Utah - Sam & Steve's Wedding Aug. 14 - Aug. 19, 2007

Well, I made my travel rounds and landed back in Utah just in time to move out of my apartment and make it to Sam's wedding. Good thing I made it to her wedding, since as a bridesmaid, I was an instrumental part of the wedding party:-) It was great to have Mom & Steve and Dad & Debbie all there to meet Steve. They hadn't given Sam the ultimate seal of approval, but they have now. I'm so grateful for the way Sam came into our lives through my brother, and the way she loved TJ during great challenges was amazing. I know TJ certainly gives his seal of approval too.

It's been a whirlwind of a summer as I traveled much, completed my thesis, moved out of Utah, got lost in D.C. and Palo Alto, CA and attended weddings for some of my most favorite people. Every summer should be so eventful! I'm slightly dazed believing I'm supposed to be heading back to BYU, finishing a thesis or something. But I do recognize it's time to move on to the next big adventure that awaits. Whatever, whenever, wherever, whomever it may be:-)

Washington DC - Aug. 7 - Aug. 12, 2007

Who knew! There's a place where singles are appreciated so much that they have their own lane on the freeway! The yellow signs say "Single Lane Ahead". D.C. is surely the place to be:-)

I went out for a Communications Conference to present a paper, and mom joined me to celebrate her Bday on Aug. 10th. Though D.C. is a popular tourist attraction, I don't know how many people can say they enjoy the city in August during humid, 100 degree weather. Can't say I enjoyed it, but it wasn't unbearable. Besides, my hair is always thick and luscious in humidity:-)

Lessons learned from this trip: I recommend the popular tourist spots, but don't try to see it all in one trip. You miss out on a lot if you're rushing from one place to the next. Even the the White House (couldn't find parking) and D.C. Temple (missed the street, and heading out to Gettysburg) were drive-bys. In case there is any question, the Pentagon does not give tours, let alone let you enter the parking lot. My mom used to go all the time when she was young, but different time period and her dad worked at the Pentagon.

I also recommend the Newseum that will be opening soon. We had a sneak peek as AEJMC delegates to see this gigantic media museum. Way cool! Inspired me to rent Goodnight and Goodluck about Edward R. Murrow (still haven't seen it). The Newseum will definitely be on my list next time I'm in D.C.

Moral of the Story: When in D.C., in mid-August, view the sites at night, especially the National Mall (all the memorials). It's open until 11:45 pm. Gorgeous city lights as we walked around Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, etc until 11:30pm. In hindsight, probably not the safest idea, so don't walk around without tons of people. Or just jump in with a random tour group wandering along the path.

Connecticut - July 25 - Aug. 1, 2007

Nothing like a summer vacation on the East Coast. Of course, a good vacation requires some outdoor chores and a house to paint. My dad and I were busily engaged in yardwork, painting the house, and fighting off hornets (at least the mosquitos stayed at bay). Great way to get a classic tan. The sun isn't as strong out there, so I always get a nice deep tan. It's kinda strange, but I turn a different color. Like Purple! Just kidding.

I enjoyed the fresh berries and apples from the yard and veggies from the farmer's market. Ah, that is the way to live. Seafood, veggie gardens and all the fruit you'll ever need to survive. Though we stayed in Westport, CT most of the time; we also went out to Pawcatuck, CT (borders RI) to visit my Aunt Helen's house built in the 1600's, and housed by a sea captain. What a tale it must tell.

We ventured out to Mystic, CT for the annual 24hr reading marathon of Herman Mellville's classic, Moby Dick. I've never read it, but as Herman Mellville recited the first chapter by memory (ok, maybe just a guy pretending to be Herman), I was inspired to get my own copy. Such passion for the sea is expressed in the first chapter, and since I was a fish in another life:-) I knew this is a must read.

Vacation is not complete without boating and fishing (at least pretending) in the Atlantic! I actually caught a Bass, while dad and Aunt Helen caught dog fish (they bark at you, funny looking creatures). No fish were harmed during our boating experience; we threw them back. My dad and I also swam from CT to RI! Sounds catastrophic, huh? Okay, I think it was really hundreds of yards to swim between the two states.

This is a highly recommended vacation destination, but I'm partially bias to the permeating childhood memories that pop up as I visit family on the east coast.

Additional note on Cali trip - July 21, 2007

An additional note to my Cali trip may seem cheesy, but is a bittersweet memory. It was wonderful to see my brother's best friend get married in the temple. Though it was not planned, Brian married Keri on July 20th, two years to the last day he saw TJ on this earth. My brother passed away at 5am on July 21, 2007. As he went into a coma on July 20th, friends and family gathered to sing hymns, share scriptures and say goodbye for now. From one best friend to a new best friend, I think TJ had a helping hand in bringing Brian & Keri together.

Northern California - July 20, 2007

After flying home to Phx (this time it was planned), I flew off to San Jose a day later for Brian & Keri's wedding. Always love trips to CA! My mom and I toured Stanford and got lost in Palo Alto. Then we headed to Sacramento (new travel territory) for the wedding. After both Steve's cut out of the trip (Mom and Samantha's), it was just the girls. Great chance to get some quality girly time in.

