Brittany's Blurb

Last Thursday I experienced the first snow day of my college career! It was awesome! Rus and I played in the snow, we took Stanley the dog for a walk, we watched some TV, had pizza, and pretty much just chilled with some friends! The next day, Friday, I didn’t have any classes so I practically had a 4 day weekend! I love snow, so the snow in and of itself was exciting; the added snow day just made it wonderful.

Today, on the other hand, has been a little bit of a downer. I’m really tired (most likely because I went to bed at 1:30 and had to meet my mom at 5:30) and haven’t eaten much (a yogurt and a granola bar). SO, its pretty much my own fault; but the fact still remains that I feel worn out! I hardly ever feel this way, so I shouldn’t complain; but it helps me remember why I sleep and eat!

Have a great day!

Posted in: on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 at at 4:46 PM 0 comments  

Last week was Spring Break and, man, it was needed! Its funny, leading up to the break I was semi-indifferent; I wasn’t extremely excited or dreading it (I’ve never known someone to dread Spring Break). However, once the break started I realized (1) how much I needed a break and (2) how much I’m looking forward to graduating! I have been looking forward to graduating, but not having school all week was nice and really made me realize that I’m looking forward to that part of graduating. At first while thinking about graduation I didn’t think it was that big of a deal (probably because I’m getting married a week later so its not the highlight of the month of May), but as it draws closer I’ve been thinking about how much time I’ve spent working toward my degree. The hours spent studying, the time spent on the computer working on papers and projects, the tears that have been shed at wee hours in the morning when the project isn’t going well (the night before its due – lesson here: don’t procrastinate), the many tests I’ve taken, the days I’ve spent in the athletic training room; its a lot. It is something to be proud of. So as the day comes closer, I’m becoming more and more excited.

Back to break, it was great! (I’m a poet!! Hahaha….maybe not) Rus and I spent some time up at my parents where we worked on wedding invitations and had engagement pictures taken. I’m SO excited about the invitations! They are SO pretty! They are also A LOT of work! But its worth it. When I came up with the idea of what I wanted to do for the invitations, I didn’t realize how many steps would be involved in making them! My mom said, on Friday, that she had started adding up the hours that we spent working on the invitations and then stopped because she decided she didn’t want to know. Yeah, they’re labor intensive. They are also SO pretty!!  I’m excited. We also booked a DJ so all the booking type stuff is done. Phew! It feels good to have all that done and out of the way! Now for the big day!! (Poet again! Hahahah….yeah, still not really happening)

I hope you all have great breaks, whenever they happen. Rest is a good thing! As is graduation! If either is going on in your life, let me know! I’d love to hear how its going!

Have a great day!

Posted in: on Wednesday, March 25, 2009 at at 5:08 PM 1 comments  

Saturday was the last home wrestling event of the year. It was the NCAA Division 1 Western Regionals competition. We have 3 guys going to nationals (125, 149, and 157). It was a lot of fun to be at the tournament and be part of a big production like that, but half way through the day I realized that it was the last time I would see them wrestle. After spending the whole season with the guys, it’s sad that it’s done. I’m really excited for the guys that made it to the finals, but at the same time I’m going to miss working with them on a regular basis!

Spring break is coming next week! I’m really excited! Spring semester rocks because you have a break pretty much half-way through the semester. This past fall, Thanksgiving break didn’t happened until 2 weeks before finals week. That was rough. Having a break the week after midterms is wonderful! Everyone needs a break! Next week should be a lot of fun; Rus and I are going on an all day hike as well as getting our engagement pictures taken and making the wedding invitations. ALSO we’re going to go finish registering (I say finish because it’s a lot bigger of a process than I thought…it also takes more time that I thought!)! It is also alot more tiring than one would think! I also need to study for my certification exam and work on a case study.

After Spring break there will be 7 weeks to graduation and 8 weeks to the wedding! AHHHHH!!! I’m so excited AND there seems to be so much to do! But time is flying and I’m so excited about all of it! I hope you all are having a great end of winter and have superb Spring Breaks!

Have a great day!

