Hailstorm Hiccough

When Dustin and I first started dating, he mentioned that he put out a garden every year.  He's a pretty plain eater, so it basically only consisted of tomatoes, green beans and potatoes.  I added a bit of variety to his garden this year with popcorn, zucchini, cucumbers, radishes and peas.  It has been doing very well and we have been enjoying quite a few goodies so far this season.

I haven't been in a garden since I was a kid.  Every year Donna and Errol would put in a huge garden and share many of their homegrown goods.  I can remember helping plant the potatoes and beans.  Errol would give us short sticks to place in between seeds so we wouldn't over or under plant each row.  We'd help water, weed and harvest.  It was such a huge accomplishment when we'd dig up a giant carrot and Donna would exclaim over it.  There's only a handful of moments where I have smiled as big as I did in those moments of glory!

Donna would can like crazy about this time of the year.  She didn't see any sense of running the air conditioner when the kitchen was already so hot, so we all but boiled during canning season!  I am really now learning how to can because although I was there, I was just a kid and only interested in peeling the skins of tomatoes and not worried about slicing or mashing or canning.  I can still practically feel the stickiness of my hot sweaty skin on those days!

Errol would be out there every day without fail.  He would hoe and weed, water and harvest.  That garden had the straightest rows of any garden I have seen.  About every year he would try to grow something new.  He even tried his hand at grapes for a while.

This year I have almost cried bittersweet tears fairly often as we've worked in our garden.  Dustin reminds me a lot of Errol with the way he gardens.  He's tried so hard to make it a bountiful garden and to be able to share our harvest with our families.

The other night there was a hailstorm.  He told me our garden looked rough.  I went and saw it and my throat caught.  It's so hard to see something you've worked so hard at become green shreds overnight.  All the tomatoes have nicks and the plants have broken branches.  Some of the popcorn fell.  The zucchini got nicked pretty bad.  We were both bummed about this.

"At least we still have the potatoes."

"You always see the positive side of things, Katie."

It's a little disheartening to see our garden trying to come back to life after a pounding like a hailstorm, but it just has to, that's what it's made to do.  It's made to keep living.  Just like in our lives, we get hit with the hailstorms of life.  We need to come back and keep on living.

Packing Up & Moving Out

Well, I've done it.  I've signed a lease on my first apartment!  It's a sweet little one bedroom sort of across from the high school in town.  Out my windows I can see woods.  Beyond that is a bean field.  It's on a quiet part of town and is only a couple of minutes from the school I'm working at.

This time, I'm moving out...for real.  This time, there's no loft bed.  There's no RA.  There's no door dec.  There's no community bathroom and there's no moving at the end of the semester or school year.

This time, I'm really packing up.  My breakables were the first to find housing in newspaper and boxes.  My books and shelves were next.  My room now has an echo.  I don't much like it.

But ya know, I'm really looking forward to having my own place.  I'm excited to decorate how I want and to choose things like curtains.  This is a big step!

I'm learning that I really come with a lot of baggage. 

Dressing Room Divas

I needed some new additions to my wardrobe.  Maurices was having a sale.  Whit has a discount.  Best friend weekend!  :)

Originally, we were supposed to go to a concert at PLC on Saturday night with shopping before hand.  With Whit, you usually forget about time and keep on shopping.  Good thing we had both seen the band before.

We started at one store, then hit another, tried to find Maurice's, and then wound up at another mall.  I'm pretty sure we got some laughs of women who overheard our conversations and laughter in the dressing rooms...we get a little crazy sometimes.  And then we went to Maurice's.  Whit loaded up on hangers of clothes for me to try on.  I ended up getting almost everything because of the wonderful deal!  I got a beautiful dress for less than $6!!!  Besides all that, I got some great pieces for teaching!  I also managed to walk through a sales associates fart.  That was rather unpleasant.

Through all our wandering and trying on, Whit and I talked...  a lot!  We got all caught up on all things wedding, Caleb's job, Dustin's job, apartment searching, classes, the future.  And we laughed.  I haven't laughed for that amount of time in quiet a while.  It was so good to reminisce over our friendship and be completely goofy!  I was also making plenty of honeymoon jokes at the future Mrs. Edgerly!  :)

She drug me to Dress Barn and I swear there was like 20 dresses in that fitting room!  I tried on most of them and found a great one for the bachelorette party!   And then I had a mini photo shoot.  I think the sales lady thought we were nuts!  I was doing that awkward 'silent' laughter, but I really needed to snort!

We had sooooo much fun!  And then we got to go back to her house and show off our goods!  That night, it was a slumber party in Whit's bed.  Lynnae was convinced she needed to sleep with us...in the bed.  It was a little crowded.  I had a unicorn pillow pet nose up my butt the whole night.  Whit also rolled over and hit me in the temple/ear.  It was a long night.

The next morning, we both got up and dressed in dresses to go to church.  In a lot of ways we are very different from each other, but in quite a few ways, we are exactly the same.

