WHY?

Why do I seem to do my best work after midnight? Why do I like to get up early even though I go to bed late? Why haven't I gotten my haircut in 2.5 months even though it is one of the best amenities in life? Why do I not do what I should be doing but instead do what I shouldn't be doing? Why is it so hard to relate to kids when we were all kids once (shouldn't we be experts)? Why are PB&J sandwiches always better when made by someone else? And WHY are the most valuable treasures at the end of a hard road?

Sprinkles

Today I was convinced if I ate a donut with pink frosting (the kind with sprinkles), it would melt all stresses in my life away. Then I realized I didn't need to eat a donut, what I really needed was a big glass of water... oh the simplicity of water. How it fills us like no other thing can.

Side bar: 5 more days until November, 9 more days until we elect a new president, 47 more days until the end of my quarter, and 248 days until the 4th of July... not that I'm counting or anything.

3:45 AM

Every once in a while I manage to awaken real early and find myslef wondering what to do, so this morning I am going to take the opportunity to update my blog. Since the last time I wrote (I just realized it was 4 months ago) I have visited 7 states, rode my bike more than 600 miles, used 4 travel size tubes of toothpaste, have aquired (I'm not sure if this is how you spell this word, but remember it's real early in the mornin) a new found love for Dr. Pepper, and gained a year of my life...aka turned 29.

I am currently in Oregon, still deciding if I want to live here. I'm not real sure. I would ask for suggestions on where to go next, but I feel as if my bag of ideas has reached it's capacity and now I need to decide.

Here are a few pics from my time spent in Colorado bicycling with my sis...





The sun is rising now.... gotta go

Leah Dillman

Dear Leah,
Oh how long it has been since I have seen you... okay maybe not that long, but long enough. I didn't cut my hair for three months and thought of you everyday. My hair = you not telling me to cut it. I tried. I tried for three months and it just became a shaggy mess that sat on my head. So I walked myself into a salon and let Gia go at it. I was hoping to get the haircut ninja again but he has since "moved up" and charges way more than an unemployed singleton could afford. Gia did a good job.
About 3 weeks previous to my haircut I was able to have the privledge to have this picture taken with a "well known" person. Leah, I can't wait to see you and I really do hope I get the "Dillman invite" to come over for supper. I think you need to teach Nora my name before I come. You have two days Dillman, two days.

A Tandem Bike and Octopus

So you might be wondering "what is happening in Micah's life that she uses tandem bike and octopus in the title?" Let me fill you in on a little secret called, rad friends. Rad friends have tandem bikes and like to take their friends on joy rides around the city; rad friends encourage their friends to try things like a octopus tostada, even though they would never try it themselves; rad friends also like to make faces for the camera.
This is day 11 in Oregon and it is also the 9th day in a row it has rained. I would like to officially declare this the rainiest April I have ever experienced, and the coldest. For those of you in weather above 70 degrees, heck 60, I'm officially jealous. I know the Bible tells us not to be but it is real hard in this case.
Speaking of the Bible have you read it lately? Maybe someone should ask me that in return - maybe that is setting me up for an accountability partner I never asked for.

Two Things...

1. Why are geese making noise at 2:30 thru 4:30 AM but are silent during waking hours?
2. I think geese could be in my top three least favorite animals.

Conclusion: Geese just flat out stink! (I'm giving all geese the stink-eye right now, so is Kate but she doesn't know it)



Speaking of cats I met this woman this weekend who "pickled" two new born cats when she was in college and proceeded to use them as bookends. Later in the conversation she told us the kittens were already dead - that was a good piece of info to find out because I was starting to wonder who I was sitting next to.

Okay so I am in Oregon now. I don't have much to say besides that. I'm slowly attempting to process the change and transition of life the past few months, but I don't know how well that will go because I am still processing from a year ago.

With all that to say here is few of the many people I was able to spend time with in all my travels... Bia "Kate" Briskie and her hubby Matt this is dedicated to you!




