Picacho Peak

What a whirlwind the past few weeks has been! I had a couple really big presentations I had to do, got sick, and had to prepare for finals. After taking 8 finals in 5 days (and ending my first quarter of graduate school with some high marks :) ...pumped!), I decided that I needed a day to reconnect with myself again. I've gone on some hikes and such throughout the quarter, but there was always the stress in the back of my mind of all the studying I needed to do that I wasn't doing...so since the quarter is over and I'm stress-free for a whole 9 days...now was the time!

For my solo adventure today I drove down to Picacho Peak State Park, about an hour south of Phoenix. I follow Arizona Hiking on Instagram and it has given me some ideas for where to hike. I saw a picture promoting Picacho awhile ago, and did some research. Not enough...because the hike was a bit more difficult than I anticipated!

I started the hike at 11:40 this morning. When I got to the ranger station she gave me a map and told me that the hike was hard and was 4.2 miles (when I researched the hike on alltrails it said it was 2.7 miles...). She also said I should have gloves because of all the cables, 3 liters of water, and good hiking boots. Most of this was new information, which means I didn't do very good research haha. It's fine, I had my boots and I had my 2L and another water bottle. I was a little worried about not having enough snacks, and my breakfast this morning was severely lacking so I wasn't sure about energy levels...but I was going to do it.

Trailhead.

After going up for a long while, they you have to go DOWN this really steep part (~250 feet) with cables...which means that you get to go back up later! I was fine without gloves though.

Looks like wilderness...the desert is some crazy landscape.

I had the summit literally to myself for awhile. Self-timer photos are the worst!

Seriously though...

That one time a bee stung my face...and I totally freaked out. I tried taking a picture of the stinger (right temple) so I could get it out better. I didn't pass any other hikers for awhile, but when I did I asked these random guys to looks at my face to see if I got it all out hahahaha. 

Crazy stuff.

I made a friend on the hike. His name was Charles and he is an avid hiker. He is also in his 60s (I'm guessing) and retired. I was quite impressed with him and his stamina! We talked for a good long while and he gave me lots of advice about hikes around the area. What a cool guy.

The elevation gain from trailhead to peak was about 1,600 feet, but then there was the 250 feet with the cables that you had to climb down and up again. Doing that in 2.1 miles...it was steep.

I got back down about 3:30, so it took me under 4 hours. That includes being at the top for at least 30 minutes and also getting stuck behind some large groups going up/down the narrow and steep cable sections. I feel like I made pretty good timing, especially considering I still can't breathe very good and still having my cold.

The hike was worth it and served it's purpose of rejuvenating my soul.

And now you all know, mentally prepare yourself more than I did before going into this hike!!

Wave Cave

I'm so happy to have gotten some hikes in lately! This Friday I went to the Wave Cave, which is about 45 minutes outside of Mesa. The trail was not clearly labeled, so we ended up going probably almost a mile in the wrong direction before we headed back. Then we did find the correct trail up to the cave, and it was super close to where we started! Kinda frustrating, but what can you do - that's part of the adventure of hiking to new places for the first time! We brought my friend's dog, which was a blast. We didn't bring enough water for the hike - 1) because it turned out to be a lot longer than we originally planned because of our detour and 2) because the dog drank more than we thought he would haha. At one point when we were almost back to the car, we didn't recognize the part of the trail we were on and thought we were lost, we had run out of water, and we kinda laughed about the fact that we were THOSE stupid people who were in the middle of the hot desert and totally unprepared with no water. Luckily, the car was about 200 yards ahead of us hahaha. I had a blast, even though the ascent was really steep and kicked my butt and I was dehydrated. But it made for good memories!

Benny is my friend! Such a great dog. :)

Arizona beauty.

Hiking pals.

The Wave Cave was pretty awesome!!

When we were lost, she climbed a tree to see if she could see the car haha.

This weekend has been pretty eventful. Friday turned out nothing like I planned. The hike took much longer than planned, and then I had to go to the grocery store which also took longer than planned, and then I went to the Phoenix fair again! They had free concerts included with the price of admission, so that's the only reason I've gone twice haha. Last week I went to see Scotty McCreery, and Friday night they had Andy Grammar and Gavin DeGraw performing! It was all fantastic!!!

