Because saying that I had a Grand birthday would just be a little much.
Where do I start? I guess I've got to rewind all the way back to last Sunday... It's been a very eventful week.
Sunday, July 14, 2013.
Had my second and third visitor today! Some friends from my church back home were planning a trip up north, and it worked out perfectly that we had a friends and family rate available one of the nights that they would be in the area, so we put them up at the hotel. I had the day off, so when they arrived we met up and went to church, then lunch at Carlton's. After I gave them a tour of the hotel, we headed downtown and took a carriage tour around the island (Ding! another one off the list!). The carriage tour was really interesting, and it was so relaxing to just tour the island via horse-drawn carriage. One half of the tour was the downtown area, and the other half was through the state park. Very fun. On the way back, the carriage stops at the Fort, so we hopped off and knocked another one off the list! Really happy I got to see this too, it's crazy to think that the war of 1812 basically started here! The Fort was very well maintained, and some parts you feel like you're back in the days of war looking out over the water waiting for war ships to come in. Pretty cool stuff.
After leaving the Fort, we headed back downtown to grab our bikes, and then it was time to go our separate ways...they had to go get ready for dinner and I had a party to get ready for!
You may or may not remember, because I may or may not have mentioned, that my department (Reservations) had an occupancy goal of 98% for the month of June. If we reached our goal, the owner of the hotel was going to give us a cookout. LUCKILY the goal was reached, so tonight was the cookout! The cookout is at the home of the Executive Vice President of the hotel, and the owner himself is there as well as the Vice President of Accommodations (my boss), the manager of shops, the hotel historian, the Front Desk Manager and the General Manager. Needless to say, from the perspective of my career, this is probably one of the most important functions I will attend while on this island. I spent the evening eating, laughing, and watching everyone else drink! We spent time telling stories and jokes with the owner, laughing about all of our different crazy stories from this and past summers, and then...surprise! a group of people (who had been awkwardly standing outside the fence around the house for about ten minutes) decide to let themselves in and ask for a tour...their grandparents apparently used to live in the house, so they wanted to see the updates. While, very sweet, also pretty awkward. I'm sure they received the shock of their lives when they walked in to see the owner of the hotel standing in the kitchen. !
Tuesday, July 16, 2013.
There was really only one exciting thing that happened today...I decided to go out for my birthday dinner on Wednesday night instead of Friday. We were going to the Woods for dinner, and trying to go on a Friday night would just be chaotic. So, Tuesday evening around 5:00 I took my lunch break and decided to race downtown and try and find a dress to wear to dinner the next night! I made it out of the office and down to the store in about 5 minutes (probably going 50mph down the hill on my bike...eek!). I got there, told the girls in the shop that I had about 15 minutes and that I needed a birthday dress. I told them my price point and sent them off to find me something! Unfortunately, 15 minutes apparently isn't enough..cough cough..duh..so I asked how long they were open. To my luck, they were open until 10, so after work Sandra and I went back and I found the most adorable short white-lace dress with mid length sleeves. $35 later, I had a dress! Yay!
Wednesday, July 17, 2013.
Cheers to my co-worker Plao, for switching shifts with me! She gave me her 8am-6pm shift so I wouldn't have to get off work and get up to Woods in 45 minutes by working until 8pm. So, I got off at 6 to see a black sky and a cold, dangerous wind. Yikes. I got my butt down the hill as quickly as possible, braided up my hair, and got dressed. Then my friend Rhonda came over, I braided up her hair, and we went outside to catch a horse-drawn carriage taxi to the Woods since it looked like the heavens were about to open up on top of us. We made it up there in about 20 minutes, and when everyone arrived (just the girls from my office) we sat down and had dinner. Either one of these beautiful ladies or one of my friends that works at this restaurant handled my bill without my knowledge, so I smiled, said a general thank you to whoever it was, and then thanked God for putting such incredible people into my life. It also made me realize that I could really use a boyfriend so my friends don't have to pick up the bill on my birthday! lol! Anyway, dinner was fantastic, and they brought me out my tiramisu cheesecake with a candle, everyone singing happy birthday (accompanied by the pianist) and the plate had "Happy Birthday Elizabeth" written around the outside in chocolate. I love this place!
Thursday, July 18, 2013.
Long day. 13 hour shift. Torrential rain shower. Stayed so late my boss came in and said, "how late are you stayin here?! how much are you costin me?!" Time to go home.
Friday, July 19, 2013.
BIRTHDAY! yay!! Unfortunately had to work a 10 hour shift today, but that's absolutely fine by me. The weather was crappy, so I wouldn't have been able to do anything fun regardless. I came into work an hour early, had coffee at Carlton's while reading a book and looking out over the lake. [Worked for 10 hours]. Got off work, met up with Kendra, spent the night watching "The Proposal" because every girl deserves to see Ryan Reynolds with his shirt off on her birthday.
Saturday, July 20, 2013.
