Surfer's Healing

Today I got the chance to spend the day at the beach instead of sitting at my desk. But really it wasn't just a day at the beach, it was so much more. This is the third year I have volunteered at Wrightsville Beach with an amazing organization called Surfers Healing. Today more than most days I'm feeling extremely lucky for the life that I've been given and the constant reminders of how easy most of our days are despite our simple complaints.

So, I'm guessing you're wondering why I'm being so sappy and want to know what Surfers Healing is. Well today I got to spend the whole day with over 200 children who have some form of autism. Surfers Healing is an organization who sets up camps all over the United States for one day to take children with autism out into the water and show them what it feels like to surf.

There are lots of reports that show the healing power of water for children with autism just google - autism and water therapy. Pretty amazing stuff. However, it's a different kind of therapy for those of us who have life so easy compared to the families of these children. I have the utmost respect and admiration for some of the daily struggles that these families go through every day.

Although I was just a volunteer today helping the kids put on life jackets before the surfers took them out into the water, I took away so much more than just that. I learned that every person, no matter what their physical or mental ability, deserves to be given the time and chance to try something that will make them smile and for so many kids (along with their families) that is what Surfers Healing brings them.

This event is truly amazing! The only moment I felt sad today was watching one boy have an outbreak of emotions when we couldn't get to his turn fast enough. The boy was told his time was at 11:30 and at 11:32 he gave up and walked away. Because he didn't get to go right at his time he just couldn't focus on having the opportunity to do what all the kids around him were able to. It truly broke my heart that I couldn't get him to take his focus away from the time and think about getting in the water. His mother then told me that they same thing happened last year as well. I wish I had written the families name down so we could ensure that next year he'll get to go at the right time. I just wish I could have helped him, but it's impossible to understand the thought processes of another human being.

The surfers that make the event what it is truly have a gift. They take each individual child into the water and work with their individual capabilities. To watch them sit out in the surf waiting for the perfect wave and get almost every one of those kids to stand up on the board is an amazing site.

I'm truly blown away when I get to take a day away from my desk to do things like this. I learned some valuable lessons.

Check out this video: VIDEO: Surfer's Healing at Wrightsville Beach | WWAY NewsChannel 3

To the land of castles and good beer.

I'm heading off on my European excursion! I can't believe the day has finally come. If you are interested in where I'll be spending my time here is a link to a google map showing where we will be. If you have any suggestions on things to do, places to see, beer to drink, food to eat, things to buy, please let me know!!

View Tour de Europe in a larger map


And some pictures of some of the things we'll be seeing:

Stay tuned for real life pictures!!

On a great weekend.

The past few weeks have been filled with celebration and lots of family time. This weekend was no exception! We all took the trek to Maryland to celebrate my sister-in-laws graduation, earning her PhD in Clinical Psychology. A lovely crab feast on the Chesapeake Bay was held to celebrate. We all enjoyed mounds of Old Bay covered blue crabs, National Bohemian beer, volleyball playing, kayaking, and smiling faces all around. Congratulations to Linda for her hard work and thanks for having us all there to celebrate!! Here are some pictures from the par-tay.

And of course, what would a family gathering be without some silly pictures:

Next up on the weekends agenda, Warrior Dash!! The Warrior Dash commences my three 5K's to finish this season. I'm proud of myself for my attempt, but I can't say I was the most competitive contender. Although, we DID have tons of fun...and in my book that's what it is all about.

We ran through mud, jumped over fire (although I jumped over the short part of the fire...don't judge), ran through more mud, climbed a tall cargo net, crawled through the mud in the dark, slid down a water slide, drank beer, ran through even more mud, crawled under barbed wire, and ran through EVEN MORE mud...all in all having a great time. I haven't seen the official pictures from the race, but here is our before and after pictures. I highly recommend it to anyone who really loves to get muddy!!

Preparation

As I prepare for my upcoming B-I-G adventure in Europe....only one more week...EEEeeeEEe, I found this really cool website to help hone my picture taking skills (via How About Orange). Although I know the basics, it will be really cool to share some breathtaking pictures of all the beautiful places we'll visit on our trip - so I'll need all the simulated practice I can get.

Check it out!

Inspiration for the day.

Source: imgfave.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Friends are Grand.

Sometimes we take for granted the amazing friends that we have. I am probably the most guilty. But I was so gently reminded when I arrived home yesterday to a package sitting on my doorstep--with my name on it. I thought to myself, I can't remember ordering anything....let alone having the money to even think about ordering anything. But when I opened the package it was a lovely book from the one and only, Sheila Kitchen. It was a picture book of all of our adventures driving across the country last summer.

