Biola: Take 3

The last week and a half has completely flown by! Only eleven days ago I was climbing in my car and hitting the open road down to California. My dad and I road tripped down from Manzanita to La Mirada in two, 10 hour days. That’s 1,057 miles for those who wanted to know. The days were long and being in the car got old, but the trip itself was a lot of fun. I definitely enjoyed the quality time with my Dad.

Nine days ago Dad and I moved my mountains of stuff into my dorm room here on campus, and I’ve been trying to organize it ever since. I am ridiculously excited to be living with Natalie this year. She’s so much fun and I love getting to spend lots of time with her.

Five days ago classes started and I officially began my junior year of college. I’m a junior. That just sounds weird. I feel so old! College has gone by so fast. It’s kind of scary how fast it goes. Time flies when you’re having fun, right? Any ways, my classes are good and I should be in for a fun semester.

{my floor mates all crammed in our room for mean girls}

Throughout the week I’ve also gone to the beach, nursed a sunburn {yeah, yeah, i know. sunscreen}, been to Chick-fil-A twice, visited Hannah at Polly’s, hung out with friends, and watched mean girls with my floor.

And of course, it wouldn’t be a back to school post without pictures of our dorm room. So here they are.

{view when you walk in}

{tv corner}

{my desk}

{my bed and my fan. both are very important}

Hanging Up My Name Tag

Today was a wonderful day. It was my last day of work at the museum where I've worked for the last eleven weeks. It was my last time telling people where the bathroom was. My last time chasing people down who didn't pay admission. My last time telling people that their dogs are not allowed inside the museum {I mean seriously, it's a museum people!}. My last time answering weird questions from tourists. My last time listening to sea shanties {Hallelujah!}. So needless to say I was a little excited.

I did learn two important things this summer. The first being that I can make friends solely by providing baked goods. People are really nice to you when you make brownies slathered in peanut butter frosting. I'm sure this will come in handy later in life.

The second thing I learned is that I got to work with some of the best people this summer. My coworkers were so much fun. We spent most the days joking around and teasing one another. I'm lucky to have had such a great work environment for my first real big girl job. We celebrated with cupcakes and brownies, and they even let me make the closing announcements at the end of the day. Man did I feel powerful. I see why they didn't let me do it before hahaha. They made the day very special and I am so thankful for such a great last day. 

So I have officially hung up my name tag. Well, I'll probably throw it in a drawer or something so it isn't really hung up, but you get the picture. But I promised to come visit so that can't get rid of me too easily. 

So CRMM, it's been real.  

Wall Art

So I’ve spent this summer making fun decorations for Natalie’s and my dorm room. I originally painted four canvases, but one didn’t turn out quite like I thought it would. Let's just say I highly overestimated my painting abilities. So I regrouped and with a little help from my dear friend pinterest, I decided to cover it in fabric. It wasn’t very difficult. I mean, even I could do it. I am much happier with how it looks now and it’s an easy way to add color and design to a room without having to be gifted with a paintbrush.

I started with a 12x12 canvas that I bought at Joann’s and a yard of this really fun fabric. I didn’t need a full yard but I figured I could find another use for it. The only other supplies were nice scissors to cut the fabric and a staple gun.

I cut a square of fabric that was large enough to cover the edges and still give me room to mess up. I stapled one side, pulled the fabric tight, and then stapled the opposite side.

Next I folded up the fabric in the corners like I would if I was wrapping a present with wrapping paper.  I did one corner, the middle of that side, and then the other corner on the same side. That way the fabric didn’t bunch at all in the middle. My fabric had some stretch to it so I made sure to keep it really tight.

Be sure to have someone around to hold the fabric tight for you while you staple. It’ll make it a lot easier.

I officially made a great looking piece of art for our wall and terrified my brothers with my killer staple gun skills. I deem this a major success.

Weekend with Steph

My lovely friend Stephanie came down to spend the weekend with me at the beach. I met this girl in kindergarten and we’ve been best friends ever since. Thirteen years of school with this wonderful girl. We also happen to share a birthday, so obviously she must be pretty great. Almost every one of my memories from school involves Steph. From crazy sleepovers at Abby’s to endless musical rehearsals to choir concerts. We were even mathletes together. Yes, mathletes. We were total nerds, but that’s completely irrelevant. We’ve gotten a little more normal these last few years. Any ways, Stephanie is amazing and I loved spending the weekend with her.

{this little gem is from sophomore year}

We saw You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown at the theater in Cannon Beach. Very Cute. It’s nice to think back to the days when happiness was two types of ice cream and tying your shoes for the very first time.

Steph is seriously a champ. She willingly spent an entire day at work with me. Talk about snooze fest. I loved having her there. Working Saturdays is always a total drag, but her smiling face was encouraging all day long.

