What Can You Do in 30 Hours?

Hello, hello, hello!
I have an exciting update! As a resident assistant at my school, part of my job requirements are to run programs that meet different criteria. One of these criteria is to promote citizenship. My big program right now is the 30 hour famine. Now I'm sure that some of you have participated in high school, but have you ever ran it? Because let me tell you, it's not as easy as you'd think. You have to organize everyone's money, get people excited about it, and help motivate people to stick with it.

What makes it even harder is when you, yourself, can't do it.

I'm a Type 1 Diabetic. I have been for almost 19 years. And being a diabetic, going 30 hours without food isn't the best decision, especially when I'm trying to get my numbers under control, so unfortunately, I'm promoting an event that I can't fully support.

But on a positive note, there's quite a few residents who have actually stuck with it, which is awesome! I always feel really proud when the same students you see partying all the time are involved in events like this. It gives me hope that they are actually capable of growing out of this and that they will make a difference one day.

I've noticed that our residence is very determined to make a difference. The following are events and programs that we've run as a team over the past year;

• Build a School for Africa (We're attempting to raise $15000 to do just that. This has been done through events, concerts, and an empties drive. We're doing pretty good!)
• Hope for Haiti (One of the RAs designed a tshirt that has haiti and the word HOPE across it, which we sold across campus. We raised $5000!)
• 30 Hour Famine
• Alternative Spring Break (We've helped build 2 houses, one in Mississippi, one in New Orleans, and went to an orphanage in the Dominican Republic)
• Diabetes Walk for Hope
• One of our RAs has done two 24hr bike rides. The first was for our Africa fund, the second for Haiti. He's a great person!
• Breast Cancer Run
• Earth Hour concert (That'll be described in a later blog!)

That probably isn't all of them, but it's our big ones. I'm so proud to say that I go to this school and that I work with so many amazing people that are out to make a change. They're super supportive people who, like me, still see the wonder in the world.

I hope you are getting involved and making a difference. I know you're capable!
Love always,
Courtney

Live Like We're Dying

So these thoughts were inspired by a recent trip home and a newly discovered album. I'm an American Idol fan, and really enjoyed the Adam Lambert/Kris Allen face off, as I enjoyed them both. I managed to fall into the Adam Lambert album, and really enjoy it, but never seemed to find my way to the Kris Allen album, even though he was the winner. Well...let me tell you. His album is good. Really good. It's about love and endings and truth. I'm very much in love with his album. So as you can imagine, I listened to his album, A LOT, while I was home recently.

Now for the back story. I went home because it was one of my good friend's birthday, so naturally we were going out to celebrate. That's reason #1 for going home. Reason #2 was simple; I missed home. And as I was lying in bed listening to my iPod the other night, the song "Live Like We're Dying," by Kris Allen came on. This song talks about only having so much time in our lives, and making the most of it, which lead me to this; how many people have I lost in my life, either through death or distance, who probably don't know, or didn't know, how much they meant to me? I'm sad to say that there is quite a few. And I'm not OK with that either. These people meant something and have impacted my life, and I don't know if they'll ever be aware of that.

So I made a decision. No matter how my day is going, no matter what I have to do, I will make sure that those around me know what they mean to me. And here is my challenge to you. Make the world a better place by spreading love. The next time you hang up the phone with a loved one, or the next time you part ways with a friend, tell them you love them, or thank them for being your friend. Sometimes a small gesture such as that can make the difference in that person's life and create a chain reaction of positive feelings. And let's be honest; who doesn't like to hear that they matter?

Love always,
Courtney

And as per usual, I have a video for you :) It's Kris Allen's video for Live Like We're Dying.

Love Makes the World Go Around

I'm one of those girls. The ones that believe that there's a happily ever after for everyone. I'm still in search of Prince Charming, but I do believe he's out there. I believe that chivalry isn't dead, but that every girl needs to be able to save herself and not rely on her knight in shining armor to come save her everytime. But all-in-all, I believe in love and the power it holds.

I believe that love is what saves us and holds us and strengthens us. I believe that without love, there would be no plot line for movies, there would be no lyrics for songs and there would be no need for a bucket of ice cream, kleenex and chick flicks. I also believe that love conquers all.

I have witnessed that first hand. My parents are the reason that I believe in love. They have been married for almost 24 years, and I'm the only obvious product of that, but I'm proud to be their daughter. I was a pretty smart kid (believe it or not) and was more aware of my surroundings than I probably should have been. But this made me aware of my parents struggles when I was about 15. They went through a rough few years, dealing with high stress situations. But I am so proud to say that they made it through it all, and are stronger than ever.

It's the funniest thing to observe my parents. My mom is a little crazy, but I love her dearly for it. And my dad, he can be a litte cynical, but he's the funniest and most gentle man I know. Sure, they disagree, and there are times when the house is really quiet, but I know that when my mom looks at my dad, her eyes light up, and my dad makes fun of my mom sometimes, but it's those quirks that he adores. I really do hope that I will someday have a relationship close to what my parents have.

But anyways, enough with the sappy personal stuff. My reason for this post is my thoughts on the power of love (Celine Dion anyone?). If you think of some of the most influential people in history, they radiated love; for themselves, for others, for the world. Gandhi fought hard for peace, and sacrificed much of himself in doing so. Mother Theresa was famed as a humanitarian and an advocate for the poor and helpless. Martin Luther King Jr. advanced civil-rights movements, as well as advocating for the poor and ending the Vietnam War. The list could easily go on; Princess Diana, Nelson Mandela, Eleanor Roosevelt, Barack Obama, to name a few.

I think you could easily recognize that these people all had love; for others especially. They all fought to make a change. And I truly believe that if we all loved a little more freely and genuinely, we could start to see a difference; in our interactions, in others actions, in our world.

Just something to ponder over. How much strength do you think love has on change?

Love always,
Courtney