I know, I am not good at updating this thing!

Ok sorry for such a delay. As I'm sure some of you are aware of, I've been pretty busy. Sundays are my only day off, and even then I'm busy studying for Monday's exam and EMT, doing laundry at a laundry mat and going to the grocery store, which are all located in town.

News for ya'll.
So besides being busy with academy and EMT, a couple of us parkies (that's what we call ourselves, it's spose to be insulting but we like it) having been playing against the fire academy a couple times a week in basketball and on Thursday, when we were playing, I decided to sacrifice myself almost literally to try and save a ball going out of bounds. Well...I don't even remember if I did save it but ended up going head first into a metal bleacher. Yes Metal bleacher versus my skull. Don't really remember too much of it, I did hear a loud sound (my skull hitting metal, as you could assume) and then hearing voices and opening my eyes (note I was pretty dizzy) to about 12 firefighters and parkies surrounding me. As some of you may know my initial reaction to accidents, I got up quickly noting to everyone I was fine just a bit dizzy. Also, I noticed a big dent, from my noggen, on the metal bleachers (I'll try and take a pic of it). My head didn't hurt to bad but I think I had too much adrenaline to notice and sat out of the game for about ten minutes...then went back in to play. After that, I drove my roomie and I home, and I was fine, just my head, shoulder and arm (all right side) were hurting, but I'm a touch cookie!

When I woke up the next morning, as you would guess, I had a splitting head ache. My body was sore and I wasn't feeling to hot. As I got to school, the pain progressed to the point where I was starting to become nauseous. So I went to my commander who insisted I go get my head checked out at Urgent Care--not something I wanted to hear at that point of the day considering my condition.

So after heading over to urgent care, the doc confirmed that I had a mild concussion--also not something I wanted to hear.

Doc's orders: go home and rest for the next 48 hours (meaning no class for the day and I couldn't go to EMT class on Saturday)
As soon as my headache goes away, then one week after that, I can then head back to normal activity *meaning basketball, running, soccer, etc. and then two weeks after that, I can be totally back to normal.

Which doesn't really help since we start defensive tactics on Thursday of this week... I ust can't get hit in the head...

So I've spent the last couple days, watching movies and tv shows on my computer, trying to study and napping while getting the two hour phone call from my mom to make sure I'm still conscious. (Thanks mam)

But I'm fine, just resting and getting better. I'm not use to this whole, do less thing, especially being told I can't do anything active :(. But hopefully I will return to norm in the next week or two...I've considered wearing my bike helmet around ...but thought that might be a little too much.

Miss everyone and my head condition has been getting better, so no need to worry.

From what the guys told me, it was a pretty awesome sight to see... :)

From my trip El Norte

Here are some pics of my trip to Washington. It was a frigid and exciting adventure with my pops! Camped out in a WalMart parking lot outside Redding because of the snow, seeing Seattle for the first time, My new home in the LC, and Driving through Deception Pass!

On to my second week of academy. Had our first exam and first PEB test, passed both!! made my best 1.5 mile run today around 10 min and some change....booya!! In the rain none the less! But I've been pretty busy with class, studying, working out and not to mention I'm taking an EMT class which takes up all of my Saturday, but luckily this weekend we have Monday off, so I'm gonna try to get all my work done Friday night so I can have me some fun this weekend!!

Washington is really nice, despite the lack of sunshine, but I really like it up here, I'll try and take some landscape pics. I live in a really cute town out in the country. Hit the town this last week hit up the brewery and the local brew pub...starting to become a local! Roomies are great too! It seems like we've been doing this for a while! I can't believe it's only the second week! It feels like I've been here for months!! I miss everyone but you guys should come and and visit!! Washington had some beauty country that I have yet to explore!!!

Welcome to La Conner where the playas play

I made it!! After a severely bruised hand, flat tire, blizzard, and freeway closure, my 28 hour road trip (should have been 22!) I made it to my new home in La Conner, WA. Pictures to come soon, but I'm really excited to start academy Monday. Roomies have all arrived as well. We live in a sick gated community with a 9-hole golf course, beach (it's cold, it ain't no southern california beach mind you) tennis courts and swimming pools (not heated). La Conner itself is actually a village and has cute shops, a brewery, restaurants, grocery store, post office, bank, and drug store. I have a balcony that goes off of my room and overlooks the neighborhood. One thing though is I do miss the sun...haven't seen it since I have arrived! It's rained every day and has been cold, but it's nice. I'm not complaining it's just different and I know I'll be having fun!

