Reevaluating

I’ve been on the job hunt for about 6 weeks now, give or take a few days. I would be lying if I said that it’s my number one focus and priority because truthfully, some days it falls to the wayside. I wish I could spend 8 hours a day searching for jobs, perfecting my resume, working on my Linked-In profile, etc. Fact is, I work a high-energy job for 5-6 hours in the morning, come home and spend my afternoons job searching, using the evenings to work out and have a little downtime.

At best, I get in 2-3 hours of job searching a day. In this economy with so many people out of work and searching for jobs, that is not nearly enough time.

Aside from quitting my part-time job (not an option), there isn’t a whole lot I can do. I’ve taken on the brunt of the house cleaning and dinner duties because I feel bad enough as it is that I’m a 23-year-old college graduate who still needs money from her mom. I feel awful when I don’t have enough money to pay a bill. I know I could never be one of those people who sits around at home, doing nothing to challenge themselves by furthering their education or finding a job.

The job search isn’t going so well. I know I shouldn’t really expect anything so soon out of college but it’s still hard to still be at my minimum wage part-time job. It’s hard to submit resume after resume and the only people who seem to be calling me are for sales positions. (Aside from one job involving market research, which I was passed over for. Boohiss.)

For the past 6 weeks, I’ve been using Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com as my main sources for job searching. And as great and wide-reaching as those jobs are, they are also the places everyone is going to. I don’t even want to imagine the amount of resumes some jobs receive on a daily basis. My resume? A recent college graduate with barely any professional work experience? I know it’s getting sifted through the system easily, passed over without a second glance.

I need to take action. I need something better than a job search engine that everyone and their brother is using.

I need to seek out smaller lesser-known job search engines that are more centered on my interests (communications, marketing, public relations, etc.). I need to have my resume critiqued and rewritten. I need to learn how to write an impressive cover letter. And I need to begin to go after those jobs I want with more hunger and determination.

(All things I believe I should have learned during my exit course, but that’s a blog topic for another day.)

For now, all job searching has yielded me was frustration and disappointment. But I imagine those emotions are nothing new to people who have searched or are searching for a job. It also scares me that there are so many people searching for jobs, people with incredible internships and job experiences that I could not even begin to touch. But I do know that there is a job out there for me. I just have to be patient, keep searching, and keep working on my job search tactics.

For those of you with job search experience, what tips and advice can you give to a new college graduate? (And I’ll just go full throttle: anyone willing to look over my resume and/or a sample cover letter of mine and give me help/critiques/advice? Pretty please?)

Two Sides to Every Weight Loss Story

I’m losing my weight the old-fashioned way: through healthy eating and exercise. I’m using Weight Watchers as a way to help me maintain motivation and have a support system to lose the weight and learn to live healthier. Weight Watchers is basically like counting calories, except you count Points Plus values. Every single item of food is assigned a Points Plus value depending on fat grams, carbs, protein, and fiber. Every single food being labeled means nothing is off limits. Weight Watchers doesn’t teach about deprivation but about portion control.

I’ve been on and off the program since the summer of 2007. So I know the program backwards and forwards. I know what works for me and what doesn’t. I know that the program works if you do it correctly. As one of my all-time favorite Leaders always says, “Let the Program work for you. Don’t work the Program.”

This week, I saw a gain on the scale. Truthfully, I knew it wasn’t going to be a stellar weight loss week for me because of one issue: eating.

My exercise was fantastic this week. Three days I exercised for over an hour (twice hitting the two-hour mark) and two days I hit the gym for an hour. And since I had previously been exercising for 30-45 minutes a few days a week, this is a lot of exercise for me.

But I love it! I love being in the gym, love the classes, love the atmosphere. It pushes me to keep going and pressing forward. I would love to spend two hours in the gym every day but it’s not always feasible. But those days I do? I feel amazing.

But the other side of the story is where I feel not-so-amazing. I grew very lax on tracking what I ate and eating the good stuff, giving myself leeway because of all the exercise I was doing. The week before, I decided not to count my exercise points towards my daily total and it worked out good - I lost 3 pounds. This week was a whole ‘nother ballgame.

If it’s one thing I know, it’s that weight loss requires healthy eating and exercise. I have the exercise part of the equation down pat. And now it’s time for me to get the healthy eating part down pat.

Stats
Starting Weight: 159.2 lbs
Current Weight: 152 lbs
Net Difference: -7.2 lbs (+.8 this week)
Body Fat: 27.57% (+)

Project 365 Saturday: 22 - 28

Last weeks’ installment had to be cancelled since my camera’s memory card needed to be formatted. Whenever I would plug my camera into my computer, the vast majority of my photos wouldn’t appear and I was told they were “corrupted”. I’m not a fan of already having problems with a camera I received just this past Christmas, but the formatting worked and my camera is back to new! And Project 365 Saturday is back in full force!

