Venice (Venezia) Italy... last day??

With the rest of the traveling we will be doing this may be my last full day in Venice. So, I decided not to waste a minute of it! I got up at 8:00am, intending to be at San Marco Square by 9:00am, however I ran a little bit behind. First, I had the hardest time falling asleep last night and the last time I looked at a clock it was 1:30am, so it was hard to wake up. Second, I (of course) got lost!! I headed out the door at 9:00am after a nice breakfast and made it to the Rialto bridge without getting lost... not even once!! I was so proud. However, after that I spent the next 45 minutes going every direction but the right one.

After getting over my fear of looking like a tourist (come on, I am one... right) I finally pulled out my map and held it while I walked. One guy did come up to me, after seeing that I had a map out, to tell me that he thought I was pretty and he walked to talk to me. Of course I ran!! However I made it safely to San Marco Square. I found that there was a pretty good line to get into the place I really, really wanted to see, the Basilica (aka church/cathedral) but it was a pretty fast moving line. I read some of the tour from the Rick Steve's book I bought about Venice and listened to one of the tour guides speaking English and I was inside in no time.

I took quite a few pictures of the outside of the church but I was not allowed to take any pictures of the inside of the church, but let me tell you, it was amazing!! The entire ceiling is made out of these little mosaic tiles and the sparkle even when the light is not shining on them. And the entire ceiling tells the story of the Bible. So pretty!! I also found out that Saint Mark's bones are buried in the church. You know, Mark, the guy who wrote the Book of Mark in the Bible. I am generally not one for rituals or whatnot in the church however being that close to someone who really chronicled the life of Jesus felt strangely good. There was a spot I could stop and pray so I did. That was nice as well.

After the church I went on a walking tour provided by my Rick Steve's book. I made a modification to the tour but overall it took me to some pretty fun places. First it took me outside the Basilica and around the backside of the Bridge of Sighs. There is a lot of myth and legend around the bridge but most of it is made up. Either way, still fun to see. The next stop was at the church of San Zaccaria. Here is where the bones of Zechariah (father of John the Baptist) are buried. Back in the day it was very prestigious to have mortal remains and they were thought to bring miracles to the faithful. I still find it so interesting that there are graves inside a church!! Also, the entire inside of the chapel is painted with the most beautiful artwork. Once again I was not to take pictures so there are no pictures of the inside. Take my word... very beautiful.

Then, I had the opportunity to go into the crypt of the church for 1 euro. Since I have never been inside a crypt I was willing to pay. I was able to tour a few rooms, see the original flooring of the church, and go into the crypt (which is generally flooded, however was only very damp when I was there). I have to say, it was creepy!! Being inside the crypt I felt completely out of place and I swear the hair on the back of my neck stood up!!

After leaving the crypt I followed the tour to the Riva, or the road along the river, and then went off the tour. I walked the entire length of the Riva and took a TON of pictures. I ended in a park with a lot of statues. It was a beautiful walk as the entire day was sunny and beautiful (right now its raining with thunder and lightening -- I tell you, God wants me to be here to see this. It has only rained when I am not to be outside)!! After my 30 minute hiatus from the tour I finished up by seeing the front side of the Bridge of Sighs.

There was a second walking tour that took me past all of the really fancy, really pricey stores and ended me right at the Rialto bridge, which is were I really needed to end up. It was only a little after noon and wasn't planning on meeting up with Britt until about 2pm so I figured I had plenty of time!

The first stop was at Harry's American Bar, which is reported to have many celerity guests. However, I didn't go in to find out for myself. Next I was able to walk by all of the really, really fancy stores and had a blast going in each one and checking everything out!!

After the browsing I made it to the Church of San Moise, which is one of Venice's oldest churchs as well as the perish church for the island. After more walking I made it to La Fenice (The Phoenix) Opera House. Being true to its name, it was built in 1792 and had a disastrous fire in 1996, which had to be completely restored.

Next stop was the Ponte de Verona, a bridge that the author of the book apparently really liked, I couldn't quite figure out why so I kept on moving! The next stop was Campo Manin with a statue of Daniele Manin who was a leader of Venice in the 1800's.

The next stop was my favorite!! Tucked away in a remote little area was the Scala Contarini del Bovolo. It was a spiral staircase built in 1499 as the external staircase of a castle. Most of the area was being restored but you could still see the staircase. It was beautiful!!

The next stop on the tour was a Theater and it ended at the Rialto Bridge, which I have crossed many times now. Once I got there I found, in the pages of my book, the option to continue the tour to the Frari Chuch... the one that is Andrea's church right by where I am staying!! I looked at my watch at it wasn't even 1:00pm yet so I had plenty of time to do the additional tour and it was perfect because with the tour and map I was able to NOT get lost!! Amazing!!

The additional part of the tour was not as good as the first... it took me to a Fish Market, down the busy tourist streets, and thru a couple of Campo's that I know well because I have stopped at them when I was lost!! But it ended me up somewhere that I knew and was able to finish the walk home map-free and with a big smile!! A shout of victory too!! I am learning the island!!

Once home I picked up Britt and we headed right back out for lunch. We went to the same restaurant that Andrea and I had gone to the first day I was here. I have only been there 2 times but I will soooooo miss that place when I am gone!! Andrea told me that he will bring me some of their food to Atlanta! I told him that if he does I will mail him all the Chips Ahoy cookies that he wants (he loves them and can't get them here)!!!

After eating lunch we went right back to San Marco's Square and I showed Britt around. There was absolutely no line to get into the Church so I made him tour it. Hehe! Hey, its free!! After that we went up the Bell Tower and was able to see all of Venice. It was 8 euros to go to the top but it was worth every one of those euros!! I have pictures that you must check out!!

It was a warm day, but not on the top of that tower... especially when the wind caught you just wrong!! We left the tower and walked back by all the expensive shops again. We stopped in a sweet store because I saw a treat that had my name written all over it!! And it was good!!! We tried to come home to get an extra jacket however we didn't have a key and no one else was home. I figured the next best this was alcohol so we went to the local watering hole in Campo Santa Margheritta. We each got a spritz however Britt doesn't like them so I had to drink them both!! Oh darn!!

By this time it was getting very, very cold outside so we walked to the grocery store to pick up some dinner (the same salad as last night... yummm!!) and luckily when we got back Andrea (the female... there is one Andrea who is female and one who is male -- most of the time has been spent with the male) was home to let us in!!

Both Britt and I were exhausted and it was only 6:30pm!! I made the dinner, which we barely ate before I took a shower. By the time I got out of the shower Britt had already gone to bed!!

I have been trying to upload the pictures from today but with the sheer number and with the storm outside cutting my internet access out, it is taking forever!! Hopefully it will be done soon because I am about to shut this computer down!!

Tomorrow morning Britt and I will be on the 8:45am fast train to Florence, Italy. We will spend most of the day there before heading down to Rome. We have a friend down there who will let us stay with them until Friday. Then the 3 of us will be going back to Verona for Easter!!

I will blog again when I have the chance!!

Ciao!!

Verona, Italy Picture!!

I have the pictures added!! Check them out!! It only took a couple of hours but I have them all added and captioned!! I feel very accomplished.

Also, I thought you may want to know that plans have changed... again!! We are now staying in Venice tomorrow (so I am getting up early... 8am) to do some sight seeing around here. I will meet up with Britt around 2pm, after he has woken up of course, and we will go back out for more sight seeing. Then we will be heading Florence on Tuesday and then straight onto Rome. The friend of Britt that we were going to meet up with in Cortona will not have any time to meet up with us so I think we are taking that part of the trip out. Sad, however, this means more days in Venice (Monday) and Rome (Wednesday thru Friday) so that is good!!

Now I must go to sleep so that I can get up early tomorrow!!

P.S. For those who care, my laundry is now drying. It only took 2 hours in the washer and they don't have dryers here in Venice. No lie. The only dryers are in the laundry mat and the cost 4 euros per load. So, I am hang drying. If the cloths are not dry by tomorrow evening I will be forced to pay the price... as I will need the cloths in the next week!

Buona Notte!! Good Night!!

Ciao!!

Change...

In 5 minutes the plans have change. Not quite sure what they are now except that we are going to Rome first. We have a place we can stay there until at least Wednesday. Then we may do the original plan backwards. We may scratch it all and start with a new plan. Who knows. All I know is that tomorrow we are heading out in the morning on a train to Rome!!!

Now, I need to check if my laundry is done!!

If the 'plan' changes again I will try to post it up here!! LOL!!

Weekend in Verona!!!

So a weekend break from being on the computer was for two reasons.. one – not enough time and two – Andrea’s Mom’s house doesn’t have wireless internet. Sorry!! I am currently typing this on the train from Verona to Venice so I don’t have the pictures loaded yet either. As soon as I do I will link them and add captions as soon as possible.

