Fall Semester

I decided that the reason I don't blog as often as I should is because I want Ellen Patton to get a good nights rest. If I blogged everyday she would be up all night reading my blogs. I can't just sit by and let her get bags under her eyes. It's for the best. For her sake and all our sakes. That is why I must resort to my usual 3 month updates.



So, It's my fall break so I really have no excuse to sit down for 10 mins and update you.

The fall semester is going well. The only real complaint I have is that my calculus teacher speaks with an accent and writes in cursive so sometimes it is hard to understand her which is frustrating when you want to be as clear as you can when explaining math concepts, but I think I'm doing well in her class. Also my film class is from 6-10 at night once a week. We talk about some film concept, watch a movie, and then talk about the movie. Sometimes it is hard after a long day to stay awake after the movie at 9 pm. I'm also thinking about maybe transferring the Stanford University. Their campus is a lot flatter and has less snow than the U...besides the fact that it's an awesome school. The application is due in March, so I have some time to decide.



I am still handcycling at least twice a week. I was actually supposed to go up to Yellowstone to cycle a bike tour this past weekend but it was supposed to snow and be very cold so it ended up being cancelled. I was disappointed but was glad that I didn't go up and cycle through 3 feet of snow...considering I'm about 3 feet off the ground when I'm in my cycle.

I also started playing wheelchair basketball which is very exciting. I'm playing with a bunch of middle school/barely high school kids which makes me laugh when everyone's parents comes to pick them up and I just hop into my car. But it is really fun and good to start out at a younger age level so that I can work on my skills and the best part is that the hoop is 2 ft lower, so it's at 8 feet instead of 10. That'll help me work on my shooting skills. It was funny the first time I got a ball in my hand to shoot, it felt so natural and of course I naturally went to shoot and use my legs but it was like I was stuck. I figured out that I need to use a lot of wrist and follow through to help the ball get lift to get in the basket. I've gone a couple of times and each time I feel like I'm improving. I can now make a layup that feels as close to natural as before my injury. We also work on pick and rolls, which sometimes gets really crowded underneath the basket with a bunch of chairs in the way. But it's really fun and I'm loving it.



Also a bit of news about my Dad. He just got engaged and is planning to get married sometime in April.

Delayed Summer Update (Sorry)

Well Everyone, thanks to Brian calling me and getting mad that I don't blog enough, I finally am updating my blog.
This summer I'm taking an architecture class which is a design studio, so basically I make little buildings and spatial structures out of cardboard. So far it is a lot of work which is a little off putting if I want to major in it because I'll have a bunch of other classes that I will have to do on top of playing with cardboard. I'm liking the class here and there but all in all it is very interesting and is a good experience. If I do end up majoring in it, I would want to work with architects designing new buildings and work with the accessibility and the ADA aspect of things. But the way it's looking now, I'll have to do at least a Masters in architecture to be hired by anyone. The thought of having no social life and sleeping under my work bench for 4 years isn't sounding too appealing at the moment. But I am planning on looking into some other majors in the fall. I'm going to take an Intro to Film, National Park Geology, The Universe, and Calculus. My other two ideas for majors are Film Studies and Geology. If neither of those work out I'm going back to the drawing board.
Besides taking a class I am also working part time in an animal research lab up at the University of Utah Hospital. They work with sheep and lambs and study pre-mature lung development in babies born too early. I mostly cut slides of sheep lung to be studied under a microscope. I know it sounds grosser than it actually is. But it pays well and I can go in whenever I want for however long I want, which is good because the architecture class takes a lot of time.
Let's see...other updates....OH!
I took my first plane ride via wheelchair a couple weeks ago. I went to Las Vegas with my Dad and we met up with my Auntie Laura who lives in Canada. She was down there for a conferance and we decided to meet her there and hang out with her. It was very fun! We went to a production of Cirque du Soleil and it was the Beatles' LOVE. Basically trapeze artists dancing to Beatles' songs. It was awesome. We also went to Spamalot, the Broadway version of Monty Python starring John O'Hurley who is most famous for being Elaine's boss in Seinfeld. All in all it was a fun trip. The plane trip was a new experience as well and it was only an hour away from SLC so that was nice. But now I know what to expect as far as travelling on a plane goes. Me and my dad are also planning to take a plane ride to California at the end of August to go see a band called 'YES'. It will be a longer ride but it's just the next step to flying around the world....or to Boston.
Yes I did watch the NBA Finals with excitement, especially watching the Lakers get slaughtered in game 6. Good stuff. I was definately missing Boston and wanted to be out there so badly. Luckily Brian sent me a T-shirt so I can show my pride out here in Utah.
Some other recent stuff that I did was go on a river trip for the 4th of July weekend. It was 2 days with a company called SPLORE. SPLORE caters to people with all different kinds of disabilities, where as TRAILS, another organization that I do recreational stuff with as well, is geared towards people with specific Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI). So there was one other person who had SCI besides me on the trip. I decided to go it alone or at least without my dad on the trip, not only to get a much needed break from him but also to see if I could do the trip by myself with only help from the SPLORE people. It was a great experience and was of course very fun. We went down the Colorado river near Moab, UT. I was pretty bummed that my friend, who is river guiding with SPLORE this summer, couldn't make it on the trip because she has Mono. But it was still fun.
I think that's all I have for you for now.
Hopefully I will write to you in less than 4 months. Ha!

