Long Hike

Oh - my - goodness! I went on a long hike today! Over 7 miles! My Aunts and Uncles (Dad's siblings, my dad has 2 sisters and 4 brothers) had been talking about going on a hike at the Pinckney Recreation Area (in MI). It is not too far from where I live - kind of half way between where my parents and I live and the rest of my family lives (Detroit area). So today was determined to be the day. We got up at about 5:30 am so we could meet up with everybody at the Recreation area around 7am. We get there and the park is closed - we have to wait an hour to get hiking! hahaha, I guess that is the Polish coming out in my family.

 

My Aunts and Uncles and Dad are all so silly! I love them to death. They are fun people. On the hike was me, my husband, my stepson, my Dad, and 2 of my Dad's brothers and 2 of my Dad's sisters - none of their families could make it. Originally we were only supposed to hike a little over 5 miles. My Dad kept asking me if I could do it. Of course I can hike 5 miles! But then they decided to add another trail, so it ended up being 7 miles (maybe a little more). I brought up the rear - I like to walk slow and take in nature and also take pics. I am very out of shape too. My Uncles kept asking me if I was OK, how was I feeling... I kept telling them I am fine - I am fat, out of shape, and slow, but I can do this! Hahaha They all walk too fast and talk about a mile a minute too. My stepson led the hikers - he is a tall, skinny thing. I am jealous of him.  It was a good hike. Fun was had by all. I made it, although I was getting ready to quit the last mile.  We want to do it more often. I guess I will have to start training.My Uncle Timmy said that next time he wants me to lead the hikers. LOL Actually, they are talking about doing the 17 mile hike that is in that park. It is supposed to take 2 days but they want to try to do it in one! I laughed at that one. Uncle Timmy said we might have to run in places and Aunt Connie said we couldn't stop to smell the roses. I don't know about that one. I like to hike, but for me it is more about being in nature and taking pics then the walking/exercise. I will have to see what happens.

 

My husband read my blog and he said I had to ammend it to tell you all how evil the bugs were. They were really bad. There were huge horseflies, yucky deerflies and mosquitos, of course. You had to keep moving or a million would swarm on you. I even had some flies try to fly in my mouth. I don't know how the others could talk so much! The back of my husbands neck must have 100 bites. That was the downside of the hike, that and the fact that we couldn't walk the evening after.  Gotta' love nature.

 

 I added my favorite pictures in this blog but all that I took that day are uploaded into an album on this space.

People

People are many things. There are a lot of good people in the world; there are a lot of bad people in the world. There are a lot of people that are somewhere in the middle. People are conflicted. I have known some good, some bad and for certain some conflicted people. At times I am conflicted. Whatever people are, good, bad, problematic, people interest me. Their thoughts, their ideas, their stories; why they do the things they do - I am always curious. I am a big time people watcher.

 

 I like to think I am a good judge of people. I seem to have always had a sense about what a person is all about as soon as I meet them. It may be I am a little psychic; I know I am certainly very sensitive and perceptive. Not to say I always catch everything. No one is infallible. I guess this is why I have always had an interest in psychology. I want to write about some of the things I believe to be true about people. I hope I may not come off as highly critical. I can be very critical. I try to temper this with kindness and understanding. I don’t always succeed with this as quickly as I should. Know that I often turn my critical lens on myself too. I would like to write more about people - their behaviors, their ways of thinking, what I perceive in some people and my experiences in dealing with people. I guess I would like to write about what we call ‘human nature’.

Writing/Blogging

I love writing! I want to write. I want to blog. I have a ton of things I want to write about but I know shouldn't really sit here all day and write. I am trying to clean and organize my house. I still have a ton off junk I need to move over from my parents house. I see a huge garage sale in my future. So anyway......Everything I need to do is pulling me away from being creative though. It sucks. Plus, with everything that I need to do pulling me away; I am scatterbrained. Other times I am really tired. Like the other night. I really felt like writing, ideas were bopping around my brain and I was feeling majorly creative but it was late and I was soooo exhausted. Then when I have the time to sit down and write, the ideas and thoughts don't come to me that easily. It is really frustrating. I do need to practice my writing to get ready for the new school year. I want to be so good at putting my thoughts to paper in a quick and concise way that I won't get stressed out when I have to write a paper for school. That is my goal, so I really must try to write everyday. I also should try to get away from writing just all about me. Hehe. There are some topics that concern me and that I am interested in that I can write about. Of course I would have to add my own experiences though. Well, they always say "Write what you know."

 

I want to take a creative writing class. One day it is my hope to write a novel. I have many, many story ideas floating around in my brain that I would like to write out. My novel (if I ever write it, hahah) may be garbage but this what I have always wanted to do. I just have lacked the time, energy and discipline to sit down and write. Now it seems I am trying to acquire the discipline to sit down and write. Keeping a blog has helped me with my writing tremendously, and it is getting me fired up for more writing. So I guess I better get back to getting my house in order so I can write more later.

