"Some call it sick, but I call it WEAK, yeah yeah yeah."
For all the ego-maniacs out there.
I mean...come on. Random much?
Run and tell that!
Kevin Bacon. Kenny Loggins.
Need I say more?
:)
You've gotta wait for the best part! The radio never plays it!
Inolvidable.
And I know someday it'll all work out...
"When you sell it with a smile :) "
What we all want, really.
I could--and probably will--think of a million more that could fit this description, but if I waited until I was completely satisfied, this post would be a million years long. So..yeah.
Went to New York City the summer of my 16th birthday to see this musical.
This song has kind of become my personal anthem. I love it.
"I'm through with playing by the rules of someone else's game."
"It's time to trust my instincts, close my eyes and leap."
"I'm through accepting limits
'Cause someone says they're so.
Some things I cannot change,
But till I try I'll never know!
Too long I've been afraid of
Losing love I guess I've lost
Well, if that's love
It comes at much too high a cost."
I have LOTS of favorite songs--they rotate by the hour, the day, the week, the month--but these are two of the songs that will never get old for me :)
Okay, technically the second "day" of this challenge is to post your least favorite song, but to me that just defeats the purpose. So I'll just say this: anything--and I mean anything--by Taylor Swift = BLECH.
(this is the best version i could find on YouTube, but the album version--or the Awake Tour recording--is SO much better. find it, listen to it, you won't regret it.)
Rising above tension below
Learn from the in-between
Blinded by trust, asleep to the truth
Awakened by disbelief
Somewhere I found strength in my soul
Still you refuse to see
Are you sure I'm not all right?
'Cause lately I've been feeling fine!
Every lifeline leads its own way to the heavens
But I have seen you run in circles, unforgiven
Is there anything in this world that can make you stop?!
Oh, you're a machine!
A world of your own
Hollow inside
Careful when worlds collide
I'm filling my life
With all it can hold
Carry it on with pride
Are you sure I'm not all right?
Cause lately I've been feeling fine!
Every lifeline leads its own way to the heavens
But I have seen you run in circles, unforgiven
Is there anything in this world that can make you stop?!
Oh, you're a machine!
The sun's still above
All the rain that's coming down
And I can feel the clouds drifting away
And now the sky is open wide!
Turn the light on, you will see things
So much clearer
Ohh, but there's no heart
Oh, there's no heart, and I've spent all this time feeling
Something you can't feel at all!
You're a machine!
Oh, you're a machine.
I have loved this song since the first time I heard it, but, like a lot of things, the more of life you experience, the more deeply things like this resonate with you.
I mean, I know I'm not alone in admitting that I've been blinded by trust; I've had my heart bruised and my faith in people shattered.
And the thing is, these experiences add up, little by little, over time, until one day you find yourself wondering why you bother to care at all. It only ends up hurting.
But then...........at least I'm not a machine.
At least I can feel.
And if every life makes its own way, I guess I'd rather be bruised up a little than a machine.
It doesn't happen often, but probably more often than it should.
I care a lot.
But--and this is important--just because actually caring about people is so rare lately, it doesn't mean that I necessarily feel more, on the Caring-Richter Scale, than what is just basic human decency.
I don't do the whole apples with cheese thing. Or seafood. Or nutella.
I have a phobia of hurting people's feelings on accident.
Therefore, I'm usually really careful with what I say.
But, I have to admit; if I want to be mean, I can be mean.
I'm a total fruit snack addict.
And, yes, that includes Gummy Bears and Gushers.
One of my absolute favorite musicals is Wicked.
Which was, actually, the influence for this blog's url name.
But I'll leave it up to you to figure out to what it refers :)
The number of minutes that make up a quarter of an hour.
The age at which a girl can have her quinceanera.
The atomic number of phosphorus.
The representation of the first point scored in a game of tennis.
The age at which you can be tried as an adult in the UK.
The number of days in each of the cycles of the Chinese calendar.
The number of hours it takes--theoretically--to get from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Eureka, California.
Do you know what happens when you spend 15 hours in a car?
This. This happens.
...Yeah.
A few gems to look for (It's like Where's Waldo!)
