Laces hold the souls of the world in good standing

Shoes... Aren't they adorable things!! I found a pair of shoes (well my friend Justin did) that are like gardening shoes. They're rubber with holes in them! Amazing things... I wear them to work now since they are technically 'covered toe' shoes. This has been such a joy to a girl who grew up on a resort where shoes were merely options and not required.


Our hiking boots had some of the best views, as they sun dried themselves. (mine are on the far right).

Another pair of shoes that I love are my point shoes. Yes, ballet. I have a ton of these hard toe'd shoes. Laced in all their ribbon glory of leather and canvas glued and baked together.... Beautiful things.

I have this pair of red shoes that I just love, worn and torn from wear. Splattered with paint, they are beautiful pieces of artwork. I think they even leak a little bit... I wore them to a Halloween, Alaska show last year... (March or April of 2004) and stepped in a puddle-wet feet resulted after dancing at the Times bar of course! I love my shoes... Flip flops especially... I believe I've worn them to weddings with my 'wedding' attire. When I was little I had this pair of Brown shoes that I adored (well that's what mom says anyway) so much that anything brown was called 'brown shoes'. "Melody what color is that teddy bear?" "Brown Shoes." I replied. And that's all I have to say about shoes...

Becoming real, growing up, or becoming more senile

You know you've really grown up when...

Your church values your opinions, views and talents and you finally realize why.
You come out of a plethora of chaotic years of life and come out beating the system.
You realize that most people have depth and you strangely desire to learn more about them.
You feel that you are old and unattractive at 25, or almost 25 in my case.
Things that used to be important, aren't, like material things.
You know where you belong, and you actively seek out things and time to strengthen that area of your life.
When being 'real' with people is the norm, and not just something you are with close friends and family.

The fall out artfest was yesterday, Friday, and today? Not sure, but if anything it was a good experience for me in general. I love the people there. I love people who are passionate about Christ, about the community that they are from, about being committed to one another and others who share this uninhibited passion to love on our Father. It's an amazing and beautiful thing.

During our last worship/finale bluer had this VJ thing going on about 12 differently stacked TV's... Pretty cool! I'm sure that it'll be on our website soon. Enter the worship Circle type worship with drums in the audience, dancing, fire dancers, (Caleb was dancing and amazed by the fire dancing), and painters. I've always wanted to paint during worship, so last night I took the plunge. It was interesting to find that I didn't feel 'naked' while my painting took shape as I usually do when creating a piece. That in it's self is probably a good indication of where my heart was/is. Everyone sort of disappeared as the paint met the glass canvas. Love in paint, life in reality.

That is how I know I'm grown up, or almost there... :-p

The long awaited Journal entry...

7/13/05
Do you know what smells awesome? The smell of coffee in the Boundary waters. This small token of scent brings feelings of warmth, comfort and home, making the boundary waters even more so a place that is home. It's so peaceful here. No sounds of motors, cars in the distance... Just deafening silence, birds, the occasional paddle of canoes and wind. The wind at this campsite on Insula is amazing. Almost a ghost wind. You hear it above you before you even feel it... Amazing. I wondered before coming up here if I truly liked coming up here or if it was just a ruse to make myself more appealing. But I've found that it is not so, I am hopelessly in love with this place.

7/15/05

Today we are 'forced' into 3 hours of contemplation time to ourselves... I could handle an hour, and this 3 hours is and might, drive me into picking more wild blueberries than needed in my system. Maybe it'll rain and end this madness.

For some of us on this trip it has been amazingly full of challenges that have been faced and over come. A work out, solitude, and a chance to further deepen friendships within bluer. Of which I am apart of all these, however my accomplishment is seemingly simple, only one small feat-to prove to myself and further cement my love of the outdoors. I have done it, with little effort. I was ecstatic to be here, willing to jump right into things to explore, swim, paddle.

The biggest thing that I've come to realize in the loving of this place is that there is someone out there for me. After two years of having this feeling 'stripped' from me, it's a relief and comfort to feel it again.

Isn't God's creation amazing?

I think my trip was filled with simple answers that I had been searching out. God is faithful, it's just timing and hearing both what you want to hear and what is actually being said that is the frustrating part. I know He looks out for me. A God/father who is passionately seeking me out, avidly being apart of my life is baffling to think about when you see all of this creation that He's looking after, as well as all His people. I know I'm treasured, I know I'm loved. I hope that I at least have a vague mirror image of that passionate persuance towards Him.

