I have wanted to do this my ENTIRE LIFE, so I was SO EXCITED when my mom said we could do this when we were in Mexico.
I was THIS EXCITED all day long.
Minus getting ridiculously burnt (we were not allowed to wear sunscreen. dumb), I could have stayed out there all day and watched the dolphins swim around. It was amazing to see the relationship these animals have built with their trainers. The trainers knew the personality of each dolphin.
The best part was when my mom got in trouble for petting the baby dolphin.
Just kidding.
The actual best part was when we got to hold onto the flippers of the dolphins and they swam around on their backs with us hanging on.
The main part of my week was a fundraising spree. Four Masses over the weekend, lots of phone calls and appointments, newsletter sending, and relationship building with old and new mission partners. Sharing the mission of FOCUS with new people always energies me, and this weekend was no different. I went from an anxious/nervous wreck to singing on my way home from Mass.
Kurt was one of my closest friends after I moved to KC in high school. We were together all the time and always had so much fun. I don't think I've seen or spoken to him since our freshman year of college, so it was a treat to get to meet up with him for breakfast on Tuesday.
Kurt is in his second year of med school, so his life is all about studying right now. Ever since I've known him, he has wanted to be a doctor, so it is cool to see him well on his way to achieving that dream.
I love that some friends from other places have moved to KC, because that means I get to see them whenever I come home. Megan is my big in DG, and she is a super great friend. I love that we are still good friends and that I get to see her fairly often.
I AM SO STINKING EXCITED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY. I've been watching youtube videos and practicing and learning and it is so so so fun! I am definitely in D1 (zero skills, and pretty excited), and I'm basically as good as this guy. I mean, I can already play You are My Sunshine. Watch out, hollywood, I'm coming for you.
There was a very sad moment to my week. My new roomies are allergic to cats, so I had to say goodbye to Kateri for a short while. Megan graciously agreed to watch for until both of the girls with allergies move out this summer.
On Monday I drove up to see Tommy (the older of my two brothers) at KU and took him to lunch. Oh my gosh, he is just living the dream in college. He lives in the honors dorm and was telling me all about the community his floor has built. They hang out together all the time and have these fun games that remind me of camp that they play. It was so weird to see him in college (I can't believe I'm this old), but really neat to see KU from his eyes.
In exactly ONE WEEK I will be on my way to MEXICO! My mom called me a little while back and offered to take me along with her and my sister and I am just so excited. It will be nice to relax and spend some quality time with them. This trip ends my whirlwind of a life and I (hopefully) won't be traveling for awhile after this trip. But, this was the perfect way to end all traveling.
This one is a little smaller, and there is no skiing. But I am feeling really good about it. We have one Getaway under our belts, and I feel like I am getting better at being the official event executer. My play by play is gorgeous for this event. #spreadsheets.
Something that is great about these Getaways is that it's a great chance to get to know other missionaries/see missionary friends. I was way too busy at SLS to actually spend time with anyone, so the downtime is nice. I don't know the missionaries on this Getaway as well, so this weekend I get to make new(ish) friends. Yippieeeeee!
It is way fun being here in the Smoky Mountains. My parent's friends from college and their family's all come here every summer for a vacation. Except I haven't been since 2008 (whoops, camp...). I miss those people a lot, they're pretty much the 3rd side of our family. Yeah, that's how to explain it. When we come here, we rent out a giant house and take over it for 3 days. We hike and swim and explore and eat and just hang out together. I really, really hope I can come this summer. Actually, I hope everyone can come this summer! Let's go back to midnight hole.
Also, being in a mountain town is so fun. We went to this microbrewery last night and there were total townies there. Along with a legit Podunk town band, equipped with an accordion, bass, fiddle, and over-the-washboard.
I finally had some time to do some soul searching and big time goal setting and dreaming on the plane on Wednesday. It was cool, because it stemmed from me thinking about a financial goal I could set...a post to come on this!
My plane ride was very productive - I had some really raw and honest prayer for the first time in awhile. I had a weird experience in adoration on that retreat a few weekends ago, and I think I actually was able to confront it and get to the bottom of a few things.
