Another update from Texas!

Well hello again! As I type this I'm wearing my Justin Morneau Twins jersey in hopes that through osmosis it will help them beat Seattle. I have yet to watch a single inning of a game this season (cable? Pshhhh yeah right), but I've been finding myself putting on this jersey more and more these days...I think I have an itch.

Anywho it's been an interesting two weeks. Let me start with what I absolutely loved about the time since my last post: MY SISTER CAME TO VISIT ME!!!!! Yes that's right, this is the longest I've ever gone without seeing a fellow Mraz, and so a reunion, no matter the size, was overdue. We had such a blast. I must admit that I was already supercharged when I picked her up in Houston because it was the first time in almost six months that I got to drive alone in a car! And drive over 65mph? And back up without a ground guide? AND GET COFFEE AT THE PICK UP WINDOW?! It's amazing what becomes "the little things" over time. So just that span of four hours where I could go wherever my heart desired was extremely therapeutic for me. But the fun hadn't even started!

The first night Bets was here we came back to Freeport and she got to meet most of my teammates and Laurie, one of my sponsors from the Boys and Girls Club. Laurie had us all over for a Memorial Day Weekend barbeque so we got to meet her family and some of her in-laws. This lady is a hoot--I really look up to her. She reminds me in some ways of a certain mother of two blonde-haired kids I know.... So we got to enjoy a dock, some burgers, good conversation, CRABBING, some lawn games, etc. etc. etc...all the stuff that goes along with a bbq. Then we were off the the hotel where...drumroll please...A QUEEN-SIZED BED ALL TO MYSELF WAS WAITING FOR ME!!! Agh again it's the little things. But I couldn't spread out wide enough. This was a fair call from the cot I've been resting my head on at night these last few weeks.

The next day we set off for Galveston, TX. It's known to be far more beach-y (aka tourist-y) than Freeport and it was only and hour or so away, so it worked out nicely. So we bummed around all day at the beach, napped, ate a delicious yet extremely bizarre dinner that involved multiple strangers engaging us in awkward conversations, and then bar hopped around Seawall Blvd that overlooks the gulf. I can't get over how great it was to just go out on TWO peoples' agendas in a CAR and not have to worry about van curfews and all the other mumbo jumbo that goes along with this program. (Can you tell what the rest of my last two weeks has been like? Lol) So we had a blast, as we always do.

What day are we to now? Monday? Oh, the day we learned how to SURF?! Haha oh yeah now I remember. We spent two hours on Monday morning being taught how to surf by a charismatic sage by the name of Brian, and let me tell you we don't really suck! We actually picked up on it really quick. I'm confident that the next time I'm at the ocean I'll be able to rent a board and give it another go...I'll be riding tubes in no time. Following the lesson (which, may I add, went longer than we paid for because we were so much fun) we grabbed some grub then morphed back into beach bums. A shower, followed by the purchase of oversized hats, followed by a daiquiri, followed by a delicious dinner ending in a gorgeous sunset, and then a stop at our new favorite Galveston coffeeshop, Mod, later, we were pooped. We had a good night's rest and then set off for Houston the next morning. Betsy got to see where her clinical will be starting in August (a REALLY pretty area!) and we scoped out the area for what she can have for entertainment while she's there. Then it was time to say goodbye. It stank but it always does. Really if I had spent that weekend with any of my friends it would have been spectacular...just getting away from NCCC for a few days was unbelievable. But having my sees be the one to entertain me brought it to an entirely new level...I'm extremely lucky to have such a remarkable friend for a sister. :)

But despite the Powers of Betsy, my living situation right now is still pret-ty rough. Living here at the club is not the party I tried to fool myself (and all of you, ha ha!) into thinking it would be. Let's be realistic with ourselves. Having to pack up every morning and pretend that you don't, in fact, live in the exact building where kindergarteners chronically pee on the walls during the day is crappy. Waking up to sixteen mosquitoes going gang-style True Blood on me is frustrating. Being the first to the bathroom in the morning and flipping on the light only to be met with a group of oddly familial cockroaches is ridiculous (were they just conversing?).

But the deeper issue in all of this is my lack of control of the situation. In joining AmeriCorps it was understood that I had to relinquish most of the control I had over my circumstances. And so sleeping on an air mattress in a random church for a month was nothin. Having to allot at least 90 minutes round trip for YMCA visits, alright. What's that? I didn't get any of the spinach AGAIN? AND WE'RE DOING TAXES FOR TWO MONTHS?!??! AGH! But it's been fine. It has all been reasonable and fine and most of all...EXPECTED. But this living situation feels like a new low for AmeriCorps and it's really stressing me out. And you all know that I'm not a wimp. So this is the real deal. My team is resilient, but we all feel the same way. Now there's a sliver of hope that we get to move to another Boys and Girls Club building, so I'm really trying to rack up good karma the next couple of days to help that tip in my favor. Let me know if you need any good deeds committed anytime soon.

And despite our living situation I will say that the Boys and Girls Club as a project itself is...okay-to-legitimate. (Haha sorry I'm such a downer!) It'll definitely pick up once summer officially starts, because not only with the club be on a more consistent routine, but our other project will begin as well. Along with working at the club we're also going to be Team Leaders for the next five weeks, working with 14-17 year olds on two service projects a week. They'll be like a mini-AmeriCorps NCCC. So while the projects feels pretty unstructured and confusing right now, I'm feeling positively about things picking up next week.

Well okay, more updates later. To come: Maire, Cody, and Katie's OINK OINK WEEKEND through the bayou!

Miss you all, love you
Katie