up, down, up, down.

the last full week of may had so many adventures, i can scarcely believe i was able to experience so much in such a short amount of time.

i started off the week finishing up one of my goals for may. i was able to felt this mongolia blossom, modeled after the one in mulan. at first, i was worried how it would turn out, but in the end i was very pleased with it. i didn’t expect to like it as much as i do, so i’ll probably be adding it to my shop very soon!

on wednesday, i started playing volleyball for the first time. i played a few times in gym class during high school, but never played it seriously. in the past two years i’ve recently become very enamored with the sport and decided to try it out. there’s a few leagues that play in my area, and i signed up for a casual one. i was so nervous, but it ended up being so much fun. i’m hoping that if i can become more experienced, i can start playing more competitively.

earlier in the week i got into a very minor accident. another driver wasn’t paying attention and merged into my lane. it was a very frustrating experience, and i had to take my car into a shop to get repaired by her insurance. they marked up my car to show where the damage was done, and i thought it made for a good picture. i’m in a rental for now, and i can’t wait to get my car back. i’m very thankful that no one was hurt, but no matter the severity, accidents are never fun.

a dear friend of mine went to japan last month and brought me back some goodies. i was so excited that i had to take a picture of them. a couple of snacks and some lucky chopsticks – i feel spoiled. the wasabi peas were a bit strong for my taste, but the cheesy stick puffs were so yummy!

on saturday, i had one of the best days, ever. one of my closest friends, cammy, and i took our boyfriends on a double date to busch gardens. it was a mini road trip, being about 3 hours away, and i finally got to take a picture with the famous “love” displays at one of the rest areas in virginia. i’ve been wanting a picture with one for a long time, so i was thrilled to finally have one!

after the long trip, we made it there – there were so many cars, and we slightly regretted choosing memorial day weekend for the date of our trip. but the weather was gorgeous, and the park wasn’t as terribly packed as we thought it would be.

we rode so many rides, and had some delicious snacks. we even got to see a few farm animals – these hens were my favorite. they were very friendly and walked up to the fence to say hello when i came over for a picture. i kept asking bae if he thought the animals at the park were happy, and he told me they live pampered lives. this made me feel relieved since animals aren’t always treated well.

after we had our fill of roller coasters, we decided to finish up our trip doing some of the carnival style games that the park had to offer. bae was so wonderful and won me this blue frog by breaking plates with a softball. i’ve always wanted to be given a carnival prize, so he definitely fulfilled a fantasy of mine. i decided to name the froggie ribberto.

on sunday, we slept in and recuperated from a fun and tiring day at the park. later we went to meet some people for dinner, and went to grab groceries after. i was very distressed to learn that the local shoppers food warehouse was closing. when we walked in, the store was a mess and so many of the shelves were empty. i didn’t realize that they were closing – but once i saw the sign, i became very sad. i had been going to this particular grocery store my whole life. i remember sitting in the shopping carts as a little girl, and shopping there when i moved out on my own for the first time. to be honest, the area is a bit over-saturated with grocery stores, so it was only a matter of time that one closed, but i was sad none-the-less. this place held so many memories for me. as we walked out after buying a few things, i took a picture so i could always remember it in its last days.

this week had a bunch of highs and lows, and i wouldn’t change any of it.