Ghost Towns.

On Sunday, Jordan suggested that we go up to Amador County for lunch. It was such a fun day, and ended up being quite the little adventure. At our first stop, a huge rattle snake slithered across our parking spot and decided to hang out under the car next to my door. Instead of running away [like me], Jordan, and a few other guys that came over to see the snake, decided to taunt the stupid thing with rocks in attempt to get a picture. Boys will be boys, right? At least he made it out alive, I suppose. We ended up going to quite a few little antique stores, a museum, and had lunch in an adorable ice cream shop.









Then, the weirdest thing happened. On our way home, we passed through a small town called Drytown. There was an antique store on the side of the freeway with it's doors wide open, and a bunch of stuff on display outside. We pulled over, and went inside. This place was insane. The picture below is only a small part of the front of the store. It was packed from ceiling to wall with stuff, and a lot of it was actually really good antiques. I found a bunch of amazing cross stitches, and a whole collection of beer steins [Jordan collects them]. Nothing had prices on them, however, so I asked Jordan to find the owner. Well, guess what? He couldn't find anyone. We looked and looked, but we were all alone. Outside there was a truck, with it's keys just sitting on a table nearby. We even went to the antique furniture store next door, but it was empty as well. Jordan got creeped out and said if we stayed any longer, we'd probably get murdered by the 'town-folk'. I didn't want to leave without all the stuff I found, but he won [for now]. Our conclusion was that the owner was either drunk at the bar across the street, or was killed and we just didn't see the body.



And I'm being serious when I say that this picture only shows a small part of the store. Crazy, huh? I can't wait to go back.

Get The Redhead.

While floating down the river the other day, someone on the shore yelled out "Get the redhead!" to the person throwing water balloons at passing rafts. Well, what do you think my reaction was? While I should have been a little irritated that he was aiming at my head, I was just happy to be called a "redhead". It's my life goal to fool everyone into thinking I'm a natural ginger. I am obsessed with red hair [over the past few years I've had my hair every shade of red imaginable], and pray there is some fluke in my DNA so I can have little red-headed children.

That's all, just wanted to share with you how ridiculous I am.

The image above is a print by Sarah Jane Studios, one of my all-time favorite artists on Etsy. I can't believe I still don't own anything by her.

Camera Fun.

I bought a camera this weekend. Yeah, I couldn't wait any longer. Have I mentioned I'm impatient? Well, I am. My sister and I played around with it yesterday. I haven't read the manual or anything yet, but I'm planning on actually learning how to use this thing. I absolutely love it so far.

















By the way, in case you are wondering I bought a Canon Rebel.

Fishy Face.

As my summer job comes to an end (in two weeks), I was hoping my life would start to feel a little less hectic. However, I received an email from the principal at the school where I will be student teaching, and they want me to start on the 18th! I'm actually really excited about student teaching, even though it's an unpaid internship and I have to work every day. I get to teach Kindergarten aka the cutest most adorable grade in the world.

Anyway, I'm hoping to start blogging again (you can jump up and down now), at least a couple times a week. And first things first, here are a few pictures I took with my new Fisheye camera. Now, don't laugh because this is a new camera and I didn't read the instructions before I started shooting. Which is probably why half of the roll came out as gray fuzz?



This one of Iris is my favorite, and it was the first picture I took. Imagine that.




I love roasting marshmallows in the backyard.










And this one of Hannah at the fair is my other favorite.


I'm going to load another roll and actually read the instructions this time. I know nothing about cameras so I'm pretty sure doing a little research will help me out.

Welcome Home.

While I love my new job, between working and trying to have a semi-normal life, I just haven't had time for the internet. I've finally been able to fill my non-working hours with productiveness and as much fun as possible. I have so much to tell you about, but for now here are a few pictures of my backyard, which Jordan and I have been working on a lot lately.











We even bought a 4-foot pool and fire pit. Nothing beats laying around in my pool and roasting marshmallows for dessert. Well, maybe doing yoga by fire light. Yeah, that is pretty amazing as well.

Dear Energy, Where Are You?

Oh my, it's been so long since I posted anything (I'm sorry). Who knew teaching summer camp/school would be this tiring? I have a group of 24 2nd graders, and they are extremely difficult, to say the least. But they sure are adorable and full of (endless amounts of) energy. By 4 PM I'm exhausted, and have a hard time staying awake for the drive home. By the time I get through the door, I have just enough energy to make it to my bed and crash. Then I wake up, plan for school the next day, take a shower, and crash again. Seriously, this is what I do every single day! How pathetic is that? I need to figure out how I can still have a summer, and a life, with this job. Any suggestions?

Oh, and here are a few pictures from my friend's beautiful wedding this past weekend. The entire night was magical, and I never wanted to leave.

Holga + Summer = ♥

I finally developed my second roll of Holga film. I'm still trying to learn how to use this thing. I didn't "damage" the film like last time, and these came out much more clear, so I'm stoked. I can't wait to load my third roll, I think I'll even break out the tripod this time.























I also finally found an excuse to use Katrina's adorable tape strips. I love them!

All You Need Is.

I love flower crowns.



I also love that I will be teaching summer school camp in just two weeks.

Love is all you need.


Image from WeHeartIt.

Another Post About Sunshine.

"Oh, how sweet the light of day,
And how wonderful to live in the sunshine!
Even if you live a long time, don't take a single day for granted.
Take delight in each light-filled hour."
-Ecclesiastes 11:7

Have I told you how excited I am for summer? Yeah, sorry. Sometimes I can bet a bit repetitive. It's probably the ADD. But I bet you didn't know that I am REALLY excited for this summer.

Sunday was pretty amazing, and pretty horrible at the same time. It was a perfect summer day. Except that it isn't summer yet; I had to go back to school/work on Monday and now it's raining. God is teaching me how to be patient, that's for sure. Here are a few pictures from Sunday's adventures with Liz, Iris, and Elise. Did I mention how perfect it was?















Oh, and Iris- Don't think I've forgotten about the pictures of you and what used to be my swing! Once I find my camera cord. . .