Road Trip: The Perfect Ending

After driving out to Arizona with Amy, I flew back on Sunday. Following a layover in Detroit, I was scheduled to land in Binghamton at 11:31pm. I had made plans for my friend, Nate, to pick me up from the airport because my parents didn't want to be out that late. He was happy to meet me at the airport and had this sign for me on the way home - complete with some Arizona cactus and The Bean from Chicago! I loved it, and I was happy to see him.

We got back to my house and put my stuff inside. It was late, but my sleep schedule was all messed up with all the time changes, so we decided to take a walk. Three weeks before, Nate had taken me four wheeling to see the sunset. What I left out of that blog post was the conversation Nate brought up that night. It was basically "the talk" saying that he was interested in me and wanted to know if I was on the same page. We'd enjoyed getting to know each other the past two months and appreciated qualities we saw in each other. We decided to give it some time and talk again later about defining things a little more. See, I'm not a big fan of change, and starting a dating relationship would be a big change. Nate was patient with me and told me to take all the time I needed. Well, that Sunday night, I decided I was ready!

We found a bench near my house where we sat and talked for a while. We talked about expectations, things we appreciated about each other, and strengths we saw in each other. We did decide to start dating, then prayed together, desiring God to be the focus of our new relationship. Neither of us have ever been in a serious relationship, so this has all been new to us.

It's been fun sharing my latest news with friends. I told Nate that I love to brag about him! I met him at church when I moved back to Binghamton. He welcomed me from the beginning and included me in activities. He is generous and likes to help people. No one has a bad word to say about him, saying he's a hard worker, good with money, and the nicest guy you'll ever meet. He's 27 and works two jobs with trucks. He also owns a two family home that he rents out and maintains. Several conversations showed me that Nate's focus is on the Lord, spending time in the Word and looking for ways to serve Him.

I keep telling Nate that if plans went my way, I would have stayed in Rochester, but God knew what He was doing bringing me back to Binghamton! I was starting to become very content with my new life in Binghamton, and then God brings Nate along to really cause me to be thankful for what I have here.

And just for fun - our first picture together from that night we watched the sunset...and hoping for many more to come!

Road Trip: Grand Canyon & Final Stop

Amy and I were able to spend time at the Grand Canyon during our last day of driving. We traveled along the main road and stopped at about 6 or 7 lookouts to check out the view. The one above is one of the final ones we saw. The peak to the right is 9 miles away. I'm training to run a 15K, which is 9.3 miles - it would take me a little over an hour and a half to run to that peak! This gave us some idea of just how big the Grand Canyon is!

We pulled into Amy's friends' house late Saturday afternoon - our fifth day on the road. We unpacked and relaxed for a bit, then went out to dinner and saw some of the area Amy will be living in. We were both tired, and were in our pajamas before 8:00! (We never really figured out all those time changes along the way!) We left for the airport the next morning for my flight back to NY. It was great to experience so many new places with Amy, and I'm glad I could make the trip with her!

Of course, while I'm in the airport, I got a text from Amy. We had been marking off each state license plate we saw and were only missing 5. She texts to ask if it's too late - she had just seen Mississippi! Sadly, it was too late. Our road trip was over - we'll have to try again another time!

Road Trip: 4 Corners

We spent much of Day #4 winding through the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. We saw many signs like the one above! We stopped at a scenic overlook to enjoy the sights, but also to give Amy's car a break from all those hills!

As we left Colorado, we came to 4 Corners - the only place where 4 states cross in the US! It's really in the middle of no where, but we spent about 45 minutes taking pictures and browsing through the little shops that sold jewelry and painted rocks. We stood in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah all at the same time!

After leaving 4 Corners, we drove a little further into a town in Arizona where we spent the night at an Indian Reservation. This was our final night on the road - one day left of traveling! (In the car anyways...)

Road Trip: 11 Hour Day

These were the faces we made as we anticipated 11 hours in the car driving through Nebraska. We started out in Iowa and ended in Colorado for the night. There was not much in between!

Nebraska had a lot of corn, flat land, and haystacks. As soon as we entered Colorado, we were greeted with wildflowers lining the road! Colorado quickly became our favorite state!

Nearing our destination, we had some extra time, so we decided to explore downtown Denver. We heard 16th Street was a good place for dinner, so we headed there. 16th Street is closed to vehicles, so people are free to wander the shops and food places. There were chess tables set up with lots of people playing, and there were street performers playing various instruments. There were uniquely painted pianos all over, and we played around on one for a bit. It was fun atmosphere, and we agreed we would like to come back and visit Denver again!

That night we stayed with friends of our parents from college. We had only known them through their yearly Christmas letter, so it was fun to meet them and see pictures they had of our parents from years ago.

It was a long day in [boring] Nebraska, but the scenery and fun in Colorado redeemed the day!

Road Trip: Chicago

Day #2 we drove from Ohio to Iowa. We spent time in Chicago in the afternoon on the way, and it was so fun! After we found parking, we got some Chicago pizza and ventured off to explore the city. I had been to Chicago once before - in 2008 with a group from college. I loved the area and had always wanted to come back. While there, we saw the neat buildings, went to Navy Pier, and spent time by Lake Michigan, but we weren't able to check out The Bean. Coming back someday to find The Bean went on my to-do list! I was so excited when Amy told me we were taking a route through Chicago! We did indeed find The Bean this time and had fun taking pictures. It's basically a giant reflective structure in the middle of the city. I want to go back and see what it looks like at night when it reflects the city lights!