If there is one thing in life that is invaluable, it's walking through life with each other. Priceless I tell ya, priceless.

still don't have any pics to show...yet

If I would have wrote this yesterday the title of this would have been "Today I... am glad I wasn't writing this on a real piece of paper because if I was then it would be really illegible" or maybe "Today I... sat in a plane at the Knoxville airport because the President was in Nashville, so inconvenient!" or maybe even this "Today I.. am glad that I am over 25 because I love renting cars"
So that describes my day yesterday, inpart. I left Raleigh or to be more descript I left 6 really really really hard to leave people. I am glad I was bummed/sad to leave, because if I wasn't then I would wonder what the H-E-double hockey sticks I had been doing the past six months. So Laura or Steve if your reading this... the past six months was SOOOOOO worth it!
Okay so off I go... I am driving to Knoxville today. If your wondering why I didn't get off the plane in Knoxville (refering to the title mentioned above) they wouldn't let me. Again, so inconvenient.

wish

Today I wish I had some pictures to post, but I don't. It's not that I haven't taken any since I have been in North Carolina, but it has everything to do with I am running out of room on my computer. I have hit my 4,000 picture limit (or at least I think that seems to be the limit with how slow it is running). I will eventually go through the pics and delete and move and copy and burn, but until then I guess I will have to use words to paint a visual of my life.
So let me begin with this:
In 6 days I will get on a plane leaving North Carolina and travel to Tennessee for 10days. I have been traveling nearly 2 months now (6 if you count the stent I lived in ID) and will be for another month after I leave here. I will go to Tennessee first to see friends and then I am off to Boston to hang with my sister for Easter and see her world. I'm stoked. And just when you think I'm done, I'm not. I will then zoom over to SoCal for a week. Finally I will make my way to Seattle stay a few days, drink some coffee, maybe get my haircut then drive to Portland where I plan to live out my Oregon residency. I tell ya life is a journey and I'm on it.

"You have only to find how your deep gladness is meant to touch the world's deep hunger and be there..."

am all words!

Not really, I just don't have any pictures to post. I will take some this weekend... at least I hope I will. So I have been kinda bummed/pissy because I partially tore some tendons in my foot/ankle after doing a sweet ninja kick to a dog. I only wish it was because of a sweet ninja kick. Truth is I was running and slipped on a stick or a pine cone; I was in too much pain at the time to differentiate between the two. I did however proceed to run home. Probably not the smartest decision I have ever made, but it's not like I could send a telepathic message to my friends to come find me on some random curb on a street that I have no idea the name of, so why not run.
Beside being bummed that I am laid up from running for at least 4 weeks ( boooo!) I am trying to see it as a good circumstance. And here is a top 3 why is could be good:
1. It might force me to sleep in
2. I can do more work (or at least that is a good thought)
3. I don't have to shower and since NC is in a drought it saves water

I can either be in a bad mood and have a bumm ankle or a good mood and have a bumm ankle... either way I'm still going to have a bumm ankle. I only have to repeat that to myslef every hour.

got 8 hours of sleep!

So I get the question "Where are you now?" quite a bit. I am going to address the NOW part of that question...
I am currently in North Carolina... or as people out here call it: Carolina. North Carolinians don't really think South Carolina is a real state... my South Carolinian friend would beg to differ.
I arrived here on Tues eve/Wed morn and I never really understood jet lag until now. So last night I got 8 hours of sleep, that is twice in 3 days that I have slept more than my usual 5/6 hours. That is how I know things aren't normal for me. Going from Hawaii and coming to the east is not an easy task (some may argue otherwise)... however I would do it again, just not this week. Actually give me a year.
Here is a 5 list of my past month of travel (note: this is a real hard list to make) in no particular order and I haven't been in NC long enought for there to be any standoutish highlights, other than my bike fiasco, but that is a whole other story:
1. HAWAII in general and the people I went with... although I did not enjoy having sand in places where it shouldn't be
2. Falling in love.... with Seattle and my friends there
3. Being able to see my friend Katherine on a layover in Nashville
4. Playing soccer 2 days in one week with fun women and having our butts kicked by a bunch of 13 yr olds.
5. Laughing until I get a side cramp
Here are some pics from the past few weeks...









