And This is Why...

I love the Sing-Off.



And yes, that's a Boy to Man, one of the Pussycat Dolls, and Ben Folds as the judges. Hosted by Nick Lachey. American TV at its finest.

I Jinxed It

Remember yesterday when I celebrated the fact that it wasn't snowing?

Yeah, about that...
Oh, well. Time to bust out my snow boots.

Song of the Day: Skinny Love by Bon Iver

Recap

It's been almost a month since I've written on my blog. Sometimes I go a month without writing on my blog but that's normally because my life is kind of boring.

Not so, this time!

My life is FUN!

(Seriously, it is.)

And since I will never be able to write all the posts that in the past month I've thought, "This should be a post!," I will instead just make a list of all the fun things that have happened in my life in the last month.

1) Work Trip to the WFR.

I love my job. And I love other people who have the same job as me in a different place and love it too. Because we have a relatively small staff for the kind of work that we do, it often feels like nobody really knows what you do day to day. So it's really fun and encouraging to sit down across from people who do know what you do because they do it to. We talked HK and laughed a lot. Enough said.

2) Friendsgiving!

Every year on Thanksgiving, we have a big dinner for anyone who is away from family. This was especially fun this year. We started in the morning with cinnamon rolls and the parade, followed by a delicious Thanksgiving dinner (for which I baked 4 desserts), followed by a marathon of Friends Thanksgiving episodes, and finished things off with the hanger-arounders drinking wine in our sweet hot tub. And the next day Debbie, Susie, and I went to the movies and saw Harry Potter (and two other movies that we snuck into afterwards... Don't tell on us). Seriously awesome holiday.

3) Williams Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting!

Incredible.

Here's a picture of Santa:

Here's video of the children singing a song about cowboys at Christmas:

And here's some video where the mayor of Williams yelled at me and then lit the tree. (I promise I was not heckling him. I would never.):



As you can see, it was quite the event. I love my little town. (Let's just say, there was more video. I spared you my commentary.)

4) Elf

We watched Elf after the Christmas Parade. Then we watched Elf with our YL kids. Then we watched it at home. I love Buddy.

5) Lost Canyon Christmas Party

The Lost Canyon Christmas Party was held at the Winchester Steakhouse here in Williams. There was a country legends cover band involved. I don't think I need to say anything else.

Jen loved it.
6) The Sing-Off

My roomies and I love, repeat LOVE, this show. Committed is my favorite.

7) No snow!

It hasn't been snowing! In fact, it was 64 degrees here yesterday. I have been in a constant good mood because of this. See, now I'll be able to handle snow when it does come because it won't mean 5 months of non-stop snow. Hopefully.

Yeah, so obviously a lot has been happening. I love this time of year because it always equals a whole lot of hanging out and parties and gatherings and more hanging out. There's really nothing that makes my heart happier.

Can't wait to head home next week for a solid week and a half in MO. It is much needed and I'm really looking forward to catching up with everybody. If you'll be there, pencil me into your schedule because I probably want to see you!

Much love!

Song of the Day: Poison and Wine by the Civil Wars

I Was Wrong, I Was Very, Very Wrong

Remember when I said I fly out of Phoenix on Thursday morning?

Yeah, turns out I don't.

I fly out tomorrow morning.

So, that's fun. I lost a whole day. And, that means that I get to drive to PHX after Campaigners tonight so that I can get there really late and get up super early in the morning to catch my 7:30 AM flight to Oregon.

Just making it to Thanksgiving, people.

But the mega-plus in this situation is that my work trip is to the Washington Family Ranch, aka Wildhorse, aka the Canyon, my alma mater and one of my altogether favorite places on earth.

So, that doesn't suck. Nope, it doesn't suck at all.

You know what else doesn't suck? The awesome amount of fun I had with 30 of my closest high school friends and the leaders on my team at Weekend Camp this weekend.

We did stuff like this:

And this:

And hung out with this guy in a bear suit:

While the boys mainly did this (What's up, Ladies?):

And the other female leaders and I mainly did this (yes, I'm wearing a heart-shaped sign that says "Hand Check."):

And my bestie Kristen was here. There's no picture of that, but she was and it was fun.

I seriously love me some Williams kids. They are crazy and fun and crazy fun.

Also, I'm really tired. And cough-y because it's freezing cold here and I yelled really loudly all weekend.

Oh, and the Williams Thanksgiving Dinner was awesome. There were like 400 people here which is almost 1/6 the population of Williams. And most of them were church ladies. And they did a mash-up of Jesus Loves You and What I Like About You.

These are my people.

OK, I'm going to go do the 900 millionty things I need to do before I leave in 5 hours.

Yikes.

Song of the Day: Best for the Best by Josh Ritter (There's something about this song that feels good in the Fall. I think it's the guitar.)

Fear Not, I'm Still Here

Remember when I used to blog?

Yeah, those were the days.

(See January of 2009 to know what I'm talking about. 32 posts in one month? I want that life back.)

In other news, it snowed here yesterday.

Yes, snow.

Already.

Here's proof:

OK, now I know that's not a lot of snow so I can't really start whining about it yet, but it's too soon! People are still being grouchy when I play Christmas music (which is everyday). It can't snow yet.

I'm still holding out hope that it will be a mild winter. Mainly because my new house has a wicked steep driveway and I needed new tires a year ago. So, let's all just keep our fingers crossed that that situation works out alright.

Lastly, I'm going to list what all is happening in my life in the next 2 weeks so you can appreciate how crazy my life feels right now:

Today: work, run home to make something delicious (undecided as to what), take deliciousness (not a nickname for myself) to family dinner, laundry MUST happen

Tomorrow: work, meet with some peeps, women's bible study/wine drinking extravanganza

Friday: morning fundraising work project with kids, get some coffee, spend a couple hours trying to get our paperwork/my life together, meet with team, go to weekend camp, yell at kids when I want to go to bed at midnight and they're too amped on soda and pizza to be quiet

Saturday: super packed day of high school weekend camp craziness, more sugar for the kids, lots of coffee for me

Sunday: coffee, weekend camp ends, get kids home, more coffee, back to camp to help at the yearly Williams Community Thanksgiving Dinner, mingle with my town folk

Monday: work, still more coffee, go to awesome albeit still unplanned post-camp-because-we're-too-tired-to-plan-club event with kids and team

Tuesday: work, start campaigners, inject coffee directly into my veins, laundry/packing

Wednesday: work, drive to PHX, stop at first Starbucks I see on highway

Thursday: Fly to Central Oregon, get pumped for some HK training/awesome work trip, realize that I left something really important to said trip in Williams (this is inevitable)

Friday: continue work trip, also continue coffee injections

Saturday: same

Sunday: get up at 3:30 AM (goo) to catch my 5:30 flight, drive to Flag for team meeting, drive to Williams, not a chance of unpacking, prep for short week of work before Thanksgiving

There it is.

My life makes me tired. And happy.

