Washburn's are Special

So, i have been in New Hampshire the past day getting ready for Jess and Clays wedding and spending time with her family, and no surprise it has made me really miss my family. Whenever I spend time with friends or other families, i automatically compare them and how they operate as a family to the Washburns. And not saying that we are superior, it is just different, we have always been a different family than most. There are so many friendships within our family, spouses, siblings, parents, we are all friends with each other and that is what I think makes us so unique. When i come home from Utah, I spend 99% of my time with family and that is by my choice. People out in Utah have learned that family is my #1 priority, bc I spend so much time traveling to see them.

Also it is fun to think of how it will be when i eventually get married, not only because I will be geting married! But because I know it will be a big family event, like the other 2 weddings have been. That in itself excites me! I love when our house is full to the brim with our family, it makes it feel so alive. Nothing is better than waking up to a random niece or nephew telling me i have to get up because the sun is up too and then coming downstairs to mom and the boys drinking coffee and reading the paper...oh how i miss my family!

New Hampshire - Check!

Today I added a new state to my ever growing list, New Hampshire! My good friend Jess, my twin, is getting married this saturday, so i have flown up for the week to hang out and then attend the wedding...this is the picture that got our whole friendship started!

We have been fortunate enough to work together all summer, and it has bee a blast. We talked about this not long ago, but when you work with friends in our job, you get to learn such vulnerable stuff about eachother, things it would take months and maybe years to learn in a regular friendship, so things kind of get expedited out there. We have definitly benefited from that.

So, anyway, that is why i am out here in NH for the next few days. Let me just say, I was driving from the airport tonight and the temp was 58 at 7:30! I was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt and felt amazing and tonight I could see my breath! What a different place this is. From what I have seen so far it is a beautiful green place. I am so excited to see a new place. I feel like lately my travels haven't really taken me anywhere new and exciting, so I will get a taste of that this week. Tomorrow we are off to pick Apples...how quaint does that sound!? I will be back with more Northeastern updates!

Avett Brothers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGKdBkBuBZQ&feature=related

check it out, it will only add joy to your day

Weekend in California

I am back from my weekend in California...what did I learn? I don't like LA. I'm sure I wasn't in the "cool/fun" part of town, but i couldn't even see that part of town from where I was. However an amazing show by the Avett Brothers more than made up for anything bad that happened on my trip! This band over the past year has become a big part of my life, their music in a way narrating my life. It is always special for me to see bands like that live and feel the energy that they put out and realize again how much i love their music. I also feel that southern connection with this band, they are from Concord, NC and you can feel/hear their southern influence in their music. It was funny for me to see all these LA types dancin along to good ol southern bluegrass! I suggest everyone checks out their music, it is hard to not find a song that speaks to you somehow. 

On to the next month or so, I will be working this week and the day after I get out, wed, I will be getting on a plane to New Hampshire for the wedding of my two friends from work Clay and Jess. I will spend 4 days in NH and then fly home Sept 20 and my flight gets in at 11 and I will hurry to the stadium and catch the Titans home opener! Dad doesn't know so it will be cool hopefully for him to look up in the stands and see me there not expecting it! So TN readers keep it a secret! I will spend a few days at home, going to my own dentist(this gets me very happy!) and maybe going to see the Avett Brothers again in Oxford, Ms. Then I head to Knoxville to see two of my best college friends get married! Cassey and Dylan were two of my first friends at MTSU and we were all on a trip on the Smokies when they started dating, I remember her coming back to our cabin and telling me about their first "mini-date" so it will be a lot of fun to celebrate their wedding and see some college friends! They are also my Western buddies. They have been out west a little longer than I have, living in Idaho, Joshua Tree, and now Death Valley. We all 3 realize how nice it is to have a home connection out here. Then I will head back home for a week and I FINALLY GET TO BE HOME FOR A FAMILY BIRTHDAY!!! I will be home for Brady's birthday! I am almost beside myself, I have been in the field for sOOO many birthdays and for someone like myself who always likes to celebrate birthdays with family it has been beyond difficult, so i'm glad I get to hopefully share the day with Brady! I head back to Utah Oct. 3rd. I am so looking forward to some time in Tn- it is desperatley needed these days, I haven't spend much time in Tn since my birthday. 

