Do Something That Scares The Hell Out Of You Every Day

The fourth of July has come and gone and I'm still waiting on fireworks...

Unfortunately for many Atlanta celebrators, fireworks were canceled due to rain that plagued the metro area last night. Thankfully, the group I was with was ju

bilant enough that the fireworks were hardly missed and, more likely, forgotten. I, however, am hoping that some rescheduled shows will be happening tonight so that I can catch the yearly tradition before summer rolls out.

While there were no fireworks, sparklers or even that much red, white and blue where I was at, I did enjoy the 4th of July in my own special way. This year I decided to yet again take on the Peachtree Road Race. Last year was my very first year running the 6.2 mile road race alongside Justin, Mel, Clay and Mrs. Anderson. We ran it in about 1 hr and 20 minutes which isn't terribly for a larger group of people with different levels of experience and bodily issues... heh. It was also the first time I had run anything over 3 miles before. I definitely enjoyed pushing myself during the race, but felt like it was something that might only happen about once a year.

So again, race day comes much to my chagrin as I had yet to run anything over 3 miles successfully in the weeks leading up to it. I was convinc

ed Justin was going to have to carry my butt for the last few miles or, at the very least, walk with me when I couldn't do it any longer. A few minutes before my wave (Y, the very last one!) I start to get nervous again, but decided I was going to try to run the entire race and if I needed to stop, I could, but I needed to always start running again. Let's just say it started out rough... super hot, I didn't stretch as much as a I should of, I missed the company of my friend pointing out funny things along the race and sometimes during the hills I walked a little as I caught my breath. Then at mile four something happened that I really didn't expect... I didn't want to stop at all. Not even for a hill, barely for the people ahead of me and surely not because I was tired. Before I knew it, Justin and I were crossing the finish line at an all out sprint! I was so stinkin proud of he and I and really not all that worn out!! What a difference a year makes : ) Hopefully our official time will reflect that!

Needless to say, I'm thinking about ru

nning longer distances and possibly doing a half marathon if I can hold on to the enthusiasm. As for now... I'm going to go stretch. While I was able to run the race and feel great, my body is feeling the need to remind me that training and proper stretching can keep you from feeling like an 80 year old the next day!

Skipping Rocks

So an update is definitely needed...

I somehow managed to totally avoid all of the new goings-on in my last blog and have almost 6 months of updating to cover since even then.

To start... I will have been officially working (and getting paid!) at m

y job for an entire year in August! I'm pretty excited about that milestone as it feels like I've been working in youth development for years!... Which is technically true as I was interning for a few beforehand. In this one year, however, I have been able to see and be a part of the very foundations of youth development and have garnered a great amount of professional experience. From learning to write grants and working with community professionals to teaching kids poetry and learning to sing a whole other Happy Birthday song, I feel like college taught me some good stuff... but really can't touch what I've learned over the past year! I really can't explain how much joy this profession has afforded me, even when faced with the hardships any job or career inevitably falls victim. I am thankful and interested to see what it yet to come...

I recently came back from Germany for my first visit since January 2010. It was great seeing my dad again after a year and half and being in Germany again. Always before the trip I feel like "Yeah! I'm going to a foreign country! It'l

l be so different and exotic!" This inevitably changes, however, as soon as the plane has landed and I realize that Deutchland is a foreign to me as my favorite dress from my 21st birthday party hanging in my closet-- I wear the dress very rarely, but have my memories of what I looked like, how I felt and who was with me while wearing it. That's what Germany feels like to me. I have so many memories of laughter, good friends and growing into a young woman, that it really isn't foreign or exotic-- it's a part of me. So in the end, I visited an old friend and my family for 11 days and returned home with my newly graduated little sister to hang out with for six weeks-- which always goes by so fast.

At the end of this summer I'll be moving back to Athens to live with my friend Tandra. I'm excited about this new chapter as I'll feel a little more like an adult living on my own again and getting to live in a town that is more accessible to my interests and passions. It'll be an adventure now that most of my good friends have graduated and moved from Athens to other parts of Georgia, the country and even the world. Luckily for me, I've been an Army brat and I know that with every move and every new person you meet is an opportunity to grow and have experiences that you would never have conceived to be possible! August can't come soon enough!