Break from school to see the show! 

They were so good!!! I love this show! Except for when the guy right in front of us was getting happy smoking his week and blowing the smoke right in our faces...yuck. 

Then Saturday morning I finally went back to donating plasma. It takes forever and a day the first time you go to donate, because of all the paperwork, health questions, and physical you have to get before you can actually donate. But after being there almost 5 hours I successfully got through the process. I need the money for it right now, otherwise I probably wouldn't go. When I was donating plasma in Utah, my veins started hating me and it became an almost impossible process every time I tried to go. My veins were deep or they would roll, they'd have to poke both of my arms, and then it still wouldn't work and it was a lot of pain for no gain and no cash. Talk about frustrating. So yesterday was successful, I hope that it will stay that way for a little while.

Last night I went to my friends house with some people from school. I haven't laughed as hard as I did last night in a looooooong while. We battled it out with Nintendo 64 Mario Party, and then we tried playing Spikeball. It is so embarrassing how uncoordinated I am!!! I don't get it! But yeah, I'm awkward and I've learned to laugh at myself about it. But man, it was so fun to play and just let loose. I also had 2 cups of Dr. Pepper, 1 cup of Root Beer, 3 pieces of pizza, and then some candy/brownies/cookies....so the major sugar high I had made me a laughing lunatic to the point where I thought I was going to be sick a couple times hahahaha. So much fun.

Can't do all school. That ain't no way to live. Gotta have some fun and let loose a bit. 

Now to start another week...2 weeks of classes left before first quarter finals.  

Mount Humphreys

Last week a couple girls from my class went and hiked Mount Humphreys in northern Arizona. They had an open invitation to go with them, but I didn't think it through in time. After they posted some pictures I decided I really wanted to hike it! It ended up being just me and one other person from my ward, and we left Mesa at 4:00am on Friday and drove the 3 hours up to Flagstaff and started at the trail head at about 7:20am.

The night before I was literally just praying that I wouldn't get sick from the elevation. I knew this would be the highest I'd ever hiked before, so I was a little worried with how my body would react. Luckily I didn't get any crazy side effects, besides feeling a little lightheaded close to the summit, a total lack of energy, and a bit of a headache. Nothing that was going to stop me from hitting the summit!

We also got a little lost of the way up...we missed the trail at one point and were literally scrambling down and up some pretty steep spots. We knew it wasn't the trail, but we couldn't see it!! This gave us about a 45 minute detour, and luckily we ended up connecting to the trail again. On the way down we couldn't quite figure out how we had lost the trail. Oh well! It added to our time but luckily we were able to keep going!

Once we hit the saddle, I was amazed at the views!! It was so beautiful up there! I didn't think the summit would be too crazy of a journey after that, but that's when it got pretty difficult and when we had more trouble with the elevation. Again, luckily nothing too bad but it definitely didn't feel normal. My gatorade helped a lot, and we had to stop before the summit to eat our lunch because our energy levels were lacking. But that helped give us the boost to push to the top and summit at the highest point in Arizona!!

We got back down to the bottom with a total of about 8 1/2 hours of hiking. It took quite a bit longer than I thought it would initially, but once we finished I was just grateful that 1) we had made it to the top and 2) no one got hurt! My hiking boots were the best investment I think I've ever made haha. They have saved my ankles countless times already since I bought them back in February - I get nervous when I hike because I've hurt my ankles so many times. So this is a great accomplishment to not get hurt at all. We then made the drive back to Mesa.

It was a really long day, but it felt so good to cross this off of my AZ bucket list and to get a challenging hike in!!

Trail head.

I was loving all of the leaves everywhere!!

There was some fun color pops with the trees from our vantage points.

This tree on the left may or may not have saved me from falling down the mountain...

Up at the saddle.

Grateful I had a hiking buddy! We originally had 6 people interested in coming, but it turned into just the 2 of us by that morning. 

At the summit and so happy!! Seriously had a hikers high. Endorphins rock.

So pretty.

At the bottom again. Made it!

