if i'm going to go crazy...

Adventures are fun. Unplanned adventures are even better. They bring so much more potential, but so much uncertainty. Anything can happen and usually anything does.


Last Friday, two of my best friends and I decided to go on our very first backpacking trip alone. Three 19-year-old girls with limited wilderness experience, out by ourselves in the middle of nowhere.


Sounds like a great idea...(why our parents let us..no idea...) You can see where this is going to end up.


But surprisingly, we succeeded. Every time we completed a task, we celebrated. I wish I could say I do that about so much more in my life.


We built fires, filtered water, and cooked our food...

looking good El

Set up the smallest tent I have ever seen and put our food up in a tree to protect us from bears!

us, 1. bears, 0.

And basically just survived....all while having the best time ever.

we did it!

I was proud of us.


Then, less than 24 hours later, we went on a totally different type of mountain trip: the luxury of car camping.


Where you cook on a grate and get to use an actual toilet, and sleep in the car (which happened to be only a slightly larger space than the tent). And eat really really good food. Like food blog material.

banana boats. yuuummy. 

Most importantly though, during all of this, we started to go crazy. Maybe it was the wilderness and all of that quiet. Or that we were all really sleep deprived. (For the record, spooning does not equal a good nights sleep)

small small space...but a great view

But probably, it was that the three of us were together for such an extended period of time. That hasn't happened in forever. Forever.


We were literally out of control for these three days. Laughing at nothing. Talking waaaay too loud. Laughing at ourselves laughing at nothing.

very attractive beavers

We were definitely going crazy. But as I tried to take deep breaths to calm myself down after lack of oxygen from laughing, I realized that I was very glad.


I was glad that these two girls are my friends. Because if I'm going to go crazy, I'd much rather do it with these two than alone.


These two friendships, two of my best, are some of the most precious things in my life. I hold them close to my heart. These times over the past days have helped me remember to appreciate them. And to remember why we're all friends. (It's a secret, special reason that I can't tell you.)


Time spent with these two is definitely time well wasted.

born and bred

For Father's Day today, my family did a typical Miller family activity. We went on a hike. One of my favorites too: Youngs Gulch up the Poudre Canyon. And guess what??? It rained. And when I say rain, I mean, poured. Like, thunder and lightening and kind of scared that the tall-tree-right-up-the-trail-is-going-to-get-struck-any-second rain. It was not the most fun hike I've ever done. But, sometimes it takes the worst to be able to see how much you appreciate something.

My revelation of the day:

I. Love. Colorado.

So much.

rocky mtn ntl park

I love the mountains. I love how much sun we get. I love the taste of the water. I love that I can be wearing shorts, pants, and a winter coat all in the same day. I love the skiing. I love the people. I love the different cities. I love the airport. 

bear lake to grand lake hike

I love how there is so much to do here. I can ski, hike, mountain bike, raft the rivers, tube, go boating, go shopping in cute stores, eat at really yummy restaurants, etc etc.

I really could go on and on and on forever and ever about everything I love about Colorado.

Lory State Park hike

I could live here for my whole life. And I think I will, thank you very much.

Now, what to do about the fact that I go to school in Indiana...

love in so many different places

My last week has been spent in Michigan visiting my mom's side of the family. There is my grandpa and his wife. Then, my mom and her two sisters. One with her husband and my two cousins. The other with her husband (but not her son's father) and her son (who also brought her girlfriend/basically should be married by now). And then my family. Aren't families these days just so interesting? Such a mixture of people and relationships.

We spent a weekend at Crystal Mountain Resort...which was one of the nicest and cutest things I've ever seen in Michigan. It really made me want to move there, which is a total first since I consider all things from Michigan kind of blah. Then, we went back to Ravenna, where my mom grew up and where my grandpa still lives. On the hand of Michigan, it's about where your pinkie finger would meet the palm...knuckle. Cool. It has a total of 1200 people living there. Quite a happening place if you ask me. Which you did, so I'll just let you know that there are two restaurants, one gas station, one high school, and oh, about three dozen churches. Totes a classic Midwestern town.

And as much as I complain about going back to Michigan because there is never anything to do, this time I actually kind of liked it. The town seemed less humdrum and more quaint. The people and little nicer and laid-back, not like they seemed like they were going nowhere with their lives. Overall, it was alright.

And it made me realize at least one thing.


Family is important.

So important that I just miss spending time with them. I wish I could have all of the people I love in one place. My grandparents. My aunts and uncles. All of my crazy cousins. Anna Mae & Howard, my grandpa's neighbors of 45 years.

But also, all of my friends. My best friends from high school. My new friends from Butler. All of my Younglife people. My mentors, the people I look up to, the people that I think are hilarious.

But, according to real life, this just cannot happen. It just won't. The chances are so very slim. So instead I have to always be torn between multiple worlds; wanting to be playing Euchre with my family in Michigan or wanting to be going to Chuck-E-Cheese with my friends in Fort Collins (not creepy at all), or getting my 10th Starbucks of the day with my Butler people. I can't be everywhere at once.

So, I just have to cherish the time I do spend with all of the people I love.

After all, according to something I read recently, friendship does not grow weaker with distance, it only helps you rack up the frequent flyer miles.

:)

create, not consume

I'm ready. This is the beginning. The start of something new..to quote a real quality movie meant for pre-teen girls...or me. I have been reading blogs for the past few months. I read newspapers and magazines sometimes. And I'm an avid reader of those things we call books. I love em. Everything about reading is just so great.

But....

I'm kinda done with all that. I'm always reading and thinking.."WOW these people who write things are cool and seem like they think so much." To me, writers seem like people who think big thoughts and think often.

I like to think of myself as someone who thinks these big thoughts, but when it really comes down to it, I don't feel like I do. See, I'm one of those people. Oh, those people that talk waaaay too much (and way tooo fast, as my parents and friends will say). But I'm also one of  those people who doesn't have too much of a brain to mouth filter. So, I think way too fast too.

So this is my attempt for myself to maybe think thoughts that will fill my head, take up an afternoon, and consume my days. Thoughts about love, life, God, my favorite people in the world, etc, etc. I don't need to spend my life thinking about my next meal or when I'm going to write that essay. Slowing down to notice these big ideas does really exist. For people like me..not just people who write books.

I'm ready to create, not just consume.