"I've got a bracelet too"

What I have and haven't been doing this summer

What I haven't been doing? Blogging. It's not due to a lack of material, just inspiration. Tomorrow I start my second semester of grad school and since I feel like I'm more busy now than I have been in my entire life, I have a feeling blogging is going to continue to drop lower on the list of priorities. That said, I would like to share a few highlights from the last month.

My time for the last two weeks has been completely consumed by "the cleanse" This is a 28 day detox diet that I have been doing with my roommates and a few other friends. And I must say, as overly dramatic as it may sound, it has changed my life. It has completely changed the way that I think about food and nutrition. I read this article by Michael Pollan a year and a half ago. I was so intrigued that I printed it out at work and saved it in my desk. I even purchased his book "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and was intrigued by his theories of natural eating. However, I never had the will power and the motivation to really change my diet. This changed when my roommate Leanna convinced our roommates plus a few other friends to participate. Your diet in the cleanse is basically a vegan diet, it also restricts any refined sugar or grain, no bread, even whole wheat, pasta etc. If any of you really want the sales pitch, call me and I'll give it to you. But let me just give you the highlights and changes I've experienced in the first two weeks of the cleanse.

• Waking up is so much easier. I sleep better and can't sleep in past 7:30, even on the weekends
• I have increased energy during the day, my workouts have been much better and if I feel a little bit tired, I just take a five minute nap and I'm fine.
• I don't crave sugar. One day I was having some intense cinnamon roll cravings, but other than that I have felt great and I never feel hungry.
  
• It's been so fun to discover and cook so many new foods like wheat berries, oat groats, tamari, tempeh, kuzu, wakame and many many more.
• I love eating all my meals with friends, it's so much more enjoyable
• I went off all products I was using for my skin before the cleanse to see the difference it would make, and it has cleared considerably
• I didn't weigh myself before, but I know my clothes are looser and I would guess I have lost five pounds so far

The big downside is the amount of time it takes to cook and clean, but overall the benefits have definitely outweighed the costs. And if you aren't sold, talk to me more and we can discuss.

My other major project these last two weeks have be refinishing a table. I moved two weeks ago and we've been working on putting our house together and I was inspired by my brother, and I don't have any before pictures, but this table was just a basic brown wood table before. And here's the after shot:
If any of you are curious to know how I refinished this. I sanded the entire table first, then I painted on three coats of black paint, then I sanded down some of the edges to give it that antique look. Then I took some green paint and used a q-tip to put a little on the edges that now showed through because of the sanding, then immediately after I applied the green paint I wiped the excess off with a towel. After everything dried I put on two coats of polyacrylic. This may sound easy, but I had a lot of mishaps, the major mishap was when I knocked an entire bucket of green paint on the porch, I think I found my next refinishing project. But with a free hour or two here and there it took me about a week and a half.

I mentioned above that I moved, I hate moving and this is my fourth move in two years, but I had help from a group of my favorite guys. I was well taken care of. They not only helped me move, but Dan and Joe also helped out before and after to pick up random furniture that was purchased or free off craigslist. I love my new house, but it's always hard to move, I honestly love all the girls in both the houses on Joyce and Uhle, and continue to feel like I have 11 roommates (13 if I count the newlyweds)
Speaking of newlyweds, that's been another major part of my summer fun. Celebrating with Sarah and Hollie in Utah and Dallas on their beautiful wedding days. Their weddings were so different, yet so appropriate for both of them. I am so happy for them and for the amazing men that they chose to marry. I am truly blessed to have them as my friends and look forward to continuing to stay close despite this major life change.
That's about a wrap. Although you may not think the pictures can get much crazier than the one above. How about I try to top it by a picture of my slip and sliding into the ocean. Gracias Matt Fischer.

