Goodbyes and Hellos

The day before I moved happened to be Katie and Anna's 18th birthday. And my idea of a great birthday surprise was to make the half hour drive to their house to wake them up at 7:30 for a last final run together. The plan worked flawlessly (save for a slight delay in my arrival time because I missed a turn and the next turn around point was 2.5 miles away. And yes I did have the GPS. It's sad really). They then spent the day with me, helping me and my mom babysit an adorable 6 month old baby and watching half of Disturbia. The Johnsons also broke fast with us (since I am and Muslim and practice Ramadan). The birthday girls also went with me to my semi-surprise goodbye party thrown on by a few friends who wanted to see me off before my big college journey. It was a great day, albeit incredibly sad as I was hit with stress and fear in waves. Saying bye was tough but it wasn't forever. I'm stealing this quote from a wall post one of my friends made today... "‎"Don’t be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again." -Richard Bach"".

Saturday commenced with a final run with my high school team where the twins bestowed upon me the gift of music in the form of a carefully picked out CD. Thanks guys.

My family helped me move up to La Jolla and settle into my dorm. My roommate, Sarah, is incredibly sweet and I am so excited to be her teammate for the next four years. Everyone else is really great too, making a point to make us freshman feel included. And the final cuts haven't even been made yet. We are all hoping that no one gets cut at all. That the 20 girls on the female roster can be stretched to 23 and the 16 boys on the male roster can include 2 more.

Right now we are in evaluation week (aka tryout week) which included a easy run, strength test and time trial, which combined with our previous personal records are taken in account. Nate (my coach) said he's not only evaluating our physical fitness but how well we interact with the team and the amount of effort we are putting into everything.  Now that I have completed the strength test,  I know upper body strength is my weakness (luckily it seems everyone else save a few incredible individuals are in the same boat).  But the strength circuit he put us through today is the first step in remedying that problem. ;)

Wish me luck tomorrow for my time trial. It is a hilly, twisty course through "The Trees", essentially the eucalyptus grove that extends throughout the campus. I am excited and nervous, and I hope I can prove the coaches and team that I deserve to be there.

I guess that's my update for now. Thanks to whoever is reading!