Kathleen

Beach

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 18:02:00 -0500

I went to the beach today and it was a lot of fun. We played beach volleyball and went swimming. The water was a bit cold but it was nice because it was hot out.

I forget sometimes that I live right near a huge lake. I get jealous of my California and East coast relatives who go the the beach often because they are near the Ocean. I shouldn’t be though, because I can just go to any number of beaches on Lake Michigan. Today was fun and I should do that more often.

Good thing I don't often run on the edge of a cliff.

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 22:56:20 -0500

So apparently I can’t run in a straight line.

As I was running with my teammates today, I nearly killed myself. We did a 3-4mile pick up run today I crossed over a bridge over the Milwaukee River. The sidewalk on the bridge ran all the way to the curb. I don’t really pay too much attention when I run—I kind of get into this frame of mind and I just run. What I didn’t notice was the fact that I was running closer and closer to the edge of the curb, where it drops about 3 inches into the street. Suddenly I mis-stepped and I stumbled, luckily able to catch myself before I fell into the road. However I was not spared the embarrassment because the rest of my team was running behind me.

To tie this all back to my title—If the edge of the curb had been the edge of a cliff I surely would be dead right now.

First Day of Classes

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 23:42:00 -0500

So today was my first day of classes. They went pretty well. Same old handing out of syllabus, going around and announcing names, starting some lecture.

I am also happy because I had my second cross-country practice and I did pretty well. I’m still not amazing but I felt great and I definately think that there will be an improvement from last year. And we actually have enough runners for a full team. That always helps.

However, my being known as the clumsy one would not be forgotten. In the cafeteria I managed to trip into the utensil stand (luckily I caught myself before I could knock it over with a huge crash) AND I spilt my milk all by the milk dispenser. I got lucky again though because despite 6 people seeing this happen, the spill was over the grate below the dispenser so I didn’t get it everywhere.

10 Things I LOVE About Running

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 20:12:34 -0500

So I just saw an article on MSN titled, “Ten Most Beautiful Things in Sports.” I’m going to do a bit of a variation on this because unlike the article (which included golfing, baseball, and football moments) I can relate to it. It’s in no particular order; I don’t think I can really rank these things. So here it goes:

A feeling of accomplishment. No matter how long or short, fast or slow I run, I always feel good after a workout. Not necessarily physically good, but emotionally. It feels good to be able to tell people how much you ran, whether it is 1, 5, or 10 miles.
An early morning/late night run. I usually tend to run really late or really early into the day. One morning before my anatomy class I went for a run at 5 in the morning with a friend. I thought it was crazy, but somehow she talked me into it. We went to the lake and right on cue we watched the most amazing sunrise. Just to see the sunrise I went running that early a few times. I also love to see sunsets. At my house in Mukwonago, I’ve found the perfect time for running. My family eats late dinners so I run around 7. By the time I get home the sun has started to set, and I run to the to the top of the hill on my street and get an amazing view of the sunset over this farm field. It is amazing.
Running is my outlet. Going for my runs is the one time of the day where i have no worries. I can work out my daily frustrations and get some alone-time. It also gives me a chance to think things over without interruption. And if I don’t want to think about things I can just blast my music and try to forget about whatever is worrying me.
Runner’s high. I do believe that there is such a thing as a “runner’s high.” I sometimes get in this mode where I just run. I don’t really notice any pain or fatigue. I just run. Of course the soreness catches up with me later, but while I’m running and I feel like this, it’s just great.
Runners are the friendliest people you’ll meet. Whether you are getting ready for a cross-country meet, or just jogging down the street, I have found that runners are the nicest people around. I remember in high school talking to my fellow competitors before the mile run at a track meet. everyone was chatting like old friends and before the race started everyone was wishing the other luck. Although it can be competitive runners share a sort of camaraderie. I have seen this whenever I run, from on the cross-country course, to running around my neighborhood. Runners are just friendly.
Running talks. When I do run with other people, you can talk about the most random things. Sometimes it’s serious, and sometimes it’s just plain silly, either way it is completely acceptable. I have had conversations ranging from relationships troubles to making up absurd/silly songs. What I am trying to say is that while running with others the conversation is never boring.
It never gets boring. When I speak of running, I don’t think about running on treadmills. I love to run outside. I love being able to choose different routes, explore the area, and do different workouts. This past summer I have been able to explore the countryside and have found some great places to run. Whether I’m running past farmland or huge houses, I love the scenery and love being able to try out new courses and see what lies ahead.
Music. Running with music is something that I’ve just started recently. Moving to Mukwonago, I’ve been stuck running by myself often. I started bringing my ipod with me. I’ve made various running playlists with songs that are upbeat and get me in the mood for running. I love being able to listen to pump-up music when I run. It gets me in a happy mood.
Being in shape. I feel better about myself, and just in general when I’m in shape. I find that I have a lot more energy and endurance for everyday things. I went hiking a while back and the fact that I was in shape really helped. While the others considered it a hard walk, I kept thinking to myself that I’ve run further and harder distances. It was a good feeling.
Road races. Although I may not be the best out there, road races are fun to do. There are usually so many people there and the atmosphere is great. It is a good way to show off your training, or just to have a good time. There isn’t any real pressure for fun runs and it’s a good chance to run with friends. And road races usually fund some sort of charity and you get a free shirt so It’s all good.

