a winter wonderland!

Here is a little taste of the recent weather RIDICULOUSNESS (what is this, Spokane?!) and other winter-themed events...

We took Faulkner for a walk in the snow! At first he was scared of it, and then he started to like it...

Faulkner and I in the snow (first round of snow, before 5 more inches fell!)

Tracy and I made the cow and the donkey kiss in the nativity scene!

Our finished tree and little village!

Mixing up sugar cookie dough

Our street, with about 6" of snow.

Our backyard with SNOW!

Our house and the snow!

The end! Life is good here, very wintery! We are excited for Christmas in 5 days, and having fun baking cookies and watching football today. Mom and I walked to the coffee stand a few blocks down the street this morning, (wow, we were desperate!). Western WA is definitely getting a taste of the Eastern WA snow! I wish everyone a wonderful day, and enjoy the snow or sun (if you are in NZ!)!

Recent Pictures

Here are some recent pictures of my apartment and fun things. I think I finally figured out how to upload them so they look good... (I'm competing with Kara!)

Scott built me some amazing shelves for my kitchen! Mom, Tracy, and I installed them!

I got some cute new furniture, and am attempting to be classy!

Taylor got engaged!

And we had a wonderful engagement dinner at Farrelli's

I got a christmas tree! It looks way better with the lights off, and the next picture does not do it justice.

My first Christmas tree in my own apartment!

Recent Happenings

I just realized (after reading Kara/Rachel and Meara's posts), that I have not updated in awhile, so I decided to follow the trend and update you on my life. The last few weeks have been decently good. I turned in my final paper of the semester and now I am done with my first quarter of grad school!! I still think that it is nowhere near as challenging as it should be, but maybe that's just me...

Thanksgiving was fun-- it was good to get to spend some time with Mom and Tracy, and also see family. I played wii "dancing with the stars" on Thanksgiving with my 9(?) year old cousin, who is obviously a much better dancer then me... Let's just say, wii is HARD!

I also got some cute new things for my apartment, and thanks to Barb, Scott, and Mom (and others...), my apartment is finally looking kind of cute and put together. My heat was broken, and Scott fixed it, so I am using my heat (finally), and it is so nice to have a warm cozy apartment to come home to.

In other news, the guy at the gym has officially been promoted to "creepy guy at the gym" status... Kind of odd. He obviously does not handle rejection well.

Speaking of the gym, I am headed there right now. I hope everyone is having a fun Christmas season! I will post some recent pictures soon!

"When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on"- FDR

This quote very much categorizes my life the last few months! Change is hard, and it kind of sucks sometimes. I don't feel like I was adaquately prepared for life after graduation. I mean, we spent 4 years supposedly becoming more educated, yet no one told me that transitioning out of college was going to be so hard. We truly were hidden behind the "pinecone curtain", as some call it, our wonderful little heaven called Whitworth.

I am almost 3 months in to this AmeriCorps thing, which means I am almost 1/3 done! There are a few positive things to report: Street Behaviors at Mt. Tahoma HS has not started, but I have started working 3 days a week at Stadium High School and Hunt Middle School. I am not doing anything like I thought I would be doing (or was hired) to do, however I am enjoying it. Tuesday and Thursdays I am at Stadium, working with the Guidance and Counseling Office. I have a caseload of about 35 students, who are identified as "at-risk" due to attendence, behavior, truancy, failing, medical conditions, etc... I have a wide range of students. My job is to track them down (easier said than done), check in, make sure things are going okay, and try and develop a practical plan for reaching graduation goals (or maybe just passing!). At Hunt MS I am assisting on Wednesdays with PE Classes (which is basically just baby-sitting for an hour at a time...) Not quite something I thought I would be doing, but it's fun to say "give me 10 push-ups" and the kids have to listen! haha! Overall, I would give my "job satisfaction rating" a 3 out of 10, but that's better than a 0 about a month ago!

I am also about 2 weeks away from being done with my first quarter of grad school! That is pretty exciting, just to have that milestone done. This quarter has been interesting, not too much learning, but a lot of work! Last week I had presentations in both of my classes, and now I just have one more paper (no finals!), and then I am done. Tonight I get to go to class and just sit and listen, which will be nice. Although, what would be nicer would be if I didn't have to go to class at all...