This Week-End Past

I didn't go anywhere or do anything superty-duperty special this holiday week-end. We didn't go out of town. It was a good week-end though. My husband and I just spent some quality time together, which was nice. We did go see some fireworks with family. We putzed around the house - oh and we visited the new home superstore (Menards) that opened in our area, planning our next home improvement projects. I am looking at getting a new chandelier for our dining room. We want to put up some fencing in our backyard (just by our patio, to block the western sun and wind) and we (or I should say my husband) are going to build a built-in shelving unit in our living room to house all my books and knick-knacks. I can't wait for that to be done. I have a lot of books (my mini library- once the bookshelves are up, the living room will become the library  ) and a lot of pretty junk I want to display (not to mention pictures).

 

Sunday, my husband and I went over to my parents and spent some time in the pool. All my nephews were in the pool when we got there. I have 3 nephews - Kenny is 4, Alex is 2, and Brent is 1. My nephew Kenny, was swimming all around the pool with just his life jacket. Last year he would just hold onto the ladder or the sides of the pool. He was too scared to go to the middle. When we got there today he said "Uncle Chuck, Aunt Jackie, look at me! I am swimming in the pool like a big boy." He is so cute - well all my nephews are. I can't believe I have 3. I don't know how my sister-in-law does it - with 3 little ones. It is a lot of work. My brother is not the best at helping out. My parents help out tremendously.

 

I want to write this down before I forget. I was thinking about it today, swimming in the pool with my nephew. Last year by the pool, Kenny paid me the highest compliment. He said, out of the blue "Aunt Jackie, you swim like a mermaid." How sweet. His mom didn't think he knew that word. I love to swim and when I was a girl I always wanted to be a mermaid. I don't want to forget that lovely compliment.

Night People

Aaaaaaah! It is so nice to be able to stay up late for a change. I hate going to bed early, thus I hate getting up early in the morning. I love night time. I am a night person. I seem to get energized after 9pm. It is nice and quiet and cool at night. Maybe I should be a vampire, hehehe. I have always been a night person too. I remember, when I was a girl, reading under the covers when I was supposed to be sleeping; or listening to the radio on my headphones (that is where I discovered a lot of the classical and jazz music I like - listening to public radio at night). Why does everything in society have to be built around getting up in the morning and doing things during the day? We aren't all farmers anymore. Some people just do better at night. Any other night people out there?

Mini-Vacation

Yes! I am off work for 5 days! Wahoo! I want to go up north (to Northern MI - Manistee area is nice) but I should stay home and clean the house. I have a ton of stuff I need to do and I can enjoy my pool and spend some time with my nephews. Maybe I'll blog a lot. My writing can always use practice and there has been a bunch of stuff I have been wanting to write about but I haven't had the time or the energy to do justice to the subject matter.

 

It is just nice to get away from work for a while, hehe. I don't bring work home with me but it does suck when I am there, hahaha. Naw, it is not too bad. The money isn't bad either. Better than I thought it would be. The worst part about it is the work wears me out. I have been so tired - and my feet really kill me. 

 

I should start my job search in earnest - I haven't really yet. I have a few other job prospects that I am a little excited about (the money - a lot more $$) but really I just want to get past the summer and get back in school. I can't wait to start school again. The only bad thing is - if I get one of the jobs I put in for I won't be able to go back to school full time next fall. That is going to make me sad. I am torn. It would be nice to work full time for a year, save a bunch of money so I don't have to finance so much of my education, but I really don't want to put off going to school for any length of time. Argh! Decisions, decsions. Well, maybe my decision will be made for me, maybe I won't be offered the jobs.

Good Quote

"There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer." Ansel Adams

I love taking what I call scenery pictures. I take a lot of pics of trees, flowers, water, etc. I don't photograph people too often. I really like the above quote by Ansel Adams. It sums up the majority of my photography. Nature - the colors, the shadows and light, intrigues me. I really identify with what he is saying. To me he is basically saying you don't need people in a picture for it to convey meaning and emotion. The picture is interesting because of the beauty of the scene (or lack of beauty) but also because of the way the photographer chose to photograph it and because of what people feel when they view the picture - what meaning they ascribe it.

Mackinac Island

Aw man, I am missing last week. Last Sunday at about this time, my husband and I were chasing down the sunset on Mackinac Island.  

 

That is about all I could capture of it - we needed to be on the other side of the island.

