Livin The Dream

Hawaii was fabulous! I know I went a few weeks ago, but I haven't been able to figure out how to get my pictures off my camera. I was going to wait, but who knows how long that will take! So I'm going to post anyway with the few pics I took on my phone and then I'll post the pics when I figure it out.

Anyways, we started off our trip with a late short flight to Oakland, then spent the night in the airport. That was pretty rough, but we saved a lot of money so it was probably worth it. The flight to Hawaii was nice, I was able to nap a bit and we got some yummy breakfast stuff with guava jelly! it was so yummy I ended up buying a small jar to take home as a souvenir. When we got off the plane the warmth and humidity hit like a wall, it felt so good! My dad's suitcase got lost, ended going up to portland (?!) but we were told it would get there soon.The first day was pretty chill, we basically just slept and ate.

The second day we went to explore the town of Lahaina. We didn't rent a car, so we took the bus then walked about 15 minutes to the town. Lahaina is a pretty cute ocean front town, some really good history and lots of restaurants and shops. We  went to all the historic sites and learned about the town and the culture of hawaii. There was a really cool courtyard with a banyan tree, which is basically multiple trees that are all connected to make one big tree. All the branches were connected in a canopy overhead, it was really cool. I definitely got sunburned that day because I didn't anticipate being in the sun for that long.

The next day we took the road to Hana, which is a really curvy road along the coast with lots of beautiful hawaii scenery. The town of Hana itself isn't anything special, it's all about the journey! Before we even got to "the" road we were driving along the coast and saw a whale! At first it just looked like smoke on the water, which is what it looks like when they come up to breathe. We watched it for a bit, it was pretty far into the cove so we could see it's back and sometimes it's tail when it came up. It was a really cool experience, it made me feel really connected to the whales and their history. The road was absolutely gorgeous! My favorite part was a peninsula off the road. there was a really rocky coastline and the ocean was rough that day, which made it even more beautiful.The waves would break against the rocks and spray up, kindof like the little mermaid. I wish I could share the pictures because I think I got some good ones. We stopped to get some fresh made banana bread at a roadside stand, best decision ever! It was still warm when we got it! After that we stopped at the black sand beach. We walked around for a bit, saw a blowhole, forgot to see the petroglyphs (DUR!) and then headed down to the beach. I wanted to get in, but I didn't want to go by myself (I'm irrationally afraid of sharks...) so I managed to convince my dad to go with me! We went far enough out that we could just float on the waves and do some body surfing. We coaxed my mom in for a bit even though she really doesn't like the water. she didn't get past the wave breaks so she ended up getting knocked on her butt... kindof funny! I did feel bad though so we left soon after that. I was proud of myself because I am pretty nervous about being in the open ocean but I really had a good time! We continued on to the back side of the island where the lava flows are and the landscape is very arid. Then up into the mountains, which looked kindof like home! We ended the day with more whale watching and Panda express.

I can't really remember the rest of the trip day by day, I just kindof went with the flow. But we had a few dinners with the electrical association my dad is part of, ended up talking to some cool people. We went snorkeling, which wasn't that amazing, but I think I might have heard the whales. It was pretty eerie, it just sounded like a deep rushing sound. I though it was just the ocean because it came and went, but I didn't hear it at all after a while. Maybe it wasn't the whales, but I like to think it was them :) don't crush my delusional dreams. One day we got to go stand up paddle boarding, which was an absolute blast! I wanted to try surfing, but it involves being out in the open water more which I was still nervous about. I'm proud to say that I didn't fall once! It was really tiring though, the first few times I stood up my legs shook like a chihuahua and I could only stay up for a few minutes before I had to go back down to my knees. After a while my legs got used to it and I could stay up longer. I loved literally paddling circles around my parents and riding the waves. I wish I could have  gone again because I wanted to go out farther. My mom fell once, couldn't get back on the board without help, then stayed sitting down the rest of the time. My dad fell about 30 times! He doesn't have very good balance so he had a hard time, but it was entertaining for us! It was really cool though because he wouldn't give up and eventually he stood up and didn't fall! perseverance :) We also went to a luau where we watched the great dancers and had the best pork I've ever had.

I'm sure there's stuff I'm missing, but I'll come back and post again if there's anything else! Hopefully I'll be able to post again soon because my life is going pretty good right now and I'd like to share some of my experiences! Here are some pics!

Beautiful waterfall on the way to Hana

Random Marley quote, I thought it was fitting

Learning To Dance In The Rain

Sometimes it seems like everything bad happens all at once. This last week has definitely been like that for me. There's that saying "when it rains, it pours". More like "when it snows, there's an avalanche" lol. I'll try to keep this post from being a major rant, but I'll tell you a bit about what's been going on.

