Rainbow Connection.

My highlight was when the man in charge said, "feel free to walk the grounds, pet our llamas, and admire our peacocks." At that moment I knew...

 I would dig it.

Let me preface this post with a confession: I think deep down in my bones I am quite a free spirit, or in other less generous words, somewhere inside of me lives a big love child hippy lady.

With that confession in mind you can imagine how The Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork Utah made my dreams come to life this weekend with one enormous raucous color smashing adventure.

It was Holi and for Holi you celebrate. How you ask? Simply stated: you celebrate by smashing colors into the faces, ears, nostrils, bums, feet, hands, arms, bellies, and hair of those you love and those you don't know but love because "hey, they let you rub rainbow on their forehead."

It was saturday and PG, the Cambruzzi's, Scotty B, and friends headed out the farm road to the temple on the hill. We divided our color packets in anticipation of the high-noon-throwery. We sprawled out on the green (greenISH come on it is Utah snark snark) grass under some rare and early springtime sun. We wandered around and got caught up in a conga line, we tried to coax some llamas into friendship, we sang songs and watched the crowds gather. There was some excellent woodstockian dancing going on. Soon we were stacked like anchovies. 

By the end of the morning hours everyone was getting itchy to throw colors. There was some discreet and not so discreet pre-blast-off tossing. Two little boys decided PG made an excellent target (they usually do that. how on earth do they find him?!) and started smearing colors on his face and down his shoes. Dakota had yellow and pink freckles all over her sunglasses. Jeff and Scott were rascals.

Just when we thought we couldn't stand it one more second the countdown began. Madness and mayhem erupted. I can't begin to do justice to what happened in that first "throw second." A red-pink- yellow-green-blue storm exploded over our heads. 

Screaming and laughing and gasping for air we wiggled around in a rainbow cloud. There was no sky in sight. There was crowd surfing galore. We had fallen onto a Beatles cover. With thousands of people there on the hill I can almost promise you that no one was frowning (perhaps those with asthma weren't too keen).

We threw and threw and laughed and danced. I was 100% child. Everyone was in the best of spirits because we had just shared this big, special, bright experience. I gave someone a free hug. I spit brown. Everything in my nose was magenta. Life was pretty much perfect in that moment.

Our color-crew washed the whole experience down with a lunch-run that included an obscenely embarrassing number of steak fries. We couldn't stop talking about the wonderful-ness of Holi. We still can't. I think I still have pink in my ears. I guess I just can't let go of the memories... or shower?

PS. Cool Photography of the place and the day HERE.

 Party in the USA?!

Our Posse 

Camille went with her friends too! She's the cute blonde third from the left.

St. Patrick.

Happy St. Patrick's day! 

I.love.this.day.

After some festive cheer was had at the Hill residence...

I asked Phil "Will we ever go to Ireland?" 

He said "I hope so!"

I hope so too. 

I can't wait.

The lovely people

Annie Griffiths Belt for Nat Geo

The lovely streets

The lovely Cliffs

The lovely countryside

Sending virtual pinches to all who dared not wear green!

bad to the bone.

this is Phil's left hand

Philip had a big day. He had surgery on his most precious of ten fingers, the ring one. He broke it playing basketball a few weeks ago. A chip of the bone just snapped right off. It started to bend like a column that had lost its foundation and apparently that can lead to joint grinding and arthritis and a whole gift basket of fingerly door prizes, SO today they cut him open, added some dainty metal screws, and sewed him up. He was out for a few hours, and when he came to he had a lot to say (on medication)...

"I've been thinking about how good my eyesight is, like I can zoom in on things that are far away."

P:"After I came-to I was playing with that machine, I'd hold my breath until it got down to like 40"

A:"Phil you shouldn't do that! What if it started beeping and all the nurses ran in?!"

P:"I'd be like 'I'm like Kris Angel [magician], and by the way have you been looking for these?!'" 

(He then proceeded to mime pulling a nurse's car keys out from under his blanket.)

"What is all of this iodine on my arm? D'you know what I look like? One of those gatorade people from the commercials who sweats colors."

"Anesthesia is AMAZING. They put something in my IV and I was GONE."

"Who doodled on me?!"

"I really like this bank of america shirt. Pretty much everyone I've met who works there is nice."

Shortly after he gave me the 411, he requested a Philly Cheese Steak for lunch (Barf Barf Barf). I talked him down to In-N-Out since the cheese steaks he likes already look like vomit on the way down and we're pretty sure his meds will give him the woosies. 

We drove through, picked up his drugs, and headed home.

For the next few days he'll probably be hurting quite a bit, so if you feel like adding him to your thoughts and prayers, we'd love that. We'll be here watching rental movies and doing pretty much whatever Phil wants. I plan on spoiling him to a T.

He's asleep now, bandaged like a hand-mummy, and very very tired. He was brave, he didn't complain, he was genteel to all nurses, he was calm, and he actually made it fun (maybe that was the drugs?). He was extra darling to his wife which I know was an effort since most men just want to scowl at everything when they're in pain. He handled every minute like a champion, and he even let me take pictures! What a good hub.

 

summer.

Today the sun was out. It's taunting me isn't it? Summer is such a sacred time. It's special-itude is bread in us from childhoods' many summer vacations. It's play time. 

I'm yearning for...

walks and bike rides with my sweetie

sitting on the warm sidewalk with friends late at night

the carbon smell of a million barbecues

going out for ice cream or gelato scoops

the way my my freckles multiply exponentially

chlorine hair

how cool you feel behind a pair of sunglasses

swimsuit shopping

10 free toes in sandals

weddings outings and parties

parks and swings

sand ocean and dry grass

playing with the wind outside of my car window

camping

funnel cake

linen things

green and sunshine

Phil and I write a list of things we want to do during the summer. I am very excited about that list. What's on yours? Any summer dreams?