Busy Trying To Be Unbusy

Lesson of the vacation, it is impossible for me to not be busy.

One of my main goals for my two weeks at home was to do absolutely nothing. I figured that I was already packed and had everything ready for Kentucky so I could just sit back, catch up on my TV shows and sleep. Oh how wrong I was.

First, I stupidly decided that a two week break from school would be a good time to fix my ankle. Back in 2010 on my first day in Canyon, I sprained my ankle extremely bad. Of course, I was in an unfamiliar place so I just let it sit, but then I discovered the activities center and pushed a bad situation into an even worse situation. 

Fast forward two years and many lessons in the fact that said ankle won't let me ride like I should and I decide to get eight shots (23 pokes by the needles to find the right places) in various muscles down there to try and fix it.

The nifty little machine she used to figure out where to torture me

After the initial torture, I had to start PT to really make sure the shots were being used to their max. So two times a week for my 2 1/2 week break, I am driving across town to be beat up for 45 minutes. According to the measurements we got today after three sessions, it seems to be working so at least my time isn't going to waste, but that's a big chunk of time.

Second, you never realize how much time is spent doing little things like running errands. Today after PT, I had to run home and take a shower (getting up even earlier than I have to just to take a shower doesn't work for me), run to dad's and get something for him, then run back into town to give it to him. After that, I stopped to get lunch then went to the store to try and get stuff to tame the afro that my hair has become in this humidity. Stuff like that keeps you busy.

And last, there's the god-awful packing that comes with moving. I'm only taking clothes and a few other necessities but even that takes a lot of work. Basically, I have to take all the stuff in the picture below and try to organize it so I don't forget anything.

Most of the stuff isn't going with me but by the end of packing up my rooms in Texas (first my dorm then my actual bedroom), I would just start throwing stuff in tubs. That makes for a very messy situation and makes it hard to find... well... anything. I'm also needing two of the tubs for Kentucky so massive cleaning is going on. I really hate packing and how long it takes so here I sit at a very big and boring job.

Thankfully, I get a respite from that in the form of technology. If you know me, you know that I'm AMAZED at how far technology has come in the last 100 years. I'm a massive dork, so every time I realize this, I kind of freak out a bit.

I've gotten used to some of these comforts, such as talking to my best friends on AIM basically all the time (I'm blaming Ashley for distracting me from packing the other day when she was talking while I was packing) and texting others friends all the time

Heck, I've even used my webcam to talk to people before but it's always been one-on-one conversations. So when I actually got to see the whole multipeople webcam chats in person on monday when I talked to a bunch of my friends, I did a bit of a freakout. I mean how awesome is this?!?!

Picture courtesy Z.

Five people in one conversation and only two within 20 miles of each other? Yep, awesome to the extreme. Plus, it let's me be lazy for a few minutes, win/win. 

Well, we're at almost the week countdown for the big summer move so I guess it's time to do something productive. Talk to my whole three readers later. Maybe next time I blog, I'll be on the road (see, technology is awesome)!

Until next time,

Mel 

 

Onwards and Upwards

To say that the last week was extremely weird and depressing would be an understatement. While being in Washington for a break is nice, being reminded that this isn't just a summer break was hard. Thankfully, I talked to a a lot of my friends from home, which really helped but not seeing the people that have been my family for the last nine months every day was a huge hit.

However, the time for sulking is over.

Don't get me wrong, I love and miss my friends and if I had a choice to do it over again, I'd stay in Canyon as long as possible to keep that phase of my life going but there are a lot of big things coming down the pike. 

For one thing, it's almost time to "repack" for another 3,200 mile journey to Lexington. I mean, how cool is that? Not only am I moving to a place where realistically part of my family got started, since my grandmother was raised in the Bluegrass, but I'm also moving to a place that I was adamant I'd move to in elementary school. Obviously that got a little off track as my first year of high school, I changed to moving to Texas. But looking back on it, I'm achieving both of my teenage dreams by going to both states for extended amounts of time.

Second, I'm working for an Olympic team. Sure, the USEF does a lot more than just the Olympic sports but in an indirect way, I am one of the heads bringing everyone news from London. My goal for the last two years has been to do something with the Olympic teams during an Olympic year (and beyond), even if it's wavered, and here I am.

Third, I'll be in horse racing country. Even though I'm still working towards the Olympic goal, one of my passions is writing about horse racing, so being in the Horse Capital of the World, especially for racers is huge. And who knows, maybe it will open up opportunities that push me in one of the many directions I've been wanting to go. Over the past few years, I've learned that opportunities come from some of the most unexpected places. So I'm definitely not closing my eyes to anything that may be sent my way.

Sure, I miss Canyon and my friends more than even a whole blog could describe but as one of my best friends said, in a few years, all of us will be gone from there doing amazing things all over the world. Heck, this same person is moving to South Korea to teach school in just a few months. And if the last week has had any lesson at all, it's that we don't need to be in the same place to stay connected. 

In fact, not being in the same place gives us the opportunity to experience new things and go on even more adventures when visiting each other. So while I'm still working on the whole moving on thing, it's just onward and upward from here. Who knows where my life will take me next.

Good Bye Time

"The sun goes down The stars come out And all that counts Is here and now My universe will never be the same I'm glad you came"

-The Wanted "Glad You Came"

What a difference a year makes. In August as I was driving to Canyon, I really didn't want to go back. I was dreading this year but returned because I just had eight months left before I walked across the WT stage with my diploma safely in my hands (really, it's a diploma holder but same difference). But oh how those eight months changed my life forever.

I originally got involved in a ton of stuff this year to make the year go by faster. But what it brought me was a ton of friends and memories. Who would have thought a house warming party for one of my first real WT friends would have started the MCOMM craze that led to all sorts of wild hijinks. And who would have known that spending extra time at school would be some of the highlights of my year. Yet both these things pushed my year from "just getting by" to "never want to end".

While I had an amazing time at WT all year, it wasn't until my journey home that I realized just how great it was. About the time I hit my second day of traveling back to Washington and got a tweet saying "Come home!" from one of my best friends did I realize that I do think of Canyon as home now. Washington may be the place I grew up and called home for 22 years, but Canyon is where I grew and where I had the best year of my life. And it's still hard to think that I won't be moving back any time soon. 

After a chat with one of my "home dogs" on this subject the other night, even though Canyon is my home now (and probably will be for a long time to come), in the coming years I will be moving a ton and will probably go through this "withdrawal" every time.

I honestly had this blog all written in my head and it was supposed to be extremely long but there are no words that can describe this last year, especially the last few weeks, so instead, I'm just going to end it with a picture and a reference to the lyrics at the top of this post "My universe will never be the same" thanks to the awesome MCOMM people that I'm proud to call my friends. This isn't good bye, it's just see you later.