The narrows.

Last weekend I got to cross one of my biggest summer bucket list items off: hiking the Narrows. Which meant I got to spend 6 hours between the walls of a canyon and up to my knees in water looking at this kind of gorgeous scenery. It was truly one of the most humbling experiences. Also, I got to wear really cool socks.

There were many highlights which included trying to eavesdrop on the conversations of French people, being up to my waist in water because I'm so short, thinking there was going to be an orange grove around the corner because someone peeled an orange, getting laughed at when I fell in the water, laughing at Colby when he almost fell in the water, doing parkour, getting hounded by some dad about where we went hiking, and mainly just taking in the beauty that is really right in our backyard.

If you get the chance to hike the Narrows, I highly recommend you take that chance! Next up: Angels Landing!

Honors.

From July 10 to 20, I had the opportunity to leave the world behind and become a counselor for the Governor's Honors Academy. Long story short, this is a nine day leadership camp at SUU for excelling high school seniors. I attended it myself at the age of 17, and this year I was able to return as a counselor.

For some reason I entered this experience not expecting to learn anything new, but just to help these kids learn about themselves and where life could take them. After all, I've already been to GHA so what else could it really teach me? By the end though, I'm pretty sure I learned more than they did about how to be the best person I can be every day, set and achieve goals, and start on the path to accomplishing my dreams (as soon as I figure out what those dreams are).

Here is a compilation of some of my favorite quotes from the speakers I got to experience:

"When they told me I couldn't do it, I said, 'you watch me.'" - Cyndi Gilbert

"Everything is always changing but it doesn't matter. You deal with the cards you're dealt every day." - Steve Gilbert

"If you have an idea, and turn it into a dream, and plan it and live with it until it succeeds, it will succeed." - Fred Adams

"Remember, working eight hours a day at something you don't love is hell." - Fred Adams

 "The 'good life' is always a beginning, not an ending. It's getting there, not being there. It's on the side of the mountain, not the top." - Don Gale

"Don't be normal." - Bruce Crankshaw

 "By changing our thoughts, we can change our lives." - David Litchford

There really are no words to accurately explain how GHA changed me and how it continues to change everyone involved every day. But, as Andy Andrews so eloquently put in The Noticer: "Life is a little like dessert. Keep your fork, the best is yet to come."

When the communication major disappears from social media.

I've realized something recently. I'm a communication major. And I've given up on social media.

Those of you who know me well know that I'm addicted to Twitter. And Tumblr. And Vine. And Instagram. Or at least I was.

This summer though, I don't know what's happened to me. I've posted a total of like five blog posts this summer if you count this one, and all of them have been extremely sorry excuses for blog posts that are only intended to keep my blog alive (including this one).

I used to be funny on Twitter and get lots of favorites and stuff. And then there's the quality of my tweets this summer:

• Currently ODing on Oreo ice cream
• It's summer and I just spent like 2 and a half hours in the library. I need to rethink my life choices.
• Pretty fortunate that I didn't crash my car today.. It would be embarrassing if my cause of death was "eating a cinnamon roll while driving"
• Haven't tweeted about my life in a week so I'm not sure if it even existed or not...
• Had a dream I ran a 5k and woke up with sore hamstrings...mostly I'm concerned how sore I'll be if I ACTUALLY run a 5k
• Exhausted and haven't showered in days... This is what summer is about right? #work #allthetime
• At least I've been getting paid to do stuff like look at dead stuffed animals.
• Seeing as I wasn't driving all over the state of Utah today it's about time I got some things* done! (*3.5 hours of watching Netflix)
• You know you've hit rock bottom when you text your mom because you're bored. And then she doesn't even text back. #loserstatus
• It's a sad day when you're 20 years old and still get asked for ID every time you try to buy medicine or spray paint. #stilllook16

Not only are none of these funny but they also demonstrate the fact that while my goal this summer was to get in shape and eat healthy, I've done nothing but dream about running, eat cinnamon rolls, and work, which apparently includes getting paid to look at dead animals. Why did I tweet about that?

