new blog

hey, i've been inspired to start a new blog on a new site. check it out.

fall approaches

while i realize the weather here is still fairly reminiscent of summer (especially in the afternoons) - there are times in the early morning that i catch a faint whiff of winter frost. and on a few particular trees i can see the beginnings of leaves changing colors.

today i have spent most of the morning catching up on photos and blogs - even adding to my list of neighbors. one of my dearest friends, miss aubrey ann webb, is spending these next nine months in norway with ywam. i'm really excited for her, and constantly wishing there is a way i could visit.

this morning i spent my breakfast time sitting outside, enjoying the sunshine, and a little rest from a long week. it's good to sit and think about all the things i am so grateful for these days - which is a lot. i've been learning so much lately, made new friends, and found a place i belong.

good days are ahead. i know it.

they did make it across.

a couple months ago, two of my friends set out on a great journey. the goal: to bike from san francisco to boston. throughout the summer, i've been keeping up with them through blog postings and occasionally over the phone. through hills, broken tires, rabid dogs, humid nights, new friends and reunions of old ones, blessings and sweatings, their statement - "we will make it across" - has come to fruition.

i have to say i am so proud of these boys. it's so great to see an idea come to mind, then the plans that go in to making it happen, and then to finally see the actions of those plans played out. just amazing. i know these guys have had a lot of support from those around them and they have definitely been an inspiration to me.

congrats alex and evan!

if you want to check out their adventures or just browse through pictures check out their blog: last minute trainers.

today was a very productive day for me. i spent some time outside catching up on emails and facebook, whilst drinking my morning coffee. later, i finally conquered cleaning the basement, which is something i've been meaning to do since i came back two months ago; AND especially since my brother is coming home this weekend! i can't wait. i miss him so much. he's seriously one of my favorite people ever and i can't wait to hang out with him for a little while before school starts.

i've been thinking lately about repainting my room since i think i'll be staying with the folks for a little while longer. so i've finally settled on and color a design (because of course i have rearrange my room when i paint it. i was glad to get the basement clean so that i can put all my focus into this more personal project. as a piece of that, i took all my old frames and painted them white. probably the first time i've really used spray paint, and besides my fingers going painfully numb, i think i did a pretty good job. don't worry. more of the progress pics to come.

sky blue sky

ah, the west coast. so good to be back in your sweet loving arms. i've been back home for about two months now, and to be honest, i'm still getting adjust.

for one, i just can't get over how blue the sky. have you looked up at the sky in idaho? blue. like really blue. it's amazing.

a couple weekends ago, i house-sat for some family friends who live up on a hill on the outskirts of town. the view from their house is amazing: lake lowell on one side, and the city on the other. one night, i just sat outside and watched dusk turn into night. it's been so long since i've just sat and looked at the stars - or really, been able to see them.
and dry heat. you have been the one i've missed the most. it's so great to be able to enjoy warm (even hot) days without the weight of humidity; and in anticipation of cool night to follow.
i don't know why i ever thought i could survive, let alone live, on the east coast. not my place.

this summer has definitely been a transitional time for me. i feel like i'm just always processing. processing my time spent in philly. processing who i am now. processing where i'm supposed to go from here. and all these things are just kind of lurking around in my brain.

so in this time of process and detox, i've been spending a lot of time outside, sitting by the pool, soaking in some sun rays, and enjoying the summer.

i finally finished reading the entire Narnia series. i had this idea to read all the books every year around christmas time. obviously i didn't meet my goal, but i think i want to try again this year. i just always seem to get something new and interesting out of them.

i've also been hanging out with this drawers a lot.

gerald.

today is sunday.

tomorrow is monday - which begins the third to last week before i head out on my journey back home to idaho.

this is me in the beginning stages of planning out said journey and actually doing some constructive things towards that goal. i started packing a little bit last week, and plan do some more later today.

i’ve been going through a lot of different emotions, and don’t really know how to feel. and i don’t like not knowing how to feel.

on the one hand, i am so excited to be going home. today is so beautiful, so i’ve had the windows open, and a neighbor is bbqing or something and it smells so good. i can’t wait to spend the summer in nampa. it’s going to be so beautiful. walks with coco, bbq with friends and family, fire-pit conversations, driving around in louise with the top down. all glorious things.

but the reality that i’m going to have to say goodbye to these people here, is starting to sink in. yes, i’m happy to never have to go shopping at aldi’s in west philly again, but it’s so difficult for me to think about never again seeing some of the students that i’ve connected with here. i was talking to a friend of mine about this and he pointed out that something would have been wrong if i weren’t feeling this way; and i know that’s true. but it’s still not something i want to think about.

to help keep myself distracted, i’ve been working on a spring blanket which i just finished this weekend! i’m honestly pretty proud of it, since this is the biggest crochet project i have chosen to tackle. i can’t wait to use it on a cool summer night.

also, in having my windows open, i realized that there must be a hole in the screen because a couple nights ago what i thought was a huge moth came soaring into my room. i don’t like dealing with killing things. not for some humane reason, but because i don’t like when those things squish or crunch, so i usually just let that little creature run away out of my sight. which is exactly what i did with that moth. but the next morning, upon further examination, i realized that the moth was actually a butterfly! and then i was so pleased to have a new friend. i took some pictures of the little guy, whom i have named gerald.

i realize how much i am like my father, because i took about 20 pictures of this guy. my dad could fill five (at least) full albums with all the pictures he has of nature and squirrels.

and while i would have loved to have continued that company, a person’s room is really no place for a butterfly to live. so through some careful persuasion, i let gerald go this morning.

goodbye gerald. i’m glad for the time we had together. fly free and proud.

one last thing. in allowing myself to be bewitched by the sights and smells of a summer quickly approaching, and with the thoughts of roadtrips and the great northwest in my sites, i bought myself a nice straw fedora. i must say i'm pretty pleased with it.

magic gardens.

last week i got to go with our justice & arts class to isaiah zagar's magic gardens on south street. this place is amazing. i've walked by it a bunch of times, and have always wanted to go in and check out it. so i was really excited to get the chance to (one of the goals i had to do before i left).

there were so many different levels in this one space - and every square inch was covered in mosaics. it's amazing to see how zagar took different pieces of whatever (bike tires, bottles, vases, plates) and put it all together to make this incredible space. it took him 14 years to complete and it's definitely easy to see why.

this begins a series of many pictures i took of bottles. i know it's a lot, but i

was so mesmerized by their color and illumination.

i'm not sure why, but this one is my favorite.