30....it's a new decade

Thirty things that have happened since I last post. Thirty things, because that is now the decade on which I stand in.
Where I no longer reside with 21 and 25 year old's finding themselves, but thirty where we all pretend that we might have a vague idea of where we might be going...or rather where we might like to be going.
Buckle up, this bad boy is gonna be a long winded whoa buddy kind post :)

1) On May On May 13, 2014, U.S. Chief Magistrate Candy W. Dale ruled that Idaho's constitutional and statutory prohibitions against same-sex marriage were unconstitutional. Mindy and I were ready (like talked to our minister friend ready) to run to the courthouse and get married that Friday, but alas the state appealed the ruling and marriages were put on hold. We were DEVASTATED, so hurt and just down right mad.

2) We started working our dream of getting Lola to run. So we can camp and one day sell all our things and live the life of hippie nomads.

3)  I got a summer job, I felt like a kid again. "Hi, I'm Louise, no I'm just filling in for the summer, your regular girl will be back in a couple months".

4) I was going to propose at PRIDE it was going to be perfect....and then I didn't. There was miscommunication, and parents who didn't like the idea of being with "that many gay people" and it hurt, but it also taught me that boundaries with family are a great thing. We still had fun with our friends even though the day was nothing like I wanted it to be.

5) gardening became my solace

6)  We spent the 4th of July on the ocean, in a beach house. Watching deer in the morning and eating waffles and strawberries. It was beautimous!

7) Mindy outed us to her extended family and no one even batted an eye. 

8) We road tripped from home to #6 (the beach house) then left the kid in Tillamook with grandparents and continued on to Astoria. Can I tell you something right now? The pacific northwest, it is STUNNING I mean really I can't think of a place I would rather live.

9) From Astoria there was Port Townsend, WA and then we lost a bumper (that is a story for a different day but I'll tell you what, we have amazing road trip stories from this vacation) and then on to Seattle.

10) Seattle was beautiful and my good friend from college got married and it made me realize something, something I was actually really happy to find out. I want a wedding, like a wedding with a cake and dancing and all the big wedding "stuff".

11) My second time using my passport (into Canada) I was so excited to get my stamp and then...the...dude...didn't...stamp...it.... ugh I swear I was there. I have photographic proof!

12) On Mindy's 34th birthday I proposed. Just me and her (and our friend Heidi hiding behind a tree for photos). It was perfect, perfect for my Mindy, and perfect for us in what had been a couple of months of feeling like the world chewed us up and spit us out.

She said yes, just in case you missed it.

13) September 8th, Butch Otter takes the gay marriage case to the 9th district court.

14) Ran to Bend for some R&R, got some good beer with my baby.

15) October 15th, Gay couples in Idaho getting married. ELATED

16) The kid turned eight. I realized it's only 10 years till she's an adult. I know that sounds like a lot but, she's already eight. I can't believe she is getting so big.

17) Wedding ideas have started to infiltrate my every waking moment. Colors, places, food... etc etc.

18) I said some things on Facebook that I regret. Now I know that in my out-loud in person interactions I say dumb stuff all the ding dang time. I'm not naive to think that there are people who don't like me because of this, BUT on facebook I try to stay PC but still make things I think important, visible. I was mad about a local election and I was in the midst of finals and I just let my words get away with me.

19) I ended my third semester at CWI and I'm still not really sure how I pulled it off but I managed straight A's. Take that calculus! I'll show you who's boss!

20) I wrote a haiku in five minutes and read it in front of people at a bar. It was about first encounters....maybe I'll tell you about it sometime.

21) Wait.....was that Christmas whizzing by???? hmmm maybe I'll catch it next year.

22) Subjected Mindy to the ENTIRE three seasons of Veronica Mars during Christmas break. I'm pretty sure the couch has Louise and Mindy impressions now.

22) Rang in the New Year with some of my favorite people. Good friends, my little family and confetti cookies are now my definition of a rockin' good time.

23) Ramped up January with power points...not for school, but instead for Girl Scouts. I signed up to be troop cookie manager, oh-my-goodness what the H was I thinking!!



24) Attended an "Add the Words" rally at the capital to kick off my birthday weekend. My sister, dad, and Mindy's parents were at the rally with us. It has been a road, sometimes long and sometimes bumpy but my heart was simply full.
If you haven't heard about this before you should check it out. Idaho State legislature has denied a hearing for a bill that would amend the Idaho Human Rights Act for the last nine years. Just this week they have FINALLY held a hearing that has lasted three whole days. This bill would add "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" to the non discrimination part of the Idaho Human Rights Act. This is so very near and dear to my heart and I know that even if the bill isn't passed this time at least it's a step in the right direction.*edit: the bill was killed in committee this morning and it's hitting me harder than I thought it would.

25) I was proposed to.....I said yes :)
(so much, much more to this one but it deserves it's own post entirely)

26) Turned 30...whew...I actually wrote that. I don't know what goes after that.
Actually I do, I'm glad. Glad that I made it here and I'm happy. Glad that I have some semblance of where I'm going, and really darn glad that I still get carded when we get drinks at dinner, and Mindy doesn't.

27) So, most of you wont believe this without photographic proof but I don't have it...yet. I MET THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, and drove in his motorcade when he visited Boise...ON MY FREAKIN BIRTHDAY! It was such an awesome experience and a really cool way to spend my 30th birthday, it feels a little surreal still.

28) I realized that podcasts are fun and so is listening to Meghan Trainor, and I shouldn't over analyze either of those two things, but enjoy them for what they are.

29) I am sooooooo beyond ready to be done with my associates but I am a little sad to not be in class anymore. I love the school environment. I like having knowledge pumped into my brain at a million miles a minute, but I also relish the thought of having the chance to explore some learnin' on my own terms between my associates and my bachelors. School has been a huge eye opener for me and something I wasn't sure I could do (or at least not do very successfully) but here I am three semesters later and I feel like I get better at it every time. But I might be a little excited to get paid for working my butt off instead of paying people to make me work :|

30) These last 10-ish months have helped me find me even more. I have felt like I have become more of the person I have always meant to be and just not gotten around to.
Mindy and I have grown even more into our relationship and even discussions that turn into arguments that sometimes even lead to fights, make me love our relationship even more. Sometimes when we are arguing I have that split second thought of, "geeze it's really nice to fight with some one who can actually follow my argument". She helps me grow, and be a better me, and more times than not we have a freakin blast being us.
I am so excited to be Mindy's wife and to be an OldenKamp, but even more than that, I am so grateful to be with someone who is constantly pushing me to be LOUISE and nothing more. I can be independent and hard headed, loud mouthed and snarky but she loves me just the same because that is who I am.

photo credit Kelsey Fisher