Things Don't Bake if the Oven Ain't On

Wise Proverb for the Day:

When trying to make a pasta bake, one should always turn on the oven first. Without the first step, not much progress will be made.

Chicago in December

Well, without making anything any sort of official, it seems that I have survived my first trip to the Chicago area. (I'm not home yet, thus the hesitance in officiality). Turns out, it didn't kill me. And, dare I say, I even maybe like it down here? We'll have to see what next semester's travels contain.

But until next semester, as soon as I get home tomorrow, I am done with my travels until February or so. Yay! I am thoroughly looking forward to nights on the couch and finishing up my current grad class.

Today it started to snow, and I am desperately hoping that I can actually get home tomorrow. I do, after all, have a big Christmas show coming up! Anyone looking for tickets to Evening in December, please let me know, and I'll pick some up for you.

Well, short and sweet for tonight.

56.7

I almost ran away today. Never have I been more tempted.

As I sat in front of Manchester's high school, I hit the favorites key on my GPS. On my favorites, I have three locations: Home, Parents, and UWP. And wouldn't you know that Manchester's high school exactly 56.7 miles from UWP and Parents? Exactly.

At first I found it extremely strange, but then I came to a crossroads. Do I go back to work as I am supposed to today? Or do I face west and run away fast?

*Sigh*

Needless to say, to make my boss and the student ambassadors happy, I did the right thing and headed back to work. And here I am, accomplishing not too much, for the next hour or so. Next time, I think I'll choose to run away.

Only a Fool

After ridiculing a man in my apartment building for getting locked out of his apartment and wasting a whole evening of mine, I now feel a bit foolish. After all, Sunday mornings are no fun when one locks themselves out of their apartment, and thus, out of their car, and is, quite frankly, stuck.

I am not sure what's happening to me. I feel like I'm falling apart at the seams a little. Prior to this year, I had never, not even once, locked my keys in my car. This year: three times. And I have never, prior to Sunday, locked myself out of my own house. I am the careful one. I am the one who jingles my keys in my hand before pulling the door shut, just to make sure I've got them. I'm the one who has elaborate systems to keep myself from ever even having the chance of being locked out of anything. For instance, typically, I have my car keys in a ridiculously secret and hard to get to location on the outside of my car. (Really, you'll never find them....) This is so that, in case my car keys would happen to be left inside, I always have a way in to retrieve them. And I have my spare apartment key inside the car, so that if my keys were to be locked anywhere, I have a way to get into the car and thus into the house.

The system broke down.

The only loophole to this nearly perfect system is, if, by some rare chance, one were to be locked out of the car and retrieves the secret outside car keys to redeem themselves, but then does not return the spare to its proper home, and then, by an even rarer chance, locks themselves out of the house, therefore having access to no keys, well then, one then has quite the predicament to solve.

But as it turns out, and you don't need to spread this around to, I don't know, car thieves, it takes more time to bend open a hanger than it does to break into my car from the outside. So, within a few seconds after church, once I had access to a wire hanger, I was back in my house, and my car, with few tears or sweat drips.

Only a fool....only a fool like me....

The Yin and the Yang of Things

Warning: The following post will be nearly impossible to comprehend in the context of my life prior to today. Please read with caution.

Tonight I had a dining experience like none other. I ate sushi. I tried to warn you. I know...it doesn't make any sense when thinking of the amount of risk I'm usually willing to take in my everyday life. And perhaps the more impressive fact of the matter is that I actually liked it. And, if the opportunity presented itself, I think I'd eat it again. Crazy, I know. I'm still reeling.

Don't worry, now. I did not attempt this feat on my lonesome. I met an old peer advisor that is now in the Appleton area who is possibly the riskiest and most random person I know. He, of course, suggested the whole sushi experience. Entering the restaurant was a mystery of itself. The entrance to the parking lot faces the back of the building, which frankly slightly resembled a pole shed. Entering the front doors (finally), the atmosphere was actually very nice, but I felt like I had entered the set of a movie. The booths for each group to sit in were wide rails of sorts that you had to climb over to get to the table. And our waitress was about the most helpful person I had ever encountered in a strange place (scoff). We were left alone to our own devices with a sushi menu and our own imaginations.

I, wisely, chose the Beginner's Platter, a mild array of fairly standard sushi rolls with standard raw fish, shrimp, veggies, sauces, and the wonderfully sticky rice to hold it all together. There was one little piece of sushi that had an entire giant shrimp tail sticking out the top of it. (Fright!) But I dove in head first and tossed a piece in my mouth....which was promptly followed by the rest of the tray (with the exception of that giant shrimpy tail).

After a few rolls, I was pleasantly full. It wasn't that nasty sort of stuffed-myself-with-harmful-fatty-things type of full, but rather a I-think-I-did-something-good-for-myself good. I had no idea that raw fish could make you feel like that.

Overall, I enjoyed my sushi experience at the Nakashima of Japan. Who will join my on my next random food quest? Will it be you?

Ironic

As I sit here tonight in my Appleton hotel room, I am doing what I usually do in the evenings on the road: watching tv. Tuesday nights are always Biggest Loser followed by SVU nights. And although tonight I did make some attempt at working out (me and a treadmill made two slow miles), I managed to watch an entire episode of Biggest Loser while eating half of a medium cheese pizza and a whole order of breadsticks. Yeah, that's right.

And, here's something to impress your friends with: did you know that Americans consume 700 million pounds of peanut butter a year? That's enough to cover the floor of the Grand Canyon. (Says Biggest Loser trivia.) And we Americans also spend 14 billion dollars on dietary supplements each year. Maybe it's because we watch Biggest Loser while crashing our way through a Domino's order.

Victory Shopping....Not So Victorious

Once upon a time, I really did like shopping.

Tonight I thought that shopping as a victory lap of sorts to celebrate my new promotion of sorts was a great idea. I started at my favorite store, The Gap. While talking to my mom on the phone I managed to accumulate a huge armful of items to try on. After a few minutes in the dressing room, I walked away from the store empty-handed. And that was just the start.

After two hours of meandering around a giant mall, I had only purchased a pair of sale rack shoes from Payless. Lovely. I was fully expecting to blow a lot of money today, and, frankly, that mood doesn't strike very often. Let's fact it: I'm pretty much a cheapskate. New job, new year, why not spend a crapload for a change? But alas, no such luck tonight. Just shoes.

But I did manage to purchase the largest possible latte from a Gloria Jean's to make me feel better. And better I felt indeed. However, in order to feel truly and fully better, I feel that a rather large and lengthy internet shopping binge is on the verge. Now my only predicament, where to start...Victoria's Secret? Gap? Zappos?

MUD Creek Coffee

So, this one threw me for a loop. Today I started my morning in a small town called Stockbridge, with a population of 600 or so. As usual, I was just a few minutes early, so I decided to explore the town a bit to see what there was to offer. About two blocks from the school I saw a peculiar sign on the ground that said, “MUD Creek Coffee Drive-Up Open.” Now, the concept of drive-up coffee shops is not a new one to me, but for a small town, it is nearly unheard of.

After I visited with one very nice student at Stockbridge, I decided to check out the MUD Creek first-hand. To my surprise, this was no ordinary old-timer’s-small-town-hole-in-the-ground. It was an actual coffee shop…with personality, atmosphere, acoustic and alternative music, WiFi, and frankly delicious coffee. It had the feel of a downtown, big city shop. The walls were dark and warm, the lights were dim, and there was a variety of seating options: booths, tables, cozy loungers by a fireplace. Weird. I ordered their seasonal special, a 20 oz. pumpkin pie latte and a pastry.

