100 Things I'm Thankful For

Lindsey Brown, a missionary that lived at Camphor Mission, wrote a post on her blog sharing 100 things she was thankful for (http://InPursuitOfHisGlory.blogspot.com/).  I'm stealing her idea and am going to share 100 things I'm thankful for.

I'm THANKFUL for...

1. Friends and family who love me
2. Parents who care about me
3. Technology that allows me to stay in contact with others
4. Parents who are married
5. Having older parents
6. Four grandparents that are still living and that love and support me
7. Safe neighborhoods
8. Areas that have high employment
9. My mother's cooking
10. Andrew and Phil
11. Places that I feel at home
12. Friendly people
13. Air conditioning
14. People who laugh and smile frequently
15. My church family
16. A car
17. Long-time friends: Catherine, Jenny, Jordan, Keli and Macie
18. My roommate Kati
19. Organized and clean grocery stores
20. Washers and dryers
21. Mint chocolate chip ice cream
22. My bed
23. Showers filled with good smelling shampoo and soap
24. cleanser, toner and moisturizer
25. Movies
26. Trees that provide shade
27. The beach and swimming pools
28. Responsible parents
29. Rain, storms and rainbows
30. Fun-loving kids
31. Nail polish
32. Music
33. Gay Street United Methodist Church
34. The music at Gay Street UMC
35. Sunblock
36. Packages and mail
37. Clean water
38. Photos and videos
39. Places to go within walking distance
40. People that drive me places
41. The home I'm currently living in
42. People that give hugs
43. Understanding and forgiveness
44. Help and guidance
45. People who listen
46. Books and magazines
47. Pets that provide companionship to older people
48. Walls to keep bugs, lizards and other critters out of the house
49. Travel opportunities
50. Claribel and Abbie, the director and assistant director to C.R.O.S.
51. Praise, Sam and Nathalie, the people I work with in Boynton
52. Mount Vernon
53. A well equipped kitchen
54. Financial stability
55. The opportunity to go to the college of my choice
56. Expectation and pressure put on me to do well
57. The freedom to pursue the career of my choice
58. The time and energy that people have invested in me
59. High school softball and club volleyball
60. Mr. Arnold, the best teacher I've ever had
61. Coach Lanning always believing in me
62. Happy kids!
63. Toothbrushes
64. Contacts and glasses
65. Strawberries, yogurt and granola
66. The trust that my parents give me
67. Fresh avocados and mangos
68. Finding and getting into Washington and Lee
69. My house and the people in it
70. Trips to Colorado
71. Skyping with and talking to Jeremy
72. Interesting people you meet even though you'll never see them again
73. Planes and trains
74. Reusable grocery bags
75. Public schools
76. People who give happily without expecting anything in return
77. Snow
78. The Olympics
79. The time I spent with my Grandpa Ken learning how to drive
80. The many wonderful role models in Mount Vernon
81. Quiet time at C.R.O.S.
82. Pretty dresses, heals, makeup, and my hair straightener
83. Older siblings that take care of their younger siblings
84. Growing up on high street
85. Being able to take the C.R.O.S. kids to water parks and pools
86. Andrew's visits home
87. Phil always watching out for me
88. Summer family dinners on the back porch
89. Johnson's inspiring graduation speech
90. All of the people I've played sports with, it has been so much fun
91. Positive encouragement
92. Random calls or texts from Macie
93. My room, closet and bathroom back home
94. The Blencowe family
95. New friends
96. My extended family
97. The time I will get to spend with my family in less than two weeks
98. Camphor Mission Station
99. Being healthy and safe
100. Everyone that loves and cares about me

There are so many more things to be thankful for! God is so good!

Meet Lamar!

This is Lamar!

He is one of my favorite kids! 

Lamar is five years old and is the youngest in his family.

For the most part he was very well behaved and kind to all the other kids.

When he grows up he wants to be a pro basketball player.

Here's a video that will help you get to know him a little better.

  

Happy 4th of July!

To celebrate the 4th, myself and my roommate, Nathalie, went to Lake Okeechobee to see fireworks with the town of Pahokee and Belle Glade. While there we were able to interact with the locals and see some of the kids that came to CROS camp.  We ran into Makayla, Darien and Dwayne (all siblings).  They were there with their mother, little brother and little sister.  Makayla was so excited to be seeing fireworks!  She is a very energized little 5-year-old girl who is constantly moving, laughing and answers every question by screaming NO!  Makayla's little sister was equally as vibrant, she shadowed her older sisters actions when she was with us.  The older brothers, Darien and Dwayne, are both very intelligent and introverted.  During camp they read constantly and were very talented at art.  It's amazing how different the females and males of this family are; nevertheless, they all enjoyed the fireworks and had a lot of fun  Another interesting thing, there are a ton of gators swimming in Lake Okeechobee.  I was shocked and felt that the area might not be the safest place for an entire town to congregate around.  The locals felt very differently, they pointed out additional gators swimming in the lake that I didn't notice and were humored by my fear of the gators.    

Makayla yelling!

Makayla laughing, I wish this wasn't blurry!

Just sitting and watching.

Makayla's little sister.

