Wedding

On Friday I went with a friend to her mother's wedding. It was at a beautiful old estate and we took some pictures.. I love this one of her.

Double Rainbow

I accidentally left my laptop charger at my dad's house so I ended up with a dead computer until my stop there today. It's not a loss though considering all I have done is work and laundry these last few days.

Today I packed up all my clothes, musical instruments, bedding, and assorted other things into my car. I have 18 gallons of clothes (this could be overkill but time will tell), three sleeping bags and too many pairs of shoes. My little car is happily full but I can see out the back window. I've decided that this is balanced. I leave for camp for all of July tomorrow afternoon. As I drove out of my mother's driveway a neighbor pointed out a beautiful double rainbow. It made me sure that this summer will be full of great things.

The title of this blog comes from those irritating little "race" boxes people always have to fill out on various forms (I really started to notice them last year while filling out college applications). First of all, I don't believe that your race should matter. I understand that it might on the Census, or so a college can brag about it's minority ratings (which I actually do pay attention to). However, most of us don't fit into most of the limited choices that we're given. Then we get to check the "other" box, which usually makes me feel like I showed up from Mars. Maybe someday we can fill in our own answer.

Home

Today I arrived home after a three and half hour drive and a mind blowing week. I got to camp last Friday and I was immediately reminded of how much joy there is in the valley. I opened the windows on my car, turned off the A/C, stuck an arm out the window and tried to get down the pot hole filled road as fast as I possibly could. It was slightly disappointing to arrive and realize that most people were actually in town since it was a day off.

Being at camp makes me reaffirm the values I grew up with as well as consider my ideals and this is great because everyone else around me is doing that too. The entire community focused on dreams, ideals, service, and healthy living. Sometimes I wish my entire life were camp but at the same time it's super intense to live with so many other people in such a tight space.

Tonight I'm heading back to my father's house for a little dinner and then it's on to an insane amount of laundry so that I can pack up everything I need at camp for the month of July.

You Are Beautiful

Yesterday after a couple hours of driving (and a long conversation on race, gender and another unmentionable- more on that later) my friend and I picked up another friend to complete a mission: to start the "Beautiful Brigade". So far we've cut out a stencil (much more difficult than you'd think!) and have some tee shirts in the wash. Our mission is to tell people they're beautiful (or awesome, or witty, or hilarious.. ) regularly. We want to do this honestly but freely as well because really, who doesn't want to hear how beautiful they are?

In a little bit I'll hit the road again to drive deeper into Southwestern VA. I'm not really a fan but I'll be happy to be in the camp valley with people I love. I did realize this morning that I will be showering in a cement shower house for five weeks. I think I'll be super happy to take a bath when I arrive home. However, the happiness, the people, the singing, the food, and the mountains will make up for the lack of a bathtub.

Pampering

When I was little I used to sit on the toilet and watch my mom carefully shave her legs. She would get really into it (and probably still does, I just don't happen to watch) and take her time.. It was a while before I understood why she did this and the reason is this: no one gets pampered enough. Therefore, a little pampering in the form of a bath, a nice meal, or just a cup of tea is really necessary sometimes. She was a single mom and shaving her legs was "her" time and she treated it as such.

Today two friends and I went to get our nails done. This seems like such a waste of money to me in some ways but in other ways, it is so nice to sit there and relax for once and turn off your cell phone and be present. So that's what we did and it was lovely!

I can't believe that I'm leaving tomorrow for camp. Part of me can't wait and the rest of me is panicking about not being packed enough and needing to tie up loose ends.

Pre-Camp Musings

I have this idea about blogs, and it isn't really very nice. I like them, when they have a focus and an idea- like wedding blogs or music blogs or blogs about towns. I don't like them when they're a teenage girl sitting in her living room talking about herself. That seems rude. And a little narcissistic. Oh well, I suppose we are all a little hypocritical sometimes.

As much as I love all things old and always have, I also find technology easier to deal with and update and save. It doesn't get rained on or lost, like my letters.

I leave for Southwestern VA on Thursday, dropping a friend off at her home and then arriving at summer camp on Friday. I can't wait but I'm apprehensive.. this will be my third step in my life at camp. First a camp staff brat, then a camper, and now on staff. We'll see how it goes. I miss that valley more then most people.