So, when I last left you I was anticipating the weekend in Verona… and we had a lot of fun!! We spent most of the day relaxing in Andrea’s apartment before (of course) taking the train from Venice to Verona on Friday mid-afternoon. We made it to Verona in time to stop by Andrea’s Dad’s house to pick up Andrea’s car, stop by him Mom’s house to drop off our bags (his Mom was in Milan, coming back on Saturday and then spending the night at her boyfriends house so the 3 of us could stay at her house), get some pizza at a local pizza place (where you buy pizza by the slice and they cook it for you once you have ordered it… very tasty), and the run to Andrea’s church so he could be there for confession. Since its Easter week and Lent this was a very special confessional day.

Interesting side note, Andrea’s Mom lives in an apartment very close to the city center and she has a garage for her car. To get the car into the garage you need to go down an enclosed hallways and then turn about 45% to get into the garage. Andrea had the hardest time backing out and seemed quite frustrated. Britt, who also seemed quite frusterated, was trying to direct Andrea to keep the car going straight but it was quite difficult for him. There was even a guy watching us try to back out. We got about halfway and I felt bad but with all the tension and commotion I just started laughing!! Luckily Andrea started laughing then as well! It became quite a joke about the driving skills that Andrea possesses. We have nicknamed him Cruella De Vil! After about 15 minutes, he had the car backed out. It took all of 2 minutes to get the car into the garage.

Once at church, Britt and I sat off to the side and started giggling about how many pictures I have been taking and how funny it would be to take pictures of the church since it was built in the 1970’s and is not historic at all. As I was giggling I looked over and saw a lady giving me a death stare… which make me even more giggly!! I tried not to make noise but I was laughing so hard I was crying.

When the priest came out he said something to Britt and I in Italian, which I thought meant that we were getting in trouble but found out he had only asked that Britt and I move closer, so we did. They sang a few songs and the priest talked for a minute before doing confession. Once confession started Britt and I went for a walk outside. Once outside, we found it interesting that the local teenagers tend to hang out in front of the church. They probably found us speaking English quite interesting as well!!

After our walk we met back up with Andrea and drove the car back into his Mom’s garage and then walked to the city center. This is where all of the historic sites, shopping, and restaurants are. It was beautiful. We spent some time just walking around, Andrea showed us some sites, and we got some gelato!! Yummy!!

Around mid-night we got back to Andrea’s Mom’s house, got changed, and drove out to an Italian club. There were two separate rooms at the club… one for house/hip-hop and one for a mix of all languages, genres, and ages. The second room even played a little bit of Shania Twain!! I thought my Mom would love that!! LOL!! The dance club was hot… very, very hot!! I didn’t dance at first and started sweating. I figured if I am going to sweat I might as well dance!! We stayed there until about 3:30pm and then went back to Andrea’s Mom’s house. I was so sweaty and gross that I had to get a shower even though I was sooooo tired!

The next day we woke up around noon and headed back to Andrea’s Dad’s house for lunch. He made us a very good pasta dish with white sauce and sausage. I really liked it. Afterwards we headed back to the city center to do some shopping and some touristy type looking around. I found a few Italian style jeans that I absolutely love and purchased and a pair of boots that I loved but they didn’t have in my size. The rest of the time we gawked at the stores we can’t afford, had a “hot chocolate” that is at one of Andrea’s favorite spots (which was a combo between American host chocolate and pudding), and I took a lot more pictures.

For dinner we met up with Andrea’s mom and her boyfriend and went to his Mom’s favorite place Osteria Pan & Panella di Puglia. We each had pasta in a bread bowl, wine, and a ricotta cheese with strawberries dessert. It was all very amazing; I can see why she loves the place! Her boyfriend can speak some English so he told us a few stories. Unfortunately he didn’t really understand when Britt or I talked in English so I just listened. Andrea’s Mom doesn’t speak English as all so Andrea translated between her and I. I didn’t take any pictures during dinner but she is extremely cute!!

After dinner we met up with some friends of Andrea’s and headed out to a lake about 45 minutes away from Verona. It was a lot of back roads and unfortunately I don’t do well in car trips so by the time we got to the lake I didn’t feel well. After a little walk I did feel better. We could see a little bit out into the lake but not far. Apparently the lake is very big and in the summer the town we were in becomes very packed. However, it was pretty cold so we were able to walk freely. After a bit of a walk we went to an ice cream/drink place and each had a dessert. I had what would be a strawberry and chocolate milk shake. It was very good but who am I to complain about a dessert!! I found it funny that we were all in jackets, cold, sitting outside by a heater, but all ordered some kind of ice cream for dessert!! Only in Italy (or at least not in Atlanta)!!

After dessert we walked a little ways again before hopping back into the car and heading back to Verona. On the way back we had ANOTHER run in with the Italian police… they had a roadblock up for drunk drivers coming back from the lake to the city. Our driver had to take a breathalyzer to make sure she had nothing to drink, which she hadn’t. The roadblock took us about 30 minutes to get thru!! Britt says that 3 run-ins that he has had with the Italian police is enough for him!! Once again it was a late night and we were back in bed around 3am.

Since today is Palm Sunday, Andrea wanted to go to church so he and I got up early and went. It was a lot of fun going to church!! It was interesting to hear a Catholic service is Italian. I really enjoyed it!! Britt only wanted to sleep in so after we came back from church and had rested for a few minutes ourselves I finally woke Britt up around 1pm.

Andrea had to visit his grandmother and he didn’t want to put Britt and I thru the visit so he went there and we went to lunch. Britt and I ate at Osteria Le Vecete, which was once again amazing!! I had a pasta dish with olive oil, sausage, tomato, and egg plant. Very tasty!! We stopped by the gelato place we went to on Friday night again so I could get some dessert. I love vacation!!

After eating Britt and I met back up with Andrea so he could take us to the train station. There is a driving restriction in Verona for today to help with air pollution. The restriction requires that all vehicles on the road must have at least 3 people in them. So, on the way to the train station Andrea picked up 2 of his friends that we had gone to the lake with so that on the way back from the station he would not get into trouble!

Andrea is staying in Verona one more night but Britt and I need to get going… we have a vacation schedule to keep!! LOL!!

Just to inform those who would like to be ‘in the know’ here is what Britt and I have planned coming up:

- Going to bed early tonight to get up around 8am on Monday.
- We are taking a train from Venice to Florence and spending Monday afternoon in Florence.
- Monday night we are taking a train to Cortona to visit one of Britt’s friends. She is studying art there however she doesn’t have room in her apartment for us to stay so we will be sleeping Monday and Tuesday night in a hostel near by.
- Walking around Cortona Tuesday.
- Taking a train to Perugia Wednesday morning. Perugai is where Britt stayed last time he was in Italy so he will be able to show me all around!!
- Wednesday night we are taking a train to Rome and staying with a friend of Britt and Andrea.
- Touring Rome on Thursday and Friday.
- Friday night or Saturday morning we are taking a train back to Verona to spend Easter weekend with Andrea. On Monday we will take a Train to Milan.
- Tour Milan on Tuesday
- Tuesday night or Wednesday morning we will take a train from Milan back to Venice, maybe stop thru Padua to visit Gilda’s (a friend of all of us -- currently living in Atlanta) Mom.
- Hang out in Venice on Wednesday (if we don’t visit Padua).
- I leave Thursday morning :(

I will be so tired when this next week is over but I look forward to it all. Since we are traveling so much I may not be able to get Internet access so I may not be updating much. However, I will when I can!!

Ciao!!

On the Train!!!

I almost forgot to mention!!! On the train home we were sitting in our own little sealed off section when 2 Italian police officers came in and started talking. Andrea reached for his bag but I had no clue what was going on. I looked at Andrea asking if we had to go somewhere and he said no, they are just looking for identification. We all pulled out our ID's and handed them over. They studied my passport for a while and Andrea noticed that the officer mentioned that it was a passport from the United States. They took down the information from all our ID's, held Andrea's the longest, and kept moving.

It was the first time that this has happened to Andrea and he rides the train quite frequently. I am just glad that he was there as I had gotten quite nervous not knowing what they were saying!!

Bologna, Italy

Today Andrea and I were up around 10am (I was very proud as I didn't fall asleep until about 4am) and had some breakfast. I had coffee, he had tea, and we both shared a few cookies (they call them cookies here but they are like a sweet English-style cracker).

Then Andrea headed out to his friends graduation party in Bologna and I waited for Fletcher to wake up. Since he had his flight the night before I didn't want to wake him up too early. However, around noon I finally woke him. We took the 2pm train and ended up in Bologna around 4:30pm. We took the long train on accident. It should have been more like an hour & a half.

Once we were in Bologna we were hungry!!! So we got a map, headed to the town center, and on the way stopped for a kabob, which was not at all like I had expected... I thought of meat on a stick, it was more like a gyro. I think it was very good, otherwise I was very hungry!! Either way I ate it quickly. I also had a the (accent over the e) and it too was very good -- I took a picture of it!

Apparently Bologna is a tourist destination for Italian people so there was quite a lot of shopping, however I did none. We did made our way to the city square. One of the biggest monuments are 2 towers in the city square, which I had a lot of fun taking pictures of. I also took quite a few more pictures.

Then Fletcher and I joined Andrea at his friends graduation party. In Italy the graduation party is generally in a bar/restaurant, is very exciting, with family, friends and a lot of drinking. the friends make a very large poster of the 'life events' of the graduating person and its animated and very funny. Afterwards the friends dress up the graduated person in funny outfits and parade them around town. Its quite cute.

