:: Life's a Sport ::

The Big 3-0

2011-10-10T12:05:00.002-05:00

Well…I did it, I turned 30. Not that I had any choice, but decided to step into this new decade as gracefully as I could and not dread it. And awesome friends and family made it the best birthday yet, so it’s definitely off to a good start.

I’ve been told by numerous people that my 30s will be the best decade yet. “The drama is behind you”, “You know who you are”, “Thirty, flirty and thriving.”

I am not ashamed of 30, I don’t feel 30 and many people would say that I don’t look 30, it’s just a number and I’m excited for this new phase of my life. 30 is where it’s at. After all…what was so great about my 20’s?

There is one thing that was great about my 20s: I found Jesus and got to know Him better. Granted I first met Jesus when I was 17, let Him be my Savior at 18, and started to know about Him at 19, but it was when I was 20…the amazing summer of 2001 when I started that personal relationship with Him and intentionally started to get to know Him and how much He loves me.

God has been protecting my heart for 30 years…even during those years when I had no idea how much I was hurting Him and sinning against Him with my selfishness and pride. Sure those who knew me back then could see that I have always been servant minded and had a heart for loving family and friends and would do anything for anyone…that was God all along and I never knew it. But the motivation behind those good works was so selfish. I figured that I could earn my way into heaven if I did enough good things. I was also doing those things because I wanted to be liked and accepted, I wanted to feel valued and not left out. I figured that if people needed me than they would keep me around. Human motivation. SELFISH MOTIVATION.

And although I do those same things…my motivation has changed because I know Jesus and realize that I cannot earn my way into heaven. I serve others to show them the love that God has shown me. To show them that there is something different in me, that I have been called to a higher standard. That when I don’t feel like doing something, or when I’m tired…it doesn’t matter, that I will put others above myself just as Jesus put me above Himself when He died for me. And if He was willing to do that for me…He has done that for you.

Jesus loves me and gave His life for me, not because of how good a person I am in the worlds view, or how many good things I do for other people, just because I am his creation…as you are (John 3:16). I now know and truly believe that I did nothing to earn His love, and that the forgiveness of our sins is a gift of grace (Ephesians 2:8-9), and nothing that I could do could make him love me any more or any less. But think about it: If I could earn my way into heaven by the things that I do here on earth, then why did Jesus have to die? Jesus is the only way, the only truth, and the only life. No one will come to the Father but by Jesus (John14:6). No one gets to heaven unless they KNOW Jesus…not just know about Him (heck, even Satan knew about Him), but have realized and believed that we need to stop running from God, turn and run TOWARDS God, and all that He has for us.

“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” -Titus 3:3-7

So, yes…I know I’m going to heaven, not because I stop in the middle of a run to mow an elderly ladies yard, but because I have a relationship with Jesus, the creator of the universe, and the creator of you and me.

Do you have a relationship with Jesus? You can!

My friend Laura has written about how you can know Jesus in her blog, and I pray that you check it out. (http://laura-lewis.blogspot.com/2011/10/i-wish-i-knew.html)

With this faith, truth and love I willingly enter my 30s excited to see what else God has in store for me and hoping to share it with all of you.

Pride Strikes Out

2011-05-24T13:17:00.004-05:00

Those who know me best know that I thrive on competition, I mean…just look at the title of my Blog. But when I really look closely at the reasons why I love sports and competition, which I’ve done this week, they’re not great reasons…they’re prideful reasons.

Before I get into those reasons, let me set the scene for you. In October 2010 God allowed me to become a small group leader at Vintage (we call them “eGroups”) again. This was after a 10 month break from taking a break from being a leader. So now I have a new outlook on leading, or rather facilitating God’s leading, and have some awesome girls join my group. This past semester of eGroups has been an amazing one and I have been blessed by being able to see the transformation in 2 girls between January and now. (Now you’re somewhat caught up.)

For the past few summers I have played softball, soccer or both. It’s a great time to get outdoors, meet new people (most of the teams that I started on I didn’t know anyone), and get some exercise. And I figured this summer would be the same. I haven’t found a decent soccer team, so this year I was fine with just playing softball (and my knees and ankles were thanking me). I’ve been playing on the Chapel Women’s Softball team on Tuesday nights (the same night as Vintage) for the past 2 summers and having a great time…so why would this year be any different??

Because God wanted me to stay an eGroup leader, but not only that God wanted me to choose Him over me & my pride.

WAIT…WHAT!??!?

The greater lesson in this is that God wanted me to choose Him over my pride.

I know. It’s a hard pill for me to swallow…and not the automatic choice for me. But it is a choice.

Left up to me alone I would have chosen softball…and initially I did. I can pretty much convince myself of anything:

- There are only 2 girls left in my group and by June there might only be 1.

- I’m an inadequate small group leader at best and the 1 or 2 girls could flourish better with another eGroup leader

- It’s only for a couple of months

- I deserve a break

- I’ll do fine without hearing the message every week

- Maybe I can still meet with the girls after Vintage or another day of the week to continue the group and talk about God

But God, in the midst of this was gently tugging at my heart…not forcing me to do anything, but not letting it go either. And then I really felt the need to be honest with myself about why I wanted to play softball so badly:

- I am good at softball

- I want people to look to me to lead

- I want to be liked and accepted

- I can easily encourage and give advice

- I like the self-confidence I have on the field

- It’s not a challenge

- I want to be the hero

- I want to be praised

When I look at this list through the lens of all I have been learning about God, humility, sacrifice and pride that’s all I see: PRIDE, PRIDE, PRIDE, PRIDE, PRIDE, PRIDE, PRIDE. And it’s ugly. How blinded have I been by my selfishness all these years? But even that alone isn’t enough to convince me to do the thing that I know in my heart is right.

The real question that kept running through my head: “Am I choosing something easy like softball where I can rely on myself rather than something hard like eGroup and rely on God?”

So I prayed and sought God…secretly hoping that I wouldn’t hear from Him so I could not feel guilty about playing softball. And THE. VERY. NEXT. DAY. He gave me these verses while I was doing devotions:

PRIDE STRIKE #1: Jeremiah 45:5a (NLT)

“Are you seeking great things for yourself? Don’t do it!”

-- Ummmm…seriously God???…you lead with that!?! And if that’s not clear enough…

PRIDE STRIKE #2: 1 Corinthians 13: 4-5 (NLT)

“Love…does not demand it’s own way.”

-- When I committed my life to following Christ twelve years ago, I committed to surrender everything and demand nothing. Pride has demanded a lot over my lifetime, but no longer in this situation.

PRIDE STRIKE #3: Philippians 2:3-4 (NLT)

“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.”

-- I was doing exactly the opposite choosing softball. I was being selfish. I was trying to impress others. I was not thinking of the lives of my eGroup girls as better than myself. I was looking out for my own interests…Yup, God…you got me.

Honestly, this is one of the hardest decisions I have had to make in a LONG time. And even after God so directly spoke to me through His Word, I tried to convince myself otherwise. But finally, FINALLY…for once I was more afraid of letting God down by not obeying Him than I was about letting my team & coach down.

Softball was about me. Sports, for the most part, were always about me being good enough so that people liked me and wanted to be my friend. And now God is teaching me to lay down my life, my wants, my desires for the sake of others, for those girls in my eGroup. Whether people like me or not is no longer my concern, what only concerns me is what God thinks about me, and choosing to obey Him.

And even through this painful choice that goes against everything I was for the past 30 years I am encouraged.

“For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him & the power to do what pleases him.” – Philippians 2:13 (emphasis mine)

“God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” - Hebrews 6:10 (emphasis mine)

“Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor… And all of you, serve each other in humility, for ‘God opposes the proud but favors the humble.’ So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.” -1 Peter 5:2-6, 10 (emphasis mine)

I’m not saying that God is asking me to give up sports forever, but He is at this time so that for this time I can humble myself, love my eGroup girls, and choose to obey Him.

Pride struck out this once, but it’s not the end of the game. Pride will be up to bat again I’m sure.

But for this time…PRIDE, YOU’RE OUTTA HERE!

TGIF

2011-04-23T00:32:00.000-05:00

Thank. God. It's. Friday.

Thank God for the one Friday that changed the course of history.

Isaiah 53:1-6 (New Living Translation)

 1 "Who has believed our message?
      To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?
 2 My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground.
   There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
      nothing to attract us to him.
 3 He was despised and rejected—
      a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
   We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
      He was despised, and we did not care.

 4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
      it was our sorrows[a] that weighed him down.
   And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
      a punishment for his own sins!
 5 But he was pierced for our rebellion,
      crushed for our sins.
   He was beaten so we could be whole.
      He was whipped so we could be healed.
 6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
      We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
   Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all."

These verses have come up on three different occasions the past couple weeks, and when that happens, as a God fearing, Bible believer...you know that God is trying to speak to you. And boy did He....especially since i'm working through some self-reliance, pride & shame issues and double especially on this Good Friday evening.

While sifting through the layers of my past experiences, past sins pop up right and left...and most I have dealt with and asked forgiveness for...but there are a few that I seem to hold onto. Not because I'm not sorry that I have done them, not that I'm proud of them, but in some ways if I hold onto them and the feelings of guilt and shame that comes along with those memories...I feel like it keeps me from doing them again. Enter the sin of self-reliance. If I could fix myself...if the things that I have done (good or bad) impacted my future in heaven, if I can right all the wrongs myself, then why did Jesus have to die?

My pride comes into play..."I got myself into this, I can get myself out." Then self-reliance..."I don't need anyone's help." And shame..."I did this to myself, and I have to live with the emotional consequences and no one else ever has to know what I did." But then I look at the cross. The cross where Jesus died for all...ALL...of my sins: past, present, & future...and you'll find that God takes it a step further in vs. 5-6:

  "But he was pierced for our rebellion,  crushed for our sins.  He was beaten so we could be whole.  He was whipped so we could be healed.  All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.  We have left God’s paths to follow our own.  Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all."

Everything that we hang onto from our past, everything that we do not give to the Lord, everything that keeps us from being whole and healed is an insult to God. Jesus was beaten so we could be whole. Who are we, who am I to say that I know better than God does of how to handle my past and fix me so I can be whole again?? Who am I to say that "nope, Jesus...that beating wasn't necessary, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but I got this...you went through it for nothing...I like being in pieces." Seriously!?! I'm going to be so rough & tough, so selfish & stupid to say to the creator of the universe that he was wrong?? That I like being broken? The same goes for the next line too: Jesus was whipped so we could be healed. People...this isn't your typical "i'll-bend-you-over-my-knee-and-give-you-a-whippin'" whipping...this was a "whip-you-so-hard-your-guts-fall-out-and-most-people-don't-even-survive-this" whipping. Who am I to say "Jesus, that whipping was unnecessary...I like being broken."

Jesus suffered for hours on that Friday so I could be a complete person again. Jesus hung there on a cross and died so that I may know freedom & forgiveness...to cleanse us of our sins and one day live with Him in heaven.

Although I have had a relationship with Jesus for 12 years now, as long as I hang onto anything that keeps me from being whole & healed, my life will continue to be an insult to God. And I don't want that to be the case anymore. Relying on someone else is hard...surrendering you life in faith is even harder, but it shouldn't be when that person is the One who made the heavens and the earth. The One who provides all my needs, the One who has never let me down, the One who knows how many hairs are on my head and grains of sand in the world.

It's time to completely surrender. Jesus' efforts will no longer be in vain for my life.

Me, Myself & Pride

2011-04-18T21:52:00.001-05:00

I'm sitting here having a minor anxiety attack as I write...debating if I should write this blog, and how many drafts I have to write to get my words right.

Over the past couple weeks I have been asking God to show me ways that I need to change and to make clear to me the issues I need to address to help me grow and become more of a woman of God...and what satan has intended for evil, God is using for good...slowly and surely...I'm choosing to believe that He's using it for good.

PRIDE: it has reared it's ugly head again, and this time it has hurt someone other than me and that's not ok. It's a sucky situation, and I wish with everything that's within me that I could take it back...but unfortunately I cant and my only plan is to humbly move forward. But God new that this situation was exactly what I needed as a wake up call.

Left up to my own demise I would not change, I would fight it with everything that is within me. God knows this about me, and has put people in my life to help me see that change isn't bad, especially if that change brings me closer to God. But the last two years I have been on my journey haven't been easy...they have been challenging, but every once in awhile I am able to see some progress although I mess up...A LOT.

My pride is a defense mechanism, and a defense mechanism that I have fostered and strengthened for the past 28 years. It will not go away overnight and it won't go away with out a fight... And it sure as heck wont go away by just ignoring it. And lately I haven't been putting up much of a fight to get rid of it. Visualize me and my pride in a boxing ring going head to head. We trade punches, it knocks me down...I knock it down. Just when I think it's down for the count or when i get tired of fighting I walk away for awhile and go on with my life...but because I haven't actually killed it, it always comes back and cold-cocks me when I least expect it.

And so I fight, and will continue to fight because i made my pride as strong as it is and it should be my responsibility to defeat it, as long as I'm the only one getting bruised and hurt by my own creation i can handle it. Until last Friday when my pride punched my best friend in the gut. NOT COOL. A friend who has been in my corner for years fighting with me all along I allowed to be hurt by my pride...hurt bad.

And until now I have been blind to how many others my pride has hurt in the past...and how rotten and selfish it really is, how selfish and rotten and insecure I am. And to those people i have hurt, I apologize. My pride has always won because it convinces me that I don't deserve the help and will always have to do it alone. So the gloves are coming off...but the best part is that i am not fighting alone. I not only have my best friend in my corner, I have the Champion of the Universe, the Holy Spirit on my side, and have to rely on Him to fight the big fight.

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God." -Romans 8:26-27

What more will I sacrifice? What more will I miss out on? Who else will I hurt? Who else will i turn away? What opportunities to share Christ have i missed? And who have I turned away from Christ?

It's it time and am I able?

- to give up this control and finally let God have 100% of my life?
- trust He will kill all of my inner demons?
- let those self-made walls crumble to let new walls build up on Christ as the foundation?

But really...Who am I to think I have any control in all of this? If i've done anything it is to give Christians a bad name because of my stubbornness. God does not need me to do His work, but I do need Him.

"Let me put this question to you: How did your new life begin? Was it by working your heads off to please God? Or was it by responding to God's Message to you? Are you going to continue this craziness? For only crazy people would think they could complete by their own efforts what was begun by God. If you weren't smart enough or strong enough to begin it, how do you suppose you could perfect it? Did you go through this whole painful learning process for nothing? It is not yet a total loss, but it certainly will be if you keep this up!" -Galatians 3:2-4 (The Message)

God, I pray that my life is not a total loss for You and Your kingdom. I'm sorry for hanging onto my pride for so long and by that inviting Satan to have a foothold in my life. I pray that my relationship with You is restored, that my relationship with others be restored...ones that I have let my pride hurt, ruin or cut short because I was afraid of telling the truth or be anything less than cool and perfect. Because being humble and vulnerable is the only way that You will get the glory in the midst of my life and your grace will be apparent.

Humbled

2010-12-01T12:43:00.005-05:00

I started writing this to just a few friends, then decided to blog it to everyone because I think it's great truth:

Hey friends,

I just wanted to share some insight I got today while doing my devo's and doing some further bible study on today's "TEN" which was Isaiah 6:1-8. I'm really working on my pride and wanting to be humble in everything...so I came across a cross reference to Isaiah 6:1-8...it was Job 42:1-6 when talking about being humbled in the presence of God.

