Day 1- Team JesUS

Yeah... no creative title today... So I failed to mention info about my small group. in total there are 7 of us. My adult who happened to be the seminarian, myself, 3 girls and 2 boys that were campers. All of them besides one girl were all entering sophomores and the other girl a freshman in college just like me. A typical problem at CFW is that the campers absolutely did not want to be there but we didn't have that problem... some of them were sooooo excited to be there and the rest were just chill, not excited but we didn't have to drag them around lol. My group decided to name ourselves Team JesUS because of the olympics were at the time still going on and because ya know Jesus and US as a group yeah.. self explanitory. It was pretty ironic that my first small group at cfw followed my camper year schedule except the last two days.
    Getting back on track, we woke up, got ready and headed downstairs for breakfast. We taught everyone one of our crazy fun prayers than ate. Next we had some praise and worship then had our daily skit that focused on the piece of the our father for the day. After, it was time for mass. Being a eucharstic minister i still saw people kinda going through the motions and just kinda be like yeah i'm here ok whatever i'm suppose to do this this and this. Which I don't look down on because we all have times where we aren't fully there spiritually or we just do a routine. Anyways, mass ended then we got in our small groups and headed to our site for the day.
    Our site was the Boys and Girls Club. Everyone was real excited to go. Once we got in there the site coordinators got a feel for the area, talked to us, then we all head in. For awhile I was hanging out with boys that were entereing the 2nd grade. Now this day was probably my roughest... As some of you know i have crohnic migraines/headaches well midway through I started getting one real bad. And lately, they for some reason make me so tired. So here I am playing mancala with this 8 year old girl now falling asleep like i'm some 80 year old... I felt so bad but the kids saw that I wasn't feeling good and let me be which was sweet. I did although had two little girls get attached to me which is always bittersweet becaue you feel wanted but it makes you dread the goodbye even more.Our day at our work site came to and end and we all said our goodbyes. We then headed to showers and back to the church we were staying at. Until dinner we have free time there was tons of stuff we could do. The basement was their youth area so there were pool tables, ping pong, foosball, an area just to chill at tables or couches. Plus we always had some kind of music going whether its live or someones itunes.
    Now, at camp you learn some crazy things and this years would have to be the game called pteradyctal. What you do is sit in a circle and go around saying pteradyctal, easy right? Well here's the catch, you can't show your teeth at all or you're out. You can change the direction of the circle by squawking. It sounds like a stupid game and it probably is but is tons of fun. I for one, am horrible at it because there was one camper named.. let's go with James that would always make me laugh even when we weren't playing the game. Heck, on the last day while we can can in one of our songs he kicked like rockett! I was dying of laghter at that point!
   Dinner time came and I still wasn't feeling the greatest. After dinner I remembered climbing up the stairs and all the suddent started seeing spots. I lied on my bed for a little bit and was feeling better so i just stayed in bed. I would wake up off and on but just fell back to sleep. And didn't wake up till the next day. When I realized this i felt so bad but everyone was so understanding. I was suppose to lead night prayer but one of my a-team girls had my back (thanks L.)

Simba!!!

So like every year since the summer of 09 I spent an amazing week at camp fort worth. For those of you that do not know what it is it's basically a local mission trip/church camp. Every year God always help me grow in my relationship with him and tells me something I need to know. I stole this idea from Randell that I will release each week a day/part of camp. A-team retreat will be just one post most likely.
  Just some basics for those of you who don't know camp. A-team are a group of returning camp fort worth kids that are still in high school or just finished like myself. cfw is for camp fort worth.
   The camp is a group of mainly high schoolers from around the diocease along with their chaperones. Campers arrive Sunday evening. We divide into small groups and each day go to a different work site to do community service. So one day you will go to the boys and girls club, a nursing home, mission arlington- a place that helps the needy, work on baby beds for the needy in our diocease, and stay at the church we stay at and help around because they let us stay there for free. In the evening we have a faith growing acitivity. Oh, and each day is started by daily mass. I know some people are probably reading this and thinking well thats boring but I promise you it's not. You create a strong bond where you come as strangers and leave as family so of course there is a bunch of work AND play.
 So now that we got the basics done let's get started!

A-team arrives Friday afternoon so we can bond and prepare for the campers who will arrive Sunday. So we lug all our stuff to our sleeping area and set up. Now yall know my memory is pretty bad so everything might not be in order.... (oops) Friday night is always pretty relaxed, we have a movie night and we watched the Lion King. A camper insider was immediately started, ya know when rafeki rubs that red stuff on simba?? yeah, that started a whole thing of us "simba-ing" each other randomly lol. Saturday is more move in day where we unload the camp trailer and i think.... we set up all the sound stuff... if not it was sunday... anyway... We also make our awesome signs of telling people where to go. We get pretty silly and creative. Then we just have time to be with each other which who doesn't love spending time with friends you haven't seen all year because they live forever aways??? We also then attend weekend Mass
     Next we have even deeper bonding time both as a group and in our faith. We went to the Chapel and spent time with Jesus- Adoration for my noncatholic friends out there- adoration is when Jesus is exposed in the eucharist and we just get to spend time with him. A new experience I had this year was free praise. Basically we open up with a song then come to the a point where we can sing whatever we want. It is pretty amazing it's basically improv with your voice praising God. It gave me the chills. We slowly move on with our night and wash each others feet just like Jesus did to his disciples before he died. Normally our adult leaders wash all our feet (there's 3 of them so we would go to just one of them) but they changed it up this year, we would go up to get our feet washed and then after our feet were washed we become the foot washer and wash whoever came up next feet. Finally, my favorite part of A-team retreat, we split up by guys and girls and form a circle. We then take turns going into the middle of the circle and ask for whatever prayers we need. Then, we put our hands on the person in the middle and start praying out loud. It is always a moving experience.
    Sunday goes by real fast! We do last minute preperation for campers. Then, we do a guided mediation of our first camp. We also get to reflect on our overall camp experience and share some of our moments with each other.
Stay tuned for more cfw post!

