Obviously I'm Done With This Blog lol

So, this is Day Who-Knows-What and there's no way I'm going to catch up. Life got a little overwhelming in a good way. Instead of having time at home to blog about whatever, I was out living it. So, I'm done with this blog effort and actually have a new one. You can find it here:

http://offdutyeditor.wordpress.com/

Thanks!

Days 90-98 (May 12 to May 20): Old Habits Die Hard...

Yeah, as I'm looking back at my journal and such, I can't help but want to write about those days in a littl more detail than originally planned. There is just so much richness to the past few months that I don't want to forget! So, here I go, attempting to be somewhat more brief than I was before...Wish me luck...

Day 90 (Wednesday, 5-12-10)

As I said before, I talked with Rosina the day before (on May 11th) about working together on a more permanent basis. Well, on this day, she called me up to discuss it further. She told me that she's been looking for an assistant like me for awhile. One that she both gelled with and who she could build up her business with! Ummmm what??? This just literally fell into my lap and I could not believe what I was hearing. Rosina said she loves my enthusiasm, especially since her line of work has been a little draining at times. She's never paid anyone as much as me, but since I was paid a certain amount with the other photographer (who I don't work with anymore), it was only fair. Wow! I didn't even ask! 

We talked about a few things then, that aren't necessarily going to happen, since I have a full time job on top of this, but she still wants me to work with her. She has several weddings booked on yachts that she wants me to assist her on. As Sales Director, I will be doing things like talking to the head of that particular wedding (not the bride, but the wedding planner) about working more with Rosina, etc. 

So, that was huge. Another noteworthy tidbit is that I got a massage that day from my massage therapist (student) friend Risa. A good friend of mine also called me up out of the blue to catch up with me, which meant a lot. It's always so fun to banter back and forth and encourage each other as well. Furthermore, I went to Flanigans for the first time ever with my friend Jaclyn that day. We walked a good distance to dinner and it was just so good to catch up with her too. Oh yeah, and I also came back off my Facebook Vacation after a month. It was fun being welcomed back by my Facebook family. 

Day 91 (Thursday, 5-13-10)

I can't even begin to say how wonderful this day was. I grabbed coffee at Starbucks with my new (at the time) friend Ashley that afternoon. I met her through Book Club and was drawn to her because she had such a raw honesty about wanting to be part of a community of believers. I thought it was so beautiful how vulnerable that kind of realness was and knew I had to get to know her. Even now, months later, I still remember how nice it was to get together like that and chat for an hour and a half in Deerfield Beach. 

Later on, my Dad and I went to see Iron Man 2 and LOVED IT! Oh my gosh, I am a much bigger fan of Scarlett Johansson because of her role in that! Every actor was amazing, and obviously, Robert Downey Jr. is at the top of the list for me. He is just so dreamy! Oh man, and a great actor. Jon Favreau is an incredible director!!! Wow, and I loved whenever he was in a scene too. I am DEFINITELY going to have to own both the Iron Man movies. 

Afterwards, Dad and I had fun riding in his little convertible with the top down, listening to Rod Stewart in the gorgeous night air. It was just one of those feel-good times, you know? I love my dad so much. 

Day 92 (Friday, 5-14-10)

I am someone who likes others to feel included, and I mean myself too. So, I always appreciate and love when friends actually invite me out to do things with them. My friend Danny invited me to go to a Country Western Club called Round Up later that night with him, his sister, and co-workers. My friend Amanda and I laughed that it took me moving to Florida to go to a Midwestern type thing. I'm talkin', people were all decked out in plaid, cowboy hats, and cowboy boots. It was incredible! I had NO idea how to line dance, but this guy I randomly met there (who also had never done it), and I decided to go all out and make the most of our time there. So, while Danny was socializing with his co-workers, I had fun making a fool of myself out on the dance floor with all the other hard-core, experienced line dancers. 

I really appreciated Alison paying the $5 cover for me since I forgot to get cash on the way there. That was so sweet of her to meet me at the door and do that for me. I definitely appreciate things like that. 

Day 93 (Saturday, 5-15-10)
There were 2 very fun parts to my day. For the first part, I spent some time on the beach with my friend Emma. She came over and we just chilled under the cabana, while looking out at the ocean. It was far overdue since our last get together, so it was fun getting to know each other further.

Later that night, my friend Liz made a group of us a Haitian-themed dinner at her house. We spent about 5 hours eating a wonderful meal and socializing. I even got to look at her baby pictures, awww! It was also so fun getting to know Veer, who had just recently started to date my friend Erin.

Day 94 (Sunday, 5-16-10)
Though I had to miss church for it, I thoroughly enjoyed going to another photoshoot with Rosina. We went to a cute little place in Delray Beach called Tealicious to continue the Bat Mitzveh. It was adorable! One of the little girls was kinda bratty, but that's bound to happen statistically when you have a group of about 30 girls in a smallish space. I still enjoyed myself and the host let us eat some of the food too. Plus, I got to make up for a skipped church service by watching a church service online that my parents' pastor did (and had recorded).

Day 95 (Monday, 5-17-10)
For the second time, I went to Erin's school, but this time, not to read to kids. Instead, we painted sets for the upcoming musical she and her co-worker had put together. I had a lot of fun! It was nice to both catch up, and make things pretty :) Haha, plus, Erin is a very entertaining person to be with, so that's always nice.

Afterwards, I met my friend Alli at Dennys around 10:45pm because she had just gotten back in town from vacation. It had been way too long and we HAD to hang out! So we got together and chatted for a little over an hour.

Haha, one of my favorite details from the night was how I had TWO waiters who seemed to fawn over me. I'm not someone who gets a lot of that kind of attention, so I always enjoy it when it happens. Is that arrogant to say...?

Day 97 (Wednesday, 5-19-10)
Okay, first, can I just say that it was tough for my sometimes-OCD-side to skip over a day. I tend towards extremes where I'm either all the way, or not at all. But I did it!

Anyhow, I got to attend the children's play at Erin's school. The kids were so cute and I got a few cute videos of them performing. Afterwards, a small group of us (Erin, Liz, Katherine, Jon) ate at Cheesecake Factory, which is one of my FAVORITE restaurants.

Day 98 (Thursday, 5-20-10)
Oh my gosh, I was soooo late to a meeting with Rosina and some staff members at a hospital. I kept getting lost, etc. but she (and they) were soooo nice about it. I definitely felt unprofessional though. Ugh. However, once there, I enjoyed taking great notes and learning more about the breast cancer awareness fundraiser that Rosina is putting together with them. (She's a breast cancer survivor.) It's going to be INCREDIBLE! Oh man, I'm so excited about it. I'm pretty sure Carmine and Judy will be cool about me taking that first Friday in October off to do this. (Fridays are dead and I'm the only one in the office anyway.)

Afterwards, because of the resume she found on Monster.com, a woman named Randie called me up out of the blue about coming in for an interview. She works at a temp agency and found a great position at Kaplan University that she thinks I'd be good for. It was very spontaneous and I just went! She helped me clean up my resume and I learned a lot about what to include and what not to include if I want to be better noticed. So, even though someone else got the job, I am still very grateful for that meeting.

