The Fear of Moving Forward

"Something that is difficult is not necessarily something to be afraid of or worried about—it is usually out of the difficult moments in our lives that we learn the lessons that matter most." 

                                                                - A Few Minor Adjustments (Peace Corps Guide for Volunteers)

There are a lot of changes happening in my life right now.

• My second year of AmeriCorps is coming to an end.
• I'm moving away from a state that has (while not always my most favorite place in the world) become home for the past two years. 
• The adventure of a lifetime awaits me in 4 months as I embrace the prospect of living in a foreign country for 2+ years. 
• New relationships are flourishing while old ones are floundering. 

It's definitely enough to make one go mad and stress out. Change is one thing that many people have trouble with. Human beings like things to be consistent and the same. We like routines. We like predictability. We like to be in control. When any of those constants are threatened, the easiest thing to do is run in the other direction and hide in the corner. These feelings finally caught up to me recently and it really forced me to stop and evaluate where things are at currently in my life and where they are headed in the near future.

Currently, I am a member of an amazing organization that works to improve the literacy and well-being of under-valued and under-appreciated populations in South Florida, including the homeless, immigrants, and "problem students". While the work is tiring and sometimes seems fruitless, it is something that I have come to enjoy day in and day out. I have established a close-knit circle of friends that I would do anything for and hope for the same in return. I have met various families from all walks of life through my tutoring that have taught me just as much as I hope I am teaching their children.

In the upcoming months, I will be completing my second round of over 1700 volunteer hours in Palm Beach County, moving out of Florida, making my way back to Iowa (by way of Houston, TX with one of my best friends to see another one of my best friends), and getting ready to leave all that I know behind for over two years. It's a scary endeavor. Don't get me wrong - the chance to live in another culture that is not my own is something that I jump at the opportunity to do. But at the same time, I'm getting to that point in my life where it's almost time to start thinking about settling down, getting a "real" job, and growing up. Obviously, I'm not quite ready to tick off that box yet...

As my time in Florida winds down, I am challenging myself to face my fears. While the prospect of teaching and learning in another country thrills me to no end, I'm also scared out of mind. Scared of what my host family will be like. Scared that I won't like the food. Scared of not being able to instruct my students. Scared of being isolated. All of these fears are natural reactions to new, unknown premises. They're the way that our minds cope with being exposed to new stimuli and situations. Being scared is nothing to be ashamed of; it's an opportunity to push yourself out of your comfort zone and discover a new part of yourself. Being scared challenges the mind and body to push past external barriers.

With Colombia looming on the horizon, I could easily cower in the corner and try to keep everything the same. But what would I gain from that? Comfort and a lifetime of "what if's." Thanks to some great friendly advice from those close by, I'm determined to make the most of the here and now and not put too much pressure on myself to figure out my future. The cards will fall as they may - time to shuffle the deck...

Paradise, Kayaks, and Bugs...

Work retreats are always interesting events. Images like the following tend to come to mind:

While they're normally held at an awesome location (i.e. Las Vegas, the Bahamas, mountains of Colorado, etc.), there's always that component that work is always also involved as well. It's never just a fully relaxing, duty free couple of days.

During the second half of spring break (March 19-21), we had our annual work retreat down in Key Largo. We stayed at the same resort that we did last year, the Pelican, and were provided with the same awesome service. We had the entire resort to ourselves (except for one little hut that was taken over by a Canadian couple) and were able to enjoy the water, sunset, and each other's company.

Getting down the to the Keys proved to be a bit more adventurous than it was supposed to be. In all honesty, our final destination was a straight shot down the Turnpike. 2 hours. Done. Except we live in Florida. The land of eternal road work and lack of signage. As we were cruising down the turnpike, jamming out to some classic 90's tunes, we hit some construction. While in the midst of avoiding the workers, horrible drivers that don't know what lane they want to be in, and the sun, we somehow ended up back on I-95, headed towards Miami. Not really where we wanted to be. After being rerouted through another 30 minutes of nauseating, headache inducing constructon, we were back on track to the Keys!

The majority of the first afternoon was spent doing team builders and some reflection on our year so far. We created a journal that was used to help us gather our thoughts about our AmeriYear and beyond. While I'm not the most artistic person in the group, I decorated my journal with the names of countries and cities that I have traveled to during my life. It actually turned out pretty cool - go me!

