Hiking 2009-10

We had our first hike of the year already! The first half was great, I was suprised at how well my muscels held out. THen the second half was miserable. It rained, we had to backtrack for 2 miles, it poured, we had to cross a freaky military base, we were cold and wet and tired and hungry, and we had to bushwhack for 1/4 of a mile in brambles. Butwe kept going and looking back overall it was very adventurous and I got some graet pictures on my phone. And I was barely sore.

Prom Committee 2009-10

So far we've picked the top 5 themes- 2 of wich are mine :) and we got our budget but we need to make 5000 dollars. Also I have some great ideas for favors like placeholder plaques for arranged seating, and I said that we should do a football item this year because it is the season so we are working on getting a signed football item. Its so much more fun this year because I'm a senior so its more like our prom than last year. Everyone did a great job coming up with themes- I can't wait to see the final choice.

most fun yet

I think this last hike was the most fun yet. We saw som old light houses. We got to walk along 70ft cliffs desperatly hanging onto protruding shrubbery as the ground kept falling from beneath our feet. We got to run throgh 1.5 miles of bushes which tore my legs to ribbons and covered my ankles in ticks. We got to walk in the rain and through an incredibly creepy abandonned army base that scared me. We got to be followed by swarms of mosquitoes for a mile and come up with funny nicknames for eachother. We got to run on the beach and chase seagulls. All this we did while making great time, with me at the front 90% of the time until... The last 100 ft noah just started runnin and then miles started runnin but i wanted to win so i started runin, but we were on sand and got tired after 25 ft. and continued walking another 25 then run 25. Then we get to the bottom of this last hill to the patrking lot and i was in third with noah in first so i started running and passed him but then he passed me again so i grabbed his backpack and threw him backwards into miles who apparently in the process odf falling pushed noah back up so that he ran the last 10 ft and beat me. but im the real winner.

an unhappy ending

I guess the year is gonna end on a down note for EFA. I feel that I have failed to lead this group and manage my time for it in an effective way. We have raised over $100 of our goal of $1000. These past 2 weeks I have failed to notify group members of their tasks and to get an announcement out for the video showing which will be the starter for next year. We didn't have and awareness night. We did do the mother's day baskets but that didnt sell so well. we will finish the year by selling food at final exams. I feel like I should have given more but it was just so hard with the lack of support. We never used key club b/c they were so busy with their own stuff. But I guess this maens that next year we can just try all the harder. Ms carmen wants us to join her advisory so we can have regular meetings but noone likes the idea, we all chose our advisories because they had something to give us. I feel like, and I feel awful saying it, astronomy is more important to me than Efa because it's what I'm considering as my future career. I love what I'm trying to do and I'm sad to realise that it has to come second. I tried so hard and it came down to so little, which makes me think I need to work harder, but I don't know if I can really give much more. I tried and sometimes it's good to fail because then you can learn from your mistakes. I learned that it's much easier to be like 2nd in command than 1st.

Three Cups of Tea

Our last project was selling mothers day baskets last week. We sold about 20 tickets so we made $20 because Mary's mom donated the items. We were supposed to have a meeting yesterday but I had a guidance counseler, and unfortunately none of the other members could find each other. I feel bad because I feel like this is such an important cause we're working towards, but we're not making very much progress. I feel like it's my fault because I'm the one who's planned and initiated this activity. No one has seemed to mind the location of where the schools are being built, so there hasn't been any ethical complications. I think we just need to keep trying our best because I'm sure any way we can help is still much appreciated. I feel like I need to work on my leadership skills, but I hate being a leader, I feel more comfortable as second in command or a leader's assistant.

Hiking

We hiked from Dennis to Brewster last time, it was the best hike yet. We start out on our usual terrain and it was a beautiful day. Then we got to the Brewster flats, so we got to walk along the beach for a good while, it was beautiful. Then we followed some normal terrain for a while again before switching to the marsh, dum dum duuum. We had to walk across this huge expanse of marsh land and we couldn't cut through because it was so wet in the middle and every time we turned a corner there was another stretch waiting. So since we definitely weren't gonna lose each other in that place I just started walking really fast, just to see how fast and far I could go, I was really booking it, I was even outwalking our guide so I had to keep stopping and waiting up for him so I could check that we were supposed to keep going. I definitely did the best on this hike out of any of the others, it has gotten easier every time since I started.

Golf - Putting Lousy

Today I went out and played 5 holes with Mary, John, and Andrew. The first hole i hit a great first two shots, then John said not to hit the cart signs so I was extra careful and guess what, I hit the cart sign, after that I had some lousy chips but I 2 putted. The next hole I hit pretty lousy. the 3rd hole i had another great first 2 shots and I almost was on the green in 3 except I was a yard shy and landed in the sand I wasted 5 shots trying to get out and my putting was lousy. the fourth hole I hit a good drive and a couple good shots but I three putted it. The last hole I hit an awful drive and after my seventh shot I just gave up. No pars, some great drives and 1 good putt. Tomorrow's the last day.

Golf - 60 Degree and Pitching Wedge

I made excellent progress with my 60 degree and pitching wedge, I made some big improvements in the consistency of my swing which increased my average distance and accuracy. I spent a whole bucket on my 9 iron but I only got a little improvement, I kept hitting to the right. Then I started with the seven, which also showed good improvement like the wedges. However, as I was swinging, I could feel the skin on my left hand stretching to form blisters, I did get three. After a few more swings, the biggest one popped. It hurt. So I got a band-aid and switched to putting. Then a second one popped so I had to get another band-aid. The third blister formed where I already have a callus from previous golf blisters so it wasn't as bad. I continued to put until five thirty when my mom came, I never saw the coach after I started with the 60 degree wedge... My putting also got much more accurate, so it was a pretty successful last practice except I didn't get to use my 5 iron.

Golf - Putting Improvement

I have seen improvement in my game these past two days. The day before yesterday, I practiced a lot of putting and created a new little game to help the team improve accuracy. Every one starts from a different corner of the green, but on the ruff. Each person takes turns hitting their ball onto a strategic place on the green, most likely a spot where its easy for them to aim from. Then they all take turns again trying to hit each others golf balls, once yours is hit or if you roll off the green your out. The goal is to be the last one left. By having everyone aim for targets smaller than holes I saw a big improvement in accuracy, especially in myself, I won twice. Yesterday the JV team went out onto the course immediately behind the varsity game. Every hole I had an excellent tee off, but the rest of my game was just okay. I found that I was having a distance problem with my iron game, I was either hitting too under the ball or topping or I hit it perfect, but I would like it to have gone farther. Next practice, I will make sure to practice that part of my game even more.

Golf Match Against PJP2

Yesterday I won my match against Pope John Paul and got a 7 in on the last hole. My tee-shots showed dramatic improvement every hole and on the last one I made a two putt. The other day the coach just told me to keep my head down and since then I've been hitting much better. I also learned that every time my club touches the sand it's a stroke, but there is otherwise no other penalty for the sand. I've gone from 8 to 7 on the ladder and I'm one stroke closer to a par. Now I really just need to work on my aim and lining my feet up with the target.