Probably in Austin Texas where it always seems to be. In an effort to update everyone here I go. Back in seattle for those select few who have actually not heard. Working with two year olds again at another child are center and intend on going back to school to get a masters in elementary education at Antioch University in down town seattle. After that we will see where the job market takes me though I cant say I am not pulling for Austin!
I am not currently playing rugby as my head is still not feeling totally healed from that amazing concussion. We will see what the doc has to say later this week. Plus if its not with the valks I am not really enthused about playing! :)
Other then that I am going to be in seattle till the end of grad school which I hope to be starting in August and it will last six quarters. YAY I will also be working full time ontop of graduate school so i will have no other activities in my life. but will graduate with a masters in elementary ed, endorsed in early childhood ed and special ed!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
This was written a while ago but it has a lot of good stuff... so thought I would put it up anyhow
Greeting to you all,
As the last year has come to a close so do many of the adventures in my life and I thought I could send you all an update and a big thanks for all the support in my life.
I am officially a college graduate. I graduated with a bachelors degree in Geography specializing in Urban, Social and Political Geography. What can I do with this degree you ask. Well actually a good deal is possible with it. What would be most exciting would be studying people. My degree is much like an anthropology degree only I use a lot more numbers and as you might guess maps! I do plan on furthering my education in getting a Masters in Early Childhood Education.
My four years at UW were some of the best in my life. I left the university with some very irreplaceable friends, experiences and knowledge. As everyone should know by now rugby was a huge part of my life in college and is far from sliding away from my grasp! I went from being a rookie my freshmen year to treasurer my sophomore year to V.P. my junior and senior year as well as captain my senior year. Though it was very hard to walk away from something that took up so much of my time I left my team in very capable hands and cant wait to see where they take it! Beyond rugby those four years were covered in different churches and missions. St. Lukes and St. Benedicts were the two churches I did voluntary youth ministry at and was blessed by the presence of so many amazing children. St. Jude was where I spent time as an intern in the Jr. High program. Blessed again by the children and challenged as for the first time I was dealing with kids that were too privileged. This I found to be my weak spot in youth ministry. Give me a dozen under privileged kids and I feel like I have great ideas on how to relate lessons to them, replace them with kids that have too much and I am at a loss. Although it was a great experience and a great time of learning for myself. Missions played a huge role in my spiritual life, from Migrant projects to retreats, catholic camp, the Dominican Republic to Alaska. I really came closer to God the more involved I was and really started to understand just who I was in this great big world.
My time in college ended with a mission to Malawi Africa. A time I am not even sure I have fully understood yet. I worked with an organization called Children of the Nations. This is the same organization I went with to the Dominican Republic my junior year of college. In Malawi I worked along American and Malawian interns. We worked in villages spreading the word of God. Though bible lessons were given we ran a lot on action. Showing Gods love to those children as well as their parents. My time there can be summed up in a few words: struggle, a broken heart, a broken stomach and Gods Amazing Grace. Struggle because that’s exactly what it was. From a different language to a different culture; struggling with being understanding and patient. Struggle doesn’t end there; I struggled with God about who I am and what it is I was doing not only in Africa but where I was headed in my life. A broken heart because during the time there in the village I was ministering in due to some circumstances out of my hands the chief asked us not to come back. Though we were told after we were back at the office about this so I never got to say goodbye to my kids. A broken stomach because I spent a solid week very ill from the village water (or that’s my best guess). It all came to an end with an IV and some good rest. Finally God’s Amazing Grace because at the end no matter how much I struggled no matter how much it seemed like things were falling apart they weren’t and God was right there to light my path.
With the chapter of my life known as undergrad behind me I have a whole lot of life in front of me. I now find myself in Austin Texas. A place I had never even visited before I packed up and moved here. I knew a whole two people in Austin and still decided this was going to be the place for me. Well it turns out gut instinct was exactly what I needed to follow in this case. I live with one of the two people I knew, Heidi. We have a two bedroom apartment and each of us have a cat. Since they really don’t like each other my room has become my cats playground, and for the most part devoted to make sure she isn’t bored throughout the day while I am at work. Speaking of work I am working as the early preschool teacher at a Christian childcare center. The center is small but growing very quickly. My day is filled with potty training, abc’s, colors, numbers, shapes and socializing skills. My kids are the best and I love them so much, though I am sure you could see that one coming! Other then work I play rugby for the Austin Valkyries. This is a Club level women’s team and I couldn’t have asked to walk on to a better team. Its amazing how quickly these girls scoop you up and make you feel like you are family. Most of my week nights are spent either playing rugby with them or just hanging out. And undoubtedly my weekends are always filled with good old rugby fun! Beyond those two things I have been settling into a church that I am liking more and more.
