June 13, 2012

Stop #1: PA

May 30- June 12, 2012

As seems to be tradition with Aletheia and me, several things always come to pass when we are together. A) Some kind of craft is created B) A movie marathon occurs and C) The majority of our funds are spent on ice cream.

During my stay in PA all of the above took shape. However, other great events and adventures unfolded during my fortnight stay.
Watching Aletheia paint live 2x
Rainbow sighting during one of our walks 
Putting my free time to good us by helping Aletheia get ready for her first Art fair!

 
Road trip to Ohio


An introduction to Aletheia’s maternal side of the family (2 Aunts and Uncles and 18 first cousins!) at a second-cousin-once-removed wedding.

 
A morning at the beach  
 
Book Store Exploring
Happy Birthday to Us!
Aletheia and I are in a stage of life where uncertainties still make an appearance. As always, it is a great feeling to be around others that are going through the same circumstances. One of Aletheia’s philosophizes that I love and should observe more is the idea of celebrating; a concept that causes in-the-moment refection, allowing the positive that is happening in and around us to come to light. And so Aletheia and I decided to do some early celebrating of the day we each entered the world. The ice cream cake was the perfect solution for this glorious occasion!

May 29, 2012

Summer "Madness"

May 29, 2012
When I think about how the plans for this summer unfolded, I am still bewildered as to how it all worked out. I look forward to the challenges, the new experiences, and the faces of long lost friends. A nervous excitement arrises as I step into all that is before me. With so many things uncertain when I return back to NC, the feelings are somewhat magnified as I think about August and beyond. I reassure myself that all has worked out in the past, so I can rest in the confidence that all will be provided for in the future. 


Some might question my sanity as I leave all of my possessions behind and live off of what I can carry on my back. However, sanity is often determined by comparison. The world is full of people who have done much more with even less. 


I can't help that the fibers of my being crave adventure from time to time. With me, the window of opportunity doesn't have to open very much in order for my to dive through.


And so the summer "madness" begins tomorrow, and here is the plan...... 
May 30 - Head to Grantham, PA. Helping a friend run an art camp June 4 - 7. Time Zone: Eastern

June 12 - Board a plane in Harrisburg, PA to Denver, CO. I am staying with a friend from Arkansas days and hoping to see cousins I haven't seen in years. Time Zone: Mountain

June 14 - Catch another flight from Denver to Bozeman, MT. Training for my summer job with VISIONS Service Adventures (http://www.visionsserviceadventures.com/teen-summer-camp-programs/alaska/program-map.html#body) starts on the 15th. Time Zone: Mountain

June 18 - Fly from Bozeman, MT to Anchorage, AK. Final Destination: Tanacross, Alaska (my station for VISIONS. See link above for details). Time Zone: AKDT (4 hours behind EST)

July 28 - Airborn once more from Anchorage, AK to San Jose, CA. Final Destinations: Santa Cruz area and San Jose. Visiting two former roommates and decompressing from the rest of the summer. Time Zone: Pacific

August 6 - Last flight from San Jose, CA to Raleigh/Durham, NC. 

May 20, 2012

The Last Chapter


May 20, 2012

The what seemed impossible list of 91 books that I decided to read two years ago has slowly been trimmed down to 12 books. The final 12 in my Newbery Winner Challenge are:





 



After this last chapter, I will only have to read one book a year to keep up with the list. I think I can handle that!







May 7, 2012

England in the Spring


April 19 – May 6, 2012

The majority of my trips to England to visit the family have been conducted around the holiday season (Thanksgiving and Christmas). A bit weary of the cold weather, I decided it was time to experience England during a different season. With tickets during the summer costing a ridiculous amount, spring was just going to have to do. Hilary has always told me that the weather in England is best in April. So I booked my ticket for April. Well, in the end, I am glad that England was able to lift the drought label. However, rain almost every day was a little much. Still, the moments of sunshine were pleasant and we did our best to get out and enjoy them whenever the clouds parted to let the light through.

As always, I had a great time hanging with family. My niece and nephew are growing up so quickly. I think Casey grew in height in the two weeks that I was there!

Although the trip started with the disappointment of our Mt. Snowdon Summit being postponed, it was still full of fun memories, including:
Trips to the Park

Puzzles with Lois

IKEA Outings


Nature Adventures

Exploring the Sea Life Center in Birmingham

Fine Cuisine

And the appearance of Clark Kent






















Sisters
Of course, I am very happy to report that no hospital visits were required; a vast improvement from last time!