June 2013

In a way, I'm thankful that this month is over.  I spent most of the month living out of a suitcase, which in case you have been missing the underlying theme of some of my blogs, I'm sick of living out of a suitcase!  Don't get me wrong, I have LOVED each and every adventure I have packed my suitcase for!

Low:

• Grammy has been under the weather a little often this month.  She's doing better now, but she's sick of going to the doctor.
• I wasn't able to get my car into the shop until just last week.  There have been some hot days with no AC!
• I didn't play with Ruby for a few days because she found a skunk.
• I'm starting to get a cold...I'm not a fan.

High:

• I finished out a school year!  I was so thankful for the opportunity to sub!
• I've spent so many wonderful summer days at home!  This has included sleeping in, playing with Ruby, reading for afternoons at a time, horseback riding, fishing, playing with Ruby, hunting up kitten litters, going to Gramps and Grammy's, and beginning to go through and pack up my belongings to move again.
• I spent Whit's birthday weekend with her!  We had a double-date to the drive-in, finished Caleb's quilt, watched movies, and just had some quality best friend time!
• I spent a lot of time at the Historical Society quilting with Grammy and her friends!  Such sweet days! :)
• Dustin, Rach, and I went to Country Night!  It was so much fun to be stomping around that dance floor in my boots again!
• I went to camp!!!!!  I was reunited with some of my best friends, had some WONDERFUL campers and had an all around great week in the Valley!  :)

• I got a sweet new library card.  I am now up to date!
• Dustin came down for the weekend and we spent most of the time outside!  Fishing, horseback riding, painting at Grammy's.  He even got Grammy to eat some fish!  

This month has also been monumental in the fact that I have found my theme for the year.  Last year, God taught me a lot about forgiveness and who I needed to forgive for past grievances.  This year, God is teaching me to recognize.  I will blog about that realization soon.  

This month has flown and the year is half over.  How can this be?!  I'm looking forward to next month with apartment searches, moving, classroom set up, berry picking, and so much more!

  

Favorite picture of the month!  :)

#seniorhigh

I've tossed around a title for too long.  Maybe that was why its taken me so long to write about my week at camp.  I thought about Sweet Repeats, Look at the Ring I Made Today in the Craft Room, and others that I can't think of now.  And maybe, I just wasn't ready to write until now.

Sunday I was so glad to go to camp!  It had been 6 months too long since I had let the Valley refresh me to my core.  It was just plain too long since I had been back.  I didn't go back for the whole summer this year.  I had sadly reached that point where my age and all that comes with growing up was limiting my work at camp.  I had been saying since last year that I would hopefully be setting up my classroom and stuff this summer.  I kept saying that I would at the very least be back for Senior High.

Sunday I left super excited!  I wouldn't be talking to Dustin at all for the week, I would be back in the Valley, I would be the most focused on God I had been in quite a while, I would be surrounded by some of my best friends again, I would meet new staff, I would have campers, etc.  The closer I got, the less I could contain myself.  I was bouncing and singing and screaming and laughing and smiling so hard my face hurt.  Before I even put my car into Park, I could see Lu racing to me across the yard.  And then all the reunions started!  It was WONDERFUL!  I got to see all of my old friends, get embraced in so many hugs, and meet so many new staff that I would come to love by the end of the week.  Soon, Andy Ott informed me that I had reached a sort of legend status at camp.  Apparently, my name comes up a lot.  I am also in the first name/last name club with the likes of Jim Day.

I soon just jumped into the swing of things.  It was almost as though I had been there the whole time.  I found out I would have some repeat campers from last year.  I was living in Lower Level which is located in Tom and Camie's house.  I started to roam waiting for them to arrive.  They were excited to see me again.  Before I knew it, we had our opening, a little switch in campers, played a game, ate supper, had chapel, and the first night of camp was done.

Monday started with dishes.  My crew kicked butt!  I do enjoy the dish room.  I like to be the runner who brings the tubs back to be sorted and washed.  And then I jump in to help with other parts too.  The day progressed and soon, it was time to go to the Craft Room with Alison and Lu.  I don't know if they really thought that through...

I was beginning to get to know my girls and we were having a great time!  The week went on and I really began to develop relationships with them.  They are in high school and going through some tough stuff.  One of them is headed to college this fall.  I was really proud of her for opening up because she told me up front she often changes the subject to the other person so she doesn't have to talk about herself.  Each girl is truly amazing and I love them all dearly.  I am so proud of each and every one of them.

Anyway, the week went on with basically the same routine every day.  Lu, Alison, and I shared my blanket for TAG time, I was blown away by God's goodness, I began to open up about my struggles in the last 6 months, and I began to feel freedom again.