Before I found out that I hadn't gotten the job, one of the ladies I spoke with told me it was very important that I dress well for the first day if I got the job. So, I thought I had to buy some new threads, but as it turns out, my Mom had TONS of clothing that I had never glanced at, but which are really nice! (They're my work staples NOW at work.) She had some really nice pencil skirts and pretty tops that fit me perfectly! Oh man, it was amazing! It was also a ton of fun "shopping" with no money down. My Mom always comes through for me in big and little ways like that. Oh man, I love that woman.

It was a day of random incidents, what with running into both Liz and Andrea at "my" Starbucks in Pompano Beach. Liz sweetly paid for my order (at the last minute, so I didn't see it coming) and we all chatted for about an hour before I parted ways to get work done.

To end the day (back then), I have to give Jim a shoutout for the "Swagger Wagon" music video he posted on my wall that day. (From the Sienna Minivan family in the commercials.) Oh man, it was hilarious! It definitely brightened an already bright day. 

Finally Biting the Bullet or This is For You Jenn

About 3 months later, I am finally updating this blog. Once again, I more than considered letting the blog die. However, due to my kind cousin who is a regular reader, she told me I needed to write in this because she wants to know what's going on in my life. I absolutely LOVE that woman and it's mostly because of her that I have decided not to just give up on this blog goal.

However, it is NOT feasible to be nearly as detailed as I used to be on here. I need to just quickly update a chunk of the past at a time, rather than go through every single day I didn't blog about. As...fun's not the word...interesting as it would be to go back and investigate what all happened from May 12 through now, August 25, that's just NOT going to happen.

Let me just say that my life is DRAMATICALLY different now than it was where I left off. I really love and am grateful for my life. As a strange obsesser of lists, I will now create another one below of the things I'm insanely grateful for. They are definitely in no particular order.

1) My new job (as of 4 weeks ago) by the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale. I have an amazing amazing boss, great co-workers, and love the clientele.
2) My freelance job as an Editor. I'm only working with one client for now, but that's been an insane blessing in my life.
3) My job as a photography assistant to Rosina has picked up again and I'm also her Sales Director! Crazy!
4) A fantastic church with a fantastic pastor who constantly preaches tons of convicting truth.
5) Visiting the Manor Oaks nursing home in Fort Lauderdale. Those residents bless me to no end. They teach me new lessons each time I go there.
6) My relationship with Christ.
7) A wonderful family who I've really grown close to the past 2 years.
8) Freakin' amazing friends!
9) My car lease, which is the cutest little blue honda civic you've ever seen. Having a job enables me to actually have money to pay for it.
10) Living in Florida has been one of the biggest blessings of my life. I still can't believe that I get to wake up everyday to a view of the ocean and palm trees. Unreal. I choose to never get tired of this.
11) So many more things!

Okay, so I will take a few minutes to figure out how to go about updating this blog. There's a TON that happened and I don't really want to skip over the substantial stuff.

Laurs, out (for now).

Day 89 (Tuesday, May 11): My Golden "Birthday"

Day Eighty-Nine: My Golden "Birthday"

I am both proud and ashamed to admit that I became a Christian 11 years ago on May 11th, 1999 at 10 o'clock on a Tuesday night. It was after a fight with my brother back when I was in 8th grade. I have never been one to be good about going to bed early, and that night was no exception. I was reading when my brother Scotty came in to lecture me about staying up. (While he, of course, was awake telling me this, lol.) We fought a lot as kids and that night it was more of the same. When he left, I started talking to God. I told Him that I was tired of having NO control over my life, and that I wanted Him to take over. Simple as that. 

From that moment on, there were a lot of changes in my life, including my own physical appearance, desire to be outgoing, and ability to take stands (against people who tried to cheat off my work in school, etc.). I was also distinctly less lonely. I talked to God nonstop! It was so wonderful. 

I am so grateful for my relationship with Jesus Christ. However, I have also been very self-indulgent and self-centered. I'm not really being harsh; just stating a statement of fact. I have never really served others on a grand scale or in an ongoing or significant way. That's why I finally listened to God's quiet whisper telling me to get involved in my church and community. The day before, I emailed several ministries at my church, asking them about their department, including prison ministry, nursing home outreach and some others. By the end of the day, I decided to get involved with the Heart2Heart Senior Outreach in Fort Lauderdale at Manor Oaks. My Mom has a heart for the elderly, and after she made a case for doing that, and I spent some time thinking more about it, I realized it was the best ministry for me. I spent 3 summers in the nursing home with my Grandpa and my heart goes out to lonely residents who don't get visitors. 

This was a BIG day for me on several levels. I had been praying for a couple weeks about where God wanted me and what He wanted me to do. Back in January, I had started making my prayers more specific, based on a passage I read in Genesis as well as some encouragement from my brother. So, on Friday, April 30th, I asked God for a couple specific things: 1) Where was I supposed to be? (Korea, on a cruise ship, grad school, doing a publishing house internship for the summer, or stay in Florida.) 2) Please get me some income. I asked that He would reveal and provide for me by May 11. 

2 hours after that initial prayer, I got a call from a photographer named Rosina. I vaguely knew her through Monica (a photographer I used to work with), but had never worked with her or tried to. She asked me if I wanted to help her for a few hours on Sunday. Her assistant had backed out on her and she really needed someone for the Bat Mitzveh. She offered me a really good rate per hour, but quite honestly, even if she hadn't I would have been there. It was crazy how fast God answered and blessed me with that!!!! 

So, that was back on April 30th. Fast forward to May 11th when she called me last minute to help her with a beach photoshoot. It was planned during the time of my Bible study group, which I absolutely LOVE going to and being part of. So, my dilemma was whether to skip "church" (of sorts) for work. Rosina was in a bad spot since her assistant had again cancelled on her last minute. I didn't get back to her but consulted a few wise people about what to do. Val told me that it sounded like a good thing to do, as did my Mom. 

My friend Karl put it simply: Do you want to learn about the Bible or apply it? 

Wow. 

I called to tell Rosina I'd be there. And I'm so glad I did! Not only did we get done in time for me to make it to Bible study group, but I got my answer from God because of it! Plus, I got to spend over an hour on the beach with an adorable little girl in honor of her first communion. It was so fun because not only did I provide lighting, but Rosina had me tell Cassie how to pose! It was so fun showing her some jumps, carefree motions, etc. She seemed to like me too. And the weather was PERFECT! 

After the shoot was over, I told Rosina that I'd love to help out in any capacity, no matter how mundane it was. She told me that I was the kind of assistant she's been looking for, for awhile now. She said she liked my enthusiasm, rapport, and work ethic and that she'd love to use me more. She did put it out there that she needed to know if I'd be here for awhile or not, because she had once invested herself in a woman who flaked out and left her without any notice. I told Rosina that if I had a reason to stay in Florida, I would. She wants to build up her business and make her studio more well-known and would like me to help her. Wow!!!

As I said, I got to go to Bible study group too! It was so good on every level. We talked about who our neighbor is. Afterwards, I talked with an elderly man in our group about the prison ministry he's involved in. It was so nice talking to him for most of the post-Bible study and to really talk through what ministry I wanted to get involved in. However, as I already mentioned, I decided on the senior home ministry, and am sure that I made the right choice.

On the way home from Bible study group, I talked to my brother on the phone. Scotty said he thought I'd made the right decision to stay in Florida. He said that working with Rosina seemed perfect for me and that since it came out of nowhere, I should really run with it, the way I decided I should too. He said he thinks its great that I am going to help Rosina build up her business. 

