It's been a long time! Quite a lot has happened in the past 16 months since I last wrote to you all - too much to write about in a small blog. If you want details, you'll have to actually talk to me :-)
I went home this past Christmas, and in talking to my sister (who blogs every day of her teaching week) I decided I should start blogging again. Plus, many of my friends from back home are asking that I start writing again. So here I am!
Life in Juneau is good. It's getting easier and easier to come back to Juneau after being in Riverside, but I still really wish my family was closer. I have a really solid group of friends here that have become my pseudo family - I am blessed!
I continue to be amazed at the beauty of Juneau. It is hard not to grow in your faith and grow closer to Jesus when you are surrounded by his beauty and grace! I'll admit, I still am not a big fan of snow, but it does make things very pretty!
The big event for this week was that I was asked to (and I did!) give my testimony at church during an event that my church calls Renewal. (Renewal is a weekend of a guest speaker comes and talks to the folks in church about a topic...ok, that was a really bad description, but that is essentially what it is. This year's speaker was a dude from Fuller Theological Seminary!) Let me tell you, I DID NOT want to give my testimony. I was dreading it and just unsure of what to speak about. Then I began thinking that I really didn't have anything to speak about - I'm just me - not that interesting, not a whole lot to say, you know...I know in my head that all of that is not true, but convincing my heart of that was a whole different story.
Luckily, like I said earlier, I have an amazing pseudo family here. They were all behind me and encouraging me all the way to when I walked on the stage. My friend Erik was especially helpful - helping me work out kinks, listening to me practice, giving me suggestions, praying for me, etc. I had quite the army with me!
I honestly don't remember anything from when I walked on stage to the time I walked off stage. I brought my notes up with me, but I didn't look at them. I also remember being at peace when I walked up there as well. I really wish I could remember what was said! Here's what I had written out:
I want to talk to you all about God's goodness and faithfulness in my life. But in order to understand where I'm at now, you need to understand where I've been. I was born and raised in Southern California - quite a bit of culture shock moving to Juneau - Holy Moses! I have two great parents who love each other and love Jesus, and who are an excellent example of God's love to my younger sister an younger brother. I was raised in a Christian home; I don't remember a time where we didn't go to church. My family and I are very close. We have had a lot of things happen to us that have caused us to grow closer to each other and closer to God. Growing up, I didn't need a whole lot of friends because I had my family.
But my story really starts when I was four years old. At that time, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Because of that, I had to stay in the hospital for about a week. Problem was that I thought, in my four year-old head, that when you go to the hospital, that you die. I was convinced my life was over. So I asked my dad what happened to people when they died. My dad told me that people who love Jesus go to heaven and get to live with Him forever and it is a really happy place. People who don't love Jesus and don't follow Him don't get to live with Jesus forever. They have to go to a sad place where there is a lot of hurt. Again, in my four year-old head, getting tons of shots and finger pricks every day was not pleasant - why would I want to go to a place where that went on forever? This was not a hard choice: I chose Jesus! At four years old, I didn't fully understand the magnitude of that decision, but God has been faithful in teaching me what that decision means every day of my life.
Fast forward a couple years. My dad was diagnosed with cancer. I don't remember a whole lot of my childhood because of that, but I do remember thinking that 1. Dad was in the hospital 2. People in the hospital die (even though I didn't...) and 3. That my dad loved Jesus, I loved Jesus, and so if my dad died, it wasn't a big deal because we'd be together with Jesus eventually. (To clarify, I didn't want my dad to die - I was 6 years old...this is how my brain worked...) Even in that situation, God was good and God was faithful - My dad is 20 years cancer free and I am doing well with my diabetes. The situations were not good at the time, but God was faithful and did not desert us.
Fast forward to high school. I had a "normal" high school. I know high school is never normal, but it was fairly normal to me. I was involved in volunteer stuff and youth group. But I still just had my family and close friends. I didn't need anyone else. It was also when I really felt that God was leading me to be a nurse. My family history of medical stuff, my love for medical stuff, I KNEW God wanted me to be a nurse. So when I was looking at colleges, I wanted to go to a Christian college with a good nursing program.
