The end of another great month

Photo Credit: Favorite Aunt Denise took this photo
and then incorporated this quote a few years back.
She really is the most insightful person I know.

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I realize I have been lacking in communication with my fellow bloggers as of late, and probably just friends & family in general. So, here are things I am enjoying about life:

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AZ oranges. Hitting the end of their season so they are very sweet. Haven’t had a bad one yet.
Strawberries. Enough said.
Green Apples. Was never a fan and I am now discovering how awesome they really are. A little tart, but not enough to make me scrunch up my face.

Almost done passing my 50's in Steno (1 more to go!)
Semester over on Friday and 2-week break to ensue. Don’t really feel like I “deserve” a break, but hopefully it will give me enough time to get more serious about the upcoming summer semester and commit to work harder now that theory is over and speed building is key.

Went to a new hair stylist this time around and ended up with exactly what I asked for! No purple hair, no nonsense. Just a nice brown with caramel highlights. Yay for getting what I want! One bad thing - my hair is going crazy with static lately. Apparently there has been more humidity in the air over the past couple weeks. This better stop because I am sick of running dryer sheets over my head all day. Seriously, that can’t be normal.

I finally started taking my iron and... surprise surprise - no more bruises! I no longer look like I am part of an underground weekend fight club. This is good.

Mornings. I am simply incapable of sleeping past 6 a.m. anymore. (???) Mystery of all mysteries. This doesn’t necessarily mean that I am super productive, it just means I am awake and definitely not able to fall back asleep. I have managed to get up and go walking some mornings though and I love it. Every day the sun gets a little brighter a little earlier. Anyone who knows me knows how much I hate mornings, so the fact that I am suddenly turning my circadian rhythm upside down and actually enjoying it surprises me quite a bit.

NEW JOB! This probably belongs in the “most relieving” category. Working for a lawyer who respects me as a person is priceless. I feel excited to get up and start my day, knowing that I won’t be demeaned or trashed or be made to feel like I am worth nothing. Lots of people have money, this is a very well known fact of life. But as a general rule there are two types of people who have money - the people who walk past you on the street and you don’t know any differently that they may be worth a million bucks. And then people who believe they are intrinsically better than the rest of the world because a bank tells them they have more “value” than everyone else.

I love working for Dana -- a “regular” guy who treats everybody with the respect they deserve. And he treats people well even if they don’t deserve it, (seeing as how he defends federal criminal cases). I am enjoying the new opportunity I have to jump right into managing a law office - from billing to preparing transcripts to scheduling to creating motions. Life is looking brighter now that I am surrounded by people who want to see me succeed. We share an office space with another federal defender Tom and his assistant Roxene. She is a “big momma” type of lady who just loves me and gives me the heads up on everything. I like being able to ask her questions (no matter how stupid they are), and she always keeps me entertained throughout the day with the updates on her “soaps” and conspiracies about shady businesses within the office building... haha. We have a lot of fun. The only downside to the whole thing is getting out of Phoenix during rush hour traffic. I have a feeling I’m going to make it through my entire iPod one of these days! So with some good music I guess I can’t really complain.

Sun. (Don’t mistake this for the so-called basketball team “The Suns” - they aren’t worth talking about). It is getting warmer and I love it. I realize it’s going to be unbearable later on in the summer. But for now it’s awesome to walk outside and feel the rays... in my car, walking around town, even before I fall asleep it’s warm. It’s great.

Family & Friends. All that other stuff is great, but this category is really what’s making life fun these days. Making dinners and chillin’ with Gabi and Kendall the past few weeks has been great. Nothing beats good food and talking smack with the girls :) Meeting new people every week it seems like - branching out and having fun! Finally got to experience Monkey Pants, a good time all around :) Things are going well in the dating life... don’t really want to “blog” about it, but I guess I’ll just say I’m pretty damn happy and I’ve usually got a dopey grin on my face, if that tells you anything.

Well I’m gonna wrap up this ridiculously long list of randomness that you may or may not have wanted to hear about. Hope everyone is enjoying themselves and looking forward to being on the brink of summer - to many carefree and adventurous days ahead!

