alyeska

As most of my long-time friends here on SG know, Reekie and I have a 'tradition' of camping in eastern Iowa. We've done it once a year since the first year of our friendship. We usually drink heavily, cook foods on a stick over an open fire, I build amazing fires, and we end up pantsless and dancing to music in the middle of nowhere surrounded by farmland.

Also we run from junebugs.



Another new-ish tradition is to use sharpies and 100% cotton white shirts or sweaters and to decorate them.



We almost always use her mom's camper. Only once did we use a tent, but that was in Nebraska at Pawnee Lake. Only a month or so after we camped in Iowa. So it doesn't count. =]



Our weeks of sleeping in the camper, waking up to fresh air and sunlight, sitting around a fire from sunset to whenever the alcohol was too much to handle, dancing like idiots and spending the days outside enjoying 'nowhere' cemented our friendship. The first time we ever 'discovered' our little island of paradise in the fields of corn, we had never been happier. We had already overcome so much as friends, including my time in Alaska. There is no other moment in our time together that made me realize how important she is to me than having a marshmallow fight in the camper. Sounds absurd, I know.



Recently we found out that because of personal reasons in Reekie's family.... this is our last summer with access to the camper. Our last chance to enjoy our island of paradise. Our last summer to continue the tradition. While we've come to terms with it and have decided, as sisters, to invest in a tent and our own chairs..... it's still breaking our hearts. The times in the camper have been bonding times. No matter what we've been going through, no matter what is hurting us or scaring us or breaking us down, we got away from all of it and just became closer. To know that next week is the LAST time, that we will never get to have another moment like those, it's like the death of a friend. It's an ending. It's over. Only kind of. But still a death.



I leave late tonight to spend every penny I have to enjoy this piece of tradition one last time. One last week of huge fires, too much alcohol, and dancing half naked in the midwest. Reekie and I are trying to save up to move to a small town in Iowa in August. We own a bed. That's our only furniture. We have to pay the pet deposit as well because I refuse to give up Bryzly. I have to drive in from Denver. She has one last semester of college starting late August. And we also have to find jobs. We'll be living there for a year until we move to Boston together. But we're not going to lose our one last epic camping week because we have to grow up.



For the last few days, I have been fighting a war inside my head. I know I have to grow up. Be responsible. Stop wasting money. I need to save so I can get the fuck out of my dad's apartment and move on with my life. I tried to convince myself NOT to camp. To give it up.

But I can't. I will hate myself forever, no matter where I go in life, what I do, or who I am with or leave behind, if I don't take advantage of this one last chance. I guess I'm finally convincing myself to not be scared of the world and do what I want when I want. I will do everything in my power to make this trip the most memorable. I will have 3 cameras. I won't let anything stop me. Not even the long ass drive I have to make tomorrow.

Reekie and I are going to go crazy, go all out, and be everything we can be as friends. As sisters.
I know we will cry atleast once. I know it's going to hurt. But we're growing up. We will never forget the times that made us grow as best friends. Nothing in the world could replace that.



































This is my tribute. My memorial. I refuse to let it be a farewell until we drive away one last time.
I am preparing myself for the most epic week of my life. And this time, it will include sparklers. You can't beat getting drunk and waving around living-glitter-sticks.

Follow me on twitter @AlyeskaSG for all the updates directly as they happen.
Otherwise next weekend when I arrive back in Denver, I will have a massive photoblog for you all to look at. =]

I will see you all soon, with happy memories and heartbreak.

xoxo Alyeska