Our weekend started out on a very promising note: Mitch interviewed with National City in the morning and since I was able to get the afternoon off, we were north-bound by 3 pm with bikes in tow. Our car was packed with camping gear and even an accident-induced traffic jam on 127 North couldn't dampen our spirits.
After a couple hours, we arrived in Grayling and fought our way through town (I guess there was some big canoeing event) to Hanson Hills Ski Area: the first stop on our weekend-long tour of trails in the Grayling-Gaylord areas. The plan was to ride HH, stop for a swim at the Otsego Lake State Park, and then head up to the Pigeon River State Forest Campground just north of Gaylord. From there, we planned to ride Shingle Mill Pathway in the Pigeon River State Forest and Aspen Park in Gaylord, and then hit Hartwick Pines State Park in Grayling on our way back on Sunday. Plans plan plans...
Anyway, the ride at HH was great! Since we hadn't had dinner yet, Mitch made me eat one of those nasty Clif bars, and as we climbed hill after hill in the first few miles, it sat at the bottom of my stomach like a brick. My legs ached, my lungs burned, and I barely had the energy to appreciate my beautiful surroundings. Eventually, though, my legs and lungs remembered how to work and I began to enjoy the thrill of the fast downhills. As for the uphills, well, I got a song stuck in my head that helped motivate me as I continued to grind them out:
I use what I got, take what I get,
Give 'til I ain't got nothin' left
Then I give it some more,
Keep on climbin' up that mountain.
Keep truckin' along, work up a sweat,
Past every no after no after no 'til I get a yes,
I don't worry 'bout what I'm not,
I use what I got.
Apart from the awful grammar, country artist Jason Aldean pretty much summed up the determination I need to ride these tough trails!
Eight or so miles later, we were back at the trailhead, packing up the car and trying to dry our sweaty, stinky gloves. We took a nice dip at the Otsego Lake State Park in lieu of a bath, but by the time we got gas and drove back to the park so I could retrieve my forgotten sunglasses, it was raining. As we were not too keen on setting up camp in the rain, we stopped at La Senorita in Gaylord for a disappointing dinner, then continued our drive up to Pigeon River. Our worries about not finding a campsite there were unfounded (no reservations at state forest campgrounds); the place was deserted. We lit the lantern, paid our fee, set up camp...and now I digress for a confession:
I've seen too many horror movies, watched too many episodes of Unsolved Mysteries, and am generally a 'fraidy cat when it comes to dark, unfamiliar places in the middle of nowhere. I kept telling myself to knock it off as I constantly scanned the woods with my headlamp, but by the time we crawled into our tent, I couldn't help mentioning to Mitch that it was a little creepy being the only people here. Had he reassured me, I would've spent a restless night in our tent with my fears to myself, but he agreed that yes, it was a bit uncomfortable...
...so we promptly packed up and left. Just like that. We thought we could just get a cheap hotel for the night and try our luck at some of the other campgrounds the next day. Little did we know that every hotel in Gaylord was booked for some Little League tournament, and Grayling was packed for the canoe event! So, by midnight on Friday, we were on the road back to Mt. Pleasant. I was disappointed that our weekend hadn't worked out, and for better or for worse, I'm now convinced that reservations must be made, and that one should be a bit familiar with a specific state forest campground before assuming that a walk-in in the middle of the night is a good idea.
Maybe God puts you where you need to be, though, rather than where you want to be. When we stopped in Houghton Lake to get drinks for the drive home, we saw a clearly intoxicated man get into an SUV and prepare to drive away. We called 911 and gave them a description of the car and its license plate number. Maybe we got a drunk driver off the road, and if so, it was worth not having the weekend we planned.
And all was not lost, biking-wise. We explored the Midland City Forest on Saturday and rode Burchfield in Lansing on Sunday. We also got through large chunks of our respective Harry Potter books and spent some time with Bruce and his girlfriend, Lizzie. We do hope to resurrect this trip again in the fall, though we'll be making other arrangements for camping next time.
"So take this broken offering and make me whole,
Set my feet upon the road that leads me home,
let me walk as one fixed upon the goal,
even though I've got a thousand miles to go..."