Song of the Week

*Lake Tahoe 2006*

The Postal Service
We Will Become Silhouettes EP (2005)
“Be Still My Heart”

I was running late for work
So I didn't change my shirt
The evening's drinks left a lingering taste in my mouth
And when I left you were fast asleep
Tangled in the sheets
And on the bus I could have sworn it was all a dream
And it didn't happen to me.

And then I felt the scrapes
From the slippery subway grate.
Oh how you laughed
At my complete lack of grace.
But I could not recall
A more perfect fall
‘Cause when I looked up into your eyes
It didn't hurt at all.

And I thought, be still my heart
This could be a brand new start, with you.
And it will be clear
If I wake up and you're still here with me in the morning.

And I thought, be still my heart
This could be a brand new start, with you.
And it will be clear
If I wake up and you're still here with me…
in the morning.

Birthday Fun!

Gabi has joined the adult world and rang in 21 last night! We are having a birthday party for her tonight at our apartment... I am so excited for her. Gabi has been my right hand lady as of late. We are so different in a lot of ways, but on the important things we really get each other and she is so good to me. I have loved having her as a roommate, cousin and friend out here. She does so much for me and I love just having her around. Happy Birthday girl!

This is a picture of us going out to dinner last night with our friend Zachalicious. He is our fashion consultant and is the funniest kid alive. Ernie even nominated him for Citizen of the Year, LOL.

Have a good weekend everybody :)

3 Days, 30 Miles... a weekend in Paradise :)

And the good times continue to roll in the valley of the sun! Last week I went on an incredible adventure that was both relaxing and challenging in many ways. I have to say looking back on the whole thing that I am proud of my accomplishment. I have been working hard at getting in shape and eating healthy and I feel like that opened the door to me being able to enjoy one of nature’s finest attractions. Getting in tune with nature and all it has to offer truly is a blessing and a privilege.

I feel very grateful that I grew up in a family that took the time to explore beautiful places. My dad always wanted us to be backpackers because his backpacking days are really what shaped him as a person. He has shared many stories with me over the years of his journeys backpacking through Canada and southern Utah. They were a time of spiritual and intellectual growth for him and he has a lot of really neat insights that came to him during those years. Since I was invited on the trip I started calling my dad pretty regularly to get advice for my own preparations. We did quite a bit of camping and hiking growing up, but he always took care of the food, the packing, the whole process. This was my first trip where I actually had to think about what I needed to bring and what I should wear… and I admit I was completely overwhelmed. I walked out the door Thursday not knowing what was going to happen to me or if I was even ready. But I just had to jump in… there was no turning back!

Thursday afternoon we headed up through Flagstaff on our way to the Grand Canyon. We stopped for some really good food, knowing it would probably be our last delicious meal for a while! That night we camped out at the base of the trailhead and planned to get up at dawn and descend on our 10-mile hike to the falls. It was about 20 degrees that night... ridiculously cold and miserable. I don’t think I slept for more than 20 or 30 minutes at a time. When 5 a.m. rolled around I was ready to get up and go because I sure as hell wasn’t any warmer in my tent. The hike DOWN to the falls on Friday was excellent. I was expecting a difficult hike, but

to my surprise it was downhill and level the entire way. In the back of my mind I kept thinking, “If this is all downhill, I wonder what that means for the way back up??” Obviously knowing what the answer was, I quickly put it out of my mind and promised myself not to think about it again until Sunday morning :)

We got down to the village and registered for our campsite, then hiked the 2 miles from the village into the Havasupai campgrounds – those 2 miles were really the only difficult part because of the resistance of hiking in sand. My short legs definitely had a limited stride going on. As we turned a corner and got our first glimpse at the falls they were spectacular. I was so excited to just get down there and jump in. We set up camp and ate lunch, and then the exhaustion set in. I laid down for a nap and everyone started to take off to Mooney Falls. As I was laying there I thought, this is ridiculous – I didn’t come all this way to take a nap. So I put on my swimsuit and grabbed my flip flops and caught up with the crew. Probably the bes t decision I made all week. We got there and realized it was a long hike down to the falls. Didn’t really think much of it, though, until warning signs and dark caves started popping up. Turned out it was like repelling down the side of a red cliff in flip flops with no traction – absolutely not what I bargained for. I really can’t describe how scary and exhilarating it was, you just had to be there. I’ll just say I was pretty happy to make it down alive, in one piece. The wate r was a little cold at the falls but once you jumped in and swam around for a bit it really warmed up. We walked around and jumped through some falls, took some great pictures and soaked up our beautiful surroundings. By the time we got back to camp I was really ready for a good nap, which felt amazing.

