The Only Constant Is Change

*wooo, need just a second to breathe and focus my thoughts because...*


          WE JUST GOT OUR OFFICIAL TEAMS AND FOUND OUT WHERE WE ARE BEING DEPLOYED TO ON OUR FIRST SPIKE!!! And I'm just a twee bit excited about it :). So anyways, I will be serving in a group with 4 guys and 7 girls with team leader Becky. Our project will be in Missouri working in a national park on trails and other park maintenance things. Sorry I don't know very much yet, but our team is going out to ice cream together tonight to discuss more!
          So today is Halloween (Happy Halloween everyone!) but no one has really acknowledged the fact and I got to thinking about how everyone at my old high school probably got all dressed up today and did Halloween activities at lunch and all that fun stuff and it really got my down reminiscing on the past. Until just now when I got my team and where I was going. And I am realizing that I am at such a monumental change in my life and its making me feel a little old, but in a good way as I am realizing that with age comes knowlege. There is so much more swishing around in my head at the moment but its flying through my brain at such a speed that I cannot grasp it at the moment so I think I'll go have dinner and come back to write more later.

Here Comes Winter

          It amazes me how quickly the weather can change here! On Sunday we were all in shorts and T-shirts and today we woke up to a thick layer of snow covering the entire city! How exciting it is to, for the first time in my life, actually be living in snow! I have yet to go outside, honestly I am quite scared to, but there is a plan for a campus wide snowball fight today and I will definitely be out for that. Guess I better go pile on the warm clothing!

my roommate looking out our window this morning

Busy Busy Bee

          Wow, I don't know how people write everyday! This past week has been absolutely fabulous and without a second to spare. On Wednesday we spent the day hiking the Rocky Mountains and taking in the raw beauty of nature. I am blessed to say I have seen some very beautiful places across the earth, but I must say, The Rockies are one of the most peaceful and breath-taking places I have ever seen. Here are a couple pictures from the day (note the final video, my favorite part of the day was being able to just listen to the sounds of nature):

          On Thursday, we spent the morning hiking in Boulder. Now I understand why everyone wants to go to college in Boulder! The town seamlessly pairs nature and city-living into one. Here's a couple pictures from that day:



we hiked about midway up that first peak!



me and my roommate with all of Boulder in the background

      Last night about 20 AmeriCorps kids went into downtown Denver to participate in a protest called Occupy Denver, one of many protests across the U.S. that stemmed from Occupy Wall Street. The protest here in Denver takes place in a park with a large amphitheatre were locals play concerts for those who are participating, so we thought we would have a good time listening to music and finding more about what the protest is really about. When we got into downtown we found out that the main street had been closed for the Denver Zombie Walk, which we had a lot of fun watching go by. All-in-all it was a very fabulous night full of friends and new experiences. The freedom of being able to just go out and explore has really captured me here and spark my desire to continue exploring the world once AmeriCorps has ended.

A zombie band!

At Occupy Denver

Campus Photography

           Took a little photography tour of the campus today so you could get a feel for the beautiful place I'm living in.

old art building

View from the cafeteria

View from our dorm

The Swing of Things

          As I begin my first full week of service, I am loving every bit of this program more and more. The people here are intelligent, dedicated, and full of life. The city (and our campus especially) is beautiful as well. I know I have only just arrived here, but I can't imagine my life as it would have been without AmeriCorps; being here just feels right.
          With day-to-day activities becoming more familiar, I thought I would take the time to tell you a little bit about life here on campus. (This extra time comes courtesy of a 'fire management' meeting that both my roommate and the close friends I have made here are all attending). Our day usually begins at 6:30 am Monday through Friday and either Saturday OR Sunday. After breakfast we meet with our 8 to 12 person teams, which are rearranged every two days to allow everyone to get to know each other before permanent teams are formed. From there we we go to classes concerning everything from what our health benefits are to how to correctly where the uniform. Most evenings are then spent watching movies in the lounge or playing card games. Today we spent the morning learning proper driving safety techniques and the afternoon driving an obstacle course (we all have to learn to drive the campus' 15 passenger vans). Tonight we plan to watch Paranormal Activity 1 and then 2 in preparation for the third one that is just out in theaters. However on November 12th this will all change because we will be deployed for our first SPIKE! Okay, okay, so maybe these days don't sound all too exciting, but I think it is the people that you are doing this all with that really makes the day.
          Well, my roommate just walked in so we are going to go watch a movie and get some sleep! Hope all are doing well. Love you!

Getting Things Done

          Wow. What a week.
          Yesterday we had our first service project. The whole Corps (all 320 of us) volunteered at a park building a new, 3 mile long, running path. It was the perfect job to start on. We were put into small groups of Corps members and other local volunteers and given a section of path to complete. We completed the entire path by noon and all the volunteers were thrown a party with live music and tacos! How cool is that?!

          Last night we went out to a local theater for live music. Denver is absolutely beautiful at night. And now we have today off so everybody is just laying around, playing music, relaxing. We are even going to BBQ tonight!


          Wish I could write more, but one again I am trying to cram all kinds of activities into one day, there is just so much to do and see!

First Full Day!

Don't have much time to write today (super busy with in-prossessing stuff) but here are pictures of my dorm room and my roommate!!!!

my bed it the one on the left

And We're Off...

Okey dokey folks, I am officially on my way! As I look out the window of the plane it looks as if I am currently over the deserts of Nevada (okay, that’s actually just what the man next to me told me, but I believe him). About 2 more hours and I’ll be touching down in Denver!

For me, my trip officially began yesterday evening as I gathered my life into a suitcase that had to weigh under fifty pounds (extremely difficult btw). It was quite stressful for the whole family, even Cleo knew something was up as she was at my mom’s heels the whole night. As I kissed my parents goodnight however, the mood changed when my mom realized this would be the last goodnight kiss she could give me for quite some time. We all shed a couple of tears, smiled, and turned the lights out, “see you in 6 hours!” I said (we all went to bed at midnight and had to get up at six).

This morning as I gathered the last of my belongings, made my bed, and took a last look at my room, I had a very strange feeling, the feeling that I was dying. Very morbid, I know, but for the last week, people kept talking to me as if I was never coming back, never going to be seen again. One neighbor even told me that my parents were probably in the process of mourning, an expression I only thought is used in relation to death! Then, this morning, I made up my room perfectly, as if my parents would remember me fondly by the cleanliness of my room. I’m no psychologist so I can’t tell you precisely the reasoning behind such feelings, but I imagine they have to do with the fear of the unknown. As soon as I arrive however, I’m sure that fear will turn to excitement.

On the drive over my dad mentioned how he fell asleep last night thinking of all the happy memories we shared. I told him that now he can focus on my mom and make even more happy memories with her. He smiled J. Saying goodbye at the airport was fairly emotional for all of us, but the sense that adventure was just around the corner kept me positive and tear-less. And then I was off…

I’m not sure what to expect in the coming year, month, or even hour, but I know I am in for a great adventure. Much love to my parents and friends. I will talk and see you soon (because I am not dying, really, I’m just taking a stroll into the unknown).

P.S. Earth from the sky is absolutely beautiful. I am looking at a long range of snow capped mountains right now.