1 Month

So August 27th marked one month since I packed up my life and moved to Florida. In this month I have gained quite a bit.
First of all, a pretty good tan.
Second, a new sense of what it means to be patient.
Third, so amazing new friends, who without I would probably still not be down here.
Fourth, a new found appreciation for the fact that I am a pretty laid back person.
Fifth, a love of road trips, true or dare, and never have I ever.
Sixth, an amazing new sense of where the cheapest stuff is to buy.

I could go on, but those are some of the As things I thought of off the top of my head. As frustrating it is to not have been place yet, and have my life be a pretty big unknown right now, I am having the most wonderful time down here. I made the statement last week that if I didn't have a position by the end of this week I was going to start the process of coming home and doing something else. When I said this I was met with a response of "You can't leave, we love you. You're to awesome to leave us." I was honestly so touched me. I thought about it and as much as I want to say screw it and you and leave I would miss everyone and all the insane adventures.

So yeah I guess you can say I have a new found resolve to stick it out and see what happens. There is one very very good prospective who said that they would get back to us sometime next week. I worked it out with my roommate one night this week and I can not have a placement until the 3rd week of September and still get all my hours in and have vacation. So that was like a huge weight off my shoulders to figure that out.

Okay on to a story from last night. Me Chaleece, and Lauren didn't have any plans or a want to go out so we thought we would stay in. So when Chaleece and lauren got home from work we made dinner together. Then we called Neal and Peter and invited them over for beer, and movies. We also decided that we wanted to cook something sweet and decided on puppy chow. That required going out and getting supplies. So we went to Publix and got everything for puppy chow and a couple bottles of wine. We were checking out and Lauren and I were together and there was another group in between us and Chaleece. So when the check out guy rang us up he didn't ask for Laurens id. Ok a little weird but we weren't going to say anything. So we moved to one side and waited for Chaleece. Well Chaleece was buying some wine too and when he rang her up he checked her id. Well Lauren and I started laughing and CHaleece calls over to us. The check out guy then proceeds to tell us that he got nervous when we were hanging around. He thought we might be with a beverage company that does secret shopping to make sure people cashiers are iding people. So that why he ided Chaleece (who is 3 years older than me) and not Lauren. He was like "I was getting so nervous." So yeah, its probably one of those stories where you had to be there but it was hilarious.

So Peter and Neal came over and we had a grand old time. Last night they were going to launch a rocket from Cape Canaveral, which is 30 miles from us. We obviously wanted to see this, but none of us were in any condition to drive. So we sat outside at 11:59pm and watched the space ship launch. It was SO cool. I'm so glad I got to see it.

Today a bunch of us are going to this place called Taco Johns. Its 40 minutes away and is basically like Taco Bell. Now you may ask "Why the hell are you driving 40 minutes to go to a fast food taco place." Well apparently they are all over the place in South Dakota which is where Lauren is from. She was shocked that they weren't here. So she has been talking about this restaurant for weeks now. So we all want to try it and see what is so wonderful. And according to Chaleece it will be a fun adventure. My response is "Whatever Chaleece as long as I don't have to drive." So yeah that is where I am headed in about an hour.

Love and miss you all,
Sarah

theres a hurricane in my boot (WHAT?)

