Graduation in sight

In Februrary of this year I embarked on a new adventure-a second term of service with AmeriCorps, this time working with their new FEMA program. I've been terrible at updating, and I was somewhat shocked when I realized that I haven't written since July. Now it's November, and I'm nine days away from graduation. It's incredible how quickly this year has gone, and how many new skills I have gained.

A Recap of my Adventures
Feburay 2013- Arrived at my new home in Denver Colorado! We had a month of basic training which included a week of FEMA basic, essentially a crash course to the organization that we would be working for.

March-Head to a two week training in Artesia, NM, home of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. This is where we were trained in our FEMA specific role- in my case mass care. We learned how to set up and operate shelters, work at a distribution center, and what to expect.

April-Arrive in Red Bank, NJ, our home for the next several months. We worked out of the Joint Field Office doing shelter surveys for the state. We went to different schools and public facilities to see if they could be used for future sheltering in the event of an emergency. We would check for kitchen space, smoke detectors, accessibility (wheel chair ramps, elevators), and showers among other things.

July-the Red Cross was impressed with the work that we did in Jersey, so for our second round project we would be doing the same thing, this time in parts of Colorado and Wyoming. PS Wyoming is incredible, even if the project wasn't. 

So beautiful!












Round two finishes, and after a week or so of transition we are off for about two weeks of summer break! I was able to split my break between Arizona, and home which was so nice. In Arizona my boyfriend and his familiy introduced me to racquetball, and I really enjoyed it. However, the highlight of that visit was GETTING ENGAGED! He proposed a few hours after my plane landed and I was not expecting it at all!

 The ring is gorgeous! I'm sorry that this picture isn't of the best quality. The picture below was taken right before his brother took us out to dinner to celebrate our engagement.

My team was origionally supposed to be heading to DC for our final round to work in the FEMA headquarters. In this program however you learn to be flexible, and with the flooding in Colorado, all teams were redeployed to work locally in Colorado. My team became a logistics team. We assisted in setting up the Joint Field Office, and then moved to a warehouse in Golden, where we would pull supplies for Disaster Recovery Centers. We were also responsible for setting up the facilities and then taking them down when services were no longer needed. Towards the end of the round, we usually were sitting in the warehouse playing cards (I played a lot of Hearts and got somewhat decent), or watching movies on our computers.

Tomorrow I head back to our campus in Denver for a week or so of wrap up, but I'm counting down the days until I get on the plane to head back home. Transition means lots of meetings, surveys, equipment turn in, debriefing our project, and finally, graduation!

I'm grateful that I listened to my mom when she encouraged me to sign up for another term of service. I've grown more as a perosn, and have learned how to better communicate with my peers. Through the ups and the downs of the program, I did learn a great deal. I had experience doing a variety of different tasks, and learned how to adapt to ever changing situations. I'm more outgoing, and try to go out and do things. My plan for after is to go back to work and try to figure out my life. This also included coming up with the courage to overcome my fears and learn how to drive.

I promise that I will get better at updating this blog as new developments are made. Glacier 4, it's been great. See you in nine days KC!

My team at the first Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) that we set up

Peace in Nature

After work on Friday, some of my co-workers and I decided to go hiking at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. Before the hike started I found the following quote in my quote notebook. "You say, "Toil fatigues me." But what is this me? Is it muscle or Mind? Which is tired and so speaks? Without mind, could the muscles be tired? Do the muscles talk, or do you talk for them? Matter is non-intelligent. Mortal mind does the false talking, and that which affirms weariness, made that weariness. You do not say a wheel is fatigued; and yet the body is as material as the wheel. If it were not for what the human mind says of the body, the body, like the inanimate wheel, would never be weary;The consciousness of Truth rests us more than hours of repose in unconsciousness."-Science and Health 217:29-8 This has always been a favorite quote of mine. It was suggested to me by a friend when I seemed very tired during a busy work day, and it has always been something that I have referenced whenever the suggestion comes to me that I should be tired.

 Shortly after we started I realized just how out of shape I really. When I wrote down this entry we were taking a break under a neat rock formation It's so peaceful out here and the slight breeze makes the heat tolerable I wish I had some good pictures to share, but since my camera broke a few days ago I've been relying on my phone and I can't figure out how to get the pictures from the phone to the computer. Sitting at the rocks reminds me of the solos that I did as a high school student at camp Out counselors would take us to different locations around camp and we would have a few hours to reflect and write letters to ourselves that would be sent after we left. I wonder if I still have those letters somewhere. When I get home I will have to root around for them.

I've been working out everyday this week, and I'm definitely feeling it On Tuesday I swam for an hour with a friend before joining the rest of the team for a game of floor hockey. There were only three people on my team but we held our own. I even managed to score a goal or two which was really fun. My latest workout challenge is to work out in some way everyday of the week, even if it's as simple as going for a walk.

John 1:3

All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made-John 1:

This evening I decided to read my weekly Bible lesson before watching an episode of  True Blood, one of  my new favorite shows. In my church services consist of readings from the bible, and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. The same service is read by churches around the world.As I read the golden text I couldn't help but smile. God made us perfect, and nothing can get in the way of this, NOTHING! 

