All of my fall favorites

I've been very out of touch with my blog lately due to work, a visit from the boy and general exhaustion. Surprisingly though, I will have worked a total of 48 hours between both of my part time jobs at the end of Saturday, which is the most hours I have ever gotten since I started in August. Small victory, I suppose. Still not enough money to live on on my own, but now I have that one big amount to jump start my savings so one day I can move down to Washington DC.

Jason also came to visit for two days, so we went apple picking, out to dinner and watched the Phillies game together on my couch. Now, I am not much of a Phils phan, but I usually root for them when J is around-- mostly because I don't want to see him in a bad mood if they lose, haha. Luckily, they did pretty well last night, so I am hoping for a Phillies and Yankees World Series (I actually called that a while ago). It would be epic, though I don't want to be around him if the Yanks end up winning.

Apple picking was an adventure. We missed the exit and ended up driving an hour out of the way... It was mainly my fault, but we got there successfully. I climbed a few trees, we picked a peck of Empire apples and made two pies before the game started. So fun. I love autumn.

Leaving on a jet plane.

Okay, maybe not, but I am leaving today for Pennsylvania. The plan is to go visit J for a few days and (pending my work schedule) then head down to Gettysburg for rush. At this point it isn't a definite if I will make it there for the weekend, but I am crossing my fingers. See you all later.

The last days of summer

Now that the sun is setting earlier and the weather is now more mild, I am coming to terms with the fact that the summer is pretty much over. Although each day in itself felt like an eternity, the past three months flew by. After graduating and coming back to live at home, I wondered where I would be in September. Little did I know that I would still be here-- stuck in a rut, unemployed, angry, and scared. I am still waiting for things to turn around, but as the last days of summer come to an end, it is becoming harder and harder to remain patient and positive.

What seems to get me through the week though are the people that have been constant in my life-- those that take the time to talk me through my frustrations or share their own (most are recent college graduates trying to find their own way in the world). It helps to know that someone out there knows what I'm going through.

Anyway, I spent a lovely Labor Day weekend with Jason. We played tennis, went out for drinks with my friend Jenn and her boyfriend, went to an airshow, and made a delicious chicken dinner together. It was so relaxing and so perfect. While at the airshow, I took over fifty pictures (surprise, surprise) of all these different types of airplanes. I couldn't possibly begin to name any of them, but I'm sure J recognized all of them. I told him how I like that we do all sorts of different things together-- we have such varied interests, haha. Here's a few of my favorites.




I am still waiting to hear back from the people I interviewed with last Thursday, so hopefully I will get a call or email tomorrow. That would be a perfect way to end the summer-- with a second interview. Or a job, haha.

I love Fridays

Since I only work part time, I spend a lot of my time at home surfing the internet, doing research, etc. and this afternoon, I discovered something I would absolutely love to have as an amateur photographer: a Fujifilm Instax Instant Camera. It's pretty much like a Polaroid camera, but instead it spits out little pictures the size of credit cards. How adorable! I love mini things. Anyway, that's what I'm digging right now, so let's work on getting me one. Okay? Okay.

Jason is coming to New York for the weekend and I have secretly planned what we're doing each day! Alright, that probably isn't much of a secret-- I do have a tendency to micro-manage every aspect of my life. Too bad there isn't much to manage these days. I miss being busy. Le sigh. Regardless, it will be a nice, long Labor Day weekend. Enjoy everyone!

Vacations are always too short.

After a wonderful week in Maryland and Pennsylvania, I am now back home. I started off my trip with an afternoon in Gettysburg visiting my sorority sisters and enjoying some lunch at The Pub. It was great to spend time with them after being apart for a few months. Although, most of them are still in school and getting ready to start their senior year, it was especially nice to see Madeline and Eli, who graduated with me in May. We seem to be feeling and experiencing the same post-grad obstacles that this economy has created. I also visited with my seminar professor, who has put me in touch with an alumnus who works in public relations. Even if he can't offer me a job, it's nice to know someone else is out that that could keep an eye out for me.

Jason and I left Gettysburg that afternoon to head down to Maryland to stay with his sister for the weekend. On Saturday, we decided to go to Annapolis, MD for the day. I had never been there, so I was excited to explore a new city. The downtown area was absolutely adorable-- there were a number of small boutiques, historic sites and expensive, but delicious restaurants. Even though we were there for the afternoon, we were able to take a lovely harbor cruise around the Bay and the Naval Academy. It was much nicer on the breezy deck of the Harbor Queen since the weather was so oppressively hot and humid. I took around fifty pictures on our 40-minute cruise, so I think I went a little picture happy.

On Sunday, J and I went to our friends engagement party. It was a small gathering of 23 people consisting mostly of Gettysburg kids and Dave's family. We ate at a nice Italian restaurant (family style, of course) which included a menu of garlic bread, caesar salad, spaghetti and meatballs and cheese raviolis-- very tasty. It was nice to see everyone and to catch up, but I felt a little melancholy after we left the restaurant. I miss going to class, learning new things and participating in activities and sports-- I miss challenging myself. When I'm at home, the most challenging part of my day is choosing which new recipe should I try and what television show I should watch before bed. That isn't the life I wanted after graduation and despite my best efforts, I haven't been able to achieve much more than that. My job search commenced way back in March and amazingly, people who only started looking for a job after May 16 are already employed. How is that fair?

Anyway, the rest of my week was spent at J's beating him in mini-golf (haha), going out to eat, playing tennis, and spending time with his friends and some of mine. It was a great getaway and I can hardly wait until he comes to New York in a week or so.

Heat wave

Needless to say, I was completely unprepared for this kind of heat. Usually upstate New York summers gradually get warmer until the ninety degree weather arrives in mid-July, but this year the weather has been so wonderfully mild. Most days were sunny and in the upper-70s or rainy and in the upper-60s! I can't even begin to tell you how brutal this heat and humidity is and how much it makes me want to drive around in my air conditioned car... During the afternoon when the day is at its hottest, I have been parking myself in front of my fan and lazily waiting until the sun sets and it gets cooler. Unfortunately, unlike my boyfriend Jason (who is in the picture here), we do not all have pools to cool off in!

Speaking of which, I am actually planning on leaving on Thursday to visit J in Pennsylvania. From there, we are going to drive through Gettysburg, PA and then head down to the Maryland/Washington, DC area to be touristy and go to our friends' engagement party. So I am looking forward to that-- after being stranded at home for the past week, I'm in need of a relaxing vacation. Although, the thought of going to an engagement party makes me feel old. It makes me feel like I'm an adult. Oh gosh, when did I grow up?