#her huge mushroom hat makes me hungry

[kreuzwalt]

[barnesbabee]

[Don't Starve/DST tips for beginner players]

1. CHARACTER CHOOSING

The character you play plays a big role in the game, as they're not just for aesthetic, each character has ups and downs and as a beginner you should choose the most neutral characters before you get a handle of the game. In singleplayer Don't Starve you can only unlock new characters with XP, but in DST you have all of them available to you, so choose wisely. Here's a small guide on each character:

Wilson: he's the starting character, so naturally he's the most neutral one. He doesn't really have pros or cons, he just grows a pretty cool beard.

Willow: the firestarter. She's my main so I have a lot to say. Willow is a good character, although her sanity is low she's very useful. In regular Don't Starve she spawns with a lighter, but in Don't Starve together she spawns with a lighter and Bernie, her bear. Willow's sanity goes up if she picks flowers, like normal players, but she also gets more sanity when she's around fire or when she burns things, so when her sanity is low you might want to leave base or not walk around forests because she can start a fire. The sanity gain with fire improves during the day. She's also really useful because in DST when she's insane she can put Bernie on the floor and he'll become a huge bear and fight monsters for her. This is all amazing but as I said she loves fire, so she hates cold, and winter is especially hard for her. She can freeze quicker and it's really annoying and it's hard to do anything that involves not being around warm fire, so if you're a new player I don't really recommend playing Willow at first because winter is already hard as it is. This being said, during summer she's also more resistant to heat strokes than other characters, and she also doesn't take fire damage unlike other characters.

Wolfgang: Wolfgang has great stats and he's really strong, but you have to be constantly feeding him or else he'll get weak. Also he's 'afraid of monsters', which means his sanity drains quicker than other characters when he's around hostile mobs.

Wendy: Wendy is someone I recommend to new players, because although her stats aren't the best, and although she doesn't hit very hard, she comes with Abigail. Abigail is her dead sister that you can spawn from the flower Wendy carries, and Abigail is useful because she can fight for you. Most mobs in Don't Starve use close range and with Abigail you can use long range which is very useful. Just make sure you don't get hit because Wendy's HP isn't the best.

WX78: it's a bit of a shit character if you ask me. Definitely don't play this one. When he gets hit by lighting he gets charged up and can be a light source + walk faster, but he only eats gears (which are hard to get on their own) and he gets rusty if it rains, I honestly don't like him.

Wickerbottom: I don't have much experience on her, she's really smart and she comes with an extra crafting tab that allows her to craft books which she can use to spawn stuff. It's useful but I don't have much insight on her.

Woodie: I play him a lot in DST, and he's really great overall. He comes with an axe (Lucy) that is infinite (it doesn't wear out like other axes) and he can chop trees down really quickly. However during full moon he can turn into a Goose (runs fast), into a Moose (attacks with force) or into a Beaver (can chop trees faster and without an axe), but when he comes back to being Woodie he will be hungry (hunger will be at 0) so you have to make sure you have food around.

Wes: garbage.

Maxwell: He can create shadows to fight for him, chop for him, etc... But for every shadow he permanently looses HP (which means that, for example, if his HP sits at 150 max, when he makes a shadow the max will be 120HP). It's useful but you have to be careful not to take any damage, and as a new player that might be hard.

Wigfrid: She's a great fighter, and she's able to craft a helmet (best protection in the game I believe, at least from the regular ones) and a spear which are exclusive to her. However she only eats meat and it can be a little hard for new players as carrots and berries are the easiest food to get.

Webber: he's recently had a rework so he has a couple new things. Webber is a spider, and he can now make them passive, wake them up, and put them to sleep, which is great to farm/harvest stuff. Webber isn't attacked by spiders like other players, but since pigmen are afraid of spiders they will hit Webber as well. Not a terrible character to start with either!

Warly: Warly comes with his own special crockpot and he is a great cook, which means that your hunger heals better when you eat something he made. The downside is that he can't eat anything he didn't make in his crockpot, which can make it a little hard.

Wormwood: I recently bought Hamlet (which is how you get this playable character or DST) and man, my thoughts are divided. He's a good character as he can plant seeds without needing to make crops, however he's extremely flammable (he can't stand too close to a fire), he looses sanity every time he chops a tree or picks a flower ('cause he's a plant and he doesn't like hurting his friends). Something really annoying about him is that he doesn't heal by eating food like other characters, he only heals with the spider glands or with manure (shit). So he's not an ideal character to start with. He does grow a cool flower on his head during spring though.

Winona: She's a really badass character and I really like her. She's a builder, so she can build things other characters can't (like catapults) so she's really effective when it comes to defending the base and helping out against mobs like hounds. However she does lose sanity any time she crafts anything, so it can be a little hard to deal with her.

Wortox: I don't know much about him, but he can teleport and he can also heal players with his magic. If you ask me he's a little overpowered for the game.

Wurt: I don't know much about him and I've never had anyone play him, all I know is that he doesn't get attacked by merman since he's one of them.

Walter: he's a little scout boy that comes with a slingshot and a dog. The dog can grow big and Walter can ride him which is good for fleeing, but after riding for a while the dog will throw him off.

Sorry for not having much on the last 3 but they're fairly recent compared to others and I haven't seen much of them or played them.

Most times during DST people choose characters that help others, so you can help each other and get the most out of the game.

2. SANITY

Sanity plays a big part in this game. You lose sanity by being in the dark, or by fighting mobs. Some characters have special ways of losing sanity, for example, Wormwood loses sanity by picking flowers or chopping trees. How do you fix your sanity? For all characters (except Wormwood) you can get sanity by picking flowers. With 12 flowers you can make a garland in the hat tab and it will slowly restore your sanity. You can also pick green mushrooms and cook them for more sanity. Just like some characters lose sanity in a 'special' way, some characters gain sanity in a special way as well, such as Woodie when he chops trees and Willow when she's near fire or when she sets anything on fire.

If you let your sanity go down you will start seeing shadows, those shadows become real if it goes down enough, and said shadows will start attacking you, which isn't great because they're a lot, so watch out for that.

3. SURVIVING WINTER

Winter is hands down my least favourite season because Im a Willow main :)

What happens during winter? It starts to snow, so players can freeze, deerclops might appear, crops stop growing. The biggest issue with the winter is that food is hard to find. Crops and berries don't grow anymore so what do you do? First of all you will need to find a clockwork before winter. What are clockworks? They're metal mobs that drop gears when you kill them. You need gears to make a fridge, so you can store a lot of food for winter. If you store food in a normal chest it will rot quickly, but in a fridge they last a long time. You should also build a crockpot which is fairly easy, and in a crockpot you can make better food, you can also take nearly rotten food and make it good by cooking it, and you can use 1 stick or 1 monster meat to make good food, as you can't normally eat monster meat 'cause it drains sanity and HP.

What can you do for the cold? You need to find beefalo, and with the shears (which you can craft in the tools) you shave the beefalo, so you can make a winter hat. That hat will help with the cold. You can also make earmuffs, by catching 2 live bunnies and sticks, but the hat isn't hard to make and it's better. MAKE SURE YOU CARRY ENOUGH TO MAKE A FIRE AT ALL TIMES. In case of emergency if you get cold and start dying you need to have something to warm you up. You should also make a thermal stone. It doesn't take a lot and it keeps you warm. (You use the thermal stone by setting it down near the fire and letting it geete warm)

You should also make bird and rabbit traps to get meat during the winter.

Beware of the deerclops, if it appears try to lure it away from your base because it can destroy everything you built. If you want to fight it, make sure you fight it away from your base, but if you don't you can also lure him somewhere else and then run away. The Deerclops will de-spawn after winter is over.

Try not to make your base near the sea 'cause penguins will spawn and they're very fucking annoying + they can destroy your shit.

4. SURVIVING SUMMER

Summer is also very fucking annoying but much less than winter.

What do you need?

Some crops survive, but some of them die, so getting food isn't as annoying to get, but it's still scarce, so you should also try to get as much food as you can during spring time.

You should get ice during winter from the glaciers, and also more gears. Some crops/trees/grass might start to burn during summer, and with gears and ice you can make an ice-fligomatic. The ice flingomatic will throw ice to things when they start burning and will extinguish the fire, so when you come back to your base it's not all in flames.

During the summer you can't stand near fire or you'll die of heatsroke. Remember Nitre? That yellow shit you leave behind after mining rocks because you need inventory space? Yeah you'll need those to build an endothermic fire. It lights up your nights and keeps you cold, however you can't cook in it.

The thermal stone from winter also works during the summer.

Keeping a bunch of ice from winter in your fridge also works. If you eat the ice it will make you colder.

RANDOM TIPS

1. Don't hit pigmen/beefalo when there's many around you. They will gather up and kill you.

2. DO NOT try to kill penguins. They might be easy to kill but not so much when they all gather around and kill you.

3. Always keep armor+spear on you in case hounds start to come and you're not at base.

4. Don't steal tall birds' eggs (blue with white dots). The tall bird is very strong and aggressive and it will follow you for the egg and try to kill you.

5. Don't eat the mushrooms unless 100% necessary. Mushrooms always have a side effect, like they might give you sanity but take HP.

6. You can use mushrooms and monster meat (which you shouldn't eat by themselves) and cook something in a crockpot, thus turning something inedible into something edible.

7. When it rains, more during the Spring than anything else, it might start raining frogs, it's not a bug, that happens. Try to get away from base so they don't swarm there, as they're very annoying.

