EYEdentity

Here's To New Beginnings!

2009-06-09T17:07:00.002-04:00

And it's like 10x better then my old one. This one had a wider top for easier cleaning and you can put ice in it. And also the second top like the old one. And this one has ridges for easier handling.

All thanks to Angela!! I went out to leave for work this morning, and it was hanging on my door.

:)
Love you girl!!

2009-05-31T20:38:00.002-04:00

First one belongs in National Geographic.
Thanks again Dave!

DOH Picnic 2009

2009-05-30T00:17:00.002-04:00

more weekend shots...

2009-05-27T17:58:00.003-04:00

Illegal in at least 47 states.....and yes, we rode that way. John got off and took the pic on top of the hill before he got back on his 'seat' in the front.

Cater Tots!!!!!!

Umm...what is that look on my face??

Cate....our colors clash BIG time.

All of us beautiful ladies at Sara's BBQ on Saturday!

Umm...this truck was stopped at a red light, Deb quickly got her phone out, and as I usually do...I posed.

I love my life!

2009-05-24T23:41:00.005-04:00

Today was amazing. In fact, this entire week has been wonderful. Team Satey has in fact conquered everything from ruthless auto salesmen, to showroom floors, every town within a 30 mile radius, horses, quads, shopping, Red Lobster parking lot stalking, Afghanistan and Pakistan food 2 nights in a row, pots of coffee, and no sleep. On my way home tonight, the thought occurred to me that never again will my life be this free. So I'm making a pact to live the craziest and do the wildest and most things that I can possibly do right now.

After church today I went out to my parents house, who live mad deep in the country. We were having a family BBQ today. My niece and her boyfriend brought her quad over and that was the beginning of the fun!!!!!!

While I was there, my cousin Rachel walked over on her horse. Would that be considered 'walked over?' Anyway, this is about a 2k pound workhorse. HUGE. And yes...I told you my parents live mad deep. So we're all out on the front lawn and my 10 lb chihuahua decides that he's gonna start barking and growling at it. That's my baby, takes right after his mama!!! Then the horse started peeing. I now understand the term, "I gotta pee like a racehorse." Wow...that was an insane flow of urine.

Then the quad fun started. As you can see from the following videos...Cate and I emerged from the woods screaming like a bunch of idiots. I think we spent upwards of hours on the thing throughout the course of the day. It was a little freaky being on it without a helmet on though I must admit. But it was such a free feeling it was wonderful! And of course me and my addictive personality...that's all it took and now I want my own and I'm now dreaming to become a professional quad rider and do that for a living. I am going to be so sore tomorrow...that is a WORKOUT on that thing, believe it or not. We had endless land to travel on and we took advantage of it all! The scenery out there is breathtaking!

And last but definitely not least, my favorite video....we wanted to catch the sunset because we could tell it was going to be beautiful. We tried to get to the highest hill surrounding the house. These hills are not mowed and the grass and brush was about as tall as the quad. We all wanted to go over, so now the term 'quad' takes on a whole new meaning. FOUR OF US...yes, four of us...all hopped on the one 4-wheeler and took it across the hills. One on the racks on front facing us, my sister was 'driving', Cate behind her, and me on the metal bars on the back. Was it painful? Yup.

But the sunset was AMAZING and worth every second of it.

And now...I'm back home in the ghetto......and my adrenaline is still flowing.

I am beyond blessed...I truly am.

I don't really have an explaination??

2009-05-22T21:50:00.000-04:00

Yes my friends....

2009-05-22T21:47:00.000-04:00

Thyme is officially on my side........

2009-05-21T16:16:00.001-04:00

We're gonna find out just how rediculously quick my hair grows back...I'll take another one in a few weeks to see the progress....

Afghanistan

2009-05-18T17:48:00.003-04:00

These pictures are courtesy of 1 SG Dave Conklin. I'm pretty sure that last pic is gonna be cropped and posted on my wall here at home. Amazing!

Such beauty in the middle of such chaos....sigh.........

came to acceptance..no more tears LOL

2009-05-16T14:44:00.002-04:00

Umm soo yea, I still hate my hair...but I made the decision..that there's nothing I can do about it, so I'm gonna rock it out proudly until it grows back.

But yea..DEFINITELY not going back to that woman.

The Power of a Purse event

2009-05-04T12:33:00.005-04:00

(Mike, me, Mark. Cate went to take the pic, and for some reason, they picked me up. LOL)

http://capitalnews9.com/content/headlines/138662/the--power-of-a-purse-/Default.aspx
The 'Power of a Purse'
Updated: 05/03/2009 07:01 PM
By: Web Staff
TROY, N.Y. -- With Mother's Day just around the corner one local group is taking the opportunity to give back to underprivileged mothers and it's an event that has caught on across the nation.Mothers and More held its "Power of a Purse" event at the Troy-Cohoes YWCA this weekend. Women who call the facility home were able to pick out a purse from a large selection of donated bags.The organization needed a donation of about 100 purses, but got more than 500 new and like-new bags for the event. While a purse may not seem like a lot, one organizer says sometimes the selflessness and hard-work of mothers goes unrecognized.

The power of a purse
With Mother's Day just around the corner one local group is taking the opportunity to give back to underprivileged mothers and it's an event that has caught on across the nation.

"And all of these women are going to take a purse and it's going to symbolize their financial independence and getting back on their feet and allowing them to empower themselves economically,” said Michelle Hook, from Mothers and More.
Various 'Mothers and More' chapters in New York, California and Ohio are taking this idea and implementing similar events in their communities.

This was a great time yesterday. My brother Mark DJ'ed the event (with his friend Mike, as seen above), people from Zava's hair studio in Clifton Park gave dozens of free haircuts and styles, restaurants from around the Capital District donated delicious food, my mom did Mary Kay facials to the mothers in one room, the children got to make jewelery and cards for their mothers, and of course as you read, the mothers go to get purses. Cate and I volunteered around wherever needed.

It was a great day and a blessing to be a part of it. The woman were definitely blessed.

and this little girl could DANCE!!!!

Award Winning Island

2009-05-03T18:49:00.002-04:00

I wanted to find a nice park outside somewhere to walk around, enjoy the weather, and the awesome sky and sunset. I was in the town of Schenectady and I have no idea where anything is there. So we consulted the GPS for parks and recreation.
Who wouldn't automatically try "Pleasant Valley Park"?? I mean, the word pleasant evokes so many wonderful images.

Hmm.....we never found a park. However....we did find this Award Winning Island.

It was an 'island' that was about 5 feet around, in the middle of the ghettos of Schenectady.

Who needs the Caribbean when we have islands like this right at home in our backyard?

Dad's 70th Birthday Party

2009-04-07T18:00:00.002-04:00

Me, Dad, Mark, Sue, Deb

Deb, Me, mom, Dad, Josh, Mark, Sue, Deb, Alyssa, Shel w/ Snoopus, Garrett

Ang n I

I don't really know how this happened. LOL

Lake Placid 3/20-3/22

2009-03-30T18:11:00.003-04:00

A few weekends ago my sister Deb invited me to go up to her house in Lake Placid with her for the weekend. I took that Friday off of work, and met her and Mister (her Bernese mountain dog) at her house in Clifton Park, and we were on the road around 1 o'clock. Her house is on the golf course up there, near the Whiteface Lodge. It's my heaven on earth. She's a short walk to the lake and you can see it out her door. You can see Whiteface from almost every place you walk to. And of course, you're surrounded by all of the high peaks (which is the best part) and you get to walk right on the golf course.
When we got up there on Friday it was sunny and in the 40's. We did some walking around but mostly hung out in the house, unpacked, and cooked an awesome dinner. That Saturday was gorgeous outside. It was in the high 40's and sunny. It's amazing the difference a day makes up there. Woke up Sunday morning to a snow storm and in the 20's. I believe both nights dropped down to around 5 degrees. I was always up for walking Mister except at night time, then I just stood inside watching out the glass doors wearing 10 layers. LOL I'm such a nice sister.
It was an awesome weekend, I was extremely blessed to have had the chance to get away.
Adrenaline pumps through my veins while I'm there as I stare at all the high peaks that I'm going to climb this summer.

Whiteface mountain overlooked from Lake Placid. The Official Mountain of Tara.
One of the streams around the property on the walk down to the lake.

Me with MY Whiteface Mountain in the back
I think that was hole 10.

I wanted to capture how cold it was that morning. I think I did a good job. I don't know why, but I really felt that by me sitting on an icy cold rock, it would convey the message.

Thanks Deb for an amazing unforgettable weekend!!!!!!

Seasons

2009-03-17T19:30:00.002-04:00

These past few days have been beautiful and unseasonably warm with highs in the 60's. It's been great!

While I was waiting for the bus this morning at 6:30 am, the guy in front of me said, "I love this nice weather, it's about time, this winter has been terrible. We've been nailed this year!"

(for those of you who don't know, I take the Yankee Trails shuttle into Albany because there's no parking downtown. Or uptown. I get confused as to which one it is.)

Anyway, I quickly snapped back, "Well, we do live in the Northeast, I guess that's to be expected."

I don't think anyone appreciated my response, however, taken into account the fact that it's 6:30 am, pre-coffee, pre-breakfast; it's a miracle that I'm even able to formulate a sentence at that point.

Now, if you're like me, you HATE the winter. In fact, there are only two people that I know of that LOVE the winter and the cold: Angela and Jodi. (I asked for permission to use their names)

I hate being cold, it makes me miserable. It actually makes me mad. Yes, I get angry when it's freezing outside. LOL There are many nights I'll sit home because I just don't want to go out, I'd rather stay in and be warm. There are days that I don't want to go work because I hate getting up out of my warm blankets. And sometimes, it gets to the point where I feel like winter is never going to end, and I don't know if I can handle it for one more day.

The bus arrived at 6:40 on schedule, and as usual I went all the way to very back seat and sat down. I began to think about my snotty response (God forgive me) to the comment about the brutal winter that we've endured. I was starting to feel bad for saying that, because truth is, this winter has sucked. I was trying to figure out what made me respond so nastily. Then I realized, we've only had two nice days outside. It only took two days of being nice outside for me to forget almost four long months of torturous coldness. I completely forgot about the bad weather, I forgot how much I hated the cold. I guess in Tara's happy world, that was my way of saying, "What are you talking about?! It's nice out now, there's no such thing as winter!"

Then I got a revelation.

That's just like life. We all go through seasons. Some seasons are long, cold, torturous, painful, and seemingly never ending. Sometimes we wonder if God's forgotten about us, if He's hearing our cries and our longing for help. Sometimes we don't know if we can handle anymore and wonder if we can go on for one more day.

And then suddenly.......

SUDDENLY!!!

There's a breakthrough. Just like the flowers in the picture that I took outside my house this afternoon that broke through the ground, there is a break through in our lives and situations.

Maybe you've been waiting on God and believing for something for so long, and it doesn't seem fair because everyone else around you has received what you're waiting for.

Wait one more day....

Maybe your heart has been broken and the pain is so bad that you don't think that you can make it one more day.

Hold on one more day.

Maybe you're at a point in your life where nothing makes sense, and you feel like you're aimlessly roaming around waiting for God to answer, direct, and guide your way.

Seek Him one more day.

Maybe you lost your job and your living paycheck to paycheck wondering how you're going to provide for yourself and your family.

Trust His provision one more day.

Maybe you have a lost loved one and as the days are counting down, you're worried they'll never come to receive eternal salvation.

Pray one more day.

The thing is, God knows exactly what you're going through and where you're at. He has not forgotten about you. As a matter of fact, in Jeremiah 29:11 God tells us, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Just like I had quickly forgotten about four long months of winter after ONLY two warm spring-like days, when God comes through, when you receive that thing you've been waiting for, when He provides financially, when He heals your heart........you will no longer remember or even think about the horrible 'winter' that you had just endured. What He has in store for you is SO good, that it will blow your mind. The pain will quickly dissipate and you'll be so excited for what He's done, that in a few short days, years of waiting will no longer be remembered.

Spring is right around the corner!

Hold on one more day, your new season is too!!

Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. Psalm 126: 5

Oh, and for the record, it's going back down to seasonable temperatures in the 40's on Thursday.

2009-03-13T17:43:00.000-04:00

2009-02-26T18:54:00.000-05:00

I still can't believe I joined facebook.

laptop bonanza

2009-02-23T18:55:00.002-05:00

Saturday night, I responded to Mark's urgent text of, "I'm bored, come over and we'll search online for hiking gear and boots."

Well, I can't really pass up an offer like that.

He happens to have FOUR laptops. I certainly wasn't going to look on with him, I wanted my own. So a few hours later, Caters came. She now had her own laptop.

The three of us sat there until 1 am....no, 1:30, on facebook, boot shopping, emailing, and Mark had his DJ computer with all of his music on his so he played music for us. Old school stuff I haven't heard in years. It was wonderful. And completely dorky at the same time.

Loved it!

Team Satey conquers Tea Time!

