Back in NC...

Well, I made it back. The trip was a little long, but for me the longest part was when I got back to NC. Adam's first glimpse of the good ol' CO Springs was unfortunately cloudy. We didn't get to go up Pike's Peak because we wouldn't have been able to see anything. On the trip back we stopped at the St. Louis Arch and had the same problem. Adam made it to the top though, and actually looked out the tiny little window, which I must say I'm very proud of him for doing.

The stop in Indy was nice and the sis made some good homemade food for us. I hadn't had any for 3 months, so it was much appreciated!Our time in KY was brief, but I was glad I got to see my other sister and parents. I only wish that it could have been for a little longer period of time.

Our first stop was Winston so that I could meet with one of my profs. After that meeting I started feeling a little overwhelmed and decided that I needed to stop by school to get a few things done. NC was definitely welcoming to me...when we arrived it was in the 90s with a humidity that was probably close to that in percentages! Geez...we were sweating our butts off. Finally we made it back to Charlotte. Needless to say we both were a little tired, cranky, hungry and ready for bed. Honestly, at this point I can't remember if we went out or not. Everything is blurring together at this point. I think we got some food and after two failed attempts to find a theater playing Batman Begins, we went home.

This past weekend I went back to Charlotte and hung out with my girls for the first time. I was a little stressed and Adam met me at the door with a daquiri (spelling??) ready in hand. Meg came over and we all had a few drinks/shots. Then we went over to Adam's friend's house. She had made about 50 jello shots, so we had fun with that. Upon leaving the apt. I asked Adam for a piggy-back ride. He agreed, really being in no state to carry me. Needless to say he went a few steps and then fell flat on his face, with me on his back. Meg said she saw it happening in slow motion but couldn't do anything. I caught myself with my hands, so there was no damage on my end. He was a little sore the next day. I got a call while I was out from Austin, Lindsay and Mary from CO. Made me sad to be away, and it was also a strange feeling. I hadn't been gone from CO that long, but already it almost seemed like a dream...I know that sounds cliche, but that's the best way to describe it.Saturday night, Kris, Meg, Brittani and I went to Cheesecake Factory for some food. The service was bad, but of course the food was good. We finally made it out of there and went downtown for some fun. Unfortunately the bar was about 100 degrees. It was ridiculous. I ended up only staying about 1 1/2 hours if even, and then catching a ride home with adam and his roomie, who were still not feeling so hot from the night before.

Sunday I was supposed to move into my new house but it wasn't ready...long story, don't ask. Instead Adam and Jon were going to the Lake on Jon's dad's boat, so I decided to tag along. The lake in some parts was 90 degrees. It seemed a cool place was not in the cards for me that weekend, but it was a lot of fun and very relaxing.

I am finally into my new house and starting school. I taught my first lab yesterday, during which I found out i will only be teaching one lab this semester instead of two...very good news! Today I had my first class, which I am looking forward to...Political Advertising...the prof is a hoot. Other than that I am just trying to get back into a routine. This weekend I have to run to Northern Virgina for my cousin's wedding. I haven't seen that side of the family in forever, and I mean a really long time, so I'm looking forward to it.

I am definitely missing Colorado. I wish I could see the mountains when I walk out on my front porch in the morning, and I already miss all the great people that I met out there. We made some great memories that will forever be implanted in my head...for better or worse :) Until next time...

Here's to the good times...

Here's to the nights of summer at the OTC. I've made many new friendships that I hope I retain for a lifetime. I came into this summer with no expectations. I can remember sitting on my bed the first evening after I got back from dropping my dad off at the airport. I hadn't met anyone yet, and my roommate was not there. I sat on my bed wondering what in the world I was doing. I was scared and admittedly a little nervous. If only I had known then what I know now, my fears would have been completely shattered. I have met some of the most interesting, entertaining and special people that I have ever had the pleasure to come into contact with. We have shared 14,110 ft hikes, white water tubing and rafting, crazy karaoke, weekend roadtrips, hump day basketball, and many more memories that I will forever carry with me.