For those of you who don't know, Sheila was my roommate for three years and such a dear, dear friend. She was accepted into a PhD program at OSU in Corvallis and so she packed up all her bags last August and invited me along for the trip. It was so great to spend those bittersweet memories together.

If anyone ever has the opportunity to drive across the country,

please do yourself a favor, and GO!!

We did it in two weeks and did so many fantastic things. We drove the Blue Ridge Parkway, stopped in Knoxville for some delicious pizza, stayed the night with an old friend in Nashville, drove through the beautiful Kentucky countryside stopping at the Maker's Mark factory for some whiskey, drove through the plains of Indiana and watched some CRAZY thunderstorms on the way to Chicago. Stayed two nights in Chicago with a new friend and excellent tour guide, stayed in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and moved quickly along to Rapid City checking out Mount Rushmore and the Badlands (soooo cool!). Next we moved on to a breathtaking drive through Yellowstone National Park staying in the interesting Idaho Falls. We went white water rafting down the Yellowstone River, and saw countless animals including a momma grizzly and her two cubs, elks, bison, crazy looking birds, etc. Moving on to the idealic Couer D'Alene, we enjoyed a delicious greek dinner, street festival, and sitting under the stars in North Idaho, we thought to ourselves what could be any better than this? Almost done our trip, we stopped to stay in a really cool hostel in Seattle and enjoyed the delicous food (we picked a North African restaurant) at the public market, amazing shopping, and a great New Pornographers show! Sheila started to get nervous at this point as we reached Oregon and we knew we'd have to part....but we drove down the Oregon Coast, through Astoria, stopping in Cannon Beach, Newport (SEALS! YEA!), and then finally Corvallis. We decided to get the keys to Sheila's apartment and then take off again, not wanting to accept reality. We headed to Portland, had Voodoo donuts and stood in line with Weird Al Yankovic, did the shopping thing, walked around, and ended my time there with a beautiful drink date with a dear old friend whom I haven't seen in forever (Love you Jinell!!).

As I think back, I don't understand how to I got to be so fortunate to have great friends and great memories to go with them. I'm looking forward to my adventures this summer but I am happy to have that little drive across the country in my back pocket. Thank you Sheila for my beautiful gift!

Watching...

Reading...

Listening...

Getting excited for....

Stumbled Upon...

It's a bird...It's a plane...It's a....TORNADO?

While all the happenings were going on Saturday for the wedding, North Carolina was hit pretty hard with tornadoes across the state. I've never experienced a tornado in my life and although the strong gusts of wind were pretty alarming throughout the day, I really didn't think twice about it. It wasn't until talking to a colleague today in class as she shared stories of her hometown and neighborhood being demolished only about an hour away from where we were. I am extremely thankful for the safety of all the people that I love today as I read about the damage across the state.

Check out this video from Wilson, NC:

Love you all and am happy that all my friends and family are safe :)

Highlights of the Azalea Festival

~Traffic on my street starting at 7am.

~The azalea belles in their beautiful dresses.

~MARCHING BANDS!!

~Elephants in the parade.

~All the crafty goodness that got me excited about starting a new craft project

~FESTIVAL FOOD! Although my waistline doesn't agree, we thoroughly enjoyed many of the festival delicacies like lamb gyros, polish sausages, and FUNNEL CAKE--my personal fav.

~Face Painting.

~Pirate Ships!

~AVETT BROTHERS--which was absolutely amazing by the way!

~Quality people watching and cute puppies!!

Enjoying the beautiful weather with my two favorite boys. We took Prince to the local park to play with the other pooches, then kicked the soccer ball and threw the frisbee around for a while. As you can tell by the pictures, Prince really likes getting his picture taken with me!! I must say he is pretty photogenic :)

These are weekends I remember why I love living in North Carolina soooo much. What did you do this weekend?

Game Night

Social capital theorists, including Robert Putnam, claim that human nature’s interest in civic engagement is declining. We join less community groups, spend more time alone, and are all together less social. As Putnam states in his book, Bowling Alone, “Over the course of the last generation or two, a variety of technological, economic and social changes have rendered obsolete the stuff of American social capital” and “we are right to fear that this transformation has very real costs.”

I however, do not agree. Working in student affairs, we see more and more student groups on campus; each year a record number. I personally am a member of many social groups and ways to engage in community building. Perhaps I might agree that civic engagement is less formalized than the once thriving Elks Lodge and Red Hats Society, but as humans we have an innate social curiosity.