Once all of the activities concluded, we were given our room assignments, amd then given time to unpack and relax before dinnertime. I ended up getting my own room this year, which was actually really nice. It was nothing too fancy, but served it's purpose. We gathered back later that night for a delicious taco feast and some trivia prepared by two of our members. (After that game, one of our members, Andrea, will for sure never forget how to properly say "subpoena"!)

The next day was the much anticipated kayak trip in Islamorada! As we all pealed ourselves out of bed around 7 am to prepare our lunches and bodies for the trip, that excitement level was high and contagious! The 30 minute drive down US 1 was filled with blue skies, lots of sun rays, and high hopes. When we arrived at Robbie's, we paid for our trip and headed down to our boats. Cassie and I were partners and made a great team! The only problem was that we were horrible at maintaining a straight line while rowing. We were constantly veering into other boats and having to over-correct.

The kayak trip this year was a bit of a disappointment in comparison to the one that we were treated to last year. Last year's trip included an intense journey out to an island, a quick walking tour, a trip through the mangrove trees, and then back through the lazy canals to our starting point. It was absolutely amazing and so much fun. This year, not so much. We kayaked out to the same island, but instead of just taking a quick look around and jumping back into our boats, we stayed on this island. We ate surrounded by the elements of nature (including bugs, hermit crabs, and other unwanted friends) and then kayaked back to where we started. I really felt bad for the new members because all of the second years had really built up this trip, only to have it not really live up to our expectations. Despite this let down, it was still a nice workout accompanied by beautiful weather!


The rest of Thursday was spent laying out, soaking in some awesome sun, and delving into life's little mysteries (aka figuring out our future plans). Dinner that night consisted of fresh mahi mahi and another catch of the day that was absolutely delicious! There's nothing like fresh, catch of the day to top of a wonderful day of kayaking and tanning! That night was spent at a Luau event, complete with the limbo and a hula hoop contest. We wrapped up our last night in paradise by enjoying each other's company until about 3:30 am, playing games, chatting, and laughing the night away!

Friday brought with it a few last minute wrap-up activities and the 2 hour trip back to Boynton. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and avoiding contact with any other living being. The retreat this year was well done! It had a much different feel from last year in the sense that it was a bit more structured and calm. But each year's going to be different - honestly it was just super nice to be out of PBC for a few days, with a chance to rejuvenate and reenergize!

Saturday was a whirlwind of a day filled with lots of activities and one "pesty" beach wedding. That morning, I followed Phetsada up to her mechanic to get her car looked at. This poor car has been through hell and back over the last two years, but somehow continues to get her where she needs to go. Unfortunately, she had a friend, Jen, in town that weekend and she was also feeling a bit sick. Great combination! After dropping off the car, we headed up to Juno Beach and went to Loggerhead Marine Life Center. This place is pretty amazing! They help rehabilitate injured sea turtles that have been hit by boats, caught in fishing nets, or wash up on shore and help nurse them back to health so that they can return to their natural habitat. This Saturday we are actually volunteering at their largest event of the year, TurtleFest, which promises to be just as big of a success as last year!

Following our time with the turtles, we headed back to West Palm and treated ourselves to some delicious Cuban food at Don Ramon's and then wandered on down to City Place to do some browsing and window shopping. From there, we headed over to my co-teacher, Carly's, house. Her son, Jace, was turning 1 and both Phetsada (she babysits the little guy every now and then) and I had been invited to partake in the festivities. The party was adorable and baseball themed (I was glad to see all of the decisions that I had helped her make at school turned out so well!). Jace is a little stud and was definitely enjoying all of the attention. Unfortunately, we weren't able to stay very long because I had one final commitment for that night - a random beach wedding.

After dropping Phetsada and Jen back off at the mechanic to pick up Phetsada's car, I headed up to the Jupiter Civic Center to be the supervisor of a children's pavilion and lend a hand to my friend Tavia, who has been helping the bride plan her big day. Unfortunately, Tavia was out of town so she couldn't actually help out with the wedding itself. She asked me if I would step in and I was happy to help out! I had met with the bride and groom prior to the ceremony itself and it seemed like a pretty easy gig - show up, make sure none of the kids got hurt/lost the pieces to the games/went home in one piece/etc., clean up everything, collect a check, and go home. Of course, it wasn't quite THAT easy...

