It has been exactly one year ago today that I left New Zealand. Why did I leave again? I miss it and hope to get back as soon as humanly possible. I miss my other family...even Kiri. I feel it necessary to recall the top ten memories I had that always put a smile on my face when I think of them.
1. Tirol forgetting she had a talk on Sunday and the classic face she put on when her name was announced in sacrament meeting
2. Surprising the family with a visit from Hannah and Evan.
3. Spending a night at Penny's with Tirol and Hayley and quoting Monty Python in the dark until we laughed so hard we passed out
4. Pineapple lumps!!
5. Cooking crepes and dinner with Tirol while reading Twilight
6. Jumping off a bridge
7. The Christmas tree lighting at the NZ temple
8. Catching Hayley, and Tirol, AND smiller skipping out on church, hiding out in the bedroom, and the lecture that came as a result. Classic!!!
9. Teaching Hayley how to use makeup
10. Waking up at 2am to watch Rugby and the Olympics
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
I Can Now Die Happy!!
I recently returned to NYC solely to go see "A Steady Rain" with Hugh Jackman and "Hamlet" with Jude Law. Once I heard that both would be in NY I made sure that no matter what it cost I would be there. One of the things on my bucket list (#2) is to see Hugh Jackman and go to a play with him starring in it (#1).
'A Steady Rain' was about two Chicago cops (Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman). It was a two man show, just Hugh and Daniel sitting in chairs on stage the whole time. I must admit that I didn't comprehend a single word for the first 15 minutes of the show because of the shock and awe I was in at actually seeing Hugh and Daniel (yes, we are first name terms). I wasn't expecting the show to be great, but it was. The story they were telling was extremely traumatic, but the acting was amazing. They put on these Chicago accents so well that you would never have guessed they weren't American. After a little while I was longing to hear them speak in their native tongues and remove their jackets and shirts (Daniel Craig's muscles were bursting out of his). Only in a perfect world I thought. Lo and behold, at the end of the show they began to have a casual conversation with the audience in their proper accents. I almost died! But, that wasn't all, they started removing their jackets and shirts to auction them off for charity. At this point I was in tears and every women in the audience was freaking out. They said donations of $2000 would buy you a backstage pass to meet and take pictures with them and the highest bidder would receive the shirts they were wearing with their signatures along with a picture and personal meeting. My friend Erika was extremely conflicted. Of course we didn't pay, but Erika actually was upset that she didn't. The highest bidder was $10,000.
At the end of the show we stayed after to watch them come out of the stage door. We were told that they weren't signing autographs and they would just walk straight to their cars so I decided to have my camera ready in video mode to catch them. When they came out I didn't even realize so in the video below when you hear the gasp, that's when I realized Hugh was right across from me. I didn't recognize him because I thought he would be taller than me, but he, like all other celebrities, was a lot smaller in person.
I have not been that happy in my life!! My plane could have crashed and burned and I would have still had a smile on my face. I got to see Hugh Jackman!! Ahhh!!!
'A Steady Rain' was about two Chicago cops (Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman). It was a two man show, just Hugh and Daniel sitting in chairs on stage the whole time. I must admit that I didn't comprehend a single word for the first 15 minutes of the show because of the shock and awe I was in at actually seeing Hugh and Daniel (yes, we are first name terms). I wasn't expecting the show to be great, but it was. The story they were telling was extremely traumatic, but the acting was amazing. They put on these Chicago accents so well that you would never have guessed they weren't American. After a little while I was longing to hear them speak in their native tongues and remove their jackets and shirts (Daniel Craig's muscles were bursting out of his). Only in a perfect world I thought. Lo and behold, at the end of the show they began to have a casual conversation with the audience in their proper accents. I almost died! But, that wasn't all, they started removing their jackets and shirts to auction them off for charity. At this point I was in tears and every women in the audience was freaking out. They said donations of $2000 would buy you a backstage pass to meet and take pictures with them and the highest bidder would receive the shirts they were wearing with their signatures along with a picture and personal meeting. My friend Erika was extremely conflicted. Of course we didn't pay, but Erika actually was upset that she didn't. The highest bidder was $10,000.
At the end of the show we stayed after to watch them come out of the stage door. We were told that they weren't signing autographs and they would just walk straight to their cars so I decided to have my camera ready in video mode to catch them. When they came out I didn't even realize so in the video below when you hear the gasp, that's when I realized Hugh was right across from me. I didn't recognize him because I thought he would be taller than me, but he, like all other celebrities, was a lot smaller in person.
I have not been that happy in my life!! My plane could have crashed and burned and I would have still had a smile on my face. I got to see Hugh Jackman!! Ahhh!!!
Saturday, December 12, 2009
The best sport (no NOT swimming) for getting inshape!!
As a retired swimmer I have searched far and wide for the best alternative to swimming. I want the full body workout that produces intense pain that every athlete craves. Since my experiences with swimming left a bad taste in my mouth and I have been blessed with my tiny heart, I have been in search of something that could satisfy my cravings.
I have found the answer people! Rowing! I have obtained the swimmer physic that I have been lacking from rowing. I don't know what it is about it, but the best part is that I don't feel like I am working out at all. Nothing will ever be as painful as swimming, but rowing provides just as good of a workout with out feeling like I am going to pass out. I must admit I was very apprehensive about it at first, but my doctors were adamant that I do it because it has been proved to be the most effective way to increase heart size. You would think that swimming would be the best, but apparently not. Maybe its the fact that its one of the only other sports that involves water and strokes or that the scenery's are so much better than staring at the bottom of a pool, but it is something I will recommend to every retired swimmer as the answer to their workout problems.
