You know what I love...

I love Sheetz. You know what made my night? Sheetz...and Journey and Billy Joel. In a move I am sure to regret in the morning, I went to Sheetz and got my 8.30 dinner. It's delicious by the way. On the drive back to my place I ran the stations to find some good music. Low and behold- JOURNEY! Can I just tell you how much I love Steve Perry's voice. LOVE it! Love it. He makes me swoon (sorry Mike). And then what made the night progress even farther into "awesomedom" [yes, i made up a word- i can do that sort of thing] was the wonderful history lesson that is "We didn't start the fire" by Billy Joel. AMAZING! Now I know there are folks out there who can't stand the billy joel, but i don't care. I LOVE him as well! Yay! I mean anyone who teach 20th century history in a 5 minute song is tops with me. And what poetry...
"Roy Cohn, Juan Peron, Toscanini, Dacron Dien Bien Phu Falls, Rock Around the Clock" Anyone who can insert, let alone rhyme, all these things is a genius in my eyes. Ahh...what a glorious night

With the greatest of ease

And in one fell swoop I shift tone and stick in a new picture. Painting number 3. What do you think? Honestly? I love it. I painted it outside- which made it a tricky bugger. Do people actually read this thing? I know Gurley does, and that makes me smile. But let me know you do...and what you think of my paintings.

anyone who guesses the subject correctly will be sent a prize. and I am in NO way guaranteeing a GOOD prize :).



OOh, and my family. I had to add pictures of them from last weekend too. I look like my mum, sound like my mum, gesture like my mum but have all the looks, stubbornness, and tenacity of my dad. It's really quite amazing. I mean, come on, look at our chemistry.

Loopy

I sometimes feel very "out of the loop". At Grove City, the loop was form-fitting and comfortable. Now the loop has become misshapen and too loose for comfort. I find myself on the outside of much goings ons. This here online companion is sometimes my only link to friends. Sometimes I am so tuned into my surroundings that it sucks all the magic up from my circumstances. Other times, I feel as if I'm still the most naive person on the planet.

Do you ever feel that you don't belong ANYWHERE?? So naive that you can't even function properly, let alone socially? Well, I do, lots of times. Example: I have this vague idea of how I'd like my life to be, fantasies of great things. But most of the time I think I'm just kidding myself. I'm adventurous, but not so precocious as to actually set out and complete something wild. I'm too safe. Too uptight. It makes me cringe sometimes to know how truly uptight, or even stuck up, I can be/am. For instance: I have recently accepted the notion that maybe I too would like to be a professor. This is a relatively new notion, so it's in the early planning stages...don't get so excited about it. I want to teach art, more than anything. I'm actually teaching my own lesson plans for the first time on Wednesday and I'm scared out of my mind. Okay, I'm exaggerating, but I am nervous. Very nervous. Back to my train of thought though... being a professor. Do we ever think about what that word means? To profess. Why would anyone in their right mind allow me to profess on a subject I know little about. You think I know, but I'm actually more clever than anyone ever imagined. I'm clever and sly- never good character traits. I have this grand aspiration of getting a masters in art history. Studying in Rome and in Florence, Vienna, and London. Being able to go and live in these places so that the art and knowledge is as accessible to me as the National Gallery or North Carolina Museum of Art are now...but I'm being simply ridiculous. Could I EVER pull that off? I'm getting married for goodness sakes! How could this work out for Mike and I. I would love, love, LOVE, to go and study overseas (and he would too) but honestly, is this just a great dream or a reachable goal? How could that ever be a possibility for the Queen of Mundane? And stop thinking that I'm just being hard on myself. I know I'm my worst critic, I always have been. It's what keeps me from being too scathing, because that would give people the freedom to turn the tables on me, and I just couldn't handle that. Not well anyways. You must admit that you secretly agree with me. Be honest.

But seriously...me, a professor. "What on earth will she come up with next?"

One Great Journey

It's been quite a while since I've updated. Things have been so busy and wild that I haven't had much of a chance to sit down and enjoy me time. In my delirium of this late night hour, I will attempt a quick and poignant blog.