April 17, 2012

On Guard


April 17, 2012

Mike going in for the point


Yup. Today I learned how to fence. This has been on my bucket list for some time, and I couldn’t have asked to learn with a better group of people. The coach of Duke’s fencing team offered his services to any of the Athletics employees who wanted to participate.  After a lesson on method and form, he let us duke it out (no pun intended). All of my opponents fought well. I felt a couple of the jabs but I also delivered some good ones as well. The whole time I was thankful that we didn’t live in the time when one mistake would cost more than just a bruise.

April 7, 2012

The Adventure Race


April 7, 2012
Helping with Adventure Races is not a new concept for me. Making it through two at Southern (starting at dusk and ending at dawn) I know the amount of planning that goes into the race. The four of us started planning Duke’ s 2nd annual Outdoor Adventures Race in November.

After 3 vehicles getting stuck, a couple of miss communications, and one almost lost team the Race is finally over. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day! A lot of good lessons were learned, and I hope that when the planning processed begins again next year, those lessons won’t be forgotten. 

March 27, 2012

Local Impact


March 27, 2012

This is what I saw when I went to drive home today after work:

My jaw dropped at the sight of it – one of the down falls of parking next to a lacrosse field. I stood there, motionless thinking of my next move. I didn’t have to think about it long. Before I knew what was happening, someone from the athletics department was on the phone with campus police. In the next moment, I was filing a report.

Being my first experience with this type of thing, I headed back to the office to see how I should go about getting it fixed. Within a half-hour, a plan was constructed, and within 24 hours all evidence of the episode disappeared. Without the help of the people around me, things would not have gone so smoothly. I am blessed beyond words. 

March 17, 2012

Back in the Saddle Again


March 17, 2012
Although this seems crazy to say, I can’t remember the last time that I planned an outdoor trip for a group of people. The higher you go in the outdoor industry, the less leading of trips you actually do. I have been serving more as the go-to person for all of the student leaders. This semester, I figured I should do one just to refresh my memory.

With thunderstorms forecasted for the day before and the day of, I was a bit worried that we were going to have to cancel. It was a gambol that paid off. We had a beautiful day and a wonderful trip with a fantastic group. 

February 21, 2012

It Does Exist


February 21, 2012

Last year at this time, I had more than one person thinking that I had lost my mind. As a big ice cream consumer, the days approaching St. Patrick’s Day brought about special menu items at certain restaurants. Recalling a certain menu item from my childhood, I talked my mate Laura into going to McDonalds to get a shamrock shake. I was a bit worried when I didn’t see any marketing post in the window. I asked the lady behind the register and she looked at me like I was from another planet. We tried another McDonalds with the same result.

At this point Laura was beginning to think that I made the whole thing up. To ease the heartache, we headed to Chick-fil-a and got a shake. While there, I did a little online research and discovered a website dedicated to the Shamrock Shake. People would post all of the places they could find them across the country. None were found in the state of Tennessee.

Learning from last year’s experience, I did my research first. The McDonalds in North Carolina did not fail me! Finally I had my shake and a small piece of redemption. It all tasted just as wonderful as I imagined it would. 

February 10, 2012

As the Page Turns


February 10, 2012
Continuing on my journey through the Newbery winners, I am amazed at the diversity I encounter. Such different writing styles and subject matter, I turn the first page of each book with no expectations but, at the same time, with great anticipation.


Below is a list of all of the Newbery Medal Winners to date. The ones in bold are ones I have completed. Those bold italicized I especially enjoyed allowing my page turning rate to increase significantly. Only 35 to go!
91.) 2012: Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
90.) 2011: Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
89.) 2010: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
88.) 2009: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, illus. by Dave McKean
87.) 2008: Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz
86.) 2007: The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron, illus. by Matt Phelan
85.) 2006: Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins


84.) 2005: Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata
83.) 2004: The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo
82.) 2003: Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi
81.) 2002: A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
80.) 2001: A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck
79.) 2000: Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
78.) 1999: Holes by Louis Sachar 

77.) 1998: Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
76.) 1997: The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg
75.) 1996: The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman

74.) 1995: Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
73.) 1994: The Giver by Lois Lowry
72.) 1993: Missing May by Cynthia Rylant
71.) 1992: Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
70.) 1991: Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
69.) 1990: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
68.) 1989: Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman
67.) 1988: Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman
66.) 1987: The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman
65.) 1986: Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
64.) 1985: The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley


