Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving from Gray Summit! It is FINALLY snowing. After a few weeks of gorgeous weather, snow decided to grace us with its presence. 

Today has been incredibly nice. I woke up, and channeling my mom, watched the Thanksgiving Day Parade, wishing that I could watch it with her! It is one of my favorites and I always get excited because I know that Christmas is almost here! It also means, that it is officially okay to listen to Christmas music! (Despite Alex's, my team leader, wishes) So let the carols begin!!

Our sponsor, John, was nice enough to let the 7 of us (3 had gone home) join him and his family and friends for Thanksgiving lunch/dinner at the reserve. It was so much fun playing games and getting to know our sponsor on a different level. His family was so generous and funny! The girls and Chris played dominoes with Katy (our sponsor's daughter in law) while the others went for a 2 mile hike in the snow. I was not really in the mood to hike 2 miles in boots and a dress... a little too chilly for my taste :)

Around the dinner table we went around a shared what we were thankful for, so I decided that I am going to share that with you all. I am incredibly thankful for all my friends (old and new) and family who constantly support me in whatever adventures that I choose to pursue. This one included. It means so much to me that I have such a deep support system, and that even if they don't necessarily agree with what I am doing, they will still support me with whatever I choose to do. 

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, filled with happiness and turkey!

I love you all,

Kris

Pictures Part 2!

Here are some pictures from our hiking trip to Boulder! Pictures of the reserve will be up soon!

<3

"Just Around the Riverbend!!"

Location: Gray Summit, MO


Yes... yes I am still alive! I'm sorry it has been so long. The past few weeks have been INSANE. First off, I am an OFFICIAL AmeriCorps NCCC member. We had induction last Friday, where we took our "vows" to be the best member we could be... "We are AmeriCorps members, and we will GET THINGS DONE". Yes. With the emphasis on the last part.


 It is hard to believe that CTI is over and that I am actually here in Gray Summit. Our long car trip started last Saturday, when we said goodbye to our Water Unit family and the rest of the corps, climbed into our two pickup trucks and headed out on our crazy car adventure back to the Midwest. Very much Deja Vu from earlier this year when my mom and I drove cross country from Kansas City. The car ride itself wasn't too bad. We had to stop every 2 hours (due to the rules) and change drivers. So the constant change and stretch breaks made the three people crammed in the backseat bearable. It was definitely a good way to get to know our team... drooling on each other and playing endless games of "Would You Rather?". 


Finally on Sunday around 3:30- 4 pm we rolled into Gray Summit. ... Nothing like what we expected. There isn't a whole lot here. But, we are staying in a Travelodge hotel  (SO NICE... continental breakfast every morning? Heck yes!) and our work place, Shaw Nature Reserve, is right across the street. Our sponsors are so nice too. The other day they invited us to a birthday party for everyone who had birthday's the past month. The funny thing is that they knew no one was going to be there, who had the birthday, but they threw it anyway to give us an opportunity to eat cake and ice cream! Delicious!! 


The nature reserve is beautiful. Every day feels like a scene in Pocahontas. It is right on the Mermac River, with plenty of hiking trails down to the river and through the woods. I am truly grateful that I get to spend 9-10 hours a day outside exploring. Which now brings me to answer the question "What exactly are you doing?". Well, now that I finally know, at least for now, I will tell you! ... Drum roll please?.... 


Seed collecting! And invasive species removal... which includes playing with chain saws (no injuries yet!). We spend our mornings cutting down Honey Suckle and Privot bushes aka huge trees, and applying herbicide to the stems so they don't grow back. And in the afternoon we collect various types of prairie seeds to help with the regrowth of the reservation. It is very Zen. And nice for alone time. We have gotten pretty darn good at collecting seeds. One afternoon we collected over 20 lbs of Big Blue grass seed. Which, if you couldn't tell, is A LOT of seed. The projects have been fun, and it is a great way to spend the day... much better than being in a cubicle, but I can see it getting fairly monotonous in a week or so. However my team will help me keep going strong, and the reserve will hopefully be much better than it was before we got there. 

...I think that is all for now! I will hopefully update sooner, now that I found someone who has the same power cable as I do so that I can actually charge my computer. I hope everyone is well!


