Do you hear the people sing?

I love music. There is just something about it that I have always been drawn to. This week has been full of musical experiences. The U2 360 concert with The Frey was amazing, so much so it is kind of hard to find words to describe it. JD and I had the great opportunity to go to Les Miserables as well; a timeless piece of work that I remember listening to before I was 5. The new Pirates of the Caribbean music was released; I am in love with Hans Zimmer. And then tonight I have been winding in and out of some of my favorite artists: Switchfoot, The Shins, Weepies, This Holiday Life, and so on; I love how a song can automatically bring back a memory or just make you feel good because you are listening to it.

U2 360

Emi, Chris, Erin and I all had a blast at the U2 360 Concert last night. The Fray was a great opener, but nothing compared with what U2 had in store for the 50,o00+ people in attendance. Great music, great band, fun venue, and overall just a good, fun, clean concert (clean in multiple senses of the word). Bono thanked Utah a few times for the patience of waiting for them to come back a year after his broken back surgery which was pretty cool. He also sang a few Bob Dylan songs to honor his 70th birthday. Some of my favs included: Walk On, City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo, and All I Want is You; really the whole concert was amazing. I have seen U2 perform before, but this tour took the term concert to a whole new level.

Ogden 5K

I had a blast this morning participating in the Ogden 5K with my mom. We enjoyed the river walkway, the trees, the river, getting in front of pig tail girl (a girl who was 'run/walking' that we kept passing by just walking because she would run by us and then start walking slowly right in front of us and it was driving me crazy), and taking pictures all along the way. It was also a good revelation to my mom that I do not have a 'flat' lung anymore. What a great, fun, and beautiful way to start the day!

The Floods

I love going to the parkway in Riverdale to walk the path along the river. This time of year it is green and beautiful. In contrast to past experiences, however, there is also a noticable amount of water in the way of my beloved path. I love the water. It is so fun to watch and listen to (and as posted last week, throw rocks in). The problem with all of this water is that it has a tendancy to go everywhere, even where it isn't supposed to like houses. The black and white photo was taken of the Ogden River outside of the canyon and as you can see this water likes to bring a lot of stuff with it that blocks water and makes it go other places as well. I love the rivers but I hope that they calm down soon.

Grandpa Wayne

My grandpa taking me for a ride when I was 2 1/2 at our cabin in Heber.

It was my Grandpa's birthday yesterday and I wanted to post at least a little something about him. He is one of the most amazing people I know, he is a pseudosurgeon, dog keeper, vending machine repair man, light installer, pilot, electrician, star gazer, hiker, runner, travelor, salesman, fisherman, and the list of skills and talents and interests goes on and on and on. He is one of those people where if you have a problem with anything, you just call and he will be there as soon as possible to help fix it, whether it is an appliance failure, car problems, teaching stars and constellations to scouts or young women, you name it. I lived with my grandparents for a summer during high school as I did a summer class at the U. My grandpa would always tell me to get my homework done and we would go adventuring, hiking in the canyon, swimming at the Cottonwood complex, or some other activity, always stopping for something to eat on the way home. He took Emi and I on a trip to California and walked us through the entire strip buying us the best treats and sticking us on every roller coaster on the way to California followed by Disneyland with my cousins. On top of that he let us listen to our music the ENTIRE time. He bought us those, now annoying noise making sticks, for us when he took us to Yellowstone and didn't mind us playing with them the whole time. (at least not out loud) He shared his love of Lake Powell and it's beauty with us, even stapled my hand shut when I sliced it open in the middle of no where there, who needs stitches when you have surgical staples? I love my grandpa and I am thankful for the example he is to not only me, but to my entire family. He is amazing and that is a word that doesn't even come close to doing him justice. Happy birthday grandpa!

Physical Therapy

Today I was fortunate enough to talk to some smart guys at the rehab center about my shoulder that has been causing me a lot of grief lately. I will be fine one day and the next I can't hold a phone to my ear or I find myself sleeping on the couch half way through the night because of the ache. My new friend, Nephi, was awesome in diagnosing me with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. What started as a 'just curious' question landed me in performing different exercises to help with my TOS which included lying on an exercise ball and letting my arms dangle. You feel kind of ridiculous lying on a fitness orb with a guy staring at me, arms crossed, telling me my technique for dangling my arms was a little bit 'off' and to maybe flex my wrist a bit more and I am thinking, oh I never knew until now how much work my arm dangling technique needs! In all seriousness though, proper fitness orb arm dangling and the other exercises helped a ton and I can already feel a big difference so yay for therapy!

Happy Mum's Day

Happy Mother's Day! I found it only suiting to honor my amazing mom on such a fun holiday. My mom is one of the coolest people I know. I don't know of many mothers who are willing to drive their kids to California for a surfing competition and rock concert on the beach-Switchfoot Bro-Am-, drive her daughters to the Rock Springs Wyoming Fair to see the same band play, and ask for the lead singer to put some sunscreen on her nose (pictured above, Jon Foreman of Switchfoot), go with us to competitions in Alaska, Portland, Florida, sponser Tennessee, and help with the projects that got us there. Take us on such trips as Fish Lake every year, California, Oregon (multiple times), Florida, Lake Powell, Wyoming, and the spontaneous state trips. Let me paint my wall green despite her fear of color on walls. I have learned much from my mom: never be late, always be on time, always take a water bottle with you even if you don't need it, don't be afraid to go somewhere new or try something new, learning is fun and important, go to college, math is hard even for adults, check the weather at least 10 times to be fully prepared (I have dubbed her the "Weathermom"), finish the jobs you agree to do, how to appropriately and satisfactorily clean a bathroom including a scrubbed sink/tub, how to make peach jam, service is important, fulfilling callings at 110%, don't get sick (and if you are try to hide it or she is freaked out), you have to learn to cook even if you hate it, make lists, and this list could go on for awhile. I love my mom so much, she is awesome, and I am super blessed to have her in my life.

I love my sisters

So yesterday was the magical day where Emi, Chris, and I all had the afternoon off. We had many adventures including:

going to Cafe Rio and not killing Christie was a fantastic discovery.....shopping.....Dilly Dally's.....river parkway and throwing rocks.....buying a bike that does not fit in my car at Costco.....I love my sisters.

Las Vegas

Las Vegas was a lot of fun, some of the highlights included the temple, Hoover Dam, the Bellagio (didn't stay there but we did visit a few times to see the garden and water shows), warm weather, and sleeping in. It was fun walking out of church and having the temple right in front of you as well. :)