The top of the world.

 Come on, who thought of The Carpenters with that blog post?

"I'm on the ... top of the world, looking down on creation & the only explanation I can find..."

 On Saturday, as a final hurrah to our summer, Bekah and I hiked Mount Timpanogos. Now, we invited at least 50 people from our school and BYU ... but no one wanted to join us (insert tears here).  Even though we were a bit saddened by this news, we figured it meant that everyone else was intimidated by the hike & our mad skills.  Heehee. Or so we kept telling ourselves that afternoon. Because, really. Who wouldn't want to hang out with us? We're funny. And semi athletic? But surely we are entertaining company!

14 miles. That's a long hike. I think that's the longest I've ever done, though I know there are more intense, longer hikes in the world. But, though I did have to remind myself a few times that the view would be "worth it," I can promise you...it's an incredible feeling when you reach the peak!

 I've heard of people hiking to the peak and arriving just in time for the sunrise. Now, that would be beautiful! Bucket list item? Maybe.

DIRTY. That's what 14 miles of hiking through dust, rocks, and dirt gets you.

Have you ever hiked Timp? Or does it sound like the last thing you'd want to do for fun?

Chocolate! Chocolate! Come here.

Jen got sick off imported Swiss water.  

Obviously I've been having a grand time here in Asheville with my sister. And more family is coming tomorrow! Yippee. Basically, Jen pointed out that the majority of what we've done is exercise and eat. But, I suppose there is nothing wrong with that, right?

Here have been some highlights of my trip:

-Running 7.2 miles my first day here (with a little jet lag...I was feeling ambitious! And the low altitude didn't hurt either)
-Going to church at a small branch and meeting a mutual friend of one of my best friends in Utah.
-A magnificent pie party with quite the variety including: savory samosa pie, gluten/vegan free pie, classic apple pie, and the delicious triple-berry lattice pie that Jen and I made.
-Eating the best chicken sandwich ever (seriously. delicious.) at Early Girl Eatery
-Walking around downtown with Jon and Jen. Poor Jon has to put up with our constant movie quoting, singing, and inside joke-telling. No, no. He gets to put up with us.
-Deeming The Ultimate as in the winner in my book of the great debate between two local icecream shops.
-Finding an adorable owl wristlet at a local shop. There were so many cute owl trinkets to choose from.
-Going with Jen to her gym for a core strengthening class (still feeling that one this afternoon)

I love seeing my sister extremely happy and content with the place she lives. I love that she knows all the roads like the back of her hand & that she will travel & explore them with me. I love that she and Jon have visited many of the restaurants and shops so they can give great recommendations ... that my sister knows the history of a certain downtown building that has a man with a pig face etched in stone. But, feeling that passionate ... that's what home should be, don't you think?

Jen and I enjoying black licorice taffy.

Oh, in case you were wondering how I'm doing on my half marathon training, Jen is an excellent trainer :) I'm also officially registered for the race! It's real, folks.

You can see more of our adventures on Instagram (@cheripeacock or @jonnifer).

the half.

**no, this is not me. and does not look like me when I run. it's just a visual for this blog post.

For years, I've had "run a half marathon" on my bucket list.

This week, I started training for it. The race I want to run is the Cedar City Half on Sept. 15. That is definitely not 12 weeks away, so I'm not following the schedule exactly. But I can already feel my endurance increasing & my muscles working hard.

Today I ran nearly 4 miles in 40 minutes, which is slower than I ran in cross country, but the 10-minute pace works for me. I also recently purchased new running shorts, capris (clearance for $10. Score!), and socks. Nothing motivates you (well, besides perhaps relationship woes) like new running gear!

I can't wait to run in Asheville for the next 10 days with my sister. I think running is a great way to explore when you are traveling.  And then to run again in Cedar. I love my little town!

So, with that being said ... if you have run a half marathon, do you have any tips? Or even if you haven't, what are some great running/"pump up" songs?

Any & all advice is appreciated!

and it was great.

And so I return from the little bubble known as EFY. And what a wonderful bubble it was! I met great youth, counselors, teachers, and had a blast (can you really call this a job?). I definitely felt more fulfilled in one week than I had in the job I had for 3 months earlier this summer.

