Best part of this weekend.

I felt like myself again.

It's kind of a weird thing to try and explain.

Can anyone relate to feeling like when you graduate from High School you lose yourself trying to find yourself and sometimes when you find yourself you realize that a lot of the way you were before was really you? Does that long run on sentence make sense?

A few examples.

I ran into an old friend that I hadn't really talked to in probably 2 years and when he saw me he couldn't stop telling me how different I sounded and looked. I asked him what it was and he said that the Chanel he knew before was kind of quiet reserved, seemed more sad, but that now I was really happy and more alive. When I hear that I remember how I was always like that in high school. Maybe it was the comfort of my best friends and feeling accepted by them so I was just always happy and myself and then once that relationship was lost (to an extent) I became withdrawn because I was insecure with who I was. I was still finding myself outside of high school. Just a thought.

I hate being cold and I don't like swimming. So I surprised myself on a hike when I got into a freezing cold glacier made lake and didn't hate it. I later jumped into a water hole (in a creek that was run off from previous glacier made lake) multiple times and didn't even feel cold and miserable like I usually would.

That night I went to a swim party.

I was kind of nervous to go. I don't typically go to these things and enjoy myself, at least not in the last few years.

So I envisioned myself being that quiet withdrawn person that just kind of stood awkwardly next to people that I don't really know because I didn't want to make a fool of myself playing water polo, or was cold and just wanted to get out of the pool instead of participate.

But I was the complete opposite.

I was the one that got water polo set up. I was right there swimming from side to side trying to steal the ball, or trying to make goals. I even tried stealing a ball from a guy and ended up being in the middle of like a 5 person tug of war over this ball. And I was one of the only girls actually playing. I saw so many others playing the role I thought I would play.

After water polo I then got a game started on the swinging ball and again was the only girl playing.

After we finished swimming I was like WHO THE HECK ARE YOU. 

Then I got like the best compliment on our hike the next day. 

I was running down summit with 2 guys just joking around and having a great time when one of them turned to me and was like "Chanel you are just a firecracker of energy!"

I felt so alive in that moment. So like myself.

Years ago my family saw me as this girl who just loved life and everything it had to offer.

I really feel like I lost that part of me over the last few years and have slowly been gaining it back. 

I feel like I'm getting back to that girl who just loves having a good time and has endless energy (unless I've been playing all day and it's now past midnight, I just want to sleep then. Even the energizer bunny has to recharge at some point I'm sure!)

Anyway, in short, this was probably one of the best weekend I've had in a while.

 I laughed more, lived more, and loved more. 

(A touch cliche but true)

Judging a book by it's cover.

Readers beware.

This post might make you think twice about checking out a book at the library.

No I'm not going to tell me about all the germs that are likely on your library book or anything gross like that. 

It has occurred to me that you can discover a lot about a person by the books they read.

Sometimes maybe too much and sometimes probably nothing at all, just rash judgements. (Judging a book (person) by a cover.. Clever yah?)

But it has become a sort of game for me when all the books that have been placed on hold by patrons, come in from various libraries to guess who has put the books on hold before I scan them into the computer.

There is a lady who loves to read those really mushy gushy romance novels. I can always guess which books are going to be for her. I don't know her but I like to think she's an older single lady and is living her life vicariously thru these romance books, I would probably do the same. 

I see books come in that are titled "How to boost your metabolism and keep the weight off forever" And I "assume" that person is concerned about their weight and trying to change that.

I know when a parent is trying to potty train their kids or teach them manners.

I know who wants to learn how to sew and is looking for tips on hair care.

There have even been a few occasions when I've learned who wants babies and who doesn't.
I try not to be to judgmental as I'm checking in the books and movies but it's really hard because you really do get a look at what people are interested in and what might be going on in their lives.
When I give people their books I'll sometimes ask them about them. Like if they are going on a trip to France because they just checked out 5 books about all the sights in France. I then learn all about their other travels or the ancestors they have over there.
I talk to people about cooking and some of their favorite recipes or learn about all the various quilts they have stitched.
It's actually kind of fun to get to know about people in this way.
So here's what the books I've read this summer say about me.
Nightingale by Susan Warren- I'm an old soul, interested in knowing more about World War II. Okay mostly I was just interested in the Love story, between an American Nurse and a German soldier/doctor.
Seriously I'm kidding, By Ellen DeGeneres. This one I think says I like to laugh and not take life to seriously. Her book really does make you laugh out loud. It also makes you think though. Usually the first page or so of the chapter is just Ellen rambling on about something making you laugh, but then she ties it all together in the last paragraph and you get so much out of it.
The Summer I turned pretty By Jenny Han. I haven't started this one yet. I don't really know what it says about me. Maybe just that I'm hoping it'll give me some tips on how to turn pretty this summer? I just heard it was a good book from a co-worker so I thought why not.
Forgotten. By Cat Patrick- This is about a girl who doesn't remember her past, only future events. Maybe it's a metaphor for my life. Wanting to forget about some things that have happened in the past and wanting to be able to see the future, to see what happens in my life. That would maybe be cool for a day but then I would want to forget about it and have life be a mystery again.
All the books I've read really don't say that much about me in all honesty. Non-fiction books do it better and Ellen's is the only one that I read. But I did just give you a list of some books you might want to look into. 

All hail broke lose.

