More walking tour!

I have kinda fallen down on the job as far as blogging is concerned from the past few days. But never fear! I have still collected quite a few photos for your enjoyment. I have not taken a walk every day, but I think the frequency is increasing. Finding things to take pictures of is really motivating. And it makes me notice the little details all the more. Here is from Thursday's walk I think: There is this house a street or two over with this massive sculpture garden. 

Shiny Easter Island Guy

Here we have some unidentified things and a megaphone. 

This is Chapel of the Cross, the church out of which my program is run. It is really pretty and old.

They have some really lovely rosebushes out front.

Last night, Drew, Merrick and I went to trivia at a pizza place! I went for a nontraditional choice of pear, mozzarella, goat cheese, caramelized onions, and walnuts. It was pretty delicious. Unfortunately, we did not win trivia. 

Here starts today's photos. Here is the back of a school and its playground. The bike path runs right behind it, so that was the route I took and just cut through the little path between them. But in doing so I was inadvertently following this old lady dressed in neutrals with long grey hair. And then she turned off the connector path and I swear she disappeared. I was really creeped out because there just really wasn't anywhere she could have gone, and the connector path is just too short to lose someone on. Yikes.  

Being Carrboro, this school has an outdoor classroom of course! It reminded me a whole lot of Camp Mikell as I was traipsing through the woods to get to it.

Here is ANOTHER park within walking distance. It has some gentle "hiking" trails, too! They are great, except when you get lost. That happened at the beginning of the year and I ended up in some neighborhood and I had to call Cory to google map where I was and direct me home. 

Here is a picture on one of the trails! They are just long enough for a walk, but short enough that they don't feel like you are too far away from civilization.

I liked this flower.

One time when Cory was visiting, we went exploring off those trails, and stumbled through some shrubs into this... commune. It reminds me of in LOST when they found where the others lived. This picture doesn't do it justice. It is like half, bright and shiny, and half unkempt and sort of abandoned looking. 

They have gardens and solar panels and chickens and other communal things. Here is a path through it. Cory and I could not find a road leading OUT of the area, however, but luckily stumbled back onto the trails that connect to the park! 

Carrboro is the type of place where the graffiti is friendly messages. It didn't really show up but, the back of this sign says "We are all one."

So anyway. My walk today was longer than anticipated once I decided I wanted to find the commune again, but it was a good one. Luckily I didn't get blisters from walking in flip flops this early in the season. I have taken a couple of naps today, so I am worried I won't be able to sleep tonight. I don't know why I was so tired! Anyway. I forgot to make my bed like twice last week! It was kinda funny to me really, that I would forget since I've been doing it a couple months at this point and really like walking home to a nicely made bed instead of a rumpled one. This post is long and annoyingly inconsistent in its formatting. Grumble. I feel like I have a lot to do this week because I'm driving home this weekend and then to Birmingham for a wedding. I am excited about the home and the wedding part, but less so about the packing and prepping part.

Picture Time!

So I'm at the airport in Atlanta right now waiting for my last flight back to Huntsville.  I don't leave until 10:50pm, so that's real fun.  Our earlier flight from Newark was delayed a couple of hours (which SUCKED) but it was good because it made my layover time a little shorter.  You win some, you lose some.

Well, I didn't think I was going to run today since it was the end of the conference and travel, but Leigh set her alarm for 6:00am instead of 7:00am, so I woke up and couldn't really get back to sleep.  I went down to the hotel fitness center, but the treadmills were definitely taken so I made my way outside.  And it was cold.  6:30am is not a nice time for me in general and add in the cold - NOT a happy Liz.  I thought about going back in, but started out anyway.  It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be (which I'm totally okay with), and I was able to regulate myself a bit better (which was a bonus).  New Jersey is different, but there is definitely a lot of green and bright flowers everywhere.  So I took a couple of pictures of the road I was running down behind the hotel.  It may be blurry.....

So green!

I meant to take more pictures of Princeton itself, but most of the time we were running around to one thing or another and there wasn't much time.  But the main observation is that every building looks like a church and what's that like, going to class in a church?  We were having these conversations right when classes got out and students were around us, so I'm sure they thought we were idiots....but that's okay.  We appreciated the beauty of Princeton. :)  And speaking of beauty, there are flowers everywhere!  More specifically, they have a love affair with azaleas.  They reminded me of south Georgia and being at my grandma's house.  She had them everywhere.  But these stuck out more because they were multicolored and just so lovely to look at. :)

Anyway, I'm glad that I got to run today because I won't feel bad for being a slug all day tomorrow....well until I have to leave for the night again hah.  I have a feeling I'll be taking Monday off.....

