Moved In

First of all, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for helping me decide on the dress!  More than half of you voted for the dress with the thin strips, and that's the one I had the best first impression of, so I think I am going to go with that one.  You guys are the best!!

I am all moved into my new apartment.  Well, my stuff is all here- the state of my room is another story.  ;-)  I haven't had a chance to even unpack anything, because the last three full days have been packing the car, unpacking the car, packing the car, unpacking the car, and on and on all day until we couldn't lift a feather even if we tried.  And then today was mostly cleaning all day long, scrubbing every single thing in the house, cleaning out the fridge, mopping vacuuming, magic erasering every single scuff mark in every single room.  It was exhausting and my whole body is throbbing, but it feels so good to finally be done.  I owe the biggest "thank you" in the entire world to my mom and sister, who drove the 8-9 hours down here and worked so hard to help me every second of the whole weekend.  I appreciate it so much, and I was so sad to see them go this afternoon.

I'm sitting in my new living room, with no couches yet because they won't be delivered until tomorrow.  Kim and I are watching a dvd of The Office because our cable isn't hooked up yet.  And the dogs are happily lounging around (although they wrestled for about an hour and got it out of their systems when I first brought Sydney over).  

This week will be mostly unpacking and trying to relax at the pool before my job (hopefully) starts.  

I would write more, but I am exhausted beyond words.

Also, another NB sweetie earned her wings yesterday.  Send some love to Makenzie's family.

Dresses!

My cousin Meghan asked me to be in her wedding and read a poem.  I'm super excited, and we're in the process of looking for some good ones (if you know of any, let me know!)  The dress that I'm going to wear has like five different styles, and there are 3 that I think would look good.  Let's have a little poll!!  There are things I like about all three!  And I can't really try them on, as they're only sold online and not in stores (They're J. Crew).  So, let me know what you think!!  (EDIT: Yes, it will definitely be in this beautiful green color!)

A).  Strapless

B). Thin Straps

C). Thick straps

TELL ME WHATCHA THINK!

Sensations

Last night, when I couldn't sleep, I leaned onto my pillow and stared out of my window and into the woods.  I got the biggest urge to open the window and climb out onto the roof (it has no screen).  So, I did it.  I didn't contemplate it, worry about how steep the roof is, think about mosquitos or anything.  I sat on the roof in just a tank top and underwear for about 10 minutes and listened to the sound of night.  After awhile, I got kind of heartsick and I couldn't figure out why... and then it hit me like a ton of bricks - this is what camp sounded like at night.  (Probably what everywhere sounds at night- but when do you actually go out and listen to it?)  

You know, I only worked at that camp for 8 weeks, but honestly, I think that summer was one of the best summers of my entire life (which is a lot to say, because it's the only summer out of the last 9 that I haven't gone to PACAA- it was my year off that I was required to take).  It's funny how when new people come to PACAA, as staff members, they say that wish they could have been a part of it when they were younger.  And I understood what they meant, but didn't know how it felt.  When I started working at this camp in 2007, I was so lost, nervous, didn't know anyone except one person, and terrified of screwing up.  But, I learned the ropes, worked hard, and had way more fun than I ever expected I would.  And then, I felt the same feeling that had been described to me - a sad sense of "How did I just NOW find this place and these people?"  

Sadly, I'll never go back to work there again.  It's just that one summer, perfectly etched into my memory - The smell of campfire burned into my clothes, hair, and nose...bug spray, walking by the laundry room to a blast of fresh, clean scented air.  The generic taste of food cooked for 200, amazing banana boats, and iced coffee- sipped while lounging on a log-bench on the back porch or riding with friends on the curved back roads.  The feeling of sweat dripping down my neck from hairline to t-shirt collar, the refreshing jolt of jumping into the roped off lake waters, and hot wax burning my fingers as I hold a small candle and sing soft songs.  The sight of fog in the morning after a rain, the view from the top of the small mountain hiked with 16 ten year olds, twelve colorful sailboats gliding across the lake, hundreds of girls circled around tables- hands pressed against each others.  And the sounds... the waters lapping the shore at a waterfront campfire, bathroom doors slamming shut in the middle of the night, a camp-full of girls singing in unison, the blast of an airhorn off in the distance, and of course, the sound of the night; a lullaby that eventually becomes so normal that you welcome its soothing whine.  So much so, that when you leave it behind for an indoor bed, the silence seems deafening.  

