Vacation...(Part 3)

Newark, New Jersey / New York, New York
Let me just start by saying that if I never drive in a big New Jersey city again, it'll be too soon. Driving to our hotel in NJ was craaazy!!! First, their roads are (a) confusing and conjested and (b) terribly marked. I'm so used to Michigan where the roads in the city are clearly marked. Not NJ! I'm just thankful I didn't have to drive in NYC. That would have been the end to my sanity.

Ground Zero
Me

So yeah, the trip there was pretty much easy (until we got to the city part of it). We only got "lost/turned around" once and that was in a...parking lot... rather embarrassing, but we got a good laugh out of it. We arrived at our hotel at a decent time and checked in. On the way into the hotel, we were beginning to worry that we had just driven ourselves to a dirty, drug ridden place...the outside and the surroundings were rather creepy, but we walked in and it was pretty swanky. =0) But enough about the boring stuff.

Me & Jessie

We decided not to go into NYC that day (Thursday) just 'cuz we were exhausted. However, Friday we spent all day there (which isn't hard to do). We took the subway into the city and walked to Battery Park, where we got on a ferry to Liberty and Ellis Island. I had been to New York before, and I had seen Lady Liberty from a distance, but never on the island. She is breathtaking (and HUGE). I got some amazing shots of her and of the city from across the water. We had thought about taking a walk up the pedestal, but there was so much more that we wanted to do that we decided not to. Instead, we bought some souveniers and left for Ellis Island. We didn't get much time there, so I don't really have a lot to say about that Island. The one thing I'm going to say is that I don't think I'm meant to really see it. The first time I went there, we had about 45 minutes to see everything and get lunch (that was a little over 4 years ago). This time around, same thing, we had about 45 minutes to see everything and get something to eat. Needless to say, neither time did I really get to see all of Ellis Island. Oh well, maybe next time. =0)
Top of the Empire

We got back to the mainland and headed off to the Empire State Building. I was determined to see it during the day. The last time, it was nighttime and I didn't get a single picture. So, we got there and waited in line....got past the picture area, waited in line some more for the elevators, and then waited and waited and waited... LOTS of waiting in line, but we eventually got to the top and it was SPECTACULAR!! To get a 360 of the city is quite amazing. All the cars look like matchbox cars and the people, well they look so tiny. We also got to watch the sun set over the city. It doesn't hold a candle to Michigan sunsets, but it was still a pretty cool sunset. We caught up with each other and headed back down the building.

It was time to head back to the hotel for the night. It was dark out and walking the streets back to the subway wasn't as scary as I expected. I've learned, you just keep your belongings close to your body and look straight ahead, like you're on a mission - that way, you'll blend in with every other New Yorker and you're less likely to get mugged (atleast that's what I told myself). =0)

(If you want to see the full size pictures, just click on any one of them.)

Next: Day 2 In NYC

Vacation...(Part 2)

Plattsburgh, New York
This is the city I was looking forward to the most. From Canada, it took us about 6 hours to get there, however, with the road that Cybil took us down, I think it took a little more, but it was totally worth it. We started out on an expressway (like those in MI), but about an hour into it (and a wrong exit) Cybil directed us down "Highway 8." It was probably the most beautiful highways I've seen in my life. Trees, rocks, clear blue skies, and the road weaved back and forth quite a bit. It was really pretty, but it also caused a lot of laughs. We would approach a sign that said "Town of...." but there would be NO town. NOTHING. We passed those- a lot. Then we're about, oh, 1/2 way there and I realize: I need a "break." HA! Every "village" we came to had NO GAS STATIONS!! What kind of place is that? I swear we traveled over 50 miles before we found a place that looked like it would have a restroom. It was a little grocery type store. I pull up and on the door in big letters "No Public Restrooms." At this point, I'm pretty much miserable. Another 15 miles and we come to a stop light. I say to the girls "If there's a stop light, there must be a real town," sure enough...we turned and there it was. I don't think I've ever been as happy to see a gas station as I was at that moment. =0)


After our little stop, we got back on the road for Plattsburgh. Like I said, the trip there was 6 hours, but they seemed to go by pretty quickly. That is, until we reached the sign that said "Plattsburgh 35 Miles." I think those were the longest 35 miles EVER. By the time I reached that sign, I was ready to be there. I couldn't believe that this was actually happening.
We got to our hotel, settled in and then walked across the street to Walmart. Funny thing happened while we there. When Jessie and I went up to get a cart, we saw Tiffany and her mom standing in the checkout!! It was crazy, and a bit awkward because it was totally unexpected. We talked a little bit and then they left. The next day Jessie, Theresa, Tiffany, Christina (Tiff's cousin) and I all hung out. First the mall then a cute little pizza joint, then the playground. We had a TON of fun there. I'd go into all the funny details, but this post would go on forever.