My Marathon Story

So my crazy marathon odeal....

Things started out just fine. I woke up at 4:30 am to get to the starting line. Quarter of the way there I forgot my helmet, but no biggie, we went back home to get it (which ended up being a good thing). We got there just in time for me to hop in my bike, do the necessary adjustments, and head to the starting line. We lined up 5 mins before all the runners to make sure we didn't run them over at the start. There was a gospel choir singing to help inspire and wake us up, then it was 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO! And we're off! Things started smoothly. The crew I trained with made sure to tell us to take the first turn cautiously because it can be tricky...so I did! The next couple miles went right along, until! I headed down 21st S. towards 23rd E. 21st South is a major hill which I was coasting down maybe 30 or 40 mph....scary I know. What I didn't realize was that I had to make a sharp turn at the end of the hill. Now the handcycles don't turn very easily, so when I started to turn I ended up riding on 2 wheels, basically close to tipping over and sliding the rest of the way down the hill. So i correct it and start riding on the other 2 wheels. I finally get back to the center, but I'm still going too fast and I still need a lot of room to turn. Basically I couldn't stop and I ended up running straight into the curb in front of me, which popped the tire and bent my rim badly. This was in the first 3 miles of the race too! At this point Brian Sweeney was calling me to wish me luck on the Marathon...a couple hours too late, but I guess it's the thought that counts (haha, Brian). So I called one of the therapist guys who was riding on a bike to make sure the cycling team was alright, and he came down and pulled me off the curb and onto the grass. At this point I was crying because my Marathon hopes were pretty much dashed and I felt like I was letting everyone down. My Dad was called and he came up to get me back into my wheelchair and take the busted bike. He was with his buddy Steve Johnston, who is the father of one of my good friends as well. So we get into the car and start driving around, calling bike shops frantically to see if they will be able to fix my wheel. Yet, it is 7:30-8 am in the morning and not shops are open. The other problem is that the wheel/rim I need is 23" which isn't a standard bike rim and usually someone in my postition would have to custom order it from a shop that has these wheels in store. Anyways, we end up driving up into the Avenues where Steve lived because there's a bike shop down the road from him and he knows the owner. So we called up Tim from Wild Rose bike shops and he had just got up for the day. So he came down to see what he could do. Miraculously he had a very thin mountain bike tire that was the perfect size to fix my problem. So 2 hours after my crash I was back on course. My Dad and Steve dropped my off at the exact location that I crashed...but at this point the roads were open to traffic and there were cars everywhere. My Dad and Steve (i'm gonna call them the pit crew from now on) followed behind me with the hazard blinkers to make sure cars didn't run me over, and we started following the Marathon course. At this time also we called up the therapist guy, Rob, to meet back up with me and ride along side. I figured that if we rode fast enough I would be able to catch up to the straglers and hit the course where it would still be closed. I ended up riding on the side of the road and in the gravel and dirt for about half of the marathon course, but that was the sacrifice I was willing to make in order to just FINISH the marathon. I passed by the road where the Hoffmires live and wasn't too surprised to see they weren't there, although they would've been there to see me if I hadn't crashed. At this point also the wind was terrible and I was going very slow. I was able to start catching up to the clean up crew picking up the porta-potties and water stations, and an official car saw us and radio-inned my race number to tell the crews to wait for me. Slowly yet surely I was able to catch up to the last runners on Van Winkle, and by that time I had caught up to the road closures. Some of the guys that I had trained with were saying the Van Winkle is about where they hit the wall of energy and it felt like they couldn't do anymore. For me at that point, it boosted my energy because I knew that I would be able to finish. Rob, the therapist riding with me, told me I was going about 20 mph on Van Winkle. Slowly and surely I weaved in and out of the runners and ended up finishing. My time was about 4 hours 45 mins, which included the race for a new tire. Because I was the only women handcyclist, I won my division and won $500 because of it. Next year I plan on not crashing and figure I can shave 2 and 1/2 hours off my time, which will feel pretty sweet. At the end of the race I had my whole team waiting for me and cheering me to the finish. I also had a bunch of friends who supported me as well. It was a wild ride, and I apologize for those of you who didn't see me, but I promise next time I will be more cautious. Here's some pics of the wild adventure!!!

Very very very short update. More to come!!!