I love my brother for several reasons, and his sense of humor and wisdom is certainly 2 of the reasons why. He hilariously pointed out that Mom and all her family had fled from Korea, and here I wanted to go there for a year. He said that I should instead save up some money and go there sometime (since I've never been there), and if I love it that much, go work there for a year then. (My friend Danny had basically said the exact same thing. How wise the people in my life are.) 

Lastly, I decided to reactivate my facebook account to practice moderation. It was fun taking a break for a little bit over a month, but it was definitely good to be back. I enjoyed the welcome back, as well as seeing some updates on friends all over the country. It just seemed like the perfect day to come back to facebook. 

Days 86-88 (May 8-10): Beach, Softball, Jupiter and the One Year Mark!

So, I did it again lol. Just as I was on the brink of catching up in my blog, I got preoccupied with life and stopped updating. Grr. But I guess it's good that so much has been happening. Wow, a whole heck of a lot has changed in about a months' time. So, whether you're ready for a long-winded post about some of my many adventures or not, here I go!

Shout-Out: 

Jennifer! You are so sweet and encouraging! I still smile in fondness at the recent conversation we had about how tired you were of seeing May 10 as the last time I'd updated!!! You're such a major cheerleader in my life and I love you!!!! So, these next set of catch up sessions are thanks to you! You got the ball rolling and I appreciate it tons! 

Day Eighty-Five (Saturday, May 8)
Oh wow, this was such a great day! Pretty much perfect. My friend Val came over and we talked for a couple hours on the beach before going up for some lunch at the poolside cafe. The staff was so good! I really appreciate the people who work at my condo because they're always so cheerful, professional, personable, and gracious. Since neither of us had money, they let us get the food and told me I could pay later. Wow! Then, Val paid me back enough for both of our meals! She's so sweet and generous! It meant a lot to me and I'm so blessed with generous friends like her!

After lunch, Val and I sat by the pool overlooking the ocean and chatted. It's so fun hanging out with her, and certainly relaxing during our time together that day. Oh man, it was so gorgeous out!

Sadly, Emma was supposed to come over to the beach. She had initially invited me to go with her to the beach, but then I said she should join my friend (Val) and I at the beach. She was going to, until she found out her car had a flat tire. What an annoying thing to happen on a beautiful Saturday!

After Val left around 1:30, I took a 3-hour nap, and completely slept through a thunderstorm, haha. I didn't even know it'd stormed out until I later rejoined Val and her sister-in-law Risa at the church softball game. I must say though, I like thunderstorms! I think they're cozy, as long as I'm not out driving in it.

So, as I said, I went to the softball game. It was the last one and a lot of different teams were there playing multiple games at a time. I ran into a lot of friends, like Scott and Zach who were both playing in a game. It was really nice out and there was some good food! I didn't watch the game so much as I took lots of goofy pictures with Val and Risa.

Awww, they're so cute! 

Ferocious growl? 

Monkey picking at Val's hair. LOVE her expression here!

The other cool part of that time was when a friend I hadn't heard from in awhile called me up to see if I wanted to hang out since he was in the area (versus Boca Raton). I gave him a "we'll see" answer and teased him that he wouldn't call like he said later on. I didn't end up being able to, but he surprisingly held up his end of the bargain and called to see if I could go. Despite not being able to go, it was still nice to not always be the one to plan things with my friends, but to be the one who is invited.

Furthermore, I saw a (really hot) guy who seemed familiar to me, but who I couldn't place until he was walking away. It was the guy who I'd seen at the New Year's party this year. He happens to look, or at least remind me of, David Boreanuex (sp?) from Bones (or Buffy the Vampire Slayer). I never have talked to him, but admittedly, I asked about him, haha. And he was sitting nearby for quite awhile and I didn't take advantage of it again! Grr. Oh well, it's probably just as well since I'm trying not to be so forward with guys in general. At the very least, it was a fun treat for the eyes for him to be there, lol. (Sorry; I sometimes channel my inner junior high self.)

After the game, I went home and spent time with my parents. I'm in love with the movie He's Just Not That Into You and have been wondering if my parents would like it or not. I'd hoped they would, and sure enough, they really liked it when we watched it later that night.

While I was watching the movie with my folks, I got a call from a woman I'd met in March. We'd planned on working together on book editing projects. She made a lot of ambitious claims, promises, and ideas, but never ever ever followed through on them. Not in the 2 months that we'd been in contact! I got fed up and wrote an email saying I didn't think we should work together. She called me within 48 hours asking me to reconsider. I got it in a voicemail. It was interesting that she actually tried to pursue me. I say "interesting" because when I proposed a contract that would protect both her and me, she never got back to me. (She had proposed a way-too-simple contract with low low pay, which is why I rebutted with my own contract with much fairer rates. That is what she never replied to. Good riddance I say. I just wish I woulda proposed that earlier and scared her off before I'd wasted all that time and energy on her. Oh well; live and learn.)

Day Eighty-Six (Sunday, May 9)

In honor of Mother's Day, we went to Jupiter to celebrate with our close family friends, the Shoemakers. They have a fantastic church that I always enjoy attending, so even though I hate missing my own church service, it's a good substitute, if I have to have one at all. 

Afterwards, we went to an "atmospheric" restaurant called Sailfish. The food honestly wasn't that impressive (the way people kept saying it would be), but it was still fun being together. Plus I had a (virgin) pina colada, which always makes things a little bit better. 

 

Afterwards, we went outside and posed with a blue pelican statue. Haha, surprisingly, it was all due to my cute mom, and not by my leading! 

In honor of 2 wonderful moms! 

Dad is so cute here! (Mom too, come to think of it.) 

There were 3 or 4 people sitting on benches across from the pelican who were really outgoing and encouraging. They kept applauding our "creativity" and cuteness. Haha, I love people!

Before we left for the Shoemaker's home. 

We spent the rest of the day at the Shoemaker residence. As usual, it was cozy, comfortable, and fun. We snacked and watched Old Dogs (which we'd checked out of Blockbuster video).

Afterwards, we ate dinner and then they offered to email a friend about our house (back in IL) since she likes good real estate deals. I tell ya, that family is always giving of themselves and trying to do anything to help us out, whether we're in need or just want something, haha.

I also had to say how cute and appreciated it was when Jaclyn texted me, telling me she wanted to take me out for coffee sometime that week. Awwww! I love initiators! It makes me feel so loved, because they (being friends in general) could be thinking about anyone, but they happened to be thinking about me and wanting to spend time with me.

I'm ashamed to say that at the end of the night, I kinda lost my cool. It was weird and just stupid of me. I embarrassed myself and my parents and I wish I could take it back. So, on the way home, my folks said some very true things about me while I listened. I actually listened to the very true things they were saying about me, and later apologized in a very sincere way. I'm so grateful for my wise parents who tell me things that I need to hear. And they, as they always do, forgave me immediately.

Day Eighty-Seven (Monday, May 10)

This day marked ONE YEAR since I stepped off a plane from Chicago, IL and became a Floridian. It was such a good day too. Not only did I revel at all the major changes in my life in a year's time, but I had some major convictions. 

