What's ROOH with you -- Quarantine edition?

Hello fellow women of the Axe and Oar,

Since we are all shut down across our great nation, I thought it might be fun to start up the ol' blog and see how everyone is doing. I recently reconnected with one fellow alum (one Jill-ay) because SHE'S A FREAKING REI MODEL??? Its true, I saw her in my email. Looking amazing of course :D

Is anyone still here? Does anyone get updates from this thing anymore?

From a lonely West Coast rower trapped on the East Coast <3 nbsp="" p="">
-Jovia 

Fellow alum of the Axe and Oar

I send you greetings from the other side of the country! Boston sure isn't anything like Tacoma. I'm currently in the Institute for Rowing Leadership basically getting a crash corse (metaphorically most days, literally some days with my inability to drive a launch) in coaching rowing. Alex Mann went through the program and graduated in 2014 and while I floundered through the real world I kept thinking how nice it would be to be around rowing and rowers all the time... and eventually I just called him up and asked how the program was. Long story short two years later and many traumatic work experiences later, I'm pursuing coaching specifically focusing on the outreach capabilities rowing has. I hope to do a lot of work with low access kids and with populations who may not have access to rowing.

I miss all of you and wish you were all here to experience this side of rowing with me, ALTHOUGH ALYSSA RAMOND AND I HAVE YET TO HANG OUT AND SHE LIVES IN THEROY CLOSE TO ME! We'll figure it out. I don't have a car and have only minority gotten lost on the bus and train systems.

Miss you all.
Hope everyone is having a wonderful time in life

What's ROOH with YOU?!

Ladies of the Oar... I miss all of you so dearly... I stumbled back across this and wondered what each of you has been up to!

If you still have access to create a blog post, do it! Update us all :)

I'm working at Reed College in PDX.  My double duty as an RA/Rower, i.e., waking up at 4:15 am on an on-call night when my last round was at midnight just four hours earlier, finally paid off as I am now a Resident Director SUPERVISING those little buggers. :)

Portland has been awesome so far--been here since January with my boyfriend and my dog, so life is good. We routinely spend way too much money on foodcarts and beer (I'm still working on that whole idea of a "budget") but when I'm not worried about funds, I hike, swim in the river, run, and do crossfit and yoga. My best friend from middle school lives 15 minutes away so I see her a bit...

Which reminds me... ANNIKA! You live close! We need to hang out.

Anywho... Jovia, you're in Boston? Mariah, are you living the LA dream? Ashley, are you livid at anything? Hannah, have you eradicated childhood literacy problems? ;)

Missing you all,

Lindsay

Back results

Well I finally got my MRI and the diagnoses is two bulged/herniated disks. It sounds WAAAAAAAAAY worse than it actually is. The last two disks in my back are basically pressing on my nerves hence the shooting and constant pain when any bending happens (much like in the rowing stroke)
But the good news is it's supposedly reversible and I started new therapy and i'm hoping that by race time I'll be back and better than ever. Until then I'll be trying my hardest to not let this get in my way :)
Just thought you all would be the most interested in hearing all this news!
miss rooh
--Jovia

I forgot to post pictures. On one of our many rides...Welcome to Spokane!! And I'm representing crew with my highly visible orange Rowing tank. :)

Here's Sir Charles sporting semi-loaded paniers and a newly patched rear tire. And me proudly showing off my handiwork and my boy.

Britta and I after we changed our first rear tire flat. Quite the ordeal in taking off the paniers, chain and wheel...while the mosquitoes had a party on our blood. 30 bites and counting...

Adventures Ahoy!

'Ello Poppets,

Arrgh. This eve finds me lost in my own room, waves of clothing, biking gear and school supplies surrounding me. So I decided to procrastinate and share my adventures with all of you. Tomorrow in the wee hours of the day, except not too wee compared to the alarms we've set, I will be flying a plane to our family reunion in Clarkston on the Snake River, where the famous explorers Lewis and Clark crossed into Washington. Yes, I will be the pilot. My grandpa owns a little 3 seater Cessna 116 and he gave me flying lessons this summer! So forget the 3 hour car ride through wheat field after wheat field...I'll be navigating the open sky. And the cool thing about steering a plane is that there are no buoys to hit. If the whole pre-med stuff doesn't work out, I've decided I want to become an astronaut, and not just dress up as one for Halloween. Flying is the coolest feeling ever, as long as I take my anti-nausea pills beforehand cuz it can be pretty turbulenty up there. I have my own radio system and have resisted the urge to shout "Mayday" just for the fun of it.

