Day 210 7-28

Here's a picture of what kids in my family showed up in time for a picture before our last breakfast.

Day 211 7-29

I was very close to Sis Dalton during the leadership training but didn't have anything to say to her so I didn't go talk to her.

Day 212 7-30

From Jonny Seppi's wedding reception Saturday night; the rain earlier sadly made them move it all inside.

Day 213 7-31

This is what 827ish youth and 100+ adults look like gathered in the RMU arena.

Day 201

Barbara is spending the next three days camping and kayaking along the Youghiogheny river with some people from church. I was very excited about it until I got in a canoe last month and immediately flipped it. :) It'd probably be fine with another person in the boat, etc etc but I'll leave it for another time after they've worked out the bugs.

Hopefully they didn't have any problems today, we got another harsh storm through today. I was at the dollar theater and it went from sunny before the movie to cloudy after to crazy storming by the time I got out of the bathroom. I don't think it lasted that long, maybe a half hour, but who knows what they could do to a river?

Day 190

I napped away prime picture taking time after church so today's picture is from the camping trip when Barbara was attacked by a bear at the campground office.

Day 184

Sometimes you just have to cut all your hair off. Today was one of those days for me. I was just noticing a ton of split ends. It's pretty sad though in retrospect because I didn't take any pictures of my awesome new hair discovery, the sock bun. I just tried it this weekend, it was super fun and there was a lot of potential for different looks with it but now I've cut at least six inches off my hair so I'm pretty sure there's no hope of recreating it even though I can still make a high ponytail.

So today's picture is a look at my new 'do. We'll see how it looks after a washing. I'm sure it'll be a little cooler for the summer and it'll probably grow back decently fast. My hair never gets past a certain length so in the past I've thought that it grows really slow but I think it just grows as long as it does and no more. Darn genetics, it just stops a little past my shoulders, maybe mid-shoulder blade on the back. Once, after high school, I didn't get a haircut for like five years and it never got longer, though some might try to blame it on lack of maintenance breaking the hair off but I never do anything with heat or products that really beat up hair, there's no way none of it would get longer if it was going to ever.

Day 179

Today I spent the morning reading in the sun. It was a bad choice for the back of my legs. I wanted to take a picture of it, first sunburn of the season and all, but I couldn't get a good angle that showed there was a contrast rather than the color change looking like a shadow. So instead you get a clarity and HDR picture of me being grumpy after I gave up on taking the sunburn picture. Now I need to keep my legs covered until it's all better and it's going to be over 90 the next 4+ days. I guess skirts are in my future, or not going outside. I'm hoping it fixes itself after a good night's sleep.

Day 176

While there wasn't an obvious bear on the totem pole, there was a bench with carved bear armrests on the porch at the campground office. Since it was kind of crowded overall (not really in the primative camping area) and they charge for everything it wasn't my favorite camp, but the fact their office sold ice cream, slushies, and all sorts of things you might need while camping would be very convenient. Plus they had a pool and playground so I think it'd be nice for a family, cheaper than a hotel at least.

Day 172

Canoeing wasn't very successful for me, I capsized immediately. :) Barbara came to my rescue, pointing out helpful things like turn over the canoe, pick up your lunch bag before it gets lost, etc. :) It was a bit nerve-racking to be on the water, sure I'd flip over again, but luckily I'd left my phone in the car.

Here's Barbara standing dramatically in the water. I have been cured of any desire to have my own water vehicle.

Day 157

Today Mom's old home health aide came to visit. She quit to move away to Florida almost exactly two years ago. This is her first time back to Pittsburgh since then and she stopped by with Chinese food and thumbprint cookies for mom. It was very nice to hear about what she's been up to the last couple years. So today's pic is one I took when she moved away. I'll include a pic from today, too even though I didn't catch very big smiles from either of them.

Day 148

Barbara and her birthday cake. It's chocolate with layers of strawberries and whip cream. It matched her today with a red flower in her hair.

Day 139

Another busy day. Here's Rebecca Swain with her cake and Mrs. Chapman cap at the end of the bridal shower tonight.

Day 134

Happy Mother's Day! Here is Mom in the dress I made. Obviously I need more practice but it actually is pretty close to the original. I wish I had taken pics of the different stages, at one point it was about two feet too long in front and back. Mom was half a foot shorter than me when standing so it was super too long. I'd like to try to make a more fitted dress in the future. It's hard because Mom just sits or lays so dresses never sit really well on her.

Day 123

Not the best picture but today on a total waste of time misadventure to Wintersville, OH I did a bit of geocaching in Steubenville, OH. Here I am outside Fort Steuben, the gateway to the west where the land office was for the Northwest Territories were given to veterans of the Revolutionary War.

This is the biggest cache I've found and it was full of stuff to choose from. I picked a pen and gave up my pen. It turned out the one I grabbed while nice to look at was totally dead. I may try to find another pen that'll fit in it just because it's a nice green pen with a picture and scripture on it.

If it had been ten degrees, or maybe even five, cooler or not sunny I could think of the day as not a waste of time. I got a bit miserable toward the end from being so hot and sweaty and unsuccessful in my search for geocaches. It turns out the reason I went to Wintersville was rescheduled for two weeks from now so I just have to come back and it left me kind of angry. It didn't help that the leader there seemed to have no idea who I was or why I'd be at New Beginnings. :p I saw lots of good things and accomplished some shopping I'd meant to do so it was hardly a total loss. Just stupid that I didn't email to make sure it was happening or go with my original lazy feeling last night that said ugh, I don't want to drive an hour over there...