Courtney's World Tour!


Hello Bashers, it’s been awhile since my last post! I have been on what I like to call "Courtney’s World Tour”, I was gone for 18 days! I went to Atlanta, Georgia to surprise my best friend, Jurnee for her 16th birthday, and then we went to Florida and on a cruise to the Bahamas! I also spent a weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina. After that I then attended Kamp Kizzy, a camp that promotes self- esteem, empowerment, and motivation in girls ages 11-16! Sit back and read a little about my “tour”!
 
Jurnee was extremely surprised when I arrived to Atlanta that Friday night, as she had NO idea at all! You should have seen the look on her face when I walked in the house, it was priceless! The next day we went to her dance school’s end of the year celebration and that night we went to an all-white Sweet 16 party. On Sunday we prepared to go Florida and hung out around the house. We flew from Atlanta to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on Monday morning. We hung out at the hotel’s pool and ate snacks. The next day we drove to Miami shopped and spent time hanging out at the beach. On Wednesday, we then went on a 2-day cruise to the Bahamas! It was my first time being on a cruise and I really enjoyed myself and am still confused on how something that large floats and you barely feel it! There was so much to do, all you can eat and drink, and one night we even dominated the dance floor!
 
When we came back to Atlanta on Friday evening, my god mother, Candy picked me up and I spent the weekend with her in Charlotte, NC. I assisted her with a dance camp she gave her at church on Saturday (she has her own dance studio, Leap of Faith), it was kids and adults that was a lot of fun! Afterwards we went to the mall (of course), shopped, ate, and made homemade s’mores later that evening with family and friends, more fun! I always enjoy spending time with my god mother, since she lives out of town I only get to see her a few times a year. She’s fun to be around, loves to shop like me, and is easy to talk to, plus she spoils me too!:)
 
Kamp Kizzy was my next stop on my mini world your! Kamp Kizzy was started by Keshia Knight Pulliam (you may know her as Rudy from the Cosby show) in 2010 it is a camp that challenges girls to Dream BIG, Think Big, & Accomplish BIG! At camp we learn the importance of physical, mental, and spiritual wellness, we also learn the importance of paying it forward. This was my second year being selected to attend the camp. You have to complete an application, write an essay, and get letters of recommendations. It is a highly selective process and I was honor to be chosen again, as they only select 100 girls and they receive over hundreds of applications each year! It was great to see my old friends, camp counselors, and mentors from last summer and meeting new people and beginning new friendships was great too; this is actually where Jurnee and I met last year! 
I was extremely excited to introduce my Bash Out Bullying organization to everyone, they were all so supportive and excited as well! I presented Miss Keshia with her very own Bash Out Bullying shirt and she was so proud of me! My bff Jurnee and camp counselor/mentor, Jamie wore their B.O.B t-shirts the same day I did! Miss Keshia has been on board ever since learning about my organization and blog. She has even helped me by spreading the word about Bash Out Bullying on her Twitter, she retweeted my tweet, so you know that brought a lot more traffic to my social media page! Kamp Kizzy is for girls ages 11-16, which means this was my last year as a camper, but I hope to go back next year as a counselor! I recommend this camp to all girls http://kampkizzy.org/ , I promise you will love it!
 
Lastly, while I was gone on “tour” my story was featured on the Megan Meier Foundation’s website http://www.meganmeierfoundation.org/meet-courtney.html and their Face Book page. They did a Ledbetter campaign the week of July 13-17th and I was selected as one of their inspiration stories. I gave a short summary of how I was bullied. This was my first time sharing my story and I plan to go in more detail about my story here on my blog one day soon. The Ledbetter mission is “To Live Every Day Better to improve mind, body, and soul with love”. Also if you aren’t familiar with the Megan Meier Foundation, please check out their website http://www.meganmeierfoundation.org/, where you can learn more about their mission as well, they are also on all social media outlets.
 
Whew, that was a lot! Now I am back home and ready to continue to Bash Out Bullying! Blogs will be posted weekly and my social media outlets will be updated daily! My business cards have been ordered and we are working on my t-shirt orders too! I am very excited to announce I will be on a radio show this Saturday morning at 10a promoting B. O. B. with another great organization, Stop the Violence. Later that day I will be attending my first speaking engagement, sitting on the panel of the 2nd annual Educated Girls Rock event. The panel will consist of me, two other students, teachers, and the founder of Educated Girls Rock, we will be speaking on the importance of graduating high school! There is so much more to come with Bash Out Bullying, please stay tuned, continue to spread the word, and thank you for all of your support!

Stay strong and stay positive,
Courtney Jay 💜

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