A space that only you can fill

The view from one of my favorite hidden walks behind the avenues

Some morning inspiration for your Thursday found in this New York Times article:

"Vous allez trouver votre place. You will find your place... somewhere in the world, there’s a gap shaped just like you. Once you find it, you’ll slide right in."

I know that I'm at risk of sounding like one of those girls, but I hope this is true. The article is entitled "How to Find Your Place in the World After Graduation". Well kids, I graduated from college three and a half years ago. Yesterday, I "celebrated" the 10 year anniversary of my high school graduation*. I'm ready for my ramblin' ways to come to an end.

*One of my high school classmates wrote a song about our graduation called "June 3rd," so I will never forget the first day of the rest of my life!

Plight of the Modern Man

From here

I re-found this article by Jonathan Harris in one of my million tabs of bookmarks. I can't relate to his journey. But it's comforting to know that I'm not the only one who feels clueless sometimes. Below is a quote from the article:

“In life, you will become known for doing what you do. That sounds obvious, but it’s profound. If you want to be known as someone who does a particular thing, then you must start doing that thing immediately. Don’t wait. There is no other way. It probably won’t make you money at first, but do it anyway. Work nights. Work weekends. Sleep less. Whatever you have to do. If you’re lucky enough to know what brings you bliss, then do that thing at once. If you do it well, and for long enough, the world will find ways to repay you.”– Jonathan Harris

And here is this cover for good measure because it always makes me cry. If you don't read the article, at least listen to this because they are essentially saying the same thing:

Let it Snow: I'm freezing, but I'm going to be happy about it.

I made a little blog post for work about in-door reading activities for families. It's sickeningly cute. You'll love it. And you'll find a link to make a darling igloo LIKE THIS:

Click here to read it!

And yes. You can bet I'll be forcing my future children to make they're own staged versions of the Chronicles of Narnia like I suggest in the blog post. Can you imagine? It will just be the cutest thing. 

A blog post for work: In which I intentionally embed links that DO NOT work

HAHAHAHAHAH

So I STRUGGLE when it comes time to do a blog post for work. I was determined that this time would be different. This time, I prepped in advance, and planned on getting my post done early about how this year is the 20th anniversary of AmeriCorps. And then this happened:

I'm fine.
I am still a VISTA. I  can continue my work, receive my stipend and my living allowance, etc. But that's not a case for many of the other VISTAs out there. Anyway, when I went to ready my post, it was a little difficult because all the website I was going to get my information from looked like this:

OOOOPPPSSSS.

Anyway. Here's the post. I included the links anyway because they'll work eventually, right? RIGHT?

Oh. And just a little rant while I have your attention. There's been a lot of joking about the government shutdown, which is fine and I actually love a lot of it. But I hope all y'all remember that a lot of us (not me, but several of my friends) have not been able to go to work. Or their businesses have been affected. Or they're working, but not sure if they'll get a paycheck anytime soon.

Just something to keep in mind.

Voy a reir, voy a bailar

So I've started my 6:00 am (!) workout routine, and one of my favorite classes to go to is Zumba. Without fail, EVERY TIME we do our cool-down to this song, I start to tear up. How embarrassing. Hopefully everyone just thinks it's sweat dripping out of my eyes or something. It's just such a great song, and I'm such a sap these days. Give it a listen:

Great, right? For those of you who don't speak Spanish, it's a seize-the-day sort of song. Here it is with English subtitles if you're into that sort of thing.

I've gone through a lot of emotions since my dad passed away. Pretty much every emotion possible. The one that has been hardest to explain, is JOY. Joy that I'm still here. That my mom, and Christian, and Jeremy are still here. Joy that I can make changes and progress. Joy that my dad is in a better place, doing what he loves, without any pain. Joy that I have a job, an education, my health, and the ability to do what I want.

I knew 2013 was going to be a big year, I just didn't know why. I spent New Years Eve by myself, reflecting on the edge of darkness at the Great Salt Lake. I knew I would need to make some changes. And after our world turned upside down in June, I knew I had to start NOW. So I'm starting to get my finances in order and build a career. Trying to break down assumptions I've lived by. Trying to be pro-active and find more ways to serve others.

