How it began

The beginnings. I had planned this trip over year a year ago. It all started July 2010, I was on a trip to upstate New York with my brother and his family (who was living in Pittsburgh at the time). I have spent a lot of time with his family and kids, I’ve grown quite attached to them. My sister-in-law was pregnant with their 4th kid at the time as well. At this point I think I decided I was leaving DC. I applied for jobs and never heard back from any of my applications. It was horrible. I felt like I was a bad nurse and no one wanted to hire me. So, to me that was my que to leave DC. I thought I could help Cynthia, my sister-in-law, with the kids after their baby was born. When I presented the idea, I was presented with another. Josh following his residency wanted to do a fellowship in Europe but didn’t want to leave his family behind. In addition to that Cynthia did not want to attempt to handle four kids in a foreign place on her own. I was the natural choice for them to ask for assistance because my career status and relationship with their kids. So, from July 2010 I knew what I would be doing July 2011. I figured since I was already in Europe that I would backpack around a bit, and then came the idea of fulfilling a bucket list…a Safari in Africa.
The only part unplanned of the year was the heartbreak which left me with so many questions and even more unsatisfied with myself and what I was doing than I had felt before. I couldn't find happiness professionally and that is a majority of my life. But the question is, will I ever be at peace or always feel incomplete and unfulfilled? So here I sit a day after I originally planned on a plane headed to South Africa on my long awaited Safari. The only thing I can control is what/where I spend my time. Traveling. Running away? Not being left being? Trying to find something?
My plans for 2011 were: move from DC to Pittsburgh over the holidays (2010), work there until April while helping Cynthia with the kids, then find a short term contract somewhere during May, June and July my safari in Africa, and Europe until October with the potential of going to Australia to work for a year. ‘Carpe Diem,’ Ben said. The more I considered the decision to move to Australia to work I realized it would not help me change my dispassion and unhappiness in my current field of expertise. Among a few things I dislike the ICU, and I want to find a way to serve professionally-like humanitarian aid. As much as I looked prior to taking off on this big trip I couldn’t find anything.
At the beginning of my trip I had a few interesting encounters that gave me some ideas and more passion in travel and finding something in which I could use my knowledge to serve. Was the delay of my trip heaven sent? That is to be determined. As inclement of weather I waited in Boise for hours. All flights to Chicago were delayed because the fog in that area. A mother of one of my old schoolmates was also heading to Chicago because my friend just had her second baby. We chatted for a little while. Here I am traveling around the world and all my old schoolmates are married with babies. But I’ve always said I would enjoy life no matter what comes. After three hours, the airlines finally decided to reroute me through LAX to get to DC skipping Chicago. But because of the delay I missed my connection to South Africa from Washington Dulles Airport. On my flight I chatted with the Asian and African American woman sitting next to me. I also overheard another female talking about Africa. Turns out she too was going on a Safari and with the same company I was using. But our trips never overlapped anywhere.
I tried contacting a bunch of friends in DC but only a few responded telling me they were out of town. It was Memorial Weekend and hardly anyone was sticking around that I knew. I was trying to find someone to stay with. My flight to South Africa was changed to the next day at the same time. My friend, Sergio, arranged for me to stay at his place even though he wasn’t there. He is a gem. His roommate, Bryce, borrowed a roommate’s car and picked me up from the airport. I missed the shuttle into town, because I didn’t have the exact changed required. I wasn’t going to give her $20, which was more the double the cost of the ride.
The next day on the way back to Dulles from Rosslyn metro station I was talking to a guy from Saudi Arabia and his family, two girls from Ethiopia and a small family who had also done a lot of service in Africa. The woman encouraged me to contact Salvation Army or Mercy Ships. I had spent countless hours trying to find a clinic or way to serve in a community using my nursing skills without any success. Everyone wants my money as a prerequisite to help. Lame!
After leaving DC I realized it was going to be a long place ride. The plane was incredibly uncomfortable, no personal screens for entertainment, seats and arm chairs broken, toilets and bathrooms out of order. I’ve never had a worse long distance plane flight. The flight attendant encouraged us to complain because she didn’t approve of the conditions of the plane either. South African airlines just changed planes, she had told us, to this rundown and falling apart plane. I was so exhausted and was unable to get a wink sleep. We flew to Senegal to fuel up before continuing to Johannesburg where I changed planes to Cape Town. Now the real adventure begins.

