GW Volleyball’s Scenic Excursion through Colorado and Wyoming

Over the long Labor Day weekend, my team and I played in the University of Wyoming tournament and then spent the rest of the weekend in Colorado, more specifically Estes Park. On Thursday, we flew into Denver and then drove the 2 hours to Laramie, Wyoming for the tournament. And then on Saturday night, after we were finished playing, we drove another 2.5 hours back into Colorado (Estes Park) where our coaches had rented a gorgeous house in the mountains that sleeps 20 people that also had its own hot tub (which our team utilized quite frequently). To make it even better, the view from the house was absolutely gorgeous.

view from the house

That evening while everyone was settling into the house and deciding where they would be sleeping for the next 2 nights, the team captains went grocery shopping since the team was responsible for cooking all three meals the next day, which actually went really well. Our team is filled with fantastic cooks.

eating our homemade dinner

On Sunday after we cooked breakfast, we got into our rental cars and ventured further up the mountains to the Rocky Mountains National Park where we climbed the Alluvial Fan Falls as well as another trial to the highest peak (it was quite cold up there, but there wasn’t any snow). Another highlight of the day was a trip to the famous Stanley Hotel, which was featured in the Stephen King movie, The Shining.

Alluvial Falls

at the top!

Stanlley Hotel

That evening while we were making dinner, a few of us went on a mini adventure around the area to see if we could spot some wildlife and we did! We got pretty close to some elk that were in the middle of a fight! We got as close as we could, but we were warned beforehand not to get too close for safety reasons. We just sat there for about 20 minutes watching them fight and of course taking in the beautiful view of the mountains behind them. It was quite relaxing.

Unfortunately we had to leave the next morning to travel back to DC, so that was all we had time to do, but we had a lot of fun!

Feel free to email me with any questions! cbgraf@gwmail.gwu.edu

-Christie

GW Nike Volleyball Invitational This Upcoming Weekend!

This Friday (9/14 & 9/15) is GW Volleyball’s Nike Invitational Tournament! On Friday we will be playing Princeton Friday night at 7pm and on Saturday, we will be playing New Hampshire at 10am and #21 BYU at 7pm. All games will be held at the Charles E. Smith Center, located near the center of campus. It should be a great tournament and if you are in the DC area, come and experience GW athletics! Remember 7pm on Friday and 10am and 7pm on Saturday!

As for our season so far, we have been busy! We have played in the Purdue, Wyoming, and Maryland tournaments over the last few weekends. Some of the matches have not gone the way we wanted, but we have played numerous top ranked teams in the nation and from each match we are learning valuable lessons and growing as a team. We have also been battling an injury-filled preseason, with at times having 6 people out and not able to play. Every day we have been getting better and we can’t wait for this weekend to play at our home tournament and to continue to prepare for our A10 regular season matches!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful start to their school year!

Feel free to email me with any questions, cbgraf@gwmail.gwu.edu

-Christie

The Whirlwind that is Volleyball Preseason

Hello all, it feels like I haven’t blogged in a long time so I figured I would update you on my life for the last 2 weeks, which has consisted of volleyball and class. As I previously mentioned, on August 7, our volleyball preseason began and my life has been even busier than it was during the summer! Every day we have had practice from 9am-12pm, a workout from 12pm-1pm, another practice from 3pm-6pm, and then weights from 6-7pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. And on top of this, I am currently finishing up my last summer class, Principles and Methods of Psychology. For the last 2 weeks if I have not been in class or at volleyball, I have been either eating, sleeping, or doing homework. Once preseason is over, I will be blogging much more frequently.

Preseason has gone really well, despite my team being plagued by injuries. We have been working hard and are excited to compete this weekend at the Purdue University tournament. Next week I will update you on how the tournament goes! In addition to playing volleyball, my team and I have also have had some fun team events, such as a ropes course (pictures to come) a Nationals game last night, and team dinners every single night.

2012 GW Volleyball (photo courtesy of gwsports.com)

We had a little fun on picture day (photo courtesy of @GW_Volleyball)

Wearing lovely GW ponchos since it was completly downpouring on the way to dinner (photo courtesy of @GW_Volleyball)

First day of practice! (photo courtesy of @GW_Volleyball)

Picture with George at the Nationals game!

If you want to follow all of the action of GW volleyball this season, in addition to reading my blog posts you can follow @GW_Volleyball on twitter!

As for my class, I am almost completely done with it. All I have left is to complete my final 10 page paper before I leave for the Purdue tournament this weekend. Wish me luck!

Feel free to email me with any questions! cbgraf@gwmail.gwu.edu

-Christie

What I did on my Summer Vacation

Well, in 2 days my summer vacation is technically over.  Why so early you ask? Tuesday begins the 2012 GW Volleyball season! I can’t wait to see all of my teammates and begin our journey to the A10 Championships.  

