You Can't Go Home Again

Well, you can go home again. I mean, it's entirely possible to get in a car or on a plane and transport yourself to the geographic setting of your childhood. I think Thomas Wolfe though, meant that our childhood homes don't feel the same to us as adults that they did when we were young. 

I've been staying with my parents over the holidays in the house we moved into when I was sixteen. It started as a small lake cottage, morphed into an awkward ranch home, and when my parents' decided to make it our home, it was a mess. They've made it cozy and uniquely theirs (I call they're decorating style neo-cottage). This house is definitely home for them but it's not home for me. 

Before this place we lived in a little ranch house while I was in middle school and the first part of high school and before that we lived in the house where I was a kid: the hundred-year-old bungalow about which I could wax poetic all day. So, my idea of home can't really be one place. I have, in fact, never been back to my childhood home. That would be trespassing. "Home" for me is a series of places. It's the dollar theater on the square in Independence. It's my grandparents house in northern Michigan. It's the lobbies of every ice rink in the tri-state area. It's the suburban roads on which I learned to drive.

One of the ways I know that I cannot truly go home again is that I don't feel absolute freedom driving down Colburn Road with music blaring (then and now: Weezer). Tonight, driving back to my parents' house I found myself thinking about job prospects, putting a garden in our backyard in Indiana and what groceries we'll need when we head back at the end of the week. While I get dreamy and nostalgic remembering what it was like to be a teenager in this town, I don't miss it. I don't yearn for it. I...appreciate it. It's where, to use a terribly clinical term, my formative years happened and those will always be wonderful (if sometimes really awkward) memories. This is my long-winded way of saying that I know I can't go home again and I'm cool with that.

Ozark Foodies?

Has anyone else noticed how awesome Midwestern grocery stores are now? Perhaps grocery store isles in the rest of the country have always been great or maybe they're still drab. In any case, I've noticed something.

Whether it's because of the internet or documentaries like Food, Inc. and Forks Over Knives, general human development or the coming apocalypse, there is much more variety in grocery stores than a few years ago. When I was in high school (scary that that was 10 years ago) you would not have been able to find quinoa or farro in our neighborhood grocery store. They're not even recognized as words by my spellchecker. Produce sections have exploded with wide selections of greens and multiple varieties of mushrooms. Malcolm Gladwell might convince you it started with mustard. Whatever the reason, there is more choice in grocery stores than ever before.

I wasn't surprised when I saw these changes in the Indiana college town where I live or in the upper-middle class suburb of Kansas City where my parents live. Recently though, Boyfriend and I took a trip to the Ozarks to spend a few days with his family. We planned to make breakfast for the crew one morning and so needed to stop by a grocery store on our way. He assured me that there was a store about a half hour from his parents' house in the heart of the Ozarks. We only needed a few things: eggs, cheese, breakfast sausage, so I figured a roadside grocery store in rural Missouri would do the trick. Little did I know we were going to the new Woods. If you travel in the Ozarks frequently you might know that Woods was your basic grocery store in Sunrise Beach (staple food items, generic beer) but has recently moved down the road and made some major changes. There, in the middle of the Ozarks, (This place is the home of rustic lake homes, party boats and raunchily named bars) one can buy fresh asparagus, craft beer or a Naked smoothie.

It's up to you to decide if this is progress or sad homogenization. I, for one, probably won't complain too much about being able to pick up turkey sausage or Havarti for summer weekends at the lake. 

It's Not Like Riding a Bike

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I am dangerously close to finishing my first semester of graduate school. It has been fantastic for the most part. I've loved being in class, talking to smart people who are interested in the same things that interest me. I haven't even minded the majority of the reading. But now, now it is the end of the semester. This is the season of final papers, take-home exams, sloppy ponytails, sweats and lots of caffeine.

To be perfectly honest, I'm getting off easy. My final assignments consisted of writing a children's book for my science class (awesome), showing up for the literacy class (can do!), writing a paper for our diversity class (in progress), and doing a take-home final for math (all progressing). So, I enter finals week with only a couple things left to turn in, both of which are mostly completed.

It has not been pretty getting here. Navigating campus, going to classes, staying up late, all of these things came easy to me. I figured I hadn't been out of college long enough for it to be rough going back. But then the paper writing and the test taking happened. I suddenly had to recall information I'd learned months ago, format a paper and citations (???) all while Boyfriend, the professional student, acts like these things are innate human features.

This is my long-winded way of saying if you've recently discovered that you used to be awesome at painting/running/fly-fishing/underwater basket weaving but you're suddenly sub-par, hang in there. I'm with you. You brush up on your basket weaving while I figure out how to properly cite journal articles again. We'll meet up and compare notes.

Way Better Than Whatever the Grocery Store is Playing

Let's talk holiday music today. First of all, who else loathes (yes, loathes) hearing Christmas carols in the grocery store in mid-November? Ugh. I love festive music but, as with most things, there is a time and a place. So, since we're well into December it's Christmas music time!

I grew up listening to classic Christmas music from Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole. While that kind of thing is great (you can't really ever go wrong with Sinatra) I've got a couple offbeat favorites.

Here are some of my favorites to get in the holiday mood:

First, my most "classic" choice:
A Charlie Brown Christmas- Vince Guaraldi Trio

I probably don't need to work very hard to defend this choice. This album just sounds like Christmas, doesn't it? It strikes the perfect balance of cheerful and sentimental. Picking a favorite track would be like picking a favorite child...if I had children...and liked them all equally.

Bakenaked for the Holidays- Barenaked Ladies

This is my very favorite holiday album ever. There are classic Christmas songs, Hanukkah songs, silly adaptations of greats and quirky originals.

Best Tracks:
Elf's Lament- Smart, fun lyrics poking fun at the woes of a dead-end job. Christmas!
Hanukkah Blessings- This is just a beautiful song.
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen- My favorite Christmas carol done perfectly.
Deck the Stills- 5 words over and over and over and over. In a good way.

The Jethro Tull Christmas Album- Jethro Tull

This one is exactly what you'd expect. Flute rock for Christmas. I bet it's better than Metallica's Christmas album.

Best Tracks-
Holly Herald- Folk-y and wonderful.
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen- Seriously, it's my favorite, I love this version, too. It's acoustic and cozy.
Fire at Midnight- Makes you wish you could invite every single person you like over for cocoa.