Upon arriving at the site, I quickly realized that I was in for an "interesting" night. I was quickly engulfed by mad chaos as the ceremony was quickly approaching and no one was ready. Decorations were being forcefully stapled into the wall. Lights were being strung with such vigor that I was sure there were going to bust. Guests were awkwardly mingling in all the wrong places. After finally tracking down the wedding coordinator, I was informed that my "pavilion" was in fact four round tables, covered in white paper, in the middle of a small grove of trees. Lovely.

I went to go help set up the tables. Remember, I knew absolutely no one. This was pretty much the equivalent of a really awkward blind date - instead of one person, there were a couple hundred. Awesome. After we got the tables covered (the wind DEFINITELY did not help that endeavor), I was relegated to my area. I started shifting through the activities that were provided for me and was a bit taken about. Instead of classic, children's board games like Candyland and Chutes and Ladders, my eyes were greeted with Balderdash (a game for adults) and Twister (this version requiring a boombox and CD, plus a flat surface, which also didn't exist). Joy. Let the fun begin!

For the first two hours, I was faced with the prospect of sitting in a semi-moist pile of leaves for the entire night as there were not enough chairs to seat all the guests AND the children's area. On top of all of that, ominous clouds started to roll in, threatening to end everything early and send me home! I spent a solid 20 minutes in my car out of fear that if I didn't I would become a victim to one of Florida's famed flash storms. Once the ceremony ended, chairs were brought to my tables and children started to trickle in to see what was going on. There was never a large enough surge in which I felt like I have to really interact with the kids (yes that sounds bad, but there were always adults with them). Granted, I was working on some materials for the Peace Corps, but every time that a new child joined the tables, I would go over, talk to them, and see what they wanted to do.

As the night continued, it became pretty clear that the kids area wasn't as huge of a hit as the bride made it out to be. It also didn't help that there were only like 15 kids at the wedding, none over the age of 6. They were more content coloring on the tables and play hide-and-go-seek, not Twister and cards. The minutes crept by, which slowly turned into hours. By about 8:30, I had been sitting at my table for about 4 hours with very little interaction from anyone outside of a few small 5 year olds. Eventually, someone noticed that I was there and told me that if no kids showed up by 10 that I could pack up and go.

Now, remember that I'm in the middle of a wooded area by the beach. No real sources of light once the sun goes down were available, so two giant spot lights were provided for the area. One of them was forcefully unplugged by a pretty intoxicated women who complained about it shining in her eyes (which was false because it was pointing towards the sky and she never once was near them). Down to one light and very little patience, I anxiously awaited for 10 to roll around so I could pack up and go. One other lovely element that was introduced was bugs. Hundreds and hundreds of bugs. My legs and feet still look like they were ravaged by a flesh-eating disease. Fantastic.

10:00 finally rolled around and with the lack of children in the area, I decided to start to clean up and then track down the bride and groom for my check. As I started to get ready to pack up, my last source of light went out. Left in complete darkness (outside of the ambient glow of my iPad), I cleared the tables to the best of my ability (while also placing my hand into the middle of someone's half-eaten, soggy salad plate - glorious). By the time everything was cleaned up, I was covered in salad dressing, attempting to ignore the itchy burning that had become my lower body, and just wanting to go home. Luckily, the bride and groom were making their way down towards me. We exchanged a few pleasantries, they paid me ($20 more than what they had promised - thank you alcohol and poor memory!), and I was out and on my way back home.

While not quite the experience that I was looking for (or way to end my break from reality), I walked away from that experience with some extra spending cash and some pretty classic Snapchats to help entertain my friends enjoying a nice, bug free night!

A Much Needed Break...

I will never be able to make a career in any profession that is not education oriented. Not only do I love working with students and being able to teach them every day, but I can't leave behind some of the other perks as well - mainly the breaks.

Summer Break. Fall Break. Winter Break. Spring Break.

These much needed vacations also tend to come at must the right time in the school year. Not only do the students need a break from their overloaded lives, but the teachers also need a chance to recharge to continue to deliver quality instruction and material.

March 13th signified the unofficial start to Spring Break 2014. With no obligations the next day, a small group of us hit Clematis in West Palm for a much needed night out on the town. We started at Off The Hookah for ladies night, where free drinks were enjoyed and strong dance moves were admired. From there, we headed to O'Shay's, a really relaxed, chill Irish pub just down the street and participated in some beer pong on the back patio. It was a great night and the perfect way to kick off our vacation from life!