022 - Game night with my mom and brother. It’s been a while since we’ve had a game night that didn’t include a certain adorable two-year-old so it was fun to actually be able to finish a game! ;) (Doesn’t that pizza look so yummy? I love Cheat Saturdays!)

023 - The view from my patio at my apartment.

024 - Bubble baths are the best after tough workouts. Monday night was a 1-hour spin class and then another hour-long cardio kickboxing session with a personal trainer. I honestly didn’t know he was putting me through an entire workout. Otherwise, I would not have done a spin class beforehand. Whew!

025 - Pictures of my dog sleeping mean nothing exciting happened on Tuesday. But isn’t he adorable?

026 - Speaking of adorable... He turns THREE in three months. That is just not OK. He’s growing up too fast!

027 - Sunshine has become a staple here in Florida. But don’t be fooled. These beautiful days are accompanied by high 90 degree weather and humidity in the 60%’s, which makes the weather seem 10+ degrees hotter. It’s disgusting, really.

028 - Rainy afternoon on a Friday.

30DC: Week Six

1. I’m 90% certain I will be growing my hair out again for Locks of Love. I miss long hair and feel that sometimes, it’s easier to handle than short hair. This makes no sense, I know. But I’m excited!

2. I am a dog person through and through. I couldn’t imagine my life without a dog in it.

3. I watch America’s Got Talent every year, but I don’t really like the show. They put so many people through “just because”, when they’re not very talented! I feel like Piers knows it’s a sinking ship and he’s the only voice of reason on the panel.

4. I’m addicted to soda.

5. I’m terrible at keeping up with my Words With Friends games.

6. Sometimes, I think about going back to my dark brown hair because it was so much cheaper! But I also love having blonde hair so I’m very undecided on this issue.

7. Sleep is one of my most favorite things in the world.

8. But I think my relationship with my mom is my most favorite. While I bombed in the dad department, I got extremely blessed with my mom who knows how to be the perfect parent and perfect friend.

9. I recently joined an online dating site. I’m not sure how well it will work out but dang it, I want to go on a date every once in a while!

10. As excited as I am to get a new phone in August, I really do love my Blackberry.

11. I only like to watch movies with happy endings.

12. Even though this makes me sound like I’m fifteen years old, I really want a boyfriend.

13. I graduated from college almost seven weeks ago, but will not feel at peace until I have my diploma in my hands. (Sidenote: WHERE IS IT?!)

14. There are so many bloggers I want to get to know better and bridge the gap of commenting on blogs to e-mailing/chatting with, but it’s scary to take that leap.

15. I work at a preschool. I don’t have any specific job title, but I help out anywhere is needed. Mainly, though? I make breakfast for the center and give bathroom breaks.

16. Making phone calls is my least favorite thing in the world.

17. After going to the dentist.

18. Which is after going for a run.

19. I always thought I would want to be a June bride, but if I’m still living in Florida at that point, there is no way this will happen. The humidity is killer.

20. I’m really lazy about keeping my apartment clean, while my mom is a Clean Freak Nazi. Which makes me feel bad since she works 40 hours a week, I work 25. So I try to clean up to her standard, but it’s hard.

21. I think a food scale is an absolute must for anyone trying to lead a healthier lifestyle.

22. Sometimes, I “forget” to take meat out of the freezer just so I don’t have to cook that night.

23. Chick-Fil-A breakfast > McDonald’s breakfast.

24. Spinning is my new favorite way to exercise. So long, running! Hello, spin bike.

25. Although, I am still running. But on a treadmill. And for just minutes at a time. I’m trying to build up my running endurance but adding 1 minute to my time at every run. So far, I’m at 6 minutes and doing good.

26. Rainy days are the best days.

27. Unless I do it, I’m really bad at putting away my laundry.

28. I’m at a point in my life where I don’t think I ever want to have kids. Which is weird, because I have always wanted to have children.

29. I never imagined job hunting would fill me with as much disappointed as it has. I knew it would be hard, but didn’t imagine the toll it would take on my mind.

30. I can’t believe I wrote 30 “interesting” facts about myself. That’s impressive.

Tell me one interesting fact about YOU!

Wine and Love (V. 2)

Things that are making me fill up my wine glass (or in my case, reach for a plate of cookies):

• I’ve been feeling very uninspired and unfulfilled lately. I don’t know if I’m suffering from vacation hangover or the fact that my life has become very mundane for the past month or so, but it’s leaving me wanting more.
• I need to write a very hard e-mail that I’ve been putting off for a few weeks now. I’m worried that the person I e-mail will think less of me and want to punch me in the face. Or maybe I’m just overthinking things?
• Last week, I was doing quite well with getting to bed before 10:00 p.m. and getting close to 8 hours of sleep a night. But this week has been nights of going to bed around 11:30 p.m. or later and not getting as much sleep as I need, which leaves me feeling very lethargic and slow. It was amazing to see what sleep did for my energy levels so I need to get back to my 9:30 p.m. bedtime!

