Well another week has passed me by here in the Czech Republic, or the CR as we like to call it. Mostly just because it's easier to say. Unlike the language, which is sooo difficult! I butcher it like none other... but other people in my class seem to have the same problem so at least we're all in it together.
This week has been a difficult one for me, and the first time since being here that I truly just wanted to be at home. As some of you know, we had to put down Rusty this week. We found out he had cancer while I was in Paris with mom, and the vet said it had spread quicker than she had ever seen cancer spread. That was really hard for me, not just because of the whole idea of losing a pet, but the fact that I couldn't be there to be with him or even to say goodbye. A couple of my friends took me out to dinner and a movie the night they put him down so that I wouldn't be alone, and so I had a little bit of a distraction and wouldn't just be sitting there thinking about it. Of course, I did think about it, but at least I wasn't just sitting around by myself, and of that I am greatful.
In the sadness of losing Rusty, I did receive some news that helped to raise my spirits. My sister-in-law told me she is pregnant! I am very excited to be an aunt again! This good news couldn't have come at a better time. Hopefully this time I will be able to be there when the baby is born - when Hayden was born I was in Italy and didn't find out until I got home!
This weekend was fairly relaxed, which was nice after having such an emotional week. Yesterday I didn't do much at all, and today I just read a lot. I walked to a little pond I had gone running past the other day, which was nice. I started reading "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis this morning and I only have 1 chapter left, which I will finish before I go to bed. It's a great book, if you haven't read it, you should.
This week I only have 3 days of classes, then on Thursday we are leaving to go to Poland, where we will be through the weekend. I'm not sure what all we're seeing, but we are going to Auschwitz, which I'm looking forward to.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Budapest, Vienna, Paris, Amsterdam, Normandy - WOW!
Wow it has been a crazy 2 weeks of traveling! I'll try to keep it short & simple, as a regular e-mail would be quite long!
OK, so April 1st my group that I'm here with left for Budapest, Hungary. We were there for only 2 days, and it was pretty, but I don't think it's a favorite city of mine. Most of our touring was a walking tour around the city. We did however eat at this amazing little place that was known for it's desserts, and they were fabulous! We also went to a spa, which Budapest is famous for I guess, and that was nice and relaxing!
After Budapest was Vienna, where we also stayed for about 2 days. We went to the Treasury Museum, which was kinda boring, the Natural History Museum, and an older art museum. In the art museum we saw a piece of the wall that surrounded Babylon in 400 (I believe) B.C. during the time of King Nebuchadnezzar's reign. It was so cool, quite possibly the coolest thing I've seen on my trip yet! As our Vienna trip ended, our week of spring break began.
On Sunday I left for Paris and met up with a friend of mine who was one of my RA's the semester I spent at Berry College. It was so great to see her and spend time with her family, and she took me on a brief tour of Paris. We also had the best cup of coffee there was. And it really was, waaaay better than Starbucks haha. Monday I met up with my mom who flew in for the week! We saw Notre Dame & the Pantheon that day. Tuesday was our big day! We went to the Eiffel Tower (not all the way to the top - I was a little too freaked to go that high!), the Arc de Triomph, the Moulin Rouge, Sacre-Coeur, a cemetery where we saw the graves of Oscar Wilde, Chopin, & Jim Morrison, had some supper and went back to the Eiffel Tower to see it at night! On Wednesday we went to the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa (whose eyes really do follow you wherever you go!) but it was quite crowded and all the signs were in French, which honestly made it difficult for me to enjoy it. I learned I don't really have much of an appreciation for really old art by artists I've never heard of whose pictures are all of half naked people and all look the same. We went by the resturant Johnny Depp owns (!!) and also saw the Opera House, which as you may know is the place Phantom of the Opera, a favorite, is based on, so that was really cool! Now, if you go to Paris, there's 2 things you must try: crepes (with nutella is best!) and croissants. mmm!!
Thursday we got up super early and got a train to Amsterdam. I honestly must say I liked Amsterdam way better than Paris. The city was so quaint and the buildings were just so neat. And everyone, young and old, rides bikes! Plus all the canals just make it so beautiful! In Amsterdam we went to the Van Gogh museum which I LOVED! Although they didn't have Starry Night there, my favorite, the rest of his paintings there were just so beautiful, I think he's one of my favorite painters. We also went to the Anne Frank house, which was really cool. It's so sad to learn about all the horrific things that happened to those people and millions of others, but it was really neat to be able to be there. Friday we took a train to Harlem and went to the Corrie ten Boom museum which was also really neat, and went into a church whose organ was played by Mozart and Handel.