I took it to go, and as I drove, I nearly stopped on the side of the road at the first taste. What a latte! It was strong but not the least bit bitter, sweet, but not too sweet, thick, creamy, and that perfect hot-but-not-too-hot temperature. I would highly recommend that anyone in the Stockbridge area to check this place out. In fact, I’m marking it on the map as a serious spot to return to (just of the coffee shop).

This shop inspired me, once again, to start thinking about starting a coffee shop of my own someday. MUD Creek was a perfect example of what I would do with a small-town shop.

On a completely unrelated note, you know what I’ve been thinking a lot about lately? Broadband. That’s right, broadband internet. You know, that kind of internet you can access from a hole, a pond, etc. (for those of you who have seen the TV commercials). How nice it would be to be able to check my email, update calendars, and look up things like phone numbers from the front seat of my car. Until then, its evening work and a lot of copy and paste action.

Baby Its Cold Outside

There is a distinct chill in the air. The wind blows with the whispers of winter on its way. Or maybe the wind is shouting. Today the gusts were over forty miles per hour. And for a short time, oh how I dread even bringing myself to say it, it snowed.

The chill in the air is not the bitter below-zero temperatures one experiences in the dead of a Wisconsin December. In fact, I don’t believe the temperatures even dared to fall below freezing. But there was just something about that wind that chilled a person to the core. Perhaps it is the mere thought of the horrors awaiting us in the ominous clouds of the future, the dreaded snow that will soon torture us all. Somehow just the thought of it makes me cooler, even now, in the warmth of my hotel room and sweat pants. Or perhaps it is just because it is the first of the cold winds for the season that makes us shiver. There seems to be a getting-used-to time that we all require to adjust to winter, and for me, that must have started today.

My gas tank of the bright blue Ford Taurus that I spend much of my life in these days ran tragically low this morning as I trekked from town to town. The idea of forty mile per hour winds did not entice me to step even one foot out of the car today either, but I knew I’d never make it all day without filling up. Have you ever filled up a gas tank with forty mile per hour winds blowing in your face? It was a challenge from start to finish. I staggered and stammered around the pump for a few minutes until finally the tank was full. Then I immediately sprinted inside to grab the warmest thing I could think of, a cup of gas-station-quality coffee. As soon as I had it paid for, I forged back into the tundra-like atmospheric conditions and directly to the driver’s seat.

A large gulp of hot coffee quickly warmed my entire body, but, as it turned out, I was a little over-eager to drink. And after the warmth quickly faded away, all I was left with was a scorching fire on every surface of all of my digestive organs. My mouth, my throat, even perhaps my stomach were burnt to a crisp. I guess there is a perfectly logical reason to the “Caution-Hot” warning on all Styrofoam coffee cups after all.

So, here’s to the start of that evil, uncomfortable, dangerous season we like to call winter….and to many more scorching hot coffee gulps to come.

New Year, New Do

Twenty three has officially come and gone. And looking back, it was a good year. But I see even better things for twenty four. And I've started off my new year with a new do. Chopping eleven or so inches of hair was just what I needed. (There may be photos soon. We'll see.)

Here are a few predictions for the year to come:
-This is the year I will meet that special someone...hopefully.
-There could possibly be a big move in my future...who knows.
-I anticipate purchasing a new car...if I can get the money together
-I need to start investing in my retirement...also a money issue.
-I want to travel for fun for a change...look for me in the mountains.
-I will climb a 14000 mountain...ready Dad?

Well, that's a start. Ready or not, twenty four, here I come.

Bzzzz.....

You know what's fun? Having an apartment (that I used to love a lot) infested with hornets. (Loving it a little less.) And even after the landlord comes and "takes care of it" I'm still killing them. He says they are living in the walls. Great.

You know what's even more fun? The nightmares of hornets crawling on me or flying around my face. Maybe when it snows I'll feel better.

A Bit of Perspective

A few wise people recently gave me a tape of a sermon that they insisted that I listen to. At first I wasn’t sure why they were so insistent, but then I stopped and looked around.

I have been grumpy. Really grumpy. And what for? A number of things have been weighing on me as of late, including traveling, the office, the chaos of my house….a few little things. These things have affected my happiness, but somehow, they managed to affect more than that.

Happiness, as a matter of clarification, comes primarily from external circumstances, events, and such. Things like making my house clean, making people happy, and spending time with friends make me happy.

Joy, however, is something completely different. Joy is internal. It should not be affected by the external things that happiness is so often tossed around with. Joy sits in that place in your heart where hope and love live. And much like hope and love, joy is one of those things that is much too easily forgotten somehow. We forget where it comes from, or rather Who it comes from, and what it feels like.

So, I have decided, thanks to those wise people and that little sermon tape, that it is time to get a grip on life’s perspective. No matter how crummy a job or office dynamic becomes, or how messy a home becomes, or how long a week is on the road. Throughout it all, I still have joy. With joy in the forefront, these crummy things just aren’t so bad. They can’t be. With a heart of joy, even the worst situations can viewed as positives.

Now, I won’t claim that this new perspective will take place overnight. It is not so easy. This will take some thought and persistence. In a world where joy is not even a recognized emotion, I will need to strive to make it central to my life. Think about it. Even if things aren’t great, they could still be good. And I’d really like for my life to be good again…joyful.

Morning Glory Coffee and Conversation

Oh West Bend…

I had to pick the hottest grandparent spot in the whole town. Morning Glory looks from the outside like a quiet, cozy shop to sit and get some work done, but not so much. There wasn’t much atmosphere, except the music was nice. Low jazz tuned hummed in the background of 25 or so hard-of-hearing chatters.

No credit cards were accepted….I have to write a check? Hmmm. No high speed internet….and of course I took the time to start up my computer and then proceed to sit there like an idiot wondering what to do without being connected.

Needless to say, I was slightly disappointed in my find and won’t plan to make a repeat visit. The smell of old-person perfume masked the aroma of the coffee that I smelled outside. But I’m in luck. There are several other places around the area that look better. Maybe tomorrow I’ll venture to the St. Somewhere downtown West Bend, or maybe hit up a little place in one of the tiny towns around here. I’ll keep you posted.

But that's my car...

Well, it's been a long week of college fairs, and I'm finally home. Although getting there wasn't all that fun.

After driving three or so hours, I stopped by the office, where I accomplished absolutely nothing in my state of exhaustion. After that little waste of time, I drove the state car down to the fleet garage. I had received an email earlier in the week saying that the garage was having some roof work down and there would be a lot of equipment down there. I was also assured that I would be able to get my car out. In fact the exact words in the email were, "There is plenty of room to get your car out." Plenty of room? Maybe if you're a professional driver.

I found there to be somewhere between six and ten feet between the garage door and the large piece of firmly planted boom-lift truck on stilts. If I drove a Geo Metro or one of those new-fangled tiny electric cars, there would have been a possibility of getting out, but I drive a Lumina, and I'm no professional. As far as I could see, I would have had to turn my car exactly 90 degrees in a ten-foot square area, then drive it over top of a large wooden block where the stilt was planted, if I could fit the car at all between the edge of the building and the actual truck.

So, today, I still have the state car. No big deal. But, when I got home, I did have a slightly big deal. There were seven hornets happily inhabiting my home. Yucky. I recruited a neighbor to help kill what we could see, but today I'm still working on that project. Ugh.

The Luna

Coffee is perhaps the most amazing beverage ever invented. So, this year on the road, I decided that I must visit many more coffee shops that I had last year. And with big chunks of afternoons free on many days and a major corporation paying for it all, why not?