  {totally gorgeous sunset}

We frolicked on the beach Saturday night and took pictures like jr high girls

We watched the Goonies late into the night. So now I can finally say I’ve seen the Goonies. I know, I know. How can I live in Oregon/work in Astoria/be a civilized human being without having seen The Goonies? Well I’ve seen it now, so no need to worry. I can also give directions to the house in the movie in my sleep. No big deal or anything.

We split pastries while drinking Chai and watching the comings and goings of Manzanita on a Sunday morning.

{how cute is this hedgehog?}

We looked through all the cute shops in my little town. She talked me into buying this little starfish bowl to put my jewelry in. {Let’s be serious, I never need to be talked into buying anything, but encouragement is always welcomed.}

We frolicked on the beach in the sunshine and took more pictures.

We talked and talked and talked and talked and talked. And then we talked a little more. Love this girl, her genuine friendship, and her heart for Jesus.

Gratitude

I'm thankful for a family that isn't afraid to be weird

{We're ALL smiling. It's a miracle}

and are always themselves

For people who are willing to share their gifts with others 

For a job that daily teaches me patience, diligence, and positivity

For crafty moments

For getting to call these punks my brothers and being their little seester

For staying in touch with friends the old fashioned way

For this little man, and his parentals, who willingly claim us as family

For this little patch of heaven

For my future roommate who brings out the inner kid in me

For girls that teach me what it means to be a friend

For days when sunnies are necessary

For a group of women who help me draw closer to Him

And, most of all, for a God that is greater than I and continually extends His grace

Care Packages

I’ve been planning on sending care packages to two dear friends who are working up at Hume Lake this summer. They’re basically cut off from the outside world, which is awesome for a camp, but not so great when you’re addicted to chocolate chips, tootsie pops, and spearmint gum like these girls are. Thankfully I’ve spent enough time with them over the last two years to know exactly what treats will make them smile. 

Besides the store bought candy, I also baked them some homemade brownies. Nothing says care package like baked goods :) This brownie recipe is amazing. Seriously. The best brownies I’ve ever had {and it’s not just because I make them}. My mom got the recipe from a teacher she worked with at my junior high, and let’s just say this lady knew what she was doing.

 Brownies

1 cup butter

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 ½ cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 cup chocolate chips {I usually use butterscotch chips, but we didn’t have any}

1 tsp vanilla

{the oil was for greasing the pan}

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 dish

Melt the butter down and add the unsweetened cocoa powder.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs well. Then beat in the sugar

Combine the butter & chocolate with the eggs & sugar

Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a separate bowl

Add dry ingredients to liquid mixture and mix really well

Add chocolate chips and vanilla

Pour into pan

Bake for exactly 30 minutes

Devour (:

Melbs and Jelly enjoy your goodies!!

I became an old lady in June

It’s officially July and I can’t believe June went by so fast. I’ve been so busy working that I guess I haven’t noticed. That, and every day I’m becoming more and more like a little old woman. Besides the early bed time I’ve taken up knitting, I watch Jeopardy! most nights, and I learned to golf. I guess time flies when you’re 80 haha. And on top of all that I’m ridiculously sore from golf so I feel like I’m falling apart. Woo hoo!

Here's what my June looked like:

-Singing with the worship team at church: I love getting to help lead the congregation in worship. I really enjoy getting to serve in this way, even when I don't know half the songs haha 

-Mady’s graduation party: I drove in after work one Saturday to celebrate Mady and her graduation from Lakeridge. Definitely loved getting to see her and the whole Bartel family. Congrats Mady! Enjoy Corban. I'll be sure to come visit :)

-Sleep over with Stephanie: After Mady’s party I spent the night with Stephanie. We had dessert at Claim Jumper and stayed up talking about life {and by “stayed up” I mean we made it to midnight. The old lady over here barely made it to midnight}

-Dinner with Bethany: My bestie is working at a camp only 20 minutes away from my house, which is the closest we’ve ever lived, so I told her she is more than welcome to come over whenever she wants to. She came over one night and we went out for burritos with the family. Yum! I love this girl. She’s seriously the best.

-Movie nights with John and Karen: We spend most of our time with John and Karen and their little guy Owen. The joke is that my parents are their only friends and vice versa. We’ve had lots of movie nights and joking around in the last few weeks.

-Watching Owen walk: This little man is walking. I cannot believe it! He’s growing up so fast.

-Making money: This, I’ve found, is the only motivation that gets me out of bed in the morning. My new and exciting job has become old and uninteresting. Only seven more weeks!

