Fun Stuff

Summer has set in at work and we are immersed in the craziness thereof. Last week started the first of the ropes course outings as well as the river trips in Moab. We had a great time...I still marvel that I get paid for some of the things I get to do (not much, but still paid).





For Memorial Day weekend Erica and I drove to Hurricane, UT where we met Kate and stayed for a few days to see some more of the wonders of southern Utah. We spent one day laying on the beautiful red rocks of Sand Hollow reservoir. On Monday we went into Zion National Park and hiked (walked really) into the Emerald Pools. It was beautiful and so much fun.




I of course have pictures of my feet in both places...apparently my sunscreen attracted some dirt:)

Book Club

I recently joined a book club. It is really just a few people that have wanted to be in one and decided to just do it. One of the women chose a book and sent an e-mail and that is how it happened. We had our first meeting last night. I only actually know one of the other members but I can tell that we will have a lot of fun together. Our first book was "The Witch of Portobello." I really enjoyed it and will leave you with an excerpt:



Everything is at once so simple and so complicated! It's simple because all it takes is a change of attitude: I'm not going to look for happiness anymore. From now on, I'm independent; I see life through my eyes and not through other people's. I'm going in search of the adventure of being alive.

And it's complicated: Why am I not looking for happiness when everyone has taught me that happiness is the only goal worth pursuing? Why am I going to risk taking a path that no one else is taking?

After all, what is happiness?

Love, they tell me. But love doesn't bring and never has brought happiness. On the contrary, it's a constant state of anxiety, a battlefield; it's sleepless nights, asking ourselves all the time if we're doing the right thing. Real love is composed of ecstasy and agony.

All right then, peace. Peace? If we look at the Mother, she's never at peace. The winter does battle with the summer, the sun and the moon never meet, the tiger chases the man, who's afraid of the dog, who chases the cat, who chases the mouse, who frightens the man.

Money brings happiness. Fine. In that case, everyone who earns enough to have a high standard of living would be able to stop working. But then they're more troubled than ever, as if they were afraid of losing everything. Money attracts money, that's true. Poverty might bring unhappiness, but money won't necessarily bring happiness.

I spent a lot of my life looking for happiness; now what I want is joy. Joy is like sex--it begins and it ends. I want pleasure, I want to be contented, but happiness? I no longer fall into that trap.

When I'm with a group of people and I want to provoke them by asking that most important of questions--Are you happy? --they all reply: "Yes, I am."

Then I ask: "But don't you want more? Don't you want to keep on growing?" And they all reply: "Of course."

Then I say: "So you're not happy." And they change the subject.

What you waiting for?

I have been shamefully delinquent in my blogging. This semester has kicked my butt and I have not had the time or desire to blog. Since January 21st a few significant events have taken place. Here they are in no particular order:

1) I went on a fabulous cruise to Grand Cayman, Belize, Roatan Island and Cozumel
2) I turned THIRTY
3) I finished another semester

I am sure there were some other things but for now those are the things I remember. Here is some photo-documentation for your viewing pleasure!










This last one is after going to the Symphony, Natalie took us for our birthdays and it was WONDERFUL!