Advent: Friday, Third Week

Today's Action: Renew the intention to spend quiet time resting in the presence of the Lord. Be a light and save haven for others.

I'm going to not necessarily reflect on today's action, and instead, I'm just going to freewrite. I'm not feeling like being confined today.

I'm finding it hard to rationalize the bad things that happen in the world. Firstly, this crazy elevator instance where the lady got caught in it and died! It's just awful! What a strange nanosecond in time. I pray for her family and friends, as well as for her, that God takes care of them all.

I'm so ready to start this next phase of my life. It doesn't help that I'm sick. I hate not having the energy to do all the things on my to-do list. It really sets me back because I don't allow enough time in for back up. With all the stuff going on at work though, I can't help but feel just a tiny bit of guilt... some feeling of not finishing what I started. I keep praying that God will take care of all the people I work with. I know from past experience that, with time, things will just work themselves out they way they need to. The company will not go under just because I'm leaving, and hopefully, I'm banking on the fact that now someone else will get to shine. The company will have a new beginning as well, so that's exciting, right?

I want to maintain all the relationships I have. I know it's easier said than done, but this time I really want to try.

here goes nothing!

Martha Stewart & Emeril are officially a team: click here.

It's a very exciting and nerve-wracking time! I don't know what to think or say -- I just wish I could be with my family right now. Or with everyone in New York. I know my mom is so antsy to get there -- she's been at the airport since 6:30am, and she's still there. The first flight was cancelled and the next one out is delayed. :/ I guess things will be a little different from now on. I've been anticipating it for some time, but now that's it! It's done. done done done.

I am fighting this "cold" with all my strength. I refuse to be bedridden like the rest of the city! I took a 24-hour claritin this morning that has alleviated my runny nose so far. I have an arsenal of kleenex, medicine, tea, honey, & lemon. I also have socks, a scarf, a cozy sweater, and hardly any makeup on. It sucks to wear makeup when your sick cause your face feels sore and you have to blow your nose all the time -- so it just comes off anyway. I also wore my hair down cause it hurts to put it up. :P

i love love love hawaiian music! hapa is one of my favorite bands and they're on the radio right now! yes! e hele ana e! some of the songs on station are cheesy, but the good ones are worth waiting. it makes me want to go to hawaii so bad! they have such a beautiful culture.

time for work now.

welcome to monday

Hola! I had a nice weekend. I spent most of it studying, but the weather was decent and we did some fun things. Saturday night, TJ & I had our Valentine's dinner at Mat & Naddie's (http://www.matandnaddies.com/web/). So good!! We decided, based on this pattern, that if you get crappy hostess service when you walk in, that the dinner service will be excellent. And that is exactly what we got! (a few weeks ago, we went to Patois and got amazing front-door service, but the worst service I've ever encountered in an upscale restaurant).

We had 8pm reservations and got there at 7:52. The hostess says "Oh. you're early. Yeah, your table's not ready yet." And she paused, so we were just like, "ok... well, i guess we'll go seat ourselves by the bar. ..." What she should have said was "thanks for coming in tonight. please have a seat at the bar. your table will be ready in just a minute." we had the crappiest wine ever "A to Z" chardonnay. it tasted like water. But that wasn't tj's fault -- the bartender suggested it.

Either way, let's talk about the dinner:

• Appetizer: Fried Crawfish & crab dumpling things with a sauce - very nice
• Salad/Soup: TJ had a duck confit salad with cherries and I had a vegetable soup cause my throat was sore.
• Entree: TJ had venison medallions and I had the filet (cop-out, I know, but I really really wanted it!) It had a balsamic reduction sauce w/blue cheese, rosemary fingerling potatoes, and green vegetables! mmmmmm
• Dessert: Cheesecake with tons of almonds & caramel

It was a very nice dinner and I can't wait to go back again! Oh yeah - our server was unbeatable! Just the right amount of attention, telling us the specials and the 86's ahead of time, getting everything right, super polite. Fantastic!

So.... other than Saturday night's dinner, we hung out with my family on Friday evening and had crawfish. On Sunday, we went to the godforsaken Lakeside mall. We wrote that mall off for good -- along with WalMart. It was so insanely packed! It took forever to find a parking spot, and people were just so rude, everywhere we went. It was a nightmare! Good thing I got the outfit I needed. We vowed to be more prepared for things and to order clothes that we need online, ahead of time.

There were tornados in Escambia County, Florida last night. That's where my sister lives. She said she wasn't affected too badly because the bad storms happened north of her and that Escambia County is really big. Thank God! That is sooo freaky. I guess I have some things to get done here at work. I don't want to, though. I think I feel sick, but I'm not sure. I can't tell if it's just cause I don't want to be here, I don't have caffiene, or if I really am coming down with a cold. The workday's about halfway over now so, that's cool. I gotta get moving on some things, though. Have a nice day!