[Over the Weekend]

Remember last year when I went to school and forgot I had a blog? The same thing happened this year...

It's just that coming back to school is such a busy time, and without a routine it's hard to find time to fit in the things you want to do regularly. Like working out. Seeing friends. Eating. (Okay, I never actually forget to eat).

This past week has been hectic to say the least. RHA meetings, training, bonding, and event running to get our name out there. InterVarsity bonding, training, and new student outreach. LLC mentoring, including hall raising, the retreat, and answering loads of questions the new freshmen have. And then there's Becca time. Moving in, getting ready for classes, cooking, journaling, getting a tattoo, sleeping.

This week has been draining, tiring and consisted of me running around like a chicken with my head cut off. But it has been good. I have absolutely loved getting to know my RHA exec board better and starting the year off right with planning and organizing. Meeting the new LLCers is so exciting and I am pumped to see what this new group of leaders will accomplish. Introducing myself to strangers around campus and making connections through IV NSO has been surprisingly fun and fulfilling. The more faces I know, the better, that's how I see it.

So although this week has been ridiculously busy, and although I've only had time to run twice, and although I've fallen asleep in the strangest places (the basement, an easy chair, the wrong side of my bed) this has been a terrific week.

I'm excited to see what the year will bring. Let's go EC.

[A Summer in Review: 2012]

When I look back to the beginning of the summer, I am stunned at how much my perspective changed. I felt bored, useless, restless. But, I was able to overcome that and use it to motivate me to get out there and actually do some of the things I was longing to do. Here's a recap of the summer, in list form. 

Miles Flown: 2,500

Miles Driven: 2,550

Miles Biked: 260

Best of Entertainment:

• I Won't Give Up - Jason Mraz
• The Amazing Spider-Man
• Uncaged - Zac Brown Band
• Justin Bieber. Freaking everything by him. 
• Ted (mostly due to the people I was with)

Favorite Projects:

• Mom's birthday meal
• Cabinet
• Blog redo
• Kettle Moraine video 

Best events planned and unplanned:

• Y lifeguarding olympics
• Friends party
• Finishing a triathlon
• Kettle Moraine Bike trip
• Visiting Jamie in Milwaukee & climbing over fallen trees in dresses
• Watching the sunset on top of the parking garage downtown
• Going to Pei Wei at 9:30 at night for dinner
• Getting mono and being able to have a Robin Williams marathon
• Late night baking escapades
• Dancing to Chicken Fried at Abby's wedding with Skylar

Favorite parts of my job: 

• Becoming best friends with Kayden, my trouble child
• Safety week
• Having a hot tub less than 30 feet away 
• Being able to work out whenever I wanted
• Carrying Collin on my back during freeze tag because he was too short to touch in the big pool
• Baking for baked good Wednesdays
• The incredible staff. Enough said. 

Some Bucket List Accomplishments:

• Sleep in a tent
• Bike everywhere
• Swim across a lake
• Run on one of Runner's World's top 25 best trails in the U.S.
• Sew something I can use/wear
• Sleep under the stars
• Learn how to play chess
• Vote to Recall Walker
• Volunteer in a nursing home
• Make cornbread & vegetarian jumbalaya
• Hold lots of babies

Top 5 Things I Learned:

• Solitude is a blessing
• Spending money isn't necessary to lead a decent life (duh)
• God is working in my heart even when I can't feel him there. 
• That I love cooking/baking
• That I am "somebody", so whenever I think "Why doesn't somebody take care of this?" it means me. I must do something about the problems I see. 

[Thoughts]

Today was a day of many lasts for me this summer. 

My last time working with Marilyn and Sharon, whom I will miss dearly. I will miss their bickering, and their laughter, and their complaints about their ailments and their old age. I will miss popping cinnamon Werther's into Marilyn's mouth and pouring Sharon warm coke. These women are incredible and they inspire me to keep up a bright and thankful attitude even when I'm old and grey.

My last time donating at the community blood center. I will miss Mindy calling to me as she runs around, helping donor after donor. I will miss the anxiety and anticipation of seeing whether my blood pressure is high enough to donate with. I will definitely miss the free cookies and juice Julie pushes on me when I'm done donating. 

My last time baking for Baked Good Wednesdays at work. This is what got me so into baking this summer. It started out as just a way to love on the people I work with, and it turned into a hobby, a challenge, and some interesting knowledge about myself. I thought it would be fun to do a Y-theme for my last treat. 

My last time seeing Jillian and the Hetricks. It was infinitely wonderful. We talked and laughed as always, and I even won a round of nertz against Mrs. Hetrick, accomplishment of the century. Mr. Hetrick made his delicious kettle corn to entice me to stay longer, which of course worked. I didn't leave empty handed; my second family sent me off with delicious canned peaches and pickled beans. It was an excellent, though short, last time with these people I love. 

My last time going to bed ridiculously early so I could be up at 4 for the opener shift... oh wait, I get to do that again tomorrow night too. Gotta love lifeguarding. 

So as today was a day of lasts, I tried not to be too sad. I am excited for yet another year at Eau Claire with some wonderful people, and I know that I will be saying goodbye to them, and hello to my home here, all too soon. 