 

 http://www.mackinac.com/?SourceId=tdAttractions&display=horse

 

 http://www.mackinacisland.org/

 

 

I love Mackinac Island! I have loved it since my parents took me when I was a little girl. I highly recommend going to the island. It is so beautiful and seems to be a magical place. It is very romantic. My husband and I went last week-end to celebrate our anniversary. We finally got to take a road trip in our new car. I was lucky enough to get the week-end off and so we took off for Mackinaw City on Saturday. We got over to the island by about 5pm. We settled into our hotel, The Murray, right on main street. We like staying there because it is on the main street, is relatively inexpensive, provides complimentary breakfast, and it has a great spa-pool on the roof.

 

Saturday night my husband and I took in a comedy show. We had seen it last year but went again because we like the comedian...and they serve the most awesomemest drinks - it is like 3 drinks in one. We had Bahama Mama's. I got buzzed off on one drink, so I mistakenly ordered another one  Yikes! The comedy show only lasts an hour but I was feeling really, really good by then. That is the good thing about the island - there aren't any cars allowed, you can walk to all the restaurants, bars, etc. So we walked on down to Sinclair's Irish Pub and listened to an amazing blues band. We had been there before the comedy show for dinner. Well we went back after because that is where we hung out last year and we like the place. The band's bass guitarist saw us and actually thanked us for coming back. He was really sweet. We talked to him all night, in between the music - he is a really cool guy and a great bass player. He is retired from Ford and he said now he gets to have fun - "It is never to late to live your dream". The waitress kept our drinks coming - that was a bad thing. I drank more than I wanted, but me and my husband had the best time.

 

http://www.stustuart.com/

 

http://www.michalbailey.com/

 

 

Sunday, we rented bikes and biked around the island. It is an easy eight miles around the island - relatively flat. It is so beautiful too.

 

Look at how calm the water was on Lake Huron. I have to make frequent stops around the island to take pictures. I uploaded all the pictures I took in an album on this Space.

 

Although we didn't bike the interior of the island this trip (it is really hilly and can be dangerous, definitely arduous), we ended up biking at least 10 miles total and probably hiked about 4 miles that day. Sunday night was spent in the hotels spa pool, hehe.

 

Monday we took a carriage ride around the island and visited the butterfly house.                                                          

 

Sadly, we didn't have time to visit the old fort or have tea on the Grand Hotel porch - we had to get back to reality.

 

 

I just love to share a little of my experiences on Mackinac Island and my photos with everyone. It is one of my most favorite places and I think people should definitely visit Mackinac Island if they have the chance. My husband and I always have a good time (and good weather) when we go. We hope to make it our annual tradition.

 

 

 

 

Finally!

Wahoo! The things I get excited about. I got my diploma in the mail yesterday. It states I have an Associate in Arts, High Honors! All that hard work and money represented by one little piece of paper. I hope it pays off. I know I only feel a little smarter than when I started, hahaha.  Yeah, and a couple of weeks ago Mott Community College finally updated their Dean's list webpage and sent me letters that I made the Deans list for fall 2007 (well Duh) and the all 4.0 Dean's list for winter 2008. I must brag on it.  I need that validation! I love making the dean's list and getting the letters and seeing my name on the website. I was waiting impatiently.  I miss MCC. I miss school. I can't wait for fall. Now I have to get to know U of M - Flint. I am afraid it is going to be 10 times harder than MCC. I hope not. I must work on my writing this summer and review all my psychology texts.

 

http://www.mcc.edu/registrar/reg_deans_list.shtml

Busy, Busy Last Couple of Weeks

 

 

Busy, Busy.......

 

Whew!  It has been a busy few weeks. I have been wanting to blog about a ton of things but I have just been so busy and wore out. I went to like 3 graduation parties, started a new job, signed up for classes at U of M - Flint, got my financial aid for school in order, and continue to job search. My husband and I had our first wedding anniversary also. Busy, busy. Although, I did take some time to stop and smell the roses like my Grandma taught me. I have missed writing/blogging.

 

 

New Job

 

I got a new job! Hahaha. I am working at McDonalds. Whoopeee! After the play was over and we bought the new car I knew I needed to get a job to help my husband with the car payment and save for school (poor hubby can’t do it all). I have been hearing everyone complain about how there are no jobs in Flint and, in fact, there have been news stories about how teens can’t even find work because adults are taking lower wage jobs. I was talking to my sister-in-law (she is a volunteer firefighter) and she said that some of the guys on the fire department have looked everywhere for a job – even McDonalds – and no one was hiring, not even calling them for interviews. One of them finally joined the armed forces - not an option for me. I got scared because I was hoping to get a job this summer to save for school – then add the new car payment on to of that… So I went up to the McD’s close to home (which I was hoping to find work close to home or close to where my husband works to save on gas and running) and filled out an application and left my resume. The manager called me the same day! I was so excited. Heeheehee. I have been working there for over a week now. I never thought I would be so excited to get a McDonalds job. There were a couple of other ladies that hired in with me and they said they had put out apps everywhere and didn’t get any calls except for this McDonalds. I guess we are lucky to have a job. People (some older too) are coming in every day asking for applications.

