Summer memories I want on here.

Chaperoning for Sarah's Museum of Flight field trip. I love this place.

Sundays at Grammie & Grandpa's... I love this place too...

Ditching plans to go shopping and hiking Tiger Mountain instead.

Spending Independence Day at the cabin. The lake water was freezing, but the sun was out and the company was grand. We stuffed ourselves with food, caught up with family we hadn't seen in ages, and blew stuff up. 

 Backpacking weekend with Grandpa!

 

Waptus Lake, here we come.

Missing Daddy, who came up the next day.

Awesome dayhikes with enormous, gorgeous, amazing trees,

cute sisters,

and gorgeous scenery.

And a thunderstorm/downpour like nothing I've ever hiked through in my life. No pictures due to risk of camera damage. But it was epic. And muddy. And wet.

Our campsite, complete with Merritt obsessing over the Two Towers. Thanks to him I'm hooked on the Fellowship of the Ring right now... my head is full of Elvish words and hobbit references.

Happy hiking faces. [:

A day at the lake

     I really have a lot I would like to write about on here, but I've been having issues finding time...  Krop summers usually consist of said Krops hardly ever being at home, and on the off-chance that we are, I'm working. So we'll see. For the time being I'll just say ten days of sailing with whales, sea otters, and various other amazing sea life and beautiful places in the Canadian Gulf Islands was THE BEST way to start the summer. The. best. I'm so lucky to be a part of a family who has amazing adventures like these. Hopefully I can get a chance to record it here soon.

Soo yesterday, after spending six hours in the sweltering heat moving the 10' x 7' x 5' woodpile we've been accumulating {seriously. This thing was a behemoth of cedar and hardwood. All those scriptures about moving mountains suddenly had an all new and very literal meaning to me.}, stacking it all fancy, and then heading back out to my grandpa's lot to pick up more fresh-cut rounds, I was covered in dirt, sap, sweat, sawdust, chainsaw exhaust residue, and just plain tireddd. So you can imagine how tempting this was:   

We spent the evening tubing, eating pizza, and relaxing in the cool water under a gorgeous sunset at my mom's family's cabin on Lake Sammamish, and ohh my goodness was it the perfect way to end the day. We are so lucky to have the awesome lakeside property and cute cabin that have been passed down by my great-grandparents. Thanks to them, family time in paradise is only a half an hour away. You'll soon see that we spend about 60% of our free time there during the summer [:

And today, that was very, very appreciated.

Life {and summer} is pretty darn good. 

Scenes from the long weekend

        

1) Helping five stakes-worth of youth, including my fabulous little bro and sis, come together after months of practices for their Youth Conference Dance Festival. A friend and I had the task of handing out all those flags you see in the picture (1,100 of them, give or take), as well as doing the same with fans, tiny "finger lights," and various other props for three performances. Most stressful day since winter semester finals week? Yes. But we got to wear official-looking name tags that called us Prop Masters, and that totally made it worth our 12-hour-long while.
2) This fuzzball. He showed up in the middle of family prayer and gave us a workout as all six of us zoomed around the kitchen, knocking over chairs and army crawling under tables trying to corner him, whilst getting an ab workout from laughing so hard at how ridiculous the situation was. Oh the joys of living in the forest and sharing our home with woodland creatures. I wouldn't trade it for anything.
3) Summer hikes are love. Especially when you do them with your beautiful new day pack from the REI Anniversary Sale. New best friend. Yes.
4) To grandmother's house we went for Memorial Day. We hung out at Merr's and my old stomping grounds from our childhood in Bellevue; my reading tree, the park, the blackberry patches. We visited the grave sites of my great-grandparents and some old friends. We talked about family, told stories from days long past, and threw around a few of my great-grandpa Gene's most favorite golf jokes. We ate Panda Express. We watched Lord of the Rings. We just spent the whole day with family. Good thing, cause they happen to be my most favorite people ever. [:

Don't ever let them go.

The valedictorian of my high school graduating class is a pretty bright guy. This is a weird way to start a post about college, but hang on. This guy once said something that struck me to the core. It wasn't in his speech on graduation night; it was actually in something he posted on Facebook awhile ago, regarding friends. And ever since I read it I cannot get it out of my head. I can't. It was just so, so accurate and I felt like it completely encompassed everything I learned and everyone I met during this past year, my sophomore year at BYU. I had the best group of friends this year. The. best. They are amazing and I hold them all in such high esteem. I have so much respect and gratitude for the people who took the time to get to know me and become the close friends I call them now. 