This past week I journeyed into the lands outside of North Carolina...*gasp*! It was truly wonderful. I got to see dear friends, girlfriends, and my family. I made my way up through Roanoke and made a stop at JMU to see my best friend/maid of honor, Molly. We didn't do too much, but we had such a great time. We talked, caught up on life, had great conversations, played Settler of Catan- this crazy german game that should not be played if you are drinking- and ate food. Oh, and there was the whole yummy pumpkin bread and me sleeping in until 10 something. Molly picked up her new golashas. We tried them on and took crazy pictures...hereee's a sampling...

this was a fun pose...see, happy!

molly's floating...in air...so believable!

then i made my way to Strasburg to see my lovely friend/bridesmaid Meg. I am sorry to report that I have no pictures of this visit. boo me.

the next morning I made my way up to grove city...i'll fill in words later, but here are some more pictures. EVERYONE loves pictures!!! yay...

Jesse and his pumpkin...yummy...the pumpkin's yummy too!

HARTZELL!!! could he be more quality?

and now it's stopped uploading pictures. end of post. goodnight!

I... [part 1]

am slightly obsessed with this man... and his tatoos

am in love with Imogen Heaps' music

sometimes just need a little sex and the city

am so very proud of my brother...and so is my Dad

am so excited for halloween...especially when i have children

have a family of fingerpuppets- from my fiance

still can't believe this was the "portrait" scott drew of me...maybe it's best he's tending bar...

A quick update- for Gurley

it's almost finished...i touched up a few things. final picture to come.

i know you're thinking what IS that?! It's a pickle pen (given to me by Megan Krimmel) and a little seashell...blown up, a macrocosmic painting ala O'Keefe. it actually looks much different now, but i forgot to take a picture. it too shall follow soon.

i have so much to catch ya'll up on. but there's no time right now...dinner calls.

Dropping hints ALL OVER the place

God is glory. Glory is God. This is where our sunday school lesson took us today. To the wonders of God and his infinite nature and glory. How often do we neglect Him and the reverence He deserves? How often do we look so narrowly upon all that He has bestowed. God's glory isn't only in the twilght, the stars, the great outdoors. It's also in the little mundane everyday things- of driving to work, grocery shopping, sharpening a colored pencil. I know that seems silly, but honestly, those who do not see the working of God in the simplicity of the everyday is either oblivious to the way He works or is seriously in denial about the offerings of God. My God is a jealous god. He is also loving and benevolent but will strike us, even in the most subtle ways, when needed. How awesome was it for Moses to ask to see God's glory, and he OBLIGED him!
"Then Moses said, 'Now show me your glory.' And the Lord said, 'I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." Exodus 33:18-19
All it took was asking. What's keeping us from asking. I know it's pride and a variety of other factors for me. But why? Why on earth would I let something so tiny dictate the very nature of my relationship with our sovereign Lord? Silliness. It's all silliness.

God has been dropping blessings into my lap ever since I moved here to Greensboro. I found an amazing church and have a great new family already. I found a school where I belong and where I can grow. I found a great job because of the church I go to. I found a family to babysit for. How could I have EVER doubted that there wasn't a strong presence working in my life? How could I let myself be jealous of where other people are in their lives? Why couldn't I be content with where God has led me? I am HAPPY! I am CONTENT! I am in awe of my STUBBORNESS! But I am convinced more now than ever that I am where i should, no NEED, be. And things couldn't be better. Blessings. What blessings I have been given. Great blessings.

Update: A Story by Elizabeth

“Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again. And what do we teach our children? We teach them that two and two make four, and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are? We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel? You must work, we must all work, to make the world worthy of its children.”
--Pablo Picasso

[Pablo never understood women, but he understood children. This is why we will remember him. Insight.]

I've needed to update for quite a few days now. Much has happened this week, thus the delay in posts. The remedy!

