The Layover

Airports, the purgatory of the travel world. The waiting place between what awaits. Let's just agree that they're probably the least appealing part of a trip.

I think my most vivid first memory of an airport experience, isn't when I went to California on a trip to Disney World as a child, or when my brother and I flew on our own at age 9 back from visiting family in Oregon through some of the worst turbulence I've ever experienced. My most vivid first memory is a scene that forever replays in my mind when I think of flying. Its of the completely panicked McCallister's, frantically running through the airport, late for their flight to Christmas vacation in Paris. Meanwhile, never noticing that their son, Kevin, is missing from the group. Leave it to "Home Alone" to make a bigger impact on my life than my own childhood memories... (can't help it, I love Christmas movies.)

Maybe airports have gotten a bad rap... So I decided to try and make the most of my experience during my 10 hour layover at Atlanta International before I boarded a 17 hour flight to South Africa. (yes, you heard all of that right...)

First off, a much, MUCH, needed massage that I'd been dying to get since I exhausted my back tearing shingles off a steep roof 2 weeks ago, then driving for hours to another state, jet skiing, swimming, lack of sleep,... you get the picture... I needed a massage before this long flight... And thanks to Phillip's magic hands at Xpress Spa (and not the Indian man at information desk who offered to give "pretty lady free massage" when I asked where I could get one) I felt like a new person!

Lunch was great!! Not sure if I was starving or if this salad was the best thing I've ever eaten, or if I was just happy to be in a little quiet bookstore (looove bookstores, btw), or if it was the really strong coffee... Probably all of thee above.

After lunch I wandered around the airport like a redneck at Walmart for the next few hours... P.S. Atlanta International is HUGE but easy to navigate. It's like a bunch of normal sized airports (by normal, I mean much bigger than Des Moines International) all connected together.

I was really excited when I exchanged my U.S. Dollars for Rand! Not only did I get 7.2 times as much back and felt super rich, but it was so cool looking that I didn't even want to spend it!

 

Damn you Panda Express!! You got me!! No one would ever eat you if it wasn't for food courts!!!

So then came the waiting game. I had somehow managed to occupy myself for the first 7 hours, but by the last 3, I just wanted to get the hell on my way... Luckily, those hours were occupied some by meeting up with my mission team and doing lots of people-watching. Before WAY too long, it was time to leave the country I call home and spend the next couple weeks in a completely foreign land that would forever change my view on life.

¡Buenos Dias! Let's Get to Packing Already!

Three days before I leave for Africa, I decide to go out of town (road trip out of state actually) to celebrate the 4th of July by boating with some my best friends! I know, great idea, right!? That's what I was thinking! Why not go on a mini vacation for 2 days before I'm prepared to leave for my trip to Africa in 3 days!?

But if you know me, you know that's just how I roll,...spontaneously. So, today was spent running around town getting everything ready so that I will be ready for my mission trip when I get back from my vacation (I know, life is rough, don't judge... and I'm kind of crazy, you can judge that part a little)...

Primero lo primero, empecé el día con un delicioso tortilla Mexicana para comenzar las cosas ¡Vale! (I don't speak Spanish and kind of doubt the free English to Spanish Translation did it justice so in Inglés it translates: First things first, I started the day with a yummy Mexican omelet to begin things right!)

 My "¡Buenos Dias!" omelet included mushrooms, green peppers, onions, tomatoes, jalapenos, fresh cilantro, salt and pepper, 2 eggs, and sour cream and salsa... cheese obviously would be good too, but I was attempting to be healthy... come on, I've got a big day ahead of me!

After breakfast, I made a list (actually I read for awhile outside, it was beautiful out!) then I made a list and spent the rest of the morning running errands all around town getting everything that I needed for the trip, which was very exhausting and not to mention, a little unorganized...imagine that!?

When I got home, Dolly was dying for some quality time with her mama, and I was busy putting off packing so it worked out for us both.
She got brushed, a manicure, and her ears cleaned... she was obviously pretty satisfied!

Which unfortunately for me meant that it was time to get packing...

Ok, well not right away... there may've been a nap involved for a bit... Like I said, running around and trying to be organized is exhausting! Luckily, I don't have a picture of this part. All I can say is that there was a puddle of drool (which I realized when I woke up in it, always fun...) combined with an awesome dream I had of me and friends dancing around in my room to Backstreet Boys which could be interpreted as my subconscious trying to motivate me to pack.

P.S. Why is packing sooo appalling!?! You'd think you'd just want to do it, get organized, and get it over with!

Me packing consists of me doing everything I can think of while in between packing so that I don't have to be packing which obviously drags it out into taking hours longer than it should, then me getting frustrated and throwing the entire contents of my closet into a suitcase and then forgetting something stupid like underwear... which makes the anxiety of packing 100 times more of an awful experience than just doing it!

