~:[CH4 - Day 304]:~ Simply Magical

~:[CH4 - Day 304]:~ Simply Magical

I woke up in the morning and quickly packed. I ended up running a little late, but finally got out of town. I had a quick stop in Barstow before heading on the road. The drive was smooth until the final 1/4 of the drive where there was a small accident, then another accident that slowed down traffic as a truck loaded with cars veered off the road. They ended up blocking two lanes as they tried to tow it back onto the road. At the hotel, I cashed in my tickets, made some new bets and then headed out. I ended up getting tickets to Mystere before stopping at the Coca-Cola store and the Pawn Star Store. I headed to TI in order to grab a quick bite and to watch Mystere. It was so amazing and I loved watching all the acrobatics and the humor that came along with it. Sitting in the second row, it was such an amazing view! After, I headed to Monta Ramen and met up with JJ. After a delicious dinner, we hit up the bowling alley and enjoyed the rest of the evening playing cards. It was a fun and full day and definitely worth the drive, even on Halloween.

~:[CH4 - Day 303]:~ The First Step

~:[CH4 - Day 303]:~ The First Step

It was a late night so getting up in the morning after an emotional evening was not easy, but I did. I felt the fatigue, but tried my best to get through it. I dressed in my Hufflepuff outfit with Apple Jack in her Harry Potter costume as we headed to Arcadia for the Apache Invitational. We had a number of  great performances on the day and I even suck in a nap in during the break. While we had a minimal squad, it made it nice to manage and was a pretty easy day. I knocked out on the bus as we hit a load of traffic, but it was nice to get some rest even if it took awhile to get home. We ended up at Pho Tasty for dinner and when I got home I knocked out. It was a long day but I am glad that I made it through. 

~:[CH4 - Day 302]:~ Every Breath

~:[CH4 - Day 302]:~ Every Breath

 When we have a bad day, we often hope for that day to be over; however it's in times like these that you realize how important every breath you take is. I was lucky enough to be bedside to say goodbye to my uncle as he fought for his last breath. You could see the fight in him trying to take another but ultimately lost his battle this evening. I will carry so many memories of him with me from the Polaroid pictures to the Sunday dinners to his love for the Dodgers, Okinawan dancing, and just being around people and giving all of himself to them. As he struggled for each breath, it made me think of all those I hold dear and while I have had posts like this in the past, I realized even more so that life is so precious and no matter how bad our day is going, we should realize that we are lucky to have each and every breath. Tonight was a struggle, but I am comforted that I have had so many memories with my uncle and that I have many more breaths to spend with all those I hold dear. I love you uncle and I love you all.

~:[CH4 - Day 301]:~ Interconnected

~:[CH4 - Day 301]:~ Interconnected

Family circles is one of my favorite days of the year. While the workout is normal, they get an opportunity to make the most of their bonding time as they scarf down tacos at the same time. While not everyone gets as involved as I would like, it still was definitely a great experience that makes me enjoy this sport. When athletes who may have never known each other before the season get along and feel comfortable around each other, you know it's been a good run. It was definitely a busy day though as for lunch, I met up with Isaac at pho tasty and finished the day doing some work with econ in Los Angeles. I was exhausted from a long day, but honestly, I don't care as long as it was a productive one. 

~:[CH4 - Day 300]:~ Filled to the Top

~:[CH4 - Day 300]:~ Filled to the Top

It was an exhausting day. After listening to discussions on the Convention of the Rights of a Child, I headed to Northern Cafe to fulfill my quote of spicy chicken. They had a deal on milk tea, so I agreed. It was the wrong decision. The milk tea was terrible and I took a sip and ended up tossing the rest. I got some work done, but then headed back to school for intervals. It was a decent workout and while not our best, it was successful including my two intervals. On the day, only three people (two athletes) beat me, so I was happy! We took our normal venture out to Tpumps and picked up a bunch of orders. It was nice to have them pre-ordered so the process was much faster. I hoped it would be less crowded, but not surprised that it was crowded. As I headed home, I ended up dropping off a drink which made me think, maybe I should visit someone. I stopped at Isaac's so we could chat a bit, which was a nice catch up session. I had plans after so I headed out and stopped at Cha2o, which ended up at Bakers and Baristas but finished at the sushi place next door. I was the only one eating, but they gave us two plates of salmon on the house! Awesome! Overall, it was an amazing night but I just want to get to sleep. 

