"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." --Henry David Thoreau


"Service is the rent we pay for being, It is the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time."

--Marion Wright Edelman


"The fruit of love is SERVICE. The fruit of service is PEACE" --Mother Teresa

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Oh the things kids say...

"Miss, do white people peel dey skin cuz dey related to snakes?"

This is what I heard from a first grade student today regarding my peeling forehead. I tried to explain to him that white people's skin peels when they get sun burnt. He wasn't interested in that part, but really why white people are related to snakes and he is not. He was visibly shook up til I told him that in truth we aren't related to snakes, only monkeys. Thank goodness, that was a close one! :) Life is beautiful. 

 

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

SURPRISE!!!!

I'm sure my die hard blog followers (I see you North Carolina, Wichita and Pennsylvania) are wondering where in the world my random posts have been, but I promise this time I have a great excuse...

I boarded a plane to Miami, Florida on Thursday to surprise my sister in Florida. She currently plays softball for Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana as a shortstop. She is a junior right now and I am missing her prime years of playing at the collegiate level (enter guilt here). So...with the help of my ever-so-awesome Momma we planned my surprise trip to Florida to watch Molly play at Florida Atlantic University. Keeping my mouth sealed tight from the blog world, facebook friends and family members was nearly impossible, so by the time Thursday reached I was beaming with anxiety.
I'm in Miami B*^#@*

Molly was to arrive at the hotel around midnight Thursday and BAM! there would be her sister. It happened exactly that way, after a bit of delay, and the look on her face will forever be one of my greatest moments. She was so in shock that I was physically there that all she could respond was "OMG, that is my sister" to her teammates. It took her about a minute of complete shock before she even came over and hugged me. Epic success!
A night at The Melting Pot

Purdue Softball was playing a round robin tournament at Florida Atlantic University so I was blessed enough to get to see quite a few games. The first game Molly stepped to the plate, loaded and blasted a homerun over the fence. Im convinced it was for me, but she told me her bat has been on fire recently. Yada Yada. The Boilermakers played really well and I was so excited to meet all the new players and parents.



I wasn't going to venture to Florida without seeing some beach and enjoying the necessities of culture (ie: Coors Light, fast food and air conditioning!). My mom and Aunt Kim were both in Florida for the games, and coinicidently one of my best friends lives in Florida as well, so good times were sure to come. We enjoyed the Jungle Queen night cruise one night, which ventured down the New River of Ft. Launderdale past all the millionaires with nothing better to do but sip wine on the veranda of there $239842304832 dollar homes. We saw the recently finished $18 million dollar home of Wayne Huzienga, who started Waste Management,  Blockbuster Video, owned the Dolphins, Marlins and practically the rest of Florida. 


My friend and her roommate frequently spend time out on the river with a boat and beer, so of course I had to see what that was all about, which turned out to be an awesome time. After losing keys at the bottom of the ocean (AND FINDING THEM), introducing Grenadian rum to Florida and soaking up some rays I was in heaven. I also got the opportunity to see way to many wasted college students on the beach for Spring Break, venture to a Mexican cantina for mango frozen margaritas, feel the freezing cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean and sit at a bar without creepy men constantly hitting on me. 

After some more amazing softball, a sad goodbye to my sister/mom/friend/aunt, I am now safely back in the Caribbean, thankful for a quick rejuvenation from America and ready to get back to work. 

Until next time... 
Miami sunset

Caribbean sunset from the clouds