Fletcher and I stayed at the party a few minutes before heading across town to the stand that Andrea swears has the best gilato. I thought it was very good!! But then I haven't ran across a dessert yet that I don't like. We were then to meet Andrea in the city square to walk back to the train depot however we were quite early so we window shopped until our feet hurt and then went to the square and found a bar for a spritz. Yummy!!

On the way back we had Andrea who made sure we got on the express train!! Much faster. It was probably a lot faster because on the way there Fletcher and I were hungry, tired and ready to be in Bologna. On the way back we had great conversation!!

Once back, Fletcher was starving again so we went out for dinner and I had a wonderful panini. Now I am uploading my pictures to my website.

Tomorrow we are off to Verona, where Andrea is originally from. His mother is letting us stay in her apartment for the weekend. I am excited for the new adventures!!

Goda!! Enjoy!!

Ciao!!

Pictures added to yesterday

I added some more of the pictures from our adventures yesterday. Enjoy!! More pictures to come from today... stay tuned.

buona mattina tutto!!

Good morning everyone!! I am sitting in bed at 10am (4am EST) just trying to wake up. I was so excited last night about today that I didn't fall asleep for a while!! So, now I am about to grab some coffee and get ready for today!!

Ciao!!

Freddo!!

Its very freddo (cold) in Italy, especially when you are outside all the time!! Hehe. But, just like my trips to NYC I don't seem to mind much!!

The girls that I went out with last night came back here and we all enjoyed a fun night. One difference between home and Italy is that they eat later. Dinner is generally around 9:00 pm or 10:00pm (here it would be 20:00 or 21:00, as they use military time). The dinner was amazing. They made potato tortillas. Which here a tortilla is like an American omelet, so it consisted of egg, potato and onion. They also fried the little peppers, that looked like they should be spicy hot but they were quite sweet and very tasty!! I had a couple. Shortly after dinner I went to bed. I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer and went straight to sleep!

Today I spent the morning sleeping and was awaken by the sound of church bells!! Much better than the train whistles I wake up to at home. But, the bells were announcing that its now NOON!!

I got dressed and another roommate Keeara (one of the ladies that I went out with last night) made lunch of rice and vegetable. They cook the rice much differently here. She cut up different color bell peppers, onion, carrots, and zucchini and sauteed them in olive oil. Then she added the rice right to the pan. She slowly added water that she boiled with a bullion cube until there was just enough water. She added a few spices as she added the water and it was soooo good. I will be using the recipe a lot when I get back home!! Easy and tasty!!

Keeara and I spent the lunch speaking English. She actually only speaks Italian but is learning English to move to Germany. She has a boyfriend up there who she will me moving to be closer to and a lot of Germans speak English. So, she is learning this first and then will be trying to learn German. She thinks she is doing terrible but for only studying for less than one year she is doing amazing!!

After I cleaned up the lunch dishes I moved on to visit Frari Church. It is a church very close to here. I mapped out my route, left the house and then proceeded to not follow the route at all!! All the streets and compos (squares) here are very well marked, however there are so many and they are so windy that its too easy to get lost. Amazingly I made it directly to the church. It was like God was calling me there!! Hehe!! I say that because after I left the church I spent most of the time lost!!

I had a beautiful but very, very freddo (cold) tour. I used my Rick Steves' book as my guide had fun!! In the end I wrote out a summary of the visit in my book. I noted that I was amazed by how cold it was. Even though it was fairly warm outside inside the church I could see my breath. But it was so elaborate, beautiful and dark. A lot of the painting were in the Renaissance style and are very real to human emotions. I also was astounded by the tombs inside the church!! You don't see that at Buckhead Church!! LOL!! I was able to take non-flash photography so please view it here. In the link there are pictures from most of my day. Also, when I arrived home I told Andrea where I had toured and that is his perish here in Venezia so I may be going there for Mass on Sunday!! Well, as long as we are in Venezia. If so, that will be exciting.

After leaving the church I tried to map out another location but once again became completely lost and headed in pretty much the opposite direction. I remember from my walk with Andrea yesterday that I was heading in the direction of Coin (I keep wanting to call it Salt, I don't know why), an Italian style Macy's. After a lot of stubborn searching... I am so stubborn that I don't want people to know I am a tourist (just try to speak to me and they will know, as one lady found out today) but I have to get over that and just keep the maps out full time!! I pulled out both (yes I have 2 and I needed both) of my maps, followed signs and finally made it to Coin. If I hadn't gotten lost it would have been a 10 minute walk, probably took me about 45. I walked around Coin and enjoyed the clothing, the heat and the public restroom!!

Around 5pm - 5:30pm so I decided I needed to start heading back home. It should only take me a few minutes but I figured I would be lost again! And was I right. I headed every where but home. I followed the signs for Ferrovia, which is close to the apartment, and tried to use my map but still ended up lost most of the time and then finally ended up at Ferrovia (the parking and main information area).

After that I held my map out, jumped inside of it Joey (from Friends) style and made it home. Close to 7pm. What should have taken about 15 minutes took me about an hour and a half!! LOL!! I am just glad I was walking. I would have been very frustrated if I was driving!! This is a good city for me!

When I got home Andrea and Fletcher (aka Britt but everyone calls him Fletcher so I will be as well) were already here! I had Andrea's keys so I felt bad but they were able to get in. Fletcher had almost the same fight I did last night, meaning that he didn't sleep a wink, so he was exhausted. I uploaded a few pictures while Andrea and Fletcher took a quick break to lie down before heading to dinner. We went to an 'American Style' restaurant where all the pictures and painting on the wall are of American icons. We sat next to a painting of the Detroit Red Wings (that I haven't gotten from my camera yet)!! I thought my family would really enjoy that!! I got a pizza with ham, artichoke, mushrooms, and black olives. They call it the 4 stagioni (4 seasons). It was really good.... thin crust, all the toppings were on their own side, and the black olives still had their pits! Afterwards we all split dessert. Don't know what it was but it was chocolate and it was good.

Fletcher was ready for bed after dinner so Andrea and I dropped him off before heading out to a university party. Andrea and I were there by ourselves until some of the Spanish ladies from the night before arrived. Unfortunately the girls don't speak much English and I don't speak much Spanish. I was able to pick up some words and get the meaning of what they were talking about and Andrea was able to fill in the rest. The music was techo. The party was outside (which was quite freddo as it was right off the water). But I got to have a few more spritzas!!! Andrea and I had a lot of fun. Unfortunately I only remembered to pull out my camera one time and I have yet to upload.

However its almost 3am here and we are going to be heading to Bologna tomorrow morning so I need some sleep!!

Buona notte!!

Some pictures

I took a couple hour nap and then made a little adventure of looking around the block that Andrea and his roommates live. I have uploaded some pictures from around the area as well as the pictures that I took out the airplane window on my way into Venice.

After my little adventure, the ladies of the place (along with friends) decided to go out for 7:00pm drinks. I was told the actual pronunciation for the meeting but after 7:00pm drinks and still only getting about 5 hours sleep in the past 2 days, the wording seems to have escaped me!! Oh well, the drinks (spritzas) were very good!!

Now some of the ladies and I are working hard at 3 language barriers... we have Italian, English, and Spanish speakers. And some of us can only speak one of the three languages!! Luckily we have some very talented ladies who can speak all three!!

Ciao!!!

CIAO FROM ITALY!!

Ciao!! I am in ITALY!!!

The flights were uneventful, I was fed dinner last night around 6pm EST and breakfast this morning at about 5am Italy time... hehe and I made it thru customs just fine. Then had another uneventful flight from Rome to Venice. Although it was uneventful I didn't get much of any sleep.

Andrea picked me up from the airport and then he I spent the afternoon walking around Venice. After not sleeping in the plane and all the walking I am tired. It sprinkled all afternoon so I did not take many pictures. But it did clear up so I am going to try to go back out later after a quick nap and snap a few pictures.

There was a plan change... I am going spend the night here and Andrea is going to go pick up Britt tonight and they will be back here in the afternoon tomorrow. Andrea's Mom's friend is having a surgery so he is going to spend the evening with them before picking up Britt and basically heading right back here. So if I don't make it to get pictures tonight I will go out tomorrow morning. Then on Thursday the 3 of us are going to Bologna.

When I have a few more pictures I will post them!!

My cell has no service here so it will be off and I will not be able to get calls.

Flying out tomorrow!!

Ciao!!

For those who want it... here is my itinary for tomorrow's flight!!

Monday, March 10, 2008
Delta Air Lines # 70

Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson ATL (ATL) to Rome Intercontinental Airport Leonardo da Vinci (FCO)
Departure (ATL): March 10, 4:30 PM EDT (afternoon)
Arrival (FCO): March 11, 7:00 AM CET (morning)
Class: Economy
Seat request: 22G


Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Alitalia # 1463

Rome Intercontinental Airport Leonardo da Vinci (FCO) to Venice Marco Polo (VCE)
Departure (FCO): March 11, 8:55 AM CET (morning)
Arrival (VCE): March 11, 10:00 AM CET (morning)



Please stay posted for pictures!!

