Monday, June 27, 2011

Knife Fights and pickled watermelon

My dear Sister McKinley and I have quite a grand relationship. Let's just say we get into Knife fights from time to time. we haven't had any for a while until yesterday. We always start "fights" over the most ridiculous things such as sitting in someone else's spot at the dinner table. Then we proceed to chase each other around with various random and highly dangerous objects. Yesterday we had sticks and basketballs. Ran around the yard screaming, tackling, whacking and creating a really dramatic scene. I'm sure it's quite a sight to behold. You ought to consider yourself highly fortunate should you ever happen to witness such an extravaganza. Today's fight at dinner started out with the throwing of food and quickly moved on to Knives and shoes. Fortunately I found a  Book of Mormon and proceeded to banish the devils out of McKinley. I figured a few whacks over the head with the doctrine of god would do it. But alas, she was heavily possessed. My attempt was in vain. So I went for the soup Ladle instead. Just then My mother walked in. Oh yes. she was might angry. See people don't seem to understand that we're just playing. Building beautiful brother sister relationships.  Nothing brings you together like being chased around the house by your sword wielding older brother (stainless steel sword, easier to clean up). You know, quite honestly I'm surprised the cops haven't been called on us yet.

As for Pickled Watermelon............

Sunday, June 26, 2011

A Lot of Heavy Things On My Mind Today

Sundays always depress me. I haven't been able to figure out why. It's just strange. But that's how its been for at least the last 5 years. To be honest, I believe it has something to do with church. Sometimes I wake up and am doing great. Go to church, come back and am just way depressed. It's not about the subject matter either. I mean talking about tithing or something isn't depressing. Yet I still get depressed and it lasts the whole day too. I hate it. I don't know how much longer I can handle it, or what to do about this problem either. Today is a particularly bad one. It's Sage's Birthday, which a great thing! But we got news today that one of my Dad's best friends died yesterday. Heroin. He was a great guy! a real character. fun to be around. I didn't know him that well, but he'd drop in here and there to say hello. 

Sometimes I look through my suggested friends list on Facebook. see the names of all the people I used to know from my Middle school days. I wonder if they still remember me. Probably not. I think about adding them, but what would we ever even talk about? Then I begin to wonder what life would be like if I went to Timpview. I'd have all my old friends and everything. It was hard going to Walden, for the sole reason that I may never see some of my old friends again. But then I start to think again "what if I didn't go to Walden". all those beautiful people I would probably never have met. Imagine a life without Ingrid. or Dallas, or Jess, Or Ethan, Or Genevieve, or Conrad, or Jairen or Maren and Camille and everyone else from Walden(I would write all their names, but I'm on a time crunch). It brings a tear to my eye to think of never meeting any of them. I'm Scared. Scared of going off to college and never seeing any of them again. like most of my Centennial friends. Scared of living a life without those amazing souls that mean so much to me. I pray that day never comes. But I fear that it will. and soon too. being a senior, I don't have much time. I fear all I'll have left is memories.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

The Life of a Pro Golfer

At some point, Cascade Golf Course decided they wanted to trade passes with the Quarry. So my father having done a fair amount of golfing in his days agreed. Which has found me taking lessons. I'm still trying to figure out how that all happened! So far, I taken two lessons and gone to the course everyday this week. My prior experiences with golf before this: miniature golf. That's it. I have to say, It's actually surprisingly fun. Somewhat addicting. (So if any of you golf, we should go play sometime) Haven't played an actual game yet though. Just been learning about stances, which clubs to use when and things like that. I find it hilarious though how the golfing community is all stuck up...and then there's me. I feel a slight bit out of place amongst all the old guys wearing polo's, plaid pants, and baseball caps. But at the same time, I really like the fashion for some reason. It's a little classy, but not too much. Mostly I think it's just the plaid pants that I like. Like these yellow ones here. Love em! I'm planning on getting a crazy pair at some point. Which brings up another thing. I'm already scheming about wearing Kilts golfing! It works perfect too seeing as Golf was created by the Scots. Maybe someday I'll be a rich stuffy old man that goes golfing all the time. Aside from the stuffy part, that wouldn't be too bad. Wake up, call my golfer buddies, put on a Bright Orange Kilt and hit the course. I have  feeling this is going to work out quite nicely.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Achilles Heel

