Adventures are happening!

Sorry I skipped posts. This new job really takes time away from everything that has nothing to school. But, I will complete my Before and After blog!
Before I do that... I will be capturing the sights of Washington D.C.!!! Kevin and I are heading to the Capitol this weekend.

And I'm sorry to say, but not sorry it is, I won't post next week because my mom, aunt, and grandma are coming to town! We will have our own adventures to Johnson's Corner Farm, McGuire Air Force Base, Philadelphia, and the countryside.

Be sure to check back in a couple weeks for these new flights of this part of our life!

Happy Fall :)

Life Goes on Without Facebook, Y'all.

I have been Facebook-less for two weeks now.... and so far, I'm not suffering!! I have not once thought about how much I wish I could just sign-in against my decision. I have not once wondered who is currently on News Feed. I have my many reasons for deciding to "unsubscribe" my account, and I am still standing behind those reasons.
Even though I am not in-deep with whats going on with friends -- and people I haven't spoken to in years (reason number 1) -- I still feel that I can connect and be in contact with those that need to know about me and me with them. What happened to having a personal life?? Too many young adults my age put so much on facebook, about their parents, about their boyfriends, about their deep struggles, that I feel like I am exposed to more than an outside person should be. Maybe when I grow up a bit, and my "friends" have gotten past the dramatic issues that the early- to mid-twenties bring, I will join this site social media again. If information is important enough for my friends to know, you better believe I will get to ASAP via text, call, or face-to-face!
Facebook is changing, y'all. I joined Facebook when I was a Junior in high school. Even then, I jumped on the bandwagon late. I was never one to do whats "popular" or "in style," so I waited until a bit later. Back then, you had to be a part of a network to be on Facebook. I remember I needed to be invited by someone from a network to even HAVE an account. So, I kindly asked my twin brother if he would invite me to join the Pearland High School network so that I could have my own Facebook account. He did just that! Now, kids are allowed on Facebook at age 13, if not younger. Anyone can join, anyone can create an account, anyone can creep on you or the world (enter reason number 2).
When I deactivated my account, they ask you to give a reason as to why you are leaving. My response was, "I am being made to do things I do not want to do. I enjoyed Facebook when it was simpler." Eventually, I had posts from my account that said I "liked" this organization or that, and changed my privacy settings when it updated. Not to mention the whole TIMELINE thing! I don't like to be made to do things. Ask, and maybe I'll come around. Give me simple; that's all I need.

I tell you this because I have decided to BLOG more! Because I don't have Facebook to keep friends and family and viewers (which I think most fall into the first two categories, for now) informed, I am going to write about the fun and big things that are happening! For now, I am planning on blogging on Mondays, so check in from time to time.

Come back on Monday to see how we have made living in New Jersey a bit more comfy! :)

It's time to share our HOME with you!!

Still Exploring the Lands...

Well, everyone, here goes the second part of London Trip 2011. Better late than never, right?!
I apologize now for not being detailed with this post. I am certain details have dissolved, and I won't be able to remember every name, place, or activity involved in the pictures. But, you can gaze at the pretty images.

Venture with me as I test my memory --

I believe I left the last post with Sunday's walking tour around Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and Big Ben. This brings me to Monday.

We started the morning at a local place called Tom's Kitchen. Let me just preface this picture saying I had never had Eggs Benedict prior to this trip. This was my second time eating this, and I enjoyed every bite.

Okay, that's not entirely true. After cutting into the egg, I may have been a little apprehensive to eat an egg with orange yolk.

Call me an American, but it took me a few bites with my eyes closed before I could accept this egg. Not only did it look different, but eggs really do taste different in England. But, I decided I really do like Eggs Benedict!

This day was one of my favorites. It may have been my favorite part of the trip. After a few days in the fast-pace city, we were headed out of town to the country. We had a Tea waiting for us at Down Hall in Hatfield Heath.

Isn't this site breath-taking??

I loved it from the moment we crept up the gravel drive. Enjoy these few pictures of the beautiful flowers.

Ah, the scenery!

After getting our rooms, we had a Tea waiting for us.

But that was just the half of it! My favorite part was the games that followed. First we sat watching Margaret and Cristen play life size Chess (I would have played... but I never learned how), while the nice hotel men set up our game of Croquet.

