City versus Country

It's been another long weekend of cramming, with an exam coming up tomorrow.  So, that means a weekend of finding things to occupy my time.

I was happy to have Angelina come up here for the weekend.  We went to an apple orchard, where we went to a corn maze, on a hayride, and had my favorite... donuts and cider. :)  Here are a couple of pictures.

Ha, Keagan clearly didn't understand why Malea was crouching down.

I tried cheating...and even that was hard.  Okay, so I lived in farm-country for almost 15 years...and I still don't see how you can design something like this while sitting on a tractor.

Later, Scott joined us and we met up with my other sister, Anna, and her boyfriend for dinner.  It made for a nice Saturday.

Then... to Sunday. Around 7pm, I figured I should probably do something with my day other than sitting around watching movies from our new 3 months of free HBO service, grading papers, and napping (yep...quite the exciting day).  To give myself some credit, I did go grocery shopping.  Anyway, I decided that I needed to go somewhere other than my couch.

So, I decided to somewhat attempt a run.  Now, I'm not a runner...and anyone that knows me knows that.  I secretly feel very accomplished after running a measly mile.  Anyway, I've lived in Grand Rapids for nearly 2 months, and I still have a phobia of running around in my neighborhood.  It's safe, don't get me wrong.  It's just not what I am accustomed to when running. Since I've started this whole "running" thing, I run on back roads by my parent's house, with the occasional car passing or dog being walked.  City running makes me nervous.  It's the narrow roads.  With all the parking on side streets, I get a little creeped out when a car pulls down slowly next to me, while waiting to drive down the middle of the road.  But, I faced my fears and went out for a walk/run today.  I was pleasantly surprised.  Though, I did learn a few things:
1. Grand Rapids is very, very hilly.  My parents live on "Big Hill Rd." (literally...)... and it does not compare to this. Whatsoever.
2. Country living is a lot different than city. In the country, every car that passes you waves. Any dog walker, stops and asks you how you're doing.  Cities? No.  I tried doing the whole "hello" thing to the first few people I walked past, and they just stared at me...

But, overall, it was a nice experience.  I think it's ridiculous that I faced my fears in October..when it should be cold. But, at least I know it's fine for when spring rolls around. :)

Hope you all enjoyed this gorgeous weather!