Thanksgiving in England

November 22- 29, 2009

When getting ready to go on this trip to see Hilary and Mark, I discovered that this is not only going to be my 2^nd Thanksgiving with them but my 6^th time to make this journey since 2003. That was a startling number to me even though it averages out to being once a year. As I try to explain to others, going to see them is like the equivalent of going to Grandma’s house once a year. It is a place that seems like another home that just happens to about 5000 miles away.

However, each time I go things are never the same. The last time I was there, only one child existed. This time I got to meet my nephew Casey. He is the cutest thing with a fantastic smile. Consistently a pretty happy boy but did manage to spit up A LOT. I managed to miss his aim only 4 out of the 7 days I was there. Hilary is just so used to it it doesn’t even faze her.

Lois, at 2 and a half, proved to be a different and more fun experience than last time. She is now at an age where her vocabulary is increasing daily. Her accent is adorable as I nearly melted every time she said “Please Auntie Heather.”

She also was old to learn how to use a camera. Her is some of her work.

As is tradition, we always try to do something outside of Coventry each time I come. This year we went to the Cadbury factory in Birmingham.

For Thanksgiving Hilary invited two of their American friends over. The food was AMAZING and Mark, being the only full-blooded Englishman in the room, thoroughly enjoyed the holiday.

To round out the week, I also did a little photo shoot for their annual Christmas card.

All in a Day's Work

November 13, 2009

New Frontiers

This semester I have been teaching a class entitled: Challenge Course Facilitator. The Outdoor Leadership program here is all about taking field trips. For as many different designs of a challenge course there are just as many ways to run one and facilitate. So, my students and I headed to a near by challenge course facility entitled New Frontiers. One of the great things about this facility is that the owner is also a skilled builder of ropes courses. Fortunately for us, we got to try out some of the great attractions. The Giant Swing was definitely one of the favorites although it caused some trepidation among the students pushing them to face fears. I, on the other hand, submitted to the Swing with great ease and little hesitation. After all, for me, this is all in a days work.

Fall Break: Cumberland Island

October 22-25, 2009

Cumberland Island is an island off the east coast of Georgia just north of Florida and was the destination for our SOAP fall break, backpacking trip. At 11:59pm Wednesday night, the van packed with all 12 of us began our seven and a half hour drive toward our adventure. Like past trips I have been in charge of, I had never been to the trip location before. This time, however, things were a little different. I set myself up for great success as I decided to get one of my students involved as the leader of the trip. That by far was one of the best decisions I have ever made. She decided to ask her boyfriend to help co-lead the trip putting me in a position I love: support.

Both of them did such a phenomenal job I was basically along for the ride. They did research, held a pre-trip meeting, typed up packing lists, made reservations, and lead worship. To top it all off, they somehow figured out how to order amazing weather!

When going to a place that none of us had been before it is hard to know what to expect. They both handled the challenges that arose from that beautifully. When participants (many of which had never been backpacking before) walk away from an experience like this with the start of new relationships, the strengthening of old ones, and a refreshed energy; you know the leaders did their job and did it well.

GA Introductions

October 19, 2009

To start the introductions of my fellow Graduate Assistants, I will begin with the wise one among us, Jim. Our local expert in wilderness survival, he lived in the woods most of last semester and showed me how to make cordage out of bark. Here he is demonstrating his technique for scaring off any wild predators.

Next we have Jeremy. Jeremy comes from the tiny state of Delaware, which I can claim I also have set foot in. A fellow photographer, avid outlet sock shopper and my toughest competition for best hair; he is known as the Gear Master ‘round these parts as he keeps a watchful eye on all of the gear circulating.

To finish out the J clan, there is Jerrod. Making his way here all the way from Washington State, I have come to refer to him as MacGyver. Defining the word “resourceful” by his very action, he can find a way to fix pretty much anything anywhere (Rumor has it that he started a Diesel bus engine using a camp stove).

