Pura Vida! Costa Rica 2012

So on December 1st Irene Wilson and I went to Costa Rica.  We both wanted an adventure over Christmas break so we began planning this fall.  Since Irene already had a plane ticket to San Jose I decided to join her.  We spent 2 weeks in Samara, Costa Rica learning Spanish.  We first arrived in San Jose and after we got our backpacks from baggage claim we were bombarded with taxi drivers. We found signs with our names on them with our host mothers for the night.  We were separated and hoped we would see each other the next day. It was instant spanish immersion considering no one spoke English.  The next day we went to Samara in a 9 passenger van and then arrived at our new host families. I stayed with Marilyn and her 5 year old son Selvestion in their quaint house. It was 90 degrees everyday we were there.  We would wake up in the morning and just start sweating. We had language classes for 4 hours a day and then other activities.  Irene and I surfed, laid on the beach, took salsa dancing lessons, cooked typical Costa Rican food in cooking class, had yoga on the beach, and went for nightly sunset walks.  It was a gorgeous place to study spanish.  In the states we take foreign language classes, but you never really have to apply your conversational skills so this was a way to be forced to speak.  Every morning I had fresh fruit for breakfast and at night a typical Costa Rican meal with my mamatica (host mom).  We had lots of conversations even though she couldn't speak any English. My favorite part of meal time was when we would pray; she would first say a prayer in Spanish and then I would say a prayer in English. Pretty powerful. Most nights we would walk around the little town.  Samara was really poor but it was also a tourist destination so most of the bars and restaurants were crowded at night.  The drinking age in Costa Rica is 18, but they don't adhere to it much so you'd see young people with drinks. Every bar was outdoors and people would come in with no shoes and their dogs. Little bit different then in the states.  ha It was fun to meet a bunch of new people and have conversations with people from around the world. My favorite part of being in Samara was meeting everyone and hearing their stories. There were 19 year olds from Germany taking a gap year before university, 3 American college boys from New York on vacation, grandparents from Canada taking a break and escaping the cold, Australians taking a sabbatical for a year traveling the world and people from all walks of life from around the world. The best way to learn about culture is to talk to people from other regions and I'm thankful I had the opportunity.   We traveled around Costa Rica and went bungee jumping from the highest jump in Latin America (150meters), went down water slides at the largest hot springs, climbed inside a 50 foot tree, ziplined and pretended to be Tarzan, hiked a volcano, took a ferry across Lake Arenal, stayed in Hostels, hiked through mud and pouring rain to a crystal blue waterfall, hitchiked and climbed a mountain to watch the sunset, jumped off a rope swing into a river, and danced with the Native Costa Ricans. Talk about a whirlwind adventure. We cooked in an outdoor kitchen and showered with cold water when there were scorpions in shower. We survived driving a manual car up the worst dirt roads I've ever seen and through busy streets with no street signs or directions. We got to bar tend and then make sure crazy drunks didn't pour margaritas on their bleeding faces.  For the first time in my life I saw people sleeping on the streets in cardboard boxes.  Coming back to America, especially around Christmas time, I realized how much we have.  Living in a first world country we can take hot showers, drive huge cars around, have multiple story houses, watch cable television and use dishwashers.  Once again I was reminded how fortunate I am. I'm grateful to have had the adventure in Costa Rica.  Irene was a great travel partner.  I made a dozen new friends around the world that I'm excited to stay in contact with.  Pura Vida! 

Thanksgiving

This may be after the Thanksgiving holiday but every day we have so much to be thankful for. I haven't written since I left Cooperstown.  Since then I have finished the first quarter of my sophomore year, lived with 3 roommates in an apartment style dorm, skied Snowbird with my dad, carved pumpkins, surprised my brother in Phoenix to watch him play baseball, competed at Tiger Challenge, volunteered at the Presidential Debate, acted as Co-President of the lacrosse team, voted for my first time and continued to grow as a person.  This last quarter was a learning experience and I've become more faithful. It was a lot different than freshmen year. Some things that used to seem so excited weren't so this year, not to say things weren't a lot of fun. I'm excited to see what the next two quarters bring.

    Thanksgiving was spent in Spokane, WA.  Uncle Kevin received a new kidney from Uncle Rob on November 13.  It is a beautiful thing to see my uncles both healthy. Uncle Kevin will no longer need dialysis which is such a blessing since he had to go in a few times a week and his life was limited. I thank God for allowing this transplant to go so smoothly. It was great to be surrounded by family for a week; to see everyone come together in support of my uncles.  We also celebrate Aunt Nancy's recovery from breast cancer. What a strong lady she is. We had 19 people at Aunt Miki&Uncle Rob's house for Thanksgiving dinner including my grandparents.  I haven't seen extended family in over a year so it was great to be together!  While in Spokane I got to hang out with friends whom I haven't seen in a while.  God continues to put people in my life for a reason and I'm eternally grateful.
          Tomorrow morning I set out on an adventure with Irene to Costa Rica for 20 days. We're studying Spanish and then just traveling around.  I can't believe that it's finally here.  I'm really excited to go, see and do!  Bon Voyage!!

The End.

