Postcrossing!

So I found a new hobby. Who knows if I stick with it or not but it seems really fun so I am going to tell all of you about it. It is called postcrossing. (www.postcrossing.com) The general idea is that everyone loves to get mail so why not send some to someone. You request an address from the website and you mail that person a postcard. You can mail 5 at a time. Once someone receives the postcard they log it in (using a code you write on the card) as received. Once that happens your name is given to someone and you get a postcard from someone in the world. I have 5 ready to take to the post office today. I will post pictures and info from the postcards that I receive. I can't wait.

I am having problems uploading the pictures on my sent postcards so I will give you an update once I get that situation taken care of.

School Again!

School started again a few weeks ago. Yuck! I am in Anatomy & Physiology 3. It is my last quarter before I am back in the nursing program working on my RN degree!!! My first tests are next week so I will try to post how I do. I know that I am not good at posting anything while in school but I will try better. I promise.

Geocaching Challenges

When it comes to geocaching I am all about a challenge. I get bored doing the same type of micro caches all the time. I also love having a list of things to do so I can cross things off and feel like I accomplished something. I don't always get everything done but I like doing it anyways. That is part of the reason I read books on book lists. Okay sorry getting off-topic.

Luckily, other geocachers put out Challenge caches. The main idea is to complete a theme or a pre-req before you can find the actual cache container. So it is not as easy as just going out there and making a find.

Just to give everyone an idea of what types of challenges are out there I thought I would share some of the challenges Craig and I have completed and some of the ones we are currently working on.

The first challenge we finished was called the Georgia Delorme Challenge. A Delorme is a type of atlas that breaks the state into a grid. Each grid square corresponds to a page in the atlas. To complete the cache you must find a cache on every single page of the atlas. Thus, we traveled throughout all of Georgia finding caches. Once we found a cache on every page the cache owner gave us the coordinates to find the final geocache. That was an amazing adventure for us. We saw so much of Georgia that we never would have.

The only other challenge cache we have completed is called "The Alphabet Soup Cache of Washington". To complete this cache we had to find a geocache who's title begins with every letter of the alphabet. So we found a total of 26 caches to qualify to find the final cache. That was an interesting challenge since we would pick and choose caches as we went based on which letters we needed to find.

Here are some challenge caches that we have finished the requirements for but have not gone and found the final cache:

• Cache by Numbers: Find caches with the numbers 0-9 in the title (3 of which must be spelled out)
• Fool's Errand- A Washington Challenge Cache: Find 150 caches in one month (plus, a special requirement based on what month you begin the challenge. Our special requirement was to find a cache in another state.)
• The Critter Cache: Find 25 caches with names of animals in the title (without repeating).
• The C5 Challenge: Cache for 65 days straight (We are currently at 72 days).

Here are some Challenges that we are currently working on (slowly):

• Washington State County Challenge: Find a cache (small size or larger) in every county in the state.
• Washington Delorme Challenge: same as described above but with the Washington Delorme Atlas instead.
• A Baker's Dozen Challenge Cache: On a given day find a certain # of caches 1-13. No more no less. To make it harder though at least one of the caches must be a mystery/unknown or multi cache. (We only have #12 left..so sometime when we have a chance we need to go out and find 12 caches in the day and have one be a multi or unknown.)
• Challenge of the Century: Find 100 Multicaches
• Challenge of the Century: Move (not discover) 100 travel bugs or geocoins
• ABC Challenge: Same as the Alphabet soup challenge but this challenge is for Oregon and all the caches must be found in Oregon.
• Color Challenge: Find 7 caches in Oregon with a color in the title. (2 of 7 completed)
• Counting Counties in Oregon: Get a cache in every county of Oregon (haven't started working on this one yet).
• Oregon Delorme Challenge: Same as above but in Oregon. (Haven't started this one yet either)
• Oregon's "Well Rounded Cacher" aka Oregon's Fizzy: Find every single difficulty/ terrain combinations (81 possible) and you must include one of every cache type.
• Oregon's Century Plus One Challenge: Cache for 101 days straight.
• The Oregon History Challenge: Find all the caches placed in the first year of geocaching (still active) in the state of Oregon.
• Washington History Challenge: Find all the caches placed in WA during the first year of geocaching (still active).
• Well Rounded Washington Challenge (Fizzy Challenge): Find all D/T ratings (81) including all cache types but must be in the state of WA and placed before 11/30/08.
• Washington's Double Century Challenge: Cache for 200 days straight (not sure if I am going to try for this one or not).