Friday was met with tons of excitement as my official Peace Corps invitation was received! The next great stop on this adventure that I call life will be Colombia in South America! Needless to say, I was on Cloud 9 for the rest of the night/weekend! That night, we headed up to one of my favorite places in all of Palm Beach County - Renegades! This country bar/club is by far the one place that I feel the most comfortable in! Between the line dancing (which I participate in as much as possible), people watching opportunities, and atmosphere, this place never ceases to entertain!

 

Saturday brought about a trip down to Miami for the rest of the weekend! Nick, Jess, and I headed down and spent the afternoon soaking in some much needed tan-inducing rays on the infamous South Beach. It was my first time actually being on the beach and was quite relaxing and enjoyable. We then headed over to our hotel where we met up with Monica, Andrea, and her friend, Sam. The rest of the night was spent enjoying some BBQ, partaking in a bar crawl or sorts, and enjoying the night life that Miami has to offer. Despite my early departure from the festivities, it was nice to be out of Boynton for a night. Sunday brought another trip to South Beach and the most delicious sub ever from Hungry Bear. It was an awesome and much needed trip south that helped re-energize the mind and soul!

Monday was spent resting, eating, and playing board games with Nick, Hallie, Jess, Courtney, and Cassie. It was a much needed "day off" after running around Miami and PBC the couple of days before. We played the game "Head's Up" from the Ellen DeGeneres show. This charades-like game is hilarious and such a riot to play! We imitated animals, describes movies and TV shows, and acted like the 5 year-old fools that we all are deep down inside!

One of the many traditions that I always looked forward to as a small child was the Muscatine County Fair. Between the fried foods, fear-inducing rides, live entertainment, and plentiful exhibits, those 5 days were always a highlight of the hot, muggy days of July. Well, Tuesday, Nick, Jess, Hallie, and I headed down to the FIU campus in Miami for the Youth Fair. It was everything that I had hoped for and more! My inner 5-year old was at the forefront as we walked through the main gate. Game booths, unstable-looking rides, fried food stands, and livestock littered the grounds. The sounds of screaming children, popping balloons, and whirring rides filled the air and energized all of us! We divulged in some fried oreos, slushies, and pizza, while purchasing a wrist band that enabled to us enjoy any and all of the rides that we wanted to! Talk about an all out extravaganza for the senses!

But the highlight of this trip was the purchase that was made at the end of the night. When we first got there, we passed through the main exhibition building where a pet store was selling beta fish and turtles. Both Jess and Hallie were instantly attracted to the small, little shell-encased animals that were about the size of my palm. The girls discussed for the next 4 hours whether or not they were going to purchase these little reptiles to add to their apartment family. Nick and I probably weren't the best people to have there, since we were both pretty indifferent. In the end, Donatello and Raphael joined us in the car for the ride back to Boynton. These turtles are now unofficial members of our AmeriCorps group!

That takes me through half of break, with another couple of days left to recap. So instead of this one post becoming the length of a short novel, I'm going to leave you hanging...anxiously wondering what else went on during my small little break from life...

The Known...

So the dust has settled a bit. I've had some time to let the fact that I'm heading to Colombia sink in and ingrain itself in my mind. Nervousness, excitement, and a flood of other emotions have entangled themselves over the past few days. With a long list of things to do still staring me in the face, it's time to recap what I do know so far about this experience...

Where will I be located?

While I don't know my specific location yet for my service, I know that I will be located on the northern coast of Colombia along the Caribbean Sea. My 10-12 week pre-service training will take place in the city of Barranquilla, a beautiful coastal city that offers serene beaches and rugged mountains. The other cities that I could be placed in or around include Cartagena and Santa Marta.

As you can see, all three of the cities are right on the water. The average temperature is 85 year round (glad that I've had practice living in these conditions - thanks Florida!). I'm pretty sure that I'm now never going to be able to live in a landlocked state/country ever again after spending 4+ years near the beach/water!

What will I be doing?

I will be teaching English at either a primary or secondary school in one of the above communities. My main job is to collaborate with 3-4 other teachers and assist them in the delivering of lessons to 45-50 students at one time. This will be my main duty, as I will be instructing in this manner for about 16 hours a week. When I'm not in school, I will also be active in the community, running English classes for locals, along with possibly setting up other opportunities to stay involved with those I"ll be living with.

