fuel burning fast on an empty tank . . . (best driving song EVER)

I bought a car yesterday. It's a car from the 80s. I love cars from the 80s. A little known, and apparently ridiculous fact.

I insured it today, and my name is on the policy. It has yet to be officially registered at the DMV and such because the title is lost. It has been sent for in the mail and I currently have a trip permit. Hopefully I'll be able to get Oregon plates when it comes. Meanwhile, I drove downtown today, and I get to drive myself to my dental appointment tomorrow. I am an independent woman.

It is an interesting feeling . . . to buy one's own car as well as to pay all expenses. It is mine. I no longer rely on my parents for financial support. At all. Wow. The car is no exception.

Now all I need is a name for the car.

Happy Pioneer Weekend!

Last night was our ward campout honoring the Mormon Pioneers who entered the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. Pioneer Day is celebrated church-wide and is an especially big deal, of course, in Utah. But, this is Oregon. So, we have a campout, a barbeque, and call it good. Point being, I spent some nice time with people in my home ward.

This morning, I got to catch up with Jackson. We sat in neighboring camping chairs, discussing recent goings on in each others' lives. He asked about school, I asked about his family and recent roadtrips. One of his recent trips was a birthday gift from his wife. They went to Washington D.C. for a week . . . he'd never been. They of course went during the massive flooding in the east, and missed out on several key attractions due to closures. Guess which museum he didn't get to go to at the Smithsonian? American History. HA! Gives him an excuse to go back, though. He also missed out on the National Archives.

He showed me a couple stacks of pictures they had in their van. I teased him about smiling in a couple of them. As he showed me the pictures of Gettysburg, he drew the battle with his finger in the gravel and explained all the troop positioning as he showed me the photos. It was totally rad. Just like old times. We talked about RFK, the Korean War Memorial, and several other things as he showed off his photos. I'll never get tired of Jackson History Lessons. Man, I've missed that guy.

i'll show you the ropes kid, show you the ropes

Remember when Google Earth first came out? Do you remember looking at your hometown, trying to find your house, and finding only blobs instead? Well, those days are over!

My looking at the jetty inspired me to play around again with my long lost friend, Google Earth. And, upon doing so, I found my house. Apparently the satellites have been refreshed, because there it is! The technology of today is astounding. Simply, astounding. You can even see the Peter Iredale on the beach. Just barely, but it's there!

totally rad and a little bit stinky

Today, my brother and I went skimboarding. We first went to one of the beaches close to the river, and the water was actually warm, which surprised me. We played around in the water, but the beach there wasn't wide enough, so we had to go a bit more south. The water was cold, very cold. My hands, feet, and ankles were numb. The temperature did not, however, stop me from getting chest-deep in the water. It was exhilarating and I loved the taste of saltwater in my mouth.

As for the skimboarding, I am terrible. Steven did very well and we both had fun, but I only actually rode the thing for a total of . . . twenty seconds, maybe. Better luck next time, eh? Well, at least I tried. It was very exciting when I could actually do it. You should have heard my shriek of delight after staying on the skimboard for the first time. The taste of success is sweet.

I love the Pacific.

alis volat propriis

After an interesting/frustrating/totally rad trip down the Oregon coast, I have finally returned to my homeland. I missed this place more than I realized. I took a walk down to the east mooring basin tonight with the dog, took pictures, breathed fresh air. I had forgotten how beautiful it is here. I didn't remember how much I love the green and the water. It is gorgeous.

The trip driving down the coast was ultimately wonderful. I love Oregon beaches. I love the rocks, the dunes, and the cold water. I was only able to put my feet in the ocean once (I was travelling with watchers---not doers---nearly killed me) but I plan to do it again several more times before the month is out. Just today, I put my feet in the Columbia and it was refreshing, to say the least. I'll post pictures of my Oregon adventures later. Right now, I'm going to go relax.

I love it here. I don't know how I'm going to stand to go back to Utah.

come sail away, come sail away with meeeeeeee!

