three cheers for Darius Rucker!

It's been another busy week with lots of wild adventures!

Early in the week, Marcus and his brother Jon made a trek to get more miracle water from Glacier Basin. They hiked in the pouring rain and other miserable conditions, so I was told to be very appreciative when they arrived home with it. :) So far, I've been drinking it--but nothing miraculous has occurred. I'm going to be sure to have the doctor test some of the water if something good happens though. I'll be sure to keep you all posted.

I worked as a sub this week in an 8th grade Math/Science class, and had a blast. I really like the teacher of that class, and enjoy his "style"... so I always have fun with his students as well. Later that night, I tried to play soccer, rather unsuccessfully this time. I learned that teaching+soccer=almost fainting on the field due to low blood pressure. Okay, we'll know that now for next time. Marcus benched me at half-time, which was okay, because it was so cold & rainy that I just wanted to sit in the car anyway. :)

I'M DRASTICALLY CHANGING THE SUBJECT TO A MUCH MORE CHEERFUL ONE. BRACE YOURSELF....

I feel like last night all of my high school dreams were realized. I went to a concert with my friend, Alicia Gelles. We have known each other forever--since 4th grade or something. We went to a Rascal Flatts concert in Tacoma, and the opening band was Darius Rucker. The name meant nothing to us. However, when HOOTIE from Hootie and the Blowfish walked on stage and started singing, it was like a dream come true. Apparently, some time in the last 10 years, he's made a switch to country music and "changed" his name to his actual name. Weird. The best part was that he not only sang a few of his famous country hits, but he busted out the famous Hootie hits from the good old days. Alicia and I held each other close, our hands clasped and raised proudly in the air, swaying rhythmically to the music, belting out "Hold My Hand" as Rascal Flatts and Darius Rucker closed down the Tacoma Dome. It was a magical night--straight out of 1996.

larch trees!

My mom came to visit, and we got to see "Joseph" at the 5th Ave. Theater--it was amazing. If you have the chance to go, you should do it! The main reason for her visit was to come fix yet another bridesmaid dress. I am too short, and not the correct size to buy things off the rack. Shoot. However, my mother, (tailor to the poor) has done another phenomenal job of taking in, hemming, and generally rearranging my dress, so that I will look fabulous for the wedding in a couple months. Thanks, Mom!

Marcus and I went on another hike, this time to the North Cascades to a place near Blue Lake/Liberty Bell/Early Winter's Spire (I think those are the correct names). It was amazing, and I got to see larch trees for the first time. Larch trees are like pine trees, only the needles turn yellow and then fall off. We took pictures to show you this amazing sight. It's been raining for a week straight, but it didn't rain a drop on our hike. (yay!) The sun came out for our photo opps. :)

Beyond that, there's not much to report. I'm doing reasonably well lately... my energy level is pretty good, and my vomiting is only insanely bad a few times a week. My pain level was off the charts the other day for some reason, but after Marcus carried me to bed, doped me up, and then prayed for me, I finally fell asleep--I've been doing great since then. I'm still not sure what caused the disaster, but I'm glad that it's over. :)

Happy Fall to All!
brelin

something stinks.

I'd like to blame Marcus for the foul odor that is in our condo. However, I think it's something far worse than a human smell that he (or I) could have produced. It seems that whenever we turn on our bathroom fan(s) that a nasty smell comes cirulating into our condo. Delightful. Since we have had the really blustery winds the last few days, the odor has been significantly less. I think I can still smell it, despited the candy corn-scented candle that has been burning non-stop to mask the stench. Being the responsible and grown-up homeowner that I am, I have contacted multiple places, only to get the run-around about what to do. Can't someone just hook up a giant vaccuum and suck the dead thing (or whatever it is that is stinking) out of the exhaust vent? Is there no such thing as a giant vaccuum? I've called HVAC people and Duct Cleaners, and no one wants to come fix our odor. Everyone is very nice, but no one seems to be able to help. Marcus is coming home with a ladder tomorrow, so hopefully we can find the problem ourselves. Ugh. i hate being an adult.

I played soccer again last night! This time, it was much more successful than the other times I've tried, and I only threw up once during the game! VICTORY. :) Oh, and I didn't fall down all over the place either. I'd like to attribute this to the vast amounts of carmel brownies that I've been consuming lately... perhaps these are good for one's soul and soccer playing abilities?! I feel like they are.

I don't think I have much else to report. I subbed in 7th grade science the other day, and those kids wore me out. The highlight of the day was when one kid called me a "nazi", and his friend didn't hear him, but I did. His friend said, "huh?!" I said to the boy, "Jimmy* just called me a Nazi. You should tell him that he should insult me more quietly next time so that he doesn't get put on the naughty list." Jimmy's eyes got very wide, and I said, "Jimmy, I've been pretty nice so far, you should hear my REALLY mean voice." And then his eyes got bigger. It was really hard not for me to laugh, I'll be honest. All in all, it was a good day.

I'm enjoying going to Bible study, we're studying Luke. I'm also enjoying leading my Young Life girls, they are hilarious, and it's almost time for homecoming! Very exciting--I can't wait to see the pictures!

hugs,
brelin
(*Jimmy is not the boy's real name. I didn't want to totally embarrass him in case he stumbled upon my blog somehow.)