Adventure #55: College Campesino - Kermit the Frog Erotica

It's going to be difficult to do this one justice. Last night, my friend Derek read us some excerpts from 50 Shades of Grey, in which Anastasia was represented by a very "valley girl meets new jersey girl" voice, a.k.a. "more aggressive valley girl voice", or "New Jersey girl that went to the valley", so describes Derek. Then the supposedly suave and sexy Christian Grey was voiced by Derek's spot on Kermit the Frog impression.

I don't suppose it's easy to imagine, but if you can grasp the idea of Kermit the Frog seducing a young woman with an "aggressive valley girl voice", who also may have some serious daddy issues, then you're halfway there. 

Then imagine that woman talking about 'her inner goddess' dancing the dance of seven veils, something about itty bitty elephants, and borrowing a toothbrush like the dirty girl she is. Aaaaand then Kermit somehow has to play off that, and there's mention of a chocolate starfish.

Okay that was kind of painful to write... I'm sorry to anyone who enjoys 50 Shades of Grey, too! I don't mean to bash it in general because I haven't read it. Just the ridiculousness with which it was relayed to me last night left my abs incredibly sore from laughter. Honestly, it was one of the best things ever. I hope each and every one of you is lucky enough to someday hear Kermit's voice pleading you to "Put the chicken in the fridge."

Adventure #54: College Campesino - Toast Post!

Hi! I'm kind of in college now! I haven't posted in a while because the transition was pretty strange, and I haven't had much time to myself for the last couple of weeks. But here I am! And I have stories!

The first is about toast.

In the dorm where I'm living at the moment, we do not have a toaster. So I had the grand opportunity to educate my roommates about the wonders of alternatively toasted breads.

First, the pan fried bread: We also do not have a microwave yet. I softened butter in the oven so as to make it more amenable to being spread, and that was almost disastrous for sure. But most of the butter was salvaged, bread was much too slowly toasted in a pan, and fun was had by all. Actually I kept accidentally slamming the oven door shut because the spring on it is very effective, and that was terrifying.

But toast! I did it! Kolby was brave and had a bite. He agreed the pan-fried bread/ toast/ whatever Derek said it should be called is better than the average toast.

Second, the oven toast: This is my favorite kind of toast, and my second favorite comfort food. My momma taught me to make toast like this, and I would eat at least 4 pieces of it in one sitting whenever we would make it together. For this particular bit of toastiness, I butter one side of the bread, sprinkle a good amount of cinnamon and sugar on top of the butter, and place the bread with sugar side up in the oven, and set it to broil. Then the sugar and cinnamon caramelize on top, the butter sinks down in the bread a little and softens it, and then the sugar and cinnamon create like a little barrier, so the bread steams underneath and gets so fluffy and soft. It's the best!

This time I made pieces for both Kolby and I, and he said it was great toast :D

Success!

Adventure #53: The Women's March

Yesterday, I attended the Women's March in Boise. The women from my class attended, my family sent good thoughts and lots of encouragement my way, and I was able to go with a couple of my favorite people! In the picture, they are my friend Aidan and his two brothers (their very kind father took the picture), and my friend Kolby! It was an amazing feeling to be personally supported by some of the men in my life, including my own father who was so excited for me and wanted to hear all about the march. It was also a great feeling to know that these men are standing up for all other women in their lives and across the globe, through such a simple act of perfect unity. 

The media coverage of the marches was so uplifting, too! My favorite piece is this article from Slate which captures the strength, optimism, and determination that every one of us shared in. An estimated 2.9 million people marched yesterday in support of women and in opposition to injustice, with a powerful voice. I am truly grateful to everyone who participated. I stood by you, and you stood by me that day... It was an honor, and I choose to stand with you always.

Adventure #51: Christmas Eve

The days leading up to Christmas have been nothing short of incredible. A couple of lazy days, a few family days, and lots of goodies being baked!

In terms of goodies, I made cupcakes for the first time in too long! I experimented with putting spices in the cream cheese frosting, too. They are so good. We also now have a commendable supply of fudge, lemon winter cake, and peanut butter cookies.