   If has come time to leave the dream park.  It is somewhat hard to  believe that it's already over. Don't get me wrong there were plenty of times when I thought the end couldn't get here any sooner but there were also plenty of times when things were flying by.  The past 4 weeks have definitely been the best of the season. I think it's because I've become more comfortable.  I no longer missed the little things in civilization but now rather just let it be.  I didn't care anymore that I seemed to be missing summer. I met some really cool people these last few weeks.  There were a few really fun coaches that were great to hang out with. I love being able to watch a coach interact with a player because I know that it really impacts the player's performance.  There have also been quite a few players that played here earlier in the summer and now have come back. TJ and Aaron were here, Jack and Derrick too. Then the Gallagher Select team that won week 10 came back for week 12.  Week 10 was when we had a really terrible ran delaying the game until 10:30 that night, but they ended up winning 9-1. They won again week 12 so it was fun to see them again.  I hung out with Frankie more too and he's just such a funny guy to be around.  

   I know that because of this summer I've become a better person. I've grown a lot. I guess sometimes all you need to do is leave everything and move 2000+ miles to the middle of nowhere in order to grow. I have no regrets from this summer.  My confidence has definitely changed. Having to deal with ridiculous comments from coaches, umpires and players you learn to be a rock.  I've learned to understand when someone is genuine and real though.  I've learned how much a smile and a hug help someone feel better.  I love to laugh and smile and there are people who love me because of that, even when I snort :)  I remember thinking back in January sitting in class looking into things I wanted to do for the summer. My only criteria….1) make money 2) have an adventure 3) not be in Utah. Well all of those were accomplished and then some. I did make lots of money, had more than an adventure and I definitely wasn't anywhere close to Utah.  I would encourage everyone to have an experience similar to what I had.  I learned a great deal about people.  As crazy as it sounds, only being 19, I know that I will be a better mother, friend, wife and civilian after this summer.  I saw the good, the bad and the ugly.  I saw 3000+ people every single day for 90 days coming from all over the place holding different beliefs, wearing different types of clothing and talking with different accents.  Not many careers allow you to interact with that many people that often.  I know that some of the people I met will become great friends and the conversations I shared with people will be remembered for a lifetime.  I'm grateful to everyone who contributed to this adventurous summer. From the kitchen staff who made me gluten free food, to those who drove me to pick up berries from the grocery store, to those who worked out with me, and those whom I got to celebrate birthdays with thank you.  Thank you to all those from home and school that sent letters, care packages, made phone calls and sent texts. I have incredible friends and they really become apparent when you are so far away.  

       I'm SO incredibly happy to be back in the West where you can see for miles and the weather is hot and dry, where the crickets chirp out my bedroom window and people wave as you drive by.  Especially after just spending a weekend in Hell's Canyon camping and boating with no cell reception I had a chance to recollect the summer.  I'm so grateful I got to go this past weekend.  Hell's Canyon on Labor Day reminds me of my childhood since I've gone there for 17 years.  I love being able to wakeboard, ski, surf, eat cookies, play cards, fish and lay on the boat late at night watching shooting stars and the full moon raise over the mountain tops. This world is truly beautiful.  This summer taught me how to really appreciate the little things and to slow down and enjoy the beauty of God's great earth and it's people. 

West Coast Best Coast

Since being here I've definitely gained a great appreciation of the west.  I've always been told how much the two sides of the country differ but after living here and being exposed to people from both sides I've gained a great understanding.  People from the west just seem happier.  Go with the flow might not necessarily be the best term but they at least take life more as it comes.  If this park was in the west I'm pretty sure games wouldn't start on time because everyone would be chit chatting.  People are more friendly in the west.  Don't get me wrong there are plenty of friendly people from the east but there seem to be  a great deal more out west. Here people are more direct and harsh with they're tone.  I've had to adjust to that.  Most of the fights and tension caused by teams have been by teams from the east coast.  I know that east coast people are great too but I'm just saying I've gained a deeper appreciation of the west since being here.   Surrounding us here are a bunch of hills. People out here call them mountains but really their just hills.  They aren't even that tall. I'm glad I didn't choose to come out here for school. I don't know if I'm ever going to want to permanently live here. It's very pretty and some people are extremely lot but unfortunately there's a few that ruin the reputation.  

Spirit vs. Soul

 I just got back from the Yellow Deli in Oneonta with Marina.  It was quite the experience that really got me thinking.  The Yellow Deli is a delicious restaurant ran by members of the Twelve Tribes Community.  After eating our delicious completely homemade meal I asked our waiter to explain what exactly the Twelve Tribes are.  He proceeded to tell me about their beliefs as a group of people that live and work together all loving one another and God.  He talked about how there is such a divide between doctrine and love now days.  Before there was doctrine there was just love, what has happened now?  THere's such a divide and it's unfortunate.  He was so happy to talk about "his people" and his beliefs.  He is so happy with where he is in his life and you can just tell that he loves life because of his love of God.  One comment that really struck me was when he discussed the difference between soul and spirit.  "Spirit is what we all want and want to have with God. Our soul is what we do without thinking out our spirit." I really liked what he said because I think that's true.  I've always lived my life thinking that the basis to understanding people is first understanding their spirituality.  Your spirit is everywhere. It's what connects you to something greater than yourself.  

    People listen to music these days that isn't healthy for our souls or spirits.  It's harmful and unhealthy. I'm now definitely going to be more conscious of my spirit and what I do to have a good spirit. 

