And so summer draws to a close...

My summer vacation has almost breathed its last breath.

What a welcome relief.

This is not to say I haven't had fun this summer. There have been many adventures to recount. Shall I try to recall them all? Ohh, sure, why not?

Back in late May, I journeyed with my grandmother (Nana, as it were) to visit my cousin and his expecting wife in Erlanger, KY. When I say expecting, I mean that she was about to pop. I spent a little over a week goofing off with a four year old, shopping, lazing around the house, and getting my hair chopped off (again). (The hair cut was nice, but I'm ready for ponytails to come back.)

In mid-June, there was Ichthus Music Festival. This year made the fifth year I'd attended. I saw many a wonderful set such as that of Newsboys, TobyMac, Skillet, and Switchfoot. There was massive amounts of sweating and water drinking to be done. There was fangirling over the string players in Skillet--the 'hot Asian violinist' and the cellist with his beastly black cello. There was much in the way of singing along to songs and standing for longer than my feet cared to. Basically, it was fun. You can't be bored when you go with your mom to Sonic in the middle of Lexington at 1 AM.

July had a few events all its own. There was turning 19, which meant Mahou (the BFF) and I were the same age for approximately a week. (My sole birthday present, aside from money, was a Barnes & Noble nook. *JOYGASM*) There was going with my church's youth group to Kings Island and riding many a roller coaster, eating overpriced park food, and reading on aforementioned nook during long line queues. There was the ACHIEVING OF THE DRIVER'S LICENSE. Now the only thing keeping me at home is a want for gas money. (I can take the occasional drive to the 'Ville, drive to church/cell group/school, putter around town on errands, and give my boyfriend rides home, but I can't just up and drive all over the place whenever I want.) So yeah. Freedom and stuff.

August brought the official first car. Prince Humperdink, in all his broken down glory, is mine! It also brought the half-year 'versary of Corey and I dating. It's pretty awesome, dating this guy. Mahou also had her 20th birthday, which involved she, a bunch of our friends, and I sitting around her house being goofballs and eating sandwiches. YEAH!

So there are many events landmarking my summer. But it was also full of boredom.

When I was not gallivanting around Kentucky, I was sitting at home, on the computer, playing the Sims 2 or Facebook games, all while watching TV. (If House, NCIS, or CSI were not to be found, I watched the news. FNC is pretty awesome.) I ate whatever frozen food hadn't already been gobbled up by my brother, seeing as he's hit the PUBESCENT DUDE APPETITE phase. I only got out of the house to go to church, go to Wal-Mart, or go to the library, mostly. This month, I've been on a reading kick, mostly reading political books.

It's fun for awhile, but then you start to realize you have 2 more months of this.

So next summer, come hell or high water, I will take summer classes. Economy allowing, I might get a job, too. It's hard to find work around here if you're a newcomer teen. And I pray that I can also go on at least one road trip without family. Most likely, I'll visit a college friend. Also, I should probably take Mahou with me on a trip.

So this has been my summer. Long, hot, and Ashley-fied.

Prince Humperdink (Not the Movie Character)

Sitting out in my driveway is an old '92 Dodge Grand Caravan. If you were to see it driving down the road, you'd probably think, "What a hunk of junk." There's rust showing on the back, paint spots missing on the hood, and it just has that "old car" look to it.

I love it.

Thanks to my boyfriend, I decided to name it Prince Humperdink. It's white, it's roomy, and there's something nameless about it that pulls me in. Maybe it's the allure of having my bona fide 'first car.' This will certainly make the commute from home to school and back more interesting.

Already, plans to really make it mine are forming. Some car decorations, like a steering wheel cover and some seat covers, are in order. Probably after posting this blog, I will pick the official back-seat stuffed animal. My high school grad cap tassel is already hanging from the rearview mirror--a practice that is illegal in the sense that filesharing is illegal. (Also, is it illegal in all states, or just Kentucky? Hanging things from the rearview mirror, that is.)

Of course, the vehicle has its flaws, but nothing that I can't work around until they are fixed (or I end up with a different vehicle on my hands anyway). The air conditioning is faulty while actually driving; sitting still, it works just fine. The sliding door will come off if you try to open it, but one can easily climb into farther back seats via the passenger door. Also, the anti-lock brakes are going out, but (1) that will be fixed soon (I think) and (2) the brakes themselves work.

But hey, I'm not complaining. I didn't buy the van, and I'm not paying for gas. I'll take what I've got. It gets me to school, the library, friends' homes, and just about anywhere else. So I'll drive it and be content that I can chill to conservative talk radio as the road flies beneath me.

So, here's to Prince Humperdink, my humble chariot.