I use a website that helps in my study, and for certain scripture gives lessons and commentary to further knowledge. For your information the website is: http://www.bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Bible.show/sVerseID/13924/eVerseID/13929/version/NASB

The following is not my original thinking, nor my words...but they really hit home for me and I didn't even want to attempt to paraphrase them and make them my own. I have underlined that which stood out to me the most. They are the words of John W. Ritenbaugh:
==================================
[Job 42:1-6]
"This is the conclusion, the climax, of his long and detailed story. Now Job can see God. From the context, properly seeing God involves getting the self out of the way! As long as self was in his line of sight, Job judged God by his own perspective. Remember, we see what we want to see, what we are educated to see. So Job saw his own wisdom, his own works, and they blocked his view of God in His greatness. The carnal mind is trained to do this.

It takes great determination, discipline in study and in prayer, and meditation to break oneself of that natural, carnal mode of thinking. Even when we succeed, we have to understand that our vision of God still has to be constantly replenished—"day by day," Paul says (II Corinthians 4:16)—and upgraded, refocused, exercised, as it were, in the truth.

Job's case is particularly interesting. Job thought he knew God well, but he was painfully unaware that there was still much that he did not know. During his sufferings, he threw a great many direct challenges at God in an effort either to justify himself or to understand why he was going through this trial. Yet, God never directly answered any of Job's challenges! Instead, beginning in chapter 38, He leads Job to see his own insignificance in light of God's greatness. Most people do not realize that in the entire book Job never repents of sin. Sin is not the issue! The issue is that, despite Job's extensive knowledge of God, he did not see Him as all-powerful! He did realize that God alone puts down evil and brings to pass all of His holy will.

We can tell the real issue in the book of Job by what God says in chapters 38-41. God makes two speeches. It is not Job's self-righteousness—certainly apparent—that God addresses, but his questioning of God's justice in the governance of His creation.

When Job opens his mouth to speak in Job 42:1-6, it is to tell God that he got the point: God's purpose is all that counts! In addition, since He is God, He can bring it to pass. God has the right, the will, and the loving nature to do anything He pleases to anybody at any time—and good will result.

Do we believe that? A caution, however: A man as spiritually mature as Job did not—until the end of the book."
================================

We are all on our own journey. We are all in different places. And we all have different timings of each aspect, each season. Whatever may look abnormal when compared to the world's timing, is on course and perfect when compared to God's timing.

Our lives are not about fitting in to this world and doing things in the way and timing that this society does...it's about bringing glory to God. It's about being humble in His presence knowing that nothing is of us, but is all of Him...it is perfect, and is well with my soul.

We all know what God wants us to know at this point in our journey, but there is still so much left to learn...as long as we humble ourselves and let Him lead the way.

"He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way." -Psalm 25:9

"The LORD sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground." -Psalm 147:6

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. -Isaiah 55:8

Pride of Life

2010-11-23T00:26:00.000-05:00

I have a problem with pride…and if you look at your life hard enough, you’ll find you have some too. Of all of my downfalls, insecurities and “growth opportunities” (basically a nice way of saying how wrong and human I really am) dealing with my pride seems to be the one that is the most out of reach. The issue that I can’t seem to get a grasp on even to begin to address it and how it is holding me back from being 100% trusting and truthful in my relationship with Christ.

I used to think that pride was a good thing…especially since I pretty much compare everything to sports. “I have pride in my team”…meaning I am proud to be a part of the team… “have a sense of pride”…meaning be confident in who I am and what I’m doing…but the more I read and research the word pride and especially in a biblical context I find that it’s not a good thing at all.

James MacDonald defines it this way: “Pride is the attitude of heart which exalts itself above others and above God.”

Wow. So pride is not good. Crap. What have I been hanging onto all these years?? Yup, you guessed it things that I have done, my accomplishments, my awards, my talent, my intelligence…my. My. My. Me. Me. Me. And that’s when it hit me.

Pride is me, thinking that I have done it all on my own…that I should be proud of making it this far and rising to the top by myself, when in reality it was ALL GOD. It has ALWAYS BEEN God, it will ALWAYS CONTINUE to be God, and who am I to think otherwise?

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.”- 1 John 2:15-16

This doesn’t just go for sports and athletes, although that is the easiest way to visualize it for me….it goes for money, fame, social status, schooling, relationships, family…anything. Whatever we are, and wherever we are has absolutely nothing to do with us or what we have done, but what God chose to do in and for us.

I didn’t get into my college’s or high school’s sports Hall of Fames this year, and to be honest it stung a little that 2 women who were teammates of mine did. Their stats weren’t as good as mine were, they didn’t have the leadership skills I did, they haven’t given back to the respective alma maters they way I have….so why did they get in and not me? When I heard about both of these women’s inductions I got angry…why? Because my pride was hurt. I saw my earthly value wrapped up in the worlds view: an award, 10 minutes of public recognition, and being one of a select group. I valued that more than what God has done in me and for me throughout those years playing soccer and the years since.

But then I realized it was God who gave me the abilities to play soccer, to lead, run, breathe, communicate, encourage, and love my teammates…and it’s ultimately soccer that introduced me to my best friends, who in turn introduced me to Christ. HE was working through it all despite my pride and my selfishness.

So are we, who are so full of pride, hopeless? Naaaaaaaaaa, and that’s the amazing part of it all.

"And those who walk in pride he is able to humble." –Daniel 4:37

Once we realize what the heart issue is behind our pride, we can start to let God deal with it. And honestly the most amazing part is that God is able to humble us, it’s nothing we have to do on our own…because again if we were able to do it on our own we would never truly get rid of our pride.

And it’s when we realize we have done nothing on our own and we are humble before God that we are truly able to accept and realize all He has done for us from creating us, to saving us, to sustaining us.

Don’t Ever Change

2010-11-10T16:36:00.000-05:00

"God, who is enthroned from of old, who does not change— he will hear them and humble them, because they have no fear of God." –Psalm 55:19

I used to hate change. I forever felt like I always had to adapt to other peoples changes, and that I never had a choice in the matter. I used to gain confidence when people told me “don’t ever change.” It’s a compliment, right? And for me, I would take it as a compliment, but also as a challenge…people liked me for who I was and counted on me to be a rock, to be the same as things in their life hit their highs and lows, the constant in other peoples ever changing lives.

Although at the time I took it as a compliment, I recently realized that I also internalized it and really resisted change. I get that when people say “don’t ever change” they usually mean change in a bad way…but what if that hinders you from changing in a good way?

I have finally realized that change doesn’t always have to be so bad, and to stay stagnate is worse. Recently I have been changing, little by little, in a good way…with God’s grace and some honest, truthful, challenging conversations from some fantastic friends, friends that the Lord placed in my life. And looking back I can see how it all played out and how it contributed to where I’m at right now.

The truth is that we all need to change, we need to change for the better. But we need to keep in mind the reason for changing. To become more like Christ and to bring more glory back to Him, the One that is perfect, the One who has stayed the same throughout the ages.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." –James 1:17

9.27.09

2010-09-27T21:27:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to me!! I had a wonderful 29th birthday...thank you to all who were a part of it! While looking back on this past year, I came across a journal entry that I wrote on my birthday last year (hence the 9.27.09 title)

I have grown so much in the past year, but while reading this entry every word was so true that I thought I'd share it:

9/27: Alone time with God
So for the eGroup Retreat Sunday Chapel they gave us 40 minutes to be alone & still before God. When I think of being still & silent, I just think that opening my bible is sometimes a distraction -- so I left it aside.

I knew this alone time fell on my birthday for a reason -- so I wanted to focus on the intent of that & boy did God show me some great truths. I saw how God is sometimes completely intentional & unintentional. Somtimes he orchestrates the moment, and other times he uses the moment for His good.

I saw Him there the day I was born. Choosing September 27th, as the day I would enter the world -- I saw Him there at every birthday -- keeping an eye over me -- making sure I didn't mess up since I wasn't walking with Him yet. I saw Him gently orchestrating moments & knowing what was to come in my life. I saw him watching me as I chose to sin, knowing that it was a part of my life He couldn't control, & being sad forme...but then sadness turned to joy because of how He worked it out next.

He began removing the sin, in turn, to break my heart and while my heart was broken he started to bring the pieces of my heart & life back together. Slowly rearranging those pieces...& though my heart wasn't completely healed and whole, it was complete enough. God started to knock on those broken pieces of my heart...that splintered door...gently...as to not break it any more, but to get my attention.

While I was alone and very much broken, He used those around me to begin to reveal Himself. Two of the most unlikly candidates -- complete opposites from me -- He just pulled them into my circle, my life. And from there kept knocking, knocking, knocking. He spoke through them, their actions, their love. He put a desire in my heart to love them & in turn love Him.

Eventually after years of orchestrating, came the day I turned to Him, the day I chose to walk in the light, to be conscious of God's presence in my life & have every day since then.

He was there at the beginning. He was there every day -- protecting my heart as much as He could with sin bombarding me at every corner. He used that for His will, for my sake & will continue to do so -- no matter how many times I mess up.

He had a plan for my life & for the past 28 years. He continues to have a plan for my life & now I have the consciouly look to Him to figure out what that path is. What His ultimate destination is for me -- where I'm supposed to be in this world. What role I'm supposed to play for Him & His Kingdom.

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord, "they are plans for good & not disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

The Lord's plan & timing is perfect, not always for us -- but for Him & the Kingdom which I have to remember. God: Help me use this time of singleness to the best that I can, to draw me closer to you, to help me experience new things & reveal more of your love to me. Help me be content in where I'm at & show me the way you want me to go.

Thank you all for being a part of my life, my journey...although it is far from over. The past 29 years have gone so fast, but I still have so many more to live.

Relational Vacations

2010-08-10T06:58:00.002-05:00

Good morning from St. Lucia! Yup, for those of you who didn't know...I'm on vacation....again. But before you start turning a little bit green, hear me out:

I do go on more vacations than most, I get that. I am blessed, and I get that too. But as I sit here at 7:41am, the early riser of the bunch, I look out and wonder why we can't feel this "vacation calm" feeling at home. Why we have to go thousands of miles away and spend a decent amount of cash to get to a place where we turn off our cell phones, only check facebook once or twice a day, grab a book, sit with friends, bask in the sun, laugh, snort, and build relationships and memories with one another.

For me it's all about the relationships formed through new experiences...but that doesn't mean I have to go to a tropical island to do that. The weather is just as nice in Buffalo, NY as it is here in St. Lucia. There are more people to relate with in Buffalo than St. Lucia. There is much safer driving in Buffalo than St. Lucia. I'm here because specific people are with me here.

I'd be just as happy at a local lake, or chilling pool side, or camping, or just sitting outside marveling at the wonders of God through a rain storm, then a rainbow with any one of you reading this.

It's not always about where I am, but who I'm with. To build those relationships, to share my life and experiences with others. To do something that makes me just a little bit vulnerable and stretches my faith, to let others see that I'm far from perfect and that I am human.

Granted, I don't have a lot of responsibilities right now: no husband, no kids, no one to support but myself...it's not a choice of mine, it's God's plan for me RIGHT NOW. You bet I'm going to take it for what it's worth, take advantages of the opportunities that arise whether that keeps me in the country or takes me out of it.

So here's my challenge to you...make your own "vacation". Stop and smell the roses, marvel at a rainbow, or sit by a lake for awhile. Turn off the busyness of your life and just take it in, and share it with someone today.

Am I full?

2010-02-25T11:40:00.009-05:00

Spending time in the Word has always been difficult for me. Rarely has it been something that I want to do, and more often than not, I find I'm reading and studying more out of an act of obedience. But it's when I really open my heart and am willing to read and study the Bible that I see things I haven't seen before, or learn things about myself and my faith that I tucked away deep inside.

Last October I was kind of forced into going to a Women's Retreat with The Chapel at Crosspoint's women's ministries. I only knew a handful of people, and even those women I didn't know that well: enter me out of my comfort zone. I'm glad I went, as is pretty much always the case when God gets me out of my comfort zone...I got to spend some great time and further friendships and also got to hear Lysa TurKeurst, the president of Proverbs 31 Ministries speak. Ever since then I've been reading her books and following her blog.

Lysa is taking her blog readers through Philippians, starting in Chapter 1 and teaching how to pick up on words and phrases that speak to them in that moment. I'm a day off in reading, as I just started digging into Ch 1 today, and had to stop at verse 11 because I found so much truth in those first 11 verses that it's all my brain can process for the day.

When reading some of Lysa's blog comments, it's amazing how 30 verses can speak differently to so many people, each verse revealing something different to every person. The Bible truly is the living word, showing everyone something different depending on their circumstance, struggle, and what they need to hear most in that specific moment...and yet it all being 100% truth.

While reading a few verses stuck out to me: vs. 3-4; 6; 9-10; & 11 ...can you see why I had to stop after verse 11? SO MUCH TRUTH...CANNOT PROCESS IT ALL!

I wanted to focus on verse 11: "May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God." (emphasis mine)

When I am full, I don't want anything else to eat...my body has taken all it needs and I don't require any more, and at times where I'm really full, nothing else even sounds good. The thought of filling myself with anything else is even painful. When we are told to "always be filled with the fruit of your salvation", we need to look at it the same way. To be full with salvation means that we shouldn't want anything else, if we are truly full.

So are we? Am I? Am I really full with my salvation? If I am then I should want nothing else. I shouldn't look to anything else to satisfy me: not success, not money, not relationships. Jesus owes me NOTHING.

He gave his life for me...and that should be enough to fill me until my last day on earth.

The Road to Reward

2010-02-11T13:29:00.005-05:00

From James MacDonald weekly email, it definitely caught my attention, because it's exactly how I'm feeling and so I thought i'd share it with you:

"The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." - Revelation 3:5-6

If you are a mom or dad, you say some things to your kids over and over. I'm sure there are warnings you give them every day, right? We are all stubborn sheep (Isaiah 53:6), so we don't learn quickly. Important stuff has to be repeated. The letters Jesus wrote to the churches in Revelation were specific, but each church saw all the letters. The repetitions show us His crucial themes.

Revelation 2:7 says, "To the one who conquers." Conquers means"overcomes, doesn’t give up, endures to the end." Similar phrases show up in Revelation 2:10-11, 17, 26 and 3:5.

You and I have got to conquer. Jesus said, "The one who endures to the end will be saved" (Mark 13:13). People who aren't really saved give up and quit. The truth is, we will all experience tough seasons in our lives. We will experience hard weeks or even a rough month or year. But we get moving again. Endurance doesn't save us, but it does prove our salvation. We have to finish strong. We have to pick up the pace as we get older. A real Christian says, "I love Him more and more. 'I press on' (Philippians 3:14) to be sanctified day after day, growing in Christ." That's the life of a believer - one who conquers. Conquerors get the rewards. Rewards will not go to the quitter. They will not go to the "I-tried-it-and-couldn't-do-it" type of people, nor to the "faith-was-just-a-phase-I-went-through" kind of people. All those people? Not conquerors.

"The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life." The book of life is the volume containing the names of all the people alive on the face of the earth. If they die outside of the Gospel, without receiving the gift of eternal life that is found in Christ - their names are blotted out of the book. They're not going to live forever.

Jesus said about the conqueror, "I will never blot his name out of the book of life." That promise is awesome. Your name's going to be forever in that book, and you will live in eternity with Christ, if you just endure.

