Un dia loco in Espana!

Saturday was a travel day. We left Vienna early in the morning, flew back through Dusseldorf where Laura met us at the airport and brought us to the other Dusseldorf airport before we said one last last goodbye to her before flying to Ale's home in Bilbao. We arrived in Bilbao (via Santander) late in the afternoon and I got to see Ale's apartment for the first time. Super Cute! She rents a room in the little house on the side of a hill. Bilbao is a cute city nestled in betwen mountains and the northern seas of Spain.

That night, Ale brought me to the old part of town where I fell in love with Pintxos! Pintxos are sort of like tapas, but they are unique to the Basq region of northern Spain and southern France. Apparently the Basq people want to be their own country...they even have their own language, but that's a whole other story. So they make these things called Pintxos which consist of a small piece of french bread that is topped with anything and everything from different meats like spanish ham, chicken, fish, to these exotic sauces to anchovies. Totally gormet...friends, get ready for me to host a Top Chef night. I'm creating Pintxois!!! They were super yummy and every bar has them sitting out! I definitely filled up on pinxtos and wine which was a good thing because later that night we met up with Ale's boyfriend Mikel and his friends and took a train to a town outside of Bilboa for their yearly carnival-like party. It was totally crazy. People were all over the streets drinking, dancing and partying. You just walk into a bar, order your drink, and then you can walk outside of the bar with your glass and everything and bring your drink to the next bar. Sooooooo much fun. I was introduced to Kalimotxos that night. It is a mix of coke and wine...and is actually not as disgusting as it sounds. I probably won't drink that back in the States, but it was fun to drink the "drink" of the region for the night.

The next morning, Ale and I woke up and headed for the beach. It was my first experience at a NUDE BEACH! YIKES! Don't worry, I didn't go topless! And before I post my pictures on fb, I think I need to censor them because in the background there are pics of topless people. Ale has a really great photo of herself but in the background there is a topless 10 year-oldish kid. We wouldn't want to get arrested for child porn! After a nice relaxing morning at the beach, we met Mikel for a late lunch before they drove me to the airport.

I'm sitting in Madrid now (Sunday night) as I write this. My plane was delayed which means I won't get to Rome til about 1am. ugh!

Roma, here I come!

Austria...The Hills are Alive With The Sound of Music...NOT!

This Hills are alive with the sound of music...

Just kidding! I didn't get to sing the song. Nor did I even get to go on that hill. The Sound of Music Tour in Salzburg, Austria was incredibly disappointing. We boarded a bus, drove past the house, and a couple of other minor film locations before heading about an hour outside of town to the church where the 2-minute wedding scene was filmed. They left us there for an hour before picking us up and dropping us back in Salzburg. Highly disappointing. I had more fun walking around Salzburg after the tour was over finding film locations for myself...and we found several. I have a picture of me by the gazeebo, jumping up and down the steps when the kids are singing the do-re-mi song! Check all of my fun Sound of Music pictures out on facebook... And on a side note, the hill is actually a fortress (which you didn't see in the movie). Now it is used for private residences so I doubt I could have gotten up there anyway. Sorry to disappoint all who were looking for the video of me singing on fb. I 'll figure out a way to make it up to you all...

Vienne on the other hand, I LOVED! It was like a cultural treasure trove! Ale and I arrived early Thursday morning completely exhausted from the stupid train ride I mentioned in my last blog post. After walking around and seeing most of what the city has to offer that morning, we returned to our hotel room and took a looooong nap. We stayed at Le Meridien which was a flipping awesome hotel. We walked around some more later in the afternoon after we caught up on sleep. The city is full of castles, old museums, gardens, and statues...tons of historical monuments left over from the Habsburge dynasty...things I learned in my Senior AP European History class and never thought I'd actually appreciate! Almost everywhere you look there is some sort of tribute to the classical music history that is so ingrained in the history of that city. I really liked Vienna because of its beauty...both the city and the people...and yes, there are very good-looking men in Vienna : ) The people were very nice as well. We heard that if you tell people you are from California (because Arnold Schwartzenager is from Austria), you can get people to buy you a beer. We didn't get a chance to test that suggestion, but Ale and I had dinner the first night at a little Viennese cafe where a man played us a bunch of American show tunes on his piano.

On day 2, we got up early to catch a train to Salzburg for the day to go on the Original "Sound of Music" Tour. As I said before, it was completely disappointing, but we did meet some cool gay guys, one of which just happened to be from Kankakee. His name was Nick. He and his partner worked for Norwegian Cruise Lines and had an impressive reseme of places they've visitied. They made my life seem boring! The city of Salzburg itself was beautiful even though it was cold and raining most of the day. It is everything I imagined from my impressions from "The Sound of Music." I think I'd like to have a summer villa there or something one day.

We headed back to Vienna later that afternoon. Ale and I had planned to take a short nap before getting ready to go out for a night on the town. At 11pm, we both woke up, looked at each other and asked if we should go out. I believe my reply in my exhausted delierium was "God NO!" and I rolled back over and fell back asleep. I kind of feel bad that I didn't get to experience Vienna nightlife...I mean, when will be the next time I ever go back??? But I needed to the rest. I was exhausted!

Saturday morning we headed to Spain...Ale's home in Bilboa...where the plan was to party at the city carnivals all night and lay on the beach all day til I caught a plane to Rome!

I got POOPED on in PRAGUE!

I got pooped on in Prague...literally. More on that later...

After flying to Frankfurt, Germany for the day (Frankfurt was not that cool. The city was destroyed during WWII, only rebuilt in the past 2 decades or so, and is now known as a business center, so it was pretty much a mini modern city with not much to see), Ale and I arrived in Prague around midnight on Monday. I have to say that Prague was the city I was most looking forward to seeing in Europe; but I was disappoionted. There are a lot of really beautiful and really old sights to see here, but the city seemed lifeless to me. I couldn't really pinpoint it. One possible explanation could be that it is not that long ago since the Czech Republic was under Communist rule...I don't know...something about the city just seemed so dark. The scenery is beautiful, but I could never live here.

Our 2 days in Prague were spent walking around and exploring. Our hotel was in the Old Town part of the city which was settled in the 1200's. The New Town (only new compared to the Old Town...it was settled in the 1300's) is just on the other side of the Vltava River. Since the city is so old (like 5 times as old as America) the architecture is a mix of Gothic, Renaissance, boroque and neoclassical. The city's layout is somewhat of a maze an streets and pedestrian-only lanes weave their way among the old buildings. We took a tour up to Prague Castle, which is actually many castles and a cathedral put together which was pretty cool. The castle was high up on a hill so a bus drove us up, we toured the castle and cathedral, and walked our way back down through the castle gardens and city streets. The view of the city was beautiful up there. We also got to see Charles Bridge...which was beautiful and full of street vendors and musicians, a bunch of old churches (which is wierd because the country was communist and everyone is athiest), the Jewish quarter, and the Astronomical clock which has a bell-ringing skeleton on the hour. We also ate some pretty awesome Czeck food. They eat really heavily...meats, graveys, breads. Lunch is enough to last you the rest of the day. No need for dinner.

**Funny note...as we were walking around the street vendors, one had a stand for those russian dolls...you know, the ones where you open the first one to reveal another doll. Then you open that doll and there's another inside that. I found one set of CUBS players! Seriously! They had Lee, Ramirez, Theriot, Soto, and Fukodome! Crazy. I totally would have bought it but the guy wanted like 8000 Czech Crown for it which was the equavelent to 20 Euro or $30. Total rip off! But I did take a picture...its posted on facebook!

Despite all of this, Prague is kind of a shady city as well. Ale and I had an uncomfortable situation at one of those Asian stores when the lady tried to charage Ale the equivelent of $50 for 2 AA batteries which were not even in a package...they could have been dead for all we knew. Ha! We have heard that the Czeck people try to intimidate and swindle foreigners, but we didn't think the ghetto markets where THEY don't even speak Czech would... Also, one night after going out, we were headed back to our hotel when this black-American guy approached us and was like "hey ladies, where's the party?" We had seen several groups of black guys hanging out together with pamphlets and who knows what else. We were like, "uh...at home" and kept walking, but he kept asking us to let him show us where the parties are at. Finally, I was like, "yah, and what else are you selling?" and he just smiled, laughed and said "What do you think?" I'm not sure what he meant, but I'm pretty sure I didn't want to know. We also had a funny encounter with an American guy. He approached us and asked us if we knew English. Yes, of course we do, and when we said so he was like "Oh man, like as in you are not from here know English?" We think he was high. We told him we were from the US and he was like "Shiiiiiiit Man. I need to get home to the TV Tower." Yes, at that point we knew he was definitely high. I don't know where the TV tower was, but I was pretty sure it was no where near Old Town Square where we met him.

On Tuesday night, Ale and I had a late start going out. It happened to be the night of the Michael Jackson tribute. It was on every TV channel and we totally got sucked in! We are talking, glued to the TV, tears streaming down both of our faces, sucked in! I mean, come on...the "Heal the World" song with all of those kids singing and then the daughters speech. We lost it...When it was over, I felt like such a loser! There seriously has been Michael Jackson make-shift memorials and programs on TV and his music playing in EVERY city we've been to so far...UGH! We came to our senses very quickly, got ready and headed out for a night on the town...which turned out to be pretty lame. Perhaps the place our consierge told us to go were not great, but it turned out to be an early night for us.

So about getting pooped on...Ale and I were walking down a pedestrain street taking in the sights and sounds of the Old Town in Prague, and all of a sudden I felt something wet on the back of my leg. When I finally looked to see what it was, it was POOP! I'm still wondering how it got on the back of my leg; but the crazy thing is, is that this isn't the first time this has happened to me! When I lived in San Diego, a bird pooped and hit the front of my leg. Wierd!

