Young Heroes rock my Tims off

I’m soooo hyped up from the crazy night that just happened. I can’t sleep. So I’ll tell you about my day.

We had Heroes Training Academy yesterday. I’m one of the team leaders for the Young Heroes so along with Evelyn (a nice lady from the community who volunteered to be a team leader as well) we have a great team of about 13 middle school kids who signed up to be in City Year’s Young Heroes program. I woke up at 5:45 to go help set up. The training lasted from 8-6. We did PT in the morning. I was on PT crew which means I got to help lead PT. It was a blast! The kids were all really into it! And of course I was too. We got to meet our teams and have our “hour one” with them. This was basically a name game, Evelyn and I gave our testimonials and why we decided to be a Young Heroes Team Leader. Then we asked all the kids why they joined Young Heroes and what they hope to get out of it. We went over some rules and expectations and had the kids make a full value contract. We ended with a couple team builders. It was a good time; the kids were great and full of energy. During lunch they got to write a letter to another middle schooler who is also doing the Young Heroes program at another City Year site. They’ll get to be pen pals with this person and talk about this experience. I thought that was really cool. We watched My Friend Martin and then played MLK jeopardy. Jill explained what a hero is and the four Cs (compassion, cooperation, courage, and commitment). We then broke off into our teams and discussed who we think is a hero and which of the four Cs they displayed. Then we made up a skit as a team to portray courage. I think all the kids on our team had a really good time coming up with the skit. And that was basically the day. I had a spectacular time. I am so glad I’m going to be a YH Team Leader. I know it’s extra time on my Saturdays, but it’s time spent doing something I really really really enjoy.

So after the training we went to see A Christmas Carol at the San Pedro Playhouse. It was the musical version so I like it a lot. Some guy fell asleep right behind Jill and I and snored up a storm. Jill left during intermission because she was zonked from the day. After we left the play is when the insanity happened.

So Matt and Robert dropped me off at Jill’s because my car was there. I go inside to get my stuff. Charles and Kristen are there so I chat with them for a minute, but no more than 15. I’m walking back out to my car and when I’m in sight of it I think I see people in my car. I thought I hallucinated. It was the trippiest thing ever. I walk closer and there are definitely people in my car so I start to think maybe it’s not my car. I’m looking around, but as I get close enough to see that it is most definitely my car and there are definitely two guys in the passenger seat and the seat behind that I just stare at them for a second. It clicks for them too that it’s my car so they hop out and run. Thank goodness… So I open my car and the paneling from around the steering wheel is gone. My car won’t start. I go back inside and wake Jill up. And everyone comes out with me. We call the cops, they do their thing and I get it towed back to my house. Basically, I walked out there and two punks were stealing my car! I don’t know what kind of karma it was, good or bad, a little of both I guess. So I’m taking it to this guy to have it fixed today. Like my dad said, just one of those real life things.