WoW! Blogging is alot harder than I though, especially since I can't seem to write more then one update every three months lately.
Well Christmas was amazing! I went home to see the friends and family. Christmas with the fam, Aunt Jackie's B-day the day after, The Nutcracker with some of the bestest, an east coast blizzard, and of course the epic New Year's Eve party, created two of the best weeks ever. Then it was back to the airport at 4am to fly back to sunny AZ.
I hoped out the plane at PHX, the taxi-man turned on the radio and a brittany song was on. I rolled up to my house gave him seven or eight, I looked at my back yard it was covered in water.
I opened the back door only to find the house covered in about three-inches of water and it raining from the ceiling. (Again JVC, really)
After a very stressful three hours, I was finally warm and dry at my suport person's house.
To make a VERY, VERY, VERY long story short a pipe bursted due to the deep freeze in Phoenix over New Year's weekend, our house was destroyed, we got kicked out, couch surfed for a few days, and were finally temporarly settled into apartments owned by on of our agencies. Kim is working with us to help find the JVs a new house, so we will see how that goes.
In the Midst of all this crazy house stuff, I was able to leave on a 4 day retreat called Kairos with a bunch of the seniors (around 40). It was definately a heart-warming and in some ways life changing expeirence. Watching the transformation of the boys that week and seeing them face their pasts and futures, inspired me, and gave me hope for my own life. They are all truly amazing individuals that I am glad I was able to get to know. Also if you ever have the chance to watch about 20 teenage boys play mafia at 2am you definatly should, becuase it may have been one of the most entertaining things ever.
I was back at school for three days only to be wisked off on another trip this time to NorCal for a JVC retreat. I headed up to San Jose at 20,000 ft on a southwest flight and while most of the phoenix contingent headed up to SanFran for the night I remained in San Jose to spend the night with E Mawbs (i.e. one of the Chicago South Housies). It was great to see her. We talked for hours making rice and pot stickers (with salad of course)
I woke up the next morning, watched three episodes of the Jeresy Shore (Oh the joys of cable and life after JVC) and headed up to Aptos, CA to be RE-Re-Oriented by JVC. Thus marking 3/4 done with my JV expiernce. While there we did the whole speakers, mass, sharing thing. The casamates and I were able to get a break from work and remember why we wanted to do this in the first place. I also got really obsessed with euchre, and played for like seven hours in a row (undefeated too) the last night.
I returned only to be greated by another day out of the office, taking 13 boys to participate in the annual diocesean Catholic Schools Week mass, rally, and this year we also did a service project. I was able to play chauffer in a mini-bus and share some laughs. We were also able to see some famous speakers, like the Govener of AZ and the current Speaker of the House. I also became quote worthy. I said "Duh! What's the point of even having a car if you can't trick it out." I am told this is going to be appearing in the next edition of the school newspaper. Great lol.
The last big event was going home for SEARCH weekend, this past weekend. It was great seeing all the usual people and the parents. I feel good and ready for the next six months of JVC and whatever else comes my way from then on. Next weekend I'm going with a group of students to skid row in LA so that should be cool.
Well thats the basics of what happened. Hope to post something deeper soon lol.