Just Some Pictures :)

Sara out on the playground

Nictorus 

Makayla and Lamar, the only two little five year olds.

Sara

Sara, Makayla, Jothia and Ilionese

Molina during nap time.  She always hugs everyone before she falls asleep.

Lunch Time
Dwayne, Chandler, Narvous, Makayla, Lamar, Alex, Nictorus and Joseph

Lunch time again

Sara, Molina, Lamar, Ilionese and Jothia during lunch

Lamar!

Lamar smiling

Sam, Joseph and Narvous

Nictorus and Chandler

Nictorus, Chandler and Jeremiah

Narvous, Jeremiah and Meriah on the tire swing.

Swinging

Mya, Dwayne and Alex climbing. 

Jeremiah and Mya

Meriah, Narvous, Ilionese, Joy and Jothia

Some of the kids playing in the water.

Jothia and Joy

Derian

Derian and Dwayne caught a frog, they named it Mr. Hoppy.

The C.R.O.S. Kitten

On Monday a little kitten was found on the playground outside of the church.  It was so cute and small that the counselors decided to catch it and take it to a local shelter.  However, we also voted in favor of  keeping her for the week since we liked her so much.  After meeting her, the kids voted on the name Praisy-Grace, although most of them just called her kitty.  During free time we would let all of the kids play with her, hold her, and pet her.  Everyone grew to love Praisy-Grace by the end of the week, except for a few kids who were scared of her.  Myself and all of the counselors felt the need for the kitten to be supervised at all times, so we would take rotations in the office watching the kitten (looking back this was really unnecessary but playing with a kitten is a nice break from the day).  On Thursday we had the kids draw pictures and goodbye cards for Praisy-Grace that we taped onto her box that she was kept in.  By the end of the week we had to give her up and one of the counselors took her to a no kill shelter.  Hopefully we find her brother or sister on the playground next week!

Praisy-Grace on the Monday

One of the kids holding Praisy-Grace

Me and Praisy-Grace

The kitten sleeping

    

Weekend!

The Beach!

This weekend I stayed in Wellington at my friend Abbie's house for the weekend.  I really enjoyed staying with her and her family, they were all so kind and wonderful hosts.  I was able to get to know Abbie even more as well as get to know her two sisters, brother and parents.  Friday, Abbie and I hung out with Drew and William, two of her friends from Palm Beach Atlantic.  We went out to Coldstone and then sat around and talked in William and Drew's dorm room at PBA.  They were both easy to talk to and enjoyable to be around.  Saturday, Abbie and I went to the beach in the afternoon.  The skies were sunny with the perfect amount of breeze to make the temperature comfortable.  On our walk to the beach through one of the wealthier neighborhoods, Abbie pointed out a couple that sits on their porch and waves at everyone as they walk past.  While we were walking to the beach I had to go to the bathroom.  After Abbie told me that the only place to go was the ocean, I decided to ask the older couple if I could use the restroom in their house.  The couple allowed me into their house.

The house was beautiful.  Its architecture and style made me think of Morocco.  Tile covered the walls and floor accompanied by dark wooden molding.  Furthermore, the furniture was a deep brown and looked like it had been purchased by the owner on his travels.  Beautiful art covered the wall and in the living room was a bar with mismatched glassware hanging above it.  After returning outside Abbie and I began to talk with them.  It turned out that they were not a couple, rather, the woman was a housekeeper for Jerry, the 91-year-old owner.  After introducing himself, Jerry began to tell us about his life, accomplishments and pastimes.  He began by pulling out of his walker a picture of himself at the age of three.  In the picture he was standing outside of the Breakers Hotel on West Palm Beach in his swimsuit with adults gathered for a party in the background.  Next, Jerry told us about the places that he worked throughout his life.  Jerry then showed us a painting he had done and a poem he had written.  In his free time he had taken up these two hobbies and enjoyed sharing them with his friends and family.  Finally, Jerry told us that we were welcome any time to come to his house and that the next time we walked by we had to yell I Love Jerry at him.  He was such a kind, interesting man that I'm glad I was able to meet.

Sunday, Father's Day, Abbie's family and myself went out on their friend's boat for the day.  We docked at an island were we hung out for a while and then cruised around the inlet.  When we returned to their home where the day was ended with a delicious dinner in honor of Abbie's dad.  Being with Abbie's family made me really miss my family, especially my dad.  I hope he had a wonderful Father's Day and wish that I could have been there.    

Kate's Happiness Project

            I am currently reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.  This book describes Gretchen’s journey to happiness.  She begins by explaining her current life and how she is not a sad, depressed person; rather, she lives an average life.  Each month she has goals that she fulfills in order to make her life fuller.  So I’ve decided to make my own Happiness Project for this summer.  I hope that it will help me to improve my attitude and mindset so that I can be a better volunteer and person.

