Almost To The Finish Line

I couldn't resist the title since this weekend was the Illinois marathon.

We're almost to the end of our first year in grad school - only three days remaining! This is the first year of many since we will both be sticking around for an additional 3-4 years to complete our doctorates. I'm hoping by the middle of this decade that we'll be Dr. Power and Dr. Simon Power and gainfully employed within a geographic region that doesn't prohibit our cohabitation. But I'm not going to worry about that right now.

Today we took a step back from our papers and final projects for a bit to enjoy some time outdoors. It's been spring-like for the past several weeks and today the sun came out for a bit, although as I type this it's raining again. I guess we had over seven inches of rain last month setting a record for the wettest April with more than twice our average rainfall. Seattle called, they want their weather back.

One thing about living in an apartment, we've both noticed, is that we rarely just go outside just to spend time outdoors. In our old life at this time of year we would both get home from school around 4 PM, crack open a beer and sit on the deck in our back yard. Man, that was the life. Now if I'm outside it's because I'm biking to school or going for a run - that's about it. There's not a ton of green space around here and unfortunately the mowed field between our apartment and the bank just isn't a great place to "hang."

Anyway, here are some of the highlights from today's outdoor adventure:

The bees were busy at Meadowbrook Park in Urbana today. Lots of the early spring flowers are blooming and we could hear the air around us buzzing as we walked by the gardens.

This is from the U of I Arboretum in Urbana. It's one of the few places in town with any kind of water to speak of. There is a park called "Crystal Lake Park" but the "Lake" is actually a "pool." When we found this last summer on one of our walks around town were thrilled - since white people like to be near water. It was a lovely day for a stroll around the pond.

We live near a pig farm and the agricultural test fields for the U of I but we also live within walking distance of these horses. Often my running route takes me right past these guys but I usually don't stop to chat. Today we did and we promised to bring apples and carrots the next time we drop in.