the moose is on the loose

GOOD NEWS.

ACTUALLY, GREAT NEWS.

My visa arrived today.

The one that will let me go live in Brazil for 18 months. I leave in 2 weeks. To go LIVE in Brazil. SOOOO crazy. Today all of the sudden everything seems to be coming to an end. I only have 2 days left at work. [What a blessing.] I have 2 more Sundays. One of which is my farewell. From here on out it's going to be all about goodbyes. I fly out of the country exactly two weeks from today. As in, I'll be on a  plane right now + 2 more weeks. BEST ever. Oh it's so much more exciting to be leaving straight to a foreign country. Getting dropped off at airport security. That's the way it needs to be. 

So in an attempt to remind myself of how many good times I've already had this summer I'm going to go ahead and post all about my satisfying summer on the internet.

I went hiking up a mountain. SO high up. Okay, not SO high, but SO steep.

Luckily there was a waterfall like you couldn't imagine. So worth it to get misted at the top by that beauty.

Not so worth it when I was being an idiot and almost got sucked over the edge of this ledge, which was the top of the huge waterfall. Thank the heavens I grabbed onto a rock for support JUST in time.

Other, more boring part of my life: cleaning out my room. As in, sorting & organizing every single thing I own. Including boxes full of notes from jr.high school & these trophies I won from being such a child athlete.

Me & Seth & Cambria made boats. Then we sailed them in a creek. It was an incredibly nautical adventure. [R.I.P. Laura Corry]

On June 26th I went to a concert. It was so good to go to a concert.

The opening band was local. They were a family band, which Kelli & I predicted before they even said anything.

The whole family was incredibly musically talented. This boy even busted out his trumpet. It sounded great and if his European haircut made noise, it would have sounded great too.

 

Then Dia Frampton performed. She is adorable. And makes good music. What a performer.

 Here is a video of Dia, but it didn't record well. She sounded a million times better in real life.

Kelli & I got photographed by the partyutah guy. We tried to avoid him, but he chased us down. Probably because we're just so pretty and he can tell how much we enjoy ourselves when we're together.

This little trio was established in '08. And here we are, reunited again. Possibly the best night of my summer thus far.

Our trio found an RV for a road trip.... someday...

 

Cambria taught me about farming. She's so hip with the agricultural world.

Are my friends aliens? Maybe.

I realized I have a prejudice against non-brunettes. I'm working to overcome it, but somehow I subconsciously befriend people of my own hair color.

So I've been spending a lot of time at my cabin. Sitting in those chairs around the campfire. Well, that was before the state of Utah began to burn up and the fire restrictions got crazy. Now I just go look at the empty fire pit.

The other night, this pretty lil' moose decided to come visit.

Then she took a drink from the singing spring.

For so long, she just wandered around. Trampling over all our stuff. Seeing what was going on.

 Then she proceeded to munch on all the trees.

And... surprise! Her babies were hiding in the forest, too.

There's baby #1 next to the humanlike tree stump.

Here come the babies. Looking for their mama.

A family portrait? Don't mind if I do.

This was on my adventure to the lake at the top of Lambs Canyon. Such a good sunset.

And one more summer sunset.

 It's going to be sad to leave the mountains of Utah, but I'm sure the ocean and jungles of Brazil won't be too bad.