Rain? Ain't a thing.

So despite a steady run of low 50s and rain today — all day — my intern friend Emily and I still did are best to make the best of an adventure in Chatham. But, half the fun about that town is it's beautiful beaches and lighthouse, so clearly we will have to go back with the weather is less depressing. You could barely see the ocean. And the lighthouse wasn't open for tours.

Regardless, we still had a good time checking out the shops on main street. And I have to say, people out here really take their antiques seriously. Most people only deal in the big ticket items. Luckily on the way back along 6A we found a good ol' "antique" store that is half antiques, half thrift so that things are, ya know, affordable. We also hit up a glass studio. On the downside, we missed the demonstration period of them actually blowing glass, but we did find some cute little dish things to buy. Everything was surprisingly a decent price.

The antique store had some good finds, too. An old wooden crate, some "vintage" pearl necklaces. And we snagged a couple cool prints from a couple other stores. It was hard to choose just one from the fun African prints and the beautiful Massachusetts locations. But in the end, I was happy with my loot.

(I also took a couple adventures last week to Boston and Providence, but more on those later!)

SO MANY IDEAS

You know, that's one of the things I love about summer. I have more time to actually think about stuff other than school and work. And I've had lots of ideas lately! So if I can keep this drive going, you will have a lot more coming your way :)

OMG

The screaming-it-in-my-head-but-would-never-say-that-acronym-out-loud-in-real-life moments of the day.

Driving to work when a spider drops from the ceiling of my car. It's probably a miracle I'm still alive to tell the tale. Not because the spider bit me. Or even touched me. But because I could have easily crashed the car. It was terrifying. Thank God for the red light I came upon so I could quickly kill the little bugger. Did you know that over half a million accidents a year are caused by insect distractions? Like I said, I could have died. #OMGscary

Surprise! I won the Irish National Lottery! 891,934 pound sterlings, to be exact. Or so the spam email says. Who knew being a mere Internet user could be so worthwhile. #OMGannoying

Realizing a couple more interns have arrived. Let's be honest, I have been incredibly homesick this past week. Which is weird, because I have never been homesick before. But I think it was because I know absolutely no one out here (on the Cape, at least) and so it was pretty much me, myself, and I. Now that some lovely young people my age and in the same situation are here, I have friends. And it will make all the difference. #OMGrelieved

Lies I tell myself

Sometimes, a little denial is OK. Other times, it becomes a problem and action should probably be taken. These little lies I tell myself every day are kind of in limbo between the two.

1. I will get more done in Starbucks where there is no comfy bed lulling me to sleep. Wrong. Because even though I won't be snuggling with a pillow, the second biggest distraction is still present: the internet. It's more of an excuse to buy overpriced coffee while I procrastinate. That said, I'm in Starbucks right now writing this post while my books are still in my bag. Cool times.

2. I'll watch just one more episode, then go to sleep/do my homework/get out of the house. You know, that's the thing about TV shows. When it's a drama, every episode ends in a cliff-hanger. And you just have to know what happens next, right away. Or if you're watching YouTube, it's a black hole in itself, because one video leads to a slew of others. You just can't win until it's so late you pass out.

3. I'll wake up early tomorrow. It will happen. No, no it won't. Did you see what I just wrote about one more episode? Well you are up half the night watching pointless TV, you are going to sleep in until noon if you have nothing else to be up for. I have always wanted to be a morning person, but that wish is a long way from coming true.

4. It's OK to survive on peanut butter sandwiches and ravioli for 10 weeks. It just isn't. While peanut butter sandwiches are good no matter how old you are, and $1 cans of ravioli hit the spot every time, that just isn't healthy. Two weeks has been acceptable-ish, but I need to go to a real grocery store. (I promise, this is not what happens during the school year. It's just way more expensive by yourself!)

5. You will win the jackpot next time you go to Vegas. Get real.

An open letter to the jetty at Provincetown

Dear jetty,

You beautiful, mesmerizing jetty.

You are a tricky little fella. You make a girl think 'Oh, 1.2 miles is nothing. That doesn't look too bad.' And then you reveal your true self. That isn't a leisurely stroll along the waters. It's a hike.

Don't get me wrong. You were beautiful, and well worth it. But just for the record, my leg muscles still hate you right now.

Also, your friends the sand dunes are also on my love/hate relationship list. I just wanted to visit Mr. Lighthouse in the distance. I figured I had already come over a mile, let's just go a little further then go back.

But no, I ended up stranded on the other side of the dunes with no way to get back. My own footprints stretched behind me like a wanderer in the desert.

I finally cut back over at a place I'm not sure I was supposed to be walking, just to find I had overshot the jetty by about a half mile or so.

You can just imagine my joy. Both literally — because I was glad to actually not be lost anymore — but also sarcastically — for all I wanted was to be back at my car, but I still had to fight back to the jetty before even trekking back across it.

OK, so this is starting to sound all bitter. I'm sorry. My pain is a good one, because you know, exercise is good for you and all.

And it really was quite beautiful. I even sat down for a minute at the end of the jetty and wrote before crossing back, as if I were some modern day Henry David Thoreau. Yeah, no use. It was really just an excuse to rest.

But I made it back. I conquered you Mr. Jetty. I am am ecstatic. Because this is prettiest piece of world I have seen in a long time. I'm not even mad at you for only giving me a short time to walk through the actual town of Provincetown.

The view — and the workout — were well worth it.

I may even visit you again.

Sincerely,
Stephanie

From the desert to the sea

So I guess you could say that between my last sunny afternoon at the pool in Vegas and this past weekend was sort of a blur.

I could not have asked for a better vacation to start my summer. I had a great time with my family and ended it with a nice dinner with a friend. Megan and I hit up Firefly in Henderson before I left for Indy, and it was wonderful! And the view from the patio wasn't half bad, either. Sunsets seem to last forever out there.

Once I made it back to Indy, it was laundry and an eye appointment and packing...plus a final, partial family dinner. Then, I was off for the east coast.

The weather was near perfect for both days of the drive. My accommodations between, though...not so much. Pretty sure I was in that hotel for less than 12 hours and it was still too long. The cleanest part was the bathroom. I should have just slept in the tub.

Anyways...for as long as I was driving — almost 17 hours! — I have to say it wasn't boring. I knew Ohio was hilly, but I didn't know it just kept getting better the further east you go. New York state took my breath away the whole way through. (Except for my hotel, but that's it!)

But I made it! And I'm so excited to be here in Cape Cod. The couple hosting me is wonderful and very friendly. The past summers they have housed Cape League baseball players, but this year they took me instead. The house is a mere 10 minute walk from the beach. Gale is a retired teacher and taught Cape Cod history, so I have learned a lot about the area, and John is a fun guy who reminds me of my dad at times.

I have big plans for my 10 weeks here, full of free baseball games, ferry rides, exploring all the towns of Cape Cod (but maybe not all the villages — yes, there's a difference), consuming lots of seafood, hiking trails, dipping my feet in the three bodies of water that touch the Cape Cod shore...and more adventures, I'm sure.

And my internship at the Cape Cod Times! Obviously. I just had my first day, and I can tell it is going to be a great experience. I'm excited to get training over with and just dive right in. :)