"you think you're radical, but you're not so radical"

I am constantly frustrated by the amount of waste Americans produce. In fact, it disgusts me! I am by no means perfect and still think I produce far too much waste, but I am trying to make an effort to reduce. I guess what really annoys me the most is that in an era of change people make no effort at all. Things like recycling and composting require next to no effort! Go ahead, make remarks about how a lot of our recycling gets thrown away, and it has or can, but really its no wonder! Recyling can't compete with waste (here in America anyway). We are severly lacking the infrastructure. We were set up for failure early in life because our market was based on comsumerism. If you have not seen the Story of Stuff you should jump on it. Its a quick show on production and consumtion in the US that will really opens your eyes!

My own parents cook enough food to feed an army every night and rarely eat the leftovers. Not too mention we have enough food in our freezer, fridge, pantry to last us a month without shopping... which means fruits and veggies go bad, bread molds, and cereal gets stale. So next time you are shopping (go European) buy only what you need, please! Food waste is only one type, and if you do not care at all about the earth at least try to save some money (in the food department).

I hope I am not imagining things when I dream about Lesotho. My picturesque world where everyone uses every resource available to them and wastes very little. Oh it warms my heart!

"You can never get enough of what you don't need to make you happy." (Eric Hoffer)

You aren't bugging me!

The other night when I went to climb into bed this awesome bug
was crawling on my wall. Bugs do not bother me one bit. I think they are fascinating, especially ants. As you can imagine I was on a high because this awesome bug chose my room as a resting place. While I do not mind bugs I did not want to wake up with this guy crawling on my face, they are much preferred in their natural environment. Search and Rescue was in order. Naturally because I did the searching, C.A. was there for rescue. He caught the bug and took him outside where he belongs. When I say rescue I truly mean to save from confinement, danger, and evil. I do not understand how people can go around squashing these harmless little creatures.
"Kill the flies and you starve the cats" (Unknown)

Bring on the rain

There is nothing more motivating and exciting to me than a good thunderstorm! When it rains I am forced inside to tasks that are less than thrilling: finishing up a good book, going through my clothes, or catching up on sleep. Thunderstorms are one of the few things in life that actually slow me down. They transform me into a dreamer! I see myself drinking coffee (yuck) and reading thought provoking books (scary) on an oversized chair with the window open and my ears tuned to the sound of nature! Oh ideal life, come soon.

I always have thought it was so ironic how in the thunderstorms of nature we are often cool, calm, and collected but in the storms of life we are distressed, full of emotion, and put our minds on overdrive. A couple of my friends are going through difficult times right now. The way I see it is storms are always for the better... whether providing water for our plants or giving us time to reflect and re-evaluate.

Sweet Neighbor

My neighbor heard through the grapevine I like sun-dried tomatoes (and she has probably heard how much I love cooking too) so when she was cooking dinner the other night, she made a little extra for me! I am so appreciative of the delicious meal I received on H leftover night. She is so sweet anyways... but this was noteworthy. I was not sick nor am I in need, yet she still went out of her way. As naturally self-centered human beings it's nice to be a witness (and beneficiary!!!) of the generosity of others. This was a good reminder to reach out and lend a hand, whether it be to someone in need, a total stranger, or a friend.

Thanks Sweet N.J.M.

"Don't wait for people to be friendly, show them how" (author unknown)

Star UNstruck

Instead of asking me if I wanted to go see a Beach Boys concert my parents asked me if I wanted to go see Mike Love perform. Sure, who is that? was my response. Only the lead singer of the Beach Boys. Maybe as someone who is relatively in touch with the music scene I should have known this, although I am sure I do not stand alone in not knowing who Mike Love is, in my age class anyways. Probably more striking is the fact that I did not know who John Stamos was. I played it cool as I watched everyone freak out until C.A. finally mentioned Uncle Jesse. It was only then I realized it was one of the stars of Full House (ER, General Hospital, etc.) all the excitement was about. As an extreme Full House fan in my time I had no idea what Uncle Jesse's real name was.

This past weekend was full of celebrities, from David Beckham and the LA Galaxy to Mike Love and the Beach Boys. I am going to be honest though, celebrities are not at all impressive to me! They live extremely undesirable lives! It is not that they do not accomplish a lot during their time or that they do not do anything to better the world. It is more the fact that they are constantly being watched, judged, and followed. There is absolutely no privacy! It is a little weird we have these obsessions with people we do not even know. I am not going to tell you it was not fun backstage meeting them, having our pictures taken, and singing on stage... but a part of me felt so awkward. I am confident they are used to this behavior but still...

