Have I Found It?

It's time to bring this blog back now that I am, yet again, starting a new adventure in my life.  When I started this blog initially, I was leaving my cubicle office job that sucked the life out of me to go play in the deserts of NV for a year.  That was an amazing experience and I am so glad I took advantage of it.  Once it ended, I did have a little difficulty finding a job - especially the elusive "job that doesn't feel like work."  I've heard rumors about it but am not sure I'm convinced of its existence, yet.  I was, after all, searching for paradise.  But...have I found it?

Come January 2nd, I'll be living and working in Hawaii for the Pacific Whale Foundation.  I'll let that sink in for a minute. (Maybe I need that minute more for me, than you.)  I still almost don't believe it.  Among other things, I'll be tracking and researching humpback whales!  Now, the "job" is actually an unpaid internship, but that doesn't soften the absolute sheer joy I have about it.  I've been struggling for YEARS trying to figure out how I can make my passion a reality.  It may seem pretty cut and dry to you, but it's a lot harder than you'd imagine.  How does a woman with an incredible love for the ocean and everything that lives in it get a job trying to save it without any kind of science/biology degree?  How does a woman with a degree in Communication & Journalism and no experience to back it up (7 years out of college) get her foot in the door to the wonderful world of marine conservation?  GIS!

GIS is my answer.  Last year, I applied (rather suddenly I'll admit) to the GIS Certificate Program at the University of West Florida.  It was a year-long program to obtain a Certificate in GIS.  What is GIS? Geographic Information System.  GIS uses programs and software to visualize, analyze, interpret and understand data to show relationships and patterns.  I honestly had never heard of it before I knew I needed to get into an industry where I belonged.  After searching for jobs out of my reach, jobs that I knew I wanted but couldn't get with my background, I saw a trend.  A requirement that kept appearing was "certified in GIS" or "strong knowledge of GIS" and my FAVORITE "strong knowledge of GIS is acceptable in replace of Biology degree."  It all made sense.  I even had an education grant from my year-long adventure in Nevada from AmeriCorp that would pay for it.  I applied, I got accepted, I spent the year studying and learning and..

Two days ago I finished my last final for my last class of my Certificate in GIS.  And in less than a month, I'll be landing in Hawaii to finally, step into that door to the wonderful world of marine conservation.

So I ask myself again, have I found it?  I just might have.  We'll have to wait and see to be sure.  Stay tuned..

SPRING!

I know, technically speaking, it isn't spring just yet - but when have I ever been technical really? Yes, the spring equinox is coming up in a few short days:

Spring

But the weather has been telling me otherwise, with the forecast calling for upper 60's and even low 70's! Woohoo! Moving to WI, I was prepared (well...as prepared as I could get myself) for a horribly cold and snowy winter. The rumors I had heard and pictures I had seen were unnerving, to say the least. However, for once in my life - I lucked out! It was an awesome winter in my opinion. It didn't snow often and when it did, it didn't stay long. It would melt within a day or two. There were only a few days that got below 30 degrees. (*fingers crossed* I'm not jinxing myself)

With spring comes exciting trips! There will be camping, hiking, kayaking, swimming, boating and all the other glorious outdoor activities one can enjoy when the weather is BEAUTIFUL!

Later this month, Dave and I are taking a little weekend getaway trip to Cedarburg, WI to stay at the Washington House Inn. I found a sweet Groupon deal for it. Looks like a pretty cute town with a winery that we're, of course, going to tour. ;) The next exciting trip, is actually when my parents come out to visit in April. I'm excited to show them around Madison and all it's cheesiness. (Maybe they'll try cheese curds and tell me how they are...). They'll be here for about a week (so if any of my Madison friends are reading this - any heads up on things to do would be great)!

Next comes the great and busy month of May when all the greatests (I'm making that a word) are born! ;) The month will start off with a trip back home to the east coast for the VT Tough Mudder. Yes, I am doing another one. This time I'm doing it with my brother, Todd, and friends Josh and Cassie. It'll be fun, however, my training has been seriously lacking this go-around, so it'll be interesting! Wish me luck!

