Peace, Love and ongoing goodness

I love summer. If summer were a forever thing I'm pretty sure I would be fully content. My goal is to wring the most out of the sun, extra time and opportunities to love and grow.
This past week was the ideal mixture of summer days that make me happy to be alive. Tristan was up with me for the week and from our chats about life to having him participate in a leadership camp for incoming freshman it was sheer awesomeness.
I feel very grateful to have opportunities to be with the nephews and just how very happy they make my heart. The little dude was rocking out from sun up to sun down from the lake, the beach, skate park and back yard it was non-stop awesomeness. He definitely kept me on my feet and brought lots and lots of smiles to my face.

I've been a SAC for ten years now and I've tinkered and tweaked many types of programs over the years. But this was my first experience leading a group of incoming freshmen for my first annual "Peace, Love and Leadership Camp." It exceeded expectations. It was so insanely awesome to watch these kids gain insight into the power behind having a plan and goals for high school before they even step foot in the door come September. We hit on their peer group, decisions regarding substances, the importance of being submerged in the school culture as well as the richness involved in giving back. It rocked!

The week ended with close to 20 teens bringing in bags of food collected in their communities and then stacking and bagging goods for families in our area. It was awesome watching them realize the impact they were making and that it didn't take too much sacrifice on their part to do something pretty significant. My heart swelled with pride as I spotted Tristan next to the Food Pantry coordinator organizing pasta sauce and veggies. He didn't hesitate to jump in and later commented on how cool it felt to help people. There's no age limit in giving back. What an awesome week that was challenging, fulfilling and provided a sense of stoke that has left me ready for more. Bring on the goodness!

Honduras

After a pretty intense school year it was really nice to have the opportunity to go off the grid for a week in the middle of nowhere. We opted to stay on Roatan island in Honduras. It is a land of rainforest, beaches and breathtaking reef breaks. With all the beauty the country's people face tremendous poverty and with that comes the risk of petty crime as a traveller. We did our best not to stick out, although that's not the easiest of tasks when you pretty much look and sound American. Touristas....hard to deny the label.

The part of the island we stayed on was far from the ship ports, traffic and street vendors pedaling peanuts to sunglasses. Quiet was nice. I'm thinking I am showing my age when sitting in the hammock sipping coffee, reading and catching the sunset is my speed. I will say the other speed entailed free diving and snorkeling around some fantastic reef sights. How can you beat spear fishing a heap of lion fish followed up with searing them on the grill for dinner? Love it! 

It was a week that went quickly, but one that I really enjoyed. Slowing down, enjoying life and being around the ones you love make you all the more grateful for the days you are given. I'm not sure if we'll ever make it back to Honduras, but it was an amazing trip that will go down in the books.