Insanely Wonderful...

I suppose that is how I shall summarize these past two weeks (which have also come and gone without a post....until now)

Homecoming was just that- insanely wonderful. Insane because of the sheer volume of work and tedious details I attended to, and wonderful because it was all worth it!

Homecoming Week 2008 became what many people are telling me is the best homecoming Red Cloud has had in several years. I would attest that it definitely was better than last year... in several ways. From my own personal perspective, I knew much better how to instill a sense of responsibility among the student council members (rather than what comes naturally to me, which is taking over)... and it proved to be quite successful. Over 1/2 of the student council students (now thinking about it- I might even say MOST of the Stu. Co. students) put forth amazing effort and responsibility in every Homecoming Activity- and it showed! Student participation was the best it has ever been (according to reports from long-time teachers) and the level of enthusiasm throughout the week with class competitions and dress-up days was phenomenal!

Speaking of dress-up days... I thoroughly enjoyed these- and will post pictures soon. I'm envisioning more time this week to work on getting those pics onto my computer- so if everyone crosses their fingers and holds their breath- I may in fact post pictures next time! (one issue I'm having, though, is an inability to access this blog from my school computer, which possesses the necessary pictures). On Monday we had pajama day, which was comfy and fun. Tuesday was 'dress-the-decades' or 'old-school' day. I thoroughly enjoy seeing the variety of outfits, mine being a funky 70s style dress. Wednesday we celebrated Super-hero day, for which I became 'Cupid.' Throughout the day I assured everyone that Cupid is a super-hero EVERY day! :) Thursday was perhaps my favorite day- Formal wear day! I serendipitously found this great green poufy early 90s style prom dress in a closet at my house- and it fit perfectly! I of course received several comments like, "You look like a mermaid!" & "are you trying to be seaweed?" & "Did you wear that to your H.S. prom?" Sadly, I didn't take a picture all day, so I cannot reveal this special dress via photo- but I'll work on that.

Actually, the dress was reintroduced to the students by my housemate and football coach Dan- who decided to stealthily take it and wear it during the FB skit (which depicted the VB team at their 'best'). :) You can imagine the laughs from that!

I have so much to tell regarding the Homecoming week. Wednesday we had a great evening with a cookout, class pyramids and games, and burning an "RC"- in addition to a wonderful fireworks show & several drum-group songs. Wednesday & Thursday after school each class busied themselves with decorating hallways. On Friday we had an all-school parade, a H.S. talent show, a dodgeball tournament, and one of the best pep rallies in the recent history of Red Cloud. (Okay, I say that based on reports from students and faculty). The boys won a solid victory during the game, and we finished off the evening with a dance. All in all, Homecoming week was spectacular, the student council members stepped up to the challenge, and we also raised quite a bit of money for Leukemia patients and research. Not bad for a whirlwind week!

I am doing quite well, after getting caught up on sleep this weekend (even though I did referee 10 matches (appx. 25 games) of middle school VB on Saturday. Let's just chalk this week up to stockpiling Americorps hours, shall we?

I am happy to be posting again, and I know that several of you continue to follow my blog, even when I am so busy I barely have time to write updates, let alone be updated on your lives... yet I am thankful for this avenue of sharing- and I thank you all for being interested... It is such a wonderful place here, and I cannot express well enough the amount of care and love I possess for these students....I truly wish you could all meet them in person... and hear the many conversations I am granted each day with these precious students...

In other news- the VB team is doing alright- some rocky areas, but it's been fun thus far- I'll be more involved again this week, as I wasn't able to much last week. Also, two weeks from yesterday I will be running another 1/2 marathon. Evidently my brother (who ran the last one with me) thinks I'm crazy. And I guess I am- but I am mentally prepared to walk parts of this one, since my training has been severely lacking this time. Yikes!

Okay, this will end my post- much love to you all, as you continue to seek and find the work God has prepared.

Written with a smile on my face and a warm glow in my heart,
Emily

Scattered, yet Happy

Hello again, for the first time in two weeks.

