The Gym...and all it's glory

So I joined defined fitness today so that my roommate and I can work out together. I used to work out at UNM but now that I am out of school, I don't want to drive all the way down there....

ANYWAY, so I went to the pool my first day and they have a grand total of 5 lanes to swim in. There weren't any lanes so I sat down and waited patiently for one to open. When one did, i jumped in and put my goggles on...just then, some guy's voice said, can I share this lane with you?? As I turned around, I was greated with a giant grin from a very...VERY old man and all of his glory! How could I say no to him? How rude! I shared a lane with the old guy, swam 500 meters and decided...it was time to get out...not a long swim....but long enough!! :)

Julia and I worked out together today and it rocked. We did half an hour on the elliptical and then I went and swam 800 meters...in my own lane! Sweet...I love the gym.

Studying for the Navy test is annoying! I don't know anything about mechanical comp stuff and am terrible at math word problems...oi...I'm gonna be ready though so don't worry. I will pass and hopefully get that pilot slot! YES!

Two days after

I'm so frustrated!! I just wrote this whole blog, and somehow....deleted it all!! SO....I will try and rewrite it as cool as it was before...but no guarantees!

SO....she's more than gaged...she's ENGAGED!!!! Yup...he finally asked her and Alicia and Bart are gonna tie the knot sometime next year...I don't know any of the details so I'll let her tell you the story of how he did it and all the wedding stuff when you talk to her! But yea anyway!! I love weddings!

Christmas was really fun this year because it was more than just my 5-fold family. Alicias soon to be in laws came into town to hang out with us and it's been pretty fun so far. They are really nice and his parents and hilarious! She can't order anything that someone already ordered when she goes out to restaurants because she wants to try everyone else's food! It's so funny!

Now that we are coming out of our Christmas funk as it were, I am starting to really hit the books to study for my upcoming Navy flight aptitude test I'm going to take. I'm hoping to take it in a couple of weeks so I can make my decision about the AF. Thanks for your prayers in this huge decision I have to make! I don't know what I am going to do yet....

As for flying, I am going to be flying is a Cirrus SR-20 tomorrow with my dad and a friend from work...which I had to literally twist my dad's arm to go with me! He's not a back-seater so I really had to beg him to go with me! But it will be fun and I'm super excited to go!

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and all that good stuff....

It's Christmas morning!

First of all, let me tell how funny I think it is that people get all bent out of shape when you say Merry Christmas but replace it with Happy Holidays. Do they not know that holiday is shortened from HOLY-DAYS???? That's funny to me.

So I am house sitting for one of my mom's friends this week and today, Christmas day, is the first day that I have been able to sleep in this week...I have had to open at my job everyday at 6 AM and it's been brutal! SO I am warm and cozy in my bed and at 5 AM, I am woken up by the incessant whining of the two little dogs because someone designated them alarm clocks....so now I am awake and bummed cause again...I didn't get to sleep in!!

Alicia is finally in town and brought her future in laws with her. They are all very nice and her boyfriends mom is probably my favorite! She is super funny!! We went to church last night for Christmas eve..which I was able to play the flute for the service...it was awesome cause I haven't had a chance to play in a while. Church rocked like usual, I love our pastor and the music is amazing. Both the pastor and the worship leader can really bring out Christ and make Him real as ever. After church, we went down to old town for our now 10 year tradition of going to the angel store and then to eat at the La Placita restaurant. It was SO COLD and my jacket was not big enough!

Jimmy comes home today and I know we're all excited to see him...especially mom...she is so funny cause she would keep saying, Jimmy's getting to the airport now...he'll be getting on the plane in a few minutes!! :) She's pumped!! And since it's Jimmy, we have to wait till he gets here to open any presents! POO!!! I want to give my presents to the fam! They are so awesome!

One final thing...I had applied to the US Air Force to be a pilot, which I didn't get because the one test I had to do well on out of them all, I didn't because a) I don't play video games and that was most of the test and b) it's hard to pass when you don't have a lot of flight time. So I decided to put in as a Navigator and see if I could get in that way and possibly switch over to a pilot after a couple years. A difficult task I know. But, I DID get selected as a Navigator for the AF!!! Which, is a pretty big deal because I was in a pool of hundreds and they don't select very many and I was in a group that was chosen from last! So yea me, but pray I make the right decision. I am going to test for the Navy Pilot spot and see if I do well enough with them...keep your fingers crossed and your prayers strong! Whatever may happen...I will fly someday.

