Over the Tapas

Everytime Christina tells someone where she works, they think its a strip club or something, because tapas sounds like topless.

When we went, she gave me a huge goblet for my glass of wine:

We got sizzling shrimp and tortilla española, which is my favorite. It's just like an egg and potato omelet, but in Spain it has a lot more potato than egg. Sadly, they made it the American way at the restaurant here, with more egg. Brandon got a pork sandwich, which had some sort of sweet sauce on it that was so good.

The paintings in the background are actually chaulkings, so they're just going to be erased someday!

This is me all sweaty after I ran with Wesley, blowing you a kiss. :-)

Mwah. 

Cu

This doesn't really look like much, but its a pretty big pile. There's a bunch more in the back of the truck and a lot more where my dad piled it originally, so I'll show you when it gets bigger, but hopefully this gets us some extra $$.

I am here

I am here and I am sad,
When I was there,
I was glad.

It is not hard to tell,
what makes my heart swell.
Most can clearly see,
You are what makes me
Happy.

I know I've apologized profusely,
But one more time so you will see,
I really mean what I am saying,
And that guilt sure does sting.

I love you to the moon and back.
I'm sorry I ever left,
I love you and that's a fact,
You stole my heart, grand theft!

Don't give it back now, though,
I'll come get it myself.
While I'm away my love has grown,
And weakened is my health.

So wait for me a little longer,
While I wait for a bite,
Soon, I would prefer,
So I can make things right.

I'll stop talking, now--
I know how it bothers you--
And watch for a way out,
Closer to you-know-who.

I'm Sorry

I'm sorry I'm sorry,

I say it too much, 

But you must know,

You are my crutch.

If I don't have you,

I limp along, 

and this cricket sings

A lonely song.

So kiss me, hug me,

Say it's alright,

So I can dream

Of you tonight. 

Bring it Around Town

This is the whole route:

This is zoomed in on the part in town:

And this is me after on my mom's bike, taken on my new camera:

I'll Be Seeing You....

TICKETS! The price actually went down! I was so surprised today.

Some throwbacks from this past year...

I put my memory card from my old camera into my new one, and I found some nice surprises on there...

You had made my bed for me, and set Scruffy up :-) The sticky note says, "I ruff you!"

Those are the flowers you gave me for Valentine's Day from the flower shop where Tomas worked. <3

I still have the vase. Plus, there's my favorite picture of us, and the 365 dog calendar. 

Short Sunset Ride

I just went for a bike ride, didn't really start enough to do a really cool sunset destination, but I also didn't really wanna be riding home in the dark, so this is what I ended up with. I took the dirt road that I often talk about and then took a trail off of that. That took me down a trail which splits and I opted to go towards Hartland Pond. I then went towards Hartland Pond but stopped at another pond, Howell's Pond on the way. I took a few pictures there, which you will see. I decided not to continue to Hartland Pond because it was getting pretty dark at that point, so I cut it short, but it was still a nice ride.

The one on the left is of yours truly in the trail trying to blow a kiss but it doesn't really look like much. It was pretty dark in there by this point, but not nearly as dark as the camera flash makes it look. In the middle is a picture of the state boundary line between Connecticut and Mass., this was in the woods off the trail a little bit, so I thought it was pretty cool. The one on the right is just the exit of the trail I took, it was probably an old Jeep trail or something like that because it was pretty wide but isn't used for much anymore.

This one is of me in front of Howell's Pond just before sunset. I was experimenting with the self-timer and this one worked out pretty well.
This is the same map I used for the first trip, but this trip is in pink on it. Howell's Pond was just barely out of the frame, but I didn't go much past it before I decided to turn around, so this works well enough. :) Oh and I was talking to my parents a little bit today before I went about some trails that go to lookouts around here and I think I have a few that would be fun to explore together when you're out here, so I'll try to resist doing them on my own before that. <3

Times Square Puzzle

This is the puzzle my mom and I did. She helped me a little bit the first night, but I did like 90% of it and didn't waste much time. It was nice, it kept me busy for this morning and it was kinda fun; there weren't many spaces that were void of anything distinguishable, like the sky in the one I gave you for Christmas, sorry :-/. Haha so it wasn't super difficult but it was fun, its actually 750 pieces but like 1'x3'. I have another one just like it thats of Las Vegas and it glows in the dark so maybe we could do that one together... If not, there are plenty of puzzles out there and there will be plenty of cold nights in the winters to come. I promise you though that we will finish the puzzle I gave you for Christmas.

Bible Study

Bible study was pretty fun; the guy whose house it was at has one of those dogs that kind of looks like a wolf, and it would talk. It could do the "I love you" thing, haha. So funny, and every once in a while it would just come into a conversation and it was like it was trying to join in and talk, not bark.

We talked about one of my favorite stories, where a guy stabs a king who is so fat that the sword sinks all the way into his fat. hahah and then he sneaks out, and the king's attendants all think the king is taking a dump, so they just wait and wait for him to finish.
I like some of those Old Testament stories.

I really like your hiking pictures :-)
Especially the one of you.
Here is one of me with my new phone, but don't make fun of the glasses!

The Wind Rustles

The wind rustles through the aspen leaves,

And I think about how unfamiliar they seem.

The mountains rise around me,

Not encroaching, but standing as enormous, aesthetic details,

Carved out ages ago, beautiful and threatening,

From a time before the world knew anything of you or I.

