Welcome, Summer

Day 1 of Summer vacation. It was fun to get outside and feel the freedom of having no papers to write, or tests to study for, or topics to research, etc. etc. I could just be myself. I worked however. Babysitting counts as work, correct? Yes, it does. I babysat for 10.5 hours to be exact. Thankfully, babysitting is fun (and there's nap and bedtimes involved.... for the kids). Plus, I have this fun iPhone so I can snap pictures on the go to document my days!

Little Gems

 A peek into my life as a babysitter. It's quite fun. They never fail to entertain me.

Miss Dramatic

Something caught their eye!

The Artist

Dinner?

What's Next?

Senior Year has been a bumpy ride. In the fall, I was caught-up in the "picking-the-right-college" hysteria. I went to college fairs, I visited colleges, I requested all sorts of information from colleges, and I thought about college too much. Not only that, but I was stuck on studying for my 3rd attempt at the ACT, and then studying for the SAT-- because I was not happy with ACT results. And essays! College entrance essays are the worst. I went through draft, over draft, over draft of several essays just to get admitted into certain colleges. It was great to have the opportunity to develop several essays with the assistance of some good writers I know, but it was time-consuming, and a bit stressful. Add scholarship essays (I'm so sick of fastweb) and applications into the mix of everything, and I just became exhausted with the idea of college. I was also a writer for a newspaper publication called Student Paths, which is basically a national newspaper sent to high schools. I was the Senior Diary writer, so I had an extra pressure to make sure I was doing senior year "right."

Come January 10th, I had applied to 9 colleges. Yes, 9 colleges. Here's a list of them and the results:
Northwestern College, St. Paul-- Accepted
University of Minnesota -- Accepted*
Wheaton College -- Waitlist
The King's College -- Accepted
Loyola University, IL -- Accepted
Carthage College -- Accepted
Gustavus College -- Accepted
Whitworth College, Spokane -- Accepted
Stanford University -- Denied

*At first, I was wait-listed, and I was very upset about that, because the U was really the place I saw myself going, but everything worked out. I was accepted into the U, and I deferred my admission to Fall of 2014. Next year I will be taking a gap year, and I am excited to share what I will be doing for my gap year!

Stay tuned for my next post to find out what I will be doing next year.

Spoken Word Monday

A week ago, high school students at Hope Academy had an opportunity to recite poetry, spoken word, rap, and other creative pieces for anybody who wanted to watch. Every student had to completely memorize the piece for their performance.  I chose a spoken word by Sarah Kay, called If I should have a daughter. Above is a video of me practicing the piece.
I enjoy spoken word, and would love to write my own work one day, but for now I'll study, memorize, or listen to other great spoken word artists.
Check out: Creative Expression Pictures to find out more about C.E. Night!

Free Thriftin'

Clothing swaps are one of my favorite things. It combines getting free clothes, getting rid of clothes that I no longer want, and mingling with lovely ladies! Today there was a clothing swap at my Church, The Urban Refuge, and I want to show off my new finds.
Shirts/Blouses....8
Dresses...3
Dress pants....2
Cardigan.... 1
Cost...$0

Check out those pants! Mini flowers

Dear God...

Are all dreams and big desires from you? They can't all be, but I can hope so. I almost want this desire to go away, incase you close the door to it. But I don't think it will go away. An answer would be great. Any sign would be great!

Today I want to thank you for:
Allowing me to tutor a sweet 5th grader this morning
A nice computer lab at school
A healthy lunch
Time to design a room and work together with other high school students
My Spanish teacher
A car
My wonderful job at the MIA
A car (I really needed it today!)
A great dinner
My mom and my dad and my siblings.

Where I Stand

I took a Strengths Finder Test a bit ago, and "futuristic" was one of my 5 strengths. Some "ideas for action" for futuristic people include-
-Take time to think about the future. The more time you spend considering your ideas about the future, the more vivid your ideas will become. The more vivid your ideas, the more persuasive you will be.
-Musing about the future comes naturally to you. Read articles about technology, science, and research to gain knowledge that will fuel your imagination.
There were several more action steps, but I will just share those two.
Sometimes I wonder if I really am a "futuristic" person. I believe it can be dangerous to always live in the future. Ideas and plans are great, but all we have is now, and if my mind is always on tomorrow, today just becomes a drag. I am also very practical. Dreaming big is difficult for me, because usually BIG doesn't mean practical. Nonetheless, I still find myself taking pleasure in brainstorming and thinking about the future.
At this point you probably assume that I am about to rattle on about my fabulous plans for the future. I am a senior after all, and will be graduating in a two months. I should probably have my future planned out. Lots of seniors have their "future" planned out, and being futuristic isn't even one of their strengths.
Well, I don't. I have  ideas and dreams, but nothing is coming together quite yet. I have been reading books and talking with some great people about things, but here I stand; it's April 9th, and I'm uncertain.
Oddly enough, I am okay with that. I'm doing what I have to do, and letting God handle things in his timing. I have been disappointed and discouraged. Long story short, the 3 colleges that I wanted to attend, did not accept me. I was put on the wait list for 2 of them. However, I was accepted into 4 great colleges, but still, the college road has been tough me.
As things start coming together, I will share, but for now I just wanted to give you an idea about what is going on, because the question, "what are you doing next year" has been an inescapable one. :)