We come back Monday to repack and leave for Hawaii the next day!! We have a family friend in a high place (he's the officer of naval submarine intelligence at Pearl Harbor...super secret shtuff) and their family invited us to stay with them for a week vacation on Oahu! So yessss I get to see our very own island beauties Claire and Mahal, and Claire said she'd teach me the artful ways of paddling and surfing. I promised I'd be her very bestest student ever. I'm quite excited to run on the beach, go wave bobbing, build a beautiful sand castle, see some pretty fishies, eat some yummy fishies and pineapple and maybe even order a SnObama (supposedly it's our President's fav cherry and pina colada shaved ice thing and I'm hoping it's pretty chill).

After I get my tan on for the week, we fly back to Seattle the 3rd of August and my sister and I depart that very day for our bike ride. Seattle to San Francisco and Butts of Steel here we come. We start out with reenacting the Titanic scene ("I'm flying, Jack!") at the front of a ferry on its way to Bremerton. From there we'll take approx 6 days to ride along the Washington coast, 7 days through Oregon, and 9 days down to SF, averaging 52 miles a day. I've officially dubbed my bike Sir Charles when he's gallant, Charlie when he's friendly, and Ouch Charleyyy when I fall off of him. Britta's bike is called Buffie. We bought this super nifty book called Bicycling the Pacific Coast Route and it's pretty much the bible of biking. It gives explicit directions for each day, starting at one campsite and rolling into the next one, showing attractions, bike shops and grocery stores along the way. We're carrying everything we need (including tent, sleeping bags, 2 changes of clothes with bike shorts that make your butt sing but feel like you're wearing a diaper, really cool glueless tube patches, pepper spray to keep away annoying dogs and men, and lotsa other menial stuff) in paniers that fit over our rear wheels. We've had to get used to how imbalanced and heavy you feel with them fully loaded! It only took us about 3 hrs and 47 mins to ride 52 miles, so we're planning on taking our time and sightseeing!! I'm particularly looking forward to the lighthouses, sand dunes, ice cream shops, Redwoods, and pygmy forests. We'll be hitting all the major towns along the coast, but lemme know if you want a more detailed itinerary. Our last campsite will be in the Marin Headlands overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. We'll roll into SF, bike across the bridge, and do a kartwheel on the other side to complete our journey. Taking a 2 day bus trip back to T-Town to arrive the 27th just in time to move in and start Junior year and sleep in a real bed! Phew.

Now that I've probably surpassed my word limit, I'll bid you all adieu. Back to the sea of my bedroom. I absolutely cannot wait to see all of you!!!

Love to all my mateys,

Annika

O MANN was I excited to hear about the new coaching sitch!

I am writing from Camp Orkila on Orcas Island after having just completed 1 week of water front safety training, 2 weeks of staff training, 3 backpacking trips, 5 days of kayaking, 5 days of biking, and my first week with campers. Including a total of 4 3:00 am wake ups to catch tides and amazing sunrises from Mt. Constitution. I had some very unhappy, groggy, and saddle sore 13 year-old campers scampering up a trail in the dark. Much like we feel in the SUB after an awesome practice, these guys thought they were pretty Bad Ass too and were quick to share their feats upon return to camp.

O..And guess who I saw at a camp ground on Lopez Island of all places? Erica Kercher! She was getting ready for a group of outward bound participants to show up for a kayaking trip. it was a nice little ROOH-union.

Any who...life out here is great! Kids are great. Oceans are pretty. Bikes are fun. Hills are hard. Sysco brand camp food is not tasty.

Can't wait to see all of you! Keep movin those muscles.

and...(if only because it gives me a little chill to read in team emails)

Go Get Em!

I can feel the heat!

HELLO from sweltering and smoggy Sacramento! It has been about 100 degrees here for the past five days, and it doesn't cool down that much at night...but I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm just glad I have air conditioning and a swimming pool!

