Since starting at Delaware I have encountered many challenges, but many inspirational and wonderful people :::cough cough the fitness staff Gia and CK:::: I keep a board in my office of positive/inspiring things they say that motivate me. My most favorites:

- start comfortable, end uncomfortable. That’s how you get stronger.

- stay focused, stay strong.

- Be great TODAY.

Not only they do inspire me with their words but also with their actions. CK and Gia take their health, happiness and passions in life seriously and are excellent people I am happy to call my friends. From pursuing their personal fitness goals, to competing in crossfit and triathalons to baking delicious cookies, and taking time to enjoy simple things in life like the beach and hanging with friends. These two women inspire me. Gia just started a blog for her business and her excitement over it inspired me to make a return to blogging. So here goes… a year of posts and updates about whatever it is im thinking about — CHALLENGE 2012 is on.

I have been focusing a lot of effort on getting experience in other areas of campus recreation and I feel like my experience is really rounding out nicely. I’ve really been able to do the things I wanted to do in my job. I’ve been able to be a part of an established program, I’ve developed and manage a staff of student workers, I got to work summer camp, I maintained my involvement in aquatics, and I learned about intramural things (granted I still have a way to go with intramural stuff!) AND I should be getting my personal trainer certification! Woot! Wow I have really done a lot. Thinking about it reminds me that I need to update my resume, because I have to start looking for jobs soon. I am excited to get a real job, go home at night and not have to worry about school. It’s just that I am really going to miss UNH, the northeast and the KD girls. I’ve made some really good friends here. I belong to the community here. It is going to be hard to go. I don’t think I’m ready to have this blog yet! With that said, I will change the subject back to intramurals.

I kind of wish I had been involved with it before now. I feel like I am so busy that I don’t really have time to get it straight. I will say this for intramurals, it is a very different game from sport clubs. It is much faster paced, and requires multitasking. I dont know how they get it all done?! There is so much going on all the time. It is certainly fun though, and very new everyday.

Disney released the remastered version of Beauty and The Beast from its vault this week and you know who is going to buy it? This one, right here! As a kid I always loved this movie. The music is fabulous, the cartoon clothes rocked, and Belle loves to read. Really what more do you look for? I totally identified with her as a “princess”, precisely because she wasn’t a princess. She’s a smart, quasi-french-country girl, with an awesome horse and the hookup at the library. Not that the other princesses weren’t cool, Jasmine did have a tiger, Nala had undying faith, and Cinderella got to ride to in a sweet pumpkin carriage. I just like Belle that’s all.

So why spend time blogging about this? A couple of reasons: I found out something really interesting about the tale and want to talk about it; I have been thinking about the story and want to expound on what it taught me/teaches about love.

I found out last night that the story of Beauty and The Beast is actually based on one of my other favorite Greek fables, the story of Cupid and Psyche. Strange right? That arguably my favorite mythological story is connected to my favorite childhood Disney movie. (It gets weirder, another movie I love, The Phantom of the Opera, is classified as a Beauty and The Beast story.)

Just a minute on Cupid and Psyche, since you may not know the story. The short version: Psyche was a really beautiful girl. Venus was jealous (surprise?!) and told Cupid to go make Psyche fall in love with a monster. Just when he was about to shoot her with his arrow, she looked up, he was stunned by her beauty and pricked his finger on his arrow instead. They get married and she moves to his palace, where there are invisible servants and he only goes to her at night, so she never sees him. He tells her she can never see his face of he will leave for forever. Her sisters convince her shes married to a monster and she should check it out. She has a candle and takes a peek at him while they sleep, wax drips of the candle and burns him. Needless to say, he wakes up, is pissed off and leaves. She chases after him but its too late. She falls and he comes back to pick her up but then still leaves. — I realized last night that I have never read the original translated story, so I may be missing some pieces but that is what I remember from summer of 5th grade when I was really into mythology. (Her falling and him helping her is captured in a really beautiful statue, that incidentally is done by my favorite sculptor. weird again. Picture below.)

I will talk now mainly about Beauty and the Beast. But naturally, knowing the story of Beauty and the Beast and of Cupid and Psyche I began to wonder, how are they connected? How are they the same story? I also wondered if it was the same thing in each story that captured me, or if I liked the two independently. Oh questions!