I have found the answer people! Rowing! I have obtained the swimmer physic that I have been lacking from rowing. I don't know what it is about it, but the best part is that I don't feel like I am working out at all. Nothing will ever be as painful as swimming, but rowing provides just as good of a workout with out feeling like I am going to pass out. I must admit I was very apprehensive about it at first, but my doctors were adamant that I do it because it has been proved to be the most effective way to increase heart size. You would think that swimming would be the best, but apparently not. Maybe its the fact that its one of the only other sports that involves water and strokes or that the scenery's are so much better than staring at the bottom of a pool, but it is something I will recommend to every retired swimmer as the answer to their workout problems.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Grinch Syndrome
I finally found the reason for all my health issues today. FINALLY! I found it quite ironic and am now convinced that the story of my life is documented in the story of How The Grinch Stole Christmas. My evidence is as follows:
"Every Who Down in Whoville Liked Christmas a lot…
But the Grinch, Who lived just north of Whoville, Did NOT!
The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season!
Now, please don’t ask why. No one quite knows the reason.
It could be his head wasn’t screwed on just right.
It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight.
But I think that the most likely reason of all,
May have been that his heart was two sizes too small."
So what exactly is Grinch Syndrome? If you think of a bell curve, the one we had to draw a zillion times in stats, 95% of the population fall within one standard divination from the mean of whatever is being measured. In this case it is the size of a normal persons heart. As long as your are with in one standard divination you are considered normal. However 2.5% have fall outside of TWO standard divination's, or in other words have hearts that are too big or too small. I have a heart that is two sizes too small. That is exactly how the doctor described it. It was originally called POTS, but fortunately the name is being changed to Grinch Syndrome. And I thought that doctors were not creative in naming things. If you don't know me very well, my nick name at home is Lulu after Cindy Lou Who (I was called Sarah Lou Who). That book has always been my favorite which is why it became my nick name. What are the odds?!?!
Me and my mother drove up to Dallas to see Dr. Levine who is the only person in the world that specializes in Grinch Syndrome. He rarely sees patients unless they are astronauts because they have gravity/blood pressure issues when they return to earth. I had to wait 6 months to see him and I was lucky to get that. I can't believe how lucky I was that the one person in the world lives in Texas...what are the odds!?!? So we spent 3 hours with Levine. He asked me a zillion questions and then he explained exactly why I have been having trouble with standing. Since my heart is too small it empties too fast and because my blood has a longer journey to get to my brain (because i am so tall) I lose my vision, become disoriented and get a head ache. I have learned to not let myself fall over and faint over the years, but the fact that I am tall is and forever will be my curse. I also can't stand still for more than 5 min without becoming extremely uncomfortable (light headed, sweating, heart racing, blood pressure falling, blood pooling at feet, nausea, etc.). So I am apparently a text book case. 90% of all cases are female and most of those are athletes. So since my heart is too small, the only cure is to make it bigger. They just finished a study that found that rowing increased the heart size of GS patients. I have to exercise everyday for at least an hour for the rest of my life in order to prevent the disabling effect GS has.
My doctor figured that swimming was the only reason why didn't end up as bad as it usually is. A little while ago they had a former professional ballerina come in in a wheel chair and couldn't stand up at all because it made her so sick. Any exercise that is upright will cause my downfall. The reason rowing is so beneficial is because it is done in a sitting position. I was given the option to start training again in swimming or rowing (along with a detailed weight training routine) and since I am not the biggest fan of swimming right now I chose rowing. So I shall become a rower. Fortunately Austin is the best place for it. I am so relieved to finally know what is wrong with me. I made a comment jokingly about being on an episode of mystery diagnosis, but the nurse looked at me seriously and said "that is a really good idea, so many people watch that show and so many with this problem go undiagnosed". So who knows, maybe I will become that famous person on that health channel show! Ha!
As for the rest of my life, school has started again. I only have two classes for fall, but I am glad its only two especially after seeing all the work that is involved in each. Getting a masters is crazy!! Don't do it unless you have the time. Fortunately I do. My dad has been in Russia for the past week and Andrea and Jameson have come to visit. My dad hasn't seen Jameson since X-mas and miraculously turned a potentially month long trip into a 10 day one and will be home in time for to see Jameson and celebrate his birthday on the 5th. Can it be that things are actually starting to work out? I had forgotten what it was like to have everything work out for a little while.
"Every Who Down in Whoville Liked Christmas a lot…
But the Grinch, Who lived just north of Whoville, Did NOT!
The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season!
Now, please don’t ask why. No one quite knows the reason.
It could be his head wasn’t screwed on just right.
It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight.
But I think that the most likely reason of all,
May have been that his heart was two sizes too small."
So what exactly is Grinch Syndrome? If you think of a bell curve, the one we had to draw a zillion times in stats, 95% of the population fall within one standard divination from the mean of whatever is being measured. In this case it is the size of a normal persons heart. As long as your are with in one standard divination you are considered normal. However 2.5% have fall outside of TWO standard divination's, or in other words have hearts that are too big or too small. I have a heart that is two sizes too small. That is exactly how the doctor described it. It was originally called POTS, but fortunately the name is being changed to Grinch Syndrome. And I thought that doctors were not creative in naming things. If you don't know me very well, my nick name at home is Lulu after Cindy Lou Who (I was called Sarah Lou Who). That book has always been my favorite which is why it became my nick name. What are the odds?!?!
Me and my mother drove up to Dallas to see Dr. Levine who is the only person in the world that specializes in Grinch Syndrome. He rarely sees patients unless they are astronauts because they have gravity/blood pressure issues when they return to earth. I had to wait 6 months to see him and I was lucky to get that. I can't believe how lucky I was that the one person in the world lives in Texas...what are the odds!?!? So we spent 3 hours with Levine. He asked me a zillion questions and then he explained exactly why I have been having trouble with standing. Since my heart is too small it empties too fast and because my blood has a longer journey to get to my brain (because i am so tall) I lose my vision, become disoriented and get a head ache. I have learned to not let myself fall over and faint over the years, but the fact that I am tall is and forever will be my curse. I also can't stand still for more than 5 min without becoming extremely uncomfortable (light headed, sweating, heart racing, blood pressure falling, blood pooling at feet, nausea, etc.). So I am apparently a text book case. 90% of all cases are female and most of those are athletes. So since my heart is too small, the only cure is to make it bigger. They just finished a study that found that rowing increased the heart size of GS patients. I have to exercise everyday for at least an hour for the rest of my life in order to prevent the disabling effect GS has.
