Okay, Come In!

Who wants a quick recap of my summer? Didn't think so. But it was super fun and relaxing- everything I wanted it to be... and more! 

We'll start at the very beginning. A very good place to start. And now I'm singing The Sound of Music. 

So I never ended up getting a job- in case anyone was unsure of my status this summer. I learned how to mooch like a pro, did very little of the preferred shopping/dining out with friends, and babysat a very boisterous puppy. 

But seriously, thank you mother and father for allowing me to live this summer. Being a broke college student literally sucks out loud. Let's not think about that too much. 

Here's a quick picture recap of summer because pictures are three thousand times better than words. 

 Kylie spent his time in Lock Haven working his butt off, but he did make an appearance for his birthday weekend. Shasta was glad to have him. 

 

 I am pretty confident that Kyle is Shasta's all-time favorite person. She would kill me if she knew I posted this picture online! 

Danny and I also had a big day- we unintentionally matched our Phillies shirts. 

It was a real big day.

He wanted to pose for a picture... 

 

And as you can see, he got carried away. 

That's pretty typical. Dan likes to enjoy his life and he has very few inhibitions. 

He pretty much doesn't care about what others think. That's probably why he's one of my favorites. 

We also had the world's weirdest summer. The weather was all over the place. Like when I got home, it was all "April showers now bring May winds" and I didn't like that. 

Thick, easily tangled hair and wind are not the best combination. 

 

Of course MC and I are always up for a good picture. We ran outside on a particularly windy and chilly day and convinced mom to take our picture. It actually took us a little bit to get a shot, because as soon as we got outside the wind completely stopped. 

Then Sharon had a rough time with the camera... so yeah. 

We also made good use of some freaking delicious strawberries and a lovely strawberry jelly recipe.

There is nothing in the world like homemade strawberry jelly. It is hands down my favorite part of living in Lancaster county. 

I probably shouldn't say that because... Amish lady donuts.... and shoofly pie... and my friends... and my family.... 

We'll just say I have a lot of favorites. 

Then one day Dad decided he wanted to take a really long motorcycle ride out to Lock Haven to see Kyle and eat at some huge restaurant. 

His bike's name is Lucky- how adorbs. 

So I was all, "I totally wanna come!" 

Bad. 

 

We looked super cool, but I honestly thought I was going to die. 

DIE. 

Like roll off of Lucky and just die. 

I started crying. I started hyperventilating. 

Apparently when one seriously injures their tailbone during a jumping photo gone wrong, one should expect serious pain while riding a motorcycle. 

You live and learn, right? 

It was sad- I love riding but I honestly wanted to die. Needless to say, I ruined that ride. Sorry Dad!

I'm not sure what made the parentals to decide this was the summer to randomly get another dog, but they did. They made the executive decision to bring the tiniest, most energetic animal into our home. 

She also happens to be the cutest thing ever, and that's honestly why we still have not taken her back. 

Meet baby Iris. 

Shasta needed a gal pal- so enter little Rissle. 

We also tried to take a family photo, but that didn't go well. 

It's too bad, because the four of us won't be together again until Kyle comes back from the Ukraine in December. 

Sadness. But this picture is kinda fun. 

 

Stinking Mary Catherine- does she always look perfect? 

The answer is yes. She is forever the cute one. Always aware of the camera. 

Dad took some time to bond with Iris too. Well, we all did. 

I seriously do not understand how there is all of that energy in that tiny little body. 

And what a personality- let me tell you!

Don't pick her up when she's playing- she doesn't like it. 

Don't take her toys- she doesn't want you to. 

Don't try to cuddle her- she has other things to do. 

But let's be real, we do all of those things anyway. At least I did. I do not let a 7 pound ball of fur boss me around! 

Except Shasta- but only Shasta. 

 

Dad was playing fetch with Iris. They got to a point where neither one wanted to retrieve the ball, so they just sat there and looked at it. 

How. Cute.

I also got to see one of my absolute favorites! Carli was home from the middle of nowhere and we did some fun dinners/coffee dates/drives to Philly together. 

She's probably the coolest person I know, and I think that everyone should want to be her friend. 

Don't ever stop being so cool, Carli! 

I'm not sure how many times I was in Lock Haven this summer, but I know it was a few times and it was fun times. 

 

But for real- the drive there is gorgeous. I mean, how can a highway be pretty? 

It's so pretty. 

Then we went through Downtown Lock Haven- the cutest, smallest city I've ever seen. 

I thought this guy was funny. 

 

Way to sell it thrift shop. Way to go!

And of course we had to go to see the river. 

This view kills me, every time. 

 

Those blue skies. Like, what in the world. 

 

I just love, love, love color. 

While we were out there we crashed mom's cousin Katherine's house. 

She's Amish, has a whole lot of kids, lives in a big farm house, has a huge garden, and is basically a superhero. 

 

They had a sandbox made out of an old buggy. Kyle and I were pretty blown away by the ingenuity. 

We thought that our sandbox was cool... 

 

Then we went to the barn and watched our second cousin Chris milk the cows. 

Jellybean and... shoot. I don't remember the other cow's name. 

But MC thought they were fun. 

 

Grandma went along out with us, and since she matched the petunias I told her to stand with them for a picture. 

I don't think she wanted to, but doesn't she just look stinking cute? She does. 

Grandma, you look stinking cute! Sweeter than the petunias, you are!