2009-02-17T16:52:00.005-05:00

Caters invited me to tea time at the Altamont Old Stone House Inn on Sunday. It's a bed and breakfast and once a month the 'innkeeper' hosts a tea time for women to come to.

It's sorta funny cause when you think of 'tea time', the thoughts that come to mind are:

dainty,

petite,

proper,

etiquette,

good manners,

cute......

basically everything that I'm NOT.
So when she first asked me, I was naturally a little hesitant because I wasn't sure just how far out of my element that I would be. However, it ended up being a perfect break from the ordinary and I'm looking forward to next month.

Upon arrival we were warmly greeted and asked to sit out in the living room area while all the stuff was preparing. At that point, it was just Cate, myself, and some other woman who hated life, hated the world, hated everything. After listening to her complain about her rental car, and how she's used to driving a truck,and how she hates snow, she hates NY, she hates everything about NY, she hates the weather, she hates life....yada yada....I just started cracking up silently and looked the other direction, and just left the conversation up to Cate. I don't do too well with that kind of stuff. Cate, you did a marvelous job with that by the way, I don't think I told you that yet.

Then, THANKFULLY, the hostess came in and brought into the dining area and allowed to chose a table. We chose one of the tables for two right near the window. It was perfect!! Beautiful scenery. There was a choice of three teas; English Breakfast, Chamomile, and some African Meadow herbal tea. I chose the African one and Caters went with the English Breakfast. Vivaldi was playing softly in the background, I believe there was a little Four Seasons action going on. And there was glasses of ice water with fresh sliced lemons in it. Funny thing is, the lemons weren't squeezed, and we wanted the flavor from them, so we scooped them out and were hand squeezing them ourselves. We also had a wide assortment of spoons and forks, and totally had no idea what was used for what. But it was a wonderful variety.

Then the first course came out, which was assorted tea sandwiches. They were teeny tiny halves, and there were 4 of them. They were delicious and we scarfed them in mad quick. I then took a second, looked around, and realized that everyone else was still eating and savoring these tiny morsels. Oops. I guess you're supposed to eat slow. Anyone who knows me knows I don't really know how to do that.

Second course was homemade apricot scones with Devonshire cream. I've seriously never tasted anything like it. Because of my stupid sugar and flour free diet, I only was able to eat a tiny bit. And that was HARD to do, it almost mad me cry. I already had to take the bread off the sandwiches from the first round and only eat the bottoms. LOL

Third round...and at this point we were on our 4th glass of water and about the 10th cup of tea. It was assorted desserts, the tray that you see above. We got that whole thing at our table. Lemon squares, chocolate covered strawberries, creme puffs, and shortbread cookies with raspberry jam. Of course again, I couldn't eat any of it. But I took a picture for memories and got to watch Caters enjoy it all.

It was a wonderful afternoon. We got to chat and catch up and unload all the stuff that we've been going through lately. It was soo relaxing and such a break from the ordinary. We were probably the only two who didn't have a full head of gray hair too.

Four stars, and I look forward to doing it again on March 22nd.

My heart's cry and current prayer

2009-02-08T11:17:00.003-05:00

This might hurt

It's not safe

But i know that I've gotta make a change

I dont care if I break

At least I'll be feeling something

Cause just OK, is not enough

Help me fight through the nothingness of life.

I don't wanna go through the motions

I don't wanna go one more day

Without Your all consuming passion inside of me

I don't wanna spend my whole life asking

What if I had given everything?

Instead of going through the motions.

Take me all the way......cause I don't wanna go through the motions....

God, I am Your's....

Deb's Birthday Party

2009-02-08T11:09:00.001-05:00

oops a week late posting this.

I love how when it came to the person taking this group shot with my camera, that really nobody but me was paying attention and looking at the camera.

what the....???

2009-02-02T18:51:00.001-05:00

Angela, Shaquanda, Cate

2009-01-24T15:38:00.002-05:00

You can either suffer the pain of change, and on the other side of that receive freedom.
Or you can think you're avoiding suffering and just keep suffering because you just keep staying the way you are and never change.
I found out it's better to do it and get it over with because God's not going to change His mind.

~Joyce Meyer

I wanna build.....

2009-01-21T12:54:00.003-05:00

As you all know, I go to my parent's house every weekend to do my laundry. Usually I go on a Sunday, but since I had this Monday off (state workers represent!) I went on Monday.
And to my excitement, my parents had this 6 foot bookshelf that needed to be put together. Ya know, one of those cheap ones that weigh 400 pounds. Anyway, I was sooo excited to have a project! It took me a few hours and I loved every second of it. I even got to nail 50 nails into the back.
Now I want to build something.

1-20-09

2009-01-20T12:59:00.000-05:00

I'm moving to Spain.

Piece of cake

2009-01-17T14:52:00.002-05:00

There she is, my dream. The highest summit on earth, Mount Everest, standing at 29,029 ft.

Yesterday morning at 6:20 am when I went out to my car to leave for work, my car read -4 degrees. I couldn't even breathe in without coughing, the air was SO painfully cold. I got in my car and started it; heat on full force, rear defroster on, heat seaters on high. Then I realized....if I'm going to climb Everest some day, I gotta toughen up. I grabbed my ice scraper and got out of my car and stood outside and MADE myself stay out there.

OK, it was probably an entire three minutes that I was out there.

And I must confess......I'm just not cut out for it. I couldn't feel my hands, and I couldn't move them. Could be due to the fact that I was wearing leather designer gloves, not nice warm mittens that normal people wear on below zero days. LOL I also lacked a hat, scarf, and had earrings in that were conducting the cold through my whole ears. But anyway.

Who am I kidding. I hate anything under 70 degrees.

However, some day......I WILL make it to ABC (advanced base camp) at 21,300 ft SOME DAY. And most likely, I will be using O's, even at ABC. :-/

It's on my goal list of things to do before I die.

Right next to going into an expensive furniture shop with take-out food, sitting down on their most expensive table, lighting the candles they have as the set up, and start eating dinner with whoever it is that is brave enough to do this with me.

Right next to taking a pottery class and walking in with an 80's boom box, blasting Unchained Melodies as I sit down at the wheel.

Yup......I aim high my friends, I aim high.

My Entrance/Theme Song

2009-01-09T16:53:00.002-05:00

It occurred to me Monday morning that it was crucial for me to make my entrance song well known to everyone. What's an entrance song? It's a song that follows you around everywhere you go. It says something about you. As soon as you open any doorway, the song immediately starts and every head turns toward you.

I made up some ground rules this week also, because Freddie asked what were to happen if two people were to walk into the same room with the same song. After careful thought and consideration, I think it would only be right that the two people would spar. That's only fair.

So this is my song. And I hope every time you see me fling the doorway open, that you can hear this song playing proudly in the background.

I highly suggest that you find your own.

Ninja invasion

2009-01-09T16:46:00.002-05:00

I was sitting in my cube this morning and a ninja came running by. He was mad stealthy and I was really scared. Scared for my life. He even did a spin around my chair.

Strange thing, was that the NYSDOH identification badge around his neck read Freddie Zielinksi. I guess I'll never know.

The best gift of all!

2008-12-10T16:52:00.002-05:00

Shattered dreams.
Broken hearts.
Failed relationships.
Loss a loved one.
Loss of a job.
Financial difficulties.
Loneliness.
Failing health.
Fear of the future/unknown.

It's the holiday season. Everyone is running around, insanely busy shopping for the 'perfect' gifts, trying to prepare elaborate spreads of food, picking out the perfect outfits to wear to all of the parties to go to, etc, etc....
If you're like me, you have endless lists of things to do, things to buy, things to pick up, places to stop, parties to attend, food to make, estimates of how much it will all cost, so on....

As the song goes, It's the most wonderful time of the year!! But at the same time, it can be the most painful and difficult time of the year for many. Everything that you are dealing with seems to be magnified at this time of year. Pain is intensified. The hurt and loss feels almost unbearable, and every Christmas song you hear, every tree and ornament you see, just feels like a knife is being driven in deeper and deeper into your heart. You may even have come to the point of hating this time of year.

You know a ton of people, and want to buy nice personalized gifts for everyone, but financially, you just can't. Due to a loss of a job or financial hardships, you may not be able to do anything this year, that alone can cause feelings of embarrassment and guilt.
Someone that you're used to having around year after year, is no longer with you either due to death or broken relationships/friendships.
Another year has gone by, and that dream or goal that you had, is either shattered or no where near to being accomplished, and the vision is lost.
You may be single and the thought of spending the another holiday season alone, being surrounded by happy loving couples makes you dread even leaving the house.
That thing that you thought for sure would have come to pass by this year, just hasn't. And you're wondering just how much longer you can hold on and wait.
You're health is failing and the things you used to be able to do, you can longer do.
A piece of your heart may be thousands of miles away serving in a seemingly never ending war.

Whatever it is that you're struggling with this year, whatever is causing you pain, you know what it is and these are just a few possible scenarios.
Ironically, this same time of year that brings out all of your hurts and struggles, is the same time that offers the Answer to all of your hurts and struggles. I'm talking about the real meaning of Christmas, the real reason we celebrate this time of year. The God of this universe, the God who created you and I in His perfect image, sent his one and only son Jesus, born of the virgin Mary, to this earth for YOU over two thousand years ago. The world is trying harder and harder to push Christ out of the holiday and it is no longer 'politically correct' to say Merry Christmas. But without Christ, we wouldn't have anything to celebrate, and more importantly, without Christ our lives are empty and meaningless.

I am asking you to receive this amazing gift that God is offering to you for FREE! Jesus wants to heal your broken heart and bind up your wounds. He wants to provide for your each and every need that you have. He wants to heal your sickness and disease. He wants to fill that emptiness and void that you feel inside. He wants to restore broken marriages. He wants to give you a NEW dream and a NEW vision. He wants to be your everything, and your reason that you wake up every morning.
Not only does He want to do all this for you, but He is willing and ABLE to do all of that and WAY more. There is nothing that is impossible with God!
He is just waiting for you to accept Him in your heart as Lord and savior and to surrender your life to Him. God loves you so much and desires to be in close relationship with YOU! Yes, the God of this universe that holds time in His hands, wants nothing more then to be in close relationship with you, and to be involved in every single small detail of your life.

So won't you accept this free gift? I did, a little over a year ago and my life has never been the same. Just ask me, and I'd be glad to share my story, and The Story with you.

Merry Christmas
NOT
Happy Holidays

Trans-Siberian Orchestra 12/7/08

2008-12-09T16:08:00.003-05:00

Every year my entire family and I go to see TSO at the TU Center.

If you've never seen them....and they are at a town near you, I highly recommend going. It just gets better and better every year!

JP's house Saturday night

2008-12-09T15:55:00.002-05:00

I don't know why, but this picture makes me laugh. So I decided to post it. I was trying to come up with a scenario that is fitting, but I'm lacking right now.

Who's the idiot wearing hot pink in the middle of December?

Love, God

2008-12-05T19:03:00.001-05:00

Quote of the day (QOTD)

2008-12-03T18:37:00.002-05:00

What I really want is your apartment...and to turn the lights on, and the fan on low...and watch the shadows like I'm in an Indonesian prison...in 100% humidity.

~Freddie

My Favorite Skit- WATCH IT!

2008-12-02T17:50:00.002-05:00

Black Friday 2008

2008-11-29T12:33:00.003-05:00

Pizza party at Sue's house. Started out with lots of food, ended in a wonderful game of Pictionary and laughs to the point of wanting to throw up.

Well said, Samantha. This was our Pictionary drawing board.Mark did a great job of drawing each of us on our cups. This is my family. Well, part of it.
Left-Right: Jen, Mark, me, Cate, Ron

A very blurry Caters resting on the comfy couch.

Left-Right Brother Mark, sister Sue, sister in law Liz, brother Ron, sister Deb, me. Apparently Ron, Deb, and I were the only one's prepared for this picture.

Ron covered with the cutest kids ever. :) My nephews and niece.

My turn to draw.
Apparently no one could figure out that I just drew a picture of a marathon. I mean, how can you not?? After this, I was officially deemed the worst drawer ever.

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-11-29T12:26:00.003-05:00

My nephew Josh. Hey Josh, rest on the pillow again. Or wrestle it.... LOL

My family from Long Island, niece Samantha, brother Ron, nephew Adam, sister in law Liz, nephew Max.

Brother Mark, me, Caters

My dinner place setting. Yes....I'm Bean.

Brother Ron and GT. Don't ask.

It can't get any better then to have your own professional DJ with every single song known to man. Thanks Mark awesome job!!

Funniest Home Video EVER

2008-11-17T16:30:00.003-05:00

PLEASE WATCH WITH VOLUME UP HIGH!!

This was taken by Ang last night in her apartment. There was a spider on her ceiling and it looked like you'd die if you were bit by it. So me and all of my brilliance, decided to use a broom end to kill it, while standing DIRECTLY underneath.

Please note how fast, and how far I ran away. It totally dropped down from the ceiling from a web. I've watched this video at least 40 times today, and it as just as funny as the first time watching it. I urge you to watch it a few times to get the full effect.

