Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Doing Much Better

Since my last post, things have gotten better.

Friday night after working my shift at the gym, I decided to drive to Duluth for the night. My friend Megan was there, whom I haven't seen since this summer. Even though I was exhausted, what better way is there to cheer up then to see old friends? The drive went quick. I picked Megan up from a friends, where I got to see a few people I hadn't seen in a couple of years. Then we met up with some other friends and went to a place where they had dancing and a live band. I love dancing!! It was a blast! We didn't get back until after 2 in the morning, so I was dead by the end of the night. Megs and I went back and stayed at her brother's house, which is where I lived my senior year of college. It was weird to be back there again, but good. That morning Megs and I talked with Bryan (her brother, who I hadn't seen since I graduated) and his girlfriend. Then Megs, and another friend and I went out for breakfast and then coffee afterwards. I was definitely fighting a migraine, that has been trying to surface for a few days, but after some pain reliever I was doing better. I drove back to Ashland with just enough time to get ready for our Scholarship Recognition Dinner. We had 66 students and their families come to campus for their scholarship awards ceremony and dinner afterwards. It was really fun! I even got 2 of the 4 girls of mine, to pay their deposit. Which means, they are coming to Northland for sure!! That was awesome!! It was another long night, but it was a big success. After this, I went home and crashed!

Sunday, I slept in, did my laundry and got ready to head out for my next work trip. I was really feeling beat and wasn't much looking forward to the 4 1/2 hour drive, but it was fine. I decided to go through Wisconsin and then Chicago and up to Grand Rapids, rather than going through Michigan, since they were under a big storm warning. At the hotel, I ordered pizza when I got to my hotel and then read my book in the hot tub. It was great!

Yesterday, I woke up at 6:15 to call schools on the east coast to schedule high school visits. In 2 days, I had called 42 schools, and could only schedule 6 of them!! I was super nervous that my boss wouldn not be happy. So, I emailed her and told her most schools were on spring break. She said it was not a problem, which was really nice and relieving! Then I got ready and headed out for 6 more hours on the road. i go to my grandparents last night at about 8:00ish. It was so great to see them and catch up!!! We talked and talked. It is so nice to get to see family on the road.

Today, I got up early to head to a National College Fair in downtown Grand Rapids. The first part of the fair was from 9-12. Not I have 6 hours until the next part tonight. The students grabbed up almost all of my stuff earlier today. So, I am really hoping I have enough college info. pieces in my car, for the next few days! I am at Panera right now. I grabbed some lunch here and am using their internet. I love this place!! Their bread it sooooo great. I love it!! I am still fighting the onset of a migraine, but have been trying to not get too stressed in hopes that it will subside soon. I might go back to grandma and grandpa's and take a little nap before I have to be back around another thousand or so excited high schoolers.

On a side note; the pastor from my old church in Duluth's son was in a bad skiing accident. They think he might be paralized from the waist down. He is a senior in high school right now. Please send up a prayer for Josh and his family. Here is a link to his updated status at the hospital.
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshsorvik

Friday, March 27, 2009

Feeling a Little Less Than Cheerful

I am exhausted. I think spring travel for work, lack of sleep, and working two jobs has finally hit me. The weeks I am here in the office, I work 46 hours a week, when I am on the road, it's about 60. I am completely drained and still have 7 more hours of work today. Tomorrow, we have our annual Scholarship Dinner, so I have to be here from 3-10pm tomorrow and then I leave for another week of travel on Sunday. I am not even sure when I am going to have time to do my laundry. Sigh. Not to mention it is snowing outside and it makes me crabby. I am also in the midst of planning my travel for Maryland, where conveniently all the schools are on spring break while I am there. So, I am scrounging to come up with schools to visit so I don't in trouble with my boss for not making my trip productive. I am just feeling really frustrated and stressed and all I really want to do it crawl in my bed. I was also thinking about talking to my boss at the gym about cutting out my Friday night shift. I am just exhausted and it sucks giving up every Friday night. That was until, I checked my bank account, which reminded me why I have to work two jobs. I feel like I cannot keep my head above water. But, it'll get better soon, right? Sorry, for the vent session. I am off to try and make things better.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Norske Nook with Jessie

