Week 8?!

I was scrolling down and checking out my blog posts thus far, and I realized that it is pretty much all about all the rad things we're doing, fun we're having, amazing people we're meeting.  Blogging has been an outlet for me from the daily tasks of screenings and whatnot, and that's why I've been sharing everything but the actual work that we're doing.  But, I thought I should let you in on the daily grind, so that you don't think that its ALL fun and games:)

Yesterday went something like this:
up at 4:30 am in order to leave by 5:15.
One hour drive to Salt Lake City and quick coffee at McD's.
Arrive at the school one hour before to set up merch tables, do a media check, meet students/admin/teachers.
Hold two presentations for a total of 1,800 students followed by equipping future advocates (aka "world changers" as Richard calls them) with our gear.
Around midday half the team heads to another HS screening, Colin and I stay put and talk to students, answer questions, and empower them to take action.
Pack up all our stuff, and roll on to the next screening at a Paul Mitchell school.
Set up again, screen the film, answer questions, empower those "Future Professionals", and sell some sweet gear.
Pack on up around 7 pm, grab some crappy/cheap food, and head "home", which is currently Heber City, UT.

Dwelling on the redundance of our screening routine would drive one crazy, but I think that the differnet students we meet, places we go, and challenges we face on a daily basis are what make the road so great.  I have to say that my experiences thus far have further reiterated that I feel called to work with high schoolers.  We present at high schools almost everyday and I have loved interacting, encouraging, and motivating the students that we are meeting.  Many times we get to hang out with a few students all day who have helped to set up and promote for the screening, but we also get to meet hundreds of more kids who want to know how they can get involved with Invisible Children and make a difference.  Its inspiring.  Here is a video that I took in Boulder, CO.  These kids were incredible...raising money for the scholarship program, calling their congressmen to pass the bill the IC supports, and blowing our minds with their enthusiam for enacting change.

that's all for now...

xoxo

jess

An untraditional Easter weekend

Easter definitely didn't feel like Easter since we weren't with the rest of the family, but Lindz, Josh, and I had a great weekend in Boulder together!  We had some much needed quality time together...

standard.

Sushi, Skiball, and checking out the swanky hotel.

Easter a.m. hike at Dakota Trail

PEARL Street!

I love my new headband, Mom!

Here is a little taste of the chateau that we stayed at this weekend.  My friend and fellow roadie, Terra, is from Estes Park and her family owns this magical place.  We were pretty much living the roadie dream.

We're now in state #4, good ol' Utah.  I'm not gonna lie, it was hard to say goodbye to Colorado, but Utah is not disappointing!

my best and all my love,

jess

Colorado is digging its claws into me

 

 I've been told that week six is supposed to be the hardest of tour-the little things start becoming big annoyances, the same clothes are getting grungy, the redundancy of our daily obligations are wearing on the body/mind, and the meaning of why we are doing what we are doing can fade. However, I can honestly say that the week six curse has not struck this team. We are strong, in high spirits and doing what it takes to love one another through it all. I was talking to a fellow roadie on another team, and we were in agreement that the contacts and hosts who are generously taking care of us really help in the department of keeping our spirits high! The servitude and hospitality that we have experienced on our trip has been humbling, and it has translated in our ability to thrive and kick butt at screenings. Praise the Lord!

Recapping this last week through the lens

Last week's day off due to the snow storm allowed us to see an itty bit of Denver. Ahhhhh, love it!

 "Tattered Cover" used book store.  My teammate Colin brings us to at least one bookstore in every place we visit.  This one takes the cake.

 

 Downtown Denver

An outstanding and HEALTHY dinner with a fabulous past roadie, Molly.  Past roadies and roadies' families sure know how to take care of us!

RED ROCK Amphitheater  

We regularly use the camera self timer...but sometime it takes a couple tries. Take one: Jess's phone drops into the snow.

Take two: Charlie Brown?

Take three: It'll have to do.

We stayed in Littleton a few nights this week with another roadie's mom-we were so well taken care of, had the most amazing tortilla soup and we were able to catch some r&r.  Half of our team (Colin, Richard and myself) went up to Vail yeaterday for a screening.  Although tt was a lot of driving, the half day trip was so entirely worth it.  We met some phenominal students and got a little taste of the touristy side of Vail.  So European, so expensivo, so darn gorgeous.  Richard caught some of the drive up:

We're in Fort Collins tonight and its off to Boulder tomorrow.  I'm practically bursting at the seams with joy because I'll be seeing with Lindz and Josh in less than 48 hours.  Holy macrol.  I'm excited for us to explore, eat lots, laugh more than humanly possible, and catch up on everything.  More than that, I am so excited for them to meet my team and for my team to meet them.  I can't imagine it being anything but fabulous:)

Hope you all have a fabulous Easter with Family and friends!

