Hunting with The Hubbs

Hunt 8/10/18 

Opening day for unit 13 had came. Cory asked me if I wanted to go hunting with him. It would just be the two of us. We decided to spend a night in Talkeetna and then the next morning we would drive up to the “hunting road”.  5am opening day, we were out the door. 

About 20 miles in on the hunting road, the tire pressure gauge light turned on. Yep, we had a flat tire, but Cory was able to switch out the spare in no time. Dang that gravel road. Thankfully, we were able to hunt on.

We drove quite a ways up the road and stopped numerous times to glass the land. We saw 2 porcupines, 2 moose, plenty rabbits and squirrels, and we finally spotted a herd of caribou. It took driving 80 miles in until we saw the herd of 8. They were moving west. It was exciting, but the caribou were across a slow moving river making them inaccessible to us. We decided to drive on. We got to a rest stop and was able to patch up our tire. We had a spare again (hooray!) and gained the confidence driving down the road again. 

It was about 1:00pm and we decided to make our way back and keep looking. Maybe we missed something on the way up. At about 1:15pm, we decided to pull over and walk up to a hill about 1/2 mile from the road.

We geared up and headed to our hill. The terrain was a little challenging with the low brush and marshy land.  Upon reaching our hill, I decided to find some high bushes to go to the bathroom. Moments later, right before I was about to squat down, I hear Cory call my name and tell me not to move. Well, my adrenaline revved once I saw him hold his rifle in shooting stance. We were about 30 feet away from each other and I was just standing there holding a roll of TP. I traced where he was pointing his rifle. There it was, a caribou, running and bouncing around frantically. It made its way around our hill and then jumped into some high brush. Totally hidden.

It was moving so much, we couldn’t tell if it was a bull. Male and female caribou both grow antlers. This was an only bull hunt due to emergency orders. Normally, it’s any caribou sex that you can bag here. 

Cory had thought we lost it. I told him there was no way we did because I didn’t see it leave the brush. Trying to stay positive, Cory and I decided to get our gear and hike up near where we thought it was hiding at. 

As we were hiking up the adjacent hill, I saw its antlers bouncing up again above the brush to my right. It had to be about 30 yards away. Cory was so focused on getting up the hill. Since he was walking ahead of me, I had to raise my voice to get his attention. I pointed to where the caribou was and caught up next to Cory. The caribou once again ducked into the brush. We waited until it moved. It finally stood up and moved up in a spot where he was more clear to see. 

Both of us were peeping through our binoculars, zooming in between its legs to see if it was a bull. He showed his butt to us and it was a clear view of its genitalia. We both confirmed it was a bull. Boy, I never been so happy to see a pair of balls. 

We were about 50 yards away from it.  The front quarter of the bull was covered with brush and his rear was in the open.  Cory pointed his rifle and traced where the kill shot should be.  Cory did not hesitate and fired. Clean shot. I watched it all happen through my binoculars. It was instantly down. 

We looked at each other with excitement. High-fived. It was time to walk over and see our bounty. I let Cory walk ahead of me so he can have his moment with the caribou . He called me over. I thought he found it, but as I got closer to him, he had walked about 10 feet too far. It was right next to me and I watched it try to stand up. I told Cory where it was and he immediately fired again to end its suffering. 

Walking up to it, looking at its size, looking at the wound, I apologized to it and thanked it for its meat. It’s like he came to us for a reason. 

It was 2pm. It was time to go into overdrive and start field dressing. Cory knew what to do in this process. He has experience hunting in Oregon with his family. He got to work and I assisted within his orders. After field dressing and quartering the meat, we were ready to pack the caribou out. It took took us two trips to get to the 4Runner. By 5pm, we were ready to make our way back home.

According to AK fish and game, "The dressed weight of a 400-lb caribou is about 240 lbs. This equates to about 100 lbs of meat."  We were able to obtain about 90 lbs of meat after we deboned the caribou in our garage.  So this caribou had to be about 360 lbs total.  Not too shabby!

It was so surreal. My first time being a part of a successful big game hunt. Just the two of us.  We were a team. We knew exactly what needed to get done and everything just flowed between us.
I’m so proud of how we handled it all. I’m happy to be my husband's hunting partner for life.