The teaching side of things will be a bit different from what I experienced while in Korea. Many of the schools do not have air conditioning, so the typical school day tends to last from 7 am to 12 pm (noon). Many schools are not equipped with adequate technology (i.e. photocopiers, projectors, computers, etc.), so there will be a lot of blackboard teaching. Supplies can sometimes be limited as well, as many schools are unable to afford formal textbooks for their students. This will definitely challenge myself as an educator, but it's one that I'm excited to attack head on!

Where will I live?

One of the things about this program that really excited me was the fact that I'll be staying with a host family for the entire duration of my term of service. I've had awesome experiences in the past with host families. My families in Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Spain all treated me like on of their own. I'll probably have two different families - one during the pre-service training and then one for my actual term of service. There's no telling what kind of things I'm going to learn from my host family or experience with them. This is definitely one of the things that I'm looking forward to the most!

Over the next few months, there are countless appointments to be made (physicals, blood work, dental exams and x-rays, along with some good ol' immunizations!). I've also gotta get back into Spanish mode and start brushing up on my skills so that those language classes don't kick my butt too much! Most of all, I've gotta make sure that I enjoy my last few months down here in Florida. With 3+ months left of my second AmeriCorps program, there are still plenty of places that I want to see and things that I want to do. It's gonna be a jam-packed couple of months!

Bring it on!

The Next Great Adventure

Friday, March 14, 2014...

Sitting on my couch, engrossed in the latest re-runs of The Big Bang Theory, my phone chirps, informing me that I have a new email. Is this finally the email that I have been waiting for for the past few weeks? Will my next travel plans be established? I nervously reached for my phone, swiping in the code to unlock my upcoming future. As I read through the email, I quickly realized that this was in fact the email that I had been patiently waiting for!

I can now officially announce that I will be participating in the Peace Corps, volunteering for the next 2 years in the beautiful country of Colombia!! I'm still slowly starting to come down off of the high and adrenaline of receiving this official invite. Being apart of the Peace Corps has been something that I've wanted to do since I was in college and seeing it finally come true is amazing, to say the least!

Despite turning down the opportunity to participate in the Peace Corps last year in favor of doing a second AmeriCorps year, I still knew that this was something that I could do and successfully complete. My interview for the position was held in December and at that time I was nominated for a teaching position in Colombia, but nothing was for sure set in stone until the official invites were handed out in late February/early March. Needless to say, I have been compulsively checking my email and mailbox for the past few weeks waiting for the good news.

All of that patience and waiting finally paid off. Colombia, here I come!!

(More details about what I'll be doing, along with the remaining process to get this done, to come soon!)

I'm a Warrior!

4 10 K's - Check!

1 Half Marathon - Check!

2 Color Runs - Check!

1 Zombie Run - Check!

1 Mud Challenge - Check!

1 Electric Run - Check!

Needless to say, running has become a recent passion of mine, born out of an invite to join a new and upcoming running club in Seoul. So when the opportunity to add another race to my list presented itself, I of course couldn't resist. This time it was the Warrior Dash.

Monica and Melissa, two other members of this year's AmeriCorps group, had decided to sign up for this race back in December and had let the rest of the group know that they were planning on doing it and would love to have people join them! Hallie immediately got a hold of me and we immediately signed up.

Now the Warrior Dash was similar to the Mud Challenge that I did with Kevin and the Zombie Run that I completed with Hallie and Nick. This 5 K was filled with obstacles and promised to get participants wet and dirty. Let's just say that it definitely did not disappoint! We made the 2 hour trek north, parked, checked in, and headed to the start line. As the horn and fire cannons went off, we were unleashed into the course. Instead of attempting to describe each obstacle, here are pictures of what we faced throughout the course:

Alcatraz

Giant Cliffhanger

Mud Mound

Muddy Mayhem

Road Rage

Storming Normandy

Trenches

Two x Fall

Warrior Roast

All of these obstacles presented their own challenges, but I can honestly say that I was able to successfully try and conquer each and every one! Let's just say that that was my ultimate goal! The four of us managed to stay together for the entire course of the race, which made the whole thing that much more fun. Of all of the races that I have completed, this was by far on of my favorite. Not only was it extremely well organized, but I accomplished some things that I didn't think I would be able to. 

