Page 7

i see her in the clouds

The morning after my grandma died last October, the sun turned the clouds the most brilliant orange I’ve ever seen. There was also lavender and grayish blues and golden yellows. I’d never seen a sunrise like it. It was like God and my grandma were telling me everything was going to be OK – that even though I’d lost one of the best people I’ll ever know, there was more beauty to come, and someone was watching over me.

I wouldn’t have seen that sunrise had I not asked the pilot who flies our station’s helicopter if I could have a ride that day. It was during the week of Albuquerque’s annual Balloon Fiesta and our station was taking aerial video of the launches every day that week. I wouldn’t be flying to Utah for the funeral for a couple more days and decided I couldn’t miss this opportunity.

I had to get up crazy early, when the night was still in charge, and drive to the airport in the dark. The pilot would take three of us up that morning and as we waited for him to get everything ready, we walked outside the garage where the helicopter was parked and began to see amazing views of the sun rising behind the mountains. I felt so thankful to be there, to have this incredible moment the day after I fell apart making pumpkin pie in an effort to keep it together.

We got to ride in the helicopter for a couple hours and the views were incredible – hundreds of balloons in 1,000 colors rising and falling near the Rio Grande, green trees covering the ground to the west, the Sandia mountains in shades of purple to the east. I kept thinking through it all that this ride was for my grandma – I only wished she could see it.

About a month ago, my husband and I drove to the airport in the early hours of the morning so he could fly out east for a work conference. The sky was similar to that day in October and I kept looking behind us as Travis steered us to the freeway. Once we were on I-25, I had a good view to my left and some of the same thankful feelings I had in October returned.

I see my grandma in the clouds now. Sometimes I miss her so much it hurts. There have been days lately where I long to call her and catch up – to hear her say, “Well, hello sweetheart, how are you?” I wish I could hear her wit, get her to tell me all the family secrets and just talk about the day.

But sometimes, I see her in the clouds – in sunrises and sunsets. In the oranges and pinks and yellows. And I know she’s there. Somewhere.

life

bucket lists

When I was 19 years old, my friend inspired me to make a bucket list. We stayed up late one night decorating yellow pieces of paper with markers and glitter and writing down all our dreams. Go on an African Safari. Put my feet in the Atlantic Ocean. See New York. Eat a large pizza by myself.

That last goal was inspired by my friend … and we did it … miserably.

I had that bucket list for a long time, but I have no idea where it is now. Since then, I’m not sure I’ve made another official life-long list, but I’ve definitely made lists – usually in the summers, when I wanted to make sure I attended concerts and fairs, went to lakes and climbed mountains. Before I moved a year and a half ago, I had a whole list of things I needed to do. Among a bunch of other things, I needed to hike the Wellsvilles, see the play “Big River” at a local theater, float the Oneida Narrows in Idaho, go the The Famous Preston Night Rodeo, run the Logan Half Marathon one more time and plan a going-away fiesta for myself.

For half a dozen years or so, I also made a list at the end of each year of five things I needed to do that I hadn’t done before in lieu of New Year’s resolutions. I learned to sew blankets and purses, I went to Oregon, Hawaii and Florida, I took my first Illustrator class, got my first professional massage and bought my first pair of stilettos.

What I’ve learned about making these lists is they make my life more fun. They give me goals to buy plane tickets, to see new places, to experience new things, to read new books.

When we make lists such as these, we’re also giving ourselves hope. There’s hope that we will have at least one more day to look forward to. When we make life-long bucket lists, we’re hoping we have years ahead of us filled with happiness, love and adventure. We’re hoping amazing things will happen to us, and maybe if we’re really lucky, we’ll create amazing things.

I started a new bucket list a while ago. I put it in a place I can add to it easily when I think of more things, because a bucket list should never really be completed. And now I’m going to share it with you in its current state, but I’m also going to make a page for it on this blog where I can cross adventures off as I go, and add more as I think of them.

