The Door's Always Open

I have recently been missing the times when I was able to be home during the day and let the warm air and sunlight stream into the house through the opened front door. Since I have been able to be home for a little bit longer than normal the last few days I have taken advantage of this opportunity to open the front door again and enjoy the outside as I am busy doing things inside.

This evening as I was wrapping up some work on my computer I received an unexpected, but very welcomed vistor that brought a big smile to my face and joy to my heart. I was graced with the presence of this beautiful butterfly! Butterflies have a special meaning to me and so when I get the privilege of seeing them I delight in their presence. And after having a difficult week, on several different levels, it was a tender mercy for me to have this beautiful butterfly come dancing through the front door. She allowed me to hold her and enjoy her beauty and company. My door is always open to these beautiful butterflies!

BBP F&FA NMW!

One More Week

So the inevitable happened. I ordered a new cell phone. The arrival date of my new cell phone is on August 7th. One more week. (Hoping it comes quicker than that). It's been over a week already since my cell phone's death. Well, it's more like in a vegetable state because it can still turn on, but nothing else works. Anyway, it's been a bitter sweet experience not having a cell phone, but I think I'll enjoy the sweet of it more when I receive my new one.

For all of you who know what the day before August 7th is, I am sorry that - again - I will not be able to receive any calls. (BUT that doesn't mean you can't leave messages). Last year on this date I was out of cell range. I hope this doesn't turn into an annual thing....

In other news, I have started donating plasma again. I have done this on and off as I have been in Rexburg. The last time I donated was in September 2006. I don't recall why I stopped going. Probably too busy or had a near-fainting experience from them either fishing around in my arm to find my vein or my vein collapsing from the stress of donating so much that deterred me for a while. But whatever it was it didn't scare me bad enough to keep me away for life.

Donating plasma brings in a good amount of money a month for the amount of time spent donating it. If I eat and drink right I can get my donations down to around 30 mins., which is quite fast. In other words, the time is worth the money. This extra money is good to have on hand for emergency purposes, for fun activities, for groceries, for bills, or for savings. I am hoping to use the majority, if not all, for a specific savings. We'll see how well I can hide it from myself.

If you want to learn about or more about donating plasma, click here.

Sunday Drive

A friend of Jessica's and mine bought a new-used car this weekend and invited us to take a spin in it this evening with her. After she picked us up we listened intently as she told us about and showed us all the different features her new silver Pontiac came with. One of the things that she was looking for in a new car was a big engine. Upon hearing this I then asked...

"So, how fast can your car go from 0 to 60?"

With that we drove up to the farm fields on the outskirts of Rexburg to test it out. She clocked it at 11 seconds. Now, this car ain't no sports car, but 11 seconds is pretty decent for a V6 engine. (I'm excited to see what my truck with a V8 engine can clock in at).

We continued to drive on the farm roads enjoying the cool air, wide open potato fields that surrounded us, and the bright orange and pink sky as the sun was setting behind the mountains in the distance. The roads that we were driving on were some of the same roads that I have taken during bike rides last summer. Being on these roads again for the first time this summer brought back so many good memories and a sense of freedom due to the rolling farm fields that went on as far as the eye could see. My desire to get out of the car and run through these fields with arms spread wide open and my head tilted back towards the sky was almost more than I could take. I felt trapped inside the car. No offense to the car or to the owner, but Mother Earth was calling out to me.

In response to the call of Mother Earth I unbuckled my seat belt, rolled down the window, crawled halfway out the window, and sat on the window seal. I spread my arms wide open and let the cool air rush pass me and through my hair as it blew in the wind. There was a peace and calmness that I soaked in. I breathed deep and could smell the water from the farm sprinklers in the air. I felt free.

On the side of the road there was a 15-20ft high and 50ft. long stack of straw bails. I yelled the suggestion that we should stop and climb up on the straw bails. And too my surprise they took me serious! We stopped and the three of us climbed to the top of the straw bails. The skirt I was still wearing didn't stop my sense of adventure, but was grateful that I was wearing my spandex shorts underneath. We climbed to the top and walked across dodging the cravases that we could possibly fall in. We didn't stay up there to my heart's content - I would have loved to sit and watch the sun go down from up there - but we climbed down and continued on our way.

We next came upon a grouping of silos with several catwalks on top. Of course, the first idea that comes to my mind is to climb them. But without any surprise from the decline of my suggestion to climb them, I was still a little disappointed as my imagination began to envision the thrill of my sidekick and I climbing up to the top of those silos. Maybe someday I thought...

We watched the sun go down as we made the rest of the drive home. It was fun to take a nice Sunday drive in our friend's nice new car as well as enjoy the beauty of the surrounding area while reminicing in my mind on past experiences on those country farm roads. I decided before the summer is gone to again bike those roads, as well as explore some new roads. I'm hoping to find some corn fields to run through too. Maybe that will be my next adventure....

Opposition in all Things, but Great shall be your Reward

The sky was filled with these big, beautiful clouds yesterday! I'd have to say these are probably my favorite types of clouds and so I had to snap a few pictures of them and share one of them!

