Picking up trash and other nice things

I awoke this beautiful Saturday morning at 8 o'clock so I could shower. I then helped set a few things up, then went to pick up trash. My girl scout troop has organized a community-wide clean up day for the past two years. We pick up around 250 to 300 bags of trash along the roadsides. It's pretty awesome. Most of are volunteers are kids, other boy scout and girl scout troops, along with the middle school and high school. This is the one thing I do that lets me feel like I'm making a diference. I know that sounds cheesy but it really does. I love seeing little kids enjoying helping their community. It makes me think their's hope. And that the next generation isn't full of stupid, perfect people.

Besides this feeling of fulfillment, I also get a cool florescent vest. I felt so cool. We, two other girls in my troop and myself, had a cop follow us the entire way up the road we were working on. Let's just say that once he was gone, people had no problem flying by us at the speed of light, just two feet from the shoulder, where we were walking. The find of the day you ask? I shall warn you, it was gross, I won't blame you if you skip the next sentence. A nasty,used, neon yellow condom. What kind of person do you have to be to fling your used condom out the window of a moving vehicle? How can you be doing anything in a moving vehicle? Ugh, I'm done thinking about it. We also found enough of one kind of beer to make a whole case. I really think people must drive around in circles with a case of beer, throwing the can out the window when they're done with it. People are pigs, most are anyway.

Enough with the trash talk, on to family. You know that older cousin* you always had to look up to and to teach you stuff? I didn't have that. My older cousins didn't really want anything to do with me after a while. This is not how i want my younger cousins to feel. So this afternoon I called up my uncle, then spent the rest of the day with his family. His kids love me. His son, who's about 5, has been calling me for about a week, leaving messages telling me I have to come over. There's one where he just says hello for about a minute straight until my uncle realizes he must be talking to a machine. He also has two girls, I'm going to say 10 and 8, who I really love too. I just want to be there for them to help them out, especially when they're older and may not want mom and dad's help anymore. Now this post has gotten really sappy so I'll wrap it up. (Mostly also because it's 5 minutes until midnight.)

Today was beautiful, sunny and a high of 85. Oh summer, please get here sooner.