Twenty.

On the eleventh of September in the year twenty-thirteen, I gallantly stepped out of teenagedom and joined the twenty-somethings.

-My heart goes out to those hurting on that day-

Thanks for making me feel extra special Chels!

September 11th

My man and I had ourselves a picnic under about as many trees as the stars in the sky,

and for dinner, dressed up like dolls for a fancy grown-up date...

...where we ordered not entrees that were too fancy to correctly pronounce, but a burger and sandwich-both with a side of American french fries...

...where I got a free red velvet cupcake, and Alexxander had to pull out his Zippo to reignite the flame-yes, in the middle of the restaurant...

...and of course, where Alexxander re-purposed silverware into drumsticks

September 13th 

My handsome and I headed to Nana's & Papa's

I made up a game called, "I'm Alexx".

I had to first dress like him and then the game began.

I would mockingly start each sentence off with, "I'm Alexx and I __________."

The blank would be filled with an exaggerated statement. 

( ie. "I'm Alexx and I wear sleevless red shirts to show off my guns" )

I went on for quite a while with plenty of things to fill in the blank and each sentence would be stated in an obnoxious deeper tone of voice.

This game is recommended for ages 4+

September 14th

The party shall soon begin

Look what I found downstairs the next morning!

Everything tastes better in Nana's kitchen. Literally.

Truth: One cannot spend "enough" time at Nana's and Papa's

Remember my idea for a Tipi Party? Well...IT HAPPENED!

Honestly did not think it was happening on the basis of, I tend to have overly ambitious ideas that cannot be executed in a timely manner.

Often.

But alas!

The dream of such a party came to life...twenty minutes before guests began to arrive.

DIY: Tipi

Menards

Metal piping

$1.87 ea

Goodwill // Thrift // Antique 

Navajo blankets

Aztec Pattern Spreads

(Fabric patterns can also be found at various crafts stores although more pricey)

Additional supplies:

Duck-tape

Twine

Scissors

>> Lay the pipes on the ground around the area you wish to display the Tipi

>> On each pipe (I had six pipes total and it was about 9 ft tall and about 5 ft wide) wrap a piece of ducktape about 6 in or so from the top and make sure you create a loop with the duck-tape. (To do this rip a a piece of duck-tape a little bit longer than needed to wrap around the pipe and stick the adhesive sides of the tape to one another-creating a loop)

>> Intertwine the twine (no pun intended) through each loop over-and-under style while all the pipes are still laying on the ground

>> Stand the pipes up (a two-person job) and spread them apart as wide as they'll go. You can adjust the width of each gap to make an entryway wherever desirable

>>Duck-tape frenzy begins. Duck-tape the blankets to the poles (especially at the top and bottom) and to one another (on the inside of the Tipi)

As night neared, we bundled up-not in blankets because they were all selfishly hung on the Tipi of course, but in winter-like layers around a "roaring fire".

(Alexx promised a "roaring fire" in the posted invitation...but I think everyone missed his sarcasm as, the fire consisted of as many small logs as a metal rim taken from a compact car could fit.)

When skies began to deeply darken, the party got increasingly smaller, but the laughs got increasingly louder.

Maybe it was because we were gathered around the fire until two-thirty in the morning or maybe we were just that hilarious.

These five men are easily my favorite kinds of the male species

September 15th

Marks the second year Alexx and I have been together

He is God's greatest gift to me aside from salvation itself

The sweetest anniversary gifts from the sweetest of gentlemen.

(He better be truly thankful I don't expect diamonds and rubies on such occasions!)

And instead of another expensive dinner, we had a date night in with Mac&Cheese (80 cents a box combined with BOGO...now, that's what I call living) and Life of Pi.

Surprises, hugs, laughs, and too much food = an impeccable birthday week.

That's right fellas.

All women are eligible to partake in their own birthday week and drag you into it.

Annually.

This past week I lived out a cliche. 

If you set you're mind to it, you can do it.

And in all honesty, cliches are no longer cliche if brought into existence.

Limit Less

God is looking for people through whom He can do the impossible. 

What a pity that we plan only things we can do by ourselves.

 -AW Tozer

Pack up only what you can carry.

Then leave.

'If only I could right?'- a question I often ask myself.

But last night, I had a sort of revelation. 

I could.

I literally could pack up some bags and physically leave. 

