Chop Chop

Last year was intense. I was working (in the actual building) almost 12 hours a day. I was skipping lunches, working through my plan, and forgetting bathroom breaks. I would spend my evenings checking email and stressing about my to do list for the next day. If I had a free evening, I would argue whether I should just lay and rest or work out because I needed it. There's other things that I shouldn't post about (but you can always ask- it's pretty juicy), that made last school year just seem like the year that wouldn't end.

But that was last year.

This year, I am actually eating lunch. I'm leaving early and getting work outs in. I'm happy. I've got a schedule that allows for me to do library things during the day instead of waiting until Friday night. I'm not tutoring, working the magnet committee, or adding anything huge to my plate.

When things change in my life, I feel the need to chop off the old and start fresh, so last Friday I went and got another 3 inches chopped off. That's in addition to the 3 inches I cut off in June. I lost my long ponytail and sock bun hair, but now I feel lighter and that's all that matters.

Graduate School Year 2

Or Year 6. This could be Year 6 depending how you look at it.

Miles starts classes on Wednesday, but things are already back in full swing for the both of us. He had a great trip to Argentina.  He saw lots of rocks and ate lots of beef. Maybe I can get him to write a post? I started work again a few weeks ago, but between inservice and my summer project, it seems like I've been working much longer.

It's unnecessary to say that we're busy, but we're busy. This past weekend we took the two days to ourselves, to get resettled after Miles' long trip, but the upcoming months are filling with fun activities, trips, and hopefully camping! I love our adventures.

Hopefully it won't be another three weeks before I update. I've been promising Miles that I would be better at keeping up with my blog, so fingers crossed I actually do so.

Destination: Beach (again!)

Went to St. Augustine with a friend and it was marvelous. Beautiful weather, great food, and lots of talking. I've been home for a few days and I'm already wishing to go back.

Destination: City

The Fourth of July was spent in Virginia with my family. Miles, my brother, and my bro's gf, and I braved the D.C. crowds to watch the fireworks from Memorial Mall. They were fabulous, but it was even more fun to people watch. It was a short trip, but I was also able to help my mom pick berries and make about 20 jars of blackberry jam! And yes, that's a Clark sitting next to Miles on our way home. He likes to help navigate when I let him.

Destination: Mountains

This year my mom, sister, and I decided to do a girls-only vacation. I was kind of sad to leave Miles behind, but it was really fun to hang out with just my sister and my mom-- two people I rarely get a chance to see. We spent a couple of days laying around at the pool, shopping, and exploring Denver, However, Colorado is one state we visited a lot growing up. We've done a lot of the usual touristy things in the area, so we added a few day trips to our trip and went to Boulder, Mt. Evans, Estes Park, and Cimarron, NM.

 Pictures: 1. It was weird flying out of Knoxville and not seeing skyscrapers and miles of suburb! 2. Buffalo Burgers in Estes Park 3-5. The Stanley Hotel or better known as the inspiration for Stephen King's The Shining. 6. A whole store for rocks. 7. A beautiful Catholic church that sits on a huge rock outside of Estes Park. 8-15. Views from Idaho Springs and Mt. Evans (a 14er!). It was beautiful and cold! We even saw a little snow fall. 16. Boulder's farmer's marker. Not as good as Knoxville's 17-18. Celestial Seasonings tour in Boulder. The tour guide took a huge group into a room of tea and asked who doesn't like this smell, I was the only one who said no. Despite trying a half dozen different types of teas, I still do no like it. Nope, not even a little. 19. The new Voodoo Doughnuts in Denver. We chowed down on some of their more infamous types. 20. A cat in a stroller. Makes my cat lady ways not seem so bad, huh? 21. Drinks and burgers at Cherry Cricket before heading to a wine and painting class. 21-25. Philmont Scout Ranch was my family's summer vacation place while I was growing up. My sister worked there for a few years and my dad has been teaching summer courses for years. This was my first trip back in 10 years and I loved seeing it again even for just a few hours.

Little Camp in the Woods

A couple of weeks ago, Miles and I went back to where we started. This summer is CRM's 60th anniversary and they have been welcoming staff alumni back with open arms. There are so many things I could say about CRM... so many memories... so many inside jokes... None of which would make sense to you, the reader. Just note that if I ever write a book*, it will be about my summers at Camp Rainey Mountain.

Anyway, our trip was fabulous. We met up with our old group, hiked Big Rock, told the same old jokes, questioned some of BP's newer camp additions, and rocked on the admin's porch. A lot of things were the same: Boys still smelled, camp food still looks gross, Scout Skills still tries to outbuild their own campfires, the hill to the cabin is still a dark climb. However, a lot of things had changed: girls are welcomed on staff, the Trading Post staff listens to rap music and doesn't greet customers, kids carry around cell phones, and the parade field is green.

When we visited camp four years ago, I felt weird and out of place. I knew some of the staff, yet I wasn't on staff. It was strange. This time I just felt old, but I didn't feel out of place. Not that I needed the trip to remind me of how good my life is, but the trip back reminded me that I am exactly where I'm supposed to be in life.

*I former coworker, who considers herself an extremely spiritual person, has told me on numerous occasions that I am more than just Viktoria the Book Whisperer.  She sees me as a writer and "knows" that I will one day write something that others will want to read.

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Miles has been mentioning this blog for the past few months. He wants me to start writing again, so I'm going to attempt bringing it back.

Destination: Beach

Miles and I are adventure vacationers. Since getting married we've explored Mackinac Island; Arches National Park; Southwestern Colorado; New Mexico; Savannah, GA; New York City; Indianapolis; the Seattle area; and countless national and state parks. When we go on vacation, we tend to spend the whole time museum hopping, hiking, looking for rocks, and sightseeing. In between all of the fun, we seek out the best restaurants and eat our way through vacation. We always have a blast and the vacation is usually a spring board for our next vacation.

At Christmas, we went to Seattle and had a fabulous time. We did our usual adventure stuff, but because of the holiday, we also had a chance to relax and just really soak up our vacation time. After Seattle, I thought of nothing but a beach vacation... A whole week of soaking in vitamin D, reading, and sleeping.

It felt a little weird to do a beach vacation and up until the day we left, I had my doubts. I kept imagining Portland, Maine; the Redwood forest; and the Grand Tetons. I looked up last minute flight deals to Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and anywhere else other than Florida. Because if I should be taking a vacation, it should be an adventure.

Now, I couldn't imagine visiting someplace else (okay, I can, but...).  I spent over 5 hours a day playing in the sand and in the waves, reading, sleeping, and just watching the water. I thought for sure Miles would be bored, but he enjoyed some much needed downtime, too. I might not have been an adventure, but it sure was a vacation.