Big Girl Bed

So, I've been sleeping in a twin bed since, oh, I dunno, I was 4 years old or something. Actually, my bed is probably the same one that I had when I was 4.

Anyway, since I needed to come to Boston directly after pre-service orientation in Philly, I had to find a furnished room, which I did (kinda). The room came equipped with a Queen-sized bed - my very own big girl bed!

It's really strange to sleep in a bed this size. I mean, I'm a small person and I do fine with a twin. I'm not just saying that either, but sleeping on this....it was amazing. It was like I didn't know what I was missing. I imagine it's an awful lot like when people discovered fire.

The strange thing is, when I take a nap I can't sleep like I do when I'm going to bed for the night. I have to sprawl across the bed the wrong way, my feet dangling off the edge, my arms splayed out beside me.

I mention this because I took a nap after work yesterday and today. Bad idea on both counts, but, whatever, that's what coffee is for tomorrow!

Bad Blogger

I've been extremely bad about updating this thing about my time in Boston and in the Americorps, so I'll give you the short version, and then hopefully keep up with this.

• Had Pre-Service Orientation in Philly, which was great. I met a lot of like-minded people, which did wonders for my outlook on my future. I thought I was one of a limited amount of people who value human service, philanthropy and volunteering, however, I learned that there are others out there who feel giving back is important.

The Liberty Bell, which was closed when we went.

• Moved to Boston and started with Cradles to Crayons. I've been there for almost 2 weeks now and it's been a lot of fun. We've had fun activities and I'm learning how everything works in The Giving Factory.

Me and my "Freedom Trail" Tour guide. Hells yeah.

Drained

I am so tired when I get out of work, but it's a good tired. It's the kind of tired where you know you worked hard and are making a difference.

Americorps!

So, as I've mentioned, I have joined AmeriCorps*VISTA. I have moved to Boston to do a year of service with an organization called Cradles to Crayons. It's very exciting and I'm really enjoying it so far.
A little about Cradles to Crayons:
We are based out of Boston and serve the homeless and low-income children in the community by providing kids ages 0-13 with the everyday essentials they need to feel warm, safe, ready to learn and valued. The second part of C2C's mission is providing the community with volunteer opportunities so they can get involved and make a difference.

These missions are fulfilled in our "Giving Factory" which is a large warehouse in South Boston. We get donations from individuals, families, businesses and organizations. Then, we have volunteers come in and sort through these items and make sure they are up to par (so the child can feel valued).

We also partner with over 400 social service agencies and the case-workers log on and create orders for the children they are serving. We put these orders together (which is called a KidsPack) and could have clothing, pajamas, shoes, toys or school supplies.

It's a really great organization and I'm super excited to be working here for the next year.

Woot!

So, I know I'm not the most up-to-date blogger there is...since my last post I've moved out of NY and have accepted an Americorps position and will be moving to Boston. All I have to say is Phew! I've been relaxing at home and the month or so I have had here has flown by. I will be leaving for Philly next week where I'll attend a 4-day orientation and then I'm flying into Logan Airport and will start with the Americorps on the 19th. Ummm, yikes?

Anyway, Laurie from Cook Scrap Craft nudged me and suggested I update and check out her latest post because she had just awarded me the Versatile Blogger award!

Woot woot!! The Versatile Blogger award is, and I quote, "to recognize good design, writing, photos, etc.; to network amongst other bloggers; inspire content ideas, etc. Conditions of the award stipulate that I need to share seven things about myself and then pass on this award to other wonderful bloggers.”

First of all, thanks Laurie!

Now, my seven things about myself:

1. I love volunteering (which is where the Americorps thing has come in) and I want to help others. I try to live my life by the quote "Be the change you want to see in the world" or however it goes. I want to get that tattooed on me...somewhere...and it will symbolize my time in the Americorps.
2. I also want a tattoo to symbolize my time in NY. I just haven't finalized what I want yet, but I do know it will be on my left wrist.
3. I love to do just about any type of craft, especially if I'm learning something new. I guess you could say I dabble. I crochet, sew, draw, sculpt, etc.
4. A sneak peak into my newest crochet project:
5. I own my own popcorn popper. Hells yeah.
6. I am obsessed with the new social networking site for philanthropists and volunteers called Crowdrise. You can add people to your page, get points (and get prizes with those points), fundraise for the charities you care about it, log your volunteer hours, etc. It was started by Edward Norton and I love it more than I love Facebook. Which is a lot. Here's my page if you want to donate to any of my projects: Lindsey's Crowdrise Page.
7. I would classify myself as "Lazy OCD" meaning I have OCD about a lot of things (how things are organized, etc) but I'm too lazy to fix them.

And then finally, I'm supposed to choose 7 other bloggers to give this award to. I don't know if I know 7 other bloggers, but here goes:

• Jess from The Argyle Sweatervest Incident
• Ebony from her personal website (whose book, Sellout, was just released! Get it from Amazon)
• Aleks from Nie można kupować butów w marcu. Even though I can't read it, she's still awesome, trust me)

Ok, so I only really know 3 people, but they are all awesome, so whatever.