Fun day! Short shift today, only 8 hours. It absolutely flew by. My aunt and uncle came in, so I stepped out to chat with them for about 10 minutes, then back to work. As we were calling arrivals, we came across 3 people who didn't know they had reservations for tonight and therefore wouldn't be coming. We were able to sell two of those rooms, and then the front desk manager came through and told us my boss had put someone in the last room. Oh well, no birthday room for me!
Then, 20 minutes before our phones went off for the day, my boss walks through and goes, "Sell this last room! I can kick Elizabeth out if I need to." Huh? You put me in? "yes." Ok! To my luck, I'm currently enjoying a really amazing birthday present right now. A nice little lakeview room with a tub and internet access. I really couldn't have asked for more. Oh, except dinner tomorrow night in the Main Dining Room with my parents who are finally coming in!...definitely looking forward to that! Haven't seen them in almost two months, and I'm really excited they're coming. That all being said, I'm about to go hop into a hot bath with some relaxing music and finish the night by catching up on Scandal and Revenge. Night all!
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Friday, July 12, 2013
Confessions Of A Work-A-Holic
The inspiration for this post came to me a few moments ago...I'm sitting in one of the guest rooms of the hotel with three sleeping babies in the room next door, who I am babysitting for tonight through the hotel. I've been pulling 12-13 (and somedays 14) hour days the last few weeks to try and earn a little extra money to enjoy my birthday a little more. A friend of mine yesterday called me a "work-a-holic," which kind of made me think about it...am I?
In my head, a workaholic is someone who neglects other important aspects of their life in the interest of career development to the extreme. A normal person might spend 8 hours at work 8 hours sleeping, and the other 8 hours with family or friends, doing yardwork, going to movies - whatever, however, whenever. But think about it...Im on an island. My nearest relatve is over two hours away, and there's not a single person on this island who I've known for more than two months. What else would I do here?
I've developed a few different perspectives on work since I moved here:
Number 1- If you have to be bored, getting paid overtime to enter forms into a computer is NOT the worst way to spend your extra time.
Number 2- If all you're going to do after work is listenn to music, it's almost as relaxing as laying in bed listening to music as it is to stand up listening to it while filing the forms you entered while doing number 1.
Number 3- If your best friend is working late with you, paid and productive quality time makes the work feel like nothing and the hours go by quicker
Number 4- The feeling when you see your check every other thursday is well worth the extra two hours a day
Number 5- The feeling when you see your check every other thursday is NOT worth sacrifices in relationships with God, family, or friends.
After all, what would be the point if i had a successful day at work if I couldn't call my family, friends, K, and D and share these things with them? The Way I See It number 793 is that if I can't find the time or money to share my successes and achievements with those that I most care about, who should I expect to be there when life inevitably throws curves in that path?
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
That Thing Called A Weekend
So, in the outside world, as I vaguely
remember, they have this thing called a week-end. I'm not exactly
sure what it is (I mean, when does the week, end?) but from what it
sounds like, after working five consecutive days, people in the
outside world take two days off. They sleep in, do yard work, go out
with friends, go on adventures, and some even attend church on Sunday
morning. Now, this is all very strange and new to me, but...if I
didn't know better...I'd say I just experienced my very first
“week-end.”
Now, keep in mind that I have already
had two consecutive days off, on which I did absolutely nothing. So,
I did not have particularly high hopes for my one day off on Sunday,
especially since I was looking forward to having Tuesday off
instead, to spend with a very special family member who was coming to
visit me. So, when the schedule came out on Saturday, you can imagine
my disappointment when I saw that the two days my lovely aunt would
be here, I would be working from 8 a.m. Until 6 p.m...if I was lucky enough to get out on time!
So,
Saturday night, right after the schedule was released, my
friend Hal and I met up with her mom and brother at a hotel downtown.Now, none of us were staying in this hotel, but I swear
there
was no sign that said no trespassing...soo....
Hal
and I grabbed some pretty much 100% plastic magazines, and somehow
managed to get a fire started in one of the hotels fire pits outside
(again, there wasn't any no trespassing sign...). We had a good
smolder going until a gentleman from the hotel finally came out and
really got it going for us. We sat and talked for probably an hour,
roasted hot dogs, and made marshmallows and s'mores on the campfire.
Check that one off the to-do list! This was five days ago, so
honestly I don't remember what I did for the rest of that night,
probably watched Julie and Julia for the 107th
time.
The
next day was Sunday, my day off. Now, on any given day that I have
off, I usually sleep in until at least 11, however this particular
day I woke up at 5:30, again at 7:30, and again at 8:30. Finally, I
got the hint. It was Sunday morning...my first Sunday off since I've
been at the hotel- I was going to church! So I got up and went to an
awesome church
service. Absolutely the best I've been to since I came here. There
was a band in town from Lima, NY (not far from where I go to school)
and they were truly incredible. Pastor K announced afterwards that
instead of our usual Crossroads meeting, we were having a bonfire
(second night in a row!!) up at one of the member's houses back in
the woods. So, I left church, went up to the hotel for an amazing
lunch at the Tea Store, and then went back downtown to my room. I
played guitar for a couple of hours, took a nap and then woke up just
in time for dinner. I ran up to the hotel in time to catch Sandra for
dinner, and then we walked for a bit until I went up to the bonfire.
