Geocaching Adventures

So, many of you know that I am a big fan of geocaching. Well, some friends and I recently recruited my roommate, and she wrote this amazing note explaining why geocaching is so fun. So, with her permission, I copy it here for those of you who follow my blog more than my facebook. Enjoy, and try not to laugh so hard that your tears run down your legs! :D

I have recently become involved in a lesser known activity known as geocaching. For those that don't know what geocaching is, I will explain briefly.

Geocaching is a planned event occurring at any time of the day but normally late at night because that's when it is most fun. Typical tools needed for geocaching are flashlights, a GPS, and walkie talkies.

Before a geocache run is planned, one geocacher might say to another, "hey! Let's go geocaching down provo canyon!" while the second geocacher would say, "yeah, we should. I'm 3 short of my quota for the day..."

While this language may seem strange or foreign, I must add this is in fact the usual way geocachers begin to plan a run.
Once it has been decided they will make a run, another more important decision must be made. Who will the geocachers invite to come along? This is of course the most important factor in every geocache run for several reasons.
First, who you bring with you changes everthing. If you, say, brought along an expert geocacher, they could help you find the harder caches he or she has already found, thus cutting the search time in half leaving more time to find more caches. Second, the more people you invite to the cache run, the more people are there to look, also cutting down the search time leaving even more time to find more caches.

It is important to carefully examine who you bring with you on a run, because it also affects the mood. For example, its much more fun to bring along people that get along with each other and joke and laugh and throw up and have to go to the bathroom when they are in the middle of nowhere. These kind of geocachers are the quintessential kind. These seemingly random events make the geocache runs unpredictable, and therefore more exciting and fun. Not to mention hilarious. With the right geocachers present, one never knows when one might pee their pants from laughing so hard.

A typical geocache run lasts from around 10 PM til 1 or 2 AM, depending on everyones schedules the next day. And a run usually includes at least one of the following: waking up everyone on the block the geocache is located on, finding some kind of reptile or bug hiding in the shadows, talking on radios while driving up the canyon in separate cars (to keep in contact), or running accross a field to the car only to drive insanely fast to find the nearest bathroom with more than one stall.

Another form of geocaching is what's know as a geocache event. A geocache event is different from a run in several ways.

First, a run is generally planned the day of the run and is usually last minute, while an event is planned days, if not weeks in advance. Geocache events usually include some kind of delicious food and careful planning on the part of the geocacher in charge of the event. Both geocache runs and events have their own pros and cons, and both are fun in their own way. Runs are fun because they are more spontaneous and a great way to rack your geocache numbers up. Geocache events are fun because more cachers usually attend, and there is food involved. And the anticipation of a caching event makes it even more exciting, discussing beforehand the fun possibilities of the cache event.

A quick thanks to the following geocachers for making my first geocaches fun, exciting, and full of laughs. And lastly, for getting me addicted to caching.

grtcougarpianist
wordgirl77
JediMasterAilshie
ad0or
Dorkteam6

Thanks again,
4isThree

What happens when you become nocturnal?

Well, considering that I have recently become nocturnal, I can answer that question: You go all week enjoying your nocturnal lifestyle until Sunday comes and you accidentally sleep through church.... OOOOPS!

So, since I overslept, I decided to drive to Manti to visit my favorite temple. I took the scenic route via Fairview Canyon. Everywhere I turned things were SO green - it looked like what I would expect Ireland to look like. Here are some trip highlights:

* blasting my music while traveling back roads (always a favorite pastime of mine).
* Makin' Bacon ranch near Mt. Pleasant, UT. Bet you can't guess what kind of farm THAT is!
* Electric Lake - SO pretty. You'll have to wait on the pictures. They're on my cell phone and getting them off is a rather long process.
* kamakazi chipmunks. Seriously, they were EVERYWHERE! Every 50 yards or so, they scampered across the street. Don't worry, none of them became roadkill at my hand, or wheels, as the case may be.
*"Culinary Water No Camping" Signs... Seriously, what does that mean?!

It was a nice little ride. Trying out the new ward will have to occur next week. I'll try pretty hard to become less nocturnal so I don't oversleep this time!

Pictures coming soon!

My New Favorite Song

So, the other night, when I was having a personal struggle, this song came on my iPod. I've just been having the feeling lately that, in one particular aspect of my life, that I'm in the wrong place... So, besides being an all-around awesome song in general, it gave me a lot of hope and comfort, and assured me that I am at least moving in a good direction. So, here it is:

One Day You Will
by Lady Antebellum

You feel like you're falling backwards
Like you're slippin' through the cracks
Like no one would even notice
If you left this town and never came back
You walk outside and all you see is rain
You look inside and all you feel is pain
And you can't see it now

[Chorus]
But down the road the sun is shining
In every cloud there's a silver lining
Just keep holding on (just keep holding on)
And every heartache makes you stronger
But it won't be much longer
You'll find love, you'll find peace
And the you you're meant to be
I know right now that's not the way you feel
But one day you will

You wake up every morning and ask yourself
What am I doing here anyway
With the weight of all those disappointments
Whispering in your ear
You're just barely hanging by a thread
You wanna scream but you're down to your last breath
And you don't know it yet

[Repeat Chorus]

Find the strength to rise above
You will
Find just what you're made of, you're made of

[Repeat Chorus]

One day you will
Oh one day you will

Positive vs. Negative Publicity

So, you know that saying about how negative publicity spreads like wildfire but positive publicity rarely spreads, so avoid negative publicity like the plague... or something along those lines.

