After an awesome long weekend, I managed to catch this yucky sore-throat-congestion-bug that kept me up for quite awhile last night and has now pinned me to the couch. It really stinks...I have lots to do at work but I know I need to take care of myself.
So about this great weekend: I did have to go to class on Friday and Saturday (not so swell) but we went out to dinner at the South Lyon Hotel with my family, spent some much-needed time relaxing on the pontoon boat with Matt, went to a wedding shower for my cousin's bride, watched Gran Turino, rode both Island Lake and Maybury, and all-in-all, had some wonderful family time.
Because I was going to be down there for so long (Friday-Monday), I took Chip with me. We used to take him down to my parents' all the time when we lived in Cadillac, and he got along fine with their old dog. Well, they got a new puppy last summer and she's a big sissy. Chip was leery of her at first, but now he follows her around, sometimes stalking her and sometimes just curious. She, however, wants nothing to do with him and will quickly exit a room if he gets too close! It's so funny for such a big dog (she's a black lab) to be owned by a little kitty cat.
"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..."
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
The fireflies are back!
OK, so this post has nothing to do with fireflies...I just love starting to see them light up the fields at night, and I've had two "late night outs" so far this week, giving me plenty of driving time to notice them.
Last week was wonderful. Because the weather was rainy and business was slow, Mitch got to come home on Tuesday evening and stay the entire week! He did a lot of riding while I was at work, including one day where he rode to Alma and back (70 miles, round trip), and in the evenings we just got to spend time together. I miss the little things when he's gone...
Our weekend was another whirlwind: an Alma friend's lovely wedding on Friday, dinner with Mitch's parents on Saturday, and Father's Day with my family on Sunday. That was my first late night: I stayed at the cottage 'til around 9 pm, cleaning up, playing Scrabble and riding in Dad's Chris Craft.
My second late night was yesterday: I drove to Ella Sharp Park in Jackson for a team ride, followed by a lengthy trip to the ice cream parlor. Yum! We were having such a good time, though, that I didn't get home until after 10:30 pm. Since I need my sleep, I'm kinda dragging today! But, in a very cool development, we might be going on a bike trip with some of our teammates after the Boyne Marathon in July...
I realize I haven't done any updating on grad school this term. Let's put it this way...I'm not particularly motivated when it comes to my classes, but luckily, the material is not all that challenging. One of my classes is marketing, which is an area of interest and experience for me. The other is management information systems, which is really a course in e-commerce. Needless to say, there's a lot of overlap and though the e-commerce class requires weekly assignments and quizzes, they're not all that time-consuming. Also, a lot of the work seems individual but my teams seem to have some strong members so I might get to take more of a back seat this time. I do have residency in Flint this weekend, though, so I have to get moving on a couple of things so I'm not the slacker teammate!
Work is going well, too. The viewbook text is with the graphic designer, and I've started writing a new publication on campus life. We also just finished interviewing for some open rep positions, so we should be bringing in some new staff members soon - always exciting! We had a phenomenal pool this time, so it's going to be a tough decision.
Well, time to get back to work - thanks for reading!
Last week was wonderful. Because the weather was rainy and business was slow, Mitch got to come home on Tuesday evening and stay the entire week! He did a lot of riding while I was at work, including one day where he rode to Alma and back (70 miles, round trip), and in the evenings we just got to spend time together. I miss the little things when he's gone...
Our weekend was another whirlwind: an Alma friend's lovely wedding on Friday, dinner with Mitch's parents on Saturday, and Father's Day with my family on Sunday. That was my first late night: I stayed at the cottage 'til around 9 pm, cleaning up, playing Scrabble and riding in Dad's Chris Craft.
My second late night was yesterday: I drove to Ella Sharp Park in Jackson for a team ride, followed by a lengthy trip to the ice cream parlor. Yum! We were having such a good time, though, that I didn't get home until after 10:30 pm. Since I need my sleep, I'm kinda dragging today! But, in a very cool development, we might be going on a bike trip with some of our teammates after the Boyne Marathon in July...
