Nostalgia

I am officially done with high school swimming. I never thought this day would come, but after competing in the 100 yard breaststroke tonight at varsity sections I'm officially done! No more hard sets, no more three hour practices. However, I will miss the girls that I have grown up with. The ladies in lane seven are hilarious and caring. This team has always picked each other up when one member is down. As exciting as it is that I will get to enjoy my next fall for the first time in five years, I will miss these girls.

"when I grow up"

While working on our ethnography today in the IMC. Erin and I were talking about college, jobs and the future.

Erin mentioned, "Well when I grow up...." but we both paused and laughed Were we not grown up already? Or when were we going to be?

It's what we always say when we are younger, because this "grown up" part of us seems so far off. Now, however, we are talking about the "real world" and in only a matter of months we will be joining it.

Kind of a scary thought, but to me, it's more exciting.

home stretch

Bare with me, because this is the last week of swimming I am forecasting a lot of blogs coming up will be on the sport. :)

Two more practices. After five years of being a part of the Champlin Park Girls' Swim Team, I will only enter the Jackson pool two more times. And only one last section meet. I have been thinking about this final week ever since I can remember being on the team. It's always seemed so distant, something I never thought that I would actually get to. This is the time of the season that I desperately wish swimming was over. Seeing all of my other friends done with their sports long before I am even thinking about varsity sections. I have been in the pool six times a week since the beginning of August. That's about twenty hours each week in that pool. So many swim meets, practices, and pasta parties. Although I am still faithfully waiting for Friday, the first day I will get to go home right after school, a little sense of sadness is beginning to come over me. And definitely a lot of reminiscing. The girls in my lane are who I've grown up with... there are so many memories I know I am forgetting,  but so many that I will carry with me. I'm just hoping with this last week, we can really turn it into something great.

Friday Thought

sometimes I feel like a goldfish stuck in my bowl.
the walls are glass, clear tempting me with the sight of the bigger world.
but I'm stuck.
and yes it's safe here---
but there's only so much oxygen.

favorite holiday weather

The sky was a perfect shade of gray. The kind of gray that made you want to put on an extra pair of socks and snuggle up to the fire with a steaming cup of coffee in hand. The clouds loomed in the sky, threatening with the possibility of another snowfall, but I could sense it wouldn’t snow until tonight. I lived in this area to long… I could predict the weather here better than local news channel. I loved how the warmth of me at these very moments contrasted so much with the cold outside, just the wall of the house separating. Everything about the world felt so quiet, uninterrupted. The fire crackling in the living room gave me a sense of peace. Oh how I love, Christmas Eve.

ethnography character descriptions.

Peggy-

The frequent client is perched up in the vinyl chair, getting a perm. She sips on a cup of coffee and reads and outdated romance novel. Her bright pink lipstick contrasts with her dull colored grandma sweater.

Mandy-

The thirty-something manager’s heels click as she walks to the front desk. Her feather extension and gaudy jewelry show that she is trying to act younger than she is. Too bad it’s more trashy than hip.

Amy-

Known as the youngest in the salon, Amy doesn’t act immature. She treats difficult customers with respect and handles everything they throw at her. Her caramel-colored strands are pulled tightly into a bun and is both a part-time worker here, but also a physical therapy student.

Sharon-

Her thick hair is tendrils down her back. And Sharon’s black framed glasses sit upon the edge of her nose. Unlike the other worker’s, her outfit consists of a black velvet sweat suit. Underdressed. Her age also makes her stick out, being around sixty she is well above the mean age, but she somehow fits well among her young colleagues.

Megan-

Hidden behind her glasses and bangs, Megan peers up to greet us at the receptionist’s desk. Her bold, cropped hairstyle stands out against her no-makeup face. She talks with passion about her new found love of doing nails, and talks to others with kindness.

ethnography focus.

Erin and I have been going to a hair salon in Champlin for our ethnography for the past month. We've collected detailed notes and kept them in our matching blue and purple jot books. Every time we have gone the time has gone by much faster, and it has become a much more relaxing experience compared to our first time jitters. Now that we have done all of our "research", we somehow have to come up with a focus. And this focus has to span the ten-page-or-more paper length. Erin and I came up with our idea in class and luckily it uses a bunch of our notes from both observation and interviews. I can't wait to see how it will turn out!