I AM VICTORIOUS!

As you may recall I missed a flight a month ago. I showed up twenty five minutes before my flight and the Delta agents would not let me board the plane. When I got back from my trip I tried to call and work things out with Delta. I was hoping they would give me a voucher for the cost of the tickets with no re-booking fees. Well after speaking with a few reps...I realized that they could care less about my situation. When I asked to speak to a manager, they said that all I could do was email Delta headquarters...and so I did...we went back and forth three times. I realized that according to their own policies they should have let me board the plane. They didn't care that I spent over $3000 in eight months with them...they said that there was nothing they could do. When I asked to speak to their boss they said that there was no one else to whom I could speak with. I was furious. So I took the advice of a dear friend (Kelly) and filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). In less than a week my request (for the voucher for the cost of the ticket with no re-booking fees) was granted! Take that Delta! Weenies!

Kids say the darnedest things...

My nieces are back in America for a year. Both of them are used to winters in the Middle East. One morning Rob (Jessie's husband) was telling Jessie (my sister) that there was ice on the car and that he was warming it up for us. My nieces were so excited and asked if they could break the ice off the car and eat it for a snack. It was so cute.

A Day in NYC

Yesterday, I went to Radio City Music Hall to see the Rockettes. I went with the ladies in my fam and my two nieces. It was a cool show. Honestly there were way too many lights...and too many things moving at that same time...it made my head hurt! But, it was a cool experience. Then we went to Serendipity...a cute little restaurant (that was in the movie, Serendipity). We waited an hour to get in, I would suggest making reservations. Also the frozen hot chocolate is to die for!

Tomorrow Joelie and I are going to see Phantom of the Opera. I can't wait! I am so blessed to be able to experience these things!

The best bridal shower ever...

My sister threw an amazing bridal shower for me for all my girls on the East Coast. I wish all my Minnesota girls could have been there too, but I am looking forward to my wedding day when all the people I love, will be in one place...with me! Yeeeha! Anyways, the party was so fun. Jessie (my sister) taught us all how to belly-dance...and everyone even the older ladies were totally diggin' it. We had lots of good food and I got way more gifts than I would have ever expected. Now I have to figure out how I am going to get it all back to Mississippi. I am so blessed!

Ghetto-Fab-u-lous

Today there was a sub in class, so naturally the kids were acting up a little. I had to remind them to chill a little throughout the entire period. When we all were waiting at the door for the bell to ring we were chatting and the conversation went like this...

Kid #1: Hi HATE-UH (waving in my direction)
Me: Why...what do you mean I am a hate-ter?!? (talking as white as possible, just to be silly and to counter act their extreme ghetto talk)
Kid #2: Boy...whatchyoutalkinbout Miss Bowl-yay don't HATE she APPRECIATE!

What a ghetto fabulous conversation...I was cracking up inside!

Just one of those days...

Did you ever have one of those days where you felt like the whole world was working against you? I had one of those days on Thursday. I couldn't sleep so I woke up early and packed some of my final items into my suitcase. I went to work and it was a pretty normal day. Right after work the plan was to drive to Joel's work place that was halfway between where I worked and the airport in New Orleans. So I hopped in my car...turned the key...nothing...turned it again...still nothing. Of all the days..this was the worst day for my car to break down. I called Joel to tell him the bad news...he immediately hopped in his car and drove 35 miles in the opposite direction (from the airport) to get me. Apparently he got stuck behind really slow vehicles and arrived to my work a little later than desired. As we were driving the gas light went on and I had to pee so bad I couldn't wait to get to the gas station so we we stopped as quickly as we could. I still thought we had enough time. We had an hour and a half drive to the airport and it seemed to be going smoothly...until...we were getting closer into New Orleans...all I saw were brake lights...and I was getting super worried. Once the traffic cleared up Joel was weaving in and out of traffic which was causing me to have a panic attack. I was holding on to the the door handle for dear life and I could hardly breathe. Finally we got to the airport with thirty minutes to spare...parked...and ran like the wind through the airport to the ticket counter. I went to put my card in the kiosk and they were all closed. At this point we had twenty minutes...and the agents wouldn't let us board the plane. I called Delta to see what we could do and got that stupid automated lady who never hears anything correctly and asks you to repeat yourself...finally I got a hold of someone. I was so distraught and didn't have a confirmation number and asked the guy if I could give him my last name...he got snotty with me and put me through to the beginning of the automated menu again. I was so frustrated at that point and started crying. The only way we could get on the next flight was if we each paid $400! What a rip off! We started walking to all the different airlines asking for price quotes...they were all for over $700 each. We decided to leave and drive two hours home and then look online. The uncertainty of whether I could find a cheaper ticket was killing me the whole ride home. I finally found a ticket for $320 and was able to keep my car rental that I originally had (after calling back and forth between Hertz and Orbitz for an hour). So I am only $200-$300 in the hole.

