~:[CH5 - Day 273]:~ In the Spotlight

~:[CH5 - Day 273]:~ In the Spotlight

It's always a challenge to be the one who is in the spotlight, however, when someone successful does it, it's something to be very proud of. In a small intimate setting, I watched in awe, the performance of a friend who showed me his true colors. It was a grand performance and while much different than the rest, it was quite spectacular and something that inspired me to see that you just need to go out there sometimes and not worry about what others may say. In the end, we all ventured out to grab a nice bowl of ramen to warm us up after this performance. It was an exhausting day in the end, but it was all worth it to see a friend own the spotlight.

~:[CH5 - Day 272]:~ Mixed Up Together

~:[CH5 - Day 272]:~ Mixed Up Together

I spent all day prepping for the meet. Just when I think I have a lot of time, it's already time to pack up and go. My car, as usual, was filled to the brim as I headed on my way to school. The temperatures were still pretty warm, but the athletes did a decent job dealing with it all. We didn't have the best of performances as a whole on the day, but it didn't bother me much. It was not a, "I'm not competitive feel," but truly a, we're going to get it type feeling. As much as I can point out of what we need to work on, there were also a number of things that went right. We had a race winner, some solid finishes, the finish line went smoothly, and even had an athlete stop to help her teammate, before finishing her race. All in all, while I know we got some work to do, there was really nothing to be mad or sad about. I know we'll be better in five weeks. I closed out the evening with a delicious dinner at Yojie's before calling it a night. As I sat at home finishing up the paperwork for the meet, I smiled once again, as while it wasn't a great finish, I saw how lucky I was to have such amazing people around me, from my friends and family, to my colleagues, and of course my students and athletes. As while things may go wrong, I know that there is much more to a day than the number of tallies in a win column and the room for growth we have is something that we'll begin working on tomorrow. 

~:[CH5 - Day 271]:~ Let the Good Times Roll

~:[CH5 - Day 271]:~ Let the Good Times Roll

Today was one of those days where so much good was happening that it made it hard to pick a moment of the day to capture. From a successful day in the classroom to a wonderful lunchtime Homecoming Premiere revealing this year's theme, "Let the Good Times Roll," a Mardi Gras theme where we had two of our current cross country athletes make the top 20!. As always, I expect a wonderful display to be created by ASB and their advisors and a great event to follow with the dance. After a solid practice where we solidified our lineups for tomorrow and had a final chat about the race, the coaches headed off to Culver City. It ended up being a great bonding experience with all of us in the car headed to this clinic at the Nike West Headquarters. While I thought we were going to have another guest speaker, we ended up with Olympian Shalane Flanagan and Bowerman Track Club coach Jerry Schumacher. It was great to hear an Olympian and Olympic coach talk and hear their insights, which resembled much of what we were doing, yet still picking up some things we can add. While I missed the raffle number by one number, I was happy to have had this opportunity and even left with a new pair of shoes. As we rolled home, it was fun to be with this group of coaches, which simply topped off a wonderful day as I hope that the good times continue to roll!

~:[CH5 - Day 270]:~ Survival

~:[CH5 - Day 270]:~ Survival

We covered a lot today in class. I wore a black long sleeve button up and it was over 90 degrees. My lip hurt from the canker sore that I had. There was a lot going on and there was a long day ahead, however, the day was about survival. During my break, I was able to finish up a good number of posters for the conference next week, I prepared for the league race, finished up back to school night preparations, and even collected a number of papers I was trying to get organized. The day rolled on. During sixth, I finished up my work and headed to practice. It was tough finishing the workout with the warm temperatures, but most of the athletes hung tough, We finished up and I headed to Back to School Night. There weren't a lot of parents on the night, but as usual, I ran out of time every period except for with my seniors, where I had three parents out of 43 students. The night went by pretty quickly and had a volunteer student who helped me with my slides. I ventured home and grabbed dinner before getting back to work in the air conditioned house. As I thought back on the day, I felt accomplished and while it was a little crazy, it ended up being pretty satisfying. As I said some final words to a friend testing tomorrow, it inspired me to think that there is always hope on the horizon and that good will be waiting for you at the end of the day if you think that way. As I was trying to send positive vibes, I came across a quote I loved. "Not to spoil the ending for you, but everything is going to be okay." There is so much truth to this quote and as I thought about it more, I realized that as upset and stressed as life may get you, with the right mindset, in the end, everything will be A-OK!

