eagle's peak

Eva & I decided to do some hiking on Saturday, tossing around a few different ideas. After calling one of the ranger stations & doing some more investigating, we decided 14ers were out. We decided to stay in the area, and opted for Eagle's Peak, which is on the Air Force Academy. We got some directions and hit the trail with Jessie in tow!
The trail was well-defined until we got to the stream, and then it was a little more vague. We actually ended up seeing some people later on who had taken the wrong "trail" and ended up on some other point. The view from the top was 360 degrees of incredible! Here are some pictures to commemorate our hike.

Eva posing by the little stream.

We found this cute little nook by the stream.

Jessie wants to know why I stopped moving. Get with the program, girl!

I used to live way out there in the flatlands, called "Kansas."

Just a peaceful view of Colorado Springs and the Air Force Academy.

P.S. We found spray-painted white arrows on rocks on the way down. That would have been helpful on the way up!

memorial day

I have officially moved into my living arrangements in Colorado Springs! This Memorial Day weekend certainly has been memorable in the sense of the adventures of moving. While I was driving across Eastern Colorado, my passenger windshield wiper blade decided to take a flying leap, literally. I drove from the Kansas/Colorado border to Colorado Springs with 1 wiper blade in scattered showers and downpours. Pretty awesome, if I do say so myself. The Air Force Thunderbirds have been practicing outside today for the upcoming Air Force Academy graduation. Amazing how sound travels slower than the planes. By the time you hear the noise, the planes are past you already. Yesterday, we had people over for Memorial Day. We started talking about how this federal holiday was designed to honor those who have fallen in the line of duty protecting our freedoms. So easily we forget the price paid by many to live in the comfort and peace that we have in this country. Here is just an excerpt from an email my Dad sent me when I was getting ready to go to Hawaii and see the USS Arizona Memorial. You see, my great uncle Bill Curry was killed in the boiler room of the Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Just to help you understand what my Dad is initially talking about, I had asked a question about the stars that military families hang in their windows, knowing that the blue is for those deployed, but remembering that there were other colors too:

The stars system was blue stars on a flag were for those in service and gold stars were for those killed or missing in action. Your great-grandmother Curry had 2 flags in her window in Lexington, MO, with at one point 5 blue stars and 2 gold stars. (The famous Sullivan family of Waterloo, IA, had 5 gold stars and 1 blue star for the 5 brothers lost on the USS Atlanta off Guadalcanal and a sister who served in the Navy later in the war.) The blue stars were for Grandpa Curry, great uncle Charlie, great uncle Byron, great uncle Nate and great aunt Laura - all who served in the Navy. Your great aunt Laura was a navy reserve nurse serving in a hospital in New York. The gold stars were for great uncle Bill and great uncle Bob.

Your great uncle Bob was captured on 23 December 1941 when Wake Island fell to the Japanese and spent the rest of the war in prison camps until liberated in August 1945. When he was captured, he weighed 190 pounds and when he was liberated he weighted 98 pounds. When asked why he didn't try to escape, he said that at 6-2 with blonde hair and blue eyes he was not going to blend into the population in China or Japan (the places he was held captive).
When you visit the WWI Memorial, remember that your great-great uncle Roy Curry (for whom Grandpa Curry was named) served in the 35th Division (Missour-Kansas)in France during World War I. He was wounded with shrapnel in the leg in the Meuse-Argonne battle in 1918. While waiting at the aid station to be treated, the Germans fired poisonous mustard gas on the station. He walked with a limp and wheezed from the lung damage for the rest of his life. He died in 1964 and is buried right in front of Grandpa and Grandma Curry.

So if you ever wonder why the American Legion Post at Parnell, Mo, is named the Curry-Richardson-Sparks & Wahldier Post, our family has paid the price to be so honored. Great-great uncle Roy was a charter member of the post and it has become a point of honor that all of the Currys who have served have joined the post. Currently, your great uncle Nate, my first cousin Robert Curry (who served in the Navy during Vietnam) and I are all members of the post.

bittersweet

This weekend has been such a bittersweet time for me. Friday was my physical therapy class's hooding ceremony, and the first time that I've seen many of my classmates since December. Saturday morning was the official School of Allied Health graduation ceremony, followed by a KU Alumni Association luncheon (I had a strong urge to wear purple & start doing the wabash, but I refrained). Saturday evening was my class's graduation party and was a great opportunity to see many more of these incredible people before we all scatter to various places for work. My class suggested superlatives for different people, and here is what was listed for me: "Most likely to be organized and on top of assignments, hence the slogan 'What Would Natasha Do?'" I laughed pretty hard, even though I'd heard about the phrase before from another friend & classmate. I guess it's a compliment?
I'll try to post some pictures from the weekend soon, too. My mind still has a difficult time fathoming that 3 years ago I started this long, arduous process and didn't think the end would ever come. Now, I look back and see how much I've grown as a person and how much I've learned as a professional in this time frame. And this is just the beginning! I will miss my classmates and instructors - it really was a group effort to get to this point.

girls weekend

This past weekend was such a blur, I don't even know where to begin! I arrived in Kansas City Friday afternoon after waking up at 4am and just not being able to go back to sleep. I set out on the drive just before 5am and got coffee at one of the stops. Big mistake! Instead of my normal 3 stops for the entire trip, I had to stop 5 times to go to the bathroom!
Saturday I felt so blessed to spend some time with great girlfriends from college. Even though I live in the same town as most of them, we hardly see each other. Two of us are moving to Colorado Springs. I am so thankful that Rachel will be out there too!


These are just a few of the girls. One friend's husband called it "ditch the dorks weekend," which I have found incredibly funny, and laugh every time I think about the phrase.
Sunday was the Open House for my graduation (yes, I know I don't technically graduate until next weekend, but the timing was better this weekend). Once again, I felt so loved and blessed by all the people that showed up to congratulate and support me. Unfortunately, I was busy talking with everyone, and I wasn't able to take pictures (bad!). You'll just have to imagine the general splendor of the event.
All of these things have caused me to think about how much I'll miss Kansas City, even though I've been so excited to leave. It will probably take me years to develop the caliber of friendships that I have here. I'm just trusting that God is sovereign in the midst of it all!

advice from Louise

Words of wisdom passed along from my Aunt:

"You know what they say: Absence makes the heart grow fonder...of someone else!"

"Italian men don't make good husbands. They can be very domineering. My mother always said marry a Jewish man. They are much better to their wives and families."

"It's a good sign if couples are fighting. It means they are communicating."

I find these comments interesting and in some instances comical! Anyone else have words of wisdom to pass along from their aunts or other family members?

10 chick flick cliches

I found this clip (click here) while perusing Amazon.com to see when "He's Just Not That Into You" comes out on dvd. It's one of those days where I need some movie like that to make me laugh and feel a little bit better about myself. Probably just a fluke day, since it's overcast and I've missed my Colorado sunshine. Anyone who has seen any number of chick flicks will appreciate the clip and probably laugh a little bit at the truths about the cliches listed.
On another note, we're looking at houses/apartments again tomorrow. Hopefully we'll find something that we absolutely fall in love with and I won't have to put all of my household goods (that sounds funny...I don't have a "household") into storage for an indefinite time frame and continue to live out of rubbermaid bins. I'll keep you all posted!