MORE

it finally happened! I'm back in the working class again! it took a very long time. a LOT longer than I ever imagined. but, my new job was definitely worth the wait. I am the new Development Coordinator at The MORE Project. !!! (do those explanation marks give you an idea of how excited I am??)

it is perfect for me! I am a total bleeding heart and have always wanted to work for a nonprofit. from the moment I stumbled upon the website and throughout my series of interviews, I knew I wanted this job more than anything. and I have loved EVERY second since I was offered the position. it has given me more than I ever dreamed it could.

not only do I absolutely love what my work does for the poverty-stricken children and families in Brazil, but I love the every day things I do at the office. I also love everyone that I get to work with every day. I really don't think I could have found a better fit for me! so, here's to me FINALLY finding what I was meant to find.

and here's a shameless plug to end with - check out The MORE Project's website! there is so much you can do no matter how much you can give. I am amazed at the amount of support we get every day despite the horrible recession we are all dealing with. even if you can only give $5 a month, or $35 a month to sponsor one of the children in our program, it goes a LONG way and it is appreciated more than any of us can truly understand. so... yeah. I love my job!

new beginnings

you know when something catastrophic happens to you, something unexpected that you were unprepared to deal with, and you feel destroyed and irreparable? and everyone around you tries to comfort you by telling you that things will work out, a new door is opening and you just have to have faith. and, at the time, it's really annoying and not comforting at all? yeah, that was my life two months ago. I was defeated. I felt no hope. the life I loved and planned on having forever had been stolen right out from under me. I was devastated. there really wasn't anything anyone could say or do to comfort me and I was sure that feeling would never go away.

well, turns out they were right all along! somehow, over time, the haze that clouded my mood and my thinking has disappeared and all I see now are possibilities. it's true, being laid off really was a blessing in disguise. for years I have talked about owning my own business and doing what I love on my own terms every day, but I never really thought I would be able to do it. well, IT'S HAPPENING! soon I will actually own my own business... ok, so it isn't completely finalized yet, but it is so close to actually happening that I can taste it. thanks to all of the support from my friends and family, and particularly my sister, brother-in-law, and uncle, this is going to happen!

I think this calls for a serious celebration. who's in?

one year older and wiser too

apparently I've been very noticeably absent this month. there is SO much to write about! let's start with my 28th birthday. on April 11, I turned 28. I chose to go back to my hometown for that birthday/easter weekend and my bff's granted me the wish and came along.

I hadn't been to Hanksville for 3 years! it was so weird to go back. it's still the same place, but pretty different. I guess that is what time does... a part of me felt like I had never been there before, and that thinking this place was a part of me was wishful thinking. I wondered where that young Hanksville Girl went. don't you worry! my family helped me find her.

we rolled Easter eggs down the red hills. watching them hop around and bust into pieces was always exciting as a kid.

climbing up Indian Island has always scared the crap out of me. at 28, it was harder and scarier!
the last part to squeeze through before you get to the top.
the view from the top is amazing! I'm always amazed at how beautiful it is there.

you can't go to Indian Island without leaving your initials carved in the sandstone. and that we did.

I wished for a hot man, of course!

yes. we are 7 again. who knew heavy heavy hangover could still be so fun?

Happy Easter! I couldn't let Jaime, Amber and Gregg go without Easter baskets so this is what they woke up to.

our last stop was Goblin Valley. I LOVE it here. it's beautiful.

I couldn't have asked for a better 28th birthday! here's to many more.

I'm goin' to DisneyLand!!!

I'd been home for about 4 days when it was time to get back in the saddle and head to San Diego to see Jaime. we drove through the night, which scared the crap out of me, but I had Brad and my bestest cousin ever, Sheldon, to help me out. it was a long drive. we got there at 8 AM and immediately went to sleep for until around 1. then we went to Mission Beach. it was beautiful!






The next day we went to DisneyLand!!! my first time ever. and it was amazing! I can't wait to go back. we didn't have to wait for any rides at all. January is the best time to go, for reals.

the next day Jaime's dad took us to an amazing restaurant on Coronado. we had the best lobster bisque I have ever tasted! the view was amazing. we took these fun pics:



then we went back to good ole' Mission Beach. the water was FREEZING, but the sun was warm. besides the seagul pooping on my beach towel, it was a perfect day! after laying out and going numb in the water and watching the awesome roller skaters perform on the sidewalk, we went up to a little restaurant called Cane's on a roof with an awesome view of the ocean. pretty dang good food too!




that night we played rockband till the crack of dawn! we are superstars! Jaime can even play the drums with her feet!


we had a great time! thanks so much, Jaime! can't wait to see you again. seriously, is there a more perfect place than San Diego? you don't have to ask me twice to go!

