Today I did it, I went cliff jumping. It was my very first time and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I have very few words to express the time that was spent in Bloomington Indiana at the quarries. I'll post some pictures and videos to help out with the story telling. We first arrived at the 'spot' which was a church parking lot where we parked the car and discretely got our stuff together to make the forbidden trek out to Rooftop. These quarries are owned by a limestone company and are completely off limits to the public, except those rebels without a cause like us. I was doing some reading about the limestone quarries and apparently the limestone used to build the Empire State Building was taken from right where we were headed. There are also no directions online to the quarry, since it is 'illegal' to go there all the information is spread by word of mouth as to how to reach Rooftop. Luckily, I was going there with a friend of mine who had been before. The winding abandon paths to the quarries were breathtaking, trees shading the gravel walk with the sun peeking through was surreal. Right as your legs start to wonder when you'll ever reach your off-limits destination, you round the bend to the 'beach'. The beach is an area where you can go to chill and swim around, think of it as your first quarry experience. You get a feel for the aqua blue water as well as the nasty sludge at the bottom. Shoes are a must so it's good to practice swimming while lugging around some tennis shoes attached to your tootsies. DB and I didn't spend much time at the beach, we were craving the rush of the jump. He took my back to Rooftop and I went nuts. This place was so amazing. Again, the water was the perfect blue you'd see in a travel magazine, not to mention the beyond fabulous temperature once you finally took the plunge in. One thing that I thought was bizarre was the the place was deserted! Yeah, it's trespassing to go there but it's right next to IU's campus, tons of college kids should be out there! I guess it is summer so most of the hooligans are gone for the next month. I had to admit it was a tad creepy with no one there. There were 4 jumps to choose from in this particular quarry. Jump I: 20ish feet Jump II: 23ish feet Jump III: 30ish feet and Jump IV (Rooftop): at a soaring 65 feet. Not much of an in between, eh? I started with the 20-footer and never looked back. DB and I had a blast jumping and flipping from the limestone cliffs. We had even more fun when random groups of people showed up to join! Everyone went straight to Rooftop and kind of freaked out, we convinced them to come down with us and jump a few times before heading up to the big guy. Sadly I never made it up to Rooftop, I hiked up and looked over the edge with no intentions of jumping, it didn't actually seem that scary. I think I'll try it next time, you only live once! This is already quite a long post so I'll sum up the people we met quickly. First group: 3 random dudes from Boston (?!) who were on their way back from a road trip to Utah. These guys were crazy, like probably medically unstable or something. So fun to hang out with them, such a motley crew. Second group: 2 guys and a girl. Really nice people, did a group jump with us! They were from Indy, just lookin for some fun. I'd say they chose the right place. Last Group: 2 gangly lads. One of them was there for the first time and the other was a vet to the area, showing him around. Jumping off a cliff with 5 people you just met is probably the greatest way to start a friendship. I don't know if I'll ever see those people again; but for now, I can say that they're the only people I've jumped off a cliff with. I don't think I'll be able to say that again come next weekend, I've got an itch for some more cliff jumping.
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And the adventures continue, just like I promised.
This past weekend I made my way to Poultry Days with the crew. Poultry Days is this huge chicken festival in Versailles, Ohio. It's apparently the only thing that these people look forward to all year because the place was SHUT DOWN in order to let the party continue. I have to give it to them though, they served 5500 chicken dinners before they ran out for the day at 730PM. Aside from all of the bones I had to dig through, the chicken was pretty darn tasty. Poultry Days also hosts a massive ultimate tournament. People bring their tents and camp around the fields all weekend in hopes of catching someone lay out for a game winning score. There were hundreds of tents scattered around the fields and lake. It was surely a sight to see, I'm so happy I went. The night started out with drinking, and then a storm, which allowed for more drinking. If you can't tell, Poultry Days is all about drinking. Once the storm let up we set up our tents. Brian and I had a 1 person tent for both of us to sleep in, it was a tight squeeze. After the tents were set up we threw around for a while and decided we better wander around and find people we knew, which wasn't hard to do, with all of us being ultimate players, we had seen each other on numerous occasions. We had to go grab some ice from the drive through liquor store (yes, you read that correctly), and on our way home we saw this barn with a gagillion neon lights hanging on the walls and the ceiling. We made sure to park the car and walk straight over there to see what was going on. It looked like a hillbilly on acid decorated the place! We walked up and asked the older man what was going on here and we didn't get the most welcoming information. He rudely informed us that 'this was private property and we needed to get the hell off'. Ouch. Once my friends said a few choice words