All my love,

Jess

Half way through tour

The road thus far has been incredible fun, indescribable beauty, and incessant hard work.  Five weeks in and I can also say that the road has contributed some very life enlightening experiences.  This past Sunday we went to two different Christian church services…and by different I mean completely opposite ends of the worship spectrum.  The first was called New Life in Colorado Springs.  Sound familiar?  If yes, maybe you’ve heard of Ted Haggard?  Or the movie “Jesus Camp”?  Yes, this would be the mega-mega-mega church that Ted Haggard founded and it is also featured in “Jesus Camp”.  Although I was not used to the large scale production and super high energy during the service (I think its fair to say that Catholic mass is a little more subdued), I thought the Pastor’s message was remarkable, as were the friends that we went with.  Later that day we attended a church in Denver, called Scum of the Earth.  The church gets its name from the passage in 1 Corinthians 4:11-14:

“To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment.”

Scum of the Earth intentionally breaks the mold in order to reach out to people who have felt rejected by society and/or more traditional churches.  To be honest, I wanted to bust out my flip camera to capture the inside of the church and the service in order to properly convey the atmosphere and energy inherent in that place of worship.  It was obviously different than any other church that I have ever been to, and it was so phenomenal to see how people from all walks of life can come together and worship as one.  The experience of attending two completely opposite Christian churches in one day solidified my belief that we should focus more on what unifies us in faith, rather than what sets us apart. 

As for Colorado…this state is a glorious one.  Besides two days in the past week and a half, the weather has been perfect and the Rockies are always providing for some pretty killer scenery.  It did snow about 8 inches last night in Denver so it is absolutely gorgeous out right now, but we had a screening canceled.  So, we’re gonna make the best out of a bummer situation and live it up in Denver today.  I haven’t gotten a real feel of this city yet, but in driving around I really like what I have seen (except for that atrocious Broncos Stadium…yuck).   

Meg, Tony, our fantastic host Amy, Nathan, Colin, Richard, the most inspiring women possibly ever, Kate, and me after service at New Life.

Just a taste of beautiful Colorado.  Sorry if this makes you dizzy...I was moving way too fast!

keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers...

and missing you always,

Jess

Lookin back on the AZ and NM

Collectively, we love the cacti.

A Haley wannabe photo:) Heena, you will have a hay day with your camera and the desert landsacpe.

I can hardly believe that it was two weeks ago that we took these pictures at Sabino Canyon.  This was a much needed day off to reconnect as a team...we had a leisurely hike, skipped rocks, and enjoyed the Tucson sun.  The extent of our physical activity during the week is carrying boxes to and from screenings, setting up the merch tables and an occasional sprint to the van to grab something we forgot.  So needless to say, it was so nice to have a day outside and feel like we were semi-active:)

New Mexico came and went, but it left quite an impression on us all.  We had three days of screenings in Albuquerque, where we were rejuvenated by wonderful contacts who felt like old friends.  Albuquerque in synopsis: obvious scenic beauty, incredibly generous locals, killer screenings, a two hour Chick-Fil-Lay date with team and friends, followed by dinner with another phenomanal bunch of folks, and BEST breakfast at the GREATEST local joint with some of the COOLEST people I've ever met!  (I think i just used every positive adjective possible in that synopsis, and everything was pertaining to meals.)

Mountaineers are loved

We have had some amazing contacts in our first two states.  Here is a video that our friend, Colter, made for us after we left him in Tucson.  We had the pleasure of going to Colter's church last week to hear him preach, and between preaching/singing/song writting this is one talented guy!

I have to be up in 5 hours...

but all is greater than well!

missing you,

jess

Mountain West makes the IC blog

We arrived in Tucson this morning, which is our last Arizona stop.  Today we had a decent screening, some not so decent Taco Bell, and we enjoyed a ridiculous sunset over the desert horizon.  I'm really digging the saguaro cacti and Arizona mountain structures...there really is so much beauty to be seen, and we haven't even made it to Colorado!?

The Invisible Children blog posted a Mountain West original today.  We are pretty proud of what we threw together last night.  These guys make my days.

Praying you all are well,

Jess

Rewind two weeks...

This has been a long time coming!  Take note that this quick video might seem boring and really random, but it encapsulates some of the great times before we hit the road.  I have not yet figured out how to edit with the Flip camera program, so I apologize that it just jumps from one thing to the next.  The progression of events is as follows: American, Ugandan, Scottish, British, and Kiwi love fest on Valentines day, where we swapped dance moves and had an intercontinental soccer game.  Following the park festivities a van full of us went to sunset cliffs to (obviously) watch the sun set.  (side note: we were joined by 200 unoriginal couples looking adoringly into each others eyes and taking smooching pictures. lol.)  Next is a snippet from launch dinner when the Ugandans danced a traditional Acholi dance for us...definitely the highlight of the night!  After the Acholi dance is the lull of us loading the one of vans.  Lastly, is goodness from launch day.  The setting was Mt. Soledad on the perfect SD day, the company was the lovely IC roadies/staff/interns, and the spirit was laced with excitement and authenticity.  Enjoy!

