The Arctic Ocean

You know, when I stop to think about some of the amazing things I've
done in my (almost) 33 years of life, I really am quite lucky.

I have been to Europe and been to England several times. I have seen
the top of the Eiffel Tower and L'Arc de Triomphe. I have gazed upon
the real Mona Lisa. I have been on the Autobahn in Germany. I have
driven through the small country of Luxembourg (even though we didn't
get out of the car). I have walked on cobbled streets in Brugge,
Belgium.

I have been to Florida and California, including Los Angeles, San
Francisco and San Diego. ( I even went into Tijuana, Mexico, with my
family). I have lived in Seattle and Chicago. I have driven solo across
the country from Chicago to Seattle three times. Solo. I have seen Mt.
Rushmore and Devil's Tower.

This morning the athletic director took us out looking around in the
daylight. There are still whale skullbones strewn upon the beaches from
the whaling. We went to the Welcome to Barrow sign that proudly
displays these whale bones and I got out to the ocean.

First of all, this is the first time I have ever seen a freezing ocean.
Salt water does freeze. Chunks of ice washed in with each crashing of
the waves. It looked kind of dirty but that's the sea. I had to climb
over slush in order to get to the waves as they sloshed up. I managed
to get there, crunching into some of the ice. I dipped my hands into
the Arctic Ocean.

This is now my third ocean. I have swam in the Pacific and the
Atlantic. I always thought this was just a dream, a place on the map
that I would probably never get to. I am here in Barrow, Alaska.