Babies Galore!

Lee  and I's lives recently have been focused on babies babies babies.... and none of our own.

Lee is in his OB/GYN rotation currently and I am volunteering at a pregnancy center.  We did a "Walk for Life" this weekend to raise awareness about abortion, which is rampant and casual almost in Detroit.
It breaks my heart that young women think nothing of killing their unborn baby... but that's a whole different post.   While I am counseling women dealing with a multitude of issues and circumstances that have led them to consider abortion as an option, Lee is bringing new lives into this world!!

He has delivered about a dozen babies now!  It is amazing and rather than being a little grossed out like I thought I might be, I am in awe of how awesome Lee is and what an experience he is having!!

OB/GYN has been an interesting rotation.  He started out in the surgical aspect of it, which was completely similar to his surgery rotation.  Then he moved into the clinic where he did routine exams, inserted IUDs, and dealt with STDs etc.  In OB he is with mothers during the labor process, watching football games with the dads to be, and wishing he was playing with the babies rather than cleaning up after delivery :)

His schedule has been erratic, but do-able.
He has worked a typical 7am-5pm schedule, he's worked 1pm-midnight, 5pm-7am, and some days he has nothing other than lectures for a few hours.

I think he's enjoying the learning experience and the celebration and miracle of a new life entering the world, but this isn't exactly what he wants to do for the rest of his life.
And I'd prefer to not introduce people to my husband the gynecologist.....

Our T-Shirts for the Walk for Life!
Sweet baby feet....

Chiropractic Assistant

 I've been at my job at the Chiropractors office for about 2 months now and it's going well and I've finally decided to accept that this is my job and what I'll be doing for the near future... and it could be so much worse.

What does a Chiropractic Assistant do you ask?

Well, I assist the Chiropractor.  I don't do any kind of adjustments or even really touch the patients other than putting them in traction chairs to create curvature to the neck.

I sit at the front desk, greet patients, book appointments, take payments, enter patient notes, call insurance companies, develop x-rays, order supplies, and help my boss with lots of other random projects around the office.

It's not a bad job.  I get to dress cute everyday and talk to the patients and take long lunch breaks.

I now have keys to the building, my own email address, and am getting an all expense paid trip to Philadelphia to a chiropractic conference (where I'm meeting up with my friend Amber for a mini adventure!)

Why have I decided to accept that this is my job and end the search for my "dream" job? 
I'm starting classes this fall for a Masters in Professional Counseling!!
I haven't really "announced" it yet (not that I need to... who do I think I am?) but I've been waiting to tell everyone when I know for 100% sure that I can pay for it... which is still a couple days off, but I got accepted a couple weeks ago and registered for classes last week!!! :) :)
I'll be taking online classes through Liberty University - rated #1 among online schools in America and the largest Evangelical Christian University in the world!

I'm so excited to start this program and get closer to my dream of a career in public service.
Why am I no longer getting my MSW? 
a really big reason is that I need to take online classes so I can continue to work full time and there are practically no online social work programs that I can afford and could get accepted into this fall.   I don't want to put it off any longer because it's going to take me a few years as it is! 
A lot of the jobs I've looked into require either an MSW or a Masters in Counseling.  Both are licensed by the state and all they really care about is the licensure. 

I've been volunteering at Pregnancy Aid - a crisis pregnancy center in Detroit and have been trained as a counselor for the young women who come in and I absolutely love it.

It has taken me a long time to figure out what I want to do with my life and is going to take me a lot longer to actually get there.... but we're making progress.

I feel like 25 is so old and I'm running out of time to "figure it out" but I was encouraged the other day while listening to some political banter and they talked about a guy who's 42 and they referred to him as "a young rising star". 
Nice.

What do I do?

I'm so glad you asked!

I have a job. 
I was so fortunate to find the job that I did.  So blessed.

I found the posting on Craigslist a few weeks ago for a chiropractor's office and sent my resume and kinda forgot about it in the midst of applying to 10billion other ads.  Then Dr. Shoe emailed me asked if I could come for an interview, but unfortunately I could not because I was still teaching in Ohio at the time.  So I declined and asked if he would keep me in mind if he couldn't find the right person.

