cbus

so i up and moved to columbus, ohio folks. serving one year with AmeriCorps working at the YWCA family center....a temporary (avg. 3 week stay) homeless shelter for families. i work with their after school program for teens. so far so good...its taking some time adjusting to the atmosphere and what my job expectations actually are. ok. that's all for now...need to get up early and walk! missed the past 3 mornings...no good charlie brown, no good.

back to the drawing board

well folks. no grad school for me. didn't get in anywhere. awesome.

plan b? not quite sure yet...maybe AmeriCorps, or PB classes at State.

but right now i just want to nap and not think about it.

1. I am turning into my mother...I went to the movies with her the other afternoon and I found myself getting emotional over movie previews -- not just any old previews, but KIDS movies!! It was a preview for some owl movie but it has "good message" and I almost started crying...what tha efff!! I guess I have repressed a lot of my tears over the past couple of years b/c I cried A LOT my junior and first senior year of college...but I mean come on...movie previews?!?!

2. I got 2 rejection letters today...one from NC State's Grad School and the other from Wake Forest's Grad School. I mentioned previously that I applied to three schools for school counseling and thus far 2/3 have refused me...I have never faced rejection like this. In high school I applied to 5 schools and got into all 5. I know graduate school is completely different from undergrad but it still sucks. And this isn't completely a shocker that I didn't get into 2/3 so far...I had c-r-a-p grades my last 2 years of school, you know when you are supposed to make it count...yeah, I didn't. I had a really rough last 2.5 years of school [if you know me you know what I'm talking about, if you are unsure...ask]

3. I am looking at AmeriCorps as an option for my next adventure after camp...soo stay tuned for more info on that :)

yaaaaaay!

GOOOOO DUKE!!!!

ACC tourney champs...here we come!!

kiddies

So I started babysitting again for this family I used to sit for back in 2008, and I forgot how much I have missed those kids! Josh is 7, Rhea is 4.5 and Shea (sounds like Shay) is almost 3. I will be helping the mom clean her house as well as tending to the kiddles a few days a week. So Shea said the funniest thing to me, mind you he didn't speak last time I took care of him...he knew who I was and responded to me...but definitely didn't speak. He said, "mehdif, where wewe you?" [translation: meredith, where were you?]. AHH! So cute! Rhea jumped into my arms and wrapped her little four year old arms around my neck and would not let go. She is like a little monkey so she was hanging on me practically all day. Her mom told me the other day that Rhea was going through the list of the people she loved and she said, "i love mommy, i love daddy, and i love mehwadif" I hadn't seen the child since September...and she still remembers me! She told me multiple times today, as she was strangling me...I love you lots mehwadif.

Here are just a few of the things they said to me, I will write them for what they were meant to be rather than try to imitate how they sounded to me...but in some instances you can figure out what they are trying to say. but, if you are interested, call me and I can reenact.

Shea: do you have a mudder?
Me: a mother?
Shea: yes, a mudder.
Me: yes, I have a mother
Shea: where is she?
Me: she's at home
Shea: well how did you get here?
Me: see that car outside [point to my car on the street], I drove here from my house
Shea: ohhh

Rhea: do you have that song?
Me: um, I have lots of songs on my iPod Rhea
Rhea: you know that boom boom clappy clap song
Me: oh, Miley Cyrus Hoedown Throwdown?
Rhea: yes. can you play it pweese.

Shea: do you have any?
Me: do I have any what shea?
Shea: I have 2, one boy named Josh and one girl named Rhea
Me: oh, do I have any kids? No, I do not have any kids.
Shea: are you sure? well I have one boy and one girl.
Me: ohh ok. [keep in mind these are his brother and sister, not his real kids..obvi]


Well there was so much more...but I am exhausted! I see them again on Sunday, so I'm sure there will be more funny stuff to share :) They just crack me up and make me so happy! I know that their mom appreciates me being there and me helping out with the cleaning and stuff, but I told her today that she is doing ME the favor by helping me out financially right now. They are the sweetest family and I absolutely don't mind doing anything for them. I am so thankful that this opportunity has come up so I can spend some time with the kids and earn a little money while I anxiously await May!

until next time...

pissed off. going for a walk.

1. may have a "job" lined up for the next couple of months -- babysitting for a family I used to babysit for and possibly cleaning her house too while I'm there, which is totally fine because she is awesome, and her kids are awesome, and I already cleaned her house when I used to babysit for her fall of '08 b/c it's just what I do when I babysit...haha

2. I am second-guessing my applications for grad schools (masters in counseling programs)...I have gotten advice from two women that I trust and look up to and they think I should look into an MSW program instead...gah! So now I'm just waiting to see if I get in anywhere I applied (should hear back mid-mach) and go from there I guess.

3. I got the invite to come up to NY early to help move the winter camp office up to the summer office (aka camp in the Adirondack Mountains). So that gives me another goal to work towards...May 17th...yesss. I love camp so much and right now I feel like it's the only thing I'm good at but because it's only a 3 month stint...yeah not full time :(

4. I have been cleaning out my room, a little bit every day, and I keep finding the funniest stuff! Binders, folders and notebooks going all the way back to 8th grade...nuts! Tons of dance clothes, dance shoes and old costumes. I also found a check from my grandma for my birthday in '09. I should probably consult her before I cash it right?

welp. that's it...urban ministries food bank outing with the community group tonight. I am really liking this group and I am starting to let my guard down a little more each time. They are a great group and I am enjoying getting to know them.

ps. trashy reality tv is addicting.