Summer in Utah.

I lived and worked in Logan for a little under 2 months, quit, and have been traveling the state with my family, and then with Colin's family. One might think of it as a symbolic trade-off. Haha. I'm funny, but I jest.

The biggest thing to report is that my face has subtly darkened and my hair is longer and blonder. I am thrilled. I would say that I'm tan, but people laugh at me when I do that.

We took family photos because Jake and I are leaving to serve missions in September. I'll be gone for 18 months, he'll be gone for 2 years, and Ben may leave in the interim. So it's our last family photoshoot for awhile. It was a real last-minute thing. But I like how they turned out, haphazard color scheme and all!

The missionaries-to-be.

Jake and I went through the temple together, and a lot of my dad's family was there. My maternal grandparents came down from SLC, as well. You may have already heard, but there's actually already a "Lauren no-middle-name Hafen" serving in Paris (where I'm headed), and her grandparents are the temple president/matron at the St. George temple, so talking with her grandma was just really neat.

After 3 months of intermittent skyping, texting, and a couple of phone calls, I could finally bask in the presence of Eagle Scout Colin S. Smith once again. I like him, so it was exciting.

Coincidentally, tomorrow is our 23-monthiversary.

We had a fabulous Pioneer Day, which is a strangely patriotic tradition 'round these here parts, considering the original pioneers fled the U.S. and its government for Mexican territory... (I'm pretty sure it was Mexican at the time... Saying facts publicly on the internet always makes me nervous. I don't like being wrong-- especially not publicly.)

Happy Pioneer Day from Ivins!

We also went hiking in Zion National Park, rafting in Lava Hot Springs, ID, visited with my grandma in Santa Clara, UT, and various other fun activities. But I either don't have pictures of those things, or they're not flattering pictures of me. So no photos.

We also went to the wedding reception of our dear friend and my former roommate/fellow Phi Alpha Theta sorority member/nerdy history compadre, the beautiful Randi Leigh Jones Cline. Except I think she's dropping the Jones and just becoming Randi Leigh Cline. A beautiful southern-sounding name.

She looked happy to see us, which made me feel validated and special. 

So there's that.

Over and Out.

How to Talk to Little Girls

I posted this on Facebook a few days ago, but I just like it so much that I'm putting it on here, too.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-bloom/how-to-talk-to-little-gir_b_882510.html

Clothing

I've been scouring the interwebs for modest clothing. Free stuff would be chill.

http://www.dandygiveaway.com 

Perfect Playlist

I have a playlist that never fails me. It suits pretty much every mood. Here are some highlights:

1. First Day of My Life, Bright Eyes
2. California Stars, Billy Bragg & Wilco
3. Murder in the City, The Avett Brothers
4. January Wedding, The Avett Brothers
5. Little Things, One Direction
6. The Gambler, Fun.
7. I'll Fly Away, Alison Krauss & Gillian Welch
8. Blackbird, The Beatles
9. Merry Go 'Round, Kacey Musgraves
10. Lifting the Sea, The Hunts
11. Hallelujah, The Hunts (Leonard Cohen Cover)
12. Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain), Gary Allan
13. Two-Toned, Elephant Shortcut
14. Half Acre, Hem
15. Carry On, Fun.
16. A Thousand Years, Christina Perri


I can't get enough of these songs.

That Skirt

Forever ago I posted about this skirt.

And then I found it on ebay! Yesterday! And I bid on it! I had the only bid. And then I left for work at 11:10. The bidding ended at 1:00. While I was at work. And I lost it by FIFTY CENTS.

I am so mad. The other person got it for $25.49, free shipping.
So I've been scouring the internet looking for more, feeling 6 months of regret weighing on my shoulders.

I was tempted to buy the same one in olive straight from the website, which is on sale for $37.60. But then... shipping... and tax... and suddenly it's almost fifty dollars.




Dear someone: Please sew me a skirt just like this.

Thank you.

Mission Calls

So many have been submitting mission papers and receiving calls lately that it seems at times as though calls are a simple, automated response to geographical demand.

