4th of July!

This past year's 4th of July was one for the books. Now that I have half of my family living in Utah, Tanner and I split the day in half and had an enjoyable time with both families.
I love the 4th of july. Since living in Utah, I have learned that people LOVE to celebrate our nation. It makes for a very patriotic, fun, and tiring day!

We went up to the farm in Oakley, as usual. We rode the rangers, watched the cute little town parade, had a good BBQ and saw all the cute little piggies, horses and cows. The most fun part was riding in Tanner's Grandpa's plane. He bought a plane a little awhile ago and we spent some time flying in it. It was truly one of the coolest things I've done! I have never been in a little plane like that and it was so fun to see the beautiful scenery and enjoy that time.

We headed back to the valley and hung out with my nieces/nephews and siblings...and of course we had MORE YUMMY FOOD! We had some serious dance parties, played in the water and hung out. My sister's neighborhood does this amazing firework show--truly one of the best firework shows I have ever seen and it was just in their neighborhood. We will be hitting that up again!

I am so grateful for the freedoms that I get to enjoy while living in the USA. I know that there are many issues that need to be resolved, that's for sure, but I am still grateful for the men and women who fight for those freedoms that we get to enjoy. I am grateful of the beauty of this country and many things that encompass it. I am grateful that we get to PARTY on the 4th! Haha.

Hope your holiday was safe and enjoyable!

photos via instagram 

A Very Country Week: Strawberry Days

I love that view of the rodeo and the mountains. It will never get old! 

When I met T-Money's family seven years ago (almost exactly), I knew very quickly that I was getting myself involved with a country family. Yes, we are talking about animals mounted on the walls, fishing, hunting, camping, rodeos...the whole deal. I grew up in Portland, Oregon--pretty much as opposite as you can get. With that being said, I've always known there was a country girl deep down. I have always loved rodeos (I would voluntarily go with my friends in high school), cowboys and country music. Since then, I am constantly learning about this world that I have never really known about! I love that T and I share a little bit of hippie in us and a little bit of country. You can say we are a little bit of both worlds :) 

Note: They still can't get me to hunt. I just can't do it!!! Haha. 

Since that moment seven years ago when I met T and his family, I was quickly introduced to Strawberry Days--a very popular week in my current hometown. It involves carnivals, parades, fireworks, concerts, rodeos, and, most importantly, strawberries and cream. It is a tradition to be involved in the festivities and it has become one of my favorite summer traditions since living in Utah. For me, summer doesn't hit until the rodeo starts! 

This past weekend was all about the country. Three nights of rodeo, hiking in the country and shooting. I am still a terrible shot, but hey, I'm not scared anymore, which is a feat. Honestly, though, my favorite part of the rodeo is just watching all of the horses and cute dog chasing the bulls back into their stalls. What can I say? I like animals more than people. 

Huzzah. 

There is something so empowering and awesome about shooting a gun. 

Saylor wasn't sure about the guns, so she sat in the car and watched us....exactly like this! Ha. 

Those hiking views out in the middle of nowhere! 

My cute sister in law and niece. It was my niece's first rodeo! Can you tell which one has been to a rodeo nine million times ;) 

My cute in-laws. 

Love my city cowboy. Ha. 

Give me all of the animals. 

Utah Summer sunsets are unreal. 

Saylor and Kimmy love the outdoor concerts (and each other!). #spoileddog 

What are some of your favorite summer traditions? 

Have you ever been to a rodeo? 

Wild // Sierra's Book Reviews

One thing that I love about being a teacher is that I get to READ in the summer. I love to read so much that it sometimes is a problem. In fact, this past week, I was at my cabin in Oregon without service and I read 4 books. FOUR. It felt amazing. T Money makes fun of me because I can, truly, sit in a corner and read with six nieces and nephews running around crazy right in front of me and I won't even notice when I'm deep into a book. I walked into numerous book stores in Oregon and my little book-heart fluttered. I love books. I love reading.  Anywho, let's chat about books, shall we?

via instagram 

Oh, Wild. 
Where do I even begin?
I have wanted to read this book for awhile and I just haven't gotten around to it, so I am happy that I had the motivation to read it. 
Overall, I enjoyed the book. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars simply because it was an enjoyable read. There were many things that I did not like about her, but I thought the book was quite interesting and intriguing and an overall pleasant read. I found myself reading each page slower than normal because I wanted to take it all in. 

1. Cheryl admits to her own transgressions and while she's remorseful, she doesn't seem ashamed. Is this a sign of strength or a character flaw?

