The Christiansen's: February 2014

When I was 12 years old, if you would have asked me what I wanted to do with my life...working with children probably wouldn't have been the first thing I said. Back then I found the idea of being a vet or a nurse intriguing and being a teacher coming in 3rd.

My senior year of high school though, through the encouragement of my school counselor, teachers, friends and family, I was persuaded to go to school for a teaching degree. I struggled with this decision for quite some time because I just wasn't sure if that was what I wanted to do the rest of my life. I knew without a doubt that I wanted to work in a helping profession but just wasn't sure if teaching a classroom of 15-30 students was the perfect fit. I chose to pursue a degree in teaching anyway and that is what took me to Dakota State University. I had a really great time there, living in the dorms and meeting amazing people.

It was toward the middle to end of my freshman year that I decided teaching just wasn't for me. I did a lot of research and eventually decided to pursue a degree in Psychology which ultimately meant that I had to transfer schools. I ended up choosing USF and for a while lived at home and worked at the grocery store. When I finally decided to move to Sioux Falls and leave my job at the store, my options for other employment were endless. Going from a town of around 3,000 people to a city of around 140,000 people really opens up a lot of doors to different opportunities.

A lot of searching and weighing the pros and cons is what brought me to the job I am at today. I started at YES as an education assistant at a center in Sioux Falls. The only experience I had working with children at that time had come from working at Shetek (a bible camp) as a counselor for 3 months as well as my mothers in-home daycare growing up. Needless to say I was a little terrified but felt that God had a plan in all of this.

Within 2 weeks, my supervisor at the time saw that I had potential and promoted me to a lead teacher at a school in Brandon, SD. That is where my love for children was fostered. Two and a half years of my life, Monday through Friday from 2-6 pm was spent working with these beautiful children. I not only got paid to have fun - playing games and running around with them on the playground, I also had the joy of watching them grow up. I say "had" lightly because I still get the opportunity to watch them grow, which is such a blessing.

Upon graduation, I was promoted again and am now in a position of Coordinator for the 8 After School Programs YES operates in the towns of Sioux Falls, Harrisburg and Brandon. I truly didn't think transitioning out of my school in Brandon and into 7 others would be the easiest process for me but in the past 7 months, I have found, discovered and cemented the fact that I have a passion for working with and enriching the lives of children. When I visit the different centers, there is always at least one child that leaves me smiling or teaches me something new. I won't lie and say that there aren't days where I think I'm crazy and am told I am crazy by parents for "putting up" with the things I do. I, however, wouldn't say I am putting up with anything. I am choosing to come to work every day to make a difference in the life of a child. Yes, there are days where they have tons of energy but I was a child once and can relate to that. I like to joke that there must be weather coming or there for sure has to be a full moon causing them to have energy! ;)

Why am I writing this really long blog you may ask? It is because I had a really wonderful day today at work and my heart is bursting with love for children and the joy they bring.

I had the opportunity to go back to my home site of 2 1/2 years to visit all those children again. The best feeling in the world was when they got out of school, lined up to check in and saw me. Some of the stubborn boys of course were like "what are you doing here Mrs. Melissa". But then there were the ones who were like "YAAAYYYY you're here, we've missed you so much". I received tons of hugs throughout the afternoon and when it was time for me to leave, some kids didn't want me to go.

I have to say...that is one of the absolute best, most empowering feelings in the world.

What does it take to make me happy? Not money or possessions, but a hug and smile from a child :)

Since we've been married Matt and I have been using a tiny little foot rest in our living room multi purposely. It's been our foot rest, plate holder, mini desk, etc. You name it, we've probably made use of this tiny little rocker for that purpose. This last weekend though I decided it was time for a change. I am an avid Pinterest searcher and found a really cool DIY ottoman made out of crates. It came with a lot of step by step instructions with pictures and so I decided that it was a project that I might be able to accomplish.

After running all over Sioux Falls to get all the supplies, I decided to dedicate my day off of work to building. I had never used a drill so much, in fact I cannot remember a time that I've ever used a drill but there's absolutely always a first for everything! After about 5 hours of work, here is what I came up with.