Leadership

because of my new position at work, I was able to attend our annual Leadership conference in Orlando. it was so weird being there in my new position, but definitely great. I got to produce some of our classes for some of our best presenters and demonstrators, put up samples and displays, and work at check-in. we had time to go out every night and it was tons of fun. we took a lot of silly pictures, went to City Walk and played around at Margarittaville, visited the upside-down building (I can't remember what that was...), ate cheese fries at Johnny Rocket's, and spent too much money. I love my new co-workers! you should all be jealous of me.


the best part was that we went to DisneyWorld!! I had never been there or DisneyLand, and we had half a free day on Saturday. we hopped in a cab (which turned out to be a death cab!) and headed to the happiest place on earth. it was SO much fun! we didn't have to wait longer than 10 minutes for any of the rides either. best. time. ever. I could barely wait 6 days to be in DisneyLand!! that's right - both parks in one week!

the things I love about Australia

I had a fabulous time in Australia. it was even better than last year! I love it there and would have no problem becoming an Aussie myself one day. here are some of the things I love down under:

* Koalas! look how adorable they are! they are so cuddly and sweet. I couldn't stop oohing and aweing at them. if I were rich, I would have paid to hold one. it's my goal for next year. :)



* lawn bowls. ever heard of it? you have to roll an oblong ball across the turf and try to hit the white ball on the other end. I have to admit, I got pretty good at it. the ball curves when you roll it, so there is some skill involved. there's gotta be somewhere in the states to play. it's tons of fun.
* the Daintree Rainforest. It's amazing. I love trees, and I have never seen any like these. I don't think I saw any that were similar. tons of different kinds, tons of different heights, and barely any space between them. you can't even see the sky. I love it there.



* the people. to be honest, I don't think I've ever met nicer folks! they are all incredibly cheerful and welcoming. it seems they are all more real and down to Earth than we are here in the states. I want to start an Aussie-style American organization and teach everyone their manners and way of life. if we took our time like they did, we'd all have less headaches, heart attacks and ulcers. most of us would have better relationships too!



* Aussie slang. here are some of my favorites:
swimmies, or swimming costume - swimming suit
good on ya - good for you, or nice job
thongs - flip flops. we had some fun confusion over this one. :)
jumper - jacket
sunnies - sunglasses
rubbish - garbage, trash
bite your bum - be quiet
bush - middle of nowhere, desert
bushie - someone who lives in the bush
cheesed off - annoyed
chemist - pharmacy
boot - trunk of a car
cobber - a male friend
bloke - derogatory name for a male
brekky - breakfast
canopies - appetizers
in a tic - in a second
lollies - candy
mum - mom
no drama, no worries
petrol - gasoline
pressie - present or gift
rice bubbles - rice krispies
torch - flashlight

see?! when people talk like that, how can you not love them?

* meat pies. SO yummy!! and sausage rolls too! this place in Kuranda had the best meat pies ever made. flaky thick crust and tasty fillings. some of them had mashed potatoes on the top!



* driving on the wrong side of the car AND the road. it was hard to get used to, actually it was really scary at first. but, then it was fun. I got the hang of it, and it started to get exciting. I just had to keep my mind on it or off I would go in the wrong direction, or my windshield wipers would be moving instead of my blinkers going on.

* the fun animals and wildlife reserves. check out these wallabees. alligators, lions and tigers! and I saw so much more!







* the accents. I probably shouldn't say this until I have been to more countries, but the Aussie accent has to be my favorite. SO CUTE!

I can't wait to go back. and if you ever get a chance, you have to go. Australia is amazing!

Par-Tay in Kanab!!

on July 2, 2008, I celebrated my one year anniversary with my amazing job. 10 days later I got to prove everything I have learned and how much I have grown by traveling to Kanab and running their company summer party all by myself. I feel so grown up! ;) it's very rare that any of us go to an event and run it completely alone, so I felt privileged. this party has been my baby for about 6 months. I planned every detail. I will admit I was nervous, but as soon as things were supposed to start coming together, and all of my vendors were supposed to arrive... they did! and they got all set up and ready to go 30 minutes early! everything ran just as perfectly as planned, and those that showed, had a great time. the main attraction was the mechanical bull! and the guy running it actually convinced me to get on. yes, I rode the mechanical bull, and had a great time. you know that saying, "you can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl"? well, it's true, I admit it. deep down, I will always be a country girl. I think that is why I love the Kanab employees so much. I get along with them really well and jump at every opportunity to head down there and spend some time with them.

anyway, it was an amazingly successful event, the storm harrowing above us didn't even dare to put a damper on our day. the weather was cool and breezy, but there was no rain on our parade. it was a great day, and I have pictures to prove it.