Living in TN - Musings

I have lived in a few different places, Minnesota, Mexico, Indiana, and Ireland (I classify "lived" as by staying in a place, getting mail and doing laundry). But no place I have lived (besides MN) has been as permanent as my new home. I'm not sure what the significance of that is, but it seems very new and different to me. I really enjoy this new place and it's not what I expected.

When I think Tennessee, I guess, when I thought Tennessee before, I thought the area would be more country-bumpkin, with tons of country music and not a whole lot going on. I really wasn't a fan of the south (for a variety of reasons) and I'm very happy that my previous notions were wrong. At least Middle Tennessee has a lot going on, it's very beautiful with the hills and the weather. People are really nice, and that's not an exaggeration. Andy and I went on our first bike ride on the Murfreesboro Greenway (which is nothing like the Midtown Greenway) and his chain broke. Some random stranger rode past us as Andy was working on the bikes to ask if we needed help. That doesn't happen much in Minneapolis.

When you go to a new place do you ever think that your first day there feels entirely different from how you see it after awhile? This place certainly does and I'm starting to get my bearings. It's tough to get situated geographically with Andy though because he can never drive the same way twice. So I'm not entirely sure how to get around all the time, but I'm getting there. Overall, this place has been really fun and I'm very happy we've made this move. Life down here is a lot different than our life in Minnesota though, here are some examples.

Slow Pace: Granted government-run anything isn't quick but the time it took to get my driver's license was ridiculous. Especially since I spent a 1/2 hour watching some supervisor stand around in different positions and drink his coffee. Additionally they drive below the speed limit here. Earlier I mentioned that they drive the speed limit due to cops being very active. But I toe the line and I pass about 75% of those driving. I just don't get it.

Because 25 mph is just too fast

Horses, ect: On the way to work for Andy he can pass horses and cows grazing in the fields. I can guarantee you that didn't happen on the crosstown. When I was doing my job search today I saw someone riding their horse up to the stables on the "block" before you get to our townhouse development. When we drove to Chattanooga the other weekend we saw adorable cows with white tube tops on. I enjoy seeing the livestock.

Weather: When we left Minnesota, spring was starting. Spring is my least favorite season in Minnesota because it's so wet and mucky. I like to go outside and spend time hiking around but sometimes it's difficult to wade through the mud and stay on a path. Spring in Tennessee is like it should be. Stuff grows when it's "officially" spring time. Spring break comes at a logical time of year. Heck, as I write this I'm sitting on my front step wearing a tank top, shorts, and sunscreen with no shoes/socks. It's refreshing.

Dirt: Some of the soil here is red, which really throw me for a loop sometimes. We live kind of by a little cemetery (near where the neighbor horses are kept) and the fresh graves have piles of red dirt. It's just weird.

Music: Granted Minneapolis has it's own solid music scene, it's nothing compared to Music City! And I love that. Andy and I saw a bluegrass band play at the Station Inn last weekend. It seems that on any given day in any old bar there will be some form of a band playing there. And I like that. Even if it is country. Speaking of country, I haven't heard a lot of it since being down here. In our first couple weeks, Andy and I resigned ourselves to listening to country in the car because we didn't know where the good stations were. We've found a lot of good music stations since that I really enjoy. Plus, there are two public radio stations next to each other on the dial. That's just the checkers.

Off the Wagon, allegedly the tallest Bluegrass band in the world.

Out-of-doors: I would classify Minnesota as an outdoors-y state. I spent most of my life hanging around outside, reading, hiking, camping, canoeing, taking the dog out. There's a lot to do outside in Minnesota and I would say the Boundary Waters is one of my favorite places to be. However, generally you have to go aways from the cities to get to any fun type of country. And let's face it, Minnesota is pretty flat. Not just outside of Nashville! A couple weekends ago Andy and I went on a hike to Shake Rag Hollow and had a marvelous time traversing the hilly terrain. The road to get to the trail head stopped at cliff with no guardrails, just the hope that you'll be too much in awe to keep driving. There's going to be a lot of camping and hiking down here.

Vistas!

History: We're surrounded by history here. Everywhere we go there's a sign on the road for this battle or that. It's fun to be a part of an area where so much happened to shape our country. Even on Andy's way to work he drives by a Civil-War Era cannon, who can beat that?!

Crops: Much of out state Minnesota is devoted to the cultivation of corn and soybeans. Which makes for a boring road trip. Here, there's cotton! I've never seen (at least that I've remembered) a cotton field until now. And I'm more excited to see what it looks like in full and glorious bloom.

I was given a history of the Cotton Gin at this point.