Willow - Winter Solstice

Cory booked a night stay at the Winter Park Cabins in Willow for Saturday Dec 21. We were super excited to find a warm place to sleep and take our snowmachines out. Every cabin we searched for online owned by the state was booked every weekend through winter, so those were out of the equation. These cabin rentals were from a private vendor and owned by a very nice and hospitable married couple. We stayed in a cabin that sleeps 6 comfortably. The cabin included two full beds on the lower level and 1 queen bed in the loft. There was also a full kitchen and a fire pit. It could of slept 8 with the futon, but that would have been too crowded. We even had a little portable toilet inside for tinkling. Otherwise, there were full bathrooms down a trail near the cabin.

We brought 3 sleds on this trip so our friends that don't own any may use them. We had two 800s and one 600. So thankful we are able to have the luxury to provide recreation for our friends. Growing up, my parents never had these big toys, but my friends were generous enough to let me use their toys with their parents' supervision.  

On this trip we invited 2 couples, Banan & Crystal an Jody & Bri. Both couples also brought their dogs. We arrived at the cabin around 10:30am meeting with Bill, the owner, to greet  us and collect fees. He gave us a map of the trail system, which was super helpful. The nice thing about this place is that we all had cell reception. So if we really got lost, Google maps would help. Jody cooked us some burgers for lunch while we all unpacked and got the innertubes blown up. After we got our bellies full we were ready to hit the trails and lakes around noon.

We were so fortunate there was an air compressor on site to blow up our two inner tubes. Cory and Bri were using lung power at first until I found an air compressor.  Unfortunately, one of the tubes had two holes in it. Patching didn't help too much. What a bust, but at least one tube was pumped and ready for fun.

Each couple had a snow machine to ride. It was so fun adventuring out on the trails and spitting out onto lakes. I liked riding on the lakes a lot because you can go as fast as you like. I loved the variety of terrain we encountered. On one of the lakes we tied the ski rope to the snow machine and took turns getting pulled while sitting on the inner tube. The inner tube was made out of this slippery material. I found that I cannot go at high speeds being pulled because I just fly right off. I was laughing so hard every time I wiped out. Each of us definitely had a few good wipe out moments that provided good laughs.

After screwing around with the inner tube, we kept on trekking on the trail system. We definitely had to stop a couple times to figure where we were on the map. I was dubbed The Navigator since I held onto the map and kept referring to it.  I was not about to get lost in the cold.  After about 2.5 hours in, mine and Cory's snow machine died. It was acting funny in the beginning of our trip, but it didn't seem too serious. We had to take a few minutes for the men to figure out how to get it started again. Let's just say thank goodness Cory had his tools on hand and Banan had a good idea of unplugging the sensor. After that, the machine was good to go and we continued on!

On our way back, Cory wanted to race the other two couples on one of the lakes. I don't know how fast we were going, but I was clenching on so tight we were zooming. We went so fast, we didn't even see this little mound on the lake. All of the sudden I see Banan & Crystal zoom pass us. Simultaneously, I felt like we were so light and I realized we were airborne. We landed soft and we weren't very high. Jody&Bri caught up next to us and as we slowed down, Jody was laughing so hard at us. He witnessed Cory and I fly about 3 feet in the air. We stopped our race and everyone was laughing at what just happened. Seconds later, a couple intersected with us and the man was asking for directions to a visitor center we had no clue about.

While this couple was with us, I asked if they could take our group photo and the man told me his wife can take it. As I was walking over to his wife, I tripped on his sled skis and I went down. Everyone was laughing and so was I at my glamorous fall. At least I saved my phone. So, we got our photo taken and then we were off to head back to the cabin. We were out sledding for about 4 hours, which was awesome.

As we were all warming up in the cabin, the power went out at about 4:20 pm, twentyish minutes after returning. The sun was just about to go down, so it was going to get real dark and cold. Come to find out most of Willow had a power outage. Cory got the fire started in the fire pit right outside the cabin. Once our cabin got cold, we all went to the fire to chit chat, tell stories, and enjoy our libations.

The propane stove was working and thank goodness that didn't need electricity. Crystal and I were able to heat the spaghetti they made for us the night before on the stove. We used Jody's grill to warm up the garlic bread. Once we all had amazing spaghetti and partially burnt garlic bread, we realized we were out of drinks. Bill stopped by to check on us. He brought a portable generator and hooked up the Toyo heater to get our cabin warmed up again. For light we used our cell phones and Banan's very powerful illuminating flashlight.

