Change and Support

    I knew JVC was only for one year, starting in August and ending the following. I have tools from DisOrientation that are suggested ways of processing the year and putting lifestyle changes into practice in one's life as a FORMER Jesuit Volunteer. I have a network of FJV's that "get it" and a family that supports me. As the months continue to pass since my JVC year ended I am so grateful for that support from my family and friends as I allow for this transition to take place as it needs to.
    I loved my JVC year. I still love my community, job, and city. Daily things that remind me of some experience during my JVC year bring a smile to my face and a sense of sadness and longing for return, for time to reverse itself. Since I know I cannot return to that year or replicate any experience I had I guess it is time to move forward. And move is just what I did.
    After my road tripping gallivant across the country I went home for a bit, home to Dayton. (Side note: Please take a few moments to read this beautiful post by one of my best friends about the definition of "Home" that I completely agree with.) I spent time with my parents, sister, high school friends, and my Momma's side of the family. It was great to connect again with all that Dayton means to me and share my experience with those that asked...let's be honest, I will tell you even if you don't ask! :) After a week and a half in Dayton it was time to move.

   

 

    So here I am in Liberty, Missouri (my birthplace) just a few miles north of Kansas City. My dad's side of the family is out here in Liberty and the surrounding area so I have been coming here for every other holiday/summer my whole life. When I lived in St. Louis I would come more west towards Kansas City for some holidays rather than going home to Dayton sometimes. I am living with an aunt and uncle and three cousins and I have other cousins and grandparents just a few miles from my house. I love being in Liberty where I was born and exploring the Kansas City area a bit more.

 

 

 

     I plan on being in Liberty until the end of January (ish) and I am working at Immacolata Manor working with adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the day and residential programs. I have known about Immacolata for my whole life since my Momma used to work here about 25 years ago. The population that the Manor serves is a beautiful, vulnerable, and special population and I feel very blessed to be welcomed into this family. We have so much fun together; the clients and my coworkers have accepted me and helped me learn the ropes. I even enjoyed Halloween (my least favorite holiday) so I am very excited to celebrate the coming holiday season with this new community.



    Change is inevitable and I am so blessed to have the support of my family and friends as I continue to figure out just where I am called to be and what exactly I am called to do. For now, I am simply being present.

August Arizona Adventures

    Technically the road trip was over because the Rav was left in Santa Fe and the rest of my travel was by air or in a borrowed van with my brother. I flew from Albuquerque to Phoenix to stay with my brother for the next two days and experience his world for a while. He warned me that this was the hottest time of the year for Arizona and that temperatures are usually over 110 degrees. I got lucky though and the temp was hovering around 102 the whole time I was there. This was the first time I understood what "dry heat" actually meant because although it was 102 I was not instantly sweating when I went outside because of the humidity that the Midwest experiences. 102 in dry heat felt like no big deal at all...well, for the two days I experienced it that is.
    My brother Jake picked me up from the airport (Phoenix airport= super awesome because it is in the middle of the city and one could watch planes take off and land all day long) and we drove to him Oma's house to visit before grabbing dinner out. I have never been to Arizona before and the landscape was stunning in an absolutely new sort of way. My elementary education had told me what to expect in this part of our country but actually seeing cacti as tall as telephone poles was quite flabbergasting to me.

    On Sunday we got up early and went to church then grabbed coffee and headed north through Sedona and into Flagstaff. The drive was breathtaking and the red rock was even better than what Crayola had prepared me for. In Phoenix the elevation is about 1100 feet above sea level and in Sedona we were at 4500 feet and still climbing to reach Flagstaff at 7,000 feet (and only a 2.5 hour drive)! The change in altitude drastically changed the landscape we were seeing out out windows. We went through plains of tall cacti surrounded by land brush and into valleys and hills of tall coniferous forests.

    In Sedona, we stopped to see a pretty spectacular little chapel built right into the landscape of the rock, Chapel of the Holy Cross.  Then we jogged a bit over in Sedona to Tlaquepaque which had galleries filled with jewelry, clothes, photography, etc that all highlighted that part of the country. After leaving Sedona we continued to our Flagstaff destination where we met one of Jake's friends for lunch and then walked around looking at the architecture, people, and culture of the well known town.

Tlaquepaque

Phoenix

    All day as we were enjoying hanging out and seeing the sights around us, Jake kept checking his watch to ensure that we would be back in time for his evening surprise for me. Well even with a traffic backup for miles on our return to Phoenix we were able to be a full hour early for a concert that he had gotten us tickets for! Such a cool surprise! The bands were great and the venue was too, very cozy and fun.

