tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12500381527273192932024-03-14T02:49:48.078-07:00My Semester in HawaiiKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18384281193336587265noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250038152727319293.post-47964595874817757282012-08-06T19:11:00.001-07:002012-08-06T19:12:04.391-07:00Where I Am NowLiked this blog? Check out my current one! <a href="http://www.etakat.blogspot.com/"><b>http://www.etakat.blogspot.com</b></a><br />
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=]Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18384281193336587265noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250038152727319293.post-81666353116317544502012-01-09T17:23:00.000-08:002012-01-09T17:23:16.126-08:00Homecoming/ Wrap it Up!The flight home wasn't as long as the flight to Hawaii in August. As we touched down in Chicago, I got a little misty-eyed. It was finally real that my time in Hawaii was over. It was finally real that I was going to see my family soon. It was finally real that I was home. I was more excited than I was sad or upset.<br />
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Tawni and I walked through O'Hare in the direction of baggage claim. We surprisingly didn't get lost (although it is a pretty fool-proof system, ya know, 'cuz there are signs everywhere telling you where to go. Even an idiot like myself didn't get confused).<br />
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My family came into view as I was coming down the escalator. I probably squealed and yelled some inappropriate comment, but whatever, I'm over it. My mom, dad, sass-ter, and cousin Michelle were all there to meet me! Brother had school so he couldn't come. Sass-ter had made me a lei out of fabric to welcome me home, which was really sweet. Tawni's parents were there to greet us as well, with flowers for Tawni. We all hugged excitedly.<br />
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We got our bags and made our way to the parking lot. It. Was. So. Cold. Thankfully my family came prepared with my winter coat. It was so bulgy. It felt unnatural. Too many layers. Closed toed shoes. WTF. And there wasn't even snow on the ground!! It was a little disappointing.<br />
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All of us huddled into the equally cold van and headed off for home, making pit stops for lunch and to my aunt's house who lives near Chicago. It was strange seeing billboards and squirrels and flat, brown, dead land. I missed my Hawaii scenery of lush green mountains and sunsets in the ocean.<br />
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It got dark at like 4pm! Which actually helped with my jetlag I think, because I didn't really feel any at all. We dropped Michelle off at the Oasis where they my parents had met her and I passed out in the car for the rest of the way home.<br />
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I was dreading getting to my house. I knew that Hannah wasn't going to be there and it was going to be awful. Although it was glad to see my house again, there was a huge pit in my stomach knowing the sadness that accompanied being home. I lugged my suitcase up the garage steps. The first thing I noticed was that Hannah's bell she rang to go outside wasn't there. I immediately broke down and burst into tears. I cried on and off the rest of the night.<br />
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Bittersweet homecoming, indeed.<br />
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Brother gave me her ashes, and we decided to put them in Sister's room, because that was her favorite spot in the house. She was always on her bed looking out the window and watching over us and the house. And that's where she'll stay.<br />
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Even now, 3 weeks later, I still anticipate her being there when I come through the door, or when I get out of the shower, or when I wake up. It's still sad, but it's just become a reality of life. I can now talk about her without crying. It just doesn't seem like she's gone. I keep forgetting. Even yesterday some friends were talking about taking their dogs to the park and I was like, "Oh! That sounds fun! Can I come? I'll bring ... oh wait ... nevermind." I just miss my fatty-fat-fat.<br />
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To prevent this from turning into another memorial post for my dead dog, I'll turn the conversation in a different direction. Winter break is now coming to an end. I have seen all my friends and family, tried picking up where I've left off with everything, and started preparing for this upcoming semester at Illinois. I'm so excited to get back down to Champaign and see all my friends there. This past weekend we moved my stuff into the apartment that I'll be living in this semester (but have been paying rent for it since August... I don't wanna talk about it). Anyway, here's my room!<br />
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I'm friggen pumped!<br />
<br />
Well, Hawaii and post-Hawaii adjustments are complete. The rest of my college career and life awaits me out there somewhere. I doubt I'll be able to study away again and be able to graduate on time, so I'm very thankful that I had this opportunity and took advantage of it. I would recommend everyone during their college career travel somewhere, anywhere. Just get out there and explore. Because you will never get the opportunity again to live in another part of the world for a brief period of time (unless you're a nomad traveling with no purpose in life... but that would be kinda cool too).<br />
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Big mahalos first and foremost to my family for being so supportive throughout this whole process and making me feel less homesick than I probably could have been. Mahalo also to Tawni for everything. If it wasn't for her, I would not have gone to Hawaii in the first place, wouldn't have even thought about it. She played the most essential role in me even going. Also to Kelsey and Janelle, and everyone else I met and became friends with during those four magical months. Without my roommates, especially Kelsey, my time in Hawaii wouldn't have been half as exciting as it turned out to be. All my great memories involved Kels, and I can't thank you enough for that, Babygirl. She made every experience enjoyable, and I am so grateful to have found a friend like her. She was a crucial part of my happiness on the island. We'll all stay in touch with Skype and roadtrips, which I couldn't be more excited about! Room 603 will never be forgotten.<br />
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With that, my semester in Hawaii and blog are officially pau.<br />
<br />
Aloha!Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18384281193336587265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250038152727319293.post-29564627137504380312012-01-05T18:02:00.000-08:002012-01-05T18:02:09.539-08:00Last Weekend in HawaiiMy last weekend in Hawaii. Do I still even remember it?<br />
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Of course I do.<br />
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Friday was sad when Janelle left us. Her room was all packed up and she said goodbye to us and then left us to fend for ourselves. Right now she's probably getting ready to hop on a plane and go back to UH to start spring semester... lucky bitch.<br />
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Just kidding. Love you Janelia!<br />
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Friday night was full of shenanigans. Finals were done and it was the beginning of the end for my time in Hawaii. Enough said.<br />
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Saturday - TATTOOOOOOOO. I was really really pumped about this. I had wanted a sea turtle with a hibiscus flower in the shell for an eternity or so. Even before I even thought about spending a semester in Hawaii. Don't ask questions, I really don't know why it got stuck in my head.<br />
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After it hit me in the summer that I was really going, I looked up different tattoo shops to find credible artists and all that jazzy jazz. I may have been a little too excited. The tattoo symbolized me taking risks and being spontaneous, just living life because it's so short, and taking advantage of opportunities. Plus, the tribal turtle and hibiscus flower are essentially symbols of Hawaii, which made it even more perfect.<br />
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As the semester went by and I thought more about it, my tattoo had another meaning. Sea turtles lay their eggs on the same beach where they hatched themselves. No matter where they travel to, they always come back for their family. It's their instinct. And that's so amazing. For me, this tattoo is a reminder to always come home, always come back to my family, no matter where life takes me.<br />
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I had made the appointment in like October, and made sure to get it on one of my last days on the island because I wouldn't be able to swim in the ocean or a pool or lay out on the beach and tan.<br />
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Sidestory. On the bus ride to my appointment, a woman with a very large dog got on and sat right by us.<br />
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He was a mastiff/great dane mix. <u>HUGE</u> dog. Woof.<br />
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I had spoken with my artist, Alex, a week beforehand to explain what I wanted. So Saturday when I showed up, he already had an idea on paper for me. I didn't like his original drawing, so I changed a bunch of things and made the poor guy redo it. But hey, it needed to be done how I wanted.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for the final sketch!</td></tr>
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As Kelsey and Jimmy, another friend who wanted to come with, waited alongside me for the final sketch, we saw a couple about in their late 20's who were also getting tattoos. I overheard the woman explaining what she wanted, and she had the same idea as me, a turtle with a hibiscus flower in the shell on the back of her right hip. Same. Exact. Tat.<br />
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I wasn't really surprised though, because girls get this tattoo all the time. It didn't really bother me.<br />
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Alex called me back to get started. We figured out where the stencil should go and got straight to business. He wore a headlamp! Here:<br />
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The whole thing didn't take very long. I'd say it was like a half hour. The part that hurt the worst was the outline, but it was bearable.<br />
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In the middle of my tattoo, the young couple from before came in to start their tattoos. I then told the woman that we were getting the same thing. They were really nice and we all started talking. Turns out they had ran the marathon too! That was their whole reasoning behind their tattoos. The man was actually getting the marathon warrior man whatever from the logo, which was pretty cool. It was both of their first tattoos, and they were really sweet. We then realized that both of us had gone to the north shore on the same day to watch Pipemasters.<br />
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Same tattoo, marathon, Pipemasters. How crazy of a coincidence was this??<br />
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Anyway, here's the final product of my day:<br />
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Love it!<br />
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Healing it over these past few weeks has been a bit of a challenge because I turned out to be allergic to the moisturizer I used on it, which resulted in tiny red bumps <u>everywhere</u> around the tattoo. It looked hideously disgusting. I was so concerned I even thought about going to the doctor to get it checked out. But it's healing now and I'm still in love.<br />
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Saturday afternoon-ish, Serious Rob wanted to take me out on his motorcycle around the island. I happily complied. It was so breathtaking getting one last glance of the windward (east) coast on the back of a motorcycle, during sunset no less. As we were on one of the major roads, I realized that I had traveled that road by car, by foot (marathon) and now by motorcycle, which was cool to me. After a few hours it started to get dark and chilly so we made our way back home.<br />
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Kelsey and I decided we wanted to check out this huge Christmas display that was set up in downtown Honolulu. We also wanted to make a video of us dancing around idiotically, so naturally we went to Goodwill and bought flamboyantly annoying Hawaiian shirts to wear.<br />
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A combination of pouring rain and getting lost trying to find the display led us straight to Jack in the Box, which I had never been before. So our shitty night ended with fast food. It was absolutely delicious. I don't know how I had never encountered this tasty establishment before that moment. It also may have been due to the fact that I had almost eaten zero fast food in the last four months, and I forgot how good it was. So bad... but so good.<br />
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Nope. Not kidding.<br />
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Sunday morning Kelsey and I finally made it to the Christmas display and filmed our shenanigans just how we wanted. Then we met up with Tawni and whoever else was left on the island and beached it all day. I even got some sand volleyball in, which made me oh-so-happy. I made sure to cover my tat, though. We watched the sunset and I went shopping for Christmas gifts for everyone and it was a successful day.<br />
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Monday morning Kelsey, Jimmy, and I ate at Eggs N Things, a yummy little place that we had been wanting to eat at for a while. Then we beached it up some more. Spent my final moments at Fort DeRussy beach and made my peace with the ocean. Then I had to go home and finish packing and leave for the airport.<br />
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I had to say goodbye to Kelsey earlier than I thought, because she had to go pick up her brother at the airport. We cried and hugged and promised to Skype (which we did!) and said our goodbyes. Which really aren't goodbyes, because I plan on visiting her at Haverford sometime during this next semester!<br />
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I managed to fit all my shit in my suitcases without having to use the vacuum bags I needed when I flew here. Even better news? I didn't have to spend $90 for an overweight suitcase, also unlike when I got there in August. Boo-ya!<br />
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Sitting in the terminal waiting to board the flight was surreal. I didn't want to go. But I knew I had to. And I was excited to see my family and all my friends back home. It was the most bittersweet feeling ever.<br />
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Tawni and I boarded, popped a Nyquil, took off into the air, and dozed off as we made our way back to the mainland.<br />
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Aloha!Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18384281193336587265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250038152727319293.post-10327803483554636772011-12-23T21:11:00.000-08:002011-12-23T21:11:20.630-08:00School's OutIt's so weird typing this from home, but blogging about my semester in Hawaii is not yet complete. A couple more blog posts will top it off.<br />
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So finals week came and went quickly, as did every other week on this island. I don't know what it is about time here and it absolutely flying, but it sure happened.<br />
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I had my microbiology lab final the week before finals week (and the marathon). I calculated my grade before I started studying, figured I was fine, and half-assed preparing for the exam. It was fine, I felt like I maintained an A, was relieved after it was over, and started thinking about my other exams.<br />
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The Monday after the marathon at 7:30 in the morning (ouch... literally) I had my Hawaiian studies final presentation, which was absolute cake, since that class may have actually been kindergarten.<br />
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I opted to take my microbiology lecture exam early, so my finals schedule was then<br />
Wednesday - microbiology<br />
Thursday - genetics<br />
Friday - animal sciences<br />
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Tuesday I started reading the scientific article I needed to know for my genetics final since it was going to be ridiculously impossible, but Kelsey and my mother convinced me to read at the beach. And so I did. And it felt good.<br />
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The rest of Tuesday after the beach I studied for microbiology. I calculated my grade in that class too, and the same thing happened there as my microbiology lab, so I felt fine. The only part that had me worried was the prof screwed up the exams and the people with my form had an entire page missing, so we had 10 questions less than everyone else, all questions were old questions taken straight from our previous tests. So he said he was going to weigh our tests differently, and I thought it was going to be an unfair advantage. But again, I wasn't too worried about it.<br />
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Thursday's genetics final absolutely sucked. It was 2 hours of straight essay writing over technical information from the paper we had to read. Some of us took longer, and I think I was the very last one to leave (which isn't saying much because there were only like 22 kids in the class that could have had 40). It took me two and a half hours to do this damn thing. Afterwards I just felt relieved that it was over. I didn't want to think about the grade I was going to get in that class.<br />
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Friday's animal sciences final was just like microbiology. Calculated grade, figured I was fine, yada yada yada.<br />
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Final results you ask?<br />
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Microbiology lab - A<br />
Hawaiian studies - A+<br />
Microbiology lecture - A<br />
Animal Sciences - A<br />
Genetics - A-<br />
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<strong><u>I GOT A FREAKING A- IN GENETICS!!</u></strong><br />
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That was the best news ever! I was in the best mood the night I checked my grades, and my parents were really proud of me. The glory from that class is still with me.<br />
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Hey, guess what? I spent a semester in Hawaii, did some of the coolest things I've ever done in my life, had an absolute blast, and still managed to get straight A's.<br />
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Am I a star or what??<br />
<br />
Aloha!Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18384281193336587265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250038152727319293.post-20723730458530902972011-12-23T20:55:00.000-08:002011-12-23T20:55:41.464-08:00Random Tidbits/What I've LearnedI started making this list when I got to the island, and this is what I've come up with. Enjoy!<br />
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The number one rule on the island is to bring an umbrella with you no matter where you go. It could be perfectly sunny outside and then randomly start raining or misting. It rains almost every day in the mountains (where campus is), but a light sprinkle and for like 20 minutes if I'm exaggerating. It's not too bad. On really hot days, I don't even mind it.<br />
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Rule number 2: Wear a swimsuit wherever you go. You never know if you'll end up on the beach, and chances are good that you will. It never hurts to be prepared.<br />
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Grass here is not grass. It's mutant. It feels like the grass on turf fields and therefore not real. But it is real.... I don't understand.<br />
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I have more problems with sand in my bed than bugs. Although cockroaches are not my favorite insect to find in my apartment. Tiny lizards aren't ideal, either. Technically I guess they're geckos.<br />
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If you don't get to class by skateboard/longboard or moped, you're not part of the norm. Mopeds are actually cool and useful to have here. Crazy, right?!<br />
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There are wild chickens and roosters that run amok around campus and the island. Mongooses/mongeese (I have no idea of the plural word for them. Also, is a bunch of mongooses/mongeese called a gaggle? Something to think about.) There is also a huge problem with feral cats, too.<br />
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A traditional Hawaiian meal consists of 3 things: meat (usually pork or chicken), rice, and mac salad. Mac salad just means macaroni salad which I didn't know for a really long time, and then I looked like an idiot for not knowing what mac salad was.<br />
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Hawaii does not observe Daylight Savings Time. How neat.<br />
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In the Hawaiian language, no two consonants are ever right next to each other. There is always a vowel in between every consonant.<br />
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The reason the water is so clear and blue here is because there are no rivers washing out sediment and other things that would make the water all icky.<br />
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Within the entire four months of my stay here, I did not once encounter a drinking fountain that spewed Hawaiian punch. I'm not sure if people actually think this myth/legend is true (or if this is even a plausible thought), but to the dismay of many enthusiast punch-drinkers, this is a fable.<br />
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There are no bilboards anywhere on the island. They were banned because people wanted to be able to admire the beauty of the island, not stare at ads everywhere they drove.<br />