63.) 1984: Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary
62.) 1983: Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voigt
61.) 1982: A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers by Nancy Willard
60.) 1981: Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson
59.) 1980: A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-1832 by Joan W. Blos
58.) 1979: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
57.) 1978: Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
56.) 1977: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
55.) 1976: The Grey King by Susan Cooper
54.) 1975: M. C. Higgins, the Great by Virginia Hamilton
53.) 1974: The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox
52.) 1973: Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
51.) 1972: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
50.) 1971: Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars
49.) 1970: Sounder by William H. Armstrong
48.) 1969: The High King by Lloyd Alexander
47.) 1968: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
46.) 1967: Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt
45.) 1966: I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino

44.) 1965: Shadow of a Bull by Maia Wojciechowska
43.) 1964: It's Like This, Cat by Emily Neville
42.) 1963: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
41.) 1962: The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare
40.) 1961: Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
39.) 1960: Onion John by Joseph Krumgold
38.) 1959: The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare 
37.) 1958: Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith
36.) 1957: Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen
35.) 1956: Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham
34.) 1955: The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong
33.) 1954: ...And Now Miguel by Joseph Krumgold

32.) 1953: Secret of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark
31.) 1952: Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes
30.) 1951: Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates
29.) 1950: The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli
28.) 1949: King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry
27.) 1948: The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pène du Bois
26.) 1947: Miss Hickory by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey
25.) 1946: Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski
24.) 1945: Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson
23.) 1944: Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
22.) 1943: Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray
21.) 1942: The Matchlock Gun by Walter Edmonds
20.) 1941: Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry
19.) 1940: Daniel Boone by James Daugherty
18.) 1939: Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright

17.) 1938: The White Stag by Kate Seredy
16.) 1937: Roller Skates by Ruth Sawyer
15.) 1936: Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink
14.) 1935: Dobry by Monica Shannon
13.) 1934: Invincible Louisa: The Story of the Author of Little Women by Cornelia Meigs

12.) 1933: Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze by Elizabeth Lewis
11.) 1932: Waterless Mountain by Laura Adams Armer
10.) 1931: The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth
09.) 1930: Hitty, Her First Hundred Years by RachelThe Field
08.) 1929: The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P. Kelly
07.) 1928: Gay Neck, the Story of a Pigeon by Dhan Gopal Mukerji 
06.) 1927: Smoky, the Cowhorse by Will James

05.) 1926: Shen of the Sea by Arthur Bowie Chrisman
04.) 1925: Tales from Silver Lands by Charles Finger
03.) 1924: The Dark Frigate by Charles Hawes
02.) 1923: The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting
01.) 1922: The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem van Loon



January 22, 2012

The Crazies


January 21, 2012
Duke vs. Florida State
Duke + Men’s Basketball = the Crazies. For those of you that follow the college basketball scene, this equation is no surprise to you. After all, they call it March Madness for a reason. Well, here at Duke, the craziness begins early with K-ville.
K-ville is strip of land in the front of Wilson Recreation Center and Card Gym named after the men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski (who is lovingly called Coach K because no one can pronounce his last name). At the beginning of the spring semester, undergraduate students started the ultimate campout. For the next 6 weeks, groups of students are pitching tents and calling this portable structure home. Even with warning from co-workers, I was still a little surprised on how many students participant in this crazy tradition. The kicker for me was the idea that they would sleep outside in the middle of winter for tickets to one basketball game. Granted this game is against Duke’s biggest rival UNC but still, 6 weeks of camping!

The front half of K-ville. 
After experiencing my first Duke Men’s Basketball game in the famous Cameron Indoor Stadium (I see people getting their picture taken by the sign on a regular basis), some of the craziness made sense. The game against Florida State was a nail-bitter till the buzzer sounded to end the game. Duke lost at home (76 to 73) ending the 45-game home winning streak dating to 2009. Coach K, who is known to be pretty calm during games, was up out of his seat a couple of times expressing some intense emotion. With the combination of the intense loyalty shown in K-ville and the decibel level in Cameron, I fear what things will be like in March.

January 3, 2012

The View Inside


January 3, 2012

To start the New Year, I decided to rearrange my living space. With limited space and new Christmas items to add, I had to get a little creative.  Sticking with the typical Heather-line-everything-along-the-wall fashion, I sat in my one chair satisfied with the final result. As I sat there, I started to wonder what people could tell about me just by looking at this one wall? What parts of me are represented in the items that line the shelves? So much is being said if you really look at it. I think the same is true with people. The view inside isn’t plainly written across. It a compilation of what is past and what is present; of things received, gathered, and reconstructed resulting in an unmistakably unique creation.