So maybe not the most uplifting title or one that inspires any of you to read this post but yeah, this is the end. Least of this blog. I know, it was a short life for Summer Diaries but it served most of its purpose.
Why am I killing it? Well to put it bluntly it became boring. Not homework boring but like practicing musical scales boring. Just a struggle to write it. For me writing is a passion, something I love and something I despise. This particular path of writing hit a lead wall and it wasn't worth the struggle of breaking it down.
This doesn't mean I will stop writing. Screw that crap! It's still a passion for me and I'm certainly feeling the drive kick back up in my fingertips. I simply won't be writing any more blogs about my daily/weekly life in America, least not while I'm at Iowa. Rather I'm considering a new type of blog and if I go through with the idea the link will be posted on this blog. We shall see though, no guarantees for the moment.
So what happened during the rest of my summer? Let's see, the trip to LA finished fine and was a blast with my family namely my brother Pete. I do miss him however we've found ways to communicate and keep in touch beyond the basic text and call. Fortunately we're related thus seeing each other is always definite.
After LA Jonathan (my British boyfriend from my study abroad year in France) paid me a visit in Chicago. He sadly leaves in two days but the two of us have spent some amazing time together. We hit up the city several times, went to Rocky Horror, and even visited our friend Paula in Omaha for her 21st birthday. Although I wish I could burn his passport the reality is we both need to finish school and our universities happen to be an ocean apart. These few weeks have been amazing with him and I'm grateful he was able to visit me. Sides G+ exists as do email servers, technology.
Now school is upon me, a new semester oh dear! Wish me luck going back to Iowa audience it's been a blast with you. Maybe I'll start that "other" blog and maybe some of you will read it. Regardless you've been reading and I appreciate it. Farewell audience.
-MareBear
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
July 17th, 18th, & 19th
My adventures in Los Angeles start now. In Vegas.
Aight so something about the States, some of them are farther than others. California is pretty far from Chicago. Just to give a nice image to it.
There we go. So the red line represents my flight to Vegas the blue line my flight to LA. I don't believe there are any direct flights from Chicago to LA you always have to lay over somewhere nearby. Most likely that's due to traffic not distance but this little map does give you and idea of how far I traveled. Not too shabby.
I spent around two hours in Vegas airport which was long enough. The staff might be immune to the slot machine sound effects but I'm definitely not. I-pods could possibly be one of the greatest innovations and headphones one the greatest inventions. It wasn't long before I was on my plane to Burbank.
Arrived smoothly, found my bag, and waited for my big bro to pick me up. For his amusement I was sporting some rather goofy looking sunglasses which made me difficult to miss. We hugged, loaded my bag into his corolla, and headed towards his apartment.
Once there I became settled in after saying hello to Tater Pete's roommate. I would be staying on an air-mattress which was fine with me, they are comfortable. The three of us then ordered Chinese and watched Adventure Time on Netflix. Well Pete and I watched Adventure Time cause Tater really hates that show. It was an early night since I had been flying all day but good to be with my big bro again.
The next two days included this,
Aight so something about the States, some of them are farther than others. California is pretty far from Chicago. Just to give a nice image to it.
There we go. So the red line represents my flight to Vegas the blue line my flight to LA. I don't believe there are any direct flights from Chicago to LA you always have to lay over somewhere nearby. Most likely that's due to traffic not distance but this little map does give you and idea of how far I traveled. Not too shabby.
I spent around two hours in Vegas airport which was long enough. The staff might be immune to the slot machine sound effects but I'm definitely not. I-pods could possibly be one of the greatest innovations and headphones one the greatest inventions. It wasn't long before I was on my plane to Burbank.
Arrived smoothly, found my bag, and waited for my big bro to pick me up. For his amusement I was sporting some rather goofy looking sunglasses which made me difficult to miss. We hugged, loaded my bag into his corolla, and headed towards his apartment.
Once there I became settled in after saying hello to Tater Pete's roommate. I would be staying on an air-mattress which was fine with me, they are comfortable. The three of us then ordered Chinese and watched Adventure Time on Netflix. Well Pete and I watched Adventure Time cause Tater really hates that show. It was an early night since I had been flying all day but good to be with my big bro again.
The next two days included this,
Also this,
And a little of this,
Ah that LA sunset is wasted on my camera. Just imagine brighter hues and you'd have some idea of its marvel. The day was mostly spent with video games and movies, though mainly video games. Pete has an SNES emulator on his computer and well Super Mario World is an old favorite. Throughout the trip we played through it (I was Luigi as always) and beat everything. We had a few levels left in the secret star world but honestly that's trivial and something to do next time. We did discover new parts of the game which was weird after all these years. Just a quick "for example". Ahem for example there are pink apples that Yoshi can eat scattered in certain levels. If Yoshi eats two of them in a row then a cloud appears and drops smiley faces that give points. Random but not previously known to Pete or me.
I did meet Jake and Mary my second day in LA so the 18th which was nice since I head so much about them, especially Jake. Pete and Jake went to college together and Indiana University so the fact that I haven't met him up until this point is somewhat ridiculous. Both of them are funny and cool just as I imagined. Plus their cats Juno and Penelope are eerily similar to Beast and Mystic.
Really audience those were my first two days, hanging out with pizza and cookies. My parents arrived on Friday but I didn't see them til Saturday since I was extremely tired. It was awesome just relaxing with Pete, that's honestly what I miss the most about him living in LA. Last summer we spent every day together thus it was cleansing to do so again even if only for a few days.
Friday, July 12, 2013
July Absences
Aight time for an explanation. I know I said I'd only write about exciting days and I have kept true to that. Audience here lies a series of photos as to what I've been doing the past few weeks.
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| Napping, often for several hours after breakfast. |
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| Star Wars the Old Republic, because it is fun and fills my video game void. |
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| Cleaning/sorting through childhood junk, what I'm supposed to be doing all day. |
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| And here's Beast, with a few modifications |
That's what I've been up to. A whole lot of dull and nothing. Fear not because this Wednesday I'm flying out to LA to visit my brother Pete. I'll be there for a week which should bring round some exciting stories. Til that time (most likely) these photos sum me up pretty well.
I know audience, what a rip off. Haha, later!
The Fourth of July
Oh my gosh it's America's birthday. I'd like to say this as professionally as possible. Holy fuck yes, fireworks!
The Fourth is a very important holiday for me because it means a mixture of mercury and gunpowder explode in the sky around nine thirty at four corners. Every single year! Now this Fourth started earlier than my usual ones since I was invited to go to Six Flags Great America with my friends Nay and Caitlin. If you click that link there it will take you to Natalie's blog which is pretty fucking amazing. Ah how I missed my relaxed use of swearing. I'm almost like a kid who's been released onto the world after being grounded. Unnaturally free.
At Six Flags the three of us spent most of our time waiting in lines. Wasn't too bad since we were together and could talk about everything under the moon. There were two things that pissed me off on an otherwise fantastic day. And time for you to hear them audience. Did ya miss my complaints?
Number one, flash pass. What is a "flash pass"? Well audience it is one of the most pen breaking (I have destroyed several bic pens over the course of my life out of anger) annoyances known to man. Amusement parks are already expensive for everyone. However there are those who feel the need to spend more because they can. They buy flash passes which enable them to cut in front of you. On a hot ass July day after waiting an hour for an awesome ride a group of spoiled children (they are the majority) skip in front of you because they have the flash pass. Now they aren't timid about it. No they like to gloat and act stuck up. Joy.
See I enjoy riding rides front row cause it's way more epic. Well a "premium" flash pass enables you to ride the ride again, instantly after. I threatened to kill four spoiled butter balls of kids because they did that on Raging Bull. They heard me. Most likely they fear short blondish white chicks now. (Although some of you may not understand why I was so furious you need to experience it yourself, you will want to murder any and all children who cut in the fashion of being proud of it).
Number two, overly excited man-children. Now I can be annoying as all fuck especially when hyper. Amusement parks are places to be hyper, in certain areas. Not in line. Don't be the douche who tries to go around high-fiving everyone at the back of the line of Superman. Especially don't be the douche who then talks about every controversial topic present in American news as if you have all the answers. My reply, go back to Starbucks you attention starved fuck.
Ahem, the rest of Six Flags was amazing. Superman kicks ass so much! It's a ride designed so that you "fly like Superman" and kicks even more ass in the front row. Natalie can scream though. I mean SCREAM. She must have circular breathing down cause I never heard her take a breath. Truly impressive my lovely Nay.
Batman was next of course. This time it was different, it went backwards. Holy hell that was cool. I've never experienced that glorious ride backwards. At night yes, in the rain yes, after a black out yup, but backwards?! Such an innovative way to make something feel new.
The last ride and my all time favorite was Raging Bull. If you want the smoothest roller coaster experience known to man, well challenge the Bull. I know coasters too. Trust me I've hit up so many theme parks including Cedar Point (go Dragster and Millennium Force) but none of them have a coaster smoother than Raging Bull. The three of us went front row and even took a pretty silly picture. Perfect way to end Six flags, with a cherry on top.
Then fireworks happened while the three of us sat on top of my mother's mini van. Best way to view fireworks. We played a few songs on our phones to reflect the mood of the night. Two I distinctly remember were "What a Beautiful World" and "Barlights". BOOM amazing fireworks courtesy of DG.
The three of us then lit of sparklers. We are silly girls.