so I've decided I really really don't want to write about this. That's why I'm going to do it anyways. One Weakness to Rule them All, One weakness to find them, One weakness to bring them all and in the darkness bind them: Redheads. Yep. But before you start laughing, let me explain. Actually, I don't really know how to explain. But for as long as I can remember, I've had a weakness for Redheads. Not all of them, but a high majority. Even non natural redheads can get me alot of the time. It's kind of terrible. Fallen hopelessly in love with far too many of them! Mind you, I can and do still fall in love with other women. And Certainly just because someone is a redhead, doesn't mean I instantly fall in love with them, they have to have a good personality. But most the ones I've met do. It's the witty ones with good senses of humor that really get me. Like I said, I don't really know how to explain this. To an extent, It's a horrible horrible weakness. Caused me way more grief than I should ever care to admit. I'm not talking about anyone in particular either, Just as a whole. It brings up mixed feelings. Some of the very best and worst moments of my life have come from this weakness. I think It's been getting better lately. Oh who am I kidding, It probably isn't. Lets just say its fortunate that I still fall in love with other people than redheads. But if the day comes when that changes....I'm doomed. Anyways That's all I wish to say On this topic for now.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Kilt Rap

when I say rap, I mean it in the context of a conversation, which is sometimes referred to as a rap. No this is not my secret weakness. Anyways, kilts, They're Bloody Brilliant! There are kilts for all different occasions. Formal, Casual, Semi Casual. Everything you could ever need! for example: http://www.utilikilts.com/company/products/kilts/tuxedo/
I need one. They're cool looking, allow a nice breeze, provide easy access for me and the ladies. Wait a minute What?!!!! I didn't say that. confounded glitches in technology! now back to my Rap. They come in so many colors. If you happen to be Scottish (which I may be, this information is still unknown, though I'm told I look it) you could wear your family's Tartan. There are also many accessories you can purchase for you and your Kilt. I mean no one has anything on the Scots. We Germans are fairly close, but the Scots are just so Bad Ass. Another thing with Kilts is you can wear them all the time. If you are an honorable Kilt wearer you'll certainly go Commando. Though there is much debate in the Scottish society about that today. The only thing you need to worry about is sitting a little different,  random gusts of wind, and avoiding Glass bridges at all costs. I imagine they are super comfortable, but that assumption is based off my days of skirt wearing. Someday I'll own more kilts than pairs of pants. A whole collection of them. Now don't you go worrying, I'll be sure to have at least two Orange Kilts in my arsenal. Plus owning a Kilt gives you an excuse to learn Bagpipes. the biggest downside of Kilts in my opinion is just how expensive they tend to be. Maybe when I stop by Scotland in my world travels, I'll find myself apprenticed to a wild Kilt making Scotsman from the Highland. Oh yes, that'd be wonderful! then I'd learn to make my own. to wrap up this rap, I'm going to get me a Kilt someday in the hopefully near future

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Sneak Attacks and other Business

This morning when my mother was gone, my Father and I re arranged our front room and turned it into an art studio of sorts. We've been planning on doing this for a while, but my mother has heavily refused to hear of any such nonsense. Violently Opposed. But we did it anyways. After she came home, we decided it may not be a good idea after all, so who knows whether we will actually do anything there or not. I may have to take my painting back to the dungeon. But nonetheless I intend to start oil painting within the next week or so.

now for the other business. my love life has somewhat surprisingly gone nowhere, But hey whatever. One of my faithful Blog stalkers mentioned that I should write a book (I've decided not to name said person, because then it gives a mysterious taste to the whole thing). I don't know what she wants me to write about, I assume my life. I've tried to write a book or so before. Never made it very far. Though I have been giving her suggestion quite a bit of thought. Might be pretty entertaining. Though I already have to write two plays and a movie. So it would be a while If I ever got around to it. Anyways, I still burst into seemingly Random Grins. But they aren't random. There is a great reason behind it. Prom. I told you all I'd be smiling for months about it, and I spoke the truth. 

