Month 9: Summer pre-Jamaica

Some of the cohort at the Varsity in Atlanta--I'm a tourist in my own town.
It's supposed to be a 10, for "Class of 2010"...we spent a lot of time arranging this.

I started this post the 2nd week of May and forgot about it...I am the worst blogger ever.

And fair warning, this is a total fluff post, with the exception of announcing that my sister had her baby! Lilia Rebekah May was born on May 15th, 2009 in Sagamihara, Japan. She is precious. I'm totally willing to forgo having children of my own so that I can live vicariously through my sister's children and spoil them rotten. I have no pictures of my own yet, but I'll steal some from Mama G and post them on here eventually...hopefully before the end of time.

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Without further ado, here is the beginning of my post during mid-May...

This summer is all about adventures.

Last week was FSU/FAMU LeaderShape in Panama City Beach.

Despite my reoccurring work-related nightmares and logistical chaos, the week was deeply meaningful. It's a rare opportunity to take a week out of your life and spend it reflecting on the things that truly matter to you. It was humbling to be immersed in a community that is so enthusiastic about creating positive change. And the beach was nice too.

This week: Dive trip with Uncle Dave and Atlanta/Athens Trip 1

Uncle Dave is not MY uncle; he's my friend Chris' uncle who lives up the road from Tallahassee and happens to be a divemaster and all-around fantastic guy. We went to Vortex Springs this week (never thought I'd see that place again!) to dive. Dave took me through a remedial crash course on open water diving because it had been so long since I was certified. He had all the equipment I could possibly need and was unbelievably patient as I floundered around in the water looking like a total moron. We did two dives, both with a max depth of 60 feet, a little bit of exploring in a cavern, and saw lots of marine life (including eels!). We're trying to get me prepped and ready to do some serious diving when I'm in Jamaica in July. We're making plans to meet Chris and Laura in St. George in June to do some more diving.

This weekend my cohort is off to Atlanta for the annual practicum trip. We'll visit Spelman, Agnes Scott, Georgia Gwinnett College, and Emory. My roommate/future roommate and I are going up a day early to visit Athens and go to a Braves game. Pretty much my ideal weekend.
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That's where I left off...

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So...in the month since I started this post, I've been to Atlanta on three separate occasions. I'm going to do this ESPN Rundown style.

Athens: Other than the enormous Tate II, Athens hadn't changed much--still the Classic City. The current/future roommates and I had coffee with Dr. Pollard (most beloved professor of all time) at the new Two Story Coffeehouse in Five Points. We also went to the Terrapin Brewery (my first time there). I am deeply disappointed that I did not discover that gem sooner. Giant field + live music + brewery things = lovely evening. Both times I've visited Athens since graduation I've recognized fewer and fewer people--my days before I have to consider myself a UGA Uncle Rico are numbered.

ATL Trip #1: Practicum trip was fine. Pretty uneventful. We toured Agnes Scott while they were filming a Sandra Bullock/Tim McGraw feature so we got to see a few celebrities. Despite our willingness to brave the weather in ponchos, the Braves game was rained out. I was crestfallen. The campuses were very nice, but the practicum trip experience definitely reaffirmed my desire to work at a large campus.

ATL Trip #2: Brother's HS graduation. Being back at a Lassiter function was pretty much a complete time warp. It makes me appreciate the fact that UGA didn't call every graduate's name during our commencement ceremony. Note of interest: Lassiter changed its graduation venue to a Baptist church that is a cross between Six Flags and Phillips Arena.

ATL Trip #3: The White-Kirchner Wedding. So much fun. The ceremony and reception were beautiful. Louie and Naomi were together at the beginning of my rowing career and they certainly outlasted my time on the team. It was really fun to have it all come full circle and reconnect with long lost friends.

...and we're caught up to this past weekend.

First weekend back in Tallhassee - Dive trip #2 and Beach Day at the Gerbers' condo: When I said 'back in Tallahassee', what I really meant was 'back in Florida'. I've gotten to the point where I won't stay in Tallahassee for a full weekend even if you paid me. Dave and I went diving in Chiefland, FL at Catfish/Manatee Springs. Pretty cool dive site. It's in a state park, so it was free, and Manatee Springs is covered in duckweed, so you come out of the water looking like the Creature from the Black Lagoon. I struggled a lot in my first dive to establish buoyancy, so I basically just churned up everything on the floor of the spring. Second dive went much better. Saw some catfish (hence the name of the spring), crayfish, and grouper, and that's about it.

We took a 24 hour condo trip. It was nice but extremely uneventful. I think on some level we only went to Destin to eat at McGuire's (my favorite restaurant of all time!) so I will not waste anymore screen space or reading time with giving you the play-by-play. I would like to mention that while at McGuire's, a friend dared me to sing with the live guitarist if the following conditions occurred:

1) The guitarist acquiesced to our request to hear Paul Simon.

2) He started playing "Me and Julio" unprompted.

Both happened.

Next weekend: Condo Trip #2 (I have to return the towels that I used because I'm a dummy and forgot to bring my own...any excuse to go back to the beach...) and another dive trip--this time we're diving in the gulf off of kayaks--how cool is that?? I could get used to this condo + diving weekend routine....

Okay, time to physically and mentally prepare for IM softball practice. It's playoff season, and I play to win. One month until Jamaica!

...and thus concludes the most pointless blog post of all time.