Adventure Awaits

Adventure Awaits

           What’s up, guys?! I know I’ve been MIA for a while, but wow, summer has been flying by! A huge crowd of girls has come to Arizona from Finland and Sweden, and since all of them go to the same church as me, we were lucky enough to meet each other. In effect, we’ve been hanging out a ton. It helps that I managed to explore a bit of both countries last summer, giving me some good background on their culture. One of the Swedish girls has been staying at my house and will be here until early August. It’s been an incredible amount of fun showing the girls around my own state (and sometimes other ones). This way, everyone gets to see more of Arizona’s gorgeous landscape with a fresh outlook, and I have the incentive to get up and just GO somewhere. Since some of my foreign friends are here on different schedules, I’ve had to say goodbye to quite a few of them already. It’s been one heck of an exciting whirlwind, and it’s so sad when they have to leave! On the bright side, I now have someone to visit when I go back to Europe. Also, saying goodbye to those who have left only makes me appreciate my time more with those who are still here. All right, on to the best part. Welcome to my adventures from the past month! I hope you become inspired to go do something a little different and out of your comfort zone.

1. Downtown Phoenix

Upon mulling over where to go on the Swedish girls’ first day, Julia, Cicci, and I decided to check out downtown Phoenix. We drove down with two of my Finnish friends, Elli and Enni, to what is arguably the home of Phoenix’s best street art. After parking on some random street, we headed to the Monorchid for a look around. Once hitting up Google for any places to check out, we decided to just walk, explore, and take photos of anything that piqued our curiosity. Personally, I could spend all day inspecting the very walls of Downtown Phoenix just to gather information on what kind of brushstroke and pace was used in painting an entire mural, but hey, I’m an art addict. After meandering around for a bit, we headed into a coffee shop to wait for two more girls to arrive. This is when I met Anna and Nora, two Finnish girls who are now what I think of when I hear the word “adorable”. Crazily enough, I had met Nora very briefly last year in Finland at suviseurat, which is a HUGE gathering of people for church services that go on for several days. Although I couldn’t quite remember where I had met her because of the overload of people I had met that summer, Nora jogged my memory, and soon I was recalling our meeting and apologizing profusely for my appalling memory. We bonded over lunch at a not-so-great Mexican restaurant (Why did we spend money on this?? Oh, you’re so right, this was not worth it.) and then drove over to my house for swimming and, of course, more food. Welcome to America, girls!

2. Bartlett Lake

            Following a rather drawn out morning of church, a herd of teenagers raced over to Barro’s for lunch to make plans for the day, myself included. Now, Barro’s is not by any means our favorite food, but hey, it’s cheap, and we’re teenagers with expensive futures! Over a few tables covered in pizza slices and tiny bowls of $2.50 salads, a plan was formed to head out to Lake Bartlett to make the best of the sweltering weather. A bunch of us piled into our friend Jed’s truck, and we set off, several of us sitting in the truck bed with the wind whipping our hair into inseparable knots. Once at the lake, we spent the afternoon tanning, swimming, and doing flips. All in all, it was the perfect way to spend a Sunday.

3. Grand Canyon

            One night while hanging out with the whole crowd of foreigners in Arizona and with some of my AZ friends, my good friend Sonja and I began talking about a trip to the Grand Canyon. It went something like this.

Sonja: Hey, so I don’t think the Finns have gone to the Grand Canyon yet!

Me: I know… I think some of them leave really soon. Hey, we should go!

Sonja: Shoot, I think they leave in a couple days, and I work then.

Me: Well, when are you free?

Sonja: Tomorrow is the only time it would work. Omigosh, should we just all go tomorrow??

Me: Dude that would be sick if it can work out!

And scene. Mind you, this conversation took place at about ten pm. After an endless amount of pleading and coaxing, by some miracle we managed to convince our parents to let us drive everyone to the Grand Canyon the following morning. In the morning, everyone met up with droopy eyelids propped open by caffeine running through our blood accompanied by handfuls of multiple water bottles to prevent dehydration for the day ahead. The ride was complete with bumping music and good company, and the canyon was well-enjoyed by everyone. We rode the buses around to different spots for pictures and hiking, and something about that beautiful gaping pit in the earth filled my soul with wonder and gave me that glowing feeling that every adventure worth having leaves me with. The one thing I wish I would have done was brought more food, seeing as the only thing to eat after was either overpriced fast food at the canyon or Pizza Hut on the road home. (We chose the latter). I definitely enjoyed bringing all of my foreign friends to one of the world’s natural wonders, because it was totally worth it watching the amazement spread across their faces.

