To Maine and Back in a Day

Ok, it was more than one day.

But back in the last days of September and the first days in October, my fabulous friend Torrye and I drove to Maine from SC.

Somewhere in Virginia.

 

Torrye was passing through between next things and I asked her when her flight to Maine would be and if she needed a ride to the airport from her stay at my house. Little did I know, she was driving not flying.

So my sucker for a harebrained travel idea self said, 'gee, too bad I don't have many vacation days left and a few hundred bucks laying around. I would ride up with you and fly back!'

So Torrye, also being a sucker for harebrained ideas replies, 'dude, its only like a hundred bucks for a one way back from Maine.'

Thus the wheels of the trip got rolling.

A few Google searches and purchases and day off requests later, we had a trip planned.

And, bonus, this trip would help to accomplish a few of my 30 by 30 goals!

 

We got in the car on Monday afternoon and drove straight through SC, NC, VA, WV, MD, and PA. None of these states were new to me, thus the driving straight through.

We pit stopped for the night with my soon to be international travel buddy, Jessi. She lives and works at a camp in PA and had plenty of space to host a few weary travelers and to give us some local treats!

(local treats. I LOVE the sweet potato chips!)

We got up in the wee hours of the morning and hit the road for lands unknown to me.

The first new state to be crossed off the list was NJ. It was pretty much what I expected.

Then came NY. I think NY will deserve another visit someday, but for now I can say that I have been to the state of NY and driven through the city. (which took forever, traffic was more than terrible to me)

Next came CT. I really liked CT. All the roads and towns and things were clean and cute and seemed like a nice and welcoming place to call home to those that live there.
*Connecticut will get it's own post as we made a few stops that will make this post much too long to report on right now.

We then hit RI, which in my opinion I am glad to have been in once, but don't know that I need to return ever. But again, glad I put my feet down in the state.

 

Next was back through CT and on to Massachusetts. We passed through the middle of the state not going anywhere near Boston. Hopefully I will go to Boston in the spring.

We hit Vermont and New Hampshire in the dark, which was a little disappointing, but still a good addition to the trip.

 

From Vermont to Maine, I took the wheel so that Torrye could rest. And I must say that I am very proud of myself for my driving. Winding unfamiliar roads, navigating by the stars (right, Torrye?), and driving a stick and not stalling once!

We got to Maine close to 11pm I think and were welcomed into the Hart home.

Maine morning fog.

 

The next day was spent exploring the local area. More details on that in a forthcoming post.

New Hampshire

 

And then 3 days after we left SC we headed toward Portland to take me back  to the airport.

And with a few delays and the magic of travel I was back to SC and in my usual life.

Traveling is so strange to think about. That we were in one place yesterday and another today.

All in all, Maine was fan-freakin-tastic! And I am so so glad to have exhausted myself on a last minute harebrained road trip.

Torrye and I in Portland, ME

I plan to write 2 more post on this trip. One about Connecticut and the other about our time in Maine. So Mom and Sara, be looking for those :) 

Blurred Life

'Write a new blog post' has been on my to do list for a few weeks and I'm not actually sure how long it has been since I have written. I didn't really want to  check. From about mid September until now (and still going), life has been a series of blurred weeks. 

Here are the excuses/reasons why I have not written:

- Life has been crazy. 

- Work was ultra crazy for the month of October. 

- The Internet only works at my house if I am sitting by my front window with my computer on the end table. (But I don't pay for it, so that's not a complaint, just a statement.) 

- Inspiration for interesting posts was lacking for a little while. 

And now here we are on November 20th already. 

It seems that the older I get the more I find myself saying, 'wait, it's already (fill in the blank date)?!'

I guess that shouldn't be a surprise, I was warned of this. 

So to my faithful readers, I must apologize for my lack of blogging for the past month. 

