dance marathon.

So... 26.2 hours, $1,528,330.16, & 383537246253 smiles later, Dance Marathon at UF is complete & more successful than ever before!  It is exciting knowing that our student-run philanthropy is the biggest in the Southeastern United States!

I am so incredibly proud of everyone in their efforts to make this THE BEST Dance Marathon ever!   It took over a year to plan this huge event & hundreds of hours, but it truly showed through the smiles of the miracle children as well as the loving faces of every dancer, delegate, dancer buddy, staff member, captain, & overall that breathed, ate, & slept dance marathon all weekend.

I know the Children's Miracle Network will use that money for something great that will save thousands & thousands of kids in the near future!

I remember my Freshman year of college being force fed Dance Marathon in the Fall & thinking... Why is there so much hype about something 47647854 months away??  It took one glance inside the O'Connell center & the words of the Miracle Families for me to get it.

After being on staff as a freshman, a dancer as a sophomore, & on staff again this year, I can't get enough of such a great cause.  I loved making a small difference in an event that makes a huge mark on the medical world of Shands & the kids.
I already can't wait until my final DM next year (not that it's my last), but just to see how much more we improve & make strides toward saving more & more kids.  Just in my 3 short years here at UF, I have seen the total rise about $800,000, which is INCREDIBLE!  I love seeing the dedication students have to this event & the smiles they put on the kids' faces.  It is also nice to see students completely sober for an entire weekend, while tking time out of their busy schedules, & being 100% selfless for the sake of families & kids in need.  Not only did I see FTK shaved into peoples' heads, but I saw it in action.  This is REAL philanthropy y'all. 

So I would like to throw a special shoutout to my roommate, Rebecca (above in middle), Sami (below on left), & Nicole (not pictured) for rocking DM for their third year in a row!  78.6 hours of dancing & they are still looking good!  "Can't sit, won't sit," or should it be "can't sit, can't sit?"  That is the question.
     

Sami & Tarah rockin' the BYOS DM style!

BUT, I would like to throw out an even more special shoutout to the 6 Kappas who are 4 year dancers!  It is so impressive to dance just 1 time, but these rockstars didn't stop standing for a total of 104.8 hours!

I was also so happy to see the dedication of the dancer buddies/visitors.  No one can stay on their feet for 26.2 hours without a friendly, non-delirious face to get them through the hours.  But sisterly & true is maximized when that friend is willing to give foot massages for an hour to her sore-footed friends!  You go Glenn Coco, aka Sarah! You are a SUPER SISTER forever!

Last but not least,  I would like to mention that I plan on continuing my shirts!  If you follow this link: https://www.facebook.com/bringyourownshirt.byos.rachele you can find my Facebook page with all the shirts I have made for DM donations!  Please like my page, browse through the ones I have made so far, bring me a shirt, tell your friends, & love a style that is your own! (I have a small example (above) of Sami & Tarah wearing their DM-related shirts & loving them up!!)  I raised about $300 on the shirts alone this years & I can't stop, won't stop.  VISIT ME AT: "BYOS: Bring Your Own Shirt" y'all FTK!

-Ciao

ftk.

As a Gator, there is one thing you know for sure about the Spring in the Swamp: DANCE MARATHON.  It may happen in the spring, but it is introduced in early fall & then practically force fed to you throughout the course of the school year.  As a freshman you're overwhelmed by whatever Dance Marathon (DM) is, but by the time April rolls around, you are practically singing FTK & breathing generosity.  At least that's what seemed to happen to me...

You kinda just get wrapped up in all the happiness that surrounds the event.  All the tabling, flyering, fundraising, time, & energy that is soaked up into this marathon weekend.  Individuals raise hundreds to thousands of dollars for his or her chance to stand for 26.2 hours for those who can't & to be a part of a life changing experience for children who visit Shands right here in Gainesville.

I mustache you to Dance!