Song of the Day: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel by Sufjan Stevens (It's time, people.)

I Miss the Internet

So, turns out I was really tired because I was about to fall deathly ill.

Seriously.

At one point, I contemplated who would get my Blazer and my books.

Or maybe I'm really dramatic and it was just a flu bug. Whatever.

More importantly, I still don't have internet at my new house. And the ONE internet provider we have here in Williams said that we live too far out to get it. Now, we live 1/2 mile from camp and we have internet there, so I'm going to be making some more calls.

I need it.

And I'm pretty sure satellite internet isn't going to cut it. I read a lot of reviews.

In better news, we do have satellite TV, so I for sure got to watch my Tigers beat Oklahoma last Saturday. I made my Northern Arizona friends who couldn't care less come and watch it. And I made Roxy wear this:


She was really happy about it. As was I, because that was one of the most epic games I've ever seen.

Can't wait for Nebraska this weekend.

So, to sum up, I almost died, living in the middle of nowhere equals crappy internet, and Mizzou football makes me really happy.

What else is there to say?

Song of the Day: Wildflowers by Tom Petty (Sometimes when you look for songs on youtube, all you find are weird videos like this. But I still love this song. And also I enjoy the family pictures of strangers intermixed with stock photos from a PC and Jesuspics.com. That's not weird.)

Sometimes I Look Forward to Saturday on Tuesday Even Though I Love My Job

Hey everybody!

I'm really tired! Like, really, really tired.

But it's completely my fault because I've been doing things like taking weekend trips to Vegas and moving into my sweet new digs.

So I can't really complain because everything I've been doing is fun. But still, I just want to make sure you know, I'm really tired.

However, I am also very happy. And, if you know me, I think you know why.

That's right, it's Fall!!! My absolute most favorite season ever!

I'll list why:

1) The wardrobe. It's a little cold so I get to wear my sweaters and my jackets and all of my scarves. (I love scarves.)

2) The colors. I'm not in Missouri, so I'm sorely missing the beauty that is the trees in the fall, but we do have aspens here in NorAZ. And they are beautiful. They're yellow and the leaves are fluttery and it's sort of magical. So I'm still happy.

3) Pumpkin-flavored food and drink. Pumpkin spice lattes! Pumpkin cookies! Pumpkin cheesecake! Pumpkin baked ziti! These are some of my favorite foods and it is perfectly acceptable to make them all the time.

4) Football. I love college football. Especially when my Tigers start the season 6-0, get a ranking of #11, and have College Game Day broadcast from CoMO.

5) The beginning of Christmas. I don't care if you hate this, I'm easing into Christmas now. I have started occasionally quoting Elf and listening to Sarah McLachlan's Wintersong album. Not all the time yet, but it's happening and I love it.

All of these things are wonderful. Add them all together and you have me looking forward to waking up on Saturday, baking some pumpkin cinnamon rolls, watching Game Day, taking a long drive in a sweater and scarf to pick up a pumpkin spice latte which I will drink on my deck while listening to Christmas music and enjoying the trees, and ending the day by watching my Tigers beat Oklahoma and hopefully playing some games with my friends.

It is going to be the best day ever. Believe it.

Song of the Day: Romeo and Juliet by Matt Nathanson (Dire Straits cover)

Mercy's Gonna Change the World. For Sure.

I don't have internet in my new house yet. So my blogging's probably going to suffer. Sorry.

To tide you over, here's a video of the beautiful Mercy from the first class of Sseko Girls (you've heard me talk about Sseko, yes?) talking about why our focus should be in building jobs and opportunity, not just doling out money.

Oh, these girls are awesome.

Mercy from liz bohannon on Vimeo.

This Post Includes a Worksheet on Sexual Purity. For Real.

Hi, Internet World!

I've missed you so much.

My life is crazy. Other times I've said that and it has only kind of been true. Right now, I mean it.

Firstly, I went home last weekend. It was awesome.

I got to go here:

And hang with my extremely cute neice and nephew.

It was wonderful. I didn't tell anyone I was coming home because it was a super quick trip and I haven't seen my family since Christmas. So I did nothing but hang out with them. And eat. And go to movies. And shop with my mom (for her, I'm broke).

Also, I found a box of old notes and stuff from high school in my old closet at my mom's house.

Oh, my goodness. It was one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time. It included several emails (from my AOL account: KTBeth213) written in by me in all caps, Comic Sans font, no punctuation. (My style of choice.)

It also included no less than 10 notes from the school office that said things like "Amy went home sick and won't be able to give you a ride to soccer." These were all lies and sent only because there was a cute Senior who would deliver notes to my 5th hour English class.

There were also many, many notes that served absolutely no purpose other than making me look cool as I passed them.

But the best find was this worksheet from one of my Religion classes.

Yes, it is a worksheet about sexual purity. Three of the fill-in-the-blank answers are "God," "Satan," and "Sexual Purity." And under the question "Have you given God control of your total being?," I wrote, "Nopers."

Seriously. Here's the proof.

Yeah, I was such a smart-ass. If that wasn't good enough, on the back of the sexual purity worksheet, I doodled about some boys named Tyler and Jason.

I knew about 20 Tylers and Jasons in high school and I genuinely have no idea which ones I was in love with in 2000. But I can tell you I probably wasn't daydreaming about sexual purity as I doodled their names with mine.

And lastly, I found this incredibly awesome picture of my brother and I at Yellowstone circa 1995. (Check the perm. And the walking stick.)

So, yeah. Obviously home was awesome.

However, add the absence from real life to the fact that I'm moving (into the sweetest house ever- that story will follow in a later post) and I'm trying to lead Young Life while being good at my job, and my life is legitimately crazy.

But, funny enough, it doesn't feel overwhelming. It feels good. And I'm excited.

So, bring it, life! I can take you!

Song of the Day: I Will Be Light by Matisyahu

Dave Ramsey Probs Would Not Approve

I don't really have anything to say tonight, but I just bought a lot of new music and so I want to do a song of the day.

Well, maybe we should talk about how I have absolutely no self-control when it comes to buying music. And books.

It's bad. But we all have our vices, right? RIGHT? Come on, people! Affirm me!

Sometimes you have to buy Matisyahu's newest album. I mean, he's a Hasidic Jewish reggae musician. I need that. And really my one moment of thinking I need it means I buy it because, oh yeah, I can download music on my phone. Horrible idea.

Ah, well. It's better than when I used to spend all the money that I didn't have in college at Streetside Records. I can actually afford this music. So, I've grown. Let's celebrate (with more music)!

Song of the Day: Everything'll Be Alright (Will's Lullaby) by Joshua Radin (I don't think the impact of this song would be as great without the dramatic backlighting and the disco ball. Thanks to whomever is in charge of the lighting.)

PS 22

This post combines 3 of my favorite things in this entire world:

1) Really cute kids.

2) Cheesy pop music.