Another Week

Week 12 has just begun at the Dreams Park. It's crazy to think how many times I've counted out team's uniforms, told people where the bathrooms are, done the YMCA in front of a couple thousand people, and how many baseballs I've given umpires to use in games.  It's become so routine now that I don't really notice anything else.  The routine is good though I guess.  My mom asked me if time passes quickly while working to which I replied "ya because I never really feel like I'm working". If I didn't live here it'd probably feel more like work but it really doesn't.  This past week was a good week.  There were some nice coaches and umpires that remembered me throughout the week and were nice.  It makes everything more fun when I get to know the kids and coaches.  I brought out a football yesterday during work (yep, football at a baseball tournament) and people just gravitated toward it.  There were a couple of teams that would mess with me and make funny comments.  I love being able to get to know them and some of the coaches.  One thing that's been hard here is how temporary everything is.  I'll meet coaches and talk with them some but then they're gone in a flash and I'll never see them again.  Some with some of the players.  Just when you start to get to know someone it's like they're completely gone and there's nothing I can do about it.  A couple of boys were back this week that had been here before this year and I knew them so it was great to see them.  TJ is 6'4'' tall and is from Florida and this is his third trip here this summer.  He's awesome.  And Aaron plays for Florida teams but lives in New Jersey and is a big kid too.  It's great to see some familiar faces.  There are a few returning players and coaches this week that are here too so that should be nice.
   We're getting to the end of the season which means a lot of interns have left.  Trevor and Kyle left today. Chelsea, Phil and CJ left last Friday and a lot of the interns from other departments left this last week.  Starting tomorrow I'll be the only one in my room.  That will be nice, weird but nice I think.  It's basically just me, Frankie and Logan here now and then they've hired some locals to work with us.
    Cheers to 2 more weeks of Livin the Dream! 

It's the little things

Nothing beats a spoonful of peanut butter and raisins after a 15 hour work day.  That seems to be my go-to lately.  Too bad I'm out of raisins now. Nothing like putting on a pair of sweats, my headphones in listening to country and eating peanut butter.  I don't have to talk to ANYONE which is a rare occurrence at this place. Usually I'm always answering the usual questions "where's the bathroom", "what's the record for home runs in a game", "are you a local or just here for the summer?", "what goes on at this place in the winter?", "what time is closing ceremonies?", "the umpire needs more baseballs on field 4", "can we start the game yet?", "is it a warning or automatic out if the batter throws the bat?" Finally some peace at night! I should probably lay off the peanut butter though.  Thank God for Megan who sent me a jar of my favorite Skippy Natural peanut butter :) It's the real little things I've learned to really appreciate.

Currently I'm listening to "Friends in Low Places" by Garth Brooks.  You better believe this song will be played at my wedding and one day I WILL sing this karaoke.

People here ask me all the time if I'm a local, or in college, or if this is just a summer job.  I give them the same schpeal I've giving 300 other times about how I wanted an adventure this summer so I moved 2000 miles from home and here I am.  The look on people's faces (usually moms) is priceless especially when they find out I live in the barracks.  But then they realize how much money I'll be making and what kind of experience I'm having.  I don't regret being here in any way.  I've learned a ton! I can definitely say that after this summer I'll be a better coach, friend, community citizen and later in life mom and wife.  You learn a lot by observing thousands of people daily.  Last week I saw what I thought was some of the best coaching I've seen here.  It was on Wednesday (single elimination tournament begins) and there was a team from northern California.  This low-seeded team had three coaches each in his twenties.  They played their first game at 10am and won which meant they played the next game and won that, played again and won that and then played their FOURTH game of the day at 5:30pm.  They never once complained about playing so many games.  Their coaches let the boys coach themselves. They stepped back and let the boys captain the team.  No boy ever cried (unusual for 12 year old boys especially when they strike out). Their parents were always positive and constantly cheering.  The coaches never stomped the ground or hit anything; their voices only raised to give positive comments.  It's the little things that really make a big difference in a team's performance. It's times like these when I really like my job. 

Niagara Falls

         Dad came last weekend! He drove from Pittsburg to come hang out.  We went to Brooks BBQ for lunch on Saturday in between work.  Frankie and Logan came too.  Frankie has got to be one of the corkiest people I've ever met but he's fantastic and makes me laugh. I've probably snorted more from the things he's said than I have from anyone else's statements. Dad stuck around and watched Opening Ceremonies here and then we left late that night to spend a night in a hotel about an hour from here.  It was so incredibly nice to sleep in a big bed with clean sheets and not have to wear shoes in the bathroom; oh and watch tv and walk on carpet.  It's the little things I've 