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That's the island life for you.<br />
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Aloha!Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18384281193336587265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250038152727319293.post-1968745376910068022011-12-23T20:50:00.000-08:002011-12-23T20:50:47.341-08:00What I'm Not Going to MissSo I wanted to write a post about everything I was going to miss here in Hawaii, but I figured that would take 10 and 2/3 hours and be 2354 pages long so I thought it'd be easier to make a list of things I'm <u>not</u> going to miss here on the island.<br />
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Don't take it as me being a negative Nancy and think that I hated Hawaii, because the exact opposite is true. I realize this much more clearly now that I'm two hours away from leaving this paradise.<br />
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The first thing I hated: pigeons. Damn pigeons were everywhere! As well as signs saying "Don't feed the birds", but you knew those spazzy high schoolers outside the Burger king were going to dump their fries on the sidewalk anyway. And then the birds would flock. And shit on your head. And get just a little too close for comfort. There were also a bunch of stumpy pigeons with deformed feet. What's that about? And their beedy little eyes. So disgusting. So much disgustion.<br />
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Second thing I hated: lack of bathrooms everywhere. Since Honolulu is such a touristy place and also has a lot of the homeless, businesses either weren't available to the public or weren't there at all. Those poor employees at Taco Bell probably have to run who knows how far just to take a pee. That's inconvenient. I stress out over not knowing my restroom options. I am also a freak (but you already knew that).<br />
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Third thing I hated: having to shave all the damn time. At least during the winter back home in Illinois I can go a couple extra days with the 24/7 pants-wearing buffer. But here in Hawaii it's always shorts and swimsuits, which have no give for hairy legs. I had to always be on top of my game. Not to mention the number of disposable razors I went through. It was almost a nightmare and turned into such a chore. Am I just that lazy?<br />
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These next two had nothing to do with the island itself, but the university here.<br />
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Four: genetics class. I can't even begin to describe my hatrid of this class. Plus I could go on and on for a thousand paragraphs of rage.<br />
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<em>"Katie, no you could not. That's way too many paragraphs. That is an exaggeration. I don't like a girl that exaggerates."</em><br />
<br />
Reference? Anyone? Okay so maybe not a thousand paragraphs, but this class was ridiculous. No textbook, no powerpoint slides. Just a very Chinese professor who had us read scientific articles and attempt to extract their information to add to our wealth of knowledge. Also, it's a 4-hour class, but only meets 2x a week, and there's no lab. Also also, there were only 100 points total we could earn in the class. I swear if I make it out of here with a B I'm going to cry with joy and then perhaps do something very dangerous and life-threatening, just to make sure I'm still alive. Sound good?<br />
<br />
Five: the cafeteria. My excitement for being done with dorm food is through the roof. Not that the food was bad; just the opposite. The food was absolutely delicious, which made it even more frightening. Endless amounts of food do not go over well with me. The staple here in Hawaii is rice. A carb. A nice, big, fat, carb. I want to throw up just thinking about the slices of pizza and bowls of cereal I consumed over the course of the semester. Ew, ew, ew. Hopefully marathon training balanced out the eating of the food (which it probably didn't). But this brings me to my next point...<br />
<br />
Six: marathon training. So I used to like running. I would go out with my dog all the time and run like 2 miles and come back and feel so accomplished. After training for this marathon (specifically between Thanksgiving and the marathon itself) I realized I did not like running. Or more, the thought of getting ready to go spend three hours running was not a fun idea whatsoever. The aftermath of this whole thing is that now, 2 miles will never again be enough to a decent workout for me. If I don't spend at least 2 and a half or 3 hours running I will not be satisfied. And that's not okay.<br />
<br />
I think I'm going to end this post with my favorite number, good-ole 7. Although the content is not as happy and lucky.<br />
The seventh thing that I am not going to miss in Hawaii, is the feeling I experienced while my dog was sick and eventually passed. I'm not going to drag on about how sad and depressing it was, because you already know about it, but it still was the worst feeling knowing I was so far away and couldn't do anything about it, much less say goodbye to my best friend.<br />
<br />
On that awful note, I will be boarding a plane in a few hours to come back home! I'll still post another blog post or two after I land. But my time in Hawaii is pau. It's sad, but I can't wait to see everyone back home!<br />
<br />
Aloha!<br />
<br />
<strong><u>UPDATE!</u></strong> Don't know how I forgot to mention a few little gems.<br />
<br />
Cockroaches were absolutely disgusting while I was in Hawaii, and shall not be missed back home. Also, back to the topic of school-related issues, the maintenence men/people at UH were way more concerned with the outer appearance of the campus as opposed to things that actually need work done, like toilets that had been out of order since September and nobody got around to it. I get that it's a beautiful campus and all, but come on people, get your priorities together. Don't spend your time raking a few stray leaves on the ground.Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18384281193336587265noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250038152727319293.post-11397868124825816852011-12-17T21:55:00.000-08:002011-12-17T21:55:40.225-08:00Honolulu Marathon Part 2First let me tell you a little about the run. The marathon started in the middle of town on Ala Moana boulevard (which you don't even know where that is but it's fine). We ran through town for the first seven or so miles was through downtown. The eighth and ninth miles took us around Diamond Head Crater (the only hilly part, thank the Lord). Then we were basically on a long stretch of road that ended with a loop at mile 17 and then we made our way back the same long stretch, back down Diamond Head, and finished at Kapiolani Park (but you don't know where that is either).<br />
<br />
If you really want to know the exact route, click <strong><a href="http://honolulumarathon.org/Assets/assets/pdf2008/HMCourseMap.pdf" target="_blank">here</a></strong>.<br />
<br />
Right after the gun went off, a display of fireworks was set off. Mind you this marathon started at five in the morning to avoid the heat of the day. Those fireworks were spectacular and it just set the entire mood for the whole run. It was as if I had never seen fireworks go off before in my life, and got me so excited for the run!<br />
<br />
The fireworks went off for about the first half mile. During that time, people were taking pictures of them with their phones (I was surprised people even ran with that kind of stuff. I was so naked compared to these people carrying phones, credit cards, water bottles, and Gu).<br />
<br />
Kelsey took off like a bullet and started weaving in and out of people like it was her job. I stayed back to try to gauge my pace. It was really hard trying to figure out how fast I should go with a sea of people around me. I was constantly comparing my pace with others, judging them to determine if I should run faster than them. Old, fat people? Go faster. Anyone skinny or moderately in shape? Try to lag a little bit. Intense marathon runners? Well those people weren't even in sight so I didn't have a problem with them.<br />
<br />
It was strange how even before we came up to the first mile marker, people were already walking. You people paid $150 to do this marathon, why not break a sweat? No? Okay, I'll pass by you and have an actual victory at the finish line.<br />
<br />
I remember distinctly passing the one kilometer marker. I was curious for a bit, then realized the people around me were all Japanese and use the metric system. Silly me and my American ways. However, I did not know that I should have probably learned how many kilometers were in 26.2 miles, as I found that there were more signs that were in kilometers than miles. By the time I was at 35 kilometers I was thinking <em>Jesus Christ how much more do I need to run?!?! </em>And then five minutes later I'd pass the mileage sign, and it would make me very sad that I still had a lot farther to run than I thought.<br />
<br />
Those first 8 or 9 miles were absolutely spectacular. The atmosphere was incredible, it was great that there were some people already lined up along the route at 5am to cheer us on. When I came upon the first water station, I felt like the coolest person ever (when I'm really such a dork). It was tough trying to drink water while running and not choking on it, but I made it work. Hey, I said I was running this entire marathon, there was no time for stopping for water breaks. Shenanigans. I felt the coolest when I got to crunch up my cup and throw it to the side of the street. The only time I've ever not felt bad for littering, 'cuz I knew it was going to get picked up.<br />
<br />
We passed Kapiolani Park (where we were going to finish) at mile 6, and I couldn't help but think <em>we will meet again. I will be back.</em> I really truly am such a goof.<br />
<br />
It was a little annoying those first miles when a lot of people were passing me, yet I wasn't really passing anyone at all. Of course, I hadn't trained much at all for this thing, and people have probably been running for six months preparing, but the competitive person inside me was just pissed off that I wasn't passing anyone, and all these other people were just passing the shit out of me.<br />
<br />
Right around mile 9, I ran into Kelsey, which was so bizarre, because running in a huge mess of people I thought I'd never see her again. We both freaked out and screamed out of pure surprise and excitement to see each other. We may have also shouted out a few Chee-Hoo's as well. But our paces were too off to stay and chat much, so I continued on.<br />
<br />
The next few miles were a little difficult. I just kept thinking how I wasn't even halfway done yet which made me a little distraught. But actually running the distance wasn't bad. I had run 13 miles multiple times (well like twice) so physically I was perfectly fine, it was just mentally challenging. But when I commit to a challenge that's important to me, I will stick to it or die trying. So I kept on trekking.<br />
<br />
<br />
A mile or two before I got up to the halfway point, a pack of 4 Kenyans were already passing me going the opposite direction. There was nobody even remotely close behind them. That was both amazing but also pissed me off because I knew that they were almost done, as were people that were eventually going to be passing by going the other way. I couldn't wait to finish the loop and start heading back.<br />
<br />
After completing the 13.1 miles, I felt a lot better. Nothing really exciting happened between then and mile 17 when I started the return trip, besides a large poo building up. It had been there since about mile 5 or so, and I was determined to finish this race without stopping, even to poo. I went almost fifteen miles with a full colon, but right before mile 20, I had no choice but to stop or it would've ended badly with me having to throw my pants out.<br />
<br />
You have no idea how fast you're able to run when you're playing beat the clock. I literally picked up my pace so much I was passing people left and right. By the time I saw the porta-potties I was in a full-out sprint like it was the finish line. It was a successful poo, didn't take too much time waiting in line, and I got right back in my groove. I'm actually surprised I was able to get back to my pace easily since I had heard that once you stop it's hard to start back up again. But I was on a mission.<br />
<br />
I had bought a Gu pack, which is an energy gel of sorts that you eat when you do really long, physically demanding, dumb stupid things like run a marathon. It seemed like a good idea to eat it at mile 20, since that's when everyone says you hit the "wall" where you want to stop and die. The Gu actually helped, and I felt a lot more energetic. But that lasted about 2 miles, all the while my stomach trying to argue with me about taking it. The flavor - mint chocolate. It was either that, citrus, or "original" flavor (and I didn't want to find out what original gel Gu tasted like).<br />
<br />
Those last 4.2 miles dragged on <u>forever</u>. Seriously. I felt like I had been running for like 15 minutes and had to have gone at least a mile, but the signs never appeared. I'm convinced those last miles were actually at least 10 miles, that's how much it sucked. Also, those damn kilometer signs didn't help when I was trying to gauge how much further I needed to go.<br />
<br />
Once I got back to Diamond head, the mileage signs were starting to have clocks on them telling us how much time had passed by. I thought maybe I could make it under 4 hours and 30 minutes. The original time I had in mind before training was 4 hours, because I heard it was really impressive, and hey, I wanted to be impressive. But given the time I had to train and the amount I actually trained, there was no way in hell that was happening. Kelsey said she'd be excited if she was under 5 hours, but I thought that was too easy of a feat, so I set my bar at 4:30.<br />
<br />
I knew I was cutting it close to my time, so I knew I had to pick up my pace. If I had finished with a time of 4:31 or even 4:30:01 I would have been incredibly mad at myself. I also would have blamed the poo stop for my finishing time, which would not have gone over well with me at all. So down the Diamond Head hill I picked it up my pace hardcore, without realizing I still had a mile and a half to go. But hell, that was the home stretch for this long-ass run, so I thought I could handle it. Plus it was a hill, so I took advantage of it and flew by people towards the finish line.<br />
<br />
Finally, I had come into sight of the huge Finish banner and final clock. It was a long straight stretch, absolutely lined with people cheering and an announcer and all kinds of exciting stuff. But I was too tired from sprinting down the hill (and the accumulation of just running 26 miles in general) to really look around and enjoy it. I was excited, of course, but I was just more determined to finish this race in my time goal. When I thought I could see the time clock, I thought it read 4:31:something and I was absolutely pissed. I even shouted out "Dammit!". But I never stopped running. When I got closer, I saw it was actually 4:28:something, which made me so so so so happy I cannot even explain.<br />
<br />
I cruised into the finish line with my hands in the air and a huge smile on my face. I had just run 26.2 miles without walking, and that was a huge accomplishment itself.<br />
<br />
Final time - 4:27:08<br />
<br />
My time started when my Championchip crossed the starting line, so I was actually under what I thought it was. I was officially under 4:30, and I was absolutely ecstatic. I wanted to go hug a random stranger.<br />
<br />
Some of our friends were at the finish line waiting for us, and I was really happy to see them! I was really glad that they wanted to come out and see us finish this marathon. It was great.<br />
<br />
I thought about sitting down to stretch, but as I began to move to sit, my body said "NO!" and that was that. I figured I'd be less sore if I stayed up and moving around anyway. So I got some food at the finisher's table and went to watch Kelsey finish.<br />
<br />
Kels came in right after 5:15, so she didn't reach her secondary goal of time, but she ran the whole thing, which was her first and most important goal, and I was so proud of her!! It was great to have somebody to go through something like this with, and she helped me so much.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-TvIZtE3Xfv88ifoB74TJ6r_ydQuXMwS3-i1P_5s79wihKAVEYDv1E6Su71EclMUrxjMRmu1dJk_vovzfdpGi_tusoEWvbnPhI6sCaTX4HJUqNieI-bvWIMjovT216gJjdbGUqMqUmv2H/s1600/1211111030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-TvIZtE3Xfv88ifoB74TJ6r_ydQuXMwS3-i1P_5s79wihKAVEYDv1E6Su71EclMUrxjMRmu1dJk_vovzfdpGi_tusoEWvbnPhI6sCaTX4HJUqNieI-bvWIMjovT216gJjdbGUqMqUmv2H/s400/1211111030.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We even got lei's when we finished!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
We thanked everyone for coming out to watch us, and then went to go get our free massages that were absolutely deserved.<br />
<br />
Throughout this whole run, I saw some really crazy and funny things. People were wearing costumes. On separate occasions, I saw old Japanese men, one in a Minnie-Mouse costume, and one dressed as Wonder Woman. People also wore wigs and santa hats and other crazy outfits. I even saw a man carrying a full-sized American flag on a pole. Like WTF?! I also saw some pretty funny signs, like "You're going the wrong way" and "Because 26.3 miles would be crazy". There were also some really encouraging signs that were adorable. But it was the funny people and funny signs that made this marathon a lot more enjoyable.<br />
<br />
People asked me if I was going to come back next year for the run. And that answer would be a no. Because flying to Hawaii just to run a marathon is ridiculously expensive, plus this time of the year is when finals are, and I don't have time to be horsing around running marathons. But if I'm going to run another marathon ever, I'm not sure about that answer. It would be great to run a marathon under 4 hours, but I was so proud of this accomplishment, I may just be retired for good. I don't really understand how running marathons can become addictive like people say they can.<br />
<br />
But overall, running this marathon was one of the best decisions I've ever made. It's just such a big accomplishment for me, something I can be proud of for the rest of my life, and that is just an absolutely incredible feeling.<br />
<br />
And then I got a Happy Meal from McDonald's to top it all off.<br />
<br />
Aloha!Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18384281193336587265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250038152727319293.post-73558031133265286612011-12-17T17:25:00.000-08:002011-12-17T17:25:50.049-08:00Honolulu Marathon Part 1Soooo... remember that time when I decided to run a marathon and had less than 2 months to train for it?<br />
<br />
I do.<br />
<br />
What a sick joke.<br />
<br />
Here's a summary of my training schedule:<br />
<br />
Monday, October 17 - Day 1- ran 3 miles without stopping. That was such an accomplishment. (No but seriously.)<br />
<br />
Between then and Thanksgiving - ran 3 miles several more times, worked up to 4.5 and 6.5. Ran one 10-miler. Ran one 16-miler. Thanksgiving day - ran almost 20.<br />
<br />
And that was the day I decided I hated running.<br />
<br />
Between Thanksgiving (November 24) and December 4, I did not run one time. According to all the official guidelines (that I had found online....okay they were blogs and small articles), we were supposed to peak at our maximum distance 2 weeks before the big day. We were also not supposed to run a full 26.2 or farther. Well we did one thing correctly.<br />
<br />
The next week we probably should have taken it back down to 15 or something. That weekend mysteriously came and went... and no running was done.<br />
<br />
I mean I guess I worked out in between. But I don't think cardio on the eliptical for a half hour counts as training for a marathon.<br />
<br />
The week before the race I decided to get my shit together because it hit me that this was actually happening. I ran 5 miles on Monday, 6.2 on Wednesday, and.... well that was it.<br />
<br />
Damn I trained real well for this thing.<br />
<br />
I couldn't help but think the Sunday before the marathon that <em>in one week from today, it will all be over.</em><br />
<br />
That was a consistent thought the weekend before the run. <em>Only 48 hours before I start... in 36 hours I'll be done... 24 hours until I'll be dead at the finish line...</em><br />
<br />
Kelsey and I stuffed our faces with carbs the Saturday before the run. We went to the convention center to get our packets with our bibs and running chips (cleverly named ChampionChips) that would keep track of our time.<br />
<br />
What I was not expecting was the intense number of Asians that were at this convention and were going to be running this marathon. They had their own section in the convention and everything! Even the papers we got were English on one side and Japanese on the other.<br />
<br />
Saturday night I strategically set my alarm for two in the morning so I could wake up, get a solid breakfast in, wake poor Tawni up to french braid my hair that tended to get nappy in long runs, take a nervous poo, and stretch for a solid hour, all while freaking out a little in my mind.<br />
<br />
I tried to trick myself into thinking the freaking out was just excitement. I think it worked. Oh, mind games.<br />
<br />
Kelsey's friend was kind enough to give us a ride at 4 AM, as he had already promised his other friend that he would take him to the starting line. That saved us a cab ride.<br />
<br />
We got there just in time to get to the clusterf*** of people trying to be corraled like farm animals (I may have "moo'd" once or twice). It was a giant sea of people, and it was never ending. Twenty-something thousand people were standing there waiting for the race to begin.<br />
<br />
I won't lie. Seeing all the people there actually helped to get me pretty excited - the first time I felt excited about this whole experience. Better late than never.<br />
<br />
We had ten minutes before the marathon started at 5, so I tried to take another nervous poo, to no avail.<br />
<br />
We worked our way back to the starting point for people who were looking to finish in around 3 hours because if we had started in the front with the Kenyans we surely would have been absolutely trampled. And nobody wants that when they're trying to run 26.2 miles. Of course we weren't aiming to finish within 3 hours but we were advised to start there because otherwise we would have been caught in the back with all the slowpokes.<br />