My Love,

Jess

Amazing folks in Arizona

 

My wish is that all of the roadies are as blessed as we have been with incredible contacts like these folks.  Missing them already!

  

Richard, Kathy, and Tony.  Kathy not only opened her home for us, but she also cooked for us and made us snow ice cream.

Aaaand, the only downside to the trip thus far = very broken mirror which is now duck taped. Glamorous!

Constant upside=my team.

Flagstaff to Phoenix

First of all, I have to say that the road has been treating team Mountain West pretty good thus far.  We have been absolutely blessed with incredible contacts in Flagstaff, who have been housing us, hanging out with us and feeding us.  I could go on (and on, and on) about each and every person who made our Flagstaff stay one to remember.  I have a good feeling that I will be back to visit some of these incredible people again....yes, they were really that great!  The only downside to FS was that our screening today was canceled due to the snow.  It was a total bust, but we have our chins up high after an incredible first screening on Sunday night. 

We're now in Pheonix, and we'll be here and in the surrounding areas for the next week or so.  I skyped with the family AND the Pacific North West Roadie team, as they are all under one Morris roof for the night.  It was so awesome to see them all, but it stung just an ounce because I couldn't be there with them.  I'm pretty sure they had three servings of homemade apple pie (al la mode, of course) while we were chatting.  I just can't wait until May when Mountain West passes through E-town for cherries AND cherry pies galore!

And drum roll please......here is the semi-official Mountain West tour route!

 

 Thats all for now.

My love,

jess

p.s. follow us on twitter:)

Mountain West Tweets!

Colin O'Shea is the man behind our Twitter account, which is one of many reasons why I love him...another being that he makes me laugh so hard that my stomach hurts. 

From pre-road to starting on the road

It was a bit chaotic and stressful the week before we left because we were trying to get everthing solidified for the road-screenings booked, host homes set, team dynamics figured out, last trainings fulfilled-but, like it always seems to happen, things fell into place and we were so ready for the road on wednesday morning.  I basically had to repack all my stuff, and that was a minor stress since I probably brought too much stuff.  Luckily I was able to leave some stuff behind with one of my friends.  Packing up all our merchandise was another task, but it was fairly quick and painless, considering that teams on tours past were at the office until 2 or 3 am the morning before launch.  We were chowing down on pizza and watching the Ugandans arm wrestle at 7 pm because everyone was finished packing up the vans.  Quite an accomplichment. 

Launch day was perfection.  It was a quintescencial San Diego morning at Mt. Soledad, where we all joined-staff, interns, local family and friends, and roadie teams-to say our goodbyes and launch this groundbreaking tour.  I didn't think I was going to get emotional because I was so excited to start the journey that we've been preparing for.  But, what I didn't prepare for was having to say goodbye to the friends who were embarking on the same journey in different regions across the US, or those who are staying in SD as office interns.  It was strange because at some point all of the people who I have been living, working, and playing with have become great friends whom I care very much for. 

We drove most of the day on Wednesday and got to Flagstaff that night.  We ended up having a huge sleepover at a church facility with three other teams who were stopping in Flagstaff before continuing their trek across the states the next day.  The funny thing was that our team took a differnent route than the others, so when we finally met back up in Flagstaff that night (11 hours later), it felt like a blissful reunion after weeks.  Sounds silly, but because we've been spending 24-7 together for the past five weeks, it was so strange not to see them for a whole day.  It was a great last night together...lots of laughing and teaching of traditional Ugandan dance.

Yesterday we went to the Grand Canyon. Amazing. Magnificent.  Mind-blowing.  Not much else to say but that.  It was a great team bonding day, and I think I had another realization yesterday that we are so blessed to have our Ugandan friends along with us on this journey.  So many things that we don't take the time to appreciate or enjoy-like a wagon wheel bench, or a statue of an indian-is a novelty to them.  It has made me slow down and take more time to appreciate the little parts of the scenery and experience with them. 

Ok, I know this is an uber long blog...so much to catch up on and I am still leaving heeps out. Here are a few pics....in order: launch dinner, crossing the Arizona state line (shout out to Janae:), and the Grand Canyon with my team.  I'm working on putting together a little video to share with you guys as well.  Hopefully soon.

my love, Jess

Week 4

This weekend was amazing-friends on Friday, studying, movies and Ugandans arriving on Saturday, and family on Sunday.  Having mom, dad, Matty and gramps here for the morning was exactly what I needed before we leave next week.  I am continually reminded that there is no way that I would be able to be here and embracing this experience without their support.  They keep me counting my blessings!!!