{Nat and Han, these are the front sides of your journals}

-Lots of crafting: Because I have all this spare time, I’ve had more time to do all the artsy stuff that I love to do. I’ve been making journals for friends and I have supplies to start making room decorations. Nat and I are going to have the best looking room on campus :)

Happy July! Hope it's wonderful :)

Home Sweet Home

 Schools out! No more classes, or papers, or tests for three months! Can you tell I’m excited? This last semester was great and I learned a lot, but I was ready to be home with my family. The last three years I’ve spent my summer away at camp so this is the first time since high school that I have been home all summer. It’s definitely going to be different but I know I’m going to like it. Nothing beats my own bed and my mom’s home cooking :)

I spent the first five days of break cramming in as much as I could before my lazy days of sleeping in and relaxing was stripped away by my new job.

In those five days I slept, had a nice dinner with my grandparents, went to church, had dinner with my Uncle Steve, Auntie Cindy, John, Karen, and Owen, spent time with Kaiya, went shopping for work clothes, unpacked all my stuff, went to a snazzy retirement party at the Chinese gardens in Portland, got my haircut, watched Melissa and Joey reruns, and spent time with my family. One crazy summer packed into five full days.

I started my new job at the Columbia River Maritime Museum yesterday, and it was a long day full of back-to-back tours of the museum. I toured the offices, the exhibits, the lightship, and the armory which stores ships and canoes and other pieces that aren’t on display. Let’s just say I’ve seen everything. I know more about boats, fishing, and the Columbia River than I ever thought I would. I feel so smart. If there is ever a Jeopardy category on the Columbia river, I would totally dominate.

I’ll be spending Tuesday through Saturday for the next elevenish weeks working at both the front desk and in the museum gift shop. The people who work at the museum are so fun and all have incredibly great senses of humor. I’m sure I’ll fit right in.

All in all my first day was a success. Besides being flooded with crazy amounts of new information and the throbbing pain in my feet from standing all day it was a great day. However, this job has turned me into an old lady. I’m willingly going to bed at 9:30 because I’m so tired I can’t keep my eyes open any longer. Maybe this job will turn me into a morning person...hahaha.....we’ll see.

Come by the museum and see me! 

I think I can

Oh my goodness gracious! This last week has been pure craziness! I’m up to my ears in homework and that big, black, ominous looking cloud called finals is on the horizon. Bleh! These next two weeks are going to involve me frantically finishing my mountains of work, while packing my room (who am I kidding I’m totally packing the day before), and spending time with friends for the last time until next fall. So needless to say I’m going to be busy.

Here are some highlights of the last few weeks.

            -I got all the classes I needed for next semester and I am content with my schedule (not the greatest, but not the worst)

            - I’ll be able to return to my job in the Fall! I’m looking forward to wrangling those kiddos again.

            -Thursday night college group is off to a great start and I’m excited to see how it continues to grow.

            -I planned an entire GYRAD for my floor and it went great! Lots of fun with my Jedidiah girlies and their handsome dates :)

            -Getting to see the lovely amy k. in the symphonic winds pops concert.

            -Spending 6 hours with the amazing robin newby at polly's pies, while visting Han at work, having an awesome time of fellowship, and being incredibly unproductive in the homework department.

            -30 pages and a million hours later {ok, slight exaggeration} my treatment manual project is almost done! Only one more section to go! Wahooo!!

            -Celebrating Hannah’s birthday {a month late} with delicious strawberry-banana shaved ice. Yumm!

            -The fact that in exactly two weeks I will be boarding a plane and heading home for a much needed summer break.

TWO WEEKS! I think I can. I think I can. I think I can....  

spring break

I’ve only been back in classes for three days and I’m already wishing I was on spring break again. It was so nice to be free of classes and homework and deadlines for a whole week, and get to spend the time with my family. Only five and a half more weeks until I will be home again for summer. I’m praying that they fly by!

My parents and I stayed in Portland my first few days of break and I got to spend time with my two hooligans (aka brothers). After dinner we went to DQ for ice cream and then watched Killers on Netflix in our hotel room. It was so fun to be all together. We're a pretty fun and crazy bunch! 

The first Saturday of break I got to see Wicked for the third time and it was so stinkin’ amazing. I just sat and smiled for three straight hours. Wicked makes me so happy :)

{This is John with Owen’s Easter chick}

We celebrated Easter with some close friends from church and our associate pastor and his family. John is basically another older brother and I thoroughly enjoy joking around with him. 

On Wednesday night I got to baby sit my little man, Owen. I love this little munchkin to pieces!

 {aren't parent's the best?}

On Friday I drove into Portland and got to see my friend Emma and her little girl Taylor. It was so good to get to spend time with her and talk about life, as well as get to play with her super adorable baby girl.

James surprised us and came down to the beach for the weekend. It was so pretty on Saturday that we all went and sat on the beach and read. It was lovely!

That’s basically my pretty chill and relaxing week. Add in playing bunco and pinochle, watching movies, and baking cookies and that’s about all I did, and it was wonderful!

Here’s to 37 more days until the end of the semester! I can do this!