Sweet Memories.

I'm sure I've said this a million times, but I am so thankful I was able to go to Yankee Stadium this summer. I will forever remember what it was like to be in a stadium with so much history. That's what the stadium is leaving with millions of people- sweet memories. I spent all of my Sunday from after church to bedtime watching ESPN and soaking it all in. I wasn't sure what it would be like to see Mariano come out of the pen for the last time or see the team leave the field. It was definitely a day full of chill bumps- did you hear how loud they cheered for Bernie? My mom said she teared up, don't blame her. The whole game was great. I am so glad Pettitte got a win and that his team backed him up with several runs. I thought Jeter gave a wonderful speech and then to see them walk the whole field was amazing to see. The funniest moment of the night was to look at the Orioles and see them all snapping away at this amazing team, and then to watch them run out to the pitchers mound and gather up dirt. Speaking of gathering up dirt, did you see how much Mariano took home?! :) Can't imagine a better way for the Yankees to end an era (I would have liked them to mention Joe Torre). I talked to several people who respected how they ended the stadium, and several of those people either hate baseball or just highly dislike the Yankees. I even got a text message last night that said "It was a sad day for baseball"-luckily though, there is a whole other side to this bittersweet ending. I personally can't wait to make a visit to the new stadium where Derek Jeter will be the long living legend there.





FYI-The Red Sox lost tonight putting them 6 ahead of the Yankees. I am not getting my hopes up, but there is still a LARGE part of me that would love to see these guys [Yankees] in the postseason.



My first visit to the stadium this summer...got real close for BP and super close to Joba!


I can't imagine what it will look like when the stadium isn't in that exact location!



Have a great night!

SO HAPPY!

Why am I so happy?

Because Phil Hughes pitched and pitched pretty well. He was only in there for 4 innings and threw a lot of pitches, but he only allowed one run. This may not sound very impressive, but if you are Phil Phan then this is amazing to see. Thank goodness he had the other Phil [Coke] back him up. Coke is pretty impressive, I think he's thrown 9 scoreless innings. Too bad Mo didn't get to close. The Yankees won. Only a few games left in the Stadium and they desperately need to win. As I am typing this, We Are Marshall is on and the scene in the football stadium after the plane crash with the sad music is playing-seems slightly fitting thinking about this era coming to an end. (the music not all the dying is fitting) I still can't believe it. I am just so thankful I got to go to Yankee Stadium this year for the first time...it has such an undescribable feeling. All that history...ok enough sorrow. The new stadium seems pretty cool, a little too modern, but definitely nice. I plan on, somehow, going next year to it. Hopefully gas prices lower to in turn lower airfare. I am STILL so glad Phil survived tonight and wasn't ruffed up too bad.

Some new things in my life
*I am taking a tennis class and am slowly getting better. I either hit the ball way too hard or in the wrong court. I played for an hour tonight and have class tomorrow morning, so that will be 4 times this week. You better believe I will be the next Federer!
*I am loving this quarter, but as graduation is rapidly approaching I am FREAKING out. What do I really want to do with the rest of my life? Honestly, I would like to do a lot of traveling. Too bad I need money to do that, which I am definitely lacking in.
*I am ready to vote for a president for the first time ever. I have been trying to follow it as best as time allows and I have found some things I like and don't like. I will say that I think McCain and Palin are going to bring a nice touch to the White House. I won't really get on anything that I don't like (Obama) whoops...didn't mean to type that :)

I have a test to study for. Whoever reads this anymore: Have a wonderful week!!!

Hurricanes and Unpacking

That is what my day consisted of yesterday. School starts on Thursday so I needed to come to Ruston yesterday to get situated considering I left my room here in a major mess. Jenna, one of the roomies, calls and tells me to hurry because the storm was coming. I packed up my car and for the first time since I started school, I brought all my stuff by myself. I had every inch of my car packed down with clothes and groceries. I thought I would be sad driving to Ruston knowing that is was my last time to drive there to start school, but I wasn't. I remember 4 years ago leaving my waving parents behind as I entered a new phase in my life, except that drive I cried the whole way. I think I am just really ready for school to be over with for good. I got in Ruston at around 2 and finished unpacking and cleaning at around 9:30ish and guess what happened the very second I got done? The power went out! Gustav blew through LA yesterday and it brought some pretty bad storms with it. Limbs were down everywhere and I was certain the wind was going to knock my house off of it's foundation. The power was out for over 2 hours and we lit like 20+ candles. I took this downtime to read. I love it when the power goes out. After the power came back on, some friends came over and we hung out and I finally went to sleep at around 1:30ish. So that was my day....a hurricane and unpacking. Doesn't that sound just SO exciting?


Didn't get to watch...but the Yankees WON. Yep, not a typo. They actually won. It was a makeup game against Detroit and I read the pitching was pretty bad but luckily the opposing pitchers weren't so great either since we scored 13. I am still holding out for a Wild Card position...for a few more days at least. Maybe they will win the next 7 straight and Boston will lose the next 7. It's a possibility :)

It feels good to be home.

I got a little bored and decided to make the blog a little more eye appealing. I think it looks pretty cute-thanks to thecutestblogontheblock.com! I've been home for a week now and have been enjoying it. My lovely parents surprised me with an all new room: new furniture and a bed that is super comfy. I was reminded that it is the guest room and the furniture is not mine to take...but I am planning on convincing them otherwise after I graduate :) During the week I shopped, ate out, saw friends, shopped, watched movies, and shopped. Pick up on anything? I spent a little too much money...but they were all slightly practical items.
One of my most enjoyable things to catch up this past week was baseball. I was able to watch the games on MLBtv again and was very glad to see the Yankees sweep the Orioles (even with Pavano pitching!). Now if they can continue to do the same with the Red Sox to clinch the WildCard and then win their 27th World Series. Hopeful? Yes. Is there really even a chance at this point? Absolutely, you would have to be crazy to rule them out with so many games left. I have missed blogging about baseball!
I started ToolTopia again today and somehow remembered just about everything. It's been an amazing company to work for! This weekend football season starts- La Tech vs. Mississippi State- and I am way beyond excited. School starts next Thursday. S.E.N.I.O.R. I should be excited about this, but all I can think about is what happens after August 16, 2009. I am not nervous at all to be in the "real" world; I'm just nervous about what I am going to do in the "real" world. The job I am going to school for is very, very competitive so I need some backup plans. I would love a job that allowed me to travel. Ugh-I don't want to think about jobs now.

Thanks to anyone who read this while I was in NY this summer, wish I could have posted more.
Hopefully I will keep this more updated now...hopefully!

Another summer day has come and gone away...

I am almost home! Not sure how it happened...I seriously feel like I have been here for years. I'm not sure how I feel about coming home. I am more than ready to be home and with my friends and family but there's something nice about this place. I think i'm going to miss taking care of people. This whole summer has been about kids and their needs 24/7 and I haven't cared about what I want- which has been a very humbling experience. I guess I can't imagine going home and just sitting around doing nothing while not making some sort of impact. I guess I just learned that I am a do-er....but no worries, I will be soaking up every ounce of attention and pampering I can get when I do arrive home :) I guess the solution would be to go home and do something for others there. I really can't wait to tell everyone all my stories and share pictures. There is so much I want to do. I'm afraid I'm going to spend way too much money when I get back!

