~:[CH2 - Day 243]:~ Transitions

~:[CH2 - Day 243]:~ Transitions

It's that time of year again when we begin to transition. The weather begins to change and those long summer days get shorter, with the amount of work increasing day to day. Regardless, it ended up being a pretty good day, as I got to complete our workout, just as it began to get hot, enjoyed some time to rest, was super productive, and ended celebrating with my mom early for her birthday. While real work will begin in a few days, I can't complain ... well not yet anyway.

~:[CH2 - Day 242]:~ Miss Hit

~:[CH2 - Day 242]:~ Miss Hit

I ended the night perfectly, as I went to Disneyland and got to relax at the happiest place on Earth. I ran into some old friends from high school (Peter and Shirley) and some other friend Kat and Kevin. Just a few rides and some food was a great way to top off a fairly good Friday. Of course, it would have been better if my cousin was not at the controls, spinning us round and round trying to make me miss my target. The work day went by pretty quickly and the best part of the day was volunteering at the library. While it was hard work, I was so happy to see SO many athletes show up to help. We moved all the textbooks to the floor in just over an hour, as we had over twenty five athletes show up to help out and volunteer. We ended up having extra time to burn before practice and just relaxed in my AC cooled room. It's always great to have wonderful surprises such as these! Of course with this team, should I have been surprised? Did I mention I took my favorite yearbook photo to date?

~:[CH2 - Day 241]:~ Growing Up

~:[CH2 - Day 241]:~ Growing Up

Today was our last summer team outing. While we may have a small one here and there, we had about thirty head over to korean BBQ after our meet. It was great to see who came out and we saw a lot of new faces join us! I snapped a picture of some of the freshmen who joined us for our adventure. It's always great to take these photos and look at them again when they are seniors. It's funny how much things change and it'll be interesting how things will be different four years from now. For now, we can enjoy the days that we have and be thankful we have them. While today was a hot day, we still have pretty solid times and it was a good sign moving forward. Let the season arrive!

~:[CH2 - Day 240]:~ Ding Dong

~:[CH2 - Day 240]:~ Ding Dong

I realized that passing out that night allowed me to forget to post my daily picture. Why an Amazon box? It's because for the past few days and the next week, many of these will be arriving at my doorstep! It's like Christmas every day for the next week, except for all the items will be for the Great Cow Run and the Higashi Roman Memorial Run! It's been great to hear the outpouring of volunteers and support! Join us for the fun on September 7!

~:[CH2 - Day 239]:~ Just What the Doctor Ordered

~:[CH2 - Day 239]:~ Just What the Doctor Ordered

More work today lead to a need to get out. Searching for frames gave me an excuse to go hit up North Shore Poke (delicious but a little pricey) and drive down PCH to enjoy the beautiful blue skies and the beach today. It's so wonderful living in Southern California and today reminded me why! While our practice was not the one I was hoping for, we regrouped and are prepared for tomorrow. A good old fashion weight workout was a good addition to the days work. To end the night, however, I had Banana Bay and enjoyed the joy of winning prizes at MVP. Just what the doctor ordered :)

~:[CH2 - Day 238]:~ Shoes Galore

~:[CH2 - Day 238]:~ Shoes Galore

It was a day of catching up and getting things done and boy was I productive. I was able to get a good amount done in the time I had and I am glad that I was able to catch up on most of what I had to do. While I do have a few errands to run, it's a lot less than I thought I would have to do at this point. I also found time to catch up with a few people today! We jumped on the Cow Run course so we can learn it by the 7th then headed to Roadrunners to grab some shoes. Today, Roadrunners did not have the best of service as our athletes never got through their Shoe Dog and had to blindly pick shoes. We waited over an hour before we decided to do so. Finally, the shoes were picked and no, they were not all the same, although a few people tried on the same shoe! With more work to do, I finally can say, I can sleep well tonight and get ready for what I have left for tomorrow.

~:[CH2 - Day 237]:~ We Are All Farmers

~:[CH2 - Day 237]:~ We Are All Farmers

Today was dedicated to catching up and getting work done. I was able to catch the little league world series game and saw a great game. California outplayed Japan but Japan made some clutch plays (throw from left field to home and double play to end the game). Regardless, it was a close game and what you want to see out of a championship game. I also worked on the graphics for our team shirt and the Great Cow Run and the Higashi Roman Memorial Run. While I may not have done much outdoors, I accomplished a lot of what I needed to do indoors, plus caught up on some sleep before this week begins. This week is also the start of our work week. School starts next week, hooray!

