Picture of the Week - Utah Sunset

Yeah, I'm a few days late.  Enjoy anyway! :)

Picture of the week, February Week 2.

Provo Sunset

When I first moved to Provo, Utah to go to BYU, I found every reason I could possibly find to hate Utah.

It's a twenty-four hour drive away from home.  My family isn't here.  I can't see the sunset.  It's cold for several hours in the morning before the sun rises above the mountains.

It snows a lot, and then it stays forever and ever.  It gets so cold I feel like the hairs in my nose become icicles.  The mountains everywhere make it clausterphobic, and I can't see the sky like I can at home.

It's dry, and my asthma acts up.  The altitude gets to me every time I walk up stairs and find myself huffing and puffing when I finally get there.  It smells funny when it rains.

I'm so far away from my best friends.  I can't hop in my car and be there in five, seven, or fifteen minutes (depending on the best friend).  I can't hug her when she's depressed, and I can't knock on her door when I need to eat a bag of m&ms and laugh to get my mind off of whatever's bothering me.

I can't drive down the road and park my car next to the swings where we had so many conversations.  I can't just walk out into my driveway where we had our first kiss.

Eventually, I started to get over it.  I still have his jacket, my memories, and a letter that comes once a week, every week.

I have skype, texting, Facebook, phone calls, and every medium in the world to get ahold of my friends.  Maybe it isn't always the longest conversation, but we keep in touch, and I still love them.

The weather's actually pretty nice sometimes.  It cools down a lot when it rains, and the nights are really pleasant.  And, you know, snow's not so bad.  You get used to it, and no matter how long it stays, Spring always comes.  It also gives me an excuse to wear my favorite article of clothing: jackets.

It's way far away from home, but I'm not stuck here.  I get to see my family at least twice a year, if not more.  And I will not live in Provo for the rest of my life.  Also, I do have family here.  It's not my siblings and nephews and nieces and parents, but I do have a wonderful aunt and lots and lots of fantastic cousins.

I just have to learn to appreciate things when I have them.  Not much lasts forever.  So, I'm going to make the most of it.

I love that I can get a lot of photography here that I didn't get at home.  I love the giant campus library, with its nooks and crannies and resourcefulness.  I love the beautiful spots on campus where I can just sit and adore.  I love the coolness of the rain.  I love riding my bike downhill and feeling my hair flit lazily behind me and the cool wind in my face.

Hello, Provo.  I feel like I'm seeing you for the first time.

Go to Arches National Park

My mom brought me back up to school after my Spring semester home.  We had a blast!  We laughed a lot, and even managed to not kill each other.  She trusted my driving a whole lot more, and even slept in the car some.  On the second day up, we stopped at Arches National Park.  The only one I hiked up to was the double arch, which was absolutely breath-taking.

You know, I really love the fact that my mom is so supportive of my photography.  She stopped numerous times for me to take a picture, drove with her window open, waited for me for an hour, and so much more.  She really is amazing.

I used to be absolutely obsessed with rocks.  I still love them.  When I was little, I wanted to be an archaeologist or a geologist.

Mom thought this one was really cool.  I think it's called "Balanced Rock."

The double arch!!!  Isn't it magnificent?

In the arch looking up.

Petrified sand dunes.  Cool.

The delicate arch!  I did have to hike a little ways to get to a viewing point to see this one.  Ugh.  That was when I realized...  I'm *so* not in shape.

NOT a very photogenic day for me.  So this is the best you're gonna get. :)

What adventure would be complete without the perfect sunset at the end?

Arches really was great.  But the adventure didn't end there!  Oh no.  We still had to get to Provo through the mountains that night.  After the sun went down, in construction, without the lines painted on the road.  Mom absolutely refused to let me drive, so I had to settle for telling her when the road curved, and watching for deer.  She was terrified, and rightly so.  It was not a good driving situation.

But we pulled through. :)

Thanks for the adventure, mom.  Love you!