Moving on to Ryan, the local guy. Ryan is deemed Mr. SOAP for he has been carrying the program since last semester. We had to learn how to work together quickly as the first 32-page catalog was due within two weeks of my arrival. We both walked away a little sleep deprived but uninjured :)

To the last of the male GAs, I finish with Ben, the head GA. Ben finds himself in a tough position being in charge of his peers. But as his background drips with experience across the board in outdoor activities and leadership roles, it is no wonder he is where he is. Plus he makes killer pancakes!

Ann, the veteran GA and female of the group, has her sights set on Graduation in December. She is the voice of the undergrad program and the organizational pioneer in my eyes. She has laid down some great groundwork for us to follow and build upon. She has also been a great person to live with as she has served as a springboard for ideas on several occasions.

Last, but definitely not least, we have my roommate Lauren. When assigned a task, she gets the job down. A natural planner and leader she is full of initiative at work as well as at home. I attribute any social life I have outside of work to her as she makes the phone calls whenever an idea gets thrown into the air. I love people that make things happen!

The Biology Trail

October 18, 2009
As mentioned previously, I have in my backyard about 10 miles of trails weaving over creeks and through hilly terrain. With the beauty of the fall colors, I couldn’t help but do a little exploring with my camera in hand.

My Backyard Basically

September 30, 2009

Since I arrived, I have yet to know what it is like to work from the Outdoor Education Center (the OEC). It has been interesting to watch our apartment become the temporary OEC. Some days I will walk in to find a stack of first aid kits or tubs of gear or stacks of papers.

All of this really being no surprise as the OEC is basically in my backyard. It has been a little frustrating at times. With the OEC under construction and the finish date out of reach, a portable office has become the fashion. Once the OEC is finished I imagine it will be absolutely wonderful having the office just outside my door.

Just yesterday I was introduced to another part of my “backyard”. On Southern’s campus there is what is known as the Goliath wall. When I came for my interview, I was shown this rock face. It wasn’t until yesterday that I got a chance to climb it.

Still there is more of my backyard to be explored. I have yet to go into the cave on campus and there are ten miles of trails just beyond the challenge course that just happens to be in my backyard.

Beyond the Job

September 29, 2009

I have realized that being here almost a month and a half now; I have talk very little about my life beyond the job. To start with, I live in a 2-bedroom apartment with 3 other girls (Top to B): Lauren (my roommate), Kelly, and Ann (a fellow GA). This may seem like a recipe for disaster. I can’t say that we haven’t faced some challenges, but for four almost complete strangers from diverse backgrounds I would say we get along great. After all, dull moments are few and far between.

I have learned to expect the unexpected in our apartment. Example: one day while working from home, Lauren walks in to greet Kelly and I. In her hand is a pillowcase that had something in it that was definitely not a pillow. Soon a 6ft snake emerges from the pillowcase. The snake was being used for an event and needed a little “handling” before it was to encounter students.

Another example, while Lauren and I were watching a movie, I noticed a bug scurry across the carpet and head behind the TV. I proclaimed what I saw to Lauren. Neither of us really wanted to take care of the situation, as this was becoming a regular occurrence due to the fact that we practically live in a basement. Then suddenly, my brain computed what I saw. I sat up quickly and said to Lauren, “Was that a scorpion that just ran across the floor?” Immediately, we both jumped up and ran to look behind the TV. What I thought I saw was confirmed to be a reality. We had a scorpion in our house. This in turn caused some mental gymnastics. Currently, I sleep on the floor. Well, I sleep on a mat on the floor; but still there is no gap between me and the floor. I was dipping into some strong mental power reserves as I fell asleep that night.

As you can probably imagine with 4 girls, our place is filled with different aromas, as we each like to cook and bake different things. It is rare to have us all in at the same time as three of us being GAs during this busy season and Kelly being a nursing major on the road to graduation in December. Even so, I am sure more memorable moments will arise as my time here progresses.

