Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
On the Road Again
So, here I am. Out on the road once again. This time though, I am in uncharter territory, well... at least to me. I am on my long-awaited trip to the East Coast.
Let's start at the beginning. I had Good Friday off of work at Northland. I woke up really migrain-ey and feeling really sick and tired. I laid in bed until noonish and decided to get up and try to get some things done. Well, I just felt worse, dizzy and achey. So, I laid on the couch until my shift at the gym. I made it through work and went right to bed when I got home. Saturday morning I woke up feeling worse. I had a wretched ear ache on top of everything else. After taking advice from my mom, I called the doctor's office. I needed to make sure I didn't have an ear infection before I flew the next day. Well, the doctor's office was closed, so after consulting the on-call nurse, who told me to come in immediately. I went in to the walk in clinic to find out, luckily it wasn't an ear infection, it was plugged eustation tubes (ear, nose, and throat tubes). I was in and out quick and was given some ear numbing meds to bring on the plane with me. The nurse told me the plane ride would probably be really painful for my ears. Great. So, after going back to my place and packing up, I was off. I made a stop in Duluth for lunch and a walk through some shops on in Canal Park before heading to the Twin Cities. When I arrived I met up with my bff Katie for lunch. It was so great to see her!! I haven't hung out with just Katie in a really, really long time. We talked for 3 hours at the restaurant. It was great!! I think we both needed it. And after 5 hours of sleep back at the hotel, I woke up Easter morning and headed to the airport. I was a little nervous about my ears on the flight, but it turns out, there was no need to worry. The flights went fine and other than the normal ear popping, my ears were not an issue. I flew into Baltimore and from there drove on to Annapolis. The weather here was in the 40's, but the grass is gorgeous green and all the trees are blossoming and beautiful. When I got to Annapolis, I went straight to the visitor's center. From there, I ate Maryland Crab Soup at a little cafe and then walked around the historic district. I took a tour of William Paca's Colonial Mansion and Gardens. It was interesting. Then I explored the Capitol building to see the Senate and House Chambers. After this I hit up the Pier and took a boat tour around the waterways of Annapolis and the Naval Academy. Then I went to a crab shack for dinner. It was family style eating on long tables with benches and brown paper on the tables. People were all over cracking crab and littering the table tops with the shells. I opted for fish n' chips since I had my fair share of crab in Alaska.
Yesterday morning I woke up feeling groggy again but got up and at 'em. I drove through Washington D.C. to a Science and Tech. high school to drop of college info. and talk to the guidance counselor. Then I drove back past Annapolis and up the shore to Ocean City. I stopped on Assateague Island, which was the thing I was looking most forward too! I read these "Stormy and Misty: the Wild Horses" books when I was a kid. This is where the books where based from. Right away, I saw a young horse right on the side of the road. It was so cool!! I saw 13 wild horses, including a new colt, and some deer. I even stepped into the Atlantic Ocean even though it was not even 40 degress out. I spent probably 3 hours there. I was freezing by the time I left, but I loved it!!! So, amazing!!!!
I then drove to my hotel in Ocean City where I walked on the famous boardwalk. It was kind of eerie and ghost town-ish, but I can only imagine what it would be like in a month or two. After a good fish dinner, I was exhausted.
This morning I woke up feeling cruddy once again, but headed out for a high school visit and then I drove to Gaithersburg. So, here I am.