3) One of those teachers that actually knows kids and takes the time to encourage them to be creative, fun, confident, lovely little beings.

Enjoy Mr. B and the kids of PS 22 in Staten Island.

Check out their blog here.

The Williams Fair

You probably don't know this, but Williams is awesome.

And also sometimes a little sad.

Here's video proof:

Williams, AZ at its finest.

To expand a little, when we drove by at 6:45 PM, the carnival wasn't even open. When we drove by at 9:30 PM, there were legitimately 4 people on rides and another 8 milling about and they were in the process of closing up for the night. Add in the 4 carnies it takes to run the place and it wasn't exactly a crowd.

But I'm not sure you can ever count on a crowd at a Route 66 traveling carnival in Williams.

Oh, how I love me some Williams.

I Left Williams (and Now I'm Back)

You know what I love?

Vacation.

You know what I hate?

Complete disregard for punctuation.

I had a seriously awesome time in Seattle with Dusty and Sara doing things such as helping them register for their baby, drinking lots of coffee, wandering around Pike's Place Market, and watching a lot of college football. If that's not a great vacation, I don't know what is.

And now it's Fall! Life is good.

Song of the Day: Worn Out Shoes by Joe Purdy.

Dignity, Shmignity

Guess what I found out the other day...

Some people have friends, whom they really enjoy, that are not loud and crazy and completely ridiculous.

I know, right? Who knew?

On Thursday at work, my friend Shea asked me if I wanted to go to a wine tasting party with her on Friday. And it was definitely one of those asks that was a "please go with me to this thing because I already said I would go but I'm a little worried that it might be awkward."

I like meeting new people, so I agreed.

So we went. There were about 10 ladies there, all mid-20s to mid-30s. A couple brought their babies, everyone brought a potluck dish and some wine.

And it was very pleasant. And we chit-chatted and a couple people made some jokes. And they were all very sweet and engaged and great to be around. I had a good time.

But as we were walking out, I realized that I had just spent a rare (in my life) evening with people that did not include any of the following:

1) An extremely loud telling of a time that someone ridiculously embarrassed themself.

2) Slightly vulgar and definitely inappropriate jokes.

3) Laughing so hard that I cried/peed a little/snorted.

4) Someone telling a story of the one time when they jumped off a two-story building unscathed because someone dared them, climbed some unclimbable mountain, or biked across the country.

5) Brainstorming about starting a grassroots company that will take over the world or how to build houses in Nicaragua using native mud and string.

6) Someone talking in a fake accent, singing loudly, or befriending random passers-by.

7) Again, laughing so hard that I cried/peed a little/snorted.

Seriously, I don't know how I got so lucky, but I ended up with a whole lot of people in my life who live a whole lot of life. And bring me along on it.

We may be loud and crazy, but we're for sure not boring.

Song of the Day: Cooler than Me by Mike Posner (OK, we don't have good radio stations in Williams. So I listen to Top 40. And I'm 25. Don't judge me.)

Don't Suck

You know how sometimes you suck at life? And sometimes you're really careless with people that you care a lot about? Because you love them, but for some reason you think you can just be selfish and let them show you that they love you and not give that back.

Yeah, I've been that girl lately. (And by lately, I mean for like a year.)

And one of my dearest friends in the world finally said that to me. And it didn't feel good. But it felt good to have it said.

So, no excuses. I'm going to show the people that I love that I love them. A whole lot more. Because me thinking in my head how much I like them and value them but never calling them or sending them letters or anything does not equal being a good friend.

I literally just put a sticky note that says, "Don't Suck!" on my mirror. And I'm going to adhere to that new motto.

Here's to not sucking!

P.S. Thank you to everyone who loves me even though I do, in fact, suck.

Bold But True

I'm going to make a bold statement: The best Pandora station is Ryan Adams.

Yes. It is.

Don't bother arguing, I have done a lot of research.

I love my Michael Jackson station. Missy Higgins is great but somehow always turns into Mat Kearney. Amos Lee (whom I love) produces no less than 5 Coldplay songs every hour. No thanks.

The Ryan Adams station is the perfect mix. Good, quality music that always has a perfect blend of songs I know and love and some new ones that I haven't heard but immediately put into my iTunes wish list. Also, it throws in a lot of Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash just to keep things lively.

My only complaint is that it sometimes plays Walk the Line as its Johnny Cash selection twice in a row. Johnny has some great songs, Pandora. Branch out!

I know people are loyal to their Pandora stations, so feel free to attempt to prove me wrong. (On second thought, maybe I'm the only one who's loyal to my Pandora stations. Sometimes I feel a loyalty to internet radio programs. Is that weird?)

Bring it people. What's the best Pandora station?

Song of the Day: Hurt by Johnny Cash (Just another suggestion, Pandora. This is the first Johnny Cash song I ever loved. I saw the video on MTV when I was in 8th grade and loved it beyond what I could really understand at the time. Although, I'll admit I originally thought it was cool because I was really into Nine Inch Nails at the time. Hardcore!)

One of Those Days

You know when you wake up at noon because the sun is shining directly on your face and you have nowhere to be and nothing pressing to do?

And you slept until noon because you stayed out late last night drinking wine and eating good food and laughing a lot with all the women who ridiculously bless your day-to-day life?

And then you check facebook and several people have written on your wall and sent you messages, people who ridiculously bless your life even though they're not in your day-to-day?

And then you eat pancakes that your roommate made from scratch and make yourself an iced chai with vanilla almond milk and it's really, really good?

And you have new books to read and it's sunny and beautiful outside?

Yeah, those days are the best.

Song of the Day: Addicted to Love by Florence + the Machine

I Giggled

Youtube and the National Spelling Bee: two things that make me really happy.

Wait, What? It's Over?

Ok.

Summer's over.

Seriously. The last campers left Friday, A-Team/WC/SS left yesterday, and our first off season group rolled in last night.

I'm off today. On a Sunday.

I'm not going to lie, as the WC shuttle bus pulled out, I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I'm exhausted. And I'm excited for life to return to normal. I'm excited to actually get to have time to see my friends and have the energy to want to hang out with them when I do have the time.

I'm excited to have weekends and take some vacation. I'm excited to actually get off work at 5:00ish.

But it's always bittersweet. I'm a little disoriented. You see, I'm made for summer. I love it. Even when I wanted to cry, even when I wasn't sure I could make it through it, I loved it. Because you look around at these kids and it's worth it. You love them and you don't know them. But how could you not? If someone else loves them so much, how could you not love them too?

There are a million things I wish I had done better, there are a million times I wish I had gone one extra step, I wouldn't paint this summer as a rousing success from the perspective of my personal goals. But it happened. And it was good. And the good that came out of it is beyond the measure of success or not. And I got to be a part of it.

So, one off season down, one summer down, almost a whole year, and I'm feeling content for maybe the first time since I've been here. I'm ready to tackle it all again, and do it better and go farther. The adventure continues.

How does life get so good? I hope you're feeling this way too.