8. ALWAYS build a lightning rod, during a storm the lightning can hit something and set it on fire, and you don't want your stuff being burned. The lightning rod collects the lightning and protects your base.

----

This is all I can remember, I am more than happy to answer any questions anyone might have! @atinystray here it is!!

[egadds-mechanics-inc]

my mario AU thingy

Ill link the fanfic at the end of the page, but be warned, its still not done yet.. Enjoy the messy ramblings and reading!

dont be scared to ask me questions! <3

---------

E. Gadd Inc. produces a new branch, for mechanics that can fix air conditioning and lighting, hiring King Boo and Bowser.

- a swap au, mario and luigi being royals and king boo and bowser being workers.

Main roles:

King Boo and E. Gadd’s main role

- E. Gadd makes a mechanical repair team out of Bowser and King Boo.

- King Boo has 2 forms, the human vessel, and the normal boo form.

- Everyone knows about King Boo's leadership and him getting dethrone.

- King Boo's deals w/ the knowledge of some of his people being trapped into and has to deal with the time being.

- E. Gadd makes one deal with King Boo that for every 100,000 dollars the company made, he would let one of the portrait ghosts.

- King Boo is stuck with E. Gadd, not able to be taken out of the Mushroom Kingdoms limit unless E. Gadd is close by. King Boo main task is to get his people out of the paintings, E.Gadd main task is to get cash.

Bowser’s main role

Bowser is an only dad with a biological son, Bowser Jr., and seven adopted kids (the Koopa kids)

Bowser is the only one to apply to this job besides a toad that had to leave at the last second.

He also carries many other jobs.

Bowser lives in a pretty ok house with 4 bedrooms.

Bowser is very caring for King Boo at times when needed.

Bowser teaches King Boo how to do a lot of things, main one is repair

Bowser’s main task is to have a nice life with his family and to carry the company in a way.

Mario and Luigi’s main role

I guess they rule over lands but is that really bower's and king boo's issue?nah, it's not but I feel like egadd would still put them up to the task anyway, so fuck it

they are pretty normal leaders, they can be bad or good

their leadership is pretty cruel still, Luigi is Autocratic while Mario wants them to still be somewhat happy

Cackletta and Fawful’s main role

Cackletta is now the queen of the Beanbean Kinddom with her side is Fawful, they both want was best for themself and the other beanish people. Cackletta doesnt dislike Peasley’s family, rather, doesnt want any issues in the Kingdom.

Peasley’s main role

Pealsey takes the role of taking over the Beanbean Kingdom for his mother and elder metor. He has a strong dislike for the heros of the world but a even stronger one for Cackletta.

The Princesses role

Peach and Daisy take the roles of the bad guys, Peach oftens kidnapped Bowser's kid to hang out with him and Mario for things that she needs like cakes and clothes. Daisy sometimes help Peach.

---------

Their personalities 

King Boo:

still the same fellow that kinda hates everyone and makes heavy banter with everyone, he has a soft side sometimes w/ protecting some people.

Bowser:

a fucking dork and a good dad, he just wants to best for his son. he rather go with peace then fighting but if the peace doesn't work, he will fight still.

Peach:

Just a gal that lives her life in no fear, she will beat some ass if needed but deep inside, she’s still the sweet Peach well all know.

Daisy:

A pretty nice gal that's smart, she like to show off her power to her foes and loves a challenge. 

Prince Luigi:

A snarky, arrogant and opinionated dude thats power hungry, he tends to hide his real, honset personality behind a big false ego. 

King Mario:

A nice dude that likes that doesn't hate anyone in a way, a very smart gentleman that doesnt think highly of himself.

---------

Their looks

E.Gadd:

Just normal E. Gadd.

King Boo

He wears his fancy rich shit and button-up shirts and slacks to work, and a ponytail. He's a lil big boy too.

Bowser:

He wears a black sweater (or something else) and glasses, but other then that, he still has everything else, like his spike collars somewhat of long hair to the side.

Prince Luigi:

He wears a formal royal suit with a ruffled collar thing, white buttons with a hints of green. He’s right eye is missing, cover over with a wraps over his head and half of his body. He’s hair runs down to his shoulders.

King Mario:

He still looks like himself but without the hat. He wears a coat with a huge fur hood, the coat being red while the fur is white.

Peach:

She wears her hair in a ponytail, wears pink pants and a white tank top most of the times. She also sometimes will wear a green koopa shell for armor and style.

Daisy:

She looks the same but just wearing a less formal dress.

---------

Random side people’s info: 

- Antasma, Queen Shroob and Tatanga are also royals.

- Lakitu now runs a news channel under New Donk City with a few koopa helping him. - Dimentio is now a rather famous singer knowed by Flipside and MK residences with dedicated fans standing behind his every move, no questions asked. - Mimi often helps Dimentio with his live shows as a backround player for his rubees in trade. - Count Bleck is having a nice life with his lover, Timpani. - O’Chunks has made a name for himself as a strongman and competition winner, traveling the world. - Waluigi has also became a famous tennis player over the years.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26827543/chapters/65450932

[new-blog-new-things-blog]

Are you kidding me?! Part 5.

Bucky x Reader

Word count: 2269 Warnings: Swearing? Slow burn af

I woke up just after 5 the next day, deciding to grab a quick shower and actually make an effort today. I don’t know why but I have a feeling today is going to be a good one, putting me instantly in a good mood. Spending extra time on my hair and make-up I look relatively female today, so I decide to dress female as well. Looking through my closet I find my favourite black skater skirt, dark blue off the shoulder top and blue high-top converse. Looking at myself in the mirror I can’t help but feel like something is missing from this outfit. Ah I know, I rummage through my draws trying to remember where I put my black beanie hat yesterday, I find it in my draws and smile.

“J.A.R.V.I.S is anyone else about yet?”

I can barely contain the excited-ness in my voice as I wonder what time we are going to get started today.

“All others are still in their own rooms Miss L/N.”

I look over at the clock, I suppose it is only 6.15am. My stomach starts to rumble, breakfast it is then.

“Okay thanks J.A.R.V.I.S, can you direct me to the kitchen please?”

I follow the lights and head down to the kitchen to make something for breakfast. As I start looking through the cupboards trying to think what I fancy when I suddenly think I should probably make breakfast for everyone. I ask J.A.R.V.I.S what time everyone normally has breakfast, which apparently it’s between half 7 and 8am. Okay looks like I have time to make something up. I decide on a full breakfast considering this kitchen is full to the brim with food.

“J.A.R.V.I.S is it okay to play music in here whilst I cook?”

“Of course Miss, what song would you like on?”

J.A.R.V.I.S replied.

“Can you put on a musicals playlist if you have one please?”

I have always adored musicals, something about bursting into song to describe how you are feeling rather than having to talk just seems perfect to me. Without saying anything El Tango De Roxanne from Moulin Rouge starts playing, I start to sing along as I start cooking enough food for a small army.

Half way through frying up some mushrooms one of my favourite songs come on and I can’t help myself from singing into the spatula, shaking my hips along to the sound of the opening number of Chicago. I am so totally engrossed in the song I don’t realise someone else entering the kitchen, catching me dancing around. As I spin around I catch the sight of Bucky standing in the kitchen doorway watching me, I immediately stop singing, completely embarrassed that I had been caught.

“I am making breakfast, I didn’t mean to wake anyone up or disturb anyone, I just thought it might be nice for everyone you know…” I know I am babbling but I just can’t seem to stop, it has always been that way when I get nervous I babble or I start laughing. Trying and failing to hide a smile Bucky shrugs, making him look younger.

“You didn’t wake me up I’ve been awake for an hour.”

“Oh okay, I’ll just get back to it, I’m nearly done anyway. J.A.R.V.I.S can you let everyone know breakfast will be ready in 10 minutes please?” Turning to avoid Bucky’s gaze I turn the oven down, grab plates and make my way to the table to set it. Bucky is standing in the middle of the room looking relatively awkward, he looked like he wanted to say something but didn’t.

“Do you need any help?”

Bucky said so softly I almost didn’t hear him, turning to look at him I find he is looking at the floor playing with his fingers. I tilt my head and look at him taking in his appearance, he was heart-stoppingly handsome but seeing him right now he looked so tired and I wondered if he was okay, like really okay. I must have been staring because he looked up so we were facing each other and repeated his question.

“Oh sorry no its okay, take a seat ill make some coffee.”

I nearly ran back to kitchen to get away from him, he was far too intense for me to deal with this morning. A pot of coffee in one hand and a pot of tea in the other I made my way back to the table to see others have joined, I put the pots on the table rushing now I had people to feed. By the time I had nearly finished putting all the food out everyone has made their way to the table, putting a plate of sausages and a plate of hash browns down I smiled.

“Hi guys I hope you are hungry, I thought since everyone is training today I would make breakfast.”

I fiddled with the hem of my top, hoping my cooking was up to scratch and taking a seat next to Steve. A chorus of ‘thank you’s’ and ‘its perfects’ sound from around the table.

Breakfast went off without a hitch and Tony let everyone know that we started training at 10am in the computer lab. Since I had sprung breakfast on most of them they left to get changed or to go have a shower, not before warning me not to do the washing up as I had singlehandedly cooked for all of them. I agreed but still cleared everything away and set in neat piles so whoever got stuck with doing had an easier time. As I left the kitchen I almost ran into Bucky, he was pacing near enough in front of the kitchen door.

“Bucky are you okay? Do you need anything?”

I swear to god he looked like I had just caught him doing something embarrassing, without thinking I put my hand on his arm. Bucky didn’t take his eyes off where my hand was, oh god had I over stepped already? I can feel nervous laughter bubbling up, stupid tick this was seriously not the time. A small laugh seems to bring Bucky back out of his head, shaking his head and scratching the back of his neck.

