sad vacay is over but happy to be home!

We made it back home to Iowa!! After was seemed like the longest hours in the car of the entire trip, we finally made it back home all alive and in one piece! It was a tiring drive home after having two early mornings back to back but definitely worth it since we got back home early enough in the afternoon.I was being entertained on the drive home by Jordan sending me really cute and funny pictures of Paisley! Everyone planned to go to dinner together at Cactus but my body had a different plan. Once I got home, I laid down on the couch and started telling Jordan different stories from the trip then he took Paisley out to go the bathroom. In that short 5-10 minute span, I fell asleep and stayed asleep for almost four hours so by the time I woke up, the group dinner was long over and I had missed it but the nap was definitely much needed! I’m sure we will all have a reunion again in the near future and I’m lucky I got to spend such an incredible week with an amazing group of girls and friends!
             
High of the day: getting back home to Jordan and Paisley…I definitely really missed both of them throughout the week!
             
Low of the day: realizing the amazing vacation and experience I just had is truly over! Now I’m reliving it all through my journal and the pictures!

well hey there Nashville! Yeehaw!

Today we hit the road at 5:15am and left for Nashville. It was a brutal wake-up call when our alarms went off this morning at 4:50am since we didn’t lay down to go to bed until almost 2:00am! I sure hope those scarves were worth it! We drove close to 10ish hours to made it to Nashville and once we got to our hotel, everyone got showered and cleaned up before heading downtown for dinner and shopping. We ate dinner at Margaritaville and then did some shopping at cute little stores and shops in the downtown area. We stopped in the huge and amazing candystore…I wanted to buy almost everything in there and somehow resisted the urge! I somehow walked away with only a silver of fudge for myself and a huge peanut butter cup for Jordan. Once everyone was shopped out and exhausted from the long day and early morning, we decided to call it a night and make our way back to the hotel. I can’t believe it’s already Friday and that we will be making the last leg of the drive home to Iowa tomorrow…this week has been by way too fast!
               

High of the day: having one last night together as a group while we are still on vacation and visiting Nashville! I had never been there before but it seemed like an awesome city!
                

Low of the day: getting up so early in the morning and knowing we are leaving just as early again tomorrow!

waiting to eat dinner at Margaritaville
and wearing the scarves we each arm-knitted!

Serving Breakfast & Downtown Disney!

Today was a long, fun-filled day from start to finish! We started out the day by serving breakfast at the Village to over 400+ kids and family members! It was so fun getting to see each child and family start their day off and hear which parks they were visiting or what they had seen so far during the week. One family sat at a table closest to where we would receive the trays and they kept talking to all of us each time we would come back over. They were originally from New Jersey and the mom used to dance with Beyonce and the dad used to play for the New York Giants! When we told them we were all going to school for Child Life and on a university spring break trip, they had tears in their eyes and were so happy. They went on and on about how much they love their child life specialists at their hospital in Georgia and how they would be lost without them when their son is admitted. They had the best spirit and attitude that I never would have thought their son was currently going through cancer treatment and receiving chemo. When they were leaving, the dad gave me a big hug and thanked me for everything that we are doing this week. The mom then gave me a big hug with tears in her eyes and said, “keep doing what you’re doing. All of you girls are going to change the world and I’m lucky to have met each of you.” It made my heart so happy hearing that because we have felt like the lucky ones all week getting to meet each of these kids and families but they feel just as lucky to know us and have us here.
                
Once we were done with breakfast, we all loaded up in the van and made the trip to Orlando to visit Arnold Palmer’s Children’s Hospital. We met with Linda, the Child Life manager, at the hospital and she gave us a tour around. We didn’t really see much so I felt a little shortchanged by that but the things we did see were pretty cool. I think I was expecting a lot more colors and kid-friendly rooms/walls/decorations since it was a free-standing children’s hospital. After our tour, we had lunch with the entire child life staff and they gave us lots of great advice and tips for the future. They were all really interesting to listen to and fun to meet!
                