Things that are filling me up with love:

• Kicking off my week by giving a killer interview. At least, it felt that way to me. I find out today if I was as killer as I thought I was and make it to the second-round interview. Cross your fingers for me, because this is the first non-sales interview I’ve had and I’m really excited about the job possibility!
• Becoming a gym rat. Joining the gym was one of the best decisions I’ve made all year because it’s really helped me to ramp up my exercise. I’m taking two spin classes a week, two weight-lifting classes a week, and getting in so much other cardio that my body is happy. And sore.
• Making plans to spend a long weekend in Orlando next month. Yes, I realize I just took an amazing vacation last month but my mom barely ever does anything for her birthday and she really needs a weekend to get away from it all. Plus, we have yearly passes to 4 parks in Orlando so all we have to pay for is the hotel and food that weekend! Pretty sweet.

*Hosted by Walking With Nora

On Losing My Dad

I’m having trouble writing down the right words to say about coming up on one year since I wrote an e-mail to my father that would end our relationship.

I want to write that I’m moving on and I’m learning to live without him. That I’ve put the past behind me and he no longer has the power to hurt me anymore.

But those words wouldn’t be true.

I miss my dad so much that I can barely keep my head above water most days. While I said I have ended our relationship, I would do anything in the world to have reconciliation with him. I look at girls who have amazing relationships with their fathers, and I always wonder where we went wrong. Why he couldn’t be the dad I needed him to be. Why I couldn’t be the daughter he wanted me to be.

When someone you love hurts you, it can be easy to play the negativity game and think of everything they ever did to hurt you. I could make a long list of everything my dad has done to bring me down, destroy my self-esteem, and cause me to doubt myself. That’s an easy list to make. But then there’s the list that makes me nostalgic for the fun times we had together and long for him to be back in my life.

• He was never afraid to be silly, even in a public setting. He would sing along to the Italian music at Olive Garden, pretend he had a lame foot while picking me up from school, make silly faces at me while at the mall.
• He was the best at playing games. Our favorite was Blind Man’s Bluff which featured a pitch-dark house and one blind-folded person trying to “get” the other people. It usually featured my dad, my brother, and I and he would always make loud noises in one area of the room, but you could never find him. This is one of my fondest memories of him.
• He once bankrupted both my brother and me on the purple properties of Monopoly. Yes, those are the cheapest properties on the board. “Bankrupt on Baltic” became one of the key phrases for us during that game, and for games afterward. (And now I always buy the purple properties in the hopes this will happen for me.)
• He remains one of the funniest guys I know. He had the best personality and was always finding ways to turn any situation into one of laughter. He is witty with one-liners and silly phrases and I like to think I inherited this wit of his.
• I have never felt more safe, loved, or protected than those times I was wrapped up in his arms.
• He is a fantastic cook, some of his specialties being chicken tacos, chicken on the grill, and hamburgers. I have so many good memories of being over at my uncle’s house with him cooking a delicious meal on the grill and helping him with preparing the side dishes. And the food was always mouth-wateringly good.
• He is friendly and outgoing and personable. Everything I am not. He puts everyone at ease and can make friends with anyone within 5 minutes of knowing them.
• I always remember having the best time when I was with him. He knew how to play like a kid, but also be a parent. I remember hours spent in the pool where he would toss us around and let us ride on his back. Playing tennis and bowling and board games. He knew how to have a good time.

I want to remember the good times with my dad. I’ve spent so many months only remembering the bad things. I need to move past it. I need to learn to have mercy on him. He has nobody around anymore. He has lost his kids, lost his family. He can’t hold down a job and his gambling addiction, penchant for lying, and alcoholism is the only thing that keeps him company at night. It’s a sad life to lead and I can only hope he has sought help and one day will reach out to me.

I miss my dad with more intensity than I ever thought possible. And the minute he wants to come back into my life, I will be waiting with open arms and an “I missed you, Daddy. I missed you so much.”

Ten on Tuesday - The Perfect Edition

1. What’s the perfect meal?
If you don’t yet know about my obsession with Publix subs, then we are not as good of friends as I thought we were. I have them at least twice a week and challenge you to find a sub that’s more yummy and filling than this one. Subway has nothing on Publix. Sadly, they only have locations in the Southeast with Florida being the state with the most locations.

Anyway, I still haven’t answered the question. Perfect meal: a Publix sub with an ice-cold Coke. Yum, yum, yum. I have this once a week as my “cheat meal”.