One thing I am loving about being here, is the scenery. I didn't really realize how much I missed the water and the mountains until I get to see it everyday. I know most of you are tired of hearing about how pretty it is over here, blah, blah, blah, but I really just love being able to drive down the street and see the beautiful mountain smiling at me! And then look to the left (west), and see the Olympic range, and the puget sound. I love this time of year when it's all cold and crisp and I can wear a scarf. I will miss getting snow, although I won't miss driving in it!

Well, that's all for now. I wish you all a blessed Thanksgiving, whether you are in Spokane, New Zealand, or Spain (or anywhere else)! Love you all.

ha ha ha!

Today I was at the gym after work, and I was running on the treadmill. I was about 20 minutes into my run, and the guy who was running a few treadmills over came up next to me. I had my iPod on, so I took my earphones out. This was our exact conversation:

Mystery guy: “Can I tell you something?”
Me: “okay” (while sweating profusely and still running)
Mystery guy: “Just in case you ever forget this, you’re really beautiful. Like— hot.”
Me: “thank you” (still running/sweating/can’t really breathe)…

HAHAHA! Oh man, I am just not good at this kind of thing. I obviously should have said something else, but 1- he wasn’t really my type, and 2- I was RUNNING! What was I supposed to do?! So I finished the last 10 minutes of my run and went to the elliptical, and of course he was riding a bike like 15 feet away. And to make matters more awkward, when I went up to the weight room he was in there too… AGH, so awkward!! But come on, how can you possibly hit on someone in a gym. You’re all sweaty and gross…

Anyway, just thought I would share that story. It kind of made me smile, and kind of made me cringe a little. I just hope I don’t see him again…

a little trip and a good week

This week I ventured over to the other side of the mountains to Spokane for a few days. I left on Sunday morning and came back on Wednesday. I had an amazing time, and didn't really want to leave! I stayed with Shanon and Kyle, and it was so much fun to see them and their cute little married life. Also, it was so great to finally catch up (in person) with her and not have something in the way (like a phone or facebook wall). I also got to see Mallorie, Kevin, people from my old job in student accounts (where the craziness never ends!)... I went to a sociology class and talked about grad school (per the request of one of my old professors!), and got to go to DANCE CLASS and actually dance with them. That was one of my favorite parts of the trip-- nothing has changed! I could just jump right in to warm-ups and choreography like the last 4 months never happened. I miss dance so much- it's like a part of my heart is gone, and dancing again sort of put it back together.

Yesterday Kelsey and I went to the zoo! Yep, that's right! We had a great time, saw all of the cute little animals (I covered my eyes when we went past the snakes), and enjoyed a beautiful day in the pacific northwest. It was actually a really great week, because after I got back from Spokane I only had to work 2 days and they were not at all stressful, and then had a great day at the zoo. I wish every week could be like that!

Another piece of *sort of* exciting news-- I finally get to go into the schools this week. I'm going to be working at Stadium High School on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with at-risk students identified through the Guidance and Counseling Office. I am so excited to get out of the office and get into the schools, where I thought I would be all along. It's only for 3 or 4 hours each of those days, but that's better than nothing.

School this week is going to be crazy. We turned in our major paper for the semester last Thursday, but this T/Th I have my huge presentations in both classes. Once those are done, though, then I only have one more paper to turn in for the whole quarter, which is good. I just have to make it through this week!

Well, i'm off to work on my debate presentation. Thanks for reading, hope you all are well!

yes we can!

This week has definitely been full of highs and lows.

Monday I had a meeting with my supervisor, and really was honest with her about how I was feeling about my position. It was good to talk to her and just be blatantly honest and tell her that I was thinking about leaving-- how can I go for 8 more months like this! It's so emotionally draining and not fulfilling and I'm not doing anything!... So we came up with a little plan, and I'm staying until the end of November and then we're going to re-evaluate. Instead of waiting for the school district to finalize the contract, we've partnered with a guidance counselor at Stadium High School and we're going to start working with some at-risk freshman their next week. So I have a glimmer of hope that things will get better, however I'm not overly optimistic.

Tuesday was obviously a great day-- the election! What an amazing day! Like most of you, i'm sure you felt the same undescribable moments that I did- we were a part of history. I felt so proud casting my ballot for Obama and being part of that moment in our country's history. Unfortunately, I had class Tuesday night, but our professor was gracious and let us watch the electoral map as votes came in, and we also watched Obama's speech. Watching Obama's party in Grant Park (where I visited while in Chicago), and watching people sobbing all over the country, made me really understand what this means to the black population. It's significant to whites also, I think, but it really is a huge symbol for 1/3 of our population. In no way does this mean that we are "beyond race," however it is a huge first step in shattering the glass ceiling for blacks.