Enter APU. Loved college. However, the nursing program was brutal. But I was convinced that God wanted me to be a nurse, so I was going to stick it through. About 2 years into the program, I heard God telling me that I wasn't supposed to be a nurse right then. I responded that God was crazy and that of course I was going to be a nurse! This went on for a couple months. Finally, through a series of events that were none too pleasant, I switched my major to psychology. What was I going to do with psychology?! I didn't want to go to school for the rest of my life - this is not a good plan, God...
However, even in that situation, God was good and God was faithful. I graduated with a psychology degree AND a job! That's hard to do in Southern California. Problem: the job was in Juneau...
I visited Juneau after an APU friend had moved up here. I thought, "I could do this for a year - an Adventure in Alaska would be fun!" Right...Four years later, here I am. My first job was working grave shift and having Tuesday and Wednesday off. It was so hard to meet people and get involved with life in Juneau when I slept during the day and had two week days off. I began thinking that I had misheard God or that I had made a huge mistake - surely God didn't want me this unhappy. I needed someone to blame for my unhappiness, and God seemed like a good candidate.
I went on long walks and prayed and listened to music. I grew to love my walks. I remember praying for two things: 1. That God would send me a friend - anyone! and 2. That God would take away my loneliness for my family (still waiting for the answer to that one...). But God was faithful - he sent me my friends Crystal and Amy. He sent them right when I needed them - He is good!!!
I eventually switched jobs. I now have a job where I work M-F, and was able to get involved in church and start building relationships with people. I started going to Chapel, taught the little dudes, hung out with the big dudes, and joined a worship team. I loved every one of those things - it was a way for me to pour out the love and joy that Jesus had been giving me. He is faithful to provide! He is good!
However, now that I had time and energy to build relationships, when I began to do so, I was getting exhausted. When I get exhausted, I tend to forget to take care of myself, to listen to God, and just forget life all together. But in building those relationships, I now have people in my life who speak into my life - speak God's truth in a way that I understand. He has sent people to check in on me; to give me a verse to read; to make sure I am reading my Bible; to have me over for dinner. He meets me right where I am. Why? Because He promised he would, and He is a faithful God.
Whether or not things are going well or they're not going well, God is faithful. God is good. Always. He is the constant. I have seen it again and again in my life. My hope for you is that you are able to rest in the goodness and the faithfulness of God.
Blessings!
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Everything I Ever Needed to Learn (or need to continue learning)...
...I learned in Alaska!
Well, not really. But close! These last few months have been some growing ones, but in a good way. Let me explain.
1. I learned that there is no doctor in Juneau that truly understands Type 1 Diabetes. They all understand Type 2 very well - half the population has it! But since Type 1 is so different, it's been quite a struggle to find a good doctor. I think I FINALLY may have found one. I was super impressed with her during my first visit...I see her again tomorrow - here's to hoping!!!
2. I learned that going down stairs quickly (i.e. tumbling) is not a good idea. Picture this: Me, in heels, at the top of the stairs. Fast forward about .2 seconds and you will see Me at the bottom of the stairs, sideways, shoes and files scattered all over the place. I have no clue what caused the .2 seconds. All I know is that when all was said and done, I had a sprained ankle, sprained wrist, and a broken middle finger. Talk about an awkward finger to break! I was cleared to take the splint off after 2.5 weeks, which I happily did! Which leads me to 3.
3. I learned I am not a very good volleyball player - especially with a broken finger! Some friends and I joined a team (Lakeside Ladies) the first part of September. Out of the 24 or so games that we've played, we've won 2! But oh my goodness! It is such a fun game! I sit and laugh the entire time because half the team knows what they are doing and the other half has no idea what they're doing. I'm in the latter group. It is so much more fun to play than it is to sit out! (I had to sit out because of my finger for the first six games. I was not happy...)
