The Bonneville Salt Flats

I just visited one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Just outside the town of Wendover Utah there is 40 square mile salt pan called the Bonneville Salt Flats. This place is awesome. It use to be the Pleistocene Lake but all that remains now is a valley of salt. In the summer it is a dry, extremely flat landmass but in the winter there is a layer of water resting on top of the salt. This water does something amazing. It creates a mirror like effect which creates one of the most natural, beautiful sceneries I've ever witnessed. The mirror of water reflects a perfect image of the mountains and sky.

I can now say I've walked across the sky. It was crazy. The reflection totally screwed with my depth perception creating an incredible illusion.

I had my dog Dauphnie with me and the reflection messed with her as well. It took her a second to realize she was walking on solid ground but when she figured it out she was dashing back and forth playing the water.

The salt flats are just that, flat. There isn't a hill, a bump or a dent in the entire place. It was so cool.

This place was the perfect atmosphere to take some pretty neat photos.

 

 

 

Nature is so beautiful.

 

 

 

 

The Loveland Living Planet Aquarium

There is this awesome aquarium in Draper, Utah. Myself and my sister's family all went. It was awesome! Definitely worth a look if you find yourself in the area.

I love ocean colors!

Hey look, my nephew found Dori.

Mr. Sea Turtle.

The shark tunnel was so cool.

Here is my favorite ocean critter, the stingray.

The Megalodon, some people say this prehistoric creature didn't go extinct with the dinosaurs. What do you think, does this massive shark still swim in our oceans today? 

I actually like snakes but if I saw this guy in the wild, I might back up a step or two.

Can you get any cuter than penguins. They're like real-life bath toys.

Say hello to the brightly colored poisonous dart frogs.

Nature is so incredible!

 

Things that Make Me Smile #4

Yesterday I discovered reason #3 why guys should wear Old Spice deodorant: 

#1 Everyone (guy and girl) should wear deodorant.

#2 It smells sexy.

and

#3 Their marketing department has an awesome sense of humor.

 

Beautiful Fall Colors!

My favorite season is fall. I love the cooler days, the start of the holiday season and the best part... the colors.

 

Things that Make me Smile #3

Spotted this in the middle of the trail while hiking

near Salt Lake City, Utah :)

Salt Lake City Cemetary's Ghost Story is Real!

I heard a story once about a haunted headstone in Salt Lake City Cemetery.

The story tells of a woman called Lilly E. Gray. She was the second wife of a particularly insane man who was known for being paranoid about government conspiracies and linked to several mysterious disappearances. This story continues on to tell how Lilly died of strange circumstances. Her insane husband claims she was killed by a monster known as "Beast 666". Her unrestful ghost now haunts the cemetery and can be seen pacing around her headstone during a full moon.

I accidently stumbled upon the cemetery yesterday and couldn't help myself. Curiosity killed the cat, not the redhead... right?

 

 

 

Girls Spook-Alley Night!

My favorite Halloween activity is a tradition started by my mother about 15 years ago. My mom, my two sisters and myself all get together and in one night hit all the spook-allies in town. That's right, we spend the night screaming, running and laughing. Oh the memories and inside-jokes we have created: my sister loosing her shoe while trying to outrun the chainsaw man, my other sister flinging our mother at the white face creature to try and escape, the attack of the giant tumble weed and the rocking-suspension of the minivan.

So much fun and so many good memories :)

 

Our "we just survived Dr. Slaughter's" picture.

 

Our favorite spook-alley the Virginia Theater
and the un-dead friends we made while we were there.

This was Suzi's grand finally at the Virginia Theater
after narrowly escaping the woman in white.

This is a friend we made while at the Haunted Warehouse.

And the grand finally of the night was the chainsaw man
who chased us clear out of the parking lot. 
We know how to really do Halloween.
Good times, good times. 

Donating My Hair

I have straight, thick, red hair. It grows really fast and because of this I am able to donate 12 inches of hair about every other year. This will be my fourth hair donation. This time I am donating 12 inches to Pantene Beautiful Lengths. This program takes hair donations and makes free "real-hair" wigs for women with cancer. Real hair wigs are very expensive. We're talking hundreds of dollars so this is pretty cool that Pantene is donating these wigs for free.

Here are the requirements for donating hair:

No dyes, bleaches or chemicals allowed. (This is because the wig makers treat and dye the hair and it only works if the hair is in it's natural state.)

Minimum of 8 inches.

Less than 5% grey

Hair must be held together with an elastic band. Loose hair cannot be used.

So, here is how I go about donating my hair. I cut my hair in what appears to be a silly way but I cut my hair myself. Cutting it in this silly way creates a long, layer, look which I prefer.

the before

 

Cutting 12 inches off

 

Measuring to make the cut

 

There it is, a 12 inch ponytail

 

the after

 

Don't worry, I still have plenty of hair left

Grocery Store Headstone

This was very Halloween appropriate, except for the fact I saw it 

in September... 

in a parking lot... 

of a grocery store.

Weird and creepy.

Horse Trailer Make-Over

This is my 32 year old horse trailer. Obviously it needed a much needed make-over. After a serious rust removal day, a sculpting  Bondo episode, a caulking touch-up, a fresh coat of pain, flashy new tires, shiny new diamond plate and a running picture to top it all off... this trailer is looking pretty shnazy.

Behold the before... 

and after!

Harriman State Park

One of my favorite places to ride horses, Harriman State Park Idaho. 

Psst, me and my horse are wearing green :)

A Lonely Mailbox

Um... I wonder what the addressed is?