The Fourth is a very important holiday for me because it means a mixture of mercury and gunpowder explode in the sky around nine thirty at four corners. Every single year! Now this Fourth started earlier than my usual ones since I was invited to go to Six Flags Great America with my friends Nay and Caitlin. If you click that link there it will take you to Natalie's blog which is pretty fucking amazing. Ah how I missed my relaxed use of swearing. I'm almost like a kid who's been released onto the world after being grounded. Unnaturally free.
At Six Flags the three of us spent most of our time waiting in lines. Wasn't too bad since we were together and could talk about everything under the moon. There were two things that pissed me off on an otherwise fantastic day. And time for you to hear them audience. Did ya miss my complaints?
Number one, flash pass. What is a "flash pass"? Well audience it is one of the most pen breaking (I have destroyed several bic pens over the course of my life out of anger) annoyances known to man. Amusement parks are already expensive for everyone. However there are those who feel the need to spend more because they can. They buy flash passes which enable them to cut in front of you. On a hot ass July day after waiting an hour for an awesome ride a group of spoiled children (they are the majority) skip in front of you because they have the flash pass. Now they aren't timid about it. No they like to gloat and act stuck up. Joy.
See I enjoy riding rides front row cause it's way more epic. Well a "premium" flash pass enables you to ride the ride again, instantly after. I threatened to kill four spoiled butter balls of kids because they did that on Raging Bull. They heard me. Most likely they fear short blondish white chicks now. (Although some of you may not understand why I was so furious you need to experience it yourself, you will want to murder any and all children who cut in the fashion of being proud of it).
Number two, overly excited man-children. Now I can be annoying as all fuck especially when hyper. Amusement parks are places to be hyper, in certain areas. Not in line. Don't be the douche who tries to go around high-fiving everyone at the back of the line of Superman. Especially don't be the douche who then talks about every controversial topic present in American news as if you have all the answers. My reply, go back to Starbucks you attention starved fuck.
Ahem, the rest of Six Flags was amazing. Superman kicks ass so much! It's a ride designed so that you "fly like Superman" and kicks even more ass in the front row. Natalie can scream though. I mean SCREAM. She must have circular breathing down cause I never heard her take a breath. Truly impressive my lovely Nay.
Batman was next of course. This time it was different, it went backwards. Holy hell that was cool. I've never experienced that glorious ride backwards. At night yes, in the rain yes, after a black out yup, but backwards?! Such an innovative way to make something feel new.
The last ride and my all time favorite was Raging Bull. If you want the smoothest roller coaster experience known to man, well challenge the Bull. I know coasters too. Trust me I've hit up so many theme parks including Cedar Point (go Dragster and Millennium Force) but none of them have a coaster smoother than Raging Bull. The three of us went front row and even took a pretty silly picture. Perfect way to end Six flags, with a cherry on top.
Then fireworks happened while the three of us sat on top of my mother's mini van. Best way to view fireworks. We played a few songs on our phones to reflect the mood of the night. Two I distinctly remember were "What a Beautiful World" and "Barlights". BOOM amazing fireworks courtesy of DG.
The three of us then lit of sparklers. We are silly girls.
Monday, July 8, 2013
July 1st & 2nd
I love it when the first of a month starts out awesome. Ah the word awesome feels delicious on this American's mind/tongue. Just, shiver. Ha, alright time to dive into what made this first so damn awesome.
It was Suzanne! My friends truly are important to me and make any day spent with them truly amazing. Today was another day of shopping though slightly different, we hit up Four Corners.
Four Corners is an outdoor strip mall of sorts partially in my town. Well two of the corners are in DG. The other two, one is in Darien the other in Woodridge. It is four corners that unite three suburbs. Real deep. In any case they have a BestBuy and a PartyCity. Dah real draw.
So as you all know I was recently a counselor for Wesley Woods camp and although I volunteer they still pay me one hundred dollars for the job. Doux. What does Mary love to do? Spend money on things she probably could live without. Do DVDs fall under that category? Naw, I can't live without a Blu-Ray DVD copy of the Hobbit. Or American Pie. Or Big Libowski. You see where I'm going with this. I walked out of BestBuy with seven movies that I simply adore. My movie collection needed them!
After that Suzy and I slipped into PartyCity which conveniently now is right next to BestBuy. It was here that we found these.
I ended up buying a pair since I'm silly that way and because they will be perfect for LA. Yes later this month (the 17th actually) I'll be visiting my big brother out in Los Angeles. Should be epic. Back to today though.
Heh, I wanted to "summer" up my hair a bit. I have to say I'm loving the added blonde bits just frames nicely. That was the 2nd of July audience. And I have the entire month left to go.
It was Suzanne! My friends truly are important to me and make any day spent with them truly amazing. Today was another day of shopping though slightly different, we hit up Four Corners.
Four Corners is an outdoor strip mall of sorts partially in my town. Well two of the corners are in DG. The other two, one is in Darien the other in Woodridge. It is four corners that unite three suburbs. Real deep. In any case they have a BestBuy and a PartyCity. Dah real draw.
So as you all know I was recently a counselor for Wesley Woods camp and although I volunteer they still pay me one hundred dollars for the job. Doux. What does Mary love to do? Spend money on things she probably could live without. Do DVDs fall under that category? Naw, I can't live without a Blu-Ray DVD copy of the Hobbit. Or American Pie. Or Big Libowski. You see where I'm going with this. I walked out of BestBuy with seven movies that I simply adore. My movie collection needed them!
After that Suzy and I slipped into PartyCity which conveniently now is right next to BestBuy. It was here that we found these.
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| Such beauties. |
Later on Suzy and I returned to my house to watch a classic film. Anyone remember in my Spring blog when I watched Psycho? I do! So does Babe (my lil piggy). Well Suzy and I love Hitchcock and sorta have a thing for Norman Bates. We are strange (look above) and we're ok with that. Sides it is such an amazing film. If you've never seen it fix that error right away! Psycho is fantastic.
That sums up Monday rather nicely. For Tuesday. As I always say pictures are worth a thousand words.
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| Spot the owl! |
June 29th
This particular Saturday was very special because a long time family friend was paying us a visit, Anne-Marie. She is a wonderful woman who often looks after our pets while we are gone because she is incredibly talented with animals. For instance my first dog Stormy was not the best at first impressions. Stormy often barked up a typhoon and growled at any newcomer before accepting them as a guest. First time she saw Anne-Marie she wagged her tail and greeted her with kisses. That is the natural glow of love that Anne-Marie has that all animals see.
Towards humans Anne-Marie is more "hostile" if you will but she's had a rather adventurous life. She hails from France and went to the States very young for summer camps that her mother sent her on. I'd love to record her entire life because it is fascinating and a heart-breaking story but I digress, this blog is for what is happening now. Another time I'll complete that project.
Today Anne-Marie stopped by in the afternoon around three to have tea and cookies with us. That translates to sitting in our solarium talking for hours, an activity I am particularly good at. She had something special though, letters from when she was a little girl. They were all in French and were addressed to her stepfather and her grandfather. The handwriting was unbelievably neat (I guess nuns are harsh in that area) and the letters always ended with je vous embrasse très forts (I hug you very hard). The letters were a breathtaking view in history that occurred over sixty years ago. Simply amazing.
Anne-Marie stayed with us for about three hours (swapping stories and awing over different pictures) before she departed on her way home. I love having her over since I've known her my entire life and she's always been a joyful part of it. Let's hope I can begin that project soon.
After she left so did I, with Nay-Nay of course. Natalie had called me earlier in the day asking if I would like to go out with her for sushi later that night. I said yes since sushi is amazing and I love my Nay. We ate at RA a restaurant connected to my favorite mall Yorktown. It was a feast of sushi along with a few drinks (heh heh saki!) and plenty of talk. We walked around the mall before calling it night.
Nay dropped me off and I gave her a big hug. Hopefully I'll see her next week for the fourth or another date. For now it's time to sleep, MareBear is tired.
Nay dropped me off and I gave her a big hug. Hopefully I'll see her next week for the fourth or another date. For now it's time to sleep, MareBear is tired.
Wesley Woods Week Friday June 28th
The finale to camp, otherwise known as last minute cleaning and a relaxing two hour bus ride. Tommy insisted that I sit next to him since he was my long lost little brother. I agreed while scarfing down strips of greasy crunchy delicious bacon. Mmm bacon.
After breakfast everyone cleared out the cabin though I did a last minute check just to ensure everything was gone. Yup, all good. Time to load buses and say goodbye yet again to Wesley Woods. This year sure had a lot of ups and downs though more ups as it should be.
The bus ride was relaxing enough with Tommy (dah chatterbox of a lil brother) and my cabin surrounding me. The movie was the new Muppets film. I remember watching it with Pete last summer. It is amazing and has so many witty lines in it. Lil tip, if you rent the DVD press pause and see what happens. Trust me it's an awesome surprise.
Two hours later we arrived at FUMC's parking lot. I found my bags and spotted my mother out of the crowded. Before I left though all my campers ran up and gave me a big hug goodbye. And they wonder why I volunteer each year.
Never did use that poncho, darn.
After breakfast everyone cleared out the cabin though I did a last minute check just to ensure everything was gone. Yup, all good. Time to load buses and say goodbye yet again to Wesley Woods. This year sure had a lot of ups and downs though more ups as it should be.
The bus ride was relaxing enough with Tommy (dah chatterbox of a lil brother) and my cabin surrounding me. The movie was the new Muppets film. I remember watching it with Pete last summer. It is amazing and has so many witty lines in it. Lil tip, if you rent the DVD press pause and see what happens. Trust me it's an awesome surprise.