My doctor figured that swimming was the only reason why didn't end up as bad as it usually is. A little while ago they had a former professional ballerina come in in a wheel chair and couldn't stand up at all because it made her so sick. Any exercise that is upright will cause my downfall. The reason rowing is so beneficial is because it is done in a sitting position. I was given the option to start training again in swimming or rowing (along with a detailed weight training routine) and since I am not the biggest fan of swimming right now I chose rowing. So I shall become a rower. Fortunately Austin is the best place for it. I am so relieved to finally know what is wrong with me. I made a comment jokingly about being on an episode of mystery diagnosis, but the nurse looked at me seriously and said "that is a really good idea, so many people watch that show and so many with this problem go undiagnosed". So who knows, maybe I will become that famous person on that health channel show! Ha!
As for the rest of my life, school has started again. I only have two classes for fall, but I am glad its only two especially after seeing all the work that is involved in each. Getting a masters is crazy!! Don't do it unless you have the time. Fortunately I do. My dad has been in Russia for the past week and Andrea and Jameson have come to visit. My dad hasn't seen Jameson since X-mas and miraculously turned a potentially month long trip into a 10 day one and will be home in time for to see Jameson and celebrate his birthday on the 5th. Can it be that things are actually starting to work out? I had forgotten what it was like to have everything work out for a little while.
Friday, July 24, 2009
4.0
I am officially a 4.0 student! How long that will last I do not know, but I will relish in it while I can. The class I am currently taking, Exercise Physiology, is really proving to be a challenge. I have exams every week, sometimes twice a week. My life is nothing but studying and working....but mainly studying. It is actually nice to be able to focus on school and not have to deal with swimming.
I have booked my tickets to 'A Steady Rain'! I am so excited! For those of you who don't know, Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig are starring in this play. I wanted to be close enough to be spit on by Hugh, but unfortunately (and yes I did get advanced ticket sales) the closest I could get without paying upwards of $500 a seat was about 18 rows back, but they are dead center. At this point I don't care how far back I am, I get to see Hugh Jackman! My life will finally be complete. If my plane crashes on my way home I will have no regrets. In addition, there is also another very special show playing the same week. Hamlet, starring Jude Law, will be there as well. It is has been in the west end in London and has received rave reviews. I can't wait for it to come to NY. I absolutely love this play! So all of this amazingness will be happening the weekend of November 20th. Seeing Hugh Jackman on stage would be my one wish if I had a terminal disease through the make a wish foundation. Ahhh!!
One last, but not least, piece of info. I am an aunt again! Yes, Jessica had Graham last Thursday. My mother is currently in Atlanta and I hear he is extremely cute. Honestly, how could he not be with my genes? This is actually very promising for me cause now I pretty confident that I too will have cute kids. Oh dear, I hope I have cute kids. If they aren't, they will at least be big/tall enough to beat up all the other kids who make fun of them. :)
I have booked my tickets to 'A Steady Rain'! I am so excited! For those of you who don't know, Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig are starring in this play. I wanted to be close enough to be spit on by Hugh, but unfortunately (and yes I did get advanced ticket sales) the closest I could get without paying upwards of $500 a seat was about 18 rows back, but they are dead center. At this point I don't care how far back I am, I get to see Hugh Jackman! My life will finally be complete. If my plane crashes on my way home I will have no regrets. In addition, there is also another very special show playing the same week. Hamlet, starring Jude Law, will be there as well. It is has been in the west end in London and has received rave reviews. I can't wait for it to come to NY. I absolutely love this play! So all of this amazingness will be happening the weekend of November 20th. Seeing Hugh Jackman on stage would be my one wish if I had a terminal disease through the make a wish foundation. Ahhh!!
One last, but not least, piece of info. I am an aunt again! Yes, Jessica had Graham last Thursday. My mother is currently in Atlanta and I hear he is extremely cute. Honestly, how could he not be with my genes? This is actually very promising for me cause now I pretty confident that I too will have cute kids. Oh dear, I hope I have cute kids. If they aren't, they will at least be big/tall enough to beat up all the other kids who make fun of them. :)
Monday, June 29, 2009
Back to Life
Yes, it has been a while. Does anyone really read this anymore? I doubt it, but I like to pretend that I am the Ashton Kutcher of blogging and millions hang on my every word.
I finally have had sometime to actually do something other than study. I have been am back in school(physical education/sport science/teaching certification masters program)and I have finals coming up next week. I had a major Kinesiology test today in which i had to memorize 50+ muscles along with the insertion, origin, and movement of each muscle. I only had 3 days to memorize and I pretty much had an emotional break down last night because I was so sure I was going to fail. It is impossible to memorize things like medial lateral epicondyle of the humerus. I don't even know if I spelled that right. It has been extremely difficult to live up to my own expectations since I have always believed I would have been a 4.0 student if I didn't have swimming. But, anyways, I had my exam this morning and I felt horrible about it. I went to the computer lab to check the results online. I got a 91!!! Highest grade in the class. I was so happy I just about cried. I have had 2-3 exams every week since summer semesters are so condensed and I don't know how I have done it, but I have managed to ace them all. I have another this Friday and I will once again have to memorize an absurd amount of muscles and whatnot. only 3 more tests and 2 projects away from from this semester being done and then on to the next.
I must say now that I have been to a real University I am shocked I stayed at BYU. My professors don't hate me or any athletes, I don't get scoffed at if I ask a question or make a comment in class. Zero self-righteousness, no judgment, and my favorite part...I get to wear shorts to class. I can actually go to class in my gym clothes and go straight out for a run! No one thinks I am a sinner for wearing something as revealing as running shorts. So refreshing! Oh, they also built this brand new recreational center with a brand new pool that feels sooooo good!! Just like swimming at UT, you can just glide for forever. All the gym equipment has the personal TV's on them with cable and HBO. It is the pure definition of my heaven.
