Attack of the Spiders

My sister and I were doing some yard work today for a customer.

At the moment I was attacked, this worked entailed cutting back ferns and pulling blackberry vines.

I was just working away, minding my own business, and the next thing I know there are dozens of tiny spiders somehow attached to my head.

They are dangling in front of my eyes! Hundreds of them!

Luckily I was able to stay calm and move them from my head to a fern frond.

Spiders are not okay with me, though. I swell like crazy when they bite me. One bite turned purple and had the circumference of softball.

The bite of a spider is the only thing I consider myself allergic to.

Just thinking about all those tiny spiders makes me cringe a little. I'm just glad I came out unscathed.

Really thankful.

The snozberries taste like snozberries

Summertime for me is always associated with picking berries.

Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and maybe even some blackberries.
When I was younger, my family had strawberry and blueberry plants in our yard, and while we are currently waiting for some new plants to grow, we've had to make us of local U-Pick farms to get our fill.
Yesterday, my dad, sis and I went to Boxx Berry Farm and picked almost 30 lbs. of strawberries.
The weather was finally gorgeous (I swear, everywhere I've been the past two weeks has had rain) and we took full advantage.
To complete the experience we had fresh angel food cake with strawberries and whipping cream last night.
I am already counting down the days until raspberries are ready for picking. That's pretty much my favorite berry.

Delish

My all-time favorite summertime adult beverage is a mojito. There is just something about that combination of mint, lime and rum that makes me happy.

Today the plan had been for margaritas and nachos, but my friends and I missed happy hour.

Have no fear. We still got our nachos.

But my go-to happy hour margarita, the Big Mama, was not it's usual reasonable price.

So I went with the mojito. Not only was it worth every penny, but you got your money's worth.

My friend and I had just completed Day 1 of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred and my muscles were calling for some protein. (and alcohol, obviously)

I was going to take more pictures, but I got too involved with the nachos.

It's been a long time

I haven't been to the movie theatres in about 10 years.

Ok, maybe that's an exaggeration. But not by much.

I think my last visit was to see 7 Pounds with the fam around the holiday times.

Before that I was in the theatres sometime in August. All I remember about that visit is the pounding headache that actually caused me to throw up after I got home.

Now so much time has passed that there seem to be dozens of movies I want to see, starting with the movies in theatres now continuing back.

The real question is: where should I start?

I'm Back

I'm back home from my trip and mostly recovered, which is good since I'm back to work tomorrow.

But don't feel too sorry for me, I'm only working 3 hours a day, 2 day a week for the summer.

I know, my life is rough. (Did I mention I'm visiting Costa Rica?)

I had a blast visiting friends and family, and doing a leg on the wedding circuit.

Here's a quick glimpse of wedding #2...my cousin's wedding and the one I was a bridesmaid in.




In all honesty, those pictures are actually from the day before the wedding. Apparently there isn't a lot of time to snap pictures when you're a bridesmaid.

Who knew?!

Sally!

This is Sally, the Tall One's dog. I mentioned her yesterday. Sally is part Lab, part St. Bernard, and part bear. She's kind of big.
And when she runs, her ears flop.
She's a pretty lowkey puppy, considering she isn't even a year old yet.
Sally considers the cat a play toy, or play mate.
Did I mention her ears flop when she runs? So does her tongue.
Sally itches. And boy it feels good.
Sally is also a grinner.

How can you not love that face?

The Beginning

I've been in wedding land for all of a day, and I have pictures for posts on top of posts. Seriously.

But first, let me back up.

I'm in the Palouse for Cousin S' wedding. It's on Saturday. I'm a bridesmaid. I'm probably missing other essential info, but hopefully that'll be included later in the post or in later posts.

Let me share a few snippets from today.

First, there's Sally. She's part Lab, part St. Bernard, and part bear. I love her.

Then there was an incident with a pressure washer. Let's just say that kerosene is not the same as gasoline. The washing got done, but I couldn't get the machine to turn off and I'm not sure if there will be permanent damage.

Lastly, I'm back on the farm.

I say back because this is the place I went to college (not that I lived ON the farm, but I visited here a lot) and this is the place my family went on vacation every summer since I was born.

Part of my day on the farm included a buggy ride. Gotta git things ready for the wedding.

But more on all that later. For now I need to sleep to prepare for another adventurous day tomorrow.

