Tacoma Cont.

Tacoma, WA Photos Cont.

The Bridge of Glass is a collection of work by Tacoma Artist Dale Chihuly. The pieces below are located on the bridge, suspended above your head. They resemble Chihuly's glass ceiling at the Bellagio in Vegas.

Vacation

I'm currently writing this from a hotel in Brookings, Oregon, just a few short miles from California. We arrived in Seattle yesterday afternoon and spend the night in Tacoma at the Hotel Murano. We toured the Glass Museum this morning and then hit the road. Tomorrow the plan is to hit Redwood National Parks before continuing on to San Francisco. Here are a few photos from Hotel Murano.

News Update

So a few little things to report. As some of you may have already heard, I've injured my knee. New Years I had a bambi on ice moment, felt a pop mid-slide which brought me to the ground in pain. The next morning I gimped a little, but was able to walk so I dismissed it as nothing. Since then it's been a little tender and pretty bruised. I saw my PCP Monday who referred me to an Orthopedic Specialist. The PCP thought that perhaps I had torn my Medial Meniscus. I met with the Ortho Doc and had a few films taken. Apparently I've dislocated my patella (knee cap). The X-rays show that both knee caps are slightly shifted laterally, this is causing the patella ligament to be stretched causing the knee cap to be higher so that it doesn't glide across the groove like it should. The right side is much more pronounced then the left. The doctor suggested Physical Therapy but stated the only long term fix is surgery that involves resizing the ligaments and tendons that hold the knee cap in place. Personally I'd like to avoid surgery at all cost and am hoping the PT will alleviate the problem. Left uncorrected this will continue to happen, each occurrence you risk fragmenting the bone as well as tearing any number of ligaments in the knee.

On a happier note, Kel and I have done a little more research and have solidified our trip. We both decided that we would like to be in Dublin for St. Patrick's Day (which is a 5 day long festival). We'll spend 4 nights in Dublin, then on to Waterford (castle and crystal factory), then to Blarney to kiss the Blarney stone, rounding out our trip just north of Dublin. Our stay in Dublin will be downtown near Trinity College at the Trinity Hotel which appears to be very swanky from the website photos. I'm so excited and I can't wait. Now that it's all planned and paid for I'm only worried about driving on the wrong side of the road.

News!

As you know I'm kind of a gypsy and Ienjoy seeing new things. I've been very fortunate over the last 8 months to see a good portion of the US and Canada. My mission has been to see the world but I have yet to travel abroad. So with a little fear and a great amount of research, I'm planning my first trip overseas. In March, Kel and I will be traveling to Ireland, spenging St. Patrick's Day in style. I was unable to book our entire flight together (cost and wasted time were a factor). She fly from CAK to ATL to DUB and wait for 2.5 hours until I arrive. I fly from KTN to SEA to Paris(I don't know their airport code) to DUB. We're planning a self drive tour, meaning a tour company lines up the rental car and provides us with B&B vouchers. They have over 1,300 B&B's at which you can stay. They provide you with map and a list of attractions and you get to pick and chose what you want to see. Kel and I are planning to concentrate in southwestern Ireland. If anyone has any suggestions they would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Meg

More of the Winter Wonderland

View from the helo Hangar

CoHo house and Murphy's floatplane dock in the distance.

Misty Fjords covered with snow.

Downtown Ketchikan covered in snow

Ward Cove

Winter Wonderland

We awoke to a Winter Wonderland this morning here in Ketchikan. I slept in late (had a late flight last night) and when I awoke we had 14 inches of fresh snow. We'd had about 8-10 inches that had accumulated since Wednesday. The plows are unable to keep up, the airport has been closed, and our power was out for a few hours earlier. We're expecting snow for the next week and a winter weather advisory has been issued. And of course I love it, so does my jeep I might add! Most people have spent the day trying to dig out their cars, I on the other hand put the jeep in 4-wheel drive and headed out north.

As if I if I didn't already live in the most beautiful place on earth it's even more attractive covered in snow.

Hey all,

Sorry no new pictures, my laptop has been on the fritz but appears to be fixed now. I'll attempt to post pictures later today. Hope everyone had a nice holiday.

