ps

1. new playlist is up

2. i've been called to teach gospel doctrine. again. this will make the third time.

the new camera happies

i may have mentioned that during my adventures in the zion narrows, my camera took a bath. technically, it wasn't 'submerged' (a term which makes a difference in redeeming your 'accidental damage' service plan), but rather, a little bit of water got into the waterproof bag i was carrying it in. the bag, fyi, was not shut because at the time, we were only about calf deep in water. i'll just summarize the tragic event by saying that i cannot walk and chew gum and rub my head and my belly at the same time. nor, apparently, can i walk and put something in aynsley's backpack.

i took the camera back to best buy to see about actually using the service plan i had purchased. i provided all the necessary information, noting that i had 'spilled' water on it, and was told that it would be sent out for repair. when i asked how long that would take, the response was 2-3 weeks. seriously, 2-3 WEEKS! do they not know who i am?! i'm the ocd photo taker!

when the shock registered on my face, the clerk tried to soothe me by saying 'it's faster if they can't repair it and just exchange it. let's hope for that.'

indeed.

since then, i've been religiously checking the status on the geek squad website. i was remiss to see that it took three days for the repair people to even receive it. so imagine my shock when last night, a mere 5 days from my drop off date, i saw that i had been approved for an exchange.

promptly at 10am this morning i visited the best buy:) since i bought my camera (3 months ago) the price has dropped (shocker!), but there is a new improved model (+2 megapixels and a larger screen) that's just a little more than i paid for mine. so the choice was obvious. i received a credit for the same amount i paid for the last camera, and now have the 10mp version. yay! by the way, i can't say enough good things about the canon

it was a sweet ending to a pretty sweet week.

on wednesday i celebrated my 32nd birthday. the day started when i arrived at my office and found that it had been completely pimped - birthday style. streamers and sparkly things hanging from the ceiling, the happy birthday sign strung across my window. it was awesome.

we used to have people on staff that would do that kind of thing, but we lost them 2 or 3 layoff rounds ago, so i was genuinely shocked. my co-workers took me out to lunch, and later brought out a cake and ice cream. they are so fantastic!

after work, i headed over to the d's for the evening celebration.

about two months ago, jenny and i bought tickets for pageant of the masters. i've mentioned it before but it is a performance held in laguna beach annually, for 75 years now, and pieces of art (paintings and sculptures) are recreated using live people. any of you arrested development fans should know what i'm talking about.

me and jenny before going in to the pageant of the masters

the rest of you should check out this photo gallery. it gives you a good idea of how they do what they do.

watching these 'performances' was simply amazing. it is virtually impossible to tell that there are real live humans on the stage. once in a blue moon you can catch a blink, or just the slightest movement (with binoculars), but it is a very rare occurrence.

it was a wonderful way to spend my birthday!

NICOLE makes me a cake!

friday was supposed to be my last day at work. in fact, it was my last day until about 3pm, when some discussions resulted in my staying on for one more week.

prior to those discussions however, we had the 'last day lunch'. there were four of us slated to go in this round, so we had a company lunch at lucille's bbq smokehouse.

'leftovers'

i'll be working from home next week, so it was a great way to say goodbye. i have genuinely enjoyed working with these people, and my only sadness about the end of this chapter is just that. there hasn't been one day where tyler hasn't had me rolling about something idiotic, or alison and i have shared our latest dramas, or holly and charity and i have discussed and debated the books we're working on. i feel genuinely blessed to have developed these friendships and hope they continue.

blogworthy weekend

come thursday afternoon, i was eagerly awaiting aynsley's pickup, armed with water shoes, dry bags, snacks galore, and of course, about 10 outfits too many for my weekend adventure.

we drove out of huntington in rush hour traffic towards la verkin, ut, just outside of zions national park. fortunately, rush hour did not hinder our journey, and with a couple of quick food, restroom and photo stops, we arrived at our destination at about 1am utah time.

aynsley and i , just before arriving at our home away from home in la verkin, ut

about a month ago, aynsley approached me about joining her on a weekend adventure to hike the narrows in zions. her singles ward was organizing the outing, but it turned out that unbeknownst to me, it was in conjunction with 3 or 4 other southern california wards, and i later learned, some other adventurers from st. george and from salt lake.

housing was arranged for us with local ward members. myself and aynsley, as well as two other girls, kaitlyn and kyle (yes, that is a girl) were assigned to stay with a single mother of two teenagers. she couldn't have been more accommodating. not only was she patient with our late arrival, but she had provided some breakfast food as well.

though we anticipated sleeping on the floor, there were beds for all of us. it was a relief since me and hiking aren't the most natural of companions, and i wasn't sure what to expect the following day.

kaitlyn and kyle arrived near 3am as aynsley and i were just finishing packing for the following day. introductions were made and sleep, however little, was had.

though an alarm was set, and did go off, i successfully hit the 'dismiss' option on my phone and kept right on sleeping. as a result, we all overslept a bit, and hurried to get ready.

