The Accidental Olympian

SISTERLY STROLL *UPDATED*

My little sister was in town this weekend. Saturday afternoon, disappointed that the weather refused to warm up and allow us to work off our hangovers by laying around in the sun on the lake, we instead took to my new favorite place in Olympia, the Chehalis Western Trail to walk away our last bits of remaining uncomfortableness. 

With the weather gloomy and drizzly we only ever saw one other person on the trail over the course of our 6 mile walk, the rest of our visitors were from the animal kingdom.

But I was ok with that.

Let's be honest, I'm not exactly all that friendly when I'm nursing the last bits of a hangover.

*UPDATE* To anyone who thinks that we woke up hungover and headed right out for a 6 mile walk, do not worry your pretty little heads. Also, do not think even for a second that I am some crazy exercising away my hangover, nut job.

We woke up, consumed a greasy spoon-multi million calorie breakfast, watched 400 episodes of really weird shit on my DVR, and THEN went on a walk because I knew if we never left the house for the rest of the night I would melt into the couch and possibly never leave again. By 6pm we desperately needed some fresh air to whisk away the last remnants of hangoverness, before heading back to the couch of course.

Glad we cleared that up.

Ashley, the Accidental Olympian

6 MILE SUNDAY

Each time I have the thought, "I miss living in the city," I have a day like today where Olympia reminds me how lucky I am to live 10 minutes away from things like this, or my newest discovery, the Chehalis Western Trail. 

Ten minutes from my house lies a paved trail covering over 20 miles that winds through fields, forests, past rivers and through neighborhoods. I was only ten minutes from my house, and yet, my home, and civilization felt hours away.

One of these days Olympia I'll just stop fighting it and finally proclaim my full and total love for you.

Don't you start counting down the days or anything Olympia.

I said one of these days. 

Ashley, the Accidental Olympian

KINDNESS & KARMA WEEK, THE FRIENDSHIP EDITION

I like having posts with 'editions'.

Does that make me quirky?

Ha, who am I kidding. Being ME makes me quirky.



So, here we are at the end of a week about kindness, karma, and good o'l fashion happiness. I don't know about you, but I feel better.

One of the things I've tried to focus on this week is looking at all the pieces in my life that are working. All the layers that fit together to make this life I live a lot higher on the AWESOME spectrum and much less leaning towards the LAME spectrum.

There was a time, right after I relocated to Olympia where I believed that besides Adam and my dog, I was alone. Alone in this world, alone in this city, and Adam and I would simply be forced to soldier on together, two against the world.

And yet today I am able to stand here and say that this is so very far from the truth. Making friendships, especially lasting friendships as an adult is one of the most trying experiences next to moving and job hunting. Yet somehow, some way, we all manage to make it work.


Some friendships in our lives are less traditional. In this age of social media, the bloggosphere and the Internet it's amazing that I can stand here and proclaim to you that I believe I have managed to make and build meaningful friendships that truly enrich the quality of my life with some of you wonderful people who visit my website. Sometimes it is something as simple as connecting with another blogger and feeling as if we might actually be twins separated at birth (I'd link to some of you wonderful people, but I don't want this to become some weird popularity contest. Believe me, you all know who you are. I love you biatches!).

Sometimes it is watching as a friendship once unbreakable in elementary school/junior high then fizzled out in High School/adulthood is rekindled using the magic of Facebook. Who knew Facebook not only helped cure boredom and increase stalker tendencies, but it also helped rebuild friendships!

Then there are the kind of friendships that continue to be felt even when states and timezones separate your bond. These friendships aren't able to be felt on a day to day basis, there are no happy hours or weekend barbecues yet after a year apart, as you stand in your kitchen catching up like old times and you realize the time, money, and effort this friend sacrificed just to be there with you on your 25th birthday, you can't help but thank your lucky stars for their existence in your life.

What about the people who've known you for so long, you now consider them family? Hell, what about true family! I mean, who doesn't love having people in your life who will always know you a little deeper than the rest of the world? Even if in knowing you a little better than everyone else means they are able to embarrass you with ease!