~:[CH4 - Day 299]:~ Work in Progress

~:[CH4 - Day 299]:~ Work in Progress

I've had a lot of projects in my life and organizing my office at home has been one of my biggest ones that keeps getting delayed. I'm getting pretty close now. As I worked through the room, I found myself completing my travel area (for now) with my folders for every location that I have information on! It's sorted by continents, countries, regions, and even cities! I've also thrown away so much stuff and got my tapes ready and organized to sort and/or throw away, depending on what is on them. I am pretty proud that I've made progress. I've also been working on a few other things including just catching up with people and meeting new people. I've also had pretty good success here as well. As I thought about it more, while I already knew this, I realize how much our life circles around works in progress. Our lives will never truly be complete and we will always be working on something  until our time is up. Keep working at all these projects as while you may not get all of them done, if you work hard, you'll definitely look back and be proud of all that you accomplished.

~:[CH4 - Day 298]:~ Stages of Life

~:[CH4 - Day 298]:~ Stages of Life

It's interesting to see the stages of life develop in front of your eyes. I remember hearing about Wesley and Nancy when they were at UCLA and while Wesley is someone I can imagine with many people, when I finally met Nancy, I could tell they would be a great pair. It was wonderful to celebrate their engagement and boy was it quite the event! The food was fabulous which included grilled lobsters for anyone who wanted one. The photo puzzle game was fun and while I had to leave before I found my match, I still enjoyed the day. I headed out to the Huntington Library and enjoyed the second half of the day soaking in the beautiful gardens. It's always fun and relaxing to go to there and I enjoying snapping a few photos, chatting and just experiencing it all. I definitely had a great time at the Huntington! Dinner was a great topper to the day, as was getting another step closer to cleaning up my room. I was a little tired from the day, but ready for this upcoming week! 

~:[CH4 - Day 297]:~ Frozen in Time

~:[CH4 - Day 297]:~ Frozen in Time

It was quite the amazing setup. After spending the day at Mt. SAC and facing back-to-back races, I headed to the gym to snap photos of the amazing homecoming setup that truly was a scene out of frozen. The gym was so professionally done and the students were in awe of its amazingness. They danced the night away and some sang the night away at karaoke in the west gym. Since I had just gotten back from the meet, I was still wearing my XC coaching polo and shorts. I felt undressed but I was there to snap some photos. I grabbed dinner at TapEx before sitting down for the basketball fantasy draft. Mt. SAC seemed a bit small and I know it was because a lot of the teams ventured to Riverside. We ran and had a few athletes run some solid races, but it didn't have the same feel as the course was not as crowded as usual. I still enjoyed the day with my team and hope that we can focus on our prep for league finals. Tonight was a great night, a full day, and definitely another moment, I will freeze in my mind. 

~:[CH4 - Day 296]:~ Crowning of a Queen

~:[CH4 - Day 296]:~ Crowning of a Queen

The day itself went well as my classes seemed to blaze through the Globalization debate. My fourth period did it best, as they were sad that that period ended and not a single person was cleaning up when the bell rang, as they wanted to continue on despite the fact that the period was over. I stopped by my sisters classroom to give her most of her birthday gift! I was already inspired for the day and this got me even more excited! It's always a joy to celebrate her birthday during school!  Practice was a breeze and nice with a quick stop at TapEx. I got a little bit of work done before I headed out to the football game. We scored on an interception early and drove towards the goal line on a few more possessions down the stretch, but ultimately, we did not come out on top. However, the students cheered their hearts out, as we ended the night with a new homecoming queen to our frosted affair, Madyson! The fireworks display was amazing and it was great to see the beautiful set and script! It was definitely a great night, but I am tired and ready to get some rest and just chill! 