"I will confess his name before my Father." Imagine Jesus saying, "She's one of Ours. Yeah, he's with Us for sure." Conquering means an eternal reward with Christ.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

I am a conquerer. I am persevering. I can't give up. That's all I can say right now. I know that a life with Christ is better than a life without Christ, although that's not what I feel most times. I can't rely on my feelings, I have to rely on truth and the promise in God's Word.

Following Christ is something I will not quit. I wake up and devote that day to the Lord, but most days find myself stumbling and failing daily. But I wake up the next morning and try again. Some days Jesus may seem farther away than others, but I will not give up, I will persevere...I have to.

And I hope you will to.

2009 in review

2009-12-28T15:12:00.008-05:00

My expectations for this year were pretty big, after all it was the year of 09-09-09, a day that I was supposed to get married, yes it was a Wednesday and at the start of the year I wasn’t even dating anyone, but a lot could have happened in 9 months right? Well it didn’t, no man, no wedding…but I’m ok with that. Looking back 2009 wasn’t so bad at all. Here’s my 2009 in review:

January:

Just trying to ease in to 2009, nothing exciting happened!

February:

Went to the dentist for the first time in 5 years…only 5 cavities , whoops!

Katie moved back from Virginia to work in Rochester

Took mom to see Mamma Mia at Shea’s, what a great performance! We had a blast

Moved from Lancaster to Cheektowaga at the end of the month. Leah (my old roommate) was getting married in April and her new husband was moving in so I got the shaft! Moved in with Jen and am loving every minute of it…

March:

Went on our annual family week-long vacation to Freeport, Bahamas. Man was it amazing, one of the best vacations yet! We swam with the dolphins, took a Jeep tour around the island, and con-ed the guys at the front desk into giving us an ocean view room because it was our parent’s “25^th wedding anniversary”! 3 pools, beaches and water for as far as your eye can see.

Started a new friendship with Laura, an awesome woman of God who has pushed me to lighten my baggage…I can’t believe we’ve only been friends for 9 months, it seems like a lifetime.

Took a fly/road trip to Wisconsin with Erin to follow the Bona’s women’s Basketball team in their playoff dreams!

Decided to start growing my hair out for one of my BFF’s (Liz T.) wedding in September.

April:

Bought my new Macbook. L-O-V-E it! I can’t believe I waited that long, it truly is amazing and so much better than any PC I have ever had.

Officially moved Katie from Virginia to Rochester, we rented a white PT Cruizer for a one way trip from Buffalo to VA, found out that the horn stuck for a good 20 seconds every time you honked it! Rented a Uhaul to drive from VA to Rochester…we packed that thing FULL and still had to leave some stuff.

May:

Went back down to VA to get the rest of Katie’s things, one of the most eventful trips to VA because we saw a dead black bear on the side of the road!

Went to Pittsburgh to be a 2^nd shooter for a wedding with Rachel…LOVE those times where I get to spend some un-interrupted time with my BFF’s!

Started playing summer soccer in a women’s league in Rochester, Katie came to every game, and I’d like to think I got better throughout the summer! It was nice to reconnect with some teammates from Naz!

June:

Spent the first few days of the month in Saratoga Springs for work

Participated in the local Ellicottville Relay for Life where we raised over $30,000 for cancer research (I even sang the National Anthem for it)…

Took a roadtrip to Turtle Bay, Kentucky for a family reunion, we stayed for about 2.5 days although it took us 4 days to get there! We had a great time with all of the “Zender’s”..my mom & her 2 sisters and all of their families. It was a couple days filled with golf, swimming, games, food, bonfires, golf-cart racing, and golf-cart jumping! Overall it was a really good time because we were all together.

July:

Mom had elbow surgery on the 1^st of the month, so the next couple days were spent home in Allegany playing nurse!

PJ, Bri and some of her family came in for the 4^th of July and we had a great time. We played can-jam and homerun derby where my brother and I tied at 7 homeruns through 3 rounds. I’m waiting til this year to beat him!

My 10 year High School reunion took place at the end of the month, and it was a really good time…and that’s when I realized that I look pretty dang good! I got to reconnect with some old friends that I have lost touch with over the years…I can’t believe it’s been that long. “We’re the sparkle, we’re the shine…We’re the class of ’99!”

August:

Went to KingdomBound all 3 days and had a blast! Got to hang out with my great friends Amber, Holly and Shannon and rock out to some great Christian artists.

Shot the Bonaquist-Willet wedding and had a great time…such a great group. I was able to get pretty creative with some shots too!

Got a raise at work!

Celebrated Katie’s Birthday with some Moon Shoes!

Went to my first ever Bachelorette party for Liz’s wedding…oh man!

September:

Celebrated 09-09-09 with great friends, Jen F., Tami P., Laura L., and Rachel! Went to go see the movie 9 in honor of the day!

Celebrated Liz & JP’s wedding, what a day that was…

Took a family trip out to Andover, MA to visit PJ & Bri and to help with some renovations on their new house, that was a busy 4 days…I was on team A, B & C!

Celebrated my 28^th birthday…holy crap, I’m 28!

October:

Impromptu surprise visit to VA…

Went to a Women’s weekend retreat in Ellicottville and listened to some great speakers…and found one of my new favorites: Lysa TerKeurst from Proverbs 31 ministries

PJ got engaged!

November:

Headed out to Andover, MA again to help PJ with the house. Dad came out too and we worked hard! Then we all drove to Allegany to spend the week together for Thanksgiving.

The weekend after Thanksgiving Becca and I drove to Pittsburgh to shoot a wedding that Rachel was in. What a fantastic weekend of sharing, laughing, and learning!

December:

Went to Albany with some co-workers and helped watch 4-month-old Brendan, had a great time chilling out, eating out and shopping!

Watched A LOT of Christmas movies and did A LOT of Christmas shopping

Celebrated Christmas with almost everyone…

So overall it’s been a great year, and I haven’t even begun to describe all the changes and growth that I have gone through as a person! I’ll save that for another blog.

But I have learned one main thing: I shouldn’t set big goals that are out of my control…I’ll just sit back and see what God has in store for me in 2010.

So hope you’re able to look back on 2009 like I have…that I’ve done A LOT. I’ll try and make 2010 just as interesting but less about me at times.

10 year High School Reunion...

2009-07-30T19:07:00.012-05:00

This weekend I will celebrate being graduated from High School 10 years. Technically it's been 10 years, 1 month and 4 days...but who's counting!

So much has changed (especially my eyebrows!), yet so much has stayed the same...and I find myself reflecting on the past 10 years and beyond. I've been told that your personality is shaped in the first 5 years of life, but I have found that a lot that happened my final 5 years of high school impacted my life in a way I'll never forget!

When looking back to my high school years, it's a time that i'd give anything to go back to. I know it's not healthy to dwell on the past, and i'm not...but it was a much simpler time back then: Always being in shape, able to eat whatever you wanted, no job, no responsibility, free food and housing, getting to see your best friends every day, and doing semi-illegal things but never getting caught!

We were all trying to discover who we were, and what our place in this huge world was....how much was acting to be popular, and how much was genuinely ourselves. We had great adults trying to make us wiser, better people...some who'd challenge us, some who'd support us, and some who'd act more like your friend than teacher.

Don't get me wrong, high school was not all fun & games for me....I spent many nights trying to figure out why I was popular in one realm but unpopular in another, thinking i was fat instead of athletic (when looking back i was super skinny!), and wondering how to enjoy myself at a prom where i was the only one without a date...(sob, sob).

But I'd like to think I had a lot of friends...i tried my hand at a lot of different groupings: soccer, basketball (2 weeks there to be exact), softball, theater, senior steering, art, math, AP chemistry...I was all over the place..hanging out with a lot of different people....we'll see what everyone remembers this weekend!

But the one major thing that happened in high school which I am most thankful for is playing soccer and eventually meeting (and liking) my two best friends to this day: Rachel & Rebecca Freer (married last names: Shipman & Johnson respectively and pictured above). It was Mr. Mac, my amazing soccer coach of 5 years that kept both on the soccer team for more than their soccer skill. He kept them on the team for their faith and their skill. And for that I am eternally grateful.

You see it is Becca and Rachel who befriended me at one of the lowest points of my life, and through our friendship and a trip to a winter weekend camp, introduced me to Jesus. Finally, something to live for! What's more amazing than living to bring God to glory and praise. A God who made us perfectly, in His image, who created the world and everything in it....to love others more than I love myself, to show others the amazing transformation that can happen when the truth enters your heart. (Picture from 2008...lookin' pretty good!)

So this weekend, I hope my classmates see the changes that have happened over the past 10 years. From an intimidating, untouchable, unlovable, tomboy athlete to a loving, caring, approachable, feminine Christian.

God really does orchestrate every part of our lives, even if we don't know Him yet. So tell me...how has God worked in your life over the past 10 years?

And here's just one more picture for good measure...um yeah...i was 13!

Why #9?

2009-06-03T19:19:00.004-05:00

So if you know me at all, you know that I have a thing for the #9. For those who don't know me, they may say that i'm obsessed, and since i'm a little bored sitting here in my hotel room, and haven't blogged in quite some time, i've felt the need to explain myself.

I could say that it all started on the day I was born...9-27-81. 9: September 2+7=9 8+1=9. The time i was born was 9:27pm again do the math, and both of my parents were 27 at the time. But it all came to fruition on a late August day in 1993. I was 12 and had completed the Allegany Girls Varsity team pre-season. We were all picking out uniforms, and since i was the youngest newby on the team i got last pick. There was a perfectly packaged uniform in a gallon ziplock bag...I remember it like it was yesterday. It was a uniform worn by a senior the previous year, and wouldn't you know what number it was...yup you guessed it: #9!

I believe that's where my story really starts for me. Not at the point where the #9 chose me, but the point where I was given that uniform, given a chance to show the world who Jaime Snyder really was, well who the Jaime Snyder at 12 years old really was. It started me on the journey of people knowing who I was, of my development as a leader, and ultimately soccer played a role in my salvation and beginning my relationship with Jesus.

Even as a unidentified opponent to other teams, they didn't know my name where I came from but they knew my number. They knew to look out for #9, or be afraid, or pay special attention to #9...and that was me. I wore #9 for soccer for Varsity, Olympic Development, a select team down in Jekyll Island, Varsity softball...

So really sports is where i have found myself, my strengths, my leadership, my college, my dedication, my friendships, and ultimately pretty much every job i had ever gotten. So the #9 just is related to all of it...and in the process is how people identify me, associate with me, and ultimately remember me.

And for that last reason may be the main reason why I keep my "obsession" going. I keep reminding them of me & the #9...so then when i'm not around, when I haven't talked or seen people for awhile, I like to think that when they see that 9 they think of me.

So...past, present and future, the #9 is here to stay. After awhile it just seems to get funny, after all i can't give it up now when i'm planning a kick butt party for 09-09-09!

New Photography Blog!

2009-05-12T14:15:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone...

Just wanted to let you know i've made a new blog for my photography to be a little more professional per Rachel's request!

So here's the new link: http://9designsandphotography.blogspot.com

I'll try to do better to blog about my life on this one, and leave the big important pictures to the other blog...

THANKS!

Jenna & Andy Palka

2009-04-24T19:55:00.007-05:00

Jenna and Andy are a great couple that were married on a cruise in Key West in March (which they didn't apparently need me as a photographer...how rude!) :) But they came back to Buffalo (although I'm not sure why) and had an amazing reception with friends and family on April 4th.

I was able to hang out with some great friends and get a few shots in the mean time!

I've never shot a wedding/reception where the groom helps the bride into the dress!

I knew we had to get a few shots at the piano!

ummmmm i hope i caught them just kidding around!

They didn't have their champagne glasses...so why not clink fists!
Big family...great shot! Thanks to my cousin Jennifer for the idea!

Thanks again Andy & Jenna for letting me share in your special...err...second most special day!

Engagement Portraits

2008-10-04T21:54:00.005-05:00

No, no, no...not MY engagement portraits, ones that I shot for my bff Liz and her fiance JP. We finally were able to get together to shoot these portraits, and they came out wonderfully!

While I was waiting for Liz & JP to get to Delaware Park, I saw at least 6 or 7 wedding parties come and wait for their turn to take pictures at the big mansion or whatever big building there was...

In this photo you can see 4 different wedding parties waiting for their turn!

We started off with some simple shots...

Then went for a walk...
Stopped to check out all the minnows:
Took a quick break to steal a kiss...

Time for another walk and maybe a joke or two:

Then a little hide and seek in the weeping willow:

Another break:

So we wanted to simulate all the brides who were getting their pictures taken by the pillars:
And lastly...the swings! We only had to throw one kid off!
And one last serious shot...I think this one will make the papers!

The END! Hope you enjoyed!

Cuca and Mike's Wedding

2008-09-20T22:33:00.008-05:00

So today one of my good friends got married. Jessica (aka Cuca) and I met in 7th grade when our two schools merged, and have been friends ever since. She's one of those friends who you may not talk to much, maybe once a year...someone who you stalk via myspace or facebook to see what is happening or see recent pictures, but no matter when you see one another it was like you never were apart. I was so honored to be invited to this simple yet amazing wedding.

Although I wasn't the actual photographer...when it's in your blood, it's in your blood and you can't NOT take pictures! Plus it's so much easier than trying to talk to people!

Here is Cuca with her father and daughter, Abby, walking her down the isle...

Mike couldn't contain himself...so cute!
It was a very quick ceremony, with a very long kiss at the end!
She's really a ham...

Cuca's twin brother Jesse was so emotional today...loving his sister!
Here's Abby, such a great, cute, and curious little baby
The first dance...with a little photoshop action!

Told you Jesse had a tough day!
And of course...table #9 (I actually sat at #4)
Me and Cuca...lookin HOT!
And since I looked so hot, I decided to do a photo shoot...this for all you blog stalkers who don't see me cleaned up too often!

The End!

More Birthday Celebrations!

2008-08-17T18:18:00.007-05:00

Here are some more pictures of Katie's Weekend Birthday Bonanza!

What else would Kate want to do on her birthday??? Go to the new Crime & Punishment Museum!Katie on "America's Most Wanted":
After the Museum and dinner it was back to the house for cake, presents and cupcakes!

The Start of the Birthday Weekend

2008-08-16T08:42:00.005-05:00

So Katie's Birthday weekend actually started yesterday when we went into Baltimore and took the "Duck Tours" which she always wanted to do!

She Quacked at every person, every place...even to the homeless people!! We had a great time, and were surprised that she didn't pass out!

Today we're going to the Criminal Justice Museum and out to lunch...more pictures to come!

My Sister's Birthday

2008-08-15T10:01:00.002-05:00

It's Friday, August 15...and it's the day before my sister's, Katie's, Birthday....AND my parent's anniversary. Yup they're on the same day. Kate was born at 12:11am on the 16th after my mom had been in labor for the majority of the day on the 15! As we all say...the day is all about Katie!

So anyways, my mom, dad and I drove from NY yesterday afternoon and evening to spend the weekend with her in Virginia. My brother was actually in the area also for work, so it was really fun to see him last night when we all went to dinner to celebrate us all being together.

Usually I don't write blogs until after the specific event when I have pictures to show, but Kate was harping on me to change my blog...and since i'm not doing much but watching the Olympics right now, I figured I'd do up a quick post for her (and everyone elses sake).

So...for now:

Kate: Happy Birthday tomorrow! Glad I could come down for it!