Posted in: on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 at at 7:14 PM 0 comments  

Ever since the beginning of March (so for the past 3 days) Rus has been commenting on how wonderful spring is! I keep trying to tell him that its not Spring yet, it won’t be until March 20th, however, with the temperature being in the high 70’s the past 2 days, its been difficult. I’m not sure what happened to all the snow! March is supposed to be the snowiest month of the year (or so my at-work weatherman tells me). So, what I would like to know is where it all has gone too! Somewhere in this country, someone stole our snow. Some people are appreciative, like my friend Ashley, however, others, like myself, are not! Too bad its not really something you can picket or go on strike about…the weather doesn’t normally respond well to that…

In the meantime, its been so beautiful! Spring or winter, its been nice! Yesterday Rus and I sat on his porch while he quizzed me on athletic training stuff. I’m working on studying for my certification exam. Its pretty expensive, so I really would like to pass the first time. After two and a half years its crazy to think that it all comes down to one test. How do you quantify everything you learn into a score on a test? How do you test someone over EVERYTHING they learned? How do you remember everything you have been learning? Some days I think I just won’t study because if I don’t know it by now, I’m not going to know it in a month; but other days I’m really motivated and nervous that I won’t have enough time to study. For the most part it’s the later, but occasionally I feel like I’ll do fine and don’t need to study; I don’t trust that feeling. 

I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the weather, whatever it may be! And, if you know what happened to our snow, please let me know!

Have a great day!

Posted in: on Wednesday, March 4, 2009 at at 7:17 PM 0 comments  

Last night the UNC wrestling team (my senior athletic training sport) wrestled Wyoming. It was an intense duel down to the last match. In the end we lost, but the guys wrestled hard. There were a few calls that were disputed amongst the team members, but in the end responsibility for wins or losses lies falls on the team. Having been with the guys all season, it was sad and frustrating to see them loose; but, there were some really good matches. Before this year I really had little to no experience watching or athletic training with wrestling, now I can officially say I have a lot more experience and a lot of respect for the sport. Those guys work hard!

In addition to the regular duel, it was also senior night. I was recognized with the other seniors (the wrestlers) before the duel began. It was really cool to be able to walk onto the mat with the others and be recognized. Athletic training in and of itself is rewarding, but it is also a lot of hard work and long hours. I always tell prospective students or freshman doing observations that athletic training is great if you know it is what you want to do, but you have to be prepared to put in the time and work. Whether or not I had been recognized or if I will be in the future, I will still look back on this year and my experience in the program with fond memories. However, it was really nice to be recognized!

Next week is the half-way point through the semester and next weekend the wrestling regionals will be held here at UNC. After that, wrestling is done (minus those who move on to finals). It is going to be sad when the season ends. During the last 5 weeks of school I will be working with golf and tennis. It will be a good experience due to the fact I haven’t been with either yet, but I will miss the wrestlers. Working with them has been a great experience and I have learned so much about making rehabs, helping and pushing athletes through their rehab, communicating with coaches, and just about working with people. It’s been good, really good.

Have a great day!

Posted in: on Thursday, February 26, 2009 at at 7:03 PM 0 comments  

I love winter! I love the snow and frost (not on my car when I’m running late, but it’s ok on trees and the like) and crisp air – all of it. Since I will be moving to England I feel I need to get in the most winter I can while I’m here in Colorado!

Last week it was a beautiful, not to cold Colorado day that quickly turned into a beautiful, snowy night. The next day it was all melted by 1 or 2, but while it was there it just sparkled! I love that about the snow! Frost as well! The other day while I was walking to class I saw about 13 Robins in a frost covered tree. It was so cool. So peaceful. In addition to the beauty the snow brings, it also brings a ton of fun! I remember one time last semester when my roommates went midnight sledding. Campus has some great hills that bring out the crowds whenever the snow comes! After they went sledding, the inner-tube they used stayed in our living room for 2 or 3 weeks. It was a lot of fun AND easy to get to when it came time to go sledding again!

In addition to the great sledding hills on campus, there are a lot of students that ski and snowboard on a regular basis. The hills are only a few hours away, so carpooling up the mountain with a bunch of friends is pretty popular. I know in my group of friends I’m one of the only ones that doesn’t snowboard (I ski, but not often; actually only once. I snowboarded before I skied but have crossed over to skiing thanks to my brother-in-law). It’s always funny when someone comes back from the slopes injured because we all have to evaluate them to see what we think is the problem (due to the fact we’re all in athletic training). It cracks me up because all of us pretty much always come to the same conclusion so if only one of us did the evaluation it would probably be fine! BUT, the moral of the story is that a lot of people go to the mountains to play. Wells Fargo, in the University Center, always offers a buddy pass deal (buy one get one free) which a lot of students take advantage of. It’s a good way to get a pass and stay in your budget! Fun times made cheaper.

I hope you have a great day!

