Reflections.

2011 was a bit of a crazy year for me.
I went to visit my best friend in Florida, then took an almost five month journey to Hawaii. After returning home to stay briefly at my parents house, I moved into a house with my two friends. I tried out a full time job position in sales, but it had no benefits and a very low pay, so I amicably left.

Then I got a seasonal position at a wonderful job and met fantastic people. A few days ago, that position ended, which leaves me a bit sad, but I was satisfied with the way my performance was rated.

Between working 30 to even 50 hour work weeks and driving back and fourth to my job, Brother's, my parents (which is over an hour drive now) and friends, I'll admit that I was too exhausted to keep up with my blog and it became pretty neglected. My 2012 resolution is to get back to writing again. What I've learned is that, even though I still fear the unknown, you never know what's around the corner, including good things.

I'm keeping up with my traveling vow. This time will be a little more low key (as in, not a 5 month long journey). First, I'll be stopping in Orlando to visit the bestie. Then, I'll be going on a trip to Key West
and the Bahamas.

A few changes will be different this time around. When I was on the phone discussing my plans with family, (more or less going "Wouldn't it be cool to do something like that again?") They said "Well, why not?" My stepmom will be my traveling buddy this time around. I think it's because she didn't like the idea of my driving to see a landmark or taking a road trip by myself. I don't mind though. One thing I learned last year is that I am okay with being by myself or with people. We leave February 4th. I think my family has seen how tense I've been lately. I'm glad I have them around reassuring me, telling me I can do it, championing me, and simply making me feel better. I hope I do the same for them.

I've been coming to terms with a lot of things lately, including that my CP and scoliosis may be affecting me a bit more as I age, and that I simply can't do everything I thought I could do. They've all been a big support in helping me come to terms with that.

"Katie, if you didn't have the challenges that you do, you wouldn't be the same person. It's part of who you are." said my dad.

I think he's right.

Texas Roadhouse

Saturday, April 16, 2011

On Saturday, I decided to take my good friends out to lunch, as a thank you to letting me stay with them. Together, we decided on The Texas Roadhouse since it's right down the street from Tana's. Most of you may know me as a former Midwestern gal. I'm sorry, but in Ohio (as well as the south) fried food is everywhere. I'm guilty of enjoying chicken fingers, french fries and cheese sticks WAY too much to even my own liking. I'm also not fancy y'all. Take me to a Chill's or an Applebees and I'll be happy.

HOWEVER spending my teen years in New Jersey has also made me unaware that certain foods are indeed, not a myth. I thought these only existed in movies. I really did. Behold:

That sign? That sign Ethan's holding right there? One of the specials reads "Fried Pickles". Yeah. Listen y'all, some things are NOT meant to be fried. Pickles are one. Oreos are another. It just shouldn't exist. Luckily, none of us decided on fried pickles, Ethan included.

In fact, Ethan didn't really want much of anything, in spite of Aunt Katie telling him he could have whatever he wanted. Instead, he opted for peanuts in a bucket and had a grand old time breaking them apart. I can't say I blame him.

The rest of us decided as follows: Troy pulled pork sandwhich. Tana, ribs I believe. And me? I went classic: Burger and fries. Sue me.



Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. I said I'd try new foods, and I totally will when I get to Hawaii. But it's The Texas Roadhouse people. Not exactly life changing. On the plus side, Tana ate something healthy for all of us:

A house salad. That's a good Tana.

On the way out, I waved goodbye to the line dancers. Yes really. Try finding those in New Jersey.











The Ice Bar! :)

During my stay in Orlando, I've been adjusting to humidity and warm temps. One place made me feel right at home though. Welcome to....The Ice Bar! A bar made of, you guessed it, ice.

But let me back up. Tana suggested The Ice Bar because I had yet to see really "touristy" areas of Orlando. (With a full time job and a three year old, it hasn't been easy for either of us to get out) On Friday night, Tana suggested we go out and have some fun. After dinner, Ethan was put to bed by Tana's lovely hubby and we got ready to leave. As I was putting on lip gloss, Tana walked into the bathroom and said, "You're still wearing the same shirt you had on today? No way. I have a better idea."

She would.

You see, Tana is....how should I put this?....adventurous. She's happy go lucky. She truly doesn't care what people think and she isn't afraid of being silly, no matter how old we are. When she was a freshman in college (I was still in high school), Tana conducted a social experiment where she put on orange jeans, an orange shirt, an orange cape, goggles, etc. She dubbed herself "The Orange Wonder" and we brought a video camera to the mall and taped people's reactions of her walking around. She loved it of course.

So you might imagine my hesitation (and tiny bit of wonder and excitement) when she suggested a new shirt.

"I have GLITTER SHIRTS!" She announced returning to the bathroom. She wasn't kidding. Since Tana is 5'10 and I am 5', I had my doubts on whether my shirt would fit me or not. Surprisingly though, it did.

The first thing you do when you're admitted into The Ice Bar is head to The Fire Lounge. The Fire Lounge is a room at normal temps, with a "pregame" bar. Only a few people at a time are allowed into The Ice Bar, and you have a 45 minute time limit because it's so cold. When your name is called, a bouncer fits you with a winter coat (according to your height) and gloves, then they lead you inside.

