My Thoughts

So, last night I watched the election results and was so glad to be able to celebrate Barack Obama's victory. His and McCain's campaigns were historic, and I know his presidency will be even more so.

I have to say that my experience with politics has been much like my experience with religion and the Catholic faith over the past 4 or 5 years. 4 years ago, I walked out of the church that I grew up in because I was told that I was wrong for having the beliefs that I do. The opinions and feelings that I developed so deep in my heart throughout my childhood and early adult life were shot down throughout the course of a short few months while sitting through masses and listening to priests berate people like me. So I stopped going to church. I bet the priests would be happy that they got rid of a "heathen" like me-- "Mission accomplished," they would probably say. Well guess what? I took that time to really think through what I believed in, and only became stonger in my convictions. And I have now found a church that supports me for who I am, and doesn't make me feel as if I'm a horrible person just because of the fact that I have an open mind and heart and accept the fact that the world is not what it was in 1950.

In the past 2 presidential elections (the only ones in which I've been able to vote) I have felt like my opinions and beliefs don't matter. And as I've grown over the past 8 years, I've felt even more so. I felt crushed watching the results unfold 8 years ago, whether those results were legitimate or rigged. 4 years ago, it seemed hopeless that anything would change when the country actually did legitimately decide the results. However, I didn't stew over it, I accepted that that was the way it was, living my life the best ways I knew how, but not backing down. Disagree with their decision? Yes. But insulting those who exercised the same rights that I did was not going to get anything accomplished.

Yesterday, I went to my polling place and filled in the arrow next to the name of someone I so hoped would be able to renew my faith in the American people, and last night, my faith was renewed. The country legitmately decided that this man is the one to bring change to our system by integrating our history with the reality that the world is not what it used to be. To those people who voted for McCain and have not seen the results they hoped for, I will say to you that I understand how you feel. It probably hurts. But realize that by insulting and crying over the results you will not accomplish anything. You and I must take this opportunity to acknowledge that it is what it is, and we must work together to accomplish as much as we can with the system we have in place. If you feel some law or process isn't right, challenge it! Be that voice that reminds us that not everyone agrees-- that is the blessing of living in the society that we do. We can challenge the beliefs and opinions of others without having to worry that we'll be killed doing so. But we also must respect the different voices that people have, and not make others feel oppressed or wrong for feeling the way they do. We all came to have our own beliefs and opinions, however different they may be, but we all did so under the SAME SYSTEM. We can use this new time to work together to make that system even better for everyone. Yes we can.

September Update

Having not posted for a while, I seem to have sort of forgotten what has happened over the past couple of months. So I'll look at my calendar and update based on that.

The Preston Family Reunion 2008 was held the weekend of July 4th in Crystal Lake, hosted by my mom. She did an awesome job, and it was great to see all of the family. I had some very important and emotional conversations with certain family members, and ultimately feel closer than ever to them.

I'm still waiting for my wedding photo album from my asshole photographer. It's going on 10 months now since I ordered...

I went up north for a short weekend visit at the end of July, while the rest of the fam stayed the whole week. It was a little weird not staying up there the whole time-- that's the first time in like 15 years that I haven't been up there for a whole week in the summer :(. That's what I get for taking 2 weeks to go "down south."

Skip and Paradigm Pulse had a show in August at The Rave. I was very proud of all of them, and they had a great turnout. I even got a visit with Kathryn, Lindsay and Steph out of it!

We celebrated Stephanie's birthday with a boat cruise on the Milwaukee river at the end of August-- so much fun, and great to see everyone!

As for September, the summer has been winding down, and I'm trying to make the most of these last few weekends of beautiful weather-- I hope they last! The DSAW Buddy Walk is coming up this weekend, which is always a fun event and great fundraiser for Down Syndrome awareness. That's it for now!