by 8am we were out the door and on our way to the outfitters to rent walking sticks and shoes/neoprene socks for those that needed them. we met up there with a few of the boys in our group, and everyone got themselves outfitted and ready to go.

kyle and kaitlyn gear up

the 10 of us headed over to the visitor's center (where i got a stamp for my national parks passport) and boarded the shuttle to our drop off.

the shuttle to the top

about a half hour later, we were let off at our destination. the drop off point was our final chance to use the bathroom and refill water bottles, and everyone took advantage.

aynsley and i, ready to go!

then it was time to begin the 1 mile river walk to the trailhead.

the gang

it wasn't long after reaching the trailhead that we were calf deep in water. though it initially felt cold, it wasn't nearly as cold as i had expected. that would come later.

let's get this party started

we kept a medium pace and enjoyed getting to know one another while taking in the amazing scenery. there were 4 or 5 people from the singles ward in my stake, a couple who had come down from salt lake, and another from st. george.

though our initial group remained together for most of the day, it was fun to run into people along the way who were part of the larger group (near 100, i'm told). we met and hiked with more people from salt lake and st. george, as well as others from socal. it was a great group of people, who, in the end, only enhanced the experience.

photo op

the first two miles of hiking varied from sandy dry rocky terrain, and waist high deep water. once the water got above the knees, i started to understand the 'freezing temperatures' i had been warned about, yet, truth be told, i enjoyed the water hiking far better. it was a hot day, and after the initial shock, being wet helped balance the heat. for most of the day i'd say that my body remained at a perfect and comfortable temperature. for someone who sweats as easily as i do (i know, that's hawt, right?), it was one of many miracles.

l1: kyle and kaitlyn get their photo taken; l2: kyle and tara; l3: ben, tara, aynsley
c1: jason, kaitlyn, dustin (sort of), aynsley, me; c2: me and ayns; c3: gorgeous scenery
r1: jared and mike; r2: more gorgeous scenery, r3: the group

about two miles in, our merry band decided to take a side trip up orderville canyon. of course, we didn't know what it was called at the time, but i found a lovely description after the fact:

For a diversion from the main Zion Narrows hike, you may want to explore up Orderville Canyon a bit. Orderville Canyon is a tributary that is even taller, darker, and more enchanting that the main Narrows. The canyon has much less flowing water, but there are many obstacles that involve a bit of rock-scrambling and a bit of swimming to overcome.

Roughly half-a-mile up Orderville Canyon, you will come to a small waterfall formation (known by some as "Veiled Falls") where the National Park Service has placed a sign that prohibits further travel upstream. While it is physically possible to make your way up the falls and explore a bit more, be aware that coming down is a lot more difficult. Subtle moki steps are in the right (south) canyon wall, but many people have jumped the falls only to twist an ankle and require rescue. Use your best judgment and don't press your abilities. Turn around when you have had your fill.

ben, adam, nick, mike, charli, dustin, kaitlyn, tyler, me, aynsley, kyle, jared
front: jared and shannon

i can't tell you how surprised i was to read that this little side trek was only a 1/2 mile, as it occupied a good portion of the day. the 'obstacles' this description mentions were many and challenging--particularly for some of us girls who are a little less fearless than the boys. tackling some of these road blocks became a team effort, with the boys going first and helping all of us girls to climb up and over.

the first presented a choice. to the left was a series of rocks to be scaled, to the right, a small waterfall that could be swum/climbed/maneuvered through. our group split into two taking on this challenge. aynsley and i watched the boys try the little waterfall route and saw that the water was quite deep. she looked at me and said, 'what do you think?' my response, 'go big or go home' so we waded towards the fall and winced as the water got neck deep. it was soooo cold! the kind of cold that actually makes it difficult to catch your breath. but i also know my body, and for me, it was the easier route. i had come on the trip expecting to get wet (hence the waterproof bag in my backpack), and get wet i did.

just a little dip

along the way, we met a texas couple who had come to utah for some camping and hiking. they ended up staying with us for the remainder of the day, and we thoroughly enjoyed having them along. originally from new york, they had a lot of spunk, and dennis was a lifesaver on more than one occasion.

jared, cathy, and dennis help kaitlyn and kyle down

during one of the more challenging rock scrambles, he took responsibility for helping us girls up. the rock was covered with slippery algae, and there were a couple of small footholds and no hand holds. scaling this thing basically came down to getting that first foot hold and then being pulled up via walking stick by the guy on the other end --in this case dennis. aynsley was last to go, and as she made her first foot placement, she lost balance, and went sliding down the rock, while still holding on to the walking stick. she scored herself some scrapes and bruises, and cause me to coin the phrase 'if you don't got a scar, it wasn't worth it.'

truth be told, that was the most dramatic incident of the day (barring the fact that my camera took a bath in the virgin river, and no, it didn't survive), and that's saying a lot.

