I haven't been on here in a long time!!! Mostly because I have been living my life as a teacher and fighting UC in the mix. I figured I should write a post and start using my blog again because I am actively posting on the I Have UC website and linking it to my blog.
I have found the internet to be a place where I can vent. A place where I can meet others who are going through the same things I am and can understand where I am coming from. Trying to explain UC to someone who doesn't have it is hard. They always say something like, "I had the flu really bad once" or "I have IBS" lol if they only took that and multiplied it by 100!!!
Well I just wanted to update this blog since it has been....well 6 years!!! Time flies, whether you are having fun or not :-P
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Saturday, November 3, 2007
A CWU Cohort Halloween
Well we only have 4 weeks left of the quarter...where does time go??? Not that we are compalining becasue we are soooo ready for the quarter to be over!! So we thought we needed a little fun and we dressed up for class since we had class on Halloween from 3-6. I had a presentation to do on Japan so I went as a Japanese girl...I am a quarter Japanese so it all worked out. My outfit was the real thing! Most of us weren't very scary but check out Dean at the bottom...he was freaking me out a bit lol!!!
I love my cohort!!!
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
All the pretty colors!
Every year when summer is over I get sad but then I remember just how beautiful the fall is! I went to EWU this weekend with my family to visit my brother. We had a great time hanging out and going to Mead, WA to do the whole pumpkin patch and corn maze outting! Look at the the pretty colors! It makes me miss the east coast most of all! If you have never experienced an east coast fall I recommend that you make that happen in your life because there is nothing like it!
I can't wait until Halloween! One of my favorite holidays...right up there with Christmas! I have been really busy but I will try and make it my goal to post more often!
And now some random family moments.........
Monday, September 10, 2007
Pedal, pedal, pedal, all weekend long!!
What a wonderful experience the MS150 was!!
This was the best weekend in many ways. The weather was absolutely perfect. A bit chilly in the morning but by noon it was in the mid to upper 70s. The sun was out and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. It was an autumn morning....you know crisp and clear. But the best thing about this past weekend was the ride. My Mom, my team, and I rode in the annual MS 150 in La Conner, Washington. Our weekend began on Friday afternoon as we left our home for La Conner. A 99 mile drive to the north. The traffic was horrendous but the pay off was worth it.
It was a two day event. The first day, Saturday, we woke up at 5:30 AM and had breakfast in our hotel. My Dad and brother also came along, not to ride but to support us. We drove to the MS village where we met our fellow team mates. We had our team photo taken at 7:30 and then we all went over to the starting line. The atmosphere was electric! People were cheering and dancing and many of the cyclists were dressed in costumes. Some of the costumes were pretty funny and original. There was music blurring and well wishers gathered along the streets. The teams were going out in waves. An announcer would say the team’s names and then people would cheer and off they would go. Finally, our team approached the start line. I can’t describe how excited I was. It was an experience you would have to live to understand just how amazing it was!
Saturday’s ride was very hilly. Did I say it was hilly?! It was HILLY! But the scenery was gorgeous. We pedaled along the water on our way to Anacortes. The views along the sound and of Mount Baker were breath taking. Our first rest stop was only 9 miles into the ride but Jackie and I stopped for water and to chat with our fellow team mates. It was all about having fun too. I took pictures ate a banana and then we were off again. One of my favorite parts of day one’s ride was crossing Deception Pass . . . with a MOTORCYCLE escort! The motorcycles would escort groups of cyclists over the bridge that crosses Deception Pass. I felt like I was in the Tour De France! LOL And the view, it was the best part of the ride.
After we crossed Deception Pass we had a thrilling downhill! My mom and I were going over 37 mph (trust me it felt great after pedaling up the pass)! At the end of our exhilarating downhill was our lunch stop. They had turkey, tuna salad, and veggie wraps along with assorted fruit, and power bars. We grabbed lunch and sat down on the grass and ate. We met some of our team mates and they joined us and we talked about Deception Pass. Finally full and rested we headed off for the last 25 miles of our ride. Wouldn’t you know after lunch and with full bellies we had to CLIMB AGAIN! Awaiting us was another long long climb, but my mom and I made it without stopping! We had one more rest stop about 10 miles later and we finished the last 15 miles with ease! Elated we crossed the finish line a little past noon. Not bad! Joe and Aaron were waiting for us. We drove back to the hotel and showered and rested until dinner when we left to meet some of our team members for Mexican. We returned to our hotel room and went to sleep ready for tomorrow’s ride!
