Camping in Leavenworth

 So as I mentioned in my previous post, I'm in the process of training for a marathon. It's going down this October in Leavenworth, WA. Just so you know, I'm not the only crazy person who is doing this thing. Our good friends from Spokane, Tyler and Laura have decided to join in on the fun (i.e.-shin splints, sore knees, heat blisters and mental and physical exhaustion). Conveniently,  Leavenworth is right smack dab in the middle of Seattle and Spokane (where we are currently living and where they are living). A few weekends ago we decided to meet up in Leavenworth, camp for a few nights and check out the course. It was a fabulous weekend that went by way too fast if you ask me! 

Here are a few pictures of our trip- 

Every night was spent relaxing by the camp fire, making smores and swapping stories. Jason appointed himself campfire keeper. He never let that thing get too low and was often off in the trees searching for kindle and firewood. 

Besides a killer early morning run on Saturday, we spent our free time exploring town, hiking trails, relaxing by the river and playing some good ol' card games. 

Left picture-me winning Phase 10 and Jason losing. He's obviously over it. ha!

Right picture-picking out some new hats. 

Here's Tyler reading 50 Shades of Grey on his kindle.  ;)

Just kidding. He was reading Moby Dick. 

Laura was so nice for letting me use her as my hair braiding guinea pig. I'd say I did a pretty good job on both the fishtail and the crownbraid! 

Boy scout Jason and boy scout Tyler spent a good portion of their camp fire time playing with knives and tree branches. I wish I could tell you that they whittled us a duck or something but sadly they did not. They did however make at least 6 really sharp and pointy sticks!

update-Jason asked me to clarify that it's eagle scout Jason and eagle scout Tyler. ;) 

Here's a little collage of what I have to deal with every time I wear a v-neck shirt.

Cleavage alert! 

Thanks Jason for making sure you documented me adjusting my shirt in  at least 4 different frames. 

My life as a carnie

Being that we are only on the west side of the state temporarily (i.e. 3 months), I knew finding a short term job was going to be a tricky task. But then lo and behold I made a discovery...

Have you ever perused the "gigs" section on craigslist? 

ha!

If you've got some time to kill get on that sucker and check it out. It's full of temp jobs and boy oh by are some of them a hoot. 

Like this one for example-

"WANTED. Goodlooking, fit male willing to keep your shirt off for 6-8 hours. Job requires some dancing and spending a good portion of the day on your feet. Saturday-Sunday, pride festival downtown Seattle. Must be outgoing. Gig pays $100 per day. Wear comfortable shoes."

I tried really hard to get Jason to do that gig but sadly he declined. ;) 

I did however find a few winners. At the beginning of the summer I landed a cashiers job at the Rock N' Roll Marathon expo. Since I am in the process of training for a marathon myself, I was pretty pumped to have scored this gig. It payed 14 bucks an hour to spend the day checking people out as they bought ridiculously expensive running gear. And who better to spend the day around then runners? Runners are the HAPPIEST people on earth. Spending time around all those extra endorphins made for a pretty great time. 

After that I found a job listing for a shaved ice and cotton candy enthusiast! Hey, that's me! I love cotton candy! I love shaved ice even more!

Done freaking deal.

Four weekends and counting, you're looking at the newest addition to the carnie world. I even recruited Jason to work at the busy festivals. From law student to carnival worker...I don't think his parents could be prouder. 

Believe it or not, it's actually a lot of fun. Not to toot my own horn but I am a cotton candy pro! That shiz is hard to handle but I've got it down to an art form. :)

It gets pretty hectic and the lines get ridiculously long from time to time, but for the most part its a pretty stress free job. And since its only on the weekends that gives me plenty of time during the week to train for my marathon. Plus, I get all the shaved ice and cotton candy my little heart desires.

WIN WIN WIN

I can't wait to update my resume. 

PS-the people watching at these events is FANTASTIC.

Take this baby for example-

IS THAT NOT THE LARGEST MAN BABY YOU'VE EVER SEEN?!

He only spoke Spanish too. 

Carnie life, I think I might miss you...