Posted in: on Wednesday, February 18, 2009 at at 6:36 PM 1 comments  

This past week was the week of my birthday. I say week because it was pretty much a weeklong event! On Sunday Rus gave me my present (an awesome Camelback backpack) and we went snowshoeing; on Monday we had dinner with some friends and had cake (funfetti! My fave!); Tuesday…well, it was semi-uneventful; Wednesday – my official b-day!- I went out with Rus, Jess, and my roomies; Thursday I hung out with some athletic training friends; Friday I went and watched a movie with a bunch of girls; Saturday…well, I spent all day at a wrestling tournament. But, as you can see, it was a great week!

Its hard to believe that the semester is just about a third over! This week I had my first presentation and test (on the same day ). The semester is officially in full swing and I know it will be over before I can believe it!

I hope you’re having a great day!

Posted in: on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 at at 5:15 PM 0 comments  

Due to the fact that I had an AWESOME Christmas break and didn’t share it with all of you yet, I decided to let you know about it! My last Christmas break of my undergrad!! (you may be getting tired of the whole “last ________ of my undergrad” but its my only chance to do it so…keep reading!).

SO, the week after school got out Rus, my younger sister and her boyfriend, and I all drove to Sandpoint, Idaho to visit my older sister and brother-in-law. It was a blast! It snowed at least a foot and a half while were we there so we had a lot of quality time cuddling on the coach to stay warm as well as going on walks in the snow. My sister and brother-in-law have two dogs, Duke and Libby, who are nuts! They’re scared of the oddest things and not scared of the craziest things! For example, Duke is scared of cardboard boxes – like he won’t go within 5 feet of them scared – but once he (and Libby) chased a grizzly bear through the woods. Yeah, they’re nuts! But a lot of fun and great cuddle-buddies (as you can see from the picture.

After the adventure in Sandpoint I went home for a few days for Christmas with my family. It was really good to spend some time with them, especially because I probably won’t be home for Christmas for a few years (but I will be in England!! Woo hoo!!). Next I met up with Rus in Arkansas via missed flight and car ride with people I met in the airport (they were really nice!). We spent the next week with his family in central Arkansas. I have never spent time in the South, at times it did feel like a completely different place! It was great to meet his family. They are wonderful people and I’m really looking forward to joining the family officially. Rus’ sister lives on a ranch, so while we stayed with her we got to ride horses through the woods. It was beautiful and fun! His nieces are crazy! We watched them ride and fly off bucking, young heifers. I’m proud of them for not being afraid; there’s no way I would do that at the age of 22, much less 8 or 11!

Once the week went by we drove back to Colorado. It was good to come home! Wrestling practice was going on the week before school started and it seems like life has been busy ever since. Break was wonderful. It is also good to be back at school and finishing things up! I hope you all had great breaks too! Rest is surely needed.

Have a great day!

Posted in: on Wednesday, February 4, 2009 at at 6:45 PM 0 comments  

SO, it has officially been way to long since I updated by blog! This is the second week back to school and it is already going so fast! My last semester of my undergrad is coming to an end. It is bittersweet. On one hand, I CAN’T WAIT to be done; but on the other hand I might never see some people again. The first day I came back I was walking across campus and realized that things here are so familiar! I know the sidewalks, I know the buildings, the people, the norms, the abnormalities, all the little things that make UNC home. So many memories, tears, and laughs have been made on this campus!

I remember the first time I came on campus for my tour with Mackey. It just seemed right! Later that day I met with Shannon, the curriculum director of the Athletic Training Education Program, and decided that I could see myself in the program. The last four years have been spent building relationships with roommates, classmates, professors, athletes, and even the janitors as well as working towards becoming a certified athletic trainer. I’m almost there. I will be taking my certification exam in April. While growing up, the time between graduating from college and having a family never really existed to me, but now it is quickly becoming my reality! I cannot wait to graduate from college, marry Rus, and then move to England. It’s just crazy that I’m here and it’s happening!

This new year will start a completely new chapter in my life. The old chapter will end and the new will begin. In some ways it’s sad to leave the old, but I will always have the memories. I would not change a thing about the past 4 years. At times its been hard, I’ve cried and wanted to quit; but its also been a complete blast and I’ve learned so much about who I am. My experiences here at UNC have left a mark that will impact who I am for the rest of my life. I’ll carry a piece of this school with me. Closure with the old, excitement with the new. I’m glad you’ve been able to go with me throughout this trip!

Have a great day!

Posted in: on Thursday, January 22, 2009 at at 6:43 PM 0 comments