"Wow! What a play! It was just like BAM! And then it landed like a butterfly with wounded legs...."

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 11:40:25 -0500

“Wow! What a play! It was just like BAM! And then it landed like a butterfly with wounded legs. Amazing.”

- Olympic badminton announcer

So another blog post for today, it all happened while I was typing the last one.

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 21:55:31 -0500

So as I was typing my last blog, I was watching Michael Phelps recieve his gold medal. It was pretty cool. The national anthem was playing and Phelps was standing on the center of the podium, tears in his eyes, and when the song reached it’s climax (The part where singers hit—or miss—the high note) the anthem was cut off and it was all silence. Suddenly his proud, on-the-verge-of-tears face turned into a confused, what-happened-to-the-rest-of-the-anthem face.

I hate to say it, but I had to hold back a laugh. I’m sure they didn’t mean to cut off the song early, but the timing of it couldn’t be any better (and when I say “better” I mean the best part to cut off a song and catch people off guard)

A funny conversation about steve the hermit.

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 21:43:08 -0500

So this is a conversation that happened tonight between my cousin Jimmy’s daughters, me, and my mother. Abby is 6, Kayla is 4, and Emily is 3. They visit about once a month. Sometimes even more.

Anyways, the point is that the girls know our family pretty well….or so they think….

Emily: There’s a strange guy upstairs.

Mom: Who, your dad?

Kayla: No there’s somebody else up there. A person.

Mom: Oh, that must be Steven. He’s always gone or in his room whenever you guys visit. He’s your cousin.

five minutes pass then Abby comes from upstairs.

Abby: There’s a big guy upstairs!

Me: Sigh, that’s steve.

Mom: Yeah, he’s their brother.

Abby: Really?

Mom: Maybe Steve should come out more. Then maybe his own family would know him. But then again he always scares his younger brothers. So maybe it’s a good think you don’t know him.

Michael Phelps=My favorite olympic athlete

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 21:20:16 -0500

Michael Phelps is AMAZING. In his first event at the olympics he won and set a record. No need to say more.

This is a sweet picture I too two days ago. My mom asked me to...

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:33:14 -0500

This is a sweet picture I too two days ago. My mom asked me to take out the garbage and this is the view that I saw from my front yard. I set my camera on my car and that’s what is causing the reflection. It was pretty amazing.

"That woman. Had a moustache. It wasn’t just a little fuzz. It was defined."

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 21:23:50 -0500

“That woman. Had a moustache. It wasn’t just a little fuzz. It was defined.”

- Steve Boyle

Giant bugs(or just bugs in general)=totally disgusting

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 21:19:37 -0500

So apparently there was a fly the size of a person’s thumb in our garage. My brother or dad killed it while I was out. Thank god I wasn’t there because I would have probably freaked out. Flies should not be that big.