Add the Warrior Dash to the list of completed races. 11 and counting!!

Right before being splashed in the face

Zooming down towards a pit of mud!

All the awesome swag that we got from the race!

Participants shoes donated after the race - mine are in there somewhere!

Melissa and I crossing the finish line!

Before and after shots of the group!

Out with the '13, In with the '14!

Well now that we're about three weeks into the new year, guess there's no better time to recap I ushered in the glorious 2K14...

Before I headed home for the holidays, six of us (Cassie, her boyfriend Ryan, Hallie, Phetsada, Tyrell, and myself) decided that we would all meet up in Savannah to ring in the new year. This was received with immediate excitement and helped make the last few weeks before break fly by. Since I was going to be flying back south prior to New Year's Eve, it was decided that I would fly into Atlanta, get picked up by Phetsada, and then ride with her and Hallie to Savannah. At the same time, Cassie, Ryan, and Tyrell would then come up from Florida and meet us.

Said plan was almost ruined...

As everyone knows, the Midwest during the winter months is horrendous. Snow, freezing rain, and blustery winds are always possible. One day it may be 60 - the next it will be 4 (true story - actually happened while I was home). To try and cut down on any delays, I ended up staying with Kevin the night before I flew out. He lives approximately 10 minutes from O'Hare, so getting to the airport proved to be no problem. Now the plane that we actually took was another story...

Chicago --> Charlotte. 1 hour 30 minutes layover in Charlotte. Charlotte --> Atlanta. Pretty straight forward when everything is one time and runs as scheduled. If only I could've been so lucky. From the time that I checked in for my flight, I knew that it was delayed. How long that delay was remained unknown until I reached my gate. Instead of leaving at 6:00 as planned and relaxing a bit in Charlotte, we were now scheduled to leave at 6:40. Not horrible, but definitely not ideal.

Instead of actually leaving Chicago at 6:40, we started boarding our plane at this time. While we were boarding, those little fluffy flurries started to fall from the sky. Just what we needed! This of course caused the plane to begin to ice, which meant the de-icing truck had to come and spray down the entire plane with greenish-blue gel so that we could finally leave. Gone was my 1 hour 30 minutes lay over in Charlotte. Potentially gone were my chances of making it to Atlanta that night - only time would tell...

As we descended into Charlotte, it was about 10:10. My flight to Atlanta left at 10:25. In what may or may not have been a record deplaning effort by all involved, I was able to make it to my connecting flight with a few minutes to spare. Even though some sprinting and small child hurdling were executed, I was on my way safely to Atlanta. Upon landing in Atlanta, I was picked up by Phetsada and spent the night at her house, eager to make our way to Savannah the next day.

As the sun graced the horizon on New Year's Eve, Hallie came and picked both Phetsada and myself up and we made the 4 1/2 hour trip south without any incident. We got all checked into our hotel, which was located about 1/2 a mile from the downtown area where many of the night's festivities were going to take place. Eventually, our other three compadres joined us and we started the celebrations. One of the great things about Savannah is the fact that alcoholic beverages are allowed to be consumed out on the streets. This makes nights out a lot cheaper as pregaming takes on a whole new meaning!

We ordered some pizza, had some beverages, and then prepared ourselves for a great night out. The streets were teeming with hundreds of people, excited to bring in the new year correctly. Sequin glittered and spirits soared as everyone was ready to say "Goodbye" to 2013! We ended up down by the Savannah River around midnight to take in a very impressive fireworks show. When it was all said and done, 2014 had graced us with its presence!

The rest of the time spent in Savannah was unfortunately in the comforts of our hotel room as the weather decided not to cooperate on the first day of the new year. Dreary skies and rainy conditions forced us to take in some college football (darn!). We did end up heading out for dinner that night to a pretty awesome restaurant called Spanky's that has some amazing chicken tenders! Following dinner, we attempted to create a night scene - but to no avail. We ended up playing some darts, having a few drinks, and then heading back for an "early" night.

2014 was brought in with some pretty wonderful people in a pretty awesome place. This year promises to hold many big things for me. Many of them are still in the works, so as they unfold, I'll be sure to share them here. At this point, finishing up my current year of AmeriCorps strong is priority number one! Here's to a great 2014!!

The crew ready to head out!