So other than school things have been just the same as always. Millions of swimming lessons, coaching, and life guarding. I got my LGI (Life Guard Instructor) which was soooo hard! I have never been so cold, exhausted, frustrated, and made to feel like I know absolutely nothing. At the end I felt so much stronger and reliable as an emergency care provider. The training is horrible, but I am glad it is. You have to be prepared.
Andrea and Spencer came and went this week. Jameson is crawling much better now. I didn't get to spend as much time with them as I wanted because of school and work (6am-10pm every day), but it was nice to have family in town.
Well that's it for now. Next time I promise I won't hold the world in suspense for as long as I did :)
I finally have had sometime to actually do something other than study. I have been am back in school(physical education/sport science/teaching certification masters program)and I have finals coming up next week. I had a major Kinesiology test today in which i had to memorize 50+ muscles along with the insertion, origin, and movement of each muscle. I only had 3 days to memorize and I pretty much had an emotional break down last night because I was so sure I was going to fail. It is impossible to memorize things like medial lateral epicondyle of the humerus. I don't even know if I spelled that right. It has been extremely difficult to live up to my own expectations since I have always believed I would have been a 4.0 student if I didn't have swimming. But, anyways, I had my exam this morning and I felt horrible about it. I went to the computer lab to check the results online. I got a 91!!! Highest grade in the class. I was so happy I just about cried. I have had 2-3 exams every week since summer semesters are so condensed and I don't know how I have done it, but I have managed to ace them all. I have another this Friday and I will once again have to memorize an absurd amount of muscles and whatnot. only 3 more tests and 2 projects away from from this semester being done and then on to the next.
I must say now that I have been to a real University I am shocked I stayed at BYU. My professors don't hate me or any athletes, I don't get scoffed at if I ask a question or make a comment in class. Zero self-righteousness, no judgment, and my favorite part...I get to wear shorts to class. I can actually go to class in my gym clothes and go straight out for a run! No one thinks I am a sinner for wearing something as revealing as running shorts. So refreshing! Oh, they also built this brand new recreational center with a brand new pool that feels sooooo good!! Just like swimming at UT, you can just glide for forever. All the gym equipment has the personal TV's on them with cable and HBO. It is the pure definition of my heaven.
So other than school things have been just the same as always. Millions of swimming lessons, coaching, and life guarding. I got my LGI (Life Guard Instructor) which was soooo hard! I have never been so cold, exhausted, frustrated, and made to feel like I know absolutely nothing. At the end I felt so much stronger and reliable as an emergency care provider. The training is horrible, but I am glad it is. You have to be prepared.
Andrea and Spencer came and went this week. Jameson is crawling much better now. I didn't get to spend as much time with them as I wanted because of school and work (6am-10pm every day), but it was nice to have family in town.
Well that's it for now. Next time I promise I won't hold the world in suspense for as long as I did :)
Friday, May 1, 2009
I LOVE NY!!
My last few days in New York went by so fast! My and Erika did everything! I didn't take as many pictures as I should have, but Erika probably will make up the difference. Oh man, I miss Erika already!
We saw Billy Elliot, Rock of Ages, rode bikes in the park, and ate at all our favorite places. Both shows were amazing! I was a little upset at first when we went to Billy Elliot because we had the Hispanic kid as our Billy. I wanted the more European looking ones (they have 3 billy's). Erika was happy though because it was a different Billy from when she saw it the first time. Once this kid started dancing every single doubt i had disappeared. I couldn't believe how strong, flexible, graceful, and believable this kid was!!! Such a good cast and soundtrack. Definitely one of my new favorites. The swearing kids threw me at first, but it was actually hilarious. It doesn't count as a swear word if you can't really understand what they are saying through their accents right?
The next show we decided to see last minute was Rock of Ages. I hate 80's music, I hate everything about the 80's, but I LOVE this show. I wasn't looking forward to this one, but the lottery was really easy to win and everyone was saying how good it was. The show was hilarious and the plot was the cheezy/cute love story about an aspiring rock wannabe. They served alcohol (alamo drafthouse style)so by the end of the show there were a lot of funny drunk people. I actually thought it added to the spectacle. Its pretty much like being at a rock concert. The costumes were outrageous and the bands were amazing! Constantine from American Idol was supposed to be the lead, but they had the understudy for our performance. I was so upset, but when this new (and ridiculously hot!) guy started singing I was glad Constantine decided to take a day off. WOW!! After the show they had a surprise performance with the lead singers from the Styx and REO Speed Wagon. I wish I could have appreciated that performance, but not being a fan or the 80's I had never heard of these guys before. Great concert though!!
So I am now in Utah after spending a couple days in Texas to regroup. Summer league is starting next week and it is going to be crazy. I am excited to be reunited with my old coaching buddies. This year should be fun! I am enjoying my time in Utah with my family and also plan to see all my friends who are still here.
I am so exhausted already!!
Our first day at Shake Shack
West Side Story Lottery
The new hair!
Lunch at Serendipity!!
Inside Serendipity
We saw Billy Elliot, Rock of Ages, rode bikes in the park, and ate at all our favorite places. Both shows were amazing! I was a little upset at first when we went to Billy Elliot because we had the Hispanic kid as our Billy. I wanted the more European looking ones (they have 3 billy's). Erika was happy though because it was a different Billy from when she saw it the first time. Once this kid started dancing every single doubt i had disappeared. I couldn't believe how strong, flexible, graceful, and believable this kid was!!! Such a good cast and soundtrack. Definitely one of my new favorites. The swearing kids threw me at first, but it was actually hilarious. It doesn't count as a swear word if you can't really understand what they are saying through their accents right?