Lo and behold 2 weeks later, just days before I moved in he emailed again and said he hadn't been able to find the perfect person for the job and if I could come once I got moved in.
I asked my friend Joe the resident SO Grenada Chiro and asked for a few helpful hints and bam got hired.

1 week later and I'm working in the office as a Chiropractic Assistant / Office Manager / Dr. Shoe's personal assistant.

It's not a dream job, obviously, but also my dream isn't to work (should "work" be anyone's dream really??)  I'm not striving for success or money or status....
My dream is to help people and be involved in the community and someday far far away to be a mother and continue to do those things.
But for now, we have to eat and all that, so I'm booking appointments and making small talk with chiropractic patients.

Perks of the job??

1.  It's 2  blocks away.  Seriously.  I had started to apply for jobs with a 30 minute commute. 2 blocks.  By the time I got my car out of the garage and turned around I could walk there.  Same goes for the bike pretty much. 
We are going to save a ton on gas because both of us are currently walking to work!

2.  It's 4 day a week.  Monday - Thursday.  3 day weekend, every weekend.  Yes!  I have every Friday all day to devote to volunteering or something (which I'll get to later)

3.  2 hour lunch break.  Ok, so it does stretch the day out a little longer, I don't get home until 6:30.... but Lee's never here anyway so it doesn't matter too much to me.  Those 2 hours have been my most productive.  Enough time to do a load of laundry, make the bed, wash the dishes, and prepare something for dinner.  I deal very well with time constraints.  It's perfect for me.

4.  Free Chiropractic care!! and I need it.  I haven't started yet, but next week I will and I am so looking forward to it.  My joints are terrible, thanks Mom and Dad.  And Lee can go as well!  He is going to want to, too after all these long hours at the hospital.

5.  It is a family business and the Doctor and his wife are so nice and helpful and have made this such a great transition so far.  I like everyone I'm working with, thankfully because they are basically my only friends here so far!  We have such a wide variety of clients someone is going to know something about anything I need to know.  It's awesome.  I've already been getting all sorts of advice from places to shop to getting Lee and Green Card :)



What else am I going to do?

Well, I don't know just yet but directly in between our house and the office is a crisis pregnancy center that helps young women with unplanned pregnancies.  It is a Christian organization so they only offer pro-life services, which I am 100% for.  It is exactly the type of thing I want to be doing, but for now I'll just be able to help a couple days a week. 
I also want to get involved in some other pro-Detroit rejuvenation projects if at all possible but it is really hard to find information.  So be looking for a Detroit Volunteer Section coming soon to this blog :)

We're still thinking about churches too.  We've been to one, Lee's been to it 3 times and likes it, but I would kind of like to try out the "Mega" church just down the street with thousands of people and tons of community involvement... but Lee prefers the more traditional church with about a 100.  Both have their upsides and I am seriously considering attending both.  Services are at different times and would be fairly easy to do.  The big church has a large young adult group that I am thinking might be my best option for finding some friends around here! :)


whew that was long.  if you made it through that to this point you are a real friend :)
funny how I can make what I do twice as long as what Lee does. 
It's definitely not the case.  He is a hardworking precious man who I love more than words!
So proud of that husband of mine.

better late than never...

anyone who has been reading this blog for the past year has heard about my frustration with the lack of volunteers from the SOs.  I have begged people to help to no avail.... but last Monday afternoon my prayers were answered. 
We had our first visit to Queen Elizabeth Home for the semester & as I approached Charter Hall I was welcomed by a massive group of volunteers.... 19 in total!
NINETEEN!
We had 3 returning volunteers from last term and 16 new SOs!
It was incredible. 

There are only 14 kids at QE right now so we had more than one adult per child and I was amazed at just how smoothly things went.  The kids were engaged and having fun and no one was acting up.

I realize that 19 people each week probably isn't realistic... but if at least half of that group remain faithful to visiting QE each week it will be awesome!

I am getting ahead of myself and daydreaming about how awesome Limes will be this term if we can get that many volunteers.... 