Take for example….GAME NIGHT! One of my favorite things….EVER!! Cranium, Catch Phrase, Cards, Scrabble, Monopoly, Balderdash, DUTCH BLITZ….whatever the game, I love it! I’m not always the best but the challenge, camaraderie, and competition always leave me satisfied after a night of games with friends.

Last night the student group that I work with hosted an event called Charade-O-Rama and boy was it just a simple reminder of how fun game night is. There were four people to a team, and our team was on point (Go Tick Tockers!!). You had one minute per category to get your teammates to guess as many things as possible. 4 categories per round, 3 rounds. My personal favorite category: Animals. I racked up about 14 points for our team with my charading of animals like anteater, giraffe, and sloth. Another round was hobbies, which I thought was going to be easy…boy was I wrong. Please enlighten me on how to charade stamp collecting. Ummmmm….STAMP COLLECTING!! I was at a loss. All in all, Team Tick Tock did not take home first place or second, but we did have a great time! Great job Caroline, Keith, and Tyler (we missed you Stefanie…maybe you could have figured out how to charade Stamp Collecting)!!

What is your favorite game for game night?

Around Town

The past few weeks have been delightfully busy.

Here is a picture synopsis of happenings in my world!

A walk around town as little tidbits of spring unfold right before our eyes.

A trip to Airlie Gardens to see all the beautiful sights. We were able to see 4 swans, a handful of turtles, and the Airlie Oak.

Frolicking through the Minnie Evans Bottle House.

A much needed visit with my mom and brother to see my brother play in his last soccer game of the season. He is growing up soooo fast.

And last, but not least, B.o.B!! What a huge success! I'm so proud of the hard work everyone put into the show. We all had a great time!

Much more coming up in the next few weeks. This weekend is the Azalea Festival, which means, lots of people, funnel cakes within walking distance, AVETT BROTHERS!!, and of course beautiful Azaleas!!

Oh yea, ACE, that thing that's been a part of my life for like two years...is about to be over. WHAT!!

For those of you that I don't know...I have been working with a student group on campus, who plans amazing events for the student body, for the past two years. They have been a B-I-G part of my life and this, along with many other things, is something that is quickly coming to a bittersweet end. Tomorrow night is our spring show featuring B.o.B!! The students have worked really hard for it all to come together and I'm really excited to see everyone take a deep breath and really enjoy the show. B.o.B is one of the top touring artists through college campuses and the reviews say he is great!

Although I am excited about being at the concert in general, I'll be thinking more about how this will be one of the last times that we spend together. Sooooo sad. Part of my job is to coach them through event planning, help them grow as leaders, and provide guidance where it's needed...but really they have taught me more than I could ever teach them.

Each one of them is so creative and open-minded, talented and thoughtful, and most of all....know how to have a good time! Here is just one prime example of some of the things that come out of ACE...I love this promotional video for a program our comedy committee put together. Enjoy!

Wish us luck tomorrow night at the show! Whoot Whoot!

Some Numbers...

Here is a list of numbers that are driving my life today...

49 Days until Graduation

59 Days until I leave for Germany

8 Projects to turn in before the end of the semester

34 Days until my last day working with ACE :(

It's 34 degrees outside, but it's supposed to be 70 this time next week

5 days until I'm running my 1st 5K of the year, 12 days until my 2nd, 57 days until my 3rd....ahhh!

Hopefully less than 3 months before I (kinda...) know where I'll be going for the Peace Corps

Less than 7 months until my best friend gets married

10 more days of graduate classes

Ok...ok...I guess that's enough. Peace, Love, and Awesomeness...

Fill in the blanks....

1. The phrase or punctuation I overuse the most is..."Awesome." and it always reminds me of my friend Cristina. Her first visit to the United States, she thought this word was so funny and EVERYONE was always saying it. So, six years later, it's still a prominent part of my vocabulary. Love you Cris!

2. Today I am thankful for...the opportunities that life hands us.

3. My best friend is...as excited to see me this weekend as I am her.

4. A quirky thing about me is...I make about 10 to do lists a day and I'll write and rewrite them until I'm happy with the order the items are in or my handwriting, or the wording. I'm OCD about my to-do list.

5. This weekend I...am spending time with my bestie for her birthday and bridesmaid dress shopping.

6. Something that worries me is...trying to find a job upon my return from Europe until I leave for the Peace Corps.

7. On my nightstand you will find...an Italy travel book, earrings, a pen, a stack of papers that look like some homework I haven't finished, a genie lamp from India, a hand-painted jewelry box, clock radio, and lamp. I think that's it.

On eight simple pleasures...

….excited about a myriad of opportunities to travel, help others, and pursue some dreams.