I recommend listening to any of these in front of a fireplace while wearing fuzzy socks. I'll be listening to these holiday tunes while finishing final assignments and packing my life into boxes once again. Third move since the summer of 2010. Bring. It.

Warm Weather Dog

Many of you know Arley, our Boxster (she's a Boster Terrier/Boxer mix). She's from South Carolina. We adopted her from a Boston Terrier rescue when we lived in the NC. Because of her southern pedigree, our little dog is a total weather wimp. Temperatures dip below 40 degrees and she starts to think that going outside is akin to summiting Everest.

Snow, you ask? Arley met snow for the first time last year and she's pretty sure snow is Mother Nature's own practical joke. How could anyone be asked to stand on wet, frozen ground for any amount of time, ever in their lives? Seriously.

We're always brainstorming new ways to accommodate Arley's delicate sensibilities. Ok, I try to accommodate and Boyfriend is quick to remind me that "She's a dog, she'll be fine." So not the point, Boyfriend.

Anyway, we have afghans on the couches in which Arley can cocoon herself unless she manages to get a toe caught in the loops and freak out.  So, that's a solution as long as the blankets aren't trying to fight back.

We also, against our better judgment, bought her a sweater. It is important to me that you know that said sweater was on clearance at Target for something like seven dollars. So, there's that. Arley doesn't mind wearing the sweater so when we remember to put it on her, it sort of helps keep her warm. Much to my surprise, it was actually a challenge to find dog clothes (that phrase, man, that phrase) that are intended to keep a dog warm. The vast majority appear to have the exclusive purpose of money-waste. This is a long-winded way of saying that if you wanted to buy Arley this we wouldn't be mad at you.

I'm writing this post from my parents' house in Missouri which is one of Arley's favorite places to visit because while she loves my parents and brother, the main draw is a fireplace! Last Christmas, you could find our dog laying belly first inches away from a roaring fire. I'm pretty confident Arley believes the spot in front of the fireplace to be heaven.

How are you holding up in the beginning of winter? Arley and I are already over it. Have a happy Thanksgiving! 

There's No Magic Like Children's Books

To quote Kathleen Kelly from the Nora Ephron classic, You've Got Mail: "The books you read as a child become part of you in a way that no other reading in the rest of your life does." One of the many benefits of my Master's program is the excuse to read great kids' books. I've been reminded of books I loved as a kid and been exposed to a long list of new greats.

As I'm sure a lot of you were, I was a voracious reader as a kid. My all-time favorite is Harriet the Spy. I really, really wanted to be Harriet M. Welsch when I was ten years old. Unfortunately, my neighborhood was quite boring. I still love a good composition notebook, though.

This is what a hero looks like.
source

If I had to choose an author whose work was consistently awesome I'd go with E.L. Koningsburg without hesitation because: From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Escaped adolescence without reading this one? Get thee to the library! Or Amazon, whatever. Should you know a nerdy child at any time in your life, immediately hand them a copy of The View from Saturday and stand back; your work here is done.

I want to go to there. Also, pencil sketches, amiright?
source

These, of course, can all be described as one of the greatest kid terms of all time: "chapter books." You remember when you graduated from those flimsy little readers to chapter books, don't you? It was marvelous. You'd passed up the beautiful illustrations of picture books and entered the children's book void. Then, behold! Chapter books!

Life-altering chapter books aside, picture books are their own kind of magical. An easy way to find wonderful picture books is to hit up the list of Caldecott winners. The Caldecott award, in case you're not a children's literature nerd, is an award given for illustrations in literature. Some of my favorite past winners include Make Way for Ducklings, Where the Wild Things Are, and Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble was written by William Steig, who wrote some of the greatest picture books. He's responsible for Amos and Boris as well as a personal favorite from my childhood, Doctor DeSoto (yes, that's the story of the fox who's a dentist).

Go forth with your library card! Relive your childhood! Be the favorite relative this holiday season! Read!

Thanksgiving

Holiday travel season is quickly approaching! Actually, in our house it's more like Get-all-the-projects-and-papers-done-so-we-can-enjoy-the-holidays time. It's a mouthful. On our docket this year: Kansas City and Springfield, MO with a stop in Columbia for Thanksgiving, a nice long Christmas in KC and back to Indiana to move into our new house just after the new year!

Last year, Boyfriend braved Michigan with me and my extended family. It was fantastic. We ate too much, stayed up late making stupid jokes and it snowed! This year it's my turn to tag along for his family's festivities. We're headed to southern Missouri for Thanksgiving day. Boyfriend has a bunch of family there and we'll all be getting together for too much food and carrying on.

We might head back to Kansas City in time to see the Plaza lighting, which, for non-Kansas City residents is the city's official holiday season kick-off. The Plaza is a beautiful shopping district with Spanish architecture and high-end stores. On Thanksgiving night, hundreds, maybe thousands of Kansas Citians buddle up and mill about until a local celebrity flips the switch and row after row of lights outline the Plaza's buildings. It's one of those simple, pretty holiday moments.

The other side of Eric's family will get together on Saturday where the eating and carrying on will continue! Sadly, Sunday it'll be back to Indiana to kick into high gear and finish out the semester. Whew.

I've had a lot of picture-less posts lately. Allow me to remedy that. Here are some randoms I found on my computer. If you just can't get enough, I'm also on Instagram, Feel free to follow along, I'm pinsinthemap.

We made a feast a couple years ago...for two of us. It was awesome.

Boyfriend and I grinning excessively into my phone

Getting excited about the holidays? Trying not to think about it?

Fun Perks

Have you heard of Influenster? It's a pretty cool thing. They'll send you free stuff to test out (depending on the interests you indicate) in exchange for reviewing the products on their website and social media. Recently, I got a box of goodies from them (they're called VoxBoxes) and the coolest thing in this box was a mascara from Rimmel. I'm a total mascara junkie, so I was jazzed.

It's called RetroGlam because it has this big wavy brush that's supposed to help replicate that 60s Twiggy look. As a mascara junkie, I was skeptical but it's good stuff. Not flaky or too dry and doesn't cost more than your lunch (necessary for grad school life).

Photo from rimmellondon.com

We're having a beautiful Fall weekend in Indiana. I'm going to go enjoy by making pot pie!

Halloween Costumes

Belated Halloween costume photos! Boyfriend was a very....accurate Macho Man Randy Savage. I am proud and a little embarrassed to tell you that I am responsible for adding all that ribbon, fringe, and sequins to that shirt. So. Much. Hot glue. He was the spittin' image. And had the catch phrase down.