And my idea for you? Make your own bucket list if you don’t have one! And share it with me! I’d love to see it. Maybe we can inspire each other and share the same dreams and hope. For now, here’s mine:

Travel to France, Germany, Spain, England, Iceland, Peru, Italy, Ireland … and more!
Go skydiving
Complete a P90X program
Write and publish a book
Start my own business
Learn web design
Go ice skating in New York
Tour the National Cathedral
See Mount Vernon
Pick a pumpkin from a pumpkin patch
Hike or bike a volcano
Get a Brazilian wax
Run the Bear Gutsman in Utah with my family
Travel someplace exotic for Christmas
Do service on Christmas (soup kitchen, travel and give toys, visit hospital)
Hike to Havasupai Falls
See “Wicked” on stage
Live in a place where I can have a dog
Have a baby (or two, or three)
Go to Glacier National Park
Read “Les Miserables”
Get on the Ellen show with Linda
Take guitar lessons
Do the splits
Run another marathon
Buy a cocktail dress and have a reason (or 10 reasons) to wear it
Have a party with those flying paper lanterns
Take ice skating lessons
Go rock climbing outside
Go to The Wave in Southern Utah/Arizona
Hike Angels Landing and the Narrows in Zion’s National Park
Do some hiking in the Tetons

New Mexico Bucket List

Carlsbad Caverns
White Sands National Monument
Roswell UFO Museum
River Rafting in Taos area
Skiing
Hot springs in Jemez Mountains
Camping
Go to a Lobos basketball game
Ride in a hot air balloon with Travis

love stars

love from mars and stars

A friend at work showed me these Valentine’s Day images from NASA’s Instagram page today and I couldn’t help but sharing. After all, this is my stars blog, right?

These photos are so fun and beautiful. It’s amazing how we can see love all around us, sometimes on purpose, sometimes on accident, sometimes in nature, and sometimes written in the stars or on another planet. It’s everywhere!

Enjoy! The captions are from the Instagram page as well.

#NASALove from the Red Planet: Mars is red, so don’t be blue. Hearts abound from us to you! From the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) team, this collection of images acquired over 3 Mars years shows some of the heart-shaped features found on Mars by the team.

Happy Valentine’s Day! Here’s #NASALove to celebrate – like this cosmic rose from the Spitzer Space Telescope. Spitzer captured in 2004 with its infrared eyes a pink and green rose-like picture of a cluster of newborn stars known as a nebula. “The picture is more than just pretty,” said Dr. Thomas Megeath, principal investigator for the latest observations and an astronomer at the HarvardSmithsonianCenter for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Mass. “It helps us understand how stars form in the crowded environments of stellar nurseries.” Located 3,330 light-years away in the constellation Cepheus and spanning 10 light-years across, the rosebud-shaped nebula, numbered NGC 7129, is home to some 130 young stars. Our own Sun is believed to have grown up in a similar family setting.

A Valentine’s Day Mystery! Our Chandra Observatory sees a heart in the darkness – This young star cluster NGC 346 highlights a heart-shaped cloud of 8 million-degree Celsius gas in the central region. Evidence from radio, optical and ultraviolet telescopes suggests that the hot cloud, which is about 100 light years across, is the remnant of a supernova explosion that occurred thousands of years ago.

friendship love

valentine’s day

I wrote the following post two years ago. I still feel the same.

In 2011, I went through a breakup two weeks before Valentine’s Day and while I wasn’t concerned about being single on the holiday (in fact, I was really into doing things alone around that time), my friend made sure I was going to have a good night. She told me for at least a week that she had a big surprise for me, and it wouldn’t be a blind date. At work she would come up to my desk every morning and tell me how excited she was to give me my gift. That night, I went to her house to watch “The Bachelor” and after I was there for a half hour or so, a girl came to the door with a massage table in hand. My friend had set up a private, hour-long massage for me at her house. The girl took the table into the dining room where everything was closed off, dimmed the lights and turned on music. It was so relaxing during a stressful time in my life. My friend was so kind to do that for me and at that point in my life, I honestly think it was the most thoughtful thing anyone had ever done for me on Valentine’s Day.

I’ve always had a little bit of a thing for Valentine’s Day. It probably stems from my childhood when my parents and teachers made the holiday fun. It wasn’t about being in a relationship then; it was about friendship and family and making boxes at school for valentines and candy. In junior high, Valentine’s Day became about getting balloons from secret admirers at school. I know I got one in seventh grade (which was also the same day I broke up with my first little “boyfriend,” but I don’t think the balloon was from him).

In high school, I made fudge for my friends one year, but it didn’t set up right. For some reason I packaged little bits of it in cellophane anyway and handed them out with a spoken disclaimer. I knew the fudge looked like poop, but I promised the gooey, chocolatey mixture still tasted good. Um … I hope they agreed. I remember one kid literally licking it off the plastic and getting chocolate all over his face. That’s how messy it was.

I had a friend back then who wrote me a whole Valentine’s Day story one year on 3X5 cards during one of her classes. It was so funny with illustrations and all.

