weekend post number one

Tonight we're having Thanksgiving dinner at my house for my team, so I'll have a whole other post for that, but here's what's been going on the past couple of days.

Friday
We had a normal morning of PT in Copley, IJ and team time.  At team time, I found out that Sam and I were selected to go to the New England Leadership Academy (NELA).  NELA is a City Year academy in which corps members from Boston, Rhode Island and New Hampshire come to Boston for three days.  I'm so excited to be going.  I think six people from my team applied and they chose two of us based on our application and a letter of recommendation from our PM, so I am honored that I got chosen.  And the fact that Sam is going too makes me even more excited. If I had to choose someone from our team to go with, it would definitely be Sam.
In the afternoon, we all went our separate ways to do our Thanksgiving service project. I stayed at HQ for the Vassar Haiti project.  We were stretching out paintings that were on canvas to put on wooden supports.  I wasn't very good at it, but it was fun for a while.  Haitian artists paint these paintings and the Vassar Haiti Project buys them from the artists.  Then, the paintings are sold here in the United States and the profit is sent back to Haiti to build schools, medical buildings, etc.  If you are interested in supporting this non-profit or want to learn more about it, check out www.thehaitiproject.org
When I got home, I was talking to Chelsea about  NELA and I asked her if she had applied.  Her response was "No, Josh (her TL) told me that I didn't need it. Plus, if I had applied I would have just taken someone's spot who needs it more than me."  I was speechless. First, can we say conceited?  Second, are you implying that I need to learn leadership and you don't?  Third, how do you even know you would have made it?  I just didn't even say anything. Ninety percent of the time, Chelsea is fine and tolerable in small doses, but then she says stuff like this and I am just shocked.
That night, I went to go see the Twilight movie with Megan from my team.  Go ahead and judge me. I'll admit it wasn't that great, but definitely worth seeing if you're a Twilight fan.  I wish I had read the books again before seeing it because it's been a while since I've read or seen anything Twilight, but it was still a well-spent Friday night (and $12)!

Paitings sold through the Vassar Haiti Project

Saturday
My friend (and grand-little) Laura came to visit. JMU started their Thanksgiving break Friday after classes and she lives in New Hampshire, so she came to visit for the day.  We got a late lunch and walked around Faneiul Hall for a while before she headed home. It's so nice to see people other than City Year people every once and while.  I got to hear about other people beside CY and catch up on everthing JMU. I miss it.
Saturday night,  Chelsea and I went to the Christmas tree lighting at Fanieul Hall and then went and got Mexican food and drinks.  Mayor Menino was at the lighting, along with at least a 1000 people. It was fun and the first Christmas event of the season.  After margaritas and quesadillas, we headed home and I was in bed by nine o'clock. I'm not even ashamed.

Christmas tree!