Highly Parenthetical

You guys! I don’t even know where to start.  I love my life so much.  Seriously.

Over the past 3.25 days, I have traveled in my little car across 8 states.  I’ve seen amazing things. I just don’t even know how to describe it.  A huge portion the ride, I just sat there wondering how on earth I was going to describe the experience to my blog.  My conclusion? I honestly don’t even know if I can. 

The only word I can think of to describe it is simply euphoric.  

It was like every state line I crossed, I felt as if I was entering into a new world.  And it was a whole different world each time.  As I was driving through the Midwest, it was mostly farm land that I was driving through, and when I could, I tuned into the radio to try and get a real piece of what the place was like. 

I just have all this wanderlust inside of me, and this little 1600 mile jaunt has only just intensified the lust in my heart.

**

Tragically, I have as much internet on this lap top as I do on an etcha-sketch (read “zero”) so I’m currently writing drafts as word documents for the time when I have the chance to hit the library.  I can’t even really use the internet on my phone.  I’ve used up 90% of my data (as of 06/26) and my billing period ends the 29^th. ..I can’t even Tinder it up. But anyway…

(update:  Since writing this post, I bought a little bit more data so I now have a "hotspot".  It will be used to post all my entries)

So far I haven’t really done much on Fort Knox.  I checked in, got a lovely (read “super crappy”) barracks room, did some other administrative sort of things, and now here I am. 

Let's not even talk about how bad my bed looks...don't worry, we'll never get inspected. But seriously, I feel like I'm in prison. does my room not look like Piper's cube on Orange is the new black?

For some reason lately, I’ve been feeling very…adventurous.  I can’t explain why.  If I knew, I promise I would divulge the secret, but seems how I’m not even telling myself, I probably can’t tell you either.  Just know that for the first time in a long time, I’m so outrageously happy with my life situation.  Sure, there are things that could be better, but I’ve chosen to, as Augustus Waters would say “I’m on a roller coaster that only goes up” (John Greene “The Fault in Our Stars”) And I quite like it that way.

Well, I suppose that is all  for now, I shall report in as soon as I can, like I said, my computer may as well be a Magna-Doodle…so you’ll see posts when you see em. I’m going to work at cranking them out when I can so that they’re seen as often as possible!

So until I have a few posts stacked up and ready to go, I'm just going to stare into these lovely eastern sunsets and work to thoroughly enjoy my time here. 

Bye for now!

The First Step

 
I constantly remind myself why I started this blog.  In my short life I have learned so much, but the most important lesson I have learned is this: 
Life is good.
I decided that in my effort to continually keep my head up and work towards bigger and better things, I want to share 5 things a week that demonstrate just how good life is.  I'm sick of complaining about all of my petty first-world problems.   I promise, this isn't the worst thing that ever happened to you. 
I'm ready to embrace the fact that there is so much more to life than the bad/stupid stuff.  It may not always seem like it, but if you ask me, the first step is looking at the good parts.  Some people have gratitude journals, I have this. 
1.  I was able to apply and get accepted to an active duty assignment for the summer. I get to spend my whole summer on an active duty base working, playing, and seeing old friends.  I am so excited to have this opportunity. 
2.  I got approved for my first real line of credit besides my car loan. I am super excited about this.  I'm working really hard to get all my finances in line and build my credit.  I have big financial goals for a young'un and I am so glad I get the chance to work on them. 
3.  My civilian job is so patient with me and lets me jet off to different places whenever I have to.  The Army is taking me far more places than I expected and I am quite fortunate to have such a flexible boss that just wants it to be smooth sailing. 
4.  I have awesome parents that understand my need to...ramble. They let me live at their house rent free and deal with all the messes I make.  There is a slight possibility that this is because I make a mean batch of enchiladas but either way, they put up with me and I am so lucky to have them. 

5. I got into a major car accident and walked away with a tiny scratch on my knee and some lessons learned. 
Being able to look at the bright side is something that I have learned over time.  I haven't always been good at, but it has truly improved my quality of life more than I can even comprehend.  If you happen to see a few things in your life that make things work right, maybe stop and appreciate it for a minute.  You never know how good it can make you feel until you try.

I Was So Wrong

Once upon a time, I wrote a blog post in my old blog about how I dislike being single.  You can walk down memory-lane and read that here.  If you don't feel like it, I can just tell you this, I was complaining because I was seeing all this cute coupley stuff and I wanted someone cute to hold hands with. 
photo cred
Just kidding! I'm not going to do that! I'm actually here to tell you this: I was wrong. 
For a few weeks, I tried the boyfriend thing.  As it turns out, it wasn't all that great.  The guy wasn't the problem.  He was fine.  It was the idea.  I was so trapped.  It was like I had been single for so long (like...years.  Literally) that I had forgotten how to be a girlfriend. 
I suppose that it's possible he just wasn't the right guy for me, or else I would have just been able to get past that uncomfortable feeling of...suffocation.  But at this point, I haven't been able to.  I just keep thinking about all the fun stuff I've been able to do because I'm living free of commitment.  I've always been a relationship girl...I guess maybe I'm different now. 
I'm not saying that there aren't plenty of perks to being in a relationship.  Relationships aren't all bad.  In fact, they're great.  But right now, I'm in  a place where a relationship is not the answer.    Just kidding. I'll tell you. 
I'm a wanderer.  I can't remember the last time I just felt content sitting where I'm at. 
I want to work on myself.  It's hard to do that when you have to work on someone else too. 
Just this week I had random adventures with 4 different groups of people that were beyond fun.  In a relationship, I probably would have spent the weekend watching Netflix.  (not that you can't do fun things when you're in a relationship, but I feel like the ration of epic:lame goes out of whack.)
I love dating.  I partying.  I love new friends.
I really like to do my own thing without having to check in with someone or feel bad that I chose to do something besides hang out with my "other half". 
I feel like I'm enough for now.
I'm not saying I will never again want a boyfriend to later marry and reproduce with, but I'm saying that right now, for the first time in a very  long time, I feel like I am exactly where I'm supposed to be.  