Last night I drove to Hayward to meet with my friend Jessie for dinner at Norske Nook. We had a blast!!! We stayed at talked there through our hot beef/pork sandwiches and huge pieces of pie until the restaurant closed. We weren't through catching up yet, so we headed to McDonald's for another hour or so to catch up. It was so good to see her and talk all about life stuff. We have never really had the chance to hang out just the two of us, so it was great to do that. Finally around 8:30ish we parted ways. Jessie also gave me the mosaic I had made a few weekends ago. I had to leave it at the place where I made it, so it could be grouted. Jessie went and picked it up for me a week later, so it was great to see it finished! I am really excited about it, but it is super heavy, so I'm not sure quite how I am going to hang it yet. The hour ride home was really foggy and misty, but I got to talk to my sister, Nikki for a good chunk of it, which was really nice.

My Mosaic


Patti's Baby Shower Pictures






Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Minneapolis



Views Around Mackinaw


Pics of Some Critters with My New Camera



So Much to Catch Up On!!

So, yesterday my Uncle Duane (Dewey), had a bone marrow transplant for his cancer treatment. My mom kept me posted during the day to let me know how everything went. Well, it was a success!! How crazy that there are people in the world that can figure out how to do treatments like that! And how awesome that God puts his hand over all of it! Such a relief that Dewey has now safetly climbed over that hurdle. Whew!

So, the rest of my travels went well. Wednesday was my busy day. I had 2 high schools to visit, then I met at Culvers with one of my applicants and his dad. After this I drove down to Fort Wayne for the college fair. On the way there I saw a semi with it's wheels on fire, some flooded fields, a llama farm and I almost hit a hawk that swooped down in front of me, but I made it in time! After the fair, I drove to Cold Water, MI to hunker down in my hotel for the night. The next day I drove up to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park to visit a really cool enivronmental school up there. I love going there and the students are a great fit for Northland College. Then I hopped in the car to head to my hotel in Mackinaw City. I was exhausted from all the traveling and was really looking forward to getting a pizza and relaxing in the hot tub with my book. I have been to Mackinaw City many times and always love to hustle and bustle of all of the summer tourists, however, I have never been there in the winter. It was almost creepy! All of the stores were closed up and the streets were completely bare. I drove into my hotel parking lot to join the 2 other vehicles parked there. When I went to the lobby door, I soon realized it was locked and all the lights were off. Keep in mind, this was at like 6 at night. I then located the sign that said, "Guests staying at the Comfort Suites, please check in at the Hawthorne Hotel down the street." Finding this a bit odd, I got back in my car and headed to the hotel down the street. I got to the front desk and told them I was checking into the Comfort Suites. Apparently, this hotel is the only one that mans the front desk during the winter months, so they check in all the guests for the other hotels. As I was checking in, I asked if where a good place to order pizza from was. The front desk guy said, "Ohh, it's Thursday, so I don't know if any place is open." What?! Yeah, so then he handed me my towel for the pool at my hotel and said I would need to check out back at this hotel in the morning and that this hotel was also where continental breakfast would be. He then gave me a maze of directions for how to find my room. It was all a little weird. I then headed through the maze of my hotel to try and find my room. It was a little spooky walking through a huge hotel and not seeing another soul! I finally made it to my room, called my dad to relay my weird experiences to him, and found a place that would deliver pizza even if it was a Thursday night. I also knew there was a water park in the hotel somewhere. So, after my pizza, I threw on my suit and ventured out. I could hear the water pouring down and kids shrieking, but it took awhile before I found it. The pools in the other hotels in the area were closed for maintenance, so all the other guests came to use the one at our hotel. It was a pirate themed water park that was definitely meant for little kids. I decided to utilize the HUGE hot tub and read a book, although it was a little hard with all the noise and splashing. There was even this huge pirate bucket that would fill with water and about every 20 minutes or so it would dump and splash water everywhere. After watching this happen several times, I was really tempted to stand under it so I could get soaked, but I didn't want to look weird, just standing there waiting. So, I decided to watch from the hot tub until it got almost full and then I hopped out and "happened" to stroll past it as it dumped, but it missed me and I was still dry. Dang. So, I waited again and this time joined some parents who were standing with their kids waiting to get splashed, but as soon as the bucket was about to dump all the parents left, and I was the only adult standing near by and again, the water missed me. Crud! By this point, I was feeling a little ridiculous trying so hard to get splashed by some stupid pirate bucket, but I was also determined to do it. It just looked like so much fun. I waited one more time and then stood directly in the line of fire with two other parents and down the water came in all it's pirate glory, soaking me to the bone. It was all worth it. I went back to my towel and book, dried off and called it a night. :)
Friday I got up at 6:15 and headed towards the U.P. just in time to catch a glorious sunrise over the frozen lake. I stopped at one more school in the U.P. before heading back to Ashland to make my shift at the gym.