Again, the alarm went off at 5:30 AM and my Mom, Dad, and I got dressed and headed to the MS 150 village. My brother stayed in bed! LOL He was tired. We went to the start line again and it was a repeat of yesterday. The excitement and enthusiasm was still there. People were cheering, dancing, and yelling their support. The atmosphere was still electric. Our team approached the start line and again the announcer called out our name as we took off. Sunday’s ride was not hilly BUT it sure was WINDY! Yes, windy! We had one hellacious head wind on Sunday. My mom asked me if I would rather climb or pedal with a head wind and I said I would take hills any day! My Mom agreed with me! It felt like we were pushing against a wall at times. But the scenery that morning was surreal. The sun streaming through the cyclists as they pedaled along the country roads was just something to see. I don’t think a camera can capture what the eye can see sometimes. It was just beautiful. We started again about the same time as yesterday about 7:45 and finished at 12:07 PM. We stopped at the rest stops and lunch stop. Again they had wraps for us and power bars and breakfast cookies. The cookies were the best! When we crossed the finish line on the second day they presented all riders with a medal! And on both days at the finish there were people cheering for us as we crossed the line!
We did it! We had fun, we raised money for a good cause, and we met some pretty nice people too. The MS people had a BBQ and party waiting for us. They had hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, cookies, pudding, fruit, and all kinds of drinks. There was a beer garden and a band playing. We could not stay long for the festivities because we had a drive home and traffic to face. So we said good bye to our team mates and friends and headed for home exhausted but happy! We are planning to train all through the year and do the ride again next year!
P.S. Check out our hotel...it was scary like the Shining!!!
This was the best weekend in many ways. The weather was absolutely perfect. A bit chilly in the morning but by noon it was in the mid to upper 70s. The sun was out and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. It was an autumn morning....you know crisp and clear. But the best thing about this past weekend was the ride. My Mom, my team, and I rode in the annual MS 150 in La Conner, Washington. Our weekend began on Friday afternoon as we left our home for La Conner. A 99 mile drive to the north. The traffic was horrendous but the pay off was worth it.
It was a two day event. The first day, Saturday, we woke up at 5:30 AM and had breakfast in our hotel. My Dad and brother also came along, not to ride but to support us. We drove to the MS village where we met our fellow team mates. We had our team photo taken at 7:30 and then we all went over to the starting line. The atmosphere was electric! People were cheering and dancing and many of the cyclists were dressed in costumes. Some of the costumes were pretty funny and original. There was music blurring and well wishers gathered along the streets. The teams were going out in waves. An announcer would say the team’s names and then people would cheer and off they would go. Finally, our team approached the start line. I can’t describe how excited I was. It was an experience you would have to live to understand just how amazing it was!
Saturday’s ride was very hilly. Did I say it was hilly?! It was HILLY! But the scenery was gorgeous. We pedaled along the water on our way to Anacortes. The views along the sound and of Mount Baker were breath taking. Our first rest stop was only 9 miles into the ride but Jackie and I stopped for water and to chat with our fellow team mates. It was all about having fun too. I took pictures ate a banana and then we were off again. One of my favorite parts of day one’s ride was crossing Deception Pass . . . with a MOTORCYCLE escort! The motorcycles would escort groups of cyclists over the bridge that crosses Deception Pass. I felt like I was in the Tour De France! LOL And the view, it was the best part of the ride.
After we crossed Deception Pass we had a thrilling downhill! My mom and I were going over 37 mph (trust me it felt great after pedaling up the pass)! At the end of our exhilarating downhill was our lunch stop. They had turkey, tuna salad, and veggie wraps along with assorted fruit, and power bars. We grabbed lunch and sat down on the grass and ate. We met some of our team mates and they joined us and we talked about Deception Pass. Finally full and rested we headed off for the last 25 miles of our ride. Wouldn’t you know after lunch and with full bellies we had to CLIMB AGAIN! Awaiting us was another long long climb, but my mom and I made it without stopping! We had one more rest stop about 10 miles later and we finished the last 15 miles with ease! Elated we crossed the finish line a little past noon. Not bad! Joe and Aaron were waiting for us. We drove back to the hotel and showered and rested until dinner when we left to meet some of our team members for Mexican. We returned to our hotel room and went to sleep ready for tomorrow’s ride!
Again, the alarm went off at 5:30 AM and my Mom, Dad, and I got dressed and headed to the MS 150 village. My brother stayed in bed! LOL He was tired. We went to the start line again and it was a repeat of yesterday. The excitement and enthusiasm was still there. People were cheering, dancing, and yelling their support. The atmosphere was still electric. Our team approached the start line and again the announcer called out our name as we took off. Sunday’s ride was not hilly BUT it sure was WINDY! Yes, windy! We had one hellacious head wind on Sunday. My mom asked me if I would rather climb or pedal with a head wind and I said I would take hills any day! My Mom agreed with me! It felt like we were pushing against a wall at times. But the scenery that morning was surreal. The sun streaming through the cyclists as they pedaled along the country roads was just something to see. I don’t think a camera can capture what the eye can see sometimes. It was just beautiful. We started again about the same time as yesterday about 7:45 and finished at 12:07 PM. We stopped at the rest stops and lunch stop. Again they had wraps for us and power bars and breakfast cookies. The cookies were the best! When we crossed the finish line on the second day they presented all riders with a medal! And on both days at the finish there were people cheering for us as we crossed the line!