Lately, I've also made a couple of attempts to see my teachers and friends from high school, but to no avail... I had asked my English teacher if I could come visit on Wednesday and she had to cancel last minute... I was more sad than I thought I'd be. I'd been really excited to see her and tell her about all that I've been up to and hear how she's doing. There are so many other teachers and students I was looking forward to seeing, too. Hopefully we'll be able to work something out soon, though! The other event I couldn't make it to went down tonight, where everyone went caroling at my Spanish teacher's house. She lost her son this last year, and she's been on my mind a lot... I so wanted to be there, but my family couldn't find a way to get me there... I'm hoping to send her a letter instead, and let her know I think of her often. She's an amazing woman. I always feel so blessed to have had such incredible teachers in my life. I want to make sure they know it, too.

In other news, I had a great time Skyping my friend Kolby for a couple of hours! Normally I wouldn't write about something quite so specific, but he's been such a great friend to me since I met him, even with all that I've been dealing with. So I just really wanted to take a second to say I appreciate this newfound friendship that's come at a really pivotal time in my life. So thanks, dork :)

And in reference to what's been going on emotionally for me in the recent past, my greatest hope is that all of this will culminate in a new beginning that I've been looking forward to for a very long time. I'm scared to know how things will turn out, but in a strange way, I'm incredibly happy, too. This could be something so wonderful, fulfilling, and loving! I truly hope that I'll be given the chance to find out all that this can become... <3

Last thing! I need to say thank you to all of you! 51 Adventures in just a few months! That's pretty great. And 1,500 views! I honestly never hoped I would gain any kind of following, so it's been a fantastic surprise to find out how many people really are interested in what I'm doing here. Thank you all so much for taking the time to read these and to be invested in my life and my story in this way. It means so much to me. That said, a very happy Christmas Eve to all of you, and goodnight.

Adventure #45: Boise State Bound!

I got my acceptance letter! It came yesterday in the mail while I was hanging out at BSU. I was visiting to check out the house with the three girls I could live with, and I decided I really would like to live with them! They seem like really amazing and kind people. The house is really old and adorable, too. I'll have my own room, I will need to invest in lamps, and they have cats ^.^ I'm so excited to be living with three women who's company I genuinely enjoy and in a house where I really could feel at home.

I won't be able to move in until February, so that means I will be living at home and couch crashing for the month of January most likely, but I'm actually totally okay with that xD It'll be so worth it.

Also! I convinced them that we need a kotatsu!!! They were totally on board, and that's when I figured this was meant to be.

Other miscellaneous adventures of late: I introduced my friend Kolby to the Flying M, and he thought it was pretty great. Also I'm making cookies right now because I needed them. And I'd forgotten how much I love making and finding gifts for people! I wish I had more money with which to give gifts, but I'm digging into my savings a bit to make it happen this year. I love it. I've done some writing lately, too! It was amazing! It had been too long. I'm reading again, too! I read 1984, and then had another dry spell... I don't know what was going on, but I'm glad it's over.

So yays for new friends, kotatsu's, coffee, Christmas, and books.

Adventure #43: Acquaintances and Succulents

On Friday, I finally got to visit my friends at BSU! We got Dutch, played with a kitten named Charlie, traipsed around Winco, and made a blanket fort! My friend Kolby and I stayed up super late talking on Friday night, too. It was really great because it's been too long since I've had a friend around who I could talk to like that... I needed to be reminded of how important it is for me to communicate with other people on such a significant level. Then the next night, I stayed up and just hung out (which means fell asleep on the floor) while Kolby and his best friend Derek played League. That was fun for me, too, cause I kept waking up laughing at their jokes xD Then we slept in the blanket fort until about 4 in the afternoon. I wish I had pictures of it! It was so cute all lit up with Christmas lights ^.^

Prince Charlie crouches behind my shoe for protection

From when it first snowed this winter!

I also was able to talk on the phone with one of my favorite humans ever, and she and I might be able to see each other when she makes it home for the holidays!

As for the succulents part of this post title, I got to buy some new glassware to celebrate me finding a place to live! Until this morning, it was practically a done deal, but a new option just fell into my lap. So I'm considering that and working on meeting with the three other girls I might be able to live with! They seem like such amazing people, and I could live in a house with a lower rent than the apartment I was planning on. So we'll see! But either way, there will be plants!

