I went to Alberta for a week. It was tons of fun. I got to visit my “Vermeer” side of the family, stayed at my Opa and Oma’s and played Yahtzee, climbed a mountain, held a baby lion and tiger, failed at wake-boarding and went jetskiing
I’m going to post all my pictures on Flikr in a few days.
A few weeks ago I was sitting around a campfire with some of my friends and we were talking about ridiculous things that we did as children.
We all remembered the good old days when all the girls on the playground would tuck the bottom of their shirts through the collar to make a little belly shirt because, well, it was just so hot.
My friend Jenn recalled wearing her stuffed fabric headband at the top of her forehead rather than further back on her head because she thought it looked like a crown.
In kindergarten, I remember when all the girls used to wear very tight leggings and baggy sweatshirts. I’m sure you remember. One day I went down the slide at school and got the skirt I was wearing all wet. Embarrassed and wearing tights (fairly see through), I decided to just take off my skirt and just wear my tights. After all, they were pretty much leggings. Logical. Right? I thought so, and continued to play at recess in nothing but my tights, my underwear and a shirt until my alarmed teacher soon realized and politely suggested I put my skirt back on.
(Ok. So you all think I’m crazy now, but I’m sure if your honest with yourself you can think of something equally embarrassing. If not, you need to live a little more.)
It’s funny to think that in a few years, maybe a few weeks, I’ll look back on a part of myself and think, “Wow! Why was I so ridiculous? Why was I so scared? Why was I so blind?”
I think it’s a strange concept to wrap your head around. It’s hard to imagine that the way I think about things right now will change so drastically. To think that something I take completely for granted right now, will someday be seen in a completely different light. I imagine the person I am tomorrow looking at the person I am today, and laughing.
I like this idea. I like to know that things I struggle with today will be jokes tomorrow. I like to know that I’m not settled. When I write something and think I’ve got it all figured out, that I’ve discovered some illusive wisdom, I like to remind myself that I’m probably still running around in my underwear and not even realizing it. I don’t have it all together.
*The title of this blog is stolen from that beloved episode of NBC’s The Office, “Diversity Day”. Yes, that is a shameless plug.
My housemate and friend, Amy, got married on July 22nd. I was holding out to post some pictures until my good (or not) friend Keith sent them to me. (I am a poverty case and have no camera.)
However it turns out that Keith is not a very good friend. ;)
However, even though I haven’t received my pictures yet, he has posted them! Horray! The wedding had absolutely ideal picture-taking weather. The photos are really beautiful!
Enjoy. I know I did.
The Day Camp staff decided to create yet another inovative tradition for the 25th anniversary of our beloved camp.
Last night most of the core staff were able to camp out in the church’s field. A recipe for good times? Yes, indeed. The night was complete with a campfire on the baseball diamond, hide and go seek in the church and quality bonding time. (The boys especially bonded…giggling late into the night.)
We finished off the night by sleeping under the stars. Our parents would be so proud. There was a distinct patch of grass separating the boy’s and girl’s tarps. I’ve never slept under ths stars before, and let me just say, its pretty fabulous. (I think the final count was ten shooting stars.) The night was just perfection about the time we were drifting off to sleep, but it was about to get a lot better!
I was sleeping lightly when I heard shouting. “Waaake up!” pause “Wake up folks!” pause “This is not a campground!” This went on for sometime and various situations were running through my mind. Mostly, I thought it was the boys being ridiculous, that is, until I looked up and saw a policeman standing over my bed. By the point it was clear that everyone was waking up to the bright headlights and shouting, but so far everyone had decided to take the “ignore it and it’ll go away” course of action. Things were getting awkward, so I decided to step up.
I slowly lifted my face off of my pillow and said, “Hi.” Yep. That’s the best thing I could come up with. The policeman began to question me in my half conscious state. I think I managed to say something like, “We have permission to be here.” The policeman then requested a letter indicating that. Letter? As if, Andrew barely packed a sleeping bag.
“We work here!” Josh piped up. “We have a security pass to the church.” I added. “Here I’ll get it.” Mike comes to our aid.
“Well you better hurry before you ALL GET ARRESTED!”
Mike replies, “Well…let me just get my pants on.” This is the point where I start focusing wholly on not laughing. This gets even harder when the cop starts checking my cooler. Well, fumbling around trying to open it, but he just can’t manage it. “You have to flip the handle,” I help out. “Do you have any alcohol?” He finally gets it open to discover Andrew and my yogurt that my dear mom packed for us.
Any alcohol? What a question! Have you not noticed the distinct patch of grass between the guys and girls tarps?? This is clearly not that type of party.
The story ends with the policeman taking Mike over to the church to show that he has access to the building, but not before Mike requests a ride. The cop leaves sincerely disapointed that he wasn’t able to take credit for the biggest bust of the summer, and the rest of us are feeling wide awake at 5 a.m. in the morning.
One thing is for sure. This experience makes me want to take a really long road trip just sleeping in random places without getting caught. I think my idea of freedom means being able to sleep under the stars without getting arrested.
Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly, because you tread on my dreams.
— William Butler Yeats
I’m beginning to understand just how important it is to be alone and do nothing.
Life is really busy right now. And I’m not blaming life, because its MY life. I choose the agenda and I am choosing to be busy, and I love it. However, it’s making me realize how easily life just slips by when we fill each waking hour to capacity. Even when I’m doing things I love everyday, there is something to be said for time to just be still.
Be still.
My mom said to me the other day as I was franticly getting ready to run off somewhere or other, “If you ever want to write you need to just stop and take time to be alone.” I hate when people tell me things, and I know they are right. I think it makes me mad because I wish I could have realized it on my own. However, that is stupid. Of course I have many amazing people in my life because I need them.
When I’m always doing something there is no time to work through what I’m feeling, what I’m learning and where I should be going.
If God was shouting at me right now I still don’t know if I’d hear him.
That scares me, since I am well aware that there isn’t anything I need more right now than to hear that voice. I need to change something.
I went to my friend Danielle’s wedding on Saturday. It was a beautiful wedding, and also so much fun!
I’ve posted a few pictures on Flickr for now. Trendy you say? Not really, its just that its the only site that would work for me tonight.
There are more to come. Enjoy for now.