Wake Up Call!

It is almost 4:00 AM and I am so dedicated to my blog stalkers that I decided to post at this peculiar state of awakeness and simultaneous sleepiness. I only got back to my hotel room moments earlier from finishing up our last night of our annual youth education summit scholarship program- and I am E.X.H.A.U.S.T.E.D.

We toted 45 high school students around the D.C. area for an entire week, where they participated in group debates, made individual speeches, and learned an extensive amount about our nation's history. I have to be at the shuttle in only thirty or so minutes, so this will hopefully knock out two birds with one stone: get me to post since I haven't in forever AND keep me from falling asleep in my somewhat-swanky, king-size bed de hotel.

I got a really good chance to use my camera during certain parts of the program. I wish I could have been on the photographing the entire time, but I am there to work- not to have fun! But who says you can't do both? We had a little downtime at the FDR memorial before we headed off to the National American History Museum, so I took the opportunity to take, what I called, some "Senior Year" photos of the kids. I got so many good shots, and it really helped make the slideshow at the banquet that night a lot of fun. But, thanks to my YES soulmate (and two-time YES chaperone from West Virginia), Matthew Thompson, I also managed to get a picture with just me and most of the students there too. But you know I can't take a serious photo... enjoy...

We always get the best of the best, and these students were so much fun! I have good stories about all of them, but of course they have all become inside jokes and they would only be funny to me, so I will spare you the details.

Below are just a few other pictures of me and the rest of the staff, along with just a few of my favorite photos taken throughout the week by me and various other people... some of them are so cute it makes me really wish I could have been taking pictures throughout the entire week- Oh the places we go! They would have all made such great pictures. But for this year, you get these:

It was so much fun, but I am seriously lacking in sleep, so I am off to help get these kids on their planes and, hopefully, grab some shut eye for the rest of the day.

YES!