tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87994079430497198722024-02-19T04:49:10.282-08:00Tales of WanderlustKaliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00584346194690587621noreply@blogger.comBlogger126125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799407943049719872.post-87936350418475475262012-10-06T11:17:00.002-07:002012-10-07T05:42:17.368-07:00Paris with My Mom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's official. I love Paris! After returning from my third trip to the beautiful city, it's confirmed! As most of you know, I went to Paris last week with my mom to take her to school. She is studying French at the Sorbonne for the next four months and I know she is going to have a wonderful time!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGKZwrnglM01mMWqL6eO8z-aga02qSsr_Y0SYGYI0dyh4TruCZNI7Yf7CGB-iM8_4JvSaEwHKVB9aCM0kZuPencBD7jsLU39b0VRjX8R7-CcrQTq5AwbZsDAljnw7_VrZv4aYQKPIcqYY/s1600/DSC_0056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGKZwrnglM01mMWqL6eO8z-aga02qSsr_Y0SYGYI0dyh4TruCZNI7Yf7CGB-iM8_4JvSaEwHKVB9aCM0kZuPencBD7jsLU39b0VRjX8R7-CcrQTq5AwbZsDAljnw7_VrZv4aYQKPIcqYY/s320/DSC_0056.JPG" width="214" /></a>Our week together was so special. Mom's apartment is really cute, located in a very nice part of town. One day we went for a walk and within 15 minutes, we were at Notre Dame! Another time I wandered down another direction and happened upon one of the most beautiful parks I have ever seen in my life. It was amazing! There was a zoo, a green house and the most gorgeous flowers and plants. The walkway was lined with trees that practically touched the sky and hung over the road. It was breathtaking.<br />
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During my time there we visited three different cities that were just a train ride away from Paris.<br />
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Our first trip was to Rouen. This city was home to Joan of Arc. She was imprisoned and killed here in the 1400s. We went to the Rouen Cathedral, which was so beautiful. The impressionist painter Monet rented an apartment across the street from the cathedral and painted the church at varying times of day and in different seasons. Overall, he painted at least 30 depictions. While we were there, we went to the Musee Beaux-Arts, which had several impressionists paintings, including one of Monet's Rouen Cathedral paintings! It was neat! The streets of Rouen were cobblestone and there were several pedestrian streets that we wandered down. The buildings were hundreds of years old. It was amazing! I loved Rouen!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaLUVpk2wvDQBz8aNc2k_0lUhDr_QX89wJdNUISetHMQFbBXbICM07GGY7-McyO-zgTqTHYBOU56P9ZEUqWVbWUHZw0m8520mBnazUHUuF13UieKy49gSwEt2G-FDXjwZ318e3wF7zP14/s1600/DSC_0280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaLUVpk2wvDQBz8aNc2k_0lUhDr_QX89wJdNUISetHMQFbBXbICM07GGY7-McyO-zgTqTHYBOU56P9ZEUqWVbWUHZw0m8520mBnazUHUuF13UieKy49gSwEt2G-FDXjwZ318e3wF7zP14/s320/DSC_0280.JPG" width="212" /></a>Our second trip was to Chartres. This day was an adventure because when mom and I got to the train station that morning, we had no idea where we were going. We had a Eurail pass, but unfortunately in France, the pass is not all it's cracked up to be. Most trips still require a reservation, so it was difficult to find cities that still had availability, especially on the same day. So, we ended up booking tickets for a few days later and then catching a train to the small town of Chartres which was just an hour away from Paris. Mom actually went to Chartres when she was in high school on a church choir tour around Europe. Her group sang in the Chartres Cathedral, so it was neat to go back there with her! <br />
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When we first stepped out of the train station, we saw a ferris wheel, so obviously we had to ride it! Then we went to the cathedral and the neatest part was that they were in the process of restoring the building and cleaning all of the marble. The part that they had finished was gorgeous! It was so neat to see this 12th Century church looking the same way as it did when it was first built! The grounds around the cathedral were also beautiful. Chartres also had many pedestrian streets and it was fun to shop around. I bought a beautiful teapot to add to my collection. It was a little pricey, but so worth it!! I love it! We also happened upon a motorcycle rally. I'm not sure what was going on, but it was entertaining.<br />
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Our final train trip took us to the eastern city of Strasbourg. This city is in the region known as Alsace-Lorraine and it is right next to Germany. My mom knows a little bit about her heritage through her birth mother and one of the things she knows is that her family was originally from this region. We aren't sure which city they lived in, but we know it was nearby. So, it was really neat to go here with mom and see a part of our heritage! We accidentally climbed 400 steps to the top of the cathedral (miscommunication that led to a beautiful view!) and we took a boat tour of the city that was really pretty! All in all, it was a neat place to see!<br />
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And, on top of all of that, we still found time to go around Paris! I went to visit the American Church of Paris with mom, which is where she plans to attend. It was neat to worship with fellow believers in France. I think only about 2% of the French population are Christians, and so this is obviously a very unreached country. It's amazing that it has some of the most beautiful churches I've ever seen, and yet there are so many there that don't know the Lord. It breaks my heart. I have been praying for opportunities for my mom to be able to share the Gospel with those she meets.<br />
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I also got to meet up with some of my DBU friends who were on a "Band of Brothers" trip around Europe. They were in Paris for a day, and we were able to meet up at the Eiffel Tower. I love being able to meet up with friends in different parts of the world! It's always neat when that works out!<br />
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My last day in Paris I spent strolling the streets around the Seine and taking in all of my favorite sites! My mom had orientation and so I decided I was just going to walk around the city. I went over to the Louvre (which is closed on Tuesday, in case you were wondering! I didn't know until I got there) and walked to the Tuileres garden. It was so pretty! I found a chair right by a fountain and in front of me was the Arc de Triumph, to the right was Sacre Coure, to the left was the Eiffel Tower and the Musee D'Orsay and behind me was the Louvre. It was magical! As I was sitting there, I was reading in a travel book that you could get into the Musee D'Orsay for free at 5 o'clock, because they close at 6, and it just happened to be 15 minutes until 5. So, I walked across the street and went right into the museum. They have the best collection of impressionist art anywhere in the world! I went to the newly remodeled wing and walked around, seeing paintings from my favorite artists. Then, I went back outside and strolled along the Seine and ended up at Notre Dame Cathedral. I went in and they were having mass. It was so wonderful. I didn't understand what they were saying, but it was such a beautiful time of worship. I serve a mighty God and I loved being able to worship Him in one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the world. Then, I grabbed a chocolate crepe and walked back to mom's apartment. It was perfect!.<br />
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I loved being in Paris with Mom and getting to spend a week with her! I am so excited about her adventure over the next few months! I know it's going to be unforgettable! We all miss her already, and it was hard to leave, but it was a great trip! I am so thankful God gave me the opportunity to go. Until next time, Au Revior!<br />
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<br />Kaliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00584346194690587621noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799407943049719872.post-41083068871435044272012-09-11T19:30:00.000-07:002012-09-12T05:57:19.583-07:00Taking My Mom to School <div style="text-align: center;">
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Well friends, I'm two weeks away from my next adventure. I will be flying with my mom to Paris, France, to help her settle in for her semester-long studies. Many of you know that Mom has been working on her master's degree at UTEP. Well, she found a way to study abroad for the fall, which will provide her with the ability to intensely study the French language, culture, and history in a way that many of us would only dream about. I am so proud of Mom! She is so brave and driven and I can't wait to hear about all of her experiences! When Mom told me that everything had been approved and she would be officially going to Paris, I graciously volunteered to take her to school. She needed someone to go with her and help her get settled, and you know, I am willing to do that! :) Here is a link to <a href="http://laquetedejulesclaire.wordpress.com/2012/09/04/my-journey-to-the-french-language-v-i/">my mom's blog</a> if you want to read about her passion that has lead her to this journey.</div>
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So, we leave in a couple of weeks for Paris. We are going a few days before her program starts so that we can explore the French Riveria. Mom gave me my choice of where I would like to go within reasonable distance from Paris, and I chose the Cote d'Azure because I thought it would be neat to stay in France and see a new area. I've read that the beaches are gorgeous, the waters are crystal clear, the views are breath-taking, and the Old Town feel is like nothing else. We will spend a day in Marseilles, and then two days in Nice, with a day trip over to Monte Carlo. Then, we will be back in Paris for three days before I head back home.<br />
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I've never been to Paris in the fall (this will be my third trip to my favorite city, though). I can't wait to see what it looks like this time of year! And I am so excited about exploring Mom's new neighborhood and helping her figure everything out!<br />
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Mom will be there until the end of January, but she will have several visitors during her time away. Lorin is going to see her in December and then Dad is going for two weeks right after Christmas to celebrate their 30th anniversary. My friend Ashley is also going to visit Mom for a week in November. I know she is going to love showing each of us parts of Paris that she loves as she makes one of her favorite cities her home for a while. We are going to miss her so much, but we are all so proud of her and thankful that God has provided this awesome opportunity!<br />
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So, stay tuned! I plan to post a few times while I am away to share our stories. If you know me and my mom well, you know that great adventures are going to be had!<br />
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<b>Our trip to NYC in January 2010</b></div>
Kaliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00584346194690587621noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799407943049719872.post-25580520661428991792012-03-21T08:14:00.003-07:002012-03-22T06:00:42.880-07:00Casas Por Cristo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkPqSXlTqWpDeD4yIjZkVQxyA96ZJ3dBUvQKG5fuUG8x_wIiaHQOz4iJz5un-s6Q43OUTwtreth3zD1aEF55MRu9jfPG5535ein4dOVnpMyLF6yfdj4Yd0tWh4jdZNdyTRwaV7I2TOW60/s1600/juarez+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkPqSXlTqWpDeD4yIjZkVQxyA96ZJ3dBUvQKG5fuUG8x_wIiaHQOz4iJz5un-s6Q43OUTwtreth3zD1aEF55MRu9jfPG5535ein4dOVnpMyLF6yfdj4Yd0tWh4jdZNdyTRwaV7I2TOW60/s320/juarez+7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
My Spring Break this year was unlike any other that I've ever had. I didn't have the whole week off, but I did take Thursday and Friday off to fly to El Paso. I was blessed to work with a mission team from FBC Canyon and members of my Dad's present church FBC El Paso to build a house in Juarez, Mexico. <a href="http://loveandlead.wordpress.com/2012/03/21/one/">Click here</a> to read my dad's blog about the team. <br />