We did it! We had fun, we raised money for a good cause, and we met some pretty nice people too. The MS people had a BBQ and party waiting for us. They had hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, cookies, pudding, fruit, and all kinds of drinks. There was a beer garden and a band playing. We could not stay long for the festivities because we had a drive home and traffic to face. So we said good bye to our team mates and friends and headed for home exhausted but happy! We are planning to train all through the year and do the ride again next year!
P.S. Check out our hotel...it was scary like the Shining!!!
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Life is good....
This week has been a good one in my book of life! Seriously, I found out something that made me smile on Monday and I am still smiling today :) So here are some of my quotes (I just found them laying around) that have and still do inspire me. I LOVE quotes...good ones. I want to share them with everyone so that they can smile with me too! If you have any to share with me please do!
Life isn't about FINDING yourself, it's about CREATING yourself!
Some hearts just get lucky sometimes-
Make the most of everyday-
My decisions have paved the road in front of me-
Fall in love and hold nothing back-
Live, Laugh, Love-
Learn from your mistakes-
Eye for an eye and the whole world would go blind-
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams, live the life you imagined-
Everything in my past has made me who I am today-
Dance like no one is watching-
Life isn't about FINDING yourself, it's about CREATING yourself!
Some hearts just get lucky sometimes-
Make the most of everyday-
My decisions have paved the road in front of me-
Fall in love and hold nothing back-
Live, Laugh, Love-
Learn from your mistakes-
Eye for an eye and the whole world would go blind-
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams, live the life you imagined-
Everything in my past has made me who I am today-
Dance like no one is watching-
Saturday, August 25, 2007
A day with my best friend, also known as my brother Aaron!
Friday was another beautiful day! I had made plans with my little brother because summer is coming to an end and that means he goes back to EWU and me to CWU :-( So we planned a day of put-put and sushi!! We had so much fun, we were like kids again! If you know me I am like a kid 24/7 anyway :-) The put-put was great and neither of us are master put-putters just yet but we have decided that maybe we will have to practice our skills on the Wii and maybe just maybe we will get better! As for Sushi Town MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmm! It is my favorite restraunt! I even had a first date with a guy had a crush FOREVER there...well I still have a crush on him but now he lives far away :-( I could never tell if he liked me back for sure, maybe he was just shy, maybe our timing was bad??? Why is it that even though I am the most outgoing person ever, that when it comes to someone you really like you just get so shy & afraid of rejection???? I guess I should have just asked him.....well I guess I may never know!
My brother & I are planning on going back next week! I have also planned a sushi outting with some of my girl friends! Seriously if you have never tried sushi DO IT!!!
The last couple of days have been like summer...
Here in Western Washington we have been getting jipped on our summer weather but I cannot complain about the last couple of days 1) because of the warm weather & sunshine and 2) because I have had off of work :-)
On Thursday morning my Mom and I woke up at 7:30 PM. What greeted our eyes when we looked out the kitchen window were sunshine and a clear blue sky! So we quickly ate breakfast and then got ready for a bike ride. You see we are trying to ride like crazy right now because we are training for the MS 150. The MS 150 is a ride Septemeber 8th & 9th that raises money for MS. I have raised over $500 and have been training hard. I look forward to the ride.
We decided to do a ride in Enumclaw that morning since the back roads are beautiful! We arrived in Enumclaw and parked and then we got ourselves ready. We were on our way by 9:30 AM. The morning air was nice, the pastures were beautiful, and the roads quiet with hardly any traffic on them.