….when my dog does that whole tuck his tail under his butt and run through the house as fast as possible thing.

…staying busy at work. There is nothing like sitting at your desk with a checklist of things to get done, and slowly chipping away at it.

…the flowers are blooming! The flowers are blooming! Despite the allergies, I’m excited for the most beautiful time of the year in Southeastern North Carolina.

...having a fun planned weekend of being a tourist in my home town, visiting aquariums and a night at the theatre. And possibly a visit to see my mom and play with little puppies they have running around.

…having stuck (well for the most part…can’t say I haven’t had some chocolate or Flaming Amy’s) to my diet and exercise regime.

…my last Spring Break EVER! Well, I guess I said that last time I thought I was NEVER going to go back to school again, but nevertheless I get to take a mini vacation to see a dear friend and do some important wedding shopping for her.

…having a stack of really great books to read. Even though reading for school is monopolizing my time, the thought of all the those pages just waiting to be read makes my heart flutter.

Buying Local

There is a lot of talk going around about living local and the buying local movement. I can't help but ask myself, is this realistic or even possible. As we live in an ever growing global community, purchasing things we need at a price that we can "actually" afford is difficult. And by "actually," I mean living within our means. Sure, maybe every once in a while we can splurge to buy that delicious $6.00 goat cheese at the farmer's market and the $8.00 savory garlic and roasted red pepper baked bread, but is it feasible to actually live like this all the time?

This past Christmas, I challenged myself to purchase gifts (or make gifts) that were from local vendors or artisans. I made it about half way through November and finally gave up, that some things you just can't buy locally.


Despite all of my thoughts, someone introduced me to the 3/50 project...which I believe is a very powerful way to look at this whole live local movement. The basic concept is this:

Here on the Cape Fear Coast, we have a similar local initiative called Buy Local ILM. I struggle to figure out what they actually do as a nonprofit, besides just advocating for businesses, but I do feel like the initiative is a good one. What are your thoughts, is it feasible? Does it make sense? Is there anything like this in your neck of the woods? What would you spend your $50 on?

I think the three businesses I couldn't live without might be (okay....maybe four):

>Flaming Amy's Burrito Barn

>Port City Java

>Island Passage

>Blue Moon Gift Shops

How do they do it?

As I sit and watch the Oscars, wishing desperately that I was half as talented and creative as those people, I wonder how does the academy keep the winners a secret!?!? I couldn't do it, I'd be too dang excited to be privy to information the rest of world is DYING to find out. Who is the best!! Nevertheless, I sit here in anticipation of learning who wins as I watch this American cultural staple. Can I confess that I've only actually watched one of the movies up for Best Picture. Netflix, you and I need to have a few dates.

What was your favorite movie this year?

In other news, I'm working hard this week trying to put a good research project together so I can FINALLY finish my masters. Although I love school, I can't wait for the day when I don't have to spend a beautiful day at the library. Like maybe visiting these places {via ohhellofriend}....how beautiful and majestic!

I'm thinking a lot about two people today. Amy, whose family is under stress with some family health issues. And Sheila who is shaving her head today in support of cancer research and was able to exceed her fundraising goal!!! Can't wait to see pictures! My thoughts are with both of you today!

Oh Crap, I'm about to die in a velvet jumpsuit!

It's homecoming and we've all survived more than half way through. I have to say there have been a lot of laughs and good times this week.....and it's not even the end. The announcement of ACE's spring show with Grammy nominated B.o.B went flawlessly and was tons of fun dancing around in the blacklights. Late night breakfast was delicious and we have a great showing students...although there was no bacon and I was thoroughly outraged, don't worry we'll put it in the books that bacon is demanded for next year. Last night's comedian, Dan Levy, was a riot. The title of this post was from one of his jokes. Had me dying laughing!!!

We have two more days to go and we've all survived - game show tomorrow and parade/basketball game on saturday -!!! Two of my students are nominated for homecoming court, so I'm wishing them tons of luck and know that they'll both look stunning on Saturday!

Peace, Love, and Awesomeness.

Drink. Drank. Drunk.

So as it turns out the U.S. isn't full of a bunch of drunks.....Europe on the other hand....

[economist]

Love is in the Air

Today I'm so very happy to have so many people I love and cherish in my life and it's a day that I really think about how much more I wish I could be for each and every person that has taught me so many things in life.

[etsy: Lilac Saloon]

Here are some other things that I'm loving right now:

Live the language.

Soon. I. Will. Follow. My. Heart.

Full of Love.

Things to be happy about.

Peace Love and Awesomeness!