"It's been one week..."

...but I lie; it's been two.

It has been 2 weeks since I last wrote something...yet I have been so busy it seems like "just yesterday."

Since last writing, I have moved into a new apartment. This is quite the new experience, but I am liking it so far. I have just a few boxes left to unpack, then I can hang stuff on my walls. I am so excited for that!! Mom and Dad got me a 27" flat screen TV as a housewarming gift, then got me a new microwave as well as the old one lost its turntable. I love new things! I hung new vertical blinds last week--okay, Nick hung them and I made him breakfast and handed him tools, but I was present! I am so ready for this place to just be "home" and not a mess of boxes and disorder--hopefully tomorrow I will get it whipped into shape.

I have been to two weddings in 2 weeks. The first was a friend from home who also happened to be one of my sorority sisters. She had a phenomenal, beautiful wedding and was a gorgeous bride. It was great to be at home and see old friends and hang out with all my sisters and the guys from the fraternity we are associated with (AGR, Rach). I also made Stumplifters all on my own and am happy to report that they taste the same when made in the comfort of one's own kitchen as they do at Chubb's.

The second wedding was not as beautiful. Maybe it was the 107 degree heat. Maybe it was the lack of AC in the church. Maybe it was the fact that they forgot the marriage license at the Ranch (45 minutes away) and realized it 10 minutes before the wedding was set to start. Maybe it was the prairie fires that popped up mere miles from the Ranch during the reception. Who knows.

It was my cousin's wedding and she has never been much of a planner. I was her personal attendant, but I ended up becoming a jill-of-all-trades. She wanted an inexpensive wedding, so simply bought a bunch of random decorations and said "have at 'em." Mom and I did what we could with the church and reception hall, and it actually turned out to be what I call "simplistically elegant." However, my cousin's mother (my ex-aunt if they make those) had nothing at all to do with the wedding and made the whole thing a headache for everyone else. How hard is it to cut a few checks, cut a few streamers, and sprinkle some glitter? It is your daughter's wedding day! Grr. Never liked that woman. But it all worked out. They are married and truly in love, and that is all that matters.

Speaking of prairie fires: they were amazing. I stood outside the reception hall and watched the storm blowing in across the river. The sky was magnificent and the lightening bolts were like none I had ever seen. Each one hit the ground due to the fact that it hasn't rained up there in over a month and I saw a fire start before my eyes. It grew and grew and then the long-awaited rain began to put it out...really cool. We all went out and danced in the rain because there is nothing that the people in north-western South Dakota need more right now than rain. Thank God they got some.

That is all I will go on about. Hopefully things will settle down again now. No moving, no weddings, just the same ol' same ol'. Here's hoping.