A Night of Firsts

In this life, there is a first for everything. 

Friday was the first time I really hung out with Ryan Skousen.

Friday was the first time I was high-centered, in a canyon, in a river, in the middle of the night. 

Friday was the first time I witnessed a mountain crumble, as boulders the size of cars fell on the street.

Our night started out pretty normal. We went to the Grove Theater to watch Ryan's friend Patrick perform at a benefit concert along with Allred, The Neighbors, and some dude named Spencer. It was the first time I unintentionally popped a balloon, the first time I heard a singer who sounded like a sheep, the first time I made a duct tape ring,vand the first time I made up 2 handshakes in one night. 

Allred did awesome! He was kind of depressed, but it made for a great show. He talked about the disaster in Japan, how selfish suicide is, and about being truly happy; it really made you think! It was the first time I have seen a performer cry on stage! You could tell that he was passionate about the things he was discussing and it definitely carried through to his music. Especially this song: Hallelujah.

I got free cotton candy, and smashed Ryan's nose on a drinking fountain. (Sorry!)

Both firsts.

It was my first time seeing the view from Mile High Drive, and my first time hearing someone add money to their bank account over the phone. Not the first time I've aimlessly driven around Provo.

Vivian Park in Provo Canyon seemed to be calling our name so that's where we ended up.  

First time knowing someone paid to be a creep.

(Ryan worked on the Heber Creeper and made kids cry. Some job...)

We had been driving for quite some time so we decided it was best to turn back before we ended up on the equestrian trail. That would be a first for sure; I'm allergic to horses! Ryan threw the car in reverse, started backing up and disaster struck. The same time we heard sounds that aren't normal for driving, we felt the car sink down. We hopped out to see was going on, and lucky us, we were high-centered with the back wheels in a little river. We made a few noble attempts to get out...nothing worked.

Ryan pushed, I drove. No luck.

Ryan jacked the car, I stood there clueless. Fail-the car slides down even more!

Ryan calls friends for help, I don't have service. 

The friends said they had a car that could pull us out, but no cable so they would try calling this kid who they thought would have one, and call us back. While we were waiting we talked, and talked-mostly about our encounters with the opposite gender. The first headlights that we saw, Ryan jumped out of the car to flag them down, buuuutt....they just kept driving. We figured what goes up must come down so we knew they would be back at some point. The mystery truck finally came back and stopped to help us. Or not. Apparently the policy for Utah County just been changed and they are no longer allowed to tow people. On a scale of 1 to Lame, it was LAME. We finally decided that we might need to call his parents despite the assumptions they would make. Ryan called his friends one last time to see if they had any luck, and as it turns out, they were only 10 minutes away from us!

If I said I saw cars this big every day, I'd be lying. It was another first. 

That thing was massive...

Brycen rolled up in a giant Jeep that had some fancy shmancy tow chain built into the front that ran by remote. Pretty neat if you ask me! The boys set it all up and we were out just like that! Needless to say Ryan got (and is probably still getting) so much crap from his friends. It takes a special kid to high center his truck! With all of those firsts out of the way, we started the trek back down the canyon. Right before the main parking lot and entrance to the highway, our way was blocked by boulders in the street! We backed up, parked, and got out to inspect the damage. Right as we got to the rocks, more started falling! This was my first rock slide! It was the most insane experience. I witnessed a mountain crumble, and just fall down. That doesn't happen-mountains are supposed to be immovable! I've always wanted to call 911, but Seth got the honor. Still a first-it was a real life emergency! While Seth was talking to the 911 people on the phone, I yelled over to him:

"Tell them the boulders are the size of baby cars!"

Um...what? Did I just say that? Huh. I couldn't tell you what I meant. A smart car maybe? Those are small, babies are small, it works right? I wish I could say it was the first time I've said something stupid! Anyway, we still needed to get out so we morphed into a rock moving clean up crew. And when I say "we," I mean the boys. I mostly just stood there and took pictures :) They decided that if we moved the biggest rocks on the side farthest from the mountain, we could make it out alive-no casualties.They scouted it out, braved the dirt and ice, and got work done. My friends are so buff.

So here we are: The rescuers and the rescued alive and well after an adventure filled night.

It was the first time I wore those pants, and the first time I wore that hat.

It was also the first time I cracked jokes about New Years and Laser Assault in the same sentence. 

Want to know what it wasn't? 

The last adventure of Rylie Sandorf and Ryan Skousen.

***R2S2 ***

Rainy Day Playlist

You know the days where it is raining and you love every minute of it? You probably open your window, put on sweats and fall asleep to the sound of rain and your perfect playlist. Maybe you forget how close your bed is to the window and wake up when your pillow starts getting wet. Then again, maybe that's just me...whoops. Here are a few of my rAinjAms, enjoy!

Paperweight-Joshua Radin

Samson-Regina Spektor

Who Says-John Mayer

One Year, Six Months-Yellowcard

Aliens and Rainbows-Ferras

Blame It On The Rain-He Is We

My Heroine(Acoustic)-Silverstein

Conversations With Starts-Brightwood

Falling In Love At A Coffee Shop-Landon Pigg

Merry Happy-Kate Nash

Brandy Alexander-Feist

Old School-Hedley

Six Stars Tonight-The Title

Summer Girl-LFO

Mr. Brightside-The Killers

New Soul-Yael Naim

***TOP THREE***

3. Can I Have This Dance-HSM 3

Guilty Pleasure. There is something about this song I just love!

