I’ve been in Cedar City, Utah for over a week now.
As soon as I caught my breath that first weekend, I couldn’t help but let my happiness cascade into an early blogpost.
However, the day after that post went up, the Internet where I’m staying disappeared. While on the surface, the lack of constant connectivity to my Australian beloveds caused some fretfulness, deep down there has been a shimmering-quiet, deep-breath-now, swaying-in-the-breeze relief to letting go of the silver-sticky world wide web. To letting go of the need to constantly check, filter, write.
After all, how can I put into words this little pocket of time, this bounded roaming, this everything-and-nothing, this wild-me-quiet-me, this wicked-soaring-dreaming-lonely-laughing-embracing-exciting-hiding-freefalling distinct adventure?
I have within me all of the language, and yet not quite the right rhythm, to tell my time in Cedar City as true as it is in my soul.
So perhaps, for today, it is enough to speak in moments.
Moments like waking up late and walking through the gilded burning sunshine to the Utah Shakespeare Festival, where my favourite new Elizabethan friend, Andrew, is the keeper of the largest iced coffee in all the land.
Moments like hugging Andrew and chatting to the also-Elizabethan Emily, before setting myself up with my laptop and the largest iced coffee in all the land in the shadow of the Adams Theatre. After all, everyone knows that the best place to check emails and blogs is beside a theatre patterned after the original Globe Theatre.
Moments like snacking on American energy bars that are truly just candy, because even high protein counts and calcium fortification can’t hide the fact that mini peanut butter chips, caramel, and pretzels are less like eating a carrot and more like swooning over sweet manna from salty-sugary heaven.
And this one, too, though I perhaps should have known from the name Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch that it would be quite sweet. (But that’s why I have the largest iced coffee in all the land, right?)
Moments like choosing to laugh at the fact that Utah sends forth rain every. single. time we step outside to go swimming, and then choosing to duck into The Grind Coffeehouse to sip coffee and play the storybook version of I Spy with my favourite new flamebird-haired friend, Emma.
And then sunbathing by the pool as soon as the skies clear again (even if by “sunbathing” I mean “lie down in the sun for three minutes before covering myself entirely in towels because I am a Whitey McWhitester capable of turning into a Whitey McLobster within a half hour).
Moments like knowing that, right now, all I need to do is nothing, and all I need to be is peaceful. And knowing that that’s okay.
Moments like being a VIP while seeing the incredible USF shows, and cradling the secret joy in my heart that the actor on stage right just there? He’s the one who picked me up and spun me around last weekend in Sam’s living room. And that actor playing Peter Simple in Merry Wives, the one making me laugh with his antics in the background, and also that actor playing Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird whom we bought quesadillas with earlier, oh and the fellow who’ll be Laertes in Hamlet in September? We were all outside last night at 2am, playing Actor-Movie-Actor, trying to go full circle with Christopher Walken and John C. Reilly. And oh, oh, one of the actors in the oh, oh so magnificent Titus Andronicus, he’s the one who gave me that high five and said I looked lovely, and Cosette from Les Miserables gave us a ride the other day, and perhaps whiskey and rum and sambuca are actually quite a lot tastier than I had previously thought, particularly when accompanied by laughinghugslaughing.
Is this real life?
It is, it is real life, and it’s deepdarkest night and I’m snuggling in-under the covers again and it isn’t even hard to sleep, for once in my life, and then
the next morning
I wake up late and walk through the gilded burning sunshine to the Utah Shakespeare Festival, where my favourite new Elizabethan friend, Andrew, is the keeper of the largest iced coffee in all the land, and he says that my Australian voice is like heaven on toast
and I laugh and laugh.
I hear ya Ms McWhitester! The sun is not our friend
looks like you are having a great time!!! Loving the updates 
And lookee-there. You’re wearing a handy little black cardi.
What can I say … Great to know you are having a great time with people who inspire and make you laugh. They sound like a wonderful bunch.
Any show reviews?
But did I leave my longer Cue cardigan at your place?? I don’t believe I’ve seen it once in my suitcase here!!
I don’t know if I can do show reviews correctly – I think I’m too biased when it comes to searching out my favourite people on stage!