And speaking of bugs…

I was taking a walk with my brother Luke today in the woods near my house and I walked into this spider web. Not only was there a huge spider hanging from my sleeve, I was covered with many dead bugs that were caught in it’s web. It was disgusting. After I flung the spider off, found it on the ground, then squished it, I noticed all the bugs covering the front of my t-shirt. I proceeded to freak out fling my shirt off (don’t worry I was wearing a tank-top underneath) and throw my shirt five feet in front of me. I may have been over-reacting a bit, but I hate bugs. I hate them. My brother Luke had a similar reaction. Although he’s a tough 7-year-old boy, he is deathly afraid of bugs, spiders, or anything that has more than 4 legs. He was yelling “The bug’s on you! Run! That’s disgusting! Don’t come over by me!”—I do believe that my influence may be rubbing off on the kid.

Lesson: inanimate objects cannot be killed

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 23:26:00 -0500

Steve: Hey Luke! (dangling Luke's stuffed animal cow over the bonfire)
Luke: No! Don't Kill him!
Steve: You can't kill something if it's NOT ALIVE!
Luke: (Thinking hard)...well, just don't throw him in...(still thinking)

Sam and I built this bonfire pit today. We roasted marshmallows...

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 23:07:04 -0500

Sam and I built this bonfire pit today. We roasted marshmallows and made Jiffy-pop. It was a good time. Eventually the bonfire pit will move into our woods once we clear it out, but for now this is good.

"Just what I like to see when I go on a bike ride….a pretty girl running."

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:26:21 -0500

“Just what I like to see when I go on a bike ride….a pretty girl running.”

- Creepy man-on-bike that I saw while running.

The Dark Knight

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:19:59 -0500

The Dark Knight was possibly the best movie I’ve seen all summer. I saw it a few days ago with my brothers and it was AMAZING

Fred

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:38:23 -0500

Fred is the frog that lives in my garage. When I came home the other night, I pressed to code to open our garage door, and he was just chillin’ by the door when it opened. Not expecting to see a frog there I always jump thinking it’s some huge beetle or something coming at me. This has happened to me twice now (once being just a few minutes ago)

I have tried to get a picture of Fred, but unfortunately whenever I whip out the camera phone I can never get close enough to get a good pic. He always jumps away, and unfortunately it’s always late at night when I come home and the flash on my phone isn’t strong enough to get a pic from afar. The two times I’ve seen Fred have ended with me chasing him around the garage trying to get a good picture of him, until he finds some nook or cranny to hide in. I will get a picture eventually though, because I am persistant.

Pancake flavored custard??

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 23:58:11 -0500

So the flavor of the day at Kopps today was “Maple Syrup and Pancakes” and I decided to try it. It was surprisingly delicious, although it could be due to the fact that I do love pancakes. All I know is that Kopps can have the most bizarre flavors but they are amazing.

So this is the new me….today I got glasses, my hair cut,...

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:36:00 -0500

So this is the new me….today I got glasses, my hair cut, and a body perm. Kind of a lot of change for one day but I like it. It was funny though to see my family’s reaction when I came back, which ranged from my brother Luke’s “oh my god!” to my grandma’s comparison of me to a charlie’s angel (as to which one I am still trying to figure out lol). Personally I like it and think it’s a good change.

So this is Oak Tree Dr….my street only about 3/4 of a mile...

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 21:59:39 -0500

So this is Oak Tree Dr….my street only about 3/4 of a mile away. It’s been like this for about 3 weeks now, ever since we had all that insane amount of rain. That huge thing in the middle is a pump that has been trying to pump water out of there for the last three weeks. I don’t see though how after three weeks of constant pumping, there is still this much water on the ground. All I have to say is thank God that we live on a hill.

What is annoying however, is that is my usual running route. Yesterday I decided to plan a new route, seeing as the condition of my usual one is not improving. So I set out on my run and lo-and-behold the the street that I’m on is yet another flooded street. So I had to turn around (I was on a country road so I was about a 1/2 mile from the last intersection) and I had to find somewhere else to run. Hopefully this all dries up soon.

Glasses

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 21:32:32 -0500

So I am finally getting glasses sometime next week. Although I’m pretty sure that wearing them will annoy the heck out of me, I won’t need to wear them all the time and I’m sure that it will be nice to actually see things clearly for a change. I’m near-sighted so I can see things that are close, but faraway things are another story. In all my classes I had to sit relatively near the front so I could see my professor’s power-points and such. The few times that I had to sit in the back, I ended up copying note incorrectly and misspelling (the hard technical terms of course lol) words. At least that problem will now be solved.