The only thing that has actually remained kind of in my life is Instagram. That is, if you're dying to see landscape picture after landscape picture with the hash tag #utahgram, cause that's all it is these days.

So yeah, case in point. I don't know what's happened to me. Maybe everything will return to normal in three weeks when school starts. Or maybe I'm just that weird girl who became a comm major because she likes to write but is kind of quiet and socially awkward and now doesn't even use social media and is a total outcast in the public relations/advertising world that she hopes to find a career in. Okay, that's a little extreme. I'm sure I'll see you guys on Twitter and Insta sometime soon. I mean, as soon as I find another cool landscape or something.

PS. Follow me! @shanndelier on Twitter and Instagram.

Halfway.

It's halfway through 2013 already. (Side note: Sorry all my posts start with "It's halfway through _____ already." Like, can you believe it's halfway through the morning already? Let's talk about everything that has happened.) But really, since I have nothing to write about ever, I thought I would just make myself more accountable for my goals for this year and do a little self-check-up.

1. Keep working out. I'm doing alright with this... I've been slacking hardcore over the past couple months though and my body is less than happy. Although I did run my first 10K a couple weeks ago which I was pretty happy about! I want to run a half marathon this fall so I better get serious.
2. Only drink soda on special occasions. I'm a pro at not drinking soda, let's be honest. The last one I had was a bottled cream soda at a wedding reception but no one can pass that up. Other than that I don't think I've had any in months.
3. Spend less time on my computer and more time doing cool things. This is one of the best goals I've made, I think. Instead of watching reruns of the Walking Dead all summer I have read three and a half books, been hiking multiple times, and spent more time with people! It's so great!
4. Eat healthier. This comes and goes. For the most part I do pretty well but at the same time, pizza.
5. Visit my great grandparents every two weeks. I'm awful! I seriously need to do this.
6. Take time to do things for other people. I think I have done well with this. But I could always do better.
7. Continue to take risks, come out of my comfort zone, and grow as a person. I think I have done this a lot this year so far. Can't wait to hike Angel's Landing and then I can really say I've been out of my comfort zone!

Okay, that's the last you'll have to hear about this until the end of December when I have a post that begins "2013 is over already" or something to that effect. I know you weren't sure if time was passing or not. Good thing I'm here to remind you, right?

Cedar summer.

Did you know it's already June 20? Which means summer is basically halfway over? And what do I have to show for it?

I decided to stay in Cedar City for the summer in hopes of scoring scholarship housing (which I did) and getting a job I can keep through the school year (which I did) and maybe even getting a hot boyfriend (which I did). However, the latter two have put me in an interesting situation called "Spending Summer Driving All Over God's Creation" because my job is in Hurricane (45 minutes away from Cedar) and this boy lived in Lehi (3 hour drive from Cedar) which then changed to St. George (still 45 minutes from Cedar). So basically all of this means that my highly anticipated "Cedar City Summer" has drastically changed... into something way more awesome even if it is putting a lot of miles on my new beautiful car (which I named the Enterprise by the way! Star Trek for life). Okay this paragraph has way too many parentheses.

So basically, instead of spending the past two months watching Netflix and scrolling through endless pages on Tumblr, I have spent a lot of time doing a lot of really fun things:

Cheesecake Factory at City Creek! 

Solo-hiking the C... halfway at least.

Hiking in some gorgeous St. George redrock

Hogle Zoo!

Hiking Kanarraville Falls. There's nothing better than this hike.

Running my first 10K!

California!

Watching this amazing sunset from cliffs over the beach.

USA vs. Honduras World Cup qualifier with my brother!

As you can see, so far it has been one whirlwind of a summer. And I've done one single thing in Cedar City which was (kind of) hike the C trail. Oh and I've obviously been to Tiki Shack. But don't even worry... I still have a lot of things to do before the season fades. Which means... here is, a bit overdue, my summer bucket list.

