Kindest video ever.

It's really the end that's adorable, so if you get tired in the middle go to the last few minutes.  So so so sweet.

once a runner.

So I stole that title from a book, but I couldn't think of anything else that better defines this post.

There are a few things that I think of when I think of myself.  One of them, as many of y'all probably know, is a runner.

The past few weeks, though, I haven't felt like one. I took two weeks off during my trip to Vietnam, which is actually the longest time I've gone without running/some sort of similar exercise in six years.

Yep, six years.

Well, two weeks off will certainly take a hit.  I knew this going into my break, knew this during my break, and know this now, but it's just a hard pill to swallow.  I just don't feel like a runner right now.  I can't find my stride, I can't find my rhythm.  A month or two ago, I could run as far as I wanted.  I could go fast.  I felt loose, fast, quick, light, and every other good word I've ever used to describe running. I love that feeling. Like I'm a little kid.  Like I'm flying.  Like I want to cry because it's so GOOD.  It's every good feeling rolled into one.

And I don't feel like that anymore. And it hurts my soul just a little bit, because I feel like there's this absolutely essential part of me I just can't find right now.

So here's to a good run tomorrow morning.  Here's to getting back in my rhythm.

[crosses fingers]

Awesome thing #465: When a work friend becomes an outside-of-work friend

Hallelujah, the weekend has come again!

And by weekend, I mean Saturday, because today, we are back to work.

(Day of rest? Not so much.)

But we definitely packed PLENTY of fun into this weekend!  Here's the line-up:

Friday: three hours of work, an awesome run in the rain, the much-anticipated staff social

Saturday: sleeping till the cows come home, adventuring around Philly
Sunday: again, sleeping till noon and then off to work again!






Friday night was the staff social and it was SO much fun!  Stacey, Stephan, and Katie did a great job putting this together.  It was held at an Irish pub in center city.  It had been a long week for most people so it was REALLY funny to see people we work with kind of really cut loose and have fun, hence the alternate title.

Our boys :) So tough.  Ha.

Office Ops!

Allen, Sona, & Stacey

Stacey & me

Marquita and Stephan

Sona, Stacey, Cristina, Clare, & Tak-yin

Me, Little Steve, & Megan

Biffles :)

You can do it, Ops can help!

410 minus Megan, plus our 5th roommate :)

The end result.  Fantastic.

Current obsessions.

1.  Mr. Sketch Markers

I rediscovered these while organizing supplies for TFA.  Who doesn't love scented markers?

2.  Pimento Cheese 

So I'm not as much obsessed with this as I am really MISSING my mother's pimento (pronounced pimenna in the Goodwin household, thankyouverymuch).  But holy moly could I go for a pimento cheese sandwich right now!

3.  Melted Monster Trail Mix

So my awesome mother sent me a care package that absolutely MADE MY DAY, and she put in one of my ALL TIME OBSESSIONS--trail mix.  Especially the Monster Trail Mix from Target.  Well, thanks to the heatwave of last week, the trail mix melted.  Never fear though--I might actually like the melted trail mix even better.  It's like trail mix CLUSTERS.  Heavenly? I think so.

4.  Gerbera Daisies

My favorite flower. Enough said.

5.  Cupcakes, especially this one: 

And just an interesting and appropriate article for the work we're doing:

10 Teachers Who Changed the World

Marquita and Allen

You are to remember with the passion burning within you, that you are not the child of today, you are not of the earth, you are more than dust; you are the child of tomorrow, you are of the eternities, you are the offspring of Deity.

The measurements of your lives cannot be circumscribed by the point where blue sky kisses green earth. All the fact of your life cannot be encompassed in the one small sphere upon which you live. You belong to the infinite. If you make your fortune on the earth,– poor, sorry, silly soul,– you have made a fortune and stored it, in a place where you cannot hold it.

Make your fortune, but store it where it will greet you in the dawning of the new morning…. 

-G. Campbell Morgan

Everone has a story.

Saw this on Twitter this afternoon... such a great message!


Every Life Has A Story - Chick-fil-A from Dan T. Cathy on Vimeo.

So American (4th of July, part 1)

At 6:20am, my roommate and I touched back down in Philly after an adventure-filled weekend in Boston, Norton, and Boston again.  It was perfectly exhausting in the best of ways, and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Our adventure really began Thursday night around 1:30am, when we realized that we hadn't actually booked bus tickets from NYC to Boston, but Boston to NYC.  Oops.  Crossing our fingers and hoping for the best, however, we decided not to buy new tickets but instead to see if Lucky Star/Chinatown/whatever sketchy bus line it was would take our tickets anyways.