4. California!! (San Diego)

            The eldest sibling in my family, Peter, has been studying to become an NMD for several years, and, in June, he finally graduated with a PHD! My family and I, who are all immensely proud of him, decided to drive to San Diego in order to attend his graduation. My Swedish friend/housemate Cicci got to come along and get a taste of my favorite place. Although our trip was mainly for my incredibly hardworking brother, everyone got to enjoy a beach day before the graduation, which was on the following day.  And my, the ocean is enough to keep me happy for eternity. Okay, maybe that’s a little dramatic, but there’s something about the endless horizon, the rolling waves, and the power of the ocean that intrigues me like no other. The waves on Moonlight Beach were a bit too strong and large for surfing that day, so we swam, boogie boarded, tanned, walked the shoreline, did some flips (okay, that one was just me), and took some photos. Cicci is amazing with a camera, unlike me, and also is pro at posing, unlike me. Hence, most of the photos of C are okay-ish quality with a stunning model, and most of the photos of me are of stunning quality with a laughing model. Every time I try to pose in a non-gymnastics photo, I end up feeling stupid, resulting in me bursting into laughter. Ah well, I tried! The family ate at a delicious fish taco place near the beach, and while most headed to Peter and Katherine’s (his lovely wife) apartment, Cicci, Emmalee (my sister), and I hightailed it back to the beach to catch the most breath-taking sunset I have seen in years. Each passing minute, the sky’s colors intensified until that glowing feeling spread throughout my entire body. I could never get tired of feeding my soul with the innate beauty of California. Soon after darkness spread across the sky, we joined the others at the apartment for a little congratulations party for Peter. It was fun hanging with the family and just enjoying each others' company. After the evening soiree, everyone went to their hotels to get some rest before the big graduation day. 

             The next morning, Cicci and I got dressed and headed to breakfast with some of my siblings. Seeing as it was father’s day, the only place we could find enough space to eat at was a Mexican restaurant. Surprisingly, the food was better than I expected, and we were all pleasantly full after. Note: Always split your dish with someone at Mexican restaurants unless you’re incredibly hungry. The portions are always more than enough! We headed off to the graduation site, and, upon being early, enjoyed a good cup of coffee from a nearby café before getting our seats for the graduation ceremony. Wow, what a ceremony it was! The speeches were cleverly written, spiked with hilarity, relatability, and heartfelt feeling. Also, once my brother was announced a doctor of naturopathic medicine, I think my throat got a little raw from cheering. Our trip ended after spending a good couple hours taking photos with and congratulating my big brother. Everyone parted their separate ways, and I was left with a couple days’ worth of beautiful memories to look back on.

5. Salt Water River Tubing

            My Finnish, Swedish, and American friends all planned on going Salt Water River tubing to beat the heat on a free day. Although the road trip there wasn’t very long, the amount of time we spent waiting in line to buy tubes and get onto a bus that brings people to the river felt like 20 years in hell. (Hellooo, Arizona sun! Yeah, I guess we’re getting close and personal today!) Anyhow, once we boarded the bus, the heat wasn’t so bad due to the pretty awesome bus driver who had cracked the windows to allow a breeze to circulate through the bus. Once at the river, the wait was worth it. The Salt Water River is one of those gems in the desert where cacti surround you next to bright green trees and wonderfully cold water. We all laid sheets out on our tubes to protect us from the sun (once the rubber tubes heat up, good luck staying cool without a sheet) and put our things on top of the sheet. Somehow, I ended up with the bag full of everyone’s things. Note to self: DO NOT bring a bag with you unless you want to end up playing the “mom” role of guarding the belongings! I did ditch the tube once in a while, but it was a bit annoying having to worry about everything in the bag, especially my car keys. Like hey, man, I hope my car keys don’t go floating to the bottom of the river, because that would be too fantastic! :’) Oh, remember to put your car key in a Ziploc baggie if it has automatic lock/unlock buttons, because the bag WILL be getting wet. Thankfully, I remembered to do so, and had no problems with ruining my keys. All in all, the river was incredibly fun. We spent about four hours relaxing, swimming, tanning, and getting some good laughs in while floating along it. However, we did have a little scare when the smallest of our group got caught in the rapids without a tube. A dramatic and heroic rescue scene by four friends, two strangers, and I quickly ensued until my friend was safely floating along on her tube once more. Take heed: the rapids are strong and will pull you to the bottom of the river if you are without a tube, so please be careful if you visit this place! As long as everyone has a tube, a sheet, and water, you are bound to all leave with a smile and a tan to match it.

Besides for all of what I hope I have described as interesting adventures, summer has basically consisted of hanging out, having a couple low-key parties, and just having a good time. What a time to be seventeen! I’ll be updating you all on the next road trip, which is coming up soon (cue my shriek of excitement)…hint: it has lots of saltwater involved! Until next time!