Welcome Fall!

There sure does seem to be a lot to say since the last time I posted. Things certainly have picked up since school's started. Even though I'm very sad that summer has to officially end (summer's really a state of mind, my sister & I agree), I'm glad that fall is here. Cooler weather, apple-flavored things, sweaters, flannel, and football and just some of my favorite things about fall.

This semester started out with Welcome Week 2013. Group 8 was fantastic and I had such a blast. I really enjoyed getting to know my fellow leaders better and meeting a great group of Freshmen! Welcome Week is such a great time to fall in love with school and our community and truly enjoy getting to give back to the town that will gives us so much.

 

On the last day of freedom, some friends and I took a trip out to the lake to enjoy the beautiful weather. After not doing much this summer, this trip to the lake was much needed. Even though the water level was up, we had a great afternoon hanging out, playing corn hole, and enjoying the beautiful day before school started. Those are the days that memories are made. 

The rest of my weekends seem to have flown by. I have some fantastic friends and we've been making the most of our time. My weekends have been filled with more trips to the lake, college football, and concerts with my sister. Girl time with my room mates and flag football give me breaks from school during the week. Class work has picked up immeasurably as the majority of my load consists of classes for my major. We know that "all work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy" so I've been trying to balance the increasing work load with as much play as I can. Thankfully, some weeks there's more time for play than others. The Lord has blessed me with some fantastic people in my life and I plan to make many more memories along the way.

So for now, its goodbye summer & hello fall! This summer finished out so much better than I would have thought and I look forward to many great times this fall. I bought my first jar of apple butter today at my church's fall festival. I've pulled out my flannel. My Steelers haven't had the best luck as of yet but ya never know what might happen. My Cardinals will be playing into October! Its finally cooling off enough for drinking coffee to be enjoyable again. Fall, food, flannel, friends, football! What more could a girl ask for?

So Long Summer Break

For what feels like the first time all summer, I was actually, legitimately busy today. I babysat for kids I'm not related to and I went out for fro-yo with friends. It felt great to be out of the house, doing something responsible, productive, and that I enjoy. Call me a nerd but I'm ready to get back to school. 

Speaking of which, I don't have much longer to wait until I'm back in the classroom. I have less than a week of summer break left before I move back into my dorm! As often as I say I'm ready to be back, that "less than a week" tidbit freaks me out. Far too many books still reside on my reading list, I've not finished rereading Harry Potter! I've grown comfortable once again in my bed and my home and my town and with my family. Freshman year, everything about college is new and exciting. I couldn't wait to get to school and meet new friends and have awesome classes. Now as I head back to school to start my Junior year, I know exactly what it will be like to see my best friends and favorite teachers, but I also know exactly what it feels like to miss my family and the friends I've stayed in touch with. 

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my college and my college town. Its my second favorite place on Earth. The upside of returning for my third year is knowing just how much fun I'll have with my friends and that we'll have many of the same, yet plenty of new, adventures throughout the year. As exciting as it is to leave home for the first time as a Freshman, I never miss the fear at the back of my mind that I'll not be friends with my room mates or that I'll sit alone at lunch every day. Though those fears were ultimately ridiculous, I enjoy knowing that I live with some of the greatest girls I've ever met. 

Seeing as how my goal in blogging every Wednesday was to make sure I continued to write through the summer, this may be my last blog for a while. This time next week I'll be preparing for my campus to be flooded with Freshman and transfer students all ready for a fantastic Welcome Week! Once the craziness of welcome has finished, that of school will take over. I'll try to make a point of writing regularly throughout the year, though that never seems to work as I wish it would. 

One of the major highways students will be traveling to school has been shut down due to flooding. This flooding has even caused people to be evacuated from their homes. Hopefully the flooding will recede in the next few days and the roads will be clear again and families can return to their homes, the river is expected to crest tomorrow. If you think about it, please include these families and the students travels in your prayers!

Another day, another... book read?

I thought about giving examples of the things I've done in the past week, but then I realized it would just be much easier to say that I've basically been geeking out for the better part of the last week. The highlight was when I read the 2nd & 3rd books of The Mortal Instruments series in a day. I guess you could say I've definitely missed reading YA. Its just fun. Since I've also been re-reading Harry Potter, Happy Birthday Harry!!