Last year I decided that I wanted to dance for the opportunity... but I didn't just leave with the memories of another college notch on my belt, I left knowing I actually made a difference for kids.  Standing for 26.2 hours ain't easy by the way... it might have actually been one of the hardest experiences of my life.  I haven't run a marathon before, but 26.2 hours of no sleep, caffeine, or sitting may just be a fair challenge.  But it was worth it.   

Anyway, let me tell you a little bit about what Dance Marathon really is.  It is a 26.2 hour philanthropy that supports the the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN) nationally.  Shands Children's Hospital has been a part of CMN for almost 20 years & is the most successful student-run philanthropy in the Southeastern United States.  CMN helps kids all over the country have the life they deserve.  During DM, the "miracle children" tell their stories about how Shands Hospital & CMN saved their lives, giving them opportunities they never thought they would have.  UF students bend over backwards to make the "miracle children" feel loved & right at home in our Gator Nation all year long.  The families leave with both a healthier child & a larger, more extended family as well.  It is a truly eye-opening experience.  You just can't believe how strong people are when they seem so vulnerable & fragile.  It puts things into perspective.

Oh! & you might be asking what FTK means... FOR THE KIDS baby!
   


So... here's my proposal:  I will make you a Dance Marathon shirt for $8 if you provide me with the blank slate (aka the shirt... preferably in a light color so the design will show up).  Or if you live further away (i.e. it needs mailing/the purchase of a shirt by me) the price is $18 per shirt! You pick the design, I make you a shirt. Badda Bing Badda Boom.  Everyone is happy... especially the KIDS!

If you are interested in a shirt or just want to donate, you can follow this link to my personal donation page: http://floridadm.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1074420&supid=344031142 Being a part of DM, no matter how big or small, makes a huge difference for a small child! BE THAT DIFFERENCE!  Thank you!

Below I have a few examples of some of the shirts I've made if you are interested.  If you are... you know what to do!  (Walmart sells very cheap plain t-shirts if you were curious!)    

If you wanna talk business with me, feel free to get in contact

A big shout out to my models, Kerry Leonard, Katie Moore & Rebecca Coombs!

& on a cheesy note, I have awkwardly created a song for your singing pleasure.  I would have included an audio portion too, but I didn't think my beyond sub-par singing voice would be positive PR for my rad shirts! (*insert laugh here) 

[sing to the "Brady Bunch" theme song... or else]

Here's a story of a great fundraiser,

That's bringing in some very lovely funds.

All of them come from your heart, and your love.

Any amount saves tons. 

Here's a story of the very beginning,

When Dance Marathon was just a baby trend.

It was born to, help the kids get better.

But now it will never end.

Till one day when the C.M.N. met Shands

And they knew that it was much more than a chance,

That these two could somehow form a marathon.

That's the way we all made the Stance to Dance,

The Stance to Dance,

The Stance to Dance.

That's the way we all made the Stance to Dance.

Last year's DM total! First time breaking A MILLION at UF!

I hope you enjoyed this post & it put some thoughts of "giving" into your hearts! FTK!

& if you need a way to contact me, you can comment on this blog post & I will respond ASAP or send me a message via facebook!

If you like what you see here, please share this post with your friends :) 

http://floridadm.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1074420&supid=344031142

Ciao-

iworld.

For the past month or so I have been in Hendersonville, North Carolina acting my age with young campers!  I believe camp is a critical part of a child's growth because not only does it take a child and place them in a situation where they have to make new friends face-to-face, but it creates a completely real environment with no technology to distract them.  Camp is 100% kid, which unfortunately the environment we live in now... is not.

Generations past talk about how different children are from their times.  I know my parents always talk about how much more time they spent outside with other neighborhood children; building forts, playing cops&robbers, learning how to interact with their peers with absolutely zero technology, & watching cartoons only on Saturday mornings.  Kids were described as "better seen, not heard."