Mom & Dad: Happy Anniversary tomorrow...sorry you wouldn't let us pay for dinner!

UTAH: Day 1 - Bryce Canyon

2008-07-13T21:13:00.006-05:00

We finally got to Salt Lake City at 7:30pm NY time, 5:30pm Utah time...got some dinner, drove to Beaver and spent the night.

We got up and on the road at about 9:30 am (UT time), reached the campgrounds about 2:00pm and set off on a hike about 3:00...

Here are some amazing pics of God's creation...

Brett & Tiffany: July 5, 2008

2008-07-07T14:47:00.004-05:00

I was able to travel to Toledo, Ohio this past holiday weekend for an amazing wedding of two very amazing people: Brett & Tiffany Kern.

It was a beautiful day, the first great day in many, many weeks as most of you know...and I was able to capture not only the wonderful weather, but the wonderful couple and they were family.

Here are some moments I was able to capture...

A little sun...a little art...lots of pictures!

2008-06-27T18:14:00.004-05:00

So pretty much every day I drive to work in Ellicottville I drive past a sign for the Griffis Sculpture Park, so finally after a day of work and a time where I just happend to havae my camera with me, I took a detour and went up to the park not knowing what to expect. Was it just a random field with random sculptures, or something a little more...I had no idea it was so organized and incorporated hiking trails..i was definitely not prepared for that while hiking in my flipflops! But i made it work...and look good! (as always)

Here are some pics from the Green Trail (the easy trail...remember FLIP FLOPS) and the sculptures I encountered:

And this shot is on 219 right before you come into Ellicottville from Buffalo. I see it all the time, and acknowledge God every time the pond is still and reflects the surrounding landscape perfectly...so finally i was able to catch a good shot!

There is art all around us, we just have to take advantage of it. I'll try to keep up with posting, but my next 3 weeks are pretty busy...here's what I have lined up:

July 3-5: Photographing Denver Bronco's and Grand Island's Brett Kern and Tiffany Robey's Wedding in Toledo, Ohio.

July 12-21: Ultimate Adventure Trip in Utah with an adult group from the Family Life Network.

I hope to blog between my July excursions, and also attempt to while on location in Utah...but I'm not sure if there's going to be internet access...so I will leaving you squirming with anticipation!

Heather & Tony 5.31.08

2008-06-04T16:59:00.006-05:00

Videos of the cutest baby on earth

2008-04-30T14:31:00.005-05:00

For those of you Harmony Joy fans out there...here are a few video's of her that I took during my weekend visit. She was such a good baby for Aunt Jaime, and only cried in the presence of mommy or daddy!

Here's a video of Mo Jo and her Kick, Kick Revolution toy...she's bound to either be a soccer player or a tap dancer! Just look at that concentraton!

Here is MoJo just being MoJo...proud that she's on her belly (and still kicking), then remembering she can actually hold herself up!

And for all of you who know the many faces of Mo Jo, and her love of her reflection (what a vain baby!)..here's a video of her laughing and playing...with her reflection and the camera!

ENJOY!

Extreme Home Makeover...sort of

2008-04-21T20:59:00.003-05:00

This weekend was spent helping Becca & Denis rearrange their house for friends who are going to stay with them for awhile. It was an amazing gesture on their part, and between working full time, and church and everything else...and since I don't have much of a life, I volunteered to come over and help out.

We (in chronological order) in 7 hours:

Painted the office/Becca & Denis' new bedroom

Vacuumed the bedroom

Assembeled the bed frame

Brought the boxspring through the 2nd story window

Shoved the mattress up the stairs after folding it in half

Put the window and screen back in

Washed the sheets

Moved the dresser

Brought the chaise chair up the stairs

Rearranged the living room

Re-connected the TV/DVD/Cable

WHEW! The day went so fast, but everything looked SOOO good!

Here are a few pictures of the day... Becca told me for Christmas that she wanted me to come up for a weekend and help paint the kitchen and living room...so I got her a bunch of paint supplies including this pair of plastic overalls! it was WAY to hot to paint in it, but I made her put it on just for giggles!
Here's Becca in Daisy's ghetto hat, and.....no I didn't give her a shiner, but I was trying to get a picture of the paint on her eyelid...who does that!?!
I'm in the 2nd story window, trying to figure out how to get the boxspring up there without a rope!
Finally...some relaxing!
Thanks for all who helped out, and Bec..thanks for letting me help out!

Weekend in VA!

2008-04-13T19:03:00.007-05:00

So I got to spend this weekend with my sister in Virginia, and it ended up being an extended weekend! I was supposed to come down in February, but certain family situations made me reschedule the trip. I thought I booked a flight for last friday at 9am...but i ACTUALLY booked it for 9pm...I"M SO STUPID! So between talking with my sister and figuring out flights and work and all that stuff I was able to fly into VA Wednesday night and have an extra day and a half!

So I got in Wednesday night, hung out and went to bed...pretty uneventful. Thursday I went into DC with my sister because she had to work a little bit..then saw some sights in DC, went to a greek deli, then came home to meet my sisters newly engaged roomate and went out to dinner.

Friday we slept in then went to Old Town where we got ice cream for lunch and did a little shopping. We just chilled out and got some pizza for dinner.. Saturday we babysat the 4 Fitzpatrick kids: Kate, John, Elizabeth and George for the day and evening, and we did have a great time, but BOY AM I TIRED! We played with chalk, jumproped, rode bikes, watched movies, played Guitar Hero and just had a blast. Here are some pictures of the chalk drawings!!

Sunday my sister and I were in much need of some R & R...and this is the main reason why i came down in the first place. My brother, his girlfriend and I got Katie a gift certificate to a spa for Christmas, and I diceded that it isn't fun to go to a spa by yourself, so i'd come down and we'd go together! We both got hot stone massages and facials! Such a great day...I could get used to this!

Monday is full of shopping, some PF Chang Lettuce Wraps and then back on the plane and back to snowy Buffalo. But it was a good few days and definitely a trip I'll do again...but next time with mama!

WATERMELON!

2008-04-08T10:21:00.002-05:00

Well in honor of Spring, and the fact that Harmony is just so darn cute I'll post this video for all to see:

Mo's getting some face time

2008-04-02T11:42:00.006-05:00

I spent the weekend with Rachel, Mike and Mo...and of course there were some photoshoots involved. Mike and Rach...you did good! You are both amazing parents and I had such a great time hanging out! Can't wait until next time when Mo is even bigger, smarter...and LOUDER!

As you can tell she loves her feet!!! I think this is why she's a little cross eyed!

AHHHHHHHHHHH my little #9! I love it!

Rachel had said that Harmony liked cantaloupe...and we had watermelon with lunch, so being the fun aunt i said..."why not!" She LOVED it...and she is even learning to hold a fork by herself!

How freakin cute is this picture!?!? Both Rach and Mo napped for over an hour without moving! Too cute not to take a picture!
YAY BABY! Love you all so much! Can't wait for a time when we all live next door to one another!

Easter

2008-03-28T17:42:00.005-05:00

For the Holidays "Snyder Style" we always have lots of food, fun and chocolate...that's why Easter is no different! Here are some pictures of the weekend holiday!

A family tradition is to crack eggs with eachother to see who's egg is the hardest, and the last egg standing is the winner! Nina did have an egg with her name on it, but seeing as she doesn't have opposable thumbs, she can't play!
Gram didn't win...And neither did Kate...
But homemade Chocolate Cake always makes her feel better!

50 Things About Me

2008-03-13T12:37:00.004-05:00

So I have been challenged by Becca, and since I don't have a lot to do at work today I figured i'd take a crack at it.

I will try and be creative and not copy ideas from previous posts, but I might have to steal one or two....

50 Things about me:
1. I am a middle child, and classically fit the mold of the "middle child"
2. I consider myself an athlete, but i HATE working out.
3. I am super, super competitive but have gotten better at the sore loser thing
4. I have never had braces
5. I have many different clothing obessions which is unhealthy (especially for my budget): hats, sneakers, warm-up jackets
6. It's much more enjoyable to choose to sit and watch tv instead of watching tv because I have nothing else to do.
7. I AM the fashion police: neither navy blue and black NOR black and brown go together
8. It is very hard for me to leave the house with mismatched brands (including sneakers)
9. People say i'm obsessed with the #9
10. I need to look like I know what i'm doing, even though I have no clue: especially when it comes to outdoorsy things..
11. I have had many nicknames in my day: Roo, Suzie Q, Baby Jaime (BJ), James, Jamestown USA, Jay, Jaima, J-Dogg...
12. None of my siblings are married
13. 3 of the 4 guys I dated in gradeschool/highschool now "play for the other team"
14. I didn't know either of my best friends existed until 9th grade even though we went to school together since Kindergarden
15. I once refused to go get the Christmas Tree because I was going to miss "Pee-Wee's Playhouse"
16. I know pretty much every lyric to every Disney movie
17. I once made a student-teacher cry (on purpose)
18. I was put in a choke hold by a wrestler and definitely passed out from it
19. I wish I would have done more art in highschool and college
20. I am a wimp and scared of a lot of different things, but everyone always expects me to be fearless, so I have to suck it up and do whatever it is.
21. In 7th grade I convinced Margie McKinney that I had a fake leg and had her going for a real long time
22. I was in a gang (Vive les Dragons!)
23. I have been a Christian for over 9 years (Feb 6, 1999)...isn't that CRAZY?
24. One of my best friends and I have been friends for 23 years
25. I was the kid you saw chasing the boys around in Kindergarden trying to kiss them
26. I refuse to wear pigtales in my hair because I wore them every day for the first 5 years of my life
27. I was born on 9'27 at 9:27
28. I can leg press over 400 pounds
29. I am a reality tv junkie
30. I hate scarry movies
31. I prefer blue ink over black ink
32. I also have a shower routine, I think more often than not that people do.
33. I know most of the dances to High School Musical, High School Musical 2 and The Cheetah Girls 2
34. My wedding date is set for 09/09/09...it's a Thursday (But I have yet to find a Husband)
35. I still have my blanket from when I was a baby
36. I am 50% my dad, and 50% my mom, and play the mediator between them when i'm home
37. I could count upto 109 when I was 5 years old
38. I have been to Walt Disney World 9 times
39. I need my one best friend to move to Rochester, then I need to move there myself
40. I hate waking up to my alarm in the morning, I will snooze for HOURS then get up and realize that if I had just shut the snooze off then I would have gotten un-interrupted sleep for an hour instead of waking up every 9 minutes...
41. I am very picky about my friends, so if you're on my friends list you are VERY lucky! :)
42. I don't care if my room is a mess as long as the rest of the house looks neat
43. I love Guitar Hero
44. In my first and last attempt at skiing I ran into a tree...not really my fault, I fell over to not run over my sister who had fallen infront of me, and while sliding on the ice was stopped by a tree.
45. Even though my hair is short, I still walk around with hair ties on my wrist
46. I am always prepared, and always want to be the 'hero'
47. When I get to work, I check my yahoo email, friends blogs, myspace, facebook and everything else I can think of before I log on to my work email...
48. I find my handwriting is different with the different pens I use.
49. I get really excited and find it satisfying when i finish a chapstick.
50. I'm really nervous about turning 27 this year...i don't know why, but it freaks me out!

Family Vacation 2008

2008-03-09T17:44:00.007-05:00

First off let me inform you that I am writing this blog while still sitting in the Philedelphia Airport waiting on stand-by to get back to Buffalo. It is now 6:46 on Sunday March 9th, we were supposed to get into Buffalo at 9:57pm, yesterday. Due to mechanical troubles with our plane in Puerto Rico which caused us to miss our cancelled connection flight from Philly to B'lo, and after a VERY LONG wait at Baggage claim and a few choice words later, we were put up in a hotel in New Jersey for the night. The night was made a little easier, however, because we spent a good deal of it with our new famous friends, Ed Kilgor of Channel 2 news in Buffalo and his wife!

Other than this "set back" that will leave me never flying with US Air for as long as I can help it...we had a FANTASTIC vacation.

I won't take you day by day, but simply hit the main excursions and adventures that we found ourselves laughing at only AFTER the fact that we made it back alive. We were ready this year to go to an "American" destination after our interesting and informative jaunt to Jamaica last year...but we always seem to find an adventure or two to keep things interesting and us appreciating all that we have right in our own safe, comfortable backyard.

We hit a lot of the major "things to do while in Puerto Rico": the beach, the rainforest, the bioluminescent bay, the reefs...

First off the views and water are amazing. Every where we seemed to go you could see crystal clear sky and water, lush greenery and even a rainbow or two! Whoever says God doesn't exsist has apparently never been to Puerto Rico. How can you doubt Him after seeing something this beautiful?

PJ is definitely the adventurous one, although i'm just not one to sit around and look at my nicely pedicured toes all day...

but i'm always up for an adventure or two and boy did I get an adventure! Monday we booked the biolumenescent bay kayaking trip, which entailed getting in 2 person kayaks (me & Kate, mom & dad, and PJ and Bri), kayaking 2 miles though narrow channels out to a bay that contained organisims that glowed when disturbed...it was a tough trip getting out there in the pitch dark, but as we sat in the middle of the bay, putting our hands and paddles in the water to stir up glowing thingys...it was truly amazing. We all agreed that we had no idea what we had got ourselves into, but looking back on it...just another memory! (sorry no pictures of this folks, my cameras aren't exactly the high-tech, waterproof type.)

Tuesday we continuted our adventures and went to the El Yunque Rainforest. We were able to drive through most of it, but there was one trail that lead to a hidden waterfall that we rolled up our pants and set out upon. So with me and PJ in our hiking gear, hiking backpacks, sneakers and water and mom, dad, Bri and Kate with their borrowed clothing and sandaled feet went hiking down a .7 mile wet, slippery trail (we got caught in the rain twice while there, it is the RAINforest after all!) we viewed the waterfall but all passed on jumping in and getting soaked. (may I also mention that monday i woke up sick as a dog with a sore thoat, cough, and a fever!!?!?) so after a few minutes at the bottom, started on the hike back up the mountain!

The next day we decided to downplay the day so we spent all day on a boat, snorkeling in the crystal clear jade water and chill-axin and sunbathing all day. The day would have been perfect, except for one minor mishap called "seasickness" on the account of mama. Poor mama! No more reading on the boat!!!

The rest of the time was spent eating, drinking, sleeping, reading and sunbathing. It was mostly a relaxing trip, with some "memories" to keep forever.

Birthdays, Birthdays and more Birthdays!

2008-02-04T11:42:00.000-05:00

This past week was full of Birthday celebrations.

Last Thursday, January 31st was Lauryn Renee Ball's FIRST birthday. I was so priveledged to be invited to the party...and of course I took my camera!

Then on Saturday, my mom, dad, sister and I went to the Carrie Underwood & Keith Urban Concert in Rochester. We decided to go up early, grab some dinner at the Dinosaur BBQ, get a hotel room for the night and go to the concert. It's a good thing we got a room because the concert didn't get over until 11:30! But it was so AMAZING and SOOOOO worth it!

I took my camera and zoom lens..we had amazing seats, straight on, but the zoom lens definitely helped! Check out these shots!

The concert was sponsored by Verizon and you could text a message to a specific number and your message would show up on the jumbo-tron!

Katie's idea was to take a picture of the concert "countdown" when it got to 54..my dad's AGE!

Here are some shots of Carrie's portion of the concert...mom, dad and Kate were a little lost because she sang a bunch from her new album...but because I have her new cd, i knew every word!