I think sometimes my body/soul knows when I have been away for so long and just craves it. And thanks to football season I will be spending many Fall weekends in Tn this year!!

Party for me and Luke

So, I have just been just sitting around looking at old pictures today. I have been mostly looking at ones of Luke from his young days at a toddler and for some reason I was taken back to a certain memory of him. Shania Twain was have a concert on Broadway in downtown Nashville for some morning show. So, Ash and I decided we wanted to go since it was free. Luke might have been right around 1 over or under not sure. It was a cold crisp morning, and we had to go at like 5 am. But we got there and I carried luke in the snugglie thing on my chest and she had a duet with Billy Currington "Party for Two". I know that this song has more of a sexual undertone to it, but for some reason when that came on I had my first nephew on my chest and we were all dancing along and i was singing the song and so whenever i hear that song anymore all I think about is dancing with luke on my chest in downtown nashville, so in my mind "party for two" is me and luke's song. I have to explain that carefully considering some of the lyrics ;) But like usual, I don't care! Ash is looking for a picture of the two of us from that morning and when i get it i will put it up here...

here they are

Another one

Here is a funny one of brady hitting luke in the knee... and one of him hitting me in the side of the head...what a loving brother!

Missin Luke

I found this video today, boy do I miss this guy. I have been playing it over and over just to hear his sweet voice...

Back to Blogland

I am once again out of the field, not a moment too soon this week. As you loyal blog stalkers know, i was struggling with the fact that erik was leaving last week as i headed into the field. Tip to those who want to work in wilderness therapy...taking your own baggage into the field with you is not good for anyone! And on top of that, i was missing Ashley and Ally's birthdays. 2nd year in a row that I have been in the field for Ally's bday, and before these 2 I had prefect attendence...same with Luke. I have been battling with this for a while, I've had a lot of guilt for missing family events, games, bdays because of work. I keep wondering, is it worth it? Deep down in my heart I know it is. Because I did live at home and had a job I didn't love and it wore on me and all i thought about was leaving. Yet there is still that part of me that feels like I need to be with my family when it matters. 

This is the sunset on Ashley's birthday

Ally's token bday card on a clients shoes

I luckily have wonderful support systems everywhere i turn. I talked to dad about the guilt and he was able to commiserate and told me of his doubts during his coaching career. Today I took Erik to the airport to go back to school. My close friend Jess offered to go with me so that I wouldn't have to drive home alone and sad. I ran errands all afternoon so I wouldn't just sit around the house and be sad. My sister figure JP called me and took me out to get some good Greek food(yes, there is a decent food place in St. g!) and we talked about what's going on for me. She is amazingly supportive. Her husband Shad and I shared some Root Beers(I'll post more soon about RB, yes i will blog about Root Beer) and talked football. Tonight I went to a movie with 4 friends and made plans with another to make a trip to Tn in the fall. It is funny that during the great times I tend to underestimate how wonderful the people in my life are. Then when I am going through a rough transition they all come swoop in and make sure that they iron out whatever wrinkles they can. It is extremely reassuring after I had a week in the field where I started to doubt my life here. 

In happy news I celebrated my 1 year anniversary with Second Nature! I can't even believe it! It was a weirdly cyclical week in that regard. I was with group 4 my first shift and with them this shift, we spent time at the first campsite i ever visited, we climbed Water Canyon Peak last year on August 29th and this year we climbed it on August 30th. To weird right? here are 2 shots almost a year apart....

last year on top of WCP 8-29-08

this year on top of WCP 8-30-09

Here are a few other pics from the week...

Me with Jess and Katelyn, the ladies I have been working with all summer

Hiking wound

I will be blogging up a storm hopefully this week, so come on back