The Chronicles of the Top of the A 5k Fun Run T-shirt

 It started with the 5k run at USU which honestly I remember very little about...Just the stretch to the finish line. The real adventure began in Zions National Park and a hike in the narrows with my Dad, my sister Mary, and my brother David where I wore my fun run t-shirt. We waded through water that reached as high as my waist. So with trenching around in the ankle to waist deep water my t-shirt became lightly stained with the brown-red iron of the beautiful formations. This hike is definitely a great example of a traditional outdoor activity I go on with my family. After the shirt went through the wash and I realized the dirt didn't come out completely I decided it would be a camping/ outdoor shirt...That is just what it became and much more. 

This is the story of the Top of the 5k Fun Run t-shirt. 

 A little while later I returned to Zions Canyon for another adventure. I went with my Dad, my sister Heather and Blake Taylor...a youth leader from my home ward. He had the canyoneering gear...rad looking helmets and form fitting harnesses. We would rappel into pools of standing water. Yes, the pools were filthy but the feeling of overcoming a natural obstacle course was so worth once again staining my t-shirt. 

By now it was a tradition to get the fun run t-shirt into messes. I also played mud soccer at the scout camp in Bear Lake. The friend I went with knew some peeps who had worked as youth leaders at Bear Lake. The evening started with stomping and sliding in the dirty wet mud opponent against opponent. Barefeet...feeling the mud squish between my toes...running around causing mud to splash everywhere...spotting my shirt brown. After the game we straight up slid into the mud covering ourselves from head to toe in mud...like the savages getting ready for the next hunt. Before going inside we had to get clean...but how...the Lake of course. It felt so nice to rinse off...just in the nick of time before the downpour. During the rain storm we hovered inside the camp cafeteria playing games. After the weather cleared we roasted hot-dogs over a flickering fire, also warming our bodies; a perfect end to a exciting night.

 Springtime means life, color and new beginnings. What better way to ring in the springtime than to splash color everywhere. The Holi Festival of Colors held in Spanish Fork was just the event to do so. My friend Alejandra, my “twin” Cassidy and I attended a Baby Shower for our amazing college roomie Katie before heading to the Color Fest. It's a good thing too because it was in Orem and traffic was slower than tar-bumper to bumper. Each of us met friends and family there (shoutouts to: Heather, Cody, Nate and his family, Ann). The explosion of chalk coloring our faces and clothes from top to bottom was a great way to spend the afternoon. Oh and no big deal I kissed a perfect stranger. I was jamming out to the tunes that were blasting and for a brief second I made eye contact with this guy. A few moments later he walks over and claims that he can't leave until he kisses someone (which some friends of his put him up to). I hesitated but thought to myself YOLO (you only live once). A chalky peck later we parted ways never to see each other again. Funny thing is the girls he was with totally gave me dirty looks...but hey, Festival of Colors guy is the one that approached me. In the end I got a fun story and a chance to spend time with people that mean the world to me!

Of course I had to bring the 5k t-shirt with me to Belize. However, I first want to tell the story of the trip to Guatemala. We live a hop, skip, and a jump away from the border...we also had to renew our Visas. Tikal, jungle immersed ruins, was calling our names. Walking to the tops of the temples and getting a panoramic view of the the lush greenery everywhere was breathtaking. Being able to walk where the ancient Mayans walked was reverencing. I like to picture the city bustling...similar to the scenes in The Testaments movie. It helps to imagine how it would have been like to make it more than a ruin site but a place where a civilization lived. 

Even though there were no messy shenanigans in Tikal, adding adventure and color to the Top of the A t-shirt came with construction and painting. Everything from working in the Sacred Heart College Garden to painting walk-ways, chairs and window shutters at a few other local schools here in San Ignacio. I've added iron red-brown, Caribbean blue, plus a little bit of faded blue from paint thinner. It's been a wonderful time giving service to the people of Belize. I'm looking forward to the remainder of my Belizian summer. 

Adventure On!