Two hours later we arrived at FUMC's parking lot. I found my bags and spotted my mother out of the crowded. Before I left though all my campers ran up and gave me a big hug goodbye. And they wonder why I volunteer each year.
Never did use that poncho, darn.
Wesley Woods Week Thursday June 27th
The last full day of camp. My oh my it just flies by. Well today was a busy day so I'll try to hit everything without dragging on for too long. Hmm, this is going to be tricky.
Remember how we didn't have horseback riding yesterday? I know a tearful moment for the Junior High though the pizza was bitchin'. Well today we mercifully didn't have any rain the same as last night. Apparently some of the trails (muddy as hell) were safe enough for the horses. We went horseback riding.
Jason and I drove up separately since we were going to stay for both hours. We arrived with half of the Junior High and all seemed ok. Katie forget the safety waivers. Poor Katie. She hurried to the camp and back and a short fifteen minutes later she ran up with all the documents. Good thing was in that time all the kids found and put on their helmets, usually we're rushing them. As a counselor I did not wear a helmet for two reasons; first off they hurt since they are meant for kids and second if I fall off the horse it's my own damn fault. I didn't, Drifter and I seemed to be on the same level most of the time.
One by one the kids were picked from the group and pulled onto a saddle. I was last and given a grey horse with a few spots named Drifter. It was strange but we seemed to think similarly. Both of us are guided by our stomachs.
Now for those of you who ride horses or rode in the past fear not, I did not allow Drifter to stuff her face with grass and greens on the trails. In fact she was very good and listened to all of my commands. Rather when we returned for the second batch of children she wanted some hay. See I might be strong but when a horse wants to eat well there is no stopping it. Fortunately I yelled to one of the stable girls and she ran over with a handful of hay. Drifter you can pig out in the stables once I'm off your back and not at risk to be kicked or bitten by the horse you shove out of the way. In any case I held onto a little "road snack" of hay for Drifter.
The kids seemed to enjoy themselves atop the horses even the few who had never ridden before. Maybe one summer I'll work for a month or so in Iowa on a ranch, just so I can become more familiar with it. Heh, let's see that actually happen MareBear. Moving on to the rest of the tricky busy day.
So being the last night we had our talent show. The acts were scattered from all ages and included song numbers to simple skits. Jalyn one of my campers was set to read some of her poetry. Throughout the week I helped her practice by first reading in front of me, then the cabin, then a few more counselors. She was immensely shy about it however with that practice she was able to read aloud in front of the entire camp. I was her mic-stand, didn't want her to be entirely alone. She read a sad poem first about being alone or "the girl in the corner" then an uplifting poem about a guardian angel. Amazing but sometimes in strangers you see someone whom you used to be. Jalyn I'm so proud of you for overcoming your public speaking fear.
Afterwards was the slideshow which included some pictures from my very own camera. Of course everyone could tell the difference from Jade's pics compared to all the others; she has a kick-ass camera. Unfortunately there were three pictures of me included with bacon tape on my face. You'd think one would have sufficed. A few "it's bacon face!" were shouted among the Junior High. Oh Will and Tommy, you're lucky you are young and adorable. (If Jade posts photos on Facebook I'll be sure to bedazzle these posts with them).
It's time for the grand finale! My favorite part in fact, t-shirt signing. I try to leave a meaning note for each of my campers and a happy note for the random campers I don't know who ask me to sign their shirts. Esther wrote how happy she was that I was her counselor and that she can't wait until next year. Jalyn wrote that I inspired her and ended with how much she loved me. Jade (a good friend and fellow counselor) wrote across the chest of my shirt that I was hers. Haha I love this night. When I'm home I'll hang the shirt on my closet wall sort of as a poster.
The night ended with everyone hyper yet incredibly tired. We had some pizza in the cabins and Maddie even did some henna for the counselors. I had an owl design done. Hoot. Time for bed, it's been a long few days.
Remember how we didn't have horseback riding yesterday? I know a tearful moment for the Junior High though the pizza was bitchin'. Well today we mercifully didn't have any rain the same as last night. Apparently some of the trails (muddy as hell) were safe enough for the horses. We went horseback riding.
Jason and I drove up separately since we were going to stay for both hours. We arrived with half of the Junior High and all seemed ok. Katie forget the safety waivers. Poor Katie. She hurried to the camp and back and a short fifteen minutes later she ran up with all the documents. Good thing was in that time all the kids found and put on their helmets, usually we're rushing them. As a counselor I did not wear a helmet for two reasons; first off they hurt since they are meant for kids and second if I fall off the horse it's my own damn fault. I didn't, Drifter and I seemed to be on the same level most of the time.
One by one the kids were picked from the group and pulled onto a saddle. I was last and given a grey horse with a few spots named Drifter. It was strange but we seemed to think similarly. Both of us are guided by our stomachs.
Now for those of you who ride horses or rode in the past fear not, I did not allow Drifter to stuff her face with grass and greens on the trails. In fact she was very good and listened to all of my commands. Rather when we returned for the second batch of children she wanted some hay. See I might be strong but when a horse wants to eat well there is no stopping it. Fortunately I yelled to one of the stable girls and she ran over with a handful of hay. Drifter you can pig out in the stables once I'm off your back and not at risk to be kicked or bitten by the horse you shove out of the way. In any case I held onto a little "road snack" of hay for Drifter.
The kids seemed to enjoy themselves atop the horses even the few who had never ridden before. Maybe one summer I'll work for a month or so in Iowa on a ranch, just so I can become more familiar with it. Heh, let's see that actually happen MareBear. Moving on to the rest of the tricky busy day.
So being the last night we had our talent show. The acts were scattered from all ages and included song numbers to simple skits. Jalyn one of my campers was set to read some of her poetry. Throughout the week I helped her practice by first reading in front of me, then the cabin, then a few more counselors. She was immensely shy about it however with that practice she was able to read aloud in front of the entire camp. I was her mic-stand, didn't want her to be entirely alone. She read a sad poem first about being alone or "the girl in the corner" then an uplifting poem about a guardian angel. Amazing but sometimes in strangers you see someone whom you used to be. Jalyn I'm so proud of you for overcoming your public speaking fear.
Afterwards was the slideshow which included some pictures from my very own camera. Of course everyone could tell the difference from Jade's pics compared to all the others; she has a kick-ass camera. Unfortunately there were three pictures of me included with bacon tape on my face. You'd think one would have sufficed. A few "it's bacon face!" were shouted among the Junior High. Oh Will and Tommy, you're lucky you are young and adorable. (If Jade posts photos on Facebook I'll be sure to bedazzle these posts with them).
It's time for the grand finale! My favorite part in fact, t-shirt signing. I try to leave a meaning note for each of my campers and a happy note for the random campers I don't know who ask me to sign their shirts. Esther wrote how happy she was that I was her counselor and that she can't wait until next year. Jalyn wrote that I inspired her and ended with how much she loved me. Jade (a good friend and fellow counselor) wrote across the chest of my shirt that I was hers. Haha I love this night. When I'm home I'll hang the shirt on my closet wall sort of as a poster.
The night ended with everyone hyper yet incredibly tired. We had some pizza in the cabins and Maddie even did some henna for the counselors. I had an owl design done. Hoot. Time for bed, it's been a long few days.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Wesley Woods Week Wednesday June 26th
Power is back on, thank you coffee gods out there! I mean I could've dug the old school "cowboy" coffee technique but I'd rather just press a button and have coffee pour out. Just a preference.
Only problem, though we now had electricity it was still raining buckets. Sometimes this happens at camp, can't always have sunny weather. The issue was we were supposed to go horseback riding today. The paths were too muddy. Um, kids please don't cry.
None of them did, thank goodness. I mean yeah the Junior High is 12-13 but still they are kids. Instead we the counselors planned something else for the Junior High that day. It was a "surprise", one that I was excited for. Hmm why don't I just post a few photos of it. Pictures are always worth more than words audience.
Basically we took them out for pizza. It was a special treat they could enjoy as Junior High. Also the parlor made us "sticky fingers" for dessert. Essentially it was a giant cinnamon roll styled like a pizza, frickin' delicious.
Jason promised that if the Blackhawks won the cup Monday night he'd jump into the lake with all his clothes on. A true man of his word.
Now for the all camp activity we did CIT (counselor in training) rotations. Basically the kids were divided into different groups and spent ten minutes at a station doing a team building activity. I stayed at the s'mores station in order to capture these moments:
Aren't they all adorable? Well I think so. Roasting marshmallows around a fire hoping they don't burn.
Aw Jalyn someday that talent of stuffing your face will be useful. For now it's very cute.
The night ended with communion and small electric candles while the others sang Sanctuary. Sorry but that song drives me crazy. Last camp Jay-Jay had them sing it almost all the time. I'm a looper but seriously dude pick another song that isn't so frickin' slow! (The only reason my language is a tad cleaner is because these are about Church Camp).
Needless to say Wednesday went better than planned. Although we didn't have horseback riding we're keeping our fingers crossed for tomorrow. Otherwise we have to pass out refunds to Junior High parents. Please be drier tomorro!
Only problem, though we now had electricity it was still raining buckets. Sometimes this happens at camp, can't always have sunny weather. The issue was we were supposed to go horseback riding today. The paths were too muddy. Um, kids please don't cry.
None of them did, thank goodness. I mean yeah the Junior High is 12-13 but still they are kids. Instead we the counselors planned something else for the Junior High that day. It was a "surprise", one that I was excited for. Hmm why don't I just post a few photos of it. Pictures are always worth more than words audience.