Get Dirty with SOAP

September 28, 2009

One of my main responsibilities this semester is to assist with the Southern Outdoor Adventure Program also known as the SOAP program. As mentioned before, I was inducted into the SOAP program through the epic Nickajack trip. Hoping to get a better handle on leading trips here at Southern, I was given the opportunity to lead two more trips this month: Whigg Meadows Camping Trip and a combo trip to bike the Virginia Creeper.

I co-lead the Whigg Meadows trip with a fellow GA and apartment mate, Ann. Our personalities and work styles complimented each other well. The biggest challenge was keeping the masses at bay. This trip was a popular choice, but learning from my previous experience, I stayed firm on keeping the cap at twenty-two. Overall, the trip went swimmingly with great weather and fellowship.

Fast forward to this past weekend. I still have yet to find the word that best describes this trip. Epic would suffice, but I feel that word is being overused as of lately. This… monumental event was truly inconceivable. The kick off point began with only 4 out of 7 people showing up to go on the trip. This made my co-leader Jeremy and I question whether we should even run the trip.

In hindsight, we probably would have been better off to stay home but then I wouldn’t have a story to tell. So we left for Virginia with 4 students, 2 to hike Mt. Rogers with Jeremy and 2 to bike the Virginia Creeper with me.

When we arrived at our campsite, it was raining. Not a hard rain by any means, but we set up camp and made a fire. The next morning looked promising as we woke up to an overcast sky. Being the Sabbath we took our time getting ready to go.

As the bike team pulled out of the camp ground to make our way to the trailhead, the rain started. Slow and steady the water fell, as we tried to navigate our way through the county roads in a 12-passenger van with a trailer in tow. Many times we had to turn around. At one point we came upon the Virginia Creeper trail, but unfortunately it wasn’t the trail head. I decided to pull into the parking lot of this back country, roadside convenience store to ask for directions.

When I pulled into the parking lot, I immediately regretted it. On any other day, I wouldn’t have given it a second thought. However, with the rain coming down heavier and for over an hour this grass parking lot what not a good choice. Nevertheless, I hopped out of the van and ran in to inquire about the trailhead.

After being informed that I needed to take road 76 in the next county only a few miles away, I informed them I was most likely stuck in their parking lot. My situation was confirmed as I returned to the van. I was followed by the man from the convenience who so graciously informed me that he made a phone call to a man up the road who was going to bring down his tracker to haul us out.

Not more than seven minutes later, we were back on the road in search of the same road we were on but in the next county. After a bit more searching, out mark was finally found. With bikes unloaded, we hit the trail for our 17-mile ride.

17 miles might seem like a lot especially after getting such a late start in the day. The beauty of the Virginia Creeper trail is that from Whitetop to Damascus it is all down hill. Two and a half hours later, we were riding into Damascus completely soaked and speckled with mud from riding though 17 miles of saturated gravel and dirt.

Damascus seemed like a ghost town due to the ever-present downpour of rain. We rode to the first bike shop I knew of to inquire about their next shuttle. To my dismay, they didn’t have any more shuttles running that late in the day. I was advised to try anther bike shop down the road which ended up being closed when I got there. Further down the strip I went and finally found a place that would run a shuttle for us (for a nice hefty fee or course). With my only other option being to hitchhike at this point I went for the shuttle taking my fellow bikers with me.

In transit back to Whitetop, the driver informed us that he heard on the radio it was predicted that by the end of the day they would have accumulated more rain that day than the amount of rainfall for the entire year thus far. I could only laugh as I recalled the moments on the trail when I could hardly see because of all of the water shooting into my eyes.

Trying to avoid another episode, I told the driver where we were camping and asked if he new the shortest way back. A vision of the gas gage encroaching on E flashed before my eyes, so I asked him where the nearest gas station was as well. His experience proved to be an asset as we found our way back without a problem.

As we rendezvoused with the others who were just as soaked as we were, we came to a consensus that we would head back to Tennessee instead of staying another night. We arrived back in Collegedale at 1:30am. I was tired and in disbelief of what had occurred in the last 36 hours. My clothes were still damp, and I still was finding bits of dirt on my face. Only then did I truly understand the tag line of the program: Get Dirty with SOAP.