- Jumped in Lake Washington on New Year's Day
- Watched a beating human heart be stopped and started again
- Pulled a catheter out of a person's heart via their superior vena cava. Literally the coolest thing I've done all year.
- Witnessed an avalanche
- Won a boat race
- Presented about syphilis at a homeless shelter
- Played 98 points of ultimate in 36 hours
Monday, April 22, 2013
Procrastination Station
Well it's not even half-way through the year yet but I've had some pretty cool stuff happen to me already so I decided I'd start a list of awesome things here for shiz and giggles:
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Bang
2013! Wow, what a start!
Currently 13:24 hours into the new year and I've already gotten more done off my to-do list than in the last 2 1/2 weeks. Also just got back from an exhilarating plunge into Lake Washington on a clear, sunny, frost-laced morning crowded in on every side by old men in speedos, hula girls, Waldo (found him), Elvis, and a bunch of Vikings. Seattle does its holidays right! And no polar dive would be complete without cocoa, coffee, and hot Tang! (seriously. WTF.)
Ok, so 2013 goals:
For the first time I'm also saluting notable moments from 2012. A lot happened, both expected and surprising:
Currently 13:24 hours into the new year and I've already gotten more done off my to-do list than in the last 2 1/2 weeks. Also just got back from an exhilarating plunge into Lake Washington on a clear, sunny, frost-laced morning crowded in on every side by old men in speedos, hula girls, Waldo (found him), Elvis, and a bunch of Vikings. Seattle does its holidays right! And no polar dive would be complete without cocoa, coffee, and hot Tang! (seriously. WTF.)
Ok, so 2013 goals:
- Layout. I know I got this checked off last year but then my collarbone decided it was too solid and cracked in two so I'm a little scared about throwing my body on the ground anytime soon.
- Layout and catch a disc
- Layout D
- Callaghan
- Nurse Tech type job
- Keep crossing stuff off the Bucket List!
- Kickass, memorable 21st. Memorable in that it will be worth remember and also I will keep the capacity to remember it.
- POTLATCH. If I say it enough it has to happen eventually, right?
- Seaplastic? Beach Ulty sounds fun!
- 21 & Over slated to come out. Between my cameo and Rise Up I'll be a household name, right?
- Completely finish a crossword in pen on my own with no help.
- Be someone I am proud of every day.
- Be generous. Be humble. Be selfless.
For the first time I'm also saluting notable moments from 2012. A lot happened, both expected and surprising:
- Move out on my own
- Get into nursing school
- Start nursing school
- Layout #1 (and 2 and...)
- Broke my collarbone
- DiscNW Elementary Coordinator
- Picked my first lock
- Picked & cooked approx. 5 gallons of basil into pesto.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Favorite Poem
Just had to dust off the cobwebs to share quite possibly my favorite poem of all-time:
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
--Robert Frost
Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
--Robert Frost
Monday, August 20, 2012
Summer Again
Today is very possibly the last day in months if not years that I have absolutely nothing to do so why not update my blog?
Spawnfest was this past weekend so I'm still a little hazy while trying to readjust to regular life right now. Luke, Louie, and I were talking about how unique and fantastic ultimate is and just how difficult it would be for anyone else to believe the things that happen through this sport. After yesterday I would have to agree. Ultimate is unique and in my opinion a satisfying pastime. But it is so much more than just another sport like basketball or soccer. While playing Ultimate anything can happen. It's a place where someone you've never met before will trade you a unicorn horn and lei for a superman cape and become your best friend. It's a place where it doesn't matter who you are or what you do because you just skied a guy in the endzone and that was pretty freaking sick. It's a place where strangers will heckle you for eating pancakes in the beer garden at 8:30am but 20 yards away a team is already cracking open the pbrs. It's a place where my number gets disseminated (involuntarily) and I end up having an epic 2-hour texting showdown with a random team we played comprised entirely of ultimate pick-up lines. It's a place where a cat gets tied to a kite and almost becomes lunch. It's a place where massive on-field dance parties simply materialize. It's a place where the best teams in the world will be playing on one field and some total amateurs play the same game 5 yards over. It's a place where people who have never met each other, people who might not even speak the same language, come together and work hard for a common goal in a language which transcends words.
One of my absolute favorite parts of Ultimate, which is pretty difficult to single out because I pretty much love everything about playing, is what sets us apart from other sports: Spirit of the Game. It's a mix of self-officiating (Ultimate doesn't use referees and instead relies on players to settle our own disputes) and good sportsmanship. It means crashing into your defender and being helped up by the other team with a pat on the back. It means stopping play and clapping for a player who gets injured and has to step off the field. It means cheering for the other team after every game no matter how many poor sports they had or bs calls they made. It's a fraternity of friendship and comradery built around a shared love for an amazing game. Elitism is extremely rare and almost every single professional and club (elite) player I know specifically devotes time to mentoring programs, youth programs, and coaching because we all love to give back to our community. I've played games with some of the best players in the world because they simply happened to be throwing nearby, we needed extra players, and they love to play. Ok, that's enough about Ultimate for now: point being - I just really love my sport.
