Fire

Who doesn't need a little Glee and Fire on a Wednesday?

 

ooooooooooooooo fire

August has been cleared for you.

It has come to my attention that it might be silly to "walk" in graduation in August when I still have two classes and a practicum to do. With little in the way of financial aid to get me there in the next two months... you all shouldn't have to spend money on coming to see me walk when there is no guarantee of a diploma within the next six months.

So, you are all now free for the weekend of August 12th and 13th.

Thanks for your support.

Friday at the Farmer's Market

Friday evening I headed to downtown Pendleton (which was all of 25 feet from where I work) with my friend Nick for the Farmer's Market. They were have wiener dog races and costume contests, Hamley's was having live music out on the lawn ... it was a delightful way to spend a Friday evening.

I purchased some amazingly green and fresh romaine lettuce and two things of the most delightful blueberries. The guy at Hamley's sang a lot of George Strait and Garth Brooks -- so I fell in love. It was a really pleasant evening. The more time I spend in Pendleton the more I love it. It has so much going for it, yet it's a small city. It can appeal to many sides of my complex nature and it feels like a good fit.

I've got the world on a string ...

No, I'm not sitting on a rainbow, nor am I in love. BUT, how bad can it be to go to a work at a place where on your first day they have these delivered??? 

I would wager not bad, not bad at all. And they smelled like the Garden of Eden or something almost as heavenly.

I'll take it.

Seasons

I decided June is a pretty excellent month. The weather becomes warmer and more consistent, the skies are bluer, the grass green. Kids are out of school, grilling begins. It's kind of glorious. Everyone spends time rediscovering the world outside. There seems to be more laughter, more cheerfulness. It feels like a new beginning. 

I have a few friends who have had some fun news this week. Raddish became engaged to her best friend and K-Dub was offered a job at a great school and was able to throw out some old "baggage." I'm starting my new job on Monday. It just feels like a new season in life, ya know? I feel strangely optimistic and I seem to want the best for everybody.

Now, being the Gemini that I am, I wouldn't be surprised if tomorrow I become completely pessimistic, but today I'm sending out good vibrations (which I might add was on the radio on my way to work this morning). 

 

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

It's validating when, after many months or years even, of a long cold winter, you can look back and see what it was you were to learn ... or find confirmation that you made good choices. 

Now, I'm off for a late birthday celebration with some ladies from work down in Pendleton! Nachos and margaritas (virgin, Mother) here I come!

On this day ...

Today is my birthday, I guess. I share this day with such company as Harriet Beecher Stowe, born in 1811 and Donald Trump, born in 1946.

This is what 23 looks like:

On this day in history:

1777 - The Continental Congress in Philadelphia adopted the "Stars and Stripes" as the national flag of the United States. The Flag Resolution stated "Resolved: that the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation." 

1900 - Hawaii became a U.S. territory.

1907 - Women in Norway won the right to vote. 

1953 - Elvis Presley graduated from L.C. Humes High School in Memphis, TN.

1965 - Paul McCartney recorded "Yesterday." 

1987 - The Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA title by defeating the defending Boston Celtics.


Top Songs for 1987

I Wanna Dance with Somebody by Whitney Houston	Livin' On a Prayer by Bon Jovi
La Bamba by Los Lobos	I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For by U2
Alone by Heart	Faith by George Michael
Didn't We Almost Have It All by Whitney Houston	With or Without You by U2
Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now by Starship	I Knew You Were Waiting by Aretha Franklin & George Michael

 .....

22 was a weird year for me. Started out fine enough, then was kind of rough the second, oh, two-thirds. But, I have a good feeling about 23. Gray clouds can only stay so long, right? 


22 wasn't all bad, either. I really, in some odd round-about way, came into my own. I'm more comfortable in my skin and in who I am than I have ever been. I feel more confident and independent, even if I don't always know what I'm doing. I'm in a good place and I look forward to moving forward, even if it's only one step at a time.

It was on that road and at that hour that I first became aware of my own self, experienced an inexpressible state of grace, and felt one with the first breath of air that stirred, the first bird, and the sun so newly born that it still looked not quite round. --Colette 

This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. 

But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.  

--Winston Churchill

Maiden Voyage

This weekend marked a mini-maiden voyage for My Carolina. Our Church held it's area 'Mother/Daughter Outing' where all Moms and Daughters can get together and go camping up by Catherine Creek (can I just tell you that that creek is no creek, it is one roaring river right now).

Aunt Steph met Zoey, Riley and I up at her Cove property where Carolina's been dwelling. We were using Mom's car to pull Mom's trailer and Steph was going to pull my trailer. But, in a twist of bizarre-ness, as she was reversing to hitch up the trailer, Zoey and I noticed there was no ball hitch on the back of her pick-up. Apparently someone had stolen it right off the back of her truck while at work! Luckily uncle Gareld had an extra in the cab ... but without a bolt and pin to attach it to the truck. After a bit of a scavenger hunt, we were able to find a bold and a make shift pin. We attached and were off.