I look forward to exploring more of what Tennessee has to offer. It's good to be wrong sometimes about a place and just taking a chance.

2000 - 2009 A Life and Times of Amanda Review

It may seem silly and cliche, but I love reading articles about the year in review and the decade in review. This seems like the appropriate location to review what my past decade has been like. I'm going to use my brother's set up, because it's a great one. This past decade has seen the biggest changes in my life and I don't think it could have ended up better. The decade encompassed my high school and college years. While they may not be the best years of my life, they certainly are some of the most important. I've learned a lot throughout the past decade and I'm looking forward to learning more in the decades to come!

*Some of these years may not necessarily be accurate, and that's because I have a bad memory.

2000

Finished middle school and started high school at Mounds View High School.

My mom borrowed 3 books from a coworker about a boy named Harry Potter. I started to wish my school was magical.

Said no to drugs and alcohol.

Made the competition dance line at Metro Dance and started getting serious about dancing.

Began my short career as a Cheerleader for the MVHS girls hockey team. They were the best group of people I cheered for (sorry Tony's football friends).

Went to the Homecoming dance with a boy who was 30 lbs lighter than me and 3 inches shorter than me. Felt like a giant. First experience hearing someone say "I love you" and being really freaked out by it.

2001

Without plans for our spring break, my parents send Tony and I on a mission trip to an orphanage in Reynosa, Mexico with a family friend. One of the best last minute decisions that has had a lasting impact on my life.

Became a football and soccer cheerleader for a school I increasingly disliked. Told football players don't like Twinkies.

Started getting into music and learning to love a variety of sounds.

2002

Spent a month living with a family in Cuernavaca, Mexico learning Spanish. Had a great time living relatively independently in a foreign country.

Able to take Spanish 5 at MVHS and unlearn everything learned in Mexico.

Joined the junior varsity track team at MVHS.

Started doing competition tap, ballet and jazz after many years out of practice.

Went to my first concert alone, saw Fuel, Sevendust at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium. Saved up $27 to buy a concert t-shirt from selling custom mix CDs at school.

2003

Found out that I could spend my last year of high school, not going to high school and attending college for free.

Got in to the PSEO program at the University of Minnesota, one of the best things that I've ever done. I learned to be independent, take risks, and explored a vast new place.

Continued to do tap, ballet, jazz and dance line at Metro Dance.

Got my first job at Proex, taking portraits of people and developing pictures.

Opened my first bank account!

2004

Declared a Spanish minor while still in high school.

Graduated from high school. Vowed to never step foot inside MVHS again. A promise I have since kept.

Accepted into the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.

Quit my job at Proex and started working at East Side Beverage, a challenging but rewarding job.

Moved into Middlebrook Hall on the West Bank of the Mississippi. A great place where I met some wonderful people and made new friends.

2005

Spring semester was the worst for grades as I didn't listen to the recommendation and took 2 difficult classes that I didn't like at the same time. Slacked off an incredible amount for me.

Learned that I can't always coast through classes and spent much of April and May catching up.

Got a lot of music from a fellow music lover and expanded my tastes in music. Though I still don't do rap.

Started a job at the Gopher Express and Post Office in the student union. Discovered a life-long love for Amy's Pizza Pockets. I am extremely knowledgeable about postal requirements. Mailed my first human body parts.

Joined the Student Association for Non-profit Enterprise (SANE). Voted president of the student group to start that fall.

Became a U-Crew in Middlebrook hall starting in fall semester. Got a single and a mandate to help the freshman residents on 6th floor adjust and enjoy their college experience.

Started drinking.

Realized that I didn't want to be an Entrepreneur and changed my major to Human Resources and Industrial Relations. Hoped that with that major I'd be able to help people.

Got a bicycle for my birthday only to have it stolen 2 weeks into the school year.

2006

Applied for study abroad and was accepted to go to the Quinn School of Business at the University College Dublin.

Declared a Psychology minor to fill in the gaps until I graduated.

Moved my parents to Covington, Indiana and helped sell the home I grew up in, in Arden Hills, Minnesota. My job for that summer was to pack up the house, take Chip out of the house when people came to see it, refill the ponds, and keep the house clean.

Worked in Danville, IL for 1 month as an audit assistant. Learned I don't like numbers job and that I must always stay busy.

Traveled to Ireland where I didn't realize until the plane touched down that I didn't know a single person in the country.

Had a great time in Ireland; drinking whiskey, making great friends, studied quite a bit, traveling around Europe, and bringing my family over to show them a good time.

I figured out that I do best when I am constantly learning something new.