“Sorry, I just came to say thank you for breakfast. I will see you at training.”

With that he spins and walks out of the room, taking the biggest strides I have ever seen, damn does he look good walking away. Stop looking. Why is everyone here so attractive? It’s not fair on me at all. 

I kept myself busy until it was time for training, J.A.R.V.I.S again directed me to the computer lab which was fucking huge! I mean like something you would see in a movie scene, now I wish I had played more attention in class. Wouldn’t say I’m useless at computers but I wouldn’t know how to hack something but I know how to set up WiFi and stuff, which to everyone else would probably mean I am useless at computers.

Looking around the room it seems that Sam, Steve and Bucky were the only ones that hadn’t arrived yet.

“Hey kid we're just waiting on a few more and we will get started, myself and Bruce will be the ones teaching all the tech stuff as you will see later we are the best.”

Tony gestured between their computers as I walked over to them and stood behind them, watching with no clue on what they were typing. Bruce leaned away looking kind of wary of me as I peeked at his screen.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to look over your shoulder that was rude of me.”

I mumbled and stepped back, playing with my fingers and trying to find something else to look at.

“Don’t mind Bruce he just gets nervous around beautiful women.”

Tony winked at Bruce then nudged me, I had to try to keep the laugh from my lips as Bruce started to babble at me.

“No I was just moving so you could see, not that your not- I mean that’s not why I- Tony why are you like this?”

For a moment I contemplated playing along with Tony but the door opened and the three boys walked in.

“Saved by the bell Bruce, if it helps you’re not bad to look at either.”

I winked at him and walked over to Sam not looking back at them but hearing Tony laugh and Bruce mumbling something. I bump my shoulder against Sam and poke Bucky’s stomach as I pass him before standing next to Steve, who looks at Bucky wearily.

“Sorry have I overstepped or something?”

Maybe Steve and Bucky weren’t as open to new people as Sam is. I get it I guess, it’s just they seemed fine earlier with me.

“No, it’s fine, were fine, I'm fine.”

Bucky was the one to nervously reply to me, but avoided eye contact.

“Say fine one more time Bucky and I will believe you.”

I replied, smiling trying to ease the tension I could feel here.

“Fine.”

He finally met my eyes and I could see mischief dancing in them, a smile pulling at the corners his mouth.

“Fine.”

I mimicked, looking away towards the rest of the group, who looked ready to start. Tony called over the four of us, he gestured for me to sit down at a desk in front of the line of computers as everyone else sat down.

“Okay so J.A.R.V.I.S has put together a two tests for us today. The first is to hack through a couple of file and systems, second is to see how good you are at covering your tracks. Me and Bruce are not biased as we don’t what J.A.R.V.I.S has come up with. Okay were ready when you are J.A.R.V.I.S.”

After Stark sat down, he cracked his knuckles.

“Sir I am going to give everyone exactly 1 minute to sort out bests.”

As soon as J.A.R.V.I.S finished talking all bets were placed, no one bet for 1st and 2nd place because they knew that was going to be Bruce and Tony. Most bets were on Natasha or Sam, even some just betting Thor would come last. Tony asked me who I was betting for and I thought for a second.

“Bucky.”

Silence and a very confused look from Bucky.

“Why?”

“Isn’t he like a super soldier who used to do all this crap before?”

“Hmm you’re a clever girl фазовращатель but you still should have bet on me.”

Natasha’s smooth voice responded, she looked like she was about to devour me whole.

“Wait can I swap my answer, she is scarier than Bucky.”

I shoot back at her, hopefully looking more confident then I felt.

“No you can’t.”

A sly smile formed on her beautiful face, god she could probably get anyone to do anything for her, so I looked towards the metal armed man again. “Well it looks like you are stuck with me, don’t let me down soldier.”

Almost the same smile Natasha had given me appeared on Bucky’s face, Jesus he could probably could topple buildings with that face. J.A.R.V.I.S started counting down from 5 and games faces appeared across the board. On J.A.R.V.I.S’ command they all started, rapid mouse movement and loud key strokes. It was so tense, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Tony finished first with Bruce following closely behind him, they both made their way over to me and sat down. About 8 minutes later Natasha stood up, yawned and turned around.

“Suck it Barnes. Looks like you misplaced your faith фазовращатель”

Natasha looked slightly confused when Bucky lent back on his chair giving her a smug smile, also standing and walking towards me. “Oh sorry Nat, were we meant to stand up and make a big deal out of it when we finished? Damn I’m 4 minutes late celebrating then.” “Bullshit Barnes! J.A.R.V.I.S what was his time?”

Natasha barked, unbelieving of Bucky’s revelation.

“Mr Barnes finished 4 minutes ago.”

Honestly I didn’t think he could look any smugger but arrogance almost rolled off him, it was kind of attractive. Okay who was I kidding it was so fucking hot. I have always had a thing for powerful men and at this moment Bucky basically dominated this room.

I was brought out of my thoughts when Bucky sat down in the seat beside me, hand resting over the back of my chair. After a while everyone finished the task, Thor indeed coming last. Tony suggested a quick break before starting the next challenge.

“Guess you didn’t misplace your faith after all кукла.”

I shift in my seat. This is ridiculous, he is ridiculous. I need to get myself together already, I peek at him out of the corner of my eye but he is already looking at me, wicked gleam in his eye.

“I don’t know what that last word means, but it looks like that doesn’t it. Excuse me for a second.”

I stood before he could distract me further, making my way over to Natasha who smiled at me as I made my way over to her.

“What was the word you kept calling me earlier?”

She lent against the table in front of us.

“фазовращатель it means shifter in Russian.”

She explained it like I would know Russian, I wonder if that’s the language Bucky was talking in too. I decide to ask.

“What does kukla mean? Is it Russian? Bucky called me it earlier and I need to know if I need to smack him or not”

Nat raised an eyebrow at me, then looked over to Bucky.

“Yes it is Russian, кукла, it mean doll.”

Oh.

Part 4                                                                                 Part 6

[nhlhoser]

On The Rocks - 18

Part 17  Masterlist

word count:  3042

The usual minor swearing that comes with hockey

  Dinner ended up being at Aria a high-end Italian restaurant with Stephanie and Matt Martins better half model girlfriend Sydney. 1000 watt smile, beautiful long blonde hair, and hilarious. We didn't talk about hockey until the topic of Mitch's lip came up and Sydney explained that Matt has been having a hard time today himself, zoning out when he was pouring coffee causing the liquid to over flow and burn his hand.

"I have a good feeling about tonight," Sydney said firmly taking a large sip from her red wine, jealous as I sip my lime water because I have a long night of work still ahead of me.

"God, I hope you're right," Steph taking a needed gulp of her white wine.

"We can only hope," I agreed not knowing if I could handle the level of emotions if they lose tonight, the tension today is any indication. "Freddie, Mo, and Will all came to me about tonight's game. They're really scared," I leave out the interaction with Auston because it seemed wrong felt wrong to say anything for some reason.

Scanning over the Menu, I decide on Gnocchi Dish and a salad to start. Growing up in a household where Italian was spoken more than English, I barely notice that the menu was probably hard to understand for the rest of the table until Steph spoke up.

"What the hell is Antipasti?" both blondes looking confused.

"It's just dishes that aren't pasta. You want to look under Paste or Secondi those are Main dishes," I said casually my eyes not leaving the menu.

"You understand this gibberish?" Came Stephanie's slightly surprised response.

"Uhm yeah- I am Italian," I said slowly looking up to met Steph's wide eyes before her face morphs into one of confusion again.

"Since when?" She asked dumbly and visible face palming herself as the words left her mouth, Sydney finding the situation amusing as her lips pulled into a tiny smile as her shoulder shaking with laughter.

"About birth, I think as my parents are Italian. I thought you could kinda tell, you know olive skins and dark hair," I teased sipping my water as her eyes scan over my face taking in my features with a scowl.

I thought it was obvious that I was at least European.

"Man, I don't know much about you Do I?" She frowned at her wine making me frown.

"I'm a private person, Steph. It's not your fault," I offered, she nodded before continuing on trying to read the menu before again realizing she doesn't speak the language and groaning.

"I don't like mushrooms, what should I get?"

We ended up all ordering a pasta dish, which we all devoured quite un-lady like but we couldn't care because we were hungry and having a good time. Stephanie and Sydney take turns sharing the embarrassing tales that are their boyfriends and the things they do that would totally get them chirped within an inch of their lives if any of the guys heard.

We take dessert to go because we were running out of time but also we stuffed with carbie goodness. Sydney stole my phone and insisted we had to hang out more as she entered her number into my phone with slight difficulty from a bit too much wine for this early in the day when the night hasn't started yet but she had claimed if she was going to remain sane during the game she had to start now, which is quite understandable.

Parting ways as the other two girls head to one of the other WAGs places that are around the corner for some pre-drinking before the game. I drive the 15 minutes home, change and throw my dessert into the back of the fridge before heading back to the ACC to get ready for the night.

The medical room is empty apart from a couple physiotherapist checking over the medical supplies and preparing the packs for the bench tonight, Sparing a couple of greets before heading into the administrative office to work on some paperwork, recording who I've treated today and why.