I appreciate celebrities entertaining me on television, enjoying an occasional movie, and I am definitely thankful when they produce good music. I just do not care to stalk them in US Weekly or People or any other celebrity gossip column. I am not interested in where they live or how they chose to live. Do not ask me for help identifying them. I can't tell you Halle Berry from Angelina Jolie. And if I was forced to pick a favorite celebrity, it would be Katie Couric! Now if we are talking about sports celebrities that is a-whole-nother story. I probably would have been stoked if I got to play baseball with Jeff Francoeur, get an autographed football from Bo Schembechler, or have my picture taken with Tony Gonzalez!

A friend of a friend, Mike Love

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go to a Beach Boys concert.  While the Beach Boys are no where near one of my top favorite groups, I thought it would be an experience and it was.  On top of having seventh row tickets to the show we got to go back stage and meet Mike Love, have our pictures taken, and get some autographs.  Lets face it, the guy could be my grandpa so I was really intrigued by the idea of a 68 year old man singing and dancing his heart out on stage.  He did not disappoint!  He is such an entertainer and puts on a really fun show.  If you do not mind being hit in the head with beach balls for two hours I think anyone could enjoy the show.  

To add to all the "excitement" it turns out John Stamos is a huge fan of the Beach Boys.  I guess I should have known that after all my years of being a Full House fan.  Anyways, he had the day off so he drove down from New York to Virginia to accompany the group.  You can just tell how much fun he has performing with the group.  Of course, we also got to meet him (and have more pictures taken)!    

During "Barbara Ann" we got to sing and dance on stage with the Canadian keyboard player.  That was probably the best part of the whole afternoon!  The fact that there is no sound on stage plus not knowing the lyrics made it a laughable experience!  Who knew Mike Love was a friend of a friend of pops?  Thanks Beach Boys for all you did for us!   

"All you need is a cool head and a warm heart" (Mike Love)

D.C. United

Last night as the rained came down on all the fans and players, C.A. and I lived the high life!  We enjoyed the D.C. United game under the shelter of the VW Lounge; free drinks, free food, & nice clean bathrooms.  It's pure bliss!  However, there are two things I can't quite wrap my head around when enjoying the games and all the benefits of the lounge.  First and foremost, Volkswagen sponsors D.C. United.  Does anyone else think it is ironic that a foreign company sponsors the capitol of the United States soccer team?  My other confusion pertains to the food served in the lounge.  I am not complaining, its free, but they serve German food cooked by Americans for Americans.  It is not that there are no Germans working in America for Volkswagen, but the large majority are American.  It just seems a little off... so veggie burgers please!   

As much as we all love D.C. United, most of the fans were gathered to watch David Beckham and Landon Donovan.  After watching countless soccer games of my brothers, M.E.C., and the Kansas City Wizards, even playing a few games myself I have a general appreciation of the sport.  The final score of last nights game was 0-0.  There is something to said about a competitive sport where no one scores or the score ends in a tie with no actual winner.  If nothing else, the fact that these players run up to ten miles in a single 90 minutes game is impressive.  There game requires them to be patient and sharp among other things; super fast (especially Donovan), agile, aware of their surroundings, quick on there feet, competitive, and in incredible shape.  While soccer is by no means my favorite sport, I am mesmerized by the sport.    

A.L.R.L.

Today it's your birthday, I hope the party is for you!  Bring on the friends, the family, the bears, and most importantly, the cake!  You made the worst days of college survivable and the best days even better.  You were (and still are) the source of my stories, and you will always be my partner in crime.  I miss our trips to the parks, blowing bubbles, doing art projects, and partaking in birthdays for the bears.  I loved it all!     

This past weekend I realized my undergraduate years were officially over as I listened to stories of move-in weekend.  A big part of leaving Clemson meant leaving you (and your adorable little brother behind)!  All summer long I kept thinking I would come back and be able to play but reality is finally setting in.  The offer still stands, you are welcome to come to accompany me to Africa!   I am sure you would be a fan favorite!

A.L.R.L. life is not the same without you!  If I was there, I would help you lick the icing right off that cake!  Happy 4th Birthday!