These are the memories I have, and the things I miss.

Quick Post

Of course, I expected to come across a few items while packing that would cause me to sit back and let my mind wander. I love, love, LOVE finding little "Liam things" amongst my belongings. I have a Liam Box that has most of the pictures he's drawn me, photos of us together, dinosaurs that were gifts from Liam (and eventually the Kanes after he passed away). However, there are a few things floating around that I often forget about. Tonight I was packing up most of the books from my bookshelf and came across a tiny book titled "Wishes for you, Graduate". I am trying to give away some of my books to Goodwill, because I just have way too many, but I've been checking the insides of some to make sure they aren't inscribed with anything. When I opened this book, the millisecond that I saw the handwriting, I immediately remembered who it was from! In the front cover are these words:

"Dear Kristen,
Congratulations! My children look up to you! You are truly a gift to us. Don't ever lose that special compassion and spirit that you have!
We love you,
Andrea, Kevin, Liam, and Alli
June 2005"

The Kanes gave me this book at my high school graduation party, along with a beautiful card that is in my Liam Box (Liam wrote "I love you. -Liam" in his huge, scrawling just-five year old handwriting). This was 2 months after Liam relapsed, and about 5 months before he passed away. Here is a photo from that day-















I am so thankful to have so many photos, drawings, and other little things from Liam. One question that you guys might be able to help me with, though - I have this beautiful coloring page that Liam colored for me with Crayola Markers. It's on a coloring book page - so it's that thin, greyish paper. I have it framed, and keep it out of the sunlight completely, but it's definitely fading. (It's about 4 years old now). I was wondering - does anyone know of anyway that I might be able to preserve it? I've already scanned it into my computer, so that I'll always have it, but I love the orginial, and often touch the back of it, as I hope that it still has Liam's fingerprints on it, and that can be comforting at times.

Any ideas? Let me know!

Late Night

It bothers me when my eyes and body are very tired and halfway asleep, yet my brain is wide awake.  It's odd - you would think that your body would just shut your brain down so that you can get some sleep, but that's not the case with me tonight.  Instead, I'm sitting in my bed, 2:30 in the morning, yawning so much my eyes are tearing.  But, every time I lay down, my mind races with thoughts, worries, etc.  How will I pay for this or that, how am I going to find a summer job in a state that has the 4th highest unemployment rate in the nation, how in the world am I going to get everything packed in 7 days, boy, the more I think about it, the worse my elbows itch.

And so on.

There is a really neat poster on my wall.  I got it the first time I visited Burlington, VT and stayed with Rachel in her dorm.  Here is what it says:

For every girl who is tired of acting weak when she is strong, there is a boy tired of appearing strong when he feels vulnerable.

For every boy who is burdened with the constant expectation of knowing everything, there is a girl tired of people not trusting her intelligence.

For every girl who is tired of being called over-sensitive, there is a boy who fears to be gentle, to weep.

For every boy for whom competition is the only way to prove his masculinity, there is a girl who is called unfeminine when she competes.

For every girl who throws out her E-Z-Bake Oven, there is a boy who wishes to find one.

For every boy struggling not to let advertising dictate his desires, there is a girl facing the ad industry's attacks on her self-esteem.

For every girl who takes a step toward her liberation, there is a boy who finds the way to freedom a little easier.

This poster is so true.  I took a class once called "Gender, Crime, & Deviance".  It was probably the most interesting class I've taken.  We talked a lot about crime and gender, but the more interesting part of the class was just deviance and gender.  We talked a lot about masculinity and how boys/men have an extremely hard time acting un- masculine.  We talked for a long time whether this was due to biological factors ("must act masculine to attract a mate and reproduce") or whether it was more due to social factors ("I have seen every male human in my life act like this, so I should act like this too")  

My mind wanders to PACAA and Leaders.  I remember very vividly, before I attended my first PACAA at age 13, that we had a meeting one week and our advisor sat us all down to let us know exactly what PACAA would be like.  We would live in dorms, eat at the cafeteria, we would need to bring a fan, notebook, snacks, etc.  For a moment, she breezed by the topic that PACAA could get very emotional for some people.  