I realize I haven't done any updating on grad school this term. Let's put it this way...I'm not particularly motivated when it comes to my classes, but luckily, the material is not all that challenging. One of my classes is marketing, which is an area of interest and experience for me. The other is management information systems, which is really a course in e-commerce. Needless to say, there's a lot of overlap and though the e-commerce class requires weekly assignments and quizzes, they're not all that time-consuming. Also, a lot of the work seems individual but my teams seem to have some strong members so I might get to take more of a back seat this time. I do have residency in Flint this weekend, though, so I have to get moving on a couple of things so I'm not the slacker teammate!
Work is going well, too. The viewbook text is with the graphic designer, and I've started writing a new publication on campus life. We also just finished interviewing for some open rep positions, so we should be bringing in some new staff members soon - always exciting! We had a phenomenal pool this time, so it's going to be a tough decision.
Well, time to get back to work - thanks for reading!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Starting the week off right
For three weeks now, I've been trying to ride home from work. It's somewhere around 35 miles from Alma to St. Johns, on a really easy route with very little traffic. My first attempt was foiled thanks to a last-minute meeting at work and evening plans that would not permit a late start on the ride. My second attempt never even got off the ground, because I couldn't get my mountain biking tires off my Race Lite wheel set (it was my first time trying to change tires since the upgrade). But the third time is most certainly a charm: after checking the weather last night and seeing sunshine and calm conditions, I made some logistical arrangements with my carpool friends, loaded up the bike and hit the road at the end of the day.
It was a wonderful ride. My legs were a little tired and I could definitely tell I hadn't ridden last week and partied with the Captain and junk food on Saturday, but about 10 miles in I hit a nice groove, which continued for 10 more miles before it started to become hard work again. Being out in the middle of nowhere, I saw some deer in a field and a whole crew of pheasant chicks - tiny little puffballs!
Now it's time to get started on some homework. Thank goodness we have a staff retreat tomorrow and food will be provided, because I'm too tired to go to the grocery store and I'd be scrounging to find a decent lunch to pack!
It was a wonderful ride. My legs were a little tired and I could definitely tell I hadn't ridden last week and partied with the Captain and junk food on Saturday, but about 10 miles in I hit a nice groove, which continued for 10 more miles before it started to become hard work again. Being out in the middle of nowhere, I saw some deer in a field and a whole crew of pheasant chicks - tiny little puffballs!
Now it's time to get started on some homework. Thank goodness we have a staff retreat tomorrow and food will be provided, because I'm too tired to go to the grocery store and I'd be scrounging to find a decent lunch to pack!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Sun-kissed!
Finally, I've started to get rid of my biker tan! Summer has officially arrived once I've started spending weekends lounging on the pontoon boat, soaking up the sunshine. It lifted my spirits, as did all the time we spent together and with our wonderful friends.
First, we revisited Mt. Pleasant-style shenanigans with Ray and Kristy. They came up to South Lyon and we grilled, went sailing with the Captain, and played games until 1:00 am. You have not known fun until you play tipsy Twister with people unashamed of close butt-to-face contact!
Second, we took advantage of Sunday's beautiful weather and went to the lake. (After making a side trip to Target so I could pick up a new bathing suit, which will stay at the lake, in all its clearance-rack glory, for the times I forget to bring a suit!) Rehydrating after our night o' fun, the four of us went swimming in the brisk water and hung out as long as possible.
Third, we headed to Lansing for dinner and a movie with the rest of the Alma crew. Our friend, Bruce, announced his engagement, and then we all laughed throughout The Hangover, making jokes afterward about his eventual bachelor party!
I'll be taking this next week one day at a time and praying a lot. Last week was rough (as you could tell from my last post) but Ryan reminded me how much I need to turn to God for strength and ask His forgiveness for my failure to trust in Him.
First, we revisited Mt. Pleasant-style shenanigans with Ray and Kristy. They came up to South Lyon and we grilled, went sailing with the Captain, and played games until 1:00 am. You have not known fun until you play tipsy Twister with people unashamed of close butt-to-face contact!