I heard this quote this week "Delays do not weaken the promise of God"

This past year was a bit of a struggle and wouldn't have been possible without the dedication of Amber Gazo, Michelle Nanney, Adriana Pardo, and Jessi Steinz. 
When people were bitter and doubted that we should continue Limes and other volunteer activities we said no.  These programs are way to important to these kids to just toss it aside.
And look what is happening!  So many people want to get involved and help out and I believe that God has sent the right people for the job and I am optimistic about the future.

volunteering

here are a few pictures from the past couple weeks of volunteering.
things at Limes are going great! and the kids at QE and BelAir are still just as adorable :)

 dedicated volunteers! unfortunately Lance has already gone home, Amber is next week, and Jessi will in a couple months :(

 giving some jockey's (piggy back rides)

 beach day with my precious little Katie

all photos by the fabulous Amber Gazo.
Amber. do. not. go. home. PLEASE.

REACH Grenada

I am so excited to announce that I will be the on-site coordinator for REACH Grenada's Stuff Your Rucksack program!
Please visit the links to find out more about it and possibly support the programs!!

It's not really that big of a responsibility, but I am so happy to be on board and to be apart of their great programs.
I did this job a little bit over Christmas break while their current coordinator (and my friend) Jessi was off-island.

What it is, people who are visiting Grenada on vacation and are smart enough and/or take the initiative to say "Hey I'd not only like to go to Grenada and lay on the beach but I'd like to help improve the community while I'm there!"
So they contact REACH and let them know when they are coming and I will email them and let them know what types of things are needed - school supplies, clothing, books, and other hard-to-get-in-Grenada things.  Then once they arrive in Grenada I'll arrange to meet up with them at their hotel and pick up the supplies and/or go with them to the particular home that they wish to visit. 

They also arrange Voluntourism trips.  People would book a trip to Grenada through REACH and not only spend time touring the island and vacationing, but they would also be assigned to a particular project to work on one or two days of their trip!  Last trip there were 7 families that were involved and they did things like planted an organic vegetable garden, organized and painted a library for the orphanage, updated bathrooms, and painted. 
What a great experience and lesson to teach your kids, right??
I will be helping with this as well and I am so excited!

It's such a great opportunity, not only just to improve the lives of Grenadian children, but also it will look nice on a resume, don't you think :)

So PLEASE if you know anyone visiting Grenada let them know about REACH and tell them to stuff their rucksack!

42 kiddos!

today for class we had 42 kids! 
I love that we keep growing & the kids are enjoying themselves! 
everyday I learn something new about teaching/running an after school program.

if you didn't know, they still have corporal punishment in Grenada. 
spanking, hands whacked with a ruler, etc.
so they are pretty strict at the school.
and they come to us right after school. right after several hours of sitting in a classroom & being forced (threatened?) to behave
it's probably pretty tough to come to an after school program and be expected to sit still again!

lets cut the kids some slack shall we?

today was a great day! no major behavior issues, I never raised my voice, and I only blew my whistle once!

we gathered all the kids up & went over the rules (which we do allllll the time. they need reminded)
Limes Rules
1. no fighting, cuffing (hitting in grenada lingo) or even play wrestling
2. no pelting stones - kids lingo again
3. no cussing
4. no picking up broken glass
5. and no talking when Miss Kelsey or another teacher is talking to the group

after a very successful review session I handed out some worksheets I made with questions about them, their favorites, what they do daily, wishes, etc.
the kids were so well behaved & answered the questions very thoughtfully
after about 15-20 minutes of working on their papers & discussing their answers I turned them loose in the field with 3 soccer balls & let the girls have blank paper and crayons to draw.

and they were so good & I got to enjoy their company and cuteness without feeling stressed out


another thing we tried out this week (which we need multiple volunteers to do, today we only had 4) was stations.  a talking/question circle time station, homework/worksheets station, craft/drawing station, and a games station.  we split the kids up by their ages & rotated them through the 4 different groups every 15-20 minutes.  It worked great when we had 8 people!  1-2 people per group, plus a couple floaters to walk around and make sure everything is going smoothly. 
stations is my goal. please volunteer at limes with us!!!!

& while we did "get" the building back. we have not actually gained access. the owner hasn't left a key with anyone & is never there..... but maybe next week! say a prayer for us!

here are some pictures from this week!

:/

I'm not a teacher.  I never claimed to be.
I am not trained in dealing with children.
or organizing groups of people...

