I am 26, going on 27 . . .

Three months from today is my 27th birthday. I've become quite accustomed to being 26, and it has never, these past months, seemed old. So how is it that I shudder to think of turning 27? How can it seem so much older than 26? Although 27 is a nice, balanced number. Two plus seven is nine, which is one of my favorite numbers, and 27 is also divisible by nine. Besides, I like odd numbers. Well, perhaps turning 27 won't be so bad, after all. And I have three months to adjust myself to the idea.

It's a gorgeous day over here. I have done nothing terribly productive today (besides sweep my kitchen floor, put away the dishes, and put away my winter coats), but hey, it's summer vacation, right? My internship at Adventure Life begins tomorrow--exciting! So I should enjoy this day of not working. It's one of those gold and green and blue days, and the air is fresh and cool and spring-like, thanks to several days of rain. I suppose it will get hot and miserable soon enough.

Tricia and Benjamin visited me last week, and it was lovely to have them here. Unfortunately, I was sick--damn tonsils!--and not up to my usual energetic self, which was frustrating. I must say, though, Tricia and Benjamin took very good care of me, and it was very nice to have good friends around who cooked me yummy meals and did the dishes and made me drink lots of water. We camped out by Rock Creek one night, and had to fight the mule deer for our campsite; we had ice cream from the Big Dipper, and hit up the Book Exchange a few times, and ate nachos as the Old Post, and visited the Humane Society. I have decided that I am a catalyst to people adopting pets. Last summer, Tricia and Benjamin adopted Minuet from the Missoula Humane Society when we went together; this time around, it was Jacob who adopted a cat, a one-year-old black and white male whom he named Monkey. Over the past couple of years I find myself becoming more and more of a cat person. They have always seemed such unpredictable creatures (compared to dogs, that is), but I am coming to understand them better. There was the sweetest tortoiseshell cat there, and I am sorely tempted to go back to the Humane Society with Teresa and see what she thinks about Penelope . . .

All right, I think this is enough narcissism for the day. I just found out that Jen and Joe are coming out this way over the 4th of July! The three of us have a bit of a 4th of July tradition, though it's been put aside the past couple of years. (Uh oh, Joe, you're going to have an out-of-state license again! Do you think we can find another grocery cashier who will suspect you of being a raving drunk?) I love having visitors! And Amy Wojcik is coming out in about two weeks, and Mom and Dad are visiting in July . . . woohoo! It is good to have such things to look forward to.

And now I may call my friend Lindsay and see if she's up for a bit of a walk in this gorgeous Montana weather. I'm sitting writing this out on my balcony, with the sunlight dappling the leaves, and the breeze washing over my skin and tinkling my wind chimes. It is perfectly loverly.