~:[CH2 - Day 236]:~ Always Rainbows

~:[CH2 - Day 236]:~ Always Rainbows

It's an amazing day and age that when your Internet is down, you can still find a way to get online. While I felt helpless without it, it was nice to have some time without the confines of this computer screen locking me into this seat without chairs. Of course after the PV run, I may just want to stay here. While I did not make the full 16, I did get off my butt and put in afew miles en route to getting back into shape. This cold killed my training and left my body wrecked. However, this feeling of pain and fatigue makes the meals taste better (such as my Teri Hawaii that I've enjoyed since I was a kid) and the world around more wonderful. Simply to be able to get up and run is something I am thankful for. So while I did not complete it all, doing what I could still provided me with that rainbow at the end of the run similar to what I will get when I am back on track for the real workouts. Baby steps.

~:[CH2 - Day 235]:~ A Fresh Start

~:[CH2 - Day 235]:~ A Fresh Start

It's always great to have a great team and heading into the season knowing to expect great things. It's even better when you have a group of freshman and new athletes who are dedicated, involved, and willing to be part of the system. It was funny how these guys just circled around the grill. At first I thought they were hungry, maybe cold, but they just seemed to want to sit there along with a senior who has shown so much care for the new athletes as well. Today was our final bonfire of the summer and while my hatred of the beach usually celebrates after this day, I did enjoy the bonfire today, seeing a group of new athletes stepping into the system. Our returners have done a great job, but it's always promising when your excitement is about what is in the future.

~:[CH2 - Day 234]:~ The Long Shot

~:[CH2 - Day 234]:~ The Long Shot

I'm definitely not as good in pool as I once was, when the pool table in my backyard was constantly being used. Day after day I would practice and master all the angles of the table. As I look at it from another angle, the distance between the ball and its ultimate goal is a long shot. The chances of success are not high and your end result could end up in failure a lot more times than in success. I guess tonight was a metaphor for my life. There will be days when you feel masterful, others when you feel rusty or like a failure, however, when push comes to shove, will you rise up against all the obstacles that face you? My athletes faced the heat today and they had to ask themselves the same question. Regardless, as I took my shot, at least I knew that I was in the company of a good friend who I know will always be there to make sure that my odds of success are much higher, as I will be there as well!

~:[CH2 - Day 233]:~ Miles and Miles

~:[CH2 - Day 233]:~ Miles and Miles

It's takes someone brave enough to pave a path but also takes others who are willing to carry on to make these one-time events into traditions. While timing may have made this into a smaller group, we still had a solid group of athletes and alumni who made it to the beach in back in pretty good time. I remember the first year, going twenty miles was tough, but to go almost forty miles, is quite the workout and quite an accomplishment. As usual, we enjoyed our Ruby's lunch, some volleyball while others swam or slept (like me), and then lounged at the park or the Nishis. Inspired, I headed to Ralph's afterwards, picked up some food and made spicy chicken and Dole Whip. I need some work on the spicy chicken, but the Dole Whip, was AMAZING. Bring a cup to my house and I'll scoop you some, muhahahaha! The one question ... who knows who the original CXC bike ride trailblazers are??? I do :)

~:[CH2 - Day 232]:~ Growing Up

~:[CH2 - Day 232]:~ Growing Up

Nala keeps growing up day by day and like children, we all do the same. It has been great to see growth all around me. With my family, my friends and my team. Our workout in the morning showed some growth among many of the team members and just seeing Nala and Makoa play was great, watching them grow before my eyes. I escaped during the day to grab lunch with a few friends and the ramen was just what the doctor ordered, along with a great nap afterwards. We're all going to continue to grow, we just have to decide how we are going to do it.

