Life isn't just about fun and games.

Once again, so much time has passed since the last post so this one will probably be long.

Last Thursday the older brother of the two boys whose dad was not doing well came in to tell us they would not be coming in that day for camp because their dad would be gone by that night and their friends and family were there. He had been up til 2 a.m. the night before. I don't really know how it made me feel... I guess it seemed unreal that something like that would be happening so soon to one of our campers. I knew it might, but I guess I didn't expect it already. I just knew their life was about to change.
That day we were supposed to go to the beach but it was cloudy so we ended up taking all the kids on the bus downtown and going to see Kung Fu Panda. Between taking kids to the bathroom and nodding off because I was exhausted, I thought the movie was pretty cute. That night was our weekly barbecue at the house which was a lot of fun and then I went out with all the boys to a karaoke bar... its really strange to hang out with a big group of guys since I go to school where the male to female ratio is 1:4 and I am in nursing school and only have one boy in all of my classes. But I have to admit its very refreshing and way more relaxed to just hang out with the guys. I didn't get up and sing though... maybe some other time... ha.

Friday morning the mother of the two boys whose dad was not doing well came in to tell us that he had passed away the night before. This is the same woman I saw at church that Sunday so I knew her on a personal basis, which is not usually the case since we only see the kids most of the time. She told us all the details and told us the boys would be coming that day for their last day of camp. Afterwards she gave me a huge hug and whispered in my ear, "Say something to the boys, you've been there".

We went to the zoo that day and I know it may seem like it would have been hard for the boys to have come with us, but I think it was good for them or at least better than sitting around the apartment while their mom made funeral arrangements. I honestly did not get a chance to say much to the boys because the zoo was crazy having to keep up with all of our kids with all these other people around. I tried talking to one of the boys, but I just didn't know how to approach it. At the end of the day my boss told him that she and I had both lost our fathers so if they needed anything they could talk to us. I gave him my email address and told him to write if he ever needed anything or had any questions. I know that sounds extremely indirect but I think there are sometimes when people go through things and it would just be great to ask someone whose been through it how they handled it. Looking back on it, I wish I had said more but seeing as this was the first time I was in this situation I know it will help me to learn how to handle it. Honestly, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be for me. I feel that at the school you are in a way removed from what all the family is going through at the hospital and you get to just have fun with the kids-- unless they bring it up to talk about or are reacting through their behavior at school which we have had a lot of this week. It was hard to know looking at the two boys that their life had just changed forever. When that happened to me, I had no idea what would come from it. I probably did not even think much into the future when I was eleven, but so many things have stemmed from that time in my life, good and bad. I still am fearful about working in a hospital and actually being with a family when their family member dies because I know that will happen in the area I want to work in. I still feel that I don't know how I will react to that.
After work that day, I met up with Maegan to shop and then we went to dinner with two of my roommates at a Mongolian restaurant on "The Ave". Then we got ice cream and walked around the UW campus and took pictures. There is this incredible view of Mt. Ranier from the huge fountain at UW and Friday was such a clear day so I got some great pictures. After a few photo shoots, we headed back to the house and hung out while more and more people showed up and then we went to a party down the street. It was great to hang out with my roommates and get to know them better.
The next morning, Maegan and I attempted to get up sort of early and go hiking at Discovery Park. It ended up taking us about an hour and a half to get there and then we got lost multiple times trying to hike down to the beach. It was worth it though. The view from the beach showed the Olympic Mountains directly in front of us and then Mt. Ranier off to our left and sailboats were all out on the water. There was also a small lighthouse out on the beach where we were. We ate a late lunch when we got back downtown-- we chose a Mariners Sports Bar and ate like men because we were starving. By the time we got back to the house the guys were already wanting to get ready to go out for the night, so we showered and put on our dresses (which we got made fun of for since no one in Seattle seems to dress up ever... but we like to keep it Southern) and went to dinner at Madame K's. Madame K's is a pizza place Maegan had heard of that used to be a real brothel and now they turned it into a restaurant and decorated it like a brothel. The waitresses wear conservative lacey lingerie/dresses and they even have a dessert called the "orgasm"-- which we got. It was like a big chocolate chip cookie just out of the oven with ice cream. Afterwards we went out around Ballard to a bar where you could play Skee Ball and another where a "country" band was playing. However, the male lead singer was attracted to cowboys and he and the female singers sang "Stand by Your Man"-- so that was something I have never experienced in Nashville before...
Sunday I went to church with Maegan at Mars Hill. Apparently its pretty famous around the country, but Seattle natives don't really like the pastor at this church because he is "sexist". I think they may feel this way because he is so conservative compared to many of the people in Seattle. I found it to be a lot like the church I go to in Birmingham and actually really enjoyed it. The music was different though and seemed to be really inspired by the musicians and music native to Seattle, which I liked.
After church I went with Maegan to the house she is staying in. She is living with a woman that someone in Young Life connected her with. When we went upstairs, I noticed a huge board outside Maegan's room with Christmas cards and I immediately recognized a person on one of her cards! It was the host of one of my favorite shows on E! entertainment, The Soup. I watch this show all the time with my sister and brother-in-law and think the host is just hilarious. Anyways, Maegan's roommate is apparently good friends with the host's wife-- crazy!
Sunday night Anna invited me over to her house for dinner with the family she nannies for. They are the greatest family. Their parents came in town (they are from Huntsville, Alabama!) and we ate with their two kids who are 3 and 1. (This is the same family we went to the Fremont parade with). The kids are amazing and into everything and they just seem way more cultured than I was at such a young age. I love watching how they teach their kids because they are so fun and interesting and really have a great way of understanding their children.