My costume was a bit more subdued. Jessie from Toy Story's 2 and 3. I got completely bogged down in getting everything as accurate as possible. I'm obnoxious but if you ever need to borrow a cowgirl shirt, I'm your girl. I was tempted to make Arley a saddle and have her go as a miniature Bulls-eye. Maybe next year.

Speaking of next year, I think we'll have trick-or-treaters at our new house. We've never had trick-or-treaters! Realer posts coming soon!

Home Resources Binder

This is one of a series of posts that mysteriously reverted to draft form. They were actually posted quite a while ago but they're here for now. Sorry about the craziness!


In an attempt to not let this whole homeownership thin go up in flames I am determined to begin organized and stay organized. Luckily, I have a deep, some might say troubling, love of labels, dividers, hole punches and the like. It's nothing to be concerned about, I swear. Really. Whatever.

Anyway, enter the Home Resources Binder (this great idea brought to you by the modern manifest-er of all great ideas, Pinterest!). This is one handy, tidy place to keep all important house-related things. Ours already has documentation about our furnace and water heater, garage door warranty, utility information and potential paint colors. Everything we want to know about our house to keep ourselves sane is kept in there. Want one? Neat. I want you to have one. Behold!

Get yourself a three-ring binder, a package of dividers and a bunch of sheet protectors. Impulse buy some pens or a notebook. You good? Excellent. 

Let's continue. Grab a piece of scrap paper and brainstorm somewhat categories make sense for you. Here are ours:

When you've got an exhaustive list, slip all the relevant documents into sheet protectors in the appropriate categories and bask in your organized glory. 

Mmm, labels. 

To the Ozarks!

This is one of a series of posts that mysteriously reverted to draft form. They were actually posted quite a while ago but they're here for now. Sorry about the craziness!


Boyfriend's parents have a place in the Ozarks in southern Missouri. It's the place where his family congregates several times a year for catching up, overeating, incredibly competitive Monopoly games and the kind of relaxed weekends I thought only existed in movies and on Sandals commercials.

For those unfamiliar with this part of the country, picture hills, not so much rolling as tripping over each other and doubling back, weeds that when left untamed turn into trees and a beautiful, humongous lake smack in the middle of everything. It is as beautiful as it is strange.

The Ozarks is also one of those places with massive resorts and fancy condos just miles down the road from fairly serious poverty. It is, in that way, just like the rest of the state. The wonderful thing about going to the lake is you can do just about anything. Lazy float trip down a cute, little river? Got it. Crazy tubing on the busy lake? Check. Napping on the dock? Yep. Eating round the clock? Of course! This is summer vacation, isn't it?

We headed down for the 4th of July. Arley came with us. She wouldn't miss the opportunity to sit on a dozen different laps in a weekend. She lives for that kind of thing.

Well, the dog got what she came for and so did we. The weekend was a blur of tanlines, food and sleeping in. Vacation success! I'm not getting any better remembering to take pictures...use your imaginations if you want to see me lazy and sunburnt.  

The Kentucky Bourbon Trail

This is one of a series of posts that mysteriously reverted to draft form. They were actually posted quite a while ago but they're here for now. Sorry about the craziness!


A few weekends ago (sorry for the radio silence, by the way. Life, etc.) we got to go on another little beat-the-winter-blues getaway. Boyfriend's birthday was a couple days ago and as my gift to him I arranged a quick trip to bourbon country. For those without booze nerds in their lives, the Bourbon Trail is a small area of Kentucky where half a dozen or so distilleries are located, included some major national brands like Four Roses, Wild Turkey and Jim Beam. We live just a couple hours away so we headed down to Kentucky on Saturday morning. We would be staying in Frankfurt but there are distilleries in several smaller towns close by.

First up was Four Roses in Lawrenceburg, a unique distillery because of it's Spanish architectural style. The tours for most of these places are free so you need to do nothing more than materialize at the top of the hour. The Four Roses tour starts with a short movie and a little history of the grounds. The coolest part of their tour, though, is being able to walk through the actual processing areas. They don't kid around. There are pans of boiling water to watch out for and massive vats of yeasty mixes. The highlight of these tours for bourbon fans of course, is the tasting and at Four Roses you get to taste three different bourbons. I am not a big bourbon fan but even so it is interesting to try different types back to back.

After Four Roses we checked into our hotel and recharged for the evening. I love trips like this because we had a couple things scheduled but no particular plans in between. We consulted UrbanSpoon to get an idea for dinner options and decided to head to a little place in downtown Frankfurt. Pretty good food, really attentive service- as it was St.Patrick's Day weekend the chef brought out a little of his corned beef for us to try. We also got free birthday dessert and we didn't have to listen to anyone sing! Score! After dinner we had a reservation for the ghost tour at Buffalo Trace.

Arriving at Buffalo Trace, we were both taken by the size of the operation. That place is huge! There are not only processing buildings and a visitor's center but a historic home and a large cabin-style banquet facility that was hosting a wedding when we there. As for the tour, we assumed it would be a mix of campfire style stories about the spooky history of the distillery and bourbon info. We were unaware that a lot of the tour rehashes the episode of Ghost Hunters at the distillery. Even better, some of our fellow tour-goers fancied themselves amateur ghost hunters complete with an app to detect...whatever you try to detect when you think your phone can help you hunt ghosts. So, that was...that. The coolest building in my opinion was the storage facility. Rows upon rows, floors upon floors are filled with barrels of aging bourbon. It was a great little weekend away that ended with my acquiring the stomach flu. Awesome.

Back to normal life now. My birthday is next week! Hooray cake!

Two Full-time Graduate Students

For the first time since we started dating, Boyfriend and I are both full-time students. He's a year and a half into a PhD program and I started working on my Master's this semester. Here's what to watch out for if you find yourself similarly afflicted:

We've both stopped doing the little household stuff. I find that being on campus all day and still having homework to do at night is more draining that having a 9-to-5 job that I could forget as soon as I was driving home. Result: mounds of laundry, a sink full of dirty dishes, general grossness.

We have similar schedules. For instance, neither he or I have classes on Fridays. Lunchtime study date? Ok! Running errands at 10am on a Monday? Doable. It's nice to take advantage of the random free time we both have.

