Ahhh, my little sweet potato!

Five months ago, I bought a sweet potato to make sweet potato fries. In the busyness of school and life, I left it in the plastic produce bag for a little too long. One day, upon looking in the bag, I realized that the sweet potato had not gone moldy, as regular russet potatoes do, but had sprouted leaves!

I decided to plant part of the potato in one of Kat's planter boxes on the deck. Why not? If anything, it would just die and I'd be where I started, with a potato I couldn't eat.

However, the sweet potato did NOT die. He survived a few more months in Aptartment 29 before being taken home to NorCal. He had a nice summer on the deck, crowding out Mom's flowers in the planter he was "sharing."

He was transplanted again into a tiny pot to make the trip down to SoCal, where he hung out with Amos for a few days. That was very sad. He did not like the little pot. His leaves turned yellow one by one, and I kept pulling them off, hoping he wouldn't die before I was able to take him home to the new apartment.

I am happy to report that he was recently relocated to a nice, big pot where he is growing very rapidly. I expect that my roommates and I should be able to eat a few sweet potatoes in a month or two, as his roots are getting to be eatin' size. Look out little sweet potato! I have plans for you...

CAUTION: Prone to absurdity and misadventures

Friday was a free day! Amos didn't have to work, and I didn't get called to substitute. I had the idea that we should go to the beach to see some tide pools. Nice idea, right? We thought so.

We headed down to San Pedro this morning and had lunch on a bluff near a lighthouse overlooking the beach. Amos said that we had to take a picture with the lighthouse because some friends from back home took roadtrips just to see them.

At the lighthouse we met a docent name John (or "David" if we didn't like the tour) and joined his tour. At first I was kind of like, "I don't know about all the time this might take, but...why not." It actually was interesting. We got to go all the way up to the top and learn the history of the building. When we came back down, Amos pointed out the replica of the lighthouse that was on display. You would not believe it. The replica won first prize at the Nevada County Fair!!! Which is crazy because San Pedro and Grass Valley are 450+ miles apart!!! I told the docent that I was from Grass Valley. He didn't seem that interested, but I was very excited.

Lighthouse picture taken, we headed out for the tide pools. I'm not sure what it was. Maybe the tide was too high, maybe we were in the wrong spot, maybe...I don't know. There were no tide pools. The beach actually looked a lot like a NorCal beach. There was no sand. Anywhere. No sand, just big, loose rocks the size of baseballs, basketballs, and boulders.

Amos and I decided to climb back up to the top of the bluff and drive farther down the coast to find some real tide pools. Unfortunately, as we were walking back ...

"Ow!" Amos' glasses broke.

Yep, the metal snapped and a lens popped out. Ohhhhhhhh dear. This is not good.

Amos really can't see without his glasses. Amos has a manual car.

Thankfully, I learned how to drive a manual this summer. Otherwise, I would have had a much more stressful day, either learning how to drive or riding back as a passenger!

Putting the glasses in my backpack, we decided we should ditch the whole tide-pools-that-aren't-tide-pools-beach-town-day idea and try to find a Lens Crafters instead. The stressful thing was that there were a lot of hills in San Pedro. I kept hoping that no one would get too close behind me as I stopped on said hills. The cars thankfully kept an adequate distance.

We got back on the freeway and headed for Santa Clarita. No problem, right?

Well, there was traffic. Intense traffic. My left leg started hurting from using the clutch constantly. After driving for close to two hours (when it should only have taken one), I decided that I had had enough of the freeways. Amos told me which street to get off on so that we could bypass the bad section of the 405.

Squeezing through the lanes stuffed with stubborn drivers who didn't want to let me over, I got off the freeway. Amos told me to turn left. I turned left. He said we should probably go straight. I went straight, but then I realized that we were getting back on the freeway! So...

I turned into the parking lot of a mortuary. I told Amos to warn me if he saw any dead people, but then I remembered, "he can't see!" Amos assured me that they did not wheel dead people around in plain view even at the mortuary, so I should be fine. We accidentally drove the wrong way through the parking lot and headed back for the surface streets. The bad thing is that I should wear glasses when I drive.

