A Day in Payson.

I was just riding along, and quickly whipped out my phone to take this photo. I wish you could have seen it in person, it was truly STUNNING. The light, the grass, the sky...and of course the beautiful Payson Temple. Surreal ;)

I love this photo because it reminds me of an incredible day in the saddle with my treasured friend, Eleise. It had been a rather ordinary day up until this point, but over the course of our ride, became pretty remarkable.

We started our ride with the intention of biking from Provo to Utah Lake, where we planned to go for a swim mid-ride. We gathered our swimming essentials and took off, only to quickly realize that there were not enough daylight hours to both bike 40 miles and swim for half an hour. As we rode along, we decided to instead fulfill our summer goal of biking to the newly dedicated Payson Temple, in Payson, UT.

On our way, we stopped at a little cemetery upon a hill in a tiny one-horse town. Both Eleise and I enjoy cemeteries; I find them fascinating because of all the personal history they (literally) hold. You may find that morbid, but to me death is simply a passage to a better life; death marks the end of this incredible life, but the beginning of something even more extraordinary.

After paying our due respects, we continued down a little po-dunk road into Payson. By this point, I had, figuratively speaking, hit a wall. I was running out of fuel for my brain and muscles, and needed food. Unfortunately, we forgot to bring money....yikes. Twenty-five miles out from home with no money, no food, and a bonking body is basically a recipe for disaster. To prevent this disaster from unfolding, we decided to instead go into the nearest grocery story and look for samples. Lo and behold, they were giving away these puppies:

FOR FREE

 

If that isn't manna straight from heaven, then I don't know what is. 

I was immensely grateful...and also out of my mind excited. Heck-YES. I don't know if you've had those cookies, but they're flipping delicious, and the perfect remedy for fatigued muscles and a cloudy brain.

After sneakily obtaining and devouring two a piece, we continued on our ride, still hungry and fatigued but able to continue to the BEAUTY you saw up above (the temple, not the cookies. come on man). We finally made it to the temple, where we were able to enjoy it for a few minutes, and also talk to some cool folks(originally allured by our pretty bikes). After saying our farewells, we continued on our ride back to Provo.  However, I needed more food; breaking a bonk really isn't the easiest task. So, we stopped again at a different grocery store. We locked up our bikes outside, headed in, and began to wander aimlessly in search of samples. Upon entering, we saw a wiry, kind looking fellow near the bananas. I began joking about useless banana cutters, while the man smirked at us. I was unsure if we was mocking our spandex attire and silly behavior, but Eleise voiced that she was certain he was our golden ticket to food. We continued wandering the store, until we found ourselves face-to-face with the delicious orange slice gummies, taunting our hunger.

"Ya know, I hear those gummies are the best fuel for the price. They'll give ya the best bang for your buck." Touted the man I'd seen eyeing us only minutes earlier. He seemingly appeared out of nowhere. "I saw your bikes out front. You guys must be in here for some fuel."

Excuse me, what?! Come again???

Us: "Haha, oh yes. We bonked and need to eat before we can keep going..."
We talked a bit about going back to Provo, being students at BYU, and the fact that he is a cyclist and Felt Bike dealer in Provo himself! The cycling community is basically the coolest. 
Him: "I bet you're on a tight  budget then, huh?" He continued.
Me, in my head, nervously: Oh, you wouldn't believe how tight it is... Remember, we had left all our money at home, the reason we were soliciting grocery stores for free samples.
Us: "Yeah.......We actually don't have any money with us right now...."

To which he replied with an incredibly generous offer to buy us food. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! Incredulous, we walked the aisles with wide eyes, trying to decide on something satisfying, calorie-dense, yet cost-efficient. We decided on a beautiful box of Kroger brand granola bars. Once again, manna from Heaven above. #krogerlife

We parted ways with this generously kind man, and I proceeded to gobble down my share of the bars immediately. We continued our ride with grateful hearts, and happy bellys.

By this time, because of the unexpected events, it was getting dark. And we were still 25 miles outside Provo. We raced along, hoping to beat the sun, but it was becoming apparent that we would have to ride home in the dark without lights. Unfortunately (or fortunately, for memory's sake) this is incredibly common for rides during the summer with Eleise and Emily....
Well, about 15 miles out of Provo, a man pulls up alongside us....and who do we behold?! The same man. Delivering bike lights so we can continue our ride home safely. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! He drove like 30 miles round-trip outside of his way to bring complete strangers some bike lights. Honestly, I'm still in disbelief and I witnessed it with my own two eyes (or four if you count the contacts). People are good, that's all I can say.

Anyways, here's to incredibly kind strangers and embracing the unexpectedly remarkable events of life. I am so grateful to live this incredible life, with experiences that never fail to keep me both laughing and reeling in gratitude. Here's to a life filled with extraordinarily ordinary days and memories.