Hey guys! I’m back a little sooner than I expected…mostly because I just found out the other day that school actually starts a week later than I thought it did. Best surprise ever, right? Apparently I had a bit of a blonde moment thinking school started this coming Monday but luckily I checked my university’s website and confirmed that I actually start on the 26th. Yay to having an extra week of summer break though!
Anyways, my vacation went well and I want to share a few recap photos but I mostly want to talk about some big decisions I’ve been making lately–some about the blog.
So I’m starting my senior year–make that senior semester–on the 26th and I’m taking 17 credits, which is more than I’ve taken in my entire time in college. I’m basically taking on a full course load, along with returning to my position as weather anchor at the campus TV station. Add to that some job hunting and you’ve got one stressed chica. Don’t get me wrong, I’m super excited for this upcoming semester and even more so for graduation and getting my first job out of college, but I also have a lot on my plate. I need to buckle down and really focus on making my last semester the best ever, which also includes being more social/spontaneous, so blogging will definitely be taking a backseat.
Not only that, but I feel like I need to move on from this blog. I’ve been keeping it up for 2+ years and while it’s been great, I want to take a different focus for my blog. That being said, I’ve started blogging over at a new blog, Real.Food.Girl. and while I’ll generally be talking about similar topics, I’d like to focus more on healthy recipes, and the quirky parts of my life as a twenty-something starting my adult life on my own. I want this new blog to be more fun, more honest but less about the hangups I still have about food, fitness and my body. I’m moving further and further away from my struggles with those things so I think starting a new blog will be kind of a clean slate for me in that aspect. I hope you continue to follow me over at my new blog and I will definitely be keeping up with reading all of your posts because I love that part of blogging! I may not post as often (I’ll be trying for once or twice per week) but I hope the posts will be more meaningful.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s get to the fun part–the vacation recap. I don’t want to bore y’all with the details of the 8 day trip but I do want to share some photos with you guys. This vacation was unexpectedly amazing, yet sad at the same time. I visited extended family out in Wisconsin, and though in some ways it was similar to previous visits, it was quite different as well. For one thing, it was the first time we went back in 4 years, and a lot has changed since then. Mostly that my grandpa on my dad’s side is not doing well at all, and had just moved into assisted living before we got there. It was really hard to see him so frail and unable to walk on his own. Even though staying at his cottage wasn’t the same without him there, he really enjoyed our daily visits and hopefully they improved his spirits. Other than that, the trip was fun and it was great to catch up with extended family we hadn’t seen in a few years. We spent half the time with one set of grandparents at their house and camper and the other half at my grandpa’s lake cottage in the Northwoods. I’ve always enjoyed the time I’ve spent on the lake and I hope I can return again next summer because I really missed it.
Gotta love Sky Mall’s silly products.
On the ‘ducks’ on the Wisconsin River.
The fun lake at the campground.
Qdoba salad on the road.
Heading up north!
Snacks in the car.
Lake Pokegama at sunset.
The pontoon boat.
Lake view.
Sissy on the pier.
Looking off the pier.
I love the lake!
Stairs of doom…just kidding! Super steep though.
Me on the paddle boat. My workout of choice while at the lake.
Me and my sissy.
Flying back home on Southwest Airlines.
I came back with TONS of pictures (80+!), more mosquito bites than I’d like and lots of memories. I really miss being there, but I’m glad to be back so I could get back into my normal routine–I didn’t get in any formal workouts while in WI other than paddleboating and walking around, my acne really flared up in the humidity and I missed having a Whole Foods 10 minutes away (though my parents were great and stopped at the WF in Milwaukee after landing to stock up on groceries for the week). I don’t always love where I live, but this trip made me thankful for some things I take for granted being here, and it made it a little easier to get back to my normal life. But nothing beats vacation time! I especially liked that we flew out instead of driving–I love airports and flying, and I haven’t flown in 3 years so I really missed it. Call me weird, but I just love to fly.
What was your most recent vacation destination? Do you like to fly?
almostveggirlie 
I will definitely be following your new blog; I think it’s great that you will continue to write and share your thoughts with the blogging world. My classes start the 26th as well–I can’t believe summer is almost over. It sounds as though you had a fantastic vacation, and I am glad you got to spend some quality time with your relatives. I am sorry about your grandfather; it is always tough when a loved one is struggling with health issues. I am sure your visit was a wonderful treat for him. Those lake pictures are lovely; I have always enjoyed swimming in and boating on lakes. I actually enjoy flying on airplanes as well, as long as the flight isn’t too extraordinarily long. I hope you will enjoy your senior year–17 credits is definitely a fully load, but I am sure you will be able to handle it!
Summer went by so fast, didn’t it? Ah well, I’m still excited to start up with classes again. Good luck to you with starting school again too!
I definitely love to fly. I have to go to the airport tonight but I don’t get to fly anywhere. My brother is going to stay with our grandparents and then I get to drive home. I love all the pictures! I followed your new blog. I hope that your last bit of school is awesome!
The airport is fun too, but I just love being able to fly somewhere. Maybe it’s because I love those moving walkways they have in the concourses and you can’t go on them unless you’re flying!
Glad your vacation was SO fun! Hanging out with family is super important to me, and I’m glad I got to visit some family this summer as well =)!
I will definitely be reading up on your new blog posts and following you to your new blog. Good luck with this semester =)!
Thanks! I’m glad you got to see your family as well–it’s always great to reconnect.
Aww, you and your sister are so pretty! I don’t particularly like to fly, but it sure does beat driving on long trips. Good luck with this semester! It sounds like you’ll be busy! I can’t wait to follow you on your new blog, too 🙂
Thank you 😀 You’re so right–I definitely prefer flying if the other alternative is a long car trip!
Eee, did you go on the ducks in the Wisconsin Dells? I’m from Wisconsin and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve ridden those on field trips and family vacations, haha. 🙂
I’m right with you on loving to fly too. It’s just so exciting. I feel kind of sad and jealous whenever I see an airplane in the air, ha.
Yes, we were in the Dells! It was my first time there in years and the ducks were such a cool experience–we don’t have anything like it where I live so it was really fun. And that’s really awesome that you’re from Wisconsin! Most of my family still lives there so I love going back to visit every few years and see all the lakes and trees haha.