2. Knock You Down-Keri Hilson

Two summers ago Kalli Wyatt and I hiked Elephant Rock early one morning. About a mile and a half into the hike it started pouring. We were instantly soaked, but decided since we were still going to get wet if we went back down to keep going up. We looked like drenched and frozen sewer rats by the end of 7 miles, but it was so worth it! I can't tell you how many times we listened to this song driving there and back, but ever since when I hear it I think about being chilled to the bone. 

1. A Drop In The Ocean-Ron Pope

No explanation necessary. 

Today I'm grateful for...

The men in my life. 

1. My Heavenly Father

Without Him, I could do nothing. This year more than ever I have learned to be more patient and humble. In order to get the answers we are in need of, we must do our part first. Only then will He reciprocate His end of the deal and pour out blessings on us. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us unconditionally and want more than anything for us to return to live with them. I know that it is the gospel in my life that brings me so much happiness, and I wouldn't have it any other way. 

2. My Daddy

He is the funniest man I know. Also the sweetest. When I get married, I want my husband to be just like him! Immoveable in his testimony, selfless in his service to his family, and genuinely fun to be around. Whether it is doing yard work on Saturday morning, cheering on the Cougars, or traveling the world on business, I know my dad will drop whatever he is doing if I need him. He has made his love apparent for the past 19 years, 5 months, and 3 days straight...It's not going to stop any time soon!

3. My Incredible Home Teachers

Past or present, they are the best! Sometimes it's a well prepared lesson, sometimes it's nothing but two boys in sweats making a last minute appearance. Whatever it is, I love it. I am so glad to have them in my life while I am away from home! I've turned to them for stimulating conversation, a tour of campus hot spots, and even a blessing. Seeing how they are now, I can only begin to imagine what incredible missionaries they will make!

4. Jacob Pinegar Gubler...And assorted others.

I don't even know where to begin with this one. Thanks? Guy friends are mandatory in any girls life. Too bad for you, I happen to have the best one out there. Whether it's spraying off the deck at the pool, putting pine trees on the roof of BHS, or simply sitting in my room and talking, I know we'll have a good time. Short, sweet and to the point. Don't let it go to your head Javcod.

5. Jake Maxfield & Ryan Skousen

Jake: "I hate mornings. I don't talk to anyone."

Rylie: "You talk to me!"

Jake: "You do all the talking, I just sit there and listen."

Even though they critique my food choice at times, I have so much fun eating breakfast with those two. I don't think I do all the talking, but either way they are great listeners. Haha I'd say cracking jokes in response to incoherent mumbling is an ideal start to anyones day!

6. Deric-The Headphone Guy From the Testing Center

Deric saved my life and inspired this blog post. I was at the testing center stressing over my Music 101 test when lo and behold, I discovered I was headphoneless. Being a music test, headphones are about the only thing required to take it. Gah. Desperate as I was, I walked up to someone who I thought was likely to have headphones and explained my situation. Being the gentleman he was, he agreed to my proposition and proceeded to pull them out. Holy. Cow. Those things were SO nice. ($60+ Bucks! I looked them up.) We exchanged numbers so we could get ahold of each other, and went our separate ways. Unfortunately I am an honest and ethical human being, so I returned them a few hours later along with some cookies. My hat goes off to you Deric; Hero of the day. 

:)

This blog now has my stamp of approval! It is SO cute. Anyway, if you know how to make it so I can add more pictures in the blue space, let me know. Like I said, technology is not my forte. If you like music you should check out The LOVECAPADES here. I've been sitting in the Wilk. trying to get things to look the way I want them too, and they have been serenading me the whole time!

Runner Assault

Summer is on it's way ya'll.

Halle freaking lujah. 

When it starts getting warm I prefer to run on the streets instead of a treadmill. Makes sense; you can hear birds chirping, get an early start on your tan, and get a breath of fresh air. The only downside: the obnoxious guy who holds on his horn as he passes you. We've all experienced it. You hear the honk, and the next thing you know you're sprawled out on the ground. When someone honks, you naturally turn to look. The sweat dripping down your face latches onto any and all pieces of stray hair as they swing around, causing a frantic scramble to clear it from your eyes. If not done in time, you proceed to miss the curb, stub your toe, flail your arms, and attempt to shoot a crusty in the drivers general direction all at the same time. Say you manage to make eye contact, if he's a smokin hot hunk of man, you will want to hurt yourself even more than you already have because you made yourself look like a fool. A feeble attempt to remedy this will be made as you wave and shamefully look straight ahead as you continue to run. If he falls in the category of "Sweet Spirit," you will want to hurt him. Yelling, swearing, or letting the bird fly are all common reactions here-pick your poison. 

If you want to talk to me while I'm running, try pulling over. If you're still interested after seeing a red face, crazy hair, and an outfit that may or may not match, props! You can now call yourself my friend. A) Because I will be thoroughly impressed at how ballsy you are, and B) You will offer me a ride home which I will gladly accept. Although our legs might be lookin good, only 0.5% of the female population actually looks hot while they run. For the other 99.5 % of us, please, let us be. I promise we look better while running that splattered on the pavement.