2. What are the perfect pair of shoes?
Anything that I can comfortably walk in for a long period of time. My foot has a high arch so sandals and flats usually make the arch hurt (it literally feels like the skin on my arch is stretched to the max and any heel-to-toe foot strike makes my arch sting and feel like the skin will rip apart. You’re welcome.) so I’ll have to be lame and say running shoes. They offer the perfect support, although there are certain flip-flops I can wear that don’t hurt my foot as bad.

3. What is the perfect afternoon?
Napping, especially if it’s a weekday. I’m usually busy applying for jobs, blogging, and cleaning during the afternoon so my afternoon naps have decreased over the past month. But it is a pleasurable way to spend an afternoon, I must say.

Now, if it’s the weekend, the perfect afternoon is usually spent at a water park. I have passes to 3 different water parks in Orlando and I’m looking to use them to their full extent this summer! Water parks are the perfect way to spend an afternoon in Florida, because it’s just too hot and humid to do anything else!

4. What’s the perfect house?
I’m not exactly sure. Somewhere that feels like home, that has comfy furniture and homey accents. Somewhere where I’m not afraid to kick my shoes off and curl up on the couch.

5. What is the perfect outfit?
Something comfortable. Are we sensing a pattern here? Yoga pants, shirts that don’t cling to me, tank tops.

6. What’s the perfect wedding song?
My friend Anisah’s first song with her husband was “At Last” by Etta James and to this day, I cannot think of a better first dance song. It’s poignant, slow, and romantic.

7. What is the perfect job?
Right now, any place that will hire me! Ideally, something in communications where I can combine my passions for writing and marketing into one pretty sweet job.

8. What is the perfect hairstyle?
I really don’t know. I love my hair short, but keep daydreaming about growing it long. But really? A ponytail. That is the perfect hairstyle. It’s off my neck and out of my way so I don’t have to bother with it.

9. What’s the perfect music festival?
I love Christian music festivals, I really do. I’ve been to 2 or 3 and they are my absolute favorite. Being surrounded by people with likeminded views and singing praises to God is amazing. I feel at peace and completely whole.

10. What’s the perfect day to yourself?
The last part of that question is the key: to yourself. Having a day to yourself is awesome enough! I would sleep in, read, go to the gym, read, catch up on blogging, read... Do absolutely nothing that required work I didn’t want to do.

Ten on Tuesday is run by Chelsea of Roots and Rings. Find the questions here.

Consistency

I met with a personal trainer this past week (free with new gym membership), and we discussed my goals for weight loss and what things may be holding me back. It was an extensive discussion but there were a few points I made that stuck out for me.

• The biggest thing holding me back from losing the weight and keeping it off is myself.
• One of the reasons I’ve never been able to successfully maintain a healthy lifestyle is because I lack consistency.

The thing about trying to lose weight and trying to do it for so long is that you become your own worst enemy. You envision yourself skinny, envision yourself healthy but that’s all it really is - a vision. Even if you stick with the plan for a while, there’s always that tiny voice in the back of your head saying you’re going to fail. Something will happen and the weight will come right back on.

I need to be consistent. With eating healthy. With exercise. Because I know I feel better about myself when I feel in control of my body. I know nothing feels as good as an insanely good, heart-pumping workout where I leave everything on the floor. But still, I’m inconsistent. Even now, as I come off two great weeks of being in control of my eating and getting in tons of great workouts, I’m still wondering when it will all become too much. Not if, but when.

I also did a fitness test with the personal trainer, one such test being the chest press. At first, he had me do 15 reps at 30 lbs which I was able to do, but it was hard. He asked me if I thought I could do 45 lbs. I was honest and said I didn’t think I could. 30 lbs was very hard and I didn’t think I had it in me to do 15 more reps with 15 more pounds of weight on the machine. He told me to try, so I did. And I managed to do 15 reps at 45 lbs.

I am holding myself back from reaching my full potential.

That’s a hard statement to make because it puts all the blame on me. I can’t blame my circumstances, my parents, or even my body. It is me. It is my mind. It is telling myself I can’t do something when I know I can. In this journey, I have a lot of supporters but ultimately, I need to support myself. I need to be my biggest cheerleader and push myself to do things I didn’t know I could do. Instead, I’m placing limits on myself.

The thing is, I’ve shown myself I could do it. I’ve lost weight before and transformed my eating habits but I let life get in the way of keeping healthy habits. I let school and a crazy schedule and family issues take over and gave myself permission to eat poorly and treat my body the wrong way to keep myself happy. Yet I wasn’t happy. I was disappointed in myself and disgusted at my body.

And even though this healthy living journey can be so damn hard, I need to remember that it will ultimately make me happy. Junk food does not make me happy. Pushing past my limits does.

Stats
Starting Weight: 159.2 lbs
Current Weight: 151.2 lbs
Net Difference: -8 lbs (-2.8 this week, but up 4.2 total from my lowest weight recorded.)
Body Fat: 27.17% (Now tracking body fat instead of BMI, since I can thanks to my gym! A better picture of health than BMI, in my opinion.)