Mid-May, Dave and I are flying to Florida to stay at my Aunt's condo near West Palm Beach. I'm very excited for the ocean, palm trees and beach!! I can't WAIT! :-D It'll be nice to get away from the flat corn fields that make up the mid-west for a bit.

Then - late May/early June, I am hopefully flying down to Raleigh, NC to meet up with Cassie and see Vanessa, who just moved down there right before Christmas. It's been a long time since I've seen her and an even longer time since the three of us have been together. Watch out NC! I have two other friends, Chris and Robin, in the area that I haven't seen in a million years either, that I hopefully can visit with some. It'll be a fun time.

Anyway, the weather is nice and sunny today and it got me all excited about the departure of winter and the arrival of spring, so I thought I'd share. Stay tuned for more frequent blogs now that I'm coming out of hibernation!

Com'on Spring!

The Evolution of a Snow Day...

The rumors, oh the rumors! Your ears perk up at the words "nor'easter" or "cancellations" from the news the night before. You get butterflies with anticipation. Could it be? Will it be enough? Will it accumulate at the right time? You see a few flakes fall from the dark night sky and get so excited! At this point you're thinking - well how can I sleep at a time like this? You know you should because it's a school night...or is it?! Eventually you do fall asleep because you're a kid and you run yourself ragged during the day.

You wake up. While still laying down in your bed you look towards the window and see some snow on the branches of trees. Will it be enough?! You clench your eyes shut tight, hold your breath and cross your fingers as you sit up. You open them and see a beautiful winter

wonderland!! You literally jump out of bed and run downstairs to confirm the cancellation of school via the scrolling banner at the bottom of the TV screen. Regional District 9....Regional District 10....Regional District 11! SNOW DAY!!!

This is what dreams are made of! A double-whammy! You don't have to go to school (even better if it's a Friday snow day) AND you get to play in the fresh 2 feet of snow! Oh, the adventures you're going to have! You scramble around looking for your snow pants and your boots. The two essential because the fact that it's 30 degrees out is the very last thing on your mind! You just can't seem to get them on fast enough. You try to dart out but your parents know better. They slap a hat, some gloves and a jacket on you as you race out the door. SNOW! Oh, glorious snow! You start making snow angels because it's cool to see your outline! When else can you do that? Once you get bored with that you move on. There are endless possibilities of snow adventures.

You call up the neighbor kids because they, obviously, are just as ecstatic about the snow day as you are. You arrange a time to sled, what sleds to bring and which ones to just leave behind because they really just aren't fast enough. You talk of the possibilities of snow ball fights and igloos. Of course, you have to wait the plowing guy gets to your house to make the perfect pile to house your new fort. While you wait, you run (as fast as you can run in snow pants and boots) to the hill and you sled the day away, building jumps, having races and an impromptu snowball fight breaks out!

What's that noise? You stop to listen...snowplow! Heading back to your house or your friends' you see the freshly plowed driveway and start digging your fort. Hours can be spent on this - building different rooms, a secret entrance and maybe even putting in some furnishings if you can sneak them out of the house without Mom seeing. You think you've put the final touches on it when your older brother gets carried away and rambunctious and crawls on the top of your fort and it collapses! SO frustrating! It feels like the end of the world but then you remember you have all weekend! The weekend weather outlook is cold and there is a possibility of more snow so there is no chance it'll melt away. Phew! You head inside, utterly exhausted from your snowy escapades and warm up with a cup of hot chocolate. Winter is just absolutely wonderful!

Fast forward 20 years...

Your ears perk up, hearing the words and phrases "blizzard" or "hopefully the plows can keep up" and "white out conditions." You get that feeling in the pit of your stomach - that drop and aching feeling. Could it be? How much will it be? How much earlier will I have to wake up to compensate for my commute? You dread going to sleep knowing that morning will be here that much sooner but it's a work night so you know you should. Or is it? Yes, of course it is. You don't get snow days in real life.