Set my feet upon the road that leads me home,
let me walk as one fixed upon the goal,
even though I've got a thousand miles to go..."
Monday, July 30, 2007
Monday, July 23, 2007
Notre Dame Weekend
Visiting Miriam this past weekend at Notre Dame was awesome! We had a great time mountain biking, relaxing at the lake, shopping and just hanging out. The mountain bike trail we rode on Saturday morning, Rum Village, was really cool. It had a short beginner loop, an intermediate loop, and an advanced loop. It took us awhile to find the advanced loop, and we didn't ride the whole thing, but it was tons of fun. I fell off a small bridge but luckily did no damage to my body or - more importantly - to my bike!
In other biking-related news, we are planning a weekend of Northern Michigan biking. We're thinking about going up to Gaylord and camping at Pigeon River to ride Shingle Mill and Aspen Park. While we're there, we'll also probably go down to Grayling and ride Hanson Hills and maybe one other place. Another option is to head south to the Kalamazoo area and hit up Fort Custer and some other small places. We're still working out the details, but biking is definitely going to be the focus of our weekend!
And there is progress on the job front for Mitch! He has two interviews: one this week with National City in Haslett and another next week with Dart Container Corporation in Mason. I'm so thankful that he's at least getting interviews...obviously we want one of these to pan out for him, but I'm taking it one step at a time. That's hard for me, because I want to be able to start figuring out where we will be living this fall: Mt. Pleasant, St. Johns, house, apartment...will the big change fall before, during or after travel season...if it's during travel, how is that going to work out with me in Southeastern Michigan all fall...obviously this is a source of stress for me, but I think I'm handling it well by trying not to think about it too much and relying on God to set the timing for us.
And by the way, two weekends ago we had to cancel out hiking trip with Matt and Becky because Matt got stuck in Philly longer than expected. Boo! But we're hoping to do a fall trip when the colors are at their best.
OK, back to work for me. Sometimes it's so hard to get going on Monday...
In other biking-related news, we are planning a weekend of Northern Michigan biking. We're thinking about going up to Gaylord and camping at Pigeon River to ride Shingle Mill and Aspen Park. While we're there, we'll also probably go down to Grayling and ride Hanson Hills and maybe one other place. Another option is to head south to the Kalamazoo area and hit up Fort Custer and some other small places. We're still working out the details, but biking is definitely going to be the focus of our weekend!
And there is progress on the job front for Mitch! He has two interviews: one this week with National City in Haslett and another next week with Dart Container Corporation in Mason. I'm so thankful that he's at least getting interviews...obviously we want one of these to pan out for him, but I'm taking it one step at a time. That's hard for me, because I want to be able to start figuring out where we will be living this fall: Mt. Pleasant, St. Johns, house, apartment...will the big change fall before, during or after travel season...if it's during travel, how is that going to work out with me in Southeastern Michigan all fall...obviously this is a source of stress for me, but I think I'm handling it well by trying not to think about it too much and relying on God to set the timing for us.
And by the way, two weekends ago we had to cancel out hiking trip with Matt and Becky because Matt got stuck in Philly longer than expected. Boo! But we're hoping to do a fall trip when the colors are at their best.
OK, back to work for me. Sometimes it's so hard to get going on Monday...
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Excitement at Alma College
Yes, we're bringing in the LARGEST CLASS EVER at 450 incoming students and counting (and yes, we do have room to house them). You probably already knew that. But I thought I'd take a moment to update you on some other changes to Alma's campus:
1. The Admissions staff has grown so much that we need more space, so we're taking over the entire Reid-Knox Building! Jerry Scoby and President Tracy's offices will remain here, but the Business Office is moving out in a couple of weeks so a construction crew can come in a reconfigure most of the building to accommodate additional office space and another small conference room. Along with this, we're getting all new matching furniture for our brand new offices! Construction has already begun: they're renovating our bathrooms and that means I'm displaced from my office so they can knock out one of my walls to expand the women's restroom. Therefore, I'm moving to the basement of the library until my new office space is ready, which will probably be in October.