We were also lucky enough to be given a 100% authentic buggy ride. 

Katherine told us to grab the buggy and climb on in- so MC and I pulled it out of the barn, then waited until David got Laser all hitched up. 

 

MC claims she has never ridden in a buggy before. 

It was a big deal y'all.

 

Kyle rode shotgun, and Dave even let him "drive" at one point. 

I held the reigns too, but Laser didn't respond well to my direction. 

Whatever. 

 

Seriously- so fun. 

Let's see... how else did I pass my time? 

 

I watched TV with Iris.

She's a big fan of sappy movies and cop shows. 

Diverse interests.

 

I hung out with the cousins- tennis and a movie night. We had fun.

 

I also went to the beach- thank you ocean for being so beautiful. 

 

I found Dan's picture on my phone and posted it on several social media sites.

Because I love him. 

 

I said goodbye to the coolest ex-babysitter around before she moved with her perfect little family to the Netherlands. Ugh- can I go visit yet? 

I was stalked by two sassy ladies with the sweetest little faces. 

Like seriously- couldn't eat anything without them catching wind. Iris would actually jump onto me and stick her face into my cup and swipe food off of my plate. 

She has no boundaries. 

 

I ate fresh peaches with vanilla ice cream and decided that if I ever need to request a last meal, this will definitely be included. 

 

I also drove with Carli to Philadelphia to drop something off at the airport. We may have made a quick pit-stop at Pat's for the best cheese steak in the entire world. 

I. Love. Philadelphia. 

 

Seriously she's the coolest person ever. 

Thanks for being my friend, lady! 

 

Danny bonded with the little Rissle. They're cute like that. 

 

Then the Blank girls spent an evening waving at cars on 340, getting honks and making memories. 

It was pretty fun. Flashback to our childhood, BIG TIME. 

 

MC got her senior pictures done, which was weird. 

I told her she wasn't allowed to get senior pictures done because she's too little. 

She didn't like that. 

 

I also heard numerous times how good the corn looked. 

People would say, "The corn looks so good!" I never understood how to respond because in my opinion, corn just looks like a lot of leaves and work. But mom said it was really high and wanted to use me to gauge how high it was. 

I'm actually kinda short, so I'm not sure how great of a measuring stick I actually was. 

But I tried! 

I lost my heart to this one again. Seriously Shasta, can you stop being so freaking adorable? 

I'm pretty sure she's going for a new hairstyle. She's over the short layers. I told her I would braid her hair once it got really long, but she prefers simplicity of the poof. 

I think she can pull off anything. 

 

Iris is also crazy cute. When you can get her, you have to hang onto her or else she'll wiggle her way right on to the next thing. 

But she's our newest resident drama queen. 

She enjoys running, licking nostrils, climbing on the dishwasher, sleeping under the couch, shoes, plastic bags, socks, dirty underwear, Shasta, and whatever Shasta is doing or has. 

She's a handful and I love her.

 

They both love their baths. And I love them. 

 

Cuddlicious. 

It's like cuddly and delicious. 

Then Sunday morning mom, dad, MC and I left the house at 4am and made the long drive back to Meredith. 

We moved me in for the very last time. 

......................................

It still doesn't seem real. But they tell me it is, so I guess I'll believe them. 

 

I just found this picture on my phone of MC sporting a fabulous hat. 

Hey girl, hey!

We supported Lynda as she browsed the clearance racks at North Hills. 

We held her clothes, we gave her feedback in the very tiny dressing room, and we even offered some of our own suggestions (most of which were turned down because apparently Lynda doesn't like bedazzled lime-green, tulle ridden dresses). 

We had breakfast Monday morning, and then got down to business. 

Moving into my very first apartment! 

Dad was a fan because it's on the first floor- no steps for the first time ever! 

Mom was a fan because she could help me decorate my own room. 

MC was a fan because she's easily pleased. 

It actually didn't take us very long to get everything set up, and I'm loving the outcome!

My desk! 

The green shelf came from White Horse Thrift Shoppe and the painting was done (fabulously) by Jessica Blank. 

Seriously Jess- I love it and I've gotten so many compliments on it. You're officially nationally known. 

Can you believe it? 

And there's my lovely bed- super comfortable. It makes waking up for class pretty difficult... 

 

And my dresser, across from my bed. That little mint hamper was our most recent garage sale steal. Thanks Grandma Martin!

 

And then just because I think it's super cute, here's our shower curtain and orange bath rug! 

The bathroom isn't that exciting, but I do think the curtain is lots of fun. 

So the apartment has 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a living room and a kitchen. 

So far, I'm loving it!

Although if anyone has any suggestions for cheap and easy meals, I would love to hear them. I don't like to cook- mostly because I don't know what to cook. 

I also don't know what groceries to buy. 

I went to the store and stood there, staring at all of the food and suddenly realized I had no idea how to go about making anything that wasn't spaghetti, peanut butter and jelly, or cereal. 

So seriously, help needed!

So far I'm thinking my classes will be fairly decent. Except for French, I really think I'll enjoy the courses I'm in. I exclude French mostly because I am so extremely unsure of what I'm doing. I really like languages, but French is hard y'all! 

Like, je n'ais pas into French so much. 

And then of course, because I don't have enough to do right now, they make me apply for graduation the week that I get back. 

Welcome back! 

Now when would you like to leave?

Here's to my final year as a student. 

Final year. 

Key words there.

Think of me!