Much love.

Song of the Day: I Never Told You by Colbie Caillat

And So It Ends... (The Bachelorette Finale)p

Dear Ali,

Welp. It's over. And you picked Roberto. I hope you can find a personality in there somewhere because otherwise you're life's going to be kind of boring. (By kind of boring, I mean you'll probably be wishing you had some paint you could watch dry just to get away from him.)

I understand why you picked him. He's pretty. And on the surface he seems perfect: sweet, loving, protective, gentle. But, I'm sorry, you are going to hate him. Because he's going to continue to pretend to be perfect and you're not. You're flawed. And he's going to inadvertently make you feel bad about being flawed. You won't like it.

I don't know why everyone doesn't ask for my opinion before entering into relationships. I clearly have it all figured out. You're welcome for the advice.

Enjoy being unemployed in San Diego,

Kate

Dear Roberto,

Look, I don't hate you. You seem fine. And you seem genuine. Like you genuinely don't have any personality. And that's fine. But it's not what I want to wake up to every morning, you know what I'm saying?

I think you're underestimating how dramatic Ali is. But good luck.

I give it 6 months.

I hope the insurance business is treating you well,

Kate

Dear Chris,

Um, please be the next Bachelor. I just read an interview where you said you weren't sure you wanted to be the Bachelor because you didn't like having your personal life exposed. This makes me want you to be the Bachelor even more. You would be the least crazy Bachelor ever. (But don't worry, I'm sure the producers would make up for it with the craziest ladies ever.)

Seriously, when you dropped the f-bomb in the finale, my heart was officially yours. I've never been to Cape Cod, but I think I would enjoy it. Let's find out, huh?

Talk to you soon,

Kate

Dear Frank,

Way to punk out and skip the After the Final Rose Special.

To busy working on your screenplay?

You're lame,

Kate

Dear Producers,

All I can say is: Thank you! What a great season.

Next time, try not to pick such an annoying Bachelorette. Also, pick more than 2 people that she might be compatible with. I know you want to pick the dramatic kids, but it's not very good if it's completely obvious who she's going to pick from the first couple of shows. (Seriously, episode 1 we knew who the top 3 would be.)

Still, excellent effort. You are in top form.

So stoked for the pad.

Respectfully,

Kate

I'm in Love, I'm in Love, and I Don't Care Who Knows It

In my last post, I professed my love for my friends Ben and Liz and their company Sseko. And that love is real. But I'm here today to talk about an even more serious love. A love that, I would say, defines me.

World, I'm here to say it out loud: I am in love with Ira Glass.

Oh, Ira. You are everything I want.

If you don't know who Ira is (shame on you), he is a radio commentator and host of This American Life on NPR. (Side note: if you are not subscribed to the This American Life podcast, you should be. It's the highlight of my week.)

Ira is everything I want. I mean, it's his job to seek out interesting people/stories and then highlight them. And I'm not talking about the snobby, "shame on you for not realizing this is important," interesting stories. I'm talking about people you would know, next door neighbors. He seeks them out and highlights them. He tells their stories with both the dignity and the humor they deserve. I want to do that for people.

Also, he's got unruly salt and pepper hair, a great smile, and big black-rimmed glasses. And he wears suits. And he's on the radio. On NPR. And he's quietly hilarious. And pretty...

Sigh.

What would it take, Ira? I need to know.

OK, I'm going to move onto my real life. But you can stay and enjoy that picture for a while. I won't judge you.

Song of the Day: When a Heart Breaks by Ben Rector

My Favorite Roadtrip Ever

So, if you read this blog or know me at all, you know I am in love. With my friend Liz. And her husband Ben. And her kick-ass company. And the beautiful Ugandan women that they employ.

So, you'll also know why I shouted out loud by myself in my house with excitement when I watched this video. (Mainly because Williams, AZ is in the United States and that means that said friends will be HERE! And also because everything that comes out of what they're doing speaks right straight to my heart, including the little camper icon.)

Watch this, start planning, and buy sandals here.

Sseko Designs...Roadtrip! from liz bohannon on Vimeo.

Good Morning

I live in Williams. And Williams is a little hard to describe. But I'm going to tell you about everything I saw on my 10 minute drive into work this morning, and how that paints a pretty accurate picture of my town.

I pulled out of my driveway at 7:45 and immediately looked left, preparing for my morning wave to my neighbor. He was right where he always is, in his driveway crushing aluminum cans. Not really sure why he's always crushing cans at 7:45 AM, but I know it has something to do with veterans. Of course.

I drove on and gave another friendly wave to the old-lady morning walkers in our neighborhood.

I got out of our little subdivision and onto the street that leads into town. As I was starting to pick up some speed, I noticed that there was a man darting back and forth across the street about half a mile up. He managed to pick a side of the road to walk on by the time I got to him. I was thrilled to see that he was wearing jorts, a John Deere hat, no shirt, and sporting an awesome farmers tan. I got a head-nod from that guy and continued on.

I made it into downtown Williams and immediately got stuck behind a ginormous, extremely slow-moving RV. Let's just say they were having a lot of trouble maneuvering and I was having a lot of trouble not flipping them the bird. Route 66 at its finest.

Add in a couple stray cats, tourists wearing fanny packs in the middle of the road, and some wandering teenagers, and you have my daily life in Williams.

I love this town.

The End is Near (The Bachelorette: Ali, Hometowns, and Tahiti)

Dear Ali,

Welp, you did it again. You cried. A lot. And made your patented pouty face. And literally said, "Why does this keep happening to me???"

I despise you.

And somehow you did manage to end up with the best of the lot. You can't really go wrong with Chris or Roberto. And yet, you would've picked Frank. Guaranteed.

You're an idiot.

There's always the Bachelor Pad,
Kate


Dear Kirk,

I. Love. Your. Family.

Creepy basement full of taxidermy? Horrible mustache? Bright pink lipstick and a bump-it? Cheesy potatoes for dinner? Oh, the Midwest. How I miss thee.

Still, you were screwed the minute your dad invited Ali to "see his basement."

There was no chance Ali was moving to Green Bay.

Go Packers,
Kate


Dear Frank,

Wow.

You really are working on some fodder for your independent film script, aren't ya?

Nicole? Your 21-year-old assistant manager at the Gap? I hope things work out for you.

I understand that Ali getting mad at you for having feelings for someone else is a little bit a case of the pot calling the kettle black, but still. You signed up for the Ali Show. You should know better.

Also, I didn't really like your family. It seemed like all the joking was covering up some bitterness. I would think you all would be a little closer, what with you living in their basement and all.

I bet you're a Cubs fan, too.

Go Cards,
Kate


Dear Roberto,

Um, your family was cool...

That's all I've got. You are SO boring. Come on! Your family salsa dances in their living room. You should have a little more je ne sais quoi.

Still, not shocked that you made your way back to the fantasy suite. Also wouldn't be shocked if you win it. Ali's blinded by the picture you two make together.

