Mountain Woman

So, I've got a new goal for this summer that has to do with my BEAUTIFUL HOME STATE of UTAH!!

For those unfamiliar with the totally awesome stuff UT has to offer--here's a little taste:

Here's what I was thinking:

I've never taken advantage of these fantastic hiking spots! I've been camping, fishing, etc., by my super whiny attitude towards hiking has stopped me from getting the coolest spots around the Beehive state. 

So, I'm working on a sweet workout plan at the gym that involves a steep incline on the treadmill and carrying weights, so that when the sweet, blessed summer rolls around, I'll be able to climb a mountain without passing out!! Can I get a Hoo-RAH!! 

I do have a specific place in mind...

AND HERE IT IS!!!

:

Red Castle in the High Uintas!

Now this is going to take a significant amount of endurance (for me at lease--since hiking the Y makes me want to cry....) and this is a journey of a few days. Hopefully I can convince my dad and brother to take me, and we'll have a jolly good time :)

How to Socialize in a Socially Awkward Zone

So this Friday there's a YSA Winter Formal at the stake center in Springdale, AR--for those of you who have no idea what i'm talking about--I'll explain.

YSA stands for Young Single Adult. What makes you a "young, single adult"? Well in Mormon lingo, it means you're between the ages of 18 and 30, you aren't married, and you have no qualms about sticking to your gender's side of the basketball court drinking root beer.

"Winter Formal" means fancy dance.

"Stake Center" means church building.

Springdale, AR means that i'm about to experience something "other-worldly"...

Now don't get me wrong--i'm excited! Getting dressed up is DELIGHTFUL! BUT, am I really prepared for the amazingly awkward things that happen at church dances? I mean there are some strange folk at these gatherings....

Who to look out for:
You've got the crazies who dance non-stop until they're drenched in sweat, then say "Hey--wanna dance?!" *big goofy grin* and all you can think is argh....I don't reeeeeally want to touch you..... Then, you've got the creepers who latch onto ONE girl and stare...and hover.....they ask her to dance, but they don't talk to her while swaying in a circle....and then they continues to hover and ask for dances to slow songs in for the rest of the night. You've got the hot shots who don't dance at all, and you wonder why they even come; they're only matched by the wall flowers who simply don't dance because they're petrified--Girls man, GIRLS!!

Theres....
The guy you shouldn't give your number to.

The guy who's got a girlfriend--but it's complicated, and she's in a different state.

The guy who's actually 35.

The guy who's actually 17.

The guy that insists on wearing his cowboy hat the whole time (and we're 87% sure he's never ridden a horse).

The guy with the seersucker suit.

This is how they're pointed out to me--even before the dance has begun. Watch out for this, watch out for that. Now tell me people--what am I getting myself into??? Is this really my only option for dance craze outlet? You can only have a dance party in your apartment so many times before you're bored. I guess that's why we go though......because there's never a dull moment at a YSA dance.

But hey, it's gonna be great. Why? Because fun is created by those courageous enough to seek after it, and by golly--if I don't have fun, then I've failed at life. So bring on the seersucker--this girl wants to dance!!

A Fantastic, Delightful, Wonderful New Idea

The snow days have slowly been killing me. Granted, I've had fun with friends and playing in the snow, but you can only do so much when there's 3 inches of ice on the ground, and nobody want's to venture out to do much of anything. So today after church (now a balmy 60 degrees), I decided I needed some Stephanie Time.

(Stephanie Time: Me thinking, preferably outdoors, without any disruptions--i.e. nobody is invited).

I decided it would be an adventure.

I walked away from my apartment complex up into a hilly area that i'd only ever seen from a distance. Surely "The Natural State" would have a lot to offer, right? To make a long story short, I walked onto what seemed like a snow covered field, only to find that it was a slightly frozen-over marsh. I could give details about the surprise on my face, the mud that soaked into my shoes, the funny looks I got from people walking their dogs and my shoes gushed and squelched as I walked back, but I wont. Long story short, remember?

I got home and sat on my couch, contemplated my life, and decided it was time to re-evaluate it (my life I mean...).

One thought led to another, and another, and NOW, I have a new goal:



I WANT TO LIVE IN A TREEHOUSE!


Fantastic, eh?
(don't worry about my train of thought so much as the end result)

I mean, people do this for reals--here are some pics! -->








Yes. Awesome. I must have this. I can't handle being so far away from a good spot for Stephanie Time, but if I lived in a treehouse, I could like, LIVE IN STEPHANIE TIME!!

What a satisfying idea.

The Snow Day to (Hopefully) End all Snow Days...

Wow! This is like snow day #7!

So yesterday we got like 2 feet of snow--which apparently is quite the record for Arkansas! 

...obviously school was cancelled....again.........which is totally cool.......except I'm NOT looking forward to having to make up all of these classes! (shout out to the professors that don't follow U of A policy and think their class is the most important thing in the world).

Ok, so yesterday was pretty awesome--make-shift snow clothes, a tarp, and a snow-covered hill made for quite the adventure. Being from Utah, I'm a pretty classy sledder: slick snowsuits, wool hats, boots, and Heaven forbid--REAL SLEDS! Hahaha! But all the same, it was one of the greatest days ever! I didn't even touch my homework! I've got some pretty fantastic friends here, so they really made it for me :)

Also, this is what I look like when I've fallen in snow and my roommate's dog tries to save me:

This is my roomie when she fell in the snow...

Afterwards, the boys made us dinner from the random crap they found in our chicken (which apparently could be turned into chicken enchiladas, Spanish rice, and beans!?) MmmMMmMmm...De-LISH.

What's up for today? That would be a whole lot of homework (since it looks like the snow is melting--i.e. I might have class tomorrow), some laundry (almost out of clean underwear...TMI?), and if institute gets cancelled, party at our apartment with the ward peeps! Eila and Adam wanted to try Swedish Pancakes for dinner, so that should be interesting :)

That Funk

Soooooo.....this morning came rather quickly, tapping me on the forehead and grinning widely--I turned and stuck out my tongue, and I admit, cussed in my head (this 100% internal cussing can no longer be helped since coming to Arkansas....). Blast you new day, and all your promises I thought to myself...

You know how days start blending and can start to S E E M  L I K E  T H E  S A M E.....a little monotonous? You feelin' me? Same old cereal, same old songs on the radio, same grumpy old man on the bus...

And you inhale deeply....
And you look for things to help you hold on--like that delicious cheese stick in your lunch.
And you think about how you used to be fun...

Argh! When did I get boring?!?! I'm telling you--law school is sucking the life out of me! The other day I laughed out loud at a joke for the first time in a week, and almost fell out of my chair because I was so startled with myself!! But I'm working on this. I realize that my loss of "spice" will only give me heart problems, gray hair, and possibly a liking for Good n Plenty. I just need to get out of this funk. I will. I wonder what would happen if I put pink streaks in my hair....


P.S. cheese sticks are still totally awesome--DO NOT get down on yourself if they're the highlight of your day.