I'm Not On Vacation Anymore

Things have been pretty busy since I returned from San Francisco.  I'm not on vacation any more.  I'm working on about 3 projects at the same time.  All of which need to be done ASAP - one tomorrow and the others by Tuesday.  It's a good thing I'm not going up north this weekend (as originally planned).  I may have to come in to work.  It hasn't been all work, work, work, though.  Last night I got to spend time with my sister-in-law, Kristie.  She was down here (along with Jason Otter, Pastor Taylor, and the rest of St. John's youth group) for the LCMS National Youth Gathering.  It's held every three years in a different city each time.  I went to San Antonio in '95 (yes, that was NINE years ago).  I signed up to volunteer from 6:30-midnight.  But whatever I signed up to do, they didn't need me.  So I just attended the service (I did help out with the communion, though).  That's were I saw Jason (out of 35,000 people) and I met up with Kristie afterwards.  We went to get some food at Pizzaria Uno (we tried a few other places but they were all closed).  The food was good, but it took forever.  Apparently, they forgot to put my order in, so I got it for free.  After eating, we went back to their hotel.  I stayed for a little while and talked with Jason and everybody.  They were getting ready to have their evening devotion.  They asked me to stay, but I really needed to head back home.  It was after midnight and I had to work today.  It was a really short visit, but still nice.  I didn't see anyone from Trinity Orlando, except Pastor Moore who helped lead the service.  But with so many people, it's a miracle that I was able to find anyone that I knew.

If You're Going To San Francisco

Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair.  I left my heart is San Francisco.  Um...let's see...what other songs are there about San Francisco.  Oh yeah, "Rice-aroni, a San Francisco treat.  Ding, ding!"

I had such a great time in San Francisco.  I don't know where to begin.  I guess I could start with the fact that I almost missed my flight.  I set my alarm, but after it went off, I thought I would lay in bed for an extra 5 minutes or so.  Well, 5 minutes turned into a half hour.  I probably would not have waken up had my mom not called.  I made it with time to spare (but not as much as I would have liked).  I had a few stops to make along the way.  I had to change planes in Albequerque.  I also had to make a stop in Las Vegas (I didn't get off the plane, though).  When I finally made it to Oakland Airport (Southwest doesn't fly into San Francisco), I was greeted by my parents, Sonia's friend Angie, and my grandpa.  That was a nice surprise, because I didn't know that he was coming.  We then drove to our hotel in a suburb of SF, near the SF airport (where everyone else was flying into).  Mike and Sonia were already there.  After getting settled in, we headed for Downtown San Francisco; my parents and Gramps in the van and us in the "clown car" (we took two vehicles because we would be going our separates ways for the evening entertainment).  So the clown car, as we so lovingly referred to, was this tiny red Suzuki Aerio hatchback.  It just looked really funny, especially with Mike driving.  So we headed for Fisherman's Wharf (the touristy part of town).  We ate a late lunch (or an early dinner) at this nice restaurant that overlooked the bay and Alcatraz.  It was interesting to watch the fog roll in.  I never realized how foggy it would be.  It's because the warm weather in the vallies draws in the cooler air from the ocean.  Where the two meet, creates the fog (a little meteorology lesson for you all).  After eating, we walked down the Wharf a bit to Ghiradelli Square.  There were so many vendors selling all sorts of things, from fresh seafood, to art, to jewelry, and all sorts of things.  There were many different street performers.  We saw the nearly famous "Bushman".  He's a guy that hides behind some branches and tries to scare unsuspecting bypassers.  He's been doing this for 25 years and has even been sued a few times (but never lost a case).  Later, we took a little drive up Russian Hill (the steepest hill in SF) and down Lombard Street (the crazy zig-zag street).  After that little adventure, it was time to head to the ballpark for the Giants/Padres game.  SBC park is a beautiful stadium.  We had pretty good seats along the 3rd base line.  It had turned quite cold by then.  We left after the 7th inning.  The Giants were losing anyways.  It was back to the hotel after that.  Angie and I got in the hot tub to warm up and ease our sore muscles. 

