Well!

Here is a sample from the senior picture shoot Megan and I had on Sunday-- freezing cold but successful.

Speaking of cold, today was the first day out skiing on the trails, and we had such a good time. I love skiing! It is about the funnest thing!

On Thursday Dad and I fly to see Aron (YAY) in Seattle and explore the area. I am Excited with a capital E. 

Finished Jane Eyre (a quality book). We just read Heart of Darkness in English (also one of the best I've read) and I've just started Memoirs of a Geisha. And Walden. And the Canterbury Tales. I love to be waist-deep in literature. 

Exchange to the Netherlands news: Her parents said they would take me for sure!! This is huge. And I've talked to a couple programs...they aren't outright refusing me. Which is good. 

I've started up yoga after a miserable non-yoga hiatus, and looove it (duh duh duh) and want more than anything to stay home, make scones in the morning, and then go skiing when its still light outside, and then maybe go to a college drawing class....a nice alternate reality to imagine while I'm sitting in school.

Oh, and I've been reading up a lot about lucid dreaming and working towards it...right now I'm just writing down all my dreams and periodically doing reality checks...we'll see how far I can go with this. 

Stay wonderful. It's nearly the holidays! 

Novembertime.

I'm still alive.

I'm joining the ski team. 

I met Elles, an exchange student from Netherlands. The Netherlands? Netherlands.

I'm still applying to colleges. 

Megan and I are becoming coffee-house connoisseurs. 

Election day is Tuesday.

I've been playing a lot of guitar and piano and writing songs. 

I've been reading Jane Eyre.

I'm thinking more about combining a college degree to include both writing and visual arts.

Things are Happening. 

I really have been doing things.

Like playing a lot of tennis.

And spending copious amounts of time in coffee shops.

And planning parties.

And going to parties.

Lovely lovely
lovely.

The state fair, an old movie, some hiking, some camping, some singing and some frustration, some tests and some easy classes, some pottery throwing and some swim meet cheering, a lot of rain and a little sun, reading the newspaper and staying up later than I should, hating the DMV and loving Katherine Hepburn.
What a week.

By the way, watch the little picture-show on this website. I would definitely work there:
http://www.bakednyc.com

extensive list of links I have been accumulating and needed to store somewhere. so if you've got the time, check some out. it's worth it.

http://aviewto.blogspot.com/
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/grandmas-grain-recipe.html
http://maizeinspiration.blogspot.com/
http://www.rodarte.net/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lawns/favorites/
http://wikstenmade.blogspot.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/justlooking/favorites/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/polgaroid/page2/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bang-bang/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/elo/1985848685/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yeldalynn/page2/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bang-bang/965718181/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jetsetandtrash/1204669448/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/littlegirlblue/484887551/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/notheories/page25/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/daytrips/page6/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16875925@N06/2070773099/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bonesareinside/2307380575/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jetsetandtrash/2674599428/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/christianlycke/page4/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lastleaf/2696142655/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amaliachimera/page11/
http://andrewbush.net/BH%20pwg%20complete/pages/19.html
http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/one-fat_shot/2469845269/

I loved pottery the most today.

Weekend teaser of a hike.
The first half of Crow Pass.

Hello? I LOVE BEING OUTSIDE.




Anyway, it was freaking beautiful, and I am going to do the whole trip in a weekend or two.
I am feeling absolutely no pressure from school right now.
Big agenda: finding oils for soap, making henna, tennis matches, some fancy cooking this week, and getting up early to work out in the morning.

I'm sorry, but I'm in a Good Mood.

last pieces

Mmmm. Summer.
Buttermilk lemon cookies, playing around with my camera's macro setting, tennis matches, the olympics, napping in the sun, fresh fruit for breakfast, last-minute summer reading, loving the Office, incredibly puffy clouds...