Eased Nerves

This past weekend I had the opportunity to talk to a returned Peace Corps volunteer (RPCV). She answered all the questions I simply can't find in the readings or online.  It was so nice to hear about her experience in South Africa, watch a video of her two years, and simply ask an unlimited amount of questions!  By no means did she make the two years sound like a breeze, but she did make the experience seem a little more flexible than I have been imagining.  She kept reminding me that this is two years of my real life, so make sure to live it.  I have no doubt I will use the time wisely!  

I compiled a list of a few of the things she told me.  These were things she actually experienced (or wished she had known pre-departure).  I could get to Lesotho and have a totally different experience (she alerted me of this).  She was in a different country, then again a country that completely surrounds my own:

• Bring clothes I would actually want to wear (while being respectfully conservative).  
• Be prepared for hot and cold.  They are both brutal.
• Bring make-up and heels.  Ha!  
• 3 years ago (when she was in South Africa) all volunteers had cell phones that called the US (at extremely high rates!).  
• There will be accessible internet.  Hers was a brief 45 minute walk away the first year, and IN her village the second year!  
• Beg for encouragement from family and friends.  Knowing you guys and all the support you have already shown, I doubt this would ever be a problem (THANKS!!!).  She warned me I will come home if my American counterparts do not discourage it.  
• I apparently will have very few visitors (among all the promises) and I need to be prepared for that.  I willing to try and beat the odds on this one!
  
• I can probably remain vegetarian but will have to answer lots of questions and people will think I am insane.  (People think that here!)
• You are giving up a lot (back home) by committing 27 months of your life to living and serving overseas!  On the contrary, the experience can more than make up for it and naturally it will if you let it.  Also, you will not realized what you gave up until you get back.  I can already tell she is right on about this because a part of me still thinks I am not giving up anything by leaving (and I will only gain from this experience).  Oh how I wish my friends and family were Sims I could "pause" while away.  
• Her final piece of advise was to travel lots! 

All this advice and what am I packing, you ask?  50lbs of patience! 

"Any idealist who tries to join the Peace Corps must realize she is not going to change the world overnight" (Sargent Shriver)

"BAM! Kick it up a notch!"

Going off to college really made me appreciate the food that had been prepared for me my entire life. I thought everyone ate steak for Sunday dinner, wrong! My parents are gourmet chefs, and they have a daughter than can't even successfully make ramen noodles! After serving me fancy pants food my entire life they sent me off to a college whose dining halls serve pasta out of Rubbermaid containers (gag me!). I vowed never to eat the noodles or anything else prepared by the dining halls my entire freshman year!

Thankfully, after surviving off of peanut butter and bagels for breakfast, lunch, and dinner my freshman year, sophomore year I got my own kitchen. Oh wait, to fill that kitchen I had to grocery shop! Solution: I called mom as I aimlessly paced up and down the isles of the grocery store and she told me what to pick off the shelf (no lie). Although she tried to think easy it still required major effort! Thank heaven for apples and baby carrots. Year two: check! Junior and Senior year, I got smart, I made friends who like to cook (and share)! Post-college, genius, move back home with the parents...

To explain my passionate hate of the cooking, I will compare it to slavery. I would wager a guess, we all dislike forced labor or being treated as another persons property. To make a meal you literally become the property of a cookbook, taking orders blindly. When you attempt to cook you are a slave to your kitchen for multiple hours for a meal that can be consumed in fifteen minutes. The whole system is really inefficient. To make matters worse, as if cooking a meal isn't an accomplishment itself... it requires grocery shopping, which might be worse than the actual cooking part (foreshadowed earlier).

There is more to my cooking saga. We have established that I like delicious fancy food (as long as I do not have to cook it), and that I despise grocery shopping. Life would be too easy if those were my only stipulations, luckily they are not. I like to eat fresh, non-preserved foods. In my ideal world, the majority of my fruits and veggies are grown locally. I am also health conscious. Translation: I do not like eating out, or slaughtering and cooking (and enjoying) animals, or that high fat/bad for you stuff (butter, cream, salt, etc).

Of course, there are exceptions... I will eat out in the company of awesome people (and usually if the company is terrible, but the meal is free). I love Moe's (most definitely not the most healthiest restaurant), but they are vegetarian friendly. And if someone else is cooking for me (often times the case) I try not to complain about the ingredients used. My parents would beg to differ. Luckily, as much as I like gourmet food I enjoy bland food and fat-free cheese and potatoes with nothing on them.