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We built the two-room home for Ellie, a single mother who was about my age, and her three small children. They had been living with her parents in the house next door. Ellie had never had a home to call her own and was unable to afford to build one with her limited resources. The people from FBC Canyon raised the $5,000 to buy the supplies for the house and then came down during their break to help build it for this precious family through a ministry in Juarez called Casas por Cristo (Houses for Christ). <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmyZgfJj5Pj5ov_Q4Y-AlFnPYOlzVo7FKYr_vbmf-9LprPax2xm0gaQmg15hfYOPkUK2Cg8Xjdkzonca1GQHXnvpvyJJAor3OsMP4VikekhkIP4Rv0MMd8Ux9rC7LRVG0TIWRo-KfjJ-k/s1600/juarez+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmyZgfJj5Pj5ov_Q4Y-AlFnPYOlzVo7FKYr_vbmf-9LprPax2xm0gaQmg15hfYOPkUK2Cg8Xjdkzonca1GQHXnvpvyJJAor3OsMP4VikekhkIP4Rv0MMd8Ux9rC7LRVG0TIWRo-KfjJ-k/s320/juarez+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Now, I do not even pretend to know anything about building a house. I have no construction skills to my name. But, I came with a willing heart and able body to work with a team of skilled craftsmen who actually knew what they were doing. We started the project on Thursday morning. We met at the church at 6 a.m. and traveled about 20 minutes across the border to a suburb of Juarez called Anapra. While I have traveled quite a bit around the world, I have never been anywhere like this before. The streets were made of dirt. I was amazed that the homes were even standing. Some of them were poorly constructed and others had been worn down over time. The families in Anapra do not have much but what they do have, they are very willing to share. I cannot tell you how generous the family was that we worked with. The grandparents graciously opened their home to us and made us delicious food every day. The stood by and watched us work with great anticipation of the final results.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOt5nLmEjh3tcDvFEOI3hXPFKUd6lxlXEdKAPpKxoZuRIran11KCgsAqjIWhZikpPepOTWkI5yfqqOgaaxjbyzIpP3OL9_G_WS-YA6h9_xJdkT3-sn09KSivz3H3PpXRYXmgQOoPnJFCc/s1600/juarez+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOt5nLmEjh3tcDvFEOI3hXPFKUd6lxlXEdKAPpKxoZuRIran11KCgsAqjIWhZikpPepOTWkI5yfqqOgaaxjbyzIpP3OL9_G_WS-YA6h9_xJdkT3-sn09KSivz3H3PpXRYXmgQOoPnJFCc/s320/juarez+8.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>I also have to mention how gracious and kind the men were that we worked with. Jamie and I were two of three girls on the team. The other girl was Rachel, one of the team leaders, who had built more than 20 homes with Casas por Cristo and so obviously she knew what she was doing. Jamie and I had no clue. I cannot tell you how many times one of the men would come by and encourage us in our work. Many of the tasks we did were seemingly menial, but we were constantly told we were doing a good job and that what we were doing was so important. From sifting sand for hours to measuring 2x4s and sponging stucco, I learned a lot about how a house is built. But I also learned about hard work, the power of a smile, how to encourage one another, and what it means to humbly serve. The men we worked with were some of the finest people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I never heard a harsh word spoken on the site. While many of them did not even know each other when they started, they worked together so seamlessly to construct the home for Ellie and her children.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWfitvkBE8upoSOIP59jBw3pj45VoQ9jb6s3mm2HLFdrI_Ayhv3eroxkt88qQLx2uXFy5s1TzTcNR2qGHEP6Oh-Vjw6Yyj1Dmys-dsehmwhDsRU5z1MR-n7OyvXx9zXxXs5GRjVEzbRfs/s1600/juarez+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWfitvkBE8upoSOIP59jBw3pj45VoQ9jb6s3mm2HLFdrI_Ayhv3eroxkt88qQLx2uXFy5s1TzTcNR2qGHEP6Oh-Vjw6Yyj1Dmys-dsehmwhDsRU5z1MR-n7OyvXx9zXxXs5GRjVEzbRfs/s320/juarez+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The sweetest moment on the trip for me was on Friday afternoon. The guys were putting stucco on the walls and then Jamie and I were tasked with following behind them and "sponging" the stucco to give it texture. While I was bent down working on a lower section, Ellie's three children and other precious little ones were seated just a few feet away carefully watching my every move. I could tell that they wanted to help, but had been instructed not to touch anything or be in the way. So, I grabbed an extra sponge and handed it to Valydia, the oldest daughter who is probably about 9 years old. I don't speak Spanish, but I showed her how to move the brush to help texture the wall. If I could do it, she could do it. So, she started working by my side, rotating the sponge just like I was. There were parts of the wall where the chicken wire was poking through, so I showed the little boys how to pick up some of the extra mud from the ground and patch the wall. You would not believe how carefully and precisely they followed my lead. They were beaming with pride when I would tell them "Bien or Si," the only Spanish I knew to encourage them in their efforts. Those children were so precious and it was an honor to work beside them to help build their home.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLY8pZcrft8Gw3zo-kVScZ965Q4yubV2WqVHJQAoqn0pl6-DJOJQUOMrHICCquPxoHpnycCQQ0rByld9XG9_PRb6GXn22vcKHvNR14i7LlfCBtK33RNarRG4yQ_260nx8gvHbUNLBj6o/s1600/juarez+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLY8pZcrft8Gw3zo-kVScZ965Q4yubV2WqVHJQAoqn0pl6-DJOJQUOMrHICCquPxoHpnycCQQ0rByld9XG9_PRb6GXn22vcKHvNR14i7LlfCBtK33RNarRG4yQ_260nx8gvHbUNLBj6o/s320/juarez+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>After the foundation was laid, the walls were raised, the roof was attached, the insulation put in, the dry wall was hung and the electricity was wired, the house was complete. Saturday we had the honor of dedicating the home. Several of the Canyon team members who had been working in El Paso and some of the wives were able to come over for the special ceremony. We handed Ellie keys to her new home, a Bible, and handmade gifts. And then, we prayed for her and her family. That God would work in their lives and that her house would become her home. Tears flowed as people expressed their prayers for this precious family. We were all truly humbled and honored to be a part of such a beautiful project.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQioCV0bsXq3Pvn58Ucfww6WDyKQgWXbWRazJ37CQrVHE2lWtz9p406zYOkTqTc-2PDHnWlelM8Mly6lxORnKHD5SCtERRATpt7-kAmgZyb0InrI8Ry0G5U3oA-30dt5wcMACaDkr0tQ/s1600/juarez+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQioCV0bsXq3Pvn58Ucfww6WDyKQgWXbWRazJ37CQrVHE2lWtz9p406zYOkTqTc-2PDHnWlelM8Mly6lxORnKHD5SCtERRATpt7-kAmgZyb0InrI8Ry0G5U3oA-30dt5wcMACaDkr0tQ/s320/juarez+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Dedication ceremony</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz2uZQjEN0TDTfRGVotq-EPemoln3R21qDNVDECht9tmNawtLq4c7hHVPmH9h5g5VVLy4GETOQPlwIIwNSG7Oa8WfvAr3LdXtvIE6K4kV-hMGEksDQxMPH4TiPNfJwISil8d-gZJJ6Q5I/s1600/juarez+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz2uZQjEN0TDTfRGVotq-EPemoln3R21qDNVDECht9tmNawtLq4c7hHVPmH9h5g5VVLy4GETOQPlwIIwNSG7Oa8WfvAr3LdXtvIE6K4kV-hMGEksDQxMPH4TiPNfJwISil8d-gZJJ6Q5I/s320/juarez+5.jpg" width="240" /> </a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Ellie (holding a box) and her family</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLlwXQDzzNlLcw1PKPf_sfU7xyEUNVNT1ZD3BQe5awn1swf2mUD0HOB3mhTsp-NRGmBOp6Ui_3OMQ0qkvNUv81baRza6BllBqqR_Yw5aVRIRyEMpWayRgC0raX9PARJw_Y0sLad8uIv0/s1600/juarez+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLlwXQDzzNlLcw1PKPf_sfU7xyEUNVNT1ZD3BQe5awn1swf2mUD0HOB3mhTsp-NRGmBOp6Ui_3OMQ0qkvNUv81baRza6BllBqqR_Yw5aVRIRyEMpWayRgC0raX9PARJw_Y0sLad8uIv0/s320/juarez+9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Jamie, me and Dad in front of the window we framed</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYzBW_L0dTeEr8gK9xoPApmhSkzQX3b1G7OCS5jRBcCtR1GST9BousmkVXHPNsDgCw0dd7w7ZhyphenhyphenWLk44O7efO3ST63S_PinZ44JVw3SMcR1yJ8Uco4WPo1trKvw9lRlK7AX1MDJJIZ7a4/s1600/juarez+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYzBW_L0dTeEr8gK9xoPApmhSkzQX3b1G7OCS5jRBcCtR1GST9BousmkVXHPNsDgCw0dd7w7ZhyphenhyphenWLk44O7efO3ST63S_PinZ44JVw3SMcR1yJ8Uco4WPo1trKvw9lRlK7AX1MDJJIZ7a4/s320/juarez+6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> The team and Ellie's family</div>Kaliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00584346194690587621noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799407943049719872.post-49529918052274665872012-03-14T09:42:00.000-07:002012-03-14T09:42:09.574-07:00Newsies: The Musical<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRTVQBf3hC0qoOFq2fqXLtOhTe3eDgGVxLoCnny8YTK7Es8xtWJw95NXFHZsYIq30R-uau5ZTVkae5jAd7YxLSJFwfdkRTt5CHA2h8HgFLV8hBBrAiPnLGW4NkxK6MkJIZ1_Mq12wvmFw/s1600/newsies+bale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRTVQBf3hC0qoOFq2fqXLtOhTe3eDgGVxLoCnny8YTK7Es8xtWJw95NXFHZsYIq30R-uau5ZTVkae5jAd7YxLSJFwfdkRTt5CHA2h8HgFLV8hBBrAiPnLGW4NkxK6MkJIZ1_Mq12wvmFw/s320/newsies+bale.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
When I was little, I fell in love, maybe for the first time, with a man named Jack (also known as a really young Christian Bale). He was a dreamer who loved Sante Fe and wanted to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOnuGJsEV_8">Seize the Day</a> with his fellow newsies who were just trying to sell papes on the street and make a living. They loved to sing and dance and now, their dream (and mine) is coming true - those beloved Newsies are coming to Broadway and I get to see them!!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUsUlGq7hmwvALYPfOtNhC2z-V2IOlVnwP9oOhAele7Z8mIlNgBzy18D132akbC5RRJY3DsHsyp4E6upp1g9CW5775SaF_Cc7KbAAATVZ-rkBYKnT-9aEHzNFpn5D4TKK9pnts1cWo5XM/s1600/newsies-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUsUlGq7hmwvALYPfOtNhC2z-V2IOlVnwP9oOhAele7Z8mIlNgBzy18D132akbC5RRJY3DsHsyp4E6upp1g9CW5775SaF_Cc7KbAAATVZ-rkBYKnT-9aEHzNFpn5D4TKK9pnts1cWo5XM/s320/newsies-logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Danielle and I just booked tickets last week to go and see this AWESOME show. I'm so excited, I can't even tell you! We're going at the end of April and are planning a weekend full of Broadway shows and good times! We are hoping to see a couple more shows while we are in town, we just haven't bought tickets yet. We're staying in a little hostel two blocks from Times Square and I know we are going to have a blast! I love New York, I love Broadway, I love Newies, I love my best friend! It's obviously going to be a great weekend!Kaliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00584346194690587621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799407943049719872.post-63835590025638155632012-03-13T07:54:00.000-07:002012-03-13T07:54:20.193-07:00Say Yes to LifeI realize that it has been way too long since I last blogged (maybe 8 months? yikes!) and I don't have any good excuses. So, I'm just going to move forward! :)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZXX47KEYLan7I0isVWNvqOf7Jt9k4lb2yeKETqWx9Lrcvlcec9e3i_xAqlT8UTIloQ7doExm9a5wHjWaCf-7mgG6ixT3WOq0Wz2oKymJYGKuwZn1GPtVNJeDlimnTJm9fJsy3Jrac3jk/s1600/jen+and+court+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZXX47KEYLan7I0isVWNvqOf7Jt9k4lb2yeKETqWx9Lrcvlcec9e3i_xAqlT8UTIloQ7doExm9a5wHjWaCf-7mgG6ixT3WOq0Wz2oKymJYGKuwZn1GPtVNJeDlimnTJm9fJsy3Jrac3jk/s320/jen+and+court+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The latest thing to happen to me was an awesome four-day weekend with two of my favorite Wisconsonites! Jen McT and Courtney (two of my best friends from high school ... remember that time I lived Up North a long time ago?) came to visit me and we had such an awesome time! We were very, very busy because I had a lot of things to show them!<br />
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Here are some of the highlights:<br />
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<b>Dallas Day - Thursday</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQy87Mz55LkXhkO92DmhhUUiJcfITTSyqmVf-NYwN7P6wwasbN0bS_-1xWVnoYuQ1HhziOvUOmqB4OtgPf1mJlZIgJldbfnpCNktn6gOzXnF4NFBDnM8ismB137eEgg-ADSVKFF6f_I7E/s1600/jen+and+court+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQy87Mz55LkXhkO92DmhhUUiJcfITTSyqmVf-NYwN7P6wwasbN0bS_-1xWVnoYuQ1HhziOvUOmqB4OtgPf1mJlZIgJldbfnpCNktn6gOzXnF4NFBDnM8ismB137eEgg-ADSVKFF6f_I7E/s320/jen+and+court+5.jpg" width="191" /></a>On their first full day in town, we became professional tourists of Dallas. We went to the Sixth Floor Museum and studied the conspiracy theories behind JFK's assassination (so intriguing!), we rode a free trolley through UpTown and saw all of these fun places I need to try, and we went to the Farmer's Market where we bought lots of yummy produce that we cooked with the rest of the time they were here. It was delicious!<br />
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<b>Friday</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXmNNR-lJJMjUhnLeRAxoU3hFUt0dL2gm6nefEYWqG3tOBc1fldpgfAPV39F1v5A2d0LHy1tM70vpejpWJQmaH8gVjSuVXpkMkJ3DtyZTMlgzYnHCCdcPdU8uCLy4pNJd48iCYfJQH6Ds/s1600/jen+and+court+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXmNNR-lJJMjUhnLeRAxoU3hFUt0dL2gm6nefEYWqG3tOBc1fldpgfAPV39F1v5A2d0LHy1tM70vpejpWJQmaH8gVjSuVXpkMkJ3DtyZTMlgzYnHCCdcPdU8uCLy4pNJd48iCYfJQH6Ds/s320/jen+and+court+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This day I took Jen and Court to Sam Moon. If you haven't ever been here, you should go! It's a huge warehouse type building with every kind of accessory you can imagine. It's a girl's version of heaven on earth. Jen and Court were quite overwhelmed at first, actually they were speechless, which if you know them is hard to imagine. haha. But, they persevered and we spent probably 2 hours in the store perusing hats (I bought a fedora), jewelry, scarves, bags and more. It was great! Then we got lunch and some yummy fro-yo and headed over to DBU so they could see where I work and go to school. DBU is a gorgeous campus and I always love for people to see it! That night we took a chance on an unknown musical and ended up being pleasantly surprised. Bring It On: The Musical was everything we could have hoped for AND more! Danielle came with us and the four of us just grinned from ear to ear during the whole show. The songs were SO good! The dancing was awesome! The stunts were great! It was just fabulous! Seriously!<br />
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<b>Fort Worth Day - Saturday</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCws_vKR97Qk9TeIOzBrcrTWlpwgs1A_c9z1NJAQp1mBDUmlOtRZGx5Bg5EQCdhKeZLT0LhDtCVTEWndSREThDKEwtlTX5ABO9w_ZZzOU8wJ3h4d8cn_jijBi7cbft-7Um2lyUgAcX1kM/s1600/jen+and+court+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCws_vKR97Qk9TeIOzBrcrTWlpwgs1A_c9z1NJAQp1mBDUmlOtRZGx5Bg5EQCdhKeZLT0LhDtCVTEWndSREThDKEwtlTX5ABO9w_ZZzOU8wJ3h4d8cn_jijBi7cbft-7Um2lyUgAcX1kM/s320/jen+and+court+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>On Saturday, I took the girls to Cowtown. We toured the Stockyards, saw cows, visited lots of really cute shops and ate at the Internationally Famous "Cattleman's Restaurant." Then we went over to Sundance Square and walked around. It was a fun, laid-back day! That night we went to Chuy's, which is my favorite Mexican restaurant in town! It is so good! We laughed a lot and enjoyed our last night together. The girls left early Sunday morning. I was so sad to see them go, but so glad we got to spend some much needed time together! I'm so thankful for great friends and I loved showing them a new side of Texas! :) Kaliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00584346194690587621noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799407943049719872.post-82872977257017194082011-08-28T18:37:00.000-07:002011-08-28T18:40:32.358-07:00Over the Top!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SQzHCkdzKEVfLijtayOO77KUwOrCvCu2XVl5QbTuKEwmn9bTy95nP0XtBKDVh6IrkkR1sWZVtB-JjKkXsNqKCFDBERUcTkedT3by9g-Ciqvn6gRTmLB8_OoDg6XeXjNAwyAuvPVqNoA/s1600/Amy+grant.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SQzHCkdzKEVfLijtayOO77KUwOrCvCu2XVl5QbTuKEwmn9bTy95nP0XtBKDVh6IrkkR1sWZVtB-JjKkXsNqKCFDBERUcTkedT3by9g-Ciqvn6gRTmLB8_OoDg6XeXjNAwyAuvPVqNoA/s320/Amy+grant.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
This weekend I went to the <a href="http://www.womenoffaith.com/events/2011-events/dallas/">Women of Faith</a> "Over the Top" Conference in Dallas with my friend Becca. We had a great time. We weren't able to attend all of the sessions, but we really enjoyed the ones we were able to go to.<br />
