Just a quick post for you about yesterday... Emma, Gaby and I cleaned up after the group - which as you can imagine, cleaning up after 41 people takes a few minutes...but the Boys and Girls Club looks as good as new, and as we were pulling away and drove down Dupree Street, we were all so pleased with how great it looks!
Not only that, but we were also told by multiple people that this group brought a positive energy to this area of town, a much needed energy, and they (and I) are so excited to see how that is going to affect these children on the reservation in the long run.
So we left feeling pretty great - and a little squished since all three of us were packed up with all of my stuff in the little Corolla!
We arrived at Alternative Fuel, a coffee house in Rapid City a few hours later, where the owner was kind enough to let me play even though it was a holiday weekend. It was pretty cool. People took a lot of cards, were very generous in the tip jar, and I sold some stuff...so glad I could play there!
It was great to strum some chords and play some of my songs, but I was so tired! After hour one of playing...I was toast. Gaby happened to catch the sleepiness in a photo.
After I was finished, Emma, Gaby and I went out for dinner, came back to our hotel and crashed for the night. We had all day and evening to reflect and talk about the trip. The strides that were made to develop a relationship between Simply Smiles and our friends on the Cheyenne River Reservation were huge! I'm so glad that I could be a part of it.
Enjoy your 4th of July celebrations! The girls and I are heading to Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and then the airport. Later on this afternoon I leave for Denver, and I play there tomorrow night. I'll keep you posted!
Kristen