Pioneer Day

I haven't even been in Utah for twelve hours and it's been the best Pioneer Day I can remember. Despite spending four hours on the tarmac in DC yesterday due to "thunderstorms" and of course missing my connection from Dallas to SLC and spending the night in the Dallas airport last night (where I found an ipod vending machine, srsly?), the day has turned out to be fantastic. I am here for Sarah's wedding, but I didn't tell my parents and surprising them has been a real treat.
I love my life in D.C., but I definitely miss Utah. It's been almost two years since I've been here in the summer and can I just say dry heat is where it's at. In these twelve hours I've managed the following and I'm really wishing I had more than four days.

• Saw the new house my parents purchased in sugar house that my brother will live in while he attends the U and helped to refinish and move furniture. I'm in love with this house and it seriously adds to the temptation to move back west.
  
• Rode a vintage schwinn bike up 21st street
• Played basketball and sharks and minnows in the pool with my family
• Ate a delicious home cooked meal
  
• Took a nap
• Rode with my dad on a motorcycle up American Fork Canyon
• Enjoyed an evening around a bonfire with my family singing songs and telling stories from our ancestors. It may sound cheesy, but I loved it.
  

And finally, I can't think of a more fitting pioneer tribute than to share a poem that my grandmother wrote about Nellie Unthank, a member of the Martin Handcart Company and one of the first pioneers to settle in Cedar City where my Corry side of the family is from.

Nellie Unthank

aged ten,
walked, starved, froze
with the Martin Company
and left her parents in shallow graves
near the Sweetwater.

The Richards on First South
hugged their children's heads to muffle
Nellie, strapped to a board, without anesthetic,
screaming, her frost-black feet
removed with a butcher knife
and a carpenter saw

After that she walked on her knees,

married in polygamy to
William Unthank (of Cedar City)
who took her home to one room with a dirt floor
She damped and scraped the floor
hard and smooth as sandstone,
washed it every day;
clean muslin curtains at the window,
on good box cupboards,

Saturday nights the hearth whitened
and Nellie made her way
knitting, crocheting, carding wool,
kneeling by the washtub set on blocks
scrubbing townspeople's clothes on the board
and trade a yeast start for
a handful of sugar sent in the jar.

Said never to another operation --
waddled on leather kneepads in her little skirt
dragging her unhealed stumps
or pushed herself on a board on wheels.

Once a year Nellie and her six children cleaned
the meeting house.
The boys fetched water.
Annie, Martha, Polly washed the windows.
Nellie scrubbed the floor.

--Iris Parker Corry

A few summer requirements achieved

I realize it's been almost a month since I updated, and this is not due to a lack of inspiration, but to the priority that I've placed on blogging. But I've committed to do a mini update tonight of what has been consuming the month of July, which includes a few requisite summer activities listed below.

1. Summer Reading
I'm obsessed with this book that I'm reading Three Cups of Tea if you've talked to me in the last few weeks chances are that I've brought it up. It's a truly inspirational story of former climber Greg Mortensen who recovers from a failed attempt at climbing K2 in a small village in Pakistan and vows to return and build a school there after he sees the longing for the children there to receive an education and the inability of the government to provide it to them. It is a story that I think anyone who has traveled to a developing country can relate to as you visit for a short period of time and I think in our most idealistic moments we all make promises or at least think to ourselves how much we would love to come back and try to do or create something for this community that has taught us so much. Greg Mortsensen is someone who did this and more. Nicholas Kristof wrote this article in the New York Times that acurately portrays what I think our approach to foreign policy and national security should focus more heavily on, building schools instead of bombs as he says.

