February Break!

So I've just returned to Buffalo after spending the week back in Michigan. It was a nice visit, and I ended up doing a lot more than I expected and seeing more as well, which was really nice.

First off, the bus ride from Buffalo to Detroit was pretty intense. There was a snowstorm from Buffalo to Toledo, and so the bus was going maybe 30 mph instead of the normal 65. Also, there was a couple (I am pretty sure they were Somalian) with a baby on the bus, and they didn't know any English. They were trying to get to Chicago, and when the bus made a stop in Ohio someplace, the man got out to ask whether they were in Chicago. The driver got upset and sternly said "This isn't Chicago, Get back on the bus!" I felt bad for the couple. They didn't know English and were going to a place they probably had never been to.

So I used my handy dandy space phone. I used google translator (how handy!) and wrote down what I knew of the trip and when I predicted they were to arrive in Chicago. Thankfully, the guy was able to read Arabic. I don't know how else I could have explained what was going on. It made me feel better that I knew they understood (at least somewhat) what to expect from their travels.

Anyways, I got to my parents house with no problems other than bus delays, I saw family all day the next day, and ate some really good Middle Eastern Cuisine. YUM! 

I saw my friend Kim (who I worked at the Battle Creek OEC with) the day after that. We met up in Ann Arbor, and it was a lot of fun! We went ice skating, then at lunch at Dimo's -- which is a really great diner and everyone going to Ann Arbor should check that place out. The owner of Dimo's is really personal with his customers, and SUPER funny. After eating lunch at Dimo's, Kim and I went sledding at a golf course area. Those hills were INTENSE, let me tell you. There were good sized hills there, and the hills were pretty icy and had packed snow, which made for a pretty crazy ride down. It was nice.

I also saw my friend Ana another day, and it was great to catch up with her. She is a great longtime friend of mine. We've known each other since 10th grade -- which is a long time! I'm glad I still keep in contact with her. Hopefully she'll be able to visit me here in Buffalo.

Other than that, I ran some errands while I was at home, and played some trivia with my dad. It was a nice relaxing time at home, and I hope that my next visit to Michigan is as good as that.

Now I'm off to get paperwork ready for the coming week, and to figure out what exactly I'll be doing. I have this feeling this week is going to be a bit CRAZY, so looking forward to that!

Say hello to 2015!

Okay. So I know the title to this blog doesn't quite fit in with the time I am writing this. It is already mid-February in 2015, so "hello" should have been said a month and a half ago.

My. Bad.

So the last time I wrote in this blog was the beginning of summer 2014. A LOT has happened from then until now. First off, I spent the summer doing Summer In the City, which was part of my AmeriCorps program. We took the kids that were part of our program to various places around Buffalo on field trips -- which included a bunch of things such as indoor rock climbing, sailing on Lake Erie, going to a local baseball game, going to a Bills Football game, seeing the Genessee County Historical Park, and going to Hidden Valley Animal Adventures Park. The kids loved all of those trips, and so did I. It was a ton of fun, and gave me a chance to see the kids outside of school instead of solely in the classroom. In August, I stayed at Cradle Beach Camp for pretty much the entire month, which was a lot of fun to be honest. I was the leader in the science programming there for 2 camp sessions, and then stayed on to do Kiwanis Camp for 5 days. It made me realize how much I miss the outdoors and how much I miss teaching. So I'm really glad I did it. I met a whole bunch of people there, since there are over 80 staff members/counselors. I don't know if they'll be doing it again in summer 2015, but it'll be great to see some of their faces again in the future.

After my term with AmeriCorps ended, I sort of went on the seasonal job binge. Not on purpose, but I was sort of having a quarter-life crisis. Yeah, yeah. I know. Quarter life crisis -- who has that? But I'm telling you, it's a real thing. I would describe it as a point in your (or someone's) life in which a realization that there is more wanted/needed from life than what is currently present, occurs. Basically, I was having thoughts that I didn't want to move from job to job anymore. I wanted something more permanent, and so wanted to find a place where I could call home for a couple years or so. It used to be somewhere in Wisconsin -- actually, I still like Wisconsin a lot. But I also liked Buffalo a lot. And after being home for a month or so, I am starting to like Michigan a little bit more. It's hard to choose just ONE place to live at for a few years. Plus I still want to travel around.

I just want a lot of things, as you can tell.