Not only did I get the chance to teach and testify everyday, but I observed lives changing from Monday to Saturday. I saw a difference the gospel makes. And I gained a new perspective for my own life. And, in case you were wondering if I saw any cute male counselors...the answer is yes.

some of my girls before breakfast. loved those polos :)

enjoying free time at The Creamery. Just FYI, graham canyon & earnestly chocolate are divine!  

Me with our session director, Jason Hall. He is amazing! 

My co-counselor, Sam. Also, we had blue polos...apparently I took more photos when wearing the purple! 

All the boys in our company. Such cute guys! 

all my 14 girls! loved them. 

This one week taught me about self worth, the gospel, our Heavenly Father's plan for us, and much more. Brother Hall said if we go back to our "normal lives" and everything stays the exact same, then we have wasted our time. But, if we make even the smallest change, it will have been worth it. Here's to making sure even the smallest change does happen.

to travel.

Sisters' Weekend 2011: Washington, D.C.

Sometimes, I just get this insatiable urge to travel.

See the world. Explore. You know, all those good things? Maybe it's remembering that just a year ago I was coming back from a summer of seeing NYC, Boston, Spain, and Washington, D.C. But, as I sit here in my quaint attic room, I have this desire to escape this little town for a short while.

After some exciting guests that will be visiting this next week (I'll be sure to blog about it), my summer travels (part 2) will begin. Where to?

In the next month, I will be staying with my brother, sister-in-law, & (now) 3 nieces in Spanish Fork. While that's not really an exotic location, it will be a great getaway, & it has been a tradition for...7 or 8 years now. I can't wait!

I will be home for a break in between (hello, county fair!) & then I will head out of this state and off to visit beautiful Asheville, NC to see my sister Jen, the town she loves, her remodeled bungalow ... and as if it could get any better, my sister Becky, along with my sister-in-law Ange & niece will be visiting as well (SISTERS REUNION 2012). That means in the next month, I will see every single sibling. And with us being in 4 different states, that's pretty impressive!

So, hello to more summer travels before school starts again in just over a month!

solar eclipse & brick oven pizza

This summer has exceeded my expectations thus far. I'm having a great time meeting new people, enjoying not having the "cliques" you see during the school year, and having adventures nearly everyday.

On Sunday, there was a solar eclipse and the best place in the world to view it was practically my backyard. We drove about 15 minutes away to Kanarraville, a town that has a few more than 300 people and doesn't have a gas station. We saw quite a few cars from Nevada, Colorado, Arizona, and California. Dedication. It was a cool experience though, and one that won't happen again in my lifetime. Check out awesome pictures here.

The group of us watching the annular solar eclipse in the "sweet spot"

Then on Monday night, a few of us cooked pizzas in a friend's adobe brickoven. It was delicious. Definitely the best way to eat pizza!

My pizza getting ready to enter the brick oven.

Cooked & ready to devour. A chicken, artichoke, red onion, pepper, olive pizza? How can you not think that looks divine?

I have a summertime bucket list and I'm already crossing off items. There are adventures everywhere I look and I don't anticipate that stopping anytime soon. On Saturday I head to California for one week with one of my best friends, Rebekah. We're staying at her house, swimming in the ocean, and having a lot of fun in between :) I can't wait for this little summer vacation!

D.C. in photos.

Since I have a free moment before my sister arrives this afternoon, I thought I'd post a few recent photos of D.C. Enjoy!











(my sister made an awesome little chart for me to track where I have gone in D.C. So cute!)
(went to frozen yogurt last night after a 30-minute-dance party, which you can tell really took a toll on my hair. But it was definitely fun.)

D.C. has been a blast! 3 more days here and then it's back to UTAH.

peace.