So we woke up bright and early Friday morning to brave the subway and head to catch our first bus, from Philly to NYC.  We got off of the subway, expecting to see a building or at least a sign where we could catch the bus.  Nope, sorry friends.  Just a street corner.  Luckily, a variety of characters offered their help and assured us that we were in the right spot.  At just after 10am, a small white bus drove up, and out popped a little Chinese man, screaming, "GET IN GET IN!!" and hustling a few other confused looking passengers towards the sketchy bus.  We hopped on, too, (again) crossing our fingers and hoping this bus would actually take us to NYC.

Despite its original shady-ness, the bus ride was great (though the driver definitely enjoyed over-using his horn), and both the roommate and I caught up on some much needed sleep (sleep is apparently not a vital cog in student acheivement TIMES TWO.  oh well.) The bus took us to Chinatown, where we grabbed a bite to eat at Popeye's and found our next bus stop.  This was MUCH more legit--there was even a little shop where we made sure they would take our tickets (they didn't even ask about the Boston-NYC versus NYC-Boston, thank goodness!).  This bus even had wifi, which was pretty cool, even if we didn't get to use it.

Unfortunately, all of Connecticut decided to join us on the road.  Meaning, there was bumper to bumper traffic all through Connecticut, meaning our bus ride was almost 7 hours instead of the usual 3 or 4!  Silly traffic.  But again, the roommate and I caught up on even MORE sleep, and I got a glimpse of a few states I had never seen, and realized how little I know about New England geography.

We did make it to Boston, though, and took the LOVELY subway (SO MUCH BETTER THAN PHILLY!) to my roommate's sorority house at MIT.  We dropped our bags off and headed to say hello to one of my friends from high school, who Stacey just happened to be friends with.  After a great reunion, we headed to FINALLY grab dinner at U-Burger.  

Oh. My. Gosh. It was DELICIOUS.  Maybe it was because I was starving, but a veggie-burger has never tasted so good.  Plus, they had these great frappes, which are basically really good, not too thick milkshakes.  I had a mint-oreo frappe, and it was GREAT.  Perfect combo, especially after being on busses for the past 10 or so hours!

After eating, we headed to meet up with some of Stacey's friends from MIT.  After hanging out for a while at one of their apartments, we headed out for a little bit, played some darts, and overall had a great time.  After hearing countless stories of Stacey's hilarious friends for the past 2 weeks, the verdict was in--they were actually as hilarious as she had made them out to be.  After a great day/night of adventures, we headed back to Stacey's sorority house to crash for the night.  When we got there, we were greeted by some of the freshmen in Stacey's sorority who were absolutely HILARIOUS.  Again, just as fun as Stacey had made them out to be.  Unfortunately, I was so tired that I actually fell asleep DURING a conversation.  Oops.

Saturday morning, we slept until past NOON (again, making up on that sleep!) and took a train to Stacey's hometown, Norton, for more adventures with more fun, kind friends.  More on that later :)

Holy heatwave!

So remember last week when I bragged about it being in the mid-70s?

Not so much anymore...

Try screaming/cheering/yelling/being perky for an hour in THAT heat. It'll get ya.

Philadelphia Bucket List

So to make the most of my somewhat short time in Philly, I'm going to make a list of all of the MUST DO things in Philly!  Suggestions are appreciated :)

• Go on a walking tour of Philly, at least the historic area.  And go on my own running tour of Philly.
• Do the "Rocky" run
• Visit the rare book department of Philadelphia's Free Library (yes, I'm a nerd.)
• Independence National Park (duh.) - We've actually already been, but it was at night, so I'd hopefully like to make it over there sometime during the day.
• Eat a Philly pretzel:

Philadelphia's most famous snack is the salted soft pretzel, which, while shaped with the three holes like soft pretzels everywhere else, are distinctive in that they are flattened into a wide rectangle and are made in long chains in which the wide sides of the pretzels are attached. A person may typically buy two, three, or more attached pretzels at a convenience store or from a street vendor. The price is low, especially compared to national vendor brands sold in other cities and in malls. Unlike pretzels served in many other cities, Philly pretzels are not served hot, but at room temperature and often eaten with mustard.