IS this real life?? And many thank yous

All I can say is wow! Today is the day I graduate high school. I never thought this day would come. For those of you who don't know me, since middle school I've been on an uphill battle with multiple illnesses that took forever to diagnos and numerous doctors (some that were fired by my family) to get to where I am today. The reason I never thought I would graduate was not because I had trouble in school, I was always in honor and AP programs back in public school, but the daily battle I had with my body. Getting up was so tough let alone get ready for school. That's what brought me to Cassata. It's a self pace private high school. You work on your own and your teacher is there to help and push you. Unlike most schools, it was only 3 hours. But that was too much for my body at times. Because I was smart I could have finished school in 1-2 year(s). But because I wasn't at school it took longer. Now, because I am focusing on moving on, I just got my GED to get school over with. But still, it was hard work. The GED test was easy but I still feel those gruesome hours working on school work, pages of notebook paper, and heavy textbooks up and down killer stairs paid of.

     And with class, I stick it to all those haters and nonbelievers. You tried to tear me down through out the years but you didn't win. You may have knocked me down but I got back up my God is bigger than any storm you try to give me. You said stuff like my pain wasn't real, I was getting my grades handed to me, and even considered me a dropout when I transferred schools. You tried to get my family in trouble with the law, it's called homebound keyword, HOME. You tried to intimidate my family and I to think we had no chance elsewhere when we did. There's a quote I found it talks about how people rain on your parade because they are tired of the shade from your sunshine and Taylor Swift says it herself, "people throw rocks at things that shine" well all the negative you gave me became a positive. You fueled me to work and fight harder. I appreciate the little thing more because of what you said and did. I am so greatful for every moment in my life. And so, I also want to thank you all you haters and nonbelievers, sometimes we need negativity instead of all positivity to push us forward and well, that's what you did. I would also like to say that I forgive you as well. 

     And now for some happier things!

     I would like to give thanks and praise to those who did believe in me and who stuck by my side especially since the begining. You guys are awesome! Even if you didn't know what to say or do you just showed your love to me and lifted my spirits. Your prayers helped heal me. A special thanks to all those who came to visit me in the hospital, kept me company via facebook, texting, etc, and to those who went above and beyond. But also yall treated me normal like nothing was wrong which means so much to me as well.

     My high school sweetheart who had issues of his own but would drop everything asap to be there for me. Who held me when I wasn't feeling good. Who was honest to me good or bad, who came to the hospital to be with me when he absolutely hates them, and who also stayed with me even though because of all my sickness I reminded him of his deceased mother. I will always love you and will never love anyone like I love you, your tenderness always helped. Just talking to you or getting a hug even smelling your scent always calmed me down when nothing else did. Sometimes hearing things from you even if I heard it from the rest of the world stuck when you said it. 

     To my church, from rosaries, chaplets, and just regular prayer you guys lifted my soul to God and not only heal me physically but spiritually. You were there for me and my family. You guys were the ones who kept my parents and I out of the crazy house. From all this to rides, and more you helped my family tremendously. 

     To my school, I have to specifically mention Mrs. Martin, Mrs. Fowler, Mr. Anderson, and Mrs. Cheatham. Man, you guys are really the best thing ever. You always made sure I was okay, made me laugh when I needed it, guide me through life, support me, and push me. When the decision came to get my GED instead of diploma and I wasn't sure yall reassured me that this is what's best for me. That although I was close it was time to move on with my life and that I'll be just find. It is because of yall along with other teachers that I will smile when I look back at my years at Cassata. 

     To my girls most of yall i've known since kindergarten. Even though distance and time kept us apart off and on we would act like it never happened. You girls have my heart and I love yall so much. Thanks for being there for me at all times. I will always have crazy memories of us but also sincere moments where we had deep conversations.

     To all those who have treated me medically, without your perservernce man, I have no idea where I would be. From finding what's wrong with me to treating me with the most affect way that wouldnt make other things worst or cost too much you guys worked so hard.
    To those new to my life now, yall accepted me for who I am. You help push me and do your best to help but also treat me normal and not like some china doll. Yall watch out for me and aren't afraid to ask question about my illnesses.
     But most of all, to my family. My brother and his family for being there when they can, helping me get out when I was feeling well enough. Other members who would pray for us and send encouraging words. And of course, my parents. You saw me suffer through so much pain, I learned how that felt when Mikey was sick and dad had pneoumia. You want to do anything you possibly can to help even if it was taking the pain yourself. But all that you could was comfort me and give me meds and thats all, even then sometimes it didnt work. Your sacrifice of work hours, sleep, and money will forever be appreciated. You guys are my rock. Yall formed me into the woman I am today and I am forever greatful for everything. We have our ups and downs but as far as I'm concern, yall are the best parents ever. Yeah you could have laid off on the overprotectiveness but I understand that you want to protect your child, especially your youngest.
Well, I should get some shut eye! Got a long day tomorrow!