Let me back up for a second.  At age 13, my family considered me an emotional wreck.  However, I was actually quite outwardly emotionally stunted.  I've had interesting conversations with my therapist about this.  When I was a kid and preteen, I cried at everything that wasn't worth crying about (I still do this sometimes).  However, I specifically remember bad things happening, sad things happening, and I couldn't cry.  The tears just never came, even though my body felt like that was what it should be doing.

So back to PACAA.  Our advisor was discussing how at PACAA, sometimes it can be very emotionally-charged.  I scoffed at this, not understanding why it would be.  My advisor mentioned that there are often grown men and teenage boys who cry.  I remember the instant that I heard those words - I was shocked!  Men crying?!  And not at a funeral or otherwise awful event?  I left the meeting wondering what in the world could bring grown men to tears at this Y camp that was supposed to be a week of fun.  I was embarrassed for them, and I still hadn't even attended yet.  (How sad..)  I remember telling my mom about our meeting and that she'd have to go in for a parent meeting as well.  I told her all about the camp and that THERE WILL BE BOYS CRYING!  I still don't understand why it was so weird for me, something I was stuck on.

Of course, I attended PACAA that year and had an amazing time, shed a few tears myself, caught the PACAA Bug and never looked back.  I quickly got over my shock at a room full of 140 people showing actual emotion, and began to understand more about boys and people in general as the years went on.  Why was it okay for these guys to talk about how they're really feeling at this camp, but not in school or at home, or hanging out with their friends?  To this day, when I am at a leaders function, it still baffles me a little bit that our perfect little Leaders world allows for such emotion from both genders.  And not only that, but so much love and kindness and willingness to see past differences.  I truly would not be the person I am today if it weren't for that program.  

I think I may finally be able to fall asleep.  The clock struck 3...

3 photos

Photo #1 : Taken from the plane last Friday, somewhere over southeast Pennsylvania.  The clouds were awesome!  Sorry the photo is so dark- it was super blown out, and this was the best touchup job I could do with the little time I had!

Photo #2 : My grandmother and I at Meg's graduation party.  This woman is one of the most amazing women in the entire world.  She is a 3 time cancer survivor (all different types)!  She is 83 years old and still enjoys going out on the boat, spending time with family at gatherings, and cooking a mean turkey dinner.  ;-)

Photo # 3 : I took this at the beach today.  I was laying with my head facing the ocean, and noticed in the reflection of my sunglasses, that I could see my mom.  I also thought it was cool that you could still see Meghan through the glasses (she's wearing a pinkish/orange beach dress)

This trip home has been totally awesome and rejuvenating!  We've been keeping ourselves busy and having fun ever since I got here, and I almost don't want to go back to NC (because that  means it's time to look for a job!)  On Saturday, Meghan's graduation party was a lot of fun, and I am so, so proud of her for graduating cum laude!  The party was a blast, it was great to see my family and teach my mom and family how to play cornhole!

Action-shot to prove it!  Mom & Uncle Clarke.

Well, I am incredibly burned (crispy, really) so I'm off to apply some aloe and switch to a shirt that has no itchy tag in the back!  

Freshman Year Friends

Last Wednesday we had an awesome cookout/Liz's graduation party.  We invited a lot of people who we were friends with from freshman year, and people that Liz has known over her years at UNCG.  It was so much fun!  We took this photo of all of us who lived in the same dorm freshman year- Charles, Alva, Me, Jess, Liz, and Kyla.  It was so good to catch up and reminisce about all of the CRAZY things we did freshman year.  I was reminded of a quote from Tom Petty: 

"You have four years to be irresponsible here. Relax. Work is for people with jobs. You'll never remember class time, but you'll remember time you wasted hanging out with your friends. So, stay out late. Go out on a Tuesday with your friends when you have a paper due Wednesday. Spend money you don't have. Drink 'til sunrise. The work never ends, but college does..."

So many great times!  Of course, I was not nearly as irresponsible as the quote implies, but I do like the last line.  I need to write down all of our stories and crazy adventures some time, because I don't ever want to forget them!

Makenzie

I am home.  The flight was quick and easy and less than an hour long.  It almost seems a waste to pay that much to fly for 50 minutes, but then I remember that the drive is 8+ hours depending on traffic, and it's all worth it.  I sat next to the sweetest old lady, who chatted with me about the weather in North Carolina, college life, and her grandchildren.  