This past year in graduate school I felt that I had lost a little piece of me. I didn't feel like I could be myself anymore, and I was scared that from then on life was going to be a whole lot more serious. This summer has reenergized me and taught me that I can still be myself and still have all the passions that I have always had, and that although life does have its serious moments there is still a lot of fun to be had.

I definitely am not completely sure if it is really my time to go and for my summer to end, but unfortunately school has other ideas for me.

Thanks to my roomie, for trecking along on all our adventures this summer. For making me get out of bed every morning at 5:45 am, and answering all my questions regarding the body and physical fitness (I love her technical lingo!). But most of all, thanks for helping make this summer one of the greatest of my life. Without you Mary, I'm not sure if the experience would have been nearly as great. And thanks for letting me tag along to Breckenridge with the fam! haha.

Thanks to the hump day bballers. I hadn't played basketball on a consistent basis since my senior year in college. I looked forward to those games, even though they were not always pretty, and I enjoyed the times we shared on the court.

Thanks to all the OTC 2005 Summer Interns. You all have given me a summer that I will never forget, a summer about discovery, friendship and fun. I wish you well in all that you do. I'm sure among us we have future Head Athletic Directors, future CEOs of NGBs or professional sports teams, and future leading researchers in their field.

On a happier note, last night a got stuck with a hotel room that i didn't need but would be charged for anyway even if a didn't use it. long story. So i invited some of the interns over to hang out and drink some cold ones. We ended up playing Kings all night, during which Austin broke a record for number of last Kings drawn, 3-4. The pics are of the guys. The ace rule was they had to kiss a guy on the cheek before drinking. I tried my darndest to get a pic of one of the smooches, but alas I was unsuccessful.

Quote: "Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one"

This is my last entry from Colorado Springs...I will try to resume posts as soon as I get internet up and running in my new house.

A whole lot of happenings

Ok, the will and the time have sort of been found. This will have to be a short synopsis though. Friday night the group (pic left) decided to go to the Thirsty Parrot to catch none other than, you guess it, Martinis Hot Band. After an extremely long day working The International (PGA) I was ready to kick back and have some fun. Fortunately the drinks were well priced and we all had a good time I think...well, at least what I can remember....haha just kidding!

Saturday Mary, Lindsay, Jon and I went to Denver to do a little bit of shopping. Although I only made one purchase I am very excited about it. I bought the new Faith Hill cd, Fireflies, and I definitely recommend it to any and all Faith fans!

Sunday it was back to the golf course. The day was long and hot, but I'm still glad I went back out. I was a part of the quickie quote team. We interviewed golfers after they had finished the 18 and then typed them up for reporters to use. It was a great experience and I met a lot of really nice people.

Monday night Mary and I decided to watch The Notebook. The crowd in the common room grew throughtout the night and there was more than one person sniffling at the end. Although I think I may have been crying the hardest. I just can't hold it in for that movie. It gets me every time!!

Last night, Mary, Lindsay, Jon, Adam and I went downtown for some Cold Stone and a walk around. The ice cream was good, although I still want them to bring cake batter back! Then we decided to just walk around downtown since it was my last night to hang out with Jon *tear*. We ended up at Old Chicago's where a few of us had a beer. It was a nice chill evening. On the way home a few of us caught the goofy bug and decided to have a little dorm fun. We ended up crashing into a fellow intern's room (who was not home this week), trying on his clothes, and romping around the dorm. A great time had by all!

Tonight starts the goodbyes. It is my last night to hang out with my little Canadian friend *tear*

Quote: "Bring cake batter back, it's worth the risk...i'll even sign a waiver!"

If You Will it They will Come

There has been quite a stretch since my last entry. I apologize to my adoring fans! :)

On another note....i have lost my will to blog. Will spend the rest of the evening trying to find misplaced will.

If you see an entry tomorrow summarizing the weekend that means I was successful in my endeavor.

Until then...

Do you DECLINE to INCLINE?

Yesterday Austin and I decided to do the incline since I was an incline virgin. Slow and steady wins the race was my motto. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and let's just say that we made it up and down in record time.

I was inspired by a little lady's (see previous posts for site) impressive "100 things about me" list. So I've decided to do one. However, I'm doing it in installments. We'll see how far I get. Here's #1.

