The College Wrap. It's a wrap.

In high school, one thinks about College and what it takes to get to college.  Then you are there.  You learn a lot about yourself, you drink too much, your heart gets broken, you pass a difficult class.  If you are lucky enough to follow through, you come out with a whole new perspective on yourself, life and your future. And if you are super lucky, you come out with a job waiting.
For me, this last piece was not the case.  In fact, I ignored all things that were not part of my accedemic curriculum in my last semester, because I was dead set on passing and finishing this 4 and 1/2 year journey.  A time that can be summed up in one word for me: Overwhelming.  I wanted it to be OVER.  But then....It was...
Some people pack up their things, move out of their dorm or apartment.  They go back home, or move to a new city.  None of this was my story.  I had been home for two years, and was not moving anywhere immediately. But! In this moment, I felt the glory!
This was a moment you know is happening when it occurs. You are closing a book in the volume of your life.  You can try to soak it in, but you cant.  This journey needs time to be digested.  You only half realize what will really follow that are direct results of your actions for the past 4 or 4 and 1/2, or 3, or 5 years.  At the time of graduation, you know it is happening, but you dont know WHAT is happening.  So how do you deal with all of this.  I'll tell you. This is what happens the MOMENT YOU FINISH COLLEGE.

Morning of:
I wake up.
I go to the library.
For the first time in 2 years, I am joined by a study group.
We have 15 minutes before our last final exam, and here we are trying to cram in the last piece of information.

one hour and 45 minutes later:
I look up and noone is in the room. 
It's me and the professor.  I suppose it is time.  I double check to see that all of my I's are dotted and my T's are crossed. I put my pencil down.
Slowly I get up.  What did I just do? Will I ever need a pencil again? I take my test realize all of the questions have been answered.  This is it. There is no more time, and no more questions.  It. Is. OVER! 
 These were my thoughts somewhere between standing up, and turning toward the professor's desk to hand in my final final exam.  Oh NO! This moment will not go unknoticed I think to myself.  THIS IS IT!

As I approach the professor's desk and place my paper on everyone else's, he looks confused as I give him a wink and I moonwalk out of his office. I moon walk straight into the hallway and hopefully, out of his classroom forever.
I dont know if I passed, but I am DONE TRYING!

This was December 16 and THIS was the day I swore off Coffee for one year....

Leaf me alone! (Bahahah) (Its a play on words) ;)

Rocks Rock!

Leaves leave me smiling :)

Mudd makes me merry :()

Put them all together and you get the welcome back party that I had when I slipped out of my school coma and into being alive again! To be perfectly honest, if the leaves weren't there to cover the danger of having about an inch of thick mudd slipping around on the rocks that have moved alot since I have last been there.

I was able to get to the Wissahicken this weekend and it was FANTASTIC! I started doing the trail that Kristin trained me on almost two years ago! WHHHAAAAHTT!! Two Years?

That is CRAZY!

One (of the many) things that Kristin taught me was to celebrate little victories. This makes anything you are doing much much much more satisfying and motivating. Therefore, instead of looking at a downhill trail over rocks and a very large tree with a sharp turn, as an impossible feat... break it up!

Do things in pieces and celebrate when you are able to successfully navigate where you were having trouble.

With this theory in mind, I was able to hop over logs I was terrified of, and ride trails I was ready to walk.

It was a great day out! Nevertheless, it left me with one question...

When this tree fell in the woods, was someone around to hear it make a sound...

(That is my bike so you can get a feel for the size of that Phallen Philly giant)

Because it certainly made a dent, and it’s just physically not possible that it would crash without sound. Soo.....

The day was a great success, my Baby and my Soul needed a little outing to get in tune.

Back to the grindstone, as they say!

16 DAYS!

16 DAYS LEFT OF UNIVERSITY!
and I am STILL putting things off...

So, as always, on my late nights, I like to check out every social media outlet before getting to down business.
I recently noticed that blogspot keeps track of all sorts of statistics for each page!

THERE WAS ONE PERSON FROM FRANCE ON MY PAGE! (once)

I am so excited!!!! So, I would like to leave a message for that person in hopes they will return. ever. :

Bonjour!
I beaucoups need help speaking your language!
Write me une message!
Merci!
Kaitlyn Rose

Thats French for:

Hello!
I very much so need help speaking your language!
Write me a message!
Thank you!
Kaitlyn Rose

I have hopes of moving to France in the next 6 months, and can't wait to be a fluent speaker!  LETS Chat!
TTYL!
KREB

The Pursuit

So I love the national anthem.