Ok....onto the post...

The first thing that probably comes to your mind upon reading the title of this post is that it has something to do with trial(s). And although I could spend a lot of time discussing the opposition in trials, I am going to relate it to biking instead.

I don't know where I got the idea, but it has been floating around in this head of mine for some time. And seeing that beginning next weekend I won't have much of any weekends after that because of my 7pm-7am shift starting at the Homestead I decided that today was the day to finally make this idea a reality. My idea....

....Biking from Rexburg to Ammon/Idaho Falls and back.

Using MapMyRun I figured out the route and distance from my house in Rexburg, ID to McCowin Park in Ammon, ID. It calculated out to be a tad over 28 miles one way. I have gone on several 20-22 miles bike rides before and didn't think a few extra would make a huge difference. And with a nice little break in the middle I'd be ready to ride those 28 miles back home. I guesstimated that it would take about 2 hours - give or take - to ride the 28 miles with an average speed between 16-18 mph. There is about a 1000ft. drop in elevation between my beginning and ending point, which didn't phase me because 1000ft. elevation drop in a span of 28 miles is nothing.

To view a map of the route I biked in order to get a better idea as you read of my experience, click here.

I woke up this morning and began making preparations for the ride. I wanted to be off between 8:30am and 9:00am, but didn't hit the road until 10:05am this morning. I rode out of Parkside Townhomes and took a right onto Pioneer Rd. when a wall of strong wind hit me. I began to second guess my decision to make this ride with 10-15 mph head winds. "I just begun! I not going to give up already!" I thought to myself. (Yes, that would be my pride kicking in, although I like to see it as determination :o). I convinced myself that the winds would die down as the day progressed. I continued to pedal.

For the most part I followed Yellowstone HWY, which paralled HWY 20. There were two occassions in which Yellowstone HWY ended, but picked up again, causing me to either go on a few side roads or ride on HWY 20 in order to get back on. But it was a pretty straight forward route and an almost straight shot from Rexburg to Ammon.

The ride was going great, despite the head wind, and I felt like I was making good time by judging from where I was by landmarks I was very familiar with off HWY 20. Shortly after mile 5 the Yellowstone HWY ended and I had to make a 2-3 miles detour before getting back on. When I turned onto S 3100 W - a residential road - I could see up ahead a full grown black lab in the road. Not knowing what to expect from this dog I got into racing position. As I neared the dog it began barking. Then as I began to pass him, he gave a deep growl and the chase was on! He was right on my tail but I picked up speed quickly and out ran him. Turning back and seeing him struggling to keep up I yelled, "EAT MY DUST! HA HA HA!!"

Turning and looking ahead down the road with a smile of victory on my face I noticed another dog in the road, but this dog was even bigger than the black lab I had just left in my dust. This dog had brains - or so I thought. He seemed to have good tactic by hiding himself from me in the bushes waiting for the right moment to run out and chase me. I was ready for him though. Sure enough, as I came upon him he darted out from his hiding place, but stopped at the edge of his yard which came to the edge of the road. He looked left, he looked right, and then left again. As he turned back to look at me and saw I was already way down the road he made no effort to chase me. I was pretty grateful his owners had taught him to look both ways before entering the street.

I continued on and soon discovered a third dog down the road a ways watching me approach. "Holy Dog Heaven!" I thought to myself. This dog was about the same size as the black lab and had a wolf look to him. But luckily for me he just trotted up to me and greeted me as I passed. There was no chasing involved. I was glad because I was pretty tired from my previous two bike sprints. There was a fourth dog, but he was just a little black dog with a high-pitched bark who thought he was a big-tough dog. He didn't make it halfway across his front yard before I was out of sight. By the time I got to the end of the road I was a little tired and decided to take a quick break.

At the corner of that street (S 3100 W & River Bridge Rd) there were several large patches of the above pictured flower. I have seen these kinds of flowers dotted throughout Rexburg over the last couple weeks. It's been the first time I have ever seen these flowers and have had a desire to stop, smell, and study them. My opportunity to do so had just presented itself to me as I took a break at the corner. They don't have a strong frangrance, but they are beautiful nonetheless. I enjoyed the time I took to stop and smell the flowers.

When I came to the end of River Bridge Rd. I was at the edge of HWY 20. There was no other way to get back onto Yellowstone HWY except to get on the freeway. Since I had already had one experience biking on the freeway a week ago I wasn't scared or intimidated to do it again. The only thing that concerned me was the gravel on the shoulder of the HWY. Road bikes + Gravel = Blowout. Luckily it was only a half mile ride. I made it safely without any blowouts.

For the next 10 miles or so, passing through Rigby on the way, the wind was really strong and really tough to bike against. I dropped in speed quite a bit in these miles because of the wind, causing me to fall behind in time. The wind was strong in prior miles, but it seemed increasingly stronger in this section. If you'ved ever gone running outside in the dead of winter and had your lungs hurt because of it - this is what happened and felt like to me because I was sucking in so much air into my lungs from the wind. I began feeling sick and my energy level dropped. My back and arm were aching and I was really feeling how saddle sore I was becoming. Everything in combination didn't make for a super happy experience, but I signed myself up for the challenge and tried to have the best attitude I could.

