In a blink of an eye....

In a blink of an eye I was flying over Mexico to begin my FIRST class as an intern girl...I had no idea what I was getting myself in to.  The mental, spiritual, and physical challenges were far more difficult ::yet:: rewarding than I could have ever imagined.


:::Blink::: I had completed my Northwestern classes; travelling to Seattle, Olympia, Billings and Helena.


:::Blink::: Mid-season debrief came and went so fast...what a sweet time of reflection, bonding, preparing, and re-focusing for our team!  As we departed that last day of debrief I thought, "My season is only half-way done...I still have months of this ahead of me."


:::Blink::: Two weeks passed and just like that (my favorite) TeenPact Florida 1 class had "Sine Died" (latin for last day)... Oh the memories!  I will never forget the exciting moments in the Capitol, fun game time at camp, and, best of all, running the class with my Mom!  


:::Blink::: Within 24 hours, Zach Chambers and I were on a plane to Honolulu, HI!  The 9 days on the island were composed of a great TP class, trips to the beach, Pearl Harbor, the North shore, turtle watching, snow cones, climbing Diamond Head, and much more!  


:::Blink::: After a busy 6 days at home, I departed for Columbus, OH to complete my second-to-last class of the season.


:::Blink::: My last stop on this crazy journey was Boston, MA!  It was a great week in such a wonderfully historic place ;) (I was loving anything pre-18th century!)  On Friday, May 6th, I took off my name tag for the last time, packed up my trusty USB drive, and walked out of the Capitol as an "Intern Girl" for the last time. 




...and just like that, in a blink of an eye, my season with TeenPact Leadership schools has finished.




God has used this experience to push me, challenge me, encourage me, strengthen me, and grow me in HIM!   






But.........it's not over yet!  TeenPact National Convention 2011 is right around the corner...400 students gathering in one place to worship one God throughout one whole week.... this is bound to be the best ending to my season!

The Great Northwest

My adventure continued with another week in Washington and then on to Montana!  Altogether the class were wonderful and full of awesome students, amazing experiences, and great memories...here are some pictures from Washington 1 & 2 and Montana.

This is the camp we stayed in for the 2 weeks- Olympia, WA

The view from my cabin!

The Washington Capitol Rotunda

Washington House of Representatives Chamber

Our WA 2 students!

The One-day class for younger students (lunch time;) )

Montana:  We stayed at an Army base!

Montana class...mock legislature time!

Nathan and I working from the back of the room

My view flying home from Billings...I think Lewis and Clark could have come through something like this ;)

Washington I

The past two weeks have been spent in the great state of Washington!


Washington I began with 10 inches of snow- quite a sight for this Floridian.  Throughout the week, the students at the Capitol heard from amazing speakers including a local Rep and Senator.  With a total of about 47 students, the class was definitely energetic, educational, and enjoyable.  We saw God work in so many ways... amidst schedule changes and injuries, the Lord provided for all our immediate needs (and blessed us with so much MORE!).  Students spiritual lives were definitely grown as well through our evening worship and sessions at the camp.  Pictures to come :)

PHOTOS FROM NEW MEXICO!

The New Mexico State Seal!

Students in NM Capitol learning how to analyze bills

My Team!!  (Staff members + Interns)

The Land Office Building where we held our classes.

The view from the airplane leaving El Paso...we were so close to the border

(Yes, those mountains are in Mexico!)

Nuevo Mexico-

Quick update on my travels so far...

This past week was spent in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  We had below average temperatures, challenging circumstances, but an amazing God on our side!  (Pictures coming soon)  With all of our supplies stuck en route, "flexibility" was our motto as we started the week.

All in all, we had a very successful/rewarding week with a total of about 100 students all together!

I am home now and packing again...off to Washington on Saturday!

MY town...

Saint Cloud, FL-

                I am about to embark on the craziest semester of my life.  These next 5 months will be full of travelling...trips to new, far reaching, historical, and exotic places!  But before I begin the adventure, I am reminded of just how much I love MY town!

                The quaint downtown, small lakefront, and (of course) The Catfish Place are just a few of my favorite places.  These locations in my town aren't my favorite because they are the most beautiful or sophisticated or have the best food in the world- they are great because of the priceless memories I've made with them.

                As cliché as it may sound, it's the little things in life (or in my town) that have meant the most.  Riding my bike to my Grammy's house, watching the Annual Winter Queen Ball, late night runs to DQ, and playing in the park on Delaware Ave...going to Big Lots after dinner just to look around, flying kites in the school football field with Dad, walking around the Flea Market on Sunday afternoons, and watching softball games with a Slurpee in hand. 

                Some people can't wait to just get out and experience a new, exciting place...they seem almost reluctant to claim this place as their home.  But as silly as it may sound, I am truly proud to say Saint Cloud is MY town...and I wouldn't trade that for anything.