Kentucky Highs... and Lows

Well I've finally gone and done it. I've arrived in Kentucky (I've actually been here since Tuesday night) and am settling in. I still have a bit of room arranging to do but that will probably come tomorrow and Sunday, along with some other things on the to-do list.

The first day spent here was basically relaxing after a long five and a half day trip while we waited for my new roommate to get off work. The next day was spent buying me an actual "bed" (aka a very comfortable air mattress) and stuff that I needed. But today was the big day.

I've talked in the past about my love for Three Chimneys, Point Given, and their communications director Jen Roytz. Well Jen and I have been talking a lot back and forth over the last few months and when she offered to show me around Three Chimneys and have lunch with me, I jumped on the chance.

My stepdad and I started off this morning at the repair shop as my car has an A/C problem. After discovering the compressor is out on it, I'm making my summer an A/C free summer because there's no way I can afford that... what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger, right?

But our next trip was to the first "sightseeing" thing we've done all week, our tour with Jen at Three Chimneys. Jen knows my love for Point Given and we've had many conversations about him and his retired son Point of Impact that she is training off the track so of course, the first place she took me was to the big man's stall. What she didn't know is that Point Given got me into racing as a 2-year-old in 2000. 

When I was at Three Chimneys for their Open House in November, I had gotten my picture taken with him in the background but hadn't got a chance to really pet him or anything like that as it was a show but not touch type of deal. So when Jen learned that I hadn't had quality time with my boy, she asked for him to be pulled out so I could get a proper picture. Of course, I also got to love on him and admire the horse I can pretty much thank for this move. Imagine meeting your favorite athlete or actor and getting to talk to them, that's what this was like for me.

It'll take a lot to top this moment!

Our next tour stop was to see Flower Alley, sire of this year's Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner I'll Have Another. I'll Have Another's connections created a fundraiser before the Belmont where they would donate $20 to the Thoroughbred Charities of America for each picture posted on their Facebook page of toe nails painted purple. Jen and I had talked earlier in the week about posing in front of Flower Alley's stall with our painted toes so last night, I got the nail polish out and prepared the toes.

Jen decided to cheat with getting Flower Alley to come over to the door for our picture and grabbed mints which immediately got his attention. I did an extremely bizarre thing for the picture, taking off my shoe and sock in a barn (and a multi-million dollar stallion barn at that) for the picture while Jen was smart and wore sandals. Here's the end result of our extremely fun picture.

Not only did I get an extremely fun and unique picture, I also got a picture with someone I've looked up to for a long time!

 
As we were leaving the barn, we heard about I'll Have Another's injury and scratch from the Belmont. Of course, our happiness in this picture shot down to utter disappointment and I don't think I'll ever forget Jen saying "Bye Bye Triple Crown" as we walked back to the office. With this development, we had to reschedule lunch and walked away from the farm with a bittersweet feeling.

Our next stop was to the Kentucky Horse Park and the United States Equestrian Federation. I went in to the office to introduce myself but since almost everyone was in Gladstone for the weekend, I only got to meet a few of the cool people I'll be working with. 

I'm second guessing my abilities now that I've graduated but I'm sure I'll be fine after getting in the groove of how everything works. My goal is to learn as much as I can in the next six months while getting all the real life experience I can. If the last few days are any indication of the future, I don't think I'll ever want to leave here.

Tomorrow morning, my stepdad flies home and I continue this adventure by myself. I'm both apprehensive and excited. Hopefully it lives up to every expectation I have and more! It will definitely leave me with some great memories either way.

On the Road Again

Time for a quick blog update while on the road to Kentucky!

We started this leg of my summer journey on Friday bright and early (for me) at 7am and literally spent the day driving through three different states (to be fair, we were only in Washington for about 20 minutes until we crossed into Oregon). We covered about 700 miles in a 14ish hour drive and passed out in Idaho Falls.

Yesterday, we explored Yellowstone and it was AWESOME! It took a ton of time and set us back about half a day or so on the traveling but it was well worth it. We got to see multiple animals on the road and got to see two different types of geysers go off (including Old Faithful, below). Trying to put that visit into words would take way too many pages on this blog.

However, we got set back even farther with an ummm.... interesting side trip that our gps decided to take us on. It took us on an alternate highway that is closed during the winter. Usually that's not too bad, except for the fact that it was straight up the side of a mountain at a 10% grade. I already don't like heights so going up the side of the mountain from about 4,000 feet to 9,000 feet was not a good experience for me (or my car as we were putting up the mountain at about 19 mph). We did get to see some cool things when we hit the top of the road but it is not something I would like to experience again.

That white area is part of the road we went up.

Today, we visited three landmarks in the Wyoming/South Dakota area. Our first two jaunts were to Devil's Tower (which has a really cool legend attached to it) and the famous Sturgis (a must for my biker stepdad). We had an awesome lunch at Sturgis' Knuckle Saloon, I highly recommend it if you are in the area. 

However, the best part of the day was going to Mount Rushmore. I'm a very patriotic person and going to a memorial that honors four presidents was awesome. It reminded me of why I'm moving to Kentucky for my internship and made me even more excited to get there. Like Yellowstone, I can't put my Mt. Rushmore thoughts into just one blog so I'll leave it with a picture.

We have a few more days of traveling before we roll into Lexington sometime next week. If anything else exciting happens, you can bet that I'll try and include it in my next blog.

Until next time,

Mel

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.

A Week of Opportunity

Wow, the last week has been a whirlwind of activity. From sports to high profile speakers, I feel like I've been around the world without leaving Canyon.