My first stop on the tour de shops is the Luna in De Pere, Wisconsin. De Pere is currently under a slight stage of construction (what's with Wisconsin and roundabouts anyway? I'll save that one for another day...) making it a little difficult to find the place downtown.

The atmosphere here is great. There is a wide variety of art on the well-worn rough brick walls. A bar area to sit at as well as tables, chairs, and lounge furniture. One wall has a vibrant mural sprawled across it, and a lot of their menus are hand-written in bright chalk...very cute. Music was perfectly mellow, too. They sell a variety of coffees, teas, t-shirts, and gifts.

The barista recommended the iced honey latte when I asked and it was pretty good. (I have yet to refine my coffee taste descriptions for the general population.....I'll be sure to work on that. Overall I have nothing to complain about.

So, if you're looking for a good place to stop for coffee in De Pere, Wisconsin, check out the Luna. I'll give it a four out of five for overall coolness.

Ground Potatoes and the Barefoot Mailman

Last week began the first week of many travels for the year. I started off my trails by heading to Iowa, a new concept, for those of you following my travel tails from last year. Iowa, over all was relatively uneventful, but there was one good story to come of it:

Traveling in Iowa can make a girl very hungry. Around lunchtime I found myself in the fun little town of Tripoli, Iowa. Now, if you've eve been to Tripoli, you are fully aware of the dining options available to a hungry person: a Casey's and a local grocery store. Not wanting to seem unusual in my out-of-town-ness, I stopped in at the gas station for quick entry and exit. They had three dried up pieces of pizza and some other fried assortments of things. I grabbed a bag of chips, a bottled soda, and some potato wedges that were about the only thing that didn't look like they would kill me. Actually, they looked pretty darn good. Not only were they potato wedges, but they were wedges covered in cheese and bacon. Mmmm. I get out to the car and unlock the door. As I'm sliding into the vehicle with all the grace of a drunken ostrich, the potatoes began to slip with the paper boat that they were housed in. I saw them going, but what's an uncoordinated girl to do? So I just watched them. Lap....car door....ground....Crap.

For a few seconds, I debated what to do. Do I leave them on the ground? They are, after all, on the ground, cheese side down, no good to anyone anymore as a decent meal. But it is a small town. They'll know the strange girl in the blue car dropped them and went lunchless. So, I quickly picked them all up, making sure to do the look-around-hoping-nobody-noticed-thing as I did it. I drove away sulking, knowing the potatoes now sitting back in their boat on the floor of my car were in an uneatable state. I found a nice little area park with lots of trees and a little stream running through it is a perfect spot to eat my chips-and-soda lunch.

But something was overwhelming my senses, making my mouth water and my mind wander. Man those potatoes smelled sooooo good. It was uncontrollable. I kept looking at them out of the corner of my eye....desiring to enjoy them. I reasoned with myself, "You cannot possibly eat those. They were on the ground...at a gas station. They could kill you. They are gross." "Yes, but they could not all have possibly hit the ground...and wouldn't all the dirt and deadly chemicals have stayed on the ground with the sticky cheese?" My split personalities decided that it would be ok to try just one...one that for sure did not actually hit the ground. Mistake. They tasted better than they smelled. Absolutely divine.

Needless to say, for those of you who know me well, they were gone in about five minutes. The mental battle of whether or not to eat them raged on with every bite, but they sure did end up gone.

Oh, and the barefoot mailman, you ask? Well, shortly after lunch, I went to the high school in Tripoli, and a huge panel van pulls up behind my car...you know the type, more rust than paint, scary shaggy-haired man behind the wheel...Well, he got out, grabbed piles of newspapers and a mail bag an proceeded to the school entrance. It wasn't until he was almost there that I noticed he was wearing no shoes, cut-off acid-wash jean-shorts, and his USPS uniform shirt mostly unbuttoned. The whole scene screamed, "WELCOME TO IOWA!"

Genesis 1:3

Have you ever pondered Genesis? I mean really meditated on it? At the rate I'm going, I think I'll be at it for a while (I have a goal of maybe a decade or so.)

Tonight I started over at the beginning, what some may say is a good place to start. I got through exactly three verses before I felt like I should stop. Verse three, for some reason caught my attention. Strange. The statement, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" didn't stop me in my tracks...although I did end up going back and realizing the absolute gravity of that statement later.

But verse three says, "And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light." Hmm. Try as I may, I can't say, "Let there be [anything]." No matter what, nothing happens. No matter what I want, something has to happen for me to get it. If I want socks, I have to get them from the drawer. If I want pizza, I have to bake it or order it. I'll never be able to just make these things appear. Now imagine creating light. This is not the turning on the light switch kind of creating. This is the conceptualizing and then making from nothing light. What power is possessed! It's not even really comprehensible. Before God there was no light. No idea of light. God wanted it, and it was there.

I'm sure as I battle through the biggness of Genesis there will be many more baffled entries on the amazing depths of God.

Dimmer...No Switch Required

There's a strange phenomenon going on in my apartment lately. It's been getting dimmer, at a rapid rate. Light bulbs have been burning out with unheard of vigor. What constitutes as unheard of vigor, you may ask. How about five in the last three or so weeks. Well, six if you count the stolen one.

Today, I finally get the landlord over to change some burned out bulbs (fifteen foot ceilings make light bulb changing difficult), and he manages to replace two out of three main room bulbs. But he tragically runs out of bulbs, saving the other one for a later date. (If you're doing the math here, we haven't made five yet.) But somehow, today, ironically, one in the kitchen goes down after he left. Stranger than fiction, yes, but here's the reality. I had replaced one of four bulbs that I can actually reach in my entire apartment. That's right. There are four that I can reach: the four on the bathroom mirror. So, I managed to actually go out, buy bulbs, and replace one myself. This would be the fifth bulb. I decided to be energy friendly and spend the extra few bucks for an Energy Star bulb. (Fast facts of Energy Stars: they last ten years, they run at significantly less wattage, they save you money on monthly electric bills...they're not cheap.) Well, today, after the landlord was here, I go into my bathroom, and my Energy Star bulb is gone, replaced with your average wattage wasting, power hogging, short lasting bulb. So there goes a couple of eco-friendly bucks down the drain.

But my question to you is what possesses a person to steal a perfectly well working state of the art light bulb out of someone's bathroom? It is worrisome at best.

SAD

I think my Seasonal Affective Disorder is kicking in early this year. It has been something like a week since I have seen the sun, and I'm starting to get stir crazy. I want to be outside, playing. But alas, it rains again, and I'm stuck in my pseudo-cubical "working." Maybe Saturday it will be dry enough to get outside for a few minutes.

It'll be a long winter if my SAD is kicking in in the summer. ;)

Serious Post to Follow

Sorry for the serious post to follow. My most recent postings have been light and fun, but I had something I needed to get down on "paper" and out of my heart.

So, this is a quick forewarning about what's to come. It's serious, reflective, and personal. But I don't feel any shame in sharing it with you.

Solace in Only the Keyboard

I can't say I'm quite sure what has come over me lately. At the very time that I should be full and contented, I find myself distant, quiet, empty. After two weeks of being filled up by the wonders of family time and outdoor time, two of my most favorite times, I should be abounding with some crazy hyped up joy, but it's not there. This is not to say that I am feeling depressive or even sad. I'm not either of those things. Is it the pangs of lonesomeness? I don't feel lonely. Is it sheer exhaustion? I just don't feel tired.