Second, we took advantage of Sunday's beautiful weather and went to the lake. (After making a side trip to Target so I could pick up a new bathing suit, which will stay at the lake, in all its clearance-rack glory, for the times I forget to bring a suit!) Rehydrating after our night o' fun, the four of us went swimming in the brisk water and hung out as long as possible.
Third, we headed to Lansing for dinner and a movie with the rest of the Alma crew. Our friend, Bruce, announced his engagement, and then we all laughed throughout The Hangover, making jokes afterward about his eventual bachelor party!
I'll be taking this next week one day at a time and praying a lot. Last week was rough (as you could tell from my last post) but Ryan reminded me how much I need to turn to God for strength and ask His forgiveness for my failure to trust in Him.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Just lettin' it out...
Let me tell you what I know:
I know God has a plan for me, and I know this is all part of it.
I know He wants me to have faith in Him and turn to Him, always.
I know we're blessed that Mitch has work, even if it's temporary and out-of-town.
I know we are blessed with love and family and health and countless other things.
I know it's abhorrently self-pitying and pointless to cast blame for our situation.
I know life's not fair, nor is it easy.
I know we are better off than many, many people right now.
I know there are all sorts of folks who will do everything right but will still struggle longer and harder than we will.
I know we'll get through this.
But you know what? Here's how I feel in my current over-emotional state:
I’m tired of pretending I care about anything but bringing him home to me. Everything else I do is just a way of distracting myself from the fact that he’s gone. Work, school, chores, riding…I do it all wishing something would consume me but failing to lose myself in anything. I pretend everything’s fine when he calls, because it doesn’t do either one of us any good to spend our infrequent interactions bemoaning the situation. I pretend everything’s fine when he’s home, but I’m really unreasonably angry at him for having left in the first place. I don’t want him to sit at home without a job, but I don’t want a job to take him away from home, either.
Damn this crappy economy. Damn all you irresponsible decision-makers – political, corporate and individual – for making honest, hardworking, responsible people pay the price for your short-term thinking and lack of accountability. Damn the unfairness of it.
I know God has a plan for me, and I know this is all part of it.
I know He wants me to have faith in Him and turn to Him, always.
I know we're blessed that Mitch has work, even if it's temporary and out-of-town.
I know we are blessed with love and family and health and countless other things.
I know it's abhorrently self-pitying and pointless to cast blame for our situation.
I know life's not fair, nor is it easy.
I know we are better off than many, many people right now.
I know there are all sorts of folks who will do everything right but will still struggle longer and harder than we will.
I know we'll get through this.
But you know what? Here's how I feel in my current over-emotional state:
I’m tired of pretending I care about anything but bringing him home to me. Everything else I do is just a way of distracting myself from the fact that he’s gone. Work, school, chores, riding…I do it all wishing something would consume me but failing to lose myself in anything. I pretend everything’s fine when he calls, because it doesn’t do either one of us any good to spend our infrequent interactions bemoaning the situation. I pretend everything’s fine when he’s home, but I’m really unreasonably angry at him for having left in the first place. I don’t want him to sit at home without a job, but I don’t want a job to take him away from home, either.
Damn this crappy economy. Damn all you irresponsible decision-makers – political, corporate and individual – for making honest, hardworking, responsible people pay the price for your short-term thinking and lack of accountability. Damn the unfairness of it.
Monday, June 08, 2009
Book Recommendation
So a few years ago, I saw this book called gods in Alabama. It looked good, so I put it on my book wish list. (One of my favorite things to do is to go to bookstores, browse the shelves, and write titles and authors in my pocket calendar, for the next trip to the library or, better yet, for the next time I MUST have a new book.)
I eventually bought it and fell absolutely in love! It's by an author named Joshilyn Jackson (the "h" is silent, or so I learned from her blog), and with her next two books, Between, Georgia and The Girl Who Stopped Swimming, she became one of my favorite authors. I own all three books and am anxiously awaiting her next novel, due out not-soon-enough.