Art:

(deserves its own section, of course.)

I of course want to visit all of the amazing museums in Philly, but also, according to WikiTravel, Philly has the largest amount of public art in the Nation.  According to the all-knowing wiki authors, 

"The Clothespin" is a sculpture by Claes Oldenburg that resembles a clothespin located just across from City Hall on West Market St. LOVE Park, serving as a terminus between City Hall and the museum-laden Benjamin Franklin Pkwy., features a famous LOVE statue that has come to represent the brotherly love that Philadelphia was founded on. The site once was the city's (and perhaps the nation's) most popular skating attraction until new legislation and remodeling efforts outlawed skating in the park. Just across the JFK Blvd. from City Hall at the Municipal Services Building, visitors can find many larger than life game pieces from popular board games as well as a statue of former mayor Frank Rizzo.

I've seen the giant game pieces on some of my runs, but I definitely want to be able to take some pics of these things, so this will probs be part of my walking tour.  

BOSTON BOUND!

We've finally finished our 14-day stretch of working and have our VERY FIRST day off tomorrow!  Plus, work on Sunday is optional, so I'm headed to Boston with one of my roommates who goes to MIT and lives outside of Boston.

The first sign that it's going to be an exciting adventure?

We booked our bus tickets from Boston to NYC instead of the other way around.  Oops.

Wish us luck :)

Have a lovely day :)

The how-to guide to having a wonderful day.  I can't remember where I found this, so if it's yours... sorry :)

happy day :)

Dear Sunset

Dear Sunset

Can I have yo' ipod?

Reasons why today is fabulous:

• It's a balmy 72 degrees here in Philly.  At 1pm.  And the humidity, by Georgia's standards, is nonexistant.
• This perfect weather + a fabulous 8 miler through Philly's historic district + a Barnes and Noble excursion + a caramel frappachino post-run= a most wonderful morning
• The dining hall gave out "stress fruit"--those little foam things.  So now, upon my desk, sits a stress-strawberry.  A-freaking-dorable.
• Jimmy John's is giving out free sandwiches tonight from 7pm-9pm to all TFA staff! Guess when my dinner break is? 7pm. Perfecto.

Also.  Funny story.  Today was probably my most interesting run.

Scene: This is the first morning I ran with my iPod. I was stopped at a cross-walk, waiting for the sign to turn green so I could continue out of the super sketchy area.  Enter: sketchy homeless woman.

Sketchy homeless woman: Um, lady, can I have yo' ipod?

Me: I'm sorry, why?

SHW: Can I have yo' ipod?

Me: Um, no, I don't think so. I'm sorry!

SHW: But I need yo' ipod.

Me: I'm sorry, I don't think so!

SHW: Are you sure?

Light turns green.

Me: Yeah, I'm sorry.  I've gotta go.  (Nervous smile) Hope you have a great day!

And I run off, hoping that she doesn't develop a sudden ability to spring after me and I don't see her half-toothless smile following me.

WENDY KOPP!!!!

OH MY GOSH.

I CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT THIS.

I GOT TO MEET WENDY KOPP!!!!!!

Day 14?

So when we all arrived at Temple, we realized that we would be turning Temple's 1300 Residetial Hall into TFA land.  Well, now we're all LIVING in TFA land, to the extent that none of us saw coming.

Welcome to TFA land, land of relentless pursuit, optimism, and acronyms.  We weren't joking when in our Ops song we sang about the 300 something thousand acronyms that now rule our lives.  Welcome to the land where every single second is planned in accordance to an action planner, aka a to-do list on steroids.

The arrival of the CMs (core members) has increased the feeling of TFA-land-ness. While we used to rule 1300, we now see the lobbies crowded with recent college grads, typing furiously on their laptops to try to create the perfect new lesson plan.  The copy center has actually had a few users, the once almost empty computer lab is now full, and there is a line at the printer.  1300 now springs alive (well, maybe that's too strong--reluctantly drags itself out of bed is more like it...) at 5am, as 650 CMs head off to schools.  At 4:30pm, these CMs return, to set the pace of our afternoons again.

