Tag Archives: swimming

Sometimes You Just Gotta Jump

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Thursday, I went to the Middleton Pool for some sunshine and reading time.  I was happy to spend some time alone and getting some reading done.  Plus, I needed some time to reflect on my life.  So, off to the pool I went.

For the first hour or so, I was listening to some Podcasts, watching children participating in an Easter Egg hunt in the pool, and attempting to leaf through a few pages of my book.  (For those interested, I am slogging through How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer.)  After being at the pool for an hour, it was finally time for adult swim.

Now, for those who have never experienced adult swim, it is a magical time.  All of the children MUST exit the pool for ten minutes.  Glory exists when there is no line for the water slide, no splashing in the deeper end of the pool, and no screaming from gleeful children.  It is pure magic.

I hopped into the pool during adult swim to dunk my head underwater.  At that time, I realized there were no children going down the slide.  I hopped up the stairs, got the go ahead from the lifeguard, and flew down the chute.  Then, I repeated that again twice.  I was loving life; bounding down the water slides.

When I was finished with the slides, I realized I only had a few more moments of child-free adult swim time.  I decided I needed to take the plunge and jump off of the diving board.

Now, I must confess.  I cannot remember the last time I jumped off of a diving board.  My best guess is sometime in elementary school either in swimming lessons or at a friend’s birthday party.  Honestly, fourth grade is the last time I remember swimming at the Shawano Recreation Center, so that is the best guess of the last time I was jumping off of a diving board.  So, again, this was fifteen years ago.

I mustered up some moxie, climbed up the small ladder, and reached the end of the diving board.  I took a few quick bounces, plugged my nose, and jumped in.  It was not a graceful jump whatsoever.  But, I just took the opportunity to jump and went with it.

Of course, I’m thinking of how this is a metaphor for my life.  I need to stop thinking and letting my mind talk me out of opportunities and just go.  I need to start thinking about now and the immediate future instead of three years down the road.  It is a definite paradigm change I need to make in myself and it is something that I am going to be working on.  But, I can do it.  I know I can.

The summertime glory of the Middleton Pool.

Summertime and the Living’s Easy

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At one point in college, I thought about majoring in politics and government.  So it is no surprise that I love my country very much, even more so around Independence Day.  I had a great holiday weekend seeing some of my best friends, but it also is a reminder that summer is already to the halfway point.

My weekend really started Saturday.  Marlea and I met up and went to the Middleton Pool to get some sun and swimming in.  We both have a newfound appreciation for adult swim and waterslides.  It was a perfect afternoon in the sun, however, I have a bit of a tan now from that day.  Luckily the burn has now passed.  We met up for Rhythm and Booms that night at the Union Terrace.  I did end up leaving a bit early that evening since it hurt just to sit down with the sunburn on my stomach.  I now know I’ve learned that sunscreen is an important aspect of summertime activities.

Sunday, I drove to Milwaukee to see some of my favorite ADPis.  I met up with Flynn, Sarah, Lexie, and Shelby at the mall that afternoon.  We wandered around, and Ali met up with us after she finished giving tours of Miller Valley.  Lexie and Shelby went off to Summerfest, while the four of us went to see Monte Carlo in theaters.  I cannot believe how much we gasped and gushed during the movie, but I can believe that we were the only group there without a child.  After the movie, we went to P.F. Changs and then I was off to Plymouth to see Sam.

Flynn, Sarah, Ali, and me out at dinner.

When I got to Sam’s house, we went out to our friend Austin’s house for his birthday.  I was happy to see other Ripon kids, especially Sigma Chis, and to help celebrate Austin’s birthday.  It was great to see Sam’s little brother George as well, especially since we were telling hilarious stories back and forth.  It really makes me miss all of the other fraternity guys and gets me really excited for Derby Days this fall.

Sam and me out at the bonfire.

Sam and I enjoyed Independence Day with Lexi.  It was fun to catch up with her and set off some sparklers in the daylight.  We even had patriotic bows and headbands to complete our red, white, and blue outfits.

Me and Lexi celebrating America’s independence.

Sam and I ended up falling asleep watching American Pickers (after a few episodes of Pawn Stars) that night, but were happy for the evening.

Tuesday, we spent the day enjoying the weather and taking in a day for the two of us.  We started off sleepy, but then got out to Sheboygan to grab a new cell phone battery for Sam, then went to lunch at the Highland House right on the water.  We then visited Julia at the John Michael Kohler Art Center to see where she worked, which was great to see her.  Sam and I ran off to the waterfront to see the lighthouse and worked our way back to Plymouth to see Antoinette the cow.

Sitting at the lighthouse on Lake Michigan.

Getting my photo with Antoinette.

Tuesday I had an opportunity to take in the Brewers/Diamondbacks game with Matt.  We met up with Joe and Megan who were also at the game.  It was great to see those two before they head off to South Carolina this fall.

This week back in Madison has been pretty quiet, which I am not going to complain about.  Just getting some work done each day and relaxing in my off time.  It’s been a lot of fun, and I am excited for another great summertime weekend.