My Summer

So I am kind of wondering what do people do during the summer? For the past few summers I have been canoeing in the middle of nowhere with five-six other girls. This last summer it was six. I go to this YMCA camp, camp Menogyn. It sends out canoeing, backpacking and rock climbing groups. I started going six years ago. I slowly went on longer and longer trips. This last summer was my last summer as a camper. My group did a fifty day whitewater canoe trip in Nunavut, Canada on the Dubawnt, Kunwak and Kazan rivers. We were in the sub-arctic tundra. Throughout the school year, my heart longs for the simplicity of trail. I find myself longing for some of the amenities I have at home, while out on trail. I constantly find myself reminding myself to live in the present and to enjoy where I was while I was there. I learned to appreciate the beauty of where I was. I think the thing that really hit me while I was on trail, was how much I missed my family. I realized that I had gotten much closer with my mother this past year and how much not having my father around hurt me. I became very homesick. I was very happy to return to my family even if that meant leaving the wonderful and gorgeous lands of the tundra. I miss Nunavut very much, however, the mountains of Seattle are providing a wonderul escape to the scenery of the great lakes. It's a very different perspective, extremely different landscape. I traded incredibly flat lands and endless skies for tall, never-ending mountain ranges and the gorgeous snow-capped peaks along with the beautiful hikes and views I will experience while I live here.

I just need to remember to live in the moment. That is my only issue. Live in the moment. Don't take beauty for granted. Believe in myself. Don't bother with some of the amenities of life today. The style of life we lead in the present is extremely hectic, complicated and stressful.

Shopping

I've never really liked shopping. It takes a long time and I can never find clothes that look good on me. I went shopping with my mother yesterday, it was actually quite fun. We found clothes that looked good on me and it helped that I didn't really have a price limit. It was also very nice mother-daughter bonding. I'm excited to wear my new clothes!

Home is where the heart is

I just moved to Seattle (the rainy city, yay!) for my senior year of high school. I tried out for the volleyball team at my new school and made varsity. (Exciting!) I'm still trying to get used to the idea of calling this townhome "home". It's going to be a difficult transition, but I'm really glad that I get to be with my dad again. I really missed him this past year. I've always heard the saying "Home is where the heart is," and I think that's true for a lot of people, but personally, I find it only partially true. Although, I feel at home living with both my parents again, I find myself longing for my old home in Minnesota. The home I had lived in my entire life prior to this move. I hope to eventually get more integrated into the lifestyle of living here, however, I sincerely wish that I won't lose that sense of home that I find in Minnesota. And whether I keep that or not, I believe depends on my lifestyle here in Seattle.

My First Post

Hey, I don't really know why I'm doing this blog, I guess for personal reflection, maybe a little bit. But blogging is kind of like publicly journaling, I don't know why that's important. I don't know why I want a blog. I guess I just want to be able to make my opinions and thoughts open to public ridicule and critique. Because I know I have many different ideals and I'd like to be able to understand other viewpoints and ways of living.

I really hope I'll be able to keep my entries daily/ as frequent as possible, however I know I'm going to be insanely busy so I don't know how well I'll do with that aspect.