As a member of the Office Operations team, my day doesn't actually begin unti around 2pm.  I usually get up around 8 or 9am, go for a run (I've found a great route, aka ONE TURN that will get me to the city center--awesome!), mess around in my dorm room, and head to lunch before our team meeting.  Our team meeting usually lasts until around 3, giving us an hour and a half to tie up loose ends before the masses return.  During this time, we clean and restock various workspaces for CMs and staff members, ready the copy center for what will someday be SUPER heavy use, deposit all mail to the CM and staff mailboxes, deal with packages, and update the news and entertainment boards, and deliver supplies to any staff members who have requested supplies since late the night before.  The package center is open from 4:30pm-6pm, and then the copy center is open from 5pm to midnight.  At some point, we each get an hour dinner break.  While that seems like a while, the 15 minutes to and from the dining hall takes up quite a chunk, but the half hour is always nice, especially when I get to catch up with friends on different teams.

After dinner, we head back to the copy center until around 1am.  It's a long day.

Despite the long hours, though, I really am enjoying the work here--especially when I get to work on different projects.  Yesterday, we distributed the corps member kits.  It didn't go nearly as smoothly as anyone had hoped, and since it was my project, I was very shaken up with how I felt I had failed.  There were problems I could have anticipated better, but there were also problems I didn't have the perspective to anticipate, so it was in all aspects a very valuable learning experience, and one that I am happy to have under my belt.  I learned that even the most simple project requires unbelievably detailed planning when it involves more than a hundred people.  I learned how to react positively under more in-the-moment stress than I thought I could handle.  I learned how to be sweet and syrupy to people I don't think even my own mother could handle. I learned how to reflect negatively and positively on a project--to really think critically about the systems that were in place and how they could be modified and fixed. I learned how to LEARN from failure.

Most importantly, however, I learned about the support system I had already developed in the 2 weeks we've been here.  I saw this in so many stages--first, when things began to turn chaotic, Operations Directors, managers, even the manager of the Philadelphia institute herself stepped in to help.  And by help, I mean work HARD.  Every single person involved in this undertaking was soaked in sweat from lifting boxes and giant pads of paper and running around.  Besides logistics, however, even more importantly, I learned of the emotional support I have in the people I work with here.  To be somewhat candid, I don't have a very thick skin, and I had internalized some of the less pleasant interactions I had witnessed/been a part of that afternoon.  When compared to the emotionally high, verrrry perky mood I had been in, the mood I was in after distribution was less than excited, happy, or pleasant.  I didn't snap at anyone, but I was certainly less than bubbly.  Two of the managers I work with noticed and took the time to let me vent to them, and then reassured me that not only was my system/the distribution NOT the end of the world (duh, Geales) but also that the less than pleasant interactions had nothing to do with the importance or value of my work, but instead of the stressful and new environment people are finding themselves in.  Which I understand.  And I promise not to take anything personally anymore.  HA.

Or at least I'll try.

So that was my yesterday.  Not the high point of the week, but necessary anyways.

Today was MUCH better.  Tonight, though 1am still seemed unbelievably late to be working, Marquita and I spent our hours dancing to the likes of Mariah Carey, Train, and Hanson.  Oh yes.

I also LOVED the corps members I met today in the copy center.  They were all incredibly sweet, grateful for any help I was able to offer, and enjoyed my over-caffeinated humor (or at least pretended like they did).

Another high point, the resource room opened today.  It's like a teacher's paradise--they have everything--books of all sorts, craft supplies, everything a budding teacher needs.  Seriously, I think I could spend hours in there! And many of the new CMs feel the same.  It was so exciting to see them come from the resource room with books and books with examples and essays to show their students tomorrow.

Speaking of students, I can't wait to go see a school site!  Everything here is becoming more and more real.  First, the CMs actually arrived.  Seeing them get off the bus.  Handing them supplies.  Seeing them copy math worksheets.  I can't wait to see the kiddos!

Well, chickadees, I'm off to bed.  Sorry for the long, probably boring post.  If you've read this far, kudos and kisses to you.

happy day :)

Psalm 73

Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.

For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong.

They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills.

This is what the wicked are like—always carefree, they increase in wealth.

Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.

All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning.

When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.

Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.

You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.

Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds. 

(verses:1-5, 12-14, 16-17, and 23-28)

Waiting for Superman

One of my friends who will be TFA-ing beginning in the fall in Baton Rouge, LA sent me this video! Just a great reminder.

