Over the summer, my family's dog was put down. Brinley was getting old and had lots of health problems (tumors, strokes, etc.), so it was definitely time. But even though she'd lived a long, full doggy life, it was difficult for everyone to let her go. She was my snuggle buddy on Friday nights in junior high and high school, when I'd stay in and study instead of hanging out with my friends (who were probably all home studying too, because we were all NERDS). She was my walking buddy when I wanted to walk around and see the lights around Christmastime, but was too scared to go out after dark on my own. She was my hiking and exploring buddy throughout college, and I took her with me on dozens and dozens of hikes up Dry Canyon. She was the only witness when Jared got down on one knee and asked me to marry him one afternoon during a trail run.
When Jared and I visited Utah this last Christmas, we knew that Brinley probably didn't have more than a few months left in her, so we took her up Dry Canyon and snapped a few pictures. My mom's been waiting months for me to post these. Sorry it took me so long!
Today marks exactly one year since we stepped off a little plane onto the runway of Grenada's international airport. We've been through a lot in that one year. Like, A LOT a lot. More than I can begin to put into a blog post, especially with seven minutes until midnight and Jared trying to get some sleep next to me (yesterday was his first day of fourth term--FOURTH). So instead, I will make a brief list of some things I experienced and saw in Grenada today, just to give you a taste of what normal life is like here:
(1) As I drove some new friends downtown, we saw a man sprawled out in the middle of the road. At first I thought he must've passed out drunk (yesterday was Grenada's biggest national holiday/party: Carnival). But then there was blood all over his face, so...we were pretty sure he was dead. I pulled over so we could maybe help, or at least call someone. After a minute or so, he gained some consciousness, moved his arms a bit, and then stood up at the sound of an approaching ambulence. We still have no idea how he got there.
(2) There's been a rotten smell lingering in the air around our house over the past few days. We think it's seaweed rotting on the coasts, but whatever it is, it smells like the most rank rotten eggs you could ever imagine. It's enough to keep me inside, avoiding my evening walks and dusk veranda sessions.
(3) Rats eating rats. We get to enjoy this scene when we drive late at night.
(4) I left the door open for 30 seconds this afternoon. Mosquitos have been munching on me ever since.
(5) Dinner was a delightful stir fry of ramen, local cabbage, and canned chicken (made by Jared--I'm the luckiest). It was pretty good, but we eat more college-y here than we ever did in actual college, since the food prices are astronomical.
_________
(6) A lunch of tropical sugar apples--something I may never taste again in my life after Grenada.
(7) A smoothie binge followed by a wave of lethargy and a lengthy mid-afternoon nap.
(8) The most gorgeous sunset seen from our backyard. Although I miss Utah's vibrant sunsets over the mountains, the mellow sunsets here are an entirely different kind of beautiful.
(9) A double date at the quaint Excel Plaza theater--beloved for its air conditioning, cheap popcorn, and Grenadians who treat the theater like their living room and make hilarious comments throughout the movie.
(10) After our date, we came home to a sky full of bright, beautiful stars. The kind only visible on a cloudless night on a beautiful tropical island.
Hey-o! I'm hoping to get this post up AND bust out another one withing the next hour (we're going to go see a movie with some new friends), so let's get to it. Basically I'll probably just caption the photos, because it's been over a month since my brothers had their trip here, and the details are a bit fuzzy already.
We spent one morning at the University Club pool. We got lunch and lounged and enjoyed this fabulous view.
password: grenada (no caps)
This is a video I put together of all the footage my brothers and I got while they were visiting us here in Grenada. For jokes, I wanted to pick a Grenadian dancehall song for the background, since that's what all the taxis played the week my brothers were here. There are random sound effects all throughout the songs, like sirens and horns and girls saying "are you serious?" Unfortunately I couldn't find a good one for the movie, but this song comes from an album called "Dancehall Places," so I figure that counts. I'd recommend watching in HD on Vimeo. Enjoy!
(The best part is when Jordan accidentally lets go of his kite at 00:51.)
p.s. I'm new to the world of video making, so for all you more seasoned filmmakers out there, I have a question. Where do you go to find quality free music for your videos? I don't want to pay $40 to license a new song every time I want to make and publish a personal video. I also don't want my videos removed from the web if my music isn't licensed properly. Suggestions?
This is gonna be a long one . . . and it's only part one.
My brothers Chris, Jordan, and Tim came to visit us on July 4. When they arrived, I demanded that they change into their swimming suits and we went to BBC beach. On the way over, a spring above one of our car tires broke, so we had to drive on it as little as possible for the rest of the week while our mechanic tried to find the right part to fix it. Oh, Grenada. Thanks for keeping me on my toes . . . always. At the beach, we snorkeled around a bit and found a starfish. We went back home and had a 4th of July dinner of burgers, watermelon jello, and ice cream sandwiches.