By the time I got all that taken care of it was almost one in the morning and we had to wake up at 2:45am to drive back to New Orleans to catch a flight. I traveled most of the morning and early afternoon and then had bridesmaid stuff to do the rest of the day. Joel couldn't come with me to the wedding. I was sad. What stinks is that there are situations that genuinely happen and the airlines could care less and talk to you like it's your fault if your not there an hour before your flight. Sometimes...there is just nothing you can do...and that's the feeling I hate the most...not being able to control the outcome. As always God is faithful and I was able to witness my dear friend get married to the man of her dreams.

Delays

Joel and I wanted to drive at least fifteen hours on Monday for our ride home from Minnesota. We wanted to get home early on Tuesday so that we could relax most of the day before going back to work on Wednesday. Here is how the day went...
8:00...woke up, showered, and started our day. Dropped off a van we borrowed and picked up some stuff at my old house...finally ready to leave.

10:00...driving down 35..."oh there's a Target"...I thought..."we have to stop and register...we don't have Targets in Mississippi".
Delayed two hours (12:20pm)

On the road again...one hour later..."I'm hungry"
Delayed one hour(can't drive on an empty stomach right?!?)

Oh and Gas...delayed ten minutes.
Finally...we're fed the car is full...we are ready to go straight until we run out of gas.

One hour goes by...Joel gets pulled over for speeding...and only gets a warning...but still there was paperwork and what not
Delayed 25 minutes.

Can't remember who, but one of us had to pee...we stopped a few times. Then I decided I could drive.
Delayed 15-20 minutes.

I was driving for less than ten minutes when suddenly a hubongous rodent...my guess a raccoon...decides to end its poor little life in front of our speeding vehicle...I hit the darn thing going so fast the engine light went on. So of course we had to check it out and read the owners manual to see what to do. We also wanted to make sure there wasn't raccoon blood and guts all over the car.
Delayed 20-30 minutes.

We decide that it's okay and we should continue our trip. I was driving for about a good half hour..."finally we are getting somewhere" I thought to myself...then I look in my rear view mirror and there it was...blue and red flashing lights...oh yes...my turn to be pulled over for speeding. I was going 80 in a 60...thanks to the nice Missouri police officer I got a warning too! Woot...woot!
Delayed another 20-25 mins.

After two warnings there was no way we could even go over the speed limit...so now we were stuck at going 60mph for a really long time. At this point we realized that there was no way on God's green earth that we were going to be able to drive 15 hours that day. So we decided that I shouldn't drive anymore...I only drove for an hour and a half and I killed a poor raccoon and almost got a speeding ticket. I don't think we drove for more than two hours straight without having to stop for something.

The good news is we made it home safe from a wonderful weekend of meeting up with old friends. I am so blessed to have such great friends from Minnesota!

Who Knew!?!

Today Joel and I went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to set up our bridal registry. I gave Joel the task of scanning the items. Who knew that he would enjoy it so much.

After about an hour of being in the store, I told Joel that I needed to take a potty break and that he could stick around and scan a few items. He seemed shocked at first that I would trust him to scan things on his own but he had to go to the bathroom too. So we went to the bathroom at the same time. I came out three minutes later and was surprised that I had finished before him. I waited outside the mens room for him to come out so we could continue scanning items for our registry. A few more minutes go by...and I think to myself "wow he must be pooping".
I went to the section we were at to see if he decided to go back without me, but no such luck. So I went back and waited outside of the bathroom. After about ten minutes...I hear Joel call my name. He was at the service desk getting something taken off of our registry. A little annoyed...I said, "I've been waiting here forever...where were you?" "Scanning some more items" he responded...he then guided me back to the wall and showed me everything he scanned. Man, he didn't waste any time. He must have peed for two seconds and ran back to the section to scan as much as he possibly could (he scanned a gazilion things while I was in the bathroom/waiting for him). I don't know how I missed him when I went back to the section to see if he was there.