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=3064587

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_8917425

End of first semester

Well this week is finals week here at the U of U. I only have one final on Friday...math. I'm not too worried about it because it's pretty basic college algebra.

The weather out here has been pretty weird with rain, snow, then rain, then snow. But that should be good for the skiiers out here. I have some friends who want to take me out skiing. Some of them are down hill, and other cross country so who knows which one will actually win my heart.

I went to a Winter Expo a month ago and learned about some winter sport opportunities. I did do some adaptive Yoga as well! I also entered a raffle and won a free sledge hockey session. That will probably happen beginning of January and i'm ver excited. I was planning on doing a session of hockey anyways. Basically you sit in a sled-like seat and push yourself around on the tops of 2 mini hockey sticks that of course you use to slap the hockey puck and check people!

Well that's all I have right now!

Octoburrrrr.......

So, I'm sorry i've been late on the whole monthly update thing.

At the beginning of September I went on a Camping and Kayaking trip over the weekend to Jordanelle Resevoir with an organization promoting adaptive recreation and such. It was extremely fun, especially getting into the kayak and racing around. I also stayed in a tent that is big enough to fit under with my wheelchair and then sleep on a cot with a paco-pad and sleeping bag. The person in the kayak with me was my physical therapist in the hospital, but now we are just very good buds. Her mom died a month after mine while I was in the hospital, so we have a very good connection.

School is going very good! It's a lot easier than high school, so far, and therefore am not too stressed out with things. As far as majoring goes, I went to a Major Exploration Expo where they had all the possible majors/minors/intern/study abroad/whatever you could possibly do with an education. I checked out the bussiness table and decided that minoring in bussiness would be more interesting than majoring and so I'm going to do the extra cources for that and am very exciting. It basically gives a general overview of all the different categories of business (finance, marketing, accounting, management) and then you pick a couple of elective cources that look interesting. As far as the majoring goes....i'm still exploring but I'm going to look into Geology. When I was in fourth grade we had a rock project and learned about the ways rocks are made and the different types, and I loved it. My mom had a friend who is a geologist and so he gave me a bunch of rocks for my collection and told me all about it. So I think I'll take some general education classes in geology and see where it takes me. Another incentive to go into that field is that the department will actually pay for you to get a degree with them. Apparently former students make big bucks in the oil industry and then send money to the department. Depending on how good your GPA is, they'll give you some scholarship money. Woot woot!

So far my favorite class is History of Rock n' Roll. It is very interesting and makes you appreciate the stuff even more, if that's even possible. We've just finished the Psychadelic Era (Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, etc.) basically rock n' roll on LSD. We listen to music and he tells us about the bands that were influential of the era and what was going on culturally if it had an impact, and all sorts of good stuff. We're gonna be getting into the Proto-Punk and Punk era pretty soon, which should be interesting. I'm not a big fan of punk, but i'm hoping after this class i'll maybe be able to appreciate it more, who knows.

Well Utah has been pretty interesting lately. It's basically rained the past couple of weeks which is kinda rare seeing as how Utah is in a desert, not to be confused with dessert. Right now it's cloudy and last night there was a big thunderstorm, woke me up from my sleep and then i couldn't get back to sleep afterwards. But because of the rain it's starting to get cooler. Rain is very interesting when in a wheelchair because your lap gets all wet and then when you get into the car you have to sit there with the car door open while you break down the chair to put in the car. At least it's not snowing yet. I can't wait to drive up a hill in snow, and then wheel around in it...make sure i put chains on my tires.

Well nothing else really to report. Thanks everyone for all your support and love!

P.s. Brian, I still have my Patriots stickers and jersey, so don't worry!

Not quite a month later, but pretty close......

HELLO!
So I started school, and there has been a change to my schedule. Instead of Survey of Jazz I am now taking History of Rock n' Roll and I love the class! I had to change the schedule around because of time issues and accessibility. It's been crazy trying to plot my route from one place to another while trying to avoid stairs and very large hills! But so far it's been going well. The first day of class was a little hectic because of parking. All the handicapped parking was taken so I had to settle for the spots where the pay meters are. Parking enforcement was already out looking for violators, and one even came by on his bike while I was putting my chair together. I didn't put any money in the meters a) because i was in a rush, b) i didn't want to, and c) because i'm too short. When I went back later that afternoon there was no ticket and I saw other disabled parking stickers on other cars that were in the same lot. I now have figured out that I have an advantage of parking in the Faculty/Staff parking lot with the disabled sticker. I don't have to fight the crowded student lots!!! But I'm staying at home for now and commuting to school in my new car. So far classes have been pretty mellow, just introductions and such. I have left my math class early twice because of reviewing and I feel like I know everything we're reviewing pretty well so far, so instead of hitting my head over my lap repeatedly, I decide to leave early! Isn't college great?!?
Well that's all I can think of so far. I'll try and keep you posted and not wait forever to write again, but there are no guarentees!