And in other news: Two Hemispheres. It's Bloody genius! God knew what he was doing. I mean think about this:  when it's winter here, It's summer for the other half of the world....therefore there is fruit and vegetables being produced all year round! And with our modern day trade routes, we can enjoy such tasty foods at anytime of the year. The human body. It's amazing. There are so many crazy things it does! like passing out to protect you from being stupid and killing yourself by forgetting to breathe. Though I do have to say the big man messed up on one thing when it came to me. I'd be invincible if it weren't for this one weakness. It's a real Achilles Heel, gets me almost every time. But I shan't be telling you about it now. Oh I will eventually, but I'd rather you wait in utter darkness. Total Suspense.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

I Hereby Declare:

this summer, the summer of Art, and Mastering Instruments. With a side of Women. Just kidding. Basically I've decided I'm already famous for dressing up. But I need to get famous for those other things. Because they tend to pay better than dressing up. So this is the summer to perfect my skills or something like that. I need to figure out how to sell my work though cause pretty soon it will take over my room and suffocate me! It's been I don't know how many weeks or days since Jamaica, but I still haven't really hung out with anyone. That will probably change fairly soon though. I find it funny to hear rumors about myself. There are quite a few floating around from my Jamaican ventures. And apparently I'm taking golf lessons this summer?

Saturday, June 11, 2011

The beginnings of summer

well since being back from Jamaica, I can't say that I've done a whole lot. But within 3 days of being home, I found myself becoming a member of a Blue Grass band with my Grandma, her brother, and his wife. They're all at least 50ish years older than me. So that's quite strange but highly entertaining. We have a banjo, fiddle, Baritone Ukulele and of course I play Bass. I laugh every time we get together and jam, I imagine anyone passing bye and peering in the window would be a little confused. Aside from doing that, I've taken to locking myself in my room. Pretending I am a famous artist. Everyone sitting around waiting to see what I'll do next. By that I mean that I've pretty much been painting non stop. That's what happens though when you decide to take on a ridiculous project! I'll put picture of it on my art blog once it's finished. At this point, I kind of forsee myself sitting around all summer and just painting. Hopefully I'll decide to be social sometimes, we'll see. Also remind me never to copy things from my journal onto here. It almost killed me to write all that. so boring! I mean I already live it, and wrote it once. But I said I was going to and I keep my word. I had this Idea where if people want to hang out with me, they should tell me. Because for one I hate planning things and trying to get a hold of people. Plus I never know what to do. so If you want to hang out, let me know when and where. If I'm not busy working or pretending to be a famous painter, I'll be there.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Jamaica days 10,11,12

Tuesday 5/31/2011

woke up at 6 a.m. again. took a nice warm shower and listened to some music. Discovered that all of my pants are loose. must have lost a bit of weight. Breakfast sucked. Two pieces of toast and some fruit. but after that we walked up the road a few blocks to Bob Marley's house which is now a museum.We took a tour of his house, It was super cool. It was surreal thinking "I'm at Bob Marley's house in Jamaica, sitting in one of his favorite places to smoke a joint." When our tour was concluded, We went down the road to the Devon house and at lunch at the bakery there. I had a tasty Chicken Patti and a pineapple turnover. Then we headed down town to check out the National art museum. The bus ride there was crazy! they were blasting music, and one of the guys was dancing around and hitting on Mari. Best bus ride I've ever been on! We walked a few blocks through Kingston to the museum. A few people were freaking out a little, cause Kingston is a really dangerous place. The art museum was pretty interesting, but nothing super amazing. once finished with the art museum, we strolled the streets of Kingston. Went to another market and found a Bell for my mother. Then continued on looking for a record store. We didn't find much. The group split up again, Josh C, Josh G, Ethan, Colman and I took an adventure into and even sketchier part of town in search of a record store. No such luck. Met up with the group again, then went to dinner at a place called Mother's. Had me a Beef Patti. Then we caught another bus back to the hotel. Back at the room, Jace gave Ethan and I relationship advice. Then I went and hung out with my pal Chelise. We decided to be detectives and go exploring. Ended up at this little ballroom kind of a place. So I grabbed her by the hand and we danced around. Just her and I, no music. good times, good times! Then we explored some more, and ran into Ethan, Holly, and Mari being suspicious. Turns out they stole the remotes from the bedrooms and were holding them ransom. So we snuck into their room to search for the remotes. When they came back, we hid out on the balcony. Then Sage and Josh Cockrell came in to get the remotes. Mari was in the room, and she locked us all in (including herself). Sage stole the key from her, and we found the remotes. one of which was hidden in the toilet! Sage kept the key and the girls minus Mari and Holly formulated a plan to lock them in their room and hold them hostage.