We made our way back home after the hospital tour then some girls took a nap. Jess and I had a zumba session in the living room and then I reconnected the DVD player so we could watch a movie later in the night. Everyone got all cleaned up and we went to Downtown Disney to have dinner and do some shopping!  We ate dinner at T-Rex and it was pretty cool in there. We ate in the “ice cave” and the lights changed every 20 minutes and there were animatronic dinosaurs and prehistoric animals that moved and made sounds so it was pretty entertaining to watch while eating dinner. After everyone got done eating, we ventured around all the shops including the Lego store, The World of Disney, The Christmas Disney Store, and several other cute shops. There was so much to look at and I already know it would be so fun to bring my own kids back here someday! Before we left, there was a two-man band playing outside one of the restaurants so we stopped by and listened to the music. They were actually really good and played the songs we requested which were Don’t Stop Believing, Chicken Fried and Living On A Prayer. His name is Bryan Malpass and I really think he is going to hit it big someday! We all got back to the house and were “Disney Drunk” so we started a movie and stayed up kind of late since we knew we had a free morning on Thursday so sleep in before we went back to the Village.
                
High of the day: meeting the family from Georgia and getting to know them and then the mom telling us to keep doing what we’re doing because we’re going to change the world!
               
Low of the day: realizing the week is already half over and that tomorrow is our last day at GKTW. This week has flown by so fast but tomorrow is Christmas and Winter Wonderland so our last day at GKTW will be amazing!

the happiest breakfast servers around!

so much fun meeting the kiddos and families while they were eating breakfast!

one half of the table at dinner at T-REX

the other half of the group at dinner

 "bibbidi-bobbidi-boo! may all of your dreams and wishes always come true!"

can't go to Disney without rocking some Mickey ears!

Buzz Lightyear!

such a great group of girls...all "Disney Drunk" on happiness!

our last day at GKTW Village....

Today was our last day at the village and I can’t believe it is already all over. We started the day off by having the morning free so some of the girls went to the pool and the other half stayed at the house. Since we had made a stop at Wal-Mart a few nights ago and everyone bought yarn, we decided to have an arm knitting party! Jess, Sarah, Bayli, Emily, Bri and myself all hung out on the couch and made scarves with each other’s help and encouragement. They turned out pretty cute and it seems like we all found a new hobby possibly!

                

Anyway, we made our way back to the village early in the afternoon to do any last bit of exploring, picture taking and shopping in the gift shop. We each had two shifts for the day and my first shift was at the Welcome Hut by myself. I was a bit leery at first because it was my first week at the Village and I was nervous to be the first person that some of the families and kids meet when entering the Village! After a quick training, I was left on my own for three hours and an hour and a half in, Bri came to relieve me and switch her for the pool shift. Well that was short lived because a staff member came marching over and told us, “there’s no switching shifts in the middle of the assigned times because if one of your families had an emergency at home and called here, we wouldn’t know where to find you if you’re scheduled at the pool but are actually at the welcome hut. So I’m going to escort you back to the pool…” Guess we were going to be breaking some rules if we tried to do a little switching around! But that’s okay because being in the Welcome Hut turned out to be a lot of fun! I met four different families who had just arrived to Florida for their Wish Trip and were coming to the Village for the first time. It was awesome hearing where they came from and what they were most excited for during their vacation and then hyping up the village and getting them really pumped up for the week! It gave me a good feeling knowing that I was one of the first faces they met at the Village and gave them a good impression and hopefully set their week up to be a good one!
                

Once my shift ended at the Welcome Hut, I went straight to the Winter Wonderland orientation and training. This is the biggest event and night for the Village so it’s the main focus of the whole day. While I was hanging out at the Welcome Hut, everyone else had been setting up the decorations for Winter Wonderland for five hours! All of the Christmas decorations were incredible and a lot of fun to see in March…I especially loved the Christmas music playing all day! I got assigned to the cookie decorating station with two girls from a college in St. Petersburg and a local woman from Orlando. I really enjoyed getting to know them and hanging out with them while helping the kids and some parents decorate cookies. Later in the night, a parade came through the village and it led to the big open area in front of Amberville where it started to snow in the village and there was a dance party. This seriously brought tears to my eyes! Seeing some of the kids going crazy over watching the snow falling and dancing to the music was so sweet and a moment I know I will always treasure. When the kids would come decorate cookies, they showed off what they received from Santa and would talk about the snow and they would just be smiling from ear to ear. It was such a rewarding and heartwarming last night at the Village! Before leaving the Village, I took a moment to look around and just take it all in. The sights and sounds and smells and I wish I could bottle it up to remember every piece of it.
                

