Since my friends and I had some down time in our schedules...I know, what is down time?...my family and I decided to hold another Taco Night. I had my group of friends come down to the Deely House and we spent the night relaxing and having a good time away from the stress of homework. The taco spread was delicious as always. We even had time to put in a movie. We watched Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity and definitely got in some serious laughs.

Afterwards, I took all of my friends to a spot in Altoona that my friends from high school and I discovered about a year ago. It's an area on the edge of a development that is covered in huge rocks and boulders. It has a path that cuts into the side of the cliff and takes you to the bottom. It was dark, so it made the excursion very interesting. Everybody had a great time and of couurse, I got some pictures.

Well I'm going to take off. I have a lot of work to get done.

Laura

Posted by Laura Deely at 6:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For my Spring Break, I had the amazing opportunity to attend a service learning trip with several of my friends from MAC. We had a very early flight into Kingston, Jamaica where we then traveled to the mountains of Mandeville. No, we weren't heading to the coast for a week at the beach, soaking up the sun. We were staying at the St. John Bosco School for Boys. The school is run by the Sisters of Mercy and is for delinquent and orphaned boys. We had no idea what to expect when we got there, so you can imagine our surprise when we discovered that we would be staying in very accomodating guest houses and that our next door neighbors were a bunch of sheep!!

We spent the week helping with various projects: painting new beds for the dormitory, moving sandstone, and writing letters with the boys. Several students had the opportunity to work at the Caribbean School for the Deaf while others spent a few days at a medical clinic. It was incredibly rewarding to know that we were making a difference and helping the school.

The whole week, however, was not just work. We also got to spend a great deal of time playing in the play yard with the boys, taking in the Jamaican scenery, and even spent a day in Negril at the beach. I took so many pictures!!! I learned how to play cricket and made some new friends. My favorite part had to be the birthday party we attended for all of the boys born in January, February and March. This was the first chance we really had to interact with the boys. We celebrated with cake and ice cream and even played musical chairs.

It was truly a life changing experience and I hope to go back someday. It was definitely the best way to spend Spring Break.

Posted by Laura Deely at 4:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Right now, I'm sitting in our hotel room in Arlington, Virginia as Lindsey puts cornrows in my hair. We are leaving early in the morning for our service trip to Mandeville, Jamaica. A group of students from MAC is heading down there for a week to aid the St. John Bosco School of the deaf and a local health clinic. I have been looking forward to this trip since last summer!! The sheer fact that I get to go down with some of my best friends and experience something like this just blows my mind.

This will be my first time outside of the country, so I am excited and scared at the same time. This will also be the first time I have ever flown without my family...so I am very scared!! I don't like to fly at all. I like to keep my feet on the ground. Of course, that statement does contradict with my secret wish to go sky diving and bungee jumping...I guess they aren't secrets anymore. Haha :o)

I think this will be a very memorable way to spend my Spring Break and it will probably be the trip of a lifetime. I hope to learn a lot from the trip...I know that I will. I just wanted to wish all of you a safe and happy Spring Break!! Also, Happy St. Patrick's Day and Easter. I won't be checking back in until after the holiday.

God Bless!

Laura

Posted by Laura Deely at 5:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)