My generation has the kids that grew up watching "Hey, Arnold,""Boy Meets World," and "Growing Pains."  The generation where computers were completely up and running in every house hold, video games transitioned from Nintendo64 to Game Cube to X-Box, & texting became the new fad.

However, this generation of kids was born texting & with touch screens.  They live in an "iworld."

Technology is a great thing, but is almost a contagious virus, if you will.  It has spread all across the world & is unstoppable.  There is no cure for it's aggression & people have accepted it as an integral part of their lives.  They go everywhere with their ipads, iphones, Nooks, Kindles, & more... for kids technology has replaced the "baby blanket" that trailed them everywhere.

Camp Pinnacle feeds off the idea of individuals being their "best self."  A time when no one is watching where you just are the epitome of great.  Whether it is helping others, working on something with an incredible amount of determination & endurance, or cleaning up trash that may not even be yours... being your "best self" happens so much at camp.  Kids start depending on others for entertainment rather than technology, they have hands on experience with outdoor activities rather than watching it on the big screen, & spend two whole weeks loving nature & what it has to offer.

Pure joy comes out at camp as well.  Roasting marshmallows & making s'mores by a real campfire, getting dirty but loving it, singing oldies but goodies with some of your favorite people, interacting with different age groups & even adults on a healthy level, learning to conquer some real fears in a reasonable risk kind of way, being able to get back up after you get knocked down, & just looking up at the stars at night or across the reflective lake & just love nature for the very first time brings out the best in everyone.

As an adult (sort of) observer, I can now look back on my camp experience & think how lucky I was to go to camp almost every summer from the time I was eight.  Looking back even further you realize how important the little moments were.  The singing every Sunday at the bluff, the great songs I learned, the overnights I had where we just stared at the stars, the first mountain I climbed.  Somehow, going to camp just makes you feel accomplished & fearless.

Just four weeks at camp I learned all this.  Imagine the impact on a child.

Camp can be the changing factor in a kid's life.  For me, it challenged me to work hard for a beautiful reward, meet new people, & actually love the outdoors.  Wouldn't you want that for your kid?

http://www.camppinnacle.com/?gclid=CMv8q8mf6bgCFTFo7AodV3QAJg

biking, hiking & rock&roll.

Colorado is awesome... I mean I already knew that, but it is a completely different breed in the summertime.  Why wasn't I born here?  I belong in the mountains... I am a mountain child.  One of the best parts about being here is seeing the different sides of my parents.  They are mountain people too?  Well... apparently so & they haven't been doing half bad either. 

So back to the title of this post, biking, hiking & rock&roll, that has been the agenda these last few days. 

Yesterday we went biking from Snowmass Village to Aspen, which is about a 9 mile trek through some hilly terrain.  Now I know I am a wimp & a terrible bike rider... but that first couple of miles was rough stuff.  If you promise not to tell anyone, I may or may not have walked my bike up a section.  In my defense, I almost couldn't walk up it either... 

After conquering the more challenging trails, we eventually became one with the wind and began flying down.  It was awesome.

When we arrived in Aspen, we ate lunch at this restaurant in the downtown area called BB's Kitchen, where I scarfed down a pulled chicken salad and a banana-blueberry smoothie.  I am attempting to be a bit more healthy since my stint in Italy.  Day 5... still. eating. gelato.  Why??  I told my mom to starve me.  It is hard when she likes food just as much as I do...

After lunch, we attempted to ride around the city a bit more, but lucky me, I had no padding in my shorts and I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable... if you know what I mean.  Melissa McCarthy from "Bridesmaids" would be more frank about it, but I will stick to subtleties... my but was sore.  I will admit it... I am no Lance Armstrong.  (But then again, I don't think he is either.  Too soon?)

Every day I return to the condo feeling 100% satisfied that I lived in the moment.  I feel tired, but that good kind of tired that proves you did something valuable with your day.  I never feel like I am wasting my time away out here.  We are always on the move, always hiking, biking, & hiking more... & the small amount we relax is important & definitely much needed.  We use our time wisely out here!

