Labor Day Recap

 Sometimes, a girl just needs some fresh air for some fresh perspective. So for labor day, +1 and I packed up a car and headed south west to Starved Rock State Park. I haven't been here in ages, and it felt nice to be able to recognize the familiar camp grounds and trails, and to see new hiking paths I haven't been down before.

Note: Feel free to skip the boring photos above, as they're mostly of the rock canyons and such. My favorite photos after the jump!



I had my expectations coming into the hike, I pictured a lovely day, full of conversation and fun, enjoying a relaxing hike through the canyons on uncharted paths. Reality had a different experience in tow.

Going on a trip with someone else, regardless of distance and time, can show a lot about the other person than you expected. You might learn that both of you enjoy a ride in comfortable silence (not in my case), or that you have starkly different choices in music, or who has a longer stamina for staying awake longer. These little things start to make you aware of what makes you compatible, and where differences lay: what can break you, and what can not.

It was definitely cathartic, having a chance to escape the to-dos and projects list that never seems to grow shorter and enjoy some nice weather before I have to hunker down for school. It was rejuvenating, and even re-energized me for the year to come. Plus, it was fun to play with bubbles.

via Glut with Guts

While September may be a strange time to consider a "new year", I'm taking this transition into autumn as a marker of new things. New achievements to be made, more adventures to be had, new friends to make and new goals to live out.

via Glut with Guts