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I will say this, I've never been in a place with SO many women at the same time before. It was a little overwhelming on Friday night. But a really sweet moment happened on Saturday morning. We were singing some praise songs with the worship team and I just got quiet for a minute and listened to all of the thousands around me raise their voices to the Lord. Gathering together in corporate worship, praising the same Lord was so beautiful. Our God is great! And I loved the opportunity to worship Him with fellow sisters in Christ from across the country. <br />
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The first speaker that we heard was Lisa Whelchel on Friday night. She was in the show "The Facts of Life" back in the 1980s, which happened to be one of Becca's favorite shows ever. So, needless to say, she was pretty excited about it! Lisa shared a testimony about what she has learned about friendships and it was really touching. She shared stories from her life about struggles that she's had, and she was very open and vulnerable. I appreciated that about her. As she shared about struggles getting close to friends and maintaining strong friendships, I was reminded of some of the wonderful friends that I have been blessed with and was thankful for them as I sat and reflected. I truly think God blesses us with friends to share life with - to laugh with, to cry with, to be vulnerable with and to rely on. I really enjoyed Lisa's talk and the things I took away from it.<br />
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Then on Saturday morning, we got to hear Sandy Patti perform (she is a gifted artist!) and speak. Sandy shared about struggles in her life, with weight and other self-esteem issues and what it means to have new beginnings in your life. She has some great points to share and it was neat to see her in concert. She seems like a genuine, loving woman.<br />
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The highlight of the conference for me was seeing Amy Grant in concert that afternoon. I grew up listening to Amy, from the time I was a little girl. When I was in second grade, I entered the school talent show with my awesome dance to "Baby, Baby." Believe me when I say, I was a fan! So, when I saw her on stage, I reverted back to that little 6-year-old. Becca thought I was a little crazy, but I didn't care. I sang along to "El Shaddai," "It Takes a Little Time, Sometimes," "Lead Me on" and "My Father's Eyes." I loved it! This alone made the conference worth it.<br />
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There were also touching moments of testimony, moving dramatic pieces and more. I may have cried more than once. :)<br />
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While, I will admit, I felt a little young in the audience, I did enjoy the conference. It was a neat experience bonding with other women of faith as we laughed, cried and listened to how God is moving in the lives of others. Kaliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00584346194690587621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799407943049719872.post-78373542523612210462011-08-09T18:49:00.000-07:002011-08-09T18:51:45.820-07:00Fun in the SummertimeThis summer has been fun as I've enjoyed and explored this new city I call my home. I wanted to share some of the fun places that I've been to over the past two months:<br />
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<a href="http://www.jfk.org/">The Sixth Floor Museum</a><br />
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My college friend Kate came to visit and we went to the 6th Floor Museum in Downtown. This is a museum dedicated to JFK and share insight into his assassination in 1963. You can even view the spot from the window looking down on the Grassy Knoll where it is believed that Lee Harvey Oswald stood when he shot JFK. Kate and I are secret history buffs and we loved learning more about this pivotal day in American history.<br />
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<a href="http://fwbg.org/">Fort Worth Botanical Gardens</a><br />
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My RA from college and dear friend Sarah Gardner got married at these beautiful gardens in June. It was such a precious ceremony and I loved getting to walk around these awesome gardens! I'd love to go back when it's a little cooler and explore some more!<br />
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<a href="http://www.bucadibeppo.com/">Buca de Beppo</a><br />
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Last weekend we went to this really fun Italian restaurant as part of Cristal Moreno's bachelorette party! The food was delicious and the atmosphere was lively and entertaining! This was a great place to have a great time!<br />
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<a href="http://www.meltingpot.com/">The Melting Pot</a><br />
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My HPU friends, affectionately known as "The Herd," try to get together at least once a year for a reunion so we can catch up on each others' lives. This year only four of us were able to meet up, but we still had a great time! We went to this really fun fondue restaurant called The Melting Pot in the Arlington Highlands and it was quite a treat. While the overall meal was a little on the pricey side, we enjoyed every minute of the four course meal! It was so laid back and fun as we enjoyed cheese fondue, salads, the biggest meat platter you can imagine and delicious chocolate fondue for dessert! To give you a good idea, we spent about 3 1/2 hours there and loved every minute! :) <br />
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<a href="http://www.southlaketownsquare.com/">Southlake Town Square</a><br />
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My sweet friend Larissa came to visit me from Brownwood one weekend and we found a really fun shopping area called Southlake Town Square. It's only about 15 minutes from my apartment and it is so much fun! We enjoyed roaming around in all of the cute shops and grabbing lunch. I could have spent a lot more time here! I'm looking to going back again sometime soon (maybe when I have more money, haha!).<br />
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<a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/tex/ballpark/tex_ballpark_history.jsp">Rangers Ballpark in Arlington</a><br />
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I also went to a Rangers game with Larissa and my Brownwood small group the weekend she came to town. While it was really hot, it was also really fun! I love the atmosphere at baseball games (shocking, I know!) singing "Take Me Out the Ballgame," eating nachos and people watching is a good time to me! Plus, the Rangers beat Toronto 12-2 that day! Go Rangers!<br />
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Well, these are just some of the highlights of the summer. There has been a lot more going on, but that's all I can think of at the moment. I'll try to keep highlighting fun things to do in the Metroplex for all of you friends that should come and visit me! I've got plenty of room in my apartment and I love company! And, obviously, I'm fun and Dallas is fun, so you should come visit! haha. <br />
Kaliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00584346194690587621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799407943049719872.post-84281180537384741492011-08-09T18:20:00.000-07:002011-08-09T18:20:35.049-07:00Women of FaithSo, I have exciting news! I received two tickets to attend the upcoming <a href="http://www.womenoffaith.com/events/2011-events/dallas/">Women of Faith</a> conference here in Dallas on August 26 and 27. I'm really excited about going to this event for the first time. I've heard wonderful things about it over the years and it will be neat to have a firsthand experience to share with all of you!<br />
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I feel like many of the speakers and singers this year are a collection of women from my childhood - including <a href="http://www.womenoffaith.com/events/line-up/amy-grant-2/">Amy Grant</a> (Baby, Baby anyone?) and <a href="http://www.womenoffaith.com/events/line-up/sandi-patty/">Sandi Patty</a>, along with <a href="http://www.womenoffaith.com/events/line-up/lisa-whelchel/">Lisa Whelchel</a> from The Facts of Life! One speaker I am really interested in hearing is <a href="http://www.womenoffaith.com/events/line-up/brenda-warner/">Brenda Warner</a>. She is married to the pro-football player Kurt Warner and it sounds like she has a really neat testimony to share. <br />
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I'm excited to hear stories about how God is moving in the lives of these women and worship with women from around the state. I know God has great things in store and I look forward to sharing with you all about it!Kaliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00584346194690587621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799407943049719872.post-72854142380346327712011-07-15T19:03:00.000-07:002011-07-15T19:03:04.909-07:00Show me how to loveEarlier this week my new boss asked how I was doing with my adjustment in the new job and everything. I told him I was doing really good. I'm enjoying my new job and everything is just great. Then he said, "you seem to be a positive person. Are you ever not positive? Are there ever times when things aren't going well?" I told him, yes of course! Well, tonight was one of those times.<br />
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I got my feelings hurt by someone and then I got mad about it. I was trying to do something nice and they were not acting appreciative at all. It just hurt me so much.Didn't they see what I was doing? How I was going out of my way to do something nice?? In fact, I got so upset, that I took a walk in the park across the street to tell the Lord all about it. I took two laps around the park, huffing and puffing, crying and venting. Didn't God see how hurt I was? Why was He letting this happen? Why was I being punished when I was trying to do something nice? Didn't I deserve better? Tears were flowing as I was crying out to the Lord asking why I was being faithful and yet things like this happened.<br />
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And then, on lap three it hit me. I realized that the reason I was so upset was because I was doing this good deed to make myself feel better and I wasn't getting the response I thought I deserved. It was all about me ... Whoa. That just kind of slapped me across the face. The Lord reminded me that I should be doing this act in service to Him. I should be loving and giving to others as an overflow of my love for Him, and not be seeking anything in return. As I was walking, the song "Hosanna" sung by Christy Nockels came on. One of the lines spoke to my heart. It said, "Open up my eyes to the things unseen. Show me how to love like you love me." That's what I was missing. I was so wrapped up in me that I was missing out on an opportunity to learn how to love like the Lord does. Once I realized this, my heart was lifted, my burdens were lighter and I was able to look around and see the beauty God was displaying all around me. The sun was setting behind the hill, reflecting brilliant colors of orange and pink across the night sky.<br />
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This verse just came to me as a beautiful reminder:<br />
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"I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine, He who pastures his flock among the lilies." Song of Solomon 6:3<br />
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So, next time I get all worked up about how someone has wronged me, hopefully I will stop and look at my heart and motivation. I want to love others like the Lord loves me. And I know my faithful God is going to keep walking beside me and showing me how. Kaliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00584346194690587621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799407943049719872.post-82490859120041905192011-07-07T18:01:00.000-07:002011-07-07T18:01:10.414-07:00Fight for SurvivalHeadlines lately have highlighted the verdict for Casey Anthony and the race for our next President. There was a huge fire in Phoenix and the Texas government passed 1,200 bills we didn't hear about because of the budget crisis. But, when I was reading the <i>Fort Worth Star-Telegram</i> I ran across a story I hadn't heard anything about until today.<br />
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Did you know that <a href="http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/07/07/7031757-worst-drought-in-60-years-12-million-africans-face-fight-for-survival">12 million Africans face 'fight for survival'? </a>I had no idea!!! Apparently the severe drought across the Horn of Africa has affected people in Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia and Djbouti. In one refugee camp more than 360,000 people have come to receive some kind of relief. The camp is only equipped to help around 90,000. Can you imagine?<br />
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We are facing a severe drought in Texas right now, but I had no idea about the plight happening on the other side of the world. The photos I saw and stories I read brought tears to my eyes. I'm researching an organization to contribute to that will help a little bit and I'm going to be lift up prayers for these hurting, starving people. I know they belong to the Lord. I know He loves them. Sometimes it's so hard to understand why there are some in the world that are starving while there are others that have an abundance. This news deserves more attention than it's getting. It shouldn't be buried on page 10.Kaliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00584346194690587621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799407943049719872.post-10146435202033986232011-06-22T18:22:00.000-07:002011-06-22T18:22:40.067-07:00Land of the LlamasI can't belive it's taken me so long to blog about Peru. All the moving and life changing stuff kind of got in the way. But! Have no fear, dear readers! I'm here to share some of my adventures in my first South American country. I went on a super cool adventure with my sweet sister Lorin on April 27-May 1 to the exciting and exotic country of Peru. Lorin's husband Phillip was doing a medical internship in Lima, Peru (the capital city) for the month of April, so we went at the end of the month to meet up with him and go sightseeing. We arrived on a Wednesday, after flying through El Salvador and Costa Rica, into Lima. It turns out we weren't that impressed with Lima. While it is on the coast, which is pretty, the city itself is very modernized and there wasn't much for a foreigner to really do. We did have a traditional Peruvian meal and tried our first of many Inca Kola's (think Big Red but bright yellow!). We hung out that night and then left on Thursday morning for Cusco. <br />
