Long Time - No Post

        If you don't count that little string of pictures I posted two days ago about my little foundling finch. If you do count that, well, then I suppose this post title is a lie. Oh well, such is life. 

        Umm, yeah. 

        I've been in kind of a strange mood ever since my friends left on Thursday. It's so weird to suddenly not have anyone here, talking to me and teasing me. We hadn't seen each other for two years and I'm not quite sure how we managed to survive, and after 18 days together it still wasn't enough. Go figure. What did we do in that time? Well, lots of things. We went on long walks through our little town, sat for hours in the large oak tree on the hill a couple of miles away, watched movies, knitted, snuggled the goats, sang and played piano together, sewed - the list goes on and on. Oh, and we talked. A TON. We had two years of catching up to do, so don't judge too harshly. We have written close to a hundred letters, but there's only so much you can say on the amount of paper that fits in an envelope. :)

        Besides the things we did during the many, many hours we were at home piled into my room up in the attic (which is less than 10' by 10', by the way), we also went on a few excursions. We went to the Six Flags park, which is less than an hours drive from us, which was a lot of fun. Usually I'm not one for that kind of entertainment, but just hanging out and chatting, remembering things we used to do together there, and walking half a dozen times around the whole place was a blast. We even went on an upside-down roller coaster! Yes, it was our first time, but it was AMAZING!! We ended up going on it five times that day. :) 

        Last week, we all headed up to Clear Lake on the annual youth group trip. Before you shy away from the phrase 'youth group', let me tell you that that's what I used to do as well before I found out the one at our church is different. I'm actually planning to do a post on that soon. Anyway, back on topic. Clear Lake is amazing. There is so much Bible reading, spiritual conversation, and new faith growing that happens there each year, not to mention what happens out on the lake. The tubing and fishing are my favorites, although there is also wakeboarding and waterskiing. Oh, and kayaks. I like those too. I end up having to go on the tubes with the guys most of the time, though, because most of the girls either don't want to go over 25 mph or get flipped off at the first little swerve of the boat. The fishing up there is wonderful. I went out several times during the four days we were there, and I got to try out some neat rods, reels, and lures. The gentleman who was taking us out had a pretty cool boat as well. :) I have decided that I need a Phenix M1 rod, although I'm not sure if I want a spinning or bait casting one. I'm also not sure where exactly I'm going to get the money to buy one, especially since I'm saving up for a plane ticket right now. It may just have to wait (the rod, not the plane ticket). We fished mostly for largemouth bass, and we caught a lot throughout the week. Here's a picture of the boathouse at the property.

         Here are some pictures of the swallow nests on the dock, and some other pictures I took.

Night Heron

        So Clear Lake was a blast. I loved getting to know a few people better, and even make some new friends. My friends from Maine also really liked it, which I was glad of. It was also nice to be out of the house for a bit - sleeping out on the beach instead of cramped in my room. My room, by the way, looked a lot like this for almost three weeks.

        We did some sewing, which I'll post about soon, and other things which I may or may not remember. It was a very eventful 18 days together, and we'll definitely be doing it again next year. Two years was just too long. Funny, when I went to come pick up the girl who came first (her sister came a few days later because she had to stay and take care of siblings - long story), I wasn't quite sure what to expect. It didn't help either that I am not at all familiar with airports and had no clue where she was going to be. I finally asked someone, and made it to baggage claim just as everyone from the flight was coming in. We spotted each other, and both came running around the carousel towards each other. I was pretty much in tears when she hugged me. She was so much taller than I remember, and SO pretty, and we were just so happy to see each other! We probably made big fools of ourselves, but no matter. :) 

        We stayed up really late that night, and started our catching up. Throughout the weeks they were here, we talked almost nonstop, teased each other like mad, and had the time of our lives. I am so looking forward to next year!

Blessings,

Reyna