Wednesday was also an awesome day, because we got to learn that Sarah Palin didn't even know that Africa was a continent (she thought it was a country, she didn't know that their are multiple countries in Africa). The only bad thing about the Obama win is that we don't get to see Tina Fey on SNL anymore, being amazing as Sarah Palin.

Tonight is the NLF Fundraising Gala, and we get to dress up and be pretty and hopefully raise lots of money. It is going to go LATE, though, and I am driving to Spokane tomorrow, so I am hoping I can get a decent amount of sleep.

Well, that's all for now. I am off to finish my laundry, vacuum my mom's house, and then get ready for the Gala!

Rainy Sunday

It's Sunday, and it's raining. Now, I know most of you will say, "of course it's raining, Jessica, you are living in Western WA in November!" Well, I have been spoiled the past 4 years, and now must re-adjust to this thing called never ending rain! I guess it's good, the fall colors are beautiful here, wow what I missed the last 4 years!

The past couple weeks have been a huge emotional roller coaster. It has been a challenging last few months, and it has just all caught up to me now. I spent three days this week in Wenatchee with NLF's AmeriCorps team for a SERVES conference, which was a good bonding experience with the team. It was good to get away from the stress and confusion of my job, and hang out with new friends. I had to miss my Tuesday night class, which wasn't so good, though. I have a big paper due Tuesday, which I am procrastinating on right now while writing this blog!

Right now I am on the couch at my mom's house, listening to her practice her Hebrew. It's quite entertaining, to say the least. I bet she's going to be mad that I wrote about that in here! Haha! But the next time you see her, you should ask her to say some words in Hebrew, it sounds pretty amazing.

I have nothing too exciting to say, and probably should get back to writing my paper. Have an enjoyable Sunday, and thanks for reading!

i'm doing laundry!

I realized today after looking at my blog that about 80% of the entries have a very negative and depressing overtone. I never intended this to be a place where I would whine about what is happening, mostly job related. However this is supposed to be an accurate reflection of my current state, so you my friends and family can keep updated on my life. I am going to try and stay more on the positive side, because I need a little bit more of the happy energy right now!

This week was alright, on a scale of one to ten I would say a solid 5. Monday we had a meeting at Remann Hall (the Juvenile detention facility) with our liaison between ProTeen and the probation officers (POs). After the meeting we went on a tour of the detention part of Remann Hall, so past the locked gates and got to see where the kids actually stay when they are there. It’s kind of disconcerting to hear the door lock behind you! We saw the “pods” where the kids stay, I think up to 18 in each pod. They have their own room, it’s about 5’x8” with a “cot”, toilet, sink, and mirror. Most of them have no windows, and if they do you can’t see through the glass. There is a common room, where there is a small tv and a shelf of books, and that’s about it. Some plastic furniture and tables for meals completes the common room. Each pod has a laundry room, and the kids take turns doing laundry. There is a small classroom also, for meetings and school, etc..

We were allowed to go in to an empty pod and explore it, and then we walked past a few pods that were full of males in detention. Each pod is separated by gender, and there are 1 or 2 staff in each pod at a time. More guards stand in the hallways. Kids are allowed to walk from their pods to visitation or the room where they wait to be escorted into court without escorts, but they do have leg shackles on. They have to walk with their hands behind their backs and on the right side of the hallway, and that is showing compliance. Kids who can’t handle the rules, or are very unruly are sent to “B-pod”, where they are escorted, shackled and handcuffed, everywhere as well as allowed no time outside their rooms.

It was so interesting, and kind of terrifying, to actually see where some of my clients have spent time, and get to understand the context in which they are coming from. Many of them come back time and time again, because they are served 3 meals a day, have a warm bed to sleep in, have access to school and medical care anytime they need it, which is more than a lot of them get at home. There has only been one successful escape from Remann Hall, and the kid came back for dinner the same night. It is a very empty and sterile environment, but the people who work there seem to really care about the kids.