So, what have I been up to? Absolutely nothing! Well, that's kind of a lie, but I don't have any cool jobs or internships or anything. Sad day. My mom has been paying me to do a variety of things around the house. I gardened for three hours one day and got the worst sunburn of my life on my back! Skin cancer, here I come. I've also been filing a lot...going through all my parents old papers and getting rid of stuff. I found one of my kindergarten art projects, and I can say with confidence that it was the peak of my artistic abilities.

My dad and I went on a wonderful weekend camping trip a couple weeks ago in the Mendocino National Forest, which is at the the southern part of the Coastal Mountain Range northwest of Sacramento. It was GORGEOUS! Sunny, warm but not too warm, and absolutely stunning scenery. I haven't loaded any of the pictures onto my computer yet, otherwise I would post one of the view we had at our second campsite...it reminded me of the Sound of Music...alpine meadow with snowy mountains in the background!

Kind of like this...the hills are alive!

I'm leaving for Chicago in two days...I'll be there for about 4.5 days and I'm SO excited. I get to see Levis, go to copious amounts of museums, eat lots of food, and try to stay in shape! Then I'm going to Utah for a couple days for obligatory summer grandma visit.

Last thing: I'm doing a sprint triathlon on August 6, so I've been halfway training for that. If you have any tri tips for a first-timer, PLEASE send them my way!

I miss all of you lovelies! Can't WAIT to be re-ROOH-nited! :)
Ridiculous amounts of ROOH love,
Jill-zord

Hey guys!

I've loved reading about everyone's summers on the blog so far... Sounds like there are going to be lots of stories when we all get back! Keep on blogging!!!

I'm in Tacoma this summer doing research on ice worms.

and yes, they do exist! Most people don't believe me when I talk about them, so I've added a picture so you have proof I'm not just hiking mountains for fun. The school asked me to blog about my research... it's REALLY WEIRD to see my face pop up every once and a while on the ups.edu homepage. :) Most of the time it's beautiful up there (on Mt. Rainier), but yesterday it was CRAZY. 35mph winds, snow, hail, rain.... it really didn't feel like June.

I'm getting excited to go home this weekend, and hang out with these goobers for the 4th of July...

Sometimes I wonder where I come from...

... and then I catch moments like this on camera. and this is kinda tame. If only my parents knew... :)

I'm heading back to Oregon in a few weeks for my first extended worm trip for the year!! FINALLLLLLYYYYYYY!!!

So far, I haven't been too busy at work (it'll pick up once I get back from collecting in OR)... which means I get to spend time with my awesome

housemates and crew girlies who are also in

Tacompton this summer.

And I just realized that there weren't any pictures of me up here... So. Me, sista, y papa on our backpacking trip!

Adventuuuuuuuuuures

Can you tell that's me on the right? You can't see it, but there's a HUGE waterfall right behind me in the background. Bridal veil falls in Yosemite, there was so much water. My family went on an impromptu road trip and it was looooong! We started off in the valley, then headed over Tiaoga pass in the afternoon and evening. Over the pass there is still so much snow, a few feet in some patches. One hike we took we had to make our own way because the trail markers were covered. But the most impressive was all the water. Because of the late snowfall an drain, the rivers are completely full, and running over. There are waterfalls where there usually aren't, and Tuolumme meadow is more like Tuolomme pond! It was so beautiful and refreshing! The short hike at Brides Veil falls was the most fun. There is so much water, that the path literally has water running down it, and as soon as you turn a corner, the mist turns into a torrential downpour coming off the falls! We were soaked! And we got lost on our way home, but it added to the adventure. . . All in all it was a great trip. and today, after hours of house painting, I finally have a bike! and I am super super super excited about that! I miss you all, and hope that you are all having your own adventures!

Sorry I have been so lame...

