it's hot outside
Hi everyone. Long time, eh? I've been living in an apartment with no internet for the past six weeks and I never felt inspired to log on to livejournal on my occasional trips to the Allendale Public Library... so I'm going to try to update you guys on my summer as of yet in this entry. (But don't get used to it, because once I leave for Maine in 5 days, I will once again be without internet for the rest of the summer.)
I will make comments on the following topics:
1.) Sharing an apartment with Scott.
2.) Working at OTB
3.) My friends (clare and college)
4.) Going to Maine
5.) Randomness
(Feel free to skip to the topics that interest you.)
Topic #1 - SCOTT
I had a lot of people who were very curious as to how my six weeks at 6425 Lake MI Dr. were going to go considering who was living there with me. Well I just want you all to know that I was right and you were wrong. It wasn't a problem. We didn't fight about much, hung out together, hung out with our own friends, didn't get back together, didn't end up hating eachother, and basically just got to be better friends than before. He had girls over and I didn't get jealous. I got pissed when he wanted to date one of MY friends, but that's a whole different story. I didn't really have guys over much, but that's because I'm holding out for my summer camp love. (haha... joke) All and all, it went well. It was really fun to spend all that time with him, and I definately got a good fill of his guitar. He's really easy-going and we basically turned every situation into something to laugh about, so it was a good time. But I'll be honest with ya when I say that I was ready to leave when it came time. I adore the boy, don't get me wrong, but I was starting to feel a bit... I'm not quite sure how to put it... but not myself. I was perfectly comfortable around him so it wasn't that. I walked around the apartment in sweats, no makeup, and bed hair just about everyday. I think it was just that we became so comfortable around eachother that he started becoming oblivious to the fact that sometimes his comments made me feel like shit. And also, I just sorta started to feel dependent on him for something to do since we lived so far from civilzation. I did spend a lot of time with my other friends, but every night it was like.... I wonder if Scott's home tonight? If he's not, I better find something to do because our apartment is boring as hell when you are there by yourself.
I'm not gonna go into too much more detail on the whole situation b/c some of it is kind of personal, but I'll leave it at this: It was fun while it lasted, but I was ready for a change in scenery.
Topic #2 - ON THE BORDER
Okay, so I absolutely loved waitressing when I first started the job, but almost 4 months later I was in DIRE need of a break. People, seriously... when you go out to eat, you should expect good service... but your server is NOT a slave. You are NOT their only table, and you should NOT expect them to run their ass off for your 12% tip. It wasn't always like that, don't get me wrong. Sometimes I had wonderful customers who were fun to wait on and left me pretty good tips. But it was those cheap jerks who made the job stressful. So for those of you who have never waited on tables, listen carefully: Servers only make $2.65 an hour. They depend on tips to pay their bills... so be a nice person and at least leave 15% or more and give us a break. We are servers, NOT SERVANTS.
On a lighter note, I love everyone who works there. And since a lot of people have quit or gotten it fired, it made the original crew who was still left all the closer. When I wasn't hanging out with Scott, I was usually hanging out with work friends. One Saturday I went canoeing all day with Jess and Melissa and then went out and got Yesterdog. Another night, a bunch of us had a cookout. And yesterday, I went to Greenville with Ben, Holly, and Megan and we spend all afternoon jet skiing and riding around on the boat. And besides loving everyone who worked there, I generally got a lot of hours and made pretty good money. They put me on a leave of absense for the summer so that when I got back in August I can just walk in and have my job back. I think I will probably continue to work there when I get back, but no promises because sometimes I just need a change. So we'll see.
Topic #3 - FRIENDS
I love my friends so much. I love my high school friends who are awesome enough to make an attempt to keep in touch with me, I love all the people I've lived with over the past year, I love my work friends, and I love all the sweet people I've met in my classes. During school, I was closest to Nina and Sarah because I saw them more than anyone. During the summer, my closest friends were Scott, Jess, Ben, and all the other ppl I spent 40 hours a week working with. Now that I'm back in Clare I get to spend time with my best high school friends: Troy, Stuie, Tiff, Jen, Trish, etc., and after I leave for Maine I hope to become closer (since we've drifted apart a little) with Kyle again and also make a bunch of new great friends. I don't think there's going to be a time all summer that I'm going to feel lonely... at least I hope. :)
Topic #4 - CAMP LAUREL
I'm completley psyched about going to Maine right now. The more I think about it, the more excited I get. I've been shopping around at thrift stores and dollar stores for fun little things I can take with me such as board games, books, decorations, etc. I want to buy a whole bunch of bandanas in the same color for my cabin to wear around so we can be easily distinguished from other cabins. And I want to buy a bunch of colored floss to make friendship bracelets and stufs with. And I just know that Maine is going to be GORGEOUS. I absolutely love the outdoors and I can't think of a better way to spend my summmer. I get to smell fresh air, be at the lake, have campfires, and run around outside all day everyday for the next 9 weeks. And I'm also super excited to meet all the other staff and campers because you all know how much I love to meet new people. Maybe I'll be like my sister and meet my future-husband at camp.. haha, who knows. But basically, I'm ready for anything because I'm not really sure what to expect but I know that whatever it is will be a blast.
