Lately.

It has been about six months since my last post which was about the fact that I'd lived in Minnesota for one year. Whoops. It seems that I'm always starting posts with an apology for their tardiness. It seems kind of lame, but what to do? 

Things haven't really slowed down since I became insanely busy after taking on a second job last July. I work seven days a week for months on end. I do have a FULL DAY OFF coming up soon- April 4th- the first of those since January. I've been planning some things that I want to do during that time. 

Otherwise, life has been the same old, same old. I wake up distressingly early and bake food items. I have a few hours of down time before driving to the suburbs to help the Johnson crew with their day-to-day. I spend most Friday afternoons through Sunday nights there as well. It's starting to get exhausting. I'm looking forward to this summer when I'll get one (or possibly even two!?) full day(s) off every week. It'll come soon enough. Before that, I'll be flying to the East coast for two weddings and road tripping Southwest for a third. It's going to be a busy Spring! 

Meanwhile, I've been reading lots of books. (You can check out what I'm currently reading here.) I sometimes discuss them with others, particularly three of the four former Minnows, who have joined me for a Harry Potter Book Club that meets weekly via Skype. 

Harry Potter Book Club members (excluding the second from right) c. 2010.

It's been interesting. I've been listening to the books on cd in my car, which I'd never done before. I've found that when I pick up the physical book and start reading where Jim Dale's narration had left off, I get much more "into it." I like audiobooks just fine, but I think that my deep connection with the Harry Potter books is dependent on the narration my brain has provided for the past fifteen years without Dale's inflection.

I've been talking with some people lately about blogs, blogging, writing, etc. and have concluded that I really want a blogging constancy that I've never managed to maintain. My daily grind is still daunting, and shows few signs of lessening in the next few months, but I hope to be back soon. At the very least I should be able to post when the wedding rush is over. Here's hoping!

Anniversary.

First of all, I really do have a post that I was working on and intend to finish and post soon (I guess it was a bit misleading to say that I'd post something as often as once a week. Whoops.), but in the meantime, I have something else to share.

According to Timehop, today is the one year anniversary of my arrival in Minnesota! (For anyone who doesn't know, Timehop is an app that you link up with your facebook and twitter and it tells you what you've posted on that day of every year that you've had those social media accounts.) For the past several weeks, I've been seeing my posts from a year ago. I've watched myself travel from Sorrento to the UK, Norway, and Minneapolis, and then head back to Maine for two final weeks of residency. A year ago today (and yesterday) I was driving across the country with Liam. At about 6pm I'd arrived safely at Liam's parents' (Dan and Nan) house where I ended up living for the next nine months. I didn't realize at the time that I'd be there for so long, but am eternally grateful for their welcoming hearts and kindness for the duration.

Here's a picture from exactly one year ago of me on my new bed, resting for a minute after hauling all of my possessions inside.

Anyway. It's been kind of a crazy year. When I first moved here, I didn't really know what I was going to do or how things would work out, but I'd say I'm pretty satisfied with the progress I've made growing up this year. I've had to navigate parts of being an adult that I hadn't ever before. It has been at times overwhelming but it's also been really rewarding.

I'm looking forward to all that the next year in the land of 10,000 lakes will bring me.

To Whom It May Concern,

At this very moment I am sitting in my bedroom in Minneapolis. It is August 14th. Most years, late summer in the twin cities is so hot that it borders on gruesome--over 100° and nauseatingly humid. But this summer has been gloriously, graciously mild. Most days have maxed out in the low 80s, and I've even been using my quilt at night. I am nervous, however, that cooler temperatures now will mean that the coming winter will get even colder than the last. Yikes! All winter long, Minnesotans told me it was the coldest winter they'd had in at least ten years. Lucky me.

All in all though, the past year has been pretty swell. I still miss Maine most days. Being so far from the ocean this summer has been especially challenging. I haven't even put on my bathing suit yet this year!

Instead, I've been working my butt off at my two jobs. I still work as a PCA with the Johnson family and in June I got a job as a baker at SiP Coffeebar in Northeast Minneapolis. I get up at about 4:15 every weekday and start baking muffins, scones, cinnamon twists, cream cheese filled pastries, cookies, brownies, and coffee cake at 5 am! I also brew coffee and make the occasional latte. I love it, but on the days where I work both jobs I am completely exhausted by the time I get home at about 8 pm.

Last week I finally got my computer fixed after it broke in January. Which means that I can start writing blog posts with relative convenience again (as you can see). I'm hoping to get back into the habit of posting about my life-- not that I do much worth reading about, but it seems like a nice way to keep those of you on the East coast updated about my life. Here's hoping I can start a weekly posting routine!

Back again soon,
Aleena