You guys are a great help. You keep me in check.

Thank you for that.

AmeriCorps turns 20!

Here's a little video celebrating 20 years of AmeriCorps. It's pretty great! I'm so lucky I've gotten a chance to serve with this organization. It's dramatically changed the way I think about poverty, community outreach, and public policy. If you're interested in AmeriCorps, (especially AmeriCorps VISTA) shoot me an email, and I can tell you about it.

Start Summer Now

Summer is now. I deem it to be so.

It's my last official day as an AmeriCorps VISTA with the South Franklin Community Center (!), but it doesn't feel like it since I'm starting as a VISTA Leader here in the United Way office in a couple weeks. On Tuesday, I'll fly out to Dallas for training, fly back to Salt Lake on Friday, and then head out to San Francisco for the rest of the weekend. phewf. As for this weekend, there's the rooftop concert, a Real Salt Lake Game, and Cinco de Mayo. Oh and tomorrow is Star Wars day. I'm hoping to channel Leia a la 30 Rock.

Summah summah summah time. amiright?

The following can be your soundtracks for the weekend.

The new Iron and Wine album is on point. It's funky. Who'd a thunk?

Here's another great one, and I came about it in a weird way. My best friend from high school  Ingrid, is part Norwegian. Some of her family friends came to visit the summer before our junior year, and brought a ton of cds with Brazilian music. I guess it was trendy there at the time? You can hear it's influence in music from Kings of Convenience. Anyways this collection is one of my FAVES. It was curated by David Byrne, so you know it's gotta be hot. I love love love it. 

My brother found this album on vinyl. IT IS SO GREAT!!!

Dream, Dare, Do

Some food for thought to start out your week.

You can read a bit about Whitney here:

I also recently read this article from Cracked, and I've been thinking about it ever since. The articles from this website can be a little crass, but I really liked this one: 6 Harsh Truths That Will Make You A Better Person. Here's an example he shared. It probably resonated with me, because in the type of work we do, we have to fight against some sort of apathy (in other people, and in ourselves):

Inside, you have great compassion for poor people. Great. Does that result in you doing anything about it? Do you hear about some terrible tragedy in your community and say, "Oh, those poor children. Let them know that they are in my thoughts"? Because **** you if so -- find out what they need and help provide it. A hundred million people watched that Kony video, virtually all of whom kept those poor African children "in their thoughts." What did the collective power of those good thoughts provide? J***********. Children die every day because millions of us tell ourselves that caring is just as good as doing. It's an internal mechanism controlled by the lazy part of your brain to keep you from actually doing work.

Getty
"I just wanted to tell you that you're in my thoughts. Good luck -- let me know if that cured you."

How many of you are walking around right now saying, "She/he would love me if she/he only knew what an interesting person I am!" Really? How do all of your interesting thoughts and ideas manifest themselves in the world? What do they cause you to do? If your dream girl or guy had a hidden camera that followed you around for a month, would they be impressed with what they saw? Remember, they can't read your mind -- they can only observe. Would they want to be a part of that life?

Because all I'm asking you to do is apply the same standard to yourself that you apply to everyone else. Don't you have that annoying Christian friend whose only offer to help anyone ever is to "pray for them"? Doesn't it drive you nuts? I'm not even commenting on whether or not prayer works; it doesn't change the fact that they chose the one type of help that doesn't require them to get off the sofa. They abstain from every vice, they think clean thoughts, their internal dirt is as pure as can be, but what fruit grows from it? And they should know this better than anybody -- I stole the fruit metaphor from the Bible. Jesus said something to the effect of "a tree is judged by its fruit" over and over and over. Granted, Jesus never said, "If you want to work here, close." No, he said, "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

Read more: http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-harsh-truths-that-will-make-you-better-person_p2/#ixzz2NCT1UARy

Yeah. Sometimes the truth is hard. I really needed this message. It is encouraging at the end, so give it a read!

Spring is here, and I'm feeling good.

People be telling me that it's going to start raining and snowing again.
Nope.
I'm in denial.