We were initially going to follow the 45 mile Headwater Century route. The Dan Henry markings were freshly painted on the roads for the upcoming September 9th Headwater Century. But I did not want to go down one particular hill. It is a steep and winding hill that drops you down into the valley and takes you to Flaming Geyser. I had a terrible crash about 1 ½ months ago on a similar steep and winding hill (I got a flat tire going 30+ and it just flipped me, I broke my helmet, injured my head, shoulder, and neck!!) I just need some time to work up to a hill like that. So, we we made a quick change to our plans (thanks mom). When we came to the left hand turn that would have taken us to the steep winding hill we instead continued straight and crossed hwy 169. We climbed a steep hill and came down a steep but straight downhill that placed us at Veazie-Cumberland Road SE. We turned left onto Veazie and after pedaling for 2 miles we reached Nolte State Park, our first rest stop. After refilling our water bottles eating our power bars and visiting the rest room we were ready to continue on. We were really into our ride at this point. Before we knew it we were passing Kanaskat Palmer State Park then we were crossing the Green River. This part of the ride was very hilly. Like a roller coaster, up and down. I think it's a great route for building up the strength in your legs. I absolutely loved it! After about 4 more miles we reached a “T” in the road where we turned left onto SE Retreat Kanaskat Rd. Shortly after passing Retreat Lake we turned left onto SE Kent Kangley Rd. which took us into Ravensdale where we pulled into a park for a rest. We decided to turn around here and go back. The reason for the turn around it my mom and I had no idea how much further Ravensdale & Black Diamond were from that point and I had not brought enough food/water if we were going to end up doing 60+ miles. We had PLANNED a 40-45 mile ride. So, we turned around and went back the way we had just come.
By the time we got back to our cars we had cycled over 40 hilly miles. If we would have continued on into Black Diamond we would have done over 50 miles. Oh well perhaps on another day we will do the 50 mile ride.
Well, we left at 9:30 and we were back by 12:17. After we got the bikes loaded and all our gear packed up we were ready for food. We were both very hungry. My mom suggested we have lunch at “The Mint” in Enumclaw. I thought that was a great idea so off we went to the Mint. The food tasted so delicious. Isn’t it amazing how hard exercise enhances the taste of food?! And the ice tea was so cold and refreshing. I’ve never tasted a better glass of ice tea! After our delicious lunch we drove back home. We pulled into the driveway a little before 2:00 PM and we both agreed it was a great ride!
Next time I will take some pictures :-)
On Thursday morning my Mom and I woke up at 7:30 PM. What greeted our eyes when we looked out the kitchen window were sunshine and a clear blue sky! So we quickly ate breakfast and then got ready for a bike ride. You see we are trying to ride like crazy right now because we are training for the MS 150. The MS 150 is a ride Septemeber 8th & 9th that raises money for MS. I have raised over $500 and have been training hard. I look forward to the ride.
We decided to do a ride in Enumclaw that morning since the back roads are beautiful! We arrived in Enumclaw and parked and then we got ourselves ready. We were on our way by 9:30 AM. The morning air was nice, the pastures were beautiful, and the roads quiet with hardly any traffic on them.
We were initially going to follow the 45 mile Headwater Century route. The Dan Henry markings were freshly painted on the roads for the upcoming September 9th Headwater Century. But I did not want to go down one particular hill. It is a steep and winding hill that drops you down into the valley and takes you to Flaming Geyser. I had a terrible crash about 1 ½ months ago on a similar steep and winding hill (I got a flat tire going 30+ and it just flipped me, I broke my helmet, injured my head, shoulder, and neck!!) I just need some time to work up to a hill like that. So, we we made a quick change to our plans (thanks mom). When we came to the left hand turn that would have taken us to the steep winding hill we instead continued straight and crossed hwy 169. We climbed a steep hill and came down a steep but straight downhill that placed us at Veazie-Cumberland Road SE. We turned left onto Veazie and after pedaling for 2 miles we reached Nolte State Park, our first rest stop. After refilling our water bottles eating our power bars and visiting the rest room we were ready to continue on. We were really into our ride at this point. Before we knew it we were passing Kanaskat Palmer State Park then we were crossing the Green River. This part of the ride was very hilly. Like a roller coaster, up and down. I think it's a great route for building up the strength in your legs. I absolutely loved it! After about 4 more miles we reached a “T” in the road where we turned left onto SE Retreat Kanaskat Rd. Shortly after passing Retreat Lake we turned left onto SE Kent Kangley Rd. which took us into Ravensdale where we pulled into a park for a rest. We decided to turn around here and go back. The reason for the turn around it my mom and I had no idea how much further Ravensdale & Black Diamond were from that point and I had not brought enough food/water if we were going to end up doing 60+ miles. We had PLANNED a 40-45 mile ride. So, we turned around and went back the way we had just come.
By the time we got back to our cars we had cycled over 40 hilly miles. If we would have continued on into Black Diamond we would have done over 50 miles. Oh well perhaps on another day we will do the 50 mile ride.
Well, we left at 9:30 and we were back by 12:17. After we got the bikes loaded and all our gear packed up we were ready for food. We were both very hungry. My mom suggested we have lunch at “The Mint” in Enumclaw. I thought that was a great idea so off we went to the Mint. The food tasted so delicious. Isn’t it amazing how hard exercise enhances the taste of food?! And the ice tea was so cold and refreshing. I’ve never tasted a better glass of ice tea! After our delicious lunch we drove back home. We pulled into the driveway a little before 2:00 PM and we both agreed it was a great ride!
Next time I will take some pictures :-)
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