I'm going camping!

And I can't wait!
It's still a week away.

I haven't been in a long time though - and I'm looking forward to two days of peace (and music? Wait no, that was in the 60's). I plan on...not doing much. Maybe taking a hike on the trails around the campground and I'm sure reading a bunch. School will have started by then and I have plenty of reading to get done in the next few months. Why not start while hanging out in a tent?
Potato likes to read a lot too, so I imagine it will be a quiet time (complete with S'Mores). HJE might come by for a walk around the campstie and a S'more!

Before I get too ahead of myself and focus on the weekend after this one, I suppose I should take a look at what's coming up in a day! Spending the weekend with bf's family - first, a birthday party for an aunt on Saturday (get in the car, we're driving about an hour) and then Sunday, we'll help his brother celebrate his first child's first birthday! Love those kinds of parties. The kids are so wide-eyed at the pile of presents but mostly...that cake that is placed in front of them, ready to be destroyed...

Talked to my roommate yesterday about what's to come - she moved in about 6 months ago after a breakup and we had figured she'd be with me about 6 months while she figured out what she wanted to do next. The end of Sept will be 6 months and she is going to begin looking. It will be weird having the place to myself again, though I do like it - and I can make the mess I might need to make during a busy semester. However, I'll miss having her around, she's a great roommate!

All right...back to work...

My Own Private Safari

Meet Halla, my new giraffe. When I returned home from Florida, and walked through my front door, carrying my suitcase and bulky carry-on, dirty and loopy-tired, I found this in my living room, provided by the one and only Bob (aka Potato). What more could a girl ask for? I thought I was pushing it by asking for a giraffe for my birthday, but somehow, Bob came through. I've named her Halla, which is an African name meaning 'Unexpected gift' and she stands about 4 feet tall. Just tall enough to scare me everytime I see her out of the corner of my eye. Apparently I'm not quite used to having her around. Even Raina, my lovely little feline, does a doubletake once in a while. Halla just towers above her.

That's right. It was my birthday. The big 3-0. I think I DO feel a little different. I'm not sure I can explain HOW, but something about being in my thirties sort of interests me. I feel like I'm 15, so maybe it's just the meshing of numbers that's got me.

Happy Friday everybody!

When The Student Is Ready, The Teacher Appears!

So I picked up my textbooks for Fall semester. There are 11. Should I be worried?
One of them is the DSM-IV, which is daunting enough in itself.
I'm pretty excited though, aside from the initial 'fear'...and the fear is really just about a) having time/energy to get all the reading/comprehension done and b) doing well. I'm pretty sure I can and will do both, but there's always just a bit of 'okay we can do this' kind of pep talking before the semester starts. It sort of...takes everything out of me to be in school and have a full time job. Which reminds me, a friend of mine who has been in a few of my classes also has a 6 year old daughter to take care of on top of work + school. I can't imagine. And cheers to her for doing it! Oh - she also just got engaged, so a wedding plan is probably in the makings right now. Busy much?
Classes start September 1.

So happy it's Friday today. Tomorrow I hope to secure a campsite for Labor Day weekend, and maybe swing through some apartments for rent for Potato - and then we'll end the day with dinner out with my sister and college roommate.
Sunday I plan on sleeping. ha ha. Oh yeah and reading the DSM-IV.

Oh I didn't even tell you about my trip to Florida and/or what I came home to...

Makin' the bacon...so I can bring it home

Happy Monday! Happier that Monday is OVER! Spent the weekend in the hills of PA at a friends hunting club. It's 4 miles up a windy dirt road, nice and deep into bear country. We got our weekend's worth of bears, including a mother bear and her three cubs! They're thought to be about 6 months old. It's quite the experience, standing around the campfire while bears chomp on corn in the distance. I definitely kept one eye over my shoulder!

Arriving on Friday, I spent the afternoon settling into my bunk, (which I shared with my sister, brother in law and 2 year old niece), sitting on the much loved adirondack chairs on the front porch, and just catching up with the others who made it this weekend - college roommates, friends, family. Even played my first game of Ladder Golf.

Saturday, everybody split off here and there and hiked, took the ATV out for a dozen spins through the trails, had a yoga class by the pond (impromptu gathering!), beaded bracelets, shot discs with some bangin' rifles, and just enjoyed the outdoors and each others company. Meals are brought and prepared by the various guests over the course of the weekend. Saturday night is the clambake, which is much anticipated and drooled over. Don't forget the S'mores for dessert! Sunday we prepared our 'famous' (well, with a couple of the other guests) yogurt/fruit/granola breakfast.

I'm back to work for just 2 1/2 days and then I head to Orlando with two girlfriends for 5. Trying to organize my life into those travel-approved ziploc bags. Humph.

Will miss my cat and boyfriend (who will be spending the time together) but am really looking forward to lounging in the sun for a few days!

There is a birthday happening somewhere in the mix of all that. It starts with a 3 and ends with a 0 and I'm not sure how I feel about it...

Anyway.

Since I've been away/am going away, there have been no trips to the grocery store lately, which is making mealtimes rather interesting. However, tonight I whipped up my trusty ol' Obamalette (first time it was made and enjoyed was the night he was elected into office). Omelettes are the answer to leftover woes and creativity cravings! Mine housed turkey, corn, sprouts, tomatoes, and cheese....

Oh Libraries, how I love thee

Last night I headed to my favorite library in the town where my boyfriend lives. It's big and beautiful and has a great music section too. To start my fabulous adventure, I returned a book I've had out for approximately...two years. Paid a nice fine for that. However, once I got that out of the way, I was clean and clear and ready to browse and borrow to my heart's content!

I found the first item of interest upstairs in the music books section. 'Girls Like Us' - about Carly Simon, Joni Mitchell, and Carole King. I've seen it a few places and am so psyched the library had it. No forking over cash for that one! Then, Potato and I browsed the music cd section. He found a couple of concerts on DVD, and I found Raising Sand - Robert Plant and Allison Krauss. I just popped it into my computer. I'll let you know how it is :)
We browsed the Travel section and dreamed our way through India in the guidebooks. There I found 'Holy Cow', which is the story of a woman's journey through India. Love those!
Then I looked for Anthony Bourdain's 'Kitchen Confidential' to no avail, though they did carry another of his books, 'The Nasty Bits'. I didn't take that one out, nor did I look for the book 'Julie and Julia'. I didn't want to get totally up to my eyeballs in books (though I already am anyway).

Currently reading (and loving): My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult.
Up Next: Twilight and New Moon (for my Florida vacation)
Followed by: Girls Like Us and Holy Cow.

See you in a few weeks. Until then, I'll be buried in a book!

The Fruits of Nature

Good morning!

3 cheers for my relationship! 6 months, 2 hot dogs, 2 teapots, 1 job, 100 bars of soap later, we're in a good spot. It's a relationship that just sort of...happened - no pressure, no games, we're just happily chugging along. Let's see where it goes, shall we?

I haven't run in about a week. I did, however, go for a hike on Sunday with a friend. It was raining, though somehow while we were in the woods we stayed dry. The mosquitos! Now those were another story. It was totally worth the bugs though - being on a trail, stomping through mud and passing over streams - there is nothing else like it. One of my favorite shorter hikes in there loops around a pond and is just gorgeous in the winter!

Enough of my forest fantasies for now - best get ready for work!
(Also fitting is the fact that my oldest sister is in VT right now - I am definitely jealous and hoping she's enjoying it)

Strawberry love!