The corps members arrived today--650 new faces!  We're all really excited that they're finally here, after preparing (relentlessly) for the past 9 days, unpacking boxes, putting up perfectly placed signage, cutting out letters, arranging kits, etc.  We are interested to see how our world will be changed when you add all these new people.  We've had all of the 1300 residence hall to ourselves, the staff to ourselves, the dining hall to ourselves, and now... not so much, haha! Marquita, who is quite possibly one of my FAVORITE people ever, threatened to lock the doors to keep the CMs from coming in, but Lindsay, one of the awesome staff members, reminded M that we had done all this work FOR them, since the probability of any of us using the resource room (full of books, crafts, teacher tools, etc.) is slim, and plus then we'd have a whole ton of kids sitting alone in classrooms.  Oops.  I guess we need them. :)

(PS to all of my CM friends--I love you.  I promise.  And I am unbelievably pumped to meet all of the new CMs and watch them turn from mostly recent college grads to America's newest, most prepared teachers.)

We finally had some down time last night and after another stellar meal at the dining hall, most of the OC's went out in Philly.  We. had. a. blast!! It was probably one of the most interesting nights of my LIFE.  My roommates and three other OCs had stayed and gone to the dining hall while a group of about ten or so went to a Mexican restaraunt in another part of Philly.  The seven of us decided to take the subway from Temple Univ, where we're staying, to Cristina's apartment, which is near Penn's campus.  Easy, right? Um, no.

Unfortunately for you, that story will just have to wait.  I am absolutely, 100%, entirely exhausted, so I'm going to curl up with some Monsters, Inc., and go to sleeeeep.

happy day.

Institute by Numbers

I am absolutely, positively, 100% in LOVE with the other OC's (interns) and our OD's (bosses).  

Institute by numbers:

1.            19 interns

2.            9 Operations Directors

3.            7 million boxes unpacked, organized, and moved.

4.            7,000 manilla folders distributed.

5.            10 SOM kits

6.            56 Core Member Adviser kits

7.            180 Core Member kits assembled and distributed

8.            400 post-its disappeared

9.            1 "social gathering"

10.        1 special lunch

11.        19 bamboo stalks

12.        80 hours of work

13.        1 free meal at Qdoba

14.        Too little sleep

15.        4 runs through Philly

16.        2 subway rides

17.        6 hours of dance parties

18.        8 days of laughing

Many more to come.

The Mighty Masai

Among the most accomplished and fabled tribes of Africa, no tribe was considered to have warriors more fearsome or more intelligent than the mighty Masai. It is perhaps surprising then to learn the traditional greeting that passed between Masai warriors. “Kasserian ingera, “ one would always say to another. It means, “and how are the children?”

It is still the traditional greeting among the Masai, acknowledging the high value that the Masai always place on their children’s’ well-being. Even warriors with no children of their own would always give the traditional answer. “All the children are well.” Meaning, of course, that peace and safety prevail, that the priorities of protecting the young, the powerless are in place, that Masai society has not forgotten its reason for being, its proper functions and responsibilities. “All the children are well” means that life is good. It means that the daily struggles of existence, even among a poor people, do not preclude proper caring for its young.

I wonder how it might affect our consciousness of our own children’s’ welfare if in our culture we took to greeting each other with this same daily question: “And how are the children?” I wonder if we heard that question and passed it along to each other a dozen times a day, if it would begin to make a difference in the reality of how children are thought of or cared for in this country?

I wonder if every adult among us, parent and non-parent alike, felt an equal weight for the daily care and protection of all the children in our town, in our state, in our country...I wonder if we could truly say without any hesitation, “the children are well, yes, all the children are well.”

What would it be like...if the President began every press conference, every public appearance, by answering the question, “And how are the children, Mr. President?” If every governor of every state had to answer the same question at every press conference: “And how are the children, Governor? Are they all well?” Wouldn’t it be interesting to hear their answers?

Written by Rev. Dr. Patrick T. O'Neill, Senior Minister of First Unitarian Church of Wilmington, Delaware. Written in 1991 as a sermon for the First Parish in Framingham, MA.

I'll admit it...

I'm probably the worst blogger EVER.  But I am having a wonderful time here at Institute, and loving Teach For America more and more as the days go by!  Just a few quick updates (more later, I promise!)

