I'm back!

Hey hey! I'm back from Special Olympics NC! I had such a blast! It was exhausting, but such a blessing to get to know other volunteers, coaches, and especially athletes! The special population has always been close to my heart and I have worked with several organizations in the past. I've volunteered as a tutor in a TMH (Trainable Mentally Handicapped) classroom, did my Senior Project as a TMH teacher, volunteered at Summer Moore Center (a preschool for mentally handicapped children), and even helped out at Special Olympics Pitt County - but none have been as rewarding as Special Olympics NC. There are so many people that will tell you how fun and fulfilling SO can be, to the point that the comment sort of loses its power. But, just imagine hundreds of athletes from all across the state coming to compete. These athletes range from age 8 to 80 and have all kinds/ranges of disabilities. They practice for their event (swimming, weightlifting, gymnastics, track, softball - you name it!) for months and their coaches and family members come out to watch them compete. All of the preparation and execution of SONC is carried out by volunteers like you and me! I worked the aquatics events and was amazed at how good these athletes could swim! Some were in wheelchairs and swam! Most can swim way better than me! One event was the 1500 yard freestyle (that's 60 25 yd laps!!!!) It takes like 30 minutes for them to swim that! SERIOUSLY? I would drown after about 10 laps! The athletes are so fun, sweet, and loving and SO excited to be there!

I believe that all good things are from God and SONC is DEFINTELY a good thing! What a blessing for these folks to shine and be constructive with their time! What a good thing to come together for so much good, clean fun!

Unfortunately, due to state budget cuts and a slumping economy, SO (state & local levels) face a decline in support. If you are looking for somewhere to be generous with your time &/or money, I strongly recommend looking at your special population!

Check out SONC's website for more information!

Anyhoo... I could go on and on and tell you tons of stories about my experience, but I'd rather you go and experience you're on blessing at SONC! It's SO awesome!

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So I finished Pride & Prejudice (like a week ago... oops!) and it is SO great! Just as good as I expected it to be! It totally lived up to my expectations! I love it just as much as I do the movie! Definitely read it!

Now on to Maggie's Miracle by Karen Kingsbury... I've heard it's good, so we'll see!

Weston "graduates" elementary school tomorrow! He keeps telling people he's getting his high school diploma - he means his diploma but he adds high school haha! So silly! I can't believe he's going to be in 6th grade! Yikes!

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Finally... a belated birthday blog shoutout to my Mom! Her birthday was Saturday so I couldn't blog post it then, but nonetheless.... Happy Birthday Mom!