-Here are some things I have learned about myself in the 9 weeks of being away-

I can make friends anywhere. I had a major fear of not making friends when I got here but the exact opposite happened. I met people who I am sure I will keep in touch with for a long time and I am glad to know that if I ever go outside of my comfort zoneI will be just fine.

When people work together for a specific purpose, the differences among them seem to melt away. Here at camp we all cared about the needs of the kids and we were willing to do whatever it took to meet those needs. That was our sole purpose and when we set our eyes on that, it didn't matter if you were black or white, liberal or conservative, tall or short, Christian or Jew, gay or straigt, outgoing or shy. I was blown away by no matter how much people could argue about politics and religion, and there were lots, when it came to working with the kids it just didn't matter. Everyone wanted to make a difference in a child's life and we were all able to look past our differences...even the most drastic ones. I haven't really been exposed to "different" people, I actually tended to shy away. But this summer I had to work with them no matter what I agreed and disagreed on them about...and I am glad that I was able to look past differences and finally realize that behind each identity is a human. We were all created in the same way, everyone just takes on their own unique identity. But I can't forget that behind it all we're all pretty much the same. I guess I learned to be more open and accepting of others and know that I can be right next to people who believe the polar opposite from me and not be changed by them- we can simply work together and let our differences form a great strength.

I don't have a lot of fears. Can be bad, can be good. This would take up WAY too much space, so just ask me. Yesterday though, I lessened a fear of heights by tackling a high ropes course, and I stepped right by a big snake yesterday and didn't freak too bad. And my greatest accomplishment: going to NYC on a day off all by myself and loving every second of it!

I need to go to bed, just wanted to say hi :) I miss everyone more than words can say and I am so so so so so so so so so excited to see everyone again!!!!!

here's one of my sweet campers, Ellie :)

The countdown begins!

10 more days left of camp! I am pretty excited, but a little sad at the same time. I love New York and the kids (for the most part) but I am SO ready to see my family and friends. My bunk has been pretty much hilarious here recently. I have nailed sign language, or at least I know the alphabet which is how one of my girls communicates. Yesterday was by far the most interesting to date, so I will share it with you...enjoy :)

I was LOD the previous night so I had to watch the girls until midnight and sleep lightly in case anyone got up or made noises in the night. I was getting ready to take a shower at 7:40, which is against the rules if you are LOD, and I got in my towel to walk out of the bathroom when one camper walks up to me. She was halfway in the bathroom and half in the bunk and let me point out that she was 1 ft away from the stall, so what does she do? PEES right there on the floor. Talk about an exciting way to start the day. I have to shower her and clean up the mess, luckily with help from another counselor who woke up. We woke all the girls up and find that two more had to be showered because they wet the bed. When a kid has an accident the counselor has to clean their clothes in the sink and hang them up to dry...so we were doing a lot of laundry. Later in the day I am walking with my bunk and our sister bunk and one of the girls motions to hold my hand so I accept. Next thing I know she has my thumb bone in her mouth-she bit me extremely hard...it's little sore type right now. I have to get it checked out by a nurse because it's a health precaution when a kid bites you. The girl was picked up by her parents that day because that was her 10th bite in like 2 days. Then we had lunch and the girl who had an accident had another one in the dining hall-so back in the shower we went. After lunch we had adventure and we fairly deep in the woods when yet again, she had another one. I had to maneuver my way out of the woods alone with a camper who is nonverbal. We then had pool swim and one of my campers had an accident in her bathing suit and it wasn't pee. She somehow managed to get it on her as well. We got her showered and after that she had to go to the restroom. She comes out of the shower and wipes her hiney on a towel and made a rather large mess. She had 2 showers in 10 minutes. AHHHHH...these girls are older girls so it's kind of sad there are so many accidents. They are super sweet though and I am basically immune to any sort of accident. I wish I could bring them home and let them meet yall. One calls me Auntie Amanda and one calls me, which makes us all laugh, A Momma. They are cuties :)

I haven't posted any pictures of the campers but I do have one...my favorite! Gilisa was a stubborn 6 year old with downs syndrome. Her vocabulary consisted of mostly: stop it, no, and f-you. Honestly. She spoke her own language. We clicked though for some reason and she completely melted my heart! I have lots of pictures of her but this is a picture that is already on the computer:

There she is...such a happy smile. She lost that tooth one night while she was here.

Have a great day and have a HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD :) love you!!!

I miss everyone!

Wow.

There's only 15 more days left and then I will be on a plane headed to Houston on the 17th! I am excited to see everyone soon and share all my stories and pictures. Yesterday was my day off and I spent it in NYC. A co-counselor of mine, Dani, went with me and we decided to see a baseball game. YES, I went to THE Yankee Stadium. I will tell you the journey of going to the game. I spent the 2 hour train ride on my phone's internet, specifically Craigslist.com, trying to find tickets to the sold out game. I talked to a few guys until I stumbled upon Vassili who as selling the tickets for $100 a piece. I said I could do $75 and he misunderstood me so we got the tickets for $120 for both. He called and we met him at the corner of 34th and 5th at the Empire State Building. He comes walking towards us and we chat for a second and he hands me the tickets and I hand him a wad of cash. He didn't even count the money-it seriously looked like a drug deal. We hop on the subway to the Bronx, we asked an NYPD cop for directions, and stepped of on River Ave. I was an extremely happy person at this point. We walk to where the players come out but we were there too late to see the players. I did see Chris Britton, who happened to pitch that night, and the Angels team rolled up in a Mercedes charter bus so that was cool to see. We go into the stadium at 5 and head straight for the very bottom of the stadium. We found a spot and guess who was RIGHT in front of me? Joba Chamberlain-a little surge of giddiness entered me. I could have talked to him if I wanted, but I have way too much poise to talk to a major league pitcher :) All the sudden A-Rod or Jeter (I assume) hit a ball during BP and it comes flying our way, the girl I was with stuck her hand in the air and caught it. WOW! It had a bat mark, grass and dirt stain, and the Yankee final season logo was slightly smudged. I was extremely jealous but really glad she caught it because I held onto it for like an hour. We made our way to our seats, which were pretty good for the price, and I was able to see Pettitte pitch and watch Pudge make his Yankee debut. At the 8th we moved as far down as the guards would let us and it was a wonderful view. The Yankees lost, but it definitely was an exciting game with lots of HR. I really want to go back!

I will get pictures up soon, I promise :)

17 More Days!!!

I can't believe the summer is slowly coming to an end, it's crazy to believe I've actually survived. I was thinking about school and it made me stressed a little and I have to admit that I have completely forgotten what stress feels like. I guess I've never really been stressed so far this summer...just had my patience tested. New campers arrived yesterday and I am in a new bunk once again. This time I am in a bunk with 6 girls-all autistic and all nonverbal. They are 14-17 and really hilarious. They communicate fairly well despite not talking, we use sign language and electronic talking devices for the kids. They are all pretty low-functioning so we basically do everything for them. I was really worried about how I would work with them and build relationships with the kids but it's been pretty great for the 2 days. I will be taking a ton of videos of them. The bunk that is connected to mine has a girl who has to be held by her hands all day because she puts EVERYTHING in her mouth and eats it and there is also a girl who has childhood schizophrenia and is on suicide watch (seriously). It's going to be a very memorable 3 weeks I think.

