it's well into august

already!!! what the ....??? i just had one of the best weekends of my life. i may be exaggerating when i say that but who cares. it has been quite a while since i could say anything remotely close to that about a weekend so it very well could be the truth. the trip to the falls of havasupai almost seems like a dreamy blur but it happened and there are facebook photos to prove it.

i've spent most of the day thinking about the event because it was so fun and special. what made it so? was it the 30-100+ ft waterfalls over burnt sienna-red colored rock? the topaz blue pools of water, the rushing rivers or the constant cooling mists? other than the amazing scenery only nature could provide, the group of people who joined in added the extra perfect element. so, now to wax sappy and sentimental.

i have often heard (and believe) that an important thing that will continue on after this life is relationships. relationships with a spouse, family and i hope, friends. now i don't know if the people i met and spent time with this weekend will become some of my best friends but i am sure glad that i met them. for some reason, i'm in awe that we all got along so well. something about the camaraderie i felt makes me wonder if it was maybe a glimpse of what heaven will be like. we didn't have the butcher, the baker, or the candlestick maker but we had a variety of occupations represented along with differing temperaments and it was all good. our common beliefs allowed the group to to initially form. the rest just happened.

speaking of which, after attending an lds church meeting in istanbul, turkey, i made church and temple attendance a necessary event on all of my travel itineraries. so far, i have not been disappointed.

on the hike down the canyon to the village, i was amused to see a double-wide trailer with a stout white steeple on top indicating that it was a church. i was impressed and even proud when someone pointed out the familiar signage toward the front left of the building that read, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

the thought never crossed my mind that we'd attend services there but as sunday rolled around the idea was tossed about. a few us attended. about 12 of the 19 of us. i was so glad i did. i am getting choked up as i write and reminisce. brother and sister haws came from kingman, az to speak. we saw and recognized them as church members as they came out of one of the first choppers to land in the village that day. i asked brother haws if he was the bishop. he said he wasn't but that they were the speakers for the day's service. i pointed them to the direction of the church and off they went down the dirt road.

after we got our names on the helicopter list, a few of us at a time made our way to church... hats, tees and tank tops, runners, sandals, board and booty shorts and all. the haws were the the only ones there setting up the chairs and getting sacrament ready. actually a local boy was sweeping the floor when we got there but he disappeared. none of the local members came. we got started late but the Spirit wasn't lacking from the opening song of 'did you think to pray' to the closing of 'how firm a foundation'.

partaking of the sacrament was simple yet powerful. it was a special event. brother haws blessed the sacrament and jason s. passed it... wearing a tank top. sister haws gave a touching talk about prayer and brother haws spoke about the faith of the brother of jared. they cut their words short for us knowing that time was of the essence. during and after church i felt uplifted, happy, grateful, and filled. going to church in the havasupai village was one of the highlights of the trip.

i can't wait

to post pics of my best friend brandi's baby's room. for the past 2 weeks we have been prepping for the arrival of her first baby, a boy. he's coming any day now. the c-section is scheduled for friday afternoon but he may come sooner. she lost her plug at panera bread this evening. tmi? perhaps.

i somehow got roped into helping with the painting of the room last week and now the stencils or sticker thingys are going up. i really don't mind helping... it's actually fun for me. and it looks adorable. the painting started last week. half way up a butter creme wall, baby blue was painted all across the bottom half of 2 adjoining walls. next, a crimson stripe above the baby blue. the following day, a 2 inch chocolate brown stripe above the crimson. and on the fourth day, another chocolate brown margin line below the crimson stripe. it looks good.

tonight, the most complicated or most troublesome of the sticker pieces went up. first, a 3 ft long green crocodile above the stripes on the wall to the right of the crib. and then a 3 ft tall orange giraffe on the top right of the wall behind the crib. the giraffe took a beating before going up. we got him stuck to the croc and all tattered and torn trying to get him loose. but as we delicately operated and place him on the wall, this beat up guy quickly became my favorite of all the creatures. we stuck a little dragonfly to the left of his face, he's so darn cute. numbers of different colors and sizes also went up. 4,5,6,7,8 & 9 are done. 1,2&3 will probably go up tomorrow along with a palm tree, monkeys and a lion.

pics to follow...

bored

with life. i think it's time to volunteer. when life gets boring, what more is there to do? my friend and i and have expressed how bored we are with our current situations.