P.S. There were supposed to be pictures included in this post, but the internet was taking forever. But I promise you'll see them eventually.

Taking some weight off

I'm heading off on leg two of my journey, from the land of the Rockies to the Palouse.

I don't know if I've mentioned it, but it's apparently wedding season (both in terms of the time of year, and the era of my life), and I'm headed off to help my cousin and her family get ready for the big day next Saturday.

I failed to take pictures on this leg of my journey, completely failed, but I also didn't do anything exciting. I plan on having many pictures to share from the next week though.

Today, I was faced with the challenge of packing my rather large suitcase. It could probably serve as a small raft, if need be (and if it floated).

I mean, it wouldn't be vacation if I didn't do a little shopping, right?! So shop (a little) I did.

The problem: my bag weighed 51 lbs. on the way here. Approximately 1 lb. more than it was supposed to.

The solution: leave behind my shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. And cram miscellaneous items into my carry-on camera bag.

When I was done, my suitcase only weighed 49 lbs. Victory.

I would just like to add that I love flying out of smaller airports. There is just something wonderful about being one of three people going through security. Wonderful! Plus the TSA (TWA?-I can't remember) people are much more pleasant.

I was complimented on my smile, twice. That doesn't happen somewhere like Atlanta (worst airport ever, by the way).

Hopefully this general positive feeling carries through the entire journey.

And maybe, it could lead to more blogging this week. I'm not promising anything though.

Really Long Day

Let me start off by saying that I really do enjoy traveling. I like the going different places. I like people watching.

But sometimes, traveling sucks. I know everyone has stories.

Yesterday was one of those days for me. I left home for a visit to the land of the Rockies. Many hours later, I arrived.

Let me give you a little play-by-play:

• I go to catch the 4:15 a.m. shuttle and find that I don't have a reservation. I'm allowed to board (thankfully) and make a phone reservation.
• I reach the airport 2 1/2 hours later, check in, make it through security, and find breakfast.
• Flight actually leaves a little ahead of schedule. This positive news is cancelled out by having to circle above San Francisco for half an hour.
• I find the next gate after grabbing a bite to eat and discover that my flight has been delayed over an hour.
• After a trip to the bathroom, I return and sit down. Someone has left their bags by four open seats; I select one. The man returns and is pissed off at having lost "his seat." I'm really sorry sir, that you had to move over one whole seat, but it's your fault if the plane blows up. Everyone knows not to leave their bags unattended. (Cardinal Sin #1 of plane travel)
• We finally board our very small plane (2 seats on each side) and I'm headed to my final destination. My seat mate is rather large and we are sitting in the very last row, so the seats don't even recline. I didn't get the armrest down before he sat and am paying for it space-wise.
  
• After landing, we have to sit and wait for a gate to open up. The boy in the row ahead of me throws up. (Really, I love traveling.)
• Luckily my bag is there quickly and my ride picks me. Now the actual fun part of traveling begins, visiting with friends and having fun.
  

Did I mention I was running on about 4 1/2 hours of sleep. Needless to say I sleep over 11 hours last night.

I can't wait for the flight back. Really.

A Little Pick Me Up

After a crazy, stressful three hours of work this morning, the last thing I wanted to do was go home and get organized for my trip tomorrow. (In fact, I still haven't done anything, but that's not the point.)

To summarize my morning, there was a panic attack (not me, but I had to deal with it), a dead cell phone, screwed up final exams, and way too little sleep.
When I got home, my sister and I headed out to adventure through town and play with my camera.
We blasted a mix CD I made for her a few years ago and went to two of the prettiest parks at home.
I came home much more relaxed and (almost) ready to get myself organized.
Okay, enough procrastination already. I need to pack for a week and a half so I'm ready to catch my shuttle tomorrow at 4 a.m.

Joy.

Battle of the Cottonwood 2009

I don't know if you have ever heard of a cottonwood tree, but right around this time of year they tend to rebel in my neck of the woods.
The fluff these trees produce is everywhere. Flying through the air, coating whatever structures are in their way, landing in your mouth--gross!
In one particular area of the city, it coats the lawns and makes it appear as if there has been a passing snow storm...in June. (My sister is pictured above make a cotton angel.)
The fluff clogs up mowers and fills up bags faster than any grass, but seems like it should have some useful purpose, the creation of a shirt or shorts, perhaps.
Luckily for me I don't have allergies, but the stuff is enough to make anyone crazy!

