We're both done with the GMAT. Mitch did well, but I didn't perform quite as I had hoped. With all the studying and the good scores on the practice exams, I anticipated a much better score, but the math section was ridiculously hard - much harder than anything on the practice exams. Still, I'm thankful for all your thoughts and prayers, everyone!
Also disappointing was our first beach volleyball game on Tuesday. Mitch, Ray, Kristy, Gabe and I are in the advanced league because Kristy's schedule conflicted with the intermediate league, and we lost both our first games: one to a team of two. Yes, two girls beat us, though they were CMU volleyball players. Many of the folks we met at open gym this winter are on teams, and by the looks of it all those teams are going to school us royally. So, Tim and Courtney, you're not missing much over in these parts!
On a brighter note, I spruced up our balcony with some potted plants: yellow zinneas, pink morning glories, blue heliotrope, basil, a tomato plant, and a hanging basket full of multicolored impatiens. When they start to bloom (or bear fruit) I'll post some pictures...I don't really have a green thumb, but last year's plants were a success and I anticipate the same this summer.
And finally, we have "a weekend full of nothing to do at all...yeehaw!" The forecasted rain means that we're tanking our tentative plans to camp in Grayling and do a mountain bike race at Hanson Hills and hanging out in Mt. P instead. It will be a good opportunity for Mitch to buckle down on his job search, so he can get out of the increasingly difficult situation at the bank. Not to be greedy, but prayers that an opportunity will present itself would be greatly appreciated!
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Memorial Day Lessons
Here's to the most eventful Memorial Day weekend in memory! Of course, every weekend at Jon's is full of great experiences and stories...but here's what I learned this time around:
#1: I must be a hippie pot smoker in denial, because all climbers, mountain bikers and wakeboarders smoke the reefer.
#2: Breakfast at Jon's is always excessive: think pancakes or French toast, hash browns, bacon, sausage and scrambled eggs, every single morning. And a word to the wise: adding chocolate chips to whole grain pancakes doesn't really make them taste much better.
#3: Sometimes you just need three nights in a row of excessive drinking. You'll be crowned That Girl by the end, but maybe it's worth it because you realize you have friends that will take care of you 'til sunrise. (And no, this was not me - I couldn't handle that much craziness!)
#4: Vasa is the coolest mountain biking trail, and what I lack in endurance can be compensated for with a bit of technical skill and a lot of pushing it to the edge. And at the end of the ride, there's nothing like a passion fruit margarita to rehydrate!
#5: SPF 4 just doesn't do the trick.
Mitch takes the GMAT today, and mine is scheduled for tomorrow. Wahoo...I'm mostly just ready to not do math problems each night, and to have it over. Tonight is also our first sand volleyball game, followed by the season finale of House. I really should take another practice test instead of gorging on homemade popcorn with Ray and Kristy, but maybe I can get out of work early and do one before the game.
#1: I must be a hippie pot smoker in denial, because all climbers, mountain bikers and wakeboarders smoke the reefer.
#2: Breakfast at Jon's is always excessive: think pancakes or French toast, hash browns, bacon, sausage and scrambled eggs, every single morning. And a word to the wise: adding chocolate chips to whole grain pancakes doesn't really make them taste much better.
#3: Sometimes you just need three nights in a row of excessive drinking. You'll be crowned That Girl by the end, but maybe it's worth it because you realize you have friends that will take care of you 'til sunrise. (And no, this was not me - I couldn't handle that much craziness!)
#4: Vasa is the coolest mountain biking trail, and what I lack in endurance can be compensated for with a bit of technical skill and a lot of pushing it to the edge. And at the end of the ride, there's nothing like a passion fruit margarita to rehydrate!
#5: SPF 4 just doesn't do the trick.
Mitch takes the GMAT today, and mine is scheduled for tomorrow. Wahoo...I'm mostly just ready to not do math problems each night, and to have it over. Tonight is also our first sand volleyball game, followed by the season finale of House. I really should take another practice test instead of gorging on homemade popcorn with Ray and Kristy, but maybe I can get out of work early and do one before the game.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Monday, May 21, 2007
ZOO-DE-MACKINAC
What a weekend! The pictures can tell the story:
On the damp, slightly chilly Saturday morning, the guys departed from Boyne Highlands to ride approximately 27 miles along the Lake Michigan shore, through the scenic Tunnel of Trees, and into Cross Village...
...where they met up with Miriam and me. We joined the riders for the final 24 miles of the trip: a much flatter, gentler, if slightly less pretty ride. An hour and a half later...
...we arrived in Mackinaw City, thankful for our matching Adidas sweatbands yet not quite as exhausted as we anticipated. I still had energy for...
...Oatmeal Cookie shots on Mackinac Island with Adrienne and her friend Amber, who also participated in the ride. While we optimistically planned to party the night away until the last ferry back to the mainland at 2 am...
...we ended up leaving the Mustang Lounge - the greatest bar on the Island - at 9:30 pm to catch the 10 pm ferry back. It was a great day, and I look forward to next year when I will tackle all 51 miles!
Update: You can see more pictures at http://photos.yahoo.com/skibunny11282!