Live in the now

This past school year, particularly at the end, I struggled to keep my mindset in the present moment.  I constantly found myself daydreaming about being in Florida for the summer or Washington and Lee University in the fall.  Furthermore, I became unmotivated in school and athletics.  I just did not care anymore about what was happening in the present because it would not alter my future.  I did not realize my mindset until after a softball game I told my parents that I was really disappointed with the season I was having.  Their response shocked me.  Rather than comforting me and telling me that it was just a slump, they said the honest truth.  I had not worked hard this year so consequently I should not expect to do well.  They were right, I was not focused on the now – softball season.  If I would have been in the present, I would have been able to have a much more fulfilling senior season, rather than ending in disappointment.  So for this summer I hope to live in the now, not the later.

Be Friendlier

            I often struggle with being friendly.  For example, when walking in the hall during high school I would only say hello as a response to the people that said hello to me first.  Looking back, I really regret that I did not reach out to others by saying a simple, easy greeting.  It especially hit me during graduation when I only knew about half of my class.  Why did I not know more?  The answer was simple, I had not put myself out there to get to know others.  In the future I plan on making myself initiate conversation with those surrounding me. 

Actually Do Yoga

            This winter for about three weeks I did yoga twice a week.  It was a great source of exercise and it also relaxed and stretched my body.   Yoga outfits are really cute, so that was an added bonus!  In the future I would like to take up Yoga permanently.  Realistically, I know that I won’t do it everyday, nor will I spend more than an hour on it, but I would like to do it regularly.  In the future, this would help to reduce my stress while also remaining fit.

 

Share Love

            Certain people have an aura about them that puts others at ease.  When they are around everyone feels comfortable and confident.  For example, one of my friends has a sister that is quite a bit older than us.  I bump into her sparingly, but every time I see her she is in a good mood as well as everyone she came in contact with.  She genuinely conveys kindness to all that surround her.  I think that those people have a God given gift, but I would like to try to be kinder to people I come in contact with.  This includes people that I will never see again, like cashiers at the grocery store, waiters at restaurants or just a stranger I’m sitting next to on a bus or plane.  In other words, I would like to share love with all those surrounding me. 

Read Devotionals

            Last summer my mom purchased a devotional for me, Voices of the Faithful.  Each day is only a page long and consists of a scripture verse, a lesson written by a missionary and a prayer.  Reading stories from missionaries in the field has been powerful and shows how God’s love can reach so many places.  During the last quarter of my senior year I stopped reading it.  I got out of the routine and never got back.  At graduation I received two additional devotions and really like both of them.  So I’ve decided that this summer I’m going to read all three at the same time.  Each book has a page long devotional per day, so every day I only have to read a total of three pages.  By doing this I hope to strengthen my faith by gaining three different perspectives. 

Remind Others That I Care About Them

            Being away for eight weeks makes staying in contact with family and friends challenging.  I can call, facetime, skype, facebook or text but not actually seeing or being around people I love is hard.  So this summer I need to be creative in how I stay in touch with others.  Furthermore, I need to remind my family and friends that I care about them even though I’m not around.  I have not come up with any new ideas, but hopefully I will soon.  In the meantime boring means of communication will just have to do.     

Training in Palm Beach!

This past week I stayed on the campus of Palm Beach Atlantic (PBA) while I was doing my training. It's a beautiful place located across the street from a dazzling cove that has manatees and sharks. I stayed in a dorm with Kati, a PBA senior who is also working with CROS over the summer. She was a wonderful roommate for the week and I'm really excited that I will be living with her again for the last half of my stay in Florida.

The training I attended was necessary, but rather boring.  Most of the training time was spent at a church in Palm Beach (the same church I will work at during the second half of my summer).  Training included taking a course on how to de-escalate a crisis, spending an hour compressing on dummies in order to be CPR certified, looking over reading curriculum that will be used with the kids and learning the overall logistics of running a camp.  Even though training was not entertaining, I do feel prepared for the next eight weeks ahead of me.

The view from the building I stayed in.

Hello Florida :)

I have safely arrived in Lake Worth, Florida.  I was greeted at the airport by Abbie, the C.R.O.S. camp Assistant Director.  She immediately rushed me off to Chick-Fil-A after hearing that I had never eaten there before.  Once we arrived she picked out my order along with the proper dipping sauces to make my meal complete.  Furthermore, she knew the cashier who gave me my meal free of charge because I was a first time customer.  What a nice person!  Next, we went to Target to buy bedding, a towel and laundry detergent since none of those items would fit in my suitcase.  We then headed to a local college where I will be staying along with four other C.R.O.S counselors for the next week while we are being trained.  Abbie happens to attend the school we are being housed at, so while we were walking up to my dorm room she introduced me to some of my new neighbors.  After arriving at my dorm room I met Kati, my roommate for the week, and some other counselors Travis, Ammar and Praise.  Later that night, all of the C.R.O.S. staff at the college along with Leah, Abbie's friend, went out to a local restaurant for dinner.  It was so nice to get to know all of them and a great start to my time in Florida!

Leaving Home

I'm am so excited to depart for Florida; however, I'm also sad to leave my family and friends.  This will be the first extended period of time that I will spend away from my family.  I'm feeling a lot like an adult as I leave realizing that I'll be partially on my own.  I'm so grateful to my family for allowing me to take this trip and am thankful for all that they have done for me the past 18 years.

All of my belongings for the next eight weeks.