Banan talked Bill into bringing us a handle of tequila, margarita mix, ice, triple sec, and fire wood. Banan and his persuasion works very well on people. People will do anything for money. I thought it was comical of Banan. He really knows how to use his resources. Bill's house is connected to the shower, bathroom, and laundry facilities, only 80 yards away. Bill took a few trips from his house to us bringing the goodies riding his snow tracked ATV. That thing was bad ass. Once our cabin reached 72 degrees, we called Bill to take the generator back.  He needed to share the generator with the folks at the other cabin.

Late into night, about 9pm., Crystal wanted to go to the little market on the highway about 3 miles from the cabin. I came with her for navigation and to get a few things. She bought an oil lamp we spotted in the little store. Lucky to have found that in such a tiny town. While we were gone, the electricity came on for about 1 minute, then blacked out again. That gave us so much hope. However, we were ready to accept that the power wasn't going to come back on. I am actually glad the power was out so we could all bond and just enjoy each other at the fire.

At around 10:30pm, the power came back on to stay. We were so happy that we can go back inside and start a poker game. Poker was super fun, as always, but sometimes gets competitive. Banan was too tired to stay in so he was first out and decided sleep was better. I stayed in as much as I could, but the bed seemed better. I stayed in the game until 1:45am and just thought, screw it, I am going to bed. Cory followed me shortly.  In the end, Crystal won the $60 pot against Jody. Nicely done.

The next morning, Cory and I made breakfast burritos and French pressed coffee for everyone. When I turned on the oven, there was a horrible gas-like smell coming from the oven area. Everyone was coughing and we had to open the door. We thought the propane was leaking from the oven. We switched to using the stove after I had put bacon and tator tots to bake inside the oven. We fried the eggs, bacon, tator tots, and mushrooms for burritos. Yummy in our tummies.

We all cleaned up and packed up most things. Dishes took awhile because there was no running water and we had to use the water jugs for rinsing. Crystal and I made a team effort of getting those done.

Cory, Jody, Bri and I decided to take the sleds out one more time before we had to check out. Crystal and Banan decided to rest and slowly pack up. We only went for about an hour. I was so stoaked to have a sled to myself. We decided to go off course on one of the lakes. Come to find out real quick, we were in super deep snow. It was hard to turn and you have to go fast to avoid sinking. Well, we all got stuck. Thankfully we were not too far from the main trail. After about 15 mins of getting each other out, we were on our way again. If we had powder skis, maybe we could of managed. We learned to just stay on the trails and ride on the lakes.

When we got back, Crystal discovered why the place smelled of gas while I was using the oven. She had placed the oil bottle for the oil lamp into the bottom drawer of the oven. Come to find out, that wasn't a storage area, but the broiler! Yikes! The plastic melted while the oven was on and the oil was seeping everywhere inside the broiler. Thank goodness we were safe and the place didn't catch on fire or make a huge explosion. We would of been doomed.

All in all, what a great trip. It snowed all weekend and everyone was safe.  I loved the cabin stay and cannot wait to do it again with friends. I wanted to stay there in solitude and adventure forever.

Memorial Day Weekend 2013

What a great way to start off the summer this year.  We had the toys, the trucks, the good people to accompany us, great weather, and most importantly, the time off.  Let's not forget about the men and women who sacrificed their lives in the US Armed Forces.

This year we decided to go to Sutton, Alaska off Jonesville Road.  This is the ATV playground with many trails and mud puddles to ride through.  There are no regulations, fee, or rules here.  I have never seen this place so full of campers, atvs, and trailers.  Our large group consisted of around 20 people and 7 dogs  This is the largest group I have ever camped with.  We all had tents and camped away from the trailers in our own private area.  I called it Tent City.  I am very thankful for the wonderful weather we had.

Nobody in the group had ATVs, but we were awesome enough to let our friends borrow our 3 quads.  We had the wheelers parked at our camp and we would come and go as we pleased with approval from Cory or I, of course.  One of our friends even purchased more gas for the toys, how generous.  We definitely talked a good number of our friends to purchase one for the next time we go camping.  Now when I camp, it has brought my perspective on camping to a different level.  I can't go camping without our ATV anymore.  It is so fun to ride these!

