Travel.

My airplane tickets have finally arrived!  It's really comforting having them to hold in my hands.  As I figure it, if Americorps has invested a few hundred dollars in flying me across the country then any doubt of me not being fully accepted due to lack of funds is out the window. I should be on the plane and ready to leave a week from today at about six in the morning.  I'll make a change in planes in Atlanta and then I have a straight flight into Sacramento.  I can't wait for next week to arrive.

In other travel news, Rusty and I spent some time camping this week.  What was supposed to be a two night trip ended up being cut in half due to heavy rains on the coast.  Our drive to the beach was sunny and beautiful but as soon as we crossed the Carolina Beach city limits it started to rain...and boy did it rain.  It rained when we first got to the campgrounds and it rained while we set up our site.  Luckily we had a small pause in the weather in which I started a fire and managed to cook us a little something.  However by bedtime the rain had began again.

I woke up to feeling unusually chilly.  Our tent had sprung a leak from the bottom while the windows of our tent (despite our covering them up with a tarp) had slowly started allowing raindrops in.  With our bedding being mostly foam and heavy comforters it was like sleeping on a cold, wet sponge.  We tried to stick it out for a bit but ended up sleeping in my car which wasn't much more comfortable than the flooded tent.

When the morning came we got some breakfast in us and headed to the aquarium where we had a great time.  When we got back to camp we hiked a few trails in the rain and had some really cool nature experiences.  We got to see a lot of wildlife and at one point came across a swamp where it sounded as if a thousand frogs were singing.  Rain or no rain the trip was a success in my book.  It was nice to have one more memorable experience at one of my favorite places with one of my favorite people before leaving to California. 

Here are some photos from the trip.  Please note our Raccoon friend Masky who was a little overzealous in making our acquaintances.

Masky doing a dance

Yum

Yum Again.

I think this turtle is the coolest one I've ever met.

One of Rusty's great fish pictures.  In fact all the fish pictures are his doing.

This was an awesome viewpoint at the aquairum.

This.  This is an Octopus.

Peanut Butter and Jellyfish.

Sneaky frog.

A pretty cool fish to end it all.

 

Stasis.

Since I had my wisdom teeth taken out last Tuesday I've had a lot of time to sit around the house doing very little.  As a person who has gotten used to eating healthy (not to mention solid) foods and exercising everyday in preparation for the Americorps physical training test, this time spent aloof is excruciating.  I believe that if we went back in time these last few days and observed my actions carefully we would find that I have reread my NCCC welcome packet at least three times over.  Though there isn't anything left in the book that I haven't already accounted for and processed, rereading all of the things I can look forward to and prepare for gets me excited.

The pause in exercise aside, everyday I feel a little more prepared for my departure on the 7th.  Today I got a new pair of shoes as you can see the bottom of my feet in my old ones.  I also got a few new pieces of clothing to take with me.  This probably isn't a major accomplishment for most folks but it is for me as I have a strong aversion to most any shopping experience.  This probably stems from rarely ever being able to find clothes and shoes I like that will fit a six foot six frame and size thirteen feet.  Nonetheless I feel comforted in knowing that I'll be going to California with shoes on my feet and clothing options outside of old work t-shirts.

Perhaps next week I'll have some airplane tickets arrive that I can update you all about.  Let us all just hope that they are indeed airplane tickets.  I hate to travel by donkey.

A Decaf Soy Farewell

Today was my last day working for the Julia's Coffee sector of Habitat for Humanity.  Working there has been an experience that I will always be thankful for as it helped me reach the jumping off point I am at now in going to Americorps.  Being around so many wonderful Habitat employees and volunteers truly served as a catalyst for my decision to pursue a position in NCCC. 

I'd like to thank all the people at Julia's and the Habitat Restore for your support over these last few months.  In your own individual ways each of you inspired me to follow my passion for service.  It is because of you that I feel so confident and excited about these challenging weeks ahead of me.

I will miss each and every one of you.

(Thanks to Carol for the great photos!)

4, 3, 2, 1....

Not long after announcing my plans to to join Americorps NCCC, people began asking me how they might keep in touch.  Seeing as how I will spend so much time moving from place to place, a blog seemed like a great place to nest.  Should you be reading this you are about one in just a handful of people who I thought might be interested in my upcoming adventures these next ten months.  I hope to keep you all up to date on wherever I may be and what projects I am working on.  Much of my time will be spent on location in areas where I will not have Internet access so I plan to keep a written journal to supplement this blog whenever I return to Sacramento.

I begin my Americorps experience on October 7th when I will be flying out to sunny California.  Two weeks seems just as short a period of time as California seems distance away.  It is hard to say how I feel about it all.  I am relieved to finally know where my life is going after spending these last few months in application purgatory.  I am both thrilled and scared to death of flying to the opposite side of the country alone.  I am also proud and confident that such a program is exactly what I want to be doing with my life right now.  Frankly this country has given me more than I will ever realize....it will be a honor to give back.

Here's to the start of something awesome!