The End of the Beginning

Graduation day. Tears, laughter, gifts, hugs, and the bittersweet realization that the first part of my AmeriCorps adventure was coming to an end.

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened," - Dr.Seuss

Second Spike - Lake Ouachita State Park / Hobbs State Park, AR

I could spend hours, perhaps days, reminiscing about all the amazing memories I made in my time of service. But you know what they say, right? A picture is worth a thousand words, and I believe these encompass how incredibly blessed I was with my team, my projects, and a few handfuls of lifelong friends that I look forward to sharing my future with. The biggest of thank yous to every single one of the magnificent individuals for touching my heart, knowing you makes me a better person.

Corps Member Training Institure

First Spike - Alamo, TX

Lake, ukulele, and great friends during transition week

My very first AmeriFriend, my AmeriProm date, and my biggest support system

I'm thankful for chiggers because they brought me to you :)

The only way to overcome your fears is to dive in head first

Third Spike - Granbury, TX. Sun 3 V. 3, thank you for all the laughs

OK Strong

Fourth Spike - Disaster deployment to OK following the tornados

Welcome to the 24 club, Kat!

In the wise words of Luke, ARCHES!!!

Fantastic evening with fantastic friends

Love <3

Cheesy but I have to do it - "you're on my heart just like a tattoo"

Sun 2 Family

It's not goodbye, it's see you later

Ignorance is Bliss

My time as a Corps Member was slowly coming to an end. We spent the last three weeks of fourth round working at the Action Center, a human-service non-profit which provides food, clothing, household goods and counseling services to homeless and those in need. Our tasks included everything from unloading and sorting food and clothing donations to preparing food orders for the clients, from helping out at the clothing bank to preparing for the school supply drive.

A gift from the Action Center

Throughout my year in AmeriCorps, I truly enjoyed environmental projects for their calm, peaceful nature - after a year of working in international transportation and dealing with the stress US Customs and Border Protection brings, it was exactly what I needed.

However, it was the projects where I got to interact with those less fortunate, the projects where, if even for a second, I eased someone's pain, that made the biggest impact on my life. Listening to the heartbreaking story of an individual whose home was destroyed by the tornado; seeing tears and pain in the eyes of a person who lost a loved one in the elementary school that did not have a tornado shelter; handing fresh groceries to someone who has not eaten in days; giving a clean shirt to a person whose only possessions are the clothes on his back; rationing baby food to a mother who would otherwise be unable to feed her child; helping tornado victims locate donation centers which will help them begin to rebuild; presenting a homeless man with his very own bicycle, something he has dreamt about for almost 5 years.

"Ignorance is bliss."
"See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil."

The list of popular idioms and phrases that describe the idea of turning a blind eye to pain, suffering and evil in this world is endless. Of course, it is a lot easier for an individual to go through life in a worry-free bubble of happiness, rainbows and butterflies. However, what that bubble is missing is knowledge, and knowledge of suffering comes with a thick silver lining - a greater appreciation of your own life and all your blessings, and the incredible feeling of accomplishment that comes with the ability to help.

I would not trade my experience for the world.

Last Round... For Now

For our last round in AmeriCorps, we were assigned a local split project: for the first four weeks, we would help the Sand Creek Regional Greenway in Denver with trail maintenance and outdoor shenanigans. For the remained of the round, we would be working at the Action Center assisting them in their mission of providing an immediate response to basic human needs and promoting pathways to self-sufficiency for the homeless.

I was really excited to spend the last two months of this program in Denver - unlimited access to hiking in the magnificent Rockies, yoga studios on every corner, farmers markets with deliciously fresh goodies, great music venues, breweries, weekend getaways to nearby National Parks (Utah Arches, I am coming for you!), endless places to explore, museums and book stores, half off Sushi at Red Ginger, and very importantly, public transportation.

Our first day at work involved a brief orientation followed by a tour of the Greenway, which spans 14 miles throughout Denver and the surrounding area. With a backdrop of the Rocky Mountains, a truly beautiful place to work.

Sand Creek Regional Greenway in Denver, CO.

For the next three days we did some trash pick-up, caged and painted cottonwood trees so the beavers don't eat them, and posed for quite a few pictures:

Painting cottonwood trees so beavers don't snack on them

After a long day of trash pick-up

In the wise words of our Unit Leader, "The only constant in AmeriCorps is change."

As we were finishing up work Thursday afternoon we got a call from our Team Leader about an urgent meeting when we get back. At the meeting, our expectations were confirmed: we were getting deployed to Oklahoma City on disaster relief following the May 21st tornadoes.

Mountains, Friends, and a Ukulele

Third transition week; can you believe how fast time flies? It seems like only yesterday I was settling into a cabin in Texas with my brand new team and trying to teach little kids how to chop up apples for cobbler without losing a finger. As a matter of fact, it seems like it was the day before that that I was trying to figure out how to start up my chainsaw in Arkansas... and the day BEFORE that Casey and I were plotting the capture of our trailer's mouse.

TIME FLIES IN THE AMERILIFE. Our days in this program are dwindling down, so what's a girl like me to do to hold on to what makes me happy for a little longer? Oh yeah, apply (and get accepted!!!) for another year. AS A TEAM LEADER!

Colorado sunsets still take my breath away

Anyway, upon our arrival in Denver we were greeted by a group of friends enjoying the sunshine on the lawn, playing the guitar, and hula-hooping. I LOVE COLORADO.

The crazy thing about AmeriCorps is that, after the initial month of training (CTI, Corps Member Training Institute), you only get another month to spend with people that you have gotten extremely close with. That month is spread out into four separate transition weeks, the next (and last) one being your transition into the real world. But even after not having seen these people for ten weeks at a time, even after not having spoken to them due to lack of cell reception or ever-changing circumstances, once reunited it seems like you were never apart to begin with. It's a truly beautiful thing that I have enjoyed throughout my life having family on a different continent, and it's truly amazing to make those connections again.

My transition week, in photos:

My very first AmeriFriend and my AmeriProm date. No, he does not have awful style: 
the theme was "White Trash Bash," I must have missed the memo...

Beach, mountains, great friends, wine and a ukulele... day spent at Bear Creek Lake

CONQUERED THE MANITOU SPRINGS INCLINE!!! 1 mile of stairs at an elevation of over 8,000 feet

SO incredibly proud of my team for finishing!

Started Memorial Day Weekend with a hike in Fort Collins, elevation 7,000 feet.