4. I learned (or re-learned) that singing on a worship team is one of the most fun things to do! I joined one of the worship teams at my church. It's quite different from playing with Linda and Dad, let me tell you! The team we have is still trying to learn how to play together. With Linda and my Dad, we sit down and jam - no practice necessary! But it's so cool. I even got to use sign language! It's pretty amazing to be able to worship the Creator with a whole congregation! Love it!
5. I learned (and am continuing to learn) that Alaska is not my home. As beautiful as it is here, and despite the amazing friendships I have been able to develop, Alaska is not my home. I miss my home. I miss my friends and family. I miss the familiarity of Riverside.
6. I continue to learn that being human means you make mistakes. And I've made plenty! It's heartbreaking to see the people I care about make poor choices, or have other people make poor choices about those folks I hold dear. It saddens me to see the hurt people go through. It's sad to see a path friends take end in tragedy.
7. I learned that even though my life continues to be busy and hectic, that patience is not one of my strong points. I find the busyness helps to distract me, but that I am not a patient person. I want to get out of here. I want things to happen now, and not have to wait on anything or anyone. But that's not what God has for me now.
I'm reading through Genesis right now, and the story of Abraham hits close to home. He was promised to be the Father of Nations. But he was getting old, and he and his wife Sarah took matters into their own hands - they didn't wait for God. That's where I am right now. I just want to take things into my own hands and go. But as I continue to read, I read that DESPITE Abraham and Sarah's decision, God still blessed him with many children - he ended up becoming the Father of Nations. I hold that promise close to my heart. I'm still waiting. I'm trying to be patient. I'm trying to wait for God's timing, because deep down, I know it's going to be totally awesome.
8. Lastly, I have learned there is JOY. This whole blog has been nothing but complaining! Even in the trials, in the learning, in the pain, there is JOY. I look outside and see the leaves changing colors and marvel at the beauty of it. I go to worship practice, and my little friend Zach sees me, runs with arms open wide saying, "WORIE!!!!!" I get to hang out with some pretty sweet teens every Tuesday night. I am sleeping with fewer nightmares! God is good! All the time!
Blessings!
Well, not really. But close! These last few months have been some growing ones, but in a good way. Let me explain.
1. I learned that there is no doctor in Juneau that truly understands Type 1 Diabetes. They all understand Type 2 very well - half the population has it! But since Type 1 is so different, it's been quite a struggle to find a good doctor. I think I FINALLY may have found one. I was super impressed with her during my first visit...I see her again tomorrow - here's to hoping!!!
2. I learned that going down stairs quickly (i.e. tumbling) is not a good idea. Picture this: Me, in heels, at the top of the stairs. Fast forward about .2 seconds and you will see Me at the bottom of the stairs, sideways, shoes and files scattered all over the place. I have no clue what caused the .2 seconds. All I know is that when all was said and done, I had a sprained ankle, sprained wrist, and a broken middle finger. Talk about an awkward finger to break! I was cleared to take the splint off after 2.5 weeks, which I happily did! Which leads me to 3.
3. I learned I am not a very good volleyball player - especially with a broken finger! Some friends and I joined a team (Lakeside Ladies) the first part of September. Out of the 24 or so games that we've played, we've won 2! But oh my goodness! It is such a fun game! I sit and laugh the entire time because half the team knows what they are doing and the other half has no idea what they're doing. I'm in the latter group. It is so much more fun to play than it is to sit out! (I had to sit out because of my finger for the first six games. I was not happy...)
4. I learned (or re-learned) that singing on a worship team is one of the most fun things to do! I joined one of the worship teams at my church. It's quite different from playing with Linda and Dad, let me tell you! The team we have is still trying to learn how to play together. With Linda and my Dad, we sit down and jam - no practice necessary! But it's so cool. I even got to use sign language! It's pretty amazing to be able to worship the Creator with a whole congregation! Love it!
5. I learned (and am continuing to learn) that Alaska is not my home. As beautiful as it is here, and despite the amazing friendships I have been able to develop, Alaska is not my home. I miss my home. I miss my friends and family. I miss the familiarity of Riverside.