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Cusco was my favorite! It is a city that's about 11,000 feet above sea level, so we actually took elevation medicine so we wouldn't get sick. Basically, Cusco's claim to fame is that it's the city you go to to prepare yourself for Machu Picchu. We spent two days wondering around this ancient city, and I loved it so much! It was like rolling back in time, to a slower paced, easier life. There are still streets and walls that were built by the Incas over 500 years ago. Women carried their babies around on their backs. You go to different parts of the city to buy different goods. Markets are everywhere. It was so much fun. I must mention that this is also where Lorin and I feel in love with llamas. We were joking about how we were going to buy all of this llama stuff when we were in Cusco, and then we ended up really doing it. It was addicting! I left that city with a llama sweater, llama socks, llama shoes, a llama blanket, a llama purse and a turquoise llama figurine. See? I was obsessed! Possibly the highlight of the trip was when these native women walked right up to us with two llamas and asked if we wanted to take pictures with them. Naturally we had to oblige. It would've been rude otherwise! :)<br />
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Then on Saturday we made the long and arduous trek up to Machu Picchu, one of the 7 new wonders of the world. Machu Picchu is an ancient Incan city that was built up on this mountain. It was basically hidden from civilization and wasn't discovered by the moden world until 1911. Crazy, right? The Incans built a self-sufficient city up on this mountain that was just so beautiful. We wandered around the ruins for several hours imagining what life must have been like for these people. The best part, though, was just sitting on the rocks and taking in the beauty of God's creation all around me. I've never been to a place like it. We were literally up in the clouds. Gorgeous mountains (and steep cliffs) were all around us. The land was lush and picturesque. Llamas roamed free. There was a hush all around us as people just took it all in. It was one of the neatest experiences I've ever had. <br />
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Lorin, Phil and I had so much fun together! They are great travel buddies and I'm so glad I got to go on this trip with them. Here are just a few of the hundreds of pictures I took. I will say pictures don't do it justice. This was a trip like no other and I will never forget it!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ZTNmt-EICNckc17Xax2Q4a9KylckdfW4FV1PPp2cHGTmee_fp1kNb-wD8pcTVezhKUAyyoXtNGi30bpS6FE0t805kL5E-wAGwojcKHnzwG7JIu0qXUbeq-ha3Jj8jiE8_InG_WTdN70/s1600/DSC_0514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ZTNmt-EICNckc17Xax2Q4a9KylckdfW4FV1PPp2cHGTmee_fp1kNb-wD8pcTVezhKUAyyoXtNGi30bpS6FE0t805kL5E-wAGwojcKHnzwG7JIu0qXUbeq-ha3Jj8jiE8_InG_WTdN70/s320/DSC_0514.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The main square in Cusco</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOJBCt3BDs-STl9AU3SpFlIBDYTyvha5-9E8z9JJgt1-rJuuIzjAvLMcOGhSKbGXHMU_BkSCfTiaFMD34deu1IRtYLPmNjkF8JRNuuHvp817oSohWBdxiu6c4BRZJwI-M2mL4qSsTqXRQ/s1600/DSC_0589.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOJBCt3BDs-STl9AU3SpFlIBDYTyvha5-9E8z9JJgt1-rJuuIzjAvLMcOGhSKbGXHMU_BkSCfTiaFMD34deu1IRtYLPmNjkF8JRNuuHvp817oSohWBdxiu6c4BRZJwI-M2mL4qSsTqXRQ/s320/DSC_0589.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Sporting our llama sweaters. Aren't we cute?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcZg8uEh2JUrIFRUZY1XjBp7WaQreJrrBv2uALWp0m-9JSCMfhgGNAtYv7tFMHG6uSy0qs3JoZir5ltD7L-aSp8yp93VOX_TGKAxs9Xap-R7ISI2eUWdOL_AV1R3FE1th7pF8ZrbU6nQ/s1600/DSC_0688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcZg8uEh2JUrIFRUZY1XjBp7WaQreJrrBv2uALWp0m-9JSCMfhgGNAtYv7tFMHG6uSy0qs3JoZir5ltD7L-aSp8yp93VOX_TGKAxs9Xap-R7ISI2eUWdOL_AV1R3FE1th7pF8ZrbU6nQ/s320/DSC_0688.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Phil examining one of the ancient Incan walls</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-W57dghj5ga9F3XKcJU0UhnpvA43u-i4WDysIRdv5yhbNiSCMTsYP9YD8u5VGfvDtKAqeLLIu8CqxfWB0XneNFdQLK4PnQM_RA27PDAoEesnza2a-9fKq4lTQ1WGc7Fudgy4Sz2AYQ3I/s1600/DSC_0767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-W57dghj5ga9F3XKcJU0UhnpvA43u-i4WDysIRdv5yhbNiSCMTsYP9YD8u5VGfvDtKAqeLLIu8CqxfWB0XneNFdQLK4PnQM_RA27PDAoEesnza2a-9fKq4lTQ1WGc7Fudgy4Sz2AYQ3I/s320/DSC_0767.JPG" width="214px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> The Perurail train we took to Machu Picchu</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_mhpQyr9I7JGx60b3WdTaIJd8l8jYoD56k5_ET-tsZAEBNS5ZnBQPI23OH5YEXgRk7WyV2OpwjjuFf8zZAV4VpCsq7izBGWDlNrDSzB2oiT2CIc_VoaPB9hy6gEfbMf2v8omg_tt7XkA/s1600/DSC_0726.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_mhpQyr9I7JGx60b3WdTaIJd8l8jYoD56k5_ET-tsZAEBNS5ZnBQPI23OH5YEXgRk7WyV2OpwjjuFf8zZAV4VpCsq7izBGWDlNrDSzB2oiT2CIc_VoaPB9hy6gEfbMf2v8omg_tt7XkA/s320/DSC_0726.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Me, Lorin, the Peruvian women and LLAMAS!</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF0Vmzqc4la1dSHjQ-4YhOOtQ1iAPjS1mGg8ZCvIVcm7DWGeZ0BCFLX_eH9z1-GklYJibF8HgUJuzMhnT1JUZioHZEP2QX5PdIsuRcjdFeJRuAAT55sUJlvASpyanFZ7vCpSkeAaTr31Q/s1600/DSC_0852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF0Vmzqc4la1dSHjQ-4YhOOtQ1iAPjS1mGg8ZCvIVcm7DWGeZ0BCFLX_eH9z1-GklYJibF8HgUJuzMhnT1JUZioHZEP2QX5PdIsuRcjdFeJRuAAT55sUJlvASpyanFZ7vCpSkeAaTr31Q/s320/DSC_0852.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> At Machu Picchu! Gorgeous doesn't even begin to describe it!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhS0mbEdS_rrLJSrIlHxwZEFn0VvXNUMtIVggh7lnvETPS9EQve77k-C3-Xu0K0PYdD3ysFyzos0pO6oB3w6_u-moNPooylztRXPkjthiJroorVQhuev5xcZ-a1P2an4Vd_OtnqrtlXkg/s1600/DSC_0861.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhS0mbEdS_rrLJSrIlHxwZEFn0VvXNUMtIVggh7lnvETPS9EQve77k-C3-Xu0K0PYdD3ysFyzos0pO6oB3w6_u-moNPooylztRXPkjthiJroorVQhuev5xcZ-a1P2an4Vd_OtnqrtlXkg/s320/DSC_0861.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Phil with the aqueduct that still had running water! Such an explorer!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWR9U7RRhCnZwbLx4Pj6ehnsHVLt4ZjZQlvuhIUQDXQuiqkjPBAScjS1XDCt8k6QysVO4O3sRx5XJe3KraYa5Bpoet02ICpY6qWiRp-3j2pLsu-o8jzn5S6Y57eiEU_mdzl9br5G8SGw/s1600/DSC_0875.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWR9U7RRhCnZwbLx4Pj6ehnsHVLt4ZjZQlvuhIUQDXQuiqkjPBAScjS1XDCt8k6QysVO4O3sRx5XJe3KraYa5Bpoet02ICpY6qWiRp-3j2pLsu-o8jzn5S6Y57eiEU_mdzl9br5G8SGw/s320/DSC_0875.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Where the llamas roam free</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRniGjPNVnTQuEsr-y6gMbVSimRJatRx_CL9Wluk3YpDMeKQ8_rGQjDyjvykyuRm5pkD410sl-QOWIQbOXZ7M4t3sKvrOYfG_KNY2QM1JCnLfVa7SVtTwUWacHj2Z5wwTG49HmXY3SnU/s1600/DSC_0869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRniGjPNVnTQuEsr-y6gMbVSimRJatRx_CL9Wluk3YpDMeKQ8_rGQjDyjvykyuRm5pkD410sl-QOWIQbOXZ7M4t3sKvrOYfG_KNY2QM1JCnLfVa7SVtTwUWacHj2Z5wwTG49HmXY3SnU/s320/DSC_0869.JPG" width="214px" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdqDQORSqdrLON-ss5vGsDp86AEjdbltqj38cpykh4thI53eM7RqKpNFubIjVI8gKUtHTauDq9uLU2x085-ZGHev4KMA2C8ZEdiyShp5PzocJNeI1rICiZ_xir7SnS3CwGfGrRmgLIkqk/s1600/DSC_0913.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdqDQORSqdrLON-ss5vGsDp86AEjdbltqj38cpykh4thI53eM7RqKpNFubIjVI8gKUtHTauDq9uLU2x085-ZGHev4KMA2C8ZEdiyShp5PzocJNeI1rICiZ_xir7SnS3CwGfGrRmgLIkqk/s320/DSC_0913.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Just sitting and taking it all in</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDHbxbaLBsenJhYR76KiAgrvQzmx996xRyp3gxuMulvrvD0EamS11Dnz-6li9ML7ioTrSjw3EvQqD-jrMWg_fljllSljA5RRo968-gi__CCBsPMUPJvX2b0Mm7bpWJoQVbjyV6GO8IXJY/s1600/DSC_0661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDHbxbaLBsenJhYR76KiAgrvQzmx996xRyp3gxuMulvrvD0EamS11Dnz-6li9ML7ioTrSjw3EvQqD-jrMWg_fljllSljA5RRo968-gi__CCBsPMUPJvX2b0Mm7bpWJoQVbjyV6GO8IXJY/s320/DSC_0661.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Phil and Lor in Cusco at the Temple of the Sun</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdQF9U0AlUma_dQKoScooT0cJP5ALtMny_qujH1-u9CyB8cI1lHdgwhHxi55hLUUpgfMJ6sJkZkeVuJ84oMNJwRHRBM73zcPPDVn5L5TStzHmMB-QgX8Wvb2PhkO92ywj7kEocJMgpDKY/s1600/DSC_0458.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214px" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdQF9U0AlUma_dQKoScooT0cJP5ALtMny_qujH1-u9CyB8cI1lHdgwhHxi55hLUUpgfMJ6sJkZkeVuJ84oMNJwRHRBM73zcPPDVn5L5TStzHmMB-QgX8Wvb2PhkO92ywj7kEocJMgpDKY/s320/DSC_0458.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Our traditional Peruvian meal in Lima</div>Kaliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00584346194690587621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799407943049719872.post-78968124087871284602011-06-22T17:47:00.000-07:002011-06-22T17:47:03.549-07:00New ChapterI've just started a new chapter in my life. I don't know the title of the chapter yet, but it sure has been eventful (hence the lack of blogging for the past two months). Here's an update on everything: the day I returned from my awesome trip to Peru (blog to come next, I promise!), I had an interview at Dallas Baptist University. I did not know at the time that it would basically be a job offer, but that's what happened. <br />
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I was offered the position of Director of News and Information, working for my friend Blake (who is the VP for Communications). The job includes public relations type work (which I love to do!) and a new project that's underway and hard to explain, but it's fun! Additionally, they told me about a brand new master's program they were launching this summer - the Master of Arts in Communication. It just so happened that this was exactly the kind of program I was looking for, and they just created it! In one day, I was offered a great job and a great educational opportunity. That day I was just overwhelmed by how God orchestrated everything! <br />
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It was like God was saying "Kalie, remember how I've been asking you to wait? Well, this is what you've been waiting for!" <br />
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The job was even in the same building that my sister Jamie (who will be a junior) works in! It was too great to pass up, so I said yes! And moved to Dallas three weeks later. <br />
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It was tough to say goodbye to HPU, which has been my home for the past nine years. Interesting fact: that is the longest I have lived anywhere my whole life! I feel like I "grew up" in Brownwood. HPU definitely shaped so much of who I am today. There are so many wonderful people who invested in me and believed in me, even when I didn't. I made lifelong friendships and even created my own family there. All that to say, HPU will always hold a special place in my heart! While it was hard to leave, I know that this is exactly what I am supposed to be doing. I don't have a doubt that I am where God wants me right now. God has blessed me with such a peace as I've basically turned my life upsidedown. <br />
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Everything is new right now and it's exciting and scary and overwhelming and so much fun! Now, I'm just learning everything that I can about DBU. I'm meeting new people and trying to not get lost too often around the Metroplex. I've been blessed to be able to reconnect with old friends over the past few weeks, which has been really wonderful. There are still many people I want to meet up with, and I know I'll be busy for a while.<br />
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And, I actually am really enjoying school too. I started class about two weeks ago. My class is on Social Media Communication. It's really interesting! It's fun to study a subject that I'm familiar with and deal with on a daily basis. I really think I'm going to enjoy this program and will have my degree in about two years, if everything goes according to plan.<br />
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So, there's my update. It's kind of lot. Believe me. I know. But, it's good! God has been so faithful and has provided for me in so many ways. I can't wait to see what's in store for me in this new chapter of life. I'll take some pictures of my new apartment and DBU and post them soon so you can all see what my life up here looks like.Kaliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00584346194690587621noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799407943049719872.post-84448187037550085542011-04-17T18:16:00.000-07:002011-04-17T18:16:42.471-07:00Full House<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em>Whatever happened to predictabilities? The milkman, the paperboy, the evening tv. You miss your old familiar friends waiting just around the bay ... </em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I decided to it was important to dedicate a whole post to one of my all time favorite shows which happened to be based in San Francisco. You guessed it! It's Full House!</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHsnZDMFOrJzg9xUPWpuTfYysNPpPLA9kReBNxTdNVgiNATJx9pKIh1ZMl7MYZRBacSs6P1P3xLXniSdmEOkMJzVykg_f77mD48aVZc3cThjM1PNRKIxuQktrWDcKfFR_elVD-VDJ2EIk/s1600/fullhouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHsnZDMFOrJzg9xUPWpuTfYysNPpPLA9kReBNxTdNVgiNATJx9pKIh1ZMl7MYZRBacSs6P1P3xLXniSdmEOkMJzVykg_f77mD48aVZc3cThjM1PNRKIxuQktrWDcKfFR_elVD-VDJ2EIk/s320/fullhouse.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I grew up having a crush on Uncle Jesse, identifying with DJ, having Stephanie drive me crazy and wondering how many times Michelle could say "You got it dude!" in an episode. I'm thankful my dad wasn't OCD about cleaning like Danny, but we loved hugs around my house and were probably just as hokey at the Tanner family. So, it was only natural for me to hunt down a couple of great locations from the show while I was in San Fran. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPIUFFOL77Gwg-LC10B0Y9oB9U_u4yvUPNKmYQeHzC2XTYPnR-FIy3HJg4uB1CpQIDW5DL8aNJYcAEOeks4o1V8Ry5Zxmjuw7_sHPjWx-GlAVpIZ18S8IT8toSKsY8IlLlFt0V_kV8ST8/s1600/DSC_0285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPIUFFOL77Gwg-LC10B0Y9oB9U_u4yvUPNKmYQeHzC2XTYPnR-FIy3HJg4uB1CpQIDW5DL8aNJYcAEOeks4o1V8Ry5Zxmjuw7_sHPjWx-GlAVpIZ18S8IT8toSKsY8IlLlFt0V_kV8ST8/s320/DSC_0285.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here are the Painted Ladies. These house are well known in the city, not just for being in the opening credits of Full House. But do you recognized them? Think back to the opening song when the family is having a picnic in a park and Michelle comes running around and jumps into Danny's arms. Recognize it now? Haha. The Painted Ladies are in a park called Alamo Square which is really beautiful! The neighborhood has gorgeous houses all around and it is really picturesque. </div><br />
