End of May Dump

I have well over six hundred edited pictures from the month of May.  That's not over the top is it?  I guess it's just been a busy month or something.  Or maybe it's because I take pictures of things like a bag of raisins and tennies in the grass.  Either way.  It could be seen as a tad ridiculous.  

This past week has been one pile of random.  So, sit back and enjoy what I refer to as a picture dump and a brain dump.  It's both.   

Sister Pister's BFFs graduated.  That made me feel old.  Knowing that Sister Pister will be graduating next year makes me want to freeze time.  

One of my cousin's graduated on that same day.  My grandma tried to not smile the first time I took this picture.  I told her I wouldn't stand for that and then she gave me this cute grin.  And the cake caught my eye.  I do love me some party details. 

  

Another cousin graduated later in the week.  Her mom, which would be my aunt, and I are soul sisters.  She makes me feel not weird because she cares about things like the icing being the same distance from the edge of the cookie all the way around.  She also tells me it is important I find someone who is not a schlumpadinka because that will never work and my uncle tells me that he is a "list do-er" and that's what I need to find.  I'm glad they are both looking out for my future marriage that doesn't exist yet.   

Stella turned three and her mom Brittany, who is also my soul sister, planned a fun pony party.  When you walked in, you had to pick two names out of little cups to write on a name tag.  This became your pony name for the evening.  A perfect pop of theme.  "Baby Sprinkles" {otherwise known as Harper} is Stella's little sister and she is one of the cutest babies I've ever seen.  Seriously. 

At the pony party, I fell mildly in love with the Doritos bag because it was vintage.  I told Brittany I was slightly obsessed with the look of it and she completely agreed.  A twirl and a foot stomp for having friends that get you.  

It is the end of May and we are still wearing sweatshirts and stocking caps in the middle of the afternoon.  Awesome.  That didn't stop the littles from wanting to ride horse though.  

Easy Rider is truly a farm boy, complete with a pliers on his belt.  He and I played a quick game of "let me try and take a picture of your booty because it's so cute with your hat and your pliers."  He won with his dimpled devilish juice grin.    

Firecracker takes after me in the wearing appropriate shoes department.  She wasn't feeling them at all. 

Although, I actually was wearing appropriate foot wear.  I didn't want the inside of my jeans to get all muddy from my nasty farm boots so my overall fashion statement was quite fabulous.  I also would like to state for the record that I was not wearing any jewelry.  None.

My sister is pretty.  And she loves that horse.  More than she loves me probably but I'm not bitter.

 

While at the farm, I went on a three headed, four-wheeled, wild moose chase.  It wasn't scary at all.  You should ride on a four-wheeler with two teenagers sometime while hanging off one side.    

When I say we went on a wild moose chase, I mean it.  This moose is living at the farm.  I guess she likes it there.  Maybe Momma Debi is making her homemade bread.  That seems to draw a crowd.  

The moose is not really scared of us either.  I jumped off the four-wheeler and was able to creep fairly close to her before she darted back into the trees.  It's odd for there to be random moose at the farm; I don't ever remember seeing them around when I was growing up.  Apparently we are not only turning into Seattle as far as wetness goes, we are also becoming the great wilderness.  Mountains are going to sprout up next fall.     

That moose held my attention for quite awhile, until I turned around and realized the sky and the sun that was trying to make an appearance were creating a slice of beautiful.  Then I was all about that.  

So Beaner and I took Buckshot's pickup to do some driving around.  I figured after the four-wheeler ride in which he was the driver, he owed me.  But I was not surprised when I saw him chasing us down the road.  Teenage boys and their pickups.  I'll never understand that kind of love. 

I moved the seat and messed with the sound system just to really throw him off.  I think now, after two days, he might be over it.  I'll have to call the farm later this afternoon to check.  

Like I said, it's the end of May and it's weird here.  Seeding should be coming to an end right now and some fields should even be starting to show lined up rows of green, but instead all we have is water, water, and more water alongside mud, mud, and more mud.  Well, maybe with a side of duck here and there.  Uffda.  And so not normal.   

What is normal though, is the beauty of North Dakota.  I have seen that same gravel road my whole life and that same wooden post and that same grass, but it still gets me.  It helped that Sister Pister had created a perfect horse-shoe path down the side of the road and it helped that the sky was just this side of marvelous, but still.  It's so freaking beautiful here.  It really is.  Wet and all.  

Stealing the teenage boy's pickup was worth it.

So that was my random last week of May.

Today is technically my first day of summer vacation and I woke up at 6:30 in the AM instead of 4:30 which was refreshing.  Then I drank coffee, edited pictures, went for a run, grocery shopped, made a trip to Target, and by the time I was done with that business, it was still only 11:30.  Since it is once again rainy and cold, I think the rest of the day will be used for cleaning and laundry so that when it gets nice later in the week, I can be out with the sun on my face.

I've also decided that since it's been six and a half hours of vacation so far and I might already be feeling a bit antsy, I think I need to get a summer job.  This is the first summer of my teaching career where I haven't worked at the farm or been in grad school or writing my thesis...so there is a chance I will drive myself a little nutso with seven days of freedom every week.  If you have any fabulous ideas for a part-time fun job, shoot them my way.