End of October?

I called to find out about the status of my graduate school application and received rather unwelcomed news: I won't find out until the end of October. I guess that gives me two months to register for classes and get everything together. But man, I am growing so anxious about my future! Darin is knee-deep in classes, which he is so committed to. And I'm so jealous!

So, I did some thinking about what I could do with my time until I find out. And I've made some of the following goals for the end of October:

1. Lose 1 lb a week. Which means, by the end of October, a total of 5 lbs. It's a small goal, but it's also attainable. Toreach this goal, I have daily goals and weekly goals to meet.

-Daily goals: Eat no more than 1200 calories per day.

Eat 60 grams of protein a day.

-Weekly goals: Do at least 30 minutes of exercise 4-5 days a week.

2. Spiritual growth. I have some personal small, attainable goals for this. It's personal stuff, but just know that I need to work on prayer, mindfulness, and peace of mind.

3. Finish decorating the apartment. The apartment has been a work in process since we moved in. We have the right couch, the right bed, and, as of yesterday, the right entertainment center. We like this place and want to remain here while we finish out school.

4. Work as much as possible. I want to try to sub every day, if possible, and possibly pick up some babysitting gigs on the side.

I have so many good things in my life right now. A month ago, I was complaining about how bored I was, but now I have so many things to be excited for. I think I can attribute this to my recent spiritual work. Being open to new perspectives has already started paying off in my life. Here are the things that make life great lately:

-Monthly double dates with Kelly and Chris.
-Book club!
-Making plans to see my cousins.
-Darin's nephews, who are all seriously brilliant and even more entertaining.
-Monday night dinners with Angie
-Halloween!
-Fall traditions, like cider mills and hay rides.

I have so much more to add. Gratitude is my specialty today.

Up North Trip-o-rama!!

Have you ever felt like you needed a vacation when you get home from vacation? I am taking a day off tomorrow to get some stuff done around the apartment (Darin has a full day of class to keep him busy).

Our trip was jam-packed full of activities. On Saturday, we drove to the cabin we rented on Spider Lake. The cabin was cozy, comfortable, and about 90+ cement steps away from the actual lake front. Spider Lake is awesome. It's very remote and quiet, surrounded by woods. Saturday night, we drove to Odewa Casino in Petosky, where I lost thirty dollars, mostly on video poker.

Sunday, we spent most of the day exploring downtown Traverse City. The strip on Front Street is pretty standard tourist commerce, but not over the top. We ate delicious middle eastern food for lunch. The afternoon consisted of a drive up the Old Mission peninsula, visiting the lighthouse and stopping at Grand Chateaux Traverse for some wine tasting. We finished the day with pizza (and Oberon, for me) at a local joint right by our cabin.

Labor Day was devoted to Mackinac Island. I loved it! Such a great little vacation spot. I want so badly to stay for a whole weekend and go biking and horsebackriding around the island. We bought a crapton of fudge and did the whole carriage tour deal. They were selling bikes for way cheap! I wish I would have brought extra cash. After we left the island, we found a local family restaurant called Darrow's that had nothing vegetarian, but the homemade bread and coleslaw made it worth it.

Darin and I did our own thing Tuesday morning, stopping at local markets and food stands to acquire all the local fare: dried Traverse City cherries, real maple syrup, honeycrisp apples, North Peak summer ale, homemade all-natural dog treats, etc. We cooked in at the cabin that night and played some friendly family poker (I've come a long way since first learning, but I still lost).

It was most definitely a great trip, making me fall in love with Northern Michigan for the fourth or fifth time now.

Labor Day!

I love Labor Day, almost as much as I love Memorial Day. Darin, his parents, his brother, his brother's girlfriend, his nephew, and I are all traversing to the Traverse City area to celebrate. We're staying on a cabin on Spider Lake (wherever that is) and taking time to explore the area. We're even heading up to Mackinac Island for the day. It'll be my first trip to the island; I'm excited.

The last few weeks, I'm been babysitting one of the kids from day camp. It's been great because she is a fun-loving, creative kid who can pretty much make friends wherever she goes. It's surreal to get paid to have fun with a five-year-old all day. But she had her moments just like any other kid. I like to think of it as "mom practice," should I need that.

I'm excited to start subbing again in the fall. I'm hoping to see some of the same kids from last year. We'll see.