Just to update you all on my life!
1)I miss you all soosososo much! I miss you like peanut butter misses jelly...like the desert misses the rain...like it is summer and you are snow...I miss you like hip misses hop...I miss you like a rower misses her oars! So to summarize i miss all of you and there is nothing quite like waking up before the !@# crack of dawn to row with you all.
2) I am working in an orthopedic Surgeons office as an intern/training to becoming a surgical technician. So far I remove casts, staples, and sutures, put on casts, take historys, clean, and assist in any other way I can. Tomorrow I go into surgery for the first time; I believe it is an ACL repair. Hopefully soon i will be able to assist with surgery but the hospital is not being cool about that part...I am also auditing a human physiology and anatomy class at CSU-Pueblo. It does not compare at all to our school! for the first 4 weeks it was taught by student (I was flabbergasted). So basically I am busy as ever which is why i have not posted on the google doc or the blog. I will try to be better about it and post right after I work out. I should be better now that I am getting into a routine with my job and class.
3) so here is the bad news...My knees hurt like hell. It has gone to the point where it hurts to not only walk, but run, sit, lay down and stand. They ache all the time with occasional shooting pains along my medial and lateral collateral ligaments. But the good thing is I work for an Orthopedic surgeon. So he is going to check them out and get me right on the way to recovery. This could mean anything from a cortisone shot or full out knee replacement (cross your fingers that this is not the case). As far as I can tell from patients with similar symptoms/descriptions of pain it has something to do with my cartilage breaking down or wearing out/ something along the lines of cartilage.
4) seeing as my knees are hurting me so much i want to try and work on alot of core stuff so if everyone can let me know their top 10 favourite core workouts i would love you forever (not that I don't already love you all forever)

I hope everyone is having an awesome summer!Mwah! lots of love
Banana

Greetings and Salutations from the farthest north rower!

Well it's my turn to fill this thing up with not that interesting of news!
I am back at my old job working for HAP (Holland America and Princess tours) and i was speaking with jill and lindsay earlier today and we have decided that I'm going to try and work my cruise benefits to see how soon i could get our post-nationals trip to be a cruise to mexico or something like that. After i finish this season I am "SUPPOSE" to get friends and family discounts down to 15 dollars a day per person on the cruse lines. So if anyone else is interested in that let me know because i should find the proper paper work :)
We actually have had a really weird time at work. Some woman actually woke up yesterday morning to her husband being dead in the bed next to her. So yeah, but like NO ONE came back this year, so it's nice to know what I'm doing compared to some who really do not.
DOCTOR UPDATE. I got recommended to this doctor who was super nice and pulled on my legs a lot and twisted my back. He said i had "a twisted sacrum" and he was going to "fix that" and it actually felt really good. But sadly today when i erged i still had the same kinda pain. I'm gunna give it a few more days and if it isn't geting better its back to the doctor! but with all the rest I've been having for my back (not other parts of my work outs :P) it's been feeling better than it has in the past six months. Rest really is so helpful.
So my plans include a fun 5k run on saturday, the midnight sun 10k (looking to pr over my last year time of 57 minutes after eating a pound of crab), a triathlon at the end of july called the sourdough tri (1.2 mile swim, 22 mile bike, 16 mile run) I'm just looking to finish that one. :P and just keep active. I played volleyball for three hours today and it was SO MUCH FUN! it was so great! i love volleyball and i miss playing it so much :P my body is also now affectively covered in bruises.
erryone should also remember to put their address in the spreadsheet because i get discounts from the gift shop in my hotel and the post cards are PRETTY COOL! and i write postcards when i'm bored at work which is about half the time i'm there. The other part is spent sweating, getting yelled at, or explaining multiple times that two hours is more than enough time for you to be getting to the fairbanks international airport where there are six, count them six gates.
I believe that's all for now,
missing you guys and can't wait to be re-rooh-nited in august!

We're BA-ACK

 GREETINGS FROM THE CURBSIDE CHATEAU.
And, HELLO WOMEN OF THE AXE AND THE OAR.

I really do think that has a nice ring to it, Jill. Kudos.
Well, Jilley and I are sitting here in the basement of our new home (mine for the summer, hers for the year) and life is looking pretty.. standard.


Except, we're here to turn it into BEYOND standard. Extraordinary, even.

We have a pull-up plan.
A Wednesday Stairs plan (we ran them today.. even though it's Tuesday.. whatev, we go big and then go home).
A plan to eat good food and keep the ants away from it. We may or may not have an ant problem. O_o
(AND WE'RE GETTING SALAD FROM THE STUDENT GARDEN--Jill).