All in all, I am glad everyone had fun and was safe.  I got to knock back a few brews, had some sun, got to relax and read, venture around on the atv, and best of all, make great memories.  It was a great group of people and I can't wait to go camping again!

Hawaii-Oahu Trip

We finally treated ourselves to a real vacation this winter and I am so happy we did!  We even invited another couple, who are our close friends, Banan & Crystal.  I am just going to talk about the places we ate and what activities we did as if someone that has never been to Oahu is reading.  I recommend you get a car so you aren't stuck in Waikiki with all the tourist.

The weather in January was pretty unpredictable.  It was mostly sunny, but there was random rain fall for a few minutes and it was a little windy.  Must of been because we came during the "winter".  The wind felt good though since it was "hot" to us Alaskans.  Regardless, every day I packed beach towels and wore a bikini under my tank top and shorts, because there was always opportunity for the beach.  It is a good idea to pack a very light coat cause at night it can get a little "chilly", but you can still rock the shorts.

Hotel:  Seaside Hotel - Waikiki

View from the rooftop

This hotel was the "most affordable" for our budget.  It was smack dab in the middle of Waikiki.  The walk to the beach was like 3 minutes.  An ABC store was just down the street for any necessities. There are ABC Stores at every block.  On the roof there was a small pool. It was nice to go up there and be away from the busy Waikiki Beach.  If you decide to hit up the beach, the front desk has beach towels and mats you can borrow.  The main shopping strip is on the road, Kalakaua, and that is only a 2 min walk where you can access all the popular shopping and dining.

The staff was really nice and one of them,  Alex, was the one we went to for questions.  He is a local and totally a friendly giant.  He told us places he recommended for eating and what beaches to check out.  He was on point for everything.  If you want to find him, he works in the valet area and you can't miss him, he is the biggest Hawaiian you will ever see.  And he is always smiling.

The hotel room was pretty small and we had a full size bed.  You could upgrade to a king size for way more money.  Also, the bathroom had NO fan!  There was air conditioning, so that was nice. But, no microwave or refrigerator.  We bought two styrofoam coolers from a store you need to get to by car for our beverages and what not.  Otherwise, you could fill your sink with ice for a fridge.  But alas, the hotel was only a place to sleep.  The house keeping staff did a great job vacuuming all the sand we brought back from the beach, always made our bed, and gave us new towels every day.

Me in our hotel pool

The valet was always full so we had to park at a public parking lot across the street.  It was $24 a day to park in either lot. So expensive I know!  There is  no on street parking, so the parking garages are the only places to keep your car safe.

In the lobby there is coffee and water 24/7.  Through the lobby of our hotel, there is a Mexican restaurant called Cha Cha Cha's, where you can have drinks at happy hour.  Food-wise, I only tried their chips and salsa and I did like their guacamole dip.  This little place was pretty popular though.

Overall, I would give this hotel a 2.5/5.  I couldn't give it 3 because there was no fridge, no continental breakfast, and the valet parking is ridiculously expensive.  Plus the wireless internet was a little slow and sometimes would shut off for a few minutes.  But, the location is pretty decent considering how close you are to everything and it a good place to pass out every night.


Beaches
In general, the beaches are amazing and clean.  No alcohol is allowed.  Each beach has their own signs of potential dangers like caution for jelly fish, strong currents, etc.  Every beach had their own flavor of uniqueness.  Although, I was very surprised not to see any sand volleyball courts set up on any of the beaches we went to.  I was totally down to play.

Waikiki

Waikiki:  This beach is always packed full of people and children, again, this is the beach where all the tourists hit up since it is just off the main strip.  There are signs warning of jelly fish, but regardless the ocean was full of people playing.  People were able to boogie board, surf, and paddle board.  You could also rent equipment from the beach.  There were many hotels just off this beach where you can rent large umbrellas and lawn chairs.  Its not a bad place at all to lounge or swim if you don't mind all the people.