Before going back to the house for the night, we made one quick pit stop at a corner carnival type thing so some of the girls could go on some rides that were called “Vomatron” and “SlingShot.” I had no desire to go on either ride and was scared just watching them all be shot into the air but they all survived! We got home and everyone packed then helped clean up the house since we were going to be getting such an early start the next morning on our drive to Nashville. Once I was done packing and cleaning, I stayed up late with Jess and Emily just chatting while they both made another arm-knitted scarf…it’s an addicting hobby!
                

High for the day: greeting the Wish child and their family as they entered the village and getting to know them a little bit. Another high was watching the Winter Wonderland and the pure joy and happiness that each child had across their face with not a single care or worry in the world.
               

Low for the day: being in the Welcome Hut by myself! It wasn’t that bad but there were a few times where I felt like I was missing out on what was happening inside the Village and was bummed to not be spending our last afternoon with everyone!

arm knitting party!

the only boundless playground in the world...entirely wheelchair accessible!

enjoying every minute of being at the village

the incredible villas where the families stay

entrance to the castle of miracles...

a small portion of all of the incredible stars

Amberville!

"make today count for our children"

Safari Theater

ice cream palace where ice cream is served everyday from 7:30am-9:00pm...ice cream for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

the beautiful chapel

Tyler's Mailbox from Letter's To God

a sweet note for a kiddo who stayed at the Village

The Gingerbread House where meals were served

the shelves were lined with dolls and stuffed animals that kids who had stayed at the Village sent back from their home state or country

Winter Wonderland and Christmas celebration!

it's snowing in Florida!

the perfect day: pool time and volunteer time!

Since we didn’t have a maintenance project this year like the two previous years, we had free time this morning so that meant we were all able to spend some time at the pool. It was a beautiful day and perfect weather so the time spent at the pool was a lot of fun. Knowing it was at least 80 degrees warmer in Florida than it was in Iowa was enough to make all of us smile! We all lounged around and hung out at the pool then made our way back home to get cleaned up before heading to the Village for the afternoon.

                

Some of the girls had shifts that started at different times so we got to GKTW a few hours early to give us all time to explore and check everything out. It was so fun being able to explore and take pictures of everything and read all of the plaques and descriptions of each area and every building. It really helped me understand how things were named or why it is in the Village and the importance behind it. Everything at the Village has a special connection to a child or family in some way and the stories behind each thing were really inspiring. We got to play on the boundless playground, hang out in Mayor Clayton’s house and tour the Gallery of Hope. It all made me swell up with a mix of emotions, mostly happy and some sad for these kids and families, but mainly overwhelmed seeing how many people help make GKTW run each week to give these kids and families such an amazing place to vacation to.

                

My shift for the night was working at the pool as a pool attendant. That consisted of helping people in and out of the pool area, getting them towels and taking their towels when they leave, and walking around to keep the area clean and also to talk with the kids and families. I was really looking forward to it until a storm blew in and the pool was closed for the night because of lightning and thunder. Since the pool was closed, I went to the castle to look at the stars and help out in there for a little bit. After that, I spent some time in La Ti Da Spa since I didn’t have a shift there later in the week and I wanted to get some time in there while I could. It was so fun helping some of the kids pick out a tattoo and watching them get so excited when it would be airbrushed on. The little girls getting their nails and make up done were so cute to watch too because they were just glowing and were little princesses through and through.  Before we went home for the night, we stopped at Wal-Mart for some snacks and then everyone bought yarn to make an arm-knitted scarf like what we had done on the way to Florida!
                

High for the day: learning more about the Village and appreciating everything that has been put into it and learning about Henri Landwirth and his background. I have so much more respect for GKTW than I ever did before and am grateful that I got to be one of their volunteers.
                

