Long overdue update!

It seems crazy to me that I haven't updated this blog since May. I'm sorry to anyone out there who may actually follow this. Life has been a whirlwind. I guess I'll starts where my blog last left off. The semester ended and summer began.

This summer was by far the best summer in  my short life.

In June my brother got married and I was a bridesmaid in the wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony. This is a memory that I will cherish forever. I felt so blessed to be a part of a union between two people so in love. Too many details and stories to recount here.

At the beginning of the summer I was "working" two jobs, 70+ hour weeks and loving every minute of it. My first job was the same one I have held at the FROYO shop for two years now--I worked 4 nights a week. My second job (M-F) was through the Center for Urban Education & Denver Public Schools--a 9th grade college readiness camp. I cannot say enough about the impact this camp had on me. I worked with two mentors and we had 14--amazing and bright beyond their years--kiddos in our group. We went to 3 college classes, including a 3D printing CAD class where I saw the future of engineering & manufacturing. I also saw several of my students grow exponentially through the professors encouragement. If they so choose, I know they will be our future engineers & architects. In the English class  I worked along side my professors to give the students the opportunity to tell their stories to the world. One brave students' story brought me to tears. I cannot hear Bob Marley's 3 little birds without thinking of her--I wish her the brightest of futures. The kiddos toured colleges like CSU & learned to communicate and advocate for themselves in a public speaking class. I feel so blessed to have been a part of the camp and to have met these individuals.

The camp ended early July, so I picked up more shifts at my other job, hung out with friends and began to study for the PRAXIS test. A test that you have to pass in order to get your teaching license. All of this was fairly relaxing and a nice break from my previously stressful semester.

Then, in August I traveled with my parents and my Grandma to Italy, Spain & France for the most amazing (well, mostly... the places were breathtaking but, my parents fought some) 12 days. Again, too mych to recount day by day here. Highlights included: The Colosseum, The Vatican, Trevi Fountain, FC Barcelona futbol stadium tour among others!

The week before school started back up I took my PRAXIS exam and passed :). For someone who has  a learning disability and has always struggled with test taking, this boosted my confidence in my subject area and my ability to teach it to students.

School started back up and unfortunately with that came the stress. On Monday I submitted my student teaching application... heres to hoping for the best outcomes! The future is bright and God has continually blessed me & challenged me.

I'm sorry there is not much detail writing here for most of my events. I feel that they deserve much more time and attention than I am capable of giving them right now but, that in no way indicates that those events were any less impactful or life changing for me this summer.

Peace!