These past few weeks have been all about new experiences for this girl! I was in the Ozarks last weekend with some girlfriends from college and was on a boat for the first time that I can remember. And I pity the next person who has to hang out with me when I'm the lake, because we were living in s-t-y-l-e this weekend. Also, for the first time ever: hung out in a life jacket in the water while in Party Cove while down at the Ozarks. I feel as though I missed out on so much growing up. Then again, I took part in a lot of memories growing up that a lot of kids aren't lucky enough to experience. By "kids", I'm meaning those city slickers out there. Allow me prove a point:
Fourth of July growing up: I remember drooling over the Harvey County Independent (it used to be called "Burrton Graphic", before they had to consolidate with the Halstead Independent to make ends meet) wishing that Mom would let us go into town (Burrton) for the 4th celebrations. I'd start looking for a box turtle to race or practice carrying eggs on a spoon, just for the opportunity to go into Burrton and partake in the free swim in the afternoon. Oh and the icing on the imaginary cake: the raffle. You would buy a button and the number on the button would be entered in a raffle for items that I can't think of now, but at the time may as well have been GAP gift cards. Sigh. The fireworks. Yeah, we ended up watching those out of the windows at the house. We never went into town for the 4th and I really do not know why. Probably because it was just another thing going on, on a normally busy time for us (farming wise). Man, I was so jealous of those kids who got to enjoy the 4th. Swore to myself that I'd ALWAYS do the city-things for the 4th when I was big enough.
Now, I'm big enough and I really do not care that I haven't really partaken in those sort of celebrations. I couldn't be more excited to head out west tomorrow to spend quality time with Mel on her 24th birthday and, of course, Harley-dog and Mason. Priorities change as we grow older and into our skin more; we start to view the world differently than we did as a sheltered farm girl. We realize those silly things (oh, I did end up winning a fishing pole at one of those raffles. I only won it because I was spending the night with a girlfriend. No thanks to you, Joe Bergkamp) are really silly and in the long run, end up getting tossed into holes dug by your Daddy and buried. I'll explain more about that hole later. After having my fill of Colby, Kansas, I will be heading to southeastern Colorado to see Aaron and help with Leiker Harvest through Monday July 5. When I say help, I mean: riding in the semi, working on my tan, and just enjoy being in the middle of nowhere with just open fields in all directions. So yeah, I will miss out on the drunkeness on the 4th, but I will be celebrating my American independence the only way I have ever known how: being in the middle of nowhere and I think that may be more important than racing box turtles or getting an insane burn at the pool.
