OBX

i am in love.
the lucky recipient of this love is outer banks, north carolina. the sun kissed my complexion leaving me a year older (my birthday was monday) and tan! the water and sand exfoliated and smoothed my skin. the house rocked my party-world. the company kept me laughing the entire week.
obx highlights:
1. the karaoke bar (dan is the man!)
2. the crabs (seriously, april)
3. the men (could they have been any more beautiful?!)
4. the waves (boogey and skim boarding)
5. the hot tub
6. the surprise birthday visit from daron and heather
7. church (the couple from poland was incredible)
8. the motorcycle ride with chris from maine (H-O-T)
9. mike's convertible
10. night fishing
11. 5 sweet birthday kisses

Lewis and Clark

portland, oregon. ahhhhhh...
this city is incredible. the panache, the boutiques, the food, the hippies, the aura of art and creativity, and free love.
multnomah falls is truly breathtaking (both the view of the falls, as well as the hike up the steep mile high switchbacks to the top of the falls for a spectacular panoramic view of the columbia river!)
mt hood, st helen's, and larch mountain (scenic drive through vineyards, orchards, and quaint communities) are also incredibly beautiful.
two of my favorite spots in the city this trip were the chinese gardens (the gardenia room was a fragrant, visual feast) and the grotto (reflective and peaceful way to end the trip).
of course, i continued my quest to visit every lds temple in the world by visiting the portland temple. and, of course, true my bohemian inclination, i ran into a transportation adventure when the bus that took me out to lake oswego stopped running after rush hour and i had no idea how to get back downtown. it all worked out thanks to marci mapquesting from maryland, and a nice trimet employee giving me a lift.
tomorrow we head down to corolla, north carolina to ring in my birthday on the outer bank beaches for a week.

the 1980 superbowl champions and true love

i had the awesome experience of listening to josi and burgess owens last night at the dc temple visitor center. she is one feisty lady, full of love and wisdom. burgess admires her and proclaims so openly. what a man. what a woman. what a love. i chuckled when noticing that he wears a superbowl ring on his right hand, but no wedding band on his left. *chuckle*
check this story out for a few more bio details.

re-entering my life

the season is over, the stress removed, ahhhh... enter summer.
yes, last night i took two finals (practically back-to-back) marking the end of my second year. just one more to go, baby!
i joined a club of fabulous traveling people, and our first trip is this weekend to monitcello.