I am probably going to start a different blog for my trips. Blogger only allows so much photo memory to an account and mine is almost full. So other posts about my trip will be in another blog. To be announced

Possibilities

Once again cleaning out the closet I found a couple things that I'd been given at some point. I wanted to remember them so I am posting them here:

Life is Filled with Possibilities
that challenge us each day
to take a chance, try something new,
see things a different way.

And it's through these special moments
that we learn to change and grow,
to explore the precious gift
of who we are and what we know.

Unless you take a chance or two,
in order to begin...
there's nothing we can hope to gain,
no prize that we can win.

For it's not until we try
that we find out
what we can do...
so don't wait until tomorrow
to discover something new!
-Larry S. Chengges

The next little thing is about how we should treat our relationships with other people. As I read this, I recalled one of the most happiest times in my life. I was living these principles that are encouraged (but without having the paper to look upon). When applying these 'commandments' you draw people to you, your more happier to boot and it becomes cyclical. I've been told many times during difficult times of my life to look beyond my own sorrows/troubles to the needs of others and it will make you happy. I believe that is true, that need could be as little as saying hello to someone who is standing apart from a group, or going out of your way to find out how someone is doing. Sometimes the littlest things mean the most. Well, there you go and here you go:

Ten Commandments of Human Relationships
1.) Speak to people. There is nothing so nice as a cheerful word of greeting.
2.)Smile at people. It takes 72 muscles to frown, only 14 to smile.
3.) Call people by name. The sweetest music to any one's ears is the sound of his own name.
4.)Be friendly and helpful. If you want friends, you must be one.
5.) Be cordial. Speak and act as if everything you do is a joy to you.
6.) Be genuinely interested in people. You can like almost everybody if you try.
7.) Be generous with praise and cautious with criticism.
8.) Be considerate with feelings of others. There is usually three sides to a controversy; yours, the other fellow's and the right side.
9.) Be eager to lend a helping hand. Often it is appreciated more than you know. What counts most in life is what we do for others.
10.) Add to this a good sense of humor, a huge dose of patience and a dash of humility. This combination will open many doors and the rewards will be enormous.

Harriet turns 1!!

Wow! Is it really possible that my beautiful little neice has turned one?. I had just moved to Pittsburgh before Harriet was born. It seems like she was just brought home from the hospital, although a lot has happened since then.


Josh and Cynthia happened to be heading to McCall her birthday weekend so we hosted a little birthday party at Oma and Opa's house. The kids are all getting so big. Harriet loves her Opa.

A Texas kind of Christmas

Charlie and I. He's tuckered out from wandering around IKEA.

Danny lives in Austin, Texas. He is a Longhorn, pursuing a Masters in Accounting at University of Texas, Austin. I decided before I left on my trip that we should go spend the holidays with them and their little delight, Charlie. Since I only saw him as a newborn babe I thought it would be perfect. Danny and Kate graciously hosted us for 2 weeks. I am sure they were glad to have the apartment back to themselves. We got a decent tour of Austin.

We as adults acted out the Nativity, which was hilarious. We gathered various robes, baby blankets, and random accessories to pull our character's costumes together. My Dad was the wise men, mom was the angel, Danny and Kate of course Mary and Joseph, and I was the Shepard abiding the fields with my flock, 'a lion.'






Christmas was fun with Charlie, although we couldn't keep his attention to open all his gifts. Charlie kept crawling over to the tree wanting to pull off the candy canes and suck on them.




We walked around the Capital.


SoCo (South of Congress Ave)

UT campus and into the buildings where Danny has his classes.



Walked on various paths beside Lady Bird Lake (Which is definitely not a lake. I can't figure out why Texans call rivers, lakes), Zilker Park, and Town Lake Hike and Bike Trail. The weather was lovely most of the time so we would go on afternoon walks when Charlie woke from his nap.



Ate Tex Mex, and BBQ. Chuy's, another Tex Mex I can't remember and Rudy's BBQ which says 'Real people eat meat' on the wall. Delicious food!


Hiked up to Mount Bonnell, the highest point in Austin which overlooks the city as well as a wealthier neighborhood.


We left Danny and Kate for a few days and drove to San Antonio. We stayed with Mom's cousin, Ron about 1/2 hour north of the city. We saw the Alamo, which was a bit anti-climactic.


The River walk was really amazing. It was beautifully landscaped, and the path was a paved walk adjacent to the river the whole time for miles in either direction. I don't have much else to say about San Antonio the weather wasn't warm enough to go to the enormous water park, nor was there a person who would join me for a Spurs game. I enjoyed the visit nonetheless.