I just feel quiet. And maybe that's not such a bad thing overall. There are always lessons to be learned, or being learned in the stillness. One thing I do feel is the need to learn, to dive deep into His word. I feel it, but strangely, there is no motivation to act. A paradox, I suppose. And a frustrating situation to be in: to crave what's ahead but refuse to move forward. Where does that leave me? Quiet.

What is next for me to learn? Leadership? Humbleness? Weakness? Brokenness? Joy? Do I need to understand more of God's holiness? Or the breadth of his majesty? I feel so insignificant and small to try to comprehend any of it. Where has my boldness in Christ gone? I feel so timid.

So for tonight, I sit in silence. TV off. Lights dim. Listening. Wondering what God will tell me, what could be in store.

I suppose as you read this (whomever decides it may be a worthwhile endeavor) you may be inclined to worry about me, assume I am in a negative, hurtful, even wrong spot in life. But don't worry for me because I am not sad. Not lonely, not afraid, not hurt. Simply quiet. Tomorrow could reveal a different heart inside me, one of joy, boldness, literally full of song....or you may find me quiet, just as today. But know that I am held by Christ, loved deeply. And one of these days the motivation will come. The quietness will go. And I will have taken another turn on the Potter's wheel, becoming more of who I was meant to be.

Trips!

Boy has it been a whirlwind of a past few weeks. Life was supposed to slow down for me, and in a way it did, but I sure am exhausted either way.

I just got back from Wyoming Saturday. But before I discuss that trip, let's go back a little further. The week before last I was in sunny, beautiful Door County, Wisconsin with my mom. This was the first trip my mom and I had taken just the two of us, so neither of us were really sure what to expect. We ended up having a great time. We ate way too much food at very fun eateries and shopped at a lot of fun shops, spending way too much money overall. But, hey, isn't that what vacation is for? Watch for pictures coming soon.

And as for Wyoming...I love Wyoming. It is a very peaceful place. Well most of it is. I can't say I'd want to live there. Many people don't really take care of their homes and surrounding areas, making much of the inhabitable locations in the state look like dumps. But the Medicine Bow Mountains make up for the dumpy homesteads. We hiked three days, and managed to climb the highest peak in the range, topping out somewhere over 12,000 feet. We were tired and sunburned, but it was still so worth the work. Plans are in the works to tackle the tallest peaks in other ranges in future years, but we're no expert climbers by any means, so we may take it slow...right Dad? (He seems to think that we can tackle something over 14,000 feet....more than 20 miles of trail in a day...I'm not so sure.) But watch for pictures of this adventure coming soon too.

The most frightening and disheartening moments came long after both trips, on my way back home. Torrential rains hit northeast Iowa last night with thunder and lightning in magnificent (and somewhat pant-wetting) style. I debated whether to wait it out or race it home, but as it turns out, ended up doing neither. I hesitated and went back to my parents house on the first attempt when the rains first started coming. I knew if I couldn't see at 20 miles per hour, there would be no possibility at 70. After about a half hour of more rain, lightning, and thunder, I decided maybe I should just try to outrun it. (Not the best idea I've ever had, but I'm alive to tell about it.)

So I ended up taking off in the thick of the storm, and highway travel, usually hitting around 70 miles an hour, was creeping along at somewhere between 35 and 45. The lightning was blinding, brighter than daylight. The thunder shook my car. And the rain was arguably worse than white-out snow conditions. I had never really driven through anything like that before, and I couldn't decide whether to pull over and wait or keep trying to beat it. For about an hour and a half I fought it, reasoning that what was coming behind me had to be worse than what was still in front of me. But I made it. I'm a live. It was scary.

When I got home, there was more of the same. A backed up toilet that was nastier than nasty that I refused to use, a leaky window dripping water all over my bedroom, and three burned out light bulbs that I couldn't reach. Grumpily I crawled on to the couch and wrestled with the covers for the next few hours until it was time to get up and go back to work. Ugh. I'm just glad its all over.

Ah, but no rest for the weary. Tonight is volleyball. (My team rocks.) Thursday starts real work, and next week starts training for the fall. I need groceries, bathroom stuff, sleep. But you know what, it was so worth it.

Back to reality.

Oh Yeah....Now I Remember.

Have you ever had the conversation with someone that goes something like this:

"Well, what do you want to do tonight?"
"I don't know. What do you want to do?"
"Oh, I don't know. I really hadn't come up with a plan."

Really?!? No plan? Even after I told you on the phone to come up with a plan before you got here? Ugh.

Well, I have to say that my pessimistic premonitions of tonight were mostly correct. This guy was sweet, nice enough, I guess. But I can't say I was overly impressed. There are just a few rules you should probably follow when attempting to date me (men, you maybe want to pay attention to this part):

1) Show up with a plan. If I don't like your plan, I will voice my opinion. But that opinion is nothing compared to the one you'll here if you come with no plan.

2) Hold a door or two. This one is not mandatory, but use some common sense. Walking three to ten feet in front of me is not an option...and neither is leaving the passenger door locked when you get in your side of the car. Come on. It won't kill you.

3) The "F" word is not a turn on, so turn it off. If I hear it, even once, I've pretty much already checked out for the night. Two or three times, and I have the deep desire to wash your mouth out with soap.

Is that so hard? I mean, three little rules, and one is more like a guideline than a rule anyway.

Are arranged marriages legal in this country? The prospect of that rather than another first date is seeming better and better all the time. Mom, Dad, I'll maybe even let you pick him out.

Dating...ugh.

Why Do I Hate First Dates?!?

Can someone tell me why I hate first dates so much? They aren't really all that bad I guess, but for some reason they are ultimate torture for me. No one is really themselves on first dates. They are a little more suave (or at least make the attempt), a little more chatty (or maybe less chatty)...just different. I just want to be myself, you know? Where are the best friend-type guys that I've been myself around for the past few years then fall in love with? Oh, well, um...I guess I never really had many of those. Kind of wishing now that I did. Stupid romance movies that set unrealistic expectations in my head of how love should just fall together.

I hate first dates.

Even Universities Have Bullies

Today I was badgered by a higher administration bully, who will remain nameless. This person will from hence forth be known as "Big Wig" for this story's purposes.

So Big calls our office looking for some fast facts...and she wants them, well, fast. She first badgers Marcia a while with questions Marcia doesn't know the answer to. Marcia puts her on hold and sends her call to me. I was then badgered and mentally flogged for a few minutes with questions that I didn't have any answers to...followed by a dramatic story of her own ingenuity and creativity. Feeling better all the time...Big was also not afraid to let me sit in silence on the end of the phone line, squirming like a worm on a hook. Since my quick-thinking skills didn't seem to be engaged for the morning and Big was willing to wait for them to kick in, I told her I'd call her back in ten. Ten later, I did call, and she seemed strangely surprised...weird. But overall, the bully was impressed with my answers, or at least didn't protest them publicly. And I could restart my non-beating heart knowing I had past the test. Whew.

Bullies...

Oh yeah, I have a bike...and a guiltar!

So, I moved into my apartment back in May, and now July is almost over. There have been a few things that have not moved since they were moved in to their new home. As you can probably guess, those would be my bike and my guitar.

So today, it was such a beautiful day (actually, this whole week has been pretty darn amazing) so I decided to drag that untouched bike outside and find a place to ride. And, as it turns out, Belmont has a pretty nice gravel ATV trail that goes about a million miles in either direction. Ok, so I really have no idea how far it goes...I only went a few miles one way. Turns out that I'm pretty out of shape due to the extreme lack of bike riding that has taken place lately. Darn paradigm of physical activity. Anyway, I had a very nice bike ride with only the occasional interruption of the passing ATVs.

