Biker Chick, Shooter Chic

It was a pretty good weekend. Arizona continues to be full of adventures. I decided before I came that I would take advantage of all the opportunities that come my way. I don't want to have any regrets. I may only be here a year (who knows) and I want to experience as much as I can!

So, on Friday, I threw caution to the wind and went on an all-day bike ride. Don't worry, I'm not suicidal, I wore a helmet and biking jacket. And I looked a-maz-ing. It turns out that riding a bike all day makes for a very tired butt. I need a luxury seat for something like that. Ha! We rode to Prescott and walked around and then went and walked/hiked around a lake. It was pretty fun to explore. Prescott is so charming. It is like a little Mayberry. There are all these cute houses with big porches and very friendly people. So fun.

Then, on Saturday I went shooting. I have been shooting exactly one other time. I am not good at hitting anything, except maybe dirt. But it was still lots of fun. And I only got a little bruised. Which is better than my friend Quinlan can say. She is crazy bruised. Poor girl.

And now for a picture dump. There are lots.

This was one of the gorgeous views on our bike ride. The layers of mountains are so pretty.

The ripples in the lake that were so cool. And proof that I know enough about photography to capture ripples with detail.

At the lake.

It is amazing that you can get such forest-y areas so close to the desert I live in.

There were signs everywhere that said no swimming, but then this path goes straight into the lake. I don't understand why they would tempt me like that.

Isn't it pretty.

A view from the road.

My view for most of the day.

Proof that I am taking pictures (and texting) while riding. Turns out you don't need to hold on.

I look so amazing. I know.

Taken while driving.

The sunset was gorgeous.

Ha. Ha. Ha.

Quinlan shooting. And yes, he is wearing a gas mask in the background.

Me shooting.

And for the dating update. I continue to be a dating spaz. But I am moving forward. New opportunities on the horizon for me. :)

Another day, another date

I had another date last night. And another one this coming Friday. So far, Phoenix has proved itself to be a much better dating scene than Salt Lake.

I'm not used to people spending money on me. And it makes me feel really self-consious. I need to get over that.

I'm not used to someone being so interested so quickly. I'm much more used to dysfunctional Utah guys.

I'm an awkward mess. This you all knew, but it has become even more apparent to me of late.

New things, new me.

One of my goals with this move was to experience new things. Well yesterday I did just that. I had several firsts.

1. I saw the Biosphere 2. It turns out most people don't even know what the Biosphere is. I remember reading about it as a kid in National Geographic. Well, I saw it. I didn't get a chance to go in because we were on our way to a cave, but it was awesome to even see from a distance. I feel so complete.

2. I went caving. And can I tell you, it is AWESOME. Muddy and sticky and wet and crazy and awesome. I even went swimming in the pool in the cave. Don't even get me started on the hazards of stagnant water. I threw caution to the wind and got in. Only 3 of us did, and it was well worth it. So fun! We went to Peppersauce Cave. Not nearly as cool as Timpanogas Cave, but it was fun to explore and wander around. And realize how weak I am. Ha.

3. I stopped at the Tom Mix Monument. Yep, I had no idea who this guy was, and why he gets an entire park and monument dedicated to him. Apparently he died in 1940 as he lost control of his car and an aluminum suitcase full of jewels hit him in the back of the head. Crazy. But it was random and fun, so there you go.

4. I had sushi. I'm not really into fish, but I want to like fish, so I just dove in. I had a couple different types of sushi, and some sashimi. Surprisingly good. Not sure what I think of the texture of sashimi. Raw fish is weird. But good overall.

5. I had rattlesnake. Who knew that scary rattlesnakes were for eating?! I have had alligator before, and rattlesnake was a similar experience. They both are quite mild, and similar to chicken. It is a bit more chewy though. Now I can cross that off the list (I didn't even know it should be on the list before last night).

6. I toured a biotech lab which was so cool. And way more amazing than the biotech lab we had in high school. But I remembered things from my class in high school, so good job public school system. I got a behind-the-scenes after hours tour of the lab where they are doing all sorts of cancer research. So cool.

Oh, and I had a date last night. It was really fun. So there you go.

Life is good. Work is stress. Things are getting better.

the cut

My new hair cut. And proof that I have done laundry but haven't put it away yet.

I just got home from a date. But that is not the purpose of my post.

I got my hair cut today. I have major anxiety about getting my hair cut by anyone but Betsy Ross. She is amazing and has been cutting my hair for the last 10 years. I have had sporadic horrific experiences in the mean time where I have lost Betsy and have tried out other stylists only to have my hair severely ravaged and mangled beyond repair. Well, today I went to Megan (who's name is not nearly as cool as Betsy Ross). I looked up reviews online of people who are good at cutting curly hair in Phoenix to find her. Because, contrary to popular belief, just because you went to beauty school does not mean that you are qualified to touch my hair. I have some SERIOUS curls, that when not treated respectfully will wage an all-out war against me. And as I don't enjoy the afro look for myself, I have to be careful with what I do.

I went to Megan and told her straight-up that I was nervous about having someone new cut my hair. All I wanted was a trim and thin.

Well, I got a trim. But it is definitely more like a cut. She cut off more than I expected. I'm pretty sure I lost 3-4 inches of length. But length is a hard thing for me to measure because cutting a little reduces weight and creates tighter curls and thus much shorter hair. It is scientific and what-not.

And she didn't thin at all, just layer.

So sort of what I asked for. And then she styled it curly. Which is fine, but I have enough experience with my haircuts to know that straightening it and polishing off the cut while it is straight really produces the best results. Ah well. So far the cut seems decent enough. Although, I think it is a touch overpriced at $50. Betsy is $40 and spends more time on me. Anyway, the part where the date comes in. I told him that I might be a touch late because I was getting my hair cut. He was good about it. But, if you are looking for a really easy way to compliment a girl who told you she just got her hair cut... tell her that her hair looks nice. It is easy enough. Not a strike against him that he didn't, just a thought. I mean, you are trying to win me over, right?

...sweaty armpits are not cute. But I realize that sometimes you can't control your nerves around someone so amazing. Ha!