Just Another Manic Sunday

So my computer has finaly bit the bullet. It's been acting sketchy for the past few months, but sadly this past week I went to turn it on and it wouldn't budge. I'm in the early shopping stages for a new computer. I have a feeling that my dad's car buying style and my computer buying style are going to be a very similar process. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the process, it takes many months of comparing, thinking, and rethinking about a purchase before actually going through with it. With any luck I'll have a new computer by January. Untill then, the good ol computer lab will have to do! I've had several of my friends recommend that I get a Mac. If anyone has any thoughts on the Mac vs PC topic, I'd love to hear them!

Last Sunday I ran in the Susan G Komen Race For The Cure. I cried. There, it's out there. I didn't set a PR, but I ran it in 28:47 and placed 316 among 1170 participants. I'm always happy with any finish that is under 30 minutes. It was really cool to see so many people gathered together to show support for this disease. Before the race began the survivors all gathered about 100 yards behind the starting line and marched toward it together. There was one girl in particular who only appeared to be a couple of years older than me who was bawled, looked weak, and was being pushed in a wheel chair to the start. Seeing that girl was such a reminder to me that life is short, and it's sooooo sweet! I'm so thankful to be healthy, HAPPY, and living each day as if it were my last!

Tomorrow morning 20 of my friends and I are going on a cruise to the Bahamas! I'm beyond excited! One of my good friends didn't realize untill yesterday that she didn't have her passport in Orlando and had to have her parents overnight it down here. It's supposed to be here by 10:30 A.M. tomorrow morning. We have to be on the ship in Miami by 4:00 P.M. Say a little prayer that there are no glitches to this and we don't miss the boat, literally!

Bon Voy Age!

Skydiving...CHECK

So as I so casually mentioned in my last post, this past Sunday I, quite literally, took the biggest leap of faith of my life. I really had been busy last week, so thankfully I hadn't had gobs of time to ponder whether this was a smart decion. Obviously if I had thought about the specifics more (strapping myself to a stranger, loading myself in a small engine plane, asending 15,000 feet, letting gravity have its way with me, etc.) then I would have put that four year degree to use, and not have gone through with the jump. On Sunday morning four of my friend and I loaded up my car and headed to Titusville. I was expecting to see a small airport, and that my group would be the only appointment of the day. However, when we pulled up to Skydive Space Center it was crowded with around 80 people all awaiting their turn to jump. Watching loads of people jump out of the plane and land safely actually comforted me. I figured if they all survived there was no reason why I shouldn't either. We were scheduled to jump at 11:00, but due to the number of people we didn't end up going up in the plane until around 2:00. My nerves were really doing just fine, until I boarded the plane. I knew then that there was no turning back. My hands are getting sweaty just thinking about it! Inside the plane were myself, my three friends, all of our instructors, and all of our videoographers. Oh yea, I think there was a pilot in there too. I was sitting closest to the door, and was the first to jump. Thankfully, the deciding when to jump part was not left to me. I was bascally sitting on my hunky instructors lap and then he kinda started waddeling us to the open door. He then yelled in my ear, "When I tap your arm you can extend your arms." I wanted to run over, just one more time what exactly I was supposed to do, but before I could ask I was FALLING out of the plane! For those of you who have seen the pictures, using the words terrified do not acuratly convey the emotions I was feeling during those moments. Imagine driving in a car at 120 miles per hour and sticking your god forsaken face out the window. That's kinda how it felt. My ears were popping so badly that I really thought they were going to explode! My skin felt like it was being pulled off my body. Quite honestly, I don't even remember all of it because I think my mind and body were in complete panic mode! After about a minute of free falling, my instructor pulled the parachute. This was an awkward feeling because it was like a sudden jerk. After the canopy was up, I went into major spaz mode. Hunky McHunkerson was recording me on his handheld camera and trying to ask me questions, but all I could do was ramble on and on about only God knows what. After the initial freaking out, I really enjoyed the canopy ride. It seriously felt like I was flying, and it was SOOOO peaceful up there! I even got to hold on the the parachute straps and steer us for awhile! And obviously, since I am writting this I can report that we had a successful jump and a safe landing! I can honestly say it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life and I would do it again in a heartbeat! So flipping cool!

Jumping out of the ol airplane was pretty much the highlight of my week. Nothing else seems super exciting in comparison to that. Running has been going really well. This Sunday my roommate Amy and I are running in the Susan G Komen Race For The Cure. It's just a 5k, but I'm excited for it! Still no new news on the job front. Miss all of you!

"Courage is being scared to death -- but saddling up anyway." - John Wayne

Running My Arse Off!

In the spring of 2008 I signed up to run my first 5k race. I really thought the 2008 Passavant Area 5k would be my first and last race. As it turns out, the runner's high is actually kind of addicting. Since then I've ran several 5k races, and a year ago I did my first 10k. After completing the 10k, I decided that running a half marathon would be the next logical step to take in my running career. So, a few months ago my roommate Amy and I eagerly signed up for the Walt Disney World Half Marathon in January. So far we're about two months into our training and I can safely say this is the one, single, STUPIDEST idea I have EVER had. I ran seven and a half miles tonight! No one was chasing me. No building was on fire. No life size cookie dough ice cream cone was seven miles in front of me. I was just running, FOR NO REASON! I left my digital watch at home in Illinois, so I've been running on the treadmill at the gym. This means that for 90 minutes I ran/walked 7 and a half miles and got no where! '

Ok, just had to get that off my chest. With all of that being said, I am proud of us that we're sticking to our training. I've switched from trying to run large chunks of time to interval training. Right now I'm doing four minutes running and one minute walking. It feels a lot more manageable doing it this way. My calves hurt....

Today I had a phone interview for the professional internship I applied for here at Walt Disney World. I applied for five different positions that are all sales related. I'm not 100% sure that I want to stay working for Disney, but the appealing part of doing another internship is that it would buy me six more months where I don't have to commit to a real full time job, and any Disney related experience that I can slap on my resume can't hurt, right? I think the phone interview went well. The interviewer and I really hit it off. We were sharing giggles by the end of the interview like regular ol BFFs!

Sunday I'm jumping out of a plane. Keep your fingers crossed that Sky Dive Space Center is more legit than the Tampa Road Way Inn!