2. Gardening
What started as an herb garden earlier this spring become much more a few weeks ago. I had a friend introduce me to the concept of square foot gardening, then we held a workshop where we had a girl who had taught square foot gardening on her mission teach us about gardening and composting. I was fascinated and the thought of becoming a little more self sufficient and watching something grow was very appealing. Setting up the garden really wasn't that much work or that expensive. And here are some pictures of my garden after three weeks. I'm hoping that it continues to grow and produces despite my late start. I am growing tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapenos, cilantro, cucumbers, beans, lettuce, carrots, basil, rosemary, squash and zuccini. If any of you have minimal time and space for a garden I strongly recommend this method. Email me or do your research on the internet, there is a lot of information available.
3. Road Trips
Definitely an essential part of any summer and this summer has been no exception. I spent this weekend in Cincinnati, and thanks to the Jensen's and their hospitality and letting us take advantage of their "all inclusive suburban resort" we had a weekend that struck just the right balance of relaxation and fun.


Amber's family didn't seem to mind that at least one of the guys that went with us was trying to mold his tastes in baseball and music. There was also second cousin uncle Dan and Andy competing with Joe to be the competing to be the new favorite.

Cooling off after a morning of tennis and preparing for the first decathlon event, a race across the pool on inflated mattresses.

First and second row seats directly behind home plate with the diamond club. That's just the way we roll. I was agog I was aghast when we walked in an they handed us a gift bag, told us there was a gourmet all you can eat buffet, followed by full service during the game. Hot dogs, slushees, peanuts, nachos, ice cream and any other ball park fare on demand and included with the ticket. Diva Dan even wanted a Red's hat and so one of the workers brought him hats of varying sizes for him to choose from. I called my parents and had them turn on the game and they were able to see us on tv, my mom said she has never been more proud of me, I don't know if that's something that I should be proud of.

The game was great, and the reds won and don't you worry as if the best seats in the house, great company and perfect weather weren't enough. They had a softball home run derby after the game followed by one of the best fireworks shows I've ever seen.

Saturday we went to King's Island, conquered the beast, ate skyline chili and had a hot dog-off. Who won is subjective and controversial, like most offs that have happened this summer. If you could the number of hot dogs that would be Joe, but if you think most food should win that would be Dan. That night we saw The Dark Night, which I'm sure everyone has or will see. It was incredible. We spent Sunday afternoon in Columbus Ohio and met up with my roommates Stephanie and Erika and our friend Kristie. Steph is from Columbus and it was definitely a treat to meet the Sonksen's and Stephanie's mom is incredibly kind and entertaining, just like her daughter.

I am recommitting myself to better document the rest of the summer and catch up on a few of the events that I didn't get to in this post.

Life Plan

Every couple of months I tend to come up with a new life plan. The plan usually involves me quitting my job in the next 3-6 months and traveling to some exotic location. Then I find a reason to not do that and 3-6 months later I make the same plan. I've realized there is a pattern here and this has been going on for at least a year and a half. Hmmmmm.

In the meantime I entertain myself by thinking of funny (in my head) captions to go along with pictures like this one. Please caption away.

The art of losing

Anyone who knew me when I was attending BYU knows that I always joked that I was best friends with the students that worked in the lost and found. If I would lose something as insignificant as a folder or as significant as a credit card or a cell phones, without a doubt I would head to the basement of the wilk, ring the bell and a friendly zoobie would return my property to me. It became a running joke with my roommates about my bestfriendship with the lost and found.
So one might think that once I moved away from Happy Valley to Washington D.C. that my luck wouldn't follow me. That assumption couldn't be further from the truth. I remember the first month I moved out here twice I was walking downtown on my lunch break and somehow my credit card fell out of my pocket or purse and onto the sidewalk. And both times I had on my headphones and was chased down by some good Samaritan who returned it to me.
Since those first few incidents, I have been more careful, but on multiple occasions I have left my ipod in the gym locker room at work and it was always returned to me. But this last month has been particularly difficult for me to keep track of my stuff. However, to date I have only lost what was stolen from me in Costa Rica. I have left the following items:

• In New York I left my credit card at the register and it was kindly returned to me
• In another restaurant in New York I left my camera on the table after we left and the waiter chased us down
• I dropped some tickets from my purse in the metro station and some lady chased me down and ran up the escalator to return them to me
• Last week there was a banging on our door at 11:30 pm and Jeanette answered it and it was someone in our neighborhood returning my wallet that had been lying in the road for a couple of hours

My favorite DC story actually happened last year. I was going to "the melrose" to visit some friends and watch the office when I tripped and fell pretty bad on the sidewalk. All my belongings went flying and I thought I had gathered everything. However, as I was being bandaged up by Doctor Tina there was a knock on the door and some lady was there and she was returning my wallet. How did she know where to find me in a large apartment complex? My BYU ID, she knew Mormons lived where I was and assumed I was there.