If you get a chance check out my sister's blog... for an enginerd she is quite funny. She is one of a kind that is for sure!

didn't use very many words

drank coffee and then drank some more coffee

In between drinking coffee I was able to catch up on some internet TV, fill out some more paperwork for school, went to the library, and to top it all off ( I think this was the best part) I was able to visit a friend at work. I guess you could say today was just another day of Livin the Dream.

Besides today, a lot has been going on in life. Currently, I am in the first part of my travels, staying with some great friends in Seattle, WA. I am off to my next destination in less than a week and I am excited because the place I am going is 1) warmer than here 2) I get to be with my best friends and 3) it is my first time in traveling there. So what place is this? Hawaii! After that I am going back east. When I am done being footloose and fancy free, I plan on starting school at Portland State University, but with my track record there is a slight chance my path could be redirected. So that being said, I plan to reside in Portland, Oregon and continue to take in the Northwest.

I'll keep you posted on my days! and hey maybe I'll even upload a few pictures.

I would add a picture but...

It has been a handful of months before I have updated this. I know it's sad. But I'm back on the late night schedule. I starting to think after the past two weeks my body actually prefers less sleep. It's kinda neat but at the same time I'm fearing the moment of crash.
I'm up late tonight working on my second job. Yes, I said it... second job. It's actually a sweet deal that allows me to make some extra cash and accomplish one of my life goals. I am writing a book. Okay so it's not an ordinary, let me share my life story, kind of book, it's a study guide for the TOEFL. For all of you not familiar with that acronym it stands for Test of English as a Foreign Language. The study guide is geared toward college students on college topics. It's a silly job but it's a good mix up from what my real job is. Sometimes it's real nice to write and not have to talk. I'm considering on taking the TOEFL, seeing as I'm writing a study guide for it. The fear of failing at the English language is kind of frightening, and possible embarassing.

Other happenings in my life...
I'm moving in t-minus a lot of days. Actually I don't have a count down. I just know it is going to come sooner than I realize and I'm not going to quite packed when it happens. That's a lie, because I don't have much to pack.

Summer is arriving in 5 days (not actual summer, but summer camp summer) and I'm excited slash stressed. I have quite a list to accomplish, but as I continue to learn: the show still goes on and kids still have probably one of the best weeks of their lives. I'm going to try to have the best summer of my life. That might be hard but I think it is doable. I'll just work less and work less. No not really. My job is what will make my summer great. I get to hangout and coordinate medical people and their families; I get to go running and not worry about getting hit by a car; I get to jump in the river instead of a pool if I want to; I live in an outdoor mecca.

I would add a picture of this place and myself but I haven't downloaded any new pics worthy of posting. Maybe next time... hopefully it will be sooner than later.

I Forgot to Mention...

I need to refer to a previous post, but I'm not to sure which one it is... but I saw antelope! I didn't think it would ever happen but it did. Not only did I see one, but a whole pack (or is it herd?) of them. Anyway, they do exist along with the eagles and the cougars that live out here too.

The Sound of Rain is Great

It is the 1st day of March. It is raining. It is also very cold and I'm ready to say hello to the sun again. I'm reading a book and it talks about saying goodbye. For someone who doesn't do well with change, it gives a great perspective on the word and what it could mean . By the way, that "someone" is me.

"...if you do not say good-bye, then you cannot say what comes next. And what comes next is always hello." Robert Benson

Are we there yet?