Many of these caches we are slowly working on. We usually just go geocaching and if we happen to find one that helps us complete the challenge then it makes it even better. The only one that we are truly working on is the 101 straight days of caching. I am the one that wanted to try and get this cache so it is mainly up to me to cache every day but Craig has helped out on a few occasions when I didn't have time. Since we are a team. I enjoy the work that we put into finding these challenges and completing them. It makes the final find that much sweeter. Craig and I felt a huge sense of accomplishment when we signed the log for the Georgia Delorme Challenge. Not many people can say they have done the same.

Maybe someday I will get burnt out on doing Challenge caches but I have a feeling I won't. Especially since we do them so slowly. I will try to keep you updated on whether we finish any of these.

Another Year of Reflection....

I begin writing this at 11:55 p.m. in Milwaukee, WI on September 10, 2009. Today was my 27th birthday. I was asked if I feel any different and I sort of do. I am beginning to feel mature in age. Sounds crazy but I see 30 right around the corner and then time will fly. It is a mixed bag though because I still feel young. I don't feel like a total adult yet. Maybe once I finish nursing school I will feel like an adult but until then I am gonna stay young.

It has been a great year. I have been back in school working towards my nursing degree. I have done an excellent job grades wise. It has been tough working and going to school but not as bad as I thought it would be. I will be happy when it is over though.

I have a little brother through, Big Brother Big Sister, who is so much fun to be around. I look forward to hanging out with the little dude.

I have made some great friends lately. Shoutout to my homies.

I look at it this way though...I may feel old but I have such a wonderful life so it is worth it.

Summer is finishing.

I have not posted anything in a long, long, long time. I have had the most busy and crazy summer! I had school Monday-Thursday at a school an hour away so I spent a lot of time on the road. Plus, I was still working 25 or so hours a week. I felt like I never got a break. On some days I would get home from school and then be at work an hour later. Those were some downright crappy days.

On the upside, I did wonderful in my class. I got an A in Anatomy & Physiology II. So that is my life as I know it.

The end is near.

I haven't written a blog in a long time and think it is about time that I give people some sort of update. I have been extremely busy with school and work the last couple months. I have become somewhat of a hermit. I barely talk to my friends and family. My dad actually called me yesterday because he thought I was mad at him. That is how long I haven't talked to him. I usually talk to him at least every other week.

I am currently in Anatomy & Physiology and Microbiology. Whenever I tell another student I am in both classes they look at me like I am crazy. I am beginning to think the same thing. The thing I keep reminding myself is that I will only be taking Anatomy & Physiology next quarter. Not exactly something to look forward to.

I am surviving though. I am getting pretty good grades somehow. I just can't fail my finals. I worry more about Micro than A&P.

On to other news. I have feeling really good about life right now. I feel that I am in control of myself again. That doesn't make much sense but lately I have been feeling so off-track with my health. I hit a breaking point the other night and just told myself I need to get back on the bandwagon. I have been doing better and I feel so determined to get back to where I was when I first started losing weight and taking control of my habits. Trying to be healthy is hard work. Anyways that is all for now.

Why I love Clark College.

I feel like I have been a student forever.  Sometimes I feel as if I will never graduate college.  Sometime school is a lot more bearable when you actually like the school you are attending.  You may not like the schoolwork.  You may not like the fact that there is never a parking spot.  But hopefully you can find something about school that helps you through the days stuck in the classroom.  For me I like the teachers at Clark.  They are very helpful and knowledgable.  But the main reason I love Clark College is the campus.  It is relaxing and beautiful.  It is a smoke-free atmosphere so I don't have to worry about breathing in nasty ciggerette smoke.  I want to post a few pictures to demonstrate why I love the campus.

This is near Gaiser Hall.  A large group of tulips.

Flowerbed outside Foster/Hanna Hall.

Pretty tree.

This is outside the greenhouse near my science labs.

More pretty flowers.

Even more pretty flowers.

This is the campus.  How serene right?