Festival of Colors

The local Hare Krishna temple hosted its annual Holi Festival of Colors yesterday and thousands of people flocked from all over Utah to attend. I have been looking forward to this festival all month and there was NO way I was going to miss it. The Holi Festival celebrates the arrival of spring and the passing of winter, and tradition dictates that all grudges and negative feelings must be abandoned for a day of merriment. According to the Hare Krishna website, people are supposed to “bury their hatchets with a warm embrace and throw their worries to the wind”…and those worries are apparently represented by enough colorful powder to bury us all.

The festival began with singing and dancing, followed by a bonfire and ceremony in which an effigy of the evil demoness Holika was burned…and then we all counted down to the moment when we could throw around our multi-colored powder with reckless abandon. You would not believe the wonderful chaos that ensued! The air was so thick with powder that I couldn’t breathe…I had colors caked in my eyes, nose, and mouth…and the massive crowd trampled me like a herd of wild buffalo. It was fantastic!

We may have been gagging on powder and unable to open our eyes for a while, but we had so much fun...and we definitely looked festive!

We spent the next couple of hours dancing and singing along with the music (which wasn’t difficult to do, because apparently the Hare Krishnas just repeat the same words over and over to different tunes).

Not so sure about this weird food on my plate…

The Holi Festival of Colors was an unforgettable experience and I loved every minute of it! I was genuinely disappointed when the sun started to go down and the freezing temperatures forced us to leave…

…but I received quite a shock when I got home and saw this in the mirror:

Yikes! I hadn’t realized how truly colorful I was! My hair is still kinda pink (even after four shampoos), my eyes are still burning, and my fingernails appear to be stained purple…but it was SO worth it.

Oh Happy Day!

I think that Robert Smith from The Cure was talking about me when he wrote the opening lyrics to the song Mint Car:

The sun is up, I’m so happy I could scream!

WHY am I so happy, you may ask? Because I just found out that I was accepted at the University of San Diego and Pepperdine University for my master’s program!

I must be honest…I was a little skeptical about getting accepted into these two schools. I mean…come on…USD and Pepperdine are hard to get into. I applied with high hopes, but I was grateful that I would have San Diego State or Cal State Long Beach waiting in the wings if I needed them. Yet somehow I was lucky enough to be accepted into my top two choices!

I feel so, SO blessed.

So now what do I do?! Which school do I choose? Both schools have amazing programs (and both are unfortunately really expensive). Do I pick USD, which is located in my beloved hometown, has an incredibly beautiful campus, and offers an impressive curriculum with a chance to study abroad? Or do I opt for Pepperdine, a school that also has a remarkable curriculum, a reputation that speaks for itself, and is located right by the beach in Malibu?

PLEASE give me your opinions!

Blog Visitors

Ever since I added the live traffic feed to my blog page, I have been wondering about the plethora of IP addresses from random locations that visit my blog on a regular basis. I mean…who ARE these people who take the time to type in my blog address and read about the happenings of my life? Family? Friends? Acquaintances? Complete strangers who spend their time blog-stalking? People from my past?

I’ve considered making my blog private many times, but I’m hesitant to block out the family members and friends who seem to be constantly popping up in the blogging world. My blog has therefore remained public, although I still don’t really like the idea of having my posts on display. I am fully aware that the world wide web is a public place where anyone in the world can gain access to your personal information…however, I can’t help but find it strange that I get visitors from places like Malaysia, Brazil, and Thailand. Who are these people?

And more importantly…who is the person in Fort Meyers, Florida who has apparently discovered my blog and keeps coming back on a regular basis? Strangely enough, this person also seems quite interested in my sister Courtney’s blog. I’m fairly certain that I know who this visitor is, and I must admit that I am intrigued. Despite the fact that my blog is extremely enticing and oh-so-delightful, I can’t imagine why this particular person would want to read about my life. I suppose the answer to this puzzle can be summed up by the wise words of Jim Morrison and the Doors when they aptly stated, “People are strange.”

2 Legit 2 Quit

February 27 was a historic night on which a phenomenon swept through Utah. This particular rarity had not occurred on the earth for nearly twenty years, and those of us who were lucky enough to witness it are not likely to forget the experience anytime soon.

The miracle I am referring to goes by a plethora of titles, the most recent of which is “Hammer Pants and Ice”…more commonly known as the MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice flashback concert!

All technicalities aside, these labels are simply euphemisms for “Two washed-up rappers from the early 90’s who must be a little low on funds and therefore want to earn some extra money by putting on a ridiculous concert in Utah.”

