Probably not smarter than a 5th grader

This year our family decided to trade in our standard trip to Hawaii for something different. Instead of soaking up the sun, laying on the beach, and reading books I don't usually have time for we went to... Virginia. My mom was pretty excited about it. Me, not so much. I just wasn't sure Virginia could compete with Hawaii. It can't. But it was still fun. Maybe because I actually really like history, and it was shocking to realize how much of my public education history I have forgotten. I'm sure my teachers tried, but I didn't remember much from early American history, so it was like learning it all for the first time again.

If given the choice I'd still probably take Hawaii over Virginia, but it was still well worth the trip.


(Yeah, that's my great times 17 grandpa mentioned in the plaque...)

Making Up for lost time

I've never been confused for the roommate who is always home, sitting on the sofa, hording the TV remote, and never relenquishing control of the common living spaces. I am more of the mystery roommate, who people question whether or not I actually exist. It's not that in the last few years I haven't had great roommates, I just have a crazy schedule that I'm either not home, or asleep when everyone else is awake. That said, 2 years ago I lived with 2 great girls Emily and Shandy. However my schedule was so opposite Shandy's I believe we lived together 3 months before we actually had a real conversation. To say the least, we never became the best of friends. In the mean time, Emily has since moved to the arctic tundra we call Southeast Idaho and Shandy and I decided before winter hit we should visit her. It was a great trip. Shandy and I realized our car ride up and back was probably the most we've ever talked, and this trip was only the second time the 3 of us have all hung out together, and possibly the first time Shandy and I have spent any amount of time together. And it was so fun! On our long road trip there wasn't one space of awkward silence. We finally found out all the basics about each other. We lived together a year and I just found out last weekend where she was born and raised, and that we got our Associate's Degrees at the same college at the same time.

We spent the weekend eating, playing Beatle's Rock Band, watching movies, shopping, and lots of girl talk. Plus, it was fun to visit Idaho again. I've been in Utah so long I forgot I used to make fun of Idaho. Because where else when you go to Wal-mart instead of having the hair/nail salon at the front they have a fly fishing headquarters?

Go NASA

Perhaps NASA had the idea first.
(Urine hose on display at Air and Space Museum in DC)

I'm officially domestic

On my list of things I'd like to do before I die right between run a 1/2 marathon and brand a cow is make a quilt. One out of the three of those is done now.
My friend Rebecca is such a talented quilter. I can prove it--she taught me how to quilt. We'll see if I remember how to do anything without her right there coaching me at every step. But I made the whole quilt, even the actual quilting, called stippling. Yeah, I know the words. So here is the evidence of my great accomplishment.
These aren't the fancy pictures of my quilt hanging on a clothes line in the fresh fall sun. I got too impatient (shocking) to wait for the better pictures.

Incredible India

I do not like Indian food. Indian food does not like Crohn's. I have Crohn's, ergo, I do not like Indian food. So knowing I would be spending a week in India was a little frightening as far as not knowing if I would be starving all week. I went prepared though: half loaf of bread, packages of wheatables, club crackers, turkey jerkey, snack pack pudding cups, hummus, pita bread, and propel packets--several days worth of Crohn's approved diet. The pudding didn't make it past Salt Lake airport security. They considered it a liquid. And apparently arguing that needing a spoon to eat it does not make them want to change their mind. But don't worry, Brian's 10 lb. blunt object of a tripod was totally fine. My pudding was a threat though.

In India I was surprised to find more eating options than I had expected. I ate a lot of Japanese and Chinese food. And lots of bread and rice. A whole week of eating pretty much straight carbs and I still lots 10 pounds. Take that Atkins.

India itself was an adventure. Quite different from other 3rd world countries I've visited. More poverty and dirtier than any other cities I've ever been to. At least where we were. I don't want to dwell on that though, because I'm sure if we had gotten out of the big cities, India would be absolutely beautiful, especially up north, but we didn't get to on this trip. So I'm not sure I would recommend India to fellow travellers, but I'm certainly glad I went. Mostly because the Taj Mahal is as amazing as it looks. And I'm now over half way to seeing all the New 7 Wonders.




I'm not sure whether people believed me or not when I said there were cows (and goats and dogs for that matter) all over the streets, just hanging out. This picture is a little blurry but you can see 5 cows just hanging out in the streets. Eating garbage--the one thing that isn't scarce in Delhi.

The Amber Fort was pretty cool. And also featured on this last season of "The Amazing Race."
This was the elephant that we rode. Her name was Champa.

Every morning Angela and I would sneak a ziplock full of watermelon from the breakfast buffet into our bag to eat throughout the day. Only on the 2nd to last day did we find out if we had just asked, they would have packed it up for us in a to go container. But where's the fun in that?

National Parks Pass

Dear National Parks Annual Pass,
It's been a great year. You entered our lives last August when we went rock climbing in the Uinta National Forest. What fun we've had together since, and worth every penny. Sometimes it was fun to drive through entrance stations just to show you off.
I have so many memories of you and all the places you took us this year.
~Uinta National Forest: multiple times for climbing and hiking
~Lake Powell: twice
~Zion
~Arches/Canyonlands: multiple trips
~Grand Canyon
~Devils Tower
~Muir Woods
~Rocky Mountain

And many other national parks and monuments, but they didn't always make us pay, or made us pay anyway (Mt. Rushmore--free entrance but pay to park). But I proudly showed you anyway. I look forward to the next pass (although its picture on the front isn't as good as yours) because without you I would have nothing to blog about.
With love,
kp

(PS Don't let this picture fool you, my friend Brian was so embarrassed when I took this picture of the trip that the pass paid for itself)

The Ups and Down

So I've already addressed some of the perks of traveling when your mom is one of the flight attendants. Now I have to address the more unpleasant side of that coin. When your mom is working the flight, you pretty much have to do anything any of the flight attendants ask you to do. Even if that thing is trading seats with a disgruntled passenger because he was assigned to sit next to a rather...large...woman. And there were no empty seats on the flight. Now I don't want to offend any of the demographics who may read my blog, but it made for a very unpleasant 5 hour flight. The arm rest couldn't go down because she was in half of my seat, she took up all of the leg room, when she would doze off her arm would flop onto my leg, and the smell. My mom did bring me some coffee, not that I drink it, but so I could inhale it. In this woman's defense, she was very nice and pleasant and under different circumstances I wouldn't even be telling you about her.

The upside of this story, is that my mom (and all the flight attendants) felt so bad for me that when the fasten seat belt light wasn't on, my mom had made me a little seat in the first class galley from a box and table linen where I could sit enjoy a little arm and leg room. With flight attendants contantly offering me extra drinks and treats. And then they put me to work serving drinks.