me & my bike.

Until this summer, I hadn't rode a bike in years. However, after being inspired by a few friends at SLU, some blog reading, and lots of thinking about health/environmental benefits of bike riding, I decided to pull my old bike out of the shed this summer while I'm at home.

And when I say my bike is old, I mean it; I'm not sure exactly when we purchased it, but definitely no later than when I was in sixth grade (so, uh, at least 10 years ago). The only reason that it still works for me at all is because I haven't gotten any taller since I was in fifth grade. Since this bike was purchased at Wal-Mart, Toys 'R' Us, or some other comparable retailer, it's obviously not the best quality and was never necessarily meant to be an adult bike. I am fully aware of it's many, many flaws, but for the rest of the summer, it will suit me just fine. After my JV year in Boston, however, I fully plan on getting a new, adult-sized bike.

 purple shoes for a purple bike

While my current bike is less than ideal, my hometown has been an ideal place to experiment with bike riding. The speed limit in town is 25 miles per hour, and I know these streets like the back of my hand, guaranteeing that I am usually able to avoid "busy" roads and hills (ha).

I'm off work today, and I was greeted with temperatures in the low to mid-70's this morning. This is unheard of for Southeast Missouri during this time in July, so I thought that a bike ride would be a great way to take advantage of the cooler weather. I need to pick up a few groceries from the store, so I hopped on my (very old) bike, put on my (new) helmet, and off I went.

 my (old) bike & (new) helmet

I had a great, quick ride the to grocery store with a nice cool breeze. I currently lack a bike lock (I told you, I'm new at this!), so I simply left my bike outside of the front of the store, hoping that the honesty of a small town would guarantee that it would still be there when I returned (it was). My current bike lacks a basket or storage of any kind (something I definitely want in a new bike), so my handy drawstring backpack worked as a substitute to hold my purchases, and I was able to bike back home, as I enjoyed being outdoors and got some exercise.

While there are many perks to biking, I think that one of my favorite things about riding my bike at home is all of the friendly people that wave at me while I ride. It's almost like having my own personal cheering squad. :)

recent wanderings.

So, my blog has been neglected the past few weeks. And it's not because I don't have anything to say because let's be honest--I always have something to say.

Summer doesn't seem like it's really started yet in someways, which I suppose is appropriate for my current state in life: I'm just somewhere in between. Between being an undergrad and being a Jesuit Volunteer. Between being a kid and being an adult. But that's what the people tell me being a twenty-something is all about.

My days have been mostly been taken up by working, driving on country roads, reading lots of books, and attempting to organize the chaos my material possessions have become over the past 4 years, while my nights have been taken up by cooking with my parents, hanging out with friends, going on runs and riding my bike (while admiring Missouri's beautiful sunsets). And I've been squeezing in visits to St. Louis every week or so to see my SLU friends that are around.

It's really nice to be home. College has made me appreciate small town life in ways I would have never predicted. It's good to have a few more months here before I head off to Bean Town in August. Life is good...even as I spend my days reveling in the in-between.

photo via pinterest

happy spring.

I'm back from spring break, and while the adjustment from lazy afternoons at the beach to days full of activities and studying has been a bit rough so far, the great weather in St. Louis is making it a little bit easier to deal with (currently 78 degrees!).

Also, I had my first SLU tulip sighting today! This picture was taken this morning as I left the business school after my marketing class, and it instantly put a little bit more of a spring in my step (pun not intended).

Happy second day of spring!

spring break 2011 playlist.

Bright and early tomorrow morning, I'm heading south for Spring Break! I'm driving from St. Louis to Orange Beach, Alabama to spend the week at the beach with three of my friends, and I'm so excited.  Here's a few of the songs from my playlist for the 12 hour drive.

• Lynyrd Skynyrd: Sweet Home Alabama
• Old Crow Medicine Show: Wagon Wheel
• Lonestar: Song of the South
• Benjy Davis Project: Sweet Southern Moon
• Alabama: Walkin' in Memphis
• Johnny and June Carter Cash: Jackson
• Rascal Flatts: Life is a Highway
• The Beatles: With a Little Help From My Friends
• Jackson Browne: Runnin' on Empty
• John Denver: Country Roads, Take Me Home
• Amos Lee: Southern Girl
• Dierks Bentley: Sideways

a sunday at home + georgetown cupcakes.

After an action-packed day on Saturday at Mardi Gras, I headed home on Sunday to spend the day with my extended family. It was wonderful and relaxing--exactly what the doctor ordered before a stressful midterms week.

My aunt was also visiting town from Washington, DC, and she brought us some of the famous Georgetown Cupcakes! I tried several flavors:  Red Velvet, Irish Cream, and Cookies & Cream with Mint icing. My favorite was by far the Irish Cream. They got a little squished in transport, but still tasted wonderful.

As much as I love SLU and St. Louis, home is always such a nice change. The drive home is one of my favorite parts. As I begin to leave the city, I always switch my radio station or iPod to country music (if it's not already there). The further south I drive, the highway gradually gets narrower and less crowded, and I start to see more and more trees and rolling hills. And part of me can just feel that I'm getting closer to home. And sometimes there is no place in the world that I would rather be.

mardi gras.

When a weekend includes this many good friends, it just can't go wrong. From planned reunions to surprise, last minute meet-ups, celebrating Mardi Gras on Saturday was the best. Not only did I get to spend my last college Mardi Gras with some of my oldest and dearest SLU friends, I was also able to spend some time with my friends from studying abroad in Rome.

 

  

Also, did I mention that I took the best nap ever Saturday afternoon after getting up early for the parade? So fantastic. Forget New Orleans; I'll take Mardi Gras in St. Louis any day.

p.s. J-Force for life.

new beginnings.

Spring is my favorite time of the year at SLU. While fall is nice, winter is only okay with me until the end of February. After that, I'm done. I want spring, and I want it now.

There's something exhilarating about the first day it's nice enough to walk outside without a heavy coat, wearing flats instead of boots, and with the sun shining down on me on the way to class. I always know that spring is really here the first time I spot the famous SLU tulips (or SLUlips as they are sometimes known).

I'm at the point in the semester where I'm just counting down until Spring Break, when I can enjoy time away from schoolwork spent at the (hopefully warm) beaches of Alabama with my friends. After Mardi Gras this weekend, only one more week of classes, one paper prospectus, one Marketing assignment, and one Accounting test stand in my way.

 I can't wait. Both for warm weather to be here for good and for Spring Break.

 

(Pictures from spring 2009--it doesn't look like this here yet!)