It is more than appropriate that as I sat here and typed away on the computer my parents are watching Top Chef Masters.

Bureaucracy at its finest!

The past month I have been living on the edge, my drivers license is expired and no state wants to claim me!  After several trips to the Virginia DMV most everyone knows me by name.  They also know my story.  

I want to share my frustrations with you:

1.  The Peace Corp is an executive branch of the GOVERNMENT, yet a reimbursement check from them (mailed to me at my VA address) does not count as a proof of VA residency.  

2.  The DMV is run by the government, yet one of there workers told me to grow up and get a real job.  Last time I check we were both working for branches of the government!

3.  My loving college roommate had the house payment and utilities in her name (preventing me from the ability to renew my South Carolina license).  

4.  Bank of America has gone online (yay, saving the world!), except I needed a monthly statement mailed to me.  Printing out an online statement with my VA address on it and having it notarized at the bank was NOT okay.  

The experience was unreal, to say the least.  I am thrilled to report today I was handed a temporary drivers license with a promise my VA license would arrive by mail by labor day!   

"Bureaucracy is the art of making the possible impossible" (Javier Pascual Salcedo)

Vacationland

Dear Travel Journal,

You are punishing me for not updating you while traveling by snagging my memory post-vacation.  I have been editing this post for days, updating to add memories as they came, and I feel I have finally captured them all.  We left Virginia at the crack of dawn only to wind up hitting Boston traffic in route, but lo and behold we made it to Portand, Maine in time for a delicious dinner at Gilbert's Chowder House.  It only took me eleven hours to realize remaining vegetarian in Maine was going to be near impossible, there was not a single meatless item on the menu.  I rationed I should be eating lobster in Maine.

The next day we toured Portland a little, headed up to Freeport to rummage through the massive L.L.Bean store, and finally arrived at our cute little house in middle of nowhere, Maine.  Sunday the fun really began!  We woke up to moms waffles (later in the week we added Maine blueberries).  Heaven on a plate!  With full bellies we headed to Acadia National Park to complete the Park Loop Road Tour, better known as the "see all the sites without doing any of the work tour."  For those of you who are planning a trip, the grueling hikes up the mountains make the view SO much better than the picture taken from a car window.  We actually did drag mom and pops up Bubble Rock to see the glacial erratic for a much needed break from the wootton.  After this mile long hike they realized they would be keeping busy with other activities throughout the rest of the week.   

Monday was fully devoted to hiking.  The whole gang (including Cousin L, Aunt A, and Uncle D) gathered for a easy four mile hike from Otter Cliffs to Sand Beach, one of the few sand beaches on Mount Desert Island.  The ocean view was spectacular the entire way.  Upon arrival at Sand Beach we could not wait to test the water at a grueling 55 degrees!  After the morning hike, the adults dropped us off for an uphill climb to Cadillac Mountain.  Without water, this three and a half mile hike up 1532 feet is pretty tough (luckily we were able to fill our bottles for the three and a half miles back down Cadillac Summit South Ridge Trail).  The view was a little less impressing than some of the other mountain tops we explored later in the week, mainly because the entire top is SMOTHERED with tourist who choose the car route up the mountain! Quick Cadillac facts: it's the highest mountain on the eastern seaboard north of Brazil, and it's the first place in America to see the sun's rays at break of day!   

Tuesday was probably my favorite day!  We rented bikes in Bar Harbor and explored all the moderate Carriage Trails on [bike] wheels, totaling 23 miles by the end of the day.  We peddled to Witch's Hole, around Eagle Lake, and to the Jordan Pond House where everyone gathered at for delicious Popovers a la mode and a three miles hike around Jordan Pond.  Following the hike, we were looking forward to our DOWNhill ride back to the bike shuttle pick-up.  Unfortunately, a wrong turn took us on some difficult trails (which we attempted to avoid since the moderate trails were challenging enough)!  Biking in Acadia is amazing; no cars, wide trails, incredible views, but do not be fooled... it is hilly, very hilly.  

