a fun trip and a new goal.

This past weekend my dear friend Melissa and I took an overnight trip to Vancouver, BC. It was a lovely drive up in spite of getting ever-so-slightly lost for a short time. This trip was to be her last girls' night out before getting married in August. We had a great time. We went to a blues club which suggested by the taxi driver when we arrived Friday night (may have consumed a few too many) and played some pool until the bar closed. The next morning we dragged ourselves out of bed and drove a bit further north to the Capilano Suspension Bridge. What a spectacular sight it was. Absolutely breathtaking. We traversed the bridge which suspends across the river at quite a length and height (not for the faint of heart). Later we walked among the tree tops and along the cliffs on a plethora of wooden bridges (all more rigid than the former).

On top of it all, the weather was remarkably beautiful. We could not have asked for a better evening and day. The photos do not do it justice.

On anothere note, working at the Biotech has really been and continues to be beyond great. I learn an enormous amount each day and am able to live life in a style other than that of a student. I get to take days off and get paid for them, I get to read whatever books I want and I can drop everything if I want and fly places. I've worked there for just over 6 months, have paid off almost all of my debt, and not a day has gone by where I haven't thought about what my next move will be. I enjoy my position, however I don't intend on being an assistant for the long haul.

It finally dawned on me the other day, what I should do. At first I thought I had sniffed too much sharpie, then the idea has become less crazy as the days go by. I've decided that I would like apply to law school. I'm rather sure I'm writing about it prematurely, however I'm excited because this is the first time I've been ready to really get the show on the road. Every other thing I've thought about doing (besides nursing) has been simply a notion, not a reality. I plan to start an LSAT prep course in August and take the LSAT in October. I hope to do well on the exam (well, who doesn't) considering my less than phenomenal GPA.

An update: My mother is still doing very well. She had her first post-op CT scan last and everything looks great. They've decided to do her next surgery sooner than we thought (for no reason in particular). She will go in for the next on August 18th. I'm not sure what to think. She is glad she's able to get it over and done with sooner, as am I. Also, my grandfather bounced back a bit. He's still in the nursing home however, will be going home soon.

We'll see what happens. I've got a superb support system between work and home with regard to fun, school, and surgery. I'll keep you "posted".

when life gives you lemons...climb a rock.

Hello all. It's been far too long. March was lovely (I turned 24--my goodness), April was sweet (I visited my nephew in Phoenix after all), and May has been a test. First, the fun stuff.

I've taken up climbing again, the activity I put aside once I moved to Bellingham. Spencer and I climb in the climbing gym a couple times a week and I went with he and some friends on my first outdoor trip on Memorial Day weekend to Vantage, WA. That was the most fun I've had in a very long time (and probably ever on a camping trip). We climbed for 3 days straight. It was a great way to test the limits of my body--I found that I've got much more stamina than I thought!

The not-so-fun stuff has been pretty terrible. I'm glad I've got climbing to keep me distracted. Many months ago we found out that my mom had a brain aneurysm. She had a procedure to help prevent the aneurysm from causing a stroke (it's called embolization of a cerebral aneurysm--hers is on her ophthalmic carotid artery). The procedure went well and she has recovered. Although, when the did the procedure, they found that she has two additional aneurysms. She will be going in for the same procedure in 6 months to fix another (the third is too small to fix). The frosting on the cake, though, is that my grandfather (yes, my mother's father) isn't doing very well right now--failing more like. He must go into a nursing home, which is heartbreaking because this is the antithesis of the essence of him. He's the lone horseman with an art gallery in his barn.

I know that these things happen and life cannot be fantastic all the time. Everyone has to traipse through the mud at some point. Gratitude and a positive attitude are where it's at though. Keep going forward!!