OMG, I really live here. I'm really a Yooper!?!

Picture: Sun hiding behind some clouds today.

Warning, Random thoughts below:

I've been in Marquette for 1 month exactly now and it is starting to sink in; I live here. I don't know if I just needed some time here or if was Mike coming and going, but I no longer feel like I'm on vacation. I need to find stuff to put on these walls. The walls in my apartment are too bare.

After an amazing weekend, it was back to reality and back to work this week. Still slow, still trying to find things to do to stay busy; this afternoon I cleaned...everything in sight.

Runs are starting to feel good and become fun again, although I didn't go out tonight because I had to bake. Tomorrow is Emily's last day and I baked her mini cheesecake-filled chocolate cupcake thingies. Her favorite desert is cheesecake (every time we go out to eat together, she gets one for desert or to take home). Seeing how she is moving this weekend, I figured the cupcakes would be easy to eat with minimal mess or need of plates, etc. She was offered and accepted a job today...she started looking 6 months ago. To be honest, it does scare me for what I have ahead of me next year...perhaps I should start looking and sending out resume's now...

I should also probably start getting information on earning my CSCS or perhaps add EMT...how cool (and useful) would it be able to IV athletes?! I'll be draining hematoma auris or perichondrial hematoma (aka cauliflower ear) here in a few weeks once Greco starts. That’s going to be an awesome experience!!!

Also, we just found out Boxing will be back on campus (http://www.usaboxing.org/ for the official announcement). I have been told I will also be in charge of boxing...SWEET! Sounds like I'm going to have my hands quite full this year.

I'm on call this week and next, therefore I have to put the hikes on hold :( Oh well, I'm sure there is more exploring I can do near town.

College football kicks off in a month!
Thursday, September 25th, Grey's is back! Don't forget to mark your calendar!!!

I Heart Surprises, and Those Who Surprise Me

This weekend was going to be just another weekend while in Marquette. Half day Friday, run, laundry, perhaps find a hike, and enjoy the outside while the weather allows. But that all changed when I received a phone call approximately five minutes after I got home from work on Thursday. Here was the dialogue:
Me: Hello
Mike: Hypothetically, if was standing in front of your house, which door is yours?
Me: Bull shit.
And he wasn’t kidding. Mike drove up to surprise me and spend the weekend in Marquette. Thursday evening we just chilled and ordered some pizza. I’m quite confident the only phrase I said all night was “I can’t believe you are here. You are amazing.”

Friday I worked in the morning and then we went to lunch at Vierlings. Lunch was followed by giving Mike a tour of Marquette before the rain hit. The rain forced us to hang out inside for the evening, cuddle while watching a movie after Mike made his famous Lasagna from scratch for dinner.

Saturday entailed breakfast, a ride on his motorcycle exploring East of Marquette along the shoreline and a U.P. Pasty (meat, potatoes, stuffed inside a pastry) for lunch. We attempted to go to the beach, but beach #1 had black flies that were attacking and beach #2 had a wind/sand blowing contest with itself that got really intense. We threw the towel in on the beach idea for the day. We chilled at home for a bit before heading out to dinner at the Pasta House (wonderful homemade pasta). After dinner we went out to Sunset Point to, well, watch a sunset. This plan was spoiled by the clouds that refused to let us watch the sun set. BOO to clouds.

Sunday morning we woke early so he could get on the road and start his 7ish hour ride back down to where the trolls live (troll = slang for someone who lives in the lower peninsula of Michigan). After he left, I had a list of a weekend of stuff I wanted to get done that I had to get thru by the end of the day. Thus, 2 art fairs, 6 mile bike ride, laundry, clean house (this is only part way done, perhaps I’ll complete it tomorrow…), return movies, make dinner, write emails, get some things done for work…SHEESH!

Overall, it was, by far, the best weekend in Marquette ever. I would not have traded it for anything in the world. Time for me to go finish up a few things on my list before diving into a new week…

Picture: Mike and I killing time to watch the sun set before the cloud cover.

Running

The first week getting back into running always, well, sucks. The breathing is off, the legs are off, and nothing clicks. But, the pain of all the non-clicking is eased by the view I have when running (picture). This picture is of the break wall I run at the start of my route when I run Presque Isle in the evening.

Work is slow...very slow…which I’m not used to. Its nice because it has given me a chance to get my feet wet in the administrative side of the USOC/USOEC before mixing in a full team load. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday this week I have the afternoons off. This translates into 3 hour work days :) Although I do find myself with a lot of free time on my hands, it has allowed for me to get to know the town and participate in some outdoor activities before the winter settles in!

Hopefully I will have more adventures this weekend …

Hiking...Finally a Mini Success :)

After having my breakfast plans shattered by Babycakes being closed on Sundays, Justin and I walked to Third Street Bagel. It was pretty good, although I did have my heart set on Babycakes! Oh well, perhaps next weekend I'll go on Saturday, when they are open!

Hike attempt #1 while in Marquette, Little Garlic Falls. Failed. Hike attempt #2 while in Marquette, with Justin, Alger Falls. Failed. (Starting to doubt my waterfall book…). Hike attempt #3 (same day as attempt #2) Reany Falls, SUCCESS!!! On our way to Reany Falls, we stopped at Wetmore Landing, a local’s beach. Very tucked back, very peaceful, and very nice. Reany Falls was nice...a bit smaller than I anticipated. It was like numerous little waterfalls. They were located very close to the road so the occasional car interrupted the peaceful chatter of the water rolling over the rocks.

