G-L-A-M-O-R-OUS...

The past week has been NICE.  Not particularly exciting; lunching with friends (and playing with thier children, natch.), preparing for and executing a Labor Day garage sale(No small task), revisiting some favorite old recipes, a few Sound of Music rehearsals (I am on Soprano One, and my range is going to be KILLER by the time I'm done.  Hopefully.)  I've had some lovely photo sessions, and am steadily improving with my Sony by my side (Lesson number one, don't underestimate the importance of light.  It's worth getting up an hour earlier.)

Rodney has started working at Hemlock SemiConductor, where our housemate also works.  It's not a particularly exciting job, and we're actually making a bit less than we would be on unemployment, but it was time.  It's incredibly nice to have him out of the house - it makes seeing him a special time, and he is the type of person who really benefits from the structure of a traditional job.

On that note, I think I have finally figured out "what I want do to when I grow up."  We were visiting the Saginaw Children's Zoo a few weeks ago, and when I passed a little education pavillion, my heart pulled toward it.  Outdoor Education is what I love.  I don't think I could be happy in a traditional classroom setting. 

Which means what, exactly?  I'm not sure yet, but it's comforting to feel like some progress is being made.  :)

And, so this isn't text-only, here's me trying tapas for the first time... looking boob-tastic, might I add...

Backlogged...

...Cheered at a Frog Jumpin' Contest...

...Met a Goat...

...Seen Scooby Doo get arrested...

...Enjoyed a Board Game Night...

...Cooked Summer Squash...

...Beached Out...

...Built a city on Rock and Roll...

...Acted like kids in a candy shop...

...Seen my cat do this a lot...

Been to Hogwarts...

Learned not to feed the plants...

...Seen a dog ordering Taco Bell...

...Enjoyed a delicious apple cider slushie...

...Received a shiny new recycling bin...

...Been a director...

...Burned things with friends...

So, writing a blog can be sort of daunting.  You let it slip just a few days, and all of a sudden the task of backlogging your activities seems like a horrible chore instead of a fun way to pass the time...

But yesterday night I noticed that my new tube of toothpaste has a screw on top instead of a flip off top.  And that seemed like it was worth remembering.

Busy Busy Busy...

I know updates have been infrequent at best, but I'm in the middle of what we in the theater world call "Hell Week" for my summer show, "Little Shop of Horrors."  In two more weeks my other summer show, "The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood."  will also go up - so for the next few weeks, theater is definitely taking over my life.  It's a great job, but tiring... I've also got an application in to the library for an assistant position, so here's hoping!  So, life trucks on, but hopefully things will calm down in the next few weeks and I can update more!

Canoeing the Platte

There are few things that I enjoy more than a good road trip.  Luckily Summer in Michigan nearly always involves outdoor fun within a few hours.  Rodney, my brother Brian, my cousin Joey and I took off on a sunny Saturday morning for an exciting canoeing trip.

We stopped in Traverse City for the Cherry Festival (but mostly drove around lost).  We also went to the beach, which was glorious.  We stayed at my uncle's house, played some board games late into the night (my dad almost killed us all with a bug fogger...)  The next morning we canoed the upper Platte, which is a great, challenging river.  All in all it was a grand weekend!

 

Patriotism swells in the heart of the American Bird...

I had a simply marvelous 4th of July.  Grilling with my family, then wandering around a local park (we met a truck driver with a Shar-Pe who immediately whipped out his phone and showed us pictures and videos of him for at least 10 minutes) and of course, fireworks.  Happy Birthday America!

I looove the Farmer's Market...

 

 There's something so inspiring to me about small-scale farmers.  What a scary, rewarding, difficult, interesting way of life.  I feel like they've picked up on something we've all missed - closeness to the land.  When I was working outdoor education , I used to be so in tune with the seasons.  Outside, rain or shine, snow or heat!  Now that people are creating artificial habitats for themselves, what are the consequences?  We live in a land of concrete and metal, and sometimes I'll go a whole day without going outside except for a walk to the car.  What do we miss out on, never touching the earth or seeing the sky?

One day we'll find the land we've been looking for.  Rodney will find another secure job, and we'll start our own little farm.  If you're interested in this sort of thing like I am, I can't reccommend this book enough!  It's full of amazing information on recapturing lost traditional skills, from building your own cabin to pioneer crafts...

Until then, though, I'll have to make do with an occasional stint to the Farmer's Market.