Until next time friends!  And hopefully more rested....hah.  HONK!!

Walking, walking, and more walking!

So no hike yesterday.  It was supposed to rain all afternoon, ended up not raining, but Leigh and I got to walk around downtown Princeton.  We've been doing a LOT of walking this week, and my left knee is definitely feeling it.  Tonight was a late night and tomorrow we'll be going home (back to reality...oy), and I'll be getting back home super late tomorrow night.  So no running tomorrow....if you couldn't guess hah.  I would like to get some running in on Friday, but it may be a sleeping-all-day-until-I-have-to-leave-for-camp-day.  We'll see how that works out. :)

I took a pretty picture of these gorgeous azaleas here on campus, but it hasn't made it to the computer yet hah.  Overall I feel like I've eaten relatively well and the walking has seemed to help for sure.  Hopefully next week I'll be able to make it out a bit more. :)

I think this is all this go 'round - short and sweet I guess haha.  Until next time friends!  HONK!

"Personality" (or just weirdness) of Carrboro

I have had a rough two weeks. I'm just gonna be honest. I have been overwhelmed with work, home/intern stuff, and personal life (family, etc). I think I am finally making progress with work struggles. They were having me facilitate group therapy sessions by myself, and I just am not equipped for that (personality nor training-wise). I finally got out of that this week, and so far things have been a lot better. Today I was able to spend some time organizing the linen closet (which is a beast), so I'm hoping to make that part of my job more smooth. Also, today I got cake.

Anyway, my walking has been slacking, partly because I was out of town this week cleaning out my aunt's house (so I was active, just not so intentionally). Today I was productive just after work, and I was going to postpone it til tomorrow, but then Matt texted me saying he'd posted, and I realized I didn't have any real reason to skip out. Plus the past couple days have been miserable weather (cold and dreary), and today it was beautiful out. The only problem with that was that that meant EVERYONE was out and about, which makes taking pictures a little more awkward. In seeing everyone though, I realized what a great place this is for people watching! There are just all types everywhere you look. It's pretty cool. 

This is Weaver Street Market. It is kinda like a local version of Whole Foods. There are picnic tables all around outside, and they have a cafe. BEST PEOPLE WATCHING EVER. There will be music and poems and dancing and dogs and kids and stuff. Also, they have delicious cinnamon rolls!!

And here is the Cement Lady. She creeps the hell out of me. Especially at night when she is in the shadow of trees under a streetlamp. I have no idea why she is here.

In the same yard as Cement Lady, sits Fake Rocket. Another monument I have no clue why exists. Yay Carrboro! haha.

This picture needs to stay full size. If you'll remember, there was a cabbage patch kid in a tree in one of the other pictures. This is that yard. It is full of awesome. But I'm scared of getting caught photographing it.  **edit** I had to shrink it to fit everything in. Grumble! So now it's hard to tell all the decor. 

And here is their neighbor- Ah, serene garden path. Also, the yard is immaculate, but the photo isn't big enough for that. 

So yeah. All this in a 15 minute walk. It is a high concentration of... unique. 

Busy day

So this morning was the first morning I was like "I just don't want to make the bed.  But I did. 

I have an appointment for advising Friday at 2 pm with a professor in the Nursing program.  So this morning I went to the registrar's office and filled out the form for readmission.  Then stopped by the financial aid office and they pointed me towards filling out the FASFA paperwork online.  I'm almost done with that but need some info off our W2s from 2010 to complete it.

So yeah, I'm doing this. Provided the appointment with the advisor is productive, I'll be taking classes this summer.

After I had reached my stopping point in the FASFA form I changed clothes and went for a walk around the Draz's neighborhood. It was a little rough as my legs were almost immediately sore. I have a theory why but it's not appropriate for public consumption ;)

And now I'm at work.... till midnight.....

Anyway, HONK!  Love you guys!

Matt

Ahhhhhh treadmill

I'm at PRINCETON!!!  Today was about a half day, which was registration, followed by opening worship, first workshop, and a lecture to end it out.  It's been pretty great.  Although I've discovered that there is a law in New Jersey that you can't buy alcohol at a store after 10:00pm.  And being Episcopalian, that makes for an unhappy Liz hah.  