• Hike the whole C trail
• Angel's Landing
• The Narrows
• Play disc golf
• Kanarraville Falls (again!)
• Sand Hollow
• Cave glowstick party
• Harry Potter marathon
• Train for a half marathon
• Read a book or more every month
• Stargazing
• Ghost town

I don't know what to call this summer. But whatever or wherever it is... let's get this thing started. I'm stoked.

The darth evader.

It's time to bid farewell to my faithful companion of the past four years: my 1997 silver Acura CL.

Nicknamed the Darth Evader, he has driven me through high school and my first two years of college with as much style as he could muster. He's been stained by paint from a paint fight and smudged with markers from craft projects, been smoky with multicolored chalk that stayed for months, and splattered with juice from glow sticks. He's patiently given a lift to my golden retriever, who licked everything in sight and shed half his fur onto the floor. He's stayed valiant through all my unfortunate car decorating phases, from dice or a dream catcher hanging from the rear view, to stickers of the Volcom logo or the Beatles or obscure hipster bands that performed at Kilby Court during sophomore year. He's been strong through many, many trips back and forth to Cedar City, St. George, and Las Vegas. Even through all my reckless driving - blown tires, fender benders, speeding tickets, and crazy ladies in Walmart parking lot - he's been faithful to the end. And he may have even helped save my life a couple times, when drivers have been wild or in the multiple car chases that gave him his name.

Sadly, my time with the Darth Evader has come to an end. His paint is scratched, his hood is dented, and his seats are splitting open at the seams. He's seen his share of summer nights, and autumn canyon drives, and ice covered winter streets, and blooming spring flowers. He's spent his time sitting at my favorite places overlooking the valley and wiping my tears when I cry. He's definitely heard enough of my road rage profanities and off key singing. It's time to bid him a sweet goodbye and send him off on his next great adventure.

I think everyone's first car holds a special place in their lives. I'll definitely miss this one.

That being said... I'm welcoming a new love into my life: this gorgeous white Honda Crosstour. This baby is champing at the bit for all kinds of new adventures. So here we go.

Un année.

I realized a few days ago that it has been an entire year since I was in France. A year! How did this happen! It still feels like it was just yesterday. But at the same time I am currently dying to go back. Since my whole blog seems to be dedicated around France and making those sentimental lists I'm going to combine them into one: Things I miss about France. Ahem.

Street crepes from the Latin District. The glittering Eiffel Tower. Baguette sandwiches for lunch after school. Little kids and dogs on the Metro. "Ah, les petites Américaines!" Cobblestone streets damp with rain. Five course meals. Statue impersonations. Museum marathons. Burnt toast and grapefruit juice. Seaside runs along the (nude) beach. Rollerblading parades. Mediterranean brick oven pizza. The padlock bridge. Parties at the Metro station.

Brazilian watch salesmen. Tunnels made of human bones and rings made of human hair(...). Oscar Wilde. Parisian vintage shops. Gelato. Flea markets. Street artists braving the rain. Disneyland Paris. Planning outlandish wedding receptions at Versailles. Cigarette smoke. Picnics beneath the Eiffel Tower on a Sunday afternoon. Winged Victory.

Fashion shows. "Bonjour les filles!" Crowded bedrooms. Showers that make you not want to shower. Olive oil based salad dressing. Tennis matches on television. French dinner conversation. Skyping friends at weird hours. Fridges that look like cabinets. Phantom of the Opera. Skipping out of a real opera. Gargoyles. The top of Montparnasse Tower. Gypsy children. Sitting in a train station for hours. An afternoon visit to Italy. Straining to glimpse the turquoise ocean. Frog legs.

And really, the best thing about France was that when I came back, I was different. I left as a nervous kid with a few years of French under my belt, an overpacked suitcase, and a hunger for exotic food, but I came back knowing what I am capable of: making my way in the world even when it rains or I miss the train or I can't quite understand what people are saying.

I don't agree with the idea that you have to travel to "find yourself." It's all about creating yourself and there are a million ways to do it. I'm just super glad that France was a part of mine.

If you haven't read the whole story about my adventures in France, you can do so by clicking here.