We spent our last day back with Danny in Austin. Kate and Danny are fabulous. I love them both.

lately

I haven't blogged in forever. I am sure most people would like to hear about my trip. I am working on that, and it is a lot of work. I have to keep variety in my day therefore I don't spend the whole day applying for jobs, or typing my journal. For Christmas a friend of mine bought me a puzzle. I asked for one, and she thought, 'Does she really want a PUZZLE?' I loved piecing it together. After that I was on a roll, I pulled down some old puzzles my mom had kept in the closet and assembled them in no time. They were easier, both 500 piece puzzles; a cinch compared to the 1,000 piece I put together first. Here is my handy work put in order they were constructed:

Things I love most...

I've been told by many that I'm am wonderful with children. I always blush, but heck kids do love me. I havn't seen my neice Harriet since I left Pittsburgh. I just met my nephew, Charles Daniel Schkrohowsky. He is a cutie.

I leave tomorrow to Africa. Fulfilling a dream, one a have more control over than my other dreams. I'll post pictures when I get back.

Salute to the Past

Another chapter closed. Actually it is several chapters closed and one of which unexpectedly holds an infinite amount of pages behind it. I have remorsefully closed, as the pain of something you can see in the future but can’t grasp. Will the chapter be reopened? Nothing is ever certain.
My last few weeks have been spontaneous. Very much unlike me, I don’t like making decisions without some thought and calculate the decision. When I have made spontaneous decisions usually having to do with purchases I’ve had buyers remorse. So, one day I was going to stay in Pittsburgh for the rest of the month working frequently and that very day I packed up my belongings hurriedly and very disorganized left for Boise, Idaho. I stopped for the night twice. Once outside of Chicago, and the other in Cheyenne, Wyoming. I drove in wind storms of 50 mph and rain/snow, and slick roads which I thought I might have to turn around. I clung to the steering wheel and prayed my car would stay on the road. Also, I drove an hour out of the way to visit with a few dear friends before turning around, back north, to Boise. That mind you is 34 hours of driving. The next days consisted of paperwork, tests, and ‘Spring cleaning.’ I cleared out my room which I had for 20 years and had kept my lifetime of belongings. I threw it away. The nostalgia of these belongings brought some pain of the happy memories, and ease of childhood. My mom was brought to tears. I was throwing ‘my life’ away. She kept a few things for her own memories.

I made a list for myself of things I which made me laugh that I’d kept for so long:
Old birthday cards for my past birthdays
Ticket stubs (one grouped from a past relationship)
Old letters of recommendation
Snake puppet (a hanger with a painted foam snake at the end)
Garbage bags full of old clothes: some made by my mom. All of them tied to specific periods, and memories in my life.
Cd’s, & cassette tapes (which I come to find my dad kept because he likes the music)
Key chains (from middle school when it was cool to have 50 key chains hanging from your bag even if you had no keys to hang at the end)
A chain made from ‘notes’ a friend and I wrote to see how long of a chain we could make before the semester ended
Fishing licenses
Chopsticks from when I was in China, and some old souveniors.
Old wedding announcements
My folder full of wedding magazine clippings, and a notebook of weddings ideas for the day when I would get married.
Mandarin lessons notes
Old talks for church, or lessons
Gratitude journal
Hist of Civ notes which I opened talked about Greece. Funny that I find that right after I went there.
R rated movies on tape that Ben hid from mom from high school. (Full Metal Jacket, Enemy at the Gates, Taxi Driver, We Were Soldiers, Snatch)
Notebooks with lists of songs when I converted my cassette tapes to CD’s
All now gone….recycled, good will, or in the trash. Done. The most important stuff I still have filed away in that same room. Much more organized. When I get home there are a few boxes in the garage that I will go through. These are the ones that may bring me to tears.

I also managed to spend some time with my best friend. We laugh together and seperately as we share our memories shared, and stories of my follies from traveling. For some reason I always manage to get myself into mischief, pickle, or some obstacle and she enjoys sharing those stories with her friends. I've always have been able to count on her.

Not even a week after leaving Pittsburgh, I spent 15 hours driving down to Southern California, stopping once for dinner in Las Vegas so I could visit my beautiful, pregnant sister-in-law and brother. I now stay night after night alone in an Extended Stay Hotel. I mostly work, read, and sleep. Oh wait, I can't forget eat. Yes, I do too much of that. There are a few other things between which I will mention afterward.

New music...Adele

I love her voice, it has so much feelings.