First off, my boy dog Turner is really sick. Long story short, he's been sick a couple times in the last few weeks but we just chalked it up to him eating something. Last Monday my parents took him onto the ER and we almost lost him then, but they were able to stabilize him and get a diagnosis. He has a hemangiosarcoma on his heart, which is a very aggressive cancer. Basically, we are keeping him at home and treating any symptoms that come up. Eventually, the tumor will burst and he will bleed out internally. He's doing pretty well right now, so we are just trying to enjoy the time we have with him. I think the worst part is that while he is nine year old (so technically a senior) we haven't had any problems with him and expected him to live for at least a few more years. I'm definitely going to miss him.

On top of that, I got stuck in a snow storm on my drive back up to school, got locked out of my motel room while trying to get to class, got stuck in a snow drift, my car broke down, and I've had three tests this week. I told you, it's been an avalanche. Just one thing on top of another.

Amazingly, my everlasting optimism has been able to shine through. Don't ask me how because I have absolutely no clue, but I'm actually happy with my life right now. Imma get a bit religious here... I know God has been looking out for me. There is no way I would have made it through that snow storm without help. Also, I feel a sense of peace about Turner. I know I'm going to miss him, but because of my personal beliefs I know he's going to be looked after when he leaves us. I have no doubt that he's going to be in a happy place. Anyway, I'm just thankful that I have been able to keep my positive outlook on life, even when it seems like everything is going wrong.

I'll leave you with some pictures :)

A day at the beach near San Fransisco.

Turner, begging for food.

Went target shooting with my dad over MLK weekend.

Beautiful day after the big snow storm

The first foal in my equine repro class!

 Sincerely,
          Me

We Made It to 2013!

I'm glad to report that my holidays were quite fantastic, not hampered at all by the rather anticlimactic Mayan apocalypse! But really, I did have a wonderful Christmas break. Here's a quick review: I got to spend a lot of time with my family and friends, worked a decent amount, had a great girl's night with my coworkers, watched an external fixation of a broken leg, went archery shooting (SO FUN!), went dancing at a bar for my cousin's 21st, made some freaking awesome christmas cookies, and saw Les Mis twice. I always enjoy my time at home and I'll admit that it was pretty hard to leave for school again. I've come to realize how amazing my parents are and how much they do for me. I really appreciate them and I actually think they are pretty fun to hang out with. Thankfully, a few of my Logan friends got together for a homemade dinner last night, which made everything much easier. I really am pretty lucky to have great friends in Logan and at home! I definitely wouldn't be as mentally stable without them.

I do want to update you on my vet school applications. I'm sad to say I've been rejected from Mississippi, Washington/Utah, and Oregon. I'm now only waiting to hear from Oklahoma, but I'm not holding out much hope. It's disappointing, but I've been surprisingly optimistic about the whole thing. I knew that with my terrible grades it was definitely a long shot and I know I'll be a better applicant for next cycle. I've been working on my plan B, which is taking 3-4 upper level bio classes at the university near home next fall and spring. This way I can be home and work at the clinic while still going to school and improving my grades. I'm also planning on getting more vet experience in the summer, probably from an equine vet. I'm retaking the GRE probably early July. Also, I'm planning a trip to Paris for the end of July!!! Everything is still in the conceptual phase, I haven't really figured anything out yet. I just decided that I need to go now before I get hung up on more responsibility. I'm sick of waiting for other people to go with me, so it looks as if I'll be going alone. Feel free to tell me how crazy or awesome this idea is! Anyways, with a plan B like this I'm actually ok with having to apply again. Like I said, I'll be a better applicant and hopefully a better person the second time around.

Classes start this week, which means I'm starting my last semester as an undergrad at USU. So crazy! It definitely doesn't seem like it's been five years. This semester I'm taking physics 2 (again :p), biochem and lab, a communication class, equine assisted therapy, and applied equine repro. I'm particularly excited about the equine classes. The repro class is supposed to be very hands on, we will get to do AI's, breeding soundness exams, preg checks, and hopefully get to help with foaling! The first six weeks is lecture, but after that it's all hands on! Watching a foal being born is definitely on my bucket list, so I'm really hoping for that opportunity. Physics is definitely going to be my hardest class, as usual. Everything else should be relatively easy, just maybe a bit time consuming.

Of course, I must post the quite cliched New Year's Resolutions! Most of these are specifically for this semester, but we can count them as New Year's Resolutions anyways :)
1. Don't skip classes. Especially physics.
2. Go to the physics tutor lab weekly to get help with the homework and prepare for exams.
3. Learn how to study at home. I have a hard time concentrating at home, but I need to learn how before I can get a dog!
4. Speak up in class. I have a bad habit of being too shy to answer a question, even if I know the answer.
5. Be more active. I'm planning on getting a pass to fitness classes from my school with a few girlfriends so hopefully this one won't be too hard. Can't wait to get back into yoga and weightlifting!
6. Get at least B's in all my classes. Need to get my GPA up!
7. Blog at least once a month. Blogging is a great way for me to de-stress and make sense of my feelings, so I should really do it more often! Plus, I'm sure my large gathering of followers are so sad when they don't hear from me ;) lol

I'll leave you with a few pics from the break! Stay sweet friends :)

Archery! 

A free kitty at work that I REALLY wanted...

My kick ass Christmas cookies! 

Sincerely,
          Me