really learned to appreciate being out here.  On


 Sunday we went on a run and then headed to Niagara Falls.  It rained some but he put on jackets and embraced the rain. We stayed on the American side for a little while.  I didn't know that Niagara Falls consisted of 3 falls....American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and finally Horseshoes Falls (the most well known).  It was so amazing to be there.  The amount of water (700,000+ gal/sec) flowing over the falls.  Everyone should go and check it out.  It's a statement of powerful peace and terrifying tranquility. Once we got across Rainbow Bridge and into Canada we found our cheap motel and then headed to the falls to watch the fireworks as they began over the falls. They were gorgeous especially since they had colored lights on the falls.  Fireworks bring lots of memories to me and this will just add to my list of memories. We finally got dinner at Shoeless Joe's Grille.  I had a delicious sandwich on gluten free bread that had real Canadian Bacon on it. I had french fries too of course. For dessert we split a blueberry cheesecake cocktail.  Since the drinking age is 18 in Canada I got to order it. I felt like quite the adult especially when we went into the casino after and they checked my ID because you have to be 19 to enter.  On Monday dad and I slept in and then continued touring on the Canadian side.  We went on the Maid of the Mist boat ride which takes you right up next to the falls.  You get pretty wet but it's well worth it to be that close.  Seeing the falls on the Canadian side is the best because you have a much better view of all three falls.  Dad and I shared a buffalo burger for lunch as we sat and listened to the water.  We did lots of walking in those two days.  It was then time drive to Lake Ontario. On our way saw a guy with an old, homemade convertible car. We had made a pit stop and dad started talking to the guy. He ended up asking me if I wanted to ride and he drove my 15 miles as dad followed. Mom would've either freaked out that I was riding with a 70 year old stranger or she would've encouraged it. But YOLO right?! So many people stared at us because his car is so old. I was happy this old man had a hobby though and this car allowed him to talk to people. People in Canada asked if I was dad's wife. Uh no!!!! We were concerned about that thinking he was some store of cradle rober.  Dad and I did a little wine tasting (nothing good in Canada, except the iced wine).  We crossed the border and headed to the Anchor Bar in Buffalo to get the original BBQ wings.  We did get them and they were great. After leaving the bar at 9ish we headed toward Cooperstown.  It was a four hour drive. We stayed the night in Oneonta (20 miles from the park). It was great again for a clean room even though I went right to sleep and had to be awake at 6:30am. It was so much fun.  
         It was great to get out of here for a few days. SO much fun and such a worthy site to see! 

      The towns out here are so different then out west.  There are dozens of villages and towns all over the place that seem to pop up and if you were to blink you'd miss them.  The cities are full of old, run down factories and rail road tracks. Along our journey it was nice to see these little towns full of what I consider 'small town America'.   It really is beautiful driving through the country side.  When you look out and see flags flying, volunteer fire crews out fixing power lines at midnight, people walking down the streets in overalls waving at you.  I've had to get used to being in a small town where it's not uncommon to see toothless people who don't have a college degree. Life out here is more about living with what you've got and making the best of it versus pursing another dream and trying to get to the next level.  It's a different way of thinking but it works for the people here. 

Just little league baseball

Okay so we're at a 12 YR. OLD baseball tournament.  I think some people forget that sometimes.  I think they also forget that it's not just the baseball game that's important in life it's all the lessons people learn from the game.  12 year olds (children/young adults in general) are like sponges. If you're going to be THAT coach that runs on the field cussing, you're kids are going to remember that.  If you're going to be the creepy, old umpire that is nosey then the players will remember that too.  Despite what people think this really is only a game. In a couple of weeks it won't matter how many runs were scored, the bad call by the umpire, the 80+ homeruns by the other team in a week. What you'll remember though are the times the coach patted you on the back and looked you in the eyes telling you how proud he is for hustling on the field, or the time the umpire pulled you aside to say you're a fantastic pitcher who really keeps your composer on the mound, or the time your team carried you off the field because you made a fantastic catch in left field.  On the other hand they'll remember their coach dropping the F bomb at an employee, or the parents throwing chairs in outrage at a call, or a coach trowing his hat and stomping in protest to a controversial call.  Sometimes I feel like people forget that they're role models to many young people. Whether they want to be or not they're being looked up to so why not be a great example of determination, hard work, perseverance, persistance,  courage and dedication?

Life is Good

from Megan

Care package from MN& St. Louis

 The Bat Shop

The souvenir shop

Ali's cookies :)

So I'm trying this new thing for the month.  I'm trying to only purchase products that are made in America.  It's proving more difficult than one would hope for.  This was prompted when Lwiggy and I were talking about how people say they're so patriotic and love America, but don't support small businesses and buying local.  Recently the US Olympic Committee was criticized for their official uniforms sporting the famous label "Made in China".  That's ridiculous that for our home team we don't have uniforms made at home stimulating out own economy.  I'm fortunate because there isn't much I need to buy but now I spend time shopping online for made in America goods.  It's kind of fun but challenging for sure.

    Sunday- my day off!  I slept in after having an overnight.  It rained this morning but yesterday was 90 degrees + which is especially hot when you're outside the entire time.  Hopefully I'll get a nice tan, that's a joke because it'll be a major farmers tan.  I led the Golden Arm skills competition yesterday. That's where one representative of all 104 teams has a chance to throw 3 balls from center field at a wooden target at home plate.  I love the responsibility that comes from leading it. Some of these kids are so nervous when they first throw.  I love when I get to talk to the players though.  I went to a brewery yesterday with the guys for lunch. I had a veggie burger, soooo good! and sweet potato tots.  There was a chocolate shop nearby so we went in and had chocolate covered bacon. It was actually pretty good but the chocolate orange were better.  We're going to go back at some point and take a chocolate making class.  I had Friday morning off so I worked out and then went down to the river just to hang out.  I swam because it was so hot and then just listened to country music and laid in the sun.  It was so nice.  It's gorgeous and quiet down there. I worked out 4 times last week which was great.  I still miss the gym and skating and lacrosse but that'll just make it more exciting when I get back.  There's a 16 year old new intern with us from California. It's crazy that he's TJ's age and he's here for the summer. We played football the other day and he's cool.  I'm officially done working in the souvenir and bat shop and I'll be with baseball operations full time.  I'm definitely excited. I learned a lot from working in retail in regards to business, mark ups, purchase orders, etc but I know that I don't really have a desire to work in retail again.  Hopefully I enjoy being in ops full time.