Hanauma Bay:  This beach is about 30 minutes east of Waikiki.  There is a $1 parking fee and a $7.50 entrance fee since it is a nature preserve park.  Before you enter, you are required to watch a 9 minute video that gives you history of the park and learn some do and don'ts.  You can rent snorkel gear here for $12, but we decided to rent from Aqua Zone in Waikiki for better equipment and to bypass long lines.  This beach is very popular for the snorkeling and I totally recommend you do it!  Cory and I tried this out for our first time and I can't wait to do it again if we go back.  We saw so many different fish!  I recommend you go to this park either early in the morning or later around 2pm because the parking lot gets full.  If the parking lot is full, they close the lot for no entree until the parking lot frees up again.  Also, this park is closed on Tuesdays so plan around that.  Otherwise, I loved this bay!

Cory boogie boarding in Waimanalo

Waimanalo:  This beach is about 30 minutes east of Waikiki and is very quiet.  There was pretty much nobody here when we went except for some locals.  Again, signs for jelly fish, which we saw two on shore.  They were about 2 inches and you have to be careful not to step on them cause they can still sting you.  This is a great place to boogie board if you are a beginner, which we all were.  There were other boogie boarders out in the ocean and they seemed to know what they were doing.  Our friend that came with us had a jelly fish brush his calf a few times and left a red rash on him, but he was fine through out the day.  Otherwise, this beach was really peaceful with the light waves.

Lanikai:  If you drive 20 minutes after Waimanalo, you will reach Lanikai Beach, which is a residential beach.  The entrance to the beach is in a neighborhood.  This beach is also quiet and nice.  Again, no tourist or fuss.

Kailua:  Kailua was only a hop and skip east of Lanikai.  This park was nice and also less crowded.  This was a big beach so there was tons of space to relax and play in the ocean.

North Shore:  These beaches are known for their surfing because of the awesome waves.  There are about a handful of beaches to check out up on the north shore, such as Sunset Beach, Waimea Beach, and Turtle Bay, to name the ones we hit up.  Sunset Beach was a great beach for surfers, which we watched from shore.  Waimea is another chill beach that you can relax on.  Turtle Bay is in a resort that is easy to access and another great spot to snorkel.  We decided to do North Shore in one day because the drive from Waikiki took about 1.5 hours to get up there.  There are tons of cool crab shacks to eat lunch at, which are amazing.

Ala Moana Beach

Ala Moana:  This beach is about 10 minutes west of Waikiki.  I really liked this beach because it was so close to Waikiki and didn't have too much people.  The water is very calm, which made it easy to swim around and float.  There were more sun bathers here than any beach I saw.  Not much for surfing since the waves were pretty much nonexistent.  I saw paddle boarders out on the ocean, which was neat.  There are no equipment rentals here, but like I said, it is a lounge beach.  I also noticed a handful of couples get married on this beach.  Not bad for a job to take photos and wed couples all day :)

Activities

Waimea Falls

Waimea Falls Hike:  This is on the North Shore and costs $10 each for the entree fee.  Prepare to bring your swim suit because at the bottom of the waterfall, you are able to swim around.  The pool is deep and tourists will be watching all the crazy people going in.  The hike is so easy; it is a paved walk to the waterfall.  You walk through the botanical gardens and it only takes about 30 minutes to the end.  Definitely can do this in just flip flops, which I did.  The waterfall is only 45 feet tall, so its not very big.   It was a very nice walk though :)

Manoa Falls

Manoa Falls Hike:  The trailhead is only about 20 minutes away from Waikiki and there is a $5 parking fee.  Definitely bring your hiking shoes and expect to get them muddy.  My poor friend was hiking in flip flops and eventually hiked the trail barefoot.  This hike was really cool because you were in the rain forest.  Some parts were rocky and others were muddy as you got in the gut of the hike.  The falls took about 45 minutes to hike.  Just be careful where the large rocks are at the end.  The falls has a 150 foot drop into a tiny pool.  We were so full of endorphins, we got in the small rocky pool with our swim suits on.  It started pouring rain on us while we were at the falls and on the way back down.  It was awesome!  It felt so good considering the heat. Manoa is also where they filmed the TV show Lost and the Jurassic Park movies.  When you return there are hoses to wash off the mud.  I liked this hike a lot, since it was so rugged.  There is also a little snack shop in the parking lot for any necessities.

The view on top of Diamond Head

Diamond Head Crater Park:  This is just outside of Waikiki and you definitely need a car to get there.  Parking was $5 and the hike was about 40 minutes to the top where you can over look Waikiki. If its a clear day you can see some of the other islands next to Oahu.  I recommend wearing hiking shoes for sure.  There are stairs at the end that are killer!  So worth the view though.  There was also a food truck in the parking lot for smoothies, burgers, and hot dogs.