2007

Moved into a closet in Minnesota.

Struggled a bit to adjust to the change from study abroad.

Over Easter I ran my dad's ATV into a tree. Thought I was about to die and then got afraid of driving and motor vehicles after that.

Met and started dating Andy Harvey. Our first date encompassed riding in Critical Mass and dining at a Thai restaurant in St. Paul. We watched a barge in the Mississippi during sunset.

Completed my Emerging Leadership Program on principle and couldn't continue with the honors program if I graduated early.

Pete came for a visit over the summer and I tried to show him a good time around Minneapolis. It ended up that he was able to create a good time for himself here as well!

First time I questioned a grade I received from a teacher and went into mediation. Was able to move my grade up and felt more confident.

House got broken into the day after I moved in. I lost my laptop, camera, and sense of safety.

Graduated from the University of Minnesota in 3 1/2 years. Had to do my graduation ceremony in the spring, despite finishing in the winter. Happy to be done with school!

Got my first car that was my own! A wonderful 2008 Honda Fit. It fits a lot.

2008

Got my first job as a Human Resources Assistant at Mall of America. Learned to love MOA and learned a lot about people.

Called the city on my landlord a few times for dumping. Dealt with Thursday night garage parties 2 houses down, roomies that didn't always do their dishes, and the wonderment of a house that could be so cold in the winter could be so hot in the summer.

Got my first promotion 5 months after being hired, now an HR Representative, I started doing interviews.

Andy and I moved in together in a small house in South Minneapolis.

Andy proposed on the train ride home from a visit to Indiana. Started planning a wedding. Bought a wedding dress a couple weeks later.

Moved work offices from upstairs in Nickelodeon Universe to the basement of MOA in December. Stopped seeing daylight for awhile. Enjoyed a bigger "office" and being around the rest of MOA employees.

2009

Learned that planning a wedding takes a lot of time and effort.

Made a plan with Andy that in 2010 we would start looking for jobs out of state in earnest and move out of Minnesota within 2 years.

Started gardening and grew our own tomatoes, carrots, beans, radishes, lettuce, squash, and peppers. Ate more vegetables and fruits than ever before.

Learned how to can and preserve summer food.

Received a canoe for a wedding present from my parents and paddled around the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers and Lake Nokomis.

Took my first trip to the BWCA with Andy and he didn't end up as bear bait. He passed the family test with flying colors.

Got married on October 10, 2009. Had a great time seeing everyone and I realized that the best thing about weddings was seeing all of my family at once.

Honeymooned in Portland, OR and had a wonderful time. Came home knowing that's where we'd like to live in the future.

2010

I don't usually make resolutions, but this year there are some things that I would like to accomplish.

• The first is to keep better track of my finances. I don't usually pay much attention to them, but I've realized that's a bad idea.
• Get a dog! For Christmas Andy and I saved some gift money for each other to put to adopting a greyhound.
• Move away from Minnesota. After living here our whole lives, Andy and I think it's time to try someplace new. Preferable that will be Portland, OR, but we're open to other places.

Goings On

Recently I've been camping for the first time in the year and I've been to the Indy 500!  I have a few pictures from each event, but my internet is crappy and can't upload anything now.  Those will have to wait.

Andy and I went camping in St. Croix State Forest.  State forests are free to camp in, and if worse comes to worse, you can camp anywhere (not in a designated site).  Thankfully for us, it was high tick season, and most people stayed away from camping that weekend, we got our pick of sites!  Not after getting lost though.  St. Croix State Forest has terrible maps, intersections are not marked and exist and we were tricked into going on a path full of ticks that wasn't on the map.

The state forest is also home to lots of horse trails.  We encountered many horse riders along the trails and stood aside to let them pass.  It was really fun to see them around.  One rider asked us if we lost our horses.  Another rider told us that a beautiful, open campsite was not far away, and we got really excited.  The rider failed to mention that the beautiful site was across a 20 foot river, running with frigid water.  We had no horses to cross the river.

So we set off back the way we came, to look at a deciving map and figure out the next best campsite.  Turns out, the next best one was pretty awesome!  It wasn't too far from a marked intersection, it was down a little hill, on a curve in the river.  It was probably one of the prettiest sites I've camped on.  We were able to use our new water pump in the river and got cooking water.

It was a wonderful camping trip, no rain, nice people, a good 2 1/2 hour hike.  Except the aforementioned high tick season.  I've never gotten so many ticks in my life, in so many inconvenient places.  I felt like ticks were crawling over me as I slept, which they were and I thre them out of the tent.  It was probably the most insect-filled camping experience I've had.  This was a great learning experience on when and where to camp and not to forget the bug spray.  We high-tailed it out of that site as early as I thought decent to wake Andy.

