Mmmm, life...adventures this summer.

I've never posted much of anything about my life on gather yet, but I thought now was a good time to start.  I've been having so much fun lately, in all that I'm doing (well, except for those few hours at the end of work on Fridays that are such torture, like right now)...I've been painting again, tubing on rapids, camping with friends, swimming, taking walks, cooking dinner- just enjoying the summer months.  I didn't think I would like summer as much now that I've entered the "real world" of work and such, but I have to say, it's still pretty great.  Living in the Northeast, you really do appreciate the season a great deal no matter what.  If you don't have to shovel, it's a blessing, really ; )

But a little bit about my adventures...I went to a bridal shower way back at the beginning of May for an old friend from high school.  I hadn't seen her or a few other old friends in quite some time, so it was something of a reunion.  They held it at a Girl Scout camp in our town, which was rustic, but definitely fit my friend's personality- she's big into the outdoors and nature, so it was perfect.  We played some games, one of which my friend Meaghan and I won- and it was trivia about the bride and groom!  The groom, who I didn't have the pleasure of meeting until the wedding and the bride who I hadn't seen since high school (6 years ago)!  I also won a centerpiece, which was...well, it was a piece of work.  There was great food and I got to hang out with my friend's mom, who I have ALWAYS loved.  Plus, it got me excited for the wedding.

At the end of May, I went camping for the first time in years and years, which was soooo much fun.  We went up to Crown Point, in the Fort Ticonderoga area.  My absolute favorite part was the view from one of the piers of the mountains of both New York and Vermont reflected in the gorgeous Lake Champlain with the old white Champlain Bridge stretching across the lake.  But many other parts I loved as well.  My friend's parents came along with her family and stayed at a different campsite, but we visited them at the best times- meal times.  Her mother cooked meals over the fire my culinary skills could not touch in a fully stocked kitchen: Chicken and roasted vegetables and biscuits and mouthwatering breakfasts fit for a king.  We also had some fun of our own back at our campsite- starting and watching the fire, singing along to my brother playing guitar, tossing back a few cold ones, playing cards and just being genuinely carefree.  I woke up the first morning at about 6:30 and no one else was up.  I must admit, I did break the all-organic nature-fun boundaries and listen to my ipod, but it was great.  I had nothing to do and no obligations...I just took a long, long walk listening to music and then sat at the picnic table and wrote some poetry.  I'm definitely in love with camping : )

The day after we got back from camping, I started a class at the local community college.  I have a bachelors right now, in advertising, but I thought it'd be good to brush up on my graphic design skills, so I took their Graphics II class.  I was the only student the professor had not had before, so he was wary of me at first, I think.  But throughout the six weeks of the class, he saw that I was a hard worker and we got along great.  And that was the thing- I was a hard worker!  Taking one class at a time does not leave you burnt out after two or three weeks!  I loved it.  I designed some logos, a playing card, a postage stamp and a narrative illustration, which I'll convert to jpgs and post next week.  I really enjoyed learning and being in that environment, so it sealed my plans to pursue a graduate degree in design later on in life.  The class is over as of this week, and I got an A, which doesn't mean much when it comes to grad school, but meant a lot to me personally.

Now, back at the beginning of June, the weekend after class started, I got to go to my friend's wedding!  It was held at the Boathouse in Lake George, and it couldn't have been more beautiful.  The flower girl and ring bearer were barely old enough to walk, so everyone got a chuckle at them falling on their rumps a few times.  And at the end of the ceremony, they released butterflies, which tied in to a Native American prayer that was said.  The butterflies, though, seemed to be asleep, because they had to shake the box and then sweep them all out for them to fly!  They landed all over the happy couple as they walked back up the aisle, which was adorable.  The reception was fantastic- many more old friends were there (we all had our own table!) and I even made a couple new ones.  Near the end, they did the bouquet toss.  Now, I didn't catch the bouquet, but when everyone gathered for the garter toss, my friend pushed me into the group and said, "Hey, you're gay, you can catch it!"  And...I did.  Not to flaunt tradition, but I thought it was pretty sweet, having a girl put the garter on another girl ; )

Another adventure took place down in Phoenicia, NY on the Esopus Creek.  My friend Kelly, for her birthday, wanted a group of her friends and her to go tubing down the river...er, creek.  I was in from the get-go, because I'd been white water rafting in high school and loved it!  I met her and her fiance at their place and we drove from there, which was a long drive, but pleasant since I enjoy both of them immensely.  We got there and signed up and paid, got on a bus and trekked down to the water and got in our tubes.  Now, the water level, they had said, was low that day, but I was not prepared for how low it was!  It made some spots terrible to get over- you had to get up and walk through the rocky water because it was only a few inches deep.  But other spots, the water really was rapids and we went flying over giant rocks!  You really had to be on your game and balance to stay upright.  I kept seeing people tip or flip, and I just laughed to myself thinking how silly they were for not shifting their weight.  That was until I came to a giant rapid.  I prepared myself, but ended up going flying over it in a complete 180 turn, falling headfirst into the shallow, but fast moving creek.  If I hadn't curled up, I might've been hurt, but I had no time to think about that because when I resurfaced, my tube was about 10 feet up the creek and moving QUICKLY.  I yelled, "Somebody!  Grab that TUBE!!" and paddled over the rocks as fast as I could.  Standing up ahead, like a beacon in the night, was Alan, my friend's fiance.  He was stock still in the rushing water, and caught my tube as it got up to him.  That probably was my favorite part of the day.  I felt like he could have been a hero in a movie, with how scared I had been of losing my tube and having to swim back and then...pay for the tube.  So yes, a great day, topped off with two great meals- one at a cute little restaurant in Phoenicia and one that I made for my family that night, with recipes I found on gather!

I think that may be enough adventures for now, but I plan on writing more articles now that work has slowed down for a couple weeks.  I will post some pictures to go along with the article, too!  Probably on Monday : )  If you made it this far, you're not just a gather friend, you're a good friend.  And thanks in advance for your comments and ratings.