After we dropped off Kael, we returned to grandma's farm, only she left the car, while Stacy and I decided to go to Lake City for some good food at a festival, and to catch up with my cousin Taylor, whom I am very close with. Unfortunately, Taylor and her husband, Charles, were going on a trip up to Duluth together, so they couldn't see us in person. Instead, they Skyped with us for an hour while they drove, and we spent most of that time talking about Taylor's baby, who was on the way. 

All of the Nibbe girls grew up being tomboys. At first, we thought it was more of a nurture rather than a nature thing, since boys outnumber girls in the Nibbe family 3 to 1, until I came along. Growing up, I was surrounded by girls, since girls outnumber the boys 3 to 1 on my mom's side. My mom tried to get me to be a girly girl like her. She even got the help of her friends to try and get me into playing dress-up and with barbies. But, it didn't work. Wearing jeans and playing rough just came naturally to me. 

My mom was persistent, however. She tried to make me girly for most of my life. Even very recently, she has tried to get me to change my mind about hunting and camo hoodies, and tried to bribe me into going clothes shopping at the mall and getting my hair done. I've turned her down every time.

My aunt Stacy and cousin Taylor both wanted to know where my senior pictures were. I told them I hadn't gotten them done yet, and they were shocked! They asked why. I told them I just didn't have time yet, which was way easier than admitting that my mom was actively getting in the way of my attempts to get my senior pictures taken.

I refused to dress formally for those pictures. I wanted to be myself in those very important pictures, just like my cousins were allowed to be. Troy wore a dusty flannel shirt over a graphic T shirt and a Fox Racing cap, and posed with his tractor and truck. Wade Jr basically did the same thing as Troy. And Taylor took her senior pics in her high school basketball uniform with a basketball under her arm.

Why should I not do the same? Why should I be forced to wear my hair in braids, a cashmere sweater, skinny jeans, and plain boots, when I should be able to do my own thing? I hated, and still hate the professional, formal pictures my mom has made me take over the years. My smile is clearly inauthentic in all of those pictures, and I just don't look right wearing those clothes and those hairstyles. I showed my aunt Stacy my most recent professional pictures, and she cringed just as hard as I did when I first saw them. To my mom, they were lovely. Though, to me and my aunt, they were a disaster. 

Long story short, I rebelled against my mom's wishes. My photographer friend took me on a trail ride, and while we didn't use professional equipment, we still tried to do a little photo shoot using our iPhones. Unfortunately, getting the "perfect picture" was impossible most of the time, especially when we were on a foothill where everyone except myself lost their hats, and the horses were so nervous that they constantly chewed on their bits and refused to stand still. Even though according to my mom, I'd committed nearly every senior picture deadly sin imaginable while on that strawberry roan, those pictures from that ride turned out way better than any "perfect" professional picture I've ever been forced to pose for. 

I've always felt so wrong in a dress, makeup, or in a shirt with just a few frills. Every attempt I've ever made at being formal and/or girly quickly ended up with me taking the braids out of my hair, and running to the bathroom to throw on jeans and a camo hoodie before the bride and groom had a chance to say their vows (thanks aunt Jessie for tolerating me at your wedding)! 

Clearly, being a tomboy has just been written into my genetics. 

I joked with Taylor and Charles about what would happen if they had a girl, and this girl decided she was more interested in wearing a princess dress than a pair of jeans. Taylor and Charles both shuddered at the idea. Obviously, they'd still love their little princess unconditionally, but they'd be wandering through uncharted territory, and would need help from girly friends to learn how to properly play dress-up!

After we ended the Skype call, my aunt Stacy and I walked down to the heart of Lake City from her house. We enjoyed grass-fed beef bratwursts and organic lemonade on the banks of lake Pepin, while a bluegrass band played iconic bluegrass songs nearby. The weather was absolutely perfect. It was sunny out, but a strong wind blowing off the lake kept things cool and the air fresh.

There were a lot of sail boats on the lake that day, as well as water skiers and windsurfers who were taking advantage of the late summer evening. Minnesota summers are very short. They usually see their first snow in mid or late September, and by December, the snow is often so deep the only way to get from place to place is to get on a snowmobile. Then it doesn't usually thaw out completely until late May. Even then, it's not unheard of to have a snowy day in June. 

After we visited the festival for a little bit, we got back to my aunt's house to get her car, then headed to an ice cream shop. I'm not the biggest fan of ice cream, but my aunt insisted it was the best ice cream Lake City had to offer. I'd love it! So, we arrived, I ordered just a plain old chocolate cone, and my aunt got a scoop of Neapolitan on a cone. It wasn't terribly busy in the ice cream shop, but my aunt went looking for a quiet place away from everyone else for us to sit. She pushed open a door that was labeled "additional seating" and nearly jumped out of her skin when she came face to face with a bear! At least, that's what she told me when I asked what made her jump. 

So, I cautiously pushed open the door and walked into a room just stuffed full of beautiful taxidermy, including the grizzly bear that startled my aunt. As I wandered around the room, I noticed everything had a price tag. The grizzly bear only cost $400! I couldn't believe it! All of the taxidermy in that room was extremely cheap, even though it was high quality. I thought it was too good to be true, that there must be a catch. But, when I found two deer skulls in perfect condition, both $25 each, I couldn't resist trying to buy them. I had plenty of money in the bank, so I figured, why the hell not?

I brought them up to the cashier, and it turns out there was one minor catch; I had to pay in cash which I had none. Luckily, there was an ATM just across the street. So, I finished my ice cream in one massive gulp, and crossed the road to withdraw some cash while my aunt Stacy tagged along with me. I took out about $80 in cash from my account. I only needed $50 for the deer skulls, but I wanted a little extra cash in my wallet for the road.