30DC: Week Five

High school was hard for me. I’m sure I didn’t have it as bad as some people. I had friends, I had a Homecoming date, and I was moderately happy. As happy as one can be while being a teenager. I had some major self-esteem issues and always wished I was more outgoing so making friends wasn’t so hard for me. Luckily, I transferred to a charter school in 11th grade where I met the most fabulous group of girls ever. They were exactly what I needed.

The people I went to high school with for 9th and 10th grade were a little messed-up. Ninth grade was especially hard. It was tough being a new high-schooler with a whole new set of friends, learning how to survive in that environment. One thing that really stood out for me was a girl who was touted as a modern-day hero after her stint in a mental hospital. She had been placed in a straitjacket and kept in the hospital over the weekend and when she came back, she was all smiles and stories. She told everyone about what happened and everyone was so impressed.

You see, it was the thing to be suicidal/depressed. It was cool to be “dark and twisty,” if I want to use a Grey’s Anatomy reference. I saw girls freely flaunting their sliced wrists and arms. I remember one friend in particular who had three long lines of cut marks in a row on each arm. They were deep, but perfect. (In proportion.)

Listening to dark music, wearing dark clothes, having a perpetual frown on your face. That is what made you cool.

At first, I tried to play along. I tried to be as dark and twisty as others. Once, I even posted an AIM away message with the words of a song that spoke of suicide, which my brother (just 16 at the time) saw and questioned me about. My brother has never been one to go with the crowd and I admire so much his ability to always do the right thing, always do the moral thing, even when people around him aren’t. I would have been lost without him in high school.

It wasn’t until I was sitting in the tub one night, eyeing my razor and wondering if I could be as brave as the people in school and cut myself. Brave. This is what I thought they were. I didn’t even know why people were cutting themselves, I just wanted to be one of the crowd. And I tried it. I took my razor and tried my hardest to make a tiny cut, but I just couldn’t go through with it. I couldn’t be like them. Suicide and cutting is not a popularity contest. It’s not a game. It’s real life and it’s scary.

I have never been depressed or suicidal in my life. I have someone in my life who is right now and it’s scary to be on the outskirts of it, not knowing how you can help or what tomorrow may hold for them. What was going on in my high school was sad. These girls were just trying to fit in and while I have no doubt some of them were indeed depressed, it became a game of who was worse.

I’ve never shared this story, because sometimes I’m embarrassed at how far I almost went to fit in. I never fully “embraced” what they were doing, but at the same time I admired them. But that’s the way it goes when you’re 15 years old. I was blessed to have a brother who remains one of my biggest role models and supporters. I’m not sure he even knows the extent to how he helped me see how going with the crowd and fitting in somewhere you don’t belong can be detrimental.

I love my life. It’s not the perfect life. I have my issues and there are many things I want to change. But I know I am strong enough to overcome anything and I hold the power to change.

Suicide is nothing to play around with. It’s not a game. For many people, it’s a daily struggle to survive. I cannot imagine living that way and I hope to never experience it.

Carnival Inspiration

I wanted to give a fair review of my first cruising experience. I’m an inexperienced cruiser, but I’m pretty positive I will be experienced in just a few more years because I am hooked on cruising. I’m drawing from Caitlin’s review post of her stay at a resort in the Dominican Republic to give this review. Ratings are as follows:

1 - Lamesauce

2 - Fair

3 - Good

4 - Great

5 - Awesomesauce

CABIN (4 - Great)

I really, really loved our cabin. It was small, but not as small as I had imagined. There was plenty of space for us to put all of our clothes and girl junk. Everything was up-to-date and clean. My only problems lied in the bathroom and outlets. The bathroom was tiny. I think my walk-in closet at my apartment is bigger than the bathroom was. There wasn’t a lot of space to put anything, especially in the shower stall. (I had to balance my shampoo and conditioner on the soap/shampoo dispenser located in the stall, and put my body wash on the floor. Ick.) And there were only two outlets to use in the entire cabin, one of which was in the bathroom on the ceiling. Because it was on the ceiling, it was hard to get a true charge. Luckily, we didn’t use our phones enough but it was tough when we were getting ready.

But the ocean-view made up for everything. Nothing is better than that view. I miss it.

AMENITIES (INCL. DECKS/ 3 - Good)

My favorite deck by far was Serenity Now, which was for 21+ adults. It was the quietest part of the ship and felt so peaceful and, well, serene. The lounge chairs were a million times better and it was close to the food. Always a plus.

The other decks weren’t as amazing. I really hated the Lido deck, because it was so loud and the lounge chairs cut into my back. It was always filled with people and loud music. (Yes, I’m on a cruise ship. No, I’m still not going to enjoy loud music. No, I am not 70 years old.) The pool was tiny and always filled with boisterous kids.

