Weekend Update

It's been awhile since I've posted an update. Recently I caught the busy-ness bug and determined that my life is just so busy and I've got so many things to do. Do you ever get that way? You start to think that you are so busy and you fill your time with stuff and then realize that you have put so much on you plate that you don't even know where to begin so you end up doing nothing at all. I'm not sure if that made any sense, but the busy-ness bug has hit me and I've decided to get rid of it. I don't want to be busy busy busy. I'd rather be spending my time doing things I enjoy and getting satisfaction out of the simple things in life, which to me are relationships, religion and enjoying the great outdoors.

If any of you hear me complain about being busy, or use the excuse that I am too busy to participate in life, please slap me in the face. You have my permission. Slap me and then tell me to take a deep breath, look around and enjoy what is right in front of me. Yesterday was my first day hiking all summer. I used to hike ALL the time during the summer, but this year I kept putting it off, saying I had too many other things to do. When I got up in the mountains yesterday I felt myself come back to life. The fresh air, the smell of pine trees, the view of gigantic granite rocks behind a beautiful lake with the sky reflecting on the water....wow, life does not get much better than that. Plus, I was with great friends. We chatted, we told stories, we strengthened friendships and enjoyed each other's company without the distractions of cell phones, televisions and the rest of the noise the regular world makes. Being in nature boosts my spirits and now all I want to do is hike and feel of constant peace of wilderness, where everything moves and sounds and looks exactly as God created it.

Well, a couple of weeks ago I went on date #5. We will call him Slick. I met Slick online and he invited me to meet up with him for dinner. He seemed like a cool guy, so I agreed to go. Dinner was okay. Nothing too exciting. There wasn't a lot of attraction and I felt like I had to keep the conversation going, so I didn't really see a second date coming - at least from my end of things.

Anyway, after dinner I was all excited because I thought I was going to get home somewhat early and enjoy the rest of the evening trying to cater to the busy-ness bug. But, instead, Slick asked me where the nearest movie theater was and we made our way to the movies. As we were walking into the movie theater, Slick decided to hold my hand. I was taken by suprise, but not totally sure what to do, so I didn't do anything. My thoughts were, "Oh boy, this is going to be a long movie." And yes it was. He proceeded to hold my hand throughout the movie and I proceeded to wish I had gone home right after dinner.

After the movie we were walking back to the car. Slick leaned his back against the car and pulled me towards him. He definitely wanted a kiss. I did not. So what did I do? Yes, I turned my head, gave him a hug and a nice pat on the back and totally killed his dreams of wanting to get some first date action. Then I jumped in the car, he drove me back to my car and I said "Thanks for the date" and I jumped into my car and drove home happily ever after. Needless to say, I never head from Slick again.

Yesterday I went on date #6. I will call him Flash -- short for Flash from the Past. I dated Flash well over a year ago. We dated for a couple of months and then things sort of just ended. We had gone on a date, said out good nights and then didn't talk to each other again. Sort of strange, I know.

Anyway, we caught up with each other a couple of months ago over email and then decided to meet up for lunch. So we met at Chipotle (my new favorite eating establishment). It was good to see Flash again. We ate lunch and just talked and caught each other up on what we'd been up to the past year and a half. Flash is a great guy. He's a good listener and easy to talk to. It was fun to just sit with him and talk. I was only able to stay for an hour because I had to work at an event downtown. So he walked me to my car and gave me a hug. We talked about going for hike or doing something else...so we'll see what happens.

To go along with my goal of reading 30 books this year, I just finished another one. It is called Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver. A woman that I used to work for recommended it to me and lent me her copy. Its a fictional book that takes place in the desert of Arizona in a small town called Grace. It was interesting, but I'm not sure I'd really recommend it to anyone. It was sort of boring and took my awhile to get through it. It's about a woman that travels back to the small town she grew up in to take care of her dying father. The story follows her as she discovers who she really is and how she comes to realize what love really is all about. Anyway, it was okay, but I wouldn't put it at the top of my life.


Well, there you have it folks. My goal for the next couple of weeks is to cure the busy-ness bug and enjoy the simple moments in life. I am also working on crossing off a couple of other things on my list of 30 things to do before I turn 30. I am planning a trip to go sailling on the Great Salt Lake and I am super excited! Let me know if you want to come. Also, I really want to ride in a hot air balloon! If any of you know of a good company to go through or how I can get a good discount (or even go for free) please let me know.

Happy Sunday!