Low for the day: having the storm blow in so the pool was closed. Things were kind of hectic for a while and I just felt like I was in the way and wasting my time there but I found a way to be helpful in the spa and castle instead.

the entrance to our resort area we stayed at!

thoroughly loving the sun and knowing it's 80+ degrees warmer here than in Iowa!

IOWA day at the Village!
So proud to be representing IOWA at GKTW!

hang ten!

taking a ride around on the carousel!

playing on the awesome lifesize Candyland playground!

Tej, the therapy dog visits the Village twice a week

found a chair just my size in Mayor Clayton's house!

yumm! Twistee Treat! ice cream stop!

I got a twist cone that was as big as my face!

Cocoa Beach and first day to the Village!

I woke up today very excited knowing we would finally be going to GKTW! It felt like a long process to get here so it was a relief to know we were finally so close to getting to experience the village for ourselves. Before the village, we started the day off by enjoying some sun and sand at Cocoa Beach. After two days on driving and walking in to a dirty, messy house, the beach was much appreciated! It was so fun being able to relax, catch up with friends and have some down time before we started our week of volunteering.
               

Finally, after leaving the beach and getting back home and all cleaned up, we were on our way to the village. Once we got there, I was in complete awe of it all. Everything was bigger than I had imagined and better than stories I had heard. I loved the couple from Iowa that gave us the tour. They were so awesome and inspiring. They were genuinely interested in all of us and wanted to know more about each of us. They were so nice and knew so much about the Village so hearing their stories really set up the week at the Village to be a great one!
                

I was in the castle for my first shift of the week and could not get over how many stars were in there. It is so incredible and amazing. Being part of the star and pillow making was such a special thing and made me feel overwhelmed with happiness. The castle is truly filled with magic like they say and interacting with each child and family was a magical experience itself. I think my face hurt from smiling so much but each child just brought out the best feeling in me and a few times, I teared up with happy tears in my eyes. There was a lot to see at the Village and it was hard to take it all in and process my emotions. I can already tell that GKTW and all of these kids and families will have a lasting impression on me. I already can’t wait to go back to experience more and meet more of the families! I'm also looking forward to having more time to explore things tomorrow and to take pictures of EVERYTHING!!
                

High for the day: touring around the Village and finally getting to meet some of the kids and families. I also loved hearing stories from other families that had ties to Iowa, such a small world!
                

Low for the day: A family came into the castle to find their child’s star and then they made another star for a second child. It broke my heart realizing they have two children with a life-threatening condition and are visiting GKTW a second time.

beach day with the whole crew!

soaking up some sun...the water was freezing!

ahh we made it! The entrance sign is in the process of being repainted  so it's all "Shadow Characters" for now!

all of us at the Village for the first time! So excited!

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Georgia AND Florida!

After a long day of driving, we were supposed to leave the hotel at 8:00am. I stayed in a room with Jess and Sarah and I guess our alarm had other plans because Sarah’s alarm never went off. She was going to shower first and since she didn’t wake up, none of us did. Somehow, I miraculously woke up at 7:58am which was enough time to do nothing before we needed to leave. My immediate reaction was to jump up out of bed and yell at Jess and Sarah, “You guys!! IT’S 7:58!!!!” We all frantically changed, brushed our teeth, packed up our stuff and ran downstairs to get some breakfast. We actually made it to the van by 8:15 which is pretty impressive for three girls I would say who woke up two minutes before we were supposed to leave! At least we weren’t on a big time crunch to get to Florida in time for anything so that helped! The rest of the drive was pretty uneventful mainly because we were all so excited to get to Florida and it was exciting once we got closer and started seeing the signs for Cocoa Beach and all of the Disney attractions! What seemed like forever later, we finally arrived at Emerald Island Resort and were not disappointed! The entrance was beautiful and they even let us lounge by the pool until we could check into the house at 4:00 so that was a nice surprise. Once 4:00 rolled around, we all loaded up in the van again to head to the house. Turns out the house cleaners thought we were coming on Monday so the house wasn’t cleaned or ready. There were bathrooms with unknown substances on the toilets and floors and way too much body hair in the showers. After being super grossed out, we got it all cleaned up, started the sheets in the washer and were ready to settle in for the week! We made a grocery store run after getting the house cleaned up and then had a lazy night with everyone hanging out in the living room and telling some ridiculous stories. It was a lot of fun getting to know some of the girls better and hearing some hilarious stories from everyone. Tomorrow we are heading to Cocoa Beach and then going to Give Kids The World. I am really excited to finally be at the Village…it seems like forever that we’ve been talking about it and getting to visit so I’m excited that the time is finally here!

we made it!
happy to be in the warm sunshine surrounded by palm trees and good friends!

the amazing, huge, and beautiful house we stayed in for the week!

on the road and halfway there!