And while I refer to it as 'summer vacation,' it never truly felt like summer to me. As you may have inferred from my last post, I stayed in DC this entire summer instead of going home to Wisconsin. And from the moment my last final exam ended in May, my summer has been busier then I could have ever imagined. I’ve been interning all summer at ATF and it has been quite a rewarding experience to say the least. I learned a great deal and was exposed to possible careers to pursue after graduation. In addition to interning, I also took multiple classes here at GW, working hard to that I can earn my double major in Psychology and Criminal Justice. So between interning all day, working out, and taking classes at night five days a week, my summer schedule was more than a little full.

Fortunately, despite being so busy, I was able to go home for a few days in between my summer class sessions. It was a welcome, albeit too brief of a break and I was so thankful to see my family and friends for a few days and spend the 4th of July weekend with them. I also was able to continue one of my summer traditions—go to Summerfest, America’s largest musical festival, which is held every summer in Milwaukee on Lake Michigan (aka 10 minutes from my house). Last year, I ended up seeing 17 concerts at Summerfest within the span of 10 days, but since I was only home for a few days this summer, I was only able to see 2—Lady Antebellum and Darius Rucker—and both of them were amazing. However, I did go to another concert this summer in nearby Bristow, Virginia. I saw Sugarland, who never fails to put on a fantastic show. Obviously, I love concerts. They are probably my favorite summer activity.

I can’t believe that summer is basically over and I’m about to begin my senior year, but I am excited! And of course I’ll keep you all updated on my life as my senior year unfolds.
Feel free to email me with any questions! cbgraf@gwmail.gwu.edu       

-Christie

Fun Way to Stay Cool in the Summer: GW’s Vern Pool

As you might know, summers in DC can be quite humid and hot, reaching the upper 90s and lows 100s at times. And personally, my perfect temperature is the 70s range, otherwise I get hot. My motto is that if its above 80 degrees and I am outside, I need to be within reach of a pool. Although I do enjoy swimming in cooler temperatures as well (hey, I'm from Wisconsin, I can handle a little cold). My friends often call me crazy because I can comfortably go to the pool and tan when it is only 65 degrees outside (which is what I did over Christmas break in Florida this past December), but that has not been the case this summer in DC. In fact, these last few months, the temperature has rarely dropped below 85 degrees! So, in the beginning of the summer, on the weekends when I had free time (since I intern and have class during the week), I frequently hit up the Mount Vernon campus pool. Unfortunately, since then I haven’t had much free time to go and work on my tan.

The pool is free for GW students and members of the community can pay for a membership. All others must purchase a membership. And let me tell you, every time I've gone, it has been crowded. Everyone has had the same idea as me to escape the summer heat. After all, it is a very nice, quite large pool, supervised by lifeguards, so why wouldn't people al flock towards it? It was a godsend for me since I am used to spending countless summer days around my pool back home.

It was funny, the first time I went this summer, my friends and I all had on our suits, sunglasses, and were carrying our towels and some tourists walking through campus passed us and asked "where's the beach? or even the pool?" Little did they know that all you have to do is take the Vern Shuttle to the other campus and don't forget your towel and sunscreen!

Feel free to email me with any questions! cbgraf@gwmail.gwu,edu

-Christie

National Air and Space Museum

After exams ended, some friends of mine who were graduating and leaving the DC area in a few short weeks really wanted to experience the National Air and Space Museum over by Dulles Airport. They had been to the one located on the National Mall since it is located so close to us, but they really wanted to see the new edition of the Space Shuttle Discovery that was just flown across the country a few weeks earlier to the Dulles location. So, we borrowed my sister's car and drove over there, since you cannot metro over there. You might be able to bus over there or find another way, but I am not sure (I have only every driven there).

The museum is actually called the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center and according to the website was "named in honor of its major donor, and features the large Boeing Aviation Hangar in which aircraft are displayed on three levels. Visitors can walk among aircraft and small artifacts in display cases located on the floor, and view aircraft hanging from the arched ceiling on elevated skywalks. Many engines, helicopters, ultra-lights, and experimental flying machines are on display in a museum setting for the first time. Among the aviation artifacts on display are the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest jet in the world; the Boeing Dash 80, the prototype of the 707; the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay; and the deHavilland Chipmunk aerobatic airplane."

I have been there a few times previously and each time I find it completely fascinating. It is very easy to spend several hours just walking around mesmerized by the beautiful planes and learning about ones you know nothing about. It is quite a large facility as it is actually a full sized aviation hanger, complete with a separate wing for space aircrafts and a restoration area. There is also an IMAX located within, which shows a variety of films related to aircraft and space, including one about NAVY fighter pilots.

If you are in the area, have the transportation, and have a few hours to spend, I would definitely recommend visiting this museum. Here is their website if you want more information: http://airandspace.si.edu/udvarhazy/

For your enjoyment, I have plenty of pictures!