And on to Normandy we went! We went to the American National Cemetery there, I really loved that. It was so peaceful and beautiful, I wish we could have had more time there! And the museum they had there was very interesting. We went onto Omaha beach too, where the American's landed in the Normandy Invasion. Very cool.
Mom left really early on Sunday, so I spent the day alone since my flight to Prague wasn't until 8pm. And now here I am back at school, another week of classes ahead. I discovered a little dessert cafe here the other that has crepe like things with blueberries.. oh so fabulous!
OK, so April 1st my group that I'm here with left for Budapest, Hungary. We were there for only 2 days, and it was pretty, but I don't think it's a favorite city of mine. Most of our touring was a walking tour around the city. We did however eat at this amazing little place that was known for it's desserts, and they were fabulous! We also went to a spa, which Budapest is famous for I guess, and that was nice and relaxing!
After Budapest was Vienna, where we also stayed for about 2 days. We went to the Treasury Museum, which was kinda boring, the Natural History Museum, and an older art museum. In the art museum we saw a piece of the wall that surrounded Babylon in 400 (I believe) B.C. during the time of King Nebuchadnezzar's reign. It was so cool, quite possibly the coolest thing I've seen on my trip yet! As our Vienna trip ended, our week of spring break began.
On Sunday I left for Paris and met up with a friend of mine who was one of my RA's the semester I spent at Berry College. It was so great to see her and spend time with her family, and she took me on a brief tour of Paris. We also had the best cup of coffee there was. And it really was, waaaay better than Starbucks haha. Monday I met up with my mom who flew in for the week! We saw Notre Dame & the Pantheon that day. Tuesday was our big day! We went to the Eiffel Tower (not all the way to the top - I was a little too freaked to go that high!), the Arc de Triomph, the Moulin Rouge, Sacre-Coeur, a cemetery where we saw the graves of Oscar Wilde, Chopin, & Jim Morrison, had some supper and went back to the Eiffel Tower to see it at night! On Wednesday we went to the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa (whose eyes really do follow you wherever you go!) but it was quite crowded and all the signs were in French, which honestly made it difficult for me to enjoy it. I learned I don't really have much of an appreciation for really old art by artists I've never heard of whose pictures are all of half naked people and all look the same. We went by the resturant Johnny Depp owns (!!) and also saw the Opera House, which as you may know is the place Phantom of the Opera, a favorite, is based on, so that was really cool! Now, if you go to Paris, there's 2 things you must try: crepes (with nutella is best!) and croissants. mmm!!
Thursday we got up super early and got a train to Amsterdam. I honestly must say I liked Amsterdam way better than Paris. The city was so quaint and the buildings were just so neat. And everyone, young and old, rides bikes! Plus all the canals just make it so beautiful! In Amsterdam we went to the Van Gogh museum which I LOVED! Although they didn't have Starry Night there, my favorite, the rest of his paintings there were just so beautiful, I think he's one of my favorite painters. We also went to the Anne Frank house, which was really cool. It's so sad to learn about all the horrific things that happened to those people and millions of others, but it was really neat to be able to be there. Friday we took a train to Harlem and went to the Corrie ten Boom museum which was also really neat, and went into a church whose organ was played by Mozart and Handel.
And on to Normandy we went! We went to the American National Cemetery there, I really loved that. It was so peaceful and beautiful, I wish we could have had more time there! And the museum they had there was very interesting. We went onto Omaha beach too, where the American's landed in the Normandy Invasion. Very cool.
Mom left really early on Sunday, so I spent the day alone since my flight to Prague wasn't until 8pm. And now here I am back at school, another week of classes ahead. I discovered a little dessert cafe here the other that has crepe like things with blueberries.. oh so fabulous!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Snowboarding in the Alps!
Time for another update on the Adventures of Emily in Europe! This weekend we had a long weekend because of Easter, and what would be more fun than a ski trip to Austria? Nothing, really. Well, snowboarding for me.. I've always wanted to try it and figured the Alps would be a pretty awesome place to go. We left Friday by train.. 3 trains and many hours later, we arrived in Schladming, Austria. I must say it is probably the cutest, quaintest little town I've ever been in. It's also where Arnold Schwarzenegger goes skiing, fyi. After such a long day we were of course hungry, and proceeded to supper. The hotel served a 5 course meal, much fancier than I'm used to for sure, but it was good. The soup was some of the best I've ever had in my life! In fact, it was better by far than any part of the meals. The first night we had a vegetable bouillon, then potato leak, and the last night a mediterranian vegetable. mmmmm!! Also that evening, I had the opportunity to watch a little bit of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in German. Now many would say, what's the point of watching a movie in a language you can't understand, but when you know the movie as well as I do, I knew what they were saying anyway.. so that was kinda cool.
