RENDEZVOUS SERVICE RANCH

One of my best friends has gotten involved with this new Rendezvous Service Ranch. It is a break-off from the original Bennion Boys Ranch that I visit in Victor during the summer. Dave, my friend, has grown up working at the Boy's ranch and is trying to help get this ranch up and running. I haven't been to Rendezvous Service Ranch yet, but I love the concept behind it and what it can do for the boys and all of the adult leaders. They're having a service project soon to spread the word. Check out the website.
http://rendezvousserviceranch.org/

October

And all the lives we ever lived
And all the lives to be,
Are full of trees and changing leaves.

Bold all of the things that you have done...

1. Started your own blog (Eh hem. Yep)
2. Slept under the stars (For five months in a row!)
3. Played in a band (No official band... sadly. But plenty of good ol' bluegrass and folk jams)
4. Visited Hawaii (Twice: once in fifth grade, once in seventh. Thanks Mom and Dad!)
5. Watched a Meteor Shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland (Happiest place on Earth! Especially taking your three year-old nephew! I'm still trying to convince Scott we should make a stop next time we're visiting the family in SB)
8. Climbed a Mountain (Wouldn't be living this life I love if I hadn't climbed some mountains)
9. Held a praying mantis (Can't say that I can remember a specific time but I'm sure... at some point...)
10. Sang a solo (I think it started when I was Jiminy Cricket in the fifth grade play)
11. Bungee jumped (I. Wish.)
12. Visited Paris (Once in ninth grade with my mom, cousin Paul, and aunt Trisha. Again in college for study abroad. I LOVE FRANCE)
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (Does the ocean count?)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (The violin? Quilting?)
15. Adopted a child (Eh. No.)
16. Had food poisoning (Blasted Costa Vida Pork Salad. Claimed half of my apartment complex as victims! Three days later I was so fatigued that I passed out one night while sitting in the bathroom sink... just something I do... and I fell to the ground and dislocated my shoulder. Luckily a friend who was an EMT happened to be across the street and popped it back into place.)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (In middle school.)
18. Grown your own vegetables (Can I count sprouts in a jar in my kitchen? If not... then the veggies I grew at the ranch)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France (Twice. Smaller than you expect)
20. Slept on an overnight train (Wish I could say yes. Feel like I should be able to... but can't)
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked (Standard practice in Moab)
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill.
24. Built a snow fort (These are a few of my favorite things.... doo doo... doo doo.)
25. Held a Lamb (Baby goat. Close enough?)
26. Gone skinny dipping (Yes. My favorite time might have been at the Cysco put-in while Brenna and I waited for someone who could tow our van out of the river. We had to kill the time.)
27. Run a Marathon (Park City!)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset (I'd be ashamed if I had to write no. Most beautiful artwork ever)
31. Hit a home run (In my case, the equivalent for this would be hit a baseball in general. I have done it!)
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person (from the America side)
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (Stood right at Liverpool thinking of family members who came through there. When I was in Scotland, I visited the castle of the Burnett Family, Crathes Castle. These are my dad's ancestors who settle in Eden. Their cabin now stands at This Is The Place Park. Isabel Burnett had brown curly hair, played the violin, and was a writer. I love family history. I was excited to visit the castle. I asked for a family discount, but the person didn't so much as snicker.)
35. Seen an Amish community (Yes. While on a church history tour in high school. I can't remember which one though or where we were. I know it was a large, well known community.)
