hour (guess who fits right under everyone's armpits in standing room only metros...), but i made some friends, had a missionary opportunity and made it there in one piece. the drive to the temple is absolutely breathtaking. i wanted time to stand still so i could just soak in all of the foliage and beauty of god's earth. but a car ride with one of my best friends, listening to npr, on my way to the temple- that works too.

this temple is so special to me.

my family is where it is today because of the courage and faith of my parents making covenants there 30 years ago. we are so blessed and it was truly emotional to be able to participate in the ordinances in such a beautiful and sacred building. there was a nice nature path that surrounds the temple grounds that andrew and i walked around afterwards. i was just so happy to be there.

as a matter of fact, i was just happy to be out east in general. it was refreshing to not feel smothered by the pressures of provo, it was nostalgic to chase lightening bugs, and comforting to be with old friends. and as it is sea level there- the running is fantastic! i flew through all my troubles and i could not stop smiling. it is a good thing that i was running so much because the next morning i wolfed down a decent portion of:

mmmm eastern market's famous buckberry pancakes. so yum. carb heaven.  

and then it was onto book heaven. why are there not more of these around? being in that store was bittersweet- i was so overjoyed to be surrounded by stacks of thousands of books but knew that i would require days to fulfill my curiosity.  but andrew did walk out with two of my very favorites books and so that was satisfaction in itself.

we walked around the flea market but it was just so gosh darn hot. so what is the best way to cool off? just the way i was raised- jump in a river.

we headed to the potomac river where they had kayaks for rent. i was so happy. first of all i love being in the river- i know it sounds filthy but it just makes me so happy to be there. it was a beautiful day, we were right in georgetown where the water was warm and wonderful. andrew was right when he said that the only thing that would have made it better would be if we had brought our books.

georgetown is completely adorable. sure it has cupcakes, but it is such a charming little town. everything has so much character and class and i loved it. the shopping wasn't bad either.  i love east coast style. so classic, nautical and preppy (my visit has officially solidified by decision to purchase a longchamp tote-i realize that it would be so trendy, but they are practical in every way.). i would just love to live there.

later that night we went for a bike ride from arlington to the district.  it was one of the most enjoyable bike rides that i have had in a while. granted, i was not racing for anything, but just soaking in the eastern evening air and enjoying my surroundings (it should be noted- i do not recommend using a cheap cruiser to bike the 15 miles...though it can be done.)

our first stop was the WWII memorial (the rest of these pictures were taken by andrew- not bad for a phone, again horrible tourist, i know). the monuments are striking in the nighttime. they are so grandiose and have an alluring reverence.

it was so fun to ride around to the different spots and see everything, not to mention a little break from the the extreme heat that i was not accustomed to. and luckily for me, andrew is very knowledgeable on many subjects and learning from him made it all the more of an engrossing experience. 

i love america. being exposed to so much of our nation's history, even just for a short time, was such a blessing. everything worked out just fine with flights, accommodations, transportation, meeting up with friends, seeing things that i wanted to, and taking a little break from everyday life. i was able to make some new friends, read my book, watch movies, go for walks, eat yummy food, and spend time with people that mean a lot to me. thank you, mama for fixing my flights, jacob and jaren for your house, adam for sightseeing, conversation, love and taking me to the airport, andrew for...well pretty much the rest of it.