The great thing about summer in Snowmass are the free weekly concerts on the slope.  Around 6:30 the music began to call us down the mountain to where everyone in the valley was.  Where did all the young people come from?  I literally didn't know real young adults lived in & around the Snowmass area except during winter time.  It was a completely different atmosphere with the green hills, blue skies, teenagers & college students, live music, beer instead of hot chocolate sold on the slopes, & the lifts not in motion.  You almost wouldn't recognize the place.  The band that played is a British band called the Dunwells... they were nice to listen to, but played quietly.  Mostly people were there to socialize rather than listen to the music... it still counts as rock&roll, even though it was quiet!!


We stayed there for about 2 hours when we heard "Scandal" calling us from the condo.  You always listen to Olivia Pope...she kept us entertained.

Allora, this morning we woke up a little earlier to attempt to leave the condo for Cathedral Lake.  After a bit of a late start, we finally headed about a half an hour away to the trail head.  Cathedral Lake is a 6 mile round trip hike to this alpine lake at 11,900 feet.  We gained about 2,000 feet in elevation, hiked casually through groves of aspens, tripped over rocks in bouts of scree fields (a little bit of rock&roll if you ask me!), & practicaly keeled over and collapsed from the steep switchbacks.  But it was worth it because at the end of the trail there was a bright blue lake surrounded by rocky mountains that resembled cathedral spires.

We sat by the lake for a bit enjoying the ambiance when a dog walked up behind us... it was a shiba-inu.  If you don't know what that means... first off look one up because they are adorable & second off, it is the type of dog we have.  We greeted the shiba with a "hey Suki," because that is the name of our dog & it seemed fitting.  I guess we were right, because guess what that dog's name was?  Yep, Suki.  I know, I know... you can't believe it.  We couldn't believe it either!  That just made the day even better.

And beyond that we ate at this cool restaurant, which is only accessible during the winter by snowmobiles or cross country skiers.  It is literally in the middle of no where, but it was a very delicious meal... especially after a great 5 hour hike! 

Cathedral Lake

Sporting my Camp Pinnacle Hat

So far this has been such an amazing summer!  The only thing I am looking forward to now is seeing my little kiddos at camp, but hey... that can wait because I am living every moment in the moment.

Ciao-Ciao

I signed an aspen tree :)

roma!

GIORNO VENTISEI

I have been waiting for this day for a long time because on today's agenda we were to visit the Coliseum!  I have seen pictures of me from our 1999 family vacation of us there and I wanted to re-visit to remind myself that, "yes, you have been here before!"

So, we woke up fairly early... a little rough after getting in pretty late last night and we went down to the hotel lobby for breakfast.  It was sub-par, but I was just happy I brought food from Firenze with me to eat throughout the day.  Because I definitely can't go one minute without eating!  Seriously.  After breakfast, we all set out on a short walk to the arches of the Coliseum!  It is so cool to think how old the structure truly is and what went on in there during that time period.  This massive rink was built in about 80 AD for fighting; animals, humans, gladiators, you name it.  I don't know if you have seen "Scooby Doo and the Cyber Chase," but it was pretty accurate if you ask me.  They really portrayed the gladiator and animal interaction well.  Although it has been massively restored and restructured in places to keep it standing, parts of the original white-marble columns remain.

As time went on, people needed the pieces of the Coliseum for building purposes, so people began stealing chunks of it... casual theft of Coliseum.  No big deal.  Allora, there was eventually an earth quake that massively destroyed the back side of the Coliseum, removing a large portion of the outer rings.  Bad at the time, but super amazing now because tourists like me get to gawk at it!       
 

1999

2013: haven't changed

1999

2013: haven't changed

We almost got it!