~:[CH2 - Day 231]:~ A Bouquet

~:[CH2 - Day 231]:~ A Bouquet

A visit to Forest Lawn was on the menu today and as usual, we found an array of flowers to place graveside. It's always so peaceful and cool and it makes you wonder if it was on accident or not. I enjoy just sitting there, thinking and talking knowing that no one may answer your verbally, but you know someone is listening. Just prior, I grabbed some lunch from Yoshinoya with a friend and some milk tea after with another. The early morning run was also a good way to start the day and was one of our most successful yet. Life is like that bouquet of flowers we left behind, a mix of many different things, but becoming one beautiful arrangement. RNR <3 br="">

~:[CH2 - Day 230]:~ In the Heavens

~:[CH2 - Day 230]:~ In the Heavens

I, like many others, have long believes that there are those who look down on us from heaven. While they may not be able to control us like a puppet, they have the ability to provide us comfort and to make us feel as if we can overcome any obstacle that comes our way. I felt like that today and I found comfort as I transitioned from the rain and stormy thunderstorm-stricken areas and ended up with blue skys and beautiful puffy clouds in the air. Today will never be an easy day for me, however, it's moments like these that change those tough moments into moments when you become inspired to do something greater. Never leave something on the back burner as you never know when you'll lose the opportunity to say what you need and want to say.

~:[CH2 - Day 229]:~ Storms on the Horizon

~:[CH2 - Day 229]:~ Storms on the Horizon

It was a stormy day. There were dark clouds in the morning and the day heated up early, not what we had hoped for the morning but in the end, we got through the workout and I was able to get ready to leave for Vegas. A short trip that had changed, the signs continued to show signs of storms as thunderstorms raged on with little rain but much sand blowing around. The traffic backed up and turned a 3.5 hour drive into an eight hour drive. We did not have enough time to eat at Bacchanals but found good food anyway. Then, I started up, nearly balanced out before the rest of our stormy adventure. Who knows what will become of this weekend but I guess we can't always see the rainbows that soar overhead. Sometimes masked in these storms is a lesson or something good we may not see right away but be able to realize and grow because. It was a stormy day but I know there will be rainbows showing themselves soon enough.

~:[CH2 - Day 228]:~ Games Days

~:[CH2 - Day 228]:~ Games Days

Friday is normally game day, but today was more of a game day than normal. After playing footsoccer after our run and holding our team meetings, I went home to watch some little league world series games and also made saltado de pollo soup! I met up with Wesley before he headed to grad school at UPenn and also caught up with Vishal. I headed home to watch another game, this time Japan versus the Czech Republic. After a short nap, I headed to the Angels game, which was one of the worst games I have been to, but we stuck around to watch the fireworks, which was well worth it. We walked out to the sounds of the concert that happened after the fireworks. While the game was terrible, it was worth it ... one, because it was free; two, because of the fireworks and good times with wonderful company.

~:[CH2 - Day 227]:~ The Main Event

~:[CH2 - Day 227]:~ The Main Event

The morning and afternoon focused around our time trials for the day, with the morning crew setting the tone and the afternoon finishing it up. While we have a long way to go to get where we want to be, today there was progress. Our boys smashed the team time record for summer time trials and we had a handful of people who improved by over two minutes from last year in the two mile! The night ended with some hoops and some time to cook up some delicious saltado! Yesterday was the tester but tonight was the main dish. While my sauce wasn't prepared right and ended up a little watery and no so green, it tasted right, which is all that really matters in the end. In any case, I'm beat. Good night :)

~:[CH2 - Day 226]:~ Sauceless Saltado

~:[CH2 - Day 226]:~ Sauceless Saltado

Where's the green sauce? Some of you may have wondered that when you noticed my title being "saltado," however, I went a different route for dinner and ditched the time it took to make it and just served it as is. I used the extra chicken I had and fried it up real quick and it turned out better than expected. While the portion was a little small, it was actually probably a normal sized meal worldwide. Aside from cooking Wednesday, I was able to get a lot accomplished and even crunched the numbers today and caught up on almost all the work I needed to. Fortunately, I have also been able to catch up on some sleep at the expense of my garage though. Soon enough, it will be cleaned!

~:[CH2 - Day 225]:~ Shameless Promotion

~:[CH2 - Day 225]:~ Shameless Promotion

As today was dedicated to a lot of my cross country work, I decided to make today's daily post into a promotion for our annual Great Cow Run and Higashi Roman Memorial Run! We will be hosting our meet again and would love to see many of you out there with us! In the past, we have been able to provide a shirt and medal to all open participants and you'll be able to stick around and support those high school athletes and dream of the days you could run like that! Whether you want to run, walk, support, or advertise, it would be great if you could help us out! Our program could not survive without the support of our alumni, supporters, and the rest of our ohana.