Other then that Austin is feeling more and more comfortable the longer I am here. The city though geographically bland is full of interesting and unique people, places and things.
I miss you all and if you find yourself in Austin give me a call! Other then that I hope to see you all very soon. Stay updated on my life via my blog: http://mylifeasiknowit-samiallen.blogspot.com
Blessings
Sami
Me and Miller on the way to a rugby match
Me in Ketchikan AK
Me and Nick in Ketchikan AK
The top of a mountain in Alaska
Vespers pit at camp in AK
First year of camp
Greeting to you all,
As the last year has come to a close so do many of the adventures in my life and I thought I could send you all an update and a big thanks for all the support in my life.
I am officially a college graduate. I graduated with a bachelors degree in Geography specializing in Urban, Social and Political Geography. What can I do with this degree you ask. Well actually a good deal is possible with it. What would be most exciting would be studying people. My degree is much like an anthropology degree only I use a lot more numbers and as you might guess maps! I do plan on furthering my education in getting a Masters in Early Childhood Education.
My four years at UW were some of the best in my life. I left the university with some very irreplaceable friends, experiences and knowledge. As everyone should know by now rugby was a huge part of my life in college and is far from sliding away from my grasp! I went from being a rookie my freshmen year to treasurer my sophomore year to V.P. my junior and senior year as well as captain my senior year. Though it was very hard to walk away from something that took up so much of my time I left my team in very capable hands and cant wait to see where they take it! Beyond rugby those four years were covered in different churches and missions. St. Lukes and St. Benedicts were the two churches I did voluntary youth ministry at and was blessed by the presence of so many amazing children. St. Jude was where I spent time as an intern in the Jr. High program. Blessed again by the children and challenged as for the first time I was dealing with kids that were too privileged. This I found to be my weak spot in youth ministry. Give me a dozen under privileged kids and I feel like I have great ideas on how to relate lessons to them, replace them with kids that have too much and I am at a loss. Although it was a great experience and a great time of learning for myself. Missions played a huge role in my spiritual life, from Migrant projects to retreats, catholic camp, the Dominican Republic to Alaska. I really came closer to God the more involved I was and really started to understand just who I was in this great big world.
My time in college ended with a mission to Malawi Africa. A time I am not even sure I have fully understood yet. I worked with an organization called Children of the Nations. This is the same organization I went with to the Dominican Republic my junior year of college. In Malawi I worked along American and Malawian interns. We worked in villages spreading the word of God. Though bible lessons were given we ran a lot on action. Showing Gods love to those children as well as their parents. My time there can be summed up in a few words: struggle, a broken heart, a broken stomach and Gods Amazing Grace. Struggle because that’s exactly what it was. From a different language to a different culture; struggling with being understanding and patient. Struggle doesn’t end there; I struggled with God about who I am and what it is I was doing not only in Africa but where I was headed in my life. A broken heart because during the time there in the village I was ministering in due to some circumstances out of my hands the chief asked us not to come back. Though we were told after we were back at the office about this so I never got to say goodbye to my kids. A broken stomach because I spent a solid week very ill from the village water (or that’s my best guess). It all came to an end with an IV and some good rest. Finally God’s Amazing Grace because at the end no matter how much I struggled no matter how much it seemed like things were falling apart they weren’t and God was right there to light my path.
With the chapter of my life known as undergrad behind me I have a whole lot of life in front of me. I now find myself in Austin Texas. A place I had never even visited before I packed up and moved here. I knew a whole two people in Austin and still decided this was going to be the place for me. Well it turns out gut instinct was exactly what I needed to follow in this case. I live with one of the two people I knew, Heidi. We have a two bedroom apartment and each of us have a cat. Since they really don’t like each other my room has become my cats playground, and for the most part devoted to make sure she isn’t bored throughout the day while I am at work. Speaking of work I am working as the early preschool teacher at a Christian childcare center. The center is small but growing very quickly. My day is filled with potty training, abc’s, colors, numbers, shapes and socializing skills. My kids are the best and I love them so much, though I am sure you could see that one coming! Other then work I play rugby for the Austin Valkyries. This is a Club level women’s team and I couldn’t have asked to walk on to a better team. Its amazing how quickly these girls scoop you up and make you feel like you are family. Most of my week nights are spent either playing rugby with them or just hanging out. And undoubtedly my weekends are always filled with good old rugby fun! Beyond those two things I have been settling into a church that I am liking more and more.