My freshman year of college my roommates and I went to dinner together. The following few years I had a boyfriend who made the holiday fun.

I’ve never thought Valentine’s Day had to revolve around a relationship. I think it can be all about celebrating friendship, too. That’s a kind of love, right? My cousin wrote on Facebook the other day that she’d just finished making her valentines. She followed with, “Celebrating love and friendship just makes me happy!” I love that.

I once had a friend who told me his sister, who was single, bought a Valentine’s present for her dog and I think that’s cute. If no one is going to make the holiday about you, it can be just as fun to make it about someone else, including your pet.

A couple years ago, my friend hosted a party called “Violent Times” right around Valentine’s Day. It was possibly one of the most awesome parties I’ve been to because it was creative and everyone there was super funny. We played Pin the Weapon on the Broken Heart (making weapons out of construction paper), Spin the Broken Bottle (where you had to either physically or verbally assault people instead of kissing them) and read emo poetry over candlelight. Believe me, it really was awesome.

I guess I’m writing this because I know a lot of people don’t like the holiday. They see it as a mandatory day to show love and spend money, they think it’s meaningless, or they feel like the universe is shouting “You’re single!” one day a year. But I think if people look around, many of them will see they’re really not alone, that friendship can mean just as much or more than any relationship, and we all have the opportunity to give, even if no one gives back to us. I’m not writing this to change anyone’s mind or to say everyone has to celebrate the February day of love. More so, I wanted to point out celebrating love and friendship is always a good idea and there are many ways to do that, even without a significant other.

Happy Valentine’s Day to you and yours, whoever they may be.

life

a happy song list for wednesday

Post author By Manette
Post date February 12, 2014
1 Comment on a happy song list for wednesday

It’s Wednesday, which is pretty much the longest day of the week if you ask me. My scheduled changed from Sunday through Thursday to Monday through Friday and for some reason, the week seems longer now. Don’t get me wrong, I do like having Saturdays and Sundays off with my husband, and I really liked that I didn’t have to miss this year’s Super Bowl party. But Wednesdays used to feel like the end of the week and now they feel very, very much in the middle of the five-day stretch and they no longer make me as happy as they used to.

So, in case your Wednesday is going about like mine, I’m going to fill you in on my happy song list. On my lunch break tonight, I went outside to move my car into our gated parking lot, and when I turned on the ignition, the Spice Girls’ “Wannabe” song came on. It made my day. It always, always does. I belted it all the way around the block. If I’m not currently listening to a book, I’m usually listening to our wedding mix which, yes, has Spice Girls on it. On drives with the wedding mix, I may just listen to that song 10 times in a row some days. Ridiculous, I know.

Or I may listen to these songs over and over:

“I’ve Got the Magic in Me,” by B.O.B.
“San Francisco” by the Mowgli’s
“Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy,” by Big & Rich
“Goodbye Earl,” by the Dixie Chicks
“More Today Than Yesterday,” by Spiral Staircase
“Wonderful Day,” by O.A.R.
“To Be With You,” by Mr. Big
“Call Me Maybe,” by Carly Ray Jepsen
“Something Like That,” by Tim McGraw
“Suds in a Bucket,” by Sara Evans

So, in case you needed a new mix today, or on some other long day, those songs are my suggestions.

Happy Wednesday, all! Let’s all make it to Friday!

life

my thoughts on 30

In seven months from today, I’m going to reach the age every 20-something is supposed to dread … 30. But you know what? I don’t want to dread it. Thirty is way too young to start thinking our lives are over. I want to celebrate! I want to go skydiving, have a party and maybe go to the Blake Shelton concert that will be in town a couple days before the big day.

A while ago, while watching the Today Show, I heard about the book “Thirty Things Every Woman Should Have and Should Know by the Time She’s 30.” And even though I knew it might be fluffy, I vowed to read it. Months went by and maybe even a year, until a couple days ago when I figured now was better than ever in case there was anything on that list I needed to accomplish by Sept. 6 … before it was too late.

But you know what I loved about this book? It didn’t make 30 seem like the ultimate deadline. In fact, Katie Couric mentions in one of the chapters that if you don’t have everything you imagined by age 30, don’t sweat it. She didn’t get her dream job, meet her husband or have kids until a few years after that. The book was overall very positive about women of all ages and it made me think of life as more of an entire journey that shouldn’t be limited to age deadlines. I would recommend this book to any woman, no matter her age.