In several different previous experiences I've had where the wind has been a struggle to be in I have prayed for it to calm and those prayers were always answered. I began praying that the Lord would calm the wind, but if not that He'd give me the strength to contine biking against it. It didn't seemed like either thing happened. After praying for several miles and seeing no difference I finally said out loud, "C'mon Heavenly Father! You've answered my prayers before, why not now!?!" Then I looked up to see if there were any lightening clouds above me. The wind didn't stop blowing really hard and I didn't seem to feel any stronger and so I just continued to bike against it, but this thought came into my mind, "Opposition in all things; great shall be your reward." I quickly agreed with the first statement and then took a minute to ponder upon the second statement. "Great shall be your reward...My reward? Finishing - making it back home? What's my reward.....?"

I looked over to HWY 20 and saw exit sign 318. Only three more miles until exit 315, where the city of Ucon sat and where there was a gas station I could stop at and rest. After a little bit more biking I looked over again at the HWY and saw exit sign 318. I thought I was having day-ja-voo or something, but realized that the previous sign said exit 318 - 1 mile. I gave a sigh of despair. I was so tired and felt so sick. I wasn't sure I wanted to make it all the way to McCowin Park, but instead turn around and head back after reaching the gas station in Ucon. After thinking and debating in my head for a while I looked over again at HWY 20 and saw the off-ramp to exit 315. With much surprise I gave a loud, "WOOHOO!" I was almost there. Ucon was mile 20.

I passed through the town of Ucon, which felt like a ghost town, and pulled into the Tosoro gas station at the far edge of town. I took a seat on the foot high cement wall and put my head in between my knees as I chugged down some water from my Camelpak. In the 20 minutes that I was there my sickness level went up and down. At times I felt better and then in an instant I would feel sick again. I mixed some energy powder into my water and sipped on it for a little bit. The debate in my head continued as to whether I wanted to go on or not based on how I felt. When I looked at it logistically it didn't take me long to make a decision. I had come 20 miles already. There was 8 miles left. I wasn't going to give up and turn around and go back after going so far and having so little left to go. With that, I jumped on my bike and hit the road again.

The energy mix must have kicked in because I felt like I was having a fresh start. I felt like I had more energy and the wind didn't seem to be as strong as it had been. The last 8 miles went great! It helped to know from driving that section of road so many times before what was ahead, what to expect, and also how much further I had to go visually instead of by miles on my odometer. Those 8 miles went by faster than I had expected, which was a pleasant surprise.

I stopped at the Wal-Greens on the corner of 17th & Ammon Rd. to grab something to eat before making the last 100 yards to McCowin Park. The park was such a pleasant place to be. The large park offered many quiet spots as well as big trees with a cool shade to rest under. I rested my bike up against the tree, then stretched myself out on the cool green grass and let my body relax. I just laid there and took everything in! I had made it to my destination and it felt so wonderful to be there! I munched on the granola bars I got and sipped on my water, but mostly just laid out and relaxed.

It took me three hours to make it to McCowin Park. One hour longer than I had expected because of the wind, but being there seemed to wash away the frustrations and struggle I had with the wind. What I was feeling as I was sprawled out on the grass under a big tree was worth the struggle; was worth the opposition.

I rested for a little more than an hour before getting ready to go. I could have stayed there all day. I geared up again and then hit the road. I again stopped at Wal-Greens on my way out of town to hit up their restroom. After that I was ready to make the 28 mile bike ride back home.

After making it to more rural roads that had very low traffic I began to ride with no hands. This really helped with the ache I felt in my back and arms. It also helped transfer the pressure from the bike seat to a different area. Just by sitting up and riding with no hands I noticed that it worked different muscles in my legs as well. I was glad to discover all the benefits of riding with no hands. It made the ride home great! My average speed on the way home was between 16-18 mph instead of 9-11 mph on the way to Ammon. I almost doubled my speed.

This is when I realized what the great reward was. Tail wind! You don't find it very often in Idaho. I can count the number of times I've had tail wind since living in Idaho on two of my fingers. Yes, that is two times. Usually no matter which direction you are going you always have a head wind. Having a tail wind was so awesome! Whenever I didn't have a tail wind (when biking east or west on side streets) there was a definate difference and my speed always dropped a little bit. I was very grateful for a tail wind. It was a GREAT reward!

All four dogs had gone home for the evening and so I didn't have anymore dog chases. Once I reached the end of that street though, before turning left and winding my way back on Yellowstone HWY, I stopped and took in the view ahead of me. I had a great view of the Rexburg temple, which sits on the hill. I was tempted to turn right instead and see if I could make my way up to the temple, but decided against it. It was nice to just stand there and see the temple on top of the hill. I look forward to the day when I will be able to go through the temple.

