there's just nothing coming right now....

*revision to the last post - I will only be sleeping in my own bed 8 nights in July, rather than 13. I've decided to set up camp out at the fairgrounds while I'm working there, and just live at the Fair. should be pretty sweet. :P

I don't know how to describe the relief and non-stress that I feel. so much has happened in the last few days, but it's all been building up to this. Vacation. Relaxation. it's an amazing thing. thank God for resting on the 7th day.
we're in Coeur d'Alene now....left the house at 6:00 this morning for the long drive, and got here in time for lunch. though there are many things I don't look forward to about this weekend, one of the best parts about it is the food. which sounds just awful, I know, but really, good food ought to be looked forward to. my uncle always says that Costco has to restock after my aunt has been there for 4th of July weekend. but we've got at least 20 people here and she is a true hostess, and likes to feed us in style. I guess one of the best parts (besides dessert, of course) is all the fruit. we have cherries, green and red grapes, peaches, apples, oranges, and I don't know what all else. but the cherries are the best, without a doubt. my mom doesn't buy cherries a lot so this is like dying and going to heaven for me. :)

anyway, I should probably take this chronologically or I will get lost and then you'll all be hopelessly lost.

Wednesday I had my orientation for the King County Fair; not that interesting but it got me rather excited for the fair! I know it's gonna be hot, and so the only downside really is that I'll be spending five days picking up trash in the heat. that and the absolutely enourmous shirts we have to wear. I think I'll try and squeeze in a day when I can take the sides in a little so it actually looks like a girl shirt instead of humungous-medium-is-the-only-size-we-have shirts.
BUT
the city has really brought back all the fun stuff (rides, fair food, vendors, the amazing hypnotist, etc.) so it's going to be more like a county fair again, and less like an environmentalist push to attract city people out to a dying fair. I truly think it will be a success. AND - they're adding mutton bustin'!!!! (this is rodeo for little kids 60 pounds and under, on sheep!)
all that to say, you guys should totally come and visit me. and you really don't have an excuse because admission is free and parking is only five dollars. so there.

after orientation I headed out to my friend Lauren's house, where I spent the night. a lot happened but I'm not sure I want to spend the time writing it all out. had some interesting theological debates with her fiancee, walked around town, watched the first half of West Side Story and then went to bed, helped them pack for moving next week, went to Bible Study together.....yeah a lot happened. but it wasn't all very interesting.
well, to me it was, but my emotions are all screwed up again and I haven't had much sleep the last three nights. so that's probably the main reason why.






so then, I got a call from my mom that my cousin and his wife finally had the baby!!!!! Matthew John Winston is now a part of our world. thank goodness too, because I'm not sure how it all would've worked out if he wasn't born by the time I go down there on Monday. now, they can get all the hospital crazyness over with and just be trying to settle into a "home routine" when I get there. I'm so looking forward to going down. :D



drove back out to Enumclaw last night for youth group, where we watched Facing the Giants. it was actually, to be honest, a very boring evening. I like the movie and all, but most of my friends (ok, all of my friends) are off in Republic now on the mission trip. so it was me, a super-churchy kid (not to be offensive or anything, but you know the type), a Jr. high girl who's trying to work her way in to the high school group (talk about awkward), a couple that only really comes because the girl is one of the leaders' daughter, and the annoying sophomore who acts like a Jr. higher who has an intense and exasperating crush on me. I just can't get rid of him, and I seem to epically fail at blowing people off. I just don't have the heart.
so yes, all in all it was a mix of super-boring and super-awkward. the best part of the evening was when I finally got ahold of Anthony to talk to him about worship next weekend. long story short - our normal worship leader is on vacation, and our substitute just turned up with a staff infection (and some personal stuff he's been dealing with), so we need a substitute for the substitute. so he asked Anthony to do it....emailed him on Tuesday. yesterday, Thursday, I still hadn't heard a thing, and I need music by Monday or else I won't get it until the day of, which usually isn't a good thing. so I called him and ended up informing him that he ought to check his email more often. *grin* we're getting it all worked out though.....I think it's gonna be a lot of fun, actually. having a different leader always makes for an interesting twist to the weekend. ;)

came straight home after youth group and finished packing up.....to leave at 6:00 this morning. :)

the drive was uneventful and....long. I tried sleeping a little in the backseat and discovered that Cillian makes a lousy pillow. he kicks a lot too - especially if your face happens to be in the way of where his feet (he has HUGE feet) want to be. so that was the only hard part.

after eating and getting settled in, we all went over to the lake - my aunt lives about a block from a lake - to go swimming. and to take the dogs swimming. we have Cillian and my aunt has two dogs, and tomorrow my other aunt is coming with her dog as well.
up to this point in his life, Cillian has had a fairly strong aversion to water. he'll wade in just a little bit, but as soon as a wave hits him in the nose he yelps and backpeddals about as fast as he can go.
however, today, he finally learned how to swim! it took a lot of coaxing, a little force (I now have battle scars from carrying him out in the water), and some help from the other two dogs who love water and were having the time of their lives, but we eventually got him to come out up to his chest.
and then that fateful wave had to come hit him in the nose.

finally, my dad just picked him up from the goose-dropping-littered dock, and threw him in. he wasn't a bit happy, and got back to shore as fast as he could. but next time he was on the dock, whimpering because he wanted to play with the other dogs but didn't really have the guts to, he kind of jumped in on his own and decided it wasn't quite as painful as he thought it was. and after that it was pretty smooth sailing.....he'd swim out about fifteen feet and then turn around and head back to shore. but he was swimming, and that's the important part. swimming without being forcibly dumped into the lake. we'll go again tomorrow and see how he does. =) the little guys is so cute.....it's like watching a kid when they're learning how to walk. "go to daddy, come on, it's ok! go to daddy!"


we came back from the lake and dried off, laid in the sun for awhile and read a book. I haven't read for fun for more than ten minutes at a time (which really doesn't count) in several weeks. I just haven't had time to do it....there's been so much else to take care of. but this weekend is devoted to reading.

mostly because I really have nothing else to do.

see, this is a family thing. my dad's side of the family. (yes Anna, Jake is here.) a bunch of cousins I don't really like or get along with. people I have nothing in common with. I like my aunt Traci pretty well (it's her house that we're at) but she's so busy hosting so it's not like we're talking a ton. good thing I get along with my parents, or this would be truly miserable. my uncle is here....he's alright but there's nothing really special that draws us together. then it's all boy cousins, except for one girl who's practically my polar opposite. we're civil to each other (as cousins you have to be, because you're stuck with them forever), but we won't be staying up late having any girly secret-sharing conversations anytime soon. I'm so glad (I think we're all relieved really) that we're old enough now to be considered adults. at 13 or 14, "go play with your cousins" starts to get really old. as 8 year olds we all still liked each other, but by 14 we'd started going our seperate ways.
I am glad though, because tomorrow my 'favorite aunt' is coming with her long-term boyfriend (they've been together for like 15 years, so they're practically married, and he's been like an uncle to me forever) and the only decent cousin I have. I genuinely like all of them, so I'm glad that they'll be here. and they're bringing their dog, who loves playing with Cillian, so it's a good situation all around.



I may sound unhappy here, but honestly I'm quite glad. I'm able to avoid all my cousins easily (they're mostly around the computer or TV downstairs) and I've got so much time just to read, catch up here, and relax. I've been looking forward to this weekend for a long time now, and so far it lives up to expectations - I'm having a great time.


and if you want to call me I'm not doing anything so go ahead and call my cell.........