I've finished my first TRUE painting. Well, it's not quite finished. It still needs it layer of glaze, and that will come next week. Though, I have to say I am quite pleased by it. It really jumps out at you and has that "Kaboom" factor that my prof so frequently talks about. It's a simple still life with nothing live in the picture, and what seems to be live is a fraud. But then again, that's what most of art accomplishes. It was Picasso who said "Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth." How excellent is that? We paint a canvas, etch a plate, take a photograph, etc. But everything that we put out there to view is a view from our perspective, hell-bent on making the viewer experience the same emotions and ideas. A pretty picture is just a pretty picture, but it's not art. THIS is why art is so absolutely amazing! Our truth finding someone else's truth and meshing to form a new or greater opinion; WONDERFUL! So, this illustrious painting that i'm so very proud of...

oh, and this is our horn-of-plenty. i'm so excited for autumn! 1.) it's my favorite season 2.) the colors are warm and rich, and that's the way i would love to decorate a house 3.) it's the perfect time for walks outdoors 4.) the aromas of autumn are delicious- i've had such a craving for pumpkin ANYTHING lately (it doesn't help that murd bought a pumpkin and i want to candy the seeds like yesterday). I very much want to cover the apartment in foliage and pumpkins and HALLOWEEN stuff. I can't wait until I have children. Decorating and enjoying the holidays will be one of my greatest treasures.

I started a job on Monday. It's with a utility auditing company owned by a guy at church. It's interesting, i'm learning how to read bill and utility rates- which will one day come in handy. Basically i enter data, do on-line research, and makes calls and faxes all day long. Luckily it's always busy, so I don't have much time to just sit with my finger in my ear. That's great! What's also great is that I work 25 hours a week, have NO weekends, and it works around my class schedule. Fabulous.

I start field work next week. The co-op teacher is supposed to be amazing. I look forward to it. This whole expedited teacher/license process is sometimes scary, but i'm ready- i'll start looking for a job in about three months- CRAZY INSANE...i know.

---

i HEART music! My friend Nat(haniel) [whom i adore even with brief contact] turned me on to the wonder that is Pandora. Check it out. Mike's already hooked. It was created by the Music Genome Project and it's AMAZING! You plug in an artist or a song and generates a playlist with that artist and those similar. I've been on a jazz kick for about a week now and plugged in one Mr. Harry Connick Jr. (dreamy!) and have been listening to Count Bassie, Sinatra, Mel Torme, Cab Calloway, Michael Feinstein, and so on. All so lush, rich, and delicious. I can't handle it sometimes. This is the type of music that will be played at our wedding. I think we can all agree that that is superb. Luck be a Lady by Jack Jones is playing right now, and i want to dance. I guess I'll have to settle with going out to dinner with a friend!

Remembering.

What astonishes me right now is that on this day of remeberence, not a single person on my list of links has written about the events five years ago. It leaves me speechless. But not speechless enough to not write about that Tuesday.

where were you? i was sitting in my third period class when the announcement to "stay calm" was presented over the intercom. Mr. Benson made some comments that made no real sense to us at the time, something about phones and staying in school is all i remember. The bell was about to ring in ghetto history and we were about to make our normal b-line for our fifth period classes. not knowing what his statements meant, we all headed towards our impending classes not really knowing what to expect. I walked briskly to AP English and the moment i entered the class i was greeted by a television screen filled with smoke and destruction. i had no idea what was going on. i remember sitting there just staring blankly at the screen, trying to produce some reaction to the horror that was unfolding. i didn't watch the second plane crash into the second tower, but we did watch the towers collapse.

word had already been out that the pentagon had been hit. living in northern virginia means that half the students' parents in any given school work for the government in some capacity, be it federal, military, contractor, etc. Even my mom works for SSA. Phone lines were down and very few calls were coming in or out. Friends and mates were panicking left and right. We weren't released from school because of the level of pandimonium that had already broken out. As we sat in that class watching the t.v., a friend kept insisting this was a terrorist attack. I don't remember everything that went through my head that afternoon. The whole school rushed to their final class of the day. Few teachers actually taught that day. I remember kids being angry about not being able to see what was going on, to know, to just know what was happening.