For some unknown reason, I have been unsuccessful while trying (time and again) to log onto my blogsite and update you on the inevitable excitement of Red Cloud. Finally, today, the site actually let me on, so although this post will contain no pics, I do promise an abbreviated version of the last two weeks....

Gosh, I suppose I could use the one word I happen to hate so much- busy- to describe my last two weeks. For one week (which also happened to be my first week of school) I had a visitor here. Matthias, my friend from HS who lives in Austria, happened to come back and visit the U.S. for the first time since leaving 6 years ago from his foreign exchange experience. It was absolutely wonderful to have him here, but I must say it took it's toll on my energy level...

I feel a story emerging... The Sunday before the first day of school, I took a brief (5 1/2 hour) :)drive to Denver to pick up Matthias. I was feeling happy and ready for the blissful moments of reunion in the airport, then bracing myself for the long travel home... Well, the brief moments of reunion quickly became 2 hours of waiting (until 8pm now) before his delayed flight was scheduled to arrive. Still fairly optomistic at this point, I went to buy a taco when I heard my name projected over the intercom. What could this mean? I became nervous and quickly went to find out what matter of importance would require me being paged at the airport. Turns out Matthias had left a number for me. I proceed to call this random number- and leave a voicemail. Well, as I'm eating my taco, which I was finally able to order, Matthias calls me- and somewhere in between the poor reception, airport noise, and his accent, I ascertained the fact that he missed the flight entirely and would now be coming in on the very last flight of the night- 11:30pm. Whew, it took me a moment to comprehend this idea, then I bought a book.

Without further detail, I'll let it be known that we managed to leave the airport at 12:30am and drive back to Pine Ridge by 6:00am, just in time to catch a 1/2 hour nap before I began my energy-demanding day with freshman orientation. The rest of the week became a bit of a blur, considering the lack of sleep which began it all, yet by the next weekend I was recovered enough to make a trip to the Black Hills and then back again to Denver to drop him off. And of course all the while he was visiting, I continued to pursue my regular duties of activity planning, Stu. Co. meetings, volleyball practice and games, bus driving, and teaching class.

Yep- that's in fact why I must use the word 'busy' to describe my previous two weeks. Last week I was able to work hard on many Homecoming issues, and while I know it's good to get things sorted out (and the Stu. Co. is really going well)... we did have a big 'to-do' about the bonfire, which was cancelled, then petitioned for, then reinstated with stipulations of absolutely no hazing (as happened at last year's bonfire). So, really my head is still spinning with so many details to work out with Homecoming week, and this year our after-school program is beginning two weeks early (tomorrow, actually) which means my workload has significantly increased for these first few weeks. I love it, and I am finding a bit of time to be with friends and such, but at the end of each day I am exhausted and not exactly the most conversation-friendly person I could be.

Yesterday I had a wonderful day- and it was a bit relaxing, even though I spent some time in the office (as I will today once I finish here) getting caught up on work for the coming week. Okay, so the wonderful part of yesterday is the fact that I participated in my first ever mini triatholon!!! I think this will make a few of you chuckle, when I share the details...

So Friday night, my friend Bryan and I decide that this triatholon would be an excellent idea- and so we agree to meet at the Boys and Girls Club in Pine Ridge at 9am to get registered. Well, I arrive at 9:15am and only a few cars are there, which wasn't extremely surprising... so I go inside to register, and I am the first to sign my name. Well- surely I'm just early and others will come, right? So about 30 minutes later, another woman shows up (whom I was expecting to come) and still no Bryan... he did eventually show up, explaining that he came awhile ago but was confused by the lack of cars. (rightly so). The scheduled start time was 10am. Which came and went. Then 10:30 was announced as the official start time (still with us 3 participants). Soon 11am rolls around, which is the time the police could come and escort us on the highway. Finally at 11:15am, approximately 2 hours after I arrived, the race began to become a bit organized, and one of my high school students even showed up to compete. And we were off... all four of us...