Well, I'm going to do my small part to change that adage, by throwing out some positive publicity into the world wide void-ness.

If you live in Utah County (or even nearby) and are in need of a mechanic, I highly recommend Ray's Campus American Car Care Center. It's on the corner of Canyon and Bulldog in Provo by the Wendy's across the street from BYU. Seriously, Ray and Randy who own/run that place are AWESOME! Let me tell you why.

Several months ago I noticed my car was pulsating in the front when I put on the brakes. No worries, I drove to CO and back with it like that, not to mention the daily canyon drives... Well, being car illiterate, I couldn't really describe the problem very well, but they figured out that not only did I need front ball joints, but also brake pads, rotors and bearings. Joy. Well, when I found out it was going to cost over $900, I asked which was most pressing, and then I'd bring the car in and have the rest done two weeks later after pay day. My mechanic told me he'd rather have me driving a safe vehicle, that they'd fix it all, and I could pay it in chunks. Now answer truthfully, how many mechanics would really do that?!

Yesterday, when I noticed the pulsating again, but this time in the rear part of the vehicle, I took my car in for a brake check. It turned out that I needed not-so-free rear bearings. They ordered the part, but the guy quoted my mechanic the wrong part and at a lower price than the correct one and brought incorrect ones. When my mechanic tried to fix the problem, they only had one bearing. So, I hitched a ride home and they finished fixing it this morning... only to realize on the test drive that the real problem was the bushings. Lovely. So, instead of making me pay for everything, they took the new bearings out, and ordered the new bushings which cost about the same for parts and less for labor. They also told me that once it's fixed, if the cost is less than I paid (since I paid in advance, hoping it'd be fixed overnight and I could pick it up this morning - no such luck since the parts didn't arrive) then they'd give me a free service. Yay, since I need an oil change and safety inspection this month!

Ok, seriously, talk about people that bend over backwards to help you out!!! They are wonderful, and always try to get you the best quality service at the lowest cost. You can't say that for everyone, and I hate to say it, but the truth is, you can't say that for every mechanic, either.

I have to say I'm sure glad that I stumbled upon these guys, and so I highly recommend them to you, if you're ever in need of some car maintenance or service!!!

Happy (Belated) Fourth of July!!!!

So, in case you didn't know, I LOVE the 4th of July. It is my favorite holiday, second only to Christmas.

This year I celebrated by getting up insanely early to go with my friends Brian and Stacey to a geocache event in Provo. We literally left my house at 5:30, and didn't return until 10:30 because we were trying to get a challenge cache which required 6 different types of caches in one day. We got a little carried away and I ended up getting 16 caches including 7 different types and even placed a new one: Star-Spangled Spectacular Cache. If you have no idea what I am talking about, visit www.geocaching.com and begin your own addiction - geocaching is SO fun!

When we got back we took a little break, during which I decided to make the traditional July 4th Strawberry Shortcake American Flag-style. It is truly one of my favorite parts of the 4th! Then I traipsed over to Brian and Stacey's and we watched the kids play in the pool, played games, and of course barbequed and lit off our own fireworks before watching the show at Memorial Hill from their neighbor's yard.

So, these are a few of my favorite things about July 4th:
1 - the fireworks. I am a pyro at heart, even if it scares me a little on the outside. There's no place better to be than right underneath them, where it looks like they're falling on you (but not actually doing so), and you can feel the boom in your stomach!
2 - the music - patriotic music always makes me cry, and I make a special mix that I play for several days before and after
3- the clothes- the kids are so cute, and I love getting to wear my own red, white, and blue combinations all week.
4- the date - although historically incorrect, it means that it's summer and that school is out!
5 - the parades - they're pretty fun to watch, and I even got to march in one every year of high school.
6 - the food - I LOVE strawberries, and I love barbequing. I get both in abundance on the 4th of July!
7 - the surrounding testimony meetings - each year when I was growing up, a family friend, Ira Dunn, who has now passed on, would get up regularly to remind us of the sacrifices made so that we can live in this blessed country, where we are free to choose to be and do whatever we want to be and do. I know that I am a patriot at heart at least partially because of his example.

(aerial view of Arlington National Cemetery, I saw this when I flew back to Utah this week - a humbling experience)

8 - the Greatest Generation - if you haven't read Tom Brokaw's book, read it. It talks about the men who fought in World War II. I love that book, and while I revere all the men and women who have and continue to sacrifice so much for my freedom, this group of men is very close to my heart, as my grandfather is one of them. Unfortunately, many of these men have already, or will soon have passed on, but we could learn much from a generation unmatched in humility, comitment to duty, and selflessness. Men and women who did what was required without being asked, and without receiving a reward, simply because it was right, although it was rarely easy.

So, amid all the festivities, the meaning of this holiday is easily forgotten, but take a moment to be grateful to those who made it possible for us to celebrate, and to have a reason to do so.