When players start coming in, the atmosphere immediately shifts into a severe game mode. Quickly saving my work to the hard drive before logging off before heading out into the medical area where Leo Komarov, Nazem Kadri, and Nikita Zaitsev sit on the tables getting their ankles and wrist taped by the staff. Zaits and Leo speaking in a language I can only guess is Russian. Kadri looking bored as he stares intently as the staff tapes his left wrist with laser precision. There's heavy bass music coming from the actual locker room and the usual commotion of men getting ready.

  Spending about a half hour helping the therapist tape and massaging out tensions, Paul came around handing me a Leafs hat with a wink before continuing with players that came in. Setting the hat with my wind break in the staff area quickly before getting back to taping.

 "It's not serious, I'm just a little sore," A familiar grumpy looking Auston is being pushed into the room by an equally grumpy looking Matt Martin. Both in their under armor compression tops loose shorts with compression leggings under.

"Well, We have the resources to make you not sore. So shut the fuck up," Matt pushed the rookie further through the door, searching the room for someone and when his eyes land on me coming out of the staff area his face breaks in relief.

"Amelia! Talk some sense into this boy," He practically growled as Auston looks bashful not making eye contact.

"I got it from here Marty, Go terrorize Mitch or something," I shooed the larger man who leaves as I approach Auston, stopping three feet in front with my arms crossed my chest.

"Is it your back, again?" I gained Auston's attention.

"Your face," Is his only response making me roll my eyes.

"Box fell on my face, Now your back," I insisted it

Auston was unbreaking in our stare down, eyes steady and body language strong.

"Fine, you don't have to say anything. I can find you sore spot without you telling me," I sigh with a shrug. Auston is unmoving as I circle to his back taking his the mountain of muscle through the skin tight fabric. Panning my eyes from his neck to his hips (by default his bum). Instantly I can see the way he's standing his left lower side sore by the fact his left hip is pulled higher than his right.

Rolling my eyes at this guys stubbornness, I carefully lay my the palm of my hand in his lower back above his hip. Feeling the muscle tense followed by a wince so quick I almost missed it, there's a tiny beginning of a knot but it's deep.

With no warning, I dig the heel of my palm into the bundle of offending muscle and push. Auston gasps as I flex my hand and adjust my hand to now my fingers working out the tension until I feel the muscle release.

Stepping away, I circle back to his front with a frown and a glare.

"I'm aware that hurt Auston. We are here for a reason, you stay here well I get A535 for that," Forcefully pushing him to sit on the table closest giving him a pointed look. Darting to the supply cabinets, searching the shelves for the cream.

 Returning the table, my mouth dry's seeing as Auston took off his shirt in the little time I was gone, pausing in step briefly regaining composure. You are a professional-ACT LIKE ONE, AMELIA.

"It'll be easier if you lay down, " He wordlessly moves to a laying position now listening to suggestions. Uncapping and applying probably more than need amount of the cream directly to his lower back. Tossing the bottle on to a table I began rubbing the Goop around the offending area and his upper back but keeping the pressure on his lower back.

"Okay, that should do it," I pulled away 5 minutes later. My hands feeling gross because of heating and cooling properties. "Now go kick some Crosby ass," I teased as Auston sat up pulling his shirt on shaking his head.

"I'll try," with a wink and he leaves to finish getting ready.

After washing the cream from my hands, I spend the time until I have to go into the tunnel cleaning the medical room and spinning on an office chair. Paul eventually came in with a radio and ear piece for me before disappearing again, a sign I need get my act together. Pulling on the windbreaker, adjusting my ponytail before slipping the hat on, sticking the ear piece in and clip the radio to my belt.

  The music gets louder the closer it is until warm up, the air is thick with nerves and static excitement. Some of the guys are stoic others are non-stop movement and energy (Mitch). The energy is sure enough to give anyone goosebumps but having seen some of the work gives me crazy jitters myself.

  Coming into the commotion after Babcock does his speech and lines, he stands back as the guys start gathering the rest of their equipment on their body before starting to file towards the sliding doors. Morgan came up to me doing the random hand shake from last night before pausing about to bop my nose deciding that might not be the best idea.

"Kick some ass," I quipped as he wattles away with a laugh and a thumbs up. Freddie comes over and bonks the rim of my hat with a subtle wink.

"Amelia, have you met the newest 'baby leaf'," Connor brown come over with William rolling his eye at the term 'baby leaf'. They make way for a fresh face Kasperi.

"TOLD YOU," I cheered as a huge grin spreads across his face.  The blue of his jersey and helmet bringing out the blue in his eyes like to does with William and Mitch (and half the team).   Fist bumping before he's whisked away by some vets claiming to show him the way.

"Amelia, Can you grab the sticks? They were supposed to be out already." The equipment manager pleaded his hair a mess.

"Yeah," I smiled.

"I'll get one of the other staff to help, you're just the first person I saw," he breathed. I shook my head explaining I would require help, he nodded before running off to stress about something else.

Wondering the side door to the ice the sticks lay against the door waiting. There are two bundles as each player have multiple.

It takes two trips to get both bundles to the bench, I can tell why he had said he'd find someone to help as each bundle was quite heavy but I like to lift heavy things. 

There's a collective holy shit as the Leafs get the first goal of the game but then Kessel matches with his own for the penguins.  The air leaves the entire building when Freddie goes down, there are orders being blasted through the radio as soon as he comes to the bench and down the tunnel.  Mac swears and fumbles a fit getting up as an assistant brings him his mask and his stick and pat his back.

"You got this Big Mac," I chirp when he's on the ice turned to the bench getting a drink of water. He laughs and squirts the water at me, I duck to the side. The laughter lasts a couple seconds before it's serious time again and I'm back to jumping and reacting to everything happening on the ice but keeping my mouth shut.

There are seconds left in the second when Auston is involved in a knee to knee collision and "she drops. The entire bench starts swearing and cursing the opponent.

"Get up, get up," I chant under quietly willing the 6'3" center to get up -he does after what seems like minutes but was only seconds. His face gives away that he's in pain as he skates off and straight down the tunnel.

Pissed.

"Amelia, Matthews is saying you know what to do," was the first thing through the radio seconds later, the players haven't even cleared the cleared the bench yet.

"He knows I'm not a doctor, right?" I radioed back but still made my way into the locker room after the players, wasting no time getting to the medical room.

Auston's still taking off his gear, he adds a majority of it off already. I stood there blank face- wondering if this guy was serious right now?

"I'm not a doctor, Auston" I insisted glaring at the stupid teenage hockey player. The team doctor is standing over him with a similarly concerned glare.

Auston's face is a mix of uncomfortable pain and protest- grumpy. He opens his mouth but closes it when my glare deepened.

"It's just my my back, the same spot from earlier,"

"I'm not touching you until the doctor says it's just that,"  I declare challenging him to object my voice firm. He gives in nodding and the doctor begins his examination. My eyes still trained on Auston with a mighty glare.

"Why are you glaring at me now?"  A whine in his voice as his posture is slouched over like a child.

" 'cause you're an idiot, idiot,"  Crossing my arm and rolling my eyes like the adult I really am.

"Well it seems it's just what he said unless he's hiding something," The doctor pointed into Auston's knee trying to gage a reaction but nothing so the doctor dismisses himself.

"See, told you,"  Auston's tone flat but teasing.

"I need alcohol whips, tape and bio freeze,"

"And gloves,"

After applying a thick coat of bio freeze and a lot of pressure on the trouble spot, I let the Bio freeze seep into his skin and into his muscle before wiping away the excess cream with an alcohol wipe then getting started on taping the area for support.

In the end, I felt like I was sending an arts n craft project onto the ice with the amount of tape I used, I was praying for it to at least half for the period. The game is tied at 2 and the mood was still high and so was the dwindling energy.

It was Gardiner that broke the tie- not in the way we need.

Own goal.

The mood depleted instantly but luckily it was still relatively early in the period but that didn't stop the swearing and yelling from both benches. Auston was like a hellhound on the ice, he was rushing the net but they wouldn't go in.

"Fuck," I swore again when another brilliant play didn't work.  The fourth line and Auston were in a rush, the defense was crowding him when he passed back to Hunwick who with quick hands flicked to Kasperi and it was in the net the next.

Tie game

6:30 Minutes left

The building erupted in deafening cheers, I was jumping on a security guard in the tunnel not caring. The line did their fist bumps down the bench and the lines reset on the ice, on with play with a surge of adrenaline pushing them fast than Pittsburgh.

3 minutes late Connor Brown scored, deflecting the puck from Gardiners shot into the back of the net behind Fleury. The crowd somehow got even louder than I thought could be humanly possible. Paul was cheering and swearing into the radio.

4-3

2:30 minutes left

  A flame was lit under both team, Toronto working insanely hard to maintain the lead as Pittsburgh tried to take it, with multiple great plays but even better moves from Curtis McElhinney shutting even the great Sidney Crosby. 

Auston solidified the win with an empty netter down the ice for his 40th goal of the season.

5-3

3.4 Seconds left

THEY DID IT.

THEY WON.

Getting back to the medical room is tricky because of the all the media in the hall and celebration of the Leafs in the locker room. Getting in its void of life but still a mess but knowing how things go it's only going to get worse because the real treatments start after media.

When media left it got busy with many bodies because there is still a game to play tomorrow against the blue jackets, lucky I was in one of the private room to do treatments but not so lucky because some have yet to shower. As soon as I finished with Mitch I sent his ass to the showers 'cause he smelt so bad, then to the contrast pool for his legs-most players is in the hot tubs or contrast pool (extremely cold water). Leo is swearing in multiple languages as he sinks into an ice bath.

"Nice hat,"  Auston's voice startled me into the cabinet I am currently standing in front of arranging the blankets. Spinning around my hand over my pounding heart, Auston Stands in front of the closed door to the small room on the other side of the massage table looking- bashful.

