Catching up! First week of school and garden success!

SO after my hate blog I will try and subdue my thoughts on that particular subject and go with a more optimistic approach to life. My first day in class was brilliant! I love it, why I held back for so long is a question still burning in my mind. Geology is one of my favorite subjects in general so when I have to take it...a dream come true my friends! The class is 3 hours on Wednesday nights, at first I was super shy and didn't want to talk to anyone and I was quite grumpy, but by the end of the class I was happily licking rocks to find out if they were salty or not and easily identifying minerals. English on Tuesdays and Thursdays is gonna "rock" haha...um, anyway I am super stoked for that class as well because the teacher is really awesome and we have a wide variety of students in the class of all ages and backgrounds. I am already looking forward to next semester and I have an unquenchable drive to continue on past this year as well. I will do anything it takes to finish.

GARDEN:

OK so for a while there I was hopeless for my poor sweet garden! It was trying so hard to do it's best to feed me! I went away on my vacation with things still a bit Wilted and starting out new. When I came back it was like they exploded! My squash was flowering and producing fruit, my precious eggplants all had new and semi large fruit as well. Peppers are producing as well, our tomatoes are delicious and the cabbage is coming into their heads and look like cabbage patch dolls, I keep expecting one to roll out any day. I feel like the Lord really came through on this one! We all were praying for the garden and thanks to all those who came out from the ward and friends who helped out even though the work could have been futile.










BOYS:
OK so I am baffled as to why I have been getting so much attention! I have tried in the past to get a little lovin but to no avail and many embarrassing situations, one involving me telling a someone how I felt and then promptly running out of the room, out of the house and to my car, while banging my head against the steering wheel I wondered how in the heck was I going to get myself out of this one! So I kind of just stopped being interested/chasing guys for a while and it has been awesome, I have been able to focus on me and the things I like to do and actually take measures to achieve things that I wanted to do for sometime i.e farmers market. The planets must have finally aligned in my favor because out of the blue it feels like every guy I talk to is actually interested in what I have to say, asking questions in return and giving compliments etc. Today after church I totally got my flirt on with a couple of guys even though I was a bit rusty, Andrew was teasing me about it later he said that it was fun watching me get all giddy and stupid, I am pretty sure he will tease me about it forever. Yesterday at the farmers market while I was setting up my table, a random guy started a conversation about art and other surface things, as he left he begged me to tell him my name and I was like "oh, uh it's Laura. That's LAURA and my number is....and I cook really well, and I like to make out...and.." JK those last few were a joke. Ahhh my confidence has been boosted.

Farmers Market:
I didn't really have time to take pics yesterday because I was quite busy selling all my stuff. I made enough to pay for my English textbook and pay for some more art supplies. I sold two paintings to one lady who really likes my stuff, she already bought a bag a couple of weeks ago and yesterday she bought another bag and the paintings. She convinced her husband to let her do so by telling him he could have the nude mermaid painting. I made friends with farmer Alan next to me and got a free cantaloupe out of the deal *it was mouth watering* and got to hold a baby bunny most of the day due to my beautiful neighbor Tiffany who was selling them. It was a wonderful day, I had parents of little girls coming up to me and saying that their girls loved the bags and use them everyday, la la la. I saw old friends and met new ones. I love market, it is such a great place to meet happy people.

Anyway that's it for now, I have lots to do this week I need to get caught up with new bags and paintings not to mention a paper is due on Thursday.

I'm so happy.

I'm so bitter....watch me walk away.