What is it that I love about Beauty and The Beast? The library he gives her as a present? The singing and dancing kitchen appliances and dishware? Well absolutely yes, but that is not the main reason! What I really love about the story is how Belle and the Beast come to love each other. How they both see past what they are “supposed” to be and really love each other for who they are. The Beast is supposed to be a scary monster, but Belle sees that he’s not that all. Likewise the Beast sees past Belle being a stereotypical woman, who should have babies, make dinner and feed the chickens (freakin Gaston, I still dislike you!) and sees she is much more than that. Shes smart, patient, has her own interests, etc. The great thing is that they love the most in each other what other people don’t see. In my opinion the beauty of this story is in how they love each other and how that love changes their lives. The sweet library isn’t bad either – if you’re a nerd like me.

A quick side note about the Cupid and Psyche: I should say something about similarities in the stories. I think what stays with me about this story is how tragic it is. I mean from what I remember it doesn’t end happily. Really its true love that is denied because of impatience, and lack of trust and faith. Hmmm, almost like an antithesis to Beauty and the Beast or an alternate ending. I think I’m going to need more time to formulate this idea.

As for Beauty and the Beast, I have never really thought about what influence this has in my life. In one of my classes we talked a lot about how pop culture reinforces stereotypes and societal values. Normally we talk about how it reinforces negative things: gender stereotypes, racial beliefs, etc. But what about the positive things it teaches? Look beyond what you see. People are more than what you think they are. People are capable of great things if they believe it. Love is about more than what is in front of you, it’s about knowing someone for who they truly are. With that said, the influence and lessons of Beauty and The Beast are wide and vary, for each individual they surely mean something unique. This is just a sample of what it means to me.

All the girls moved into the house a week before school started to work on recruitment stuff. I didnt realize house empty and quiet the house was until it wasnt anymore! Im so glad they are back! I missed them so much and didnt even realize it. Its nice to have the house feel alive again. Although I will miss how well I used to sleep! I woke up on day two at 3am to the girls banging pots and pans and running through the house. lol Good times at the house.

Then Eb, Maggie and Alex came in town for a wedding of some of their friends. While they didnt get to come to Durham, it was fun to pick them up at the airport and see them in my “neck of the woods” (even if it was Vermont!) Check the pictures….

Then the first week of school happened, clubs are meeting and its just a little insane. It will be nice next year if I work at a university to go through this “crazy time” without having to worry about school stuff. Which reminds me! Im changing my thesis project idea.

Im really excited about this amazing opportunity that just presented itself to me. Ill probably blog about it later too. Im going to be doing some evaluation and  probably quantitative research on Operation Military Kids NH Summer Camps. I am so stoked, but I have a ton, let me repeat A TON, to do.

Aside from that school is beginning to settle down, which is really good news and the clubs are getting going. Im working on some pretty important other tasks at the moment too including new programing, PFT certification, etc.

The semester looks very very promising. I cant wait!

Last weekend I got to go home. Although the circumstances were sad, the trip was a good one. I got to spend some time with the family and go to an awesome wedding with andrew. PLUS i bought red boots! WOOT!

The “new” Karate Kid was phenomenal. An excellent movie, with a great story line. Yes, its a repeat, so what! Its a good story. I heard an interview with Will Smith and they asked him why remake a movie. He responded that stories are made to teach lessons, be told and passed on through time. He said by remaking this movie in a current time frame, and current circumstances it pushed the story of The Karate Kid past an awesome movie made in the 80s into something meaningful for everyone today. He said it was not a remake. Rather it was a retelling, the ultimate prize that stories go for.

After I heard about his understanding and logic behind retelling this story I had to go see it. It was exactly what I was hoping it would be. The same story with a few new twists more appropriate for 2010 than the 80s. No, we are not just talking about clothes and hairstyles. But rather it dealt with issues facing kids today, such as segregation (even it was in china), fitting in, and taking responsibility for ones choices. It was great.