The fight continues...

As I am sure it will continue to. First they were in my coffee maker. Now they are sitting on my temperature controller. Seriously.

I went home last night (which was very cold) and walked into my equally cold apartment. Wanting to warm up I walked to my kitchen to turn on the heat and there was a large bug on my temperature control! There was one even bigger on my counter... may they rest in peace.

Although I won the battle I think they will win the war.

Please pray for me.

P.S. the newest in my arsenal is Drano. I will use it when I get back from Italy and let you know how it works.

Ciao!!

Weekly update

Well, I have had a pretty busy week, but that is what I expected. And any hope of a diet has been thrown out the window, but that too is what I have expected.

I came back from Florida (sniffle) on Sunday night. Monday I worked, went grocery shopping, and the night was spent with my small group ladies at Dolce. Yummy. Afterward I stopped by Kendol's house and we formally broke up. We had a few differences that just kept resurfacing. And they were things that were deal breakers. So, we have chosen to remain friends but no longer date.

Tuesday I worked all day, worked out, and then I really can't remember what I did... sad but true. I think I went to sleep. But who knows!

Wednesday night Kendol and I stopped by for a quick chat before I headed to Lynette's apartment. We at dinner at our usual hang out (Marlo's) before heading to her apartment to watch Rent. Good movie!!

Thursday I was supposed to catch up with Ashley however she wasn't feeling well so I spent post-work going for a run, completely emptying out my kitchen and then drinking martini's, eating popcorn, and watching movies (My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Mrs. Henderson Presents... both very good!!). It was a wonderful night before I passed out from the martinis!

The reason I had to empty out the kitchen was so the apartment could come in and 'spray' for bugs. It annoys me, I tell them that the bugs are coming from my kitchen drain so they spray in to my cabinet. Of course it did nothing. They sprayed Friday morning and by Friday night they were back. Please pray for me. I need it to keep my sanity!

Friday I spent the afternoon getting my taxes done (it was refreshingly good... I am actually getting money back) and then I dyed my hair and watched the past 2 Sunday messages at Buckhead church. As always, wonderful!! Then I took a nap before heading to Marcus's house. We spent the evening watching a movie, eating dinner and then went out for dessert. It was a very fun night.

Today I am back to work at Cbeyond. This evening I am running a few pre-vacation errands before catching up with my friend Dee. Tomorrow I am working and then getting together with Marcus again before heading out on Monday.

Shout out to musicovery.com

For those out there like me who like a crazy mix of music but don't love it enough to actually apply your hard-earned money towards it there is Musicovery. It is freaking cool!! You can pick your genre and your mood and it will put a mix together for you.


Right now I am listening to a mix of jazz, gospel, R&B, blues, folk, country, world, reggae, and soul. And its all based on my mood of dark and calm... where else am I going to get that??

Of course it is free!!

Rock on!

What the... ?!?!

How does it go from 70 degrees yesterday to snow today?!?!? I guess that makes today a good day to be at work.... maybe! Either way, I checked the forecast for Venice and the temperature should be in the 50's! I am ready to pack!

Two more days!!

Another reason why I ask you...

to never move into the Heights at Lenox. If you don't remember anything else I say in all of this blog please remember this. I haven't had one full month without trouble with this complex. Lately the problem has been bugs... coming out of my sink...

Yesterday I went to put water in my coffee maker however, I first had to kill a bug inside the maker. And for those who know me know I am ridiculously clean. And I am not a morning person.

I can't wait to move out.

P.S. if you want a full list of issues that I have had here please ask.

Back Home

The flight home was uneventful from Tampa to Atlanta and I made it back to my apartment Sunday night around 10:30pm. By the time I got everything unpacked and into bed it was around mid-night. I thought that was late until I talked to my Mom.

The airplane trip for my parents was event-free from Atlanta to Flint, however when they got to Flint they found themselves locked in the inside the gate!! They couldn't get out!! It finally took a fellow passenger screaming for the security guard to realize they were in the airport!!

Once they were unlocked they went to baggage and found out there was only one person unloading all the luggage from the plane. When the announcement came that all the luggage had been put out theirs wasn't there!! They were told to go to the Air Tran ticket counter, however no one was there. They tracked down the security guard, which informed them that the same guy that took the luggage would be the one at the counter so they waited for him.

Luckily their luggage had arrived before they did and it was locked up safe and sound. However, by the time that all that happened it was 2:00am... and they still had to drive the 45 minutes back to their house. What a lot of drama!! But, they are safe and sound at home now... which is what count!

I now have a (very) busy week to prepare for my trip to Italy. I am so excited and can't wait to go!! Stay tuned for pictures from the trip!

Last full day

It's my last full day in Florida.

My brother just left for Panama City, he is going there to meet up with the rest of his friends from His House. They are going for a Spring Break Mission. They will be doing free pancake breakfasts and free rides home at night. So, if you are in the area stop in and tell him hello!

My parents and I are going to go downtown to look at an art fair that is only in for the weekend before heading to the beach. Its supposed to be another beautiful day so we need to go to the beach!!

We did do some shopping... just a little bit ;)~ I only purchased 8 new pairs of shoes! Ha!! My mom and I had a lot of fun on a couple particularly cool days at the outlet and at the mall. My dad and brother were dragged along for some of the shopping. They were also able to golf some so I think they were happy as well.

For those who want to know, my flight information is as follows:

March 02, 2008, Flight 128 [1 Stop]
From: Tampa, FL (TPA) / Departing: 7:06 PM
To: Atlanta, GA (ATL) / Arriving: 8:35 PM

Also, there have been some updates to the pictures. Check them out!!

FLORIDA!!

I now have some pictures that my brother and Mom took. We are just having way too much fun in the sun!! I am getting the best tan that I possibly can!! So far the weather has been exceptionally beautiful... sunny and in the 80's!! We can not ask for better weather than this.
Or typical vacation day consists of...

... waking at 7:00am for a 2 mile walk on the beach. We walk from the parking lot along the beach, the girls power walk while the guys shark tooth hunt. After the first mile we stop at the Jetty for coffee and conversation. Then we walk the mile back on the road past all the beautiful beach homes!!

... followed by a HUGE breakfast. If nothing else I will have gotten a good 10 pounds back from this trip. LOL!! Can't beat family cooking!!

... then miscellanous house hold chores for about an hour

... back to the beach for more fun in the sun!! And a fight between Mom and the rest of us over the strenght of the suntan lotion needed. We all say 4, she says we need 30. We think she just wants to come back the tannest!

... after the beach we have a HUGE dinner. I think Grandma has a personal goal to make sure no one leaves her house lighter than when they came in. She is completing her goal and then some. But with Grandma's cooking, its not hard at all to get me to eat!! As my Dad would say, I can't put her food on top of my head!!

... finally we follow up the evening with cards!!! Love Eucher & Schafkopf!!

Sometimes there are deviations for naps!! Tomorrow is scheduled to be chilly so we will be replacing beach time with shopping time (always have to hit the outlets)!

I am going to enjoy every last minute of this...

Upper Respiratory Infection

That is what I have. I went to the doctor on Monday and got medication. Then spent the last 3 days on the couch. The nice part... I got to watch a lot of Sex and The City (and Oprah) and slept a ton! Now I have a plane flight at 8pm to FLORIDA!! I can't went to spend the next week with my family!! I am overly excited!

Luckily I don't have to worry too much about getting everyone sick... my dad and brother already are! I don't know if that really is a good thing or not... but I am still excited to see everyone!

The days after...

I had the most wonderful Valentines date... with my friend Lynette!! Kendol had school and Lynette's boyfriend had to work so she and I went to Oceanaire (where her beaux is the Executive Sous Chef) and had a wonderful time.

We didn't make it to the restaurant until almost 10pm an there was still an amazing line!! People without reservations were even trying to get in. Lynette and I laughed at those people. Once we were seated I ordered a martini with olives (my current fav drink) and she ordered hers (caramel apple martini) and we got to chatting and people watching.

Our first course was an appetizer... we were going to have calamari however by 10:15pm they were out. Instead they brought us out shrimp, calamari style and it was wonderful! We ate the entire thing!! I was amazed at how good it tasted!! We then shared a spinach and warm bacon dressing salad... yummy!! For my entry I had scallops with corn ravioli. I was in heaven!! Once again, amazing. Then Lynette's beaux, Chris brought us out dessert. It was the perfect cap to the evening. Chocolate martinis with Crème brûlée, chocolate mouse, chocolate covered strawberries, a petifor with a cute little heart on it, and blackberries with whipped cream. Needless to say I was happy and full. Once the restaurant had died down a bit Chris and Dee stopped by the table and we had a great conversation!!

Then I woke up on Friday. Something doesn't feel right. And I knew it had nothing to do with the night before... I am coming down with... the FLU!! I don't have time for this!! I am going to Florida on Thursday. I took Airborne, all my vitamins and have been drinking tea and orange juice. I woke up this morning and I am dragging!! Its whats going around... sore throat, cough, runny nose, achy, head ache, etc. As soon as my replacement gets to work I am heading home to lay back down. I must feel better soon!! Pray that it goes away!!