6. I continue to learn that being human means you make mistakes. And I've made plenty! It's heartbreaking to see the people I care about make poor choices, or have other people make poor choices about those folks I hold dear. It saddens me to see the hurt people go through. It's sad to see a path friends take end in tragedy.
7. I learned that even though my life continues to be busy and hectic, that patience is not one of my strong points. I find the busyness helps to distract me, but that I am not a patient person. I want to get out of here. I want things to happen now, and not have to wait on anything or anyone. But that's not what God has for me now.
I'm reading through Genesis right now, and the story of Abraham hits close to home. He was promised to be the Father of Nations. But he was getting old, and he and his wife Sarah took matters into their own hands - they didn't wait for God. That's where I am right now. I just want to take things into my own hands and go. But as I continue to read, I read that DESPITE Abraham and Sarah's decision, God still blessed him with many children - he ended up becoming the Father of Nations. I hold that promise close to my heart. I'm still waiting. I'm trying to be patient. I'm trying to wait for God's timing, because deep down, I know it's going to be totally awesome.
8. Lastly, I have learned there is JOY. This whole blog has been nothing but complaining! Even in the trials, in the learning, in the pain, there is JOY. I look outside and see the leaves changing colors and marvel at the beauty of it. I go to worship practice, and my little friend Zach sees me, runs with arms open wide saying, "WORIE!!!!!" I get to hang out with some pretty sweet teens every Tuesday night. I am sleeping with fewer nightmares! God is good! All the time!
Blessings!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Stop the World
This summer has been amazing in so many ways, trying in so many ways, exhausting and exhilarating in so many ways. I can't believe it is starting to come to a close...although, if you looked at the weather today, you'd say I was lying (at 10:30am, it is 61 degrees. It's supposed to get up to 77. It is so clear and bright, I am wearing a tank top and flip flops!) But, alas, school starts in two weeks, rain is coming, soon to be followed by freezing weather and snow. Remind me why I live here again?
Linda came to visit for three weeks. It was so sad to see her leave! But alas, I guess real life has to happen sometime...Here are some pictures:
We had so much fun exploring. Linda almost died on the mountain, but I'll let her tell you that story...It was very sad to see her go!
Since she left, I have been doing a ton of sleeping! I didn't realize how drained I was. I was always on the go, stressing about what my visitors were doing, trying to fit things in that I thought they would like to do. I really didn't stop and think about me. Not that I am a conceited person or anything, but I didn't have any down time. If you know me well, you know that I love my alone time. I haven't had true alone time since June!
My small group at church talked about the noise in our lives. Cell phones, radios, TV's, computers, traffic, people, etc. It's everywhere - it's near impossible to get away from. But we also subject ourselves to noise too. Where is God in the noise? Is He in the traffic, in the computer, in the phone? Or are we so busy that we forget to listen for His whisper? Do we tune him out like we tune other people out? I know I have. I've been so disconnected all summer from God - I've forgotten where to find Him - where and how to listen to Him. He hasn't gone anywhere.
Today is a beautiful day. Maybe it's a good day to go to the beach and reconnect with my Savior...
Blessings!
Linda came to visit for three weeks. It was so sad to see her leave! But alas, I guess real life has to happen sometime...Here are some pictures:
We had so much fun exploring. Linda almost died on the mountain, but I'll let her tell you that story...It was very sad to see her go!
Since she left, I have been doing a ton of sleeping! I didn't realize how drained I was. I was always on the go, stressing about what my visitors were doing, trying to fit things in that I thought they would like to do. I really didn't stop and think about me. Not that I am a conceited person or anything, but I didn't have any down time. If you know me well, you know that I love my alone time. I haven't had true alone time since June!
My small group at church talked about the noise in our lives. Cell phones, radios, TV's, computers, traffic, people, etc. It's everywhere - it's near impossible to get away from. But we also subject ourselves to noise too. Where is God in the noise? Is He in the traffic, in the computer, in the phone? Or are we so busy that we forget to listen for His whisper? Do we tune him out like we tune other people out? I know I have. I've been so disconnected all summer from God - I've forgotten where to find Him - where and how to listen to Him. He hasn't gone anywhere.