1. I don’t like to eat the thick cruchy stemmy part of romaine lettuce
2. I like to run up stairs instead of walk
3. I am one of the few remaining completely natural blondes in the world
4. I have an affinity for romance novels
5. I never had braces as a kid
6. I have five piercings
7. I played the violin for 7 years
8. I love Cary Grant, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Gordon MacRae just to name a few
9. I own the complete A&E series box set of Pride and Prejudice
10. I don’t open up to people easily, therefore, my close friends I consider very special to me
11. I have been in a serious relationship since junior year in high school (although with different people).
12. I would do anything for either one of my sisters
13. I frequently quote Austin Powers II, III as well as Dumb and Dumber
14. I consider myself a feminist, and I don’t consider this a bad thing
15. I set a lot of short and long term goals for myself. Here are a few:
-I want to look better physically at 25 then I did at 22
-I want to run a marathon when I’m 30
-I want to be crazy in love at 50, instead of in a rut like most of the American population
-I want to live and enjoy every day I am blessed with
16. If I ever were to get a tattoo I would want it to be some sort of interesting language that says the word “sisters”
17. I am a vegetarian. I have been my whole life, yes my whole life. Period. No more questions about it please.
18. I worked at NASCAR for 8 months, and really enjoyed it
19. On that same note, I’ve been personally introduced to Richard Petty…that’s my only claim to fame
20. I’ve been to Europe 3 times, Canada twice, and Hawaii once
21. My dream wedding would be on a beach at sunset on a tropical island
22. I’m probably one of the biggest closet goofs you will ever meet (however, few people see that side of me)
22. I’m looking forward to turning 30. I think it will be a blast
23. I’m a very picky eater. If it has a funny look/texture I won’t eat it probably
24. I love to do kick boxing
25. I am afraid to go in the ocean above my ankles for fear of being eaten by a shark

Quote: "Character is who you are when no one is watching."

10 days...

My countdown officially started yesterday. I do hate it when people do countdowns of when they are leaving a place, but here I am. It's not that I don't love it here. I'm just ready to see my boyfriend/friends back home/family, etc... So there it is.

Basically my nightlife this past weekend was almost non-existent. I called it an early night Friday and didn't even attempt to go out Saturday. Saturday Mary invited me to go to Breckinridge, CO with her family. I hadn't been deep in the mountains yet, so I decided to tag along and be the fifth wheel :) The trip there was terrible. We hit every traffic jam possible from Denver to Breck. It was ridiculous. About 3 and a half hours into the trip we finally arrived. Breck was pretty cool. I'd never been to a ski town before so it was neat to see all the slopes. I def. have put that place on my list of "Things to do before I die." I want to ski there some time. On the way back we stopped at Denver to eat at the ESPN Zone. After a few hairpin turns by Mary's dear little bro, we finally managed to find a parking space. I really liked downtown Denver. They have this strip called the 16th Street Mall that reminds me a little bit of Michigan Ave, however not nearly as upscale. ESPN Zone was yummy and the trip back home wasn't nearly as long or difficult.

Sunday I spent most of the day by the pool and reading. I had a nice surprise. I got to go watch a scrimmage of the Men's WUG basketball team v. Air force. The list of guys there is somewhat impressive. It was a good time and I'm really glad I got to be right there for the scrimmage. Had to represent for my boy Sparks from UK! :-D haha

Yesterday was a hectic day. It was the last day before the Men's World University Games team left for Turkey so we had a lot to do. Plus, my boss was out of town, so that increased the number of calls/requests that came my way. It was fun though and I got to watch one of their practices. Men's volleyball is definitely interesting and I'm going to make it a point to watch more of it.

Incline plans are in the works for today. I have yet to do it, and I feel that my time will probably be nothing to boast of, but at least it will be a workout that is not in the gym.

Other than that this week should be fairly relaxed. One more weekend and then the boy toy comes into town.

Quote: "I wonder if that's a nice restaurant?" -Me
"Well it says restaurante so that usually means it's nice." -Mary's bro Owen
"Funny, I thought restaurante just meant it was Italian." -Me