Yes, you did … it’s nicely hanging up in your (old) cupboard. Just as well you have the nice little black one!
And, woah, this comment block came up with my website completed in the website block. Have the gods decided to un-disenfranchise me!
Oh thank heavens! I thought I might have left it behind somewhere like I left my brand new shoes.
Oh, I hope your link keeps working! I can’t fix it
I’m so thrilled to hear how happy you are darling! Reading this post brought me so much joy.
xxxx
Thank you Margaret!
This post makes me smile so much. I don’t know what else to say. My brain is a little crumpled right now. But smiles and smiles.
I heart you ladylove! Soon now!
Posts like this make my heart happy. Plus, I’m glad to see that you put those “swimmers” to use. (Looking good, pretty lady!) <3
Teehee, people keep laughing at me for “swimmers” (also “carpark” and “petrol”). I miss your face; thank you for everything!! xo
Sonds like this has been such an amazing experience ! Can’t wait to see what other adventures you get up to
Yay for awesome times. This trip and everything that goes with it was a brilliant decision.
Thank you Lisa! Right now, I am so truly grateful I made the leap.
Wow relaxing, iced coffee and sun? Keep updating
Loving it!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
I am so glad, Hannah – so glad for all of it; that the internet crash led to peace and relaxation (checking and monitoring and anxiety over no internet is a hard thing to push through!), and that you’ve discovered the beauty and utter importance of nothing time, and that you’re seeing some amazing shows with some amazing people, and that your new bathers/swimmers got some use (they’re lovely! as is your dress in the last photo!), and, and, and…just all of it
‘Heaven on toast’ may also be my new favourite phrase!
It’s actually been wonderfully easy to not care too much about the internet (though I haven’t yet had to have a day with absolutely no contact; that might be a different story
). Thank you for your enthusiasm, Kari!
Your favourite new Elizabethan friend Andrew just might have to stick with you when you head out of town. He can be your attendant, or your Mister-(Coffee)-in-Waiting.
Keep up the smiles, pretty lady:)
Actually, he just had words with me that I’m drinking too much coffee. Harrumph! All because he caught me during a delirious caffeinated gigglefit at The Grind yesterday, a gigglefit caused by my discovery that I could get refills of their enormous coffee for 55c…
Oh, it sounds just like Canberra. But then again. Love the image of you in the hot pink bikini enjoying the sun poolside. And going to live theatre is always so exciting. It does sound like you’re having the most amazing time xx
I don’t know if I’ll be able to enjoy going to the theatre in future situations where I don’t hang out with and know all the gossip from the actors!
(One of them literally just walked by and tapped my head while I was writing that. I LOVE IT HERE.)
The world is made new again with your words. But I fear that your busy and bubbly brain whose output I enjoy so much is also the reason you often don’t sleep very well…?
PS.
What Hannah said.
I think you may be right there, but comments and kindness such as yours, right here and now, make all the racing-mind-sleeplessness worth it a hundred thousand times over. Thank you.
It’s great to hear you’ve having a great time there! I agree about the internet downtime. When I was in China, the internet wasn’t down per se, but Facebook/Twitter/Blogger/Youtube and just about everything I liked and need and breathe was blocked. I felt a little bit relieved too knowing that I could relax a little and no one would think I was slacking off (or maybe a little bit).
Looking forward to more updates!!
Oh yes, I’ve had some friends visit or live in China and experience those restrictions! Funnily enough, now that I’ve been blogging for a while, I never ever think that blog silence from someone is “slacking”; it makes me happy to think they’re off living their life fully
All sounds wonderful (are you actually going in the pool or just lying beside it). I wouldn’t have thought of Utah as a hotbed of actors and Shakespeare but blogging opens our minds to other worlds – nice to share a little of your new world!
Thank you Johanna! I’ve gone in a the water a little bit, but I’m more a sun than wetness person
You are just having the most amazing experience and I am so happy for you! The is one massive ice coffee, holy jeez! Keep adventuring my dear and keep those updates rolling, I am loving them!
Thank you Gabby! I love that you’re loving reading them
Hey, I recognize that logo from your blog reading photo
I’m so thrilled to hear that all is well and you continue to be surrounded by loving friends who are revelling in your sweet company.
