Smiling all the Way From A to Z -- O

Today's smiles are brought to you by something that truly brightens my spirits. The letter O stands for...

OUTDOORS

I was raised by a dad that enjoyed the outdoors more than anything. We went hiking and biking a bunch during the summer as well as road trips to see the beauties of Western United States. He taught me the importance of enjoying my surroundings to the full. It was not that difficult to do that since I grew up a mile away from the opening of a gorgeous canyon in Utah. His favorite mountain range, Mt. Timpanogos, just a 20 minute drive away from us. The Dadio is a photographer, too so nature is his canvas. He loves snapping photos of all things beautiful!

I've been backpacking many times. It's not easy and ya get rather stinky, but it's well worth the amazing scenery and calm from the sounds of rushing rivers, birds chirping, and each crunch of footsteps in the dirt. I've backpacked Zions National Park, Grand Canyon, and the Tetons, Yet, I've been able to do countless day hikes in Utah's mountains.

Here are some pics from my outdoor adventures:

Cinque Terre - Italy day hike

Grand Canyon

Great Wall of China - I'm in the pink shirt

 Dirty Dash - I can't say I smiled a lot cuz it was way cold.

I got really sweaty on my hike out of Zions. Odd that being sweaty makes me smile.

Zions East Rim

 Snowshoeing - Utah

Do you enjoy the outdoors? Have you been backpacking or hiking or snowshoeing? If so, where? Or are you more of a road trip kind of person to see the beauties of the world? Last but not least, starting with the letter O, what makes you smile?

Writing Jewels

PS: Refer to the blurb on the very top of my blogs sidebar to know why I am posting about what makes me smile. Go forward and smile!



Vacation Time

So, I haven't been on a real vacation for a very long time. The last one was in 2009. I went to France and Italy for my graduation from university present to myself. A good thing too. It was the catalyst for my inspiration to write my first book. Since then the most I've done is backpacking trips, but that's sleeping on the ground in middle of nowhere. Not necessarily the go-sit-on-the-beach-and-relax type of thing, if ya know what I mean? Backpacking takes lots of stamina. Don't get me wrong, I love being in the outdoors with a pack on my back, fighting off bears and snakes... Ok, not that part, but the nature aspect and spending some quality time with my pops and whatever other old guys (his friends) want to join in. Yes, my backpacking buddies are all nearing their 70's.

*shakes head*

Well, I'm going to Wenatchee, Washington for its city festival called Apple Blossom. My brother and his wife go to it every year and have raved about it. Well, my lovely sister-in-law invited me this time around.

Yes, I get to experience the fun of the festival for the first time. Well, part of it won't be that fun; I've been wrangled into running a 5K--my first ever. I'm an active person, but not a runner due to not so great knees and ankles. Blast them. But, alas, I'm going to go for it even if I'm the last runner to cross the finish line. Of which, I'm pretty sure I will be. Shoot!

Well, I hope to spend some quality time with my nephews and niece--the cute-alicious little rugrats.

And I'm not going to do anything dealing with writing other than checking my blog every once in a while. But, because of the fact that we are road-tripping it from Utah to Washington, I'll have plenty of time to get some reading done (The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter).

So do you have any fun trips coming up? What do you like to do when vacationing? Or would you rather just tuck yourself in bed with a good book?

Writing. Jewels.