Tone deaf "woohoos."
Screaming.
Attempts at singing the bass part.
Excitement over a tunnel.
...A roller coaster?
The state of Naomi's bladder
Nevada.
But do you know what happens at the end of 15 hours?
15 hours = worth it.
So I'm pretty sure Naomi offered me a spot on this little adventure in the middle of April. I'm also pretty sure I said yes immediately. And then we didn't really think about it until the last few weeks of the semester.
I mean, what was there to think about? Naomi's husband was headed off to the Big Apple for a geek--I mean, economic--conference (just teasing!), and while he was taking New York by storm, Naomi and I would be chilling out in Hippieville, U.S. of A.
Haha.
All right, sure, it wasn't always that easy; there was some arranging and re-arranging of plans, but when all was said and done, Colin was on his way to NYC, and Naomi and I--and Bethany and Isaac--were packed up in my little car, Eurkea-bound.
I wish I would have taken a picture of the car.
I really do.
Four people + four peoples' stuff all crammed in to my trusty little buddy = a sight that was truly something to behold.
(I'd like to take this moment to acknowledge Isaac and Bethany for cramming themselves in the back, with the stuff, for 15 hours. Props to you, guys)
But, crammed or not, we were on our way.
Nevada.
I don't know why, but this made me laugh. A lot.
The Salt Flats.
Beautiful and strange. Beautiful because they're strange, more likely.
We stopped in Elko to get lunch from the deli at Albertsons, and paid a little visit to the slightly shady bathrooms in the back rooms of the store.
While waiting, I found this little sign:
My question is, what happens when you turn off the light?
Something bad, I'm guessing.
It is, literally, a flower bed!
I pretty much fell in love with Naomi's grandparents' home. Flowers, a greenhouse, a pond, tree-forts, green everywhere, & blackberry jam??
So much win.
Thanks, Grandparents Medley, for being so welcoming and awesome!
....and for having such a great sense of humor.
SLUGS.
with cream cheese and tomato.
Uhmazing.
LOS BAGELS!!!!!!!!!!!
We had to rub it in a little bit :)
Herpes is soft and cuddly.
#LessonsLearned
WE BE IN CALI, Y'ALL.
No. We're not going to San Francisco.
Thanks, Naomi. I think I'll make the introductions from now on.
Wrinkles. Top hat.
#Cuteness
DEVIL DUCK.
My only regret is that I didn't get a pic of the whole, colorful, basket of them.
A must-have for all.
Me and Bethany in ThE CaVe
(...or is it Naomi? The world may never know....)
The other kind of slugs that populate Eureka.
...But these ones you don't want to put cream cheese and tomatoes on.
At least, I don't.
Lieutenant Juan Carlos Charles Walter Thigpen IV.
(ok, but seriously, does anyone know what LTJG stands for??)
Oh the things you find during midnight runs to WinCo.
Fern Canyon. They filmed parts of Jurassic Park here.
Gorgeous. Green. Peaceful.
Dangerous.
No worries, guys, I'll go first, no prob--Mud.
Awesome.
And now, my most favorite part of the whole hike.
The world is full of serious deep-thinkers...
Man. You just find the greatest things at thrift stores.
As Naomi so aptly quoted on FB:
"We bought big pillows at Ross, went to the candy store and went to Claires. Hello. We are 12."
Those pillows?
Best decision I've made in a long time.
WIN.
SCARY.
The hike was fun, Los Bagels ROCKED, and the nasty banana slugs were everywhere, but my favorite part about this little journey?
I'm in love.
So gorgeous.
The last night we were there, Naomi's dad took us out to Stinky Beach (no lie) to see the sunset. It was a perfect way to end a seriously awesome trip!
Thanks so much to all the family for making me feel like an honorary Medley for a week. You guys were so great, opening your home to me and being so awesome. I had a blast and am so glad to have met you all :)
When I get more pictures from Naomi I'll try to post them (if I remember...)
15 is the number of hours it takes to drive from SLC to Eureka (EUREKA!!!!) California.
It also happens to be the number this trip scored on the 1-10 AWESOME rating.
