BlubberMouth

ARG! Does anyone else blubber into the phone when talking to an answering machine? For the past year I was the 'welcome' contact for our squadron and have probably left my fair share of funny messages on the voice mails and answering machines of spouses new to the group. What I always meant to say was this:

"Hi! This message is for NEW SPOUSE. My name is Rachel _ and I'm calling from the _squadron spouse group to welcome you to the new area. I wanted to let you know about the spouse webpage and spouse coffees, information about the base and area, etc. My phone number is__. Please call me when you get a chance so I can tell you about everything, or answer any of your questions."

Except usually the messages came out:

"Uh, HI! This message is for NEW SPOUSE and I'm calling from the Dover Welcome Spouse Group-I mean the _spouse squadron group, er, the _squadron spouse group. My phone number is __. I wanted to let you know about the squadron and spouse group, how to sign up for emails, get on the webpage, spouse groups, and just to see if you had any questions about the area. So, again, this is Rachel and I'm calling....."

You get the idea. That's just one of the reasons I passed on the torch of "welcome person."

Today I got the nerve to call one of my professors. I'm not sure why, but I tend to get nervous talking to professors over the phone. Naturally this isn't an every day occurrence, which may explain blubber mouth. Two weeks ago, I called one professor who is also my academic advisor. I stuttered my way through, and my sentences made no sense (but she still agreed to complete the endorsement form-score!).

Anyways, back to today: I need a second professor to complete an Endorsement Form on my behalf...she never returned my email, which I thought was odd, but then figured she might just be out of the office. Classes don't start until next week, I figured she might be back at her office, but no such luck. I left a message on her voicemail and already, I'm cringing. She's probably thinking that English isn't a first language...(more on that later). Fingers crossed she gets back to me!

Blogcation Redux Part 2: Maine

Ah, so Maine, land of lobster and lighthouses!

The first half of the day, Maine was cold & damp. If it wasn't damp, it was all out raining. But we still found it enjoyable, despite the weather.

We first stopped at Pemaquid Point. One word: wet.

Then, off to Portland, but not without stopping for a most delicious lobster roll (very light on the mayo-yay!) in Wiscassett ,the prettiest little town (no really, it is pretty). If it wasn't so wet (we ate standing), I would have taken a picture of our lobster rolls, plus the stand where we ordered it.

We went into a few antique stores, but everything was, oh, $500-$5000 out of my price range. Personally, I find it more enjoyable to hunt for treasures at second hand shops.

On our way to Portland the sun FINALLY came out and we went to another light house (the Head Light). It was here that we quickly realized that Maine (and New England in general) has done amazing things with redevelopment and public parks. The park was free to enter, free to park, and very, very pretty.

Can you believe this photo was taken on the say day as that above video was taken??

That night we headed to Portland's downtown, which looks like Charleston, but with wide streets and a salty breeze (no horses). The vibe was very much of what you feel/see in Asheville, NC. They had a great independent bookstore, with many many other great stores. One memorable store was named "Condom Sense" and had a poster that I think should be in the halls of every high school and/or college in addition to every hospital, subway stop, bus stop, etc. I've tried to find a copy of the poster online, but it went something like this:

"See Dick with an erection" (two stick figures in bed, presumbly dick and friend, was illustrated)
"See Dick with no protection" (naked stick figure..don't worry, no parts!)
"See Dick with an infection" (stick figure Dick is in hospital bed with IVs hanging)
"Don't be a Dick"

Back to Maine...

For dinner, Ryan had his first lobster, where the older lady at the next table went all out to teach him how to eat different portions of the lobster (as in her hands were on his fish...but she really was a kind, sweet, older lady so Ryan found it excusable). Breakfast was delicious the following morning before we left and headed for Boston...

Breakfast at the Porthole

Blogcation Redux Part 1: NH

With an unheard of five straight weeks off from classes, I told Ryan, "I am NOT sitting at home in Delaware."

So we planned our own New England mini-road trip. The plan? 3 nights at a B&B in NH, 1 night in Maine, 2 nights in Boston, and 1 night in CT.

We ended up starting the vacay a day earlier and spent the night on post at West Point, possibly the one thing the military has done right (ie, the only military institution that I've ever been on where there are trees, green grass, landscaping, and buildings that did not have the brown/beige color combination...some were grey-haha). The town of Highland Springs (outside the post) was quaint, but in all honesty, the area is absolutely beautiful. Mountains, valleys, and water, plus Manhattan was about an hour away...what more can you ask for? These people get nature AND the city...

Then off to NH where we stayed at a bed and breakfast (our first) that was just outside of a tourist trap of a town (read: Maggie Valley NC or Gatlinburg TN). Waterfall, a hike, a moose, and the best damn beer I've ever tasted.