So Friday evening me along with Kyle, Chaleece, Tina, and Amanda piled in my car and drove up to Jacksonville. We went to see Frank, Sarah, Shawna, Kim and Krista.
So on the way up we played truth or dare, never have I ever, would you rather and other assorted games. We learned quite a bit about each other and had a ton of fun. Kyle I think learned more than he wanted to about the 4 girls in the car :)
We arrived in Jacksonville at about 9 and got dressed to leave. We went to a bar called Bourbon Street. There were actually like 5 bars in one but we had access to three of them. Since there were 10 of us we slit up. Most of us ended up in a country/western line dancing bar hanging out and playing pool. Which I thought was great, I'm more of a hang out and talk rather than dance (or as my dad calls it "Have sex with your clothes on") We all left when the place closed at 2am. The next day we got up and went to brunch at IHOP and then a bunch of us went to St. Augustine to go to the beach. While we were driving we went straight into a huge storm courtesy of Hurricane Bill. It was terrifying. I was driving and the rain was coming down so hard there were times you couldn't see in front of you. But we made it though. When we arrived at St. Augustine it was still raining so we decided to walk around. The city is really old and is this cute, touristy place. We went into a couple art galleries and found a pub to get some drinks. Me, Frank, Corey, Tina and Shawna hung out for a while and the rest of the peeps went to get pizza and explore. Finally it stopped raining and we headed to the beach. The water was insane. The waves were huge and the rip tide was the strongest I've ever felt. Needless to say we didn't go out very far or stay in for to long. We tossed around a football for a while and then the boys went to a bar to watch some game and the girls stayed and laid out. It was about 7pm when we left for home.
Since Saturday was Corey's last night in Jacksonville (he was visiting Frank) We decided to go out again. We went to a club that was on the beach. But Frank pre-gamed a little to hard because we pulled up to the club and he immediately started throwing up. So Shawna ended up taking him home. Well when Corey found out he stormed off without telling anyone where he was going and he didn't have a cell phone. So me Kyle and Sarah looked for him from about 11:30pm until 2am when he showed up a the club where we were wasted. We were all pissed. So we dropped him off at home and went back to Kim and Krista's where we were staying.
We got up on Sunday and headed for home. The ride back was a lot more subdued as everyone was tired and asleep. I got home at about 1pm and slept basically the rest of the afternoon.
Now its Monday and I am at the volunteer office, still with no job.
Overall it was a great weekend. It was happy to see everyone since it had been a month since we had all seen each other. Hopefully this week I'll finally get a job.

Love and miss you all,
Sarah

and the adventure continues

So that last post was just absolutely, pitifully depressing. It got everyone all worried and crap. So to everyone *cough*mom*cough* I AM FINE! I promise, i even pinkie promise. I had a hard week last week. That is all, stop worrying so much :) (i know that won't happen but i gotta say it)
So on to other things. So I STILL don't have a job yet. Its getting a little annoying that people keep asking me about it. I know that they care and want to know whats going but yeah... Trust me people when I get a job you will all know. After calling my mother I will be screaming about it at the top of my lungs on facebook, twitter, and youtube. So while I hate not having a job and not really having and real stability or routine in my life I am feeling pretty okay about it. I truly have adopted a "i'm here for a reason and whatever happens, happens" Whats that song "que sera" (sp?) What ever will be, will be. :D Its nice having this mindset. it gives me a sense of peace within all the craziness. SO yeah
So in the past week I have reconnected/connected with a friend from home. We have been talking a bit and through the course of our convos he revealed stuff to me about himself and I told him stuff about me. After finding this stuff out it totally changed how I viewed him and how he acts while talking to me. Its so cool its like talking to a completely different person (and I'm not exaggerating) I think its really cool. We are comfortable with each other. But something that I find sad is that he has to keep this info about himself secret, and that he can't be himself around people. I think its so sad that we live in a world where we have to put on masks wherever we are, whether church, school, work, even at home. For me personally I have worn so many different masks that I woke up one day and realized that I didn't really know who I honestly was. The way I acted, talked, the things I was into were so different. Thankfully I was able to work it all out and figure out who I am while I am still young.
Now I say all this but I do think that a certain sense of a mask is important in life. You have to act certain ways when you are in different circumstances. You can't act the same way with all your friends at home and at work and all that jazz.
So yeah this is just me rambling and putting down some stuff thats been on my mind.
Embrace it, love it, live it :D

Love and miss you all,
Sarah

Homesick

I think if I were to be completely honest I would say that I have been trying to ignore/deny the fact that I'm homesick. Even more than that, how much I am homesick. This week has been hard. I still don't have a placement and having everything up in the air and not have any sot of routine is wearing on me. I thrive on knowing what my day is going to be like and the stability that comes from that.
I have found myself waking up and in a bad mood for no reason at all. The people I am around, where before I loved hanging out with them, just annoy me and piss me off. All I want right now is a familiar face and that feeling of comfort that you get when you are with someone who truly gets you and all the crap in your life.
I've started to tell people about my life and everything that has happened, but something happens and the walls go up. I hesitate and just move on in the conversation.
I know that I am supposed to think that this is God testing me and that I'm down here for a reason, but hearing that and thinking that doesn't help anything. I find no comfort and hearing that its all happening for a reason. I don't know I guess I just continue to get up each day and hope that this is the day I get a job and I find a new "normal" for my life.
Alright whining over.

Love you and miss you all more than you know,
Sarah

Crazy Fun, Goodbyes, and Scabies!

