Genuine Heatwave

Bangerang!

It's summertime hardcore in the Valley. Ninety-eight degrees consistently with little-to-no breeze and a spoonful o' humidity. I made the decision of a lifetime last week and craigslisted for an A/C window unit. I got two for $15 from a guy down the street and let me tell you... my room has become the hub for all activity in the house. It stays a cool 70-75 degrees (depending on if someone leaves the door open for a few minutes on the way out, always a sad affair). Getting around the house, though, has become a chore. We finally couldn't take the drab hot-hot-heat anymore and had a water balloon fight outside. It was more like a water balloon failure because Jodi and I just stood ten paces away from each other and took turns splashing one another with cool H2O. Victoria took a video of us and our horrible aim, missing each other from waaaay too close up and laughing hysterically. Later as we watched the vid, we were all aghast at our "video voices." You know what I'm talking about. I don't think I've met a person who just loves the way their voice sounds on camera. It's always nasally and everything you say just sounds stupid. Anyway, we decided to find out once and for all if we really sound the way we hear ourselves on camera, or in our heads. Jodi took turns filming each of us as we pretended to be having a conversation- trying to use our real voices. We hope we're wrong, but we think the voice we hear of ourselves in our heads is not our real voice. That our real voice is in fact a few octaves higher and annoyinger. So, I'd like to take this sentence to apologize to everyone who has to endure my especially annoying voice in real life. I am truly sorry. I only wish you could hear the smooth, collected tone I tune into when I'm talking. I think I'll have to live in ignorance on this subject. If I think about to too much and take it too much to heart, I'll never speak again! So, that's the last you'll hear me talk about it. It's in the past, never to be dug up except on the rare occasion that I hear/see myself in a recording. ... which is fairly often now that my good friend purchased a video camera. Bother. Check our her blog, I think she may have put up the balloon fight vid... but check out her blog anyway, it's about to get crazy when she moves to Boston next month!!! Just click on the title of this post.

On the 1st day of summer my true love gave to meeeee

Summertime always starts with a bang and this year is no different. From New Orleans to Gulf Shores to the Tappahannock and back to Harrisonburg, I feel like I've been a part of history on many levels...

First being home and partaking in my two younger twin brothers' graduation was a great moment in family history, as they are the last to leave home and strike out on their own respective paths.

Secondly to vacation at Gulf Shores for quite possibly the last time during my or anyone else alive's lifetime. Oil washed up our last day there. I took a picture on my cell phone, but the real imprint was on my heart as I stood on our last day beside the Gulf of Mexico like I've done so often my whole life; saying goodbye to the ocean. This goodbye was different.

I've been taking a lot of these "mental snapshots" lately because these last few months have been very special and singular in my life and every so often I've come to a spot I know I'll never see from that certain vantage point again. Living with these roommates, hanging around the house with my brothers, spending time with friends that may disappear as I once did so long ago, or not so long ago; all these little situations that I sense are one-of-a-kind or last-of-their-kind. I cross my fingers and *snap* a picture, hoping one day those visions will come forth when called like some old computer file that was accidentally misfiled and then rediscovered years down the road. My memory has never been good. In fact, I am jokingly known as Dory in more than one circle... but, maybe, just maybe, these images will stick with me. I have to hope for the best, for the sake of moving forward otherwise I might never venture outside my door from fear of doing something worth remembering.

The third history-making experience was visiting the Tappahannock my first weekend back in Harrisonburg with two housemates and our good friend Matt who is from there. It made history because it was the first time ever recorded that time actually halted for an entire weekend. And even if it didn't altogether stop, it definitely slowed down to the point where no one cared to keep track of it anymore. Tappahannock, or as many now refer to it, "God's Country" (another history point?) is located in south eastern Virginia. On a typical day you will see an amazing sunrise followed by blistering heat and the occasional rainstorm. I missed the sunrise (*ahem* alarm malfunctions...), just danced around being burnt to a crisp, and successfully out-boated the rainstorms throughout Saturday and Sunday. So, all that was left was an incredibly enjoyable sleep, pleasant sun/surf frolicking, and sickeningly fast and wild boat rides! Again I say, God's Country was amazing. We stepped into another world where people are just downright nice all the time, and all you have to worry about is the plunge off the rope swing possibly taking your drawers off. 'Nuff said.

Being back in the 'Burg has lately become a series of check-marks off of a to-do list which is why I've gotten back into blogging so as not to become too consumed with the day-to-day blah blah blahhs. Perhaps this will also help me better remember my mental pictures in the years to come.