Saturday we hit the ski shop to rent our gear, and I signed up for a beginners snowboarding lesson. Given that I've never snowboarded before and really know nothing about it, I figured it'd be a good idea. So my friend Josh said he'd help me get to the right place for my lesson and I could hang out there and play around on the easy slopes and he could get on with skiing, since he's good and knows what he's doing. Well, we went up the wrong mountain.. instead, we came to the top of a 1,800 some foot mountain full of intermediate and above level slopes with a beginner slope here and there. And I had to get back down to the bottom. Now, never having been on a snowboard, I was a bit intimidated.. and I fell.. a lot. One such fall, my best one, involved a bit of a role and what I at first thought was a broken arm, as I could not move it. Fortunately though, I was able to get back up and the pain subsided for awhile. After 3-3.5 hours, we made it to the bottom! I was so relieved! I made it back to where I needed to be not too late for my lesson and learned how it was done. By that time it was already 3:30, and having the morning I had had, I was ready to call it a day when we got to the bottom.
Talk about personal growth, haha! I was pretty proud of myself for making it all the way down that big mountain, knowing absolutely nothing about what I was doing. By the end of the day my legs were on fire and my whole body ached, but it was soooo much fun! I definitely want to go again. My instructer was impressed with what I had done and said I was a really fast learner, so that was encouraging as well.
Unfortunately, Saturday night I must have eaten something that didn't quite agree with me, because I got sick.. and even more unfortunately I didn't get to go snowboarding the second day, due to the fact I spent most of the morning throwing up.. which was not fun. But I was feeling better by Sunday afternoon, and was able to walk around the town. And Monday we headed back to Olomouc, and classes began again today. And that's it!
Saturday we hit the ski shop to rent our gear, and I signed up for a beginners snowboarding lesson. Given that I've never snowboarded before and really know nothing about it, I figured it'd be a good idea. So my friend Josh said he'd help me get to the right place for my lesson and I could hang out there and play around on the easy slopes and he could get on with skiing, since he's good and knows what he's doing. Well, we went up the wrong mountain.. instead, we came to the top of a 1,800 some foot mountain full of intermediate and above level slopes with a beginner slope here and there. And I had to get back down to the bottom. Now, never having been on a snowboard, I was a bit intimidated.. and I fell.. a lot. One such fall, my best one, involved a bit of a role and what I at first thought was a broken arm, as I could not move it. Fortunately though, I was able to get back up and the pain subsided for awhile. After 3-3.5 hours, we made it to the bottom! I was so relieved! I made it back to where I needed to be not too late for my lesson and learned how it was done. By that time it was already 3:30, and having the morning I had had, I was ready to call it a day when we got to the bottom.
Talk about personal growth, haha! I was pretty proud of myself for making it all the way down that big mountain, knowing absolutely nothing about what I was doing. By the end of the day my legs were on fire and my whole body ached, but it was soooo much fun! I definitely want to go again. My instructer was impressed with what I had done and said I was a really fast learner, so that was encouraging as well.
Unfortunately, Saturday night I must have eaten something that didn't quite agree with me, because I got sick.. and even more unfortunately I didn't get to go snowboarding the second day, due to the fact I spent most of the morning throwing up.. which was not fun. But I was feeling better by Sunday afternoon, and was able to walk around the town. And Monday we headed back to Olomouc, and classes began again today. And that's it!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
week 2 is here
Well I have made it through my first full week and weekend in the Czech Republic! This past weekend we went to Prague, which is such a beautiful city! We had a 3 hour train ride before our arrival then headed over to our hostel to get all settled in. As this was my first time in a hostel I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but we stayed in rooms for about 6 or 7 people, and down the hall was bathrooms and a shower room for all the rooms on the floor. If you want an idea of our room, picture Annie, because that's pretty much what it looked like haha.
We walked around the city Friday afternoon and got to see the Astronomical Clock, the Old Town Square, a bunch of really cool looking buildings that I have no idea what they were, Charles Bridge, and the Lennon Wall. The view at the bridge was really pretty, you could see the castle and the whole surrounding area, and later we went in a tower there which had the most beautiful view of the city I saw while we were there. As a Beatles fan, I also really liked the Lennon Wall. During the communist reign here, which only ended 15-20 years ago, people graffitied the wall in honor of Lennon because his music gave them hope. Pretty cool. Later that evening while walking through the Old Square there was an orchestra playing the Beatles music, and that was just awesome, because who would have thought you'd ever hear that from an orchestra? Beautiful.