i never cried. i never shed a tear until this past Saturday. a dear friend was even affected by the attacks, and i couldn't produce emotions appropriate enough. my friend Traci lost her husband of 10 years. he died in the Pentagon. he was a civilian accountant. Eddie left behind Traci and his two daughters Ashley and Katie. Ashley was 7 and Katie was 3. Katie doesn't remember her dad. They're really special girls, and i used to watch them and i saw them grow up after 9/11. Traci decided to move the girls about two years ago. we're not sure why. i think most of it had to do with the memories of Eddie in our area. and she didn't want pity or to be known as "the one who lost her husband". that was a sad goodbye. i can't tell you why i haven't cried until now. but i can tell you that i will never forget, and they will never leave my thoughts and prayers. this is how i remember September 11th.

kick...push...grisaille

so i'm taking a painting class and this is our first assignment- a still life in grisaille. All this means is we start with a grey base and drawing. From there we fill in all black areas, then you move to either grey or white areas. Your finished painting will then be covered in a transparent glaze. This is how old masters used to paint. If you wonder why paintings now don't have the same feel or esscence it's because color is applied immediately to a canvas and hue becomes more important than depth. Compare a scene by Caravaggio or Tintoretto to Sorolla y Bastida or Van Gogh and you'll be amazed. The same measure of illusion is gone, this is why master works are so highly prized and respected. The product may not be as superior or popular as a modern work, but the process is masterful and that is what makes for a breathtaking painting. You couldn't have a Young Bacchus by simply filling in color on a dark canvas. I never thought i would ever consider myself a painter, but while learning this process i can truly be proud of what i have created and maybe begin to call myself a painter. maybe, maybe.

Witness

i have never thought that my calling was to evangilize personally to the masses. i have never claimed to be an authority on the Bible or its holdings. but God gave me a voice that has been used to bless members of my congregation. i have only thought that God gave me a voice for a reason, even if it doesn't stand up to trained voices. I've joined the choir at First Baptist. It's a fairly large choir, and a lot like our college choir with difficult music and warm ups and proper vowels- all which would make Dr. Browne proud. We actually have a concert on the 1st of October- which is a little insane, but when am I not up to challenges? The music program is really great at First Baptist. Doug and Terri Vancil run the show. Both have music degrees and masters, Doug in organ and Terri in voice. Needless to say some lovely, and difficult, organ pieces are played every week for the service. This also means that all hymns are sung to the organ. Wonderful. There are several choirs and some actually tour. Anywho...every once in a while there's special music and two weeks ago we had the pleasure of hearing "Witness" as a solo. A solo?! you say. YES. SOLO. it was a delight. i've been humming it since. this woman sang with such soul (and yes it helped that she was southern and black) that you almost couldn't keep the tears from your eyes and your head from bobbing in agreement to the powerful words. the words have been following me around all week and i can't explain it. so, since, after all of that, i have no words i can only follow with this...

who'll be a witness for my Lord?

who will be a witness for my Lord?

oh, i'll be a witness for my Lord

i'll be a witness for my Lord.

there was a man of the pharisees,

his name was Nicodemus and he didn't believe.

the same came to Christ by night.

wanted to be taught out of human sight.

Nicodemus was a man who desired to know

how a man can be born when he is old.

Christ told Nicodemus as a friend

"Man, you must be born again"

He said, "Marvel not if you want to be wise

repent, believe, and be baptized."

Then you'll be a witness for my Lord

You'll be a witness for my Lord.

You'll be a witness, for my Lord.

Soul is a witness for my Lord.

You read about Samson, from his birth

he was the strongest man that ever lived on earth

way back yonder in ancient times

he killed ten thousand of the Phillestines

then ol' Samson went a-wand'rin' about

Samson's strength was never found out till his wife sat upon his knee

she said, "Tell me where your strength lies, if you please?"

well ol' Samson's wife, she talked so fair, ol' Samson said

"Cut off-a my hair!"