~:[CH5 - Day 269]:~ A Little Bit of Luck

~:[CH5 - Day 269]:~ A Little Bit of Luck

It was a weird day as the heat start to rise from the morning as temperatures soared to 107F. It was a little crazy and I knew that we wouldn't be running today. Yes, we could've done a workout, but it was nice to rest some athletes and get our meeting out of the way. Knowing that it would be hot, I stopped off at Ralph's and got some popsicles. As I left, a car, almost hit me as I was already out of my spot and it proceeded to back up. I ended up having to back up to not get hit as I don't think the car ever saw me. There was a car in front of that car trying to park and as she did, the car that almost hit me, slowly rolled forward and never stopped, rolling into her car. It was sad, as it should not have been an accident at all. I left my number and handed out the popsicles, held our meeting, and then headed home. I scratched the lotto tickets I got at the market and ended up winning $50! I guess out of all the bad stuff on the day, it was something that turned the day around. I stopped off to catch up with my friend and then headed home to catch the presidential debate review/reruns and also the end of MNF. Overall, there was a lot going on and I was running around, but as I laid my head down to sleep, I knew, there was just a little bit of luck in the day and while I may not have realized it, a few blessings in disguise planted along the way. 

~:[CH5 - Day 268]:~ Finding Happiness

~:[CH5 - Day 268]:~ Finding Happiness

This morning gave me all kinds of happiness as I had a great sleep, finished all the work I had to do, and then connected with a few people before heading out. It's one of those mornings with a things-cannot-go-wrong direction and the day did not disappoint. After a quick breakfast at home and finishing up work, I headed to TapEx, ran some errands, before heading to Disneyland. For a minute, it felt miserable, as it was HOT! However, the heat drove away crowds from the park, as the lines were manageable. With a stop at the AP pass holder day, two trips through Radiator Springs, another two through California Screamin', Tower of Terror, dinner at Cove Bar for some lobster nachos, Toy Story, Goofy's Sky School, Soarin' and a bag full of prizes from the Boardwalk, it was pretty amazing. The sights and sounds of Disneyland always find a way to make me happy, but already being happy going there, made everything more vibrant and amazing. I was surely tired at the end of the day, but in the end, it's great when you have those days where you can find happiness.

~:[CH5 - Day 267]:~ Finding the Gem

~:[CH5 - Day 267]:~ Finding the Gem 

A lot of times in life, you don't really get what you were hoping for. In a day that we headed to a course that was pretty quick, the race times I was seeing wasn't what I had hoped for. However, while it wasn't the best of race days for a number of people, there were a lot of gems that were hidden through the day as I looked back at the results. From top to bottom, it was a pretty good day and while we didn't come out with all we hoped for, there were a lot of smiling faces and people who left with a sense of accomplishment. I realized how many first racers there were on the day since we had a gap in our race schedule and how they looked as they came down the final stretch. To see them finish was definitely a great sight and while some of them just are getting to three miles in practices, they were able to finish. It won't be a meet where we come back with a boat load of hardware, but as I said before, there's a lot more to this sport than anything physical you gain. The ohana spirit, the growth in confidence and also the physical growth, as well as progress you begin to see are all what are the biggest takeaways from every meet. Not everyone will always see it, but in the end, if you look at it that way, you'll always find the gem in the day.

~:[CH5 - Day 266]:~ Time to Celebrate

~:[CH5 - Day 266]:~ Time to Celebrate

It's always nice when a birthday falls on a team event. It's great to be able to celebrate a birthday especially when that person almost wasn't able to come in the first place. Events such as these are always wonderful and when you see the joy that the team is having, it makes it worth all the effort to gather everything to make it work. We're lucky to have supportive families in our program to make it happen and the athletes to keep it a fun and light environment. It was definitely a day to celebrate, as we survived a crazy week that was so super busy. 

~:[CH5 - Day 265]:~ Blessed

~:[CH5 - Day 265]:~ Blessed

Sometimes you're reminded in life that you're doing good for someone else or someone reminds you that there are people that will always be there for you. I was lucky enough to have one of those moments today. As I think about how blessed I am, I forget about what I do not have and what I have not accomplished and think of all the good that surrounds me. There are those people who always find a way to get you in the right, even when things around you are far from it. As I sat outside of my house this evening, Things will never be perfect, in fact, we'll always be imperfect, but that is what makes life so great. As we struggle in life and we find ourselves in the darkness, we'll also find that we have grown. As we get cornered, as we fall, as we feel as if we'll never find our way, we often find that someone close to us or even our own selves can get us to a place we never thought we'd be again. Yes, the struggles of life are difficult, but we are highly capable of handling these situation and eventually find our way to greater heights that we could have ever imagined. There is a lot of ugliness in this world today, but with the right mindset, we can slowly change ourselves and then begin to change those around us to create an environment where we can all spread our wings and see just how high we can fly. Thanks for the inspiration and for being one who always is a light in my life when I lose my way. 

