Virginia Tech

Once a Hokie, Always a Hokie. I am sure this is not news to you, but I love Virginia Tech with ever fiber of my being. If it was a person I would lay my life down for it. Bad things happen everywhere, every day, and on other college campuses too. Unfortunately, Virginia Tech is under a microscope because of the horrific, unthinkable tragedy that happened there almost five years ago. I will NEVER ever forget that day; so many lost their lives way too soon. Whenever I get down, frustrated, or annoyed by something I try to think of those 32 that aren't here to live this life. I am, and I shouldn't take it for granted.

Today we lost a Virginia Tech police officer to another senseless act of violence. You can say Virginia Tech is cursed, that bad things happen there, but you're wrong. Blacksburg is where my heart is and it will always be there. I know all my Hokies understand. Those of you that took this as an opportunity to make jokes or talk badly about Virginia Tech, shame on you. On April 16, 2007 we received an outpouring of support and it was wonderful. Today there was a lot of support too, but also some hate and I ask why? Thirty-two innocent victims are murdered and people literally send their support (see below), but one is killed and it's somehow a joke? I feel sorry for you and the person that you are, or at least the person that you portray to the world. But mostly I feel sorry for you because you never got to go Virginia Tech and experience the magnificence that is Blacksburg! HOKIE NATION. WE ARE VIRGINIA TECH.

Rest in peace Officer Crouse and thank you for your service. UT PROSIM.

It's the Final Countdown

I have less than two days left at work until 12 glorious days off. I know you're jealy. First of all, I will mention the nightmare from Saturday. It was my birthday, as well as Virginia Tech's! The university opened October 1, 1872 and then 112 years later the real fun began when I was born. I cannot believe I just found out that bit of news on Saturday. Anyhow, neither of those were the nightmare. The nightmare was that game, against Clemson, OMG. I have been a Hokie fan for nine years and I am pretty sure that was the most painful game I ever watched. Just awful. Our defense played pretty well, but that was the only bright spot. Our offense was HORRENDOUS as was the play calling. And the special teams was special, but not in the way you want them to be. I can't say I was that surprised though, judging how we played against our first four cupcakes opponents. Oh well, it's just a game. Hopefully it doesn't dictate the rest of the season. I am heading down to Blacksburg for the Miami game and I cannot wait!

So yep, work tomorrow, and a halfish day on Wednesday and I am done. I signed some of my resignation forms today and it felt so good. Today was just a great day overall. You know, just one of those days where you wake up and think, "life is great, today is going to be an awesome day." Then the guilty verdict was partially overturned for Amanda Knox, which just made me so happy for her. She gets to come home now. Say what you want about her, but she was railroaded by the Italian police and justice system. They botched the case from the beginning and the prosecutor has a very questionable past. It sucks that she had to spend four years of her life in jail and fighting this case, but now she gets a fresh start back home and she's only 24. Isn't that what life is all about?!

And I will leave you with my newest obsession, Lost and Found by Kate Herzig:

Let's Remember

Well, this week never really turned around as my car wouldn't start and had to be towed to the automotive shop, the Hokies played like crap (but a win is a win), and I feel like crap. Seriously, I don't think I have ever had a sinus infection, but I guess that's what this is? I have the worst sharp pain in my forehead that only goes away for a few hours when I take ibuprofen and I get the chills and night sweats.

However, I can't really complain that much because I am alive. Today is the ten year anniversary of 9/11, the first of three events in which I realized this is a cruel, crappy world. I remember the exact moment when we heard about the Twin Towers. I was in Chemistry class, a junior in high school and they came on the announcement with a message about what was happening. At first I thought President Bush had been assassinated. That wasn't it though and we would only begin to comprehend what happened over the next couple hours. We ended up getting out of school early. The other two events I will never forget are the DC snipers and of course, 4/16 at Virginia Tech.

So if you're feeling down today or worrying about this and that, take a moment to reflect on your life and why you're still here.

Rain Rain Go Away

The rain kind of coincides with how I feel right now. Just down. That's why I haven't blogged. Well I was also busy down in Blacksburg, which was a totally fun time. I wish I could have stayed longer, but I came back Saturday night because I had a wedding on Sunday. The wedding was also a great time. Labor Day is where is took a turn, but hopefully in time things will be better.

On another note, a brighter one, I have less than 30 days left at my current job, which makes me very happy. I am ready to move on and try something new. Sometimes I wonder if I am making the right decision, but every day at that place makes me realize that I am! Oh and more good news--my achilles tendonitis is finally better! I don't think it's 100% yet, but I have been running. And yesterday I ran the furthest I have run in like a month, 5.5 miles, which made me feel so much better. It's really hard for me to rest even though I know that's the only thing that will help most of the time.