Now, I must mention this for the sake of the story- I was initially told that the course would include 2 miles of running, 150 meters of swimming, and 2 miles of biking. I thought to myself, "rather odd combination, but alright." So I began the race fully expecting a short 2 mile run.... yet it didn't take me too long to realize that we were on a much longer run. I got to the turn-around point, and I thought to myself, "2 miles? They got to be kidding!".... I finally drag myself back to the boys and girls club as the last person to begin the swimming competition. As I entered the building I loudly remark... "Gosh, that was definitely more than 2 miles!" Remember that I was last in the race? Yeah, well- I decided to simply enjoy the swimming and biking- which turned out to be extremely easy....and I finished my first triatholon with a huge smile on my face! It wasn't until after I was driving home that I clocked the actual mileage of the run- 3.6 miles! Yep, I'm sure they mixed up the running and biking portions of the race. If you know anything about triatholons, it's pretty clear that you should definitely NOT run twice as far as you bike! :):)

Well, that's about it for now. I am off now to the high school to prepare 1st round homecoming royalty ballots, after-school program flyers, write up class meeting agendas, and calculate my 8 girls' weight-lifting routines. Yes, that is my life here- but thank goodness I've done this all before and I know to expect chaos before the calm of, say, November :)

I appreciate anyone that may be reading this- and also if you'd like to share your blog site with me- I promise to check it out sometime. Perhaps not until we've crowned the Homecoming King and Queen... but you never know when procrastination might set in!

Sending much love from a semi-calm, semi-crazy soul,

Emily

Already so much...

Hello to those who may be (legitimately) wondering at my tardiness....

Once again nearly two weeks have slipped by since my last post. In many ways I am thankful that I have come to rely on technology much less during the summer months; yet alas, I shall resume my normal weekly posts once school begins, if for no other reason than the crazy amount of stories I will surely have to share!

The past few weeks have been spent in final preparation for the school year to begin on Monday.
The volunteer orientation officially ended with the 4 days retreat in the middle of nowhere. Okay, so the retreat house actually has a name, but I prefer to use 'in the middle of nowhere" because it describes the serenity which I encountered during those days. Truly this was a beautiful time for reflection, mental preparation for the coming tasks, and time to connect more sincerely with fellow volunteers. We have a fantastic group of 18 this year, and I must say- Paddy did an excellent job at recruiting! Geographically and traditionally diverse, we all seem to share a common enthusiasm for the situation in which we find ourselves: Here at Red Cloud. Living simply. Working in one of the poorest counties of the U.S. Our schedules bursting with bus runs and various responsibilities. Yet happy and entirely grateful for the experience.

This past week I spent flurrying around catching up with returning faculty and meeting new teachers, working on various random preparations, and spending plenty of hours in my new position as an assistant coach with the volleyball team! Gosh, the first few days of practice gave me a rush of memories and excitement that even I hadn't anticipated. Granted, I know I love VB, but being a coach is simply wonderful! I am able to help 30+ girls find their unique abilities and passions on the VB court. What a solid way to spend 30 or more of my hours last week! I will continue to help out when time allows after-school (working around my after-school program schedule)... but I will also be able to assist Robin (the head coach) with the 7th period freshman girls VB class. Woohoo! What a week, what a week.

On a personal note, I have been going through a few trying experiences lately, which I suppose have contributed to my delayed posting. One week ago my grandmother had a deep hemmoragic stroke affecting her left frontal lobe and therefore speech and communication skills. It was quite the blow to learn of this, as I am in a busy time here and I simply cannot be there for her. It is also difficult to comprehend my otherwise super-active and healthy grandma suffering in this way. If you are a person of prayer, I would deeply appreciate your prayers in this manner.

In a less crucial, yet still personally relevant, light- I have also been struggling with hip pain as I train for a 1/2 marathon. If you know how much I love running and can be quite disciplined, you understand how frustrating this is for me. I am not at all where I would like to be in training, yet the 1/2 marathon on Oct. 4th looms ever-near!

