Every Day

For our campers, we like to lead a fun and silly campfire complete with skits, songs and games. This particular campfire was too much fun and extending past its usual time so a few of us naturalists started trickling off to get a head start on our evening (leaving more than enough people with the kiddos). I wasn't the first to ditch out but at one point I started starring at the fire too long and got real sleepy. So I tapped out and started walking back to camp. We have torches that light the way back along a gravel path and small boardwalk over the pond/marsh. This evening the moon was also fairly bright making the path have that beautiful evening glow. I was alone, taking note of how pretty the torches lit up the path, started walking along the board walk... clomp, clomp, clomp... when I saw something small about 20 feet ahead of me crawl out from under the boardwalk and trot away and shuffle in the leaves away from me. Wasn't a squirrel. Wasn't a goose. Was larger th...

Today after work, we all decided to keep working, cause why not? We had a mission to get crazy clothes for the Lorax skit we put on for some of the kids who come through camp. We went to a thrift store and found some gems. The high-waisted, elastic-banded, stretchy pants that we found at this thrift store, with the the silky, disgustingly patterned fabric were perfect. These pants were so hideous that all of the middle school kids are going to be fighting over them (not to mention the well dressed naturalists). We also found some other classic items including a wonderful, dragon, clip-on tie and a stylish shiny vest. Its fun to go into a thrift store and just single out all the most disgusting, ugly pieces of clothing that you can find. "This is hideous! ...perfect" After the thrift store, we all had our hearts set on ice cream but got distracted by all the cute little shops that we were passing. An italian bakery, an old-timey candy store, a toy store that was full...

Food. I like me some good food. I like local food. I like organic/natural food. I like food that is produced by good companies. I like food that is wholesome and nutritious. I like food to make me feel better, not worse. I have not been eating the best lately and have noticed that Ive been tired ALL the time. So last night I decided to change that and start eating a little better. Well, at least for dinner... Last night and tonight I cooked up lots of deliciousness and felt/feel SO much better about life. I "stole" an onion, yellow pepper and chickpeas from the dining hall last night to add into my stir fry. I had some left-over quinoa and peas last night but tonight I just stuck with the basics. Chopped up veggies, chickpeas and black beans, garlic and seasonings and of course, a bit of cheese on top. And dont forget, a hard boiled egg from Easter Sunday (look how blue it turned out!!). That meal right there is what you call some mean nutrients and protein. I feel fant...

At 12:30pm, I stepped outside for the first time all day. I hadn't really even left my room until I realized that if I didnt go outside, I probably would bum it all afternoon. I put my running shoes on and bounced outside. I started walking and after I got myself settled, I started to run. After being cooped up, those first few steps of an outdoor run is so magical. The feeling of freedom, fresh air and adrenaline is fantastic. I always have a mad smile and excitement for being able to move so fast. After my first few minutes of running, thats when the exhaustion sets in. What keeps me going longer, is adventure. Do I like running? Not really. Do I enjoy exploring? Obviously. I decided to check out a new part of the power line trail that I have not seen before and ran up the hills, or on straight path, and walked down hills. I went to the beginning of the trail and back again, smiling at the other people who were also out for their afternoon walk/bike. The sun came out and it...

This morning I did not want to wake up but the animals needed food... My co-worker, Cassie and I went down to the farm to feed the goats and donkeys, let out the chickens and give some snacks to the animals in the nature center. While we were cleaning, I noticed that one of the guinea pigs was in a different cage. I was in the middle of asking Cassie "Why is the guinea pigs in the other cage?" When I noticed that the two guinea pigs were in their cage... Cassie replied "Thats just an extra cage" But I started counting guinea pigs and in fact, there were three total. I starred at them for a minute until Cassie came to join me and confirmed that there were three total guinea pigs and the last time I checked, we only had two. After some speculation and metal visuals of a random person dropping off a guinea pig in our nature center, we got a text saying that the extra guinea pig was a school pet that came here on the holidays! After the feeding frenzy, Cassi...

