Too blessed to be stressed... That's for sure. :)

In reality I am too blessed to even think about being stressed. Or at least that's what I keep telling my self...

So this year I am a junior in college. I think it's safe to say that junior year (of both high school and college) is when things start to get tough. I am finally in all of my major classes and I'm loving it! My classes are taking me into the education field where I now get to work with actual students, instead of creating lesson plans for imaginary students. I am tutoring an adorable little boy and I have the opportunity of seeing him improve in his academics after each session. It is SO neat! In addition to taking my classes I am still actively involved on campus. I have the opportunity to plan 2 school sponsored trips, one for winter break and the other for our spring break. I am mentoring two amazing, bright and lovely freshmen and helping them transition into college. I am able to serve in the community with my fellow Alpha Phi Omega brothers. I sing my heart out in the gospel choir I am a part of. I am able to watch the little girls in my Girl Scout troop grow and gain confidence. 
I am learning so much this semester! I love it! But I do feel myself being pulled in the many directions that all of my commitments require of me. Sometimes I wish that there were more than just 24 hours in a day... 

The weight of life often times stresses me out: papers, projects, feeling of self-doubt, having to stay up with the latest trends, tests, and the list goes on. But if I were to focus on all of that, my life would be terrible. And I don't want to live a terrible life.. That's no fun at all.
 Instead I keep a positive attitude about life. How do I do it? 

• I see the light at the end of the tunnel and know that the hard times will soon end and I will be able to rejoice in the fact that I am an overcomer. 
• I keep myself surrounded by people who lift me up and encourage me to be the best that I can be.
• I write letters of love to family and friends to remind them how much they mean to me in my life. 
• I keep my presence on Social Networking sites positive, cuz ain't nobody got time for all that negativity...
• I take pictures that capture love, bliss and hope. 
• I listen to music to clear my mind. 
• I use my creativity by crafting. 
• I dream about the future and what great plans are in store for me. 
• I stay strong in my faith, because it's important to me. 

But each time I feel myself starting to get overwhelmed, I have to stop myself to take the time to count my blessings. It seems like whenever I feel the waves of life starting to creep up and sweep me away, the mighty hand of God reaches down and gives a life boat to help battle the waves and I end up able to come out on top. It's so wonderful to know that I will forever and always be right in the palm of His hand, right where He wants me to be. I won't lie, the stress of life can and does start to build up and becoming discouraging. Sometimes it's hard to be positive and you start to question God and ask Him 'why are you doing this to me?' We've all done it, right? I have to stop myself most times and say 'wow, look at what He has done for me, and the amazing things He's doing through my life. Surly this is a part of His master plan.' Well.. I guess sometimes it takes me some time to come to that conclusion or to admit it, but that's alright. When I find myself doing that it always makes me think about this great cartoon. 

We can't get caught up in the little things that try to bring us down. It's important to maintain a positive outlook on life and start each day off with a smile. That's how I do it. 

This lovely picture's credit goes to a fellow Jesus lover's blog. Check it out if you have time. 

So that is a glimpse into my life right now. 

Super busy. 

Sometimes stressed. 

But always blessed. 

[Peace&Love] Jenny 

Chicago pizza, Bears and More!

My Adventure to NEBRASKA! 

YWE Camp - Girl Scouts Spirit of Nebraska - Summer 2013

When I stop to think about and count how many awesome adventures have been the result of Girl Scouts, I would probably need a few friends to help me count because I wouldn't have enough fingers. This summer I had the opportunity to travel to Nebraska to work with the Girl Scouts Spirit of Nebraska council at their YWE Camp (which stands for Young Women's Executive camp). Essentially it is a leadership camp for girls who are in high school.

Bea & I at the fancy dinner :) 

The first session of camp was located in North Platte, Nebraska, which is 4 hours west of Omaha. Upon arriving to North Platte I was greeted by a wonderful woman named Bea, who would become my best bud for the next week. We were truly a dynamic duo. I had heard many amazing and great things about Bea, but once we became friends there was no doubt in my mind that she would be a mentor and a role model for me. Over the course of the week we shared things about our personal lives and the hopes and dreams that we had for ourselves. I absolutely loved hearing about the many experiences and adventures she has had during her many years with Girl Scouts. I think the most important thing that I learned from Bea is that getting older shouldn't put a damper on the things that you love to do or the dreams that you have. She is very active in her community and is doing so many amazing things. It is my hope that I can keep her positive attitude and passion for life as I get older.