Saturday we went to the Prague Castle and Cathedral, which I must say was actually not that impressive. The castle just looked like a big building, not like what one usually pictures when you think of a castle. But the cathedral was gorgeous! I got kicked out of one of them though, because I followed a couple people from my group thinking we were going to another room I hadn't seen yet, and when I realized we were heading outside I turned around and the man said "no, no" and shut the door in my face. How rude! I later learned that the view from a tower in that cathedral was gorgeous, so unfortunately I missed out on that. After our group split we wandered around and guess what we found? Starbucks! It was huge, they had a bunch of rooms and then a whole downstairs area to enjoy coffee! It was great. We then wandered around to do some shopping, but unfortunately were unable to locate the 2 shops we had seen before. That night a few of us went looking for a jazz club we had seen, and although we didn't find it we found another one, so it was ok!
Sunday we went to the place I was most excited about - the Jewish Quarters and Old Jewish cemetary. One of the synagog's had the names of all the Jewish people from Czech who were victims of the holocost painted on its walls, that was really neat. Then we went to the cemetary. I believe it's about a square block and there are some 20,000 people buried there, because the Jews were only allowed to be in a certain part of town. Being there reminded me of going to the concentration camp in Austria when I was in high school. It's so hard to imagine the millions of people who were victims simply because they were Jews. It's just heartbreaking. We're going to Auswitz concentration camp in Poland in April, and I'm looking forward to that. After the Jewish Quarters we had a little free time then our 3 hour train back to Olomouc, which I slept most of the way as I did not get much sleep over the weekend.
This week we started our regular lectures, today was about the influence of the Czech media.. it was alright, but I hope they will get a little more interesting. Oh, and Happy St. Patrick's day to you all! St. Patrick's day was actually on Saturday here, because apparently the pope has power to change the holiday, which he did.. which is weird. But I wore green today anyway. And also took a 4 and a half hour nap. And had some falafle for dinner. What a great day, huh?
Oh, in reference to my last e-mail about the old ladies with crazy colored hair - I know what it's all about. During the communist reign, which hasn't been over too terribly long, women were not allowed to dye their hair at all, so now that they are able to they kinda go a little dye happy. But there's the 411 on that.
OK, Peace, love, and the luck of the Irish!!
We walked around the city Friday afternoon and got to see the Astronomical Clock, the Old Town Square, a bunch of really cool looking buildings that I have no idea what they were, Charles Bridge, and the Lennon Wall. The view at the bridge was really pretty, you could see the castle and the whole surrounding area, and later we went in a tower there which had the most beautiful view of the city I saw while we were there. As a Beatles fan, I also really liked the Lennon Wall. During the communist reign here, which only ended 15-20 years ago, people graffitied the wall in honor of Lennon because his music gave them hope. Pretty cool. Later that evening while walking through the Old Square there was an orchestra playing the Beatles music, and that was just awesome, because who would have thought you'd ever hear that from an orchestra? Beautiful.
Saturday we went to the Prague Castle and Cathedral, which I must say was actually not that impressive. The castle just looked like a big building, not like what one usually pictures when you think of a castle. But the cathedral was gorgeous! I got kicked out of one of them though, because I followed a couple people from my group thinking we were going to another room I hadn't seen yet, and when I realized we were heading outside I turned around and the man said "no, no" and shut the door in my face. How rude! I later learned that the view from a tower in that cathedral was gorgeous, so unfortunately I missed out on that. After our group split we wandered around and guess what we found? Starbucks! It was huge, they had a bunch of rooms and then a whole downstairs area to enjoy coffee! It was great. We then wandered around to do some shopping, but unfortunately were unable to locate the 2 shops we had seen before. That night a few of us went looking for a jazz club we had seen, and although we didn't find it we found another one, so it was ok!
Sunday we went to the place I was most excited about - the Jewish Quarters and Old Jewish cemetary. One of the synagog's had the names of all the Jewish people from Czech who were victims of the holocost painted on its walls, that was really neat. Then we went to the cemetary. I believe it's about a square block and there are some 20,000 people buried there, because the Jews were only allowed to be in a certain part of town. Being there reminded me of going to the concentration camp in Austria when I was in high school. It's so hard to imagine the millions of people who were victims simply because they were Jews. It's just heartbreaking. We're going to Auswitz concentration camp in Poland in April, and I'm looking forward to that. After the Jewish Quarters we had a little free time then our 3 hour train back to Olomouc, which I slept most of the way as I did not get much sleep over the weekend.