Carrie did amazing, and totally set the stage for Keith, but we had no idea what kind of show we were in for! Keith has an amazing passion for music and performing, and you could totally tell. I have so much more respect for him as a musician!

Carrie even came out and sang a song with him. They sang "Umbrella" by Rhianna but with a contry twist (hense the banjo)...but I thought it was great!

Back to the Keith Urban portion...

For more pictures of the Carrie Underwood & Keith Urban Concert...click here!

We had such a great time, and was totally worth the driving, eating, and $$ involved!

So Happy Birthday to my dad and 1 year old baby Lauryn...I'm so glad I could share in your day!

Happy 2 month Birthday..MO!

2008-01-20T16:01:00.000-05:00

Harmony Joy Shipman a.k.a "Mo" is 2 months old today. I was able to hang out with her, mommy and daddy in mid December and of course I took some photos. I haven't had the chance to share them so here they are!

I'm sure she's changed drastically since then...they grow up and change so fast! I can't wait to see her again, and I'm sure she's used to being in front of the camera already. But I will wait until the time is right and when things settle down after the holidays.

So Happy 2 months of life MO!

Jamie & Jonathan

2007-12-12T12:07:00.000-05:00

On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, I was priveledged enough to shoot the wedding of Jamie & Jonathan. Although it was a brisk fall day, it was a beautiful atmosphere, ceremony and couple.

Here are a few highlights of the day:

Thanks for letting me share in your day!

Happy 4th Anniversary!

2007-10-11T11:50:00.000-05:00

So today marks the 4th Anniversary of one of my best friends and her husband, Rachel and Mike Shipman. I can't believe it's been 4 years...boy how time flies! I still remember the wedding day like it was yesterday:

A stunning fall afternoon with the leaves at their peak, the girls sweating their butts off in the 75 degree heat and black dresses...but man did I look good...I mean Rachel looked amazing too...

There were lots of pictures and tears...mostly on Mike and Becca's part, Rachel seemed cool, calm and collected and seemed to laugh A LOT at her weepy husband's expense.

But you can't have a wedding at Allegany Baptist without a fainting bridesmaid...and with Christy's help we diverted a complete "timber!" with some quick moves and a strategically placed chair!

I don't have any pictures of that day to post, but here a few of the amazing, happy, expecting couple.

Mike and Rach, I hope you have a wonderful day, and just as these 4 years have been amazing and at times interesting, just wait for the next 4 with your new Baby Girl and even more love to share!

Lauryn at 7 months

2007-09-18T10:46:00.000-05:00

I was so excited to do a photoshoot with one of my pretend neices, Lauryn who is now about 7 and 1/2 months old. She has recently found her tongue as you can see some of these pictures!

PLUS: I finally figured out how to section colors off!!!!! You can see this technique in the first and last picture!

Rachel's and Baby Girl Shipman's Baby Shower

2007-09-16T20:39:00.000-05:00

We had a baby shower for my very pregnant best friend Rachel, and her baby girl, who shall remain nameless...only because no one but Rachel and Mike know her name!

We had a great time, lots of laughs...and great presents! Here are some pictures:

Steve & Bree 8-11-07

2007-08-14T16:48:00.000-05:00

Steve and Bree were married on August 11, 2007. It was a beautiful day filled with joy, tears and a lot of love. Here are some highlights of their big day:

Thanks Steve and Bree for letting me share in your special day!

Dancing with the Stars

2007-07-16T10:23:00.000-05:00

So my mom and I are reality tv people...especially Dancing with the Stars. So when I heard that the tour was coming to Buffalo, I had to get tickets. It didn't hurt that my mom's birthday was right around the corner, so the tickets became an early birthday present!

We had great seats....not too shabby for getting tickets 1 week ahead of time.

Check out this video of the whole group dancing...you can even pick out the stars if you're good enough!

I was SUPER excited, not only to see some great dancing, but the STARS too! We got to see: Drew Lachey and his partner Cheryl Burke (who I LOVE) season 2 champions...
So this pictures of Drew and Cheryl dancing isn't the best, but you can really see the action! Also I got some sweet video of them dancing to Thriller! They also did their championship freestyle of "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" ( but i didn't get video of that...sorry!)

Joey Fatone and his partner from season 4, Kym Johnson definitely didn't disappoint either!
Here's a pic of Joey and Kym dancing the Jive...and check out the video part of it too! Joey Lawerence & Edyta Sliwinska...he totally needs to grow his hair back!
And finally Joey McIntyre (season 1) and Julianne Hough (who won season 4 with Apollo Anton Ohno)...I would have liked to see Apollo with her, but whatcha gonna do? Actually Jualianne danced with Joey during the last Tour and that's how she got to be on season 4's lineup...and good thing she did cause SHE WON!
Joey sang a lot, and danced a little, but it was still good to see the New Kid on the Block still show he could do something!
It was a great night full of great music (it was all live), dancing and lights...and there was a little friendly banter among the stars.

Speaking of that...you may have figured out that all of the stars in this show have either been with a boy band or atleast put out an album or two...so they call can sing! And sing they did...for one song they all sang together and it wasn't half bad!

So I spent over a thousand dollars to go to Hollywood to see 2 celebrities, and I spent a little over a hundred dollars and got to see at least 4! Hmmmmmmmmm, I wonder which was money well spent!

Until next time folks!

Kristen & Adam July 7, 2007

2007-07-09T12:47:00.000-05:00

7-7-07...millions of people got married on this date, and Kristen and Adam are no exceptions. I hope it was as amazing day for all the other couples as it was for Kristin and Adam. The weather was perfect, the two were in love...and we had a lot of fun!

Here are some pre-wedding pictures:

And some of the ceremony...

I'm sure Kristen is still picking bird seed out of her hair!

It was a great group and we definitely had some great pictures..and a lot of fun too!

The reception was at the Pfeiffer Nature Center, a beautiful setting for a beautiful day...

Here is a few action shots that I was able to capture...

And some awesome portraits...I wasn't able to post all of the great pictures, more to come soon!

The End!

Well not really, more will be coming soon! For a few more pictures check out http://www.fotogirl14.blogspot.com/

Day 8..Last full day in LA

2007-07-03T23:45:00.000-05:00

Today was our last full day in LA...and we spent most of it at Universal Studios Hollywood. We splurged when buying tickets and got a "Front of the Line" Pass...very similar to Disney's Fast Pass, but you can use it on every ride and every show...NICE!

We hit all the rides, Back to the Future, Shrek 4-D, Backlot tour, Special Effects, but our favorite was the Mummy ride. We went on it twice...it was a combination between Disney's Rockin' Rollercoaster, and Space Mountain, very thrilling!!

Here are some shots from the Backlot Tour:

Jaws

The Grinch that Stole Christmas

We also saw the Wisteria Lane street from Desperate Housewives and a lot of other lots and stages...

Well we came to LA to see stars, and our last day didn't disappoint. We were waiting outside our hotel to go to dinner and up drives Jermaine Dupri. I had no idea who he was..and pretty much still dont, but it works...

So we get to Dan Tanas, a old, quaint Italian Restaurant Erin saw on E! And sure enough when we were walking out we saw Kevin Connolly who is currently on Entourage on HBO and has been in "The Notebook" and "Unhappily Everafter".

Tonight we're going to hit the Strip again to see if we can see anyone else...I'll let you know!

I'll be back in NY around 10:30pm and back in Allegany Thursday morning...hope you didn't miss me too much!

Day 7...HOLLYWOOD

2007-07-03T02:29:00.000-05:00

Monday, July 2nd...Day 7:

The Day started with a wake up call at 6:55am ,but not from the hotel, from my friend Rachel who just found out that she's having a little GIRL!! Yeah, yeah, I wanted a boy, but I don't always get what i want...but the great thing is that she is healthy, has 10 fingers and toes and will not wear pink, but purple...well lavender-ish color. Yeah right Rach...the first girl ALWAYS gets pink...and dresses...and pigtails...never mind, I don't want to talk about it! But CONGRATULATIONS!! I really am happy for you!

Ok...back to Vacation photos. Monday we decided to go to Hollywood, we started with a mile walk to catch a bus that would take us to Hollywood Blvd. There you can see the "Walk of Fame"...Here is Bill Cosby's star (that one is for you Denis)

Then we saw the Kodak Theatre where a lot of the award shows take place...

Along the way we met Elvis! A big, fat, sweaty Elvis...he's ALIVE!

Then to Mann's Chinese Theatre where hand prints, footprints and signatures of many famous stars are set in cement.

A view from the Kodak Plaza was perfect for seeing the HOLLYWOOD sign:

We had reservations at "The Ivy" which is a restaurant that is known for having celebrities come and dine all the time..so we were hoping to find someone famous. Erin said she saw Randy Spelling (Son of Aaron Spelling), but I couldn't see him from where we were sitting so i can't confirm it!

After lunch we booked a star tour from a stretch Hummer Limo...nice!

We saw a lot of stars past and present homes, some fences in front of famous people's homes, and places where people either died or had car accidents...this shot below is the corner where Linsay Lohan wrecked her car...

We were also taken to Rodeo Drive to walk around and do some window shopping, but still no celebrities!

By the time we got back to the hotel we were starving, having walked another 2-3 miles at least! So Molly came and picked us up and we went to In-and-Out Burger...a great South West Burger Joint! mmmmmmmmmmm doesn't it look tasty? This was also a great meal because it was the first one under $5 this whole trip!!!

After dinner we went to Santa Monica to 3rd Street & Promenade to walk around, do some shopping, hit the beach and walked the pier, it kind of had a smaller scale version of Cony Island or something...

Tuesday is our last full day in LA, and we're going to Universal Studios and then having a really nice dinner...so we'll see what or who turns up then!

Day 6..The Getty Museum

2007-07-02T02:19:00.000-05:00

Sunday, July 1. We had to drop off our rental car today and had decided to head to The Getty Museum. I like art, don't get me wrong...and we had heard that this place had killer views of LA and it's surrounding cities, but I had no idea what I was in store for...

This place was AMAZING! Maybe it's the fact that I haven't been to a museum/art gallery in a long, long time and I am now much more mature :) and sophisticated and can appreciate things. Maybe it's the fact that I'm in LA, and everything just hits you differently. Either way I had a blast and wish I could have stayed there ALL DAY! Here are some shots of some artifacts from 1300-1500 AD:

The detail and color are amazing, and some artifacts were from BC times! I would have loved to take pictures there all day long...maybe next time!

Here's another view of the cities, if you look really closely you can see city after city in the smog!

To catch a panoramic view, click here.

Not only was the art breath taking, but the architecture of the building and it's surrounding was beautiful as well:

Here's Erin and I having a little fun with a sculpture. It's hard to stay serious and intellectual all day!

Along with everything else being beautiful...why not throw in a garden to boot? They thought of everything, I took many shots of this waterfall and it's surroundings, but for the sake of time I picked my favorite:

And lastly just a fun picture of a fountain, the water was so tempting on a hot LA day!

Tonight we had dinner with Erin's friend Molly and her family, a nice home cooked and FREE meal! Then we went to the movies...and now it's bedtime!

Tomorrow we plan on hitting the strip to see stars and get discovered! Ciao for now!

Days 4 & 5 Disney and LA!

2007-07-01T00:12:00.000-05:00

Friday, Day 4 and Saturday Day 5...

Friday was a lazy day and a catch up day at Disney where we got to see everything that we didn't get to do on Wednesday...

The Finding Nemo ride was a renovation of 10,000 Leauges Under the Sea and had just opened, so EVERYONE wanted to ride. We thought about riding on Wednesday but the line was WAY too long! So we set out to wait in the line and ride it on Friday...2 hours later we were in the Yellow Submarine! It was definitely a cool ride, somehow they showed projected clips of Finding Nemo that were incorporated in stationary coral and other objects. Here's a couple pictues, and for some video check out: Video of Finding Nemo

I had ONE thing that I wanted to do while at Disney...well 2 or 3 things, but for all of you who know me, you know that I won't pass up an opportunity to see something related to High School Musical! They had a PepRally/Parade, and I was right there in the front row, catching all the action...ok, ok..I let some little girls stand in front of me...i'm so nice! Again, anything not on screen related to HSM is a little cheesy, but I still love it! Check out some video of this Peprally!

We got back to the hotel around 4:30, chilled out and went out to meet some of Erin's Athletic Training friends for some drinks around Downtown Disney...we got home around 1am CA time, and soon after that Erin was in dream land with her new Minnie Mouse!

We picked up our rent-a-car around 10:30 Saturday morning...we had reserved a convertible, but when we got there...oh shocker...they didn't have any! It's not that they rented all their convertibles out all ready...they never had any in the first place!! How LAME! So we got the pick of the parking lot...I have no idea what we got but we atleast got a sun roof...so it had to do! We checked in and here's a few pictures of our room...HIGH CLASS, white robes and all!

After we got setteled, we headed off to Manhattan Beach, we ate lunch and "Beaches" and this was our view:

Not too shabby, then we walked down on the beach, took a nap, dipped our feet in the Pacific Ocean...and of course took some pictures:

Tonight we ate at "The Belmont" and had a nice dinner...we wanted to go about 8:30 and the concierge said, "That's tough at this time...let me make a call..." Talking to the people at the Belmont: "I have some VIP's here and was wondering if you had a table available...you do, great..I'll send them right over"

And that, folks is how we do it in LA!

Stay posted for Days 6, 7, & 8!!

Day 3...San Diego Zoo

2007-06-29T01:04:00.000-05:00

Thursday Erin and I went to the San Diego Zoo. We took a bus down there, spent about 6 hours walking around, taking pictures, and then headed back to Anaheim. I can't tell you the last time I was acutally at a zoo...but with my digital camera, I LOVED IT!

We got to the zoo around noon, and by the time we took a 45 minute bus tour, the animals have eaten their lunch and were ready for a nap...here are some cute animals in some weird poses!

After giving the animals time to wake up, we caught some hams smiling for the camera!

Here is just an artistic picture that I took of some personal carvings people have done in the bamboo all over the zoo...I couldn't find a # 9, so this chinese symbol will have to do...anyone know what it means?

And I'll leave you with this picture...i saw it a couple of days ago and thought it was hilarious!

Friday is another day at Disney, just doing all the stuff that we didn't get a chance to do on Wednesday like the Finding Nemo ride and the High School Musical Pep-Rally! I'm so excited!

Talk to you tomorrow!

Cali...here I am!

2007-06-27T18:52:00.000-05:00

Hey faithful bloggers...here's an update of my vacation so far..

Tuesday my friend Erin and I woke up at 4am to catch a 6:10am flight...it was a LONG day but well worth it...

Here's a few pictures from the Game where the Angles got spanked 12-3...we left at the 7th inning.

Wednesday we were at Disney by 9 and did most of our sight seeing and ride riding by 1:30, and shopped and had a good time. We're now back in the hotel before going out for round 2 and the night parades and shows. Here's some pictures!

We returned to the Park, concentrating on Disney's California Park this time...we hit some rides, and then back to Disney for Fantasmic. It's 10:30pm, Cali time, 1:30am NY time...and we're definitely ready for bed.

Off to the San Diego Zoo tomorrow. More pictures to follow!

A trip to Virginia...and a little photo gallery dedicated to moms

2007-05-14T10:43:00.000-05:00

So last, last Friday...May 4...I made a trip to Virginia to visit my sister. We had a great time, and although both of us were questioning what we were going to do for the 4 days I was there, the extended weekend went by pretty fast!

