BUCKLE UP.... Here we go!

Why hello there dear friends. Thanks for checking out the first of many blog posts by yours truly. My name is Katie Harden and I will be your tour guide through this extraordinary something. Hold on tight, who knows what we might find.

First up, ELEPHANTS!

A crucial fact about me is that I am obsessed with elephants... I have been since I was little. I think it has something to do with the repeated viewing of Dumbo. Anyways, this past week, I was

lucky enough to see an elephant in real life! I take that back, I was lucky enough to TOUCH an elephant! I was squealing like a little girl. Although I thought they would be squishy and cuddly (I have no idea why I thought that) they were very rough and prickly. The elephant named Karyn let me kiss her

trunk and gave me some love back! Little to say, this experience was a dream come true. If anyone else ever has the chance to see an elephant in person, TAKE IT! You will be in awe of the

grander of this animal. It's beauty is

astounding.

NEXT... watch your hat, I mean "helmet!"

I got to play dress up on Friday at the International Children's Festival in Hampton. This event is so neat because it exposes kids to cultures that they may have never heard of. In fact, if I'm honest, I hadn't heard of some of the things that I learned after talking with some of the people at the festival. I think it is really important to learn as much as you can from whoever you can especially when it comes to other cultures and ideologies.

It was a great time, although I did look a little silly in the helmet and costume.

I hope that all of the families that were abl

e to go on Saturday had a blast! Thanks to Ryan LaFata for setting everything up and letting me be apart of such a great event.

Now, it's fun to stay that the Y-M-C-A

Okay, so I didn't technically "stay" at the YMCA, or work out for that matter, but I did go to a really cool children's event that was held at the Indian River YMCA in Virginia Beach.

The families were invited to come to this location and visit different booths that were set up all around the facility. The kids seemed to have had a great time and the parents were excited to make it to the gym I think! I really like when organizations do things to involve the entire family. This just makes everything easier! I hope to do some more things (maybe a package) with the volunteers at the YMCA very soon!

Speaking of Volunteers... April 19th kicks of National Volunteer Appreciation Week! My favorite place to volunteer is the Children's Hospital of the Kings Daughters. The people that work there are wonderful and the children that are fighting for their life are inspiring.

I wanna know what you think! What's your favorite animal? Where do you like to volunteer your time? Did you think I looked silly in the viking costume? Whatever you'd like to share, I'd love to hear! Stay tuned for more posts feature a little extraordinary something.