We had a friend join us.

After our first round of BORING.. Cristen and I decided to make it interesting. Now, I don't have any pictures of the going-through-the-bushes shots or other challenges we created, but this under-the-table shot generated quite the frustrations. :)

The second under-the-table shot.

This was all for show. We had to entertain ourselves somehow.

After our few games, we played life-size Connect Four before heading out to dinner.

Not knowing the area, we asked the taxi cab driver if he had a recommendation. He took us to Thatcher's Free House (which, if I remember correctly, is another name for "Pub".[I forget all the details]).

After dinner it was back to Down Hall where we ended our night with cappuccinos.

Tuesday was our journey through Cambridge. We traveled the river surrounding The University of Cambridge. Before I go on, let me just admit, I listened the best I could on this next event, but without having pen and paper I could not tell you what all these places were.
We went Punting along <insert river name here> around the different dormitories, buildings and colleges. Here are a few pictures to prove I was there, lacking the verbal memories to tell.

We sat in these boats while a guide stood on the flat surface in the front holding a pole. They dropped the pole straight down into the water and pushed off the bottom of the river. It maybe had a rock bottom? (See, the details!! Where did they go?!)

Again, I'm sorry I don't remember what each of these buildings are, but maybe this will persuade you to explore! :) Yeah, that's it. That was my plan all along -- tease you with pictures so that you desire to see and find out for yourself.

We grabbed food and shopped in the market outside of the college. For additional proof of visiting, I bought Kevin a shirt and a hoodie for me.

Our day continued with dinner at an Indian restaurant Cristen suggested and then to Phantom of the Opera! Loved seeing this in London. The set was amazing, and the singing was phenomenal. (The following week I was going with my mom, Miss Kim, and Aunt Debi to see Phantom in New York City. Fun to compare!)

With two days left, I only have about two more pictures to share. Sorry I did not take more, but I will fill you in with the events that drew our trip to a close.

Wednesday was a long awaited day. We had a trip through Buckingham Palace. It was here that I decided I wanted to become rich and be able to decorate the floors, walls, ceilings, and corners of my future houses with delicate details in every inch of space. We were not allowed to take pictures while inside, but I was able to capture a few (not so good) pictures of the back porch!

Look at that perfect mowing job!!



It was so nice of the family to go away for a bit and let us come over and house-sit for a couple hours.

I was so excited to get to the gift shop to buy a special "Luxury Hand Wash" from Buckingham Palace. My mom has this soap in her guest bathroom, and I have loved the scent from the first sniff. Sadly, they have decided to discontinue that particular scent, and they were out of the lotion. But! I was able to get a couple bottles of soap, one for me and a refill for my mom.  (Later, I received a couple candles from Santa!)
After Buckingham Palace, we had lunch at Pizza Express then headed to Parliament Square to shop around. Here are a few other notes I jotted down in my planner for this day:

-Strand
-Savoy
-National Gallery for Cream Tea
-Covet Garden (shops)
-Starbucks
-Cantina Loredo

SO many activities and only one brain to remember! I guess this means I need to go back and "refresh my memory!"

Well, Thursday was the last day or exploration for this crew, and how we ended was like this:

Jak's for breakfast. The V&A Museum. Harrod's for Afternoon Tea. Cocomala's. Dinner at Coopers Arms.

That brings our trip to an end. Fun-filled and action-packed, this trip was one to remember. So many sites to see and historical buildings to learn. Just when you think you've seen enough, another beautiful place presents itself. God's creativity makes this world so enticing to explore.

No matter where we're from, we always have something in common...




Love.

Exploring New Lands

Well, friends, I have finally decided to put off cleaning my dirty, messy house and blog on my last day before Kevin returns (again).

Just so you know that I haven't forgotten about my few readers, I want to let you know what has happened since my London trip that has kept me from writing. I got back from London and prepared my house for my mom, Aunt Debi, and Miss Kim to spend several days with me! So, once I got back to a normal sleeping schedule, I cleaned the house and got ready for them to take a peek into my new place.

During their visit, I had my interview for my current job. They agreed to being dropped off at the Cherry Hill mall while I did this. It was like pulling teeth to get them there!! Ha, that's a big fat joke. They were thrilled to explore the mall for me, having not been inside myself.

