Reason #19 - Southern Utah, and being an indenpendent woman

Looking out of Partition Arch in Arches National Park


Double O Arch at Arches National Park


Me, Betty (aka Erika) and Eiko who did all the setting up by ourselves. Stephen was in our car too, but he wasn't allowed to help us set up the tent trailer. We did allow him to help us take it down... just to be nice.


I know that in my 17th reason I love being 30 I mentioned that boys can come in handy for things. This is still true. However, my girlfriends and I took my dad's truck and tent trailer down to Moab this weekend. And we hitched, unhitched, backed up, drove, and set up the tent trailer all by ourselves. I was a little nervous about this little adventure because I knew that my dad was going to be nervous, but he was an incredibly good sport, and trusted me to give it a shot. It was nice to feel independent enough to do all of those things without a male around to take the responsibility. Sometimes it's just nice to know you can do it on your own!

And along with feeling like an independent woman this weekend, I finally got to experience Moab for the first time. I had no idea what I had been missing all of these years. As we passed people speaking all different languages on the hike up Devil's Garden in the Arches I couldn't help but think about the fact that people were there from all over the world, and in comparison, all of this amazing landscape is in my backyard, and I haven't bothered to take advantage of it. So... there will be many more adventures to come this summer (hopefully with the tent trailer, but let's face it... and independent woman can probably handle roughing it in a tent with an air mattress as well).

Reason #18 - I'm a blonde again

It's true. I finally decided it was time to get back to my roots, literally. So, three bleachings and several toners later, I'm finally back to blonde. I've decided that at 30, maybe I'm done with platinum, but after all the bleach and color was washed out I realized that dumb or not, deep down I really am a blonde.

Reason #17 - Chloe R. Scooter, and nice boys that help a silly girl who buys a scooter because she is trying to drive away her breakup woes

I bought a new toy almost 3 months ago just after "the breakup". So, I have obviously bought a few new toys, but this is one I have been wanting for about 2 years now, and I was just waiting to pay off my car before I took the plunge (technically I paid my final car payment the day after said purchase, but that's close enough in my book. Besides, since when have I been one to not bend the rules, particularly my own?).

Her name is Choe R. Scooter. On a particularly forlorn Saturday afternoon, I was getting ready to head over to the parents house for the night. Mid blowdry I just decided I was going to go test drive a scooter I found on Craigslist, and if I liked it, I was going to buy it. I needed to do something impulsive, and I figured buying something expensive yet affordable was better than doing something self-destructive. (Maybe one day I will find out a way to avoid both of the above mentioned vices, but then again, maybe one day I will also be done with dating. And at least buying things is the least damaging of the two).

Obviously, I liked the scooter, since it is now mine. I had never driven a scooter before that day, and I am proud to say I only almost killed myself once driving it home. It turns out you have to lean into a turn, or the silly thing will continue to go straight. Luckily my brother Brian who was following me home was the only one to witness my brush with death and my awesome maneuvering (I'm not counting all the cars that almost hit me and wondered what in the world this menace to society was doing on the roads). I feel I should also mention that I promptly purchased a helmet and did some practicing before I headed back out on the road.

Sadly, just as the weather was getting warm, Chloe quit wanting to start. I'd only managed to get in 3 or 4 rides to work, and she quit cooperating. Imagine a girl whose never driven a scooter before having any idea on what to do next. But thanks to a few very nice boys, she made another trip to work today, and hopefully will make many more for the remainder of the summer. I have a feeling if she's anything like her owner, she really just quit cooperating so she didn't have to go out until the weather was nice and warm.