On Wednesday evening, we took an overnight train to Vienna, Austria. It kind of sucked. We got to the station extremely early because Ale had heard that these trains sometimes oversell so we didn't want to get stuck sleeping in the hallway...which is exactly what happened. When the conductor came to take our tickets, she told us we had to move a few carraiges back because the train was going to split and the car we were in was heading to Budapest. When we got to the Vienna car, there were absolutely NO seats. Actually, there were, but people were sleeping and taking up 2 seats. They would wake up and see us, but go back to sleep. I have been experiencing this over and over again...Europeans are so rude. Several of us where in the hallway for several hours. Luckily, about 4 hours into the 6 hour trip, some people got off and we were able to take their seats and get some sleep. I will definitely be skeptical of taking an overnight train again...

Ich liebe Berlin!

I <3 Berlin

If Berlin had a baseball team and a beach, I would totally live her forever. This is such a great city....rich in history, rich in culture, scenic in view, and the people are so incredibly nice!

Day 1 in Berlin was America's Independence Day for me. Ale and I began our exploration shortly after lunchtime and hit most of the major touristy spots on the first day...The Brandenburg Gate, the Parliament Building, Check Point Charlie, the remnants of the Berlin Wall. I feel like there is so much to learn here...so much history to take in. There was no way were going to hit everything in our short time here...guess its just all the more reason to go back : ) At one point, we walked near the Brandenburg Gate which opens up into a big square. The police had gathered all around the square and people were inside with megaphones and chanting and cheering for something...it turned out to be a major protest going on. Ale said they were Socialists because of the flags they were carrying. I heard later that they were protesting the conflict in Iran. Kind of neat to see. Aside from all of the scenic monuments and buildings, my favorite part of Berlin was the museum at Check Point Charlie. Check Point Charlie was the American military checkpoint in Berlin between Eastern and Western Germany. The checkpoint is actually still there in the middle of the street, and while the Berlin wall has since long been removed, they still have a cobblestone walkway that marks the wall running throughout the entire city. The museum itself has tons of photos, artifacts and stories of everything ranging from the Russian-American tensions at Check Point Charlie during the Cold War, to Kennedy's visit to Berlin, to the Eastern German's escape attempts and the deaths that occurred along the wall. It was really moving. A few blocks down the road, there is also a section of the Berlin wall that still stands. Its so strange to just stand in front of it and try to comprehend everything it represented and all that happened in the shadows of that wall...

After a long day of exploring the city, Ale and I came back to the hotel, took a short nap, and then got ready to go out. The nice Sweedish boy at the front desk gave us some nice "nightlife" areas to explore, and we made our way out under the lights of Berlin. After walking up and down the main strip, we made our way to an Indonesian outdoor bar and had a few cocktails and just talked for an hour or 2. After, we wanted to find a more happening place to celebrate my Independence Day, so we made our way to an indoor/outdoor club nearby. There, we met 2 English boys and 3 Aussies who we ended up hanging out with for the rest of the evening. The English guys (Andy and Sean Michael Murry) told me they would celebrate the 4th with me because it was the day they "got rid of us" ...a good reason to celebrate! They were joking of course. Ale mostly hung out with the Aussies who asked really stupid questions like "Can you get Aids from sharing a cigarette?" Ahhh...Yah! The rest of the night included dancing, talking...I exchanged contact information with the boys from London in hopes of meeting up with them when I visit there later this month. Overall, it was a great evening that ended much too late...but hey, I'm in Europe! Its OK to act like a college kid again right?!?

Day 2 in Berlin began as a continuation of the Disaster in Dusseldorf. Ale got up early and made her way to the Berlin airport only to find that Ryan Air did NOT put her bag on the plane to Berlin that morning. She wanted to cry. The Ryan Air employee simply told her that she got "confused" and would put it on a flight tonight (Sunday night as I write this...) so we can just pick it up as we pass throught the aiport on our way to Frankfurt and Prague tomorrow. At this point, this situation as become so ridiculous that we aren't even expecting to see her baggage ever again. So, we are sharing my 4 outfits that are still wearable between the 2 of us and making the best of things...

Ale and I went back to the Indonesian resturant we were at last night for lunch because the menu looked interesting. I had Chicken Mandasi which was super yummy but super spicy! After lunch,. we made our way to one of those double-decker city tour busses and spent the next 2 hours crusing around the city, getting pictures, and learning about the major sites. It is sooooo interesting here because they are so willing to talk about the cold war and the conflict between East and West Berlin, but we have seen absolutely NOTHING when it comes to WWII. Sure, there are some postcards you can buy with pictures of the buildings bombed out, but none of the tours talked about anything that had to do with the war, nor do any of the tourist attractions have any literature or information about WWII events. Its like Hitler never even existed here. I sort of get it. I bet most Germans are ashamed of what happened, but still, it is a part of history that I'd like to experience here.

On a side note, the people here are so friendly. I was a bit nervous coming here without Laura because neither Ale or I speak any German, but everyone I've met has been incredibly awesome about it unlike in other European coutries that I've heard about. There was the guy at the train when we arrived who spoke no English at all, but was so willing to help us. That has happened several times here. Even when we didn't need help (i.e. if we were looking at the map on the street or something) people would approach us to ask us if we needed help. Here in the city, I figured I can get by with ordering and paying for a coke without any translation of languages, but as soon as most people hear the American accent, they not only start speaking English to me, but they engage us in coversation about other things. Even the bus tour guy started speaking to Ale in Spanish. It is incredible how friendly people are here...especially considering the "German stereotype" and the few German people I know from home. Its like two completely different worlds of people. After the bus tour, we went to Madame Toussant's wax museum and spent a few hours taking goofy pictures with some of the more prominent historical and pop culture figures of Germany! That evening, we walked around the city some more before returning to our hotel before we got the call that Ale's bag had arrived at the Berlin airport! She is so untrusting of these people at this point, that we both hopped the train/bus back to the airport at 11pm tonight just to go pick it up. It was there! Ale is a much happier camper (I think). It is now almost 1am here. I need to get up at 4:30am to head back to the airport where we will fly to and spend the day in Frankfurt before flying to Prague tomorrow evening. So long, Berlin. I <3 You!

DISASTER IN DUSSELDORF!

Disaster in Dusseldorf! X3!!!

So after braving the rain storm inside the airport in Dublin, tolerating the lovely 10-hour layover in Santander, Ale and I reunited, caught up over dinner in the airport, and caught our flight to Dusseldorf where her friend Laura would meet us at the airport and take us to her home to stay the night. Laura had lived with Ale in Spain last year when she was studying Spanish for a few months on holiday during school. Unfortunatly, when we arrived at the airport in Dusseldorf, Ale's bag was nowhere to be found. Disaster #1! Thank goodness Laura was there because the 2 young girls at the lost baggage desk did not seem at all interested in helping us until she started speaking German to them. They still were really of no use. We just got a number to call in the morning which was only supposed to tell us "if" they knew where the bag was...totally crappy! Remember in the last post when I said I LOVED European airlines...not so much anymore!

The Dusseldorf-Wein airport is probably an hour away from the actual city of Dusseldorf. After the long drive back to Laura's, we met her parents (who she still lives with...apparently it is customary to live with your parents while you are still studying in most places in Europe) and older sister, toured her home (a 3-floor flat...totally cool) and got situated for bed because we are sooooo tired. That is when I discoverd, that the entire contents of my suitcase were soaking wet! Disaster #2! When I had left Dublin that day, there was a HUGE rain storm. The only that that I can deduce is that my bag was left out in that storm for a LONG time, so for the past 18 hours or so, my clothes had been sitting wet and smashed together in my bag. As I began to unpack and air out my things, I discovered that my new purple scarf had bled all over most of my clothes too...including my brand new white dress, white shorts, and a few of my other favorite outfits. I tried to was them out, but the dye wouldn't budge. Of the 10 full outfit options I had planned with the clothes I brought, about 4 are still in tact. SUCKY! Our new Euro Trip mantra is "Ryan Air F**** SUCKS! (btw...people really have poor mouths here! I don't normally swear, but Ryan Air has made me mad enough that, Yes, the f-bomb and a few other choice words describing that company have come out of my mouth these past few days)! We were beginning to think this vacation was turning into something like the movie "Eurotrip." YIKES!

The next morning (Saturday), Laura's father called the airline and they told him that Ale's bag had ended up in London and that they could send it back to Dusseldoff that evening so we could pick it up the following morning when we checked in for our flight to Berlin. GREAT! So Laura, Ale and I decided to get ready and take the train (like the el in Chicago) to go explore Dusseldorf for a while and return early afternoon because Laura's parents were hosting a "traditional" German BBQ. Yeah! My first taste of German food! Dusseldorf is a great little city. There is the old part of town on the Rhine River which is really beautiful. All of the buildings have a lot of character and it was exactly what I pictured "old" Germany to be. We later went to the newer part of town where they had the typical high-end shopping district. Again, it was pretty nice, but pretty typical for the "main street" of most modern cities these days. At least Ale was able to buy some necessities until she would be reunited with her bag. We ate lunch at an outdoor cafe along the river. I had some sort of traditional German meat with gravy, cabbage, and these wierd mashed potatos that had the consistency of Jello. It wasn't as disgusting as it sounds. As we were eating, a storm began to roll in. We moved inside and had a few drinks until the heavy rain moved out, then made our way back to the train station to get back to Laura's house for the BBQ.

Ale and I were super tired from all of the traveling the day before and the walking around that morning, so we decided to take a nap before the party in the evening. Our naps were great...until we were awaken by a HUGE crack of thunder/lightening and the smell of something burning. Disaster #3! The storm that had rolled in earlier had turned into an all out thunder storm and it appeared that lightening had hit Laura's house as a circuit was blown and the phones didn't work. The street out in front of her street was completely flooded and we got about an hour's worth of entertainment watching the many cars drive by trying to make the decision of if/how they would cross. One guy made his girlfriend get out of the car and go test how deep the water was in the middle of the flood. Then, he decided to drive up on the lawns of the homes to get by...the girlfriend had to stay out of the car and guide the bf around the posts, bushes, etc...I would be sooo ticked at my boyfriend if I was that girl : ) Needless to say, the BBQ was cancelled, but Laura's mom still cooked up some really excellent sausages, salads, and breads and we spent the evening just chatting about anything and everything.