• For those of you who don't know, I'm working as an Operations Coordinator for Teach For America.  It's their intern position--this year, there are 19 Operations Coordinators, mostly rising college seniors, but a few rising sophomores and juniors.  It's really an incredible group of people and I've absolutely LOVED getting to know everyone.  We're responsible for making sure Institute runs smoothly--we've transformed the 1300 dorm of Temple University into Teach For America land.  From the ground up.  Literally, we've unpacked more boxes than I've ever seen in my LIFE! But it's been a lot of fun!
• Specifically, I'm the Supplies System Coordinator on the Office Operations team.  AKA, I'm in charge of ALLLLLL the supplies for Institute! I LOVE school supplies and I get to spend my day organizing them and passing them out. Besides a few missing gluesticks, it's been pretty good.  We're definitely moving all day, which is lots and lots of fun!
• Philly is great. Loooove it.

Alright, y'all, we're off to Wendy's for a late night snack, looove y'all!

Life Lessons by Regina Brett

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch!
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion.Today is special.
22. Over-prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ‘In five years, will this matter?’
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

me.

Last year, I took two classes as part of a leadership certificate.  The first semester, our major project was a portfolio in which we explored every facet of our personality, our core being.  This included countless writing assignments, personality assessments, interviews with those closest to us, etc.  Mine ended up being 50+ pages long.  I LOVED writing this thing. 

This May, six months after finishing this project, I pulled out my book once again, and revisited many of the exercises.  I looked again at my core values, my personal statement, my vision.  While I don't think I've strayed from my values (although I have definitely made mistakes), I think don't always make decisions or begin the day with these values in mind.  As I think about where I want to go in life, the impression I want to make on those around me, I recognize again the importance of not only KNOWING my core values, but also keeping them in the forefront of my mind.

My Core Values

1.     Faith—believing wholeheartedly, against all odds, in God, His sovereignty, His love, and His plan for me.

2.     Love—looking for the best in people, finding the beauty in people, essentially 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 : “Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

3.     Passion—you can’t live life half-way.  One of my favorite quotes is “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” (Howard Thurman).  Life is a gift and should be lived to the fullest.

4.     Joy—this is a value my mother instilled in me very early on.  It’s essentially the same paradigm/belief that you can’t always change your surroundings or your circumstances, but you can change how you look at them.  Instead of problems, I see opportunities to grow and learn.

5.     Integrity—firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values; to be true to oneself, to be real and not multisided

Holy Hilariousness

Y'all.  Puh-lease watch this and tell me you did not laugh out loud.  I laugh even thinking about it. Ha. Ha. Ha. (Told ya so...)




Also, just as a little PSA... it's almost 7pm.  It's still freaking 95 degrees here in Johns Creek.  Holy heatwave.

Diet Coke.

We are in a national state of emergency here.

I come home from ATH (aka the love of my life, keeper of my HEART) last night, open the fridge and we are OUT.  100% devoid of the elixir of life, joy, and all things good  DIET COKE.

We don't mess around in our house.  Seriously.  We have RULES about this magical liquid drink.  You MAY NOT, no matter who the heck you are or how important you think you might be to my mother (even her perfect, unbelievably wonderful first born daughter) take either of the last TWO Diet Cokes.  Consequences? Death.

My mother and I are probably about 80% Diet Coke.  Yes, I know, I am rotting my insides.  But ya know what, Dr. Oz? I.don't.really.care.that.much. (Or at least right now).  I run (a lot), (usually) eat healthy, AND I'M A VEGETARIAN (Plus 10 years!! Wooo!!) so I'm going to drink a few (or a lot) of Diet Cokes every. single. day.

First, let me tell you all of the many, many appropriate times for Diet Coke.

1.  That awkward time before dinner when you're absolutely starving and need something to save you before you turn into an ugly green monster but don't want to ruin your appetite or waste precious calories when you're about to go to a wonderful restaraunt.  Cure? Diet Coke.  My mother and I often split one ON THE WAY to the restaraunt so we can last.

2.  When you have a cold.  Seriously? I craveeee fountain diet coke from Chick fil A when I'm sick.  I would pay good money to anyone to drive me to Chick fil A when I have a fever/chills/stuffy nose to get Diet Coke.  It's worth it. Don't argue.

3.  After a long night.  Case in point? Saturday night I had a BLAST and stayed out entirely too late.  Thanks to jetlag, I still woke up at 7am, about three hours after I had fallen asleep.  Thanks to the 7 gallons of Diet Coke I drank, however, I wasn't tired.  AT ALL.  If that isn't magic, I don't know what is.