Get a personality,
Kate


Dear Chris,

Oh, how I love you and your slight awkwardness. I had a feeling you would make your move on hometown dates and I was right. Your family is awesome. Your dog is awesome. Your house is really awesome.

I do have a little bit of a problem with you talking so much about how you just want to be married like your brothers, but I guess timing is everything.

There's a chance you're too traditional for Ali, but I think you have a solid chance of winning it.

Good work,
Kate


Dear Chris Harrison,

It's a little sad that you are the only person Ali has to turn to. Good job giving a little pep talk, but still asking dramatic leading questions. Also, good work not rolling your eyes and pretending to care.

Can we hang out in real life?

You're awesome,
Kate


Dear Bachelors,

The Men Tell All is next week and I am pumped. Don't be shy about sharing the dirt. And Kasey, if you wanted to burst out into impromptu song again, feel free.

See you Monday,
Kate

That Guy

Before I post, I want to say that I'm completely aware of the fact that all I write about on my blog these days is my work and the Bachelorette. And I'm just going to admit straight out that this is because these are the only 2 things that I have time to focus on. Summer will be over soon and then I'll develop some outside interests, but for now, you'll have to read about those two things or take a hiatus from Kate-world. (And I know you can't do that.)

Post on...

I love my job for a lot of reasons, including but not limited to the fact that they give me cookies at every lunch, I sing Beyonce very loudly at least once a day, and I get to play on walkie-talkies with my friends and claim it's work-related.

But one of the main reasons I love my job is the extreme amount of people that I get to meet every week. I love people. Especially funny, crazy, weird people. And as a group, Young Life leaders are all of those things. (Also, passionate, loving, dedicated, and open-minded.)

However, we all have our moments when we are complete tools, and sometimes we like ourselves a little too much.

Which brings me to the introduction of one of my favorite general camp personalities ever. I introduce to you:

The Meathead Leader Who is Shirtless Inappropriately Often

Every week this guy emerges. You know him. He works out. A lot. And he wants to show you the fruits of his labor.

You first notice him at the pool. How could you miss him as he struts around the pool deck in his board shorts with his full-back tribal tat on display.

Oh, you notice him. And he notices you noticing. He's harboring the false illusion that you're liking what you see, while you are trying valiantly to swallow the little bit of throw-up that's working it's way up your throat.

And then you see him again. Headed for the zip-line. Still shirtless. And you decide to give him the benefit of the doubt. Because you realize you're a little judgy, and he is participating in a water event. So maybe he's just really into physical fitness. You have a change of heart.

Later that day, there he is again. Playing frisbee golf. This time in cut-off jorts. Still no shirt. You spend some time contemplating whether or not he's serious about his fashion choices or if it's some kind of non-funny joke.

You run into him later that night and, to your surprise and pleasure, he's wearing a shirt! Oh, how you start to think you may have pre-judged him. You feel convicted. He's probably a nice guy.

Oh, wait. What's that? Someone sprayed him with a water gun? I think you can guess what's going to happen. Shirtless again! Who cares that everyone else is in sweatshirts and jeans because it's nighttime in Northern Arizona? He wants to be free of anything that would keep you from checking out his bitchin' bod.

At this point, I say, judge away! Nobody should be shirtless that often. And let me tell you now, fellas, we're not impressed.

P.S. Don't ever type "jorts muscle man" into google images. You will be scarred for life.

Song of the Day: Jar of Hearts by Christina Perri

Protecting My Rep

You know what I love about my job?

I love that in the last 2 posts I've talked about watching the Bachelorette on work time/computer and driving around playing pranks on people, and I'm not even a little bit worried that someone that I work with might read this and think I'm a slacker. Because they know that I work hard and that work's supposed to be fun sometimes.

But in case you need some affirmation, I work my butt off.

Glad we cleared that up.

Session 3 started yesterday, so we're officially 2/3 done with our summer camping season. It's really crazy how quickly the summer flies by. My bestie Kristen is here as a Work Crew Boss this session, so I'm super pumped for the amount of yelling and jumping and fun we will have while she's here. Also, it's an incredible blessing to have someone around who knows me, knows how my brain works, knows how to call me out on stuff and still love me really well. I like her a lot.

I'm also really happy about the fact that this is the last time I have to train. It is exhausting to have to start all over every 3 weeks with a whole new staff. But such is the life of working with volunteers, something I plan on doing for a long time.

All in all, life is good. I feel like I'm in the groove, finally. And if you want to know more, call me. (Seriously. I miss you all. Catch me up on your life, please.)

Peace out, girl scouts! (Post to follow on my illustrious career as a girl scout. It involved some horrible experiences at horse-riding camp and my dad buying 65 boxes of cookies so I could be a winner.)

Song of the Day: American Honey by Lady Antebellum

The Bachelorette Blog is Back

I'm BAAACK. And I'm going to catch up on the last few eps. Just so you know, my dedication to the Bachelorette has never been higher. Every week, at least 10 interns come to my house to watch the show. We normally have to watch it after 10:00 PM when we all have to work the next day, but we do it anyway. Also, I watched the Justin show-down with 3 of my co-workers on the internet in our office during a workday. So though I have not been blogging, my love the Bachelorette is still going strong. Here it is...

Dear Ali,

I'm sorry that the producers didn't put one single guy on this show that was remotely compatible with you. But they did pick the crazies. And that makes the show awesome.

You've narrowed it down to guys that probably aren't going to punch anyone, so it's getting a little boring. Still, I'm excited for hometown dates.

If you make that pouty face one more time, I'm going to jump through the TV and karate chop you in the throat. Seriously. It's the most annoying face I've ever seen.

Still don't like you,

Kate

Dear Kasey,

I'm sorry. How?... Why?... Huh?... What on earth were you thinking? A tattoo? And not just a tattoo, but a tattoo straight off of someone's ankle in a Guns n' Roses video. A shield! A shield with a heart and a thorny rose! That was so incredible. So incredible that Ali left you on a glacier.

Can't wait to see you on After the Final Rose!

Thanks for the crazy,

Kate

Dear Justin,

Next time, don't 2-time the girl you're 2-timing with. She will sell your love messages to ABC. Also, when you're trying to escape something, don't climb into the shrubbery. It won't work and it'll just make you look like a tool.

I loved every second of that confrontation.

Thanks for the drama,

Kate

Dear Ty,

I don't think you're horrible, but there was no way you were making it past this week. Maybe you shouldn't tell the girl who constantly talks about how hard it was to give up her job that you left your last wife because she wouldn't stay at home and bake you bread.

See you later, Ears!

Kate

Dear Chris L.,

The fact that you're really awkward only makes you more endearing. Falling off a mini-horse? Being a really bad moped driver? All hilarious, all endearing.

You don't have to continue pretending to like Ali. It's pretty clear that you 2 don't have a lot of chemistry. You need a girl who's a little more hardcore and a little less high-maintenance.