After putting it off long enough, I finally dug in, and I think my essentials are covered for now! - And don't worry, the suitcase on top (my carry-on) isn't packed yet. The bottom one is stuffed full of clothes (including underwear), and since in July, it's winter in South Africa, that doesn't help me to pack light when I'm going to be there for 2 weeks...not gonna lie though, I did bring nearly my whole closet. I have this undying fear of getting somewhere and thinking "I really wish I would've packed that." Luckily, that's not a problem I should run into on this trip!

Snacks, toiletries, meds, hand sanitizers, facial cleansing wipes (for the 17 hour flight), some activities to do with the kids - face painting, tattoos, and stickers - vitamins, ipod (for the 17 hour flight), oh, and my journal and running shoes of course... Did I mention it's a 17 hour flight?

 For me, I think I did pretty good for one day of packing. I'm not done yet obviously but the rest will have to wait since I decided that one of my distractions from packing would be to blog about packing and now my night is looking a lot more like this:

Yeah... this can definitely wait to be put off tomorrow.... :)

So I'm Going to Africa!

For a couple of years, I'm felt a longing to do some mission work in Africa... Not sure where a desire like this even takes seed considering I've never done mission work before and the only international experience I've had was a vacation to the Riviera Maya, Mexico... but the longing has constantly been there like a splinter in the back of my mind, slowly working its way to the surface until one day it was gnawing at me again and I finally decided to look into.

That's when, 1. I found out that I hadn't been going to church enough because they were planning a mission trip to South Africa in just a month and a half, and 2. that I was in a perfect position in my life - career, family, and goal wise (fickle, single, and arbitrary at the moment) - where the timing would work perfectly for me to go!

Then, before I got really excited I stopped to look at the reality of the situation. I figured that there was no way I could sign up this late since they were already signing people up for the next mission trip that was 4 months away, let alone be able to raise the thousands of dollars it would take in such a short amount of time, and not to mention I had misplaced my passport. But the splinter had worked itself out enough to cause an aching need for me to make the phone call and ask. Long story short, within a day I had committed myself to going on a mission trip to South Africa that was only 8 weeks away!!

One thing I noticed right away, wasn't what you think would be a sense of urgency to frantically get on the passport and money raising issue, but it was an overwhelming sense peace. I knew that this was what I was supposed to be doing. Out of everything going wrong in my life, this finally felt so very right. All of the other problems, that I thought were problems, didn't seem to matter anymore. I knew and felt with all of my heart this was what I was supposed to do and that everything would work out perfectly so that I could do it. And it truly has. I leave in less than a week on an experience that is certain to be life changing.

There are a few goals in mind:

First of course, is to obviously save the world.

Second, is also obvious... to replace Simba in The Lion King.

 

Another goal is to discover the true meaning of the song/video "Africa" that has been a mystery to all of humankind since Toto released it in 1982...

But in all seriousness, I feel so incredibly blessed and grateful to have this amazing opportunity. The heartbreaking situation in South Africa with nearly 1000 children being orphaned every day because their parents die from AIDS is disastrous and devastating on an epic scale. The team that I'm part of from Lutheran Church of Hope and Blessman Ministries in Des Moines, IA, will be working to provide optical care and glasses for children, building dormitories, and working in feeding centers for orphans, preparing and serving meals provided by Meals from the Heartland.

The true goal is to serve God and do everything possible to help these children see and feel that they are loved and cared for. Again, I feel so very excited, grateful, and blessed to have such an amazing opportunity to be part of this wonderful mission!! ..and maybe, just maybe, I'll get to ride an elephant :)

St. Louis, Baseball, and a Seminar: A Weekend Getaway with Mom

If my mother and I didn't share some kind of genetic strand, the differences between us would make one question how we knew each other.

Her: Loud, spunky, dramatic, makeup and hair always done, jewelery galore, always dressed flashy, loves anything that sparkles, loves shopping, has childlike faith in everything and everyone, can quote the bible word for word (or at least in a sense of proving her point), and is completely oblivious to what anyone else is doing or thinking...

Me: Laid back, calm and collected for the most part, hair in a ponytail, little makeup, can't remember the last time I wore jewelery, loves sweatpants and flip flops, despises shopping, would rather spend my money on a beer and heaping pile of nachos at a baseball game, and tries to find humor rather than be embarrassed by other people's reaction to my mother's obliviousness and disregard for personal space. (Ex. In an elevator with plenty of room, she will stand 4 inches from someone, facing and staring at them, with no regard to anything other than she's just looking at them...)

Despite our differences, we planned a weekend trip to St. Louis to attend a workshop/seminar taught by one of our favorite author's Marianne Williamson.

After a 6 hour drive of singing very loudly to Conway Twitty, Randy Travis, and Dwight Yoakam's Greatest Hits, we arrived in good old St. Loui! And Thank God for the GPS navigational system in my mother's KIA Sorento, we checked into the beautiful Crowne Plaza Hotel, that I got a great deal on through priceline.com.

First on the agenda was baseball! I have always wanted to see the Cardinals' stadium and I found some cheap tickets on stubhub so we could catch a game while in the area. Luckily, the metrolink was only a few blocks from our hotel, so we were able to catch a quick and easy train ride to the game.