Love,
Meg

Picture of the day.

Picture of the day.

Picture of the day.

Picture of the day.

Picture of the day.

Picture of the day.

Picture of the day.

National Fallen Firefighter's Memorial (Cont.)

National Fallen Firefighter's Memorial

Gettysburg Pics

Weekend Trip

We took a little trip this weekend while I'm home in Ohio. We visited Shanksville, PA (Flight 93 crash site), National Fallen Firefighter's Memorial (Emmitsburg, Maryland) and Gettysburg National Military Park. Look for a few pictures over the next couple of days.

Flight 93 Memorial Photos

Snow in KTN

It's finally snowing here, I woke up to a winter wonderland this morning and of course had to go play. I headed out north to the logging roads past Ward Lake, threw the Jepp in four wheel drive bound for Brown Mountain. Obviously the further I progressed the more snow had accumulated due to the ascend in altitude and the drop in temperature. After ditching it twice, I figure climbing the steep and winding trail to the top was probably not the best idea. Anyways here are a few pictures.

Sorry no new posts

I've been slacking I know, but really there isn't that much exciting stuff going on. Outside of work and school, not much is new I'm taking American Government and Psychology of Disaster and picking up another class the first of December. Still undecided between Anat. & Phys. or American History. Both are requirements. The Psych class this semester is a total pain in the ass. I have to write an 8 page paper comparing the Lusitania disaster to a modern day disaster (i.e 9/11, Katrina, etc.) and evaluate the psychological reaction and post traumatic stress disorder associated with both. Seriously how does that make me a more effective EMA director?

I'm trying to take 2-3 eight week long (abbreviated courses) at a time with hopes of being done within less than three years. I lost a few credits with the transfer from Akron. I'm required to have 120 to graduate and currently have 54, so it'll be a while. I'm contemplating Med school after I get my undergraduate. I've started shopping around. If I can swing it, I'd like to go to the University of Washington. They're ranked sixth in the nation for teaching hospitals. And I'd be doing my internship at Harborview (the Zoo), THE trauma center of the west. They're no John Hopkins, but they're not far behind.

I figure I got time to figure it out. I'm twenty-two, I have plenty of time. The problem is that I see people I went to high school with graduating with their bachelor's degree which kind of bums me. But they're also probably several thousand dollars in debt, which make me feel a little better! Mean I know, but this is me we're talking about. I do mean well!

Luckily things have slowed down a little now that winter has set is, more time for schoolwork. Oh, in case you're wondering it's getting dark at like 3:30 here. Don't ask what time the sun comes up, I try not to be awake for that event. The weather is a little colder usually in the mid 40's most days and the ever persistent rain. There's a coating of snow on the peaks. Last week in Fairbanks it was a chilly -11. And today in Portland, Oregon it was a warm 55.

I don't remember if I mentioned it or not but I'm taking a road trip in January. Or should I say 'we' are taking a road trip. I convinced my dad to take a week of vacation. I'm flying the folks out and meeting them in Seattle where we have a rental. We're going to drive down the coast. Stopping in Tacoma to see the Glass Museum, through Louis and Clark National Park, The Giant Redwoods to San Francisco. Planning to check out Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge before heading inland to see Yosemite National Park then back up stopping to see a few of the Waterfalls in Oregon and smaller National Parks along the Scenic Byway. If we can squeeze it in a trip to the space needle (since I see it weekly, but have never been) and Mt. Saint Helen's.If anyone has any suggestions they would be greatly appreciated.

Mom and I were talking one day after I moved up here, and we figured out that just on the drive out here, we covered 9 states, 6 of which my parents and I had never been to before. Previously, they'd never even crossed the Mississippi River. I told mom that I want to see every state, I want to see as much of this country as possible. And I want them to see it too. So we'll be marking 3 more states off the list this January. I'm also planning on bringing them up here in the summer to see the rest of Alaska, real Alaska: Denali, moose, glaciers.

Speaking of travel, I'll be back in town for two weeks over Thanksgiving break.

I've rambled on entirely to long. Hope everyone is doing well. Luv ya, Meg