While they were here we went to New York for an overnight trip. While we were there, we shopped at Saks Fifth Ave., Tiffany's, Bloomingdale's, H&M, Forever 21, and plenty more. We were able to see PHANTOM!!! I was thrilled to see it in New York. We saw Times Square, Rockefeller Center, the Today Show set, Good Morning America set, American Doll, F.A.O Schwarz, and SO much more. Sadly, this trip was cut short, due to the wonderful hurricane. I got them to the airport just in time, and then I prepared myself for a night with a friend, so I wouldn't be alone. I'll have you know, the damage done around my neighborhood amounted to a few leaves on the ground and puddles in a few potholes. Good thing I bought the last waters and tuna at the store! We never lost power.

The Monday after the hurricane passed through, I had my first day of work as a preschool teacher. I am the head teacher of the 3 and a half year old class. It took a little adjustment, but I am enjoying each day......... even with the temper tantrums (from myself and the kids!).

A couple weeks into my job, Kevin came back from being deployed! It was so good to have him back in the house. Again, I had someone to talk to when I got home, and noise that wasn't my own.

Within the week he got home, we decided to get a puppy. Long reasoning and story short, she came out of her shell once we got back to the house, and we soon realized she needed to have a place to run and play during the day - a place we couldn't provide.

Soon after we took our Reese back, Kevin left for a week and a two days for a trip over seas, oceans, and lakes.

And that brings me to where I am now. Saturday, the day before he comes home, I am sitting here thinking of the long list of things to do and putting it off to blog!

I guess the biggest post that needs to be done is of my London trip; a place I've never seen before!

So, here it is!

 Carol came to my house to fly to London with me. Our first leg of the trip was on the New Jersey Transit at Hamilton Station to Newark Airport!

One of my favorite differences between here and London was the phrase "Mind the Gap." What made it so much better was the British lady's accent as she warned the passengers entering and exiting. It sounded so polite compared to "Watch your step."

Once we got there we took a cute little taxi cab to the house and went straight to sleep, after saying hello to the lovely host (Jason) and hostess (Cristen).

Our first day started with greeting Margaret and heading out for breakfast at Peter Jones. I had my first Eggs Benedict, and LOVED it! From there we made our way to Clarence House for a tour. They didn't allow pictures once inside the walls, so I had nothing to show for this place. But, I'm sure you can look it up online! :)

It's always sooo incredible to see the interior details of fabulous buildings and homes. I kept thinking of all the different decor ideas I want to have in my house when I become rich and royal.

From there, we had Tea at the St. James Hotel. It was our first tea of many for the trip. We had a room all to ourselves and couches to rest our little bodies from jet lag and walking all morning/afternoon.

 We had DELICIOUS desserts on top. Let me just tell you. Do you see the chocolate cake square right there, I call it death. It was So good. After eating all the sandwiches, scones and tea, I had a hard time fitting in dessert. But, I made room for this. I rejected the shot glass dessert; just couldn't handle it.

 Of course we had the smoked salmon, egg salad, and cucumber sandwiches, all of which were good.

 

I must say, I have taken a love for scones. I prefer a sweet scone with creme fresh and preserves!

When we finally decided we could move again from stuffing ourselves, we got off those couches and made a trip to Fortnum and Mason and got a snack from Laduree. Let me just tell you, these people are picky about you taking pictures of their yummy and delicate foods! I tried the vanilla macaron. There is nothing like this fluffy, crisp, airy, moist delight of a treat.

That night we met up with Jason to take him out for his birthday, which was just days before. We went to China Town and ate at a wonderful restaurant for dinner. It was refreshing to be able to sit and drink water. Favorite moment of the dinner, the employees not believing that we could use chopsticks. We may be from America, but that doesn't mean you can judge our Chinese abilities! Okay, maybe our ONE ability. But, we conquered and showed them up.

Saturday brought a day of pure bliss, for me. It was a day preparing for WICKED!!! The entire day my mind was gearing up for the wonderful Elphaba and Glinda :) But, before our show that evening, we toured the Duke of York Square (market). It was a fun place to walk around. All kinds of treats, sandwiches, cheeses, fresh fruit, and much more. I didn't take any pictures, afraid to look like an insane tourist. (I care too much about drawing unnecessary attention to myself.) So, imagine with me, people walking around with strollers, coconuts in hand with straws, machines blending almost complete oranges into juices. Ahh! And now I've found that there are places like that RIGHT HERE IN NEW JERSEY every weekend! The farmers' markets. (I've been told there are some that have fresh produce and everything for sell, like a flee market.) Anyway, after we circled that a couple times, we made our way to Harrod's!

