Finding Solace in Busy Orlando

Last Thursday Erik and I had the pleasure of visiting Harry P. Leu Gardens for free! It normally costs $7 a person, but our generous friend Jessica gave us a pair of free tickets. I do like nature, but I'm not into it as much as some people. My Uncle Bill and Erik's mom, for instance, could probably spend an entire day at this place looking at each individual flower and plant. We went through it an hour and a half, which included a half-hour tour at a museum on the grounds. That being said, it really was a beautiful place and a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. We woke up to a rainy, cloudy morning feeling a little sick and our day wasn't shaping out to be too great. However, we went back to sleep and woke up feeling much better. The weather had also cleared up, making it a good day to go to the gardens. It is 49 acres and right on a lake...really a beautiful place! It was originally farmlands back in the 1800s when Orlando wasn't much of a city. The fourth and final owners remodeled the home and made it absolutely amazing. That is where we took the tour, and it was so cool to see some genuine antiques. They developed the property into a scenic oasis, and donated it to the city of Orlando in the 1960s. If you're ever in the Orlando area, you should check it out! It's not an exciting attraction like Universal Studios or Disney World, but it is definitely cheaper and offers a great place to view some lovely nature and just take a break from life. :)

PS- I'm working on a post recapping our trip home, but it's going to take me a while so please bear with me! In the meantime, enjoy some of these pictures from the lovely Leu Gardens!

Enjoying the January sun!

Erik fighting a cactus.

The beautiful Leu home, decorated for Christmas!



We walked under this tree upon entering and exiting the gardens. It was HUGE and beautiful. I  loved it!

Pondering the New Year (and a recap of the last)

Today is New Year's Eve, which means it is the last day of 2010. Here's a little recap of the last year of our lives:
January: Erik got in a car wreck that totalled his car and forced him to look for a new one
February: Erik turned 23 and my aunt's grandpa turned 90. Wow!
March: Erik got a new (used) car and we were only one month away from getting married.
April: I turned 23 on the 7th, and Erik and I tied the knot on April 17. It was one of the best days of our lives. We also went on our honeymoon to Cozumel, the first time either of us has left the country. April was an eventful, but amazing, month!
May: We were adjusting to married life and also decided we were going to move to Florida so Erik could attend graduate school at UCF.
June: We told our friends and family about our plans to move and were grappling with that decision.
July: My cousin Jamie got married and we had a lovely "reunion" of sorts with my dad's side of the family. We said goodbye to them and to my Aunt Tammy, Uncle Steve, and cousins Joe and Tyler.
August: We said (a temporary) goodbye to Illinois and drove across the country to our new home in Florida. Erik also started his first semester of grad school.
September: We were adjusting to our lives in Florida and I spent the month unemployed, looking for a job.
October: I received the news that I didn't get the job I was hoping for and remained unemployed for this month. We continued to adjust and make new friends.
November: I started a job at Applebee's in Maitland as Erik wrapped up his first semester at UCF.
December: Erik finished his first semester with a bang! He got straight A's and made his wife proud. We also travelled to Illinois for Christmas and were reunited with our families and many friends. My mom went into the hospital and gave us all a scare. (More on our trip home in a future post.)

I'd say 2010 was a pretty eventful year, wouldn't you? The year 2011 is coming, full speed ahead, and I have absolutely no idea what it will bring. I've been thinking about how the last two years I had an idea of what was ahead. On New Year's Eve 2008, I knew I would graduate with my Bachelor of Arts the next year and I was pretty certain Erik would propose to me that year as well. Last New Year's Eve I knew we would get married in 2010 and that it would be the year Erik started grad school, which most likely meant we would move out of state. But this year I don't have any milestones planned and I have zero idea of what the year will bring. I have to admit this kind of scares me. I know things can't always be planned, but part of me thinks "why not?" I love having a plan and not knowing what will happen is intimidating and scary. Last year at this time, I knew the upcoming year was going to be challenging, but I also knew it would be amazing because it was the year I would say "I do" to my best friend. But then again, on New Year's Eve 2007 I had no idea that 2008 would be the year I met my future husband or the year I started a job I truly loved at the Daily Vidette. Come to think of it, 2008 was a pretty great year and I had no clue what it would bring me. Maybe this whole not knowing what will happen thing isn't so bad after all. Here's to a new year full of surprises (both good and bad), blessings, and joy. How are you feeling about the new year? Anyone else want to share a recap? I'd love to read about it!

