That's a boulder... in Boulder County....in Boulder, CO...

19 more days. There's 19 more days left of my very first round. I'm in awe that the time has flown by that quickly. I remember freaking out over what to pack in August, and now I'm debating on what I should send back home. I remember being afraid that my team would hate me back in July, now I can't go a day without talking to everyone at least once. It's funny how before this program started, I was so worried about all of these small things, that are now pointless.

19 more days I have left in Colorado, with 13 more work days. 13 more days of working face to face with the survivors and making sure that they're voices are heard. There are many people that I have meet, heard their stories and wanted to cry for them right then and there. The amount of strength that these people have, amazes me and inspires me to work through the long hard days.

19 more days left sleeping on a couch, with three other girls in the room. I was lucky to even get the couch near a window. My room has been the hangout room, mostly because we have the couches and the TV with a VCR. We watch movies almost every night, which means I fall asleep quickly.

19 more days left in the small town Berthoud. This town is kind of like a freaky story book town. It's small with a few chain stores and everything closes at 9 pm. I'm not a big fan of the curfew that the town apparently has, but the people are nice and friendly.

19 more days left of having to go somewhere for laundry. Which really means I'll probably will only do laundry three more times. I'm just that lazy about it. But really, who has the time to do laundry when you get home at 730 pm, have to eat, workout/shower, do paperwork, have meetings, and relax. For me laundry is on the back burner. That is until I run out of socks and underwear. But I can last two weeks!!

19 days until we are back in Vinton, Iowa, home sweet home. It'll be nice to see everyone and to be somewhere that is less tense.

I am extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to help a family the past three days. My team and I have been mucking and gutting a house that did not do well in the flood. We would go in before work, digging out the river mud from their property. The amount of satisfaction  we all had once the days were done was unbelievable. I had fun switching from inside clean work, to outside dirty work for a few hours.

The most important lesson I have learned is to be positive. During the long work days and weeks I become tired of having to deal with certain people who makes issues within our jobs. What I personally do to deal with the stress build up is to let it fall. Let them fall off your shoulders, backs, necks, and minds. Now this is easier said then done. I smile and joke around, keeping my mind off of the subject of the negatives. When I work out, I work my butt off, letting the steam release from my body and mind. When I play guitar, I practice to the point of mind numbing fingering. I keep in contact with my friends and family back home, writing letters, texting, Facebook, calling, and face time. To me, the best release is to talk to someone back home and feel the familiarity of my home through our conversations. I come to terms with my stresses and that's what makes the difference between holding everything in and letting it out. The positive outlook in life makes all the difference in most situations.

Well here is the post, sorry for the delay! We've been very busy! I hope you have enjoyed all of my posts so far! Atlas, I must say goodbye until the next one! I miss you all and hope you have had a wonderful life since I've seen you last! Please write! my address can be found in one of my pervious posts!!! Love you all!!!

 An old man named Outlaw gave me the rose.

Working!!

Went on a beautiful hike, learning about the impact of the flood in the parks.

 The whole team!

 That's a BIG boulder!!!