:: eye of the storm ::


About Me

A 27-year-old PA student who wants to visit all seven continents, write a book, work at a pediatric clinic in Africa, and basically meet as many of the world's challenges as possible.

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current mood:
current mood

Life List

(already accomplished)

Become a PA

Visit all 7 continents

Take a SwimTrek trip

Bike through Western Europe

Raft the Grand Canyon

Improve my Spanish proficiency

Go on safari in Africa

Trace my roots at Ellis Island

Vacation in Hawaii

Work on a hospital ship in a Third World country

Celebrate New Year's in Times Square

Visit all 50 states (29 to go: AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NM, ND, OK, OR, RI, SD, TX, UT, VT, WA, WV, WI, WY)

See the ruins at Pompeii

Swim in Capri's Blue Grotto

Tour Mt. Vesuvius

Throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain

Tour the Colosseum

Visit the D-Day beaches

See the Mona Lisa

Visit the palace at Versailles

See the Acropolis and Parthenon

See the Egyptian pyramids

Hike the Inca Trail

Walk El Camino Santiago

Take an Alaskan cruise

View the Taj Mahal at sunrise

Hike Table Mountain in South Africa

Climb through the Amazon canopy

Walk at least part of the Great Wall of China

Get laser hair removal

Learn to surf, ski, and snowboard

Learn to drive a stick-shift

Learn to play the piano

Go on a tropical cruise

Ride horseback on the beach

Ride in a hot air balloon

Get tickets to the Olympics

Go to adult Space Camp

Witness a shuttle launch from up close

Build a full-sized snowman

Sew a quilt out of my old race T-shirts

Update and continue my Life Scrapbook

Become the oldest person to ever do the River Run

Live to be a happy, healthy 100 years old - at least!

(unlikely dreams)

zaterdag 8 augustus 2009

Odd to have a day filled with so many good things (new laptop, great hotel room, excitement of an impending wedding) contrasted with such sad news. Right as we were all sitting down to the rehearsal dinner, smiling self-consciously around the table and asking one another's names, my phone rang. It was my mom, calling to tell me that my grandfather had passed away. Earlier in the week, during a good day, he had told her out of the blue, "You don't have to worry about me," which she'd thought was an odd thing for him to say. Now, we have to wonder if he knew.

After a quick trip to the bathroom to compose myself, I had to put it out of my mind for the next couple of hours in order to be "bright and shiny" for the remainder of the rehearsal dinner. My sister and I texted back and forth for a while near the end, each asking if the other had heard anything and what we each thought was going to happen. After the meal and the toasts, I went out front to take a walk and call my mom back. "He never stopped eating, right up to the end," she said, a sad smile in her voice. "Fred fed him beef stew an hour before he died. He always said that a POW would never miss a meal..."

After we hung up, I started crying. Finding a bench to sit on, concealed by the pitch darkness, I was suddenly distracted by a loud noise. I looked toward downtown Winston-Salem and saw, over the trees in the distance... fireworks. A full, colorful display. In August. For no apparent reason at all.

Somehow, that made me feel better. Watching the colorful bursts of light, I smiled, wiped my tears, and murmured a goodbye.

He's been ready to go for a long time. And he and my grandma are together again, if you believe that sort of thing. But one way or another, he's okay now, and that knowledge helps.

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