~:[CH4 - Day 295]:~ When You Find Good People, Hold on to Them

~:[CH4 - Day 295]:~ When You Find Good People, Hold on to Them

I've known this girl for way too long. We've been to dances together, MUN conference, waiting to see numerous Toy Stories together, and was lucky enough to be at the happiest day of her life, her wedding day! However, while we have both changes and times have changed, the bond that we share has not. Tonight I realized more than every that friends are worth every minute and every ounce that you share with them. It's always tough because you get busy with work and with life, but in the end, making the time will leave you inspired and ready to take on the world. It's easy to have life-changing moments at a certain point in your life with someone, but when that someone helps guide you to another one, you know that you are blessed and that keeping that person in your life was well worth it. Ultimately, when you find good people in your life, hold on to them and do not let them out of your life. From the smiles, the stories, the inspirational moments and more, I couldn't have asked for a more inspiring night, but it was. My inspiration level was doubled after chatting it up with another friend who is such an incredible inspiration to me. She is so incredible and left me so motivated. The only drawback of this whole evening is that I am so wired, that I am not sure if I can go to sleep or not. Ergo, after an inspirational evening, it's simply a theme of find good solid people who will help you grow, who will raise you up and shout your name, who will walk by your side in the struggles and in the moments of celebration, who will always do their best to make you better, and while they may want success on the road that is ahead of them, they look for the same success for you on your road. When you find people like this, hold on to them, as they will make you into a person that people will want to be around, not because you have money, are famous, or can do something for them, but because you make them a better person and that is why you hold on to them for dear life. Thank you to all the good people in my life.

Share this with a friend who you hold onto!

~:[CH4 - Day 294]:~ What's the Future Look Like?

~:[CH4 - Day 294]:~ What's the Future Look Like?

I cannot sit here and tell you that I know what the future will bring, not even if it's for tomorrow; however, I can say that we can have a role in what our future entails. As today is the Back to the Future II craze day, it just gets you thinking, where are we headed. Yesterday was a reflection on the past, today is a look into the future. Hopefully, this group of athletes can grow together much like I did with my team. I gave the athletes a choice today into which group they would go. I rewarded those who took on the toughest challenge by challenging them to grow closer to their teammates. I guess it will be something I now refer to as speed dating ohana style. The goal is not to strike up a date, but simply to get to know your teammates better. This top group needed a break from running and this gave them the chance plus a chance to go one-on-one and face-to-face with another teammate. The future is going to be filled with technology, but hopefully, we don't lose sight of what is important ... that person that sits across from us. Put down that phone or turn off that computer after you read this and talk to them, give them a hug, or have some type of human interaction with them. Is the only thing we truly need in our future. 

~:[CH4 - Day 293]:~ Reflecting on the Past

~:[CH4 - Day 293]:~ Reflecting on the Past

I stood there looking out thinking about all the memories of years past and thought to myself, there have been many great moments in my life. I cannot wait for what is next. Life is a continuous journey through the ups and downs that it throws at you and it's a game of survival. While there are a number of moments that are struggles, I know that life is definitely defined by the moments you overcome those struggles and all the other amazing and great moments you have alone, with friends, and family. As I ventured through my day, I got to do a little reflection as I caught up at Abricott, which has a very nice interior. I enjoyed the ambiance of the restaurant and will be returning. I also made my normal stop to Tpumps, which definitely completed my day. While I wanted to finish a lot more today, reflecting took a lot out of me, as I fell into a deep slumber. 