Well I am off to go spend my last day of 2010 with my husband and some wonderful new friends. Happy New Year's Eve, everyone!

Our Little Thanksgiving

I know it's a little late, but I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!! Erik and I had a nice day at home, just the two of us. I didn't want to make a whole turkey and the turkey breasts were kind of expensive, so we made two cornish hens. My mom used to make them for Christmas and I remember always enjoying them, so I thought I would try my hand at cornish hens. They turned out really good, as did the rest of our sides. We made mashed potates, green beans with bacon, corn, and rolls. It was the perfect amount of food for us. We were stuffed afterwards and didn't have too many leftovers to clutter up our fridge and spoil (we're not always the best about eating leftovers). I also made a pumpkin pie, which was really yummy! We just finished it last night and I wish there was more!

It was kind of weird not being with family on Thanksgiving, but we did get to chat with both our families on Skype, which was pretty cool. I miss them all so much! My computer had been acting up a lot so I asked a friend to fix it. He finished it last week and we got it back just in time to Skype with our families!

We're doing pretty well down here in warm Florida. It's consistently been in the 80s lately, and it's so weird to think that this is not normally how I experience the end of November. I heard it is snowing up in Illinois right now, and it's almost hard to even imagine that with the weather we have had.

We're going back up to Illinois for Christmas and we're really excited to see the people we miss and love. We'll be there from the 22nd to the 29th and are trying to figure out the best option to see people. We're flying in to O'Hare, but we need to make it down to Peoria and Bloomington too. I'm sure the week will fly by, but hopefully we'll get to see as many of you as possible.

Well I hope you all had a great holiday and that your week is just as good!

Our wonderful feast, complete with flowers my sweet husband got me!

My delicious plate of food.

Erik and me before our meal. It was 82 outside that day!

November News

Well I am now in my third week of working at Applebee's and it is going all right so far. I haven't been getting as many shifts or making as much money as I had hoped, but I have faith that it will get better as I am there longer and become more established. It's easy to remember how much they valued me back at the Applebee's in Bloomington and feel discouraged, but it took time for that to happen. Even though I am a transfer and not brand new, I still have to prove myself. Plus there are a lot of people who have been there a long time and of course they're going to get priority in scheduling. It's nice to be productive and making money though. Overall I am enjoying myself.

I have also been keeping myself busy by reading. In the last two weeks I have read five books. I've got one more to get through and three more on the way. The Orlando Public Library lets you order books online and then they ship them to you for free. It usually takes a week or two, but it's totally worth it. I've been reading Meg Cabot and Nicholas Sparks. Any suggestions on some other books I may enjoy??

For those who don't know, I decided not to take the sales position at David's Bridal. I put a lot of thought and consideration (even some research) into it, and I feel at peace with my decision. Apparently in order to even get a commission, I would have had to make $12,000 in sales per pay period. That's pretty high, especially with the low prices David's offers. If I was only working part-time it would be even more difficult, especially until January which is when the busy season starts. Until then I am almost positive I never would have made commission (which is only 8% after the $12,000 sales mark). If I didn't hit that goal I would just make minimum wage ($7.25/hour here). Not only would I have had to work every Saturday and Sunday, but that is a busy store and I have a feeling it would have been really stressful. I would have taken the job if it was my only chance at making money, but I would much rather work a job I am more familiar with, and I certainly don't need to be overloaded on stress by working both jobs. We don't need the money that much. I appreciate all the comments and help I received though!

