Sidewalk Chalk

1 Box of sidewalk chalk: $2

Feeling like a kid again: Priceless.

At the beginning of the summer on a grocery run we found a box of chalk FOR $2! Needless to say we bought it immediately... and it has sat in our closet ever since.

Taylor was busy, Jess was busy, Mallory couldn't come up... so the chalk just sat, and waited.

Finally, right before we moved out, we got a chance. I had finished finals, (wahoo!) Jess was free, and it was a perfect evening for a visit to the park. So we did.

We enjoyed a lovely walk to Adam's Park and picked a spot to chalk-i-fy.

During the course of our chalk activty we discovered a few things about chalk:

1. There is no black. But of course everything you want to draw requires some amount of it. And gray isn't a very good substitute.

2. Chalk likes clothes. A lot. And it gets EVERYWHERE.

3. There are only 3 main colors of chalk: purple, green, and a poor substitute for blue.

4. Red is also a nonexistant color, despite the box...

5. Sharp chalk is wonderful, but it only lasts 4.35 strokes.

Lacking a creative mind I drew normal chalk things. A heart, a sun--with sunglasses!, flowers, and my trademark Princess scene, complete with dragon. I even drew two stick figures that said T & T above them...

Jessica--the arteest!--drew a masterpiece of the sea, complete with an island, coconuts, boat, shark, Nemo, Scuttle, Sebastian, Flounder and Ariel. Of special notice is the "Lady with her cute fat dog."

As we were coloring two ladies walked past while they were out walking their little dogs. They remarked on how they'd never seen two grown girls (if you can call us that) coloring with chalk on the sidewalk. We laughed. We're not exactly normal, as you can see. The next time she passed she saw Jessica's drawing of the island and she said, "That's where I want to be! You can put me there with my fat dog." So Jess granted her wish. Of course there was no brown, and so she made the dog purple, but you can kind of see it... :)

A chalk adventure--the next chapter to our adventure book! And we really need to try this one again. Next time we're going to explore space!

Park Extravaganza

Once upon a time, in a little land of Logan, Jessica and Taylor discovered something. Something wonderful. Something big. This website: Logan City Parks. All 45 of them.

Getting excited to the point of madness that only Tay and Jess can do, they decided to visit all of them. In one day.

Brilliant? Yes.

Crazy? Definitely.

Exciting? You betcha.

After collecting a map of Logan "Vicinity" from the local Holiday Inn we mapped out our adventure. 45 dots to visit. A little intimidating.

In an effort to make this bearable to read I will present the "good parts version" to you. So many adventures, so many stories, too little time. So read on for adventure!

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Early in the morning (for college students) we trekked across the city "beyond the edge of the map." The park that supposedly existed there was no where to be found. It was listed as a "future park" and it was indeed nonexistant at the present. But "beyond the edge of the map" and a "future park" sounds pretty adventurous, don't you think?

We visited Dahle Park which ajoins an elementary school and is only classified as park after 6:00 pm. We found Fairview, Logan Meadows, Willow, Willow West, Willow Sports Complex, the Fairgrounds, and Skylor Pond all in the same 2 block area. We braved the Skate Park and attempted not to look like crazy stalkers, and failed. 

Skylor Pond is an adorable little oasis. The pond is a little scummy, so don't fall in, and the mosquitos are sometimes bad, BUT running water, picnic benches under cherry trees, fantastic climbing trees, a boardwalk, and an A+ playground just a few feet away makes this park a winner!

On our list of activties to accomplish this summer we listed climbing trees, and at the sight of these we set out to accomplish our goal. Flip flops were a minor set back, but we succeeded nonetheless!

On our path we encountered railroad tracks, old buildings, gorgeous flowers, riverbeds, bridges. We are now officially self-proclaimed experts on the parks in Logan and we know the best ones for each and every adventure you can think of. Playing frisbee? Logan Meadows. Playground? Temple Park. Swings? Adams. Taking pictures? Too many to name!

On our expedition to Kilowatt park we found nothing special. A decrepit volleyball court, fly infested bathrooms, and a rock that told the park's history. We found a walking trail that looked like it could lead to adventure, but alas, it ended at the street. But then, we spied something across the street. What could it be? A bird? A plane? A secret tree house? Ding ding ding! We discovered a rickety fort built by who knows, but it was truly adventurous!

The fort overlooked the most beautiful field of flowers. Flowers of every shape and color, seemingly wild but probably cultivated by whoever owned this land. Straight out of an Anne of Green Gables book these flowers beckoned visitors to come admire their perfection!

Next stop: Rendezvous Park. Nature/wild/spiders/bugs.

Note: bring mosquito repellent.

It's a pretty park and a great place to escape into the wild without leaving Logan. It has a bridge, a brook, lots of rocky shores, and plenty of trails that need to be better explored. But be warned: don't go trapsing through the sticks off the trail. You're bound to walk through a couple spider webs and get a terrible case of the heebie jeebies. No fun.