So I made the decision to do another year with AmeriCorps. In Buffalo. Again. And I'm really glad that I did. I feel better about what I am doing, and feel that I have a different mindset that is more positively driven. I feel good. Plus, I really missed my kids (not my literal kids) a lot.

So I am now in Buffalo, and I mentor 3rd graders. I'm happy. I just moved into an apartment with two other co-workers on the west side and they're great. We just moved in Superbowl Sunday. We don't really know too many people yet, as everyone in Buffalo pretty much hibernates all of winter. But I know that we'll meet some people real soon. Once things start to warm up, we definitely will.

Oh and I forgot to mention. This year, I made a commitment to not be on social media for a YEAR. Yup. That means no facebook, no instagram, and no social media whatsoever. Well, maybe not all social media. I don't know if this blog is considered social media, but I use it as a sort of journal. In other words, I am not going to count this site as social media. I am also really glad that I deactivated facebook. Who knew that there was so much more to life than facebook? haha I'm just kidding. But for real. I forgot what it's like to not have it. And I feel like there's been a lot of stress lifted from my shoulders, and a lot of negativity removed. It feels good.

I guess this is the year of feeling good. I like that.

The End of One Thing is the Beginning of the Next

So I can't believe it. It's a little less than three weeks before the end of the school year. Time has flown by so fast. These last several weeks have probably flown by the fastest. I have no idea where the month of May went. I feel like June may end up wherever May seems to have gone too. It's crazy.

I last wrote in this blog on February 17th. FEBRUARY. 17TH. Around that time, I was having winter break. Around that time (well around the heavy winter weather time), I ended up going to a pond hockey tournament, ice skating, cross-country skiing, comedy show, and went country line dancing at a local venue.

I also went to a few concerts. USS (Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker) was really great and amazing; the two band members were very personable on stage and played great songs (I would absolutely go to another show!). Twenty One Pilots was also really great, and would be another show I'd be interested in going to as well. The lights and the two band members were all over the place, jumping from one spot to the next, playing the drums on top of the crowd, being RIDICULOUS and AMAZING at the same time! I would go to both of these bands' concerts in a heartbeat.

I ran a 5K Race and did pretty decent. I have another two that I signed up for coming up in the next couple weeks. One is a corporate challenge for work, and another is a fun colorful race. I'm excited for both of those.

I've also volunteered at several places. It feels great to volunteer, especially when it's nice out and it involves the community. I'm not going to lie, there was a spring clean-up day for my community that I partook in that had rainy weather for most of the day (minus the last hour) which was unfortunate. But I talked to some people while we were picking up litter, and it wasn't so bad. It was awesome to plant a couple trees too.

I've learned a lot about Buffalo's history. Regarding the Buffalo River and how it ended up being shaped to better navigate ships that were in the harbor during the boom that occurred here. There are old silos here for all the grain that was once stored still standing today. They're relics of the past and it's AMAZING to see how many of them were used back in the day and how large they were. I also visited the Central Terminal, which is the old train station (currently used for historical tours) that once had 200 trains visiting it EACH DAY. The architecture of the building is amazing. To stand in the middle of the terminal and imagine what it must've been like -- having all those people there, and all the goods passing by -- I would've very much liked to see what it was like back in the 60s before it shut down. You could almost hear all the bustling people moving around while at the terminal. I went to the Lockport Locks at the Erie Canal and learned about how ships carrying goods were transported from a lower portion of the river to a higher portion -- and was able to experience it. I also went to the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site in Buffalo and was able to go back in time while getting a tour of the house and how Theodore Roosevelt came to become president. So much history. So much of what is read in books. It's just amazing to imagine something as it was back in history and see what it is today based on decisions that were made at the time.

So as you have read, I've done a lot these past several months. I've met some new people and have enjoyed spending time with those that I met earlier in the school year. And it being much warmer weather has been great as well. I'm definitely enjoying the sun that has been shining more frequently, and hopefully will enjoy the vegetables that I've planted in the garden that I've created. There are lots of things that I am looking forward to this summer. I'll let you know what I end up doing.

In the City of Wild Wings

So I know you're thinking "What has this girl been doing? She hasn't written on here, or told me anything that's been going on. . .where is she?" Well. Let me TELL you.

I am in the city of wild wings.

Yes. The same city of wild wings that also smells of Cheerios within a 5 mile radius (figuratively) of downtown throughout the day. The same city that is right down the river from one of the most impressive waterfalls located on the eastern side of the U.S.. The same city that has chocolate covered sponge candy located in various stores throughout the area, and also has a very sweet (but oh so good) drink called the Logan Berry.

