A while back, I went to a restaurant in town with some of my friends.  They both got burgers and I got a veggie burger.  I was really unhappy with this because their burgers looked SO good and my veggie burger tasted sub par compared to meat.  It was maybe a month or two into my vegetarianism and I still craved meat. A lot.  I went to the same restaurant yesterday with my family.  My dad got a burger and I got a veggie burger.  I really enjoyed it and it was delicious.  My dad’s burger did not even look appetizing.  I’m really happy with this progress.  I find that this happens a lot with my changing lifestyle.  I miss something A LOT when I first give it up.  But it gets a lot better and I don’t even miss it anymore.  It just becomes a part of life.  When I first switched over to handkerchiefs, I was so sad that I would never use tissues again.  I was recently forced to use tissues for a bit due to pneumonia and no clean handkerchiefs.  I absolutely hated it.  I really like how my changes in lifestyle have become second nature and no longer take as much conscious effort as they once did.  

I finally feel like I’m DOING something to make a stand for what I believe in.  It’s a good feeling to have an impact on the campus, the community, the state.  I’m in the club EarthNow, and we’re trying to ban plastic water bottles on campus and we’re planning on going to a tar sands protest in November to encircle the white house.  I feel so empowered and that my actions can really make a difference.

I have been sick for the past three weeks (from a cold which turned into pneumonia) and I still have a cough.  Which means I have been inside taking it easy for quite some time. I MISS BEING ACTIVE.  Tomorrow I’m going back to my rock climbing class and Thursday I’m leading a hike for the outing club.  Both of which I’m super excited for.  I definitely want to bike more and I also plan on getting back into dancing shape so I can be in the nutcracker over Thanksgiving break.  I’m also excited to be able to sing again.  I’m not great at the ukulele so I use it as a way to accompany my singing. I’ve been getting really frustrated lately that I can’t sing.  I have been playing the piano in my house which has been wonderful and I’m working on my third puzzle of the semester.  I’m also rereading the harry potter series and I’m on the 4th book.  So I’m finding ways to occupy my time that don’t involve being on the computer all day.  Hopefully sickness will die out and I’ll be able to be outside more soon!

Yesterday I went for a 15 mile bike ride with my friends.  We ended up going on a path along a stream and biking to the college farm.  We stopped in a park and jumped in a stream that was about a foot deep.  A few of us ended lying down and floating along the stream for a bit which was the coolest thing ever.  Then we sat on the grass in the sun before biking back home.  Then a bunch of us made dinner and we sat in the treehouse great room telling stories and eating wonderful food. I also am in love with my “environment, culture and values” class.  My mind is blown every class we’ve had.  So far, we’ve been talking about what value is and what has value, looking at how ridiculous our society is that we measure growth based on how much stuff we buy which means how many resources we deplete from the earth.  My other classes are starting off a bit slower but seem like they’re going to be super interesting.  Living at the treehouse is great and club activities start in two weeks. Can’t wait!

1. I got to see and hang out with a bunch of my friends from home that I haven’t seen in a very long time.
2. I got a lot closer to those friends and made new ones while having a blast hanging out with them.
3. I hung out with GUYS.  At school, most of my friends are girls.  So it was definitely nice to chill with my guy friends.
4. Frisbee, video games, bowling, manhunt. Enough said.
5. I sang and wrote songs with one of my lovely friends.
6. Learned how to drive stick shift. (Apparently I’m a natural)
7. Survived being a vegetarian at home.
8. Learned how to cook some pretty tasty meals. 
9. I biked a lot more places and got to spend much more time outside.
10. I crossed off a bunch of things off the summer to do list that I made last year.
11. I got to take a bunch of road trips with a good friend from college and see a few of our other college friends.
12. I loved my job at camp and I was good at it.
13. I went back to my piano teacher for the summer and took piano and voice lessons.
14. Got to go star gazing and have deep conversations.
15. Lighting candles instead of turning on the lights

I think the best part of this summer was just the feeling of happiness.  I missed home a lot during the year and my friends and family as well.  I love that I could spend so much time with them and it was definitely a nice break from school. Just peaceful and happy and wonderful. =)

Things I bought for year two at college:

Spray febreze (since we’re not allowed aerosols in the house I’m living in next year)
An umbrella (this I feel guilty about because I lost the one I had from last year… ugh)
A planner (although I hate to use paper, I need things written down and organized) 

I’m pretty proud of myself.  In high school I would go back to school shopping and get all new stuff, even though my stuff from last year was perfectly fine. But I’m reusing the notebooks, folders and school supplies from last year.  There’s actually a lot f things that I’m not bringing back- like all the throw away bags and cleaning products my mom made me buy for last year.  So that’s a lot less stuff I have to worry about.  

I now have a wall in my room at home that has a map of the US and a map of the world.  I’m putting push pins where I’ve been.  Right now it looks pretty sad.  But I really want to travel a lot so hopefully I’ll have the opportunity to do so.  So on the rest of the wall I’m going to put pictures of the places I’ve been and tickets to events I went to there or transportation to get there. SO excited =)

My dad offered for me to bring his bike to college instead of mine.  I rode his bike to work one week while my brakes were shot and it is amazing.  I do love my bike, but there have been some issues with it recently- especially with the brakes.  They’re really squeaky, wear down quickly and really aren’t the best. That and the fact that it won’t go to the smallest gear (making hills even harder) has made me not reach for the bike handles instead of the steering wheel recently.  I’m so flattered that he even offered because he does ride his bike and it is a beauty. I’ll have to test ride it on a few errands tomorrow and see if I like it =)

For so long I’ve wanted to go back to college. Not to say I didn’t enjoy the summer, but I love college and I can’t wait to go back. That being said, I’m kind of freaking out that I go back in a week and a half.  Summer seemed like it would never end. Now I have to start packing up to leave my house and my town, my friends and my family.  I’m trying to cram everything into these last few days. My living room is being taken over by things for a yard sale. After that’s over, I need to start getting college stuff together. I don’t want to think about not seeing my friends from home anymore. I know this year will be great and I will love it. But I can’t help being stressed and sad at this point.