Well, the guitar doesn't need much explaining. I finally pulled it out of its corner, dusted off the case, and tuned it up. Lack of playing made me pretty rusty, but I didn't really mind.

On a completely unrelated note, please pray for my friend Julie. Wednesday she's having back surgery to fix two herniated disks in her back. For the next six weeks she won't be able to pick up either of her beautiful babies. It'll be tough for the whole family to get through, and they'll need extra prayers.

On yet another unrelated note, New Student Registration is over! I'm excited to have made it though. And I love my Peer Advisors. They did so great! But I'm also pretty sad. Now what am I going to do at the office? I fear it will get pretty boring working on computer stuff or analyzing data related to our mailings. Whoo yeah. Should be a thrill ride from here on out. Good thing I have Julie's family to keep me company.

Most Memorable Learning Experience

A while back, the question was raised: What was your most memorable learning experience. It was on a silly little personal profile for school, and I may have gotten a little carried away with it. But after I posted it, I decided that I liked my answer, and I wanted to share it with you. So, here it is, my most memorable learning experience (so far):

The task of choosing one specific moment in my life that I could consider the most memorable learning experience seems a little daunting to me. How can I choose just one? All of life, every moment really, is a series of learning experiences for me.

Looking back over life, there were lessons of falling down and getting back up again- running, first solo bike ride, roller blades…Tears and fears are pushed aside in a moment of growth and persistence. There were lessons of life, love, and loss- first crushes, goldfish lifespans, a family member passing away…And although I would never discredit the power of these life-altering lessons, these are not necessarily the lessons I remember the most.

The moments that show that limits aren't really limits, that persistence can pay off, that the heart is far stronger than you think it ever could be, these leave feelings that are always with you, bringing on a set of emotions that you never want to forget.

I once stood atop a towering waterfall looking over the edge to the deep cool waters below. Petrified of heights, my heart raced, and I wanted nothing more than to retreat to the safety of solid ground. A friend suggested we take the plunge which sounded more than crazy to me. I would never…I could never. But something urged me back to the ledge, a change was taking place, one I could not keep at bay. A wild grin came across my face as I leaned out a little farther. In a flash I was flying, soaring through the air. With a thunderous splash into icy cold water, it was over. "I could never," became "I can," became "I did!" And now, I know without a doubt that I can fly.

Homework and Procrastination...Not a Great Combo

Somehow in the year between my undergraduate studies and my first graduate level course, I forgot just how much I don't like to study. I was doing really well up until this week. Maybe it was the excitement of the first online course ever at UWL and being apart of that momentous event that had me doing work on time and keeping up with all assignments and readings. Or maybe it was the sheer amount of stuff that I had to do that kept me on my toes... Either way, Yuck!

Today my goal was to write the bulk of two major papers, both due in just over a week. Here's what I actually accomplished today:

9:00 am: Wal-Mart (now, this is pretty early for a Saturday morning with only homework on the agenda, but still, it was not really on the agenda)
10:00: post office and bank (necessary stops, but could have been done on Monday)
10:30: Unloading and putting away all the groceries I got at my non-planned excursion to Wal-Mart
11:00: I actually did read a little, printed some things off, wrote the intro to one of my papers
12:30: Drove back to Platteville and hung out outside with Alisha (in my defense, it was the perfect day to play outside...and originally it was Alisha's idea)
3:30: (Note, the time spent with Alisha was just long enough to substantiate a sunburn to further my already horrible farmer's tan...anyway...) Started the bulk of one of the papers, wrote three pages or so, fluffed a lot of it, actually researched some of it, then...
6:30: Writing in my blog because I've lost interest in my paper.

So, one almost down, and one and some to go. And a short holiday week to get it all done in. Sweet. Homework...how can one forget the Yuck factor?

Congratuations, You're an Uncle!

Lately, Isabelle has been a little confused. A few weeks back, she had a whole slue of family staying at her house for a few days, and she got to know her aunt and uncle as well as her grandparents a little better. Her uncle was so excited that out of everyone, Uncle was the name that she picked up and used most frequently. What he doesn't know, is that she now uses that term for, well...me.

That's right, folks. I'm lovingly known as Uncle in Isabelle's house. Never Lindsey, or any other name for that matter. Just Uncle. Her parents are desperately trying to correct her and be sure that I am called Lindsey, but I'm not. I think it's hilarious. Really? Uncle? Awesome. I figure, in a year or two, she'll have a much better command of language, and it'll correct itself. Until then, I'll just keep answering to Uncle.

A Woman on the Edge!

I have to say that I am tired. I will spend my last waking moments of today blowing off what little steam I have left.

I had a Peer Advisor quit today. If I wasn't tired enough...

[Sidebar: Due to the miracles of technology, did you know that you can spell advisor either "advisor" or "adviser"? Spell check and the thesaurus told me so...and apparently, they mean about the same thing, but not quite. Check it out on Word sometime.]

I forgot to go to Wal-Mart, so now I have very little soap left for my next shower, I needed a prescription today that I will have to live without until tomorrow, and I'll have to go orange juice-less for yet another day.

My new ottomans came today, and I still can't tell if they are brown or black...and one has a tiny whole in it...darn.

My cable package sucks (not that I have any time to watch it). But it is so horrible that I can't even find anything on that is suitable for background noise while I'm doing my homework.

So, with all that said, and my head feeling a little less filled with crappiness, I am going to exhaustedly climb into bed and sleep until it is time to go play with my kids...the only thing keeping me smiling right now.

Good night.

My Babies!

Who doesn't love to see cute babies?!? Look how much they've grown!

Moving Fun!

Click below to see some great photos of my recent seven mile move! (My suggestion: after you click the link, hit Slideshow.)

Holy Cow! Where have I been?

Sorry! I just realized today that it has been a long time since I've last updated this. Do you know how much you've missed in the past fifteen days?!?

I've started grad school...It's a little scary, but I think I can survive it. I have already completed several assignments on time, and somehow I'm even managing to work a little ahead of schedule. Amazing, I know.

I moved! Yeah, that's right. I managed the giant leap of seven whole miles from Platteville to Belmont. I'm pretty much all settled now except for the all important wall hangings and such. Luckily my mom is coming back for a long weekend to help me finish up some things. Thanks, Mom!

I get my internet connection tomorrow afternoon barring any major issues with the installation. So, you should find more frequent posts after that.

I have tons of new photos to share with you. They will also be posted after the internet installation has been completed.

So there's the quick update. Nothing you probably didn't already know.

More on the Mysteries of Life

Funny. Just a few hours ago I wrote a heartfelt entry about the mystery of God and how I knew there was something just around the bend waiting for me. But tonight, for some strange reason, much of that feeling is gone. It may just be fatigue or a little loneliness (romance movies do that to a girl), but right now I just feel tired, maybe a little empty. In a matter of hours I have been unexplainedly drained.

How could something so silly like forgetting laundry in the washer for an hour or not getting to Wal-Mart make me feel so crabby? I truly hate being crabby, whiny, complainy...People notice that just as much as someone who is incessantly happy, joyful. Trust me. There are certain acquaintances in my life that don't seem to know what joy is. I would hate to be one of those people. How awful.

So, tonight, as I continue to furrow my brow without explanation, I pray for peace.

My dad had an interesting thought tonight. He told me of a man who ended all his conversations with, "Make it a good day!" rather than "Have a good day!" We do have the choice after all. When I feel bitterness or measly grumpiness creeping up on me, am I not the only one to tell it to get lost?