the other day i was talking to a lady and she told me something another lady had told me a little over a year ago. 'you need to work at the temple.' i think she's right. i think they both are. i mean where is there a better place i could be spending my non-productive time? i'm pretty sure i could do it. i could devote a few hours once a week. plus, and here's the selfish part, maybe i'll find that special someone there. i mean, it's one thing to say that you can attend the temple but it's quite another to actually be there, serving. i'll be able to peep the men who give of their time as well. ;)

dreams

i am thankful for dreams that illustrate and prepare me for what is to come. life doesn't necessarily have to unfold exactly as it does in the dream but i think sometimes my subconscious is much more aware than my conscious wants to be. so this one's for my subconscious. thanks for looking out for me and preparing me to avoid heartache and devastation from an over-active and wide awake imagination.

shirking my duty

i've been shirking my duty as a fellow blogger. now there's a newsflash. anyway, i've turned back to my thoughts and have become more introverted. recent events have brought me back here to throw them back out into the bloggosphere. i still am trying to find the proper words and spirit to write about a dear person in my life... my sister. i think i've been purposely avoiding my blog because i haven't wanted to really think about the sadness and grief that comes as i think about her and her lot in life. but i feel as if i need to write about it.

on a random tangent, i'm sick to my stomach. i feel the same way i did years and years ago when i went on this date with a classmate named jason l. jason didn't treat me well, all he wanted from me was a make out session. he was a terrible slobbery kisser but i put up with it... once. anyway, on one date with this jason, we ended up doubling with his parents- of all people. his mom looked and dressed like lucile ball did on 'i love lucy'... no lie. anyway, so here we are double dating in the back seat of this ford taurus while his parents are in the front seat. prior to dinner someone had this brilliant idea that we'd drive through the hills of salt lake city to look at all the pretty houses. long story short, i got nauseous. but my stomach was empty. when we finally made it to the afghani restaurant where we were to eat, i about lost it with the smells. for some strange reason, i'm feeling that same ill feeling tonight. just thought i'd share.

i pledge allegiance to costco

warehouses. what is it about costco that is SO awesome to me? is it the random but totally cool items sold? (i was eyeing the kayaks, rosetta stone in mandarin, and played around with a g.e. camp lantern with a replaceble flourescent bulb. the lantern was less than 10 bucks! i have 2 of the non-replaceable bulb lanterns but as i examined the bulb i thought, where am i going to find a mini bulb like this anyway?) or is it the fact that at any day of the week, usually during lunch (because that's when i'm there), i can sample the myriad of food. yesterday i had tzatziki and louisiana hot links. i was really tempted by the pizza samples, but my constant digestive battle with diary quickly squashed that idea. OR is it the fact that every year, i get this rebate check from the credit card company that i quickly convert to costco cash? i desperately need tires and that check covered one of the four i'd have to purchase.

my recent experience at costco was extremely pleasant. i met cheryl at the hot links table. she was quite the salesperson. cheryl struck up a convo with me by asking if i make pancit. i was taken back. you see, pancit is a popular stir-fried noodle dish of the philippines. she knew i was filippino. rarely do people know that about me without me divulging that fact. she told me that she uses those particular hot links in her pancit. she also told me she was jamaican. that's when i really got excited. i asked her where i could find chicken curry patties here, meaning las vegas. but i didn't quite communicate that to her properly because it didn't register. she pointed to the different turkey burger and chicken cutlet patties, nearby. i asked the question again, and added 'you know the ones you eat with coco bread?' cheryl lit up and said, 'oh you mean pa tays?' i said, yeah those. i told her i lived in new york where i enjoyed a good pa tay or two but could never find them out here. she told me of a store on the other side of town that sold them. anyway, we hit it off.

i now have a new friend whose name i can drop when i visit the jamiacan store across town to get some jamaican chicken curry pa tays, some coco bread and maybe even some oxtail soup. 'girl, tell them that cheryl sent you.' it was a good day at costco.

i forgot one more thing. doesn't everyone have a secret desire to work there?

life experiences

are interesting. whether we recognize it or not, they seem to hone our skills our selves for the next challenge, the next ordeal, the next triumph, the next whatever that comes our way. i speak in generalities because i don't quite know what direction this post is headed. i think about the relationships in my life now compared to the ones i had in the past, and i am happy.