Friday started at 3:15am, waking up early to get to the airport by 5. My mom was flying to Nashville, my dad was fishing, so that's why I decided to go away too. Both my mom and I flew out wicked early, and due to Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters being on Thursday night, we decided not to drive up the night before. Anywhoo...We stood in the security line for about an hour, mom was almost late for her flight (which ended up being delayed), and i was on time for mine, which ended up being delayed too...oh well.

Friday was a lazy day, having Burger King for breakfast, and just chilling out at Kate's townhouse, going to PF Changs for dinner, and then visiting Katie's adopted family, the Fitzpatricks. It was an early night, in bed and sleeping at 10pm.

Saturday was the main reason I went...we got tickets to the WMZQ Fest which featured Chris Young, Josh Turner, Clint Black, Terri Clark and Montgomery Gentry. We also scored Meet and Greet passes for Josh Turner...

It wasn't the greatest day, the forecast called for Sunny and 70, but it was rainy and about 55. We bundled up and left the house around 2, grabbed some Arby's and set out for our adventure.

We chilled out before the start of the concerts, excited about seeing Josh and meeting him again. Didn't know what to expect, so our minds definately wandered.

The show with Josh was great, and we got to meet him afterwards, it was a quick "hey...nice to meet you...smile for a picture...thank you for coming...bye" And it all happend about that quick. We had 2 extra passes so we gave them to some friends of Katie's..and they were pretty excited.

They happend to be tailgating at 10am still thinking that it was going to turn sunny and 70, but when it didn't, they were stuck in their tanktops, jeans and cowboy hats.

We stayed through the other bands, Terri Clark is one great entertainer! Montgomery Gentry was good too, but we decided to take off early to try and beat the crowds and traffic. All in all, it was a very fun day!

Sunday we got up, chilled out, read the paper and drank our cappicino's, went flower and camera shopping, then to the Fitzpatricks for dinner. Then we came home and decided to plant the flowers by lamp-light.

They actually came out pretty well!

Monday we went into Baltimore around 1pm and drove by Charm City Cakes. For those of you who don't know what that is...the owener Duff has a show called "Ace of Cakes" on the Food Network. It's AWESOME...they don't let you inside, so we did a drive by and shot some pictures...

After that we walked around the harbor and met our brothers girlfriend at ESPN Zone to hang out and play some video games...and I came to a realization...this is where i want to come on a first date!!

Then it was off to the airport to fly home...fast weekend, long blog!!! Thanks Kate for a great weekend!

===========================================

Tribute to mothers...well actually mostly cute babies! (that have mothers!)

Here are some shots I took in the past couple weeks of wicked cute babies, just thought i'd share!

Larry & Andrea: April 28, 2007

2007-05-03T15:30:00.000-05:00

Here are some shots from Larry & Andrea Moore's wedding on April 28, 2007 in Rochester:

A little Birthday Bash

2007-03-19T13:04:00.000-05:00

Some of the cutest kids in the world were sharing a birthday party on Satruday...I was invited and here are some pictures!

Here's the Birthday Boy expending some energy before the big sugar rush!

A little help with the candle...Here comes the sugar rush!What a little princess...she wouldn't even dive into the cake!But she still had a good time blowing snot bubbles!And no birthday is complete without a Lightning McQueen Pinata!Have you ever seen a dinosaur eat candy before?

We left before the send wave of sugar kicked in...but we did have a great time!

Jamaica MON!

2007-03-07T21:45:00.000-05:00

Wow...It's Wednesday night and so much as gone on.

We arrived at our Villa at about 6pm Saturday night, just in time for a breath-taking sunset. Although we took time to enjoy the sunset, we felt the presence of God more than ever after our terrifying, winding, opposite-side-of-the-road, 2 hour drive from the Montego Bay airport to our villa in Whitehouse. For those of you even thinking of coming to Jamaica i have 3 words for you...GET A DRIVER!! My knuckles have never been so white, and I have never held my breath deeper or closed my eyes tighter...I even figured out a plan for my life...God did not want me to die in Jamaica.

Saturday ended with a beer and an early night. PJ and his girlfriend were to arrive on Sunday and we decided to spend the money and hire a driver to go get them from the airport. THANK THE LORD!! Sunday was a day of relaxing and getting our first day of sun under our belts...we have our own pool and personal chef who makes us whatever we want at the drop of a hat...he makes the best Pina Coladas with fresh pineapple. PJ and Bri arrived around sunset and we had dinner and hung out by the pool, catching up and telling of our death-defying drive.

Monday started the same as Sunday and so will pretty much every day on our vacation. Tanning from 8am-noon, then up and out for some adventure. Dad needed to go do something so we packed up the car, visitied the near by Sandals resort to inquire about day passes and then set off towards Negril. We got about half way, found a Burger King and feasted on a well needed taste from the states, hamburgers and french fries. From there we turned around and found a beach to walk along and some nice blue ocean to swim in. After an hour or two there, we came back to the villa.

Whitehouse is definately not a well populated city and the 3rd world country feel is pretty apparent down here. So Tuesday was spent in a white person's paradise...Sandals Resort. We each got day passes...a day is from 10am-6pm, but the concierge whispered to us as we walked through: "They really don't kick you out at 6...just have a good time!" And boy did we! The day pass was all inclusive, that means all you can eat, all you can drink, all you can swim, float, snorkel, kayak, waterski...you name it!! We definitely got our money's worth! We ate, swam, drank, played, drank some more,ate some more (Pizza and steak...gotta love the American food...well Pizza is Italian, but you know what i mean!)...and swam and floated and swam and floated! It was amazing! We're thinking about going back for another day but we'll see what each day holds!

Wednesday started out with tanning and lounging by the pool, and the plan was to go to a local waterfall...we had a great time! It wasn't the famous Dunn's Falls that everyone talks about, but it was 4 hours closer and just as beautiful and refreshing. After that it was home for some relaxing and coconut shirmp and a movie since it was raining outside...Oh and did I mention another beautiful sunset tonight?? (Pictures have yet to be uploaded...more to come tomorrow!)

Thursday looks like horseback riding and some local flava, and who knows what to do Friday!!

For those of you reading, I'm still alive and me and Jesus are better friends than ever!!! I'll write more later and talk to you on Sunday I'm sure! Take it easy MON!

Cartoons

2007-01-26T16:57:00.000-05:00

So have you ever seen the commercial for....well I don't know what the commercial is for, but all I do know is that the actors, or cartoons look somewhat real, but somewhat fake. It kind of freaks me out and I try to figure out how they do that...

So in my inbox the other day I get this tip sheet for photography and photograph editing. In it there is a tutorial for Adobe Illustrator, a computer program that I have on my computer. Now Adobe Illustrator is this amazing creation program and I'm teaching myself how to use it, but apparently only scratching the surface.

So in this tutorial it shows how to do this "cartoon" appearance while tracing photographs, so I jump on the computer and put my skills to the test.

The first cartoon I did was of my friend Sigrid...
It came out ok, but i hadn't quite grasped the shading and hair part of it yet.

Next was a very intimidating self portrait...
I like this one because i can hide all the zits on my face! And I can make myself as tan as I want!

And the last one I've been working on is a double feature of my best friends at a wedding in Vermont. It's one of my favorite pictures of them...and I think it came out really well!!!
So this is my new hobby...if you would like me to create one for you send me a picture and a check for $25!!

I'll be honing my skills on family members for free!

Peace OUT!

High School Muscial in Concert

2007-01-05T10:54:00.000-05:00

Well folks...I am the queen of impulse and "fly by the seat of my pants"-itis. I was watching the Disney Channel (shock) on New Years Day and during the commericials of the Hannah Montanna Marathon I saw an advertisement for the High School Musical Concert. I thought...that could be fun I wonder if it's every coming to NY. So I searched the internet and sure enough on January 2nd they were going to be in Toronto and on the 3rd they'd be in Rochester. They were so close....should I go??? OF COURSE! I got online and searched for tickets...thinking for sure the show would be sold out. I found a couple places that had tickets, but they mailed them to you and with the holidays there would be no guarentee that they'd get to me in a day. Bummer. Then I went to the Blue Cross Arena website and searched for 1 ticket. Yes 1, I went by myself. Am I a loser...probably but how could you pass up this opportunity?!? They had a seat stage left, ROW B, SEAT 4! It was CRAZY! And they emailed you the ticket so you got it within minutes! I was so excited! So I planned my trip.

Go to work early on Wednesday morning. 2:00pm leave work. Stop in Buffalo around 3pm to exchange Christmas presents. Leave Buffalo at 4:30. Get to Becca's house in Rochester at 5:30pm. Leave Becca's at 6, get to the arena around 6:20pm. Timed perfectly!!

Here is a picture of the sunset while I'm driving from Buffalo to Rochester Wednesday night...
So i got to the arena. I now know that i'm an official Loser, I'm alone and the oldest kid there without children. I thought about acting a little mentally unstable so that people wouldn't think i was a freak...but decided against it. I tried to not be embarassed, and to sit and enjoy the show.
And what a show!!! This was not a High School Musical play that is sweeping the nation, this was a concert with the actually actors from the movie, singing and dancing all the songs to the movie plus a few solos from the actors that have albums out. I like Corbin Bleu's songs the best!
So now the big dilemma...do I sing along to the songs I know?? Do i dance along to the dances that I know?? I already have parents stare at me when i dance a little. I have kids stare at me when I sing (plus i was so freakin close to the stage that I was wearing my headphones as earplugs to try and deaden the sound of the music and of all the 12 year old girls screaming at the top of their lungs). So i sang a little, danced a little and lived to tell about it.

Afterall, we're all in this together!!

It was a great show. I'm so glad I went. Now i can brag to all my friends who think i'm crazy. Nice.

Turkey Day with the Fam

2006-11-30T15:56:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving is one of my family's most favorite holidays. Some may refer to it as "Christmas with out the presents" or "Thanksgiving is the new Christmas." It's always been a big day for the family full of memories and traditions. This year was a little hard because we were minus yet another family member, my Uncle Donnie to cancer in February. The memories and loss were still fresh in our minds, but we somehow kept the joy and tradition alive.

We had some delicious, steaming hot turkey...
Drank a little alcohol....Loved on the grandparents... (aren't they cute!?!?!)Then, the Saturday after Thanksgiving went all together to pick out our Christmas tree!That's it for now! Everyone is back at their respective homes for another couple weeks, and then you know what time it is..............

The Cry

2006-11-06T11:48:00.000-05:00

This weekend was a total blessing to me. Not only was I able to hang out with some amazing people, I got to take pictures and worship the Lord. Not a bad couple days if I do say so myself!

Here are some pics that I took:

Gotta love havin' fun and praisin' Jesus: Teaspoon on the shadow drums:

Jennifer really in the Lord's presence: This was a great picture, and I wasn't even looking! Jesus took the picture...amazing dancers, amazing shot:
Denis in his "white boy" get-up...he still works it on the keys:

Christopher, feelin' Jesus and feelin' very safe with his safety glasses on:A keyboard and a bible...Denis never leaves home without them:
Jennifer again, with a Jammin Ron in the background:

Val moving like an angel:

Thank you CHB for a great couple days and letting me be a part of the band! Until next time....

Happy Birthday to ME!

2006-09-28T21:02:00.000-05:00

Wow. I'm 25. A quarter century old. Wow. But a day that puts you a year older does have it's perks every once in awhile.

The day before my birthday was a pretty good one too. I started the 26th up in Buffalo for a Press Conference for work, then meant to meet a few friends to catch up on life. I met my best friend of 22 years for lunch, and had a great time. After that a few of my meetings with friends fell through and i was stuck in Buffalo at 1:00pm not knowing what to do. I had the whole night ahead of me free with nothing to do. So when you're stuck on a beautiful day with nothing to do....you guessed it...ROAD TRIP!

I hadn't seen my friend Rachel in awhile, and last year she forgot my birthday (but i'm over it) so i thought this year i'd make sure she COULDN'T forget and I'd start the day off with her!

Well after leaving Pittsburgh at 7:30am to get home for an 11:30am hair appointment, I was pretty tired, but there was no time to rest!

11:30am my mom and I went to the salon to get a cut and color, and since we needed to have a birthday party, we took some brownies and some Bailey's!

After 2 hours of chilling out my mom and I ran some errands and went home to rest before going to the Casino with my parents and my grandma and aunt.

We got to the Casino around 7, ate at the Buffet and then went into the floor to hit some slot machines. Well at my $21 mark....ding, ding, ding.....JACKPOT! I hit triple 7's and a 5x bonus and I decided to stop after putting $440 in my pocket!!! NICE!

After a great 30 minutes we were back home to have cake and open presents!

After Talking to friends and family it was time to hit the hay...another birthday here and gone...but a great one at that.

Here is a picture of my new hair color and all my winnings!

Still editing...

2006-08-19T11:46:00.000-05:00

Wow...this is a lot of work. Taking 2,000 pictures and trying to whiddle them down to a fiesable number. I've been working for a week on them on and off and I'm down to 800. They are all so good....MAN! But it's a great learning process and I wouldn't mind it on any regular week but I've been exhausted going through 2 weeks of working almost 12-13 hours a day for soccer preseason and being out in the sun and all that other fun stuff!!!

Rachel, I told you I'd post some more, so here they are!

Here's one of my macro skill shots:

Here's a great intimate hand shot by Bec:

Sigrid and Isaac had a slammin' slide show, here's one great shot taken by Becca:

Another great detail shot by Becca...

Sigrid & Isaac

2006-08-14T16:29:00.000-05:00

So my friend Sigrid got married this past Saturday to a great, Godly man named Isaac. It was one of the most Spirit filled weddings i have been to, and lately that's been a lot!

Becca helped me out, since it was my first time being the primary shooter, but to tell you the truth, she took most of the amazing shots that you will see in this blog! I couldn't have done this withough her, it's such a great time to photograph someone you care about with a best friend who is AMAZING.

Rach..you have been teaching her well...we definately have to do this for a living!

We had so much fun with these girls...here's everyone getting ready in the bathroom!

Here's a quick shot of their rings, very plain and simple but so effective! See everyone, it's not about the bling, but the meaning of the wedding ring!

This is a great shot from Becca, and I know that she was really excited about it! She not only got the beautiful and unique bouquet but also Sigrids Rings (we did the pictures before the ceremony so she doesn't have a wedding ring on yet) and Isaac's arm is also in there too...kudos to you Bec! I couldn't have done this without you!

2006-08-14T14:11:00.000-05:00

Here are some more pics of the day...and a little taste of what the day was like if you weren't able to be there.

2006-08-14T12:44:00.000-05:00

more pics...

2006-07-19T14:37:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone...welcome once again to my blog. We'll start off with another picture taken by yours truly...this waterfall was taken at Letchworth State Park a few weekends ago at a Circle C Staff outing. It was a great time of fellowship, God's creation and Ultimate Frisbee!

After my last post God took a little break from teaching me many things, not that i haven't been learning but He's scaled it down a bit, maybe to one or two lessons a week and not 4 in one week. Here's what i've learned so far:

My last few years at home have made me very comfortable, too comfortable and content. I wasn't being spiritually challenged and my witnessing opportunities with my family had gone down the tube. Enter: camp. Not only am I surrounded with an amazing bunch of Christians, but I am being challenged physically, emotionally and spiritually, exactly what God knew I needed.