6 weeks gone, 1 to go.

i am leaving. on a jet plane.
in the morning.

what??
i can't believe it. i feel like i have seen, experienced, and learned an incredible amount in the last six weeks.

culture shocks in nyc. culture shocks in spain.
falling in love with cities. and bridges. and heladerías.
learning so much about myself. what i want in life. where i want to be and what i want to do.

a new appreciation for things i take for granted -- fresh fruit, salads, family just a phone call away, air conditioning, clean air (meaning NOT walking through puffs of smoke on every single street), a gospel-oriented home.

man. it has been a grand experience. and now i am off to D.C. (after a bus ride, plane ride, overnight layover, plane ride, and one more bus ride) to visit with my beautiful sisters (jen and becky).

and then more exciting things when i head back to utah. it is a great summer indeed.

love love.
--cheri

time of my life.

all these pics were taken on the same day. can you see my happiness? yeah. spain is amazing. life is great. my roommate...couldn't have asked for a better one! we have such fun times together (buying cacahuetes bañados en chocolate, "pring-less", chocolate loafs, peanut m&ms, ropa, and zapatos..) and we keep saying how strange it will be to not be around each other 24-7. she has taught me so much and i love learning about her life! we are both silly and crazy and have crazy families too, but it makes everything much more enjoyable. alex is such a strong, incredible person! she is a great example too. we have a little book of quotes from this trip that none of you would laugh about...but anyway, we have fun together. the end :)

vale, vale!

Lessons learned in Spain:

--My host family is probably the best. Maite and her 6-year-old daughter are incredible! Irene is very cute, loves Justin Bieber and Hannah Montana, and is quite hilarious. She will get in little spouts where she just talks so fast and I can hardly understand her, but it is entertaining to watch. Last night I turned on my iPod and she danced to Justin Bieber in my room, singing little parts of the songs. It was cute. We asked her if she loved Justin Bieber. Her answer (so matter of factly) was, "Claro!" (of course). Some people are with host families who are old ladies that are very strict ... I am lucky!

--Sometimes one letter can make all the difference in the world! Case in point? Irene was eating cherries one night. I was showing her that I could tie the stem in a knot with my tongue. She was first horrified that I put the stem in my mouth, shouting not to eat it. I was telling her that my name in English (the way it is pronounced here) sounds like cherry. But, I mistakenly called the cherries cervezas instead of cerezas. Yeah, cervezas = beer. She had a good laugh about that.

--The city is beautiful! And, no matter how much they feed us or how much bread we eat, I don´t think it compares to the amount of walking we do. Yesterday a few friends from my group and I just went exploring, saw an AMAZING view of the city, and tried granazado de limón (basically a lemon slush drink). We also saw gorgeous architecture. I can´t wait to show you pictures! Unfortunately, the computers here at school don´t allow that.

--Here in Spain, "vale" is a slang word meaning "OK". Spaniards say it ALL THE TIME. Also, they drop the S's from words quite frequently. I felt like quite the Spaniard yesterday when I said, "Buena noche" to my host family instead of "Buenas noches".

Ok, this post was long, but I wanted to share some of my adventures! After the first two nights, things definitely were looking up and I don´t feel so homesick anymore. I am here to enjoy and explore! I also met a very nice girl in my class today from Virginia. Hopefully we´ll become friends here!

Vale, vale. Chao!

boston.

i went to my dream city this week.
and this was one of my favorite parts -- the boston temple.
PLUS i've been taking polaroids everywhere i go which is AWESOME. I'm so glad my mom saved the 7 packs of film from going in the trash at work.

i'll try to update more before i head off to Spain, but it's kind of busy until then! goodnight :)

happy & plans.

....leaving in 30 hours.

for NYC.

and Boston.

and SPAIN!

can you believe it's here?? i can't. i'm packing. going to the store & getting everything finalized. buying travel size hairspray. cutting down half of the stuff i want to take. printing maps and tickets. holy cow. my summer adventure is here!

also

remember the other day when i talked about a date? well, going on dates with this boy started my summer off perfectly. here is a picture from our recent date to a Thai restaurant (i enjoyed both the food AND the company immensely). i'd love to continue getting to know him when i get home. we'll see! doesn't he have the greatest smile (and eyes...and dimples too!)? Shoot!

well, back to work. i'll update you in NYC!

love,

the little traveler.

sweet summer.