On the damp, slightly chilly Saturday morning, the guys departed from Boyne Highlands to ride approximately 27 miles along the Lake Michigan shore, through the scenic Tunnel of Trees, and into Cross Village...
...where they met up with Miriam and me. We joined the riders for the final 24 miles of the trip: a much flatter, gentler, if slightly less pretty ride. An hour and a half later...
...we arrived in Mackinaw City, thankful for our matching Adidas sweatbands yet not quite as exhausted as we anticipated. I still had energy for...
...Oatmeal Cookie shots on Mackinac Island with Adrienne and her friend Amber, who also participated in the ride. While we optimistically planned to party the night away until the last ferry back to the mainland at 2 am...
...we ended up leaving the Mustang Lounge - the greatest bar on the Island - at 9:30 pm to catch the 10 pm ferry back. It was a great day, and I look forward to next year when I will tackle all 51 miles!
Update: You can see more pictures at http://photos.yahoo.com/skibunny11282!
Monday, May 14, 2007
Mother's Day
Mitch and I had a lovely Mother's Day with his parents. They joined us for church, where they got to meet our friends Chris andMegan, and Mason, our soon-to-be godson. Then we enjoyed a killer brunch: crepes with homemade custard and berries, quiche, fresh strawberries, and bacon prepared with our patented grill technique. (Yes, preparing this required cooking for quite a few hours on Saturday morning.) With full stomachs, we traveled to Dow Gardens to experience spring in all its glory. Just the scent of the flowers and the sun on my face made it perfect, not to mention all the colors! Here are some photos from our afternoon:
Mitch and his mom
In addition to Sunday's festivities, we had an awesome Saturday, starting with a mountain bike outing in Lansing. Despite the effects of the previous night, Bruce joined us at Burchfield for a sweet ride. That trail is way different than Island Lake or Brighton Rec, my two usual trails. This one is really twisty-turny, with lots of log piles to ride over and some other obstacles that I usually avoid (especially after witnessing Bruce's endo!). I only hit one tree, but had many other close calls. After the ride, we went back to Bruce's place, made dinner, and watched a movie before heading back to Mt. P.
One more item before I actually start working for the day: I took a practice GMAT last night and rocked the verbal section! Overall, my score was pretty decent but I need a ton of work in the math if I want to up it. My new strategy is to make flashcards (yes, flashcards) with some basic algebra concepts so I don't have to guess as much when it comes to exponents, functions, ratios and probability.
Mitch and his mom
In addition to Sunday's festivities, we had an awesome Saturday, starting with a mountain bike outing in Lansing. Despite the effects of the previous night, Bruce joined us at Burchfield for a sweet ride. That trail is way different than Island Lake or Brighton Rec, my two usual trails. This one is really twisty-turny, with lots of log piles to ride over and some other obstacles that I usually avoid (especially after witnessing Bruce's endo!). I only hit one tree, but had many other close calls. After the ride, we went back to Bruce's place, made dinner, and watched a movie before heading back to Mt. P.
One more item before I actually start working for the day: I took a practice GMAT last night and rocked the verbal section! Overall, my score was pretty decent but I need a ton of work in the math if I want to up it. My new strategy is to make flashcards (yes, flashcards) with some basic algebra concepts so I don't have to guess as much when it comes to exponents, functions, ratios and probability.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Courtney-style :)
Work: I've been remiss in posting the great news here - on Monday we hit 400 net deposits, and they keep rolling in! It looks like we should have a phenomenal incoming class thanks to all the hard work across campus. To celebrate, my coworkers and I hit the Braveheart on Monday evening and had a grand time.
Weekends: We're trying to bike as much as we can to get ready for the Zoo-de-Mackinac in a week and a half. Last weekend we rode at Island Lake, but Mitch broke his seatpost so he only did 9 miles while Bobby and I did about 13. I felt great, and I hope we can ride again on Saturday, possibly at Lansing's Burchfield.
GMAT: This lovely exam is scheduled for May 30, and I am completely overwhelmed by the amount of studying needed for the math section! Luckily, The GMAT for Dummies has given me some good ratio and probability tricks (I was never particularly good at those types of problems, anyway) and the geometry review rekindled a bit of knowledge. By the way, does anyone know what a units digit is?
And that's what's occupying my mind - later!
Weekends: We're trying to bike as much as we can to get ready for the Zoo-de-Mackinac in a week and a half. Last weekend we rode at Island Lake, but Mitch broke his seatpost so he only did 9 miles while Bobby and I did about 13. I felt great, and I hope we can ride again on Saturday, possibly at Lansing's Burchfield.
GMAT: This lovely exam is scheduled for May 30, and I am completely overwhelmed by the amount of studying needed for the math section! Luckily, The GMAT for Dummies has given me some good ratio and probability tricks (I was never particularly good at those types of problems, anyway) and the geometry review rekindled a bit of knowledge. By the way, does anyone know what a units digit is?
And that's what's occupying my mind - later!
Thursday, May 03, 2007
This sure rings true!
In addition to lunch breaks that could be case studies in sexual harrassment, working in Admissions does have its funny moments. This article sounds like most of my students!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)