You wake up to that annoying beep of your alarm clock, which you set 45 minutes earlier to make up for the lousy driving conditions. You immediately slam the snooze button and pull the covers over your head where it's warm and cozy. Nine minutes later (whoever decided 9 minutes was a good length of time between snoozes?!) that f*#@&% alarm goes off again. You grab a pair of sweatpants off your bedroom floor and pull them under the covers to warm up before you put them on. Why are they cold? Because you're a grown up now and you have to pay for heat and you're poor because the economy is sh*t so you drop it down at night. Eventually you're covered head to toe, possibly even taking the comforter with you, as you bee-line it to the coffee pot. You stub your toe on the door jam because you're up before the sun to make it to your mediocre job on time. You turn on the TV to hear more bad news. More snow. Temperatures holding steady in the teens, pretty much until Spring.

After turning some lights on, getting some hot coffee in you and getting dressed- you're thinking okay, I can do this. You peak outside for the first time this morning and see the damage done. Great! Two feet of cold, wet, heavy snow on top of your car, which you have to shovel off before

you can even think of opening your car door. There is no pre-heated, snow free school bus taking you to work. Those were the days of the past, my friend. Now, not only do you need a shovel, you also need an ice scrapper because a little bit of the snow against your windshield melted early last night and then froze over night.

You put on your enormous heavy clunkers of snow boots, a hat, wrap your scarf around your entire face just so only your eyes peak out, your heaviest winter jacket and you head out. Driver side door first so you can start your car and warm it up. You think you're in the clear and open your door just as a strong gust of wind picks up and drops a pile of snow on your seat. Wet seat.

You eventually get your car all cleaned off and dug out just as the apartment complex plow shows up - of course. Oh well, bad timing as usual. As they plow the parking lot for you, they actually leave a foot and a half pile right behind your car. Out you go with your shovel again! At least this is all for 8 hours of joy, sunshine and friendly, competent people, right? Oh wait. You're an adult, you have idiots for co-workers at this "for now" job that you absolutely hate and you work in a 5x5 cubicle with no windows. As you drive to this job of yours, there is a backup on the highway because some idiot doesn't know how to drive in the snow and they're pulling their car out of a ditch. This makes you 15 minutes late for work, which makes you loose your holiday bonus (which was going to pay for your Christmas presents). Sorry friends and family!

At least while staring at your computer screen for 10 hours (because now you have to work overtime) you can enjoy the company provided heat. The commute home isn't much better since it hasn't stopped snowing yet. You get home and are utterly exhausted from your day and you warm up with a cup of hot chocolate (spiked with McGillicuddy's obviously, after the day you had!). You settle onto your couch and a partial smile shows up across your face until you realize the weekend weather outlook is cold and there is a possibility of more snow so there is no chance it'll melt away...

Is it spring yet?

Big Changes

As you can see, my blog has had a makeover as well as my life (well..a lot has changed at least). I successfully completed the Tough Mudder in late September with Tommy. Dave was there supporting me so he was able to grab a couple pictures of us starting and of us at the last few obstacles. I've been talking about it the past few posts, telling you about my training and how close it was getting. Now it has come and past but man, what a ride it was! The course ended up being about 12-miles total (they added an additional mile in the last few days - so nice of them), had an elevation gain of 2,300 feet peaking at 9000' and I think there were 23 obstacles. They ranged from dodging giant (and by giant I mean big enough to knock you over) red balls being thrown at you to running through live wires with up to 10,000 volts. In that 12 mile stretch, we summited 3 different peaks, ran on surfaces varying from large boulders, single track trail, medium ankle-turning rocks, grass and of course mud, nearly froze and ate some apples. It took us about 5 hours to complete but it felt amazing to finish! But first, let me tell you about some of the obstacles.

