I went to the Draper Temple Open House yesterday.

We drove around it a few times to take some pictures.

What shade of blue would you say the sky was? My opinion: Glorious Blue. Coming soon to a Crayola box near you. (ha?)

Seriously, the weather lately has been splendid. As long as the sun is out, I'm happy.


I was so excited to see it. I can't even describe it. It was breathtakingly beautiful. If you're in the area, I suggest going to see it.


In certain rooms there are hand painted murals on the walls. They reminded me of Grandpa Ross. Made me think of some of his paintings I've seen. Which sent me into a whirlwind of thoughts and memories. I have a memory of going to church with Gpa Ross and Gma Lyn. (Maybe a cousin's mission farewell/homecoming? Not sure. It's fuzzy.) I remember sitting next to my wonderful grandparents. Grandpa had doodled on the program. Trees, mountains, rivers, bears, deer. I remember watching the way he held the pen and let it outline the figures. Easily guiding it to create beauty. I sat in awe at how quickly and gracefully he created a landscape. If you asked me who my favorite artist is, my answer would most likely be Ross Davis.



Thinking about him made me think of Lyn. (Well, that or the fact that I was wearing her shoes.) How much I miss her. All my memories of her are from my childhood and early teen years. I wish I could know her and see her through my new "big kid" lenses. But as I was walking through those rooms with handcrafted furniture and original artwork, I felt her smiling down on me. I felt her arms wrap me up into a tight, warm hug. That's special to me.

On the way back, we stopped at the store. And by "we" I mean me, the boy, and the china man.

Side note: the china man=one of the coolest persons I've ever met. We found cool sunglasses and decided to take pictures.

The end.

By which I mean the trees. Definitely for the trees.

There is this little grove of trees on campus. I walk past it almost every day. The first week I was here, I remember looking at all the green and hoping that Utah would give me a legitimate Autumn so I could enjoy this. Thanks, Utah.

I sit on the deck, listening to the cool, summer wind blow. I smell the atmosphere that the night has created for me. I look around. The lights of the valley tell me I'm one of the few who decided to stay home tonight. To the east I see a small hint of light, peering around the corner of the mountain to me. It grasps my attention. Captured.

Don't be shy, I silently tell the light. We're good friends by now, are we not? How many summer nights have we spent together over the years? Too many to count, I presume.

Do you remember the summer we went to Bryce Canyon? You were so big there. Many of our friends, the stars, came as well. I sat on a big rock and looked at you for some time. I asked myself so many questions that night. I didn't go inside the tent until the wind showed me the goosebumps that had made their home on my skin for who knows how long and my eyelids became so heavy that will power alone couldn't lift them.

That was the same summer I met my best friend. You were there. Do you remember the night you lit the park for us to play catch with our sticks? Later you hid behind a cloud so we could rest and swing on the playground and talk about our hopes and dreams.

What about the night we watched fireworks on the cool grass? Or when we climbed trees in the dark? Do you remember my favorite night from that summer?

"Dude, check the moon" the text would say when you were full and bright like you are tonight. Every time, I would drop whatever I was doing and run outside to see you. I still do. You are mesmerizing.

Is that summer the reason I'm so fascinated? Is it the friendship I formed that makes your fullness fill me with joy?

That soft, cool wind picks up, bringing me back to reality. I wrap my sweater around me as I finish my stroll down Memory Lane and turn onto Reality Road. As I pass Sesame Street, I'm tempted to bring Oscar something sweet to soften his grouchiness.

Six of us went long boarding/scootering down Provo canyon tonight. Oh, the beauty. There was a fire at Bridal Veil. (Don't worry, we didn't start from that far up.) Made me miss my brother.

We decided to form ourselves into a gang. The long board/scooter gang of Provo canyon. We pretty much owned that mountain tonight.

We seemed to just glide down the paved path at a comfortable speed. Fast enough for the feeling of freedom to sink in. Slow enough to look around and really see my surroundings.

Rain. The only thing that could have made it better. Just one of those light sprinkles that lightly mist your face and make the rocks smell like summer. There's something different about the world on summer nights. It makes my brain ponder. It makes my heart race. It makes my soul feel connected to something bigger. Nature.

Sprinklers. We found some. She and I ran through them while the others watched in hidden envy.