36. Taught yourself a new language (Spanish. I also feel quite fluent in "Guy" thanks to my many guy friends over the years)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (I'm pretty satisfied. There's always that one Anthro skirt or that one sexy backback... but I'm pretty happy, generally.)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person (Yes'm. About all Pisa had to offer me, though)
39. Gone rock climbing (Weekly.)
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David (Yes! In the most jamb-packed three-day trip to Florence and Rome ever!)
41. Sung karaoke (Moose's Grill, Park City. I don't think we were actually old enough to be in the bar, but it was after night-skiing in eighth grade... waiting for my dad to pick us up... Amelia, Sydney, Em, and me. We sang "Splish Splash I Was Taking a Bath!")
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt (Yellowstone Family Reunion trip. I think I was in middle school)
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant (Bought a stranger a meal on the streets of Rome.)
44. Visited Africa (Wish I were my husband sometimes... that's an adventure I want to catch up on).
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance (put a friend into an ambulance and met him at the hospital. Closest I've gotten)
47. Had your portrait painted (when I was a little kid. It's hanging at my ma's house. Scott has also doodled me now and then)
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person (Incredible)
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (Yes'm. In day and night)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (snorkeling in Hawaii. Wish I cold scuba)
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud (This is where I want to insert a picture of my trip to Moon Lake with Amelia, Syd, and Em. He he he! Or my picture of Scotty and me in Tahoe with the black sand... see top of our blog on the right. I love mud.)
54. Gone to a drive-in theater (In high school. I think we saw "The Village." We sat in the bed of Steve's Tacoma.)
55. Been in a movie (youtube! and Scott's homemade creations)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China (Someday)
57. Started a business (Rock the Block Foundation!)
58. Taken a martial arts class (I won a free intro course. Em and I couldn't stop laughing and man was taking his Koji tree way to seriously!)
59. Visited Russia (oh, man. Someday)
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (I've eaten them. I didn't make it to Girl Scouts. I couldn't even last in Brownies)
62. Gone whale watching (Planning on it. Almost did it in SB over Christmas.)
63. Got flowers for no reason (I've been treated VERY well by my wonderful husband and some wonderful friends)
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (Can't. Don't weigh enough. And I might have Mad Cow from living in England. What?)
65. Gone sky diving (Someday)
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (many... so so many. Poor Scott had to have teddy bears on his bed for the first few months of marriage)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar (No interest)
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job (lay off...)
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone (my arm three times... and MANY more)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle (On a motorcycle, yes. NOT a speeding one.)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person (Best view ever... from the RIVER! For THREE WEEKS!)
80. Published a book (Someday)
81. Visited the Vatican (Wonderful memories.)
82. Bought a brand new car (I've loved my Monty and my Mr. G)
83. Walked in Jerusalem (Coming soon...)
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible (Not from cover to cover. But I"m sure by the time I add up the pieces.)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (A fish.)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (I feel like NOT KILLING people on the river was a round-about way of saving their lives. I pulled plenty of panicked souls out of the water)
90. Sat on a jury (Will dodge as long as possible!)
91. Met someone famous (Jerry Seinfeld)
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit (I sort of wish I were in one now. I want my deposit back from our scummy landlord!)
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

