The Day I Was Supergirl

I'm ashamed to admit that it's been almost two months since I've posted anything on my blog.  So much has happened since my last post.  With some guidance from the past few pages of my planner, I can give a recap:

3/26: Interview for a position with MOST Ministries in Ann Arbor, MI
3/27: Half-marathon (my first!) in Flushing, MI (finished 8th in my age group... not too bad for my first time)
3/27: My introduction to the Twilight saga by my darling sister, Amanda.  Thus begins my addiction...
4/7: Interview for a position with Pfizer in Kalamazoo, MI
4/8: Job offer from Pfizer in Kalamazoo!
4/17: 80's Fest in Frankenmuth-- one of my greatest passions :)
4/20: Job offer from MOST Ministries in Ann Arbor! (which I unfortunately had to decline, as I'd already accepted the position in Kalamazoo)
4/20 - 4/23: Pure chaos (working 17 hours each day PLUS packing for the big move [to Kalamazoo])
4/24: Relocation from Frankenmuth to Portage, MI.
4/25: Relax.
4/26: First day at Pfizer.  My first taste of a real job (a job I love).

So for the past few weeks I've been living in Portage, which is just south of Kalamazoo. I live just minutes from where I work (very convenient) and just minutes from anywhere in town as well. My job consists of facilitating the communication between graphic artists and various international markets in the Pfizer corporation-- so I get to work with artists (a plus) and with customers from around the globe (even better).

I love every minute of my job so far, even though sometimes the work can seem very mundane and pointless (there can be a lot of filing/ labeling/ general clerical duties). Today I fought this off by listening to a new station on Pandora, which I happened upon accidentally. This station (my new favorite) plays film scores from various well-known movies (Jurassic Park, The Hours, Twilight, Harry Potter, Love Story, The Chronicles of Narnia, Edward Scissorhands, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, etc). There's nothing quite like the Star Trek theme song to inspire some excitement about even the most dreary job. This station made my day today; it made me feel like a superhero :) I was starring in my own movie, with a terrific soundtrack (eerie, fantastical, majestic, tech-y, peaceful... all of the above).

After work today, I decided to go running. Portage has a plethora of beautiful parks and paths, and I usually go running down the same few trails. Today, though, I tried a different trail. I ran from one park to another, through an area called Bishop's Bog. Sounds wet? Yes, it was. The trail, completely covered by a canopy of trees, is actually made of plastic wetland decking, which seemingly "floats" on the water in the bog. In essence, I was running across the water. It was phenomenal. I was splashing through puddles (felt like a little kid) and I got soaked, but it was totally worth it. This is where Vibram FiveFingers come in handy-- perhaps regular shoes would prove to be a nuisance, but running in these bad boys is like running barefoot. And running barefoot through water is great.

Once I cleared the bog itself, I ran down a woodchip-covered trail through a wooded area until I reached Schrier Park. Though I've been running recreationally for quite a few years now, my run today was BY FAR the most exhilarating run of my life. I didn't come across one other person down this trail (just a few squirrels and 2 raccoons), and I was unable to hear the traffic or see anything aside from trees and flowers. It smelled amazing (nature at its best), and I enjoyed every second of it. I left my iPod at home for this run, and I'm glad I did. Instead of my usual playlist running through my head, I had only the sounds of nature running through my head-- the film score on the soundtrack to my own movie :)