Maybe it's the thrill of scanning things (guys are weird like that)or maybe he was excited that I trusted him to scan things on his own, so he took advantage of it as much as he could. Whatever it was, I now know for next time not to assume that he would wait for me if we decide to take a break during registering. I really wonder if he didn't go up to the service desk, how long I would have been waiting there before he realized that a lot of time had gone by. I really didn't expect him to enjoy it as much as he did. I just assumed all men hated shopping and it would be like pulling teeth. Boy, was I wrong!

Desires Fulfilled

This week I turned thirty-one years old. Every year I take an inventory of my life or I think back to exactly a year ago and try to identify the changes, benefits, and blessings in my life. To think...one year ago...I was depressed about turning thirty, I was eternally single without a prospect in sight, and I lived in the great but unbelievably cold state of Minnesota. Now I am engaged to be married to a wonderful man (who completely loves and adores me), my desire to be loved is fulfilled, and I live in the unbelievably warm state of Mississippi.

I have this indescribable feeling...I don't know if it's gratefulness...or if it's just a relief that the waiting is over...or if it's the revelation that God is faithful and really does care about the desires of our hearts....but whatever it is...I know that I am blessed and my faith has been restored.

All my birthdays prior to this one has always been a little sorrowful. Not because I didn't have a man per se, but because I was taught all my life that God graciously gives us the desires of our hearts. My desire was to be loved (by an actual man who wasn't God or wasn't related to me) and every year that desire was still unfulfilled. Each year I lost more and more hope...I honestly believed that my desires would not be fulfilled on this earth. Whatever your desire is...know that there is a God who sees you...who cares enough to know what your desires are...even when things seem hopeless...know that He is in the hopelessness with you...and He will bring you through. In hind-sight it's cool to see God's hand in things.

Disclaimer: I am not saying that I need a man to make me whole! The point of this blog is to express the awsomeness I felt when unmet desires were finally met!

"Don't freak out..."

I was sitting on the bench with some of my co-workers watching the kids play in the gym. All of a sudden one of my co-workers says "don't freak out"..I look at him confused...again he says "don't freak out"...I followed his eye gaze and there it was a hubongous cockroach chillin' on my leg. I didn't want to freak out because I didn't want it to crawl down my leg and then up my pants...eek. A few shakes and I successfully got it off. Ewwwww....the cockroaches in Mississippi must be on steroids...I've never seen them so big (in this country). No worries...a student smooshed it's little guts out so I won't be seeing that bug chillin' on me anymore.

Natural Disasters

There is a hurricane warning for the Gulf coast. Joel has to go man the warehouse where the military personnel and families will be sheltered. I am at his house which is thirty minutes north of the gulf coast. Hopefully it won't hit here but I might go to the hot, stinky, warehouse to keep Joel-y-poo company. It's ironic that it's my first week here and this is the welcome that I get from the great state of Mississippi! I am a little freaked out but it's kind of cool to see how the communities prepare for such disasters. There were long lines at the gas station. The stores were packed with people buying food, water, wind-up radios, flashlights, grills, and whatever else they needed. My first day of work has already been postponed due to the hurricane. It will be interesting to see how things are after the hurricane hits. It's so sad to hear stories from people who lived here when Katrina hit. Living in other parts of the country I never realized the impact that Katrina had on so many lives. My supervisor was telling me about his co-workers whose homes were destroyed. They had nothing left...not even clothes. It's heartbreaking. The good news is that we won't be getting the brunt of the hurricane but the bad news is New Orleans is. Sad stuff!

Starting Over

It's funny! When I was in Minnesota, sometimes I felt like my life was going nowhere. I would find myself yearning for the opportunity to start my life over in a new place, with new people, and new experiences. Now that I am in that exact predicament, I realize that it's a lot more complicated. Starting over would be easier if I was guaranteed that my start in a new place would exceed where I ended in the old place.

Today I filled out all my paper work for my new job in Mississippi. When I accepted the job I wasn't told that I wouldn't get paid during breaks (which totaled is a month without pay), the benefits aren't as good, and worst of all I am not allowed to wear my nose ring :( I guess the problem is that I was super blessed in Minnesota with a wonderful job that paid well and had great benefits, not to mention a great group of ladies who I got to schmooze with every day. I am going to miss that a lot.