This weekend I had an exciting adventure. I flew with Jeremy down to St. George on Friday and spent the weekend at his place. I'd never been in a small-craft plane before and I made it a point not to tell my mother I'd be in one until AFTER it happened (smart move . . . she definitely appreciated it). The flight was rad, and I only wish we could've flown back to Provo too.

I got to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, and that was fun. It made me laugh, but it was not as subtly amusing as the first. Perhaps, because the characters weren't fresh . . . or the plot was too convoluted . . . I just hope the third is back on par.

I hadn't seen Jeremy for several months, so it was good to hang out. Interesting, as always. And, Anne . . . I got to catch up with Anne. I hadn't had a good conversation with her since Christmas 2004. I was at her wedding March of 2005, but we were only in St. George overnight and I didn't really get to talk to her . . . because she was, you know, getting married. On Saturday night,.she and I talked for five hours, so that was neat. I miss her.

All-in-all, a good end to my summer in Provo. And, even though Jeremy doesn't read this, I'd like to thank him for sleeping on the couch and giving me his room. Now, pictures. I love pictures.

		When I got to the airport, I sat in the plane while Jeremy and his flight instructor, Daniel, checked the plane and put air in the tires. Here's the cockpit.
		Jeremy walkin' around. Bein' cool.
		I was just sitting there. All I had to do was eat a fruit and nut mix and take pictures.
		And here's me. Chillin' in the plane. Waiting to take off.
		Hello, Mr. Pilot.
		Provo from the air.
		Utah Lake.
		A picture of the Wasatch Mountains for britta.
		We were close to the clouds and it was rad.
		Here's Jeremy . . . being a pilot.
		And me . . . with the headphones and stuff. We listened to music while we were flying. They were nice headphones.
		View from the back.
		More Utah scenery.
		I thought it was amusing that the stream/river thing in this picture is brown. Not just dingy, but definitely a red-brown. Welcome to Utah.

I have a thing for fireworks.

Provo is a strange place. I don't really need to tell anyone that, because it's a pretty well-known fact, but I feel like reiterating it nonetheless. For instance, the Stadium of Fire show was last night (that would be Saturday the 1st, the dates are important in this story). It's apparently a two-day patriotic program in the BYU football stadium featuring entertainers as well as a live broadcast from Iraq. I did not buy tickets, I didn't feel like going. And, I had to work . . . because, well, I'm a workaholic and I'm on my fifth job of the summer. Oh, the life of a freelancer . . .

The finale of this Stadium of Fire event is a huge fireworks show at 10pm. I decided to go down near the stadium and watch the fireworks as I was alone for the evening. Well, I was actually on the phone with my brothers (individually at different times) that evening, so that was pretty rad. Anyway, I went down nearish the stadium (probably a block or two away) and was thoroughly surprised when fireworks from the soccer fields (across the street from the stadium) started going off almost directly above me. I was probably only 100 feet away from where they were shooting the fireworks off in the fields. There were also fireworks coming out of the stadium (hence: Stadium of Fire) so it was a pretty great show.

I've only been that close to a large firework show when I go down to the Maritime Museum and watch the Astoria show from there. I love being up close, but there is a romantic or a nostalgic feeling connected to fireworks from a distance. I think I prefer them from a distance. Not too far, but far enough that the sound delay is significant.

Now, getting to my point. Earlier yesterday afternoon, upon my discussing the Stadium of Fire event with some friends, I discovered that Provo does not have a fireworks display on the 4th. Salt Lake does. Several other surrounding cities do, but Provo does not. Instead, they blast the pyrotechnics on July the 1st? The Stadium of fire is IT. Does anyone else think it strange that most Provoites won't be watching fireworks on the 4th of July? I find it quite odd and very disappointing. I think Heidi and I might drive up to Salt Lake to see the fireworks up there, but we'll see. No plans have been made, we just know that neither of us are doing anything.

Regardless of the fireworks being on the WRONG DAY, I took some pictures. I took several nice ones, like these:

            

            

And then, there's the series I like to call, the "Metro Memorial". Or perhaps, "Urban Glory". Yes . . . Urban Glory.