I know there were certain birthdays where the number sounded old to my young, immature mind, but I’ve never actually felt old (and why should I, right?). Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever been too concerned with numbers for the most part. Yes, it seems a little crazy I’m entering my fourth decade soon, but mostly because time goes so quickly, not because I don’t want to reach it.

I worry about those silly things many of us worry about … wrinkles, gaining weight, graying hair, slowing down … but deep down inside me, I know that I shouldn’t. And those things should not be attached to one number like 30, which is an extremely vibrant age in the grand scheme of things.

A while ago, my friend shared this image on Facebook:

I fell in love with it. What greater blessing do we have than to grow old and experience life?

In the “Thirty Things” book, the list contains all kinds of things to have and know from what it’s like to live by yourself, to owning tools and a black lace bra. The book suggests knowing how to fall in love without losing yourself, when to try harder and when to walk away, and to own at least one piece of furniture that never belonged to a member of your family.

But the book also says you should find out why they say life begins at 30.

I’ve had a wonderful time “growing up,” whatever that means, but there is so much to look forward to. Once upon a time when I was 19, I really dreamed I’d publish a book by the time I turned 30. Well, that hasn’t happened yet, but I guess that’s one more thing I have to look forward to! That, along with establishing my new little family, maybe buying a house, maybe having a kid or three and a dog. I’ve got places to see – like Peru and Iceland and Germany and … Montana! I’ve got so much more living and laughing and loving to do!

So, here’s to the last seven months of my 20s. I think they’re going to be pretty great. And here’s to the years after which will hopefully only get better and better.

beauty

desert snow

There’s a certain excitement during the first few storms of the season. It’s beautiful untouched at night and on early mornings. I love the way it can glow at night and shine during the day.

We hadn’t seen snow in Albuquerque for more than a month, but it finally decided to give us a little show this week. I don’t love snow and I don’t miss Utah winters, but I had to admit to myself yesterday that it sure was beautiful the way it covered the mountains and draped some cacti a short drive away from our apartment. It looked lovely on the bare trees against the sky. And though I don’t love snow as a whole, I do love moments with snow, and this was one of those moments.

I’d actually just had a pretty frustrating encounter during a morning errand before I shot these photos. But I suppose if that hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have went on this drive. I just couldn’t resist after seeing how gorgeous it looked. I probably would have been in bed! And since snow doesn’t last long here, I would have missed such a beautiful morning. So, you know. It’s the little things in life that make it wonderful.

beauty life love

super bowl inspiration

It’s so nice when you find inspiration in unexpected places. For many of us this week, it was in a couple Super Bowl commercials.

I’ll be honest … I didn’t actually see these commercials during the big game because I’m pretty sure I was too consumed with the food. When you have friends who make homemade vegan Jambalaya, pizza dip with these wonderful mini bread slices and put out yummy, spicy salsa, there is a lot to be consumed with. That’s not to mention there were cheese potatoes and desserts and a keg full of locally brewed beer.

And there were girls to talk to who cared about the game about as much as me. And there was a baby to be gawked at and a crazy half-time show where everyone seemed to be stunned by how uncool the Red Hot Chili Peppers have become.

But the day after the game, after that horrible Broncos loss* where I couldn’t help but feel bad for Peyton Manning (because he’s the only player I knew), Super Bowl inspiration started showing up on Facebook in the form of Coke and Budweiser ads.

The ad above was the 60-second commercial shown during the game. It’s lovely, beautifully filmed and full of real people who make our country great. One of the girls singing is actually a 16-year-old American Indian from Albuquerque, who learned “American the Beautiful” in Keres, her family’s unwritten native language. She said to learn the song, she had to get help from elders to translate the words.

I know there’s been controversy over the ad because multiple languages were used, but what could be more beautiful than celebrating and including our country’s diversity instead of making everyone look, talk and act the same? Our melting pot is one of the best things about living here.

Below is the full five-minute Coke ad which tells some of the stories of those filmed. It’s so lovely and definitely worth a watch if you haven’t seen it.

Then there was the gem below by Budweiser that is stealing people’s hearts. I think we all love the stories of unexpected animal friendships. How about Owen and Mzee, the famous hippo and turtle who became friends after the 2004 tsunami? And Bella and Tarra, the dog and elephant who couldn’t stand to be apart when Bella had a spinal injury?

It’s an amazing world we live in, with wonderful people, animals, love and friendships that can develop anywhere if we let them.

