Lazy bummin'

Alright I'll say it I've been super lazy and haven't been blogging. It's not because I don't have the time it's just that I have been filling my time with other things. Most likely Facebook, let's be real that's all I do haha. It's been a very different past two weeks than usual however. After my awesome course with the American Cancer Society kids I had 2 days off from work where I was a bum and hardly left the couch just trying to relax and re-energize. It's crazy how tired I am at the end of every day. By 9 I am pretty pooped out and ready for bed but I usually try to push myself to the 10 o'clock hour mainly for my ego so I don't feel like my grammy. After my to days off I had a Nordic (cross country ski) clinic to help me get more comfortable on the skis before my weekend away teaching it. Claire, one of the full time staffers took me out to the Breck Nordic center and taught me how to guide visually impaired skiers to ski and how to make them feel comfortable. After an hour or two of guiding practice we did some fun skiing and she took me to Shock Hill which is a black diamond run (the hardest type of Nordic run). I was a little nervous but decided what the heck I should try it go a little crazy. This hill was NUTS, I'm talking knee knocking kind of moment when I got to the crest of the hill and looked down. Claire cruised down the hill no problem and then I decided to saddle up and go for it. Guess what folks...I rocked it like an olympian. Well maybe not olympian or even close but I made it down in one piece. Funny thing was that as soon as I thought I had made it I threw my arms up in the air and yelled "I did it!!! Holy moly, YESSS!" that was the exact moment that I ate it super hard. Snow everywhere, I'm pretty sure I took a fat chunk out of the trail leaving a nice big print of my legs and butt in the middle of the run (very faux pa and against the rules, such a rebel :] ). The next day Jacob, Tim and I headed out to Granby Colorado for the Ski for Light event teaching and guiding blind and mobility impaired people how to cross country ski. Saturday was HORRIBLE you couldn't see more than 5 feet in front of you which made it hard as a guide since they are asking questions about where we are headed and what's coming up and I'm about as useful as they are. Sunday cleared up and it was a gorgeous day. I skied with a man who was wheelchair bound so he was sitting down and basically poling the entire cross country route. I don't know how he did it, I would have been exhausted climbing some of these hills. I am able bodied and was struggling to keep up with the group and he was kicking butt. He needed help on the hills to conserve energy for the entire trek. We skied until lunch and headed out back to Breck. There were 25 or so of us on this students and guides combined. We had a god time playing games, talking, making meals and just hanging out. These folks are awesome, one man who was in his 70's was the most legit guy. He had won al kinds of awards and been to so many places. He is a ninja, for reals though...He is a master in tae quon do, judo and mixed martial arts/combat karate. He taught me some of his skills and look out boys you better not mess with blondie here because I can kick your butt without even hitting you =) After we got back I got another day off from work which was wonderful and relaxing. I napped and hung out on my own all day. Again doing nothing leaving ample blogging time that I did not take advantage of. The next day I was scheduled to drive to Denver which was fine minus almost spinning out off the road. We spent 3 or so hours at the airport gather all 23 or so folks we needed to pick up and then headed back and got them geared up and settled into their hotel at Keystone. Since then I have had two lessons, one of which was with a girl who was in the youth at risk group and she threw me for a loop. It was such a trip being on a lesson with her, I kept having to ask myself, is this real life?? She had such insane stories about her friends/family/boyfriend(s). Today I had a 6 year old who could rip it on the slopes like no other. He loved the trees and skiing fast and he could kick butt on the slopes. Sometimes I had a hard time keeping up with him but he was pretty dang fun to hang with today.

Lately I have been getting pretty homesick missing California and sunshine. Don't get me wrong we get a ton of sunshiney days here in Breck but they are typically accompanied by weather that is 10 below which super sucks and kind of ruins the whole sunshine experience. I miss all my friends and being with my family. Today is my brothers birthday and after talking to him this morning it just reminded me of how much I care about my family and how much I miss him. Although sometimes he can be a real pain in my ass he is pretty dang awesome and I am lucky to have him. I hope that once I get done with this internship I can make more time to see him and hang out since we always have a good time. While I am here though I have to enjoy what I can. It makes it hard when people in the house can make your blood boil just by talking. I think it's just me being irritable but the problem is that I end up being mean/rude/sassy to others who have nothing to do with it just because that one person can put you in a real crappy mood. I suppose I just have to remember that its only 6 months of my life and in the grand scheme of things that's not too much. I am currently halfway through the internship and hoping that the last 3 months go just as fast if not faster. On the flip side I had my mid season review with my boss and got really good reviews. He is a pretty tough guy and doesn't give compliments too willingly so to have a meeting that went so well and heard such good feedback I was stoked to say the least! Tomorrow is a day off and a few of us are headed to Keystone to ski somewhere different for a bit, can't wait for the new scenery!

Miss you all!

xoxo

-L

(My student and I in Granby, CO)

Incredible Weekend!