Some time later, we heard on the radio that the Dusseldorf airport had been closed. This worried us because Ale's bag was supposed to fly in from London that night. After several phone calls, we discoverd that the plan had indeed not landed in Dusseldorf but was delayed and would be rerouted to The Netherlands until it was allowed to land at Dusseldorf. The Dusseldorf airport does not allow landings after 11pm which did not look likely. They assured us that if the bag did not make it to Dusseldorf, that it would meet us in Berlin the following day. Fine. Ryan Air f**** sucks. The rain has stopped after dinner, the street had cleared, so Laura, Ale and I decided to make our way to a small suburb called Duisburg to get some ice cream and walk around for a while. Not much was going on so we returned home to get a good night's sleep because we had to leave at 4am to catch our flight to Berlin in the morning.

So that is where we are now. We arrived in Berlin early this morning. Ale's bag was not in Dusseldorf and it has been promised to arrive tomorrow (Sunday) morning at the Berlin airport where we will have to go pick it up because Ryan Air will NOT deliver it to our hotel. This is definitely putting a damper on our trip for her. Our spirits were brightened briefly when we met a little old German man while transferring trains to the city, who while he spoke no English at all, insisted on helping us get to our destination. He was very grandfatherly-like, and so incredibly nice. He kept saying this word, "Spandou" which we still have not figured out what it means, but it was super cute as he just keping saying this to us. Hopefully it isn't something scandalous!

Fortunatly, we were able to check into our room right away when we arrived downtown Berlin even though we were super early. Ale is taking a nap. I just got done washing out the entire contents of my bag with laundry detergent because even though I had dried them out, my entire bag still smelled like "Rain water". Ryan Air f**** sucks. Hopefully Berlin is a cool city...I'm off to explore...

What the Craic, Ireland?

So my European Adventure has begun...First stop, Dublin, Ireland!

The night before I left, I had tried to stay up all night so as to sleep on the plane and be fresh and ready to go once I got there; however, of course I sat next to the most chattiest Cathy EVER during the flight! He was a young Polish guy named Bart, and he turned out ot be quite an interesting character. He was moving permantly back to London after a stint working for Nordstroms in the States. He had actually worked all over the world and he was a great resourse for things to see and do while I'm over here. We pretty much spent the entire 8 hour flight talking, playing video games, trivia and watching movies...and can I just say how much I love European airlines. I had my own flat screen-touch screen TV in my seat. They had an assortment of free, recent movies and TV episodes to choose from. There were also about 20 video games, several generes of radio stations, an online shopping channel, and a really cool feature where you could not only track your flight across the globe, but it also showed you things like daylight moving across the globe, etc. It was pretty cool. Oh yah, and the food was fantastic as well.

What the Craic? (procounced "crack"...probably Gailic) is a local saying that is similar to our "What the heck?" I had several "What the Craic" moments while in Ireland.

One of the first things I noticed when landing was that nothing is squared off here. The plots of land, the streets...nothing is on a grid pattern. It seems as that people just arbitrarily plotted out their farms and built roads without any thought to the planning process. The roads proved to be somewhat difficult for me until Dave sort of explained it. More on that later. I bought a bus ticket and took the bus into the city. The guy told me to get off at O'Connell street, which would have been easy enough except for 1. None of the streets are easily marked, as in there were no street signs on the corners telling you which cross section you were at. 2. There are no route maps on the bus and/or paper ones at the stops to take with you. and 3. The busses wind up and down all different roads every which way. Its not like there is a #22 Clark St. bus that just goes up and down Clark. Thank goodness I asked the driver because I had missed my stop by 2 stations. Not really a big deal, but it was just really conflusing.

Second. Again, this is another "wrong side" nation. As you leave the airport, there is a sign in 3 or so languages reminding you to dirve on the left side of the road. Then, some intersections have traffic lights and most have round-a-bouts. And since a lot of the streets are one-way streets, it didn't really make sense to me why the even need round-a-bouts in some places, but whatever.

When I first arrived at my hotel the room wasn't ready, so the nice man (American, used to live in Chicago, and knew my sister...small world), took my luggage, gave me a map, and I set out to explore Grafton Street, the main shoppig district in town, and coincidentally enouch, right outside my hotel. It wasn't anything to write home about (as I am writing home about it...hahahaha). More of the stores than not can be found in the states. There were a few Irish touristy storefronts, but the street itself was cool because it was made of bricks, no cars were allowed on it, and there were artists and street musicians all up and down performing creating a festival-like atmosphere. There was even a Michael Jackson tribute area with flowers, pictures, notes, candles, etc. Crazy. Before heading back to get my room, I stopped at a place called Brewleys for lunch. There I had my first Irish coffee, which was just like Killian makes them. I also had a Pear Cider and BLT (the Irish kind) for lunch. Super Yummy. As I was sitting there, I met an American college student from West Virginia who was doing a marketing internship in Dublin. She was on her lunch break, noticed my accent, and we struck up a pleasant conversation.

After lunch I was able to get into my hotel room. It was GREAT! Spacious, overlooked the main part of the street, and of course as is signature with all Westins, it had a heavenly bed. I took a long nap when I arrived as I was dead tired, but that proved to be incredibly detrimental to my body adjusting to the time zone change. I'm still not feeling quite adjuested yet, but I guess that comes with the territory.

I woke up from my nap around 10pm and decided to get ready and go walk around Temple Bar for a while. Temple Bar is the main strip where all the young people go to party. The street was a brick-loned pedestrian-only street and every bar had live music and plenty of drunken Irishmen. It almost resembled Marti Gras in some establishments...mind you this was a Monday night. I stepped into one bar...the Oliver St. something or other, drank a cider, swore off a couple of drunken Irish advances at me, and finally made my way back home to "really" get a good nights' sleep.

The next morning I went exploring some of the more touristy sights Dublin has to offer. In the morning, I made my way to Dublin Castle and Christ Church. Both were really beautiful places to see, full of history. I didn't stay too long at each, just enought time to walk around and take some photos. For lunch, I made my way back towards Trinity College and found a cute little pub called "The Blarney Inn." There I had the traditional Irish mean of fish and chips, and ordered another Irish Coffee. Even better than the first one! The waitor in there was entertaining as well. He kept calling me beautiful and talked to me about my trip and what I should do next in Dublin. I also met a nice American father-daughter duo from Texas and we exchanged ideas and suggestions about what we had seen and wanted to see during the duration of our trips. It is so easy to just strick up a conversation with people here. The Irish are very nice.

After lunch I made my way inside Trinity College, walked around the campus for a while which was incredibly old (the first university established in Ireland by Queen Victoria) and incredibly beautiful. There, they house the Book of Kells which is an ornantly decorated trancript of the four Gospels dating back to the 1600's. It was a neat sight to see. After Trinity, I walked around some more and found myself in the National Gallery of Ireland which houses all of their important Art collections. I was especially fond of Jack Yeate's collection. He is the brother of Irish poet, WIlliam Butler Yeates. Interesting stuff...

Since everything closes at 5pm, I went back to my hotel to get ready because my friend Mike (who I had spent a summer in San Diego with) had hooked me up with his friend Dave who is from Dublin. We had planned to meet for dinner. Dave was a great guy. We first went to this little cafe for dinner where we just kind of talked and got to know each other. Later, he we walked around Grafton Street and a huge park and continued to talk. I learned a lot of neat things from Dave. For example...he showed took me to the pub that is best known for puring the best pint of Guinness. I did order my first Guinness here. See the pictures on facebook for my reaction : ). He also took me past a bar that supposedly stored a rocking chair owned by JFK. Now those are things you don't get in your guide books. I also learned that the Irish pronounce the letter r as "or." It took me quite a while to figure out that he was talking about the show ER one evening.

The next day (Wedensday) I had planned a trip to County Kerry by train to explore where my family came from. The day turned out to be absolutely AMAZING even though it started with me walking about a half hour in the pouring rain to the train station! My jeans were soaked, but luckily I was able to dry out on the train and the weather held the rest of the day. On the train on the way to Kerry, I sat across from a couple from California, who after about a half hour of conversation I discovered had been campus directors on U. of Iowa's campus with Campus Crusade for Christ. Not only that, they were very good friends with the Foxworths...Debra Foxworth was my Bible Study leader and mentor during college. Such a small world! They got off the train about an hour before I did, we said our goodbyes, and promised to keep in touch. An hour later, I reached Kilarney in County Kerry where a cute little old Irishman in a yellow coat collected me and a few others from the train with a BIG smooch on the cheek. Sooooo adorable! He put me on a tourb bus which would take me around the Ring of Kerry...and let me just say that I have NO idea why my grandparents left this part of the country for Chicago because it is absolutely georgous! The mountains, the Dingle Peninsula, Dingle Bay, The Atlantic and the many islands just off the coast. Words cannot convey the perfection of God's creation here. You will just have to see my pictures...and believe me, I have TONS of pictures as the driver stopped almost every half hour or so at scenic points for us to get off the bus and take some snapshots. I learned a lot about this part of the coutnry on this trip. I got to See David O'Connel's birthplace. He was the man who fought to make Catholics treated fairly and not as second class citizens. I also saw the place where Queen Victoria had a royal picnic when she visited the island for the only time back in the 1600's. I was not happy to hear about the reputation that Kerry men apparently have. I won't repeat it, at least not in the words my tour guide used...but apparently Kerry men are "ladies men." The Kennedy's were Kerry men (which makes sense with their reputations), but I really hope the former generations of men in my family steered clear of that because I don't want to be associated with men like that! On a side note, the drive around Kerry prooved quite scary at some points. Mind you, I'm on a coach bus which is zooming around these narrow curvey roads on the side of cliffs where the posted speed limit is 100KM/hour (that is waaaay faster than any USA speed limit if you didn't know). I had a nice time chatting with an Aussie couple and another couple for Georgia as we fear for our lives at some points, and made fun of the driver's driving and bad jokes at others.