There is a way that I find You. As I stand in my busiest moment I find You, with Your eyes full of love. I lose my weight of hopelessness. My world of chaotic mess falls and I and surrounded by peace. I stop, and find that You are already deep into my thoughts, as striking up prayer like conversations-seems to take no effort and no explanation. I love that You are always with me... I love that You are breaking and molding me into who You want and need me to be.
I want to be where You stand.
I devour to know You.
I weep with joy with thoughts of seeing you.
My hope, my joy, my savior, my Jesus, My God.
Who is like you.?

For the love of the life jacket!

You have no idea how close I grew to my life jacket in the boundary waters! (and okay, so my journal is still in my purse down stairs... yeah, I'm sorry! But it's looking good for the entry to be written when I get time... or this weekend. ;) I know you are just 'dying' to know what I'm writing on that rock cliff below)
So this life jacket was my seat, flotation device and pillow. Such a fair friend. Beautiful and Yellow, zippers to keep me safely in it's grasp. What a plethora of happy moments spent with this inadiment object that it was almost hard to say goodbye and leave it at the BWX's base camp. But ahh, indeed I did, with thoughts of the next person to experience it's loving graces and echoing yellow color. Life Jacket, wherever you are, this photo is for you! Miss you,
love,
Melody.

1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, Kawishui River, Hudson, Insula, Alice, Fish dancing...

What do these all have in common??? Well for one thing, it's where I was all last week (the 9th through the 15th). Give up? Haven't guessed yet? Well... the Boundary waters, of course! Beautiful, great!, relaxing, peaceful... I have a journal entry that I want to put on here, but am too lazy to go down stairs to get it right now... Maybe tomorrow... I just wanted to link some photos from Nick's page and to brag about my 45' cliff jump, my awesome tan, and my 'war wounds' from portaging down a river! I am the woman! However, Amy is the woman as well. She and I rocked out in the wilderness... so did the rest of my crew, maybe because I'm a woman I'm bias... ;) Here is the link! Boundary waters Pics More writings tomorrow... hopefully!

untastefully tactless.

Yes, and yes again. Why I started like that has yet to be determined in my mind... But how it's called 'adrift my thoughts' and it's my place to say whatever I want... Ha! I can do anything I want to on here!

With that being said... My computer and I have a love/hate relationship. I love having, but hate the way it acts. All in all... I need to put it to rest soon to save the sanity of my life and the anguish it has scrounging up enough memory to run my awesome artsy programs... Even the internet seems to be hard for it lately. So that's why this post, that should've been up yesterday, is up today!

I wanted to tell you about this shirt I have...
Notice the picture. I was informed by well meaning friends that the 'M' and 'E' could be inverted therefore saying 'Squeeze 'Em'. Yeah. Great, thanks guys! ;-) However, it does not say that. But still referring to that shirt: Yesterday on my break I went to the holiday store with my co-worker Pete. While we were checking out this older gentleman was standing in front of us. He pays for his things and turns, quite awkwardly toward me. Pete saw none of this because he was too busy checking out. The man comes up to me, and says..."So dear, do you want me to squeeze you?" and give me a half hug. I was utterly and totally stunned. Yes I was wearing the shirt, and Yes, I did say no and had this look of complete disgust and disbelief... Yikes!

It made me wonder if I'll ever wear that shirt again.
Maybe after I wash it a few times...

My son is so insightful!

I've just been informed that I'm the Pink Power Ranger and Caleb is indeed the Red Power Ranger! Look for us... I guess? :) Off to fight gigantic villians with cheap plastic swords! Yessssss!

How I'm supposed to be the Pink Ranger and Wonder Woman... is amazing.
I've also been in formed that the pictures that I'm posting of the power rangers are 'NOT' the power rangers that he's watching on TV right now. They are 'Not the same'. As quoted by Caleb.

Seriously... your drunkeness has to stop...

I dislike my roommate.

I need a new roommate.

Will you be my roommate?

Seriously. The guy is awful when drunk. Just look at the picture! Last time this happened he broke one of my beloved wine glasses from Jon, and ate all of my hot dogs! This time, well the wall has been damaged, he ate, or rather took, one of Caleb's popsicles and left it on the living room floor to melt, and ate some left overs of mine. This is too much... I'll tell you this, if my artwork gets ruined, he's out immediately.

I start my search for a new roommate today.

My beautiful Sister

It's my sister's birthday today.

I miss her so much.
I'd love to live with her, and encourage her in her life, that is if she were still here...
I believe she's close by when I'm having a rough day, or looking out for Caleb as his guardian angel.

I love you and miss you terribly!

Happy Birthday Selah.