Home on the Range

This past week, I spent 2100 miles on the road…by myself. 5 states and 4 days later I’m finished. Yes friends, I am back in Wisconsin.

FOR GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT! 

As excited as I am to have a job, I am really REALLY going to miss living in the Pacific Northwest. It’s hard to explain, but out west there is an entirely different mentality when it comes to work/life balance. Yes you still have your workaholics, but you also have a huge number of people who can’t wait to get their 40+ mile bike ride in on the weekend, attend an avant-garde art opening, kite board the Columbia River, listen to a killer local band, check out the pow pow on Mt. Bachelor or walk the beach on the windy Oregon Coast.

Biggest thing I’m going to miss: mountains. Like this these:

I know Madison is where I need to be at this point in my life. Is it what I had planned? No. I had this romantic notion that I was going to live somewhere completely new once I finished grad school. While that didn’t happen, I know it will someday.  I’ll be back out West sooner rather than later.

For now, I’m content to be living in a city I adore. I am closer to my family and longtime friends. I can revel in the success that is Wisconsin sports right now first hand. And I can actually start my career!

I’m looking at this chapter in my life as a building process. I have a job that is actually relevant to my career path. It’s with an arts organization. It’s a nonprofit. It does great things for the community.

All western-withdrawal symptoms aside, I win.

Here are some fun photos from my trip: 

Columbia River Gorge and its foggy awesomeness.

This set up was quite stressful across SD & MN.
As if 45mph wind gusts aren't strong enough, try it with a bike on the back of your car. 

Eastern WA.

Idaho.

First time pumping my own gas in 2 years. Still got it, to the exact dollar, BAM.

More eastern, WA.

Mountains outside Bozeman, MT.

Eastern MT. My favorite photo of the trip.

More MT.

North Dakota.

I saw 3 different people driving 4-wheelers on the road. Apparently common in ND.

ND, still.

Weary traveler.

WISCONSIN!

More WI. 

There are no photos of Minnesota. It's not that I didn't appreciate the view, it's that I had both hands white-knuckled on my steering wheel.


Land of 10,000 Lakes was really "land of winds that want to whip your car like a pinball."

The Past Week in iPhone Photos

This past week was incredibly busy and awesome. Due to the fact I'm moving (more on that later) I've been making it a point to see everything I possibly can in Oregon before I leave.

Walking Bandit on The Spit in Hood River, OR.

The Columbia River Gorge. 

Yours truly.

My friend YAA-M and myself. We did a long bike ride at the top of the Gorge. IT.WAS.AWESOME!

Yours truly, again.

Did I mention a BOBCAT ran in front of us on this ride? It was awesomely scary, for we were riding downhill going about 30 mph.

Delicious and beautiful latte in Hood River. 

Looking up towards the sky in PDX. Awesome street art.

Felix rockin' the #rubyreds!

I see faces in PDX.

Flowers on an excursion to a Junction City farm.

On a completely unrelated note, Wisco sports KILLED it this weekend. Props to my Brewers (for clinching the NL Central), Badgers and Packers!

The Last 2 Weeks (ish) in iPhone photos

Normally I'll aim to publish these every week, but I've been all over the place and I've got a lot of photos to share! Plus, let's face it, we're all a bit voyeuristic.

Taken from my bedroom window!

One of the roommates, KRE and myself at a neighborhood party.

Reunited with the lovely LEB during my visit home to WI. Side note: she's working in the UK for a year. COOL, RIGHT?!

Madison solidarity buttons. Love the Mad Men ones!

Found this, *ahem*, creative sidewalk drawing in my aunt's neighborhood in Madison.  

Cleaning out a few things at my grandmother's house. Found this gem. 

Screened porch goodness.

My bestie's fur child, Charlie!

LOVE Wisconsin.  

Mini.

Good advice from a Chinese restaurant.

Sunny skies over Denver on my way westward.

My new running shoes! They were 50% of because of the colors. I call them my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle shoes.  

Funny story, I took this photo to send to my aunt. Long story short there was an incident with a bat in my grandmother's house. No one was bitten, but still, ick. 

My aunt's dog, Bob. Lurrve him. 

Zoey!

Minor league baseball game. Love these boys, I totally remember doing that with my glove.  

Being truthful here, this photo was taken for my parents because this AWESOME jersey was a birthday gift and it's finally time to wear it! Please ignore the giant dot on my forehead, my mirror has a cosmetic defect. 

RDB loves mini things. Look at that tiny ice cream cone!

More to come next week!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

In honor of St. Patrick (the patron saint of Ireland) I thought I'd share some of my 462,981 photos from the trip I took to Ireland about two years ago.

Dublin

Trinity College (Book of Kells- flashback to Art History 201 anyone)?

Yum.

Kissing the Blarney Stone. It was a long fall, hence the guidance by castle staff.

Also yum.

Midleton (near Blarney Castle).

Galway (best fish and chips of my life).

So glad I took a bus.

Cliffs of Moher

Enjoy your libations responsibly tonight!