Stressful, busy times are now the same for both of us. Midterms? Finals? Those take over both of us, now. I used to be able to shut the door to our guest room/office knowing Boyfriend would be working until the wee hours and go about my evening. These days you'll find us side by side on the couch, computers in laps, bags under eyes.

We're both actively working toward something. I have cut back significantly on freak outs regarding my meaningless job and wasted potential (Yes, I have been a real peach to live with at times). We still take turns being overwhelmed but there's structure, a purpose. I like it.

I'm glad this will not be our situation for more than a couple years. Two stressed out grad students with no one else in the house to keep us in check can get ugly. That and I cannot wait to have my own classroom. Speaking of which, my math lesson looms ever closer. I'm pretty excited.

P.S. Kindergartners are the best people to talk to about Halloween. Seriously.

Podcasts: Great Thing or Greatest Thing?

This is the third installment of Exceptionally Awesome People of Exceptional Awesomeness (EAPEA?) and this one includes a bunch of people.

I am your typical millennial (I don't think I care for that term, by the way) in that I am yolked to my phone. Yes, it's an iPhone. I am a cliche. *ahem* Anyway, one of the greatest things about having a smartphone and a regular walk or bus ride to campus is the podcast. I love so many of them. Come with me while I get completely obnoxious about the things I love.

First up, Welcome to Night Vale. Please, if you haven't checked this one out, drop everything and go listen to the pilot. A friend described this podcast to me as "if Stephen King wrote The News of Lake Wobegon". Seriously? Sold. It's hilarious and weird. A strange little desert town's community radio DJ keeps you, dear listener, up to date on the goings on in Night Vale. From the cat levitating in the station bathroom to the mysterious dog park citizens are forbidden to enter, you'll be amused, confused and addicted. All hail the Glow Cloud.

Next, anything from NPR. Now, I'm a Grade-A public radio fan girl but I'm not kidding. Choose your poison. Economics? Music? Current Events? Humor? They do it all. I have so many favorites. This American Life, which is, to quote Summer from The O.C. (yes, really) "Is that the show where those hipster know-it-alls talk about how interesting regular people are?" Yes, Summer, yes it is. Bonus? They regularly feature hilarious people like David Sedaris, the late David Racoff and Sarah Vowel. Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me was one of my first podcast loves. I've been listening for years. WWDTM as it's abbreviated in tweets, is a weekly news quiz show. Peter Sagel and Karl Kastle are at the helm with a rotating panel which includes Tom Bodett, Paula Poundstone, Mo Rocca, recently Nicko Case and a variety of others. It's NPR's Daily Show.

My newest favorite is Here's the Thing from WNYC. This one won't need a big sales pitch. Alec Baldwin interviews everyone. Kathleen Turner, Loren Michaels, Kristen Wiig, Andrew Luck and Dick Cavett to get you started. This one is great for fighting boredom while driving long distances with a boyfriend sleeping in the passenger seat.

Radiolab. Just, Radiolab. It's deliciously nerdy science with wonderful hosts and an impressive array of topics. It's not so intellectual or specific either. Whatever topic they address, they do it in a way that anyone can easily become engrossed. I recommend starting with the Symmetry episode.

Best part? 100% completely free. I love technology.

Go forth and download.

I taught my first lesson. It didn't go well.

This is going to be a no picture post because it's about kiddos I teach, just an FYI.

In my program we have what is called early field experience our first two semesters. What this means is that we spend a day or two per week in a real classroom observing and helping a real teacher. They want us to know what we're getting ourselves into as soon as possible. This semester I am in a kindergarten classroom.

On Tuesday I taught my first lesson. It was a science lesson on sinking and floating. It's kindergarten so the content was pretty basic. I wanted my students to understand that some things sink and other things float. I also wanted them to compare and contrast the objects we tested. What do all the objects that sunk have in common? What about the ones that floated? I brought in a bunch of things for them to test: an acorn, a leaf, a crayon, a rubber band, a house key, etc.

Everything started off fine. We talked about what it meant for things to sink or float. I went through the items we would be testing and had them guess what each item would do when we dropped it in the water and then it was time to test! This is when things started to get ugly. See, I did not anticipate just how excited kindergartners could get about buoyancy. The first time an object did what they had predicted they cheered. They cheered like they'd just won the World Series (Go Sox, by the way!). So each time they tested something they'd go crazy and I (with the help of my very patient, very experienced classroom teacher/mentor) had to bring them back to a manageable level. Oy. I have a thing or two to learn about classroom management, yet.

Next up is my math lesson: shapes. I teach that lesson in a few weeks. I'll let you know how it goes.

We're moving!

We bought a house! In just a few months we will (most likely) never pay rent again! The home search was much more brief than we anticipated. We spent a few days scouring listings online and managed to find two houses we found interesting enough to look at. We made a low ball offer and ba da bing, ba da boom. Homeowners!

The house is just on the other side of town which means this will be Boyfriend and I's first move that does not involve getting new driver's licenses. Since we're in school full-time we're giving ourselves plenty of time to get all of our things moved over. By the new year we will be in our new place! We'll have more space so each of us will have somewhere to put our desks. No more office/dining room!

The house does not have anything major that needs to be done but it hasn't had much updating since it was built in the late 80's. It is generally bland inside and out. This is exciting though because we can out our own mark on the place.

That brings me to some of the resources we will be consulting as we tweak and improve. My parents will be on speed dial, of course, because they have decades of experience taking on DIY projects of all sorts. They are experts at biting off more than they can chew and figuring out how to make it work. I have a sneaking suspicion this skill set will be helpful. Another great resource I will be finally be able to capitalize on is the blog Young House Love. It's a very popular home blog in case you haven't lost several hours to this fantastic family and their amazing taste.

We have plans for projects big and small. Of course we'll have to take silly things like time and budget into consideration. Psh!

Radio Silence

Wow! So, I blinked my eyes and lost two months. This summer has been crazy! I have a weak excuse for my complete lack of blog presence. Summer camp is exhausting. That's my excuse.

I worked at a camp for kids with Autism this summer. We started at 8 every morning and by the afternoon I'd be spent. Nine-year-old boys have a never ending supply of energy which they seem to use primarily for yelling, flailing and coming up with reasons why your choice of game is disappointing. It was a great experience though. I learned a lot about myself and about the area where I live. With camp, I got to go on some great day trips. Not only did I get very familiar with the community pool (way packed with groups like ours on Fridays), the splash pad (so many swim diapers) and a variety of area parks but I also got to go the the Indianapolis Children's Museum (awesome and huge) Brown County State Park (beautiful wilderness just outside town) and Kid Commons in painfully charming Columbus, Indiana. But alas, the summer of awkward tan lines has come to a close.

