guano is the new black

dear web journal,

the stress, at least to the degree it was, seems to have lifted. plans have been ironed out and i will visit my friend, who recently lost his mother, in july for some much needed face-to-face quality time. there’s no resolution to the work scandal, but i will say my attitude towards the person in question has changed since i’ve learned more details. i hate being played the fool, but ultimately, i suppose i would rather that than to start out not trusting someone. and there are no changes on the grandparent-wedding issue. but i haven’t written or communicated anything to them either. i will; i just want to make sure i do it with the best frame of mind.

in other (more uplifting) news, an old college friend of mine recently swept jeopardy! with four wins in a row. and wedding plans seem to be coming together and i have reached my minimum weight goal. i’d like to see that go a bit further, however.

whenever i get in better spirits, i get excited about making plans/goals for myself. as a credible threat to commit myself to these, i’m going to document three here:

-wear more color: i know this sounds like a goofy goal, but i wear entirely too much black. it’s less because i am trying to channel my inner tormented teen goth and more because i thought it could go with everything. before i knew it, black was everything in my closet. with karl’s complaints, i finally realized that i too am tired of how drab it looks. so, brown is working its way into my wardrobe and other earthy colors are on the way.

-go spelunking: and i don’t mean wandering down a paved path looking at sharp stalactites. i mean crawling through bat poo, dodging cave spiders. i mean this. i hope to battle any creepy-crawly, roof-caving-in fears and squeeze my butt through these beautiful, earth cracks. arkansas has too many of these for me to miss out on while i’m here. i just need a partner in grime. any takers?

-save up for my next international vacation: we’re doing st. lucia for the honeymoon and i’m already anxious about the next stamp in my passport. i’m also interested in honing my poor spanish skills too, so i found this organization that combines travel, experience, volunteerism, and language immersion. and the best part about it is i can schedule as much or as little time as i need for it. i’m leaning towards guatemala, but we’ll see if karl is interested in joining me and if he has another choice. it’s probably important to see if your husband is interested in joining you on your vacation, right? one month away until matrimonial bliss!

artwork featured: manatee cove, by souther salazar