Anywho-- this blog is a great place to write down stories of your summer, tell us more in detail about an epic hike, BIKE RIDE (Annsi), or sweet 20th/21st birthday on June 28 (Kenzie.. and me).


SO KEEP US INFORMED OF YOUR LIVES WHILE YOU'RE 40+ MILES AWAY!!!!!! 

Much love from the underground in Le Crib ou le Chateau. (Our house. we named it that. it's classy. you love it.)


Love and Wagon Wheels,
Lindsay and Jilley

PEOPLE NEED TO GET ON THIS! come on tell me about your life!

FIRST POST OF AUGUST!

Since i decided you guys needed a good read I am going to go ahead and update this thing :)
The month of July has simply FLOWN past! A combination of constantly working and finally having my boyfriend home from Paraguay has just made time fly.
It's also been a slight struggle-fest. I think I kinda burned myself out on the whole "make fitness part of your lifestyle" and took a slide downhill but I'm slowly climbing back to consistently working out every day. I've been trying to think of more interesting things like hiking and races but my work schedule has me from 130-1030 almost every night.
I've decided I need to make two signs at my work
the first one:

I am not the front desk and I CANNOT fix your room keys

the second one:

Refunds are not directly proportional to the volume of your voice.

seriously.... i know people pay a LOT of money to get to alaska. but really? there is no need to cuss out someone you don't know behind a desk. At least now I know I never want to work with customer services.... i guess knowing what I don't wanna do is closer then where i was before the summer started
but the job has it's perks, like discounted tours in Denali
me and my best friend paige took a road trip on our days off and went to Denali, stayed at their lodge for 30 bucks a night, went white water rafting on the Nenana river (which were class 3+ rapids and SO MUCH FUN) for free, went on ATV tours for free, and had dinner for free.
we were also suppose to go on a helicopter tour of Denali but we were so tired we accidently slept through it but thank god... it was free.
if ANY of you ever wanna come to Denali, seriously tell me I'll get you a good deal. and yes i'm trying to bribe any and all to come visit me in alaska... i will stoop that low... is it working?

Appart from that I'm trying to at least run every day before work now, and get a little more of my midnight sun in before I head back to washington. It's midnight here now and it's actually semi-dark. like twilight-ey.....

Oh i was at my friend paiges house the other day and there were other people who i work with there and i wore my new attire wherever i go in fairbanks... which is normally brightly colored spandex from Vals' customized (i have had so many people ask about my spandex and i'm kind of a big deal :P ) and i may have blown some people away with the outrageousness of my outfit and it just made me laugh because i'm quite use to seeing others in similar clothing choices :) that will be nice to be around once more
and can i just say
i'm super pumped to get a novice buddy :)
i hope i do not frighten them
because i LOOOOOOOOVE mine :)

AND I'M SUPER SAD THAT LIKE 82.6 % OF THE TEAM IS NOT GOING TO BE AT SCHOOL THIS FIRST SEMESTER BACK! I kinda had forgotten that a good portion of people are going on exchange, which from what Robert tells me is THE BEST thing you can possibly do. He actually kinda is talking me into the idea as well so I may be looking into that one :)
but alas so sad, but still exciting :)
I hope eveyrone liked my novel today/tonight
i'm going to go fool around on my guitar now :)
LINDSAY I STILL WANNA JAM WITH YOU!!!!!!!!!
i love and miss you all and will look forward to seeing you all within the month :)
From the Farthest North Member of UPS CREW
-Jovia

Aloha!!!