My favorite, the F-14 Tomcat

another view

an old Army medevac hellicopter

the newest edition to the museum, the Space Shuttle Discovery

the restoration area

Feel free to email me with any questions! cbgraf@gwmail.gwu.edu

-Christie

Paddleboating in the Tidal Basin

A few weeks before school ended, two of my friends and I were able to cross off an item from our spring semester bucket list: paddleboating on the Tidal Basin! We came across them when we were taking in all of the cherry blossoms and wanted to do it then, but they were closing for the evening. So, we decided to come back another day, but life kept getting in the way. It took a month, but we finally found the time on a beautiful Sunday afternoon to head down there and finally do it. It was a lot of fun! Tiring of course (they rent them out by the hour), but so much fun. Since there were 3 of us, we had to take a 4 person boat. From in the Tidal Basin we had the perfect view to take in the scenic sights of the surrounding monuments. If you are in the area and have time, I would definitely recommend checking this out. Here is the website for more information: http://www.tidalbasinpaddleboats.com/

And, like always, I have pictures of the outing!



Washington Monument

Me in front of the Jefferson Memorial

Oh no, she's "falling in"

taking a much needed paddle break

On another note, I am staying in DC all summer, interning, taking classes, and exploring the city, so I’ll keep you guys up to date on what I’m up to over the next few months!

Feel free to email me with any questions! cbgraf@gwmail.gwu.edu

-Christie

1st Ever Georgey Awards

So you know how professional sports have an award show named the ESPY’s? Well, this year GW decided to host their own version, honoring the best of GW athletics. And so, everyone in the athletic department, including the athletes, coaches, administration, and academic support donned their best semi-formal attire and traveled over to GW’s Lisner Auditorium for an evening of fun.

It was strange seeing all of the other athletes dressed up in dresses and suits because you rarely see them dressed in something other than athletic clothing. Everyone looked wonderful and the evening was rather enjoyable. It started off around 6:00pm with pictures outside, followed by appetizers in the lobby and basement of Lisner. Finally, at 7:00pm, the main event of the night began. The awards show was hosted by a member of the women’s soccer team and a member of the men’s baseball team. The awards being given ranged from Mr. and Miss Colonial and Community Service Award to Colonials' Best Moment of the Year. My volleyball team and I were actually nominated for the Colonial Best Moment of the Year for our phenomenal comeback and victory versus Georgetown in the DC Challenge, but ultimately lost to Men's Golf for setting a scoring record to earn their program's first-ever A-10 Championship.

Those who planned it put a lot of effort into it and it paid off. The event was a hit and we all can’t wait until next year’s ceremony. And of course, I have some pictures from the evening.

GW Volleyball Team (I am in the front row on the far left)

Roommates!

Georgey Award Statue *photo courtesy of gwsports.com

*photo courtesy of gwsports.com

*photo courtesy of gwsports.com

3 of my teammates presenting an award

Feel free to email me with any questions! cbgraf@gwmail.gwu.edu

-Christie

Locks of Love #6

As you may have noticed from some pictures I have posted of myself, I had really long hair. Well, as of a month or so ago, my long blonde hair that was down to my bellybutton is no longer. I decided to chop it all off for my 6^th Locks of Love hair donation.

What is locks of love? According to their website, “Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis.” I found out about this organization when I was in 4^th grade from one of my close friends who was growing her hair out to donate it and the more I thought about it, the more I decided that I wanted to join her in donating. So, she waited a few extra months for me, and we cut off our lovely locks together, her 13 inches and me 11 inches. Since then, I’ve gotten into kind of a rhythm; I cut my hair for locks of love, grow it out for about 2 years (with a few trims in between) and then cut it again.  As I previously mentioned, I have cut it 6 times for locks of love, 4^th grade, 6^th grade, 9^th grade, 11^th grade, freshman year in college, and a few weeks ago (junior year in college).

When I donated in 9^th and 11^th grades, I did so in front of my entire high school, which hosts an annual Locks of Love Assembly where sometimes as many as 80 students donate their hair all at the same time in front of all of their classmates. All of the girls with extraordinarily long hair say goodbye to thir locks and leave school with a much lighter head of hair. It was always one of the most anticpated assemblies of the year. In fact, in 9^th grade, Ann Curry and the Today Show came and featured our assembly on their show!

I’ve been blessed with beautiful hair and so I want to share and donate it to a great cause. I figure instead of cutting my hair and have it end up on the floor of the salon, why not cut a little more and have the haircut be meaningful.

In order to donate your hair, there are some requirements, such as the donation must be at least 10 inches and the hair must be in a ponytail or braid when it is cut. I know that some of you reading this will say, 10 inches?? That’s a lot! But, trust me, the first donation was a bit of a shock, but after that, cutting off 10+ inches of my hair all at once barely fazes me (someone pointed out to me that if we combine all the times I have donated, it equals over 65 inches! Wow!). There are some other restrictions and rules of course. If you want to read more about locks of love, here is their website: http://www.locksoflove.org/

And of course, I have accumulated pictures from the times I have donated my hair over the years. Unfortunately, I only have pictures on my computer from my donations in 11^th grade and this year.


11th Grade's 'Before' Shot (I'm on the left)

Donating during our High School Locks of Love Assembly

'After' shot

This Year's 'Before' Shot (Junior Year)

Another 'Before' Shot

Getting Ready for the Big Cut!

Snip Snip

Goodbye 12 inches! Hair to be mailed.

My 'After' Shot (my hair is still quite long)

Feel free to email me with any questions! cbgraf@gwmail.gwu.edu

-Christie