Let the countdown begin!

Two weeks from today I will be leaving on vacation with my family (and we all know how much I need it)!

We are going to New York for a 3 days and then we are spending 11 days in Egypt! Are you jealous?! 

In New York we are going to see Time Square, Ellis Island, The Statue of Liberty, Mama Mia (the broadway musical), The Empire State Building, Ground Zero, and all the other tourist places you can think of.

We then fly from NYC to Cairo. Here is our itinerary for our adventures in Egypt. I decided to post them because I am so excited and I though I would make you all jealous!

Nov 26 Day 1 Arrival:Upon arrival at Cairo, you will be met by our representative and escorted to the Mena House, where your rooms in the Palace Wing will have a view of the Great Pyramids.

Nov 27 Day 2 Cairo:
Drive to the ancient capital at Memphis, where you will see the Alabaster Sphinx and a colossal reclining statue of Ramses II. Tour the necropolis at Sakkara, home of the Step Pyramid of King Zoser, probably the oldest known pyramid in Egypt and the tombs and mastabas of the nobles. After lunch at a local restaurant, drive back to Giza to see the world-renowned Great Pyramids, the Sphinx and the Solar Boat Museum. Your tour will include entry to the Great Pyramid.

Nov 28 Day 3 Cairo:

Begin your day with a visit to the fascinating collections of antiquities at the Egyptian Museum. Visit the historic Citadel of Saladin, where you will see the Mosque of Mohamed Ali, built entirely of alabaster. After lunch at a local restaurant, visit the lively medieval bazaar district, Khan El Khalili.

Nov 29 Day 4 Luxor/Cruise:
Transfer to the airport for your early morning flight to Luxor. Upon arrival, you will cross the Nile to visit the pharaohs' tombs in the Valley of the Kings and the tombs of their wives and children in the Valley of the Queens. See the funerary temple of Queen Hatshepsut, the only woman to rule as pharaoh in ancient times. Board Movenpick’s deluxe Nile cruiser, the Royal Lotus, in time for lunch. In the afternoon, visit the stupendous Temple of Amon at Karnak and Luxor Temple.

Nov 30 Day 5 Cruise:
Sail to Esna and cross the lock, arriving at Edfu tonight.

Dec 1 Day 6 Cruise:
A brisk ride in a horse-drawn carriage brings you through the town of Edfu to the Temple of Horus, the best preserved temple on the Nile. Sail to Kom Ombo and visit the temples of Horus the falcon god and Sobek the crocodile god. Sail to Aswan and dock for the night.

Dec 2 Day 7 Cruise/Abu Simbel/Cairo:
Check out of the cruise and transfer to the airport for your flight to Abu Simbel, to visit the Temples of Ramses II and his Nubian queen Nefertari, moved to their present location to save them from flooding when the Aswan Dam was built. Fly back to Aswan and visit beautiful Philae Temple, the Aswan Dam and the Unfinished Obelisk. Then fly back to Cairo, where you will be transferred to the Nile Hilton hotel. Your rooms will have a view of the Nile.

Dec 3 Day 8 Alexandria:
Enjoy a private tour of Alexandria. Drive to the Mediterranean city founded by Alexander the Great. Visit the new Library, Kayet Bay Fortress, Pompey’s Pillar, the Catacombs and the Royal Jewlry Museum. Overnight in the five star Helnan Palestine hotel.

Dec 4 Day 9 Cairo:
Your private car will bring you back to Cairo and the Nile Hilton.

Dec 5 Day 10 Cairo:
Your private tour will begin with a visit to the Manial Palace, a former royal residence now preserved as a museum. Visit the Ibn Tulun Mosque, designed in the more authentically austere Islamic style than the Alabaster Mosque you saw earlier, and Gayer-Anderson House, two medieval Arab homes that were purchased by a British officer during the nineteenth century. In the evening, enjoy a Sound and Light show at the Giza pyramids and then return to the Mena House, for a farewell dinner with folkloric show at the Rubaiyat restaurant.

Dec 6 Day 11 Departure:
After breakfast at your hotel, you will be transferred to the airport for your homeward flight.

IM SO EXCITED!

Back in my element

After graduating from BYU (with a bachelors degree in Anthropology) I headed to St George, UT to work full time on excavation. I loved being in St George and the more and more I was there the more my love for the Southwest grew. It felt right being in the Southwest. I struggled then (I still struggle now.... but thats another issue) with what I wanted to do with my life. I talked to my supervisor about this all the time. He would constantly joke with me about my future in archaeology and that my dad ("Daddy Warbucks") would take care of me so I had no worries. Finally, one day he decided to be honest with me and tell me that I should seriously consider going into Southwestern Archaeology because I was good at it. I took this to heart because I had (and still do) great respect for my supervisor. 

