i'll love you today and all of your tomorrows

I love my friends. L.O.V.E. A four letter word is so powerful and means so much in my relationships. Who can't love life when they have such amazing friends to brighten their day? Simply through a text, a smile in the hallway, encouragement, or when they just make you laugh. I have a smile on my face 24/7 because of my friends; because of what they mean to me and what they teach me. They inspire me to be me, because hey, they love amy bennett, not someone else who looks like amy bennett. They inpsire me to cherish life, to live my life to fullest and take every opportunity. They inspire me to love in my other relationships.
As the movie Soul Surfer says: "Who knew that teaching a kid to surf would teach me that surfing isn't the most important thing in the world, but something more important is. Love. Bigger than any title wave. Greater than any fear" - Bethany Hamilton.(I just typed that from memorization by the way! ;) ).

So hears a shout out to all my friends out there, and you know who you are, who mean the world to me. Thank-you for being in my life, teaching me lessons that you might not even know you taught, encouraging me, and straight out being there for me on this journey called life. I love you today and all of your tomorrows!

~amy

blog #2

As you all know, I am proud team member of Project Kenya. The meetings have been going great, and I'm learning lots in really cool and creative ways - thanks to the project leaders.
The website is now up and rolling and so are the blogs from each member! The blog is used to tell people in the community and possible donors of what we are learning, how we like it, activities, fundraising, and more. My first blog is up there and is entitled "Opportunities come and go...”  My name is also on the blog (if you are having trouble finding it). And you might have to press 'older blogs' to find it...but it's there! I promise!
I guess my blogging has come in handy!

http://ymcaprojectkenya.ca/

Enjoy!


~amy

Dan

The other night I was at a youth summit event with Project Kenya. There were number of speakers and we were introduced on stage to show our community the team that will be going to Kenya next year.
All of the speakers were great. They all talked about following your dreams and learning from your failures. And they all told us about their stories and how maybe some people didn't believe in them. But they kept going.
A guy named Dan, who goes to my church sometimes, was speaking. I knew his situation but I never heard him share his story. Let's just throw it out there...I was inspired.
Dan was wrestling with a friend one night, just horsing around like guys do, and some how he flipped over his friend and landed on his back breaking his neck. He was paralyzed from the neck down, however the doctor fixed his neck, but he still can't walk, and is in a driving wheelchair. His life was all about sports. That's all he did, and explained that he probably going to go to college to play more sports. He explained that he was never the best one on the team, but he was always the hardest working. His team could always count on him to never give up. Period.  
But now he is stuck, and may never walk again. But he doesn't call his story a sad story. He has stayed positive through it all. He told us this is because of his supportive family, his awesome friends who while he was in the hospital raised 30,000 for him, and people who inspire him.
He told us a story that one Saturday he was having a bad day because he was stuck in the hospital with nothing to do, and his friends, who were going to come visit, cancelled on him. He went cruising around to try to entertain himself and met a guy outside that inspired him and changed his perspective completely. The guy he met had no parents or siblings because they died, and he has 4 kids who have never visited him since he was omitted to the hospital - 7 years ago. He changed his perspective on the situation he thought he was in and became positive.

He encouraged us youngsters to keep pushing forward. He said that bad stuff happens but there is someone out there who is in a way bigger situation then you are in so stay positive.

His favorite saying: “If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” - Martin Luther King Jr.

~amy

it doesn't matter

I just finished reading Apolo Ohno's book 'Zero Regrets' for the third time. You think by now I would be bored of the book...but I'm not. And I promise you this won't be the last time it was read. I read for hours upon hours on the train ride to and from Chicago I had nothing else to do, and was enjoying what I read twice already. However, the great thing about this book is that you don't get sick of it, and you learn something new every time.
This time through something unique caught my eye. It's not where you start. It's where you finish. Apolo explained that he wasn't born into speed skating; he was born in a somewhat broken home - hanging out with the wrong crowd, getting himself into trouble and not having a care in the world. It is ok to fail. "It took that failure for me to realize what my potential was and to dedicate myself to something I truly believed in, to understand that it was going to take a whole lot more than going through motions, no matter how talented I might be." - Apolo Ohno (from the book). Apolo learned a lot throughout his journey, and his finish was worth all the struggles and trials he went through. His finish was meaningful and full of potential. And what a finish it was - 8 Olympic medals. Oh ya! Who cares where you were. Finish strong and regret free should be the goal. It's mine!

~amy

the challenge

With my new year's resolution to eat healthier comes with it a lot of cravings I tend to see. So it's time to teach myself self-control. As you can see in the pictures below, I have made myself a challenge. I put my favourite candies in a bowl and decorated the outside with sayings, pictures, and questions like, "Do you really need this? How will this affect your body?".

Now let me tell you, the mixture of smells between chocolate and sour candy sure smells delicious, and gets me thinking sometimes...but to live with no regrets is worth it. This challenge just sits on my dresser, staring at me, but I'm not going to touch it.

~amy

I'm in

It all started with a maybe, that turned into a 'let's do it'.....that turned into a video and an application form.....that turned into a phone call being invited to a group interview....that turned into another phone call with an invitation to a on-on-one interview....which led to the final call..."are you still interested, because we would love to have you on the team".
Figured it out yet? Remember this blog post? Well, the waiting is over with exciting news. I am sure you figured it out from above, but I am on the Project Kenya team. I have been accepted to be a part of this program for the next year and let's not forget the highlight - I'll be in Kenya in 1 year. The dream of going to Africa before I die will be achieved and not only one, but four things will be checked off my 'before I die' bucket list.
To be honest, my reaction when I got off the phone with Jaci was not all that exciting. I was relaxed and all calm, cool, and collected. My mom on the other hand, was chasing me around the house just to get a hug from me (and lets not forget the squealing).
Tonight was the first meeting, and on the way home, I was all smiles. Hearing about the trip unfold is pretty exciting. Thinking about climbing a 17,000 ft. mountain makes me have goose bumps. Hearing the man say "you will want to buy your clothes from Value Village because you will give them all away in the village anyways" makes me have tears in my eyes. And imagining myself playing soccer with kids is just joyful.
I am pretty excited. Not to mention about the program itself and watching myself grow with potential and see what I will do with my life after this journey is up.
Official program starts next week (I will only be able to attend the first hour because I will be heading off to Vermont to go skiing - off to a great start eh?). Final words...I am stoked!

~amy

poor Ali Krieger

My favorite defender, Ali Krieger, on the USA's women's national team, tore her MLC and ACL in the qualifying game for the 2012 Olympics against the Dominican Republic. Ali will now not be playing in this year's Olympics. So sad for a girl who has worked so hard in training! 

"I feel so unfortunate and I wouldn't wish this on anyone, especially to have it happen in a match where we were in control," said Krieger. "Soccer is a funny dame and this is part of being an athlete. It's unfortunate that the timing is really bad, but this team about way more than one player and I know that with all the support from my teammates, my family and friends from U.S. Soccer, I will come back stronger than ever. It's going to be a fun year and I'll be with the team in spirit the whole way, even if I have to be a vocal leader, just sitting and watching."

As I was watching some soccer videos the other day, some girls on the team shared their new year's resolutions. Ali's was being determined going into the Olympics. Who knew? Now she will have to be determined off the field as a support group and to get better soon. She played a great role in the 2011 World Cup - scoring the game winning goal in shoot outs against Brazil. Ali sure inspires me to take obstacles and look at them with a good perspective, stay determined and strong, because the situation is out of her control. I'll miss watching her this summer in the Olympics, but just like I did, she'll learn a lot during her time off and come back stronger than ever!

Stay strong Ali! <3

~amy