During my Bible study with God, I realized quite a few painful things about myself. For example, I stopped ignoring how pathetic it is that I've been a Christian for almost 11 years and I haven't ever really been involved in a ministry. I decided it was time to start serving God and people. If I'm being completely honest, I've lazily been waiting around for some sort of lightning bolt sign of what ministry to commit to. I realized that it was time I just used my brain to finally decide on something! God gives us common sense after all. Think about this: Jesus spent most of His time (once He got into ministry) going from town to town telling stories, healing people, and living among the poor, needy, fatherless, and hated people of society. That was His ministry, and up 'til now, the most I've been able to say about myself is that I don't do drugs...which of course should be a given.

I love when God convicts me and am so thankful that He's so patient. Far too patient with me actually, haha. Thank God He is!!!

Another thing worth noting is my conversation with the Florida Peach Publishing president named Michele. She had contacted me back in March (as I think I've mentioned/vented about a few times) but hadn't really followed through on anything. She mostly just called me to tell me she'd soon do it, and never ever ever did. (Except the one time when she finally emailed me all of 2 pages of a book intro.) She had a lot of pretty words, but no action to show for it. So, as I also mentioned, I finally emailed her my frustration (politely worded of course) and basically resigned. She'd called me back, and I finally got back to calling her back. It was an interesting conversation...She again made a lot of hefty promises and said she wanted to work with me. She said she'd send me a contract the next day, which she did actually do, for once. That's where the good stuff ends, because it was a completely terrible contract offer, and so I replied by sending her one that actually paid me a FAIR price and protected both of us legally. (She offered to pay me $350 for 200 pages or more. That's less than 1 cent per word, and only $1.75 per page IF it's 200 pages. She was proposing I take that same amount for MORE than 200 pages. She must think I'm stupid...) I've done a lot of research and the least amount editors take is $0.02 per word. Sometimes they charge $0.10 per word.

Spoiler: I never heard back from her again. (Which means no more wasted times or hopes that were constantly raised with no fruition.)

Let me take you back to the phonecall we had. I'm dwelling on this because it's a strong example of how I've grown and come to respect myself.

For the 2 months we talked on the phone, I had always been super energetic, upbeat, and pleasant. But during this conversation, I was more grounded, calm-toned, and way less energetic. I wasn't as open or cheerful either, but just very business-like. Though I absolutely DETEST awkward moments or making anyone feel uncomfortable, I knew I had to show her I meant business and not just let her use nice words to sway me. I was definitely nice and civil, but there was definite tension. I could tell she wasn't used to this side of me. And it killed me, to be honest. She told me some exciting things, like that she had signed 15 more players over the weekend and wanted me to edit all their books. I didn't react excitedly as I usually would, because, she'd done this before with no action. Near the end, I politely asked her (for the 11th time) for a sit down meeting so we could get things sorted out. As I told her at one point, it'd been 2 months, so...But Michele just claimed to have been busy and that's why. Sigh...

Again, I mention this because it's a sign of my personal improvement. I usually am so desperate to make everyone feel good and to eliminate any tension whatsoever, that I laugh a lot and calm people's nerves, or whatever. Not that time. I politely stood my ground and kept reality in mind. And it's a good thing I did too. I only need to work for "an Omar" once ever. Michele might have been even worst than he was! So I'm glad I'm out of that situation.

When we talked on the phone, I didn't apologize for my straight-forward email but said that I didn't think it was fair to be told these things and not even have a contract. 

Days 81-85 (May 3-7): It's the Little Things in Life (Cliche that That May Be)

This has been a beneficial experience to be updating so many times since I had been in constant update mode. I am about to commence Round Ten, and then I will have just one more to go after that and be able to blog about PRESENT DAY on a daily basis. I'm so excited! 

One of the reasons I'm so pumped is that my doing this is a big deal. I've mentioned before that I don't like having to subject my readers - if there are any - to such long posts, but there's nothing I can do short of skipping it. I've let almost everything - if not every - sizzle out in time, no matter how excited I was in the beginning. My dad strongly encouraged me to keep it up since I'd made the one-year commitment, and I rose to the occasion because I knew he was right, and that it would be a wise move. While I was once over a month behind, I am now only a week behind. It's been kinda crazy documenting all the stuff that has happened. Not-so-secretly, I love that sort of thing, so it wasn't torture in any capacity. It's just been...busy work, I guess I would say. 

So, here goes Round Ten: 

Day Eighty-One (Monday, May 3)

Shortly after I woke up, I saw that Andrea had sent me a text message. She sent a text blessing my day and said she was grateful for all the amazing women God had brought into her life and that she loved us all. (I don't mind mass texts at all. I send out enough of them to people to know that being included can be one of the highest honors, haha.) It was a great way to start the day. Not being one to like texts going unreturned, I sent her one back, telling her how highly I thought of her and how grateful I was that God brought us together. She soon sent me one back saying how much she'd needed to hear that. I mention it because it's a good reminder of how important reciprocation and encouragement is to us all. (I know I've been ministered to whenever people have done that sort of thing to me.) 

When I woke up, I spent some mother-daughter time with my...well, my mom, and then spent some time reading from Exodus about the parting of the Red Sea while on the balcony. It was SUCH a great way of starting my day. 

Another seemingly mundane moment was one that made me really happy. I follow one of my favorite author's blog, and on her post for the day, she asked, "What makes you happy?" which I commented on. In response, I wrote, 

"I love the making lists thing! There are so many things, like Kathryn [wrote], that make me happy! Family reunions in IL (or anywhere really), eating healthy even though I kinda hate it too, getting personal email, pictures, clicking with new people, loving confrontations that end well even if not at the moment, nostalgia, scrapbooks, text messages, the word "book," flirting, living in Florida, gorgeous weather, the sound that typing makes, good hair days, massages, laughing til it hurts, good music, new episodes of Glee, Hulu which allows me to watch favorite musical numbers (in Glee) over and over and over again, hunky men who are in love with God, prayer, people who make me laugh, guys who wear hats well, weddings, pretty dresses, the sound of the ocean and breeze, justice, Christian authors, conviction, the color yellow, and more than I have room to add." 

It's the little things.

Other than what I've already mentioned, a large portion of the day is a blur, until later on when I left to meet Liz for our 7pm dinner at Tijuana Flats. That is, until Eric called to say his class had gotten cut short and would we be interested in meeting him and Jon for dinner at Chilis. I'm not a huge Mexican food person so that definitely appealed to me. (Ugh, everyone here really likes it. Admittedly, I like it more now than I did before, but it's definitely not my first choice.) So, I called Liz and we all drove to meet at Chilis. I was the last one there, and was happy to see that Erin was also there! The only bad part is that I couldn't hear Jon or Erin at their end of the (small) table so I missed out on a lot of the conversation. (There's only so many times a person wants to say, "Wait, what did you say again?") By the end of our 2 hours there, I definitely wanted to take a road trip with some friends, complete with one of Erin's roadtrip mixes. 

As we walked out, Liz and I got in contact with Andrea who had just finished up with Love Bags. (It's a ministry that, from what I understand, puts together bags of daily essentials for the homeless.) She and some of her team were at an Irish Pub in Fort Lauderdale, so we both made our way there to hang out a little more. It was so good too, because despite being in a (small) group, I still got some one-on-one time with both Andrea then Liz who were each sitting on either side of me. We were there from about 9:00 to 11:00pm. Afterwards, Andrea brought me over to her car and gave me a present she got for me in Mexico when she was there for her job. She told me that's one of the ways she likes to show love for the people in her life. I really appreciate being one of those people. 