The one that stands out in my mind the most when I think back was called the Chernobyl Jacuzzi. As you can see from this video, there are dumpsters filled with water and then completely filled with ice cubes! This was at about hour 2, or so, of running up a mountain side and making it through a few obstacles, so you're definitely out of breath by the time you hit this. They have you jump in one side, get to the middle, somehow catch your breath long enough to hold, while you swim under the plank in the middle, fight your way up through the 3 feet of ice cubes on the other side to get air and then attempt to walk through the ice shield to get your numb body out. It was insane and there is no way I can describe just how immensely cold it really was. My finger tips turned purple and for the next 20 minutes or so, I had to stick them in my armpits to warm them up and regain feeling.

It was a challenge to train and finish this race but I am so proud that I was able to complete it. It got me in excellent shape, too (although the altitude still kicked my butt a bit). Now I need to find some other race or challenge to keep me in shape and with winter coming - that will be a challenge in itself.

After the Tough Mudder, Dave and I departed for our road trip back to Madison, WI (which is the header picture above). We were going to stop at Lamoille Canyon to hike my trail but because Dave had to get back to WI for work by Thursday, we decided to skip it. Maybe one day. So, our first stop was Salt Lake City and since their beer is lame (3.2%) and we were both dead tired, we just crashed. The next day we got an early start and had a more exciting drive (not to say the desert and salt flats aren't exciting but I've been living in them for a year). We hit the mountains and boy were they beautiful!

Because our next stop was Vail, CO we took some back routes instead of just staying on I-80 and it was well worth it. Although those main interstates are so damn convenient and fast, you just don't experience the same drive as on back and/or less traveled routes. We made it to Vail, where we were staying with my friend Jackie, her boyfriend and their adorable dog Kaya. They took us up to Beaver Creek, where Jackie works and showed us the mountain. This is actually where the CO Tough Mudder took place which was cool to find out and compare terrains. :) They took us out to dinner and we enjoyed a few seasonal beers before we were all too tired to keep our eyes open anymore. It was a fun visit - Thanks again Jackie!!

We finished driving through the Rockies, where, unfortunately, I had to stop for gas at $4.39/gal!!!) We drove until I could drive no more and that landed us in Lincoln, NE. It was sad to leave the mountains and that part of the country and hit the flattest land I've ever seen in the mid-west. The one cool part of stopping in Lincoln was that is where my Nana was from - getting back to my roots. :) Our last and final stop was Madison, WI - where I now live.

Why in gods name would I move to Wisconsin, you ask? Excellent question. Well, you see, after my contract ended with AmeriCorps, I had no job or even a potential job and Dave and I have spent the past year apart going months at a time without seeing each other. It was tough and challenging but we made it through. We were both over doing the distance thing and since he has a job here and I had....well, a car full of my stuff, I decided to move here.

And that pretty much gets you up to date. I am still currently job-less and spend hours and hours each day scouring the internet for any potentials. I have even started just forcing my resume onto people who are not even hiring. Couldn't hurt. But if you're reading this and you know of anyone or anything that might help me get a job in the conservation field in the Madison area - PLEASE let me know (at this point I am not beyond groveling). Since this week has been beautiful (in the high 70's), I've been doing some hikes too, to keep up my sanity. You can see some fall pictures on Facebook!

Down time

For the past month or so, I've had a lot of downtime. Most of it has been spent training for the TM, pool lounging and reading (thrilling life, I know). When you don't have a job and very little money leftover from your previous volunteer job, you've got to get creative with the ways to entertain yourself for free. :)

One thing I found to keep me busy was an event being put on by the Nevada Humane Society. They have an annual rubber duck race here in Reno to raise money for the NHS and to adopt animals out called the Reno Duck Race. I got in contact with the NHS and let them know I was available to lend a hand. It was an all day event in downtown, so I showed up and was put to work at an Egg Count booth. It was in the kid area and they had a rabbit cage filled with plastic eggs. The kids had to guess how many were in there and depending how close they were to the actual number (888) the more points they got. They could then redeem these points for prizes once they went to all the booths. It was pretty entertaining - most of the kids were pretty young and hadn't learned to count yet so I got some guesses like 4 or eleven-teen. The cuter the kid was, the more points I gave them. ;)