The girls and I in front of the lake.

Can't argue with this amazing view. 

The girls arrived for the first session from all across Nebraska. They varied in ages and had many different interests. The one common thread that tied them all together was their desire to learn and be successful in everything they wanted to do. As I listened to these girls, who are only in high school, it amazed me how mature they were and the huge dreams that they have for their life. All of the girls bonded very quickly and there rarely was a time when there was silence from the group. Giggles, stories, and fun times were shared at every minute of the day. We spent countless amounts of hours chatting while swimming in the lake. The women arrived the day after and it was so cool to watch the mentor-mentee pairs work together and get to know each other. The first night they were given the task to each prepare a dish over the fire for our outdoor progressive dinner. We had delicious beef stew, vegetables and dump cake that was each prepared by one of the pairs. After everything was cooked we enjoyed our homemade dinner by the lake while the sun started to set. It all is part of the recipe for a perfect summer evening. Throughout the rest of first session the girls and women participated in leadership circles, learned how to network, did many outdoor activities and enjoyed spending genuine time together. When the weekend came to a close, we all reflected upon each others strengths and it was quite a tearful goodbye.

Our wonderful group on our way to our fancy dinner! Yum yum! 

Bathroom selfies. You can never go wrong. 

Found Buffalo Bill while in North Platte. 

 I had a few days in between the 2 sessions of camp, so my wonderful friend Wendy let me stay with her for the duration. We had a lot of fun staying up late watching movies and talking about life. I got to meet her young adorably awesome nephew. We became instant friends, obviously. We bonded over cartoons and our love for pets. I also got to accompany my friend Wendy when she officially adopted her 2 beautiful greyhounds from the humane society. It was my favorite when the greyhounds would race each other around the backyard. They literally were faster than the speed of light. Okay, maybe not that fast, but they were little speed demons. They insisted on being lapdogs while we tried to watch a movie on the couch (which if you have ever seen a greyhound, you will understand why this could be a problem, or end up that your sitting on the floor while the dogs are on the couch...).

Our second session of YWE Camp was located about an hour south of Omaha at one of the Girl Scout council's camps. The camp property is absolutely amazing! It's located right by an orchard and has beautiful cabins, a pool, high & low ropes course and a great archery range. During this session we had 8 girls and 8 women. The women came from organizations like Union Pacific, Borsheims Jewelry Co, Nebraska Furniture Mart, the Community Services Fund and many more. We had the privilege of hearing some sessions about finical literacy, etiquette, business card making, train safety and so much more. One thing that we got to do that was different than the week before was the high ropes course. Now I'm not much of a person who is into heights and such, but I do enjoy watching others and cheering them on. Our first obstacle was the huge rock wall!! And let me tell you, boy was it a tall wall! It was amazing to watch people scamper up to the top like they were spiders going on a leisurely stroll. One girl, Mia, showed true determination to get to the top. She got about 3/4 of the way up to the top and then started to struggle. She could have easily given up and been satisfied with the distance she had traveled, but she didn't. Instead she went at it until she was successful. I think I can speak for all of us that were on the ground cheering her on that we probably wanted her to succeed just as much as she wanted it. Every time her hand slipped or she lost her grip I felt it like I was up there with her. Once she made it to the top cheers erupted as her fellow Girl Scout sisters celebrated this accomplish with her. I was SO proud of her and know that the determination she demonstrated will carry her far in life.

The girls and mentors from Session 2! :) 

The wonderful Girl Scout staff that I got to work with while I was in Nebraska. 

Going into this experience I had 2 goals for myself:
#1. To be a mentor for the girls and to learn how I can support them to be successful.
#2. Network with the women mentors that were coming.