At this very moment I'm peeling lika very colorful lizard. Skin is a very amazing thing. Kinda mind blowing actually. Yes, I got my 3rd-in-my-life worst sunburn. But is was worth it cuz I was in HAWAII!!! Last week I gotta go join my friend Grace up in Oahu where she's interning at SeaLife park and we had a blast. I decided that "when I grow up" I wanna live somewhere tropical and it's only 14 days to Hawaii by kayak. And you all are big, beefy roohers so I expect you to visit me in 12 days max. I'll be coxing you in spirit.
So first day we hung out on the beach like typical tourists and made a rad sandcastle (you're never too old to make one of those...moat and all), and went wave bobbing (salt water+nose=spew), and watched hot surfer dudes and saw lil "squishies" (think finding nemo) all over the sand washed up just waiting for a stray foot to sting. I also decided that sushi should be a food group in its own and we need to have more bonding experiences at Sushi Revolution in Tacoma.
We went snorkeling and I saw soooo many fish of all colors and shapes and sizes and I felt like a lil kid I was so excited. But it took me a while to figure out the mask and breathing tube thingamajiger...My fav fish is the parrot fish and I chased it all round the reef trying to get a pic of it. I also saw Gill and Dory and they send their love to y'all. Later that night we went into Honolulu and joined the night life a bit and watched Inception. My mind was blown. "Fall over, DAMN IT!!!" If you don't know what I mean, watch it. We also went sea kayaking in the bay that bred hammerhead sharks, running on the beach (calves!!!!), and hiking up to this lil lighthouse that was so beautiful and cuuuuute. ;) Pretty much I didn't wanna leave.
But I had to leave eventually cuz Alex came to visit this weekend!!! I had a blast showing him around ma homefront and hanging with the fam and riding carosels and floating down rivers and kicking his butt in a cherry pit spit contest and other such nonsense. :) And now he's gonna spend his next month backpacking and white water canoeing in Canada. Epic.
I just realized that I will be back at the Puge in less than a month!!! You have no clue how much I am trying to contain my excitement right now to see you all and have a reROOHnification. Ok loooooove to you all!!!
Peace and blessings,
Word,
Annika

new youtube vid, courtesy of my dad :]

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

I ♥ B-ham

Hellllo women of the oar!

My summer has been wild and gone by so fast, kinda like summer camp!

I'm up in beautiful Bellingham, WA living and working with my best friend from home, Rachel.  We work 8 hours a day, and 10 on Wednesdays at the Youth Migrant Project in the Skagit Valley, with Mexican migrant children.  Our job consists of mass-assembling lunches and snacks, handing them out, playing games with lots of rowdy kids, making 800 hotdogs once a week, and organizing an entire sub-program to feed 700 kids a week and spending lots of time in the sunshine! And to top it off, the Skagit Valley is a beautiful place to work--vast farmland nestled between the North Cascades and the San Juan Islands.

Bellingham life is, although limited, very fun!  Rachel and I have been doing sunset yoga in the park, lots of crafts in the sun, hiking the beautiful area, and I've been exploring my temporary town and loving it's hippie-granola feel.  I've also learned that Bellingham sunsets are to die for, as the city is set upon a hill facing west... perfect for sunset watching!

Finally, my house is hilarious.  Rachel and I live with a group of sarcastic, fun-loving, and loud lacrosse girls who love to cook, drink, and paint.  And of course, the man of the house is MOOSE.  Moose is Rachel's Holland Lop bunny who is the cutest thing on this planet.  He's sitting in my lap right now!


Hope all is well in every place this is being read!

Yip! Yip! Yip!

Teddi

  

message to be passed on from shelby

shelby left me this video on facebook and it should be added to our lovely collection of quotable videos

WHAT DOES IT MEAN???

IT'S TOO MUCHHHHH

Just a fun pool moment

I went to Palm Springs this past weekend with my best friend Cailynn (you would all love her, we'll have to set up some skype dates for you to meet her) and there was this flamboyantly gay black guy with the best eyebrows ever. Like Mariah-- you would be jealous. They were incredibly tame, shaped, and NOT wild at all. HOKAY SO H'ANYWAYS: There was this Mexican family there blasting what was actually a great music mix with really eclectic and popular selections from Frank Sinatra to Daft Punk to Pitbull... anyways, Michael Jackson came on and Browz, as I like to call him, gets out of his pool lounger and starts to do all of the MJ moves. It was SO funny. Daft Punk came on later and he electro-danced his butt off... in the water-- I felt like I was watching water aerobics.. or synchronized swimming... or an epileptic.. But it was equally as hilarious.

Best moment: it rained during 100 degree weather. BIZARRE. That just ain't right. But it was refreshing =]

Love you all!