At 8:30 AM on day six our plans had already fallen through, the price for a 45 minute ferry ride to Schoodic was insane.  We were already in route to Bar Harbor so we had to act quick!  Dad pulled off at the Acadia Mountain parking lots so naturally we decided to trek the steep and strenuous climb up (with parents in tow).  Acadia Mountain Trail is known as the king of trails and after hiking it I have no doubt why!  Nevertheless the payoff was grand: views of Somes Sound and Southwest Harbor.  As if the climb up was not tough enough we decided to take the less direct two and a half mile climb down.  This route took us down Acadia Mountain and up another mountain (St. Sauvier) before actually descending us to the parking lot.  Following the hike we headed to Southwest Harbor to check out the sea wall and eat lunch and ice cream. After lunch our plans had already been made, swimming in Echo Lake!  This was the most amazing fresh lake I have ever swam in... it was cold and refreshing, clear as anything, and had great rocks for diving off!  This accidental day turned out to be one of the more tiring days we had days.  Life lessons can be learned everywhere, even on vacation.  We all know how important it is to be flexible and this day shows just how great a little flexibility can be when you are charting through unfamiliar territory!  If nothing else, this day provided the most laughs and some real family bonding!

Thursday, the gang met at Cafe This Way for a monstrous breakfast.  I would highly recommend this place to anyone in the Bar Harbor area.  Then we walked around all the tourist shops in Bar Harbor, killing some time before our kayaking adventure.  Bar Harbor is definitely the social center of Mount Desert Island.  I am really glad we stayed on the outskirts of town and were able to avoid all the people, restaurants,  and t-shirt shops!  There is a candy store in Bar Harbor that serves lobster ice cream (gag me), but it was worth stopping in.  The Kayaking was a lot of fun.  We had a private tour so it was just the eight of us (so nice), and I was thoroughly surprised how much everyone enjoyed it!  Most of the time was spent on the water (which was actually really rough, making me feel pretty sea sick at times), but we did stop on one of the many islands to collect sea glass and our breath!  

Day eight we did as many challenging trails as we could squeeze in!  Final number... two!  That's it?  Go ahead and laugh, but that was all we could handle in one day.  The morning began with a three mile hike up Door Mountain.  Basically, we climbed one and a half miles up stairs, and I thought Tallulah Gorge State Park [GA] was bad.  Upon completion we headed to Precipice (the most challenging trail in the park) thinking how hard can it really be?  It was a challenge but oh so much fun!  The non-technical climb includes at 1000-foot elevation gain over only 0.8 miles.  There were iron rungs and ladders and warning signs telling us that death was lurking!  Oh life, please preserve my soul!  Did I mention we had to come back down?  We did manage to fit in another hour at Echo Lake before heading back to the house for our last home cooked Maine dinner!  

For those of you who are still reading, wow, your attention span might be as impressive as my memory (of this trip and nothing else).  I mean as much as I want you to know every detail of my trip... I really just want to remember how much fun we had.  Saturday we packed up all our things and took a Route 1 back to Portland, stopping in Kennebunkport (to see the Bush's house) and in Kittery (to go to the outlets)!  In Portland we saw 2 lighthouses, the Goddard Mansion, and a cool looking fort.  We were all exhausted so we found a hotel and chilled for the rest of the night.  

On Sunday we went to Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  It was such a cool town!  They had a neat kitchen store, amazing running store, old bookstores, and a Bull Moose music store for the boys.  I wish we had more time to explore NH, but the time we had was enjoyable and made for a fantastic 22nd birthday (especially the dinner at Rudi's)!   Monday we drove home just in time to pick up Max from the local kennel.  

This was a perfect vacation, complete with hiking, biking, kayaking, and swimming!

  

Your tired traveler, Sam

I'm sorry

For those of you who are close to me you know how I tell stories. I start with an idea or an event and then you can expect to find at least fifteen different tangents along the way. And warning, if you interrupt... watch out--you can add a few more tangents to the list. Most of the time I do not even end up telling the story or making the point I set out to make. I am a talker by nature. So it is not that I ever have a good story to tell or want to inflict my ideas on you in anyway, I just need to think out loud. And you my friends are the beneficiaries! I could tell you I like the sound of my voice, but that would be an outright lie. Hearing myself speak terrifies me, especially when it comes across the message machine.

In accepting the way I tell stories I realize I blog in much the same way. I am spastic, choppy, I like to go dot, dot, dot, and I rarely have a point to prove. Blogging is another way for me to reflect on the happenings in my life. With all my friends a great distance away my social life is nonexistent these days. When I started this blog I was not sure what I was going to write about... but when I realized I would not be chatting with friends face-to-face I sure had a lot to tell the computer. All this to say I'm sorry, if you want to read along it will be much like hearing my stories (now with the added effect of terrible grammar--comma splicing, run-on sentences, hooray).

