Everyone's Bloggin'

Wow! Practically the whole family has a blog now. Mom, Mike, and now Hannah. I guess we all have Amanda to thank for this. Hannah wrote in her last blog about being a loser because she had no plans for the weekend. If that's true, I must have been one, too. I rarely ever had plans, I didn't have many close friends, I never had a date to a dance (but this is a whole other story for some other time). Nowadays, I'm thrilled to have a weekend with no plans (like this past one). It was so great to sleep in late, lounge around in my p.j.'s all day and watch movies and such. The weather was kind of cloudy and rainy all weekend, so I didn't mind that I didn't have anywhere to go. My next weekend when I have absolutely NOTHING planned (not even singing in the choir on Sunday) is May 7-8. My weekend wasn't totally void of any activity. Sunday night, I did have a ticket to see Oliver! at the Bob Carr. Unfortunately, I was late and missed the first half of Act I. Traffic was terrible because someone came up with the brilliant idea of scheduling a basketball game for the EXACT same time. It wasn't just any game either. It was agaist Miami, therefore Shaq was playing (he used to play for Orlando, you know). I eventually made it. It was really good (of what I saw) and I had a great seat. My weekends will be pretty full for the next few weeks. Spring Training starts this week. I'm going to my first Tiger game of the season this Saturday (and every Saturday for the next 4 weeks). I can't wait! Also, Sat. night is Trinity's silent auction. It's island/tropical themed so we get to dress up. It should be fun. It's at the Hyatt Hotel IN the airport (for those of you familiar with Orlando Int'l Airport, you know what I'm talking about). I don't know that I will bid on anything. We'll see.

Life's A Beach

I just love the fact that I live in Florida! The weather is so perfect. Saturday, I drove down to Lakeland to get my tickets for Spring Training (just 2 more weeks!). The sun was shining and it was about 72 degrees. I drove all the way there with my windows down and the sun roof open. Traffic was pretty bad most of the way there. They're doing construction on I-4, so I spent a lot of time just sitting on the freeway. To pass the time, I pulled out my Florida map to look for a new way to head back. I didn't really mind too much because the weather was gorgeous and I wasn't in a hurry or anything. I did find a new way back along U.S. 92. It was a nice drive through all the little towns. Mom, you would have loved it. You'll see it when you come at Easter, though. It reminded me a bit of the drive between home and Muncie along U.S. 24 (except with palm trees). The drive ended up taking about the same amount of time, but it was better than sitting on the expressway (and getting honked at by truck drivers). On my way home, I made a stop off at Universal Studios for Mardi Gras. This week, the entertainment was The Temptations and The Four Tops. I'm curious as to how many of them were original members of their group. They looked pretty old, but sang great! I left a little early because I was kind of tired. When I got back to my car, the traffic getting out of the garage was all backed up. Since I wasn't in any time crunch to get home, I just climbed in my back seat and took a little nap until the traffic cleared. I'd rather sit in my car in its space rather than in traffic. When I got home and looked in the mirror, I discovered that driving with the window down to Lakeland may not have been the best idea as my entire left arm and shoulder were completely sunburned. Sunday was another perfect day, so after church, my friend Anna and I went to Cocoa Beach. It has been almost a year since I last went to the beach. It was so peaceful and relaxing to hear the waves crashing against the shore. When we got there, it had clouded up a bit (just some high thin clouds, not overcast) and when it finally cleared, the sun was so low that it wasn't very intense. It was good that I didn't have to worry about getting more sunburned. Now it's back to work for another busy week. I've got a few fires to put out just today. So that's my cue to get back to work. I hope everyone had a nice weekend as well (even if your weather wasn't as nice as mine).

What About The Weekend?

