Shouldn't these be on a billboard???

Apparently I'm now an avid mountain biker. Or so it appears, right? ;) These are just a few more photos from the adventures in Moab this past month that I just got. Kinda cool.

TIMPANOGOS TREK

After living in Provo for over 3 years now, I finally had the opportunity to hike Mt. Timpanogos. I'd been anxiously awaiting this time for quite a while, and last Saturday morning the plans were finally put into action. I went with my friend Chad and some of his cousins and friends. After getting lost on the WAY to the parking lot (not a good sign) we started the hike a little before 6:00 AM. It was a BEAUTIFUL morning and the scenery was almost too much to handle. Wildflowers everywhere, along with clear streams and blue-blue skies. Wow. All seven of us made the trek in fairly good time, considering the occasional snowy trails that caused some slowing-down. :) We made it to the saddle (up the mtn, but not the summit) in about 3 hours, and took a break for some pb&j. After eating, Chad's cousin Roman took his girlfriend aside (Shaley) and proposed to her with the beautiful view...adorable. We had Martinelli's to celebrate and then continued up to the summit. It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL, and totally worth it. Despite the fact that I may have gotten a bit dehydrated and suffered some heat stroke afterward, I would most definitely do it again. If you live nearby and haven't hiked it yet - do it! It's pretty long, but you won't regret it. :)

Yep. This is what we climbed. All the way to the top of that peak. And this was after we'd already hiked over another mountain and through the valley. Dang.

Super-Chad carried 2 backpacks most of the way up - all the while, serving as our team leader. What a guy.

View from the saddle.

Roman and Shaley - right before he popped the question.

Making the final ascent to the summit - so fierce. Chad's eagle bandana pulled us through (that's quite the story...)

The top...

Me and cute Shaley.

Notice the orange bracelet. Candice and Rachel brought "team bracelets" for each couple/team for the hike. It was awesome. I believe team Chad-Tara dominated :)

The whole gang, chillin' up top.

We found a sweet hill to slide down that already had a bum-trail for us. Possibly a main highlight of the adventure. We got some serious speed, and stopping became a problem for a few of us. Just the perfect thing to cool off, though. :)

That hill...from far away.

Sidenote: My favorite thing was probably Chad's occasional challenge he'd yell at the mountain..."Is that all you've got, TIMPANOGOS!!??" Ha ha. Needless to say he kept us all entertained. What a day. :)

A few things worth blogging about...

I know my blogging has been somewhat lacking, so I thought it was time for a quickie-catch-up post. Here are just a few things I believe are worth a post…

1. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince came out in the theaters late Tuesday night and I happened to have a ticket to the 11:59 showing. My two roommates and I carpooled with Chels and Brian to meet Cami in Draper for the (almost) midnight movie. Loved the movie…love-loved it! Chelsie and Brian designed our attire and I talked almost everyone into drawing scars on their foreheads. We’re pretty hard-core. P.S. For those who’ve seen the 6th movie, imagine walking out of the theater wearing what’s written on our shirts. Not the best feeling.

Harry decided to show up to the premiere. What a champ.

Apparently Voldemort was near - Cami's scar was hurting.

Couldn't stop laughing when "Dumbledore" sat next to Brian - the picture seemed necessary.

2. I’ve lived in Utah all my life and had never been to the Southern / Eastern beauties of the beehive state…until just recently. I made a trip with some friends to Arches, Goblin Valley, Canyonlands, and Monument Valley - all of which are must-sees. (Especially Canyonlands.) This trip was also the beginning of my “modeling” career. More to come. :)

I loved this place...

Canyonlands...you people need to go here.

Famous "Forrest Gump" road - recognize it?

3. Today I learned a new word. Auspicious. It means promising success; propitious; opportune; favorable. Use it. I’m going to.

4. Last night my friend Kelly and I made a quick trip to St. George to run a 5k in memorial of one of our teammates who passed away last year. Regardless of the fact that neither of us were in shape for it, we had a blast. Possibly due to not getting pulled over while making the trip in under 3 hours. Possibly because we landed a sweet deal with the cheapest hotel, which included a king-size bed. Possibly because during the race some man standing in the street gave each of us an otterpop. Or maybe because we went to Denny’s after the race and each ate a delicious “moons over my hammie” (or, as the waitress called it, "moons over your hammie"). All were great contributors to our successful trek down south. Oh, and by the way - it’s HOT down there. :) Our race started at 11:00 PM and it was still blazing. Crazy.

What a surprise to find that we both brought the exact same outfit to run it - courtesy of BYU athletics. Our shoes are even the same. Kinda funny. Kinda not.

We finished...otterpops in hand. :) Looking like twins.

5. I’m officially getting paid to blog. What a great feeling. Somedays I truly love my job.