Forgotten Places

There is a tiny town in central Utah called Milburn. It isn't quite a ghost town, but pretty damn close. Milburn is nestled in a valley where there are very few homes, and the leaves are beautiful come autumn.

In the middle of the valley is a long abandoned Mormon social hall. The roof is long gone and the ground floor windows and doors are boarded up tight!

However, the old building still makes a great subject for photos.

The last two were taken in the fall; notice the beautiful leaves behind the building. I’ll visit Milburn again this weekend, and depending on the lighting, I might take another photo for my collection.

Daring or dangerous?

I am a fairly daring person; I have been my whole life. That’s even how I got the nickname JJ! Being stupid and dangerous is not my thing, but being daring and gusty is second nature.

Then I fell in love with a very cautious man.

Last weekend while in Arches National Park, I wanted to step over a gap where two rocks were not connected. There was a three story drop off between and on either side to boot! It looked easy and scary at the same time.

E begged me not to, but my sister had just taken the step, and I’m not one to sit on the side lines. Of course, I took the step. I felt excited and brave afterwards, but E wasn’t happy.

My feeling was this was not a huge risk. The rocks were stable, the step was small, and if I fell I wouldn’t die! However, the man that loves me felt differently. He didn’t want me to be stupid and take an unnecessary risk. He didn’t want me to fall and badly hurt myself, or potentially die (I didn’t think I could, but he didn’t agree with me).

So, what to do? I understand and love that E wants me to be safe. I wouldn’t ever want him taking risks or putting himself in the way of danger. But how do I fulfill my need to be daring if I can’t take small risks (or what I feel to be small risks)?

I guess there is no easy answer. Next time I might listen to E, I don’t want him to be worried about me. But it is very hard to decide, because I felt very alive after that small step over the very deep gap!

Top 10 foods I crave

My friend Girliegirl (who also has a blog at http://practice254.blogspot.com/) and I are both going to do a top ten. Because I’m hungry for lunch I thought a top ten food post would be fun. So, here we go, the top ten foods I go crazy for:

1. Indian- I love Indian food, and anyone who has not tried it needs to. For special occasions or when I’m feeling like treating myself I’ll go get some Indian. The dishes I like most are Chicken Kurma (God’s gift to humans), Saag Paneer, Chicken Tikka, Curry, and Mango Lassis. Oh, and lots of garlic naan of course! Just thinking about these dishes makes my mouth water.

2. Sushi- I love sushi! After my dad introduced me to it about three years ago sushi has been a favorite of mine. It is great for a light lunch, or a wonderful dinner full of tastes and textures. My favorite items are rolls. I love spicy rolls with salmon, tuna, avocado, eel, and lots more. My favorite rolls are the Alaska, Dragon, and Diva (all from local restaurants).

3. Middle Eastern- There is a great Middle Eastern restaurant near where I live called Mazza. They have the best food, and it really really hits the spot. My grandma introduced me to this restaurant, and I’ve loved it ever sense. The things I like to order are there wonderful falafel in a pita with, baba ganoush, mujadarra or potatoes harra on the side. And of course baklava for desert. Man, I’m so hungry!

4. Thai- Thai food is the best. They make a curry that easily rivals the best Indian curry I’ve ever tried. I love the Gan Ga Ree (Yellow Curry) and some of the fantastic stir fries. Also, I love Thai Iced Tea, and the curry puffs are wonderful.

5. Mexican- Wow, Mexican. It is just so good. I love black bean burritos, chimichangas, salsa, mole, enchiladas, fish tacos- everything Mexican! Mexican restaurants are one of my favorite places to spend an evening. Now I’m wishing I was eating Mexican right now…

6. Sandwich and Soup- I’m the kinda girl that if I get a great sandwich and soup I’m happy. There is this restaurant in my area that serves the best turkey sandwich with avocado and tomato and French onion soup on the side. It really hits the spot, and I’ll never grow tired of it.

7. Italian- Homemade pasta with a spicy tomato sauce with clams and garlic can’t be beat. Ravioli filled with butternut squash and pine nuts is also a must have. Italian desserts and snacks like brochetta, focottia, canolis and gelato are all up there on my list of favorite snacks.

8. New York Pizza- Homemade thin crust pizza is one of my all time favorites. I love to visit New York and get a great slice of pizza from Ray’s. I have also found a great NY style pizza place in Salt Lake to fill my cravings. A really great Italian pizza isn’t bad either!

9. Burgers and fries- give me a great burger and a big pile of French fires (with fry sauce please!) and I’m one happy camper. Also, if I’m not in the mood for a burger a grilled cheese hits the spot, but don’t skimp on the fries.

10. Fish- At a really nice restaurant I love to order fish. I doesn’t matter the type (however I love wild Salmon) or the way they prepare it. I’ve had some great fish dishes over the years, and it is always something I crave if we’re going out the a nice restaurant. Lobster doesn’t hurt either!

Happy eating!

Something old, something new

As I get ready for my wedding I've been doing something thinking to the old proverb (is that what it's called?) Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.

So, here are my ideas so far:

1. For something old I could wear my pearl necklace I got on my 21st birthday, or some other family heirloom, like my grandmother's pearls. I'm still thinking about this one.

2. Something new is easy. I'll be wearing a new dress, new undies, possibly new shoes, and new earrings.

I’m not 100% decided on my wedding dress yet, but I’m thinking about this one at Davids Bridal.

I already have my earrings for my wedding day. They are white pearl chandelier earrings I found on e-bay and I absolutely love them.

3. I’m not quite sure what I’ll do yet for something borrowed. My sister has this wonderful silver handbag that once belonged to my grandma that she might let me borrow, however, she likes it too! I’ll have to still do some thinking on this one…

4. Many brides get their “something blue” with a blue garter belt, but I want to have something a little more blue, and I don’t think I’ll wear a garter belt anyway. So, I’ve done some thinking and thought that blue panties might be perfect. My dress is thick enough that the color of my panties won’t show threw, and it wouldn’t be that expensive.

So, the ones I’ve found are at Victoria’s Secret (picture below). I might need to go there soon and pick them up!

Anxious blogger

I’m not really sure why, but I’m a little anxious about entering the blogging world. I guess it makes me nervous to post thoughts, concerns, photos, etc. online for the world to see, but I guess I’ll try it out.

I have wanted to get a blog for some time, so I have a place to post photos, talk about what’s going on, and pretty much have something else to do at work (ha ha!).

So, some of the stuff you’ll see on this blog:
1. Photos from my fun and really exciting life
2. News from me, and what I’ve been up to
3. Ranting and ravings
4. Updates on things I’m working on - like my Yosemite wedding!
5. Anything else I think of that I want to post

Thanks!

Test Image

This is a picture I took in a beautiful slot canyon in Southern Utah.