Hello! It's August! And with only a week and a half left of summer vacation! I haven't felt like posting in a while, but here's a quick recap of the ~last month:
-lived in Palmer with friends-went sailing in Whittier-canoed and camped at Eklutna
-got baley certified with friends
-saw Wilco in concert-baked Oatmeal bread, blueberry crumble, oatmeal-yogurt cake with orange cream frosting
-started tennis season, am girls varsity #3
-taught a yoga class
-have seen good movies, spent days reading, hiked with A, been lifting weights in the A.M., watched the Olympics with 4 very excitable swimmers, had conversations with a French family at a dinner party (in French), crocheted a hat, registered for my senior year and got a good schedule, gone to a Conscious Living festival and gotten a henna tattoo for free from a woman named Snow, gone running in pretty places, and cleaned houses for money.

And now I need to finish (start, actually) the summer reading, go climbing with friends, hike Crow Pass, go sailing again, mix this henna that I bought, eat some Thai food because I am craving it, and summer will be complete.

its RAINING

But not in Paris...


Added later:
Almond milk! I made almond milk! From Joy the Baker's blog. Soaked the almonds overnight, then ground up in a blender, then squeezed out the liquid and voila! It tastes like...almonds. Its like drinking almonds. Who knew, eh?

vineyards of italy

pretty.

today I saw

creations lately

cleaning, cont.

Check out these slippers. Who knew what treasures lay in my closet?? They were made my great-aunt, the one I'm named after, and they are bright pink on top, puke-green on the bottom, and each adorned with a big fat pom-pom. I have been wearing them all day.
I did get rid of LOTS of stuff. Like this hat, which I had to take a picture of before throwing in the give-away pile, because its the first hat I ever knitted. Its not great, but it has that special feel. Not special enough to keep, though. Seriously, I was feeling so motivated today, I had no room for nostalgia. My mom looked at my room and asked "Are you moving out, or something?".
And it was another granola day. This batch was improvised, with lots of cinnamon and dried cherries and more brown rice syrup than sugar. Not bad at all.
I also made a trip to the library and came back with a great loot of books. I think the library is my favorite establishment...ever. What a great idea: "Hey, lets get a whole collection of books, and let people borrow them, for free!". That is just positively marvelous.

closet clear out

Before:Clothes clothes clothes. My frequent stops at Sally's and Value Town have resulted in many frivolous purchases of colorful, challenging clothing that I see and refuse to leave on the racks. After A's brutal scrutinization and me trying on much, we were left with this:
La creme de la creme, the most precious and favorite. Feels sooo nice to get rid of the piles of clothings that I don't really like but simply wont discard them, that mostly decorate the floor of my room. Yay!
In other news, I'm on a mission to find lye for soap, and it is proving more difficult than I thought. In the mean time, maybe I can find a glycerin base to start, before I get into the burning, caustic, chemically process.
I am also going to keep cleaning out my room. I'm on a roll, and I'm feeling unmerciful.

Its foggy and rainy and my brain feels the same way.
I'm feeling out of sorts.
I wrote a list of everything in my brain.
Its a good list.
The last 2 nights were spent with distant family out in Kenai/Seward.
Pictures.

I have so many pictures, its overwhelming. But here are two more, from Paris.
In other news, I bought a bread book for $3 and might make brioche today, if I feel adventurous.
I went to the lake yesterday, and it was mighty nice. Big white puffy clouds and the water was that sea-greenish-bluish-grayish color that I think is my favorite color in the whole wide world.
My camera charger was lost somewhere...but I remember it with my eyes.

to Europe and back

Wow, wow, and wow.
5 weeks in Europe can be a whole lot of awesome.
And it totally was.
I can't possibly show all the pictures in one post, so I won't.
But now I have a stash of amazing photos that I am so happy with.
I got tanned from the hot sun and plumped up on all the really delicious food.
I saw so many art galleries I didn't know what to do with myself.
Open air markets with cool clothes gave me new sewing inspiration.
Pastry shops and bakeries renewed my desire to be a baker.
Churches and cathedrals blew me away.
It was wonderful.