Crazy Grandkids

Happy 76th to my fabulous grandma! In celebration of 76 years (not to mention the 53 years my grandparents have been married) my family, minus my Dad who was currently in St. Louis, and my uncle Ed and Uncle Kirk who were on a boat trip, got together for homemade cake and pasta salad and an excuse for my aunt and uncle to let Meg and I look after our younger cousins for a while. Most of the following photos are of Alex (age 6) and Claire (age 5), mostly because they are the most photogenic members of our family, but also because Meg and I spent a lot of the afternoon playing freeze tag and swinging on swings and exploring the "little paths" in our backyard. 

At least one of them wants to smile.

Swinging fun

Cutie.

I obviously can't compare to these cute kids, but at least they look adorable.

Chasing cousin Meg.

Decorating the cake with Grandpa.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

And think, she could have ended up with NORMAL grandchildren!

Congrats on making it 76 years grandma! (Especially since you've put up with us for most of it...) 

Guess Who's Not Broke Anymore?

After being COMPLETELY broke all summer, it was nice to finally find a job in August.

And even though we may only have one week of summer left, something exciting happened.

I GOT MY FIRST PAYCHECK EVER!!!

Yes, I'm a working girl now. Even though it may not be much, it's the first money I've ever really worked hard to earn myself, and I'm proud to say I stuck with my job and put in the effort. :)

Crabs

Every couple months, a hermit crab will have to find a new shell.

This process isn't as easy as it sounds. First, the hermit crab must somehow wiggle his way out of the too small shell that has been his home for as long as he can remember. Next, he must leave this home behind, going off in search of something bigger, something better.

His old shell sits alone at the bottom of the ocean floor.

If the shell is lucky, the ocean currents will eventually carry it out to the beach, where it will be found and treasured by some small child.

If it is unlucky, the pressure of the ocean will become to much for it to handle, and it will eventually crumble into dust.

But if this shell is just normal, just average, it will spend the rest of its life on the ocean floor.

Empty.

Not broken,

But empty.

It contains nothing, for its sole purpose has left and gone off in search of something new.

I feel life is often like a shell.

Many feel their purpose has left them, wandered to far to even be seen by anyone around them. We're lost, empty, sitting alone at the bottom of the deep, cold ocean. Sometimes we wonder if there's anything left out there for us, another friend, another purpose.

But the waves refuse to carry us there.

So for now, here we sit.

Alone.

Empty.

Not broken,

But empty.

Midnight Ravioli

Ok so it had been six weeks since I'd last seen Lucy.
You heard that right, SIX WEEKS!
Which is way to long in my opinion.
So we decided we couldn't wait any longer than we already had, and I slept over at her house Thursday night.
I mean, I guess we didn't do anything too out of the ordinary.
That is, if anything we do at all is ordinary...
We went to the playground in the dark and swung on the swings as usual.
We walked to our friend Katie's house afterwards and serenaded her from outside her window so her parents wouldn't see us.
We made ginger, lemon, lime, mint, banana, and pineapple popsicles,
which honestly tasted like some bad sure for a hangover or something,
but were also strangely addicting.
We made midnight pumpkin ravioli with lots of butter.
We looked at Tumblr for at least an hour.
We talked about life and summer vacation and tried to pretend we aren't going back to school in a week.

Sometimes, I feel like Lucy and I are the same person.
Or at least we just have the same brain.
I'm glad I've found someone who understands my craving to eat at night, my love for cheesy old movies, and how I always want to walk around barefoot in the dark.
I love Lucy.

Presidential Duties

After tons of cheesy posters and bad campaign speeches and 4 runoff elections, my friend Priya and I were finally elected as the Class of 2016's sophomore class presidents. Unfortunately, being a "president" over summer vacation is a bit of a challenge, with everyone trying to communicate over Facebook and email and various other ways of communication through social media, so Priya and I decided it would be best to get together to figure everything out before school starts in a week. We were sort of kind of productive. But it was so pretty outside we couldn't help ourselves... so we went outside after a little bit and ate popsicles and homemade bread and took weird pictures and hung out with my dog and and played my guitar while sitting on my porch swing, and did other important presidential duties like that...

Casual hair flip

I look like a gorilla

 Hi my name is Virginia and I struggle

I love Priya more than food.

I think Priya and I are going to make fabulous presidents... well, we'll try :)

The Cure for Any Bad Day, Ever.

I don't know everyone who will read this post, but I'm assuming maybe not all of you have had your best day today.

No matter what your situation is, I have a solution that is guaranteed to cheer you up.

Here is a series of some of my favorite photos of Meg, photos that will put a smile on your face no matter who you are.

Enjoy.

Gangster Meg.

Meg featuring lizard.

Squinty Meg.

Meg featuring butterfly.

Meg on the first day of first grade.

Pure happiness.

Typical Meg.

Meg, proud collector of pine needles.

Meg, the pro Just Dance player.

Diva.

Meg's true side is revealed.

Meg did the duck face before it was cool.

So, wherever, whoever, and whatever you are, I hope these photos at least put a smile on your face.

Meg seems to be able to do that to people.

I love you Meg. I love love love love love you!