4. Before a long night.  Studying till 4am? Diet Coke.  About to celebrate a certain very important birthday complete with dance parties till 5am? Diet Coke.  Any questions? That's what I thought.

HOWEVER.  Not all diet-cola-drinks are made equal.  Here they are, in order of wonderfull-ness. Now, in an emergency (LIKE RIGHT NOW!) I will drink ANY of them.

1. Diet Coke with Lime.  Who thought of this? Pure genius.

2. Coke Zero

3. Coke Zero Cherry

4. Diet Coke

5. Diet Pepsi, and any of its alter-egos

6. Big-K Diet Cola

7. Big-K's version of Coke Zero

And, only in the state of TRUE EMERGENCY will I drink...

ANY SODA WITH SPLENDA.  I'm sorry.  I know we were trying to make it healthier, but for real.  This does NOT taste good.  Sorry.  Try again.

If you have any doubts as to the absolute IMPORTANCE of Diet Coke after this post, please feel free to reach out to me.  I'll be happy to show you the error of your ways. Or, if, seeing the importance of Diet Coke, you would like to save me from my Diet Coke-less state, please just come find me.  I'll be your BFF FOREVER!! kthanks.

UPDATE: I.FOUND.THE.DIET.COKE. It was hiding.  In the garage.  All is well again.

BOOKS!

So far this summer I have read...

The Friday Night Knitting Club
A NYTimes best-seller, it was good, but not quite as good as...


The Help
This book was INCREDIBLE.  Seriously, if you don't read it... I might not be your friend. Oops.


The Lost Symbol
Another great book--very fast paced, kept me interested the whole time.


Forgotten God
Still reading this one, but it's a great reminder of the Holy Spirit and the things He can do in our lives.  It's a great book to read/perspective to gain before doing something like going on a mission trip/volunteer trip or starting a new job or a new class or anything.


Love the One You're With
NERD ALERT: I actually listened to this one on CD while driving back and forth between Athens, and I LOVED it.  Emily Giffin has a great voice.  At first I really wasn't sure about it because the main character cheats on her husband, but it really does have a great message and you fall in love with the characters.


Winter Garden (In Progress...)
I'll let ya know! I chose this because I LOVED LOVED LOVED Firefly Lane--You've GOTTA read that if you haven't!

UPDATE:

I've also read...

Committed
This is by Elizabeth Gilmore, who wrote Eat, Pray, Love.  If you haven't read EPL, PLEASE read it. Now.  All women should read this and then subsequently become jealous of her ability to basically take a year off of real life to travel and ask all the questions we shove to the back of our minds right before we fall asleep because we're afraid of the answers.  Because we can't all do that, live vicariously through Liz.  You won't be disappointed, I promise.

Committed was good, too, but considering I'm not going to engaged/married/etc., I couldn't exactly connect.  BUT it did deal with a lot of life questions, like EPL, and was still good.  Read EPL, Firefly Lane, The Help, and of course, the TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE before you read this.

Hello from Vietnam!

Hey everyone!

We are INCREDIBLY busy in Vietnam, but here is an email the group sent to our family this morning that sums up some good parts of our trip!  Promise to write more later!  If any of this post doesn't make sense, I blame it on heat, sleep deprivation, and inside jokes that have taken over our minds :)  Love to all!

We've had another couple of wonderful days in Ho Chi Minh City! Tuesday morning we walked around the city and visited the biggest market.  We saw lots and lots of great knock offs, silk robes, and pajama sets for Rachel.  The market also had lots of really cool Vietnamese handicrafts.  HCMC is really interesting and busy--there are literally motorbikes everywhere you look.  Tuesday afternoon we visited the orphanage again and fell even more in love with the children.  We have such a fun time playing with them.  Tuesday night we went to a really great restaurant--aka a miniature table (Ryan really loved the matching miniature stools) on the side of the road next to a sketchy, urine scented wall.  It was definitely an experience to say the least. We ate "hotpot," which is a traditional meal where the food is cooked in a pot on a hot plate in front of you (which really adds to the already stifling heat). We poured the vegetables and broth (and Anne added some sketchy looking seafood which resembled cuttlefish) over rice noodles.  We even threw caution to the wind and drank the ice.  What daredevils. (No sickness yet though!!) And of course, being the group we are, we found the frozen yogurt across the street from our hostel.  Don't worry, we'll be going there often.