I went to NYC this past weekend and literally did nothing which was nice. I even had an agenda made. My friend has an aunt and uncle who live in New Jersey so we stayed there. Their house is right across the river from the city so we were able to see it all. They have a roof where you can sit and hang out while watching to Manhattan skyline. We grilled steak and chicken and ate on the roof and relaxed..it was great! At like 11:30 that night we went to Times Square because it is so cool at night and we grabbed some delicious NY famous cheesecake. It was a fairly late night so I slept in until about 9. I left at 11 and went to the TKTS line at the Marriott and bought tickets to the Broadway Legally Blonde, which was very good. I also hung out in Sephora for awhile and then bought a train ticket at Grand Central Station and headed back to camp. I seriously love NYC and also really enjoyed Weehawken, NJ.

Here is the view from their house on the roof...they are as close to the river as you can get!

Times Square at night!!

Right before Legally Blonde began!

Hope everyone has a great day and I miss everyone SOOOOOO much :)

Craziness!

The kids are asleep, but it took lots of work to get them to fall asleep. The bunk next me was having some problems with one of their girls so they called me into help (she sometimes listens to me). Didn't work, she punched her counselor so we had to put her in a hold where she ended up hitting me pretty hard and biting another counselor...this girl is VIOLENT...she also punched me this morning at breakfast because I was somehow in the way. Not that big of a deal though. Today my group went to cooking and we made cheesecake and it was delicious. Cheesecake has the capabilities of turning any bad day to good. There's less than a week left in this session and it makes all the campers really bad-with that said, there might not be a lot of posting going on. Tomorrow I get to visit the horses and attend chess lessons with the kids- I am excited! It's been pretty hot here lately but it finally rained tonight so hopefully it brings some coolness. I have also started to take video clips of the kids because I am sure it's hard to believe some of the stories I tell so the videos should help. I also wanted to share my schedule from today just to show what a day is really like here...it changes slightly everyday but the structure is the same. Structure is a key term here and I am ready for a break from it :)

8:00 kids wake up
8:30 breakfast
9:15 clean up bunks
10:00 freeplay
11:15 reading or discovery center
12:15 bikes
1:15 lunch
2:00 cooking
3:00 ceramics
4:00 pool swim
5:00 rest hour
6:00 dinner
6:45 evening activity
7:45 showers
8:30 transition to bedtime

Yes, every minute of the day is scheduled, Monday- Sunday nonstop. Just thought this would help show a little better what I do all day. I am pretty upset because I somehow missed my night off 2 days ago and I can't get it back. We only get 2 nights off for the 3 weeks and I missed out on one. Next session I will pay more attention!

I am getting tired, just wanted to say hi and check in. Hope everyone has an enjoyable monday!

Hi!

I wish I could post more often. There is so much I wish I could write but that would take forever! Here recently, I have been attending chess lessons with the kids and I am starting to like it. I played someone yesterday and WON...when I get home Dad and am going to play you and win so start practicing now :) I have also been taken over by hummus; the chef here makes his own and we have it like once a week and it is GREAT! I wish I could ship it home because I know some people who would like it! I've also been making daily visits to our 2 horses here and I think I want one when I get home. I get to go to NYC next Saturday and I couldn't be more excited. I got hit really hard today and the girl scratched me and I bled...that hasn't happened in a few days. I will be coming home with some pretty interesting scars. There is sooooo much more to say, but there isn't enough time. So here is my quick hello, hope everyone is enjoying their weekends!

A wonderful day, finally!

I must say that today has been one of the best days of my summer. This morning at breakfast we had trix, and somehow that started the day off positively. Then we had a good cleanup time. After that was lunch and we were having meatball subs (YUCK) but luckilly I sit with girls who are from Israel and eat only kosher food because they chef made them falafel and they gave me one. It was SOOOOOOOO good. I love that type of food so it made me feel like I was home for a minute. Later in the day we had pool swim, as we do everyday, but today it was longer and it was beautiful out so that was great. Once we finished that we threw our girls a nail polish party and we had tons of fun and there was lots of laughter. Also, all our girls were happy all day :)

So I went to NYC again 2 weekends ago and I never got to talk about it. I will now!

I rode the bus into the city with the kids (free transportation!) with several other friends. We arrived at George Washington terminal in what I would call the ghetto, not sure if it really was but it seemed that way. Then we hopped on the Subway and rode it to Times Square which I am very familiar with now. We walked all around and....sorry I have to cut it short but there is a line behind me and I need to let them on. I WILL post more tomorrow, hopefully with some pictures :)

Miss everyone and thanks sooooo much grandma and grandpa for the 2 letter. Yall are the best and it really cheered me up!

New Session!

We got a batch of new campers yesterday and they are something else. They are the cutest little girls I have ever met. They all have really tan skin, big brown and eyes, and all have beautiful long hair. I will share some stories about the day and half I have been with the girls.

I was assigned to a girl during free play today who was autism and is nonverbal. She knows a lot of signs, and I am slowly trying to learn ASAP. Well we were at the playground, which is in the close to the pool, and she apparently wanted to swim. She took her shoes and socks off which I thought was okay but next came the shorts, pull-up, and shirt. There she was butt naked in the middle of everyone and refusing to move. I pretty muched freaked. She gets VERY, VERY violent when she's angry. She scratched me during this and I had blood coming from it. She is also a spitter and a biter. One of my supervisors ran and got a towel and we literally dragged her away. She then ran into the bath house and threw a massive tantrum. We got our lady who works with these types of kids to help, but she was very aggressive. I mostly observed during this because only supervisors are really allowed to hold down kids. After that incident she was fine and happy for the most part. I got to swim with her later in the day and she absolutely loved it. She may be a little angry at times, but she is a genuinely sweet and kind girl who loves to give hugs!
Another girl who is hilarious refused to move for 30 minutes during one of our hikes in the woods. She has downs syndrone and I have learned that kids with that love to say no and refuse to hear no. Because of that, we have a pretty interesting time with her. Luckily she keeps us lacking.
One sweet little girl was holding my hand to dinner and she called me mom. I told her I wasn't her mom and she explained that I was like her mom since she's going to be away from her for 3 weeks. She said I would be a fun and nice mom since I was willing to sing Hannah Montana with her. A couple of the girls keep telling me how they love having me as a counselor. It's these moments that get me through my day.

Oh, I went to NYC again last weekend, I will talk about it later...hopefully tomorrow. I love Manhattan and will one day live there, even if it's just for a few months...preferably around Central Park of SoHo.

Thanks for my mail and earrings Jessica, I LOVED it!

I miss everyone :) Have a great day!

AHHH!!!

