Monday, July 30, 2012

It's Decided.

I'm going to be a Gym Teacher. 
I don't care that people make fun of it.
And I don't care I'll make very little money.

But I do care about the kids I'll be able to influence. 
I care about the lives I can hopefully change for the better.
I care about teaching kids that being fit can also be fun.
I care about providing at least one good example to that child that may have none. 
And I care about having a flexible job so I can be there for my family.

Just thinking about it brings a smile to my face. 
This summer working at the kids camp has helped me see what my 
life would be like if I were to become a Gym Teacher.

Even though there are tough moments during the day at the end of each day 
I leave happy and feeling good about myself. 
I leave hoping that I helped at least one child find joy in their day. 
And that's what I'll strive to do, 
help others find the joy in life. 

Working at this camp has opened my eyes to how tough and 
just downright tragic some children's lives are.
It breaks my heart to hear how broken some homes are and how it affects the children involved. 

I had one girl at camp say to me, "Wishes never come true and prayers are never answered."
Immediately I responded with, "That is not true!"
She rebutted, "Well my wishes never come true and my prayers are never answered so I've just stopped wishing and stopped praying."
It took everything in me to not go all preachy and tell her every instance in my life when my prayers have been answered and my wishes came true. It just wasn't the time or place.
I just kept trying to tell her that she should never stop praying and never stop wishing. 

I can't stand to think that this little 8 year old girl's conclusions about prayers and wishes wasn't unique. 
Knowing that, I don't know how I can sit by and not do anything about it.
These kids deserve the best, and they deserve more then anything to know that wishes come true and that prayers are answered.
So I'm promising to work my best to be the best for these kids that 
have such great potential but don't see it.

Even though I'm fully aware that my life plan could change, there is one thing that I've decided for sure:
I have to do something to help these kids with such tragic stories see their great potential. 
Or at least help them believe that wishes do come true and prayers are answered. 

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Finally Some Free Time!

My summer has been such a busy one. I love it. The only down side is that I haven't been able to keep up with my blog. So now that I have some free time on this lazy Saturday here are some updates on my life:


  • I've started using Spotify. I don't know why it took me this long to start using it but I love it. If you are also a late bloomer and have been wondering about it but never did it, do it. It's great. (For those of you who don't know what it is it's a music thing where you can listen to full songs for free, basically like iTunes but better because you don't have to pay)

  • I love my job. I need to devote a whole blog to this because there are just too many good stories but it's been so fun. I work at the Herndon Community Center doing the kid camp called Summer Fun. I'm a counselor for the 3rd and 4th grade group and it's really fun. Some days are rough and some children are more difficult than others but I'm learning patience and it's overall a great learning experience and just a lot of fun.
Me and my work shirt! 
  • I love my family. We have been lucky enough to be spending a lot of time together doing various things. Our favorite things include, Nationals games in DC, seeing the latest movies, and just casual family dinner together at home. Sometimes the weeks seem to zip by without spending time together but we always seem to be able to catch up on the weekends. I have been so blessed with such a close, strong, loving family. 
on our way to a Nats game!

  • I am starting a Lacrosse League in Utah with Tina. I am so excited about it! We are going to call it reLAX Utah. I'm having the beautiful Victoria make the logo for us and I'm figuring out all the logistics and all that just gets me so excited! So if you are going to be in Utah in the Fall and you love lacrosse contact me! It's going to be a really relaxed league (hence the name) and it's for all levels of play! There will probably be a small fee because the field will cost something and hopefully we can get pennies! It all depends on how many people show up and are interested! But I'm super excited. I really hope this works out the way I see it working out in my head. Tina and I are going to be a great team to get this going. I'm the planner and organizer and Tina is the go-getter who will spread the word and get people involved. SO EXCITED! YAYYYY! 
yup. i love lacrosse.


Ok anyway. That's pretty much my life update. So many exciting things! 



Friday, July 13, 2012

My 4th of July

(better late then never right?)

So this year I had to work on the 4th which I was fairly bummed about because I was missing out on celebrating with my friends. But it turned out to be pretty great.


Well first off I made a last minute decision to go to the Nationals game which was a great decision. I am so blessed. Who else gets to celebrate the 4th of July in the Nation's Capitol with the number 1 baseball team, and not to mention with family and close friends? Not many. It was a great experience. 


Since Sara and I had to work we left the game early when the Nats were up. We made it to work with plenty of time to spare. We got our jobs and I was assigned to the "Info Tent" in which I was to give away free stuff. Which is amazing let me tell you. We had people spinning and "Wheel of Fortune" like wheel for a free t-shirt. I was so fun to watch their anticipation as the wheel spun and then the excitement on their faces when they won. Giving free stuff away is the best.


Then after we ran out of shirts we all gathered up to go to the golf course to secure the perimeter. The fireworks are shot off the golf course so it's unsafe to have people on it while the firework show is going off. So it was our job to make sure no one snuck on. We were all assigned different spots on the course and I had the best spot ever. I was right behind this house that was having their own party with karaoke, live music, and tons of food. There were people from Maryland, DC, and of course Virginia. (This happens to be Mr. Abney from Herndon Middle..weird...) Most the people singing were professional singers and they were all singing R&B, it was so great. So Maddie and I were just enjoying the entertainment. Then someone came and brought us some cake! They were so nice! Then the fireworks started and they were amazing, we had the best spot for watching them, they were directly overhead. During the fireworks the party people were singing Amazing Grace, America the Beautiful, and even Yankee Doodle. Maddie and I were so happy we couldn't sit still. I just kept thinking, "I am experiencing pure joy right now."


I love those moments. I'm trying to be able to recognize them and take note of them as they happen. This summer has been such a fun-filled, exciting, and all-too-busy one. But I'm doing my best to record all the fun memories, there are just so many I need to try harder.

firework pictures provided my Maddie :)
thanks Mad!