    I seriously have the best friends in the world.  All the interns here know it to because every time they see me I seem to have another package from a friend.  Megan Neumann sent me a package with twizzlers, natural peanut butter, reeses pieces and other yummy treats, Ali Everitt sent homeade gluten free peanut butter an chocolate cookies which are some of the best cookies I've had and my St. Louis and Minnesota girls sent a super cute coffee cup, hot cocoa packets, and other candy.  Allison Boyd sent gluten free chocolate chip cookies last week too.  I seriously am so thankful that I'm at DU with some of the most amazing people in the world.  I love and miss my friends tons but it's reassuring knowing that we'll all be together soon laughing and having fun again.

    Every day gets better here.  I love being able to help people out every day whether it's getting baseballs for umpires, answering questions, playing tag with little kids, or honoring 2 mothers of 12 year old boys from a Nebraska team that lost their life to breast cancer it's really nice to be able to help people.  I've always wanted to use sports as a way of connecting with people and making their lives a little bit brighter and this is a way I get to do that daily!

Happy Independence Day America

Otsego Lake

apple pie

fishing spot

full moon out my barrack

Cider Mill, 'Merica

Happy 4th everyone!!! Today I got up after having an overnight (if there are any girl players we take turns, as interns, sleeping in the barracks with them and get paid to sleep :) ) and I had the morning off.  I worked out, I still hate people looking at me and I miss the gym dearly but you do what you've got to do.  It's really humid here but I'm also getting used to that too.  After a workout Frankie and I took a trip to Fly Creek Cider Mill.  Pops (his name is Ron and he's an older guy that works with us) let us take his car so we drove there.  They have dozens of samples of lots of goodies like fudge, apple butter, syrup and other stuff from New York.  We ate there too and I have a spinach salad with grilled chicken, first time I've seen spinach since May.  It was yummy!!! We stopped at TOPS market so I good grab some berries and nuts and came back before I worked an afternoon shift engraving bats. I'm getting the hang of that too and have gotten to be pretty fast at engraving those and baseballs.  It was weird not doing anything special for the 4th.  All of your texts, calls, and pictures about the 4th were all so cute.  Wish I were with any of you to enjoy it but that's okay, I got to celebrate by living in a country that allows me the opportunity to have a job of my choosing!

Trevor and his Southern food on his birthday

just fishin'

    So this past weekend I went to the Farmers Market on Saturday. Frankie and I bought a whole wheat apple pie to split because it looked really good, we still have some too.  And a guy gave me a free, delicious peach.  Too bad I can't buy the produce and cook with it.  On Sunday I went fishing in the morning with Richie.  We just went behind one of the fields by the railroad tracks and listened to country music and fished.  My first cast of the season I caught a fish followed by 2 more fish that day.  Richie didn't catch anything.  Thanks dad for teaching me how to fish.  The whole morning the lyrics "she can't even bait a hook" were going through my head as a was cutting worms and baiting the hook.  That afternoon we hung out with Trevor and went to Cooley's, a pub in Cooperstown for lunch.  Of course I had french fries (half sweet potato and half regular).  We then ended up taking an unplanned trip across the Pennsylvania border and had Waffle House; I'd never been there before.  It was Trevor's birthday too so that's what we did while listening to more country music.

Richie's massive Waffle House dinner

       Yesterday I work I met the cousins of family friends of ours from Mississippi.  When I work the register in the souvenir shop I have to check IDs when people use credit cards and this lady had the last name of "Artigues" so I told her about the family I knew and she was like "those are our cousins."  Matthew Artigues came and stayed at our house 3 years ago for a baseball tournament that was in Salt Lake for the week.  He became another brother for the week and his parents were out too.  It's such a small world.  I also met a few boys from Denver, one of whom plays hockey for a 12U team for DU.  his goal is to play D1 hockey for the pioneers one day.  How crazy that he and I skate on the same ice? Being out here has really made me realize how connected we all are.  You might as well live a happy, peaceful life with no enemies because you never know who you're aggravating.
    Christian Bennett leaves tomorrow on his mission.  I'll miss my best friend.  I've known him since sophomore year when we did HOBY together and then MUN and then continued to be friends and were Coke scholars together senior year and throughout this past year when I visited him at Harvard.  He's always been someone to talk to and navigate this crazy thing called life.  I'll never forget talking on the phone till 3 in the morning on May 1, 2011 both trying to decide where we wanted to go to college.  He was choosing between 2 schools just like me and we eventually both decided our schools and couldn't have been happier.  Bye Christian!
     New things I've tried:  grits, had my first lottery ticket (didn't win), and Carolina BBQ pork.  

my trip to the grocery store

I continue to learn a lot about life being out here.  I have friends here who have never traveled out of the timezone.  That astonishes me.  I feel like traveling has played a major contribution in my life.  I'm so grateful to have traveled since I was little.  I know, I know mom "most people haven't been near the places I've been in their whole lives and they're your grandparents ages and you're only 19"; well I'm a very fortunate 19 year old and I wouldn't trade it for the world.  I also know one guy here who's dad can't read or write.  That's something I never thought I'd know personally.  Just daily I'm continually amazed by the people I meet. Some little 12 year olds how have never seen a cassette tape or a portable CD player (I didn't think I was THAT old, ha.)
    Life is incredible.  I've definitely adapted to being out here more. Once you realize this is how it's going to be and you can't change it, you learn to embrace it.  Why not right?  It's such a learning experience for myself and others. Every day is like a case study learning new things.