After excavation ended in St George I moved north and started working for another company. So far we haven't had any projects in the Southwest and we spend most of our time working in the Great Basin area. I like the Great Basin, but its not the same love that I have for the Southwest. 

While working in NV this past week, we got word that we would be leaving NV and heading back to my element... THE SOUTHWEST!

I love it! Its not the same as being in St George (the ground is not covered in Anasazi ceramics) but just being back in this area has made me so happy! We are surveying on private land in the Grand Staircase National Monument Park and the view we have of the large red cliffs is simply breathtaking!

The picture above is of a large cinder cone that is in the middle of our project area. 

We hiked to the top (its a lot larger then it looks) and then we walked through the bowl shaped crater in the middle and around the rim looking for sites (the picture above is of the crater).

 

Its not every day you get to hike up a volcano, huh?!

Remember, Remember

Remember, Remember the 5th of November

The gunpowder, treason, and plot.

I know of no reason 

why the gunpowder treason

Should ever be forgot.

The Gunpowder Plot is the attempt by Guy Fawkes, and his fellow group of religious conspirators, to kill the King of England (James I) and members of the aristocracy by blowing up the House of Lords on the 5th of November.

In short, he failed. Guy Fawkes was caught before the plot could go through. Fawkes and his other conspirators were caught, tried, and convicted. They were then hung, drawn, and quartered (which is the punishment for treason).

I am grateful that I live in a country where I don't need to plan the death of the countrys leader in order to have change. I can go and vote.

And you know what? I did. I voted. 

And the person I voted for is now the President of the United States of America.

Cowards!

I am losing faith in the human race

I received word (from a person named Goober 2) that horrible, untrue things are being said about me behind my back (wait, am I still in high school?!). This made me frustrated; obviously, but not for the reasons you are probably thinking of. I was angry with the person (let's call him Goober 1) that said the mean things, of course, but it doesn't shock me that he said them. G1 hates me and if talking bad about me behind my back helps him to sleep at night then so be it. I was more mad at the person (G2) that came and told me what G1 had said. Why? Because, first of all, I don't need to hear about it when people say mean things about me behind my back. If someone has a problem with me then come and say it to my face. Then at least I can defend myself. Second, I was angry because G2 didn't stand up for me. This is not the first time that G2 has come to tell me that G1 has been saying things about me behind my back. Last time it happened I asked G2 if he would stand up for me next time. Did he do it? No, of course not. Why? Because he is a coward. 

So what were these mean, untrue things that were being said? Here is one example: a while back I hurt my foot hiking in the Narrows. G1 claims that I am faking my injury to get out of work. Wait?! What?! You don't have to have an MD to know that I was hurt. Did you see the pictures? Did you see my feet? I couldn't put on my hiking boots for almost a month because my ankles were so swollen and bruised! But yeah, I'm totally faking it. Right sure. Do you want to call my podiatrist and ask him yourself. The Dr told me that I would eventually have to have surgery on my foot because my tendons are strained. But yeah, I'm totally faking it. I have blisters from my injury, STILL, and it's been more then two months. But yeah, Im totally faking it. 

So why am I so mad? 

It's not what's being said behind my back that is making me angry (ok, wait, it is because they are lies), but it is also G2's inability to stand up for me. Does this mean that G2 believes G1? Does this mean that he believes all these lies too? G2 is supposed to be my friend (he claims that) but he's not my friend. A friend would stand up for me. A friend would protect me. A friend would do what's right and defend me. G2 is a coward. He is afraid to stand up for what he knows is right. I don't trust G2. I have no reason to. He is no friend of mine and he is just as bad as G1. 

What is G2 afraid of? What would G1 do if G2 stood up to him for me? Nothing. Would could G1 do? G1 is lying about me and G2 would be defending me. All G2 would have to say is, "Hey G1, I saw her ankles and I'm sure she is not faking it. Remember how she went to the Dr? Remember how he said that she needs to stay off her ankle for a while? Remember how he is a Dr and probably knows better then you do?! So back off!" Okay, maybe that is asking a little too much but something along those lines would have been nice.

I always believed that it is easier to stand up for someone else then it is to stand up for yourself. 

So please, be a good friend. Stand up for the people that you love and respect. Or you will feel my wrath! Or not, I'm really not a mean person.

Androgenic alopecia

I realize more and more everyday that men are just as insecure as women. We all struggle with our appearances and we all handle the problems differently. 

A lot of my guy friends are going bald. I find the different ways in which they try to hide this fact pretty amusing. Some will cover it up (always wear a hat), some will result to the comb-over or comb-forward approach, and others will just simply shave their heads. 