And lastly you should check out this song by NeedToBreathe because it's awesome!

Let's Go...

Are you ready for college football?! Specifically Virginia Tech! I am so excited and cannot wait to get down to Blacksburg tomorrow. Are you ready for all of this:

Best Tailgating Ever

Blacksburg Bars & $10 tabs

David Wilson... all that needs to be said

And of course the main event. Where all the magic happens. THE BEST PLACE ON EARTH. Where you bounce like you've never bounced before as the players run out of the tunnel and chills run down your spine. Where dreams come true. The place I experienced some of the best times, seen some amazing wins, but also soul-crushing defeats. No place else I'd rather be than spending four hours with 66,233 amazing people!

Worsham Field!

ENTER SANDMAN.

Lane freakin' Stadium

I know I am. I have been waiting for this since January. I can't wait to see all most of my college friends, enjoy cheap, but amazing food, ridiculously cheap drinks, make some awesome memories, and see my Hokies yard stomp Appalachian State! LET'S GO... HOKIES!

Earthcane

So I like Hurriquake better, but the earthquake came first. What a week. To be honest, the "hurricane" or tropical storm wasn't that bad here. However, it was pretty bad south of us and it seems NYC is going to be hit pretty hard. Yesterday was so.freaking.boring. I didn't really feel like venturing out during the day and was not about to go anywhere last night. Plus I stayed up pretty late all week so I wanted to catch up on sleep. I went to bed around 11 last night and slept until almost 9am. Solid! Half the power is out in my apartment. Actually, maybe more than that. Both bedrooms are out and then random places in the living room and kitchen have no power. I wonder how long this will last.

Guess what is now less than one week away?! Virginia Tech's opener against Appalachian State. I cannot wait and I am headed down there on Friday. I have to come back some time Saturday night though because I have another wedding on Sunday.

I am going to yoga soon. Hope all is well at the studio! NAMASTE.

Lime Mousse Cake

It was a busy weekend in Taylo's world. Okay really only Saturday night through Sunday night, but whatever. I went out in DC Saturday night and got to see a bunch of friends. Late night, but fun times. Next I think you should know that I designed and ordered the coolest shoes on NikeID! I know you're jelly. I would be too. Now I am even more excited for the opener against Appalachian State. I'll definitely be the coolest person at the tailgates and games. Orange and maroon head to toe! Okay, I'll shut up now.

I ran a bajillion miles yesterday trying to increase my mileage for the Richmond Marathon. I am reeeeeeeal pissed though. I could have run even more, but my right heel was/is killing me. I decided to stray from my beloved Asics and get Mizunos. I will never betray Asics again. These Mizunos are killing my heel, but only the right one?! I thought it was blistering, but no. It's like someone has taken a hammer to my heel. Grggghhhhh. It only hurts when I'm in sneakers though. Anyhow, I was out at my parents so I got to run through the neighborhood hitting every street and seeing the mountain views. It was nice and the weather was awesome. One thing though. Doesn't everyone over the age of 10 know to run AGAINST traffic so you can see the cars coming at you? Apparently Mr. No shirt running with my jogging stroller missed that lesson in life. He was running WITH the traffic which made it real awkward when we happened to be running the same direction at the same point and a car came through.

Then my Mom made an awesome dinner and it was nice to sit outside without it being 876 degrees! She made whole wheat pasta with crab, shrimp, and asparagus! On the side we had garlic bread and salad. I piled so much pasta on my plate and my mom told me I wouldn't eat it all. Wrong. Then for dessert we had Lime Mousse Cake and it was all homemade. Even the crust!


So, I know what you're thinking. "So that's where Taylo gets her cooking skillssss." Hahaha! Right Mom? Mom said the cake is only for the pros. Whatever, I could make that cake in my sleep. Only three days left until my weekend begins!

Is It Friday Yet?

No, I mean really. This week is dragging and it sucks, so I just want it to be Friday and time for happy hour after work!

I cannot even begin to describe the annoying things happening this week. Why does an awesome week have to be followed by a crappy one? Does this mean I can plan for a good one next week?! Wah, woe is me. At least we finally have our first softball game tonight, which I am pretty excited about. It was rained out last week. The downside? This HEAT. It is ridiculous and only going to get worse tomorrow and Thursday. Really puts the skids on running outside, which is hard for me because I hate the torturetreadmill.

Okay, I can stop whining for a second to talk about VIRGINIA TECH football! Specifically recruiting. I feel like we're having great success in recruiting with Shane Beamer on board now. Our most recent commit, Augie Conte, commited to Virginia Tech even though both of his parents are Hoos (we all make mistakes in life). Yay, go Hokies!