I think what I have learned most about this transition is that God has blessed me immensely and He continues to do it every day. Although the transition is hard I know that I made the right decision to come to Mississippi. I am blessed to be near the man I love, to live in a warm state, and to have a job (even if it's not as grand as CRHS). So Mississipii....here I come! :)

Sarah's Last Few Weeks in a Nutshell...

Camp ended on a friday. That same day I drove to the airport to visit Joel-y-poo for five days. We spent most of the time beautifying his bachelor pad. I flew back to VA and got in at one in the morning. That same day I woke up and drove over seven hours through hectic east coast traffic to NY. Later that night at 11:30pm I picked up my two wonderful Minnesota friends. We jammed lots of fun stuff in four days. We went to WTC, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, China Town, Little Italy, we saw Wicked on Broadway, went to Time Square, Rockefeller Center, we went wine tasting on Long Island, we went to Suck...I mean Sag Harbor, we went to the Today Show, the Museum of Modern Art, Central Park, Madison Square Park (waited in line for delicious burgers), Greenwhich Village, and Jones Beach. We didn't mess around. We had lots of fun and lots of memorable moments. I will elaborate more in later blogs! :)

I dropped my friends off at the airport in the morning...hung out with my NY friend for part of the day then went up to Connecticut. I started my job search. I already have a job offer in Mississippi and applied at an agency in NY and an educational interpreter position in NJ. I decided to officially resign from my job in MN. I just knew in my heart that it was time to move on. Sometimes even when it doesn't make sense you just know what is best for your own soul :)

The next day I saw my sister, her husband and four kids who I haven't seen in over a year. My sister and bro-in-law went away for a few days to celebrate their nine year anniversary and left us with the kids. Oh my good lord...kids are a lot of work...especially four of them!

Tonight Joel-y-poo will be flying in to visit...this is the weekend where he will meet most of the family! Should be fun and interesting. I am super worn out from all my travels...but it is so worth it.

Urg...I think I am ready to be done!

I don't know if it's the cute, yet rambunctios, blonde girl who was blowing bubbles with her saliva and encouraging the rest of the class to follow suit; Or if it was trying to teach sign language while the kids had excess drool running down their faces after making their saliva bubbles; Or if it was telling the kids a gazillion times to get off the table...or the chairs; Or if it was when (on more than one ocassion) the kids thought it would be funny to kick their flip flop or croc up in the air in the middle of my lesson and miss my head by about a half of an inch; Or maybe it was all these high squeeling voices talking at the same time...my throat hurts from trying to talk over them. I don't know what it is...can't put my finger on it...but I am ready to be done. Two more days...praise the good lord because my patience is running out real quick. It's hard...because it's a camp...I can't yell at them for being silly and having fun. Half these kids are camped out...their parents just move them from camp to camp...I can totally see the difference in the behavior of the kids in the first session to the behavior of the kids in the third session. Tomorrow should be better...my aunt is going to come in to my classes...that should scare them into behaving for the last two days! Yippee!

My Most Recent Travels

I went to visit Joel for the 4th of July weekend. I wasn't supposed to see him until two weeks after that but we both were missing each other a super lot. We decided to search for last minute tickets. We finally found a good deal to New Orleans, which is only an hour and a half drive from Joel's house. We went to the Aqaurium of the Americas, the Imax, the zoo, Bourbon Street, and lots of cool restaurants. New Orleans is such a cool city. If you ever have the opportunity to go...I say go for it. We had a great time and it wasn't as raunchy as I thought it would be!

I am an Idiot with a capitol I...

I had a horrible headache. So after work I popped a few aspirin, went to the porch, and layed on the hammock. I left the back door open. My aunt came out for a smoke and told me that she would be out, but would come back around 5pm. I must have fallen into a deep sleep because I didn't hear her leave or anything. I had this intense sensation to go to the bathroom so I woke up half dazed and went to go inside. I noticed the door was closed.."oh sh**" I thought...I went to turn the knob and realized that the door was in fact locked. I remembered my aunt telling me that if I ever got locked out that I should climb through the bathroom window. So I immediately tried to slide open the window. I pushed and pushed and it wouldn't budge...it "must have been locked" I thought to myself. I circled the house checking every window while the neighbors were watching me like I was nuts. Meanwhile keep in mind I still had to pee hard core. So, I am super frustated and I finally came to terms with the fact that I would not be getting into the house. So I peed under the porch. I girls gotta do what a girls gotta do.

