Well, it is definitely safe to say that I have been busy since my last post. And, I want to apologize for anyone who anxiously waits to read my blog posts. (lol, yeah right.) Anyways, I wanted to let all of you know what has happened in my life since March.
April: I was so busy with finishing up school in April. I was studying my butt off for finals the first week of May, and then the unexpected happened. All of you know what happened on April 27th. On the 27th, one of the deadliest strings of tornadoes ripped through our state, and the most deadly of these came right through Tuscaloosa. I remember every single last detail about that day, from watching it on the TV in our dorm, and then going downstairs and watching it on our laptops. I will never forget James Spann saying "Lets take a look at that Tuscaloosa Skycam....Oh my God, I can't tell if that's a tornado or a wall cloud." It was at that second that I looked at Tiffany and said, we've got to turn around and get in the "tornado position," it's coming right for us. We all turned and faced the wall and held hands, and not long after the power went out. I kept telling everyone around me I loved them, and then I called my mom. She eventually told me where the tornado's path was, and at the time, it was coming right for Bryant Denny, and if you know anything about campus, my dorm is very close to the stadium. I remember crying, telling my mom I loved her, and calling my boyfriend to tell him I loved him. I seriously thought that those few moments would be my last. Eventually, the tornado turned, and it was no longer headed right for us. The rest of the night was miserable, we had no power, no cell service, no internet, basically no way to get in touch with anyone that we loved. Tiffany was the only person whose cell phone worked, and I remember her running outside to tell me my mom needed to talk to me now. She told my that my Great Uncle's house had been hit, and that he had been in the house by himself. (He is in his eighties) He was very blessed in the situation because he survived without a scratch on him. The next morning, we all went out and walked around our Ttown, shocked at how much destruction had been done. We couldn't even remember what was located in the badly damaged places. My parents came, and we set out to reach my uncle and see his house. We walked through what was probably the worst hit part of the city, Alberta. I remember seeing people pushing buggy's full of their belongings. People were sitting in front of their houses just crying. Seeing the stores and restaurants I loved so much destroyed was one thing, but to see a persons entire life laying in a pile of rubble is something I will never be able to explain to anyone. The last few days of April consisted of my family going through what was left of my Uncle's belongings and figuring out where he would go, because his house was severely beyond repair.
May: It took us all weekend to get everything situated for my Uncle, and on our last day I looked at my parents and told them that they could be upset with me if they wanted to, but I was coming back to Tuscaloosa to volunteer somehow. I told them that God didn't spare me to sit at home and watch TV, going to help was exactly what I was supposed to do. The week that I was there was probably the most rewarding week of my life. I ended up delivering hot meals out to the neighborhoods in Alberta city with a few girls from UA. I will never be able to explain the things I saw while there, nor will I be able to tell someone how touching it was to hear the people who had lost everything look at me and say "God bless you." I was enlightened in the week, and I now know that I should ALWAYS be thankful for everything that God has given me. Coming home to start work was really hard for me. I just felt like I should have stayed, but I knew that home was where I needed to be. I started work at the Alabama 4-H center, where I was a lifeguard/Summer camp counselor. The month of May I Just trained for when the kids arrived.
June: The month of June consisted of work. And that's about it. Literally, I worked every day of the week, except Sunday. But sometimes I would work on Sundays too.One day at work, I rolled my left ankle really bad, and had to be taken to the ER because my boss was worried that I had broken it. Turns out it was just sprained really bad, I was on crutches for a few days and wore a brace too. I didn't really do much else besides work, and while I loved my job, I was getting extremely tired of it! The end of June was really hard, because I had to say goodbye to some of the best coworkers in the world, and I can definitely say that I made some amazing friends out of the job!
July: I took a long break from work and went to visit my grandmother in FL. It was a very relaxing trip. While I was there, I came across a great job on Care.com, it was a babysitting job that would pay very well for working 2:30-6 M-F. I was really looking forward to hearing from my potential boss. It took her about a week to get back with me and let me know that she wanted me to come in for an interview. I asked where her office was, and she told me it was at the Athletic Facility on campus. I came down for an interview and found out that she is the Football team's lead nutritionist, which I thought was really cool. But, I was still a little unsure if I would get the job. A few days later, she asked me to come by and meet with her husband and kids. I felt like the visit went really well, but I was a little unsure when I hadn't heard anything within 3 days. But, I was okay with it because my birthday was the following Saturday, and I also left for the beach with Codey and his family. Saturday night, I got a text, and it was from my current boss. She offered me the job and I was thrilled!! She asked me to come in the week after I got back from the beach to meet with her kids and get them transitioned to being with me.
August: The beginning of August was just me getting ready to start my new job. I came down for a few visits the first week, and then on the 9th I moved into my new apartment. I am so excited to be in my own place, although it is still kinda weird to be away from my family all the time. I'm sure I will get used to it though! I started my new job last night, it was my first day by myself with the kids. Everything was going great, until I stepped wrong and rolled my already hurt left ankle. I sucked it up and walked all the way back from the park with both children. It started swelling really bad because I had to put so much tension on it while walking back. When I got back to my apartment, I kept it elevated and kept Ice on it so hopefully it will heal quickly! I go back to work this evening, and maybe I wont have to run around too much with them! :) Also yesterday, my little brother started his Senior year, and I cannot believe he will graduate this year. It feels like just the other day we were playing around the house.
Now that I am officially caught up on blogging, I hope that I can stay on track and keep everyone posted on whats going on it my life. I am really excited to see what this school year is going to hold for me, but until then, I have 2 weeks to live up before school. I wanted to share some pictures of the past few months with you!
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| This is a little boy I met while volunteering. I made sure to give him a toy, and someone snapped this picture, It made me cry the first time I saw it. |
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| One of my adorable campers this summer :) |
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| And, a few of my great coworkers! |
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| Me, Ragen, and baby Lane at the beach! :) |
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| Me and Codey at the beach :) |
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| My bedroom at the new apartment! |
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| And, our awesome kitchen! |
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| My big ole fat ankle after I rolled it :( |
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| And just a silly picture of me and Mojo from when we were little :) |
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