under their breath, we walked away looking for somewhere else to have some fun. The night turned into us searching for some people that one of my friends thought was at a bar but had no conformation that they were actually there. An hour and forty minutes later of walking (AKA wandering around lost and finally finding the bar) we realized our friends we were searching for were no where to be found. We headed back to the fields just as the shelter house parties were in full swing. We were all kind of tired to we retired to our tents for the night after stopping by a few of the parties to say our 'good lucks' to the teams playing tomorrow. At around 2AM a massive storm took over Versailles. It was awesome to be curled up in a tent with the wind and rain swirling around outside and the booming thunder rocking the Earth. We didn't get wet either, always a bonus. The storm lasted all night and didn't allow me to get a wink of sleep. The next morning the games started at 9AM and the crew was ready to watch some ultimate, although, I was itching to play! We watched a few hungover teams play until the afternoon when we had to head to Valpo, Indiana for our friends 21st birthday get together. We arrived at MK's house and chowed down on some home-made sloppy joes. Afterwards we unloaded the cooler with our drinks of choice and hopped in the hot tub to start the night off right. We eventually made it to the bar where a wedding reception was going on? Be confused, we were. You know that feeling where you walk into a place and everyone knows you're not supposed to be there? They all look at you with a glassy stare and don't ever crack a smile on their face, that's what happened when we walked in. But not for long, not to brag, but my friends and I bring a little more life to any party we come across. We all had a smashing good time dancing around like fools and jumping around the stage while the people at Karaoke night were singing 'I like big butts'. No, we didn't know a soul there but it didn't matter. I talked to the bride and she introduced me to her cousin Nick, he was singing Walk the Line. I was dying to sing her and her lover a song but the wait for karaoke was never ending and the smoke in the air was really getting to my eyes, and lungs. The group left slightly more intoxicated than when we came and much more tired. It was one heck of a night and I'll never forget that little po-dunk bar. Oh, and congratulations to the newlyweds, whoever you are. I know, I know, I haven't updated in ages, I apologize. So far this summer I have realized one thing: I don't have any free time. I always thought that the summer was for relaxing and getting your mind off of school but this summer I have been sorely mistaken. My weekdays are filled with long hours of working or being bored out of my mind at the office with nowhere to turn for entertainment. My computer faces outward so everyone can see what I'm up to, which means I can't play online games, or update my blog, or anything other than stare blankly at work documents. Granted, some days are more fun with others but that doesn't mean they aren't filled with heavy lifting and sweating in the scorching summer temperatures. When I get home from work, after the already lengthy drive topped with some minor traffic, I'm too tired to think. Aside from all the complaining I'm doing I have had some things go well this summer; my weekends. Weekends are the only time that I get to do the things I want, when I want. You may be thinking 'Welcome to the real world' or 'just wait til' you have kids'. As a college student, I wasn't ready for the time commitment that my internship required from me, but I don't have an option so I better buckle down and deal with it. So, back to my weekend adventures. Brian and I have been doing a lot of visiting each other in our home towns. I've also done a lot of other stomping around with friends and family. The beginning of the summer started with my little sisters graduation and open house. Squid (as we call her) had an outpouring of love at her open house and it was awesome to see old friends greet us with the same hug and smile that they have for the past several years. A few weekends later my nephew was baptized. He is such a little blessing from God and I am so honored to be his godmother. I bought him some cute little white leather Chuck Taylors, a few sizes too big, for him to wear on his big day. Of course, he looked adorable. One of my friends, HVM, just got back from studying abroad in Africa and we went on a little road trip to Yellow Springs, Ohio. Yellow Springs is one of my favorite towns that I've visited in my short life. Let's be honest, I cried the first time I went there because I was so at peace with myself. I knew from that moment I would live there, at least for some point of my life. It's a small artsy town with strips of shops full of local handmade goods along with the ever beautiful art gallery. Trails and paths leak from the sidewalks and take you on an adventure of their own if you dare leave the comfort of the busy street. We had fun window shopping and listening to the little boy play his mandolin on the sidewalk until his hat was filled to the brim with dollar bills and loose pocket change. HVM and I stopped for ice cream at the only parlor in town. I told her we would be getting ice cream, no questions asked. I've been to YS many times but had yet to eat the ice cream. It was as delicious as I had imagined, minus the chaos of ordering. Needless to say, they were so fast at making the ice cream that HVM changed her order right after she had placed the first one and the lady said she couldn't change it because the original order had already been made. Talk about fast service! We