You need to know

• Friday - Sunday: "Camped" with my family and some of our great friends up on Whidbey Island. It was so fun. Just imagine... sand castle building with the two most adorable 5-year-old boys, crab collecting with the coolest 11 year-old nephew, beach walking with the sweetest dog I've ever met (almost... Roscoe is way better)... and eating the best food two moms could ever make. Blissful to say the least.
• Sunday: Got home from "camping" and spent over 6 hours moving all my crap from one house to another. Thank. God. That. Is. Over. ... however, I am now officially strong. Yep. If you doubt me, then I DARE YOU to carry my mattress from car to home... TWICE. It is an experience.
• Sunday night: Discovered the pizza-by-a-slice place right around the corner from my new house... mmmmm... I may never have to cook dinner all year.
• Monday: Work a full day, then clean clean clean my old house. Blah. I hate cleaning. But our house now smells wonderful and looks sparkly clean. Seriously. So clean. Like the cleanest it has ever been. No joke. We are good cleaners.
• Monday night: Drank great beer with great company.
• Tuesday morning: I'm wearing my new favorite cardigan as my shield for the day.

For some reason it is important that you know what my schedule has been for the past couple of days... so yep, there you go.

An era ends when a new beginning arrives

Yep, an era ends... an era of my life that I will forever hold true to my heart... an era that involved living with some of the very best friends a person could ever ask for, complete with random tree branches falling on cars, bees in hallways, epic halloween parties, _____ fashion shows, hookey (that's all i'll say!), rats in walls and traps, breeding flies, metro buses hitting parked cars, crazy landlords, non-smelling laundry detergent, slip and sliding in dresses (naturally), late night walks, five-for-five every night, engagements, marriages, grad schooling, mornings after, art projects, wednesday night dinners, tequila shot sundays, settlers, and all around great laughter and awesomeness.

It will forever be missed.

It will forever be remembered as some of the best times of my life.

The five are moving out and all going separate ways. We knew our time as roommates would eventually come to and end... but it came fast. Two years goes by fast. Who would have thought?

Two are currently gone, two more move out this weekend... and then it will be just me for a couple of nights. Hope I don't cry myself to sleep every night... haha... no, seriously though.

Luckily, I'm moving into an awesome house! That I am actually excited for... new beginnings are good. I like change. I'm not afraid of change...

But I'm still going to miss my old roomies... like a lot... like more than a lot... love you guys so much!!!

Rich with Mystery

Matrimony is called holy, because this brave and fateful promise of a man and a woman, to love and honor and serve each other through thick and thin, looks beyond itself to more fateful promises still, and speaks mightily of what human life at its most human and most alive and most holy must always be. Every wedding is a dream, and every word that is spoken there means more than it says, and every gesture - the clasping of hands, the giving of rings - is rich with mystery. And so it [is that] we hope with every bride and groom, that the love they bear one another, and the joy they take in one another, may help them grow in love for this whole world where their final joy lies.

Frederick Buechner

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Kyle and Kelly! I love you both so much!! May your marriage be filled with rich mystery and constant joy as your love for one another continues to grow. Thanks for being amazing examples of how love works.

Little Boys Knees

You know how they are... all scrapped up, bruised, torn apart... and awesome. Yep, a mark of a true adventurer is the battle wounds they receive due to their adventuring.

Well, I can honestly say that I have little boy knees right now... due to true adventuring. Yes! Actually kind of makes me happy... because it means i'm doing really cool stuff.

See??

Ok, you're right... that's not really me... its this other really cool girl and you can check out more amazing scaefer photography here.

But the point is, that could be me... because that is actually how i'm bashing up my knees... rock climbing people. Oh so cool. Seriously. Best sport ever. No joke. We don't joke about these things. It's that serious.

Yesterday, in 90 degree weather (because its that cool), a really awesome boy (aka boyfriend!) and I went to Index and climbed lots of rocks. This is something I've been getting into more and more... and I hope to get really good at it (Marginal Karma... I'm coming for you) because its so awesome. 5.15's people. That's all I'll say.

For now, I'm on like 5.8ish's during the day, but recently learned that 5.7's during the night with a headlamp is kind of scary... but also really cool, actually. I should have gone for it more... but I was a wuss... which means I'll have to conquer it eventually.

Regardless, it is awesome. And therefore, knees, go ahead and get destroyed. Right now both of my knees have big bruises on them... my right knee in particular is actually kind of gross looking... swollen (although that could be from my actual knee injury, blah), scrapped up, a pretty purple color... which I suppose is appropriate because it matches my climbing shoes. So there! See, I'm still a girl... just doing really really cool stuff.

Basically just loving life right now. I feel spoiled. And lucky. And I won't take it for granted. Because its that special.

The Greatest Expression of Love

Let me introduce you to a special little guy in my life....

... This is the coolest five-year-old nephew an auntie could ever have!! [i mean, just look at that face... it says it all. love it!]

Not only does he have the VERY BEST facial expressions EVER... he also shares the same love for music that I do... and some I don't. Let's just say, this is his favorite song right now... and yes, he does actually know ALL the words and sings along at the top of his lungs! Talk about trouble...

Anyway, yesterday, we were saying good bye to each other, and as always we wrapped each other up in the biggest, baddest bear hug ever!!

... squeezing each other as tight as we could, the following unfolded...

Auntie Dawn: Nephew, I love you SO much!!

Nephew stops, stretches hands out his arms as wide as he can behind his back: Auntie Dawn, I love you THIS much!

Auntie Dawn: Nephew, I love you that much too!

Nephew: But Auntie Dawn, I love you as much as I love Roscoe!!

Friends, I have never felt so loved... That has seriously got to be the greatest expression of love an auntie could ever receive. I mean, just look at Roscoe...

Apparently my nephew loves me THAT much... :)

A Little Wave, Hello

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear. - Ambrose Redmoon

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Out deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. - Marianne Williamson

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Get out and get busy. - Dale Carnegie

Anything I've ever done that ultimately was worthwhile... initially scared me to death. - Betty Bender

Action and reaction, ebb and flow, trial and error, change - this is the rhythm of living. Out of our over-confidence, fear; out of our fear, clearer vision, fresh hope. And out of hope, progress. - Bruce Barton

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. - John 14:27

There are very few monsters who warrant the fear we have of them. - Andre Gide

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It's time we kick some monsters out of our closets and see them for what they really are.... go ahead, give your fears a little wave, hello. They can't be that scary.... see???

So many updates... not enough time

• Summit St Helen's with my Dad and brother? Check! Pictures coming soon... [brett, i need those pictures!]
• Discovered a new love of mine... rock climbing! Seriously people... SO awesome. You can expect a more detailed explanation soon.
• Three weekends in a row camping... life is good.
• Watching Roscoe for the next couple weeks. LOVE him!
• Learning some great new things right now... like how its actually really easy to get back into the U.S. from canada if you don't have a passport... However, i don't recommend trying it twice :)
• If you could have the super power to bounce or fly, which would you choose?? Just call me bounce girl
• Moving out of my house in a month... found the perfect new roommate! Now waiting to find the perfect new room... maybe even this week? Crossing my fingers
• Being surprised a lot right now... and loving every moment of it. Again... life is good.