So where is the Business Office going?
2. The Business Office, Registrar's Office, and Financial Aid Office are all moving to the basement of Saga and taking over the space previously used by the Center for Student Development. Crews gutted the area last month and are renovating it as I write. This makes it a "one-stop-shop" kind of thing down there.
So where is the Center going?
3. The Center is downsizing it's operations to include only personal counseling, and they will be moving to the Med Shed. On a related note, the Med Shed is now being run by the local hospital, Gratiot Medical, in hopes of improving service and streamlining services provided by the hospital.
So what about all that other stuff the Center did, like career placement, tutoring and learning disabilities?
4. Well, we all know the Center never did a fabulous job on things like career placement, but that's slated to improve with the addition of a new office called the Transitions Office. Headed by a woman very active in the Alma community (Ginna Holmes, if any of you worked with her through the Alma After-School Program or the Alma Community Center) and staffed with two other administrators yet-to-be-hired, the Transitions Office will improve career placement services and take over tutoring and learning disabilities services. This office will live in the basement of the library, where the International/Off-Campus Studies Office currently resides. Actually, the functions of that office will be absorbed by the Transitions Office to put some more structure and support around study abroad and internship programs.
There must be more!
5. Eventually, IT will move from first floor SAC to the basement of the library, in the places vacated by the Registrar and Financial Aid. That's not in the immediate plans; everything else is scheduled to be completed by the time school begins in the fall. Now, whether that will happen or not is anyone's guess, but I'm excited that it's actually beginning!
1. The Admissions staff has grown so much that we need more space, so we're taking over the entire Reid-Knox Building! Jerry Scoby and President Tracy's offices will remain here, but the Business Office is moving out in a couple of weeks so a construction crew can come in a reconfigure most of the building to accommodate additional office space and another small conference room. Along with this, we're getting all new matching furniture for our brand new offices! Construction has already begun: they're renovating our bathrooms and that means I'm displaced from my office so they can knock out one of my walls to expand the women's restroom. Therefore, I'm moving to the basement of the library until my new office space is ready, which will probably be in October.
So where is the Business Office going?
2. The Business Office, Registrar's Office, and Financial Aid Office are all moving to the basement of Saga and taking over the space previously used by the Center for Student Development. Crews gutted the area last month and are renovating it as I write. This makes it a "one-stop-shop" kind of thing down there.
So where is the Center going?
3. The Center is downsizing it's operations to include only personal counseling, and they will be moving to the Med Shed. On a related note, the Med Shed is now being run by the local hospital, Gratiot Medical, in hopes of improving service and streamlining services provided by the hospital.
So what about all that other stuff the Center did, like career placement, tutoring and learning disabilities?
4. Well, we all know the Center never did a fabulous job on things like career placement, but that's slated to improve with the addition of a new office called the Transitions Office. Headed by a woman very active in the Alma community (Ginna Holmes, if any of you worked with her through the Alma After-School Program or the Alma Community Center) and staffed with two other administrators yet-to-be-hired, the Transitions Office will improve career placement services and take over tutoring and learning disabilities services. This office will live in the basement of the library, where the International/Off-Campus Studies Office currently resides. Actually, the functions of that office will be absorbed by the Transitions Office to put some more structure and support around study abroad and internship programs.
There must be more!
5. Eventually, IT will move from first floor SAC to the basement of the library, in the places vacated by the Registrar and Financial Aid. That's not in the immediate plans; everything else is scheduled to be completed by the time school begins in the fall. Now, whether that will happen or not is anyone's guess, but I'm excited that it's actually beginning!
Monday, July 09, 2007
Refreshed
I was way burned out going into the weekend, but after doing pretty much nothing at the Silver Lake Sand Dunes but riding around in the Blazer and getting burned on the beach, plus getting a good, full night's sleep in my own bed, I think I'm all recharged. The knowledge that we're not leaving the Mt. Pleasant/Alma area until Saturday helps, too.