Wednesday 6/1/2011

Welcomed in the first day of June by running to the bathroom at and ungodly hour. sick. after doing that 2 or 3 times, I got back to sleep. Felt pretty good most of the rest of the day. We took a bus over to Port Royal. The once Pirate capital of the world. We went to Fort Charles, and old British fort. It was an interesting place. We got a tour of it then went to lunch.Lunch was bad. We sat and waited for our food at least an hour and the food wasn't even that good. It was raining again at that point. The Chaperones decided we would still go to Lime Cay though. So we got on a boat in the pouring rain and rode 15 minutes out to the middle of nowhere and played on the Island of Lime Cay. Fortunately the water was warm, so we didn't freeze our butts off. Spent around an hour there and headed on back to the bus. Drove back into Kingston and went to the Devon house again for dinner. I had a strawberry Cinnamon roll and a jelly roll Then I walked next door and got some Pistachio ice cream. So good! Back at the hotel I took another nice warm shower then visited the Fearsome Foursome: Holly, Mari, Ethan and I. We talked for a while and messed around. Then I went off to pack my stuff up for the departure tomorrow. Went and hung out with Chelise some more and then headed over to Eli and Colman's room. We decided to stay up all night since we had to leave the hotel at 4 a.m. anyways. Eli is currently dancing around the room in a towel and Colman is pissed off about something....It's going to be a long night.

Thursday 6/2/2011

The night was mostly boring. Ethan spent a lot of it Puking, and I was feeling sick as well. As is typicall of Walden trips, no one stayed in their rooms. So we hung out with different people throughout the night. at 3:30 we headed down to the lobby and jumped on the bus again. Off to the airport. Everyone was bloody tired and Ethan looked like he was going to die.We boarded our plane and fortunately I slept for the whole flight. but I woke up a few times and was hallucinating like crazy. When we landed in Miami, I was feeling super sick and had to go puke a few times. But we made it through the joys of customs in one piece. Although they did a thorough pat down on Colman.
the layover there was 5 hours. Breakfast for me was a slice of meat pizza and a bottle of Orange juice. after that I was feeling a lot better. Chelise sat by me on the plane from Miami to Dallas. I fell asleep for part of the time, then we played Hangman for a while. 2 hour layover in Dallas. I got me some Chinese food for dinner. We sat down at a table by some older guy, and he bragged about his son to us for almost an hour. went back to our gate and found Colman dead asleep on the floor next to his game of solitaire. I did a few word searches and Chelise challenged me to a race to see who could find all the words first. I won. then we jumped on the plane and I sat by her again. We did more wordsearches, played tic tac toe, listened to music, played hangman. And talked about how excited she was to get home. From the Airport in SLC, I got a ride to the Quarry from Eli. slept most of that ride. Dad took us home from there. Sierra and Mckinley were awake when we got home and they showed us the kittens they got while we were gone. Talked with my parents for a while then went to bet at 11.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Jamaica days 8-9

