Random pictures from Easter that I finally transfered from my camera to computer tonight:
All year these kids have been doing fund raisers to go to DC. During this past month, they were split into 4 groups of 6 kids each, and told to plan their trip to DC. Interestingly enough, all 4 groups planned similar iteneraries. And...I have to admit I pushed a little for the places I haven't been yet with the group I am cheproning! It has been a lot of hard work, both on their part & our part, putting this trip together. I've never been to DC where I had to do the research & planning...I don't think I was ever even given a map when I went there my sr. year. This is totally a different experience for these kids, as they have familiarized themselves with the map, picked the places they will go, and planned their own iteneraries.
One of the challenges is that we are staying in a hostel that will provide us a small mattress to sleep on, but no bedding. Everyone is only allowed to bring 1 carry on suitcase, due to the new $15 per bag policy airlines have now for actually checking in luggage. $15 is no big deal...unless you're flying 27 people across the country and paying the bill! So, everyone has figured out how to put a sleeping bag (or in my case, a very flat flannel blanket) into a small suitcase. The kids were also taught how to use a sewing machine, and sewed their own pillows for the trip! I think the boys got more into it than the girls (y'know, moving parts and all. It's their introduction to what I'm sure will later become a love of power tools and heavy machinary :). One girl was sick the day we made them, so I quickly sewed one up, putting her initial on it to distinguish it from the sea of other white pillows she will find on the plane. Let me tell you--alllll the kids were impressed and think I'm the best sewer ever!!! (K...how do you spell sew-er, without making it look like a public waste disposal?!). All I could think was "haha, if only my mom could hear this, she would laugh!" My mom has amazing talent with a sewing machine, and tried to pass the skill on to me. The only thing I successfully made as a kid was...well,a pillow case! Whoda thunk that would come in handy?
Anyway, I ended up making 4 pillows for kids that left early. The pink one is actually mine, the others are for Meaghan, Bradley, & Nichol:
The shoes! I broke down and finally bought new tennis shoes. I only have 2 pair (I say only two bcause neithe of them really do the job well. One is a pair I let an obsessed-with-jogging boyfrend talk me into 8 years ago (look massively huge, giving me look like Mrs. BigFoot, and somehow the tongue makes the top of my foot go numb by halfway through the day of wearing them.), and the other pair is a 10 year old pair from my Jr. year of high school walking class. very comfy, but too short, definitely dorky looking, and not actually good for things like sports. So, I broke down, grabbed a gift card, and went to to an outlet mall. After trying on dozens of shoes in a few stores, I found these babies after a desperate cry for help in prayer! They're even pink!!! It's totally me :) I wore them all day Friday at school (and when I say all day, I'm referring to a 12 hour work day, then 4 hours of shopping afterwards), and the feet felt pretty good, all things considered. My feet felt like mission feet after actually--hard day of steady walking/standing put on them, but a good tired feeling :)
SO, I've got my official DC by foot shoes, bag is ALMOST packed, pillows are sewn...I'm almost ready to go! We'll be updating our class webpage with pictures while there: hopefully that works. If not...I guess the world will just have to wait for pics when we come back!
Other fun stuff this week: Sometimes, it's just fun to be "single" :) I had a good week this week being able to talk to a lot of friends, old and new. Went "hot-tubbing" the begining of the week (I was fully clothed. I think it has officially become a tradition after Knox-ballfield-water-events to go jump in a pool with my normal clothes on! We didthis last year too. Deja vu...). But it was a great opportunity to talk to friends. Tuesday was Visiting Teaching, and Wed I had a really nice dinner-date with a friend who has a head full of stories to keep me entertained :) (Funny part of the evening: not 30 seconds afer my date slipped off to the bathroom in our very quiet and about to close restaraunt, a man came up to me and announced I had a really nice smile, and he liked it! Seriously, who does that? He was gone before I could even mutter a proper thank you, I guess before my actual date came back? Maybe he just gives a compliment a day away. Whatever his reasoning, it was a fun surprise to the evening!) An old friend I went to school with since age 4, Marcus Moore, also hit me up on facebook, and I had a nice time catching up with where life has taken him. Always a favorite personality with everyone, he's now a TV reporter out in Kansas City, even made it on CNN a few weeks ago when he survived diving into a ditch for cover when a tornado suddenly turned on them in filming! Sarah Su from high-school also got in touch, making plans to "bump-in" to me in DC this upcoming week...I guess it's been 10 years since we did our own little trip there! This week just helped me remember what a true treasure it is to have friends. How lucky we are to have the technology to keep in touch!
All in all,it's just been a busy week, but one that's been enjoyed. It's been hard o concentrate on anything besides this DC trip coming together. I'm SOOOOOoooo excited for it :)
See you all next week! :)
Beth
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