HAPPY V-DAY!!!

I thought it was cold here...

until I saw this. These pictures are courtesy of my Mom in Michigan. Needless to say she is ready for our Florida trip next week!! It may not be that cold here (its up to 42 degrees right now) but I have to say I am ready for vacation too!!

Daffodils

It's almost here... even though right now its only 35 degrees!!! SPRING!!! I can't wait!! I love warm weather. I came to work at Buckhead Church this morning to find daffodils at my desk. It was my friend Erinleigh's way of saying thank you for watching her dog Darcy and I have to say I like the way she says thank you!! And the best part... they were from her yard!! When I was there last week they had not bloomed yet. This makes me so excited for spring! Break out the kleenex... time for allergy season!! (Thank the Lord for allergy shots)

Also for Spring, I spent the last 2 days cleaning out and re-arranging my apartment. It's looks so good!! There were only 3 bags that I threw out and 3 bags going to Good Will. It feels so nice to have such a clean place right now!! (Once again, thank the Lord for allergy shots)

Kendol and I went out for Valentines last night and had a blast!! He has school until 10pm on Thursday so we made our own day, which I think was even better... not crowded at all! We went to One Midtown Kitchen and had a fabulous dinner. We split everything which is my favorite way to go. Then we went to see Fools Gold, which was a cute movie. It was a wonderful Valentines date!!

Tonight is SATC (Sex & The City) night and then on Thursday Lynn and I are celebrating Valentines at her beaux's restaurant, Oceanaire. I am excited!!

All I want to do is...

Dance, dance, dance!!! And that is exactly what a couple of friends and I did on Thursday night. And we had a blast!! We went to my old stomping grounds... Masquerade, had a blast.

The only trouble was I decided to go to the gym earlier that day and do both pilates and a combo class including step aerobics, cardio kick boxing, and Latin jam.

Other than that... Kendol took me out for breakfast to the Flying Biscuit on Friday and it was great! After all the working out Thursday night I was starving. And that was just what I needed!!



I can barely walk today. But it was worth it!!

No Work -- for almost a month!!

So, I scheduled two big trips to Venice... one in Florida and one in Italy!! And I can't wait!

I am going to Venice, Florida with my family the last week in February. We will be down there about a week and a half. Complete relaxation. Rejuvenation. A time for family, cards, ocean, beach, and tanning. I am so excited... I can't wait!!

I will come back to Atlanta for about a week before heading over to Venice ITALY!! I can't wait. I have never been that far overseas and one of my New Years Resolutions was that I would go somewhere in Europe. I got a passport a couple years back to go to Angie's wedding in Jamaica but haven't used it since. I will have another stamp on that passport on March 10 -- only 1 month away!!

I will be gone from the 10th to the 27th. When it gets closer to the date I will add the flight numbers for those who may want them. I will also try to keep an update on here of my daily happenings.



In other news I am (almost) official. As long as my references are good I am my small group's new leader! Sue, the single's community group director, really likes where I am on my walk with God and is excited to see me transition into leadership. I am excited for this new opportunity!!

Also, after some complications it looks like Kendol will now be getting a new roomate and will live in Atlantic Station. The original apartment he was going to get fell thru completely so he went a different direction and found a really great roommate. From the looks of it, he will be moving on Monday. He is really excited for this new direction in his life and I am very excited for him as well!

My Best Life Ever

Oprah yesterday was great!! If you were unable to watch I suggest checking it out online because Dr. Oz was on explaining how to live your best life ever. A lot of what they discussed is stuff I already know (eat right, sleep well, take your vitamins, have a passion) but it went a little more specific in the anti-aging direction. One tidbit of advise I took in was to drink green and white tea... a lot if it... every day. Like 4-5 cups. There are so many health benefits to it.

So, this morning I am trying something different. Instead of my morning cup of coffee I am choosing to drink a combo of green and white tea. If you work with me and find that my attitude is not up to par please let me know. I will run to the nearest break room and get my coffee fix :)


And now for the post-cap of my past week:

This past weekend I spent Saturday evening with my friend Ashley. She has moved up to Suwanee, and if you haven't heard of it don't feel left out. Its OTP. I think she is crazy. But don't remind me later that I said that... I *may* be moving OTP. We had dinner at a cute little Mexican restaurant and hung out at her new apartment. Since I hadn't seen her in a while it was great to catch up!

Sunday was the SUPERBOWL. Granted, I am not a huge fan of watching sports but I will when there is a party with free food involved! Portia, a friend from Cbeyond, had a party at her house. Another OTP visit but we had a lot of fun. I talked thru most of the game but watched the last 3 minutes of the game... amazing!! I missed the commercials but from what I hear I didn't miss much.

Monday there was no small group... which was probably good. I was exhausted and I couldn't stay awake. I was in bed by 9:30pm.

Am I ready?!?!

I sure hope so!! The small group girls and I went to Group Link last night. Since we are down to five and no official leader we hoped we could find 2-3 new girls and a leader. We found the girls but no leader. So guess who got nominated and stepped up?? Me. Am I ready?!?! I sure hope so. I don't think God would put me here if I am not. So I just pray that I can do well and glorify him.

Pray for me!! I just put in my application and I should be contacted in the next month. I am actually really excited!

Some changes

Since I gave a pre-cap of my last week I will now give a quick post cap.

The musical that Erinleigh and I were able to see was the Drowsy Chaperone and it was hillarious!!! Also, we had the best seats ever... 2nd row back from the stage!!! We decided that seats like that called for a glass of wine and some popcorn! We had a blast. I tried to re-create the play for Kendol later. He thought it was pretty funny too but I think he was laughing more at me than the musical. After the musical we stopped by the cutest little bar downtown for a martini!! We had the most fun!

Kendol and I did pack up a lot of his things this week and went shopping for a few things that he needs however he was unable to move this past week. There were some issues that a previous land lord caused by not being quite truthful. Kendol is clearing everything up and is hoping to move to his new apartment this week.

That means that I was able to go to my Sex & The City night Wednesday night with my girls!! We did the usual... Marlo's then to Lynn's apartment. We had fun but took no pictures. I can't believe we forgot!

Thursday after work I met up with neighbor Raleigh at Sidebar downtown. He is currently studying for his masters in philosophy so we met up with a bunch of his colleagues there and then 5 of us went to the Symphony. It was soooo fun!! I would do that again anytime. After the symphony Kendol met up with us at Vortex on Peachtree for a martini. (I am currently loving martini's)

Yesterday I relaxed during the day (I didn't get out of bed until 11am it was fabulous) and then went with Kelly from my small group to Spoke on the Mountain (a musical at a Methodist church in Roswell). It was very cute and full of country gospel music. For some reason I picture my parents really liking it ;)~

Tonight I am going with the girls in the community group to group link... we will be trying to add a few new girls and a leader. Pray that we are able to find some good people!!

Pictures...

This week is extremely busy for me. Saturday was Kendol's birthday so we celebrated at Twains, Kendol is moving into a new apartment so on Sunday I helped him pack after work, yesterday I had my small group (woo hoo), today I am going shopping with Kendol to get a few new things for his apt then going with Erinleigh (friend from Buckhead Church) to the Fox to watch a play (soooo excited!), tomorrow I will be helping Kendol move and possibly going to Sex and the City night with my girls (*if* it can fit in), Thursday night I am going to the Symphony with neighbor Raileigh, Friday --- RELAX!! -- Saturday after work I am going with the community group girls to GroupLink... we need a few more people in the group... and a leader. Wooh! What a run on sentence!!

So, in between doing laundry and getting ready for the day I thought I would do a quick update and add some additional pics... some are from December!! Oh my!

Here is the evolution of the Christmas cookies. They were made, obviously, before Christmas!!

And here are some pictures from Kendol's birthday at Twains!!


Finally I am not sure if I showed the pics from NYE 2007, so if not, here they are!

Hope you are having a great week!!

1/16/08

Getting messages like this from my director:

ROCK STAR - yes, ROCK STAR. I really appreciate your organization and work ethic, this AD schedule you put together is just another example of how great you. THANKS!!!

New Link

I have added another blogger to my list of fabulous blogs... check out Michele when you get a chance!! She sits next to me at Buckhead Church. :)

THIRTY!!! WOO HOO!!

SOOOOO... I was able to do 30, yes 30, floor wipers in a row!!!!!!!!! For those who don't know what they are check it out...



When I started doing them I was only able to do 5 in a row (1 = up to the left, down to the middle, up to the right, down to the middle). So 30 today was HUGE!! I am overly excited!!

I don't remember how much I have discussed my workout routine on here in the past so here is a good spot to mention it. Since the beginning of December I have been doing the "300 workout" which includes the following:

# 25 pull-ups
# 50 deadlifts (right now I am up to 40 lbs... but I will go to 50 next week)
# 50 push-ups
# 50 box jumps (I use a step from the aerobics class with 5 levels)
# 50 "floor wipers" (a core and shoulders exercise at 10 pounds - next week it will be 12 lbs)
# 50 "clean and press" at 15 pounds (a weight-lifting exercise)
# 25 more pull-ups -- for a total of 300 reps

I always mix a few other exercises into the routine to keep it interesting but the point of the routine is to not stop working to keep the cardio up. Before the routine I run/jog 30-45 minutes (3-5 miles). I do this routine on Saturday and Tuesday. On Thursday I generally jog 30 minutes and plates for 60 minutes.