~:[CH4 - Day 292]:~ The Beauty in the Storm

~:[CH4 - Day 292]:~ The Beauty in the Storm

I felt a little miserable in the morning on Monday. It was truly an exhausting weekend, yet, as the fatigue lingered, the hope for something wonderful was on the horizon. There was a sense of excitement and the day would not disappoint. Something was strangely good about the day, despite the looming clouds that brought the storm and I couldn't help but see the beauty in the eye of this storm. There was an extra bounce in the step of the runners and I felt the same within my heart. It was strange and indescribable, but I knew that something was different about the day. I ended up driving out to Pasadena after work and grabbed a nice dinner. It was a night full of great conversation as the storms that were once overhead creating a sense of nervousness yielded to the amazing and epic scene developing overhead. When I got home, I was happy and was definitely left comforted. Of course, while there were things I wanted to do, I laid down and listened to the pitter patter of raindrops that fell overhead. It was soothing and in the eye of the storm, I saw nothing but beauty.

~:[CH4 - Day 291]:~ Day-Dreaming

~:[CH4 - Day 291]:~ Day-Dreaming

It was difficult to wake up in the morning, but I did. I could fill the fatigue in every ounce of my body. I made it to school on time and even go to Edison without a nap. I should have taken one. I was falling asleep in the morning, but still managed to work around all the committees. I had my share of delegates who didn't do much or tried to make it seem like they were, but overall, they were working pretty hard. It's fun getting back into it and it was a good way to do so. We ended up with five gavels and a good number of awards. We ended up with the best medium delegation awards, as it was based on the number of delegates we brought to the conference. On the way home, I took a short nap and then stopped at TapEx before getting some work done. Why did I not sleep because I was so tired? Because if I did, nothing would have gotten done today. I finished it all and am planning to sleep in 3, 2, 1 ... BTW, did I tell you about my spontaneous booking? January will be quite the adventure. 

~:[CH4 - Day 290]:~ From the Shadows

~:[CH4 - Day 290]:~ From the Shadows

It was early and I headed to Regional Park. I'm used to this by now, but I was still tired. After setting up at the park, we had mild weather that was about 10 degrees off of what we had last year, but still good conditions considering. While the weather kept us for a super monstrous PR day, we still had 70 season PRs and 49 career PRs on the day. Not too shabby! After the race, we hit up Cho Dangs, which ended up being a good meal. I got a little bit of a break before heading to Portillo's. We scarfed down some good food there before heading to Knott's. It was great at the start as we went the right way to get on a few mazes and a ride, but it did get crowded and made it a challenge to get into anything after that without going over our scheduled time. I ended up winning a basketball on the shootout game! Luckily one of the runners had a bag that could fit it! It was fun scaring people and seeing them in the mazes. We did a quick stop to Albertaco's on the way home and was a good ending to a long night - scratch that, day.

~:[CH4 - Day 289]:~ Just Coolin' Off

~:[CH4 - Day 289]:~ Just Coolin' Off

It was finally Friday! As I walked on campus, it was a great feeling. The clouds rolled on in and despite the humidity, it was a much better day. After getting through the day and even finishing LAIMUN assignments, I ran errands through my breaks and ended up getting most of it done before practice. We hit up TapEx for a food run and I got to spend time drink boba with Karis. She is a little addicted to boba like me but at least we can be pals doing it. We then had a pretty fun potluck full of cards, basketball, board games and video games. It was a pretty good bonding night and I look forward to a super busy weekend!

~:[CH4 - Day 288]:~ Feeling Good

~:[CH4 - Day 288]:~ Feeling Good

I woke up early and got to work right away. I had a lot of work to do today. As I compiled information and made up all the packets, I realized that the time was zooming by. I loaded up my car and before I knew it, it was time to head to the race. I picked up food but brought it to the park to eat, as I had to get to school to see the buses off. We got to the park and setup and to my dismay, there were already issues as the course had changed and there were two sets of markings on the course to confuse the runners. Oh my! Regardless, despite, the leaders of the first three races going the wrong way, things went fairly smoothly with all those issues. Our boys took first in both the races with great packing on the day while our girls ran solid races and ended up in second and third. We wrapped up the meet and left pretty satisfied with how we ran, including faster team times than our last cluster at La Mirada. We grabbed a bite to eat at Monora and aside from Falcons giving the win to the Saints, it was a night to enjoy. I couldn't find enough energy to finish the results but it was all worth it in the end.