Thursday morning started out with breakfast at the Millbrae Pancake House.  We then traveled to Palo Alto, CA to see the campus of Stanford University.  This is a very beautiful campus.  The church is gorgeous.  I got a Stanford t-shirt from the campus bookstore.  After Stanford, we headed north, across the Golden Gate Bridge, to Sausalito.  You could barely even see the bridge because of the fog.  Sausalito is a quaint little town with a lot of shops and art galleries.  It reminded me a lot of Charlevoix, MI.  Next, we headed back into town, to the Wharf area and Pier 39.  We met up with the last two members of our group, Brian & Michelle.  They didn't arrive until late Wednesday night.  We ate dinner at one of the many restaurants in the Wharf (one that had more than just seafood since I'm not its biggest fan).  After dinner, we went to Alcatraz.  This was really cool - one of the many highlights of the trip.  Since the tour was at night and it was really cold and foggy, the tour was a bit creepy.

Friday started with another trip to the Pancake House.  After breakfast we headed to Napa, CA and wine country.  This is where we parted with my parents and grandpa.  They went on to Sacramento, CA.  We toured two vinyards and wineries - Robert Mondavi and Beringer.  We tasted wine at both.  I tasted the wine that was included with the tours, but I didn't particularily care for any of it.  I did get to eat a couple of the grapes during the Mondavi tour as part of a demonstration.  I think Sonia and Angie may have had a bit too much wine at the Beringer Vinyards.  I do have to say that both vinyards, in fact, the whole valley was absolutely beautiful.  We ate dinner in North Beach (the Italian part of town) at a restaurant called Firenze By Night.  The food was excellent. 

Saturday (our last full day) we paired off and did our own things.  Angie and I explored downtown San Francisco.  We first walked around the farmer's market located on one of the piers.  Then we took a trolley tour around the city (it sure beat walking up and down all those hills).  The tour started out at the Wharf, then made its first stop at the Palace of Fine Arts/Exploratorium.  The gardens there were absolutely beautiful.  It felt like walking through some ancient ruins.  There were atleast three wedding parties taking pictures and one actual wedding.  Our final stops were at Fort Point and the Golden Gate Bridge.  Unfortunately, due to the heavy fog, you could barely even SEE the bridge (even when standing right next to it).  The last half of the tour was spent driving through all the different parts of the city:  the Presidio, the victorian homes of Pacific Heights, Union Square (the Rodeo Drive or 5th Avenue of SF; i.e., shopping), Japantown and Chinatown, North Beach, and the Financial District.  After the tour, we went to the Wax Museum (we had a 2 for 1 coupon).  Afterwards, we decided to head back to Pacific Heights to explore some more.  We had quite an experience trying to figure out the public transportation, but we eventually made it.  We had quite a workout walking up and down all of the hills (some of which were quite steep), but seeing all the beautiful houses (and a German Consulate) made up for it.  We also saw the house that was used as an exterior set in the movie Mrs. Doubtfire.  We tried to find the row of houses that you see in all the pictures (I believe they are called the "painted ladies".  We asked this foursome that was walking down the street for directions.  They very kindly showed us were to go and gave us a mini guided tour of the area.  They informed us of were some famous people used to live.  We made it to the houses just as it was starting to get dark, took our pictures, then took another bus and a taxi to Chinatown to meet the others for dinner.  We ate at the House of Nanking (supposedly one of the best Chinese restaurants in the city).  But like our tour guide told us, if you asked 20 people what their favorite restaurant is, you would get 20 different answers.  This restaurant was really interesting.  Instead of ordering our own dishes, we ate appetizer/family style.  We had one dish of each: vegitable, seafood, chicken, beef, and pork.  They just kept bring the food.  One dish right after the other.  I don't think I have ever eaten so quickly.  The first dish was the seafood dish (which I didn't know at the time).  I took a bite and it wasn't too bad.  Then someone told me that it was squid!  Ewww!  I did finish my one piece, but I wasn't going to have anymore.  I wish that no one had told me what it was.  The best dishes (in my opinion) were the sesame chicken and the snap peas.  After dinner, it was back to the hotel for a long soak in the hot tub and then to bed.

I had to wake up early on Sunday to head to the airport.  Angie came with me, even though her flight wasn't until 3 hours after mine.  We took the BART from San Francisco Airport to Oakland Airport.  This was the nicest form of public transportation I think I have EVER been on.  It was so clean and the seats were soft and cushy.  I wouldn't mind having to take that everyday.  Sunday was just a long day of airports and airplanes.  I arrived back in Orlando shortly after midnight.