In the next few days/weeks I plan to catch up on:

- a last minute, hair brained, 4 day trip to Maine

- what makes work so crazy in October

- surprise birthday visits to Ohio

- some delicious recipes I have been trying

- murder mystery dinner parties and Halloween costume making

- a book review

- volunteering in children's ministry at church

- running and shoes and half marathons 

- an upcoming trip to the UK

- and maybe something more

The posts may come quickly as I try and catch up, but they may not because a week from right now as I write this, I will be galavanting around Liverpool, England and onto a few other stops in the UK!

For now I will leave you with a photo in case you have forgotten what I look like:

And to show a little of how life has felt in the expression on my face. 

The Sewing/Mom Phenomenon

My mom taught me to sew, as did high school home ec. class (which I was advised not to take because I was college prep. I took it anyway.)

Thus, I have enjoyed the hobby of sewing occasionally since my early teen years (yikes, that's over half my life).

A few years ago my mom told me in September or October not to ask for anything because she knew what she was getting me for Christmas that year. I was only mildly concerned with what in the world mom would have picked out that early without me having specified.

First, I opened the sewing goodies pack, looked at it, exclaimed in excitement "you got me a sewing machine!" and then received the machine itself.

Since then I have created a few things, but not as many as I would wish.

(Recent Project: Apron to match my kitchen)

One reason it is not as many as I would wish is because my sewing machine has been acting up.

Nothing...Nothing makes me want to cuss and throw something across the room more than when my sewing machine messes up. (I know it is operator error mostly.)

The seeming only way to fix this is to call Mom in a tizzy about how the bobbin is sticking and the needle broke and I can't find the manual and I let someone borrow it and it hasn't been the same and all I want to do is sew one last seam to finish the project.

And magically, somehow without any further instruction, it fixes itself.



(Recent Project: pillows for Kendall)

Somehow, like magic, when talking to Mom something happens and the machine starts working. Maybe it is because talking to Mom makes me capable of calming down and putting things back together properly. Thus having, rather than a thudding terrible needle, a smooth and lovely sound of the sewing machine.

It really is like magic and thus I call it the sewing/mom phenomenon. I try and try to fix it myself, then I call mom and rant and it's fixed.

I really don't know what it is about her, but I sure am glad she has magic powers.

Thanks, Mom, for teaching me to sew and somehow creating the phenomenon that keeps my machine going!

A List: Over a Month

Oops....

It's been over a month since my last post! So I shall make a list of what has been going on. 

- summer is over, but my job kicks into high gear from mid-August to October. 

- I worked 14 days straight, followed by a trip to visit old friends in Raleigh. 

- 2 friends left for new adventures. One for Boston, one for Nepal. 

- I got back on the weight watchers wagon and am back to my pre-summer weight. 

- a visit to the beach was added to my trip to Raleigh. 

- I have been baking lots of new things. Scones, mocha cookies, and carrot cake from scratch to name a few. 

- purchasing plane tickets has become my new hobby. First to England and now one back from Maine for a week from tomorrow. 

- a morning walk/jog to start my day has led me to some great snap shots of the landscape around here. 

- I went to a Braves game in ATL and ate at the Varsity to get the full experience. 

- Jane and I rode 18 miles on our bikes yesterday. From Travelers Rest to downtown and back. 

- I finally made the apron I bought material for 2 years ago. 

And I can't really think of many more things that I have been up to in the past month. 

October promises to be as busy and crazy as the past month, but hopefully I can pump out a few blog posts in the mean time. 

Framily Blessings

Framily = friends + family

Living relatively far from home has forced me to develop relationships that if I were near my own family I would likely not develop. 

Not to say they replace my family in any way, but they certainly fill a void that is obvious when I haven't been home in months. 

One of the biggest blessings of my framilies is having people to share a meal with. 

Eating alone is fine and all, but eating at a family dinner table is much more enjoyable. 

At my last framily meal, one of the youngest was asked to say the blessing before eating. 

She was thankful for the food.  

She was thankful for the day.

She was thankful that I got to eat dinner with them that evening. 