~:[CH4 - Day 287]:~ It's The Season

~:[CH4 - Day 287]:~ It's The Season

We had a nice morning as we got to do some work during content day since PSATs were going on. It was a good way to start the busy day. Our classes did skits and while a few struggled, there were a lot of very good and impressive skits. Most of them were able to cover the material very well. As fifth period rolled around, I had to go and grab the coolers to begin moving back to my house. At the same time, I tried to get my lesson plans together for tomorrow since I'll be out for the race. Pweh! At lunch, we had an emergency project which changed my mood and I felt pretty good afterward. Of course, I knew it would be a crazy day, as there were three HC askings during our practice today. One before, one during and one while stretching where our team lined up in an "HC?" formation. After meetings and mental drills, I headed to the TC for college apps sessions which went pretty well. We have a lot of work to do, but still making progress. Since we did it near TapEx, I tried their new shumai and it was pretty good. You should give them a try! I was surprised with dinner from my dad and it was a great way to begin the evening! I ended up working on the newsletter for the rest of the evening and just as I am getting ready for bed, I'm prepping the last of my meet work for tomorrow. There will be a lot to do tomorrow, but I think I'll be able to get it all ready before race time.

~:[CH4 - Day 286]:~ In All Her Majesty

~:[CH4 - Day 286]:~ In All Her Majesty

I looked up into the sky and knew that it would be all okay. While the day went by smoothly, it wasn't perfect like most. There was always something I wish would have happened or could have been changed, but regardless, you go with it. You take the experience and move on. At the end of the day, you appreciate the fact that you have the opportunities that you do. As I peered out into the distance, I thought, my classes were pretty well behaved, I made it through two half-intervals, I got everything done that I needed to and I was breathing and able to see this sight. After a day that I already had Northern Cafe, I headed out to Tpumps and by the time we left, we had collected over twenty drinks. We had great service there as well and we were greeted with a beautiful smile. A smile can truly say a lot and can definitely change how your day is going, especially one that is majestic. We made the drop offs (I sound like a delivery service) and I got home and just sat back and relaxed. I had things to do, but I was exhausted and felt that I just needed to take the time to soak it all in.

~:[CH4 - Day 285]:~ The Journey

~:[CH4 - Day 285]:~ The Journey

This Monday was especially difficult. As I opened my eyes, they would not. It was the most tired I had been in awhile. Regardless, I eventually got up and made my way to work. It was great to review the conference with the class and do evaluations to hear what they had to say. It seemed like the freshmen did pretty well at their first conference. It was nice to have a fancy lunch because of leftovers as I had rattlesnake sausage and calamari. What a combo! I did a lot during my prep periods today as I was running around getting ready for our practice at La Mirada. After copies and TapEx and more odds and ends, I was ready to head out to La Mirada. We got out to the course and no matter how many times I say to watch the ground and don't get hurt, someone always rolls their ankle there. We stopped off at Frostbites to support Chase and while he is an alumni, a lot of people were willing to stop by. I don't remember much after dinner except for the fact that I wanted to sleep and so I did. Every day is a journey and while I didn't go too far today, it still was quite the experience. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

~:[CH4 - Day 284]:~ The Final Act of the Weekend

~:[CH4 - Day 284]:~ The Final Act of the Weekend

I had a chance to sleep in today. I still woke up at 7am. Oh well. I got a little bit of cleaning done; a very little bit of cleaning. I then headed out and started the day off right at EMC. I was so happy that it wasn't too crowded and the food was pretty delicious. Of course, it would have been nicer if the parking lot was labeled better, as I headed the wrong way in the lot. Regardless, I made my way in the right direction. We headed to downtown where we got to see Justin perform in, "In Love and Warcraft." If you have a chance to see it, I would highly recommend it! It runs for another week. In any case, it was hilarious and Justin did quite the amazing job. After wandering around that area for a bit, we headed up to Ahmanson Theater to catch the Sound of Music. It was great and Reverend Mother was AMAZING! Everything started to come back to me as I watch it. After the show, we hit up Wurstkuche before heading back, but in the end, it was a pretty great day and a wonderful way to end the weekend.