The next show we decided to see last minute was Rock of Ages. I hate 80's music, I hate everything about the 80's, but I LOVE this show. I wasn't looking forward to this one, but the lottery was really easy to win and everyone was saying how good it was. The show was hilarious and the plot was the cheezy/cute love story about an aspiring rock wannabe. They served alcohol (alamo drafthouse style)so by the end of the show there were a lot of funny drunk people. I actually thought it added to the spectacle. Its pretty much like being at a rock concert. The costumes were outrageous and the bands were amazing! Constantine from American Idol was supposed to be the lead, but they had the understudy for our performance. I was so upset, but when this new (and ridiculously hot!) guy started singing I was glad Constantine decided to take a day off. WOW!! After the show they had a surprise performance with the lead singers from the Styx and REO Speed Wagon. I wish I could have appreciated that performance, but not being a fan or the 80's I had never heard of these guys before. Great concert though!!
So I am now in Utah after spending a couple days in Texas to regroup. Summer league is starting next week and it is going to be crazy. I am excited to be reunited with my old coaching buddies. This year should be fun! I am enjoying my time in Utah with my family and also plan to see all my friends who are still here.
I am so exhausted already!!
Our first day at Shake Shack
West Side Story Lottery
The new hair!
Lunch at Serendipity!!
Inside Serendipity
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Wow!!
That last two days have been a blur. Me ad Erika decided to go see West Side Story because the Times had given it such a good review. We did the lottery and I won! I was so excited to finally see this show. I must say however it was extremely disappointing. The dancing was good, but the sets were lacking. Tony was really weak and almost the entire show was in Spanish. Literally in Spanish! All my favorite songs were sung in Spanish!! Entire conversations in Spanish!! My poor friend Erika who had never seen the movie or heard the songs before had no idea what was going on. The worst part was the song 'There's A Place For Us', instead of Tony and Maria singing they brought out this random kid who sang the whole song. The only saving grace of this show was Riff and Maria. They were both spectacular. Maria's voice was so amazing! But overall, do not pay money to see this show unless you enjoy Spanish musicals.
Today we had brunch at Bubby's (sooo good!!), rode bikes in the park, and saw the play Mary Stuart. This show is a must see! We were in the front row and for those of you who have no fear of things flying out at them, this is the best seat in the house....you might also want to bring a poncho. They did things on that stage that I didn't think were possible. At the end me and Erika only had one word for it "WOW!". The women are dressed in period clothing while the men were dressed in modern suits like secret service men. It totally threw us off at first but it really made the story timeless and real. There is also an entire scene with rain, not fake rain....real rain! Not a light drizzle, but pouring rain! The entire confrontation scene with Mary and Queen Elizabeth was done in rain and on a flooded stage. The actors were incredible.
Tomorrow we are going to Alice's Tea Cup for brunch, Church, and then the much anticipated Billy Elliot followed by dinner at Grimaldi's (best pizza in the world). Really looking forward to it.
P.S. I got a hair cut. I love it. I have bangs again, but its very different!
Today we had brunch at Bubby's (sooo good!!), rode bikes in the park, and saw the play Mary Stuart. This show is a must see! We were in the front row and for those of you who have no fear of things flying out at them, this is the best seat in the house....you might also want to bring a poncho. They did things on that stage that I didn't think were possible. At the end me and Erika only had one word for it "WOW!". The women are dressed in period clothing while the men were dressed in modern suits like secret service men. It totally threw us off at first but it really made the story timeless and real. There is also an entire scene with rain, not fake rain....real rain! Not a light drizzle, but pouring rain! The entire confrontation scene with Mary and Queen Elizabeth was done in rain and on a flooded stage. The actors were incredible.
Tomorrow we are going to Alice's Tea Cup for brunch, Church, and then the much anticipated Billy Elliot followed by dinner at Grimaldi's (best pizza in the world). Really looking forward to it.
P.S. I got a hair cut. I love it. I have bangs again, but its very different!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Together At Last!
I feel like never left the city. Everything is exactly the same. The subways, the food, the theaters, the cold. How did I ever leave? I just arrived today and my mother demanded that I write in my blog every day, so unfortunately I am going to subject you to more of my poor writing skills.
I flew in on jetblue, which now has a brand new terminal in JFK. I usually dread going to JFK because it is so ghetto, but walking through the new terminal was spectacular! I love jetblue!! It still takes 45 min to get your baggage at baggage claim, but I guess that's some kind of signature JFK has and doesn't want to change.
So tonight me and Erika went to the new Shake Shack uptown. Best burgers in the city! It was so nice to not have to wait in line for 2 hours at the original one downtown. Afterwards we went to Magnolias bakery and I got my beloved cupcakes! I almost forgot how wonderful...Hannah gave me a very good reminder a few weeks ago:). We then went to see 17 Again. Not a must see, but definitely cute. We are currently trying to map out what we want to see on Broadway, but its so hard because there is so much!! Well I am sure with our combined forces we will be able to get into all the shows we want....If i don't die form exhaustion first.
So happy to be back with Erika again!
I flew in on jetblue, which now has a brand new terminal in JFK. I usually dread going to JFK because it is so ghetto, but walking through the new terminal was spectacular! I love jetblue!! It still takes 45 min to get your baggage at baggage claim, but I guess that's some kind of signature JFK has and doesn't want to change.
So tonight me and Erika went to the new Shake Shack uptown. Best burgers in the city! It was so nice to not have to wait in line for 2 hours at the original one downtown. Afterwards we went to Magnolias bakery and I got my beloved cupcakes! I almost forgot how wonderful...Hannah gave me a very good reminder a few weeks ago:). We then went to see 17 Again. Not a must see, but definitely cute. We are currently trying to map out what we want to see on Broadway, but its so hard because there is so much!! Well I am sure with our combined forces we will be able to get into all the shows we want....If i don't die form exhaustion first.
