I am horrible at blogging...

... but this is not news to any of you.

The Games have been amazing, and of course, I've had a great time since I last blogged. The quick and dirty:

I had great holidays in Des Moines and really appreciated seeing all the friends I did. :o) Many many thanks to those who made a trip to Des Moines. It really meant so much to see friendly familiar faces.

My birthday was nice, even though there was no hockey game this year. My team and department decorated my cubicle with balloons and streamers, I got beautiful daisies delivered, and Bob and Char sent multiple birthday cards (I'm not the only one who can't make decisions).
My team went out to Olive Garden for dinner (very extravagant on the Ameri-Budget) and I got a mango and cupcakes. It was a good day, especially since I got to share it with the celebration for Martin Luther King, Jr.


Games: amazing. Of course! How could they not be. Everything went off well on my end of things. The Special Olympics Towns were great, even though I was a little worried about the one in Sun Valley, in the end, the volunteer commissioners really did an amazing job and the whole thing ran really smoothly. All the athlete lounges were good, and some athletes went away with some nice Uno games, even if they weren't necessarily intended for people to take. However, a generous donation insured that we did not run out of Uno cards, despite people walking away with them. I didn't interact with the athletes as much as I would have liked, but I worked really closely with the volunteers, and that was amazing. There are some top-notch people in Boise. ;o)

I've had this weekend off since the Games ended, and just got back from a weekend trip to Denver. It was so fantastic to get to sleep on a bed a couple nights, and to spend some really good quality time with friends. It was so good to relax with NOT 9 (or 29) other people.

It seems incredibly strange to me to get on a plane for a weekend trip. I suppose I really am becoming quite the traveler. However, with that, I am also becoming quite the financially-challenged individual. Luckily, it occurred to me now, rather than later, that unless I start saving from my stipend, I will not have anything to live off of at the end of my AmeriCorps term, and could end up spending more quality time at home than I, or Bob and Char, would really care for. So I enjoyed my little vaca this time, but I anticipate that it will be my last, and it's time to really start planning a bit more for the future. Scary stuff.

Our next project has been announced, and we will be going to Fresno, CA in about a week. Our next project will have an environmental focus, so we'll be removing invasive species, doing some irrigation work, and educating some little kids (whilst canoeing). Should be a great project. It's only 4 weeks long, so after 4 months in Boise, 4 weeks will seem really short. Or, at least, that's what I'm hoping, since I'll be living in a tent. Yes, a tent. We'll stay at Millerton Lake state recreation area. There are real toilets and showers, so I'm pretty confident that I'll be able to make it. ;o)

In regards to mail: no more mail should be sent to my Boise address. Since the Fresno project is so short, I won't be giving out a separate address for that spike. Everything should be sent to my address on base in McClellan, CA. And yes, I will take cookies. ;o)


So, not to make excuses or anything, but when I'm horrible about blogging, occasionally my teammates are better. Don't forget to check out the team blog, especially to see Mary's pictures. :o)

Peace,
Emily