The rest of our crew (4 more) had arrived when we woke up and so we spent the rest of the night making food and hanging out. Friday morning Dan and I hiked back to the village to buy some more food and ended up eating breakfast at the café run by the locals… OJ and pancakes have never tasted so good! We hiked back to the falls and had some really good conversation along the way. I love that aspect of camping – getting to know the people you’re with and sharing parts of yourself as well. I feel like I made some great connections and got to know some unique things about everyone.



The rest of the day consisted of exploring, swimming, diving out of trees and off rope swings, hiking, relaxing… you know, the usual stuff that goes on in paradise. It truly was an adrenaline rush to run through one of the most beautiful places in the world and just play – forgetting all the burdens and cares of everyday life. It was a rare opportunity to be surrounded by greenish-blue water, cascading falls, wildflowers, red rocks, warm pools of water, smiling faces & laughter. It was an amazing day.

Now, Sunday. If you asked me about the trip Sunday night I may not have had good things to tell you. Now that I’ve had a few days I see it in a much more positive light :) Sunday was 10 miles, up, up, and more uphill. Some of the crew opted to pay the 20 bucks it costs to helicopter their packs up to the top, which maybe I should have done considering the nasty blisters I had on my feet. I thought about it, though, and I wanted to look back and feel like I had accomplished something I didn’t think I could do. I kept the pack on and pressed ahead. I was pretty far behind and my feet hurt. I was tired… I just wanted it to be over. I felt bad for holding up the crew – Dan had to stay behind and make sure I was taking the right turns. I shouldn’t have been so frustrated, considering this is the most physically grueling hike I’ve taken on, but the girl in me needed to cry… just a little bit though :) The last 2 miles were very steep and it had gotten pretty toasty since about noon. Every step I took I felt like I was going to fall backwards and pass out. I had to stop a lot to balance myself out and get the energy to keep going.

When I looked up and Dan, Shashi, Shimbi, Kyle, and Kathryn were cheering for me at the top I felt pretty damn good. Having the encouragement and support of friends is priceless. I am grateful beyond words that I have met such amazing people out here in Arizona. This was a great opportunity for me… one that pushed the boundaries my comfort zone and taught me some important things. I feel like that is the theme of my life out here in Arizona – learning that I do have the capacity and the courage to experience new things that I never before thought possible. I am in the process of making my way into an adult life. Some days are rough and all I can do is just cry a little bit and hope the next day brings something better. But mostly I just marvel at everyday I have out here… grateful for the new people, experiences, places, and growth that are now part of my life.

You won't believe your eyes...

Well I was hoping to give everyone the heads up on my trip beforehand, but it was MUCH too crazy time-wise to get anything out other than a song of the week. Last Thursday through Sunday I backpacked Havasupai Falls! I know most of you are shaking your heads in disbelief at this incredibly ridiculous thought, but yes I do have the pictures to prove it. I'm getting the bulk of them tonight, but I managed to steal one from my friend Kathryn's blog so here it is.


Yes, this is me going straight down the side of the mountain in flip flops to get to the most amazingly beautiful falls I have ever seen. The trip was incredible... in fact, I am still in paradise mode. It is hard to come back to the real world and think about the millions of things I have to do. The trip was a great 4 days that reminded me to slow things down and think more often about the beauty we have all around us... the beauty that is just waiting to be explored and enjoyed.

As soon as I get more pictures I will write a longer post about the backpacking, the falls, the good times, the bad times (yes, I did think I was going to die at one point), and just more updates in general. Hope everyone else had a great week too! My family is staying in a condo in Park City this weekend/week and I wish I could be there to chill with them... hope you guys are having fun!