Now, this was a fantastic campfire. We had, again, hotdogs and
marshmallows. However, what made this fire special was that I got to share
it with my fellow Christians, listening to testimonies, and
singing a few gospel songs. After that, I went over to chat with and
make friends with the people in the band, and ended up singing a few
random songs together on the guitar. From there, we all went over to
the Woods, attempted to bowl until we were thwarted by little kids
with popcorn eating on the alley, went to sunset rock for a
little while and then...yes...decided to do a late
night bike ride.
Yep! Knocked two things off the list this weekend! The bike ride was
great, absolutely pitch black except for the stars. Very peaceful
minus all the spiderwebs.
So, Monday my aunt came into town! She
gave me my birthday present...which is probably one of the best gifts
i've gotten in a while. Rain gear!!!!! Now, you all have been reading
these for a while, I assume (hope..). I've been getting absolutely
drenched up here! I am so excited, especially because they are pink,
I find myself actually hoping for rain. Forgive me, fellow islanders.
But give me this simple pleasure! So after we stopped at her room and
I got my rain gear, as well as some fresh cherries, strawberries, and
blueberries – all of which were a huge hit at the office – we
went for dinner at the restaurant where John Stamos works. When we
walked in, he greeted us and took us to our table. We sat down, and I
looked at my aunt and said, “So....you read my blogs, right?” she
basically says “You know I read your blogs. I'm pretty much the
only one that ever comments.”
oh. yeah.
“Well....that was John Stamos.”
We both erupt in laughter.
Dinner there was great, per usual. I
finally tried the spinach and artichoke flatbread which i've been
wanting to try forever and it
was really really good. We went our separate ways after dinner, I was
getting up early to go into work so I went to bed pretty early that
night. Woke up the next morning, clocked in at about 6:30 a.m., and
was hoping to get my boss to let me leave an hour early.
Unfortunately, do to unforseen circumstances, our department went
back to being understaffed today so I ended up just working another
reeally long day for pretty much no reason. The good news was that
the day flew by, and my aunt came up to the hotel at about 5:30. I
brought her into the office and introduced her to everyone, and then
decided to ask my boss to let me leave. Who would've known! He said yes!
I took my aunt up to the front porch and left her there while I went
downtown to change, which i'm sure was absolutely horrible for
her...came back up, and we went to Woods again for dinner! When I say
that is my favorite place on the island, I'm not lying. I'm going
there again next week for my birthday dinner.
So, we had dinner
at woods. She had the pasta pomodoro, which looked awesome, and I had
the duck. I don't know how I missed out on duck my whole life but
it's got to be one of the most amazing foods in the world. Or maybe
just the ones they give you here. Either way, yum.
After woods, we
went downtown to a bar to hear the niece of one of my aunts friends
play guitar. We sat and chatted for a bit over some waters, and then
headed out around 10. She's leaving early in the morning, so we had
to say goodbye tonight. I'm sad to see her leaving so soon, but it
was nice remembering what it's like to have a weekend!! Hope you all
enjoyed yours too!
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
The Day Without Coffee
Hello all! This will probably short, seeing as I am absolutely exhausted, but I thought I'd check in while I have a moment. I worked a 12 and a half today, and a 14 and a half hour day yesterday...laying in bed with the heating pad is a welcome pleasure. So, yes! Lots of long hours this week, but don't get me wrong- this was my decision (mostly). My best friends birthday and my birthday both fall in the same pay-period so I decided to put in the extra hours so we could do something nice. My plan for my birthday (July 19th!) is to go up to the Woods restaurant and have dinner with everyone in my department. I figure since I spend most of my waking hours with these people, they're practically family anyway.
Unfortunately, that's as close as I'll get to it on my actual birthday. That's one of the things that makes living up here so difficult. Over the past few years going to school two states away, my family has become a lot more important to me. Being up here and not able to see them is extremely difficult,,,I truly don't understand how the people who have worked here for 20+ years manage to do it. Any place that I cannot see not only my family but my cute, happy puppy on a regular basis is not a place I could stay for very long. The good news is they're coming up two days after, and my aunt is coming up 5 days before! I can't wait!!
So, after what was perhaps my longest work day in recorded history yesterday, I stayed for two hours after the phones went off to catch up on some filing...what's funny is that after two hours of it, you could barely tell I had done anything at all, but I did I swear! My boss will probably come in tomorrow, see my time sheet, look at the stack of to-be-filed, and just look at me with the raised eyebrow. But hey, what can ya do!
Oh, and the day without coffee thing- yeah...for whatever reason I decided that the day after my crazy shift I would try going without coffee. Any coffee drinkers already know without me saying that that was a very stupid decision. I have no explanation. But I promise it won't happen again!
I had a restrospective moment when I got out of work. I realized yesterday, after going into work when the sun was rising (practically) and leaving work when it's pitch dark out that this is a really weird kind of job to get accustomed to. What's even weirder is that most of the time I enjoy it..