I also just wanted to stop in to request some prayers/good thoughts for little Makenzie.  I've been following her since she was diagnosed in late 2007.  She is currently in a medically induced coma because when she is conscious she continues to have seizures over and over.  The doctors diagnosed her with HLH, which from my understanding (and some help from my mom, the lab tech) is an issue where your bone marrow attacks your immune system and begins to shut down your organs.  Kenzie is already on dialysis.  This sweet little girl's birthday is on Sunday - she is going to be 5.  Please stop by and leave her mom some encouragement, as she is also having an extremely difficult time being away from her other two daughters (and one is a brand new baby- only a few weeks old!)  

5-15-09

Tomorrow (Friday) I'm flying home and I can't wait to be there.  There's something about flying into Philly for me... something I've done a few times a year for the last 4 years.  I know the airport like the back of my hand, and since I always fly South.west, I could walk to the baggage claim with my eyes closed!  I love the drive from the airport back to Wilmington...away from the city, by the marina that's owned by my friend's grandfather, through the slums of Chester that are on the side of I-95 (not beautiful, but still, a part of the area between Philly and Wilmington).  

For some reason, in the last week or so, I've been having to explain to a lot of different people where exactly Wilmington, Delaware is located.  And not just where the city of Wilm. is located in the state, but like, what states surround DE.  Do people really not know their geography that badly?  I had two people ask me if Delaware bordered New York, and one person ask if "that big bay splits Delaware and New Jersey" .....

___________________________

Those awesome Mac commercials will never, ever get old!  There's so many, and each one is even more clever than the one before it.

___________________________

The Grey's Anatomy season finale was tonight.  I cried like a baby - but was surprised when, within the first few minutes of the show, one of the surgeons preparing to do a Neuroblastoma tumor surgery.  In my opinion, the more Neuroblastoma and pediatric cancer is thrust into the spotlight, the more attention and funding it will eventually receive.  Yes, there are statistically more Breast Cancer cases, but B.C. has a much higher survival rate.  It's also important to talk about the pediatric cancers that may have technically less cases (as opposed to Leukemia, for example).  More attention = hopefully more funding for research/treatments!

__________________________

I'm off to finish my laundry and start packing up!  I'll be back on Wednesday, and I'll be sure to check in sometime over the weekend.  On Saturday the plan is to take my grandparents to the WWII memorial in Washington, DC.  My grandmother's brother died while in training for the war, so it's very important to her.  I'll be sure to bring my camera!

Unlikely Friends

Tonight I hung out for the last time this semester with my friend Haley.  I love unlikely friends!  What I mean by that is: people who, upon meeting them, you would never, ever under any circumstances, expect to become friends with!  Haley is a freshman on our rugby team, and is younger that my sister, Kelsey.  When I first met her, I thought she was loud and obnoxious and distracting at practice.  However, over the course of this semester, somehow she has become one of my closest friends on the team!  I now know how to handle her loudness at practice, and understand her much better.  And she is wicked fun to be around!  I am totally pumped because in the fall, she will actually be my co-captain.  I'm so proud of her, she is a pleasure to be on the field with.  She's from Minnesota, so she's going back home tomorrow.  I'll miss her this summer!

To Anonymous: The song in the slideshow is called 'He Lives in You (Reprise)' and is from the musical The Lion King.  The song is special to the Kane family because while the Kanes were traveling to MSKCC in New York City to seek out treatments for Liam's relapsed NB, they got tickets to The Lion King on Broadway, and Liam and Ali were able to sit through the whole show!  This song was played at Liam's viewing and at the reception after his funeral.  It is so perfect for him, and all of the beautiful little ones lost to this disease.

Slideshow

Tonight I actually got around to checking out the slideshow capabilities in the new iPhoto.  I learned two things - the first is that you should always export the video in the largest size possible!  (The photos came out looking pretty fuzzy, and that was medium because I wasn't sure what I should pick!)  And secondly- I learned you can add video into the slideshow, but after waiting an hour and ten minutes for Youtube to upload the video, I decided it was too late, and I'd have to remember it for next time.  

I really like the slideshow option though, there are some neat templates and you can choose a song or use one of the preloaded random ones.  To test it out, I used photos from my album of Liam pictures... just because those photos are ones I don't mind watching over and over while I try to get the slideshow right!  The only thing I don't like is that as each photo ends, right before the next one pops up, the colors do this little blip thing... I can't figure out why.

