I know you’ve all been wondering where I’ve been. Why I don’t post more often? Well, the answer is simple: I’ve been too busy hanging out with my awesome friend, Heather. I mean, if you had a friend like Heather, you’d want to spend all of your time with her too. Trust me.
Sorry for that brief interruption, my computer was hijacked. If you can’t tell, she’s very humble. It's one of her spiritual gifts. Anyway, the point I was getting to is that I had to leave you with a bit of suspense to keep you coming back for more. And look what happened. Here you are, soaking up every word I've written. I have no doubt that you will be completely awed by my exciting adventures in the Palouse.
After much thought (which you know means a lot), I ‘ve compiled a list of the Top 5 events of the past two months. Let the entertainment begin.
5. Trip to Texas. After 2 months, I returned to the Promised Land. And for the best of reasons: my cousin’s wedding!. It was one of those flying, whirlwind trips where you think “did that really happen or was it a dream?” But, I packed in all that I wanted to do in a mere 3 days. I ate Mexican food, Praise the Lord. I had Sonic Happy Hour. I ate Chick-fil-A breakfast. Oh…wait, I did other things besides eat :) I was so thankful to be able to see some dear friends and get some really wonderful family time that I had been seriously missing. I even convinced a few friends to get up super early and drive me to the airport on Sunday morning so I could see them; they're what I like to refer to as DGF's. However, nothing in my life would be complete without some kind of random adventure. I’m kind of a novice at this whole flying thing, especially when it comes to connecting flights. I thought I had planned really well by scheduling an hour and a half layover both ways. On the way the Houston, easy peasy. No big deal. But on the way back to Spokane…oh my. My flight landed in Denver with plenty of time to spare, but, we sat on the runway for about…40 minutes. I sat and watched minutes tick by on my watch. I don’t know if you’ve ever had this experience, but it’s absolutely the worst. When people finally started getting off, I had 15 minutes until my next flight left…35 gates away. And, at the Denver airport that’s a solid half a mile. So, what’s a girl to do? SPRINT. Y’all, I am not a runner, so for me to sprint was a fall miracle. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I just need you have a mental image of me at this point: imagine me running full force through the airport, pushing people out of my way…suitcase rolling/turning over behind me, bag falling off my shoulder, glasses falling off my face, sweat pouring down my temple, hardcore panting. It was like running a marathon, in boots. At one point, I heard a man say to his wife, “Bless her heart.” Cool. I thought I would NEVER get there. But, when I finally made it to my gate, they were doing the whole “last boarding call” thing. Y’all, I have never been so happy to be somewhere in my life. I wanted to kiss the man at the gate. I was the definition of a hot mess, but nevertheless, I made it. My travel adventures will continue next week…so stay tuned.
4. Halloween. Let me start off my saying that I dressed up not once, but twice this year. You see, there’s this part of my heart that has been missing since I moved to the Great Northwest: dressing up for costume parties. So, of course, I took full advantage of this holiday. On Saturday before Halloween, a bunch of us from Resonate served pancakes on Greek Row to students going to and from different parties. A requirement was that we dress up. Ok, not a requirement, but it was in my mind. Despite not having my stash of costumes, I had the puurrrfect costume waiting for me. Of course, I donned by leopard footie pajamas and a glittery leopard mask and wa-la. Costume, check. However, much to my surprise, the best part of the night was not my costume.. but my friend, Rachel, who dressed up as…. ME. Her boyfriend, Craig, also dressed up as my co-intern, Jordan. It was absolutely hilarious. They both acted like us and talked like us all night. Last year, my friend Shannon dressed up as me. I don’t know if I should take it as a compliment or an insult that people think it’s funny to dress up like me…but I’m gonna go with compliment. It just means I’m really loved, right? Moving on to actual Halloween, I went to a party at the Big Haus where Heather lives. This party had a theme: royalty. Themed parties are my fave. However, I have to give credit to Heather for coming up with the idea for my costume. I could have been a princess or a queen or something else lame and typical.. but, drum roll please….I went original…I was…a drama queen. Like, OMG. It was totes the best ever. Basically, I got to be an over the top version of myself and I got second place in the costume contest. I know I was really the winner in everyone’s heart. I mean really, what’s not to love about me? ;)
3. Apple Orchard. I could easily make a list of things I never knew before I moved here, but I think this one would top it. I had no idea that the majority of apples you buy at the store come from orchards in Washington. Crazy. So, one afternoon, a group of us went to pick our very own apples and make our very own apple cider. It was by far one of the most fun things I have ever done. I felt like I was in a movie. We just walked around, picking apples off the tree and eating them as we pleased. It was kind of like being Adam and Eve in the garden. Except, with clothes, of course. We joked that some of the apples that were too high to reach were the "forbidden fruit." Anyway, back to what I was saying...I never knew anything like this existed. It’s like little parts of life that you don’t know you’re missing out on and then when you figure it out, it’s….a whole neewwww worldddd (sung in my best Aladdin voice).