So happy to be back with Erika again!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
I Hate Chocolate
Well I hope everyone has/had a wonderful Easter. I am most looking forward to the food. I think traditionally we have leg of lamb or something, but this year we got a honey baked ham. I love ham!
one of the biggest down sides to this holiday is the candy. Would it kill the candy industry to make something that is NOT covered in chocolate? Every year when I was little (and still believed in the Easter bunny) I would ask for a basket full of skittles. Every flavor of skittles. To my dismay I would always find my Easter basket full of chocolate. The worst was the giant chocolate bunny. Who eats a solid block of chocolate? In my desperate hours I condescend to eating chocolate, but it makes me sick.
So this Easter will be very interesting because my mother picks the chocolate off of everything and leaves the inside whereas I pick the chocolate off so I can eat the inside. My dad gets frustrated when he finds decimated candy in the rubbish and tells me and my mother we should work together. To that we both said absolutely not. So life goes on with my parents yelling at me for picking off the chocolate and me and my dad yelling at my mother for only eating the chocolate.
one of the biggest down sides to this holiday is the candy. Would it kill the candy industry to make something that is NOT covered in chocolate? Every year when I was little (and still believed in the Easter bunny) I would ask for a basket full of skittles. Every flavor of skittles. To my dismay I would always find my Easter basket full of chocolate. The worst was the giant chocolate bunny. Who eats a solid block of chocolate? In my desperate hours I condescend to eating chocolate, but it makes me sick.
So this Easter will be very interesting because my mother picks the chocolate off of everything and leaves the inside whereas I pick the chocolate off so I can eat the inside. My dad gets frustrated when he finds decimated candy in the rubbish and tells me and my mother we should work together. To that we both said absolutely not. So life goes on with my parents yelling at me for picking off the chocolate and me and my dad yelling at my mother for only eating the chocolate.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
What Red Button?!?!
Today everything went as usual. Morning doctors appointment, answering team/parent emails, workout, and then I went to work. While at work things were going well. Kids were in the middle of their main set when I noticed huge explosion of water in the pump area. Me and my coaching partner Steve were stunned and started running around trying to figure out what happened. One of the huge main pipe thingys cracked or fell off or whatever. So for those of you who haven't seen me around cars, or pipes, or anything that requires a mechanics eye, I am no better than a 6 year old. I called everyone and of course no one answers the phone. I finally get my boss who tells me she can't be there right away and is trying to explain how to turn off the main pump.
"OK, don't panic. Just go into the pump room and right next to the chemicals there are a bunch of grey boxes on the walls and on the side there are 2 big red buttons. Press both buttons."
So I go and look, but I cannot find anything that looks remotely like a button, let alone anything red. I looked all over the sides of the walls! It was one of those moments where you truly feel like an idiot. A few minutes later another coach came by and showed us where the buttons were. Not only where the buttons NOT red, but they were hidden on the side of one of the boxes, not a wall...there was no way I would have ever found those buttons.
So my seemingly uneventful day turned into a very enlightening one. Who knew that I had become the latest target for terrorist (aka parents) attacks! Unfortunately their plot to destroy me failed! I thought that the pump room was a very clever way to distract me and put me in a situation where I was the most vulnerable to public scorn, but I kept my cool and found the red button!!....sort of.
Am I a hero? Yes, yes I think I might be...
"OK, don't panic. Just go into the pump room and right next to the chemicals there are a bunch of grey boxes on the walls and on the side there are 2 big red buttons. Press both buttons."
So I go and look, but I cannot find anything that looks remotely like a button, let alone anything red. I looked all over the sides of the walls! It was one of those moments where you truly feel like an idiot. A few minutes later another coach came by and showed us where the buttons were. Not only where the buttons NOT red, but they were hidden on the side of one of the boxes, not a wall...there was no way I would have ever found those buttons.
So my seemingly uneventful day turned into a very enlightening one. Who knew that I had become the latest target for terrorist (aka parents) attacks! Unfortunately their plot to destroy me failed! I thought that the pump room was a very clever way to distract me and put me in a situation where I was the most vulnerable to public scorn, but I kept my cool and found the red button!!....sort of.
Am I a hero? Yes, yes I think I might be...
Saturday, March 28, 2009
The Storm
Texas storms are generally spectacular events. Whenever one is forecast I like to camp out at a friends house that has a really good view of Austin, sit out on the porch, and watch it go by. I would compare it to watching storms from planes whilst flying over them. Really beautiful and awesome sights to behold.
The craziest Texas storm I have ever seen hit Austin Wednesday night. I happened to be working during a lovely sunny day when a very black ominous looking cloud started coming in our direction. From my past experience I knew that the weather would change drastically in a matter of minutes. I pulled everyone out of the water and me and the other coaches hid in the office. With in 10 min of seeing the distance black cloud we were hit with insane weather! The temperature dropped 20 degrees instantly and hail and lightning were so loud that we had to yell in order to hear anything. The hail started off as a dime and then quickly increased to a quarter, then a golf ball, then practically baseball sized. The pool looked like it was exploding, the ground was completely covered in white. It was the coolest thing I have ever seen! Unfortunately my I didn't have my camera with me so I had to wait until it all passed and I got home to take pictures. By the time I took a picture the hail had melted quite a bit, but it was still huge. Majority of the cars had significant amounts of damage. I thought mine would be destroyed, but the windows were all in tact. Truly a miracle. It is, however, incredibly dented. I feel bad for all the car dealerships around.
Hannah flew in the morning after and got to see the devastation first hand. Nothing like Katrina or anything, but poor Austin rarely takes a beating like this so it was shocking for those of us who live here. It was incredibly foggy and gloomy. I told her that we would be going to a restaurant on the lake to watch the sunset that night. keeping with Texas tradition of freakish weather changes, about 2 hours later it was clear blue sky's and we got to witness one of the best sunsets ever. Over the past couple days we have had amazing weather and went to a lot of places in Austin that I have never been to. Really beautiful museums and parks.
So this is the documentation of the trip so far.