Cassie, Phetsada, and Cassie 

Ryan, Ty, and myself

Dart time @ Social!

Home for the Holidays

The holidays are always a special time. Festive music fills the radio waves and malls. Bright, twinkling lights illuminate neighborhoods and public buildings. Hot cocoa and a roaring fire help keep inhabitants nice and warm on those cold, snowy days. (Well, that last one is more or less for those that live in the tundra that is the Midwest and Northeast of this country...)

Living in Florida means that I don't get to see my family that often. The majority of them are back in the Midwest, spread out between Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Day trips back home aren't really an option, seeing as that drive is a lovely 22 hours and some change. So I get to settle for seeing them during that magical, special holiday season.

It's been exactly one year since I was last in the great state known as Iowa. This summer I spent taking an epic three-week road trip out East with Cathy, so I wasn't able to fit in a trip back home at that time. But with Kevin and Erin visiting the week before break started, the perfect opportunity to visit home presented itself to me, nicely wrapped with a bow on top.

Now anyone who has ever lived in a state without any major metropolitan areas knows how expensive it can be to fly into small, regional airports. Round trip tickets from West Palm Beach to either Cedar Rapids, IA or Moline, IL were well over $500! The AmeriBudget doesn't quite allow for that type of expense! So I had to get creative. Luckily for me, both Kevin and Erin live in Chicago. A plan was hatched.

It was decided that I would buy a one-way ticket to Chicago, taking the same flight back as Kevin and Erin, and spend the night with Kevin. Then the next day, I would board the Megabus bound for Iowa City. This 4-hour ride would get me home with plenty of time to spend with my family and friends before having to head back down south. Everything worked out smoothly! The flights went well and the bus ride was very uneventful (minus the excessive amount of heat escaping the vents - but then again, I was back in the Midwest!) My parents picked me up and my vacation was underway!

One of the big differences between Florida and Iowa is that of the weather! The thickest article of clothing that I have in Florida is a zip-up hoodie, definitely not enough for the cold winds and blinding snow that seems to doom the Midwest every winter.This change in climate definitely played havoc with my sinuses and eyes, as the dry conditions and wicked temperatures caused my body to go haywire.

While I was home, I was able to see a lot of family that I hadn't seen since my last trip home. It was a pretty quiet Christmas Eve/Day. We put our tree up, decorated it with handmade ornaments that Matt and I made when we were little, and called it good. Lots of card games were played (I'm pretty sure I never won - not sure that's how that's supposed to go) and pans of homemade cinnamon rolls were devoured. Let's say that it was good to be home!

One of the definite highlights was being able to spend a little bit of time with  Brandon. I met Brandon in college through Camp Adventure. My last year in the program he was in my small group (let's just say that I'm responsible for all the awesome knowledge that he had before heading out for his summer in Japan). He's currently enlisted in the Navy reserves and spent about 8 months over in Afghanistan. The last time that I saw him was when I came back from Korea, so it had been about a year and a half. Being able to catch up with him was great! Can't wait for him to make a trip down to Florida!!

My time home wrapped up with a trip to Wisconsin and Illinois to see my mom's side of the family. My aunt lives in Madison and she treated my dad, brother, and I out to her favorite pizza place (which was delicious BTW!). While in Illinois, I was able to visit with my grandmother, which was great! She's still going strong and raking in the winnings at her weekly Bingo games! It was nice to catch up with everyone!

The holidays are always a time for families to reconnect. They enable those of us that are far away the opportunity to come home and be a complete family again. I'm hoping that it won't take until next Christmas to get me back home to the Midwest...

Familiar Faces Flood Florida!

During my first year of service with AmeriCorps, I met some pretty fantastic people. The group that was assembled last year was definitely one of a kind and had an overall positive attitude that was absolutely contagious. When it was finally time for last year's group to go our separate ways, tears were shed and long hugs were exchanged. Knowing that there was always a chance to be reunited with some of those familiar, friendly faces has helped make this year go by so far. Luckily, that opportunity came sooner than later!

The time in between Thanksgiving and Christmas is always a short one. There's about 3 weeks in which work still happens, service is still complete, and things are still done. Those three weeks become more bearable when people visit you from afar. That was the case this year. Sara, Kevin, and Erin, all members from last year's group, made the trip down from Vermont and Chicago, respectively, for a much needed visit. It was great to see them and have them around. This did make for a full apartment, but it was filled with lots of laughter, reminiscing, and catching up.

