DC...Vicksburg...Vinton...now Denver?!?! All in one month

Vicksburg, MS was a whole another world!! Actually the town was like any other town, minus all the Confederate army and the southern accents and greasy food. But overall the experience of going to another campus during training was like nothing I have ever done. The mind sets and moods to the program were so new, so refreshing, that it made me feel excited for work again. It also made me reevaluate my own mind set. It made me realize that it's normal to feel down, under appreciated, worn down, and burnt out. But also, for me to remember what an amazing program and opportunities I have had the privileged to be apart of in the past 7-8 months. Round 2 is finally coming to a close. It's amazing how quick this round went by. This last round tested my strengths, my weaknesses, and my right of mind. My team laughed together, cried together, and at times screamed at each other. But this was all expected. Because in realty, what would you expect when you put ten very different strangers in a house and have them work with each other 24/7? We act like the crazy Brady Bunch family, except without all the hair. We act like the dysfunctional family down the road. We act like the family that we are. We have become a family through all the trials that we have put each other through. Because years from now, when I'm telling someone all about my AmeriCorps experiance, I will show my team photo with pride. So come Third Round I will be in Denver,CO working in Golden,CO! My team and I will be continuing the full development of FEMA Connect, and will be working with another FEMA Corps team to pass it on before we graduate in June. Have you ever just hit one button and feel different afterwards? Have you ever opened up an email and your whole life changed within that second? Have you ever felt a total relief and a rush of adrenaline from one document? But most importantly, have you ever felt that this is the exact reason of your life after reading one small paragraph? Its all of these feelings and actions that came towards me as I finally decided on which path to take after this program. I have made the decision to do another year of service to my community. Next year I will be serving a small orphanage in Nepal for 15 weeks through a program called LoveVolunteers. I will be teaching english and simple counting techniques to children ages 4-14 years old. This oppurtunity is one in a million and I will be serving with pride. It is truly amazing how one's life can be so unexpected, even when you are that person! Thank you all for being so patient with my inconsistent posting! I will mostly likely post again in a week or so. At the moment I am on my way to Coloradooooo!!!! Thank you all and I miss you and love you and please contact me any ways!

Teddy bear style of sleeping. 

The packing of the van 

Vicksburg, MS style of helping 

This was an amazing little restaurant in Vicksburg! 

Packed and ready for the third and final Round! 

We were on our way to Sonic and needed a little breather. 

Our celebration dinner with our POC Chad! 

At the Capitol building in DC 

Those Hips Don't Lie.

The past few weeks have been ... Interesting. Two weeks ago I fell...off the arm of a couch...and cracked my hip...welcome to my life. So I've been crutching around for a week and will be for about 7 more. But nonetheless I have had an incredible support behind me(sometimes literally.) My teammates have learned that I am a very stubborn person when it comes to my health. And at times they force me to sit down and rest (which is very important of course.)

The one thing that I have reflected from these past few weeks is support. Support can come in many different ways. To some it's a smile and to others it's a kidney, these are two are on very different ends of the spectrum of course. My point is that to a single person, the definition of support is unique to them. This concept is highly complicated. Or at least to me it is. I have seen friendships fail because of the lack (or more likely differences between their definitions) of support. I, myself, have had failed friendships because of the constant change of our definitions. Because if you think about it, your definition of support varies from each person in your life. The support I want from my mother is very different compare to my best friend. The support I want from each of my teammates are very different from my team leader. But its not just because of the person, it also depends on what the current situation is. The support that I need right now, is very different from the support I might've needed a few weeks ago. There are so many variables to support, I find it very mind boggling when I try to think about it. So one thing I have learned from this is to take all of  it in consideration. Maybe someone believes all I need from them is a smile, or maybe to be carried down the stairs. It doesn't matter to me now, because all I see is the support they are(or trying) to give me. And to me that is a priceless feeling.

At this moment I am still in DC, but coming this Saturday I will be on my way down to Vicksburg, MS! This is where the southern region AmeriCorps campus is with brand new FEMACorps teams ready to be trained in our program that we have been developing this whole round! I'm very excited for a new landscape and a new day to day change. I have loved my time in DC and I will forever remember the simple(complicated) days of round 2.

Thank you all for waiting and reading!!! I will probably have another post up as we are traveling to Vicksburg! Please share, contact me, or just smile! Any of them are perfect choices!! Love and miss you all! Until next posting, have a wonderful life and spread cheer for all to hear!!!

A snow day!! 

The pizza man felt like drawing 

Pine 5!