"I owe you an apology but also a huge thank you,"  Running his hands through his hair nervously with the beginnings of a smile gracing his lips. I raised a brow at him, my head slightly tilted in confusion.

"I apologize for my stubbornness and for the position I put you in with Dr. Bettle but I was worried that I wasn't going to be cleared to play and I don't know what I would of down if that happened," His eyes close at the image of possibly not being able to play the rest of the most important game- my heart ached for him.  "Thank you for being really fucking good at your job, I-I honestly forgot there was even an injury well playing," He admitted with a shy smile.

"Anytime, Auston,"

"I'll be holding you to that," He winked.

"Please keep all emergencies during the day time," I teased but was being serious, taking a deep breath a rather ripe scent assaulted my nostrils.

"Oh my god, Auston! GO SHOWER,"

NEXT 

[swanqueeneverafter]

13. Hat Trick, Pt.1

Enchanted Forest. Past (In the forest, Red and Prince Charming have set up a rest spot. A flaming arrow shoots through the air, heading towards Red.) Prince Charming: “Red, look out!” (Prince Charming deflects the arrow with his sword. They then see King George and his men riding towards them.) Prince Charming: “We need to move. They found us.” (The two of them run towards Prince Charming’s horse. He gets on, and then extends his hand to her. However, Red refuses.) Red: “Go. I’ll take care of them.” Prince Charming: “Red, I’m not leaving you.” Red: “Find Snow. That’s all that matters. Find her!” Prince Charming: “What are you going to do?” (Red looks up and sees that it’s a full moon.) Red: “I’m giving you a head start.” (Prince Charming rides off while Red stays behind. Red takes off her cloak, causing her eyes to glow yellow. She rushes towards the knights and transforms into a wolf.) Storybrooke. Present. (Emma is in her car driving down a deserted road near the woods searching for Mary Margaret. In the fog in the distance, a figure can be seen. Emma doesn’t notice in time, and narrowly avoids hitting a man. He jumps out of the way and falls down an incline. She gets out of her car to assist him.) Emma: “I’m so sorry! Are you okay? I didn’t see you there.” Jefferson: “Uh, I think so.” Emma: “Are you sure?” Jefferson: “I’m fine. I’m not used to sharing the road with cars so late. You’re the Sheriff, aren’t you?” Emma: “Yeah.” Jefferson: “What brings you out here in the middle of the night?” Emma: “Oh, nothing to worry about. I’m just looking for a lost dog.” Jefferson: “Well, I hope you find it.” Emma: “Thank you.” (Jefferson tries to walk, but has an obvious limp.) Emma: “Oh, you are hurt.” Jefferson: “No, I just twisted my ankle, I think. I live just a mile down the road. I’ll make it okay.” Emma: “No, let me drive you. I insist.” Jefferson: “Thank you. I’m Jefferson.” Emma: “Emma.” (The two of them get into Emma’s car.)

Enchanted Forest. Past. (Jefferson runs through the woods, seemingly trying to escape from something. He stops to rest by a tree, but is caught by his daughter, Grace.) Grace: “Papa, I found you.” Jefferson: “You certainly did. You must be part bloodhound, my dear Grace.” Grace: “Now it’s my turn to hide, and you seek.” Jefferson: “I’m afraid playtime’s over. Although, you can still use that nose of yours to hunt mushrooms. Enough to sell at market tomorrow. Do you think you can do that? Ready or not, here we come. (They head back to their house, where the Evil Queen’s carriage is parked outside:) Wait.” Grace: “Whose carriage is that?” Jefferson: “The Queen’s.” Grace: “In our house? Do you know her?” Jefferson: “Of course not. Now, listen carefully. Hey. I want you to stay hidden in the woods. Like our game. I’m going to find out what she’s doing here.” (Jefferson enters the house, while Grace runs off into the forest. Inside, the Evil Queen is waiting.) Evil Queen: “I’d like to say you’re looking well, Jefferson, but I’d be lying. Poverty doesn’t suit you.” Jefferson: “What are you doing here, Regina?” Evil Queen: “I have a job for you.” Jefferson: “I don’t do that anymore.” Evil Queen: “Yes, I heard you hung up your hat. Why? Is it because of your sweet daughter Grace?” Jefferson: “Because of my work, she lost her mother. I don’t want her to lose her father, too.” Evil Queen: “So, now you’re foraging for fungus. What kind of future does your daughter have here with you? Do this one last favour for me, and you can give her the life she deserves.” Jefferson: “That’s why I’m staying. You don’t abandon family. That’s… What she deserves. Now, please leave.” Evil Queen: “All I need is your special skills to get me somewhere. Somewhere you’ve been before. Do it, and I can change your life.” (She hands him a piece of paper.) Jefferson: “What business could you possibly have there?” Evil Queen: “Something of mine was taken and found its way over there. I want it back.” Jefferson: “Then find someone else to get it.” Evil Queen: “I see. Hard living has strengthened your resolve. Well, I’m sorry I couldn’t convince you, but I understand. There’s nothing more important than family.”

Elsewhere in The Enchanted Forest. (Snow White hums a song while she sweeps her room at the dwarf’s place. A bluebird flies in. She coaxes the bird over to her, then sets it on a table. She then aggressively tries to swat it with the broom. Grumpy walks in and sees her.) Grumpy: “Snow? What are you… What are you doing?” Snow White: “Getting rid of the vermin in this house. (She again tries to swat the bird and, eventually, successfully drives it out the window:) What do you want?” Grumpy: “It’s dinner time.” Snow White: “I’m not hungry.” Grumpy: “Come on – we made something extra special tonight.” (Grumpy leads Snow White to the dining area where the other dwarves are gathered around the table.) Snow White: “Somebody die?” (Jiminy Cricket flies in.) Jiminy: “Snow, why don’t you have a seat?” Snow White: (Trying to swat him away:) “Why is there a dirty cricket in here?” Jiminy: “My name is Jiminy, and your friends have asked me to be here tonight. They’re concerned about you, and they have something they’d like to say. Grumpy, why don’t you start?” (Grumpy takes out a piece of paper and starts reading.) Grumpy: “Snow White, you’ve changed. You’ve become angry, irritable, and downright mean.” Snow White: “Changed? And who are you to tell me I’ve changed?” Jiminy: “Snow, please. These are your friends. And we’re all here because we… We care about you. Who wants to go next?” (Sneezy takes out his letter and starts to read.) Sneezy: “Uh. You brought bales of straw into the house last night, even though you know that I’m… (He sneezes:) Allergic.” Snow White: “You are allergic to everything!” Happy: “You broke my mug!” Snow White: “You’re lucky it wasn’t that mug you call a face!” Happy: “You are the worst, most nasty, horrible-” Grumpy: “Enough! Look what you’re doing to Happy. That potion you took – the one that erased the Prince from your mind? You haven’t been the same since you drank it.” Snow White: “That, helped me forget whatever, or whomever, I needed to forget. And I am clearly better off for it. That potion was the solution, not the problem. The problem is, that I’m living here in a house full of dwarves instead of in my palace, with my father, as a princess. But I can’t do that anymore, can I? Because he was murdered. Murdered, by the same woman who sent a Huntsman to kill me.” Jiminy: “Snow, your anger towards the Queen is understandable. It’s just not fair to take it out on your friends.” Snow White: “You’re right – I should be taking it out on her.” Jiminy: “Oh, wait. Revenge is not the answer. No, it’s going to change you. It’ll turn you into something darker than you can imagine. You don’t want to go there-” (Snow White puts a glass container over Jiminy to silence him.) Snow White: “Good news, fellas – you can quit your complaining, because I’m leaving. I have more important things to do.” Jiminy: “Wait! Don’t go!” Grumpy: “Snow. Wait. Where are you going?” Snow White: “To kill the Queen.” (Snow White leaves, taking a bag and a pick axe with her.)

Storybrooke. Present. (Emma and Jefferson pull up to a large house on a hill. The two of them get out.) Emma: “Wow. This is your house? It looks more like a hotel. You must have a huge family.” Jefferson: “Nope. It’s just me.” (Emma sees Jefferson struggling to get up the stairs, and goes to help him inside.) Emma: “Here. Wait.” (Inside, Emma is waiting in the living room when Jefferson enters with a tea tray.) Jefferson: “Here we go. I thought you might want to warm up for your search. It’s cold out there.” Emma: “That is kind of you, but I think I should get back to it.” Jefferson: “I know. That’s why I brought this. I’m a bit of an amateur cartographer – mapping the area is a hobby. Maybe, this will help you track down your dog.” (He lays out the map on a table.) Emma: “Wow.” Jefferson: “What’s his name?” Emma: “Spot.” Jefferson: “Cute.” (Emma looks over the map while she sips her tea. She begins to feel drowsy.) Emma: “Well, Route Six runs the boundary of the forest, so… So, if I just follow that, I should… Be able to…” Jefferson: “Is something wrong?” Emma: “I’m just, uh… Feeling a little…” (Jefferson catches Emma and drags her over to the couch.) Jefferson: “Oh. Let me help you.” Emma: “Dizzy.” Jefferson: “Let’s just lie you down here. There you go. Let me get you some air.” (Jefferson crosses the room without any trouble.) Emma: “Your limp…” Jefferson: “Oh. That. I guess you caught me.” Emma: “Who are you?” (Emma passes out as Jefferson smiles.) Enchanted Forest. Marketplace. Past. (Jefferson and Grace are at an outdoor market. They come to an old woman, who is selling toys.) Grace: “The toy cart!” Woman: “Come.” (Grace picks up a stuffed rabbit.) Grace: “Wouldn’t this make the perfect guest for our tea parties, Papa? Can I have him? Please?” Jefferson: “Excuse me. How much for the rabbit?” Woman: “That costs one silver.” Jefferson: “Would you take it for eight coppers? It’s all I have.” Woman: “Oh, you are good father. Your last coppers for your little girl’s happiness, ah?” Jefferson: “Thank you.” Woman: “Oh, I did not say I accept. Alas, I cannot take less than one silver. The economy. You understand.” Grace: “It’s okay, Papa. Come on – people are waiting.” Jefferson: “I will not take no for an answer.” Grace: “Papa, please. I don’t need it.” Jefferson: “Come on, sweetie.” (The old woman walks away from the crowd to a mirror.) Mirror: “Well, that was awfully cruel. You could at least let the girl have her toy.” Evil Queen: “Where’s the fun in that?” (The old woman’s face briefly morphs into the Evil Queen’s.)