Anyway I hope you are all enjoying your summer! The weather here has been beautiful and I have made a point to take ten minutes out of my lunch break every day to go out and sit in the sunshine- so here's my parting tip- whether you love your job or hate your job, and whether it's a good day at work or a horrible one...if the sun is shining, go enjoy it. It will rejuvenate you. And thanking God for the opportunity to get to that point is always a good idea too.
Unfortunately, that's as close as I'll get to it on my actual birthday. That's one of the things that makes living up here so difficult. Over the past few years going to school two states away, my family has become a lot more important to me. Being up here and not able to see them is extremely difficult,,,I truly don't understand how the people who have worked here for 20+ years manage to do it. Any place that I cannot see not only my family but my cute, happy puppy on a regular basis is not a place I could stay for very long. The good news is they're coming up two days after, and my aunt is coming up 5 days before! I can't wait!!
So, after what was perhaps my longest work day in recorded history yesterday, I stayed for two hours after the phones went off to catch up on some filing...what's funny is that after two hours of it, you could barely tell I had done anything at all, but I did I swear! My boss will probably come in tomorrow, see my time sheet, look at the stack of to-be-filed, and just look at me with the raised eyebrow. But hey, what can ya do!
Oh, and the day without coffee thing- yeah...for whatever reason I decided that the day after my crazy shift I would try going without coffee. Any coffee drinkers already know without me saying that that was a very stupid decision. I have no explanation. But I promise it won't happen again!
I had a restrospective moment when I got out of work. I realized yesterday, after going into work when the sun was rising (practically) and leaving work when it's pitch dark out that this is a really weird kind of job to get accustomed to. What's even weirder is that most of the time I enjoy it..
Anyway I hope you are all enjoying your summer! The weather here has been beautiful and I have made a point to take ten minutes out of my lunch break every day to go out and sit in the sunshine- so here's my parting tip- whether you love your job or hate your job, and whether it's a good day at work or a horrible one...if the sun is shining, go enjoy it. It will rejuvenate you. And thanking God for the opportunity to get to that point is always a good idea too.
Monday, June 24, 2013
68 Days To Go And I'm Not Slowing Down!
Wow! Getting down to the two month mark. I cannot believe how quickly time has passed since I've been living here...with as slow as my ten hour work days, 6 days a week go I'm amazed at how fast 7 weeks went! Here's a recap of what I've done since I've been here:
-Stayed at the hotel twice
-Eaten at all five of the hotel restaurants, plus four non-hotel restaurants
-Left the Island once
-Biked the 8 miles around 3 times, through the middle once
-Watched a sunset from the far side of the Island
-Visited Fort Holmes
-Went ballroom dancing at the grand with some friends
-Found a church home
-Lost several games of tennis
-Saw the awesome supermoon shining on the waters of Lake _____, not to mention some of the most incredible stars I've ever seen!
-Went on 4 dates, with 4 different people ......I mean, hey.
-Went hunting for ghosts in the hotel, and did not find ANY I might add
And finally...enjoyed a lot of long hours going on bike rides, walks, and just hanging out with the many many friends I've made so far. So here's what I still plan to do before I go! (t-minus 68 days to get it done..!)
-Go on a carriage tour
-Go on the haunted tour of the island
-Have a ghost experience...this may be the most difficult thing on the list..
-Roast marshmallows at a bonfire!
-Go for a perimeter ride of the island after 12am
-Eat at all the restaurants I haven't tried
-Be introduced to a famous person staying at the hotel
-See the Hotel Orchestra play one evening
-Play bocci ball and croquet
-Win a game of tennis
-Get enough punches on my coffee rewards card to get a free cup
-Successfully turn a tourist away from going into Starbucks and direct them to the local place down the street!!!
-Ride one of the oldschool bicycles that have the HUGE wheel on the front and the TINY wheel on the back
-swim in the lake and not get frostbite
-Go parasailing
-Get a ride on the owner of the hotel's boat..Actually, I'm going to make this number 1 on the list.
That's what I've got.
My ________ Island Bucket list. Huh. That sounds a little too cliche...I'll probably get a call from my brother complaining about it. Oh well! So I have 8 weeks and a few days left here, and a lot I still need to get done. I'm hoping to get a good start on this seeing as I have....drum roll please,
TWO days off.
IN A ROW!!!!
This Thursday and Friday. Needless to say I am extremely excited. Before I came over here to write I was going over in my head the things I want to do before I leave, which must be what prompted this weird rush of list-making. Anyway! There's one thing I want to tell you about before I go. Many of the things that were on my "have-done" list, I'm sure you're all relatively familiar with...all but one. Yes, I went ballroom dancing! It was a very impromptu thing. A friend and I, Rhonda, were going for a walk one evening, around 10pm. We were walking past one of the bars downtown that had a live band doing a cover of piano man, which is a waltz. Because we are those people, we stopped, and began waltzing in the middle of the sidewalk. Then, all of a sudden, she grabs my hand and asks, "Hey! Do you have a dress????"