Love,
Kris

"Cause when you're hot it's like your burnin up everyone elses cold"

Location: Denver, CO

The past week or so has been incredibly eventful. Training has consumed the majority of my life as well as working out/ weight lifting in the evenings. So by the time my day actually is over, I am completely ready for bed. Which is mostly the reason why I have not been able to update lately. But! I will do better in this coming week.

CTI is coming to an end, and the induction ceremony is Wednesday. I can then say that I am truly apart of AmeriCorps NCCC. It is very bitter sweet because I know that I will have to say goodbye to the majority of my unit and especially those that I have become very close to over the past few weeks. My AmeriFamily is splitting up for now, but we will be reunited soon during transitions. Over the past 2 weeks we have been completing hours and hours of lecture training. This includes anything from "Healthy Lifestyles" to American Red Cross CPR, AED and First Aid training! So if anyone is choking, unconscious, or has a wound I am certified to help. :) But... please don't... I would prefer not to use my skills....

Last weekend was filled with ISP (independent service projects). I spent my Saturday morning cleaning CPR mannequins at the American Red Cross. It was fitting for Halloween since we had to peel faces off of the adult and children mannequins and then laid the "bodies" out on the lawn. It was fitting for a horror movie... Sunday I got to put my acting skills to use at the Denver Children's Museum Trick or Treat Street. I was Curious George... full mascot costume, handler, and all. I have to give props to the men and women at Disney World. That thing was HOT! But it was so worth it seeing the excited look (at least what I could see through the mouth of the monkey) on the children's faces and getting hugged and pictures taken with. I felt like a genuine celebrity :). Despite the heat, it was a blast, and I couldn't imagine a better way to celebrate Halloween than helping kids make their Halloween magical. 

So now the time that you all, and especially I have been waiting for! I found out yesterday who I will spending the next 9 months of my life with! WATER TEAM 6! Fire Management group. I MADE FIRE MANAGEMENT!!! Can you just sense my excitement?? The process for trying out for this team has been strenuous and tiring but in the end it will be totally worth it! We started out with an interview between the Team Leader and the Unit Leader. As well as wrote an essay on why we wanted to do Fire Management. Then a week later we did our baselines. Ran a mile and did as many push ups and sit ups in 2 minutes as we could. After that, the waiting began. And yesterday I found out that I actually made it! I kind of kept it on the down low cause I was worried that I was not going to make it. There were 4 spots for girls with 7-8 girls who tried out plus ones from a different Unit. 

Yesterday we played games and were lead on a scavenger hunt to find out our teams. The team leader Alex, had been implying to me that I would not be in the fire group, so I could accept it. But when I got my final clue "Go Get Buff" I knew that something was up. I walked over to the gym and saw my team for the first time. I saw 4 of my good friends standing there (all who had tried out for fire) and as the other 4 walked through the door I had realized officially that they will be my family for the next 9 months. And thus the jumping, squealing, and giggling commenced. A huge group hug took place, then we continued on our quest to find Alex. We wandered around campus answering clues until we ended up at the AmeriCorps offices where we were supposed to meet him. In an Alex fashion, he was about 10 minutes late to show up, but we were all united at last! He told us that he got everyone he wanted on his team (not like he would say any different) and that it will be the most challenging months of our lives, but worth it in the end. We will be doing environmental type projects, prescribed burns, and even fight wild fires. By the time training is done and I pass the pack test (3 miles in 45 min with a 45 lb pack on my back) I will be a Red Card certified Type II wildland firefighter!!! What that means.. I'm not quite sure. But I will let you know as soon as I find out!!

So the count down begins!!! Next Saturday I leave for Gray Summit, MO to work for the Shaw Nature Reserve building trails! I am sooo excited! It is 35 minutes outside of STL and we will be staying in a hotel. Alex said that since we will most likely be in remote places for our 2nd and 4th projects he wanted to stay somewhere nice. :) It will be awesome. Water 6 is amazing and I cannot wait to see what will transpire in the coming months. I know that I will be pushed and challenged and will be tired and frustrated but in the end, I will be so incredibly proud of what I will have accomplished AND I will be completely in shape!!

Get excited for some gorgeous pictures coming up from future hiking trips, ISP's, and wild fires!! I will try to update soon!

Love you all,

Kris