Today our physical training was individual, which works out well since my roommate and I usually go for our interval run, complete with a minute each of push ups and sit ups, and a few pull ups. My roommate wanted to rest for a little bit first, but I decided to go for the run alone, and at the end of the day I am so grateful that I did. My roomie hasn't left her bed or her computer since we got back from work, and a few weeks ago that could have easily been me. I sometimes have difficulty getting motivated to work out, but I'm determined not to quit.

Whenever I make significant progress on my push ups and sit ups, or even on my runs, I like to post it on Facebook. Seeing the positive reactions that I get from friends really motivates me to keep going. It's not always going to be easy, but as long as I keep pushing through, there will be results. Now if only I could start eating better...tips anyone?

The Power of Friends

On Memorial Day I went into New York City with my friends. I'm staying about an hour away by train, which goes pretty quickly. We spent the day visiting with celebrities at the wax museum, and explored Central Park and Times Square, where we were lucky to catch a glimpse of Glee's Jane Lynch coming out of rehearsals for Broadway's Annie. In the wax museum I saw my first 4D movie! That was really fun. The purpose of this blog is to chronicle my healthy journey, and as I walked around with my friends, laughing and talking, I realized that mental health is just as important as physical. It's so important to relax every once in a while and have fun!

 I can't think of any better way to be motivated than to be with friends who are helping me in my journey. On days that I don't want to work out, it's nice to know that I have friends who are encouraging me each step of the way. We had a four day weekend, and it was super nice to be able to rest and think of things other than work. .Our time is going very quickly; we only have seven days of work left! After that it is another five day trip back to Denver.

Yesterday I ran 1.3 miles in 15.56. I was super excited because it's definitely an improvement from my running time back in Denver a few months ago. Of course, we were dealing with a much higher altitude there, and I wasn't fully adjusted, but I'm determined to bring my time down when we do the official run in a few weeks.  To end what turned out to be a pretty good day, my roommates and I made black bean quesadillas, yum!  The link to the website can be found here. http://www.thefitcook.net/1/post/2011/2/black-bean-quesadillas.html The dinner was wonderful and I can't wait to make more of her food.

Pictures-Jaime and I with 007, Jaime, Liz, and myself at the museum's tribute to 9/11, and me with Spider man before the movie.

My name is Hayden. I'm a twenty something college grad with a degree in Sociology and a minor in elementary education. I'm currently working for FEMA Corps, an AmeriCorps organization that has 18-24 year old men and women working directly with FEMA to assist in disasters. I've been in New Jersey for the last month and a half, and am really enjoying myself. If you want to learn more about FEMA Corps click here. http://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps/fema-corps It will give you information on this program and their traditional track which I completed in 2012. For the next several months I will be working to assist people affected by disasters. Now I'm sure you are wondering what this blog is about. Essentially, it's about my quest to get healthy. For several years I have struggled with my weight. There were times that I acted like I didn't care. I tried track and cross country during my freshman and sophomore years of college respectively, but even though I was exercising I wasn't eating right. After graduating in 2011, I joined AmeriCorps NCCC in February of 2012. It was definitely difficult to eat good foods when we were constantly on the road to and from our project locations. We ate Chipotle just about every trip! Here is a picture of me helping to put up electric fencing at a horses rescue place in Illinois. When I began FEMA Corps in February we were required to sign up for the Presidential Fitness Challenge. The profiles are easy to set up and easy to use. You simply enter in your fitness from a list of provided activities, and the time spent on it (you have to exercise for at least five minutes). You can get points for everything from running to doing household chores! Click here to check out the site and create your own profile! https://www.presidentschallenge.org/login/index.shtml When you exercise, the points that you earn go for various awards. I'm currently working for the bronze award. You can create groups or join existing ones to help motivate you. Three weeks ago my quest to get healthy officially began. One of the girls in my groups is conditioning for the Air Force, and she invited me to work out with her. The workout is designed to get people used to running. When I get the information on the website that she found, I will post it here. The workout is progressive. The first week you walk for five minutes, run for one minute, and repeat so you run one more time before a cool down. Each week you increase the time spent running. This coming week we start running for four minutes, and the week after we will be up to five minutes! It's a sixteen week program. We have also added pull ups to the workout as well. In addition we do a minute each of sit ups and push ups. The first few days were difficult. My body was at war with me for most of the time, but as I kept going, it started to get easier. The friend who I am working out with says that it takes six weeks for your body to adjust to a new habit. I've learned that it's important to start small and build up. For instance, I recently switched from eating chocolate covered granola bars to eating Nature Valley bars, and I'm trying my best not to snack in between meals. (Now if only I would eat veggies like I should...) I know that people have their own ways of getting into shape, so I'm hoping that this can be used as a motivation tool. I've discovered that working out with other people is so much better than working out alone. It motivates me to work harder. I'm also more willing to exercise if I enjoy what I'm doing. In FEMA Corps, and in the traditional program, we are required to work out as a team three times a week. Our team enjoys ab workouts and playing ultimate Frisbee and kick ball. (After completing one of my runs). Through these posts, I'm going to keep you updated on my progress. I'm not expecting overnight changes, but I'm hoping that in the process of getting healthy and getting into shape, that I can learn to love myself more, and not feel about about my appearance. This is about new starts and new opportunities to get to know myself better. I'm open to tips and suggesting, so just let me know if you have found something that works!