and you thought i was never coming back!

remember that funny joke when i said i was going to post more in july?  HA!  i got you!  i'm such a trickster sometimes.  but seriously, if you think about it, if i post less each individual post is more special.  right?  that might be a stretch, but as my battle cry goes: my blog. my rules.

and just for the record, i do have an excuse about not posting thus far in august.  granted, i usually have an excuse seeing as how my life is often consumed with getting out of things, but this one's legit if i do say so myself. so here it is, just so you don't think i've been avoiding you.  my dear sweet grandmother passed away unexpectedly july 31st (harry potter's birthday for those of you that live your life according to pop references like i do) and i stayed with my grandfather and mom to help take care of things afterwards.  needless to say it came as an unbelievable shock to all of us, but i'm at peace with the knowledge that my grandmother was kick-butt awesome.  i had some of my most favorite memories thanks to her (and my grandfather) and she will truly be missed.  but don't worry, pepye (i know you're reading this because obviously they have the internet in heaven and you bookmarked my blog up there) ... i'll try to stop talking on my cellphone when i'm driving (just like you always asked) and i'll finally write down the directions for making hard boiled eggs since i can't call you every time i need to figure that ish out.  and by the time i see you again, i'll have figured my life out and no one will have to worry about what crazy idea i'll come up with next.  cheers to that, right?

hopefully that didn't bum anyone out because this blog is obviously not about bumming.  it's about learning!  so here's a list of a few things i learned this summer.  some have been blogged about previously (but i know you skim the posts so it's not like you'd know that), but others are brand spanking new.  enjoy the list and get ready for some daily (weekly? monthly? eh, we'll see) blogs detailing my LAST SEMESTER of school!  and the job search process.  but let's not talk about that right now.

five things i learned this summer

1.  photography is no easy task, but every now and again you'll get something that doesn't make you shudder. this was grasped after a summer of classes and many evenings of being told my pictures were junk.  you win some, you lose some.
 
2.  sewing is a skill everyone should have.  my preschool bff is way good at it (hence why i learned from her), but i'm grasping it little by little.  and goodness it's fun to have a craft/quilt/purse/etc. when you're done!  although if i'm being honest, i've given away most everything i've made so far.  one day i'll keep something and it will be even more exciting.  

i've got your back, harry.

3.  i will never stop wanting to be a wizard.  harry potter may be finished, but until that acceptance letter comes from hogwarts, i'll never stop. ever.

4.  reunions are SO fun.  and no, i'm not talking about the high school kind, although i'm sure they're dandy (and by dandy, i mean awkward and potentially unnecessary thanks to facebook).  i'm talking about the 1991 kind!  again, a reference to my preschool bff, but she organized the best 1991 reunion complete with potato (her brother) and the perfect setting for the remake of our finest preschool photo.  AND there was a chocovine challenge which happened to be my first servery challenge and i didn't fail.  if you don't understand most of what i just wrote, that's good.  that means you aren't a creepy stalker.  but feel free to read more about it at my preschool bff's site.  my drink might have been strange tasting (but really that's because chocovine is gross), but it was oh-so-pretty with my monogrammed wineglass and ribbon.  never underestimate the power of presentation.

left: luckily my mom saves all her pictures. especially from 1991.
right: the 1991 crew can remake anything. photo props to steven.

who doesn't love the '80s?

5.  my parents are wonderful. and no, 'rents, i didn't put that in there because i need money (although feel free to put some in my account at any time).  nor did i do it because we're going to be roomies when i graduate and become unemployed.  i just put it because it's true.  and tom, stop getting a big head or i'll do my next blogpost on embarrassing things that you've said (preview: convos with preachers).

that's all folks!  until next time, mischief managed.