The gym was pretty sweet, I must say. I only went once but it offered some great views and up-to-date equipment. They even offered classes like spin and boot camp for a price.

FOOD (3 - Good)

We ate in a fancy dining room every night that served some of the most delicious meals that have ever graced my lips. I didn’t even try to go fancy but stuck with the meat and potatoes option almost every time. The appetizers weren’t amazing, but they were decent. Of course, I am not a foodie so my opinion has no real bearing on the quality. I was also impressed at how easily one could eat vegetarian and/or healthy on the trip. Every meal featured at least a few vegetarian sides and it was entirely possible to lose weight on this trip. I just chose not to.

The food at the brasserie was meh. It was buffet-style so you can’t expect much from that anyway. There were some delicious meals, but most just ok. Nothing spectacular that stands out. I will not say, though, how many cookies my mom and I ate during our five days on the ship. It’s kind of embarrassing.

My mom and I both purchased a soda card ($36) which gives you an unlimited amount of soda refills whenever you want them. For us, it was the best decision because we didn’t drink too much alcohol. We both only had two drinks at our last two dinners. (I heard one lady ordering her THIRD drink at 10:00 a.m. one morning! I wish I could have seen her bill at the end of the cruise. Yowza.)

ENTERTAINMENT (3 - Good)

Because of our late dining time, we missed a lot of the good entertainment. There were some late night comedy acts, but it’s always uncomfortable watching R-rated comedy with your mother. We went to a performance one night, got professional pictures taken twice (the first time had a photographer putting us in weird couple-esque poses that I swear she thought we were together), and just generally enjoyed being on the ship.

There was always a lot to do on the ship so it’s impossible to be bored. While we didn’t take advantage of a lot of it, it was a good experience to see what’s available and give us a taste of cruise life. We may be apt to do more on our next cruise.

EXCURSIONS (5 - Awesomesauce)

The variety of excursions offered for this cruise was pretty vast. I don’t have anything to compare it by, but there were so many amazing things to do. Prices were anywhere from $30 to $300, depending on what you’re doing. We tried to to keep it in the $70 - $90 range when searching for excursions. Generally, anything involving dolphins or scuba diving cost the most, whereas snorkeling, tours of the city, and swimming with turtles/stingrays was in a reasonable range.

Since we are not the most adventurous type, picking an excursion was the best option. It allowed us to see the city while being in a controlled environment where we didn’t have to find our own taxi or restaurants or beaches.

It was also easy-peasy to switch excursions when ours was canceled. All around, a very positive experience with excursions!

AMBIENCE (5 - Awesomesauce)

This was the perfect setting for me. Nothing is more calming than the ocean and it was exciting being around a slew of people you’ve never met before. Sleeping was never easier than on a cruise ship, being lulled by the soft rocking. It was the perfect mixture of fun and games and peace. I felt at home while on the ship and totally relaxed and happy. I never wanted to leave.

CARNIVAL INSPIRATION ITSELF (4 - Great)

I would totally ride on this ship again, because the experience was fantastic. Service was great, food was delicious, and the stops were fantastic. There is so much to do in both stops that I could probably ride this ship again and again and never have the same experience or adventure. The ship was big enough that I never noticed a lot of rocking or swaying, and never once felt seasick. (One of my biggest fears.)

---

All in all, I would completely recommend Carnival for cruising. The process of booking the trip was simple and we were able to do it all on our own. I loved the service I received on the ship, always feeling like these people were happy to help and not annoyed with their job. My mom and I will be back, Carnival. Hopefully before next May.

Western Caribbean Cruise: Playa Azul

After our tour of the Mayan Ruins, we were taken to a place called Playa Azul which was a resort at a beach. We were going to be served lunch and then have about 45 minutes to enjoy the beach and/or pool. It was around 2:00 p.m. when we finally got to Playa Azul, and we were starving. I had eaten a small breakfast around 9:00 but my stomach was feeling a little off so it wasn’t much.

I was excited for lunch and ready to experience some yummy Mexican food.

Uhh... not really.

We were served two mini-tortillas with maybe an 1/8th cup of fajitas (more sauce than fajitas, though) on each tortilla. And then the “light salad” we were promised in the brochure was actually a small serving (not even 1/4th cup) of coleslaw. That. Was. It. I’m sorry, but that is NOT lunch! That is a snack. I wish I had taken a picture of this piddly offering but I was too busy trying to make it last for more than 3.5 seconds. (It did not.)

After our lunch snack, my mom and I headed to the beach to lay out and enjoy being in Mexico. (Even if our bellies were grumbling.) We tried going into the ocean but a) it was freezing and b) the floor of the ocean wasn’t very steady. We meandered our way to the pool where we swam for a bit and then just laid out by the pool and read on our Kindles.