Brilliant. I may lose a lot of things, but they always come back to me. And BYU, I thank you for that.

NYC

This past weekend I went to New York City to spend time with my friend Jen who I had met on a bike trip the previous month. It was so great to meet her because I had heard a lot about her, been compared to her and I already knew we had a lot in common. Although I'll admit I had no idea what a connection we would have. She's amazing, but if I feel like if I say too many great things about her, I will sound narcissistic, since essentially we're the same person. But we had an amazing trip and I'm so glad I was able to spend some quality time with her before she moves to the West Coast.


Here I am with Jen and Lisa at lunch after our initial meeting and bike ride in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I think it was right about now that we decided we had to go up to New York before Jen moved to San Diego. Unfortunately Lisa had a work emergency and wasn't able to join us in NYC. I'm still in mourning. Nevertheless, I went, and I'm so glad I did. This was my fifth trip to New York, but definitely my favorite. This was the first time I had gone specifically to visit a friend who lived there and seeing New York with a local is the only way to do it.

Highlights from the trip:

• People watching outside of Penn Station and seeing such treats as a very pregnant woman who was wearing a shirt that said "I'm single" on the front and "Call me" on the back
• Walking back to Jen's apartment in Harlem at 1:30 in the morning after grocery shopping and seeing police tape blocking off a large area and seeing a helicopter overhead with a huge spotlight patrolling the area. I ask "Was someone murdered?" Jen responds very casually "Yea, probably."

• Biking almost the entire perimeter of Manhattan. Although at times I feared for my life dodging cars, and had to bike in weather that was 94 degrees and very humid (after I wiped my face on my sleeve there was black exhaust covering my shirt sleeve). It was still exhilarating and I think the best way to see the city, we biked along the Hudson, through Battery Park, up Fifth Avenue and through Central Park. Here we are right next to the Stock Exchange on Wall Street.

• Front row tickets to the Broadway show Curtains starring David Hyde Pierce who we found strangely attractive.
  

• Eating this truly decadent dessert at Max Brenner Chocolate by the Bald Man and catching up with old friends living in New York. Jane a good friend since elementary school and Julie who I met in D.C. and recently moved to NYC for grad school.

• Sleeping out on the roof of Jen's apartment
• A random picnic in the primary room after church and an exercise where the boys in town for summer gave Jen their security sales pitch and she tried to convince them to vote for Obama.
  
• Waking up to a brunch Sunday morning that Jen had made of corn pancakes with strawberries and yogurt.

• This is as close as it gets to the beach in Manhattan. It was close to 100 degrees that day and anytime we saw even a tiny piece of grass there were people laying out. Hilarious.

Here are some other noteworthy recent events that I won't dedicate an entire post to.
Bowling at the White House. Strike. And I do have two fully functioning arms, even though this picture would indicate otherwise.
Mormon night at the Death Cab for Cutie Concert. We smuggled in KFC and Bobby hid his chicken snacker under his hat.
Another sign that Jen and I were destined to be friends. She would do yoga with me in the parking lot after biking in Pennsylvania.
Dutch Bike Dutch. This was the second time I attended this event that has become a D.C. favorite. A great activity no matter how avid of a biker you are. We drive up to Amish country and bike through the rural countryside. And I just have a bond with bikers, here are more instant best friends, Lisa and Tyler. And yes I know right now the song "primary colors are one, two, three" is going through your head right now.