Yes, the concert was ludicrous. Totally absurd. It was also completely and utterly AWESOME! I mean, seriously, how many of you know every single word to “Ice Ice Baby”? I certainly do! And who has participated in a little booty-shaking to “U Can’t Touch This” on countless occasions? I have!

Be honest…at some point in our lives, haven’t we all wanted to roll in a 5.0 with the rag-top down so our hair can blow? And come on…you know you got to pray just to make it today. Oh the nostalgia.

I'll be the first one to admit that the concert was pretty idiotic, but there is no way I would have missed it! We laughed through the whole thing, sang along to every song, and danced until we almost passed out from exhaustion. I quickly learned that just because I was surrounded by music from the early 90’s didn’t mean that I had the same level of endurance that I had in back in 1992.

This is some of the priceless merchandise available at the concert.  Admit it, you are so lusting after the “Word to You Mutha” shirt.

All in all, I give the concert two thumbs up. I think MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice have officially proven to the world that they really are too legit to quit!

Valentine’s Day Rebuttal

It has been a week since Valentine’s Day, and over the past seven days I have heard a lot of boo-hooing about this particular holiday. So many people seem to have cynical attitudes about Valentine’s Day! I can’t even begin to tally the instances where I’ve heard someone say that V-Day is nothing more than a marketing ploy invented by greeting card companies…or that it’s a cheap excuse for shallow romance and unnecessary gifts…or that Valentine’s Day is a fake holiday where relationships are irrelevant and women are simply competing over who will get the most expensive bouquet of flowers from their significant others. I even know a particular someone who used his blog to immortalize his opinion that the traditions of February 14th force men to “perform like circus monkeys.”

I acknowledge that Valentine’s Day doesn’t have any kind of firm foundation as a holiday. It wasn’t built around a religious occasion…it doesn’t represent any significant event in our history…and it doesn’t carry any deep symbolism. But you know what? WHO CARES?!

What is really so bad about one day a year where we are all reminded to show extra love and consideration to the important people in our lives? Yes, I know that we should be expressing our love all 365 days of the year and not just on Valentine’s Day. But where is there written a rule that says Valentine’s Day compels you to only put forth extra effort this one day a year and, by doing so, makes the other 364 days obsolete? I know it can be difficult to keep the fires of love burning every single day of the year. We all tend to get wrapped up in our busy lives, and sometimes we forget to divulge the little tokens of affection that are paramount to making your loved ones feel valued and appreciated. It doesn’t mean that we don’t feel those things…sometimes we just need to be reminded of our priorities. And that’s how I perceive Valentine’s Day! What’s wrong with a little kick in the pants get us back on the right track?

I agree with the naysayers about one thing: Valentine’s Day shouldn’t necessarily require gifts or flowers or spending money. I don’t think possessions or monetary rewards represent happiness or love, and I most definitely appreciate simple kindness and sweet sentiments over anything purchased from a store. But once again, where is it written that gifts must be involved in order to celebrate Valentine’s Day?

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and people can say whatever they want about the triviality and cheesiness of Valentine’s Day. But as for myself, I have a great appreciation for a day that includes lots of extra kisses…heart-shaped candy…listening to sappy love songs all day…chocolate-covered strawberries…free Facebook gifts that you get to digitally unwrap…sparkling cider…colorful little dinosaur cards that say things like “You’re dino-mite!”…mushy romance movies…holding hands…and countless other little joys.

Whether you’re on a date, or with friends, or snuggled up at home with someone…what could possibly be so awful about a holiday that emphasizes being grateful for the people in our lives?

And on that note, I’d like to say…YAY Valentine’s Day! You were good to me this year. I look forward to seeing you again next February.

Walking on Water

Easton and I spent a day in Park City for Valentine’s Day and we had so much fun! Our day was frivolous and playful and full of silliness. We shopped, ate an amazing dinner, played in the snow, and consumed a multitude of chocolate-covered fruit. I loved it!

As many of you know, I am NOT a fan of snowy weather…but Park City is just so gorgeous when it is covered with snow! I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face (although my smile may have been a little distorted by the chattering of my teeth).

As we passed Deer Creek Reservoir on the way home, I noticed several people ice fishing and commented on the fact that I haven’t ever stepped foot on a frozen body of water. Easton immediately pulled the car over and suggested that I broaden my horizons by trying something new.

As we approached the edge of the lake, I quickly noticed that the ice did NOT look exceptionally thick and I began to question our endeavor. Easton told me that he knew what he was doing and I needed to trust him, after which he confidently walked towards the lake. When he stepped onto the ice I heard little crackling noises and I could see bubbles shifting under his weight. Does that sound stable to you? No way! So I promptly began skirting the perimeter of the lake to find a sturdier entry point.