P.S. In this post alone I started a tangent about how blunt I am, my extreme sarcasm, how opinionated I am, and my idealism. I also started to write about how nice it would be to get a jump start on the Sesotho language because I think I am going to go crazy when my vocabulary is reduced from 200 to twelve words. I deleted these tangents from this post to allow you to look forward to another day!

European Exploration

My friend, J.L.W., has been planning a trip to Europe since before I met her seven years ago. She so kindly invited me to tag along, which is fantastic because I LOVE LOVE LOVE to travel but I HATE HATE HATE researching new places. And for those of you who travel, you know it takes a lot of prep work before you actually board the plane or start the car. That is just another reason why the Peace Corps is so amazing! I get to travel and live in a remote little village but all the boring stuff is taken care of. (Do not get me wrong, I have done tons of reading on the area I am going to be inhabbiting for the next 27 months. I know what the food is going to be like, what to pack, what I am actually going to be doing, etc.... but they mailed me the information in a nice little packet. There was not too much digging involved!)

Back to Europe: It looked like for a brief second we might actually be able to squeeze the trip in this summer, but with more thought and a little extra research my parents decided we should postpone the trip, yet another year. Except this time it is not just this year but also the next two years. Sorry J.L.W. although I am sure you are not surpised. One day I will accompany you on a European adventure (trekking through European cities, living in hostels, riding trains, and seeing everything we can fit into our two week to two month vacation)!

I really struggle with committment... but it is not really the committment I struggle with, it is the over-committment. J.L.W. has really experienced the brunt of my 100 mph life. Until now, I have always felt if I have time to do 100 things I most definitely have time for 101 things. This gets me into trouble when I realize I am waste deep in projects I do not even know how I got involved in. My 'full plate' is a five course meal! Not that things in Africa are going to be easier, but the pace of life is going to be incredibly slow. I hope this allows me to realize how important relationships truly are. Being a hard-worker does not equate to being a workaholic. Volunteering is rewarding but not when it controls my life.

Friends, thanks for putting up with me. I am going to call when I say I am going to call or be there when I say I will. I am not going to stop rearranging your lives so I can fit you in my agenda. I am a work in progress.

I'm REALLY excited!

I keep telling everyone I am so excited and ready for my upcoming trip to Africa. Truth be told I am no where near ready. I haven't bought a thing. I haven't packed a thing. I haven't visited each and every member of my family. The list goes on and on. I am super eager for the exploration to begin. Never in my life have I been so trilled to jump into the unknown, so when I say ready I mean ready to get out of America, ready to explore the southern part of Africa!

I have always been pretty, okay very, spontaneous. So when I discovered the Peace Corps early in college, I was "prepared" to drop out and leave right then. Heavily encouraged by the Peace Corps, friends, and family I decided finishing the next three and a half years of college to obtain a fancy piece of paper might be slightly beneficial later in life. So I did, I managed to finish college. All this to say I feel I have been extremely patient throughout this entire process. If I would have had my way I would be back from this adventure already.

Michigan

My dads entire family lives in Michigan so when we ventured up there for a long weekend in June there were lots of questions, lots of "goodbyes." He has been pretty much the only one to venture out besides second cousin J who lives in one of my top ten favorite cities (Durham, NC). Props to pops and her! Michigan is quirky to me, the people who live there LOVE it and get sucked in f-o-r-e-v-e-r. Do not get me wrong, I think it is a great state with lots to offer, that is, if you are not looking for a job. We weren't there long but we made use of the time we had!
I got to spend quality time with g'ma and g'pa, have a graduation/going away party in my honor, and meet the new baby cousin. We helped the old folks set up a "flat face" tv. Oh materials! C.D. cleaned (those two words have probably never been used back-to-back), trimmed trees, pulled weeds, and collected treasures from the basement.  

I am really blessed to have two 80+ year old grandparents and I love them dearly, but I wish they knew how much it freaks me out when they tell me they are going to be "gone" when I come back. They are so lucky to be alive and for the most part healthy. I live day-to-day (I wish they, especially g'ma, would do the same). In my ideal world everyday would be a day worth living and remembering... but I imagine the older you get the harder it is. You set goals like seeing your grandchildren graduate, watching them walk down the isle, or enjoying your great-grandchildren. So I sort of understand their train of thought but not really. It still amazes me they live on their own (although we would all be relieved if they would even as much as considered assisted living)! We all have a lot to be thankful for, and this is one blessing I count twice.