Today is a beautiful day. Maybe it's a good day to go to the beach and reconnect with my Savior...
Blessings!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Exhausted
So the last two weeks have been incredible and insane and fun and trying. Let's start with the parents.
Mom and Dad came the last week and a half of June. It was SO fun to have them here! We did all sorts of crazy things - boated to a glacier, watched it calf (spelling???), Ziplined, hiked, played games, and ate out a lot! Oh, and we went halibut fishing! Dad and I loved that, but Mom wasn't a big fan of that...I hated to see them go...there's a reason I've been wanting to go home!!!
Mom and Dad left on the 30th, and my very very good friend Laura came to visit on the 1st! Talk about turn around! The only sad thing about Laura's visit was that it was cloudy and rainy the WHOLE time...literally. But we still had tons of fun. I got to show her around so many places (without the amazing views) and we did the "tourist" thing downtown...We went to Taku Lodge, ate amazing salmon, and got to see a bear!!! We also did Juneau 4th of July festivities, although the fireworks were a day late... It was sad to see her go too - especially since the next day it was super sunny!
The rest of the summer will bring more visitors, but for now I have a little bit of a break. I miss you all and hope that you are all doing well!
Blessings!
Mom and Dad came the last week and a half of June. It was SO fun to have them here! We did all sorts of crazy things - boated to a glacier, watched it calf (spelling???), Ziplined, hiked, played games, and ate out a lot! Oh, and we went halibut fishing! Dad and I loved that, but Mom wasn't a big fan of that...I hated to see them go...there's a reason I've been wanting to go home!!!
Mom and Dad left on the 30th, and my very very good friend Laura came to visit on the 1st! Talk about turn around! The only sad thing about Laura's visit was that it was cloudy and rainy the WHOLE time...literally. But we still had tons of fun. I got to show her around so many places (without the amazing views) and we did the "tourist" thing downtown...We went to Taku Lodge, ate amazing salmon, and got to see a bear!!! We also did Juneau 4th of July festivities, although the fireworks were a day late... It was sad to see her go too - especially since the next day it was super sunny!
The rest of the summer will bring more visitors, but for now I have a little bit of a break. I miss you all and hope that you are all doing well!
Blessings!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Getting There...
As many of you I have a friend here in Juneau (I actually have a lot of friends in Juneau, but this story revolves around one...) who I've gotten close to over the last six months. We have a great time taking her dog, Murphy, for walks, going to the gym, trying all sorts of different culinary endeavors. This Memorial Day, we tackled the biggest adventure: New York City!
The idea started two weeks ago - literally. She began talking about different places she wanted to visit. New York came up. As we were sitting right there, I said, "I'll go to New York with you!" I was actually completely kidding. She said, "You want to?" "Yeah!" "OK, let's go!" Me: "Great! When?" Stacee: "How's Memorial Day weekend?" Holy cow! That's soon! The next day, I ask for two days off during Memorial Day weekend, and my boss actually granted it! I called Stacee and said, "We're going to NYC!!!" The rest of the story goes like this:
We don't have a plan. When I say we don't have a plan, I literally mean we don't have a plan. I mean, we don't have a map. We don't have a place to stay. We don't know what we'll be doing once we get there. We don't know how we're going to get around the city. We don't have a plan. When I call my Uncle Leo to tell him, "We're going to New York and landing in New Jersey (you should have heard the smile on his face) and then tell him we have no plan (you should have heard the doubt in his voice) he actually began to get very excited I was FINALLY going to New Jersey.
As I'm talking with my mom, she reminds me Becky (my cousin) lives in New York. So Becky and I start talking on Facebook. She offers us a place to stay (THANK YOU!!!!!!!) and offers to show us around a bit. Perfect! Our own private tour guide (no map needed) and a place to stay! Bring it on!
So we pack and get on a plane to get to Seattle, still no plan, mind you. We overnight at Seatac (Terminal A has the best benches to sleep on) and get ready to catch the flight to Newark. By sleep, I mean rest - I didn't sleep. With all the lights and the vacuums and people going from one terminal to the other, there was no way I was sleeping.