My own business?!

I sure didn't see this coming!! I am 22, finishing school, and had to go down to the NM Tax and Revenue department and start my own business. I even got a business license so that I can start making the big bucks as an official sign language interpreter! It's pretty weird...I never though this is where I would find myself one day!

It's very exciting though...I can start making money and even sending out electronic bills to people! HA! I know I feel so grown up...I don't much like it yet, but I guess I will have to get used to it! I have to start paying taxes, insurance and all that...thank GOD for turbo tax!

Now back to the best part of everything...I somehow talked my way into getting a free flight....I know, shocking. This guy at the airport I work at has a little red and white cherokee. It was his fault standing at the front desk an talking about how he wanted to go flying!! I told him I got off work in half an hour an would LOVE to go! Needless to say, Alex and I went on a flight down to Grants, NM and back to ABQ. IT WAS AMAZING! He didn't let me take off or land...we're working on it...but once we were in the air it was all me! I flew the entire length of the flight. The trip to Grants is suprisingly beautiful. The terrain is phenomenal and that day, there were and endless sky of clouds. While we were flying about 9,000 feet, the clouds were about a couple hundred above us and if I stared to long, it looked like we were flying straight up to them! It was tempting to rain so the arrangement of clouds was breathtaking. In Grants, we watch as the visible moisture made its way across the mountains. In awe I flew back to ABQ and loved every second of it!

I'm currently looking into flight school in the happenin' town of Farmington, NM....WOO. But as long as I get to fly, who cares!?

It's so nice not having to go to class! I am trying to get on board as an EA with a middle school here in town so cross your fingers! I will be interpreting soon enough!

One more day....

One more day, which is TUESDAY, and I will be finished with the overwhelmingly satisfying signed language interpreting program at our lovely University of New Mexico! Tuesday is my last final of, well almost of, my last semester in college. I have to partake in one more annoyingly liberating class this coming spring and I will then have my Bachelor of SCIENCE degree! I know, I am so accomplished!



And then??

My plan is to use the money I will hopefully make interpreting to pay for my flight lessons...which I have been patiently waiting to start...and finally be able to leave the earth behind, until I run out of fuel. I am so excited and can't wait to be broke for the rest of my life, but it doesn't even matter. I want to fly. It intrigues me. It excites me. It has captivated me.

And yes, I will use my very expensive degree even though I want to fly. Interpreting is awesome and I really enjoy the communication. I am currently applying to many different agencies that employes interpreters and am keeping my fingers crossed to get them.

It's almost Christmas and my sister, who I haven't seen in TWO YEARS is coming out with her soon-to-be family in laws, as it were. It should be fun as long as we don't find something to argue about...and to let you in on a little secret: sometimes I argue with her because she is so funny when she's mad!!!

Jimmy, the little bro, will be back on Christmas day. We've been instructed to not open presents until he gets home so the agony of waiting will have to be postponed for a few extra hours! James has been in Germany...drinking far to much beer!!! And I'm excited for him to come home too. I drive around this crazy town of Albuquerque, looking for something to do, and all I WANT to do is call Jimmy and play KGB.

All in all, things are going well right now. I had the best semester of my school career...9 semesters later...got mostly A's and a couple of B's. The best I've done thus far. School tends to get in the way of my other activities as my old school principle used to say! SO, I'm will be pursuing my dreams of flying in the sky and living everyday like it's my last.

WHICH IS WHY I went skydiving a few weeks ago! yup....the best time ever! There is nothing more liberating and thrilling, so far, than the anticipation that I felt when I woke up that morning. I had to go to work and was so nervous I couldn't eat all day! When we got to the drop zone, it really hit me and once I was all suited up in my pink and blue jump-suit...it is fashionable...The 20 minute ride up to 10,000 feet wasn't so bad but the moment they opened the door and I heard the howling of 90 knot winds, I got a little nervous! I climbed out on the wing of this little cessna 182 and looked down to the earth...10,000 feet below. As scary as it sounds, it was so easy to let go and fly through the crisp Albuquerque air. I free fell, with two instructors holding me on each side, for about 5,000 feet...which took what seemed like 5 seconds. Once I PULLED my chute, the instructors let go of me and I actually flew myself to the ground. The 8 minutes that it took me to sail through the silent skies was the most fun I have ever had in my life. There is nothing like it. Do it.

I'm an adrenaline junkie, it scares my parents, but it's so much fun!!