Ang's 27th Birthday Party

2008-11-17T16:15:00.002-05:00

Ang: Wow Freddie, I didn't realize you were that tall!!
Freddie: Yeah, I don't feel self conscious now, thanks.

The Three Hottest Amiga's ever!

Everyone, minus Dan, cause he's taking the pic

Caters and I

Very upsetting morning.....

2008-11-13T17:15:00.002-05:00

There really IS such thing as a Liger, as I found out this morning.
I am extremely disappointed!
I truly thought that was just a Napoleon Dynamite thing, and that he made it up. I think for my own sanity, I'm going to continue to believe that Napoleon made it up in the movie, and then scientists from around the world decided to take it on as an experimental project, and it was successful, and this is the result:

That being said, he's very cute and cuddly and I want one.

Satey Conquers Taft Furniture

2008-11-13T17:00:00.005-05:00

This was without a doubt the REDDEST furniture set that I have ever seen. While sitting on it, Cate looked over and asked, "Are you getting mad sitting on that?".
I was pondering whether or not I was mad. Nope. Wasn't.

I was trying to look reflective and contemplative.
Way too many finger to mouth shots however.

This is the winner BY FAR.

This couch was the most hideous thing I've ever seen. They actually put this on their showroom floor?

But what makes this the winner, is that it wasn't only hideous, but it was tiny.

Cate yelled out, "What is this, a couch for little people?"

(yes, my friends, she said little people)

The sales guy came over, tried to act sophisticated, professional, and with attitude said, "No! This is what we call apartment series furniture for space saving."

Well sir, whatever it is you want to call it......we couldn't miss a photo opp of 5'10'' Caters sitting on it, making it look even tinier.

was trying to get a new eye shot.....

2008-11-10T21:21:00.000-05:00

Rocked my vote....

2008-11-04T17:37:00.004-05:00

She's Arrived! 10/17/08

2008-10-17T23:41:00.002-04:00

2,568 lbs, 6 oz

145.6 inches

2009 MINI Cooper

Nightfire Red

Name: To be determined

real pics soon to come!

Mohonk Mountain, New Paltz NY

2008-10-14T18:02:00.002-04:00

T&A conquer Mohonk Mountain!!
Do I not look like Helga, the German backpacker??

T&A
Didn't quite know what to expect. So I wore all of my hiking gear. Get out of the car, and everyone around has on jeans, t-shirts, and sneakers. I looked like I was the covergirl for Backpacker magazine. I did however, leave my headlamp at home. And my space blanket. And lighter. And....... God paints the most beautiful pictures!!

This place was beautiful and the scenery was amazing. There were 2 challenging parts, where Angela did an awesome job being my guide and telling me how to get up...because I would have just stood there not knowing what to do.

It was just Ang and I, and it was such a blessing to spend the day with her.

www.mohonk.com

2008-10-05T18:45:00.002-04:00

I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing

with a broken heart that's still beating

In the pain is there is healing

In Your name I find meaning

So I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on

I'm barely holdin' on to You

I'm hangin' on another day

Just to see what You will throw my way

And I'm hanging on to the words You say

You said that I will be ok

The broken lights on the freeway left me here alone

I may have lost my way now,

But I haven't forgotten my way home

2008-10-05T18:26:00.001-04:00

2008-10-01T17:30:00.002-04:00

I got this in the mail today from InTouch Ministries, written by Pastor Charles Stanley, and it nailed my heart. I wanted to share.

All it takes is one devastating phone call and your life is changed forever. The doctor's report is grim. The investment you've made has resulted in your financial hardship or ruin. Your loved one has been taken from you. You've been betrayed by someone you trusted. The next thing you know, you're trying to make sense of this terrible situation and wondering if you'll survive it.

Let me ask you- has this happened to you? Have you been sent staggering down the path of adversity by some unwelcome news or disappointment? Are you wondering why God would allow this pain and suffering in your life? If so, then you have a crucial decision to make. You can either blame the Lord or trust Him. You can either allow this trial to defeat you or have faith in God to help you triumph over your circumstances.

We all deal with seasons of hardship and sorrow. Those times will come and go as long as we live on earth. However I believe that if we understand the Father's purpose for allowing these trials, then we can face the most difficult circumstances without being completely and irreversibly devastated. Our troubles may discourage us at the moment the occur, but when we respond to them in the right way-realizing that the Lord is in complete control of our life-we are able to move forward with the faith and courage to endure.

So what is God's purpose in adversity? First Peter 1:6-7 tells us, "You have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious then gold which is perishable, even though tested by first, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." In other words, when the Lord allows trouble to enter our life it is because He is working on our faith. This is demonstrated in two ways.

First, God builds your faith through trials to transform you into the likeness of His son. Peter instructs, "As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in the all your behavior." (1 Peter 1:14-15) This does not mean you resemble Jesus physically; rather, it means that your personality, character, conduct, and conversation are like His.

It requires faith to be holy. It takes great trust in Him to make a godly decision when the right choice is difficult and even unpopular. But that's what the Lord will do in you through adversity. He builds the likeness of Christ in you- including courage that sustained Him as He faced the cross and unwavering assurance in His resurrection power. (Eph. 1:18-21)

Second, God builds your faith through trials so you will be equipped to fulfill His purpose for your life. Remember, your intimate relationship with Him is His highest priority for you, and it determines the impact you have for His kingdom. The hardship you and I face can deepen our relationship with the Lord. If you will allow Him, our heavenly Father can teach you and listen to, walk with, and obey Him with full confidence through any situation or circumstance.

Isaiah explained that it is through adversity that the Father reveals Himself as His plans to you. "Although the Lord has given you bread of privation and water of oppression, He, your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher. Your ears will hear a word behind you, 'This is the way, walk in it,' whenever you turn to the right or the left." (Isaiah 30:20-21)

Untried faith is unreliable faith-you don't know how devoted you are to God until you're tested. Do you trust Him to supply your needs? Do you believe that He will empower you to fulfill what He has called you to do? Do you know how to rely upon Him for every necessity? These are questions that must be answered if you wish to have a growing, intimate relationship with the Lord and serve Him faithfully.

My friends I want to challenge you today. Trust the Lord your God. Tell him, "Thank You, Father, for loving me enough to trust me with every heartache or loss. Teach me to be more like Jesus and equip me to follow Your plans for my life." And also ways remember that the dark moments of your life will last only so long as is necessary for God to accomplish His purpose in you. May the Lord bless, comfort, and encourage you as you walk through difficult times and serve Him in love and obedience.

Charles Stanley

can I get an amen?

Aww I love friends.....

2008-10-01T13:35:00.002-04:00

Me:
Thanks for bringing me in tea, thanks for thinking of me!!
(I'm home sick but he brought me in sore throat tea to work)

Freddie:
oh...i wasn't thinking of you....i accidentally brought them in...and when i walked by your cube, I tripped and they came flying out of my hand and landed on your desk. I didn't feel like getting them, so I just left them there. Trust me...i didn't think of u at all...u didn't even cross my mind...I don't even like u that much.
ear hurts? def keep doing that Nettie pot....it's supposed to be great for ear/throat stuff...or take a paper clip, straighten it out, and put it in your ear as hard as fast as you can...

Justin's Birthday

2008-09-30T18:47:00.001-04:00

Me and my girls Me and Sara's underwear.....it's the new style

BMW Ultimate Drive, Glenmont NY to Maine

2008-09-28T18:39:00.003-04:00

My 650i Coupe Me and my 650
Brittany and I near MY 650
All the white BMWs lined up at a rest stop. (that's me parked opposite way)
Uhh...me and my 650 lol

So out of the 650i Coupe, the X6, and the 135i (I drove all 3 of them, we all switched)............
the best handling, performance, and fun, believe it or not....
The winner is:
135i
Amazing car.

2008-09-25T09:24:00.000-04:00

Anyone who knows the Zakrzewski's, knows that we are SERIOUS about food. At any given party, it's extremely easy to find us all; just look for the food table and there we are gathered around it. Most people go around conversing, mingling, catching up with people....but no. Not us. We're standing around stuffing our faces.

Over the years I've come to conclude that we all get it from our father, who grew up with a 100% Italian mother, straight from Italy. If anyone knows about old school Italians, you'll understand exactly what I'm talking about. He finds his fulfillment in life cooking and feeding people. It brings him great joy. And he will make sure you eat until you're ready to puke. And he gets mad if you don't eat a lot. Almost offended.

My brother Mark has been in NYC for the past three days for work. Multiple times daily he text messaged me about these rolls, and how amazing they were. He couldn't wait every day for them to come out because he couldn't wait to eat them. After about 400 text messages about these stupid rolls, my only response of course, was to begin making fun of him. But of course, it was only out of love.....and well......jealousy because I wanted to try one.

So this morning, he's back in work and I asked him for a description of these rolls, and I can't say I was prepared for what I was about to receive.
Well, here it is:

Delicious Rolls:
They are about the size of an open hand and about 3-4 inches high. They
weigh about as much as a small office tape dispenser with a somewhat
crispy, light brown topping.
The consistency inside is like Play-Dough, heavy, warm, but fluffy. They
must use an egg bath for the top; you can see the excess drippings on
the bottom after they have been cooked.
The rolls are heavily flowered, there is a whit powdery resemblance on
the entire roll, but you can't taste it. They must be stone cooked, in
a kiln, because the bottom has that texture that an oven cooked roll can
not produce.
The sides are split but the roll is much intact. When opened up the
dough immediately becomes heavy when you pull out the inside, this I can
only imagine is due to the fact the warm dough is mixing with the cool
air, so it has a real dense consistency.
There is a distinct flavor to these rolls, almost like they use Vanilla
Extract in them or something similar. The flavor is NOT your standard
bread flavor. Maybe it's special yeast or something, but is definitely
distinct.

Mark, you make me proud!!!

Amazing Photo Op....

2008-09-19T21:32:00.002-04:00

I will post more pictures from the AMAZING BMW drive today....but this one, is particularly noteworthy and truly called for immediate attention.

This is one of my favorite sites to grab hold of in life:

A group of men standing around the engine of a car. (happens to be the BMW B7 Alpina). I REALLY can't help but to wonder if any of them really know what they are looking at OR what they are talking about. It's HIGHLY amusing.

So me, being me....had to be all up in the middle of this. I too, stood in this group, right in the middle. And I got to listen to them all talk. I may have thrown in a word or two, myself.

Let me end this by saying this.......115 mph in a 80k car.............the bar has been raised, in my book, regarding the definition of 'fun'. Nothing will compare to this for a WHILE....

EXHILARATING!

650i Coupe

2008-09-18T17:12:00.001-04:00

They just called about the BMW drive tomorrow. I got the 650i Coupe baby!!

MAINE IN A BMW THIS FRIDAY!!

2008-09-16T16:13:00.002-04:00

Background:
Join us for our 12th year in the battle against breast cancer with our partner, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Just get behind the wheel of a new vehicle of your choice in the BMW Ultimate Drive® supporting Susan G. Komen for the Cure event. As a participant, you'll find plenty of BMW models to test drive, such as the thrilling 3 Series Coupe, the sporty X3 SAV® and this year's Signature Vehicle, the new and dynamic X6. For every mile you drive BMW will donate $1 on your behalf to Komen. Since the program's inception in 1997, the event has raised over $11 million dollars for breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment programs. In 2008 you can continue to make a difference by taking a test drive to help us reach our goal: donating a grand total of $12 million.

So.....normally people drive these vehicles from dealership to dealership across the USA. Usually it's a short drive. This year, Capital City Imports BMW needed people from their dealership (Glenmont, NY), to WESTBROOK, MAINE!!! As you can imagine, I was the first person that signed up!! It is this Friday, so I took the day off weeks ago as soon as I found out about this. Today, we got the agenda.

Meet at Capital Cities at 7:30 am
They provide us with a free breakfast, we sign paper work and all that stuff, then a fleet of 22 of us BMWs are taking off to MAINE!!! I'm driving a brand new 2009 BMW for 5 hours!
Somewhere in between, we're all stopping and some company is providing us all with a lunch.
Once we get to Maine, a bus is going to be taking us back to Capital Cities.

So......an entirely FREE road trip.....AND I get to drive a brand new BMW.....AND it's for a good cause.
OOps, I think I have my priorities backwards on that one??

Anyway.....I cannot wait. I can't wait to see which car I get!! I signed up for the M6, followed by the M5, followed by the M3....completely unaware that they aren't using those cars. LOL
OOoops....Oh well, anything I get will be perfect!
Coastal highway baby......I'm praying I get a convertible!

There will be lots of pictures of this one.

2008-09-15T19:18:00.001-04:00

Can somebody please wake me up when September ends?

The reason I should never be left alone:

2008-09-12T16:53:00.002-04:00

my text message to Ang:
Ang, if it's pouring out tonight are you still going to go to the bonfire?