I soon came to an area that looked fairly solid and tapped the edge with my foot to test its firmness. The ice felt pretty secure and, satisfied with my assessment, I took a step forward…and my foot plunged into knee-deep frigid water! I screamed and stumbled backwards, and Easton just roared with laughter and yelled, “See, you should have trusted me!”

Despite the fact that my foot was frozen and weighed nearly a hundred pounds, I allowed Easton to help me onto the ice and we played around on the surface of the reservoir for a while.

Even though my lower extremity was on the verge of frostbite, I was totally overwhelmed by the beauty of the landscape. The snow was pure white and the mountains looked like they were straight out of a painting.

When it was time to leave, I begrudgingly walked behind Easton so that he could use his keen abilities to guide us safely to solid ground. As we neared the edge of the lake, Easton told me that he would go first and I should follow by stepping into his footprints. He dauntlessly walked forward…and managed to take a few steps before both feet suddenly plummeted through the ice! He gasped and did the most hilarious little dance while skipping the rest of the way to the edge. I pretty much died with laughter and cursed the fact that I hadn’t videotaped his little exhibition!

Moral of the story: Next time you’re participating in a potentially dangerous activity and a guy tells you that there’s nothing to worry about and you should just trust him…you might want to think twice!

Viva La Mexico!

A bunch of us went on a cruise to the Mexican Riviera last month and it was absolutely incredible! The past few months have been SO stressful and this vacation was the perfect way to purge myself of a mountain of anxiety.

Our first stop was Puerto Vallarta and we spent the majority of our day on a zip-line tour through the jungle. The zip-line course was built around the movie set of “Predator,” so we occasionally had scary alien action figures jumping out of the bushes to startle us. They were lucky that I didn't reflexively pop them with the big steel pulley I was carrying!

Zip-lining was a blast! We all had so much fun and the scenery was unbelievably gorgeous. Our tour guide referred to Easton as “Grande” the whole time, and I won’t deny that everyone looked pretty nervous every time he came flying into each station at warp speed.

After the zip-line tour we spent some time exploring Puerto Vallarta. What a beautiful city! I was so sad when we were forced to get back on the cruise ship later that night.

Our second stop was Mazatlan! We got off the ship at the crack of dawn and made our way to a beautiful beach resort called El Cid. Our day in Mazatlan essentially consisted of eating (I just couldn’t get enough of that Mexican food), boogie boarding, and a lot of sitting around on the beach with my book…which is pretty much my idea of a perfect day!

Our final stop was Cabo San Lucas, and I can safely say that Cabo was my favorite destination. We took a water taxi over to Lover’s Beach, which is the stretch of beach where the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez meet (hence the name). I was completely astounded by the beauty of Lover’s Beach…words can’t even describe it!

Legend has it that if two people go into this little cave…three will come out! Wink wink. Don’t worry, we never actually made it to the cave…although Easton kept trying to lure me in there.

The section of ocean on the Pacific side of the beach was technically off-limits to swimmers because of the extremely powerful waves and currents…which naturally compelled all of the boys to run directly into the water.

They thought they were so rugged…

…and too tough to steer clear of restricted water…

…until the massive waves got ahold of them…

…and gave them the beating of their lives.

All the boys ended up with cuts and scrapes all over them, and Ben even popped his eardrum after being slammed into the ocean floor. I’m sure they considered their injuries a small price to pay.

We also had plenty of time for snorkeling, ultimate frisbee, wheelbarrow races, and shopping. I’m such a sucker for the street vendors.

Between ports we somehow managed to fill our time on the ship as well…

I had so much fun on the cruise and I met lots of new people. I guess we all need a chance to escape reality sometimes, if only for the sake of our own sanity. But I suppose all good things must come to an end…and now I’m just wondering when I’ll get a chance to execute another escape plan!

Newsflash...

...I am a bad blogger. There's a chance you already knew that. I'm aware that my blogging habits are lame and sporadic, but hey...I do my best.

I finally got my grad school applications in! I went through some form of personal hell in the process (including sprinting through local campuses to try and get applications handed over before the deadlines), but it's finally over! Now I can just sit back and wait to see which schools actually decide to let me through their doors.

And with that in mind, I'm off to Mexico for a week! I am SO looking forward to a little sunshine and relaxation. I'll worry about that whole "finding a job" mumbo jumbo after I get back. So, until then...Adios amigos!