Relief Society Camp Out

On July 11-12, the Relief Societies in our ward headed up to Blackhawk campground up near Payson Lake (about 50 minutes from Provo). It was so gorgeous up there... it was green and high up in the mountains and there were barely any bugs! (That's one thing I love about Utah camping... there are SO many bugs in Wisconsin.) It was just for one night, but it was a great turnout and honestly, sometimes I like short camping trips better than longer ones. We had a nice campfire, slept in tents (I had a rock or something under my back though... um, not so comfortable, haha), went on a nature walk (we got a little lost though!) and then headed back to P-town. Here are some pictures. Thanks to Sister Richards for taking them... my camera is dead :-(



A picture from my phone of the wildflowers. They were everywhere!



Cooking some hotdogs over the fire!



This is one of my favorite pictures. Kelly, I love you! S'mores are delicious!



Going on a nature walk in the morning. (Notice the Provo High sweatshirt!) :-)



All of us! Our bishop and his wife came, as well as the 1st counselor in the bishopric and his wife. And in the front is Stella, the Richards' black lab :-) I kept thinking about that movie "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" when I'd hear people call Stella. I've never seen it, but for some reason that title has always been a memorable one for me and it kept popping in my head. Haha.

The mysterious appeal of "The British Guy"

Lately, I suppose it's not just lately, I have seen several friends get engaged. Yay for love! It's pretty incredible if you think about it... finding someone that you love enough to spend your life with. I think deep down, we all want that companionship and love. It's hard to imagine, though, the realization of that quest and the end of the search that began, albeit informally, for most when they were kids and they dreamed of their dream guy/girl.

As I have not yet settled on/found that one fellow who I will spend my life with, I suppose I am still content to occasionally think about "my dream guy." Who is he, you ask? The fun thing is, he surfaces in many different guys. The older I get, the more I realize I could probably be happy with many a different type of man, as long as he has certain key qualities. Who has captured that title for me? Well, I could spout off some of my childhood/early adult crushes, but that might bore you. Or a list of movie stars, but that's not too unique either.

But, I've come to realize that there's one sort of fellow who is incredibly attractive to me, and I will most likely never have:

The witty, handsome, overall dashing British man.

What is it about this fellow that is so attractive? Well, the accent, for one. I remember a conversation with someone in which we agreed that if two identical twins were raised separately in England and the US, the English one would automatically be more attractive. Sorry American guys, it's just the truth.

Perhaps it's the innate "gentlemanly" quality that the British seem to possess, at least in the the movies. A sense of chivalry and duty.

Sigh. I'm not exactly sure myself.

How do I solve this dilemma?

1. Make a permanent move to England and start dating like crazy. (unlikely)
2. Stop watching sappy English period dramas. (also unlikely)
3. Get an American boyfriend and get over it (probably the best option).

Anyone out there share my sentiments?

Retro Commercials

Since last August, I have been TV-less. It's been a good thing for the most part--I'm surprised how normal it feels now. However, I can't deny that cutting out TV time has probably increased time I've spent watching DVDs and surfing the Internet. Sometimes, you just need something on in the background when you're doing something mundane. Yes? With summer, this has decreased, since I'm trying to spend as much time as possible outside! Seriously, Utah summers are great, especially the evenings, when the air is a little cooler.

Anyway, one of my TV-substitute activities is finding interesting videos on YouTube. One of the best things I've found to keep myself entertained is RETRO COMMERCIALS. For me, the most interesting ones to watch are the ones from when I was a kid. And most of them are on there! The Micromachine man, My Buddy, Barbies, Tootsie Roll Pops, etc.

Here are a few that I remember. Enjoy! Do you remember any of these? Let's hear from you. Which commercials do you most remember from being a kid?