My overachieving big sister...

So you know how I was saying my sisters are overachievers??? WELL, my very ambitious, goal-oriented sister has set the most amazing and daring goal for herself. She has decided to run a 26.2 mile marathon to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. How awesome is that?? She has also set a goal to raise $5,000 for blood cancer patients before the race in April. It gets even better.... get this..... the marathon that she's training for is going to be held in Paris!!! I am so jealous! She just started training with a team in Atlanta, a mix of beginners and experts, so it should be an interesting and exciting experience for her. I'm so jealous that she has the motivation to do something so amazing and cool and for such a good cause!!! I'm going to make her force me to go running when I go home for break and I am probably going to slow her down on her training process, haha, oh well! So she's just getting started on everything, but if you are interested in donating to my fabulous sister's cause, visit her new little blog here and help her reach her amazing goal!!! She'd really appreciate anything she can get! Even 5 measly little dollars, it will go a long way! Plus, I would love you forever :)

{I also discovered that making important words bigger is amazingly fun and dramatic}

Am I in Italy??

I woke up this morning very late, as usual... I threw on some clothes and ran out the door 6 minutes before my 8 a.m. class was going to start, giving me just enough time to get there riding my bike. To my surprise and slight excitement, I walked out to see that my lovely road had turned into a lovely river! I was a bit panicked for a second because I realized I wouldn't be able to get to my bike without walking through a foot of water, and now I would be late for class. I had a decision to make: get my feet and legs soaked and ride my bike, dodge the river and walk to class but arrive 15 minutes late, OR skip class altogether and get some useful work done. Obviously, I chose the third option. I still ended up walking through the river, just for pure enjoyment (Claire thinks its gross) but I was able to wash off my feet and legs afterward, whereas, if I had gone to class, I would have had nasty dirty rainwater all over me for the rest of the day. I think I made the right decision. As long as my car and house are high enough not to flood, I thoroughly enjoy having a river outside of my house! It's as close as I can get to Venice! Thanks hurricane Ida!

WOO HOO!

We went to the farmer's market this morning to get some corn, apples, potatoes and peaches to bring on the trip! Now we're off to Asheville for a faabulous weekend of camping! YAY! I'm so excited!

Oh happy day!

My teacher observed in the classroom with me today for about an hour. Afterward, she told me that she agreed with everything I had explained to her about this teacher. She said that she realized if she kept me in that classroom that it would go against everything she has taught me these past semesters. I was sooooooo relieved when she let me know that she would place me in another classroom and that I had nothing to worry about. Oh how I LOVE HER! She is seriously one of the most understanding, hardworking and dedicated teachers I have ever had. I shouldn't have even wondered if she would help me get out of there or not, she's so understanding and caring. Now I feel just about as free as I did when I was standing on a mountain in Delphi, Greece, admiring the amazing view of the mountains and crystal blue ocean...

.......THAT is how relieved I am

Asheville, I love you

It's always been a dream of mine to be ms. mountain woman, but it just hasn't worked out too well. I love the outdoors and I love camping and I love hiking and swimming and rafting and being in the mountains, but I'm just not very knowledgeable about all of the important out-doorsy things. It's quite a drag. But I make the most of it and do what I can, that's why Claire and I made an adventurous trip to Asheville this summer! Here's some things we did.

 drove through the mountains

Stopped on the side of the road to enjoy the scenery

Stopped on the side of the road to pop a squat

  

Wore extra-large granny panties (I forgot to bring underwear)

 

Hiked along a river

 

Stumbled upon waterfalls

 

ate lunch on a tree

 

used my chacos to their greatest potential

 

Sat by the stream

 

lounged in our tent while it rained

 

attempted to build a fire

.... and somehow we managed to survive without getting eaten by bears or starving to death, so I guess that's a good sign! I LOVE THE MOUNTAINS!