Once I made it to the park, I found out that THE Full House house was just a mile away, and so I just had to go. Thankfully my friends Megan and Landry were willing to appease me, so we walked many blocks to find this house. The show was obviously not filmed here, but they used the front of the house throughout the show. The address is 1709 Broderick, incase you ever want to go find it. <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTiUThbeQLUBp7WIo8N-4Ip0FaAc0H8doYLYxTNXn6h9-vQf-wD0Q3KVpXa6WCzN2pATofuRND28uyqNJ9Y3bVyaI6zYao-V_Fzf6Copgi69rHnD8TAW-VyR0subJYcJRT7i4qGE-iP0/s1600/DSC_0299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTiUThbeQLUBp7WIo8N-4Ip0FaAc0H8doYLYxTNXn6h9-vQf-wD0Q3KVpXa6WCzN2pATofuRND28uyqNJ9Y3bVyaI6zYao-V_Fzf6Copgi69rHnD8TAW-VyR0subJYcJRT7i4qGE-iP0/s320/DSC_0299.JPG" width="214" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Seeing these houses reminded me of so many childhood memories. It was a fun little field trip around the ciy and a great chance to see some unique sights! </div></div>Kaliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00584346194690587621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799407943049719872.post-39342334345129110932011-04-15T20:18:00.000-07:002011-04-15T20:29:09.136-07:00The City of Enchantment<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Well, I'm back from my latest adventure. I was in San Francisco for five days and it was so much fun! I took 12 HPU students to a Model United Nations conferencce and we had a great time! I really feel like I was able to see so much of the city and it quickly climbed the charts as one of my favorite US cities! I also got to see my sweet friend Cassie. She lives in Redding and came down for the weekend to see the city with me. We had a great time laughing, getting lost and catching up! She's my first travel buddy and I love exploring new cities with her!<br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmH7XQhEX4X_YzXxc5b88eoXRxv64lCLnM9H5-lWymyDWuRQVMzhbMXBwH3hWJKByxm0fhsXbX__3kNbvSw2kRpYkYvEe17Sktui4WnJfu4wRhv7GEFxtQrRuYDafuo7bVJ2rX_YP6jig/s1600/DSC_0022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmH7XQhEX4X_YzXxc5b88eoXRxv64lCLnM9H5-lWymyDWuRQVMzhbMXBwH3hWJKByxm0fhsXbX__3kNbvSw2kRpYkYvEe17Sktui4WnJfu4wRhv7GEFxtQrRuYDafuo7bVJ2rX_YP6jig/s320/DSC_0022.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Here are some things that I loved about The City of Enchantment:<br />
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<strong>The Bay:</strong><br />
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<img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8vs1ArJri3n0mcikkrTCzWdabGF88RW0qD3CXJhu6r7SZ4St2sUt5ypZYtI7XZP7pWZ6XiOQwvs44dy4F4OjyEmJr6TiNHAndkU4LOm0rpQiKiu_PH-arvWsxp0GmGfn-2YNUVRcwQ6k/s320/DSC_0095.JPG" width="214" /> <br />
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Can I just say that San Francisco Bay is gorgeous? It truly was breathtaking. I think I could have sat along the water for hours and just stare out at the water, the clear blue skies, the mountains and all of the beauty that God created. I loved eating at Fisherman's Wharf, walking along the water, grabbing chocolate at Ghirardelli Square and riding a little cruise boat across the bay (it was SO windy, but I highly recommend it!)<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>North Beach:</strong></div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2jJstHxQ343es0wbF_glc9oiKWPnfR_rXGejV9BtViP1aNrObFiqPhXfxY2vaH3P4niFnc22HizeppGJBemiV3kg2ZhPA-atnboBT2u5UcT6XjL0Qt5vlakXhVG40lUn_Aq64U_SI1x8/s1600/DSC_0179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2jJstHxQ343es0wbF_glc9oiKWPnfR_rXGejV9BtViP1aNrObFiqPhXfxY2vaH3P4niFnc22HizeppGJBemiV3kg2ZhPA-atnboBT2u5UcT6XjL0Qt5vlakXhVG40lUn_Aq64U_SI1x8/s320/DSC_0179.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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I think this was my favorite area! This is the Italian district and it is so cute! I loved sitting in Washington Square Park and soaking up the sun, eating at this cute little Cafe Delucchi, seeing the San Fran original musical "Beach Blanket Babylon" and getting confused on the crazy streets. <br />
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<strong>Golden Gate Bridge:</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh22NQyROvGr5ERYz_-4-iykys47JoDHr70YzxYlJ29Xqr0-1RPmPQ0VZaim0qZc-TE1cvLCaiLZyTWVY6zNNSEj7bP81-DgrLfAxbzzRhnNVvnL4PAShIyvn_i-LJDUHlwHHT0GZv2uCM/s1600/DSC_0215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh22NQyROvGr5ERYz_-4-iykys47JoDHr70YzxYlJ29Xqr0-1RPmPQ0VZaim0qZc-TE1cvLCaiLZyTWVY6zNNSEj7bP81-DgrLfAxbzzRhnNVvnL4PAShIyvn_i-LJDUHlwHHT0GZv2uCM/s320/DSC_0215.JPG" width="320" /></a> <br />
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I literally flew over, rode under, walked across and traveled around the Golden Gate Bridge. I think I got a pretty good look at all sides of that architechural wonder! I loved walking across the bridge with Cassie and getting a feel for how enormous it really is! It's also a chace to get a great view of the city! It's almost 2 miles long, so it takes a little while to get across, but I think it was well worth it!<br />
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<strong>Walking the streets</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiij32rBW8aOngEAtEimfGZUbGJ2etXrJ3bnvHcQ9gG0NtCKNNNGHNuz0POf6Qmg74GQ9qUp8Wb6Fk9ZPTY4JzYDwBhym1S3e55j0fiQJ28eZrLZMqsnARREcHxqIYGFeRGsH_2AnP3a-c/s1600/DSC_0259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiij32rBW8aOngEAtEimfGZUbGJ2etXrJ3bnvHcQ9gG0NtCKNNNGHNuz0POf6Qmg74GQ9qUp8Wb6Fk9ZPTY4JzYDwBhym1S3e55j0fiQJ28eZrLZMqsnARREcHxqIYGFeRGsH_2AnP3a-c/s320/DSC_0259.JPG" width="214" /></a><br />
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I think my favorite thing to do when I visit a city is to walk the streets. That's the best way to really get a feel for the culture, do window shopping, admire the houses and parks and people watch. I ended up walking from the Pier all the way to Union Square three times on this trip, which was quite a trek, but I loved it every time! I saw so many things - Chinatown, Washington Square Park, Lombard Street, cute homes and cafes and so much more. <br />
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<strong>Other highlights:</strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVvleLaOsix0VzSwQl4AFWjMjU-aZUqpC8STcRaflLchbpIWqHKIPu0FIa1aLC6rB0OZXgf0Clg_tHBC2XxPxNLgPjdeL0t2F8GGD4pFX8Cl2vprrdYwLJgD5FVA_gKdMLoi8JbwtLfJw/s1600/DSC_0326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVvleLaOsix0VzSwQl4AFWjMjU-aZUqpC8STcRaflLchbpIWqHKIPu0FIa1aLC6rB0OZXgf0Clg_tHBC2XxPxNLgPjdeL0t2F8GGD4pFX8Cl2vprrdYwLJgD5FVA_gKdMLoi8JbwtLfJw/s320/DSC_0326.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Some other great things I saw included Coit Tower (a great view of the city!), Cliff House (gorgeous restaurant on the coast with an awesome view of the Pacific Ocean), cable cars (although I didn't actually ride one, tragic, I know!) and Market Street (lots of shopping and fun buildings). </div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-yjv3zIP4Zoy0uP4cBxGnl3Djo-PomatHDWny4iLLCTP5j4efZvqGTU5a80876eko4gSfg0ciDlwe4FfTrGfDMxhZnKobG1yw7-FpFYsRqqd1-YtBa6F1x7wi1jY1VocYCpB3biqbpk/s1600/DSC_0001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-yjv3zIP4Zoy0uP4cBxGnl3Djo-PomatHDWny4iLLCTP5j4efZvqGTU5a80876eko4gSfg0ciDlwe4FfTrGfDMxhZnKobG1yw7-FpFYsRqqd1-YtBa6F1x7wi1jY1VocYCpB3biqbpk/s320/DSC_0001.JPG" width="320" /></a> <br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><br />
San Francisco is a great city! I highly recommend it! I would go back in a heartbeat. It has a very international feel. It was funny because I would be riding a bus or walking down a street and be surprised when I understood English all around me. At first, I thought it was only because I'm just used to touring international cities, but I think it is also because San Fran feels international. The people are very helpful and friendly. It's just a great city! I <3 San Francisco!!!<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0PKP5xjqEbcFFjkJEjqAJhhGGLuvxPkqHvyiqp4S9H0ntGXLbaKcl-iIbFLpQK3_lq3LE9E31tlh8ASlru2rxraRWAZeJcWWjhah5ibf0yQHYVBTgUZq0WrxDyC6W5eOINatgoDXjfQ/s1600/DSC_0124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0PKP5xjqEbcFFjkJEjqAJhhGGLuvxPkqHvyiqp4S9H0ntGXLbaKcl-iIbFLpQK3_lq3LE9E31tlh8ASlru2rxraRWAZeJcWWjhah5ibf0yQHYVBTgUZq0WrxDyC6W5eOINatgoDXjfQ/s320/DSC_0124.JPG" width="320" /></a></div></div></div></div>Kaliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00584346194690587621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799407943049719872.post-3491858947386017562011-04-02T11:58:00.000-07:002011-04-02T12:01:26.346-07:00April AdventuresI have some great trips coming up in the month of April, so here's my latest travel update: <br />
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<strong>San Francisco, CA</strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX_GIn7wLVBoHBwKF8nTTFjgo5uVAGh1ELh4gt7PXfNxXktpJIzvC_dwP9p_NNvsDg0B-8AhPOEEOBRqiGl0EmOvHP-iwmwhmkaKuxP3hSZye9PGNczWxthkr-dB3vUCzB-GUKQ5HHGA0/s1600/SanFrancisco_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX_GIn7wLVBoHBwKF8nTTFjgo5uVAGh1ELh4gt7PXfNxXktpJIzvC_dwP9p_NNvsDg0B-8AhPOEEOBRqiGl0EmOvHP-iwmwhmkaKuxP3hSZye9PGNczWxthkr-dB3vUCzB-GUKQ5HHGA0/s320/SanFrancisco_01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">This Friday I am going to San Francisco and I'm so excited! I've always wanted to go to this awesome city on the West Coast! I'm taking a group of HPU students on a Model UN trip, which I think will be a lot of fun! Also, as an added bonus, my friend Cassie is going to come into town for a couple of days to visit! Cass and her husband Tucker live in Redding, which is like 3 hours away and I've wanted to go and visit them, so I'm glad this is working out! Cass and I have been on many adventures together and I'm looking forward to another great trip!!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Machu Picchu, Peru</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlAcpXgpzArqDajtJ9x4NeekN-fmWYLCgIE5aZTBitiT4744AS-Qqtkf_msv8u7-Xt-A8wNusZpsmvjKZIM_QYK_LADRf3oS5YYZAvQwiaemrSOVaApo_PTtCSfbvf8OL3SmMgYMNH7ho/s1600/machu_picchu-208838.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlAcpXgpzArqDajtJ9x4NeekN-fmWYLCgIE5aZTBitiT4744AS-Qqtkf_msv8u7-Xt-A8wNusZpsmvjKZIM_QYK_LADRf3oS5YYZAvQwiaemrSOVaApo_PTtCSfbvf8OL3SmMgYMNH7ho/s320/machu_picchu-208838.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">A couple of weeks after I get back from San Francisco I'm heading to a new city, country and continent! Lorin and I are flying to Peru to visit her husband Phillip, who is working there for a month doing a medical internship. We're flying into Lima and spending a couple of days there and then heading to Machu Picchu, an Incan lost city that is one of the 7 new wonders of the world! (For those keeping track, this will be my third wonder to see - including the Coliseum in Rome and Chichen Itza in Mexico, and don't worry! I planning on visiting them all at some point!)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">This will also be my fourth continent to visit. I've obviously been to North America, and then Europe and Asia. Another travel goal is to go to every continent (except Antartica, that is just a little improbable), so I'm well on my way! Only Africa and Australia will be left after this trip! </div>Kaliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00584346194690587621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799407943049719872.post-76873311646303175822011-03-24T20:56:00.000-07:002011-03-24T20:56:21.826-07:00Arms of LoveWhen was the last time you just let everything go? Like, literally everything? I thought I was pretty good at it ... coming home from work and letting work go. Going on a trip and forgetting about all of the stress and pressure that was waiting for me at home. Maintaining friendships in the midst of busy schedules, time zones and changes. But you know what? I've been holding onto all of that. Even when I was convinced I let it go from time to time. When I took time to spend with the Lord, I was still holding onto all of the ... stuff. I let it distract me from giving God my full attention. <br />
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Well, last weekend I went to a women's retreat with my church. The theme was "Creating a Sacred Space" and I knew going in to the weekend that we would be talking about putting aside all of our busyness and everything in our lives and making room for the Lord. The problem was, I didn't have time to make time for all of that. My life was too busy. Are you sensing the irony here? By the time I got to the retreat late Friday afternoon, I was ready for some rest. During our first session, our leaders were talking about putting aside everything that is on our minds - everything. We had a "Sabbath" box on the table and we wrote down things that we were going to lay aside for the weekend - work, communication with others, I had quite a list. Then our speaker was talking about finding rest in God. True, quiet rest. She described crawling up into God's lap and letting Him hold us. <br />