[taylorowelch]

8/24 - 8/4 Mile 2461.5 - Mile 2660 - 198.5 miles

I slept until about 9, which felt heavenly. The bunkhouse was fresh with cold morning air. Jerry, the trail angel who runs Hiker Haven, drove all the hikers into town to have breakfast. We sat around a big round table at the inn and I ate a giant plate of scrambled eggs with a warm homemade biscuit. I was so content. One of Jerry’s friends, Bill, walked in as we were eating and had breakfast with us, eventually offering to let Dustin and I use his washing machine, since Jerry’s wasn’t working. The town of Skykomish is about 200 people. The high school, middle school and elementary school are all contained in one building. The girl who gave us a ride to town yesterday told us that she graduated from that high school and that there were six people in her graduating class. When we told Jerry this he said, “Oh, wow, that was a big one.” When we finished breakfast Jerry dropped Dustin and I at Bill’s. We did our laundry and made phone calls and googled things for a few hours. I sat by the Skykomish river and talked on the phone, watching the light catch on the water, watching tiny birds flit from one bank to the other. When our laundry was done, Bill drove us back to Hiker Haven where we watched movies, ate copious amounts of gas station microwaveable food and basked in our cleanliness. The next day all the hikers got ready to leave. We got to town, ate breakfast and did phone chores, scrolling and scrolling in service land. Supposedly there’s no service until Manning Park, in Canada, 188 miles away. I ordered shoes and a new tent since my zipper broke. We got a ride back to the trailhead at Stevens Pass and scrolled some more, trying to squeeze every last google out of the internet. We hiked out around 2:30, later than we had planned but it was nice to have a relaxing day. This last section of trail into Canada is tough, notoriously so. We hiked a difficult 10 miles to camp, our feet aching after the short day. We pitched our tents next to a lake, cooked dinner and went to bed. My alarm went off at 5:30 and I ignored it stubbornly. I was up by six and walking around 7:15, later than I would have liked. The day involved lots of climbing and descending, over and over again. The terrain was tough, roots and rocks nestled in ditches where water had eroded the trail into little canyons, barely wide enough to put both of my feet inside side by side. It was painstaking work. My pack heavy with five days of food didn’t help. Huckleberries grew dense along the sides of the sunken trail. When I felt discouraged or tired I stuffed my face with a handful. We took more breaks than usual, stopping for water every five-or-so miles just to take our packs off, sit down, and drink a liter of water. We ate lunch at a beautiful lake that sat low in a basin of gray boulders. The water was a stunning blue, bright and deep at the same time. After I ate a tortilla with cheese and hot sauce for lunch we plowed on, climbing and descending for twelve more miles to camp. We only hiked 21 miles but it was arduous work. We finally got to camp at 7, in a little saddle at the top of a climb. I cooked spicy pasta shells and set up my tent while they soaked in boiling water to finish cooking. I ate them gleefully and chatted with a Swiss couple camped in the same spot. The setting sun cast these beautiful rays over everything, like it had spun the light with gold and laid it out over mountains and tall spruces and firs and patches of dirt. My alarm went off at 5am. I sleepily ate my breakfast and left camp at 6:15. The morning was dangerously warm and the rest of the day followed suit. There was a lot of climbing today, steep inclines leading to breezy passes. The trail was rough, rooty and rocky and carved out of the earth like yesterday. Sweat ran down my face, dirt gathered on the insides of my elbows, stuck to the sweat on my legs. We stopped for lunch at a creek and I hid in a patch of shade. A couple hiked up to me while I was eating. “Is that real food?” a middle-aged lady asked. “If you count cheese and cheetos and taco bell hot sauce in a tortilla as real food?” I mumbled back at her through my mouth full of junk food. After lunch I washed my feet in the creek, put my pack on and hiked, climbing again, dealing with many large blowdowns. I took a break at a creek three quarters of the way up the hill. I killed flies that bit my legs. I watched an ant carry a dead fly body in a large circle, pulling it around, yanking it through tufts of grass with all its might. It had no idea where it was going. We climbed a bit more and then descended a couple of miles to camp for a 23 mile day. The backs of my knees were sore from all the climbing. I made dinner and pitched my tent. Dustin made chocolate pudding that didn’t really set but we ate it anyway and it was better than not having any pudding. I didn’t sleep very well, and I was up at 5 and walking at 6:30. The morning was warm again and I knew we were in for another hot day. I climbed up and over a pass as light slid onto the mountains. A warm breeze passed over the mountainside. I lumbered on into the morning, tired, my feet hurt, my pack straps digging into my shoulders like they do. In a couple of hours I was dripping sweat, climbing 1500 feet in the humid sun. When I got to the lunch spot, a little campsite perched almost at the peak of the climb, it was half-shaded. I was so happy. I laid on my tyvek, feeling the weight of my body released from me feet, my skin hot. I ate lunch and then dug dirt out from under my toenails. I hiked out around 2, stopping at a little stream and pouring water over my head. It was so cold. I began a long descent that left my feet angry and painful. The forest around grew huge and tall and dense, moss carpeting the entire floor, growing over rocks and downed trees. It looked like one huge blanket, like snow. It consumed everything. Giant ferns and wide green leaves grew all around. In some places leaves grew into little archways over the trail, tinting the sunlight green. I felt like I had entered another world, like I was a bug, something microscopic, crawling through some super-sized version of forests I thought I knew. At 6:45 we got to camp at the Suiattle River for another 23 mile day. It was raging and swollen and brown. The water munched down over big boulders, slapped against rocks on either bank, making it difficult to get water. I cooked dinner, burnt it, ate it anyway. I was so hungry. Today felt just as difficult as yesterday. As I washed my pot I felt the exhaustion creeping up through all of my bones and I hurried off to bed. At 5am when my alarm went off I could feel that deep tired trying to pull me back into sleep. I begrudgingly got up and moving in the warm morning. I began a monstrous climb, 4,000 some feet. The incline wasn’t terrible but my body was exhausted and painful. My feet hurt in so many different places and ways. As the day heated up I got pack rash again. The straps of my pack began to chafe my armpits. I sat down for lunch and was greeted by biting flies. I killed so many of them and they continued to appear from whatever terrible place biting flies materialize. I filtered water and kept walking, the day beginning to boil. It was so humid. Smoke hung low in the atmosphere, trapping all the heat. My hip began to hurt. I listened to music to try and power through the next few miles and started crying in the middle of the trail. A huge fly whizzed around me, hanging in front of my snotty face. I wiped the snot from my nose and then wiped my snot-covered hand on a tree. I walked and snot-rocketed and walked and snot-rocketed. Washington is hard. I forded a creek and the icy water filled my shoes, which felt great on my aching feet. I sat down on the other side of the creek and filtered water. I talked to Dustin and felt a little better. there were only three more miles to camp. A hot wind followed me the whole way. I got to camp around 6, laid out my tyvek and collapsed on it. I laid on my back feeling the pressure release from my feet. I took off my socks and scraped some of the dead skin off my feet. I filtered water and made dinner and ate snickers bars and felt the heaviness of exhaustion pooling behind my eyelids. I crawled into my tent happy that there were only ten miles left until Stehekin tomorrow. We got up at six and hiked the last ten miles to town, arriving early to the spot where the shuttle would pick us up. A girl I met my second day on trail was there. She was hiking south. It was so cool to see her, in the same way it had been cool to see Blue. A white bus pulled up to the group of hikers and a middle-aged guy wearing a ten-gallon hat and a short-sleeved button down climbed out. He stretched his legs, we got on the bus, and got out at the infamous Stehekin Bakery. I got a lemon bar, a piece of hawaiian pizza and a giant stromboli filled with ham and swiss cheese. Dustin got the same one filled with pesto, onions, mushrooms and swiss cheese. We split them and felt like we could die happy. Then we got back on the bus and got dropped off a few miles down the gravel road at the North Cascades Lodge, where there’s a campground and a store and a public shower/laundry building. I took a great shower, did my laundry, spent too much time at the post office and ate a giant burger with beer battered fries. We stayed up late talking with other hikers and then wandered back up the steep dirt road to the campsite. I awoke to a bright tent, the day becoming warm even in the constant breeze that tumbled over the little town of a Stehekin. I broke down camp and went down to the deck of the lodge. When Dustin got there some kind of debacle was going on about a bus driver not having a CDL, and no busses were running, so we walked the 1.6 miles to the bakery. We got stuck in front of the pastry case again, eyes like saucers, salivating at bacon-swiss stromboli, carrot cake muffins piled high with cream cheese frosting, chocolate zucchini cake, chai coffee cake, six different kinds of cookies, etc. I ate so much. I felt like I did in Big Bear Lake, hundreds of miles ago. I laid in the fetal position on the grass outside, again. Other hikers laughed at me, again. At least this time nobody asked to take my picture. I packed out two pieces of pizza for dinner. A bus came around 11:20 to take us to the trailhead. All of the food jostled around in my stomach. I curled up in the seat and tried to stop thinking about how sick I felt. I sat around at the trailhead for a few minutes and then decided there was no better way to cure a stomach ache than a 29 mile climb, so I started walking. A woman we met in Skykomish named Hot Thumbs has been hiking with us for a few days now. The three of us hung out at a creek and talked for a bit. I saw my first bear on the PCT today. It was a bit small. I think it was a young adult bear. I rounded a corner and it was