I've gotten into the Word more and more, actually comprehending a lot of what i read, i've been getting up early to do devotions so i have the whole day to think about them and apply them to my life. Not too shabby. Still working on the whole "memorizing verses" thing, but it's cool to come across verses that can be used in certain situations, if not for me for others around me.

I've also learned that talking things out with people isn't a bad thing. Yes it might show a sign of weakness, but afterall isn't that what Jesus wants? "For when we are weak, he is strong" Sometimes it takes that person that you're sharing things with to speak Jesus' words to you, and through that problems can be resolved in a matter of days instead of maybe the months or years it can take you to come to that realization just trying to hear God's voice in it all. My pride is knocked down a notch...only 999 notches to go.

I've started making some good friends at camp, some in the most unlikely of places, but it's great none-the-less. Some of the friendships I've wanted are slowly but surely developing, and I am careful not to push things. I have learned that the Lord puts you with the specific people for a specific purpose, so don't wish you were hanging out with someone else, because you might miss the opportunity of getting to know a great guy or girl.

I'm sure there are many many other things that i can share but i'll wrap it up for now. I'm more than halfway though the summer, and I can't wait to see what Jesus has in store for me in the next few weeks. Stay tuned....but until then check out some more pictures from Letchworth!

A not-so short update from the J-Dogg

2006-07-06T09:45:00.000-05:00

So I like to start my blog off with a picture, even though this picture has nothing to do with what I have to say, seeing a pretty picture every now and then seems to brighten my day, so I hope it helps with yours. I would also like to add how amazing God is, and how He's worked in my life over these past few weeks.

For those of you who may not know, I am working 2 jobs (what else is new). My regular old day job that's low key but gives me great internet access so I can write and publish this blog, and Circle C Ranch. Now Circle C Ranch is a great Christian Ranch that I have worked at for 3 summers before this one. Since i'm doing the part time thing, it's a little more difficult than I thought, but Jesus did it that way for a reason. Here's a glimpse of what's been going on in my head for the past few weeks:

June 14-23: "Man, camp is awesome...there are a lot of new faces, and some old faces that I would like to get to know better....Jesus is making sure my motives are pure and provided me with no eligible bachelors this summer....I've been though all of this training before, nothing they can throw at me will challenge me any more than I've already experienced, I'll just be around to help those who are struggling....it was a great training week and a half, but i haven't made any great friends, but we still have 7 weeks of summer"

June 26-July 1: "Sweet, i get to lead worship, we have a keyboard player and a drummer, things should be good....oh man the girl keyboard player and the drummer like each other and are making it super duper hard to run through songs and focus for even 5 minutes....oh man they got in a fight, where are their hearts right now?....on Jesus?.....Lord, what am I going to do?.....

Well i'm around some days, I should help in the kitchen....wow these kids are pretty young....lets try showing them how to best be organized....what by the end of the week they still aren't getting it?....Lord, grant me patience....

July 1-July 2: My family is in town, I would like to spend time with them...but I should really be at camp, and I should probably do some work here or there...I can't please everyone, but i'll try my hardest...Lord, this is too much....I can't do everything.......

July 2 (evening): I finally swallowed my pride and talked with my friend Megan. She and I are very very similar, but she's got some great Christian knowledge that i'm lacking...she suggested that I quit trying to do so much and make sure that what I do, everything that I do is exactly what Jesus wants me to do and if i keep my focus on that then I will have more impact on people than I would if i was serving people for my gratification and to not miss anything. She's amazing, because that night........

We added a guitarist and Megan to the worship team. I am still using my gift of music but don't have the stress of leading worship. I was kicked out of the kitchen (but in a good way so the kids can learn for themselves) and am now "on call" instead of going in there every day.

July 3-today: I am now in a routine to get up, shower and do my devotions before breakfast. Go to work and do my thing, get back to camp and just fellowship with who i can find. Dinner then chapel where i'm trying my hardest just to sing for Jesus, we had troubles last night with the computer and not having a lot of practice so we were 100% relying on Jesus and he came through. Then it's games and spending some time with the campers and then lights out. I try and stay up a little longer to read some scripture and pray, and the amazing thing is that the scripture is starting to come alive for me again. Thank you Jesus!

I've learned a lot in the past few weeks, actions are great and can be a great witnessing tool and that's what i've relyed on for a few years, but if you don't have the knowledge and the scripture base to back it up then it's almost pointless. That's where i'm at, I've got a long road to go, but i've started my journey. Not too shabby.

Photo of the Day

2006-06-21T08:49:00.000-05:00

So I'm working at Circle C Ranch in the evenings and my normal job during the day. Yesterday I had a couple meetings and phone conversations that had to get done so I took the time to go home, relax and work from there.

I open up my email and have all these random messages through Webshots.com that say "Nice Picture", "Congrats on Photo of the Day"...and i'm like..."What the Heck is going on?!?!"

So I check the Webshots homepage and wouldn't you know that one of the pictures I had taken last year and posted on Webshots Gallery was chosen as the Photo of the Day!!! How AMAZING is that!?! Quite the honor...

So for all my friends out there who didn't get a chance to see my photo of the day...here it is! I have to give props to my mom and dad because they technically gew these beautiful tulips!

Did someone say Road Trip!?!?

2006-06-19T10:03:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures of Missy's wedding in Vermont, and also the infamous road trip!

Don't we look HOT!?! Oh and I think Rachel forgot to mention that she left her dress in Allegany, so that is Becca's top, a sweater we bought for her THAT day, and her dress khakis...Becca is sporting her new black suit that she also bought THAT day because Rachel was wearing the outfit Becca brought, and I am wearing all my own cute stuff...too bad you can't see my shoes, they TOTALLY bring the outfit together! Not bad for dressing up for a whole 30 minutes!

This is Becca giving me her happy face and her "I feel horrible that Rachel is sick, but it's not going to ruin my attitude that Missy is getting married and I'm so happy we're in Vermont! Oh yeah...and don't I look HOT in my new black suit?"

Here's Rachel, the first one to get ready, sitting patiently waiting for Becca and I to finish getting ready so we can get her some hot tea!...What a trooper! Rachel, you totally deserve so much more credit than what Mike gives you and I think I have a new found respect for you to!...And PS...I washed my sweatpants this weekend, so we're all good!

Now here are some Ceremony Pics...not too many because even though we were in the front, all we saw was Jim's Back...nice looking back though!

There are definately many more pictures to be posted...but they won't all fit on this blog...Hopefully i'll load them on to a photo site soon and give you the link. Can i just tell you that there is about 30 pictures in succession of me trying to get a shot of Rachel's breath because it was SOOOOOO STINKIN COLD!!! Make sure you run though them in a fast slide show...it's like you're watching a movie!

And speaking of movie, the Roadtrip 2006 video will be on sale for $99.99 or 3 easy payments of $33.33. Leave a comment on my blog if you want a copy! Supplies are limited so get yours today!

Finally, Another post!

2006-05-31T10:41:00.000-05:00

Hi all...I'm keeping up with the Joneses but ahead of the Shipmans and the Johnsons...

A lot has gone on since my last post...it's taken me awhile to post simply because i like to put fresh pictures up and as of about 2 weeks ago i didn't have any. Since those 2 weeks I've snapped some good pictures at my cousin Jeff's Wedding and also shot some good pics at the Christopher Hopper Band's latest gig at the Springville Methodist Church.

First the wedding...I went, even though i was told i didn't have to go...i fulfilled my daughter duties and flew to Tennessee with my parents. When we got there we were pleasantly suprised by my sister who had made up her mind not to come, only to change her mind the tuesday before a saturday wedding! Typical Katie, doesn't want to miss a beat! Here's a picture of us...don't we look HOT?!?!

I had come to the wedding prepared with 3 outfits...but thought that the specific outfit that I was going to wear to the wedding wasn't quite dressy enough, so Super Shopper Katie and I went to Marshalls, Ross and the Dress Barn where she found the most perfectest dress that already matched all my jewelry and the cutest shoes EVER!!! (sorry folks i don't have a picture of them!)

It was a long wedding, and the Priest forgot to say "You may now kiss the Bride"!!! How SAD!??!? But i guess everything is still official!

We had a great time at the reception, dancing and singing and eating...definately better than expected!

Yup 3 days with my family in separate hotel rooms is the way to go...it was a perfect amount of time to be together with plenty of room to get away if you wanted to. And there were people everywhere so if you wanted to escape it wasn't too obvious!

I'll post again in a couple of days (or this afternoon if i get bored) to show you some of my shots from the CH Band concert!

My Ode to ALIAS

2006-05-17T11:38:00.000-05:00

Oh ALIAS...what will I do without you? My heart won't pound as fiercely, my breathing will no longer be irregular, my dreams will no longer be filled with missions and Michael Vartan. My Wednesday nights will be empty, lacking quirky one liners and action filled drama. My phone won't ring with familiar voices during commercials, or screaming voices at the credits. There will be no more car crashes, under cover costumes or accents or love affairs. I will have to settle for reruns.

Oh ALIAS...you've been good to me. Even though we didn't meet until just last year, you gave me the best years of your life. I know things about you that I never knew I could know, and things that no on else knows. You have made my friendships stronger, and yes, even made me appreciate knowing French and a bit of Spanish.

Oh ALIAS...thank you. I'll miss you...but you'll always be in my DVD player.

Syd and Vaughn...I hope you live a happy life together...we knew it would end Happily ever after.

Cherry Blossom Festival

2006-04-04T14:24:00.000-05:00

This weekend was a great weekend. My mom and I went down to Virgina last Friday to visit my sister Katie and had planned on going to the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington DC on Saturday. My mom LOVES flowers and we have started an annual trip to the various ones around the North East. Last year we went to the Lilac Festival in Rochester and had a great time and so this year it was time to see the Cherry Blossoms!

Friday we met Katie in Leesburg where she works, met her co-workers and hit the outlets. I found a Nike #9 jacket which is AMAZING, and my mom found a table for our kitchen that we're almost done re-doing...see photo!!

Saturday called for rain, but although the skies were overcast, the rain held off for us. I managed to get some great pictures, i probably could have gotten more if the sun was shining. We took the metro into the city so it made getting there and back a breeze, so we walked, talked, and took pictures...what a great day!!!

Sunday we got up, went to Brunch and then headed home. My mom and I were so busy talking we missed one of our exits and ended up going about an hour out of our way (See Rachel, it could happen to anyone) so we pulled out the Atlas and found our way back to Allegany just having lost one hour!!! Oh man, what a road trip!

Now it's back to reality but i wanted to leave you some of my pictures!
Oh yeah...and did i mention that we went to the FREER Gallery of Art which is part of the Smithsonian!! How funny!

Bec and Rach...I haven't talked to you in a while...hope you're still alive...by the way..what do you want for your Birthdays?

Also Bec...I'm going to be in Buffalo on April 19th...i was wondering if i could stop by for the evening, celebrate your birthday and watch the 2 hour ALIAS???? Just a thought.

Ta Daaaaaaaaaaaaa

2006-03-28T13:06:00.000-05:00

So here it is...my masterpiece! This 3-D puzzle of Cinderella's Castle had 560 pieces and took about 12 hours to assemble. Was I crazy? Yup...but it was worth it.

Let's start from the beginning...I didn't think that I have had this puzzle for THAT long, but i also think that this might have been the one thing that put me over the top when it came to believing in Santa Clause. I unwrapped this gift, what i think i remember as this puzzle, still had the sticker price on it from Brand Names!! I kept that secret with me and finally told my mom yesterday! I tried putting it together but I soon figured out that i was over my head and put it up in my closet.

Lately i've been in a puzzle kind of mood. Whether my brain is starved for stimulation or i had a need for some sort of hard accomplishment, it had been going on for a couple weeks now.When i go and visit my grandpa at the nursing home they have all sorts of puzzles and stuff around, so i would put 100 piece puzzles together and was ready for a challenging 500 piece one. There was always some one in the room so i never got to start my 500 piece puzzle.I was cleaning my room on friday and found this puzzle. I started it Saturday night after our soccer tournament and dinner with mom, Aunt Mary Jo, and grammy. I worked on it saturday night for 6 hours, i was ready to give up but decided to go to bed and try it again on Sunday. I got back at it sunday afternoon around 1 and finally put the finishing touches on it at 7. My neck is stiff and my back hurts but i finally have a sense of accomplishment!!

So I had ALL ACCESS to the Casting Crowns Concert last night....

2006-03-20T12:19:00.000-05:00

So last night, Sunday March 19th Casting Crowns, Nichole Nordeman, and Josh Bates were at St. Bonaventure for the Lifesong Tour. It was AMAZING! And since I work at Bona's, and there's got to be some sort of perks here or there...I got free tickets and an ALL ACCESS PASS!
I showed up at Bona's at about 2:00pm with plans to help set up a little (and earn my ticket), hear and experience sound check, and also do some actual work at Bona's. I had an in with the maintenence guys so they schmoosed one of the managers of the tour to get me in to the Meet & Greet session that Casting Crowns and Nichole Nordeman do before the concert, so I was able to get into that at about 7:00pm. I met all of the band members and shook their hands and held a conversation here or there, but i didn't get my picture taken with any of them because i'm a woose (is that how you spell it?) and didn't ask. I did, however, get all of Casting Crowns autographs!!

I actually got 2 free tickets, called a few people to see if they wanted the extra one, but oddly enough they didn't for one reason or another. That was fine though because I was prepared to use my all access pass for all it was worth and go here, there and everywhere! So I brought both tickets with me just incase i saw someone i knew.

At about 3:30, Mrs. Mac (my Kindergarted teacher and my second mother) called me and asked if the extra ticket was still available because there was another woman who needed some "spiritual guidance" and thought that the concert would be a good place to bring her. So I put my extra ticket at will call and met up with her at the concert.

The concert was awesome and Casting Crowns treated it like a worship service with the words in the background so everyone knew what they were singing about and could sing along. The Lifesong CD is a great one, i recommend it to anyone!

They also had a preacher named Tony something, that used humor when telling about his witnessing technique, and then gave an alter call where over 200 people dedicated their lives to the Lord...how amazing, and a lot of them were adults too! The best part about it was that the lady who went with Mrs. Mac's ticket dedicated her life to Jesus!!!! Everything has a reason for happening!

After the concert i stayed a little while helping fold up chairs and going back stage (cause i could!) and seeing Josh Bates and a couple of the Casting Crown band members again! It was a great experience, I wish you all could have been there!

Vacations seem to fly by...

2006-03-09T21:46:00.000-05:00

Well here's my last blog of Vacation, tomorrow is our last day here and it's not actually even a full day, we fly out at 7:30 tomorrow night. We have to check out at 11am so i'm not sure what exactly we're going to do.

We've had a great vacation, but we're at the point where some of us start getting on some others nerves and the innocent sarcasm that was funny at the beginning of the week gets a roll of the eyes and a shake of the head at this point in the vacation! Oh well, family is family and we're all proud and glad that we're so close most of the time! The past few days have been great so i'll recap them for you.

Wednesday was Katie's day to pick our event and she picked a dolphin tour. She has always wanted to swim with the dolphins and this was just one step closer to her dream. We boarded a boat that was a mix between a speed boat and a pontoon with another couple from Minnesota and our captain, Rick. We took off from the harbor and saw 3 dolphins almost immediately. We tried to coral them and get them to chase us and play with us, but they weren't in the playing mood! But we did get to see a bunch of them and one even swam right under our boat. Dolphins are very sneeky suckers and one minute they'd be right next to the boat and the next minute they'd be 500 feet away in the other direction! So the pictures aren't that great...but i did get some!

