HELLO SEPTEMBER

Holy end of summer. Batman. I can't believe it's already September. And that summer is technically over. I mean, what the crap.

I have this love/hate relationship with my birthday. Let's be honest though and say that it's mostly love, just there is this bittersweet thing about the last day of August because I get chocolate cake, but then I also get the beginning of orange crunchy leafs and icy cold breezes. I'm never ready to give up my summer or my tanned skin or the lack of reason to need to wear a sweater. But then fall actually gets here and I'm like...well, this isn't so bad.

Now winter. That is another story entirely. But let's not go there. Especially because this weekend is supposed to be in the 80s and just, words do not describe how thrilled I am about that.

Since I'm not working as a teacher this year, September so far has been weird for me. All three days of it.

Day one I was still out celebrating the 24th year of my life (holy crap how did I get that old?) and then day two was the first day of school - and it was the first year since I was five that I haven't been involved in school in some way or another. It feels like maybe I'm more of an adult now? I mean, these are the deep concepts that go on inside my head.

I have been involved in the school system for a good long time - I mean, every year since I was five I was either a student or a teacher and now, now I suppose I'm neither. Oh sure, I'm teaching a watercolor class at the juice bar downtown but I'm not full time. Instead I'm a hostess at a restaurant and instead of spending the first day of school in a classroom I spent it in a dining room. Which is weird with a capital W.

Today was rainy, preceded by a thunderous summer storm last night over which I was irrationally over excited. But really, can one ever be too excited about a thunder storm? I don't think so. And I'm basically an authority on the subject, so whatever.

And now, I think this rambling post has become quit the accomplished nonsense transmission. Over and out.

GO HAWKS AND 5 REASONS NATHAN ROCKS

A lot happened this weekend. The Seahawks won the Super Bowl! Hashtag whaddup! And Nathan turned 24! Hashtag headedtotheoldfolkshome.

I remember when the Seahawks were in the Super Bowl last time about a million years ago and they lost to the Steelers. I remember rooting for the Steelers with my dad just because Mom was born and raised to love the Hawks and if we are anything in this family it's ornery.

This time we went to a Super Bowl party to watch the game with a bunch of our friends from church and it was glorious. (We were Hawks fans this time, because, well. Why not?) My sister made these awesome cupcakes and frosted them to look like grass with piped 12s and field goals and footballs. She's seriously a baking rockstar.

But if we rewind a little bit, Saturday was that Nathan guy's birthday. We went out for pizza and got drinks downtown afterward. And then we played a couple of games of pool. I don't know if you know this, but we are terrible at pool. One time Nathan and I tried to play a game, just the two of us, and it was probably 20 minutes into the game and neither of us had sunk a ball in a pocket. Talk about embarrassing, right?

It's funny to me how when you meet certain people sometimes you have no idea how important they will become to you. I first met Nathan at a party at his old apartment in the summer of 2011. I went with a friend who knew Nathan really well and I didn't know anyone. I don't think I really talked a lot at first, and Nathan had a girlfriend at the time so I didn't really think much more than "well, he seems like a nice guy." This is actually the same party that I met Jordan at, so. Funny.

But then life happened and Jordan and I broke up and Nathan and his girlfriend parted ways and through a smattering of other people we eventually ended up together. You guys, there is no one I'd rather be with than him. And here are five reasons why: one, he cares. A lot. About everyone. He's probably one of the most caring people that I know. Two, he makes me laugh. Sometimes he does the most ridiculous and obnoxious things and it's just so funny. Like the first time he made me play Dinner Lady Arms by The Darkness in the car on the way home from the mall and whenever I need to laugh I just picture him car dancing and singing every single word over-enthusiastically because really, comedic gold. Three, he pushes me to be a better person. To stay healthy and exercise. To learn new things. To keep working to obtain my goals. To be the best me that I can be. Four, he's very smart. He's probably the smartest guy I've ever dated. And sometimes it catches me off guard because I'm used to being the smart one in a relationship. Five, he's driven. He wants to accomplish big things in life. He's not going to settle for second best, I don't feel like. Whether it's music or school, he's ambitious in his goals for life. And I think that's really important, because if you don't set life goals then you don't go anywhere.

So, happy birthday to one of the best guys on the planet. You're my best friend, adventure buddy, and partner in crime. I love you to the moon and back. ♥

nobody likes you when you're 23

This weekend my house was filled to the brim with dogs and people. I like to think they were all in town for my birthday on Saturday. I turned 23 and I spent the day up on top of Schweitzer at Fall Fest with my favorite boy, our friend, my aunt and uncle who were in from out of town, and my family - minus Jim because he was too cool to drive over from Seattle (insert winky face).

The view from the top of the mountain was gorgeous and the hard cider and elephant ears weren't bad either. Plus, I'm pretty easy to please so I was just happy that everyone was here and that I didn't have to work. 

Birthday weekend celebration was in full swing yesterday too on the lake in a tube behind the boat. Every wave is a personal challenge and it takes quite a bit to throw me off into the water. The only downside I have found to this comes the next day when my shoulders and forearms scream at me every time I try to move them. Worth it.

