ONE MONTH!!!

I'LL BE HOME IN MAINE IN A MONTH!!! 

HOLY SHENANIGANS, I CANNOT WAIT!!!

Can you tell I am excited about this??

I am trying to figure out how to fit everything I want to do into 10 days ... I think I may just skip sleeping, simple solution, right?

I function on to-do lists and post-it notes. So, in order to easily share this plan for my vacation with those who need to know about it, below is my list of things to do in Maine that must be completed in a total of ten days. It may be, well, it will be quite challenging, but I am so ready for it!

I have broken it into two categories; places to visit and things to do (there could be another category of things to eat, but I promised to not talk about food for a while...) Check it out below!

Vacationland To Do List (in no particular order)

Places to Visit:
1. Tubby's Ice Cream
2. Gifford's Ice Cream
3. The coast, specifically Rockland  (I am very ready to see an ocean again, or any natural body of water for that matter)
4. Orono
5. Ampersand (I want a cookie and coffee)
6. Woodmans (mmmm....flirtinis)
7. Pat's, specifically the Tap Room
8. Monmouth Theatre for some Shakespeare
9. Hallowell (On Old Hallowell Day and probably at least one other time)
10. Slates Bakery, and maybe the restaurant but definitely the bakery
11. Acadia National Park
12. Central Street Yoga
13. Stillwater river - not because it's beautiful place or anything but because it is nostalgic, it was my go-to-think spot for about 6 years


Things to do:
1. See friends (duh)
2. Dance with friends
3. Eat (not all at once) lobster, blueberries, whoppie pies, maple syrup (on waffles made by Mom), and other things made with things from Maine.
4. Convince Mom we are writing a children's book
5. Take lots of picture - maybe even be in a photo shoot?
6. Sit by the lake every single chance I get!

I think that makes for a full 10 day vacation!

Let me know if you think I am missing anything, or if some place I want to visit no longer exists, or if there is some new place I should definitely check out.

Thanks for reading!

- M

Gathering Information; It's An Adventure!

Hello Reader,

Relocating from one corner of the country to another is one of the more difficult situations I have ever put myself in. I have had my fair share of freak outs over the past eight months - which is to be expected I think. More recently, I have these little moments (typically on my walk to public transportation to get to work) where I think, "...I live here...huh..." Overall, the transition has not been as rough as I anticipated *knock on wood* ...

I believe I owe this positive perspective to some advice I received as I was embracing the idea of living in Arizona. Simply put, this whole thing is an adventure. I am just gathering information - daily, I have discovered - on my personal preferences about my living environment, my job, my life. I keep these reminder on post-it notes on the bathroom mirror (now counter, since they lost their stickiness) as a daily reminder.

On the more difficult days, I think of them more as my purpose than a reminder. I am here to figure out what I want next, and I need as much information about that as I can possibly soak up! It is a good way to refocus my thinking away from the 3,000 miles that separate me from everything in Maine. I do not regret this move at all. I feel so lucky to be where I am and to have so many incredible opportunities on the horizon. I am beginning to think I received only one job offer for a reason. This is only the start of a wonderful adventure.

Thanks for reading!

- M