Looking Forward

You know that feeling you get when you're super excited for something? You build it up in your head non-stop. A month before it happens you find yourself lost in thought about every little detail when you lay down at night. You wake up the next morning energized with fresh ideas and dreams. As the day creeps closer and closer the excitement starts to feel a little bit like nervousness. Finally when the day arrives its almost like walking around on a cloud all day; all of the planning and dreaming has finally come together to form this perfect replica of your dream....or not.

I've always been a crafty person. For as long as I can remember I wanted to have my hands in something, I wanted to create things. Whether I was finger painting in the kitchen at Mamaws house or learning to crochet on my front porch, its been a part of who I am forever. So naturally when  I was faced with the challenge of choosing my intern project I fell into my own trap of crafts. 

The planning began the week I started work and didn't stop until the second the kids walked in the door a week ago. I tossed around hundreds of ideas in my head about what the kids could do. I wanted it to be different and exciting for them but I also wanted to challenge them. After weeks of Pinterest submersion I finally landed on six different activities that I was sure would blow these kids' minds. 

I picked up an idea for sun catchers made out of glue and food coloring from a VBS down the road. Pinterest uncovered the cutest hand painted t-shirts using stencils and the eraser of a pencil and a rag rug made from cut up t-shirts and fabric from the scrap bin. My 4-H agent offered up a mod podged tile drink coaster. My crafting obsession led me to teach a lesson on friendship bracelets and a visit from my brother in the Air Force inspired a service project of card making. 

Once I had the activities set in stone the real dirty work began. The first of many Walmart trips brought home the majority of our supplies...or so I thought. Throughout the month of June supplies were picked up at almost every stop during my intern adventure and every free second was spent cutting fabric into tiny little strips. At one point my hand was literally bruised from the excessive use of scissors, but still yet my heart soared with plans of an exciting day.

On the morning of July 9 I woke up late. I rushed to get ready, throwing on an old 4-H t-shirt and my most comfortable shoes. I ran out the door and started my car only to remember that half of the supplies for the rag rug were laying in the floor of my room. By the time I made it to work I was already frazzled. The last bit of set up went smoothly and the kids began to arrive. I was introduced as the intern, although at this point most of them know me well, and we were off. I flitted around all day helping tiny hands and cleaning big messes. As busy and excited as I was there was this feeling of sadness that I just couldn't shake. 

At the end of the day I sat with my agent for a minute as we waited for the last pair of children to be picked up. "You did it," she said. "It's over." And I understood that feeling of sadness. I'd been building up to this moment, to this day for months and now that it was over I found myself almost mourning the loss of that day. For a second it felt as though I had nothing else to look forward to but then I remembered that this is Extension and every day in Extension is a day to look forward to.