AUTOMATIC DOORS

I need to stop believing that objects and fictional friends have actual human emotions. I know my sister understands this...

Last night Scott and I watched a little 20 minute show... his favorite Halloween television show, "The Pumpkin Who Couldn't Smile." We just looked it up on google. It was an old Raggedy Ann and Andy show... it was the cutest little show. The little cartoon boy on it actually reminded me of Scotty as a kid (at least what I've seen in pictures). Anyway.... there's this really sad pumpkin at the pumpkin patch... the last one left on Halloween night. And he's just bawling his eyes out that no one wants him and that he's a reject... I about cried. Poor guy. Luckily things work out for him in the end. But this guy went through a lot.

I have never been able to pack all of my stuffed animals away in a box. I had them ALL sitting on display in my bedroom until I got married. I just can't stand the feeling of guilt. Looking them in the eye as I put them away in a box... I'm sorry, I just can't take it.

I can't stand leaving a bite of food on the plate if that bite is the only one left. A grape... a noodle... I just feel like that last bit of food must feel bad that it was the only one that didn't get eaten. It is just going to be tossed in the garbage or down the sink... never being able to fulfill its true potential.

I don't know if Scott knew what he was getting himself into when he married me.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STOKES!

Not many people are so lucky to be in a Stoker sandwich like this one... especially with a giant French snowman with an inner tube beret.
Although there's probably no chance that they're reading this.... HAPPY BIRTHDAY to two of my best and longest friends. Amelia and Sydney have been amazing friends to me for the last well... ten years now that they're twenty-three! Geez! That's a long time! I couldn't ask for more amazing friends. These girls teach me so much about life and how to be the best version of who you are. They are living exciting lives, and doing so much for everyone they come in contact with along the way. Amelia has a way of always bringing me back to reality and helping me see the world in a different light than my own experiences. And Syd always makes me laugh. She has an excitement about her that rubs off. She is a positive and upbeat person. No matter how much time passes between when we get to see each other, I always walk away feeling overwhelmed that I have such wonderful friends!

Here they are laughing at me cause I got married.... I guess none of us ever thought it would really happen. My life would be completey different if they weren't in it. These three girls, in fact, are a big part of why I am who I am. I love you guys! Happy Birthday Mel and Syd!!!! In middle school and high school we used to do such elaborate birthday celebrations (Em and I are both in May, so we'd have a big October birthday bash and then one in the spring). I don't have a single memory that doesn't have one or all of these girls in it!!!

HALLOWEENY DAYS

Scott and I were just talking yesterday about my thing with traditions and holidays. I feel like I'm growing up quite a bit and letting some traditions slide, but I guess there's still a huge part of me that loves green pancakes on Saint Patrick's Day and making your twenty-four year-old husband go on an Easter basket search. I love this time of year... back to back celebrations. Halloween... Thanksgiving... Christmas.... New Year. Right now I'm looking out my front window and there is a thin layer of snow on my jeep. The snow is coming down steadily, I can't wait to head to the mountains!

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. My favorite costume as a kid was the year I was Raggedy Ann. Of course I had to wear my winter coat over my costume... but them's the breaks when you live in Salt Lake. It's funny, Scotty was Raggedy Andy for Halloween when he was a kid.

There have been plenty of years when we trick-or-treated in the snow. I always trick-or-treated with McCaye. We had the best time. When I got a little older, I remember trick-or-treating with Sarah Sweeney a few times and then watching a movie at her house. I think fifth grade was the first and last time I watched "Back to the Future."

This is who I'm going to be for Halloween this year. Hopefully we'll find something festive to do on Halloween so I don't end up wearing this costume around the house, just the two of us. I don't know if Scott finds it as amusing as I do... but if I had my way, I'd wear a costume every day of my life.

A few of my favorite memories about Halloween. Number One is carving pumpkins. Scott and I have yet to do this! I can't believe how lame I've become in my old age.

Number Two: It's a Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. I should organize an amazing Halloween date night with Scott where we do all the things on my list... Too bad our only free weeknight was last night.

Number Three: Candy corns and pumpkins. Johnny used to buy these candies by the bagful the SECOND they were at Dan's Grocery Store. This year Scott discovered caramel apple candy corns.

Number Four: I used to always watch Winnie-the-Pooh Spookables movie as a kid when Halloween rolled around. Thankfully, my nephew Andrew has been watching this movie ever single sunday when he comes for dinner since MAY... so I've gottent that movie completely out of my system. In fact, I might just lay that tradition to rest from now on.

Number Five: I remember Sue and Doug's Halloween birthday parties. I also remember haunted houses in the Badger's basement. We used to blindfold people and make them put their hands in bowls of spagetti and tell them it was brains.

Number Six: When we were kids and finished our trick or treating for the night, my brothers and sister and I used to lay out our candy in a highly organized fashion. That's the only way to lay out the goods for proper trading purposes. Doug always had the most. Johnny's was always a cute little pile, but he turned into a candy maniac as he got older.

LET IT SNOW....