This week at school is Seattle week so Monday we toured Safeco Field- the baseball field where the Mariners play. I went to a game there when I was younger with my Uncle Mark--back when Ken Griffey, Jr. and the pitcher named Randy something? still played. The stadium has been renovated since then and now has a retractable roof for when it rains. The stadium is absolutely gorgeous and has such a great view of the city skyline when its open. Our tour guide loves having the kids from the Hutch School there and took us to all the cool spots-- the really nice box where the owner would go if he ever came to games (he lives in Japan and is scared to fly...), the press box, the Diamond Club where they have pictures of Babe Ruth and the 1927 Yankees team and Babe Ruth's contract, the interview room, and the field. The kids got to sit in Ichiro's seat in the dugout which they loved-- apparently he's the favorite player on the team right now. I met Maegan that afternoon after work for a little shopping downtown... it turned out to be a lot of shopping though... :)
Tuesday we took a ferry to Bainbridge Island with all the kids. They were hilarious standing on the front of the ferry getting blown all over the place by the wind. They thought it was so much fun. I got some really funny pictures of them with their hair straight up and jackets getting blown all over the place. When we got to Bainbridge we met with a family who had had two kids at the Hutch School last year, a boy and a girl. The girl was the patient and passed away last summer. Their family loves the Hutch School and wanted to do something special with the kids this summer. It was great for me to meet the mom and son. I listened to the mom talk about a bench they had donated in honor of their daughter on Bainbridge Island, which they go and sit at and look out over the water on special occasions like Mother's day and birthdays. The mother also is interested in raising money for cancer research and prevention. I could tell their experience with their daughter's and sister's death have taken a toll on their family life, but she said something that I really connected to. She talked about how her 15 year old son said to her the other day that because of what they had been through and the people they met along the way (at the hospital and the Hutch School) they had learned and grown so much from it. This is something I have always thought about in my situation-- that in some ways its a blessing in disguise even though it was and is tragic. The mother seemed to be so moved that her son at such a young age realized this lesson and it inspired her. It was so great to meet her and know that even though cancer is so hard and losing someone is so hard, there are little blessings in every family. Its got a lot to do with sticking together and helping each other through it, though. Its never easy but this mother, her son, my boss, and I all seem to be proof that you can take a bad thing and use it for good. You just have to realize your capabilities, the gifts you have been given, and not let the hard times keep you from having good times.

Today we went to the Space Needle for camp and once again, I ran into a family from Nashville! I saw a kid on the top of the Space Needle wearing a Ravenwood baseball jacket and a Vanderbilt hat and stopped and talked to them. I never asked them their names and am kicking myself for it now, but its so weird how many people from Nashville I am running into! On another note, I am finally seeing that camp is not all fun all the time. Today one of the girls was extremely upset because her dad is not doing so well and she heard about the boys whose dad died last week. She kept going off by herself all day and would be fine one minute and then would be crying the next. She went back to her apartment early from camp once we got back to school. Another little boy has been pretty moody the past few days and either going off by himself or acting out in frustration and anger and we found out his younger brother who is a patient is not doing well. These kids are so young and they don't ever seem to say exactly what they're dealing with, and a lot of times they may not even understand it, so I'm finding you really can only find out how they're doing by watching their actions and attitudes. They need a lot of prayers and I really hope they are getting what they need out of camp. I hate that they are going through this and its so sad when they have a sibling in the hospital. I can't even imagine how that may be from a kid's perspective, being an older brother or sister to a sibling suffering with cancer. Its just crazy to me that the patient and their sibling has a childhood that right now is centered around cancer. Camp is so fun and we do such active things just like other summer day camps taking place around the country right now, but these kids have a lot to think about when they are not at camp. I have a binder that someone put together for me after my dad passed away and in it there are emails he wrote and I always think about the one where he wrote about how there were so many families and kids going through so much and that he prayed for them. I am reminding myself of that all the time and its really on my heart to pray for the kids because of the fact my dad really felt for them. I know its hard to pray for someone you have never met before, but I know people all around the country that we had never met were praying for my dad when he was going through this and that was so comforting to my family. I really just have to believe that prayer and God can comfort these kids where camp and fun can't.