Ang:
Um, deary?

my heart is Yours

2008-09-09T18:55:00.002-04:00

You won't relent until You have it all

my heart is Yours

I'll set You as a seal upon my heart

as a seal upon my arm

for there is love that is as strong as death

jealousy demanding as the grave

many waters cannot quench this love

come be the fire inside of me

come be the flame upon my heart

come be the fire inside of me

until You and I are one

My Prayer.......

2008-09-09T18:04:00.002-04:00

all those people going somewhere
why have I never cared?
give me Your eyes for just one second
give me Your eyes so I can see
everything that I keep missing
give me Your love for humanity
give me Your arms for the broken hearted
the ones that are far beyond my reach
give me Your heart for the ones forgotten
give me Your eyes so I can see

Lord, give me Your eyes!

36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Matthew 9:36

Guess what?

2008-09-08T18:13:00.001-04:00

I picked out my new car!
Anyone wanna guess????
:)

Uhh...???

2008-09-08T18:06:00.003-04:00

This picture was from last week. Jodi, my wonderful co-worker/friend actually went outside like this. She had both pair of shoes underneath her desk and happened to have one of each different one on, and totally unknowing it, went outside to put quarters in the parking meter.

That's HOT!!!

T & A strike again

2008-09-08T17:57:00.003-04:00

I would have to say that well over half of my summer wardrobe is compliments of Angela. This is the latest shirt she had given me on Friday. I sent her a picture text this morning from work to show her that I was wearing it and........

This is the picture she sent right back!
Except she looks way hotter then I do.....and I have a cord hanging down. haha
Same shirt, and apparently we were both wearing white tanks underneath.

Great text message.....

2008-09-08T13:01:00.000-04:00

"so I was walkin outta walmart and this woman yells, "Stupid idiot" so I look at her and she goes, "not you...me"...the best part is I yelled back...its ok..I am 2..she was the walmart greeter."

~Angela

I'm thinking......

2008-09-05T23:04:00.002-04:00

of quiting work and becoming a Sherpa.
Any thoughts, opinions, comments??

I mean seriously....how hard can it be to acclimate to 29,029 feet?

Lake Placid Pics

2008-09-04T21:37:00.006-04:00

This is the view from my sister's deck. Hole #10 on the Lake Placid Golf course. Waking up first thing in the morning and looking out the widow at this is AMAZING!!

This was a HUGE flower on the golf course...it's bigger then my head. And we all know I have a big head!
Home sweet home.........
Tiny dog meets horse. Upon walking the Jackrabbit Trail with my sister and Mister (Bernese mountain dog), we ran into this tiny little guy (min pin). He stole my heart away. All 7 pounds of him. You all know how much I love little dogs. Ang, I'm a little dog person! My sister, me, Cate.....all ready to go kayaking! I think we belong in an LL Bean catalog?

Yes...I was out on the water. Yes...I loved every second of it. Yes...I wanted to ask if I could wear two life jackets (for those of you who don't know...I CAN'T SWIM! I sink too. Even WITH life jackets on.) And NO......I WAS NOT SCARED!!!!
PRETTY!!!!!!
Awww....I want one!!!

Team Satey Conquers Lake Placid!!!

2008-09-03T16:44:00.004-04:00

Story and more pics coming soon.....

Aww see Mount Marcy and all the high peaks in the background?

Whiteface Mountain......

2008-09-01T20:56:00.002-04:00

The official mountain of Tara....

aww look at her in the background! She's gorgeous!

Quote of the weekend:

"Cate LOOK!! They DO have a bumper sticker that says, "Part of my heart is in the Adirondacks.

No...wait.......Nevermind it says Afghanistan."

~Me

Instead of unpacking, I just spent an hour searching for jobs in Placid.....

good thing I pack light......

2008-08-28T21:11:00.004-04:00

my sister's gonna kill me when I show up with all of this in the morning.
I'm not done yet....... this is only 3 nights......all my suitcases are at my parents.....LOL

2008-08-28T17:58:00.004-04:00

Angela just sent this pic to me! This is the first time I saw this picture since my hospital stay.

This was taken at around 3 am as I was FINALLY getting my room. When the nurse was about to transfer me from the ER to my room, Ang asked if she could just hop on the bed and ride up with me. The guy was mad cool and allowed her to hop on with me. If you only knew the looks we got. I'm still wondering if that poor guy got in trouble because the other nurses were NOT happy. Then we asked him to take our picture. People were so confused when they saw us both on there.

We also took videos the whole ride up. (umm where are they anyway?)

Hey I was on Dilaudid and Morphine and I still remember this....that's good!!

LOOK WHAT I JUST FOUND!!!

2008-08-28T17:46:00.004-04:00

Yes.

Yes, they do.

This is a book by the way...

I'm outta here.......

2008-08-28T16:55:00.003-04:00

I'll be planted right here, on an Adirondack chair. That's Whiteface Mountain by the way. #5 out of the 46 high peaks. The one I wanted to climb this weekend.
This is the golf course that my sister's house is on, this is the view out the window. Hey, almost exactly a year ago I was there. FUN!
The golf course again....

Leaving tomorrow morning for my sister's house in Lake Placid until Monday!

What's going to kill me....is that:

1. I have no hiking boots. I went to return mine yesterday at LL Bean and tried the size up and they didn't fit right. So I went to EMS and got a pair of Vasque's. They are supposedly a better boot, more expensive, better quality. Well my LL Bean pair was made in Italy and real leather. These are made in China and all man made material. I'm wearing them around the house for the night, but I'm thinking they aren't happening. Comfort wise....LOTS less comfy then my other ones.

2. When I was coming down Cascade mountain....I heard a POP in my right knee. I kinda figured that couldn't be a good thing. Well it's almost a week later and the pain is still severe and I couldn't even walk a mile at lunch today on FLAT ground.

So what SUCKS is that I'm going to be sitting overlooking Lake Placid and starring straight at Whiteface Mountain, and I CAN'T CLIMB IT!!!!! Matter of fact, I'm going to be surrounded by a lot of the 46 high peaks, and I can't climb any of them.

I'm really upset about this. I'm believing for healing, and I'm believing that whatever I did isn't permanent and it's just gonna go away.

And for all of those who know me, you know I'm going to probably suck it up, take a bunch of ibuprofen, and go anyway.........then deal with not being able to walk later.

Seeing how I'm going to be gone for three nights, I need to start packing now........
:)

Cascade and Porter

2008-08-25T17:41:00.005-04:00

That really IS the ledge...and yes, Cate yelled at me and told me not to go any farther.
The final hike up to the summit of Cascade! FUN!!!!
Yeah....that's me after falling into a mud pit.
View from Porter Mountain, that's Cascade Mountain, the first peak we were on.

Cascade Mountain: 4098 feet

Porter Mountain: 4068 feet

Time: 7 hours

Accomplished: 2 of the 46 high peaks

Saturday morning got off to a great start. Cate got here at 7, and we were on the road by 7:30. We went to the Circle diner for some breakfast then had to make a stop at Hannaford's to get some Smart Water and snacks. Then we hit the north way en route to exit 31, Elizabethville. The ride was gorgeous, the weather was beautiful, and this time I was really annoying with radio channel scanning and wouldn't leave one thing on for more then 5 seconds. (Cate, sorry about that) We tried to prevent dehydration by drinking a butt load of water on the way, leaving us needing to stop off at every single rest stop on the way.

Finally, we reached the "High Peaks Area". I've been to Lake Placid before, but only for vacation, never to hike. I've seen these peaks before, but never did I really SEE them in this light, with this respect. The first brilliant thing out of my mouth was, "Whoa! They don't call these the high peaks for nothin'?!"

I guess the only thing that was going through my mind was, "OMG I'M GONNA WALK UP THAT?????" Like you mean, I'm gonna leave my car at the bottom, and walk up it??

We drove through Keene Valley and found tons of trail heads, which is awesome because now we are prepared for the next few hikes. We found the trail head to Cascade Mountain, and so did tons of other people. Cars were lined up all down the road. As we walked up to the trail head there was an ambulance waiting there. We signed in the register and began the ascend. About 15 minutes in we heard a chopper and I knew it had to be a rescue one because it was circling for a long time. After we heard it leave a few paramedics came down. Cate asked them what happened and they told us that someone had a heart attack. That was really sad and scary because every second counts in that situation and who knows how long it took before help got there.

Anyway....the hike up was AWESOME. We had to make a few stops, but we really are learning how to pace ourselves. It was during this hike, that I finally realized that I would probably benefit if I brought my inhaler. See, I try to make pretend that I don't have asthma. However in doing that, it still doesn't make you stop wheezing. LOL See, I perceived my being 'out of breathe', as being out of shape and being fat. Cate however snapped me into reality and told me HELLO YOU'RE FAR FROM OUT OF SHAPE AND YOU'RE NOT FAT. hahah Apparently she can hear me wheezing and said that it's a huge difference between that and being out of breathe. So yeah, albuterol for the next hike. Way to go Cate!

About two and a half hours later, we reached the summit. It was AMAZING with a 360 view, total bald rock on top. There was also a ton of people up there. To reach the top there was lots of rock climbing, which was pretty challenging and fun at the same time. The view was breathtaking, there was nothing like it. I was hooked right from the first moment, it's incomparable. I've never seen so many peaks in my life. There were people from the University of Vermont up there doing a survey that Cate so graciously agreed to taking a half hour of her time and filled out. I'm glad they were up there though because they knew which peak was which and also took our pics for us. We stayed at the summit for about an hour or so, then decided that since we were so close to hiking up Porter Mountain that we might as well get the two out of the way.

It was a nice hike between the two, but rather muddy. All of you who know me well know that that's one of the things I've yet to get used to, the mud. I hate mud. I hate being dirty. I will go well out of my way to avoid getting my boots in mud. Well, what a better way to get used to it, then dive in nearly face first. Yup..totally slipped on a wet tree branch that I was trying to walk on to avoid the mud...and in doing so fell IN the mud. I was covered!! Praise God I wasn't hurt. I actually couldn't stop laughing. My arm and hands were covered. We walked a little ways and then realized we had to use the remainder of my water to clean off my arm and hands. And a nice couple came by and gave up wet naps. (which are now on our ever growing list of things we need) So as we were just getting done washing off my arm, I turned around, not realizing my backpack was open...and my camera came flying out and smashed all the way down a rock face. We both just stood there with "OMG" looks on our faces. Believe it or not, after putting it all back together, it started right up and everything was on there. Again, that was a God thing!! All of this could have deterred us from getting to the summit of Porter...but we were so close we were NOT giving up.

Finally, summit of Porter Mountain. We were the only people up there, it was amazing. We looked over and saw where we were just sitting, on Cascade Mountain. Again, another 360 view but just not as high.

Around 5 pm, we started the hike back over to Cascade, to go back down. The hike down was characterized by me saying "OUCH MY FEET, MY TOES, OUCH, OMG THIS KILLS".....yeah, finally after all these hikes, I realized in the worst way EVER that my boots are the wrong size. Thankfully LL Bean's return policy rocks, because these babies are going back covered in mud and all. I obviously wasn't fitted properly. In the course of the way down, I hurt my knee, twisted my ankle, got blisters on my toes, and walked into a tree head first.

We reached the car by 7 pm. The MINI was the last one left on the road that was once littered with vehicles. The ride home took FOREVER, it was an inexcusable long time. See, we tried to follow route 9 down in hopes to find some back road diner or somewhere to eat that we could go in smelling and looking homeless, and me covered in dirt. No such luck though. Even the most remote places looked too dressy. We finally got back on 87 and stopped at the High Peaks rest area. Here I decided it was necessary to get my face wash and scrub my face in the sink in the bathrooms. A woman walked in with her children. I believe she was frightened at this sight because she did the, "Come here kids there's a crazy homeless woman in the rest stop area washing herself" kind of thing and like herded the kids over to her. This is why I came up with my shower idea. I think there needs to be a shower area right in Keene Valley. $20 for a shower. It will be nice, heated, very clean. Cate thinks it's a flop. I think it has potential. I HATE that feeling at the end when you've been sweating for the past 7 hours, you're sticky, smelly, and just nasty. I don't want to get in my car like that and drive for 3 hours. I wanna stop and take a shower.

Anyway, so Cate drove most the way home and we decided to go to Bob's diner, right across from my apartment. By the time we got there, I was so overtired and in so much pain from my knee, ankle, and head, that I was delirious. It was like 10:30 and it was all drunk college kids in there being obnoxious. I finally, walked in my door at 11 pm, took my shower that I was craving, called Angela (sorry Ang, I do not even remember that conversation, but I do know I think I just randomly said OK BYE hahah) then I passed out.

I missed church because I could not get up. And I couldn't walk. My ribs and back are bruised too. I don't get it? No idea how that happened. My mom asked if any of this stuff happens to Cate. Of course NO, just me. And best part is.....it's SOOOOO WORTH IT!!!!! I'd go back today, pain, bruises and all.

I told Cate I was a moron, she insisted no way, I'm a trooper!!

So there you have it my friends.

Two of the 46 high peaks down!!! We can now officially join the Adirondack 46r's!

Can I classify myself as rugged yet? Or do I have a ways to go?