And for all of you who like to write letters (and even for those of you who don't) my camp address is as follows:
Jessica Vandrick
C/O Camp Laurel
P.O Box 327
Readfield, Maine 04355
SO WRITE ME LETTERS!!!
Topic #5 - Randomness
So I had a list of all the things I wanted to do in the Grand Rapids Area before I left for the summer. I think I crossed almost everything off. I went canooeing, I flew a kite, I got ice cream and ate it at the park, I went to the beach in my jeep, I went mini-golfing, I went on a boat ride, and I went to a drive-in movie. The only thing that I can think of that didn't get accomplished is going to a theme park. Jess and I were suppose to go last Sunday but our plans fell through. It's okay though, because theme parks are expensive and probably wouldn't have been as fun as spending all day at the beach anyways. (Which is what I did instead.)
Hmm, what else... oh. I never really appreciated how nice of a neighborhood I lived in until I came home today. When we drove into my driveway the first thing I said was, "Our house is so cute. I love it." A little bit later I sat on our front porch (on the porch swing) and just watched all the little kids ride by on their bikes, saw people coming and going from the little league game at the park, went and sat in the grass and was in awe over how clean cut and family-friendly out street is. Not to mention the air smelled WONDERFUL! Me and my mom walked all over the place trying to figure out what smelled so nice but we couldn't figure it out. Then we walked down the street and determinted that our house and my friend Alicia's house are the two most attractive houses on the block. I'm very sad that my parents will be selling this place sometime in the next year or so.
Moving on... on the way home from Grand Rapids today, my dad and I stopped at Spring Hill Camp to see if we could find my brother. He is working there for the summer and I hadn't seen him since my sisters wedding so I wanted to visit before I left for Maine. Before we found him, I found my friend Renee who is also working there for the summer and had a nice little reunion with her. Then Eric came walking up with my dad and I was in shock because he looked SO good! He lost 50-some pounds in the past few months and he looks like a different person. I'm really happy for him because he seems a lot happier now too.
Well I think I'm done writing now. That should be sufficient for the next few weeks, eh? But anyways... I'm not going to be able to use my cell phone much, if at all, while I'm in Maine so if you want to talk to me one final time before I leave, give me a call. My cell number is 989-302-0921. If you don't call me in the next five days, I will be expecting a letter from you once I'm at camp. Comprende?
Alright, later folks.
I will make comments on the following topics:
1.) Sharing an apartment with Scott.
2.) Working at OTB
3.) My friends (clare and college)
4.) Going to Maine
5.) Randomness
(Feel free to skip to the topics that interest you.)
Topic #1 - SCOTT
I had a lot of people who were very curious as to how my six weeks at 6425 Lake MI Dr. were going to go considering who was living there with me. Well I just want you all to know that I was right and you were wrong. It wasn't a problem. We didn't fight about much, hung out together, hung out with our own friends, didn't get back together, didn't end up hating eachother, and basically just got to be better friends than before. He had girls over and I didn't get jealous. I got pissed when he wanted to date one of MY friends, but that's a whole different story. I didn't really have guys over much, but that's because I'm holding out for my summer camp love. (haha... joke) All and all, it went well. It was really fun to spend all that time with him, and I definately got a good fill of his guitar. He's really easy-going and we basically turned every situation into something to laugh about, so it was a good time. But I'll be honest with ya when I say that I was ready to leave when it came time. I adore the boy, don't get me wrong, but I was starting to feel a bit... I'm not quite sure how to put it... but not myself. I was perfectly comfortable around him so it wasn't that. I walked around the apartment in sweats, no makeup, and bed hair just about everyday. I think it was just that we became so comfortable around eachother that he started becoming oblivious to the fact that sometimes his comments made me feel like shit. And also, I just sorta started to feel dependent on him for something to do since we lived so far from civilzation. I did spend a lot of time with my other friends, but every night it was like.... I wonder if Scott's home tonight? If he's not, I better find something to do because our apartment is boring as hell when you are there by yourself.
I'm not gonna go into too much more detail on the whole situation b/c some of it is kind of personal, but I'll leave it at this: It was fun while it lasted, but I was ready for a change in scenery.
Topic #2 - ON THE BORDER
Okay, so I absolutely loved waitressing when I first started the job, but almost 4 months later I was in DIRE need of a break. People, seriously... when you go out to eat, you should expect good service... but your server is NOT a slave. You are NOT their only table, and you should NOT expect them to run their ass off for your 12% tip. It wasn't always like that, don't get me wrong. Sometimes I had wonderful customers who were fun to wait on and left me pretty good tips. But it was those cheap jerks who made the job stressful. So for those of you who have never waited on tables, listen carefully: Servers only make $2.65 an hour. They depend on tips to pay their bills... so be a nice person and at least leave 15% or more and give us a break. We are servers, NOT SERVANTS.