The sky stretches out above them, for miles and miles,

and I know, in the perfection, strangeness, and timelessness that surrounds me,

That whoever formed these giants out of the emptiness, 

And whoever painted the eternal, ever-changing azure above them,

Must be the one who secured the rope, 2200 miles long, 

That binds my heart to yours. 

Blackmore Lake

So the trail we went on today goes up to a lake. It's in Hyalite canyon, and I've climbed to the top of Mount Blackmore and Hyalite, but we didn't have nearly enough time for either of these hikes. The camera on my phone isn't superb, but here's what I got:

There was this really cute dog up there, too. He wouldn't respond to anything, though, and when he finally saw us and came over, we read his tags and realized it was because he was deaf. His owner was floating in the middle of the lake on a bright pink blow up floatie, fishing. It was kind of funny.

and I didn't take any of me, because I was wearing my glasses. :) I somehow thought that if I took them off when I was getting my blood drawn so I couldn't see anything that it would help. I don't think it really made much of a difference...

Fire Pond-Pipeline-River Trail

These are some pictures from my ride today, it wasn't as difficult as the other ride (or long I think). This time I had my mom pick me up, so I started from my house and met her at the end of the trail (didn't have to ride up the big hill).

This picture was of the gate to the first trail which was right off the dirt road near my house that goes into MA.
The next picture is of a nice little pond along the trail. I think it's a pond that the fire department can take water from if there is ever a fire nearby it. I biked a little further down that trail and got on the pipeline, which had some rocky downhill sections that were a little tricky but fun. (this picture is of the steep part of the hill, sometimes its hard to tell in pictures)
Then I came to the brook that I took pictures of last time and I crossed it on foot which wasn't much of a problem.

I'm getting better at taking the self-portraits of myself. It's a bummer being the only one on these bike rides because if there were two people, we could get some pretty cool pictures, but oh well, maybe in the future. Anyhow, I thought you would like another one, although its pretty similar to the one from the last trip. I took a bunch of these along the day and this was the one I think I like the best.

The next part of the ride was pretty flat, with a few tricky spots where little streams crossed the trail and fed into the brook. In those spots it was rocky, but for the most part it wasn't too bad.

From here, I rode a little ways further and was trying to hurry a little bit because I had momma come 40 mins after I left for this ride and I figured it was about that time. And then of course I broke the chain on my bike! Luckily, it was mostly downhill and flat from the spot where it happened, and I was only a few minutes later than I had planned on.

I'll keep doing these rides and maybe I'll find some that could be fun for us to do together sometime. This brook is really nice, there are a few natural pools that could be fun to hang out around. It's good to get out of the house for little trips like this now(to break the monotony and clear my head), and I enjoy showing you where I go, but it will be a lot more enjoyable if I don't have to take the pictures because you are right there with me (-;

+

Better Days

"You must have an ulcer,"
My mother insists,
My lip curls-- upper--
Snarls like a fist.

"Please do eat something dear;
You look thin."
Her eyes show fear.
I just think of him.

The mountains and valleys,
Everyone's smiling.
But blurring the beauty,
My tears sting.

I don't want any of it.
My heart pleads
To be relit.
Oh, it bleeds.

Find me here,
In my sorrows,
Kiss away fear,
Promise a good 'morrow.

I need you now,
I need you always,
Come on, let's go,
To find better days.

If I Could Be There

If I could be there in your arms,

And feel your beating heart,

Snuggled up safe from harm,

I'd trace my fingers, 'cross your chest,

And soak up all the pain and stress.

I'd kiss you softly and hum a lullaby,

And hug you tightly,

Letting out a happy sigh.

The world would start to turn again,

And we would see only happy ends.

But across the miles, I still feel your love. 

So until that day, dream of me,

And everything that we will be,

When from this distance, we are freed. 

Lunch with My Mom

We went to Huckleberry's for lunch, which is a little restaurant inside of a grocery store (Rosauers, which my mom always accidentally calls Roberts because that was the name of the grocery store we went to in Madison). See how healthy I am? ;-) Mac and cheese, onion rings, moz sticks. 

?

Did you make it look like I have a rat tail on purpose?

Two Shower Heads

Thank you for the picture :-) It made me very happy. 

I want you to get excited too about the things we will do. And someday you can build a shower with two faucets, and I can put my head on your chest and feel your hand in my hair, and you can squeeze my cheeks together for a nice kiss. and then 100 more after that one.  

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Always love,

Rachel

It was many and many a year ago,

In a kingdom by the sea,

That a maiden there lived whom you may know

By the name of ANNABEL LEE;

And this maiden she lived with no other thought

Than to love and be loved by me.

Waiting

hey girl,

sorry for being so pessimistic, im not usually like this i think you know but i get into these funks (funky moods) and i start to think about the worst case scenarios kind of and then i have a hard time getting it out of my head.  i fixate on this stuff which isn't good, so i apologize, I hope you are excited for your birthday though and are optimistic about our future living situations.  don't be afraid to just say my behavior is bothering you because i feel like you dont think you're capable of getting me out of these moods but all you have to do is say how it bothers you or just say its bothering you and i will feel bad and snap out of it because even though thats all it seems like im trying to do is upset you; i dont really understand myself sometimes but maybe its just me trying to talk about it but don't wanna actually bring it up

i dont know, but i really miss you and i am excited to be closer to you, obviously i would much rather live with you, which would be amazing, but i will settle and it will still be a lot better than this :) just don't be impatient because no one knows how long it is going to take for something to come up that you like and that is close enough for you to be happy, but we will take it as it comes of course

<3<3

chris