A Tribute

On this anniversary of September 11th I figured I would write a little tribute to those who died, searched, and are still fighting because of that day.

I remember exactly where I was when the first building fell and I remember exactly where I was as I watched the 2nd one. I was a freshman sitting in Mr. Farren's US History class. It was second period and we turned on the tv to watch the events as the unfolded. The class next to us came over and watched with us. My best friend Katie came and sat on top of my desk and we held each others hands. I remember watching as they showed footage of the airplane crashing over and over into the 2nd building. I remember the whole school being silent that day.

Since that day many people I know have gone overseas to fight for freedom from terrorists. My aunt Shelley spent two years over there missing the first two years of her 2nd sons life. Her two boys missed her terribly and they have some developmental problems now. They barely speak and they are behind in learning. It is truly sad to see. My uncle Ron spent a year and a half over there also missing the first part of his sons life and important years of his daughters. I have seen and heard of many families losses and my heart goes out to all of them.

It is because of events like this that I feel it is my calling to help people. I am not fit to be a soldier nor do I want to be one. I want to help in the only way I know how; making people smile. There are so many people out there who have known nothing in life but loss and sadness. I want to reach out to those people and make life a little bit brighter for them. This is one reason why I joined the Peace Corps. I can help, I want to help, I will help. This is my way of doing that.

So on this anniversary of 9/11, let us remember those who are no longer with us, those who are away from us and those that are helping to make this world a little bit better. Never forget as those who have died will live in memory and those who are away will be comforted by knowing we think of them.

-Leslie :)

So it begins....

Hey everyone!

Ok so here's the deal. I'm 2 weeks away from graduating Robert Morris College in Chicago. I will be moving back home to Milwaukee. Over the next 6 months I will be volunteering with the Girl Scouts of Milwaukee County, Wauwatosa East High School, Habitat for Humanity and coming back down to Chicago every once in a while to help out The Hard Rock Hotel Chicago. Then the big news........

In March I will be leaving (Hopefully, cross your fingers for me!) for a 27 month commitment with the Peace Corps. I will not know exactly where, when or what I will be doing until I am medically cleared. This will not happen for probably a good 2 months or so. Anyways, I'm super psyched about this. Some people are like "Why do you want to leave the US for a country with no electricity, running water or air conditioning?" and you know what my answer is? "Why wouldn't I want to!!" Those of you who know me know that I do not do things like everyone else. I couldn't be more excited for this opportunity to experience another culture first hand, learn a new language and realize just how lucky I've been so far in life.

So this is the beginning of my "adult" life. For those of you interested in keeping touch let me know and I'll keep you posted on addresses, telephone numbers etc. I know there are going to be some tough times ahead but there will be many more good ones than bad I'm sure. I'm sure there will be some interesting posts in the future so even though I may not post a lot on here, check it out when you can. Just remember to keep smiling because you know that's what I'll be doing!

Spread the Love!
Leslie :)