I feel like The Polyphonic Spree when it's sunnyyyyyyyyy!!!!!

I wrote a blog post this week for United Way about the spring weather. Click here to read it.

Sequestration and You (Me)

First off, what is "sequestration"? Here's a good feature on it from Planet Money on NPR. It gives a good context for why we're in the position we are now:

"It is designed to be stupid. 

It is designed to be uncomfortable. 

It is designed to be a Doomsday machine"

And the threat of sequestration didn't work.

Again.

This time, the cuts will be bigger.

It used to be that news stories like this didn't really affect me much. I was relatively insulated in my life as a student. I had family connected to work in the federal government, but not in a way that would be too drastically altered by budget cuts. But las Tuesday morning, I received an e-mail that made the sequester a little more real to me:

My year of service won't be affected. But what about the person who replaces me? How will this affect the community center, and the people we serve? What does this mean for anti-poverty initiatives across the country? It will slow down; some projects may stop. I was hoping to do another year of service, possibly as a VISTA leader. Now I'm hedging my bets, and trying to find other job opportunities in case that falls through. It's so sad, because this is a time that we need AmeriCorps now more than ever.

Besides the cuts to AmeriCorps, the sequester is going to affect a lot of us. According to the Deseret News, you could feel affects if you:

• are a Defense Department Employee
• ride Airlines
• receive assistance through the Women, Infants, and Children program
• are a service member
• are a teacher
• love the outdoors
• have a job and spend money on things

Um, I think all of us are included in at least one of these categories.  Just something to think about.

Reason #43 I am going to be the meanest mom in the world

Every so often, we'll have someone come into our office who's worked for hours on a project. Sewing blankets, making book shelves, gathering toys... all so that their son can get his eagle scout, I mean, *help the community. HELICOPTER PARENTS HAVE TAKEN OVER UTAH COUNTYYYYYYYY

*A lot of these projects have little to do with what the community needs, but what is convenient to do.
And this is reason #43 why I'll be the meanest mom in the world: If my son or daughter asks for help on a service project I will only help if they have done due diligence to see what the community is in need of. Meany Pants McGee. Look out.

Because NOBODY looks cool when they're drunk...

Hey guys! Here is a friendly PSA from your favorite blogger. I'm part of the S.M.A.R.T. Coalition in Utah County; a anti-substance abuse group. We work on initiatives and publicity campaigns to specifically combat drug and alcohol abuse. They had me write a little bloggity blog about resources in the community, and... HERE IT IS!

1. The highlighted texts were supposed to be links to the websites following them. ooops.
2. I never thought it would come to this, but I think I need a professional head shot done. gross.
3. Alcohol abuse is not good.

I also had to post on the group Facebook page last week. I wanted to post these ads because they are so disturbing and great, but I thought it would be a bit much...

WARNING.
This first one is freaked me out pretty bad.

Please have a healthy and happy New Year!

Just can't leave this place

I was set to end my term of service on January 25th, and dreading it. There were so many things to do: clean up my resume, apply for jobs, sell my contract...I was not excited. Plus, we were just starting to make some really positive changes at the South Franklin Community Center, and I felt like I was leaving at the worst time. When I started filling out my end-of-service paperwork, I saw that there was an option to extend service for less than a year. Perfect! My supervisor was excited to keep me for a bit longer, and it all turned out perfectly!

I get to stay here til May 3rd!

yeah boi.

They just can't get rid of me. 

We were in the news last week. Take a look!

I'm just obsessed with my job, I guess.

Here's a new post I did for the South Franklin Community Center!

I think my job is the bees knees. 

You should be especially jealous, cause I got to hang out with this guy:

I know all the best people.

Please don't tell my relatives...

I just found out that I'm part of President Obama's secret army. I have several family members who would be none-to-pleased if they found that out, so let's keep it under-wraps, ok?

To be honest, I'm part of that tiny, tiny percentage who doesn't know who they'll be voting for. So that's why I'm really looking forward to the debates tonight. Feel free to tell me who to vote for in the comments, and I will consider your evidence. Also, we don't have a TV, so I'm looking for a place to watch. If you invite me over, I'll bring the Diet Coke, and we can play this game:

I predict a caffeine overdose.