And a whole new adventure has taken its place! Graduate school!

Yep, I started working toward my Master's of Education last week. I'm in four classes and in a few weeks I will be shadowing in an elementary school classroom. The really scary thing is that in two years I will be a teacher. Yikes! But I'm so excited. It's taken me a while to figure out what I actually wanted to do with my life but I've figured it out and I'm actively trying to get there. That's a pretty good feeling.

So, what's coming up this fall, you ask? Well, I'll tell you. Boyfriend and I are moving so there will most likely be some new house posts, agony of packing and relocating posts and hopefully a few look-at-the-awesome-project-we-didn't-screw-up posts.

It's good to be back. I will do what I can to post again before November. Happy Almost Fall!

Concert Weekend in Kansas City

This past weekend I headed back to Kansas City to spend Father's Day and my dad's birthday with my family and also to catch a couple concerts with the best friend a girl could have. On the schedule for the weekend: seeing Liverpool, a Beatles cover band on Saturday night, hanging out with the family on Sunday (mainly envying my parents' massive vegetable garden) and then Mumford and Sons on Monday night! Until the bassist needed brain surgery and they cancelled the rest of their summer tour...foiled!

Bestie's brother is a concert sound aficionado and got us on the guest list for Liverpool for free! Three cheers for connections! We've been huge Beatles fans since high school and this was not our first Beatles cover band experience. I know you're jealous you didn't get to hang out with us in high school. Fear not, we're still just as cool. There weren't but fifty people at the show, mostly much older than us. We grabbed couches in the back and balanced singing along with reminiscing.

Boyfriend drove as far as St.Louis with me and then he headed further south to visit his family at his brother's place in Arkansas. Meanwhile, I hopped on Amtrak to go the rest of the way to Kansas City. I love traveling by train. It's affordable and stress-free. I read or write blog posts or play stupid games on my phone instead of worrying about gas milage and semi-trucks and tailgaters.

Needless to say, I very much enjoyed our little road trip.

Bestie and I at a Flaming Lips show a few years ago

Dad

In honor of Father's Day this weekend (and my Dad's birthday, too!) here are ten things I've learned from the hardest working, most resourceful guy I know.

Never do the bare minimum. The extra effort is always worth it.

Do your research before going on a trip. You'll get so much more out of it with a little background knowledge.

Have an appreciation for all types of art- comics, Swedish folk music, architecture, it's all worth a try.

Forget the GPS! Navigating back roads by paper map is way more interesting.

Read. As much as possible. About whatever interests you. Read and then read some more.

There's always something better to do than watching TV.

It never hurts to be early. The same cannot be said for being late.

Make your home your own. Personality can be added on any budget.

Mom and Pop restaurants/hotels/shops beat chains any day of the week.

Anywhere (Prairie du Chien, Iowa or San Francisco) can be worth exploring.

Thanks Dad! You're the greatest!

The Greatest Spectacle in Racing

This was my third year participating in the festivities surrounding the Indianapolis 500 (race cars, folks, we're talking about those cool little open-wheel race cars)  While I opted out of the actual race this year (standing in 100 degree heat on metal bleachers with 10,000 of my closest friends isn't exactly spectacular, even though this year it was only 80....) we have a big group of friends who turn the holiday weekend into a big party.

via Brian on Facebook

The festivities kick off on Thursday night at St.Elmo Steakhouse in downtown Indy (this almost-a-vegetarian loves every side dish, salad and appetizer and their fish is amazing) with a huge dinner reservation and a night out in Indianapolis afterward. Our regular after-dinner stop the last few years has been Ike and Jonesy's where we are usually the youngest patrons by a decade or so.

Friday is Carb Day (short for carburetor since cars used to have those) so it's off to the track bright and early to watch a race of the up-and-coming Indy drivers, eat deliciously disgusting track food and marvel at the Pit Competition. (Seriously, how fast can you change a tire?) There's always a..."concert" after the race and by concert I mean a band that's...not exactly filling stadiums anymore plays on the lawn inside the racetrack using the worst sound system known to man. We usually swing by but never stay long. Washed-up metal bands aren't my thing. By that point we're hot, sweaty and tired. This portion of the trip is not heavily photographed.

On Saturday we sleep in, have Skyline Chili for lunch (so much cheddar cheese!) and invade the home of one of the nicest families we know for a party that begins in the late afternoon and ends long after the kegs are empty and the daylight has gone. Sunday is race day! For me this year that meant going back to sleep when the guys left at 7 am. They got back in the late afternoon after watching a record number of lead changes and a victory by our favorite, Tony Kanaan!  It really is something everyone should see once. That many cars that close to each other going that fast, it's impressive. During the race one inevitably needs to take a break from standing in the sweltering bleachers so a walk to the golf course is sometimes in order. (The first half of a full-size golf course is inside the racetrack at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.) There will be more gross and delicious food to eat, awesome people watching opportunities (oh man, the wardrobe choices) and the final dozen laps of tension as you wait to see if your predicted winner can pull it off. Despite sitting this year out, I've been twice in the past and look forward to going back in the future.

We finish out our weekend with breakfast on Monday morning before everyone parts ways. There's a slow, sunburnt pace to that breakfast every year. Our group can say with only their body language and their tan lines, "We did it again. Who knows how but here we are. See y'all next year."

The best thing about spending Memorial Day weekend in Indy is that there is so much tradition surrounding these events. There are specific games, food, drinks, speeches. It's familiar and new, exhausting and wonderful each year. I never thought I would get excited about race cars and while the actual race is not the highlight of the weekend for me, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else on Memorial Day weekend.

Tiny Airports

Airports are one of my favorite kinds of places. That first scene in Love Actually, about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport always being a place of hope and love, that's how I've felt about airports since I was old enough to take in the wonderful atmosphere around me. I know, flying can be a hassle. There are long lines and at the end, people telling you to put your computer, your belt and your shoes in a bucket. Even with all the weirdness that is the security process, airports are exciting. They're the first step in your travels! Adventure!