Despite the uncertainty in my life, I should also share that last night as I was lying in bed, I had a sudden sensation of how entirely blessed I am to be here. I am surrounded by people with whom I share a mutual respect and love, God has blessed me with general physical and emotional well-being, and I am able to work hard within a job I feel passionately about. Gosh it almost gives me tingly feelings! :)

A few notes before I sign off and continue to promise pictures soon...

*I have been able to learn even more about Lakota culture (and make connections of previous knowledge using my Lakota Language I learning as well) during our orientation time, and I hope to share some of these insights in a more significant way soon.

*My good friend Matthias (who happens to be from Austria) will be flying into Denver tomorrow to visit me for a week! I am thoroughly excited to have him with me, even though it means a bit of pressure, being the first week of school and all.

Okay, you are most likely wondering how much longer I will be- and to that, I shall say, only as long as this sentence lasts... until next time, may you find peace in knowing that God is bigger than our entire imagination...

Much love and eager smiles,
Emily

Bubbling with Joy...

Wow. I smile now as I sit contemplating the contents of this first post. My second year of Pine Ridge Reflections thus begin...

I am officially one week into our 2008/9 volunteer training here at Red Cloud, and I believe it's about time I begin to record my joy...

I have experienced no less joy this year than the extreme amounts I felt upon first arriving last year, to begin my adventures here on the Rez. Just something about this place... Of course it feels different this year, better in many ways. I have many established relationships that I will thankfully be resuming... with students, faculty, Jesuits, volunteers, and community members. I also have the benefit of adding new relationships with 1st year volunteers, freshmen, returning (new to me) Jesuits, and the lovely community members I have encountered during my summer escapades around the Rez.

As I moved my belongings from the Cottage to my new residence- this GRAY HOUSE :):) (woot woot) one and a half weeks ago, I only marginally resented the additional work required to change houses. I am now, however, quite grateful- because the gray house (people and place) is absolutely wonderful. I know I'm a positive person and would perhaps say this of even less-than-ideal conditions... but honestly, my housemates are wonderful, and the house itself is homey and conducive to feeling at peace. I live with returning volunteers Rachel and John, and new friends Dan and Lainey. We make a pretty cool bunch and am excited for the makings of a great community.

Our training has gone well so far. I have been pretty relaxed, considering my bus driving skills are current and my CDL is valid. :) The new volunteers had to endure the agony of the written test (archival posts would explain the failure and nervousness I personally encountered last year) in addition to the 3 part practical test, which they all thankfully passed today. Other than the bus training, we've had some good community bonding, a few exceptional speakers, and down time to catch up on things such as blogging. :)

Okay, so I won't make this first post too long, but I did want to share a story from the summer which I think will be enjoyable for all... I mentioned in my last post that I was about to embark on an Outward Bound trip to CO with a group of RC students (in late June). Well, we had an awesome time... and I learned that I was more durable than expected, lasting 6 days without a shower, digging holes to excrete my waste (nice words, huh?) and drinking from stream water. Well, I hadn't remembered too well about the warning of potentially harmful side-effects of such stream water (improperly treated) which would occur a few weeks post-trip. So, one day as I am in the midst of a week of camp (a few weeks after CO), I begin feeling awful. Stomach trouble unlike I had ever experienced. I sort of wrote it off as something bad I ate...but it persisted for several days, and eventually more (less than comfortable) symptoms accompanied my stomach pain. Despite the fact that I was in the midst of my final week with campers, I decided to go to the Rapid City Walk-In clinic to hopefully find out some remedy. Well, it didn't take too long for the doctor to realize that I actually had giardia!!! Yes, that's right, I finally could attribute my uncontrollable diarrhea to a treatable illness! After 7 days of exasperation coupled with meds, I finally began recovering... and after another week, I began feeling quite healthy and well again! :):) So, that's my funny and not-so-funny story from the summer. Emily. Stream Water. Giardia. Enough.