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I can't remember the last time I crawled into someone's lap and just let them hold me. I pictured that with God. Just sitting there, letting Him rock me, calming me worries and fears, taking all of my stress and throwing it away. Completely letting go of everything. It was amazing. I can't even describe how wonderful it felt to give it all over to the Lord. I guess as a single woman, I feel the need to take care of myself. I can ask for help, but ultimately I feel like I still have to always maintain control. There isn't anyone else around to take care of me. Just me. But you know what? That's not true. I've been lying to myself. My God is here to take over. He wants the control. He wants my worries and fears. He wants all me. He longs to wrap me in His arms of love and rock me. Oh sweet friends, I pray that you can experience that someday. It truly is the sweetest feeling. Now, I just need to remember how to do that every day. To crawl back up in my Father's lap and let him take control.Kaliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00584346194690587621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799407943049719872.post-46945788571062817842011-03-22T18:22:00.001-07:002011-03-22T19:31:14.364-07:00Trains and Toilets<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiawX9SnQ9Z_wGteHEjYzJ2ySTYjoIHcxoZUpj17dQh4ceLVCPTO-4vQAuAyaBSctxDE8HHSHh1ZEe4Bs-3YKKkbpmoHseUAOq4yBcmpoatQHBiqYuiuDjm8_5PEeToJAf-Ie_hLpx-17w/s1600/DSC_1282.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587086154626315330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiawX9SnQ9Z_wGteHEjYzJ2ySTYjoIHcxoZUpj17dQh4ceLVCPTO-4vQAuAyaBSctxDE8HHSHh1ZEe4Bs-3YKKkbpmoHseUAOq4yBcmpoatQHBiqYuiuDjm8_5PEeToJAf-Ie_hLpx-17w/s320/DSC_1282.JPG" border="0" /></a>So, I have some more stories to share about my adventure in Taiwan with Danielle. I had some new experiences that were unique, to say the least.<br /><div><br />One day I went with Danielle and her friend Leah to a city on the south of the island called Tainan. We rode a high speed train to get there, which was pretty cool. Next to airplanes, this was probably my fastest speed of travel so far in my life. What would have taken us 8 hours by normal speed train only took 2, so that was pretty neat. Danielle and Leah had to do some work in Tainan, but we also got to see some of the big sights. We went to a Confucious temple, which was pretty interesting, and to a "castle" built by the Dutch and then rebuilt by the Japanese known as Anping Fort. The trees at the fort had these super long roots hanging down, and we enjoyed taking some pretty funny pictures. We also went shopping in a little market that was super cute. One of my favorite things there were these little waffle type things they made right there on the street in the shape of funny things like a chicken, motorcycle and gun. Brilliant, right? haha. On our train ride back to Taipei that night we found out that we were under a tsunami alert. It was kind of scary for me for a little bit, but praise the Lord nothing ever happened! </div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3pb3UbK7PPkGvZGISY5vLKERn4fcAe5xVqLuTyhPz7MXRFzE6ooluvllCVKWxVCbKwXVKpbWK-neKlxOSxFj64l3BNTqO57b83C9TObEhotl-CxnKMwxdnoi-aozYoC9bAMzXW-bU8Y/s1600/P1090320.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587084995893702722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3pb3UbK7PPkGvZGISY5vLKERn4fcAe5xVqLuTyhPz7MXRFzE6ooluvllCVKWxVCbKwXVKpbWK-neKlxOSxFj64l3BNTqO57b83C9TObEhotl-CxnKMwxdnoi-aozYoC9bAMzXW-bU8Y/s320/P1090320.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ZA1QEUEQHR0EcDZm95OM0qTN6iXDEW5RuLuk3_IeLdy5OfsFv-rbtLJsxocOXMp7joxKka8TadChH0j-Sk86K_q8RXYJh2sXcXUDRQyqpO-_pbqa2t8KfYu-oxcWP2U32V-n9oqUe0Q/s1600/P1090366.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587084989757457666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ZA1QEUEQHR0EcDZm95OM0qTN6iXDEW5RuLuk3_IeLdy5OfsFv-rbtLJsxocOXMp7joxKka8TadChH0j-Sk86K_q8RXYJh2sXcXUDRQyqpO-_pbqa2t8KfYu-oxcWP2U32V-n9oqUe0Q/s320/P1090366.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfMDGWRdfTisBaJKaubQ0oIsIXPV-jIj7_rLmc70bKJtPmBLuTNIN_IhJjFjRJg8ZF1mj6z3aVEHNgImiXK5U7fBQw3pDT2pVmn8-t1DbcWBKzTUzuXlBDxlDb7RZ12FG6yw0g5kGYaaY/s1600/DSCN6586.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587084983323920594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfMDGWRdfTisBaJKaubQ0oIsIXPV-jIj7_rLmc70bKJtPmBLuTNIN_IhJjFjRJg8ZF1mj6z3aVEHNgImiXK5U7fBQw3pDT2pVmn8-t1DbcWBKzTUzuXlBDxlDb7RZ12FG6yw0g5kGYaaY/s320/DSCN6586.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbFWS-FFqorjpi0nVrG3i9aVeYoER5MdRDy6o-v8csFr80OoPP-Sh4OJS1AFpuDNh1oPRIUYBX5amUtC8V7Xw-_2n3RFlNIhwdS2A5Qt_pfxd9M2CkLwhsCKGtNP3XHM-vfcorzW-U5LI/s1600/DSCN6584.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587084978825169282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbFWS-FFqorjpi0nVrG3i9aVeYoER5MdRDy6o-v8csFr80OoPP-Sh4OJS1AFpuDNh1oPRIUYBX5amUtC8V7Xw-_2n3RFlNIhwdS2A5Qt_pfxd9M2CkLwhsCKGtNP3XHM-vfcorzW-U5LI/s320/DSCN6584.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><div>Another great adventure was to a very, shall I say <em>unique</em>, restaurant in Taipei called Modern Toilet. Several people on facebook commented that they had seen this place on the Food Network, but I can I just tell you that the real-life experience is far greater than anything you can watch on t.v. It was pure craziness! The toilet was their theme and boy did they stick to it! The food (which was not good at all!) was served in toilet and bathtub shaped bowls. We sat on toilets for our seats and ate on plexi-glass that was covering a bathtub. There were little swirls of pink poop on the wallpaper and poop shaped light fixtures. I told Danielle that I think I only enjoyed this experience because I was in Taiwan and it was so crazy that it was funny. Had I been in America, I probably would have thought it was disgusting. But, we definitely laughed a lot! Modern Toilet was in an area called Ximen, which is a fun pedestrian shopping area. I went there on my last trip too, and it's a great place to roam around and have fun!</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587086152014581858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1JiXSrInKOdEkBvKmBPAZYiLCEUP5xYSDxBKZ6GFce9sBy5tnDVSGixmJpfL207_eEwzBixsZf_1sVeeY6NvdTDF2J6xH7Ks-5NHS889_snETINdtC0nCTNFkO9LJrPjRAYi1c7ABSqU/s320/DSC_1257.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587086141211388994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7714CqT1GthJ7VthUtMmpf-iH5TiVnZM8Wpv9kexFD7urNMpaXxWsiijamt8mvPprDyBcH3PprTe7rsQnq7WmjLoe3USX55JJZ0XSCucrCv_idUBFWpPtpdZIius9484J51W5jC3qCo/s320/DSC_1237.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587086147049420610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbDWzgOfGy8LgxNTi94ThxaxozYuwCUd38728GjYqcWHNETo9PoVef_yjtagmvPcq4NXzkFq8IIfxKHmZZUfohfOJ3Q-cW6GUeIbgotfoNElWYuJtbdfiLxssTl7FkzX0LXOIz3RjKsh4/s320/DSC_1240.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587085002071844530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_LwAyqpBXR9DRAynzZ0QudxOuJneeofEbDpzMVBoZqc05zfXwvAxDHUz6JLc-sQxIxR485ZLN73a9OeU3hTrNyk12Fa4OTRWRQPNmaEYH8vo9vyRuxohi16_sNxZ8nz5EmKcrB3b8w1A/s320/DSC_1219.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587086155635322818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-HlyCezlaeNgFNqaDabLD9FgALnrdxpXtlANbNJVb88EFCJgcqWOXwnENxTyatOAmKTbACWpwTYqR9Y9Nlov36GUH63k3gJUXRTMk4jiDMPMqQ-dkP-JcHint0t9pyi73yClHgux-Os/s320/DSC_1262.JPG" border="0" /><br />Needless to say, these experiences were really fun. All in all, it was a fantastic trip! Taiwan is such a neat country full of beauty and warmth. I'm so glad I had to opportunity to return for a second trip and experience more of its greatness! Danielle was a wonderful host and it was great to get to see her in her element in her Asian home! Although, I must admit, that I'm ready for my best friend to come back to the U.S. in August! </div></div></div></div>Kaliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00584346194690587621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799407943049719872.post-32580122339014616442011-03-15T05:10:00.000-07:002011-03-15T05:32:22.621-07:00Going and ComingI'm home, finally! This may have been my most exciting travel experience to date. Going and coming back from Taiwan were both definitely adventures! I had such a wonderful time with Danielle! She is the best and we had so much fun together!!! I will tell you more about my trip in another blog- this post is dedicated strictly to my traveling stories. My, oh my!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Going</span><br /><br />I attempted to leave for Taiwan on Thursday, March 3 at 10 a.m. When I arrived at the airport, I found out that because my passport was expiring in less than 6 months (June 25 to be exact) Taiwan wasn't going to let me in their country. So, I ended up having to go and get a new passport that day. It was crazy! But God took care of everything and I had a new passport and flight and was on my way about 8 hours later than anticipated. There were lots of crazy things that day - a parking bus that broke down, immediately followed by a broken escalator and elevator, my new flight to San Francisco was delayed ... it was a lot to take in, but thankfully I was not stressed or worried - I knew that I'd get to Taiwan eventually. My biggest concern was making sure that Danielle knew I wouldn't be coming in at 10 p.m. on Friday, but rather at 6 a.m. on Saturday. She did get the message, which was so good and we talked in the airport in San Francisco before I left for Taipei. I finally arrived at 5 a.m. on Saturday morning and continued a VERY long day until about 9 that night when I crashed.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Coming </span><br /><br />As I'm sure all of you are aware, there was an earthquake that hit Japan on Friday, March 11. Well, I was still in Taiwan at that time. We were under a tsunami warning, but praise the Lord, we were not hit at all. I was concerned because I was supposed to be flying back to America via Tokyo on Sunday and so I called to check on my flights and they told me everything would probably be fine. Tokyo wasn't hit that badly and so I was trusting everything would work out. When I got to the airport on Sunday at 8 a.m., I found out that my flight had been delayed until 1 p.m. - I'm assuming because of the earthquake, but no real reason was given. Danielle's friends who brought me to the airport had to get back for church, so I said bye to them and entertained myself in the airport for a long time. I ended up getting sick around 9 a.m., but I think it was just because I hadn't had a lot of sleep. Great way to start the trip, though! haha. I boarded my plane for Tokyo at around 1 and as we were traveling down the runway, I found out that our plane had air conditioner problems and we'd have to get it worked on for a while. We sat on the runway for over an hour and finally left about 3 p.m. When we got to Tokyo, I knew I'd already missed my connecting flight for Dallas and that I'd have to be at the mercy of Japan Airlines to hopefully get back home sometime soon. They rescheduled me on a flight to LA that was leaving within 30 minutes so I rushed to that gate. One good thing was I was bumped up to Premium seating - which was really nice for my long flight! I had a nice cushy chair with a pop-up foot rest, lots of little amenities and I was able to sleep most of the time! I arrived in LA at 1 p.m. their time and was so thankful to be back on American soil! I had a four hour lay-over in LA, so I bonded with some of my fellow travel buddies who I'd been with since Taipei. There were some really sweet people and we all laughed and bonded over our exhaustion. Our flight ended up being delayed (surprise, surprise) and so I think we finally left LA around 6:30. We landed in Dallas at 11 p.m. - still Sunday to me (maybe the longest Sunday of my life) and when I called my parents they told me they were booking me a hotel for the night. I know they were really worried about me and all my travels - especially since I was by myself. I really just wanted to be home at that point, but since Brownwood is a good 3 hours from DFW airport, it would've been around 3 a.m. by the time I got home. So I took them up on their offer and stayed at the Sheraton that night. It was so nice to be in a bed! I woke up yesterday morning at 7 a.m. and drove back to Brownwood. Whew! I have no idea how many hours of traveling that was- but it was exhausting for sure! I felt like I got hit by a bus. Thankfully I was able to rest yesterday and now, I'm ready for the week!<br /><br />As you can tell, I had quite a trip! I can't wait to share more about the fun things that I did in Taiwan! It is such a beautiful country, full of wonderful people, including my best friend! I had a blast! But I am glad to be home ... finally!Kaliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00584346194690587621noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799407943049719872.post-19822767742957777522011-03-09T18:12:00.001-08:002011-03-09T18:59:21.196-08:00Taipei Take 2Ni Hao!<br /><br />I'm writing from Taipei, Taiwan on my second adventure in this wonderful city. I'm here visiting my best friend, Danielle, in her Asian home. Just like all of my other trips with Danielle, we have been busy pretty much non-stop. We've seen some really beautiful places, had some great food and I've met some wonderful people! There are still times, just like last year, when it just hits me that I'm in Asia. We'll round a corner, and WHOA, a smell will hit me. Or we will be walking down a street laden with flashing signs, millions of scooters and cars, smells and noises everywhere and I will experience a little sensory overload. Sounds fun and exciting, right? It totally is!<br /><br />Danielle knows so much more about this city this time - she can get around by bus, carry on conversations with the shop owners trying to sell me crazy things and knows where to get all of the best food - like big chicken and jawza. Here are some pictures from the past few days.<br /><br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-4Y98Hpt14rwbGGPyH7841CUbsADIHppzeJtVFA4hxVRPT6ZQ9Jwh5msKW3U3-ipK9jOfF9RKB75t56j7QHYogUp7WuY4QpYLAry4MeX712r9zTOvAY2Q7TXwwr2G4YoC6VDZ3MUJH8/s1600/DSC_1183.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582277836089244914" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-4Y98Hpt14rwbGGPyH7841CUbsADIHppzeJtVFA4hxVRPT6ZQ9Jwh5msKW3U3-ipK9jOfF9RKB75t56j7QHYogUp7WuY4QpYLAry4MeX712r9zTOvAY2Q7TXwwr2G4YoC6VDZ3MUJH8/s320/DSC_1183.JPG" border="0" /></a>Yangmingshan</p><p><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpEniDnuDELv7iDYqbOlzn0qZFKXjO-m4L5hBhYgqwdsLiHPhaywNKkiChiKpecclV9xdunzvb7ebhUDVpaBb63t5_zaxizzeEPp3agZjqeHVlOHfi25lIfIrwCSSpDy8EKkoZ-myAjsk/s1600/DSC_1150.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582277829448909266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpEniDnuDELv7iDYqbOlzn0qZFKXjO-m4L5hBhYgqwdsLiHPhaywNKkiChiKpecclV9xdunzvb7ebhUDVpaBb63t5_zaxizzeEPp3agZjqeHVlOHfi25lIfIrwCSSpDy8EKkoZ-myAjsk/s320/DSC_1150.