"Cut it off!"

'Shave my head just as clean as your hand,

and my strength will come like a natural man."

Samson was a witness for my Lord

Samson was a witness, Lord

Soul is a witness for my Lord.

There's another witness for my Lord

My soul is a witness for my Lord!

these are some of my witnesses that i miss dearly! it even makes me cry, everytime i think of them.

Labor Day wonder!

where we went! we slid off of turtleback falls. i also bent my nail, not a break, but bend- ouch.

rainbow falls.

beautiful.

more beauty.

i can't handle anymore beauty!!

we ate yummy chinese and sushi

stupid jingles

If my life as an art teacher were to crash and burn i could always pick up my hidden talent of writing jingles. yes, jingles. they may all sound the same but, don't they all anyway? last night i came up with a jewel. It's about a Lobster. This is how it goes:
Lob-lobster
Lob-lob-lobster
Lob-lobster
Lobster!

see, doesn't it just end with such pizazz?! i think it does.

Bloody Ankles!

This is what happened to my ankles this afternoon during my run...

yummy! thought i would share. you're welcome.

A nice respit

I have attended my two classes this week and the verdict is...wow, this is going to be great! My painting class consists of several works (10 in fact) that will follow some sort of guideline or principle. we meet twice a week for three hours a pop. it will make for long mornings, but ah such is the life of an artist. my other class is art and children. in this class which isn't much of a class, we will discuss appropriate methods for teaching the young ones art. i think there are five of us in the class. i know what you're thinking, you think? yes, i think because i was the only one there today for "class". The others already work in schools i believe, so it makes for fun times. luckily with this odd situation come perks. instead of being a MWF class for three hours it has been whiddled down to class on Monday from 5 to 7, and a one on one with the Prof at the appropriated normal time. which means my dear friends, no classes on Friday again, and technically none on Monday- just like the last year and a half of college. who knew!?

i am a bit nervous about this MW class though. it involves observations and lots of unit plans which i just have no idea about. i have to come up with 3 units featuring several themes and projects, create those projects, and finally implement them in one of my observation rooms. for someone diving right into teaching like i, it's very nerve-racking. hopefully it will be ok. we'll see. ok, back to tending my knowledge.

If MacDonalds can...

on our way back from Annapolis a few weeks ago we stopped at McDonalds because it's what my brother wanted. I decided to stray from my normal choice of "the Big Mac" and decided to go with the new Asian salad with grilled chicken. i was very impressed by the deicious nature of this salad. Great and different types of greens, carrots, little legumes, and various other surprises; all tossed with a yummy seasame and ginger dressing by Paul Newman. well i had a craving for one yesterday. instead of whipping out my wallet i decided hey "i can if they can". Dramatically i started cooking my marinated chicken in butter. i made a large bowl of salad and cut up the chicken on top, along with the seasame and ginger dressing by Paul Newman that i had purchased the week earlier at the brillant Harris Teeter market. thus a delicious and well rounded dinner was made.




to top it off i cut up yellow squash and sauted it in butter until it was a golden brown. was i please with myself or what?! i took pictures i was so proud, as you can plainly see. i even used the "food" setting on my digi to have the best looking food i could. my, i was just pleased as a peach! so, now i'm going to keep a mini food diary to mark my journey through the culinary world. necessary i think, to keep the fun going! and now that i've talked about food i need to figure out what i'm going to make for dinner. yum...more delicious food!