Other then that Austin is feeling more and more comfortable the longer I am here. The city though geographically bland is full of interesting and unique people, places and things.
I miss you all and if you find yourself in Austin give me a call! Other then that I hope to see you all very soon. Stay updated on my life via my blog: http://mylifeasiknowit-samiallen.blogspot.com
Blessings
Sami
Me and Miller on the way to a rugby match
Me in Ketchikan AK
Me and Nick in Ketchikan AK
The top of a mountain in Alaska
Vespers pit at camp in AK
First year of camp
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
chuckie cheese
so here is a little story to tell you what my day looked like today.
it was just before ten and i had about 11 kids in class. though both toddler classes were combined so my kids ranged in ages 18 months to nearly three. I had just put all my potty trainers in their underwear who were supposed to be and not five minutes later one had peed on themselves. ugh. so while changing him out of wet clothes into a pullup a little girl yells yellow water yellow water. well at least she knows her colors because sure enough there on the white tile a yellow puddle. i asked the whole class who wet their pants thinking that the little boy on the table did not pee that much. nobody responded and they all agreed it was the boy i was changing. not a second later i realized it wasnt him but another kid with his back to me near the puddle. so i scolded him for not speaking up when he peed his pants because sitting in wet pants is not good. i threw some towels over the puddle and was finishing changing the first boy as the door open. I looked up to see a dad bringing his son in. only this dad is insistent upon not putting his kid on the ground but handing him to me. so there i was two kids deep in pee pants and a puddle of pee on the floor blocking the doorway so dad couldnt come in. I scanned the room then to see one of my girls opened the play kitchen cupboard and crawled inside with the top half of her body sticking out the sink. I told her to get out and next time she would get a time out. So i put the first kid on the ground and cleanup the pee puddle all while the dad watches me. i wash my hands and take the little boy. dad leaves, i put his kid down and i start changing the second boys pants when i hear miss sami help from a tiny little voice infront on me and i think not another interruption cant i just change pee pants in this room. thats when i not only see the same little girl in a sink but another one also. two kids put themselves in there and are now actually stuck. so i stand the boy half clothed in pee clothes on the ground and grab sanitizer so i can help this new mess in front of me. Just when i think i will have to call up front to my bosses i manage to squeeze the smaller of the two girls free of the sink and promptly put her in time out as afterall i had already warned her. I finally finished changing the pee clothes and was over dealing with underwear for the day. I also need to nail those dumb cupboard doors shut.
the other story of the day was far less stressfull but was totally cute and i couldnt help but laugh and think this is why i like kids. we were playing outside and i was sitting on the steps goofing around with this one little boy who was whining for his mom. this other little boy who just turned two but is a little behind and happens to be in his own world alot came and sat next to me. now for this to even make a little sense i need to explain this kid to you. he is never in the right spot and when you yell his name to get his attention he does this bobble head thing side to side with this ridiculous grin on his face at first its cute but after a day a week or a few months its frustrating. you do a head count and every time you come up one short because he has always wandered somewhere else. he is always smiling but never doing what he should be though i am not sure he is aware of it. and recently he has learned to copy EVERYTHING you say. so there he was next to me and over and over he was saying miss sami miss sami in his high little voice. i kept saying what but looking at the boy in front of me still sad about his mom. finally he reached over grabbed my face so i looked at him. he said "miss sami" very calmly then as fast as he could he said "chuckie cheese". this is when i lost it i couldnt help but laugh at the day i just had. and it all came down to chuckie cheese
it was just before ten and i had about 11 kids in class. though both toddler classes were combined so my kids ranged in ages 18 months to nearly three. I had just put all my potty trainers in their underwear who were supposed to be and not five minutes later one had peed on themselves. ugh. so while changing him out of wet clothes into a pullup a little girl yells yellow water yellow water. well at least she knows her colors because sure enough there on the white tile a yellow puddle. i asked the whole class who wet their pants thinking that the little boy on the table did not pee that much. nobody responded and they all agreed it was the boy i was changing. not a second later i realized it wasnt him but another kid with his back to me near the puddle. so i scolded him for not speaking up when he peed his pants because sitting in wet pants is not good. i threw some towels over the puddle and was finishing changing the first boy as the door open. I looked up to see a dad bringing his son in. only this dad is insistent upon not putting his kid on the ground but handing him to me. so there i was two kids deep in pee pants and a puddle of pee on the floor blocking the doorway so dad couldnt come in. I scanned the room then to see one of my girls opened the play kitchen cupboard and crawled inside with the top half of her body sticking out the sink. I told her to get out and next time she would get a time out. So i put the first kid on the ground and cleanup the pee puddle all while the dad watches me. i wash my hands and take the little boy. dad leaves, i put his kid down and i start changing the second boys pants when i hear miss sami help from a tiny little voice infront on me and i think not another interruption cant i just change pee pants in this room. thats when i not only see the same little girl in a sink but another one also. two kids put themselves in there and are now actually stuck. so i stand the boy half clothed in pee clothes on the ground and grab sanitizer so i can help this new mess in front of me. Just when i think i will have to call up front to my bosses i manage to squeeze the smaller of the two girls free of the sink and promptly put her in time out as afterall i had already warned her. I finally finished changing the pee clothes and was over dealing with underwear for the day. I also need to nail those dumb cupboard doors shut.