We “got up” at about 5 in the morning…actually, closer to 4:30 – we had coffee by 5 in the morning. We laughed at how terrible we probably looked from our rough night, but our excitement about New York couldn’t taint our mood at all! We got to the terminal we were supposed to be at, and luckily got on the plane (It was sold at capacity, but a few folks didn’t come, so we got on!). Before we knew it, we were off to New York!
As we were flying, about 3.5 hours into the trip, I looked out the window and saw hundreds – quite literally! – of lakes. I thought to myself, ‘We must be over MN....’ Sure enough, the captain came on and said we were flying over MN, and that we would be coming into some turbulence for the remainder of the flight. Man, he wasn’t kidding.
We continued flying, and I looked out my window and saw this massive body of water! ‘We made it!!! We’re here!’ is what I was thinking. However, our captain came on and dashed my hopes: “We’re now flying over Lake Superior – this is why we have all this turbulence.” They don’t call them “the Great Lakes” for nothing! My word, they were huge!!! And there were Thunder Bumpers everywhere. It made for an interesting ride…
So we arrived in Newark right on schedule (not two hours in advance like I thought originally…) and the adventures began. Oh man. Becky had given us directions on how to get to a place she had picked out to pick us up from. Problem was, we had no idea what we were doing, where we were going, or a map to speak of. We learned that the “people in red” are very helpful. Our directions said to get a train ticket from the airport to Penn Station. Great! How hard can that really be? So we see all these folks lining up at a kiosk that we assume is for train tickets. So we wait our turn, and the man in red comes over and gets our ticket for us and tells us to get off on the third exit, go down the stairs, and get on the train to Penn Station. How hard can THIS be? So we get on the AirTrain, and Stacee wants to get off at the first exit because there is a sign that said, “Penn Station this way”. I tell her to wait to get off at the third. She questions me but decides to trust me (good plan!) and we get off at the train station that leads us right to the train! We walk on, the doors close, and we’re on our way!
By this time we’re giddy with exhaustion and excitement. We’re in New York!!!! And we’re on a real train! With a man who punches tickets and everything! Our directions tell us we’ll be on this train for about 35 minutes, but to get off at Penn Station. We ride for about 7 minutes and the conductor comes on the loudspeaker and says, “Next stop Penn Station Newark.” Crap. Our directions don’t tell us if it’s supposed to be Penn Station Newark or not…not good. I try to call Becky, but she’s not answering. So we make a split second decision and begin to gather our things together. Another passenger looks at us and says, “You don’t want to get off here. Trust me. You want to get off at Penn Station New York.” Ok…I guess we’ll have to take this guys word for it. So we ride on.
We arrive at Penn Station New York (with no idea that we are under NYC…). Our next direction tells us to get a Metro card and get on train E. Metro card, no problem. Train E, a bit of a problem. What I didn’t know was that Becky uses “train” and “subway” interchangeably. Not helpful when you don’t know what you’re doing. So we’re looking for train E. There are plenty of signs for Subway E, but none for train E. So we call Becky, and she confirms that we want Subway E. So I tell Becky we’re getting on the Subway, and we’ll call her when we get to Jamaica Station.
We arrive at Jamaica Station, leave the subway and make our way to the street. Now, being a girl from the LA area, I know a little bit about places that are not safe. The area around Jamaica station was not safe. I There are bars on all the windows, trash on the street, and we are quite literally the only two white people on the street. Plus, we have baggage – we have targets on our backs that say, “TOURIST!!!” Stacee is super excited: “We’re in New York!” I haven’t had any sleep in about 52 hours at this point, and knowing how LA is, I know it’s a bad situation. So I tell Stacee, “Stacee, we are not having fun yet. We need to be paying attention. I need you to walk like you have a purpose, don’t be nice, and pay attention. I will tell you when we are having fun. Right now is not the time.” So I call Becky – she says she hasn’t left her place yet. Not a good thing. She tells us to go get dinner. I’m thinking, where are we going to get dinner? We don’t have a map, we’re in a bad part of town, and have no idea where there is food. Not good. We go in a Subway Station to get sandwiches (fitting, I know) and order sandwiches. As we are sitting eating, waiting for Becky to come, we get many stares (we ARE the only white people…) and a man comes in with a handful of pills that he offers the customers in the store. Like I said, not a good place…I finally call Becky after not hearing from her in 45 minutes. She said that she missed us and is turning around.