We went with a Frog centered theme

SO, i am now in Greensboro and finally sitting down to update. It has been a long month already, filled with the trip to El Paso with Mike, the buying of a wedding dress, a trip to see my handsome brother at the Naval Academy, and the move to Greensboro (pronounced Greensbor-ah). It's quite lovely here right now. The apartment is lovely. It's huge! Katie can do about nine cartwheels from end to end. I have lots of furniture from home, so it's comfortable. My mum and dad helped me move down. It was to be just my dad, but after saying our goodbyes the night before the move, and crying for way too long, my mum decided to take a personal day and help. It was really great of her to do that. We left around 6.15 in the morning and got in around 11. not too bad i think. Moving in went quick and i was unpacked before the evening. They turned right around and left, but that's ok. I'm guessing swift and painless was the way to go. I've set about to making this place feel like home. Complete with nice little tea pot, serving dishes, desk, candles, and several other "homely" features. I've already been called lame by Murd's friend. I have to sort of agree, but at the same time don't for once care that much. i'm getting ready to live with my love and take care of a house. which, i can't wait for! I brought with me the delicious gold, yes GOLD, couch that will one day be me and Mike's when we get married. As you can see, we hung the disgusting yet intruiging frog painting that murd found down here last semester. it hangs proudly above said gold couch! isn't it just the best?!

i went to the First Baptist of Greensboro today. It's a goregous southern church. Complete with steeple, it averages between 800 to 1,000 per Sunday. They only have one service, was just which is quite full. it was a wonderful place. i really believe now that God has led me to this place. i still don't have a clue why, but the whole school thing has worked out- i'm getting substantial aide, and i only passed this back in March and knew that it was where i needed to be. i went to the service and was promptly greeted by several folks around me. it was such a warm reception. something i hadn't experienced in a very long time. immediately following service i was invited to stay for lunch with other college age kids. we had pizza, which i had yearned for all week, and sat with workers and students just talking. it made me very very fulfilled and happy. the one thing i'm sad about is that i don't have a 'real' southern accent. i want! i do i do i do! ok...after the fooding and talking and exchanging of information-both life and contact- i was invited to the baptism and picnic at a nearby state owned camp called the Summit. it was once owned by the episicapal church but was sold a few years ago. anyways, we went down to the lake there around 4.30. around 5 we began singing hymns. after the first hymn a guy was baptised in the lake. i had never seen anything like that. i mean to say, in that fashion. it was truly special and i was there to witness it. i makes me tear just thinking about it. what's more is that we got to lay hands on two of the new deacons and pray for them. that was also an awesome moment. for the first time in a long time i was comfortable in a church and doing things that specifically acknowledged God and his prescence. we sang hymns on our way up to and in the line to lay hands. the one that made me re-evaluate my life and it's standing was Near the Cross. this line especailly:

Near the Cross

I'll watch and wait, hoping, trusting ever,

till I reach the golden strand just beyond the river.

In the cross,

in the cross,

be my glory ever,

till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river.

Southern Wonder...here we come!

Mike has already left Erie. I would assume that he's been on the turnpike for a little bit already. I think a lot of us know the joy of that drive. I've been running around trying to get everything together for the trip. i still have things to go out and do. oh well...we have this whole agenda of "low-brow" fun to accomplish on this trip. this is a small sample:
Hueco Tanks
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
World Market
the Whoopee Bowl
Luby's breakfast buffet
Chico's

just a taste. i hope to keep up on our adventures. the move into his new apartment; our destinations- Raleigh, Nashville, Dallas, and El Paso; our "low-brow" fun; and everything else that's thrown our way- like yummy rolls.

who uses the word abraded anyway?

I got this card for my brother, and it uses the word abraded. seriously, who does that?!

i wrote a bunch of cards- which made me sincerely miss all of my friends. it hurts sometimes so much that i actually ache. hopefully i will have some lovely mail soon! speaking of lovely mail, i recieved my first and possibly only engagement poster from the darling Meghan Short. what a delight and thrill it was opening the mailer to find a one of a kind grove city type engagement poster! attention friend: I LOVE YOU!

tonight i did a little shopping with mum. some underroos and some home accessories for the apartment. i bought T-fal ya'll. i even did a sad little dance in my excitement. things are shaping up nicely for my apartment. i even bought a large white casserole dish. mmm...domesticity!

class is another word for bland

to make up for my lapse over the last, oh, almost 8 months, i have been struck by the "blog-bug" again. mmm...delizioso!