The Great Minnesota Get Together!

It's State Fair season!!

It's a giant cow!! Watch out, it looks mean!

This is that special time of year when city kids encounter farm animals and farm kids encounter city animals. It's a wonderful mixture of quintessential Minnesota and the new forces of change. This year Andy and I went the first Saturday with free tickets from the Mall of America. Here's our story.

We started off at the AM1500 stage listening to the live broadcast of Saturday Morning Sports Talk. You might be wondering why I would listen to a sports program, but never fear, it makes sense. Read on. The second hour of the broadcast was the annual Baby Walk competition. This is where parents bring their small children to the two hosts, tell the hosts the child's name and the hosts determine if the name is "approved" or "not approved." For example, an approved name was "Margaret May." A not approved name would be something like "Jaymie Starshine." There is nothing better than starting your day off hearing defenseless little children being ridiculed. Many parents lined up for the Baby Walk and to determine if their child was going to be made fun of for the rest of it's life or not.

Parents and their children lining up to see if they're terrible parents or not at the Baby Walk

After enjoying the Baby Walk, Andy and I moseyed around in search of food. I found Hot Dish on a Stick and Andy got a burrito. We also got cheese curds, mini doughnuts, and milkshakes from the dairy barn to top it off.

Me eating Hot Dish on a Stick, it was de-lish.

After chowing down on delicious food we visited the animals. I never knew they had bunnies at the State Fair, but I got to pet many soft bunnies. We also communed with the chickens and turkeys. Turkeys are smarter than chickens and were a lot more fun to see. One tried to eat my camera and another tried to eat Andy's hat.

If Buffy were a rabbit, she would look like this.

These are funny looking chickens.

Andy talking to the turkey.

After the poultry we checked out my favorite animals, sheep! They were starting to show some lambs as we were petting the animals. It looked pretty difficult to keep the lambs under control. The handlers didn't have leashes for the lambs and just had to hold their heads. Andy and I didn't visit the Miracle of Birth barn, but in the sheep barn we did see the "miracle of conception." There were some pretty frisky sheeps running in circles.Me and a fuzzy new friend.

These were the frisky sheep. I got nervous knowing what I was about to see, but it was over quick.

After seeing all the adorable animals and watching the cows in the Colosseum we wandered our way toward the exit. On our way we stopped by the DFL booth to see what we could see. It turned out that Al Franken was about to be on his way to speak to the fair crowd. So we waited a bit and then got to see Mr. Franken. I think he would do a good job in the US Senate and represent Minnesota well. We can all appreciate a little humor!

Al Franken at the DFL booth at the state fair.

That concluded our 2008 state fair visit. We didn't see everything, but then again, you can't see everything at the fair. I did something new, petted some sheep, and learned a little more about turkies! I also felt like poo for all the greasy, fattening food I ate, and it was time to go.

History in the Making!

No this isn't about Barak Obama's nomination. It's about the visit Andy and I made to Historic Fort Snelling! It's just down the road from us now and we rode our bikes for a morning stroll through history. I hadn't been to Fort Snelling since I was a smile child. All I remember was an abundance of rabbit pelts and rock candy.

Andy and the crops at the entrance to the Fort.

An old soldier and I looking official at the front gates.

Little did I know how fun it was! Andy and I got to be "recruits" and learn how to march in the old army. Us and about 10 small children. It felt good to march better than some silly kids having a birthday party. We saw a demonstration of the old muskets firing (after we got out of the line of fire). We saw a guy make a nail, and a doctor show us how messed up old timey health care was.

The blacksmith who made a nail for us. Also, he almost set a small child on fire while he used the bellows.

The best thing to do at Fort Snelling if you were sick, was to not go to the doctor.

Inspecting the muskets before firing them off.

Taking a break to get cleaned up.

Fort Snelling was really fun and interesting. It's amazing to learn how people lived back then and realize how impossible it seems now. Life is a lot easier now, and I can better appreciate the work it took us to get us here. I think it'll be beneficial to learn how all that worked, just in case computers ever go away, we'll be prepared.

The area around the Fort has been converted back to the natural prairie. I thought these flowers were quite pretty.

The soldiers at Fort Snelling had to sleep two to a bed!

Andy checking out an old fashioned rain barrel. Without a filter on the top, these barrels looked pretty manky.

Camping!