~:[CH5 - Day 264]:~ A Little Change

~:[CH5 - Day 264]:~ A Little Change

Sometimes changing up the routine is kind of nice. Our training schedule is a bit different, I let myself take nap. I tried a new place to eat. I think in life we're sometimes so afraid of change that we still with the routine and mundane when we have the abilities to do so much more. We have the ability to connect with others, go to places we've never been, eat alone or with a group, and much much more. It will lead to failure, uncomfortable situations, and maybe even the most miserable moments of our lives, but it will also take us to places we never could have imagined ourselves being before. I think my push to challenge my boundaries helped me grow and see the world in a different light than ever before. One that let me enjoy the moments that I struggle and even more, the moments that are memorable. As one of my athletes threw a bunch of change on the counter at TapEx today to pay for her drink, it reminded me that as much of a pain it would be to count all that change, that will be a moment that will last for quite some time. As while it may not always turn out for the best, a little change can shake our world up and help us find who we really are.

~:[CH5 - Day 263]:~ Exhaustion is Real

~:[CH5 - Day 263]:~ Exhaustion is Real

Getting in past midnight is not a good idea when you have to work in the morning. Financially, it was for the best, but it definitely left a difficult task ahead of us for the rest of the day. I was beat and I made sure that our workout was not too strenuous knowing that the athletes would not be ready for anything too intense. I made it through the school day, used a milk tea to give me energy so that I could make it to the end of the day. I survived. I ended in the weight room lounging around with a pile of work to do but no motivation to do it. I still did a bit before retreating to Sweetee Thai to grab dinner and then back home to finish up. In the end, the day wasn't too bad, but my body is slowly rebelling and I hope that I am ready to fight that battle. Some days you're ready for it, others, you just wave the white flag and call it a day. 

~:[CH5 - Day 262]:~ Saying Goodbye

~:[CH5 - Day 262]:~ Saying Goodbye

It was time to say goodbye to paradise. We woke up early in the morning and headed to the beach. I left a little later so I could pack, but still managed to get down there by 8am. The team enjoyed the surf one last time before grabbing some food, relaxing, packing and then heading off. It's amazing how fast time flies and in the time we had, we did a lot. It was nice for it to slow down in the end, as my body probably couldn't have taken much more. I enjoyed my last stop at the musubi cafe, packed up our stuff and headed to the airport. We relaxed before getting on the plane and finishing our flight home. We lost three hours in the process, but the day still seemed long. As I arrived, I was greeted with a number of great messages, but none more satisfying than the fact that The Toast was finally posted. I was so amazed at the wonderful work that the team put in to create such a production and glad that it came out as fabulous as it did. I was glad to have a hand in the production and also have one of my hands in one of the scenes. Overjoyed with the video, on the way home I couldn't help but think that this trip, as do many other events in life, deserve a toast as while things may not go perfectly, it is another moment that we need not forget to celebrate. So let's raise our glasses to toast to this moment and to many more great moments to come. 

~:[CH5 - Day 261]:~ Complete Wipeout

~:[CH5 - Day 261]:~ Complete Wipeout

The good thing about having a full day is that you do a lot in the time you have. The bad? You're beat at the end of the day. We woke up early to head to Koko Head Marina to do water sports. From banana boating to bumper tube to parasailing and wake boarding, it was pretty exhausting. My arms felt like they were about to fall off. Falling off was a common thing for most everyone as we wiped out a number of times. After, I grabbed lunch with my friend from college, Jess. It was so wonderful to see her and glad that in her busy schedule, she was able to fit me in. It's always so surreal to see someone and how much life has changed for us all. Regardless, she still has the same amazing personality and is still using the MUN skills that I gave her in college when I forced her to take my class (she said I could take credit for it, but it's really not true - she's a natural). We ended up switching our hike since a few didn't have shoes and some were tired. We stopped off at the lighthouse and got a great view before heading down the opposite trail and hitting the cove. It was great to see the waves crashing down from the protected cove. It's incredible how strong nature is and being there shows just how strong it can be. We ventured back and stopped at Rainbow Drive Inn and Leonard's before letting the team spend the night in Waikiki. Overall is was a great trip and with a half day left, the sadness is already setting in, as soon, we'll be leaving paradise.