the other story of the day was far less stressfull but was totally cute and i couldnt help but laugh and think this is why i like kids. we were playing outside and i was sitting on the steps goofing around with this one little boy who was whining for his mom. this other little boy who just turned two but is a little behind and happens to be in his own world alot came and sat next to me. now for this to even make a little sense i need to explain this kid to you. he is never in the right spot and when you yell his name to get his attention he does this bobble head thing side to side with this ridiculous grin on his face at first its cute but after a day a week or a few months its frustrating. you do a head count and every time you come up one short because he has always wandered somewhere else. he is always smiling but never doing what he should be though i am not sure he is aware of it. and recently he has learned to copy EVERYTHING you say. so there he was next to me and over and over he was saying miss sami miss sami in his high little voice. i kept saying what but looking at the boy in front of me still sad about his mom. finally he reached over grabbed my face so i looked at him. he said "miss sami" very calmly then as fast as he could he said "chuckie cheese". this is when i lost it i couldnt help but laugh at the day i just had. and it all came down to chuckie cheese
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Punks
Hey babies... i miss you both so much so i made a video. I figured since I got a camera for christmas i would hobble around on my busted knee and send you a little message! love you!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Christmas already
The holiday season has swept through, here I am just days before Christmas. The weather outside has allowed this season to creep up on me. Some days are amazingly warm and jeans and t-shirt weather. Some days are bitterly cold and cloudy. However the lack soggy clothes strewn about my room to dry or wondering if my shoes will be dry enough to put on in the morning has left Christmas to creep up without me being prepared at all! Though my christmas letter is written and ready to go out it still sits in my room as somehow i never go get the pics printed to mail out with them. SO in true allen tradition you will be getting my christmas cards in january... so maybe they will be a new years update instead!
The story on my concussion is finally good. I need to call the doc one more time but should be cleared to play when my season starts up. So thats exciting. Though i have noticed that my memory may not be as sharp as it use to be. In general i remember everything but I have to think about it all a little more. It doesnt all just stick so easily. But hey if thats the worst that comes out of this then I will take it!
Other then that just hanging out and chillin with friends! yay austin!
The story on my concussion is finally good. I need to call the doc one more time but should be cleared to play when my season starts up. So thats exciting. Though i have noticed that my memory may not be as sharp as it use to be. In general i remember everything but I have to think about it all a little more. It doesnt all just stick so easily. But hey if thats the worst that comes out of this then I will take it!
Other then that just hanging out and chillin with friends! yay austin!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Well family and friends here I am in month three of my life in Austin. Yesterday was Thanksgiving and for me the first one I spent apart from family. However rugby never leaves me alone and I spent Thanksgiving 08 at a Wayward Ruggers Thanksgiving. This year it was hosted by my coach Meg and it was a very nice afternoon/evening. I made a spinach salad and to my hearts content I loved it! Made home made killer eggnong and overall just good company! Yay for ruggers!
