adventures in powerwashing.

awkward moments in powerwashing:

• trying to figure out the mechanics of the brand-new powerwasher while sitting on my front porch... with an audience of retired neighbors, bikers, and pet-walkers all in attendance to watch me humiliate myself.
• forgetting my shoes inside.
• having to reach the spicket by traversing 5 feet of ornamental rock (barefoot) because i'm too stupid to go and get shoes on.
• the dance i do when i get the powerwasher hooked up. finally.
• getting honked at by an old guy driving by.
• hitting my big toe with a stream of water forceful enough to take off skin. don't ask how i know that.
• slinking inside to hide my shame after walking back over the stupid ornamental pokey-as-heck-rock to turn the faucet off in order to nurse my poor toe. 
• forgetting my shoes. again.
• trying to drag the powerwasher over to my car. figuring out that the cord doesn't quite reach... but continuing to try and aim the stream of water just right. then giving up, stomping back over to the plug and back into the garage, getting the cord stuck under the tire. tugging. wiggling. pullllling the stupid cord that refuses to budge. finally giving up and walking over to the tire. moving the cord an inch to the left. replugging. back out to the driveway. pulling the powerwasher over to the car. hose isn't long enough now. kink. undo the kink. back to powerwashing. random runner asks if i will wash his car next. big toe still throbbing. it'll snow in july in boise before i ever touch this thing again. 
• undoing the hose from the back of the powerwasher. apparently turning off the water does not mean there is no more pressure. walk back inside looking like i've had an accident. 
• finding out i only have 20 minutes before i meet with my new boss. (which went well. i get to do my favorite thing in the whole wide world and deal with baked goods all. day. long. best job ever? i think so.)

one less thing on my bucket list.

a few random thoughts... followed by an actual update on my life!

i'm not a huge fan of makeup... but i'm not a snob when it comes to brilliant words of wisdom. no matter where they come from. ;)

this was on my bucket list until a few days ago...

and i got to see it all first-hand.

the sunrise made this so much better!

can you guess who that is?

and of course... i can't forget about my new school!

ta-da!

now i just have to RIDE in one.

a castle on a cloud

day 16:

my dream house.

i tend to collect pictures, and i usually don't write down where i get them.

(so for the sake of attributing these... none of them belong to me... but i don't remember where i got them. oops.)

***

now if anyone else out there is like me - and LOVES hot chocolate... but for the sheer fact that i would sit and drink cupfull after cupfull... (calorie counters cringe at the thought)

i found this to be a good alternative.

and homemade. (gotta love that, huh?!)

homemade sugar free/ fat free hot chocolate

3 cups instant powdered milk

1 cup splenda

1/2 cup baking cocoa

1 sm. sugar free/fat free jello vanilla pudding, instant

mix all of the ingredients in a gallon size zip lock bag and close bag - mix. store in air tight container or the zip lock baggie. to make a cup of hot chocolate, use 1/4 cup of mix to 1 cup of hot water.

serves 18

i also have a fetish with mugs. i want this one.

...or for a single serving  (i mean... am i really going to make 18 servings worth of hot chocolate???)

1 cup non-dairy milk (you can also use unsweetened almond milk)

4 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

2 packets stevia

Optional: pinch of cinnamon and a dash of vanilla 

first measure out one cup of milk, and then transfer 2 tbsp of it to a mug. Heat the rest of the milk on the stove top or in the microwave (it took me about one and a half minutes in the microwave) until steaming but not boiling.

while the milk is heating up, add the cocoa, stevia, vanilla and cinnamon to the 2 tbsp milk in the mug. stir it together until it forms a chocolaty paste.

once the milk is heated up, add it to the chocolaty paste and stir till combined. just whirl a whisk between your hands back and forth to froth it up if desired.

***

i bet there is no better remedy for a stuffy head and sore throat than a hot cup of chocolate and nice warm toes by the fire  errr... space heater? (we'll just pretend for imagination's sake, shall we?)

a quick look back...

i have just over a month left. 

can i just say how sad that makes me?

who would have known that a group of complete strangers would be such great friends today?

little did they know...

don't we look cute? and oh so very pale..

[nessa me and meg]

which reminds me!

i realized that i haven't talked about our amazing experience at the matisyahu concert!

basically awesome...

but definitely the hottest experience i've ever had.

probably even hotter than today.

and today was baaaaad.

my dear friend weatherbug said it was 90 degrees, but it felt like it was 93.

it says it is 97 degrees in ein gedi...

i'm gonna diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiie.

our teachers kept telling us how "green" it was at the beginning of the semester.

i didn't believe them.

until i look at this picture, and then i realize how dead and brown everything looks now!

 just take a look at the wall...

this is the outside of zion gate, on our way to dormition abbey.

just a little reminder of the conflict that is never quite over in this part of the world.

[me sharla and lizzie]

an older picture, but i just barely found it.

it went through all of the countries in the world and gave places that you had to visit.

done and done!

we call this place "costco"

because it has tons of wholesale candy for super cheap.

it doesn't even come near to the real deal. 

mom: when i get home, i want trail mix from costco.

that is supposed to be a subliminal message.

you know how you never know how much you love someone until they're gone?

i feel that way...

about DI.

before i left, i couldn't understand how there could actually be a line waiting to get in DI...

right now, i would be willing to camp outside, to i could get in. 

:)

and while we're on the topic of fantasies and daydreams,

i want one of these.

-------------------------------------------------

i'm having a hard time being grateful for the sun right now...

but i have a kite!

...and we are going to fly it!

(just in case you didn't know that's what you do with kites...)