I still did wear my diamonds........sigh...........

If you never hear from me again....

2008-08-24T12:22:00.002-04:00

...it's cause I sold everything and moved to the mountains.......

and have begun my business idea for a shower area for dirty hikers that come off the mountains. Cate thinks it's a dead end business and I'd be the only customer....

I'm gonna make millions....MILLIONS!!!

Seven hours......2 of the 46 high peaks down!!!!

ADK 46r!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Details later......

Oh yes....I did......

2008-08-22T07:19:00.000-04:00

I did indeed wear this to work today. Well, minus the towel that's still on my head because I just got out of the shower.
This is in preparation for tomorrow.
Cascade and Porter BABY!!!!!!!

Awww....I spent 3 hours cleaning the MINI inside and out last night. I'm gonna miss her, lots. :(

I'm confused. No wait....maybe not

2008-08-21T15:48:00.004-04:00

This was one of the funnest t-shirts EVER to wear out. (yeah, I know, FUNNEST isn't a word. But I made it one so deal...)

Special thanks goes to Angela, who gave me this shirt (and every other fun t-shirt that I now own). She said she immediately thought of me when she saw it. haha

I wore it for the first time last Saturday out to dinner. And best part was, everyone kept asking me what it said, and I couldn't remember exactly, so I'd have to keep looking down trying to read it......which made it even more fitting.

First time I met this dude (Tray)....he was sitting next to me, his shirt said

I'M BIG

YOU'RE SMALL

Any questions?

So yeah, I HAD to get a picture with him, seeing how we were both rocking out some pretty hot shirts.

My Caters and I...and Tray

Deb, Caters, Me....

OK there was actually 12 of us out, I just have these pictures.

Yeah, apparently I didn't get around the table much did I??

Time to go wash the MINI inside and out, to get her ready for KEENE VALLEY...HIGH PEAKS BABY!!!!!!!!!!!

The history of Satey

2008-08-18T11:19:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago Cate and I went to a healing/prayer/worship service in South Bethlehem. It was our first time there, we sat towards the back. One of the men there turned around and introduced himself . We said hi, I think Cate actually introduced us and said, 'I'm Cate, this is Tara".
He joyfully responded with,

"Welcome Katey and Sara!"

I was now sitting there with laughter tears about to roll down my cheek because this was HYSTERICAL. What's the chance he got BOTH names wrong??
He turned back around and I now had my chance to uncontrollably laugh out loud for a moment. We figured that it was no big deal, this guy would quickly forget our names and and he'd soon be asking us again what our names were and we could clear it all up.
Was only a matter of seconds before he turned back around then yelled over to some other people there, "Hey everyone, meet Katey and Sara!"
Then he preceded to tell us, how he won't forget our names because those are his daughter's names.
So now, the entire congregation is greeting Katey and Sara and welcoming us there.
And not knowing what to do, we just awkwardly smiled, and rolled with it.
After all, what can you do at that point? I was enjoying every single moment of this, it really doesn't get any better.
One of the woman there said, "Hey you guys can be known as Satey!"
Eventually the conversation stopped, everyone turned around and I was still laughing.

Cate and I then tried to figure out what name we could appropriately go by.
She quickly suggested, "TATE!"
I sorta choked a lil bit, and politely suggested, "Satey. Let's stick with Satey...that works better for me."

Adventures of Satey

2008-08-18T09:08:00.001-04:00

"I don't think it's coincidence that this bench happens to be RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!"
-Cate, Saturday @ Thatcher Park.

This was before we took a wrong turn, did some trail blazing, and came emerging, RUNNING out of a field with high grass. To make it worse?
I screamed like the sissy girl that I AM NOT.
Take hold of the scene:
Across the street is a look-out area with tons of cars parked and people standing there. Cate and Tara come running out of the field, with hiking boots, dressed like a bunch of woodchucks. Cate yells, "OMG I JUST SAW A HEAD OF SOMETHING". Tara screams......

Bears, snakes, and frogs...........

2008-08-10T17:18:00.002-04:00

My usual hiking partner was not available this weekend, she was at Enchanted Forest Water Safari: where the fun never stops! OK I hope everyone is now singing that stupid commercial in their heads. Christi-anna and I had planned on hanging out yesterday, so I suggested we go to Dyken Pond to do the Long Trail. It's only a 4 mile loop, and just flat terrain. Basically I would consider it a nature trail walk, a local trail that I've been wanting to accomplish that's been on my list.

Let me set the scene. She hates the outdoors, her idea of hiking is going to a bike trail. So I was super proud of her when she agreed to go. I was actually surprised she had said yes. The ride there was beautiful, the weather was perfect. I had on shorts, my high socks, and my hiking boots. She had on pants and a long sleeved shirt. The trail really wasn't that well maintained, but the trail markers were kept up nicely, minus a few spots where you'd come to a clearing and you really had to walk a couple directions before you figured out which way was really the trail.

Seeing how she was out of her element, I took over and lead the way. In doing so, every five feet I came face first into a spider web. I was continually covered in web. LOL I kept bringing to her attention every trail marker as we passed, just to reassure her that we were going the right way. Straight up from the beginning, she flat out HATED it. She was praying not even three minutes into the hike, before we even got into the deep woods. I kept trying to get her to talk to take her mind off of it. Meanwhile I was loving it. There were some pretty rocky areas so instead of walking on the ground in between, I like to test out the rocks to see which ones move and which ones are safe to walk on. Just adds some excitement.

We probably got about two miles in, I'd say about half way around. I heard this sound. It was not a normal sound. It was something BIG. Christi-anna said, "Oh is that a squirrel?". I immediately froze......this was NOT a squirrel....nor a chipmunk.....nor another human. I stopped dead in my tracks, motioned the SHUT UP AND STAND STILL hand movement....and next thing Christi-anna says, BEAR!! IT'S A BEAR!!! I didn't believe her, I couldn't see it. She took off going back the way we just came and just started praying. I really didn't know what to do, I wanted to stay and see the bear. So I had to decide if I wanted to stand there alone and take pictures or follow her. Umm...I followed her.

Now I know you're NOT supposed to turn your back and run from a bear. I do not know much about deep woods survival skills, but this I DO know. (I can teach you how to hold your own on the streets, however. LOL) Odd thing was, I wasn't scared. Not even a little bit. It was an adrenaline rush, and I loved every second of it. I was actually furious that she got to see it and I didn't. Even today, I'm still mad that I didn't see the bear. She thinks it's probably God that I didn't see it, because I'd be trying to take my camera out and take pictures.

Apparently it was climbing a tree and that was the noise I had heard. It was a clawing sound. A very LOUD clawing sound. I guess it saw us and stopped, and was intently starring at us, as she was starring at it. It wasn't full grown, it was about the size of me she said. Ironic thing was, about a half an hour before this she had asked me if there were any bears there. I couldn't lie, I had to be honest and tell her yes. I also didn't inform her that there are rattlesnakes there either. Some things are just better left unsaid.

So we got back to the parking lot and we ran into the guy who works there on the weekends so we started telling him about what had just happened. Then Christi-anna looked at me with this dead serious look on her face and said, "Girl you have a huge bug on your shirt"......I believe this is when my sissy girly side came out full force, I shut my eyes and screamed, "GET IT OFF OF ME NOW"....meanwhile flailing my arms and running in place. Umm I'm a little embarrassed about this.

You can't go to Dyken Pond without walking the stone road down to the lake and she's never been there so I assured her this was a safe and short walk that we had to do before leaving. We got down to the water and she immediately saw a snake. She just calmly said, "SNAKE!". Yup, this is when Tara freaks out. Not even one step further, a frog hops in front of us. I've pretty much had it at this point, and hopped up on to the bench for safety. She didn't quite understand how a snake, bug, and frog scared the crap out of me, but a bear didn't.

I know I've never go to post up my full story on the Black Mountain expedition. I started telling it but just never had time to write it out in it's entirety. I'm just wondering if something is trying to deter me from hiking. Let me tell you, it's not working. Only makes me want to go more. I think I've mentioned this before. I totally thrive off of fight or flight situations, I'm an adrenaline rush junky. I think this is why I like hiking. Yeah it's pretty and the summit views are amazing, yada yada. But for me, I think it's more so the thrill of knowing that anything can happen at any moment and you have no idea if you're going to be ready for it or not. Is that sick? Am I not normal? I also love the challenge of it. You have to be alert in every way, balance, coordination, physically exerting yourself, and when you become exhausted, you get slammed emotionally. It's a mental, physical, and emotional work-out for me.
Am I that abnormal?

OK...let the comments roll in.........

Revelation!

2008-08-06T09:13:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to share this with all of you, because it was so huge to me this morning.

As the alarm went off at 5 am, as usual I start the morning out proclaiming, "THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE, I WILL REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT!" I try to make that my very first thought before I even open my eyes, before any junky thoughts get a chance to try to weasel their way in. However, sometimes that comes second to, "ARE YOU SERIOUS IT'S TIME TO GET UP ALREADY?" lol

Every morning I read Our Daily Bread daily devotional and the short scripture passage that accompanies it, and then spend the rest of my allotted time in prayer. A lot of mornings I fall in and out of sleep, and usually have no idea what it was that I read. Yes, I'll admit that.

But this morning was different. Today is Wednesday (duh), and that's my Bible study and Youth Group night at my church. As you all know this is something that I've been doing for a few months now. OK before I go any farther, here's this morning's devotional and accompanying scripture:

August 6, 2008
Joshua 1:1-7
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: 2 "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea [a] on the west. 5 No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
6 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.

The Apprentice

When some employers were asked what makes a good apprentice, they responded that they seek to hire "someone who wants to learn."
In the Bible, a good example of an apprentice is Joshua. We remember Joshua for marching around the wall of Jericho. He also had some important responsibilities as a spy (Num. 13:16) and as a warrior (Ex. 17:10). But he was often in the shadow of someone else—Moses. For 40 years, Joshua served as Moses’ assistant, aide, and apprentice (Ex. 24:13).
God takes His own time to prepare us for service. Sometimes that period of waiting is as valuable as learning all the needed strategies and goals. Joshua observed Moses’ faith in God. He learned what it meant to be humble (Num. 12:3), how to take instruction (Ex. 17:10), and how to be a true servant of God (Josh. 1:1; 24:29). Even a display of Moses’ temper (Num. 20:7-12) was an opportunity to watch and learn. By spending time with Moses, Joshua learned things that couldn’t be learned from a book.
Joshua’s own time to lead was coming. And when it came, he was able to trust God’s promise to him: "As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you" (Josh. 1:5). — Cindy Hess Kasper

People who become great leaders
Sometimes need to learn
How to serve and follow others—
Then they’ll get their turn. —Sper
A person who is not willing to follow is not prepared to lead.

OK this was a HUGE revelation to me. I go weekly to youth group, whether I want to or not. Most of

the time I end up MAKING myself go, forcing myself out of my apartment. Not that I don't enjoy it, because that's not the case at all. I always come home afterwards feeling fulfilled and blessed. It's

more so the fact that I don't quite know what I'm doing there. I don't understand my role or my purpose there. Sometimes I feel like I'm just one of the teens attending.

I know this is the area I'm called to work in. I know that on Wednesday nights from 7-9 this is where God wants me to be. I love teens, I feel I'm able to connect best with this age group. They invigorate me, they're always switching from topic to topic, and they're all over the place. It's great! I do feel as if I'm forming relationships with a lot of them, which I believe is important because you need that foundation there. They need to know they can trust you, they need to know you're real. I'm also building awesome friendships with the youth leaders. So I do know that I'm meant to be there. Another confirmation of that again, is how I always come home feeling fulfilled and better then when i went.

But again, my struggle is with wondering what the heck my role is there. This devotional was very eye opening. Right now He's preparing me. I'm sitting, observing, learning, and meanwhile, that IS humbling to me. I feel God has provided me with a strong gift of leadership. So it's just natural for me to want to step in, take control, and be in charge and lead things. But His plan is different then mine. Just like Joshua had learned things by spending time under Moses' leadership, I guess this is my time to sit and learn in preparation for the ministry that He has ahead for me.

Thank you Father for revealing this to me this morning!

90 Days...

2008-08-05T17:43:00.004-04:00

Just got an email from BMW that my lease is up in 90 days.

And I know we're not to panic....but I'm pretty sure I just did....and I am currently right now.

And speaking of which, I'm going to wash the Coopster right now, she's filthy.

ps...this is my next car. If you're not familiar with the Bugatti Veyron, I highly suggest that it's time for you to become well aquainted. http://www.bugatti.com/en/veyron-16.4.html

Just another A-typical Friday night......

2008-08-02T11:15:00.005-04:00

Fridays for me consist of work at the canker...then come home and chill for an hour then go to Angie B's to work the register with my favoritest from 5:30-close. Last night the crew was at the plaza playing manhunt. I was tired, but I missed everyone so I decided to stop by quickly to say hi. Ang and Mark came too.