The rest of the week was blegghh… My program still hasn’t started, and there is no news on when it might. I am getting really frustrated, and feel like I am not doing much that is making a difference. I’m doing lots of administrative tasks for NLF and ProTeen, and am involved in our fundraising Gala and a few other things. Each day I get more frustrated, which makes it hard sometimes to want to go there. I just keep praying for patience. I know I am learning things every day, it is just not at all what I expected when I signed on. I am trying to be positive, but after almost 2 months it is getting hard to stay happy, patient, and positive. (Most of you know that patience is not one of my gifts…)

Here are some pictures from a little trip to my favorite beach on Friday!

Recent Pictures

Here are some pictures from our ProTeen Staff Retreat last week. I am just going to post a few on here, for a more complete album (with awesome descriptive captions), go to http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024757&l=e0751&id=59400207.

Random Thoughts and Highlights of the Week

I apologize in advance for the scattered-ness of this posting. (Yes, I just made up a word. Yes, I did work at the Writing Center for 3 years… Shut up!)… Here are a few little highlights, thoughts, and observations from the past 5 days or so…

#1- Last week, as I said in a previous post, I turned in my first grad school paper. This week I got my grade, and was pleased to find out that my undergraduate education did indeed pay off. I owe my professors a lot for making me feel so prepared and ready for grad school.

#2- Today I took one of my clients to her (court-ordered) community service, and served with her for 3 hours. I hope that today was a good start to earning her trust so I can help her help herself. Her case is so complicated, and her relationship with her parents is so rough. It’s just hard to know what I should be saying and how I should be going about helping them.

#3- I went out to Soundview on Wednesday with my coworkers (the ProTeen team) and we did the Challenge Course. We did initiatives (teambuilding) in the morning and then high ropes in the afternoon. I haven’t been out at camp for more than 2 years now, and it felt so amazing to go back to a place that I used to call home. I’ll admit, I was a little nervous, but it was so refreshing to be back there. Soundview is such a special place that played a huge role in my life for more than 13 years. It was fun to see my coworkers experience something that I love, and get to see a place that really shaped who I am now.

#4- I got cable and internet set up in my apartment, and this is the first time in my adult life I haven’t needed bunny ears and duct tape to get five channels! Now I can see and hear all of the channels. It’s quite nice!

#5- I got gas for $3.11 a gallon today! It’s sad that I am excited about that amount, but it seems so cheap relative to the prices in the last 6 months.

Well, that’s all for now. Hopefully I’ll put some new apartment pictures up soon…

a busy week and a half...

Well, since its been about a week and a half since I last posted, I figured it was about time! BIG NEWS: I have moved into my new apartment! A big shout out to Mom and Tracy who helped big time, and carried lots of heavy things up the stairs! I absolutely LOVE my new place, and I really would love to show it to you all, so if you are ever in Tacoma please call. I will post new pictures soon, but I am not as slick at posting pictures as Kara, so we'll see...

I also am now full swing into my classes. I turned in my first paper last thursday (yikes!) and I have another one due next week. I am a little nervous to get my first once back, because I just don't know how my writing measures up to what they are expecting.

Work is going alright... my program STILL hasn't started, and i'm starting to get pretty frustrated. I am doing a bunch of stuff for NLF and ProTeen, but I have yet to actually go out to Mt. Tahoma. I guess the school district is taking forever to finalize the contract, so I am very eagerly awating the day when that happens. I just don't really feel like I am doing anything that substantive, which kind of sucks because that's what I signed up for. After more than a month, I am pretty ready to get going... That's why I can sit here at work and write my blog, because I don't really have anything better to do! :-)

I really like all of the people i'm working with, and tomorrow we are going on a little ProTeen retreat. We're going out to SoundView and we're going to do the ropes course. I'm excited, because I haven't been out there in over 2 years, which is so sad because I spent the majority of my life from ages 8 and 20 out there! I can't wait to take my coworkers out to a place that is really special in my life.

That's it for now... off to drink some (more) coffee... :-)

it's official....

... i am a total nerd! Last night was my first class in my 3 year quest to get my MSW. As they said at orientation, "3 years will pass anyway, and you can either be 3 years old with an MSW or without one"

Last night when I sat down in the classroom I felt back "at home". After 17 years of formal continuous education, the last 3 1/2 months have felt kind of odd. Admittedly, I have enjoyed not cramming for tests or writing papers at 2 in the morning or doing reading 5 minutes before a class that I should have done the previous night, but it felt so good to be back in a classroom.

My cohort (everyone who will graduate in 2011) is made up of approximately 40 students, and I am most likely the youngest! Probably 75% of the people are over age 40 and are working in a human services agency, others are not working in the field. Most of them have been out of school for longer then I've been alive, so it is a total different classroom environment than your typical Whitworth undergrad class.