This week we started our regular lectures, today was about the influence of the Czech media.. it was alright, but I hope they will get a little more interesting. Oh, and Happy St. Patrick's day to you all! St. Patrick's day was actually on Saturday here, because apparently the pope has power to change the holiday, which he did.. which is weird. But I wore green today anyway. And also took a 4 and a half hour nap. And had some falafle for dinner. What a great day, huh?
Oh, in reference to my last e-mail about the old ladies with crazy colored hair - I know what it's all about. During the communist reign, which hasn't been over too terribly long, women were not allowed to dye their hair at all, so now that they are able to they kinda go a little dye happy. But there's the 411 on that.
OK, Peace, love, and the luck of the Irish!!
Hello from Czech!
Hello Hello!
Well I've made it safely to the Czech Republic! Our first plane from Omaha left Sunday morning, followed by a 6 hour layover in Memphis, TN. My dear parents picked me up at the airport since I had such a long layover, and we enjoyed the Olive Garden as well as Graceland. What a layover, huh? Our 8ish hour plane to Amsterdam would have been much better had I been able to sleep... but that doesn't really happen for me on planes unfortunately. We then had a short layover in Amsterdam, a plane to Prague, and finally a bus ride to Olomouc (pronounced a-la-moats). When we arrived we got our room assignments, unpacked, and after 2 days of traveling and barely any sleep, I went to bed!
The school here is much different than universities in the states. Our dorms, which are by the cafeteria, are across town from the classrooms, so we have to take the tram to class. The dorms are nice, a bit small, but nothing to complain about.. except the blood stains on the wall by my bed. Ew. We share a suite with 4 other rooms, and there's 2 bathrooms and a tiny kitchen. My roomate and I have met 2 of our suitemates, 1 Czech student and 1 exchange student from England who's been here for 4 years... both guys... which is weird, but they both seemed friendly. (It's ok mom, we never see them, don't worry!) There is also a girl across the hall, but we just saw her once.
Yesterday we had an orientation to Palacky (pronounced Palasky) University where we have a Czech language class and then a lecture (pretty much about their country, from politics to music, art, history, etc.) each day. I then took a nap, being quite exhausted, and later had my frist trip to a Czech supermarket, which was pretty much like Walmart. Got a few essentials -Nutella & bread and banana's. (Brit & Anna, I knew you would appreciate that!) We survived it pretty well, although there were a few times we had to watch people to learn how some things were done. We also walked through the local mall, which is much nicer than the one in Kearney. There's a cinema there, I'm sure we'll see a movie or two at some point. Then later we wandered about the city in search of a resturant and found a nice Italian place in the square.
Today we had our first Czech lesson, and let me tell you, this language has got some weird pronunciations! Hopefully we won't butcher it too badly while we learn it. Later we'll be touring the city a bit, getting familiar. Also, something I noticed just today but thought was interesting.. I've seen 3 old ladies today who had dyed their hair. Now normally, one would think, oh, some natural color right? Wrong! 1 had light blue and the other 2 light pink. And they were like 80! Weird.
OK, well I guess that's all for now, just wanted to say hello and tell you about my first few days in the Czech Republic! I have my mailing address here but it's up in my room where I am not, so I'll get it to you next time! Let me know what's going on with you, although I don't know how long it'll be before I respond I'd love to hear from you!
Well I've made it safely to the Czech Republic! Our first plane from Omaha left Sunday morning, followed by a 6 hour layover in Memphis, TN. My dear parents picked me up at the airport since I had such a long layover, and we enjoyed the Olive Garden as well as Graceland. What a layover, huh? Our 8ish hour plane to Amsterdam would have been much better had I been able to sleep... but that doesn't really happen for me on planes unfortunately. We then had a short layover in Amsterdam, a plane to Prague, and finally a bus ride to Olomouc (pronounced a-la-moats). When we arrived we got our room assignments, unpacked, and after 2 days of traveling and barely any sleep, I went to bed!
The school here is much different than universities in the states. Our dorms, which are by the cafeteria, are across town from the classrooms, so we have to take the tram to class. The dorms are nice, a bit small, but nothing to complain about.. except the blood stains on the wall by my bed. Ew. We share a suite with 4 other rooms, and there's 2 bathrooms and a tiny kitchen. My roomate and I have met 2 of our suitemates, 1 Czech student and 1 exchange student from England who's been here for 4 years... both guys... which is weird, but they both seemed friendly. (It's ok mom, we never see them, don't worry!) There is also a girl across the hall, but we just saw her once.