As many of you may know or have heard my little hometown got HAMMERED with hail.

Not just your average pea sized hail, but golf ball to baseball sized hail.

I was working in the library when it happened and all the power went out and the few patrons that were inside stood out in the lobby with me as we watched in shock, seeing the hail smash the concrete and cars. Withing minutes it looked like it had snowed an inch as the ground was govered in hail.

 Seriously I have never seen anything like this, not even in a movie. 

After I got home from work we went and drove around to survey the damage.

You couldn't drive down the street more then 5 seconds without seeing at least one car with a smashed in window.

Usually anytime is a good time to go to the temple but if you lived out of town and walked out of the temple all happy and glowing I'm sorry that feeling didn't last much longer once you saw your car.

My dad estimates that 50% of the cars that were left unprotected have smashed windows and if your window wasn't smashed in, then your car looks like it got hit with 100 baseball bats.

As for houses there are a few broken windows, panelling dented, and shingles and ceder wood roofing broken off.

And well you can guess that every garden in town is destroyed.

My heart breaks for my dad. His garden is his baby during the summer.

But he has a good attitude about it. He just says "Oh well it's just a garden, at least I'll have a lot more free time."
And here are some pictures just so you can see how bad it was.

A Hail pile in someones yard.

People out golfing the hail.

The greens on the golf course. They'll be closed for the next 3 weeks :(

Siding on someones house.

Cougar

Sometimes I joke around about being a "cougar" because I'm 23 and not married.

Most guys I meet at BYU-I are 22 and younger.

Actually just in general most guys I meet these days are younger then me. 

This summer I'm working at the library doing the Children's Summer Reading Program and the theme for this week was "Once upon a time." 

So I donned my grad dress and pretended to be a princess.

Let me just say, I wish I got to be a princess everyday at the reading program. 

All the little girls would just stare at me with a little smile on their face. Some would come up and tell me how beautiful I was and that they loved my dress.

Everyone always wanted "the princess" in their group or to sit next to them during the craft. 

Now here comes the cougar part. Today there were 2 boys ages 8 and 9 that just LOVED me. 

They hardly left my side the whole time. One of them said he wanted to be a prince so I told him he could be my prince and he was all over that. He kept saying that I was his princess and that I would one day be his wife. They both told me that they thought I was beautiful (actually one of them said I was sexy and the one that was my "prince" said "I wouldn't say that about her, that's not good")

Then my prince kept saying how much he really wanted to marry me. He kept taking his "magic" jelly beans and wishing on them that he was 25. He asked how old I was and when I told him I was 23 he was like WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO OLD?! You'll be 33 by the time I'm 19 and can move out of the house. I just want to get married so we can go on dates and have babies. It'll be so much fun!

Seriously people I was dying with laughter inside. He seemed soooo serious about all this and that it would actually be a possibility. I told him I would wait for him and he told me that I should and if I could please stay young. (It's a good thing I already look younger then I am)
And I guess if I don't get married in the next 10 years I have a willing candidate. That just brings my heart so much comfort.... :)

Welp that's the end of my story. I'm sure I'll have more as he comes to the program every wednesday.

Stupid. Maybe, Maybe not

Just get ready to call me stupid.

Especially any family members who may read this that are living at my house right now that I haven't even told because I know it was potentially dumb, but I did it and I'm alive.

On Thursday I picked up a hitch hiker. 

I WAS ALL BY MYSELF.

This is the story.

I was on my way to Raymond for Summer games 

*Insert me and my partner took silver in badminton. YAY

So at the turnoff to raymond I see a hitch hiker headed in the opposite direction.

Usually I see hitch hikers, feel bad and wish I could pick them up then forget about it.

But for some reason I saw him and thought if I was driving back home I would pick him up. It just felt okay? I continued to play out this whole scene of where I would talk to someone on the phone the whole time and have some secret code word so that if anything started going wrong they could call the cops or something. 

Anyway went and played badminton and was driving home 2.5 hours later. 

I just get past Magrath and who do I see on the side of the road, but the hitch hiker still walking. (That's like 12 KM of walking in the heat with no water or food. And I came to find out he'd been walking since just past Lethbridge. Now we are probably tacking on another 12 KM.)

All the sudden I notice my foot has pressed on the brake and while this is happening I'm saying out loud "NO NO what am I doing. I can't pick him up! I'm all by myself."

Despite my minds resistance I found myself pulling off to the side of the road approaching this man with his hands waving furiously in the air.

I roll down my window and I can feel my whole body shaking as I ask him where he is going.

He tells me he's going to Cardston and that he's pretty sure he's got heat stroke because his arms are starting to go numb and such. 

Every logical part of me said to leave but I just couldn't. I really feel like I was suppose to pick this guy up. Seriously call me crazy and stupid but it felt so right, from the first time that I saw him (Sounds like some kind of romance...) But really I think I would've been devastated had I found out later that this guy had died or been hospitalized and known that I could've helped him.

I just tried to be super nice cause I've heard that makes it harder for people to hurt you. I gave him my water bottle and a piece of gum and blasted the AC as well as rolled down his side of the windows. I made some small talk in the beginning and just tried to be as sweet as could be. 

He slept pretty much the rest of the way home.

So there is my story. I picked up a hitch hiker and lived. 

I will probably never do it again but I'm honestly really glad I did this time.