This is a great story of why you shouldn't run with scissors in your hand (or a pencil):

59-year-old suffered from headaches, nosebleeds for 55 years

BERLIN - A 59-year-old German woman has had most of a pencil removed from inside her head after suffering nearly her whole life with the headaches and nosebleeds it caused, Bild newspaper reported on Monday.Margret Wegner fell over carrying the pencil in her hand when she was four.“The pencil went right through my skin — and disappeared into my head,” Wegner told the newspaper.It narrowly missed vital parts of her brain.At the time no one dared operate, but now technology has improved sufficiently for doctors to be able to remove it.The majority of the pencil, some 3.1 inches long, was taken out in an operation at a private Berlin clinic, but the tip had grown in so firmly that it was impossible to remove.

In other interesting news, McDonald's is finally giving back to the community.  The owners decided they had enough profits and are now contributing in ways that really matter.  In order to be most effective the leading fastfood chain is GIVING AWAY FREE iced coffee's.  I wouldn't pay for them, but they're free on Monday's in August.  Get your free iced coffee today and thank Ronald for caring about your coffee addiction.

Well, this weekend was great!  It was the annual Lake Sullivan camping trip.  My family and about 5 families from my mom's side all go camping near Terra Haute and boat all weekend.  I get to see the cousins that are my age.  This year my family doubled in size because Robin, Tony, and I all brought our significant others.  Kind of silly that we aren't satisfied with our own family, but it's always more fun to bring friends. 

So Philip came per my request and had a surprisingly fun time.  Saturday we got up at 7 and went wakeboarding.  I had the pleasure of going first.  The water was warmer than the air. It felt like bath water and looked like glass!  It felt awesome to look down and see my board cutting through the smooth water.  I also had a few good runs and tried some 180s on my toeside, or heelside, (still don't know the difference.) 

In the afternoon we had 12 people on the boat!  4 on tubes and the rest of us waiting.  We're brutal tube riders and had a lot of fun.  this year there were a few high school boys that enjoyede jumping on each other with tubes.  Rami (Robin's boyfriend) jumped off of every wake and looked like he was hurting himself.  But apparetly it was all good fun!

I had a great weekend!  I love camping, my family, boating, being outside, spending time with Philip, and being around the water! 

This post is for Berg.  Without him complaining that none of his friends update, I wouldn't have updated because everyone else has turned to facebook an 2 line wall posts to tell how they're doing.

Well, I've been working at Red Gold for 8 weeks.  Wow!  That's a long time and I actually like it sometimes.  Finally I have my own work to do and projects.  Projects are great because they are all different and I like variety.  I do a lot with inventory, excel (bet I know more about it than anyone reading this), rail cars and truck loads, and a lot of math.  I'm not so good in the math department, but I'm surprising myself.

I have discovered a new talent of mine: painting.  I picked up a "paint by directions" box on sale for 80% off at Hobby Lobby.  It gave me a drawing a steps to follow and I made a beautiful acrylic painting that I'll never be able to do again.  It's actually quite impressive and took me a month (painting in my spare time).  It's hanging on my living room wall.  Now I'm trying to paint based off of other pictures, and that's a lot harder to do.  The directions really made it easy.

I've been to the lake about every other weekend.  I love the lake!  I love spending time with my family and my brother's girlfriend.  Philip hasn't been a regular lake go-er but he might come around.

* 8 weeks of summer left.  I'm :) b/c I miss my friends from school.  I'm :( b/c summer is stress free and relaxing.

I've been waiting to put up pictures from Mexico but I don't have them yet.  Spring break was fun and yet strange.  I went to Mexico with SIFE for the 2nd time, 3rd time total.  I spent a lot of time planning all the stuff we wanted to do and cramming it into a week, and the second we got there every single thing changed.  We still got everything done, but it wasn't the way I planned or on the days I planned.  I actually reacted really well to all the changes after the initial frustration and I enjoyed the trip.

I went to Mexico to teach cost and pricing to groups of indigenous women who have their own businesses.  The teaching went really well because the women were interested and prepared.  They can now teach their friends cost and profit information.  However, we found out that the market price is below their cost of the placemats they make.  This is a problem bigger than any of us and good luck to the women.  Hopefully, they will learn to make something unique.

We also taught economic games to kids in schools.  They all wanted our autographs because they thought we were famous!  It was cool at first, but then they wouldn't let us leave. 

Other exciting news is that I was sick all week with Montezuma's Revenge.  that's really fun when you're driving between villages and only stop at gas stations and Mexican portapoties (i.e. hole in the ground with flies and 4 boards surrounding it.)  Our Mexican driver also got hit on the road and ruined his new Jeep.  then on the last night (at midnight) he hit a pedestrian in the road and knocked him to the ground.  I thought Mexican drivers could handle the craziness of the roads, but not this week.