wandered the streets until we worked up an appetite, but were let down when we realized that every single food joint in town was packed to the max. A little bummed, we walked to the car and headed back to Muncie. I remembered I had an Olive Garden gift card and figured that HVM and I were not making a single cent this summer so the card would best be used on us. Keeping it cheap we ordered the refillable salad which came with free bread sticks and an appetizer to split. Our server apparently noticed our need for wine and gave us each 2 free samples, she also must have realized how poor we were and didn't charge us for one of the salads. :) Since we saved a little money there were decided to spend the rest on bottles of wine for the rest of the night. We were standing in line and the lady in front of us said we looked like we were headed somewhere important and let us get in front of her to check out. She started talking to us and was convinced that we were headed to some raging party. I guess carrying 2 bottles of wine and a 6 pack would make it seem that way. We tried over and over to convince her that we were just going to go home and drink by ourselves, she wasn't buying it. She told us about a million of her own 'raging party' stories before we checked out and got the heck outta there. We actually did go home and drink alone for those of you who were wondering. Needless to say, it was a fun day for the both of us. Glad I got to catch up with her. This post is getting a little ( a lot) lengthy so I'll finish up tomorrow about the rest of my summer adventures, so be sure to check back! Well, this weekend will be filled with flying discs and
running miles upon miles, and I can't wait. We have our first tournament of the season on Saturday. We're headed to FlavaFest in Richmond, Indiana. It's just a one day tournament with only a few teams. I'm alright with that though, better than nothing. :) I do have to leave early though, but for something even better than ultimate, my sister-in-laws baby shower! I'm so excited! After her baby shower Hannah (a teammate and friend of mine) and I are headed to Naperville, Illinois for our men's team tournament. They're going to be playing in the Chicago Invite. Of course, they're ranked first. :D I love watching these guys play, even if it will be in the snow. Hannah and I are going to be couch surfing, a guy named Darien and his wife (nameless apparently) are hosting us. We are excited, duh. Oh, I got a fish, if I didn't tell you earlier. His name is Shelton. So, that's a just a little update about what's coming up in my life. Not to interesting eh? Well, here is something interesting, I'm almost 21. BOOM. Should be an interesting time since, uhh, I don't drink. haha. Keep smiling people, you're all so beautiful. <3 "The quality of your life is in direct proportion to the amount of uncertainty you can comfortably deal with." -Tony Robbins
Grr. I just wrote this entire blog and then the site messed up and deleted it. Oh well, I'll try to remember everything I rambled about. Have you ever wished of traveling the world? I mean, who hasn't wished that? Now for a harder question HAVE you ever traveled the world? Ah-ha! I gotcha there! Not many people have, or ever will. Why? I don't know if it's the way my mind works or what but I don't understand why more people don't just go, leave this place and get exploring! People throw out so many excuses; it's so expensive, I'm scared, I don't know the language, what about my house?, I'll miss my family, so I just quit my job?, I don't have the time, I'm comfortable, where do I start?, I don't know how to plan a trip. My grandma called me today and told me she learned a new phrase. The phrase was 'suck it up'. She asked me what it meant, I laughed so hard. :) But the phrase rings true when it comes to world travel, suck it up and goooooo! My dad died young, 49 years old, that's young in my book. The furthest he got was Alaska. He left the country a max of 5 times in his life (excluding Canada). I have an irrational fear of dying without seeing what's a hop skip and a jump away from the United States. Yeah, I've traveled a bit, France, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Nicaragua, Haiti, Bahamas, various U.S. states, but that's not enough for me. This is one place in my life where I will probably never be satisfied. I've got the travel bug, what can I say? I think the main reason people don't travel is because they're scared. There is this thing called trust, not really sure if you guys know what that means, not many people have it anymore. Couch Surfing House sitting Ultimate Travel Guide 6 ways to travel the world Do any of these things interest you? They all interest me. Do they scare me? Absolutely! It freaks me out thinking about sleeping on some strangers couch, who knows that could happen! But again, in comes that little word 'trust'. The world is full of good people. Why don't you let them show you around their country? They would absolutely love it. Then when you get home from your 5 year journey across this big place we call Earth, you can do the same for them, show off your home land. There is also a book that is filled with places around the world to go and volunteer and make a difference. It's a really cool book! It's called Volunteer: A Traveler's Guide to Making a Difference “Begin at once to live and count each separate day as a separate life.” -Seneca So, where will you start your adventure? I'm thinking I'll head to Hawaii and head West until I get back home. Hey, take a leap of faith and go somewhere you've always wanted to go, Dare ya. ;) |
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February 2013
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