Taryn's gluten free care package she sent

    God bless America.  I'm so thankful to live in this great country.  I'm so thankful for the men and women who are fighting for our country day after day in big ways and small ways.  Take the time to make new friends because you'll never know how much you can learn from them. Take time to give people hugs because you might not know how long it's been since a person has experienced one.  Take time to laugh, and snort :)   Thanks again for all the letters, gluten free good packages (Taryn), texts, calls and snapchats.  I really love hearing from you.  Life is beautiful! 

Boston: Red Sox Nation

  So Sunday is my day off and it happens to be Kyle, Phil and Trevor's as well.  We decided last weekend that we wanted to go to a MLB game.  Well luck would have it that the Red Sox were playing the Braves at Fenway at 1:30 on Sunday afternoon. PERFECTO!  We bought tickets off of Stubhub and drove the 4 hours to Boston yesterday morning for the game.  It felt like my Spring break trip all over again with the boys.  We stopped at McDonalds on the turnpike and I had a smoothie and oatmeal. I definitely recommend the new banana, blueberry oatmeal.  That was the first time I've seen blueberries in 3 weeks! Who new McDonalds could be so good?  The game was fun and our seats happened to be one of only ones in the shade which were actually nice. The Sox won and it was Kevin Youkilis' last game as he got traded right after he hit a triple in his last at bat.  They pulled him from third and the crowd went wild.  It was really cool to hear the crowd as he left.  He went into the dug out and reappeared after the roaring of the fans.  I got to meet up with Johnny Li, my Coke Scholar friend from LA that goes to Harvard.  We got to talk for an inning at the game. It was nice to see someone whom I've known for longer than 3 weeks.  After the game we went to a little restaurant on Beacon Street.  Everything looked so delicious, real food not served on a white, Styrofoam plate.  I had a turkey burger with lettuce and french fries.  Y'all know how much I love fries!  The boys made me try sweet tea because Trevor and Phil are from the South and they LOVE sweet tea.   It's not terrible but not something I'd want to drink daily.  Kyle was stoked to use his Boston accent as he yelled out the window "hey Youkilis, you know that guy? he's traded. No beers in Boooston tonight." We all were cracking up.  Then I said that I wanted to see the ocean so we attempted to find it which led us on an epic adventure full of screaming by all three boys.  We did drive past the ocean and then got on the Massturnpike to head back here. We listend to songs off the Now 5 soundtrack and now we're all excited to relive our childhood "Now That's What I call Music"days.  We made it back last night after a successful day away from this place just in time to work another 13 hours today in the retail shop.  It was freezing here today and tonight it got down to be 50 degrees with rain!  I guess I like this better than the 99 degrees last week where we were all constantly wet and nasty.  Tons of people run in to buy umbrellas right when it starts raining.  On Saturday there was a constant line of customers.  This is the most profitable I've seen it since I've been here.  People come into the souvenir shop and will spend $200 on stuff.  If your kid hits a home run I swear it costs you 70 bucks! There's t-shirts for the player, parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters. And then you can get the ball engraved for another 10 bucks.  Holy smokes can these people spend money. Oh and don't forget about getting the professional pictures that are $8 for a 4 * 6.  Welcome to the Cooperstown Monopoly.  It is really cool here and the experience is unforgettable for the players and coaches.  At night I come back and get on my laptop and then go to sleep so I can wake up and do it all again.  Night night :)  

And here goes my life in the middle of New York

       I finally have a computer so now I can blog.  I spilled water on my laptop in the middle of May at school and had to go without one until I bought a new one. Long story..... but now I have a brand new, pretty macbook pro that I will take great care of.

    So here I am sleeping in what pretty much looks likes a prison cell.  It smells bad too. There's no air conditioning or heat here and in the middle of the summer the temperatures can vary greatly. Some nights I get warm and others I'm freezing. I'm learning to adjust to living in 84% humidity daily. I work out and am just drenched before I've even done anything hard.  Here will be an introduction to my life in Cooperstown, NY for the summer....

               Cooperstown is home to the Baseball Hall of Fame and DoubleDay field where the first game of baseball is said to be held.  Decades again the Presutti family had a dream that every child in America would have to opportunity to play baseball in Cooperstown and thus the idea of the Cooperstown Dreams Park was born.  In 1996 the park opened and 12U teams from around the country came and have been coming week after week ever since to play ball.  There are 13 weeks that comprise the summer with 104 teams coming each week to play ball Sunday through Thursday when the championship game is held Thursday night.  I came to Cooperstown four years ago with my family when TJ played and my dad coached.  I thought it was a great place so when I was looking for a job this winter I knew I wanted to make money and have an adventure so here I am.  I am here as a paid intern working 60+ hours a week, living in the barracks where the 104 teams and 95 umpires live, eating food that is less quality than dorm food and having someone else do my laundry. I got here June 8 after flying into Albany and being picked up by a complete stranger and then driving here, moving into my barrack and literally meeting one other person.  The next day I worked in the retail store and folded shirts.  I was ready to cry; I didn't move to New York to fold shirts all day. The next day I had a day off so I took the bus into town and hung out all alone. I took a nap on a park bench, yep I sure did and woke up sweating. Thanks to everyone whom I called while I was walking around that day. It's a humbling experience to realize how much it means to have someone else around can mean to someone.  I'm pretty sure I cried that night too.  I worked 13 hours each day for the next 4 days and then 14 hours the day after. I started to meet people and adjust a little bit.  I thought I would hang out more with the other 20+ interns but we're all working so much and at such different hours that we don't really see one another much.  