Top Ten

So Olivia over at Scraps of Magic made a post the other day about her top ten favorite songs right now, and I felt like being a copy cat!  Music is so important to me, and I can be totally obsessive about some tunes (first thing I play in my iPod in the car, first thing I play on my computer while reading blogs/checking up on friends).  So, here is my top ten list for the last few weeks.  They're in no certain order!

1. Same Page (Virginia Coalition)

2. Winter Song (Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson)

3. Have a Little Faith in Me (John Hiatt)

4. Jesus Etc. (Wilco)  

5. Just Fine (Mary J. Blige)

6. Two Prince (Spin Doctors)  

7. The Promised Land (Bruce Springsteen)  

8. What Sarah Said (Death Cab for Cutie)

9.  The Babysitter's Here (Dar Williams)  

10. Swing Life Away (Rise Against)

As for the Spin Doctors song, yes, its from the 90s, and yes, you remember it!  "If you, want to call me baby, just go ahead now".  The Bruce song - I've been on a Boss kick ever since the concert (which was FANTASTIC!)  The Dar Williams song is amazing and makes me feel so good inside - it's about a little girl who loves her babysitter      :-)

Dear Diary

I recently rediscovered one of my childhood diaries.  It was a diary I received for Christmas in 5th grade, so I was 10 when I began writing in this one.  I keep going back to re-read some of the pages, because I can't believe what I was writing at such a young age.  I often wrote about trivial things, such as the happenings at the house next door (my neighbor cleaning his pool...how exciting), arguments I had gotten in with my friends, birthday parties, etc.  But there are a few entries that just pull at my heart.  

February 6, 1998

Mommy and Daddy are always fighting and ignoring each other (I drew a sad face after that sentence).  I want them to get separated but at the same time I like living in one house.  I don't like to see them cry.  I don't like when my Dad yells at me.  I don't know what to think.  I am confused.  Talk to ya later.  Kristen

There was also a time when I was younger when I fully embraced my religion - I enjoyed going to church and Sunday School and learning about the Bible.  Even though I am no longer religious, as a kid, it was easy and something for me to cling to.  In one entry in this diary, I copied a verse from the Book of Matthew (something about "What God has joined together, let no one separate.  etc)  After the verse, I put an arrow and the words "My parents must not be too religious".  

Lastly, this entry, which I wrote at age 14:

4/21/01

Dear Journal,

My dad is moving out and I hope we can stay in our house!  I love this house and I do not want to leave it.  I like my back porch and my back yard the best.  I don't know why my Mom and Dad can't just make up.  Everyone keeps saying that things will be better once my Dad moves, but I don't see how it will be better if me and Kelsey have to go see him somewhere else and leave my mom all alone.  The best solution = them staying together!  They should not get a divorce!  Okay, I have to go help clean the bathroom.  See ya later.  Kristen."

There are other entries that make me tear up a little as well, but I'll leave those for another time.  

Of course, at age 22, I now fully commend my mother and understand why she left my dad, but even to this day, I daydream about what my life would be like had they never gotten a divorce.  

I was telling a friend of mine the other day about this video camera I bought when I was 14.  I saved up money for months and finally had enough to buy it.  I bought it about a month before my parents divorced and we moved to a new neighborhood.  One of the first things I did with my new video camera was walk through every inch of the house we were living in, documenting each room, each hanging picture, each piece of furniture.  My commentary is kind of depressing, because I say which piece of furniture is going with which parent... but I love to watch that video, it brings back so many memories - good and bad - and I am thankful for it all.

no title needed

There's a lot going on right now.

First of all, I'd just like to say that I enjoy reading blogs where people make funny posts and keep things very light-hearted, but that's never been my style, and for me, blogging has never been something that I do to produce something for others to read.  I like that others read my blog, but that's not the purpose of it.  My blogging (although it wasn't called that) goes back to 2002 (September 26th, to be exact), when you still needed an invite code to get a Livejournal (thanks Dan G.!), and even back then, blogging was about having somewhere to dump my thoughts and record my daily life, as boring as it might have been (and still is).  (note: after writing that last sentence, I went to my very first livejournal and started to read from the beginning... an hour and a half later... I'm back.  ha)

I failed my statistics class.  It's a devastating blow, really.  My grades this semester are 4 A's, a B+, and an F.  I've never actually failed a class before, and it's terrifying and depressing.  Am I really that bad at math?  I did all of my assignments, studied, went to tutor sessions...  It's really scaring me, especially because statistics is actually utilized in grad school, and I'm applying in January...  (UNCG, Virginia Tech, and University of Delaware).  My plan is to re-take it in the fall, and the grade will replace it (and my GPA will go back up once the F is replaced) but I am just in shock, really.  I don't fail classes...ever...