There was a lot of,

Me - "What does that sign say? Oh yeah, you can't see."

Amos - "What about this street?" Me - "Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, no, that's not it."

Me - "What street is this?"

Amos - "What about this street?" Me - "Ummm, no."

We found Balboa, turned right, and continued on to Santa Clarita. But of course, there was another twist. The road we were travelling on went up a really steep, long, traffic-jammed hill.

Oh no! Not the hill! Not with a clutch! Not with stop-and-go traffic! Not with a nice car behind me who keeps inching closer!

You can guess what happened next. Yep, I killed the car. On the hill.

So. I pulled the e-break and revved the engine. If you drive or know how to drive a manual car, you realized that I didn't apply the clutch. I let the engine slow back down, revved the engine, applied the clutch, smoked the tires (literally, I could see the smoke), and took off the e-break.

Let me tell you, that car stayed waaaaay back for the rest of the hill. ;)
A few minutes later we were back on Amos' street, hoping for dinner but poised for any new misadventure that might waylay us.

For an anticlimactic end to a crazy day, we went to Ralph's to get food for dinner and super glue for Amos' glasses. We made and ate dinner, and I said goodbye to Amos and an insane day that will not soon be forgotten.

:)

amazon

I am proud to announce that I have sold EIGHT books so far on amazon.com! I am very excited about this, especially because I don't have a job right now. On Tuesday I spent a few hours sitting on a pillow on the floor with two boxes of books, looking up ISBN numbers, comparing the covers to make sure that I was selling the same book, listing the condition, choosing a selling price, etc. It was tedious.

However.

I survived and have sold eight books so far. It is quite the fun little business. I like wrapping up the books and taking them to the post office.

That is what has been keeping me busy, though I'm hoping that I will get called soon to substitute teach. I also have a possible interview next week with a tutoring company. We'll see how that goes.

Until then, I'll keep selling, and printing, and packing, and shipping, and...

Oh wow.

It has been NINE days since I last wrote. Sporadic internet access has influenced the dearth of both ridiculous and purposeful prose on this humble weblog. (I really like that sentence. :) )

In news today, I have a roommate! Her name is Jen. It might be short for Jennifer, but I'm not sure. So apartment 1730 now will house Michelle, Michelle, Jen, and Jennica. Very funny. I don't really know Jen, so if you think of us, pray that we will be profitable roommates for each other. She is moving in next weekend.

In other news, my apartment now has warm water. What we do not have is hot water. This will hopefully be remedied today. We are also getting internet today, so I will be able to write more on here.

In other other news, I have a boyfriend. And he's awesome.

In other other other news, I have had the dark blue ribbon marker of my Bible holding the place at Jeremiah 17:5-8 for the last few months. I thought I would share the verses with you.

Thus says the LORD:

"Cursed is the man who trusts in man,

And makes flesh his strength,

Whose heart departs from the LORD.

For he shall be like a shrub in the desert,

And shall not see when good comes,

But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,

In a salt land which is not inhabited.

[insert my comment, "BUT..."]

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,

And whose hope is the LORD.

For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,

Which spreads out its roots by the river,

And will not fear when heat comes;

But its leaf will be green,

And will not be anxious in the year of drought,

Nor will cease from yielding fruit."

L/D

Likes:

-The foggy day today

-My new window shades (I know, I already talked about them...but I like them...). They are orangy-red and off-white. Very nice. They go with my bedspread, which my sister-in-law Audra gave me.

-Pandora. Awesome! I miss the internet access that lets me listen to it a lot.

-Crazy people. Not the clinically crazy, but my friends' type of crazy.

-My brothers, sisters, and sisters-in-law. They are the best.

-Naps. Very nice.

-Washer and dryer inside the apartment. I'm going to like this.

-Photography blogs. I like to look at Lydia Takeoka, Jasmine Star, Lukas Van Dyke, and formerly, Matt Floreen (he and his wife moved to Africa; he is no longer a professional photographer).

-Avocados. Make sure that you spell it correctly. avOcado. I am going to the Avocado Festival in October in Carpinteria. Oh yeah. Mmmmm-mmm-mmm.

