dream outloud

What is better than lying in a hammock under a beautiful canopy of leaves next to the lake on a hot July day?  I submit to you that there is almost nothing better!  And that, is exactly what I did this afternoon...

Last weekend, Kurt was kind enough to let me take his car for a quick, 24-hour trip home.  I really needed to get outta dodge, and driving with the windows down (granted, mostly because there's no AC, and to help me gauge my speed in an auto with no speedometer) towards Chicago was exactly what I needed.  Sunday morning, I went to the Evanston Vineyard, was challenged by the message to think about who Jesus really is, and what it means to know him.  Then, I went home for a grilled salmon lunch with the parents, and packed up most of my books and music, which have been living, dusty and lonely at home in my 1.5 year absence.

The one glitch:  it was pushing 100 degrees, and the AC upstairs wasn't working!  Packing and hauling boxes in 90 degree heat was a little intense, and by the time I was done packing and loading the car, I was hot and dehydrated...and ready to drive home in a car with no AC to a house that was sure to be scorching.

I made it back to Lake Geneva by 6 pm, closed up the house, turned on the AC, and started unloading boxes in the hot, hot early evening.  I figured, by the time I was done unloading, my house would be nice and cool, and I'd be able to take a shower and spend the evening unpacking in the cool interior.  Boy, was I ever wrong!  Unloading the car went fast, but within 10 minutes, of being back inside, and ready to hop in the shower, the power went out.  Joy of Joys.  I showered in the dark, and then tried to resurrect the AC to no avail.  About every 5 minutes after I threw the breaker to get the power back on, it would go off again.  I was so hot and frustrated, I was ready to cry.  AND, I'd found I had a crazy, coffee-brown leak in my hallway from the Air Conditioner upstairs that was leaking in through the top of the window in the hallway, and turning my white curtains into a coffee-splatter Jackson Pollack (which still isn't fixed).

Anyways, I decided to suck it up, and unpack anyways.  I still think it was a good decision, because it's so nice to have everything up on my shelves, and to have my stereo, books and music with me once again.  However, I was HOT.  Oi!  After a couple hours of unpacking, I was dripping with sweat, and fighting a crazy headache.  I was hanging wet bandanas around my neck, and drinking lots of water, but nothing seemed to work.  So, I decided bed was the best option, and I'd deal with the AC in the morning.  :)

Nothing is fixed, and the week was another doozy, but I got my hammock this week,  and Dad came up on Saturday to install a ceiling fan in my bedroom.  This week will assuredly be insane too, but I'm excited about a 4 day work week coming up!

Friday, Kara, Kellie, Stacey, Margaret, Miriam and myself leave for the Lumberjack World Championship in Hayward, WI!  Yay for camping, friends and lumberjacks!  It's sure to be an awesome time of friends, fires, competition, booze, and late night conversations.  Seriously, what could be better in the middle of summer...except having those conversations from a hammock.  :)