New Shoes

So after two year of playing ultimate frisbee every week I decided that it was finally time to invest in some better shoes. Actually I left my shoes at my house a couple weeks ago and it was easier to buy cleats than go home to get my shoes and head back down to play frisbee. Even so I'll tell you I forgot how much difference it makes to run around in cleats rather than tennis shoes. I think the last time I had cleats was in junior high when I was playing soccer. It's been fun to run around in them again, because it reminds me of playing soccer.

Moved my photo stuff

I moved all my photo stuff to it's own blog so that it doesn't take over my blog (I hoping to spend some more time doing photography). Any comments would be appreciated on any of it. Just let me know here. Thanks.

Change

I had a conversation a couple weeks ago with a friend about the importance of change. It's something that I've thought a lot about lately. I often find that it's when I become comfortable and complacent in my life that I loose focus. When I become comfortable in situations and with people I no longer have to work hard and stretch myself. It's when I encounter new situations or have change in my life that I learn, grow and change. As much as I hate change (ask mys sister about when we shared a room growing up) I realize that change has always been a good thing for me in the long run. As I look back on the times of change in my life that is often the times that I grow the most. So I hope that I am able to change my view of change and hope that I welcome change when it comes.

Grand Canyon

So I'm finally catching up...

So about a week and a half ago on my Friday off I went up to the Grand Canyon with my friend Jeremy. He has lived in Arizona for a while but hasn't been to the Grand Canyon before (except for the time when he was 4 that he doesn't really remember). It always amazes me when people who live in Arizona haven't been to the Grand Canyon. I think that I've been to the Grand Canyon at least once a year since I moved to Arizona. I love it! Anyways we both had the day off, so we decided to head north. It was a beautiful day to be up at the Grand Canyon. It was a super clear day, but there was still lots of snow on the rim. It wasn't a big issue until we tried to go down the trail. We went down Kaibab trail to Cedar Ridge. There was snow on the switch backs which made them a little slippery. The hike down to Cedar Ridge is a nice little hike for the day. It's enough to say that you've been down into the canyon, but not to get totally worn out. We also spent some time in the village. Then for sunset we headed out to Desert View for sunset. It's actually one of my favorite places to view sunset, because of the angle of the sun on the canyon walls. It got a little chilly as the sun started to set. Overall it was a great trip, beautiful as always. The company wasn't too bad either. If you are interested in seeing more photos they are all here. Note that I haven't edited any of them yet and that there are tons of them, but if you are interested they are all there.

I'm so excited!!!!

I have a photography class that will be starting tonight. It's a class that I've taken before that is offered at the local community college. The focus of the class is on making you take pictures every week that will be critiqued by the teacher and the class. It's a great way to use your camera, learn new technique and creatively think about things. I can't wait!

P.S. I have some stuff to post, but I'm working on getting to it :)

Photo Blogs

So one of my goals is to get better at photography. So I've been looking into different photo blogs lately. I've found a few, but any suggestions or recommendations of good photo blogs or sites that you enjoy would be appreciated. I'm especially looking for ones that might have photoshop tutorials. Just let me know and share your knowledge.

Shin Splints

So I had to lay low as far as physical stuff this last week cause I ended up with shin splints. It was kind of weird, because it was only in my right leg. It was one of the most painful things that I've felt in a long time. It was so bad the one day I could hardly walk. I spent the day limping around which I'm sure wasn't the best, because by the end of the day my knee was killing me. So after taking a week off I finally realized that there are some major benefits from stretching. So from now on I'll do my best to stretch out, because I really missed having the opportunity to run and walk around normally.

It's official!

So it's official the exotic vacation for this year will be to... Nepal.

There were so many choices, but this is the one that has fallen into place so far. I'll be going with my sister Melissa later this year. I'm super excited. I love that I have a sister that I can travel with. It's amazing to see the world and being able to see it with my sister is even better.

Photography

So as part of my home to work on photography I decided that I would create a new blog devoted to photography. Check it out. My goal is to post sometime photo related at least once a week. I'm starting a photo class in a couple of weeks, so I figure it would be better to have a place to dump pictures. Enjoy!

I ♥ Faces- Jump for Joy

So I'm kind of excited about this post, because it's the first time that I've submitted anything to this contest, but I figure if I'm going to get any better at photography I need to practice and learn.I love this picture that I captured of my brother. My mom might have been a little scared that there was a huge drop on three sides of the rock, but I think the shot was great!

Love the weather.

So this week has been gorgeous in Phoenix. I think that I drove home from work every day this week with the windows down cause it was so nice outside. I guess the hardest part about it being so nice right now is that it means that the summer is coming! I'm not ready for the 100 degree weather. I would love it to stay in the 70s year round, but I guess if that's the weather that I want than I should have moved back home to California. Oh well, I guess that I'll just have to enjoy the nice weather while it's here.

9:12

I'm getting better, cause that's the amount of time that it took me to run a mile this morning at the gym. Now if only I could sustain that speed more longer. That's my next goal. Yeah for goals (especially when you reach them).

Trust

I've been reminded lately about the need for me to trust in my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ. With that in mind I was reminded of a talk by one of my favorite general authorities, Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin. The talk was titled "Come What May, and Love It". He talks about four things which can help when we feel we are in the midst of trials in our lives. He talks about the need to learn to laugh, keep an eternal perspective, to understand the principle of compensation and to trust in the Father and the Son. Of all the things that I read this is the quote that stood out to me the most.

“The simple secret is this: put your trust in the Lord, do your best, then leave the rest to Him.”

It was a good reminder that he really does want what's best for me, so here's to learning to have more trust in Him, His timing and path in life for me.

Elephant Mountain Hike

So this last weekend Michelle and I ventured up to Cave Creek to Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area to hike Elephant Mountain. Supposedly it is called Elephant Mountain cause that's what it's shaped like.I didn't really see it, but I guess maybe someone saw it. The hike is one that Michelle found for us. Once again it was a gorgeous day to be outside hiking. It was over cast in the morning, but by the time we were done hiking the sky had cleared up a bit. Thanks to the rain that we've had lately the desert is starting to bloom. Not everything is blooming yet, but it's starting. I love the to see the contrast between all the green with the bright blossoms on the plants. They stand out so much! Overall it was really just a great hike. I love seeing new places especially places a beautiful as Cave Creek and Elephant Mountain!

It's over...

That would be in reference to the Olympics and the month of February. Both of them seemed to fly by. Some times I wonder where time goes.