Psh. Do I have a dress.
Yes, of course, I say. Why? "We're going dancing," says Rhonda. Well where in the world would we go dancing? "The Grand Ballroom." Oh.
So 10 minutes later we were walking up the hill in our dresses with one of the other girls that lives in my house. We got there as the band was playing some classical music, so the three of us went right out and did our own (horribly techniqued, of course) version of each dance they played. Because we got there so late, we only got to hear about a half hour of music, but it was so much fun!! Where else can you decide at 10:00 at night to go ballroom dancing, and then ten minutes later be dressed and on the floor with two friends?
So much fun. I'm hoping to have many more nights like that one before I leave here, but whether I do or I don't, I can hardly be disappointed. In the 7 weeks since I've been here, although I've never once left work with my whole night planned out, I've never been disappointed, and I have yet to have a night that I would label as "lazy" or "boring."
The real world is going to take some getting used to, once this is all over.
-Stayed at the hotel twice
-Eaten at all five of the hotel restaurants, plus four non-hotel restaurants
-Left the Island once
-Biked the 8 miles around 3 times, through the middle once
-Watched a sunset from the far side of the Island
-Visited Fort Holmes
-Went ballroom dancing at the grand with some friends
-Found a church home
-Lost several games of tennis
-Saw the awesome supermoon shining on the waters of Lake _____, not to mention some of the most incredible stars I've ever seen!
-Went on 4 dates, with 4 different people ......I mean, hey.
-Went hunting for ghosts in the hotel, and did not find ANY I might add
And finally...enjoyed a lot of long hours going on bike rides, walks, and just hanging out with the many many friends I've made so far. So here's what I still plan to do before I go! (t-minus 68 days to get it done..!)
-Go on a carriage tour
-Go on the haunted tour of the island
-Have a ghost experience...this may be the most difficult thing on the list..
-Roast marshmallows at a bonfire!
-Go for a perimeter ride of the island after 12am
-Eat at all the restaurants I haven't tried
-Be introduced to a famous person staying at the hotel
-See the Hotel Orchestra play one evening
-Play bocci ball and croquet
-Win a game of tennis
-Get enough punches on my coffee rewards card to get a free cup
-Successfully turn a tourist away from going into Starbucks and direct them to the local place down the street!!!
-Ride one of the oldschool bicycles that have the HUGE wheel on the front and the TINY wheel on the back
-swim in the lake and not get frostbite
-Go parasailing
-Get a ride on the owner of the hotel's boat..Actually, I'm going to make this number 1 on the list.
That's what I've got.
My ________ Island Bucket list. Huh. That sounds a little too cliche...I'll probably get a call from my brother complaining about it. Oh well! So I have 8 weeks and a few days left here, and a lot I still need to get done. I'm hoping to get a good start on this seeing as I have....drum roll please,
TWO days off.
IN A ROW!!!!
This Thursday and Friday. Needless to say I am extremely excited. Before I came over here to write I was going over in my head the things I want to do before I leave, which must be what prompted this weird rush of list-making. Anyway! There's one thing I want to tell you about before I go. Many of the things that were on my "have-done" list, I'm sure you're all relatively familiar with...all but one. Yes, I went ballroom dancing! It was a very impromptu thing. A friend and I, Rhonda, were going for a walk one evening, around 10pm. We were walking past one of the bars downtown that had a live band doing a cover of piano man, which is a waltz. Because we are those people, we stopped, and began waltzing in the middle of the sidewalk. Then, all of a sudden, she grabs my hand and asks, "Hey! Do you have a dress????"
Psh. Do I have a dress.
Yes, of course, I say. Why? "We're going dancing," says Rhonda. Well where in the world would we go dancing? "The Grand Ballroom." Oh.
So 10 minutes later we were walking up the hill in our dresses with one of the other girls that lives in my house. We got there as the band was playing some classical music, so the three of us went right out and did our own (horribly techniqued, of course) version of each dance they played. Because we got there so late, we only got to hear about a half hour of music, but it was so much fun!! Where else can you decide at 10:00 at night to go ballroom dancing, and then ten minutes later be dressed and on the floor with two friends?
So much fun. I'm hoping to have many more nights like that one before I leave here, but whether I do or I don't, I can hardly be disappointed. In the 7 weeks since I've been here, although I've never once left work with my whole night planned out, I've never been disappointed, and I have yet to have a night that I would label as "lazy" or "boring."
The real world is going to take some getting used to, once this is all over.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Get Up And Enjoy The Day!
Tuesday, June 11 2013. 6:00 pm.
My best friend (and co-worker) Sandra and I leave work and go upstairs to Captain Chuck's for some dinner...we sit with a few other friends from the front office and talk for about a half hour. We're all female so it's the usual - boys, work, boys, boys again, and then a little more about work. After getting a serious lecture from one of my friends (totally unwarranted!!!) Sandra and I get up and go back downstairs to get our stuff out of the office and head home for the night. After doing nothing but 10am-8pm shifts for the last week or two, leaving at 6 feels so incredible. So, as we're leaving, S tells me she wants to run back to the operators office, where a couple of our other friends work, to talk to one of them about something. We walk back, and go into their office and end up staying and chatting for about ten minutes. As we're talking, I mention that I have tomorrow off, and then my friend Rhonda tells me she's off tomorrow too..! Then I tell her that I'm planning on going to the mainland for the first time, and she tells me that she's going there as well..! Cool. Exchange numbers. Bada bang, bada boom..and the exciting day off is on its way.