Due to my special Valentine's Day post, I completely forgot to tell about the weekend I had with my parents. They arrived late on Thursday night. So basically we all went straight to bed after we got home. A side note: I timed it so perfectly that they arrived just as I got there. I was there so short a time that we didn't have to pay for parking. On Friday, I went to work while my parents slept in and also cleaned my apartment while I was gone. I had a crazy morning. My first task was to drop off some drawings at the Orange County Building Department. This should have been a hassle-free process - just wait to be called, hand off the drawings and necessary paperwork, and get out of there. Well that's not exactly what happened. First, they wanted to know the estimated building cost for each of the tennants. I didn't know the answer, so I called my boss and he figured it out. No problem. Next, they're trying to tell me that I (the company) owe $600 for a processing fee. I was told that I didn't need to pay anything. So I call up Jim again and he talked some sense into the guy. We got everything all straightened out and I finally headed to the office. All in all, it was a good learning experience. I met my parents back at home for lunch and we went to Panera Bread. In the evening, we went to CityWalk at Universal for dinner and a movie. We went to see Hitch - excellent movie. The plan was to meet up with my friend Jen for the movie and then her & I were to go to a concert at Hard Rock. Well, Jen was a little late getting to the movie. I saved her a seat, but the ticket guy told her it was sold out. So, she didn't see the movie, but we did meet up afterwards and went to the concert. It was a local band, DManufacture. They were decent; a little loud. OK, a LOT loud. But we still had fun. On Saturday, I woke up feeling aweful. I had the worst sore throat and absolutely no voice. Some might blame it on being out late and in the cold, but I had been feeling it all week and figured I would have been sick no matter what. So I let my parents take my car and do all the things they like to do (Leu Gardens, Winter Park, etc.) while I stayed in bed all day. I felt a little better by dinner time, so we went to Winter Park Village for dinner and a movie. My parents saw "Million Dollar Baby" while I saw "Finding Neverland." My movie was pretty good, but they didn't particularily care for theirs. On Sunday, we got up and went to church. I introduced them to all my friends that were there. I was feeling a little better, but I still didn't have much of a voice. That afternoon, I drove us out to Kennedy Space Center. We got there too late to be able to go on the tour, but we still saw all the exhibits and an IMAX movie. We stayed in for the evening and watched TV. Monday morning, I went into work. At noon, my parents picked me up and we headed to the airport. We ate lunch there and said our goodbyes. Then it was back to work for me. When I got home, I picked up my mail and there was a Valentine's Day card from my parents (that they mailed while they were here). I opened the door and sitting on top of my TV was a beautiful boquet of flowers with a "Happy Valentine's Day" baloon in it. I opened up the refrigerater and inside was a slice of cheesecake - my favorite dessert. I decided not to go to my dance class (that's the 4th week that I have missed for various reasons) because I still wasn't feeling that great. So I stayed home and watched my Monday evening TV shows: 7th Heaven, Everwood, and Monster House. When I went into my bedroom to get ready for bed, sitting on my bed was a heart shaped pillow with a pocket full of all sorts of goodies - Skittles, a Hershey's bar, gum, a box of Conversation Hearts, and a bag of red liccorice. It turned out to be a pretty good Valentine's Day.

Happy Valentine's Day

OK, I admit it. Today is not my most favorite of holidays. But today is a celebration of LOVE. And while once again I don't have a significant other in my life, there are, however, several people who are in my life for whom I have a great love to share.

My parents: who raised me with love and taught me how to share it with others. Though they may sometimes get on my nerve with their constant nagging, I know it is only because they love me and what the best for me. That's what parents are for. I also admire the love that they have for each other. It gives me hope that one day I will find such a person for myself.

My brothers: who may not have always shown me a lot of love growing up (MIKE) , I still know that they love me and I love them (and not just because we have to).

My sisters-in-law: while it may not be "official" for Sonia to be a part of the family until July, she already is to me. Kristie & Sonia are two very special women. I may be a little bias here, but you are very lucky to be married into such a great family! I couldn't ask for two better sisters-in-law.

My grandparents: what better next door neighbors to have than your own grandparents. Some kids only get to see their grandparents on holidays and special occasions. I got to see mine every day! And while grandma is no longer "physically" with us on this earth, she always has and always will hold a special place of honor in my heart.

"Daddy Wally" and "The Kushnirs": I can't even begin to imagine the sacrifice it must have been to 26 years ago, after the loss of your wife, to then give up your only daughter and watch her be raised by someone else (even if it was still family). I am thankful, however, that you have remained such a strong presence in my life, even though now we may only see each other once or twice a year. How blessed am I to be loved by TWO families! It may be difficult to hear me talk of my "dad" and have it not mean you. But you are still my father and I love you with all of my heart.

My aunts, uncles, cousins, and all other family members: I love you all! Family is very important to me. Although we are farther apart by physical distance, you are all very close to me in my heart.