I love the plaza! It's where Freddie and I go to walk every single day at lunch time. It was awesome to see it at night, I haven't been there in forever at night. Mark parked his tiny truck on the same street I did, and the three of us walked over to everyone at the steps.

Half way to the steps, almost echoing each other, Ang and I both said, "I gotta pee". So we greeted everyone, then went down into the concourse to find the bathroom. We were the only ones down there and of course the first bathrooms were closed, so we had to walk all the way down to the other end. All you could hear were my flip flops slapping against my feet and echoing through the corridor. It was so annoying.

Upon our walk there, there were two random shower stalls in the middle. It was Bath Fitters advertisement. Well, you can't walk past something like that without taking advantage of awesome photo opportunities! I really hope that their actual shower stalls are a little larger then this, because unless you're about five foot or under, you're NOT going to fit under that shower head. Bath Fitters...you might want to rethink your advertising strategies, because now I'm convinced I could never fit in your showers.

Then in the middle of the plaza, there was a Navy tractor trailer. They were probably going to set up for the next day for whatever event was happening today. Well, again, great photo op's. And there was even a ladder going up the side of the truck, to the top. I don't know about you, but my rule is:
If I see a ladder, I must climb.

So there you have it.

We shall see what tonight brings, my friends......

I don't know if anything can compare to going down the wrong side of a mountain, being soaked from a thunder storm, having to get a boat ride to an unknown town by people we don't know, with hopes to get a ride from someone to our car at the trail head by more people that we don't know....

hmmm....I wonder if anything like this has ever happened???

HWS

2008-08-02T10:40:00.002-04:00

If you're wondering what that stands for, it's "Hiking Withdrawal Syndrome".
It's a rainy and stormy Saturday, meaning no hiking for today. Today I wanted to start bagging the high peaks too. I was all set for Cascade and Porter! That would have been two out of forty six accomplished.

Now what am I supposed to do today????
Honestly, this is the first time I've been home in two weeks, and it feels kinda good. I woke up this morning and laid in bed. And I actually got eight hours of sleep! Usually I get like five or six on the weekend and am flying out of the door trying to get to 90 places. But I slept eight hours, and actually got to lay there! I almost felt guilty.
Now I'm sitting here...I'm totally not used to this. I don't know what to do with myself. OK so I have a ton of things that I need to get done but I'm going to sit here for a little while. Because I can!

OOoooh maybe I'll write a post about last night.....yup that's what I'll do.
Hey, I just realized I never finished my Black Mountain story!! hmm....someday.

Black Mountain, Chapt 1: Lions, and Tigers, and...Rattlesnakes?? OH MY!

2008-07-28T17:52:00.004-04:00

It was a beautiful day. PERFECT weather for a hike. Cate and I met at Hannaford's in Latham at 9, ran in quickly for some energy bars, and hit the Northway en route to Black Mountain. Sunroof open, windows down, and good conversation was happening in the MINI. Due to already drinking about 2 liters of water, we had to stop at the rest station around exit 16. While there Cate suggested going into the information center to get some information on Black Mountain, and other mountains for future hikes. The guy behind the counter, you could tell was born and raised IN the woods, very rough, rugged, very intimidating. We asked him for a map for hikes in the area, and he just grabbed one and threw it down on the counter, and didn't speak a word. We asked where black mountain was, and he just pointed to it on the map, again, no words spoken. We turn around, about ready to leave and we hear, "Be careful for rattlesnakes, they're all over that mountain".
Cate and I nervously exchange glances, and both in concert said, "WHAT?!"
He said pointing to the wall, "The Timber Rattlers. There's an article upon the wall over there."
So I said, "Umm are they poisonous?"
He just laughed very loud in a condescending tone, and answered, "ARE YOU SERIOUS? YES THEY ARE! The mother doesn't warn, she strikes first then rattles. They blend in on the rocks so watch where you step, and where you put your hands down."
I replied, "OK well I'm straight up city girl, this is my third hike in my entire life, I don't know this stuff."
You know in cartoons where you can read people's thoughts in little blurbs above their heads, I'm pretty sure that his read something like, 'Are you serious, this chick is really going hiking? She should probably go find the nearest mall and go shopping.'
(for the record, this is my first hike that I did NOT wear jewelry, yay I'm learning!)
Cate wanted to do a different mountain and not chance it. I decided I had my mind made up and it was NOT being changed! Rattlesnakes or not, we were doing Black Mountain.
End of story.

We got back in the car, and I got back out. I had to pee again already LOL.The rest of the way there consisted of Cate googling 'Timber Rattlers in the Adirondacks' on her iPhone, and reading the information off to me. I had Band-aids in my bag, I figured we were fine, right? The scenery the rest of the way there was beautiful. I was praying that my directions to the trail head were correct, seeing how I only guessed from piecing different things together that I found on the internet. We only went down one wrong road this time! That's a record for us. I had to pee again, so I stopped at this gas station in the middle of no where and made Cate go in with me. Please, those middle of no where areas are scary! Next to the bathroom was a door and posted on it was a note that said, "This is a shower. You will be charged $7.50 if you use it." I'm now realizing I should have snapped a picture of that.

Route 22, 7, 4, umm a whole bunch of numbers. Left on Blue Goose Road, and finally, left on Pike Brook road. A few miles down, praise God we found the trail head on the left. Got out of the car and I had to pee AGAIN. Guys, you will truly never know how lucky you have it. We packed our stuff up into our bags and stopped to pray together for our safety and protection against snakes, bears, animals, poison ivy, poison ANYTHING, weirdo's, etc. As you'll soon find out, God definitely listened! We signed our names in at the trail head, took a picture of the sign with all the trail names/arrows, and headed up. I was already hungry since I hadn't eaten in four hours(this will mean something a little later).

12 o'clock.

And so the story begins.

ps Cate....Pain is just weakness leaving the body!

Things I had packed:

Glasses

Bandana

Camera

Band-aids

Phone

Lara and Odwalla bars

Toilet paper

Zip lock bags

Sunblock

Bug spray (organic, DEET and chemical free, OF COURSE)

2 liters of Smartwater (electrolyte infused water)

Cliff electrolyte chews (umm yeah, anyone seen me sweat?)

Gum

That's it....

Black Mountain, Pike Brook Road, Clemons NY 7/26/08

2008-07-27T19:27:00.005-04:00

This week's mountain for Cate and I was Black Mountain. I don't have time to tell all of the details right now cause this is the first time I've been home since Thursday (except to sleep) and I have tons of stuff to do. Just to give you a hint of what's to come, I'll describe it in two words:

LOST HIKERS.

So while this is NOT anywhere near my explanation, here is random stuff that I found from various websites, about Black Mountain.

Elevation: 2665 ft / 812 m

Preview: This loop tops Black Mountain, the tallest mountain above Lake George, for a superb panorama of the lake region; eastern looks strain to Vermont. Ponds and beaver marshes put a stamp on the tour.

Special Attractions: Lake, island, and ridge vistas; ponds and beaver marshes; overnight lean-tos; colorful fall foliage. Expect some soggy trail stretches.

Black Mountain, at 2,665 feet, is the highest peak in the two ranges of mountains that shelter Lake George. It lies about halfway along the lake's eastern shore, along with Buck Mt. The views from the summit are more than proportional to its height. One of the trails to its summit rises steeply from the shore of Lake George, but it is accessible only by water. Your route on Black Mountain is a loop that requires a bit less climbing, but it still traverses part of the reputedly more handsome trail from the lake. This loop also allows you to visit a series of charming ponds that lie south and east of the summit. There is a fire tower on Black Mountain, and although you might appreciate climbing it to identify distant mountains, Black's summit is mostly open rock, so overlooks in every direction can be found at ground level.

Heather, I included this picture for you. I went with more neutral colors this hike.

Random things I haven't had time to post....

2008-07-22T17:02:00.007-04:00

Ang, this one's for you deary. Love you!

Some things just shouldn't be. This is a perfect example of that. My MINI looks like a monster compared to this thing. Mercedes-Benz, congratulations on blowing BMW out of the water with the now smallest car on the road in the US. Sorry, but size is just about the only category that you can beat BMW in. "Smart"....but UGLY. And I'm not gonna lie, I must confess, first time I saw one of these little things drive by me, I was immediately overcome by bitterness, anger, and jealousy. I no longer had the smallest car on the road.

Sigh....but that's OK! I only have three months left till I get my new car.

YAY!! A life sized orange cone at the MINI dealership. I want one!! Heather..how about leaving that in the middle of the aisle at Hannaford's while looking for sauce?

LEGENGDARY CHEESEBURGER SUBS????

On our way home from Pastor Charles house, Cate had to stop to get gas. While out pumping, she called attention to this sign above the gas pumps, which indeed deserves attention. Could anything look any more UNappetizing?? The combination of the yellow cheese, and the....eww no more needs to be said. It's obvious.

"Cate, what are you doing at 9? Would you like to meet me in South Bethlehem for a legendary cheeseburger sub?"

Forgot all about this. This was from our hike up Monument Mountain. Long story short, this day I was supposed to go to Great Escape. I really didn't want to go, I didn't feel like dealing with crowds, screaming kids, or just the concrete and heat. I wanted to go hiking instead. So it all worked out perfect, Cate and I put the top down in her Cabrio, took off, and after getting lost a few times, we finally found it!

Anyway, we finally got to the summit, it was quiet, beautiful, birds soaring above, all that peaceful and serene crap. Next thing we saw one kid. Two kids. Three kids, four, five, BUSLOAD! All pop up over this rock. And they were all speaking in German. WAYY too hysterical NOT to get a video of, even though it was SOOOO obvious that I was recording them.

Upon our venture over to the plaza last week for the farmer's market during lunch, Freddie and I saw this goat. And now, I want a goat. That thing was so cute. And he liked Freddie. Ummm....a lot. Actually, the owner said Freddie was the first person the goat tried to hump. Awww...... I'm just mad I didn't get that part on video. Anyone else realize the peculiar fact that there was a goat randomly walking around in Albany, unleashed??That, my friends, is the funniest part of the whole scenario. Do you leash goats?

Buck Mountain, 6/13/08 Hike #2 with Cate

2008-07-22T17:00:00.001-04:00

On our way to the mountain, Cate and I discovered that stopping for signs that catch our attention is nearly as fun as the hike itself. There's lots of funny signs out there if you look for them.

ICE SEASON. CREAM IS HERE????

Cate...I don't get it?? OOOoohohhhhhhhh.........

WE LOVE PEOPLE TOO!!!!!

What you need to know, is that this was a Sunday morning, church WAS in session, it was a packed house. The front of the church is all glass, facing towards this sign. So yes, they were all in there watching us do this. We ran out of, and back into the car, and sped out of there as fast as we could. I'm pretty sure they were in there praying for us.

Even after all of the "ARE YOU (*^*$^%$ KIDDING ME IT'S GETTING STEEPER???"....the view from the summit makes all of those pains go away. Kinda like birth pains. You have the kid and forget about the pains. Right? Uhh....WHAT??????

I'm always laughing at something. And yes...my sports bra matches my shorts, which match the blue in my new boots (which you can't see)

Buck Mountain, Southern Adirondacks

Near: Lake George, NY

Distance: ~7 miles round trip

Elevation Gain: 2330 ft/ 710 m

Hike Time: The book says 4-5 hours, Cate and I totally knocked this off in 2-3.

Trail Condition: Well maintained trail

Level of difficulty: Moderate with some strenuous parts

We got started off a little later then we wanted to, but we still made it before it got dark on the way down. On our way there, we got lost. Which wasn't a bad thing because we drove past that church, as shown above. We saw that sign, slammed on the breaks, and had to turn around in some one's driveway to get a picture of that one.

Then we decided we were hungry. You don't even want to know what we ate. NOT healthy before a hike. Actually, most likely had something to do with the fact I nearly passed out on the way up. Wait, was it that, or the fact that I had just gotten out of the hospital two weeks prior, and have been completely sedentary for about three weeks total? I had been yelled at by many people, telling me that I shouldn't be hiking mountains quite yet, and of course some people concerned about me being around poison ivy. I love ya'll...but.........ain't nobody take my pride, ain't nobody gonna slow me down..oh no....I got to keep on moving. OK, I don't know where that came from. But yeah, I HAD to go. I had the new boots, and the color coordinated outfit. There was nothing stopping me. What, am I supposed to stay out of the woods forever? :)

Anyway, as you can see it was an overcast day. Actually, it rained before AND after but not during. Praise God! Since we're not too schooled in the hiking are (yet), we both realized neither one of us had a flashlight. We also found out after, that apparently there are rattlesnakes there. Eww.

The list of hiking things that I need keeps continually growing. Someone asked me if I had a compass. Ummm me?? To be 100% honest with you, I just spelled compass 'compus'. So yeah, I don't even know how to spell that. You think I know how to use one? OK I know, I better learn.

Lots of you have been bugging me to get this post up, and I've been dying to, and I have tons more I want to write...I just haven't had the time, nor will I have any time this week. I was telling someone today, how something funny or completely random happens in my life EVERY SINGLE DAY and I wish I had the time to post it all because it's great material.