There are few updates on our two biggest projects: Mitch's job search and our grad school search. Mitch has many applications out but no interviews yet. I have had one good conversation with a rep from Northwood regarding their MBA program, and I plan to visit within the month. I've started my app and personal statement, but I don't think we'll be in a position to make a decision about grad school until Mitch gets a new job and our location is determined.
Other than that, nothing much is new. This weekend's adventure: hiking with Matt and Becky! I hope to have some photos to post after that.
There are few updates on our two biggest projects: Mitch's job search and our grad school search. Mitch has many applications out but no interviews yet. I have had one good conversation with a rep from Northwood regarding their MBA program, and I plan to visit within the month. I've started my app and personal statement, but I don't think we'll be in a position to make a decision about grad school until Mitch gets a new job and our location is determined.
Other than that, nothing much is new. This weekend's adventure: hiking with Matt and Becky! I hope to have some photos to post after that.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Need a nap...
We've been caught in a whirlwind of activity lately! Let's see, to catch up, we spent June 22-24 camping in the Leelanau State Park with Adrienne, a friend from high school, and her boyfriend Kyle. It was fun and good to spend time with her, but he's kind of weird and I definitely like trips with my college friends better.
Now for the Fourth of July fun:
Saturday: After Mitch finished work, we went down to Lansing to hang out with Bruce. We biked Burchfield and went out to dinner at Mitchell's Fish Market, then ended up staying the night there.
Sunday: Drove home from Lansing, repacked the car and headed out to Lake Mecosta for the Ribitch family party. The boys (which means every young person but Kristy and me) made heavy contributions to the completion of almost two kegs of beer, but the sad thing is that they were all in bed before all the parents! We all set up tents so we could just stay the night and hang out the next day.
Monday: Took the day off work so we could recover. Started with a refreshing early-morning swim, then went golfing. Actually, I didn't golf: I just rode in the cart and watched everyone else play the back nine at Meceola Country Club, where Ray and his brother, Scott, work. Went swimming again after lunch, and then headed home.
Tuesday: Work. Blah.
Wednesday: Drove up to Lake City for the tail end of The Greatest Fourth in the North. Bruce and his new girlfriend, Lizzie, came with us and we had a great day! We showed some youngsters (read: college students) how Ultimate Frisbee should really be played, but when I say "we" I mean Mitch, Bruce and Jon. They were unstoppable! And of course, we stayed for the fireworks, which is why I am so ridiculously tired as I sit here at work.
Plans for this weekend: Silver Lake Sand Dunes! That's right, it's time for another Redneck Weekend, and if I weren't so sleepy, I would be pretty excited. As it stands right now, the only thing exciting is the thought of lunch at noon and the possibility of taking a little nap at the park on my break...
Now for the Fourth of July fun:
Saturday: After Mitch finished work, we went down to Lansing to hang out with Bruce. We biked Burchfield and went out to dinner at Mitchell's Fish Market, then ended up staying the night there.
Sunday: Drove home from Lansing, repacked the car and headed out to Lake Mecosta for the Ribitch family party. The boys (which means every young person but Kristy and me) made heavy contributions to the completion of almost two kegs of beer, but the sad thing is that they were all in bed before all the parents! We all set up tents so we could just stay the night and hang out the next day.
Monday: Took the day off work so we could recover. Started with a refreshing early-morning swim, then went golfing. Actually, I didn't golf: I just rode in the cart and watched everyone else play the back nine at Meceola Country Club, where Ray and his brother, Scott, work. Went swimming again after lunch, and then headed home.
Tuesday: Work. Blah.
Wednesday: Drove up to Lake City for the tail end of The Greatest Fourth in the North. Bruce and his new girlfriend, Lizzie, came with us and we had a great day! We showed some youngsters (read: college students) how Ultimate Frisbee should really be played, but when I say "we" I mean Mitch, Bruce and Jon. They were unstoppable! And of course, we stayed for the fireworks, which is why I am so ridiculously tired as I sit here at work.
Plans for this weekend: Silver Lake Sand Dunes! That's right, it's time for another Redneck Weekend, and if I weren't so sleepy, I would be pretty excited. As it stands right now, the only thing exciting is the thought of lunch at noon and the possibility of taking a little nap at the park on my break...
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