Our younger sister, Julie, was in Chicago just a few days before us. She sent us the following text while she was there:

"You will find a note from me on the south wall of the bean area at the handicap entrance ramp. Look in the crack where the second poll of the hand railing going into the wall. The note is inside a red straw."

Following her directions we found her hidden note! It was fun to kind of share our Chicago experiences!

I told Amy I was living my dream while we were exploring Chicago. I'd wanted to go back for 3 years, and it was definitely a highlight of our trip!

Road Trip: Off to Arizona!

My sister, Amy, and I just spent 2583 miles in the car, traveling through 11 states in less than 5 days! It was quite the adventure, and I'll take the next few days to share some of our experiences.

The picture above is the map we followed from NY to AZ. Amy had been living in Philly and recently decided to move to Arizona for new adventures! Her best friend lives out there, so Amy will live with her while looking for a job and settling in.

Amy and I left on Tuesday night after I got back from work. Each gray dot on the map is a destination we stopped at. The numbers in between are the estimated hours from one place to the next. (Click the picture to see it bigger.)

Amy drove the whole way, and I was in charge of taking pictures, choosing our listening entertainment, setting the GPS, recording the state license plates we saw, and cleaning all the bugs off the windshield!

Highlights from the trip included exploring Chicago, discovering downtown Denver, fun at 4 Corners, and seeing the Grand Canyon. I'll talk about these in future posts!

A Relaxing Weekend

My boss was in my office yesterday talking about the weekend. I said I was looking forward to it, and he responded with, "Oh, are you traveling somewhere?"

"No, actually, I have hardly any plans this weekend, and it's going to be wonderful!"

I have been going and going every weekend since the middle of June. Besides a wedding, I really had no set plans coming into the weekend - just some good rest and relaxation!

I slept in today, then worked on my to-do list. With only one item left on the list, I've been productive, but it's been relaxing with no real time pressures for any of the stuff I accomplished. Now that my tasks are out of the way, we'll see what the rest of this plan-free weekend will bring!

Run/Walk for Life 5K

I originally got to know Amanda through running. We were at Bible study one night, and she was talking about the Spiedie Fest 5K she was doing. I said she should run it for Life Choices Center - my work was doing it as a run/walk for life. She decided to join, and we ran together later that week and several more times leading up to the race.

It's been fun to get to know Amanda during our runs and the other times we've hung out. She's finishing up classes this month to get her business degree - something we have in common - and we've apprecaited times of prayer and encouragement together over the last few weeks.

This was my second 5K, and I wanted to beat my 30:21 time from last summer. I wasn't sure it would happen because I had been running slower than a 10 minute mile, but I gave it my best shot. After completing my first mile in under 9 minutes, I realized a 30 minute race was possible, and I finished at 30:02 - I was pumped!

Many family members and two other friends from church also participated in the race. There were about 80 people running/walking for Life Choices Center, and it was fun to see all those green shirts along the course!

Today is Friday?

My alarm went off this morning, and I laid in bed thinking about taking a shower, going to work, and what I had to accomplish at work today. Then I realized it was FRIDAY, and I didn't have to go to work!

I remembered I was going blueberry picking, so got out of bed and ready to go. My dad and I picked two buckets full of blueberries - delicious! Then I met a friend for coffee - always fun! And then it was time to go shopping - so exciting!

Even though I ate way too many blueberries and probably spent a bit too much money on myself, I had a wonderful Friday morning/afternoon!

Now I have family coming into town for the weekend - it's been a great Friday!!

3 Months of Transition

3 months. It's been 3 months since graduation. So much has happened since then! I wrote a note to a friend today who I hadn't talked to since graduation - there was a lot to fill her in on! I broke it down by the months:

May - Graduation. SIFE Nationals. Family cruise to the Bahamas. Started my new job. I do enjoy my job - the Communications Director at a pregnancy center. I do a lot of design work and get to be creative all day! My co-workers are great and welcomed me right away. My schedule is nice too, with 30 hours a week and Fridays off!

June - Started going to a new church and got involved with the young adult group - volleyball, ultimate frisbee, service projects, Sunday School, game nights, mini golf, etc - it's an active group! At first, I had a hard time getting to know the girls, and I was really missing friends in Rochester. I did make a trip up to Rochester, and it was great to spend time up there with friends!

July - I traveled. A lot! I saw so many out of town family and friends - it was great! The one weekend I stayed home, a friend from Rochester came down to visit. A girls' Bible study also started up at church, and I was able to connect with more of the girls in the group, which has been so great - Binghamton is feeling like home again!

I have been living at home, doing my assigned chores, and paying my rent. I'm home for dinner about 2-3 times a week, and I know my mom loves having me home! I believe living at home did make for a smoother transition to life after college.

I have just felt so blessed lately as I look back on these past three months. I thought I would have a much harder time adjusting to life back in Binghamton, but I am very content here. I've had a few people send me job descriptions for positions up in Rochester, but I have no desire to head back at this point - I'm happy here and look forward to what's ahead for me in Binghamton : )

A Binghamton Sunset

I've been wanting to find a good place to watch the sunset in Binghamton. A few weeks ago, I went four wheeling with my friend, Nate. We eventually came to this clearing that looked over the Binghamton area - I wondered which direction the sun set. I brought it up later, and Nate said that was the direction the sun set. We had plans to go running last night, so I asked if afterwards we could take the four wheeler back up and watch the sunset. We did, and it was the perfect place for it! We enjoyed the sunset then watched the stars come out. It was very peaceful up there and nice to relax after running all the hills by his house!