Future Homes for Plants

Whatever happens, I'm scared, excited, and grateful. It was so wonderful to see my oldest friends, and to get to spend time with brand new ones. I'm looking forward to living on my own, growing some plants, and making friends with more new people.

Adventure #36: Foods of Late

Hey! Still alive. Been busy, gotten good at making excuses for not blogging. Recently rediscovered (again) my motivations for doing this. So, here I am!

So much has been changing in my life lately as I'm entering a new phase of things. I'm super excited about it, and in general the difference will be that I'm finally ready to start the work I've been preparing for in these past several months. But, more on that idea and those events later.

Tonight, I want to just talk about my food adventures of late! In the past few weeks, I have been exposed to many new foods. Food is one of the hobbies of the family that I'm living with, so it's been a staple of this transition. Without further ado, this non-glorious list of foods and restaurants I have newly experienced.

Places:
Taco John's
Del Taco
a Chinese food place where I never checked the name
Sherri's
Main Street Burger
Black Bear Diner
The Coffee Cup Cafe
Fiesta Guadalajara

Other Foods:
Jackfruit (smells like mangos and Kraft cheese)
Buffalo tripe (at Standing rock)
Fresh fry bread
Ben and Jerry's (like 3 flavors and I can't remember any of their names)
Corned beef hash

Yep so there's that. I don't know, I've enjoyed the experience, but I think I more just enjoy sharing a meal with people. That's been the best part of trying these new foods and restaurants. It's good for me to broaden my tastes, and I'm grateful I've been granted the opportunity, but I'm even more grateful to have gotten to share those experiences with other people.

More tomorrow. I hope you have a great rest of your night ^.^

Adventure #32: BSU Game!

I went to my first college football game last night! BYU @ BSU.  It was a super close game, very exciting, very scary. I had a lot of fun! I used to be a really big football fan. It was one of the only things that my step-dad and I shared. He taught me all about it, helped me keep up with our teams, and I watched almost every game with him that I could. He and I don't talk anymore, but my love of football remains. It was really cool to go and be able to enjoy the tension, the excitement, and the cold.

PC: Cassie T

But the night was not without hiccups, as other emotionally relevant events occurred. I missed almost the entire third quarter because I was on the phone with my friend Drita, really trying to figure some things out... I cried the whole time... A lot of people stopped to make sure I was okay, and that actually helped a lot to be reminded of all the caring people in the world who are willing to set aside time to stand in kindness. I really needed that... I also noticed that there were no females who talked to me or made sure I was okay in those moments, and that sucked, only because I would have thought that the relationship between women in general was stronger than that... In light of that observation, I plan to be the demonstration of a caring woman whenever I see another in a situation like that.

So, I am feeling a bit better now, and I'm so glad that I was able to rediscover my love of football, be reminded of kindness in the world, be shown how I can help to empower other women who are suffering, and be able to spend the night talking with people who care about me.

Adventure #16: A Weeks Worth of Adventures

Okay! Commitment time. I haven't been posting every day... I promised myself that I would, and now it's time to make good on my word. I'm committing again to post every day because not every post needs to be fantastic and have pictures, I just need to be furthering my perspective and embracing living my everyday life passionately from wherever I am.

So to kick off this renewed pledge, a summary of recent and tiny adventures!

Let's see. I made muffins today. My step-mom buys boxed muffins mixes and then since the mixes are in the house and they aren't used very often, sometimes I get on a roll and use them all up! So the mix was for almond poppyseed muffins, but my dad and I prefer the lemon ones. So I mixed in lemon zest and lemon juice, and I think they're way better that way xD

I tried a new lotion. Fascinating. One of my friends had given me some samples, and so I went with it. One of them was not a face lotion, and my skin is currently regressing to its stressed out 9th grader state. But! Then the other lotion was definitely a face lotion. It was Juice Beauty, the business started byyyyy what's her name omg I practiced this Gwyneth Paltrow! There we go. It was awesome, too. It smelled so frappin good and made my skin feel all soft and nice. I was surprised, too! After just a few minutes of letting it settle, there was no sheen or anything but it still felt great. So when I become rich, I'll definitely invest in the stuff.