This was our trip in a nutshell.  I had such a great time and can't wait to go back.  I've yet to see Golden Gate Park and would have liked to take a drive down the coast.  Next time :)  Now it's back to work until my next vacation.

California Here We Come

Yes, tomorrow I leave for San Francisco, California.  I've been looking forward to this trip for nearly 6 months (when Sonia first suggested it).  Now it is finally here.  I will be sure to write all about it when I return.  Perhaps I will also learn how to post pictures.

Monday, again

Yes, it is monday again.  But for me, it will be a very short week (only today and tomorrow).  Because on Wednesday morning, I hop on a plane headed for San Francisco, California.  I am so ready for a vacation.  Friday's move went fairly smoothly.  About a dozen people moved next door to the new annex.  I moved from one side of the office to the other.  I'm still unpacking.  The rest of the weekend went well.  I got my hair cut on Saturday.  Yesterday, I had to sing at the installation service for our new associate pastor.   Now, I'm just trying to prepare for my trip.

TGIF

Don't you just love Fridays?  I know I do.  I can tell you right now that today is not going to be a very productive day (work-wise).  The new annex has passed its final building inspection and we are set to start moving in this afternoon.  This afternoon has also been designated as a clean-up day.  We order a huge dumpster to be put out back and everyone starts chucking old drawings and whatnot.  Today is also my friend and coworker Bryan's last day.  Our team is going to go out to lunch to celebrate (it could easily turn into a 2-hour lunch).  So I just have to get through the morning and then it will be smooth sailing from there.  Last night, I met with Jim Luce again about the young adult group that we're starting.  I am really excited about this.  We've already compiled a mailing list for all members between 18 and 29.  160 names came up.  Now we will just have to see how many respond.  I met our new pastor last night.  He also sat in on the meeting.  He seems like a really cool guy and I'm looking forward to getting to know him better.  Well, I guess that I should actually get SOME work done today.

We lost :(

Well, we lost our volleyball match last night, so the season is over. We put up a good fight, though. We played all five games. We won the first one, lost the second, won the third (by a lot), lost the fourth and finally the fifth. We just weren't playing our best (and we were missing one of our best players). I had a pretty good game, though. But I started to get tired towards the end (it was 90+ degrees). Dara and I were the only two girls there, so there was no one to substitute in (you need one girl for every 2 guys). It also didn't help during the fifth game when I jammed my thumb while going for the tip. It still hurts today (I hope it isn't broken). It isn't quite as much fun to lose, but I had a great time. This is the best season that C&P has EVER had. I can't wait until next season. One good thing about losing, is that now I don't have to worry about missing a game next week while I'm in San Francisco.

It Was A Good Good Day

I just had to talk about the good day that I had yesterday (even though it was a monday). The biggest thing was that I found my pictures that I had put on a CD (and then deleted off of my computer). I searched everywhere: at home, at work, at home again, at work again, in my car. They were nowhere to be found. I was fairly positive that it was a work somewhere. I completely cleared off my desk (it needed it anyways). No CD. Finally, towards the end of the day, I decided to look more closely through my CD binder where I keep all of my audio CDs. There it was in one of the pockets. I was so overjoyed. I started looking through all of my New York pictures. My neighbor Kevin noticed and we started swapping stories about our NYC experiences. He had gone there in Nov. 2001. He also had some pictures that he had taken at the WTC site. It was quite a sight to see (of course nothing compared to what it would have been to see it with my own eyes. Another coworker came by and joined in the conversation. Needless to say, I didn't get a whole lot of work done for the last half-hour or so of work. After work, we had a volleyball practice for our game tomorrow night. It was so much fun. We struck up a game with some other people at the park. I played so well. I was spiking the ball (not just tipping it over). I had a few diving saves (that's the best part about playing in the sand). I had to jump in the pool after I got home to wash off all the sand. When I got home, I had a package in the mail from my mom. She had sent me some more of her New York pictures and a really cool paragraph about her experience there. It was so poetic. All in all it was a good good day, that is, until I found one of my little friends (a gecko) still alive in my apartment right before I was getting into bed. I was unable to catch it. He is still there somewhere.