<br />
I turned on my ipod, started to jam out, and waited for the gun to go off.<br />
<br />
This post is long and has taken me forever to write, so I'll leave you with this now and start writing the second part.<br />
<br />
Oh, and here's a picture!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhe78YmhidU_jGX3rRQoH2KsG958JM911csXOSERreAIPA3e49WlLDcQOr5mfgD0TjGcZ46kqKsM3v1nAMit9FPdKKCIaNCcERGQAwfB9Afpb6SFacatLaS5Pu_5572djxxGlQbhl32j4X/s1600/1211110401a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhe78YmhidU_jGX3rRQoH2KsG958JM911csXOSERreAIPA3e49WlLDcQOr5mfgD0TjGcZ46kqKsM3v1nAMit9FPdKKCIaNCcERGQAwfB9Afpb6SFacatLaS5Pu_5572djxxGlQbhl32j4X/s400/1211110401a.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to run!<br />
Also, attractive.</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
Aloha!Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18384281193336587265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250038152727319293.post-65240911301368273002011-12-14T01:03:00.000-08:002011-12-14T01:03:48.495-08:00PipemastersFriday morning, the roomies and I had an exit survey for our ASH program that was mandatory. Kelsey and I had literally just gotten home from Stairway to Heaven at 9, and we had to get ready real quick to be at the meeting by 10.<br />
Afterwards, we trekked to the north shore for Pipemasters, the biggest surf competition on the island. The bus was packed, so we had to stand for the 2-hour journey. Needless to say, Kelsey and I were doing our bodies a real favor before this marathon.<br />
<br />
The waves on the north shore were <u>GIGANTIC</u>. I had never seen waves like that in my entire life. Well I guess that's not really saying much. Before coming to Hawaii, I didn't get out to the beach that much, being in the middle of the mainland and all.<br />
<br />
But you know how you've probably seen surfers in movies or on TV or somewhere and the waves look too big to be real? I assure you, my friends, these waves are very much real, and so very large and in charge. I'd be scared shitless to go surfing on one of those things!<br />
<br />
The beach was packed with spectators, grandstands, and announcers. We found Tawni right next to the Redbull house and that's where we parked our rears for the rest of the day.<br />
<br />
It was while listening to the announcer that I realized I don't know squat about surfing. But here's what I gathered throughout the day:<br />
<br />
There are like 2 or maybe 3 surfers out at a time. They surf in heats of 30 minute timespans. One surfer will get priority over the other (I don't know how they figure this out) but that just means that if a good wave comes the one with priority has first dibs. If no good waves come within the first 10 minutes of the heat and neither surfer catches a wave, they restart the heat.<br />
<br />
They get scored out of 10 points per wave. The judges take the top two scores of each surfer and combine them for their total score.<br />
<br />
Don't even ask how the judges give the scores. Maybe it's whoever catches the prettiest wave? Who knows.<br />
<br />
All I know is that it's cool as shit to watch.<br />
<br />
We stayed until it was over, but by that time we were all sleep deprived and grumpier than the dwarf. The bus ride home was not fun at all because there were annoying high schoolers on it being louder than my mother was when coaching first base telling me to take two. They were being so inconsiderate. They got on the bus sometime after we had gotten on and I had fallen asleep. They literally stood right next to me and either didn't realize or didn't care that I was asleep.<br />
<br />
So rude. But of course I didn't say anything to them. Of course I'm too nice. Someone find my backbone for me because I sure as hell can't find it myself.<br />
<br />
But the day still ended up being pretty awesome.<br />
<br />
PIKCHAAAAS:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXxiE4O-L8U9xDK3tNanlYwo8uLMDqys5Tcccmyu1F9a5HaZz9SLZ5PidpRYZ3hY7n1CUO-ldnnLUw3SaC7Dj79qeC5o7RmR9FNgHiQSf4gDuTc-k4zX-4URS3mNCyoz7qtgpfkqJsivzM/s1600/IMG_3453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXxiE4O-L8U9xDK3tNanlYwo8uLMDqys5Tcccmyu1F9a5HaZz9SLZ5PidpRYZ3hY7n1CUO-ldnnLUw3SaC7Dj79qeC5o7RmR9FNgHiQSf4gDuTc-k4zX-4URS3mNCyoz7qtgpfkqJsivzM/s400/IMG_3453.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yum. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJKoLoCZ1W4vAs-vbQI6QBuRCzFEBxzmMTRGVHqU1uChyXV8Owz7hP7JXCTL2gX-UsClFXa37K6of47-InXV-9ctVmdPGw-41vLzxG2HTHwiHIdFMMfsRgTUeLCnFcHZtbJIJzKzfbWipH/s1600/IMG_3457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJKoLoCZ1W4vAs-vbQI6QBuRCzFEBxzmMTRGVHqU1uChyXV8Owz7hP7JXCTL2gX-UsClFXa37K6of47-InXV-9ctVmdPGw-41vLzxG2HTHwiHIdFMMfsRgTUeLCnFcHZtbJIJzKzfbWipH/s400/IMG_3457.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby wave compared to the other waves that day</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicoq8DoKZWIeE_4OJyzhLkPcsc1wEXsd6rOYIbIsUtZ6tXJ66aJyD65Jqm-1a29-YSqr_Vh2uBxWHQo_IR-HRzzPdzEKaXVXy8Org-rALWG7d7CB-6apirzHURBJSXltdCqHPfyBIfXEul/s1600/IMG_3461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicoq8DoKZWIeE_4OJyzhLkPcsc1wEXsd6rOYIbIsUtZ6tXJ66aJyD65Jqm-1a29-YSqr_Vh2uBxWHQo_IR-HRzzPdzEKaXVXy8Org-rALWG7d7CB-6apirzHURBJSXltdCqHPfyBIfXEul/s400/IMG_3461.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The only surfer I had really heard of: Kelly Slater</td></tr>
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Aloha!!Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18384281193336587265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250038152727319293.post-10060830383515352932011-12-13T01:25:00.000-08:002011-12-13T01:43:02.332-08:00Stairway to HeavenStairway to heaven is almost like a rite of passage in Oahu, it just has to be done. Never mind the fact that it's illegal, dangerous, and oh did I mention? It's illegal. Also... it's dangerous.<br />
<br />
Who did it anyway? This kid right here!<br />
<br />
I'm not entirely sure why it's illegal. Something about it being dangerous and nobody wanted to be liable for deaths. Anyway, there's a guard there pretty much around the clock, so the only time to go is like 2 in the morning (which ironically contributes to the dangerous-ness).<br />
<br />
Kelsey and I had the bright idea of going the night after our last day of classes, so it was technically Friday morning when we did this. Mind you this is a taxing hike, and we had a marathon to run in two days.<br />
<br />
Eh, what the hell. We're 20 years old. We're practically invincible.<br />
<br />
Game on.<br />
<br />
Don't I sound so confident? In actuality I was borderline shitting my pants. First of all, I'm the type of person who absolutely <em>hates </em>getting in trouble. I'm a good girl, I follow rules. I cried in elementary school when teachers accused me of any wrong-doing. Okay fine, middle school. Point is, I'm not the kind of gal who partakes in illegal activities on the regular. I was stressin'.<br />
<br />
Second of all, this hike is legitimately dangerous. Going into this hike, those were the only two things I knew. But hell. It's Hawaii. Gotta get out there and explore. Plus, it's not living unless you're close to dying, right? ...or something like that.<br />
<br />
I guess the original purpose of the trail was for the military. Something about radio tower/signal/something that I wasn't actually interested in enough to learn about.<br />
<br />
I brought nothing with me except a poncho (while everyone else had legitimate rain gear, making me look like a complete idiot) and dressed in layers. I was told it was going to be cold. So I wore my capri yoga pants, a T shirt and long sleeve shirt over that.<br />
<br />
We left the dorm at around 12:30. There was a group of 6 of us, including Kelsey and myself. None of us had ever attempted this before, and that's always a good feeling when you're about to do something like this... Anyway. One of our friends, Drake thankfully had his jeep wrangler (in LOVE) and drove us all.<br />
<br />
Before the stairway, we first had to get to its origin, which included walking around and getting lost in the bamboo forest for a while and attempting to find openings in fences that were there to keep us out. But eventually we found the guard station, a good sign that we were at the forbidden trail. Nobody was there. Green light.<br />
<br />
By the time we started the actual hike, I wanna say it was around 2 in the morning. What I was not aware of was that Stairway to Heaven is literally a staircase. With steps and railings wide enough for one person at a time. Well hell, I didn't think it was going to be as dangerous and everyone made it out to be.<br />
<br />
Wrong.<br />
<br />
It's the middle of the night, so we only had moonlight guiding us. Also, I was in the back of the pack when we started going up the stairs. It started out fine... until it got steep as shit. And when I say that, picture the stairs turning into a <u>LADDER</u> because that's literally what happened.<br />
<br />
Oh, did I mention we were going up the side of a goddamn <u>MOUNTAIN</u>?<br />
<br />
Sorry for all the caps lock. And also the profanity.<br />
<br />
Wait... my entire font is in caps lock. You can't tell when I use caps lock. Wow I just realized that. What a fail. This is my 40-something-th post and I just realize this now. Piss.<br />
<br />
But seriously 5 minutes into the climb I got scared shitless and realized my life was seriously in danger. And I'm not even exaggerating. One wrong movement and I could have tumbled down to my death. That sounds neither graceful nor pleasant. I had to carefully position my feet and hands on the steps and railing, respectively.<br />
<br />
(By the way, I just learned how to use the word "respectively" in context. When I was younger, I thought it meant like actual respect. Like hey, man, I respect you. It wasn't until calculus that I learned about the whole with respect to x and y thing, and I just learned recently how to use it in writing. I'm an intelligent being.)<br />
<br />
Getting back on track here, I was freaking out to Kelsey, feeling like the biggest pansy in the entire world about climbing this ladder and falling backwards and dying. So when we got to a relatively safe point, we switched positions so she was last. I don't know why it made me feel safer. All switching positions did was make it so that if I fell she was coming down with me. I don't know how she can deal with me sometimes.<br />
<br />
I wasn't kidding when I said I knew nothing about this hike. After about a half hour of this stair master from hell, we reached a platform. I was all excited, thinking we were at the top. But of course I was wrong. That was only platform one out of about 4.<br />
<br />
Woof.<br />
<br />
We stopped for a bit and rested. I was hot as shit and cursing myself for bringing this long sleeved shirt with me. After being at a higher altitude not moving for a few minutes, though, it became a little breezy, and so we continued to hike.<br />
<br />
Taking a short break now to present images of this hike to spare you from googling this yourselves, and to also present the dangerous-ness of this friggen hike.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="598" id="il_fi" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVCaHifenA3s4DINqGgL_lPH3Ef8dX7N66JOgO8ZAgOSEZA5DsRZEuW6cVLFW49bpqosqT048owmF6pcG41Qi_oy21gXC29LWCQAbCtBz1dnIoNAbDXoZ19ivdpwE88yCRWSOmpl7n8I/s1600/DSCF2271.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="448" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That probably wasn't even the top, either. Seriously.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="598" id="il_fi" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1gkoUwBwitHpO4a6PlNc7gaMZ1kscxfNfEswIEGhyL0S4SfJy3V7C990HZeS1ha6f0EQ9F9a1ebQihxMzw5lxZoacM2Cv4X3tfy4WPTuwc_Azzb1sA5SlmF35h5MSeEOLDQE7glN5NZBE/s1600-r/haiku+stairs+001.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="448" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't know these people.</td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="598" id="il_fi" src="http://liveandloveoutloud.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/HaikuLadder.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="448" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ohhhh, why they call it stairway to <u>HEAVEN</u>. You hike up into the clouds. Got it.</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="375" id="il_fi" src="http://www.oahu-concierge.com/images/stairway-to-heaven-hike.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="500" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were on a ledge the entire time. To either side of us was a steep, scary hill. Well, you can see that.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
And we were doing this in the dead of night. Like wtf, right??<br />
<br />
What nobody had thought about was the fact that we were about to ascend into the clouds, where there was plenty of moisture, making the steps and handrails wet and, consequently, more dangerous. Eventually we made it to a second platform and a little bunker, a third, and fourth platform that came in quick succession.<br />
<br />
But I cannot emphasize enough how scary this hike was. I was not having fun at all. I'm not particularly afraid of heights, but this was potentially life-threatening, so my hands never came off that handrail.<br />
<br />
The temperature dropped the higher we climbed. At one point, I actually had to put my long sleeved shirt on. Then between the last platform and the top, it started to rain a cold, cold rain. Everyone busted out their rain jackets (and poncho...) and powered through to the top.<br />
<br />
By the time we got to the top, we were all soaked in sweat/rain, were cold, and tired from just climbing 3,922 stairs and ascending 2,120 feet. And it was around 3:30 in the morning.<br />
<br />
Thank the good baby lord Jesus that there was a building-type structure at the top, because we had a solid 3 hours of waiting at the top for the sunrise and climb back down. Anything to protect us from the wind and rain I was praising like a god.<br />
<br />
But even the building did not suffice completely. Holy moses was it miserable! For family reading this, it was colder than the Parade of Lights without any hot chocolate. For any softball players, it was colder than the first outdoor game in mid-March. For anyone else reading this, well it was just damn cold. Plus the fact that I was sleep deprived and wet as a dog from being in a freaking cloud did not help with my mood.<br />
<br />
Kelsey offered me her rain jacket, and I didn't hesitate at all to take it. I don't know how the others weren't as completely miserable. I'm from Illinois! I should be used to this frigid weather.<br />
<br />
Obviously I had not prepared myself both mentally and in terms of clothing for this hike.<br />
<br />
<u>THIS </u>was how I was going to die. At the top of the stairway in the building, not from falling over the side of the stupid mountain.<br />
<br />
I must have been a complete bitch those entire three hours. I don't want to drag on anymore about the waiting at the top, because it was just too miserable, and thinking back upon it makes me want to cry.<br />
<br />
After the sun rose (finally!) and it was time to start the climb back down, I was more than ready. Even that first drop from the top to the closest platform had a dramatic change in the weather, and also my mood.<br />
<br />
Before this hike, I was fairly suspicious that I had seasonal affective disorder. After this hike, I'm pretty sure I actually have it. Once the sun came out and I warmed up, my mood took a complete 180. I felt a natural high and was so excited about life, jumping around and laughing and smiling and having the best time ever.<br />
<br />
I may have been a little delusional from sleep deprivation as well.<br />
<br />
What made the hike completely worth it was the way back down, being able to see the gorgeous views from the daylight. I wish I had brought my camera, but I was afraid it was going to get damaged.<br />
<br />
The hike down the stairway was 10x less scary than the hike up, which may have also contributed to my happy mood. Knowing you're not in danger of kicking the bucket can turn you into a much more pleasant person.<br />
<br />
The fantastic scenery in combination with the realization of what I had just done made hiking Stairway to Heaven one of the best and coolest things I had ever done on the island.<br />
<br />
I remember on the trip up the stairs how badly I wanted a helicopter to be waiting at the top to take us home so I wouldn't have to go back down. I'm so glad that wasn't part of the deal. The hike down seriously made the entire experience worth every second.<br />
<br />
When the people I went with upload pictures from the hike, I'll post them here.<br />
<br />
Until then, this is Kat reporting from the warmth and comfort of her bedroom, not the top of some God-forsaken mountaintop.<br />
<br />
Aloha!Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18384281193336587265noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250038152727319293.post-50910180805796935532011-12-08T18:19:00.000-08:002011-12-08T18:19:27.627-08:00First Weekend in December... or SomethingSo this is all out of order now. I'm not really sure where to start on this one. With finals coming up and me getting excited about going home, these past few days have been a whirlwind, to say the least.<br />
<br />
And I'm sure the madness will just keep increasing.<br />
<br />
So.... the other weekend. Not sure which one so don't even ask. You don't even care which day was which so everybody wins. Maybe it was last weekend?<br />
<br />
Anyway. So Friday I got done with class at 10, went to the beach and played sand volleyball with some colorful characters ALL AFTERNOON. It was heavenly. I really enjoyed myself, and realized how much I missed volleyball and team sports in general. Cannot wait to get back to Illinois and start back up with club softball again!<br />
<br />
After volleyball, my friend Erin and I decided to go on a "booze cruise", which is exactly what it sounds like: all you can drink mai tais on a sunset catamaran for an hour. It was really interesting. A whole mess of vacationers were on the boat too, and it made for an eventful hour. Plus, watching the sunset over the ocean whilst in the ocean was a crazy cool view. I'm glad I'm not blind. But I wish I had brought my camera with me.<br />
<br />
But here's a picture I stole from Facebook of Erin and I:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDY9xxlCdVSfKnNsbC3mkf0Jpw5owRJRFGaHqJ6uXquV3o-DPqJ9IbYc-oTx7xN-E_RiOs2UFFYImdCUsroxPS0v-AFcqmxTenFMcniI6W8SnmRmrWZS4wcd7CcY7j47PfdEHIitR8NUAt/s1600/386678_2770146697725_1379707644_32982689_1053927864_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDY9xxlCdVSfKnNsbC3mkf0Jpw5owRJRFGaHqJ6uXquV3o-DPqJ9IbYc-oTx7xN-E_RiOs2UFFYImdCUsroxPS0v-AFcqmxTenFMcniI6W8SnmRmrWZS4wcd7CcY7j47PfdEHIitR8NUAt/s400/386678_2770146697725_1379707644_32982689_1053927864_n.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
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The sunset hadn't really kicked in at that point, but it's the best I got.<br />
<br />
I pride myself on great grammar.<br />
<br />
Saturday the roommates and I went to the football game since it was the last one of the season, and it was senior day, although the latter fact had nothing to do with why we went. Because we don't know any seniors. Or anyone on the football team for that matter...<br />
<br />
That was about it for Saturday. Damn my weekends got progressively much more interesting as this semester droned on...<br />
<br />
Sunday I slept. All. Day. Long. I was supposed to be productive and write papers and study and all that jazz. Didn't happen. Whoops.<br />
<br />
That's really all I have to say about this weekend. I feel like I'm missing a weekend somewhere, but let's be honest, I probably didn't do anything spectacular.<br />
<br />
Marathon training update: Hadn't run from Thanksgiving until This past Monday. I'm a champ. I have decided I hate running, or training when I'm not in the mood. So we'll see how this marathon goes. It's in 3 effing days.<br />
<br />
Plus! Pipemasters is happening right now! Which is the big surf competition that all the important people go to! Tawni is going up to the north shore tonight, but I have a mandatory meeting in the morning for my ASH program =/ Not okay. I might go up to the north shore afterwards and stay all day, but I'm supposed to be getting a good night's sleep Friday night for the marathon on Sunday.<br />
<br />
I really want to start packing.<br />
<br />
Also, nothing get's me more excited than Christmas music and thinking about packing to go home.<br />
<br />
Sorry this was such a lame post. I'm just spewing out facts with no commentary.<br />
<br />
It smells like cookies right now. Which is a good change from the constant smell of MARIJUANA. Seriously. It's not okay. Sorry if that frightened you, family (mainly those who have authority over me). But rest assured that I have not partaken (partook??? wtf is the word?!!!) in any of these shenanigans.<br />
<br />
I guess this is post about me having ADD and typing whatever comes to mind.<br />
<br />
Okay I'm done.<br />
<br />
Aloha!Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18384281193336587265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250038152727319293.post-84755783579403654642011-12-08T04:02:00.001-08:002011-12-08T04:15:29.849-08:00So This is what I've Been Doing for the Past Week...<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 15pt; line-height: 115%;">GHR
Deficiency in Connection with Laron Syndrome<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">ABSTRACT<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor I
(IGF-I) are essential components in the growth and development of an
individual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mutations in the GHR/BP gene
cause a multitude of issues, including high levels of GH in serum and low
levels of IGF-I in serum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These
particular characteristics are unique to Laron syndrome, an autosomal
hereditary recessive disorder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other
effects of this disease include retarded growth (dwarfism), lack of growth hormone
binding protein (GHBP), and delayed puberty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A mammalian model for the disease other than humans was needed in order
to advance in research, knowledge, and understanding of Laron syndrome because
of ethical issues surrounding the use of humans as test subjects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mice were utilized as potential candidates