Yesterday we had an orientation to Palacky (pronounced Palasky) University where we have a Czech language class and then a lecture (pretty much about their country, from politics to music, art, history, etc.) each day. I then took a nap, being quite exhausted, and later had my frist trip to a Czech supermarket, which was pretty much like Walmart. Got a few essentials -Nutella & bread and banana's. (Brit & Anna, I knew you would appreciate that!) We survived it pretty well, although there were a few times we had to watch people to learn how some things were done. We also walked through the local mall, which is much nicer than the one in Kearney. There's a cinema there, I'm sure we'll see a movie or two at some point. Then later we wandered about the city in search of a resturant and found a nice Italian place in the square.
Today we had our first Czech lesson, and let me tell you, this language has got some weird pronunciations! Hopefully we won't butcher it too badly while we learn it. Later we'll be touring the city a bit, getting familiar. Also, something I noticed just today but thought was interesting.. I've seen 3 old ladies today who had dyed their hair. Now normally, one would think, oh, some natural color right? Wrong! 1 had light blue and the other 2 light pink. And they were like 80! Weird.
OK, well I guess that's all for now, just wanted to say hello and tell you about my first few days in the Czech Republic! I have my mailing address here but it's up in my room where I am not, so I'll get it to you next time! Let me know what's going on with you, although I don't know how long it'll be before I respond I'd love to hear from you!
Monday, October 09, 2006
i am so blessed!
Life has been so crazy lately... but recently I've been taking a step back to really look at some things, and I just wanted to share something I've rediscovered.
Since Levi's accident, one of the things I've really learned is how important relationships are. Whether it be with God, family, friends, or a "special someone," they are what get me through everything. I've learned a lot about making the most of my close relationships, but also that it's ok to let go of those that are just going to bring you down. I've began to understand how important it is to be able to truly trust and open up to people, and that it's ok if that group of people isn't your whole group of friends.
I feel so incredibly blessed by the people that God has put in my life. I'm much closer to my family now than I have ever been, including my family out here - I feel like I have 2 sets of parents, 2 brothers, and I'm going to have a 3rd sister pretty soon! I've got my best friend who's been through it all with me for over 17 years and counting. And I've got my group of close friends who I know I can trust and who I know will be there for me when I need them. They have brought me through the times where the pain feels like it can't ever end, to sharing the laughs and joys of life with me. I feel so blessed to have you in my life. You are amazing, and I love you.
Since Levi's accident, one of the things I've really learned is how important relationships are. Whether it be with God, family, friends, or a "special someone," they are what get me through everything. I've learned a lot about making the most of my close relationships, but also that it's ok to let go of those that are just going to bring you down. I've began to understand how important it is to be able to truly trust and open up to people, and that it's ok if that group of people isn't your whole group of friends.
I feel so incredibly blessed by the people that God has put in my life. I'm much closer to my family now than I have ever been, including my family out here - I feel like I have 2 sets of parents, 2 brothers, and I'm going to have a 3rd sister pretty soon! I've got my best friend who's been through it all with me for over 17 years and counting. And I've got my group of close friends who I know I can trust and who I know will be there for me when I need them. They have brought me through the times where the pain feels like it can't ever end, to sharing the laughs and joys of life with me. I feel so blessed to have you in my life. You are amazing, and I love you.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
something fun to do.
Alright, I've discovered a new thing to do that is super funny. The other night we watched "When a Stranger Calls." Not too spectacular of a movie, but it has its make-you-scream moments. The movie ended and we got back to the menu, and this time the word 'language' grabbed me. I thought, "hey, let's watch a "scary" part in another language.. how funny would that be?" We picked French, since it was the only language besides English to choose from (which I thought was kinda weird.. but oh well). Then we cut to one of the scenes with the girl talking to the creepy guy on the phone. It pretty much sounds like he's trying to seduce her. It's freaking hilarious. I think I'm gonna do this more often, just for kicks and giggles... but not just with scary movies, no, I'll try it with all of 'em. So you should definitely try that.
You should also try banana pecan pancakes. A-mazing.
You should also try banana pecan pancakes. A-mazing.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
a wee bit of catch up
Where to start, where to start… Em had her baby Saturday night! Tiff, Ryan, & I went to Kearney Sunday am to see them, and to bring Em some flowers & Daylight Donuts (mmmm!). The baby’s name is Benjamin Creed, and he is so precious. I know it’s kinda cliché, but I love babies… when I was holding him, it just felt like everything was good in the world, like nothing could go wrong. It’s amazing, don’t ya think? I cannot wait to be a mom. Far off in the future mind you, far off.