-Being an extra. Really, it's just sitting around and listening to crazy people talk. Not too bad. I wouldn't do it every day, but hey.

-Free stuff. Very much a fan of free stuff.

-Being saved. It's not easy, but who said it would be? I have a High Priest and the sovereign God who cares about what happens to me. Not only does He care, He knows what will happen with me. That's not to say that I never get worried, but it definitely helps.

Dislikes:

-Too much time on Facebook. I will be very glad when my work actually starts.

-Writing on my blog like it's Facebook. I sound kind of weird on here, like I'm updating my status.

-Too much light in my room. I'm hoping the shades will make it darker at night.

-insert pithy statement here-

Happy Saturday!

Here...

Fun

-new apartment

-new roommates

-new window shades

-old friends

Not So Fun

-no hot water till Monday

-smog

-no internet access (but how am I doing this then?! hmmm......)

-no roommate for me yet

Yep, I am moved in...hoping for a roommate very soon...and a bed...and...food...

More later, when I have more time to think of something more eloquent. :)

I need...

more adventures so that this blog won't be so boring for my readers.
Oh well.
Better luck next time.

I'm in SoCal, chillin' at a friend's house until I can move into my apartment on Thursday. Once I get things figured out and organized, I'm sure I will have more interesting things to share.

Happy Tuesday!

In other news...

-I killed the battery on Mom's van today...but only temporarily. Who knew that leaving the key in for the air and radio could kill it in 15 minutes?

-I'm waiting for a place to live, trying not to be anxious. My friends are in Santa Clarita researching places, so once again, all I can do is wait.

-I'm impatiently waiting for one of my best friends to visit this weekend. I have a lot of stuff to do between now and Friday afternoon.

-Dad killed a rattlesnake today. Brenda and Lexi went to give Sutter his dinner behind the house, and the next thing I knew, Lexi was back on the kitchen step with very big eyes. "There's a rattlesnake!!!" The snake was coiled and very angry! I opened the gate to get Sutter out of his pen, and Dad put him in the garage where he'd be safe. The little kids were ordered inside and instructed to look out the little girls' bedroom window if they wanted to watch. Dad fetched his rifle and hit the snake with his first shot! He shot the snake a second time in the neck. I severed the head with a shovel, put the head in a coffee can and the body in a paper bag, washed the snake blood out of Sutter's pen, and tossed the snake in the trash trailer. I must say, 3 snakes in 11 years of living on this property isn't too bad. Maybe I'll be able to kill the snake next time. It is just creepy to get that close to a lethal snake and hope you don't miss when you try to cut his head off.

-That's about all for now! Happy Tuesday!

Birthday

Man, I have not been blogging much this summer...ooops.

Yesterday was my birthday! I turned 23. Irene (one of my bestest friends) and I went kayaking at Bowman Lake. Should be fun, right? Well, the way out was fun...and the company was fun...the way back was not fun. I discovered that I do not like kayaking. I would probably do it again if threatened with death, but...(just kidding). I was exhausted from lack of sleep and had had enough. So a shorter amount of time would be good.

I will probably come back to my blog tomorrow and wonder what on earth I was talking about in this post, as I am very tired. Oh well. ;)

Some other people who share my birthday:
Randy - the neighbor boy when I was 5-10 years old; my brothers are still friends with him and actually went to his party today

Hannah - the sister of a friend with whom I have now lost touch

Mrs. Ralston - the mom of this guy, Amos

Arnold - yes, the Governator

Lindsey - former co-worker at Sunshine and college friend

Jason - another co-worker at Sunshine

Oh, and happy birthday, Kat! Even though you're in New Zealand with the International Date Line and everything, I'm STILL two days older than you. :)

EDIT: My birthday is July 30th. I posted this on August 1st, but it still seemed like the day after my birthday...any way.

A brand neu (man) day...

The day started very early. I jumped from the top bunk in Adrienne's room in Slight, the summer dorm at TMC, at 6:02 am. The early morning called for drastic measures. I set up my laptop in the bathroom and danced with Lou Bega to "Mambo Number 5" as I got ready for Luke and Danielle's big day. Bride Danielle and maid of honor Sherrie stopped to say hi as I was on the side of the road putting up the signs that declared NEUMAN WEDDING ----->.