I made it home in under two hours! I was cruising! It was really exciting to be able to make it home and reach my goal of biking from Rexburg to Ammon/Idaho Falls and back. It is always an exciting feeling to accomplish something that you have wanted to do for a long time. It gives me the excitement to challenge myself to something else!

What's next....?

Just Kidding!! :o(

So, the great success story of my cell phone from yesterday was in vain. It wasn't until shortly after I had posted yesterday's 'Kurplop' post that my phone stopped working. It turns on...well...has stayed on ever since I got it back. NONE of the buttons work. At all. If I want to shut it off I have to take the battery out. There is only one way for me to answer any incoming phone calls, but I can't hang up.

This little guy has been good to me, but I guess it's time for the inevitable....getting a new phone....

The saga continues...

Kurplop!

One of the tasks that I have been working day in and day out at the Nursery is planting plants into 20 foot long mats. This tasks involves a lot of time walking through ponds retrieving the plants and then lining up the mats once all the plants have been planted into the mats. The ponds are just higher than ankle deep and maybe a little bit deeper in some areas, but not much. This job is pretty redundent but the time seems to creep by a little faster than other tasks I've had in the past. And just to make sure we don't miss our break and/or lunch we are often checking the time.

At the beginning of the week while working this job the time was nearing our lunch break and so I was keeping an eye on the time using my cell phone. Nobody else in my crew had a watch or phone to know the time themselves, so they relied on me to tell them when it was lunch time, on the dot.

One of the crew members asked what time it was and so I quickly tried to dry off my hands on my shirt as best as I could before reaching into my pocket to pull out my phone and check the time. With slightly wet hands I retrieved my phone and slide it open to check the time. I had to turn slightly in order to provide a little shade in which to see the screen. As all of this was happening in just miliseconds, my phone slipped out of my hands, hit the ground and slide down the short bank right into the pond I was standing next to making a "kurplop" sounds as it went under water. With no delay I went in right after it! My phone was only in water for a couple seconds, maybe one and half seconds, but it was enough to do the damage.

The options on my phone went burzurk! It was like my phone had a mind of its own but it was a crazy mind and I couldn't do anything about it because the buttons wouldn't work! It went through all of the different options my phone has over and over again at an intense speed. Not being able to control anything I pulled the battery out so it wouldn't do something irreversable or delete everything on my phone. I set everything out in the sun to dry in hopes that my phone would dry out, return to a sane state and work properly again.

I discovered that the only two buttons that worked were the on/off button and the 'back' button. Out of all of the buttons these two were the most important in this case. There was one point were my phone decided to send a text message to everybody in my phone. In an attempt to stop it I had to repeatedly push the back button. It turned into a speed contest. My phone wanted to see how fast I could keep pushing the back button before it sent the text message that was full of text-templates. I won....thank goodness for the on/off button.

Discovering that the only TMobile store that I knew of in Rexburg was no longer in operation I rode my bike across town to another cellular phone company. When I handed the employee my phone he immediately recognized it as a TMobile phone and asked, "How come you came here instead of going next door to the TMobile store?" I felt dumb. I didn't even notice the store right next to it was a TMobile store. He looked at it anyways and quickly told me that my phone was a gonner because water basically zaps the fuses inside the phone. He then told me that water damage is usually not covered under the warrenty. Things were not looking good.

I decided to take it into TMobile anyways to see what they would offer me. They tried to get me to buy another phone, which of course was really expensive, but with some insistance they finally said that they could try to fix it. I didn't have too much trust in them but with a prayer in my heart sent heavenward I walked out of the store leaving my phone behind for a hopeful successful repair that would take a couple days.

I'm not going to lie, I kept my phone in my prayers. There are messages, texts, pictures, and recordings on my phone that I have saved for a long time that mean a lot to me that I didn't want to lose. Plus, having to buy a new phone would be a lot of my money out of my pocket that was reserved for other things.

My prayers were answered! I went into the store today to check up on my phone's repair and after waiting for a very long time I was so happy to hear that it had been fixed! I had to wait again for a very long time until the manager who had fixed it came into the office could give it to me. But it was well worth the wait. I checked all the functions and everything seemed to work great! Nothing had been lost or deleted which was another relief. With just a small labor fee I now have my phone back!

Not having my phone for a few days felt a little weird, but there was a small feeling of freedom that came with it. Although I felt somewhat cut off from things it was kind of nice to not have it. I have gone without my phone for weeks at a time, but tha was because I was working at Anasazi and there is no other choice. It was a little different to be in the 'city' and not have my phone verses being out in the wilderness, but it was a nice little break.

On another note, I have been making a mental list of the perks my two jobs have. Here's the list so far:

- I get to wear my chacos at both jobs!
- I am in the outdoors
- I get to wear grunge clothes (shorts and a tshirt) to the Nursery job
- I get to work on my tan, particularly my chaco tan line
- I get to listen to my own music on my iPod while working at the Nursery
- I can ride my bike to both jobs
- I get to help and serve the elderly
- My eyes are being opened to the world of what it is like to be old - the pros and cons
- The eldery I work with touch my life with their sweet personalities and spirits and great sense of humor and gratitude.

