And We're Back. UNC Dance Marathon

Okay, I needed a week. And we're back.


We're fully rested. We've contemplated the year. We've gotten over colds. We've caught up on school (actually, not at all). We've gone out and had a beer or two and talked about the good and the bad, but mostly the GREAT. We've checked all of our e-mails and set up the lost and found. We've counted our blessings for each other. We've made it.


The marathon was such a success! And there's absolutely no denying it. And we're celebrating.

I think it wasn't until Wednesday that I was like, "Okay, Carrie, that happened and it wasn't a dream. It was real and awesome and a part of your life that you'll never forget. Look at how much you've grown. Look at how much you've accomplished and look at your new friends that you've made this year who will always be there to support you." Pretty cool realization, right?


So I got this question on the regular this week, "Carrie! Now what? What are you doing in your free time?!"

The short answer? Enjoying senior year. I'm applying for jobs. I'm being a college student who goes out. I'm catching up with friends who so patiently waited for me to get to this point. I'm enjoying this beautiful weather. I'm working out. I'm preparing for a cruise with friends!

One of my friends, Shannon, is totally my "aha! friend". She just knows exactly what to say and often, because of her roots, says things bluntly that I need to hear. Shannon asked me the other night what I had learned from this experience. I was still a bit overwhelmed from the excitement of the weekend and it wasn't until now that I could really think about what it was that I actually learned from this past  year.



The short list-- the good and the bad? What it means to be friend.


That I am an emotional person and cry a lot. And being up for that long is tiring.
 
That I can accomplish absolutely anything if I put my mind to it.


That the things in my life that I feel are terrible are nothing compared to what a mother endures when her child is in the hospital.

One of my favorite marathon moments? Seeing this mom wear a shirt that I designed this year. Seeing our message spread across NC. And hearing her talk about her sweet boys and the help that UNC Dance Marathon gave to her family.

 
That I will always have a support system.
 
 

 That fundraising is EXACTLY what I want to do with my life.


That Anne Frank was right when she said, "I believe that people are really good at heart." 

Giving is always better than receiving. Hands down. 

 And lastly, that life and moments are fleeting, so you need to always enjoy every second of every day. Focus on the positive. Focus on the needs of others over yourself. And love life because you aren't ever guaranteed anything.  

And that's the marathon for me. In a nutshell. It was beautiful. It was successful. It was the best ride of my life. I am so, so, so lucky. 


And tomorrow, we are giving all of our money away through our Grants Decision Meeting. So exciting to see where that 483,210.36 will go!
 
2013 UNC Dance Marathon, get ready! 

Thanks to all my friends and family who came and supported me and the other 2,000 dancers! 

 

Dreaming Big: $483,210.36 For the Kids

This weekend was a celebration of this year. All the happy tears, all the laughs, all the hours of not sleeping, all the people I've met, all the meetings, all the e-mails, all the money, but most importantly all the lives we've touched as an organization.

I'm so fortunate. I'm so lucky to have had this opportunity-- to have been involved with this organization and to have worked with the many passionate people here at Carolina on this cause.

My gratitude is overwhelming. My cup runneth over in a multitude of ways. 

 I slept a lot the day after. And I am still not fully well-rested. I think it's going to take some time. I have a lot I want to talk about concerning UNC Dance Marathon and this experience and what I've learned from it. I am still processing, but it's coming. I promise.

For now, I am okay with saying that there are occasional tears, but more often excitement over the final total and the 2,000 students who experienced the love and energy that we worked all year to provide.

 I'll never be the same. I'm forever changed and more eager than ever to touch more lives and to continue working for other non-profits.

I am so proud of these 14 people. We are an incredible team who love each other and this cause more than we can possibly say.

 

"When you laugh be sure to laugh out loud
'Cause it will carry all your cares away
And when you see, see the beauty all around and in yourself
And it'll help you feel okay
And when you pray, pray for strength
To help you carry on
When the troubles come your way

And when you dream, dream big
As big as the ocean blue
'Cause when you dream it might come true
When you dream, dream big"

-Dream Big, Ryan Schupe 

Taking the Wheel

I love driving. I think it is the most relaxing thing to do. Whenever friends and I are going on a road trip, I never hesitate to say that I will drive, which I am not sure my parents are really thankful for since they pay for my gas. (But I am also a horrible passenger because I hate the loss of control that comes with not driving-- but that's beside the point).

I haven't figured out how to take pictures at night with my new camera. I think I need a different lens for doing night shots. And your camera is susceptible to shaking when you have it on the night setting. Needless to say, this was the result.

Sometimes when I leave campus late, which has pretty much been every night since before I can remember, I put on a great song and drive for about 5 minutes. I take a breather from the day and just drive. It's my best stress reliever. Tonight was pretty beautiful. It's cold. But beautiful. The streets were empty and the moon lit the streets where street lamps failed to do so.

This weekend went by in a flash.

Friday was spent catching up and scraping together everything for the fund-raiser on Saturday. Want to hear lots of laughter? Get the three of us together in one room and everything instantly becomes way funnier than it probably should be.
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Saturday was spent at a little fund-raising event.

Kids4Kids was an art show where a local high school and elementary prepared art that would be sold to benefit UNC Dance Marathon. We have been wanting to hold this event for a while, but it wasn't until about 10 days ago that someone said that we could have the space. I was ecstatic, but ten days is no time for a fundraiser. So I did the best I could with what I had.

 The event went fine. A few glitches here or there. We had some visitors. It wasn't really as much a fund-raiser as it was getting our name out in the community. And in the end, I am happy with that.

 And when crowds dwindled, which happened way more often than I'd like to say, I took the time to be silly and enjoy with some of my favorite people.

Weakness: Girl Scout cookies. Their sweet, pitiful voices saying, "Cookies for sale" really worked. They must've practiced.

Gracie took the time to demonstrate her artistic abilities. She should stick to history.

Overall, you take events like these in stride. Celebrate your successes and not harp on your failures-- knowing that next year it may become what you had envisioned. It's these kinds of things that I think about when driving those extra 5 minutes home. Purposefully taking the long way in order to put life back into perspective. Centering myself.

Last night a large part of the Overall Committee got together for some stress relief and we chatted until the wee hours of the morning about things like our biggest fears, what makes us happy, and what we've learned throughout our time at Carolina. We sat there and learned from each other and that became my favorite part of the weekend. Totally love reflection-- I'm sure you know. It brought me so much closer to these people and I can't explain to you how much of a burden was lifted as we recognized that a lot of us have those same fears and goals for the future, for the marathon, for life. I don't think I'll ever forget that night because life never seemed as clear. Have I told you yet how lucky I am to have this UNC Dance Marathon experience? What a learning process that I could not have anywhere else.

The marathon draws another day closer as I write this and I cannot wait to see the culmination of all the hard work that all 14 of us have put into this organization. It's going to be pretttttttty magical.

Eleven Days.