The third time must be the charm because this past excursion to Utah was a stew of happiness and activity with several dashes of fun mixed together. I was pleasantly surprised a number of times throughout this trip. In an attempt to see the better in a state that is in many ways too different this one I call home, I have made a brief list of some of the good things that made my trip easygoing, amusing, and memorable:
1. The Grid: I was very much reliant on others for transportation. When I was not hitching a ride, I walked everywhere else. I did not bring my GPS, my phone is reliable but definitely not "smart" so it could not help me, and I am not always the best with directions. The grid system saved me from taking a wrong turn and otherwise finding myself stranded in an abandoned suburbian corner of the less-than-right side of town. I can't knock the grid anymore for seeming confusing at first because without it I would not have known where to go.
2. Mountains: Beautiful. There is something about a change of scene, waking up to mountains outside of your window. When all you've grown up seeing your whole life through your car and apartment windows are houses, anthills, saltwater, smog, and too many cars, it's so refreshing to see something new. The allergies were a pain, but the air was nice.
3. Weather: I may be wrong, but it seems like Utah may have experienced some kind of weather PMS while I was there. But from what I have heard, that is the norm. And sure enough, I had the chance to experience sun as well as a bit of wind, rain, and snow. (SNOW!) And yes, I spent most of my time in the same town. I guess that doesn't come to a surprise to native Utahns though.
4. Toilet paper: As mentioned, allergies made an unexpected sneak attack on my body. (I probably should have checked up on that before making the trip there.) As a result, I needed kleenex, and a lot of it. Apparently college students in Utah don't use kleenex. Instead, they all use toilet paper. This was more of an amusement than anything else. And equally amusing was a spontaneous FHE activity involving rolls of toilet paper, because nothing else was planned after the lesson. Oh, the fun that has to be made when you live in a college town in Utah.
5. Cool people: I enjoyed a great amount of quality time with lots of former Socal friends, reunited with a couple of old friends from high school, made new friends stateside and international, went on fun dates with some super awesome guys, and even in those moments I was on my own there was a friendly face around the corner if I ever needed one to help me out.
6. 101 goals: I completed a few more. =)
7. General Conference: WOW! CHORUS OF ANGELS! What an unforgettable experience! Watching is always a joy, but being there live definitely has a unique spiritual power, just to be in the presence of the prophet and his counselors and apostles. First time ever watching in person and I am so blessed to have been given the opportunity to do so. Which also sidetracks back to #5 in a few ways. One of the reasons I had avoided the idea of watching GC live is because past experiences at other religious conferences has shown contention that erupts from a crowd of people who make their ugly not-so-Christian colors shown in impatience, anger, hostility, and bitterness at waiting in lines, pushing and shoving to scramble to seats, or somehow finding an excuse to bicker with the people in front of you for not knowing where they are supposed to go or what to do. Such was not the case at GC, in fact this proved to be the complete antithesis. Also, I loved hearing Motab live again. If I never get a chance to see GC live again, I hope to at least hear them perform in person one more time.
I guess there is a lot more I could add, but considering the bother of procrastination, not to mention that I have been back home from vacation for over a week, memories of this trip day-by-day are starting to fade, and I'm overdue for another blog post since I missed the entire month of March (not sure how that happened since there were several days last month I felt inclined to write), this will suffice me. Next time, I propose a trip to a museum, a hike (I'll be smart and bring walking shoes next time), or possibly snowboarding?
So, maybe Utah is not that bad, and maybe I will go back and visit again someday.
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