country roads, take me home

I bid farewell to Texas last week Friday. My body was saturated with sorrow for leaving my newfound home behind, yet excitement distilled my sadness. My body was sick... many times. After landing up in the E.R. and getting heat exhaustion more times than I recall, I decided the Texas heat was permanently destroying my body.

So I moved to Illinois. I drove for 10 hours last week Friday, and I eventually arrived at an elusive camp ground in the middle of Missouri around 9:30 p.m. After setting up my four man tent and building my fire in the dark (without a lantern or flashlight!), I enjoyed a yummy fire-cooked steak and some roasted zucchini. I've never gone camping by myself, and being out there alone was definitely a cool experience. I was a bit creeped out, however, because there were no other campers anywhere near my site. The sensation of being alone is so hard to come by these days, so i tried to suck it all in while it lasted.

Saturday morning, I woke up and took down camp. I went hiking in the campground because it was too beautiful to simply pass through for a night. I also stopped at a flea market along the road- I couldn't resist. I eventually arrived on Saturday evening.

I am living with Craig's parents- Jim and Kay Bielema. It's really amazing- I have a job at their family-owned restaurant. Its a sub place with an ice cream parlour attached, and now Craig's uncle is installing a coffee area so I have a job. I feel really blessed.

On Tuesday, I attended a minor league baseball game with a few guys. Afterward, Craig, Marcel, and i went cherry picking at my 2nd cousin's house.I've been making cherry lemon jam all week, and also numerous cherry-filled pastries. We have an incredible amount of cherries! On Wednesday I went to Ceramics class with Craig,and I met all the old ladies that I've been hearing stories about for months now. Yesterday Kay and I went to Goodwill to buy more jam jars, and at night I played Pictionary and Rook at game night. Today, I finally finished up the canning and Marcel came over to visit.

Overall, Illinois life is peachy. It is strange moving to a place where you hardly know anyone- which I've officially done twice this summer.

We live about three blocks away from the Mississippi... and right now it is pouring outside. Perhaps I will go and watch the water overflow from the river.