So here is a strange one:

When I was in college, I had a recurring dream that I was killed by a car hitting me as I was walking. Don't ask me how I knew, but I knew I was 22 years old in my dream, and I had this strange feeling that I was going to die sometime before my 23rd birthday.

Thank goodness I survived!

Then this weekend, while at the lake I had a crazy dream. I don't dream often (at least, I don't remember my dreams often) so this was particularly noteworthy. Here is how it went:

I was at the beach. Nate was there and some of our friends were there. I was wading in the water and everything was calm and beautiful. This was the majority of the dream, then all of a sudden I felt a strong undertow that pulled the water away from my feet. I turned around to see a humongous wave looming that shadowed my body. I'm talking a tsunami wave. It was instantly clear to me that I was going to die and my only reaction was to think to myself, "Thank you God, for everything," and then I went to inhale deeply (what would have been a lung-full of water) before I woke up.

It was weird because I remember being so calm...strange. Anyway, I decided I had to do a little Google research to see if I could decipher what this all meant. Here is what I found:

First, I thought I'd tackle the whole "death" thing, since that theme seems to haunt the few dreams I have. According to the online source, A Dummies Guide to Dreams, a dream about death, "...often symbolizes changes in life. Changing jobs, getting a divorce, moving to another city, all represent the death of old habits and way of life [the death and resurrection motif]. With every death there is a new birth; the new job, new home, new relationships. Treat death in a dream as getting rid of negative emotions and replacing them with positive ones." Whew! What a relief. Although the page briefly mentioned that dreams could potentially predict the future, it is highly unlikely that a big group of us will ever take a group vacation to an ocean capable of creating such a wave. It did, however, touch on a few of my life's, "current events," that made a lot of sense. I am going through a lot of changes in my life that have changed a lot of negatives to positives.

Second, the water played another critical role in the dream. On this subject, another online source, Self Healing Expressions, note that, " The size of the body of water denotes the amount of emotion that may be surfacing within you...an ocean may indicate your deepest feelings, serenity and emotional strength and force." For what it's worth, part of me feels more "at peace" than I have ever felt before. In my personal life, I feel both secure and incredibly happy. I don't question motives or second guess actions. Serene is a great word to describe it. On the other hand, the change in employment (or lack thereof) is incredibly discouraging. Still, a big change on that front may be in order as soon as the end of this week. All of my emotions are on some extreme end of the spectrum right now. Also, the beautiful, clean ocean was also symbolic: "Bodies of clear water imply that your emotions, intentions and purpose are aligned and clear. It also suggests spiritual purity and understanding." I think this is affirmed by my feeling of calm and acceptance of my impending death. All very interesting.

What did I get out of this research process? First, it satisfied my academic itch :-) I still love research and am a hopeless nerd. Second, it is interesting that my findings were so accurate with what is happening in my life. Hopefully my newfound clarity will continue to lead me into the right direction...and if this all this dream deciphering is a load of crap? Oh well. I still feel good about being right here, right now.

4th of July Weekend

Nate and I were fortunate to have 4th of July plans with his family at their lake place this year. The following is a brief photo and video account of our incredibly relaxing weekend.



Here is Nate after not shaving for three days. He thinks he looks rugged and manly :-) We spent most of Saturday afternoon on the Mullens' boat getting tan...



...or in my case, burnt. You can't tell here, but by Saturday evening, my legs were bright red. Oh well, I was having too much fun.





Meet Clara, Chris and Shelly's new addition. She is 6-weeks old now and the cutest thing you have ever seen. She spent most of the weekend in Grandma's arms, which gave Shelly a well deserved break.

The weekend, however, was really all about the dogs. Baylee and Chloe have become great friends and are very entertaining. They spent the weekend chasing each other and wrestling as can be seen here:

Baylee, our usually lazy pup, was active all week, with the exception of this moment. Nate was preparing for a little nap, and Baylee couldn't fight the urge to relax too.



And whatever Baylee does, Chloe must also do. Within a minute, Chloe also found a spot on Nate where they all shared their nap.

Baylee has been sleeping since we got home. Poor little thing is still recovering. I think I may still be recovering too...still feeling lazy. Still, I need to focus. It sounds like I may have my fourth (and hopefully final?) interview for this job late this week. Cross your fingers and say a little prayer! I need all the help I can get!