So I figured I would just chill til my aunt got home. I had no clue what time it was. I didn't have my cell phone or my wallet or anything. I knew my aunt went to work at her office. After what felt like an hour of waiting I decided to go to her office. I saw a brochure that listed the address of where she worked. At this point I was starving. So there I am shlepping up and down looking for her office. After going up and down the street with no luck I decided to head back to the house..."surely she would be home by now" I thought. So I get back home...and still she wasn't there. I was so hungry and I had to pee again and I was beyond frustrated so I go again to the bathroom window (which I tried to open at least five times prior to this) and with all my might I slid the window over. FINALLY I was in! I looked on the window....there isn't even a lock on it. I am an idiot. I was convinced that it was locked because I couldn't get it open...it was just stuck a little. I looked at the clock...it was 6:30. I had waited for at least two hours and the flippin window was open (unlocked...didn't even have a lock no less) the entire time! This is why I am an Idiot with a capitol I!

Time Flies

I can't believe I already finished my first session at camp. Today the kids did a final presentation of what they learned. The 1st-3rd graders signed the ABC song and the One Little, Two Little, Three Little Indian song. The 4th-6th graders introduced themselves in sign language and then they each signed a sentence to a poem they wrote about colors. I am so proud of the little rugrats. Let me tell ya...kids are hard to please and they are a lot of work, but it's truly rewarding when they give you you a little hug or they gather around you to tell you about their day...all their whining and hyperness seems worth it at that moment.

I wish time wouldn't fly so fast. I am reminded about how I need to figure out my life. WHAT AM I DOING IN THE FALL? AHHH! I have been looking on-line for jobs in NY and CT, but it's so overwhelming. It always seems to work out, but the uncertainty of it all sucks to say the least!

East Coast Represent

I have officially been on the east coast for a week now. It is nice to be in a place where they call carbonated beverages soda...NOT POP, where people use the term shlep on a regular basis, and where I don't have to repeat my name a gazillion times or spell it out before people understand what my name is.

I am living with my aunt in an artsy fartsy town called Charlottesville, VA. I really like it here. My favorite place so far is my aunt's back porch that overlooks her garden. It's so peaceful and relaxing.

I started camp this week. It's great. I teach sign language three periods a day. I also help in other classes when I am not teaching. Right now I am helping out in a Claymation class. It's pretty cool to see how it's done! I feel pretty exhausted. The kids tire me out. Plus I don't think I totally recovered from my road trip here yet.

More to come...I am off to NC tomorrow to see the boyf and hang with his family.

My most recent Sarah-fication

Before my trip I went to Wal-Mart. I wanted to get one of those ice pack thingys that you put in a cooler to keep beverages and what not cold. For some reason I thought those (ice pack things) were called "dry ice". So I asked this employee (who had no teeth) where I could find dry ice. He said "I don't think we sell that here but I know a place in Columbia Heights where you can get some". I was thinking to my self...why the heck would I shlep all the way to CH to get an ice pack for a cooler. So I followed him and he asked some other lady where it might be. She kind of looked at me funny and said "we don't sell that here". I responded..."man...I thought Wal-Mart had everything!" I left without ever finding what I was looking for. The next day I was explaining to Jill that I couldn't find any dry ice and that was why the beverages were not cold. She started laughing and explained to me that scientists use it and apparently you can lose fingers if used incorrectly. Now that I know what it is, I wonder what that guy with no teeth uses dry ice for and how he knew where to get it.
Sarah-fication #1 It's called ice packs not dry ice...silly me.
Sarah-fication #2 Wal-Mart does have everything...that is safe and legal to use!

Insects and Bugs Beware

I finally arrived in Virginia Friday night. Thanks to my trusty co-pilot, Jill, we made it safe. Although she has been given the name "Jill Tha Killa"!

Her weapon? My car!
Her target? Insects and birds.

I'd like to point out that when I was behind the wheel only one little buggie lost his life. But when "Jill The Killa" was behind the wheel...six little buggies, two beautiful butterflies, and one helpless birdie all lost their lives. I have to say that there was much remorse on her face when she went in for the kill and I am almost convinced that she has changed her killing ways.

Yesterday, when we were driving home form Virginia Beach a seagull was chillin in the middle of a lane on a highway. It just sat there like it was sitting on some eggs. Perfect target right? I personally think seagulls are Satan's spawns...and it was just sitting there on a major highway...in my mind Jill had every right to take it's life. But no...her rampage was over...she let the seagull live. Now all bird kind and insect kind can be rest assured that there is no longer a killer on the lose!