Friday night, a friend came to pick me up in Ashland and we drove to their parents house for the evening. It was such nasty, slushy weather, that we didn't get there until almost 1 a.m. Needless to say, I was exhausted! Saturday morning we got up and drove to the Twin Cities. We went to the Minneapolis Institute of Art and had a blast checking out all the crazy paintings for 3 hours! Then we headed to a Greek restaurant, since I adore Greek food. It was amazing!! And then, my favorite part, we went to the Orchestra Hall to go and hear the Minneapolis Orchestra and two of The Irish Tenors for their St. Patty's Day concert. I love Irish music, so I was super excited!! It was fantastic. Those guys can really sing!!! The only weird thing was that they ended the concert by singing "God Bless America" and the tenor told the audience to stand and "raise the roof" by singing it together. Hahaha. Interesting song to end an Irish concert with. But it was a blast. Such a great day. Then we headed back to my friend's parents house and the next day, back to Ashland. It was a great weekend.

Sunday night, I headed over to Claire's to get ready for a baby shower we were hosting for our friend/ co-worker, Patti. We decorated the cake and made sure all the last minute preparations were finalized. Last night we threw the party and it went great! We had some good food and fun games and Patti loved all her gifts. It was fun to get together with all my female co-workers and just have a good time.

After all the craziness of the past week, I am feeling a bit tired today and a bit overwhelmed thinking about the next few weeks. I am here in the office for this week, but then next I head on the road again, although I get to see my grandparents, so I am excited. Then I am back here for another week and then I leave for Maryland! I cannot believe how fast time is flying by!!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Happy St. Patty's

I looked for gold at the other side of the rainbow today and tried to find a four-leaf clover; Ididn't find the expected treasure, but the sun was shining, so I think that counts!

Today, is my parent's 30th anniversary. When I look at them, I can only hope that my marriage will some day be half that wonderful. I have learned so much from them and the struggles and triumphs they have gone through together. They are so truly happily married and I am so blessed to have grown up around such love. Happy anniversary!

Yesterday, I left work in the early afternoon to enjoy my few hours off since I worked on Saturday. It was sunny and in the mid-60's. I went back to my apartment and opened all my windows to let the spring breeze waft in and kick the musty stale winter air out. Then I packed up the car and was off to Rothschild, WI. The drive was gorgeous and it was great to roll the windows down and rock out to my favorite music. I even saw a bald eagle perched right on the shoulder of the road. Once I got there I had a great fish dinner at Denny's, read my book in the hot tub and got a good night's sleep.