As for the organic/buying locally topic from my last post... Well, I've become more conscious of what I eat and where it comes from most of the time, but I can't quite call it a "lifestyle change" as I still enjoy my Chik-fil-a salads and an occassional binge of Reeses, but I'm learning and trying to apply what I've learned to my diet. I haven't been to the local Farmers Market yet, but I'm hoping that's a trip to be had this summer as so many of my favorite vegetables are available now! Luckily, I'm still here in High Shoals and there are tons of VERY locally grown veggies available in the backyard. I have enjoyed going to Earth Fare and Trader Joes which will soon be closer in August.

As for more recent news... I got back last night from Mississippi where Justin I traveled to see about him trying out for a minor league baseball team. I wasn't exactly excited about the prospect of a 7/8 hour drive to and from Mississippi, but it turned out to be the best part of the trip as Justin and I got to just hang out for 16 hours-- well and listen to books on tapes. I think that's why I like him so much... He'll listen to books on tapes with me and not laugh at me when I start to cry at particularly heart-wrenching parts of the book. He's a keeper.

So that's the update. I'll work on keeping my blog more up-to-date and working in some pictures as well. Thanks for still reading and having patience with me!

Snow Place Like Home

Many folks complain about the fact that they need a vacation from their vacation post Christmas break.

Thanks due in part to mother nature and Georgia's complete lack of preparedness when it comes to winter weather, I and the rest of northern Georgia has enjoyed an entire week at home trapped by snow and ice. I can't lie and say that I didn't suffer from some cabin fever mid-week, but have thoroughly enjoyed hanging out in my pajamas sans make-up or a schedule. My week has been committed to getting out of the winter dole drums and getting my butt and diet back in gear. My entire body aches in that "oh my gosh, I didn't know I had muscles there" kind of way but I am renewed in my pursuit for a healthier 2011.

Interestingly enough, Justin and I watched Food, Inc last night on Netflix. I decided to watch it as it kept popping up on the documentary suggestions on my Netflix account... and determined to stop watching trash tv and movies (I say that with soap operas murmuring in the background, lol) I pulled it up on my computer, snuggled up with the boy and was ready to learn a little... or fall asleep if it was too educational for 11 o'clock at night.

Now let me preface this by saying that I've been reading a little about the organic and local food movements and have known for a while that processed foods are killing us... but watching this documentary solidified my feeling that I don't really know where or how my food is grown and brought to me. I think that learning to grow my own food and navigate the local farmer's market are on my horizon. It'll just be a matter of making an actual change and thinking about what I'm eating.

Through the movie, I found the website takepart.com which may rival my TED obsession. It's a great lifestyle blog in which they talk about food, health, green movement, politics and schools. I'm thinking this may help me in making some of the moves to organic, local foods.

I'll keep you updated on how it goes!

In Between

It's been a quite interesting few months post-graduation...

I was in all out panic mode as December came upon me. Papers, finals, and graduation preparation coinciding with the departure of literally half of my family to two different corners of the earth. With every paper finished and every trip to the airport to say goodbye, I was overwhelmed by how quickly and drastically my entire world was changing. On top of that, my father offered that I live in his house until it sold. I was about to be leaving my new nest in Athens to go home-- to the only place on earth that my family ever settled. It was going to be hard sitting there with all of my family members and memories lingering in a home that now would only house me. I can't lie-- I broke down more than a few times: Crying when the school bus passed by the house, unknowingly waiting for the garage door to lift around 4:40 p.m., turning all the lights on downstairs to pretend like I wasn't alone and that someone was waiting to talk in the next room. I yearned for my family. I missed the comfort of my apartment and sweet friends who lived with me. I hardly could stand being in that house alone.

Fortunately, time goes on. The human spirit is quite resilient and, most importantly, God is GOOD. I began to realize that God had simplified my life in order for me to focus on the things I had neglected... The house, my family who were still right around the corner, my boyfriend, myself and my personal relationship with God. Before I could really wipe the tears away, I was on my feet again and moving forward-- cleaning, mending, engaging and discovering parts of myself that I had- for so long, put on the back burner. While I still miss my life in Athens, my family over seas and across the country, I have been fortunate enough to watch a child grow day by day, learn how to cook a lemon meringue pie, talk about faith with my mother, talk with God on a 35 minute drive daily and play rummy with my best friend.
I am busy again, but happily so. My dreams for the future are big, but my present is bigger. I am oh, so glad that God slowed it down for me so that I could could fix the foundation.

I give Him the glory.

Don't Go. We'll eat you up.I love you so.

For months I have anticipated a childhood friend's arrival at the box offices and as I piled into a crowded movie theater late last night, I surely wasn't disappointed. The movie Where the Wild Things Are, based on the 1963 children's book, lovingly smashed through the silverscreen and rode me piggy back to my own childhood. I couldn't help but smile as I watched the young boy throw snow at his sister, dance wildly as his mother spoke on the telephone or when, in a fit, young Max jumps on the table and yells "Feed me, woman!"
What's more, I knew that little boy-- not only from my own experience at being a sometimes-problem child-- but also from the playground, the grocery store, at church or a friend's house. Max represents what it means to be a child-- completely unaware of social norms, confused by adult logic and wrecklessly holding onto love all the while enjoying the endlessly the world around him.
Carrol, the large "wild thing" that Max befriends presents a reflection of Max himself-- clearly possessing the same enjoyment of life and love as Max, while also being disillusioned with the realities of the adult world. As the two play and interact, Max is confronted with a larger than life version of himself and is forced to understand a concept so foreign to most: unselfish and unconditional love. As Max drifts away on the little boat that furiously carried him to the island, he waves good bye to the 'wild things' and his own selfishness.
As I sat in the darkened theater, attempting to hide the tears streaming down my face during what I thought was a children's movie, I realized that this movie brought to life more than just the characters on the pages of Maurice Sendak's children book, but it also conjured up lessons learned while playing on the playground or fighting with siblings. It reminded me not only what it meant to be a kid, but also of all the lessons so easily forgotten as we navigate the perils of living and loving.

A red, white and blue kind of day.

4th of July has always been a holiday of significance in my family considering that both of my parents are veterans-- my father having served in the U.S. Army for over 20 years and my mother serving in the Army with three small children at home.

Memories of the 4th of July as a child include the usual fireworks, grilled foods and those little American flags on sticks that seem to be as plentiful as mosquitos on a hot July day. Every year someone plays God Bless the U.S.A, always bringing a tear to my mother's eye-- which I have most recently taken up in her abscence-- and I've spent many a 4th of July staring up at the sky watching airplanes streak across the sky, performing barrel rolls and spelling words with smoke from the engines. The usual patriotic music would be playing in the background and in between shows we'd walk around and sit in helicopters, jets, airplanes and old U.S. Army jeeps. No matter what city, state or country my nomadic family would eventually find themselves in-- this was how we spent these annual summer celebrations with our backs atop an afghan and our eyes turned to the sky as we oohed and ahhed at the burst of color in the sky.

With so few traditions among Army families, Independence Day always has a special place in the military community-- not just to bring justification of so many sacrfices... but also as a way to bring military families together to sit on blankets and stare into the sky.

Together.

Somewhere over the Rainbow.

A little over a week ago I watched my hero graduate with his Masters in Science Administration. It has been an amazing inspiration to watch him pursue his education with such determination over the past few years. I seriously wonder how he managed to juggle a full time job, keep my sister's and I from emotionally and financially face planting and maintaining a 4.0 GPA. I definitely wonder if I'm doing something wrong when my GPA is definitively lower... hmmm.

Anyway, it was a beautiful ceremony and among the screaming and cheering there was a strained 22 year old little girl yelling "I LOVE YOU DADDY!" from somewhere in the 5th row.

Congrats Papi.