Thanks for the visit guys! Until next time...

Volunteer Jackpot!

What a blur! We're already midway through December (more or less) with Christmas and New Year's breathing down the necks of panicking consumers looking to score that one gift or stunning outfit for the festivities. While others are gearing up for the holidays, we in AmeriCorps keep ourselves busy with service project after service project. Here's the recap of the past two weekends:

December 6-7: Camp Treasure

I once again had the awesome opportunity to participate in Camp Treasure, a two-day overnight camp hosted by the American Association of Caregiving Youth (AACY). Last year's experience definitely helped get me ready for what to expect this year. Despite some staffing changes, camp went over really well. It is always exciting to see these kids have the chance to be kids and not have to worry about taking care of a loved one for a weekend. They do so much for their families; two days off is the least that can be given to them!

December 7: EdVenture Charter School Holiday Party

While this actually doesn't count as a service project, EdVenture had their annual holiday party at a local sports bar, Bru's Room. Kevin, Leah, and I made an appearance at the bash. It was nice to be able to socialize with everyone that we serve with in a more informal setting. The night was filled with free food (the best kind), karaoke, and enough college football to keep any sports fan happy.

December 8: Palm Beach Marathon

Being functional before the sunrises is never a thrilling task. It's especially a daunting one coming off of a long couple of days chasing children around a campsite, making sure they stayed safe and didn't hurt each other. But, lo and behold, as 4:45 am rolled around, I found myself standing in line to check in and receive my assignment for the 10th Annual Palm Beach Marathon. I was placed at water station D with DeShaun, which was an awesome pairing! After being dropped off at our station, we helped set up and fill cups with water and Gatorade. The theme of our placement was the North Pole. We were given elf gear by the people in charge of the station and prepared for the runners and cyclists to come our way. We were one of the earlier water stations, so the runners were still pretty clumped together when they came our way. At one point, there were mobs of runners on both sides of our table. It was a bit chaotic to say the least, but by 8:30 am, all of the runners had passed and we were headed back to the finish line! We ended up helping hand out water to the finishers as well. All in all, despite the early start, it was a great project and helped re-light my personal fire to complete a half marathon before I leave Florida!

December 8: AmeriCorps Holiday Party

So following a long day of handing out water, we were rewarded with a nice holiday dinner down in Boca Raton at a upscale Italian restaurant called Maggiano's. We had our holiday dinner here last year as well and it didn't disappoint. Between the great food, grab bag gifts, and Target gift cards, the night was a great way to cap off a long day of service.

December 13: Mandel Public Library Polar Express

This weekend was filled with holiday themed service projects. The first one that we participated in was at the Mandel Public Library, a site that two members serve at, working with adults, teens, and youth in various areas, including computer literacy and homework help. The pavilion outside of the library was transformed into a winter wonderland, complete with Santa, his reindeer, elves, and a multitude of crafts and activities to keep the more than 1500 participants busy for multiple hours! Hallie, Jordan, Cassie, and I took on the role of Santa's little helpers and assisted children in the making of a small wooden train (and by assisting, I mean helping them color a train engine with paint pens). Our station was swamped with children and parents vying for one of the those coveted little trains from the start of the event. The constant waves kept us busy and helped the time fly by!

 December 14: Adopt-A-Family Santa's Workshop

Today marked the end of the tirade of projects over the last few weeks. Adopt-A-Family hosted their annual Santa's Workshop event, in which families that are associated with this non-profit have the opportunity to come and get some gifts for the holiday season. Not only did we help kids pick out gifts for their families, we also assisted in the wrapping of these gifts, and helped man various activity stations. Kids went home with not only some things to put under their trees at home, but also a brand new picture frame, reindeer antlers, candy cane ornament, and enough holiday cheer to get them through the next couple of weeks!

Even though the multitude of service projects is starting to wind down, life in general is still going at full speed. This upcoming week if the last one before the holiday break starts. Some members from last year (Sara, Kevin, and Erin) are making their ways down here to South Florida to visit. It'll be nice to see some familiar faces from last year before we all head our separate ways to celebrate the holidays. For me, that means heading back to the blustery, chilly conditions of Iowa to see friends and family for a week before heading to Savannah to ring in the new year! 6 more days till a much deserved break! Can't wait!!