{ Hue Test }

This little online-color activity was kind of fun. Could hurt the eyes a little, but if you're into color differentiation and seeing how good you are with determining hue scales, it's worth a few minutes. enjoy.

{ Yes PLEASE! }

It is a little known, yet very important fact that I know the location of every large swing set in the Provo area. Swinging is hands down one of my favorite things to do -- the bigger the swing, the better. So when I ran across the photo above on Getty images a few days ago, I was floored. A giant swing over an amazing valley all for the taking?! It had to be too good to be true.

But no! IT'S TRUE! It's called bridge swinging, and it happens to be one of my new favorite adventure goals. This photo was taken at a bridge swinging spot in France (the sponsor company is still to be determined), but I also found a place in South Africa and in England. It looks absolutely amazing. Oh MAN! And after a little more investigation, I'm hoping to find a company that offers it in the US (since the England site says it's offered here). But, if the US is a no go, I'm voting for New Zealand or Scandinavia. Whatever the case, I need to get on this. stat.

Here's a video if you wanna see.

{ Not a Jeep Girl Anymore! }

After using more than half a tank of gas in my new car, I figured it was probably time to post about it. So...Dun-du-dah! I am now a Subaru girl! A tree-hugging, fuel-efficient, all-wheel-drive, outdoor-happy Subaru girl, and I am loving it. It's a 2005, champagney-silver colored Subaru Outback, equipped with heated heats (ya -- so stoked) and heated windshield wipers for wintery mornings. It took a little adjusting from the Jeep at first, but a week and a half into it, I am definitely a fan.

The Outback happens to be nine years newer than my Jeep, so it brings a lot of perks. So far, one of my favorite parks has been having a tailgate door that stays open, in all temperatures of weather, without someone holding it -- totally convenient. And I am also loving being able to accelerate when I go uphill, rather than watching the speedometer slowly decelerate till I crest the accents. Anticipated perks include being able to volunteer to drive places because my car gets more than 15 miles per gallon, and feeling totally confident driving in the snow without the added fear that my car will roll too easily. Really, does it get much better than this?

After showing my friend Alex a picture of the car I got, his first words were, "It's totally Nicki! Rugged but still cute." I like it. Rugged in car and lifestyle. Awesome.


The back of the car


The inside of the front -- I am a fan of the faux-wood accents


Pumping my first tank of gas. Averaging 26 MPG! Ya Buddy!


The old hoopty ride the morning I traded it in. Goodbye gas-guzzling Jeep.

{ Excellent use of work time }

My coworker Jen and I took a nice little break today from work and took these pictures for our enjoyment. I am sure they don't convey how hard we were laughing, but rest assured, they provided side-bustin', laugh-till-you-cry, I-can't-breathe-cause-this-is-so-silly enjoyment for at least five minutes. Oh man.

{ Look alike }

Woaw. So...I was just perusing over the blog of a girl I haven't seen in a few years, and then BAM! There was a picture of ME! Well...ok...not actually me, but talk about a look alike! If it wasn't for her painted fingernails and hands, I would have been left wondering when I had ever been in a bowling alley in San Francisco, and why I didn't remember those two guys dancing next to me.

{ Sliding Rock }

As a Saturday outing last week, me, Cam, my best friend Trish, and her husband Russell all made our way (after a couple hiccups with driving directions) to sliding rock, a natural rock waterslide in Alpine. I guess over time a stream has worn a rock up there smooth, so you can slide down it pain free. Kind of a fun natural phenomenon, huh? And despite the FREEZING water you slide into (no joke - I think Trish said it was glacier water), it was an excursion totally worthy of at least a couple hours of fun. Along with sliding the rock, the trip included taking a mini, 8-foot rock jump into a pool of water, doing some minimal hiking and bouldering above the sliding rock, and eating a lunch of turkey sandwiches, sun chips, sweedish fish and grapes (sadly, the string cheese we brought got gross in the sun - ick).

While the rock would only score a 2.5 on the "totally awesome" scale, I would rate it at least a 6 on the "something fun to do that requires minimal travel and minimal money" scale, and an 8 on the "unexpectedly rad, small things that nature has given us to enjoy" scale.

If you wanna go, here are directions coming from Provo:
I 15 N. Exit the Highland/Alpine exit and head East. Go for like 5 miles and make a left at the Chevron (I'm pretty sure the street is 100 East in Alpine). Go straight through the roundabout and follow that road till in bends to the right, but DON'T FOLLOW THE CURVE (this was one of our hiccups). Instead, curve/turn left with the road and follow it until right before it curves to a dead end. Park along side the big dirt field and go through the fence with the rock next to it that has the words "no rock" (random) spray painted on the side. Follow the path/paved road, keep right on the path, until you come to the dead end. Then take the single track trail (not the jeep trail) on your left about 15 feet up to the falls. Can't miss 'em.


Me and Cam at the top of the rock


View looking down from the top of the slide


Cam taking the first slide.


And Cam quickly retreating out of the freezing water at the bottom


Russ flexin' his stuff


Me, Russ and Trish at the top

And...as a side note...can I express to you my love for my Chacos (them being on my mind because I wore them on the above described excursion)? Now...I know some may say that they aren't the most attractive sandals, and they do leave you with some pretty funky tan lines, but honestly, they are the most functional pair of shoes I own. Rugged, water-friendly, and rock-sticky. Can't beat it. I've only had them for 3 months, but I don't know how I lived without them before. So so great.