Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Cactuses.Cacti...

GOLD CANYON
So my boyfriend's (John) momma lives in Arizona and we (& our friends Leah & Brandon) got to visit her and explore some of the amazing things that Arizona has to offer!

My 21st Birthday was March 22nd and for Valentines Day (& birthday gift) John got him & I these awesome backpacks for hiking, trips, etc...
Photobucket
I really like mine a lot but he gets so excited about them it's funny =]

We put them to good use for this trip..
Day one Brandon, John, & I 
(poor Leah got mono right before we left so she sat this day out =/)
went for drive on the Apache Trail...
this trail consists of windy, dirt roads, and 3-4 hours of amaaaazing views....


We stopped at a gorgeous lake, ate lunch, went through numerous giant mud puddles...
(John loved speeding through the puddles and getting his mothers white SUV covered in mud as seen in the slideshow....boys-insert eye roll here =P)
I had a weird fascination with all of the cactuses yes cactuses... It took me a day and a half to realize that I was not saying the plural form of cactus the right way ha...cacti. still looks and sounds weird.
Anywho...I had a weird fascination with these pants and all I wanted to do was hug one for some reason. I made John stop along the trail & I did just that...I went up to the biggest cactus and wrapped my arms around it.
yep.
The boys took a pic but I don't have it or else i'd share.
Anyways...I promised John that I would share that so there ya go!
Moving right along =]...
we stopped at the roosevelt dam...which i'm pretty sure is the first dam I have ever seen
it is pretty amazing.
We continued on towards the end of the trail & decided we where going to head to the area where you can hike up to some ancient indian ruins..
we pulled in the lot & went inside...the trail closed at 4pm in order to ensure that people at the top had plenty of time to get back down in time for the park to close at 5
we got there at 4:11...
talk about a bummer
As we walked back to car a little disappointed, some men where loading there car and asked if we got there too late to see the ruins...after we replied with a sad yes they began to tell us where the trail ended and that we would probably be able to enter there and go up the back way to the top to see the ruins....
o gosh, John & I looked at each other & I knew we where thinking the same thing..
We are so doing it..
Brandon & John decided they where gonna go ahead and run up the trail...
I was too distracted by the gorgeous view & the cactuses (=] of course) & watched them attempt to run up to the top.
As I got about half way up, they where heading back down...they almost got to the top when they noticed the marshals patroling the ruins & decided that they got far enough & where satisfied enough to go back down the hill & return to the car.
So we've officially illegally ran through a national park.....fun times =]
 After all the excitement of the day, it was nice to go back to John's moms and relax...
for some reason though I got more energy that night & wanted to go do something so we all (including Leah!) went on a little adventure on the Peralta trail...John drove us through the trail and stopped to turn around....we all got out of the car & just gazed at the sky full of stars!
I have only seen the sky look this way at night a couple of times & it is quite a site...it seems as if there is next to no empty space in between stars, so beautiful.
What a perfect way to end Day 1



Monday, March 19, 2012

I went to Cali last year for Spring Break...this year i'm headed to Arizona!
Going to explore & see the Grand Canyon on my 21st Borthday this Thursday!
So excited & it feels good to be traveling again...i've missed it!
I've tried to post pictures of my adventure so far but can't seem to figure it out=\ i'll try more later=]
hope everyone is enjoying the gorgeous weather & some time off!

Monday, March 12, 2012

{Manic} Monday

Mondays are such long crazy busy days for me. 
Today was the same...
however after the craziness of life the last week today just felt so different
I was more like manic Monday
Just Monday
Another day 
Another set of choices
Another set of interactions
Another opportunity
Another chance

I have never felt so cared for and supported in a time of extreme uneasiness and confusion in my life
It still blows my mind how I can be vulnerable writing in this blog but in my day to day life & even intimate interactions with close friends...it is something I struggle with big time.
Slowly but surely I am regaining confidence in my faith & after spending years being so off and on 
I have never felt so strongly about my beliefs 
My mind has been racing non stop and it all caught up with me yesterday and I had a total meltdown...
I have had these moments before...feeling completely drained 
& at a loss for words to even express daily thoughts. 
In these moments I used to have very defeating thoughts and would try to just push through 
on my own 
Not smart
Last night was so different..
ever been lucky enough to have someone around you caring for you, encouraging you, and simply investing into your life to the point where you literally do not know what to say in return???
If you have, man it is truly amazing...
Last night was one of those times...but times like a million

All I can say is thank you
Or better yet...nothing at all
Let my actions speak louder then words
I am so encouraged. 
My friends are more like close family & I am truly blessed
& now my prayer is to be able to offer this kind of encouragement to others 


Pride
ugh, what a nasty thing. I struggle with pride.
I have even heard it from people I love that they see me as being prideful...
man
not something I ever want to hear. 
Our society encourages this prideful outlook on pretty much everything
It is so easy to get sucked into it

Humbleness
I thought I was good at being humble. hm..very prideful thinking huh. 
I think society looks at humbleness at being a huge weakness
I think society is killing itself with this thought... 
In reality...people (including myself) would benefit & does benefit
SO much more from embracing & practicing humbleness. 

Therefore...here is one of my most vulnerable posts
(and an attempt to practice humbleness)

One of my favorite blogs is Casey Wiegands
Casey is so open in her blog & it is why I was drawn to it in the first place
I remember spending hours at a time just reading everything
all of her struggles, happy times, high & lows of life, etc...
After hours of well...creeping I guess...I felt like I had known her my whole life 
& not just known... but really knew her...everything...I realized how hard it is to even 
really know the people i'm around everyday including family.
I feel like my mind thinks very similarly to Casey, I relate to her so much
 & am so inspired by her boldness 
That is the one thing I have not had...but it is time to get over my pride and be bold

My hope & prayer is to be as open as possible to lead a life following & mimicking Christ 
I might have felt this over and over again 
but here it is...out in the open...
 Any other time in my life I would be extremely concerned about the opinions of various friends...family members...just people in general...
Not anymore


2 Thessalonians 2:16-17