Wild at Heart

Some people are of the opinion that I've gotten kinda daring and wild this summer. This surprised me because I haven't changed on the inside, I'm just getting better at reflecting it. Usually I show people what they want to see. Sometimes this is good, cause I can blend into a crowd, and not go against the grain. Sometimes not so good, because people don't see the real me. Lately I've been trying new things, things I've always wanted to do. I guess the first "wild" thing I did this year was getting a second hole pierced in my ears. It's nothing extravagant, and lots of people have two holes in their ears, but I guess nobody really expects that from me. I like it when I do something unexpected. People are constantly underestimating me, and when they do, I shock them. It's quite fun. :) Another crazy new thing I did just last weekend was ride a motorcycle. Not a Harley, but a sport bike. A friend of mine promised me a ride, so the next chance I got, I took him up on it. It was utterly amazing. Words cannot describe the way I felt as we raced down the highway. It felt like I was sitting still, and everything was whizzing by me at lightning speed. So amazing. I can't wait to do it again! Stay tuned to see what other wild and crazy stunts I try this summer. ;)







My piercing










This is pretty close to what I rode, only his was orange.

Happiness

Someone asked me recently what made me happy. My response? Simple things make me happy. Things like sitting outside at night and staring at the stars, listening to the rain, hearing a baby laugh, driving on back roads with windows down and singing along with the music, sharing a meal with friends or family, wading in a creek in the summer, doing something exciting for the first time. Those are all things that make me feel like the happiest and luckiest girl alive. I love to share these things with my friends and family. People are the most important things I have in my life. Without them, where would I be? Nowhere happy, that's for sure.

A Relaxing Weekend at the Lake

For Mother's Day, my mom decided to go somewhere for the weekend. It would be nice to get away for a while. We thought about going to the beach, but then decided to go to the lake. It wasn't a terribly long drive, only about three hours. My siblings and I have been to this lake before, but not to this place we're staying. It's a nice little place, with a small cabin we rented. The cabin is supposed to be right on the water, and I'm sure it is when the lake isn't down 14 feet. It's really sad to see where all the water used to be. I just hope it rains a lot before my sister and I come back in June, so we can do stuff on the boat. But this weekend it was nice to get away from phones, internet, computers, and television, and be able to sleep, relax, listen to music, and read. Not to mention a little bit of writing. My thoughts are always clearer when I'm away from all the every-day distractions.

Friday night was really nice. I grilled steak outside on the grill. That was interesting considering I haven't used charcoal in like, 8 years. It turned out really well though. Supper was good, and we sat around the table and laughed hysterically about all manner of things. After that, we just sat around talking and eventually got ready for bed. I walked on of the dogs before bed, and it was windy and lightning outside. Usually I'm a little neurotic about storms (because I'm terrified of tornadoes) but I liked the weather that night. The lightning was streaking and flashing all across the sky over the lake. It was beautiful.

I love being away from the city, and people, and all the artificial noise. I like to go outside, see beautiful sights, and not worry about who's watching. I'm not always antisocial, but sometimes it's nice. Sometimes I think I'd like to live on a deserted island. But for now, for this weekend, the lake was my getaway.

Our weekend was not without adventure. The lady at the office told us that the one of the waterfalls was only about 2 miles away, and that you could walk to it. My sister and I decided to go. I should have known that wherever the two of us go, an adventure follows. Whether it's getting lost in Little Rock at 11pm in the ghetto trying to find McDonald's, or making a wrong turn in the woods riding horses and taking a 4 hour detour, or trying to escape Gustav and Bubba in rural Arkansas, we always have interesting stories to tell. Anyway, we started trekking to the falls around 4pm on Saturday. Since the lake was so dry, we were able to walk on dry lake bed. Well, the first part was really soggy. After that, there was a stretch of the trip that had ankle-turning rocks and sticks, then buzzard alley, then dead, putrid fish, then a horse pasture, all of which used to be under water. We finally made it to the falls. We stayed for about 10 or 15 minutes, stuck our feet in the water, and left. The whole trip was about 5 miles, and took over three hours. It really wasn't worth it to see something we've seen several times before. Going to the falls stinks (sometimes literally) unless you're going by boat. Note to self: don't do that again. But like I said, it was an adventure.

All-in-all, we had a quiet, relaxing weekend. It was so nice to sit outside on the porch at night and listen to all the sounds of the night. That is without a doubt my favorite part of going to the lake.

Summer Change

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After a loooong drive home, I am finally here for the summer. I was sad to leave Mississippi, with all of her beauty and comfort, but I was not sad to leave Starkville. The past semester was hard, and I was more than ready to leave everything behind. This summer has an uncertain air about it. I have a feeling that it will be better than last summer-it just about has to be. But there are also hints of some tough things I will have to deal with, mostly within myself. So I'm not sure what the summer will bring, but I'm ready for a change.

~*~