for research.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The knockout mice were
engineered to show the disrupted GHR/BP gene through use of a vector and
homologous combination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The effects of
the resulting mice that were homozygous and heterozygous for the mutation (GHR/BP-/-
and GHR/BP +/-, respectively) were analyzed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The results of the knockout Laron mice (homozygous for the mutation) were
compatible with characteristics shown by patients with Laron syndrome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Conclusions about insignificant differences
between GHR/BP+/- mice and wild-type mice (GHR/BP+/+) were drawn, suggesting
that only one functional GHR/BP allele is necessary for almost complete
function of the gene.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By studying Laron
syndrome through knockout mice, potential applications including treatment of
patients with the disease through biosynthetic IGF-I administration is a strong
possibility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The success of the Laron
knockout mouse promote further study and will help to solve many unresolved
questions about the GHR/BP gene mutation and Laron syndrome in humans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">INTRODUCTION<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Background
of Growth Hormone<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Growth hormone (GH) is produced and secreted in the
anterior of the pituitary gland, from where it then goes on to perform a
multitude of biological functions including the promotion of growth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>GH affects many types of tissues; its main
role is to stimulate bone and soft tissue growth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other responsibilities of GH include binding
to growth hormone receptor (GHR) and internalization of the GH/GHR
complex.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This hormone/receptor complex
is formed by a single molecule of GH that binds to two molecules of GHR.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the complex is activated, it signals
stimulation of other genes, one of them being insulin-like growth factor I
(IGF-I).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>IGF-I is a hormone and ligand
that is mostly produced and secreted by the liver, but other target tissues may
produce it as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its function is to
mediate some of the indirect effects GH has on an organism’s growth and
development.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The function of IGF-I is
continuous throughout an organism’s development.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Growth hormone binding protein (GHBP) is a
truncated or shortened form of GHR as it does not possess the transmembrane and
intracellular regions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, it corresponds
to the extracellular domain of the GHR.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
function of GHBP is not clear, but it seems to monitor the amount of growth
hormone that circulates in the serum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>GHBP is not produced the same way for all animal species. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In mice and rats, alternative splicing of GHR
precursor messenger RNA replaces the transmembrane and intracellular regions
with a short hydrophilic tail (Coschigano, 2608).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In humans, however, GHBP is made by
proteolysis (the hydrolytic breakdown of proteins) of the GHR as opposed to
alternative splicing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both GHR and GHBP
are encoded by a single GHR/BP gene, and are expressed in nearly all tissues of
the body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The GHR/BP gene is encoded by
10 exons, with exon 4 coding for the GH binding domain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is true for both humans and mice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Almost all of the functions of GH are accomplished
due to its ability to interact with its receptor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The binding of GH to GHR leads to receptor
dimerization (the chemical union of two identical molecules) and activation of
a signal pathway that promotes growth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Laron
Syndrome<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In 1966, the first account of growth hormone
resistance was described.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Laron
syndrome, also known as growth hormone insensitivity syndrome (GHIS), is caused
by mutations of the GHR/BP gene for GHR.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This variation of GHR leads to an insensitivity of growth hormone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There have been about 30 different types of
inactivating mutations reported, including deletions, nonsense, missense,
frameshift and splice, that affect the expression or function of both the GHR
and GHBP.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mutations can reduce or
inhibit dimerization of GHR once GH is bound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The mutation of the GHR/BP gene causes the GHR to become ineffective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because of this, GH and GHR cannot
communicate by signal transmission; therefore growth hormone can’t bind to its
receptor. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has been found that most
people diagnosed with Laron syndrome are from the Mediterranean or Middle
Eastern regions, although some spontaneous mutations have been reported in
other ethnic groups as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Laron
syndrome is a hereditary autosomal recessive disorder that is characterized by
impaired growth even though levels of GH in blood serum remain normal or are
even increased.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This disorder is
distinguished by short stature, or dwarfism, as well as facial dysmorphism,
truncal obesity, delayed puberty, and recurrent hypoglycemia (Zhou, 13215).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those affected with Laron syndrome also show very
high levels of GH in blood serum, very low levels of IGF-I in serum, and absent,
low, or dysfunctional GHBP in serum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
high levels of GH are due to the fact that it cannot bind to GHR, so it simple
continues to circulate in the serum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
reason IGF-I levels are low is because the active complex between GH and GHR
are not formed, so there is no signal for IGF-I to be synthesized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many features about the GHR mutation and
Laron syndrome are unknown due to ethical issues surrounding the study of
patients who have the disease.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Therefore, an appropriate animal model of the disease would aid
tremendously in determining all of the effects GHR and its mutation has on an
individual.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">MATERIALS
AND METHODS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Use
of Knockout Mice<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">To study Laron syndrome and the effects of the
disorder, a mammal species would be the best candidate to use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, there have been no reported mammals
other than humans with a mutated growth hormone receptor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only known animal that has been
discovered exhibiting this mutation is the dwarf chicken, and is not an appropriate
contender for the studies on Laron syndrome in humans as birds are very
different from mammals in terms of anatomy and physiology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition to ethical issues, using human
models for studying this disorder is impractical for identifying long-term
effects because of the slow growth phase and long lifespan of people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A suitable model for Laron syndrome is the
mouse with the correct knockout gene to mimic the disease in humans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Creating
the Mouse<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">One method of generating an animal that displayed
the characteristics of Laron syndrome is to make the mouse resistant to growth
hormone by expressing a GH antagonist gene.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Another approach is to disrupt the mouse GHR/BP gene, which is
essentially the defect that causes the disease in humans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In one study conducted by Zhou, Xu, and
Maheshwari, the knockout mouse (Laron mouse) was created by disrupting the
fourth exon and part of the fourth intron of the GHR/BP gene.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was done because exon 4 is where the
binding domain for GH is, and also this is the location where mutations have
been discovered in patients with Laron syndrome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next, an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eco</i>RI
fragment was isolated from a mouse genomic library that included exon 4 of the
mouse GHR/BP (mGHR/BP) gene.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then a
targeting vector which held a neomycin resistance (neo) gene was created to
replace/delete exon 4 and part of the fourth intron of the gene.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next, mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells were
transfected with, or introduced to the newly created mGHR/BP targeting vector by
electroporation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The knockout gene was
integrated into the mouse genome by homologous recombination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Genomic DNA from the ES cells was then
digested by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bam</i>HI, and the genotypes
were identified by Southern blot analysis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The ES cells that were heterozygous for the disrupted GHR/BP gene
(GHR/BP +/-) were then injected into blastocysts which were then transplanted
into pseudopregnant mice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The embryos
developed and the resulting mice were able to pass on the disrupted GHR/BP
gene.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Homozygous GHR/BP-disrupted
(GHR/BP -/-) were the result of inbreeding of the F1 GHR/BP +/- mice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Southern blot analysis confirmed the results
that mating of the F1 heterozygotes resulted in progeny that were GHR/BP+/+,
GHR/BP+/-, and GHR/BP-/-.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">RESULTS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Effect
on Size<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The physical effects of GHR/BP mutation are not
directly evident, nor can they be measured and significantly interpreted
between the GHR/BP+/+, GHR/BP+/-, or GHR/BP-/- after birth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After around three to four weeks of age,
however, the weight of the Laron mouse (homozygous for the GHR/BP mutation:
GHR/BP-/-) was considerable lower than the +/+ and +/- mouse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The +/- mice had an intermediate phenotype
between those that were +/+ and -/- (Fig. 1).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In terms of gender, the weights of males and females in both +/+ and +/-
mice were notably different, but the weights of -/- mice were statistically
irrelevant when comparing males to females.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This indicates a loss of gender difference in the -/- mice (Coschigano,
2609). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Overall, -/- mice grew much
slower and reached their maximum weight earlier than the +/+ and +/- mice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The differences in weight between -/- and
+/+, +/- mice increased progressively with age.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Effect
on GH, IGF-I, GHBP<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Other characteristics of Laron mice were observed as
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The level of GH in blood serum in
GHR/BP-/- mice were significantly higher than those of the GHR/BP+/+ and
GHR/BP+/- genotype.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The levels of GH
between +/+ and +/- mice were similar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For these results, there were no major differences between the male and
female mice of any type.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The high levels
of GH in the blood was due to the mutated GHR and lack of signal transmission,
which inhibited the binding of the GH/GHR complex and left growth hormone free
to circulate in the serum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In contrast
to increased levels of GH, there were diminished levels of IGF-I by approximately
90% in -/- serum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>IGF-I levels in +/+
and +/- mice were, again, not statistically significant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, no important distinctions were found
between males and females.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The decrease
of IGF-I levels was a result of the active complex between GH and GHR not
forming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore, no signal to synthesize
IGF-I was produced (Fig. 2).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Fig. 1
(above). Phenotypic size differences between <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">GHR/BP+/+,
GHR/BP+/-, and GHR/BP-/- female mice at 5 months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Left</i>,
wild type (+/+).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Middle</i>, homozygous for the GHR/BP gene mutation (-/-).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Right</i>,
heterozygous for the GHR/BP gene mutation (+,-) (Coschigano, 2609).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Fig. 2 (right).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Concentrations of GH (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A</i>) and IGF-I (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">B</i>) levels
in blood serum for the +/+, +/-, and -/- mice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Average results from 3-4 mice of each genotype at ages 30 and 60 days
(Zhou, 13219).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Along
with low IGF-I levels reported, IGF binding protein (IGFBP) was also evaluated
for the effect that the GHR/BP gene mutation has on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No differences were seen among IGFBP-1,
IGFBP-2, or IGFBP-4 levels in the -/- mice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, IGFBP-3, the principal carrier protein for IGF-I, was greatly
reduced when compared to the level of IGFBP-3 in +/+ mice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Levels of all IGFBPs in +/- mice were comparable
to those of the +/+ genotype.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>GHBP was
not identified in the serum of -/- mice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The wild type (+/+) displayed normal levels of GHBP, but those that were
heterozygous for the GHR/BP disruption had slightly decreased levels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Effect on Sexual
Maturation<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The
average litter size of GHR/BP+/- mice (similar to +/+) vs. that of GHR/BP-/-
mice was 6.57: 2.71, respectively.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Furthermore,
the mortality rate of newborns from inbred -/- progeny was significantly higher
than the +/+ or +/- genotypes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This may
be a result of several different factors, including maternal-fetal size
mismatch and inadequate lactation of the mothers to feed their pups
adequately.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition to litter size
and mortality rate of pups, a delay in first pregnancy of -/- mice was observed,
implying that sexual maturation is delayed in females (Zhou, 13217).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Effect on Longevity<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The lifespans of each genotype (+/+, +/-, -/-) and
gender were analyzed for the purpose of gauging longevity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hypothesis was that decreased body size
increased lifespan of an individual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
results showed an increase in lifespan of nearly 40% in those homozygous for the
GHR/BP gene mutation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The -/- mice live,
on average, almost an entire year longer than the +/+ and +/- counterparts, who
showed no significant difference in lifespan themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More research needs to be done in this area with
knockout mice to determine what exactly causes the increased lifespan of those
with the disrupted GHR/BP gene, or those with smaller body size in general.</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">DISCUSSION</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Functionality
of GHR/BP Allele</span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The results of the knockout mice heterozygous for
the GHR/BP gene mutation were noteworthy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Most of the results, including serum IGF-I levels, serum GH levels,
sexual maturation, and longevity showed insignificant differences between the
+/+ and +/- genotypes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These outcomes
suggest that the loss of one allele for the GHR/BP gene (heterozygous
individuals) has little to no effect on the gene functioning in a normal
manner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Loss of both alleles (-/- mice),
however, results in drastic changes to the phenotype.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore, the observation of the slight
differences between +/+ and +/- mice implies that only one functional allele
for the GHR/BP gene is needed to almost completely express its activity to the
fullest potential. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Applications</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Knowledge concerning Laron syndrome is an important
field of study in determining how to treat patients with the disorder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An example of such a treatment is
administering biosynthetic IGF-I to children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This method of treatment stimulates growth and appeared to regulate
biochemical abnormalities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the
unanswered questions with this technique, however, is whether this treatment is
safe and if it could reverse changes that were caused by long-term deficiency
of IGF-I.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A possible safety issue is potential
overdose on IGF-I treatment which can lead to complications such as
hypoglycemia and edema (Laron, 4397).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These effects are supposedly reversible by lowering the dosage of IGF-I.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A useful means of controlling the amount of
IGF-I treatment given to a patient is monitoring IGF-I levels in serum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With further study, this treatment may become
essential in treating patients with Laron syndrome.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Success
with the Laron Mouse</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The results from the knockout Laron mice discussed
above are analogous to results found in humans with Laron syndrome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most prominent features that occur in
both knockout Laron mice and people with the disease in physical and
biochemical terms include high levels of GH, low levels of IGF-I, nonexistent amount
of GHBP, growth retardation, and delayed sexual maturation. This signifies that
mice are a good model to use to study the GHR/BP mutation and its effects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was imperative that a suitable substitute
was found in order to make advancements on knowledge of this disorder and its
consequences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Humans were not viable candidates
as there are limitations on the types of tests that can be performed due to
ethical reasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was also important
that a mammal be used to mimic the effects of Laron syndrome in order to compare
the results obtained to humans who possess the disease.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When considering the effect this gene
disruption has on longevity and other long-term consequences, it is crucial to use
an animal model with a rapid growth rate and short lifespan in order to avoid limitations
based on time restraint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along with researching
longevity, using a mouse model will allow for research on body composition and
tissue characteristics on individuals that possess the GHR/BP gene mutation that
wasn’t able to be performed before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
success of the knockout Laron mouse will prove to be helpful in discovering
answers to many unresolved questions about Laron syndrome.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">REFERENCES<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Coschigano, Karen T., David Clemmons, Linda
L. Bellush, and John J. Kopchick. "Assessment of Growth Parameters and
Life Span of GHR/BP Gene-Disrupted Mice." <i>Endocrinology</i> 141.7
(2000): 2608-<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>613. Print.</span></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Laron, Zvi. "The Essential Role of
IGF-I: Lessons from the Long-Term Study and Treatment of Children and Adults
with Laron Syndrome." <i>Journal of Clinical Endocrinology &
Metabolism</i> 84.12 (1999): <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>4397-404.
Print.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Zhou, Yihua, Bixiong C. Xu, and Hiralal G.