Fast Forward.
Wednesday, June 12. 9:51 am. After getting up late, rushing out the door to get my coffee and bagel from my favorite coffee shop down the street (on Market street..hint) and then rushing out to mail out my mysterious package to a mysterious person for whom we are all celebrating a special day this coming sunday, I call R. She doesn't answer. So, in my head I decide that I'm probably going to the mainland by myself. Not a problem, it's still going to be fun! Fast food! Yum! So anyway, I walk up to the ferry dock and 9:51 (6 minutes late), and there she is! Yay for not going alone! So we go up, get our tickets, and as we're getting on the ferry Rhonda tells the ferry ticket-taker person that she needs them to pull her car up for when she arrives.
Wait what?
Car. That changes the plans.
We get to the main land, and are immediately swarmed by bugs. Not quite the welcome I was expecting, but hey. It's land. And there are cars. And fast food....
So we hop in her car and talk about going to walmart, but then R mentions Taco Bell. Mind you, the nearest TB is more than 30 minutes away.
Before I go on, I would like to ask you all a question. If you hadn't had the chance, choice, or opportunity to eat fast food for 36 days and had been trapped on an island eating pretty much nothing but chicken and rice for those thirty six days, would you have driven 30 minutes out of your way to go get Taco Bell?
Yes, we did. But there's a twist! We did make it to the TB in Petoskey, but the adventure doesn't end there. While we were driving, Traverse City came up.
Traverse City is 2 1/2 hours away.
Traverse City, 1:30 pm.
We arrive at the mall in TC. (TC versus TB -- are you following??) I must say, getting in a motorized vehicle going 70 miles an hour is probably the most frightening experience of my life. I spend most of the time on the way there praying to God that he will deliver me safely...and I don't say that jokingly!
So, we get to the mall, shop around for an hour or two, then run out of things to do and start heading back. On the way back, we stop at this cute little fresh fruit market on the side of the road..while there isn't much fresh fruit, I do walk away with a little tin of THE most amazing granola in the world. Oats, pecans, almonds, coconut, maple sugar, maple syrup, butter, salt, cinnamon, and dried cherries. Yum.
After we leave there, we drive for another hour and a half or so and then see, in the distance, a Ferris wheel. Fair? Yes. We stop, ride the Ferris wheel, play a few carnival games, get an elephant ear and two bags of cotton candy for the road, and get back in the car.
Next stop, Walmart.
Oh, Walmart. Why oh why is self checkout always so difficult? All I want is a few different types of apples! What do you mean I have to go back and put them all in separate bags? And after doing so, why does your self checkout station never just work properly without assistance? Really, why. Sigh.
Back on the road, next stop: the ferry. Top deck on the way back. It's 70 degrees out, did I forget to mention that? Clear, blue skies. The sun is shining. We get back in time to see the sun lowering over the bridge, shining on the hotel...our beacon from the mainland.
Even after living on the island for over a month now and spending all day in that hotel, I still crane my neck over the railing to watch it from departure on the ferry to arrival at the island. You can see the hotel the whole way there, stretching out across the top of the island. It's surreal. It's beautiful.
And for now, it's home.
My best friend (and co-worker) Sandra and I leave work and go upstairs to Captain Chuck's for some dinner...we sit with a few other friends from the front office and talk for about a half hour. We're all female so it's the usual - boys, work, boys, boys again, and then a little more about work. After getting a serious lecture from one of my friends (totally unwarranted!!!) Sandra and I get up and go back downstairs to get our stuff out of the office and head home for the night. After doing nothing but 10am-8pm shifts for the last week or two, leaving at 6 feels so incredible. So, as we're leaving, S tells me she wants to run back to the operators office, where a couple of our other friends work, to talk to one of them about something. We walk back, and go into their office and end up staying and chatting for about ten minutes. As we're talking, I mention that I have tomorrow off, and then my friend Rhonda tells me she's off tomorrow too..! Then I tell her that I'm planning on going to the mainland for the first time, and she tells me that she's going there as well..! Cool. Exchange numbers. Bada bang, bada boom..and the exciting day off is on its way.
Fast Forward.
Wednesday, June 12. 9:51 am. After getting up late, rushing out the door to get my coffee and bagel from my favorite coffee shop down the street (on Market street..hint) and then rushing out to mail out my mysterious package to a mysterious person for whom we are all celebrating a special day this coming sunday, I call R. She doesn't answer. So, in my head I decide that I'm probably going to the mainland by myself. Not a problem, it's still going to be fun! Fast food! Yum! So anyway, I walk up to the ferry dock and 9:51 (6 minutes late), and there she is! Yay for not going alone! So we go up, get our tickets, and as we're getting on the ferry Rhonda tells the ferry ticket-taker person that she needs them to pull her car up for when she arrives.
