1.  Tuesday there was a team building meeting at work that was a lot of fun.  We played a game called Blunders, in which we each shared some blunders we've each had at work.  The guy who facilitated the meeting put a bit of a spin on it - his idea was to share our blunders with one another to understand one another and blend our experiences.  There was a contest of who had the best blunders.  Guess who won?  ME!  Not so much about the silliness of my blunders that made me win but my willingness to share something about myself which gave the others a greater understanding of me and it spurred a lot of sharing of such weaknesses.  It was a great meeting and I left there feeling closer to all the team (minus one who is an ass ohhhh.... did I just say that?!) 

My prize... a blender!  I was so excited and could hardly wait to get home to make me a smoothie.  Here is my banana, fresh peach, and strawberry protein powder smoothie.  It was heaven.  Gee whiz, I'm a dork to get excited over winning a blender! 

2.  How I spent my 4th of July:

I went on a Geology field trip to Antelope Island (Great Salt Lake) to find surficial stuff (interaction of rock, air, and water in response to gravity at or near the Earth's surface).  I'm usually Miss Prepared for any given situation when I go somewhere (just as Hula - she's seen my luggage!).  Yesterday, I was anything but prepared for the essentials.  I gathered up both cameras and camera bags, maps, papers about Antelope Island, and a 52 oz mug of ice water.  Did I think about the billions of nasty bugs out there?  No.  Mosquitoes?  No.  Bees??  NO repellent whatsoever.  Rotten things would not leave me alone!  I could not believe my eyes when I saw a dude on a motorcycle without a helmet.  My windshield looked like a mass bug suicide and here he is out there with no protection.  Me thinks he liked the taste of the nasty bugs. 

I did not think about the sun and how sensitive I am to it.  No sun block = sunburned Karen and spending so much time out in the sun, gives her a slight case of heat exhaustion. I also forgot about the awful smell of the lake.  You see, two rivers feed into the Great Salt Lake: the Bear and Weber Rivers but there is no outlet.  The only way the water escapes is through evaporation, therefore, there is a lot of algae and nasty smells.  There is one thing that lives in the Great Salt Lake and that is brine shrimp.  If you notice the dark lines in the water near the shore - those are brine shrimp and algae. 

As I went driving along, I stopped and took photos of the beautiful views with reflections in the water.   I was having a lovely time swatting bugs, juggling two cameras, and most importantly, not locking my keys in my car (at least I did something right!). 

 As I stopped off the side of the road to take some photos of the shoreline, I took some photos of the seagulls and other birds.  Did it occur to me that the birds would not sit still for their photos?  Nope.  All I can say is I'm glad none pooped on me as they were flying away!

I stopped at the Army Ranger & Air Force Memorial and braved the bugs because the flags were gorgeous and there was such a feeling of peace there.  This memorial is for 12 soldiers died in a helicopter crash in 1992.  One flag flew for each soldier.  

As I was making my way back to my car, I noticed a buffalo/bison in the distance.  I shot a photo really quick then headed back to my car before it saw me.  I got in my car and felt safe again... then I realized, this was not a real buffalo/bison; it was a statue. 

I visited the Visitor's Center and gathered some facts and went on my way.  My next stop was Bridger Bay.  However, on the way to the bay, I see this sign which helped reinforce what a dork I am.  Gee whiz, do they mean ME stay on the road or the buffalo/bison?   

I decided to be adventurous and walk out to the water.  There was not any nasty smells in this area so what the heck.  The walk did not look that far and I thought it would only take five minutes there and back. After I got about half-way down the actual sandy beach, it occurred to me that I must stop thinking.  It had to have been at least a half a mile to the water because the water level isn't high.  

Should I mention the part about taking photos (for my report) of my bare feet and my Croked feet to show my teacher what was walkable and what was Crokable?  I'm a dork.  There was a distinct difference between the soft lake bed and the jagged lake bed.  Let me assure you!      
 

  I finally made it to the water and the salt was cool, however, there's not nearly the salt there used to be from all the salt mining and usage.  It's a shame since it's a natural wonder out there.  The stories of being able to float in the water since there was so much salt are now just stories. 

I decided to start back to my car and by the time I reached half way, my body was rebelling and I was hating life.  My car is that speck in the center of the skyline.  You can probably imagine what was going through my mind at that point!

About this point, I was still alive and baking in the sun.  A bee decided he was in love with me because he stuck with me all the rest of the way.  Did I mention how much bees freak me out?  I was so mad at this bee that it fueled my desire to get to my car.  By the time I hit that hill, I had to stop and rest about every ten seconds, then the bee would get on my nerves and I kept going.  I'm surprised I didn't get stung.  I did get some bug bites though.

The next stop was Buffalo Point that over looked White Rock Bay.   Needless to say, I did not attempt to walk to the water this time.  In fact, I took most of the rest of the photos from my car.  Gee whiz, I was one tired field tripper. 

I was supposed to work on my report yesterday but by the time I got home, showered, got in my PJs, uploaded my photos, I was in no mood to write my report since I had a nice pain pill cocktail along with a gallon of water for dinner.    

The field trip was fun, even with my blunders.  Life is no fun if we can't laugh at ourselves and to me, I am an endless source of entertainment.   Gee whiz, the fun just doesn't end which is a good thing.