Not all who wander are lost.

120 miles.
Finished.
I am dark.
My legs permanently look "swoll"
My hair is two shades lighter.
My stomach two sizes smaller.
I can run without stopping.
I can hang my food in trees.
I can walk 14 miles in a day with a 55 pound pack on my back.

I wrote less in my journal than I had planned.
I didn't think much about my life goals much.
I thought about grilled cheese sandwiches and hot showers.
I didn't fight with my friends.
We snuggled each night, thankful for surviving another day on wild trail and slapped bugs off each other.
We laughed when things weren't funny because we liked the way the sound cut through the silence of the woods. We ate dehydrated food and dreamed of greasy fries and fresh veggies.
We were the youngest girls on the trail, doing the hardest section of the p.c.t (Pacific crest trail) in washington.
We finished 120 miles in 10 days.
We did it.
And I am the happiest and proudest I have ever been of myself and my body.
I am sure I will write more later, but as of now... A few pictures to keep you guessing.
Xoxo

Summer Food

Summer on the farm is one of my favorite times. 

Not only is it hot as "balls" here, which I LOVE.

But it is also filled to the BRIM with fresh produce. 

YUM. 

This week is one of my "weeks off" where there are no campers asking me questions about the kinds of cows we have, or tugging on my sleeve asking me to go check out the goats with them. 

Unfortunately... living away from the farm for a while has given me limited knowledge about the names of the cows and the sex of the goats. 

Last week I told one of the campers that we had a cow named blossom, when really, that certain cow has been dead for over 7 years. 

Last week I also told a few campers that the goat Buckwheat that we fed every morning is a male. 

Good thing those campers weren't here THIS week to see Buckwheat the "male" give birth to TWO beautiful babies. 

Oops. 

Anyway, this week I have been making lunch. A lot of lunch. 

Every day the interns, farm owners and farm kids sit down to lunch together. Usually, each intern has a day that they cook for the crew. (about 15 people usually.) well, because I didn't feel like making tomato boxes for 7 days straight I made myself  a chef at every meal prepared this week. 

The sad bit is that I can't find my camera at the moment so I didn't get to capture any pictures of the incredible meals that I made this week, but I will explain a few of them for your drooling pleasure.

Monday:

Fried Green Tomatoes

Corn Chowder

Cheesy Bread

Lemon cucumber salad

Peach and Strawberry cobbler

Wednesday: 

Homemade tacos

Gazpacho

Watermelon fresca

Full belly farm beans

Rice

Peach salsa

Ice cream with frozen fruit toppings

Thursday:

Corn fritters

cucumber salad

Jalapeno poppers 

Peach salsa

watermelon, melon salad with mint

chicken salad

grape juice

... 

You get the point. 

Everything was the best I've every had. 

I love cooking with fresh produce that I don't have to pay for but sometimes have to pick.

I couldn't ask for a better place to be in the summer.

Because this post is missing some pictures I'll add some in... 

pictures of my farm. 

Some that you may have already seen, but I don't care. 

Can't Stop Pinning.

I can't stop planning and I can't stop pinning.
I have so many ideas for my small room in the student housing co-op that I am going to be living in.
I want to actually make this room feel like my own. I want it to feel cozy, comfy and fun. I love planning things out and I have so many ideas of what I want to see happen in my tiny tiny room.
Here are just a few ideas to get you started: Thanks Pintrest for making my addiction to planning and pretty things that much easier.

Working With Siblings.

If you don't already know, I am strangely close to my family members. 

Not only do we work together, live together and eat almost every meal together...

BUT WE LOVE EACH OTHER. 

I have been working with my sister and brother for the past 10 years. 

Every summer. 

For 28 days STRAIGHT. 

We spend every waking (and sleeping) hour together. 

And then, when camp is over, I find myself wanting to hang out with them more! 

I love that me and my siblings are best friends.

 I love that we can laugh, punch, and talk to one another

 and still know that at the end of the day, we will ALWAYS have each others backs. 

This is a shout out to my sister, Hallie... Remember her?

Yeah, her. 

I love working with this girl. 

She is kind, fair and dedicated. 

She walks up to the campground every night with me so that I don't get eaten by monsters.

She makes me so happy. 

She tells campers crazy stories from our childhood.

She has a passion for life that is contagious. 

She radiates love, strength and power. 

 I am so glad that she started summer camp 10 years ago so that I have an excuse to follow her around like a lost puppy.

These pictures were taken the last night of camp. 

We are looking tan, tired and ridiculously goofy. 

I love it. 

Good night. 

The Good Ol' Days.

I love looking at pictures from my trip. 

They bring back distant, yet vivid memories of a simpler time... 

A time that didn't smell permanently of sunscreen and goats. 

Ahhhhh 

The good ol' days. 

No, but seriously. 

I love looking at my pictures from New Zealand, Wales and Australia. 

They make me super happy and excited for the future. 

Here are some of my favorites at the moment... 

Thank You For the Comment and Keep Reading!

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Hello EVERYONE!

Recently, as you may have noticed, I have not been very constant in my blog writing. I instead, have been busy traveling, learning, laughing and growing. (Literally, as I live on a farm.)

I have so much to update everyone on, even those who know me the best don’t know me much at all at the moment... Seeing as how I am spending the majority of my time playing capture the flag and milking cows with campers ages 7 to 12.

This summer, like the last 10 summers, I am working at Camp Full Belly Farm.

(Located, very conveniently, right outside my house.)  Already, I have gotten to know almost 120 different campers all with different personalities, quirks and talents. 

I love this job.

It makes me yearn for sleep more than I have ever in my whole life. It also reminds me how fortunate I am to grow up with a 250-acre back yard. 

I am pretty dang lucky. 

So, this summer, along with getting back from my trip across the globe, I am being reminded of those things I hold most dear. Dogs, stars, friendships that are as strong as the muscles I am getting from pulling campers up the creek… and life. 

Recently, I had a most passionate reader comment on my blog reminding me that I should tell the truth about who I am as an individual. Well here it goes: 

This summer I feel strong. I feel cared for by my friends and family. I feel capable of leading 56 campers in rhythms and games and farming activities with enthusiasm and love. I feel confident that I can get on a train or plane ANYWHERE and figure it out by myself. I feel confident that I am beautiful, on the inside and the out. And NO words, however hurtful, and NO person, no matter how hateful, will make me think less of myself. 

This year has been a time FULL of tremendous growth for me. I have learned how to stand on my own two feet. I have learned that getting lost can be fun, because you get to experience the journey of finding your way back. I learned that I can live through earthquakes, hate mail, heartbreak and tears. I learned that although I am the baby, that doesn't mean I need to count on anyone else to live my life. 

So readers… ALL readers, “thanks for the comment and keep reading!”

Because BOY do I have a lot to tell YOU!

These pictures remind me of the STRENGTH that I felt on my trip and the strength that I now know I have.