You're wicked awesome,

Kate

Dear Roberto,

I think you're fine, but your entire relationship with Ali is based off of making out and talking about how romantic you are. You might win, but you'll go down in flames pretty quickly.

See you next week,

Kate

Dear Frank,

You're getting crazier and crazier. You're beady eyes and your constant speculation about what's happening on the other dates is making my estimation of your drama level greatly increase.

Way to strategically place your announcement about living in your parents' basement for when Ali was wasted and wanting to undress you in a tree.

Can't wait for what's going to happen in Fiji!

Good luck on your screenwriting career,

Kate

Dear Kirk,

To my surprise, I kind of like you. You talk a lot. Like, a lot a lot. And you seem a little fratty. Also, you've talked too much about your mold disease and your arm hair falling out. Still, I think you might be the best man for Ali. Don't get your hopes up, you still probably won't win.

I think you're kind of funny,

Kate

Dear Jake and Vienna,

Not shocked and not sad that you broke up. I took notes during your entire segment in list form under the heading What Not to Do EVER in a Relationship. Thanks for the help.

You suck,

Kate

And most importantly,

Dear Producers,

First of all, excellent work on the dates lately. I particularly loved the mini-horse riding and the Turkish olive oil wrestling. The more ridiculous, the better.

Secondly, the Bachelor Pad???? I have never heard of a more idiotic idea for a show. Bachelor/Bachelorette cast-offs fighting for love and money? It is going to be SO AWESOME!

Thank you for all you do,

Kate

P.S. After the preview for the Bachelor Pad, my friend Austin literally said, "I now know for sure, there is a God." You've struck gold.

Am I Annoying? Is it Annoying to Ask?

Do you ever have one of those days where everything in you just decides that today, just today, you can't handle being an adult anymore? Like, you still have every responsibility that you normally do and you go about your day just like always, but there is just no chance you're going to be able to do it without being obnoxiously juvenile?

Yeah, today was one of those days.

And I laughed harder today than I have in a long time.

Every month, I get a new set of Work Crew who are our high school aged volunteer staff. There's 9 of them, which is a lot for me to corral, so I also get a Work Crew Boss. Work Crew Bosses are normally on Young Life field staff and they come out for the month-long session to live and work alongside the kids.

My Work Crew boss this session is named Sullivan and she is hilariously awesome. We are kind of kindred spirits and spend a lot of our time yelling and laughing and telling very loud stories. It is awesome.

We also spend a lot of our time riding around in our electric golf cart and being really hilarious (or so we think).

We had a couple of bright ideas today. The first was to shout encouraging words at anyone we passed in our cart. This included things such as, "I like your nametag," "Your polo shirt looks really cool," "Good job driving that truck," and "Your flowing blonde locks look incredible."

Most people responded to this with a confused wave because there's little to no chance that they actually understood us as we drove past, but we thought we were awesome.

Then we found a beach ball. We came up with an idea for an awesome game including leaf blowers, but then had our hopes dashed when we found out that camp only owns 2 leaf blowers. Lame.

So we moved on to the next best thing, which was to hide in the office as the Admin. crew were coming back from lunch, jump out at them while yelling "Surprise!," and then hit our friend Shea with the beach ball while shouting, "Beach Party!!!!"

Awesome.

And then came the best game of the day.

We realized that Nate, one of the Guest Services interns, spends most of his day driving around in his cart dropping things off at various places around camp.

We, of course, started following him. As soon as he would park his cart and go inside a building, we would pull up directly behind and, if necessary, move random objects such as bikes in front of him to block him in. Then we would hide and watch.

We did it probably 5 times. And every time he would walk out, look a little confused as to why this would possible be funny, move the objects, and drive away.

And then Nate turned the cart over to Patrick. And we went for it again. Our first attempt ended with us yelling, "Be cool! Be cool!," and attempting to hide behind a brick wall while Patrick was staring directly at us.

But we do not give up easily. Let's just say a perfect storm of circumstances ended up with the cart completely wedged between a wall and our cart, and Patrick wandering around the snack bar/pool deck looking bewildered as to what to do. Oh, and he was carrying several smoothies.

I can't imagine Patrick found it all that funny, but we were laughing for probably an hour. And it was awesome.

Oh yeah, and all of this was done in the middle of a crazy and productive work day. You can make me grow up, you can give me a whole lot of responsibility, but give me a fun friend and a beautiful day, and I'm going to have to revert to the annoying youngest child that I am.

Life is good.

Song of the Day: Paperweight by Joshua Radin and Schuyler Fisk

Life

Life continues to be crazy. And because of this, I do not get to connect with you, internet world, as much as I would like to. But I wanted to take a minute to give you a quick glimpse into what life is like right now and why I'm so in love with my job.

Here's a little story of how everything good is also hard and how an abundance of riches is always right in front of us if we think to ask for them:

I was having one of those moments last night. I was home by myself and I was exhausted and felt like I was completely and utterly alone. And I just kept thinking over and over how badly I needed a little piece of encouragement, anything to tell me why I'm doing what I'm doing. Anything that would say that what I do and who I am matters.

Like everything in life that is good, my job is also hard. I want to be purposeful. All the time. I want to be able to see what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. That's why I moved away from a home and people I love. That's why I put my college degree to work cleaning toilets.

And it feels like I've been waiting. Just waiting for summer, when everything here makes sense. When we do what we're made to do. I plan, I set goals, I get excited, I expect big things.

And then summer comes, and I feel pretty sure I'm failing at every goal I've set. My staff seems miserable and stressed. I barely know my Work Crew girls. My Summer Staff girls may or may not hate being in the Laundry. And it feels like there's nobody here to help shoulder the burden.

I'm exhausted and I feel invisible.

So last night, I prayed for encouragement. I prayed to know that there was some purpose to me doing all of this.

And then today I got to drive a golf cart in a 4th of July parade featuring every single camper (all special needs kids this week). And I got to watch them smile and cheer and chant and be excited to be in this place. I got high fives and smiles and hugs.

I spent a whole lot of time laughing because my co-workers are really funny. I got a pretty kick-ass Columbia pull-over from the Assignment Team because people do actually see that I'm here.

I remembered that big things happen here almost every moment. Kids get to be kids. They get to play and laugh. And it turns out it doesn't really matter if I'm awesome at my job as long as that keeps happening. If one kid gets to come here and know for sure that someone loves them, that's enough.

Ask and you shall recieve.

Coming Up with Titles is the Hardest Part of Blogging

Remember when I used to be funny on my blog? You know, when I spent all my time writing about Twilight, nannying, and being rejected in my search for a job (and good coffee)?

Yeah, that was great.

Sorry my blog's been kind of downer lately. It's not cold anymore and I think that will vastly improve my ability to be snarky. However, it is summer and that means I'm really busy at work so we'll see.

To perk this place up a little, here's a small child repeating the daily affirmation I wrote up for myself a few years ago. It seems to really be catching on.