It's been a little while since I last updated this, sorry. The kids leave tomorrow and I get to go to NYC again!! So cool! I got to go to the city by myself Tuesday. I took a train out of Rhinecliff at 10:50 am and arrived at Penn Station at 12:30. I entered culture shock once I got off the train, to be honest, I can't even remember getting off. What I do remember is entering a massive crowd of people. I finally left the train station and was on 32nd street. I started walking having no clue where I was going or what I wanted to do...I was told it was easy to navigate around NYC so I assumed it was. I took a left turn down some street and ended up on BROADWAY!!! I started getting hungry and went to a little cafe and got a turkey sandwich, took it outside to some sort of sitting area and ate with a lot of people who I assumed were local. I felt like a real New Yorker, I hadn't even whipped out my camera yet. After lunch, I kept walking and found myself wandering around Times Square and started taking a million pictures. I kept walking and I was was wondering where Central Park was and at that moment I somehow stumbled into the park. I bought a bottle of water and some icecream and explored the park. It was very peaceful in there. Then my parents told me their plane landed and that they were headed to the hotel so I got my own taxi ride. It was only $10, I thought that was pretty good. I met my parents and we did some more walking and ate at the Brooklyn Diner, which was very nice. We sat at a table that Jerry Seinfeld has sat at so that was pretty neat. Then we walked to Grand Central Station and then went to the top of the Empire State Building. We got to see all of the city lit up since it was night time and it was a great view. I took the train back to Rhinecliff and took a cab ride for about 5 minutes to the camp and they charged me $33 dollars! I must say that wandering alone in a massive city is really neat and everyone should try it! Well my hour off is almost over so I need to go. Enjoy the 4th!

-Mom and Dad, I am SOOOOOOO glad I got to see yall and am very jealous yall saw Derek Jeter up close and personal. Please tell me there are pictures and tell me if the stadium tour is worth it and the price because I am thinking about doing it. :)

Day 3....

I am sitting alone in our computer lab here and it is amazing. I don't know what it's like to be alone, and I must say I miss it. Today the kids true colors started shining. They are still very sweet girls, just a little anger issues. My group went on a 2-hour hike in the woods, which are hilly, and I literally had to drag a girl through. She pretended to faint twice and sprawled out on the ground throwing fits. I am having to be VERY inventive and patient with trying to help calm the girls. We (all the other counselors) are trying to figure out what causes our group to explode and how we can avoid the mass explosions. There were so many tears today and most of the kids are homesick. I had a really funny experience today though so I will share: I took a boy to arts and crafts for one of his choice periods and he was furious because he thought he chose fishing. Apparently art and crafts are no where near as fun as fishing because he was crying so hard I thought he was going to pass out from lack of air. Finally he calmed down and I convinced him to make a really cool batman mask and he told me how he loves art. He kept saying this over and over to convince him of his decision of going to arts and crafts: "You think you make the wrong decision, but they can turn out to be the right decision sometimes." He is 7, and oh, so smart.

So I am not trying to emphasize the negatives constantly, but it's nice to get it out. Once the kids go to bed nobody talks about the day and I don't have phone service so I can't tell my parents or friends. If I did have service, there is no where to talk because everyone sleeps with their windows open and I talk too loud....so I just like getting it in the open here. Don't be confused though, I am having a blast. Really! My girls are precious and it's nice having something that challenges me. I know that this is shaping me to be a better person and I am willing to take some hard times for it. All the frustration melts when you look at our 13 precious kids, they are so funny and soooooo cute. I wish you could see their faces, you would love them to. Also, I can't complain with being in an absolutely beautiful place and working with some great people!

Sorry about the rambling...tomorrow I will hopefully have lots of fun stories to tell! I miss everyone :)

This is hard work...

The kids got here yesterday and I have entered a state of exhaustion that I have never experienced before. I didn't realize how difficult it could be. I have two girls in my bunk that are autistic and one is nonverbal. It makes for some pretty interesting times to say the least. I have a line behind me but I will tell more later. Have a great day, miss everyone :)

Update 9:30 pm....I am finally off! Whew. Today wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great either. It's going to take some time to get used to each child and figure out their individual triggers. There are so many different types of girls in my bunk from ADHD to anger issues. They are absolutely precious though and man do they make me laugh! We wake up at 8am and then head to breakfast. All 500 of us here at camp eat in the dining hall and there are 4 counselors and 4 campers to a table. I feel sorry for every mom because I am experiencing meals with kids...meal time is definitely not an easy task. We have a VERY structured day because it helps the kids here thrive. Luckily, that tight structure makes the day go by pretty fast. This morning, all 6 girls were awake at 7am...can't say we were thrilled about that. We did several fun activities and then shut it all down at 8:30. Every night the kids get milk and cookies while we discuss our highs and lows for the day, then we put them to bed and read stories until they are all asleep. They are angels at this time of night, and I love this time because it reminds me that no matter what hindrances they may have or what anger they can cause, they are all sweet, innocent, beautiful little girls.
I am also working with a bunk of 7 CRAZY boys. Yesterday, one boy asked me how much longer until dinner and I told him a little over an hour. He asked me persistently how much longer we had. While we were walking to play basketball, I told him we had 30 minutes left and let me in on a little life secret he had, "You know what I know? I know that every second counts" Wow. He's the cutest and most brilliant little boy ever. He also was digging and dirt and kept saying how it's all connected. Keep in mind he's only 7.
Last night it took us 2 hours to get our kids showered and put in bed, tonight only 30 minutes! Best accomplishment in my life! The earlier the kids are in bed, earlier we are "off" and the On-Duty Counselor takes over and watches our bunk.

There is SO much more that I could talk about, really, but that would take hours of typing. I definitely don't have that much time! Aunt Stephanie, I would assume that when you read this you will be settling into some sort of home in Hawaii. Enjoy every second of the couple of months you're there!

Bye :)

Finally an update!!!!

It has been WONDERFUL to be away from technology for a week. I do miss it a little though. This week has been amazing and the camp is beautiful! So I flew up here on Sunday and landed at LGA and from the sky I saw the Empire State Building- that is where I got very giddy. We had to take like a 3 hour bus ride to the camp so I saw all of NYC and Yankee Stadium...SO cool. I want to visit NYC so badly. We have been going through some pretty intense training this whole week and I am very anxious for this kiddos to get here. I learned about my counselors today and it should be a difficult but rewarding 2 weeks. Last night we had time off so we went into Kingston...it's surrounded by mountains so that was nice. Then we went into Rhinebeck and it it seriously the cutest town ever. My bunk is pretty nice here, no air conditioning and we sleep with the windows open so it's comfortable. I haven't put on makeup (except for last night) nor have I done anything but wash my hair and put it in a pony tail so that has been awesome. Today we did the low ropes course and tomorrow we take our swim test and do the high ropes. The food is decent, today for lunch we had hummus sandwiches, nutri-grain bars, and Klondike bars. Not too bad at all. Tonight we go camping and make smores...the cool things is that we sleep outside. I've been camping plenty of times but never slept outside of the tent so it should be a neat experience. Sorry this is so random, but my mind is jumping every possible way right now. Also want to apologize about not getting to talk to anyone, I have ZERO reception out here. But I personally like not talking on the phone for some weird reason. I will try and get some pictures up...but don't count on it too soon. If you want to see it better go to ramapoforchildren.org
I have met lots of cool people. Let me tell you, it's a different world up as far as political and religious beliefs go. Basically, if you say you like George W. you better take shelter. It's not really that bad...and I love hearing about what people believe in and think about certain topics. I am the only Louisiana person, I believe, and have gotten many compliments on my accent so that's great. Mostly everyone is from the midwest and east coast area.

I miss everyone and am having a great time! Hope everyone is having a great summer so far :)

Houston = great fun!

