A Summer Reflection

It has been requested that I write a new blog since my last entry is dated in May. You could say a lot has happened to me since that last blog. I finished an amazing school year with some of the best students I've had so far. I had a fun summer that started out with an awesome trip to Washington DC, Philadelphia, and New York City. I had the honor of being a bridesmaid in my cousin Olivia's wedding. That was a blast! I got to spend a lot of time with my wonderful boyfriend of almost two years now. And, I was in a horrible car wreck that I still refuse to call an accident.

I learned a lot about myself this summer. I'll write on the other topics at a later time, but my trip back east definitely made a mark. Traveling with 40 teens and parents across the country with little sleep and lots of moving pushed me to some limits by the end for sure, but it was a trip I will remember for the rest of my life and I hope the kids were as impacted by it as I was. Having been a kid who took this trip in middle school, I can assure you that I got more out of it the second time around as an adult, but there were definitely some moments that I know left a wrinkle or two in their brains.

There were so many things that made me ponder this amazing country we live in. All of the monuments and memorials of great people and leaders; the things they stood for and fought for really gave me a deeper appreciation for what this country is supposed to represent. I really think the current leaders in Washington ought to take a spin around the capital building to all of the monuments and reflect on who they are there for and what they set out to accomplish with this country.

There were many highlights of this trip between the museums, especially the Newseum and the Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Statue of Liberty, and the Washington Monument, but my favorite part was seeing Wicked on Broadway. I loved it, but what made it even more special were the students (who all know how much I love the show) who were so awestruck by the performance and the message. It made me proud to be a Drama teacher.