~:[CH4 - Day 283]:~ The World in Our Hands

~:[CH4 - Day 283]:~ The World in Our Hands

I had to wake up early to see my cross country team off to Oceanside. I woke up at 4:10am, but went back to sleep, only to be awaken by my telephone. I got to school before they headed out and dropped off some cameras for them to use. I headed home and took another mini-nap before heading back to school for the MUN Conference. It was going to be a scorcher and it made it a little tough. Running around and setting things up was a little crazy as normal, but having some distinguished guests put a little more pressure on. In the end, the conference went smoothly and other than having to re-setup the gym because someone cleaned it up too early and sweating through the awards ceremony, the day went pretty well. A bonus ... my freshman did pretty well at their first conferences with a few top delegates and a lot in the top five! After, I headed to TapEx, but ended up going to Tpumps as well to celebrate the end. I got some work done after coming home, but mostly, found time to relax and simply enjoy the evening. My evening plans got canceled, but ultimately, I made the most of the evening, as while you cannot always control the world, you cannot allow the world to control you. Go out and make this world your own. Today was exhausting, but it was worth every ounce of energy. 

~:[CH4 - Day 282]:~ Far From Frozen

~:[CH4 - Day 282]:~ Far From Frozen

It was a very busy day. I woke up and finished some work for the conference and then headed to school, unloading coolers for the conference. After getting through conference, prep, I headed to the gym for the Top 5 Rally. It was great to see our two cross country athletes represent our program wel with their two cross country escorts! While they did not make the top five, we are so proud to have them representing us. The setup was beautifully designed and was pretty much glowing through the rally. After snapping some pictures, I had to turn my camera over so I could head back to class. During the break, I sent out some of the photos, then grabbed more coolers before heading to school. I took care of a few things, then realized how hot it was getting. As it climbed to 105 with a RealFeel of 110, we ended up canceling practice and having a boba walk for those who wanted to go. It was definitely the opposite of the "frozen" theme that we have for homecoming. We relaxed before heading to potluck. Potluck was pretty fun with the WNBA playoffs, then some smash brothers. The group there was very energetic and seemed to have a pretty good time. They also cleaned up well, which is what I liked best. As I headed home, I unloaded my car into Marcus' as I will be at the conference tomorrow. I am so exhausted, but in the end, I will be glad to get through tomorrow afternoon so I can enjoy this eventful weekend.

~:[CH4 - Day 281]:~ Comfort Foods

~:[CH4 - Day 281]:~ Comfort Foods

It was a day of speeches. It was good to hear my freshman speak as most of the speeches were well organized and had my share of strong speeches. Lunch was a comfort as my Thai-style spaghetti was a treat in itself. I would get worn out from the trip to Costco and Smart & Final to purchase over 1300 drinks for this weekend's conference. Since I had to go during school, I ended up with no help so I definitely got an arm day today. Of course, when coming back to school, I had a sixth period class to help me unload. Sweaty, I ended up stopping at TapEx to cool me down. After finishing up Brookhaven, I headed out to find some time to relax and get comfortable. I did. I enjoyed a wonderful bowl of ramen, some gyoza, chahan, and takoyaki. It was a nice dinner and while I didn't end up at ArtWalk, I still enjoyed the food. I relaxed a bit, did a little work, the enjoyed some gelato before heading back home. In the end, it was a good day and while exhausted, there was a piece of me that felt that comfort of the day that just makes me smile. 