Sea Life Park:  This is east of Waikiki, about 20 minutes away.  It is $29.99 to get in, but if you are military you save $10.  There are expensive programs you can add if you wanted to swim with the dolphins or sharks.  We passed on the programs.  But there are shows you can watch that come with the admission fee, such as the sea lion and dolphin show, which are separate.  They run at certain times of the day, so it is a good idea to check their website for times.  From the Sea Life Park you can see the ocean where Rabbit Island sits.  There is also a food court and I also found Dip and Dots.  I got my fix of kalua pork as well, so yum!  This place was really cool and I recommend it for a chill, entertaining day.  The dolphin show was my favorite.  There was a Wolphin, which is a mix of Orca and Dolphin.

FOOD

Here are my top 3 must eat places that we hit up that I recommend in no particular order.  Other places I liked were the Cheesecake Factory, Eggs N Things (long line to get in), and  Zippy's.  We pretty much ate out for lunch and dinner every day considering we had no fridge or microwave.  I loved how we could find spam masubi pretty much anywhere. So yummy and a quick snack :)

Loco Moco

Dukes:  Dukes is in Waikiki in the Outrigger Hotel.  You can eat inside or outside right on the beach.  The food was amazing.  I had the ribs and Cory had the Mahi Mahi Burger.  The drinks were good and there was a solo acoustic guitarist singing popular songs for great live music.

Rainbow Drive In:  This place is pretty cheap.  You order your food at a window and then eat outside at one of their few tables.  Place was delicious with their authentic Hawaiian plates.  I had the Loco Moco, which is rice stacked with a burger patttie, an egg, and gravy.  So yum!

Giovanni's:  This is on the North Shore and is a food truck that serves amazing shrimp plates.  Each plate was $13, where you get a dozen shrimp and rice.  You could also order half a plate for half the price.  I had the Shrimp Scampi, which was delicious. Their garlic hot dog was to die for and only $3.50.  This place is so worth driving to for lunch. We wanted to drive back to north shore again just for this place, but we never made a second round.

Garlic Hot Dog and Shrimp Scampi

Well I hope this was helpful for anyone heading to Oahu their first time.  It was our first time to Hawaii ever.  I had friends that told us to hit up many places.  I enjoyed my trip a lot and would love to go back to check out the other islands.


Mahalo!

Graduate

I finally earned my Bachelor's in Science degree in Mathematics.  I endured such a challenging journey.  So thankful Cory supported me when I made the decision to stop working and go back to school.  I will never forget the moments leading up to graduation.  The night before I could not sleep, because I was so anxious and excited.  My last final was a big presentation the next morning. In bed, I was rehearsing over and over in my head.  I visioned everything how I wanted it with exactly what I would wear (my blue blazer, leggings, and boots) and that I would be the first to go that morning.  Everyone in my class but 3 of us had already gone and presented days before the final day.  My topic was on the constant, pi, which we have all seen in equations such as the area of a circle or volume of a sphere.  I showed the proof to the area of pi formula and showed two different ways the value of pi was derived from Archimedes and Newton.  It took me 25 minutes to present, which was perfect.  

I kid you not, while I was up in front of my class, something took over me and I felt like I was teaching more than I was just presenting.  I wasn't even nervous and I felt like I was in my natural state of mind.  It was awesome!  I used a power point for organization, and used the white board and projection machine to show proofs or equations.  I felt like I was flowing and it felt great.  In the end, I got two compliments from my professor that I never expected which were, "You proved that better than I did." and, "Gly, I really enjoyed your presentation."  I finished strong and I was actually proud of myself for once.  

The next day, I felt so free and humbled.  Before Cory left for work, all dressed in uniform, he came down to the bedroom bathroom where I was about ready to shower.  He came in with a card and graduation money inside for me, which I never expected.  He looked me straight in the eyes and told me that he was proud of me.  I hugged, kissed, thanked him with such emotion.  Funny, I told him to please go to work before I start crying with happy tears.  He had to go before he would be late.  I jumped in the shower and cried so happily.  The feeling of graduating college finally hit me and it was great.  