I am about to fall asleep typing this right now. So, I am off to bed. MWAH
Let's start at the beginning. I had Good Friday off of work at Northland. I woke up really migrain-ey and feeling really sick and tired. I laid in bed until noonish and decided to get up and try to get some things done. Well, I just felt worse, dizzy and achey. So, I laid on the couch until my shift at the gym. I made it through work and went right to bed when I got home. Saturday morning I woke up feeling worse. I had a wretched ear ache on top of everything else. After taking advice from my mom, I called the doctor's office. I needed to make sure I didn't have an ear infection before I flew the next day. Well, the doctor's office was closed, so after consulting the on-call nurse, who told me to come in immediately. I went in to the walk in clinic to find out, luckily it wasn't an ear infection, it was plugged eustation tubes (ear, nose, and throat tubes). I was in and out quick and was given some ear numbing meds to bring on the plane with me. The nurse told me the plane ride would probably be really painful for my ears. Great. So, after going back to my place and packing up, I was off. I made a stop in Duluth for lunch and a walk through some shops on in Canal Park before heading to the Twin Cities. When I arrived I met up with my bff Katie for lunch. It was so great to see her!! I haven't hung out with just Katie in a really, really long time. We talked for 3 hours at the restaurant. It was great!! I think we both needed it. And after 5 hours of sleep back at the hotel, I woke up Easter morning and headed to the airport. I was a little nervous about my ears on the flight, but it turns out, there was no need to worry. The flights went fine and other than the normal ear popping, my ears were not an issue. I flew into Baltimore and from there drove on to Annapolis. The weather here was in the 40's, but the grass is gorgeous green and all the trees are blossoming and beautiful. When I got to Annapolis, I went straight to the visitor's center. From there, I ate Maryland Crab Soup at a little cafe and then walked around the historic district. I took a tour of William Paca's Colonial Mansion and Gardens. It was interesting. Then I explored the Capitol building to see the Senate and House Chambers. After this I hit up the Pier and took a boat tour around the waterways of Annapolis and the Naval Academy. Then I went to a crab shack for dinner. It was family style eating on long tables with benches and brown paper on the tables. People were all over cracking crab and littering the table tops with the shells. I opted for fish n' chips since I had my fair share of crab in Alaska.
Yesterday morning I woke up feeling groggy again but got up and at 'em. I drove through Washington D.C. to a Science and Tech. high school to drop of college info. and talk to the guidance counselor. Then I drove back past Annapolis and up the shore to Ocean City. I stopped on Assateague Island, which was the thing I was looking most forward too! I read these "Stormy and Misty: the Wild Horses" books when I was a kid. This is where the books where based from. Right away, I saw a young horse right on the side of the road. It was so cool!! I saw 13 wild horses, including a new colt, and some deer. I even stepped into the Atlantic Ocean even though it was not even 40 degress out. I spent probably 3 hours there. I was freezing by the time I left, but I loved it!!! So, amazing!!!!
I then drove to my hotel in Ocean City where I walked on the famous boardwalk. It was kind of eerie and ghost town-ish, but I can only imagine what it would be like in a month or two. After a good fish dinner, I was exhausted.
This morning I woke up feeling cruddy once again, but headed out for a high school visit and then I drove to Gaithersburg. So, here I am.
I am about to fall asleep typing this right now. So, I am off to bed. MWAH
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
So, I have a chance to catch you all up now! Last week, I got to stay with my grandparents while traveling to college fairs for work! One night my cousin Jennifer and her husband, Sean came over for dinner with me and my grandparents. It was great! We had rigatoni, which my grandma knows is my favorite! Then, we played cards, which is a must while we are there! It was great!! The next morning I was supposed to go to visit a high school in Lansing, but I called before I left and there were no students signed up to visit with me. So, I got to sleep in another hour and spend the morning with my grandparents. A good family friend, Uncle Al, came over with a man he knew who has Parkinson's. The man was recently diagnosed and was talking to Al about it. So, Uncle Al brought him over to talk with my grandpa, who has had Parkinson's for 20 years! It was really interesting listening to them talk about it.
After they left, I went with my grandparents down to their little cafe for lunch and then I had to head out to Ann Arbor for a high school fair. The fair was crazy!! It was extremely busy for a high school fair, which is great!! The students were fantastic and again, I ran out of all my materials, which is a good problem to have! I love Ann Arbor. I love the plethora of cultures that are represented. The downtown is really cool. There were all sorts of great restaurants and neat shops. It makes me really want to live there! I just love the hippee, urban, cultured, collegiate feel of it all. That night I drove to Midland, which was almost a 2-hour drive.
The next morning I got up at 5:45 to leave by 6:15 so I could get back to Ashland before my gym shift. I was exhausted and was not looking forward to the 9+ hour drive! But, I packed up and headed out in the early morning rain. About 20 minutes into the drive, the rain turned to snow, making the roads very slushy. It was impossible to go more than 45 mph in a 70. Along the route, my stomach was not happy with me, making me take 4 emergency gas station bathroom stops along the way. Between the snow, and my stomach, I knew I would not making to Ashland before my shift. So, I called in and my boss said they would get someone to cover until I could get there. Ugh. I called my dad, to see what the weather was like in the U.P. He said it was gorgeous and he was right! About 30 minutes after crossing the Mackinaw Bridge the sun was out and the roads were bare. At one point I pulled over to take a picture of a bunch of deer drinking by a stream near Lake Michigan. When I went to turn the car around to get a good shot I glanced out over the ice shelf on the lake just in time to watch a coyote running across the ice. I sat and watched him for awhile. He was running like mad, and then he would slip on the ice and slide around. It was hilarious. He was really far off, so I didn't get great pics. But I will post a few. I also stopped to take a few pics of a light house in the southern U.P., I think it was in Escanaba. I finally made it back to Ashland afte 12 hours in the car!! I was beyond exhausted and barely made it through my 3 hour shift at the gym.