Fotos

These are some of my favorite pictures from the Dominican Republic.

Colonial Plaza

My host mom and Alandra

At the Batey

Mangu (mashed plantains)

So beautiful!

Teaching at a Haitian School

Playing with kids

The team + some extras

Dominican Republic Reflection

I was so blessed to experience a short term mission to the Dominican Republic. It far exceeded my expectations. It all began with several plane rides; first to Houston, then to New Jersey, and then to our final destination, Santo Domingo!

We did so much on this trip; however, if I were to describe the trip’s purpose in two words, I would call it a “vision caster.” Many seeds and “visions” for work that needs to be done in the D.R. were planted in our hearts. At the same time, we made small impacts in the lives of hundreds of children and various communities in the Dominican Republic.

My main job during the trip was leading the toy ministry. I organized a toy drive here in Minnesota to receive toys to bring down. Then while I was in the Dominican, Carissa (another member on the team) and I sorted and lead the distribution of toys at all the sites, schools, churches, and orphanages that we visited.

Highlights from the trip:

• Serving in a Batey.  A batey is a community of people who work at sugar-cane plant. These people were the poorest people we served. A young woman there was the director of a ministry for hundreds of the children in the community. She was sponsored by Compassion Ministries. When we visited we played with all the children and we taught the children a program similar to a VBS or Sunday school lesson.
• Another place we served at was a two-room Haitian school in the Dominican. I couldn’t believe how little this school had. When we came in to serve, we took the teacher’s place and taught all the children Spanish. We sang songs, we taught colors, and other Spanish vocabulary. The children predominantly spoke Creole, but it is important for them to learn Spanish because they live in a Spanish-speaking country.
• I discovered what high school is like for other seniors in the Dominican. We sat in on a class at Santiago Christian School. Their school was similar to ours because they had uniforms and small class sizes. The students were bright and many of them were multilingual.  
• Host family(s)- Everyone says, “You do mission trips to serve, not to be served.” Well, I felt the opposite for this trip. My host family taught me what true hospitality looked like, and I felt so loved by them in the short time I was there. They would wake up early to make me yummy mangu (a classic Dominican breakfast), they did my laundry, they took us out for dessert, and they let me sleep in the bedroom with the A/C.  The family consisted of a mom, dad, and three girls ages 10, 11, and 13. The parents only spoke spanish, and the girls spoke English well. I would constantly tell the girls, “Por favor, habla sólo en español.” The girls were so sweet and they stayed up late after we came home every night to hang out with Alandra and I. My second host family lived in Santiago and consisted of a mom and a college-aged girl. They were also wonderful, and the mom made delicious fresh-squeezed orange juice!
• Fun! We went white-water in Jarabacoa. This was a crazy adventure! I fell out of the raft several times while flying down small waterfalls and crashing into monstrous rocks. This was also an opportunity to see the beauty of the mountains and other scenery surrounding the river. Secondly, I was able to swim in the ocean! I have seen the ocean once, but I haven’t swum in it before. Who knew that ocean water was so salty?

This trip was definitely one of my favorite experiences during high school. I was able to become closer with my senior class and Hope Academy staff who came along. I was able to practice Spanish and see what life is like in another country. I was able to marvel at God’s creation, including the ocean and the cave of wonders. Most importantly, I was able to teach the love of God to multitudes of children!

*Note: pictures will be shared shortly.

So long to the cold

I'm headed to the DR in a couple hours. I am excited to get away from the snow. Usually, the climate doesn't impact me too much, but the snow is really getting to me now that it is the middle of March.
Although, this morning I went on a run in the snow and the cold, and it was pretty fun. I only ran 2 miles, but it was a really great way to start the day, and a great way to burn some energy for when I will be cooped up in a plane.
Well, aside from the weather, I know this trip will be amazing. I don't know exactly what to expect, but I like the mystery of it. I'm not worried about anything, either.