Wednesday was even more filled with beautiful people, and more importantly, us throwing each other under the bus (sometimes the only way to get through the day and awkward language barrier).  After our English lesson at the monastery turned into a karaoke contest featuring Brittany Spears, the Backstreet Boys, Ricky Martin, and ABBA, we had a great lunch featuring MANGO, Rachel's absolute favorite food.  We even ate the mango with rice and soy sauce, just like the monks. Wednesday afternoon we played with the kids again, and we learned a lot about how the orphanage was started and is run on a day to day basis.  When we were leaving, literally all of the kids followed us to the street corner, waving goodbye.  We had such a hard time leaving them for just an afternoon, we have no idea how we'll survive without them when we leave.

Wednesday night, we found a great restaurant with a couple of Western dishes and of course, free happy hour with a drink that tasted like cough syrup.  And Rachel got her french fries.  We had a nighttime visit at our hostel from the monks and a surprise lesson in Vietnamese. We're pretty much pros, of course.  Fluent.  They were also kind enough to bring a traditional, very special fruit.  We have no idea what it was called, but it was like durian, but worse.  Even Gheales did not like it.  At all.  The smell alone was enough to vacate a room.  We were overjoyed this morning when we found that the extra mystery fruit Anne and Ryan place outside our room had disappeared never to return.  Ryan's exact words: "My dream came true!" (Don't worry, we were all very polite to the monks and told them we loooooved their fruit)

This morning, we were able to sleep in a bit and are headed to finalize our weekend plans after sending this email.  We're hoping to go to Cambodia this weekend and then the Mekong Delta (not Tri-Delta, like Rachel likes to refer to it...) next week with the monks and Tina.  Hope y'all are all doing well and we miss you tons!

we are family.

The whole fam went to dinner last night at the Cheescake factory! It was hilarious 

(as always) and consisted mostly of Andrew and I ganging up on goodnatured-ly teasing 

Grace.  Reminded me just how much I adore them...

Love 'em.  Definitely gonna miss them this summer.

happy day :)

Home is where the heart is.

I love being home.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE love love Athens, with all my heart.  But there's something about coming home that just... ahhhhh.  The smell of my house (not a bad smell.  a unique smell.  a homey, welcome home smell.  you know what I mean).  My bedroom.  My desk.  My bed (which, yes, even though it's 10:30pm, I'm in bed).  Everything.  I LOVE it.

In a few days, yes, I'm sure I'll be ready to get back to Athens, back to my college friends, back to my college-life.  But for now, I'm enjoying bumming around, taking long, hot baths, eating the food we always have at home, sitting at the kitchen table with my sister while she does her homework (which is now AP World History instead of 5th grade science projects), reading on the back porch while watching our puppies play (ok, so they aren't puppies anymore), watching tennis with my brother, and drinking coffee in the kitchen while everyone gets ready for school and work. I'll enjoy spending time with my high school friends, visiting old teachers, running with my high school coach, and having lunch with some incredible ladies who not only let me spend time with their incredible children (and paid me for it :) ! ) but also truly shaped the person I'm becoming.

And I'm excited.

happy day, folks :)

sweet summertime.

Holy moly.

Thank goodness finals are over.  Update: I have slept.  Quite a bit, and it's been lovely.  The past few days have been filled with celebrations--graduation celebrating with Michael's sweet family, Ryan's birthday, and of course, Mother's Day.  All in all, a great last few days to an incredible semester.

To all the graduating seniors--I can't believe y'all won't be here next year.  And I really don't wanna believe it, either!  Y'all have been absolutely incredible, and you'd sure better keep in touch. :)  The graduation ceremony was actually not bad at all--they kept it quick, and Alton Brown was absolutely HILARIOUS.  Seriously.  I'm going to try to find a video of the speech to put up here.  The student speaker, Christie Haynes, was wonderful, too.

So summer.  Here's my schedule...

This week (May 9th-14th or 15th), I'll be back and forth between Johns Creek and Athens, visiting anyone and (hopefully) everyone!

May 15th or 16th: leave for Seaside, FL

May 22nd: Head to Thailand!

June 4th: Return to Atlanta (hopefully without food poisoning)

June 17th: Fly to Philadelphia to intern with Teach for America as an Operations Coordinator at "Institute," which all TFA-ers attend before going out into the world of education. :)

August 5th: Return to Atlanta

August 6th: Back to Athens :)

So excited for this summer, but missing Athens more than I can explain. :)

happy day.