It's still wet. =)

Just kidding. Summer didn't draw this, I did. This is what Summer does to me. She sweetly whispers to me when I'm feeling bored and tells me to do creative things like paint her the way I see her at that exact moment. In this case, a butterfly inside of a heart. I did it with my fingers.

Finger painting! Did you forget about this too? I forgot all about it. This is what Summer looks like to me today. I wonder what tomorrow will look like.

At first she was against the idea. Because she was tired and feeling lazy. She just wanted to drive there. Pff... How square is that? Cool kids don't go with the norm. I explained how much fun it would be. The wind in our hair, the sunshine, the laughter, not to mention saving on gas. And by some sort of miracle... she agreed to it.

Take a moment and try to imagine my excitement... You can't. Sorry.

We quickly changed our clothes and threw sunglasses, a towel, and tanning lotion into two light backpacks. We dug up a pair of bikes and then we rode them to the public pool. I felt like I was in this movie. When they put a radio in the handlebar basket and sing as they ride.

We hooked my iPod up to speakers and hung them outside of her backpack. We snickered and sang. All the while, wondering how we came to be so fabulous. It was an adventure to say the least.

I love this picture. I love it. I love it. I love it. Not sure why.

At one point one of us said, "I love how we're graduated so we can do things like this and it makes us cool. Not lame." I know, Right?!

I wasn't aware she was taking this picture. Not bad.

Later, I rode over to her house. She sent me a text when I got there.

L: Come in through my window.
M: What?
L: Come in through my window.
M: Okay.

Didn't see a single bug. Phew!

And then! Then we went to a friends house. And played shuffle board. I kid you not, my friends. Shuffle Board. It was fantastic. My team lost. Miserably.

After, we went to a BIRTHDAY PARTY! "We're going to a party. It's a birthday party. It's your birthday party. Happy birthday, Darling. We love you very, very, very, very, very, very, very much." (Did I not tell you that my brain is a jukebox? Oh. Well, it is.)

We ate yummy cake and ice cream. And played scum. One girl was President the entire time. Except the very.last.round. When I dethrowned her. (Yes, I know that's not a word.) But Ha!

And there you have it. My very adventurous, summer day. There are many many more to come...

Song of the day.

I think the one and only good reason for waking up at the unholy hour of FOUR! A!M! is the sunrise. As we were driving to the airport, the smallest hint of yellow was peering through the lowest valley of the mountain, making me want more. I thought, If I could just jump high enough to peek over the mountain, I would see that huge ball of fire. I imagined that if I stood at the highest peak, I could look down the other side of the mountain and jump. Land on the sun. Ride it up into full daytime. Big, yellow, bouncy ball.

GandG picked us up at the airport and drove us home. Gma told me all about her station and horses and fields and ponds as we drove by them. You see, other people take care of them and she just enjoys them as she drives by. She doesn't have to own them. As long as she gets to enjoy them, they're hers. Of course.

We toured their new house, which is beautiful. Kim came over for a bit to visit. So did Carolyn. Then we toured Carolyn's new house (which is just down the street). Carolyn is so awesome. She has forever mirrors, and a Garfield blanket, and a hoo-la-hoop that goes behind her couch. I imagine she breaks it out rainy days to beat her latest record. Who knows.

These are along the sidewalk leading up to Carolyn's front door.

I love them.

They make me think, "Okay, I think I will."

For some reason when we went to bed, I couldn't sleep. Then there was lightning. No rain. No thunder. Just lightning. I asked Cha Cha if it was possible. They said that supposedly it is, although lightning is formed by water droplets rubbing together so there would have to be humidity and clouds. Makes sense to me. I mean, I feel like I'm drowning every time I step outside. Rad. I pondered for some time on how cool it was. Then the rain and thunder came to sing me to sleep.

Song of the day.

Summer. Is. Here.

It surprised me the other day that it's really here. I thought, "Wait, after I graduate, the weather gets warm? Really? Like, it becomes summer? Like, I could go swimming if I wanted? Really?! Rad."

All I really have to say about this is finally.

Song of the day.

I looked out the window and what did I see?...

Snow? In March?! It's supposed to be Spring.

Come.

On.

This is some kind of sick joke, isn't it? Well, it's not funny. I find no humor in this. None, whatsoever. And sure, some of you smile, sweetly and say, "Oh, it can't be that bad." Can and is. Snow is not welcome. And you know what I have to say to you people who happily accept this visit from the snow demon? :P Mmmmm!

