Sundance Film Festival 2013

It has officially been over a year-and-a-half since I’ve written a blog post. It’s not like anything hasn’t been going on in my life; it’s quite the opposite, actually. My life is changing faster than ever before, probably faster than I even realize. I’m learning (and more importantly, accepting) new things about myself every day and I love it. But before I sit here and write a long dramatic post about how my life is changing at an exhaustive rate, I just want to write about something awesome that I experienced this past MLK Day: the SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL!

The famous Egyptian Theater.

Despite having lived just twenty minutes outside of Park City for the first decade of my life, my parents never felt the need to expose me to the activities the surrounding area was most famous for. I never went skiing, I never went snowboarding, and I definitely never went to the Sundance Film Festival. Knowing I may not have the opportunity to experience this ever again, I decided this was the year for me to attend the acclaimed event.

Monday morning rolled around and Chelsea, Kelcey, and I drove up to Park City in search of adventure. We weren’t exactly sure what we were going to do once we got up there, but I guess that was part of the journey.

Thirty minutes after arriving, we gave up hope of finding a good parking spot, meaning free, and coughed up twenty bucks to park in a parking garage just off Main Street. We made our way to the busy lane and were immediately greeted by throngs of people. I took in my surroundings as I witnessed well-dressed people scurrying around, wearing their credentials like they had just won a gold medal. One girl passed me donning footwear that looked like she had hunted down Sasquatch and made his feet into boots. In a sense I felt as though I had stepped into a different world and I was uncertain of how to respond.

“Too rich for my blood.” The phrase kept flashing in my mind as I walked up and down Main. We kept a close eye on everyone we walked past, silently hoping to recognize someone famous. Eventually we found ourselves at the bottom of Main Street and stood around waiting for Lisa, Kaitlin, and Kellie to meet us. Suddenly a mass of people swarmed as a vehicle pulled up to let someone out. Men with cameras were running everywhere, pushing their way to the front of the crowd. Yep, it was the paparazzi. That only meant one thing: someone famous was nearby.

Turns out it was Nicole Kidman. Not a bad way to start out the day, right? I didn’t get a chance to see her then, but we waited around outside the building for her to come out. Once she did, I got a good look at her, but I can’t even begin to explain how awkward I felt. Why do I care to see this woman so much? This woman who I don’t even know?

Kaitlin took these as Nicole Kidman left the building. We were pretty close! 

Our spotting of celebrities didn’t stop there. Matthew Goode was another sight, along with Ellen Page, Pauly Shore, and about three other people that I was informed were famous. 

Me with a bunch of posters for movies being shown during the festival. 

It was fun to see celebrities, but my favorite part of the whole experience was just getting out of inversion-smothered Provo. Seriously, every time I walk out of my apartment I feel myself getting cancer. Health hazards aside, though, Park City is one of my favorite places on the planet. It’s a part of me. Visiting always brings back so many memories, and I’m grateful for the memories I was able to create this last weekend. Hopefully there are many more to come!

Main Street in Park City, Utah. Beautiful day!