On Friday night Scott and I went to Provo. Thanks to BYU's two-for-one deal, we came home with a whole bunch of passes to do this...



At this glorious place....


















Woo hoo! We are SO excited!!! I have been an Alta skier for the past seven years, since my junior year of high school, but I grew up on Snowbird, so I'll have fun revisiting the old mining runs. Snowbird will be great for us this year (honestly, we're just happy to be able to go skiing anywhere! Last year we'd either hike the resorts and ski down or we'd try to score some half day passes off people who were leaving early), especially so Scott can strap on his snowboard. I would feel a little guilty if I forced him to stop snowboarding so I could ski Alta. I have completely come to grips with the fact that I married a snowboarder. He is SO GOOD at what he does. He snowboards like he surfs, and it's so fun to watch. I can handle him being a snowboarder. I'm not even ashamed!

So, I figure if our apartment is going to feel like a freezer, we might as well get some snow on the ground and enjoy it! I know a lot of people will hate me for saying that... especially since it's been such a beautiful fall with gorgeous weather. But at the Hannay home, we're living in an ice cave. I'll walk around our apartment in slippers and a down coat, all bundled up. Then I'll step outside and I'm WAY overdressed for the temperature. I have to shed a few layers. We're losing the battle with our landlord to get the heat turned on. Cold is no good... but if there's snow, it makes the cold totally worth it. I'm definitely getting the itch. I am ready to go skiing!!

OINK OINK...

In honor of my nephew Andrew. This is how you get the swine flu, right?



















Kirst, you shouldn't take him to the zoo so often...

PS...

I don't want to be giving anything away... but I just have to say that I have the best Halloween costume of all time this year!!

Okay... It's the same one I wore last year. Last year Scott wanted to bike around Antelope Island on Halloween and I insisted we do it in costumes. So I may not be getting originality points this year for my costume (however I don't know how many other 22 year-old Buzz Lightyears you're going to see running around come the 31st). But can I just say how happy I am that my mom saves these gems from our childhood?! I distinctly remember Doug wearing this costume in Miss Selberg's 5th grade class. Lucky for me, it fits me like a glove... a tight, spandexy glove... but a glove. You better believe I put it on the second we walked in the door after getting it from my mom's house.

TO THE LIGHTHOUSE

For some reason tonight I was thinking about the rhythms to which we live our lives. Right now (when I stop typing for a second) I can hear the crickets outside. I can hear Scott turn pages, clear his throat, and slide the desk chair across the hard wood floor. I can hear the faucet in the kitchen flow wildly, and I can hear the radiators in the living room, bedroom, and bathroom clank clank clank as if someone is banging on the pipes below us with a crowbar. All of these sounds made me think of this passage I read last year about Mrs. Ramsay living her life to the rhythm and timing of the surrounding noises, most particularly the waves. Sometimes I feel like it is almost impossible to live with this sort of metronome in our lives right now because there are simply too many sounds to hear. I picture my friend Tyler on his way to Disney Land and the headache that awaits his ears. I couldn't live my life to the rhythm of the noises at Disney Land. But there is something soothing about this idea. I do this at the Ranch. I live by the timing set by the rooster and the wind shooting through the aspens. I do this on the river. I live by the timing set by flying Tammy Beetles and the distant "shhhh" of rapids. I do this late at night when I finally indulge myself by sitting back, relaxing, and reading a book. Something about the timing set by the nighttime crickets and the buzz of my laptop tells me that it's okay to read a book in the evening. I can't read books of my choosing during the day. I can't even hear the buzz of my laptop during the day over the sounds of cars screeching and zooming along South Temple or the recess bell ringing at Wasatch Elementary next door. There's too many sounds; there's a rush. So I too am rushed during the day. But at night, when the sounds calm down, I calm down. I never noticed how often I take my cues from the sounds of the world around me. I was going to say the sounds of nature, but I take so many cues from the sounds of the city. All of these sounds drive and steer my own rhythm. Without me realizing it, they dictate for me my day.