Anyway, The Girl Who Stopped Swimming is now out in paperback and if you're looking for a good read (Charlotte, you come to mind!) I highly recommend you pick it up. To save you time, here's a link to it's Amazon listing! :)
I eventually bought it and fell absolutely in love! It's by an author named Joshilyn Jackson (the "h" is silent, or so I learned from her blog), and with her next two books, Between, Georgia and The Girl Who Stopped Swimming, she became one of my favorite authors. I own all three books and am anxiously awaiting her next novel, due out not-soon-enough.
Anyway, The Girl Who Stopped Swimming is now out in paperback and if you're looking for a good read (Charlotte, you come to mind!) I highly recommend you pick it up. To save you time, here's a link to it's Amazon listing! :)
Hanson Hills
Contrary to what my Facebook status may have indicated, I am not a fan of the Hansons. MmmBop is a terrible song. But I DO like Hanson Hills, the trail in Grayling at which we raced on Sunday!
We had been looking forward to this race for a long time, because we've ridden the trail before and had a wonderful time. The initial plan was to camp on-site Saturday night, with an easy pre-ride that day, and hang out with the rest of the On 2 Wheels team. Well, the weather forecast got worse and worse, so we made the call on Saturday morning to forego camping and just drive up on Sunday morning. If we were going to have to race in the rain (which looking like a distinct possibility) then I did NOT want to spend the night before shiverring in a tent.
As it turns out, the rain came Saturday night but was gone by Sunday morning. It was still cold when we got there - probably 45 degrees by the time we raced - but it only sprinkled a little bit once I finished. The trail was damp but not slimey, though it's a good thing it was mostly climbing and non-technical riding, because my tires packed up pretty good within the first few miles. I kept thinking they looked like chocolate donuts...sometimes with sugar on them.
When all was said and done, it was a decent race for the DeYoungs and a pretty good day for the team. Nichole and I were the only racers in our category, so out one-two standard finish is still in place. This was definitely a course that played to her strengths, with lots of climbing: she finished the 21 miles in under two hours. It took me almost two and a half. I didn't really have a goal, and there were so few people on the course that I couldn't get any adrenaline flowing. To me, it felt more like a ride than a race, but I would definitely do it again.
Mitch came in fourth and was a little disappointed in his ride. He was feeling strong after a week of good riding, but that was one of the problems: he rode a ton, too late in the week. He also had a loose rear cassette, which made shifting difficult. The outcome of this ride has played a big part in his decision to ride the Boyne Marathon in July, a race he wasn't sure he wanted to do again. I think he's now chomping at the bit to prove his strength, and Boyne is definitely a venue that will test him.
The big bummer, though, is that Jake hurt his knee and had to call it quits after his first lap. Here's hoping he heals up soon!
We had been looking forward to this race for a long time, because we've ridden the trail before and had a wonderful time. The initial plan was to camp on-site Saturday night, with an easy pre-ride that day, and hang out with the rest of the On 2 Wheels team. Well, the weather forecast got worse and worse, so we made the call on Saturday morning to forego camping and just drive up on Sunday morning. If we were going to have to race in the rain (which looking like a distinct possibility) then I did NOT want to spend the night before shiverring in a tent.
As it turns out, the rain came Saturday night but was gone by Sunday morning. It was still cold when we got there - probably 45 degrees by the time we raced - but it only sprinkled a little bit once I finished. The trail was damp but not slimey, though it's a good thing it was mostly climbing and non-technical riding, because my tires packed up pretty good within the first few miles. I kept thinking they looked like chocolate donuts...sometimes with sugar on them.
When all was said and done, it was a decent race for the DeYoungs and a pretty good day for the team. Nichole and I were the only racers in our category, so out one-two standard finish is still in place. This was definitely a course that played to her strengths, with lots of climbing: she finished the 21 miles in under two hours. It took me almost two and a half. I didn't really have a goal, and there were so few people on the course that I couldn't get any adrenaline flowing. To me, it felt more like a ride than a race, but I would definitely do it again.
Mitch came in fourth and was a little disappointed in his ride. He was feeling strong after a week of good riding, but that was one of the problems: he rode a ton, too late in the week. He also had a loose rear cassette, which made shifting difficult. The outcome of this ride has played a big part in his decision to ride the Boyne Marathon in July, a race he wasn't sure he wanted to do again. I think he's now chomping at the bit to prove his strength, and Boyne is definitely a venue that will test him.