Adios Locks

So, last Wednesday I cut 10 inches off my hair~ yikes! I was actually really relieved, and Molly did a great job. It's taken some getting used to, I think this is the shortest it's ever been, but I really like it. I hope some little girl needing a wig from Locks of Love enjoys my hair!

Trip Report Numero Cinco

The rest of the trip was kind of a winding-down for all of us. We spent one last night in Cusco, then flew out early the next morning for Lima. We left Steph and Mike in the airport, then got a taxi for our hotel in Miraflores. It was nice to have the day in Lima to relax and explore, and that's pretty much all we did. We had a great dinner and went out for drinks, then went back to the hotel.

The next morning was still pretty calm, just packing and getting ready to head out. Then we had to ride in a taxi-van back to the airport. IT WAS THE SCARIEST TRANSPORTATION EXPERIENCE OF MY ENTIRE LIFE!!! Our driver and the traffic were INSANE! I saw a car hit another car, then they both kept driving! Then we almost hit a bus head on! That was when I screamed "I hate this fucking city!" and promptly burst into tears! I swear I almost asked the driver to pull over so I could puke. When we got to the airport, I wanted to kiss the ground. I've never been so happy to get OUT of a car in my life. Wow. Okay, deep breath. Whew.

Anyways, we flew out of Lima to San Salvador, El Salvador to Miami, then spent the night in the Miami airport. I passed out, and apparently Jes and Sarah took compromising pictures of my ass with a small stuffed llama... I have yet to see those pictures, ladies. When we got to O'Hare, Mom and Dad were waiting for us in the airport, and we got our bags and said our goodbyes. The trip ended on a light note, and we all counted our blessings that we got each place safe, including home.

Trip Report Numero Cuatro

Day three was an okay day, as we only hiked for about 5 hours total, and it wasn't as hilly as the other parts. We were still glad to see the campsite, though, and it was only lunchtime! We got to take showers at this point, and man did they feel good! I've never felt so refreshed in my entire life. Seriously. After showers we had lunch, then had a couple of hours to just relax and take it easy. That evening we headed to a set of Incan ruins that were right near our site, and explored before dinner. Dinner that night was great, then we got to say goodbye to our porters (some of whom tried to makeout with the gringas...eew)

The next morning we were woken up at 3:30 so that we could be on the trail by 5. Everyone wanted to rush to get to the Sun Gate in time to see the sun rise over Machu Picchu. I was SO tired by that point, though, that I lagged back quite a bit. No need to hurry. I made it to the Sun Gate in time to see everyone, then started right back again down to Machu Picchu. It was kind of funny, though, because I was trying to beat the sun as it was coming over the mountains, so I was totally running down the trail. I think I probably looked pretty goofy. Getting to Machu Picchu was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, not to mention it was nice to take off the back pack and rest for a while. We had a tour of the ruins, explored some more, then went down the hill to Aguas Calientes for lunch. I have never tasted such the sweet taste of an ice-cold beer and pizza! After lunch we took a train to Ollantaytambo, then a bus back to Cusco, and our Inca Trail adventure was over.

Trip Report Numero Tres

We got picked up for the Inca Trail at 4:30 am by our guides and porters. Having them all cheer for you when you get on the bus is pretty cool. We picked up the other members of our group, then drove the 2 hours to Ollantaytambo to have breakfast. After breakfast we drove a little further, then got dropped off at Kilometer 82, the starting point of the Trail. The first day of hiking was okay-- I started lagging back after our first rest stop, but I was trucking along. We were all worried about Michael, but he was just going his own pace. Lunch on the trail, a few snacks, about 6 hours of hiking, then we arrived to our first campsite. Boy was it nice to wipe down (you stink after that much hiking, trust me), and to eat dinner and crash.