Sunday 5/29/2011

The trip is now hitting its one week mark. But it feels like it's been a lot longer than that. We've done and seen so much! anyways, the day began with breakfast at the hostel. Fried eggs, toast, cooked plantains, little dough balls that are like festivals, and a salad like dish. After breakfast we began the 14 mile roundtrip hike to the top of the tallest peak in Jamiaca. the scenery up here is amazingly beautiful.I find it really relaxing. We were told the hike was a gradual one with lots of ups and downs. It wasn't. It was steep the whole way up. the group broke up into faster and slower groups. I stayed back with the slower group, enjoying the scenery, stopping to take pictures and hanging out with them. They were all starting to get mad at me, because I was smiling the whole time and the hike was easy for me. It was super cool when we hiked up into the mist. Between that and the thick jungle, It was pretty epic. Finally Chelise, Holly, Mari, Bev, Wendi and I made it to the top. you couldn't see anythign from up there. The mist and clouds were too thick. We ate our snacks, mine was Shirley Coconut cookies (my personal favorite Jamaican treat). Spent around 30-40 minutes up there and headed back. Chelise and I walked down the mountain together telling stories, asking questions, and having a good time. about a quarter of the way down, Chelise slipped and fell. She bashed her knee up pretty bad but insisted on continuing down  without takign a break. So we walked the whole way down. We arrived back at the hostel where we were instructed "you all are required to take showers." Like every other shower I've had in Jamaica, This one was freezing cold. Mari called dibs on me tonight. I ended up cuddlign with both of them at one point or another. I'm starting to think there is going to be a big dramatic fight at some point. To be honest, I'm still trying to figure out how all this happened! At what point did women suddenly decide to be in love with me? Maybe it's the air here.

Monday 5/30/2011

Woke up about 6 a.m. again. layed in bed for a while, then got up and went outside to take in the Blue Mountain Morning. I just sat outside for about an hour, listenign to the birds. Ethan came outside and we talked about whatever for a while. Then it was breakfast again. Same food as yesterday. Then we loaded our stuff in the trucks and began the descent. It was much less scary/fun than the journey up. Mari didn't freak out at all. Then we had to wait for the bus again. So we sat with our gear on the side of the road. Josh C played soccer in the street with this little boy, and the Girls held a little jamaican baby. the bus showed up and we got on. Ethan made up a pretty intense story about Chelise and I, and told it on the ride back to Kingston. When we arrived in Kingston, we stayed at a fancy hotel that was recommended to us by our bus driver. There are T.v.'s air conditioning, hot water and everything! Ethan and I went and visited Mari and Holly's room. Holly flooded the whole place by taking a shower. Then it was off to dinner. Everyone wanted to go to T.G.I Fridays. But Ethan, Josh G, Josh C, and I walked down town to go to a Jamaican restaurant. On the way, The questioned me about how the girl drama was going. we had curried goat for dinner. Back at the room, Sage is now bothering me about being a player and trying to be my counselor or something. I was summoned to go to Mari's room. Went up there, and not a whole lot was going on. Sage had me jump on her back, and she carried me right out of the room and over to Chelise's. I hung out there the rest of the night. Then when curfew came, I went back to our room and took picture of Jace and Ethan doing ridiculous poses with their Jamaican money.

Jamaica days 6-7

Friday 5/27/2011

The day began with me waking up before everyone else and listening to the Grateful Dead. When it was breakfast, I had an omelet here at the hotel. The plan after that was to exchange more money, get our clothes washed, and go shopping. And we did exactly that. I bought myself another hat, a super cool weird purple shirt, and a Yellow Jamaican soccer Jersey. Ethan got a green Jersey. they are super nice, breathe easy, and don't stick to your skin in the humidity. Plus we look super sexy! after spending way too much time shopping at the market, we went to lunch at  some rooftop restaurant that had a nice view of the port. We then returned to the hotel. The group then proceeded to split up. I stayed at the hotel and fell asleep while Josh C beat the game Enigmo on my ipod. The rest of the group came back and dropped off the clean laundry and snacks they had purchased. After a few hours, Jace came and told us to go to dinner with the group. When dinner was over, we came back to the hotel. Chelise and Mari played Egyptian Rat Slap again. This time they raised the stakes. Whoever lost had to carry the other persons water on the hike in the Blue Mountains. It was an intense game! wrestling, biting, slapping. Mari won 2 of 3 games. shortly after that, Colman said "Mari can I talk to you?" after she hesitantly said yes, Colman bursts out "I like you". Short, Simple, to the point, and bloody awkward. At some point two blood spots showed up on my bed, and no one knows where they came from. It's really freaking me out.