~:[CH4 - Day 280]:~ Another Day, Another Meet

~:[CH4 - Day 280]:~ Another Day, Another Meet

In what technically is our last "hosted" meet, we raced against a much larger group from Downey, Marina and Mayfair. While we normally only have one or two schools, we had a third as all three schools invited confirmed. Regardless, it was a fun day to race despite the fact that the temperatures rose since Monday. While the times were not as fast as we had hoped for, we still managed some good races and the boys were able to take the edge in the varsity division with some nice performances. In the end, it always is nice to race on our hope course with support from various people including the volleyball team who always shows their spirit! Thanks David! The end of the night saw Sweetee Thai before I KOed at home. I was so tired. Regardless, we keep moving on as the count down for the conference this weekend begins!

~:[CH4 - Day 279]:~ The Circle of Life

~:[CH4 - Day 279]:~ The Circle of Life

Ubuntu means, I am because we are and it is our theme for this year. One of the photos that inspired this theme was a group of kids who had their feet together in a circle, as they were all in together, forming this circle of life. Ultimately, it is in unity as an ohana that we will get the farthest and at the very least enjoy the season the most. While I hate picture day a lot, it was a relatively calm one that I could enjoy. Of course, the work I had to do today was pretty enormous and I am pretty tired from the day itself. In the end though, there's nothing that a stop at TPumps can't fix. I ended up there after a long day and got two drinks. My favorite worker was there again and she took a picture with Apple Jack. She didn't even need to ask me my name for my drink, a sign that I go there too much even though it's quite the trek. In any case, I had a load of pictures from today to share and I flooded IG (sorry). It's time to rest, but not before I finish up the last few things that I need to take care of. Yes, the circle of life continues and if we can stick together, we will survive. 

~:[CH4 - Day 278]:~ The Glue

~:[CH4 - Day 278]:~ The Glue

Even when you have a group that has spent a good amount of time together, sometimes you just need some glue who can bring the group back together for some fun. Eric has been that clue. Eric came and visited from the mainland and on his final day in the states, we got back together. While not everyone was there, we had a good showing tonight and it was great to catch up with everyone. Just as we took our first group photo before I had to leave, Gary and Margie showed up to make the picture complete, well that is, except for our photographer Daylan. Regardless, it was a fun night of just eating and chatting. While the food was amazing, I was hoping that Eric would relax a bit and just enjoy the evening, but of course, his food was so good and enjoyed the fact that he wanted to cook. I guess that's the life of a chef. The day itself went along pretty smoothly as we did speeches in class and we ran the home course for practice. The weather was a bit strange, but overall it held up and we made it through without getting wet. I hope for many more glue moments where I can continue to be surrounded by great people in various situations like I was tonight. I am beaming just from this evening and definitely glad that I decided to stop by before heading back to do some work. 

~:[CH4 - Day 277]:~ Our Canvas

~:[CH4 - Day 277]:~ Our Canvas

Every time we begin on a "journey" we are given a blank canvas and it is our choice what we do with it. Do we leave it as is; do we let others help us design; or do we create a masterpiece every time we are presented one? Life will never allow designing our canvas to be easy, however, if we are patient enough, determine enough, and willing to really put in the time and effort, we can make it into that masterpiece we hope for. This weekend, we went in without a plan and of course, a last minute plan turned into another piece of art that I will add to my collection. In the process, I could have easily quit, but we worked together and in the end, we found ourselves in a place where we experienced something beyond words. I've had some incredible journeys but the trials and tribulations, the solid conversation, and the realization of so many things about life, truly made this one special. I entered the mountain hoping for some good pictures, I left knowing I created something that I would never forget for the rest of my life. Situations in our lives may seem hopeless, depressing or simply bland; however, see what you can make of it and while it may not always come out just right, at least you know you gave it a shot before you begin on your next piece of work. Our life will be full of these works, some masterpieces and some that you just shake your head at, but the reality is, both of those should be pieces that you are proud of. Really, I never expected to feel the way I did on the flight home, but in the end, I grew a lot this weekend and found something new in myself that I hope will be a useful tool in the future. I fell out of my comfort zone a number of times this weekend, but in the end, every time I fell, I got back up stronger, knowing that I was capable of more - a lot more. Trust in yourself and know that you have a masterpiece waiting as long as you have the courage to begin working on that blank canvas that sits in front of you. While you may not believe you have the skills to make it into a masterpiece, you may just surprise yourself, so why not give it a shot? Honestly, in the end, you have nothing to lose. 

