April showers bring May flowers

Hey y'all! I am back in Washington enjoying time with my boyfriend and pup. The spring season went by ridiculously fast and I can't believe I'm done. My last 2 crews were awesome and a challenge. I had a Venture crew from California who were a ball to be around (the awesome ones)! Every dinner, they wore fun hats/headgear such as bunny ears on Easter Sunday, or shark and fish hats (and they got me one! So exciting!) We all got along really well and it really made me want to be a part of a venture crew once I settle into a more permanent location. My last crew was the challenge because the kids never really talked and the adults only talked sometimes, which can be really weird, especially at the beginning of the week. By the end of the week, they started talking more, but for some reason they didn't believe that I could swim...which is silly because I work on THE OCEAN. In the end, they had a good time and that's all that matters. But I am VERY glad to be back with Aaron and Elphie. 

Speaking of the pup, I was worried that Elphie wouldn't remember me because I've been gone for 3 months, but at the same time was attempting to mentally prepare myself for starting over with her. Turns out, she DID remember me! :0) She ran outside and jumped into my arms when she saw me and has been back to following me around ever since, as though no time has passed between the day I left for the airport and now. What a comforting feeling! And even though she's a small dog, she still attempts to protect me when I am in "harms" way. Whenever Aaron turns me upside down and I yelp or if he starts tickling me and I scream, Elphie will rush over to wherever I am and try to get in-between me and Aaron or will just jump on my lap and try to stare him down. She backs down very quickly, but it's very cute and reassuring that she'd at least come to me if I was seriously hurt. And she's got a good memory too- she remembers all the tricks Aaron and I taught her. She can wave goodnight, shake, rollover, fetch, lay down. Now I've gotta make her a better protector dog ;)

Since I've been back with Aaron and Elphie, I've been counting my blessings. After being gone so long from the ones you love, you start to remember to not take them for granted and you realize just how important they are in your life. Whether it's Elphie silly puppy smile or actually being able to hug Aaron whenever I want to, I didn't really take into account how crucial they are to my happiness. And I don't ever want to be away from them for that long ever again. Unfortunately, I don't get the same privilege with the rest of my family and friends, but I'm still very grateful for the time we have spent together and am very much looking forward to seeing everyone again someday (hopefully sooner than later)!  

In recent knitting news, I've been a failure. I was on a roll making cool beanies for a couple friends and I made a cool slouchy hat and was even teaching other people how to knit when it all fell apart. I tried making a fuzzy, lacy beanie for Jillian, but it turned out looking like a Chinese rice-picker's hat. Then I tried making a blue slouchy hat with a neat band that looks like a strap, and, unfortunately, got a huge rice-picker hat again. I think the problem was that both the patterns start from the top-down instead of from the bottom of the hat to the top and so I have sworn off all hat patterns that are top-down. I've also taken a temporary hiatus since my last knitting fiasco but I'm gonna get back to the needles this week and knit up a beanie or two and then perhaps move onto bigger and better things like wicked-awesome socks, or maybe even a toasty warm blanket. I'll keep you posted once I decide!

(rice-picker's hat)

(learning to knit parties)

Now, you're probably wondering what I'm doing with the next few months of my life. That makes two of us. I'm in Washington till the end of the week and then we're going to La Grande to visit some of Aaron's friends. Then...who knows. There's talk of a job offer for Aaron in Wyoming, maybe Wisconsin. We're also waiting to see if he gets his captain's license in time to work the summer in the Keys. We've got our fair share of waiting to do before we figure out what's going on so cross your fingers and hope for the best!

Until next time...