Wait what?
Car. That changes the plans.
We get to the main land, and are immediately swarmed by bugs. Not quite the welcome I was expecting, but hey. It's land. And there are cars. And fast food....
So we hop in her car and talk about going to walmart, but then R mentions Taco Bell. Mind you, the nearest TB is more than 30 minutes away.
Before I go on, I would like to ask you all a question. If you hadn't had the chance, choice, or opportunity to eat fast food for 36 days and had been trapped on an island eating pretty much nothing but chicken and rice for those thirty six days, would you have driven 30 minutes out of your way to go get Taco Bell?
Yes, we did. But there's a twist! We did make it to the TB in Petoskey, but the adventure doesn't end there. While we were driving, Traverse City came up.
Traverse City is 2 1/2 hours away.
Traverse City, 1:30 pm.
We arrive at the mall in TC. (TC versus TB -- are you following??) I must say, getting in a motorized vehicle going 70 miles an hour is probably the most frightening experience of my life. I spend most of the time on the way there praying to God that he will deliver me safely...and I don't say that jokingly!
So, we get to the mall, shop around for an hour or two, then run out of things to do and start heading back. On the way back, we stop at this cute little fresh fruit market on the side of the road..while there isn't much fresh fruit, I do walk away with a little tin of THE most amazing granola in the world. Oats, pecans, almonds, coconut, maple sugar, maple syrup, butter, salt, cinnamon, and dried cherries. Yum.
After we leave there, we drive for another hour and a half or so and then see, in the distance, a Ferris wheel. Fair? Yes. We stop, ride the Ferris wheel, play a few carnival games, get an elephant ear and two bags of cotton candy for the road, and get back in the car.
Next stop, Walmart.
Oh, Walmart. Why oh why is self checkout always so difficult? All I want is a few different types of apples! What do you mean I have to go back and put them all in separate bags? And after doing so, why does your self checkout station never just work properly without assistance? Really, why. Sigh.
Back on the road, next stop: the ferry. Top deck on the way back. It's 70 degrees out, did I forget to mention that? Clear, blue skies. The sun is shining. We get back in time to see the sun lowering over the bridge, shining on the hotel...our beacon from the mainland.
Even after living on the island for over a month now and spending all day in that hotel, I still crane my neck over the railing to watch it from departure on the ferry to arrival at the island. You can see the hotel the whole way there, stretching out across the top of the island. It's surreal. It's beautiful.
And for now, it's home.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
This Is What It Feels Like To Live
Wow, it's been a long time since I've been able to get on here! I'd love to say I've been super busy doing things at the hotel or around town, but I've really just been busy being social....which, here, basically means sitting around chatting with people. Still not much to do, but with as hectic as my hours at work can get, it's nice to be able to just go and relax with friends.
Last time I posted was Tuesday night, when I was staying at the hotel. Unfortunately, I posted right before dinner and wasn't able to get back on here and tell you guys about it! OH MY GOODNESS. Now I fully understand why people are willing to pay $70 per person to eat here...the food is incredible. The appetizer was this lobster/scallop terrine, then a chilled pear and rhubarb soup, caprese salad, and all that followed by my new favorite entree...black angus bouf bourguinon. Anyone who knows about my obsession with the movie Julie and Julia will understand why that was such a special treat. In the two or three days I will have at home before going back to school in the fall, I WILL be attempting Julia's recipe.
Oh, I forgot one thing. Dessert. Red Velvet cheesecake. I hope I'm not catching you before dinner! The food was absolutely incredible..best food of my life at that point in time, but it now holds second place.
Did you catch that? Yes I went out to dinner again since then, actually at another one of the hotel's restaurants called The Woods. Let me describe this place to you really quickly - you have to walk up Grand Hill about (what feels like) several miles, along a skinny, winding road through the woods to get to it. I walked there with a friend who didn't have a bike, and it was both of our first time going there. I swear we both thought we were lost for the longest time! Anyway, we finally arrived, and the restaurant itself is pretty small. There are probably about 20 tables and it's decorated like a hunting lodge...fitting because that's exactly what it used to be! So as you dine at the tables clothed with white, paper table cloths (where coloring is highly encouraged) you're surrounded by lots of taxadermised deer and moose...but here's my favorite part. At this time of year, when it's still pretty chilly out, they have a huge fire crackling away in the fireplace. The atmosphere alone makes it easily my favorite place on the whole island, and this was before I even tried the food. So, for dinner here - this, by the way, was on Sunday night with about 5 of my co-workers - I had raw salmon with caviar and grapefruit, butternut squash soup, a pear and walnut salad, and tiramisu cheesecake. Yum, yum, yum. This amazing meal (Which only cost $33 before tip! Holy cow!) was followed by bowling. But not the kind of bowling you're thinking of...this place has one lane, it's all wood, and you have to set the pins up yourself. It looks like something straight out of 1885. So fun!