Right now I am sore... but that is great!! Hehe!!

Sophisticated Ladies

So Kendol and I have now been dating a year. To celebrate we went out to Plaka for some exceptional Greek food!!! Yummmmm! And then we met up with Lynn, her boyfriend Chris, Dee, and anther friend of theirs at Oceanaire. We had drinks until everyone was ready to go and then headed over to Twisted Taco then Cosmo Lava. It was a fun night!!

Kendol is continuing the celebration into this evening. We will be going to see Sophisticated Ladies at the Alliance Theatre!! I can't wait!!

Sleeeeeeeepy - Update

Thanks everyone for your comments!! I soooo appreciate them. I did some research on the comments and I have decided to keep a quick mood journal to keep track of how I am feeling. Then I will take that to my doctor with the list of ideas that you have. In the meantime, I am stopping by the closest Whole Foods on my way home to pick up some supplements that the Mayo Clinic website suggest could help.

From what I read good supplements for depression-like symptoms are: melatonin, St. John's Wort and SAM-e (for Serotonin), and Vitamin B6.

It wouldn't surprise me if this is depression related... about 5 years ago I was treated for depression.

One comment was artificial sweeteners such as that aspartame in diet coke could cause a problem... and that I have heard before too, however, I drink maybe 1 full can of Diet Coke ever month (if that) and I try my best to stay away from any artificial sweeteners or high fructose corn syrup and such, so I don't think that is it. I wish it was... it would be an easy fix!! Also, someone thought it may be that I am not getting enough sleep but I literally fall asleep at 10pm and will stay asleep either for like 12 hours or until woken. I am for sure getting enough sleep! I am trying to keep my sleep to 8 hours as much as possible.

If anyone else has any other ideas on what they think it might be or other supplement ideas please let me know! I am always open to suggestions!

PS. If this doesn't work I am getting a GEO!! Thanks Jerry for the idea ;)

1/9/2008

Being alive for another year.

That my God wants to have a relationship with me.

That I learned another strategy for listening to God.

For my family and friends.

For my health.

For my ability to make a living.

For the ability to save money.

For the ability to go on vacation.

For all the luxuries in my life.

Sleeeeeeeepy

Once again I am back to being sleepy all the time. I have been to numerous doctors over the years about this but no one knows why I get so tired. Monday night I went to bed at 10pm and woke up to my alarm at 9am -- yet I was still tired all day and was ready for bed again last night at 10pm. I woke up to my alarm at 8am. I am sitting in my bosses office after drinking 1/2 a can of diet coke but I could still lay on the floor and fall asleep.

I feel like I am getting a good nights sleep, I have dreams, I work out 3 days a week, and I am eating healthy. I am not working crazy hours a week. I think things are calm. Yet tired.

What is most frustrating is that I start to hear half conversations (and that is especially bad when working), I can't remember things I am used to remembering, I have a hard time concentrating, I feel like I stumble over words, and I stop wanting to go out with friend because all I want to do is sleep.

I don't know what brings it on and it last for generally a week to a month. If anyone who reads this has any ideas of what they might think this is or what I can do to not feel so tired please leave it in a comment!! I would be more than happy to try just about anything!

Jeff Henderson Rocks!! (thank you God!!)

So, I went to 6pm service last night at Buckhead Church, like I always do, and the sermon was done by our Senior Pastor Jeff... and it was perfect. I always here how I need to listen to God's voice but no one other than my brother Dan has been able to explain how. Dan says its by reading the Bible and then being silent so I can hear God's voice. So I have been doing that and luckly have made it thru Leviticus (yeah!) and am into first Kings. However Jeff took it a step further and gave us a system to try. He suggest reading a few sentences and then praying and mediatating over those until you hear the power phrase that God is communicating to you. Once you have the phrase you should write it down in some kind of journal with the date and the passage that you read. So I am now incorporating his system into my daily reading. I have a feeling it will be powerful!!

No SATC this week.

Since Lynn wasn't feeling well Sex & The City for this week was canceled. I have to say it was sad but luckily I had spent New Years with her and I did stop by her house to pick up my coat and to give her ring back (it was featured in the New Years pictures as "my bling"). The walk across the street from my car to her lobby was freezing!! What made it so cold was the wind. I asked Kendol if he wanted to stop by my parents house on the way home. I figure its so cold we must be in Michigan! He informed me that we are not actually living in Michigan. Isn't this supposed to be HOT-lanta!

I am currently in my last hour of work at Buckhead Church before heading to the gym. My Shuffle is dead (I think it just need to be re-charged) so I am going to be working out old-school -- listening to the music provided by LA Fitness.

Also, I have been on my typical January diet... no chocolate. I do allow myself one exception -- in (hot) chocolate milk. I figure all the nutrients in the milk cancel out the calories in the chocolate. And, this happens only once every few days. This January diet started the day I got back from my parents house and it's going surprisingly well. Generally this is the week where I crave chocolate but not yet! Woo Hoo!! I have also tried something new in creating a meal plan for the week. Making sure to have 5 small meals every 2-3 hours through out the day. One of the meals is a regular lunch or dinner but the rest are mostly snack portions but I stay very full, which may be why I am not craving chocolate... I am too full! I am planning on prolonging this plan for about 3 months (with the exception of going to FL to visit Grandma and Grandpa... then all bets are off).

Signatures

The best ever. I just got an email with this as the signature:

Sent over Al Gore's Internet, via Steve Job's invention, with my
thoughts on loan from God.

It rocks!

And it really is that cold!

On new years I left my coat at Lynn's house because it really was too warm to wear it. Not thinking I would need it today I told her to keep it until tonight (Sex and the City Night!) and I would pick it back up then.

Then I chose to walk to work. It was a coooooooold walk. I didn't realize it was that cold until I checked this...

Apparently I know how to bring it...

Unfortunately the 'it' I can bring is snow. I got to work today and was reprimanded by co-worker Jerry. He woke up in the middle of the night to find snow on his deck! I wouldn't have believed him except he has pictures. He has explicitly told me that I was not allowed to bring that back to Georgia with me. Oops! I am sure he will be blogging about it himself soon!

Welcome to 2008

So, instead of my original plan stated in my last post I got a text from my friend Lynn to come out with her so that is what we did. We started out the night at Oceanaire where her boyfriend is the seux chef extraordinaire before taking our little party over to Twisted Taco. I can't say the night was drama-free but it was darn close and I had a great time. I am so happy I was able to ring in the New Year with the friends I did. Luckily Lynn is much better with the whole camera thing than I am so we do have pictures.



Thanks to Kendol, Lynn, Chris, Dee, Jason and Heather for ringing in the new year in style... with me! ;)

Hope you had a fun and safe New Years and my God bless you in 2008!!

What makes me feel 'old' at 27

I am sitting at work. I have no big New Years plans. And I told Kendol last night that I would prefer to get a bottle of wine, stay in, and fall asleep before the ball drops. I am turning into my parents. And that makes me feel old at 27.





What are your New Years plans??

Let It Snow...

And it sure is. We have been keeping an eye on flights all day because Atlanta had bad weather this morning and its snowing so much that my flight back to Atlanta scheduled for 5:50pm tonight has been cancelled already. Luckily I was one of the first to reschedule my flight for tomorrow. For those who want to know the flight number is Delta 43751 flying out from Flint at 2:55pm.

The nice part is I am now able to see my Uncle Mike and Aunt Linda. They were coming today to visit with my parents and they were supposed to be here after my flight left. Its nice to spend one more day with the family.

P.S. Snow storms are so beautiful when you know you will only see one this year ;)

UPDATE: A First Time for Everything

Dad and Dan went back out this morning to continue track the deer this morning. They were afraid last night that tracking would be difficult because of the new snow this morning but it didn't start snowing until after the left... which was perfect. They got back out to the woods, found where the deer had laid down, and found where SOMEONE ELSE had drug it away! The jerk!! Dad and Dan went to the closest house and spoke with the woman who lived there. They found out that her son got the deer. At least someone did, but after all that work yesterday its kinda anti-climatic that we never got it.

A First Time for Everything

Something that the northern guys like to do is go hunting. The males in my family are no exception. Give them something to hunt and they will do it. This morning they spent the morning much like many early mornings by heading out to their blinds at 5am to hunt deer. The plan was for them to bow hunt in the am and then for them to come home in time for a late breakfast and then we would spend the afternoon together.

On the assumption that events would go as planned I woke up at 9am, spent the morning working out (jogged 4 miles on the treadmill then did some sit-ups and push-ups) before taking my shower. At about 11am I got a call from my Dad that he had shot a buck around 8am, however it didn't drop right away, so they had spent the next few hours watching the buck walk around their respective hunting areas. Once the deer was far enough away for them to leave they did so in hopes that the deer would find a spot to lay down and that they would find the deer there later.