It was a long and exhausting train ride back to Dublin that evening. I sat with the Georgian couple and we talked about the state of education and the economy in the states. I had a nice walk from the train station back to my hotel and got to take pictures of the Guinness factory. Very cool. That night, Mike's friend, and now my new friend, Dave to me out for drinks again at a few of Dublin's finest establishments. I didn't get home until almost 1:30am, and I figured that I needed to leave for the aiport at 3:30am to make my flight to Santander so I didb't sleep at all! I am learning that I need to get regular sleep. I'm not in college anymore and this all-nighter thing is kicking my butt. I'm about 5 hours in to my layover in Santander as I write this, I feel like crap, and I'm totally not in a good mood. Sleep=good.

It was kind of funny, as I was leaving Dublin this morning, I was worried that my flight would be delayed or even cancelled because there was a crazy thunder storm hitting the city. It was so bad, that as I walked throught he airport, waterfalls of water were pouring outof the light fixtures and running down the windows inside the airport. It was totally crazy! I thought the airport might get washed away with as much water as was coming inside. I guess it is a good thing that they are building/almost done with a new terminal. This old one definitely needs to go! Now, I am sitting in Santander airport in the midst of 10 hours in hell! I thought about renting a car and exploring the city, but I am just waaay too tired to drive. There is no internet so I can't even mess around on the computer (and I'll have to post this blog later). Perhaps this is a good time to stretch myself across the seats and take a nap...yes, that's what I'll do...

I'll write from Germany in a few days...

So long Ph.D...HELLO EUROPEAN ADVENTURE!

Joy's got the dreamer's disease...Holy Cow I'm going to EUROPE...for a MONTH...all by MYSELF! Sort of... Here I go, watch me run…a hundred miles under the sun…

Gil Baile has a great quote that goes like this..."Dont ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive because what the world needs in people who have come alive." The outcome of my many hours of contemplation of that quote...So long Ph.D. Hello, Europe! As my principal Dave Katzin has reminded me over and over again, I will be getting a waaaaaaay more valuable education gallivanting around Europe for a month...more so that I could ever get sitting in some classroom here in the States. As I like to remind him...My European education, unlike the classroom, will NOT move me up on the pay scale. Lucky for him.

But anyway, it is finally my time to get the heck out of here! (Thanks J.R. for reminding me of that). I have been thinking about some sort of a World adventure for very long time. I love learning about new cultures. I love history. I love just exploring things that are different than the here and now! I’ve always felt the need to march to the beat of my own drummer and but out of here, but something has always kept me close to home. Case in point...Immediately after college when I was living in San Diego, I was contemplating living and teaching there and continuing my mission work in Tijuana, Mexico; but my best friend from high school, Becky needed a kidney, I matched, and due to amazing circumstances, got a job near home and ended up coming back to Chicago (I still have both kidney's btw...long story). The following summer, I had a very rough first year of teaching high school, and as a result had applied to the Peace Core and also to study English Literature and/or Creative Writing at Trinity University in Ireland, but my sister-in-law's cancer had come back and the prognosis didn't look good at that point and I ended up pretty much living back in the burbs for almost 6 months while still maintaining my apt in the city just to help out with the kids and whatnot. I began my Master's Degree at DePaul University which took up 2 years of my life. Had a couple of long-term relationships which held me back. Don't get me wrong...I have not for once ever regretted anything I have done in the past 6 years, and I would not have changed any of the experiences I've had (well...most of them...haha) for the world; and Chicago is a pretty great city. I’ve had a great life here the past 6 years. There are so many things I’m going to miss while done during July…summer concerts and street festivals, going to the beach, hanging out in Michigan at my parents boat, walks up and down Clark Street, sitting outside at cafes and just writing or reading, friends’ BBQ’s…soooooo many things. I totally willing to give all of this up for my European Summer Adventure, but once again, there is something much bigger that is making me want to stay home. My grandma went into the hospital with some sort of stomach infection 2 days ago. I went to visit her yesterday and she was completely nauseated and depressed, and she just looked plan aweful. It made me so depressed that I started to cry in the elevator when I left the visit and began thinking that maybe I should cancel my trip. My mother told me ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! She also told me that if something happens to my grandma when I’m gone, she’s not telling me until I get back because of course I would want to come home immediately, but mom said that my grandma would be totally “pissed off” (which if you knew my grandma…is sooooo true) if I cut my adventure short… Mom…that’s crap! I promised not to come home…I’d be soooo angry if grandma passed and I didn’t know so you better tell me! Today she was much better, so keep her in your prayers please : )

So I’m sitting here in my living room waiting for my sister to come and pick me up, thinking about how my sense of adventure has been slowly fading away over the past few years...and I didn't even realize it. I am totally NOT the uninhibited girl I was back in college. Sure, I can blame it on starting life in the real world, needing to be more responsible, growing up, whatever; but there has been a stirring in my soul for a while now, and I just need to get out of the push and pull of everyday life here and explore because there is such a LOT of world to see out there…
What followed was...this trip started as an idea one day, and 1 week later the trip was completely booked. I'm extremely excited, but at the same time I haven't quite gotten to the point where it has set in that I am actually going...well, not until I look at my credit card statement and the "oh s**t" factor hits me HAHA!

My friend Josh is the one who really opened this can of worms almost a year ago... I first met Josh and his brother almost exactly a year ago at Andersonville's Midsommer Fest. We were listening to Mike and Joe (great festival band btw) and we just started talking...that night ended up being the first of many adventures Josh would take me on...this one climbing to the rooftop of the Drake Hotel via the fire escape. What followed were several more hotel roof tops, sneaking into major concerts at Northerly Island, late nights of billboard climbing and dance parties etc etc...Haiti was another eye opener to this. That trip was the first for me in over 5 years...and I had never been so clear on something that God was calling me to do more so that this trip. And well, you all know what kind of adventures I got "STUCK" in there. If not...read my blog archives from August 2008. There was one specific moment where I can remember feeling completely me and completely uninhibited. We were all huddled in the back of the taptap heading to the orphanage. The rain was coming down hard...so hard it was stinging. Everyone was trying to get out of the wind and stinging rain drops and I just put on my sun glasses to keep the rain out of my eyes, stood up and took it all in! That picture is my current profile pic on facebook. The comments attached to it are about how I'm living it up and everyone else is huddled together like sissys! I mean...seriously! When is the next time I will ever be in the back of a pick-up during a hurricane!?!?! I've never felt more alive, more in harmony with God and with the world than at that moment.

So here is my European plan…

I leave Sunday, June 28th (TODAY) for Dublin. I'll be in Dublin for a few days, sightseeing, meeting up with some friends of friends, heading down to Country Kerry where my family is from, and possibly visiting with the church plant Parkview planted there last year. On July 2, I fly to Santander, Spain to meet up with Ale. I have a 10 hour layover there where I plan to practice my Spanish at a local cafe and/or head to the beach and journal for a while before Ale and I fly to Dusseldorf, Germany. Ale has a friend in Dusseldorf so we plan to explore that city before taking a bus to Berlin for a few days. I'm super excited to drive up the Rhine and see that part of the country. I hear it is beautiful. On July 6, we head to Frankfurt where we will catch a plane to Prague. I'm most looking forward to seeing this city. Everyone I know in Europe says this is the best city in Europe. We will be in Prague until July 8 when we will take an overnight train to Vienna. We will spend a couple of days in Vienna, including a day trip to Salzburg where we will go on the Sound of Music tour...sooooooo very excited about that. On July 11, we fly back to Dusseldorf, and then back to Bilbao, Spain as Ale has to work that week. I'll spend the night of July 11 at her place before flying off to Rome all by myself for a few days on the 12. I'm very excited to see Rome too. While there, I hope to meet up with a few friends who are staffing summer project there. These guys were in San Diego with me while I staffed SDSP in 2003. I fly back to Bilbao on July 16 and Ale and I catch a train to Paris the next day for a long weekend in France. My friend Mike will be traveling through France on the 10th on his way to Africa, so I hope to catch dinner or at least meet him at one of those cute little French cafe's you see in the movies before we leave. I'm also excited to visit this part of the continent because my grandfather, who was a medic in General Patton's army in WW2 helped liberate Paris from the Nazis. He later went on up into Holland and I think over into Germany and Austria, but it will just be neat to be in the places where he was. After France, Ale and I head back to Bilbao that Sunday, where I leave her for good. On Monday, July 20, I fly off to London which is where I'll end my trip. I have already booked 2 Broadway shows in the West End Theater District and a tour that will take me to see Stonehenge, Shakespeare's and Jane Austen's birthplace, as well as some castle. I head back to the States, via a layover in Dublin (my gateway to Europe) on July 28, just in time for Kulovitz's wedding the following day. Wow!

Be sure to check back as I plan to blog about each city I visit. And also check on facebook for pictures as I go…

“Welcome to the planet, Joy. Welcome to existence! …I dare you to move!” ~Switchfoot

What happens in the Bahamas...

So I have failed to blog about the rest of my 5 days in the Bahamas...and for good reason. Let's just file most of it under "What happens in the Bahamas, stays in the Bahamas..." Seems to be a running theme with my family and these islands. Need I refresh your memories on when the 5 O'Keefe kids, the 3 Padgett kids, and our significant others took a cruise to Nassau 2 1/2 years ago for my brother's 40th birthday. We like to file that experience under "What happened on the Fascination, stays on the Fascination..." (innocent smile)

But here is what I can tell you...