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| My adorable cabin. Left to Right: Bethany, Jalyn, (Jason), Andrea, and Esther |
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| Jason's Cabin the only boys in JH. Jay, Will, and Tommy |
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| The counselors! Katie, Maria, Maddie, Moi (bacon face), and Rebecca. |
Now some of you are probably wondering what the hell is on my face. Well long story short I lost a game called "What are the Odds?" and was forced to wear duct tape on my cheek for the rest of the day. The duct tape was colorful and had a bacon pattern on it. Thus the name "bacon face" followed me for the rest of the night. Oh, it also stopped raining after we ate pizza. Least there's sunshine for the all camp activity and this:
Jason promised that if the Blackhawks won the cup Monday night he'd jump into the lake with all his clothes on. A true man of his word.
Now for the all camp activity we did CIT (counselor in training) rotations. Basically the kids were divided into different groups and spent ten minutes at a station doing a team building activity. I stayed at the s'mores station in order to capture these moments:
Aren't they all adorable? Well I think so. Roasting marshmallows around a fire hoping they don't burn.
Aw Jalyn someday that talent of stuffing your face will be useful. For now it's very cute.
The night ended with communion and small electric candles while the others sang Sanctuary. Sorry but that song drives me crazy. Last camp Jay-Jay had them sing it almost all the time. I'm a looper but seriously dude pick another song that isn't so frickin' slow! (The only reason my language is a tad cleaner is because these are about Church Camp).
Needless to say Wednesday went better than planned. Although we didn't have horseback riding we're keeping our fingers crossed for tomorrow. Otherwise we have to pass out refunds to Junior High parents. Please be drier tomorro!
Wesley Woods Week Tuesday June 25th
I mentioned in the last post how I wasn't able to sleep Monday night. Unfortunately that was not due to the Hawks mind-blowing Stanley Cup win. No, it was due to rain, thunder, and lightning.
The only time thunder though more so lightning (get bent light) keeps me awake is when it is within thirty feet of my sleep vicinity. For those metric people that'd be a little over nine meters. Yeah, nice and cozy close. It was a vicious storm that boom and crackled the entire night. It also flashed many many MANY times near Mary's side of the cabin. I was a bit restless and took a few steps to gain drowsiness. Sheep apparently don't work for me. At least coffee would be waiting for me at breakfast.
But before breakfast (I find this funny) a small incident happened to our cabin. Rebecca and I had forgotten to lock the door Monday night, namely me. See after the Blackhawks game I was about to passed out in dining hall. Hockey drains anyone and everyone of energy, especially a match like that. So locking the door was not on my mind. Sides the "lock" is just a tiny hook that you prop into a ring, not exactly fortifying. Regardless it wasn't locked. Well the wind might have been incredibly strong that night and decided to knock at our door. By knock I mean bash open. Oh my little darlings all screamed and it was up to half-dead Mary to solve it. I stumbled to the door with a few "I got it, I got it," and put a chair behind it. There we go, problem fixed.
Well not exactly. I mean I fixed the issue of the door but um the next morning during breakfast the power died. Apparently a tree fell at that moment onto the power lines. Oh boy, the entire camp doesn't have power. Wait what? The entire town is in the dark?! Oh crap.
Thanks to cellphones (with limited battery life) some electrical workers were called in and began to install new lines right then and there.
Wow. Thanks guys. They did accidentally burst a pipeline with their first hole that caused some backup in the grass later on. Oops, big oops by them. Least their hard work eventually gave us power. Not until 11 PM but hey, that kind of stuff takes a while.
Until that time we did rotations in the dark and in the rain. Being me I didn't bring a jacket and didn't have a poncho. Good thing my hair dries fast since I was frequently drenched by the weather. Also I wore black, another good move.
Later in the afternoon it brightened up and the kids were able to go swimming and kayaking as well. I sat on my butt and watched them from afar like an involved responsible parent. Thank you piercing, I really don't want to tread water in that small slimy section of beach. Kayaking would've been alright but again we can't really "go" anywhere. Sides once you've swum and kayaked among the Thousand Islands there's no going back to the kiddie pool. Plus it's for the kids to enjoy not the counselors.
We didn't have an all camp activity meaning my girls stayed in the cabin making crafts. I began work on an anklet while they applied temporary tattoos and created rubber band bracelets. It's nice having a quiet cabin that enjoys crafts, makes my job less stressful. Again I love these kids, however in years past I required energy drinks to stay awake for all five days. So it's a good break.
Despite being dark today went pretty well. Hope tomorrow is similar. And that my phone doesn't die before the power is back on.
The only time thunder though more so lightning (get bent light) keeps me awake is when it is within thirty feet of my sleep vicinity. For those metric people that'd be a little over nine meters. Yeah, nice and cozy close. It was a vicious storm that boom and crackled the entire night. It also flashed many many MANY times near Mary's side of the cabin. I was a bit restless and took a few steps to gain drowsiness. Sheep apparently don't work for me. At least coffee would be waiting for me at breakfast.
But before breakfast (I find this funny) a small incident happened to our cabin. Rebecca and I had forgotten to lock the door Monday night, namely me. See after the Blackhawks game I was about to passed out in dining hall. Hockey drains anyone and everyone of energy, especially a match like that. So locking the door was not on my mind. Sides the "lock" is just a tiny hook that you prop into a ring, not exactly fortifying. Regardless it wasn't locked. Well the wind might have been incredibly strong that night and decided to knock at our door. By knock I mean bash open. Oh my little darlings all screamed and it was up to half-dead Mary to solve it. I stumbled to the door with a few "I got it, I got it," and put a chair behind it. There we go, problem fixed.
Well not exactly. I mean I fixed the issue of the door but um the next morning during breakfast the power died. Apparently a tree fell at that moment onto the power lines. Oh boy, the entire camp doesn't have power. Wait what? The entire town is in the dark?! Oh crap.
Thanks to cellphones (with limited battery life) some electrical workers were called in and began to install new lines right then and there.
Wow. Thanks guys. They did accidentally burst a pipeline with their first hole that caused some backup in the grass later on. Oops, big oops by them. Least their hard work eventually gave us power. Not until 11 PM but hey, that kind of stuff takes a while.
Until that time we did rotations in the dark and in the rain. Being me I didn't bring a jacket and didn't have a poncho. Good thing my hair dries fast since I was frequently drenched by the weather. Also I wore black, another good move.
Later in the afternoon it brightened up and the kids were able to go swimming and kayaking as well. I sat on my butt and watched them from afar like an involved responsible parent. Thank you piercing, I really don't want to tread water in that small slimy section of beach. Kayaking would've been alright but again we can't really "go" anywhere. Sides once you've swum and kayaked among the Thousand Islands there's no going back to the kiddie pool. Plus it's for the kids to enjoy not the counselors.
We didn't have an all camp activity meaning my girls stayed in the cabin making crafts. I began work on an anklet while they applied temporary tattoos and created rubber band bracelets. It's nice having a quiet cabin that enjoys crafts, makes my job less stressful. Again I love these kids, however in years past I required energy drinks to stay awake for all five days. So it's a good break.
Despite being dark today went pretty well. Hope tomorrow is similar. And that my phone doesn't die before the power is back on.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Wesley Woods Week Monday June 24th
Aight time to start the Wesley Woods Church Camp blog posts!! But, some background info first.
Each summer (for many years now) I have volunteered as a Junior High counselor for my church's five day long bible camp. Honestly the "bible" part isn't incredibly prominent, the camp part is. This means I am responsible for children from ages 12-13 each June while they swim, run around, cause chaos, horseback ride, and everything else in between. It is exhausting and I love it! So now audience let's dive into the 2013 Wesley Woods experience. Forewarning, these posts are going to be lengthy.
Monday morning I found myself at the First United Methodist church in DG ready to go to church camp. This year I decided to not drive up myself since we had a light staff and it would be better for me to take the bus with the kids. Need to look after them. Plus we only had fourteen junior high campers on the roster, much lighter than our typical 40-50 count.
The ride up was smooth enough and only lasted for two hours. I sat next to Esther a girl I've known since she was three years old who was now also one of my campers. She insisted on decorating my nametag on the bus with colorful duct tape. The duct tape nametag thing became popular a few years ago with the campers, it hasn't died yet. It's better to surrender your nametag early since then it's done.
We arrived at camp on time and everyone began to unload the two buses. I called out to the Junior High campers to help assist in the unloading process. A chunk of them didn't. Heh, those girls were going to be whipped into shape. Least some of them, Outrageous was a handful to say the least. For the privacy of campers I have taken the liberty to call some of them by their "adjectives" from the name-game icebreaker. Thus this particular girl will be known to you all as Outrageous. Clever I know.
So the first day's schedule was different from the others since we didn't have a morning rotation. It was essentially shorter. We had the kids go around to various stations that lasted thirty minutes. The first on the schedule was nature.
Now nature was an interesting activity for the kids. Rather than being outdoors (only the obvious) it was inside. Being the Junior High group we were a few minutes late. The nature leader Miss Kay made sure to remind us that tardiness is not tolerated, at camp. She kept reminding us throughout the kid's activity (they grew mold) and at the end. It's camp! No one cares except you if a group is two frickin' minutes late!! This type of behavior towards Junior High would continues throughout the week, joy.
The other stations went much more smoothly. Art was making mailboxes for "care card" notes (mine said House Scale on it which only Jason understood). Swimming and boating followed where the kids took the swim test and learned some kayak basics. I would not be joining them on water related activities due to my recent metal addition to my body, heh heh the perfect plan to avoid the scummy swim area water.