Meanwhile, my parents were at West Point, singing their hearts out (my dad's in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir) and watching probably the coolest firework show ever over that gorgeous river. Way to one-up us, Mom and Dad. You're the cool ones, we get it.
The next day, we all went to church together. We got to hear from lots of locals and have a very humid experience. Gotta love that church view, though.
We also went for a little walk and made a video for our parents. The sound didn't work, so we did some pretty weird voice-overs. We're hilarious.
That evening, we took a super sketchy taxi ride to the north side of the island to see a sea turtle lay her eggs. The taxi ride was probably one of the highlights of the week for my brothers, but for me, it was mostly just one continuous prayer that we wouldn't die. It was definitely one of those Grenadian experiences I'll never forget! Crazy speeds on narrow, winding roads, up through the rain-forest.
Seeing the sea turtle was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had. Leatherback sea turtles are really big and really heavy. The one we saw laid 107 eggs, and then took an hour to bury them and make her way back out to sea. Our tour guide let us touch her and everything. Once she finally made her way out to sea, we turned to go back to our taxi, but all of a sudden we were surrounded on all sides by tiny, adorable, freshly hatched baby sea turtles from a different nest making their way out to sea, too! We just stood there without moving for 15 minutes while they scrambled around us so we wouldn't accidentally crush any. Ah, the circle of life. That was on our anniversary, and it was unforgettable.
The next day, we took a taxi bus downtown to the spice market (I think--the days kind of blur together)
Straight off the taxi, a sneaky Grenadian named Randy started walking with and talking to us, all friendly like. I knew what he was up to, so I asked for his number and said if we ever wanted a tour we'd let him know, but for now we had plans. He smiled and nodded, and then just kept walking with us. Next thing we knew, we were being given a tour of downtown. It was enlightening, but after like an hour of that, I tipped him and we kind of ran away so we could do our own thing and buy some spices and souvenirs. On our way home, I lost my phone in a city taxi. TIG.
That evening, we tricked Jared into hanging out with us at Grand Anse beach (he mostly sulked on the side while we played because he forgot to bring his study materials with him--poor baby), and then we got some dinner at Umbrella's.
Oh haaaaay! Lookie here, a free afternoon for me, and that means a blog post.
First off, I did a "10 Things About Me" blog post a week or so ago because Emily tagged me to do one, but then I pulled it real quick to make some revisions. I must have accidentally deleted that post because I can't find it. Oops. Here's a pathetically short new one for you!
1. I like to eat lots of protein (but not in an "I work out" kind of way--don't be silly).
2. My favorite breakfast option is biscuits and gravy.
3. I prefer mountains over beaches (although the beaches in Grenada are pretty amazing).
4. I'm a picky reader. I'll only enjoy it if it's really well written and has a reallllly engaging plot.
5. My favorite season is fall.
6. I signed up for my first marathon because a guy I liked dared me to.
7. I've never had a cavity (Jared hates me for this one--he takes way better care of his teeth than I do and he still gets cavities).
8. In high school, my cool friends and I would dress up in '80s attire and watch old aerobics VHS's.
9. I'm fairly low-maintenance, but I do enjoy painting my nails and dressing up fancy.
10. I sometimes have fainting spells when Jared gets close to me. It started out as a joke when we were engaged, like, "Oh I feel faint--catch me!" But now it's like a semi-dangerous reflex.
I believe when I wrote the original post last week, I tagged Alex, Ashley, and Dottie to do this next if they're into this sort of thing. And hey Ishel, you too ;)
Jared's busy studying for his midterms this weekend, so chances are you'll see another post soon.
First off, I did a "10 Things About Me" blog post a week or so ago because Emily tagged me to do one, but then I pulled it real quick to make some revisions. I must have accidentally deleted that post because I can't find it. Oops. Here's a pathetically short new one for you!
1. I like to eat lots of protein (but not in an "I work out" kind of way--don't be silly).
2. My favorite breakfast option is biscuits and gravy.
3. I prefer mountains over beaches (although the beaches in Grenada are pretty amazing).
4. I'm a picky reader. I'll only enjoy it if it's really well written and has a reallllly engaging plot.
5. My favorite season is fall.
6. I signed up for my first marathon because a guy I liked dared me to.
7. I've never had a cavity (Jared hates me for this one--he takes way better care of his teeth than I do and he still gets cavities).
8. In high school, my cool friends and I would dress up in '80s attire and watch old aerobics VHS's.
9. I'm fairly low-maintenance, but I do enjoy painting my nails and dressing up fancy.
10. I sometimes have fainting spells when Jared gets close to me. It started out as a joke when we were engaged, like, "Oh I feel faint--catch me!" But now it's like a semi-dangerous reflex.
I believe when I wrote the original post last week, I tagged Alex, Ashley, and Dottie to do this next if they're into this sort of thing. And hey Ishel, you too ;)
Jared's busy studying for his midterms this weekend, so chances are you'll see another post soon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)