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDLquMfxzi9TDCo4RbMI0MwVNh5Satu3p2N4Zh4mUS1_-vFLFb_cTYl0_ieNna6yas1bYkcJrgb2yRfFEFrlE1fMgRRdYMFATp4eEewQJqydzYW0HKCa8n7iDTGgWZjk7NQmdHoZVdaI/s1600/DSC_1118.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582275836066827954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDLquMfxzi9TDCo4RbMI0MwVNh5Satu3p2N4Zh4mUS1_-vFLFb_cTYl0_ieNna6yas1bYkcJrgb2yRfFEFrlE1fMgRRdYMFATp4eEewQJqydzYW0HKCa8n7iDTGgWZjk7NQmdHoZVdaI/s320/DSC_1118.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuGEm1K6oHrQ35gqJO5Q5s6GXWxWoEjqe1ldjlmcyHgVPk2hIH64uG1EK25GeS5xZxtGeXKwGzVlOfTniRMOgrIE1w_Es84iDt8W63uDKAmH8GqpoRRD7dJU3CyZdLdCuACiKMxq2PVu4/s1600/DSC_1136.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582274974359015746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuGEm1K6oHrQ35gqJO5Q5s6GXWxWoEjqe1ldjlmcyHgVPk2hIH64uG1EK25GeS5xZxtGeXKwGzVlOfTniRMOgrIE1w_Es84iDt8W63uDKAmH8GqpoRRD7dJU3CyZdLdCuACiKMxq2PVu4/s320/DSC_1136.JPG" border="0" /></a> Sharyl, Danielle and I hiking Yangmingshan Mountain<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqhGmwPXJUmmn52lNqbALvRnpkmN_ARdr7aE3mofd2v8H7_AQ8hxNDXxKTRFIKatLmflkj7R18UlMA68v2AATcdnnHbDyWTyLsyJ8Lw29IkN8P-MMftapFeK2YQyJrCsCJHTiYUVsZIRw/s1600/DSC_1102.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582274961855573714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqhGmwPXJUmmn52lNqbALvRnpkmN_ARdr7aE3mofd2v8H7_AQ8hxNDXxKTRFIKatLmflkj7R18UlMA68v2AATcdnnHbDyWTyLsyJ8Lw29IkN8P-MMftapFeK2YQyJrCsCJHTiYUVsZIRw/s320/DSC_1102.JPG" border="0" /></a>Dinosaurs at the National Taiwanese Museum<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgH9ZExcTklpr5W502pmkLkWr6pAKGHJM7h2Ch2DewniSC4V7aqKJzjEk77-6P-mRZ0TZvOVSRXzNbwbGZxcTsqkIhGAQLcdT0dBtOXuCpg4Du3BIzCMGNoMX78S-fdTP8dGeR_cs6kI/s1600/DSC_1020.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582274959291962818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgH9ZExcTklpr5W502pmkLkWr6pAKGHJM7h2Ch2DewniSC4V7aqKJzjEk77-6P-mRZ0TZvOVSRXzNbwbGZxcTsqkIhGAQLcdT0dBtOXuCpg4Du3BIzCMGNoMX78S-fdTP8dGeR_cs6kI/s320/DSC_1020.JPG" border="0" /></a> Leah, Danielle and I at the Shilin Night Market<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDB9bgJvJrLkkkONb5kldLvZXQqQMvX8ZiblvbM7YJnKpy3sPIgaTc-IMspNOeqIFBDxXf6vHg3eeZE3wsGKFwhTCTORMSxLFZZ6wkSrkx9YrFSq9rBTC__qauTAYgaxEOHODpySdVHQ/s1600/DSC_1018.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582274948902231042" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDB9bgJvJrLkkkONb5kldLvZXQqQMvX8ZiblvbM7YJnKpy3sPIgaTc-IMspNOeqIFBDxXf6vHg3eeZE3wsGKFwhTCTORMSxLFZZ6wkSrkx9YrFSq9rBTC__qauTAYgaxEOHODpySdVHQ/s320/DSC_1018.JPG" border="0" /></a> Trying candied strawberrys - an explosion of flavor in your mouth!<br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPV8lMEypeQWWOS7P89UWlQlwUB6gN8e9H7CJHzz8BXYm7IB0n6KXm6jOaLjmclncAKVOiwGt8rarcZHBtNqdfTfiHjEDVGKCKRf-7m0heLOoyVcBe4535ZSzA75L5lJq0cDcoaOzWmQs/s1600/DSC_1013.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582273169328495874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPV8lMEypeQWWOS7P89UWlQlwUB6gN8e9H7CJHzz8BXYm7IB0n6KXm6jOaLjmclncAKVOiwGt8rarcZHBtNqdfTfiHjEDVGKCKRf-7m0heLOoyVcBe4535ZSzA75L5lJq0cDcoaOzWmQs/s320/DSC_1013.JPG" border="0" /></a> Big chicken! It's as big as your face!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLWFKek8gKFFYm1_GTVv-oKLHDg6Ie4JNWvvE28fJcdy40EoVUYexiFUPjDtQVlW754-K5EdmMC6y2mV6T40e0s4a3KPIzmlaec66W2pGqCnrXMu9HkICbaaII6x-MU8HghiDVMb5N4oE/s1600/DSC_0998.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582273165374264802" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLWFKek8gKFFYm1_GTVv-oKLHDg6Ie4JNWvvE28fJcdy40EoVUYexiFUPjDtQVlW754-K5EdmMC6y2mV6T40e0s4a3KPIzmlaec66W2pGqCnrXMu9HkICbaaII6x-MU8HghiDVMb5N4oE/s320/DSC_0998.JPG" border="0" /></a> Flora Expo - so many gorgeous flowers!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh4Hhqdfjpf4eT7DPEuRK2k5kWd9Ay1Y8EtP06mISgwclrzOU27fULcZFYTxABAVM2rQckjOhQadKAE_y4kbdZpiUzesnHYjZd3-rxKIYS2hWLf6bhya8LLow-ZBj3LasT2oSEJfqC8es/s1600/DSC_0987.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582273154745698258" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh4Hhqdfjpf4eT7DPEuRK2k5kWd9Ay1Y8EtP06mISgwclrzOU27fULcZFYTxABAVM2rQckjOhQadKAE_y4kbdZpiUzesnHYjZd3-rxKIYS2hWLf6bhya8LLow-ZBj3LasT2oSEJfqC8es/s320/DSC_0987.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj660hyjG9v2O47z4NbgSQZW8WtQVkYXC2nmPW-q9uvBq7VVm3imCMu2oIns10Td6l8TKWp0iG5cnuCJCp0OKbu3bBLqSdua01Iqi_u0Bkl16tYJwF0jJpU9Arc4taLPZADd0ujcOCQxl8/s1600/DSC_0922.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582273142706850946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj660hyjG9v2O47z4NbgSQZW8WtQVkYXC2nmPW-q9uvBq7VVm3imCMu2oIns10Td6l8TKWp0iG5cnuCJCp0OKbu3bBLqSdua01Iqi_u0Bkl16tYJwF0jJpU9Arc4taLPZADd0ujcOCQxl8/s320/DSC_0922.JPG" border="0" /></a> <div></div><div align="left">As you can see, we are having a wonderful time! More pictures and stories to come!</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Kaliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00584346194690587621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799407943049719872.post-21952068968425097892011-02-13T19:14:00.000-08:002011-02-13T19:32:41.560-08:00Valentine's Jane Austen StyleYesterday I had one of the most fun parties ever! We had a Jane Austen themed Valentine's party complete with scones, cucumber sandwiches, tea and so many other yummy treats. We watched Sense & Sensibility and the Jane Austen Book Club and just had so much fun! I just love bonding with friends over our adoration for Jane. We discussed our favorite characters and books. It was just a great afternoon of good food, good friends and good movies! I even got to use my grandmother's milkglass tea plates and cups! It was so special! Here are some pictures from our great (hopefully annual) party!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNB6in9aWRa-PqJkPOOkvsJGG_hlbtxf83dO_dtkNMcePP5TF_j2pL2ne34CoV6l4HPAfd-rdTcMQ6p3e5rcExQo_SLm7YBeJQFR7mLY80HLnwJ5qZqZUX2-WlYXGYqNuaMvCmjVlaUFA/s1600/DSC_0856.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNB6in9aWRa-PqJkPOOkvsJGG_hlbtxf83dO_dtkNMcePP5TF_j2pL2ne34CoV6l4HPAfd-rdTcMQ6p3e5rcExQo_SLm7YBeJQFR7mLY80HLnwJ5qZqZUX2-WlYXGYqNuaMvCmjVlaUFA/s320/DSC_0856.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573380354023172818" border="0" /></a>Our delicious spread of food - all scrumptious!<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0P6K989HSpfr967O4uXdtOwE9yvIOQbgUdP5LCV1A9ZuMKGn_hCcc2vIjgzW3pu43xYNIIuCbzjMkB-DoUCoI7T7JGO6sIlM0F5KtzZtDAI6sl2r5x9tmM3QKnhUIBR0EYOEqQF5k94/s1600/DSC_0839.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0P6K989HSpfr967O4uXdtOwE9yvIOQbgUdP5LCV1A9ZuMKGn_hCcc2vIjgzW3pu43xYNIIuCbzjMkB-DoUCoI7T7JGO6sIlM0F5KtzZtDAI6sl2r5x9tmM3QKnhUIBR0EYOEqQF5k94/s320/DSC_0839.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573380353163166482" border="0" /></a>My co-hostess Maria<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHbd9YdlSFY94kiRO1jXaqEiffWFLYxKklUFfPsuLV5zt5EoruRM_wUl2csxbrBnAepOcIgl-rGOREFVlHyqzvSwI_YMgdkI9hMWDvcqjPEGtFfYqRQ4TjiyghdKUPXoV5fQteaR03kFU/s1600/DSC_0834.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHbd9YdlSFY94kiRO1jXaqEiffWFLYxKklUFfPsuLV5zt5EoruRM_wUl2csxbrBnAepOcIgl-rGOREFVlHyqzvSwI_YMgdkI9hMWDvcqjPEGtFfYqRQ4TjiyghdKUPXoV5fQteaR03kFU/s320/DSC_0834.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573380345326402274" border="0" /></a>Heart-shaped chicken salad sandwiches<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEham41-VzWkqmvCTLPcauihbDZN1KS3AqA3E15ABF7ZzXd0UYtAWCvYbkLprIJeFME77FEQ8GW_nmljovky8mA_Y1hCZ5N3S1DjXZPUOBCPWOpVLhIbm5TTr4cMPIEQ8LzUrISboq3XBdA/s1600/DSC_0835.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEham41-VzWkqmvCTLPcauihbDZN1KS3AqA3E15ABF7ZzXd0UYtAWCvYbkLprIJeFME77FEQ8GW_nmljovky8mA_Y1hCZ5N3S1DjXZPUOBCPWOpVLhIbm5TTr4cMPIEQ8LzUrISboq3XBdA/s320/DSC_0835.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573380343754790738" border="0" /></a><br />My teapot from Bath, England - where Jane Austen lived for a while<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsCMjhIOkr63dxXoWP-5YGP5kYkrXDTKZ1-rvT36YU1BcUcVircsTePicW85p-HaAn-CKVPUVSainyuM-Z_0rJEY5StHmW6zffznYqYJvdFhfOfbUo2ySOuG7fuFJ21K3x0rnW_rnzujE/s1600/DSC_0861.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsCMjhIOkr63dxXoWP-5YGP5kYkrXDTKZ1-rvT36YU1BcUcVircsTePicW85p-HaAn-CKVPUVSainyuM-Z_0rJEY5StHmW6zffznYqYJvdFhfOfbUo2ySOuG7fuFJ21K3x0rnW_rnzujE/s320/DSC_0861.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573381452065329698" border="0" /></a>Jane Austen lovers - Maria, Katie, Beka, Candice, Keren, Jen and me!<br /></div>Kaliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00584346194690587621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799407943049719872.post-63055437197900587832011-02-07T13:14:00.000-08:002011-02-07T20:29:26.356-08:00Awesome Concerts at HPU!One of the things I've been doing in my job lately is helping bring concerts to HPU. It's such a fun thing to be involved in! My boss Louise calls them "Concerts by Kalie." haha. It has a nice to ring to it!<br /><br />A couple of weeks ago we had a little coffee house concert on campus with an up-and-coming contemporary Christian artist named Lindsay McCaul.<br /><br />Lindsay is precious and so very talented! She was one of the openers for Shane & Shane during their Christmas concert at HPU last semester. She has such a beautiful heart for the Lord and her voice is amazing! Lindsay is definitely going to go places! I can't remember her line-up exactly, but I know she's touring with Jeremy Camp and Casting Crowns in the near future. I'm pretty sure she's going to be a big some day and I can say I knew her when! Here are some pictures from her concert - and if you are interested in listening to her music, you can <a href="www.lindsaymccaul.com">click here</a>!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBo40CMh4EdWwSK8wbHrfWOQ0POERc4399i_ZPt_WIHoZzxi9lctzrusckBgQi1nrh4SkP7Fx7zS6r2zdUUry_NNUMgh8VseBcIrdQKiBHJRdmwmBUaafVVX7dPVwjaVdEW9W-WKI3y1k/s1600/IMG_1182.JPG"><br /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAlgbjy7hxAfSvQEjqobOYXaQiSRsmDxoP8qz5KJj5K27dwB4z1owUTA0TaEHo2-vTPbURcfGIR__IqYw2Xpu2Zy0lCJmlH1RspoO4y43LdHJXmNI0op3-quNQDwqBI0DtaxiSIYqxvoI/s1600/IMG_1229.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAlgbjy7hxAfSvQEjqobOYXaQiSRsmDxoP8qz5KJj5K27dwB4z1owUTA0TaEHo2-vTPbURcfGIR__IqYw2Xpu2Zy0lCJmlH1RspoO4y43LdHJXmNI0op3-quNQDwqBI0DtaxiSIYqxvoI/s320/IMG_1229.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571060219668684546" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghunIw6LgK_huV8X0U-ITFGhOsyaBxyTdk0Il0U_M_E7bg_abOhp0Fgmv-LxdLM3QAHsOe0hfjfAx8CUjq1Px6qGsSb7aWmwglgsG3AeHzzZxUdYBgN8YmTwH0aW9rgVcxshmiDNYId6I/s1600/IMG_1259.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghunIw6LgK_huV8X0U-ITFGhOsyaBxyTdk0Il0U_M_E7bg_abOhp0Fgmv-LxdLM3QAHsOe0hfjfAx8CUjq1Px6qGsSb7aWmwglgsG3AeHzzZxUdYBgN8YmTwH0aW9rgVcxshmiDNYId6I/s320/IMG_1259.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571060224425109298" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcUi_Fzrj4ur-XpdHq_UAwAUYlLXqlUOYFF_TNWiKarToMUMIN7_QGwBcw4iC_mCGQ0tnpDF2yWfLmVtdhWtIE2NrpIzAmySAwmvSbC_LN98dMIq1DAa35-AJ-bef4zcPYwDnGUkMeozQ/s1600/me+and+Lindsay+McCaul.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 242px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcUi_Fzrj4ur-XpdHq_UAwAUYlLXqlUOYFF_TNWiKarToMUMIN7_QGwBcw4iC_mCGQ0tnpDF2yWfLmVtdhWtIE2NrpIzAmySAwmvSbC_LN98dMIq1DAa35-AJ-bef4zcPYwDnGUkMeozQ/s320/me+and+Lindsay+McCaul.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571061364286484642" border="0" /></a>I just found out on Friday the next concert we're having is next week! It's going to be so much fun! One of my favorite bands, <a href="http://addisonroad.com">Addison Road</a>, is coming to perform at a Valentine's banquet on campus. My favorite song right now is <span style="font-style: italic;">Hope Now</span>! It's so good! The lead singer of the band, Jenny Simmons, writes a <a href="http://www.jennysimmons.com/">blog that I love!</a> I don't even know her - but I think she's so funny! I'm looking forward to having them on campus for a great night! And did I mention they are serving steak and lobster and it's free for students with their meal plan? What a deal!<br /><br />And on March 31st, <a href="www.hputx.edu/brandonheath">Brandon Heath</a> is coming with his tour - Leaving Eden - featuring Dave Barnes and Kristian Stanfill. So awesome, right? I'm definitely excited about all of great bands coming to HPU in the next few months! It's going to be great!Kaliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00584346194690587621noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799407943049719872.post-28634416984318146492011-02-05T11:48:00.000-08:002011-02-05T12:09:48.026-08:00Clean Water<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc5RK5LXOTu8sOD34oYBCp6nJIL82Qc4tq1FYyvKLctFsTxoAhB9blCr6bW-kZ5Tal4XYOMrHjJ8URrRB8UZvrg9h2ni8Q9JYKdHvGqDBGXS4KjKmJxxtsfFlqfpl0YJCttewntaRPeis/s1600/water-faucet-glass.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 294px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc5RK5LXOTu8sOD34oYBCp6nJIL82Qc4tq1FYyvKLctFsTxoAhB9blCr6bW-kZ5Tal4XYOMrHjJ8URrRB8UZvrg9h2ni8Q9JYKdHvGqDBGXS4KjKmJxxtsfFlqfpl0YJCttewntaRPeis/s320/water-faucet-glass.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570299546940983810" border="0" /></a>There are lots of things in life that we, as Americans, can many times take for granted. Thanks to the ice storm of 2011, I have a new appreciation, make that <span style="font-style: italic;">love</span>, for running water. On Wednesday morning, I woke up and realized that all of the water pipes in our house had frozen. You know what that means, right? No showering, flushing, clean dishes, clean laundry or drinking/cooking water. Wednesday wasn't so bad, Candice and I went over to my friend Kristy's house to shower and we made do the rest of the day. Well, Thursday, the temperature didn't get above 20 degrees, so you know what that meant? Still no water! And Friday? You guessed it! Pipes were still frozen. I will admit that by Friday morning I was in kind of a bad mood about this inconvenience. Dishes were starting to pile up, I needed another shower, my laundry was out of control ... you get the picture. I'm so thankful that I had people to turn to in the midst of my mini-crisis. I headed to my friend Larissa's to shower and then last night Candice and I ended up spending the night with her parents for a reprieve from the seemingly desperate situation.