Well, our speaker for tomorrow cancelled, so we have made plans to take a trip into the Hills! Woohoo! I think that will be really fun- and a great time to bond with the new volunteers. We may even go to Sylvan Lake, who knows! :)

I will surely say more later, as these weekly updates will continue... and once I can find ways to include pictures (okay, actually get them off my camera first)... I will do so immediately! :)

Much love from one joyful heart in Pine Ridge,

Emily

At last...

At last I write to you from my current position with Lutheran Outdoors- counseling at the Pine Ridge Retreat Center for various servant camps that come along each week.

I have decided to not go into as much detail with my summer posts, and I shall start back up with vigor in the fall- I promise. :)

My time with the camps has been going well. I am seeing Pine Ridge with different eyes this summer, and for that I am grateful. It is humbling to be in this position, but the groups appreciate our (Ben and I's) perspective, having both lived here for a year now.

I am into the second week of camps, and I am enjoying it with a surprising amount of energy, looking now toward our final day with this group. Last week was cut short because I left on Wednesday for a very important event in the Fischer family.... Alison's wedding! :) Overall my time home with wedding festivities was absolutely wonderful... I enjoyed everything so much, re-connecting with family, etc.

Now I am looking toward a trip to Leadville, Colorado with rising seniors from Red Cloud- which will obviously be wonderful (I say that with so much conviction, but I suppose I should bite my tongue until all goes as expected.) :) Anyway- it is an Outward Bound adventure trip- and I am the female chaperone- tonight I browsed the list of necessary packing items, and it seems I am short a few things- hmm, perhaps my Friday will involve a trip to Rapid.... yikes! :)

Okay, I want you all to know that I most definitely have not forgotten about my faithful readership, and I look forward to more time to reflect on this summer- but my limited internet time (especially in July) will prevent me from doing much typing until August.

If anyone is actually reading this- thanks, and I always look forward to hearing back from you, my interested friends and journey partners.

Much love- and peace of heart,

Emily

Seniors of '08

Hmmm....

It was graciously brought to my attention that I have forgotten to post this week's reflections.

The only excuse I could possibly conjure at this point is that this past week has been graduation festivities... and thus I have been preoccupied. I know this isn't a very good excuse, so I suppose I'll just apologize and get on with it...

Last weekend I spent at home with my family, taking care of a few wedding items (my sister's officially getting married in two weeks- wait, I'm not sure what an 'unofficial' wedding would be, so I suppose I could drop the 'officially', but it does sound cool). Although at first I felt the weekend home would be poor timing, with trying to end things well here- spending time with volunteers and various tasks- but I was wrong. It was actually really great timing, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing my family again and celebrating my grandmother's 80th birthday with her and so many others!

I arrived back to Red Cloud Monday evening, and the brevity of the last few weeks of this school year hit me harder than I expected. I am trying to soak up as much time as I can with everyone here, thus making me a little elusive to folks back home- my apologies. I shall relay the many adventures of this week, primarily involving the seniors, class of 2008!

Tuesday we departed on the 'official' :) Senior Class Trip- to none other than Rapid City! :) I was partly in charge of planning and budgeting out the expenses for this trip, and I was overjoyed when I found out I would be chaperoning an ice-skating/movies/buffet dinner trip! As the trip coordinator, I also was responsible for driving the bus- now this part of the story, when I get there, will certainly be of interest to those who have been fascinated by my bus driving skills, FYI.... (I know, anticipation arises)

We had a great time ice-skating, with 35+ seniors participating (2/3 of the class!). Many students had never gone ice-skating prior to this trip, so it was exciting for me (someone who thoroughly enjoys a good time ice-skating) to watch- and occasionally help- the new learners maneuver their way around the rink. Once most people's ankles were finished fighting the ice-skates, we headed to the Golden Corral to eat an early dinner. This was a good experience (I had never been)... massive amounts of food were both displayed and consumed by the students- and in record time too! I forget how fast some people eat, so by the time I finished my first plate- some guys were done with four!