2. Michael Jackson Cirque du Solei. Michael Jackson. Love. Cirque du Solei. New love. I’ve heard about Cirque for so long, so when my friends suggested that we go it took me about .5 seconds to jump on board. Let me just say it lived up to all my expectations and more. There were people flying through the air, crazy dance moves, bodies contorting in ways I didn’t know possible, and the coolest costumes these eyes have ever seen. To say the least, I was mesmerized the entire time. I found myself thinking, I could totally do that whole flying through the air and moving in sync thing. They make it look so easy! But, then I remembered how coordinated I am and decided that probably wasn't my brightest idea. I’m trying to come up with words that are accurate to describe this adventure, but I can’t. So, just know that it’s incredible, and if it comes to a city near you, you should go. Plus, you’ll know all the music, which made it even better. Also, the people screaming “We love you, Michael”, like he was really there, solidify the entire experience.
1. Camping. You’re probably thinking “camping beat Michael Jackson Cirque du Solei?” but what you have to understand is that it was my first time to camp. Ever. And it was a big deal. A really big deal. I slept in a tent. Under the stars. I know you’re sitting at your computer with you jaw on the floor, thinking who is this girl? The only answer I can give you is: I don’t even know. For my very first camping experience, I wanted the real deal... and that is exactly what I got. We did all the traditional camping things: we set up tents, watched the sunset, roasted hot dogs and s’mores over a campfire, etc. All of these things were perfectly fine and normal. But, you know nothing can be perfectly fine and normal with me, especially when it comes to the great outdoors. In typical girl fashion, Heather and I wandered off in a pair to find an appropriate place to go to the bathroom, which is harder than you would think. On our walk back I heard what sounded like a very big horse pawing the ground. Being in the Idaho wilderness, the first thought in my mind was “MOOSE!” Naturally, I took off sprinting back to the campfire, leaving Heather to fend for herself, oopsies! As I relayed the story to my “friends” they proceeded to tell me terrifying tales of moose attacks. All night my mind wandered to thoughts of a moose attack on our campsite, more specifically my tent. However, around 3:00 am when the last of the mohicans were still hanging around the campfire, the truth came out. Everyone besides the Heather and I knew that one of the boys had snuck out into the woods, made the moose noise to scare us and then let me go on and on all night about it. So. Typical. Despite the moose incident, all in all, camping ended up being so much fun. In fact, I’m now considering being a camping guide…probably in the snow, like in the Cascades, in the dead of winter. It’s really my true calling in life. From now on, you should probably just refer to me as: Jamie Boyd, Fearless Wilderness Adventurer.
So there ya have it. In a nutshell at least. There has been a lot of life lived in between these events, but if I told ya every little detail, there wouldn’t be any mystery left and that would just be boring. I have to leave ya on the edge of your seat somehow, right?
Until next time,
Jamie