As I reflect upon my time at YWE Camp, I can say that I definitely worked to accomplish both of those goals. There is however one other thing that I gained from this experience that was unexpected. During those two weeks I gained a new sense of who I am and who I want to be. I learned new things about myself and became more confident in the woman that I am becoming. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone by trying new things. But most of all I let my walls and my guard down. As I traveled back to Chicago to get ready to start my junior year of college, I felt a wave of calmness and readiness for anything that comes my way. In those 2 weeks I met amazing women and girls who left imprints on my hear. I met life changers, young and old, who are passionate about doing things to better the world. I was surrounded by the sisters that the Girl Scout organization has given me the chance to meet and befriend. And all of that is exactly what I needed.


Click here to read an article that the local newspaper published about our camp's first session.

Zip lining through the forest. Wheeeee! 

Meet my wonderful horse Utah.

Showing off my mad archery skills. No big deal. :) 

P.S. For those of you wondering why this post is titled "Chicago pizza, bears and more" let me explain. During introductions the first session I told the group I was from Chicago and one of the girls stopped me mid-sentance and asked, "So if your from Chicago, do you eat Chicago pizza all the time?" It caught me off guard and made me chuckle. Later on that day I found a picture of one of the founders of the cabin pictured with a bear. They told me that he was from North Platte and that helped do something with the cabin we were staying in. My next question to them was, "So are there bears in Nebraska then? Because he has a pretty nice sized bear chilling out with him..." Everyone proceeded to laugh and say "Of course not Jenny! Why would there be bears in Nebraska?" My question to them is still, then why the heck is he chilling out with a bear?

{Peace&Love} Jenny 

Sophomore Year of College. Here today, gone tomorrow...

My thoughts about what college would be like in high school and what it is actually like now that I am in college are completely different. Last year when my freshman year came to an end I was amazed how I made it out alive... Ha. But really though... Now that I'm done with my sophomore year I am in awe of the fact that I am half way through my entire college career. Let's take a moment to just take all that in... Wow. That's all I can say.

My sophomore year has been filled with many adventures, struggles, joys, challenges and many growing experiences. I am so proud of who I am today and all of the things that I have accomplished. Let's take a walk down memory lane of my sophomore year of college... 

This year I had the pleasure of rooming with an amazing individual named Katie. I love her to death because she is just that amazing. We shared many laughs and sometimes had late night random conversations. I really enjoyed being her roommate this year and am super excited to live in an apartment with her and 2 other girls next year. Our dorm room (while very small) was quite fantastic.

Welcome to our humble abode. As you might be able to tell we really like pictures... No shame. :) 

My roommate Katie & I. 

Fun things that happened this semester: 

• I participated in a 5k with the Girl Scouts! 

The Girl Scout council I am a part of held it's first 5k in Chicago. I had the pleasure of participating in it with my mom and dad. The day was absolutely gorgeous plus we got to walk by the lake front. My family did the walk portion of the day, and for most of the walk we were behind moms with strollers. Those said moms liked to walk... and talk... and stop to take pictures... and talk a little more... Needless to say it probably took us longer to finish the 5k as a result of walking behind them. But it was totally alright because that meant that we just had longer to enjoy the amazing day and be together as a family. During the second portion of the day I got to work at the 'Older Girl Scout' booth. It was really neat because I got to talk to junior high and high school aged girls and tell them all about the cool things that older Girl Scouts get to do. I was able to share my experiences and tell stories of my travel adventures.

My parents & I at the 5k. Don't you love the city skyline? Gotta love Chicago. 

Myself at the finish line! Yeah buddy! I made it. 

•  Saw the Buried Life cast speak at my university.

The boys from the Buried Life (which is a TV show on MTV and also the authors of the book "What do you want to do before you die?") came to speak at my university. First of all they are all super attractive. Super cute. But they are also amazing individuals who are passionate about having fun, living life to the fullest and helping people. They came up with a bucket list of things they wanted to do before they died. We all have some sort of bucket list, don't we? Their list has some pretty crazy things on it, but they are ambitious enough to accomplish them. It was really neat to hear them speak and tell stories about the various items that they have checked off the list. 

My future roomies and I at the Buried Life presentation. 

•  I was a Girl Scout Daisy Troop Leader 

This year I was a Daisy troop leader for a Girl Scout troop at a local grade school in my university's town. We had a lot of the same girls as last year and gained a few new faces too. This year our girls were in first grade. I loved every minute of my time with them. Their excitement for life and curiosity helped me to capture the inner child in me. I loved watching the girls grow over the past two years. It's amazing to see the girls that were super shy and how they have transformed like little butterflies. I can honestly say that none of our girls were shy or quiet at the end of this year. It's been great to share the Girl Scout experience with these girls and their families. 

