Calf Creek Trip

Spring Break has come! (And gone, unfortunately...) And we finally headed out on our much-anticipated camping trip to Calf Creek Falls on Friday, March 13th.

Gear (and LOTS of it) in tow, we headed down to the Escalante/Grand Staircase area to get our outdoorsey on with Coral, Chaz and Angie.

Saturday was spent Geocaching in an alcove just outside of the town of Escalante.
Then we headed down "Hole-in-the-Rock Road" to Devil's Garden. This "outstanding natural area" was just that, outstanding. There was so much to do and see, we could have spent all day there!
Sunday was spent hiking the trail to Lower Calf Creek Falls. The trail was a bit more challenging than I remember it, but no less beautiful. The weather was great for hiking -- not cold, but not too warm.
Along the way you can make out 900-year-old petroglyphs on the cliff wall. (My family has hiked this trail often, and I was sad to see how much these markings had been faded with time -- still impressive, though.) The falls were a beautiful place to enjoy our lunches.


We were sad to pack up Monday, but glad at the thought of showers and warm beds back home. On our way out of town, we stopped at Anasazi State Park and saw some Anasazi ruins.

Thanks to Coral, Chaz, and Angie for making this trip one of our favorites so far! You guys rock our socks off!!!

New blog

So... Check out my new blog. Read in awe as I dazzle you with my cooking prowess! Well... maybe not, but I love to cook, and I would like to share my favorite recipes. (While simultaneously copying Kalee!)

Let me know what you think!

Delightful Wastes of Time

Just some fun stuff to pass the time. Thanks to Meredyth for most of these!

Ever wanted to have your handwriting made into a font for your computer? If you get lucky, this awesome lady might just do it for free! Check out the requirements here.

Or you can download the myriad other fonts she has made: some out of other people's handwriting, some for scrapbooking. All of these are completely free. Find it here.

Be an 80's mix master with this fun site. Just click and then you can type to create some fun electronic noise. It's totally tubular! Don't forget to turn your speakers up. :)

Feel smarter than your average Asian when you visit Engrish.com where people post some of the funny translations they've encountered around the globe.

Found Magazine will have your eyes on the ground to find awesome things to submit. Take a gander at some of the "litter" people have discovered and submitted for your viewing pleasure. (Sometimes this site isn't entirely "G-rated", consider yourself warned.)

And just for fun, check out these:

Virtual Bubble Wrap

Jackson Pollock

Wordle
Here's what happened when I typed in the URL for my blog! Fun stuff!

Mr. Picasso Head

Enjoy!

When we're helping we're happy!

When I got home from Russia, I got back into school, and then I got married, and I haven't had much time to volunteer. I miss helping! It's always been a big part of my life. And since Angie is leaving me to go improve lives in South Africa, I'm both jealous and inspired.

So... I've been looking for ideas for how I can make a difference in my community and in the world on my limited budget and with my limited schedule. One idea I find particularly intriguing is Kiva.



This is a non-profit organization that deals in person-to-person micro-lending. The idea is that you use PayPal to lend a small amount of money, let's say $25, to an entrepreneur in another country. You help them get their business of the ground, improve their lives and the economy of their community, and they pay you back. You then have 3 options: you can withdraw your money, you can donate it to Kiva (to cover their overhead, etc.), or you can select another entrepreneur and lend it out again!

I've had the thought that groups of friends or families could get together funds an choose together who to give it to. I mean, get 5 friends together, each of you pitch in $5 and you're off! I think you can get updates from the people who are using your money, and the payback rate is 97% (a better return than most "investments" these days, and definitely more rewarding!)

Check out their website to learn more. My brother also had me read this blog post -- seems like this guy has really done his research!
Kiva also has a group on Facebook.