This past weekend I was on course with the American Cancer Society's Camp Hope. This camp is for kids who's siblings have had or currently have cancer. The camp was so amazing and such an unforgettable experience. The kids ranged from 11-17 years old and many have been doing it for several years. All of the kids are so fun and goofy and happy. I kept having to remind myself why they were here. I was amazed by how strong these kids are and how they put on a brave face everyday. We have a total of 25 campers for the weekend and it was a full house! Add that to how much energy these kids have it is nuts...We went ice skating the first night after dinner and that was fun. We made it extra funny by all dressing up in a disco theme which morphed into just crazy randomness but so much fun. Some boys were in 80's style one piece outfits and others were in fur coats and dresses. The girls had awesome beaded hats and funky dresses on, we all had a pretty awesome time. We skied all day on Saturday and I had a sweet girl named Gretchen who was a great little skier. She loved going in the trees and off the beaten path. I feel like these 25 kids taught me some amazing stuff. They wake up everyday with a smile and a greta attitude. They all helped out so much and were just fun and goofy. They give out hugs like crazy which was awesome since I love hugs! We watched movies and hung out that night playing games and making the most delicious banana boat desert (chocolate chips, peanut butter, marshmallows and banana YUM YUMMMM) The next day was a half day of skiing and then we went tubing in Frisco which was AWESOME. We could link our tubes with 4 people and they would shoot us down spinning. SO MUCH FUN! After tubing we made dinner and then did the sharing circle which is a safe place for the kids to talk about life and home and the stress that comes with it all. These kids are amazing, they are so strong and yet so young. They discussed some of the funny things that have happened the hard things and the unbearable parts as well. I left the circle humbled by these 25 incredible children who work their tails off everyday to make life just a little easier for mom and dad and their siblings. Some make dinner and do the house cleaning while others are teaching their younger siblings in home school and keeping everything in order. I just can't even imagine how I would be able to handle that at only 13. Needless to say these kids blew my mind and are some of the coolest kids I have met. This job is affecting me much more than I thought it would. It is a good affect but holy moly is it a lot of greatness in one place!

See ya!

-L

Happy New Year!

Hey guys,

I can't believe it's already 2011, I seem to say every year that I can't believe another one has gone by but it really does surprise me all the crazy things that have happened over the year. 2010 was a good year but I am excited to see what 2011 brings. College is done, friends are starting careers and moving all over, some across the world and others across the state. It makes me somewhat sad to think that we will never bee all in the same place again like we were in college. I love the friends I made and miss them so much out here in Colorado. I don't know what it is lately but I have really been missing home and missing my friends. I am enjoying Colorado but I know that by month 5 I will be more than ready to head home. I thought I wanted to stay here for summer but I'm realizing that I love home too much. I may not necessarily go back to Monterey but I want to be back in California.

Kevin and I have been planning an epic trip through Europe that spans 15 countries over 8 weeks. This was going to happen this summer between his school stuff however my mom reminded me of all the things I have to pay for when I get back from here and that was quite the reality check. I forgot I actually have to be a big kid and pay bills all by myself...weird concept right?? HELLO REAL LIFE! Anyways Kevin and I have postponed the trip until next summer after I have worked and have some money in my bank account. This summer he is thinking he will head out here again and see our friend Adam in Washington and they will make a trip down to California to see Adams family and then I will meet with them and Kevin and I will head out from there down the coast of California. Sounds like fun!!

Work has been pretty good, lessons have been really good. I feel like I am really gaining a lot of knowledge and being able to apply it in my lessons. It is also encouraging because my volunteers have said that I am doing well and really connect with my students which is great. I have only had on student who was a bit more exhausting than the others but by the afternoon I managed to figure out what made him tick and got the lesson being more productive. I was worried since it was my first lesson where the student just did not do anything I asked or make progress in the beginning.

Looks like we are getting a bit of snow here in the next few days. I think we got around 10-12 inches in the last 24 hours. Great for the slopes sucky for me when I have to shovel tons of snow on my sick day...boo

Tons of people are coming to visit in the ext few weeks. One of our roommates family is here for a few days, Amy's family just left a couple days ago. Jacob's girlfriend Sinzi is coming out on Wednesday and Charley's boyfriend Graham is coming out from the UK for 2 weeks! I can't wait to meet Graham. Charley and Graham have been together 9 years (WOW!) and he sounds like an awesome guy. I have chatted briefly with him on skype and he is awesome. After they all head out Kevin's parents come out February 17th which is exciting and scary at the same time. I am excited to meet them however my dutch is non-existent haha and so it might be difficult. Both his parents speak English fairly well so hopefully that will get us by. Kevin is so excited for his family to be coming out since he has been missing them so much.

I think I am headed to shovel and then nurse this cold in bed with some movies but I hope you are all well, I miss you all so much and can't wait to be back in Cali!

xoxo,

Leah

Clearly we take ourselves very seriously...