Hoops of Goodness

This week at work we're rolling with the theme of wellness and promoting the overall message of good decision making. Last night we hosted the First Annual Seniors vs Seniors basketball game. Twelve senior kids verse twelve teachers who were out shooting hoops to raise money for Precious Gems. I went into the planning and preparation with having never done anything like this before & we managed to pull off a very successful evening.

We had around 250 in attendance. There were those in the crowd cheering for their fellow classmates while others were pulling for the aged and winded teachers. It was a whole lot of fun with good music, positive vibes and a whole lot of dribbling and shooting. We raised around $600 which will all go towards prevention programs at Seneca. How cool is that?

Sitting on the bench, catching my breathe, looking around at all the kids and staff I was overcome by the love, support and overwhelming goodness of people that walk the halls of Seneca each day. I am blessed to work in a place that looks beyond the realm of academics and drives towards strengthening character, heart and spirit that will last long beyond their years at Seneca. Being able to be a part of something so unique is really quite amazing and I do not take any aspect of it for granted.


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The past few weeks have been anything but boring and predictable. Between wedding stuff, field trips, the precious gems activities scheduled throughout this week and everything else my head can seem to be bursting at the seems. But even in the midst of the insanity, it all seems so worth it when considering the end result.

With winter feeling to be in the distant past having the opportunity to get outside and even a little dirty, is right up my alley. Last week there was a community wide clean-up in Chatsworth with heaps of clubs involved from Seneca. We covered a 2.5 mile span and it was nice having an opportunity to make a dent. A few days later I had the opportunity to take a group of 30 students to Cooper Trauma for a program based on the importance of making good decisions and living life with the realization that it is precious, fragile & critical to live fully with opportunity to make a difference. Sixteen and seventeen year old kids presented with a very real, intense message. I believe in my heart a difference is being made. It's important to keep the message consistent and real.

With a pretty layered week, it was wonderful to have a weekend of chill and pre-meditated catch up on what lies ahead in the week to come. Tomorrow night we roll with teachers verse student basketball game to raise money for Precious Gems and then onto Saturday for the 12th annual run. Lots to do and lots of coffee in between, but all for some super good reasons. Keep on keepin' on.


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Visit de hermana

The past week seems a blur, but a very relaxing and enjoyable blur. Jess and the boys returned to Va after nearly a week in Jersey. Not only was the weather perfect, but having time to be together in a very non-rushed Jersey state of mind was great. The boys loved rolling down the street in their wagon heading to the beach with no real itinerary for the day. It was a 'daily planner free zone' for about 96 hours and it was wonderful.

I feel blessed to have the time I do with Jess and the boys & being with them puts me in a good place. In a few weeks they'll be rolling back into town for the fun run. We're gearing up for the 12th annual, which is hard to believe. I'll be looking forward to another Tristan & Gabe session as we draw closer to May. Yay!



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It seems as though we might actually be in the midst of Spring with snow, ice and frost being a distant memory. Last week skies were dark and rain pelting down & all I could think of was the desperate need for sun and chill. Winter has felt somewht never ending leading me to distant visions of palm trees and flip flops that felt, at times, unattainable. But the past two days have put an end to all that and have been the essence of earth, wind and chill. Jess, Tristan, Gabe & I hit the market in Richmond on Saturday with clear blue skies, sun and sprouting green sprigs of grass. Yay, Spring!

From hanging out at the park, making smores and even partaking in a fairly impressive Easter Egg Hunt; it was really quite a wonderful weekend. I've been missing Keith & the girls as they are across the pond treking through London & Paris, but they're having a great time and that's a good thing : )

The last time I was on the farm it was overcast, gray and much of the 95 acre wood felt lifeless. Time has an amazing way of transforming things and Faith Farm definitely sprung to life. Green rolling hills, budding trees and baby piglets and sheep bouncing around the hillside is a vision to behold. Wow, it is truly beautiful! We were able to bat out a number of things on 'the list' for the wedding and as life springs back to the farm it's exciting to have a vision of what this place will look like come August 1st.

The car is all packed up and Jess & the boys & I shall be venturing north of the Mason Dixon for some quality time together in Jersey. It'll be nice to be together, continue catching up and possibly do a little dress shopping for the wedding. Jess has been quite the 'wingman' for me these past few months & I'm profoundly blessed to have her through all the planning stages. Good stuff. We're up and out at 2 am and officially, on the road again!




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Poppin' the Pregunta

After what seemed to be an endless winter, it finally feels as if spring has indeed sprung. The sprouting grass, budding trees & blossoming flowers have been a welcomed reprieve from the snow, gray and overall gross nature of the past winter. Yay, spring! As seasons change, there are also shifts in the tide of life. This past week brought with it a bit of change, in some tremendously wonderful ways, with officially being proposed to. Can I get a, yay!

A group of good friends and I meet up about once a month for our girl time. With good friends & good food in the midst it made the perfect setting for a proposal. With desert in hand and posing as a waiter, my pre-husband arrived with 'will you marry me' scribed in chocolate. It seemed everyone in the restaurant was in on it and there were claps, tears & smiles all around. Totally awesome!

The official date is August 1st on the farm. Tristan & Gabe are the ring bearers
and Jordan & Taylor are the best women. There will be flip flops, tiki torches and lots of yummy food. Could you ask for anything more? Feeling profoundly blessed and in total awe of God's goodness and the richness of this past year. Soaking it in one day at a time.



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Goodness abounds

With the first feel of spring in the air it seemed appropriate to take advantage of the weather, put on the flip flops & take a few pics for a little 'save the date' action. Beach four of Medford Lakes was the official site marking our pre-wedding goodness. Yay! A good friend, Ali (110 represent!!!), was gracious enough to spend an afternoon taking pics that will marke the official announcement. She was awesome:)

The past few weeks have been a tad on the hectic side with beginning the epic task of planning & organizing....of which I'm fairly challenged at both of these. Deep breathing. I have been in awe of God's hand in all of this. There is tremendous peace, joy and goodness that leaves me in awe at the direction life has taken.

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Feedin' in Philly & quality girl time

It feels like winter has been in session way too long. Even now I'm tapping away on the keyboard in the kitchen instead of in my office; second snow day in a row & at this point we might just be setting off fireworks at graduation pressing into July. Wahoo!!! (that's just a tinge of sarcasm in that statement...)

But as there were signs of potential winter blues setting in I was fortunate enough to participate in an outreach project with an area church handing out lunches, hot coffee & clothing to a number of homeless individuals we came in contact with in the Love Park area of Philly. How quickly the problems we get tangled in seem to not appear quite as massive when passing a warm meal onto someone who doesn't know where they will be sleeping that evening or when their next meal will be. It's experiences like these that have a rapid way of placing things into perspective.

It was pretty neat taking a step back and watching the kids involved really hit the ground running. Kids taking time out of their weekend to hop a train into Philly and enter the front lines and make a difference in a way few would bother to do. It was an absolutely empowering day to which we will be repeating in June with my Seneca kids. Two bus loads of kids with heaps of sandwiches, juice packs & cookies. Goodness abounds...

From Philly gears shifted to serious girl time catching up with two of my closest friends over some serious Italian food. Anytime Janet, Sue & I get together there is quite a good deal of food, epic discussion, laughter and the occasional tears in lieu of laughing too much. I think our girl time keeps life rolling in a much richer and lighter way. Even with a heap of snow out there and feeling a sense of Jersey being the eternal land of winter abyss... girl time makes flip flops and sun not so untouchable.



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