The Mitten

Thus far I have been home in the mitten for just over a week. Michigan! Oh, how I rave about you when I am at school and with my friends. Do you disappoint me?

This morning I went for a run. It was only 64 out, so I ran in a long sleeve shirt. Fall. The smell of fall. You can imagine it if you try. Falling leaves, spice donuts, apple cider. These are a few of my favorite things. Fall was the dominant smell on my run. The cider mill less than a mile from my house helped this smell to prevail.

Cider mill, apple orchard, hayride, renaissance festival, cabin up north. Activities that I haven't had in my life for 3 years. Being 2,000 miles away makes it inconvenient to head over to Parmenters or Erwin's Orchards.

Utah.

Being away from my friends, my family for the past 3 years, that is hard. Their lives continue and my life is kind of on a stand still until November. DQ, home, DQ, home. Repeat. Mission!

I miss school. I honestly never, ever, thought I would say that. Get me in that biochem class! I want to learn from the likes of Steven G. Wood. Football games! I envy all 64,045 patrons of the Washington game. Rah, rah, rah, rah, rah... go cougars! I annoy John when I sing the fight song at work. "No more singing tonight."

Here I sit at the DQ, jamming out to Justin Bieber, not scared of my work security because they need me. I'm a shift leader. My sweatshirt: "Give me all your ice cream and nobody gets hurt!" Story of my life.

I told Mr. Neubert that I was scared of getting sick of Michigan in my two months out here.
"Well, that could happen. Two months is a long time. Do you still have friends out there?"
No, no I don't. My father is my friend and Sam wants to be my friend. I can play with them, and I am satisfied with that.

So, I dedicate this post to the mitten. I dedicate this post to my goal of rereading Harry Potter and Hunger Games before my mission.