On a lighter note, I love everyone who works there. And since a lot of people have quit or gotten it fired, it made the original crew who was still left all the closer. When I wasn't hanging out with Scott, I was usually hanging out with work friends. One Saturday I went canoeing all day with Jess and Melissa and then went out and got Yesterdog. Another night, a bunch of us had a cookout. And yesterday, I went to Greenville with Ben, Holly, and Megan and we spend all afternoon jet skiing and riding around on the boat. And besides loving everyone who worked there, I generally got a lot of hours and made pretty good money. They put me on a leave of absense for the summer so that when I got back in August I can just walk in and have my job back. I think I will probably continue to work there when I get back, but no promises because sometimes I just need a change. So we'll see.
Topic #3 - FRIENDS
I love my friends so much. I love my high school friends who are awesome enough to make an attempt to keep in touch with me, I love all the people I've lived with over the past year, I love my work friends, and I love all the sweet people I've met in my classes. During school, I was closest to Nina and Sarah because I saw them more than anyone. During the summer, my closest friends were Scott, Jess, Ben, and all the other ppl I spent 40 hours a week working with. Now that I'm back in Clare I get to spend time with my best high school friends: Troy, Stuie, Tiff, Jen, Trish, etc., and after I leave for Maine I hope to become closer (since we've drifted apart a little) with Kyle again and also make a bunch of new great friends. I don't think there's going to be a time all summer that I'm going to feel lonely... at least I hope. :)
Topic #4 - CAMP LAUREL
I'm completley psyched about going to Maine right now. The more I think about it, the more excited I get. I've been shopping around at thrift stores and dollar stores for fun little things I can take with me such as board games, books, decorations, etc. I want to buy a whole bunch of bandanas in the same color for my cabin to wear around so we can be easily distinguished from other cabins. And I want to buy a bunch of colored floss to make friendship bracelets and stufs with. And I just know that Maine is going to be GORGEOUS. I absolutely love the outdoors and I can't think of a better way to spend my summmer. I get to smell fresh air, be at the lake, have campfires, and run around outside all day everyday for the next 9 weeks. And I'm also super excited to meet all the other staff and campers because you all know how much I love to meet new people. Maybe I'll be like my sister and meet my future-husband at camp.. haha, who knows. But basically, I'm ready for anything because I'm not really sure what to expect but I know that whatever it is will be a blast.
And for all of you who like to write letters (and even for those of you who don't) my camp address is as follows:
Jessica Vandrick
C/O Camp Laurel
P.O Box 327
Readfield, Maine 04355
SO WRITE ME LETTERS!!!
Topic #5 - Randomness
So I had a list of all the things I wanted to do in the Grand Rapids Area before I left for the summer. I think I crossed almost everything off. I went canooeing, I flew a kite, I got ice cream and ate it at the park, I went to the beach in my jeep, I went mini-golfing, I went on a boat ride, and I went to a drive-in movie. The only thing that I can think of that didn't get accomplished is going to a theme park. Jess and I were suppose to go last Sunday but our plans fell through. It's okay though, because theme parks are expensive and probably wouldn't have been as fun as spending all day at the beach anyways. (Which is what I did instead.)
Hmm, what else... oh. I never really appreciated how nice of a neighborhood I lived in until I came home today. When we drove into my driveway the first thing I said was, "Our house is so cute. I love it." A little bit later I sat on our front porch (on the porch swing) and just watched all the little kids ride by on their bikes, saw people coming and going from the little league game at the park, went and sat in the grass and was in awe over how clean cut and family-friendly out street is. Not to mention the air smelled WONDERFUL! Me and my mom walked all over the place trying to figure out what smelled so nice but we couldn't figure it out. Then we walked down the street and determinted that our house and my friend Alicia's house are the two most attractive houses on the block. I'm very sad that my parents will be selling this place sometime in the next year or so.
Moving on... on the way home from Grand Rapids today, my dad and I stopped at Spring Hill Camp to see if we could find my brother. He is working there for the summer and I hadn't seen him since my sisters wedding so I wanted to visit before I left for Maine. Before we found him, I found my friend Renee who is also working there for the summer and had a nice little reunion with her. Then Eric came walking up with my dad and I was in shock because he looked SO good! He lost 50-some pounds in the past few months and he looks like a different person. I'm really happy for him because he seems a lot happier now too.
Well I think I'm done writing now. That should be sufficient for the next few weeks, eh? But anyways... I'm not going to be able to use my cell phone much, if at all, while I'm in Maine so if you want to talk to me one final time before I leave, give me a call. My cell number is 989-302-0921. If you don't call me in the next five days, I will be expecting a letter from you once I'm at camp. Comprende?
Alright, later folks.