Work is still work but I am in love with my kids! They make going to work so fun. Yes at times they frustrate me but they always redeem themselves within a minute. My little man Henry who is as cute as ever had such a great story behind his last week. It was only going to be a half week for me because I was headed home after lunch on Wednesday. I had made it animal week and everyday for art we made animal ear hats to wear. Well Tuesday was cat day and for some reason Hen loved his cat hat. He left wearing it Tuesday and came back the next morning with it on. A bit tattered but none the less on his head. As I laid him down for nap he still had it on. I got a text Thursday as I was chillin in seattle with my friends and was told Hen came back with the cat hat on. When I got to school Monday I saw the cat hat in his cubby, taped back together and much of the ears ripped off. Apparently they had to take it from him because he just wouldn’t remove it. Oh my man! So cute!
speaking of my cute man here is hen...isnt he RAD?!! ok yeah I did his hair!
Work is still work but I am in love with my kids! They make going to work so fun. Yes at times they frustrate me but they always redeem themselves within a minute. My little man Henry who is as cute as ever had such a great story behind his last week. It was only going to be a half week for me because I was headed home after lunch on Wednesday. I had made it animal week and everyday for art we made animal ear hats to wear. Well Tuesday was cat day and for some reason Hen loved his cat hat. He left wearing it Tuesday and came back the next morning with it on. A bit tattered but none the less on his head. As I laid him down for nap he still had it on. I got a text Thursday as I was chillin in seattle with my friends and was told Hen came back with the cat hat on. When I got to school Monday I saw the cat hat in his cubby, taped back together and much of the ears ripped off. Apparently they had to take it from him because he just wouldn’t remove it. Oh my man! So cute!
speaking of my cute man here is hen...isnt he RAD?!! ok yeah I did his hair!
Friday, November 14, 2008
Rugby is still rugby
Yes the sport of rugby is always one where we risk alot. Well I guess I risked my head in my last match. It was maybe two weeks ago and I played one match and shortly into the next I found one scrum to be particularly uncomfortable. What I remember is feeling my neck being bent up and saying ow ow. Then in my memory I walked towards the side lines. However it has been brought to my attention this is not the case I infact still played. At some point I did walk off the field passing one player saying I needed a sub but other then that just held one finger meaning wait a minute to the question of if something was wrong. I apparently went and barfed in the restroom only to come back and cozy up against the fence behind one of our spectators. Dozing in and out of sleep my coach came to asses me and apparently I could only attest to the fact my neck hurt but she thought concussion. She instructed me to go to the hospital but I refused... imagine that. Then she got another teammate to asses me who also said I needed to go and yet again I refused. I guess that was not an option because I went. All in all the hospital didnt worry at all about a concussion but rather just sent me home with antibiotics and pain meds for a strained neck. I was up and down sleeping alot the rest of the weekend but when i woke on tuesday I didnt really know what had gone on that weekend. Very very short memories of anything but mostly just nothing at all. I went to work only to find spots in my vision and a pulsing headache. Went to the doc the next day to find out he was worried about brain bleeding. With a CT scan of my brain I found out it was ok and just took a good knock.
How the hospital passed me with out a concussion was amazing considering I have been informed i wrote the date was 1986. hmmm. And also wrote my address wrong. As well as many other scratches that smeared my admission form.
in any sense my team and my text message in and outbox filled me in on most blank parts though there are still a few that exist... like monday as a whole. I may have slept through it minus the fact I know I texted twice.
Just got back from the doctor and he said I may be escaping with no lingering damage which is great. All things are coming back at a slow and steady pass. spots in my vision are gone, headaches only between meds and the intensity level is much lower my energy level is rising and my current short term memory is regaining so thats good. I can almost remember how many times each of my ten kids went potty in the potty for their parents at the end of the day!
But no family and friends this has not detracted me from the sport. It did cause me to buy a scrum cap. Not fool proof but hoping it will help with the little knocks and jostles of the head. And yes gram I know you think I am crazy but rugby is rugby and I love it!
How the hospital passed me with out a concussion was amazing considering I have been informed i wrote the date was 1986. hmmm. And also wrote my address wrong. As well as many other scratches that smeared my admission form.
in any sense my team and my text message in and outbox filled me in on most blank parts though there are still a few that exist... like monday as a whole. I may have slept through it minus the fact I know I texted twice.
Just got back from the doctor and he said I may be escaping with no lingering damage which is great. All things are coming back at a slow and steady pass. spots in my vision are gone, headaches only between meds and the intensity level is much lower my energy level is rising and my current short term memory is regaining so thats good. I can almost remember how many times each of my ten kids went potty in the potty for their parents at the end of the day!
But no family and friends this has not detracted me from the sport. It did cause me to buy a scrum cap. Not fool proof but hoping it will help with the little knocks and jostles of the head. And yes gram I know you think I am crazy but rugby is rugby and I love it!
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