 Donate - http://www.active.com/donations/campaign_public.cfm?key=cxcdons&force_a2=y

Register - http://cerritosxc.weebly.com/uploads/3/1/4/9/3149868/higashiroman_registrationform13.pdf

Register Online (More Expensive due to Fee) - http://www.active.com/running/cerritos-ca/the-great-cow-run-higashi-roman-memorial-run-2013

Sponsor - http://cerritosxc.weebly.com/uploads/3/1/4/9/3149868/sponsorship_letter_long.pdf

Advertise - http://cerritosxc.weebly.com/uploads/3/1/4/9/3149868/advertisements.pdf

~:[CH2 - Day 224]:~ Simply Sweet

~:[CH2 - Day 224]:~ Simply Sweet

It's days like these that you realize that life is simply sweet. While I did not do a whole lot today, just being able to complete the tasks I needed to, made me feel good. Yes, I am still catching up on things and still behind, but still felt good being able to accomplish so much in a single day. I guess since most of my tasks meant that I was getting a refund, it made it that much better. To top it all off, I received a delicious piece of bread from a panaderia and will be getting my replacement phone this week. Hopefully, by the end of the week, I'll be caught up and if I am, it will be a perfect way to end the week :)

POEM: In a Garden (Just a Thought)

~:[CH2 - Day 223]:~ Bon Voyage

~:[CH2 - Day 223]:~ Bon Voyage

While most of my day was dedicated to the post-Mammoth tasks, I took some time out of the day to eat with Dorothy, one of our Mammoth counselors and CHS alumni who flew out from Boston to help us out this year. It was quite amazing to have someone join us for this and glad that we have had such great support! Boiling crab was amazing, despite the fact that it left me with some indigestion and we topped it off with Tastea, which washed down the goodness that was lunch. Unfortunately, I still have a lot to do to clean up from the week, but at least it's back to my normal schedule.

~:[CH2 - Day 222]:~ Extraordinary

~:[CH2 - Day 222]:~ Extraordinary

While this picture was taken last night by the talented Victor Vic, I received it today and couldn't pass on posting this online. The camp itself was an excellent camp and ended up being quite the successful one. Despite the smoke, a big spill by my SLR, a few sick kids and more, we survived with many smiles on the faces of the athletes. Thank you to all the athletes, the alumni who made this happen, and the other adults who have dedicated their time and efforts to ensure the success of the camp. THANK YOU!!!

Photo Credits: Victor Vic

~:[CH2 - Day 221]:~ Experimental Success

~:[CH2 - Day 221]:~ Experimental Success
I played around with a new recipe and ended up with spanish sticky fried rice. It turned out well for a first time dish and tasted even better after the day we had. My three hour run/hike seemed as if it would lead me short of the lake but ultimately I made it! I also did what I love to do best, run downhill. I missed Grace a bit since she was my partner in downhill racing. Afterward, our music videos and karaoke ended up going well. A great end to a great week.

~:[CH2 - Day 220]:~ Our Ohana

~:[CH2 - Day 220]:~ Our Ohana

It was camp competition day and we were dressed in our team gear today. While the competition was fierce, in the end, we came together, understanding that the competition was not as important as time spent together. The morning run on the ridge was an incredible start to the day and the day ended with the boys and girls meeting with their teams, trying to end the night as one. It's always truly a blessing to be apart of this camp and work with not only the athletes, but also the countless numbers of people who volunteer their time and efforts to help. While we may have issues to hash out, at the end of the day, it's worth it for this ohana, which grows every day.

~:[CH2 - Day 219]:~ The View from Here

~:[CH2 - Day 219]:~ The View from Here

It's always great when you make it to the ridge and see all the beauty nature has for you. To be able to enjoy it on a run is even more amazing. Not only was the run enjoyable but we had an athlete do the most mileage on this run ever. Our games went well as we had pretty good unity among this group. However, capping it off with bowling always adds that cherry on top. I almost lost use of my camera as it fell to the ground but luckily only my filter shattered and it still takes pictures, at least for now.

