DISCLAIMER: I wrote this awhile ago and haven't posted it...So dates and stuff are a bit off, but here are some life updates...BE SURE TO KEEP LOOKING BACK, THE NEXT POST WILL BE ABOUT MY TRIP TO DISNEY WORLD!!!!!!!
Bahh! Hi! I have so much to blog about, it's been awhile. Here is an outline (moreso for myself so I don't forget what I want to include).
-Jackie and Donnie's Visit
-Car Troubles
-Easter
-Retreat with CVIF in Miami
-My Future!
So my lovely dear friends Jackie and Donnie came to visit me in Immokalee for 5 days, and it was so nice! It's always nice having my friends come, for they give me a piece of home and peace of mind. :) They came in on a Thursday, and I had to work so they were able to visit with some of Donnie's family in Ft. Myers until I was done. They met me at my house after I got done teaching After-School. It had been greatly anticipated and I was overwhelmed with joy that they were there. I gave them a tour of my house, and then we got in the car and I gave them a driving tour of Immokalee. Then we got dinner at Mi Ranchito. Friday, I went to Pace in the morning, and they were able to sleep in a bit, then they headed to the local farmer's market, where they got tons of produce and fruit...roasted corn :) I came home around lunch time and Donnie made some delicious homemade salsa, after running to the grocery store for the tortilla chips. When I had to go teach, they went to explore and walk around Ave Maria. Then I came home and we got ready for our excursion out to Naples, where we had dinner at Kelly's Fish House. Now, I'm not huge on fish, but I was open to it and had some grouper--very mild fish apparently. It was so good :) We did some touristy walking around and explored the shops. They got some souvenirs :) Saturday we went to Busch Gardens and met up with my other lovely sister Laura and her boo boo, Ted Bartlett :) It was a Chi Delt reunion. And it was lovely. I've never been there before and it was so much fun. :) Sunday was Jackie's birthday, and I woke up early and snuck out to get her a card, cake, and wine, of course. :) Donnie and I sneak-attack woke her up, and we got ready to head to the beach. On the way we got some Dunkin Donuts, of course. It turned out to be a lovely day at the beach :) We came home, got Mi Ranchito again, then went to church. Then we came home ,had cake and wine. The plan was t ohave a bonfire, but unfortunately it rained. So that was that. It was a great weekend though. They left me on Monday, sadly. But it was a fantastic weekend and it meant so much to me that they came :)
We had car troubles again last Friday. I was driving to Stations of the Cross at Ave Maria, and I took my first off the gas. Rather than slowing down, the car began accelerating and when I went to brake, it would hardly slow down. Talk about scary!! I turned quickly off my street (a pretty main road) and onto side street, where I slammed on the brake, put the car in park, and turned off the car. Then, of course, when I went to try and start the car again, the key wouldn't turn in the ignition and the wheel wouldn't turn. It was super super scary and frustrating. Couldn't get a hold of the police, the number was disconnected .Didn't have numbers of tow trucks to call, and the people I called were out of town. So I left the car there and walked home because it was getting dark. When I got home I did my research and got the police number, and tow trucks. I had to run to the ATM to pay the tow-truck man, and when I met him to get the car, it started. Of course it did. That totally would happen. Anyways, I still didn't trust driving it so we towed it to the car shop (which it still is 11 days later). The tow truck guy was nice though and charged me $10 less than normally, after hearing that I was a volunteer. I really appreciate kind people in the world. I truly do.
So, anyways, this put a dent in my plans because I needed this car to go out to Miami for a retreat I had so been looking forward to. I talked to the program director, as well as the other HM volunteers in Miami who were also attending the retreat. Thankfully, it worked out so that Tania and Alejandro agreed to come get me in Immokalee. They stayed Saturday (we got to have a bonfire Saturday night-yay!!) to Sunday (Easter). Tania and I went to Mass with the community at the local parish, Our Lady of Guadalupe. It was in Spanish and there was standing room only, so we stood in the back. It was really an awesome experience, and I'm glad I got to celebrate with the people in Immokalee.Then Tania and I had some Easter lunch at Burger King. :) It was different than being at home with family, but I was thankful to have someone to celebrate it with none-the-less.
Then we headed to Miami, and I saw a forest fire on the way!! It was crazy because we don't have those in Ohio. At least I've never seen them. But helicopters were flying over and dropping water and stuff and it was NUTS. Anyways, we made it to Miami and stayed at their apartment that night. Then the next day we headed to the retreat with Catholic Volunteers in Florida (CVIF). It was so so good. Originally, when my program director told me about it, I jumped at the opportunity to go on retreat and said yes right away (and bugged the heck out of Tania to remind her to go). As it got closer, my anxiety kicked in reminding me that they would probably all know each other and we'd be the "new kids" and what if people were cliquey!? My worries were put to rest the moment we walked in. People were so friendly, nice and we fit right in almost immediately. It was so sad to leave them on Friday. It's nice knowing there are other volunteers in Florida, but it would be nice if they were closer. We had some really awesome people come give talks about discernment and listening to God in silence (we had a day of silence, it was incredible). It's so hard to hear God sometimes with all the noise in the world. Taking away words really helps make things more clear. I spent a lot of time outside ,by the water, in nature, in a temple-looking chapel...it was incredible. I loved it. We had a talent show as well, which was so much fun. Tania, Alejandro and I did a dance to Jump on It. So much fun. I don't know it was just what I needed and really renewed my spirit and refreshed my mind. It also brought clarity to some things and helped me address some issues I had been avoiding. But it led me to make up my mind about what I will be doing next year....
So I applied to do another volunteer year with HM. For the longest time I was set on going back to Cleveland and volunteering there, but as it came closer to filling out the application, I began to doubt my choice and worry if it was just about me and my desires, or if God wanted me to go there vs. staying in Immokalee. I toyed with the idea, made pros and cons lists, and prayed. They are both such good options, there is so much good going on in both places, and both places would also have their struggles. After the discernment talk, it helped me be at peace, knowing that God would meet me wherever I went. After much thought, and prayer and discernment, I finally filled out my volunteer year two application last night, and I applied for Cleveland. As nothing is fully set in stone yet, prayers for my future would be greatly appreciated. :) I'm excited. I've grown so much already being down here and it's been an experience that has pushed me to be independent, self-reliant,more trusting in God and to do things past my comfort level. The seclusion of being in this little town in the middle of nowhere has given me a lot of time to think about things, move past things, and change the way I view the world. I'm excited for new experiences and different ways of service that await me. :)
