Lil Sis and I take Florida, Part 1

Lil Sis and I were fortunate enough to have a 5-day escape from the wintery weather to beautiful, sunny Florida!!! It was Lil Sis' spring break and I took three days off of work because we'd planned the trip when I thought I wouldn't have a job...

It was such a fun trip! Sunny, warm, baseball, Harry Potter, fabulous.

We split our time between Tigers spring training games and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (I know you're jealous :). First I'll document our time with our Tigers and save the WWoHP for another post.

When we got into town Saturday afternoon we decided to head over to Joker Marchant Stadium where the Tigers play, just to look around and get pictures when no one else was there. I thought I knew where I was going since I'd been to Lakeland before, but I got us lost without the GPS or our map... Luckily we used the GPS on my phone. We took some pics and were headed back to our car when two buses pulled into the parking lot. We stopped and saw that players were getting off of the buses! They were returning from an away game.

We were kind of far away and sadly couldn't really id anyone definitively. Also we looked like mega creepers just standing there watching the players unload and get in their cars...

We're pretty sure that we saw Miguel Cabrera wearing a man purse get into a car with Ramon Santiago (since he can't drive after his DUI...). Miguel was watching us and staring at us at they drove away... We're also 99% sure we saw Austin Jackson go to his car. We wanted to get autographs, but weren't totally sure it was him, lost opportunity. Of course we immediately called Momma to see who had been at the game, but it was too late. But it kind of turned out OK that we got lost...

The next day we headed to our first game. The forecast called for a chance of rain :( But luckily the last scary, dark cloud passed over us just before the game started. We felt probably 5 drops total. Then the sun came out and there was pretty blue sky over the palm trees.

The Tigers have a sweet feature in their spring training park- The Berm. It is a grassy hill in the outfield that you can buy cheap tickets for and just sprawl out in the grass and watch the game.

Why yes that is me with my feet in the grass :)

The game was lots of fun too! The Tigers won with a walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth, pretty exciting for a spring training game!

Me chillin' on the Berm.

Lil Sis taking in the game.

Brandon, oh how I've missed you and your high socks since September.



Busta!!!



My boy, Clete :) So happy to see him back and healthy!!

The second game we went to we bought seats. They were great seats, especially if Inge had been playing third... Look how close we were, to Ramon Santiago... Plus you had to pay really close attention to sit there in case foul balls come a-flyin', so after a couple innings we moved back to the berm. Because sometimes you just want to relax in the sun with your feet in the grass.
The Tigers lost, but I got to see my main man Maggs- so it was all good-

Goal 2, Check, Goal 3, Check

As I mentioned here I am working my way through a list of at least 10 goals for the year 2011. Recently (well one of them not so recently...) I completed two more of my goals!

Goal #2- Complete an online teaching application by the end of February. I actually did complete this goal with a few days to spare. It was a very long process of filling in pages and pages of info, uploading resumes, cover letters, scanning my transcripts, scanning my transcripts again in black and white, looking up addresses and phone numbers for references, etc.

But it felt so good to have done! It felt even better to find out that the same company does applications for lots of counties and districts in the state. So when I started the subsequent applications it imported most all of my info from the first application. Now I've done the application for four districts/counties and have started a fifth! I am praying that if it's part of God's plan, these apps will help me get a job come fall!!

Goal #3- Finish the book The Me I Want to Be, by John Ortberg.

I was fortunate to hear John Ortberg speak at Big Sis and BIL's church last winter. I was very interested in learning more, so I bought his book shortly after I heard him speak. I started the book last summer. It was a great book, very inspiring and with lots of good food for thought. However, it is a meaty book, there's lots to think about and absorb and reflect on. Not exactly a lay on the beach/deck, easy summer read. So about halfway through I put it down.

But I've really wanted to finish it. I decided to start over and read it for 10-15 minutes every night before I went to bed. This gave me time to think and reflect without other things going on around me. I kept plugging away and a few weeks ago I finished.

It is a great book, which I really recommend. It is all about becoming the person you want to be, not the person others want you to be, and growing beyond the person you are now. I loved the section that talks about finding the flow of the Spirit in everything that you do and doing everything for God and that things that we would think of as un-spiritual, like listening to music or watching sports can be spiritual if we invite the Spirit into that part of our lives. It also talks about having your work honor God and making relationships a priority in your life. I also liked when he talked about finding the best way for you to spend time with God and that for everyone it's different. Not everyone becomes closest to God through reading the Bible or journaling or singing, we all have to find what works best for us. It is very inspiring and challenges you a lot. I'm probably not describing it very well at all, but it is a great, spiritual read. You can go here for more info.

I'm well on my way to completing my list of goals and it feels wonderful to check them off the list!

Rejoicing comes in the morning

The night before my trip to Europe I was kind of freaking out. I was nervous about traveling without anyone that I really knew. I was nervous about being away from my parents for longer than I ever had before. I was nervous about being homesick. I was very, very worried and basically bawling my eyes out.

Before I went to bed, I read my Bible, as I do every night. At the time I was working my way through Psalms and I was reading 1-3 chapters every night. That night I was on Psalm 30. I was crying as I read the words of Psalm 30:5, "Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning."