I had a little graduation ceremony that was held by the Multicultural Department and was invite only.  I am so happy there was a ceremony for the fall graduates. There were about 20 of us and one of my other girlfriends also took part in this.  It was a very intimate ceremony with a lunch reception after.  This ceremony had no caps and gowns, but instead we were given a purple rose and we were to speak on stage dedicating that flower to someone and also telling our story or whatever we wanted.  I gave shout outs to my family.  I almost cried when I thanked my parents, but I held it in and stayed strong.  It was all given away when my voice changed.  This event was so emotional and some people were crying.

I dedicated my rose to Cory and I loved seeing him in the back with the camera taking it all in.  Without him, I don't know if this would of been my path and I am grateful he was right by my side no matter what I decided to pursue.  Master's in Teaching, here I come!  Three more semesters to go and I am well on my way to become a teacher in secondary education.

Volleyball Season 3

Breast Cancer Awareness Night

Coaching volleyball has ended.  I bumped up this year and coached C1.  I was blessed with a very talented group of young ladies.  I had a variety of personalities, which included 4 sophomores and 8 freshman.  I also had a team manager, Austin, who was one of the players' friends.  He was a really nice boy and was down for anything I needed him to do.  He even practiced with the girls in many drills, which was a good challenge for the girls.  I am proud of my squad and I liked how they bonded well together.  We had some great memories and a few not so great, but those don't matter.

I taught my team to be aggressive on the courts. I was happy to hear from other coaches that my team doesn't give anything easy to opponents.  On top of teaching them game tactics and skill, my main goal is to teach them how to be a humble person and that team means together.  At our end of the year tournament, I was so happy to be showered with some gifts like a bouquet of flowers, chocolate covered macadamias, written cards of thanks, and gift cards from some of my players.  Made me feel appreciated.  My big confidence booster is when the parents gave me encouragement and thanks for coaching their daughter.

We ended with a 12-2 record in our conference and best of all we beat South, our main rivalry, twice.  I will never forget this group and I hope each of them do great things.  I wish them luck in the rest of their high school career of volleyball.

My C1 Team, so proud.

The JV coach, Rachel, had her baby towards the end of season and I stepped up to coach her team for a week.  It was my JV coaching debut and I am very happy to put those two wins in my pocket.  Only 4 of the girls on JV were girls I had coached from the past.  I mean really, the girls filter our from C team and up to varsity.  These girls were a very spunky and energetic group, sometimes I didn't know how Rachel handled all of their energy.

My coaching JV debut with former Coach Stan Afoa

The way the coaching hierarchy works is that the varsity coach has 3 assistant coaches, which are the JV and two C team coaches.  JV and C team have an end of the year tournament that closes season, but varsity continues two more weeks for Regionals and State Tournaments. This year, the format for these tournaments changed to a double elimination bracket and had an "if necessary" match to to 30 points.  Long story short, Dimond won Regions in an epic match against South and had to play the if necessary match.  Top three teams advance to State where the top teams of the other regions come together.

After 3 years of coaching, I finally helped out and chaperoned varsity out in Wasilla, where state was held.  Rachel usually helps chaperone, but she was out due to baby and only came when she could.  I was happy to do it because it was kind of a "mini-vacation" from my busy life.  We stayed at the Best Western out there and I had a blast.  We were there from Wednesday night to Saturday night.  Cory came out for the Championship match, which was great to finally see him.  Let's just say, Dimond did it again, just like in regions, took the state championship being number 1!  The if necessary match was so intense and sitting on the bench with the other coaches was just too much.  Dimond tied with South probably 12 times and then finally finished with a 30-27 final score, winning state.

I am so happy to be apart of all of this.  On Saturday, thankfully we made it that far but I had no doubts, I decided to write a letter for them for some high spirits.  I read my letter to them before the first match and I am glad I did it.  I just felt like I needed to put my 2 cents in before the we started playing on the most important day of their life.  Championship day.  Glad the girls pulled it through and totally dominated with their fire.  GO DIMOND!

The night Varsity won state :)

Slacking on the blog, but not on life

I know, it has been so long!!  I am sorry blog, but don't worry I have been rereading my blessed life through your written memories.  I promise, during Thanksgiving break I plan on writing in here and adding awesome pictures.  I will give highlights from August to now, which is a large spread, but it definitely contains great memories.  In short, life is good :)