Beautiful temple in Sacramento, as it was virtually empty. Awesome time with the Price's and Keri's family. One of the cutest couples ever! Brian did well. Keri and him are great together.

CONSUMER REPORT: Hyundai Sonata - Man, this car can get up and go! 0 to 60 in .02 seconds or something. Unfortunately, as I learned the hard way, it doesn't gracefully come to a halt. I was balancing two jamba juice smoothies when my mom braked to catch a turn we ended up missing. During this stunt, one smoothie flew through the air with the greatest of ease to land on my clothes and the floor in front of me. I was a gummy bear for the rest of the day, as I stuck to everything or everything stuck to me. MORAL OF THE STORY: when renting a Sonata - use cupholders.

Back to Denver - July 2007

I ventured back to Denver right after the 4th. I was able to spend more great time with my dad and visit the Hobbs up in Evergreen, while Carrie was getting ready to enter the MTC for the CA-San Diego mission. Love visiting with those close friends. It's always nice to go back to your roots, but slightly eerie to reminisce on the years gone by as I spent 12 years in that 8,000 ft. Mountain town (living at such an elevation probably explains a lot of my random behaviors:-)

The slight drama (not really dramatic) came with my flight back to SLC. I went to the airport on Tuesday only to discover that my flight left Wednesday. Random. I've never done that before. Scheduled a ticket for the wrong day. So I go back Wednesday at 8:30 am (dad had a client in town and meeting) for a 1 pm flight only to find out my flight is cancelled due to technical dificulties. Thanks to the meticulous techs that make our traveling experience a complete possibility. Don't want to fly on a broken plane.

So the first leg of my journey detoured to Phx (no direct flights). Got into Phx at 4 pm to be delayed for two hours because of a missing plane somewhere in the sky. I arrived in SLC at 8:30 pm. 12 hour travel day. The 8 hr drive was probably a better choice.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Always double-check your flight dates before purchasing. Be patient and stay busy by going through every terminal, every store, and explaining airport security to confused travelers (sealed bottled water is still not allowed through security). If you end up at the airport for several hours participate in non-traditional exercise (walk everywhere, lift your bag 100 times with each arm, do calf raises, stretch and refrain from sitting). Specifically, if you're trapped at DIA you can practice balance on the train between terminals. Don't hold on to the rails, just balance back and forth with your legs slightly bent. For beginners, stand close to a pole or rail to avoid flying into another tram traveler. May get some strange looks, but it's so much fun.

Monticello & Muley Point - July 2007

What better way to start July then with a weekend trip to Monticello! Though this location may be unlisted in a typical travel guide, it has a great small town atmosphere (because it is a small town) and even it's very own LDS Temple (it's pretty small too). It was great to get out of 100 degree Provo weather and settle with 80 degree temps.

We visited Liz's (my roommate) aunt and uncle. So much fun! Adorable kids. They are the family on the move, as they're involved with everything. That's totally how it should be and I hope to be with my own kids. They took us down to Muley Point somewhere between Bluff and Mexican Hat. Their family minivan turned into a Hummer as we climbed our way to the point. We hiked around the side of the point to view some Anasazi petraglyphs. These amazing pictures depict the birth of Christ. It was so gorgeous and enjoyable to scale the side of 1000 foot cliff.

CONSUMER REPORT: Family minivan (if I remember it was a Toyota Sienna). Now there's a car I recommend. Who knew a minivan could scale rocks and major ditches and venture up the road less traveled.

Happy Father's Day - June 2007

June travel continued on to Denver to spend time with my dad and Elizabeth. I got to be a kid again as we watched Hannah Montana (Liz's fav), went to Waterworld, Primary and made Father's Day cards and kids crafts. I also met Dad's girlfriend Debbie, adorable spunky lady, who really favors the color yellow and has a tortoise named Bam-Bam.

Lake Tahoe - June 2007

My summer travel started with a great weekend trip to Tahoe with my roomies. We were totally livin' it up at an exclusive ski lodge in Squaw Valley (1960 Olympic venue) and traveling around in a Jeep Commander. We were fortunate to go before the horrible fires. It's absolutely gorgeous there. Reminds me of Colorado.

CONSUMER REPORT: buyer beware:-) the Jeep Commander is very stylish, but not the best choice for the sight-seeing bunch sitting in the backseat. Passengers sit two feet higher than the windows having to slouch down to peer out. The DVD player is a nice touch, but the backseat-middle passenger is stuck viewing the onscreen images cross-eyed and is really at a loss to view anything outside of the car when this is down.

For clarification, my roommate's brother came too. BYU hasn't changed their standards to co-ed habitations:-) It was an awesome trip for the some rest and relaxation, plus few crowds. I highly recommend this destination spot on any traveler's list. Plan on going at this time if you're crowd-aphobic. It was in between seasons, so absolutely dead.