Our girls got a tour of the fire station. It was really neat to see all the bells and whistles on the fire engines. 

Group picture with our older Brownie friends at our bridging ceremony.

Those are just a few... Can't wait to see what next year has in store! 

STLF - Pay It Forward Tour - Day One

Spring Break 2013

Students Today Leaders Forever - Pay It Forward Tour

Denver Mystery Bus

#thisbusisonfire

This spring break I have the wonderful opportunity to go on the Pay It Forward tour with the organization called Students Today Leaders Forever! During this trip 45 college students will be visiting 7 cities in 9 days!! This is my second tour and I'm even more excited to go than I was the first time!

The bus I am traveling with has the final destination of Denver, Colorado. The interesting thing about my bus is that it is a mystery bus, so I do not know any of the other cities that we will be traveling to. Each day our bus core will surprise us and tell us where our next destination is!! Talk about living on the edge! Haha!

Friday morning all the members of my bus got to our meeting place at the early 8 am hour to see our chariot for the week, a green Cavallo bus, waiting for us. Although it was still fairly early, everyone was SUPER pumped to be serving across the country for a week! Before the trip I knew a few people that were going on my trip, but I was really excited to make lots of new friends!

We made it to Memphis! AKA Siphmem

The bus departed promptly on time and after driving for a few hours we STILL didn't know where the heck we were going! All during this time, I was being resourceful and was looking at my phones map trying to figure out where we could possibly be going. We passed through St. Louis and for a moment I was pretty convinced that we were going to Kansas City Missouri. Instead of heading west however we headed south and eventually ended up in Memphis Tennessee!!!!

Beale Street!!! 

Our first activity of the night was to explore Beale Street! This was my 3rd or 4th time being in Memphis, but you can still always find something fun to do! We wandered around in downtown Memphis and found a lot of cute little streets along with some very interesting people. For dinner a group of my friends and I ate at this BBQ place. It was quite yummy!!

Fast facts about Beale Street! 

After a few hours of exploring time, we loaded the bus once again to head to our housing site. We stayed in this really nice church. During the whole week we are sleeping on the floor, but I think it builds character. Haha. Night activities took place and surprisingly we all still had a bunch of energy. I'm not really sure how. Haha. Nevertheless, there were still constant giggles and smiles from everyone from the bus.

Elvis? Yep :) 

Some of the girls exploring downtown Memphis! 

Macy & I enjoying the atmosphere and nightlife of Beale Street. 

Night activities concluded the night and then we were off to bed. I anticipated that I wouldn't get much sleep the rest of the trip, so I decided to catch some Zz's while I could. The next morning we would wake up early to do a service project in the Memphis area. Then in the afternoon it would be off to our next destination!

[Peace. Love. Service.]

- Jenny 

Snapchat! Seriously!

SNAP + chat = Pure Awesomeness

So there's this little app on my phone called Snapchat.... It's probably been around for a while, but I just discovered it last month. And let me tell you, it is pure AWESOMENESS. Why didn't they invent this before hand? Like seriously!!

For those of you that haven't ever heard of Snapchat, let me tell you about it. You start off by taking a picture of something. It could be basically anything. It could be a picture of you, your dog, a stranger, a crazy quote or anything your little heart desires! Then you can write text on it or draw on it, to obviously make it even more awesome than it probably already is. After finishing your masterpiece, you can select a time for it to be displayed. You see, when you send your amazing masterpiece to a fellow friend, that friend of yours only gets to view it for a limited amount of time. It can range from anything from 1 second to 10 seconds. So if you want to be really mean, set it to only be shown for 1 second. But that would be cruel and not very fun, so I wouldn't recommend it. Next you get to choose the lovely recipient of your masterpiece. You must pick the perfect person to send your artwork to.

Now the only thing you have to do is W...A...I...T. You must wait for your fellow friend to Snapchat you back! Then the fun begins ALL over again! :)

Why am I obsessed with Snapchat you ask? I have no idea. It's just too much fun, so it's been a little addicting. Who needs texting when you have the awesomeness of Snapchat! Seriously!