Anyway, at this point, the antsy seniors were ready for the mall, where we spent a good 1 1/2 hours enjoying individual preferences- my preference? Discovering places which would give me smaller bills in exchange for my many $50 bills (to split up for each senior). I did receive some suspicious inquiries from the clerks at both Target and JCP, but when I explained the situation, both were quite accommodating! My second preference was to get a hair cut! I had been speaking on Monday of how badly I would love to get a hair cut, and then very next day I was in Rapid- AT the MALL- WITH TIME! Everything added up to Emily saying bye-bye to split ends!

Okay, well- we have now reached the most interesting part of the story... my great and not-so-great bus maneuvering skills- on my very last bus run! All year I secretly prided myself on my ability to successfully and with great care- drive even the largest of school buses without getting in any accidents. Of course this was true- until Tuesday.... Dun dun dun..... yes, that's right- Emily had her first accident with a school bus, and this is how it occurred. So I dropped off most of the students at one of the theaters (which was positive bus maneuvering, BTW) in time to arrive back at the Rushmore Mall Theatre and see Prince Caspian (quite good). As I was parking the (long :) bus in a way conducive to quick get-away, I began backing up for a better angle, and I shouted back to the girls to watch the back for me, but obviously I didn't work. Soon enough, I hear a loud thump, some shattering, and the few screams from high school girls. Sure- wonderful- I had hit something (a light pole, to be exact) on my very last bus run of the year!

I get out to inspect the damage- and the only thing missing was the plexi-glass covering the light on the top of the pole (an accident which was conveniently forgiven by the movie theatre manager, even though it shattered into many pieces on the parking lot). The next item to inspect? The bus of course. Well, besides a slight groove (the shape of a light pole) on a few places along the back of the bus, relatively little damage... only slight fear and sadness for having gone the entire year without a wreck, then the very last day- bam! Light pole! Yikes! So there you have it- the irony of pride.

Wednesday we held a baccalaureate for the graduates, which lasted for 3 1/2 hours, complete with a meal and slide show. Honestly, I was so grateful to be able to see these seniors in this way before graduation, since I expected (and was correct) that graduation would be more hectic. Thursday was the last day of classes (and it was finals) for the rest of the students, and after school I decorated and set-up for graduation, which we ended up holding in the fieldhouse (gym). Overall the festivities of the week went off without complaint, and I am grateful to be able to breathe a sigh of relief! By Friday, graduation day, I wasn't really even emotional, since so many other things preoccupied my mind. I'm sure the loss of the seniors will hit me next year.

Oh, I didn't mention that I also had a successful first meeting for the new student council. I am so excited for this group of fine students- to work with them on some fantastic activities and projects next year! Woohoo! Thank goodness for a second year- knowing what I didn't know this year!

I shall end this post by say that I'm not sure when the next will be coming. It all depends on the amount of time I will be able to access internet this summer, for I actually leave in 4 days for my summer job- and these 4 days are absolutely packed with things to get done!

I would also like to say that I am honored by any and all attention you have given to my blogging this year. Honestly, it has been a true pleasure to share this experience with so many people, and I hope to continue more reflections next year. I don't think this will be the last until then... but in the slight chance it is- toksa! (which means "later" in lakota)

Much love and treasured thoughts,
Emily

Near transition...

Hello! (Emily says, with an enthusiastic tone at 8:38am)

I am near transition here, well- we are all near transition. A senior student just popped into my office and after asking me if my throat was still dead (in reference to my loss of voice last week), he asked about my blog. I mentioned the transition title, and he says, "Oh, like we only have 1 1/2 days of school left?" Oh wow... yeah. That's true, but also surreal, really. These seniors will surely be missed, but I also know that most of them are ready to move onto college and/or various places.

A junior student (Todd) also popped in and would like to say, "School is getting out so soon, yea!"