"But here, as she turned the page, suddenly her search for the picture of a rake or a mowing-machine was interrupted. The gruff murmur, irregularly broken by the taking out of pipes and the putting in of pipes which had kept on assuring her, though she could not hear what was said (as she sat in the window which opened on the terrace), that the men were happily talking; this sound, which had lasted now half an hour and had taken its place soothingly in the scale of sounds pressing on top of her, such as the tap of balls upon bats, the sharp, sudden bark now and then, "How’s that? How’s that?" of the children playing cricket, had ceased; so that the monotonous fall of the waves on the beach, which for the most part beat a measured and soothing tattoo to her thoughts and seemed consolingly to repeat over and over again as she sat with the children the words of some old cradle song, murmured by nature, "I am guarding you—I am your support," but at other times suddenly and unexpectedly, especially when her mind raised itself slightly from the task actually in hand, had no such kindly meaning, but like a ghostly roll of drums remorselessly beat the measure of life, made one think of the destruction of the island and its engulfment in the sea, and warned her whose day had slipped past in one quick doing after another that it was all ephemeral as a rainbow—this sound which had been obscured and concealed under the other sounds suddenly thundered hollow in her ears and made her look up with an impulse of terror (Virginia Woolf)."

LA COCINA

I know Scott and I are a long long long long long long way away from having a home anything remotely close to something like this. But this is my new dream kitchen. Is it weird that I'm planning things like this in my mind??? I just love all the white. and I LOVE the giant square shelf.

I'M REALLY FAILING WITH THE CAMERA THING

I have been so bad about taking my camera with me lately. I don't really like looking like the high school historian all over again, but I always end up being sad I didn't take pictures. One thing I've loved whenever we have friends over is that they always end up commenting on all of our pictures. I love that. I always want to have a ton of pictures throughout our home. I don't think I've printed any since our wedding, so all of the pictures in our apartment are from dating and being engaged. I need to start printing some more.

This was a fun weekend for us, but we also had a ton to get done. Initially we planned on driving down to Moab on Thursday night, but we decided we should stick around and catch up this weekend since we were gone last weekend (Scott took his scouts camping on Friday night, I went to a wedding reception for my roommate, Callie (Cockrell) BOWERS, and then we spend the rest of the weekend at my parent's cabin in Midway). Yesterday (Friday), we were able to do some studying, get new tires on the Jeep (thank you Dad!!!!) at Costco, do a massive build-up of laundry, help my mom get ready for her dinner party, get groceries (I know all this doesn't sound better than Moab), and then throw together a dinner for our friends. We invited some friends to go to the Warren Miller premier with us, and Matt and Loral ended up coming up so we decided to dinner before the show. This meant a mad cleaning job before they got here (hopefully they didn't notice we had broken a sweat running around and cleaning before they got here). It was fun for us to have friends over for dinner. It was the first time actually. we'll have to come up with another arrangement for future dinners. Our teeny kitchen doesn't fit four people for dinner very well! Matt and Loral were good sports, even through we had to block them in to their seats near the wall.

After dinner we drove to the show in hopes of winning some new K2s or something. No go, what a shock. But the movie was great and got us way too pumped for ski season. I'm realizing more and more how lucky I was to get ninety-nine dollar season passes in high school. Scott and I keep trying to justify how much we can spend on skiing this year. The Warren Miller movie made us temporarily lose perspective and want to blow all our savings. We're back now.

After the show we went to Jon and Annie Kimball's house for dessert and games. Jon is from Santa Barbara with Scott and Annie and I are both from Salt Lake. They couldn't make it to the show so they invited us to come over afterwards. I felt bad because it was pretty late, but I'm so glad we were able to go! It was so fun! I'm glad we got a chance to hang out with them. We haven't seen them since they're wedding, but they're always doing great game nights at their house. We talked about plans for Halloween, so hopefully we'll get to hang out a lot more before we all head out our separate ways.