Last night, one of my Facebook friends shared this link (click here!) & I love it. Check it out if you haven't seen it already - if you don't understand how I could love geeking for a week or anything else introverts do, it'll help.

Makin' The Rounds

Sometimes good things happen that make me wish I lived in a different time. I just got back from visiting some friends for a few days and it sort of got me thinking of times in the past when people would travel to visit their friends once a year but stay for weeks at a time. I'm sure it'd be much harder to be very close to those people, but I think I'd love getting to travel the country throughout the year to visit friends. I love being home, but I also enjoy being able to visit my friends at their home and learning about where they're from. While visiting my friends the past few days I was able to see places they enjoy hanging out and unique special places off the beaten track. Its moments like those, when I'm able to gain a deeper understanding of my friends, that I truly enjoy visiting new places. It was such a joy to get to spend time with my friends before the craziness of the semester set in. Even the drive was nice, the roads I was able to take on my trip went through some of the most beautiful parts of the state. This relaxing trip was just what I needed before the pre-school craziness sets in.

Here are some pictures from my time I got to spend with my room mate! Enjoy the last week of July!

One month left

I know I've said before how one of the downsides of summer is missing my friends. I love being home, but man I really miss my friends from school & the ones that live away from home. The only good thing about missing friends is getting to catch up! Today I was able to catch up with a friend from school & talk about random things like we would have if we were hanging out at school. I'm really trying to enjoy being where I am while I'm here, but I'm definitely looking forward to being reunited & some great adventures. 

Despite missing my friends, I also realized today there is less than a month until I move back to campus. It's one of those realizations that makes me want to get up & actually do the things I said I wanted to do this summer - other than watching Netflix. I need to finish painting my chair, read more books, spend more time outside, and visit more friends without looking back. As Oscar Wilde said, "To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all." 

I'm on beach time!

America really is a beautiful country. Forget about politics - there's none of that here. The jaw dropping beauty in all parts of our diverse nation screams of our brilliant creator. I truly feel blessed to live in a country holding so much natural beauty. These are the revelations of a young woman who has only seen a handful of states no less. I find myself quickly wanting to check more states off my visit list. Though I love love home, I find myself full of wonderlust for my own country.

I've been in Longboat Key, FL since Sunday afternoon. These last few days here have been simply beautiful. Our hotel is right on the beach and I can see both the ocean and the bay from our hotel room's balcony. I don't think I've ever loved Florida as much as now. All of the homes gorgeous, the hotels make you want to visit them all, and the people have all been really nice (even the lady who called me a Yankee). And being from the mid-west, I like to think I know nice people when I meet them. Longboat Key isn't a very big island but is connected to other islands and the mainland via bridges that allow views of bays full a boats and magnificent waterfront homes. All of the islands we've driving through or visited have been so charming - I'd love to spend time on them all. Hands down this is the most relaxing vacation I've ever had. We've spent almost all of our time by or in the ocean and pool. Dinner and an afternoon of shopping have called us to explore different parts of the islands. We saw the sunset at Bradenton Beach Monday night and I think I fell in love. 

 Now I have visited Pacific and Gulf Coast beaches since January and I'm not sure I could pick a favorite. Oregon beaches and Gulf Florida beaches may as well be on different planets there are so different. I also love them both for very different reasons. Gulf beaches have glowing white sand and refreshing greenish blue waters. Oregon beaches have breath taking rock formations and cold, clear water. I long to see California, Carolina and Maine beaches to see how I will cherish those. Other sites around the country I long for are the Colorado Rockies (again), Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, the hills of Tennessee, and the Ozarks where I call home. 

Sending sand, sunshine, and salt water vibes your way! 

Sometimes there's just not much to write about.

So lately I really haven't been up to much. I covered the seat of my folding chair, but it's been too windy on my free days to spray paint. Its also been unseasonably chilly so I haven't been getting must pool time either. Some of my best friends came down Friday and we had a girl's night. Regardless, I've been enjoying my favorite inside activities. Since I couldn't come up with much of anything to write about I thought I'd share some things you may or may not know about me. 