Later Sunday afternoon, my dear friend Ethan stopped in. He was passing through on his way home from LA & I convinced him that my aunt’s house was the perfect place to stop. People don’t get why I love it out here so much, but now I’ve got a witness. Ask Ethan & he’ll tell you that it really is a neat place. You should also probably come see it for yourself, you know, get the whole experience. And you can visit me while you’re here! Great plan! Anyway, Victor & Brogan also came out and we played Balderdash. If you’ve never played it, you definitely need to – it’s way funny. Not to mention that playing with Victor adds a bit more hilarity… because he comes up with the most random facts while playing. You know those books with titles like “1,001 Random Facts to Know & Share”? He should write one.
Ethan continued his yesterday am, while we headed out to GI to visit the relatives who live there. We played some pool at my aunts, and clearly I’ve lost my touch. The first game I don’t think I got a single ball in a pocket, and the second game got even worse. When we got home, Ryan & I dyed our hair – we’re now brunettes. Looks pretty good if I do say so myself. Don’t ask me why every adult in the house didn’t like the idea… why is dying hair a big deal? I’m really not sure. But we did it anyway.
Later Sunday afternoon, my dear friend Ethan stopped in. He was passing through on his way home from LA & I convinced him that my aunt’s house was the perfect place to stop. People don’t get why I love it out here so much, but now I’ve got a witness. Ask Ethan & he’ll tell you that it really is a neat place. You should also probably come see it for yourself, you know, get the whole experience. And you can visit me while you’re here! Great plan! Anyway, Victor & Brogan also came out and we played Balderdash. If you’ve never played it, you definitely need to – it’s way funny. Not to mention that playing with Victor adds a bit more hilarity… because he comes up with the most random facts while playing. You know those books with titles like “1,001 Random Facts to Know & Share”? He should write one.
Ethan continued his yesterday am, while we headed out to GI to visit the relatives who live there. We played some pool at my aunts, and clearly I’ve lost my touch. The first game I don’t think I got a single ball in a pocket, and the second game got even worse. When we got home, Ryan & I dyed our hair – we’re now brunettes. Looks pretty good if I do say so myself. Don’t ask me why every adult in the house didn’t like the idea… why is dying hair a big deal? I’m really not sure. But we did it anyway.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
my week in one page.
So it’s time for the new and highly anticipated (no, I’m kidding) post, perhaps some reflection of my journey thus far, eh? Well alright. Let’s take it from the top, shall we?
My mom, sister, & I left last Tuesday to come out to the beautiful state of Nebraska. My sister came up with the idea to bring food & stop at rest area’s to have a picnic lunch instead of eating fast food every meal, which was great because I love picnics and not so much fast food. We took a different route to get out here this year so we could see some new things, because that’s what we do on our trips out here. Makes it way more fun.
First stop – Graceland, Home of the King. Of Rock and Roll of course. It was really awesome. Now I’ve always been an Elvis fan, but after going to Graceland I have a much more profound fanhood (is there such a thing?) and deeper respect for him. I knew he was a good guy & such, but I had no idea how much he gave. I don’t remember all of it, but he gave so much money to so many charities. Sure, tons of stars these days give away lots of money to charities, but if you consider how much today’s celebrities make & how much of it they give away, to how much Elvis made & how much he gave away, it’s considerably higher. He was the highest paid performer of his time, and yet he gave more of what he received than any of today’s big shots. What a nice guy, huh? Plus his house is totally awesome, and all his accomplishments as an artist… you should definitely go there. Definitely.
Second stop – The Lorraine Motel in Memphis, where MLK, Jr. was assassinated. Another very cool place you should visit. It was closed by the time we got there so we didn’t get to go in the museum, but we still saw it. Did you know there’s a woman across the street from the motel who was living in it when it was closed down to be turned into a museum? She has been sitting outside the motel for 18 years and some odd days, protesting, with the thinking that having it be a museum is dishonorable to Dr. King’s memory. Can you imagine?
After stopping in Lincoln, NE for a few days to visit my uncle’s family, we headed out to the lake – my favorite place. My cousins band had a show Saturday night, so we went out to see that. (They are way awesome, btw, check out their website which is on my links, they are Refined). Ryan (my cousin) wanted me to take pics of them, so I went up to the stage and snapped away. I think my new favorite hobby is photographing bands while they perform. The mix of good/bad/weird/hilarious/stupid pics you get is awesome. You should try it sometime. Of course, it’s even better when you’re photographing a totally rockin’ band, such as Refined.