Harrod's. Who knew there could be such a HUGE place that carried anything and everything you could possibly need!! Levels and levels, sections and sections of shopping!

After our big adventure there, we had lunch at Laduree. After getting our food, we all realized we should have shared our meals. The sandwiches were HUGE. To top off the meal, I got another macaron - coconut!

We floated our way through Harrod's a bit more, and made it to the Pet Palace of all palaces! Jif would have a blast in this place! But sad to say, he would not be walking out with any souvenirs. For a small collar, he would have to pay a pretty penny.

After going back to the house to change, we walked to dinner at The Orange, a pub and restaurant a few blocks from the house. The bread and pizza there was wonderful!! If you ever pop in, I recommend the tomato, basil, and mozzarella pizza!

When dinner was complete we made our way to see WICKED!! I was excited to see it in London so that I could compare it to the shows in Houston and New York. It was so different seeing it in London. The talent was beyond amazing, except for Fiyero - wished we didn't have the understudy. I think my favorite character to hear was Nessarose. She was flawless and sounded so pure. But, the fun part was hearing the accents in their voices. It made the play come to life an entirely different way!

To finish the weekend, we went to The Tower of London to see the Crown Jewels. If only they would sell those, we could solve world hunger and maybe some of the debt in the US. Only kidding, but really. Come on! When we got outside, Cristen and I attempted to take a picture in front of the Tower Bridge without extra friends, but it wasn't incredibly successful.

We also went on a walking tour around Westminster Abbey. We got to see the Parliament, Big Ben, and back roads to where famous people lived. By that point I was super tired, couldn't understand the tour guide, and a bit weak on my feet. But, here are a couple pictures I was able to capture.

Westminster Bridge

Big Ben and a man on a Horse

 The tour guide talked about this man and horse, but I had NO idea what he was saying. His accent was soo strong. So, Aunt Debi, what can you tell me about him??

 Different view of Big Ben :)

There he is!! Big Ben!

 Did you know "Big Ben" is not the entire tower. Big Ben is the name of  the bell, which extends to the clock and tower.

Westminster Abbey

 There you can see Carol and Margaret making their way to the doors!

Parliament

 This place is HUGE! And way to long to fit into my lens, from where I was standing.

 See what I mean??

Westminster Abbey

 Look familiar?? Here comes the Bride!

Everyone needs a picture of this, right?

I believe I am going to have to say "And, Scene" to this post. The house is yelling for me to clean it.
There is much more to come!

London later - Jetlag now

I realize that I have not submitted a new post in a little bit, but do not fear. I have been to LONDON and back, and have many exciting places to share with accompanying pictures! From this side of the trip, I have experience a little jetlag, which has put me to bed NO LATER than 9 pm the past two nights. I have forced myself to stay up until then, but have increased my "sleeping in" by 2 hours! I rolled out of bed this morning at 8:15 am, not able to force my eyes to stay closed any longer. But, that did allow me to enjoy a bowl of cereal, cup of coffee, half of a movie, and a 20 minute lazy rest in bed ALL before I had to get ready for church! Thankful that worship service doesn't start until 11 am!

I hope to get a blog in soon, but tomorrow is a day full of cleaning, grocery shopping and trip planning for when my mom, Debi, and Miss Kim come to visit on Tuesday! (That just means I'll be 2 blogs behind...)

Keep a look out! And just a friendly suggestion... Mind the Gap!

This is Home

Prepare for a long post, because you are about to enter in to a passion of mine... family and my twin brother.