A few great quotes from a couple of the elderly I work with:

"Stay young for as long as possible! Getting old is hard."

"This plane is hard to fly in the rain. I think we're going to have to take the wings off."

"Old ladies are just antique little girls." (This came from my friend who also works with the elderly - LOVE this quote!).

[When walking into the empty residence's room] "Oh, the bed is occupied. I need to kiss the kittens goodnight."

"Do you want to get into bed with me? I'll move over." [I was asked this when putting one of the male residence to bed....]

Duckies!

As highly suggested by our friend Destin - Jessica and I took a little field trip to the Nature Park to check out a little domesticated duckling. According to Destin this duckling is quite friendly to the point of hopping up on your lap if squatted down and allows you to pet him freely. Knowing the ducks at the Nature Park we knew this was something we had to experience ourselves.

This isn't the little duckling, but another duck playing hide-n-go-seek in the long grass by the water.

This is the little duckling we went to see. Isn't he so cute!?!

I got pretty close to the duckling at this spot. It was neat to discover the egg that was in the nest. I was surprised that there were still eggs still hatching. All the little ducklings I saw in early spring weren't so little when I saw them today.

After chasing him around the park for a little bit he retreated to this nest where he took a quick snooze. He was all tuckered out.

This is one of the two adult ducks that stayed by the duckling's side the entire time we were there. If we came too close they would hiss at us. If you look closely you can see this duck hissing at me. I was quite close at this point and so the duck had reason to hiss at me. I discovered that ducks have tongues. I never knew that!

Jessica and I thought this duck was so funny looking. We don't know what happened to his feathers/wings, but they stick out to the side on both sides. We thought he looked like a sports car with spoilers. Odd duck.

Little Happenings

I haven't posted in a couple weeks and so I just wanted to post a quick little update on the little happenings that have been going on because there isn't any big events to share.

July 15th

This day was the definite highlight of the month! My body has this natural habit of waking up around 5:30am each morning. This is about the same time the sun is rising. When I wake up I always sit up in bed and look out my window to see the sun rise. The sky is usually a bright light blue as the sun rises, but I was greeting with a gorgeous sunrise on July 15th!

This is the first time this year that I have seen such a colorful and beautiful sunrise! What an amazing way to begin the day with!

It was my friend's birthday that day and I planned a scavenger hunt for her to go on at a park in order to receive her gifts. When I pull pranks or do things where there is a reaction or action going on I LOVE to hide and watch. I wanted to watch my friend on her birthday scavenger hunt and so just to make sure she wouldn't recognize me I dressed in disguise. I borrowed clothes from a guy friend of mine and put on the image of a skater. My friend looked at me a couple of times during her scavenger hunt, but didn't recognize me at all. And even at the very end when I finally showed myself she didn't recognize me as I was walking up to her. It was an awesome success!

I wore my nike shoes along with this outfit or else she REALLY would have identified me in a heartbeat with my Chaco tan line on my feet!

I have been wanting to try my hand again at the enchiladas I made several months ago that I mangled. (Enchilada a la Mangled). I followed the directions and made sure that I didn't make the same mistakes as before. I did the prep work (meat mixture and sauce) the day before and then made the tortillas the day of so they were fresh. Everything turned out fantastic and they tasted divine!

Enchiladas a la Success!!

Last summer I made a Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with some Rhubarb that a professor I worked with in the Health Science Department brought into work for grabs. It was the first time making this pie and being the healthy conscious person I am I made it with a whole wheat crust. It was a huge success! My roommates raved about how tasty it was. With Rhubarb being in season again I decided to make it this year. Again, it turned out very delicious! With a little Chocolate Fudge Brownie Soy Ice Cream, it was a perfect touch and finish after the enchilada dinner and to a FANTASTIC day!!!

Bike Ride

Today Jessica opted to go on a 20 mile bike ride instead of her 10 mile run for her training for a half marathon. She invited me to tag along for the ride. We geared up and hit the road. Jessica didn't really mind where we went and so I decided to do a little exploring and go on some rural Rexburg roads I had never been on. We headed out towards Beaver D's park, but turned south a few miles outside of Rexburg and wound our way through the farming roads.

Jessica isn't used to sitting on a bicycle for an extended period of time and after about 5 miles started to get a little saddle sore. Surprisingly, she took my sarcastic suggestion of sitting on her camelpak serious....

A highlight of the bike ride for me, besides the beauty of nature, was when we began our ride back into town. The road that we turned East on to go back to Rexburg took us right to HWY 20. Jessica was a bit behind but I had the perfect clear to cross the HWY to get onto the other side heading North towards Rexburg. When Jessica crossed and met up with me there was fear written across her face. She was scared to be riding along side of the HWY, but with trust in me and at a faster peddaling speed we continued on towards the first Rexburg exit.

On HWY 20, like most HWYs, there are "wake-up" strips on the shoulder. Instead of the continuous strip there are intermitted wake-up strips about every 15-20 feet. As we were riding along the HWY I started talking with Jessica and we discovered what these wake-up strips did to our voices. From then on we both began making all sorts of noises, sounds, and sang bits and pieces of songs. It was quite funny and entertaining!