It was then time for dinner, finally! As a counselor the highlights of the day are always meal times. I swear after eating a full plate of food I am never full, not even close. Instead it is as if my stomach reverted into a black hole and absorbs absolutely everything leaving me empty and starving once more. Ah well, part of being a counselor. Sides I frequently steal blueberry muffins as in between snacks.
We then had the "All Camp Activity" which was my least favorite one, counselor hunt. Here's the thing about the counselor hunt, I don't want to go out in the woods just to sit among poison ivy/oak while waiting for children to find me just so I can initial their check-off sheet. It's not fun for me or my skin. This year I did the smart choice and climbed up one of the old high-challenge walls and sat there far away from the bugs and toxic plants. Sure several kids found me but what do I care? They love racking up points and I'm happy to have helped.
Now afterwards was probably one of the most memorable events of camp, like ever. It was nearing seven o'clock meaning time for the six game of the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blawkhawks Stanley Cup Finals! Most people gathered in the mess hall eager to watch the game. I was one of them as was Jason who was appropriately decked out in Hawks gear (I stupidly forgot my Corey jersey at home). Unfortunately we all hit a snag; we couldn't stream the game through the projector.
We tried every method we could think of, I even called my dad for the Slingbox username and password, but it was all to no avail. The game had started and we decided to see if the TV in the corner received NBC. It did. Phew, that was lucky. I know what you're thinking audience, why did you use the damn TV in the first place? Well we had a crap ton of people in the room and the TV was rather small in comparison. It ended up working out fine mainly because Jason and I shouted multiple times at the young children gathered in front to, "Sit your butt down NOW!" I'm pretty sure we terrified them for life.
The game itself was spectacular. I mean one of the most heart pounding exciting nervous and ferocious few hours of my life. I swear I'll die young due to hockey giving me a heart attack. A worthy death though. In any case many of the kids the next day told me that I was more exciting to watch than the game. Heh, I had slightly lost my voice due to all the shouting and yelling. Oops.
Church Camp's first day ended after Andrew Shaw lifted the Stanley Cup while blood dripped down his face. Oh Andrew your beautiful face now has a gorgeous scar that marks you as an NHL champion for life. If only I had been able to sleep that night. Sadly the weather did not allow me that happiness.
Until Tuesday.
Each summer (for many years now) I have volunteered as a Junior High counselor for my church's five day long bible camp. Honestly the "bible" part isn't incredibly prominent, the camp part is. This means I am responsible for children from ages 12-13 each June while they swim, run around, cause chaos, horseback ride, and everything else in between. It is exhausting and I love it! So now audience let's dive into the 2013 Wesley Woods experience. Forewarning, these posts are going to be lengthy.
Monday morning I found myself at the First United Methodist church in DG ready to go to church camp. This year I decided to not drive up myself since we had a light staff and it would be better for me to take the bus with the kids. Need to look after them. Plus we only had fourteen junior high campers on the roster, much lighter than our typical 40-50 count.
The ride up was smooth enough and only lasted for two hours. I sat next to Esther a girl I've known since she was three years old who was now also one of my campers. She insisted on decorating my nametag on the bus with colorful duct tape. The duct tape nametag thing became popular a few years ago with the campers, it hasn't died yet. It's better to surrender your nametag early since then it's done.
We arrived at camp on time and everyone began to unload the two buses. I called out to the Junior High campers to help assist in the unloading process. A chunk of them didn't. Heh, those girls were going to be whipped into shape. Least some of them, Outrageous was a handful to say the least. For the privacy of campers I have taken the liberty to call some of them by their "adjectives" from the name-game icebreaker. Thus this particular girl will be known to you all as Outrageous. Clever I know.
So the first day's schedule was different from the others since we didn't have a morning rotation. It was essentially shorter. We had the kids go around to various stations that lasted thirty minutes. The first on the schedule was nature.
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| Some of my adorable campers playing with mold. |
The other stations went much more smoothly. Art was making mailboxes for "care card" notes (mine said House Scale on it which only Jason understood). Swimming and boating followed where the kids took the swim test and learned some kayak basics. I would not be joining them on water related activities due to my recent metal addition to my body, heh heh the perfect plan to avoid the scummy swim area water.
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| Becky (mermaid) and Maddie (artist) two of my fellow JH counselors |
We then had the "All Camp Activity" which was my least favorite one, counselor hunt. Here's the thing about the counselor hunt, I don't want to go out in the woods just to sit among poison ivy/oak while waiting for children to find me just so I can initial their check-off sheet. It's not fun for me or my skin. This year I did the smart choice and climbed up one of the old high-challenge walls and sat there far away from the bugs and toxic plants. Sure several kids found me but what do I care? They love racking up points and I'm happy to have helped.
Now afterwards was probably one of the most memorable events of camp, like ever. It was nearing seven o'clock meaning time for the six game of the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blawkhawks Stanley Cup Finals! Most people gathered in the mess hall eager to watch the game. I was one of them as was Jason who was appropriately decked out in Hawks gear (I stupidly forgot my Corey jersey at home). Unfortunately we all hit a snag; we couldn't stream the game through the projector.
We tried every method we could think of, I even called my dad for the Slingbox username and password, but it was all to no avail. The game had started and we decided to see if the TV in the corner received NBC. It did. Phew, that was lucky. I know what you're thinking audience, why did you use the damn TV in the first place? Well we had a crap ton of people in the room and the TV was rather small in comparison. It ended up working out fine mainly because Jason and I shouted multiple times at the young children gathered in front to, "Sit your butt down NOW!" I'm pretty sure we terrified them for life.
The game itself was spectacular. I mean one of the most heart pounding exciting nervous and ferocious few hours of my life. I swear I'll die young due to hockey giving me a heart attack. A worthy death though. In any case many of the kids the next day told me that I was more exciting to watch than the game. Heh, I had slightly lost my voice due to all the shouting and yelling. Oops.
Church Camp's first day ended after Andrew Shaw lifted the Stanley Cup while blood dripped down his face. Oh Andrew your beautiful face now has a gorgeous scar that marks you as an NHL champion for life. If only I had been able to sleep that night. Sadly the weather did not allow me that happiness.
Until Tuesday.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
June 21st Intermission
Audience this really won't be a post. Not really. A long long time ago in a blog far away I made a video of me reading the fairy tale Brother and Sister. It was completely ridiculous. It's buried somewhere around here and is something like eleven minutes long. Oy, I can't even finish the damn thing. Hey Mare, learn to trim videos properly! You'd think she'd be more to the point, least the intermission is amusing.
Anyhow I have another video for all of you only if you're interested. It's under three minutes and is simply my reaction video to Game of Thrones Season Three Episode Nine.
Anyhow I have another video for all of you only if you're interested. It's under three minutes and is simply my reaction video to Game of Thrones Season Three Episode Nine.
!!!!WARNING!!!!
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS
IF YOU DON'T WANT GAME OF THRONES RUINED
THEN OMIT EVERYTHING BELOW AND LEAVE
SERIOUSLY LEAVE NOW!
still here?
hmmm
fine.
ALLOW THE SPOILAGE TO COMMENCE!
So I did trim the video a lot. I started recording while Bran was hiding in the old mill with everyone and uses his awesome warg powers to control the wolves. Basically that was WAY before the Red Wedding scene which is what everyone was reacting to. My video stops short of when Rob's wolf is slain because,
I'll be straight with you audience it was too embarrassing for me to post online. I started yelling at the screen, "not the wolf! Please for fuck's sake not the wolf! Oh mg god, they just killed the wolf. NOOOO! Ayra why didn't you release it when you had the chance?!"
Ahem, I didn't want footage of that online, or in my computer, really existing at all. It's destroyed, forever. What's below is entertaining enough. Now, after that long-winded explanation here is my reaction video. Told ya she needed to be more concise.
P.S. This post happened because my family and I watched the season finale of season three today. Tis all.
Friday, June 21, 2013
June 19th & 20th
Now audience you've heard plenty about two of my female bestfriends, Suzanne and Natalie. It is time however to switch to some of my male bestfriends. Not without a few minor explanations though. Warning, this may weird most of you out.
Back in high school (all those years ago) during my sophomore year I was a part of stage/tech crew. Basically I built sets and operated the soundboard. It was a lot of fun too. Well I made friends while on stage crew but namely I made "family". It started with my friend Alex (not my Romanian friend Alex) who was having a difficult time because of friends issues outside of tech. Being who I am I took Alex under my wing and soon enough he began to refer me as "big sis" (the hilarious thing is he is much taller than I am) and I called him "little bro". That is where it started.
My junior year of high school I still participated in crew and we had several new members (Tim even joined) namely Mike/Mikey, Dennis/DenDen, and Brian/Bribear. Dennis and Mike were friends of Alex's and I had met them the year before; Mike is completely mental (don't give him Full Throttle unless absolute chaos is what you're going for) and Dennis is kind of rough around the edges. Both are a year younger than yours truly and are good guys once you break past the first impression.
Brian, he's a near and dear friend of mine who is two years younger. For the longest time I called him "Freshie" since he was the new freshman on crew. He was similar to Alex where he started off in crew with a few ups and downs between his friends. I took him under my wing as well as Dennis and Mike. Essentially I mothered the three boys and this developed into me earning the nickname "Momma/Mom/Mommy". It's a bit weird (non-conventional for sure) but it is how it is. So, today I spent time with my lil bro and two of my three sons. That's where this was going.