The next day I had to be to Northland's campus at 7:30 am to administer the ACT's. I was so tired, but it's an easy $100! So, I really can't complain! Then I went home and took a 2 hour nap before Patti's pregnancy photoshoot, which was so much fun!! When I got home a little after 8 that night, I put on my pj's and relaxed for awhile and went to get some much needed sleep!
Sunday morning, I drove out to Patti's to snag a ride with her to her church. I have really wanted to find a church here, but have been having a hard time. It's always weird to go alone. Her church is a tiny little thing in the middle on nowhere, but it was full of people! There were so many kids there too! It was a good sermon too. I think I will be going back soon. The service made me think about a lot of things. God provides for us in strange way sometimes. And sometimes it's the little things that help the most. Fpr example, lately, I have really been struggling with money, and as much as I try not to let it get to me, it has really stressed me out. I was getting nervous about my next set of bills and knew that I would just make them all, but had no money for food or gas for the week. I didn't know what I was going to do. Then I got an email saying that a payment went through to my account from something I sold on ebay. I wasn't expecting the payment for another week, so it was perfect! It was really like an answer to prayer. Even being asked to do the ACT's was great, because I really needed that extra money. God provides and never leaves you alone. Even when we feel really discouraged and don't know how things will work out in the end, they always do. Sigh. God is good. I know He will help me figure all of this money stuff out. :) I totally was lazy the rest of that day, which was wonderful!!
Monday, I took a half day so I could meet with college friends at the Twin's Home Opener. I picked up my friend Johnny in Duluth and then we headed to Minneapolis. We had some good chats on the way there, since I hadn't caught up with him in ages! We finally made it to the dome and found parking. Outside of the dome was crazy! The game was sold out since it's the last home opener in the Metrodome (they are building a new outdoor stadium). There were people everywhere! It was great! We found our other friends and after hugging everyone, we settled into our seats. It was so much fun! The Twin's lost big time. But it was really fun. I am not a huge sports person, but I love going to sports games. I love the excitement of the crowd, and of course being surrounded by friends, especially friends I don't get to see to often, is always great. The game ended around 10ish, so we then headed to Old Chicago in Uptown for 1.99 personal pizzas! I hadn't eaten much since breakfast, so I was famished!! Then I headed across the cities to stay at Megan's house for the night. We chatted in her room that night until we both konked out. I headed out from there yesterday at 7 to pick up Johnny and head back. After dropping him off, I headed back to Ashland and staight into work.
Oh yeah! Another story! I have a new boss now! I am really excited, because I think he will be great for us. He is currently the Director of Financial Aid, so he worked with us before too. He has implemented a work night for each of us, where we work from noon-8 and call students. So, yesterday was my day. Which worked fine, since I could take the morning to drive back from the cities.
Whew!! Okay, I think that was all!!
Here are some pictures of the events described above:
After they left, I went with my grandparents down to their little cafe for lunch and then I had to head out to Ann Arbor for a high school fair. The fair was crazy!! It was extremely busy for a high school fair, which is great!! The students were fantastic and again, I ran out of all my materials, which is a good problem to have! I love Ann Arbor. I love the plethora of cultures that are represented. The downtown is really cool. There were all sorts of great restaurants and neat shops. It makes me really want to live there! I just love the hippee, urban, cultured, collegiate feel of it all. That night I drove to Midland, which was almost a 2-hour drive.