So, here I am, left with many transitions to deal with- and to hear about from others. As we all know, change can be scary and for some, emotion (and drama) is running high at this point in the year. In addition to saying goodbye to students, I also will say goodbye to some dear volunteers, fellow faculty, and students who will not be returning come fall. I will make a few space transitions as well, moving my office upstairs and boxing my personal belongings into a storage room in the cottage (our cottage is used to house various groups during the summer). I begin with my camp work during the week of teacher inservice, so I'm currently working out the details of this... but needless to say it will be a quick transition, so I have to think about packing up my belongings soon, making time to spend saying goodbye to people rather than absorbed in my own moving.

Ah, before I get too carried away with the future, I want to mention the excitement of the past week.... Last Wednesday we had an awards banquet for the star students, and I was happy for everyone- many of the top students are also on student council for next year, hurray! :):) The following day during school we had another awards ceremony for "top student in each class" awards. For the sake of mentioning, Andrew Twiss and Jacob Franks won my guy class awards, and Ida Clarke and Charity Wilson won my girl class awards. Yep, pretty exciting!

Friday was a really fun day, the weather was beautiful and I had my first official "Red Cloud Repeat" experience. That's right. We celebrated the seniors with a graduation powwow, which happens to be the event I came for exactly one year ago on my first visit! Thus begins my ability to compare from one year to another! :) (oh yeah, blogging perspectives for next year)....

Other than working concessions at the powwow (which I was fine with, but not overly enthusiastic about), the evening was fantastic! Much dancing occurred, some 'specials' hosted by the families of various seniors, honorings for a few teachers (one whom will be leaving this year and was particularly close to many of the seniors) In addition, the seniors played a fun musical chairs game to a drum group song and the main event of the evening was the feather-tying ceremony. A significant person in each senior's life (mother, father, guardian, mentor, etc) ties an Eagle feather or plume into their hair, both of which are significantly sacred in the Lakota tradition. The ceremony symbolizes their connection to nature and the strength of the Creator, their Lakota tradition, and to one another as a graduating class. I took pictures, but have yet to upload them. The story of my life.

Saturday was another great day- I was able to spend the day with my volunteer friends (two of whom will not be returning come fall)... we had a girls' day out in Rapid, going to a movie, the mall, and eating Thai food. It was a fantastic time, really, and it makes me realize how greatly I will miss Jackie and Katie. I love hanging out with everyone, but I realize so few weekends now exist... since this coming weekend I am heading home, and then the following with be our last weekend together! Yikes! How quickly this year is halting to a stop.

Sunday I had another adventurous day, partaking in something I hadn't done since high school- horseback-riding!!! A friend from my Lakota class invited me to ride horses at her friend Dave's place, and we had a great time! My friend who works in the heritage center here, Miriam, came along (despite her initial hesitation- which shall be addressed later)... and for a few hours we rode along slowly, enjoying the beauty of the day and the rustic pasture landscape. I have a great story to share (at the expense of Miriam)... but don't worry, she agrees this story is too good not to share! :)

We had been riding along for about 1/2 hour, and my riding skills were surprisingly alright... while Miriam was still quite reluctant to increase speed, for fear of the fall and of the horse itself. We rode into this tree-dotted area of a valley, and Miriam began having flashbacks to when she was nearly clothes-lined while riding horse, so she didn't desire to have a repeat experience; hence, she stopped and began walking her horse until we reached higher, tree-less ground. We all successfully reconvened our ride together once on higher ground, and we made our way toward this water hole. Dave, the leader of the group, for some reason wanted the horses to walk through the water... even though we could have easily avoided the water. Anyway, the first two horses (one of them being my own) began walking through fine. Dave was on a horse that needed a bit more taming, so he waited... and as I was riding my horse through the water I looked back to see Miriam's horse pawing at the mud... and then with a simultaneous shout from Miriam, the horse decided to lay itself down in the water- with Miriam still on its back! As she tried jumping off (at the recommendation of Dave), the horse rolled over- covering her with mud! Gosh, even though I felt bad for her, I couldn't stop laughing at the whole situation.