I was in shock over how much of the area was pure ice. The bar itself was ice, there were ice sculptures everywhere, and even our shot glasses were made of ice.

Tana and I sat down on ice thrones..At first, I struggled to get up on it. I kept sliding off so much that Tana and I began cracking up. The harder I laughed, the more difficult it was to get on the chair. Finally, I grabbed onto the back of the throne and pulled myself forward. By that point, we were both in silly moods.

Finally, we were able to catch up. I told her all about my upcoming travel adventure in Hawaii and my friends back home. She told me all about her friends down in Florida and all about her adventures of being a mother. It's amazing how much we've changed over the years and gone in different directions, but we're still close. I've felt a sense of relief that I was able to finally see my friend this year. By the time we left The Ice Bar, our toes were numb. But we both concluded that it was worth it.



Adventure Part 1: Orlando.

I'm up, up and away! I left for Newark Airport around 5am, saying goodbye to my stepmom (and secretly my house) one last time before exiting what was no longer mine. Good ol' Dad drove me to the airport on his way to work. I probably would have teared up after leaving my house if it weren't for the following distraction: running late. At first, neither of us realized we were running late. In fact at the airport I thought I made great timing, but quickly discovered that security checkpoints have become even tighter since I'd last flown. By the time I was done going through security (and getting my laptop back after it was taken to be screened) Flight 292 was in final boarding call to Orlando. Of course that was my flight.

And OF COURSE I was at gate 70 and had to hightail it all the way to gate 88. After barely making it--and feeling like my chest was going to burst by the time I handed in my boarding pass (maybe cardio should be in my future)--I found my seat. Did you know that Continental has DirectTV on their flights now? I didn't use it (since I want to save money and stretch out my dollar as long as possible) but I WAS super impressed with the free preview you were given for a half hour. (after which your little TV in front of you switches off by itself and you have to use your credit card to continue to view it) I mean, IT'S A TV. IN YOUR SEAT. Maybe for the next flight to Honolulu I'll try it, since that flight is obviously much longer. Two and a half hours later, I arrived in Florida.

When I left the airport, I noticed immediately that I wasn't in Jersey anymore. For one thing, it was 80 degrees (and climbing to 90 for the day, yessssssss). For another, there were palm trees everywhere.

My buddy Tana pulled up to the pick up area with a giant smile on her face. Tana is my oldest friend. I met her shortly after our 12th birthdays. She has since (besides Ohio where we grew up) lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma and now Florida. Despite writing, e-mailing and calling, I hadn't seen her since her wedding. She got out from the drivers side, rushed around the car and embraced me in a big hug. "Hiiiiii! How ARE you? Oh my gosh! I missed you!"

"I missed you too!" I replied. I'll confess I was slightly nervous. In the time that Tana and I haven't seen each other everyday, she has gotten married and had a baby (named Ethan), but I had yet to meet her little one. I'll also admit this: I haven't been around little kids for long periods. Don't get me wrong, I'm okay with kids (I was better with them when I was younger) but I play with them for a couple of hours and then Mom and Dad are ready to take them home. What was staying under the same roof as a toddler going to be like? I knew it would be different then when Tana and I were in our late teens and 20's, going out whenever we wanted. Was Ethan shy? Cranky? Would he like me? (listen to me, seeking approval from a toddler) I honestly felt like I kind of missed the mark with my nephews and I felt it was important that Ethan and I got a great start. He was my friend's son. All that fear however, melted away the second I got in the car.

"Hi!" Ethan exclaimed beaming from his carseat. I marveled at how much he looked like Tana. He had the majority of her facal features, including her nose and mouth. "This is Katie," Tana told him. "Okay. Hi Katie. Wanna play?" He asked me.

From then on we did.  the second we arrived at Tana's house he took my hand. "Come on!" Ethan said cheerfully. "Let's go. I show you my room." He led me to all his trains and cars, (Thomas rules all) and we took the toys and began pushing them aound the house.

 During lunch, he had me try my first new food: PP&J. I know, I know. Not very sophistcated, but there you have it.

Already I can see a change with this trip. I'm finding my confidence again and I realized I'm much better with kids then I believed. It's been a joy so far in Florida. Before I close, I just want to add to Mom bloggers out there: HOW on Earth do y'all do it? (blog I mean) I haven't had a chance to sit, much less blog. There's way more important stuff, like trains.

2 DAYS.

I guess you know why I have been neglecting this blog for over a week. I know Hayley warned me (boo to me not listening entirely), but....Packing to move and packing to travel at the same time is HARD y'all. My room currently looks like it threw up on itself. I think I'll be all done after today though, just in time which is good.

Everything else is taken care of. (banking wise, address wise, etc) My suitcase is packed. I still have to buy some sneakers and and cases for my camera and video camera, but after that I'll be done. Finished. FREE! I said goodbye to most of my friends last night. (Went out to dinner at Applebees. It might be eatin good in the neighborhood, but that neighborhood is no where near Hawaii) Over the last few days as I've noticed how empty my room has become, I've been feeling mixed emotions: Sad that I'm leaving my comfy house, excited to see new places, excited to see my oldest friend, and a little nervous of the unknown.
Yeah, nervous. I'll admit that too.