Too often, a voice of doubt in my head tells me of all the impossibilities in which my aspirations dare to dream. 

Last night was different. 

I was driving home and dreaming of possibilities that seem far too out of reach. 

I realized last night how much I've been enclosing possibilities, how much I've essentially been limiting a limitless God.

It would in theory, be amazing to set out into the unknown and embark on an adventure of a lifetime, for a lifetime. 

And I believe that that's what God has in store for me, but not in the way I may have in my head.

For so long, the image of leaving for an adventure of a lifetime looked something like this:

And, although, this is still undeniably appealing to my eyes and heart, I know God's plans are bigger and better than my own.

We are far too easily pleased. God wants better things for us. He finds our desires not too strong, but too weak.

-CS Lewis

My Cup of Tea in Films:

Indie // Drama // Inspiration

Book > Movie

Book > Movie

Before I knew truly knew Jesus, I genuinely aspired to a life like that of Alexander Supertramp.

After developing a relationship with my Maker, He revealed to me that I don't have to run away from this life He's so graciously given to me to find freedom and purpose.

But, I do have to abandon my selfish desires and hand over my sense of control to the Author of life.

We are all of rebellious nature, each with a different color of expression. 

-BIE

True liberation is not something that we can discover as mere humans.

It takes divine intervention and an earnest heart. 

He liberates the enslaved, unbinds the chained and gives rest to the one who labors.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.

-Romans 8.28

Believe the unbelievable

>>

Hope for the impossible

<<

Live with purpose greater than yourself

Intense. Like Camping.

Labor Day:

Celebration of the American labor movement in dedication to social and economic achievements of workers.

A yearly tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of their country.

Labor Day Weekend // Twenty-thirteen

As I briefly mentioned in last week's post, my long weekend was to consist of firewood, laughs, food and lots of unidentified insects...and it did.


OH!
And thanks to the magnificence of Stevie's motherly ways (although yet to be a mother),
1/3 of unnecessary items I was planning on bringing were removed from my bags.
 I guess I was incapable after all of following that simple check list from my last post.

A little over a decade ago was the last time I roughed it in the woods and honestly, all I remember was sleepless nights awaiting a mountain lion (back when I lived in California, so it's not much of an exaggeration this time!)
to rip open my tent just to find my appetizing self in the fetal position. 

And a decade later, not much has changed.
Except for the part about the mountain lion.
That'd be ridiculous. This is the Midwest folks.
Spiders, Coyotes, raccoon, wolves, and monsters are all we have to keep watch for in this region.
Yes, monsters included.

My fondest companions Kyndrick, Alexx, and Stevie
bright and early, first thing in the morning...meaning, around the crack of noon.

Decor.
Courtesy of Kyndrick's mushroom picking accompanied by Stevie and I's foliage gathering.



The first morning consisted of homemade banana pancakes you hear about in one of Jack Johnson's most popular hits and some good 'ol fashioned geode hunting

"Panacakes"- The proper pronunciation of "pancakes" according to Stevie Lynn.

 

Thanks to Mr. Hodson, we cracked open every

geode found and were left with a hatchet that has reached 

its time.

Also, he found us a turtle.

Kyndrick is blessed with really awesome gifts like,
being a jack of all trades first off, but also, finding things that no one else could find unless they gave their all as if their life was on the line.
I, however, am very much like Alexx, as we are the embodiment of Murphy's law.
So,
 after constructing a barricade around the turtle composed of stacked firewood, two large water packages, and a tarp duffle bag, I confidently left the area for less than ten minutes to find that the turtle had escaped.

Literally.

Not an original photo.
And yes, I failed to capture a close up of the stinkin' turtle because I thought it would be around longer than it was.



To top off losing a turtle within minutes, I was approached by one elderly Sheriff and surrounded by three law enforcement officers.

Explanation:
He thought I was a blonde-haired runaway.

Come to find out, I do not have blonde hair and last time I checked, I am not a fugitive.

After exploring the land and melting from the heat, us couples ventured around on row boats!

For your enjoyment, I present to you

Alexxander

with a mastery in spontaneous story-telling:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/b71t045b3nqvhqu/VIDEO0023.mp4

A Labor Day weekend well-spent indeed.











And to those monsters out there who dared to creep around my tent all night Sunday,
I would've torched you.