The big bummer, though, is that Jake hurt his knee and had to call it quits after his first lap. Here's hoping he heals up soon!
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Why Today is Great
The apartment is clean, the grocery shopping is done. Went for a nice, easy road ride, then had dinner with David and Amanda. The Wings are smoking the Penguins. I get to snuggle with Mitch tonight.
Life is wonderful.
Life is wonderful.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Newsy Bits
*On June 1, the Admissions Office hit 400 net commitment deposits for this fall's incoming class! The technical goal is somewhere around 420, but hitting 400 is still a milestone for two reasons: first, Alma has never had three classes of 400+ in a row, so this is another record. Second, many of our peer institutions (like Albion) are unlikely to meet their first year enrollment goals, but we're still likely to do so. This is a HUGE tribute to the efforts of everyone at Alma!
*Yesterday, Alma's president announced her retirement, effective in June 2010. Here's the story, if you're curious. What's not in the announcement: she told my VP that she had no intention of being a lame duck president for her last year. "And if anyone treats me that way, I'll fire 'em!" Rock on, President Tracy!
*My big project at work for the next couple of months is writing new text for the admissions publications. I love it - such fun! Let me give you a draft of the intro, just for a taste:
Redefining: you
Don’t get us wrong – we like you just the way you are. But going to college gives you so many new opportunities to learn and grow beyond who you are at this moment. At Alma College, we’ve seen our students enter eager to pursue or discover a major and emerge having found new dimensions of community, of success, of passion.
The pages that follow contain photos, stories and information so you can see just how Alma redefines pieces of the college experience. Pick them apart. Pull them together. Start to imagine what your next four years could be. Start to redefine you.
(Yes, I am a phenomenal nerd for being so excited about this...)
*I had two good road rides this week: 20 miles on Monday and 10ish on Wednesday. I was supposed to ride home from work yesterday (33 miles), but I had a commitment in Lansing at 7:00 pm and my plans to leave the office at 4:00 pm were foiled by a meeting. Oh well...I'll make the trek next week!
*We have our third race this weekend: Hanson Hills XC. Should be a fun one!
*Yesterday, Alma's president announced her retirement, effective in June 2010. Here's the story, if you're curious. What's not in the announcement: she told my VP that she had no intention of being a lame duck president for her last year. "And if anyone treats me that way, I'll fire 'em!" Rock on, President Tracy!
*My big project at work for the next couple of months is writing new text for the admissions publications. I love it - such fun! Let me give you a draft of the intro, just for a taste:
Redefining: you
Don’t get us wrong – we like you just the way you are. But going to college gives you so many new opportunities to learn and grow beyond who you are at this moment. At Alma College, we’ve seen our students enter eager to pursue or discover a major and emerge having found new dimensions of community, of success, of passion.
The pages that follow contain photos, stories and information so you can see just how Alma redefines pieces of the college experience. Pick them apart. Pull them together. Start to imagine what your next four years could be. Start to redefine you.
(Yes, I am a phenomenal nerd for being so excited about this...)
*I had two good road rides this week: 20 miles on Monday and 10ish on Wednesday. I was supposed to ride home from work yesterday (33 miles), but I had a commitment in Lansing at 7:00 pm and my plans to leave the office at 4:00 pm were foiled by a meeting. Oh well...I'll make the trek next week!
*We have our third race this weekend: Hanson Hills XC. Should be a fun one!
Monday, June 01, 2009
Halfway there!
I'm halfway finished with my MBA - wahoo! This last term was challenging in terms of workload, time management and motivation, but everything still turned out surprisingly well. Now I have a whole week until my fourth term begins - it's so awesome not to have homework! Last night I actually ironed clothes, so I can be decently dressed at work this week rather than scrambling to find something that isn't dirty and wrinkled. This week, I plan to go one quite a few rides - including a ride all the way home from work - and go shopping for a few new work outfits. I'll also get to play volleyball for the first time in forever, because I won't have to study at lunch tomorrow. I'm lovin' the little things!
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