 Second on the agenda was food! Yes, those are a heaping pile of glorious fatty nachos from a build your own nachos station in the stadium. Half St. Louis pulled pork and half ground beef... the picture says it all.



I was very satisfied with my nachos, cold beer, beautiful view of the city, experience of the truly magnificent stadium (that doesn't hold a bad seat),  and well, who doesn't love a baseball? :)

Third, and foremost, on the agenda was the workshop/seminar.
Mom and I in University City, on the the campus of Washington University in St. Louis before the seminar.

Meeting and getting our books signed by one of the most inspirational and admirable women I've ever met, Marianne Williamson (obviously not the best picture of her).

The seminar was absolutely amazing, intensely spiritual, and inspiring. The baseball game was a lot of fun, and the hotel was beautiful with an indoor/outdoor conjoined pool that we definitely took advantage of.

But I think the best part is that for the most part, my mom and I actually got along really well, even with some unstable amounts of estrogen in the atmosphere. Despite some frustration with her not understanding why we couldn't stop through Tennessee really quick on our way back to Iowa, (please look at a map if you don't know why) a map and directions are just a concept that my mom has never quite been able to get a grasp of, even when I tried to explain to her several times that Tennessee was hours in the wrong direction of our way back...

Luckily, Dwight Yoakam's greatest hits were playing to help us get through the discussion and help her forget about "stopping through Tennessee really quick" as she drifted to sleep while I drove us home from the great weekend getaway to St. Louis.

Refreshing Summer Dinner

After the questionable insanity of completing a 3 mile run and 20 mile bike ride in 105 degree heat index, I needed a few essentials centralizing around re-hydration. A cool shower and a cold beer were the first two staples. After those were completed, I was able to think a little more clearly as to what was for dinner. I wanted to conjure up the most refreshing and replenishing light summer dish I could think of.

And I will say for myself that I holistically succeeded in the task at hand. 

Shrimp and Tilapia Salad

 

For this salad I basically scoured the fridge for every fresh veggie and herb I could find which included tomato, cucumber, green pepper, red onion, jalapeno, mango, cilantro, and basil. Then I added some lime juice, a little extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, along with some cooked shrimp and tilapia (and kicked myself for not having any avocado on hand, but still delicious).

 I need to admit that I have had a bit of an obsession with strawberry shortcake lately. I mean, fresh strawberries, cake, and ice cream? If any of those things are wrong then I don't ever want to be right!

This was my dessert to top off the warm summer evening. Very simple. Just store bought shortcake, fresh strawberries and no sugar added blue bunny strawberry ice cream. Pretty perfect for about 200 calories!

 

The evening was concluded by me sitting on the deck, finishing my beer, and listening to some Jimmy Buffett while watching the sun set. All and all a pretty perfect ending to a hot summer day.

Dolly Lama

Traditionally, the Dalai Lama is thought of as the latest reincarnation of a series of spiritual leaders who have been chosen to be reborn in order to enlighten others.

Like the traditional, my Dolly Lama (a.k.a. my 11 year old basset hound, Dolly) has unquestionably been born to enlighten others. 

From one dog lover to the next, most would agree that their canine companions are such enlightening creatures that it is almost as if they live on a different, more peaceful, spiritual level than humans.

My belief is that the human brain has allowed us to become far more focused on the things that don't matter in this material focused world such as anger, fear, and fret, that we are incapable to have the simplistic ability of most canine pets to love, honor, and have unconditional companionship.

I believe they are here to remind us of what is really important. At least that is what my little precious Dolly Lama strives to teach me; to live in the moment, appreciate the little things, and to love unconditionally.

You Stay Classy, 30 year old broke girl: With Red Velvet Cake Balls and Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

For my 30th Birthday (and to trick the co-workers at my new job into thinking I'm classy before they've gotten a chance to really know me) I wanted to bring something special for a treat to work. I love red velvet cake and knew I wanted to purchase some cake balls from a bakery to bring in. But, that plan was quickly halted when I checked at several bakeries and found the delicious red and white bites of heaven to be $2 each! Since I needed about 20 balls and my budget was $20, that wasn't going to work so I went with plan B, making them.
I searched a recipe and found that they were exactly as simple as I thought: Bake a red velvet cake, crumble it and mix with 3/4 can of cream cheese frosting, roll into balls and coat with white almond bark.
I also wanted to bring chocolate dipped strawberries because I love making somewhat healthy treats as an option and you can never go wrong with strawberries or chocolate!

Red velvet cake mix: $1.49
Cream cheese frosting: $2.19
White Chocolate Almond Bark: $2.69

Strawberries: $4.19
Chocolate Almond Bark: $2.69

Not only did I stay far under my budget but I got to eat red velvet cake balls (possibly several but who's counting) for my birthday! Yes, the process was somewhat time consuming, but the end result was worth every ounce of the work when a lady said "Did you try those little white cake things the new girl brought? They are absolutely to die for! Isn't she adorable!!" ...I may have just added the last part but she did say they were to die for!