I'm going to crawl into a hole and read a book now, because it's all I can do to keep from sobbing.

(See how I was complaining and being really annoying just then? And how I stomped my feet and threw a fit? See that? You secretly enjoyed it. Because you know I'm right. Admit it.)

For lacrosse today, we practiced outside. On a field. On grass. Green grass. Almost. Still very exciting. I sang.

Today was/is a Beatles day. Wish I had more of their songs. Of course by more, I mean all. I wore my converse today. Walking to class, I felt slightly punk-ish. With my converse, my hands in my front pockets, and The Beatles singing, "Whisper words of wisdom, 'Let it be.'" into my ears. In those moments, my sun shone brighter. What joy.

I love just soaking in the world. Looking as I walk. Seeing my surroundings. Breathing wet air. Wondering if Grandma Lyn played a part in creating that puddle for me to splash in or that green grass for me to serenade. I choose to believe she did. She would. It's something she would do. I miss her more at times than others. Right now, I'm just feeling her presence and knowing she's watching. There's something special about it.

Too often I feel like my words are not enough to describe how I think... feel.... So I keep writing, hoping more words will make it better. They never seem to. "Let it be."

Song of the day: "Let It Be" by The Beatles

Today was a beautiful day. It wasn't cold and there was a light sprinkle of rain. I decided to go for a little jog. My little jog turned into a 5 mile run. It had been a while since I'd gone running on my own so I set out for nowhere in particular.

It was an incredible run. About 2 miles in, the sprinkle turned a little heavier. My face met the drops with a grin and small chuckle. Puddles met my feet with a splash. I loved the feeling of the drops sliding down my cheeks and off my chin, splashing all the while. The cool air filled my lungs with fresh joy. Peace. I've never breathed such crisp air before. It was stimulating. Refreshing. Even now, these words come up wanting.

As I ran I began to see through new eyes. I've driven by this tree countless times but never saw it's beauty. I slowed my pace to take a longer look. Other beauties stuck out to me and I wondered how I didn't know they were there. So close to me. I wonder how many people drive by without noticing. With out seeing the beauty. Racing off to busy lives and never really seeing the wonderful things around them.

I got home and Mom ordered me to take a hot shower and eat some soup. The water couldn't get hot enough. The cool rain had mixed up my body's ability to discern temperature. My newly sharpened senses couldn't tell if the water was burning hot or arctic ice. Although the dial was turned as far as it could go left, it felt glacial. I loved it. I laughed as my body soaked up all the hot water until my senses returned. At this point, the water was luke warm. Curious.

Song of the day: "Hotel California" by Eagles

Is there time to breathe now? Can I come out? Is it safe? I've been cooped up in this place of hectic responsibilities for so long it seems. It's dark here and they've locked me up in a small room. Hugging my legs in frantic despair, I sit crouched in the corner, waiting for sunlight and calm.

Oh, world of nothing, how I've missed you! Tomorrow is Friday and we can romp like children at the beach. There will be no schedules or responsibilities and life will be simply stress-free. Oh, beautiful, frivolous Friday! I've been waiting for you! You shine like 70 degrees in January. I thought you'd never come.

Soon, Friday, you will pass. Along with our dear friends Saturday and Sunday. I will be left with cold and lonely weekdays until summer comes and I can once again feel the sun applying blush to my already rosy cheeks. Summer and I can sit in a hammock and read old favorites and lose track of the time. And days. We can adventure like wild beasts, discovering new lives and possibilities along the way.

I wait for you, summer. I anticipate your warmth and freedom. For all those times you've lingered, giving my bare feet warm sidewalks and wet sand, I thank you. The sweetest gift. I wait. Patiently?

"If the day and the night are such that you greet them with joy, and life emits a fragrance like flowers and sweet-scented herbs, is more elastic, more starry, more immortal, -- that is you success. All nature is your congratulation, and you have cause momentarily to bless yourself. The greatest gains and values are farthest from being appreciated. We easily come to doubt if they exist. We soon forget them. They are the highest reality.... The true harvest of my daily life is somewhat as intangible and indescribable as the tints of morning or evening. It is a little star-dust caught, a segment of the rainbow which I have clutched."
~Henry David Thoreau, Walden

Song of the day: "I Feel the Earth Move" by Carole King