We all concluded that the horse knew Miriam's fear and resentfully acted out despite its otherwise docile nature. To end the story- after Miriam got back on the horse, the horse began rearing up and acting out in all sorts of unpleasant ways...walking backward, etc. Thus, Miriam had her fill of negative horse experiences by this point and chose to walk her horse the 1 1/2 miles back to Dave's. The horse wouldn't even walk behind her though, so she led Dave's horse while he led hers. We all enjoyed the experience, only some a bit more than others. :)

The rest of my Sunday evening was fun time with community, getting back just in time for another cook-out. I love these cook-outs...by the way. :) We had a prospective volunteer named Ann present, which was fun! Made me remember back to my overwhelming visit to campus last year! What a difference a year makes!

On Monday I had a pretty normal day I would say... subbing for a few classes (which consequently makes the time fly by)... and trying to hold a student council celebration during lunch. I even offered pizza, cookies, chips, and lovely hand-make cards, but only about 5 people I think appreciated it! Whatever... I do my best and will no longer accept any criticism from students who want more activities, b/c if the student council won't even meet for pizza, why would they meet for productive purposes! :) I did also enjoy my evening, running in the cool post-rain air. Oh yes, and we hosted yet another sweat meal... this time for a group from Ohio I believe. I happened to be in a very hospitable mood that evening, which was perfect for the occasion.

Each day now this week, the seniors make remarks such as "my last Monday of high school ever!" "My last Tuesday in weight-lifting ever!" (gosh, that one better not be true!) :) What have I (or not) taught them? :)

Yesterday I had to cover for a sub who didn't show up 1 and 2 period. I don't exactly like surprise subbing... but I have probably mentioned that a time or two. Anyway, yesterday we also had senior rehearsal for graduation... I wasn't exactly involved, because of after-school program and all, but still the excitement brews among the seniors. Yesterday evening I was invited to the wrestling team's banquet, since I was a fab bus driver and all! :) I do enjoy the wrestlers, and the coach-Clay Leonard- made homemade pizza for everyone! He's quite the culinary artist! :) It was great to see the wrestlers honored as well, since basketball receives so much attention and wrestling, well... doesn't.

And here I am, watching my morning melt away once again... I have a lot to get organized around here, but I suppose it will all fall into place, right? :) Since receiving my voice back this week, I have realized how many people I have yet to catch up with... so I apologize to the parties to have been affected by my lack of calling (namely Nealy, Katie, Emily, Aubrey, and family at present)... :)

I must be going... Oh, but I want to relay a conversation which just occurred between a sophomore student and myself. This particular sophomore doesn't live with his parents, and he doesn't exactly have the typical 'family' to speak of... anyway, he was asking me why I would choose to volunteer, if I had a college education and could make lots of money. After briefly explaining that I don't care much about money, he asked about college loans, and I soon realized he had little clue about loans in general. So, it turned into a conversation about how loans work, and why it's not good to get into debt, etc. Coincidentally, it was such a good example of one reason I gave him for why I'm here- because I hope to make at least a small difference in the quality of experience for students at Red Cloud. I think he understood.

Well, farewell for another week. Next week I shall be writing during finals, and the following week with be my last week this year at Red Cloud. I have not determined if I will be writing during the summer or not. I know my internet access will be severely limited in comparison to this year. I have been blessed with the ability to communicate so frequently thus far.

The 3rd period bell just rang. With the multitude of interruptions, it only took me just over 2 hours to type this! :) That's how a day here goes! :)

Okay, much love and care....

Emily

PS- as I was proof-reading (okay, sometimes I do, sometimes I don't) :) a student came in to have me take out a piece of lead from her finger. We weren't successful, but it makes me realize how much I love the unexpected encounters of a random day in the office. Also, I've had a student in and out this morning who seems like she wants to talk, but was at first reluctant. As she was leaving just now she mentioned that she will not be returning next year- something I wasn't aware of.... and she says, "Well, maybe if you want, I could give you my email address or something..." (her way of saying- I don't want to be forgotten!) And of course I took her up on her offer. :)