~:[CH5 - Day 260]:~ The Waves of the Day

~:[CH5 - Day 260]:~ The Waves of the Day

The waves came crashing ashore as we took our team pictures at Kualoa as the weather was a little stormy, however, we didn't allow that to ruin our shoot and our day as we made the most of it. We woke up early to go to Aloha Stadium to shop the morning away. It's always great to get a deal and I got a number of them through the different vendors. After stopping off at the mall, we headed to the course. I was a little concerned because the waves were all the way to the shore and while we didn't get the spot we normally do, we got a lot of great shots of the team, but not before the wave got my shoe all wet. Boo. The course at Iolani is always a challenge. The mud and the humidity combined to make it difficult. While we didn't have our full squad or even a fully healthy squad, we did end up having some solid performances which will help us greatly league. Our team swapped shirts with the local teams, talked to them, and just enjoyed the time we had, which, along with the race, is the point of the trip. In the end, everyone seemed happy as we headed back towards Waikiki. We lucked out as the Ho'oleaule'a festival was on the same day, as a number of vendors lined the streets of Waikiki. However, the lines were long and the street was crowded, so we ventured away from the street. I walked through the new International Marketplace and was disappointed in the development as the Hawaiian feel was gone, replaced with a commercial type setting, which could have been found just down the street. Instead, they took out almost all that was great about the marketplace. I grabbed dinner with my mom and a Korean restaurant before heading back to the hotel. As I thought back on the day, you think about all that you can do in a day, like the amount of waves that come crashing along the shores of Hawaii. 

~:[CH5 - Day 259]:~ Cruising in the Morning

~:[CH5 - Day 259]:~ Cruising in the Morning

We got up early on a busy day. We jogged out to Diamond Head and enjoyed a light workout before the race.It's always an enjoyable run as the athletes get to see everything around and on the run we saw a few teams. After picking up some musubi, we headed through North Shore. We stopped at Dole Plantation and Matsumotos before we snorkeled at Shark's Cove. The rain was a bit of a pain, but we were able to deal with it as the athletes searched through the waters and saw some fish and even an eel. We stopped off at Giovannis before heading through traffic back to the hotel. We had our obstacles as we headed to Paradise Cove, however, the site worked with us and let us in after their admittance time. In the end, it all came together as the athletes enjoyed the luau and some of them even got on stage and danced the night away. It was an exhausting day, but when we are limited on time, we're going to do as much as we can in the time that we have. It was a busy day, but it was a busy day in paradise. 

~:[CH5 - Day 258]:~Anticipating the Adventure

~:[CH5 - Day 258]:~Anticipating the Adventure

Some would call it a day off, but I worked harder today than I would have had I been at school. As I finished up all the necessary paperwork and got everything together for school, practice while I'm gone and for the trip. I just had enough time. It was a little crazy, but I was anticipating the trip and was excited to head off. After getting everything together, we rolled out to LAX and had a pretty smooth ride until we arrived at the airport. Our check in was one of the smoothest ever and the flight wasn't too bad. The flight attendant tried to set me up with her daughter until she realized that I was not in college, haha. It's okay, I guess I take it as a compliment and while it didn't seem like she'd be pleasant, she was awesome and treated our kids so well! She even gave them wings and I left smiling because of her, even though her daughter went to Mira Costa. Haha, jkjk. Aside from a lady who was too sensitive with movement behind her and noise, it was a great trip. We arrived early, got our vans upgraded, and enjoyed a nice dinner while it rained, which stopped when we walked outside. I am exhausted and we have yet to explore paradise, but tomorrow's a new day and there is a big adventure ahead. 

~:[CH5 - Day 257]:~ Cotton Candy Sky

~:[CH5 - Day 257]:~ Cotton Candy Sky

You look up and you know there is something greater at work. No, things are not always going to work out right and no, you're not always going to make the right decision. In the end, however, you'll see and understand the greater purpose of somethings, while in others, you may never know and just have to believe. As the chaos of getting ready for the the trip started to set in, the dominoes weren't necessarily falling in my favor, but I didn't care much. Not because I've given up, but because, I know in the end, there is a reason for it to be. As I looked up to the sky, I was in awe at the beauty above me and while the storm loomed overhead, it did not bother me, as I saw the purpose in it as well and in the end, it created this beautiful cotton candy sky that was oh so beautiful. 