I will miss them, along with the rest of the MI gang, dearly. I promise to write as much as possible, even if the mail is slow go. The generosity they have shown me throughout my entire life has not gone unnoticed. The love they have given me is greatly appreciated! Their love for each other and the Lord is admirable! Be careful while I am gone, stay healthy, and remain confident in my decision! This is not good-bye!

"Goodbyes are not forever. Goodbyes are not the end. They simply mean I'll miss you until we meet again!" (Author Unknown)

C.D.

Today C.D. heads back to Athens to begin his junior year of college. It is settling in that I have graduated and he is halfway there. That does not mean I will forget the days of building tree forts and finding tadpoles at the creek, but it does mean we are growing up. Sigh, real life! For selfish reasons I am glad he was not able to find a job this summer and was forced to come live at home! This meant more time bonding, vacationing, and hiking. While I have three months left, it is only three days in the presence of C.D.

We are extremely close and have been our entire lives. Our personalities, however, are opposites in almost every way. I am a saver, he is a spender. I am clean and organized, he is a mess and lives in utter chaos. I am outgoing, he is reserved. I am involved and passionate, he is content relaxing and catching the little things life has to offer. I choose no meat, he chooses Angus Third-Pounders at McDonalds. The list goes on...

For the past 20 years of my life the only thing we have been separated by is 20 months, but soon we will also be separated by distance. It is probably going to be one of the hardest, if not the hardest thing about leaving. We keep in touch with random texts, visits to each others college of choice, and phone calls. When I leave he promises to write me letters... and I can't wait to get them. They will be funny, I'm sure. And if for no other reason just to update me on our most common interest, sports!

I really admire him. He has his own sense of style, and I think he really knows who he is or who he is becoming. I wish I could remain as confident and calm as he does in his decisions and where life is taking him. He really rolls with the punches of life.

C.D. you always offer a new perspective on life, one my type A personality would have missed. Thanks for being there, thanks for your support, thanks for your friendship! I will miss your sense of humor, afternoons hiking, your music recommendations, and much much more. I am sorry I am going to miss the next two years but I will be there is spirit and to support your decisions each step of the way (even if it is a month after the fact).

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you imagined" (Roosevelt)

Purging

I used to be a major pack-rat, saving everything from movie ticket stubs, to trophies, to wrappers of candy bars when they changed label designs. After moving four times in six years (and the encouragement of my friend J.L.W.) I have become a purger. I really enjoy living the simple life and I find I do not miss the clutter I throw away or donate. Right now, I am stumped. There are three things I cannot bring myself to get rid of; my five year collection of Runners World magazine (which I am still subscribed too), my old t-shirts, and my books. It is all really silly. For one, I cannot take any of these things with me to Africa, not to mention I simply do not use these things I cling to. I do occasionally occur refer back to Runners World for some advice but my running career has been slow go lately. The t-shirts, yes everyone can use a t-shirt... but who needs 90 t-shirts? No one! K.N.K. once told me she found it hard to believe I had so many t-shirts because I wore the same shirts over and over. It's true, I am attached to the same 10 t-shirts! So why, why I ask can't I get rid of the other 80? On the up side I am proud to say I did not pick up any extra shirts in Maine or New Hampshire which is usually a travel requirement! Finally, I think most can agree on the books, once I read them I NEVER pick them up again. Not a reader by nature I think my problem here is my pride. Seeing a book on my bookshelf means I have read it, and that in and of itself is an accomplishment!

My second problem is my loving mother who by nature is a major pack rat! She has saved everything, and I am not kidding when I say everything from our childhood. Some examples include; report cards from my kindergarten years (and everyone after), every certificate I ever received, name-tags, McDonalds toys, art work. You get the picture. Knowing this, you can imagine her delight when she saw me trying to throw away all my art work this morning! I am not going to lie and tell you C.D. and I did not have a good time going through it, but I think that is the first time EVER in my life I have opened that box... besides to add art work to the collection. I just have this big feeling (after watching my dad receive his old treasures from his parents) when I get back and get my own place they are going to start sending me boxes of stuffed animals or my old school work and frankly, I do not want it. My solution: I wrote several loving notes to my parents and placed them in all these Rubbermaids telling them that I have been threw them and I am 100% okay with them trashing or donating each and every single piece of junk!