Then we have the friendships that take you back and remind you of milestones long passed, but never forgotten. These friendships are precious because when you're together, it's as if you suddenly have the power to time travel.

Of course you can't forget those friends from life in your everyday either. By some grace of good luck I have found amazing women in this town, women who welcome me openly into their lives, women who make plans, take walks, sip wine, attend birthdays, women willing to reach out and give me support through a tough decision, take a walk along a pier, listen to my fears, invite me to a Zumba class because they know I need to be cheered up, carry my secrets, laugh with me. These women have made Olympia so much more than a stopping point in my life, but an actual home. Without them this city would indeed be a friendless wasteland, but with their acceptance and friendship, this town has become a place I love. 


Thank you to all the people in my life, both big and small. From the comments on this blog that BRIGHTEN my day, to the emails, the ghat conversations that stretch on for weeks, and the two hour marathon phone conversations, the happy hours, or Facebook repartees, dinner parties, or reunions, long walks, exercise classes, and practices, YOU NAME IT, I love you fools.



MAN, this is probably going to go down as one of the most sappy of sappy posts I've ever written! Forgive me for ending this week so damn hopeful and elated if that sort of thing gets under your skin and the only reason you ever even started reading this blog in the first place was the fact that you liked that I was snarky and mean. If you're missing the angry woman who's down on her luck and ready to snap, I'm sure she's still down there lurking around. Somewhere.

But before she rears her ugly head, come in here and give me a hug.

You know you wanna.  

Ashley, the SAPPY Accidental Olympian

OLY OLY OLY, OI OI OI

That my friends is the Oly Rollers battle cry, warrior chant, victory declaration? Whatever it is called, all you need to know is that when someone screams, "OLY OLY OLY" you need to scream back, "OI OI OI."

I'm glad you know this now. I was worried you all wouldn't fit in. 

Last night the travel team took on the Charm City Roller Girls and seeing as I am nowhere near good enough to play on the travel team, as a league member and someone who plays on the 'intermediate team' I did glamorous things like man the bakesale booth (yes we are 12), sell raffle tickets, and stand around and scream things like, "KILL HER! KILL HER TWICE! HELL, KILL HER TWELVE TIMES!" all the while jumping up and down like a banshee. 

Do you like to scream? Jump around like a crazy person? Are you that person at a sporting event who's getting WAY too excited, possibly even the parent/friend/fan who brings your own cowbell to help cheer the team on (MOM!)?

Then I suggest you find your local roller derby team and watch a bout.

It will feel like you finally found your home.

 

 

  All images were taken on my iPhone using either the Hipstamatic app or the Camera Bag app.

Did you get your tickets to watch your first roller derby bout yet? 

You didn't?

How about now?

Damn you people are slow.

Ok, well, if this doesn't hook you I don't know what will. At last nights bout there was a man dressed in a banana suit, but he'd modified it to try to look like a chicken suit, and he wasn't even the mascot of the team Oly was playing, but for some reason he came all the way from Philly anyway, and he juggled, while clucking. SERIOUSLY.

That hooked you didn't it? Right after you read that you bought tickets for a local bout didn't you?

Knew it.

You seem like the type of people who'd go nuts for a guy in a modified chicken suit.

*Did you enter the give away yet? DO IT!*

Ashley, the Accidental Olympian

MY POT OF GOLD

So I was driving home from the grocery store, feeling like crap because the money I just spent on sustenance and survival had pretty much bankrupted me when I came around the corner and saw this,

Suddenly there was no reason to frown because, "DUDE! Some leprechaun left gold under my floorboards or something and damn it I AM GOING TO FIND IT!" 

Us poor folk don't fuck around when it comes to leprechaun gold. The tile, the carpets, the grass are all coming up!

What can I say? A poor girls gotta do, what a poor girls gotta do.  

Ashley, the Accidental Olympian