I did a three hour shift at that booth then the actual duck race was getting closer. I was put on duck duty. I had to actually get into the river and make sure none of the rubber ducks got caught in the rocks or branches or got stranded on shore. It was fun and it was amazing to see so many little yellow ducks floating down the river. There were about 20,000 of them!
The finish line was a chain-link fence which was installed across the river so we could get all of the ducks out of the river. They ending up raising about $67,000 and adopted out 3 dogs and 5 cats! It was a great event and I am glad I was able to help out.

At the beginning of September, my mom came out to visit me and help me pack for a week. It's been a long time since we had some one-on-one mom/daughter time so it was a lot of fun! She did a lot to help me pack and keep my stress level down. She even joined me in the gym every morning! My mom was a great motivator, too, to get to the gym and then to the hill across the road at night. We made frequent trips to the animal shelter and Mom became very, very close to bringing one dog back to CT. He was an adorable Aussie that was injured and healing. Since our visits though, he has been adopted into a forever home! Yay! We did a lot of relaxing and even spent two nights in a hotel! I got to sleep in a real bed. Woohoo! We rented a movie one night in the hotel, too.

I wanted to show my Mom Lake Tahoe and all its beauty so we headed up there for a day on the beach. I brought her to Sand Harbor and we layed out and went swimming. The water is very cold and my mom even got in three times!! It was a nice relaxing day on the water. That evening we met Tommy for dinner in Kings Beach, CA. As the sunset, we headed back over Mt. Rose back to Reno for the night just in time to catch a pretty colorful sunset over the lake. There is a brewery down the road a bit from my apartment called the Great Basin Brewery that I really enjoy so I decided we should eat there one night for dinner. This place recycles everything! They even recycle the used yeast and grains they use to brew their beer! It's a very 'green' restaurant with great food and delicious beer. We even got matching shirts (tye-dye of course!).

The week with my mom was awesome and I am so glad she came out to spend time with me and help me pack. She did a lot for me - helping packing, relieving my stress and keeping me laughing and smiling. Thanks Mom! Love you!

After she left, I kept packing and had to move out of my apartment. Still having a week left before my race, my previous supervisor, Amanda, is letting me stay at her house. I am so thankful because it's saving me money on a hotel or campground and keeping my stress level in check. :) I've been training a lot still too, even started the Insanity workout and running! Now, my race is tomorrow!! Ahhhh! I'm so nervous but yet so excited about it. It's going to be a challenge but a lot of fun.

Dave is flying in tonight and is going to watch and support me in my race tomorrow. Hopefully he'll catch some great pictures of me getting my butt kicked by this race. :) After the race, we're starting a road trip back to Madison, WI - where he lives and where I am moving. We're planning a stop in Vail, CO to see my friend Jackie, who went to school with my brother at Ithaca.

The next post you'll get will be after the Tough Mudder - hopefully I'll make it. Wish me luck!!!

Life After the NCC..

So it's almost been a month since my term with AmeriCorps ended, but I am still living in Reno. I am very happy I decided to make the move and sign up for this job. I don't regret one moment of it and I have learned SO much. Not only how to chainsaw (which is a favorite activity of mine now), but also a lot about life and people and how to deal with them. I loved being outside every day and physically working hard. I could have done without the 20 degree nights, but that just made my skin thicker. I have made some lasting friendships with people all over the country and world! I know I have grown a lot because of this job and it has done wonders for me physically and mentally. The NCC has a lot to work on, but overall, it was a great year!

The first thing a few of my friends and I did was go tubing down the Truckee River. What better way to celebrate the end than by floating down a river in a tube with some friends and beer?! Our original plan was to tube down the river and then go to the BBQ the NCC was putting on for us. However, with some minor disasters on the river and an underestimation about how long it would take to get down the river, we missed the BBQ. The tubing trip was definitely worth it though.