Christina Jessie

Tiffany & Christina

The following day (Tuesday) Tiffany and I hung out on our own. We left the hotel and went to a little place called "Michigan's Plus," and we ordered a "Michigan" (it's pretty much a chili dog). After that we went back to her house to pick up her baby Carlos and then went and rented a couple videos and she showed me around her town (her old High School, hang outs, etc). We spent the rest of the evening hanging out like old friends. It was really nice and it all ended too soon. When you spend 7 years working up to this point, 2 days just isn't enough. I've had people ask me: "Is she what you expected?" or "Is she the same in person as in the letters and emails?" The answer to both is YES. We've built a friendship over the years, we've been very honest with each other, and she's the same girl in person as she is on paper or email. I can't wait until the next time we're able to visit each other. Til then, we'll go back to the good 'ol electronic mail.

I almost forgot to mention: Her parents are two of the sweetest people I've met. From the first second I met her dad, he made me feel very welcome, and the same thing with her mom. It makes it that much harder to leave when you get along with everyone in her life that you meet.

Up Next: Newark, New Jersey / New York, New York

Vacation...(Part 1)

I've been meaning to get around to blogging about my vacation, it just took longer than anticipated. Here it is:


For those of you that don't know, the main point of this trip was to meet my best friend Tiffany in New York. I've posted the link to the blog that explains it all... =0)

Theresa, Jessie and Me.

I chose Jessie (my cousin) and Theresa (her friend) to travel with. We pulled out on the 13th of June with our GPS (aka: Cybil) hooked up and our car loaded down; we were ready to go.



First Stop: Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.

American Falls from above

American Falls from the ground

The trip there was, for the most part, uneventful. We had a couple rain showers and an accident, oh, and we named our GPS. If you've ever had a GPS, you know that they can be kind of cranky. With the one we were using, we were trying to locate a gas station. Well, the gas station "she" led us to no longer existed, so I turned down the road and was looking for a drive to turn around in. All of a sudden she starts saying, "make a U-Turn when possible, make a U-Turn when possible" over and over and over (until we silenced her). And she has this funky british accent, so from that point on I called her Cybil because I figured that at any given minute she was gonna jump out and kill us all.
Horseshoe (Canadian) Falls from above.

Horseshoe Falls from the ground.

So, we get to our hotel at about 3am and go to sleep, only to get up at 8 the next morning. WAY TOO EARLY!! We all got around and headed out to the Niagara Falls. First, we went on the Sky Tower and was able to see the falls and pretty much the entire town from up there. It was an amazing view. If you've never seen the falls, I suggest you take a trip there to see them. The really are breathtaking. After that, we went back down to the ground and walked about 2 miles to the Maid of the Mist. It's a boat that takes you right up next to the falls, and let me tell you...you end up SOAKED, but it's a ton of fun.

Following that, we just walked around town a little, bought some stuff, and ate at the Rainforest Cafe. It was my first time eating there and I found it to be pretty cool. I got my picture taken with the frog that walks around, but he got mad at me because I wouldn't do the Macarena with him...oh well. =0) We then proceeded to walk around a little more and then decided we were getting tired and it was time to go back to the hotel, so we walked the 2 miles back to the sky tower and left.

With all of the things we did, all of the little inside jokes, and all of the funny things that happened, Canada was great, but I was disappointed by just one thing: Canadians don't always use the word 'eh.' In fact, the entire time we were there, not a single one said it. lol =0)

Next Stop: Plattsburgh, New York

The "Low" Part of my Life...

I don't very often talk about my diabetes publicly (blog). Once in a while I'll talk about it, but usually I either keep it to myself or talk about it to my close friends. Today, I feel like talking about it. Once in awhile I'll have a curious person ask my what it feels like to have a low/a high/ give myself injections, etc. While I won't get into everything else, I'll answer one of those questions: "What does it feel like to have a low?"



