More adventures! Coming soon!

I got my visa, FINALLY! And my flight is booked. It's so crazy I can't even believe it's real because traveling to foreign places is always something I've dreamed of, but it's becoming a reality and it seems almost too good to be true. Of course, it wasn't so easy and it didn't just happened, but rather a series of hoops I had to jump through. The most recent/most difficult/most stressful being the process of acquiring my visa.

The is the series of events that concluded this past Wednesday:

-Stayed up late Tuesday night making sure everything for my visa was perfect (didn't want to make another trip to Chicago)
-Wake at 7:30 and get ready
-Pick up some needed paperwork
-Leave town about 8:30 (drive was suppose to take two hours, place to get my visa was only open 11:00-12:00)
-Gas light comes on while on the expressway in Chicago in a traffic jam only a few miles aways from my destination
-Get a little worried
-I miss my exit, somehow, still not sure how
-Look for a gas station
-Get lost
-Call my sisters, no answer
-Find a gas station
-Finally get a hold of my sister
-She gives me directions, praise the Lord
-I finally find the place, it's 11:55
-I don't have a place to park
-And I don't want to drive to Chicago again (I'll have to come back if I don't make it by noon)
-I park at a taxi stand (cab parking)
-I run inside, excuse me, I sprint inside
-Get a number, meaning I was in line to get a visa
-Run back out to my car, it's been maybe 10 minutes, tops!
-I have a hundred dollar parking ticket
-I want to cry
-Call my sister to help me find where I can park
-Find the parking garage
-Get lost in the parking garage
-Start to cry to my sister
-Find a place to park
-Get yelled at by the parking attendent, twice
-Walk back to get my visa
-Wait an hour
-I have everything I need and the nice lady said I could come back to get my visa at 4
-Kind of excited
-Walk in the rain to get lunch
-Eat lunch
-Was really cold on the walk back
-Get in line about 2:30 so I can be the first to get my visa, so I can go home, very tired at this point
-So tired and I decide to sit on the floor, my feet hurt, and it was nice
-Sit on the floor and enjoyed the music on my ipod
-An attendant came up to me and said, "You're not allowed to sit on the floor, but you can still listen to your ipod" and then laughed
-Yes, he was serious
-I stood up
-I want to cry, again
-I wait three hours, a very unpleasant three hours
-I get my visa
-Walk back to my car, wait, tried to walk back my car
-Get lost, again
-Find my car
-Drive home and cry, again
-Realize I lost my student ID
-Bitched to my roommate about the shitty day I had

What it cost me to get a visa:

Passport - $100
Visa fees - $245
Gas - $40
Toll booths - $10
Parking ticket - $100
Parking fees - $24
The most horrible day in Chicago - Priceless


Yes, it was a painful process, but it's over and I'm so HAPPY for the thought of that!!!! The best is yet to come!

Sometimes people suck...

Another dollar

Another day

A long one

But not much to say

With many flaws

And a spacey mind

I'll give my best

And the truth I find

Oh no

They're no good

They're mean

Not doing what they should

You thought they were better

Yes, you know they could

You've seen those hurtful people

And you thought they never would

Time is the key

It shows all people true

The ones who are there

When you're feeling blue

A bad day, perhaps

Having no luck

But really I think

Sometimes people suck

But with the ones I love

And the smiles they give

Just be happy

That's the best way to live

Priorities: Con-man, Birukee, Lan-dog

So yeah, I'm at Chatter's this week where I am her personal nanny. ("I prefer the term child supervisor.") Today we did a lot of rearranging around the house and that was refreshing because we left most rooms looking fantastic. We had a great time tonight. The kids were in bed pretty early, so we hit up Target and got dinner at JJs. I know I'm an addict. Anywho, after Target we came back and watched strangers with candy, and we laughed. Needless to say I didn't finish my dinner seeing how Jerri managed to kill my appetite, she is foul.



Sweet Joey

I open my heart

To your listening ear

You ease my pain

And dissapate my fear

In the lastest hour

Of my darkest night

With tears of laughter

You make it light

Whenever it rains

You can call on me

Anywhere you are

I will always be

I know your secrets

And you know mine

If we're together

It will be fine

We call names

We're mean in fact

But I get the truth

With no need to act

You rub my feet

And I'll scratch your back

We fight for beds

As we hit the sack

With a brighter tomorrow

And the scars of our past

We'll find our dreams

And they will forever last

Smile, girl

Life is good

The road will twist

As it should

Sleep is calling

As I am lying here

You are so far

But feel so near

Thankful for today

The other day my sister introduced me to a website which brings attention to the trials and tribulations of the people in Haiti. It's a rescue center there that helps children who suffer from malnutrition, burns, and many other unfortunate events. Reading through the stories of each suffering child was bittersweet, as it was both painful and inspirational. The people who run the place must be truly amazing. It is comforting to me to know that there are people out there like that, and it moves me to want to be a better person.

http://haitirescuecenter.wordpress.com/


Baby Biruk

I think of you

You baby boy

Your dark eyes

Are lit with joy

Your love of life

Your handsome smile

On a bad day

It could last a while

You'll dance to the music

Sing to the song

Never thought I'd be so lucky

Guess I was wrong

I could eat you up

Hold you forever

The bond we have

Could never sever

With a grin on your face

I laid you to sleep

Not a scream or a fuss

Not even a peep

I hope you dream

Of wild wings

Shooting stars

And pretty things

I don't know how

But you're a light to me

Every little look

Always gets to me

I say good-bye

I'll see you soon

Can't wait to hear

You hum your tune

Passports, itnerary, letters, student visas....ahh. So much to do, so little time and I can't seem to figure out where the days go. Recently I was home for my brothers wedding, which was awesome, but still somewhat tiring. While home I managed to stay up late chatting with siblings, enjoyed a few games of Shocker (a game that shocks the last person to buzz their hand piece, and yes it is very intense) and played an extremely fun game of Kick The Can. Every one of my siblings got in on Kick The Can (except for the one on his honeymoon) and I must point out that a game with all my siblings is a rarity. It was a lovely visit.

Yesterday I worked a 16 hour shift on a couple hours of sleep, it was rough, but there's nothing like the satisfation of a hard day's work. Plus, I slept 12 hours and woke up feeling rested and refreshed, another day full of possibilities.

Laters...