good eats of summer

thoughts: the rain and clouds have been around far too long, and i (among many oregonians) am very happy to say that this sunshine the past two-ish weeks has been a real treat! i haven't really seen much sun since my choir toured in hawaii in mid-may, so i am loving these goregous blue skies and warm weather. although my car's air conditioning doesn't function too well, i enjoyed a nice 1.5 hour drive up to portland on thursday with my windows down and my music on. it was so great! that evening we saw the broadway performance "the lion king" which was by far the best 'official' start to summer ever! yesterday, i ran some errands and my mom asked me to pick up some strawberries for the house. i purchased a flat of berries. they were fat, bright red, and looked amazing. i'll just have one, i thought. wrong. i ate so many on the way home! they were absolutely incredible. being a native oregonian, i can tell right away the difference between an oregon berry and a non-oregon berry. oregon berries are SO delicious and sweet, i plan on eating millions over this summer.

why i chose this photo: as you might have guessed, most of the strawberries are all gone, and i really wanted a picture to show how great they are, but i took this picture when josh and i went to the beach one sunny day in may. we had a picnic and ate bread, cheese, strawberries, and good-n-plenties. we also took some pictures of our lunch, this was one of them. mmm mmm good.

question: what type of food(s) remind you of summer?

inspiration: "enjoy the sun as much as you can, because it doesn't last long in oregon!"

driving

thoughts: today was a day in which joshua and i drove almost 8 hours from star, idaho to portland. i wasn't really dreading the drive. i actually looked forward to it. the trip itself wasn't long in the scheme of things (i took several 6 hour bus rides in spain) and josh wanted to drive the whole way. our time was spent conversing over a variety of things, surveying the landscape, and forgetting life's worries. i say forgetting life's worries because there are a lot of things on my mind. i have to try and figure my summer, how i am going to make it. i still haven't found a job to pay my extremely expensive rent (although my internship will be paying a bit more than previously promised) and i'm worried about graduating on time. although i've been really bummed out and frustrated with a lot, this nice long drive helped rid me of the things flooding my mind. the drive was mainly empty of human existence, just open and free. i focused on the empty hills and treescapes and tried to empty my mind as we passed miles and miles of countryside.

why i chose this photo: this was just as we got onto 1-84. josh told me to look out the window, and i just stared at this endless beauty.

question: what was/is your favorite drive?

inspiration: [i saw this on a church bulletin board and liked it]: "if there is any sort of storm in your life, just wait for god to make it into a rainbow."

breathing

thoughts: i'm really enjoying the peace that idaho has to offer. during the early morning, the breeze blows across the valley and sends the sweet smell of grass into the air and the sunlight gently shines. in the afternoon, the sun is hot and the air is dry but the land is goregous and just lit up with the sunshine. the evenings are filled with long hours of sunshine and settling clouds. i'm really happy here. not to say that i'm not happy in corvallis, but i feel so free here! i have (some) obligations here, but nothing compared to back home. i have really enjoyed reading, playing backgammon, cooking, and spending time in warm weather. it's weeks like these that really make me enjoy summer. i'm finding peace in the relaxing atmosphere here. it's times like these that i can actually breathe and forget life's worries.

why i chose this photo: josh and i went on a walk down by the road at the bottom of the hill and watched the sunset here. it was beautiful to watch the water change color at the same time as the sky. i think that walk was one of my all time favorites.

question: what is the most breath-taking sight you have ever seen?

inspiration: "breathe in, and out. it's all going to be ok."

a peaceful evening

thoughts: i don't really know the cure for worry, and i'm not really sure if there is one but i do know that clearing your mind every once in a while really helps. it's been really nice to be here in idaho, hundreds of miles away from things that have been stressing me out and to just sit outside and listen to simplicity. i'm not saying that i ran away from my problems back in corvallis, but it is nice to sit back and forget about them, to have them on hold for a while. this trip has been extremely relaxing and stress free, but every once in a while, stress creeps into my mind and stays there. the most relief i have found for stress and worry is just emptying my mind every now and then. now, emptying my mind completely is really difficult because i'm always thinking about something. today was really interesting because i was occupied with a lot of fun activities (driving around downtown, getting coffee, playing backgammon) but my mind was full, i was thinking about too much. tonight after dinner, i walked outside to watch the clouds pass over the valley and i sat on the edge of the hill where josh's family's house is. soon the whole family gathered next to me, and we all sat on the edge and watched the clouds slide over the valley. it was gorgeous. we sat for maybe 15 minutes and watched the clouds. we only talked a little bit, but we just sat and gazed at the clouds, listened to the crickets chirping and cows mooing, and i felt peace.

why i chose this photo: this was one of my favorite skyscapes of the evening.

question: what is the most peaceful sight you've ever seen?

inspiration: "take time to clear your mind and find your inner peace."

the start of summer

thoughts: i haven't written in awhile, but things have been busy. the last few days of the term were spent studying and working. that is basically all i did. i am so relieved to be done, and that feeling of peace has just begun to wash over me. after finals week, my boyfriend josh graduated with a bachelor's in business while his dad graduated with a phd in education. it was a beautiful graduation and it was really fun to be a part of it! the next day, i drove to idaho with josh and his family, where i am currently spending a week. it is so relaxing here. i can forget all of my troubles and just breathe. we are in the middle of no where, on top of a hill, in the most goregous home you could imagine. i can lie in the grass and not hear a sound for miles, except for the occasional mooing cow in the pastures below the house. on the first night we were here, it was really warm and within an hour of us finishing dinner, a huge thunderstorm rolled in, complete with lighting! it was a beautiful, powerful vision of god's might and it was a cool way to start the summer. i really enjoy thunderstorms and it is nice to be far away from everything that stresses me out back home. i feel invincible out here, and i'm so glad i have this trip to be free from everything!

why i chose this photo: i haven't seen a thunderstorm in a long time, and i have definitely never seen one roll in. i took this photo minutes before it was pouring rain and the thunder started. it was one of the most amazing things i have ever witnessed. i love a warm summer rain accompanied with a thunderstorm. it is so pretty to watch.

question: what makes you feel at peace? what do you enjoy about summertime?

inspiration: "the simplest things in life are the ones in which we find the most joy."