When we lived in Charlotte we did more flying than usual since we were in our own little corner of the county. Flying from Charlotte to Kansas City where our parents live was always so easy; just hop from one major airport to the next. But, while I was living in Charlotte I had a couple occasions to fly to Michigan. I went to my family's big Thanksgiving shindig in Bay City and my brother graduated from college in Marquette.

Neither of these cities are near large cities with large airports. They are however, near fun little airports that resemble an outdated living room more than a hub for international travel.

The Marquette airport is on a former Air Force base and therefor one drives on the airport's property for probably a solid five minutes before actually seeing the little building where half a dozen gates (maybe) are located. The airport closest to Bay City is in Saginaw, the next town over. Saginaw's airport has as I remember 4 or so gates and a gift shop. In Saginaw I beat the security personnel to the airport and had to wait to even do through the metal detector. While flying in and out of one of these small airports can be strange for those of us used to massive campuses of terminals, there are perks.

Sawyer International (yeah, Canada) Airport in Marquette, MI

The first thing you'll notice is that whoever is tasked with dropping you off or picking you up will probably not have to pay to park or wait in a long line to pull into the correct curbside area. A small half-full parking lot is much more the norm. Once inside the airport you probably won't find a Cinnabon or a Starbucks but you won't have to search like a detective for bathrooms and your gate won't be in a different zip code. Remember that the adventure of travel begins the minute you leave home.

Boyfriend and I have a couple family-oriented trips back to Missouri planned this summer as well as plans to have more visitors in Indiana. Unlike last summer-4 weddings and a move to a new state, this summer should be a relaxing, low-key one.

Mother's Day in Indiana

My parental units came to visit this weekend! Hooray! They've only seen our little Indiana home one other time. That was very brief and way back in November. Since then we've painted our bedroom, gained a few pieces of furniture and really settled in to making the place cozy. It was also the first time they've been here since I've become a bonafide future graduate student so a little campus tour was in order. Plus, company is the best excuse to hit a different restaurant for every meal! We managed to try Indian (in the rain on the patio, so cozy), vegetarian and Burmese this time. This weekend was also Mother's Day and so...

As a belated thank you to my fantastic mom, here are some important things she has taught me:

The 'rents and I at my college graduation

There is no secret recipe to being in great shape in your 50s. Exercise and a healthy diet does it. Don't waste time with the gimmicks.

A bad mood can be remedied by a little aggressive activity: running, weeding the garden, pulling up carpet.

Food you grow is always better than food you buy.

A dog is a girl's best friend.

The gray pants, they go with everything.

Thanks Mom! Stay tuned for a Dad version in June!

Warm Fuzzies

I have posts in the works about real things I promise but I've really only been able to think about a couple things lately. Indulge me, won't you.

First and most exciting, I was recently accepted to a Master's degree program! Beginning this fall I will be working toward my teaching certification and Master's in Elementary Education which means in just a few years I'll be able to have a classroom all my own! I'm so grateful for my current job as a teaching assistant because it has provided not only invaluable experience but relationships with teachers who gave me great letters of recommendation. Thanks, guys!

Next, it's finally Spring in Indiana! Like many people, my mood is so very affected by the weather so sunny days, warm weather and green grass makes me more pleasant to be around. We turned our heat off and opened the windows. No more heavy piles of blankets on the bed. Life is good. Spring and Summer also bring with them one chore I never really dread- mowing the lawn. I have always found mowing the lawn very therapeutic whether it's riding circles around my parents large backyard or walking rows across our little postage stamp, the mowing, it soothes me.

I know this time of year is not as delightful for everyone as it is for me, though. As I write this Boyfriend is spending the umpteenth hour with his computer finishing papers for this semester's classes. I hear only the occasional sigh or grunt. Yes, those moments make me wonder what I just got myself into. I think we're both in need of a fun summer. 

Pandora just gets me

One of my Pandora stations was killing it during my snow day housecleaning session on Wednesday (A once a in a lifetime event, you can be sure). Pandora scored my adolescence with frightening accuracy. So, if you're a kid of the 1990's, a teenager of the early aught's, prepare thyself.

Here is, I swear, the actual playlist I got:

The Wallflowers- One Headlight
Third Eye Blind- Never Let You Go
Jimmy Eat World- The Middle
Eve 6- Inside Out
Blink 182- What's My Age Again
Nine Days- Absolutely
Vertical Horizon- Everything You Want

I could immediately picture the living room of my childhood home- Ikea shelves packed with thift store books, square, grey Macintosh on the huge desk, Mom vacuuming the oriental rug while Jacob Dylan shot moody daggers out of his VH1 music video. Then, I was 15 in the Rotary Youth Camp kitchen with Megan, shouting song lyrics with all the suburban angst I could muster. It was an interesting afternoon. Here is, in case you needed a laugh, what my awkward, angst-y self looked like then:

I've cropped out friends so as not to expose their high school selves  without permission.

So, in case you were on the fence about whether technology is taking over, I'm here to tell you Pandora is my therapist.

In completely unrelated news, I have a desk! For the last few years I've just been commandeering the dining table. It's not that we use the dining table all that often (read: ever) for actual dining but it certainly isn't ideal to have notebooks, bills, pens and the like strewn everywhere waiting for the next gust of wind. My much more suitable solution is complements of a coworker who was nice enough not only to give me the desk for free but bring it to our place! Three cheers for rock star coworkers! Here is my new setup:

Of course, this moment documents the tidiest this area will ever be.

This very blog post is up on my computer in that photo. Woah, meta.

March honey, back off on the lion, little more lamb

I don't consider my corner of Indiana to be the Great White North. I have family from Michigan, they would not allow such misrepresentation. What's more, my parents live in Kansas City which has been all but completely buried in snow over the last couple weeks. So I don't have it all that bad. But no matter the severity of the winter, cabin fever sets in and the occasional weekend adventure staves off the Shining-level crazy. So, this weekend Boyfriend and I headed to...

.....Columbia, Missouri!

...for a documentary film festival!

...where we saw exclusively political films!

First, I'm not kidding and second, it was a fantastic time. I see, though, that you're going to need some convincing. Fine. Let me start by saying that we had a bunch of family in town (my parents and uncles, Boyfriend's parents, aunt and uncle) and with these people we could have congregated at a rest area in the middle of nowhere and had a blast. Luckily we were not in the middle of nowhere and therefore could eat ourselves silly. Cafe Berlin has vegetarian biscuits and gravy that I would happily choose over a real sausage version any day of the week. 

