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!

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.

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 2^nd 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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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

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.

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. 

2011 Stats

Edible Construction

December 16, 2011

The holiday season brings about many great traditions. I love the feeling of participating in a traditional activity and finding it hard to remember how it all began. Those are the traditions that bring the warmest feelings because I feel surrounded by the truest sense of comfort.

This year I had the wonderful opportunity of participating in someone else’s well-established tradition. The Messerlys have been having people over to make gingerbread houses for a great number of years. This event has changed some over the years whether it being the amount of people or the type of edible (check the expiration date) material that is used. However, the basis of it is still the same: people gather and let their creative juices flow allowing imaginative structures to be made along with great memories.

Thank you Messerly family for letting me participate in this marvelous tradition!

My house: Front view (L) Rear view (R) complete with Christmas tree in the window :)

Laura' Surf Shack

Other creations:

Celebration of Lights

December 10, 2011

Back in the ol’ college days, every Christmas season we would head towards downtown Marion to see the Walk of Lights. Every year, all of the lights were the same and in the same place. However, each year it was great to get all bundled up, cram into a car with a group of friends, and go see the favorites.

One of the ol’ college friends lives about 40 minutes away from me now. We both love Christmas and all of the festivities, so we planned this trip weeks in advance. We didn’t haul it up to Indiana, but we did find some local lights that filled the reminiscent gap.

We arrived at sunset, perused the old fashion candy shop, and headed to the end of the line to catch the train. After our ride, we were glad we got there when we did. The line had almost double. As we drove off, the line of cars was even more outrageous! At first, I thought we might have been a little over excited by arriving to a light show with the sun still partially in the sky. However, as we drove past car after car after car, it was pleasantly confirmed that there is no shame in being early.

Although it was hard to get a good photo opportunity on a moving train, I tried to make the best of it. Here are some of the highlights:

When Paint Swatches and Rock Climbing Collide

November 14, 2011

Over the past two and a half weeks, my boss has been gone on a leave of absence. The task to keep the Outdoor Adventure program afloat has been placed on my shoulders. Included in this: overseeing the climbing wall, managing trips, administrative stuff, and teaching classes.

From the beginning of the semester I have been helping with the rock climbing class. Indoor climbing has been the focus as the climbing wall serves as the classroom. Climbing skills have been worked on as well as hard skills like knot tying.

Although I had discussed the class schedule with my boss prior to his departure, I had decided that it was time for the students to be tested. Thus, the Low-Budget Climbing Olympics were formed.

The idea was planted in my head long ago by one of the students in the class. Plus, I found these great “metal” paint swatches at Lowes that needed to be put to use. The night before the Games, I worked diligently to great a gold, silver, and bronze medal for the winners in each event. The kern of a rope was used to hang the medal on compete with a figure-eight on a bite and a double fisherman.

The looks on their faces made every hour spent on planning and creating well worth it. Especially after the medal ceremony when I produced a rope wreath for each to take home.

This whole process highlighted something that I had forgot about myself. I love to create with a purpose. To give of myself. To take something like a paint swatch and discarded rope pieces and give them meaning. And doing all of this with the heartfelt intention of sharing them with others.

If I Only Had a Brain

November 11, 2011

Duke, and the Triangle Area, is the research capitol of the United States (unofficially). To earn a little money on the side, I have been participating in research studies of all different kinds, most involve reading or watching something and answering questions. The types have very little risk and take anywhere from 15minues to an hour of my time.

Sometimes I have been asked to consume certain foods and then perform an exercise or construct something. Most of the time I have little idea of what I am going to be asked to do or even what the research is for. I can remember one had the title of “Sorting Letters” when in actuality it had nothing to do with organizing papers.

More information is given concerning those with a higher risk factor. Knowing that Duke has many medical research facilities, I established some rules for myself before I jumped on the medical study train. Thus I was introduced to the world of MRIs.

The task was simple. While lying in the MRI machine, I had focus on a computer screen that was being reflected through a mirror. When I saw a green letter, I had to push a button with my middle finger. If I saw a red letter, red number, or green number, I had to push the button under by index finger. Pretty simple. After 8 rounds, I was pulled out of the machine and handed my payment. With the initial paperwork, pregnancy test, practice round, and actual scan the whole process took about an hour and forty minutes.

This particular research study gave me a little more than I bargained for– a unique view of myself and proof that I actually have a brain. :)