Maheshwari, et al. "A Mammalian Model for Laron Syndrome Produced by
Targeted Disruption of the Mouse Growth Hormone Receptor/binding Protein Gene
(the Laron Mouse)." <i>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of
the United States of America</i> 94.24 (1997): 13215-3220. Print.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">....Holy shit, right? Most scientific thing I've ever written in my life. And I'm damn proud of it too!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Now who wants to proofread this and edit it for me? You know your life sucks when you write a paper you don't even want to read yourself.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Gotta love end of the semester projects, papers, and... finals!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">"Deck the dorms with cups of coffee - fa-lalalala-lala-la-la</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Tis the season to....eat toffee - fa-lalalala-lala-la-la</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Don we now our baggy eyelids - fa-lala-lalala-la-la-la!!!!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Trolls, we are, us dumb college kids - fa-lalalalaaaa-lalaaaa-laaaa-laaaaaaaaaaa"</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Okay but seriously it's two in the morning and I've never stayed up this late on a school night in college. Ever. But now I can't say that.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Between the paper writing and being awake at this ungodly hour, I think it's time for me to hit the sack.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">I'll make another more productive post sometime soon. In the meantime, if you need a leisurely read, knock your socks off and have a go with my genetics paper (if you haven't indulged already).</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Aloha!!</span></div>Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18384281193336587265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250038152727319293.post-54690449281535831682011-12-05T23:47:00.001-08:002011-12-05T23:53:16.786-08:00TimeoutLet me get my thoughts together, my weekends/adventures in order, and my finals over! Actually after Thursday I'll submit a possible nice long juicy post about events thus far. Right now I have to get through a midterm and an impossible paper. Yee-haw.<br />
<br />
Thursday, come back Thursday. I'll send you to the moon Thursday.<br />
<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/-8Jvp6kOmh4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
If you absolutely must, skip ahead to 3:08. But I recommend watching the whole video, because it's just too damn funny.<br />
<br />
Hope this keeps you entertained until... well you know when.<br />
<br />
(Thursday).<br />
<br />
Aloha!Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18384281193336587265noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250038152727319293.post-89123710240276784302011-11-29T01:28:00.001-08:002011-11-29T01:28:33.234-08:00Weekend Full of Athleticism!Bear (bare?) with me here: my blogging timeline is out of order. I apologize.<br />
<br />
Well that's enough of that.<br />
<br />
The weekend before Thanksgiving... I think... is when the following events went down:<br />
Koko head<br />
16 mile run<br />
Kayaking<br />
<br />
Boom.<br />
<br />
Friday Kelsey and I wanted to do Koko head crater, a really difficult and athletically demanding hike. We got off the bus about a mile or so from the start of the hike, but it wasn't that hard to follow the giant mountain to get to where we needed to go.<br />
<br />
Once we got there, this was the view:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvgtyG4hITPYe8jhGKWUsylWQUEVH-mcCDGyEh55J9PnpfDHhq1JG5Jijyh2ahyphenhyphena8VUlk6UiP-ZAopGTuIOxKwxhxX4Ugki4dR1Ez9pHALhuemtj1xQFhJz0p_OxVIp1sIt1SwOEN/s1600/IMG_3333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvgtyG4hITPYe8jhGKWUsylWQUEVH-mcCDGyEh55J9PnpfDHhq1JG5Jijyh2ahyphenhyphena8VUlk6UiP-ZAopGTuIOxKwxhxX4Ugki4dR1Ez9pHALhuemtj1xQFhJz0p_OxVIp1sIt1SwOEN/s400/IMG_3333.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
Yeah. See how it just kinda escalates in the middle and becomes instantly steep as shit?<br />
<br />
But we weren't scerred (...or scared, if you're a regular person). We started the hike and it wasn't that bad. I wanted to make it up at a decent time, so I didn't stop to look around. Besides, the view was going to be the best at the top anyway.<br />
<br />
The trail turned into a bridge at one point:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwFWhzke-h3fwIYuvuyYkkhofc123D_4v8NIEaqmmyIPpoGS8snBx9ITw0mYvNufutgndtxviNVP1WPxDnC63kSgw-nXZNzCfbE9FW97S6ofFCSFg9O5i_0P3heMnxEB4v0NZ_UWV8/s1600/IMG_3334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwFWhzke-h3fwIYuvuyYkkhofc123D_4v8NIEaqmmyIPpoGS8snBx9ITw0mYvNufutgndtxviNVP1WPxDnC63kSgw-nXZNzCfbE9FW97S6ofFCSFg9O5i_0P3heMnxEB4v0NZ_UWV8/s400/IMG_3334.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Frightening. I couldn't trust my muscles to keep me from falling through the cracks. How people literally run up and down this beast is beyond me. It's actually quite terrifying when you get to this point. Especially with those few loose boards. It's called maintence repair, Hawaii. Get on it.<br />
<br />
I'll admit I was sweating like a man and my quads absolutely burned throughout this hike. But we made it to the top in 20 minutes, which was actually pretty good. Imagine being on an intense stair-climber for that long. It's not really enjoyable.<br />
<br />
But the view at the top was completely worth it.<br />
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Kelsey and I then proceeded to goof off for 45 solid minutes taking pictures. Here's the evidence:<br />
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<br />
You really don't understand how long it took us to get a good picture of both of us in mid-air. Lots of setting the 10-second timer on the camera, running into place, and jumping too early, late, or having a ninja turtle neck and/or 80-year-old-lady-cottage-cheesy-looking legs.<br />
<br />
Unattractive.<br />
<br />
The hike back down was scarier than the hike up. One false step and you would tumble your ass all the way back down, and I'm sure that's not a happy ending. Kelsey could kind of trot down the stairs but I was Cautious Carol and took my sweet-ass time.<br />
<br />
One thing's for sure - by the time I got down to the bottom my legs were shaking a bit. And then it was a solid mile walk back to the bus stop.<br />
<br />
Solid.<br />
<br />
And we were gonna go run 16 miles the next morning? Kthanksbye.<br />
<br />
But Saturday morning we woke up at 5:45 to get ready to run. I was actually anxious and excited to get on this run, because my parents had just left the week before and I hadn't been training as much as I needed to, so this was a test of my endurance.<br />
<br />
And I actually survived! It took us 3 hours, and when we got back to the apartment I put my feet in the bathtub with some ice-cold water and didn't move for a half hour. Then I attempted to stretch but instead cursed my body and feet for not cooperating. Thankfully my knee and hip flexor that had been causing me problems earlier were not hurting.<br />
<br />
Score.<br />
<br />
Then Kelsey and I took fat cat naps and had a giant brunch.<br />
<br />
Sunday we had to get up early again because all 3 of us (Kelsey, Janelle, and I) were going kayaking with some RAs as one of their mandatory programs they needed to put on. We met at 8 in the morning and got the van loaded up and were on our way. There were about twelve of us altogether.<br />
<br />
We loaded into our kayaks in one of the bays of the ocean. Kelsey and Janelle were in a 2-man kayak, and I was in a single because, let's be honest, I probably would have gotten pissed at and killed whoever was in the kayak with me for making one wrong turn.<br />
<br />
Of course, curse my luck, right as I sit in and get situated in my kayak, a wave comes to tip me over, and I fell right into the water. Literally 5 seconds after getting in the kayak. And everyone saw.<br />
<br />
Lovely.<br />
<br />
But whatever, I got right back in and paddled away from the shore. Kayaking through the ocean was actually pretty cool. My only previous experience with kayaking was in the lake in Virginia where there was no water movement of any kind. And that was kinda lame. But kayaking in the ocean was a lot more interesting.<br />
<br />
Spoiler alert: I didn't fall anymore after the initial spill. So don't get your hopes up for another accident.<br />
<br />
We kayaked to the opening of and up through one of the small rivers that was close by. Towards the end of our journey inland, the river got incredibly small, sometimes barely even big enough to fit one kayak through. We had to go through tree branches and other shenanigans and pray we didn't get stuck and hold up the rest of the group.<br />
<br />
At the end of our journey, there was a tiny rope swing. Kelsey and I got out to try it. The water, first off, was freezing!! Secondly, it was muddy as shit, and it had been a while since I had mud under my feet in between my toes, so I freaked out (only momentarily). The rope swing was definitely not as fun as we thought it would be, but it was entertaining to witness some of the guys attempt backflips and hopelessly fail.<br />
<br />
That day was really fun. I wish I could have brought my camera and take pictures, but it was too risky of getting wet.<br />
<br />
Oh, did I mention it absolutely poured on the kayak? Good thing I was already wet from my spill into the drink, so I was laughing while Kelsey and Janelle were crying over getting wet.<br />
<br />
Joke's on them!<br />
<br />
But really, it was a fun day. I'm realizing that these kinds of adventures are coming to an end, and it's getting so sad! Literally three weeks from right now I will be in the air on my way home.<br />
<br />
It's so bittersweet.<br />
<br />
I'm going to try to have as many more fun days and adventures while I'm still here. Because once I'm gone, I know I won't be back for a long, long while... if ever. And that's such a sad reality.<br />
<br />
What am I doing blogging?? I should be out doing something fun!! Or sleeping - since it's 11:30 at night<br />
<br />
Womp =/<br />
<br />
Aloha!Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18384281193336587265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250038152727319293.post-44220579238521498512011-11-27T17:04:00.000-08:002011-11-27T18:01:41.973-08:00This One's For You...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHnsxXFQTNgxPMrsJsZVhNQ8lAvvQiJroGWEyiJbcJTCoxeDFVDInG4DLsvcMYtZrtPlpt5jA7uzZm0kRKoi7Mn1h9Lp4sgx47oWL6sTqiVKKNLHLCdWJ6SjnF4pz3as2xf0bDW0cW8-wQ/s1600/downsized95100511161401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHnsxXFQTNgxPMrsJsZVhNQ8lAvvQiJroGWEyiJbcJTCoxeDFVDInG4DLsvcMYtZrtPlpt5jA7uzZm0kRKoi7Mn1h9Lp4sgx47oWL6sTqiVKKNLHLCdWJ6SjnF4pz3as2xf0bDW0cW8-wQ/s400/downsized95100511161401.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad's text along with this picture: Not trying to make you cry, <br />
but I like this picture. She's in her favorite spot in the <br />
backyard and I thought you might like it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
It still hasn't hit me quite yet that Hannah's actually gone. I really just don't want to believe it. My dog who was completely healthy when I left and through the first three months of my semester in Hawaii got very sick very fast and couldn't recover.<br />
<br />
I half-expect her to be alive and well upon my return home, and I don't want to accept the fact quite yet that it's not going to happen. I had a dream the other night that she wasn't really gone - Mom had just put her under a coma for the remaining three weeks I was away, even though she told me she had passed. I then came home, saw her lifeless in the house, started crying out her name, and she came back to life and was healthier than ever.<br />
<br />
If only. That would be my dream come true.<br />
<br />
I shouldn't dwell on the fact that she's gone, or the regret I harbor because I couldn't be there for her when she needed me. My parents did the best they could. Hannah just couldn't fight it. I just can't imagine coming back to my house and her not being there to greet me at the door.<br />
<br />
I still and will always remember my last moments with her. Right before I left for the airport I hugged her and told her not to get sick. Stay healthy for 4 months. Getting sick was not even a option for her since I never thought it could actually happen. I just wanted to make sure she would be there when I got back, and I wanted to solidify that with a promise from her. I jinxed her. That's an awful feeling. She walked to the garage door with me. I said goodbye again at the top of the stairs, kissed her tiny little head, and walked away. I didn't look back. It would have been harder to leave her that way.<br />
<br />
I should have looked back, just once more. I didn't even occur to me that this would be the last time I would ever see my best friend. But it was.<br />
<br />
I need to remember the good times with her, how she had a great life, how she made me so happy. That's what this post is really supposed to be about. Not me sobbing over the keyboard trying to write this, although that's inevitable and I'm just going to have to power through this post as a hot, weepy mess.<br />
<br />
The day we brought Hannah home I'll never forget. I believe we still had our fat purple van... I wish I had a picture of it. The whole family went to pick her up, which was a decent drive, after one of my soccer games. We had this little cardboard box to put her in for the drive home. All 3 kids wanted to hold her on the trip back. When we got home I took her to our front lawn by the mailbox to go potty, and she did right away. I knew right then and there that she was going to be a great dog. Nobody ever had to convince me of that.<br />
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She was a tiny little pup; a boxer with droopy ears and a brindle coat. Her tail had already been docked. We believed that she was the little runt of the litter because she was so small. Even as an adult she was smaller than most boxers are, and people always thought she was still a growing dog when she was 8 years old. But after a while when her gray fur started setting in, it was harder to mistake her for a young dog. To me, she was the perfect size.<br />
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Right after she came home with us, she got very sick. Throwing up, diarrhea, the whole works. Mom was concerned and took her to the vet. They treated her and she got better right away. In my young mind I figured she just missed her mommy and her old home and that's why she was so sick.<br />
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She was so tiny we couldn't use the food and water dishes we had bought for her yet; we had to use these small bowls that were about the size of a 1-cup measuring cup.<br />
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But Hannah outgew those bowls quickly. When she got old enough, my parents decided to get her ears cropped. I liked her ears how they were, but Mom insisted that we get them done because that's how a standard boxer looked. I didn't think erect pointy ears looked as cute as her big floppy ones but again I was young and didn't really understand.<br />
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Whoever did the procedure butched her ears up real nice, jagged edges and all. It looked awful, and not just because I liked her droopy ears better. They were messed up. As they healed and her fur grew back around the edges, it covered up the disaster a little bit, but throughout her life I would sometimes notice her ears and think, "Wow, someone really did a number on you pup." Good thing she had a pretty face.<br />
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Hannah was one of a kind. During her younger years, we would let her outside free to roam the neighborhood, and she would be out there all day. We never worried about her running away or getting hit by a car. She was a smart dog. The only way she would have been hit by a vehicle was if she was blindsided by it. She had a thing for chasing tires. She especially loved bicycles, motorcycles, and 4-wheelers, as well as the occasional dirtbike or golf cart that came through.<br />
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Wow, I sure do live in Illinois country.<br />
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I took her on all my runs. In the beginning I had her on a leash, but she didn't like that and neither did I. Eventually the leash became unnecessary. She would stay right with me unless something else seemed more interesting, which happened quite often. She always ran ahead of me, never would she let me lead. At the one-mile point on my runs I would stop at this little watering hole that collected rainwater so she could get a drink and jump in for a minute to cool off.<br />
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Even if Hannah was already outside preoccupied with something and I came out to go on a run, she would drop whatever she was doing and come along for the trip. Every single time. It got to the point where I would be inside putting on my running shoes and she would get all excited and wait for me at the door. She just knew. I really believe she enjoyed going with me on my runs. I also believe I wouldn't have gone on half as many runs if I didn't have her there with me.<br />
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After our runs when we went back inside, Hannah cooled off by laying on the kitchen tile. It was always funny to see her there laying in the middle of the kitchen in everyone's way, just hanging out.<br />
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Towards the end of her running career, if a car was coming our way all I had to do was call her over and say "stay" as I ran, and she wouldn't leave my side. I received multiple compliments on her obedience from people passing by, asking how I got her to listen to me and not chase the car. I just chalked it up to the fact that we had been on so many runs together that she just knew to stay with me. <br />
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This spring while I was home for break, I took her on a run. It had been a while since we had been on one together because I had been away at college and winter was just starting to end. Hannah faithfully came with me, just like every other time. It was only 2 miles. After we got back, I noticed she was acting differently than normal. She wouldn't eat or drink anything and just laid in her bed the rest of the day. She wouldn't get up for anything. I explained her behavior to my parents and they were concerned about it, so the next day we took her in to get checked out. I told the vet about the run, and she said Hannah was probably just super worn out and probably shouldn't go on runs like that anymore. Mom and Dad didn't know I took her on the run (I must have left that tidbit out when I first told them...) before we took her into the vet, and were like "no wonder she was acting sick - you almost ran her to death!". They thought I was really stupid after that one. But that was the time I almost killed my dog.<br />
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If any of us were ever outisde with her when another neighborhood dog approached us, Hannah would never let the dog get too close. She always stayed in the middle of us. I guess she was protecting us from the stranger, but the anthropomorphic side of me says she was jealous of other dogs and didn't want any of us getting too close to pet them. I was always constantly reminding Hannah that no other dog could ever take her place or be loved more than she was, but she never took a chance with other dogs.<br />
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That doesn't mean she wasn't a friendly dog, though. She was friends with all the canines in the neighborhood, except when one of us were around. I like to think Hannah was popular among her peers, so to speak, and was the leader of the pack.<br />
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When Hannah wasn't outside, she was in Sister's room on her bed. That was her favorite place in the house because it gave the perfect view of the driveway and front lawn, where she could keep an eye on things. Sister wasn't too fond of this because there was always dog hair in her bed, so when she was home she always kept her door shut. But I would secretly open it when she wasn't around so Hannah could attend to her post. After Sister went to college, her door was open all the time and Hannah had full access to the bed. When she saw something like a squirrel or another dog, she would bark and run into the living room to alert one of us to let her outside. I could always bet on her being on Sister's bed when she was in the house.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caught in the act!</td></tr>