I already have my first paper due next week, which is kind of thrilling and terrifying at the same time. They basically told us at orientation: "if you aren't a good writer you are either going to fail out, drop out, or need to get tons of help." I wasn't too worried because I consider myself a pretty good writer. Then last night our professor said, "if you are a great writer you need to get even better and if you are a mediocre writer you [basically need to either get lots of help or leave]". Now those weren't his exact words but they are pretty close. So now I am a little nervous, because my entire grade for this course is based on 2 papers and a presentation. Most of you know I have this sick love of writing papers and editing them, I just hope my skills are up to par with what they are hoping for.

In other news, my job with NLF is going, (how do I put it tactfully?), UUGH. My program still isn't started, so I've been doing random things like baby-sitting my coworkers kids during the day, being the "coffee girl", working on the big fundraising event we’re doing in November… So I’ve been doing lots of little things, but nothing at all related to the job I was hired for. I am a little frustrated. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been great seeing how NLF works, meeting lots of people, getting comfortable around the office, but I feel like I am doing just cushy stupid stuff that makes no difference. I am anxious to get started with what I was hired to do— help facilitate change!

I do have two cases I am helping case manage, so I have been on some home visits and to court to be there for my clients, but other than that I haven’t really had any client contact. I am trying to be patient, but by nature I am not a patient person, so it’s getting more challenging by the day.

I’m glad it’s Friday! I hope you are reading and enjoying my blog, and I miss all of you Spokane people SO MUCH!

My New Apartment!

After weeks of looking and looking, I found an apartment! It's in the Stadium District of Tacoma, which for those of you who know Tacoma is a fun neighborhood in North Tacoma next to the waterfront. It's a cute older building, and i'm on the 2nd floor (of 3). I'm moving in about a week and a half, right aroud Oct. 1st! As a side note, if you have any furniture you want to give away, let me know! :-)

Here are some pics of the building and the apartment, more to follow once I move in!

The bathroom, it's purple, and there's a clawfoot tub and a cute little antique-y sink!

The side of the building

This is the front door to the building, you can press a button and talk to me in my apartment, then I can buzz you in!

That's all for now! For more apartment pictures and other recent pictures, visit:

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024220&l=c639a&id=59400207

My First Client(s)!

This week has been great so far! I have a client! Two, actually! Since my program (Street Behaviors) hasn’t gotten the contract finalized with the school district, I have gone with one of the case managers on some family visits. And in the process I got my first client! Alex (the case manager) is this big black guy, and so I think he felt like I could identify more with teenage caucasian females than he can!

Anyway, she is a 15 year old girl who started hanging around the wrong group of friends, and her and two friends broke in to her parents house and stole some guns and other stuff… Then her two friends used the guns to rob a gas station around the corner. She was in detention and we actually met her parents at court a few weeks ago. She’s now out, and on house arrest (the only exceptions are for school and work and such). Her sentencing hearing is next week, and she’s most likely going to get community service and probation. So we’re going to help set her up with her community service, and then I am going to be spending some time just hanging out with her and trying to be a positive influence.

My second client is a 16 year old girl who has a 2 year old daughter, and is currently in detention for DV charges (domestic violence). Again, we’re going to work on setting her up with resources to help with anger issues, parenting, and also set hopefully get her on track to graduation.

I am so excited to have clients! Finally I feel like I am doing some actual work!

That’s all for now. Look for a post soon about grad school orientation and *hopefully* a new apartment!

Highlights from Week 2!

Last week was busy and busy and really busy! I am still adjusting to life back here in Tacoma. The weather has been beautiful, so it has been great to see the mountain every day, and the beautiful water. Mom and I went out to the Ram last weekend and got to watch people parasailing, which I have decided I definitely want to do someday. They take you more than 400 feet above the water, and you get to see the whole Puget Sound and the mountain, and it would be so amazing.

NLF is still working with the school district to come up with a contract for the school year for my program, so I was stuck in the office last week. I am working on re-writing the ProTeen Case Statement, which is basically a statement of programs, goals, vision, etc… that is given to funding organizations and as information about the program. Most of you who know how much I love to write/edit, so the project is a good fit for me. I also sat in on a bunch of meetings and got to see more about administration and the “inner-workings” of a big non-profit.