in the trail eating berries off bushes. I startled it and it ran further down the trail. “Heeey bear,” I called, trying to make it run off the trail. It looked at me. “HEY BEAR,” I yelled. It ran off onto the hillside, ambling over bushes and taking swooping bites of berries as it passed them. It was cute. We reached our campsite around 6:30 for a 13 mile day. I ate my pizza and taught Hot Thumbs how to tie a bowline knot. The trail to the site was covered in bear scat. A ranger had warned us that this area was densely populated with bears who didn’t care about people being there and would do anything to get to their food. We hung everything we had that smelled from a tree and hoped for the best. I dreamed about bears and woke up at 6, the sleep still so close, heavy on my brain. We packed up and hiked out into the dense forest in the cold morning. After a few miles we crossed a highway that led to a trailhead parking lot and caught up with some hikers we met in town, Hats and Butter. Hot Thumbs and I walked with them into the parking lot where we were greeted with trail magic. We each had a beer and sat in the parking lot talking and procrastinating the long climb ahead of us. We let the day warm up a bit and then started the climb. It went on and on through the forest that soon opened up and had us on sandy ridge line, a row of peaks opposite us. Can something be bright dark gray? If it can, that’s what they were. Everything was so bright against the deep blue sky. Everything green was so stark against the pale pinks and browns of the rocks that lined the dusty trail. I hiked with Hats for a bit and then Butter for a while. We talked and marveled at the snow-covered mountains in the distance, the plummeting valleys below. The day was so windy, my hat blew off at one point and I had to tip toe down a steep hill of loose rock to retrieve it. I love that hat so much. After a while I crossed a tiny stream to find John, who I had hiked around for a while in the desert, sitting on the other side. It seems like every day I see someone from trail past. It’s really nice. We caught up for a bit and then I hurried off to camp. Being a Friday, all the weekenders were out and the campsites were all full of big tents and very few people taking up lots of space. All the thru hikers end up cowboy camping where they can fit, which if you think about it is a really funny scenario. Sometimes if the trail is really packed on the weekend and we can’t find a campsite, Dustin and I shake our fists and, when we’re out of earshot, yell “get off my lawn” in an old man voice. I got to camp around 7, made mashed potatoes, set up my sleeping pad on the ground and pulled my sleeping bag around me. I listened to the sound of the Methow River next to me and watched one star in the sky above become ten, twenty, thirty in a little opening in the trees. Another hiker twenty feet away began to snore loudly. I put my earplugs in and hoped no bears would bother me in the night. The first light woke me as stars began disappearing. The sky turned light blue and I ate a pop tart and drank instant coffee in my sleeping bag as everyone else in camp went about their morning chores. I started walking around 7:30. The morning was chilly again, it felt good to shift into fall, away from the heat of summer that crept in at eight in the morning and lingered all day. I stopped at a stream before a 2500 foot climb to filter water. I powered up the climb, stopping a couple of times to take in the views of giant mountains opposite me. They were all angled and brown and dark gray, snow still resting in little pockets on their faces. Once I was on the ridge, wind swept over the side of the mountain. Big white plumes of smoke from two forest fires extended from other ridges to the north and the east. I stopped to eat lunch with Dustin and Hot Thumbs at a little spring in a sunny meadow. We huddled in a patch of shade. I ate cold ramen and washed my socks in the icy water. I left a note for Hats and Butter telling them where we were camping that night. A couple of hours after lunch, Hot Thumbs and I hit trail magic: a canopy set up at Hart’s Pass campground with coolers full of fresh cut watermelon on a table. We drooled over that for a while and then kept walking, climbing and descending and climbing to camp. Nine tents were already pitched in the field, all weekenders, so we cowboy camped on a ledge above the site. The moon was bright all night. In the morning a chorus of pikas woke us to see a beautiful yellow-pink sunrise. The sun was fiery orange as it peeked above the ridge in front of us. It had gotten quite chilly at night so we got up slowly. I brewed coffee thanks to the cup and reusable filter Hats and Butter had given me. This was the best treat I’ve had in so long: to drink hot coffee in my sleeping bag on this beautiful ridge watching the sky light up the day. I felt so soothed and wonderful even though my skin was dirty and my feet were prickling from all the miles I’ve walked and I smell like an old running shoe. Dustin left camp first and Hot Thumbs and I slowly got our things together and left about a half an hour later. We climbed up and over a pass, then descended to cross Foggy Pass (it seems like all the passes in Washington are gloomy: Rainy Pass, Foggy Pass, Windy Pass, the list goes on). I filtered water from a creek, talked to a day hiking couple and their dog, and ran into hikers all day who had chosen not to go into Canada and had already been to the monument. This was weird. This is the end of the trail for so many people. As they talked to me and walked away from me I could feel their energy just colossal and booming in a way that mine couldn’t be yet. Even though I still have miles to hike after I get to the monument, it feels enormous to be able to touch one end of it tomorrow, to bring tangibility to all of these miles, to remember where I was four months ago when I touched the one at the southern terminus. All of the moments I’ve experienced between the two have already been stupendous, difficult, agonizingly beautiful, mind-numbingly fatiguing and filled with infinitely varying amounts of hope and sorrow and joy and wonder. I felt lucky that there were more ahead of me. I knew that if I had to be done today, that if I didn’t have a reason to hike more miles, to keep being on the trail, that I would be deeply sad. My immediate physical pain would be relieved if I didn’t have to continue waking up and walking so much every day, but I would spend so much less time in the sun, so many fewer moments watching the world unfurl itself before me in such a pure, silent, slow way. I would miss drinking cold mountain spring water, I would soon take for granted all the moments I spent squeezing water from one bottle to another through my filter, I would become accustomed to the luxury of turning a knob on a faucet and filling a glass of pre-treated city water. I would be forced to face the world as I’ve grown up knowing it: loud, busy, fast, demanding, stark and harsh in opposite and tragic ways from this one I’ve lived in for four months. This is what people mean when they when they say that thru hiking will break your heart and ruin your life. I have spent the last few days contemplating the progress of human kind in the context of this walk. People who walk long trails often find that it needs to become part of their life permanently. Why is this? I keep visiting this question. Weren’t the earliest humans nomadic? Is this similar to the way they lived? After walking so many miles it seems like it could be true, going where the weather is suitable, following reliable food, bearing witness to the constant pattern of nature accumulating and dying and being born again that is life. We have moved so far from this as a species that to live in this way would be defined as unsuccessful, unproductive or foolish. How could a person make a “decent living” if they spent so much time in nature? I guess that depends on how one defines living decently. Thru hiking ruins a person’s concept of leading a successful life as society defines it. It brings people back to the essence of whatever it was to be human thousands of years ago. I watched smoke plumes from a wildfire extend into a bright blue sky from behind a jagged gray ridge. This fire was caused by humans, rangers had told me a couple of days ago. The smoke was so dynamic, so many different textures, puffy and flat and dense and thin as the wind spread it across smaller peaks in the distance. Some of the smoke was bright white, other smaller plumes were an old yellow, and another was a deep gray. Hot Thumbs and I stood at the last 7000 foot peak on the PCT in Washington. This was going to be her last night on trail, her last big view. We could see the trail below us snaking down the side of the mountain. Another hiker, Chubs, pointed to some peaks in the distance and said, “That’s Canada.” We just stood there and looked. We savored that last northern Cascade peak, the wind swirling around us, our shirts flapping in the breeze. We descended to Hopkins Lake and filtered water as the sun sank behind the mountain, then hiked the last couple of miles to camp. I made pesto pasta, drank electrolyte water and ate a snickers bar. I blew up my sleeping pad on my sheet of tyvek and watched the stars come out one by one. I woke up and made coffee, the process spilling it all over my tyvek. I drank it and watched the pale sky lighten, smoke dense in the mountains north of us. We got to walking soon and descended into it. This was the first time I could really smell the smoke. In four miles I heard clapping and cheering and walked into the tiny clearing where the monument was. It was four little wooden pillars and one metal one, an American flag on one side and a Canadian flag on the other. I walked up and looked at it. “Touch it!” yelled someone behind me. My hand reached out for it and I hesitated just above one of the pillars. Here it was. One end of this thing. I put my hand gently on the pillar. I froze there for a moment, I looked at the clear-cut line of trees behind the monument, the dividing line between two nations. What a moment this was. I was still glad I wasn’t done yet, but it felt good to celebrate all the miles I had hiked anyway. I drank a beer and Dustin, Hot Thumbs and I took pictures. Then we hiked the last smoky eight miles to Manning Park, a resort where we ate giant burgers. We showered and then Dustin and I said our goodbyes to Hot Thumbs who was taking a bus to the airport to go home. Then we got our longest hitch of trail into Vancouver, about 140 miles, during which I got a smoothie and a free beer and chips and dip. We got to Vancouver at about 9pm and met up with Dustin’s friends who generously let us stay with them for a couple of nights. In a few days we’ll take a bus to Sacramento, resupply, and hike into the High Sierra from Kennedy Meadows. I can’t wait.

