I'm sorry, Blog. It was only a matter of time until you went the same way as so many of my handwritten journals before you.
I forgot about you.
But unlike all those journals, I'm here to continue you! Is that because another cross country trip is pending? Perhaps. Doesn't really matter. First things first. A quick catch up of the last 12 months.
Quick and Dirty. One picture, one paragraph for each month (ok maybe 2 pictures):
DECEMBER 2010:
New York, Phase III and IV. Friends Caroline and Ruaraidh allowed me to continue my couch-surfing streak. The holiday season in the city offered so much greatness: Santacon, White elephant exchanges in Chinatown, a bottle of wine in the spinning restaurant atop times square, late night christmas dance parties in Williamsburg...
I even tried to disguise myself as a real person at Ruaraidh's work party at the Met but no one was fooled, mostly b/c I was just so excited about everything: "free drinks?! chips with grated cheese on them?! dinner in the egyptian exhibit?! tiny desserts?!" It was awesome.
Christmas was spent at the farm on Sleepy Creek, which was exactly how it sounds; relaxing and full of laughs. And eggnog.
JANUARY 2011:
The New Year begins in Charlottesville for my final clinical internship at Martha Jefferson Hospital. I was lucky enough to immediately find out about the Outdoor Adventure Social Club, and we took at trip to the (apparently haunted) Corbin Cabin, above White Oak Canyon.
FEBRUARY:
Road trip to Lake Placid, NY for the annual Full Moon XC ski party! College friends Ginny, Ryan, Mike and I piled into the car and hit the road for an epic night of skiing, beers, bonfires and singing. We made it back in one piece...barely.
MARCH:
I'm falling in love with Charlottesville at this point. The hiking, the people, the running trails, the local beers :)
It turns out when St Patricks day falls in the middle of the week you just get to celebrate it twice! First, an epic day of bar hopping in Richmond, beginning in Shockoe Bottom's "Shamrock the Block" and walking our way to Carey town by the end of the night.
In a slight twist of sobriety, the next weekend was spent in Virginia Beach running my first half marathon. It was a perfect day, cold to start but mid-50's once the sun came up. The after-party was on the beach, dancing to live Irish music in the sand, drinking Yuengling and eating Irish stew.
APRIL:
Virginia Spring!! I miss Vermont so much, but Virginia definitely wins the head-to-head battle in April. Hikes galore (Dragons tooth, McAfee's Knob, Old Rag), parties at the farm and morel hunting. With my last clinical successfully completed, I set up shop at the farm to begin the biggest study session of my life.
MAY:
After attending the Apple Blossom Festival in all its glory, I made my return to Burlington, with a long-weekend trip to NYC along the way (once you live in that city for a few months it just starts to pull you back whenever you get within 100 miles...)
The Ahmann family kindly welcomed me into their home so I could continue my licensing exam preparation on UVM's campus. Oh yeah, and that little thing called graduation? Check! Doctorate of Physical Therapy? Yes please!
JUNE:
Serious study time. Days were spent almost exclusively in the med-library, but I somehow "squeezed" in a good amount of summer-league soccer, play-off hockey and vermont mountain time (which obviously goes hand in hand with Vermont beer time)
JULY:
You know what makes family beach week even better? Having just passed the physical therapy licensing exam! Such a reward.
About a week after the exam my contracting company found a great job for me in Newport News working on the Ft Eustis Army Base! Time to get that career started!
AUGUST:
Late July and early August were spent in a bit of a limbo situation with my job while I waited for my clearance with the Army. But when the worst thing happening is you have to keep taking additional weeks of vacation, your life is pretty good. Lake Anna, Charlottesville, Richmond, Sleepy Creek, weddings galore...not a bad way to spend a Virginia summer!
(tubing adventure for Davids birthday)
SEPTEMBER:
Patients! My own patients! Wait, I get my own office, too? AND I get PAID?
This is awesome.
(the PT crew at McDonald Army Health Center)
The crew at work rocks, working with active duty troops is pretty awesome and it turns out Newport News actually has amazing running trails. Who knew!?
OCTOBER:
Hmmm, I don't know if I'll be able to make W&M Homecoming this year, since I...wait, I live 10 minutes from Williamsburg?! I'll be there!
October also brought the ten year reunion of JHHS 2001. Football was watched, beers were shotgunned, friends were re-united and laughter abounded. What more can you ask for?
(Welcome back to the Handley Bowl, Class of 2001)
NOVEMBER:
I might have gone a little overboard on expedia.com. November weekends included trips to Vermont, New York City and San Francisco. Worth it? Every freakin' penny.
(pictures courtesy of Rebecca DelBalzo:)
Training runs in a snowy Central Park, a foggy Golden Gate Park and along the windy Burlington Waterfront bike path prepared me for pretty much anything the Vegas 1/2 marathon could possible throw my way...
DECEMBER:
When flying to Las Vegas for the weekend, I strongly recommend flying into Los Angeles and road tripping to Vegas with your friends. Jack, Kim and I had a surprisingly relaxing trip and the race down the strip at night was amazing!
As you can imagine there was a LOT of roadside entertainment. Luckily I was running fast enough to outpace the guy in the Borat-style speedo who had a coors tall boy in one hand a cigarette in the other.
(Courtesy Picture of Jack McLoughlin :)
Whew. Year in a nutshell. 4 weeks left in Newport News then it's time for the open road, destination TBD...