Ugh, Cheryl. She drives me nuts. I think she is incredibly selfish for cheating on her husband numerous times and then divorcing him when he wanted to make it work, I thought she was so stupid for continuously doing heroin, and I think she was incredibly oblivious to even go on the Pacific Crest Trail. She had no business getting on that trail in the first place. (Side note: I recently read an article that was stating that this novel has had a negative affect on the PCT. Numerous amounts of people are hiking it now, so it is incredibly crowded, women are getting on the trail hiking all alone trying to "find themselves" whom, like Cheryl, have no business being on the trail. This has resulted in lots of deaths and near-death experiences for these women now, which is ridiculous, in my opinion. If anything, reading this book and watching this movie made me NOT want to hike it, and especially alone. And I love to hike!) I think that we all do things in the life that are stupid, and Cheryl recognizes her stupidity in her transgressions and other dealings, but she isn't ashamed. I think that's okay. The things that we do in life, stupid or not, shape us to become who we want or need to be. And that's exactly what she allowed herself to do, which I think is good. You have to allow yourself to accept your mistakes in order to move on, and I think she did just that. 

2. How did being on the Pacific Coast Trail on her mother's 50th birthday help Cheryl to heal the wound left by her mother's death?

I think that the trail allowed Cheryl to truly re-evaluate her life. Being in nature does that to a person. Cheryl was able to truly grieve her mother's death while being out in the middle of nowhere with no one around. She was able to recognize her true feelings and grieve in a healthier manner than, say, doing heroin repeatedly. 

3. Does the hike help Cheryl get over Paul? Why, or why not?

I don't think Cheryl ever stops loving Paul, but I do think that the hike allows her to move on with her life, which is what needed to be done. Che

4. We learn that Cheryl chose her own last name. Did she choose well? What was your reaction to hearing she chose it herself?

I didn't understand it. Truly. I mean, I understand why she chose Strayed. But I don't understand why she felt the need to change her last name. But, then again, she is an odd person who had a lot of issues to deal with, so I don't understand many of it. With that being said, I think Strayed was a perfect choice for her. She knew she was lost and she needed to find herself, and that is what she did. 

5. Have you seen the movie interpretation of the book? Did you enjoy one more than the other? Why?

I have seen the movie and read the book. I thought that the movie was quite boring. They left out her stepfather in the movie, who I thought that was a big part of the book. I think that the movie tried too hard at being "artsy" that it took away from the raw-ness of her trials. The movie would have been even worse if I hadn't read the book first, so I can't imagine anyone trying to watch the movie because there are so many things that happen throughout the novel that help you understand the movie. I enjoyed the book more than the movie. 

I found myself finally liking Cheryl and who she was, rather than just being annoyed with her decisions in the beginning. I think she realizes, while on the trail, the stupidity of her decisions and allows herself to grow, which is truly inspiring. I love that she connects with nature and it definitely reminded me why I love to be outside hiking. It is truly amazing what the outdoors can do for your soul, and she definitely shows that in this novel. 

While I was reading the book, I actually had the opportunity to visit Crater Lake while in Oregon. It was amazing to read her experience around a similar time that I was there. No pictures, writing, or anything can beat the serenity, calmness, and beauty that you see while at Crater Lake (post coming soon!). 

Overall, this is a great read. You will feel many emotions while reading it: frustration, anger, confusion, love, grief, sympathy, empathy, and peace. While many of us cannot connect hiking hundreds of miles alone through nature (Hey, I hike 5 miles alone!), I think it is a novel that we can all relate to because of the facets of issues that she has to allow herself to grieve over. 

I love participating in Bonnie's Online Book Club. I am trying to get her to do an online one and an ACTUAL book club where we meet once a month. If I were to do a book club where we meet in person, would anyone be interested? :)
Also, I am going to try (key word: try) to start doing some book reviews on here. I have my hiking posts and temple challenge posts, why not try another (I start a lot of projects that I don't finish.) I probably won't review every book that I read, but maybe the ones that I have a strong opinion either way about. Do I have other book lovers out there? Will this even get page views? Haha.
Come find me and be my friend on GoodReads! 

Have you read Wild? What did you think? Tell me your thoughts! 

What are some other books that you would recommend? (Not that I don't have a list of about 50 books at this current moment.) 

Lame Horse Trail/Salamander Flat Trail {AF Canyon} // Utah Hiking

And thus continues the "Summer Hiking Extravaganza"  that I have apparently decided to do this summer. Summer, for me, means getting outside as much as I can. American Fork Canyon is one of my favorites. 

For this gorgeous hike, you will drive up to the American Fork Canyon quite a long while (I want to say 15 miles?) through the Alpine Loop. You will come to the "Summit Creek Trailhead." All of the trails connect in American Fork Canyon, but the beauty of it (pun intended) is that you can start in numerous amount of places and find all new adventures and hikes, no matter which way you turn. You will drive up to the Summit Trailhead and start on Lame Horse Trail. You will continue on this path and will eventually connect with Salamander Flats Hike--one of my favorites that I have taken many friends and family on, with an absolutely stunning view (and that I did a few weeks ago). This is the mini hike that we did. It is absolutely stunning. I felt like I was in a field daydreaming and whisking away. How splendid, right? :) 

Other Hikes: Summit Trailhead AF Canyon Hike //  Bells Canyon // Horsetail Falls // Battle Creek Falls 

We live in a beautiful world.