Men just need to accept the fact that they will most likely lose their hair. It just happens. Let me simply explain the science behind it (can you deal with that?): there are 4 places on our bodies where we lose most of our body heat (head, bottom of feet, armpits, and the groin). There are only 2 places on our bodies where we have no hair (palms of the hands and bottom of our feet). The top of our head, our armpits, and our groins is where we have the thickest hair (now don't get grossed out, this is just fact). So can we, from this, conclude what thick hair is supposed to do (well, one of the things)? It helps keep the heat from escaping from our bodies. Evolutionary speaking, ONE reason we have hair is because it helps to keep us warm. Well... we don't need it any more. We have other ways of keeping warm. So, as a result, our bodies are using the energy that would usually be used to produce hair, to do other things that we need. We have hats, blankets, and heaters to keep us warm. We don't need hair any more.

Ok, you still with me? Let's continue. 

So why do my friends feel like they need to cover up the fact that they are balding? They blame women. Yea, I don't blame them for that. Many women are into their looks and would prefer not to date a guy who is balding. I know, it is not fair but it is just part of society. Just like how a lot of guys won't date a girl because she is fat. It just happens. 

So what do you do about it? 

(1) Accept it. Most guys will die with very little hair on their heads. Deal with it and move on. Embrace your baldness. Just because you are losing your hair does NOT mean you are unattractive. I have plenty of very good looking guy friends that are going bald and I still think that they are attractive.

(2) Cover it up. Hide it. The truth will come out sooner or later. But if it makes you feel good then just wear a hat or do the comb-over or -forward thing.

(3) Shave your head. I have to admit, some men can really pull this off. I find some bald guys to be very attractive and some of them are my really good friends (I would put pictures of them on here but I don't have their permission). If you really have a problem with a bald spot on your head, then just shave the rest of it off.

(4) If all else fails, you can always use Rogaine

You get what you ask for

For a while now I have been confused and frustrated with what I am supposed to do with my life. I have been saying for a while that I wish someone would just tell me what to do and then I would go and do it. This doesn't work very well when you have a gazillion people giving you advice and then getting frustrated with you when you don't take it. So here it is, this is what Im doing (or not doing) with my life and why:

(1) I am not going to graduate school. I recently starting looking up different grad schools and looking at their requirements. I don't qualify to go to any grad schools that I would like to go to. I didn't get a high enough GPA in college. This means that I can't even apply. The schools won't even accept or look at my application because I don't meet their minimum requirements. "But Courtney, why don't you just send in your application and see what happens?" Sure I'll do that. Do you want to give me the $100 for the application fee? So unless my GPA magically goes up in the next few years it looks like grad school is out of the question.

(2) I have had many people tell me to go on a mission. They told me that I can take time off and figure out my life. Have these people even been on missions?! For what I heard you really don't have time to just sit and ponder and focus on yourself. I have considered it for a while now but decided not to put my papers in. I would be doing it for purely selfish reasons (running away from my current life) and I have WAY to much respect for missionaries and the church to go on a mission for selfish reasons.  

(3) Go get another job. Believe me, I've been trying. For the past year (pretty much since I started working here) I've been looking. The problem is that I don't have enough experience yet and I am actually getting paid pretty well for just a shovel bum doing CRM work. I've applied to about 10 different places (not all archaeology jobs) in the past two weeks and I haven't gotten offers from any of them. What's a girl to do? 

(4) Some have been telling me to just take a leap of faith. A leap? Where? So what do you want me to do? Quit my job and go live on the street? Move to another city and start over? Do you people live in a movie?! That stuff doesn't work. I have no where to go and I have no money. This can cause a problem. I trust that God will not just let me starve but Im not stupid (contrary to what my GPA may say). I have to keep my job (no matter how unhappy I am) until I find something else. That's it, bottom line. I am not afraid to fail; however, there is nothing right now that I can take a chance with. I'll take chances, I just don't have any right now.

In the end I just don't know what to do. Thanks for your advice. I welcome it, just please don't be offended if I don't take it.

Always a bridesmaid....

This last weekend I went to my best friends (Jessica) wedding in June Lake, Ca. There is no way I was going to miss this! We have been friends for more then 1/2 of my life AND I was a brides maid. I love her to death and wish her and Mike all the happiness in the world. Here are some pictures from the eventful weekend:

I loved being able to spend time with my family, see old friends (Justin and Allison), and be with Jessica on her wedding day.

Side-note:

I am currently watching Planet Earth and I can't get over how beautiful our world is. Go here and check out these pictures. You won't be disappointed, I promise.