There were no creepy stalker guys on this trip, nor was there a busload of German children/chaperones from NYC at the summit. Crap! I totally forgot to post that video from Monument!!

OK gotta post the video from Monument!

Sad....

2008-07-18T13:00:00.002-04:00

Hiking is off for this weekend. My brother, sister-in-law, nephews, and niece are coming up from Long Island to celebrate my nephew Max's graduation from high school. Yes. High school. Yes, I feel old. I tried so hard to fit hiking in for early Saturday morning, but it was just too much.

Oh well, it's going to be a fun filled crazy Zakrzewski family weekend with all 17 of us. I'm looking forward to it. Nothing like family time.

Hiking next weekend........still thinking VT, unless anyone wants to change that??

My New Love.....

2008-07-15T18:49:00.004-04:00

Hiking!!

I'm still working on my post about Buck Mountain this past weekend.

On schedule for this weekend.......well, I've done Mass, I've done NY.....it's time for Vermont, baby!

I'm craving Killington Peak.........or Mount Mansfield

Monument Mountain, 6/21/08 with Cate

2008-07-14T18:10:00.004-04:00

Highlights: easy hike for families, nice views, interesting rock formations
Near: Great Barrington, MA
Scenery: 4 star
Distance: 2.5 miles round trip
Elevation Gain: 700 ft
Hike Time: 1.5 hours
Difficulty: Easy
Trail Condition: Well maintained trail
HikeType: Loop

Summary: Monument Mountain is a short but interesting hike in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts.The trail starts from the North end of the parking area and is blazed with white. You will reach Inscription Rock which gives some history of the mountain. Continue straight. The trail steepens and you will climb a "staircase" made up of quartzite rock before reaching the summit.On the rocky summit, there is a nice view to the east (Beartown State Forest) and to the west (Taconic hills).Continue following along the ridge until you reach a sign marked "Scenic View". The side trail here will take you to a ledge where you can see the pillar of stones that is a "monument" to the Indian maiden who allegedly jumped to her death.There are a few more viewpoints before the trail descends to an old woods road. Turn left and follow it back to the parking area.

my new plan....

2008-07-11T23:30:00.005-04:00

So here's what I'm going to do.

I'm going to sell everything I own. Quit work. Turn the MINI in. Give my college loans to my parents (which I'm sure they'd so willingly take).

Then I'm just going to hike and live like a nomad. From mountain to mountain. Across the country. And never come home for like a year. My goal is to be INDOORS the least as possible.

I've never even been camping in my entire life. But I think I'm ready for this.

No commitments. Time doesn't matter. Doesn't matter if I smell and look dirty.

And in order for me to do this, that would be the size backpack I would need. Umm have any of ya's ever seen how I pack for just ONE NIGHT?? And I would also need a case or two of the ivy block. Which I would lather on every 5 minutes of the day (which I'm sure the chemical in that would kill me quicker then any mountain bear or coyote.)

The great part is, I already have one person who's in on this with me. My mom's wondering what happened to me. I'm honestly wondering what happened to me. City girl...used to HATE the outdoors and just craved the street life.....now, you can't get me inside. All I can say is, it's God!!

Now I'll admit. I'm still scared of bugs, snakes, wild animals, and bodies of water (don't ask). I recently saw a snake at my parent's house (my biggest fear EVER) and I screamed, hyperventilated, and had to sit down because I was shaking so much I almost passed out. And a few months ago on a trail hike I was like 10 feet away from a deer. I thought for sure it was going to kill me. Hello!! I have chihuahuas!!

But anyway. I'm totally ready for this. Right???

Sooo excited. Went to LL Bean today...bought all my new gear. Pictures to come of course! Bought the matching sports fleece to match my boots. And lots of other stuff.

Cate.....Sunday is all about the challenge. None of this leisure crap. :)

And yes, if you're wondering, I'm OFF the hydrocodones, I have not lost my mind.

Good night, I gotta get up for WOW (woman of worth) tomorrow morning...YAY!!

Imposter?

2008-07-10T10:08:00.001-04:00

Cate just sent me this. It's in Colonie.

I don't know how I feel about it??

Four years....

2008-07-09T10:47:00.003-04:00

Billy F. Carr, Jr 11/2/81 - 7/9/04

I'll never forget that Sunday morning when I saw your face in the obituaries in the news paper.
No. It couldn't be.. Not my Billy....

Billy was one of the funniest people I've ever known. These photos were photos taken out of a Princess photo album that he had put together for me as a Birthday gift. All the pictures represented our memories. In the Happy Batmitzvah card that he had given me along with it, he wrote:
Hey Tara,
I remembered the expression on your face the first time I followed you to watch your film develop. You were so excited. I remember you told me you loved pictures. So I thought I'd take some pictures of myself and our memories. Isn't that what pictures are for? I got a picture of everything from your obsession with the number one to your obsession with ice cream, from those times I could never pronounce the word "Andrea", to those times we sang to Brittney Spears, from Paul M. Sawyer to the foot game, plus many more.
I love memories too and for the last six months we've had plenty of them. So sit back, relax, and remember the times.
Love,
Billy

At the time I never realized just HOW special that card and this photo album would one day be to me. He (and everyone else) always referred to me as a princess, and in that top picture, he actually got on top of his Bronco in the middle of Princess Lane and had his friend take the picture. That's a mad busy road too. LOL The next picture, hahaha
Billy was half Korean, half white. He'd always make jokes about himself and say things like, 'Well I can only see half of what you can see'....

We spent years together at Hudson Valley Community College. It's only a two year college but people in our group stayed there for three....or even more. LOL Hey, ever been to HVCC?? IT ROCKS!! I didn't even wanna leave after three.

I'll never forget, New Year's Eve 2003, Jillian's night club. I was barely standing (I know...OLD me), all of a sudden a huge fight between a group of men broke out right in front of me. It was a really bad one, too. Billy came flying across the room and pushed me back and stood in front of me, protecting me so I wouldn't get hurt. I was bigger then Billy too!!! Dunno why, but I'll never forget that. Thank you for that, I never did thank you for that!

You were a popular guy, Billy, and I know you're missed by A LOT of people.

Miss you lots.......
Love,
Tara

The mountains are calling me....

2008-07-05T22:20:00.003-04:00

OK I need to get better like YESTERDAY.

So many mountains, so little summer time. ARGG.......

I wonder just how deconditioned I'm going to be??? Makes me furious.

and yes, I'm getting hiking boots.

C.F., I just hope that next time we don't get stalked by psycho clingy men who wait for hours until we come down the mountain and then drive over to us and ask us out. Not that that's happened or anything? No.

What happened???

2008-07-03T16:35:00.002-04:00

Caught up in a whirlwind. Waiting for it to slow down, or preferably to stop altogether, so that I can get off. I've had enough, I'm tired. The dust is just beginning to settle and I'm starting to see my way through a small clearing that I see somewhere off in the far distance. Sink or swim, the decision is entirely up to me, and me being the fighter that I am, sinking just isn't an option. OK, well metaphorically speaking because we all know I can't swim. LOL

I've never been so terrified in my life. Not only was my physical health taken away from me super quickly, but my mental was also. One day I have poison ivy on my arm...the next day my arm is doubled in size and oozing non-stop....next day I'm in the hospital with cellulitis and septicemia on intravenous steroids, antibiotics, and taking doses of morphine and a drug that's 7x stronger, which I can't recall the name.

My four day hospital stay is a complete blur to me, there's even chunks of time that I don't even recall. I was blessed with tons and tons of visitors, this I know, and am unbelievably grateful for. I remember trying, for the sake of whoever was there, to appear coherent. I'm gonna have to be honest and tell ya'll that ya'll were a bunch of talking heads for the most part because my cognitive abilities were 100% absent. I did lots of shaking my head, and nodding, and agreeing, for lack of being able to formulate any sort of intelligent response. LOL (most of you are probably thinking..wait is that any different then usual?)

I remember crying....a lot. Especially on my birthday. I remember waking up in the middle of the nights and just starting to sob. I was so confused, how the heck did I get there? It wasn't a self-pity type of thing, my mind just truly wasn't working and I couldn't understand or make sense of anything.

They let me out on Sunday, they said I wasn't OK, but seeing how my course of intravenous drugs were done, that I could go home. I was cleared from the doctor from Infectious Disease, given all of my scripts, and sent on my way. All of you who were there, are aware of the less then adequate care that I had received; sometimes waiting AN HOUR after hitting the nurse's button before someone even came. Umm.....took 7 times to even start an IV. I look like a heroine addict, my arms are bruised all over. There were also drug mix ups. This will ALL be reported.

When I woke up that following morning after being released, and saw that I had slept 16 hours straight, and felt the most pain I've felt in my life...I was in sheer terror. I thought I was going to die, there was no doubt in my mind that I was going to die. I couldn't even breathe, the pain throughout my entire chest cavity was excruciating, and all my glands in my neck and armpit were so swollen that I couldn't even touch them. My sister was already on her way to bring me back to the hospital. By the time I got there my entire body was shaking and I thought I was going to drop on the floor. The doctor said this is all aftershocks of the infection that had just run rampant through my entire body and pleural cavity and that it could take until three weeks to start feeling better again. Ya know what it feels like when you have a really bad bruise and you press on it? Well my entire upper body felt like that, including my head. To breathe in caused pain.

Anyway, overall I can deal with the physical pain. I have a retardedly high pain threshold, and due to certain health issues in the past, I have learned to function regularly with chronic pain. But I've never in my life dealt with such mental 'issues', for lack of a better word. I've never cried so much in my life. I couldn't put any thoughts together and the frustration that caused alone, was ridiculous. I felt like I had completely lost my mind and I felt like nobody believed me. I couldn't formulate the words to try to explain what was going on . I started to begin to feel that people thought I was playing the sympathy card, but that was the farthest thing from the truth. I still wasn't able to hold a conversation, or to think logically, and my sister told me I was actually talking in circles and kept repeating myself. My vision was blurry, even days after being released, and my motor skills were just WAY off. I wouldn't even think about getting behind the wheel....still today, I'm NOT ready to drive at all.

You know when you go on vacation and they have all those trashy shirts with all those dumb sayings? Well all I could think of, is the one that says, "Of all the things I lost, I miss my mind the most"....or something like that. Well I began to appreciate that quote on a much greater level. For the first time in my life, I felt 100% out of control of my mind/thoughts. I was even having recurring nightmares, night after night about death. I NEVER HAVE NIGHTMARES. These were so scary and real that I'd wake up in cold sweats and began clutch onto my Bible pleading the blood of Christ over my mind. I'd attempt to read my Bible...but even reading wasn't possible, I couldn't put words together on the page, nothing made sense to me.

I had a few people try to tell me that it was an attack from the enemy on my mind. And I do NOT believe that at all, and I won't even give him that satisfaction. I knew that it had to be a result from a mix of the infection, being hospitalized, and the steroids. The question was, was it permanant or just temporary??? As most of you know, the reason that I am into alternative medicine and herbs, is because my system is so sensitive that I really can't take anything. I get side effects that are exceedingly worse then the problem and I'm never able to continue with any drug. I was put on some HEAVY doses of medications and am still on oral antibiotics.

I did see my doctor today for a follow up visit. I wanted to know what is normal, what's expected, and any long term effects of anything. She did a thorough exam. Everything seems like I'm on the road to recovery. I have some swollen lymph nodes left but she said that's normal. And praise God...she said this mental stuff is only temporary and she is almost 100% sure that I will be back to normal very shortly. As I figured, she said it was most likely due to the combination of steroids, drugs, hospitalization, and the infection. She said, "Tara, it's not like you just had strep throat or something, you were SICK, it's going to take time."
So that was a HUGE relief. I'm not gonna lie, there was part of me that was terrified, wondering what the heck would happen if I never went back to normal.

I am glad to say that I do feel better then yesterday, and my mind is starting to work a little better. I'm able to actually follow what people are saying to me. I'm still super slow at responding but yeah...I'm getting there. I've been staying with my sisters and they have been such a blessing, I can't even thank them enough. I'm out of work until at least the 14th. Dr said I can slowly begin to get some exercise. Right now taking a shower is like a marathon to me. LOL

Of course it wouldn't be a typical "Tara" appointment, without ending the whole visit saying, 'I am really fat is this gonna go away?". She looked at me and said, huh?? hahaha Then she assured me, it was from the steroids, and that's going to go away also.

So my friends, there you have it. I am supposed to be at the Ignite conference for young adults at Pinecrest Bible College today until Sunday, which obviously won't be happening. But it's OK, God apparently had alternative plans for me. I will most likely be clinging to family for at least the next few days, as that's who I feel most comfortable with right now.

Thank you to everyone who has been there for me over the past week. I feel like I owe you all my life. I can't even believe how much you have all done for me, I feel truly humbled and blessed.

ugh....

