The Adventures of Kinky Reggae: A Vagabond for Beauty

On Saturday morning, Kristin and I set off on our most adventurous hike yet- White Canyon in Utah. Specifically, the section with the Black Hole. We knew this hike was going to be hardcore and prepared for it as thoroughly as possible. We even rented wetsuits and life jackets because we heard hypothermia is a concern. We were ready to be the Charlie’s Angels of canyoneering. When we arrived in the parking area, we saw rain clouds in the distance. Aware of the danger of flash floods, we delayed our departure for a bit. As we descended into the canyon, we remained alert and cautious. We had carefully researched flash floods, knowing this would be the biggest danger. Luckily, the water level and flow stayed consistent, so we knew we’d be okay. The water on this hike was not pretty; the pools were muddy and brown. I don’t think I’ve ever been so muddy in my life. There were long stretches where we hiked through ankle-deep mud. But once you accept the fact that you’re just g

Yesterday Kristin and I went to a Lave River Tube near Flagstaff, and let me tell you, we spelunked like crazy. We walked down this trail 　 and came to a hole in the ground. 　 We were a little surprised by how busy it was; there were a lot of families. (This is totally the kind of thing I’ll do with my family someday.) Since there were so many people there (some of whom had lanterns), I pretended we were in the cave in Tom Sawyer, trying to get away from Injun Joe. We were super excited to actually have a reason to wear our headlamps. The hike begins with quite a bit of scrambling, which is easy going up, but I’m super slow going down. But then the trail levels out. It’s almost like being in a subway tunnel; it’s all rounded, and you can see where the lava was flowing through the cave and just froze in place. (The geography of Flagstaff is really interesting; there are cinder cones everywhere, and when you look at the rocks on the ground, they’re all porous and obviously igneous.) Ther

A year and a half ago, I called Rachel on a Thursday night. "I'm coming to see you on Saturday," I said. I was in my usual holiday funk, but last year, there was something else going on, too. A few nights later, Rachel and I sat outside on her patio in Phoenix, smoking cigarettes and talking about God. I confided in her that my faith felt completely empty. I'd stopped going to church, reading my Bible, and praying, and felt no different than I had before. I went on to explain that I actually felt guilty bothering God with my petty little problems when people around the world are starving and being raped, murdered, oppressed, and exploited. Rachel seemed unsurprised by my confession. "I saw this coming," she said. "You finally let your lack of self-worth mess up your relationship with God." It was an uncomfortable truth, but one I couldn't argue with. So, now what? I threw myself into making it better. Started reading my Bible again, participati

There were a few vegetarian girls on our team this year, and I always felt bad for them because the other teachers (well, the guys, anyway) teased them mercilessly. I told them to stay strong, and that, this summer, I'd take them out to a fabulous vegetarian restaurant. Yesterday, I made good on my promise. We went to Green in Scottsdale, which I've heard great things about. It did not disappoint. And it was so reasonably priced! It was kind of like Noodles and Co., only vegan. The girls had never heard of samosas, or edamame, or even hummus, so of course I ordered all three. They also got sandwiches with fake meat and really liked it. It was so much fun to introduce them to these things! Their families are not vegetarian, and I know how hard that is. Their food options are limited because their moms won't make special meals for them (just like mine), and they live in the hood and just aren't being exposed to a lot of things that we take for granted. The restaurant was

I was soooo bored a few weeks ago, and then I thought, what is my problem? Why am I not using this time to craft! I was looking for cute fall banners to make, but found this Valentine's one and made it instead. It was supposed to be for a friend, but it took forever, so I think I'm going to keep it. I realized I've never kept anything I've made! So this is for me.