Day two was the rough day. We started up Dead Woman's Pass right from the start of the day, and it took about 3 hours to reach the top. 14000 feet is an accomplishment! Down we went from that point to our lunch stop, and then up again to the second pass. By that point we were all really starting to struggle. At least I was. We rested at the top of the second pass before heading down again, towards our campsite. 10 hours of hiking really causes serious exhaustion, so by the time we hit the camp, we were running on fumes. But we made it. So did Michael, after being carried for a little while by the porters. Too bad it was pitch black outside by that point, so no one got any pictures. Lucky bastard...

Trip Report Numero Dos

Leaving Cuenca in our midsts, we headed toward Guayaquil in our own private "buseta." We drove through El Cajas National Park, and then down the mountains into the more tropical area of the country. The living conditions changed as much as the climate, so that was a bit of education for us as wealthy foreigners. I've decided everyone needs to be exposed to extreme poverty at least once in their lives to learn how to appreciate all that you have.

We flew out of Guayaquil to Lima, Peru, where we left our bags in secure lockers and headed for the Miraflores district of the city. Another scary cab ride, I must admit. We arrived at a restaurant called La Rosa Nautica just in time to meet Steph, Mike, and their friend/guide Aimee. Though we were all quite tired, we had an amazing meal literally perched on a pier over the Pacific. Pretty cool, if I do say so myself. After dinner we headed back to the airport where we attempted to sleep until our flight out at 5:30 the next morning. Sleeping on airport floors is yucky.

We flew out to Cusco and got in around 7:30 in the morning (and it was freezing cold!). We got picked up from the airport by our hostel, which was a nice bonus. The hostel was a welcome sight as we were all pretty tired. We dropped our stuff off, had some coca tea, cleaned up a bit then headed to explore a little bit of Cusco. We ate food, and as we were doing so we realized how absolutely exhausted we were. So we headed back up to the hostel, and crashed for the rest of the afternoon before heading back down for dinner.

We had 3 days in Cusco to acclimate to the altitude (10,000 feet is tough!), as well as explore the city. Loooottss of shopping! Everybody got really good at haggling, as well as trying to figure out the Nuevo Sol, Peru's currency. Sunscreen was our best friend because that high-altitude sun is a killer.

Trip Report Numero Uno

It's been a while since I've posted, so I thought an update would be good.

I'm getting used to being back at home-- actually, I got used to being home almost as soon as I got back. The trip was great, but the whole time I was wishing that Skip was there with me. I suppose that's a good thing, though, huh? At least I wasn't feeling awesome that I was gone from my hubby for 17 days! Here's a little recap as to what we did for all that time:

Ecuador: We had a long couple of days of travelling, going from O'Hare to Miami to San Jose, Costa Rica to Quito, Ecuador to Loja, Ecuador (that flight was CRAZY! Flying into the mountains of Ecuador was even scarier than flying into Cusco!). Somewhere in the midst of all that flying, Sarah pointed out that we had not realized the Loja airport was actually about 30 miles outside of Loja (why call it Loja airport, then, huh?), and we already knew that Loja was about an hour from Vilcabamba (our ultimate destination). So when we got there, we had to negotiate a ride to our hotel/resort. Hmm... Looks like it was time to jump into that speaking spanish thing. After negotiating with a couple of taxi drivers, we figured out two cabs to Vilc. (and continued to negotiate price between Sarah and I via the drivers' cell phones once we were on the road). The ride was super dark and scary, the two cabs got separated, we saw a donkey sleeping in the middle of the road, we almost fell off the side of the road, but we ended up at Izhcayluma safely.

Our two days in Vilcabamba were spent just hanging around, taking pictures, drinking, horseback riding (and me horseback falling-- I've got the scars to prove it!), and generally just relaxing with the beautiful backdrop of Vilcabamba surrounding us. We had much more reliable transportation back to Loja in a private taxi, and then we had to negotiate the crowded Loja bus station in order to get to Cuenca. Stressfully, we figured it out, and managed to get our gringo butts on a bus. Yet another dark and scary ride, this time 5 hours long through rain-damaged roads and villages, but we got to Cuenca finally by about 11 pm, and crashed at Hotel Crespo.