Other things I've done this summer include playing on 4 ultimate teams, winning the IMA ultimate championship, taking 10 credits (5 credits of Nursing School!!), working part-time, and getting my orchid to bloom again. Despite being extremely busy with school and work and having to turn down many really fun opportunities, I still managed to make some great memories. Whether I was canoeing and playing fliers up in Lake Washington with Swill and her roommates followed by a bbq and chalk twister on their driveway, or going skinnny-dipping off of a random person's houseboat at 1am after Bing and Greg's wedding with some crazy awesome people, or stargazing behind the shellhouse at UW after running through the drumheller sprinklers, or skying a riot player, or spending a week with my best friend in the entire world, or baking a beast mode raspberry tart, or making 38 cups of pesto from basil I picked myself (yes, that's about a 5 gallon bucket worth of basil) 2012 has been a great summer. I have 6 weeks of 'summer' (re: no school), a mini vacation down to Ocean Shores with my uncles and cousins this weekend and one of the biggest transitions of my entire life: moving out to fill these weeks. Then: Junior Year and starting Nursing School! I am so incredibly, unbelievably excited to start nursing, and even more excited for fall quarter since I took one class over the summer to lighten my course load. :)
I created my next 5 year plan a few weeks ago as well because my first 5 year plan I created when I was 15 and it ended with getting into UWSON. My next 5 year plan has me just as excited and I can't wait to see where I am and what life has in store for me in the next 5 years. Throughout everything I have placed my trust in God and my life has been so incredibly blessed through Him. With His guidance I know my next 5 years will be spectacular and no matter what big and life-changing (or little and sweet) moments He has in store I am absolutely positive it will be built of experiences I will remember for the rest of my life. It seems that each year I grow older I love life a little more, which I suppose is exactly as it should be. I can't wait to find out what turning 100 will be like. :)
Spawnfest was this past weekend so I'm still a little hazy while trying to readjust to regular life right now. Luke, Louie, and I were talking about how unique and fantastic ultimate is and just how difficult it would be for anyone else to believe the things that happen through this sport. After yesterday I would have to agree. Ultimate is unique and in my opinion a satisfying pastime. But it is so much more than just another sport like basketball or soccer. While playing Ultimate anything can happen. It's a place where someone you've never met before will trade you a unicorn horn and lei for a superman cape and become your best friend. It's a place where it doesn't matter who you are or what you do because you just skied a guy in the endzone and that was pretty freaking sick. It's a place where strangers will heckle you for eating pancakes in the beer garden at 8:30am but 20 yards away a team is already cracking open the pbrs. It's a place where my number gets disseminated (involuntarily) and I end up having an epic 2-hour texting showdown with a random team we played comprised entirely of ultimate pick-up lines. It's a place where a cat gets tied to a kite and almost becomes lunch. It's a place where massive on-field dance parties simply materialize. It's a place where the best teams in the world will be playing on one field and some total amateurs play the same game 5 yards over. It's a place where people who have never met each other, people who might not even speak the same language, come together and work hard for a common goal in a language which transcends words.
One of my absolute favorite parts of Ultimate, which is pretty difficult to single out because I pretty much love everything about playing, is what sets us apart from other sports: Spirit of the Game. It's a mix of self-officiating (Ultimate doesn't use referees and instead relies on players to settle our own disputes) and good sportsmanship. It means crashing into your defender and being helped up by the other team with a pat on the back. It means stopping play and clapping for a player who gets injured and has to step off the field. It means cheering for the other team after every game no matter how many poor sports they had or bs calls they made. It's a fraternity of friendship and comradery built around a shared love for an amazing game. Elitism is extremely rare and almost every single professional and club (elite) player I know specifically devotes time to mentoring programs, youth programs, and coaching because we all love to give back to our community. I've played games with some of the best players in the world because they simply happened to be throwing nearby, we needed extra players, and they love to play. Ok, that's enough about Ultimate for now: point being - I just really love my sport.