Monday, Monday

Can't trust that day. I hate mondays. I just love the weekends so much. This one was no exception. We didn't move on Friday (why am I not surprised). We should be receiving our C.O. (Certificate of Occupancy) on Wed. so we would then be moving this friday. Saturday was a good day. I got to sleep in (my favorite part of the weekend). I spent the afternoon and evening at Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure. I am really getting some use out of my annual pass (Thanks again Mom & Dad). It was really hot, so mostly rode all the water rides. I got completely soaked, but it didn't take long to dry off. I stayed for the fireworks show at the end of the night. It was set to the music of many of my favorite soundtracks (Apollo 13, Jurassic Park, E.T., and a few others). Afterwards I took a nice stroll through the park (while everyone else was heading for the exit). There was also a small encore fireworks show (apparently there were either leftovers or they didn't go off when they were supposed to during the real show. After church on Sunday, I met with our church's youth director. He's going to help me get a young adult group started. I'm really excited about it, but it will need much prayer. Who knows what kind of response we will get. Hopefully I'm not the only one who thinks that this is a good idea. I spent the rest of the day at home watching movies. A thunderstorm came through, so there wasn't much else to do anyways. So, now it is Monday. Back to work. But my schedule will be quite full this week. Tonight I have volleyball practice; Tuesday, I'm meeting about the young adult group; Wednesday is our v-ball game; Friday is moving day (supposedly); and next sunday I have to sing at Pastor van Sliedrecht's installation (our new associate pastor). Also, a week from Wed. I leave for San Francisco, YEAH!!!

P.S. Congratulations to Mom & Dad. Yesterday, they celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary. God has truly blessed them with a wonderful marriage. May He continue to bless them for many more years to come.

We're on the move

Tomorrow is moving day. About a quarter of the office is moving to the new "annex" two doors down. I'm still a bit skeptical as this event was supposed to take place over a month ago. I won't be surprised if it gets pushed back to next week. I didn't think that the move would affect me, but alas, it does. I get to move from one side of the building to the other. It has it's advantages and disadvantages. + I get to sit next to a real wall. - I lose my semi view of the outside out of the one window in our entire back office. + I have to clear off my desk. - I have to clear off my desk. Other changes within my work team will be made shortly. My teammate Bryan, whom I work really close with, is leaving for a new job. Also, the pre-intern who I've had working for me these past two weeks is leaving after next week. So in in the end the team will consist of Kevin and me, and Jim, our team leader. And since I don't work with Kevin all that much, it'll just be me (and Jim). I'm not sure that I'm ready for that much responsibility (or the workload). I'm sure that I will be fine. I'm really not alone. Jim is there to guide me and tell me what to do. It will also be a good experience for me to step up and take charge of various projects.

Some good news, I just got my PTO (personal time off) approved for my upcoming trips to San Francisco and Up North. I can't wait. Other upcoming events include our Volleyball league playoffs. Our company has a team in the Design Professionals Volleyball League. You can check our stats at http://www.eteamz.com/dpvl/ We play in the Sand Recreational Division. Our C&P team is ranked 2nd. This is the best we've ever done. Our first game is set for next wednesday evening (we had a bye for this week).

Welcome

Greetings family and friends. After the advice of my cousin Amanda, I've decided to start this blog to let you all in on what the heck I've been up to here in Florida. I have to warn you that it probably won't be as exciting as you may think (but it has it's high points :-). First off, work is going well, but very busy. I don't know how often I will be able to update this. I can't lounge around and watch tv at my job, Amanda. But I do get to listen to my music.

The weather down here right now is incredibably HOT, HOT, HOT (and humid). It rains nearly every afternoon. I went to Disney's Typhoon Lagoon waterpark for a bit of relief this weekend (until it stormed). I spent the rest of the weekend working on my New York City scrapbook. {Ryan & Hannah: My mom may tell you this, but I would like each of you to write a little something about your thoughts on the trip. Also, Hannah, I would like copies of your pictures to put into the scrapbook.} I didn't even make it to see any fireworks this weekend, but being down here with all the theme parks, you see one fireworks show, and they're all the same. Plus, it rained. Also went to see the new Spiderman movie. Well, I guess that's about it for now. Besides, my lunch time is over and I need to get back to work