Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Off-roading



This last week I went off-roading in the mountains. What a ride - rocky, unchartered roads, bouncing up and down (good thing the seats are soft), thick clouds of dust, and speed (not the drug of course, just driving fast.) It was kind of like one long Indiana Jones ride. And then as things were winding, I got pensive again as I often do, and started to think of my own life. Similar to when I compared my life to an ipod and mine being on shuffle, I compared my life right now to off-roading. I don't quite feel like I'm on a paved road. I'm cutting through the rocky and wild terrain, a bit blinded by the clouds of dust but trying to move forward inspite of it until I find my way again. Sounds fun, but it's actually a lot of hard work.
So I'm still in the decision-making process but I am enjoying Utah and being with my family. It's fun living with guys again, having free food and toilet paper, and laughing hard and frequently. I went with two of my brothers over the 4th of July weekend to Yellowstone National Park and hiked through Hayden Valley. Perfect weather and scenery but no wolves or bears which means no attacks and therefore no cool scars.

I'll have to stick to getting wounds from things like falling down in the shower (which I actually did once) and playing with our dog Maggie. Other than that, I'm currently studying for the GRE which I plan on taking at the end of the month, doing some freelance work on some church scripts, working on my children's writing (as always), and practicing guitar on the back porch where the horses in a nearby field come listen to me. They're good listeners but they never applaud. I've also been shopping for different kinds of hummus. I really miss Trader Joes. I also believe I may have a future in business as I creamed my family in Indiana Jones monopoly, usurping half the board and not the cheap colors either. I owned all the red, yellow, green, and blue. The summer hasn't been a total loss. And speaking of summer, I can't really even tell it's that season as I have to turn my electric blanket on every night because my house is so cold. Gotta love central air, and I do.