Well, friends, in light of last's months birthday, let's go back in time about 15 years or so. I look about the same now, minus the pink attire, huge glasses, and braces. I did not, however, have a horse birthday cake this year. I have gained some wisdom in my old age and traded in the cake for homemade apple pie.


Anyway, I've also made the customary list of 30 "things-to-do-before-I-turn-30". If you'd like to help me out with any of these, let me know. Here's a small glimpse:
• Finish a sprint triathlon.
• Go on a midnight picnic.
• Acquire a bicycle.
• Try 50 new recipes.
• Read 10 classic novels.
• Stay up from sunset to sunrise.
• Find 15 geocaches.
• Buy ice cream from an ice cream truck.
• Spend the night in a yurt.
• Visit an art museum.

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This has been my verse this week (and next too, I've decided), and it's oh-so-good! Love this translation...

Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don't try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he's the one who will keep you on track.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (Message)

Life has been a bit stressful here in the big city as of late, but here are two things that brightened my day today:


This brilliant little stop motion flick...





And a quote from my dear friend, Emily...

I truly believe that we find the divine in our moments of greatest uncertainty. For when we find ourselves both refreshed and overwhelmed, it is then we can be most sure that we are in fact, alive.

11 Ways to be Unremarkably Average

1. Accept what people tell you at face value.
2. Don’t question authority.
3. Go to college because you’re supposed to, not because you want to learn something.
4. Go overseas once or twice in your life, to somewhere safe like England.
5. Don’t try to learn another language; everyone else will eventually learn English.
6. Think about starting your own business, but never do it.
7. Think about writing a book, but never do it.
8. Get the largest mortgage you qualify for and spend 30 years paying for it.
9. Sit at a desk 40 hours a week for an average of 10 hours of productive work.
10. Don’t stand out or draw attention to yourself.
11. Jump through hoops. Check off boxes.

I came across this last week, courtesy of Amber, via this site. Interesting post; there's a lengthier version here if you'd like to read the expanded post. Thought it was pretty good (though I can't say I've read a lot of the other content on the site). I read through the first time and laughed at how true it is before I started realizing that several of the points are quite self-applicable. 9 times out of 10 (maybe even 9.5 times out of 10) I like to blend in. I like to avoid the spotlight and divert attention. I like to record my thoughts in writing way more than speak them in public. I'm ok with being average. Sometimes I simply desire to be part of the crowd.

So I've been thinking about that this week. And I know that odds are good there's a reason I'm not like everyone else. And there's a reason we aren't all like each other. And that the world needs people who desire to live simple, yet extraordinary, lives in order to avoid the mundane existence of the average. And I gotta say, life is way more exciting and adventurous and fulfilling when we're willing to live a little outside the box.

Ah... corn harvest. Apparently I missed out on the fun at the ranch yesterday, but don't worry; I've had a fair amount of experience in the past.

For you city folks, It goes a little something like this:
Gather the tasseled corn ears by bucket and/or wheelbarrow.
Sneak in a few rides in the wheelbarrow.
Dump all the ears in a ginormous pile in the yard.
Shuck husks, hatchet any worms, and chop off the ends.
Divide "cob" ears from "kernal" ears.
Sort into water-filled ice chests.
Throw the husks over the fence to the neighbor's cows. Bovine brunch.
Move the operation inside.
Essential step: De-silk every ear of corn. Every silk, every ear.
Wash corn ears and cut out bad spots.
Freeze cobs. Done.
Cut all the kernals off remaining corn. Split up into bowls.
*The more you eat at this stage, the less you have to cook and freeze.*
Microwave bowls one at a time on a 1-2 minute rotating basis.
After approximately 500 rotations, spread kernals onto cookie sheets to cool.
Use every surface in the house to achieve the aforementioned step.
Kill all flies that have made their way into the house over the course of the day.
Bag corn in ziplocs for freezing.
Clean-up.
Eat more corn for dinner because you haven't had enough of it yet.

Wash, rinse, repeat when the next planting is ready to be harvested. Good times. I think this shot is between my Senior year of high school and Freshman year of college...


Friday!

It's been a hectic and relaxing weekend all at the same time; for now, just felt the need to share this, straight from the ranch: