Some Rocky Mountain wonder

I've lived at the base of the Rockies for my entire life, but unfortunately it was only a couple years ago that I discovered how truly awesome that is. I started going on hikes with my friend Mal in order to be physically fit, and I fell in love. The mountains are so beautiful, and it seems that there are endless trails waiting to be discovered. On top of being breathtakingly beautiful, there is a serenity and a calm sense of security that comes from being away from the frantic pace of normal life.

I also find hiking to be a very spiritual experience. When I am high in the mountains, gazing down and the shiny flecks of human creation, I am reminded of how insignificant we are. We think we are so amazing, and that we do such great things. And then I stand there and look at how small our great accomplishments are in comparison to God's grand creations, and I just have to thank Him for giving me another day to live, breathe, and create.

Now, don't misunderstand me... I'm speaking solely about hiking here, and not camping! As much as I have fallen in love with the mountains, I'm not ready to sleep with them. The person who thinks they can get me to fall in love with cooking, and sleeping, and living in nature has their work cut out for them. But for a day, maybe even two, I love it.

Anyway, all of this was to say, I went on a Hike today. And I loved it. and I took some pics. Brian and I hiked up to Horse Tail Falls, took us about three hours there and back. It was really steep... the ENTIRE way. I think there were two flat spots, that were both about five yards long. Other than that it was steep incline. Yay.. Yay for butt and calf muscles.

Our Final Destination.

"Hey Brian, stand over there and I'll take a pic of you." Code for, I'm dying. I need to find a way to take a break without seeming like a wuss.

 

Another pic from said break.

There was horse poop EVERYWHERE... I only stepped in it once.

La Roca Grande

Aaaaand, a real view. This was not a wuss break pic.

 Also, this is a lesson I learned from today's hike. If I eat crap, I will feel like crap. I've been eating all sorts of junk food this week because I'm leaving soon and I've been saying my goodbye's (I'm a social eater). Well, it caught up with me and I was dying for the first couple miles! Yikes. Time to stop inhaling the ice cream and cookies and cake.

A Little Bit of Fun

So, I move to Canada next Wednesday, and I'm excited!!! A week from this moment I will be rehearsing, and that just makes me so happy.

Today is my last day as a teller, and hopefully it is a job I will never have to resume. Its not that its been terrible, its actually been very good to me. But I'm hoping that I can make it through the rest of school living off of the money I make from whatever summer jobs I have. And when I graduate I want to move to NY, and lets face it, I don't really want to move to NY so I can be a teller again. . . just sayin.

I was lucky enough to have the day off yesterday, and I decided to take advantage of the nice weather and go to the Hoagle Zoo with some friends. I have to say, I'm very impressed with the upgrades that they are making. I remember going to the Zoo as a kid, and it was kind of depressing because the animals were basically holed up in the cement boxes with hardly anything to do. But, with the upgrades, the animals have so much more space and the set up allows patrons to get much closer. Anyway, the whole experience is much more enjoyable. And there is a stark contrast from the old parts of the Zoo to the upgrades. I'm excited to go in a couple years when they have everything upgraded. It will be really neat.

Anyway, here are some of the pics we took. We decided that the theme of our pictures would be "We love Animals." So, these pictures are to show our love...

So. Much. Love.

Contemplating the love of the Rhino

Brian's Favorite Animal. He was once an aspiring marine biologist.

I don't love them as much, I just imitate.

Then the chrome bear bit my hand....

Siegfried and Roy

After a fun day at the Zoo, and then a nice dinner and a little excursion to Hatch Family Chocolates. Brian and I headed off to Wiseguys for an evening of comedy with one of my favorite comedians and people. Miranda Sings (Colleen Ballinger). I laughed myself silly, and then got to meet her after and get a pic. Overall, it was an awesome day!

She gave us some really good advice too... "Jack and Brian, I love you. Don't be Porn" - Miranda Sings

Mornings

This post may seem a little ironic following my last post.... but whatever.

So, I have already shared that I get hangry, but there is another time when I can be not so pleasant.... when I am tired. And this is most often the case in the morning.

I HATE mornings!

This would be the BEST thing to wake up too!

Every new day is a new battle.

Waking up sounds so simple when you say it you know? It's like "wake up." Just open your eyes, roll out of bed, get going............ as if.

And my alarm clock? my worst enemy!

Now, if I've had a good 10 to 12 hours of sleep, then I can just "wake up." But get anything less than that, and waking up becomes raising the dead. Its a miserable, draining process.

My poor mother is usually the recipient of this morning anger. She cannot win in the mornings. I'll come upstairs in a half daze like a zombie and she will ask me a simple question about my plans for the day like, "Do you work today?" Normally such a question would be no problem, but if its before 10 am, then this ball of murderous rage boils up in the pit of my stomach that makes me want to yell something like "I GOT UP!!! I DESERVE A MEDAL!! WHY ARE YOU HARPING ON ME LIKE THIS?!?!" Lucky, I have the ability to regulate my emotions and I can usually take a deep breath and get a pleasant response out. But the anger lives on.... until about ten when I fully come to life and I can see clearly.

When I was a missionary we had to get up at 6:30 every morning. I don't know how I accomplished this as waking up anytime before 7:45 is near impossible for me, but somehow I did it. Luckily, my first companion when I got to Virginia was not a morning person either. I remember that he specifically told me that we would get along better if we didn't speak until after our personal study time which ended at 10. It was miraculous! We got along so well! I think that it should be a rule of society that we just simply do not interact until after 10. In fact sometimes I want to make a sign for myself that says "Danger! Not a morning person. Communicate before 10am at your own risk!" sigh.... if only.

So there is me, and my hatred of the morning, and then there is this completely other breed of human that wakes up super early full of energy and optimism and rainbows and sunshine.... and in the mornings, I want to kill them. Mostly.... some days not as much, but usually. Good thing we can be friends later in the day!

In closing, one of the most inspired quotes of the decade.

"In and ideal world no one would talk before 10am. People would just hug, because waking up is really hard." - Zooey Deschanel