        I never really thought I'd be 19 years old living 2061 miles away from home for a summer working 92 hours in a week.  I guess God has some sort of plan.  It really has been quite an experience the past two weeks.  I've started making more friends which is so helpful.  I really like Chelsea who is one girl I work with.  Some things I'll probably never get used to... the food, showering with bugs, having creepy, old umpires check me out when I run or jump rope, living in 84% humidity, not being able to walk out of the park, being looked at and harassed by the teams, the terrible internet connection, not seeing a couch for 2 more months, not skating, playing lacrosse or working out at a gym.  

       Like I said it's taken lots of adjusting. I have learned how to sleep through girls alarm clocks, golf carts, 12 year old boys playing tag, just  about everything.  I've learned how to eat turkey on top of lettuce every day for lunch.  I've really realized how important friends and family are.  The snap chats, phone calls, texts, letters, packages all are what keep me happy.  It's pretty easy here to get unhappy but whenever I have contact with a friend I feel better so keep it coming! My girlfriends from school...you are incredible. Thank you for making me laugh on a continual, daily basis and letting me cry to you on the phone.  My friends from home thanks for filling me in on all the news and keeping me in touch with my roots.  My parents are the most amazing people.  My mom sent me a whole wheat cookie cake, dried mangos and homeade granola among other goodies.  Thanks for pushing me through.  I guess it's hard because the last time I was here I was with you and we were having lots of fun together and this is the first summer that I'm not a Disneyland for Fathers day or watching my brother play baseball; we're not camping together or going on Sunday hikes.  I've really come to realize how blessed my life is.  One of my friends here had never been on a plane until he came this summer and I went on a dozen plane rides in the past year. I've seen the country; I've camped, hiked, skied, skydived, golfed, paraglided, snorkeled, fished, jumped off cliffs, water skied.  I'm nineteen years old and I've been to over half the states and 5 countries, been in the Opening & Closing Ceremonies of the Olympics and seen 10+ Olympic events, hiked a 14,000 foot mountain and walked across day old lava from an active volcano in Hawaii.  I'm blessed each and every day to be here and be healthy.  I thank God each morning and night for the opportunities I've had in my life.  This is yet another one that I have to look at positively.

    I make this place sound like prison, but it's not.  It's improving for sure.  I'm getting the hang of things and understanding it all more.  Now that I have some friends it's better too.  I'm making tons of money and am not really spending any of it.

  ---the shower

---  gluten free meal

   Here are some pictures and I'll post more later. There will be plenty more stories to come of my time here!

New York, New York

When I left home last fall for school I told people that I probably wouldn't ever be coming home again for long periods of time.  I didn't know if that was really going to be the case, but now it's reality.  Last week I found out that I got an internship at Cooperstown New York.  When we went with TJ to the Cooperstown Dreams Park for the baseball tournament in 2008 I thought it would be fun to work there and now that's happening.  I'll live in cabins so similar to my dorm now and probably eat food that's very similar. I'm not really looking forward to that part but I'm excited to work, meet new people and make quite a bit of money.  I hope it works out and I make friends or it could be a really long three months away from everyone.

      I can't believe that my freshman year is almost over. It's been such a whirlwind.  I don't think I've necessarily changed a whole lot but I do think I've learned a great deal.  I've learned a lot about what's important to me and what's important in this life. I've loved living with everyone because it teaches you a lot about relationships.  

many blessings

Moments.  All of life is effected by little moments.  You may never realize how much of an impact these moments can have. As cliché as it sounds life really is precious.

   What's brought upon my thinking of this is...yesterday I found out that a boy on our floor dad passed away.  He had four children and was in his early 50s.  I guess God has a plan for everyone; that's what I hope and believe anyway.  It's never going to seem fair when someone leaves this earth for whatever reason.  

    Yesterday a guy kept calling me from a number from another state and thought  I was someone different than myself.  He was looking for someone and I told him it wasn't me.  He kept calling and was convinced.  He texted me too saying sorry for the drama.  I didn't respond and had a friend of mine talk to him and tell him not to talk to me anymore but he still called.  Today he sent me a four page text message still thinking I was someone else and he said he was going to commit suicide and for me to have a good life.   This is the part of the story when I called the cops in the town where his area code was from, Minnesota.  The cops tracked him down using the phone number I gave them and he is from a mental institution home. The cops found him overdosing on pills.  It was scary when the cops called me back and told me. Then the man called me and said "thank you for helping [him]" and he just called me to say thank you.  I've never felt like I have saved a life before.  He texted me again so I called the cops and they went back to his house to delete my number and he said he just wanted to call me and tell me thank you for saving him.  How does a little 18 year old college student get connected with someone like this and have a situation occur like this?  For whatever reason when people told me to block his number I didn't and then in this case maybe his life was saved.  Hopefully this is the end of all of this and I hope this guy gets better.  Hopefully I don't have to deal with it anymore. 

   In any case as we are taking finals I'm extremely grateful for my life.  I love it even when times are tough;  there is ALWAYS someone facing a more difficult situation then you are.  There's always someone facing something alone.  I'm thankful for all of my friends and family.  