I Love to Love (Bachelorette, Ep. 3)

This title is an homage to a quote made by Hunter that was so awesome in its cheesiness that my friend Mark left a voicemail on my work phone repeating it. I love my coworkers (and the geniuses behind the Bachelorette.)

Post on...

Dear Ali,

Again, really? I'm more and more affirmed every week in my distaste for you. I think it has to do with the fact that you giggle when absolutely nothing is funny and drink Coors Light. (The producers can put tape over the can all they want, I know what you're drinking.)

Now, I understand that they force you to keep the weatherman and hopefully Rated-R as well, but still. Any self-respecting woman would send the lot of them home and move immediately back to Cape Cod with Chris L. He says wicked and loves his mom (but not too much).

I guess that wouldn't provide that much of a show, but if you're in it for the drama then let's kick it up. If I'm going to watch people be this big of tools, I at least want to see a throat punch thrown in there somewhere.

Speaking of throat punches, that's what I want to do to you for getting to go on a round-the-globe trip with these idiots. Try to keep the ones around that are going to make that fun.

Stay classy San Francisco (no chance of that),

Kate

Dear Hunter,

No way you were getting a rose. Sorry.

Maybe next time, leave the ukulele at home.

At least you didn't cry,

Kate

Dear Frank,

You're getting boarderline creepy. I mean, it's Week 3 and you're already obsessing over the fact that she's dating other guys. I would ask you to reread your rulebook at this point. I think you might have missed some stuff.

Also, stop smiling so much. It's got a bit of a manic edge to it.

Hope you're not missing your parents' basement too much,

Kate

Dear Rated-R,

I can't help but laugh everytime I see you crutch anywhere. Especially on a group date including 15 flights of stairs and sand. I'm sorry about that.

Again, if you wanted to start punching some people, that would be fine. (I would go for Craig the Lawyer, he looks ready for a fight.)

I don't like you,

Kate

Dear Weatherman,

Try not to cry when you kiss women. It's not that attractive.

I have to say, I'm glad you're still around. Mainly because I know that the amount of time you stay on the show exponentially increases the level of meltdown you have in the limo on your way out.

Looking forward to it,

Kate

Dear Jesse from Missouri,

Denim on denim? Seriously? I told you not to embarrass us.

Come on,

Kate

Dear Chris L.,

You're still not Ed, but I wouldn't say no if you asked me out. You can just leave me a message here.

Talk to you soon,

Kate

Dear Producers,

More booze! More mansion! More creepy man-shrine time! You know what we want.

Thank you,

Kate

Alli's Back (Bachelorette, Ep. 1)

*Disclaimer: My life is super crazy. I make no promises to blog every week. But I will be watching. And judging.

Dear Alli,

Welp, you're back. I can't say I liked you at all last season. I found your squealing and pouting annoying the whole time. And I was really done with you when you collapsed crying in the middle of a hotel hallway.

Yet, here we are. You're the Bachelorette and we're going to be spending the next several Mondays together. Try not to cry or be a huge idiot.

Also, get rid of the weatherman. For serious.

I still don't like you,

Kate

Dear Chris L.,

You are literally the only person I gave a thumbs-up to in our snap-judgement round here at my house. The 12 people watching the show with me and I agree that you are the only one that is not a GINORMOUS tool.

I respect you for not talking about your deceased mom on Day 1. Keep being awesome.

You're no Ed, but I still think you're great,

Kate

Dear Weatherman,

Really? You remind me of Eric Alridge. That is not a compliment. Why don't you just pack it in now?

Seriously,

Kate

Dear Jesse from Missouri,

Please represent us well. It's going alright, but somehow people from Missouri always end up looking like crazies on TV. Redeem us.

MIZ,

Kate

Dear Producers,

This was the best you could do? Really? Try harder next time.

I'm disappointed,

Kate

Arrogance

One of the most dramatic reactions I've ever had to something came when I was the tender young age of 17.

A dear friend of mine (who was legitimately older and wiser than me) had the audacity to tell me I was arrogant, and that it was a problem.

Oh, man. I was affronted. I couldn't believe it. Me? Arrogant??? No way. No way, no way, no way. I couldn't believe he would say it.

It didn't take me long to realize he was totally right.

Whether it's a defense mechanism, an inborn personality trait, or straight delusion, I often think that I am pretty awesome. And that I can do anything and my sheer audacity will make it all turn out alright.

For the most part, this has actually been a good thing. It makes me bolder than I would be. It makes me take risks that I wouldn't. It keeps me from wallowing in self-doubt and insecurities (although of course I have both of those from time to time).

But there is one area that I've recently come to realize my arrogance is killing me.

If you've been reading for awhile, you know that I've moved a lot. And I love it. I love meeting new people, I love being a part of a new community.

But the more I move, the more I leave, the harder it's been getting. Because for some reason I thought that I would get to just keep every great relationship I've ever had and just add some more everytime I go somewhere new.

This is a lot easier than it sounds.

I've been blessed. I've worked hard to create the relationships I have. I've loved people through hard stuff, and asked them to love me through my hard stuff. And they did it. And they became family.

And then I left.

And those relationships can't be the same when our day-to-day is so far away.

I know that I have friends that are life-long. These are people that would welcome me if I showed up on their doorstep, and it would feel like we hadn't lost a day.

But we will have. And I miss them. And it's hard to keep going, going, going.

And it's arrogant to think that they're just going to continue to love me when I'm not working to be in their lives.

So, if you're one of those people, I'm sorry. I want to be better. Love me anyway, please. Because I really love you.

And come visit.

Song of the Day: Nightminds by Missy Higgins (How I want to love...)

Desert

Update: I did not cry at work once on Thursday or Friday.

That's more like it.

But it did snow on Thursday and that made me want to cry. Because, seriously? It was April 29. It can't snow on April 29.

But now I'm sitting in the coffee shop with my iced soy green tea smoothie (delicious) and Lisa Loeb's Stay (I Missed You) is playing and all you can do when that happens is think about how great life is.

And it is.

I have one day off this week and work is insane and it's still cold outside. But life is grand.

Here's my attempt to share the joy...

Waterworks

I have cried at work at least once every single day this week.

This does not make me a stellar employee.

One time it was because my boss asked me how I was doing. The other times it was more legit, but not by much.

I don't cry at work. I'm not that girl. So I don't know what's wrong with me. Other than that we have inordinate amounts of work to do and literally everyone else in my department is either sick, hurt, or on vacation. So there's just me to do the work of 4 people.

Still, I don't normally get too stressed out. I can work hard.

So again, I don't really know what's wrong with me.

I could use a week on a beach. Any beach. But since that's not possible until September, I'll settle for a one-day weekend. (We have a Sunday turnover that I get to work.)

No crying at work today! It's my goal!

Song of the Day: Sugarcane by Missy Higgins (Oh, how I love this song...)