Hello everyone!
So this past weekend we celebrated two birthdays. On Friday night all of the Orlando girls and two from Jacksonville went out to celebrate Chaleece turning 26. It was a lot of fun. Then on Saturday me, Tina, Chaleece, and Krista all went to Coca Beach. The beach is about an hour away. We spent about three hours there and headed home for another party. Peter and Neal had a cookout/pool party to celebrate Neal turning 30. Their apartment has a great pool and a little area with a grill and some picnic tables.
After the party Chgallece came home with me and spent the night becasue we were going to church together the next morning. The church we attended is called Metro Life Church. There are about 800 people who attend regularly. The Wednesday befpre Chaleece and I had attended a home group which is basically a bible study in someones home. I really enjoyed the discussion and everyone was so kind and welcoming. Anyways Sunday, the service started wth about and hour of worship and then there is a 10 minute break to realease the children to Sunday school. After the break is the message. The service runs just a little under 2 hours. I like the church alot. I was worried that I would not be able to find somewhere where I feel comfortable and enjoy. Faith meant so much to me and the people there were truly my second family. But I think I may ahve found a good fit. This Wednesday I am going to a singles group, which should be interesting :)
Sunday night the Orlando had a spiritual get together. Part of being in Catholic Volunteers is that we spend time in the word and pursuing our faith. All of us will get together once a month to do whatever we want. This month we just went around and discussed out spiritual backgrounds. It was interesting to see how differnt everyone is. There are several of us who are not Catholic, but almost everyone had been raised in the church. There is something comforting about hearing how differnt we are in our beliefs but we are all here foir the same reason, a passion to serve others.
So Monday for me was pretty crappy. I woke up yesterday to an email saying that a frioend of mine from Anderson had been shot and killed over the weekend. Needless to say that is not how you want to start your day. I'm still in shock that he is gone. He had just sent me a message on Friday talking about what he had been up to and what he was going to do in the coming weeks.
Then Sister Florence got a call from Chaleece saying that she had gone to an emergancy care clinic because her hands and thighs were covered in red spots that itched. Her hands were also swollen and hurt. Well teh doctor told her that she had scabies! the doctor gave her some bream and steriods to take. Well we were all freaked out. Scabies is highly contagious and Chaleece had spent slept in my bed the night before. SO I went home and washed my sheets and disenfected moy room. The poor thing has been banned from work for the next 7 days. She says she already is feeling better though.
So I still don't have a placement yet. Honestly my patience is wearing thin and I am losing a bit of hope. But my fingers are still crossed and I am believeing that God brought me down here for a reason.

Love you all,
Sarah

First Day of Work

So everyone started their jobs today. Since I have not been place yet I am working at the Catholic Volunteers office with two other girls who haven't been placed. The day was uneventful. I helped to stamped about a bazillion letters and then spent some time on careerbuilder.com looking for nonprofit job openings. I found a few and Sister Florence will be contacting them in the next few days. Then I spent about 3 hours in the car dropping off some letters and getting my finger prints retaken. I spent an 1 1/2 of that stuck in traffic. In the end I got to spend some quality time with Amanda and saw at the highways of Orlando. Something interesting about the streets here is that to get anywhere you have to make ALOT of u-turns. I have done more uturns in the past 3 days then in the 6 six years i have had my licesence.
Last night me Lauren and Rebecca (my roommates) had 6 of the volunteers over to our house fpr dinner. It was alot of fun. After everyone left Tina and I watched Becoming Jane.
This weekend all the girls here in Orlando are planning a trip to Coca Beach. Then we are all going over to Neal and Peter's for a cookout to celebrate August birthdays. Then on Sunday we are all meeting at Emios house for a prayer meeting or something like that.
So far everything is going great down here. I've had little bits of homesickness here and there but for the most part I love Florida and the people i'm with.
Oh and I would like to rant about the heat for a minute. ITS FREAKIN RIDICULOUS!!! i never cools down and it won't really cool down until october. UGGG! ok rant over :)
Here is my address
3208 Parkside Court
Winter Park, FL 32792
feel free to send me goodies ;)

Love you and miss you all
Sarah
















Back Row: Tina, Frank, Me, Rebecca, Kim, Lauren, Emi
Middle Row: Zach, Kyle, Neal, Shawna, James, Sarah, Loren, Sister Florence, Peter
Front Row: Augata, Jonathan, Krista, Elaine, Chaleece, Amanda