~:[CH5 - Day 256]:~ Like a Box of Pizza

~:[CH5 - Day 256]:~ Like a Box of Pizza

Life is like a box of pizza, sometimes you know exactly what you're going to get. As I picked my toppings for my pizza, I began to think that as I lived my crazy day from 7am to midnight, that I knew exactly what I was getting myself into. I picked all my toppings and because of that, I was left with this pile in front of me and did not know what to expect. When I finally bit into my pizza, I smiled. As while it may seem crazy, the smorgasbord of toppings in front of me, seemed to somehow mesh together. From the MUN lessons to econ to the food run to the post-run work and finishing off with a movie; it all just seemed to work. I often get asked why or how I do so much and interestingly enough, this pizza sums it up. I look forward to piling it on and while at times it gets stressful and the white hairs begin to pile up, at the end of the day, it just works. There are moments you want to hang it all up, but then I think, what would I do with my time. Would I be left with a topping-less pizza?Who knows what the future holds, but right now, I do know what I like on my pizza and that's exactly how my life is going to be - a smorgasbord. 

~:[CH5 - Day 255]:~ To Exhaustion

~:[CH5 - Day 255]:~ To Exhaustion

You'll often find students or athletes who complain when they don't get what they want. Often, they don't do what they need to do to get it and still expect to get what they want. What they often fail to see is the extra work that people put in to get that extra mile. I have a number of athletes who put in time beyond practice and often beg me to spend more time around so they can get more work in. I love that and in many cases, I try to stick around. When looking at my own life, I have to ensure that when I want something, before I raise my voice, I have to make sure I take action. As I cannot ask for something, if it has not been earned. I have to make decisions on where to put my time, but that also means, that I have to sacrifice something if I take time and focus away from it. Simply, that's opportunity cost. Similarly, I hope that the young people of the world see that to be the case. You can't always get everything you want especially if you're putting in 50-60-70-80% of what others are putting in. The rewards come when the work is put in. While in some cases, you can be overlooked, in many cases, sometimes, we don't see all the work that those around us are putting in. Seeing it among my students and athletes, made it something I realized in my own life and will be something I remember. It's time to get back to working to exhaustion so I can get to where I hope to go.

~:[CH5 - Day 254]:~ To Soar

~:[CH5 - Day 254]:~ To Soar

I woke up early and cooked breakfast. Without anything to mix the eggs in, I ended up making a scramble instead of an omelette. We had a full breakfast with bacon, fruit, and of course, veggies. With cooler weather in the morning, we decided to take a walk down by the lake. The lake dried up significantly and so we had to walk a ways from the "waterfront" campsite to get to where we wanted to go. Eventually, we made it. The vultures wandered around and as I saw a few of them lift off, I thought, how would it feel like to soar like them and to get a birds-eye view of the world below. I guess it's easy to think of the world from someone else's perspective and I find myself wondering that a lot. After a few funny moments, we ventured back, cleaned up and grabbed lunch at the pier. It was nice to be in the area despite the fact that it was crazy trying to find parking. In the end, we finished up our adventure and headed through traffic. Allen rode home from Manhattan Beach and I stopped at TapEx before getting to work on a few things I had to do before tomorrow. As I thought back on the trip, as short as it was, it still was worthwhile and meaningful. From the experience of it all, the memories it brought back, and the quality time I had, I didn't need the bird's eye view to see that this is one of those moments I'll treasure forever. As while my wingspan will never carry me up, up and away, it doesn't mean that I'll never reach the heights I hope to reach one day. On a day that we remember 9/11 we're reminded that there are moments that drag us to the ground as others try to keep us grounded through many different means, but with time and perseverance, even after all the obstacles that we face, we'll find that we will soar to even greater heights than we've ever been before.