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Hannah was not a cuddler, even though I wanted her to be. She would sleep by herself in her bed in the living room every night while I was in high school. But after I went to college and came back for winter and spring breaks, she started this habit where she would scratch on my door at 4 in the morning until I let her in, where she proceeded to get in my bed and under my covers and sleep at my feet for a couple hours. That was the extent of her cuddling, and I was always happy when she came in to sleep with me.<br />
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Dad was her alpha. There was no doubt about that. Whenever Hannah did something wrong and Dad found out about it, she knew she was in trouble. Every time he called her, she came, ears low and tail under her butt, waiting for a punishment, even if Dad just wanted to pet her. She was faithfully obedient to him, and it was adorable to watch their interactions. If he was ever outside working in the yard, Hannah was right there beside him. Daddy probably loved her more than he let on, and I'm sure having to let her go was as hard for him as it was for me. Hannah was Dad's "ugly spud", a very affectionate nickname in my mind.<br />
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Dad did a really good job training her. She learned how to use the bell at our back door when she needed to go outside to do her business. And damn, she was smart. She would ring the bell and wait for us to open the back door, but when she wouldn't move it meant she wanted to go <em>outside</em>, the real outside via the front door where she wasn't limited to the fenced-in area in the backyard.<br />
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She was so smart, she learned the word "outside" really quick. If anyone said the word, she would perk up, bark, and run around to the front door until someone let her out. Sometimes I'd make her sit and stay as I opened the door. I watched her eyes focus on me intently until I said the magic word. I'd mess with her and say words like "banana" or something so she'd have to sit there a second longer. Finally I'd give her the "okay!" and she was out of the house like it was on fire. She was always wanting to go outside, even if it was for a minute (which that happened a lot later in her life). I was glad we lived in a neighborhood out in the country where we could let her out to roam free and give her a happy life.<br />
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We taught Hannah all the usual commands: come, sit, lay, stay. Mom had gotten really creative and taught her a trick where she would be told to lay, Mom would drag a treat along the floor, and Hannah had to crawl across the floor to get the treat. That one was called G.I. Joe.<br />
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I was really proud of myself for teaching her several new tricks. I taught her how to "speak". It was funny to me because I would just keep repeating the word "speak", and Hannah would get all angry and riled up at the word until she began barking. I'm not sure what she associated "speak" with, but it must have pissed her off because it worked every time.<br />
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I also taught her the trick where I would put the treat on her nose, tell her to stay while the treat balanced there, and then said "okay!" and she would throw the treat up and catch it in her mouth. Very skilled, coordinated, athletic dog. She really was the best.<br />
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She knew the word "treat", and knew exactly where to go where she could find one.<br />
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Hannah also knew where the laser was, which was a fun toy for her. We would shine the light on the carpet and she would try to attack it and chase it wherever she went. She always got so confused when we shined the light on her paw or on one of our feet. But she knew exactly which drawer we kept the laser in. Even if we were in that drawer fishing for something else, Hannah would get really attentive and start looking back and forth between us and the floor, waiting for that laser.<br />
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Hannah was a great family pet. She never hurt any of us (intentionally). We would play with her all the time. If any of us said "get him/her!" to Hannah, she would playfully attack whoever we were talking to. If any of us kids were rough-housing and Hannah was around to witness it, she barked and tried to break us up. She didn't like seeing us fight. If one of us kids acted like the other one hurt us, Hannah would bark at and playfully attack the culprit.<br />
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She would never hurt any of us, and was really friendly to strangers. Little children that wanted to pet her could and nobody would be worried about her growling or biting. Hannah did have a tendency to love people and would want to jump up on them and lick them until they fought her off. That was my only concern when small children wanted to pet her. She had been known to jump up on them to kiss them and knock them over. It was all in fun, though, and nobody ever got hurt. I just explained that Hannah liked them a lot. She had so much energy and loved being around people and getting attention.<br />
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She only had a few toys she really liked playing with. They happend to be stuffed squirrels. She really had a thing for them. Even the real ones. She would chase and try to catch them all the time. Her success rate was really low, but she was never the type to be a quitter.<br />
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While I was in high school, Hannah tore something in her knee. It was her ACL or MCL or meniscus or something, and she needed surgery to reapair it. At this time, I was deciding what I wanted to study in college and do in life, and veterinary medicine had always been my first choice (because when we had to put my first dog, Cocoa, down when I was in elementary school), so I wanted to observe the surgery. I am grateful for Dr. Miller in Atkinson for letting me sit in on the surgery. She explained what she was doing as she was doing it and showed me all the components to her knee and how to fix her problem. I remember her telling me that if I started to get nauseous or lightheaded that I could sit down. But I was too intrigued and didn't feel the slighteset bit sick, even though it was my own dog I was observing. That experience solidified my decision to study animal sciences in college and become a veterinarian.<br />
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Our family is a boxer-loving one. My grandparents even have a sign that says "A house is not a home without a boxer". They had a boxer while my mom was growing up. A couple years before we got Hannah, my uncle got a fawn boxer. Her name is Mandy. She is the best behaved dog I have ever met. My uncle trained her very, very well. She is the sweetest, most lovable, cuddliest dog who doesn't have a mean bone in her entire body. So obedient.<br />
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When my uncle had to move, he decided to give Mandy to my grandparents. They spoiled her rotten to the core, and continue to to this day. But she deserves it. She's a wonderful dog.<br />
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Her and Hannah became good friends. Dogs tend to have a problem getting along with each other, especially two females. But for whatever reason, Hannah and Mandy were like sisters (without the fighting, because sisters still fight). They would run around and play and always have a good time with each other.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summer 2011</td></tr>
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So maybe Mandy has a droopy eye and a drooling problem. She's still the sweetest dog. Besides fading of her senses and joint pain in her hips, Mandy is still alive and kickin', and I'm thankful for that.<br />
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I also hold a slight bit of resentment, because she is older than Hannah but is still here with us. As happy as I am to have her around, it will always be a little sad to see her, because I will always be wondering why Hannah had to go first.<br />
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But Mandy was part of the reason Hannah had such an excellent life. Her and Mandy shared this camaraderie that was good for both of them. They had this goofy quirk where we would fill each of their bowls with food, but Hannah would eat out of Mandy's bowl and vice versa. You couldn't give one a treat without giving on to the other. In observing their interactions, I think Mandy was the more submissive dog and followed what Hannah did. Hannah was bossy and had to eat first. She was a bad sharer.<br />
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Like me.<br />
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Hannah just had a thing about wanting to eat every time I was in the kitchen. In the mornings when I went to get breakfast, she would follow me and paw at her bowl, wanting some food. As time went on all she had to do was look at me to let me know she wanted food. I pretended not to know what she wanted, though, and had to ask until she pawed at her bowl. After I filled it, she would look at me for the go-ahead signal so she could start eating. I'm not sure why she did this. She was strange. My go-ahead signal to her was "Eat, Papa!". From the 1964 claymation version of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.<br />
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Okay I was strange too.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Go to 1:26-1:40</div>Hannah always amazed me with how smart she was. If I made a sandwich, I'd always give her some of the lunchmeat I used. It got to the point where I would be in the process of making the sandwich and open the drawer in the refrigerator where the lunchmeat was and she would hear it and come into the kitchen to eat her slice of meat. Incredible. What a fatty-fat-fat (from the movie The Producers). I had some strange nicknames and phrases for my dog.<br />
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</div><div align="center">Go to 0:28</div><br />
The older she got, the more I appreciated my time with her, because I knew I didn't have all the time in the world left with her. I just didn't realize how little time was actually left for us. This past spring during break, my parents and grandparents were in Florida for Sister's softball, and they had taken both Hannah and Mandy to a kennel. I missed Hannah so much I drove down to Peoria only a day before I would have otherwise seen her, and picked them up. Over the summer, I would take her with me if I had to run an errand real quick. I loved taking her with me when I went places, and she was happy to tag along in the car.<br />
While I've been in Hawaii, I've missed Hannah immensely. Whenever anyone asked whether I was homesick I always replied something like "yeah, I miss my family and friends, and my puppy too!" Every skype session I had with my family, I always got to say hello to Hannah. Just seeing her brightened my day. I knew until I got back this was the best way to see her. Dad kept me updated and sent me a few pictures he took on his phone to me. Those were adorable.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">During a skype session. I was so grateful for these</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the pictures Dad sent me from his phone</td></tr>
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The bad news started a few weeks before my parents came to visit me here in Hawaii. Mom called and said that Hannah had had a seizure. They took her into the vet, but there wasn't much they could do since it was only one seizure and they weren't sure what triggered it. The vet mentioned anti-seizure medication and said if Hannah kept having them that they would put her on that.<br />
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Mom later told me that Hannah had been out in the garage with Dad while he was working on something that put out a lot of fumes in the garage. We all believed that was what triggered her seizure. We told ourselves it was a one-time occurrence, and she was fine.<br />
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And she was fine, for about a month. Family came to visit me in early November, and they left Hannah with my grandparents and Mandy for the week. She was absolutely fine there.<br />
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Then a week or two ago, Mom called me with some bad news that Hannah had another seizure. She didn't sound too concerned about it, but was thinking more about putting her on the anti-seizure medicine.<br />
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The rest of this seems like a whirlwind.<br />
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Sunday: Mom called me with awful news. Hannah had been acting strangely all day. She was tired and had no energy, was lying around all day, barely had any coordination, didn't eat or drink or go outside for the bathroom, and even looked lifeless when she looked into her eyes. As if Hannah didn't recognize anyone. She told me it was so bad that she was thinking of having her put down that very day. That was such heartbreaking news, and she and I cried together over skype. I wanted to see Hannah, so Mom had to carry her up the stairs. She looked like she didn't know where she was. I called her name and she looked around. I started talking to her and she wagged her tail slightly. Mom said she hadn't done that all day. It made me really happy to know that me talking to her got her a little excited, but at the same time it was so sad. It was just a sad, awful day.<br />
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Monday: Mom took Hannah to the vet and they said she had a lesion or tumor that was pressing against her brain. They gave her a shot of steroids to hopefully shrink the tumor. They also gave her steroid pills that she would need to be on for the rest of her life. The vet explained this could work for 2 years, 2 months, 2 weeks, they didn't really know. But they said it had a very good successful rate. I just needed the medicine to work and Hannah to hold out for 4 weeks so I could come back and see her. Maybe me being home could make her better. Mom told me the news over skype that day that Hannah had completely turned around and was back to her usual self. She really believed this was going to work. She really had me believing it was going to work too. Or we were both just hoping and praying it would work. I saw Hannah that day over skype. She seemed to be doing better, and I was so relieved.<br />
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I didn't know her situation was going to take a turn for the worst.<br />
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Tuesday: Mom called and said she had another seizure, or set of seizures. It was really hard for her to come out of them and her heart rate was high and she was panting hard and couldn't shake it. The vet told Mom to give Hannah some valium to try to calm her down. When I skyped Mom that day Hannah was up walking around not staying in one place just panting and not sitting still. She didn't look right. Mom said they were going to go to the vet tomorrow to see about putting her on the anti-seizure medicine, but they were running out of things they could do for her. We still believed Hannah could turn around and show improvement, and I was hoping this anti-seizure medicine would do it.<br />
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Mom said they were going to take her to the vet first thing in the morning. I told her to call me after the appointment to tell me how it went and what they were going to do for her. I knew it was going to be five in the morning my time, but I didn't care. I needed to know.<br />
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What I didn't know was that that skype session was going to be the last time I would ever see my dog.<br />
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Wednesday: My phone rang at five in the morning, just like I knew it would, but I didn't want to answer. I didn't want the possibility of hearing bad news. At that moment, I wanted to avoid everything and not deal with the fact that my dog was very sick and I could lose her by this phone call.<br />
<br />
But eventually I answered. It was my dad. He said, "Sorry, Kate, but we had to put her down." That was the single worst feeling I have ever experienced. Dad told me that she had a seizure that morning and couldn't get out of it. My parents really didn't want to see her suffer any more so they just had to do it. In that moment, I lost it. I had balled myself up in the corner of the living room in my apartment, silently sobbing so I wouldn't wake up my roommates. For 45 minutes I sat there, numb, feeling nothing except like I the most alone person in the world.<br />
<br />
All along, we kept saying that nobody wanted to see her suffer, and if it got too bad, they were goint to have to put her down. I absolutely agreed but at the same time the selfish part of me wanted my parents to wait if it got too bad on the decision to put her down until I got home. If she had to be put down, the only thing I wanted was to be there to say goodbye.<br />
<br />
I was not there to say goodbye.<br />
<br />
That is the number one worst part. Not being there for my dog in her time of need. Hannah was there for everything in my life and helped me through so much, without even knowing it. She helped me through heartbreak, losses, and random days where I was feeling blue for no particular reason. She was always there to cheer me up, and it worked every single time.<br />
<br />
I wish I could have repayed her for that. I wish I could have been there to say goodbye to her and tell her that she was soon going to be in a place where she was done suffering.<br />
<br />
But I can't go back and change any of that. All I can do now is be grateful and know that she will not suffer anymore. All I can do is remember all the fantastic times I had with her and know she had the best life my family could have possibly given her.<br />
<br />
That's what this post is about. This is to remember everything about Hannah. My Hanners, Hanner-pie, fatty-fat-fat, sweeters, tiny head, ugly spud, and any other nickname I have ever called her. This one's for you, baby girl...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLPT3oC9FwbKTRrI5lRFpd5cvXs9rjrQelSLUiLGWYfHRlpI-X3ndU4rrdtUH8kNdiGJAheTfjv8Im6_3r0WT5gTkx2anKLyecNrt4e5WXoW11YzIp7T3iDus2OqQr2sx_aCDAj4pW5x0C/s1600/kat+035.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLPT3oC9FwbKTRrI5lRFpd5cvXs9rjrQelSLUiLGWYfHRlpI-X3ndU4rrdtUH8kNdiGJAheTfjv8Im6_3r0WT5gTkx2anKLyecNrt4e5WXoW11YzIp7T3iDus2OqQr2sx_aCDAj4pW5x0C/s640/kat+035.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPemAS-r7sAsSw5faT_Y5z1vo9QsQ7QXq9-nq7wm8CkIV2wUC45989uCDDWpZmlIiAE1TU73tksByJHRltitObT7ze3n4o8_trHmG4B4pXtxcS3wwNyF7A3UReggNVwxEdZoJ1YdNzg2w7/s1600/IMG_2654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPemAS-r7sAsSw5faT_Y5z1vo9QsQ7QXq9-nq7wm8CkIV2wUC45989uCDDWpZmlIiAE1TU73tksByJHRltitObT7ze3n4o8_trHmG4B4pXtxcS3wwNyF7A3UReggNVwxEdZoJ1YdNzg2w7/s640/IMG_2654.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18384281193336587265noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250038152727319293.post-5316711114737188272011-11-26T18:29:00.000-08:002011-11-26T18:29:08.325-08:00Thanksgiving: College StyleSince I didn't have 2 grand to drop and fly home to see my family for Thanksgiving (and neither did the roommates), we decided to have our own little (no. but seriously) feast.<br />
<br />
Yesterday we went to the grocery store to get the minimum amount of food it would take to be satisfactual and feel like Thanksgiving. Our list consisted of: turkey, ham, instant mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, rolls, pie crust, apple pie filling, cinnamon, those one-time-use pans to cook the meat in, and vegetable oil.<br />