A perk of going up north...Flagstaff had trees that change colors. SO HAPPY.

My calves and butt are quite sore, but aside from being tired I feel pretty good after that hike! It was great to have a day away from school. Now I feel pretty behind though, so there won't be any big adventures again probably until after finals are over. But then I'll get a whole week off for Thanksgiving and life will be GRAND. :)

Soul Refreshed

For me, this is a good time.

Waking up to a view like this...doesn't get much better for me.

Camping and hiking in Payson, AZ. I already want to go back.

The past couple of years I have really discovered what helps me to relax and reconnect with myself, and that is doing things outside like hiking or chilling in my hammock. I like to push myself on hikes, even though my ankles and knees are getting to be kind of awful. And I love the way I feel when I hike and surround myself with nature. 

The past couple weeks in school have been CRAZY. I have never studied for so many hours for one subject (ANATOMY...holy crap). I had 5 midterms last week and have 2 this week. I still have that 7th test on Thursday, but it is quite a relief to have 6 behind me. And to know that I got A's on the ones I've found out my grades so far...it's a pretty good feeling! Grad school is definitely proving to be a challenge for my mental stamina...but I'm happy with the results so far.

Last weekend I was itching to go somewhere, so my roommate and I decided to camp and hike up in Payson the next weekend. A couple of my friends from school came along, and even though we got basically no sleep because it was colder than we anticipated, I know I had a blast! Just what I needed!! 

Coming back was hard because I had to get back to the books hardcore after taking the time away. I feel like I need another break...one more midterm...

Faith is trust

This past week got really busy. My weekend was full of "extra" school activities - they are important, but also take up a lot of time!

On Monday we were all freezing in class. After class I went outside and it was overcast and felt so nice (even though it was still like 98 degrees). I sat in a lawn chair for about 30 minutes just enjoying the warmth.

Then on Thursday I had a special assignment. I had to be in a wheelchair for 24 hours. That was definitely an eye-opening experience. I went into it knowing that it would be hard and that I would have to adjust some things, but until you're in the chair you don't realize how little functional abilities you have. And my apartment is NOT suited for a wheelchair in any way. My room is upstairs and I couldn't get into my closet, the bathroom, or our pantry. My kitchen is also tiny and narrow. Basically it sucked, but I learned a lot. I also had to go out into the community and so I took my roommate and she acted as my "aide" and we went to the movies. People really do look at you and treat you differently. I was really grateful to turn in my wheelchair on Friday morning and have the liberty to walk around normally. It hit me though that that is not normal for a lot of people.

It also rained on Thursday. So that was a happy.

Literally no room upstairs for this chair.

My roommate kept taking pictures of me. I got into my room and didn't even know what to do with myself.

At the movies.

On Friday afternoon I went to the ArizOTA conference, which is a conference for OT's in Arizona to go to if they want to register and hear presentations about occupational therapy-related issues. I got to listen to a couple of speakers and it was cool to be surrounded by OT practitioners.

On Saturday morning I participated with 11 of my classmates in the Walk for Homeless Families at the Phoenix Zoo. That was a fun activity and it helped me to get to know some of the other students in my group a little better.

I went to Costco with the intent of buying one thing, but instead bought like 6. #whatelseisnew

There was also the women's session of General Conference yesterday, so I watched that and it was amazing. Some things that stuck out to me:

• We can't direct the wind, but we can adjust the sail.
• Embrace improvement in everyone. Encourage and allow others to change.
• There are more ways to feel than with your hands, see than with your eyes, and hear than with your ears.
• FAITH IS TRUST. God sees what I do not and cannot see. In the end, everything will make sense.

General Conference is next weekend. To be honest I'm a little worried about the timing because I have 5 tests and 3 assignments due the week after, but I know that I need the words that will be spoken. I'm always excited to hear General Conference anyway. :)

I had some cool thoughts during Sunday School today at church. We were discussing 3 Nephi 1 in the Book of Mormon and how the believers were not receiving the answers that they thought would come - the sign of the Savior's birth. The nonbelievers gave a deadline and said they would kill the believers if the signs didn't happen by then. Talk about stress.