Thursday, Tina literally worked ALL DAY! and I literally sat on the beach ALL DAY! I think I finally started to wind down that day. The need to "constantly be doing something" finally started to subside...maybe because I was so thoroughly entertained by my sister's crazy bride and her crazy tattooed entourage (and their cute little puppy) with all of the drunk antics at the beach...swimming, volleyball...yes, quite an entertaining bunch. They asked me to play at one point, but I wasn't drinking and they were totally jungle-ballers...I knew I would just get annoyed. I'm kind of high-maintenance when it comes to athletic competition. : ) The wedding party definitely provided me with hours of entertainment over the next couple of days. I even found out from hotel staff-turned friends later on that the bride wet her bed one night. Yikes!

Friday was much of the same...laying out on the beach, reading, and watching the wedding party...I got through a good portion of C.S. Lewis's "The Problem of Pain" and finished "A Grief Observed." His works have really been speaking to me. He dissects matter of faith so succinctly, so intentionally, and yet so honestly in his reservations that it is almost impossible to question his logic because he describes it so thoroughly. I guess that is the product and matter of execution for an atheist-turned-Christian. You've got to dig into and sort out all aspects of a topic before you can really put your heart and soul into it. Anyway, I'm not ready to comment on what I've been processing through yet, but let me just say that what I thought was my so-called "grief and pain" is really not mine at all. It is really someone else's' inner issues whose faith is built on a house of cards, and trying to make me believe that mine is too...but my so-called house of cards while initially shaken, will not be moved. Perhaps it is more sold that I've been led to believe. God kind of rocks like that.

But back to my vacation...Friday night was definitely an interesting experience. Tina dragged me to this show where twin brothers impersonated famous singers like Barbara Streisand, Elton John, Cher and some others. The show was one of several events planned for a group of journalists who were visiting the hotel. I was invited to several of these functions as my sister was entertaining a journalist from "Modern Bride" this trip. The show was interesting to say the least. Barbara was great. Elton was OK. Cher was scandalously dressed and let's just say that I have no idea how he/she managed to hide her junk in that outfit. I felt a little dirty even trying to look and see how it was done. Kasper (event planner at the resort) and Justin (an executive chef at the resort) who showed up in true Bahamian fashion-LATE to the show spent a lot of her performance trying to explain it to me, but I am still just really confused as to how that was even possible and let's just leave it at that.

After the performance, Tina, Kasper, Justin and I went to a club called 22 Above (I think). Boy was I thankful for Kasper and Justin. FINALLY people who were young, fun, and not on their honeymoon! I was soooooo thankful they took me out that night. Kasper is from Amsterdam and has worked for Starwood for a few years now in Miami and in the Bahamas. He wants to go to New York when his visa is up, but I think he should come to Chicago : ) Justin is from Miami and his wife still lives there. He also did his culinary training in Paris and lived in other parts of Europe for a while! Yeah for new friends who can help me get around while I'm over there in July!!! We had a very good time at the club! There was an excellent Bahamian band playing and we pretty much just hung out, drank and talked most of the night. Tina and Justin decided to be lame and retire early! Kas and I....well, let's just say he's a fun and fantastic guy ; )

The next morning I was invited to go snorkeling with the journalists. Kasper, Jennifer (total sweetheart and in charge of the journalists) and Kirk (who they call the "Director of Fun") were on the excursion too. Unfortunately, I had to be there at 8am and was more than just slightly hung over; so as you can imagine, boating and swimming...uh yah! Actually, it was a lot of fun. I snorkeled at the first reef we stopped at. It was incredibly beautiful. The different design patterns of the reef and the beautiful colors of the fish were AMAZING! At one point, Kasper threw fish food at me and literally hundreds of fish came splashing all around me fighting for it. It felt really weird! Then Kasper got bit by one! HAHA! Serves him right for throwing fish food at me! For the last 2 bot stops, I decided to stay on the boat for and just take pictures. The 2nd stop was another reef which was just as beautiful. It was also on the most Western side of the island where all of the "rich" people live. There was one house that was incredible. It is owned by the 9 West designer. Yes, I took one look at that house and thought to myself "I definitely helped him pay for that!" haha! The last stop of the excursion was where we got to swim with sharks! The captain drove the boat all they way out to the shelf where the ocean drops off from 40 feet to 60,000 feet! Definitely a neat sight to see. The captains dropped shark bait down to the bottom around 40 feet where all the sharks started swarming. I was told they were Reef sharks and some of them were as big as 10 feet long! The divers had to stay at the surface and hold on to a rope so as not to splash around and attract attention from the sharks below. Actually, I should say everyone else swam with the sharks. I decided to keep all of my fingers and toes and stay in the boat; but I did get some pretty awesome pictures and video! Kasper stayed with me. He said he was going on a dive next week, but I think he really just chickened out! When everyone was out of the water, the captain pulled the bait back up and started feeding the sharks, so I have some pretty great pictures of the sharks at the surface fighting each other for food! After the dive, we went to this organic farm for lunch. It was incredible to walk around. This place completely sustains itself with all of the organic produce it produces...I mean literally everything made at the restaurant was grown on the farm...all except for the Gatorade...haha! It was another great place to experience while on the island...I'll post pictures on facebook of all of this soon...

Despite my not feeling so well, hanging out with the journalists that day was fun. I was a journalism major in college, so it was neat to chat with some of the writers and hear about their exciting adventures (aka...what my life "could have been") while diving and later at lunch. Don't worry, I'm not in any hurry to leave teaching! I say "some" of the journalists were cool because a few of them were just plain lame. There was this one guy David who was a freelance travel writer from Canada. He was all talk and no substance. I sat there listening to his stories thinking to myself...he goes to all of these really neat places, but has he ever really discovered the true beauty, the true culture, the true desperation, of these place??? Maybe it was just his MO or my misjudgment of him, but as he talked and talked about places like Cuba or the Dominican Rep, he seemed to have these blinders on that only promoted the stereotypes of what these countries are all about and not the true culture. I wanted to ask him so many questions but I thought I would only get a BS answer. I guess that's why Americans are so shut off from the reality of the rest of the world sometimes...I mean, if he is the type of people disseminating the information about these places, no wonder we all look like morons when it comes to foreign affairs. We are never given the whole story. OK...off my soap box now...There was another guy, Hunter, from Alabama (I think) I don't remember what he wrote for or really even about what, but he was kind of quirky...the kind of guy who seemed up for anything. Anita was awesome. Probably late 30's. Not married. Wrote for "Modern Bride" and a total party girl! I talked to her for maybe 10 minutes (in my nauseated state) before she was inviting me to Miami to take me out...haha! Jennifer was just a total sweetheart. She didn't snorkel so we sat on the boat and just chatted about life most of the morning...she lives near Fort Lauderdale with her husband. We got a long splendidly! And finally, there was Kirk. He works for the resort, is a local Bahamian, and it was interesting to sit with him at lunch and talk about his family, his work, and just his general impressions of growing up on the island and his dreams for the future. All in all, everyone was great and I was thankful for their company.

When I got back to the resort, I took a desperately needed nap and later decided to get off the beach resort and went for a run on the street. For part of the path, there were beautifully landscaped gardens in the middle of the road, and the rest of the road was boarded by cute and brightly-colored English-colonial style homes or hotels. I know this island and many others in the Bahamas are poor, and part of me really wished I could see those parts of the islands; but at the same time I kept trying to tell myself that I'm on VACATION and NOT a mission trip. There is plenty of time for that later...besides, my heart is in Haiti. Philip and Pastor LeFluer would be peeved if I mission hopped to the Bahamas : ) Later that night, I just went and sat by the beach for a while, had some good reflection/prayer time and watched the crazy bride's ceremony and reception. It was really beautiful. Kasper was overseeing a prom at the hotel that night. He had invited me to tag along, but I didn't want to bother him while he was working...plus he was probably super tired too. He didn't get a nap from the weekend's fun; but I did get to see some of the teens all dressed up. Soooo adorable...ahhh the days of prom and sorority formals. I need some place to go to get all dressed up for...

My last day in the Bahamas was spent in Nassau shopping. I did the touristy thing...Senior Frogs, straw market, etc. I discovered that I am slightly addicted to expensive Italian leather. Tina is addicted to jewelry : ) Ha! Later that night, we spent some time in the casino...I gambled my first $5 EVER which sufficiently kept me entertained for about an hour's worth of fun. We headed back to the hotel bar later to watch the NBA finals game. LA won. Booooo! As I am writing this, I am on the plane headed home, and AGAIN I have not had a good experience flying with American Airlines through Miami. Go figure. I won't bore you with the details. It isn't as exciting as say the whole getting stuck in a hurricane in a third world country experience of last August; but I did get to meet a group in Miami's airport who were on their way to Haiti. I talked to a few teenage girls who were super excited. I told them a little bit about my experience and told them to be careful because they might just leave their hearts there as I did after my first trip. It was a nice/fitting way to end this first leg of my summer world adventure....now, back to Chicago for a few days before part 2 begins!!!

T-13 days until Europe...I'm so excited that I can hardly contain myself!!!

Let the Summer World Adventures Begin...First Stop: The Bahamas

Part 1 of my Around the World Summer Adventure has begun. First Stop...Nassau, The Bahamas!

I arrived in Nassua in the Bahamas the night before last. YES...I know...I dediced to forego the Cubs "WE Belive" premier...I know, I know...so out of character for me...to tag along with my sister on her work trip. I needed to get out of Chicago for a while (as if a month in Europe won't be enough!!!), so here I am. Do you remember the "Saved By the Bell" season when Zack and the gang worked at a beach resport for the summer? That's kind of what it feels like for me to be here in the Bahamas. My sister has been working (and dealing with a crazy bridezilla this week I might add)...so I have found myself wandering around the beach and pools, making fast friends with all of the help and learning the ins and outs of the island because everyone else who is here is either really old, or young couples on their honeymoon...gag, and I'm finding it hard to relax and just be still for even just a moment! Don't worry, I'm confident the "relaxing part" will come soon. I've just been running on full speed for the past few months of school now that its gonna take me a few days to settle down!

