I LOVE the BEACH!!!

Nicole Peterson (soon to be Davis), me, and Carrie Johanson. We have gone to the beach together for probably seven years. I wanted to get a picture together because this may be the last time the three of us go to the beach together. What great memories! :)

Debbie, Kristina, and Melissa--Indian Beach in Delaware.

I know that I love the beach, but when I actually get there it's like all of my senses come alive. I feel more alive. I feel like running and jumping in the air. I forget the wonderful way it makes me feel. I went to the beach this weekend with friends. (I do have to throw in here that I absolutely abhor traffic. I was caught in it at 5:40 am and at midnight as they narrowed the lanes on 495 to one lane. It is so absolutely frustrating I just want to scream!) We left early and traffic (once I got past 495 in VA) was fantastic! We didn't even have to wait in line at the Bay Bridge which has never happened to me before. Wow!

I always love the drive to the beach because we get out in the country and we have great conversations about a lot of things. I have great friends and it's so nice to hear their perspectives about things and hear about their worries and experiences. I also love to see the fireflies in the trees. This time I was them in the tall grasses coming home. It was very cool to see all that flashing light.

I am a true beach goer! I have the umbrellas, chairs, towels, boogie boards. You name it and I probably have it. I just love going to the beach. I had all these plans for the beach. I went for a long walk, saw dolphins jumping (I love that!) and laughed with friends. I brought my wetsuit this time because I didn't want to get sun burnt like I did in the Maldives. The nice thing about it was that the water was super cold and I was perfectly comfortable. The waves were basically non existent so I didn't get to really board at all. I wanted to leave around 5:00, but the clouds started rolling in and soon you could see out across the water the dark clouds so we left around 2:00. I was bummed because I didn't do all the things I wanted (including relax.)

So what's a girl to do? Go Shopping! :) We headed to the outlets and I throughly enjoyed myself. :) We didn't end up leaving until around 9:00. I was really tired by then, but was so happy for all my purchases. :)

Ahh, the Days of Summer

I was reminded a few days ago how much I love summer! I love the smells, the warm air on my skin, being able to wear skirts and sandals, and most of all being around places with water. Julie (my sister) invited me to a party at a friend of hers (Chris) who was hosting the party about an hour south of my house. His backyard is a lake (literally). I picked Julie up at the metro and we drove down together. I found out that Julie is going to Tanzania for about two months for work. That should be very exciting for her!

We had a potluck at Chris's house and then took the canoes out. I was elected to sit in the middle because I was the smallest.:) (Yea for me! That meant I just had to sit there and look pretty.:)) Chris had taken a group and dropped them off at a beach area and was heading back. Julie wanted him to row us so we ended up going back and getting into his boat. It was a lot of fun. When we got to the beach we noticed some really dark clouds and thunder. (What is it about me and rain lately? It seems to follow me everywhere. Grrr!!!) The lifeguard made us get off the beach and wait in a little shelter area. We watched the little mama and baby turtles in the water and the cardinals and listened to funny stories. Good times.:) Chris rowed us back to his house and I headed out to Alexandria to have dinner with friends (which turned into dinner and a movie. Iron Man to be exact. It was really good!) It was just so nice to be in a beautiful place.

Stupidity and Single Mindedness

I have been riding my bike to work for the last few weeks. I drive to a bike path near my house and bike about 8.5 miles one way. I work at the university and am currently a student so I have full use of the recently renovated gym. I shower and change there and then bike to my office. It's great exercise and it's nice not to have to worry about traffic or pay for gas.

Well last Monday I checked the weather that morning to make sure I wasn't going to get caught in the rain. We have been having some really bad storms recently. The weather channel noted that we would potentially be getting rain around 6:00. I knew I would make it home before that so I rode in. We left the office at 4:00 to huge dark storm clouds. I thought if I could just get down this hill and onto the bike path I would be able to make it. I was determined to do it and didn't even think about what other options I might have. As soon as I hit the rode it started to pour. I thought I've ridden in the rain before this is no big deal. (This is where the stupidity comes in!) So I keep going and soon it is hailing on me and I was being literally blown over. When I almost toppled over because the wind was so strong, I decided it was time to find some shelter.

Sometimes I think Heavenly Father must just shake His head and just put people in my life so I don't kill myself. I went into a Starbucks dripping wet creating puddles on the floor and who do I run into but one of the the women I spin with at the gym. I was wearing the same clothes I had been wearing that morning at class (I did my class and then rode to work) and she asked if I had a life outside the gym.:) She is a school teacher who doesn't live anywhere close to Fairfax and would normally be at work at that hour. Because of certain circumstances she just happened to be at a store nearby with her daughter and ran into Starbucks to get some coffee. She asked if I wanted a ride home. I told her no that I thought the storm (that was making the rain go sideways now) would blow over. (Sometimes I just look at something one way and don't even think to consider my options. ) Thank heaven for divine intervention!

I got myself a hazelnut steamer (YUM!!!) and waited for about ten minutes. The weather just looked like it was getting worse so I went over to the store she was in and asked if she would drive me home. The storm lasted for about five hours. I was so grateful for her offer and that I finally took her up on it. There were trees down and power lines down. It was a mess.

When I got to the office the next day to a concerned office. They all wanted to know if I had made it home and how. Then when I went to the gym on Wednesday one of the ladies in my class told me that she was talking to her spin class about me the night before and wondering how I got home. It was so nice to know so many people were concerned about me. :)

Artomatic & Congratulations

My sister Julie and I went to the Artomatic show on Saturday in DC. It's basically this exhibit in this big building that artists (mostly amateur artists) display their art. Some of it was amazing and some just plain bizarre or gross. There were photos, paintings, sculptures, etc. It was nice to get to hang out with Julie and talk about my trip. It was a squelcher (heat index at 110) that day so it was nice to do something, but also be inside. :)
My good friend Nicole announced that she is engaged and will be married in August. Congratulations to Nicole and Jake!!! I was talking to Nicole today and realized that Nicole is the first close friend I have had get married in like nine years (besides my adorable baby sister.) I'm so happy for you both.
I also just found out from my friend Carrie's blog that I am also engaged and will be married on my birthday in December. It was great news. :) :) :) (Carrie I'm still laughing.) I am very grateful for very good friends who keep me laughing and keep in touch with me.