It’s that time of year again to say goodbye to summer and hello to another crazy semester. After 5 years, I’ve had about enough of this point of the year. I hate the feeling of dread that comes with starting a new semester, especially after taking a summer off. Seeing the syllabi for classes always seems overwhelming, even though the work never turns out to be as bad as it seems it will be. Even so, I still hate starting a new semester.
Especially when my summer has been awesome. I feel like I was hardly home at all this summer, because I’ve been too busy running around having fun. (Which is totally fine with me)! I started the summer with a brand new niece! Ms. Addison Ann Hulle was born May 2, 2011, and basically convinced me that babies might be alright after all. (Even though they still scare the crap out of me)
Then, I got to see Elton John live in LaCrosse. I probably spent more money on tickets than I should have (damn you, Ticketmaster!) but it was totally worth the experience to see him right in my backyard. The show was amazing and I was glad Phil was able to come with me, as an early b-day gift. I also got to go to my first game at Target field. We survived the game, even though it decided to be cold and rainy towards the end. It was a good trip with some good people. And a curd canoe!
One of the major major highlights of my summer was getting to see my favorite band, The Airborne Toxic Event, live in Minneapolis (for only $15)! It’s hard to do stuff like that because no one knows who that band is, but right now they’re just starting to get more popular. It was great to be able to see them in a small venue for cheap tickets. They’re coming back in November and I hope I’m lucky enough to be able to go again.
Then, it was my birthday!!! Everyone knows my birthday is my favorite holiday ever, and I was lucky enough to have a nice party in Winona. It was my first birthday in awhile that I hadn’t gone to Eau Claire, but Winona showed everyone a good time as well. We got shirts made, which is maybe a little obnoxious, but they drew attention and got us some free drinks. Here’s part of the crew in our awesome shirts.
A major excitement of the summer is that Lisa came home from Spain! After not seeing her since October, I was definitely ready for some Lisa/Kris time. I’ve been fortunate enough to sneak up to Eau Claire a couple times to see her so far. Lisa, Liz, and I got together while I was on vacation and went to an Express Game, fan deck of course, which is always a good time. Makes me miss all my girls and that town whenever I get up there, but I’m of course aways thankful for the times we’re all able to get together.
Of course, a big part of the past few months has been preparing for Michelle and Tom’s wedding. It still seems unreal that they’re married, but it was a great day and a very good time. Basically the best wedding party ever. 🙂
Random bits of my summer included visiting Missy in Madison, Phil and Ryan in Point, home a few times, having Liz come to Winona, the typical Tuesday nights out in Winona and lots of dancing in the street to great music with a beer in my hand. Thanks to everyone who was able to be a part of my summer and help make it so great. I needed it. Didn’t think a summer could be crazier than 2010, but I guess I was wrong… in a good way though. Still on the agenda for the next couple weeks is Larryfest and Ryan & Amanda’s wedding. Both should be a good time!
Now that summer is over, I’m onto the point where I have to start making some life decisions. I have already decided I’m changing my program for school, and as of tomorrow, the paperwork will be official. This means I’ll be graduating and have to figure out my plans after that I suppose. Some of my ideas are: teach English abroad somewhere, move back to EC and find a job, stay in Winona for awhile, find a sugar daddy, find some money and open a bar/restaurant (business plan for “The DB” is nearly complete – but I’d need my business partner in the same town!), quit everything and be a bum. Those are all the ideas I’ve had so far. Any thoughts/suggestions are welcome! Thanks also to the people who helped me make the first step in changing my plans in the short term. I appreciate all of your input and support, more than you’ll know.
I’m sure this semester is going to be crazy busy, and I’ll likely warp into the usual stressed out bitch that I am from August-May each year. But I’m going to try to avoid that. As excited as I am to see what happens in the next few years, I’m nervous as usual. I hate making changes, but I think it’s time. We’ll see how it all turns out. No regrets. 🙂