Sometimes, when I am in a big, long, tough meeting I think…but Hannah is close by, hiking and twirling through Utah. Which reminds me that there are only a few small choices that transports one from boardroom tables to green rolling hills. xo
I thought you might, dear one! Now you can see why I was so happy under the shade of the theatre with my coffee and trickling sunshine.
I cannot wait for you to see (after I write it, of course) the post about the hike we did – I thought of you throughout, for you would have loved it with all your soul. xoxo
Heaven on toast? Haha, what a sweet way of describing your accent. Why not marmite on toast too? I would love to hear your voice!
I feel the same way. I haven’t been updating my blog as much and I don’t really feel the need to. You write beautifully, and you have sure captured the moments for us readers.
Because marmite is vegemite’s evil fake twin, and should never, EVER be mentioned on my blog. You’ve been warned.
Thank you, Sophia! Your words mean a lot. I am twirling in life instead of the computer right now, and it’s where I want to be.
I’m so happy that you’re happy Spay Lady! And a friend sent me a couple of Clif bars and one of them was so delicious! Although that pretzel peanut butter one also looks good!
Oooh, which flavours did you get? My favourites (although there are some new ones now) of the standard Clif are the peanut butter ones, the banana bread, and the carrot cake flavours, but I love these sweet-salty Mojo ones potentially even more
Wonderful to hear about everything you are doing, and especially that you are enjoying life so much and relaxing (or are you) – well, relaxed in your mind anyhow. You are getting a real Shakespeare education into the bargain. Love your photos. Love you.
I hope Mum and Dad have been passing my love onto you when they see you (and Grandpa)! I think of you often. I am having an incredible time. In truth, not much resting in the sense of sleep, but much resting in the sense of a happy and rejuvenated soul. xo
Enjoy enjoy! Your trip sounds so energetic and healthy and cultured to boot! Watch those sun rays by the pool though. I also did zero sun while in Corsica and still seem to have acquired brown shoulders and legs xx
Oh Catherine, this part of the trip is proving more wonderful than I could have imagined. And oh if only I’d read your warning yesterday; I’ve been very careful and yet somehow, yesterday, ended up with the strange stripe of sunburn just down part of my entire left thigh!
Sunbathing! Meanwhile, over here, it hailed this afternoon…
Heaven on toast – now that’s a gorgeous compliment!
To be fair, it’s also rained at least once every day bar one that I’ve been here!
awesome! love your journey. hmm heaven on toast
maybe you should do a couple of vlogs of the trip so we can hear your voice too and come up with interesting adjectives 
Teehee, I’m still too scared to make videos. Also I don’t think it’s my voice as much as the Australian accent!
It’s amazing to read all your posts and adventures in the US
Seems like you’re enjoying yourself immensely and the weather is AMAZING! Even though things are warming up in Melbourne…it’s still nothing like what you’re experiencing over there 
heaven on toast….that’s amazing. Oh Hannah, you’re hilarious – McLobster. I love a Shakespeare date. Makes me feel alive and important and privileged to speak the English language.
Heidi xo
That is such a tremendously lovely way of reacting to Shakespeare! I heart you.
Oooh! I wish I could go to Shakespeare Festival with you!
I wish I was in Utah hiking up those fantastic looking canyons and waterfalls of your hiking up waterfalls post. Well done Hannah!
Loving reading of your adventures, but even more so of your non-internet time – hope there are more of them and longer and longer versions of the same so that you don’t ever have to feel guilty about not reading, updating, blogging or responding to inane comments like this one! May there be ever more waterfalls, theatre people communing, Elizabethan iced coffee makers and other unforeseen and unknown adventures ahead.
Oh, you are just magical! Just magical! Thank you Ian; your words mean the world to me. Big smiles!
Posts of yours like these give me the smiles.
Such a fun time you are having!!! Time to uncover longer than 3 minutes missy if you want a tan, lol. One reason I love OZ so much is all the sunshine and heat = happy bronzed me.
Alas, no tanning for me. All I do is burn, peel, and then go back to blinding white. I should’ve been born in Jane Austen’s era.