Weekend, Ho!!

Weekend!
The word changes meaning throughout the years and I recognize that my weekend plans don’t look like they used to so I thought I’d reflect a little about my typical weekends:

Toddler: who knows… probably some sleeping, drooling, and punching of my sister

6 years old: Dude, as long as the my little ponies are coming with me, I’ll go wherever you tell me to go and do whatever you tell me to do

10 years old: Go swimming, do homework, swim, climb my tree, swim, maybe go somewhere on my bike.

12 years old: Okay, mom, here’s how it’s going to go down. Lauren and I are going to ride our bikes to go get a doughnut for breakfast, ride around the neighborhood, play some N-64, ride to Blockbuster and rent a movie, check out the newest Beenie Babies next door at Hallmark, go to her house and watch it, maybe work on our backyard fort or make a home video narrated by our beanie babies. Yeah, don’t worry about me, see you guys later.

14 years old: Everyone is going to the movies tonight so, of course, I have to go. Plus I just got this totally cute new outfit I want to wear. But does my curfew really have to be 10pm and do you really have to pick me up in the minivan?

16 years old: Another weekend on the boat? I’m going to miss my friend’s birthday party and the school hockey game, and I won’t be able to watch the new Making The Video that’s going to be aired. Bahhh, whatever.

18 years old: Thank you Lord that we’re going on the boat again this weekend. I really just want to go read on the beach! That way I can leave the football game early and skip out on all the drama although I guess I’ll hear it all by Monday anyway. How many days until college…?

20 years old: Finally! No more class, so I figure all I need to do is finish those few books, whip up a few essays, knock out a few problem sets, hang out with a few friends, have a few meals, get a little more sleep (as long as they’re not too loud down the hall), and squeeze in a little piano practice somewhere. Yeah I can make all that happen when I get back from the conference Sunday afternoon, no problem.

23 years old: Well, since I’ve been cooped up in an office all week, I just want to get outside! Hm, maybe I’ll go for a hike or a swim, okay, that’s top of the list! But wait, I didn’t get much sleep this week so I should probably nap a lot and sleep in, yeah, early nights for me! But I haven’t seen any of my friends all week so I should go to that person’s party and hang out with them, yeah, I haven’t seen them in a long time and friends are important! Oh, and I also really need to read some of that book for the IV internship, gotta stay responsible. Maybe I’ll also get to that list of people I need to call and those emails I should respond to… yeahallwhile I do laundry, clean my room, and make some food for the week. Or maybe I’ll just get some boba first and that will help me figure it all out.

Summer Highlights

Beastocity: 37

First of all, a round of applause, please. Thank you, thank you. I have made it through my first non-summer!! Yes my first summer working full time, amazing. So, yes, it is still the beginning of August, but with tests, performances, and IV around the corner, it seems to me summer proper is winding down. Here are some of my highlights:

- Having the veil of business lifted so that I was able to actually start identifying my house as my home! Our house family did many cleaning and organizing days, purchased some new furniture, and added some homey touches like our welcome mats (yes, plural!). I also initiated some new potting! We replaced our nasty plant skeletons with live, flourishing plants! There’s Hagrid (a lavender plant), Ron & Hermione (two red/orange lantanas) and the still unborn poppies (which I will replace soon… I promise!).

- A vacation! Conveniently located smack dab in the summer was our family vacation to Austria! It was so amazing, incredibly beautiful, and deeply warming to be with my family in such a gorgeous place. Much bonding occurred during long car rides around the country and over tasty meals. While the places we visited were amazing (!!!!!!) on the top of my list was being able to spend time with my brother-in-law and see how much him and my sister are in love :)

- With Kyle in Hawai’i for most of the summer, I suddenly became very fond of my cell phone and enjoyed many long conversations with him. I really enjoyed our times talking about all sorts of things, whether fun, ordinary, difficult, or deep, and I think my housemates got a good laugh out of seeing me flopped on my bed on the phone with a smile on my face. (And it’s even better in person!)

- Good people + good places = good times. Many friends at the Santa Monica beach for my birthday. Caroline, Eric and others at LACMA for free jazz on Friday and a stroll through the museum. Visiting Sarah in Long Beach and loving her new town and apartment (and apartment’s pool!) Vanessa in town (twice!) staying at our place and having oodles and boodles of fun. Kendra moving in across the street and seeing her when I get home from work. Kristin over for dinners, lunches with Utibe, meeting new folks in the Streetlamp internship, having Joellen and Rhoelin live with us for the summer. And the list could go on…

Well done, summer of 2009!