My friends (old and new): what would life be like without great friends? I hope I never have to find out. I love ALL of my friends. While some of us have physically gone our separate ways (like to completely different states) and have had difficulty keeping in touch, you have still remained close to me in my heart. Others are brand new relationships that are beginning to form, but are still just as important to me and I love you just as much.

Last but definitely not least, in fact, first. My ONE TRUE Valentine, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: the very essence of Love itself. I could quote several passages of Scripture here, but instead just one, "For God so LOVED the WORLD that He gave His ONE AND ONLY Son, that whoever believes in HIM will not perish but have ETERNAL LIFE." - John 3:16

I am determined not to get depressed this year as I struggle with being single (there are actually quite a few positive points - but that's for another time). I realize that I have quite a lot of love to give and I gladly share it.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY <3

Ready For The Weekend

My parents are coming to visit me this weekend. In fact, they'll be here in less than 10 hours! I'll pick them up from the airport after wallyball tonight (or tennis - depending on how many people can make it). I am really looking forward to their visit. I wish them safe travel. I also wish safe travel to Sam & Kristie as they leave for Paris (that's Paris, France not Paris, MI - just in case you were confused) on Saturday. I hope they have a great time. I wish that I could go. Oh well. Someday.

Another Weekend Come & Gone

Yep, it's monday again. Why do the weekends have to go by so fast?! I had a pretty good one, though. On friday after work, I reordered my bridesmaid's dress for Mike & Sonia's wedding. No problems! I was going to get up and go to yoga on Saturday, but as my alarm was going of at 8:00am, I decided to forget it and sleep for another 4 hours. After I finally rolled out of bed, I headed down to Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure. It had been several months since my last visit, so it was nice to walk around and ride a few rides. I rode the Mummy twice and got my highest score ever on MIB: Alien Attack (234,900 points). At 5ish, the Mardi Gras celebration began. The concert for the evening was Musicians 4 Disaster Relief. A bunch of old groups got together for a benefit type concert. All the money from t-shirt and CD sales went to the American Red Cross to help out with our hurricanes and the tsunami in Asia. I left shortly after the parade, though. It was kind of chilly that night. I did get a few more beads to add to my collection. I really don't know what I'm going to do with them and I'm open to any suggestions. I had to sing in the early service Sunday morning. I was a little late, though. Oops. After church, I met up with the Dickens for lunch. Dave & Nancy Dickens were on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ when I was at Ball State. Now they work at the headquarters here in Orlando. It was nice to remenisce with them about the good ol' days in Muncie. They're kids have grown quite a bit and Nancy is due with their 4th child in just a matter of weeks. I also learned that there were several other former Ball Staters living in the area. We need to have a reunion one of these days. Later that evening, I went over the Bryan's house to watch the Super Bowl. It was a nice party even though I wasn't all that interested in the game. I usually only watch for the commercials (but I have to say that I was a little disappointed this year). To help ease the confusion of my last blog, yes, I do know two Bryans [Brians]. Bryan is the guy that I used to work with and with whom I've been hanging out with a lot lately. Brian is a friend from church. I can't help it that most of my friends' names are Bry(i)an, Becky, or start with the letter J.

Mid-Week Update

Now that I've returned from California and my wonderful vacation, it's back to the grindstone and my busy schedule. Last night at The Way, I helped lead the "Praise & Worship" time by singing with the praise band. I was a little nervous to be standing in front of everyone, but it was actually pretty cool. I just kept reminding myself that it's not about me or whether or not I sing the right notes. It's all about God. Tonight is wallyball. I'm still sore from mountain climbing, but it should still be fun. I have some pretty big plans for the weekend as well. Mardi Gras at Universal starts this Saturday. I'll probably spend most of the day at the park and then stay for the festivities in the evening. I have to sing at the 8:00 service on Sunday. I love singing in the choir, but I don't particularily enjoy singing at that hour. I've actually been invited to 3 different Super Bowl parties for Sunday evening (and I don't even really care for football - I only watch because of the commercials and the half-time show). One party, I'm definitely not going to, but I'm trying to decide between the other two. Maybe I can do both (watch one half at Brian's house and the other have at Bryan's house). One party will include people from church, while the other will be people I currently or formerly work with (or don't know at all). Decisions, decisions.