I couldn't have asked for a better day than the one I got to experience. I woke up relatively early, walked out on a balcony and watched surfers for a little while. The ocean has got to be the most peaceful place on the planet. I would sit and watch the waves roll in all day and not even stop to look at a watch. Maybe I should consider moving to a beach, or at least building a vacation house on the beach (dreamin' big!). Then my family and I drove to Houston where I, yep that's right, got take the lead. I must say I impressed myself with maneuvering us around considering I have only been to Houston a couple of times in my life...luckily they all occurred within the last school year. We checked into our hotel and discussed possible lunch suggestions. I love, love Cheesecake Factory and since my family hasn't had the privilege to go, it seemed like the perfect place. It certainly was. I was wearing my Yankees shirt with Pettitte written on the back...clearly not the best place to be wearing that particular shirt. I got hounded by our waiter but it was all good fun. Come to find out, he waited on A-Rod and Jeter yesterday and today Joba and Jorge came in to eat there. I was a little starstruck for a brief moment. We ate at the one in the Galleria which I was also able to direct us to mostly. Thank goodness my grandpa taught me how to read a map well! After that we head over to Minute Maid Park where I think I am going to watch my team take bp...wrong, the game started an hour earlier than we thought. Oh well though. We get in and find our seats which were one row away from being at the very top. As high as we were, I completely loved the seats. We had air conditioning and the best view of all- right behind home plate. A-Rod hit a homer and Mussina pitched a great game, his 10th win of the season. I got to see Ohlendorf pitch for the first time, a little shaky but okay, and Farnsworth. I was hoping for Mo to close, but Farns will do...he scares me just a little. The Yankees ended up winning 8-4 and the Astros should have learned one thing from this game: NEVER intentionally walk A-Rod. They did it twice and it backfired...not that I am complaining. Tomorrow Chien Ming Wang pitches so that should be a good game. Yesterday, Joba lasted 6 inning...I so wish I could have been there for that game! Hopefully they can come out with a sweep and be I think 4 or 5 games above .500!


Well, I leave tomorrow and I hope I am ready. I didn't have room to pack a pillow so that's the only thing I know I will be without. Thanks to my great friends for talking to me a lot these past couple of days- I LOVE yall tons :) I have that sick to my stomach feeling that I hope goes away soon. I am very ready for tomorrow, minus waking up at 4:45 am, but I am definitely not ready to say good-bye to my family. I'm not sure how to prepare myself for that one...I have pretty much put off the thought of it...hopefully I don't break down once the plane takes off. I am sooo excited though I can barely handle sitting here still....hurry up tomorrow!

Funny waiter really didn't like that I was wearing a NY shirt, so he got us back!

It's a really nice ball park....right behind home place...just HIGH up!

My BFF! :)

Right in downtown Houston. There were 40,000+ at the stadium!

Not sure when I can do this again...hopefully soon. I am not the most technologically savvy person around, but I am going to miss all the perks technology offers. Forgive me if this isn't always updated. Mom and dad, I know you're going to read this...just want you both to know that this was a wonderful past couple of days and I couldn't have asked for more. I am going to miss yall a TON! Don't miss me too much :)

Hope New York is ready for me!

Good Ol' Galveston.

I am sitting in the lobby of the Flagship Hotel in the water of the gulf. Seriously...this hotel is supported by concrete columns that are in the water. It's pretty neat actually, and since us staying here was very last minute it's not too bad at all. They have wireless internet-in the lobby- so that's all that matters. We got on the road this morning around 6 ish and have been going nonstop. We took the ferry into Galveston and then stopped to eat at Fish Tales. From there we crossed the street to our hotel where we saw a guy who was hit by a car...crazy! Luckily he was OK. We then proceeded to hang out at the beach for a couple of hours. I somehow forgot to apply the SPF, you think with my record of sunburns I would remember, so now I am paying for it with my extra red skin. Later we went to Rainforest Cafe were we waited way too long and paid way too much, well mom and dad paid, for a slightly mediocre restaurant. We should have gone to the Mediterranean place we saw. Oh well. Tomorrow we are heading out early to trek on over to Houston where I will be in control of our escapades. Scary, I know, but I think I know my way around Houston good enough...I hope. The biggest excitement for tomorrow is the Yankees game! I haven't been to Minute Maid Park before so that should be fun....and I am SO glad they have a retractable roof because it's supposed to storm like crazy.

Here are some pictures from the exciting day:

This shows the amount of fun we were having at the beach :)

Me and Liz are sweet to each other sometimes!

My youngest sister who is going to miss me terribly....right?

Rainforest Cafe and their "volcano"

Hope everyone had a great Friday the 13th and has a relaxing Saturday!

It's really here.

At the end of January/beginning of February I was determined I would have big plans for summer 08. I had originally been trying to do some work with a St. Jude/ALSAC office in Dallas but it wasn't really going anywhere. I was pretty much set that I would be spending the summer in Haughton. Who knew a simple walk in Woodard Hall would change that all. I was needing to talk to my psychology teacher and saw a very plainly decorated flyer that had these two questions: Want to have a memorable summer, Want to make a difference? Of course my answer was yes to both of those, but it didn't leave a lasting impact on me. Later, way later, that night I started thinking about the displayed camp and google searched the place for hours. Brilliant me forgot to look at the name. Somehow, I randomly found it and fell in love with it immediately. Definitely not anything I would ever be interested in, but for some reason it touched my heart so I applied. At around 1:30 am I hit submit and received a phone call the next day to set up an interview time. I was pretty reluctant about telling my family, but they were amazingly okay with it, kind of. Next thing I know I was booking a flight to NYC. Crazy as it gets. If you don't know, this camp deals with kids who have special needs ranging from Autism, behavioral issues, to learning disabilites. They are all city kids who get the opportunity to let loose on this 200-something acre campsite.


I don't know a soul going. I don't even know what I will really be doing. But for some reason, perhaps in my crazy mind, it seems like a pretty rewarding adventure. I can't tell you exactly why I am going, but I do know I want to help the kids and show them acceptance, love, and friendship. When I interviewed I was asked why I want to work with this particular population of children and I told him that I know I have a lot of love that I am willing to share. Especially to kids who we often call "different". I hope to show something special to them, something they don't fully understand, a love that I too can hardly understand. I want them to know me and I too want to know them. I want to be a part of creating the most memorable summer in a child's life. Bottom line- I want the love that comes from above to pour out of me and flow all over these sweet little kiddos :) Hopefully I succeed.


I cannot even fathom that I am done with LA for two months. Where did time go? I, well mom, just finished packing about 90 lbs. of luggage that I get to tote by myself. As nervous as I am about the unexpected, I am thoroughly excited. I get to spend a summer in NY, it doesn't get much better than that. And I will have a ton of storied to tell I'm sure. Hope you all are ready to listen when I get home! Well, tomorrow we leave bright and early, 6 am, to go to Galveston for the day and then we will spend the rest of the time in Houston. I love Houston, particularly around Rice University. Saturday night we will be going to a Yankees/Astros game and we get to watch Mike Mussina pitch. I will be wearing my Pettitte shirt with pride and brushing off any boos I may get from Astros fans. I wish I could watch all three games because Joba is pitchin Friday and CMW is pitching Sunday...Mussina will be fun to watch though. I should probably consider getting some sleep... I will try and update this as often as I can. To my wonderful family and friends who graciously read this, I am going to miss yall more than you can imagine :)

Somebody didn't want me to leave. Sweet dog!