The reason we'd all come to Columbia though was for True/False, a documentary film festival in its tenth year. There are dozens of movies to see over the course of a long weekend. Serious, funny, sad, Sundance alums and premier showings. We chose a package this year that allowed us to pick three of the more major offerings. All of our movies were political in nature yet distinct from each other. What I thought would be a heavy, dry series of facts and talking heads was actually very engaging.

The first movie we saw was No, a dramatic interpretation of the advertisers who devised the 1988 political campaigns which contributed to the downfall of Augusto Pinochet. I was a Communications major in college and am usually fascinated by the world of professional advertising (although I've given Mad Men a couple tries and it's never stuck for whatever reason). The movie uses real footage from those TV campaigns and the rest of the movie was shot to match those clips- kind of an Instagram treatment for film as a producer said afterward at the Q&A (a perk of True/False, staying after to hear the people responsible talk about their work). 

Our second choice was Manhunt which, as far as I understand, is the real information behind Zero Dark Thirty. It was really interesting to see the whole process of searching for a terrorist explained. There are a lot of people who dedicate the better parts of their careers to learning everything they can about one guy half way around the world. The final movie we saw was Dirty Wars which was disturbing and educational, disheartening and eye-opening. It addresses night raids and secret missions by the military in the Middle East. As the credits rolled one part of me wanted to cry while another part wanted to run into the street screaming. There are so many destructive, immoral things happening every day that are kept so well hidden. Those films certainly made my day-to-day dilemmas seem laughable.

This certainly wasn't the most uplifted I've been by True/False. A few years ago I saw a great film called The Mirror about an Italian village's plan to get more sunlight into their little mountain community. The first year my family went my parents saw Racing Dreams, about kids who race go-carts and aspire to be NASCAR drivers. But, that's the beauty of this now not so little festival. There is a reason for anyone to return year after year. My reasons are many, interesting films, a weekend away and of course, biscuits and gravy with the fam.

Next weekend adventure? Bourbon tasting in Kentucky for Boyfriend's early birthday present. Here's hoping this trip involves considerably less snow.

This and That

There is no structure or theme to this post. I have no deep insight, just some random things rolling around in my head.

First, another submission to Exceptionally Awesome People of Exceptional Awesomeness! I read about this on Friday on Cup of Jo, one my very favorite daily reads. You may already know about it as it occurred in October. Window washers dressed as super heroes brightened a morning for patients at a children's hospital. The article explains that the window washing company spent several hundred dollars on good quality costumes all in the name of making kids smile. Hooray for a business with a fabulous sense of humor!

Next, I'd like to set a goal for myself. I want to take more pictures. I have a phone with a pretty decent camera so there's really no excuse. I forgot or feel self-conscious or wait for a perfect moment that never comes. The result is a lot of memories with no mementos. Don't misunderstand me though, I have no interest in becoming a life-documenter. I harbor no delusions that you care what my dinner looks like, how I'm fixing my hair in the morning or think my dog is half as adorable as I do. I think though, it would be nice to have evidence of the cute moments in life. There are very few photos of Boyfriend and I together despite our three and a half year relationship. I have to get over the sense that I'm intruding. How long does it take to snap a picture? Thirty seconds at the most? So, hold me to it. Demand more interesting posts!

Finally, this week holds some fun! Valentine's Day is on Thursday and while Boyfriend and I went out this past weekend for our celebrating (Oliver Winery tasting room for wine flights and dessert. Amazing!) one of the perks of working at an elementary school is the cheesy holiday parties. So, on Thursday I'll be swapping cheap cardboard cards-I bought Scooby Doo valentines and they come with temporary tattoos-and eating various red and pink forms of processed sugar. But wait there's more! One of my best friend since practically the beginning of time (read: middle school) will be here on Friday! There will be much silliness and eating and wonderful. 

I'm getting restless...already

I named this blog after my love of travel and I think it's about time I bore you all with my current wish list of wanderlust. These are a few tempting things I've been daydreaming out in chilly, rainy Indiana.

First of all, I cannot say enough good things about the Let's Go! books. Boyfriend and I were gifted the Italy edition before our backpacking adventure a few summers ago and it was an incredible resource. The advice is from real travelers and the multitude of information is so easy to navigate. There are country-specific tips, reviews on everything from hostels to museum tours and large cities are organized by neighborhood. I'm no expert on guidebooks but we found this one pretty great.

Next up is Airbnb. I finally checked this website out a month or so ago and can I tell you something? Those people are brilliant! Type in a location and it'll pull up dozens of personal, little places you can rent. A lot of what is offered are just average residents with a little extra space. Maybe they have a guest cottage or an apartment on their land, maybe they've turned their place into an informal B&B. Whatever the specifics, you're sure to find a charming place more interesting than a chain hotel and probably some awesome perks-one place I saw in Hawaii offered their own surfboards for use!

Speaking of Hawaii, here's what I want to do if I ever get to visit the most tropical state:

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I found Kaui'i Backcountry Adventures on Pinterest. (Check out my wanderlust board if you're interested in all the other crazy things I hope to afford one day.) You float on inner tubes through the canals of an old sugar cane plantation. Relaxing! Historical! This sounds like the perfect way to spend an afternoon.

I've been fortunate to see a handful of countries in my twenty-five years and I love traveling to faraway places despite the long, cramped plane ride and weekend-long jet lag. So, in the over-the-top dream vacation category we have Morocco. I want to eat their food and buy their rugs, marvel at all the beautiful colors and maybe never come home. Take a look at this beautiful photo featured in the New York Times a couple years ago.

As Liz Lemon says, I want to go to there.

I suppose the positive side of not being able to afford to do these things in the immediate future is my already full schedule what with living in a new place, working as much as possible and hoping to start grad school. Of course, if anyone is interested in bestowing lavish gifts...I could make something work.

Home is Where the Floors Creak

Having been home over the holidays made me think about how much my parents' tastes have shaped my own. I like to believe that I have made every single decision based only on my own brain power but anyone knows that isn't how it works. The people you grow up around sneak themselves into every nook and cranny of your thoughts no matter how much you fight it in surprising ways.

My dad used to quiz my brother and I on roof styles while running errands around town. Mansard, hip, gambrel, gable- just try to stump me. I'm even better with types of columns. Unsurprisingly, I developed an early interest in architecture. It also helps that I grew up in the coolest house ever. What's that? Your childhood home rocked? Cool. Mine was better.

