It's...

Summer time!

Finally!

I LOVE SUMMER TIME SO MUCH THAT THIS DECLARATION GETS OBNOXIOUS CAPITAL LETTERS!

Today was GREAT. I slept in/lounged in bed as late as I wanted to without feeling guilty. Then I went out to the pool to read my newest Karen Kingsbury book in the perfect sunshine, while also starting on this summer's tan. (My goal this summer is to be as brown as Sonia and I were when we lifeguarded summer 2004. That was the best tan EVER.) I talked with some of the apartment kids who came out to swim, including one little girl dressed all in pink who thought it was the coolest thing that I also had a pink cell phone and pink keychain. I just love little kids. :)

While I was reading, I came up with new ideas for my story, specifically a great plotline to tie two characters together later on. I love it when things like that click. I also discovered how to physically characterize all my blue-eyed characters. Because in a story where most of my characters are either blondes or redheads, a good portion of them come out with blue eyes. So as I was daydreaming out in the sun, I realized that Character J has fierce blue eyes (cuz she's got a fiery personality), while Character A has warm blue eyes that sometimes show a little green (because she's got a lot of compassion, but is also very passionate about certain things), and Character T has piercing blue eyes (because he's pretty intuitive. And he's hot.)

Sorry if that makes no sense to anyone else. It was a great revelation to me. :)

Then I really, really wanted to go running. Even though I thought I hated running. But it was so beautiful, and just starting to cool down a bit, with a nice breeze blowing, so I went back inside, yelled hi to Jenna studying at the kitchen table, laced up the sneaks, and took off.

It was glorious.

And apparently my only problem with running is that I don't like doing it when it's cold. Go figure. It's just so much more interesting when it's all warm outside and you can run in your bathing suit, tank top, and soccer shorts. And then when you have to pause and walk off a cramp or something, it's still just a beautiful stroll on a gorgeous day.

Oh, and I've also discovered I love running in the middle of the street. I think it's a throwback to the days when my mom wouldn't let us cross our own street until we were like eleven. (Ha. Take that, Mom.)

I had mapped out a 1 mile route from our apartment, one that didn't involve going down the specific scary street that always makes me feel like I'm going to get thrown in the back of a van or get my ipod stolen by a fourteen-year-old with a knife. (You scoff, Brian Reames, but it's freaky being a girl and seeing their eyes follow you as you go by. Or hearing cars slow down and glide along the curb next to you. Ew. It's giving me the creeps right now.)

Anyway, as I was running in the street outside the cute little junior high, I decided since I was practically there, I'd add an extra half mile and go up to the spot where we went geocaching after Jenna's birthday party. We didn't find anything that night, but it was dark, and we were depending on flashlights. So I figured maybe I'd go by and see if I could find the cache.

And I totally found it. All by myself.

No, not really. I looked in the bushes for a couple minutes for that camo bag, but nothing stood out from all the leaves and dirt. That camo is good. Oh, but I did see a baby bat hiding in the brush.

No, not really. But I just realized my day probably wasn't really all that exciting to anyone else, so I've got to spice it up somehow. Just trying to keep you guys on your toes.

I came home and Jenna demonstrated some yoga moves she learned at a class she took at the gym. I'm intrigued with yoga now. We decided to get our hands on a yoga DVD for the roommates to exercise in the living room. Sonia, Mandy, and I used to do that back at the old Cobblestone Apt. #11. It was one of our first roommate bonding moments. And then we'd have anorexic popsicles afterward.

Anyway, Jenna decided she wanted to go study at Starbucks, and lucky for me, it was one of those times when she wanted a buddy. (Jenna distracts herself too easily when she studies, so sometimes she has to go alone.) Starbucks was closing in an hour, so we went to Cosmos instead (yay!) and snagged the couch facing the street ouside, which was all lit up in pretty La Mesa Blvd. fashion. A guy was performing that night, but otherwise there were very few people there, so we got a lot done.

We took a trip to Wal-Mart to get me a new cooler for the start of soccer season. While we were there, Jenna lamented how sometimes she just wants to buy things for the sake of buying things, because she hasn't bought anything for a long time. And then she commented on how practical I was with my money and how I never let the temptation to buy unnecessary things overcome me.

Worst. Jinx. Ever.

Because then we walked through the clothes section. And I saw they'd replenished the rack where I'd bought this really cute and great fitting shirt a few weeks ago. And now there were MORE!

And I ended up breaking my no-spend pledge.

Curse you, Jenn-ay, and your terrible jinx.

After that, we came home, made cookies, and got back to work at the kitchen table. And then on Facebook I got an offer from one of my aviation buddies to go flying sometime. He suggested tomorrow morning, but I'm going to need a little more time to get used to the idea. I've never flown before, after all. And I don't like heights. Or small, cramped spaces. All of which pose a problem for flying.

But this is the year for fun and risk-taking, right?

(Now that I'm done with it, I realize this is the longest. post. ever. And it's pretty irrelevant to anything. I blame the endorphins from running and being out in the sun. Exercise makes me talk really, really fast about random things. Hmmm... maybe I should save that for my next confession.)