• When we are waiting for promises to be fulfilled and feel like they aren't being fulfilled and prayers aren't being answered in a timely manner, if we allow it that is when we can feel closest to God because we are humble and seeking that closeness. You can get angry becaus eyou think He isn't listening or doesn't care. Showing faith is having trust in the Lord and means we need to seek that closeness to Him in the times of trial.
• It's interesting that we are so often pushed to our very limits. But it's also interesting that we always get help before it's too late. He doesn't give us more than we can handle.
• I've seen in school that people deal with challenges very differently from one another. Stress affects us differently and it hits us in waves. I do feel that I receive strength when I am weak and when I need it most. God tailors His help to us individually and in the ways that we need. No one is exempt from His blessings if we seek for them.

I just really feel right now that even when things are hard (and it doesn't even have to be a huge trial like a sickness or being homeless), God is aware. Everyone is dealing with hard things, even the ones who look happy all the time. But we need to turn to Him to make it easier. He doesn't force us to be close to Him or to talk to Him. I know that when I humble myself a bit and make that step, I feel better.

Here Am I

Hey, remember how blogs are probably not the thing to do anymore? I don't care. I'm absolutely terrible at writing in a journal. I feel like when I only use Facebook and Instagram to post, some of the feels are missing however, so I'm going to try blogging again! My thoughts are all over the place, but this is more for me than you anyway, so yeah.

So here's my past 2 years in a nutshell.


**EFY

Holy crap. I never thought being an EFY counselor would be something I would be good at. I had a few people tell me before my mission that I should think about it, but I never really gave it serious consideration. A big reason was because I felt I was too shy and that I wouldn't enjoy it. Then after I got back from Australia, my roommate was an old mission companion and she had done it that summer. She said I would love it and should do it. So I applied, got offered contracts, and decided to give it a shot.

LOVED IT.

I was a counselor for two summers. I never got enough sleep, had every kind of teenage personality I could possibly imagine, worked with some awesome co-counselors, used personal experiences to teach the youth, danced A LOT, made great friends, and learned again that forgetting yourself and serving is the way to happiness. I had so much fun and also felt the spirit so strong every single week. I had sessions in Utah, Nauvoo, Minnesota, and Florida.

I learned a lot about myself through the experiences. I became more comfortable with myself and was able to relate to many kids because of the experiences I've had in my life. It doesn't get much better than that.

So many selfies and awkward family photos and cool places I got to see. Plus incredible people. Thank you to every single person who was a part of my EFY experience over the 16 weeks. 

**SPRINGVILLE

I lived here for about 9 months. I had many challenges while I was here - it wasn't what I wanted socially, I didn't get into graduate school the first time I applied, finances were tight, etc. I did have awesome roommates and we became the 3 musketeers. Fun trips and great memories.

**SALT LAKE

I alsolived Salt Lake for about 9 months and that was a great experience for me. I instantly made great friends who became family to me. So many great adventures with amazing people.

**FAMILY WEDDING

This was just so happy!!!

**GRAD SCHOOL

Now I'm living in Arizona and just started my grad program! 3 weeks done and many more to go haha. It's definitely been an adjustment being back in school and not being able to spend all of my time adventuring. I spend lots of time sitting and studying. Bleh. But I'm so happy to be moving forward with what I want to do as a career. I haven't really done much here as far as exploring, but that's partly because of school and partly because it's freakin' hot outside. When it cools down a bit...I'll be all about that! I did go to Mexico right before class started, and that was a blast.

If anyone reads all of this, props to you.

I feel like social media gives people anxiety because it seems that everyone else's life is so great and perfect because of the things they post, and then your own life is lacking. I like to have an optimistic attitude about life and find joy in the journey and post about the fun things I do and/or accomplish, but life is DANG HARD. There are so many disappointments and hard things.

But la vita e' bella. Life is real and we have to deal with it. I have found things that help me to feel better in my life. A lot of that has to do with my religion and my relationship with God. Sometimes it means I go on a hike and look at how beautiful the earth is. Other times it means get the heck away from me because all I want is to watch TV and drink a soda by myself. FIND WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY AND HEALTHY.