Shall we play the dating game?

I think not... it's far too much of a pain in the butt. Lol. :)

Yes, I think that I may use this blog to write about some of my dating experiences as they come around... if I consider the situation interesting anyways. After all, besides work and play, it is my life right now... And, who knows, I may even get some advice from people with experience in this area. ;)

You may wonder why I all of a sudden decided to share....Well, I was talking with a friend a few days ago, and he told me that I was going to marry this other guy...one that he has never even met. And, I wondered where the heck this sudden inspiration came from. And, what gives him the qualification to determine my life's course? The guy in question, the one that I am supposed to marry apparently, is just a friend...a good friend...but just a friend nonetheless.

Plus, people are constantly asking if I happen to be dating "this" or "that" particular guy, all based on the fact that I sat by them at church or said "Hi" to them in the hall. Well, that just isn't the case.... It's okay to be friends with guys and not date them. Singles' Wards have a life and society all of their own. One which I find fascinating... maybe because I am still not used to how people think in Utah.

I DO go on dates. I've had multiple dates in just this past month. Mostly by well-meaning matrimonially-happy friends, who deem that is my turn to join in wedded bliss, setting me up on dates. Or, by friends in need of a wing man on a first date. Or, by nurses at the hospital who decide that I would be the ideal candidate for a daughter-in-law and send their son out to find me. Yes, that happened.

All I need to really say here is that dating is hard work! It can certainly be fun, and I've had many a good times on dates, but it's still hard. You never know what the other person is thinking. Plus, I firmly believe that dates should be a time to get to know someone...one date, or two or more, doesn't mean we're going to get married! But, I am sure that is why boys are too timid around here to actually ask girls out, on a REAL date, of their own free will, rather than it being forced on them by a busybody matchmaker. They are afraid we'll grab them and suck them in before they're ready. Well, that's just not my personality, as you all can attest. I move through the dating scene about as slow as a turtle in molasses.

There's my vent. Stay tuned... there will most likely be more. But, just so you know... I am young. Only 23. I'm happy with my life. I have good friends. I have no rush to hurry and get married. If it happens, hey, I wouldn't stop that development from occurring, but for now I'm just riding free and easy down the road... and I'm happy right where I am. :)

Besides, who needs boys when I can have cats. :-D

My Memorial weekend adventure

Sometimes I wonder how I let myself get talked into these things....and then I remember who my Dad is and how these sorts of adventures are pretty much mandatory in our family. He had been pestering me for weeks to get me to come climb Mount St. Helens with the family on Saturday. I finally gave in and committed the night before I had to leave, haha. And, even then, I think the only reason that I said yes was that my Mom and Kelsie were coming. I figured I could keep up with them. ;)

On Friday morning, I loaded my packed bags into my tiny little car and headed out. I first made a stop in Newton to pick up my second cousin and her uncle and then we set out on our 12 hour drive to Washington. I know that I could have done the drive on my own, but it is still nice to know that there's someone there to help if problems arise. So, I invited the two of them along. After my cousin Jared lamed out! and my cousin Alan couldn't come. :(

With only a 15 minute stop in Boise, ID for a quick lunch at KFC and a 5 minute fuel stop in Hermiston, OR we reached Woodland, WA. Here we found out that the troop from Forks hadn't even reached Aberdeen yet, so we found a nice sit-down resturant and relaxed for awhile....and by relaxed, I mean that I almost fell asleep on the table, lol.

We reached Cougar that night around nine, where we picked up our climbing permits and registered for the hike, with only minutes to spare before the resort closed for the night. We waited in the car, for at least another hour for Dad and the rest of them to show up. The constant rain had me a little leary that the next day would not be enjoyable. We did finally make it to Marble Mountain Sno-Park where, thankfully, us girls got to sleep in the trailer.

Saturday morning, the rain had slowed a little, but there was still a constant drizzle. Dad was sure it would stop but I had heard THAT one before, so we donned our rain jackets and loaded backpacks and set out on the trail around nine that morning. The group consisted of Dad, Mom, Bryce, Kelsie, Brian Weekes and his daughter Erin, Kelsie's BFF Rachel, my cousin Ashley and her uncle Alan, and Me. Oh, and Woofy. He was the best trooper of us all. :)

We were soon in snow, and shortly after that we were out on the actual mountain side. We followed the trail marking posts up very rocky ridges. I found that hopping up and through the rocks expended far less of my energy than trudging through the slushy snow with everyone else.

As a group, we had to stop and take lots of "snack and water" breaks, although I'm sure it was mostly because half of us just weren't in shape for that kind of hike. The weather up on that mountain changes in a blink of an eye. At times, I wished I was in shorts and a t-shirt, and at other times I wanted to bundle up as gusts of cold winds battered us.

We were soon out of the rocks and on to the snow covered mountain face. It was here that I had to stop looking up ahead of me. Just concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other. The muscles in my legs started pulling, and every step required more effort than the last.

When we reached about 7,000 feet in elevation, the steepest part of the mountain loomed ahead of us, and the snow started to get hard and wind blown, as we were above the clouds at this point. The Weekes had turned around already, and Alan said he wanted to leave and do the Ape Caves instead. Can you believe that? The Ape Caves, when there was an awesome mountain to summit?! Sorry, but we were just to close not to make it to the top. Dad said we only had an hour to get there, so we continued on. We made it up the steep rise, and the crater rim was in view.

Poor little Kelsie and a pooped out Woofy gave out at this point, so they stayed with Mom and Dad there. The rest of us continued on the last half hour up. Rachel, Ashley, and Alan started booking it up the mountain. Where those two girls' energy came from, I'll never know. Bryce and I were left behind. We'd take about ten steps and then break. I could hear Bryce singing over the wind "Just put one foot in front of the other..." You know, that song from the stop-motion Christmas movie "Santa Claus is Comin To Town". Personally, in my mind I was thinking about Frodo on Mt. Doom. Yes, I am a nerd. "This will be the death of the hobbits!" But, hey, if he could do it, so could I, lol. :)

We summitted Mount St. Helens at about 5:10, reaching the 8,281ft crater rim, after over a 5,600 ft elevation gain climb. We couldn't look into the crater because of the very large, and dangerous, overhanging cornices, but I made it to the top! A quick picture and down we went. Bryce had packed his skis up to the top, but unfortunately for him, his legs kept cramping and he couldn't use them to go down. :(

The best part of the hike? Sliding down! Mt. St. Helens doesn't have crevasses to have to avoid, so sliding away we went. We made it down to the treeline in just a couple of hours. I did have to help Woofy on some of the really steep sections. He did not enjoy being carried as we slipped down the mountain side, lol. We didn't make it back to camp until shortly after it got dark. Every muscle in my body was yelling at me for a comfortable bed. But, after a yummy spaghetti dinner, we still had to drive to Moose's house. She wasn't even there, but the shower and bed was much appreciated. :)

A twelve hour drive on Sunday, and I was safetly back in Logan.