Long story short, kinda, We find Becky and begin our crazy adventure in New York…I’ll post more on that later…
The idea started two weeks ago - literally. She began talking about different places she wanted to visit. New York came up. As we were sitting right there, I said, "I'll go to New York with you!" I was actually completely kidding. She said, "You want to?" "Yeah!" "OK, let's go!" Me: "Great! When?" Stacee: "How's Memorial Day weekend?" Holy cow! That's soon! The next day, I ask for two days off during Memorial Day weekend, and my boss actually granted it! I called Stacee and said, "We're going to NYC!!!" The rest of the story goes like this:
We don't have a plan. When I say we don't have a plan, I literally mean we don't have a plan. I mean, we don't have a map. We don't have a place to stay. We don't know what we'll be doing once we get there. We don't know how we're going to get around the city. We don't have a plan. When I call my Uncle Leo to tell him, "We're going to New York and landing in New Jersey (you should have heard the smile on his face) and then tell him we have no plan (you should have heard the doubt in his voice) he actually began to get very excited I was FINALLY going to New Jersey.
As I'm talking with my mom, she reminds me Becky (my cousin) lives in New York. So Becky and I start talking on Facebook. She offers us a place to stay (THANK YOU!!!!!!!) and offers to show us around a bit. Perfect! Our own private tour guide (no map needed) and a place to stay! Bring it on!
So we pack and get on a plane to get to Seattle, still no plan, mind you. We overnight at Seatac (Terminal A has the best benches to sleep on) and get ready to catch the flight to Newark. By sleep, I mean rest - I didn't sleep. With all the lights and the vacuums and people going from one terminal to the other, there was no way I was sleeping.
We “got up” at about 5 in the morning…actually, closer to 4:30 – we had coffee by 5 in the morning. We laughed at how terrible we probably looked from our rough night, but our excitement about New York couldn’t taint our mood at all! We got to the terminal we were supposed to be at, and luckily got on the plane (It was sold at capacity, but a few folks didn’t come, so we got on!). Before we knew it, we were off to New York!
As we were flying, about 3.5 hours into the trip, I looked out the window and saw hundreds – quite literally! – of lakes. I thought to myself, ‘We must be over MN....’ Sure enough, the captain came on and said we were flying over MN, and that we would be coming into some turbulence for the remainder of the flight. Man, he wasn’t kidding.
We continued flying, and I looked out my window and saw this massive body of water! ‘We made it!!! We’re here!’ is what I was thinking. However, our captain came on and dashed my hopes: “We’re now flying over Lake Superior – this is why we have all this turbulence.” They don’t call them “the Great Lakes” for nothing! My word, they were huge!!! And there were Thunder Bumpers everywhere. It made for an interesting ride…
So we arrived in Newark right on schedule (not two hours in advance like I thought originally…) and the adventures began. Oh man. Becky had given us directions on how to get to a place she had picked out to pick us up from. Problem was, we had no idea what we were doing, where we were going, or a map to speak of. We learned that the “people in red” are very helpful. Our directions said to get a train ticket from the airport to Penn Station. Great! How hard can that really be? So we see all these folks lining up at a kiosk that we assume is for train tickets. So we wait our turn, and the man in red comes over and gets our ticket for us and tells us to get off on the third exit, go down the stairs, and get on the train to Penn Station. How hard can THIS be? So we get on the AirTrain, and Stacee wants to get off at the first exit because there is a sign that said, “Penn Station this way”. I tell her to wait to get off at the third. She questions me but decides to trust me (good plan!) and we get off at the train station that leads us right to the train! We walk on, the doors close, and we’re on our way!
