i'm trying to post more on the blog, but i make no promises

Dudes, it is hot here. I think it needs to be this warm all the time. Except that if that really was the case, I would probably never get anything done because my need to be outside would overpower my need to do work and I would just never show up for anything. Get me one of those signs that says "if you want me I'll be at the beach" because that's where I belong. The sun and the sand and a drink in my hand. Preferably a large bottle of ice water, thanks.

I went back to Moscow for the weekend to see the Boy and hang out at the house with a bunch of my friends. It's incredible how that small town still feels like home. I know the streets and the shops and the people. It's familiar and comforting and also very weird not to have a place of my own there now. I drove by my old apartment and waved at the empty windows. Hi old house. Bye old house.

But I feel like I have two homes, and that makes it hard to pick where to spend my time. On one hand, CDA is where my family lives. We have lakes and boats and things! And they all get my jokes and obscure movie references like the champs that they are. On the other hand, Moscow is where a majority of my friends still live and I can walk wherever I want. Plus, if I need to drive somewhere I can actually do the speed limit without raising my blood pressure. I swear, the people up north do not understand that it's okay to drive 35 miles an hour if the sign says 35. I'm pretty sure they interpret that as "well, I suppose you could go 35 if you really wanted to, but 25 or 30 is more acceptable." Which basically makes me want to punch everyone in the face.

As it is right now though, I am back in the land of "find a job" and watching copious amounts of cupcake wars and doctor who. I miss Moscow already. Mostly the people, especially the Boy. And all the walking! Well okay, really I miss everything. But if I could have it my way, my two homes would just merge and everyone would be in the same place at the same time. Then this whole choosing thing wouldn't exist. Life would be simpler. Yes, indeed. Or maybe the drive just wouldn't be as long. That would be nice too.

i wasn't ready to come home, but i really needed to wash my hair

My hair smells like the smoke of a campfire, which is probably one of my favorite things ever. I have a lot of favorites, I know. But when everything is just so awesome it's hard to discriminate. I just want to love everything, so that's what I do. 

I love the smell of campfire smoke, especially. So much so that I purposefully subject myself to the billowing smoke from the pit of burning wood just so my sweatshirts will take on that distinct aroma. I can't decide if this is hazardous to my health or not.

There's just something about camping that makes me feel at home. Maybe it's because I have been camping since I was a just a few months old. Maybe it's because I'm happiest when I'm outside. Maybe it's because I get to be surrounded by people I love with minimal distractions from a tainted society. There is no cell service. There are no television productions. There is no internet. There is just us, trees, and fish.

The smell of the fresh mountain air in the morning melding with the morning coffee percolating on the stove top is something that everyone should experience at least once in their lives. The feeling of a rainbow trout tugging on the end of your fishing line is exciting enough to last for a week. The thrill of the catch is unreal.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Cast the line.

I have perfected the art of roasting marshmallows. The secret is in waiting for the fire to die down enough so the hot coals are exposed. The placement of the mallow is imperative to either success or failure. Too far away and you'll be waiting for hours, too close and you'll have a blackened outside and cold center. But if you hover in just the right place and rotate when necessary your mallow will reach a golden state of deliciousness that is hard to beat.

Graham up. Chocolate out. Sticky fingers for life.

The eagles that have made their nest by the lake are not only beautiful creatures, but they are also not very shy. On Friday I stood on the shore and watched in wonder as this gigantic bald eagle swooped down out of the sky and caught a fish maybe twenty feet from my point of view, give or take. Then he flew up to a branch and ate his dinner in style.

In the evening yesterday we stared at him from across the lake. He was sitting on the branch of a snag high in the sky watching over the small body of water. Every so often he would move his head or turn his body. It was hard to take my eyes off of his silhouette. The beauty of nature amazes me.

And so it goes to show that camping is in my blood. I was born to travel. To spend time outside. It's where I belong and where I feel most at home. I wasn't ready for the weekend to be over, but I was glad for the hot shower. It was a weekend well spent.

Spring Break 2012

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I didn't want spring break to be over. Ever. 

PC meets the Arboretum and I need a new name

Days like today make me want to go camping. I miss when I could afford to take vacations. But now it's all about school and work. I can't miss too many school days during the semester or my grades will suffer, and I can't miss too many work days because my bank account suffers.

Someday I will take a nice vacation. And I will go lounge around the sunshine. But for now, I'll have to be content with what I have. And actually, today was a really good followup to the horrid day I had yesterday.

But guys, I have to tell you something important. A lot of things in my life have changed, and so has this blog. I don't feel right calling it "My Life's Graffiti" anymore because that dealt more with my artwork (hence the whole 'graffiti' idea, you know?). But now I've moved my art stuff over here and this blog has become more of a place for writing (and photography since this post doesn't have a lot of words).

So I am trying to come up with a new name for TheBlog. We all know it needs to happen, so if someday in the near future you find yourself stumbled upon this blog and it might look a little different and have a different name, just know that it's still the same place with the same Natalie, and that you're not lost in cyberspace!