My Leadership Family

"I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people."

-Mahatma Gandhi  

___________________________________________________________

To have a group of genuine and caring people in one classroom is a very rare thing.  I am lucky enough to be apart of the Treasure Mountain Junior High Leadership Class which is full of thirty amazing individuals.  Without this class, I would not have built some of the friendships I have now.  AND I wouldn't be as confident in my abilities as a leader.  I used to be unknown to the student body, quiet, weird, awkward, and unimportant.  Because of this class, I have come out of my shell and shown my peers who I am and what I have to offer.  

Some of the incredible people in my class include: Emma Burke, Samantha Bush, Ben Butcher, Marta Myshrall, Matt Whipple, Micaela Berglund, Emma Louden, Leah Anderson, Lauren MacRitchie, Lane Radovan, Evie Edwards, Elaine Prom and SOOOOO many more.  I am so thankful for the relationships I have built, and I wouldn't trade them for anything. 

(L to R) Claire, Marta, and Elaine at the Utah Allies Dinner
Photo Courtesy of Claire

(L to R) Marta, Emma, Claire, and Samantha at TMJH Registration
Photo Courtesy of Claire

From leadership, I have learned to never doubt myself.  Failure follows self doubt, and I have learned that the most important thing is to love yourself.  By telling myself things will work out, they (almost) always do. I have also gained the ability to have an open mind.  In a room full of opinionated and often bossy teenagers, you have to allow yourself to consider other people's ideas and thoughts.  Everything I do in leadership is collaborative and I wouldn't complete any of my tasks without the help of my classmates. 

Anyone can be a leader, and I have learned that the power of my voice is huge.  If I want change, I can make it happen, and don't need to wait around for anyone else to do it.  I am in control of what happens in my life, and it is important for me to take control of things that I am passionate about.  By simply voicing my opinion things the original path can be altered.  Not everyone is perfect, and I have learned that my ideas aren't always great.  We all fail.  It is important to try and learn from your mistakes.  Yet, you can't learn if you don't throw yourself out there.

To put it simply, I am a better person because of the TMJH Leadership class, and I have all of my classmates to thank for that.  Leadership has changed my life in the best way possible. 

A Promise

(L to R) Me, Dad, Mimi
Photo Courtesy of Mama Claire

It seems that all the time people are making promises.  Many people say that promises are meant to be broken.  After all, promises are usually outrageous, unreasonable deals you make with your friends or family.  Or when a boy tells a girl, "I promise I will always love you." And the next week they're not even together and the boy has a new girl.  Sometimes a person has no choice to break off their promise, no matter how much they want it to happen.  Sometimes things are out of our control.  

In my life, there is one promise that I will never forget being told.  In April of 2007, I remember hearing my dad say he had a business trip around the same time as my birthday.  This meant that he would not be home to celebrate the big ninth birthday with me.

I remember saying, "Daddy, promise me you'll never miss my birthday.  Ever?"

He had promised to do the very best he could.  This is the one promise I will never, ever forget. 

Three months later he passed away unexpectedly.  He has missed six birthdays since.  Like I said, sometimes things are out of our control.  I don't blame him for anything, but I wish that he was here to see me get older.

My dad and me in 2007
Photo Courtesy of Mama Claire

I see my friends celebrating with their families, practicing sports with their dads, calling them to say hi.  Inside, my soul is crying and my mind is racing with all of the reasons why I was given this challenge.  I don't forget promises.  I don't say the past should be forgotten for it will always be apart of me.  I don't ever give up.  What's the point in stopping at an obstacle when there is always a way around it?  My friend once said, "God needed a few good men up there and that is why he chose your dad."  I know he's up there watching me, and I will do everything in my power to make him proud. 

Dad, every time I go on a run, I hear you next to me telling to keep on going.  I feel our feet moving in sync and flying through the wind as one.  This year Running with Ed just so happens to be on May 18th.  Your birthday 49th birthday.  I promise to run with my whole heart and soul, and I know you'll be there with me as a run a total of 10 miles through Park City.  It is my way of telling the world, and you, that no matter what I am faced with, pain, sadness, injury, I will come out even better than before.  

Daddy, even if you can't keep your promise to be here for my birthday, I promise to always be here for yours.  See you there.

With love, 

Claire 

In Loving Memory of Jeff Breiholz

May 18, 1964-July 20, 2007

"Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high
There's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby.
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream,
Really do come true."

To Inspire

inspire |inˈspīr|

verb [ with obj. ]

1 fill (someone) with the urge or ability to do or feel something, esp. to do something creative: [ with obj. and infinitive ] : his passion for romantic literature inspired him to begin writing.

• create (a feeling, esp. a positive one) in a person: their past record does not inspire confidence.

(definition courtesy of Apple Dictionary)

Inspiration can come from many different places.  Every single day we are surrounded by incredible people who do amazing things.  My friend, Livi, has a blog all about the little things that motivate her.   After reading a few of her posts, I realized that even the smallest things can really change how a person operates.

You're probably wondering why I am writing about inspiration.  The reason is that in order to be remember by anyone, you have to inspire.  This relates to being a babysitter because you will get NOWHERE if you aren't liked/admired by parents and children.  I want to be the babysitter that the kids remember having fun with and enjoying their time.  

