It’s hard to believe - at least for me - that it has already been THREE months since I moved to New Jersey, and more importantly, it has been an equally long time since I last tasted beer! With many of my friends graduating (or should I say gradumatating?) from Michigan Tech this Spring, plans were made (about three months ago) to visit Houghton - probably to see them all in one place at one time for the last time.

Red Bank, NJ → Houghton, MI

It would be an understatement if I said I was excited for this trip - so much so that I could not sleep the entire previous night. Also, I had to abandon any thoughts of driving up amidst such excitement - to keep myself (and other fellas on road) safe. Cutting the long story short, both segments of the journey, Newark → Minneapolis/St. Paul and Minneapolis/St. Paul → Houghton, were pretty smooth and on time. Fellow travelers and the flight attendants probably felt the brunt of much my yapping but they seemed to understand my excitement - so, it was all ok

The Paradise

I can’t seem to express nor find words to express the excitement of just being here, amidst so many people - that have helped make my graduate student days very very memorable. Naming each one of them is beyond the scope this post but trust me, I appreciate anything and everything they have done for me. To sum up this trip (thanks to my buddy Kyle for putting me up and lending his tripod):

Rest of the pictures are here: Portraits | ROTC Commissioning | Commencement | Portraits | Waterfalls, etc. | Randoms

As much as I enjoyed being there, hanging out with friends, and as much as I might have painted a picture of myself (in recent years) as the cold-hearted, emotionless animal, leaving the town (I don’t yet know when I will return next) was probably the toughest to deal with. I was under the impression that it wouldn’t be as difficult as it was the first time but believe me, my impression was completely wrong. And I am not alone on this boat either - quite many of my friends are experiencing the same inexplicable torturous feeling that surfaces while leave this town.

Houghton, MI → Red Bank, NJ

Amidst the aforementioned feeling, it wasn’t easy coming back but the flights were pretty smooth and on time. I feel pretty relaxed and my batteries are well charged up for the daily grind of next few months