Found

One of the perks of my job is collecting Lost and Found. It is incredible what people will leave at camp and never claim. Expensive coats and shoes, phones, whole suitcases, etc.

But what's even more fun than the "I can't believe you didn't claim this" stuff is the notes/journals/books that people leave.

I have personally found more than one love note, several journal entries written by 12 year-olds, various scorecards and game rules, hilarious signs in dorm bathrooms, and many, many letters from moms.

Along that vein, one of my favorite websites is foundmagazine.com. Found Magazine is exactly what it sounds like. People find things, scan them, and send them in.

There are a lot of serious ones, old pictures, lists, etc. but these are my favorites:

Shameful

I don't know if you all know this, but I'm a wuss. Seriously. I know for sure that in a fight or flight situation, I will choose flight. I am not proud of this, but it is true.

I tell you this in order to preface the story I'm about to share. A shameful story from my recent past.

As you know, I love baseball. And in my top 5 life goals (along with traveling to every continent and being on the Wheel of Fortune) is catching a foul ball. I go to a lot of baseball games. I want this to happen.

And about a month ago, I got a prime chance.

Cactus League Spring Training was in Phoenix and there was approximately 6 feet of snow on the ground in Williams, so a few of my friends and I decided it was the perfect time to go soak up some sun and watch some baseball. We went to Phoenix, did some shopping, and headed out the beautiful Spring Training home of the Royals/Rangers.

We payed our $7 and got our seats. As we made our way, I realized we were sitting in the 2nd row, towards the outfield, on the 3rd base line. I turned to my friends and, in a very excited voice, yelled, "This is prime foul ball territory! I'm totally going to catch one!"

Three innings later and someone I wasn't really paying attention to was up to bat. (Turns out I don't really care about the Rangers.) I watch the pitch go in, I hear the crack of the bat, and I see it. The ball is flying directly towards us.

People around me start shouting, my adrenaline starts pumping, and what do I do? I scream (loudly), cover my face, and duck. Where does the ball land? On the empty chair in front of me.

I straighten up and realize my friends are cracking up, the ball has hit a grandpa in the face, and a man sitting 4 seats down from me ended up with it.

And I was shamed. Shamed, I tell you.

Next time I want to sit in prime pop-up foul ball territory. Much less scary.

Song of the Day: More Like Her by Miranda Lambert (It's getting to the point in the year where I like country music.)

I Love Sunshine

I'm a Missouri girl. Through and through. Approximately 90% of my clothing actually says Missouri on it (Go Tigers!). I have a never-ending allegiance to the (baseball) Cardinals. When someone mentions Sheryl Crowe (or Brad Pitt or Walter Kronkite), I loudly shout, "They're from Missouri!" I know that Boulevard is the most delicious wheat beer around. I boo everytime I hear the word "Kansas." I talk to people in grocery store lines. I never feel more peaceful then when I'm sitting on a bluff, staring out at a lake/river, walking through the woods (not the forest) in the fall, playing in a corn maze, or eating barbecue on someone's deck.

I love Missouri.

But I think I may be having a completely salacious affair with Arizona.

Missouri is my first love. The sweet, loving, slightly crazy first love that, somewhere in the back of my mind, I've always been equally parts resigned to and afraid of the fact that I'll end up with when it's all said and done. I'm comfortable with Missouri. I even love Missouri.

But Arizona. Oh, Arizona.

It has captured my heart. I was driving back up from Phoenix the other day and it was so big and warm and sunny and vast and ruggedly gorgeous that I couldn't stop smiling.

Arizona makes me happy. Arizona makes me feel alive in ways that I haven't in a long time. It makes me feel young and adventurous. It takes me really fun places and challenges me to do things I've never done. And for the most part, I'm so busy and focused on Arizona that I don't even think of Missouri. It's like I've moved on.

And then I drive past a lake or I hear a song or I get an email from an old friend. And I remember everything I ever loved. Only the good parts.

Yep, I'm a Missouri girl. But I'm going to keep seeing Arizona, just in case it might be right.

Song of the Day: I Taught Myself to Grow by Ryan Adams (I really like the harmonica.)

I Miss You All

Having a job seriously gets in the way of my blogging.

Here's one of my favorite youtube videos of all time to make up for it.

I present to you: "Dennis Quaid is Here!"

Dum, Dum, Da-Dum

Little known fact about me: I love weddings. Love them. I'm not sure that I ever want to participate in one in a starring role, but I love attending them.

I used to hate them. When I was younger, I thought they were really boring. It was always a random cousin or someone's older sister (I grew up in a town where it was perfectly acceptable to wedding crash, or at least reception crash), and I just didn't care that much.

But then I got to college and people that I knew and loved really well started to get married. People that I walked through life with. People that I knew as single and then watched as they started a whole life with someone that I knew that they loved. A lot. Someone who was going to make their lives even more spectacular because they fit and challenge and grow together.

That's fun to watch.

But the real reason I love weddings is that I really love a good party.

This weekend my friend Bryce is getting married. Bryce was one of my first Young Life kids. I knew him already because he's Bryce and everyone knows him, but we bonded when he was the punk freshman who was also the super distracting boyfriend of one of the girls in my cabin at camp that summer.

Long story short, I haven't spoken to that girl in 5 years, but I'm taking a red-eye flight to Ohio tonight to see Bryce get married.

And I get to see several of my favorite people in the world in the process.

My expectations for the weekend: get approximately 4 hours of sleep divided between 2 nights, laugh until I cry, try to catch up on years worth of life, and feel extremely happy to be with people I am so completely comfortable with.

Yep, I love weddings.

iPods at Work Save My Life

This song is on serious repeat on my iPod right now. You're welcome to everyone at work who can hear it, and can hear me singing it very loudly.

Bloodline by Matt Morris (ft. Justin Timberlake in this version)

Spring Awakening

It's 60 degrees out. It's sunny. I bought new clothes. I have plans.

It is officially Spring.

And I have awoken.

Sometimes I am shocked by how much of my life I am willing to waste when there is so much to see, so much to feel, so much to taste out of this crazy life of mine.

Is there anything else that will belong to us so singularly as our own lives? Why would we not use up every piece of it?

Yes, I work. And I watch mindless TV. And I have meaningless interactions.

But I also sing. And dance. And love like crazy. And am loved like crazy.

I find purpose in my days. I laugh. A lot. I am inspired. And I (try hard to) inspire.

I've had this sticky note on the desktop of my mac for 6 months. It's a line from a The Ninth Elegy by Rilke that says:

Look, I am alive. On what?
Neither childhood nor the future grows any less...
Superabundant being wells up in my heart.

This is what life is. Marvelling at being alive. Being in a moment. The moment, that's neither holding me in the past or stealing from my future. Superabundant being welling up in my heart.

That's how I feel today. Superabundant.

I pray you feel the same way.

Song of the Day: I'm on My Way by Rich Price (Didn't know this song was on the Shrek 2 soundtrack, but OK.)