Work

After some strategic organization I was able to land and work out working at two different jobs. I am working a tentative part-time schedule at both jobs currently, but will go full time with both jobs at the beginning of August.

I am still working at the Plant Nursery. It has gotten a lot better since the first day. I have worked a variety of jobs besides weeding and watering. The greatest highlight that I have had at work was when I worked in the Greenhouse one day. Often times butterflies fly into the Greenhouse, but can't find their way out. So whenever we find butterfly in the Greenhouse we rescue them. The butterfly that I caught happened to be a Pink Lady Butterfly - the same kind of butterfly that I raised in my Butterfly Garden. I caught the butterfly and then walked out of the greenhouse to release her. She stayed a while on my hand in which I was able to get a good look at what a beautiful butterfuly she was! Then she was off! And instead of just fluttering around she flew higher and higher into the sky. She really spread her beautiful butterfly wings and soared!

The other job that I got is at an assisted living home. The biggest realization that I had upon beginning training with this job is that it is different than a nursing home. The majority of the people in an assisted living home are capable of doing most of the normal daily activities, but just need a little assistance. And they haven't lost their minds for the most part. (I say that last statement with all the respect possible). Working with the elderly has been something that has intimidated me my whole life for some reason. But from the day I went in for my interview I have had nothing but great experiences interacting with the residence. I have enjoyed it and look forward to getting to know the residence on a more personal level.

When my real shift begins in August I will be working the weekend night shift - Fri/Sat/Sun from 7pm to 7am. This frees up my weeks to enable me to work full time at the Nursery until it ends mid/end of August. I will continue to work the weekend shift and have the week days to play as well as have time to take some online classes. Hopefully it'll all work out as planned and I'll be able to pay all my bills.

Let Freedom Ring!

The 4th of July for me was a day in which I seemed to just bounce from one thing to another. I didn't make any plans in advance since I had overheard my roommate and a friend already brainstorming ideas over a week before the holiday. There were wish-list things I had in my mind of things that I would have liked to do, but knew that it would be disappointing if I didn't join the group of friends in their planned activities. So, I just sat back and let the day roll -giving one activity suggestion - but not putting too much hope into it in case it fell through and we didn't do it.

The day started with the Rexburg parade. I had a very pleasant walk from my apartment to downtown/Main street as I talked with my little brother Ben on the phone. I ended up getting there just in time to see the last two parade cars reach the end of the road and everybody beginning to pack up and leave. I called me roommate and met up with her and the gang at Destin & Nate's house where we attempted to make plans for the remaider of the day.

It was about lunch time and we decided to hit up a place for a bite to eat and then go to a friend's house to jump on their trampoline with the sprinklers under it. Out of the six of us, only three made it to lunch at the Great Harvest and then we bagged the trampoline idea because of other obligations people had. But lunch at the Great Harvest was VERY tasty and the company was great.

With still no set plans for the evening except the Chucker's baseball game that evening in Idaho Falls I got dropped off at home expecting to find my roommate home cleaning up the house - it was her excuse and ticket out of going to lunch. But I found the apartment empty and her car gone. Shortly after arriving home I received a phone call from Jessica inviting me to join her and Amber at Smith Park to walk around and see all the vendors and whatnot. I asked if I could bring my slack line equimpment and if they would be willing to try it out. They both seemed excited about it. That made me excited because I have been itching to go slack lining for a long time and it takes a few people and their man-power to set up a good, tight slack line.

I grabbed my slack line bag and headed out the door. As I was walking to Smith Park I learned that Adria, my sister-in-law, was in town with her whole family visiting. I was very surprised that she was in town. We quickly made plans to meet up in Idaho Falls for the firework show.


I found Jessica and Amber quickly upon arriving at Smith Park and our first activity was to ride the carosel. This brought back lots of childhood memories as we sat on the galloping horses and went around and around in a circle.

Jessica and Amber enjoying their horsey ride.

I suggested that we have a race to see who could get around the carosel by jumping from horse to horse. Touching the ground was illegal. Neither of them didn't seem too excited about the spontaneous and random adventure idea, stating that we'd get kicked off. With some truth to that statement I was still disappointed that they didn't want to join me in the fun. Sure we may have gotten kicked off, but that was probably only as far as it would have gone. Plus, there were no signs that prohibited that kind of activity.....

After the horsey ride we found a good spot in the park to set up the slack line. It took me a little bit to remember how to do it since it has been a year since the last time I set one up. But nonetheless I was able to get it up! I taught the basic principles of slack lining to Jessica and Amber and then watched in great amusement in their attempts to do it - of course, supporting, helping, and encouraging them as they did it.

As they were taking turns walking the slack line I scanned the park and did a little bit of people watching - something that I love to do. I noticed across the street from where we were located a family BBQ going on. As I watched their activities for a little bit I began to recognize a few people. "That looks like Adria's mom. That looks like her older brother.....her younger brother..." I grabbed my cell phone and texted Adria to ask if she was near a blue canopy tent, holding a baby, and having a BBQ. A few minutes later I looked back over there and Adria was standing on the side of the street waving to me. It was her!