A part of me is wishing that I was in Haiti. This place is certainly nothing like there. I had a nice chat with LeFluer yesterday morning about going back there in August. I don't think that is going to work out, and after talking with Bucky shortly after, we are going to make the December trip happen instead. The guilt set in on the plane on the way over here. This is my first real vacation in almost 4 years...Sure I've gone to Florida to visit family and I've been to some really cool places on mission trips but those doen't count. The sole purpose of this trip is to get away, clear my mind, and relax for a while. But at the same time, I feel a little guilty that I'm spending the money to come here (and in a few weeks to Europe) and enjoy myself and not to serve the people of the country of Haiti who I love so much...but God isn't making that happen for me this summer...He sent me here, and is sending me to Europe for most of July and I have full faith that I will find Him in all of these places... I also decided to dedicate this summer to the essential works of C.S. Lewis. I finsished "Mere Christianity" yesterday. Heavy stuff that I am still digesting and will most likely be commenting on here in the days to come as I sort through it all in my head. I also began "A Grief Observed" which I'll save my commentary on for now, but may just be exactly what I need to hear from God right now...

I've been to Nassau before, but only on a cruise ship. That experience gave me nothing of what it was really like to be in the Bahamas. When we got in, we took a 20 minute cab ride through a cute little neighborhood, where if I didn't know any better, could have mistaken it for any neighborhood in south Florida, on our way to the hotel. Some of the buildings have a lot of British influcence which is pretty cool, but the new constructon (and there is a lot of it) is all pretty modern American. Everything here, at least in Nassau, is Americanized! They have Starbucks, and Gap, and Bally Total Fitnesses ad Tiffanys! What has happened to the Bahamian (pronounced Bohemian) culture???? AND I'm soooo confused. Everything here is backwards. They drive on the other side of the road. The up and down escalators are switched. The hot and cold water is switched. A lot of other things too...I guess its good practice for Europe, right???

The night we checked in, Tina introduced me to a few coworkers, we dropped our bags in our room and headed straight to the bar where I made fast friends with the Bahamian bartender named Robert who mixed me up a really fabulous Bahamian Sangria...YUM! I managed to convince him to turn on the end of the Cubs game , and later the NBA finals which he was way more excited about, and he entertained us for most of the night (Yes, I realize this statement makes me a hipocrite...wanting American entertainment after complaining about the lack of Bahamian culture...but bear with me here for a second). It was fun to sit and chat with Robert and a few other Bahamians who came around during after-hours. They were super-fun, super-laid back, and I got to hear a lot about what their lives are like living on the island. Here's a bit of random information for you...my electric bill last month was $54. Robert's electric bill last month was over $800. Crazy island electrical company! Last night we came back after dinner and convinced the new bartener, Patrick, to flip to the Big G (WGN) just in time to see the Cubbies lose it in the 9th . Sadness! He mixed me up a yummy "Go Slow Mon" drink which apparently I didn't drink slow enough for the 5 types of Rum he put in it! Whoops! I also met a very lovely couple from New Castle, England, UK last night at the bar who game me a lot of great information on traveling in Europe and who liked to say the word "Brillian" after every phrase and/or sentence! The man used to be in the British Royal Navy...very interesting guy. He was most concerned with making sure that I see a Rugby match while in London. I got all the ins and outs of the game of Rugby from him. He told me all about the UK United team (I think that's what the Irish, English, Scottish, Whales All-Star-ish team was called???) who in case you were wondering are in South African playing their national team right now, AND he also made sure to tell me several times that all Rugby players are rugged and cute! Brilliant! Anyway, back to the Bohamians...I'm glad I'm getting to know real Bahamaian people instead of those fake tourist-nappers who try to sell you stuff. Those people are here too...mainly on the beach and in the casino...they keep calling me "beautiful lady" followed by some sort of proposition for free club tickets to Atlantis or discounts on snorkeling...The same lady tried to sell me a time share 3 times within the span of about 2 hours... I just wanted to look at her after the 3rd inquiry, cock my head to the right and say "Seriously?!?...the fist 2 no weren't didn't convince you? Seriously?!?!?"...whatever! .

The Sheraton Resort here is really beautiful. There are 5 pools scatterd among beautifully lanscaped cliffs and waterfals just steps from the beach and the ocean...literally! One of the pools has a swim-up bar where the bartender takes your order right in the water and you can just hang out on the ledge and drink. On the beach, there are 2 small islands in the distance. You can also see Atlantis. Jet skiers, parasailors or a boat in the distance occassionally makes its way across the view, and this morning I've seen 2 cruise ships come in to the harbor which is probably about 3 or so miles to the East; but otherwise it is pretty private...nothing like the business of Chicago, New Buffalo in MI. or Fort Myers/Naples Beaches which is what I've been used to. I've always enjoyed going to the beach...any beach and taking in all of its beauty, but I've never been a "swim at the beach" person. I'm more of a "must be near the water" person; but the waters here on Cable beach beckoned me in yesterdag. They are so clear and warm, and you can literally see hundreds of little tropical fish swimming around you...freaked me out at first, but I got over it...Last night for Tina's birthday, T, her coworker Todd (who is hysterical!!!), and I went to Bob Marley's place for dinner just down the street. This home turned Bed and Breakfast used to be the retreat of the Marley family. The atmosphere was very cool. Of course they had Marley family music playing, lots of family pictures adorning all of the rooms; but the style wasn't that prosaic "hippi-regae, weed-smoking" cliche that everyone in the States seems to make out the whole Bob Marley aura. It was all quite sofisticated actually. We sat out on the back portch for dinner and watched the sunset. Island food is AMAZING. I had lobster and pumpkin soup as a starter. For my mail mean, I had the fresh catch with a sweet potato polenta and some sort of pea/zuchini/pineapple chutney in a sweet sauce (certainly not Haitian food). Bohemian food has this amazing mix of sweet and spice. I can't really describe it properly.

Danielle will appreciate this...I'm sitting here on the beach now just a few feet away from these young girls who are speaking Portugese. I think they might be journalists...they seem to be working on something. Maybe I'll ask later. But it is bring back fond memories of Daniel, Nelson, Diego and FERNANDO in San Diego! :::sigh:::

Well, its time for me to start exploring...Until I get bored again....

Reflections on "Hitting for Haiti"

Most days, I feel really insignificant...not in a depressing or futilistic way...but I've become acustomed to my simple life of serving my kids, loving the people around me, and just generally feeling comfortable in that God has me where He wants me in this place and time. But then there are thosee brief shining moments of greatness or adventure that confirm to me that God is indeed in control, He has a perfect purpose for me in this world, and if only I just had a little more faith, maybe, just maybe, He has destined me for to do great things much greater than myself. "Hitting for Haiti" has become one of those brief shining moments for me.

To give you a little bit of background..."Hitting for Haiti" started as a simple idea for my 8th grade girls volleyball team to take their focus away from repeating as conference champions this season, and to focus on something much more worthwile...scoring points and winning games to raise money for children and teens in need in Haiti. My kids come from a very blue collar, middle-working class families and they usually dont have the resources to help others in this way either...the goal was to show them that they can make a difference no matter their age or resources. For more information, go to my district's website: http://www.d45.dupage.k12.il.us/mainframes/indexje.htm and click on "Hitting for Haiti."

The fundraising aspect of this campaign worked. In fact, the kids became so invested in Haiti, that the 7th grade girls team and both boys teams jump on board with us, and student council even contributed through a fundraiser. The idea continued to snowball as the girls began to write letters to local business, face painted for donations at our tournaments, and I even found myself taking girls to meet with important community figures to discuss what we were doing. We even made the front page of the local section of the Chicago Tribune! Dan Super, the Social Studies teacher on my team (God love him!) even dedicated a lesson to Hitting for Haiti...not about the country...but about the power that one person's idea can have in the world...He had the kids begging me and trying to convince me to go global!

All in all, we've raised over $1700 to date, with more money and encouraging notes coming in every day. My mom asked me the other day if I am proud of myself for all that we've accomplished, but to tell you the truth, this season has been nothing short of hellish for me. While the focus on Haiti worked, the lack of focus on winning did not...You need to understand that my kids come from the "other side of the tracks" and this particular class has been blessed with exceptional athletes who have grown accustomed to winning...the one thing that they can claim and be proud of. But it is the pressure and the lack of rallying around the team and the lack of leaders leading that came with this that really made things difficult for me this season. I had girls who played last year alienating the girls who were new to the team this year, actualy blaming them for losses saying that they didn't want to win. I had my captains lead a pitty party one night after a loss. They literally told me that it was my fault we lost the game because I put players in who were not as good as them. I had complete meltdowns on the court from one bad play...the frustration got to them and they couldn't play through mistakes that just brought the entire team down. At one point in the season, we lost to a team that hadn't won a game in over 2 years. That sucked! It was only a handful of my girls who did this, and I shed a lot of blood sweat and tears trying to get this girls to see that winning isn't everything...that winning isn't everything...that becoming a leader doesnt just mean being a good athlete, and that having great athletic skills alone doesn't make a team...its the process, the growth, that makes one great!

It was difficult at first. I benched kids. I cancelled practice for team building activities, I forced them to do things in practice that made them rely on each other...some of the time these things were carried out with much anger, much frustrations, tears, and a few even became rebellious. Clearly, Satan was trying to foil our H4H campaign...thankfully it didn't happen.

I'd like to add a small note here about Alan Derr...the 7th grade girls coach. I don't know what I would have done without that man. If it weren't for his constant words of encouragement, confirmation, and sometimes fighitng words, I'm not sure I would have made it out alive. I've been fortunate enough to work with him closely in several capasities over the past few years, and he has become one of my role models. I <3 you Alan!

By the end of the season, I believe that I had gotten through to most of the girls...a visible transformation occurred in a few of them and they told me so at season's end. We ended up taking 2nd in conference, and in our last game, we defeated the conference champs, robbing them of a perfect season; but there was still 1 girl who held out with the negative attitude. It pains me to say it, but you can't save them all, right?