[sad-ch1ld]

via RSI Comm-Link

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[ladylaffnsun-blog]

Today has been a pretty awesome day after a pretty awesome weekend! I don’t know where to start with all the awesome stuff that we did and how things keep getting better each day. I truly do believe it’s not just a state of mind, it’s the attitude, it’s the heart, the spirit as well. I made the decision to really focus on being positive & not allowing the negative into my entire life, in fact, I avoid all negativity and all drama. It’s not wanted here in my life by any means. I really enjoy the peace that I found in my life.

My weekend began on Friday and so I got to spend it alone, until Ron got off work. I paid for my blog upgrade on WordPress & worked on my blog a bit, I did some upgrades to it as far as colors and such, I even wrote a blog entry to kick this off. I was pretty motivated on Friday, so I was able to write with a clear head as well as relax. I think I may have even done a YouTube video.

Saturday, Ron and I got up and made the decision to go to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, if you have never been, it’s an experience you need to make, it’s worth it. For Arizona and Mexican residents you get a $5.00 discount off the entrance fee, it’s open at different times throughout the year, just check the link above and you can see rates and times. Ron and I will be getting a membership this year, that we get in free and can have three guests come in with us, as well as many other perks of membership. Now, the desert is where I find peace and true solace, I love being in the desert, it’s the majesty of the land that gets me. As you can well see from the photos below, I am truly in love with the desert landscape, it’s peaceful, it’s quiet and it’s calm. This is where I can ground and center myself, it’s where my spirit not only soars, it also starts to rest peacefully, I go into a totally and complete state of zen.

Ron and I were taken a different route than we are used to going, instead of going down Speedway, my Google Maps took us around the traffic and around the city, which was nice and peaceful for driving. The U of A had Spring Fling which apparently is the biggest  and one of the oldest (43 years) fairs run by students in the United States, that will something we do next year. We had so many choices of things to do this weekend, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum won out though, due the fact that both Ron and I needed to be grounded, we need peace and solace in our lives, this is the place to be for that. We made our way to the museum, parked and walked to the entrance, which by the way is a long walk considering where we parked, I have a Fit Bit so I am trying to get back to walking. Once we paid, we headed off on paths, where it seemed no one else was, you can see our first video we here on my YouTube channel. What is truly amazing is that this is an outside adventure, with very little indoor things to do, so be sure to bring sunscreen, lots of water, good walking shoes (not flip flops, you are walking in the desert), a hat and comfortable clothes.

We had to joy of seeing so many animals, a few that we wanted to see didn’t come out as it was getting too hot (92) and the time of day is the time they rest. The other animals though were just exciting for us to see.

We have a grey fox, road runner, chuckwalla, prairie dog, burrowing owl and a Mexican wolf, just to show a few of the great animals and critters we got to see, the best part is coming up here though!!

We pet STINGRAYS!!! Yes, we pet them & loved every minute of it. Did you know Stingrays offer good healing medicine? Don’t believe me? Well, they do, they offer each of us a message in this healing that they give us.

“Stingrays may be telling you to not overreact to your emotions, to calm down and wait before reacting. Stingrays maneuver themselves quite well despite their size and shape and they tell us to also carefully maneuver the complex emotional waters of our inner world.

Balance and restraint are strong themes of this totem animal. When it appears to you; consider your actions carefully and allow your intuition to guide you rather than raw emotion.

Perhaps now it would be wise to stay under the radar a bit and not make a scene as you figure out your next move.” Courtesy of Totem Wisdom.

You have to remember too that our desert offers some beautiful as well as interesting plant life. We are one of the few places that saguaro cacti grow, we have prickly pear cacti, cholla, mesquite, creosote, palo verde, agave and many other plants and trees.

We were at the museum about 4 1/2 hours, we saw all we could see, I put in almost all of the 10,000 steps for the day, yet we were both sunburned (forgot the sunscreen oops) and very hungry. As we drove home, Ron looks at me and says “Call New York Pizza, order a small pizza, extra cheese with mushrooms, lightly cooked, we will eat there.” So, I call our favorite pizza place and off we go to eat our late lunch, early dinner, that was all we ate all day. I don’t eat when we go off into the desert much, the heat makes me get sick, I just drink water like crazy. After eating, we came home, walked Chloe our red heeler (you will meet her later) and just sit for a few minutes, Ron turns to me to say “How many steps do you need now?” I say “Um, 2,400 more.” Off we go to Park Place Mall to do our final walking around, now if you have never had a Fit Bit charge, let me warn you when you hit the goal, your arm buzzes.

In the process of walking the mall, I got stopped at Bella Pierre kiosk, I let the young guy show me the cool colors of eye shadow as I had no makeup on at all. He ended up selling me a new eye shadow which I love love love!! We went into all the stores and I made mental notes of where I am going to be shopping when I get paid again or each pay week (I get paid weekly). After the mall, we went home, I showered to get the dust of the desert off of me, I had to work the next day and be up at 5 a.m., by the time I went to bed it was 10:30 p.m.. It was a great day!!

Yesterday I worked, well trained, I work from home so it’s nice, however I still get up like I go into a brick and mortar office. After all, I am in essence still in brick and mortar (winks). I got up at 5:30 a.m. instead of 5 a.m. like I am used to, I raced around getting ready for work. I work from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. at this time, my schedule will change next week, I also get one week day off and one weekend day. It’s pretty nice. I have to work this way due to the fact that my immune system is not 100%. That story will be for another time.

After work, Ron colored my hair from blonde to PINK!! Yes PINK!!! I love it, we used Clairol Flare Me hair color in Rose to the occasion on the bottom and Make me Blush pink on top with a few wisps of blonde. I think he did a great job of it, this is Ron’s first time doing two colors like this. This is my first time having PINK hair! This is a huge bold statement for me! One I honestly love. In the pictures below, I have on Rodial smokey eye pen in black lining my eyes, Urban Decay Midnight Cowboy as a base on my eyes, followed by Bella Pierre Sunset on the lid, Douccc freematic eye shadow Marisa in the crease and Tarte Tarteist Black with The Balm Mad lash Black on my lashes. My blush is Pacifica Wildrose. I don’t have foundation at this time, I will looking for BB cream instead, as it’s almost summer here and foundation is not good in summertime, then again I will be tan soon.  Most of my makeup, I get through Ipsy, which only costs $10 a month and you get great makeup to use!! I love it!! As Ron and I put it, the sexy diva witch is back in the cottage!!

Now to get working on the wardrobe and we are all set. That will come with time, as I am learning to be fine with my body and stop body shaming myself. I have come to the conclusion that I am no longer 20 something and I may never be a size 2 again, I am happy being a size 14 right now. I really do feel good in my skin and I do not look like a “typical” 46-year-old woman.

Now we are up to today, the pictures to the right are me today!  Makeup on, dressed, hair done a bit different, I curled it with a curling iron after blowing it out. I went to training and showed off my hair, everyone was loving as much as I was. Now, here is my exciting news for today!! I went to my morning break like I usually do, started to make a cup of coffee in the Keurig, I looked outside and there was my 23-year-old step daughter Samantha, long story short we had a bad falling out years ago and don’t speak, yet we live in the same apartment community 10 apartments from each other, something told me to go speak to her. I hesitated at first, then I went down the stairs of our apartment barefoot mind you, walked to the parking lot where she was and told her I want to make amends. Well, the response I got was NOT at all what I expected, let’s just our short 10-minute talk ended in tears, hugs and an agreement that neither want drama or negativity and we both want to make amends and heal. I came up the stairs on all time high, I have carried a huge burden, a huge weight on my shoulders and on my heart for too many years (5 years), it was lifted.

The rest of day just went so smoothly, in fact, on my latest knowledge check, a quiz we take before the big exam, I scored 100%. My day has been incredible today and I had to share this awesome, power and positive news!!

I am telling you it’s all in the attitude and mindset that you carry. What you put out there you get back.

One last thing I want to share:

I am that woman who has always cared what others thought, I was raised in a family where appearances were everything! That has changed for me! I don’t give a monkey’s butt what others think now as this is MY life and no one has to live it but ME! I love who I have become! I am strong, brave, intelligent, beautiful and passionate, not no one, not anything will ever take that from me! I am that woman who has walked away from those people, who really showed her true unconditional love, because I never really knew unconditional love from the people who should have given it to me. I always felt I didn’t deserve it or that the love I was receiving wasn’t real, there had to be strings attached to it. This has changed!! I accept love from those who love me. I am the woman who doesn’t believe in herself as I have always been told how unwanted, unloved and worthless I am. That has changed too, I am know I am worth of love, deserve love and am deeply loved by the right people. I know that I am wanted too. I know I am worth so much and deserve to be happy.

I am also that woman who would always give of myself without asking for anything in return, I would allow others to drain me and take from me. That has also changed. Now I put myself first, I take care of me. I know how to say NO now! I have my boundaries and if you cannot respect those boundaries, well have a nice life! This year I am realizing what and who I need to stop holding onto. It’s funny how going through a life threatening, near death experience can change someone. I think that this was meant to change me, to teach me a valuable lesson about life.

  Attitude Is Truly Everything Today has been a pretty awesome day after a pretty awesome weekend! I don't know where to start with all the awesome stuff that we did and how things keep getting better each day.