From now on and so 4th

*note:* the name is a pun referring to the fact my Birthday is only a few days after the 4th of July*

The 9th:

The past weekend from the 9th-11th has been sublime. My birthday was July 9th and my aunt Joddy had invited me to go with her, and my two cousin's Elaina and Karleigh to see The Lion King Broadway Musical in Portland, Oregon. So I got up early that morning on my Birthday, packed my bags and headed towards Portland. It was a 2 hour drive where I was to meet up with my aunt. The trip was nice-very upbeat and beautiful. As I was driving along the road, there were these beautiful butterflies that kept flying around on the road. I thought to myself, "God gave me some Birthday Butterflies!" Though, I did hit one, sadly.

So I finally got to the A&W we were supposed to meet at and we dropped off my car and headed the rest of the way towards Portland. We were staying at my aunt's boyfriend's house. (nice house) Aunt Joddy took me to a store to get some nice clothes for the day. I felt pretty fabulous if I must say. The weather was incredibly hot compared to what we're used to on the coast; according to the car thermometer it was 99 degrees all day. (I got some major sun)

I didn't realize how beautiful Portland was, from: the giant flowing

trees surrounding enormous buildings, extravagant water fountains with people playing in them and a creative atmosphere; as a matter of fact, I think I'd really like to move there. (I told my cousin Karleigh she could be my showfer, 'cause there's no way in hell I'm driving in that crazy place)

We finally reached Portland, and headed towards our restaurant my aunt had reserved for us. I was falling madly in love with the city, all the while singing 'Bad Romance.' *rah rah rah ah ah ahhh* And of course I had to do the iconic dance that goes along with it.

We had dinner at this beautiful restaurant that was out on this dock. I got to have my favorite drink with the meal, Piña coladas! The dock had gaggles of geese in the water, young adults on their little boats, tanning and drinking, and the water was so blue.

After we finished our dinner, we walked to the performing center to watch the musical. The musical was incredible, the fashion incorporated into the innovative animal costumes, the choreography, the singing, etc. were all incredible, they did it all so flawlessly. My favorite character in the show was definitely the one who played Rafiki. Not only was she hilarious, but she was probably the most technically perfect singer I've ever heard. She was astounding-someone who appropriately fit the word 'awesome.' The only problem I had, was seeing, I had to wear my glasses and the bright lights were extremely hard on my eyes.

After the show we decided to walk around a bit, and go to star bucks. It was again so neat to see the people, all ethnicities, personalities, etc. (I come from a place where there's little diversity) There were even dance clubs all over. Of course I had to joke about wanting to go to some of the clubs we walked by since I'm 18, but maybe I wasn't joking, I thought it sounded pretty interesting, and I LOVE dancing. It was 85 degrees at night, as perfect of a night temperature with the wind, as I think you could get.

So overall the show, the family time, the experience of the city, etc. made it an incredible trip.

The 10th:

The next morning we left for home... When we got there my party had started. It was really nice, not quite as big as I was hoping, but very peaceful and relaxing after being so busy. My poor friend Milo was dropped off really early, and had to wait around being bored. Later in the day I was trying to get people to dance with me, but that didn't work out so well. *haha* My friend Trinity spent the night, and we attempted to watch part of a movie. Well, actually, I finished the movie and she fell asleep in the beginning. "That's a pretty building, ZzZzZz..."

The 11th:

The next day we had to hay, which let me tell you, if you've not done it-it's hardcore work! When we finished we went swimming in our cold river-It wasn't so bad though, because we were all burning hot. Then my friend Trinity spent the night again, and fell asleep AGAIN during our movie, thankfully after her 3 hour nap, she woke up and we spoke till about 4 in the morning. I had a great Birthday, so thanks for all the wishes and for all those who asked. I hope you're having a great summer. Until next time;

Love,

-Trevor

"I dance to the beat of the drums in my head!"