~:[CH5 - Day 253]:~ The Escape

~:[CH5 - Day 253]:~ The Escape

Today, I normally would be prepping for a race, however, with the move to division 3, the race was last night and I got to head up to Santa Barbara. After a beautiful drive, I stopped off for lunch and caught up with a few people before heading to Cachuma Lake for a relaxing weekend. It was weird having no agenda and nothing that needed to be done. I had no activities plan but to wander, cook, and relax and that's exactly what I did. I was connected to the world a bit as I still got reception, however, in the end, it felt just like the sunset. I was away from it all with nothing to worry about. While the lake water was low, I still enjoyed the beauty of the area and nature. I don't camp too well, so yes, I had a glamping style setup as we ate pork chops topped with eggs and bacon. We laid down chatting into the night and the fatigue set in as responses became jumbled. What did I do today? Not much, but in the end, that is exactly what I had on the schedule.

~:[CH5 - Day 252]:~ The Next Generation

~:[CH5 - Day 252]:~ The Next Generation

Every year, we always wonder, what is the next generation of athletes going to look like. It's funny to think about how fast they grow us, as I remember when the seniors were freshmen so many moons ago. Regardless, it's fun to think about how the team will look down the road. The day itself was cooler than expected as and it helped with a good night of racing. We started out with a solid freshman girls race with a few surprised followed up with two medals in the frosh boys race including the race winner. Overall, we had a number of medals and PRs as the athletes raced into the evening. This group did a great job of breaking down the camp and gave me hope that the future is bright for this team. While there is still a lot of work to do, they're headed in the right direction. We have a very young team, but that also means we have a lot of room for improvement so we'll see what the future holds for this crew. The lights stayed at Rosemead this year, but as the night went on the performances were lights out which made for a happy bus ride home. I finished the night at TapEx exhausted but happy and excited for next week to come already so we can get back to work again.

~:[CH5 - Day 251]:~ Another Year Gone By

~:[CH5 - Day 251]:~ Another Year Gone By

It's amazing that another year has come. As they say, the more things change, the more they stay the same and I believe that the same has kind of been true while working here. The people around me have changed, the students are different, but things are pretty similar to how they were before. I don't like to fall into a routine, but it seems like year after year, I have a process that while different each year, ends up being so similar to the last. Today was my relaxation day between the two meets we have this week, which is the third in seven days. I am not sure how I planned this, but it just ended up being this way. I think I am used to district falling on next Wednesday. In any case, while I got a lot of work done including finally posting some photos, it's still feels like a whirlwind. I'm sure that in the end, it will end up similar than in previous years, however, as of now, I'm ready for everything. 

~:[CH5 - Day 250]:~ It's the Start

~:[CH5 - Day 250]:~ It's the Start

It's always difficult, because I haven't put a lot of weight on the front end of the season. To prepare athletes for a championship in the first week of racing is quite the challenge, but we do have our athletes as best prepared as possible. Regardless, our athletes battled hard and while we have a lot of athletes who simply need more experience in racing, I like this group of athletes who push their limits and try to get through despite any obstacles they will face. It is because of this that I know we will be okay in the end. While it was a crazy day and trying to balance having a fifth period and getting prepared for a race, I made it on time to the gate and headed over to the park. We had a number of solid performances on a slow course, but it's a little difficult to tell where we stand, as we cannot look at last year's results as a gauge (it was run on a short rain course). Regardless, I left the day relieved that we survived through it and ready to start working on getting this group prepared for November. While we did not get the results we hoped for, I have to keep reminding myself, it's just the start. We have people to get healthy, work to do, and over two months of season left. There were a lot of good surprises to start and I know that is a sign of good things to come. Here we go!

~:[CH5 - Day 249]:~ Those We Meet

~:[CH5 - Day 249]:~ Those We Meet

Sometimes we come across people who may not appeal to us at first. However, when we truly get to discover the story behind them, you tend to grow with them. Sometimes it takes longer than others. It's always interesting to see how this is the case in my life. Sometime it just takes some time before I warm up to someone, sometimes, I may never do so. Regardless, sometimes you'll always remember some of those you meet, simply because they stood out in some way. I guess the fact of the matter is, treat everyone as if one day you'll warm up to them. If you don't, things will simply drift off, but by making that connection, you really never know what the future will hold.

~:[CH5 - Day 248]:~ Simply This

~:[CH5 - Day 248]:~ Simply This

Sometimes you realize that too many things in life are about making it big and showy. While in reality, it's the small things that often go unnoticed that should be most prized. It's the person who hangs out in the shadows versus the one who is in the spotlight saying "look at me." It's often hard to figure it all out. Life is complicated, but in reality, it is also quite simple. As I looked around practice, the gentle interactions between people seemed to matter. The simple fact of being together for brunch, mattered even more. Similarly, the rest of the day saw the same, from a nap, to a gesture, to quality time, perfect timing, relaxation, a gentle breeze, a laugh, or even the pleasure of something delicious. As while there was cause for celebration, in the simplicity of it all is where the greatest happiness was found. One day, life will show us a lot more than we see now, but until then, let's not forget that the smaller things matter and while we may look towards the spotlight, sometimes in the simplicity of the shadows hides what we were looking for all of our life.