The day started off with Dennis early-ish that morning. We took a walk round the Y-field near my house and had some lunch at Downers Delight together. He then (while terrifying me with his driving) u-turned the car and took me to Brian's house since Brian was at home. There Dennis was given the tour while I talked to Mrs. Kelly and her sister in the living room. A few times I shouted at Dennis to watch his language. Yup, definitely his mother.
The three of us then spent a few hours in one of my favorite parks walking around and talking. Around four a "surprise" happened which was why Dennis, "kidnapped Momma in the first place." Alex appeared which was shocking and fantastic all in one. I hadn't seen Alex in over a year due to his work schedules and college. I was swept up into a bear hug by my lil bro.
And then it was four. We all walked around the park more and ended it with some soft serve ice cream. I was then (after much persuasion) taken to T-Bell (Taco Bell) for dinner. The only reason I agreed was Baja Blast. Well, also Mikey wasn't there so two reasons. He had caused some incidences at Taco Bell which have since made me reluctant to go with this group of friends. In any case we ate there and everyone behaved themselves, surprisingly.
That's where the day ended. Well I was given a ride home by Alex which was sweet of him and then played some Old Republic with Pete and Brian; essentially it ended there.
Alright that was Wednesday, time for Thursday. Don't worry, it's not as long. Basically the big moments that occurred on Thurs were my mother's homecoming from her business trip in Atlanta, and finally watching Wreck It Ralph.
When my Mom arrived I gave her a big hug before she left for her training session at the Y. After she returned we all had a nice big dinner of burgers, corn on the cob, and a mixed salad. The salads were enormous, my mother and I didn't actually finish them. More veg for tomorrow!
Later on Brian arrived with a blu-ray of Wreck It Ralph. After several minutes of me trying different combinations I finally found the correct settings for the blu-ray player and projector. Seriously, it is hard. You try figuring out my Dad's entertainment system, even Pete has issues with it. Warning, there are probably spoilers below on the film.
Once everything was setup Wreck It Ralph occurred. I could've watched the menu screen for hours just such a cute animation of an arcade game. I found the film fantastic. All the gaming references were beautiful, naming the different arcade games during the montage, almost crying over Q-Bert being unplugged, Sonic loosing his rings when hit; it was magical. Though my favorite moment was when the Konami code was used. Watch the film and enjoy it for it's gamer glory of arcades. Makes me want to pay Galloping Ghost a quick visit.
That was Thursday. Again it ended with some Old Republic with my brother but otherwise it was a straight forward day. I love technology; the ability to talk to someone miles away for free because of Steam or Skype is amazing. Sure it can be frustrating when it doesn't work but it's way more reliable than a fax. Hint hint France.
New age tech and retro nostalgia make for a great day.
Back in high school (all those years ago) during my sophomore year I was a part of stage/tech crew. Basically I built sets and operated the soundboard. It was a lot of fun too. Well I made friends while on stage crew but namely I made "family". It started with my friend Alex (not my Romanian friend Alex) who was having a difficult time because of friends issues outside of tech. Being who I am I took Alex under my wing and soon enough he began to refer me as "big sis" (the hilarious thing is he is much taller than I am) and I called him "little bro". That is where it started.
My junior year of high school I still participated in crew and we had several new members (Tim even joined) namely Mike/Mikey, Dennis/DenDen, and Brian/Bribear. Dennis and Mike were friends of Alex's and I had met them the year before; Mike is completely mental (don't give him Full Throttle unless absolute chaos is what you're going for) and Dennis is kind of rough around the edges. Both are a year younger than yours truly and are good guys once you break past the first impression.
Brian, he's a near and dear friend of mine who is two years younger. For the longest time I called him "Freshie" since he was the new freshman on crew. He was similar to Alex where he started off in crew with a few ups and downs between his friends. I took him under my wing as well as Dennis and Mike. Essentially I mothered the three boys and this developed into me earning the nickname "Momma/Mom/Mommy". It's a bit weird (non-conventional for sure) but it is how it is. So, today I spent time with my lil bro and two of my three sons. That's where this was going.
The day started off with Dennis early-ish that morning. We took a walk round the Y-field near my house and had some lunch at Downers Delight together. He then (while terrifying me with his driving) u-turned the car and took me to Brian's house since Brian was at home. There Dennis was given the tour while I talked to Mrs. Kelly and her sister in the living room. A few times I shouted at Dennis to watch his language. Yup, definitely his mother.
The three of us then spent a few hours in one of my favorite parks walking around and talking. Around four a "surprise" happened which was why Dennis, "kidnapped Momma in the first place." Alex appeared which was shocking and fantastic all in one. I hadn't seen Alex in over a year due to his work schedules and college. I was swept up into a bear hug by my lil bro.
And then it was four. We all walked around the park more and ended it with some soft serve ice cream. I was then (after much persuasion) taken to T-Bell (Taco Bell) for dinner. The only reason I agreed was Baja Blast. Well, also Mikey wasn't there so two reasons. He had caused some incidences at Taco Bell which have since made me reluctant to go with this group of friends. In any case we ate there and everyone behaved themselves, surprisingly.
That's where the day ended. Well I was given a ride home by Alex which was sweet of him and then played some Old Republic with Pete and Brian; essentially it ended there.
Alright that was Wednesday, time for Thursday. Don't worry, it's not as long. Basically the big moments that occurred on Thurs were my mother's homecoming from her business trip in Atlanta, and finally watching Wreck It Ralph.
When my Mom arrived I gave her a big hug before she left for her training session at the Y. After she returned we all had a nice big dinner of burgers, corn on the cob, and a mixed salad. The salads were enormous, my mother and I didn't actually finish them. More veg for tomorrow!
Later on Brian arrived with a blu-ray of Wreck It Ralph. After several minutes of me trying different combinations I finally found the correct settings for the blu-ray player and projector. Seriously, it is hard. You try figuring out my Dad's entertainment system, even Pete has issues with it. Warning, there are probably spoilers below on the film.
Once everything was setup Wreck It Ralph occurred. I could've watched the menu screen for hours just such a cute animation of an arcade game. I found the film fantastic. All the gaming references were beautiful, naming the different arcade games during the montage, almost crying over Q-Bert being unplugged, Sonic loosing his rings when hit; it was magical. Though my favorite moment was when the Konami code was used. Watch the film and enjoy it for it's gamer glory of arcades. Makes me want to pay Galloping Ghost a quick visit.
That was Thursday. Again it ended with some Old Republic with my brother but otherwise it was a straight forward day. I love technology; the ability to talk to someone miles away for free because of Steam or Skype is amazing. Sure it can be frustrating when it doesn't work but it's way more reliable than a fax. Hint hint France.
New age tech and retro nostalgia make for a great day.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
June 17th & 18th
It's time for a Suzy Nay Dominated post! Basically what that means is the two days covered (Monday Tuesday) in this post were dominated by my darling Suzy and Nay. Heads up, these posts could quite possibly be frequent.
Where to start. Monday kicked off with my usual routine before I met up with Suzy for some shopping. I was actually late for meeting her because Subway's queue was so freakin' long. Was worth it for a six-inch Italian herbs and cheese sub with grilled chicken and honey mustard. Also I shot her a text telling her I'd be a bit late. See, I'm courteous.
I grabbed Miss Suzy and we headed off to Yorktown Shopping Center for some much needed shopping. Alright, I might have overdone it just a smidge. My closet is now filled with new tops as well as a few dresses and a bikini from Pac Sun and some Spencer's drinking glasses and a witty pin and yeah. That's a lot. The mastercard had some exercise which my father wasn't too happy about. My mother ok'd it though and she's the one in charge of my wardrobe.
Sorry dad but this was my overdue shopping spree for new clothes that will last me the summer and the school year and a few years after. It was much needed, says the spoiled twenty-one year old. And I'm totally alright with that setup.
That was shopping which lasted hours and even bled into Oakbrook (after a few wrong turns were corrected). Suzy and I split for a little bit just so we could wind down in the comforts of our own homes. I then left my home for Suzy's for another girl's night. Nay joined us of course, can't be three amigos without her. Though I prefer the three caballeros. They sing and include Donald Duck.
The night was spent laughing and drinking about and lasted until four in the morning. It started round nine o'clock PM so it went on for a while, strictly speaking. I had my camera on me and several no, dozens of pictures were taken of the three caballeros. I believe Suzy is Panchito (wild energized bird) and Nay is Donald (makes the craziest faces), seems to fit well. That leaves me with José the parrot who is constantly trying to score free meals otherwise known as food obsessed. Wow we really are the three caballeros.
Sadly audience that's all I can say about the night. We talked, devoured brownies, and took pictures together as best friends should. It was magical though, somehow magical. Fear not, they were normal brownies from Wholefoods.
That sums up Monday rather nicely. Time to move on to Tuesday. Oh man this was a funny day.
Where to start. Monday kicked off with my usual routine before I met up with Suzy for some shopping. I was actually late for meeting her because Subway's queue was so freakin' long. Was worth it for a six-inch Italian herbs and cheese sub with grilled chicken and honey mustard. Also I shot her a text telling her I'd be a bit late. See, I'm courteous.
I grabbed Miss Suzy and we headed off to Yorktown Shopping Center for some much needed shopping. Alright, I might have overdone it just a smidge. My closet is now filled with new tops as well as a few dresses and a bikini from Pac Sun and some Spencer's drinking glasses and a witty pin and yeah. That's a lot. The mastercard had some exercise which my father wasn't too happy about. My mother ok'd it though and she's the one in charge of my wardrobe.
Sorry dad but this was my overdue shopping spree for new clothes that will last me the summer and the school year and a few years after. It was much needed, says the spoiled twenty-one year old. And I'm totally alright with that setup.
