just for the record: scrapes and bruises

i am supremely tired. my body is encumbered by lack of sleep and groaning with fresh and fading bruises and scrapes. the past 2 weeks seem like a complete blur-- events jumbled and reality somewhat fuzzy. but as i inspect my sore somewhat mis-colored legs and various tan lines, i can't help but smile.

bruise 1

culprit: vacuum.
story: i was vacuuming my now-old room on the last day in my apartment when the dear vacuum toppled over, the handle catching me squarely on the thigh. ouch! it's a nasty bruise, now all yellow and green and gross. but aside from bruising, it's been good to recoup from summer and prepare for the glorious months of fall just around the corner at my sister's vacant house.

scrape 1

culprit: rocks
story: while floating down the provo river atop inner-tubes on an overcast day, we ran into some rain. or rather it snuck upon us. and froze us. and then we ran into trees and over rocks and down the river. we tried to stop to avoid the bridge, but as we threw our feet into the frigid rushing river the rocks stung our numb feet and the current nearly took us. so we climbed aboard once more, teeth chattering and bodies convulsing in shivers. a nice boy lent us his raft, and nigel and i climbed in, cuddling close for body heat and to prevent hypothermia. we were laughing nearly the whole time.

tan line 1

culprit: sunshine (obviously)
story: i went on a road trip to the beautiful land of alta, wy with 3 friends. we laughed-- a lot. we played games, we watched movies, we looked at the trillions of stars in the black night sky, we braved the rocky terrain of the mountain with 4-wheelers, but most adventurous and thus, the main point of our trip-- we went river rafting down the snake river. we all hung face-- meaning, you hold on tight and stick your face out front of the raft while riding the rapids. nigel and i were soaked by the big kuanga. it was marvelous. i also saw huntman's family at church which filled me with such joy and hope it's not quite adequate to mention here. i love them. especially his parents.

scrape 2

culprit: car door
story: upon returning from the weekend road trip, nigel drove up to my sister's home to find a mysterious car out front. and then walked in to find the back door wide open-- she turned right around. we called our friend ben to come save us, and called in some officers, as well. they popped out of bushes and behind houses to come to our aid. they surveyed the house and inspected the closets and beds. no one was home. they checked the plates of the mystery car. turns out, it was my sister's cousin parking her car there for safe keeping. whew!

tan line 2

culprit: sunshine (again)
story: my work had a luau today-- a lovely summer party. i am on the "orange embrace" team so i have been planning and preparing for this day for many a month. as the sign captain, i had many signs to make for the luau, including a life-size cut-out of a surfer dude and hula girl. well, it's been a busy week, but i was planning on completing everything in one shift. however, when i got into work there were several orders to be filled... like 26 signs for windows. and 10 for shingles.
i didn't even start painting until 9 pm.

my darling store manager {thankfully} locked me in the training room to keep me safe from night crew boys while i painted until 2:45 in the morning. then i worked another 10 hour shift 6 hours later. i am happy to report that the luau went splendidly. once the rainstorm blew threw, the skies were blue and oh so clear and the sun shone down brightly, giving me a little bronze glow.