We spent our 4 days in Cuenca exploring the city, buying gifts, trying to stay dry from the rain, and taking more pictures, of course. We had the opportunity to visit with Sarah's homestay family from when she was down there for school, and that was great. They were so kind and accomodating (they fed us!), and it was great to see Sarah so happy (yet sentimental at the same time!). We had some amazing Italian food, drank a lot of Pilsener (the local beer), and Andy, Michael and I even tried cuy (guinea pig). Very interesting taste, much more interesting presentation :). Homesickness crept in a little bit for me a couple of times, but phone calls and emails home kept me connected.

Story-filled weekend

Just working at a private ambulance company lends itself to interesting stories, no matter what the day. It also means that many different personalities of people will be interacting, and inevitably clashing. Like this weekend. I wish that some people would just know their place and role. In the EMS world, seniority, following rules and "putting your time in" are huge aspects to how the system flows. I've been in it only for 3 years, but that's enough at the particular place at which I work to have a little bit of seniority and clout. But that doesn't mean that people will listen to you, or not just think for themselves (even though some people should just let other people do all the thinking. They'll get their panties in a twist if they try to think too much...). Lapses in communication (i.e. not listening to your senior partner, i.e. ME) can make for a confusing (and at times, dangerous) situation when it comes to the things we do. This weekend wasn't dangerous, but when certain people try to butt their cocky heads into a role that they're not supposed to be playing, they may end up getting their ass kicked by higher-ups. Translation: my partner on Saturday is young and cocky, and tried to act like he knew more than he actually did during one call (not to mention he always tried to steal the damn microphone away from me-- big mistake, Kiddo). Because of this, he and I ended up getting in an argument, but ultimately I don't think he believed he did anything wrong. Well, an attitude like his just shows that he is not ready to move up to a more senior role, and if he thinks he is ready, he is sadly mistaken. Just hang in there, Junior-- your time will come. In the meantime, let you partner be in charge, and just step the hell back.

Flight for Life is cool. It's unfortunate that it has to exist in the first place, but when it lands in a field a block from your house, it's kind of neat. Although, according to my dad, if you're in the shower when it flies over your house, it feels like it's going to land right in the tub with you! Good call, Mom (i.e. #1 Ambulance Chaser Extraordinaire).

I don't like cleaning up puke from my just-cleaned bathroom. Especially when I reeeeaallly have to pee! Word of advice: If your husband hosts a bachelor party and the bachelor stays at your house, make sure he confines his emesis to the toilet, and not the tub, shower curtain, wall, floor... and if there is a mess, make your husband clean it up, no matter how late he is for his EMT refresher! Those boys owe me. ¡Mucho!

31 days

So, we leave a month from today. Crazy. I'm excited, but at the same time worried. The past week has put into perspective how quickly life can be changed, and because of that I've become a little un-excited about going "down south."

Don't take for granted the times you have with loved ones. It's easy to say "oh I'll call them back tomorrow, I don't feel like it right now," (and we all know how stellar I am at returning phone calls...). But when you want to call that person back and they're not there, you'll realize how important it is to return those phone calls, as hard as it may be, and as tired as you may be. Sometimes death can be a huge suprise, but it can also, in an odd way, be a blessing that teaches you what is important and should take priority in your life.

So, in 31 days I leave for 17 days to make "pilgrimage" of sorts back down to Ecuador and Peru. As much as I want to stay and not miss out on things here, I know that I will need even more to go and do this for myself. Forget that it's costing a lot more than what we originally budgeted. I need to tell myself what I've been telling Michael all along: "I promise it's worth it!" Just got to get down 5 more pounds, otherwise I will be a "Dead Woman" on that Pass... :)

Thank God it's not a Loon

I was walking into work today, and I heard a goose call. So I look up, expecting to see it flying overhead, but no. It was on the roof of the Medical College looking particularly confused. Must have been some water up there that it thought was a lake. Who knows. It was pretty funny. Good thing it doesn't need hundreds of feet of water on which to take off like a loon...that could be a problem...

