There's 104 Days of Summer Vacation. . .

Well, we finally got to our family summer kick off! In the tradition of all of our best adventures, it was almost completely spur of the moment.
There is this AWESOME river that is extremely close to my house. It pulls through a randomly forested patch of land in the Alpinian suburbs, complete with random derelict tree houses and winding dirt trails. At one of the curves in the river the trail goes the other way leaving a tear shaped peninsula type thing at the bank of the river - the perfect place to relax, take in the beautiful scenery, and let the sound of the rushing water cascade over you as the sun beats down and warms your skin. That's only during the day though.
We decided to go at night. SO much better in my opinion - but that might be my heat sensitivity and nocturnal tendencies kicking in. Anyway, Ryan and I had to work at our second job at Jimmy Johns until about 10 o'clock - once we were off we stopped by his house so he could change and we could meet with Tanner and Katie and then we headed towards the trail head. I'd already packed a blanket, almost a million little candles, a lighter, and Kiwi - my laptop - so we gathered our supplies and headed down to the peninsula. You're all probably wondering why I brought my laptop - I'm writing a book, which STILL has no title, that is all about spirits called elementals. They are made up of, live in, and can control all four elements. This tear drop peninsula is the PERFECT place to sit and write - especially for my elemental story, but really for anyone trying to write anything. I was going to write while they all laid around and talked.
That probably sounds odd to ya'll, I mean, kind of lame for an epic summer kick off right? WRONG. The way I see it, summer is about kicking back and relaxing, *cough. . .KATIE. . .cough* so what better way to start it than relaxing with each of our three favortie people in the entire world.
Besides, we've got style.
Once we got there, I laid out the blanket and opened my laptop while the other three started lighting candles. Once they had a good ammount (a.k.a. all of the candles were lit), they spent a good five to ten minutes arranging them around the edge of our peninsula. According to Ryan, 'They create a shield, so that we can be safe here this late at night. When they burn out the smoke continues in the other demensions and the barrier stays - so long as the candles were actually lit.'
We're all a little weird, okay?

Moments Like These

A Tribute

Doug, even the name is simple, but then again - so was he. He was a friend, something to smile about, and something you could always count on his schedule was always open for a friend - even if he had to push a "shirt" conference aside.
From his perfect pallor to his signature scarf, Doug was always suave! His life may have been short, but that does not mean he will be short lived in our memory. From the moment he joined us there was only smiles and laughter - the day he left us was filled with great sadness.
He will be survived by the three lonely tacks, which now only holds his scarf that will forever only hang limp with nothing to warm.
The six months we were allotted with him, taught us the value of life in all forms. Doug, if you read this, you're missed. The day you disappeared changed us - no note, no reason, not even a drop of water or shred of yellow to say good-bye. Come home - but if it is too late we will forever hold you high in our memories - heart.
Obituary written by: Katie Smith

Moments Like These

I'd Never Guess How We Ever Could Have Got Here

The beginning of this summer marks a whole YEAR of being a family. I didn't even realize until we were driving Ryan home, just like the good old days, and he said, "Remember a year ago today, when you got me home in four minutes so that I could make curfew?"
I laughed and replied, "Well, that was when we had to make a good impression on your family." (For the record, we have yet to have Ryan home late - us LEAVING on time is another story.)
Anyway, it got me thinking. SO much has changed in the last year. Seriously. The very foundations on which I stand have shifted so much that I don't even know where to begin. This family has been as solid as a rock all the way through it.
This blog is a tribute to our times together, our family history, if you will. Since it's a new year, we've got to revamp things. You'll notice our new layout, the updated quotes, and the new lists on the side bars. We've also got new titles. They need a little bit of an explanation though. Every family, no matter how dysfunctional, is a group of people that exist to fulfill each other's needs. Every one of us has a different role, every one of us fulfills a different purpose. The newest titles are the purposes we fill.
I am the Peace - this one will be shorter because I don't like writing about myself. I've been told that I give good advice. When problems arise, I'm always asked for my advice. It seems to help and calm people down - hence the peace.
Tanner is the Energy - out of all of us, Tanner is the one that just keeps going. He has this energy that rubs off on all of us. When we're all tired Tanner is the one to get us all up and going. He's our own personal Energizer Bunny.
Katie is the Adventure - no matter where we are or who we're with Katie has the oddest ability to infuse us all with the desire to do something crazy. As you all know, she is the mastermind behind pretty much all of our harebrained adventures. Even in the ones she wasn't behind, she's always the little voice calling 'ONWARD!!' or egging us on 'Do it, do it, do it!' This blog, and our lives would be HEINOUSLY boring without her.
Ryan is our Sanity - though he may be a little unbalanced himself, Ryan has the kind of personality that just reaches out to people. Even if our problems are unsolvable, he has a way of calming us all down and making everything a little more bearable with his knack of snapping things in to perspective. Our heads are all little clearer than they would be without his influence in our lives.

Here's to a new year, and a whole summers worth of amazing adventures.

Moments Like These