My Answer: Have you ever had to stand in front of a big group of people to talk or sing or just stand there? Maybe you've played in a sport and had hundreds of eyes watching you and your nerves got so bad that your heart started to race and it was almost impossible to concentrate on what you were doing... That's how I would describe a low (for me). I've been on stage (to sing AND to talk) and I get the same feeling. Being somebody with diabetes, it can be difficult to differentiate between nerves and low blood sugar(BS). Before diabetes came into my life I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that when I was on stage, it was nerves. Now I pretty much have to know what my blood-sugar is before I go on stage. It may sound strange, but the last thing someone wants to see is a girl pass out on stage (nerves don't do that to me: Lows do.) I've never passed out from lows, I can usually tell when they come on; like today. That's part of the reason I'm blogging it. It happened today, and I've been asked the question, so I figured I'd answer. I had a normal breakfast with a good sugar reading, gave myself the correct amount of insulin and about 3 hours later, I was unable to focus, my hands were shaking really bad, and all I wanted to do was sit still (low energy comes with low BS). I grabbed my handy kit, tested, and came out with a 67 reading. Even though I just wanted to sit there, I knew I had to do something. So, I forced myself to the breakroom and poured myself a cup of coffee with sugar rather than Equal (which is what I usually use). It's been about half an hour and my BS is back at a normal range (117).



These things happen. Ask anybody with diabetes; we have high days and we have low days, we just have to learn to deal with it because there are times that no matter what you do, you can't get your numbers down to normal on a particular day and there are times that you keep having lows. It happens. So yeah....One question down and about 100 more (or so it seems) to go. =0)

Saddened by an Interruption...

The past couple blogs I have posted have been pretty deep, pretty emotional for me. Not today. It's a vent and yet a laughable situation. It all took place Sunday, July 13, 2008 after church.

There I am, standing by the chairs in the sactuary waiting for my sister to come back because, apparently, she had to "talk to me," (she wanted to ask me lunch...I wasn't in trouble for anything). So like I said, there I am standing by her chair when *Nick walks up and was like "BOO!" I turned around and said hi with a little laugh.
He says to me: "I scared you didn't I?"
Me: "Terribly."
Him: "I saw you jump..."
Me: "You're right, right out of my skin."
We laughed at that for a little while and then started having a real conversation. Oh, did I mention that I like Nick?? Yeah, I do. Anyway, moving on...we're talking and all of a sudden, out of no where, *Tammy walks up and is like (to me) "how are you doing?" Being the nice person that I am (even though I'm a little offended that she completely interrupts) I say hi, and "okay," then ask how she is, she sighs and says, "eh, I'm okay..." that's when Nick breaks in and says, "well, I'm gonna go, I'll talk to you later." ARRRGHHH!!! Now I'm trapped. He's gone and I'm saddened, 'cuz we were talking and it's always a nice thing when the guy you like talks to you... =0), and Tammy is still standing there, so of course I have to talk to her (she did the talking, I just listened). 10 minutes later, I get to walk away and find my sister. Don't get me wrong, I genuinely listened to what she was telling me, but I was still a little annoyed. Thinking back now, I should have asked her to wait a second and finished my conversation with Nick, and THEN proceed to talk to her. However, I didn't. I'm just hoping I'll have another opportunity; he holds pretty good conversation.
Even though I was annoyed at the moment, I laughed about it later when I was telling my friend Lori. It's really not THAT big of deal....I just felt like sharing it. =0)



* Names have been changed to protect the identity of the individual.

Just How I'm Feeling at the Moment

It's amazing to me how songs can put to words the exact things you're feeling; the feelings that you're either to afraid to speak or you just don't know how to articulate.

Case and point:

Incompatible, it don't matter though

'cos someone's bound to hear my cry

Speak out if you do

You're not easy to find

Is it possible Mr. Loveable

Is already in my life?

Right in front of me

Or maybe you're in disguise

Who doesn't long for someone to hold

Who knows how to love you without being told

Somebody tell me why I'm on my own

If there's a soulmate for everyone

Here we are again, circles never end

How do I find the perfect fit

There's enough for everyone

But I'm still waiting in line

Who doesn't long for someone to hold

Who knows how to love you without being told

Somebody tell me why I'm on my own

If there's a soulmate for everyone

If there's a soulmate for everyone

Most relationships seem so transitory

They're all good but not the permanent one

Who doesn't long for someone to hold

Who knows how to love you without being told

Somebody tell me why I'm on my own

If there's a soulmate for everyone

Who doesn't long for someone to hold

Who knows how to love you without being told

Somebody tell me why I'm on my own

If there's a soulmate for everyone

If there's a soulmate for everyone

It's SOULMATE by Natasha Bedingfield. You can hear what it sounds like at:

www.myspace.com/natashabedingfield