After seeing the dolphins we drove through houses in the harbor that were worth MILLIONS of dollars...one house there was priced at $40 Million!! It was crazy!! From inside the harbor we went out into the Gulf of Mexico and did some jetskiing, i wonder what my face looked like going 60 mph!!! (My mom even went too: see picture!) From there we went to a private island and got to spend a half an hour just searching for sea shells and chilling out, it was fantastic! The whole day was great, but unfortunately we all got a little fried as well...so wednesday night was spent covered up on the couch watching tv, which is never all that bad!

Today we didn't have anything planned to do, which was nice. We layed out by the pool for a bit (I was definately in the shade or in the pool...not much sun exposure for this girl), hit some shops that were WAY out of our league, then went to the peir to catch a little more sun and then out for dinner...

Who know's what's in store for tomorrow, maybe a little shopping at the outlets, but I can't buy too much because nothing else will fit in my suitcase!

So this is it for me from Florida...it's been great, but now it's back to the real world and to coaching and figureing out what to do with this Asthma Coordinator job...no more excuses for me! Wish me luck!

Holy airboat ride Batman!

2006-03-07T16:27:00.000-05:00

Woah man...I was NOT expecting this! Monday, March 6th was dad's day to pick what we're going to do while in Naples. He had talked all weekend about going on an Airboat ride in the Everglades. At first he thought that just he and I would go and Mom and Kate could go shopping, but then they both decided they wanted to go too.

We had an appointment set up for 2:00pm, so after a few hours in the sun we packed up extra clothes, towels and headed south. We were driving for a little over an hour, the further south we got the more country and swampy it got until we were sure that we were in the lower socio-economic status of the Everglades. We stopped at a gas station to grab some lunch, there was a Subway in the gas station where we weren't sure if the attendant was a man or a woman! The smell outside wasn't the most pleasant and we had no idea what we had gotten ourselves into! Dad decided that we either go big or go home and had chosen the hour and a half ride, and boy was mom and Kate not pleased!

We finally got there and found a trailer with the address on it, it didn't look like a professional place at all...but we were already in too deep! We got there on time and got into the airboat with our guide named Daryll, along with another couple. Katie wanted to sit in front so she got what she wanted and i sat with her, with mom and dad behind us and the other couple in the third row with Daryll behind.

It started off slow through a no wake zone, then we got into open waters. WOAH MAMA, all of a sudden the boat takes off at 40 mph with the wind wipping through our hair, laughing at one another with spit flying out of our mouths and our stomach's hurting from laghing so hard and not being able to breathe!

It was the best ride of my life! We went through canals, open waters under bridges and saw some wild pigs and even 3 alligators!

Our hour and a half ride was a perfect length, we were able to see and experience everything that Daryll had to offer! Here are some pictures of our adventure!

In Florida....again

2006-03-05T21:09:00.000-05:00

Well folks, I'm in Florida...again! This time i'm with my Mom, Dad and sister down in Naples, FL. We'be been here since Friday and could not ask for better weather. It's been 84 and 82 the last couple days and 3 hours in the sun each day is definately enough. My sister thinks that since she has a base tan from the tanning salon that she doesn't need suntan lotion, but she's definately feeling the effects today. She's the color of a lobster and has to reapply the aloe lotion every half hour or so! Usually that's me in the lobster situation, but i'm doing pretty well. Sure i'm burned a little but i've learned my lesson and try and let the burn tan up before really putting myself out there!

Yesterday, Saturday, March 4th we hung out at the pool for 3 hours then headed down to Tin City, kind of a local shopping plaza that's geared towards tourists. Then we headed to Joe's Crab Shack for dinner...always a FL favorite, although I believe that I did go to one in Pittsburgh last time i was there!

Today, Sunday, we did our daily sun bathing then about 3 o'clock headed out for Ft. Myers Beach. We spent about 3 and a half hours there, getting an early dinner and watching the sun set. Katie took a nap in the car while dad and i walked the beach took pictures and basked in the awesomeness of the Lord.

Tomorrow, Monday, we're only going to stay in the sun for 2 hours, then head south to the Everglades where we're looking to take a airboat ride through the waters of the Everglades and hopefully see some alligators and stuff. I'll catch you up in the next couple days.

Here are some pics from this evenings adventures.

Wow...what a February

2006-02-17T21:18:00.000-05:00

Wow. What a February! Not the best month I've ever had, but i guess not the worst, although a worse one doesn't come to mind at this time. Those who know me know what's been going on, and i have less than 2 weeks until it's over.

Hopefully this next week won't be horrible, and on Friday i get to go with my parents to see Martina McBride in concert and then off to Circle C for a weekend of fun with my 2 bestest best friends in the whole world.

Then 2 weeks from today i will be in sunny Florida with no worries in the world!!! My brain will officially be shut off, my tan will officially be turned on!

That's what i'm banking on, 2 weeks, one day at a time.....2 weeks.

2 weeks.

Here's a couple pictures i took over the last week...maybe some beauty helps the time go by faster!

I guess it's time for a change

2006-01-30T09:41:00.000-05:00

So I took the Coordinator job. I'm not exactly sure what i'm getting into, but i've had a good history of floating in the water that i have been thrown into. Things seem to be off to a good start except that i have NO CLUE what i'm doing or even where to start!! oh well...I took the signs and pressures from around me as Jesus trying to tell me something and although i was pretty anxious about the whole thing, it seems to be the right decision. (just as long as what they told be about the job is true and not much more!)

The perks seem pretty good right now. Even though i'm starting off part time (to finish up my other job as Academic Coordinator at Bona's) I'm technically getting paid for full time work, which is nice. I might be getting a new laptop, or some other new toys like a work cellphone or perhaps a PDA, a satellite wireless internet card and maybe some other doohickey's here or there.

Forgive me if i don't seem totally enthused...i'm still trying to process things while having soccer on the brain, and lack of sleep (i dreamed about recruits all night long) and also figured out that i haven't recruited any defensive players! YIKES! Oh well it won't be totally my problem!

This next month will be a long one, but after that i'll be on VACATION for a week to help clear my head or something. I bought this new Mountain Dew Energy Drink, so i'm going to chug that and see if it helps me wake up any more! Gotta Love Monday's! NOT!

Rach: Did you get the house?? I've tried calling but never seem to get you...let me know what's up!

Bec: I'll touch base with you sometime this week. My dad's bday is saturday so we might celebrate Friday and i'll drive up early saturday. Let me know if that works for you!

Catching up on a few things...

2006-01-24T09:47:00.000-05:00

OK...well HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL was a hit! It's safe to say that i was NOT disappointed with the show. Sure there were cheesy points here and there, but you'll have that in any musical or in any Disney Channel Show. I was in great company, down in Pittsburgh where Rachel accompanied me and set aside her Friday night to watch it with me cause she new how excited I was! I think she liked it too...

It got even better when we sent Mike to the bedroom and we didn't have to worry about his comments here or there. Mike, I love you, but sometimes you're a bit much for me! We'll have to work on that if we ever get married!

I had a great time in Pittsburgh, i miss Rachel A LOT but it's always nice to have a weekend away from home and spending it with best friends. Hopefully i'll be seeing Becca in the next few weeks at camp!

So now i'm in a pickle. I was offered this job. Kind of a promotion of where i'm at now at Cornell Cooperative Extension. They talked me into interviewing for the job, so i did. Then when i had decided not to take it they blindsided me with the famous line "The others sucked. You're the only one. We'd have to re-post and re-interview" and blah blah blah. Jaime falls for the good ol guilt trip over and over...will i ever learn? Or get a back bone? Why don't i just tattoo SUCKER on my forehead!?!?!?!?!?!

Is Jesus testing me? Are all these signals a sign that i'm supposed to take the job? I wish that there was a phone number i could call to get the right answer! So if anyone knows anyone who prophecies, could you ask them what i'm supposed to do?

The job invovles some traveling, some administrating, some presentations and a lot of phone calls and face to face meeting. Pretty much everything i dislike doing. I'm quite comfortable sitting on the sidelines, doing my thing, not having to talk to anyone, and free time to do what i want when i want to do it. Aye yi yie!

Girls please let me know what you think. I'm so struggling here! Man, life is tough. I'm talking to Jesus about it, but if you get an answer before i do, could you also ask Him when he coming to Rapture us? That'd be amazing! Thanks!

I'll let you know what i decide...

Call me crazy...

2006-01-11T15:23:00.000-05:00

Call me crazy but I love the Disney Channel. Call me childish, immature, or just a really big dork, but it's something about good clean fun that is irresistable to me. Not only do I like the shows on Disney Channel, but I'm a sucker for their "made for TV movies" or Disney Channel Origional Movies...and this Month's Movie is......................HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL! (Check out the website!)

I'm not sure why but this movie's got me all giddy inside. Maybe it's the little girl inside of me that idolizes the characters, or wishes to be an actor like them. Maybe it's the intriguing story line that is similar to my life, or the whole in my heart that never got filled with a musical performance of my own...(thanks a lot Miller!) Maybe it's the sub plot of the romantic comedy that pulls me in. Maybe it's just the fact that me loving this kind of stuff makes my friends laugh at me! Whatever it is, "High School Musical" can't get here fast enough!

Through writing this, i think i've had an ephiphany....i love the Disney Channel Stars who give back to society while showing that you can be successful without being annorexic, sluty, or have to curse every other word. I think i still have a chance of being one of the stars of Disney Channel only because i still look like i'm 15! There's still hope!

So for all of you Disney fans out there...Peace out, and keep it real!

It's the most wonderful time of the year

2005-12-19T13:58:00.000-05:00

Hey Ya'll...haven't posted in awhile so i'll catch everyone up to speed...

December 1-5th, went to Disney World...check the deal on the previous 4 blogs.
(Also check the Disney Day Parade, yes airing ON CHRISTMAS DAY folks, and you might just catch a glimpse of yours truly screaming like a 5 year old that's been to Disney World for the first time ever. I'm standing infront of the Theatre Marquis next to some very large, yet very feminine man/boy in a blue sweatshirt and a santa hat...)
Click here for all the photos

December 1st: Got a call asking me to be interim head soccer coach...i said yes, now i gots tons of work to do!! Recruiting, scheduling, spring training, the works...i think i rather stay behind the scenes, but i'm upfront and center until May.
Click here for the full write up

December 17th: Had a Christmas Party with all my parent's friends, it was nice to see everyone and it helped get the kitchen done and the house all clean.
December 19th: Today. Going over Christmas Lists in my head...spent WAY too much money on everyone, but i don't care cause it's CHRISTMAS! Becca came in on Saturday so we hung out last night which was amazing because i never get to see her and spend some quality time with her. We went to Applebee's and then rented "The Polar Express"...great movie for those who haven't seen it yet.

Last night i stayed up until 1:00am watching a Hallmark Christmas movie...those get me every time. There's one on every night at 9:00pm, so I plan on doing that all week.

It'll be an easy week, physically going to work but not being there mentally, going late and leaving early...ahhhhhhhhh the joys of the holidays.

I can't til Rachel comes home too so the three of us can exchange Christmas presents...i got them some wicked awesome presents!

Whoever reads this, i love you all and miss you all and hope you have a wonderful Holiday!

From 75 to snow in 3 hours or less...

2005-12-07T12:04:00.000-05:00

Hello all, here's a recap of the last week...and mainly my trip to Disney World. Sigrid and I had an amazing time...i hadn't been to Disney in a couple of years, and never during the Christmas Season. Not only did i get to go to the theme parks, i also got to be part of the select audience during the taping of the Very Merry Christmas Day Parade, that will air on Christmas day. I never realized how much work goes into filming a parade, can i just say that a parade that takes 2 hours or less on TV takes atleast 3 days to tape, and hours of editing. But it was a once in a lifetime experience, and i wouldn't have wanted anything different.

Day #1, Friday, December 1st:
Got up at 6:00am (after getting to my hotel at 11:30pm the night before) to be ready and waiting for Sigrid and her friends to pick me up and take me to Magic Kingdom to start taping the Holiday Festivities at 8:00am. We made it there just in time, and then were escorted (along with about 300-500 others) to the front of Cinderella's castle to be part of the audience for the taping of some 1 song concerts by various singers and bands. I was excited, but soon found out how much of a perfectionist Disney can be when getting the right shots. We hung around for a few hours, and about 6 or 7 takes of the same song, then decided to hit the rides and attractions of the park. We went on all the main rides, saw some shows and experienced the experience that is Walt Disney World: Magic Kingdom. The park closed at 6pm for a Christmas party that you had to pay extra for, so we decided to jet and catch a movie. Chicken Little in 3-D! It was a long but great day...

Day #2, Saturday, December 2nd:
We slept in a little and decided to go to Magic Kingdom for another day, mainly to try and catch the actualy parade. We had heard that Regis and Kelly were going to be there Saturday...and we were right!
I was at the parade for about 4 and a half hours, trying to take in every moment. This was another day of watching and waiting, then watching again...but eventually i got a front row (or should i say curb) seat...so keep your eyes peeled on Christmas morning because you might see my face! I was standing infront of the cinema theatre thing next to a fairly large, fairly feminine teenage boy in a blue sweatshirt and a santa hat...so if you see him, you probably saw me! During the parade i got to see many characters, Santa Clause, Power Rangers (yes they are Disney now) and even Ally & AJ, and the Cheeta Girls!!!

2005-12-07T12:02:00.000-05:00

Here's some more pics from the Disney Parade on Day 2:

2005-12-07T12:01:00.000-05:00

After hanging out at the parade for a few hours on Day 2, Sigrid and i then went to MGM Studios...it's one of my favorite places since my life long dream is to be a Disney Animator and that's where the Animation Studio is housed. We saw a wicked cool car stunt show, hit up the Rockin Roller Coaster, and "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" and were content on just hanging out and people watching.
During the winter months each theme park has something specific that they do for Christmas...MGM's was a huge Christmas Light Display...and when i say huge i'm talking millions of lights, and even snow! It was an amazing sight to see and experience...pictures do NOT do it justice...but i'll try. Here is a shot that i stitched together...
And that was the ending to day #2.

2005-12-07T12:00:00.000-05:00

Day #3, Sunday December 3rd:
We spent the day at Epcot. A great park that i have learned to appreciate as i've gotten older. We got to the park early in the morning and committed our morning to going on all the rides. There was Test Track, where you are a crash test dummy going through the daily tests that a car would go through...and then went on a new ride called "Soarin" where you feel like you're hang gliding over forests, orange groves, oceans, mountains and deserts. The great thing is, is with the wind flowing through your hair and the smells of the places actually hitting your nose, it feels like you're REALLY FLYING! It was great! We decided to take a break in the middle of the day and go back to the hotel, then around 7 we came back to Epcot to hit the many countries of the world for dinner and then stayed for the nightly Illuminations show. Another long but great day...here are some pics.

Day #4, Monday, December 4th:

Monday was a low key day, we went to Downtown Disney which was right down the street from our hotel, and just chilled out until i had to go to the airport to come back to snowy, cold ol' Allegany...so that's it. I'm back now doing my 4 jobs....oh and for those of you that hadn't heard, i'm now interum head coach of the women's soccer team until we hire a new coach...so my plate is getting just that much fuller.

To check out some pictures from Disney, click on the link: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jaima9_5/album?.dir=/d8e5&urlhint=actn,del%3as,33%3af,0

other pictures will be up shortly!