Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.

I have to begin by admitting that I first introduced to Douglas Adams and the Hitchikers guide to the galaxy by watching the movie. It is perplexing to think that I stumbled onto this stunningly brilliant man and his works through the tainted skewed eyes of Hollywood... but I did and it is a very important fact in explaining my relationship with these books. I saw the movie on May 4, 2005 just a little over 3 years ago. I remember the date because it was exactly 2 days after one of the most memorable, horrible, and life changing days of my life.

Since a young age I have come to associate important times and experiences of my life with books, and this was just the same. One of my best friends Karen was killed in a car accident and two days later I saw this movie. I can see now that never has a movie effected me in such a way, and oddly ever so fittingly it was this one. It didn't make me receive a revelation and I didn't even receive peace or comfort but I laughed, I laughed so much that for a little while I forgot about how much I missed her and how hard the next few months were going to be. I laughed just like Karen would have wanted me to. After this experience with the movie I immediately grabbed onto the books and and held on for dear life. I still am amazed at the ability this man has to make me laugh even if I have read the same line 20 times before. He has an amazing ability to show you the way he sees the world in a fantastical bizarre way that is highly entertaining. I have now read all the hitchiker books and done quite a bit of research on Douglas Adams himself. I respect him as an author the more I learn about him, he was a good slightly bizarre guy who one day was hitchiking in the hills of England and drunkenly looked up at the stars and had an idea. I am not writing this to suggest you read it although i do think that would be a good idea, I am merely nostalgic today.

This morning when I got up and tried to decide which book to start reading my fingers couldn't help from wrapping around these lovely volumes that have become my friend in troubled times and my ally in happy ones. I am embarking on this journey again for about the 5th time and am happy not just to travel around the universe with Ford Perfect, Aurthur Dent, and Marvin the depressed robot but also to travel through my memories and experiences that these book provoke me to re-live. And so it is with good books... they don't just tell a story but they provoke you to experience your own...

And remember the answer to life the universe and everything is 42...

Happy Trails...

Shop Loveliness!

I have started my very own online shop on Etsy! If you look to the side over there---> you will see a link to it! I don't have much up yet but I will put more on. Just take a looksy for fun! I may not sell a single thing but that is okay it is fun anyway. It is a goal I have had for a long time and it feels good to be doing it! I have my original one of a kind paintings on it! Thanks everyone for being so supportive of my bizaare humble beginner art! I love it and I suppose in the end that is all that matters!
...Happy Trails!

Children In Bloom...

When I was growing up I would always get annoyed with my siblings when they would make mad dashes to L.A. or Las Vegas to go to Counting Crows Concerts on days when I would have preferred they be at home. Wednesday September 10th marked the date of my second Counting Crows Concert and let me tell you I now understand. The first time I saw them live was pure magic and this time was just the same. I love Counting Crows and they are much better live than I could have ever imagined! I got to take my wonderful friend Allison with me for her first live counting crows experience and I loved getting to share something like this with her. This was also my moms first CC Concert and that was special as well. Allison, Mom, Shannon, Zach, Preston, Mindi, and I all went! This was Daisy's (my car) first trip out of the valley with me and she did wonderful! It was a fun very fast road trip! I got up and drove home at 4:30 so I could make it to my 8:00 biology lab (no one can call me a slacker!) It was a fabulous day and will keep my restless soul content for a while...

Cornish Pasties... mmmmm very nearly heaven!

Allison and I at the show...

Adam and the band playing A Long December...

This is Preston with the shirt that I desperately wanted but unfortunately the female anatomy was not thought of when this shirt was made... oh well I get to see it when Preston wears it!



This is part of Rain King with an intro by Augustana! There is a girl with a terrible voice screaming the song in it... I dont know her and have nothing to do with her... really...

This is the end of Rain King with some Mr. Jones elements...

Here She Is...

This is my friend Ashby. She is all done... I just mod podged her a few minutes ago! Ashby loved the forest she lived next to so much when she was young that when she grew up she decided to join the trees she loved so much. This is about the idea that often I do not want to be part of this world, I would rather go to Hogwarts, go help Frodo on his journey in middle earth, or go discover new worlds with Ender... but I can't. I love books because they give me the power to become a part of them...even if it is just for a little while and so it was with Ashby what she loves is a literal part of her!

Enjoy everyone! Have a great weekend! Happy Trails...

Ashby

Today was a big day for me. I started a new job which is tutoring English at the college. I started my swimming training (more on that later) and I painted a new painting that I have never painted anything of the like before. I am very excited about this one. It is not completely done but I had to share my progress!

It is called Ashby which means tree... The background is The Fellowship of the Ring and the streaks are watered down acrylic paint. I am still very bad at people but just bare with me I will improve. I have some elements to add and will post again when it is all done but enjoy for the time being!

Happy Trails Everyone...