~:[CH4 - Day 276]:~ Off the Grid

~:[CH4 - Day 276]:~ Off the Grid

I thought flying above the clouds was cool, but to walk about the clouds was something that I wasn't expecting from this mini-trip. We woke up in the morning and headed down to Mt. Rainier National Park. As we headed down, we began to be awed by the natural surrounds including the canopy of trees that let in just the right amount of light combined with the steam that came off the wet road as the heat from the sun hit it. Our theme for the day was, we can't show you in pictures, we can't explain it in words, you just have to be here to truly see the beauty that we are seeing. It was true. There were so many amazing things on this adventure and while it was not what we had planned, it worked out for the best. As we drove, my GPS led us through just the top end of the park. We ended up somewhere else and asked for directions. Later on we realized that we head missed the northeast entrance of the park as we drove all the way down to the southeast entrance of the park. We decided to go to Paradise and it was a pretty good decision. As we ventured further into the park, we were taken off the grid, as our service disappeared and it ended up making the day pretty nice as we were not distracted from the beauty that surrounded us. After enjoying the views at reflection lake and getting the first peek of the clouds, we grabbed a quick bite to eat, which was a good decision, as we ended up hiking for about four hours or so. We ventured up towards Rainier and hiked the base of it. Of course, the glaciers and time would keep us away from anything higher up. Regardless, we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The ride home was a challenge as we had to figure out how to get back. Of course, GPS doesn't work in the park and I didn't download the map before we left. We used our mapping skills to get back to Seattle after winding through the absolutely pitch black forests. We picked a place, but the wait was a little long so we picked another place. After walking around a completely empty Pike's Place, we ended up at a Vietnamese restaurant and going in without expectations ended up being pleasantly surprised that the pho was amazing and the lemongrass chicken wasn't too bad either. Fourteen hours or so later, we ventured back and exhaustingly drop our stuff down, as our stop that we thought would not take the whole day ended up being an amazing full day experience that took us off the grid and into a world that bordered dream and reality.

~:[CH4 - Day 275]:~ Up in Cloud 9

~:[CH4 - Day 275]:~ Up in Cloud 9

The day flew by as I started history after wrapping up the introductory MUN unit. It's the first time I finished before the conference started. After, I hit up TapEx, picked up a few things, then headed to the airport. I thought I would be early, but I ended up arriving just in time. I decided not to eat lunch at the airport but it was probably not the smartest of decisions as I was hungry. I had space on the plane though, so I had a nice flight up. The flight was gorgeous as the skies were spectacular and helped me feel like I was in cloud 9. I can't describe how great I felt as I flew as I knew I'd be on vacation and things have been going pretty well. I landed and picked up my car. I had to pick up someone else who was flying in right after me before I headed over. We ended up eating at a Thai restaurant, however, we discovered it was a vegetarian/pescatarian restaurant. It was still delicious and we enjoyed scarfing it all down. In the end, we ended up researching for tomorrow and just relaxing. A true vacation indeed.

~:[CH4 - Day 274]:~ Off to a Good Start

~:[CH4 - Day 274]:~ Off to a Good Start

The day was dedicated to preparing for the race. I woke up early, did a little reading, and got the paperwork for the race together. It was good to have that time because otherwise, I would have forgotten everything, I stopped by Yoshinoya real quick and then loaded up my car for the day. It takes awhile. We setup and I realized that my power supply had no power. We ended up e-mailing out the results to the coaches instead of paper copies. I guess it was environmentally friendly. We did what we had expected and while we hope for a better performance at the next cluster, I will take it after having almost my whole team sick. After, we headed to Yojies for shabu shabu and it was fun. I enjoyed the evening and the time to get things together before I head off on the trip. I still have to work tomorrow, but I'm definitely ready to head on out of town. It definitely started my "weekend" and October off right.