That's right Ladies and Gentlemen. The area I have described is Buffalo, New York.

I arrived here about mid-September, after I had gotten a job with AmeriCorps located right in the city. I didn't really know what I was getting myself into, come to think of it. The only thing I knew about Buffalo was that it was near Niagara Falls, and that Canada was literally across the river from it.

I am glad that I'm here. At first it was difficult, not going to lie. I didn't know ANYONE here, just moved into an apartment that I found on craigslist with 3 other people I hadn't met or known before, and with no idea of what it was like in the city. But after a few months of ups and downs (mostly ups) and great people that I serve with, I like it.

Maybe it's because it's a new place. Maybe it's because I can discover new things about myself and challenge myself. Maybe it's because I have some freedom that I never really had while working with outdoor/environmental education. I don't know. But I am enjoying the time that I do have right now, and am enjoying the people that I spend that time with. There are days where I do miss the people I've left and I do miss outdoor/environmental education -- but I know that in order to enjoy the present, I have to believe that I will get to see those things/people again in the future. And I will. I know it.

Anyways, I feel like I could write a bit more, but I don't want to explain. So I'll leave it at that. I'll update you on things that I've done or people I've met sometime later. Not too much later, but maybe in the next couple posts.

Until then. Ciao.

CREX CAMP! YEAH!

Hey!

So it's another summer season on the Crex Meadows Property. I love this place seriously. I ended up having a great last week at Nature's Classroom (we had a group at Devils Lake State Park in Baraboo WI), then ended up driving straight to Crex. There's some really cool people working at the camp (Of course Mitch and Suzannah, but also Conner and Zoe too). I think it's going to be a great summer.

When all the campers came in on Sunday, it was like a family reunion. It was so great to see. Everyone was all smiles -- joking and laughing -- I was so AMAZED at all of our connectedness. And everyone is still really tight. We just did some raking on the property. Had some really great conversations about what a few campers have been up to, and what's been going on with their lives. THIS is why I love Crex. Because of all the people.

Also, there's not too many mosquitoes. Which is a definite plus. Gnats are another story, but at least they don't bite all over the place.

I miss Nature's Classroom though. I've learned a lot while I was there. I believe I've gained a lot of confidence since I first started, and have become a stronger leader. I use my words differently, and think of how to approach and assist a student that needs help -- and have them work through the challenge itself without telling them the answer. I also have a lot of memories with the people I worked with and the students that I interacted with -- wayyyyy too many to name here on this blog, but those memories do exist and I loved everything about it. And they've all affected me and molded me into who I am today.

I definitely miss everyone and everything, but I know that goodbye is not forever. It is until next time. I'll see them in the future. Maybe not directly. But I will at some point in the future.

Why, hello again! Long time, no see

Hey! So I just realized that I haven't written in this blog in a VERY long time. It doesn't seem to have been that long but apparently it's already been 3 months. So let me tell you what's been going on with me.

First of all, I have been doing well. I did get sick a couple weeks ago -- feeling very physically exhausted, having an insane cough, feeling like CRAP (I basically slept an entire weekend having a fever the whole time) -- and I just recently got better. My voice is now normal, my cough is minimal, and I do not have a sore throat anymore. The sickness affected two other people in my apartment so all three of us were out of commission that whole weekend. But that wasn't as bad as when half the staff had "The Plague." The plague was actually not the plague but it definitely got a lot of us sick. Now most of us are better and we're crossing our fingers that we do not get sick again. I guess that happens when you work with young children.

There's still snow on the ground. The first day of spring has already passed and we're one of the few lucky ones that still have below freezing temps. Lots of ice is still on the ground, and it's been slippery out. But this past weekend is one of the few days where it doesn't FEEL super cold. It's 30 degrees out right now at 12:20 pm and it's sunny -- so I guess that helps. But I am super excited for spring to get here. I like warm-ish weather (50-70 degrees), and today it just seems like the weather is teasing us.

My friend Scott has his birthday tomorrow (Happy Birthday Scott!) and my friend Mitch's birthday is on Thursday (Happy Birthday Mitch!) and I sent them some cards -- I'm sure they'll love them cuz it matches their personalities (at least I hope). I sure do miss them. I will be seeing Scott though in a couple weeks. I am going to be taking the WFR Recertification course up at Northland, so it'll be nice to see a few friends and to also review some medical procedures.