The rest of the month has been pretty laid back, although, it's been full of sad good bye's. My two roommates have moved out so now I have the apartment to myself until Sept 12th. Those good bye's were probably the hardest because the three of us are the only three crew members that survived the entire year from my original crew of ten! Everyone is venturing in their own directions, either returning home or heading off to some new place for another adventure. There were even a few crazies that re-upped for another year!! It's kind of funny because for the year long crew members, we always knew exactly when our term was ending and almost none of us have jobs lined up for the end of the term. ;) Oops! Needless to say, most of us are now unemployed and desperately seeking a job. Which is exactly where I am.

What are you doing next in your life? *sigh* I hate that question and it's definitely one that's been around a lot lately. Well, as far as location, I am staying here in Reno until Sept 19th. My Tough Mudder race is Sept 18th and Dave is flying out to watch me. Based on my survival of the TM, we will then take a few day road trip to Madison, WI, where I'll be moving to be with Dave. We've done the long distance for the past year and it has been really difficult at times, but we made it and since I really have nothing going on in my life and he does, I decided I could move there. Yes, I know, it snows in Madison and it's awfully cold during the 8-month winter's they have, I know this. And I have taken this into consideration but after camping in a tent while it's been in the teens, I think I can handle it. I may still not enjoy the cold and snow, but I'll endure! One of Dave and my first goals is to possibly compete in this Triathlon. We'll see though!

From now until the TM, I don't have a lot planned. My mom is coming out to visit me, which I am very excited about! Besides that, there will be a lot of training and pool lounging (and yes, of course, job searching). I'll keep you posted, but I feel like there will be a lack of entertaining news to report on. :)

Lamoille - Week 6

Week 6 of my summer crew finally came around. My last week of tour after an entire year of camping, hiking, chainsawing, trail building and questionable hygiene. Of course, since it was our last tour (for some of us it's been a year, for the newbies it's only been 3 months) motivation was hard to come by. Amanda and Ruby (the two supervisors) did a pretty good job of keeping us working yet still having fun though.

The main goal of our project sponsor for us was to get the timber walls installed and finished by the end of the summer. Because of all the setbacks we hit, it came down to the last day, but we accomplished our goal. Here are some fun (at least I consider them fun) statistics about what my crew did this summer. We added about 1.5 miles of new established and sustainable trail, making the total length of trail now 3.5 miles. We installed 3 different timber walls on switchbacks which, combined, measured a total of 252 feet of timber. All those timber's, which we had to haul up the mountain side, weighed about 1 ton. And I wish I had the number, but it's hard to calculate how many tons of rock we had to remove from the trail. A reporter from the Elko Daily Free Press came out one day and wrote an article about the trail!

It was definitely a summer of hard, hot work but it was a lot of fun. When else am I going to be able to hike 6-7 miles a day as my commute to work? Have my work day be a total body workout? Take a dump with a view like this?

Not have to shower for 8-days at a time? Have 6-day weekends? There are definitely going to be a lot things I'll miss but also some things I won't mind leaving behind. One example, would be the dreaded ride in the van to and from Elko. We had no AC so it would get unbelievably hot in there, driving through the desert mid-day. The cool kids always sat in the back. :) This last tour I tried to take some more pictures of us actually working and around our camp so here are some: Switchback #10 - before and after


Some trail - before and after

Quintin and Tyler working on a re-route.

Hugo chipping away at some rock to put in the deadman.
Wildfire in the distance
Irish Mike and Will chilling at camp after work.
Tyler doing some dishes.

Our "kitchen." Irish Mike and Ming Xuan getting some grub.
Tent City!
A brave little visitor.
Sometimes we got bored and came up with games we could play, such as this one. Oreo plinko! (put an Oreo on your forehead and using your face muscles, try to get it down into your mouth)
It was a good summer and we got a lot of work done. It was bitter sweet saying g'bye to the NCC and my summer crew, but mostly sweet. :) My last day was August 8th and now it is August 23rd. What have I been doing since and why am I still here? Good questions..