This island has become, in one month, my favorite place in the world. It's like living in a different world.
Could you imagine walking down the street and seeing nothing but horse drawn carriages and bikes? There's no Walmart here. Most of the stores are only open until 7 pm unless it's Friday or Saturday night. It's like going back in time, literally, but not just to the 1800's, which yes, it does feel like sometimes. But I feel like I'm a kid again here. After work, instead of sitting down in front of the tv and just zoning out, I go for walks, hang out with friends on my porch, play cards, board games, go for bike rides. This is probably the only place in the world where the vast majority of people would rather just go walk around outside and socialize rather than sit on their couch eating tv dinners and falling asleep to the evening news. It's taken a lot of getting used to, but I don't miss the "outside world" one little bit. If given the option to work at a hotel exactly like this one but in New York or Miami or London, France, wherever, I don't think I could do it. Part of the magic of this hotel and this island is the fact that it makes you feel normal again. I feel human here, not like some robot in front of a television or computer screen. I feel the wind in my hair every morning when I ride my bike to work, and walk through the lobby of the most beautiful hotel I've ever seen before doing a job I love. I leave there and ride my bike home, change as quickly as possible, and then go outside and enjoy the night. I watch the sunset every night over the straits, and then tilt my head up to see the clearest skies, and the brightest stars I've ever seen. I don't check my phone every five minutes, I don't keep up with what's on television, I rarely get on twitter or facebook.
But who needs all that when you're actually living?
Last time I posted was Tuesday night, when I was staying at the hotel. Unfortunately, I posted right before dinner and wasn't able to get back on here and tell you guys about it! OH MY GOODNESS. Now I fully understand why people are willing to pay $70 per person to eat here...the food is incredible. The appetizer was this lobster/scallop terrine, then a chilled pear and rhubarb soup, caprese salad, and all that followed by my new favorite entree...black angus bouf bourguinon. Anyone who knows about my obsession with the movie Julie and Julia will understand why that was such a special treat. In the two or three days I will have at home before going back to school in the fall, I WILL be attempting Julia's recipe.
Oh, I forgot one thing. Dessert. Red Velvet cheesecake. I hope I'm not catching you before dinner! The food was absolutely incredible..best food of my life at that point in time, but it now holds second place.
Did you catch that? Yes I went out to dinner again since then, actually at another one of the hotel's restaurants called The Woods. Let me describe this place to you really quickly - you have to walk up Grand Hill about (what feels like) several miles, along a skinny, winding road through the woods to get to it. I walked there with a friend who didn't have a bike, and it was both of our first time going there. I swear we both thought we were lost for the longest time! Anyway, we finally arrived, and the restaurant itself is pretty small. There are probably about 20 tables and it's decorated like a hunting lodge...fitting because that's exactly what it used to be! So as you dine at the tables clothed with white, paper table cloths (where coloring is highly encouraged) you're surrounded by lots of taxadermised deer and moose...but here's my favorite part. At this time of year, when it's still pretty chilly out, they have a huge fire crackling away in the fireplace. The atmosphere alone makes it easily my favorite place on the whole island, and this was before I even tried the food. So, for dinner here - this, by the way, was on Sunday night with about 5 of my co-workers - I had raw salmon with caviar and grapefruit, butternut squash soup, a pear and walnut salad, and tiramisu cheesecake. Yum, yum, yum. This amazing meal (Which only cost $33 before tip! Holy cow!) was followed by bowling. But not the kind of bowling you're thinking of...this place has one lane, it's all wood, and you have to set the pins up yourself. It looks like something straight out of 1885. So fun!
This island has become, in one month, my favorite place in the world. It's like living in a different world.
Could you imagine walking down the street and seeing nothing but horse drawn carriages and bikes? There's no Walmart here. Most of the stores are only open until 7 pm unless it's Friday or Saturday night. It's like going back in time, literally, but not just to the 1800's, which yes, it does feel like sometimes. But I feel like I'm a kid again here. After work, instead of sitting down in front of the tv and just zoning out, I go for walks, hang out with friends on my porch, play cards, board games, go for bike rides. This is probably the only place in the world where the vast majority of people would rather just go walk around outside and socialize rather than sit on their couch eating tv dinners and falling asleep to the evening news. It's taken a lot of getting used to, but I don't miss the "outside world" one little bit. If given the option to work at a hotel exactly like this one but in New York or Miami or London, France, wherever, I don't think I could do it. Part of the magic of this hotel and this island is the fact that it makes you feel normal again. I feel human here, not like some robot in front of a television or computer screen. I feel the wind in my hair every morning when I ride my bike to work, and walk through the lobby of the most beautiful hotel I've ever seen before doing a job I love. I leave there and ride my bike home, change as quickly as possible, and then go outside and enjoy the night. I watch the sunset every night over the straits, and then tilt my head up to see the clearest skies, and the brightest stars I've ever seen. I don't check my phone every five minutes, I don't keep up with what's on television, I rarely get on twitter or facebook.
But who needs all that when you're actually living?
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