#1 worst idea ever

i will be the first to admit that i have had a lot of stupid ideas and done a lot of stupid things in my life. for example, kaitlyn and i went through a phase where we thought it was so cool to walk from her house to my house. here's the glitch though: we would walk in the middle of the hot summer day in a field full of rattle snakes, ginormous man-eating caterpillars, and who knows what other kinds of critters. halfway through our trek, we would have to cross a swiftly moving creek, that was sure to engulf us if we made one slip. we would then continue on where we would grab an otter pop from my house, only turn around and make the VERY long walk back, all the while, pretending that we were pioneers. {i was sister sue and she was sister mary. we had a strict policy that we could only answer to those names}. at the time, stuff like this doesn't seem dumb, but looking back now, i sometimes wonder if my brain had fallen out for a moment. out of all the ridiculous things that have happened in my life though, this weekend definitely tops them ALL off.

at 1:30 a.m. 14 adventurous souls and myself set out to conquer mt. timpanogos {the second highest peak in utah's wasatch range}. after a half an hour of hiking, we realized...we were on the wrong trail. we were all in good spirits though and were able to laugh it off as we hiked back down to the cars. so take 2...we got started on the RIGHT trail, bound and determined to annihilate the rigors of this journey.

{this is when we took the wrong turn. be sure to take note of how happy and cheerful we are. soon this will be just a memory.}

{we made sure to load up on all kinds of goodness. ie. jolly ranchers [case in point], salt water taffy, fruit snacks, water, etc.}

it's 2:33 a.m. and i'm hiking up this beast of a mountain, loving every second of it. i won't lie, it felt like a hard hike from the get-go, but we didn't care much about that. the occasional rustle in the bushes around me kept me on my toes and wanting to stay as close to the group as possible. by this time, the moon had gone over the mountain, so the only light we had {literally, the only light} was our flashlights, and even then it was difficult to make out the trail sometimes. it made a cool sight to see though-the light trail of our little group slowly making our way to the top and also groups ahead of us that were higher up. all in all, we had high hopes for the night and were excited to make it to the top before sunrise.

**3 hours later**

exhausted from so much walking. starving because all we brought was freaking candy and junk food. dehydrated because the freaking candy and junk food made us extra thirsty. ornery because we were all running on 0 hours of sleep.

basically, i was ready to jump off the cliff we had just climbed.

i will admit that the scenery was breathtaking. when we saw this though, all we could think about was bookin it to the top so we could catch the sunrise from a better view.

...and a better view is what we found...

good thing vincent was prepared and thought to bring a machete to ward off any human-eating zombies. we felt very protected in his care...

we actually didn't make it to the very tippy top which was a little disappointing, but we were too tired and cranky to care. it took us the longest, most grueling 3 hours of my life to get off the mountain, but we finally made it. although, the whole experience seemed miserable and i have sworn never to do it again, the scenery definitely made it worth it. the crappy little camera on my phone doesn't do justice, but you get the general idea.

welp. that's all. until next time...

~suMmA tiMe~

so as i am sitting here doing my homework..

{i know, i know, i've heard it a billion times. "nobody in their right mind should be doing homework in the summer." trust me, it's a mistake i hope to never make again}

it got me thinking about how great this summer has been so far. yeah, having to take anatomy sure blows, but i am grateful that i have been able to squeeze in a good time every weekend. {literally...EVERY weekend.. ;)}

i am especially grateful for the fact that i have been able to spend these good times with people i love and care about. this summer has been one like i have never experienced, but in a good way. here's a glimpse of the fabulous times we have had, from e-town to bear lake!

girl's day out! Urika, Katlin and my birthdays are all within about a month, so we decided to celebrate by getting FULL BODY MASSAGES! it was glorious.

my ADORABLE best friend kaitlyn marie averett threw me a tea party for my 20th birthday! who said prom dresses were only good for one night? :)

these are my cute friends that attended the tea party for lady sarah {myself}. we have been friends since the SIXTH grade. boy oh boy am i grateful for these girls. we have had some grand adventures and i can't wait for more to come! {l to r: stephanie, shandi, alyssa, lacey [popsicle stick], me, kaitlyn, feleicia, emily}

i feel so honored to say that for an entire weekend, i was able to be a part of the averett family. you may think this is no big deal, since i have been best friends with these two girls {who happen to both be averetts} for quite some time, but when i say "averett family" i am talking the ENTIRE averett family. i was able to go bear lake for their reunion and i must say that it was one of the funnest vacations of my life! i truly love that family. every last one of them.

behold the goodness. creamy. delicious. succulent. it looks harmless right? i thought so too. so i fearlessly engulfed =>THREE<= entire shakes over the weekend...little did i know what HUGE effects they could have on my stomach...

i was in charge of a blood drive and believe it or not, i donated blood! not only that, i was able to coax my bestest friend to do it with me...we save lives!

i went to my very 1st rEal soccer game this summer! this was made possible by this fantastically amazing boy of mine {zachary averett}. after a romantic dinner at mimi's cafe, we came to the game and watched our team whomp on new england {5-0}. following the game, there were fireworks which made the night even more magical! i couldn't have asked for a better birthday present.

i got to spend my 4th of july with my man zachary, my bestie arika, and the rest of their wonderful fam. it was a fabulous weekend filled with lots of food, fireworks, games, and relaxation {a personal fav}.

the night was ended with a spontaneous denny's run {thanks to the brilliant idea of merilee}.

one of the best things about summer is the endless popsicles and ice cream. so last weekend up in logan, we decided to make our own ice cream! all i have to say is it was MmMmM good. here is the recipe if you want it. works like a charm!

as we were in logan, my family decided to drive through and stay the night. we went and had dinner with them in paradise and took a little sunday stroll to the canal {which happens to be the same canal that my dad proposed to my mother at. *adorable*}

take 2 for the trips to bear lake. this time, the trip was for a stevenson family reunion. although i felt a little more out of place than at the averett one, they were very good at making me feel welcome and at home. we had a talent show, went wakeboarding, played games, and got very sunburned. i had a grand old time! {that's right..i am dating that}.

for 3 months now, every weekend has been spent with this studly man of mine. he is the one thing i look forward to seeing at the end of every week and the one thing i can't wait to talk to at the end of every day. short piece of advice: long distance relationships are hard, but they are SO worth it. especially when you get a catch as good as i did...

stayed tuned for future shenanigans that we are guaranteed to get ourselves into...