The Great Pacific Northwest and YOU!

It just dawned on me last night. I'm leaving. Soon. Real soon. So soon that in 24 days, at approximately 5 p.m. I will hop into my Tacoma, truck packed, grandma in the front seat (We'll be dropping her off at my aunt's house in Central Cali) my dad sitting shot gun, and me driving, probably merging onto the 8 west then taking the 5 north all the way up. In two days, my dad and I will have arrived in the parking lot of a hotel in Mt. Vernon, Wa; my new home for the next 16 weeks.

About one year ago, I was doing the same thing. Except I was leaving for Washington, D.C. instead of the STATE. And instead of driving I was packing two large brown boxes and two large suitcases full of clothes, shoes, books, and anything else I would need for four months.

As I look back on where I was a year ago and as well as who I was, I am baffled at the fact that I will be going up 2,000+ miles north. In a sense, if I hadn't have gone to D.C., I wouldn't be packing up my room, deciding on what books to put in storage and what books to bring (I always do this since I think I will have time to read or reread books I own, HA!)If I didn't go to D.C. I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing today, but I wonder what I would be doing.

I would probably be graduating from PLNU this spring with all my other friends. I probably would be adding another internship to the list of internships I have, either with the UT or with some magazine (since print is dying off...) I probably would be going back to school for another degree since I would probably get tired of working for a magazine and want to venture into a major that I tried to do while at PLNU but was talked into and negotiated to stay with journalism. I probably would stay in San Diego for a while. I would be surfing everyday, staying in a climate where it's 70 degrees year round, no snow, little rain.

But I'm not.

I'm glad.

I think D.C. was the catalyst in the journey I'm on right now. Sure I suffered four months of cold weather, lack of foliage, NO surf. But I think it helped me and has shaped me and directed me into who I am as I type out this blog. Sure I'm over journalism as a career. But I am going into a field where journalistic qualities (reporting, interviewing, observing) are very important to my job, to my career. I find protecting giant redwoods, endangered tortoises, and sensitive rivers to be the reason why I wake up every morning. I want this to be here for myself and others to enjoy, to future generations to enjoy. Sure writing about it is pretty important, but I have found myself drawn to the actual enforcing part of the process than then final leg of writing about it. I'm a doer.

As I start academy on January 4th, and as I sit next to my future partners and protectors of such a sacred resource, I will quietly think to myself of where I have been, where I'm going to be and where I might have been if it was not for D.C. I will ponder on where I will be more...

Zion, Yosemite, Grand Canyon....can't complain about those being my new office and home.

11.75 Hrs

I worked today. Saw the sunrise and set...but I got paid for it, so it made it worth it even more. Did a live feed, nation wide interpretive talk with another ranger I work with to CT for a conference (about the tide pools).

Pretty exhausted. No coffee too. Just carb load.

Snowboarding for the first time this Sunday with a really good friend from college. Can't wait to spend time on the slopes and with him! He's awesome!

I leave in 41 days. I pretty much have to pack my entire room (because I will be moving out for good, and my mom plans on moving to a smaller place). That'll be fun...

"There are two kinds of people in this world that go around beardless—boys and women—and I am neither one"
A quote that has plagued the minds of the male rangers at my work, they are so silly, but awesome people to work with.

I win!

So I was picked out of over 700 entries for this photo contest! (first photo contest I've ever won I think!) http://www.nature.nps.gov/PhotoContest/Winners/ Check it out!!

Six more weeks until I leave for Skagit. Just got a sick house in La Conner with three other students. Pretty excited!

Waking up at 5 tomorrow morning to do a live presentation via the internet on tidepools to a NPS conference on the east coast.

Back to brushing up on anemones and sea grass...

Ocho

Eight. That's how many more weeks I have left here. Eight more weeks until I arrive at my new home in Mt. Vernon, Washington. Eight more weeks until I begin my journey to becoming a Ranger.
I'm getting a camper shell for my truck, which I am quite excited about even though it's raping my bank account! Not to mention I'm working on getting a house with three other students (ranger house what what!). I'm really excited and each week I'm getting closer and closer.
More to come soon.