But... I (along with a few other volunteers) spend 3 days a week with some of the most adorable, needy, sad, hungry for love children.
and we do the best we can.
None of us are teachers.... heck one of us doesn't even speak English very well, but we love these kids!!

Our program has grown to over 50 kids.
That is a lot for 3-4 people to deal with.
We organize the best we can.... we have lessons and crafts and play games and have snack.

We don't have a building.
We sit outside in a field full of broken glass and trash.
We live in Grenada.... there aren't just nice buildings sitting around for rent.
Trust me, we've tried.  We've been turned down by every organization in the area.

Sometimes things don't go so smoothly.  Sometimes kids are very, very bad.  Sometimes I have to yell and send kids home.  Sometimes I get really, really, really overwhelmed because I don't know what the heck I'm doing.

I got a little dose of discouragement today... trying to think positive!! 

It's a new year. 
A fresh start. 
I hope 2011 holds nothing but success and happiness for Grenada.

frazzled.

I've been so busy my head is spinning!
How did this happen??
aren't I supposed to be living a 24/7 vacation!?

I have so many things to do with the Significant Others Organization and being the Volunteer Coordinator... meetings, and emails, and online forms to fill out, and actually going to the volunteer events, and trying to beg people to come and help, preparing the lesson, and coming up with ideas, and making the snack, and on and on and on and on.
and they want me to organize a bake sale for CSA( Christian Student Association) to help raise money for the Pakistan flood relief for Doctors Without Borders, which I really want to do, it's a great cause & the school has agreed to match the funds the clubs raise!
and I still babysit sometimes
and I have to keep my husband happy
and I have to cook, clean, do dishes, and laundry and go to the grocery store (which is a hassle)
and I have to have friends... and do some fun things.
and I just really wanted to vent. and now I'm done.

I'm not upset with any of the things I'm doing.... I absolutely LOVE being volunteer coordinator & Limes & the Orphanage & helping with the PAM Garden Project & everything else!!
I never ever want to sound like I don't love what I'm doing because it is such an awesome opportunity and I love these kids so so much.  I never want to take a single day for granted. 
I never want to be negative, no matter how stressful things can be at times, and how badly the kids behave, or how little help we have, or how little it seems like others care about what we're doing..... b/c it still matters to me. and it still matters to the kids. right? I hope so.  and I need to remind myself of this. A LOT. and remember to breathe and let things slide and start each new day fresh. ah. pray for me. lol.

I just feel like I haven't had time to catch my breath lately. and hopefully tomorrow will be the day.  I have NOTHING planned. except about 3 loads of laundry, grocery shopping, and cooking and cleaning.....ugh. I just got busy.
I am looking forward to Saturday night!  Lee is getting inducted into IEA (international honor society) and they are having a dinner at the University Club and I get to go eat a meal that I didn't cook & wear a pretty dress... so it will be good :)

Watch this video of us and the kids singing at Limes... I've decided to try to put together a program and invite their parents to tell them about what we do and teach the kids some new songs!! so far so good.

Limes!!!

I was so excited for Limes to start again!
I love these little children so much.

There have been A LOT of issues with the program this term... we don't have a building or supplies. and we had to change days of the week from Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, to Monday, Wed, Thurs because of a conflict with the orphanage, where we are now going on Tuesdays.
and I haven't been able to get a hold of Ms Simon who gets the snack for us for the children.... its a mess.
So, I was a bit nervous for the first day.... and the first time on a Monday... but it turned out really well!
We had just three volunteers.... which hopefully it will pick up (come on people!! what else do you honestly have to do during the day????)  Amber, Alfonso, and I.
We had probably like 15 kids show up, which is great considering we have no way of contacting them to let them know we were having the program... they just saw us in the field and stopped by!  Hopefully next week they will adjust to the new schedule.
Since we don't have a building we just played outside in the field... hopefully once we get some more volunteers we can split the kids up age wise and do some flash cards & things.  I'm going to be really sad if we don't get a building to use all term & can't do any crafts or anything :( :(
But we're making do with what we have, which is time and energy... and their smiling little faces make up for all the inconveniences.

the kids were teaching us tricks... like how to do a split and roll over backwards.... lol. it actually felt really good for my back!