We left this morning around 7:00am and drove all the way to Macon, Georgia! Jordan and Paisley dropped me off and after plenty of hugs and kisses, I finally said goodbye and hopped in the van to start my spring break! I somehow managed to pack all of my stuff into one duffle bag and filled a tote bag with snacks, my Nook, and some yarn to make a few arm knitted scarves! Jess and I kept each other pretty entertained on the drive while everyone else was sleeping and we each made our own scarf then read some of the book “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” that’s required for our seminar course. Turns out talking to each other and snacking is a lot more entertaining than reading that book! We stopped somewhere along the way for lunch at Subway where I witnessed a lady get ice out of the ice machine with her hands then wash her hands with the ice….and then she walked away like it was completely normal. Must be something they do in Tennessee I guess but it was quite the sight! It was nice finally getting to Georgia and being able to lay down for the night before we make the rest of the drive to Florida tomorrow! I can’t wait to be in the nice warm weather and finally get to experience Give Kids The World for myself instead of just hearing stories about it and seeing pictures!

arm knitting at its finest!
our scarves turned out pretty cute!

I'm dreaming of Spring Break....

One short week from today and I will be leaving for Florida for my Spring Break trip to Kissimmee to spend the week volunteering at Give Kids The World Village!! Ahhh I am so sooo excited! I can't wait to enjoy a week in the sun and beautiful weather in Florida while spending time volunteering and getting to know some amazing kids and their families. And I'm lucky that I get to spend it with such an awesome group of girls while I'm there. The drive there (and back!) might be a long one but I know it will be so worth it! I can't wait! 

Give Kids The World

For the first time in my entire college career, I was able to tell my work supervisor that I am unavailable for Spring Break and can't work. And this is because I am finally going on my first ever Spring Break trip and I could NOT be more excited about it!!!! I got asked to go on the "Child Life Alternative Spring Break Workshop: Give Kids The World Trip" and am so pumped! They only take ten students, TEN students, each spring so I feel honored and lucky to be part of the group of ten. We will be traveling to the Give Kids The World Village which is located about 20 minutes away from DisneyWorld in Florida! GKTW is a home-away-from-home village that is ran entirely by volunteers and it is a place where kids with a life-threatening illness and their families can stay and visit for a week....entirely COST FREE! They get a week of vacation in a fantasy land and get to visit the Disney parks for free. Seriously, this place is like a dream land! If you have seen the movie, Letters To God, then you have seen a glimpse of the village. There is a mailbox there, from the movie, where kids and families can mail letters each day and many times they are prayers, hopes and dreams written by the kids, siblings and parents. There is soft-serve ice-cream served around the clock so kids can have ice-cream for breakfast if they want! I will spend the week volunteering with the group by helping to serve meals, hang out with the families and play with the kiddos and advocating for Child Life while learning different ways to incorporate where Child Life services could be provided. We each will get a diagnosis of a child staying at the village, learn about them and their diagnosis then do a presentation on it at the end of the week. Then to top it off, our group gets to spend a day at SeaWorld and Downtown Disney--possibly a trip to one of the parks is in the works as well!!! Yipee!!! Talk about the best spring break trip ever!!!!!!!!! And it is all entirely covered by Iowa (for me at least!) since I am a teaching assistant so it is covered as part of my tuition...double yipee! I have never felt luckier to be asked to join this amazing group of people going on the trip and I feel like it is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me! It warms my heart and I am so, soooo excited for it! It may have taken me six years of school to go on a spring break trip, but I would say this one is well worth the wait and definitely well deserved!