"...If dreams and memories get confused, that's the way it should be..."

In two days my sister turns 23. I remember video of her, three years old, sneaking around a video camera the night I was born. Ash's always been the oldest child in actions: smart, witty, quiet, and mischievous and now, here she is, grown up and one of the most beautiful women in the world.

In light of the reality of Samuel's Transfer

It's sad I find out things from other peoples' lives
By looking online instead of looking in their eyes

Friends getting girlfriends, friends finding guys
I see all these things happen, but rarely through their eyes

I'll see them two weeks later when some great news is old
Excited by myself far after the tea's been told

With distance and excitement it's easy to forget
The memories you discover and the people that you've met

With growing up it happens; people change, move on, and leave
They may come back, they may stay gone but one thing's to believe;

They're all for a reason, these friendships that occur
They might last a day, or forever, no one knows for sure

But one thing we should hold on to, and not forget to do
Is look into a loved ones eyes and know that they see you

18 days later...

You know you're a horrible blogger when you forget the password to your blog...Or when your readers start complaining that you suck at updating...you know who you are...Anyways, about my 4th of July:

I spent it down in the Columbia Basin with my boyfriend (since he lives in Walla walla) and we did a lot of fun stuff. The day I came down (Tuesday) he took me to my first drive in movie ever and NOOOO we didn't make out the entire time, gosh! Matter of fact, we actually watched the movie. It was Surf's Up, the cartoon documentary about surfing penguins, kinda strange, but still fun and memorable. Wednesday I got a tour of the Strawberry fields that Trav looks over and manages; he's got so many responsibilities there, no wonder he's tired all the time! It was a blazing hot day but that didn't stop us from driving all around WW and going to Pizza Hut...yesssss! I'm convinced they have the best pizza in the world, nothing beats it. After the Hut we went to the park where they have their annual 4th of July festivities and while there, my extra-awesome-car-sensors did just that...I found cars; beautiful, old, perfect cars! They were all pretty much gone by the time I got there, but I did see some fantastic mustangs and caddy's and really old Fords...can't beat a Ford from the 30s. Mmm! After all that we went back to his house and had ourselves a barbecue, along with a fireworks show provided by his sisters and myself...what it actually was was just one of us lighting a fire cracker, another throwing it, and all of us running for our lives so as to not lose an eye or a leg. Trav's grandparents all came over, too. We sang the Doxology for our prayer and sang the star spangled banner when we cut the dessert. They're the most American people I've ever had the chance to be around. I wish all people were as hard working, kind, spiritual, and fun as his family.

After dinner and a much-needed 30 minute power nap, Travis and I set off to watch the fireworks the city puts on. These were some of the better ones I've seen in my life, they went on a lot longer than Moscow's ever have. There's something perfect about sitting outside the car holdin' hands with a wonderful man and seeing an entire town all experiencing one fun event. Whoever created fireworks really understood humans; there's something mesmerizing and wonderful about looking up into a star filled sky and seeing things explode and create beautiful colours.

To sum it all up, it was a wonderful, memorable 4th and by far one of my favorites I've ever had.