I understand America has its flaws, as all things do, but you can’t change who you are,

and you can’t stop loving you’re mother. 

The national anthem is like that time when you see that friend who always needs something from you, never gives you good advice but always makes sure you are not alone.

And they are happy-so you feel full.

And I love life.

I think being ecstatic, experiencing admiration and accomplishment are

the fruits of the soil that is made of

the beauty of defeat.

I love the freedom to be; the liberty, one might say, to realize you are.

And most of all...

I am hopelessly in love with The Pursuit.  

Victory Lap!

Of course I'm not doing anything... I'm a senior!

Does that still count if I have been saying that since junior year? Je ne sais pas! MAIS!

Here we are! (<--- To be read in an English accent)

It's so early and I am working on my final project of my Undergraduate career and I said to myself 'OY! What do I love to do?'

The answer came easy - Most things

However, the problem will occur in 4 weeks when I graduate and need to choose something.

Lists remind people of things they are thinking about all the time, so I should make one for me tonight.

I have narrowed it down to several things-

My List: Things That Make Me Think I'm having heart Palpitations

Theatre

Jumping off tall things

Heights

Climbing up tall things and looking down thinking, 'I really want to jump'

Mountain biking

Making videos to tell people about other people's greatness

Making music videos

The French (the language is so beautiful I cannot breathe sometimes and the people are wonderfully terrifying!)

A tender heart with which I can rest my soul

So, it makes complete sense that I am having a nightmarish time trying to read things about stuff other people did and repeat it.
MERH!

Wish me luck and I'll let you know how it goes.

P.S. I want to give a special shout out to my vest for keeping me seated long enough to get anything done tonight. Thanks baby <3

P.P.S. Most of my posts are updates on my nonriding status; this one was more of a venting session because the riding will come soon!

Right back a'Cha babe!

(By 'babe' I am referring to anything on two wheels and require a helmet.) This fall it is Cyclocross!



The autumn weather hit the Greater Philadelphia area this morning. If anyone has Facebook or Twitter, you know because that is the subject of everyone’s updated statuses. Love notes to the mornings in sweatshirts, Hate notes to Mother Nature, tweets misspelled between frozen thumbs on the way to work. Either way, I love all weather, so I was pumped there was weather to be had.



This past summer I had set my new goal to learn to ride a motorcycle. But, since I fall so often on a pedal bike, finding someone to put a motor behind my balancing skills was an unrealized task. (The search is not over though, you just wait!)

For the Fall, however, my new adventure is Cyclocross, and this morning I signed up for my first Cyclocross race!

I never heard of Cyclocross before Nikki and Kristin got a hold of me. For everyone who was in my shoes, here my interpretation of it: It is a small windy course on grass, mud, trail or field with manmade obstacles and trees in your way. Do as many laps as you can in 40 minutes and you might win. Here is a real definition, along with a few others. (I was surprised to find my explanation was strikingly similar to Trek's). The ladies invited me to a 'practice'. So, last Wednesday I went to an open field to find close to 100 cyclists from all over Philadelphia riding their bikes in circles between trees, up hills and over planks. I had a blast. They were all so welcoming and ... fit. The sport seemed simple, fast, and you must know how to unclip.

Going into mountain biking, I had a few months of training behind me. Since I have been back on my bike, I have not had a set training schedule. However, I am eager to get back to racing. So, on September 24^th, one hour after my first lesson in Cyclocross with Team CF's Kristin Gavin, I will be racing!

I am stoked!

Getting back on the bike was easy. The hardest part of recovery from my ACL was not anything to do with my legs; it was all in my head! I had to remind myself that, "this too shall pass" and I will be active again. In the mean time, I had to pick up a few daily treatments to replace what I call my 'exercise therapy'. (This is entirely unscientific, but I found that personally, exercise helps me clear my lungs. So I make sure that I did a treatment a day before my run or bike).

When I got back on the bike after a few months off, I was huffing and puffing. This is one of the most frustrating and motivating factors in my routine: Not being able to get enough air in to do what I know my legs can do. I make sure I keep a tight treatment schedule, so that the only thing holding me back from climbing that hill is the 5’ X 7’ boulder.



So tune in, I’ll let you know how it goes!



P.S. - I am in the market for a Cyclocross bike, so if anyone knows someone who has one they want to get off their hands, Message me!

Killing Time

From time to time Frankiann and I get restless. So here are some suggestions to help you beat the winter time blues...

6 months pregnant and bored?

Only have one working leg?

Here is an example of what can be accomplished with a bun in the oven and a newly acquired ligament.

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxQkAWyvVLk