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!
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