Thoughtful Jess brought me these wonderful things. I love the photo album and the Louisiana Hot Sauce the best! Thank you TONS!

There it is, 90 lbs. And the dog who wants to come with me.

Have a great Friday!

Every day, a page turned down...

I have been cramming a summer worth of memories into the span of a week and a half. Let me tell you, they may not seem that interesting or exciting but I know when I start feeling homesick this summer I can revert to those times and move on with my day feeling okay. I will start off by saying that I have the greatest friends ever, hands down. I also have a pretty amazing family who has helped create several memories for me this week as well. I think the memory-making process began last Thursday. Me, Jess, and Jen (bad grammar, I know!) ate at Shane's and went to watch our church softball team play at Tinsely and then to Maggie Moos. Yum. Then we went swimming sort of. There were leaves in the pool that we thought were leeches, they weren't really, so we went to the hot tub. To our dismay, the jets weren't on and the water felt like lukewarm bath water so we got out. Luckily, there was a jucuzzi just calling our name and our trusty friend Josh was there to help us take the lid off and turn it on. It was H-O-T...and of course with our luck the jets didn't come on...still relaxing though. We called it a night at about 12:30 because working girl here had to wake up early. The next day, Friday, I went shopping with my mom and we grabbed Chick-Fil-A for us and dad. Then I met my friends for Mario Kart Wii...which I am not very good at but it is loads of fun. We played that for a couple of hours and we called it a night. Saturday, me, mom, and my sisters went to try on wedding dresses for my sister Danielle, me and Liz tried on lots of bridal dresses. This was a lot of fun! Then we all went and ate McAllister's which was delicious. Came home and went to Jenna's grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary where there was an Elvis impersonator. So cool. It was catered by Shaver's so luckily I got some Louisiana food: jumbalya, catfish, and hushpuppies. After that was done we decided to do some more shopping. I just bought some earrings and a bracelet. If you can't tell yet, I shop a heck of a lot...don't worry, I somehow manage to be a total bargain shopper! We rented a movie, Why Did I Get Married? from Tyler Perry and it was pretty good. Me and the two J's got to talk a whole lot about....well just about some pretty interesting stuff :) Sunday was church and while we were singing it hit me that this is my last time for church until August :( No worries, because I will continue to grow this summer without a doubt. I went to my sister Liz's apartment for a little while. Monday, I wanted to eat Cane's and drink their sweet tea before I left so me and mom went to the one by St. Vincent. It was wonderful! I finally was able to show my grandparents my San Diego pictures, half way through them the power went out. Thank goodness for laptops though. That was pretty fun getting to tell them some stories about my trip. Tuesday my nana took me and my sisters out to eat for lunch and that night, Keri and Jenna drove over from Ruston to meet me and Jess at Pepes. Oh so good. After that I wanted to show Keri the niceness of Shreveport so we went all throughout the Line Avenue area. We saw a movie being filmed and also got to take part in wishful thinking by looking at all the enormous houses. Then I took them all around downtown and got to see my favorite view in Shreveport. I had to say goodbye :( to my grandparents on this day because they are headed up to Kansas to see my aunt graduate from some school for the army (whatever position is after Major, I believe). I hate goodbyes. Well today is Wednesday and I met Dana at the new Monjunis and then we went to Target. So glad I got to catch up with her! Wow...so I ate out a shopped a TON. This is not that normal for me...just trying to create memories. Tomorrow is my work luncheon at Ralph and Kacoos, so that should be lots of fun! If you read all of that, thank you very much!

this pretty much sums us up!

Pepes night!

There is a movie going on there right now, I think it's Microwave Park...which has a different name now.

My favorite view in Shreveport: coming down Texas St. and seeing this beautiful church!

Good night!

It's been a while.

Sorry about the lack of posting, but life has gotten in the way of simple things such as blogging. I had an amazing time in southern California and would go back in a heartbeat. WOW the craziest thing JUST happened, as in 2 minutes ago. A bug flew on my bed, not a big one but a bug nonetheless. I have a paralyzing fear of bugs, pretty pitiful I know. Well, I forcefully kick my leg in order to cause the bug to fall to the floor, then I run to the laundry room to grab the Hot Shot flying insect spray to end this horrible creatures life. I manage to find the bug who went into hiding because he apparently was aware of my potential harm. I shook the can with all my might and sprayed about half the can on the little thing....it was no bigger than 1/2 an inch. But hey, I needed to be sure. When his body stopped wiggling I put my foot into a rainboot and stomped rather hard on the bug. I killed my first bug EVER and will now get a peaceful nights sleep because of it! I just amazed myself...I would call this my "Neil Armstrong" moment in life. Is it sad that killing a bug is slightly comparable to stepping on the moon? Now I'm just praying New York is bug free! I will add some pictures soon...my battery is dying!!!
It is now Wednesday and I am updating on my lunch break. I can't believe the week is half way over and that I have only one more day in the great LA. As much as I tend to not enjoy Louisiana I really am going to miss it. I drove around Line Avenue in Shreveport (where I will live one day) and all around downtown. There is something so simplistic and beautiful about this place that I can't really describe. I don't always want to be here, but I do want to come back. I have been enjoying every second of this week and trying to create as many memories as possible to hold on to during the summer. So far, I have been very successful in this endeavor. OK, back to doing other things..but I will post later with all the fun things I have done this week.
Now for some Cali pics :)

group picture at Coronado Island, our 1st stop!

The extremely beautiful La Jolla Cove

He came that close to me, no zooming here. He was rather funny :)

You are looking at REAL surfers at Pacific Beach, which would be a lovely view but the sun was hiding at this moment. I am still bewildered at seeing surfers everywhere, so cool!

I LOVE California :)

Seriously, this place is beautiful. It's pretty chilly here, in the 60s, but it's still very nice. Yesterday we roamed downtown San Diego and Coronado Island and hung out at the beach there. I promise you there are gold flecks in the sand there, it was so pretty. We got some expensive, but very good, ice cream there on Coronado. Then, we took a ferry ride back out to the mainland and stumbled upon Fred's Mexican Restaurant, which was yummy. Today the group I was with went to the Zoo here, but I wasn't that interested nor did I want to spend that much to see animals (I hope that wasn't a dumb decision). Myself and another girl decided to pretend we were locals and bought a day pass for the city bus...you can meet the most interesting people on buses. We met these three extremely cool South African guys who were surfers visiting for a conference on our way to La Jolla beach or cove, whatever it's called. This place is just WOW, unlike anything I have seen before. There was a little section of the cove where some seals had beached themselves, we got to walk right up to them which in my opinion is better than a zoo :) We went to this sushi restaurant called Tadashi...first time with sushi, interesting. Seaweed has a strong taste but we also had chicken terriyaki, tempura and some fried pork dumplings...all for under $20. It was a lovely, inexpensive dinner. After that we went to Pacific beach, which was amazing. By far the biggest waves I have ever seen...and there were real surfers! I just got back from this cozy, yet upscale, little Italian restaurant. We once again used the bus and sat next to a Louisiana hater, or should I call it "Loserana". Funny...not! I had this really good linguine pasta with broiled chicken, mushrooms, tomatoes, broiled chicken tossed in a white wine cream sauce. It was really good, too bad I can't pronounce the name of it. Kinda expensive though. Tomorrow is the actual conference but after that we will be enjoying all the perks San Diego has to offer. Still hoping to go to a Padres game. Basically, I am enjoying sunny California and am enjoying being considered a "foreigner" here by my supposed accent. If you haven't come here; you should really consider visiting.