When I say "are we there yet?" I am referring to Spring. I am ready for it to warm up or should I say I am ready for my core body temp to warm up. The groundhog did not see its shadow last Friday so Spring is supposed to come sooner... if the tale is true.
So I have not posted in a while, maybe because I have not worked a night shift in a long while. Those late night shifts gave me something to do when I got home... they are soon to start up again. So what have I been up to, besides anxiously awaiting a rise in temperature? I have been practicing my dance and skateboard skills; eating cookies; developing a real passion for climbing; practicing my medical terms; getting ready to start up running again; enjoying playing guitar hero; drinking coffee, and frequently getting to visit Portland and Bend and enjoying my friends there too.
So that is a short summary of my life these days. On a serious note spiritually the Lord is teaching me the realness of His goodness, that I'm not self-sufficient, and my walk with him depends on faith. I think those will all be life long re-occuring lessons, which leads me to I NEED HIM. As much as it doesn't make sense a lot of times, I need Him.
Okay so the next time I update this I'll probably be coming off a late shift. Until then God Speed and keep those hands warm. Oh and if you are looking for a quality map check out Raven Maps; quality maps!




After being stuck behind the 2nd round-up this year, I began to think to myself again, "are you joking me right nos?! Where do I live?!?"

AHHHHH..... FALL

Recently I have started taking deeper breaths because fall has officially come around and things have slown down dramatically around camp. I think it helps that I have spent the majority of September off, catching up on some well needed rest. But I am writing this at about 1 AM so maybe I rested too much thus causing me to not be able to fall asleep quickly, or maybe it's just me. Can one get too much rest? Is that "too much" considered lazy? Who knows...
Welp, I did it. I have officially lived somewhere longer than one year, and the looks of it is I just might be here a few more. I say "might" because that allows God to take me somewhere else, but I'm 98% committed to being here. It's hard and I have wanted to leave a whole lot but for now I'm certain this is where I'm supposed to be. Never did I think I would be living in the desert, 2 hours from a decent town and good hospital. I live in a town named Antelope, still I have yet to see one. When I do, maybe that will be the sign that I'm done here. It makes me laugh that I live in a place where I have to worry about getting mauled or eaten by a mountain lion when I go running more so than getting hit by a car... weird...

aren't photo boths fun?

16 Days Later...

Pictures from the 4th of July. Two words... awesomely windy! Other than being 27 and 16 days old my summer is going whelp... it's going. It's all those little moments that have made summer note worthy, like running when you know cougars are watching you. Where do I live anyway? Oh ya, in the high desert, called Antelope, Oregon. Wanna come and play? Oh and we have a sweet new skate park that is also note worthy. And if your interested in maps, I just got a few more to add to the collection.
Why is it when you stay up a few hours past when you should have already gone to bed, you get hungry again? And another one, are donuts really that much worse than a bagel with cream cheese? I don't personally think so and they taste better too. The final question, what do you do when a boy brings you ground beef as a surprise? Yep, deep I thinker I am... but not so deep I have all the answers.

THAT SUCKS!

So I just wrote this amazing entry (I'm probably exaggerating about the amazing part), but somehow my fingers (notice how I blame my fingers and not necessarily my whole person) navigated away from the page and WHAM there it went... picture, words, and all (the all being the time it went into it, and emotion too, but there was not much of that seeing as it is past 1AM)!
So like last time I wrote, I had a late shift, couldn't quite fall asleep, so I decided to write a bit. But I don't think I want to or better yet, can remember what I just wrote so I'm just going to attach a picture or two. So enjoy the pictures and maybe some other time I will add more words.

Welp...

I guess there are still incidences these days when people still need to tie up there horses.
The picture is almost as random as stumbling across this lil guy in the middle of Portland. I love who ever did this was probably out just to make someone laugh; I'm real sure their mission was accomplished by me alone.

Just got off work. It's 1 AM. I have the late night hunger pangs, but really I know I need to go to bed. But of course I'm not tired so hence this entry of not much but a random funny picture.