* pops in to hug Rya *

And I've loved getting to know you through the forum! It has been interesting watching your writing style grow and change, as all of ours have, and to build some wonderful ideas and characters alongside you. I look forward to many more years writing together, and I greatly appreciate your friendship. Happy anniversary, Rya!

* pops out *

* pops back in *

Oh, yeah, if any of you are remotely interested in trying your hand at solving a mystery or writing a story, I'd suggest checking out the Mystery Mansion.

* pops out for real *

Congrats, Rya, on 10 years here. It's been fun collaborating here in writing projects, not to mention being able to discuss them in real life.

Looking forward to this weekend's camping trip. I'll be joining Rya and her family and some other friends in our annual trip to a nearby park. Friday's weather looks great but the rest of the weekend looks a little sketchy. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

And here's the third straight plug for Ditto Town's new Mystery Mansion. Go check it out!

To all you campers heading off this weekend, ENJOY! May there be clear night skies, pleasant temps (with few mosquitoes), and blazing bonfires. But as I know we are expecting rainstorms on Monday, you guys just might have them on Sunday. Hopefully they'll hold off a bit for you.

Ryadian, that is a wonderful milestone ... 10 years here on NarniaWeb, wow!

So, my gardens are all planted and some of the seeds have even begun to sprout. Love that! Some new perennials, some annuals to fill in the gaps, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, beans, peas, parsley, and corn. Thumbs up for gardening!

Unfortunately, we got rained out of our camping trip. The ground was already a bit muddy before we got there, and then it basically rained from 1 AM to 11 AM on Saturday... and then it was threatening to be a thunderstorm. Especially since we had my 1 1/2 year old nephew with, who couldn't really run around and play with all the mud on the ground, we decided to just pack it up. Oh well--at least Friday was GORGEOUS. And we're going to try again later in the year--possibly in September.

Anyways, how did everyone else's weekend go? I had determined to take the extra not-camping time and turn it into writing time, but that didn't work out as well as I planned. I just bought myself a book of logic puzzles last week... I'm a sucker for those.

Well, I should probably get back to doing some chores, but before I go.... Happy Member Appreciation Day! *Begins shooting off confetti cannons*

Aww, bummer on the rained-out trip, Rya. Tent camping can be kind of cozy in the rain, if you can stay in your tent with a good book and listen to raindrops falling on the outside... as long as it doesn't leak... and as long as it doesn't pour for hours and drench you when you have to go find food or a bathroom. But 10 straight hours of downpour is a lot. Don't blame you for bailing out.

I am counting down the days to my Alaska vacation. I've been wanting to do this for years and I'mjustateensybitexcited... I'm taking the Alaska Marine Highway ferry from Washington to Anchorage, and taking the train up to Denali National Park. Should be epic.

Well, I don't know for sure if it was raining the entire time, but... I went to bed at 1, kept waking up during the night, and every time I did it was still raining. I'm used to it at least sprinkling once a trip; we usually just go inside our screen house and play some games. This year, though the screen house was no help--especially when the wind started blowing.

You're going to Alaska?! Gee, I wonder why you're excited? Alaska is one of the places that I really want to visit at some point in my life. So, how many days are left until you leave? And be sure to have a lot of fun while you're there!

*Sigh* We're having thunderstorms. Again. Normally, I love 'em (when I'm inside), but I'm still a bit mad about this weekend.

Well, my family's waiting for me so we can watch some Chuck on Netflix, so I'd better head out. Good mortereve to you all!

Well, I'm leaving home July 1, so that's 15 days. But actually I'm going to Maryland first to see my parents for a few days, and then heading west on July 5. This will be the 40th or 41st state I've visited (depending on how you count), so I only have a few more to go! Funny thing, Minnesota is one of the places I haven't been yet...

Enjoy your thunderstorms and Neflix!

Alaska? Sounds awesome, Willow! Enjoy your trip.

That's someplace I'd love to go, not only for the scenery but the stargazing. The midnight sun in summer, or almost-dark skies at noon in winter.

I was also on that camping trip, and I admit I was glad we packed up early. Saturday evening was filled with amazing lightning and torrential rains, and I was content to watch from inside a house rather than from a tent.

This will be the 40th or 41st state I've visited (depending on how you count), so I only have a few more to go! Funny thing, Minnesota is one of the places I haven't been yet...

Well, maybe that should change at some point. But wow, you've definitely seen more of the US than I have. Are those all states you've stopped in and visited, or is this counting states you drove through?