I also need to say that I really liked what W. Smith had to say about the film. I really like that way of looking at movies as a vehicle for that longest tradition of human society, story telling.  In the beginning this is how we remembered, learned and understood things. Passing on a story was passing on a grain of truth. The stories morphed to be sure, check out the bible and a christian understanding of God. But the truth remains constant in the background. Phenomenal.

I don’t know if this holds true for all remakes, but certainly makes a compelling argument for  retellings.
Bravo Will Smith. Good job. Too bad you will not win any awards for making a great film and having an excellent philosophy. I loved it

I guess I should take a minute to address the blatant discrepancy in this film. Namely the fact it is called The Karate Kid but he learns Kung Foo. Does it really matter?! If you go with W. Smith’s understanding details are precisely that, details. The story is not about him learning a martial art and kicking some butt. Its about overcoming adversity, being disciplined, being true to yourself and trying as hard as you can.  Sounds like Kung Foo is pretty low on the list there.

Interesting new thought… this movie makes a really good argument for youth development through sports……

Bitter because it means the end of summer is here. I have procrastinated on my thesis long enough and now MUST work on it. It is also bitter because I am going to miss the kids, especially the cool ones. I honestly felt like I was useless for a while but in the past 2 weeks the kids have told me how much they like arts and crafts, and how they want me to come back next year. I know this is trivial because in reality they will not remember if I was ever here or not. Still it makes me feel really good about the time, effort and energy I put into this summer.

Sweet because everyone is coming back to work so there will be tons of people in the office and I will be able to have a life. I am not looking forward to a real 40 hours a week “job”. Camp is exhausting and that was 6 weeks!!! YIKES!

Today at Camp I went to Mendum’s Pond with the older group of campers and had my first blueberry picking experience. There were many unexpected things that occured:

1. Blueberries grow on a tall bush that resembles a small tree. Debating 9-12 year olds about if it is a bush that looks like a tree or a tree that looks like a bush can be an incredibly interesting way to spend time picking blueberries.

2. It is a pain in the butt to pick blueberries. They are so tiny, and there are roughly 4 in  bunch on each leaf, which means you have to pick a massive amount to make half a cup and will probably have to travel to multiple blueberry tree/bushes to accomplish the task.

3. Wild blueberries taste exactly like the ones in the store. EXCEPT that the ones in the store are easier to gather.

4. Picking wild blueberries is not nearly as easy or immediately satisfying as picking apples – however apples do not grow in the wild. (Well maybe somewhere but not that I know of!)

All in all this may paint a pretty bleak picture of blueberry picking. It was fun but roughly the color of a blueberry… slightly shady.

When I got back I took a week-long high ropes class. I will blog about this later

Then philip came up to new hampshire and today we are going to Portland, ME! YEAHHHH!!!!! I will blog and post pics later. Until then check out some awesome pics from the past month and a half!

Today was a beautiful day in New Hampshire. The weather was great. Philip sent me flowers. I got my pizza kit. Clubs are wrapping up for the year. Glorious. I have great hopes that the summer will wonderful!

I finished the job posting I was working on. First time I have ever put one of those things together for real use. Hopefully people will apply. I am excited about getting a staff. I have never had one bigger than 2 people before. It should be an interesting experience. Which brings me to my thought for the day.

I was reflecting on my class last night, about my management style and about how what we do in campus recreation is help students develop. I came to the conclusion that it takes more time, effort and personal energy to care about your staff, BUT it is totally worth it to be a part of their life.

I have a very direct and short leadership style. It works and its effective but it does not win me a ton of friends, and it certainly does not put me in a position to work effectively with students. Having realized that I have worked really hard to change my management/leadership style. Sometimes it epic fails, im not going to lie. But when it works I make some really cool discoveries about myself, others and the work we are doing.

My current student worker constantly pushes me to find new ways to get her experiences and to help her grow. It is a beautiful relationship (hopefully she thinks so too). Someone suggested the other day that it was a kind of mentor relationship. I never thought of it that way to be honest. But perhaps I should change my view a little and see what happens. What I do know is that being her friend, talking to her about her goals in life and what she wants to achieve makes me feel like I am really having an impact in someones life, and it is super rewarding.

I would say that this is my first real experience with student development, and I really love it!

Picture for today: It has been a long 2 weeks in the library