"I only got one life, I want it to mean something!"

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Every night at dinner, we go around the table and say our Pit and Peak of the day (high and low).  In my days with cable TV, I actually got this idea from the Kardashian family - please don't judge. It's awesome to see the students' reliving the memory with the peaks and also struggling to find the pits. That was me today - it was so awesome, there are no pits! (Except the bathroom🙊) 

We started with an optional 6am birding and I am proud to say six students showed up. We've been pushing the kids nonstop and wanted to give them an opportunity to sleep a little if they wanted, but those 6 struggle with FOMO, like myself, and had binocs in hand at dawn! And, they are incredibly happy they set an alarm - 3 different species of monkeys, one fish and 14 species of birds later, we were feeling pretty smug! 

We started the morning with the long anticipated Piranha fishing! We boated into the blue lagoon and became expert Amazon fishermen with a quick lesson from the guides... or so we thought. 🎣  Lets just say, it's a good thing the guides and boat drivers also had fishing poles. 😳 We got to eat our catch for lunch, just like true Amazon locals - this was an awesome bonding experience for the #perucrew and it was the talk of the lunch table for days!

After lunch, we hiked to the ACTS lodge, which is a ten minute walk from the Rainforest Canopy and let me just say, we hiked two feet out the door and saw a Tarantula, an Assassin bug, and a cockroach that has definitely lived here since the dinosaurs! The first reactions are positive, but I'll report back when we hit the 24 hour sin Wifi mark.😳 

We saw Christa in her element! Engaging travelers in rainforest hiking is her speciality - she hooked me last year with the figs and did the same for the kids with social spiders and leaf cutter ants!🐜 (so much cooler than they sound!) I can tell the kids really love and respect her and I'm so grateful she's here for my first student-teacher jungle experience.

Our guest faculty have arrived and are making a huge impact! Randy is an entomologist (bug guy) from the Cincinnati Zoo and Dr. Steve is a professor at Widener University. I met both last summer and made sure they were on the docket for my kids! They opened with an Amazon petting zoo of a Whip Snake, lightening Beetle and a large Caiman! I love that the kids are able to again see two adults so passionate about their careers and life itself! Randy and Steve both donate their time to work with the student and educator travelers in the Amazon. Everyone affiliated with this program is so because of their love for the Jungle, education and awareness. I hope the students see that it is possible to follow your dreams, love what you do and smile every day when you pick a career that is so much more than just a paycheck.💼🐒

And now, what you e all been waiting for - the Canopy! I've been waiting to step foot on it again for almost a year and, it was just as amazing the second time around! Last year, I felt like I was on top of the world on those platforms, like I could do anything - this year, instead of a self driven attitude, I felt immense pride. I got to share something so impactful in my own life with my students, and then watch them live out their own happy on the treetops! It was nothing but smiles and selfies for this brave group who practically ran down the walkways like little spider monkeys. My favorite part occurred right before take off. The guides, Christa and I had a chat with the kids about what a spiritual, memorable and blessed opportunity this can be - and only a handful of people in the world get to experience it. Their faces lit up in anticipation and care for each other, as they realized what an awesome group experience they were about to have! I don't think I even need to say it, instead, can I get a heart eyes emoji por favor! 😍 

We ended with a night hike, led by our new bug experts, and a collection of bug specimens that would definitely earn a reserved spot in the stockroom of Mr. LeBlanc's Biology class! Every day, there are amazing moments that make my heart smile! Here are a few.

Carlos has turned into a full blown explorer and presents bug "gifts" to Randy by the hour. Gabby loved the story of the bioluminescent fungus and showed a much more spiritual side of herself - you'll have to get to the Jungle to hear the full thing! Kallie was smiling from ear to ear while painting with the minis in the service day project. 

Today, these kids did something they will never forget. They made a decision to live out loud and grab hold of life and say, I want it to mean something! I'm so grateful to be here with them, here in this place. 😍💗😍 #perucrew #amazonworkshops