So SNAP away my friends! Have a great night :)

{Peace&Love} Jenny 

#byebyebowman

A few days ago we found out that the president of our university was going to be retiring. This came as sad news to practically all the students here on campus because everyone loves our president. He has been president of this university for several years now and has done many great things for our campus. Although I haven't gotten the chance to meet or talk to him personally, I know for a fact that he cares for each and everyone of us.

To honor him and show our appreciation, all the students (well, a good majority) took part in a pep rally yesterday afternoon. The students, along with the marching band, gathered in the grassy area outside the window to his office. At noon we all started chanting his name in hopes that he would hear us. Sure enough he heard us and came down to greet us and talk to us. He gave an impromptu speech. In that speech he expressed how much he appreciates us and how he is going to miss us. He then went on to say how we all deserve A's and if our teachers didn't give them to us he would be mad. (I wish he had the power to give us all A's haha). But overall it was nice to have a send off for a man that gave his all to this university.

[Peace&Love] Jenny

I Voted! And you should too!

Unless you live in a cardboard box, you probably have heard that it is election season. I registered to vote this year for the first time, and I'm glad I did. It's really cool knowing that your vote can help change the future and elect the person that will be leading you and your fellow citizens.

This past weekend I went and voted early in my hometown. I thought I would share my experience in voting in my first Presidential election. My grandparents picked me up from the bus stop and took me ot the polling place to vote. It's a crazy story and involves us (my Bapa & I) almost getting arrested... So prepare yourselves :)

We arrived to the polling place and my Bapa & I parked and went inside. Before we went inside, he saw that there was an American flag outside the door. He insisted that we take a picture in front of it before we go inside.

As my Bapa was taking the picture seen above, a family of 3 came out of the building. With them was a boy who looked to be about my age, and was also voting for his first time too. His parents saw this marvelous picture opportunity and insisted that he do the same pose after I was through. He didn't seem to excited for this though. I smiled apologetically and said, "You're welcome?"

We then proceeded to go into the building and fill out the necessary forms. Upon filling out the forms and I stood in line to check in and prove to them that I was indeed who I claimed to be. The women that was helping me fill out all the forms and such asked me if this was my first time voting. A smile broke across my face and I replied, 'Yes!' She then proceeded to announce this to the whole ENTIRE room of voters by saying, 'Hey everyone! We have a first time voter!!!!!' Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and clapped for me. While I did blush and turn beet red from all the sudden attention I was receiving, it was kind of cool that they were all excited for me to vote for the first time. 

It soon became my turn to go into the little voting booth. I was surprised to find out that the ballots were electronic, so you were voting on a computer type thing. I always remember when I was younger and I went with my parents to vote I always thought it was a paper ballot. But hey, it's the 21st century folks, so I guess we can use fancy technology to vote! Ha! 

The next set of pictures seen below document the morning adventure so far. My Bapa LOVES to take pictures and wanted to capture this moment in history. I may not have been super excited to take a ton of pictures during the whole process of voting, but I'm thankful that he did because now I can show these to my future kids and grandkids saying, 'Look, here's the first time I ever voted!'

Waiting in line to get all the registration done. 

Starting to vote!  

This is my 'okay, too many pictures' face... Lol :)

Okay, now comes the exciting part of the morning. As I was standing in my little voting booth (would you consider it a booth? Maybe just a station...) my Bapa was standing on the other side of the room, taking pictures of course. He wanted to take an ariel shot of the whole room. As he was doing so, one of the officials came up to him and said, 'Excuse me sir, you cannot take pictures in here, it's against the federal law. I'm going to have to ask you to delate that photo.' During this conversation, I was still concentrating on voting, but the thought crossed through my mind, 'Are we going to go to jail? I haven't even said goodbye to my parents yet...' Am I being a little dramatic? Yeah, probably. But it was an adventure none the less. 

I am thankful that I am able to vote and took advantage of this amazing opportunity. I also am glad that I got to experience it with my grandparents. It's empowering to know that I am voting for our future as citizens of the United States of America.  

{Peace&Love} Jenny