- My favorite book of all time is Pride and Prejudice. I also love the 1995 BBC adaptation, the 2005 movie adaptation, and even the Zombie version. My newest favorite? The youtube series The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Seriously, check it out.
- I love love love Doctor Who. I'm watching right now. I also love Supernatural. And Sherlock.
- Yes, I am scared of the dark. Okay, maybe a better description is slightly terrified. 
- Harry Potter by JK Rowling is brilliant. So are the movie adaptations. 
- Speaking of brilliance, JRR Tolkien & Lord of the Rings. 
- My other favorite TV shows are Bones & Castle. 
- My step dad is French Canadian.
- I've read so many books, sometimes I have to start re-reading before I remember if I've read it before or not. 
- I first hurt my ankle in 1st grade. Between that and being ultra klutzy, my ankles are basically elastic now. Which is sort of helpful since I roll my ankle on an almost daily basis. 
- I'm allergic to all trees and grasses. Maybe Spring isn't my favorite season. 
- Mix my allergies and my klutziness, I don't really play sports. My athletic ability is probably 5.
- My favorite summer activity are concerts at the Amphitheater & floating in my pool.
- I love burning candles. 
- My little sister and I are two years and 15 days apart. 
- Also, I'm a Mac girl. & I love my iPhone. 
- Country music is probably my favorite, but I love all kinds of music. 
- I really really enjoy float trips with my family in our canoes. 
- If I'm on my computer, I'm probably either listening to Spotify or watching Netfllix (while doing whatever I'm actually supposed to be doing). 
- I thoroughly enjoy naps. My best friend & I were just talking yesterday that naps should be made mandatory daily.
- My favorite colors are blue & yellow.
- I love tractors. My grandpa & my dad ran a tractor implement my entire life. My grandfather started the business in the 70s and my dad has continued it even after my grandpa passed away. Tractors, especially red tractors, make me think of home. 
- My best friend dubbed my car "Babe-mobile". Yeah, it stuck. 
- As much as I love my fully stocked bookshelves, my kindle is one of my favorite things. 
- Some of my favorite music outside of country is Mumford & Sons, The Civil Wars, & The Avett Brothers.

Its not very exciting, but maybe now you have a better idea of who I am. Though I could have gone on for a great bit longer, I'm sure this is more than enough for now.

Summer Craftin' & Relaxin'!

I love Summer storms. Not that we need any more rain around here. But right now I'm sitting on my back deck eating ice cream, watching the clouds roll in, and listening to the thunder that's coming. Even though the air is sticky-hot, I find it really relaxing. It makes me wish I had a hammock to enjoy the time in.

Since I still haven't found a job (I've accepted the reality that it's just not going to happen this summer) I've kept myself busy plenty of other ways. Usually I find myself running errands or doing chores for my mom. I also like hanging out at my family's business, listening to the goings-on of the farming community. When I can, this is one of my favorite places to be.

This week though, I've decided to start being crafty.

Now creating things is something I've always wanted to be good at, but realistically it just doesn't come naturally to me. I can organize my craft supplies all day long, but when it comes down to actually starting to make anything it usually takes a bit of encouragement. I had a fairly good craft spree over the winter when I painted and gave my room a makeover, but it trickled off before I got around to making the throw pillow covers I so enjoyed picking out fabric for... Yes, the pillow covers are still on my craft list, but something else found its way to the top yesterday. This current blast of creativity started last night when I finally found and put together a shadow box from my high school graduation, but that's not even the really exciting part. While Mom & I were perusing a consignment shop downtown yesterday, I found a set of folding chairs at a really good price. I know folding chairs aren't on most 20-year-olds' wishlist, but I've been dying to try this folding chair DIY since I saw it on Pinterest a while back! Plus it'll be nice to have the set once I move out of my dorm and get my full blow adult status. 

I'm really looking forward to picking out paint colors & fabrics for my chairs, but I know its not all fun and games. I've already had an absolute blast just trying to remove the seat cushions since they aren't just held on with normal screws. I look forward to more learning experiences with this DIY & I'll be sure to share pictures once I finally have one done!

