Camping

I realize how silly it seems to many people who don’t have my life that I went camping when I work and live at a camp. But you have to realize, we live in a nice house. It has IKEA furniture, a full kitchen, hot water all the time, and cable. We’re not roughing it at all. Sure, we have a gorgeous backyard with a lil’ lake and acres upon acres of trees and trails and the like. But we see this nature every day. Just like everyone else in the modern world, we needed a little getaway from our every day.

So, my good friend, Nate, and I went camping. It was a glorious time full of hiking, cooking over a fire, reading by the water, sharing stories and keeping our eyes and hopes alert to alligators.

I am blessed.

Just Another Day at Cho-Yeh

Here are just a couple of the most adorable people in the whole entire world working the high ropes course. From left: Yours truly, Jen, and Brandy.

And the Award for Best-Dressed Goes To....

I work at camp. I ruin at least 3 pairs of black Keds a year. I go through V-necks like nobody’s business and my shorts are perpetually a napkin for grease stains, dirt, paint, and of course, food.

But I love a well-cut black dress. I love cardigans and skinny jeans and floral and jewelry.

I’ll admit it. I’m kind of a girly-girl, although I’ve made huge forays into the naturalist-slash-outdoorsy-slash-athletic woman’s style.

But…it took years. I mean I made it through two whole summers working at summer camp without ever getting into a pair of basketball shorts or actual athletic shoes. I heard the phrase “You dress way too nice to work here,” at least twice a day and yes, I even won awards for being the best-dressed at camp.

In my defense, I worked in the craft shop. Also, in my defense, I wasn’t about to get a whole new wardrobe for a summer job when I was still dreaming of having a real job after college.

But then I got a job working at camp all the time. And changes had to happen. I was reluctant (as I seem to be with most things) but then I bought this fleece jacket from REI and I’m wondering how I wore a cardigan before. I got athletic shorts and could move like jeans never allowed me to. I got a Camelbak water bottle (yeah it has dinosaurs on it, but it’s still legit) and wondered how I didn’t die of dehydration here in Texas before. I got a headlamp and wondered how I made my way around camp with only the light of my cell phone all those nights last semester.

Sure, I’m still a woman which means I still desire to be beautiful. I still adore pretty things. I still swipe on some mascara now and then. But now there’s function to think about.  Adaptability is necessary. But I’ve learned that even the little changes can make a big difference.

I’ve learned that about a lot of things, not just clothes and shoes. Changing your perspective can change your whole heart. Changing your attitude can change your whole day. Changing yourself is a process that happens little by little in the everyday grind. That’s where God meets us and shapes us into something more and more beautiful if we let Him.

I’m still not entirely that girl. The one who rock climbs and has rock hard abs and perfectly tousled hair. But I do love nature and flannels and camping and damn, that cute dinosaur water bottle. 

Good Morning

I love mornings. I love getting up while it is still dark and taking a walk or going for a run while you watch the world light up around you. I love breakfast. And drinking coffee out of thrift store mugs. I will one day have a large collection of random coffee mugs and people will come over and will be excited when they get to choose which one they will use. 

It's the little things.

Texas

I love you. You’ve kept me warm all through the fall. Sure, your evergreens and pine trees go from green to rusty death, skipping all the colours of a fall in Minnesota. But, as a cold-natured girl, I am grateful for your sun-drenched days that last into November.

But this cold front and this lack of rain is killing me. No campfires?!? Even when it’s only 50 degrees and I have to start wearing socks and sweaters and fleece? Give us some rain and let us come out from under the burn ban so we can warm ourselves and eat our s’mores and feel like autumn has arrived.

I mean I can hardly get out of bed when I think about my bare feet on these cold floors.

But I need coffee. And as I wait for it to brew I find a patch of sunlight and stand in it and I almost forgive you for acting like the tropics one day and the North the next.

Like the Texans always say, “There are two seasons here. Summer and not summer.”

Be thankful & aware

of the seasons & the

feelings & lifestyle

that go with

each one.