Then they asked me... "Would you like to come track the deer with us?"

This was something new to me. In the 20-odd years that I have lived in Michigan I haven't gone hunting or tracked a deer. I defiantly don't have the patience to sit in a blind at un-godly hours in the morning and wait for an animal to possibly walk by, I do have the patience to walk thru the woods. So, in the spirit of trying something new, I agreed to join them.

The woods that my dad and Dan hunt is up by my grandparents house in Sebewaing so they picked me up and we first stopped at Sport-ez in Sebewaing for a Roastie. If you are ever in Sebewaing you should stop by... the Roasties are very good!

SIDE NOTE: if you are completely against hunting (or a really good story) stop reading now.

After lunch we headed out to the woods. The woods were beautiful and it was an amazing walk. The last time I chose to take a walk thru the woods without Dad or Dan I was with my cousin Marie and we got so lost that I am scared to go in the woods by myself. My dad showed me where his shanny was and where he had shot the deer and then we followed the deers trail thru the woods which is where my Dad and brother thought our adventure would end. However, since this was my first 'track' that was only the beginning.

The trail took us thru all the woods, over a road, into another woods. There were a few times that we lost the trail but my dad and Dan are experts at this so they always found blood. Then the deer went into a field and we (and I say 'we' very loosely as I was along for the journey) lost the trail. I stood at the last spot that they know the deer was and each guy followed a different trail of hooves. When Dan's trail ended he pulled out his binoculars and looked around. He saw a buck a couple fields over that they thought may have been my Dad's deer however when he turned to tell Dad the deer went away. So, my Dad went to the edge of the field we were on and tried to find a new trail, but there were none.

With no trail to go on, we went to a line of pine trees and the guys looked at the edge of the field, where there is snow, and miraculously found the trail. We followed that to the next field and were half way thru another field when we heard two dogs barking off in the distance. We all looked up and saw them chasing... a deer.

Dan looked thru the binoculars again and found it was a buck and it was running with a hobble. It took a few minutes to monitor him to verify but it was my Dad's buck. We all watched the deer for a while however the deer kept moving and we had to be able to keep up with it. The decision was made that Dad and I would go back to the vehicle and Dan would keep monitor of the progress of the deer.

Of course I was lost, no clue where we were, but we walked along the road and quickly I found that we had made a pretty good circle and ended some what close to car. We drove back and picked up my brother and then drove as close as we could to the deer. New plans now have to be made. This is bow hunting and apparently you need to be pretty close to get a good shot with a bow. A lot closer than we will probably be able to get. Also, the deer is now in field and the guys want permission to shoot in the field. The next step was to call Neil or Tom (relatives on my Mom's side). Neil didn't answer however Tom was close as he was checking out the bay to see how the ice fishing was so he came to help. He verified with the field owner that we could go onto his field. We were right by a ditch and there was another coming from the adjacent field. They needed to hide as much as possible to get as close as the could to the deer. Dan went into the ditch by where we were parked while Tom and Dad drove to the next ditch. I watched from my Dad's vehicle. I saw my Dad get out and start walking, which caused the deer to run, but not in the direction that they were hoping (which would have been back to Dan).

While they were working on this I realized I needed to go to the bathroom but I had no where to go. I looked around and the only way to get any privacy would be to go into the ditch. I devised a little plan of my own but it was adverted when I started walking to the ditch and on one step the snow broke and I went thigh high into the snow. I turned around and tried to go back but all the snow started breaking. I crawled my way back up and as I was doing that Dad and Tom were coming back in Tom's truck. Then I was glad I didn't make it into the ditch. They would have come back just in time to catch me with my pants around my ankles. Would have been quite embarrassing!

Dad and Tom had devised a new plan. Tom would drop off my Dad at the other end of the ditch that Dan was in while Tom and I would watch the deer from the truck. We watched the deer thru the binoculars Tom had brought and we saw the deer head towards a line of pine trees that lined Steve Gremel house. Tom and I then drove over to Steve's house to see who was home, we found out there were quite a few people there -- and a couple of dogs. I quickly realized these were the same dogs that had chased the deers only about an hour earlier. And, I could see why the deer ran... they were scary dogs. However, this second time that the deer was bad the dogs were completely oblivious and there were not two but three dogs.

Tom talked to the people who where there and then instructed me to get take his truck to get my Dad. I asked if he was sure he wanted me driving his vehicle but he was.

I was so nervous!! I am not the best driver, I hate driving big vehicles, and I had to turn around the truck in front of everyone. I managed to get the truck turned around and was driving out the very long drive way when another truck pulled in... it was my Dad with another guy. I turned back around and headed back into commotion.

The found the deer behind a barn and watched it walk INTO a pig barn. By the time I had pulled up Dan already had drawn his bow back and was pointed directly into the barn. My dad and another guy was on the opposite side of the barn and was looking in thru one of the side windows. My dad asked permission to shoot into the barn however the guy wasn't the owner of the barn so he didn't shoot in. They told me later that the deer was hopping over the stalls of the pig barn while they were watching. Then I see the deer jump out of a window on the side I was on! It then ran back into the field!! It was crazy! One of the ladies who was there was having a ton of fun... she said this is the most excitement ever on their property!

We all stood around and chatted for a moment. I found out that the dog that came up with Dan had found him in the ditch. Apparently Dan was getting pretty close to the deer, almost within shooting range, and he heard a noise behind him. When he turned to look he saw the dog... and the dog just wanted to play. He shoo'ed the dog over to the deer but the dog wouldn't give up. That's when the deer headed to the pine trees along the house.

After we left the house we drove back around to where I had needed to use the restroom... which is right where the deer was standing. Dad and Dan were in the bed of Tom's truck, each holding their bows hoping for one last shot before the sun went down. My dad did take one shot but it was more of a hail-mary and missed the deer. My dad went out into the woods to get his arrow and scared the deer back into the woods that my dad had shot the deer to begin with. Talk about a full circle!! But, my dad was happy. Since it was now 5pm the sun was going down and tracking had to be done for the day. With the deer going into the woods there was a good chance that it would lay down to sleep so Dad and Dan will go back out tomorrow morning and see if they can start over.

In the end my Mom was upset... I spent a day in the woods with my family tracking a deer but not a picture was taken. No one will ever believe me.

Happy Birthday....

... to my Mom. You will have to ask her how young she is now. For a while she was 29, however since I am now close to that the number has changed to 30. Either way... HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

After a slight delay to change the tire on the airplane, I had a safe flight up from the ATL yesterday. We spent the afternoon and evening eating at Freeway Fritz, going to Meijers (yea!!), and playing cards. The ladies won 3 of the 4 games. Ask my brother how much I like to lose ;)~

This morning we opened presents from each other. I recieved a few really beatiful BCBG shirts, georgeous Yonkers jewelry, and some cute Victoria Secret undies from my parents. I love all the gifts!! My brother gave me the wonderful picture from the post below.

I had gotten my mom some lotion/body wash from Crabtree & Evelyn and earings from Black House | White Market. My Dad and my brother I knitted scarves and got them shirts from Dillards (the only place I could find in the ATL that has big/tall clothes) and slippers. I get them slippers (that have a shoe sole) every year because they wear out the one that I get them the year before. I like getting them something I know they will use out!

My mom got some great birthday presents as well!

Happy Birthday Mom & Jesus!!

Merry Christmas from my brother Dan

My brother gave me an amazing picture (that he took and edited) for Christmas. He says its something to remember him by... since he will be moving out west this spring.



He will be working as a guide at Out West Guides.

Merry Christmas... Buckhead Church Style

Amazing.

I stole this from another site but...

I wanted to wish you

Geseënde Kersfees
Feliz Natal
Happy Christmas
Joyeux Noel
Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan
Feliz Navidad
Mele Kalikimaka
Selamat Hari Natal
Sung Tan Chuk Ha
Maligayan Pasko!
Srozhdestvom Kristovym
Buone Feste Natalizie
God Jule
Kurisumasu Omedeto

Tonight I will go to church (I can't wait to see what they are going to do for Christmas) and then pack for my trip to Michigan. For those who want to know, the itinerary currently stands at me leaving the ATL on Delta 4414 at 12:30 PM on Monday and arriving in Flint at 2:26 exactly. So, if I don't post again before then...

Yeaaaa for Friday!!

I have been so excited for today to come... my entire plans include watching my 2 new DVD's from Blockbuster, possibly getting out my paints and playing with some canvas, and re-painting my toenails. Of course Oprah will have to be thrown in there as well! I thought about walking over to the mall however with the Holiday mad dash there is absolutely no way I will leave the tranquility of my apartment for the madness of the mall today!! Ahhhhhhhh! Peace and quiet. For a whole day

Absolutely Amazing

Another reason why Buckhead Church rocks!!

SATC - Christmas Edition

We decided that this week we would make this week a little dressier, but still in the Sex and The City fashion. So, how did we do?


Check out the rest here...