It was such a good, and even necessary day of socializing. I am so blessed to be here. I love the people God has brought into my life and the various life changes He's brought on for me here, though some of them have been frustrating to go through at the time. 

Day Eighty-Two (Tuesday, May 4) 

There were so many great moments throughout the day, from the moment my mom listened to a radio program from WGNN that featured a family friend telling her testimony of how God saved her, to conversations before, during, and after Bible Study group. Oh man, and I was SOOOO blessed when my dad decided to put on the A/C after not having done so in MONTHS. It's not cheap to have it, but man, I've hated how whenever I'd put on makeup, I'd sweat it off seconds afterwards because it was so hot in the condo. (That stands out among other things, of course.) I hadn't dared ask that we do that, but was so thrilled when it happened anyway! I truly appreciate it, though the one thing I miss is the sounds of the ocean from our open balcony doors. Still, it's totally worth it, especially as summer approaches. 

I got a very sweet email from one of my new freelance employers, Rosina the photographer. She said she appreciated my enthusiasm from the Bat Mitzveh because she said her clients had been draining her lately. (I am genuinely excited too!) 

Bible Study was really great as usual. Some of my favorite things that we focused on were: 

"It's not enough to affirm certain things in Christianity (i.e. baptism, speaking in tongues, etc.) but to also RENOUNCE certain things too." 

"When we love God, we aren't burdened by obeying the Lord. It's like when we're in any relationship (romantic or platonic); we know the things that pleases the other person and we want to do them. It's not a hassle/burden." 

"Some people fall back on Christianity just in case they're wrong. If wrong about evolution, they return to dust, but if wrong about God, they go to Hell." 

Prayer was especially a blessing afterwards. People were more real in what they wanted prayer for. One person even asked that we pray for him because he's not even sure why he's there because he's going through some major doubts and anger with God. Wow, I really appreciate that kind of honesty. Another person even asked if it was alright for us to pray over him, which he said yes to. 

Afterwards, I usually take off pretty quickly, but this time, I stuck around and talked with Jaclyn, as well as stayed around while she made cupcakes for her students (and had extra leftover). I also got to help her out by doing some dishes, which was nice since she's the kind of person who tries to do the same for other people. 

Still afterwards, my friend Val and I left together then talked for a good 30 or more minutes in the parking lot by my car. It was sooooo good! We hadn't had a lot of one-on-one time before, so it was good to finally be able to do so. 

Lastly, I got a really sweet text message from my college friend Brandon telling me how much he appreciates about me. It was completely out of the blue but touched my heart to no end. It's a rare thing to get a text from him, and to get one so sweet as that was especially sweet. What a wonderful end to my day! 

Day Eighty-Three (Wednesday, May 5)

I have never celebrated Cinco de Mayo before, but when Andrea invited me to come out with some people in honor of it, I happily accepted the invitation. 

Before then though, it was a major catch-up day in terms of spending some much needed time with God. That felt amazing! I'll admit that I don't always spend time with Him and I always wonder why I don't do it. It's just better when I do spend time with Him. 

On a slightly less wholesome note, I watched and became obsessed with the newest episode of Glee ("Bad Reputation"). The main song I was obsessed with was at the end ("Total Eclipse") but they were all pretty amazing. But leave it to Glee people to make Vanilla Ice's song, "Ice Ice Baby" actually cool LOL. Oh man, and of course it was so great to hear them do "Can't Touch This" too. (The theme was making uncool songs cool again.) The plotline and character development was phenomenal as well, and we even got to hear some people sing who usually don't. (I love Arty's voice!) Sue Sylvester is probably my favorite character, oddly enough, and I loved seeing her interact more with her down-syndrome sister in the nursing home. I love that the writers have chosen to make her a whole character, rather than just a bad guy. And I can definitely say that this was the first time I actually liked Emma's character since for once, she wasn't just fawning over Will Shuester. Definitely a great episode. 

As for kind things others did, my friend Risa texted me that I could have a 1/2 off massage! (And they're already cheaply priced to begin with!) She's in school to become a masseuse and let me tell you, she is GOOD!! 

So, when I took off for Eric and Gabe's house (as the meeting point for Cinco de Mayo festivities), my GPS said that it was an invalid address. I've been there, but I was riding with Andrea so I didn't know how to really get there on my own. Gabe had typed in Delray Beach, but as I found out from Danny, it was Boca, as I'd suspected. I couldn't ahold of the 2 people I called before Danny (who lives near Eric), so I was especially grateful that he was available to help me figure out how to get there. After we figured out the mistake, he told me how to verbally get there, which is good since my GPS actually died before I got off the highway. The best part? I was early even. A guy named James who I haven't interacted much with was there, and it was fun getting to know him a little bit throughout the night. 

After Liz and Andrea got there and we watched some of the Red Sox game, we took off. Liz drove both Andrea and me as we followed Gabe. On the way there, I texted my friend Alli who is on vacation. I've missed her a lot and texted her as much. She texted back saying she liked my last blog entry! Awww so sweet :) That made me happy. I can't wait for her to get back!

To celebrate the day, we were going to hear Gabe's old band play at a lounge. They had a delay, so we met up with the other half of our group at Coffee District. I ordered an AMAZING new drink which is now my favorite new drink! Trust me, if you like sweet drinks, you need to order the Woodchuck Pear Cider. Oh wow, so good. I also ordered a chocolate chip scone in order to be sure I didn't get woozy. When it struck 10:30, we took off, but not before the guys paid for drinks. Aww. 

Afterwards, we went to hear Gabe's (former) band play. Before then though, we weren't too excited about the half-mile (or more) walk back, so 3 of the guys gave up their seats in their cars and let us women ride in James' car. Awww! I love chivalrous guys. Shortly after we got there, we enjoyed some free food and the band play. The lead singer can sing! Wow those pipes had me jealous. The coolest part was hearing Gabe "guest" on the drums. He was so good! (I personally think he was better than the new drummer.) We were there until around midnight. It was awesome, but I was tired. That is, until Liz and Andrea put on some N'sync lol. It was so fun singing along and I had no idea that I knew so many of the lyrics to some of those songs! Haha, we agreed that some of the guys in our group need to let Andrea choreograph them in a boyband song. (She did that back in college or so.) 

So, happy Cinco de Mayo (now 5 days ago). 

Day Eighty-Three (Thursday, May 6)

It was the National Day of Prayer, as well as my Aunt Kira's birthday. I hadn't realized that when I called her the first time that day. We talked about photography and briefly caught up before saying goodbye. She was so sweet! She's an incredible photographer who, if we lived nearby, I would ask her if I could intern with her or something. She told me that I'm doing well by working with multiple photographers and getting trained by them on the job. She said she thinks going back to school is somewhat a waste of time because I can learn so much more this way. That helped to hear. She told me the sweetest thing too! Aunt Kira told me that if it were her, she would hire me in an instant because I work so hard and have always had an affinity for photography. Wow, that meant the world to me. You would think it was my birthday! It wasn't until after we hung up that I remembered it was actually her birthday! So, my folks and I later left her a voicemail wishing her a happy birthday. 