Saturday 5/28/2011

Lets see, I woke up at 6 a.m. (5a.m. Utah time) did a few word searches, waited for the others to wake up. Around 8 everyone was pretty much awake. Josh Graham took a few students to the beach. Ethan and I just chatted in our room and packed up our gear until breakfast at 11. Then we waited for the bus to whisk us off to the Blue Mountains. The bus ride was 4 hours long, but it was fun. As usual, I sat next to Chelise (we were riding buddies the whole trip) we told stories, listened to music, and peered out the window. For once she didn't fall asleep. We got off the bus and into the bed of a truck...that's where the fun began!  We stood up in the back, bouncing around the road, ducking under branches so as not to be decapitated. Everyone was having a great time, cept Mari, who was freaking out. I held her hand to help calm her down. Man she has a death grip. At one point the truck stopped because it was smoking. Olivia said "what if the truck started rolling backwards?" Well, it did exactly that! It was pretty scary. Luckily the driver got it stopped before we hurtled off any cliffs. Everyone was freaking out though. We jumped out of the truck and waited for them to get it fixed. after a few minutes we were back on the road. a little bit later, Eli says " at least there are no cars coming down" but ya can't guess what happenend. then Josh Graham was talking about the car rolling back again. Yep it did that too. It was a cursed ride! Mari was totally freaking out by then. But Chelise sang her comfort song which helped a lot. Finally we made it to the hostel. it's a super neat place, tucked away in the Blue Mountains, surrounded by bushes, flowers, and massive trees. No electricity. Really really peaceful. I would enjoy living here. after dinner, I told Mari what to write in her letter to Anette for the day. Chelise and Mari both wrote me cute little letters cause there isn't a whole lot to do here. Now I'm sitting here writing under the light of an oil lamp.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Jamaica days 4-5

Wednesday 5/25/2011

Day 4 of the journey began with breakfast at the huts. Followed by jumping in a V.W. bus sized van with 20other people and zipping through the countryside on narrow windy roads. Our destination was the farmers market in Port Antonio. It was a pretty cool place, tons of people selling all kinds of fruits, vegetables, and fish. Ethan set us on a journey to find various foods for a stir fry dinner. I finally got the mangoes that I've been craving. Then we all headed back to the huts. Josh Graham, our group leader threw Jace, Colman, Ethan and I in a taxi with two Jamaicans and left us for dead. when we got back to the huts, we took a quick break then jumped on another bus and headed off for Reich Falls. It was about an hour ride there and what an intense ride it was! basically like a roller coaster but more intense. Reich falls was Amazing! the water was fresh and cold. Swan into some alcoves and little under water caves and took pictures. Then a guide took us upstream quite a ways to an under water cave. It was super cool! you slid in through this slot into an open cavern, then swam under a rock to get out. When all our exploring was done, We went back to the main falls and cliff jumped. After a few jumps, My foot decided to slip and I went tumbling off the edge. Fortunately I didn't hit any rocks! All I got was a beat up side, and somehow a bloody ankle. I have to say, It was pretty scary, and everyone freaked out about me nearly dying. In the ride back, Chelise slept on my shoulder, it was pretty cute. Upon arriving home, Eli, Colman and I set to work on chopping food for dinner. Ethan came back from the store, and instructed me on how to cut the peppers we had purchased earlier. I took a small bite of one (so did Ethan) and it burned like hell! We were freaking out, so naturally Colman and Josh C had to try a piece as well. soon we were all dancing around screaming profanities. It was so hot, my entire face went numb for almost an hour. however, my hands are still burning even as I write this. Chelise and I played a few card games with Colman and Holly. Then I had to hold her hands and keep her prisoner so she wouldn't scratch all the bug bites on her legs. A few of the girls went night swimming and Bev got stung by what we believe to be a jelly fish. Her arm was swelling up and everything. Mari came and played cards with us. She and I rocked everyone at B.S. a few more times. Then it was off to bed.


