Friday, May 30, 2008

A Lost Art

So, I am currently reading a book by Rebecca Ann Collins called The Women of Pemberley. Since it is not written by Jane Austen, it cannot be considered a sequel, but, it is "A Companion Volume", and is the second of ten similar books. I HIGHLY recommend it to any Jane Austen fan. I have loved it!

Anyway, a few days ago as I was flying home from Utah, I finally had a spare moment to read avidly, as I so delight in doing. I finally got a little tired, but, as I began to drift off to sleep, my thoughts began to wander. In these books, much of the story is told through letters, and I thought about letter-writing and how it has become quite a lost art. No one writes letters anymore. Sure, there's the occasional card at a given occasion, and some may even argue that we now have e-mail. But the etiquette is not the same, and I would argue that e-mails don't always seem as genuine. As I thought about letter writing, I got into a letter-writing mood.

For the first time since I've had friends on missions, I wanted to write, and not just write, to write a letter. It was great! :) Only one of my friends was the lucky recipient, but, the letter was genuinely heartfelt and sincere. And while I did send it via e-mail, I still felt it was a higher caliber than just a regular e-mail, if not particularly formal. It must have done the trick, as I got a near immediate response from a friend I haven't heard from in weeks.

Letter writing, I feel, is an art worth reviving. :)

Monday, May 19, 2008

Midsummer Daydreams

Ok, maybe not Midsummer, or even summer daydreams, more like springtime daydreams. Mostly, I was trying to make a play on a song that everyone should listen to, and every guitar player should learn. It's by the band Triumph, actually, just one guy that is in that band, but it's amazing and you should look it up! Anyway...

As I mentioned many moons and several posts ago, I have BIG plans for this summer. Including:
* hiking Cascade Springs
* hiking Stewart Falls
* exploring Timpanogos Cave
* hiking to Emerald Lake
* hiking Timpenooke Trail
* hiking Aspen Grove Trail
* hiking to Lake Haray
* exploring the Diamond Fork Loop
* exploring the Mt. Nebo Wilderness
* hiking Yellow Pine Creek Trail
* hiking Shingle Creek Trail
* biking the Provo River Trail
* visiting the Clark Planetarium
* visiting the ferris wheel in Liberty Park in Salt Lake City
* going to the Mormon Miracle Pageant in Manti
* floating the Provo River
* exploring Squaw Peak Road and it's bike and hiking trails
* exploring Wasatch Mountain State Park
* exploring Yellowstone National Park
* hiking part of the Great Western Trail
* hiking Wasatch Crest Hill and Provo Peak
* camping in Moab
* camping at Payson Lakes
* going to California for Shari and Mike's wedding
* possibly going to Washington for Rachel and Matt's wedding
* visiting California just for fun, including Disneyland, Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, and, of course, the beach!

But first on the list, besides camping this weekend is heading home to spend some time with my family in Virginia. It's going to be an action packed and relaxing summer. If you're not quite as excited as me just yet, here are some pics of my daydream to peak your interest.