And come tomorrow I will be walking into a classroom full of sarcastic teenagers who aren't ready to say goodbye to summer and hello to homework. It's so crazy that this time last year I was a student teacher and now I'm the one who's large and in charge. The world is not ready for me yet! I'm taking the education world by surprise. I will warp values! I will twist minds! All in the name art! Muahahahaha!

All in all though, as I look back through all of the things I have done this summer, it has been a good one. I started out in Honduras and then I spent time with Nathan. I went camping, I went to Silverwood and Boulder Beach. I went fishing. I went tubing. I cliff dived and jumped off a rope swing. I worked in a restaurant. I made new friends and caught up with old ones. I herded cattle in a truck. I took Daniel's senior pictures. I soaked in a hot tub underneath a sky full of stars. I went to the fair and ate elephant ears and jumped on a trampoline. I fell asleep to thunder and lightning. There were adventures galore. I'm not ready to see this summer off just yet, but I am excited to walk into my classroom tomorrow and start my first year of teaching.

I don't know what this school year is going to bring and I can't predict the challenges that will come my way, but I do know that this is going to be one of the greatest life adventures I will ever embark on. I am so happy that I have the family I do, that I have Nathan, that I have God watching out for me, and that I'm in the position I am in now.

I remember I used to wonder what it would be like to be 23. I wondered where I would be, what I would be doing, where I would live. I would have never imagined that I would be in a full time salaried position living in the same town where I grew up. God is so good and I am so blessed.

that one time i stayed on an island and went to two museums in one day

This weekend we drove out to the Seattle area to visit TheKeeper's lovely girlfriend and her family. We took Saturday and drove into Tacoma to bond over old cars, monster burgers, and blown glass. There was an incredible amount of laughter and lots of pictures. It was also TheMechanic's birthday (he turned 17!!) and the car exhibit at the Tacoma Tube was basically heaven on Earth for him.

There were four floors filled with all sorts of different cars, from the very first horseless carriages to the British invasion, modern race cars and everything in between. We spent two hours wandering around the different levels, gawking at the different models surrounding us in a sea of shiny paint and old rubber tires.

This is the Tube from the outside. The top is like a mirror, so you can really only see the reflection in this picture...which is trippy, to say the least.

Cruella DeVill, Cruella DeVill, if she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will!

The Flintmobile! It exists! I couldn't get over it, I was that excited. 

And then of course, we have everybody's favorite 1983 DeLorean. I want this car so bad!

These two cars were solar powered race cars. I have never seen anything like them before. Incredible stuff. 

After walking around all the automobiles for so long we started to get hungry. And by hungry I mean hangry, and by hangry I mean TheSeester was starting to grow horns if we didn't go find food rightnowthisveryminute. It was all very dramatic and we left in search of burgers. 

Dad took us to this sketchy looking red building - the kind of restaurant where the outside makes you think that if you enter, you might regret it a couple hours later when the toilet becomes your new bff for life. It really didn't help that upon exiting our vehicle there was a chain link fence separating us and a spikey collared german shepherd, but we shrugged our shoulders and marched right on in. 

Let me just tell you though, those were some good burgers. I had a teriyaki chicken burger and it was so juicy and delicious that it got all over my hands and I didn't even mind. Not to mention that the portions were gigantic. I couldn't finish. 

Waddling out of the burger joint, we hit up the Museum of Glass next. It was probably my favorite part of the day. I took picture after picture after picture and let me just tell you, it was awesome. 

This is the underside of the ceiling of part of the bridge you walk in order to reach the museum. The whole ceiling was filled with blown glass trinkets and shapes of all different sizes and colors. I couldn't get over it, it was so amazing!

Then we came upon a wall my brother has deemed the alien hatchery, as if all the blown glass items in the boxes were housing little baby aliens just waiting for their chance to take over the world. Honestly, I think he's lost his marbles - especially because he is pretending to eat my foot like a subway sandwich in this picture.

Inside of this odd shaped cone is a foundry where guest artists from all over the world come and work with the museum for a week to create their own blown glass artworks. There is a viewing area where you can go in and watch the artist and their team work on different projects and learn about the process. Prior to this visit I had no working knowledge of glass blowing except for the fact that I think it's ridiculously awesome, but having watched it happen before my eyes I have an even greater appreciation for the objects in the galleries.

These faces are oil painted onto glass. In all the times I've worked with oil paints, it's never been on a glass surface before. I found this all to be really freaking cool and it made me want to try that technique out.

We spent the evening eating cake and ice cream to celebrate TheMechanic entering into his 17th year of life. There was lots of horrible renditions of happy birthday, bad jokes, and good company.

Before we left today we went to the community church, where everybody knows everybody and new people are always noticed. It was very Stars Hollow. The sermon was fantastic and even though service went for almost two hours (which according to TheKeeper's girly-friend was out of the norm) it kept me interested and thinking about what was being said.

After the service ended we were properly introduced to what felt like the entire congregation and then we left for noms. TheKeeper's girlfriend and her wonderful family treated us to lunch at The Red Bicycle (what an awesome name for a restaurant, right?) and then we rolled out of town to start the six hour (give or take) trek back home.

Because we were staying on an island, we had to take the ferry back to Seattle. Let the record show that ferries are the coolest.

It was a great trip, but I am glad to be sleeping in my own bed tonight. Now I will just be happy once TheBoy is back from Puerto Rico on the 4th. Three weeks away is the pits. For real.