The next morning I got up at 5:45 to leave by 6:15 so I could get back to Ashland before my gym shift. I was exhausted and was not looking forward to the 9+ hour drive! But, I packed up and headed out in the early morning rain. About 20 minutes into the drive, the rain turned to snow, making the roads very slushy. It was impossible to go more than 45 mph in a 70. Along the route, my stomach was not happy with me, making me take 4 emergency gas station bathroom stops along the way. Between the snow, and my stomach, I knew I would not making to Ashland before my shift. So, I called in and my boss said they would get someone to cover until I could get there. Ugh. I called my dad, to see what the weather was like in the U.P. He said it was gorgeous and he was right! About 30 minutes after crossing the Mackinaw Bridge the sun was out and the roads were bare. At one point I pulled over to take a picture of a bunch of deer drinking by a stream near Lake Michigan. When I went to turn the car around to get a good shot I glanced out over the ice shelf on the lake just in time to watch a coyote running across the ice. I sat and watched him for awhile. He was running like mad, and then he would slip on the ice and slide around. It was hilarious. He was really far off, so I didn't get great pics. But I will post a few. I also stopped to take a few pics of a light house in the southern U.P., I think it was in Escanaba. I finally made it back to Ashland afte 12 hours in the car!! I was beyond exhausted and barely made it through my 3 hour shift at the gym.
The next day I had to be to Northland's campus at 7:30 am to administer the ACT's. I was so tired, but it's an easy $100! So, I really can't complain! Then I went home and took a 2 hour nap before Patti's pregnancy photoshoot, which was so much fun!! When I got home a little after 8 that night, I put on my pj's and relaxed for awhile and went to get some much needed sleep!
Sunday morning, I drove out to Patti's to snag a ride with her to her church. I have really wanted to find a church here, but have been having a hard time. It's always weird to go alone. Her church is a tiny little thing in the middle on nowhere, but it was full of people! There were so many kids there too! It was a good sermon too. I think I will be going back soon. The service made me think about a lot of things. God provides for us in strange way sometimes. And sometimes it's the little things that help the most. Fpr example, lately, I have really been struggling with money, and as much as I try not to let it get to me, it has really stressed me out. I was getting nervous about my next set of bills and knew that I would just make them all, but had no money for food or gas for the week. I didn't know what I was going to do. Then I got an email saying that a payment went through to my account from something I sold on ebay. I wasn't expecting the payment for another week, so it was perfect! It was really like an answer to prayer. Even being asked to do the ACT's was great, because I really needed that extra money. God provides and never leaves you alone. Even when we feel really discouraged and don't know how things will work out in the end, they always do. Sigh. God is good. I know He will help me figure all of this money stuff out. :) I totally was lazy the rest of that day, which was wonderful!!
Monday, I took a half day so I could meet with college friends at the Twin's Home Opener. I picked up my friend Johnny in Duluth and then we headed to Minneapolis. We had some good chats on the way there, since I hadn't caught up with him in ages! We finally made it to the dome and found parking. Outside of the dome was crazy! The game was sold out since it's the last home opener in the Metrodome (they are building a new outdoor stadium). There were people everywhere! It was great! We found our other friends and after hugging everyone, we settled into our seats. It was so much fun! The Twin's lost big time. But it was really fun. I am not a huge sports person, but I love going to sports games. I love the excitement of the crowd, and of course being surrounded by friends, especially friends I don't get to see to often, is always great. The game ended around 10ish, so we then headed to Old Chicago in Uptown for 1.99 personal pizzas! I hadn't eaten much since breakfast, so I was famished!! Then I headed across the cities to stay at Megan's house for the night. We chatted in her room that night until we both konked out. I headed out from there yesterday at 7 to pick up Johnny and head back. After dropping him off, I headed back to Ashland and staight into work.
Oh yeah! Another story! I have a new boss now! I am really excited, because I think he will be great for us. He is currently the Director of Financial Aid, so he worked with us before too. He has implemented a work night for each of us, where we work from noon-8 and call students. So, yesterday was my day. Which worked fine, since I could take the morning to drive back from the cities.
Whew!! Okay, I think that was all!!
Here are some pictures of the events described above:
Monday, April 6, 2009
Pregnancy Photoshoot
I have so much to catch everyone up on, but I don't have time to write it all right now. I will get to that tomorrow.
But... I did a pregnancy photoshoot for my friend Patti at work. She is 8 months right now. It was so much fun!!!!
Here are a few of the shots.
But... I did a pregnancy photoshoot for my friend Patti at work. She is 8 months right now. It was so much fun!!!!
Here are a few of the shots.
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 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.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
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!!
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! :)
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! :)
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