Yesterday's Outfit with Crazy Hair

Do you ever sit down at your blog and realize you haven't written in ages? I just did that.  It hurts.   I know.  5 days a week.  It's supposed to happen.  But it hasn't been for the simple reason that I've been so dang busy running around living life, by the time I get back to my bed at the end of the day, I'm so tired I can't keep my eyes open. Right now, I'm sitting here blogging this in yesterday's outfit with crazy hair and morning breath because I fell asleep...not at my house. One minute we were watching Orange is the New Black, the next...zzzzzz...
Before I really get started though, I want to draw your attention to my right sidebar.  I have all kinds of new friends hanging out over there.  Please take the time to give them a click and see what they're all about.  Some of them are from Utah just like me :)
So...What have I been doing for the past two weeks? Tuesday my baby sister had her high school graduation.  It's still tripping me out that she's going to be off to college in the fall.  Who gave her permission to become and adult and stuff?

© 2012 Talyn Sherer Photography

On Saturday we had a party for her that was so much fun, and not just because I was able to take my first trip to the liquor store.  Although, it may have had a little something to do with it.  After the party, I went up Big Cotton Wood Canyon with some of my old friends for a fire.  I had so much fun out there.  I was determined to pack my weekend full of fun as it was the first one I've really had off since January.  Yep.  You read that right.  First real weekend off since January. 
We slept out under the stars and didn't go home until it started raining on us the next morning.  The next day, I had my first experience in a bar.  It was kind of late and right before last call, so it wasn't all that exciting, but I was still in a bar for the first time, so that was cool.  Sadly, I'm a bad blogger and I haven't really taken any pictures of any of these excursions I've been taking...but it's hard to take pictures when you're so busy living in the moment. 
I also went to a pretty cool bar last night for dinner with a fun new friend from Chicago.  For all my Utah haters out there, he was pleasantly surprised and thought downtown Salt Lake was a good time.  So there. 
I do, however, had a picture of my meal at my Brother-in-law's Birthday dinner.  We went to a restaurant called Bohemian.  Here I gave him and my sister my Tim McGraw tickets as I won't be able to attend... There I ate a very delicious pork tenderloin and awesome potatoes.  It was all sitting in a Jagermeister sauce.  The sauce was sooo good.  I would have just drank that stuff, good.  I also drank a delicious tropicolada with probably half a shot in it that was $7.  Tasty though.   Most importantly of all the things I have done in the past two week is this:  I bought a new car!!  Well, new to me. It's a 2012 Toyota Corolla.  I think I may never buy anything but a Toyota ever again. I love this thing.  I even went to the PX the other day to make it officially all mine with this.  Words cannot describe how relieved I feel.  My mom drove up to my unit in this car for me to give a test drive and I knew after one second behind the wheel that it was mine.  And I'm not going to tell you how much I got it for because I practically stole it.  It was that good of a deal. Okay...I guess I'm done for today.  I'm hoping that I'll be able to turn up a little bit this weekend like I did last.  But at any rate, you should #backthatazzup with Whitney and tune in to everyone's weekend jamsszz. 

Making It In a Man's World

I know...I know.  I didn't post all 5 days last week.  But I do have a rule about blogging.  Blogging is not allowed to get in the way of life. If blogging gets in the way of life then life is not being lived to blog about...so live first, blog second. 
This weekend was so crazy.  In fact, this whole week was kind of crazy.  I hate to stay up late anymore...I don't know why, but I just can't do it.  I've been up late pretty much every day this week.
I have been car shopping to no avail.  I really hate car shopping.  I'm mad that I even have to do it right now.  I didn't want a new car.  I liked the one I had, so I'm a little upset about this right now.  And it only gets more annoying. On the bright side, while I did work and car shop all week, I also got to spend a little bit of time at a music festival in Ogden.  It's about an hour away, so driving two and from there twice kind of sucked, but it was worth it.  
We watched an incredible, Grammy Nominated, all girls bluegrass band play.  
They were serious, so inspiring.  They make me want to play the mandolin all day long.  They played mostly their original songs as well as a few songs also sung by women in the bluegrass world.  I know it seems kind of medieval, but there aren't really a lot of women in the bluegrass community, so it really means something to me and my sisters to run into people who have made it big in a man's genre of music.  
This kid was equally inspiring.  His name is Sammy Sammy is 13 years old and writes incredible songs.  You would have no idea that he's 13.  I just don't know what he's going to do when his voice changes...Hopefully his whole career won't be over!
This is me and my little sister.  She graduating high school this year and it's kind of a big deal.  We were watching Della Mae and singing along with the songs that we knew having a great time.  I'm really going to miss these times when she goes off to college...It will be the first time that she's the one who's gone instead of me.  Weird.  
The last night we were there, I stayed up until 3 in the morning playing music with some really great musicians.  I was so tired and was barely holding my own in the jam, but it was so inspiring.  It really made me want to get back into the music and really learn to be great, just like the are.  I added one of them on Facebook and now I'm feel like I'm all brushing elbows with fame.  The kid's only 19 and can play circles around me...He's amazing.  
So there you have it a great weekend at the Ogden Friends of Acoustic Music Festival!  I hope you all have a great week.  I know Monday is a rough one for some, so keep your heads up!