But here I've spent too much time on the negative when there are some girls on my team who deserve the real recognition. I want to tell you all about 1 in particcular. We'll call her T for the sake of annonymity. T is new to the school this year. She spends most of the day learning in the Emotional-Behavioral Special Ed classroom because she has been diagnosed with a psycotic disorder. She hangs out with the kids that I had to testify against last summer, had a discipline that could stretch the length of a volleyball coaurt, and all indications were that she was a real piece of work in the classroom. I took her anyway, and found her to be an incredible 13-year old who just happened to be stuck in a sucky life situation. She moved to Villa Park because Dad-the alcoholic and stop mom had won custody of she and her sister. I bought her the uniform, kneepads and shoes because her parents woudln't. At one point, she shared with me that she was been having increcibly painful pains in her abdomen and that no one would take her to the doctor. One day they were so bad, that she could barely walk. I tried to get DCFS involved, but without visibale signs of neglect, they said it was her word against her parents(seriously...what is this world coming to), so I told her to go home, lay kicking and screaming on the floor until someone took her to a doctor). She did it and it turned out that she had had a kidney infection for 2 months. Thank goodness the got her antibiodics when they did. The whole situations just makes me sick thinking about it. But here is my point in telling you this...during the course of the season, her behavior at school really started to turn around. And despite her neglect at home, she turned out to be one of the girls who bought most in to H4H. She was the one making the signs and leading the cheers both on and off the court. She uplifted my heart every day. I have several girls on my team with similar stories...most thankfully are not that severe, but there is divorce, domestic violence, lost jobs, kids taking care of kids...its no wonder that these kids otherwise never felt they could make a difference in the world...but Hitting for Haiti made them think differently. The notes and recognition have been really crucial in helping them understand that too. They were really excited about the Trib article. A councilor from a nearby middle school phoned me telling me that they are gathering supplies for a different ministry in Haiti but we must have spoke for an hour after school just telling each other about our missions and progress with the promise to keep in touch and encourage each other's kids' efforts. Another anonymous woman sent us a check with a note saying, "It is because of kids like you that other children don't have to go to bed hungry tonight. Bless you and all that you are doing." My kids are truely getting a sense that they are not as insignificant as they, or anyone else might make them out to be...

So to answer my mom's question...No. I am not at all proud of myself...maybe it was only because all of the hardship kept me grounded...and in fact I still sometimes feel like a failure for not being able to completely transform all my girls (and even reach that 1) in the areas character building and leadership. But I am in shock and awe in the ways in which God used an idea from little ole me, gave me the courage to pursue it, and exploded it through no doing of my own into somthing much greater than me, my athletes, or even Jefferson Middle School. It makes me wonder at all the other ideas and dreams that I've had that I've pushed to the back of the closet because I was too scared, too stupid, or just lacked enough conficence and faith to really realize them. My kids helped a lot of kids in Haiti get basic needs we all take for granted everyday. Moreover, this campaign gave them the confidence that they too, no matter how insignificant they may feel, make a difference in the lives of others...and for that, I AM SOOOOO PROUD OF THEM!

Just call me Miss Spontaneity!

First of all, I’d like to start off by saying…

THANK YOU TENNESSEE for unfreezing my car’s windshield wiper fluid! In addition to seeing the beauty in the grayness (see previous blog post), I am not looking out through a clear surface!

Yes, that’s right. I’m in Nashville Tennessee. I decided to be spontaneous and drive down here this morning. I just needed to get out of Chicago for a while…to clear my head (and my car’s windshield apparently…I’m sitting here looking out at my car a little embarrasses about the thick film of salt and soot covering it…I don’t think they even need to salt the roads here in Nashville…my car looks a little out of place…note to self…better find a car wash, STAT!). I diverge…

So I’m in TN…ironically enough, after spending all week thinking about whether or not to apply for my Doctoral degree…the deadline for my program at Vanderbilt passed Thursday…I didn’t submit my portfolio, yet God has brought me here today, had me pass through here 3 weeks ago, and will bring me back here in just 2 short weeks for the Haiti ball. I’m OK with giving up my Vanderbilt dream…at least for the next year, but I was a little hesitant at first to just jump in my car and come down here seeing as how I would be back for an identical trip at the end of the month AND my cell phone isn’t fully functioning…YIKES (sorry for cutting you off mom, Donna, and Mr. Nyffeler)! But something was pushing me to just do it, and as I began my journey from -17 degrees weather in Chicago to 40 degree weather here, my spirit eased. Just call me Miss Spontaneity! The 7 hour drive was exactly what I needed. Brandon Heath, Third Day, and I had several “moments” in the car together… the head-clearing process is well underway and I’m starting to feel like myself again…

I am currently sitting in a little smoothie place called “9 fruits” –after the fruits of the spirit (Galations6:22-23)—Get it?—waiting for Christine to finish work, and anticipating catching up with Donna, a friend who I went to Haiti with, over dinner in just a few hours. As I am typing, I am listening to some guys chit chat over how cold it is here…HA! If they only knew where I had just come from…

Aside from San Diego, Nashville is quickly becoming my soul-haven. Here, nature’s beauty meets music—the two things that breath life into my soul the most. I’ve come to get some things out of my head…to put some others to rest… and to strengthen my “Fruits of the Spirit” so to speak, which is another reason why it is so ironic that I ended up here.

Here’s how I’m doing so far upon arriving…
Love – Got it! Overflowing with it! Love is GREAAAAAAAT!
Joy – Yes, in most things anyway…like my windshield wiper fluid…yes, I am easily amused! (Wouldn’t be ironic if I didn’t have this one…haha!)...
Peace – Definitely NOT…I’m here to settle my restless heart on several things…
Patience – Definitely learning this one…refer to the “Beauty in the Gray” post…
Kindness – Check…but sometimes gets me in trouble…
Goodness – I’m pretty sure…
Faithfulness – Trying as hard as I can…
Gentleness – Yes!
Self Control – This one is up for debate…

So I’m here…like I said…hoping to get the weight of a few things off my shoulders…looking forward to a few days away from Chicago with good friends (from Haiti), eating fried pickles, and defrosting in Tennessee's warmth!

Here’s a quick update on stuff…

Like I mentioned before…Vanderbilt is a negative…at least for next year…still haven’t reconciled spending all that money on a degree that will do not other good than give me personal satisfactions…as of now, I’d rather use the money for something more beneficial…

Cindy started her new round of treatments yesterday. For those of you who don’t know…the report that she was in remission a few months ago was a false reading. Talk about a cruel joke...Her tumor markers are still up and after some further investigation, the tumors on her liver are growing again…the others have remained the same thank goodness. Anyway, she is getting monthly shots of something or other. This treatment has had really successful results in the UK (I think that’s what they told me), and it isn’t supposed to have the side effects of Chemo…we will wait and see I guess.

My grandmother is doing much, much better. Her rehab and recovery of her memory and mind are going well. Actually, she is all but back to her old, fiery self…ticked off as all get-out that she will not be able to go back to her home by herself and letting everyone know it! It is slowly becoming more and more apparent to me where I get my stubbornness from…I’m not so sure I’m proud of it anymore…

Brother Bill is still not speaking to most of the family, but I am continuing to make it a priority to go spend time with my niece and nephew who seem to be taking it the hardest…

And finally on a lighter note….after spending 7 hours in the car today, it occurred to me…Why on earth does Cracker Barrel put up billboards advertising their green beans or their corn? Seriously! Do you know the billboards I’m talking about…the ones with the big plates of a food with the Cracker Barrel sign? Soooooo not appetizing! I mean, everyone knows that millions of kids try to avoid vegetables at the dinner table every evening??? So what moron in their marketing department decided that they should put up gigantic sized green beans on signs along the highway instead of CB’s yummy cinnamon apples or cherry pancakes? Seriously! I wonder how that’s working for them???

Forget Black and White...Finding the Beauty in the Gray!

I’ve been having a lot of trouble lately with patience. For some reason, I seem to have adopted the attitude of “Everything should be black and white” as of late, and I’ve been missing the beauty in the shades of gray. As my friend Brian put it… “God wants the gray so he can fill in the color!” My need for black and white has affected me so much so lately that I am continually frustrated and insecure when it comes to certain aspects of my life…The only area where I continue to have the patience of a saint and confidence in the challenge of uncertainty is at school with my kids…why I have the 2 different mind sets is beyond me…Its like I am 2 different people sometimes. I can only attribute it to spiritual warfare as I am confident in my abilities and passionate about working with youth and it would take a lot to shake me from something that I am so certain of as my life’s direction; but I guess the uncertainties, constant changes and lack of control in other aspects of my life play on my weaknesses and play on this need for the “black and white.” I have been reminded several times in the past weeks that I need to be OK with the fact that life is going to be messy sometimes, but ultimately in the end it will work out for good...and it is only in the messiness and uncertainty that we can truly appreciate the outcomes. I’m not completely sure why I’ve been neglecting this attitude because it has not always been this way for me, but I do know that God is making me work on my ability to be patient and be comfortable in the gray. It took a beautiful sunset, some unsettling and nostalgic situations, and a few unsolicited contacts of encouragement to open my eyes to this. You see, God keeps sending me little “God gifts” of confirmation in all this grayness…but I guess I’ve been too frustrated and self-centered to see the beauty in all of it, so my new goal is to open my eyes; and in doing so be confident that God is working out all of the situations that I am sooo worried about because they are not black and white. And as PT said..."Do and Do Not. There is no Try." I have to do more than just simply try...I have to force myself to do...and I hope to record those moments here to keep myself accountable. I hope some of my moments will offer you a little encouragement too… so here it goes…

I began day 1 of the New Year with much uncertainty about the future (my family issues, illnesses, grad school, relationships, etc). My New Years Eve was characterized by a restless and sleepless night with a million different thoughts going through my head about the year I as leaving behind…wondering if I had lived it right, and the uncertainty of the year to come. My Mom’s wisdom calmed me for a good part of the day, but peace didn’t come until that night. The day ended with a comforting quite time of prayer and thought of what my mother’s words of encouragement on a Gulf Coast beach as God gave me one of the most beautiful sunsets in recent memory. Talk about filling in the color! I was sitting on the beach, watching the magnificent picture being painted before me, listening to the waves role onto the shore, and losing myself the beauty of it all and I simply heard “I am King. I will lead.” God renews my spirit and speaks to me through nature…He always has…and finally in that moment, I found a peace that had been lacking for quite some time…simply because I decided to stop worrying, be still, and just listen.