But I stumbled upon this:

“I have had [many] experiences feeling of the Holy Ghost…But I’ve never felt what I have felt as I have…participated in the assigning of missionaries…Because of technology, it is possible for us to have your picture and the information about you displayed. And then quickly, on that same screen, all the missions of the Church with all of their needs are displayed. Within minutes, and sometimes less than a minute, the impression comes so powerfully that it would be, if it were a single instance, something that you would never forget. Can you imagine sitting there for hours at a time, having that happen time after time without interruption? I testify to you that it is real…[The Lord] somehow not only knows you but loves you enough to ensure that your call is where He needs you to go to teach the children of our Heavenly Father.” (Pres. Henry B. Eyring, “Called of God,” address delivered at the Missionary Training Center, Aug. 26, 1997).

What we actually did in Michigan.

Forever ago I wrote this post about fun things you can do in Michigan.
I wrote it in anticipation of my boyfriend coming to town, but the list included a lot of museums, and museums in Michigan aren't free (unlike the Smithsonian in DC).

So here is a really late list of what we ACTUALLY did in Michigan-- cheap things to do in Michigan!

1. We went to Hell.
There wasn't actually a whole lot to do or see, but now we can say that we've been to Hell. Take that, Dante. And there were amusing signs. Like "The road to Hell is paved with potholes." #MichiganRoads

2. On the way back from Hell we stopped by Island Lake to play in the lake. There was lots of goose poop (a Michigan landmark). We also threw around with some lacrosse sticks. Colin and I went back to Island Lake/Kensington Park later to ride the tandem on bike trails and to kayak. 

3. Detroit's Historic Fort Wayne (1845)! This one was on that original list I made, and it was actually really cool! We were lucky enough to be there to watch to the surrender to the British. They even had a canon going. We talked to some reenactors and saw their cool historic paraphernalia. As two history majors, it was pretty neat. Plus, you could walk through portions of the original fort, which were AWESOME. Additionally, it's location on the Detroit River allowed us to see across to the Canadian shore, and driving there gave Colin the opportunity to experience some of Detroit's deterioration. This was definitely a favorite. You only have to pay for parking. I wish we'd taken more pictures here!

Reading some exhibits inside

The river (& Canada) are behind us.

Surrendering to the British

 4. Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum. This is absolutely free to wander around and admire the mechanical marvels, but if you can leave without spending any quarters on their games, I commend you! They had some REALLY OLD things. And some more modern ones. We took a couple of friends with us, and it was a lot of fun.

A wooden pig. Why not?

 There's a LOT in there.

There were some more standard games...

Lot of rounds of basketball. Colin was pretty much the champ.

And some less standard...

We tried to cure Colin's arachnophobia. He had a hard time with it.

Zelda, the fortune-teller. She's pretty old.

I don't remember what this guy is, but if he's the one that was supposed to give me a massage, it was pretty lame. But he's super old, too!

5. Woodward Dream Cruise. People come from all over to experience this. UNFORTUNATELY, I screwed up and we got there late in the evening after most cruisers had already quit, and got to see more SUVs than we had anticipated. But if you're in Michigan at the end of August, don't miss this!

6. Sukho Thai. Colin loves a Thai place in Silver Spring, MD, Ruan Thai, and always brags about how it's pretty much the best. But after eating at my family's favorite, Sukho Thai, he had to admit that he'd been one-upped.

7. Visit downtown Birmingham, the social hub. Yoga-doing soccer moms and corner-sitting middle schoolers congregate here. We walked around, met a friend, and grabbed a smoothie.

8. Visit Ann Arbor. Home to the University of Michigan, it serves the interests of the college-age demographic. We went to Five Guys, ordered fries, and stole peanuts, which we fed to fat and friendly squirrels.

 Sitting at Five Guys

 

We also got bubble drinks and a cookie and visited the spot where JFK announced to organization of the Peace Corps.

Enjoying Bubble Drinks

On the spot where JFK announced the formation of the Peace Corps

JFK

With friend/tour guide/Ann Arbor resident, Corey.