On Sunday, we decided to hike Tuckerman Ravine, inside the White Mountain. We had no plans to hike up Mt. Washington (read more here and here). The first video clip shows us just past Tuckermans Ravine, on our way up to Mt. Washington. The second clip was taken pretty close to the top of the summit. Notice how rocky it is? The pyramid rock formation that you see at the end of the clip was a way of following that portion of the treeless trail (instead of the yellow painted strips you normally see on trees). Once at the top, our hair was wet as we were in a cloud (no joke). In the 7 1/2 hours it took to complete the hike (up and down), I went from wearing a tank top in sunny weather, to wearing an additional two layers of long sleeve clothing,

to back to sunny weather. We went from mid80s at the bottom to low 50s at the top. After buying a patch that says, "I climbed Mt. Washington", we left the park and headed 'home' to the B&B to wash up, pop some motrin, and head out for a much deserved beer. Cheap asses that we are, we COULD have taken a van DOWN the summit (saving us 3 hours, 15 minutes), but at $26 a ticket, we thought "rip off!" After 2 hours of climbing down, we were kicking ourselves.

Monday we woke up and I could not sit, stand, squat, or move either leg without a reminder of the humbling hell we put our bodies through (we still loved it though!). We headed to Diana's Bath, which anyone who has spent summers in the western mountains of NC knows how refreshingly cold the water is, and we relished every moment our legs were in the water. It was a true ice bath that actually soothed our legs. More waterfalls, more ice baths, until finally we found a place for Ryan to jump off a giant rock into the water.

(l to r: Diana's Bath, Diana's Bath, Ripley Falls, Ryan jumping off Upper AmmonoosucFalls)

Remember those friends in swimming lessons who wouldn't jump off the diving board, no matter how much you encouraged them? I don't ever remember having that fear, but on this day, I was that child. It took me 15 minutes to jump, from one of the lower (although not the lowest) boulder.

(sideways view...anyone know how I can switch it to right side up?)

She finally jumps! (this is actually jump number 2...picture of jump one shows me peering over the edge...PS...I screamed the entire way down on the first jump. Chicken.)

It was AMAZING, and a great way to end our trip in NH.

The Recent Source of Much Giggling & Squirming...

Vacation stories coming soon, but first more on the vaginocavernosus reflex...

Blogcation

we'll be back in a few!

The Return of the Gym Rat

Growing up, I was always obsessed with exercising and aerobics. I remember being in elementary school and for the holidays someone in my family gave a "Get in Shape, Girl!" set that came with cassette tape, poster, jump rope, wrist bands, etc.

You go girl! -the modern-day set- They now even have Get In Shape, Girl Yoga!

In late elementary school and middle school, I was obsessed with my mother's Jane Fonda tapes.

Leg Lifts!

In high school, I would occasionally jog or ride a bike. I especially enjoyed rollerblading 4miles nearly every day of the week. It was in high school when my parents joined a gym, getting a family membership. I was a bonafide gym rat.

In college, I discovered that I could eat a box of oreos and no would stop me. I could eat soft ice cream on the way to class, and get another cone after classes, walking back to the dorms. I could eat chocolate chip muffins for breakfast at the student union. All the time in the gym wouldn't prevent the inevitable. In those four years, the idea of going to the gym sort of died.

Living in Charleston wasn't so bad...I would go the gym occasionally and try to run or jog outdoors. Anything to not become a sloth. Then we moved to Delaware, where the winters are, for me, bitterly cold with a strong wind to boot. I turned into a sloth. And by sloth I mean, being short of breath after climbing two flights of stairs.

On Monday night, after a summer spent eating (and huffing & puffing), I broke down and finally joined a local gym. I feel sort of guilty doing this, especially since I have access to not one but TWO free gyms.

The gym on base is free, and in Charleston it was decent. By decent, I mean that it was usable. If it wasn't for the treadmills and other exercise equipment, I would think the gym was actually a bomb shelter (no windows), but considering it was only 3 miles from our place, I couldn't complain.

Here, the on base gym is about 30 minutes away, plus a $1.00 toll each way. A storm from a few months back damaged the roof and and there is tarp covering 'the roof'...a la south Florida after Hurricane Wilma. The air conditioner doesn't really work, which makes for some pretty noxious smells.

My school gym, is again, 30 minutes away (in the opposite direction), with a $1.00 toll each way. For Summer it would probably work, but in the fall and spring, it is apparently so crowded that unless your goal is to exercise your right to find a date, it's best to run outdoors.

So as a present to myself I decided to join a local gym (I found out that I'm receiving scholarship money that will cover this past summer term, upcoming fall, and part of winter session). The gym is only 2 or 3 miles from my place, and it's dirt cheap. So cheap that I'm hoping they don't go out of business any time soon.

After lifting some weights yesterday, I am unable to move my arms without that "oh, ow, I'm sore" feeling.

I LOVE that feeling!

Does anyone know of an online exercise log that is user friendly & free? I used to have an online running log, but a new company took over the running log, and redesigned the layout losing some old information. I might end up making an excel speadsheet.

In the meantime, here are the digs on this weeks workout:
Monday: ran outside...not sure how long or how far...over 1.5 mi, definitely within 25 minutes but I wasn't wearing a watch...
Tuesday: gym: weight machines (all parts), Elliptical, and later at home, after sitting around the house, bored, I biked outside for about 20 minutes.

Let's hope I can get a little something done each day of the week :) The gym rat is back!

Eyes Wide Open

can't see well...eyes are dilated and words are blurry. Someone should have told me that I wouldn't be able to read! New clinical assignments are up and I can't really read them very well!

ARG!