Well, it's been quite the summer! My friend did a bulleted list of some things she did this summer and I thought I'd do the same:

• drove across the country with my best friend/sicolega/cousin and my brother and SIL.
• discovered Charleston, SC with my SIL, went on a haunted tour at night of the city, and also visited Cypress Gardens
• stopped in Nashville, St. Louis, Nauvoo, Carthage, and spent too long in Kansas :)
• met "bug boys" in both Charlotte and Kansas at church. Went on dates which included bowling until 2 a.m. and a 24-hour pastry shop in NC and a motorcycle ride in Olathe, Kansas.
• started working at Kohl's again, full-time, in the shoe department
• worked as the "shoe supervisor"
• moved in new place with mom/remodeling/unpacking/organizing (still going on)
• started attending a single's ward
• car died
• purchased an adorable pink scooter
• studied, took motorcycle endorsement test, got Lucy inspected, practiced driving in church parking lot and down the street
• picked up license plate, got hit by car, Lucy totaled :(
• first date with NC "bug boy", who consequently became my bf
• many dates with Adam
• spent a week in Spanish Fork with my wonderful family :) Plenty of game nights (me losing usually), swimming in the afternoon, and quesadillas.
• went to fireworks multiple times with my mom and Saturday afternoon lunch dates with mom at Subway
• decided against a long-distance relationship
• mission farewells galore!
• swam in the pool at mom's new place
• visited Cedar for a quick mid-week getaway
• attended a fabulous tea party

Six more days...where did summer go? Well, that's my summer in a nutshell though I'm sure a left out a lot!

I will update soon with tea party pics. They're fabulous folks :)

13 days.

In 13 days, I will be back in my beloved Cedar City. I cannot believe that in 2 weeks, I will be attending a new singles ward, seeing old (and meeting new) friends, rooming with one of my best friends Samand unpacking before I begin my second year of college!

Growing up, I remember thinking high school seniors were so old, missionaries were DEFINITELY "grown up" and an RM was definitely old! Now, the majority of my friends fit into the last two categories, and mid-twenties is the basic range for those I associate with.

I'm growing up! I don't know how it happened! Needless to say, I'm excited to start school (and nervous). I'm sure many adventures await me for this year. It's been a great summer, full of unexpected happenings, both good & bad, but overall, I've learned A LOT.

Now, here's to a new semester, new (but familiar) surroundings, and a new excitement for life, love, and friendship!

Sorry for the lack of posting..I've been in a "I have nothing new" frame of mind!

Adios for now.

In-N-Out

Well, I finally made it to the restaurant that I hear so much about: In-N-Out.

Thoughts?

-Chocolate shake is delightful.

-I love the simplistic menu (with less than eight options! This is a great place for an indecisive person, like me).

-The fries are from fresh potatoes, which just taste pretty good!

-The burger probably wasn't my favorite, which might have had something to do with their "special sauce" aka some spin of Thousand Island. It was good, but I'm not a huge Thousand Island fan (reminded me of Big Mac sauce).

-But, all in all, it was fun. Plus, I had someone awesome to keep me company!

PS. We had been at Seven Peaks for a few hours before eating, which explains our look a little more!

everyone, meet Lucy.

Well, it feels like forever since I've updated (really only a week??), but I'll tell you one of the more exciting things in my life right now:

the adoption of Miss Lucy Jack.

When Old Red died a few weeks ago (my means of transportation when I'm home), I looked at getting a new (used) car. The thought of car payments, gas, tires, mechanical problems + random expenses, etc. caused me great stress. With the help of my family, I finally decided that a scooter could be the perfect solution. It still has its disadvantages (ie, I can't drive it on the freeway, what if it rains on my way to work?, etc.), but I am so thrilled to now be the proud owner of Lucy Jack.

I had no idea a scooter required a motorcycle endorsement, but I've now received my permit and will be taking my road test in the next little bit so I can have the endorsement on my driver's license.

It's a lot of fun to drive around (having a scooter + nice weather = driving around just for the heck of it) and will be very convenient at school in the fall. I really do love Lucy! :)

sneak peak.

{photo taken somewhere in the beautiful Tennessee mountains}

i'm back from my first (hopefully not last) summer adventure.

How i loved North Carolina, and the road trip back to Utah was amazing. I visited Nashville, Nauvoo, the St. Louis arch, and other wonderful places. I'm trying to select some of my favorite pictures, but it's pretty hard when I took nearly 1,000 (hey, I was gone for over 2 weeks, seeing awesome sights. Give me a break!). I promise an update (with a LOT of pics) soon!

{c}