This morning I was able to sleep in a little bit before loading up again, this time to drive through Chicago to Hobart, IN. The drive was much longer today. Traffic was really slow going through Chicago due to all the St. Patty's Day festivities, but I still made it to Hobart by 5:30. I did a little shopping (surprise, surprise) and had a wonderful dinner at The Olive Garden. Until I started to travel for work this year, I never thought I would go out to a restaurant by myself, but it's not that bad at all. It's a nice time to bring a book and just relax. Now, I am sitting on my King Size bed, stuffed with ravioli to the rim, watching cable t.v.! It's great. Tomorrow will be a very busy day though, so I am off to get ready for tomorrow and then hit the hay.

May the luck of the Irish be with you! :)

Monday, March 16, 2009

Some spring pics with the new camera














Sunny Days!!!

This weekend was fantastic!!!!

Saturday morning I had to interview a visitor at the college, which went fine. It was kind of nice to be up and moving early on such a warm sunny morning. I then went home and began sewing a table runner for my coffee table. My bobbin ran out, so I stopped there. Then, my friend Alyssa, from Duluth came to visit. I haven't seen her since this summer, so we had lots to catch up on. Since it was so nice and sunny, we walked from my apartment to campus and I showed her around. Then we headed downtown for some great lunch and then walked through downtown stopping in all the fun little shops on the way. It was beautiful outside. 57 degrees!!! Near the late afternoon, we headed back to my place and watched "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" and gabbed some more. A little after nine Alyssa headed out and shortly after that, I was in bed. It was a great day. It felt so nice to thaw out a little!

Yesterday, I slept in, got up and made some berry muffins and hunkered down on the couch for a lazy morning. Then my friend Sarah called to invite me out to her new cabin for the afternoon. I was really excited to see her new place and to bring my camera to take a few shots of the wilderness. I stepped outside with my t-shirt, sweatshirt and vest on, only to notice I was too warm with the vest and sweatshirt!! It was a roasting 64 degrees! I cannot even tell you how great it felt! On my way out to Washburn, to the cabin, I stopped along the lake to take a few pictures of some geese enjoying the newly opened water. Then I blasted some great tunes and headed out to the cabin. Sarah and her boyfriend, Bob, just moved out to this little one room cabin in the woods with a little loft. There is electricity, but no running water. When I got there Bob was working on something outside in the shed, Rone, their husky was basking in the sun and Sarah came out of the cabin to great me with her new pixie haircut. Sarah and I hugged and caught up on the past few days and I got the grand tour of the cabin. It is definitely small, but warm, sunny, and cozy. It is perfect. We even went to check the outside out. It was really cool! haha. Seriously. There are 3 windows in it, so it's really nice and sunny, and they put woodchips in the hole when they are done using it, so it actually has a nice woodsy smell to it. By far, the nicest outhouse, I have ever seen. Then, Sarah, Bob, Rone and I headed down to Big Rock Park, just down from their cabin with cameras in hand. It was soooooo pretty. The park is along a stream in the middle of the woods. It was so nice and warm and all the ice was melting. It felt wonderful!!!! After a few hours of exploration and picture taking, we headed back to the cabin to BBQ up some brats. Grant and Claire then came and joined for a summery meal with potatoe salad and everything. It was just what I needed. A wonderful weekend!!!

Today, I am only here at work until lunchtime and then I am packing up and running errands in town before heading down to Wassau for the night, on my way for Fort Wayne, IN for a college fair. I am looking forward to getting out of the cubicle though and hot tubbing at the hotel.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Everyone Gets a Crabby Day Now and Then, Right?