~:[CH2 - Day 218]:~ Just a Few of Us

~:[CH2 - Day 218]:~ Just a Few of Us

A few of us counselors hiked up to the top of Devils Postpile today and took a shot after the athletes did theirs. We were able to get down to the trailhead before they closed it for cars and took our hike down to Rainbow falls, which was amazing as usual. We took some time to rest and prep for the events later that day. The smoke rolled in and kept us for our normal run and we eventually ended up  doing a little work at Shady Rest before eating one of my favorite meals of the week. We got a special bonus with Mrs. Nagayama's soup! We ended the night with skits and our annual game sets. Our condo is not winning yet, but we'll take our best shot in the coming days. *ring ring* .... YELLOW

~:[CH2 - Day 217]:~ Breathtaking

~:[CH2 - Day 217]:~ Breathtaking

It's always amazing to step out of your car and into amazingness. Seeing the beauty that is out in the world is the best and there is so much to explore. Our run went well, our basketball tournament at the park was better, our dinner went very well, and the end of the night was the best so far as we spent it at the Nike Outpost until closing. I knocked out after but it was a sign of a great day.

~:[CH2 - Day 216]:~ Refueling

~:[CH2 - Day 216]:~ Refueling

It was an early morning and a long drive but we eventually made it to Mammoth. Unfortunately the fire in Aspen affected our run because the wind blew in the smoke. We shortened our run and did a little extra work. Afterward we cooked our spaghetti night dinner and had tons of food. In the end, we played some games and ended a great first day of camp.

~:[CH2 - Day 215]:~ Strangely Exciting

~:[CH2 - Day 215]:~ Strangely Exciting

The day went strangely smooth as we prepped for Mammoth. I was packed early, we shopped quickly, we loaded quickly and all. What are we missing? I guess I will find out soon. Hopefully all goes well and I ask that if you do pray, pray for our athletes and counselors while we are on this trip. I am truly blessed to be traveling with such a great group and to have such great people working with me to help me put on this camp! It's finally time, let the magic begin!

~:[CH2 - Day 214]:~ Delusional

~:[CH2 - Day 214]:~ Delusional

A lot of times, these last few days before a big event can be quite crazy and I can get delusional. After the watermelon relay in the morning, I cleaned up my car and headed to Costo. We loaded up four flats worth of DRY food for the trip and racked up a bill of over $1400 for the first day of shopping. When unloading was completed, I began sorting through what I needed to bring and looked at the mountain of things I needed to look through before tomorrow night. I'm going crazy, but at least I'm packed and have one less thing to worry about. Running late, I rushed out of the house and headed to meet Clara! While we did not stay for the performance, we got some QT before the performance and learned a few things too of how all the magic works. I also snapped a quick selfie before we needed to head out to get Kavi back for her performance (I hope you killed it!). Finishing early, I was tempted to go back for the performance, but dealing with over 300 fans in a small store was not too appealing so I headed to the OC Fair and met up with some people. I did another collection of two sock monkeys, two domos, a minion, a pig, a monkey, a frog, a few fish, a duck, and probably a few other things I forgot. The saddest part of the day, however, was when I was playing for a LARGE minion in the water races. I thought I was in the lead and won, but unfortunately, I guess I either tied or lost by a fraction of a second. No LARGE minion, the disappointment of the day! Regardless, my milk tea at the end of the day revived my spirit and how could a day go wrong having hung out with Clara?

~:[CH2 - Day 213]:~ And They're Off

~:[CH2 - Day 213]:~ And They're Off

After a morning time trial, I headed off to make my copies for Mammoth and finalized some paperwork for the trip. Time allowed for me to pick up a few items for Mammoth, as well as grab the watermelons for the relay tomorrow! For lunch, I was able to catch up with Lynda, our dedicated school board member who works tirelessly for our schools! We had our hot and sour soup, salt and pepper fish fillet, Mongolian beef, and beef chow fun. Boy was I full! It was then time for Gahr and our team had a pretty good performance with the girls making big improvements and the boys continuing their solid progress. To end the night, I grabbed some Red Robin, yum! I am so exhausted and tomorrow begins the marathon Mammoth preparation. Here we go!