Thursday 5/26/2011

I don't even know what day it is anymore. But it doesn't matter. Breakfast was the same, except after it we packed up and left the Great Huts. Jumped on another bus an traveled to Port Antonio. We are now staying at a civilized Hotel with wooden floors rather than sand. After everyone showered, we walked a few blocks over to the homeless shelter to do some service. When that was done, the whole group proceeded down the hill and ate dinner at Anna Bananas. The food was alright, I had vegetable curry with a side of Fried Plantains. Mari, Ethan, Holly and I sat at a table together. Mari and Holly told secrets for a while. After dinner, the majority of the group went to go see Jolene's performance. Josh G, Josh C, Holly, Ethan, Mari and I went back to the hotel. We played card games for a while, then just layed around and talked. It was at that point I decided my life is like a Shakespeare play. (but I'm not going to go into that now). A while later, The rest of the group came back and we played more card games A.K.A. Chelise and Mari played Egyptian Rat Slap and everyone else pretty much watched cause we weren't good enough to slap back in. Then there was some more cuddling and thus ended Thursday.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Jamaica days 2-3

Monday 5/23/2011

day two. we got up around 10, packed up our gear and left. we went to Juici Patties. I had stewed Chicken and bananas that tasted like potatoes. apparently that is considered as breakfast here. then the gang rolled out for a 2.5 hour drive through the jungles of Jamaica and ended in Boston Bay. Our hotel (if you can call it that) are seperate little huts made out of bamboo and other materials. super open and exposed, with a sand floor. mosquito nets over the beds. Pretty awesome! a few of us headed to the jerk shacks for lunch. Ethan and I split a Jamaican Jerked Chicken. It's super tasty. we also had Festivals, little scone like bread sticks. then it was off to the ocean. The water was nice and warm, about pool temperature. and the water was really clear. most fun I've ever had in the ocean! Ethan, Holly, and I mostly hung out. after a few hours we clambered back onto the beach and searched the little tide pools. Ethan grabbed a fish with his bare hands and threw it back into the ocean. after our ventures at the beach, we headed back into town and got dinner. same food as lunch, different shack. I bought a cool rasta hat from a crazy rasta smoking a joint. Too bad I don't have dread locks. once dinner was completed we came back and explored Great Huts (the place we're staying at). Eventually Holly, Chelise, Colman,  Ethan and I found a hammock to chill at. Holly and Chelise  jumped in, while Colman and I pushed them. We played Truth or Truth. Many things were revealed. In the middle, Mari came over and played with us too. Now I'm sitting in our hut watching Ethan and Colman trying to catch one of the many crabs running around our hut.