She crossed the street and we chatted for a bit and I attempted to persuade her to try out the slack line, but she was insistant that she didn't, which I didn't understand. She didn't seem to have a problem learning how to longboard after meeting my older brother, which is a significantly more dangerous sport than slack lining. Maybe the fact that a boy was attached to the longboard was more motivating for her.

I walked back across the street with her and visited with her mom and little nephew for a little bit before my roommate came over to tell me that they were done slack lining and wanted to head over to Wal-Mart to get a frisbee. So Adria and I said goodbye with the plans of meeting up again later that night for the firework show. It was SO great to have that random chance of seeing her.

Making the final preparations for our evening in Idaho Falls, Jessica and I met up with Amber, Marilee, & Chad. We piled into my truck and were off by 6:00pm for the Chucker's baseball game. A couple of us weren't too thrilled to go to the baseball game, but went to support others and for the social atomosphere. Upon arriving in Idaho Falls we discovered that all of the direct routes to the stadium were blocked off, but we managed to find some back roads that lead us to the stadium. We were about half an hour late but we managed to get good seats as well as meet up with Amber's friend David.

The baseball game was a lot more enjoyable than expected, which was a bonus. I enjoyed the company I was with and kept an eye on the events of the game at the same time. The one and only suggestion that I made to contribute to the 4th of July activities was to hit up the Outback Stakehouse for some good food and great seats for the fireworks. This is what I did last year with my good friends. It was a great success and a TON of fun. We literally had to lay on the ground to watch the fireworks because they were being shot off right in front of us. Surprisingly everybody agreed to make this attempt.

Four of us left the game early in order to get into Outback Stakehouse before it was full. I was very weary and didn't have much hope of getting into the parking lot there because of how late we were leaving to go try. But when we pulled up and said we were here to eat they said we were lucky because there were only two spots left. We were so excited and mostly surprised we made it. We parked and then went in for a delicious dinner.

Amber and Dave met up with us shortly after we finished eating and we all climbed into the back of my truck, which was laid with the futon pad, blankets, and pillows, and we all got comfy and we waited for the fireworks. Marilee brought glow in the dark sticks which we had fun playing with as we waited.

The firework show was qued with a local radio station. We tuned into it and cranked it up and listened to it as we watched the half an hour long firework display. It was a great show and really brought the feeling of pride for being an American, living in America, and a deep sense of gratitude for all the people and sacrifices that happened in order for this country to be a free country.

Isn't it great to be an American!!

Lightening & Thunderstorm!

Right now I am sitting on the edge of my bed looking out of my bedroom window at the lightening and thunderstorm that is going on right now in Rexburg, ID. This is the first lightening and thunderstorm of the summer. I love the pulse of light followed by the strike of lightening that flashes across the dark rolling clouds in the sky. As I have been watching this spectacular lightening show and listening to the rolling roar of the thunder my mind has taken me back to the last time I saw lightening and heard thunder. In fact, I was right in the middle of it.

So there I was...it was my first week back on the trail after graduating in July 2007. I was in the boys group and the other Trail Walker (TW) I was with was actually the newly hired nurse who was going through his first week on the trail. This is typical of hired office staff to spend a week on the trail in order to understand trail life up close and personal. But there I was - in charge of 4-5 boys and training a new Anasazi office employee - all on my own after being away for 8 months.

By day four (Saturday) we had only reached our day two (Thursday) destination due to very slow packing in the morning by the boys as well as very slow hiking from the nurse due to some physical limitations and dehydration which ended up turning into heat exhaustion. All not a very good combination. On day five (Sunday) we were able to pull the nurse out of the group in which two other TW's joined me for that day's hike. We high-tailed it as fast as we could to the rendezvous point where these two TW's would then be switched out by another TW who would be with me the remaider of the week.

As we neared the rendezvous point - it being Arizona's monsoon season - thick, dark clouds began to move in on us. It didn't take long before rain began to fall and thunder began to pound throughout the sky. By the time we reached our camping spot we could see lightening bolts stricking the earth not too far away from us. We quickly figured out the logistics of our campsite and then went to work in putting up shelters. I quickly made my way to the nearby river bed to gather the needed rocks to secure my shelter down using the light from the lightening to find the rocks. By the time I made it back to my pack the rain had began to fall heavy on us and the snap of thunder was piercing to our ears. We were all scrambling as fast as we could and as efficient as we could as our bodies shook with chills and our hands were swollen, stiff, and numb.

I was just finishing untying my pack when I stood up to begin the next step of setting up my shelter. As I stood completely up, in the split second that I looked up and straight ahead of me and lightening bolt struck the barbed-wire fence that was about 20-30ft in front of me. In that instant and all at the same time I felt the hair on my arms stand up and the electrical current of the lightening bolt run through my body as I dropped flat to the ground. Fear shot through my heart as it skipped a few beats. We quickly told the Young Walkers (YW) to spread out in the open field we were camping in and get as low to the ground as possible and away from the trees.