 

I feel like a high schooler again, working at McDonalds. I worked at McD’s when I was in high school. It is a lot different than it used to be. It is not as easy or as organized. They have a lot more stuff then way back when. I am doing pretty good and for the most part I don’t bring my job home with me like other jobs I have had. When I leave there I forget all about it. Which is good, because that is what I was hoping for; something fairly simple so I could concentrate on other things, like school and/or looking for a better job? I think I am going to get the schedule and amount hours I want too so that is a blessing.

 

 

Opportunities

 

I put in for a really good job. I am not going to say where because I don’t want to jinx it but I had to send my resume and transcript and fill out a form indicating where I wanted to work (which areas around where I live). I received a letter back stating that I had the qualifications for the job and I would be contacted for an interview as soon as an opening becomes available in my chosen areas. I am hoping I get a call. This job has to do with my chosen field of psychology so it would be a great experience, not to mention awesome wages and benefits. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

 

Then in the local paper I saw a job posted to work at a credit union as a teller. I said to myself, what the heck. I went down and filled out an app. The hiring manager pre-interviewed me right there. I didn’t think I would get called because I don’t have any banking/teller experience but she called me the next day to set up a formal interview. Today I went for the interview. I think I did really well. It was a nice interview. It was with another lady. She and I had a nice conversation and it was not like an interview at all. I am kind of excited about that job, although if I am offered the job I will have to switch my school schedule around. I will be surprised if I get the job though because I don’t have any experience as a teller. I should know by the end of the week.

 

All and all I am feeling a whole lot better about my job search now. I was pretty discouraged because of the way the economy is and the way the job market is around here but I have some pretty good opportunities and I haven’t even been to my schools to see what jobs they have to offer in their career centers. If worse comes to worse I will go back to being a waitress. My Aunt, who had retired, got a job at Olive Garden. She says she makes awesome money – better than the job she retired from.

 

 

Decisions

 

So now I have more decisions to make. If I get a full time job should I attempt to go to school full time too? I don’t think I am up for it. I am crazy enough to try it though. Also, if I get a M-F daytime job I will have to change my classes for fall semester. I will have to go at night and take some distance learning classes. I am not very fond of distance learning classes. I like to go to class and talk with the professor and other students. I have my financial aid already too, and I don’t want to mess that up. Taking a full time job is tempting though, because then I will be able to get ahead and maybe not have to finance so much of my education. I will have to think about this if I am offered the teller job.

 

 

 

I love my new car!

 

I really love our new car. I think my husband and I made the right choice. It drives so nice, though it does not get as good gas mileage as I hoped for. I had to take it in to get rust proofing and upholstery protectant on it. The dealer gave me a 2008 Impala to drive. I had been thinking about getting an Impala. I am glad I didn’t. I don’t like as much as my new car. It was like driving a big boat of a car. It didn’t seem like the suspension in that car was a good as in my Cobalt either. Really, I couldn’t wrap my brain around the fact that I was driving a 2008 car – it seemed like an old 1985 Buick LeSabre or something. It just seemed old. Maybe it was because it had leather seats – I don’t like leather seats. I still want to test drive one of the new Chevy Malibus – I wonder how they are. I drove a 2005 or 2006 Malibu once but I didn’t like it so well. I hope they will be coming out with some more hybrids soon.

 

 

Graduation Parties

 

I am feeling so old. All these kids are graduating that I really remember as little ones running around acting silly. My cousin graduated high school. He is so tall. I remember him as a cute, little chubby boy doing a Forrest Gump impression. Chuck’s nephew graduated – the first of all my husband’s sibling’s kids to graduate. There is going to be a niece or nephew graduating each year from now on for the next few years. Then my friend’s son graduated and is going in the Army. I can’t believe how time has flown by. I remember when my friend found out she was pregnant with her son. I took her to get her pregnancy test. Wow! It has been 18 years all ready. I just can’t get over it.

 

 

1^st Anniversery

 

My husband I have been married one year. We have been together for 9 years though. We didn’t do anything major for our anniversary. We went out to dinner. I wish we could have gone to Mackinac Island (where we honeymooned) or at least spent the night at Waldenwoods (where we got married) but we didn’t have the time to get anything together. To much stuff going on right now, and anyway, our anniversary fell on Father’s Day this year so we had to celebrate Dad’s too. I have been so tired and crabby lately too because I felt like I have been pulled in 20 different directions lately with all this stuff going on. My poor husband! I have been on the emotional roller-coaster. Haha. Maybe things will calm down now. One can only hope. Ciao