Tuesday 5/24/2011

woke up about 8:30 ate some breakfast at Great huts. after about another hour or so, the group rallied together and set off towards the Blue Lagoon. two mile walk there! it was long and hot but we made it. Nearly got ran over a few times (they drive on the left side of the road here). once we arrived at the famous Blue Lagoon, we all hopped on a boat and got a tour of the bay. I have to say, that water sure is blue! It's really beautiful. we hopped off on a sandy beach and played around for a while. most of us swam out a ways and took under water pictures with my camera. Then I was dying, so I swam back towards shore. Then Chelise, Mari, Holly and even Sage came and grabbed onto me so they wouldn't drown. Then I carried Mari and Chelise back to shore. Ethan and Colman caught a crab and found some sea Urchins. We took them home with us to be cooked up. I stopped at a small street vendor and bought another Rasta hat. Then we walked back in the pouring rain. it was ridiculous, crazier than rain you see in the movies. Finally made it back to the huts, changed clothes and got me some more Jamaican Jerk. Then everyone pretty much ended up in the girls hut. Ethan and I (mostly ethan) cooked up the crab and ate the Urchins. The Urchins didn't have much taste.Then Colman, Mari, Chelise, Ethan and I played the card game B.S. It was pretty fun. I won the first game, then Mari and I teamed up cause we were cuddling. then Chelise came over, and they both fell asleep on me. I've decided I could live here, aside from the heat. The people are great, all seem to have a super good sense of humor. Have I mentioned that I get/have to share a bed with Jace and Ethan....I get the middle.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Jamaica

I have decided to copy all my journal entries from the trip onto this here blog. there are a few confidential details that I may leave out, but other than that, everything is going to be word for word what I wrote. rather than posting all the entries today, I am most likely going to do two a day until they are finished. Any questions or comments, be sure to drop me a line.

Sunday 5/22/2011  (Day 1)
So yesterday was JD and Jess's wedding (my cousin). The plan after that was to wake up at 3:00 a.m. and head to Walden to go to the SLC Airport and jump on a plane to Jamaica. End of year School trip, thats what this is. So I decided to just not go to bed. About 5:30 we rolled into the airport, got our bags checked and flew out at 7 a.m.  Our group includes Josh Graham, Bev, Wendi, Eli, Olivia DeHaas, Chelise, Holly, Mari, Josh Cockrell, Colman, Jace, Sage, Ethan, and of course me. The 14 of us flew to Chicago, had an hour layover there and ate deep dish Pizza. Holly took a drink of a soda sitting on the table, then realized it didn't belong to any of us. We teased her about getting mouth herpies from some creepy looking guy. Then we jumped on a plane to Miami. Had a two hour layover there, and some tasty Cuban food for dinner. We also ran into the other group from our school going to Ecuador. Finally we jumped on a plane for Kingston. From Miami to Kingston it was about a 1.5-2 hour flight. We arrived in Kingston at about 10:00 p.m. their time (9:00 Utah time). After going through the joys of customs, we exchanged currency and were set loose on the island. We jumped on a bus, rode about 30 min. to the centerish of Kingston, to what is considered one of the nicer parts of the city. Arrived at the Hotel Chelsea, and got to sit around waiting for an hour for them to get our rooms ready. Let me just say It's bloody hot here! Probably 80ยบ, and really humid. Essentially it's a Sauna. And that's the temperature at Midnight! We finally got into our rooms...They're super ghetto.  two beds, a bathroom and nothing else. Josh Graham, Ethan and I are sharing a room. Oh and did I mention there is a dance club here that is playing super awful music really really loud. At this point, all we can hope for is that there are no bed bugs! but hopefully I'll be able to get some sleep since I've been awake for the last 41 hours. Tomorrow will be quite an adventure.

Friday, June 3, 2011

New Beginnings

Here we are in the Month of June. that's right. I'm back. And ready to start anew. Sometimes you just need a good break. Some interesting things have been happening to me lately. Such as going to Jamaica for 12 days on a school trip. As well as at some point my voodoo magic was released, and by that I mean: somehow I became a player. Women have been attacking me lately. It's actually a little bit terrifying to be honest. I'm not just bragging either, but that's a story for a different day. Jamaica was a good escape for me. I fell in love.....with a Rasta man. But not actually with a Rasta man. However that again is a story for another day. I was freaking out about being a senior, but now I realize I don't actually care. Still don't know what I'm going to do this summer, or with my life, but I'll hopefully figure it out at somepoint. My list of people I need to hang out with this summer keeps growing by the day. Guess I can't be anti social anymore. I've gotten my creativity back though! the last month or so I've been in a dry spell. Now I'm planning my next piece. Within the next few days, I'm going to start taking my journal entries from the trip and posting them. But right now I need a vacation from my vacation.