   Monday morning I insisted we get donuts (why...well...why not?!) on our way to see Oma again. We hung out with her for a while and enjoyed chatting on her (indoor) back porch before going back into the city to hang out in some pretty cool coffee shops. We grabbed lunch and then waited for Jake's writing group to meet that evening. Writing, more specifically editing, is Jake's job (more than a job really, his love) and he is excellent at it! This group is mostly amateur writers that each have their own style and type of writing; they come together for feedback about content, flow, character development, etc. It was great to see Jake in action as leader of the group and feeling totally in his element. Monday evening was basically the end of my trip as I had a 5am flight to Dayton on Tuesday. The road trip/vacation of 2014 was officially over; 10 days of experiencing new parts of the country, eating delicious things, drinking LOTS of coffee, and (almost) completely unplugging from my "real life".

Road Trip 2014 Part 5 (Lastly...and FINALLY!)

  On Thursday we had huevos rancheros for breakfast (chili count= 2) before hitting the town again for site seeing. Santa Fe has a lot to offer tourists including: (1) the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, (2) the San Miguel Chapel (oldest church in the US), (3) the oldest house, (4) and the Loretto Chapel and miraculous staircase. We were sure to visit each of these sites as we roamed around the area.

Inside the Cathedral.

Inside the oldest church.

Inside the oldest church.

Old adobe that must be replenished frequently.

Oldest home.

Loretto Chapel.

Miraculous staircase. It is not supported by a middle column or the walls.

    All of that walking and site seeing was having an effect on our stomachs...we were hungry! Elizabeth had made "Frito pies" for us in Syracuse a few times and we loved them but she insisted that the original was the best and could be found at the local five and dime by the square so we headed there for the Santa Fe treasure! (Chili count=3!)

    Our next stop was shopping! I wanted to get something made of turquoise from the Native Americans in Santa Fe and the best place to do this is under the portale in the square. I bought a pair of stud earrings and Katrina bought a beautiful ring! Driving home after this we saw a beautiful double rainbow...New Mexico kept revealing its beauty around every corner.

     After a busy day we had a few more things on our "New Mexican To-Do list" before an evening of relaxation. This meant, stopping by the Santa Fe Opera House were Elizabeth had worked for a few years and then enjoying dinner at Blake's Lotaburger. (Green chili hamburgers= chili count= 4). And for our  special treat!...us three girls and Elizabeth's Momma headed to Ojo Caliente Mineral Pools and enjoyed an evening under the stars, soaking in minerals and memories. (No pictures of this because it was definitely a "be in the moment" moment.)

     The sight-seeing continued on Friday which started with stopping in a fantastic little coffee shop filled with maps from all over the country and lots of travel guides (let's be honest...we had already had our daily regimens of coffee and merely needed to use the bathroom due to the already-consumed coffee). We parked the car and began to walk Canyon Road which is a street filled with art galleries and sculptures all around. I felt very creatively inadequate looking at all of the fantastic artwork around me, so much talent! We walked up and down the street peeking into different galleries and taking pictures with different pieces. We were getting hungry after a while and decided to grab a pizza at Upper Crust which we had passed the day before. Rockin' awesome pizza!

Laughter

Even though we dropped Jacqueline off in St. Louis she was still with us in spirit. :)

At Upper Crust

   Once we had lunch and our energy levels had been restored we kept walking on. We drove up a mountain/large hill to Fort Marcy Park/Cross of the Martyrs and walked around. It was the perfect spot for a photo with the beautiful Santa Fe behind us.

   We stopped by Elizabeth's parish growing up where a beautiful sculpture has been placed in honor of her Dad. Then we headed home to change into cute summer dresses before going out to eat at Tomasita's restaurant which everyone had told us was a "must" while visiting Santa Fe.

Can you say swirl? And "christmas chili"? (Chili count= 5)

   Our last "to do" on Friday was a little photo shoot with some help from Elizabeth's Momma. The next morning we drove to Albuquerque and dropped Katrina off at the airport for her flight home. Elizabeth and I then went and had some lunch and coffee by the university before she took me back to the airport and I flew to Phoenix (Yes, I know that Phoenix is not my home.That post is next.)

    My year in JVC was officially over. It will never completely leave me and although I have spilled lots of words onto the blog about my experience it will never be something that I can fully express in words or even photos. I am eternally grateful to my Berrigan Bunch community, Syracuse, Onondaga, friends, coworkers, volunteers, guests, and Samaritan Center for the incredible memories and life changing moments.