I think I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning! :(
I was really, really hoping for a delayed start today. Yesterday we were supposed to get dumped on. We did get some snow, but nothing too bad. I am sick of the snow, but wouldn't mind it if we got time off of work. Bummer! This morning I kept having dreams about being late for work, when I woke up, I realized I must have turned off my alarm and I really was running late! I checked my phone, but there were no messages, meaning no delayed start. So, I jumped out of bed, took a two minute shower, and threw my clothes and make-up on. Usually in the morning I throw my smootie batch in the microwave for a few minutes to thaw it out enough for me to scoop some into a cup. Well, my microwave is dead. So I heated it up in the oven! It worked though! Then I went out to start my car to warm it up, there was a thick layer of ice on the windshield and my wipers were crusted down. So, I got that all cleared and ran back in to take my smoothie out of the oven. After getting all that ready to go and throwing everything in my bag, I ran out the door. My neighbor was out there too, trying to back her car out of our driveway with no luck. So, I tried my darndest to push her out. No luck, but I did, however, get covered in snow. I lent her my shovel while I scraped off the ice that had not yet defrosted off of my car. Finally she got out, but I was worried that I would be stuck now. Luckily, my car is a beast and it was not a problem. Once I got to work, I just felt blah; probably a mixture of stress, lack of sleep, and winter blues again. Oh well. But, I did get a good deal on a beginning belly dancing video, so I ordered that and feel a little more cheery. I am just ready to learn some more moves and thought this might be a fun at-home workout to do when the weather is yucky. Plus it was really cheap and it's always fun to have something to look forward to getting in the mail.
Anyways, hopefully, the day won't drag on too long. I have to head straight to the gym for my 4 hour shift after this. Ugh.

The Apartment













Monday, March 9, 2009

A Great Weekend!!

Saturday morning, I got up, cleaned around my apartment a little and headed out to Duluth. It was wonderful! I met up with some old friends from college. It was just what I needed. And it was a gorgeous sunny day, which made everything perfect. After hanging out, I had so many things rushing through my head. I thought a lot about the past and the memories I had in Duluth as well as the future and the hopes I have. Sometimes, it's wonderful to have a day like that, just to think things through.
Afterward, I went to Best Buy to pick up my new camera!!!!! I LOVE IT!!!! I could not wait to pick it up. So, be assured, there will be plenty of pictures to come. I am super excited to check it all out. I bought the camera, a camera case, and an extra battery for it. I received my tax return on Friday, so I figured, why not get the things I have waited for now, when I have the chance. So, I also bought a GPS. If you know me at all, you know that I don't have the keenest sense of direction. I will be heading out next week for a college fair in Indiana, and I have to drive through Chicago. Then two weeks later I am driving to Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor, MIchigan. A few weeks after that I am heading out for my trip to Maryland, New Jersey and Virginia. Needless to say, I thought this might be a good time to learn how to work a GPS. I bought the cheapest one, with just the basics, but that is all I really want anyway. Then I ran to TJ Maxx. I love that store for their cheap decorating stuff. I bought a kind of fancy looking bird cage for 14 bucks there for my living room. It can be really hit or miss, but I love looking. I ended up heading home around 8 or 9ish. I was pooped by the time I got back but had so many thought in my head that I couldn't sleep. So I painted my new bird cage. It was an off-white color, but it didn't stand out at all, so I painted it bright red. Then it was off the bed.
Sunday, despite loosing an hour of sleep due to the time change, I woke up bright and early. I got some major cleaning done, which was a little difficult since my sink is clogged and has a nice little pool of mucky water in it. Yuck! I am hoping that the maintenance lady gets it fixed today. Sick. Anyway, I cleaned my bedroom and started on the living and then got ready to head to Ashland High School's "My Fair Lady". The 3 friends I invited weren't able to come, so I went by myself. I really don't mind doing that stuff alone though, so it was fine. It was good, but long! It was 3 and 1/2 hours! Whew! After that I ran to Walmart to get a memory card for my camera. I spent the rest of the evening cleaning up and playing with my camera. Did I mention how much I love it?!

Friday, March 6, 2009

The Shelves in My Livingroom





I got the idea for this cute vase arrangement from a friend's blog site. The same day my mom sent me an email with a picture of a similar one from a magazine. I loved the way they looked and I needed a little height, so I decided to try it out.

Retro Birdhouses I Made for My Shelves (don't look too close at the paint job though!)


My Pillows


This are the pillows I sewed the other weekend when I was at home. They are made with the fabric I bought from Australia a long time ago. I am really happy with how much color they bring into my living room!