true love

There is a trend of people either being super excited about Valentines or down & disillusioned about it. Most of the people who are down and disillusioned are those my age who feel lonely because they lack the companionship celebrated on this holiday. 

A few weeks ago, I decided to escape this loneliness by going home to spend the holiday with my family. It's a holiday of love, so I spent it with people I love and I had a blast.

Friday, my roomie Jordan and I drove up to Castle Dale. We got there mid-afternoon and I dropped him off at his parent's home for the weekend.

My family members had other plans for the evening, but that was okay. I spent the night with Cricket, our family dog, reading Hawkeye and Li'l Depressed Boy comics. Both really help me to understand myself and little things that I need to do better in dating. 

A little later in the evening, I watched most of The Great Gatsby with my sister, but I got distracted and didn't finish the movie. I know I might lose my life for saying this, but I didn't think it was worth all the hype people made about it.

Saturday was the best. We went to Arches National Park to go hiking. It was free national park day. We hiked part of the Devil's Garden Trail to the Double O Arches. We got to see Landscape Arch and a few others along the way. After that, we hiked to Delicate Arch. That is one of the most beautiful sights. The arch sits on the edge of a huge cliff with swirling inclined sandstone leading to it. Lots of people, including myself, hiked along the treacherous incline to get pictures underneath the arch. 

On the hike back to our car, there were some people sitting about 50 yards apart on different sides of the trail playing native flutes. The tune was simple and they would echo each other back and forth across the trail. It was amazing how their simple song brought a reverence to everyone passing on the trail. The music made me look up and notice nature more. I looked at all the beauty around and had to appreciate the amazing world we live in.  

Sunday, we went as a family to Beaver for my cousin Lacey's mission farewell. She's going to serve her mission in Rapid City, SD. It was good to see extended family and catch up with them. 

That evening, Jordan, Dory, Katy, and I spend the evening together. It was good to catch up with Dory and Katy who have both graduated and moved on from SUU. We watched a French film called He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not. I'm not always the biggest fan of foreign films, but this one was one of the most amazingly written and directed films I have had the opportunity to watch. I won't say much about it, but I will say that it will blow your mind. 

To end my Valentines and President's day weekend, I spend Monday morning shoveling gravel to fill in a planter area with my dad and siblings. It was hard work and I definitely counted it as my workout for the day. When we finished a part, I packed to come back to college. 

Before I left, dad and Walker took me with them to fly some airplanes they had made. They gave me a fully automatic air-soft rifle and told me to shoot the plane. I did and almost took it out of the air. It was a huge blast. 

This weekend was amazing. I would not have traded it for anything. Enjoy more pictures!