The next day I had a frustrating experience at the airport as my flight was cancelled due to mechanical errors and the airline was only able to get me out of an airport 1.5 hours away the next morning; but due to my flight cancellation, I got an extra evening in Florida complete with a beautiful sunset in between rain clouds and a rainbow Again…the filling in the color. Did you know that rainbows appear in the Bible, only a handful of times, but as a symbol of God’s majesty, comfort and hope? There is one in the first chapter of Ezekiel and two in Revelation when God reveals himself ( a rainbow around him), hence the rainbow is a glimpse of his glory; but the image I am most drawn to is the appearance of a rainbow in Genesis 9. God has just destroyed the Earth with a flood, and I can only image what Noah and his family had going through their heads as they have spent the past few months watching the entire human and animal races destroyed so violently and then waiting for the waters to recede…perhaps they had afear of God’s wrath and judgment, uncertainty of God’s promise that He would save Noah and never destroy the Earth via flood again??? But God knew their fear, took compassion on them, and said “I have set my bow in the could, at it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the Earth ~Genesis 9:13. It is as if He is to say, “I know things are messy right now, but look up. I am here and My love for you is Great. Be reassured.” As the scene unfolded, my mind drifted to the first time I studied the significance of rainbows in the Bible. I saw one as my parents were driving me to the airport in June of 2002 on my way to my first summer of living in San Diego and Tijuana. I was scared to death…going away for 3 months, not knowing a soul, fearful of what might come of that summer, uncertain of how and if my life would change; but to this day, I consider it one of my most life changing experiences that has molded me into the woman I am today… God comforted me with his symbol of hope and assurance then and worked it out that summer beyond my wildest expectations…and He was letting me know that He is going to work it out now.

The peace continued after I arrive home and God began to work out why I have been in this frame of mind lately. The Sunday before school started back was filled with chaos. I had learned early in the morning that the night before, my grandmother had packed herself a bag, climbed out her bedroom window and just began walking in the middle of the night. A couple found her several hours later several blocks away from her home lying in a field. Her body temp was 87 degrees. She had had a stroke a few days before which had affected the memory and speech part of her brain causing this confusion. I was completely worked up…worried about my grandmother…my parents had begun driving home…trying to figure out what was going on. The peace came as I spent a quite and comforting afternoon with a friend, mostly just sitting in stillness and silence, after a chaotic and confusing morning. Patience…not worrying about what I know God would work out. My grandmother is doing much better now…still bruised and quite a big confused about things, but her fiery personality is back and she is on the road to recovery. Thank you to those of you who had expressed your prayers and concern through the whole process.

Finally, Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, God finally set me on a course to help me dig out the root of my impatience. I was awakened at 2am to a conversation that completely changed the game in a certain aspect of my life that I had previously thought the direction was pretty certain. Of course I could not get back to sleep, so I spent the remainder of the wee hours of the morning in prayer and journaling through some issues that had been weighing on my heart. God really gave me a sense of clarity and revealed to me a wound in my heart that had been reopened over the summer and had not dealt with yet…and in doing so, I think I was subconsciously believing certain things about myself that are absolutely NOT TRUE (thanks Satan for that one) that were affecting me in several aspects of my life…it certainly is something that is causing me to feel the need for the “black and white” and causing worry and frustration when I don’t see it. Anyway, it was a rough but ultimately good morning sorting through a lot of garbage trying to get to the root of these feelings and trying to figure out how to regain my confidence and peace in the grayness. That is when I began really grasping hold this whole idea of finding beauty in the grayness. This idea was only confirmed by a completely unsolicited conversation with Brian Hunt Friday afternoon when he pretty much encouraged me with the exact words that had been running through my head in the days preceding (ps, friend…this is the 2nd time you’ve encourage me in recent weeks…remember Blackberries on Christmas Eve??? Remind me to share that story with you another time) Obviously the wound isn’t healed yet, but I’m well on my way to allowing God to fill that God-sized hole in my heart that I’ve been walking around with for the past several months with beautiful color.

The beauty in the grayness and patience lessons continued once back at school. Most days as a teacher, you never really see the yield from the impact (if any) we have on a child…I know this, and it is something that I don’t really worry about, but on Friday, a situation that started out as one of the scariest and worrying of my life came full circle…and of course it was God filling in the beauty of the gray! The Language Arts teacher gave the kids an assignment where they have to interview and write a paper on someone that they consider a hero or role model. I had about 25 kids ask me if they could interview me…which was confirming in itself, but 1 student in particular really made my day. You see, at the end of the school year last year, another teacher and I broke up a fight off of school property. The aggressor (for the sake of anonymity, we will call her K) severely beat up 2 victims (we’ll call them O and R). The fight was so violent that R was in the hospital for several days with major head injuries, and K was charged with assault and battery. It was an experience that shook me to the core…both the fight, and the fact that I had to give statements to the police about K and her mother (who was jailed on another charge for the evening), and eventually in September, I was subpoenaed by the State’s Attorney to testify against her in court. To make matters more weird, K, O and R were all going to be students of mine this year. O and R are in my lunch bunch (which means I’m like their school councilor…meeting with them once a week for lunch to support them in whatever ways they need it…obviously I got these 2 girls because of my role in this situation), and I was very leery about having K in my class knowing that this troubled kid might hold a grudge against me…so much so that I approached my principal about it, but there literally was no other Reading teacher that she could have. To my surprise, K has turned out to be one of my favorite students this year. She eats lunch with me every other week or so and when she has probation court hearings, she shares them with me…her fear and the results, and a lot about her life in general too. She has a rough home life with a non-involved single mom. I am so proud of her for staying out of trouble this year. But the WOW moment came when, for this hero assignment, she chose me as her hero. K’s teacher questioned her about the decision asking if she held any animosity towards me for the whole fight/testifying situation, and K simply relayed that I was her “favorite teacher,” she “really trusts me”, she thinks I’m “super smart about stuff,” and wants to be “as cool as me when she gets older.” I just about cried when I heard that. Again, God filled in the color to a situation that I was originally freaked with the lack of black and whiteness of it all!

God provided another example of being patient through the grayness this week as God walked me on a journey down memory lane. It started with a long overdue phone conversation that I had with an old friend Julie Sadhu earlier this week…one of my closest friends from high school…and really the first person to introduce me to the personal nature of God. Over the past 10 year, I had searched for ways to contact her, but to no avail. Med school had been keeping her pretty busy…but out of the blue, Julz found me on facebook, the reconnection ensued, and for 2 hours this night we chatted away about God, life and everything that has happened in the past 10 years as if no time had passed at all. Julz is someone who had a significant impact on my life all those years ago, and I was sooooooo excited to reconnect with her and share with her the yield of the seeds she planted oh so many years ago! It’s funny, because this weekend I was back exploring my old stomping grounds for a few hours… My niece is following in her aunt’s footsteps. Kathleen is on the freshman dance team at Lincoln-Way West and so I went to watch her perform at Central. She was so adorable! It was weird being back at LWC. The game was in the North gym and when it was all over, I went over and just walked the lines on the badminton court where Donna Thompson and Coach DeYoung spent hours preparing Katie and I for state, pushing though that damn knee injury that I should have gotten surgery for. Yes, my State picture is still on the wall for badminton, and several others have followed. As I walked the halls of Central, a lot of memories flowed of good friends, good times. Julie had told me that she considered me her closest friend back then which gave me a peace because as I walked those halls I also thought of how seriously shallow and flawed I was as a person back then, and of all of the silly hopes and dreams I held as an 18 year old. I couldn’t help but be thankful that I am NOT the same girl I was back then; but it was just a gentle reminder that to God…our whole lives are gray. God was working in me then, He is working in me now, and I can’t help but wonder how much God will continue to mold and change me in the next 10 years…So why on earth do I strive for the black and white???

The final confirmation and some sort of direction came yesterday…Cathy and I got back into the old routine of church and a Starbucks conversation. Boy have I missed that routine…Anyway, several points of PT’s wisdom really struck me, but the big one was this…I have been seeking out God’s will desperately in a few aspects of my life lately (What is my future role in Haiti? Do I spend $$ pursuing my Doctorate at Vanderbuilt...which the admin office so reminded me how much they've enjoyed corresponding with me via a voicemail and reminded me that my app is due soon...for a degree that I won't really use and only want for the personal satisfaction of knowing I did it when I could use that money to do good somewhere else? Do I need to stick around now that we found out that Cindy's remission was a false reading knowing my brother and the kids may need me close in the near future again...Now that my Grandma can't life alone anymore? What of my relationships? etc.), but how can I know God’s will, if I don’t know God’s character completely??? Don’t get me wrong, I know a lot about God’s character, but there is waaaay more that I don’t know…for example, I realized that I have barely read the old testament…and there is soooo much richness about God’s character in there that I have neglected (HELLO GRAYNESS)…so anyway, I’ve decided to read through the Old Testament no matter how confusing and boring it may get at times…because I will never really and truly know God’s will for me until I fully and truly understand God’s character…yes, a practical way that I can help myself see the beauty in the grayness.

All of the above plus some other random instances…(“Top Chef, not Top Muscles” Night thanks to the Wurz clan, the insight of Swanny’s comedic literary genius of a play, my phone call with Christine B who told me I was freakishly calm in a situation that other would be absolutely hysterical over) sent me riding a wave of laughter and confirmation this past week that I hope to ride straight through next week and beyond... Until then, I will continue to work on my ability to be patient, and not miss the miracle of the moment when it comes to seeing the beauty in the gray…