*On the Broncos. I cheered for the team on a whim. The best reason I had was that it was the team closer to my home. But if I could go back, I would have cheered for the Seahawks who have two former Utah State Aggies playing for them. I had no idea, people! I swear! But once I made that Broncos decision, the stubborn person in me just couldn’t go back.

life stars

build a ladder to the stars

Post author By Manette
Post date February 1, 2014
1 Comment on build a ladder to the stars

You know why I love stars? Well, there are a lot of reasons. Stars remind me of warm, summer nights, which I live for nearly all year long. They remind me to dream, make wishes and wonder. I love when they fall from the sky, leaving streaks of light behind them that disappear in a moment. We’ve all experienced that. And when we’re with others, it seems our jaws always drop, our hearts beat a little faster, and we ask our friends, “Did you see that?!” There’s just something magical about stars.

It’s at night, when the stars are out, that we light fireworks, go to drive-in movies, cook food over campfires and fall asleep in sleeping bags. When the moon is out, snow can sparkle, and hiking trails are lit enchantingly as we walk up hills, breathing in the fresh air.

One of my favorite memories beneath the stars in recent years took place on the island of Kauai. Four of us camped on the beach, the waves swaying back and forth, back and forth next to us. And when I looked into the sky, I’d never seen so many stars. I wanted to hold that picture for as long as I could before my eyes became too heavy and I drifted away. It was cold that night and my friend and I woke up a few times. We just kept looking at those stars. What a scene.

A couple years in a row, that same friend invited a few of us to go to a rodeo and camp at a pond by her house. I loved those nights. After we watched the horses and bulls and cowboys, we slept on the grass, laughing at each other until we got too tired and our conversations slowed down to silence and dreams.

I remember struggling through a hard time one winter a few years ago and going skiing with a bunch of college kids one night. It was so pretty that night, the snow falling as we went up the lift, the trees dressed in white blankets. I made a new friend that night. Sometimes the night provides those moments.

That same friend took me to the canyon one night to build a fire and cook fish. Well, the fish actually started on fire and were burned to a crisp, but for some reason, it was still some of the best fish I’ve ever eaten because of the company and the escape from the things I was going through.

Whenever I want to think, driving at night seems to do the trick. I love long highways, the stars, my music, my car and nothing else. Sometimes that’s just what I need to figure things out for a while.

One of my favorite races I’ve ever participated in took place partly overnight. It was a 24-hour team relay and my favorite moment was running around midnight in Morgan, Utah, the stars so shiny it was hard to be anything but grateful to be alive … and part of this really fun team moment.

People come together at night. They laugh and they cry. They talk of their dreams, maybe drink wine, maybe snack on something delicious. I can’t remember how many times my friends and I used to drive to McDonald’s or the grocery store late at night, just to come, eat and share quality time.

Last year in Albuquerque, there were a few amazing lightning storms at night. I’d never seen anything like it. My husband and I, engaged at the time, sat my the window and watched for an hour. Lightning struck in every direction. It was almost scary, but overwhelmingly amazing. Even after we finally decided to go to bed, I continued watching the show from our room. I’d close my eyes and could still see the flashes. The sky, the clouds, the stars, the storms … they do wondrous things together.

I’m the type of person who always makes wishes on stars, so in that way, stars are a thing of hope. But they are also perspective. Stars remind me that I’m small. I read on any given dark, moonless night, we are only able to see a couple thousand stars at best, but there could be up to 400 billion stars in our galaxy alone. Where are all the others?

Right now, I’m living in an apartment with a nice view of the mountains, sky and sunsets. And I’m like everyone else, a little star in a great, big universe.

love

a global valentine

A guy from Albuquerque decided to surprise his wife for Valentine’s Day by telling some friends he knows around the world to take pictures of signs saying “I love Anne.” Then word spread and he was suddenly getting photos from strangers, too.

He’s since created a Facebook page for his wife and has received photos from more than 40 countries. Signs have been placed in front of the Eiffel tower, the Big Ben, the Sydney Opera House and the pyramids in Egypt. The signs have been written in various languages, hung from trees and held by babies.

I love this story for a few reasons. I obviously love the creativity. I love how this gift makes the world seem small and connected. I love how the husband didn’t have to spend a dime to make his wife feel special. And because I love travel and photos, it just seems like an amazing way to see the world in pictures with love being the theme.

Sometimes social media can just be another distraction. Sometimes it can be negative. But sometimes it can bring people together in creative ways and just might inspire us to spread the love.

Photos from the I Love Anne “World Valentine” Facebook page