And I am thankful to have friends that treat me as their family that I get to eat dinner with and be blessed by the blessing of a small child's thanks. 

Hey Staffers

2013 Summer Staff (and Petey)

 

 

 

They were here for 3 months.
They have been gone for 3 days.

I tried to not get to know them this year. To not hang out with them as much. That lasted about a week. Then I caved.
 

And now, as it has for 9 summers of my life, my heart hurts a little.

 

Camp is a weird place. Being a camper and having to leave after a week was the first way I experienced this feeling. But for 9 of my 11 post high school summers I have experienced this weird thing that is working at a camp.
 

You spend 3 months with people who become your dearest friends, spending countless hours together working, playing, eating, sleeping, pranking, crying, laughing, talking, dancing, etc. Then it ends. Usually abruptly.

For 4 of these summers I got to be the one on the leaving end. 

For the past 5, however, I have been in the crowd that stays after the dust settles on what seems like an eternity of knowing someone but also on what went so quickly it almost feels as though it didn't happen.

If you have never worked somewhere that you live and eat with the people you work with, it is likely hard to understand.

But these people that arrive every May and leave every August, although a different collection every year, seem to capture my heart in the same way.

(The 4 that have been here my 3 summers at LUL.)

 

They likely make silly choices and get on my last nerve at some point in those 3 months. They are in the way as I try to get to my desk. They ask questions I don't know the answer to. They don't have a water bottle today. They may have just broken that thing over there.....

 

(Sometimes, they like to take pictures of themselves on your phone.)

but...

They serve their hearts out and have a blast doing it.

(My favorite night of teen camp this year.)

They get up early and work really late. They do things even when they don't want to. They do things even when you don't ask. They jump up to help when they see a need. They love each other, they love their kids, they love well. They sing silly songs, slosh thousands of dirty dishes, fix scraped knees, teach kids about the joy they have found in life, play rec games, and get up the next day and do it all again.

These staffers are quality individuals. And although I miss them right now and wish they could stay, I know it is best for them to go back to real life.

 

This summer is high on my list of preferred summers in my life. And there are many things to attribute to that.

But.

I know that highest on that list was getting to know and love these 24 college kids. Go out and serve well (but come visit us sometimes too). 

Just Keep Running #4

I may have come out a little worse for the wear after the run.

The 2 nights before my long run I went to bed with a fever about 2-3 degrees higher than my usual. I decided Friday night that if I woke with a fever I would not run. When I woke I was back to normal. So I ran. It may have been a bad choice. 

During the run, I did not feel my best. And I learned a few things to do and not do before I set out on another big run. 

Do:

(This is the trail on which I do long runs)

- Train. I felt up to it as far as physical capacity. 

- Carry water or something. I failed to do this. I got water at mile 7, but after that there were no fountains. Poor, poor planning. 

- Use that tiny pocket in the running shorts to store a couple of bucks just in case. This came in handy as I paused the run when I came across a gas station and bought a Gatorade. 

Don't: 

- Run when you have been feeling sick. I have now been sick for a whole week. I think my body decided I was silly for running so far and wanted to punish me.

- Think you can't. Running is way more mental for me than a physical limit at this point. 

- Run without sustenance. Again, I learned that the hard way. 

 

Miles 7-10 were the most difficult. It got a lot hotter out by that time and less shady on the trail. And it wasn't until mile 10 that I came across that gas station.   

10-13.1 weren't too bad once I downed some Gatorade. 

My time was not what I had anticipated, but with the things I learned I think I can improve on it next time. 

I ended the 13.1 miles soaked in sweat, my shoes were even a little squishy, and mildly exhausted, but glad I did it. 

In March it was an accomplishment to run (and by run i mean slowly jog) 1 mile without stopping. And by the beginning of August I ran 13.1!  Well, mostly ran. There was plodding and jogging and a little bit of walking.

Never would I have thought I would enjoy running, but it turns out that I do. 

Who knows, maybe I will try for a full marathon in the spring.