We then wandered up a steep hill and heard a wonderful sound: gargling water. A slip, a slide, and a hike down and we found roaring rapids. After taking the rapids in, we continued on and found the word “falls” with an arrow written with spray painting on a section of exposed aqueduct. After trolling through an unmarked campsite with 4 tents (note to self, perfect escape location), we found Dead River Falls. We honestly didn’t know it was those specific falls until we got back to the car; we were just following the sound of falling water. There are some wonderful rapids directly below the campsite. It would be a dream come true to camp there for a night. To sit by a fire and chill with the rapids in the background and then to crawl into a sleeping bag and fall asleep to the peaceful sound of rumbling rapids just a few feet away.

Here is the link to pictures from today’s adventures: http://picasaweb.google.com/Street.Jenna/MarquetteHikesPart1

Dinner tonight was homemade Grilled Shrimp Scampi with Angel Hair Pasta…YUMMY! I heart the cookbook I was given before I was given before I moved to Marquette!!!

Mortified at Target

Today I had a half day at work (ie. worked from 9-noon and was done :) ). After work I went straight to Target to pick up some necessities before taking advantage of the half day off. One of the necessities I needed was a hand mixer. How is one supposed to bake without a hand mixer?! The one I wanted was not stocked so I approached a lady who was wearing a plain red t-shirt and khaki shorts who was organizing the magazines. I spoke first: “Excuse me miss, do you know if you have anymore hand mixers in back?” The lady stood and she said as she was turning around “I’m sorry, but I don’t work here”. By the time she finished her sentence, she was facing me fully and I could see the “YAY U.S.A” scripted in HUGE letters across the front of her chest. I immediately apologized saying I saw the plain red t-shirts, khaki shorts and I didn’t see a purse. She gave me a very unusually funny look and I walked away after telling her to have a good day. Puzzled by the unusually funny look she gave, I pause and then I realized why she looked at me so funny…

Pause for dramatic effect…

I was wearing a plain red colored polo, khaki shorts, and no purse (outfit pictured). No wonder she looked at me with such an odd look, I was wearing the freakin’ Target employee uniform! But hey, at least I had a hand basket hanging on my arm!

Mortified by the ironic-ness of this situation, I skipped the rest of the items on my list and checked out as fast as I could. I could not risk running into her again because my face already matched my red shirt from embarrassment; running into her might have made my head explode by an overload of blood rushing to it!

Seriously, I was so embarrassed. I got in my car, giggled my entire way home, and then took a nap!

You can bet I will never wear that outfit to Target again…even if it means I have to go home to change first!!!

Time to go finish my Milano Mint cookie and go to bed :)

Attempt to Hike in Marquette...#1

…first day of hiking in Marquette was…well, adventurous I suppose. It started out wonderful: breakfast at Babycakes. Best bakery in town, and I agree! At breakfast (after my random conversation with the old man at the table on the sidewalk across from me), I decided to go find Little Garlic Falls. Long story short, something made me really uneasy, I thought I had missed a turn and had passed the falls and turned back. I ran into an elderly couple who had done the hike before and said the falls were 4 miles in…my book said 2 to 2.5 miles. Oh well, to be attempted and completed in the near future. On the drive home I noticed these falls (picture...but it's a bit blury and I can't figure out why...) on the side of the road. A few attempts of fiddling with my camera’s timer and running on the rocks to get into position and managed to get this ok shot of me and the waterfalls (whose name I still need to find…).

Dinner was out of my Rachel Ray cookbook (Tomato-Basal Pasta Nests) and it was AMAZING!!! I also made bruschetta, well the topping for it; letting the flavors blend tonight and will eat it tomorrow!

Perhaps more adventures tomorrow…

Week One at Work...In the Books...

Week one working at the USOETC is in the books and I’m beat!

Here in Marquette, the sun rises before 6am and sets around 10.30pm…this means it is light until 10.30pmish. Therefore my life was thrown for a loop this past week getting up, going to a full day of work, coming home, and when it began to get dark (perfect running time), it was freakin’ 10pm! Long story short: I went to bed last night at 8.30pm and slept thru the night until the alarm went off at 7.30am! It was wonderful!

This weekend I plan on exploring the unpaved trails here in Marquette on foot (since my bike isn’t quite working like a bike should…). There are no fast food restaurants here in Marquette (fast food is located on US 41 which is considered “commercial strip” to the locals are not located with Marquette City (where I live), but rather, Marquette County! There are NUMEROUS little shops, little eateries, little restaurants around, it is wonderful! The best part is they are all local and very fresh! YUMMY!

I cooked dinner for Justin on Wednesday night as a thank you for helping me move. It was fun to reminisce on times at MSU…yay for having a buddy to watch Big Ten sports with…and hike/explore with…and try all these little restaurants with!

Tonight: relax, recover from the week, and plan out the weekend!

Picture: shoreline of Lake Superior off of Lakeshore Drive...a short hop, skip, and jump from my apartment...work...or anywhere I go in Marquette!