This morning Leigh and I (Leigh Hall is here with me - YAY!) went to the gym here at the hotel and got a nice workout in.  I walk/jogged and ended with some ab fun and pushups.  It really made me realize how much I miss getting on a treadmill!  It's really good for me because it regulates my speed, which means I'm not exhausted and unable to finish by the end.  (Does that make sense?  My brain is super tired from today hah.)  The other bonus about this conference, other than it just being awesome, is that there's a good amount of walking around.  I'm really glad about that - it'll keep me moving and going after sitting through different workshops and whatnot.  Leigh and I are planning on going on a really nice hike tomorrow around the school, and I'm pretty pumped about that.  As long the weather cooperates, we'll make that happen.  And hopefully have some awesome pictures!

My left knee is a little sore tonight, but I'm really hoping it'll have cooled off a bit by tomorrow.  I loved getting on the treadmill today and just banging it out.  It gave me a little boost to realize I'm not as bad off as I am.  But definitely have a long way to go! :)

Until next time friends - HONK!

Don't call it a comeback (EPIC FAIL)

I'm really mad at myself. I had this whole long post typed out about what's been going on the last few days and then I cut it so i could add some pictures and the pics would be at the bottom of the post instead of the top and when I went to paste the post back in it wasn't there so i lost the whole thing. Not cool.

Anyway here are some pics:

AJ and Ellie's daycare. I went for a walk around the Draz's neighborhood, the day care is right around the corner from their house.

Pics of our made bed from the last few days. This first one is from this morning.

Anyway, freakin honk......grumble grumble, freakin cut paste....grumble grumble.....

A little off task

This weekend was our diocesan youth minister Sabbath retreat at Camp McDowell here in the Diocese of AL, which meant lots of food and sleep haha.  Needless to say, not a lot of exercising or control of my food intake hahaha.  But I should have taken pictures of where we were at least.  Alas, I am not as good as Baykur with the picture taking.  The retreat was really lovely.  It's always a good time when you can talk about your job with someone who knows exactly what you're talking about because they go through the same thing.  Which is true with most situations, but it was still really nice.  And we got to blow off a LOT of steam, which was pretty stinking awesome.  It was a much needed break.

Now on to this week.  So we've established that I was gone this Thursday thru Saturday.  I leave again tomorrow for a conference and I'll be gone until Thursday.  Then leave again Friday for the night for our parish retreat at camp, back Saturday, and then ready to go Sunday morning for a normal week.  Yep.  It's a lot.  But I'm planning on working out while I'm at my conference this week, and I'm pretty excited about it.  Why?  Oh, yeah, I forgot.  My conference is at PRINCETON.  Yep, the real one.  Who would have ever thought this south Georgia girl would ever grace the campus of Princeton?!  Besides that fact, it's going to be a super awesome conference with great workshops and speakers.  Annnddddd I get to hang out with Leigh Hall the whole time!!!  I'm pretty sure this will be a win-win week. :)

So.  Here's the plan for the week:  get back on track.  Done and done. :)  Until next time friends!  HONK!

Wildlife safari!

So. Turns out this whole week has been really rough. We are losing quite a few employees, a doctor, interns, and my supervisor at work by the end of the month. I have had a lot of trouble thus far feeling like I am able to get the support I need, and it really hit me Sunday night as I lay in bed dreading work after a really awesome weekend that I have two more months and no one at work I feel like is supportive and/or trustworthy. There is a lot of gossiping and the like, and it is just a really difficult environment. I think a lot of them are pretty good people, but in such a tense environment, even the nicest of folks will snap now and again. It is just a lot of poor communication, and a ridiculous power structure that results in my getting conflicting instructions from every direction. That being said! Here is a serene birdhouse and small rose garden a former employee installed. It is located right by our smoking patio. Great. But at least that means I get to look at it 3 times a day. :)

Here is the shrub I was trying to stealthily take a picture of the other day. It is a little sparse, but a really pretty color, especially against that grey wall, and in contrast to another pink shrub that wouldn't fit in the frame. 

Yard rooster! Sometime I am going to make a post of interesting yard things. 

Real chickens! I spotted them while I was driving, and paused to take a picture. There are three chickens there, but they kinda camouflage with the mulch.

I thought this flower was pretty awesome. I think it is an iris. I would like to see it unfolded.

Ok, so I saw a lot of bunnies today. So I have a few photos that are my favorites. Bunnies are hard to take pictures of because they run away really fast. I think this is a little rabbit couple. Notice the one on the left is scratching his ear with his foot!!

Here are two OTHER rabbits I saw across the street, right next to a cardinal and a robin! I couldn't get them all in one picture, so bunnies in one, birds in the next. 

 

The birds are tricky to see. Cardinal is the red dot a couple feet off the ground perched on a low branch in the far tree, and the robin is sitting on the driveway that runs between the trees.