What are some of your favorite hikes? 

Shootin' the Tube // Summer 2015

If any of you are visiting Salt Lake City anytime soon, you HAVE to do this! 

Under the freeway at the edge of Parley's Canyon in SLC, there is an aqueduct tunnel that flows beneath it. You bring your own inner tube or floating device and walk about a mile in from Tanner Park. It's a really cool/pretty walk and the edge of the tunnel is a swimming hole/dog park. If you want to "shoot the tube", you will walk up the tunnel and come to a cool rock place with graffiti all over it. Make sure to hold up two boards/wood/etc to make a dam with the water. When you all are ready, someone pulls the string down and the flash flood of water pushes you down this dark tunnel. 

I'm not going to lie, I was a little bit freaked out, but it was SO MUCH FUN. The worst part is landing in the FREEZING mountain run off in all of these rocks. Jump out of the way as soon as you land so your foot doesn't get messed up by people landing on you/you landing on the rocks. (I definitely made that mistake.) 

This is not something to do for kids under the age of eight or nine. My friends 6th grade brother came and he was freaked out the entire time! Haha. 

T Money's good friend, Helam brought his GoPro and made an awesome video of our fun afternoon. He is awesome if any of you want him to make you a GoPro video. He's a GoPro Pro :) (I need one of those ASAP!) 

photo via instagram 

Also, we got a selflie stick. Huzzah! 

Other Summer 2015 posts: // St. George // Cowboy Up! // Mermaids // 4th of July // Manti 

HorseTail Falls // Utah Hiking

As I stated yesterday, I'm sort of on a hiking kick this summer. I have realized that Utah has all of these amazing places to hike and now that I have a dog, I feel like I have a super companion…who loves it!!  I absolutely love being outside in nature. I love it!! There is something so refreshing and rejuvenating about it!

HorseTail Falls starts at Dry Creek Trailhead in Alpine, Utah. It is a 6 mile round trip hike, 3 miles up to the waterfall and back. You have the option of going further past the waterfall. It is a STUNNING, very peaceful hike. You start at 6,000 feet elevation and the waterfall is at 8,000 feet elevation, so be sure to be ready to go UP! In other words, BRING LOTS OF WATER!!!!

This is the beginning of the hike at Dry Creek Trailhead. So beautiful! I just wanted to stop and take pictures the whole time (and catch my breath! Ha).

The first mile of the hike does not have any shade or tall trees. You will see rocks like these the entire way up. As you can see from the picture, look at how high up this is (and this is only about 3/4 a mile up!). It is a gorgeous view.

About a mile in, you get to these trees. It felt a lot like Oregon to me! (which I love, obviously). 

This hike is labeled as "medium" hardness, but if you are as out of shape as I am, it definitely should be labeled "hard". Ha! I seriously thought I was going to die. What is complicated about this hike is the fact that the whole 3 miles up to the waterfall is straight uphill. I mean, literally, just uphill the entire time. It may not seem like much to others, but I made it to the waterfall and I felt so proud of myself!!! Baby steps, people. As you can kind of tell from this photo, it is going upwards..that is how the entire 3 miles up is. 

Once you get to a little grassy field that looks like this, you will know that you are about halfway! 
It is the most heavenly little field!!!! It is surrounded by trees. I wanted to lay in it and read all day. 

Look at that. Absolutely gorgeous! You can go closer to the waterfall if you want, I just loved the entire landscape of the trees, mountains, and waterfall! 

I am exhausted and Saylor loved it. Haha! 


Other Hikes: Summit Trailhead American Fork Canyon, Utah Hike 

 Isn't nature the best?

Oh, August. You Will Be Missed.

| June Recap |
| July Recap |

August 2014.
I'm sure gonna miss you, summer. You were good to me.
All photos via instagram.

From top left to right. 

+Oregon trees. And our awesome vacation.

+Taking Saylor on a bike ride. With her in my backpack. Hahahaha. 

+Snake River in Wyoming. So beautiful. 

+San Diego with nephew, Lincoln.

+Those mountains are the view that I see everyday from my school. Crazy! 

+Whole family in Oregon! 

+Happy Sierra :) 

+Niece, Teya. Those eyes! 

+Epic Relays in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. 

From top left to right. 

+Love those antique gas pumps in the middle of nowhere in Wyoming. 

+I love seeing all of the deer running around in Alpine! (yes in the cemetery!)

+Back to School Night.

+T Money and I play on a co-ed softball team!

+My First fashion post EVER!

+Just saylor. Cause she's adorable. 

+My Second Fashion Post Ever! First day of school outfit.

+Reunited with old friends. 

+Sister & brother in law came in town for a short weekend. So good to see them! 

Hope your August was as fabulous as ours! Here's to Fall!! Pumpkin everything! Woo too!