If there was one thing I learned during the past two semesters, it's that my Heavenly Father knows. He knows everything. He knew what I needed to learn at this point in my life. He knew my strengths and what I had to give. He knew the people I needed, and the people who needed me. And then, he plopped me right in the middle of those people. Best ward, best roommates, best apartment complex, which all resulted in the best, best, best friends. My words feel puny compared to how I feel about everything that happened this year when I say I am so grateful, but, that's the limitation of words. Anyway, this is what my valedictorian buddy said: 

"You know, some people are put on this earth to build you up.

You can feel it, every time you're with them, that all they want for you is good things.

Good things, success, and happiness.

These people are the people who will lift you to who you are supposed to be.

Don't you ever,

ever,

let them go."

These people lifted me higher, loved me for who I was, and helped me get closer to who I'm supposed to be. Yeah I know I can't keep all of these people in my life forever. People move wards, go on Study Abroads, go on missions, get married. But I'll always have the things they taught me. I can keep the lessons and the memories forever, and no amount of distance or time can take them. Leaving Provo this year was hard. Oh man. I couldn't help but sit there in the middle seat of our van as we got on I-15 and cry as I realized things would never be the same like that again. But my dad turned to me and said one of his favorite quotes from good ol' Doc Suess: "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." I can definitely do that. I miss my friends so much. I miss Provo. But I have a noggin full of some of the happiest, funniest, most comforting memories to keep me content for a lifetime, plus some friendships that I'll never forget. Summer is here and I get to spend it with the best family on the face of the planet. And in four months, I go right back to the Happy Valley. I may or may not be counting down the days...

As far as I'm concerned, I'm one lucky, lucky girl. 

A slight problem

Inventory of Shoes Hannah Owns

Pairs of heels: 2

Pairs of flats: 2

Pairs of hiking boots: 1

Pairs of school tennies: 2

Pairs of soccer cleats: 2

Pairs of riding boots: 3

Pairs of running shoes: 

I have a hoarding issue.

Admitting it is the first step though, right?

Home

Words can't explain how much I've missed this.

Post-finals summertime bliss

Oh these are good days.

Well,

Despite a week-long stint of strep, I kicked my finals in the butt. 

IN THE BUTT. Yeah.

It felt good.

And then all too soon, life went from this, 

to this,

 to this,

to this, my new room across the street.

 And now I get to party for two weeks; no classes, no stress,

just friends and sunshine until my family gets here so we can watch my

cousin get hitched in SLC and then it's back to the 425.  

Finals week is

- Eating cereal for breakfast, lunch and dinner for three days straight once you realize your milk's been expired for over a week. I don't care it makes me sick, I spent good money on that business and I'm gonna use it!
- Putting your bowl in the fridge and your applesauce in the pantry and not realizing it till your roommate starts laughing.
- Completely blanking during your botany final and having to BS the third reason that plants bear fruit. ("To make delicious pies. Obviously!" And somehow I still swung an A...)
- Trying to say "schnitzel" for your German-speaking roommate and ending up swearing.
- Finding your cottage cheese in the pantry. And being unable to remember the last time you would have eaten the stuff.
- Being forced to lean over and ask your study buddy how to spell "won't." Cause... you forgot.
- Sucking up clothes while vacuuming the living room and all getting high on the resulting smoke/fumes. Like, it was bad. But mostly really hilarious.

Because.

Just so I can tell my family I finally posted on this thing.

Current distraction/obsession:

Mutemath, Explosions in the Sky, and Mae.

My iTunes account is blowing up.

Current iphone background: 

I giggle like a crazy person every time I turn my phone on.

Current happy thought when I'm stressin:

Last weekend. It was five days of wonderfulness. I love my mom.

Current favorite flick: 

War Horse.  It probably helped that I was with three of my most favorite people in the world. 

And that it's about a horse... And that the score is beyond beautiful. I dunno, I like it a lot. 

Current source of... just weirdness:

In the middle of Walmart.

Will I ever get used to this????

 Currently coveting:

 

Who the heck at BYU has cash enough to throw around and buy an R8.

He'd better be a professor or something.

Current good news:

90% on my New Testament midterm this morning. 

Plus the weather was absolutely perfect today and will be for the rest of the entire week!

Currently in love with:

 Sundance.

And my man Sherlock Holmes. 

Thank you Barnes & Noble sale. And Momma's wallet.

Currently looking forward to:

Skiing tomorrow!

29 days till freedom.

And the amazing adventure that will be this weekend.

Life is good.