Sunday we spent the day on the lake, one of my all time favorite things to do. My uncle, cousin, & aunt came out from Lincoln too, so it was like a mini family reunion. We went tubing & swam most of the day. No water skiing unfortunately, but next time. To my sadness, the jet skiis are in the shop… hopefully they’ll get better soon cause they’re way fun.
OK, here is a question for you, my dear blog readers: if a friend left their car at your house for the day, but actually left if for 2 days, kept the doors unlocked and with a key in the ignition, would it not be extremely tempting to pull a prank on said friend? This is exactly what Ashlee & I did. I drove the car down to the marina & kept the key. Said friend showed up later to get his car when we were out to dinner & it was apparently “not a good time” to be pulling a prank. In reality, said friend was just being a baby. However, I drove his car to his house and left it there for him. I thought it was funny.. since I’m the kind of person who likes to pull fun pranks on my friends.
Well my dears, after a long post, I’m beat, and I’m sure you must be too, if you made it this far. Farewell for now.
My mom, sister, & I left last Tuesday to come out to the beautiful state of Nebraska. My sister came up with the idea to bring food & stop at rest area’s to have a picnic lunch instead of eating fast food every meal, which was great because I love picnics and not so much fast food. We took a different route to get out here this year so we could see some new things, because that’s what we do on our trips out here. Makes it way more fun.
First stop – Graceland, Home of the King. Of Rock and Roll of course. It was really awesome. Now I’ve always been an Elvis fan, but after going to Graceland I have a much more profound fanhood (is there such a thing?) and deeper respect for him. I knew he was a good guy & such, but I had no idea how much he gave. I don’t remember all of it, but he gave so much money to so many charities. Sure, tons of stars these days give away lots of money to charities, but if you consider how much today’s celebrities make & how much of it they give away, to how much Elvis made & how much he gave away, it’s considerably higher. He was the highest paid performer of his time, and yet he gave more of what he received than any of today’s big shots. What a nice guy, huh? Plus his house is totally awesome, and all his accomplishments as an artist… you should definitely go there. Definitely.
Second stop – The Lorraine Motel in Memphis, where MLK, Jr. was assassinated. Another very cool place you should visit. It was closed by the time we got there so we didn’t get to go in the museum, but we still saw it. Did you know there’s a woman across the street from the motel who was living in it when it was closed down to be turned into a museum? She has been sitting outside the motel for 18 years and some odd days, protesting, with the thinking that having it be a museum is dishonorable to Dr. King’s memory. Can you imagine?
After stopping in Lincoln, NE for a few days to visit my uncle’s family, we headed out to the lake – my favorite place. My cousins band had a show Saturday night, so we went out to see that. (They are way awesome, btw, check out their website which is on my links, they are Refined). Ryan (my cousin) wanted me to take pics of them, so I went up to the stage and snapped away. I think my new favorite hobby is photographing bands while they perform. The mix of good/bad/weird/hilarious/stupid pics you get is awesome. You should try it sometime. Of course, it’s even better when you’re photographing a totally rockin’ band, such as Refined.
Sunday we spent the day on the lake, one of my all time favorite things to do. My uncle, cousin, & aunt came out from Lincoln too, so it was like a mini family reunion. We went tubing & swam most of the day. No water skiing unfortunately, but next time. To my sadness, the jet skiis are in the shop… hopefully they’ll get better soon cause they’re way fun.
OK, here is a question for you, my dear blog readers: if a friend left their car at your house for the day, but actually left if for 2 days, kept the doors unlocked and with a key in the ignition, would it not be extremely tempting to pull a prank on said friend? This is exactly what Ashlee & I did. I drove the car down to the marina & kept the key. Said friend showed up later to get his car when we were out to dinner & it was apparently “not a good time” to be pulling a prank. In reality, said friend was just being a baby. However, I drove his car to his house and left it there for him. I thought it was funny.. since I’m the kind of person who likes to pull fun pranks on my friends.
Well my dears, after a long post, I’m beat, and I’m sure you must be too, if you made it this far. Farewell for now.
Friday, July 14, 2006
the first one.
Why not? Blogging is pretty cool.. so I hear. We'll see how long it lasts. Although I don't really know what to say at the moment. I feel like I've just met someone and we're still in that awkward phase of not really knowing what to say. After we get to know each other better perhaps there will be some deep, meaningful posts... but right now, you're still a stranger. I've gotta get to know you first... but keeping in mind that this is a blog, not a person... we'll see.
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