Sometime in the last month or so, I registered for the color run with some of my coworkers. I'm REALLY excited for that -- I have never ran a 5k before and even though it's a run/walk, I want to be able to run for most of the way. So training for it will commence within the next week or so. It'll be good to run. I miss that feeling you get after running for a bit. But I definitely need to train for it. I haven't run since fall and I know that my lungs cannot be as conditioned as they were before cold and snow prevented me from running. However, it did not prevent some of my coworkers from running (*cough cough* Shari and Andrew *cough*) :) They're all-stars.

I went to a concert on Friday. It was at the Riverside Theater in Milwaukee. I saw a local group called Superhumanoids and they were pretty cool. I couldn't understand some of the words they were singing, but their music was outstanding. It reminded me of an 80s band, but with more electronic beats. It was their first big concert and they were super excited about that. I went with Andrew and Brandon to the concert and we sat up on the balcony for their performance. After their set was finished, Local Natives was to play. We moved from the balcony and went down to the first floor and that was pretty sweet. The whole venue was packed and I ended up seeing a familiar face from Northland there (For any of you Northlanders that remember a lovely lady named E), which was surprising and cool. She totally remembered me and after she had said her name, I remembered her. She looks different, which happens when you don't see a person for 2-3 years.

A few weeks ago, I also went to a concert in the Lake Zurich area where Brandon's friend's bands were playing. One was called Dreamtap, and they're a really cool band -- not a ton of words were sung, but they're a pretty sweet jam band. They kinda reminded me of Pink Floyd, but different at the same time. Also saw a cool band called Lake Shore Vibe, they had more lyrics to songs. Both bands are pretty sweet, so I highly recommend checking them out if you're in the Chicago area.

Alright. I feel like I've stated a lot. Of course there were lots more things and stories that I can say, but these are some of the main ones. Easter is coming up in a week, and hopefully I'll be able to go home for at least I day. If I don't, then I won't be able to see my family until August.

Also, hopefully it won't take me another 3 months to write another blog. I'll try to keep up, but so much happens each week and I get SOO busy, I might not be able to write here weeks at a time. But I can try to write here more often.

Enjoy the week (or weeks) coming up, and I'll write again soon

Holidays And The End of 2012

Well this post is entitled "Holidays And The End Of 2012," but 2012 has not ended. AT LEAST, not yet. I looked over my last blog post and it's been since the end of September that I last wrote here. Which has been 3(ish) months ago.

It doesn't feel that long.

The last few months have gone by so quickly. I can't even explain all that I did...well...because I did a lot. And I don't remember all of them, or will miss many of the little things when explaining.

But what I can say is this -- Snow has come to the southeast area of Wisconsin (and the southeast area of Michigan as a matter-of-fact -- and the autumn season is past. I left Wisconsin a few days before Christmas. Of course I visited a couple friends in Eau Claire and then spent a day visiting some state parks and exploring (Devils Lake is fantastic and I would for sure go again!) before heading over to the Detroit area. Met up with a friend in the Royal Oak area (had a ridiculous and eventful time), and saw many family members over Christmas that I have not seen in a while. It was probably the best Christmas that I had in a really long time, just because of how we all came together. Last Christmas, I spent the holiday with my sister and her family in Florida and that was wonderful as well, but this Holiday I was around multiple family members that I've grown up with. Talking together, seeing them -- it was like we were very close.

I've been relaxing this holiday break (and sleeping an insane amount too!), and it feels nice. But I also feel unproductive. Maybe it's because I haven't done much work, haven't kept busy, haven't been on the GO for the whole day. I don't really know the answer. But I have slowly been getting restless. I NEED to do something.

So. I've decided that I am just going to go out and explore. Maybe visit the DIA (haven't been there since...I don't even remember). Go ice skating. Build a snowman (now that Michigan has the snow). Go to a New Years Eve thing somewhere. Who knows? I have lots of options, and I better make them count.

And take photos too. Can't forget those.

Oh and maybe some people too. Definitely can't forget them.

Anyways, just want to send out an early Happy New Years (in case I get too distracted from exploring). I hope that whatever you all do, you have fun. Spend it with friends, family, strangers -- whoever you want. Drive safely (lots of crazy people out on the road that time of year), and enjoy the last bit of time left of 2012!

Until next year! Adios!