It was at this point that our fantastic friend Mallory showed up! She was visiting with us for the afternoon after an appointment on campus. We walked her to death I think. ;)

I must explain to you Logan's definition of a city park: any scrap of land that they can't fit a house on. The exceptionally small plots are affectionately termed "pocket parks."

We visited a few of these pocket parks: Center Street Parkway, Lynn and Merle Olsen Park, and Garff Wayside Gardens. Of special mention is Garff Wayside. Complete with a pavilion, rose gardens, footpath,  Narnia lampost, Alice in Wonderland hole, and a bright red bench! So full of magic, how can it not be amazing? (Thanks for posing for me Mal!)

Merlin Olsen Park is probably the blue ribbon winner of this adventure though. Acres and acres of beautiful landscape, willow trees, and a creek that runs through the middle. There are pavilions, playgrounds, and a footbridge. The creek is shallow enough to wade through on a hot day, and there are even stepping stones to help you get across in some places. A stone retaining wall holds back the hill, and built into it are stone benches. It's a park big enough to feel seclusion on even the busiest of days.

Next we discovered Jens Johansen Park. At first glance it looked like nothing much. Just another sun-bleached playground and a field. But upon further inspection, sprung from plain childish curiousity, we discovered the amazing chicken. Do you remember all those playground toys that they removed because they weren't "safe"? We found one they forgot to remove. The most amazing bouncing chicken in the world, that was almost scary it was so fun!

This park also had an amazing river that was nice and secluded, perfect for a relaxing walk or night looking at the stars.

The next park was definitely a play park. We termed it "Temple Park" because it's close to the Temple and we couldn't find another name for it. This one can only be described through pictures. :)

Sleeping Beauty Castle!

Mallory the Mermaid

Winnie the Pooh or Snow White, you choose.

Chugga chugga

Look Mom!

Ride that...whale?

The whale was close to the chicken, but not quite good enough. :)

After Mallory left we had 10 more parks... and no more energy. But we pressed on! We visited Canal Corner and Brookside--prime examples of pocket parks. One is marked by a random picnic table on the side of the road, and the other a yellow bench overlooking the brook.

We drove around gathering the last ten until we made it to the last stop. Bridgerland Park. And then we collapsed.

Taylor and Jessica went beyond the edge of the map, visited parks of the future, climbed trees in flip flops, and discovered Narnia. They trekked across rough terrain, faced spiders and mosquitos, and even tested the dangerous metal chicken. They had an adventure.

8 hours, 41 parks, and 418 pictures later, they were exhausted.

Most memorable experience of the summer? I think yes.

A New Face

Seven in the morning is far to early for any sane college student, but I've found a single exception: Service.

Two weeks ago the USU 6th Stake Activities Commitee (of which I am part) planned an enormous service project helping the sweet Jensen family repaint their home. I was in charge of refreshments for each of the four sessions and making sure there was plenty of water and food. Bagels and fruit in the morning, cookies at night. In 8 hours of service our stake planned a return of this house to it's former glory: a picturesque house of yellow brick with white pillars.

Bright and early at 7 o'clock the vigilant workers tired over this quaint home in an attempt to make it something glorious. If I hadn't been so tired then I would have been there, but alas, Taylor was lazy and only showed up at 9 to clean up the food. But I did go to every shift!

That morning Bro. Jensen--the man whose house we were painting--beckoned Jessica and me to follow him down into his workshop in the basement. Inside was a low ceiling and a tiny little room packed with woodworking tools. Bro. Jensen got in an accident when he was younger and he can't speak or walk straight, but he always has the most bright and happy expression on his face. He picked up a large paper bag and started to lay its contents on the floor. He makes decorative plaques out of wood. They all had hymns and scriptural sayings on them like, "How Great Thou Art" and "I Need Thee Every Hour." He motioned for us to choose one and so we sifted through the many and I eventually settled on one that said "My Redeemer Lives." He was such a kind and generous man, and his smile was so contagious! Now I have a treasure that will always remind me of this time.

We scraped and washed as much paint off as we could during the first shift, and started priming the weathered walls. We primed, painted, caulked, repainted, and made plenty of messes. I was the self-appointed washer for the first night and scrubbed all the brushes until it was too dark to see. I found that I love the feeling of paint on my hands.

Jess and I were self-appointed picture takers as well and so we took pictures of everyone and had 400 pictures by the time it was done... But here is proof that I did paint!

I ran from place to place doing anything and everything I could. Bro. Feldsted probably got so sick of me asking for something to do. So many people showed up the last night that there was hardly anything left. We did all of the finishing touches to the house (some places were painted over several times) and we painted the porch a gray color to cover the previous paint jobs that were peeling off. I got to work along side the most amazing people and I had a fantastic experience.

In the midst of the most difficult class of my life I found the time to give this service and it is the greatest thing I have ever done. I got lost doing work and I have no regrets--this was definitely the most productive use of my time. The Lord blessed me abundantly for my service, and I was overcome with happiness. So, in the midst of giving a house a new face I feel like I got one too--a cleansed mind, reorganized priorities, and an irrisistable desire to seek out more ways to serve.