[Biking Adventure: Day Three]

[Day One] [Day Two]

Our last day of biking was short, as I had to get back to work that afternoon. Lara and I of course had some coffee for breakfast, and then packed everything up to hit the road once again. 

Probably the most noteworthy part of the day was The Hill. We stopped at the top of a humongous hill, that was of course followed by another equally large hill. A scary ride down, a painful ride up. We stalled The Hill by eating protein bars and drinking water and looking at our maps. Eventually it was time. The down was frightening, but managable. The up was tough, but doable. It felt incredible to accomplish. 

We were soon in Plymouth, and we biked through the town to get to the van. We spent the rest of the morning exploring the downtown, which included buying books at Dear Old Books and lunch at the local coffee shop. 

It was such an incredible adventure, and it was so nice just spending time seeing this part of Wisconsin, almost in slow motion. Plus there is nothing better than a good bike ride for your leg muscles. 

[Biking Adventure: Day Two]

[Day One] [Day Three]

 My favorite new mug

Blue skies

After waking up in the random backyard, drying out our gear, and making some much-needed coffee, Lara and I set out towards our next campsite. We stopped at Greg's again for water, but it was closed, so we headed to a nearby park for the morning. We made oatmeal, used a real(ish) bathroom, and did yoga in the park before filling up our water and hitting the road once again. We stopped a few times, for eating, bathroom and mapping needs, and of course to play poohsticks. 

 So beautiful, we thought it looked like Ireland! (Sort of)

We rolled into Kettle Moraine State Forest later that afternoon, with German shouts of victory. We stopped to look at one of the kettles and make our mark on the overlook. We biked further into the park until we could park our bikes to hike into our shelter. The woods all around the shelter was absolutely beautiful. We filled up our water with a hand-pump well, it took a great deal of exertion to get our bottles filled with the rusty-colored water. We set up our tent, made clotheslines, ate some dinner, and then sat around the campfire for most of the evening.

[Biking Adventure: Day One]

[Day Two] [Day Three] 

Lara and I set out on a biking/backpacking adventure in the Kettle Moraine area, to take some beautiful photos, make our leg muscles sore, and pee outside more times than I can count. #awesome 

We set out after work Saturday morning, our packs full, our clothes fresh, and our stomachs tied in nervous knots. 

The ride was so much more hilly than we were expecting, and we were forced to walk up two hills in the first mile. The heavy panniers on the back of the bike didn't exactly boost us up the hills either. Although Lara rightfully deemed that first mile "awful" (which I agree with entirely), we didn't give up. We took our first break here, and Lara had her first bathroom experience of the trip. So proud of her bravery while peeing on the corner of a busy intersection. 

We felt good at our second break, when we chowed down some protein bars and correctly navagated ourselves further towards our destination: a backpacking shelter on the southern end of Kettle Moraine State Forest. However, storm clouds were rolling in, making me fairly nervous. About a half hour after stopping at Greg's for water, we started to feel the rain. We tried to put on ponchos, but that just led to a parachute-break type effect. We instead decided to cover our packs in the ponchos and deal with the rain. It was 4:30 and the storms weren't supposed to start until around 7, but the lightning and thunder just seemed to be getting closer and worse. We started to check out farmland to pitch our tent in, but decided to keep going. 

Once the rain got harder and the thunder louder, I decided we should call it quits, not just for safety from the storm, but also a fear of getting too wet and not being able to get warm again. We tried knocking on a few doors and finally a kind woman agreed to let us stay in her backyard. After setting up the tent, getting our bikes under shelter, and getting our gear in the tent, we changed into dry clothes and prepared to spend the rest of the night in the tent. 

However, the tent had flooded, not due to the rain, but due to a punctured can of water. Poor planning on our part... After getting that cleaned up we laid in the tent and ate a dinner of GORP and peanut butter wraps. The rain ended up clearing up and we were able to walk around, stretch, watch the sunset, and get a good nights sleep. 

[Inspiration]

If you came to visit me, I'd probably take out my mugs and offer to make you a cup of tea. If you drank coffee, it would already be in the pot, warm and ready. 

I would make you an omelet, with mushrooms and peppers and no guarantees that the outside wouldn't turn out brown as fresh soil. I am still learning to make omelets, so you would have to forgive me, but eggs and mushrooms and peppers, these we always have on hand. 

I would hastily wipe down the table, which is more of a dumping ground than an eating place, but has a centerpiece of flowers all the same. As the omelets were burning and the teakettle whistling, I would set down mason jars and napkins and forks. 

If you came to visit me, I'd have to hope that the living room was recently vacuumed, as the dog sheds in this hot August weather. I couldn't take you up to my room, because whenever I go up to clean, I am inspired and begin a new craft. I might run up to my room though, to grab my camera and photograph you. I am glad you came. 

I would tell you that I've been busy, but I've been happy. I would let you try my latest baking creation, if there was any left over from work. 

If you came to visit me, I would be overjoyed. We could bond again, like a bow hitting an old violin, we would find our sound. We could laugh about our burnt omelets, nod at tales of yesterday, and furrow our brows at the worries of tomorrow. 
If you came to visit me, I may not have much, but I could promise you omelets and coffee. 

This post is dedicated to Jamie. Although life sometimes gets in the way, we will always be best friends.  I'm so glad we get to be together to have omelets and coffee tomorrow morning.