Friends and Family

I'm so happy to have the friends I do.  Everyone I am friends with has something different to offer.  This past weekend I played lacrosse at the Air Force Academy.  McKenna Kimball knew I was coming so she came to watch.  We played Westminster and Maggie is on that team.  It's pretty crazy to think that Maggie and I became friends freshmen year of high school playing lax and here we are playing against each other.  Giving Kenna a big hug is so comforting because she's one of the only people in Colorado who has known be longer than 8 months.  I've met so many new friends here.  Susie and I always have a ton of fun together.  SuSSSSSieeeee (that's how  I say her name and everyone can recognize it).  She's just  so down to earth and chill which makes her great.  Ali is my homework buddy and lax buddy always making us laugh.  Emma is one of my newest friends.  She always makes me smile.  All the girls on the team are fun.  Each person is so different.  On Saturday I went skiing with Irene, Annie, Hannah P. and Mitch.  We had a blast even though it was freezing.  We had a good time.  Mitch is a good skier so it was fun to ski with him.  We went to Village Inn for lunch and it was fantastic.  That night I coordinated a little get together dinner because it was Hannah's birthday.  We surprised her and Katie F., Katrin, Irene, Annie and I all went to Mod Market for dinner.  They had really good all natural, delicious food.  It was nice to be with people other than PLPers and just be with a group of girls.  We got fro yo after and came back to my room to sing "happy birthday".  I love Annie tons.  We went to church together on Sunday and had more longs talks.  Rachel is great.  Through any ups and downs we'll still be great friends.  We share a bond that won't be broken no matter what and I love that!  Britt was gone this weekend but it was great when she got back because we went to the gym together.  She always provides entertainment in my life which is much needed.  Beckster is always happy and nice which is so grand.  On Tuesday it was almost 70 degrees.  Lots of us hung out outside and played football.  It was fun to be with a mix of all kinds of people just enjoying the weather.  Tons of girls were laying out and looked like lobsters after and I just played football and got tan :) Today I had lunch with Mike for his birthday.  It's weird because here no one truly knows your backstory so it was nice to catch up with him about life.
      Angie is coming to visit in April and I'm stoked.  She's such a good friend.  This week is hard not being home because Ky is home with Disney on Ice.  I haven't seen her in 8 months and I just want to sing Ke$ha with her.  I also really want to hang out with Caitlin because her birthday is Friday and Tiff is getting married and I wish I could be at every shower and help with everything. In the end though I know this is where I'm supposed to be and my true friends will always be there no matter what.
    My family sent me a package today.  It's true when they say that family is all you've always got.  They are fantastic.  I honestly didn't think I'd talk to my family as much as I do but it's a good thing.  Momma baked a cookie pie with oatmeal and whole wheat flour.  Sooooo delicious and she sent various other goodies like a kids book :)
Life is good.

Boston Baby

Boston Baby…..

            Home of the Red Sox, Charles River, Celtics, and Harvard.   I had such a fun weekend at Harvard.  I decided before I came to college that I was going to live my life to the fullest and make the most of every opportunity that was presented to me. I said that I wasn’t going to worry too much about money because I’ll work hard and be able to afford it.  SO consequently about a month ago I bought a plane ticket to Boston.  I wanted to see Corbin Miller play basketball and since he leaves on his mission in May this would be the last time I’d see him play for two years. I also wanted to see Christian and he’ll leave on his mission soon too probably.  I have lots of friends in Boston who were all Coca-Cola Scholars as well.  I figure this was as good of a time as any to come out. 

            I stayed in Christian’s dorm with his roommates.  They were all really nice to me.  We walked around campus and the buildings are gorgeous.  It’s a lot like DU with the red brick Harvard is just older.  Harvard’s campus is a lot bigger too since most students live on campus for all 4 years. The dinning hall is huge.  Only freshman can eat in Annenberg.  There were gorgeous stained glass windows.  The food was really comparable to DUs. It’s dorm food.  Nothing fantastic but not terrible. We ate dinner last night at Kirkland (one of the upperclassman houses) and their food was better. It’s a lot smaller and the kitchen looked like a real kitchen in a home.  I got to go to 3 classes on Friday.  The head of the Congressional Budget Office was a guest lecturer so I got to listen to him.  I went to both basketball games, a multicultural performance hosted by John Legend, breakfasts with friends, a run along the Charles River, a party at a finals club, tour Boston along the Freedom Trail and just hang out.  The students were all really cool.  I’ve determined that yeah sure they’re all smart but they’re at Harvard because they’ve done something unique.  They’ve won physics competitions, started clubs, danced in touring groups, are champions of table tennis in India, skydived 9 times.  Everyone has something unique to bring to Harvard.  All the students were easy to say that the hardest part of Harvard is getting in, from there it’s not too bad.  Students still study like they do at most schools but they all have other focuses too.  Most are involved heavily in clubs and have a passion.  They are passionate about change and reform.  I was surprised at how many athletes there were.  I guess about 1/3 of the school are varsity or junior varsity athletes at school though. The athletes all really blend in though. 

            It was really interesting to see all of the tourists.  I guess people are constantly walking around and trying to take pictures.  The students are ordinary people and don’t really get why people are taking pictures of them.  At the party everyone was just hanging out talking and having fun.  People were all really genuine and kind when they met me.  I met a few athletes and they were nice.

            I was amazed at how many connections I had with people at Harvard.  Kids from Colorado who know people at DU, a girl from MO who knows one boy at DU and he’s on my floor (James McShane), girls who live right above me, a figure skater who did the grand prix who’s from CO, a boy who went to high school with Rachel who also knew a boy who I met at Gonzaga.  It was pretty crazy, but awesome every time we discovered the connections.

            Overall I’m so blessed to live the life I live.  My friends are great and I’m lucky to have friends all around the world.  I will never forget the experiences I have and how much they really do influence my life for the better.