Song of the Week

This song comes from the EP "Woman King" released in 2005, which is the same year I discovered Iron & Wine and first saw them in concert. Brandon and I saw them in SLC in December of '05 and when they played Woman King I sat in the corner and cried. It was beautiful... all of their music is beautiful. So moving... spiritual... organic. After the show Brandon bought me the LP because I loved it so much. I collect bells (total nerd, I know) and the album cover is a display of thimbles on a shelf. Last summer I was bored one day and asked my dad if he could make me a wooden frame for the album. He took me into his "shop" out back and we put this together in about an hour. It was a lot of fun making something together, and it really turned out great. Since then I've always had this hanging in my room, and I display some of my favorite bells on top of the wood. It is a piece that means quite a bit to me. I saw Iron & Wine again in concert about a week before I moved to Arizona. Not a whole lot of I&W fans in my group of friends so they all tried to pawn the duty of going to the concert with me off on each other. Finally Emily (Gurr) stepped up and took one for the team :) It was all the way up at Saltair, blizzard snow, ice, mud, etc. Completely worth it, though. When they played Woman King, the feeling I had two years prior was replicated and it was beautiful and one of those moments I will always be grateful for. Thanks Em for making it happen.

Iron & Wine
"Woman King"

Blackbird claw, raven wing
Under the red sunlight
Long clothesline, two shirtsleeves
Waving as we go by

Hundred years, hundred more
Someday we may see
A woman king
Wristwatch time
Slowin as she goes to sleep

Black horsefly, lemonade
Jar on the red anthill
Garden worm, cigarette
Ash on the windowsill

Hundred years, hundred more
Someday we may see
A woman king
Sword in hand
Swing at some evil and bleed

Black hoof mare, broken leg
Eye on the shotgun shell
Age old dog, hornet nest
Built in the big church bell

Hundred years, hundred more
Someday we may see
A woman king
Bloodshot eye
Thumb down and starting to weep...

Oh, bother.

The birds are chirping and the sun is definitely shining in AZ. Not in Val's world this past week, though. I hate looking out the window and wanting to be outside, taking a walk or just hanging out. This week just feels like a dirty grey cloud over my head that won't stop following me around. I had a nice date on Saturday, hiking and a great concert, only to wake up Sunday morning sick and feeling miserable. I've got a sinus infection (again - had a bad one this past August) and I basically just feel like crap. No energy to perform the millions of tasks I've got on my plate. Tests Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (tonight). It's the final for Medical Terminology tonight, though, and I'll be glad to have that class over with. Thursday is my first "testing day" in steno. I am really nervous, and rightly so... I haven't put in the practice time I should. So it will be interesting I'm sure. I've got a few weeks to get my speed up. It's shape up or ship out time. On top of that I'm supposed to be working out to get ready for Yavasupai Falls next weekend, instead I feel weak and have to go to bed at 10 p.m. feeling like I haven't accomplished anything.

Anyway, this is a dreary posting week. Sorry, I just can't help feeling like Eeyore. Hopefully things will start looking up. I am mildly obsessed with the Death Cab for Cutie Song I posted yesterday. I really listened to the lyrics for the first time last week and they were very unsettling for me. I've been having weird dreams the past few days... memories I kind of just wanted to go away, but they keep showing up in the middle of my nights and I wake up confused and exhausted. That's why this song just haunts me...

"But I thought that this meant/something more than broken hearts and new addictions./We'll leave our sins within the carpet twine./Our bodies will dissolve the chemicals in due time."

Last night Annie text me to update me on the situation with the missing girl in Utah... she didn't make it. I was very sad to hear this grim news. Annie, I'm sure, is exhausted and emotionally spent. The little girl was a student at her school and she helped by joining in on the search yesterday. My heart goes out to the girl's family.... and to Annie... I love you, cuz. I found this old picture of us from a few years ago and wanted to put it up.

Song of the Week

"Scientist Studies"
Death Cab for Cutie


What ghosts exist behind these attic walls?
There's got to be a simpler explanation,
'cause I scrimped and I saved
just to find that they've been splicing my inventions.

Cold skin and bones and this latitude;
we ain't paying until the heat comes through.
So you slept in a stocking cap and wool scarf and the

Promises of payments were
upon your shoulders constantly,
but don't foget to entertain
'cause this is your first defense.

Four-year offense to the devoted type.
I may have got an invitation, but I wasn't invited.
But I thought that this meant
something more than broken hearts and new addictions.

We'll leave our sins within the carpet twine.
Our bodies will dissolve the chemicals in due time.

Promises of payments were
upon your shoulders constantly,
but don't forget to entertain
'cause this is your first defense.
This is your first defense.

This is a first defense.
This was a first defense.
This is my last defense.