I heard the Yankees have won their past two games and that A-Rod recovered pretty well from his injury. That is so good to hear. Also read Joe G. got thrown out of a game tonight, and Cano had a walk-off homer...wow!

Hope everyone has a great Friday :)

Hello from Dallas!

I am sitting in a computer lab at the Holiday Inn Express right outside DFW airport...and thought why not make a new post.

I am so extremely excited that A-Rod is playing today, too bad I can't watch. Hope having him back sparks something in our team...surely. Did you hear about Lester's no-hitter last night? WOW...even if he is a Red Sox pitcher that still is great. And to know he bounced back from cancer makes it all the cooler. He is an inspiration to many who are fighting cancer I would assume. I will be away from Yankee baseball for the next week...so if anything exciting happens, let me know :)

Tomorrow I am flying to San Diego for a conference/lots of fun. We just booked a rental car to drive up to Los Angeles...so I am EXTREMELY excited. I just printed off the map for it and it looks easy and beautiful...all the way up the coast! -While in San Diego, I will be relaxing at a beach, going to the zoo, seeing the Padres (possibly) and of course trying out the local cuisine. Don't be too jealous...joking!
Hope everyone is having a great day, and don't forget...GO YANKEES!

What is going on?

I know we have done this bad/worse in past years, but this is getting really old quickly. I am 100% positive the Yankees are going to rebound, I just hate this whole waiting patiently thing. I also don't like turning on the TV and seeing more Mets fans at Yankees Stadium than our own. I wouldn't have left...you never know what could possibly happen. I hate to see Wang get roughed up...and then to see Ohlendorf not deliver effectively. On a brighter side, A-Rod seems to be recovering nicely and Posada got some practice catching in...so maybe we can start seeing some light at the end of this tunnel. Not that those two are going make the team win necessarily, but they certainly will be great to have back.



I just got done playing 9-innings of some pretty intense wiffle ball. I am not the most athletic girl in town, but this baseball-ish game is right up my alley. I was observing all of us play, and thought the Yankees could watch us for a few pointers. We had fun, laughed a lot, and encouraged each other. And boy oh boy were we all bringing in some runs. There was even a 4 year old and 2 year old playing and I think they looked better than some of the guys right now....that was a joke, but pretty close :) The score ended at like 24-19 or something like that and my team lost. I am pretty sure I drove in a couple of runs but also allowed some by several errors at my first base position. It was so much fun though!



I got to eat my favorite food ever this weekend, crawfish! It was soooo good. Also got to hang out with my family and just relax finally now that school is done with. Tuesday I am driving to Dallas and flying to San Diego for a week! So ready. I'm thinking about going to a Padres game...I think they'll be playing the Reds. Hope everyone has a great Monday!


Doesn't it look good? I was at the bottom of my tray. I decided not to show you pictures of the already eaten ones. You are looking at some good ole Louisiana crawfish...now go try some :)

Good Bye Junior Year....

This has been a great year for me. Made better grades, solidified some new friendships, and got to go to several fun places. Can't believe I only have ONE year left of college, panic mode is slowly starting to set in as far as future plans are concerned. I had 2.5 hours of sleep last night, and of course it did not pay off. There is nothing worse (well I'm sure there is) than walking off campus, done with tests and feeling more stressed than I was before I took the tests. Oh well. it's over with until fall. I made the drive back home and went with my grandparents to pick my aunt up from the airport. Then we met my parents at this amazing little greek/lebanese restaurant called Jerusalem. Oh so good...I had a gyro plate which is a combination of lamb and beef. I am so glad I have grandparents and parents who have encouraged me to absolutely love food from all cultures. Tomorrow is my sister's graduation from high school. Way to make me feel old Liz :) I finally get to start watching Yankee games again...maybe they'll start winning a lot. Tomorrow, weather permitting, the Yanks are taking down Santana so all the annoying trade arguments can cease. We're only like, what, 5 games back...it could be a lot worse. Hope everyone has a relaxing weekend!!!














This was seriously one of the best meals I have had in a long time...go get some Greek food ASAP!














Big ole party for the sis tomorrow...cake and junk food and then lots and lots of CRAWFISH! It sure is good to be home at last!

All-nighters bite.

So here I am...1:30 am and I still haven't accomplished all I need to for tomorrow (or I guess today). I am sitting in a local coffee shop that stays open 24 hours for finals and am surrounded by people who are all hyped up on caffeine. They help me fight the urge to fall asleep, doesn't help that it's -100 degrees in this place. Still haven't watched a Yankees game in like 2 weeks...sad story there. I haven't been missing much though. Mariano allowed his first run tonight...he's still a remarkable pitcher no matter what. The most frustrating thing is the lack of runs. I just read others blogs for info when I find time and that seems to be the main thing that is holding this team back. A-Rod will be back soon, hopefully, but the team doesn't need to wait for him to win ball games. There is a ton of talent on the roster...why aren't we seeing it? Things will come around, they have to eventually. Patience, patience, patience on our end...we won't give up on them this easily. Ok, back to studying. So much fun (not).

This is what I have been looking at and will continue to look at until Friday at noon....computers, study guides, notecards, and LOTS of medium roast coffee!

Finals...

I absolutely dread this time of the quarter. I wont get to watch any games this week or update this thing. Pretty bummed actually. I would so rather be watching baseball than studying for tests and writing papers, but I will do it anyways. My sister graduates this weekend and my aunt is also coming in town who I don't see very often, so blogging will be limited during that time too. Next Wednesday I am going to San Diego for a conference/vacation. While everyone is going down to Tijuana, I am thinking about going to a Padres game. I've never been to California, or anywhere on the western part of the US so I am very excited! 2 whole weeks without watching any Yankees games :( maybe I can squeeze a game in hopfully.

Hope everyone has an enjoyable week.

Whew. We needed that one.

Pretty impressive game, if I must say so. It's games like these when you really appreciate our offense, who by the way showed up today thank goodness. Moose got into some trouble allowing 3 runs and Mariano allowed a hit, but it doesn't matter because we scored 6 and the Indians scored 3. Johnny Damon said he takes responsibilty for the this team being in a slump. Apparently he didn't enjoy losing too much becuase the guy was hitting great today. Giambi smacked a nice homer, which was so close to being foul, but luckily it was safe. Robinson Cano is finally seeing the light at the end of his dark, deep slump tunnel. He seems like such a great teammate, so it was great to see him have a successful day. Ross Ohlendorf did a nice job coming in after Mussina. Joba....we got to see the fist pump :) He definitely redeemed himself after his uhh, not so good outing a couple of days ago. Kei Igawa will be pitching tomorrow, should be interesting. He'll do fine hopefully.

I was able to work and watch the game today, I am quite the multitasker! It was during the last few minutes of work so it was okay :)

Wow.

