Halloween in Utah

After my three weeks in Washington, I popped down to Utah to see my family before heading back to Grenada. I was so grateful for this chance, since I hadn't seen them in four months and wasn't scheduled to see them again until May. Even though I loved growing up in Utah and it's where my family is, I don't think I ever could have appreciated Utah as much as I do now that I've been away from it for a year and a half. Utah is beautiful. 

Whenever I fly in to Utah after being in Grenada, my mom usually says something along the lines of, "Utah's a bit ugly from the sky, huh? Sorry it's so brown--where you've come from is much greener and prettier." I've heard this sentiment expressed by multiple people in multiple ways (I heard this often from non-Utahans at BYU), but it couldn't be further from the truth in my eyes. Probably much of that has to do with the fact that I grew up there, but Utah's dryness and "brownness" doesn't bother me. In fact, my favorite place to be in the world is Dry Canyon, just near my parents' home (see lots of pictures below). Two of the most refreshing things to me during my time in America were the warm, indirect sunlight (as opposed to Grenada's white, harsh sunlight), and the fact that I could go hiking on my own without feeling like I may drown just by breathing in the air or like my life was in danger (I used to hike the trail to Hog Island in Grenada alone, but then an American woman got attacked on it a month or so ago). For the sake of my sanity, wherever we move for our next two years of clinical rotations needs to have hiking trails nearby that I can feel safe on. 

In any event, here are some pictures from the few days I spent in Utah. I didn't bring my big camera with me (couldn't risk getting taxed on it coming back into Grenada), but I was surprised by how wonderfully my trusty little point-and-shoot camera captured these views:

^^I spent a whole day with my best friend Julie, who came down from Idaho to see me. Together with her boyfriend and her family, we ate breakfast, hiked, made sushi, and carved pumpkins. Later that evening, she and Brandon got engaged! He recently returned from an LDS mission in Grenada, so that's fun, and also I'll likely get to be there for their wedding in December, so that's fun too!

^^One of the many spectacular scenes from my daily walk up Dry Canyon. Be still my autumn-loving heart! Do you people realize how lucky you are to get the four seasons every year? As long as the winters are, trust me, it's worth it to be able to get spring and fall. (Or you can just do what I did and skip the winter and just come back for fall.)

^^The Provo farmer's market with Sarah Kay and Dottie. I'm so lucky to have made lifelong friends in college! (Also, how did I not get a picture of you Dottie? You sneaky!)

^^Journal writing in Dry Canyon on my last day in Utah. This was one of the most gorgeous days I have ever lived as far as weather goes. It was warm but not too warm, with a light breeze and a perfect view of the city and the fall colors. I could hear the faint sounds of Orem in the distance, and I really took in and appreciated the moment, knowing that it would be the last time I'd be there for a really long time.

I did lots of other fun things in Utah that aren't documented here. I went rock climbing at the Quarry with my brothers and Chris's girlfriend, Caitlin. This was so fun. Alex, if you're reading this then I'm going to make you take me when I get home in May. I'd been indoor climbing before, but only on first dates, and that wasn't a lot of fun because I just felt self-conscious about my wussy muscles and how I looked in stretchy pants the entire time. I also was in Utah on Halloween. I watched Arsenic and Old Lace with my parents and crashed my brother Tim's spudnut party in the garage to partake of the most out-of-this-world donuts I've ever tasted (major props to my mother). I had shopping dates with Mom and went to Temple Square to watch Dad sing in Music and the Spoken Word. I had dinners with extended family and lunch with my grandma and let my brother Jordan take me on dates to Sodalicious and Savers. It was the loveliest of weeks, but when all was said and done I was just terribly ready to get home to my Jared.