I got on the train this afternoon towards Philly and there were an insane amount of people. Never had I seen the train this packed! Then I realized, Easter weekend and most schools have spring break so I prepared myself for a packed city. I got off the train in a pretty empty train station. I was the only one following the signs, up the stairs to Reading Market. There was almost silence before I pushed on the doors out into the street and was immediately bombarded with tons of people, scratching cars and music from street performers.  I was meeting a friend of Tys for a blind friend date and was a little nervous as to how I would find her in this crazy crowd. While I was waiting for her, I thought I would explore the area a bit so I walked into Reading Terminal Market and wandered the isles. It was so packed in there that at some times I couldn't move. I love cities and I love being surrounded by people, but this was a bit much, I enjoy my personal bubble and I also enjoy be...

I normally don’t write while Im on the plane but I also don’t normally fly at normal times. A 5 pm flight is the perfect time to get some blogging done in the air! The last two days of my trip were packed and awesome. I had such a great time with a great friend and it was so sad to leave especially after spending the last few hours exploring the city of St. Petersburg which will hopefully be my new home in the next year! Its such a cute city that is reminiscent of my favorite city, Milwaukee. I could see myself living there for sure :) Yesterday, we hiked Emerson Point preserve with the dog and pretty much had the place to ourselves! Seeing all the mangroves made me so happy. They are such a cool plant with their drop roots and snorkel roots! Wah! Also, lots of wildlife and history. A lot of the parks that we went to had cut-outs of people just scattered throughout and they startled me on more than one occasion… Then we rented kayaks in Robinson’s preserve! Huck reluctantly wen...

Beach day was wednesday where we relaxed in the perfect sunshine while listening to the waves roll in aaaand some construction happening close by. It took us an hour to get there thanks to the bumper to bumper traffic due to all the spring breakers. The beach was packed more than my friend had ever seen it which is how we ended up next to the construction. I was mesmerized by the big trucks just moving dirt around. I wanted to ask what they were doing because it looked like piles of sand were just getting moved around with various equipment.  Then the disel fuel started blowing our way and we had to pack up camp and move to a new location. There were four of us at this point, friends of friends of friends and for one, it was her first time on the beach! So we all decided that she needed a more peaceful place for her first time. We found a tranquil place that wasn't too crowded and then my friend and I went to go grab some gelato! I walked in and was amazed at the rows of flavors...

I love exploring new places with old friends. It may be one of the best feelings ever. Luckily, my friend and I both had the same spring break! Worked out perfectly! I landed in Tampa last night  (monday) around 8:30 and was so happy to see the smiling face of my good friend whom I spent time with in FL and the VI. Her new puppy greeted me as I hopped in the front seat and we chatted about life the whole way back to her place This morning, we took it easy and then grabbed the dog and started the drive to Myakka River State Park. With the sun out, a slight breeze and 70+ degree weather, it was the perfect day for a hike. We got to the park around mid-day and our first stop was at the bird dock. This was a birders paradise! Hawks, vultures, cranes, herons. There were beautiful birds of every kind flying over the water and low shrubs. You could see for forever! After the birds, we went to find our trail. The trail started in a wooded area and then opened up pretty quickly. ...

Exploring a new place is one of my favorite things, if you haven't guessed that already. This new place Im at is in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Im working at an outdoor school that is a forest oasis in the middle of a bunch of cup-de-sac's. This morning, I slept in, took my time and tried to make my small, white-walled room feel like mine. Then when it got to be about mid-day, I decided that I needed to get outside. I packed some snacks in my backpack, put on my sweet new hiking shoes, had a rough idea of where i was going and head out the door. I started my trip by walking across the lawn of campus, towards where the small paddock is for the goats and donkeys. One of the donkeys stared at me until I walked up to the fence. I tried to call him over but he was not interested. But one of the really friendly goats, saw me there and got up from her shady spot and greeted me. She likes to be scratched between the horns. She followed me along the fence as I walked along it, gi...