State Of Grace

Coming to terms with being unemployed this summer has been something. The Lord's always showing me that things work on his timeline, not mine. Surprisingly, its been more of a blessing that I would have imagined. I've really enjoyed being able to do things with my family without restrictions. Simply the smallest things like going to the grocery store and running errands with my mom have been enjoyable this summer. Knowing that next summer I'll possibly be living in my college town I'm really trying to make this summer count with my family & friends in my hometown. Today one of my family members encouraged me to enjoy this state of unemployment while I can, because it won't be something that will come around again any time soon. In reference to the title of this post, enjoying this summer may or may not come with listening to copious amounts of Taylor Swift.

I really enjoyed being home this week with Mathieu visiting. The whole family was in the house, which is something of an uncommon occurrence. Like the card I gave my step-dad on father's day said, "Family is weird, but a good kind of weird". I love my weird family. We had my sister's graduation party at our house Saturday. It was so great to get to see and visit with family friends I haven't seen in a few years. One such person, my grandma's friend Mike, I haven't seen in about five years. It was really great to get to catch up with him and his family, finally! 

 So since I don't have much to talk about this week, I think I'll be courageous & put a poem I wrote last spring out here. I hope you enjoy!

Sinkhole

One morning I woke up 
and there it was. 
A deep ache began to settle in my heart. 
I realized there would be no more
tree houses and sandboxes. No more
family built swing set. No more 
sled hills. No more 
running barefoot across gravel parking lots. 

Welcome Summer!

Praise the Lord its finally hot outside! I've been home for three and a half weeks and today I finally swam in my pool. It was definitely worth the wait. One of my best friends, Amanda, came over and it was so nice to just relax and enjoy the day in the pool. Summer just isn't summer without hot days spent in the pool.

I truly love being home. This picture shows my view tonight as I type this. I love so much about the area I grew up, it always holds such a special place in my heart. I was never one of those kids that wanted nothing more than to bust out of town and never return. I love my family and my town. Sure I had my ups and downs here, but that's life. Hard times and trials come with the job of living. Even though I absolutely love my college town and I do miss it even as I talk about my hometown, nothing compares to this place that holds my memories and my family. I know I'm so blessed to have such a large extended family that acts like immediate family. I've been able to grow up with third cousins as though they were my first cousins and I've loved that. 
As I've grown up, I've come to learn that the people you love in a place won't always be there. I've watched friends leave this town and call other parts of the world home. Feeling lost in my hometown wasn't something I ever expected, but coming home for the summer knowing that one of my best friends from high school was staying in her college town dampened the overall summer outlook at first. Looking forward to a summer without some of my friends helped me to step back and really think about the things I value in my hometown. I realized the things I love about my hometown aren't things that would make anyone want to drive right on over to see. I love the river. I love the back roads that I know like the back of my hand. I love my family's business. I love this one specific Mexican restaurant. I love this little cafe that makes the best salad ever. I love my grandma's house. I even love the unpredictable Midwest weather. These little things add up to take a big part of my heart. 

Speaking of how much I love my family, my step-brother arrived tonight! He and my two other step siblings live in Montreal, Canada, my step dad's hometown. I love getting to visit with them, though we only get to see them about twice a year. I'm looking forward to this next week and getting to spend time with him. I also received a text from my aunt this week to let me know my cousin I went to visit in Oregon will be home for a visit in August! We were close growing up and even though we had drifted a bit, I've missed her while she's been enjoying living in the Pacific Northwest. 

I guess what I'm really trying to say, I love summer! I love my pool, I love barefoot blue jean nights, I love being on the river, and I love getting together with family. All the things that for me make summer, summer. Of course with the occasional roasted hotdog and s'mores night thrown in.  Graham cracker, chocolate, and marshmallow. Basically the recipe of summer. 

One Got Hitched, One Turned 21!