Skunkboy Creatures... I Love You!

I stumbled across this blog the other day and immediately fell in love with these little creatures. I love the owls the best but I love them all! Someday when I get rich and famous I will buy some but now in my current poor college student state I will just have to wait and dream! They are so cute and are a very adorable idea! Check them out! Her blog is Here. Her Etsy shop is here.


Take a looksie you will at least be very entertained. I cannot stop looking at them!

Happy Trails...

Life After Death and Taxes... but not Fry Mesa!

This weekend was a typical Smith Family weekend. There were lots of games, plenty of movie watching, tuns of food, and of course the typical near death experiences. Preston and Mindi came down this weekend to chill and go on a little adventure.

We were trying to decide whether to go on the Gila River that we always love or go to Fry Mesa which most of us had never been. I went a few weeks ago and it was a lot of fun so I told everyone that we should go to Fry Mesa I did not factor in the fact that it has been raining a tun lately. We got up there eventually after passing the treacherous road that almost bucked us off multiple times.

We quickly discovered that the path that I had used previously to get to the waterfalls was impassible and that the water in the falls was at least twice and high as it had been when I had been there before. So off we go battling the rocks and the terrain trying to find an alternate route to the waterfalls.

After much backtracking and scratches and bruises we finally get there and may I say that it definitely very beautiful up there but there was too much water to go down the falls (at least for me the boys did do a couple runs of some of them but there reactions were not very convincing for me) we then had to battle our way back down. I had lost my shoes so had to hike barefoot and Jordon (One Shoe) had lost one of his shoes. We were all very beat up when we finally reached the car but Dad (Square Knot) got to use his mountain climbing and 4 wheel drive skills so it was a good day in all. We all enjoyed ourselves we are just all exhausted!



Basically we have all vowed to never go to Fry Mesa again but after we were all home and showered and had already surveyed the damage done to ourselves we decided that it was fun... just really painful!
















This is me after I finally got down from the falls. I had lost my shoes and am obviously a little dirty and tired.

This is Jordon going down the slide head first...

Square Knot is very excited to be there... Cammo Doo-Rag and all!

Look at how beautiful it was!

This is Preston going down the slide!

It was a good weekend... I need the week to recover from it!

Happy Trails...

Song of the Week...

I have decided in an effort to make my posting more frequent; to post every Friday about a song that occupied to grey matter of my mind that week. Often when people listen to music they are either "song people" or "album people." I am a song person meaning that when I listen to music I latch onto songs and fall in love with them and listen to them about 100 times in a row until I find a new song. My brother Preston for example is a total album person. He listens to albums and determines if he likes the music based the the cohesiveness and value of the entire album. Neither way is superior to the other although I must admit I wish I was an album person, I am trying but I think the Ipod has ruined me. Anyway...

The song that has been my friend this week is We Will Become Silhouettes by the Postal Service. If you have any interest or have not already heard this amazing song you can download it here.

"And I'm looking through the glass where the light bends at the cracks and I'm screaming at the top of my lungs pretending the echoes belong to someone someone I used to know"

Have a wonderful long weekend everyone!

Happy Trails...

I Do Believe In Fairies!

Hello Everyone! This is my newest addition to the painting world! I painted this after my first ever attempt at oil painting! I am taking an oil painting class at the college. I paint useing acrylics and I am discovering that acrylics and oils are two completely different forms of art. Let me just say that I needed to be back painting with my brushes and my paint! I think that I will eventually learn to love oils but it will take time.

I have wanted to venture into the fantastical world artistically for a while but I do not paint people or creatures so I did not know what to paint. This came to me on a whim and I think that I really like it. The fairies could be much better but they are cute and I will improve the more I do it just like anything! My favorite part is the curly roots (surprise, surprise) Enjoy I Do Believe In Fairies!

Today I was called a "Renaissance Woman" because I paint, I have a big vocabulary, and I am intelligent... hmmmmm, thanks Rob, I think I will choose to take it as a compliment. I also found my sister soul in, Stephanie, a girl who has loved Lord of the Rings her whole life, loves the TV show Lost, thinks the 5 hour Pride and Prejudice is much better than the new one, and we stole shampoo together at a hotel about 8 years ago... so it is fact... we have the same soul...

Heres to days when things go your way, let me put it in my little happy jar for storage when they don't!

Happy Trails...

Apron Loveliness!

I got home today and I had a package waiting here for me! A friend of ours Rachel Blake and I had a bit of a swap. I painted her a painting for her sons room and she made me this adorable apron! I personally think I got the better end of the deal. Ever since I got it today I have been wearing it around the house I do not want to take it off! It so cute and very me... thank you so much Rachel I adore it! It will be with me to on all of my upcoming culinary adventures! What is better than cooking culinary masterpieces?... Looking cute while making culinary masterpieces of course! Thanks again Rachel!