We arrived to the campground sans a ticket from the State Police (I'm missing lights on my trailer, thank goodness nobody noticed). We scouted a good spot for two trailers, and after some tweaking we got the trailers in position.

The next hours were filled with camping goodness. Including a little hike:

It was sooo green and soooo wet! It was a nice little hike though.

Mom made it up after work in time for crafts. Steph was in charge of doing crafts, and these were the lavender sachets we made.

We finished out the night making s'mores. Mmmm!

Hailey and Grandma came up for a few hours, too!

After playing a few rounds of Uno, we hit the sack. My trailer must be cozy enough, Zoey slept like a log ... for 11 hours! We won't mention Mom reversing into her trailer and wedging it into the back of her car. We will, however, talk about the Cove Drive-In ice cream we girls were treated to two days in a row! Mmmmm!

It was a good test run for my trailer and makes me more anxious to get it ready for Sisters in August.

In other news ... mark your calendars and make your plans, I'm getting married!!!

Just kidding, but I am graduating/walking in August. Commencement is Thursday, August 12th at 4pm and Convocation is Friday, August 13th at 8:15am. This may be your only chance to see me in a gown for the foreseeable future, so you might want to be there!

Ol' Farm Hen

I'm absolutely borrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrred at work. So, I will post some photos from our weekend adventures!

Steph's 'Hen House' from behind. 

 

We stopped along the back roads in such quaint places as Waitsburg and Clarkston for some antique shopping. 

Once a tree hugger, always a tree hugger (this photo dedicated to Jordan Waite).

This was our campsite along the river. So peaceful.

This line wrapped around the block and took an hour to get through. Ca-razy!

Don't the sky and clouds look like a painted Hollywood backdrop?

Bartering at it's finest.

On Saturday evening Steph, Grandma and I took a nice walk around Riverside State Park.

The view from this massive wood bridge that spanned the river. Grandma was sure I was going to jump overboard.

I had a good first Farm Chicks experience, you could probably even call me an old farm hen by now. I'll have to show you some of my treasures at a later date. It also made me really excited for 'Sisters in Sisters' camping in August! Woot!

Forty-cough-cough-clearthroat-nine-cough-cough

We shared a delightful dinner together. I kind of love a round table, where we can all face each other. It's more intimate or something. Zoey and I made some pork fry chunks, some scalloped potatoes and fresh asparagus from a local farm.

Then we had chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting as per the birthday girl's request. We almost set off the smoke alarm with all the candles! It was quite a task to get them lit! Some were half burnt down by the time we got the last few lit.  Good times.

 

Apparently her lungs function sufficiently.

And still so thrilled with her presents! 

Whew! Another birthday come and gone..... Love you Mom! 

15 hours

In a little less than 15 hours Mom and I will be hopping in the Ford, pulling her old trailer and headed to meet up with Grandma and Steph in Walla Walla. From there we will be making our way up to Spokane Valley for my much anticipated debutante experience at the Farm Chicks sale.

I'm making a list of "to packs/to dos." This includes cleaning my fish's tank and burning a roadtrip soundtrack.

Better get back to, uh, work....

dis·con·tent

dis·con·tent (dskn-tnt)

n.

1.

   a. Absence of contentment; dissatisfaction.

   b. A restless longing for better circumstances.

2. One who is discontented.

un·sure

adj.

1. Lacking confidence.
2. Uncertain of the facts.
3. Precarious; unstable; unreliable.

 

Marked by lack of firm decision or commitment; of questionable outcome: indefinite, open, uncertain, undecided, undetermined, unresolved, unsettled, vague. Idioms: up in the air. See certain/uncertain.

Here I am, on the verge of 23, and I'm not sure what I want to do with my life. I mean, I know I want to be a wife and a mom, but ... what else? What skills and talents do I have and where should I use them? So, I'm starting out on a stupid "journey of self-discovery."

I googled "how to figure out what to do with your life" (which I might add was like the fourth most googled topic starting with the word "how" and here is just a taste of what I came up with. Guess I'll start here:

To help you out in figuring out what you might like to explore or create in your life, try answering these 8 questions:
1. What did you dream of becoming when you were a child?

2. Where do you spend your free time?

3. Listen to your inner self. What does it really wish it could be doing?

4. What activity do you do that makes you feel happy and when you do it, the time just flies by?

5. What activities, events, shows, books are you attracted to?

6. Resolve your past issues. Your past does not have to decide your future. If you let your past go and any limitations you’ve placed upon yourself, what would you be doing?

7. What would success mean to you? What would the perfect life be?

8. What would you do if you had the Universal Credit Card (money is no object)?


Did the questions help you to figure out "what do I want to do with my life"? 

Uh, no. If only it were that easy! But, I guess it helps the brainstorming.