Another wonderful phonecall was from my brother. We hadn't talked in awhile so it was especially good to hear from him! I love when people call me and aren't just returning my call. It was cool catching him up on my end, as well as hearing about his not-even-2-months-in-California life. He sounds legitimately happy and is doing so well there! I mean, he has a job as a waiter, is doing an internship in which he's the Assistant Production Manager, and is part of a new show called Team Spitz which will air sometime this summer or in fall. He loves his roommates and I think he's auditing some acting classes. Wow, he's really doing it and I am so inspired! I miss him so much, but it helps knowing he's doing so well and making things happen. 

Another hugely wonderful part of my day was getting started on a book project with my Mom. She's translating my Grandpa Kwon's book while I edit. We've been talking about doing this for awhile, and it randomly came up again. We finally decided to just do it! Oh wow it's so fun learning more about him. I've heard a lot of stories from him but they never quite the full version, so it was actually enlightening and so good to finally hear the full stories. When there was a missing segment, Mom took time out of her schedule to help me figure it out. I am so excited to get this book published. 

I don't spend enough time outside, so I decided to go out on the balcony to read my Bible and talk to God. Afterwards, I took a nap for awhile. I guess I needed it because soon after, I got really sick. I actually went to bed at midnight, so it was almost good in a way, haha. (I can't ever seem to go to bed before 3am.) 

Day Eighty-Four (Friday, May 7)

Yeah, so it was a way too laid back day. I woke up at 8am, which NEVER happens. (Though I napped later on.) Soon after, my mom showed me her idea to help me get more done, since being jobless tends to make me more lazy. It really seemed to help her since she's her own employer, so I decided to try it out on the following weekday. 

I later texted a friend who was going to a very important meeting. I asked her how it went and she said really well since she got to tell this person about God. (He's Jewish.) Wow! That impresses me so much. It wasn't the funnest of meetings for her, so to be able to tell someone about God in the midst of it is really cool. 

The rest of the day was largely spent in front of the computer catching up in blogs and other such things. I posted about 3 blog posts that day, which felt good, but was kind of exhausting. In the background, I watched D2: Mighty Ducks and D3, lol. The first one is definitely superior, but I still enjoyed it since it's such a nostalgic set of movies for me. 

Furthermore, I finally got back to Risa about the massage and am so excited to get my 50-minute session on Wednesday (the 12th). Oh. My. Gosh. I'm so excited. 

Oh, and I really appreciated when Andrea asked what I was doing that night and did I want to go to Veer's to watch some Bollywood movies. I turned it down because I had decided to use that day as my catch-up day. But it's always nice to be invited, for sure. It never fails to make me feel loved, I know that. 

Days 78-80 (Apr. 30 to May 2): Transitioning From April to May

I love how close I am to finally being updated! I'd say one more round after this should do it. It's been exhausting I must say. It was a HUGELY diverse weekend. So here Round Nine goes.

Day Seventy-Eight (Friday, April 30)
You may have noticed that I start "weekend" posts on Friday, even though I do in fact am aware of Saturday and Sunday being the only two days considered the weekend. But since I was in elementary school, I have always counted Friday-after-school-hours to be the weekend. After all, I could stay up late that night and sleep in the next day.

Anyway, I kept waking up between 9am and 12pm, after having taken Advil PM the night before. I just needed to get some sleep and hadn't been since quitting my job. I fell into the unfortunate habit of staying up until 3am, so I knew it needed to stop, thus the sleeping pills.

Speaking of how I quit my job, I spent a lot of time in prayer, asking God to please help me bring income in once again. I was very specific about when I wanted this to happen by (May 11), even though it terrified me to do so, once more. Well, less than 3 hours later, I got a call from the photographer who I'd met during my trial shoot with Monica. Her name is Rosina and she had a gig coming up in 2 days. Her other other assistants couldn't make it, and would I like to instead? Ummmmmm, what...?? This is literally 3 hours after praying for this very thing. God is so funny! Anyway, she later sent me the info for the Bat Mitzveh, and told me that if we worked well together, we could sign a contract to work together in the future. I told her how much Monica paid me and she took that into consideration.

I once more watched the episode "Home" of Glee, my new obsession. It again inspired me, sometimes to the point of tears. Cheesy of course, but true nonetheless. Kristin Chenoweth's performance is just so beautiful and moving. I love watching her perform because every note is filled with passion, which you can see in her eyes, body, and every movement. I kept thinking about what Mariam said before Book Club started. She was talking about Eric Little (from Chariots of Fire) and how he said, "I feel God when I run."

So, fast forward to later when Alison and I met up at Vic Park's Urban Brew Cafe. Alison parked her car and then we drove to Veer's place to meet up with Andrea and the host. We were there for 30 or so minutes, sipping on margaritas. We actually got into some pretty deep convos about bad relationships and such while eating chips and hummus. Found out something pretty surprising about Veer too! 

Around 9:45pm or so, Alison and I took off to pick up her car and then Ryan at Bamboo Flats. Both he and Alison had to be up at 6am the next morning to go to Miami, but she convinced him that he should come out anyway. She drove us to 1921, which used to be called Godfathers. We heard Ryan Alexander's band rock out harder than they ever had before. But Ryan, Alison, and I were in the mood to dance. We parted ways with Veer and Andrea who were gonna stay longer to hear her friend Miguel DJ. 

Sadly, dancing did not work out in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Alison is only 19 years old and they're really strict about being 21 years old in order to be let into the club. Not a bad rule to have, but frustrating nonetheless. It was still good hanging out with Ryan and Alison until about 1:00am. And thus was the end of April.

Day Seventy-Nine (Saturday, May 1)

The transition from April to May was quite nice. I had a perfect Saturday in just about every regard. I started the day on the beach with Jim, then Jim and Andrea. She came as a last minute thing, and I'm sooooo glad she did! She even asked us what we wanted from Jamba Juice so she could get it for us. When she got there, we all 3 talked, but mostly Andrea and me since Jim was immersed in his book Brothers Karamazov. Even though it was overcast, it was still nice out, so we women went out to the ocean and battled the better-than-usual waves while finally catching up one-on-one! Oh my gosh it was WONDERFUL! It was like old times, and we even continued our conversations after she and Jim both left, via the phone. 

I took a little longer to get ready for Jaclyn and Nicole's birthday bash, so I was glad when Alli was running late to get there and get ready with me. (She had to work that day until around 5 or 5:30.) She's the best and didn't even need me to meet her downstairs the way I usually do with everyone else. She instead came to me and then we got ready together. (I had been, but as I said, was running late.) She helped me with makeup because I was super frustrated by how I do mine lately. We were running a little late together, but it was just as well since people didn't arrive for the party until 30 or so minutes in. 

After fielding some dying-GPS problems and getting cut off from each other, we finally arrived at Christine's By the Sea around 7:30pm. We got there around the same time as the birthday women. It was GORGEOUS outside too. I wore one of my favorite dresses that I bought in high school. Haha, sounds like it would be terrible, what with it being so long ago, but it's very retro, and I got several compliments from some very stylish women, such as Jaclyn and Erin. Felt good to bring it back out again. We got there and found out that Christine's By the Sea and the Tiki Bar were 2 different things. Jaclyn wanted the Tiki Bar aspect, so we all found spots outside where a lot of older people were singing karaoke (really well!) and dancing. It was so cheesy but perfect.