Thanksgiving is coming up, can you believe it!? Erik and I have been looking for some good recipes. Is cooking a turkey hard? Lol, I'm afraid I'm going to ruin it. Why has no one ever showed me how to make a Thanksgiving dinner before? Although it'll be sad not being with our families, we're really looking forward to being home at Christmas time. We haven't booked our plane tickets yet, but right now we're thinking about flying in December 22 and heading back here the 29th. We weren't necessarily planning to stay that long, but those happen to be the dates with the cheapest tickets. Hopefully it'll be okay to get that much time off of work. Erik will have a whole month off for winter break AND he will continue getting paid, which is a huge blessing! The semester is wrapping up for him and he hasn't had a ton to do, which has been nice.

My grandparents (mom's parents) and me on
Easter Sunday when I was probably 7 or 8.

Yesterday marked the one year of my grandma's passing, and it was pretty sad for me. She was a really great person and I loved her very much. She was my last living grandparent, and probably the hardest to lose. I miss her a lot and can't believe it has already been a year since I received the terrible news of her passing. It was especially hard to hear because I had been planning to go home to see her just two days later. I resent not being able to say goodbye to her and the fact that she missed my wedding by just five months, but I know she is up in Heaven with our Lord, and that is very comforting to me. My grandfather has been gone for almost 10 years now, which is even more unbelievable. I wish I had gotten more time with him, but I will always cherish the memories I have with both of them.

Thanks for reading my long update, everyone! I guess I should post more often so these don't have to be so lengthy. Who's seeing (or has already seen) Harry Potter this weekend!? We're going tomorrow and I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!

Job Dilemmas

Hello friends! I will be talking about my job situation today, so I thought this comic was appropriate. Snoopy is always a good one.

For those who don't know, I started working at Applebee's last week as a server. I trained for two days (normal is five, but they sped me through since I have worked at Applebee's before) last week and served on my own for the first time yesterday. I don't have very many shifts this week, but I am hoping that as I start to prove myself I will get better shifts.

We've been talking about work ethic in church and I've been really challenged to adjust the way I think about and act at work. I've always had a great work ethic as far as being efficient and doing what I am asked, but I must admit I do not always have the best attitude about what I am doing. It is especially hard on days where guests leave me no tip or constantly refer to me as "waitress" and imply I know no more than a first grader. I want this time to be different though. I want to impress my employers and co-workers with my positive attitude and be the one person who doesn't complain or gossip. I want to be an example of Christ and spur others on. No matter what I'm doing, I should be able to do this. I'm sure it would have been a lot easier if I had gotten the job at the Jesus Film Project where I enjoyed what I did and was surrounded by other believers, but maybe that's why I didn't get it. Maybe God wants to challenge me, and I want to accept that challenge. (I can't help thinking of Barney in "How I Met Your Mother." Challenge accepted!!)

I have also been offered a sales position job at David's Bridal. When I applied I thought it would be full time and offer benefits, but neither of those things are true. I feel like it's foolish to turn down an extra chance to make money and an experience I could really learn from, but I'm just really wary about having two jobs. It's always sounded so stressful to me. I realize how grateful I should be. I go from having no jobs to two...that's awesome news, right? It is, and I don't want to deny that. There are just a lot of things to consider. It's hard enough one when boss can't get my schedule straight, but happens when two bosses mess up? What if I am scheduled at both places at one time? What if I get scheduled at one place on the days I had off at the other place and then I am working who knows how many days in a row with no days off? I can't just work AM at one place and PM at the other for five days because then when will I have time to see my husband, grocery shop, clean, etc.? Oh it just all sounds like a nightmare. But for some reason I couldn't bring myself to tell the lady at David's Bridal "no."

Please pray for me friends. Pray that I can be a good example at any place I work and learn to not complain or gossip but to be grateful that I am working and glorify the Lord. Please also pray that I can gain some wisdom about on whether or not I should accept both jobs. Any advice would be accepted as well. Thanks, and I hope you are all having a great week!