Chew on that for a minute

Here are some pictures I kifed, (that's for you Becca :) off of Pam's camera. I thought you might enjoy!

At the Pony Express stop

Lake Michigan

My first night in Maine on the ice

Sushi! Leigh and Kelly

Gelato! Me, Leigh, Oliver, Kelly

Wind, Rock Climbing, Sushi, and Gelato!

On Thursday night there was a huge storm! When we woke up Friday morning there were trees knocked over and branches strewn all over the roads and lawn. Because there was so much to clean up, we got the day off so we could be out of the way.

I went down to what is called the Buck and rock climbed for quite while. I'm not the best at it yet, but i hope to master the art by the end of my stay here. I even climbed what is called the vertical play pen!

The Vertical Play Pen

Pam and me at the top

For dinner I went out for sushi with a couple friends. YUM! I LOVE sushi! It could be one of my favorite foods. Then we got gelato next door for dessert. It was a great day!

MAINE!

did it! I travelled across the whole country . . . pretty close anyway. I drove with two other people, Oliver and Pam. We left with a very full car on Wednesday around 7pm. Oliver drove pretty much all night. We stopped off somewhere to sleep, but I don’t really remember that because I was already sleeping, in fact, most of this trip has been such a blur because I’ve been sleeping a lot. I drove for an hour in Nebraska, but I got too tired. I know I’m a wimp. Oliver’s been good enough to drive the whole way. He doesn’t seem to mind, but he must be way tired.

The second day we stopped off at a pony express marker and took some pictures. I thought that was kind of cool, especially since I went on the pony express trail with my family for presidents day weekend in Utah.

We spent last night in Chicago. We stayed with a girl’s parents that Pam and Oliver know from Kieve. Her name was Esther and she was one of the sweetest ladies I have ever met. She was so hospitable and very happy to have us there. She had dinner ready for when we got there, set the table beautifully, and took great care of us!

In the morning she took us to see Lake Michigan. The house was only a couple blocks away from the lake! It’s probably only a 5 minute walk. It was absolutely amazing! You couldn’t see the other end of the lake and there were waves that looked like a ton of fun to go swimming in. I want to come back and jump in, in the summer. I can’t wait until the day I can spend more time in the places I’ve seen and passed by. There’s still so much to experience.

The next night we stayed at Oliver’s sister’s house in Pennsylvania. They were way fun to stay with and so nice! After a very delicious dinner and watching the Olympics Pam and I went to bed /talked until we fell asleep. In the morning I met their two little kids, a little girl named Lilly and a baby boy named Jackson. We played with them until we had to leave in the afternoon.

We made it to the camp around 8 or 9 at night. After moving in, Pam gave me a quick tour of the place and introduced me to as many people as were there. Everyone here is way nice! Then we all walked across Lake Damariscotta, which is frozen over and right next to the camp.

Sunday we went to church and the branch is so homey. I really felt at home!

The new states I have been in are Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine!!!.

It’s all been going great so far! I’ll keep you posted.

Just before we left.

I FIT!

Nebraska

A short hike we took at our rest stop in Nebraska

Goofing off while Oliver slept. :)

Pam, all cozy in the back seat.

The neighborhoods were so adorable in Chicago!

The room we stayed in in Chicago

Pam and Lake Michigan

ha ha this is the only picture I have of Oliver

Me in front of Lake Michigan

Chicago!

I walked across this lake to the middle island.

There is beauty all around!

Haircut!

I was ready for a little change

BEFORE

AFTER

I'm going to Maine!!!

I have been accepted as an intern to The Leadership School at Kieve!!! (pronounced Key-ave)
I'm so excited!
I'll be leaving either Monday or Tuesday morning. It's a 45 hour drive to Maine and we're going to take it at 12 hour increments. I'm sure I'll be so sick of traveling by the end of the week.
I have never been east of Colorado before so I'm way excited to see more of the country!
Here's a basic idea of what I will be doing at the school.

7:00 Wake up the girls
7:30 breakfast
9:00 The kids go to their classes and I go to a meeting til (:30
9:30 - 2:50 FREE TIME
2:50- I come back to help with snack.
3:20 - Choice time. I will be with my group or over one of the activities provided.
5:15 - DINNER
6:30 - Evening program. I will be involved with this too.
8:00 - Snack #3
9:00 - Showers/ getting ready for bed
10:00 bedtime

I'm so stoked! You can look at pictures of the camp at this link here. Photo Gallery

Pray 4 Maine!!!

Some people become confused by this saying, but don't worry. There have been no earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, tornadoes, or any other natural disaster in Maine. I have applied for a job in MAINE!!!! YES! I find out if I get it at the beginning of next week. If I get the job, that means I leave for Maine FEB. 15!!!! Talk about fast!
It's at a leadership school called Kieve. I'll be an intern and do fun things with the kids that come to stay! I think it'll be a blast!

Birthing 101

SO! Last week, Jan. 26, I was able to watch one of my childhood friends give birth to her beautiful baby girl, Caydence. She weighed exactly 7 pounds and I think she was around 18 inches. I was so glad that my friend, Jessica, gave me the opportunity to be there to witness it. I was really worried about it at first and thought that I would just stay by her head the whole time, but I knew I would regret it someday if I didn't watch. I was front and center! I'm actually in her birthing video!
She had a very nice labor. She went into the hospital around 6:30 am that day, they began inducing her around 9:30, and I came to see her around 11:30. She had the baby around 4 in the afternoon. The time was going by so fast!

Some people thought this would make me scared of having a baby, but I'm so excited to be a mom someday! If anything, it made me less scared and gave me more of an idea what to expect. But, if I plan on it being good, it probably won't happen. Stupid planning curse.

Life is a miracle!

Waiting for the bebe

Jessica and her oxygen

Jessica and her mom.

Jessica's sister, Heather, and her kids waiting for the baby to be born.

Jessica and me after the baby was born!