this summer has been crazy, just a whirlwind of activity. There have been a few weeks that have flown by quickly like a snail to beer and then others that drag slower then that ill-fated snail. I've been all over the east coast and am preparing for another memorable journey.


to start, i endured the worst, yet most fulfilling, semester of my college career. i thought i was going to pull my hair out. how i ended up my college life wanting to bolt and never turn back, i'll never know. after several weeks to decompress i now see that i will miss Grove City despite my abundant hatred for those hallowed grounds while i lived there. i graduated on saturday, came home sunday, got to work on monday. i subbed again for a month. most of my weeks were taken up by ESOL classes and special needs classes. this is when two, not just on, but two moroccan boys hit on me within five hours of each other on the same day. man did i feel special! this was just one of the few examples that tipified my weeks as a teacher. my brother graduated mid-june. he had a week and a half for vacation so we went to Cedar Point for two days of sun, fun, and homosexuals. but i'll just let that alone because this is one time where i'll keep my opinions to myself. i left that sunday to drive eight hours to greensboro to take care of class schedules and such. i am very excited to leave and start my new life down in north carolina where i belong.


i drove home the next day and we took Jeff to the Naval Academy the next day. of course, me being the older sister who missed the maturing of her only sibling, cried more than the mum. his head was shaved further and he looked so handsome. i miss him a lot. it's weird not having to compete with the sound of his television in the evenings. we've talked twice and he sounds like he's doing well. he writes a lot and i have the best card to send him. it will be hysterical and fab.



so Jeff was gone that Wednesday and i left for Pittsburgh the next afternoon. before i left i was sucked into the appeal that is tanning, thus i am lovely and golden. i took mum to get a pedicure before i left. if my toes could hug, they would have given me a great bear hug. i went up for Bill and Becky's July 1st wedding. it was so wonderful getting to see all of our friends. there was a band, aptly named the Chris Aitken orcehstra, there were friends and family, and there was a fun rehearsal dinner including a surprise appearance by master bocce players: Brian Gurley and yours truly. [check out photos on facebook] the wedding was lovely and it went pretty smoothly. i think our only complaint was the sweat dripping down our backs and legs. overall it was a good time.

after the wedding on saturday, Mike and I went back to my grandmother's house to get some rest before we drove up to Erie the next afternoon. we attended church with grandma and then went to lunch before we left. our friend, John Stranahan, lives on the highest point around Canadota Lake. every sunday before the 4th the lake area sets off their fireworks in his backyard. literally, 40 yards from the back door of his house. the Stranahan's throw a huge party and people just show up from the area to watch the fireworks. we set up tents for the night, ate lots of food, and just hung out with all the behrend kids. when it got close to 10 they started the fireworks. it was sprinkling a little but everything stayed relatively dry. the fireworks exploded right over our heads, it was spectacular being that close. after the fireworks everyone cleared out. it was amazing how people were squished into the backyard. only the hardcore were left. that meant a few family members, the behrend kids, us, and those too drunk to go anywhere. this smaller group of people signified the start of "great bonfire" [insert grunt] and "mischief with bottlerockets" [insert two additional grunts] this bonfire was mad. there were old christmas trees, boxes, backpacks, and little things that burn quickly and easily. the bonus after the monstrous fire, burning black santa and his little reindeer friend.

well, the santa burned...boy did he burn. the next morning all we found was a little charred hand and a seared face where all you could make out was the ear and a bit of beard. man was that funny.

finally, exhausted, i went to bed while everyone else stayed up way too long for me. in the morning we made breakfast and shot skeet. i did poorly, but better than the stranahan's [that's Johnny with the black santa and a glass of LaBatt] we went home and took naps. i don't remember everything we did that monday, but tuesday is far more important.

tuesday we hung out and did some things around the house before we went to Wegmans to get our picnic lunch. we drove about two hours up to Lake Chautauqua in New York for a pops concert. It was here that Michael got down on one knee and proposed. It was simple and lovely. We're ENGAGED! it's so wonderful to finally say it...engaged! we're getting married. yay! engaged!

and that's all for now.