That was shopping which lasted hours and even bled into Oakbrook (after a few wrong turns were corrected). Suzy and I split for a little bit just so we could wind down in the comforts of our own homes. I then left my home for Suzy's for another girl's night. Nay joined us of course, can't be three amigos without her. Though I prefer the three caballeros. They sing and include Donald Duck.
The night was spent laughing and drinking about and lasted until four in the morning. It started round nine o'clock PM so it went on for a while, strictly speaking. I had my camera on me and several no, dozens of pictures were taken of the three caballeros. I believe Suzy is Panchito (wild energized bird) and Nay is Donald (makes the craziest faces), seems to fit well. That leaves me with José the parrot who is constantly trying to score free meals otherwise known as food obsessed. Wow we really are the three caballeros.
Sadly audience that's all I can say about the night. We talked, devoured brownies, and took pictures together as best friends should. It was magical though, somehow magical. Fear not, they were normal brownies from Wholefoods.
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| We are such lovely ladies |
So I've been wanting to have my belly button (navel) pierced for a long long long time audience. Since I was about fifteen to be exact. The reason I didn't have it done was because, well it's kinda pathetic. Bare bones, I was with a boy at the time who thought they were "gross looking" and told me not to have on done. He even told Natalie "No offense Nay." I know, what a tool. Anyways adult Mary has learned that it's her body and her choice alone regarding anything that happens to it. Piercing ahoy!
After a few more wrong turns, the three of us ended up finding Skin Gallery Tattoo and Piercing Parlor. I parked my beautiful LT and the three of us entered the place only to find Brent! My jaw dropped and I smiled. Alright none of you understand what that means or who Brent is which is perfectly sound.
Brent is my neighbor and childhood friend. Our meeting dates back to kindergarten or about five years old. I had just stumbled into the parlor where Brent works and had him pierce my navel. This world is kickass!
He did a great job and even gave me a cute rod (rings are not good starters for the navel) that was all sparkly. Nay and Suzy commented on how it was a great starter. Thanks again Brent, hope to see more of you this summer. Now I finally have a piece of jewelry that I've wanted for many years. Awesome audience, simply awesome.
The rest of the day was spent doing low key activities. I dropped Suzy and Nay off, called my brother, and even talked to my boyfriend over skype for a while. Oh yeah, for those of you who are newer-ish readers my boyfriend is a guy I met while I was studying abroad in France. His name is Jonathan, he's British, and he digs Tolkien. Plus the charm, the wit, and handsome face. Can't forget those qualities. In any case if you want to pass judgment he writes his own blog which you are free to check out audience.
Glad that's cleared. After all of that I really just pattered around my house cleaning bits here and there. I began to download the MMO The Old Republic but the damn file took so long that I fell asleep before it finished. Oh well, there's always tomorrow afternoon.
Tis all I got audience. Les Trois Caballeros crient "Ay caramba!" Ah, il ne marche pas en français au moins pas par rapport à l'espagnol. Cependant Mare ne sait pas l'espagnol. Dommage.
June 15th & 16th
These two days were busy busy busy. Heh, Frosty the Snowman Christmas special. Anyways they involved both a graduation party, a nuclear energy documentary, and father's day. That's a three course load right there. Breakfast this time round shall be a well seasoned nuclear energy documentary with a side of smoked bacon and orange juice.
So for all of you who don't know (which could possibly be many of you audience) my mother is a nuclear engineer who has worked at Argonne National Lab for her entire career. I know, that's rare these days. To say the least she is EXTREMELY knowledgeable when it comes to nuclear energy. My entire life my brother and I have grown up with her facts as well as her co-workers/bosses facts about nuclear energy which gave us a pro-nuclear viewpoint. That viewpoint is often the non-favorable one to the public. Sigh, it's been annoying whenever anyone brings the topic up (especially when I do it cause I don't shut up). The point is I'm pro-nuclear energy (not bombs) and it just so happens a new documentary on nuclear came out called Pandora's Promise.
For all of those who are interested in the film here's the website which gives all the details on the film including reviews, showtimes, and the cool movie poster image. We saw the film in Chicago at a small independent theater located near a Jamba Juice. Very important location, they have awesome smoothies.
I was excited to see the film since pro-nuclear energy films are rather rare. Instead we find environmental documentaries promoting solar, wind, and hydro power or as they put it "clean all-natural energy". Aw man I want to spoil so much in the film but I'll hold my tongue and allow you to be the judge of what clean energy is. Quick tip though, the people interviewed in the film are environmentalist who were originally strong anti-nuclear supporters who have now switched as well as experts in the field including one of the original engineers who worked on some of the first reactors; they know more than politicians with "scientist friends".
Kay I'm done, this isn't a blog to push my opinion...wait...it kinda is a place to push my opinions or least my thoughts onto you. Ah, well I'll stop with this one, it can become overwhelming. My finals words though are, "banana break, who wants a banana break?"
So later on I went to Phil's (a good friend of mine) college graduation party with Suzanne. Unfortunately Nay was unable to attend due to work constrictions though she'll see Phil later in the summer. How do I know this audience? I'm gonna have bonfires and both are sure as hell gonna be there. Plus other events. In any case the party was really mellow (most of his relatives were there) meaning Suzy and I could relax with food and drink as well as chatting up Phil's college friends.
One of the girls (forgot her name) was cool and jumped in and out of our conversations. She apparently was going to med school and had a habit of discussing lab experiments with Phil. As soon as she mentioned that he turned a bit green. Guess Phil doesn't have a strong stomach for that; learn new things everyday bout your friends.
That was basically Saturday. Suzy and I ended up at my house to watch the final periods of the blackhawks game over some pizza. However, we were so exhausted from growling at the screen (Seabrook watch your back) that we called it a night then and there. The next day was Father's Day. It was nice.
My dad and I started the day by attending a 50th Wedding Anniversary open house at our church. It was a quiet banquet that had cake and punch. I was bad and had some cake, fortunately turned out to not be a lie. I also cheated and took stomach meds later on. Also congratulations to the Picketts for 50 years of marriage. That's impressive and touching.
After we left the open house my dad and I decided that it was time for dinner, even though it was only a little past four in the afternoon. We chose a Mexican restaurant off of 75th near the dead Wolf Camera that we had been to several times before.
The food was fantastic, like actual authentic Mexican fantastic. My dad and I split this fajita combo meal that had grilled shrimp, marinated pork, beef, and chicken all on this hot plate. We couldn't finish it (I gave a good effort) and ended up taking a good chunk home for leftovers. The margaritas were good too.
Once we arrived home my dad opened his present from my mother which was a collection of special sauces (namely a ketchup) as well as a few recipes for a vegan diet. My dad is often a loyal vegan but it was Father's Day. My gift is still in the works and will hopefully be finished before the end of summer. I've just been busy busy busy and don't want things to become messy messy messy. Sorry, I really love that Christmas Special.
Tis all for now audience. Cheerio.
Ok that goes on the list of things Americans cannot say.
So for all of you who don't know (which could possibly be many of you audience) my mother is a nuclear engineer who has worked at Argonne National Lab for her entire career. I know, that's rare these days. To say the least she is EXTREMELY knowledgeable when it comes to nuclear energy. My entire life my brother and I have grown up with her facts as well as her co-workers/bosses facts about nuclear energy which gave us a pro-nuclear viewpoint. That viewpoint is often the non-favorable one to the public. Sigh, it's been annoying whenever anyone brings the topic up (especially when I do it cause I don't shut up). The point is I'm pro-nuclear energy (not bombs) and it just so happens a new documentary on nuclear came out called Pandora's Promise.
For all of those who are interested in the film here's the website which gives all the details on the film including reviews, showtimes, and the cool movie poster image. We saw the film in Chicago at a small independent theater located near a Jamba Juice. Very important location, they have awesome smoothies.
I was excited to see the film since pro-nuclear energy films are rather rare. Instead we find environmental documentaries promoting solar, wind, and hydro power or as they put it "clean all-natural energy". Aw man I want to spoil so much in the film but I'll hold my tongue and allow you to be the judge of what clean energy is. Quick tip though, the people interviewed in the film are environmentalist who were originally strong anti-nuclear supporters who have now switched as well as experts in the field including one of the original engineers who worked on some of the first reactors; they know more than politicians with "scientist friends".
Kay I'm done, this isn't a blog to push my opinion...wait...it kinda is a place to push my opinions or least my thoughts onto you. Ah, well I'll stop with this one, it can become overwhelming. My finals words though are, "banana break, who wants a banana break?"
So later on I went to Phil's (a good friend of mine) college graduation party with Suzanne. Unfortunately Nay was unable to attend due to work constrictions though she'll see Phil later in the summer. How do I know this audience? I'm gonna have bonfires and both are sure as hell gonna be there. Plus other events. In any case the party was really mellow (most of his relatives were there) meaning Suzy and I could relax with food and drink as well as chatting up Phil's college friends.
One of the girls (forgot her name) was cool and jumped in and out of our conversations. She apparently was going to med school and had a habit of discussing lab experiments with Phil. As soon as she mentioned that he turned a bit green. Guess Phil doesn't have a strong stomach for that; learn new things everyday bout your friends.
That was basically Saturday. Suzy and I ended up at my house to watch the final periods of the blackhawks game over some pizza. However, we were so exhausted from growling at the screen (Seabrook watch your back) that we called it a night then and there. The next day was Father's Day. It was nice.