Yesterday we had a full day of AmeriCorps training with our whole team, and we did a walking tour of downtown and a driving tour of the Eastside. For those of you who don’t know Tacoma, the neighborhoods are separated by some significant geographical and man-made (I-5) barriers. When you cross a road or the freeway you can come across a significantly different neighborhood. I have lived here for awhile, but after yesterday I feel like I “know” my city even more than I did before. I was also introduced to some fun new coffee shops and bars, so I have some new places to explore.

I spent a majority of my off-time this week looking at apartments. I have been on craigslist and other sites making long lists of places to call! I have a few places that have openings at the end of the month, and one in particular I am pretty excited about. I don’t want to get too excited though, because nothing is finalized, and finding housing over here in the neighborhood I want seems pretty competitive.

Living at home again is a new experience every day. It is fun to be able to spend more time with my mom. Also, Faulkner (my dog), enjoys having me around because I play with him lots! I am hoping to take him running tomorrow down at the waterfront, but we’ll see. I’ve been running almost every day, and am hoping to do a 5K race at the end of the month, or maybe in early October.

I went to the Puyallup Fair last weekend with Kelsey, and it was AMAZING! We went on the white roller coaster, and a few other rides, walked a round to see a lot of exhibits, visited the horses, ate yummy food, and it made my heart happy. I think I will try to add some pictures.

Today is Tracy’s 20th birthday, and I haven’t been home for her birthday in 4 years, so it’s going to be fun.
That’s it for now, sorry this is so long! I hope you are reading, and enjoying, and feel free to leave me a comment if you wish. I don’t think you have to be registered to send a comment.

Have a great weekend! :-)

First Week at NLF

Welcome to my blog! I decided to start a blog for several reasons, as a way to keep in contact with friends and family and avoid sending out mass emails that crowd your inbox! Also, everyone else seems to be doing a blog so why not jump on the blog-train?!

For those of you who don’t know, I graduated from Whitworth in May and spent the summer in Spokane working at the Student Accounts Office. I moved back to Tacoma a few weeks ago, and started my Internship at the Northwest Leadership Foundation (NLF) on Tuesday. I am an AmeriCorps volunteer working with NLF, in what they are calling the NLF Intern Initiative. There is a team of about 20 of us who are working in various non-profits and churches across Tacoma that NLF sponsors, funds, and supports.

I am an Intern with NLF’s ProTeen program, which works with at-risk youth ages 11-18. There are three components to the program—an Evening Center which functions as a detention alternative for youth, a case-management and resources program, and the Street Behaviors program which is an alternative suspension and mentoring program for students at Mt. Tahoma High School. I am going to be working in the Street Behaviors program, and working over at Mt. Tahoma mentoring and working with youth there. They are in the process of hiring a full-time district staff member to supervise the program, so I am doing random things with the other programs in the interim.

The last 4 afternoons I have spent in court observing Juvenile court proceedings at Remann Hall, which is Pierce County’s Juvenile detention center. It has been both a heartbreaking and positive experience. I have seen kids as young as age 11 in handcuffs and ankle shackles and bright orange jumpsuits in the courtroom for offenses such as theft, possession of a controlled substance, possession of a firearm, assault, etc… Some are detained and sentenced further; others are released to a parent or foster parent/guardian, depending on the severity and circumstances. Sometimes the judge is ready to release a kid, but the parents are unable or unwilling to show up to court, which means the kids have to stay in custody. It is very sad to see a 12-year-old looking around the courtroom for a familiar face of a parent, and then the crestfallen look when they realize there is no one to support them.

It has been good to see how all of the parties (the State, probation, etc…) really work together to come up with the best sentence or plan of action for each youth. The judge really does care about the kids he sees, and is interested in doing what is best for them. Last week the judge focused on trying to release the kids he could and get them into school right at the beginning of the year. Television paints a picture of court as a really hostile place, however it is nothing like you see on TV!

I am excited for the week ahead and orienting myself more with case management resources and the juvenile system, and really understanding the context that the kids I am serving are coming from. It is my hope that I can identify with them, yet provide a positive environment and actually make a difference. I am anxious to actually get into Mt. Tahoma, [back to high school !], and start that facet of my job as well.

First Blog!

Welcome to my blog! I just got this thing started, and I will hopefully be updating you on my life an adventures as frequently as possible. Look for an *exciting* blog about the end of summer and start of my new job as an AmeriCorps intern at the Northwest Leadership Foundation soon!