My last final was today, and I left the final feeling happy, and then completely overwhelmed with everything that "summer" brings.  Pressure to find a job, pressure to begin packing my stuff to move, etc.  

Today would have been Christine's 20th birthday.  Happy birthday, friend... we all miss you down here so much.

The Finish Line

Only two more days until this semester is over for me.  Yesterday was the last day of classes, and I have two finals tomorrow and on on Friday.  Of course, it's not that simple - tonight is our rugby banquet, and tomorrow my research paper is due, along with a study session with a friend for my final on Friday.  But, on Friday sometime around 1:30 I will leave UNCG's campus and be officially finished with this semester.  It's weird to see all of my friends who I have been here for 4 years with all graduating, but I still wouldn't change the decision I made to stay home last semester if someone gave me the chance.

I'm still looking for a job.  The prospects are sucking... no one needs nannies or childcare, because so many people in NC have been laid off (we have the 4th highest unemployment rate in the US right now!) and also because childcare is expensive - and leaving your kids with their grandmother/extended family is such a cheaper option!  I was really hoping I could find SOMETHING.  I think I'm going to call the Y tomorrow and see if they're hiring anyone last minute for any summer camps or anything.  I could always go home and get a job- there are a few places that I know would hire me for the summer, but I really wanted to stay in Greensboro.

I'm moving in three weekends... there is so much to pack and organize and throw out.  Also, I'm getting a new desk from IKEA - oddly enough, my roommate-to-be Kim picked out the same one from the online catalogue.  It matches my dresser and bedside tables perfectly:

That photo is rather large.  But, you get the idea.  I like it because there's lots of room for storage and plus the white rectangle on the right is a white board/magnetic.  All I need now is a solution for where to put my printer.  That always seems to be the one thing I can't find a place for in my bedroom!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

Text from my mom this morning at 11:42: "MY SCANS ARE CLEAR- NO EVIDENCE OF RECURRENCE!!  YIPPEE!!!!"

I am so relieved!!  Now maybe I'll actually get some sleep at night!  Thank God this news came before finals, because I've been thinking about it pretty much all day ever since her scans.  I AM SO HAPPY!!!!

JUDY IS TOO STRONG AND AMAZING FOR YOU, CANCER!!!!!!!  You can stay away forever!!!!!

I Just Want to Hear Some Rhythm

My roommate won tickets to the Bruce Springsteen concert tonight in Gboro.  She asked me to go with her, and I'm super excited!  Bruce is someone I've always wanted to see, but never wanted to shell out $100 for a ticket, plus they sell out wicked fast.  I've been getting in the mood by playing some of my favorite songs by The Boss!

So that's the plan for tonight.  

Tomorrow should be full of editing my big research paper, rewriting parts of it, doing a bit more research.  My paper is titled "The Psychosocial Effects on the Family of Pediatric Cancer".  It's been very eye-opening to read the research and write the paper.  One big surprise I found is the possible POSITIVE effects on the family of having a child with cancer.  Of course, hearing that your child has cancer is never a positive experience, but the positive things that could possibly come out of the experience include: strengthening of family relationships, greater appreciation for life, and a child who is independent and responsible.

Of course, I'm sure that having a healthy child without those positive things completely outweighs the latter, but nonetheless, the paper has been interesting to write, and is something I have enjoyed researching and working on.  My professor was surprised when I requested it as my topic, but I told her - the more people write about this topic and raise awareness that pediatric cancer actually exists and is something that is dealt with by every-day families, the more much-needed attention it will get!  

So, with that, I'm off to shower and get ready for a fun night!

427th Post!

Beautiful...but I don't miss it at all!

I found some long lost photos from when we had our "Big Snow" last Feb. (or March?)  They are beautiful, but I am so happy that summer is almost here.  Our winter was incredibly long this year and dreary/depressing.  I've been waiting for this sunshine for months!