We are nothing if not exciting.

This is one excursion I wouldn’t recommend to others. The one in Grand Cayman - heck yes! But this one was fairly disappointing and I was really bummed I missed out on other great excursions because I thought this one would be interesting. While touring the Mayan Ruins was thrilling for me, the second half of the excursion was such a bitter disappointment that it overtook the whole experience. (Especially considering my mom didn’t enjoy the tour, so I was hoping the second half would make up for it.)

We came back on the ship a little after 5:00 and I felt like my heart was breaking as I left Mexico. To know all the fun adventures were over and we only had one more full day left on the ship was incredibly sad. I didn’t want to leave this cruise, didn’t want to enter reality again. Reality is no fun.

Our trip, though, was so much fun. I was able to leave the country for the first time, conquer some fears, and revel in amazing experiences. I am now a huge fan of cruising and I cannot wait to go again!

(Tomorrow, I’ll be giving you the low-down on what I thought about cruising with Carnival and my overall rating of the cruising experience.)

Western Caribbean Cruise: Mayan Ruins

When I chose our excursion in Cozumel, I wasn’t really thinking. For me, I was excited about the prospect of touring the Mayan Ruins. What history! What amazing photographs I would capture!

I forgot about my mom.

My mom doesn’t share the same excitement and passion for history as I do. She appreciates it, but it isn’t something she seeks out. While I am the quintessential auditory/visual learner, she is tactile/kinesthetic to a tee. She can barely sit still in a church service or spend a day at home doing nothing but watching TV and reading. She likes to keep her body moving and doing something involving touch and feel. So touring an old historic site of which she had no interest in? Not the best idea.

I enjoyed it and loved listening to the passion in the tour guides’ voices as they explained different monuments and what they meant to the Mayan people. Before the tour, I had known a bit about the Mayans and I’m not sure if I learned anything new, but it was pretty inspiring to be at the archeological site and hear about the ways they lived and the customs they kept.

We spent about 45 minutes to an hour at this place, 30 minutes being the tour, and another 15 minutes allowed for us to look around (there was some shopping at the site) and take pictures. I also held an iguana on my arm and a bird on my head, but it cost $5 just to take pictures of it from my own camera (!) so you’ll just have to take my word for it.

 
I held both of these - at one time!

Book Review: Remember by Karen Kingsbury

Title: Remember
Author(s): Karen Kingsbury and Gary Smalley
Genre: Christian Fiction
Year: 2003
Rating: 5 of 5 stars

From Goodreads:

She has locked up her heart, convinced that no one - including God - could love her. Four unlikely people - Alzheimer's patients - find the cracks in Ashley's heart and slowly help her remember.

Then comes the nightmare of September 11, which forever changes the lives of the Baxter family, causing them to remember what is important and leading them to make decisions that are both heartbreaking and hope-filled.

Landon Blake, who has loved Ashley since he was a teenager, tries to dull the pain of her rejection by immersing himself in the rescue efforts at Ground Zero.

Tragedy and healing. Hurt and forgiveness. Redemption. And powerful lessons about remembering.

My review:

There is a lot happening in this book, but it’s fairly easy to keep track of. The timing of this book is from the summer of 2001 until the fall of that same year. A majority of this book occurs during the September 11 attacks and how the Baxter family is affected by it. This was the first book that ever made me feel the impact of that day, since I was just 13 and had never heard of the World Trade Center before it happened. I was far away from the effects of that day.

The book focuses on Ashley’s story. She was introduced in the first book of this series, as someone who was aloof and distant, not wanting a relationship with God and not very concerned about being a good mother to her three-year-old son. She ends up working at an adult care center that specializes in Alzheimer’s patients, hoping being around them will jumpstart her heart and make her feel again. She falls in love with the people there and how she is helping them. In the process, she learns a lot about the human spirit and what she wants to remember in her last days. Is she living a life worth remembering?

One of the things I most love about Karen Kingsbury is the steadfast way she mixes in Biblical truth with fictional storytelling. Many Christian authors are focusing more on the fiction, less on the faith, but Kingsbury manages to incorporate an amazing story, along with a boatload of faith issues. Her characters are real. They are real in their faith and real in their mistakes. I’ve read a lot of Christian chick lit and while I love it, I also finish feeling a bit disappointed, like they were afraid of really embracing faith and Jesus and making Him the center of their novel. There were so many faith issues brought up, including someone finding their way back into the church, someone trying to find their place within God’s ministry, someone questioning faith and why people rely on it so much. She doesn’t shy away from the tough issues, which is what I love about her.