I SAW A BABY BUNNY TODAY!! He is very little, hiding between the fallen, dried out Christmas tree, and the old toppled sofa. 

Squirrel perched on a stump! 

Bunny cottontail. :)

Looking like a storybook rabbit.

I like driving or walking under those trees. That is where I spotted those chickens.

I haven't done a great job keeping up with my goals, but I haven't just opted to drop them, so that is an improvement over my usual. I am going to help clean out my aunt's house tomorrow afternoon through Saturday, so I don't quite know how my exercise and photos will be, but I will just do my best and that will be enough. I am so glad I have y'all for accountability and encouragement purposes!! It totally is the reason I got back out today and didn't just "try to start over next week."

Oh! In other news, I was productive this afternoon!! After work I went to the pharmacy, the bank, the grocery store for diet coke and juice, and then took my walk! Woot. And it was one of those days when things worked out. I feel like when I run errands I hit obstacles along the way that drag me down, but not this time! So that was really encouraging. I started to clean my room a little bit, but started to feel a little sickly and stopped to relax and watch Netflix til it was time for roommate dinner time. 

Oh hey rain...

So it's been raining on and off all day today. Of course when I decide that I'll play it safe and rock out the work out video at home, it doesn't rain. Oh, well. My muscles are a bit sore, so something is working! :)

I've realized that I have a couple other long term goals to add that I totally forgot about hah.

- get really awesome at push ups and be able to do different versions

Well maybe only one extra goal, but yeah hah.

Tomorrow night I have plans for dinner so unless I leave work early to run, I'll be rocking the work out video again. Which will definitely help me out with my push ups because I have to do them during the work out. Then Thursday I'll be going out of town, back Saturday, leave again on Sunday, back Thursday, leave on Friday, and back Saturday. Yeah. It's a lot. But I'm determined to get some movement happening wherever I am. :)

Until next time friends! HONK!

Better late than never

The last couple days have been pretty crazy. As you know my sister had a horse riding accident so I've spent some time up at the hospital the last couple days. I'm actually here now. So the bad news first. I've actually forgotten to make the bed the last two days. Just slipped my mind. But I'll get on it tomorrow.

So yesterday morning I was in bed till about 10am. I got up and picked up some food and clothes from my Grandma's that she had gotten for me for a family in Valdosta who's house had burned down. I went and had lunch with Amanda at her school. Which was nice, I'm going to try and do that more often. After I left there I took the food and clothes by the school, then came up to the hospital to hang out with my sister. She was in a fair amount of pain and still is.

I did my exercising by walking around the middle school track right across from the hospital. Walked roughly a mile, a little less than 30 minutes. It felt really good.

This morning I had an appointment with my therapist and after that I walked over to the track and went for another walk. It went pretty well also. I was inspired by Baykur's pictures so I decided to add some of my view today while I walked:

Real scenic right?

I feel really good about things moving forward. I'm going to try and maybe move up to running soon. We'll see.

Anyway, sooooo HONK!!!

Back at it...

I was super tired all day today. I didn't sleep well last night, so I was exhausted pretty much from the minute I woke up. I even took a little nap not long ago and I'm still ready to head for bed. Although I was dang tired today, I still made myself get active.

It rained earlier today and seemed to be threatening rain after work, so I decided to just do some cardio here at the house. I still have my lovely workout videos from when my old job had me traveling, so I popped that thing in and got to work. Needless to say, it didn't rain so I could've gone for a walk/run, but that's alright. I got my heart pumping and that's what really matters.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll get to the track up at a middle school near my house. I need to get these legs moving!

Until next time friends. HONK!

So. I don't think tonight's pictures are very interesting. But things were pretty in purpose. Anyway. This is a house with a character-filled yard. Note the things that look like giant ant mounds there. 

Bunny! This guy was trying to crouch in the grass to be unseen. It didn't work, obviously. 

Here is the (poor quality) video of them playing yesterday!!

Here I was trying to stealthily take a picture of this lady's shrubs because she had pink, purple, and a really pretty yellowy orange one that were really pretty and contrasting. But she was standing on her deck so I didn't want to make it known that I was being creepy.

My street.

Purply things.

Puffy guys.

A bike trail near my house that is really good for walking on and talking on the phone when there isn't somewhere you can talk inside the house. 

Elegant little flowers. 

My walk today was good, but more of a stroll than strenuous. It was longer than 10 minutes though; it was at least 20, but I didn't really keep track. My hip was only a little sore, so that was good. Today has been a struggle. Sigh.