My dad and I started the day by attending a 50th Wedding Anniversary open house at our church. It was a quiet banquet that had cake and punch. I was bad and had some cake, fortunately turned out to not be a lie. I also cheated and took stomach meds later on. Also congratulations to the Picketts for 50 years of marriage. That's impressive and touching.
After we left the open house my dad and I decided that it was time for dinner, even though it was only a little past four in the afternoon. We chose a Mexican restaurant off of 75th near the dead Wolf Camera that we had been to several times before.
The food was fantastic, like actual authentic Mexican fantastic. My dad and I split this fajita combo meal that had grilled shrimp, marinated pork, beef, and chicken all on this hot plate. We couldn't finish it (I gave a good effort) and ended up taking a good chunk home for leftovers. The margaritas were good too.
Once we arrived home my dad opened his present from my mother which was a collection of special sauces (namely a ketchup) as well as a few recipes for a vegan diet. My dad is often a loyal vegan but it was Father's Day. My gift is still in the works and will hopefully be finished before the end of summer. I've just been busy busy busy and don't want things to become messy messy messy. Sorry, I really love that Christmas Special.
Tis all for now audience. Cheerio.
Ok that goes on the list of things Americans cannot say.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
June 13th & 14th
It's a Thursday Friday mash-up! Don't fret my dear audience, this is something that will often happen on this blog. I don't have crazy days everyday and sometimes it is better to combo two of them that have only small dosages of crazy in them. By crazy I mean interesting. Let's start with Thursday.
I finally was blessed with blueberry pancakes for breakfast. Egg Harbor you are one delicious breakfast cafe with the best pancakes in town. Sorry Downers, I still love you but you can't beat the fluffiness of these flapjacks! Plus, uh blueberries.
Before breakfast I did a light workout (really just this daily thing that ensures I'm not the size of a whale) and baked myself in the sun for a few minutes. I used sunscreen for two reasons; it's probably a good idea to protect my skin from burning and I'm tanning some very pale skin. It will be a gradual process of coloring but one that will guarantee an even coat.
Boring stuff aside I later on after breakfast had some ice cream with my Bffafa Timmy (Tim for the rest of the world). Technically we had smoothies instead of ice cream but that's not the point. It was great just walking and talking with my best friend.
Moving on to the crazy, the real crazy. I finally witnessed the beauty that is the musical of The Book of Mormon. I will not spoil anything, not my style audience. All I can say is that the show goes down as one of the greatest events of my life. Now I can at last listen to my Book of Mormon soundtrack! Ah this is fantastic!! Thank you Matt and Trey. Also I look forward to the Stick of Truth!
Friday time. So most of the day was spent catching up on Game of Thrones. To answer the question, no I have not seen episode nine yet. Chill.
Later on I went over to Suzanne's house for some barbecue dinner. I was greeted by an adorable little Suzy and her loving family. Mrs. Segredo's potato salad is on my list of delicious; I ended up finishing the bowl. Suzanne then took me downstairs for some drinks and we then-
Shit. I can't actually talk about that. Private information in fact.
I finally was blessed with blueberry pancakes for breakfast. Egg Harbor you are one delicious breakfast cafe with the best pancakes in town. Sorry Downers, I still love you but you can't beat the fluffiness of these flapjacks! Plus, uh blueberries.
Before breakfast I did a light workout (really just this daily thing that ensures I'm not the size of a whale) and baked myself in the sun for a few minutes. I used sunscreen for two reasons; it's probably a good idea to protect my skin from burning and I'm tanning some very pale skin. It will be a gradual process of coloring but one that will guarantee an even coat.
Boring stuff aside I later on after breakfast had some ice cream with my Bffafa Timmy (Tim for the rest of the world). Technically we had smoothies instead of ice cream but that's not the point. It was great just walking and talking with my best friend.
Moving on to the crazy, the real crazy. I finally witnessed the beauty that is the musical of The Book of Mormon. I will not spoil anything, not my style audience. All I can say is that the show goes down as one of the greatest events of my life. Now I can at last listen to my Book of Mormon soundtrack! Ah this is fantastic!! Thank you Matt and Trey. Also I look forward to the Stick of Truth!
Friday time. So most of the day was spent catching up on Game of Thrones. To answer the question, no I have not seen episode nine yet. Chill.
Later on I went over to Suzanne's house for some barbecue dinner. I was greeted by an adorable little Suzy and her loving family. Mrs. Segredo's potato salad is on my list of delicious; I ended up finishing the bowl. Suzanne then took me downstairs for some drinks and we then-
Shit. I can't actually talk about that. Private information in fact.
It Starts June 11th
Oh dear, I've woken up at five in the morning naturally. Damn, that's my consequence for passing out round nine after BWWs with my parents and Tim and Brian last night. The wings were amazing by the way, still have a few leftover for lunch today.
Ah, where are my manners? Hello audience old and new and welcome to my Summer blog. I'm assuming most of you are old readers but perhaps we shall acquire new comrades as we go along. If you are new then I suggest you skim through my Spring Semester and Fall Semester blogs in France since I will be referencing people and events from them. Or don't. I probably wouldn't, there are a lot of fucking posts.
That brings me to an important point, I swear. A lot. In fact I can be rather creative about it, least I think so. Since I am back home in beautiful Chicago and surrounded by my American college friends it will only worsen as the summer progresses. I think of you as on level with American college students thus the swearing will be present. If you can't handle it then do the only rational thing possible on the internet. Leave a raging comment about how my blog should be taken down blah blah blah and how now your ten year old is calling you a mother fucking cunt licker because of my use of words yadda yadda and then wait for my reply in order to once more leave a raging comment. It's a vicious cycle really. Or you could just not read the blog. I wonder which is more fun? Probably the first option.
Anyways back to this beginning this new start to a blog. Uh well I did mention how I had woken up at 5 AM. The cause? Jet lag. Oh it is a bitch indeed for travelers. Especially student travelers as tired as I was yesterday. Did you know that I almost didn't make my second flight because Dublin security refused to open a second line? Hmm I suppose you didn't know but now you do. It's true, the lazy sloths (ouch double the inactivity) caused me to be the last passenger aboard the flight. The check in woman actually said, "You Scale?" Five minutes later the plane took off. At least they had beef pasta for lunch on the flight; didn't have time for BK in Ireland.
Once I landed yesterday I was processed rather quickly through customs. I almost was stuck with the same slow officer that I had dealt with in December but fortunately I was herded to the guy next door. Dodge an apathetic bullet there.
I then found my parents (surprised my mother in fact with a hug) and was taken to the magical place of BWWs. I ate, I drank, I was hugged by Tim and Brian, all before I almost passed out on the bar stool. It was a great first night back.
Now today, yes yes today. I began a rather weighty project that is turning out wonderfully. Since I was up and not able to fall back asleep in the early hours of the day, I decided to start clearing out my closet. I don't have a before picture (trust me it was gruesome) but to give you an idea of how many clothes I decided to chuck into a donation box just look below.
That is the process my poor bed was going through. Guess what that means, I wasn't finished thus not all of my clothes are piled in that photo. However, all is not sad. My efforts continued throughout the day with a bit of laundry thrown in and whatnot. This is the current result in progress of my closet.
It's a great start just as this blog is for my summer adventures. Hopefully you'll all stick around to absorb my random activities as I post them onto the internet for reasons unknown. Audience, it should be a bumpy ride with twists and turns. Least I hope so.
Ah, where are my manners? Hello audience old and new and welcome to my Summer blog. I'm assuming most of you are old readers but perhaps we shall acquire new comrades as we go along. If you are new then I suggest you skim through my Spring Semester and Fall Semester blogs in France since I will be referencing people and events from them. Or don't. I probably wouldn't, there are a lot of fucking posts.
That brings me to an important point, I swear. A lot. In fact I can be rather creative about it, least I think so. Since I am back home in beautiful Chicago and surrounded by my American college friends it will only worsen as the summer progresses. I think of you as on level with American college students thus the swearing will be present. If you can't handle it then do the only rational thing possible on the internet. Leave a raging comment about how my blog should be taken down blah blah blah and how now your ten year old is calling you a mother fucking cunt licker because of my use of words yadda yadda and then wait for my reply in order to once more leave a raging comment. It's a vicious cycle really. Or you could just not read the blog. I wonder which is more fun? Probably the first option.
Anyways back to this beginning this new start to a blog. Uh well I did mention how I had woken up at 5 AM. The cause? Jet lag. Oh it is a bitch indeed for travelers. Especially student travelers as tired as I was yesterday. Did you know that I almost didn't make my second flight because Dublin security refused to open a second line? Hmm I suppose you didn't know but now you do. It's true, the lazy sloths (ouch double the inactivity) caused me to be the last passenger aboard the flight. The check in woman actually said, "You Scale?" Five minutes later the plane took off. At least they had beef pasta for lunch on the flight; didn't have time for BK in Ireland.
Once I landed yesterday I was processed rather quickly through customs. I almost was stuck with the same slow officer that I had dealt with in December but fortunately I was herded to the guy next door. Dodge an apathetic bullet there.
I then found my parents (surprised my mother in fact with a hug) and was taken to the magical place of BWWs. I ate, I drank, I was hugged by Tim and Brian, all before I almost passed out on the bar stool. It was a great first night back.
Now today, yes yes today. I began a rather weighty project that is turning out wonderfully. Since I was up and not able to fall back asleep in the early hours of the day, I decided to start clearing out my closet. I don't have a before picture (trust me it was gruesome) but to give you an idea of how many clothes I decided to chuck into a donation box just look below.
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| As Miss Steele would say Oh My! |
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| Aw yeah that's looking nice! |
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