I didn't get to watch the game last night, but I certainly got to hear/read about it. I can't help but admire Cliff Lee's pitching, or secretly despise it. Thanks to him, Wang got his first loss of the season. If there was any way to be issued a loss, I would say that's the way to go. He certainly did try, but apparently there was no stopping Lee. The Yankees got some hits, but apparently weren't able to get some runs in. Can't really complain about it because I'm just glad they were able to hit off the guy. Today Mike Mussina (4-3) pitches against Paul Byrd (1-2) in an afternoon game- that I get to watch! Hopefully we get some runs and avoid another sweep.

So Joba really is a human being.

Yankee fans are harsh. Booing Joba last night was seriously uncalled for, even if it did set us back another game. It wasn't his best outing, but I would say what he has done up to yesterday definitely overshadows it. I mean seriously, did people never expect him to mess up? Besides, we should have have more than a one-run lead to begin with. Pettitte had a pretty good game last night along with Farnsworth. Farnsworth's fan number have jumped exceedingly here recently. Never would have thought that, but hey keep doing what your doing Kyle. Hideki Matsui is unstoppable right now, hitting in 15 consecutive games. Giambi had a pretty impressive night as well. Ian Kennedy pitched extremely well down in AAA last night. Hope he is gaining some much needed confidence so we can see him out on our mound soon.

Chien Ming Wang will be gaining his 7th win of the season (yep, I'm that confident). Robinson Cano is going to hit a grand slam tonight...maybe not, but he is going to be fine. No matter how great either team has been hitting, tonight is going to be a test for both of them. Wang and Lee have both been dominating pitchers and they aren't going to make this an easy game.

I had a very good birthday thanks to all of my wonderful family members. I guess I am officially a legal adult, being 21 and all. But to me, 25 is when you REALLY sound like an adult...guess I have four more years to live it up :)

some pictures from my fun night, both of my roomies, and me being pretty excited about cards!

Back at Last.

I was away at the lake Friday-Sunday. It was SO much fun, but while I was gone I missed out on some Yankee excitment. I'm going to recap for myself and for whoever else may have had other plans this weekend as well.

Friday May 2nd- Wang got his 6th win. That guy is seriously on fire and I hope to see it burning with full force for as long as possible. Farnsy, Joba, and Mo pitched just as good, which is no surprise. Good to see Kyle showing some effective stuff this year. Thanks to a few errors from the Mariners and several good at-bats, we were able to get 5 runs on the board. The score was 5-1 Yankees.

Saturday May 3rd- Moose prevailed and got his 3rd straight win. Damon had an amazing game. Read Molina worked himself out of an 0-23 slump. Nice victory for the team with a 6-1 win.

Sunday May 4th- Darrell Rasner got the call up after Hughes had a rough start/a couple of injuried. He definitely delivered, to say the least. The guys back him up offensively and they were able to win the game 8-2 with a remarkable 6-runs coming into the 3rd.

Not sure what happened this weekend to the team, but whatever it was I hope it continues. They showed what they can achieve as a team who has been going through a slightly rough patch. If they can continue to be this good, imagine what can happen when Posada, A-Rod, and the pitching woes are over. Pretty invincible if you ask me. Cano hasn't been producing much, but he will and it's good to know the Yankees are having faith in him to turn around. IPK was sent back down to Scranton, I believe. I bet that was a huge blow to him, but if he is serious about a career in the majors then he shouldn't mind too much. Phil Hughes, on top of everything else, found out he is nearsighted and has to start wearing glasses. Thought it was funny because he said he looks like he "went to college". Best of luck to his recovery. The team has the day off because they heard it was my birthday, and that's pretty much a holiday. So hope the team is enjoying my day as much as I am. (I am slightly vein, I know it!)

So this weekend was absolutely amazing. I have fallen in love with lakes and would live next to one if I was given the chance. I got to soak up the sun (thank goodness I didn't get burned), swim, and ride a boat. The water was like 50 degrees but it didn't matter...just added to the good time. I could ride in a boat all day, it's extremely relaxing. I was about to be my turn to get on the tube and be pulled around the lake, but unfortunately one of the bearings went out. It was still tons of fun. My parents are coming to town tonight and taking my room mates and myself out to eat to WOW (Wild on Wings) so that should be yummy and fun. Well, my family officially knows about this blog...I'm not good at hiding things. But I appreciate them reading it and I hope they enjoy. HELLO to all of my family :) (Hope yall don't think I'm too crazy for doing this!)













Lake Claibororne ^ Caney Lake sunset ^










We built our own fire!









Doesn't that look healthy?

We made smores!

Pure Bliss.

No cell phones, no computer, no people, no interruptions. Doesn't that sound amazing? Well this weekend I am going to the lake for some serious rest and relaxation. It's supposed to storm tonight (possibly even tornadoes) but I don't really care. We're going to be in a camper that has a tin roof. Have you heard the sound of rain on a tin roof? Pretty relaxing if you ask me. But tomorrow it's going to be sunny and about 80 degrees. Lovely. A bunch of my friends are going and tomorrow night we're going to grill some food. Sunday I get to hang out on a boat all day and hopefully go tubing if the water isn't too cold (this will be taking place at a different lake). So I am pretty lucky to divide my time between two lakes this weekend. I won't be able to hear anything about the Yankees while I'm gone and I am hoping they play wonderfully. I am rooting for Chien Ming Wang's 6th win tonight.

(where I'll be)

Sun + Fun + Games + Water + Friends = an amazingly good time!

Hope everyone has a relaxing weekend, too!

Update- 1:47 PM Hi Mom, hope you like :)

Blow It Off.

It's been a heck of a week. Studied my life away, only to walk out of the class feeling more miserable than before I took the test. But I only have 2 more weeks of this chaos, and then it's summer time! The Yankees aren't having their best week either, good to know I'm not alone. A-Rod on the DL was something I never expected, the guy seems so immortal to me. Hope he recovers fully, but no rush because he needs to be completely healed to prevent future damage. Poor Phil. Things are not working in his advantage so far. Strained muscle then to find out he has a stress fracture on a rib. Possibly out until July (I think I read this). Not sure, but maybe, just maybe the injury has affected his pitching some. Or so I would like to believe. I bet he is going to make a mind-blowing comeback! Can you tell I'm pro-Hughes?

The game was pretty aggravating tonight. They have GOT to stop leaving guys on base, really. I think we should all rally together and sit the guys down and tell them what's need to be done (since all of us are qualified to manage a ML team :)) But seriously, things have got to start changing. I think it would be wonderful to have the guys step up just a little and show everyone out there that despite injuries and all the other crap that has been surrounding this team thatthe Yankees can overcome anything. I'm not expecting a World Series win, this needs to be a rebuilding year- I wouldn't complain though if there is a WS involved :) Something just isn't clicking with the team yet, which isn't new news to anyone. It'll happen soon enough I guess. We just get to sit back and work ourselves up over something we can't control. I NEVER thought in a million years that I would feel so heated about a sport. (BTW I despised baseball growing up and swore to never like it, apparently that didn't last!)

So after the game, a couple friends and myself decided to blow bubbles like we're 10. Haha. It is some kind of stress reliever. So all of you out there freaking out over us being a few games back in May, go get some bubbles and blow away the frustrations. It will work for at least a minute, I can guarantee it! Tomorrow is Friday so there's a big ole reason to smile :)

Doesn't it look like fun? :)