This past weekend Andy and I took a trip down to Frontenac State Park for a camping trip! This was our first time camping together and it was loads of fun. We reserved a sweet cart-in site, where we packed up our stuff in a cart and pushed it about a 1/4 mile to our site. Think of it as one step away from car camping.

Andy being my pack ass. On the way back I carried the backpack.

The pooper wasn't too far from our campsite.

Only one other couple and their dog was camping in the same area as us, so it was really quite and nice. The site was nice too, except it was really muddy due to recent wetness. The first day we set up our site, ate a snack, and then took a hike around the area. We saw some large birds of prey, though we weren't sure what kinds of birds they were. We were able to get pretty close, until Andy stepped on a stick and scared them off. A bird book might be helpful for identifying the birds we see on future hikes. A tree book would be nice as well, so that we know what trees we're looking at when they start to grow leaves.

Andy enjoying a delicious snack.

Andy and I by Lake Pepin.

Birds! They have red faces, so I really don't know what they are.

After hiking Andy built a fire and we started cooking our dinner. I don't think I've ever been camping without some sort of camp stove and guaranteed method of cooking, so I was a bit nervous trying to cook without one. We planned on cooking brats and wieners; however, we forgot a utensil for taking our cooked wieners off the grate. In Wabasha we went to a very friendly hardware store and found this nifty clamping grate thing that we could stick in the fire and cook our dogs. It worked beautifully! Much to my surprise.

Cooking wieners.

The finished product! A delicious dinner.

After that there wasn't much to do and it was getting pretty cold. So we retired to the tent and Andy tried to patch his Thermarest, it didn't hold. My air mattress is in Indiana still, so I slept uncomfortably on the hard ground. It was terribly cold that night and I couldn't sleep because I hurt on all sides from the ground and I had to pee, but I didn't want to get up again in the dark. Finally when it was light I ventured out and relived myself. I was able to get back to sleep and wake up to the wonderful words, "Amanda, I got the water boiling!" Andy had managed to get the fire going enough to boil our water for our morning tea and oatmeal! It was a wonderful start to the day.

Andy enjoying his morning tea and oatmeal.

We then took a morning hike in the fog and started down the side of the bluff. It was a really pretty walk down and exciting to get closer to the water. On the way up the fog burned off and it turned out to be quite a beautiful day. After packing our stuff up and heading out, Andy and I stopped at the Whistle Stop cafe in Frontenac Station for lunch.

The foggy road.

These are the switchbacks that lead down the side of the bluff to Lake Pepin.

Me in front of the steep climb.

One of the few things that were actively growing.

My artsy reflection picture.

Camping was a lot of fun and Andy and I plan on doing a lot more. We've decided a blow up air mattress and a camp stove are two important things that we should get in the future. Hopefully since it's getting warming freezing to death at night won't be as much of a concern now. We've also discovered campsites that you can hike into that are 1 to 5 miles from parking. This is our next step as we get better at this whole camping thing.

I Love Fall!

I have to admit, fall is wonderful. It is the most wonderful season of the year. And I'm really happy that it's fall right now. I should specify, I love fall in Minnesota. I'm sure there are other places that have wonderful fall seasons; however, I have not experienced them. Fall in Dublin was not the spectacular event that it is here. So, in coming back, I've fallen in love with fall all over again.

First of all, I like sweaters. And I like layering. I like putting clothes on and being very clothed. In that sense, summer is bad because it's horridly hot and the goal is to wear as little as possible while still looking publicly acceptable. Some people fail at this. I fail in that I never know what to wear, so at times I end up too hot or too cold. This doesn't happen to me much in fall, mainly due to sweaters.

I'm going to admit my dorkiness before this next reason, I know what it sounds like and I've accepted that. Another reason I like fall is because I like school. I like starting new classes, buying new books and supplies, I like the feeling of hopefulness at the start of new classes.

That brings me to the next reason, fall is a symbol of newness. This may be counter intuitive, but generally it's the start of a new (academic) year. New classes/school, new clothes, new schedule, possibly a new job. This year it also meant a new house, in a new neighborhood, and a new way of living.

Fall is also a transition into the holiday season and my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. How can you be unhappy about that? Fall is just a great time of year and every time I go outside, I'm excited that it's fall.

Also, here are some fall fun time pictures:

Andy and I enjoying the company of Goldy the Gopher at the Como cookout.

Andy and I went pumpkin picking, and to get our $2 worth of entry fees, we picked dried corn off the ground and fed some pigs. They were quite happy about the deal.

Andy made friends with an adorable baby cow.

On the hay ride around the orchard.

Andy's pumpkin! We carved them the next day with Tony and Laura and had quite the time.