Dinner for Four

I consider dinner to be essential component of any successfully lived day.

I also enjoy cooking.

So when my sister called with a request during the afternoon for Thai Red Curry my response was, "bring it on!"

Thanks to my fancy, new camera, you can enjoy the process with me. (I don't plan on making this a food blog--all the time at least.)

First I'll bring out some of the main players in Thai Red Curry (go here for the recipe--as a side note, the recipe says serves 2, but I doubled it and with 4 eating, we still have a ton left over).
Garlic, zuchinni, red pepper, lemon, and thai basil. This is so totally not everything it took, but I'm lazy. (Not pictured: chicken broth, canola oil, coconut milk, fish sauce, corn starch, and probably something else...oh yeah, chicken.)
No joke, tears were streaming down my face as I took this picture. I'm not a crier, but fresh cut garlic and onion get me every time. Also, my hands still smell.
Julienned-ish peppers and zucchini rounds, ready to make things delicious.

The finishing touches to the dish. There were actually about 20 more steps that I'm not showing you here because I was too much in the zone.
Get in my belly!

The end.

[Insert Climatic Music Here]

In exciting news, my quarter just ended at work. From here on out my schedule is going to relax A LOT.

It couldn't come soon enough. This week has been completely draining between the scorching hot temperatures and seemingly endless hours.

Hopefully that means I can post more often and more creatively in the future. Twould be nice.

As we all ride off into this Friday sunset, I'll leave you with a couple photos.

The view from our front patio. Glorious.
The edge of said patio.
Our crazy English Springer Spaniel, Jamaica, welcoming me home.

No Way Home

Or so it seemed as I drove home from my hair appointment. I just couldn't make the right choice.

What should have taken 10 minutes took over 20.

Now I know some of you are thinking that I am just a big baby, and that most people have to drive much farther on a daily basis.

Which is true.

However, if you had just driven the maze of a route that was my trip home, you would be slightly annoyed, too.

At least my hair (I was at a trim and highlight appointment) looks fantastic.

What?!

I somehow have become the proud (?) recipient of teen Vogue.

I have absolutely no clue how this happened. I'm pretty sure that I don't belong to their target market, unless they are trying to reconnect with the mid 20s aged women.

In fact, I'm pretty sure that I didn't even read it as a teen.

What's more ridiculous are the items the magazines suggest teens buy. One collage of items contained all but two or three that were over $100. Seriously?! I wouldn't even spend that now, since I don't have that kind of money anyways.

One article on the front is titled "Kiss & Tell: From "sexting" to secret boyfriends, girls talk back." The fact that teenagers are "sexting" at all kind of scares me.

Also, if you want a sneek peak of Lauren Conrad's first book, make sure to check out the most recent edition of the magazine. I know I can't actually wait for it to come out so I can buy a copy. Hold me back!

According to my horoscope I should be setting up college visits after June 23rd. Wait...I thought I finished that already.

If those teasers were just too much and someone is looking to read the April/May or the June/July editions of teen Vogue, just let me know.

I've got you covered.

*Picture This*

A young man gets up in front of a class dressed in black slacks, black button up, tie and fedora.

Barry White is playing in the background.

He talks of his enjoyment of the past quarter, his classmates, his program.

Then he speaks of one special person, and all he asks is for just one date--he won't even keep her out late.

(Did I mention it rhymed?!)

The end included a flower, and all the girls sighing in unison.

All I have to say is: ridiculous.

How lucky was I to be witness to this production. No, seriously.

El Sol

It seems that summer has arrived here at home. The temperature as I headed to work this morning was 77.

77?! That's crazy hot for the second day of June. (Keep in mind I am practically in Canada a.k.a. the artic.)

Not that I am complaining. I love summer. The heat, the sun, and here at home, the lack of humidity.

And come Friday I will mostly be done working, at least nowhere near the hours and days I have put in.

I have also gotten my first sunburn of the year. It was bound to happen eventually.

I try to be good about sunscreen, really I do, but sometimes I forget.

Therefore, I was peeling skin off today. (TMI, maybe.)

It was so warm this afternoon when Dad and I started mowing that I drank an entire Nalgene of water in less than an hour.

I know I am pretty much sharing useless information tonight. (My excuse, I fried my brain this weekend--in more ways than one.)

My point today is that summer is here and I am excited.