In case you wanted to check out a bit more about our Ugandan friends and their first days in the CA...Check out the IC blog:)

All is well in San Diego...
Hope things are just as well with each of you!

my love,

JD

Our Ugandan friends are here!

They told us at the office yesterday that the Ugandans would be arriving tonight.  Knowing that was enough to throw us into a fit of excitement, and then we found out that we were to meet them at the airport!!!  Obviously, we have been consumed with anxious anticipation all day.  We made signs for our arriving teammates and mobbed through the airport 60 people deep.  We lined up by teams and waited.  And waited.  When we saw the 16 of them we were freaking out.  Literally jumping, screaming, some crying, everyone hugging.  Tony and Richard, our advocate and mentor, were equally excited, although they may have been a bit overwhelmed by our zeal.  I cannot wait to fill you in on how next week unfolds.  I am sure there will be many stories to be shared!

Our "Welcome Tony and Richard" poster.  Made by our graphic artist genius, Colin.

Some favorites so far

(I started writing this on  on  Wednesday 2-3)
The older I've get, the faster time seems to go.  It's quite scary actually.  The past three weeks have flown by with record speed, and I wish that I could slow time down at this point.  I am excited to hit the road and put into practice all that I've learned already, but on the other hand I truly love being in the office...and the roadie house has its comforts as well.  If only I could only stretch the time out...

However, I do wish I could fast forward to our Ugandan Advocates being here!  We found out yesterday (2-2) that they have all 16 visas and are good to fly out here on Friday! Here are the faces of team Mountain West.  This is a page from our promotions packet, so it is a bit small.  Tony (top picture) is our Ugandan advocate, and he was in IC's first movie, "Rough Cut".  Richard is Tony's mentor and he will be traveling and advocating along side us.  More pictures to come:)

Check out our Legacy Tour page

Besides working, training and booking our tour, we do try and find time for some fun.  Here are some of my favorite times thus far...

 

 An obvious favorite...dominating the Chase competition.

The night of the Monster Truck rally.  Sporting flannel, trucker hats and any other repulsive accessories, we headed to the rally...just to turn around and come home because they were sold out of the cheap tickets.  After the letdown, we returned to La Mesa and headed to the Roadie hangout Pete's.

...and this would be us at Pete's.  I wish you could meet these people, they would blow your mind!

 

  

Karaoke anyone?  We hit the diviest bar around for some classy karaoke to celebrate Nathan's birthday. One word: hilarious.

 Meet half of my team: Colin, Megan and Nathan.  Taking these photos was so much fun, and probably a fair indicator of how we will make our experience on the road.  These people have quickly become my friends. I admire their selfless commitment to work and the people around them.  Did I mention that they are hysterical?  As Nathan puts it, "we all speak the language of sarcasm." 

Thanks for checking in...

All my love,

Jess

MIA blogger

So it has definitely been over a week since my last post.  I apologize to my four followers, I'm sure its been devastating you.  (chuckling to myself in the IC office)  I have been super-de-duper busy though.  Obviously last week and the CHASE competition for $1 million was not normal-working 12+ hour days the whole week, topped off with a 17 hour day in the office on friday-but, we sure do work hard and put in plenty of hours around here.  I am NOT complaining though.  Working the long hours is not bad at all considering that everyone here is working just as hard and with as much commitment....and have I mentioned that my team/coworkers/supervisors are amazing.  I believe that anything is possible and nothing seems too hard when you're surrounded by people who ooze with optimism and drive.

Just to give you an idea of our training, we are being molded into traveling Invisible Children knowledge bases.  We are learning everything from the history of the war to how to professionally interact with and relate to high school administrators.  It is totally comprehensive and incredibly interesting.  Even though we're in training sessions all day, I am never bored.  Yesterday was a great day for us because there was a Chase bank congrats ceremony.  The whole thing was fun for sure, but the best part was watching the "A Million Thanks" video.  It totally encapsulates the madness and thrill of last Friday, which was the last day of the competition...the day we won the million:)


A Million Thanks from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

Even though I am consumed by work, training, and getting to know my fellow roadies, I constantly think about my family and friends who have made it possible for me to be here!
Sending you my love,
Jess

Its a CHASE....

Its a crazy energy in the office...we are pullin' out all the stops for the Chase Community giving competition this week.  We've been on the phone and online pretty much all day long (in addition to all day on Saturday and half day yesterday!), but we are not ceasing until we topple TWLOHA (the organization that is in first place right now and SHOULD not be).  If you guys have any brilliant ideas or tricks up your sleeves for , feel free to pass them on to me!  Unfortunately, I don't have any high profile friends to hit up, but i do have awesome friends and family who are quite innovative:)  Pass the ideas on!