Update on airborne

So, after airborne, 3 movies, Tin Drum curry chicken, and a good nights sleep I am feeling better. But not out of the woods. Instead of my normal walk to Buckhead Church I decided to drive. Its cold enough that I didn't want to push the not feeling well.

I am still sluggish enough that coffee hasn't helped yet but I am not as sick as a lot of people around the church... however I have the same symptoms which makes me quite nervous that I will get worse before I get better. But, I am working now and will keep you posted.

You know your apartments really that bad when...

There is a BLOG about how bad it is. Seriously. That bad. I understand that places like apartment ratings are not alway accurate. Generally only the people with problems post to places like that. But, a blog. It make me laugh... nervously.

I have been having massive problems with Heights at Lenox since I moved in. I would post them all here but I seriously don't have them time. And, none of my issues have been about my neighbors. The neighbors have been truly respectful of the close living conditions and, honestly, listening to the occasional Hispanic music is quite enjoyable. But, things with the building, management, and maintenance staff have been so bad that I am writing to the management company as last resort before going to the Better Business Bureau, the heath/housing authority, and to a lawyer.

Please pray for me as I work thru this. I really don't want to move if I don't have to (I move enough already and I think my friends will make me hire a moving company if I move 2 times in one year again) and its a great location... which is why I haven't moved out already. I am past the angry/ready to kill someone stage and have taken the stance that if I am going to laugh about his later... but, I just need guidance as to how I should proceed.

airborne

Sleepy, foggy head, scratchy throat, scared that I am getting sick. I don't have time for a cold. I took an airborne. I hope it helps!! My big plans for today changed. I may try and spend a lot of the day on the couch. Pray that I stay healthy!!

Cbeyond Christmas Party

So I finally have all the pictures uploaded from the Cbeyond Christmas Party!! Here is a sneek peek.


Check out the rest here!!

Save Richie (dot) com

A friend of mine from Buckhead Church is trying to save the life of his friend.

From the website:

We have a friend named Richie Spears. Earlier this year Richie was diagnosed with non-hodgkin lymphoma. Unfortunately the cancer was caught too late and it was far too advanced before they began treatment. Richie has been accepted to Duke's stem cell program and is slated to begin treatment in early 2008... Read the whole story
Here is what we want do... We need to raise enough money to offset the cost of a bone marrow transplant and recovery. We are shooting for a goal of $500,000. Will you join us?

Where I am and where I am about to go...

Where I am...



And where I am about to go...

Buckhead Church 341 - Cbeyond 0

As I previously posted, I have quite a few Starbucks options on my way to Buckhead Church. There are none on my way to Cbeyond and I was so jonesing for a Peppermint Mocha.

I am sad. And quite sleepy. There were quite a few pictures taken of me last night at the Cbeyond and after parties. If I get any of them I will post them here.

Why do I never remember my camera

This is the busiest time of year!! Why do I always forget to bring my camera?? And then, if I do actually remember to bring it why is it that I never remember to use it?

Last weekend I spent Friday making cookies (which, I amazingly I did remember to take pictures and once I pull them off my camera I will add them here) and then went to a cookie exchange. It was a ton of fun!!

Saturday night was the first of many Christmas parties. Gene and Alex hosted the party and I had a ton of fun. Alex was gracious enough to send out the pictures from the event. Here are some of them...

The festive red Christmas tree!!

Kendol & I in front of the tree!

Kendol & Bobby mid-conversation

Jesse & I posing for the camera.

VJ as the bartender.

On Monday my Community Group had our Christmas party at Pura Vida, which is only one of my favorite tapas restaurants ever!! Here is where I wish I would have remembered by camera... we don't have any pictures of all of us together. Instead of exchanging gifts each year we pool money for charity. This year we decided to go with Buckhead Church's drive to Be Rich. I am so glad we decide to give instead of get every year!!

Wednesday the Technical Solutions (aka IT for Buckhead, NorthPoint, and Browns Bridge) had our Christmas lunch which I previously blogged about.

Yesterday I helped my friends Ashley and Marcus move into their first house. They were my old neighbors at M Street Apartment and its sad that we now live further apart. But they moved into a really cute town home which is only a few minutes from the Farmers Market in DeKalb. I am so jealous!!

After the move was the Admin Christmas party for Buckhead, NorthPoint and Browns Bridge and it was held in the Attic at North Point... beautifully decorated. It was a lot of fun with dinner and the best chocolate milk ever (they had peppermint sticks and marshmallows... yummm!!!)!!!

After the Christmas party I picked up Kendol and we went to a going away party for a college friend of his. She has been going to school but decided she wasn't happy in her major, but has no clue what she wants to do. So, instead of spending a ton of money not doing anything she is going to go back home, live with her parents to save up some money, and decide what her next life step will be. I wish her luck and say a little prayer that she will find her direction!

But, this madness doesn't end. Here is my schedule for the next few days...

Saturday - work all day at Cbeyond then go to the Cbeyond Holiday party followed by the holiday after party (if I can make it)

Sunday - back to work at 8am, followed by church at 6pm and my friends Christmas Pot Luck at 7pm

Monday - my Friday at Cbeyond!! I then get to see my Community Group girls again!!

Tuesday - DAY OFF!!! Woo Hoo!! So far nothing major during the day. At night I get to see the progress that Ashley and Marcus made on getting their house together.

Wednesday - My Sex and The City night. After work at Buckhead Church (woo hoo) I get to hang out and watch SATC!!

Thursday - Work and work out (can't leave that out - Christmas time means a ton of food - none of it good for me)

Friday - ahhhhh relax


Wish me luck!! I want to make it to Friday!!! Hehe. But, I am looking forward to all the fun events coming up!

Starbucks

On my walk to work this morning I realized that another Starbuck is now in my route to Buckhead Church. That brings the total count up to 3. I think the ATL is trying to compete with NYC.

Sweet.

PS - new favorite drink... peppermint mocha. Yummmm.

12/13/2007

Getting something I never knew I wanted.

Being able to walk to work.

The smell that happens when its just about to rain. Especially this morning when the temperatures were in the mid-50's and the patio door was open when I woke up. It was better than the smell of morning coffee.

The smell of my apartment after it has been cleaned.

Waking up to a clean apartment.

The feeling of relaxation when my apartment is clean. Knowing I don't have that on my to do list.

When I can let go of something and just let someone else do it (without my input)... thanks Kendol for putting up the tarp again!!

Christmas lights.

Giving myself December to forget about my healthy eating habits and to enjoy the holiday food.

The ability to cry.

PostSecret

Yesterday we had the department Christmas party for the North Point IT department (I am not sure if that is really what our department is called but you get the idea). It was great!! I got to see a lot of people that I don't get to see on a regular basis. We ate Mama Fu's, listened to wonderful Christmas music, had a great time together, and exchanged Secret Santa presents.

I got the best gifts ever!!


Thank you Secret Santa Kyle.

PS. my secret... I read most of the book last night and then started crying. I don't know why.

Does it get any better than this for DECEMBER?!?!!?


I don't think so!! It was a beautiful day off. I had the screen door open all day to let in the fresh air and I went for a run at Piedmont Park just to get out in the 78 degree weather!! Lovely!!

I just thought I would rub it in a little bit for you northerners!! Hope you are enjoying the snow... I will be up there soon to 'enjoy' it with you.

12/6/2007

On a cold day like today I am thankful for my scarf, my gloves, and warm beverages!!

Pics, Pics, Pics

I have added some new pictures to my side bar!! Check them out... here is a preview!!!

Buckhead Church department Christmas:



Sex and The City Nights - Week 2 and Week 3:



I have too much fun!!

12/4/2007

The ability to do something for someone else

Rare Blood

On Sunday I went with Kelly from my small group, her co-worker Mike and his friend to NPCC's Christmas's celebration for singles called Not So Silent Night. There was a silent auction and it was headlined by a group called Shane & Shane and they were amazing!! It was a lot of fun and the music was great!!

Last night I met up with Kelly again and Tiffany at Ru San's for dinner. IT was our off week for Community Group but we still wanted to get together since everyone has been so busy lately. It was so much fun chatting with them!!

In all of my errand running today I stopped at the Atlanta Red Cross to donate blood. While speaking to the extraction nurse (at one point I called her a doctor and she informed me I was incorrect) I found out that I have very rare blood. Not that A positive blood is all that rare its that my blood doesn't have a virus in it that almost all adults have. Not that the virus affect adults, but that means the blood can not be used in pre-mature babies. Since my blood doesn't contain that virus it can be used for pre-mature babies. I thought that was quite interesting.

Another stop on my day was to Ru San's with my Buckhead Church team. We had our Christmas lunch there and it was great!! It was fun to see everyone one and to be able to chat while eating sushi!

Another Tree!!!

This rocks!! So, the year I thought I wouldn't put up a tree I have had the opportunity to decorate three!! God rules!

This one was put up at Buckhead Church. Jerry got everything and he let me assist in putting the bulbs on the tree.


If you stand by the tree you would understand why we called the tree the 'King of the Trailer Park"... the bulbs are HUGE. But, in the picture they look pretty good. The rumor in the hallways are that there are pre-schoolers making decorations for are tree as I type. That would ROCK!!