"Build Your Future" or "It's really exhausting to think of 'inspirational' blog post titles"

Here's a link to my tiny, United Way blog post this month.

I'm so lucky to work at United Way, and hear about all the activities in the community, and ways to volunteer. I hope I can keep a service-based focus after I finish working here. It is a good thing. 

A bit of this and that

What a week.

I moved out of my apartment and into homelessness. Well, not quite homelessness. My kind friend Meisha has been letting me stay with her, but now she has to move out, and I'm heading over to my aunt's home in Spanish Fork til the 25th.

Here are some things going on in my life:

1. All I want to do is watch this

I know. It's pretty nerdy.

2. After cruising around modcloth. I decided I need 500% more dresses in my life. Here are the ones you can buy for me:

3. You get more back then you give.

I won tickets from the Mayor's blog the other day, but passed on the tickets to Meisha since I just found out I had to go to an American Legion gathering for work. I was bummed that I was missing the show, but that quickly dissipated as I spent time with the Legionnaires. Oh man. Just being around vetrans gets me choked up. Post 13 is named after Dea Mendenhall who died in combat. His sister was there and brought her grandson, a young guy, who was the same age as her brother when he was killed. It just about broke my heart. As I get older, my appreciation for the men and women who serve our country grows stronger and stronger. It was a pretty modest affair, but I admit, I shed a few tears at the dinner.

Anyway. I got home to ask Meisha about the show, and she handed me an envelope with a card for two tickets to "Wait Until Dark" next month! I guess they won the tickets while they were at the show. Funny, right? So I will get to enjoy a show after all. 

4. I miss school super bad. Nerd Alert.

5. I think I need to move somewhere east...

7. And I really think I just need to be a wedding singer. I'm not kidding you guys. THAT IS STILL MY DREAM.

Ok. This list proves that I'm not ready to be an adult yet. How about you guys make my decisions for me, ok?

Role Model

My feeble attempt to postpone adulthood is almost over. I'm halfway through my VISTA year, which means that I need to have a plan to help me be an adult. I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up.

Actually, that's not true. 

I would like to be either Beyonce:

Or this kid who is an awful lot like Beyonce:

But those options aren't very realistic.

Ideas?

watcha watcha watcha want pt.1

I'm almost half-way through my VISTA year. It's unsettling doing one thing in one place for so long. Time to start thinking of the future...

TOP 5 JOBS I WANT TO HAVE FOR A MONTH

1. Wedding Singer

Still think it would be the best job ever. 

2. Google Street View Driver/Bike
You can see some crazy stuff:

 See more here. I love to drive. I love to wander. Sound like a perfect fit.

3. Part of J-Lo's entourage.

First off, I like perks. I want the kind of life where I get regular mani-pedis, go on expensive juice cleanses, and travel the world. Essentially, I want the perks of being famous, without being famous. What better way to do that then be a hanger-on? I already have nanny-skills, and I can cheerfully do meaningless tasks like picking up coffee and laundry. No problem. I would be GOOD.

Plus, Jennifer Lopez is awesome, and I wish I was her. I could use some of her life tips. Plus, she can get away with ANYTHING.

4. Alpaca Rancher

My mom went to Colorado and visited an alpaca farm. When she got back, she told me she could totally se me doing something like that. She was right! It would be awesome. 

Alpacas just seem like they're from some sort of other universe. What strange looking animals.

Look at those eyelashes! They look like magic!

There's even an alpaca ranch you can visit in Utah! I'm going to Denver in July, and I'm seriously thinking of asking to do an apprenticeship at that ranch. For reals.

5. Envelope stuffer/paper stapler/data entry girl

Every once and a while, it's nice to have some mindless tasks. Give me an iPod full of books on tape and "This American Life" podcasts, and I'm good to go.

Our Stories

Here is another post from the United Way blog!

I love the stories from StoryCorps. Here are some of my favorites that I didn't have space for in my other post:

Watch the animation of this conversation here.




Watch the animation of this conversation here.







**********************

I love these stories. I could listen to them all day.