What else what else. Ah! Sleepover with my boyfriend. He and I have been together for the larger part of the last 7 years, and this was the first time we'd gotten to do this. It definitely was an adventure. I am a very warm sleeper, twin bed, and he's 6ft tall, but it actually went quite smoothly (maybe my late night sneezing fit was the exception). It was as cute and cuddly and practical as I could have imagined ^.^

I also have added some new items to my Etsy store! Including a custom listing option since now I have my fancy paper. I'm a mild nerd about paper now, and I like that about myself, so yeah. Here's the link again to my Etsy store cause I have to shamelessly self-advertise: SansPoetry

I'm going to write a novel! I'm doing Nanowrimo this year (the link if you haven't heard of it before), and am currently working on idea planning and stuffs. I'm honestly super excited, and I will most likely post often on the blog about this as it will be an every day thing in November. I'll link to my profile on the website soon, too, so that you can follow me along that way and we can collaborate if you're doing it, too :)

I went to my first women's circle this past weekend! It was amazing, and I really learned so much. The class is called "I am Woman" and it's about understanding and discovering the true feminine nature and how it applies to ourselves. Cool stuff. I might post more in detail about it later, but I'm undecided right now because the nature of the content can be very personal, and I'd like to go all out or not at all instead of trying to censor such important things.

Last update: I might be moving out soon! My friend in Monterey that I was going to stay with is likely moving back home very soon, so that didn't work out, but oh well. A new opportunity has arisen due to the kindness of wonderful people, and it's in the works. Will update.

Okay, cool! I've been up to more things than I thought... Thanks for the read, and peace to you all! <3

Adventure #11: The Road Not Taken

I've been wanting to write this post for a while now, but I don't think the time was right until today.

Two of my best friends began college this week, and I've really struggled with a lot of aspects of that all of a sudden...

I was jealous of one of my best friends because she is doing everything that I had planned for myself years ago... Now I'm choosing a different path than what I had planned, and I let my insecurities about my choice get in the way of me being happy for what she is choosing for her life. Luckily, I have some amazing sounding boards in my life who called me on my issues. I wish I had been in a place to be happy for her when she most deserved it...

Then my other best friend and I have been struggling on different levels and at different times with my choosing a different path. College was always something that we had planned to do together, and now I'm lamenting that opportunity lost. This stuff got in my way of being happy for this friend when we both really wanted me to be... My dad put it perfectly, and said that even when we know we have to give something up, often we still need to mourn the loss. I thought, then, that maybe mourning that loss and grieving what was given up is actually how it can be let go... I suppose that process is unfinished thus far as, though I am now able to feel happy for my friends in every way, I am still so sad that we won't get to share this experience with each other, like I always thought we would...

So here I want to be open to mourning this road not taken. I'm still honestly incredibly sad that I'm not going to college with my two best friends. But I am also now in a place to feel honestly happy about my decision to move to Monterey and go to school in Germany. And I can understand that the two emotions can coexist and aren't mutually exclusive.

I just want to say now how I appreciate my friends and all that we've shared. I do hope that there will be many more experiences between us in the future. Thank you to my best friends for helping me in so many ways to reach this point in my life. I hope I have ever done the same for you.

Now we are all on to different, even separate, things. But please know that you will always be in my heart, on my mind, and you hold a piece of my soul. I love you both so much. <3

Adventure #10: The Silent City of Rocks

 Today I went on an adventure with my best friend! We've had many over the years, but this is one of our last official adventures for awhile as he just started college this week. It's a bittersweet beginning, but I'm so proud of him and so happy that we got to have a wonderful day together. Here are photos from our adventure in The City of Rocks!

Them Rocks Tho

Dat Rock Doh

That is a Nice Boulder.

Stairway to More Rocks

The Adventures of David and Cora

Happy Hikers

Adventure #7: A Brief Friendship With an Aphid Who Was an Aphid

Today I'm spending the day in Nederland, CO in order to work on a few projects and have a consistent internet connection for a few hours. So I sat down at the New Moon Bakery and Cafe (the lemon bars are fantastic) and this little guy decided to join me!

He has since disappeared, and if anyone sees him I would really appreciate it if they could return him home. He does not do well without a warm comfy bed and needs daily medicine for his arthritis.