Wide Open Spaces

“Run your car off the side of the road get stuck in a ditch way out in the middle of nowhere…You find out who your friends are”

That’s basically what happened this weekend at the Grover Hale/Brian family ranch. Elisabeth, Perry, and I visited Perry’s family ranch, and now I basically love the country. And I’m pretty sure I’d love any cowboy that was sent my way. Not only were we edified by the words of general conference this weekend, but we also were in awe by the views of the countryside. The weather ranged from sunny and bright to an enchanting rainstorm. This rain that came Sunday night caused the dirt roads to be muddy. Elisabeth and I had to help push the car out of the ditch at 6:30 in the morning. I don’t think we did much, but we certainly fulfilled Tracy Lawrence’s country song. We tried to get back in time for classes, but we just ended up eating Rancherito’s instead. (Luckily, I only had afternoon classes, so I made it in time.)

The country roads (take me homeee, as John Denver would say) were so beautiful. The grass fields rolled up to the mountains, and the hills rose out from the ground. We climbed a large rock, and looked out over the valley where the yellow autumn leaves dotted the mountains like freckles on my face. Ahhhh, the country is just so beautiful. This gorgeous valley simply testifies that there is a God, for who else could create something so beautiful and complex, yet so simple? It felt so good to get away from the world for a while. There was literally no service there, so I was able to relax, to hang with friends and cousins, to read on the rocking chairs on the porch, to play card games, and to enjoy delicious food. Let’s go back soon!

Other update on my life:

You know you’re in Glenwood Glenhood when….

The carpet has more hair than you

Over half the light bulbs don’t work

You need a rake for all the hair on the carpet since the vacuum barely works

You move in bed and the whole building can hear you

You find a tooth on your coffee table (no roommates will fess up to it)

You know you’re at BYU when….

Monday nights are always booked either for Family Home Evening or Studio C

Your classmate says goodbye to you with “May you receive revelation this weekend” before gen conf weekend

Hearing someone say “Hi, this is your executive secretary” on the phone is completely normal

Your English professor cancels class so that you can concentrate more on general conference rather than homework

Everyone gets excited when David Archuleta and Vocal Point sing (ain’t even mad)

 

You know you’re preparing for a mission when…

You take cheesy pictures with your mission’s flag (Disclaimer: I didn’t take a photo shoot, just a few pics)

You can’t concentrate on your homework because you’re thinking of different outfits you could buy

You don’t even care about boys because you’ll be gone for eighteen months (just kidding, I still care about boys)