The next 79 days...

Today I discovered that I’ve lost 8 pounds in the last two months! What??! At first I was thrilled, but then I remembered how out of shape I’ve been feeling and realized it was probably mostly muscle. That would be fine (I guess) except that Zach and I have a trip planned this summer and it involves climbing two Oregon mountains (Mt. Thielsen and the South Sister). If I’ve lost 8 pounds of muscle, I’m not going to make it to the tops!

I’m pretty pumped about the events we have planned for the next 79 days before I start at Truman. Our plan first consists of working as many hours as possible at our jobs (me as a receptionist/shuttle driver at the Holiday Inn and as a hostess/server at Merge Restaurant and Zach as a barista at Chow Chocolat (a specialty chocolate shop)). About May 19^th we head to DC to hang out with our friends Stephen and Ronajoy, then on May 23^rd, we (Stephen, Ronajoy, Karin, Zach, and I) all have tickets to see HH Dalai Lama speak in NYC! To say that I’m excited about this is definitely an understatement.

The next day we head back to Buffalo to fit all of our belongings into our car (a Honda Element) and drive to Truman. We’ll stay there for one night, drop off our stuff, then drive to Independence where we’ll leave our car at my brothers and fly to Oregon! We’ll arrive in just enough time to have few epic adventures before our reception.

First we’re going to the beach to camp, rent sand boards and dune buggies and hit the dunes. Next we’re going to Central Oregon to raft the Deschutes River, climb Smith Rocks, and then the South Sister the next day! The day after that we’re heading to Breitenbush (a vegetarian full service campground with clothing optional hot springs) to relax the day before we head to Silver Falls, which is where the reception will actually be held.

Silver Falls State Park is absolutely gorgeous. Ten separate waterfalls can be found at the park, connected by many miles of trails. I have no problem with other people having traditional weddings but it’s not the right fit for Zach and I. Sitting around sharing stories, singing, and really connecting with the people we love sounds much better than getting all dressed up to sit in a formal ceremony. So we’re making it a camp out! Hopefully all whom we love will come camp, hike, laugh, talk, and eat with us.

After the reception, we’re driving down to southern Oregon to hike Mt.Thielson, cliff dive into Crater Lake (the deepest lake in the nation), and camp at Diamond Lake. Two days later my brother graduates from high school so it’s party time!

We won’t have any income from May 19^th until the end of July when I will get my first paycheck from Truman so we’ve talked to my Dad and he’s going to employ Zach and I for about ten days. That will give us a bit of cash to use during our sweet cross country roadtrip with my brother Bo! He’s coming to Truman! Yessssss!!!!!!

So, June 23^rd we drive from Oregon to Missouri, stopping at all the sweetest places of course. Bo is looking for a Roadtrip America application for his iPod Touch. We’ll meet up with Evan (and friends hopefully) in Independence, near the end of June. Then…WE MOVE IN!!!

Needless to say, my life feels as magical as a fairy tale…or maybe an action/adventure movie. I suppose it should since I’m filling in all the blanks with my favorite verbs and nouns.