I have decided that I am truly jaded about love and couples. This thought started today in the library I was desperately looking for a Ray Bradbury book and I feel like I ran from one end to another looking for the one copy they had in stock. I had two of my clients in tow, as we weaved through the shelves of books I noticed a couple practically copulating near a shelf of fiction novels. She would look in his eyes and giggle and he held her closer and as they kissed they would make that smoochy slurp sound, and the world didn't exist around them I'm sure, just a blur of colors and sound. She wove her hands in his hair and they would smoochy smooch smooch again. All this happening of course with in a few moments of me walking towards them. When I saw all that was going on I felt a heat rise in my chest and fill my cheeks....I was annoyed! I wanted to barrel through knocking them out of my way, making old boring paperbacks fly through the air like that beginning scene in ghost busters. Causing a total ruckus, and then when I had everyone's attention, I would proclaim my benevolence for being single! How incredibly happy I was, my plans for the future! I don't need men to be content! I would convince the smoochy girl to join the brigade of single women, lets burn our bras and protest kitchen appliances! Even though I totally love new dishes, I WOULD STILL PROTEST! At that moment anyway. As I walked through the isle next to theirs and rolled my eyes far in my head, straining the muscles to do so, I had to feel a bit sorry for myself for not being fully happy for other women who have found love. Truly? I would trample my own mother if she stood in the way of a good man, anyway I was pretty bitter for a couple of hours after that, but I picked some squash out of my garden across the street and admired the onions and the healthy plants I became a more peaceful Laura, I came inside and put the bounty on the kitchen counter next to the 20 other squash we have. I got caught up on friends blogs, one couple just recently adopted a new baby girl they have been so patiently waiting for. Another couple got to go on a spontaneous camping trip in the mountains and discover how fun doing nothing is! This made me much happier as well. SO I'm going to blame my little inner outrage on just negative thoughts and doubts of myself. In the future I will try and be happy for slurpie smoochy couples in book isles.

I posted a cool hand project on my other blog, Funnylookingfreckle.blogspot.com

Chambersburg PA

Apples on an Amish farm.


Amish school house




Kiely and her family live here, I have been to visit 3 times now and I love it. Set in Amish/Mennonite country it has lush woods with patches of cleared land used for farming. Whenever I'm in PA I feel like I can only get the "good" stuff here, namely tasty cakes which I totally forgot to get but that's ok I ate plenty of other junk to make up for it. When I go I usually try to aim for July because I love the fireflies, they really turn up the beauty for me, like full volume I was happy a few stuck around. I was so lucky Kiely and her family put up with me for a whole week! I always think of the proverb "company (like fish) stinks after a few days". I had a relaxing week hanging out with Kiely and her friends from her singles branch, the girls were beautiful and full of personality so naturally we all got along. We headed out to Gettysburg to drive around the battlefields and check out the new museum, we drove around and it was very hot and humid but eerie at the same time when you think of how many thousands of people died there. The museum was 7.50 to get into and by this time I was pretty poor so we just headed to the gift shop to check stuff out, then I had the thought "doesn't museums lure you into shops after the tours?" Sho enough! I just snuck in and looked at the "relics" bullets, guns, uniforms and such, I know Im a heathen! Kiely's mom is a fabulous cook and we ate very well while we were there, she taught me that zucchini has many purposes other than steamed and bread, she makes amazing relish and a tomato sauce with a ton of the squash cut up and thickly simmered. Also probably the coolest thing we made was zucchini bread batter and put it into canning jars and cooked it then canned the bread, apparently its good for up to a year! I still have some unopened but now that I am thinking of it I kinda want to try it out!*side note, while editing blog ate the entire pint jar...don't judge me.* Ok there is a picture of chicken and waffles, this is Amish food and its amazing! I seriously have been known to lust after it, I cannot make it the same though because mamma Fisher's gravy is like no other and I don't want to attempt it because I might ruin it. The little girl pictured is Paris Kiely's niece and she is the most adorable 3 year old out there, she was very articulate and loved her aunt Kiely so when I came I had to fight for attention too! She is very photogenic if you can get her to stay still! I am glad I went we did a lot and I was able to get my favorite things like something from the Sheetz MTO menu, and chicken waffles. Plus I met a few new people, hooked up with old friends, had some great experiences and swollen ankles.

Carriage!

Countryside


My friends Corrine and her husband John, John is special.

Corn and soybean were the main crops I saw growing....everywhere.



We went to Cowan's Gap to play in the water, here is Kiely with Paris.


Gettysburg! I was balancing on a very high rock, it doesn't really look like it, but I was!





OM NOM NOM I was notorious for taking pictures of my food, but this is really the only thing worth blogging about.


Kiely's Family has a cabin up in the mountains we went and visited, it was scary! there were things everywhere that were alive! The outhouse was frightening but I did catch a salamander!