And let's go 1411D! We better win tonight.

Memories

First of all, I am so annoyed with facebook lately. It is SO RIDICULOUSLY slow, and especially at night--when I am on it! Last night I decided to upload some old high school and early college photos. I was having so much fun reminiscing over the old photos so I thought I would upload to share with those people who had the fun with me! Facebook had other ideas. What should have taken 10 minutes took about an hour, and made me want to curb stomp my laptop. I didn't even upload all the photos I wanted because it was being so slow and I needed to go to bed.

Anywayyyy, it just made me further realize why I miss Virginia Tech so much. It was such an easy, fun, carefree time in life. Seriously, if you're in college, ENJOY IT! Do not wish time away. Do not talk about how much you can't wait to graduate. It is the best time of your life and things are a whole lot harder after college. Sure, there are good times now, and no it's not that hard, but life happens. It's just different. I also miss having so many of my friends in one place. On the other hand, I am lucky because many are in the area and I get to see them a great deal.

I got in at 7:15am today. Metro is so much more pleasant in the earlier hours, but I just hate getting up earlier than 6:45-7am. I have to leave early today though... only a little bit more to go and it's almost Thursday! Plus I get to hang out with one of those college friends in the photos tonight! Yay!

Bring it back

Okay first of all, please excuse the horrendous color scheme on previous posts. I need to work on fixing that. Secondly, clearly I have not written in awhile--like almost three years. Well that changes today: Taylo in the back yo is back!

So let's see. What am I going to write about here? Well back in 2008, I didn't like running anywhere. Not even to food, alcohol, the beach, the bar, a Hokie football game. I mean, let's be honest: we used to have to run in high school for tennis and as soon as I was out of the coach's sight it was time to WALK! Now, I love running. I'm obsessed. If I ever cannot, for some reason, run, well it will be an ugly day. So, what I am trying to tell you is that I will probably talk about running here.

What else? Yoga. I have only recently gotten into that, but I am really liking it too. Specifically baptiste yoga. Still, running is my number one fave.

Also, I might post about cooking, baking, eating, restaurants, whatevs. Then lastly, but MOST CERTAINLY NOT LEAST, I will talk about Virginia Tech as I am still unhealthily obsessed with everything Virginia Tech. Football, basketball, visits back to campus, Enter Sandman, college friends parties, tailgating, VT clothing, alum gatherings, Hokie weddings, etc. It NEVER STOPS AND IT NEVER WILL! If you have a problem with this, I suggest your eyes find something else to read.

And my old posts, they're probably going to be different because obviously that was a different time in my life. I was only 22/23 and still young and naive. Now I am so much older (26!), so mature, worldly, and all that bullshit. Also, some of my old posts allude to something I was so excited about. I guess the good news is that I am doing what I was so excited about. The bad news is it was cool at first, but I am over it now, and can honestly say I am the complete opposite of what I once was about it. When I started I thought it was the best thing to ever happen to me. I seriously was so beyond excited and grateful. Now I cannot wait to sprint the hell out of here and just move on. I am not as bad as I was this past Fall/Winter so hopefully I don't bitch too much, but just be forewarned: I will refer to it and it will most likely, not be positive!

So glad you're here. Everyone is welcome, until you piss me off. Haha, jk. Kinda.

Can't believe it has been a year...

It seems like it was just yesterday. A year goes so quickly, but not much changes. Those 32 are still gone, their families still suffering and I am sure the injured are still climbing the mountain to their full recovery. So as the day winds down I wanted to take some time to remember the families, the injured and 32 we lost...

Ross A. Alameddine
Christopher James Bishop
Brian R. Bluhm
Ryan Christopher Clark
Austin Michelle Cloyd
Jocelyne Couture-Nowak
Daniel Alejandro Perez Cueva
Kevin P. Granata
Matthew Gregory Gwaltney
Caitlin Millar Hammaren
Jeremy Michael Herbstritt
Rachael Elizabeth Hill
Emily Jane Hilscher
Jarrett Lee Lane
Matthew Joseph La Porte
Henry J. Lee
Liviu Lebrescu
G.V. Lognathan
Partahi Mamora Halomoan Lumbantoruan
Lauren Ashley McCain
Daniel Patrick O'Neil
Juan Ramon Ortiz-Ortiz
Minal Hiralal Panchal
Erin Nicole Peterson
Michael Steven Pohle, Jr.
Julia Kathleen Pryde
Mary Karen Read
Reema Joseph Samaha
Waleed Mohamed Shaalan
Leslie Geraldine Sherman
Maxine Shelly Turner
Nicole Regina White

....hokies always in our hokie hearts.