As I am sure you have all gathered by the title of this blog...Priscilla and I are engaged! Here is the story: Our day, Monday the 22nd of September, started with me waking Priscilla at about 8:30. The sun was already and it was the beginning of another beautiful and cool morning in upstate New York. After a light breakfast of Cinnamon Life cereal we headed to Schenectady Airport where I had arranged a Cessna 172 for us. For those of you who are unaware, the C172 is a four seat airplane driven by a single piston engine. Like any good [View Full Entry]

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So, what have I done? Since being home, I've been working at this house for Steve and Melissa from my mom's office (the expeditionary studies department of SUNY Plattsburgh). One of the students from the department has been working with them and helped me get this work so I wouldn't be stuffed in the back office of some company doing the most senseless work possible. I've learned how to run electrical outlets and installed lights and switches. I've done work all over the house from sanding and cleaning, to learning how to drive a tractor. I enjoy my job, and even [View Full Entry]

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So I've been home for a few weeks...still more pictures to post. I haven't heard back about my grade from the Belarus class yet, which is a pain. Been working a bit of construction type stuff for a woman my mom works with. Spending some time with the other kids I'm working with- actually went out with them the other night to a bar in the Burgh. Wierd for me. Really wierd. Family was up for graduation party on Cumberland Head. Wind and rain all weekend. Babcia bought a house about 3 miles from mine that weekend, too. She should be [View Full Entry]

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I was privileged to attend my friends wedding on the top of Mt Marcy, near Lake Placid, NY. Seven of us, including the happy couple-to-be, made the ascent. The trip took 5 hours up and 5 back again for us out-of-shapers. We held a simply ceremony near the top, though I'm leaving out pics of that, and sticking with the views. There's something a bit cheap about mountaintop photos. Is it possible to take a bad shot? But beauty is beauty, and here we go. I haven't seen anything like this since I went up Snowdon in Wales (a couple picks [View Full Entry]

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Hi everyone, I'm just ducking into the public library to give you all a shout out from Sarnac Lake Village, NY. The bugs weren't so bad, but there was a tough little portage and up stream paddle along the Raquette River! Some very low class II rapids, mostly a walk and less of a paddle. Brett and I are doing well and actually have seen some sweet wild life. There was a very curious pine martin that decided to pay us a visit at camp last night, we saw a HUGE snapper turtle (I'm talking bite your paddle apart big) that [View Full Entry]

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Hi everyone, This is just a quick little blurp about how our trip is going so far. Brett and I have had a productive and busy couple of days. We have canoed across ten (and a half -Brett doesn't want to get short changed) lakes and two rivers/streams (the Raquette was WAY low this morning and we had to walk the canoe through most of the knee high rapids). We are currently resuppling in Long Lake before we go into the most remote section of the NFCT in NY (three days; no roads, no people, no worries). The black flies are [View Full Entry]

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So graduation is the next step in this summer's travels. I know I didn't have to go anywhere for it, but still it changes who I am. I'm sick, for the 3 days between graduation and my trip to Europe. I'm really excited for this trip even though half of it is for a class. My family is excited to see me and that makes me happy. Alright, a few pictures and then I have to keep packing. [View Full Entry]

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March 30th 2008 3678 feet / 1121 metres ascent, 8km trail. This was my intro hike to the wonderful world of hiking. I have never, ever hiked before this moment. It was a BEAUTIFUL sunday. Not a cloud in the sky and it seemed as if spring had finally sprung cuz it was fairly warm too but I knew to be prepared anyway so I wore warm layers ready for -10 degree weather and packed a bunch of stuff including food cuz you never know what can happen folks!! My day pack wasn't too heavy or cumbersom in the end either. [View Full Entry]

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On Thursday, I headed to Lake Placid to see the Division III Men’s College Hockey Frozen Four and spend time with some college friends. It isn’t my first trip up to LP, so I was looking forward to a fun and interesting weekend. Because I went to college in central NY, the cold north has always felt like home to me, and as I drove up the Northway, I could feel myself relax measurably. By the time I reached my friend’s parents' cottage on the lake, where we would be spending the next five days, I was ready for the weekend! [View Full Entry]

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My heart was still racing from yesterday, and I couldn’t keep my mind off of it. I could still vividly see the billions of cars in our way and how the car flew into the air, like it was a movie on my eyelids and when ever I closed my eyes I could see it. When I got off the plane, I met with James Dalesworth, Dave’s son. He was very much like his father and was a police officer. James was only twenty six years old and single. He was very much a ladies man and everywhere I went with [View Full Entry]

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