CUTE PARIS!

Ok

I got the other blog up and running! You should check it out and boost my ego growth and follow along, cause who else am I showing off for? I will blog in a couple of days about PA where I spent a majority of my time this past week, but it's late and I wanna go to bed now, I have been working since 8 this morning...done and done.

New York City!!

New York was awesome! lots of stuff happened and I wont have time to blog about everything so I will start with New York and move to Chambersberg PA. I will narrate as I post pics of what you're looking at and such.

Here is the train station in Harrisburg PA, we had to catch the 8 am train, I really liked it here, even though it was a bit dodgy.


On our way!! For 3 hours


We finally made it and I immediately had a hot dog, then we had some pizza!






We went to the top of the Empire State Building It was a very long wait but worth it in the long run, I consider it a highlight!





Here I am! In Times Square






Artsy Subway, I had an interesting experience on the subway, there was a regular guy sitting next to me and he kept staring or "checking me out" I guess, anyway I was baffled when he came up right in front of me and pretended to text and then actually take a picture. It was a little bizarre, and I like to think that he just went home and showed his wife my cool hairdo, even though it really wasn't that cool.


We took a ride around Central Park in a bike taxi Pulled by Apo, he was from Turkey, and darn handsome to boot!


Me and Kiely living it up!



The "Big" Piano at FAO Shwartz


You can seriously make your own Muppet for 130.00! I want one.



Random guy who had a pet rat, the rat seriously looked drugged, a lot of it's fur was missing, and it's whiskers were singed. The guy was rather creepy as well.




I love love love 30 rock, if I watched T.V I would watch this show on a more regular basis!



We walked a lot! There are a ton of ways to get from here to there but for the most part it is your two feet! You take the subway to hither and in order to get to thither you have to walk a good 10 blocks, we were sore but we got to see some beautiful architecture on the way!


OK this is my favorite picture! I went to NYC not for the food or the shopping, I went to for the ultimate sport of people watching, seriously it is my favorite thing to do, I saw this guy walking towards us as we were perched on a marble step outside of FAO and snapped a picture, and got way more than just a cocky guy! The pic speaks for it's self :)



I have so many pictures! I couldn't possibly put them all up! I am starting another blog for artsy pictures or poems that I like, it's called funnylookingfreckle.blogspot.com I will get some stuff up in a few days.

OK I will blog again about the rest of my trip.

Judging for the Carbon County fair.

Sarah on her perch





Sounds bizarre I know, Logan called me yesterday and asked if I would be able to come with him, Sarah, and a few others to Price Utah to judge art,photography,arts n crafts etc. I of course jumped at the chance, so after lying to my work and repenting of it all morning I was picked up and headed east the next morning.

We rode over in a 9 passenger SUV! Which was different, I sat in the back with a guy named Amos he was pretty cool! We are the same age, he plays Rugby *hot* and goes to school studying...communications? Anyway he was a hoot he gets car sick so every few minutes or so I would make sure he was OK, probably got super annoying. We got there and started judging. Amos and I started out on kids art, when you are not sure what you are looking at "maybe it's a flower?" you feel super bad about only giving them a white ribbon. The photography was a bit harder because they were adults and some of them were hovering around you as you judged and said things about their art ( we had to leave constructive comments) most of mine said "good use of color!" or "picture is unfocused and unclear, but the frame is great!" We got to choose best in show as well I picked a photo of a model raptor against a sunset sky, the yellow and pink clouds looked like fire was coming out of his mouth, my comment was "Mating was a bit messy, but very imaginative use of subjects" Logan later informed me of the misspelling. I had meant matting. They fed us lunch of lasagna, salad, corn, rolls, water, and chocolate. There was a ton of grease left on my plate afterwards, but it was none the less yummy!

We headed back early and all in all, it was worth lying to help out a friend and gain a different experience


Bottle cap belt made by youth, got best in show for arts and crafts


Sarah and Logan "judging"



Crazy Horse, we laughed at this for a while.



cute card art






Amos, I promise I wasn't being scary stalker girl but he was sleeping what else was I to do. He's a dishy bloke! I'm such a sucker for blue eyes.



A creepy doll, I liked her because she was so old and cracked