Below is a list of things that inspire/motive me (not all of the things, and certainly not in order):

Marta, Emma, Me, Samantha
Photo Courtesy of Claire

1. My friends 
2. "The Hunger Games"
3. My teachers
4. The song, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"
5. My lacrosse coaches
6. The Biggest Loser (tv show)

Also, you're probably thinking I am a weirdo with that list... Especially with "The Hunger Games."  The reason it's included is because Katniss pushes aside every obstacle and makes her situation work.  I want to be like that, and I want to inspire people like she has.  

Overall, inspiration can be found anywhere, and I personally want to be someone who can inspire others.  The main reason I want to be a teacher is to make a difference in lives. In my case, I remember every teacher I've had because of all the things they taught me to do.  Each of them inspired me to want to be a great person.  The little things are the ones that we remember, and I have great memories of my teachers teaching me about life and school.

So, next time you're about to do something, little or big, remember that you have to power to make a difference.  

My Babysitters

Growing up I had lots of great babysitters.  Some were great, others not so much.  Here in Park City parents pay the big bucks for a sitter.  However, at the Breiholz household, my parents were a little more tight with their rates.  Often times, I wonder if that discouraged them from watching us... That's aside from the point; I'm going to share some of my favorite memories of hanging with my babysitters.

My most frequent sitter was Ashley.  I used to idolize her, and I honestly wanted to be her BFFL.

Here is a list of a few memories of our experiences:

This is Ashley and Me many years ago on July 4th
Photo Courtesy of Ms. Breiholz

1. Mimi lost her tooth. 
2. I spilled the mac n' cheese on the floor. 
3. I dumped a bucket of tiny beads on the floor after the mac n' cheese incident. 
4. My dog, Rubie, bit my face and Ashley laughed at me. 
5. Trying on Ashley's hand-me-down clothes. 
6. Jumping on her trampoline. 
7. Dancing in my family room. 
8. Begging her to stay up thirty more minutes.
9. Playing Littlest Pet Shops. 

There are many more things I could recall from her watching me, but I am going to leave it at that.  Ashley experienced the best and the worst of Mimi and me.  I must admit that I was the pleasant child to watch... My sister was quite the nightmare.  I remember that Mimi bit another one of our babysitters and then sat in the corner of her room screaming for the evening.  Yet, when my mom would arrive home, she would tattle on me. AS IF I DID ANYTHING!!!

Thinking about my past babysitters makes me wonder what the kids I watch think of me.  I hope that when they're my age they remember the pleasant teenage girl who would spend her "free" evenings watching them play video games or (pretend to be) enjoying a quick round of UNO.  For now, I will act as nice as possible to ensure that I am remembered in a positive way.

Ideas for next weeks post?  Please comment below.

Bacon and His Sidekick Batman

Today, you will be introduced to the new and exciting characters of my blog: Bacon and Batman.  I must say that they are quite entertaining. Their family is so great to be around, and I love watching these boys.  I'll be referring to their mom as "Petit," and their dad as (El) Jefe.  In Spanish, this means boss.  I'm sure being the intelligent person you are, you can figure out why he has this code name, but it's not attached to a negative connotation.  Watch the video below to learn a little bit about Bacon and his sidekick Batman.

With full permission from their parents, I introduce you to: 

BACON AND BATMAN

NOTE: NO ONE WAS HARMED IN THE MAKING.

Moving onto my night babysitting Bacon and Batman.  Petit picked me up close to five.  Her dog, V, had been bitten (full on puncture with blood) by another dog, so we had to get her medicine at the store.  (Lucky me, I got to pay extra attention to a puffy haired dog with a puncture.  Woo.)  While she went shopping, I sat in the car thinking about what I was going to make for dinner.  Then upon her return, Jefe called notifying her that the boys were eating dinner to save me the trouble.  However I had not eaten yet!  So, she bought me a chicken.  Yes, a chicken.  It was my own pre-cooked gourmet dinner in a plastic tub, and I was totally content.

Back at there house, the adults rushed off for the symphony.  Lucky for me, the boys were happy. Beforehand, Petit had told them about my blog, and said that we would make videos for it.  They were so excited, and very used to the idea of being written about because their mom is a professional blogger.  For a few hours, we played on Photo Booth making action videos (therefore the video above).

With the videos set aside and bed time approaching, Bacon looked at me and said, "That was SOOOOO fun!"

Of course this made me smile because my main goal is to temporarily be their parents and have a fun time.  To do this, you need skill and the likable "fun factor." He made me feel like I'd accomplished my main goal as his babysitter.  Then there's Batman.  Practically every time I go over, he cries for his mom.  Believe me, I want to cry for my mom because I have to try and make him forget about his sadness.  Usually this means an extra book or two.  Sometimes the tickle monster makes and appearance, but it is never an easy task.

Overall, babysitting Bacon and Batman has made me wonder, what kind of an impact am I making on these children?  At age twenty, will they remember the babysitter that spent her endless Saturdays sitting on the coach watching Despicable Me for the millionth time?  For now the question remains unanswered, but my desire to make a positive impact will never end.