It was one of the latest nights we've had in a while. But Scott got off for his class on time this morning, and I was able to catch a few extra hours of sleep. Today is jamb-packed with homework and getting all of the requirements straight for grad schools... application due dates, letters of recommendation, etc. It's exciting that we're diving into the process now. We're excited to see where we end up next!

We had fun with some friends this weekend, and we're happy to have such great friends. It's funny how almost all of Scott's Santa Barbara buddies got married at the same time, and most of them live here in Utah. We've had a lot of fun getting together as often as we do. The holidays will probably be pretty busy, but they'll also be fun. This year Scott and I will probably head out to Santa Barbara for Thanksgiving again. We'll spend Christmas here at my parent's cabin, and then spend a week in Santa Barbara with the Hannays. We're pretty spoiled to have the best of both worlds... skiing AND surfing for Christmas.

BOO FLU SHOT

I am not a fan of the flu shot. I don't mind shots. When I was getting my shots caught up for my mission papers, I got six shots in my arm while standing in the waiting room where they weigh you before an appointment. I don't get scared, and I don't feel nervous or queezy. I was just hesitant about this particular shot. I've never had a flu shot before. I said no no no no no to it for weeks, and then caved and got it because several sources informed me that I would not get sick. One in four hundred get the flu from the flu shot. One in a thousand! There's nothing to worry about... HA! That'd be me... one in a thousand. A couple hours after the shot I started coughing a dry, painful kind of cough. All of a sudden my lungs felt tight and sore, like I had gone running in the middle of the night in winter. This is the feeling I get after asthma attacks. This is not fun. So I went to my trusty inhaler for a quick little puff. This thing is my best friend. It has accompanied me on all of my many adventures. We're great, together, really. Well this is the one time that my inhaler decided it was going to coat my throat and cause my throat to swell and be sore, making it difficult to swallow and breathe. This, combined with my sore and tight lungs, equaled a nap sitting upright in my bed. When I woke from this forty-five minute nap, my head had joined the party and felt like a ton of bricks were stuck inside my head where my brain is supposed to be. That's where we left off. I haven't felt this sick in a long time! Here I am in bed, with nothing better to do than complain... and blog.

I'm writing this all while in a humorous mood. I'm not really trying to complain... I just find this pretty funny. Hopefully a good-night-knock-out-sleep will help me feel as good as new tomorrow.



On a much happier note, congrats to Margy and Oliver who are celebrating four years of marriage today! We can't wait to hang out with you guys over Christmas break.

I totally stole this picture from their facebook profile. Hope that's okay!

FAVORITE QUOTES REMEMBERED

"We can have it many more than both ways (Margaret Mead).”

"We know time and we know that everything is really fine." Then he whispered, clutching my sleeve, sweating, "now you just dig them in front. They have worries, they're counting the miles, they're thinking about where to sleep tonight, how much money for gas, the weather, how they'll get there- and all the time they'll get there anyway, you see. But they need to worry and betray time with urgencies false and otherwise, purely anxious and whiny. Their souls really won't be at peace unless they can latch on to an established and proven worry and having found it they assume facial expressions to fit and go with it, which is, you see, unhappiness, and all the time it all flies by them and they know it and that too worries them no end (Kerouac).”

“God left the world unfinished for man to work his skill upon. He left the electricity in the cloud, the oil in the earth. He left the rivers unbridged and the forests unfelled and the cities unbuilt. God gives to man the challenge of raw materials, not the ease of finished things. He leaves the pictures unpainted and the music unsung and the problems unsolved, that man might know the joys and glories of creation (Thomas S. Monson).”

"I live not in dreams, but in constant contemplation of a reality which is perhaps the future (Rainer Maria Rilke).”

“After the thaw, build a shelter of light and air.”