From great day, to grumpy evening, to beautiful night, I will know that this has been a great day. And the mysteries continue tomorrow, God willing. Beautiful mystery.

Some Days

There are some days when I think that maybe my life is just a little too dull for things like blogging, get-togethers to update friends on life, Christmas letters... But then there are days when I take time to review all the exciting things that are really going on in life.

Let's review.

-I am currently gainfully employed at UWP.
-I will be shifting jobs slightly for the summer, moving from full-time to part-time temporarily.
-I will soon resume nannying for my favorite kids ever.
-In two weeks, I will have a new place of residence in the booming city of Belmont.
-In two weeks, I will have begun a graduate degree through UWL.
-Sand volleyball starts up in three weeks, my favorite non-competitive sport.
-I have successfully survived my first full year of living off-campus (paying bills, rent, etc. on time.)
-I have seen my family more times in the past year than possibly all four years of my undergraduate career combined.

Ok, so to you, maybe this list just reminds you of how dull my life real may be, but to me, this is a thriving list of change, growth, and fantasticness. I read that list and breathe in deep the goodness of life. Every time I open my mouth to complain, or in most cases, after a complaint has been made, I stop an remember just how many reasons I have not to complain, or be bitter. And when I hear others complain about the general ho-hum-ness of life, spouses, jobs, events, etc. it makes me remember even more how much I am blessed.

You know, the past few years have not exactly been a time of spiritual growth for me. Without the help of small groups, the accountability that comes with that, without a good study to follow, or even the time to join a Sunday school class, I've been pretty stagnant. And I believe that that happens sometimes in a Christian's life, and that's ok. But there's been something stirring inside me. A few of you may understand what I'm talking about, that feeling that something is coming, something is changing. That sort of butterfly feeling that catches you off guard at random times throughout the day.

I absolutely love the mystery of God. This used to be (and occasionally still is) something that frustrated me. God, why won't you tell me what I'm supposed to do? Can't You please reveal what my future will hold? But what would life be without the mystery of the plan? To be so predictable that we can plan out every year of our lives to the last detail...where's the excitement in that? Right now, I love that life is open ended. I know there's a plan, and I will fit into it just as God designed. That is the beauty of it all.

Sorry, I guess I got a little lengthy, but there's just a feeling in my heart. It needed an attempt to be expressed.

Every Project Takes a Weirdy

I have recently started a new project in life. (At this point, a few of you are thinking, "Why in the world would you start another project? Aren't two jobs, a volleyball team, grad school, and moving enough?" But I really like projects.)

I have joined the planning committee for the Habitat for Humanity Women's Build. Women from across Grant county will be coming together for the next year and a half planning, organizing, learning, and building a new home for a needy family in the area. How cool is that? Now, being realistic, there are many men that will be instrumental in the project. For instance, how many female contractors or subcontractors do you know in the county? Can you think of one? How about any county? The answer is no. There aren't many female cement pourers, carpenters, plumbers, or electricians out there. So, men will be definitely helping, but it's the women who will be in there getting their hands dirty, learning the trade of home-building, framing, siding, roofing, finishing...How cool.

If anyone is interested in helping (either in the planning, learning a new trade, leading a crew or committee, or actually building that house) please let me know. I'd love to have a huge crew of amazing women working hard to help a family out. Give me a call or shoot me an email.

As it turns out, the director of Grant counties Habitat is kind of a weirdy. Not so much a weirdy as just a disorganized space cadet. It made me laugh at our first meeting last night because she kept saying, "I love organizing things...I just love it," as another pile of papers fell off the table, or she needed to run to her office one more time for something. (Ladies, she really needs our help!) :)

Anyway, new endeavors are always fun. Join in!

Good Advice

The best advice that I have received in a while was from the IT personnel at UW-La Crosse.

I emailed the Information Technology Office with a dilemma of not being able log into my email after changing my password. Lucky me. I clearly described who I was, what my problem was, all the usual items to include. I received the following email in return:

Lindsey, Unfortunately for security reasons you will have to stop by room 103 of the Wing Technology Center with a photo ID for us to reset your password. Sorry for any inconveniences. Thanks. ITS Support Center

Sweet. Thanks for that. Sure let me drive on up there to reset my password...Just what I want to spend an entire day doing. Two minutes later, I received the following email:

Lindsey, After sending you my previous e-mail I noticed that you are an online grad student. In this case you may give us a call so that we can reset your password, but we will have to ask you a few security questions.Sorry for the confusion with my previous e-mail. Thanks. ITS Support Center

Ha, thanks pal. :) Needless to say, all is well now, and I do not anticipate changing my password again...ever.

May?

On a completely unrelated note from the previous post...can anyone believe that it's really May already? I mean seriously.

Cell Phone, Oh Cell Phone...

So, five long years have past that I have called la Ville de Platte (um...that's Platteville for those of you who don't speak French...or whatever language that may be) home. And in those five years, I have always kept my Iowa local cell phone number. Convenient to those that call me most (Mom, that would be you), but not so convenient to the Plattevillians who want to get ahold of me without paying something like 49 cents per minute to chat. And who can blame them. My wisdom is surely not worth 49 cents per minute.

So, yesterday, I took a leap. I went into the local Radio Shack, and signed up for my own cell phone. The cord has been cut, the damage done. There's no turning back. But for the next few weeks, as I try frantically to tell everyone I know to call my new number (which shouldn't take too long, I don't know all that many people), I will have three phones to keep track of. Original cell phone, which has treated me well all through my higher education, Home phone line, which was only created as a desperate plea to hold a free Internet connection, and New cell phone, which hopefully soon with be my one and only phone.

So, in an effort to clear up the confusion, please call the following number (unless you are Mom and Dad, which is probably 50% of my current subscribers): 608-330-0903. Mom and Dad, you can continue to call my old number for a while since, well, you're paying for it. :)

Countdown 'til moving day: 23 days! (That reminds me, I better get packing.)

My Pal

This is my pal, Isabelle. The big guy, that's Isabelle's Daddy. The little guy, that's Isabelle's new(ish) baby brother, Daniel.

Isabelle's hair, not so hot this particular day. But I still love her. And I love her brother. They are pretty much my kids...well, as much as someone else's kids could be my kids. You know.

More photos to come of a ten week older Isabelle and Daniel.

Harboring Bitterness

I came to a realization the other day. I harbor bitterness. It's true. And you know, it's something that I maybe always knew but never wanted to admit. Or maybe I never really thought it through well enough to realize that what was coming out of my mouth was even bitter. But man. It really is, isn't it.

There are so many little things that I make into bigger issues. But the worst of it is, I make them non-issues in the presence of the cause and huge issues to anyone else who will listen. Right, Alisha? I mean, how many times have I said to my roommate, "Oh, I'll clean the bathroom. I really don't mind," only to turn around to my parents and say, "Guess who had to clean the toilet again. Man, I hate that." Or how many times have a listened to the piddly drama in my office with a smile on my face, only to rush to a friend outside of work and acknowledge how much it really steams me.

The true fact of the matter is that the bitterness that comes out of my mouth in the face of trusted friends stems from what should be non-issues in life. Does it really bother me all that much to clean the toilet if it needs to be cleaned? Is it really such a big deal if the assistants in the office are at each others' throats every now and then? And even if office drama did directly effect me, does it even matter then? If someone says something about me, if I get caught in the crossfire...even then, in the end, in the whole mad scheme of life, is it really worth getting riled about? Does it really matter that much?