Tuesday was Lu's 22nd birthday.  Let's just say that by the end of the day I hardly had a voice...  We had a great day of presents, Mickey Mouse tattoos, singing T. Swift's song, and we ended the day with an ice cream party!  :)

The girl with the glasses on the right is Jordan.  I've known her for the past 2 summers.  I've chatted with her every time she has come.  She could NEVER remember my name.  I asked her if she could this year and she did!  I didn't even say my name when I said hello on Sunday!  This gave us a special bond this week.  She is such a sweet girl.  She does have some special needs and therefore finds a special place in my heart.  She constantly talked to me this week and it was so sweet!  I even got invited to a pizza party because she made it all the way through chapel!  :)

Wednesday was AWESOME!  Along with all the typical, I had supper dishes.  Our crew started off a little rough because everyone forgot and showed up late.  I mean everyone.  Even Alison and I, the seasoned veterans.  We did get done in really good time.  That night was a lipsincing/dancing competition between the teams.  Dayton was in charge of ours.  I felt pretty confident since he leads worship and just came from a men's choir trip.  I was not expecting what I saw.  All the teams were great, but when my team showed their stuff, I was crying happy tears I was so proud!  I couldn't believe the talent that all the students had this week!  We found out later that WE WON!!!  :)

Thursday was the talent show.  Again, I sat there in wonder of all the talent in these kids!  I had some of my JUMP campers up there, I had some past campers and current campers sharing there talent.  I was like a mom in the audience yelling "That's my girl up there!"  And yes, I might have been crying during a few...  I'm just so stinking proud of my girls!

And then it was Friday.  The last full day of camp.  I was already dreading Saturday.  Friday I finished the one-on-one's with my girls,  we had the usual schedule, we dodged hail in the morning, had awesome worship, I helped with the Tiki Torch Cafe, and I read my girls Max Lucado's book, You Are Special.  I do this every single week with my girls no matter their age.

Saturday morning came and I knew I would be a wreck.  I had to say goodbye to 9 beautiful, talented, amazing girls.  I had to say goodbye to the new friends I had meet and some of my best friends in the world. I would have to say goodbye to the full-time staff who love me and that I love dearly.  I would have to say goodbye to the valley that I love.  And I cried.  I said goodbye to Gwen and my JUMP girls.  I'm just so stinking proud of them!  And then one of them said I was one of the reasons they want to be a teacher?!  That didn't help matters at all.  I recovered slightly, packed my car, and then we had a staff meeting.  There, along with Alison and Anna, a past camper, we were prayed for.  I cried again.  I told Anna goodbye and then I started saying goodbye to the staff.  I bawled when I said goodbye to Debbi, Camie, and Sue.  It was time to go do some emotional eating at The Skinny Dip.  Lu, Alison, and I were dragging out our time there because of the inevitable goodbye with 3 best friends.  And there we cried again.  In The Skinny Dip parking lot all because God has placed us in each other's lives and it hurts so much when we are separated.  As I drove away, I made it to Postville before having to stop for caffine and then I broke down again, but this time in raw honest prayer.  And then I was good the rest of the way home.  Just me and the radio blasting Jesus tunes.  Just me reflecting on the awesome week I had just experienced.

I love each and every one of these girls so much!

TMHTS Pt. 2

Refer back to Teach Me How To Sew Part 1.  Yep.  That was over a year ago that we started on that project.  And now, I am proud to announce that it is finished.  The best part about it was the added bonus of my best friend's birthday and a double date night at the drive in!

I came on Thursday and we got right to work!  We got that quilt in the frame.  It took quite a bit of time to sew all the backing onto the wooden frame, but we got plenty of chatting done in that time.  Whit was all about the iron throughout this project!  :)  We started tying those red strings on Thursday night.  We got through most of it.

Friday morning we got up and finished tying before Whit went to work.  I stopped by and let her play dress up with me before she was off the clock.  We got everything out of the frame and all the extra fabric trimmed off before we headed to the drive-in movie theater with the boys.

Saturday was the finale!  We got up and I set up my sewing machine.  Whit helped pull pins and shift that humongous quilt!  The binding was half on, and let me tell you, it was looking good!  While Whit trimmed the strings, I trimmed off a little extra fabric.

Then, another lesson was delivered.  I taught her how to hand sew the binding!  I did the corners for her, but she did the rest.  She worked steadily through The Aristocats and Avatar.  I left for a date with Dustin and the quilt was almost finished.  I come back and she had it finished and was snuggled up underneath its warmth!  :)  Caleb was pretty proud to have it on his bed!  :)

And she's already talking about another t-shirt quilt project...  :)

A Thimble In My Pocket

Usually in the winter, you can find me with a thimble in my pocket.  I typically have a quilt in the basement and some embroidery work upstairs.  I work on both and I need a thimble for both and usually, I just don't know where I'll be, so the thimble will be close by.

The last two mornings have been bliss.  Grammy invited me up the Historical Society to quilt with the ladies.  They always have something in the frame.  I love going up there.  I don't do that much talking, but I love listening to them talk.  They are always chatting about who is where, what they're sick with, who moved where, who bought what at a sale, and it goes on.

And then we quilt.  We quilt beautiful designs into stunning fabric that has created artistic patterns.  We take dainty little stitches that stand the test of time as the quilt will get used.  I learn little tips and tricks to increase my skill.  I learn from these ladies who are some of the best in the business that is all to quickly diminishing.  I learn about past projects, current projects, and prospective projects they are working on.

I simply enjoy my time with them.  I know that all I'll ever need to bring is my thimble.