I just returned from my first summer vacations: Home. Even with all of my Stuff here in my own house in New Jersey, nothing will be more comforting, fun, and uneventfully pleasant as being with family. While I was home, I enjoyed the company of many friends and family members.
My first reason and motivation to come home was to watch my twin brother, Joel, race his dirt bike on a Saturday night. For those of you who are unaware, this is a renewed love from when he was younger. He used to ride and "race" when he was in his preteen years, but as expensive as it gets, he quit when his bike became ridiculously too small. This past summer, my uncle sparked a great deal with Joel to sell Joel his KTM dirt bike, due to having knee surgery and two little ones to watch on the track. So, Joel made payments, repaired, and took a big spill before he traded it for a different used one. With his new bike, he raced once and realized it was a lemon. Okay, I called it that and made fun of him for buying from a random guy on the internet. He came out with a GREAT bill of repairs. With that, he and my parents negotiated to repair it only to sell the bike when it was finished. In the mean time, Joel bought himself a BRAND NEW bike! (And, sold the other to another racer from the track.)

Taking off to the starting gate.

All that to say, I had yet to see him race this new bike. A bike without problems?? Joel could really step up his game, right? Not only that, do you see the brightly-colored, star-covered clothing he has on? Well, let me just say that he has gotten himself on a team, y'all. Team Drenaline Cycles! After joining this team, he has been given great deals on gear, stickers, etc. You'll notice he has his last name on the jersey as well as his number, 336. He basically looks like a pro. Now, all he needs to do is keep up the good work and improvement and he can make some money off of winning races! Some of his teammates raced this weekend, too. And when they are there together, it's all about camaraderie!

See the matching pants? It's a team thing.

An added perk to these race nights is the simple pleasure of family. I have 3 cousins that race, along with Joel. Marco and Sebastian race and travel to different tracks regularly. My other cousin, Alex, races mostly at the local tracks. But, I tell you what. Those boys look up to Joel for everything :  Advice, where to get good deals, what to do on certain turns, what kind of gear to buy, how to become sponsored, and so much more.

Alex, Sebastian, and Joel.

There's no a better sight than to see and to feel the support family can provide. My dad's brother, Edward, and his wife Betsy (parents of Marco and Sebastian) bring out their RV and grill, and we have an all day long feast. My aunt, grandparents, and little cousin joined us, as well as some family friends. We laugh, eat, and cheer each racer on as they fly by us on the sidelines. There isn't anywhere else I'd rather be on a Saturday night than right there.

So, let's just get to the good stuff. Joel raced in two different races. He raced with 18 racers that have the same size bike - 250s- then raced with guys who have slightly bigger bikes with a bigger engine - 450s - that had a racers of a class above his. To our surprise, this weekend and last weekend, he did exceptionally well up against these more advanced guys. They race two rounds, making Joel to race 4 times that night. Let me tell ya, he comes back after the first or second race WIPED OUT!! Even still, he always pushes on.

He has a love for this sport, and continues to gain confidence and skill as he improves. But, with every improvement seems to come a fallback. This weekend it was another rider. Joel was on his last race, the one that made Eric and Heather drop everything to come out to watch, after deciding to stay at home. Joel had gotten 1st place in the first round of this race, and we were thrilled and excited and nervous. He hadn't fallen, gotten hurt, or pulled any muscles at all this night!! Something had to go wrong sooner or later. It was his last race; they were at the starting line. Engines rev and they cross the gate. We always try to spot him before he makes the hairpin curve to enter the track. So far, he was doing well, being close to the front. Then seconds later we realize he never passed. We spotted him right at the entrance of the track, struggling to move or get his bike going. We then realize he is stuck, due to a rider falling in front of him and not moving his bike. Joel was ticked. But, he never gave up, and maneuvered his way around and got his bike started again. Our heads were hanging low, as we thought there wasn't a chance. We watched as he got onto the track and started catching up, then passing other riders. Before you knew it, Joel was back in the race and holding on to 4th place. He never gave up, and went home with a overall 3rd place, when both races combined.

Persistence and patience is all it takes to motivate your success. He got a trophy, and went home feeling more accomplished than ever before. For only racing here and there for the past year, he has come a long way. You never know, you may see him on TV some day!! Ha, or maybe just making a few bucks from state tournaments.

To top it off, I had a winning ticket at got a free Ultimate t-shirt! Go me!

But at the end of the day, all that really matters are memories made and coming together as a family to enjoy one another and our love for our riders.

Marco looks up to Joel like crazy. He has Joel number, and he bought "highlighter gear" because Joel has some.

Keep your head up, and always know that you can do anything you set your mind to. But, remember the One who makes it all happen.

God Bless, everyone.