we continued down orderville canyon and when we were closing in on the waterfall (which we could not see around the bend), there was another very tricky section of rocks. what concerned me was not the going forward part. it was the going back part. and it was at that point i decided i had nothing to prove, and i would stay put. i wasn't the only one. in fact about half of the group decided to proceed, and half of us stayed and enjoyed our lunch, waiting for the others to return.

back: nick, dennis, cathy
front: shannon, tara, aynsley

we had picked up a couple of other group members by this point, and so enjoyed chatting and getting to know one another. when the rest of our group returned we retraced our steps through orderville (another tricky challenge) and headed further up river for a bit before deciding to head in.

the return trip afforded us even more opportunities to find friends along the way, and it topped off the experience beautifully.

as i'm not a super athletic girl, i was relieved that there was never a time where i found myself slowing down the group, or not able to move beyond a challenge. every minute on the trail was one i enjoyed. i couldn't have asked for better companions or better scenery. it was absolutely amazing.

aynsley, tara, kaitlyn, dustin, kyle, dennis, cathy, charlie, adam, jared
front: tyler, mike, jared

we made it back to the temple of sinawava, made another restroom stop and caught the shuttle back to the visitor's center, where we got back in our cars and headed to our homes.

we took showers and got ready, then headed over to the stake center for dinner and a dance--the la verkin ward hosting both. the dinner was delicious. homemade lasagna, garlic bread, and more desserts than i've seen in a long time. the dance, was a dance, but we decided we were going to have a good time, so we did.

sleep came easy that night, and we were up early the next morning to get on the road. part of my agreeing to come on the trip was that i had to be back in order to see joshua radin perform at the house of blues. i've had the tickets for awhile, wanted to see him for far longer than that, and i wasn't about to miss it.

nick ended up heading back with us to free up a little space in shannon's car, and the drive was relatively uneventful, with only one stop at the mad greek diner in baker, ca. nick had seen the place on the food network and heard that thier strawberry shakes were to die for. i have to say, mine was pretty tasty. my greek salad was pretty good too, but anytime you dump a cup of feta on a greek salad, it's going to be alright with me!

aynsley dropped me off at about 4pm. i had time for a quick nap, a quick shower, and a quick drive to charity's. after meeting her at her place we headed to the house of blues.

we arrived just at the end of the first opening band, and charity saw a couple people she knew, so we spent the rest of the evening hanging out with them.

the second 'opening act' came out and we were blown away. her name is erin mccarley, and though she's only got one single out (will definitely be on the next playlist), all of her stuff was awesome. i can't wait for the album!

charity decided to make it an interactive experience, and when erin mentioned that she had tried to get into disneyland but couldn't without paying $100, charity yelled out that she could borrow her pass. erin told her if she was staying another day, she'd take her up on it. then the very hot keyboard player (also has a solo album - k.s. rhoads) asked charity if she cooked too. when she responded that she did he told her he might need her number.

so, she gave it to him, a little later, in a wadded up piece of paper that she threw on to the stage. if you knew charity, you'd know how out of character this was for her. but we were all 'encouraging' her to make a move. afterall, he had asked. :) after the show, we hung out with k.s. for a bit (still waiting on the picture), and he was a cutie. took it in stride and in good fun.

josh and i

josh radin's performance was flippin' rad. he is even better live (always a relief), and the highlight came when he commented on how great it was that it was so quiet. that everyone just wanted to listen to the music. and in fact, it was so quiet, that he was going to try something. he proceeded to take off his mic, grab his guitar and climb down onto the floor with us where he played his final song. it was AWESOME!!

after the show, we hung out with k.s. and erin for a bit before heading home, where i promptly crashed.

all in all, it was a pretty spectacular weekend. there are many many many more photos of the hike, and they are worth a lookie-loo. check them out here.

the california adventure

i [heart] the olympics

it's true that i have much catching up to do, what with executing the final event for my current employer, visiting family and friends in virginia and new york, and having a friend from north dakota visit me in ca, but i just can't stop watching the olympics.

i love the olympics. i have always loved the olympics. and i love the olympics more after having worked for/at them.

what i loved best about that 2002 experience, is the the same thing i love about all olympics, simply put - excellence. excellence in all forms. there was not a person i worked with or was in contact with in february of 2002 that wasn't at the top of their game. i was surrounded by people who worked, achieved, succeeded, and triumphed in their respective fields. from athletes to bus drivers to reporters to security personnel.

and this is what i love about the 2008 olympics. the excellence. and the inspiration that excellence engenders. and that every night i find myself tearing up at least once, awed and humbled by personal and professional victories achieved in both small and in great measures, but also saddened by the disappointed dreams and the seemingly unrewarded sacrifices.

'seemingly' because both those failures and those successes serve as reminders for the rest of us that dreams are attainable, and even when (as sometimes happens) they remain out of reach, the reaching always justifies itself.