<br /><br />I came home this afternoon to find that - Praise the Lord - my pipes have thawed out and we have water again! One of the lessons I learned from this experience is to always leave your pipes dripping when a potential freeze is coming - it's amazing how many people told me this AFTER our pipes froze. I'll never forget that lesson!<br /><br />The other thing I learned, was to truly be thankful for running water. My friend Katie Ellwood reminded me of this earlier this week through <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#%21/video/video.php?v=522689275345&comments">this video</a> she made with her brother. For their birthdays this year, they are asking for people to donate money to <a href="http://mycharitywater.org/">Charity: Water</a> - an organization that works to bring clean water to the people around the world. Apparently, there are over 1 billion (1,000,000,000!!!) people in the world that don't have clean drinking water. The number is truly astonishing. While I was without water in my home for 4 days, I still had access to clean water in a number of places. These people face EVERY day without clean water. EVERY DAY! I'm sure Katie had no idea how this video would resonate with me personally this week, but I'm thankful for my friend who opened my eyes to a much bigger problem than my 4 days of uncomfortableness.<br /><br />So, right after I did my dishes, I donated to Katie's birthday goal. Now, I'm going to hop in the shower and enjoy my running water.<br /><br />Thank you, Lord, for teaching me to be thankful in unique (and sometimes smelly) ways!Kaliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00584346194690587621noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799407943049719872.post-20843558731714617622011-02-01T13:26:00.001-08:002011-02-01T13:39:11.667-08:00Snow Day in PicturesToday we had a snow day - and I've been loving every minute of it! I decided to get out my new camera and play around with my zoom lens. Turns out it is bitterly cold outside, and there isn't much snow - mostly ice - but I still got a few pictures that I thought were pretty fun. So, here's how I spent my snow day:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhohsRChyAMfOQJrK8QgPZmy75asTnF55vYRVhK7fwT-p8le74OoGUzvBgAj19XB_-qivo38A-n3umHr7qgjF5NUVpynpssaAIAAv2oxj1JwTZp6chYL_ZPw48w_EPawkRt-4ILGRkLmYQ/s1600/DSC_0829.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhohsRChyAMfOQJrK8QgPZmy75asTnF55vYRVhK7fwT-p8le74OoGUzvBgAj19XB_-qivo38A-n3umHr7qgjF5NUVpynpssaAIAAv2oxj1JwTZp6chYL_ZPw48w_EPawkRt-4ILGRkLmYQ/s320/DSC_0829.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568837663903282002" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRrJ3HDZ4NyEHcC4kKEtrsKo4j2jZx0g9uP9QtMQnkps4OR4xTODUDS_ayqss_iHPAuZUpOPrnZ__Kfj86AC7kNDeG1Q4My-u8VxHNTRNieEX9UPGwNhpXTuhCwQpVM666V9JbZNB5sLo/s1600/DSC_0813.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRrJ3HDZ4NyEHcC4kKEtrsKo4j2jZx0g9uP9QtMQnkps4OR4xTODUDS_ayqss_iHPAuZUpOPrnZ__Kfj86AC7kNDeG1Q4My-u8VxHNTRNieEX9UPGwNhpXTuhCwQpVM666V9JbZNB5sLo/s320/DSC_0813.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568836869107118882" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWlebMFnDfztfq9VOGtw91Y9J5jfMDLNoPSv_6tVOjWxoMC-kLN2rt8FQobFso_EXaPLFDjL0sMzNQP1zCtHLFqrAGEhRpNnjd1gxLDDFcp9slq2Jad0HepUB9owAjLLAibNTKQe0Nrx8/s1600/DSC_0826.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWlebMFnDfztfq9VOGtw91Y9J5jfMDLNoPSv_6tVOjWxoMC-kLN2rt8FQobFso_EXaPLFDjL0sMzNQP1zCtHLFqrAGEhRpNnjd1gxLDDFcp9slq2Jad0HepUB9owAjLLAibNTKQe0Nrx8/s320/DSC_0826.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568837660124145426" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvBWVlbHXxcLmFqdY3TbsVLXLCNu6Ir6xLMLN4kfAy99KkJ-gUGc46NcNR52sYZmLclNqh5GTz92ZK_cuEhI_RlCiVmHk3iFI_6FEs7R1ODKtbeDTbQ-3SljcNygS2fokCkvgHErLf9QA/s1600/DSC_0808.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvBWVlbHXxcLmFqdY3TbsVLXLCNu6Ir6xLMLN4kfAy99KkJ-gUGc46NcNR52sYZmLclNqh5GTz92ZK_cuEhI_RlCiVmHk3iFI_6FEs7R1ODKtbeDTbQ-3SljcNygS2fokCkvgHErLf9QA/s320/DSC_0808.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568836862115973618" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3BKn4nFan55dBYqG1lAS1KYGAjuuS-kCNk78JZNeNR00fyV34sUcsVPf4Q6acWrRUPzM7UaR6-0SpJSWxk3lPwelQS5Dc-CRJF85wuUzfOEaLn3AVRd3ytbB8hwJhPXhgCzwxgPDHHJU/s1600/DSC_0809.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3BKn4nFan55dBYqG1lAS1KYGAjuuS-kCNk78JZNeNR00fyV34sUcsVPf4Q6acWrRUPzM7UaR6-0SpJSWxk3lPwelQS5Dc-CRJF85wuUzfOEaLn3AVRd3ytbB8hwJhPXhgCzwxgPDHHJU/s320/DSC_0809.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568837654604471442" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqnsDzdFn8ndBWNzDi6svnOo4k-fcCKGcQCkDSQ1nLVb-Ae0bw7rlpoXR__vHWAEhg1Aytwc3vOpNII2avsjDw1nOhpRZne9BBV20IqSR0SrCV90l5ty9RdHO5PsiMXD9agd4FxkfGfU/s1600/DSC_0806.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqnsDzdFn8ndBWNzDi6svnOo4k-fcCKGcQCkDSQ1nLVb-Ae0bw7rlpoXR__vHWAEhg1Aytwc3vOpNII2avsjDw1nOhpRZne9BBV20IqSR0SrCV90l5ty9RdHO5PsiMXD9agd4FxkfGfU/s320/DSC_0806.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568837648476997762" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgggkaI-m4UYb8o-3whI7x0273zyuPCY-dczEUMWZz4ck-ZjA4aqVJjKcpnSlcmvAXI0zkQxUz1Kdwc8lLOD3ZhCQ2bmuUne6pGqJpTWdbNCCWA6s2TSCaz8RWoHcV544ObdJ23sB9ZpSo/s1600/DSC_0805.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgggkaI-m4UYb8o-3whI7x0273zyuPCY-dczEUMWZz4ck-ZjA4aqVJjKcpnSlcmvAXI0zkQxUz1Kdwc8lLOD3ZhCQ2bmuUne6pGqJpTWdbNCCWA6s2TSCaz8RWoHcV544ObdJ23sB9ZpSo/s320/DSC_0805.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568836861288396114" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA0qHWuWF6pOpddXOcf7QGAcT37sHwIqqXsvjPpycX7FyCW8Wys4cLxX_sylKYogqJfL5iiHTJti6VlLE4xIextPNnZu50bfnoMxx6YANJ1mhwE0eiOmiPPkmLGiKO40x9YLQGFdIvbM0/s1600/DSC_0820.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA0qHWuWF6pOpddXOcf7QGAcT37sHwIqqXsvjPpycX7FyCW8Wys4cLxX_sylKYogqJfL5iiHTJti6VlLE4xIextPNnZu50bfnoMxx6YANJ1mhwE0eiOmiPPkmLGiKO40x9YLQGFdIvbM0/s320/DSC_0820.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568836882921979570" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-bfY3irU0BdXK0TW3U33fEVdMtcQR3fTZozOahyphenhyphenDPP15ylpH-fEaWsvl0CgIS5mIC-0Y-HZRh7xmy4cttwM0QXu2dHlaibJNPkTJGY_OXwNTjOwBYGvthIudlsYTKu19vJsJGrPBp2w/s1600/DSC_0818.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-bfY3irU0BdXK0TW3U33fEVdMtcQR3fTZozOahyphenhyphenDPP15ylpH-fEaWsvl0CgIS5mIC-0Y-HZRh7xmy4cttwM0QXu2dHlaibJNPkTJGY_OXwNTjOwBYGvthIudlsYTKu19vJsJGrPBp2w/s320/DSC_0818.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568836875093870130" border="0" /></a>I made beef stew and chocolate chip cookies for dinner, so if you're hungry ... come on over! :) Except my roomie has strep - so it's probably not a good idea. Maybe next time!Kaliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00584346194690587621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799407943049719872.post-77174452223040828122011-01-10T18:41:00.000-08:002011-01-10T19:03:40.117-08:00Pari holds the key to my heart<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLLdlhMrwVfhxTZub5czUtvydC0wm2Dd8C1TgUcwYfYwZTGl9alRoNkA0g98hiIKGm5tk-OPLiJXD6_j5lHxhMvKBDRejn9MmZyXiAwwrpMs0sBM9HstvCQzVEPakKU1sq3R0tRsp5xE/s1600/DSC_0625.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLLdlhMrwVfhxTZub5czUtvydC0wm2Dd8C1TgUcwYfYwZTGl9alRoNkA0g98hiIKGm5tk-OPLiJXD6_j5lHxhMvKBDRejn9MmZyXiAwwrpMs0sBM9HstvCQzVEPakKU1sq3R0tRsp5xE/s200/DSC_0625.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560757728452634834" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL0QjOmp72MSIKGpN0XY8rg87aoqG_N0_VGwCYr4HXkJPspDSJpfVxM-6Z6Y0k9TFjG2gty0JYqfl1LT_orfURuy9_SzTa9Q0NqYSO5vyKm-ALdHJxr68u4G13iqqHXBm5ehtM6uEH-jc/s1600/DSC_0178.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL0QjOmp72MSIKGpN0XY8rg87aoqG_N0_VGwCYr4HXkJPspDSJpfVxM-6Z6Y0k9TFjG2gty0JYqfl1LT_orfURuy9_SzTa9Q0NqYSO5vyKm-ALdHJxr68u4G13iqqHXBm5ehtM6uEH-jc/s200/DSC_0178.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560755466845047010" border="0" /></a>Paris was amazing! For sure! I love that magical city so much and it didn't disappoint me on this trip! I was telling Danielle that my love for Paris runs deep, and I think it is for several reasons. First, it was my very first city to visit outside of the U.S. I think that alone makes it special. Secondly, I studied French in high school and college, so I know a little bit of the language, culture and history. Thirdly, it just has a magical feel. I think it comes from the twinkling Eiffel Tower, the magnificent buildings and the strollable streets. For all of these reasons, plus the added benefit of being there with my best friend and her super fun mom, my New Years trip to Paris was pretty awesome!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbg3Sjtlg_HtufeARpQPWX06hfZUII5C8FreYTuFTJXPRVFC6I88EfYmIA54vjnMac_-ArHjuv42CKBuhrbxPxvT4eLBwLZIGT2kFOUe4tVHnN4-AIuqPKN4gGO4D61S3RPAUSEEGcXts/s1600/DSC_0662.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbg3Sjtlg_HtufeARpQPWX06hfZUII5C8FreYTuFTJXPRVFC6I88EfYmIA54vjnMac_-ArHjuv42CKBuhrbxPxvT4eLBwLZIGT2kFOUe4tVHnN4-AIuqPKN4gGO4D61S3RPAUSEEGcXts/s200/DSC_0662.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560757732584989442" border="0" /></a>Some of the highlights included:<br /><br />Seeing the city from four different elevated vantage points - the top of Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower and Sacre Coeur.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHUW5yQC9TN26X4Qfsm12PAWij09oyi5fbAMJMQOM0upXdzJRLm6JUdi_UlnrAtaO35UE29YRm61fmm3XMF9HAXiuwzxkJ7iyc_H-smF9sa_emlb_TZIK4rKJajVHVbjSumJSqhW4irKY/s1600/DSC_0234.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHUW5yQC9TN26X4Qfsm12PAWij09oyi5fbAMJMQOM0upXdzJRLm6JUdi_UlnrAtaO35UE29YRm61fmm3XMF9HAXiuwzxkJ7iyc_H-smF9sa_emlb_TZIK4rKJajVHVbjSumJSqhW4irKY/s200/DSC_0234.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560755472374081570" border="0" /></a><br />Experiencing the city all decorated for Christmas - including the beautiful Champs Elysses.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASPVb0rVifvDHEkCIth39zVFkuhYoPrKY5tpKGzm-eF0eEHznxzPUX69SA8HQfnzq4Ijc5ed1WFwevalWS2NKeZgmet9GB8mXEgt_ipzNVXI7M8xeWXSw3VVlZk9OSWXYeUKnphWbSs8/s1600/DSC_0449.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASPVb0rVifvDHEkCIth39zVFkuhYoPrKY5tpKGzm-eF0eEHznxzPUX69SA8HQfnzq4Ijc5ed1WFwevalWS2NKeZgmet9GB8mXEgt_ipzNVXI7M8xeWXSw3VVlZk9OSWXYeUKnphWbSs8/s200/DSC_0449.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560755976545727122" border="0" /></a><br />Going to Disneyland Paris - my first international Disney experience was so much fun!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMiL1tUXVRe8mqPb4_mUH6rgob5r52aZO7EA8trOxpVCIB9j6uE3nbDFrvua-weMAyf72L1_NqlvzBYzH0pifp9_XBYWcfJx1z364ylSMJNmznphPhVca_j5gaR_Vf6D3OGGxvTvePbeI/s1600/DSCN5685.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMiL1tUXVRe8mqPb4_mUH6rgob5r52aZO7EA8trOxpVCIB9j6uE3nbDFrvua-weMAyf72L1_NqlvzBYzH0pifp9_XBYWcfJx1z364ylSMJNmznphPhVca_j5gaR_Vf6D3OGGxvTvePbeI/s200/DSCN5685.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560756408057060914" border="0" /></a>Having the craziest night of my life at the Eiffel Tower on New Years Eve - the story is too long for blogging, but just ask me about it and I'll share.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWlCwBGolblaqkRtk5WmAiMyE7m7m6-5XWU1qaow7Tau0Nin_aBJx2kYtpkMKpAiO3E5szI5zomgQUu4VA-GPgr5qZCYD4C_7Zi-gPzqrQalyseW0A_4Q7EBlYgNC-V6vQC5pb6McyjQ/s1600/DSC_0598.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWlCwBGolblaqkRtk5WmAiMyE7m7m6-5XWU1qaow7Tau0Nin_aBJx2kYtpkMKpAiO3E5szI5zomgQUu4VA-GPgr5qZCYD4C_7Zi-gPzqrQalyseW0A_4Q7EBlYgNC-V6vQC5pb6McyjQ/s200/DSC_0598.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560755499063354002" border="0" /></a>Experiencing the grandeur and extravagance of the rich at Versailles and Napoleon's Tomb.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfvxciaoVvEBd1_oM8IbFNkgUWHANT2Mj3dvFZWhIKOOX93AcW8MDIce4b_DIaTJABULFvMVZOUNODVVTA8SHsSajc9PIxZpCWXzSNkzgc2HyIs08Hr4zwH3lGZNauOWueYaejGnR8lsk/s1600/DSC_0512.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfvxciaoVvEBd1_oM8IbFNkgUWHANT2Mj3dvFZWhIKOOX93AcW8MDIce4b_DIaTJABULFvMVZOUNODVVTA8SHsSajc9PIxZpCWXzSNkzgc2HyIs08Hr4zwH3lGZNauOWueYaejGnR8lsk/s200/DSC_0512.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560755481743285026" border="0" /></a>Laughing and having so much fun with my travel buddy!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYp6oLkrqhQx61TALMFyXYS6d-FRbh2WCCpQQKNAyJP4tHaILWVc13diB_iFfq71fHIN5lbLMxhRDohTiBxA0uGHiz5ZL2XBoPnvXCHmwikVgxsJ6m0EOQyXbtJNOyqK1DgDrKNdDObNo/s1600/DSC_0159.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYp6oLkrqhQx61TALMFyXYS6d-FRbh2WCCpQQKNAyJP4tHaILWVc13diB_iFfq71fHIN5lbLMxhRDohTiBxA0uGHiz5ZL2XBoPnvXCHmwikVgxsJ6m0EOQyXbtJNOyqK1DgDrKNdDObNo/s200/DSC_0159.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560757726046312834" border="0" /></a>Kaliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00584346194690587621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799407943049719872.post-82202692502435209132010-12-27T05:44:00.000-08:002010-12-27T05:52:37.280-08:00Paris on the horizonI realize that it has been a really long time since I have blogged. Life has been so busy lately, but I've been loving every minute of it!<br /><br />Currently, I'm sitting in an airport in Lubbock on my way to Dallas. I just spent a week in El Paso with my precious family and it was wonderful! I love my family with all my heart! I love our traditions, camaraderie, inside jokes, sarcasm, and the fact that it doesn't matter where we are, as long as we are together, it always feels like home! Lorin and Phil weren't able to be with us this year for Christmas. Lorin had to work and so they stayed in Galveston and spent Christmas with Phil's family. I will admit that it was hard to not have her around! She's my other half! She was deeply missed but this is part of growing up, right? Sharing isn't always easy, but I understand that sometimes it's necessary.<br /><br />Now, I'm headed to Paris to visit my best friend Danielle! We planned this trip while I was visiting her in Taiwan (her current home) way back in March and sometimes it felt like it was never going to get here. But, now, here I am, sitting in an airport waiting to head that way. Danielle's mom, Joanna, is also meeting us there. She is coming a day later, but will be flying back with me. I'm so excited! We have lots of fun things planned and I just can't wait to ring in the new year Paris style!<br /><br />I pray that all of you, my dear friends, had a very Merry Christmas and may God bless you abundantly in 2011!<br /><br />Oh, and don't worry! Pictures and a full report from Paris will be coming soon!!Kaliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00584346194690587621noreply@blogger.com0