It was cool seeing good friends, and making new ones, such as Marty. His name automatically made me like him as images of Back to the Future sprung to mind. I also enjoyed when he "rescued" Jaclyn's Dora the Explorer balloon. He seemed to be entertained by how excited Alli and I got by the prospect of splitting a Mudslide. (I don't know why I call White Russians my favorite drink when clearly the Mudslide is superior.) 

Gleeks

I had fun talking with various people throughout the night, including Zach and Danny Escalante who I hadn't seen in quite awhile. Team Zach-and-Laura-Planning-Party came together again and we decided we need to do another joint event soon. Yay! 

After awhile, we all decided that with no cake or dessert, we needed to fix that, so we decided to go to DQ. Except, it was 11pm and it was closed. McDonalds was open, but only the drive-thru. Haha, so I had my first "Junior High Experience" and ate ice cream in the parking lot of McDonalds, Sonic drive-in style. We were there for 2 hours, no lie. It was cool having girl-talk with Val for a lot of that time, as well as getting a few more pictures in there. Oh yeah! And I enjoyed the short drive-through McDonalds with Veer to get ice cream and such.

Haha! I love Andrea's impromptu role in this photo. 

I finally said my goodbyes close to 1:00am, especially since I had to be Rosina's photography assistant the next day at 11:00am.

Day Eighty (Sunday, May 2)

When I got home the "night" before, I just could NOT sleep! I didn't fall asleep until 4am, yet I woke up at 8am. Crazy. But it was nice because I was able to get cute in an unrushed fashion :) I also had time to freely talk to Andrea when she gave me a call at 9am.

It was a really hot day out, so it wasn't so fun wearing a black quarter-sleeve, black pants, and with my hair down while assisting outside. But every "painful" moment was worth it because I had an absolute BLAST helping out for 13-year old Shara's Bat Mitzveh in Boca Raton. She's a cutie! It was blazing hot, but I enjoyed applying the things Rosina taught me and interacting with Shara's large group of family and friends. After we got the portrait shots done, we went into Asia Restaurant to photograph people eating.

While inside, we got to hear people's tributes to Shara, and even heard a personalized version of Taylor Swift's "You Belong with Me" by one of Shara's good friends. Her friends and family put together a scrapbook with pictures, words of wisdom, and recipes. It was precious! And I also enjoyed the Rabbi's speech, as well as her cute mother's words of wisdom while her father recorded it all on video. I thoroughly enjoyed my 2.5 hours there.

Afterwards, I helped Rosina pack up her car, and we sat down to talk logistics. She said she liked how I worked and that she would love to work with me again. Yayayayyayayayay!!!

To celebrate, I appeased my empty stomach and went to Subway to eat lunch while reading a book. Then I went to the Barnes and Noble in Glades and chilled there. The thing that stands out there is how I got to tell off my ex online about what a scum bag he was for trying to cheat on his current girlfriend with me. He disgusted me and I let him know it in an all-too clear way.

Things were pretty chill from there. On the way out of the bookstore, my friend Liz and I planned to hang out the next day with Eric. After I got home, I gave into my exhaustion from little sleep and napped. As wonderful as that was, I felt bad about sleeping through the evening service I had planned to attend.

Two very wonderful women managed to cap off my overall wonderful day by communicating via phone and the web. First, Val and I sent texts back and forth between us, validating each other as friends. She is such a sweetheart and I'm so glad I know her! Secondly, Alli and I gchatted for awhile around midnight (which of course, is technically the next day, Monday) about how things were going for her, now that she was on her 2-week vacation.

So yes, it was most definitely a beautiful transition from April to May. 

Days 74-77 (Apr. 26-29): Mission Expo Week

It's hard to choose just one phrase to sum up these 4 days, but "Mission Expo Week" does a good job of it overall. So, here goes Round Eight:

Day Seventy-Four (Monday, April 26)

I would say there were a wide range of emotions throughout the day. In the first third of the day, I was super happy, and finally worked out again after over a month of not having done so. Mom has been inviting me to go pretty much all the time but I always turn her down. Not one to be discouraged by this sort of thing, she invited me once more in the afternoon, and I said yes. It definitely felt good to get back to it. 

Before going to work out, Pete and I texted back and forth about getting together since he was back from the Ivory Coast, Paris, and Switzerland and he wanted to catch up. That would definitely be in the happy category. 

Furthermore, I got a (mini-mass) update from a friend about some major happenings. That's all I'll say, except that I admire her so much for her bravery and optimism. 

Another email I got was from a friend who is teaching English in South Korea. We went to high school and I knew she was still there on her 3rd year, and that she would definitely be able to give me a good idea of the pros (as well as cons) of living there to teach English. She sent a really (nicely) long email about her input and answered my questions I had emailed to her 11 days before then. It was so helpful! 

Every other Monday night, I have Book Club with some wonderful women. If I haven't already said so, we're studying "The Lies Women Believe: And the Truth That Sets Them Free." It's been such a blessing and I really value that group. Our gracious host Mariam is so great. 

We conclude group with prayer, and let me tell you, there are a lot of intense prayer warriors in that group. Like I said, they're intimidating! One very serious prayer request was shared, and one of the women touched my heart when she started crying during prayer for this other woman in the group. She really felt the emotion and burden of her sister in Christ. 

Book Club went a little longer that night, and when prayer concluded, I got up to leave right away. I had intended on going to a bookstore afterwards, so that was my main motivation for leaving so quickly. On my way home, I got a text from Liz asking if I was okay, since I had been so quiet at Bible Study. Haha, here's the thing; I'm naturally a very quiet, introverted, shy girl. This is especially true in that group because I'm trying to take in all the insight these women have to offer on the book material, as well as they all tend to intimidate me (in a good way). So, whenever I leave group, someone asks me afterwards if I'm okay LOL. Aww they're so sweet. 

But here's the other thing: I was feeling emotional, and I suppose that was part of the reason I had to jet so quickly. As soon as Liz sent that to me and I read it (at a stoplight), I lost it. I just started crying harder than I had in a LONG time. It was scary in a way because it was the hypervenilating kind that often made me close my eyes from the hysteria of it all...If I wanted to keep my dignity, I probably shouldn't have shared those details, but the thing is, I'm glad it happened. (And also that I didn't kill anyone while my eyes were sometimes closed from the heaving sobs.) I had a lot of unworked through emotion that came through when a friend demonstrated that she cared about me. That "session" lasted for about 30 minutes or more. I drove to Borders but saw that I would only have 20-30 minutes to be there, and that it was pointless. Instead, I used that time frame to drive around on AIA, cry, and sort through my thoughts. It was a very good investment of time too, I think. 

Since my eyes were so red and blotchy from crying so long, I entered the condo with my back to my parents (who were watching 24) and went to my room to drop off my things. I manage to avoid them the whole night upclose until the evidence was gone. One of the things I did was do dishes. Unfortunately, I also broke one of two of Dad's favorite wine glasses. Ugh. He was upset at first, but pretty immediately forgave me. What a good dad. 

To conclude an interesting, emotionally exhausting day, I chatted with Alli and Ashley on gchat. I told Ashley we'd missed her at Book Club and we decided to make a coffee finally happen as soon as her finals were over. It was so cool talking to her! I have only met her the one time at our first Book Club, but she made an impression on me when she honestly shared that one of her reasons for being part of the Club was to build community with believers. Wow, that was so vulnerable! I liked her from that instant. And talking to her online made me like her that much more! There are so many wonderful women here in Fort Lauderdale. It was also cool chatting with Alli for awhile before she turned in for bed. 