We scampered around the Coliseum, loving all the history and perfectness of it all.  I could have spent all day there, but we had to leave to head to the Forums.  I sort of actually remember the Forums.  I don't know why, but I remember strange and not the best parts of my trip... In the Forums, I specifically remember being chased by a giant horsefly and I tried to hide from it.  Don't ask.  The ruins were actually really cool!  I liked the history behind each of the hiding structures, how the ground had changed with excavation and years of usage, and what/who lived in them.  Emily knew all the facts too... that girl knew EVERYTHING about what was going on.  She called out the names of all the ancient people before the tour guide even said anything... what?!? 

Right after we finished up at the Forums and filled up our water bottles at the conveniently placed water fountains near Capitol Hill, Tarah, Savannah, and Christina called to tell us to meet them at the train station to catch the one pm train to the Tivoli Gardens.  Yes... I will answer the question that you are burning to ask, that is EXACTLY where Lizzie Maguire went with Paolo in the Lizzie Maguire Movie, and yes, it was perfect!  But first, Danielle and I practically sprinted to the train station on the other side of town, sweating like crazy (for the first time in Italy yet), after getting lost, like four times!!  This city is confusing!

Lizzie Maguire ran here... with Paolo

So... we roll up to the train station: me fanning myself, my tongue sticking out, and beads of sweat rolling everywhere.  Rough.  IMPORTANT NOTE: if young teenaged boys and girls come up to you and ask if you need help... YOU DON'T!  They try to distract you and then steal your money.  Also, if you pay with cash they try to steal your change from the dispenser.  They pretend to be pregnant, but we saw behind the disguise!  Never trust a pregnant fourteen and a half year-old with a round pillow in her belly.  NOT TRUE!  She looked like she had a baby bump like Amy Poehler in "Baby Mama..."  Not that tricky girl.

So yeah, the gardens.  We rode the train forty minutes outside of Roma to Tovoli, which was a cute, but small (emphasis on the small) town.  We walked to the bus station and then took sketchy bus with driver who looked about seventeen to the gardens.  We got in for FREE with our FUA ID cards because we are "studying" art here in Firenze.  That won't get old.

The gardens were really cool and beautiful!  There were beautiful trees, fountains, statues, and planters.  The weather was great and we burst into the songs that Lizzie and Paolo sang together in the movie... Not well, but we did!  It was awesome and so different.  We also could have spent the entire day there, but everyone was getting pretty hungry since we hadn't eaten since breakfast.

We took the sketchy bus back up the hill, of course getting off at the wrong stop and walked to some restaurants before settling on this quaint one by the river.  We sat down and the waiter came up to ask us what we wanted.  He told us what they offered and it did not match the menu at all.  The menu said eight euro for lasagna, NOT fifteen.  Trying to steal our money... not up in here.  Especially not with Tarah around.  She got the point across and we got our lasagna for eight euro.  1-0 Tarah.  Nice try waiter.  It is so weird here that businesses just don't seem to care whether or not they get your business.  They almost treat you rudely.  Since there is no tip, they don't have to be nice.  They require a service charge and it is automatic, so there is no customer service... it just doesn't exist.  Even at dinner the other night, we had to ask for everything.  They don't work unless you ask them to... awkward.  They should want a good reputation.  I mean word of mouth is key.      
  

After lunch we walked back to the train station for our ride back to Roma.  I fell asleep on the seven minute train from one Roma station to the other if that tells you how exhausted I was... At the hotel we had about forty-five minutes to shower and get ready before dinner.  We ate at another pretty decent restaurant right down the street and they even provided wine.  I didn't have any because the meal was so filling, but it was just a nice gesture!  My favorite part, no surprise here, was the dessert, which was this odd looking, but so good.  I don't know what it was, but I was obviously happy about it.  It looked like flan, but don't be fooled.

Anyway... I was out like a light the minute I hit that pillow!

Buononotte!

I WILL WRITE MY TODAY'S POST TOMORROW!