So, as usual when I decide to put a task unto my self, everything goes well for a few days or a few weeks until it inevitably crashes before my face. As it goes, it looks like this week was my crash week. I don't even have an excuse about how busy things are or how much stuff I do every day. I just forgot all about it. The same story goes for my 30 Day Writing Challenge. It'll still be a 30 Day Challenge, its just not going to start on the first of the month. Better late than never!

Three exciting things happened this past week! First, last Saturday two of my friends got married! Adam & Erin are beautiful people and make each other greater by being together. I still feel incredibly blessed to have been included in their amazing day. I was so excited about their wedding, I slept for about 4 hours the night before the wedding. Thank goodness the day was chock full of things to do so I never had the opportunity to crash. I'm not even sure I sat down for more than a few minutes at a time during the reception. My friends & I are what you might call Dancing Fools. Sunday night when I was finally able to lay down for a good night's sleep it was well worth it. As exhausted as was I wouldn't trade it for anything. Their wedding day was definitely one for the books. I've so much loved seeing the pictures Erin's been putting on Facebook of their beautiful honeymoon location!

Sunday, we celebrated my sister's graduation with a party with my dad's family. Lets just say I felt like a zombie 90% of the day & needed about 100x as much coffee as I actually consumed. All-in-all it was a nice day getting to eat some good food and visit with family. 

After I finally recovered from my exciting weekend, it was time to celebrate another one of my best friend's 21st birthday! Amanda happens to be one of my first friends to turn the big twenty one. Even though I've been twenty for a while now, when my friends start hitting 21 it seems to really hit me out of nowhere. I guess I still haven't exactly accepted the fact that we're all growing up and becoming adults, whether we like it or not. Birthdays and end-of-semesters always make me stop and think about how fast time flies. These are some of the things that really make you want to live and enjoy every day as much as you can before they're gone and you're looking back.

Speaking of days gone to soon, if y'all could keep my hometown in your prayers. Tragedy hit us in the middle of the night last night as three young men who were younger than me in high school passed away and two others are in serious condition. Our high school has faced many sad accidents such as this in the past few years, but that doesn't make this any easier. Life lost too soon always hits hard and this has been no exception.

Busy As A Bee!

In the craziness of the past two weeks, I've been making sure to enjoy the little things. So far, this means I've been re-reading plenty of Harry Potter.

Last Thursday, my baby sister graduated from high school! It was definitely different being back at school, especially as an alumni and not a student. I enjoyed getting to say hi to some of my teachers and seeing some of my classmates. Watching my sister walk across that stage & head off for project graduation definitely brought back plenty of memories. Even though walking back into school for the ceremony reaffirmed for me how much I don't miss high school, it was nice to visit. It doesn't matter where life takes me, I'm sure I'll always bleed Red & Black.

The very next day, I had the rehearsal dinner for Adam & Erin's wedding! Its getting so close now--only 3 days left! In those few days there's still tons left to do! Picking up dresses, getting manicures & pedicures, spray tans, setting up the reception, SO MUCH! Its all exciting, especially since this is the first wedding I've been in & Erin is the first of my friends to be getting hitched.  The rehearsal dinner really set in how close the wedding was, and each day brings it closer! I'm so excited for my friends, they're great & I know they're going to have a very very happy life together. Celebrating their marriage will definitely be a highlight of my summer. I've been so blessed by Erin's friendship since I was 6 years old & I'm so grateful I get to help celebrate her & Adam's day. I look forward many more future days in our friendship & watching their family grow!

Monday my parents & I celebrated Memorial Day by going into town for a parade. Its always nice to see the community coming together, especially in memory and honor of those in the military. Plus I always love watching the kids chase the candy & get so excited about the police cars and fire trucks. This year we were able to watch the parade with one of my best friends and his family. Times like this are the reason I love coming home. Friends & family mean more and more as I get older. I also feel so blessed that I've been able to see all my cousins since I've been home as well. Family really does help make this place feel like home.

I'm really looking forward to my June Writing Challenge! I think it may actually begin Friday since the wedding is the first, but we'll see how it plays out. I'm definitely looking forward to doing more creative writing. My life definitely isn't quite exciting enough for me to write an entire post each week. Although I am very much looking forward to blogging about the wedding!

Why, Hello Summer!