The craziest Texas storm I have ever seen hit Austin Wednesday night. I happened to be working during a lovely sunny day when a very black ominous looking cloud started coming in our direction. From my past experience I knew that the weather would change drastically in a matter of minutes. I pulled everyone out of the water and me and the other coaches hid in the office. With in 10 min of seeing the distance black cloud we were hit with insane weather! The temperature dropped 20 degrees instantly and hail and lightning were so loud that we had to yell in order to hear anything. The hail started off as a dime and then quickly increased to a quarter, then a golf ball, then practically baseball sized. The pool looked like it was exploding, the ground was completely covered in white. It was the coolest thing I have ever seen! Unfortunately my I didn't have my camera with me so I had to wait until it all passed and I got home to take pictures. By the time I took a picture the hail had melted quite a bit, but it was still huge. Majority of the cars had significant amounts of damage. I thought mine would be destroyed, but the windows were all in tact. Truly a miracle. It is, however, incredibly dented. I feel bad for all the car dealerships around.
Hannah flew in the morning after and got to see the devastation first hand. Nothing like Katrina or anything, but poor Austin rarely takes a beating like this so it was shocking for those of us who live here. It was incredibly foggy and gloomy. I told her that we would be going to a restaurant on the lake to watch the sunset that night. keeping with Texas tradition of freakish weather changes, about 2 hours later it was clear blue sky's and we got to witness one of the best sunsets ever. Over the past couple days we have had amazing weather and went to a lot of places in Austin that I have never been to. Really beautiful museums and parks.
So this is the documentation of the trip so far.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Back to School
Oh my a lot has happened! During my search of high school coaching jobs I discovered that I also needed to get my teaching certification. So whilst I was searching for a certification program I discovered that it would be better if I went through a university and not an online program. That narrowed my search down a lot. Either UT or Texas State. Both have the teaching certification, but then as I was thinking about it I figured that if I am going to go through a university I might as well get my masters at the same time. So I decided to get my masters at Texas State because it was the only school that had a physical education program and it is a very reputable in that area. So I literally just applied! So crazy! I can't believe I am doing this. I hate school, but for some reason I am going back for the heck of it. My exact major would be the Masters and Certification program which entails physical education, sport science, and foundations of coaching. It is perfect for what I want. I can get it all done in 3 semester (Summer, Fall, Spring). So if I get a coaching position I will also be going to school. If I don't get a coaching position I get to be a full time student and apply again fully certified next year.
Is that a good plan? I am actually excited to be able to get to go to school with out swimming for the first time in my life. So now all I need to do is figure out what I will teach for my certification. Not math or Science. I would like to teach something fun.
Hannah is coming to visit me in 2 weeks!! I am so happy!!! YAY!! Then I am going to Utah May 2-12th for my cousins wedding. I have no idea what I will be doing this summer except get as many class hours in as possible. I miss NZ. I am currently planning and figuring out the next time I will be down there. The best thing about being a teacher is that you get the whole summer off and 3 weeks during X-Mas! Loads of paid vacation time! Well I believe that's it for now. Life is so unpredictable.
Is that a good plan? I am actually excited to be able to get to go to school with out swimming for the first time in my life. So now all I need to do is figure out what I will teach for my certification. Not math or Science. I would like to teach something fun.
Hannah is coming to visit me in 2 weeks!! I am so happy!!! YAY!! Then I am going to Utah May 2-12th for my cousins wedding. I have no idea what I will be doing this summer except get as many class hours in as possible. I miss NZ. I am currently planning and figuring out the next time I will be down there. The best thing about being a teacher is that you get the whole summer off and 3 weeks during X-Mas! Loads of paid vacation time! Well I believe that's it for now. Life is so unpredictable.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
I want to sleep!!!
I have ridiculous cravings for sweets. So much so that my mother freaks out every time I eat anything with any sugar in it. So now I have discovered that if I make cookies myself I don't get the lecture. The fact that I am actually cooking apparently gives a fake sense of health. So right now I am munching on some sugar cookies I just made. I also had a pack of sourpatch with me but when ever I ate from it I would get yelled at, so I am sticking with my cookies. It's a win win situation.
I am still dealing with the mystery illness. I am averaging 2-3 doctors appointments a week. Tomorrow morning I get to have an EEG. It's the test that I hate the most. I get a hair net type thing with about a hundred little suction cups that need to be glued to my head. I have to sleep during a part of the test so I need to be sleep deprived going in. No more than 4 hours of sleep. Unfortunately this past weekend I have been in San Antonio for a meet and I am exhausted! All I want to do is sleep!!!
So this month there are 2 bits of good news. First, I found out that I have a low thyroid. My doctor told me that the best indicator is weight gain. He looked at me and laughed. I looked up all the other symptoms and I was shocked at how many I had. I have been having horrible memory trouble, I felt like I was 80 years old for a while there. So I am now on medication and I feel soooo much better!! Unfortunately it has nothing to do with the blood pressure and the blackouts.
Second, I found out that the Cedar Park High School coach is being fired or quitting which means I might have an opportunity to coach my own team. I have been approached about it a few times now and as much as I want to venture away from swimming, I know I have the ability to coach well. Its something I know I can do and I am passionate about it. I figure that it couldn't hurt and its a great opportunity. So I will be applying for it. I have no idea who I will be up against, but I'll give it a shot and see if they want me.
I received a call from poor little Kiri on Skype last week. She was home alone and bored. I felt so guilty for not ever playing monopoly with her while I was in NZ. So I am going to force Tirol and Hayley to play with poor Kiri. I don't know by what means I will bribe them, but I am sure I can think of something. Kiri if I was there I would play with you!! Yes I have officially reached that point. I miss the Palmer family terribly and can't remember why I would never play with Kiri all the time. I am sure there was something about her personality/high energy levels that stopped me, but I can't recall what it was. She is a perfectly lovely child...right?
