What a Weekend!

As per usual my weekend started bright and early with Saturday morning practice on the Charles River. This weekend, my team raced up and down the Head of the Charles 3 times against ourselves, trying to beat our times clocked from last weekend- and we succeeded! We are making huge gains on a weekly basis, and can't wait to crush the competition at HOCR in less than a month!

As exciting as it was to beat our times, when we got off the water- the excitement was taken to a whole new level when Natalie Dell, bronze medal winner in the Women's Quad from the 2012 London Olympics was at practice awaiting to speak to the team! Towards the end of the summer I posted a blog  about Natalie- and a little bit of her back story, but to meet her- and hear her story in person was absolutely incredible. I stood in the back, covered in goosebumps, tears streaming down my face at times-as I watched all 68 of my teammates sitting in awe listening to this olympian tell us about her journey. It was without a doubt one of the most inspirational moments not only for me, but for Boston College Women's Rowing as a whole, as we are just on the edge of what can and will be our most successful year yet. 

Boston College Women's Rowing 2012/2013 with Natalie Dell, Olympic Bronze Medalist

Natalie Dell, her bronze medal... and me!

Following practice, and Natalie's speech- we all came back to campus and had team breakfast back at school! This was the first "official" team breakfast of the year, as our Freshman/Novice team was just named this week- adding to our large group of returning varsity members to officially top off the roster at 68! Once breakfast was through, the long and tiring practice of racing 3 Head of the Charles pieces began to wear on us- so we snuggled in for a nice nap. The rest of the day was filled with the usual; homework, groceries, and a little bit of lounging around! 

Come night time though-we were ready for some fun. It was a pretty low key night, but one of my favorite parts of Saturday night was getting to finally spend time with some of my best friends. These guys are the best, they're always there for me, and not to mention I always have such a blast whenever we're all together. It's my senior year now, and I can without a doubt say that I am so lucky to have such incredible people in my life. Friendships and relationships, and the people you surround yourself with in life is really all that ever matters when it comes to your own happiness. 

                              

Sunday was a day filled with work, but not your typical reading for class, or writing papers. Sunday I spent the first half of my day applying for jobs . . . OMG can I just say that I can't believe I am actually at the point in my life where I am not just looking for a summer job, this is real life job status we're talking about? CRAZY! It's kind of terrifying, exhilarating, exciting and nerve-racking all at the same time- but I love it! 

 Last but MOST CERTAINLY not least, this girl was in Boston this weekend!! My absolute best friend from home Cate! Cate and I have been friends for what seems like forever, there is no better way to describe our friendship other than to say she is truly my sister. Cate attends Michigan State, however she flew back home this weekend for some less than exciting time spent bouncing from hospital to hospital to see her doctors here. Cate has a condition called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, she has undergone two surgeries in the past three years to alleviate some of the pain and discomfort associated with TOS- and for a period of time, the pressure and discomfort had subsided to a certain degree. However lately, within the past 1-2 months while she has been back in Michigan, things for a little while there spiraled out of control and the discomfort sparked right back up again. Thankfully, Cate was able to schedule some last minute appointments with her doctors here, and after a weekend of tests she is flying back to Michigan today with what hopefully are some answers that can lead her closer towards a plan where she wont be forced to worry about this on a daily basis. Although I did not get to see Cate this weekend, I wanted to mention it because I am just so proud of the way she is handling what probably has been her most intense year academically, on top of all this TOS business, and managing her social life and friends with such grace. I have known Cate for a long time, and we have experienced things together that even friends who have known each other for decades can't say that they have gone through. She is my rock, and my person- and I will be here for her forever, and I know no matter what she would do the same. So fingers crossed her doctors found some real answers this weekend and she can take this giant weight off her shoulders!