It was very fun to be involved in the wedding. Though it wasn't official, I was the second photographer for the wedding. [Insert really big smile here] It was really fun! Once I buy a really nice digital SLR camera and learn how to use it, if anyone wants me to secondshoot for a wedding, I am totally cool with that. You don't even have to pay me. (Just don't get your hopes too high; I'm not that good).

Funny moments:
Watching the family, groomsmen, and bridesmaids enter the hall to the tune of "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy"...oh dear.

The pastor, Josh Sheridan, messing up the ceremony with the first words out of his mouth: "Who gives this man to this woman in marriage?"

Not knowing how to sing "Be Thou My Vision." Who knew that the CD would jump directly to the next verse with no pause for breath? Luke's dad tried to fill in the verse with a few comments...

The non-traditional addition to the traditional, for-better-for-worse-in-sickness-in-health..."sink or swim"...

Danielle, very excited: "Should I kiss him again?!" during the cake-cutting.

I had a great time at the wedding. I loved taking pictures for my good friends Luke & Danielle Neuman. It was great to see a ceremony that honored God in a very real way, not fake or forced like some weddings can be. And the great thing is, that is just the way Luke and Danielle are. They don't claim to have it all figured out, but they strive to honor God as they go through life together.

Here's to the Lord, Luke and Danielle, Who saw fit to bring both of you to Him, to Master's, and to each other for life. I love you muchly.

SoCal

I'm down here in SoCal...doin' stuff...

It has been nice so far. The weather is kinda hot, but it's hot in NorCal, too.

Today I had an interview, and I can be a substitute teacher! Crazy! I also applied for a full-time English position. We shall see how that one turns out.

I've had a good time hanging with friends and enjoying the hospitality of Jenni, Mandy, Michelle, and Michelle (though Jenni, Michelle, and Michelle aren't really here right now...).

This post is kinda boring because I'm not thinking about blog posts. I'm really thinking about washing the chlorine out of my very frizzy hair.

So you all have a great week, readers! Time to restore the hair to normal...

Blank

For once, I don't know what to blog about. So maybe I'll just make a list of things that have been happening.

Job. Waiting to hear back from a district in SoCal begging me to come for an interview because the hiring personnel is so impressed with my application and résumé that they want to hire me right away, but that is not fair to other applicants, so they must interview me

first. (How's that for a run-on?!) Or at least that's what I'm hoping they would say...I'm really just waiting for an offer for an interview to substitute teach. I hope it comes soon.

Car. I now have a manual (his name is Manuel). I am rather proud of myself when I go the whole day without stalling it. I'm getting better, though!!!

Car. I am trying to sell the automatic. Please sell! I need to pay Mom and Dad back, and I want to go to SoCal for Luke and Danielle's wedding!

Kids. The little kids Lucas Lee, Alexis Nikole, and Giovanni Vann were adopted on July 9, 2009 at the courthouse in Nevada City!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are Byers forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No worries about leaving!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are all very excited about it! We are going to have an adoption party on Sunday. :)

2 grandparents, 2 parents, 7 siblings, and 3 sisters-in-law. I am truly blessed. (I do have more family and grandparents, fyi.)

Books. My goal is to read ten books this summer. Not a very high goal, but I got kinda burnt out after about the third or fourth week. I want to finish 1984 by George Orwell, Living the Cross-Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney, and Is God Really in Control? by Jerry Bridges. I know, that is only three. I might read Animal Farm by George Orwell or The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne or The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck...or some other book I have. I suppose I should get through the first three first, though...Or maybe I'll read one of my new travel books...hmmmmmmm....

Fruit. This is random, I know, but I decided to list my favorite fruit: Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, mangos, cantaloupe, and peaches. Mmmmm-mmm-mmmm...

Picture. I like pictures. Here is one:

"The Originals" on the day before Garret's wedding:

Garret, me, Scott, Ross...in reverse age order. ;)