September 3, 2009

Better than I could have ever imagined...


 We've been on the road for three days now and have been loving every second of this amazing adventure!! 
  On the morning we left, a bunch of our close friends gathered for breakfast to send us off.  It was so special to have some of our friends and mentors there showing their support.  Such a great way to start the film :)
  We hit the road and it was such a surreal feeling!  This is actually happening.  After thinking about this for so long and taking so much time to plan...man.  I thought the day would never come! 

  I feel so incredibly inspired and fulfilled right now.  As I sit here with my ipod, listening to a little Bat for Lashes, thinking about the interviews we have already shot, the interesting people we have met and the funny moments we have encountered, I realize that these sort of experiences are one in a million.   

  On the first day out, we had our first interview with a girl named Rebekah.  We met Rebekah on the Dr. Phil show.  What an incredible young lady she is.  She has a compelling story and is very passionate about speaking out about this issue.  At the young age of 14, she has already started a website in hopes of starting a diologue about girl-against-girl "crime".  Check it out at www.stopbullyingaroundtheworld.com!

  That night we stayed with two people who define KIND.  When we walked into their home, we were welcomed with smiles, hugs and a feast of food.  Sue shared some of her thoughts and experiences with female bullying over dinner.  It was interesting to hear 
her story.  She has 5 daughters, so she knows ALL about this...I really appreciated her honesty.

  The next morning was pretty monumental...our first school assembly!!!! The assembly was held in an old theater across from the school in Wastonville California.  It was defintately a learning experience for the next school assembly, but overall a success.  

  We had two more interviews that day.  Both of them were amazing.  One was with Shannon, who allowed herself to open up about some pretty heavy experiences.  At the end of the interview, she serenaded us with the national anthem!!  Later that night we had a discussion with three girls from Berkeley.  They had such a
refreshing and positive outlook on female friendships.  Not only was the interview beautiful, but the location was surreal.  We were on a rooftop at sunset overlooking the San Francisco skyline.  Such an amazing moment.

  
 That night we met up with a friend of mine and his girlfriend and had the most AMAAAAAAZING 
meal at House of Nanking.  
Jonno is a documentary filmmaker as well and is working on a really amazing project with his friend Stefan. Its called Somewhere Near Tapachula.  Check it out!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3Jokei2bGM 

We finished the night will a little Karaoke :)

  The next day was a driiiiiiivveee.  We drove to Portland all day but made plenty of fun stops along the way.  We 
pulled out the camera a few times and got some very interesting perspectives from different types of people.  
Sometimes the
random, unexpected interviews are the
most insightful and interesting.  Im all about random moments :) 

   And now that brings me to today.  We started the day with coffee, muffins, and fresh fruit courtesy of Casi Ticer- our very KIND friend who let us stay with her the night before.  She is actually in my Kappa pledge class! 

  Our first interview was with a group of cheerleaders from a Portland middle school.  All four of the girls have such unique personalities.  I loved every one of them.  And they are wise beyond their years!  
Their cheer coach Gina has taught the girls that within a team you MUST respect each other.  Such an amazing group of ladies :) At the end of the interview, they did a cheer for us. It was awesome. 
  
  The next interview was with a girl named Christina.  She was so incredibly honest about her experiences.  Let me tell you...she has quite a compelling story.  She brought me to tears.
  
The rest of the day was spent driving to Walla Walla Washingtion where we will appear in their labor day parade tomorrow morning!!!! On the way to Walla Walla we stopped by an amazing waterfall.  It was overwhelmingly beautiful.  In fact, the rest of the drive was overwhelmingly beautiful.  It got me thinking.  When you take in such immense beauty it really puts things into perspective.  How do we allow ourselves to spend so much time and energy tearing each other down when there are so many amazingly beautiful things life has to offer? If you 
waste your time on drama, you will miss out on so many precious and special moments in life.  just a thought...

  Well. This was pretty long.  From now on, we will be updating regularly :)  

Love wins.
Lauren


    

2 comments:

  1. Well written Lauren! Great photos, and what a spectacular adventure. The KindCar is already decorated for a parade ~ did you add hot pink balloons and streamers? Looking forward to your updates. Love to all, Momma Steph F

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  2. love the updates... keep 'em coming. xx

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