By this time we’re giddy with exhaustion and excitement. We’re in New York!!!! And we’re on a real train! With a man who punches tickets and everything! Our directions tell us we’ll be on this train for about 35 minutes, but to get off at Penn Station. We ride for about 7 minutes and the conductor comes on the loudspeaker and says, “Next stop Penn Station Newark.” Crap. Our directions don’t tell us if it’s supposed to be Penn Station Newark or not…not good. I try to call Becky, but she’s not answering. So we make a split second decision and begin to gather our things together. Another passenger looks at us and says, “You don’t want to get off here. Trust me. You want to get off at Penn Station New York.” Ok…I guess we’ll have to take this guys word for it. So we ride on.
We arrive at Penn Station New York (with no idea that we are under NYC…). Our next direction tells us to get a Metro card and get on train E. Metro card, no problem. Train E, a bit of a problem. What I didn’t know was that Becky uses “train” and “subway” interchangeably. Not helpful when you don’t know what you’re doing. So we’re looking for train E. There are plenty of signs for Subway E, but none for train E. So we call Becky, and she confirms that we want Subway E. So I tell Becky we’re getting on the Subway, and we’ll call her when we get to Jamaica Station.
We arrive at Jamaica Station, leave the subway and make our way to the street. Now, being a girl from the LA area, I know a little bit about places that are not safe. The area around Jamaica station was not safe. I There are bars on all the windows, trash on the street, and we are quite literally the only two white people on the street. Plus, we have baggage – we have targets on our backs that say, “TOURIST!!!” Stacee is super excited: “We’re in New York!” I haven’t had any sleep in about 52 hours at this point, and knowing how LA is, I know it’s a bad situation. So I tell Stacee, “Stacee, we are not having fun yet. We need to be paying attention. I need you to walk like you have a purpose, don’t be nice, and pay attention. I will tell you when we are having fun. Right now is not the time.” So I call Becky – she says she hasn’t left her place yet. Not a good thing. She tells us to go get dinner. I’m thinking, where are we going to get dinner? We don’t have a map, we’re in a bad part of town, and have no idea where there is food. Not good. We go in a Subway Station to get sandwiches (fitting, I know) and order sandwiches. As we are sitting eating, waiting for Becky to come, we get many stares (we ARE the only white people…) and a man comes in with a handful of pills that he offers the customers in the store. Like I said, not a good place…I finally call Becky after not hearing from her in 45 minutes. She said that she missed us and is turning around.
Long story short, kinda, We find Becky and begin our crazy adventure in New York…I’ll post more on that later…
Sunday, June 6, 2010
NYC
As many of you know, I recently got back from a quick trip to NYC. Pictures are up on facebook, and I am working on a post for the trip on this blog...check back in a few days for more!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Lately...
It's been busy! So much has happened, but too much to write about in great detail...
Let me sum up:
-Job = Insane (on so many levels...)
-Preschool = 3 weeks more! Need I say anything else?
-Youth Group = all-nighters, prom, me speaking = AHHHH!
-Friends = doing well - for the most part...A couple are going through some really rough times.
-Family = the parents have adopted two kittens - Strat and Telly. They're super cute!!! I wish I could be there!
-Uncle Leo came to visit! Had fun showing him around Juneau, but kinda sad that it was so cloudy. Looking forward to the rest of that family coming in July!
That's about it! Short, and sweet, but a summary of life these past few weeks! Hope you all are well!
Love you!
Blessings!
Let me sum up:
-Job = Insane (on so many levels...)
-Preschool = 3 weeks more! Need I say anything else?
-Youth Group = all-nighters, prom, me speaking = AHHHH!
-Friends = doing well - for the most part...A couple are going through some really rough times.
-Family = the parents have adopted two kittens - Strat and Telly. They're super cute!!! I wish I could be there!
-Uncle Leo came to visit! Had fun showing him around Juneau, but kinda sad that it was so cloudy. Looking forward to the rest of that family coming in July!
That's about it! Short, and sweet, but a summary of life these past few weeks! Hope you all are well!
Love you!
Blessings!
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