<br />
75 bucks.<br />
<br />
Yes, you heard (or read....) me correctly.<br />
<br />
Wednesday night I desperately needed to get laundry done - being completely out of underwear will do that to ya. Tawni needed her laundry done too since she was going to Maui for Thanksgiving weekend, so we did it together. We started to watch a movie and finished our laundry pretty late, so we called it a night without finishing the movie since we both had to be up early the next day. She had a flight to catch and I had a run to complete.<br />
<br />
Kelsey and I woke up Thanksgiving morning at 5:30 to go on a 20-mile run for marathon training. In my mind I was rationalizing that there was no way in hell I was going to make that run the day after Thanksgiving with all the food I was thinking about devouring. We spent four hours doing the damn run, got back and fell on the floor for a solid half hour, just not wanting to move.<br />
<br />
Eventually we realized we needed to get up and start preparing for our "feast", so we started by throwing the turkey in the oven and showered. At one point we realized we needed aluminum foil, so we hobbled in our state of sore-ness to the grocery store to get some (and body wash, since I was out). What a rando Thanksgiving day purchase. We limped back just in time to cover the turkey.<br />
<br />
Right when we got back I skyped my family for about an hour while I had some down time before the turkey was finished. It was so good to see everyone! It was also sad that I couldn't be there with everyone to joke around and eat great food and play pinochle well into the night, but skyping was the best it could get, and I was thankful I was able to at least see and chat with everyone.<br />
<br />
After my long skype sesh, it was finally time for CHRISTMAS MUSIC! I don't know why but Kelsey and I were so excited about blasting Christmas music while cooking our Thanksgiving food, and it was the best day ever. Our turkey came out fantastic! Then we cooked the ham (or rather heated it up because we bough it pre-cooked) and followed to directions to glaze it with some brown sugar stuff. Turned out stupendous. If there was such a thing as Housewife 101, Kels and I would have aced that class.<br />
<br />
We made the entire box of instant mashed potatoes. It seemed necessary at the time. Put our cranberry sauce in a bowl, busted out the rolls, and had ourselves a Thanksgiving feast! We loaded up our plates (that we had sneakily taken from the dining center just for this occassion - because we have no plates) and we told Ryan the RA who was joining us to bring something to drink since we had totally forgotten about that. He found a 2-liter of coke and our feast was complete. We filled our glasses (that we had also taken from the dining center) and dug in.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05yWtK3Wo9RtNdbyd9GNGHLOTOqse8Pp5QqFZLUls6KQZNQ7ruo6CXJxrrC6uOG3LmPW_wIaSXSha4qYdCa9OvnJk-xNifIzqfCEXZHGzUTqzodWTKNRAZvzNbtY9-ft_Sccm047Brvdw/s1600/IMG_3398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05yWtK3Wo9RtNdbyd9GNGHLOTOqse8Pp5QqFZLUls6KQZNQ7ruo6CXJxrrC6uOG3LmPW_wIaSXSha4qYdCa9OvnJk-xNifIzqfCEXZHGzUTqzodWTKNRAZvzNbtY9-ft_Sccm047Brvdw/s400/IMG_3398.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kelsey and Janelle at the Thanksgiving table</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
Conversation around the dinner table this year was different than it usually is for me. Put 4 college kids together and you're going to talk about some entertaining (and almost always disgusting) topics. But it was amusing and I enjoyed it thoroughly.<br />
<br />
After dinner, we were succesful at keeping all the leftovers we had - and there were a lot. I had bought a set of 5 small tupperware dishes earlier in the semester, and Kelsey and I worked to cram all the leftover turkey and ham into it. We had leftover mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce, too. We'll be making so many ham and turkey sandwiches I'm going to be sick of it by the time I leave this island. But when college kids buy food, they get their money's worth and eat every last morsel.<br />
<br />
We're kind of like Native Americans who used every part of the buffalo they killed.<br />
<br />
What a great analogy.<br />
<br />
Then Kelsey and I baked our little mini pies that turned out absolutely adorable. We played around with the top crust on each pie and got some really cute designs.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitwDyPaYYib7oV8wzN7e_h46jocqLYvECzzRlS0B5v_P5GJTjdgeRyiirrYKjnWwypfgIpKT4Bj_T0Ci6lORDs81vnk7Dtntva5THFq5UY6SlNzK-10QBhs2YC7NNOZZAzQ5ksX9QM0gOm/s1600/IMG_3405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitwDyPaYYib7oV8wzN7e_h46jocqLYvECzzRlS0B5v_P5GJTjdgeRyiirrYKjnWwypfgIpKT4Bj_T0Ci6lORDs81vnk7Dtntva5THFq5UY6SlNzK-10QBhs2YC7NNOZZAzQ5ksX9QM0gOm/s400/IMG_3405.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So. Dang. Ador.</td></tr>
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We decided we needed ice cream to go with the pies, so we walked (Kelsey and I were still limping) to the 7-eleven (so classy) to buy some vanilla ice cream. We ate them while watching The Grinch and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. That was the perfect ending to the best Thanksgiving without my family I've ever had.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_H_EEggyO6DQZDvxjzU0FAjyO8xClkGhIGiyCVSLxVcrV2VG64JV_EwSTN-PSHlXniR7A21pxBVBUsa_vGHmrTxqPtmdCRcURhfYRrbhv9MLDsjMG2n02Spi8tgRVvzPoRKVflgxbk0CS/s1600/IMG_3396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_H_EEggyO6DQZDvxjzU0FAjyO8xClkGhIGiyCVSLxVcrV2VG64JV_EwSTN-PSHlXniR7A21pxBVBUsa_vGHmrTxqPtmdCRcURhfYRrbhv9MLDsjMG2n02Spi8tgRVvzPoRKVflgxbk0CS/s400/IMG_3396.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Room 603 Ohana</td></tr>
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This Thanksgiving I'm thankful for all my family and friends, and everyone else in my life who is alive and well. I am also thankful to have great opportunies like spending a semester in Hawaii. Without the unconditional support from my family, I would not be here right now studying animal sciences and working towards a profession where I can help sick animals. I'm also thankful for having had the best dog any pet owner could want. You helped me solidify my decision, Hanners, and I can't thank you enough for that. I'm also thankful for my roommates and good friends I've made here in Hawaii to make this Thanksgiving amazing and making this island my home away from home.<br />
<br />
Aloha!Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18384281193336587265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250038152727319293.post-80985608863448119282011-11-26T17:27:00.000-08:002011-11-26T17:29:05.742-08:00Day 9: GoodbyesThis was the beginning of the end. So dramatic, I know.<br />
<br />
We woke up the last morning, and everyone had to pack. By the end of the week the room had become an absolute tornado so cleaning up and packing took a solid amount of effort. Goodbyes were said to room 2137 and we proceeded to check out.<br />
<br />
Mom, Sister, and I went shopping for matching jewelry we could all wear. They turned out to be three necklaces with flowers on them. The same type of flower, but each was a little different. It was ador.<br />
<br />
Family printed out their boarding passes and we went out for our last family meal in Hawaii at IHOP. Classy, I know, but I really wanted some breakfast food.<br />
<br />
By the time all said tasks were completed, Dad was getting antsy about getting to the airport and returning the rental car and all that jazz, so we had like no time. We went back to my apartment where I collected things that I didn't need for the remainder of my stay (like my rainboots - thought I would need them, they took up a shit ton of room in my suitcase, and I didn't wear them once - I rock). They packed everything up and we said our goodbyes in the parking lot.<br />
<br />
It was really sad that the week went by so quickly and they were actually leaving. We had a lot of fun and every minute with them was a good time. I knew that in about a month I'd be back with them and the rest of the family, so it wasn't the end of the world, but I wished they could have stayed a little longer.<br />
<br />
Sister stayed back with me since her flight didn't leave for 5 more hours. I showed her around the dorms, which probably wasn't the most interesting thing in the world. Then we watched The Producerse on Netflix because that is absolutely our most favorite movie ever. Every time we watch it it gets funnier and funnier. Maybe that's just us.<br />
<br />
Finally it was time for her to go. I called a cab for her and walked her out to it.<br />
<br />
Goodbyes in general just suck. It never gets any easier, no matter how many times you do it. After Sister's cab left, I went back inside my apartment, sat in a funk for a few minutes, then realized how behind I was in school and started to kick it in the ass and get some work done. That helped take my mind off the fact that my family had just left me and I wouldn't see them for another month.<br />
<br />
I'm so glad my family was able to visit me in Hawaii. If I hadn't have spent a semester here, I'm not sure how long it would have been before our next family vacation, and we were all in dire need of one. Time really flies by on this island, but when that time is spent with family you love, it goes by even faster. So thank you, family, for taking time off work and school to come visit me. You made up for spending three months apart from me, and you made this last month less difficult to go through. I will see you soon! Love and miss you guys!<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiryklC1nydDJttY5KcZVPzjzxsauqHbr6J_Z1n03wQgaH160CeNzl0kPybxlukaz4vGcgPHbrof15HupfpdRHeWtsBtOChzQXM3mYo9NejKugDos8AQJEBpvvmyStucPANw3jqkqJGyHX9/s1600/IMG_3196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiryklC1nydDJttY5KcZVPzjzxsauqHbr6J_Z1n03wQgaH160CeNzl0kPybxlukaz4vGcgPHbrof15HupfpdRHeWtsBtOChzQXM3mYo9NejKugDos8AQJEBpvvmyStucPANw3jqkqJGyHX9/s400/IMG_3196.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's not goodbye - it's see you later</td></tr>
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<br />
Aloha!Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18384281193336587265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250038152727319293.post-35760638351129456062011-11-26T17:11:00.000-08:002011-11-26T17:11:03.901-08:00Day 8: Pearl HarborDad had signed us up to an all-day Pearl Harbor tour for Friday. So what does that mean? Getting up at 5 in the morning. Yuck.<br />
<br />
Thank goodness for the lobby of the hotel having a Starbucks. A nice, warm coffee so bright and early was just what I needed.<br />
<br />
We walked over to where the tour guide/bus was going to pick us up. Our guide's name was Dennis. It was fabulous. He was actually a really good tour guide; he seemed super interested in the information he was spitting out at us. Imagine having to do that every day of the year. I couldn't handle it.<br />
<br />
I actually learned a lot from him, though, and from everything throughout the day. It's one of those things you just have to go to when you visit Hawaii.<br />
<br />
We were able to tour through lots of things that day: a huge submarine called the USS Bowfin, the USS Arizona memorial, the USS Missouri, the aviation museum. I was a lot more interested in everything than I originally thought I would be. It was a good time.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvkssUedEXflQtdcwkuczD7NfKI4m1lxaFlGSSgkI9DX4bdvd85ACoQWzjJ5YAaoDyTsDZHs06AKLdQb9GsdscrgE7HsEZ5EBP3DDz2LLMzOlN53LFRwwa17wgP15Ovq9QJFarNU6j0OL5/s1600/IMG_3270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvkssUedEXflQtdcwkuczD7NfKI4m1lxaFlGSSgkI9DX4bdvd85ACoQWzjJ5YAaoDyTsDZHs06AKLdQb9GsdscrgE7HsEZ5EBP3DDz2LLMzOlN53LFRwwa17wgP15Ovq9QJFarNU6j0OL5/s400/IMG_3270.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">USS Bowfin submarine</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgZUM2qi_mBo6Gr-OzegJRi9uNRCCYsS-Yv33j342iJTYVVR1ayIS_BD3Q6cK3wqh_DMRhdqEC5thHfStmBYhyphenhyphenjI_ohmiHQqoWUz5NwsCALwOqaD9wR5qfLWfPhKwqmB-ivMHUpuil_lQy/s1600/IMG_3291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgZUM2qi_mBo6Gr-OzegJRi9uNRCCYsS-Yv33j342iJTYVVR1ayIS_BD3Q6cK3wqh_DMRhdqEC5thHfStmBYhyphenhyphenjI_ohmiHQqoWUz5NwsCALwOqaD9wR5qfLWfPhKwqmB-ivMHUpuil_lQy/s400/IMG_3291.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">USS Arizona Memoria</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">USS Missouri</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
It ended up that it was Memorial Day when we went (the date was actually 11/11/11, so I thought that was kinda cool). Since it was Memorial Day, there were about 5 men who were survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack (in 1941, mind you) and were there signing autographs and telling people about their lives. They each had made up little one-page bios about themselves, which I thought was really sweet. Small world - one of the survivors that was there was actually a graduate of Moline High School, the neighbor and rival school of Geneseo!! It's sometimes actually crazy how things like that happen.<br />
<br />
We finished the tour at Pearl Harbor at about 3:30 or so, and then Dennis took us around Honolulu for the remainder of the tour. I'm not sure where we went or what was said because I fell asleep =/ But I've seen most of Honolulu anyway, so I probably didn't miss out on much.<br />
<br />
After the tour, we all went back to the hotel and hung out until the weekly fireworks at seven that Sister had missed because her flight came in the day after. So she saw that and liked it. Then we all went to Benihanas, a Japanese steakhouse where the chef cooks the food right in front of you and makes it entertaining. Expensive as shit, but Sister and I split a dish and so did Mom and Dad. The food was delicious.<br />
<br />
Mom, Dad, and Brother went back up to the hotel for the night while Sister and I went to the bar to listen to some music and have some drinks. Rumor had it that Obama was supposed to be flying in later that night and we wanted to see what kind of a commotion that would bring about. We proceeded to walk around the hotel past all the security and guard dogs and a portable metal detector (why? I don't know). We found a large group of guests that had corralled in a particular area, so Sister and I went to check it out to see if Obama had arrived. Nothing was happening and I was all sorts of confused so I asked a couple hotel employees why everyone was standing around. His response: "I have no idea, Obama's already up in his room for the night". So we called it quits and left all the other guests there waiting for absolutely nothing.<br />
<br />
And bedtime it was.<br />
<br />
Aloha!Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18384281193336587265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250038152727319293.post-52319986645471646762011-11-23T23:47:00.000-08:002011-11-23T23:47:09.266-08:0011/23/2011<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">Sweet dreams, best friend. I hope we gave you the best 10 years you could have ever imagined. I'm so sorry I wasn't there to say goodbye, that's the worst part. I'm just relieved to know you're not suffering anymore. I will always remember you as you were, fatty-fat, and I will cherish our great memories. I will always keep those with me wherever I go. I couldn't have asked for anything better from you. Sleep well, Hanners, and go say hi to Cocoa for us. Until we meet again, dear friend... ♥</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirIohX5HaApJFdZjxJOgRxrDQ_KdyF_De8ZnSuwkVAFA2lNdJygkkFB_6tEFhBN8euKd2NDxGsulQKSjYdAgvpRBPH3Ley27VWYbeaKKJlW_SQSg9qSjWfOAaGZfCRAcdqjM_dzeMgidFf/s1600/downsized951005111618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirIohX5HaApJFdZjxJOgRxrDQ_KdyF_De8ZnSuwkVAFA2lNdJygkkFB_6tEFhBN8euKd2NDxGsulQKSjYdAgvpRBPH3Ley27VWYbeaKKJlW_SQSg9qSjWfOAaGZfCRAcdqjM_dzeMgidFf/s640/downsized951005111618.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love you, Sweeters. Always and forever</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">The worst day I've had on this island. Puts so many thoughts into my head. What if I hadn't have gone to Hawaii? Would she still be here with us?</span><br />
<br />
<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">I really can't write anymore right now without crying. Another day.</span>Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18384281193336587265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250038152727319293.post-71755559444394057622011-11-22T19:50:00.000-08:002011-11-22T19:50:31.698-08:00Too Early for a Countdown? NeverI was going to post a countdown on Saturday because it was a great day to do it: one week since my parents left, three weeks until the marathon, and one month until I go home. But Saturday came and went and so now I'm posting the countdown with oblong days and unnecessary-ness. But I want to count down EVERYTHING. So here goes:<br />
<br />
6 more HAW100 classes<br />
7 more MICR130 classes<br />
5 more ANSC200 classes<br />
6 more ANSC446 classes<br />
6 more MICR140 classes<br />
<br />
1 presentation<br />
3 papers/reports<br />
1 lab writeup<br />
5 exams/finals<br />
<br />
<br />
18 days until the marathon<br />
24 days until I get my tattoo<br />
27 days until I leave for home<br />
28 days until I arrive home<br />
<br />
That's really not a lot of counting down. But it helped to get me a little more organized with life. And helped to realize that time is going way too quickly. But nevertheless, when the time comes to depart with this fabulous island, I believe I will be ready.<br />
<br />
27 days to do everything I had planned. Ready, set, go!<br />
<br />
Aloha!Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18384281193336587265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250038152727319293.post-1584728091879337742011-11-22T19:36:00.000-08:002011-11-22T19:36:00.335-08:00Day 7: North Shore and Roommate DinnerI just realized that I don't need to capitalize letters of important words in my title. All the letters are capitalized anyway...<br />
<br />
Day 7 after classes, Family whisked me away and we started making our way to the north shore.<br />
<br />
When I say after classes, I mean after my first class, because I <em>kinda </em>didn't make it to my second class. It's my dreadful genetics class, and we had a quiz that I was nowhere near prepared for (which is how I feel usually before his damn quizzes). So I skipped out and we were able to start our day earlier. And I made up the quiz. Everyone wins.<br />
<br />
Our first stop was at the Dole pineapple plantation. There lies the largest maze in the world (presumably), but it was closed the day we were there - of course. But it was still really interesting to tour around and learn about pineapple-growing-field-places-things. We even rode the choo-choo (appropriately named the Pineapple Express) to get a view of the pineapple fields. Then we grabbed lunch and pineapple-flavored ice cream (WHATT?).<br />
<br />
Our next stop was at the north shore to go surfing! On our catamaran ride earlier in the week, one of the workers suggested Buttons surf school and said he was the best. We found the beach and his little tent station and got right to it. Buttons (actually his nickname) is like the same age as my dad and still going strong and surfing every day. He had one of his friends/coworkers help out too, since all three kids were surfing. We went to a different beach than the one we were originally at because he said the waves were a lot better slash less dangerous. Nobody complained about that one.<br />
<br />
Buttons is a cool guy. So chill about life and nature and everything I'd imagine a great surfer to be like. He taught us the mechanics of surfing and how to get up and all that jazz, which didn't seem to complicated. I was so eager to get into the water!<br />
<br />
Mom and dad sat on the beach as the kids, Buttons, and his friend paddled out to catch our first waves. I can't remember who got up first, but all 3 kids were able to do it! It didn't take any of us that long to catch on. Both Sister and Brother started out saying they were goofy-footed (right foot forward), but by the end of the surf sesh, at least one of them realized they were, in fact, not, and switched stances.<br />
<br />