It was amazing. I felt God with me in that moment. I knew that he had planned things out so that I read that verse, just when I needed it that night. This knowledge gave me strength. God gave me that verse to comfort me and that reminded me of his omnipresence in my life and reminded me that he would always be there for me, even when I was far from family and friends.

The words of the verse also brought me immense comfort. They were just the words I needed- You might be sad now, but happiness will come later. You might be crying and homesick tonight, but once you're in Europe you will experience great joy. These were the exact words I needed, they gave me hope and let me see that there would be happiness and joy and wonderful experiences once I got to Europe and got over being sad about my family.

After I read that verse, I wiped my eyes, wrote it on an index card and didn't cry another tear until I hugged Momma good-bye at the airport. (God also gave me a wonderful comfort in the lovely Anne who I barely knew, but who put her arm around me and let me hang out with her family after Momma had to leave. I repaid the favor when her family left :)

Once we got to our hostel we had been traveling for about 24 hours and we were exhausted. We were annoyed because we didn't have storage in our rooms like we were supposed to, we were annoyed because our towels were small and our rooms were tiny, etc, etc. My roomies and I were getting upset and homesick and wanting to leave before our adventures even started. I pulled out my index card and read it to my roomies. I set the card out where we could all see it that night. I reminded them that while things might seem bad that night when we were jet-lagged and exhausted, they would get better and we would have wonderful adventures together, once morning broke.

I was so grateful that God had given me that verse so that I could share it with my roomies. I'm not sure that they were all very spiritual people, but they could see the truth in the statement regardless. It truly brought us peace that night.

It was one of those awesome moments that I always hear people talk about, when God teaches them lessons they need through the verse they read. I had never experienced it before this. It gave me such peace and assurance in God's plan for my life.

Paris part deux

Welcome my friends to Paris!


Here have a flower on me


Forget where you're from



You're in France, children, come



I'll show you that French joie de vivre



Paris holds the key to your heart



and all of Paris plays a part



Just stroll two by two



Down what we call la rue



Ooh la la....
Ooh la la....



Paris holds the key to l'amour




And not even Freud knows the cure




There is love in the air at the Follies Bergere.



The French have it down to an art,



Paris holds the key to your heart.


When you're feeling blue come to Le Moulin.



When your heart says don't, the French say do.



When you think you can't, you'll find you can can.



Everyone can can can, you can can too!


Paris holds the key to her past.



Yes, Princess, I found You at last.



No more pretend, you'll be gone at the end.


Paris holds the key to your heart.



You'll be "tres jolie" and so smart!


Come dance through the night.



And forget all your woes.


The city of light where a rose is a rose.


And one never knows what will start,


Paris holds the key to her heart!


The second half of our second day in Paris we visited Notre Dame. If you ever go there, please go to the side of the church and get in line for the gargoyle tour, you will not regret it. It costs like ten euros (the inside of the cathedral is free), but it is soooooooooo worth it. The view of the city is beautiful and you can literally touch the gargoyles! Fabulous.

Then we walked through the church, just as Mass was getting ready to start, so we decided to stay for Mass. It was incredible. I got a copy of the bulleting which had the readings in English and French. So I read that over in both languages to get an idea of what they would be about and then could follow them pretty well when they were read in French. It was an amazing experience!!

Sunday we hit the Louvre. Of course we saw our girl Mona and the Venus de Milo, which were wonderful. I really wanted to see Gnome with Snail after I saw it in the brochure, but it was kind of disappointing (it was my catboat...) Then we checked out a few shops and headed to the train station. Paris holds the key to my heart!!!

Paris, Ooh La La

One weekend while we were in the Netherlands, we took the train to Paris. It was a bit of a crazy trip, in that we almost missed our connecting train. As in we were those people, running through the train station, to hop on the train seconds before it pulls away.


Once we arrived we relied on my three semesters of French to translate for us. We couldn't find anyone who could help us navigate the metro, so we took a cab to our hostel. I was worried that the young cab driver would take us unknowingly to the wrong location, but he didn't :)

We had the most adorable hostel ever.






Our first night we had dinner in a nice French cafe. I used my mad French skills to translate the menu. Our young, French waiter and I had a moment when we combined our language skills to translate the world egg :)

Then we hit the metro, with help from some nice men in from our hostel, and headed to see the Eiffel Tower.

Why yes there is a random Asian guy in my picture with me. No big deal.



Why yes, when the tower started sparkling, our merry band of travelers did rush from underneath it to see the sparkling and get split up. Only to be reunited by a Frenchman in the midst of his bachelor party, where he was collecting kisses. We obliged with kisses on the cheek :)

The Eiffel Tower at night is seriously one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen. But a bit of advice, if and when you ever go to Paris. Go see the Eiffel Tower in the daylight first, because we saw it at night first and then it was a bit of a letdown to see it in the day, because it's so gorgeous at night...



See what I mean?


We met some lovely British boys on top of the Eiffel Tower. And enjoyed the view even though it was crowded, cold and windy!





After we made it back down, we had lunch at a fantastic Italian restaurant-
One of the waiters thought one of our girls looked like Britney Spears.

Then we headed to Notre Dame, but this post is already much too long, so I'll save Notre Dame and the Louvre for another day :)


P.S. I just remembered that I was going to have the lyrics to "Paris Holds the Key to Her Heart" do the commentary for this post... oops. I guess I'll save them for the N.D./Louvre post.