July 4th

Well, 4th of July is on Monday.

And I am very excited.

Of course, I have to work (really not a big deal.)

In fact, 4th of July is ususally not a big deal to me in general. I always had to work at the restaurant, so I never got to go to the awesome bbq's that were happening. And Homer never had a fireworks show, because it was too light out. Some people would shoot them off from their yard, or from the beach, but it wasn't anything exciting.

2 years ago, before Josh and I were dating, we were "just friends" and kept up on facebook. (Ah yes. Our generation. So real...) Anyways. We got into a light-hearted discussion about 4th of July, and I explained how the holiday went down in Homer. Josh was rather disappointed, for me. haha. "No fireworks? That's what makes the holiday!" So, he took a picture for me that year. Which, I cannot find. I've hunted for it, several times. Sad. So, skip up to this last summer; we were dating, but were apart for 4th of July. Again, sad. But, he sent me this video.

*sigh* I love this man.

And I feel as excited as a child to spend 4th of July with him, snuggled up in the back of the truck.

Anyone who has done long distance understands. All you have is verbal communications.

And dreams.

You talk about life together, and it is SO good when you actually get to spend it together. It is a beautiful thing when you and your loved one get to fulfill a dream together. Even if it is as small as watching the fireworks together for the first time.

two weeks.

well, shoot. its almost been that long since I last wrote.

needless to say, its been a bit busy.

work, well, its feeling more like work now.

figuring out the schedule for next month, getting in to the swing of having more responsibility, and working longer days, you know. the usual.

somewhere in all of this, I was able to find time to go to a dear friends wedding. it was a 6 hour drive to bellingham, but it didn't feel that long with another friend from school. it was like a mini Ecola reunion. I love those <3

tonight, my sweetie and I are going to double mountain with a few "important people" to discuss work things.

[I say that, not mocking-ly..they really are important...I just don't want to reveal their identities. mwaha.]

double mountain is my new favorite restaurant. amazing pizza, and fantastic beer. might as well be a place to host a meeting, right?

I feel so tired. I just can't get caught up on my rest after getting sick, working working working, and going to a wedding on my weekend. Josh and I have scheduled this weekend to do NOTHING. and I am very much looking forwards to it.

I know that was a boring post. when I get a moment of sanity, I will write a little more about the wedding, and post some pictures :]

slow down.

well, not much to update. day number two, and the store is going really well, a lot better than we actually expected :]

and I did get a cold. oh, how I hate working myself to illness. and I have done it again. thankfully, I'm not missing any work, which would be awful since we're pretty short staffed right now. I've just been non-stop for the last few weeks. 10-hour days were more and more common. I've lost 5 pounds this last week, too. but here it is, my weekend, and I am planning on making myself sleep all day, with the help of nyquil. I hate being sick. I feel so pitiful, especially without Josh here. but I'm pretty sure my body is telling me to slow down. fine. I will. of course, its a beautiful day outside. the house is a mess, we have mountains of laundry to do, and I can't do anything about it. like I said....pitiful. oh well. everyone needs to take it easy every now and then.

today.

today is a video I found while once again...stumbling.

it's my space-out mechanism.

this video is done by a complete stranger to me, but we have done the same thing.

take a photo every day.

his thoughts thru his movie made my heart scream, YES! THIS IS IT! HE KNOWS!

it's such a strange feeling, sharing such a deep passion with someone I've never met.

memories.

life.

remembering.

beauty.

creativity.

oh. I couldn't say it better. it's like he was narrating my heart.

and we'll call this part II of today's blog.

it was our first REAL open day. we had all of our equipment running, and three people.

Justin, Bryan, and myself.

Barista's to the stars! hehe.

It was busy. as busy as a normal day at the other store. our sales were just as high, and we didn't even sell that much whole bean. [it's a big seller in the hood river store, and is a big part of our sales.] so we were pretty darn busy.

we had so much positive feed back, besides an occasional broken-hearted child, due to the fact that we aren't serving ice cream anymore. oh well. they'll live.

I ended up working almost 12 hours today. we got there, bright and early, at 5:30, to finish last minute details. Once again, I was running around like crazy between the kitchen and filling in here and there. it was just a great day. it felt normal, which was so surprising, since we don't know the flow of the whole cafe' set up. it just kind of happened. how wonderful.

anyways, I think I'm getting sick. Josh too. sigh. Itchy throats right now, and a stuffy nose is sure to follow in a few days, I am sure. Can't wait. Trying to stay hydrated, but I know my body. Once I feel the first sign of illness, it's too late.

So here's to hoping my weekend will get me over the worst of my sickness.

before you die...

stumble upon is like crack. I get lost in it for hours. but you find some really interesting things.

like this.

I think its absolutely beautiful and brilliant.

it strikes a chord in everyone.

what matters most to you?

worse.

it happened.

someone actually made a song worse than Rebecca Black's "Friday."

the lyrics are about the same stupidity level, but here are 4 reasons why its even worse.

1. you could at least understand rebecca. Tonje, if you're going to sing in english, take some lessons.

2. there's a key change. enough said.

3. it just sounds like they stole an 80's hit.

4. the rapper isn't actually saying anything new. he's just repeating the already crappy lyrics. good job.

"friday made my ears bleed. this gave me cancer."

open!

well, I'm tired from the long week, and I'm feeling too lazy to write alot. so if you wanna hear about our first day at 10-speed north, watch this :]

10-speed North's first dollar!

Kate and Liam.

this was our set up for the day, as the parade took place on the main street.

oh. and we have an awesome view of Mt. Hood. no big deal or anything.

"Laurel, you should change the sign. it looks like it says 1OS peed."

"One of us peed?"

"Yes. One of us peed a coffee roaster, and we're not telling you who."

a boat float! sweet.

anxious.

still tired.

still uninspired.

still way too busy.

and stressed.

the other night, I had dreams that I was pulling my teeth out.

I just want to get this grand opening over with.

the waiting is killing me

but we're opening the new shop on saturday. at least, that's what we're hoping for.

here's some photos, because everyone loves photos.

oh! ps. good news. I just finished the banquet photos. not sure how that happened. but it did. phew! one more thing OFF the plate.

j-bunz looks guilty...

check out those awesome antler light fixtures...

you never know what treasures you might find...

jeep wore himself out, being such a good underfoot.