I am still dealing with the mystery illness. I am averaging 2-3 doctors appointments a week. Tomorrow morning I get to have an EEG. It's the test that I hate the most. I get a hair net type thing with about a hundred little suction cups that need to be glued to my head. I have to sleep during a part of the test so I need to be sleep deprived going in. No more than 4 hours of sleep. Unfortunately this past weekend I have been in San Antonio for a meet and I am exhausted! All I want to do is sleep!!!
So this month there are 2 bits of good news. First, I found out that I have a low thyroid. My doctor told me that the best indicator is weight gain. He looked at me and laughed. I looked up all the other symptoms and I was shocked at how many I had. I have been having horrible memory trouble, I felt like I was 80 years old for a while there. So I am now on medication and I feel soooo much better!! Unfortunately it has nothing to do with the blood pressure and the blackouts.
Second, I found out that the Cedar Park High School coach is being fired or quitting which means I might have an opportunity to coach my own team. I have been approached about it a few times now and as much as I want to venture away from swimming, I know I have the ability to coach well. Its something I know I can do and I am passionate about it. I figure that it couldn't hurt and its a great opportunity. So I will be applying for it. I have no idea who I will be up against, but I'll give it a shot and see if they want me.
I received a call from poor little Kiri on Skype last week. She was home alone and bored. I felt so guilty for not ever playing monopoly with her while I was in NZ. So I am going to force Tirol and Hayley to play with poor Kiri. I don't know by what means I will bribe them, but I am sure I can think of something. Kiri if I was there I would play with you!! Yes I have officially reached that point. I miss the Palmer family terribly and can't remember why I would never play with Kiri all the time. I am sure there was something about her personality/high energy levels that stopped me, but I can't recall what it was. She is a perfectly lovely child...right?
Friday, January 30, 2009
Mystery Diagnosis
No I am not dying....yet. I have, as i am sure everyone knows, been experiencing blackouts every time I stand up. I pretty much have dealt with it my entire life thinking that it was normal, but came to realize a few years ago that it wasn't. In the past I have been told it's just dehydration, but I know that it definitely isn't. Unfortunately it has gotten worse and other weird things have been popping up in the last month or two such as: loss of appetite and memory, shortness of breath, and fatigue. The worst of it I think are the blackouts. So annoying!! I have gotten pretty good and covering up the fact a can't see whenever I stand up in public, but I just want it to go away. So a few weeks ago I decided to try again to figure out if I have a brain tumor or something. $20 bucks says its a brain tumor, so typical of my life!
So the first step was the cardiologist and they gave me a heart monitor to carry around for 36 hours. I couldn't shower or workout because the sticky things would have come off. So The best part of that one was going in for a job interview. The guy to me was nice, but I knew that he probably thought i was dying. Needless to say I did not get a call back from them. So my heart was clean, but my doctor noticed I was dangerously dehydrated and every time I stood up my blood pressure would drop and my heart would race. So he thinks that it has something to do with the adrenal glands which regulate your blood pressure. Worst case would be a tumor or something. Right when he said that I instantly though "brain tumor! I knew it! 6 weeks to live!" haha. I take joy in medical mystery's and watching House, ER, Greys, etc. I guess I get too dramatic sometimes and my humor sometimes freaks my mom out.
So the Second place I have gone to is the Endocrinologist. The doctor didn't find anything that specifically pointed to anything, but agrees that it might be the adrenal glands. So yesterday I got to have my adrenal glands tested. This involved fasting from midnight to 9 am (this was extremely hard for me!), having 4 LARGE tubes of blood extracted followed by an injection of a stimulant. I then had to have my blood drawn every 30 minutes in more LARGE tubes. I don't know if anyone has seen me when i get my blood tested/taken, but i do that laugh/cry/hyperventilate thing. It also didn't help that one of my nurses was talking to me while reading Breaking Dawn. I then had visualizations of the nurses (blood suckers) running out of places to poke me and just going for the neck. So needless to say, I was not happy. My spirits improved only when presented with breakfast tacos.
So the third direction I get to take is the neurologist. NOT looking forward to that. So I now have a sort of bet going of how I am going to die or what crippling disease will befall me giving Tirol the ultimate upper hand on me... Actually that in itself would cause death!
I also have a few pictures I want to post from my last days in NZ and Christmas that have nothing to do with this post so here they are.
So the first step was the cardiologist and they gave me a heart monitor to carry around for 36 hours. I couldn't shower or workout because the sticky things would have come off. So The best part of that one was going in for a job interview. The guy to me was nice, but I knew that he probably thought i was dying. Needless to say I did not get a call back from them. So my heart was clean, but my doctor noticed I was dangerously dehydrated and every time I stood up my blood pressure would drop and my heart would race. So he thinks that it has something to do with the adrenal glands which regulate your blood pressure. Worst case would be a tumor or something. Right when he said that I instantly though "brain tumor! I knew it! 6 weeks to live!" haha. I take joy in medical mystery's and watching House, ER, Greys, etc. I guess I get too dramatic sometimes and my humor sometimes freaks my mom out.
So the Second place I have gone to is the Endocrinologist. The doctor didn't find anything that specifically pointed to anything, but agrees that it might be the adrenal glands. So yesterday I got to have my adrenal glands tested. This involved fasting from midnight to 9 am (this was extremely hard for me!), having 4 LARGE tubes of blood extracted followed by an injection of a stimulant. I then had to have my blood drawn every 30 minutes in more LARGE tubes. I don't know if anyone has seen me when i get my blood tested/taken, but i do that laugh/cry/hyperventilate thing. It also didn't help that one of my nurses was talking to me while reading Breaking Dawn. I then had visualizations of the nurses (blood suckers) running out of places to poke me and just going for the neck. So needless to say, I was not happy. My spirits improved only when presented with breakfast tacos.
So the third direction I get to take is the neurologist. NOT looking forward to that. So I now have a sort of bet going of how I am going to die or what crippling disease will befall me giving Tirol the ultimate upper hand on me... Actually that in itself would cause death!
I also have a few pictures I want to post from my last days in NZ and Christmas that have nothing to do with this post so here they are.
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