Yeah, I'm in love with the house from the Wikipedia article on bungalows.

I grew up in a stone bungalow that was built in 1908 (allegedly by a chain gang!). It had a massive front porch held up by cement casts of tree trunks and when the mailbox needed to be replaced, my dad used an antique fire alarm box. As a kid I thought the place was huge. My parents will be quick to tell you that was not the case. Apparently with two small kids, a dog and at least one cat 1,700 square foot isn't exactly expansive. When you're nine years old though, the crawl-space-turned-closet in your already giant bedroom is the greatest secret hideout in the world (it had carpet and shelves!). The dining room had massive picture windows and a bench under those windows that ran the length of the room. At the center of the living room was an enormous stone fireplace, the backdrop of nearly all my childhood Christmas photos.

Now that I am learning to be a grown-up (so tough!) and have my own place, I find that I fall in love with houses for the same reason my parents fell in love with that bungalow. Hardwood floors are the single most charming thing ever, bonus points if they creak. A front porch of porch-sittin' size is a necessity. If the house has a particularly colorful history I want to hear about it. The little house we're renting now is pretty fantastic. It has the requisite wood floors, beautiful wood trim around all the doors and I got to choose the cozy color for the living room walls. It's called 'Bagel'. Wonderful, yes? The basement is accessed by a door in the floor rigged to a hand-made pulley system. I guess you could say it's part cute cottage, part pirate ship.

Behold! A crummy showcase of all the pretty wood!

While homeownership may still be a speck on the horizon, I know I'll rank quirky charm over granite countertops every time. New, luxury stuff is great, it's just not my style. Give me a weird, hundred-year-old house any day.

Ode to a Slow Cooker

Slow cooker, Crockpot, vessel of deliciousness, whatever you call yours, they're wonderful. You don't have one? Go now! I'll wait. Buy a huge one! Buy three!

Ok, everybody ready? Excellent. I love my slow cooker. We have this one.

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It combines all my favorite ways to cook. First, there's no need to follow a recipe. I can throw in whatever combination of things I think will be delicious and BLAMMO! Dinner! What's more, you couldn't ask for an easier process: round up ingredients, dump 'em in, wait. Not that I don't love dicing, sauteing and broiling but sometimes, everyone once in a while and definitely not most days, I do not find myself in the mood to make dinner. Finally, the variety of dishes you can prepare in this most wonderful of kitchen appliances is endless. We make chili, barley and veggies, soup, rice and beans, potatoes, anything!

I discovered one of my favorite slow cooker combos by total accident. I was in one of those moods where I wanted a real dinner, not Jimmy John's...again but the fridge wasn't calling out suggestions (rude). So, I dumped a few chicken breasts, a can of V8, some frozen bell pepper slices and some barley into the slow cooker and voila! A tasty, relatively healthy and most importantly, effortless dinner was had! I'm expecting a call from Food Network any day now. I'll have a show in one of those totally over the top kitchens you're supposed to believe is real. Dump and Stir with Caitlin! Glamorous, right?

I've spotted a number of breakfast and dessert recipes for slow cookers but I have yet to try them. Any suggestions? Blueberry cobbler? Sausage, egg and cheese explosion casserole?

No really, I love my job.

As the title indicates I am one lucky girl. I love my job. Not blogging- hard to believe this revolutionary (albeit sporadic) blog doesn't pay the bills, huh? The concept of loving one's job has been a hard sell for me. I spent a couple years after college at random retail jobs- working weekends, folding and refolding sweaters and being treated not so much like a person but as a means to an end. Oy. I don't miss it.

These days I am an elementary school teaching assistant- with hopes of starting grad school this fall to become a teacher. For now, I help kiddos with sounding out words, fractions, telling time and following directions without completely melting down.

I so love this job that regularly gets me sneezed on, coughed at and stepped on. I mediate bickering, attend to paper cuts and I wash crayon and glue out of dress pants. I wake up hours before Boyfriend and think about struggling students long after I'm home. I'm planning to take on student loans to pursue a career notorious for it's small paycheck.

But, when was the last time you walked into a room and several small but enthusiastic voices announced your arrival? Sure, they can't quite pronounce my last name, that's part of what makes it great. Random waist-high hugs are a regular thing in my line of work and in five short months I've become completely addicted to seeing that moment when a student "gets it".

It used to be when someone told me "I couldn't imagine doing anything else", I assumed they were exaggerating- they couldn't actually feel that way about their job. A job is something you tolerate in order to do the things you actually like. Apparently it doesn't have to be. Yes, I've been sure some days that my head would actually explode. Yes, I wrestle with the idea that I've chosen a stereotypically "female" career. Does that mean I can't be a feminist? Am I bowing to social pressure? Nope. I just really enjoy helping these small, messy people figure things out.

It may have taken me until almost 26 years old but I know what I want to be when I grow up. 

2013

Happy 2013! It's the month of resolutions. Do you make them? Do you hate them? Are you just annoyed at how busy your gym has become?

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I'm neither for or against the making of resolutions. I find the whole "fresh start" thing appealing and generally use that feeling to reenergize goals I've pushed to the back burner. I should learn to knit something other than a scarf. We could probably be recycling more. This year I'm not going to let my car go too long between oil changes.

I also use the new year to instill some good, old-fashion self loathing. You are not going to spend another year 10 pounds overweight. I know, being hard on yourself in the longterm is not the answer. But, small doses, I find, get me on the treadmill.

Getting carried away is easy but being unrealistic won't end well. If your resolution is to cook more and currently you've got multiple restaurants on speed dial, a fondue shouldn't be step one. Step one should maybe be to stop using the oven as shoe storage. Try not to compare your goals to others either. I'm guilty of this one and it drives me crazy. Oh sure, she's cutting refined sugar completely out of her diet. Apparently she's super-human! Gah!

This year what I'm finding more motivating is that I turn 26 in April. That means I'll be closer to 30 than 20. While this may not seem significant to everyone, to me it signals a need to be more of an adult than a child. Time to kick some bad habits: waiting to do dishes until the kitchen is toxic, waking up fifteen minutes before I need to be out the door, forgetting to send thank you notes. So, January is serving as a reminder that I'm only a few months away from that significant birthday. Better get moving.