I grabbed my pack and the extra tarp I had and ran! Being clear from the surrounding trees and away from any other person I dropped to the ground, covered myself up with my tarp, and spooned with my pack in order to keep it from getting wet. I laid there and plead for my life as I listened to the crack of thunder, the pounding of the rain on my tarp, and the strikes of lightening hitting the trees. I literally thought I was in the last moments of my life and plead that I wouldn't be taken like that.

After about half an hour the storm had passed over us and it was safe for us to resume our task of setting up shelters. I quickly set mine up and then helped some of the boys get their shelters set up as best we could in the dark. Once we were all situated and everybody was tucked away in their sleeping bags I changed into some drier clothes, slipped into my sleeping bag, and said a long prayer of gratitude for the safety we had been blessed with and again plead for that safety to continue throughout the rest of the night as we slept.

Fear from that experience still effects me and I am grateful that I can view the occuring storm through my window in the safety of my apartment. I love mother nature and the magnificent shows and wonders she displays. I just don't particularly enjoy being in the middle of a life-threatening display of mother nature's power. This lightening and thunderstorm is amazing and I only wish I had a camera in which I could take a picture of it and share it with you.

Our 2nd Amendment Rights

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

For the first time in my life I was able to take advantage and use this right. (Sorry, paintballing doesn't count). A friend from BYU-Idaho, Chapan, invited me to go shooting with him one evening. Never having gone before I was excited for this new adventure. We drove 20 minutes outside of Rexburg - out in the middle of no-man's land - and followed a dirt road which even furthered our entrance into the middle of no where.

Once we arrived Chapan pulled out the box of clay pigeons and we walked to the nearby hill. He handed me about 8 or so pigeons which I set up amongst rocks and shrubs. He set up a number of pigeons himself creating a hillside of orange spots. He then introduced me to the guns.

A 22 Rifle and a 12 guage Shotgun. In the past as I have been around guns, mostly handguns, I have already gotten a very weary feeling because I know that that object can take a life. But surprisingly I didn't get that same weary feeling as I was around and handled the rifle and shotgun.

Chapan loaded the 22 Rifle and invited me to shot first after giving me a few pointers. I wasn't too confident in my shooting ability, since I hadn't ever shot anything but a paintball gun before. I was quite impressed with the accuracy of my shots while looking through the scope. On my first round of shooting I hit more pigeons than I missed. Very surprised and very excited. Chapan shot a round after me and then we pulled out the 12 guage Shotgun.

I was a bit nervous to shoot the 12 guage Shotgun. The first shot threw me back a foot or two because of the unexpected kick, but I got comfortable with it when I shot it as it rested on the boxes we had stacked up on the trunk of the car. I was pretty accurate with the Shotgun as well. Another pleasant surprise. Chapan wanted to mix things up by throwing some pigeon into the air as I shot at them. I kind of laughed at this idea; the thought of me trying to hit a flying object during my first time shooting a gun was quite humerous to me, but I was still definitely up for the challenge. I got into my stance and held the gun up tight against my shoulder. I yelled, "pull!" when I was ready for him to throw the pigeon. He threw it high and as it began its decent I pulled the trigger - BAM - I hit it! I cheered in excitement and shock! I actually hit a flying pigeon! Chapan threw two more, but missed both of them.

We switched back to the Rifle for a few more rounds before going back to the Shotgun. Chapan had me walk closer to the hillside this time, which meant that I was using my own strength, which isn't that much, to hold up this shotgun while I shot at the pigeons on the hillside. After shooting a few times my arm began getting really tired from the weight of the gun. I began focusing my attention on holding up the gun with my left arm and not paying attention to how the gun was positioned against my body. The next shot was painful. Since I didn't have the shotgun tight up against my shoulder, when I shot the kick of the gun threw the gun back into my shoulder creating an insta-bruise. It was painful, but nothing I couldn't handle. I still had a few more shots left in the gun. For the last shot Chapan again threw a pigeon. Being a little nervous about getting hurt again I didn't put too much concentration on hitting the flying pigeon. But I aimed and then quickly pulled the trigger. I obliterated the pigeon as tiny pieces went flying everywhere. I gave a good hoot of excitement after that shot!

To wrap things up before it got dark Chapan allowed me to make sure we couldn't see anymore orange spots on the hillside. I used the 22 Rife for this and was able to hit the remaining visable pigeons without too many misses. It was a really fun and educational experience! And I got a nice battle wound in the process.

This is the 12 guage Shotgun. It was in this round of shots that I received my battle wound.
Here is Chapan with the 22 Rifle. He has a very fast and accurate shot.
Showing off the guns!
The hillside we shot at with the orange pigeons. You may have to click on the picture to enlarge it so you can see the pigeons.

The battle wound insta-bruise.

The beautiful sun was setting behind us while we were shooting. I love when streaks of sunlight burst through the clouds as well as seeing the silver lining on clouds.