Surfing is one of the greatest feelings, and different from anything else. I absolutely loved it. Buttons did a great job of creating lasting memories for all 3 kids (and Mom and Dad who took some great shots of us):<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl1qxlwvrY39D0BYRHckn2eDGqjNPs9YyPDqd413GJEK_MOjsin8FVp4SEiXuuCtaWFG3irBogc-7n-7vRxWTE5KUwVJc76HjYjWX453F6y1vb_vqpSw0d0HVORRudKMB6AX5qfltahtAQ/s1600/320805_2172966880741_1143840117_31904964_82123705_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl1qxlwvrY39D0BYRHckn2eDGqjNPs9YyPDqd413GJEK_MOjsin8FVp4SEiXuuCtaWFG3irBogc-7n-7vRxWTE5KUwVJc76HjYjWX453F6y1vb_vqpSw0d0HVORRudKMB6AX5qfltahtAQ/s400/320805_2172966880741_1143840117_31904964_82123705_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sister</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6CJPCeqhrfHSl41nLENqWRyBAv3tKYVDBvdPVK67R7zIi6xAOol2LnkQc2rGVu2717plMN7LpMA6OmxeNG3WU1k4lb6iZr6X35jl7H2ibyJA_f26Pg5ovU5NLHYJ5pwp8n2sdZfCieRdS/s1600/318579_2172964080671_1143840117_31904953_976872212_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6CJPCeqhrfHSl41nLENqWRyBAv3tKYVDBvdPVK67R7zIi6xAOol2LnkQc2rGVu2717plMN7LpMA6OmxeNG3WU1k4lb6iZr6X35jl7H2ibyJA_f26Pg5ovU5NLHYJ5pwp8n2sdZfCieRdS/s400/318579_2172964080671_1143840117_31904953_976872212_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brother</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgor5hy1PUNY0k1ZH_iJo1TVNF2L9WP1n5Q8jaj242OqeTCPDnTvFeyT8u-nNA-MqDNNg38J83EPCwzL09OssMd87OWgwdnp-kPr3hMUmR2N5_qeGLogdhlZCYgZn2egyajSgfzqqsfvl5D/s1600/307709_2172964360678_1143840117_31904955_170763771_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgor5hy1PUNY0k1ZH_iJo1TVNF2L9WP1n5Q8jaj242OqeTCPDnTvFeyT8u-nNA-MqDNNg38J83EPCwzL09OssMd87OWgwdnp-kPr3hMUmR2N5_qeGLogdhlZCYgZn2egyajSgfzqqsfvl5D/s400/307709_2172964360678_1143840117_31904955_170763771_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Someone had told us that Buttons was a surf legend, so naturally, I looked him up a few days after we met him. He is one of the first people that started doing tricks on shorter surfboards like 360s and other awesome stuff. I also read that he was at one point a serious druggie, and was even captured by Dog the Bounty Hunter. His life is quite fascinating, but I have a feeling if my parents had known this before going to his surf school, they would have reconsidered.<br />
<br />
I'm glad they didn't.<br />
<br />
For dinner, we picked up my roommates and went to this little Italian place near Waikiki. It was really good, but pretty much abandoned since the APEC conference was going on. APEC is something like the Asian Pacific Economic Comittee or something else that I really don't know what it's about. All I know is that people were complaining about them being in town. All these important people from other countries were here so there was super tight security. Even Obama was here.<br />
<br />
It was great having my roommates and my family at dinner. Everyone got along really well and it was a good time. Afterwards the roommates got all the leftovers and we dropped them off back at the apartment.<br />
<br />
I told Family that they needed to try mochi while they were here, so we went to Bubbie's and got some. I'm sure some of them were really skeptical when I explained that mochi is like a ball of ice cream inside a rice pattie-type thing. I said it was delicious and they shouldn't worry, but they didn't believe me. We got the good flavors and everyone tried some, even Brother. The consensus was that it was good, so I was happy.<br />
<br />
Mochi is delicious, and everyone should try it!<br />
<br />
The rest of the night was uneventful. It was late and we were wiped out from the day's activities. It was starting to become sad because I knew my time with them was almost up, but I wanted to make the best of the next few days.<br />
<br />
Aloha!Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18384281193336587265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250038152727319293.post-64602026380416861972011-11-21T20:56:00.000-08:002011-11-21T20:56:04.315-08:00Day 6: Diamond Head and LuauI had class until 3:20 on this day, so I sent my family out to do Diamond Head crater. I had already done it at the beginning of the semester and didn't necessarily need to do it again. But everyone when they come to Waikiki must do the Diamond Head hike as a rite of passage of sorts. It's not hard and has a pretty good view at the top, so basically it was worth it.<br />
<br />
After class/Diamond Head, family picked me up and we got ready for the luau we signed up for that's put on by the hotel. It consists of a fat buffet dinner and live entertainment on the roof, under the stars. Everyone met at the designated location at the designated time, where a man with a conch shell and drum got everyone's attention, and a tiny hula woman got all the men's attention and led us to the entrance of the luau.<br />
<br />
My family was the first in line (of course), but when we got to the booth to pick up our tickets, there was an issue (double of course, this seems to happen every time without fail). Dad worked out the kinks just fine but we ended up being one of the last groups to enter the luau. We were greeted by beefy Hawaiian men covered in tats and tiny hula ladies covered in pretty much nothing. They gave us shell leis and we took a group picture and were then seated.<br />
<br />
The luau overall was really cool. The food was decent, but I tried everything I wanted to fit onto my plate, and dessert was good, too. We all had 2 drink tickets we could use for anything frome pineapple juice to Mai Tais. Dad had drank a few Michelobs before the luau began and used his 2 drink tickets on Mai Tais. I decided to fuel the fire and give him my second ticket for a third Mai Tai to put him at a borderline drunken stage. It was entertaining, and worth the sacrifice of my drink.<br />
<br />
The performers were really good. There were more than there were that perform on the Friday night performance, but I think most of the people were the same. They did more dances and entertaining things. Towards the end all the men came out with knives on fire and did a very thrilling routine with them. I was completely entertained until the end of the show.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiwG-KkgxzTvClRVYxlp2brPlXB64WzHT2rJkDvikQR8bqMAdzYpGYTi2Z9ZZLJc9M685FgfF3jAxxKQqK3Nii3vkA8tkMr_We0O1gLu75fQGFA5dKeJZBHy_YbdQhRC0JCm71418Is3eI/s1600/IMG_3215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiwG-KkgxzTvClRVYxlp2brPlXB64WzHT2rJkDvikQR8bqMAdzYpGYTi2Z9ZZLJc9M685FgfF3jAxxKQqK3Nii3vkA8tkMr_We0O1gLu75fQGFA5dKeJZBHy_YbdQhRC0JCm71418Is3eI/s400/IMG_3215.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They brought this extremely willing man onto stage</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuoVTh7FLw19ff8VZDlsJQlJSRn8WXWkpPiiP2IOZh1eqVUqnGO2CNcdEJNk46VDzQfeGd9SnjOJZZ7rLC2WKgW0BtxEz3DP_JUcSCj3eS_1auFO2y8tdRgcf1ZjUw9EC1uLs5yMJYDSUb/s1600/IMG_3213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuoVTh7FLw19ff8VZDlsJQlJSRn8WXWkpPiiP2IOZh1eqVUqnGO2CNcdEJNk46VDzQfeGd9SnjOJZZ7rLC2WKgW0BtxEz3DP_JUcSCj3eS_1auFO2y8tdRgcf1ZjUw9EC1uLs5yMJYDSUb/s400/IMG_3213.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great outfits</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUYhZfRZlmDbPRNZBHKTk2b5ntbo72RWi2TJZ6lp0pJ8b_v3E0lcPvMazGgMsCBOfNRaayYb_jMLg0tj-NVjMhaXSrENdPJIixEq9fIT5zdEg1uJXid8nkKBO4JEUmQsPHn0OJRMS0b4UU/s1600/IMG_3246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUYhZfRZlmDbPRNZBHKTk2b5ntbo72RWi2TJZ6lp0pJ8b_v3E0lcPvMazGgMsCBOfNRaayYb_jMLg0tj-NVjMhaXSrENdPJIixEq9fIT5zdEg1uJXid8nkKBO4JEUmQsPHn0OJRMS0b4UU/s400/IMG_3246.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fire performance!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
Afterwards, the performers lined up down the hallway where everyone exited. This was for people who wanted to take pictures with the performers. Both Sister and I took pictures with large men, and we made Parents take pictures as well. That was entertaining in itself.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8p0WIhZu-0ohw2zYJS8c6O63K2Pu8N3ZgNZk9gHxysiABKDiugmwLjgBxKMJbk97qkN9L3xhyphenhyphen7yvCJMuXWkH7hfty9gZczkLKp2KgHG7iyyA-mH_lnnvh-2Ew1tPgj4zYF89bKsLOGBbN/s1600/IMG_3251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8p0WIhZu-0ohw2zYJS8c6O63K2Pu8N3ZgNZk9gHxysiABKDiugmwLjgBxKMJbk97qkN9L3xhyphenhyphen7yvCJMuXWkH7hfty9gZczkLKp2KgHG7iyyA-mH_lnnvh-2Ew1tPgj4zYF89bKsLOGBbN/s400/IMG_3251.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wasn't kidding when I said they were large men</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmzM_X5KznpEHEBT6ZgYud8dlWx8npYZ66DJ8il_6BZj5ew3HURySziI8OHzkiTUDvQvdJnEOX48IvkXPCzyEb7Hq7YV1g7UZ8we6dvU4Du2mWhvQR6RLdCM50C1ZmGZQRfiCZcAdRC_47/s1600/IMG_3254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmzM_X5KznpEHEBT6ZgYud8dlWx8npYZ66DJ8il_6BZj5ew3HURySziI8OHzkiTUDvQvdJnEOX48IvkXPCzyEb7Hq7YV1g7UZ8we6dvU4Du2mWhvQR6RLdCM50C1ZmGZQRfiCZcAdRC_47/s400/IMG_3254.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love my dad so much<br />
P.S. check out the fab shirt!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_9WiMjiwTdgoIeIFg-IYKq2OdQS3cgo53jx-CffbT1Y4c2EFZOfFwsYgzpbiRH3ln4RcTSjeWXHVtaWr6_fW4Lwmpl-811_WiT9j8LJh3FNFuL-vcG_qA-WuSJPDLK8_EvWKDtdXsyyzX/s1600/IMG_3256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_9WiMjiwTdgoIeIFg-IYKq2OdQS3cgo53jx-CffbT1Y4c2EFZOfFwsYgzpbiRH3ln4RcTSjeWXHVtaWr6_fW4Lwmpl-811_WiT9j8LJh3FNFuL-vcG_qA-WuSJPDLK8_EvWKDtdXsyyzX/s400/IMG_3256.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parents with large man!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>That was a great night of family and entertainment.<br />
<br />
Sorry this post kinda sucks and lacks more enthusiastic content. I just finished writing an 8-page paper and a 17-page set of microbiology lab write-ups. Feel some compassion.<br />
<br />
Aloha!Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18384281193336587265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250038152727319293.post-14388739515161192582011-11-18T00:09:00.000-08:002011-11-18T00:09:32.257-08:00Day 5: Boys' Fishing TripBrother and Dad decided to go on a fishing trip while they were visiting. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Brother loves to fish and Dad likes it too, plus they would get to do all that father-son bonding jazz. Not to mention that jumping on a fishing boat and the possibility of catching a monster is fairly higher here in Hawaii than back home in Illinois.<br />
<br />
This little adventure was an 8-hour long excursion, did I mention that?<br />
<br />
The boys got up at about 4:30 in the morning and were going to be gone until later that afternoon. While they were gone, I was dropped off at class and gone until noon. Mom and Sister drove around the island for a bit. They had gone up into the residential area up in the mountains, and said it was really neat. They picked me up after class and we went back to the hotel. They grabbed lunch while I worked out in the ever-fabulous gym, and then we all layed out, drinking strawberry daiquiris and pina coladas.<br />
<br />
Except I don't like pina coladas, but I was very satisfied with my strawberry daiquiri. I don't like things flavored with coconut. And I live in Hawaii....<br />
<br />
Good thing I like pineapple.<br />
<br />
The boys finally got back so we all met back up in the hotel room to discuss our days. This is how the fishing report came back:<br />
<br />
Dad threw up twice<br />
Brother threw up 7 times (although this may have been an exaggeration)<br />
No fish were caught by them<br />
Another guy on the trip did catch a fish, and they let Dad and Brother take a picture with it out of the kindness of their hearts. Talk about insult to injury<br />
Dad and Brother were on the trip for 10 hours, instead of 8<br />
<br />
Good day, right?? They were exhausted and spent the rest of the night in the hotel. Mom, Sister and I went to eat dinner downtown and shop around a bit.<br />
<br />
All in all, it was a good chill day relaxing with the family after a hectic day of classes that had originally put me in a bad mood.<br />
<br />
You can never go wrong with a strawberry daiquiri, either.<br />
<br />
Fun fact: When I was little, I always noticed a box in our garage that had the words "Strawberry daiquiri" something on it. I didn't know how to pronounce the second word, and I thought it was "duh-QUARE-y" for years. Every time I saw that stupid box I pronounced the word like that in my head. It sounded better when you put it with strawberry: strawberry duh-quare-y. It rhymed, and I liked it.<br />
<br />
Aloha!Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18384281193336587265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250038152727319293.post-72370691517766551312011-11-17T20:15:00.000-08:002011-11-17T20:15:46.437-08:00Day 4: Maunawili FallsSo I know I've posted about Maunawili Falls before, but this time was different because I got to take the entire family along! Right when I got out of class at 12:30 they picked me up and we were off! My reasoning for this particular trip was threefold:<br />
<br />
1 - The hike itself is gorgeous. Time consuming and challenging, yes, but I believe the trip pays off. I enjoyed it a lot more the second time than I did the first. Maybe that's because I knew what to expect.<br />
<br />
2 - There's a waterfall at the end! Although I will admit that actual waterfall is not the coolest thing in the world. Actually I think the waterfall from Manoa falls is a little better because it starts from a lot higher up. But at Maunawili if you climb up the side of the waterfall, there's this completely beautiful area that I took my sister to see. I would get married there if it weren't so hard to get to (and if it could accommodate a billion guests).<br />
<br />
3 - I wanted to jump the cliff again! And I wanted my family to try it too. That turned out to be a bust, though, because Sister doesn't like getting dirty. She just really wasn't having the hike at all. And Parents wouldn't let Brother jump off the 50 foot cliff. Which yes, several people have now told me that it's more like 50-55 feet instead of the original 40 feet I believed the height of the cliff to be. But Brother enjoyed jumping off the 12-footer instead. I jumped twice off the 50-foot cliff. It gets easier and less scary every time. I would do it again if I had time to go back there!<br />
<br />
Parents were such troopers and did the entire hike. I was really proud of them. After the hike, we went back to the hotel, Sister got her ass in the shower, and we chilled out for the rest of the night, quality family time.<br />
<br />
Yayy for a short post (finally)! Bet you were starting to believe my posts would just continue to get longer and longer, eh?<br />
<br />
Aloha!Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18384281193336587265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1250038152727319293.post-75200423198331430162011-11-17T01:19:00.000-08:002011-11-17T01:19:03.188-08:00Day 3: Catamaran and Sea Turtles!I can't even begin to explain my infatuation with sea turtles. Although not as bad as my obsession with teeth, turtles are up there in sights I find truly remarkable. So when dad booked the family for a catamaran ride with sea turtle snorkeling built right into the trip, I was all kinds of ready.<br />
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The morning started out fantastically as I was able to use the gym at the hotel. Which was at least 7.22x better than the gym at school. The university's workout facility is actually unacceptable. There is a moisture that I can feel in the air and am not comfortable with, and it smells like a hockey rink. Good lord. The gym in the hotel, therefore, was an absolute treat, and I soaked up every minute of my workout. The thrill of being in an odorless gym combined with the fact that I had not been in a gym in ages put me into workout ADD mode and I used every machine and every weight and medicine ball for like 2 minutes before moving onto the next shiny new piece of equipment.<br />
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CATAMARAN TIME. It's like a ship. Okay, it is a ship. The hotel has it's own catamaran that charges people a legitimately insane amount of money (but we do it anyway) for an experience that you may or may not get a lot out of. Well, people, I got a lot out of it! The program started by motoring on out to a specific area in the ocean where a certain type of fish congregates. We were told that these fish clean the shells of the turtles by feeding on whatever it is that's on there, so everyone benefits. <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Symbiosis. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">How neat.</span><br />
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We anchored the catamaran - or rather, they anchored it; I didn't do jack - and started instructing us on how to use the snorkel and other stuff that I wasn't paying attention to. I didn't care I just wanted to swim with some turtles! The only thing I really knew was that nobody could touch the turtles because they're protected by the government. But we could swim darn near close to them, and that I did.<br />
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I didn't know this, but Mom had a fear of snorkeling or having the mask over her face or something, but she used our 5-word mantra (Suck it up and go!) and conquered her fear! I was so proud of her. My little girl, all grown up.<br />
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We were finally able to go out and I was the first one off that boat in search of some turtles. I found one almost immediately, and it was crazy how awesome seeing a see turtle for the first time was. I could actually probably go on and on about the magical-ness of these creatures, but I'll spare the time spent reading this blog.<br />
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Dad and Brother took a lot of pictures of the turtles, and I hope they got at least one of me in the same shot as a turtle! We saw four different turtles in all, and I got within touching distance of most of them. It's awesome how they'll let you swim right next to them, and they don't even care. They're such chill animals.<br />
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After I don't even know how long, a lot of people had retreated back to the boat out of satisfaction or perhaps boredom (I don't understand how that would even be possible, though), and after a while my family was the last ones in the water. Family wanted to go back in with the rest of the crowd, but I could have seriously stayed out there all day and swam with those big guys. But alas, the time had come, and I think the other catamaran-goers were getting antsy. I said my goodbyes and swam in sorrow back to the big boat.<br />
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Such alliteration. And probably exaggeration of emotions. But it makes the story better, I believe.<br />
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After returning all the equipment, it was lunch time. They had sandwiches and other snacks for us to consume, and they had drinks! Dad had gotten each of us (minus Louis, for obvious reasons) 2 drink tickets each. Annie and I ordered Mai Tais and sat on the boat while we sailed around Diamond Head crater for an hour, soaking up the sun and the beautiful day with my amazing family in fabulous Hawaii.<br />
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The catamaran was such a highlight of the trip, something I will never forget. I can't wait to see the pictures when they develop!<br />
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The rest of the day/night was pretty chill. Beach time, shopping time, and dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. By the time dinner was over, we were all pretty exhausted from the day slash Family was probably still jet-lagged so we went to bed early that night too, but not without a few episodes of Friends first to make the day about as good as they get!<br />
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Enter abrupt ending to the post.<br />
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Aloha!<br />
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Oh wait.... picture!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcBE_MWCv7pypjfs71Ni3pz-8DpAwxAhEDX2wb6r_P3jig20Nfe9_djjKzPdn2JzPXqV9mQRX_RYAGwpQKNjOoyaeeu3YlZsc_RIy-I4rwrwyMVVNOqws1mR_YtOdBMuX71O3P4GWe1RL/s1600/IMG_3186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcBE_MWCv7pypjfs71Ni3pz-8DpAwxAhEDX2wb6r_P3jig20Nfe9_djjKzPdn2JzPXqV9mQRX_RYAGwpQKNjOoyaeeu3YlZsc_RIy-I4rwrwyMVVNOqws1mR_YtOdBMuX71O3P4GWe1RL/s400/IMG_3186.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family + Catamaran + mai tai + sunny skies = happy Kat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18384281193336587265noreply@blogger.com0