Other things I've done this summer include playing on 4 ultimate teams, winning the IMA ultimate championship, taking 10 credits (5 credits of Nursing School!!), working part-time, and getting my orchid to bloom again. Despite being extremely busy with school and work and having to turn down many really fun opportunities, I still managed to make some great memories. Whether I was canoeing and playing fliers up in Lake Washington with Swill and her roommates followed by a bbq and chalk twister on their driveway, or going skinnny-dipping off of a random person's houseboat at 1am after Bing and Greg's wedding with some crazy awesome people, or stargazing behind the shellhouse at UW after running through the drumheller sprinklers, or skying a riot player, or spending a week with my best friend in the entire world, or baking a beast mode raspberry tart, or making 38 cups of pesto from basil I picked myself (yes, that's about a 5 gallon bucket worth of basil) 2012 has been a great summer. I have 6 weeks of 'summer' (re: no school), a mini vacation down to Ocean Shores with my uncles and cousins this weekend and one of the biggest transitions of my entire life: moving out to fill these weeks. Then: Junior Year and starting Nursing School! I am so incredibly, unbelievably excited to start nursing, and even more excited for fall quarter since I took one class over the summer to lighten my course load. :)
I created my next 5 year plan a few weeks ago as well because my first 5 year plan I created when I was 15 and it ended with getting into UWSON. My next 5 year plan has me just as excited and I can't wait to see where I am and what life has in store for me in the next 5 years. Throughout everything I have placed my trust in God and my life has been so incredibly blessed through Him. With His guidance I know my next 5 years will be spectacular and no matter what big and life-changing (or little and sweet) moments He has in store I am absolutely positive it will be built of experiences I will remember for the rest of my life. It seems that each year I grow older I love life a little more, which I suppose is exactly as it should be. I can't wait to find out what turning 100 will be like. :)
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Alleluia!
Springtime has finally arrived!!
I do not think it is possible for me to adequately describe how happy I am right now and how much I love this time of the year. So much is happening for me right now and it is resulting in the culmination of years of hard work finally paying off in ways that still seem to good to be true. God has always blessed me and I have always been a happy person, but right now I just have so much to be thankful for and so much to be happy about!! Ok...so you get it...I'm happy. :)
A few of the myriad of amazing things in my life right now include the fact that I received admission into the University of Washington's School of Nursing - the #1 School of Nursing in the nation. Out of 475 applicants this year, only 96 were admitted. You are reading the blog of one of those 96. :) My aunt gave me a nursing school regulation stethoscope at Easter along with a really beautiful card and those little things are what make this seem so real and exciting!! I just cannot believe after literally almost 6 years of hard work, careful planning, dedication, tough decisions and often times the neglect of more age-appropriate pasttimes, I finally am able to follow my dream. I realize the hard work has only just begun - nursing schools grueling and I don't forsee having much of a life outside of academia for the next two years, but I am so prepared to work hard at this. :)
The downside of receiving admittance on March 30th is that this quarter is basically BS for me. I'm only taking one class (and one summer quarter) and all I need is a 2.0 to retain my offer of admissions. Obviously I'll try for something higher than that, but I don't need to because my gpa is now irrelevant. Even for grad school - I've been told that graduating from UW SON is prestigious enough by itself that grades aren't really that important. I'll still try to get decent grades, but it's nice knowing that the school on my diploma will speak for itself. :)
On the heels of my nursing school admittance came my first layout in my ultimate-playing history. Technically speaking, a layout is when a player dives headfirst for the disc and it's pretty damn epic. However, the thought of diving headfirst for anything, especially when I know people who have broken bones, sustained concussions, or at the very least received BA turf burns, turned me off for years. However, I kept telling myself I would layout, and that conviction finally paid off at OnionFest 2012 in Walla Walla. I actually laid out twice and in full disclosure did not catch the disc either time, but now that I have overcome the mental block associated with laying out, I am confident that this summer will be a summer for the layout books. :)
In addition to laying out, I am really jelling with my UW team and can feel myself improving, even though the process is very gradual. It's the little things - like reaching out to catch something behind my back just out of instinct, or throwing a disc with exactly the right amount of spin exactly where I wanted it to go, or reading someone's hip positioning and poaching the hell out of their shoddy d. I even threw a hammer yesterday during scrimmage! (Again full disclosure: it was uncatchable. But I had the presence of mind and confidence to at least try it!)
I have always considered myself a confident person, and never really had an issue with self-image or insecurity or caring too much about other people judging me. When I started at UW, I got kind of a reality check because being 1 in 40,000 students leads to a very public sort of isolation. People kind of put on this hard, impersonal exterior and basically pretend like no one else exists. It's really weird, but I felt myself being sucked into that mindsent a little. I think part of it was my crippling insecurity and doubt about nursing school and what I would do with my life if I didn't get in. However, now that I'm in, and that it's Spring and that I am so happy, I just feel my self-confidence bubbling back and I am surprised at how contagious a good mood is! I know I won't be this happy forever, but I am loving life right now and damn well want to make the most of it.
Well, I think this post has gone on quite long enough. As always, I could write for pages more, but I will refrain out of respect for the time of anyone who chances to read this, although, let's be honest, probably no one does. :)
Alleluia! He is risen! He is risen indeed!!
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