Ok, so there are other mountains that may be considered more grandiose than the ol Wasatch mountains. But not that many. These mountains got us the Olympics once, and maybe they can do it again!
I never really paid much attention to these staggering, hulking natural beauties when I was young. I was never much of a hiker or skier, etc etc. But for some reason when I got into college I would find myself walking around campus stressed about something or the other, then I would look at the mountains and it would calm me down. I can’t explain why, but they represent some sort of comfort to me. Maybe it is because they are so massive (and I live so close), maybe because they are such a striking form of nature, maybe because they can be green or white depending on the season, I don’t know.
They do provide a lot of summer and winter fun too. When I was up at the U for school, I was shocked how many undergrads I talked to that said they moved to Utah just because of the outdoor, mountain activities. I do love doing bonfires and picnics in the canyons, and I definitely want to hike more this summer. The idea of being in something so peaceful as nature, it’s just a quick break from real life.
I started taking pictures with my phone whenever they looked particularly beautiful. I still do. They won’t win awards, they are tilted and full of telephone lines, but it seems like when the mountains look so beautiful, how could you not want to document it?
It’s been raining around here lately, and yesterday as I was stressing while driving home after work and running errands, I just kept looking up at them. The last picture is from a rainy day and I love how they fade into each other. I feel lucky to live in such a beautiful place.
I had never seen it in theatres. It came out when I was 11 and my mom wouldn’t let me see it because she had heard the language was rougher and the obvious reason, topless Kate Winslet. She used the excuse that I wasn’t 13, so couldn’t see a PG-13 movie. I had seen plenty before that, but she put her foot down on this topic. I claimed I had seen stuff like that before, and she said “Oh, not like this you haven’t.”
Therefore, I had no idea who Leonardo Dicaprio was, or why everyone was going nuts about him. I knew girls that had pictures of him from Tiger Beat, or Pop, or whatever those magazines were called, tucked into the front of their folders. I had to listen endlessly at recess to girls trying to outsing each other with “My Heart Will Go On.” I knew that whatever this movie was about, it was epic and I was missing it.
As time passed, I cared less. I had sworn up and down that when I turned 13, I would see it. But that came and went, and it wasn’t until I was about 14 or 15 that I watched it on TV. My older sister had taped it because we were doing a family thing. I watched it one night after school and had my first real “tears during a movie moment.” Not just tears, but serious sobbing. It sort of kickstarted the rest of my life in that way (meaning, I cry at everything now)! Suddenly I knew why everyone had loved it, I began a love affair with Leo, and I watched it over and over.
Time passed again, that all faded, and I joke about how cheesy it is. I mean really, it’s easy to poke fun at the one-liners. As the 100 year anniversary of the sinking approached, I noticed more articles about it popping up on the internet. National Geographic did this big thing about it, and I read it thoroughly. I started imagining what it would have been like if my family and I had been there, and what I would have done in that situation. It’s a pretty horrific thought. Especially because I was the kid who dropped to their knees in the fetal position when chased by older siblings. I would rather get the teasing over with than try and “survive.”
So watching it again at 25 gave me some fresh perspective. Yes, the dialogue is not award winning (oh wait, I think it is), there were some eye rolls, but it’s still a pretty good movie. I didn’t cry once, and actually liked the second half of the movie better than the first. Probably because I have been reading so much about how it actually sank. And may I just add that no matter how much you make fun of it, Celine Dion singing “My Heart Will Go On” is still haunting and as lovely as ever. I will defend it until I’m in my grave. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, why don’t people love her? But that’s for another blog.
In other news, I attended a breastfeeding conference on Monday. My sweet, dear mother asked how anyone could possibly talk about breastfeeding for 8 hours, or what they would say. I then told her of another 45 HOUR, WEEKLONG breastfeeding course I have to go to in August. It’s all about the breast here at WIC. I’m all for it, don’t get me wrong. And this guy that talked was totally convincing. His name is Nils Bergman, and he is totally legit. He has got a ton of little letters at the end of his name: MD, PhD, MPH (woohza). Also, he is from South Africa, so that added a little extra spice in the beginning trying to figure out what he was saying. As much as I tire talking about breastfeeding, it was nice learning more so I can help people better when I am counseling. Throw me any problem, I’ll fix it. Give me a reason you can’t, and I’ll give you reasons why that isn’t a valid excuse. Moving on….
Today is also Registered Dietitian Day. My first as an official RD, and a day to pat ourselves on the back and talk about how much of an impact we make. I do love being a dietitian, mostly because it means I get to talk about my favorite thing all day. FOOD. Really though, it is super life applicable, and it is definitely a growing field with a lot of great research coming out of it. However, it is overshadowed by an even greater holiday. And that is Pi Day (3/14). That glorious mathematical constant that helps us find the circumference and area of a circle. Which only makes sense that we celebrate by eating a similar shaped object. Pie. So, here is some advice from a RD, go eat a slice of pie today. Revel in the fact that Pi (π) has a never ending decimal and that pie is delicious and can fit in any balanced diet. (I made this pie in the picture FYI)