This turned out to be one of the best books I’ve read in a really long time. There were points when I wanted to throw the book down and scream, but I think that’s telling of a good author. She made me feel things deeply. When they hurt, I hurt. When they rejoiced, I rejoiced. I feel a part of this family. I feel like I could sit down to dinner with them and have a connection with each and every one of them. The book wasn’t my usual puppies, sunshine, and rainbows but I am so glad I pressed on, even when tragedy and sadness made me want to shut the book and never open it again. This book is real life.

What’s the last book you read that you felt deeply connected to the characters?

Project 365 Saturday: 15-21

015 - My camera was not on zoom for this photo. I was that close to a zebra while at Busch Gardens on Saturday. Pretty cool!

016 - This was an “Oh, crap! I forgot to take a picture today. Dutch, look cute!” Obviously, he is not thrilled with me.

017 - Every time I cut my hair short, I like to show my mom that I can still find a way to put my hair up into a ponytail. Mission accomplished.

018 - I’m the proud new member of Lifestyles! I’m so excited to belong to a gym again. I’ve gone every day since I signed up (on Tuesday) and I am pumped.

019 - I think the new color of my apartment door is fugly. Pastel blue? Really? I’m hoping a second and third coat will help me to like it more, because it makes me want to throw up every time I walk out the door now.

020 - I tried getting my stick-straight hair to make waves but it’s just not happenin’. My hair has no curling/waving power to it at all! It did manage to look somewhat cute for a few hours before the humidity killed it.

021 - Yesterday was spent helping my biffle out with her classroom. A lot of drama ensued but we managed to get most of her decorations up in 20 minutes towards the end of the day. In the summer, every room has a different theme and hers was outer space. In the back are the planets, meteors, and stars. (She plans on adding a big sun in the corner.) The Jetsons are hanging out on the wall, along with an alien city. Need I mention she got all this done in a few weeks, while others had months? She’s amazing.

 

Does your hair curl naturally or is it stick-straight like mine?

30DC: Week Four

Oh, religion. It’s one of my least favorite words in the English language. If there’s one thing I am, it is honest about my faith. I struggle with it and am not always consistent with my Bible study and prayer life.

Faith can get a real bad rap. Christians are touted as close-minded, gay haters, “anti-choicers”*, who can’t ever seem to get their stuff together. We’re wishy-washy and can’t see both sides of an issue. There are many Christians like this. But not all of us are.

Yes, I do believe abortion is wrong. I’m sorry, but you will never make me believe that the option of killing a human life is considered best.

I support gay marriage, which is definitely against what a lot of Christians believe in. But I believe everyone should have the right to marriage, even if they may happen to love someone of the same sex - even if that goes against the Bible.

I am one of the most open people you will meet, always willing to look at the other side of the issue, even if I still don’t believe in the other side. My dad used to call my mom “brain-warshed” (he was from Ohio), but I came to realize he was the one who was so close-minded. He could never look beyond a different issue, never see why we needed our faith. Faith to him was a cop-out.

And speaking of that, I hate that term. I feel like when I say things like “God has bigger plans for my life” and “God is preparing me for my future husband and he has our love story all planned out”, people think it’s a cop-out. That people think I don’t want control over my life, that I want to sit back and wait for God to move. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Instead, it means I have someone to lean on, someone to help me make decisions. Someone to guide me along the path that is perfect for me.

For me, faith is about believing in God. It’s about believing in His word and feasting on it. Learning more about Him. Being with Him. It’s about showing His love through your actions.

What are your thoughts on faith?

*I hate that term with such a passion, it’s not even funny. Can I call people who are pro-choice, anti-lifers? Sigh.

Western Caribbean Cruise: Cozumel, Mexico

I’m not sure why, but I was more excited to visit Cozumel than Grand Cayman. Grand Cayman is a beautiful island and gave off a nice, relaxed, island vibe that felt so different from the rushed craziness of my city. But there wasn’t a whole lot of difference between the States and Grand Cayman, at least in Georgetown. So I was excited to visit Mexico and be on its soil.

When we got to our cabin on departure day, we had a note saying that the excursion we had previously scheduled had been canceled. (We had planned on a tour of the city, along with lunch and shopping at a mall.) So we had to choose something else. For me, the Mayan Ruins intrigued me the most. Looking back, I wish I had done another snorkeling or sea excursion, but at that time, I didn’t know how I would feel about the snorkeling experience and wanted to do something completely different.

I think my favorite part of Mexico was being there. I kept thinking, “I’m in Mexico!” It felt surreal. I had heard about Mexico, learned about Mexico, knew where it was on a map (don’t be jealous of my awesome geography skillz!), but being there was incredible. I snapped picture after picture of the island as we drove by bus to our destination, enthralled by the difference of where I lived and seeing words on storefronts that I had only seen in textbooks before.

I have a lot to say on the excursion, which was broken into two parts: a tour of the Mayan Ruins and then lunch and an hour at Playa Azul before going back to our starting point. For now, enjoy some photos of Cozumel.