Utah 02 Oh my gawsh.

Utah Update 02

So, again, I spent a long weekend away from school in Salt Lake City! I wanted to really check out Park City and Salt Lake and the surrounding areas because I am planning on moving there in early December. This trip made me so excited...

Throughout the trip, my goals were to meet a bunch of people and get their contact information so I will have people to hang out with when I move there this winter, decide weather or not I should live with my aunt or on my own out there, and to relax a little. It's strange thinking about leaving Savannah, I've been meeting so many people i Georgia as of late... I had someone I just met yesterday be like "what? How are we going to be friends when you are leaving in a few weeks!?"
What a horrible realization and a strange concept.

So on Saturday out in Salt Lake City I had dinner with some of my family and cousins who live there. It was so awesome to see my Uncle Joe and his side of the family. I love my Utah cousins soooo much, from the punk rockers to the scholars to the rodeo stars. After dinner, my cousin Joejoe and I set out for downtown SLC to hit up a snowboarding rail competition that was going on at the Galiven Center. Met James, a friend of my good friend Abigail down here in Savvy. She talks about him a lot and how he moved to SLC to go to college and ski. How awesome to have such a cool friend of a friend already there to meet and chill with!

James was great! He showed me around a little and we talked about church, snowboarding, and our mutual friend. We met a ton of people, rode the train, and got coffee! Hanging out with him was awesome. He's super outgoing and really easy to talk to! We're tottally going to hang out when I get back out there and he's going to introduce me to a bunch of his friends. Knowing someone already in Utah really makes me feel more comfortable and more at home.

SAVING LIVES
So on the way back to my aunt's house in Midvale from downtown I was sitting on the train that the locals call "the trax" (that stops only like 3 blocks from her neighborhood!) and just minding my own business riding home. Her stop is one of the last stops on the tracks so I had to go through a ton of stops before I could finally get off. At one of the stops this old man gets on the train and sits RIGHT across from me. The guy could have sat anywhere but he sits RIGHT across from me. I was kind of startled by him, he was dressed kind of like a bum, smelled bad, and just seemed a little out of it. He didn't look at me much, just once or twice, and just sat there very sad looking. I felt right away that something was wrong but didn't know what to do... I prayed for the guy and just waited to see what should be done. A few stops later, this man pulls out his cell phone, makes a call, and starts talking to someone on the other line. I was on the phone with my brother and told him that I had to go and hung up because for some reason I really wanted to hear what this guy was saying on the phone.

His conversation consisted of him asking whoever was on the other line to take him to the hospital because he wasn't feeling well... he started trying to tell the person where he was but he was having a lot of difficulty. I was really confused... I knew, though, what I had to do. I put my hand on his knee and asked him if he needed any help talking to the person on the other line and telling them where we were. To my surprise (kinda) he said yes and just handed me the phone. As it turns out he had called 911 on himself because he was feeling terribly depressed and very sick. The man had cancer 9 months ago that left him with only one kidney and, at the time of the call, was drunk and feeling so depressed he spoke of walking in front of the train. He told me he was an alcoholic and that he shouldn't be drinking because of his surgery a few months ago, that he was alone because the brother he was living with does a lot of drugs and that scares him, and that the only other family he had did drugs as well. He was so upset, lost, and alone. I talked to the guy on the line from 911 and took care of everything. I took the man, Robert, off the train and walked him slowly to a place where we could sit down and wait for the paramedics at the train station.

The whole time, he talked to be about many things. It was terribly sad. When the paramedics finally got there I held his hand while they took care of him. As they rolled him into the ambulance I stood for a bit with the lead guy and told him about Robert's family and what he told me. The man shook my hand and told me that he would do his best to be personable and take care of Robert. I felt so bad... They were like, are you from Utah and I was like nope but I'm moving here. The one man said "and you are already taking care of our citizens..." to which I replied "just another day in the life..."

So yea, poor Robert. I hope he's ok. It sucks that there are laws that keep me from ever figuring out how he ended up.. I can not look in on him unless I"m family or something like that. I pray he's ok and that the people who got to him after I had to let go took care of him with dignity and friendship. What a sad world we live in, and a glorious one as well. It's amazing how God works sometimes, you know? Amazing.

Anyway so I jumped back on the train and got off at the stop I needed to get off at. I talked to this friendly guy a bit and had him walk me home. All was well.

SUNDAY

On sunday morning I got a chance to go to church. The day I had planned was one that consisted of doing some video work for Pedaling For Change what I had been meaning to do all weekend, going up to Snowbird, and chilling that night with James at this worship service at the University of Utah.

My aunt was gracious enough to let me take her car up to Snowbird and Alta, the two closest resorts to her home in Midvale. I drove up there and really got a taste of the reason that I made the decision to move out there when I visited so long ago in the first place. The road to Snowbird is nothing short of Sublime. I found myslef driving through some of the United State's largest mountains on my way to one of the US's best ski and snowboard resorts: Snowbird. I had to stop and take a ton of pictures.. I basically just drove until the mountain road became a narrow dirt road and then, eventually ended at a walking path that would have taken me to the top. Holy crap, the air out there is so thin and clear, the people smile, and everybody seems to be at home. I love it so much. That drive was so rejuvinating... it was just me, the mountains, and David Bowie playing on the radio. Here are some pix... they don't even come close to doing it justice.

(pix of snowbird to be here soon)

After I returned, Ali and I went out and got some thai food and other noodle food from this place called Noodles or something. It was awesome. I basically just worked on stuff form then on. I never ended up going to University of Utah for the worship thing because James and I didn't connect till too late and I had a ton of stuff to finish up anyway. It took me forever to get the video stuff done though so it didn't really matter because I wouldn't have been able to go anyway.

In the end, everything that needed to get done GOT done. I even got 2 hours of sleep before the hectic day of flying that was my Monday.

Man I love Utah and the country out there. I decided I should probably still live in Park City and not the valley but all the same I can't wait to move out there regardless of where I rest my head. The time has almost come... I can't think of a better place to build my company and my future... not that we won't be all over the USA but come ON, a place where you can ski home? awesome.

Oh the things I have seen, the places I've been, the people i've met and the dreams i have dreamed... haha

There is so much more to say but heck, you'll just have to come out and party with me this winter... and when I say party i mean PARTY because this winter will be the best time of my life. No doubt. MAN i'm so pumped. It sure doesn't help that I've been blasting pop punk all day and night since I got out there... woo!

We could be closer than you know,
Chelsea

PS. I miss you, all of you.