*Starts counting states she's been to* Well, there's Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana... also Kentucky, Ohio, Louisiana, California, Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, and South Dakota, not counting states driven through to get there... and I've been to both Texas and Arizona on my way to Mexico for mission's trips, and we actually stopped in both long enough for it to count. So, not counting drive-throughs, that's 15 if I'm not forgetting any.

Wow, is June seriously almost over?? (Okay, over half-way over, anyways. ) It feels like just yesterday that I was eagerly waiting June's beginning so that we could go camping, and now it's the 20th already! This year really seems to be zipping by....

*pops in and hammers up a sign*

If you haven't joined the competition yet, there is still time. Find more information here

It is actually sunny here. It was cloudy earlier but luckily no rain. We've had plenty for a while.

Are those all states you've stopped in and visited, or is this counting states you drove through?

I think the most honest tally counts states where your feet have actually touched the ground outdoors. "Drive throughs" count if you stopped the car and got out and walked around. (I don't think I've ever actually driven through a state I've never been in before without stopping!). By that measure, Alaska will be my 40th state.

I've been in the Detroit airport, but I was just changing planes and I never got outside the secure area, so you can debate whether I should count Michigan as 41 or not. I want to go to Michigan again so I can count it "for real." Plus I've heard it's such a pretty state.

I count Nevada because I changed planes in Las Vegas and made the effort to leave the secure area and walk outside for a bit. I didn't actually leave the airport grounds, but I stood on a high spot and could see the Strip off in the distance, so I say that counts!

So my remaining states to visit are Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska, and Hawaii.

I count Nevada because I changed planes in Las Vegas and made the effort to leave the secure area and walk outside for a bit. I didn't actually leave the airport grounds, but I stood on a high spot and could see the Strip off in the distance, so I say that counts!

I had a mission's trip in California in 2009, and we drove through Nevada to get there. What I remember of Nevada was a lot of desert and driving past the Strip, so that sounds about like my experience with the state! (Granted, the first time we drove through, we were driving through the night and I slept for most of it.) Though, being a Minnesota girl, I actually found the desert to be the more interesting part of the state. To my memory, I'd never really been in an actual desert before, and it looked really pretty driving by!

*Sigh* Well, for the past few months, I've been debating replacing my 5-year-old laptop with a newer computer. I think my computer made the decision for me last night. The hard drive finally died entirely last night. Thankfully, I had issues booting it up a few weeks ago and was sure to do a full backup, and my dad (who's living is fixing computers) thinks he can still get most of my files off the hard drive, so I'm not really worried about having lost anything. I'm just regretting not buying a new computer sooner. Ah, well--now I can get a desktop, and it'll actually run quickly again! Though, it looks like for the next week or so, I'll be using my dad's/older brother's/younger brother's computers whenever they're available.

(So, SO grateful this happened post-graduation.)

Yeah, what a relief that is, eh, Ryadian? How's the new computer?

Alaska? Sounds awesome, Willow! Enjoy your trip.

That's someplace I'd love to go, not only for the scenery but the stargazing. The midnight sun in summer, or almost-dark skies at noon in winter.

Hearty ditto!

And, from all indications, you had one awesome trip, You Will Find Me Bigger. Trip of a lifetime, I'd say.

So, how is everyone's July? Ours is lovely ... for summer. For the most part, we have had comfortable temperatures, with a very decent mixture of sunny days and stormy ones. In fact, I would say we have had rain pretty much every 3rd or 4th day all month. Very good for the gardens. So grateful, as our July is usually our hottest month, and can have 10-12 days of no precipitation and high humidity. No so this year.

Yeah, what a relief that is, eh, Ryadian? How's the new computer?

Very well. It runs a lot more smoothly than my old laptop did, though... "old" being the operative word there. It's taking some getting used to, though, because I used to use my laptop with an external monitor, so I had two screens to use. Now, I just have the one--I miss having two.

It's been fairly warm lately, but it's actually been a surprisingly cool July. Granted, I haven't spent a whole lot of time outside this summer, but... when I was outside, it's not as bad as I'm used to. Admittedly, I've spent most of the month on the computer, either posting around here for the competition, or writing my unofficial NaNo. I'm at 33,000 words out of 37K, though now I'm in the part of the story where I actually have to figure out what my characters are going to do. Thank goodness for plot convenience!

Well, the kitchen floor needs mopping, so I'm heading out for now.

about your computer. about only one monitor.

Kudos for your unofficial NaNo word count, Rya, wow! All the best with the rest!

Have, erm, fun, mopping the floor.

I am nibbling on chicken thighs, fresh off the BBQ, yum. Yet, actually, when you think of the term "chicken thighs", it sounds sorta gros.