Well, whatdoyaknow? Finals week is OVER and Summer finally arrived! I haven't even been home for a week and things have been just crazy! My time has been consumed with activities related to my great friend Erin's wedding and my little sister graduating high school tomorrow! Despite the stream of events to attend, I'm so glad I finally made it home for the summer. This semester was great, I truly love my English major/Writing minor. But let me just say everybody needs a break now and then. Seeing as how I am still unemployed for the summer, it looks as though my break may not be quite as productive as I'd imagined... 

Regardless of the needed break from school, I've decided a break from writing is not something I need. In light of this, I've decided to make it a point to post in my blog at least once a week. On top of that, I'm planning on doing a 30 day writing challenge for the month of June. I compiled and modified my list of prompts from this website. I may or may not decide to post any of these prompts to my blog, we'll see how they come out. At least I'll be writing. Even after taking only one creative writing class I've learned the basis to writing (like almost everything else) is practice, practice, practice. So, even if everything I write from my prompts comes out as crap, at least I'll be trying. 

On the eve of my little sister's graduation from high school, I just keep wondering where the last two years have gone. I find it hard to believe it has already been two years since it was my turn to walk across that stage. And know here its my baby sister's turn. The hardest part of college comes from times like this, realizing I've missed my sister grow into a young woman instead of the kid I knew when I went to college. She's completed her year studying Health Occupations and has decided to work towards becoming a Physical Therapy Assistant. I know she's capable of excelling at whatever she puts her mind to and I truly hope she finds her calling in PTA. I feel so blessed to be able to be here tomorrow night as she walks across that stage and comes down a High School Graduate. I know what a long journey ends at that moment, but also that another exciting journey begins with the steps off the stage. 

Until next time!

And now six months have passed.

Hey, I never said I was a good blogger. Just because I enjoy writing and love the idea of a blog, doesn't mean I'm the best at keeping up with what I've started. 

However, I do believe that this will be something really beneficial for me to keep up over the summer. I've gone and picked up a Writing minor to supplement my English major so the practice will do me good. 

Many things have changed since I last wrote. First of all, I'm no longer a "soon to be twenty-something". Don't get me wrong, I love my birthday. But I don't much care about turning twenty. I didn't feel my life disappearing, suddenly regret that I hadn't had "more fun" in high school, or feel just OLD. I celebrated the fact that my teens were gone and before me stands life. I enjoyed just getting to spend time with my family and friends. That's my favorite part about birthdays anyway--surrounding myself with people I love. I've also adventured to Canada again and took my first trip to Oregon to see my cousin! Maybe I'll post about those trips eventually. Maybe I'll finally finish my Paris trip, though it may have to be an anniversary post. Oops. 

The hardest part about writing a post is figuring out what in the world I want to write about. But something that has been on my mind a lot lately has been poetry. One of my classes this semester has actually been an introduction into writing poetry. I've enjoyed poetry since high school but never really thought I'd be any good at, or even enjoy, writing anything. 

Well I'm still not sure I'm any good at writing poetry. I have however found that I immensely enjoy writing. I even like writing formal poems sometimes. (I guess this maybe really isn't such a shocker. I really love traditional things and old school ways sometimes.)  Reading poetry for this class has become actually one of the things I look forward to the most. I love expanding my experience of poetry and trying out different types of poems. 

Poetry is perhaps the easiest way to read in college. I never get to read novels any more with all of the reading and studying I'm doing for my classes, but poetry can take only minutes (depending on what you're reading) to explore something new. If I find myself in a weird mood or just needing a little boost, I find myself turning to poetry--Biblical or otherwise. I've found poetry to be such an intimate form of literature and that reading other people's thoughts and emotions help me better feel and understand my own. 

Maybe, one day, eventually, probably pretty far into the future, I'll share some of what I've written here. But for now I think I'll stick to a poem by ee cummings (found here ) that has been on my mind quite a bit lately... 

[i carry your heart with me(i carry it in] by ee cummings

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in

my heart)i am never without it(anywhere

i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done

by only me is your doing,my darling)

                                                      i fear

no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want

no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)

and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows

higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)