And to put my friends and family into such a situation to have to listen to only my complaints, only my angry bitter thoughts...how fair is that to them? And how true is that to my real heart? Is that what is really in my heart? And as I reflect, maybe it is. It was. But to what end?

So, today is my turning point. It is a day to reflect on my many seeds of bitterness, many of which are harbored deep within, for no reason but to take up space. Today will be the start of a change, a much needed change, in my heart, in my very way of thinking. All the little things of life that should not take up space, should not waste my time, should not effect my heart...they will be washed out, restoring me to the happy, true-loving soul that I once was. And I won't be doing it alone. An amazing God has brought this to my attention, and He will, as He always does, continue to work on me. And that is the hope that I hold onto.

It's a beautiful day, isn't it? A refreshing day to be lived to the fullest. And starting today, I will.

(And if you're wondering where in the world all this came from, I would highly suggest reading "The Shofar Blew" by Francine Rivers.)

Check Transmission

Easter has quickly come and gone, but it was every bit worth driving home for. And even though I only got about an hour and a half of tradition, it filled that little spot in my heart. My favorite moment was just walking in the door. The general hustle and bustle of holiday feasts was just wrapping up and all the kids were playing in the living room, and Kelton quickly rushed to hug my legs tight. He may have actually been excited to see me, but the odds are better that he was more excited to get outside and finally get those hidden Easter eggs. "Wait for Lindsey" must have been said a hundred times or more as the four year olds patiently watched the windows for me to arrive. Either way, it was worth every mile.

On a completely unrelated note, how seriously should one take the "Check Transmission" light? Because I'd really love to be stranded four or so hours from home on day one of a four day trip. Yeah, that'd be fun.

Easter, Really?

Is anyone else having a hard time believing that this weekend is Easter already? There are certain holidays and markers throughout the year that I typically use to follow time, perhaps in an effort to slow it down, and Easter is typically one of them.

Now, last year, my family graciously came to Platteville for Easter so that I could both sing in the church choir and spend Easter dinner with them. And, as much as I enjoyed spending that time, after it was all said and done, I felt a strange guilt/sadness that at first I couldn't really explain. As it turns out, that feeling was one of tradition lost. For twenty two years, or at least as long as I could remember, Easter had been exactly the same. Easter baskets filled with bad-for-your-teeth goodies, Sunday morning church service, then a feast at Aunt Myra's house with the whole family. And let's not forget the egg hunt that took place even after we were too old to enjoy it.

There was just something special about that time as a family, and having something, as trivial as it was, that stood the test of time. Now, I would imagine that this life-long tradition will not be one that holds for too many more years as we all grow up, and our families grow bigger, but for now, there's nothing better than the status quo, and I could not be more excited about going home, even for a day.

I know I say this all the time, but this weekend, it couldn't seem more true, that time goes by faster and faster every year that you're alive. And, sitting here at just below the quarter-century mark, it's hard to believe that life could go any faster. To anyone older than I: How in the world do you do it? How do you hold on to just enough time to accomplish life?

Although I could continue this reminiscence about the pace of life, for now I will get back to work. Life is calling, and who am I to ignore the call? Enjoy your Easter weekend, cherish your family, and live!

By the Way...

By the way, did I mention I am a grad student now? Yay UW-L!

Here's a Good One

So, today I'm driving (big surprise, I know) in the Appleton area, and I saw the greatest thing ever. I really wished I had my camera with me.

I drove down a fairly crappy road, no gutters or shoulders or anything, but on one side there was a really nice set of apartment buildings. They looked pretty new, maybe built within the last five years or so. The name of the complex was "Sky View Apartments." The view? Not so much sky. In fact, on the other side of the road was a giant landfill! Ha! Sky View...I think not.

I bet the rent's cheap. Man, I should make a coffee table book.

Green Beer, Goose Talk, Boom!

The past few days have been some very exciting ones.

As you know, Saturday was St. Patrick's Day. Now I've never been big into this holiday, being neither Irish or Irish history savvy, but I was invited to a parade this year, so I happily attended. When invited by my friend Alisha, whom I will lovingly refer to as 'Smith, you know that an adventure will probably ensue. 'Smith's grandma, mom, and cousin all came along. We went to a soul food joint in Mad-town. Soul food? Really? Five white women come bustin' into a soul food place to have a little lunch... Now, I love soul food as much as the other guy, but how weird must that have looked? Anyway, after some good eats, and some great coffee, we watched a nifty little parade decked fully in green and all the accompanies St. Patrick's Day. (Oh, and we didn't get the chance to enjoy any green beer, but that was alright with me.)

After gathering minimal amounts of candy, 'Smith and I took off for home, but along the way we took a detour to Governor Dodge State Park. It was a cool day, but the sun was warm, and I had been itching to get outside and experience some adventure for a few weeks already. At first, 'Smith wasn't really into it, but I drug her out on a path or two, and then the mood hit her, and we were off. We headed for a rocky, dare I say mountainous, peak that overlooked the thinly frozen lake. We sat there on that peak for probably an hour or more. While we were there, two geese came to check us out. It turns out that goose wings make a horrendous amount of noise when flapping. Something like a baseball card in bike spokes. Who knew? Anyway, watching geese interact became quite comical and entertaining.

Sunday was rather uneventful, church, choir, babysitting...nothing too noteworthy.

But today, oh Monday...I was going about my business, entering a school's main doors. There seemed to be a bit of commotion, but nothing too out of the ordinary. The lady at the front desk promptly stated, "I cannot let any visitors in at this time." Um...what? I need to just walk across the hall to the guidance office...this is weird. "May I ask..." "Bomb threat. We've had a bomb threat, and we're evacuating the building." That was all I needed to hear. I turned around, and walked at a near sprint to my car, got in, and peeled my way right out of that parking lot. Now, as far as I know, the school did not blow up, and no bomb was found, but still. Holy crap.

Nothing Like a Little Drive

Did you know that it is just about 300 miles from Platteville to Sturgeon Bay? And it takes just over four hours with no stops. You know when a drive like that is fun? When you're, say, going on vacation, traveling with a friend, going to sightsee... You know when it's not fun? When you drive all that way to talk with students about UW-Platteville and no one shows up to talk to you. That is no fun. No fun at all. I hope tomorrow fairs better. If not, I may just give up and go home.

Feeling a Little Savage

One of my favorite types of dining, a fairly new concept, is the carside-to-go of a few smart and delicious restaurants. This travel season, I have had more carside meals than ever before. Typically, I have had decent luck with the services, however, there have been a few mishaps. Once, a few weeks back, I ordered from an Applebee's, but after I placed my order, I couldn't find the place. I was almost a half an hour late, and my food was beyond just cooled off. But tonight was the worst luck of all when it comes to this usually amazing service.

The food: delicious; the service: prompt; the silverware: ? Well, there wasn't any. Now, perhaps I was expected to request them, but I don't recall ever having to do this before. So, I didn't ask for any while on the phone. And I didn't check for any until back safely in my hotel room. After realizing the mistake, I had a few different options: go all the way back to Applebee's...well, that was out right away; go down to the front desk or the hotel lounge and ask for some...well, this one was definitely feasible, but the food was so hot and smelled amazing....so nah; eat. This option won me over because I was so darn hungry, and once you get a whiff of sirloin, garlic mashed potatoes, fresh steamed broccoli. I couldn't wait any longer.

Ok, so it was a little savage to say the least. But what's a hungry girl to do? I sure did scoop individual fingers full of mashed potatoes from plastic dish to drooling lips. And I sure did pick up that entire nine ounce stake, dripping with natural juices, and ate it without setting it back down once. It was, needless to say, a delicious but messy meal.