The fun started last Tuesday when I went to one of the final softball home games of the season. To say it was a blowout would be an understatement as our girls scored 15 runs in the third inning and won the game 20-0. 

Less than 48 hours later, I went to the last spring season game of women's soccer and watched them play while doing what I've done best this year, taking pictures. 

The women started a weekend of sports as I spent the next night at Lady Buff Yard for a softball double header. The double header didn't see me leaving the Yard until 10:30pm after I did interviews and such. Only 14 hours later, I was back at the Yard for the final home game of the season and Senior Day. Saying goodbye to the Lady Buffs graduating was harder than imagined as I related to them since I will be leaving here in just 14 days.

After interviews were done, I did something I never thought I would do and broke down. But then I realized that even though this may be the end of my undergraduate career and the end of covering WT sports, I have many bigger and better things ahead.

Even though the softball season is technically over, I won't have a break as I am covering them from afar (aka they'll be in Denton, Tx and I'll be here) this coming weekend at the Lone Star Conference tournament. 

On Sunday, I covered my last men's soccer game, taking pictures of the 90 minute game. The irony of men's soccer being the end to my year after being the first home sporting event I went to didn't escape me. But it seemed to be a fitting end as soccer is by far the sport I've gotten most attached to this year.

Even though I still have one article to write, I feel like I've pretty much ended my career in the sports and it's been a ride I would never take back. The opportunities I've had this year due to them, and the friends I've made, are memories I'll remember forever

But sports weren't the only exciting opportunity for me this week. While the weekend was busy, the last two days have been insane.

When I was little, I was obsessed with the Titanic. History has always fascinated me and the massive "unsinkable" ship grabbed my attention. So when I heard the man that discovered the wreckage was coming to WT, I jumped on the opportunity to go listen to him speak. 

But even better than that was when I was asked by Eternal Flame to take pictures of the event. If you don't know, even when there's not an official press pass, if you have a notebook and a camera most official people will let you go in places not normally allowed.

So with camera in hand, I made my way up to the steps of the stage and they let myself and my two other friends sit on the steps while they had other students that had lined up around us move to different places. Because of this, I was only about 3 feet from Dr. Robert Ballard while he spoke. This gave me some awesome opportunities to not only take pictures but really absorb all the information he threw at us. 

Dr. Robert Ballard during his speech.

While he didn't talk much about the Titanic, his other discoveries were just as cool. The overall presentation was pretty awesome and was a great start to the week.

My week "finally" ended on Tuesday night with the best event of the week for me (no offense to my sports!). Last Wednesday, I had gotten a text from the Eternal Flame editor (I'm starting to see a theme here) asking what I was doing on Tuesday night. It just so happened that she had a press pass for Bill Clinton and she was wondering if I wanted to go take pictures again. 

While the press area wasn't exactly what I was expecting, thanks to my ubber cool zoom lens (I seriously love that thing), I was able to get some awesome pictures of the president from about mid court where the press box was set up. Unfortunately due to time constraints, we didn't get to interview him (the speech went for an hour and a half, when it was reported it would be under an hour) but just seeing the president and being part of the press was an amazing experience. Of all the things I've experienced in my time here at WT, and even in my life, this will go down as one of the best.

Bill Clinton

In only 17 days, I leave the panhandle pretty much forever unless something happens (except for visits) to move on to new adventures and I have learned a lot and had a ton of good times. But with all the experiences I've had, my undergraduate career saved the best for last and it's definitely a week I'll never forget.

Until next time,

Mel

Opportunity Awaits

Wow, it's been a long time since I came to my blog. I guess I can blame my busy month for that. In March, I was only in Canyon a total of 12 days. The first part of it was due to a two week spring break but the second part was due to work.

Almost exactly a week after I got back from Spring Break, I repacked (okay, that's a lie, I never unpacked, just kind of threw clothes everywhere to condense everything into a smaller bag) and loaded into a van with a bunch of the paper people for a trip to Corpus Christi to compete at a paper conference.

While a weekend at the beach was amazing, and I had one full day of nothing but beach time, I didn't do too hot at the actual onsite competition. However, one of the handful of my pictures our yearbook submitted did get second in the Sports Action Photo division and that led me to think of how lucky I've been this year.

First of all, I started rocking the boat at both The Prairie and Eternal Flame. But it was November that really got me rolling. I literally started the month in Kentucky and enjoyed opportunities I never would have dreamed of even last year. Not only did I get to visit some of the best farms in the nation, if not the world, I also got to go "behind the scenes" at Churchill by watching works from the gap and got to enjoy time in the press box between races at the Breeders' Cup. That was literally the best week of my life and made decisions for me that I never really even realized I had.

This was followed by one of my big time projects going to regionals in the National Broadcasting Society and actually winning the division. This was even more of a big deal because it was an audio package, something that I've never even experimented with before I put this together.

This was followed a month later by winning Staff Member of the Semester for Eternal Flame.

But even though I had a lot of success at school, my biggest moments of the (school) year have come from those in the racing industry.

After the Breeders' Cup, I got more involved in the industry when it came to talking to others and this opened up a whole new world for me in the last few months. While I already have the USEF internship and am not making any moves until I figure that out and see what comes after, I was given some leads on racing journalism jobs.

I also got more "prominent" in the journalism thing and was told about media teleconferences and such (one that I did today). I even was given a chance to interview Steve Asmussen about one of his Derby potentials.

While I am set for the next six months or so of my life, I do have some questions about where I'll go after then. But looking at everything I've experienced the last few months... life is about to become just a little more clearer when it comes to ideas in 2013.