MLK Weekend

We road tripped it down to St. George to get our sunshine fix. There are no words for 

sunny, 50-degree weather after weeks and weeks of dark, snowy, 18-degree death. It was absolutely AWESOME.

{^^^ Katie's face = pure and utter joy. Evidence of the absolute awesomeness.}

I love St. George. The stunning red rocks and endless blue sky keep a smile on my face the whole time. I can safely say St. George ranks at least an 8 on the zero-to-Yellowstone happiness scale. We climbed around among ancient petrified sand dunes and beautifully weathered sandstone formations for hours. The only thing more fun than hiking somewhere awesome is hiking somewhere awesome with awesome friends.

Sorry you look like a shortie, Andrew...

 

 Then all our friends went home on Sunday. Ryan and I woke up early on Monday and made the beautiful drive to Zion National Park, just the two of us. Before we had even started dating, I had told Ryan that I wanted to be there the first time he saw ZNP, home to some of my favorite rocks and hikes on the planet. He promised he wouldn't set foot in the park till I could go with him. Good to know my boyfriend's an honest man! It was totally worth it to see his face when we came face-to-face with this. 

 I love that Ryan loves hiking. And even though there were a few times I legitimately thought I was going to slip off the narrow ice-encrusted spine of rock and fall to my death, it was so much fun climbing Angel's Landing with Ryan. I judge a lot of my guy by how he values nature, and on this hike he only gave me more reasons to love him. 

^^^ Trail of ice and death. And then Ryan and I as we started the coolest part - walking on the spine!  

Standing 1,488 feet above the valley floor. It was incredible. 

Earth {and three day weekends} are amazing.

Four things that have defined Winter semester so far.

1) I moved apartments and have the sweetest, most fun roommates a girl could ask for. We even have our own Facebook page where we can be weird in private. They make my day every day. 

2) I received an email last week that made me scream:

Yes indeed, I was offered a job at the coolest place on campus. It's a little scary and stressful, and I have so much more to learn, but I work with the greatest people and I LOVE working at an outdoor equipment store! I fit right in. [: Plus the income and job experience is very appreciated by this girl. So far I have {somewhat} mastered the art of manning the cash register, waxing & buffing skis, and sorting rental equipment. Next up: fitting people with skis. Gulp. But the perks are sweet. Free rentals, free ski passes, discounted outdoor gear. Is this heaven?

3) Cute friend who visited me in Seattle over Christmas break is now my boyfriend. People, I absolutely, positively scored in the boyfriend department. I can't even explain Ryan. He is so wonderful to me. 

4) I love all of my classes. Earth is incredible. I love learning about it, and I can't wait to keep learning even more about it.

My life is so good. I'm crazy busy, pushing the boundaries I thought I had, and am so very happy. [:

The Top Ten of Christmas Break

#1. Twenty-one whole days with my family. {And my cat.} Seattle days, lazy days, just plain 

being sick days, car-washing-and-vacuuming-days, Christmas day(!!!), etc. 

I loved every single one. 

#2. Spending time with college friends, including ones that I haven't seen forever 

due to study abroads, and ones who won't be going back with me come January due to 

being old, graduated farts now. 

#3. Daily runs and walks on the beautiful trails by the river. Oh how I pine for them 

when I'm running on endless sidewalks in continuous, boring straight lines in Provo. 

#4. SNOWSHOEING. It was so cold that the water froze solid in my CamelBak 

tube, and I'm sure I increased the longevity of my flu by subjecting my sick self to such conditions, 

but it was stunningly, pristinely beautiful, and completely worth it. 

#5. Ringing in the new year with family. It's 2013. I graduated high school almost three years 

ago. I'm a junior in college. My brother graduates and comes to BYU with me in the fall. My youngest

 sister is almost in middle school, and the other can go to stake dances. Where does the time go?

#6. Hanging out with old friends. It's always so much fun to catch up with the people you were close to during high school and see where they are and what they're doing. 

#7. Having a cute friend from school call me with news that he'd have a 9-hour layover in Seattle the following day. It was so much fun to see him and have him hang out with my extended family and I while we wandered around Seattle. Plus we got tickets to the one of my favorite places on the planet, the Pacific Science Center, to see 3,000-year-old Egyptian artifacts in the King Tut exhibit. Pretty incredible.

#8. Being sick about 60% of the break, including both Christmas and New Years Eve. You should try it guys, it's GREAT.

#9. Our annual tradition of caroling to our neighbors the Sunday before Christmas. Buddy the Elf's mantra about the most effective way to spread Christmas cheer? Proven. 

#10. My movie intake spiked by about 700%. Going from hardly ever watching any TV, as is my lifestyle at school, to the level I went to during break was a shock to the system, but I can say that I thought the Hobbit was wonderful, I have fallen in love with the cello and classical music/Russell Crowe all over again due to seeing Master and Commander for the first time, and I will truthfully confess that I cried through Les Mis more than I did the play. 

By Sunday evening I'll be back in Provo, in a new apartment, a new ward, and new classes. 

Life is so good. I can't wait.