Moral of the story: ask for silverware, but if you forget, improvise.

It's Official!

Well, after much ado, it's finally official. I signed a lease today for a beautiful two bedroom apartment with a huge kitchen, laundry on the floor, water included....just a fantastic place. I cannot wait to move in.

I think Belmont will treat me well. It'll feel just like being home. After all, moving to Platteville back in the day seemed like heading for the big city. Belmont is just the place. There are gas stations and a post office, some little downtown businesses, and even it's own school. Perfect.

Well, I move in May 26th. So if you're interested in getting sweaty and lifting some super heavy furniture, you be sure to give me a call.

Appleton...Ugh!

After a very long week on the road, seeing very few students, we had a reception for students last night in Waukesha. It went pretty well with only a few no shows. Today we headed up north (der, eh) to Appleton where the weather got a little nasty with freezing rain, rain, and snow.

We debated if we wanted to cancel the reception here in Appleton, figuring that no one would show up anyway, but we were already here. So we ate a happy dinner and set up for the reception. Right at 6:00 we figured that no one was really coming and we happily started to eat all the food (not that we ever could consume that much food...cheese and fruit for 100). But shortly after that, we did have a few (a very few) students and their families show up.

But now we are tragically stuck in Appleton staying at yet another hotel. And with a Preview day lurking around the corner this Saturday, I would kill for a good night's sleep in my own bed, a shower in my own bathroom, and a meal cooked with my own hands. But I guess that will have to wait until tomorrow...hopefully tomorrow.

Sleep well everyone.

A House is Not a Home, but a School Could Be

Well, I hate to make assumptions, but I think it's pretty safe to say that I have finally found a place to live. I will, at this point, give props to my coworker Deb, for pointing me toward it.

I will be moving to Belmont. In Belmont, there is an old school house, built circa 1901, that some very nice rich people took the time, energy, and money to utilize original features while creating unique and modern spaces. And did I mention that they're beautiful? Original hardwood floors, big windows, high ceilings...lockers in the hallways, original chalkboards in each unit, washers and dryers on each floor, gas fireplaces in the basement units...ok, so I can't afford those units, but they have them. In a word, these places are sweet.

I almost cried when I was talking with the owner, telling her how many terrible places I had seen, and that all I was looking for was a place that I could walk in and think, "Ahhh." A pleasant sigh was all I was really looking for. But I walked into their building and though, "Wow! Amazing!" And that was about it. I had pretty much decided.

So all I have to say at this point is, thank God for Belmont, and thank God for non-student geared housing. :)

Big Loser

So there I was, eating my dinner quietly in Applebee's. I was happily finishing my financial planning book, completing a very typical meal. Then it happened. I always joked that it happened all the time, but it had never actually really happened. My waitress came up to me and said that she was really feeling sorry for me sitting all the way across the restaurant all by myself. Ugh. Well, if I wasn't already feeling like a big loser, that statement solidified that I probably should.

I politely explained that this was an everyday sort of occurrence for me as a traveler. I explained my job and all that. Then she asked me if I had my own house or just literally traveled all the time. Seriously? Wow. Well, the loser factor just increased.

So, sweet. A waitress feels sorry for me. This travel season is starting off about as well as it could.

On the Road Again....

Today is my first day back on the road. Well, I don't actually leave until say noon-ish today, but this should be a great week.

I scheduled light, so that I could ease my way back into the swing of travel life. My easing hasn't been so smooth though. I'm not really packed yet, I have to stop at the bank and the post office, and and my fleet car is not filled up with gas. Sweet. Oh well. I am trying my hardest to keep a positive attitude about this travel season. I started off dreading it, but you know, it might be kind of fun. Last season wasn't horrible, it was just a season. And so too will this one be.

So wish me luck as I brave the weather, snow, and a different fleet car that usual (which has reportedly had previous transmission troubles), and head up north. And please, please give me a hug next time you see me. :)

Just Call Me Picky McPickerson

Maybe I'm just too picky. I don't know. But it is seeming to be more and more difficult to find a new place to live that I really like. I always thought that my perfect place was waiting out there for me at the price I want. Turns out...it's not.

Well, actually, that's not true. It is out there...was. It was out there. But it only took one dumb landlord to really ruin my day. I sure did find my dream rental. I was very impressed with it's overall quality and affordability. It came with lots of extras like a two car attached garage, dishwasher, brand new washer and dryer, central air, deck, big back yard, nice residential neighborhood. And best of all - not available. "Oh, sorry I showed that place to you, and offered to show you a second time, but the tenants changed their minds and will be staying." Yoink. The rug gets yanked from under my firmly planted feet.

So, now the search continues for the perfect place to call home. This sure would be a lot easier if my standards were low...there are lots of places out there if you don't care that you live in a dump.

The Hunt Continues

I'm still in the middle of possibly the widest and most in depth rental property search ever. I'm sure there's a landlord's guild somewhere, where they're all getting together, playing cards with a beer or two, and the table conversation going something like this:

"Are you holding places right now for some prospective tenants?"
"Yeah, actually, one of my best."
"Me too."
"Me too."
"Can I ask who you're holding for?"
"Sure, it's this really annoying woman who asks four million questions and has called me more than once with follow-up questions. And you know, she called the other day for a second viewing...Who does that?"
"You're kidding! I think I'm holding for the same freak!"
"Wait, me too!"
"Is here name Lindsey, by chance?"
"Yep."
"Yeah."
"Uh-huh."
"What a freak."

But I've decided I just don't care. I will find the most interesting place to live in Platteville for the best price. And, you know what else? It probably won't be the listed price either. Never settle for listed price. Monthly rent is always negotiable. :)

My latest prospect is a little unique space near downtown. Possibly the strangest, but could-be-cutest place ever. You walk into an "L" shaped living room, followed by a small front bedroom. Then there's a really wide hallway leading back to the kitchen, bathroom, and other bedroom that is definitely wide enough to put a dining set in. The kitchen is small, but there is a walk-in pantry-fun! And the master bedroom has a walk-in closet. Oh, and did I mention there's a full basement with laundry that is clean! So, pretty much, it's weird, and cool, and strange all in one wonderful package. So we'll see. I'll keep you posted. I have to call the landlord back for a second visit to take measurements and check shower water pressure and such important things. Hee hee.

Grad School: Take Two

Back about a year ago, if you recall, I went through a round of applications to a few graduate schools and couldn't nail down the perfect opportunity, so I aptly withdrew my applications. I decided that I just wasn't ready for the move to graduate school. But after nearly a year in the workforce, I'm quickly realizing that I will not be able to move up any chain of command without a higher level degree...which, strange. I thought that a bachelor's degree was a fairly high degree...but schmee. Whatever.

So I once again plunge into another application process for another grad school. This situation, though, does seem to be exactly what I'm looking for. UW-La Crosse has a brand new all online grad program which means I get to keep working full-time and take classes at an almost full-time pace. How exciting!

Please stop me if I've written a post about this already. I don't think I have, but frankly, I'm too lazy to check.

So wish me luck on my second attempt at greatness...or something like that.

Oh, and on a completely unrelated note, I could be a realtor if this whole student affairs thing falls through. This weekend I drove around for several hours taking photos and collecting contact information on many different rental properties in town. I am working on finding the best bang for my buck which means a deep and wide scale search of every property just for good measure. You never know what hidden gems are just waiting to be found.

And then do you know what happens? I get to go furniture shopping! And that is possibly the most exciting news of all.