She asked me how Book Club was and we discussed the things I agree and disagree with the author on. (Overall I agree, but not on everything.) We also talked a bit about Korea, which is helpful since she's travelled and lived abroad in places like Germany and Switzerland. 

Day Seventy-Five (Tuesday, April 27)

A friend of mine called me up in response to a mass text I sent out about going to 1921 bar this Friday for a show. It was good catching up and hearing about how things were on his end, and very sweet of him to ask how I was doing, since apparently I sounded down. (I am probably THE most transparent person these days. Or maybe it's always been that way and I'm only now realizing it.) 

I had a few great conversations via gchat once more. (I love that mode of communication!) One was with Andrea who asked the question that has become common among my friends: If I was okay lol. She wanted to be sure I was okay or if I was mad at her or something. It was so touching! I told her about being emotional the night before and then I quickly asked her about Friday. That was me trying to get away from the more serious topic lol, but to no avail. She probed more, which admittedly meant a lot to me. She even offered to beat up any guys if necessary LOL. As I told her, I love the guys in my life and there was no need. Before we ended the conversation, she made sure to tell me she loved me very much. 

Later on that day, shortly before I left to help volunteer for the Missions' Expo, I chatted briefly with Alli. Haha, to preface it, she and I have this ongoing, and entirely unintentional, thing of having awkward moments. It's become our thing and we actually embrace it now. So, after talking about a few other things, she started in with, "Oh let's get the awkward moment out of the way - I spell my nickname A-L-L-I ;)" Hahahaha, I had been calling her that for a little bit but had been spelling it A-L-L-Y which actually just made me think of country allies, for some reason. Awesomely, it wasn't too awkward after all, but just informative for me to know. 

Shortly afterward, I drove to church 5 minutes away and went to help set it up for the Mission Field in Our Backyard event (I know that's not the name, but it gives the essential idea.) I was there for a couple hours and teamed up with Alli, Val, Taylor, and others to set up the kids room. We made a cave with built in crawl space that I have to admit was AWESOME! Val is the mastermind behind it, I must say, but it was cool because all of us had the basic same idea as the other, so it was fun to collaborate. The kids there were so cute and helpful. It was fun working with them at times too. 

Alli and I had planned to meet for coffee afterwards for awhile. But the work wasn't all done when we took off at 9pm. Sweet Val took care of it all though. Thank God for people like her. (I do feel terrible about ditching...but it was kind of an emergency that I went with Alli afterwards. Sounds dramatic, but it's true...) Before we took off though, Val gave Alli the envelope that she, Jaclyn, and I all knew about and had contributed to as a thank you. We wanted to show Alli that it meant a lot to us for her to have included us in going for brunch at The Breakers. Alli was so touched that she almost cried even! Awww! She'd had a tough, tough day, so it was good timing for Val to have given it to her then. 

Coffee at Starbucks was so good! Alli tried to pay for my order with the Starbucks gift card, but I would not let her. We were there for a short time, but every little bit helps since she was going on a 2-week vacation soon after that. 

When I got home, I soon received a very sweet text message from my dear college friend Sara. She texted me just to say she loves me. Short and simple, but very effective and touching. 

This day was a great illustration of how important it is to surround yourself with good friends and people in general. 

Day Seventy-Six (Wednesday, April 28)

I really didn't do too much until meeting with Emma at Borders from 3:30-5:00pm. Before then, I watched the "Home" episode of Glee on hulu.com. Oh. My. Gosh. It was crazy beautiful as well as inspiring! The last number in the episode was just...wow, just incredible. Actress Kristin Chenoweth guest starred again and performed an incredible number from "The Wiz." (I haven't ever seen it but now want to.) There's something chilling about her singing and acting and it was fun seeing the character development from last time to now. Wow, I'm getting chills again just thinking back! I played that song over and over again and even went on the balcony to listen to it while I looked out at the ocean. 

As mentioned before, I met my friend Emma at Borders. We chatted for an hour and a half while sitting in the cafe. She is the cutest woman! She's on break right now, and has been taking advantage of sleep and the ocean everyday. It was so nice to have that woman-to-woman rendezvous.

Afterwards, I met up with Pete at the Missions Expo at 5:45pm. It was cool seeing the nice turnout and the transformed rooms that were filled with various booths representing all different parts of the world. The first one I went to was for Bangladesh that Alan was manning. I played a game of Memory with a little girl, which was fun. I was there for about 2 hours, and when I spotted Pete over by Turkey, we hugged and then went around to all the booths. He was really great about asking all sorts of questions from each set of people at the booths. I was less inquisitive, so it was good for me to be around someone who actually probed. It was a really good event. 

Near the end, I saw Jim at the Turkey booth. He was wearing the orange top that Andrea found for Jim when we all went shopping awhile back. I greeted him and complimented him on the shirt. In response, he said, "This really nice woman helped me pick it out." Awww. Haha, technically that person wasn't me LOL but still, the sentiment was there. 

Soon after that, Pete and I took off. It was only about 7pm, so we decided to go to his place and watch the hockey game that was on. It was a good game, though poor Pete's team lost. But I still enjoyed watching it with Pete and some of his Colombian "family." I do like hockey a lot actually (and am actually watching D2 Mighty Ducks - passively - as I write this), but haven't spent a lot of time watching any games since the live one I went to way too long ago. 

I took off around 9:45pm after the game ended, and got Pete to tell me my new nickname. (He insists that all his friends should have them.) He prefaced it by saying that it wasn't an insult or anything. The name he chose was "La Vache Que Rit"(pronounced "La Vash Kayree")  which means "The Laughing Cow"LOL. The cow part is what worried him. And for good reason! But not being one to think myself fat, that didn't bother me. He and I both noticed that it was a little bit like "Korean" so to us, it means, "The Laughing Korean" since we I love to laugh. True, I can sometimes take things in a sensitive fashion, but not for things like that, so I love my new nickname! 

When I left, he said to be sure I texted him when I got safely home. He lives in Davie and I wasn't sure how to get home, so he gave me good directions, which I followed to the letter. 

It was a great day and so good to see a friend shortly after he got back to the States. 

Day Seventy-Seven (Thursday, April 29)

This was a far more low-key day. My cousin called me up to chat once again, and once again, I have to give her a shoutout for being so good at keeping our relationship healthy and strong. She is so beautiful inside and out and I adore her! 

I also had fun on gchat with Erin. Her kids were in art class, so she had some down time when we spoke. I had invited a mutual friend of mine to Jaclyn and Nicole's birthday party, but he said he didn't know about it. Awwwwkwarrrddd! So I checked with Erin to be sure it was alright, and it was. (He was supposed to get an invite from his brother who was invited via evite.) I did disregard her wardrobe suggestion though ;) lol. 

I made a mistake when I didn't volunteer at the Mission Expo homeless dinner they hosted for 100 homeless people at my church. Instead of going to help with the manicures/pedicures, haircuts, and so forth before dinner, I stayed home. I really wish I hadn't. I heard it was an incredible turnout and that some of those homeless participants now attend our church. Wow, that's incredible to me. I love my church and the way they reach out to the surrounding community. It's such a beautiful thing. 

Thus concludes this look at Mission Expo Week.