As Keith Urban once said, “days go by.” However, I do not believe he was referencing the ways in which my days seem to literally fly by leaving little to no time left behind to scrounge together to get things done. And while these days seem to fly by, I also feel like too much has gone down over the past few weeks that need sharing.

I guess we can start with the fact that Mr. Know-it-All somehow managed to get me to go to Penn State with him and his parents. You see, he’s convinced that I’ll magically become a diehard football fan, but I’m not sure I’ll ever get the hang of what each flag on the play means. But, I cannot deny how beautiful the sprawling campus is, seeing as the grounds definitely lend a hand to the original architecture and picturesque greenery.

We spent the day walking the lengthy campus, hand-in-hand, as Mr. Know-it-All gave me a mini history lesson and told stories about his time there. My favorite part had to be the library; it was a stark difference from the library at my alma mater, and I was living my best life perusing the stacks, which were just quaint enough for my tiny form. Mr. Know-it-All, on the other hand, had to duck quite a bit to make it in and out of each row. Plus, entering the library was a sweet escape from the sweltering heat. I guess wearing a black tank top wasn’t the best clothing choice for peak hotness in mid-summer.

But, the day was enjoyable because I got to spend it with Mr. Know-it-All. We laughed. We walked. We definitely shed some sweat, and then we indulged in a little ice cream, which was to die for. At one point, I even bought Mr. Know-it-All a mug for when he comes to visit me over the course of this school year. He fought me on the purchase, claiming that I shouldn’t buy him anything, and then he retaliated with a mug purchase for me. Actually, it was a wine tumbler thermos, but I digress.

At the end of the Penn State excursion, we took some photos, as one does. They turned out better than I thought they would, leaning more towards “graduation photos,” but it was still fun. We even took some goofy pictures by the Penn State sign near Beaver Stadium. Talk about a modeling career … just kidding.

While this was an interesting and fun day out on the town, my week only managed to get more eventful. You see, I was just sitting at my kitchen table, minding my own business, completing some work for school. I was sipping coffee and typing away when my mom and grandmother entered stage left. My mom and I conversed for a few minutes, and then she went to wash her car and left grandma with me.

My grandmother smokes, but my mom is adamant about smoke clouds only residing outside the four walls of our humble abode. So, I’m sitting there minding my own business sipping and typing, when all of a sudden, my grandmother opens the back door, turns toward me, and says, “oh, there’s a fire out there.”

I was immediately like, “wait, what!? You see, my grandmother had already gone out to smoke, and it was brutally hot outside. Her ashes had been flung to and fro amidst the hot summer air, clinging to any available surface. My mother is sort of a plant connoisseur; therefore, there are numerous hanging and standing plants on my deck. And while my grandmother’s smoking habits and my mother’s plant obsession may not seem like they relate, they most certainly do.

Ladies and gents, when I walked outside onto my deck, I came face-to-face with a hanging plant engulfed in flames about to reach its fiery tendrils to the awaiting banister behind it. Immediately, I shifted into firefighter Alex mode. I rushed past my grandmother back into my house, grabbed the nearest container – which just so happened to be a popcorn bowl from the night prior – and started filling the bowl and dousing the flames. It took many a trip to squelch all of the rising flames, but I think I managed to diffuse the situation. As I was trying to put out the fire, my grandmother took it upon herself to sit in the rocking chair with a front row seat to the wall of fire and lit yet another cigarette. What a way to end my week.

Clearly I had an action-packed week filled to the brim with both tame and fiery activities, but my tried and true sidekicks Mr. Know-it-All and scorching hot coffee kept me sane. Without them, I never would have walked an historic campus and taken my shot as an amateur firefighter. Stay tuned for my adventures as a bridesmaid and the first leg of our Floridian vacation. Until next time …