Just checked: Obama's still up, this time by 102 delegates. Keep it up!

Bull Dogs

Went to the Comedy Cafe on Friday night with friends-- it was a great show! Darren Carter was the headliner and he was totally hilarious. Probably the best overall show I'd seen there yet.

Saturday and Sunday were pretty low-key: I slept in on Saturday and nursed a lovely hangover for most of the day. Went to the grocery stores, then I made a Mexican pork dish for dinner that turned out really delicious. I totally passed out on the couch at like 10.

Sunday-- what sucky weather! I think that the world is coming to an end. Has anyone ever seen "The Day After Tomorrow"? That's how I feel these days... But I ended up getting out for a little while for a walk with the dog. Um, yeah. It was the most dangerous and wet walk ever! If you were watching me you would probably have been laughing hysterically because here was this moron walking an incredibly hyper dog on pure ice... not smart! I swear I slipped and was like "whoah!" about 50 times. My pants were wet all the way up to the knee. Then we found this bull dog that was out running around free, so I was trying to go door-to-door to find who it belonged to. Trying to control my already neurotic dog while on ice while trying to coax a bull dog to follow me while he's distracted playing with my dog is not easy... Scotch is getting a bath today because he has crusted bull dog slobber all over his fur. Hey, at least we got the dog home safely!

All Wisconsinites get out and vote tomorrow! We need to get those votes out for Obama!! Fired up, ready for change. Focker, out.

Railroad Train Pajamas

Last night: The dog had been in his kennel all day, so he was pretty wriled up when I got home (and Skip was working at the hospital, so he hadn't had a chance to get the pup out for exercise). So I came home, and took the dog out with me while I shoveled the 300 feet of snow that has piled up over the past month. Anyways, there's so much snow that Scotch appeared up over half of the fence-- that was a sight! (See pictures). I had no choice but to put him in his kennel while I went to band. Band was boring, as it often is. Wish it was more of a challenge. Not to mention it took me 45 minutes to get there, which sucked. I got home from band, and wanted to punch out to get up early in the morning so I could work out. The dog obviously had other plans. I think I passed out for about 20 mins, then I woke up to Scotch barking to go outside. So I let him out, then put him in his kennel because he was acting like a maniac. He barked and barked and barked, until Skip got home from work, then he was really wide awake. Then Skip left to go down to the fire house. I think by the time the monster actually fell asleep it was about 12:30. So much for working out in the early morning.



Today: So, I ended up getting up around 6:30 (felt like the middle of either a 24 at Meda-Care or freshman year at Augie during pledging), and got moving. I stopped at the bank before work at 7:30, and it took me 45 freaking minutes to get to work! This is why: 1.) I was driving Skip's car (a.k.a. The Death Wagon), and I slid into a snowbank. Wonderful. 2.) It was 7:30 on a road that has a high school at one end and a junior high on the other. I have never seen such morons dropping their kids off at the worst places ever-- like the middle of the street. Not safe, and not smart. Gotta love Wisconsin, "eh"? Great. 3.) The roads suck from the aforementioned 300 feet of snow. Awesome. Then when I finally got to work I had two cups of coffee, which I never do-- so not only was I crabby, but I was juiced and crabby. Great combination!



The day has gone a little bit better since then, but let's just hope the dog does not keep me up tonight, otherwise I will have a very unpleasant Valentine's Day...

Here goes...

Hello!

I always feel like my mind is going a mile a minute, so I thought I would start up a blog to get some of those thoughts out! I've always known that I get my thoughts out better in writing, anyways. I hope I'll be able to provide interesting insight to the things that go on around me, and provide all of you with an opportunity to see the world how I do.

--Ellen D :)