some of my summer in photos

first day of graduate school














best camping spot i've experienced--- middle of nowhere northwest washington. crystal clear, placid waters. mountains. trees.














cool morning campfire














huckleberry picking ijn northern idaho. bear/cougar/wolf/moose country. delicious berries picked wild on the mountainside. no predator sitings.

break from blogging ...

Pain Is Gain

okay, so I didn't run Bloomsday as planned. Life happened. However, I'm not disappointed or regretful. After all, my purpose in registering at all was to have a goal to keep me committed to running. And I have been... well, that's relative to just me, not other runners. Anyway, I've grown to enjoy running over the past 5 months. It's good once you minimally condition your body physically. After that, it's about your mental stamina. I recently read this great book that I must recommend called Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-night Runner. Though I have little desire to achieve the things that he does, I still enjoy the book. I think it's full of great life lessons, not because he's some guru, but just because he is very articulate in his reflections.

sunny days are here!!!

Accepted

Wow, I feel distant from my realm of blogging. Word is I got accepted into WSU's graduate program for Speech & Hearing Sciences. Classes begin in August, exactly one year and one day after I moved to Spokane, giving me in-state tuition.... a difference of $6k per semester.
I've been having more fun lately. I'm not sure if it's the change in season or a change in attitude. I really would like to think it's the latter, but I'm sure the former helps out, too. I'm looking forward to awesome spring and summer days filled with sunshine and blue skies.

Bloomsday is about two weeks away. Yikes!! I've plateaued and thankfully my friend brought me to that realization after a pitiful jog one day. So now my motivation has returned to drive myself and push myself running.

Picatures

The following are photographs from my recent trip to Cincinnati for my cousin's wedding.



Me and my sister at the rehearsal dinner. As I recall, I shouted burst of light for the inspiration, yet she looks like a carnivorous dinosaur.







Family portrait at the country club reception.








My cousin, Monica and her husband, Pat. I chose this picture because to me it shows the fun of the celebration.