It's good to be back.

It's so good to be back to the friendliest place on the planet!  I've spent the last week in a flurry of activity in an attempt to make up for the wall I'm about to slam into as classes get started.  I'd heard that sophomore year is the best, and so far that's been true.  I've gone hiking twice since I've been back.  The first time, I went to Dragon's Tooth.  This was my second trip up, but it's still one of the best hikes I've ever done because it's relatively short, challenging in places, and the view from the top of the main tooth is incredible.  The second adventure wasn't quite as successful.  We attempted to go to Tinker Cliffs, but ended up taking the wrong trail and just exploring the wilderness of the North Mountain.  Apparently the Tinker Cliffs trail is unmarked and in the back of the parking lot.  Who knew!  Anyway, we still had a ton of fun and got a great workout from the seemingly millions of switchbacks we discovered.

I also reconnected with Molly and Kelley!  We watched Midnight in Paris and reminisced about our summer, and ate a wonderful dessert called Big Cookie.  Basically, you take two things of chocolate chip cookie dough, bake it until it reaches your preferred level of gooiness, and cover the top with vanilla ice cream.  Yum!

Academic update:  not sure if I already mentioned this, but I'm going for the full double major.  Also, I'm apparently a junior now because of AP and dual enrollment credit.  Woohoo!

Back to school, back to school!!!!!!!

In case you couldn't tell from the title, I'm so excited to go back to Blacksburg!  I'm only a little bit terrified of my schedule, which is good, and I can't wait for football season to begin.  Before I either abandon this blog completely due to lack of time or switch over to adventures at VT, I figured I ought to do a quick recap of the major fun things I did post-Paris.

Ocracoke Island
My family and I try not to spread the word too much, but, since you're reading this, I'll tell you that Ocracoke is the most fabulous island in the Outer Banks. It's very low key and family oriented, so if you're looking for a Beach Week house or mini golf, this isn't the place for you. However, if 12 miles of beach, riding bikes everywhere, folk music, and access by ferry only sounds like your style, visit this island. I'd really like to live here for a summer.  We went to the beach every day, did some shopping, and went offshore fishing!



Camping
The camping trip included my immediate family and two of the dogs (Gracie and Fly). We went to our usual haunt in Montebello, VA. The highlight of that trip was climbing Spy Rock and witnessing the incredible 360 view of the valley below and other mountains nearby. The downfall of the trip was Fly rolling in human feces and having to share a tent with the dog who smelled to high heaven even after two baths and a trip into the lake. We also had to set up in the middle of a wicked thunderstorm, but we still had a great time!

Flying!
Last major adventure: I finally got my old cross country coach to take me flying!  He has his pilot's license and keeps his little Cessna in a nearby hangar. We flew over several friends' homes and over the property on which my parents are building a house!  From this adventure, I realized that I have no idea how my hometown is actually laid out and that maybe i'd like to get my pilot's license if I ever find enough time.

All in all, this has been a wonderful summer. I can only hope that this school year continues to hold such amazing adventures. 

Keep on dreamin' even if it breaks your heart

I've spent the last month swept up in daydreams about things I want to do, places I want to see, and the person I'd like to become. I've redone my course of study planner so many times that the sticky notes lost their stick and the creases of the paper are wearing thin. I've literally lost sleep because I've been so concerned about how I'm going to fit everything into my life. I had this preconceived notion that all fun stops once I begin my career, but I've realized that I'll still have vacation time and opportunities to go explore as much as I want to. And if I find the job I really want, work will be an adventure too. As of tonight, the plan is to go for a double major in ISE and French, take classes first summer session next summer, get an internship after junior year, and bike across the country after senior year before leaping into the workforce (www.4kforcancer.org). Somewhere in here I'd like to squeeze in backpacking at least virginia's part of the Appalachian trail (next summer?) and running a half marathon. I'd also eventually love to do the ironman in Nice.

The weird thing is, while I'm sitting here losing sleep because I'm so excited and terrified about the future, some of my peers are settling for an ordinary life. Throughout high school we all had prescribed goals to reach and honors to attain. Now that we're in college or working, it's up to us to set our own goals and instill that sense of competition within ourselves and a lot of people aren't capable of really pushing themselves to greatness. It breaks my heart to see some of my friends accepting life the way it is and fading into mediocrity instead of stretching beyond their comfort zones. I found a really great quote from Ellen Johnson Sirleaf: "The size of your dreams must always exceed your current capacity to achieve them. If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough." If I could, I'd spread that mantra to the world and give everyone that touch of wanderlust and thirst for spontaneity that make life so much fun. Do not settle. Be afraid but do it anyway. Mind your own business, and be interesting enough that other people mind it as well. Don't follow your dreams; chase them.