~:[CH5 - Day 247]:~ Doing Big Things

~:[CH5 - Day 247]:~ Doing Big Things

It's pretty incredible when people around you do incredible things. Why? Not only can you congratulate them, but it pushes you to do more as well. Allen biked all the way from the Bay area back home. When I heard he was doing it, I just kept thinking, he is crazy. Regardless, I knew he could do it. I was so happy that he came home a day early and knowing that he'd be tired and hungry, I shared my mom's birthday dinner that I cooked with him! It worked out perfectly. While most of my day was being ordinary - cleaning, cooking, and working, it was great to have an extraordinary moment, even though it was not mine. It's been awhile since I've seen Allen, so it definitely was a blessing of a day and can't wait for the next big thing!

~:[CH5 - Day 246]:~ Cow Can Someone Be So Lucky?

~:[CH5 - Day 246]:~ Cow Can Someone Be So Lucky?

Some people say I'm lucky because I win on scratchers fairly regularly. I don't win a lot, but fairly often. However, when you host events such as today's Great Cow Run, you begin to realize just how lucky you are. While it may have looked grim when I first started collecting volunteers, individual after individual continued to step up and volunteer for the race. Not only did they show up, they actually were all ready and prepared to step up and do what was necessary to make it all work out. My more experienced volunteers took the lead on a lot of things and while I had a packet of instructions for those working, in the end, I didn't pass out a single sheet of paper. When I couldn't instruct some on what to do, they were able to figure it out and get it going. As I looked around, I began to see how lucky I really was. The athletes will eventually become independent and it's being around people like this that give me confidence that they will continue the trend of growing up like all those who lent their helping hand today. It was by far our largest race ever and also one of our smoothest, with the few glitches we had being out of our hands. We ventured to lunch afterwards and that is when I actually saw it the most. We had the most people helping clean up all the way through the end and because of that, I celebrated the end of the day with them all - a mix of athletes, alumni (both young and old), coaches, parents, and supporters who got dragged in. I smiled a lot inside and despite being exhausted, I felt like I had won the lottery. There were a lot of memorable moments on the day and after a stop at Tpumps, I got to soak it all in. I hit the jackpot and the prize is something no amount of money could buy. 

~:[CH5 - Day 245]:~ Before the Dusk

~:[CH5 - Day 245]:~ Before the Dusk

The sneak peek assembly often leads us into the sneak peek for our team as well, however, I wasn't quite ready when at the assembly, Mr. Walker started talking about our team. It wasn't great just because he was talking about our team, but symbolic of how he has really embraced such a variety of activities. It was a great motivator for the long day. As I headed out to the park to get setup, I was so surprised to see almost twenty people show up to help setup. What a record! We finished before dusk, which never happens and it was all thanks to all the people who helped out. It was definitely a day when I was happy, as I truly felt blessed. While all the prep got me exhausted, I am excited to get the event done and complete, as while I enjoy the race, I hate all the components that comes with it. Regardless, I am excited for the race, despite the fact that we will be sitting a few athletes. XC 2016, here we come!

~:[CH5 - Day 244]:~ It's All About This

~:[CH5 - Day 244]:~ It's All About This

We may never be a school where we get loads of athletes year after year who come into the school thinking that they are going to be runners. We do get one from time to time, however, most of our athletes never really envision themselves as a runner when they join. However, that is just it. We want to be competitive, but the team has also allowed us to welcome people from all over to join us in our adventure. The trophies, the medals, and the time are the focus of teams, but the smiles, the laughter and the memories are the focus of a program. As at the end of the day it's about the memories that are created and what you contributed to creating something special. Some people will never understand it, but for those brave enough to give it a try, for those dedicated and driven enough to stick with it, and for those open enough to connect with those around you, this becomes something that will stick with you for many years forward, if not for the rest of your life. As I finished the night wrapping up all the Cow Run work, exhausted as ever, I couldn't help but smile at this photo, as it captured so much of what this program is all about. My hope is that the future is bright for these athletes and the rest of the team, as with every passing day, another great memory is created.