2008-07-01T10:01:00.002-04:00

Please keep me in prayer. I ended up back in the ER yesterday, less then 15 hours after I was discharged from my 4 day hospital stay. I honestly thought I was dying. They didn't tell me anything about what to expect after I got out. They took me out of work for a week, and told me that I was not OK, but since I didn't need anything intravenously, I could go home. Which to me, sounds like things are going to get BETTER.

I slept 16 hours straight and made myself get up because I was scared. I'm in more pain now then I was all through this. The doctor in the ER gave it a name, I was so out of it I have no idea what he said. Basically the infection was through my whole chest/pleural cavity and my body had gone through a lot. Honestly, if I knew this was to come, I wouldn't have left the hospital because this is terrifying. It literally hurts to breathe. I can't even lightly touch the skin anywhere on my whole upper body. Laying down hurts. Sitting up hurts. I want to cry, but there's no point because it hurts. Mentally....I'm shot. I just want to cry, I can't comprehend, I can't hold a conversation.

I feel like I'm trapped in a 90 year old's body. I can't even open a water bottle on my own.
I just want my health back.......I'm scared........

Home finally...

2008-06-29T20:16:00.002-04:00

As most of you know, I have spent the past four days in the hospital. I was there from Thursday until tonight. They were actually going to keep me until Tuesday, but somehow I saw a different Dr and he felt I'd be more relaxed at home. I can't go back to work for a week and barely have the strength to walk ten feet.

It was definitely odd/depressing/confusing, spending your birthday in the hospital. But I really can't complain, I am beyond blessed and probably had more visitors in my private room, in the history of Samaritan Hospital.

I still don't really think they even know what the heck I have/had, but their 'theory', was poison ivy, turned cellulitis, turned systemic poisoning. Even the woman from Infectious Diseases seemed kinda perplexed. LOL
My arm actually almost resembles an arm again. As some of you have seen, my arm was double in size and bright red and streaky from my wrist up to my shoulder.

Have tons of pics and videos to come, I'm so drugged up right now I'm seeing double.

Sleepy time........

I'll be home all week, please visit.
And no, I'm not contagious.
Thank you everyone for everything, I truly feel beyond blessed.

My new favorite shirt!

2008-06-25T11:18:00.003-04:00

Ain't that some truth!!!
compliments of Ang, for my BIRTHDAY WEEK!!!

ROD

as soon as my arm returns to normal size and doesn't look like I have a bad case of leprosy, I'm TOTALLY wearing it!!!

Leave it to T...

2008-06-24T12:40:00.003-04:00

I'm currently home, day #2 with poison SOMETHING. Doctor wasn't quite sure, however after looking at pics, I'm almost 100% sure it's poison oak.
I have the highest pain tolerance of anyone I know....and this is literally crippling me. I haven't slept in days which is making me so over-emotional that I can't even talk to someone without sobbing my eyes out. My poor mom came over yesterday and sat here and watched me cry for almost two hours, and finally she said, "Would you just go to bed!!".....I think the final breaker for her, was when it went to...AND LOOK AT HOW FAT I AM!!! I guess if anything makes you feel unattractive, it would be disgusting lesions all over your arm.

Ok before you think I'm a wuss and way over dramatic.....let me explain. It's on my arm...which I guess I could somewhat deal with (pain level 10/10 and it's giving me chills down my spine).....but IT'S IN MY EAR.
Don't ask. I have NO idea. So umm...yeah...not to be gross..but its like draining, and its going down my ear canal causing excruciating pain all down my neck and across my head. I'm on antibiotic/steroid ear drops, and I can't take systemic steroids cause I'm allergic, so I'm on topical steroids. But the ear pain is nearly unbearable.

I kinda feel like tearing some one's knee caps off, or kicking someone in the shins.
I'm sure in like a week, I'm going to be laughing at all of this. Like seriously, WHO THE FRIG GETS POISON IVY IN THEIR EAR?????? This WILL be funny to me soon.
But right now....umm NOT so much. I kinda feel like going through the woods and killing every plant that's alive, just for fun. Like going in with some Round Up and just spraying an entire forest down or something.

My birthday is Saturday and all I can think of is that I'm going to look like a freak and no one's going to want to be near me.

I'd love to put up a picture of what my arm looks like right now....but I'll spare those who are super sensitive and puke easy. Although, I did send a few of you a pic on my phone, in which I've gotten these responses:

1. ewww...now THAT does not look like poison ivy........um please stay away. I showed everyone in the office the picture, they told you to stay home you look diseased.
-Freddie

2. ew OMG
-Ang

3. EWWW EWWWW I'm so sorry that has to be so painful. (yup IT IS)
-Mom

4. Please don't send me a pic of it
-Deb Ferris

5. That is freakin nasty.
-Deb B

6. What did the doctor do, a shot or anything?
-Sue

Thank you everyone for your love and support. hahah

And as I said, I WILL be laughing at this...just not there yet.

Brittany's response upon stopping by and witnessing this first hand: Can't we just pop those? Can I bring you to the hospital?
I honestly think she handled the visuals of this way better then I am because I want to throw up.

Well, long sleeves are going to be my best friend for the next couple days, possibly weeks.
And umm....I'm going to look terrible on my birthday Saturday.

Largest Trucker Rally In The History Of NYS 6/19/08

2008-06-20T23:34:00.006-04:00

As you may have heard on the news, Thursday was the largest trucker rally ever to occur in NYS. Hundreds of trucks/truckers rallied together to the Capitol (across the street from my work) to protest the ridiculous fuel prices. Their goal was to all lay on their horns at once until the governor came out, as you see/hear in the video. So around 10 am, Freddie and I anxiously RAN down the stairs to get outside to witness this. It was HYSTERICAL. I believe every single state worker was lined up along the streets. I mean, it was after all, a monumental event in history; we HAD to be a part of it.

So after soaking in all we could tolerate of the loud horns, we went back in to ‘work’, highly anticipating 12 o’clock so we could go out there for an hour. I texted everyone, telling them that I WAS going to get a picture with at least one trucker. That was my goal. Hey, after all, I want a man who wants to travel extensively and well, I guess I can’t be picky and want someone with teeth too, can I? So I found this guy, in which I immediately KNEW was the man I needed my picture was. Lacking the uhh…guts….Freddie went up to him and asked if I could get my picture with him. I believe it was love at first sight? So I sent the pix to everyone, proving that I AM a woman of my word. I do deliver what I say I will. The best part has to be how we both have the pic of me and my new man up as our background on our large screens at work, so coming in this morning and that popping up all big and proud, made my day. What’s even greater, is when you send the picture to people and don’t explain anything, send just the picture. Take note of my NYS ID on my hip too.

Awww do we have to move to Menands? We’re going to miss out on ALL of this stuff. :(

Today at work, knowing that I would not be home from Thursday til Monday night except but to sleep, I asked Freddie to write up a brief recap of the event. Enjoy.

Truckers

By Freddie Zielinski

Trucks, cigarettes, beards, diesel fumes, horns, shameless quotes on t-shirts and hats. This basically sums up the Truckers Rally that occurred right here, in downtown Albany.

Tara and I were like two kids on Christmas morning, waiting atop the stairs to go down and see all the gifts that had been brought. We weren’t quite sure what to expect for the truckers protest. Possibly not dressed appropriately for the occasion, but wearing grins on our faces we descended down the elevators, just imagining what might be happening out the doors that now lay ahead of us. As we approached the glass doors, each trying to get the first peak, my head perked up like a deer in the woods, “TARA!” I yelled. “Do you hear that?!” I ran a few paces ahead of my bamboozled friend. Her bewilderment quickly manifested into that of pure joy as I waved her outside the doors. She crashed through the turn-style doors, and stood there with me, drowning in an orchestra of truckers’ horns. We started walking amidst the thick noise and crowds of chaos. Ducking the camera phones being held out, and walking around people with wide eyes fixed on the endless line of trucks, we almost had our own choreographed dance to the chaos. What we witnessed was over 100 trucks blowing their horns at free will to protest against the rising fuel/diesel prices. They were prepared to stay there all day. They wanted to ensure their voices…um, err….horns would be heard, and heard they indeed were. The governor had come out and addressed their problem.

Although the noisy pandemonium was silenced by the governor’s presence, there was still a protest afoot. We stood outside the Capital looking at the protest signs. Tara said, “Freddie, I need a picture with a trucker.” After she made this statement, I realized how true it was. It needed to happen. We spotted a true trucker. It was obvious that trucks ran through his veins. Next, I believe I heard Tara mention, “I want him to put his arm around me for the picture.” Quickly assessing that, I may have blurted out, “ARE YOU SURE?!” I mean, I’m all about getting this picture, but I just didn’t think by allowing that, I’d be putting my friend in a very safe situation. At that moment, I believe this all started sinking in for Tara. She became hungry, and quickly began eating the words she had just spoken. I wasn’t about to allow this to occur. I grabbed her phone, and approached this man, who proudly lives his life on the road. With profanity on his hat, and a shirt that read, “Good ‘ol boys”, I kindly asked, “Um, Hi. Can my friend get a picture with you in front of your sign?” Puzzled, he complied. Tara got up there with him, and I snapped away.

It actually turned out to be informative, and I would feel guilty if I didn’t provide these facts that he taught us:

· Gas is cheaper in states other than NY

· It costs around $995 to fill up a tank of gas, which only lasts about 1.5 days

· It costs around $4,500 to go across country

With these numbers, truckers are no longer making any profit for the work they do.

URGENT PLEASE PRAY/HELP

2008-06-13T09:05:00.002-04:00

If you have watched the news since yesterday, I'm sure you've heard about a massive fire in East Greenbush on Best Road. That was the house that Angela lived in. Her entire apartment, and the entire house is leveled. She lost everything, including Zeke (her cat which was her BABY). The Calderone family, who owned the whole thing, also lost everything.

It was the worst thing I've ever seen. I was at the scene from about 4-9:30 and even at 9:30 they were still trying to keep the fire from starting up again and again. Fire crews were there until around midnight. There were more then eight fire departments that were there.

She lost absolutely everything, I just.....there are no words at this point.

Around 8 o'clock, she went walking around and we all got a text....I FOUND MY BIBLE!

I had goosebumps. Then she walked over with it. Sure it's burnt on the outside, but the Word inside is still there, perfectly legible. The verse that kept running through my mind was 1 Peter 1:24-25:

"All men are like grass,

and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;

the grass withers and the flowers fall,

but the word of the Lord stands forever."

The link to a newscast of this is:

http://capitalnews9.com/content/top_stories/118004/fire-destroys-east-greenbush-home/Default.aspx

I feel sick, I can't even believe this happened to her.

Please keep Angela and the Calderone family in your prayers and thoughts. If you want to help out in any way, either contact me, or Angela, or stop into the family shop, Angie B's, in Rennselaer.

God is so faithful..

2008-06-11T21:36:00.002-04:00

I hope you all have read last week's posts about finding my new church (Redeeming Love Gospel Church), and the one about my discouragement after working with the teens last Wednesday night. If not, go back and read them, and then come back.

I was REALLY struggling with going to work with the teens tonight. I did NOT want to go. I was thinking, what the heck am I doing there? Last time I literally just stood around and talked with a few of the teens and felt extremely awkward and intimidated. I realized today though, that I think half of that awkwardness was due to the fact that Matt never introduced me to the kids. So everyone was probably sitting there wondering who the heck I was and what the heck was I doing there. Before I went tonight I came to the conclusion that it was one of two things:
1. It's exactly where God wants me in ministry, so all opposition that can come at me, WILL.
or
2. I'm way off and it's not where He wants me.
And well, there's only one way to find out; KEEP GOING!

OK lemme start from the beginning of the night. Bible study starts at 6, so this week I decided to go to that before youth group. I actually was really looking forward to that. It's pretty much free form. Someone will bring up a verse or a topic that they want to dig into, and things just happen from there. It was actually pretty cool. I sat next to Pastor Mike, who was mediating it. He is mad cool. Probably in his early 40s, and his 2 daughters are the two girls I met first last week and really loved.

I've been praying lots lately for wisdom and direction in EVERY area in my life. Right now I'm in this weird place, where not one thing in my life makes sense. I do not understand anything. So there's no other option but to throw my hands in the air and say, "God I trust You, just guide me and give me direction, You are in control." A couple of the things I've been praying about, is:
1. Obviously, is this the church He wants me at.
2. Am I really supposed to be working with the teens or was I WAYYY off.
3. My lease on my MINI is up in about 6 months and I have NO idea what to get next and whether or not I should lease again, buy, etc.

Right after Bible study (6-7 pm and youth group is 7-9), as I was walking outside to find the kids, I was talking to Pastor Mike. He asked if the MINI Cooper was mine. I said yeah, and he was asking if I liked it, yada yada. Come to find out, he has an Audi S8. I almost passed out. He too, is a European car enthusiast. He's had Porsche's, Audi's, Beemers. He's also a car salesman part time. He gets BMWs fresh out of leases, that are in perfect condition, full warranty still, and sells them. (Audi's and Porsche's and Benz's and others, too). As most of you know, my next car was going to be a BMW. He said he buys them and because they're 2 or 3 years old, 20k or more comes right off. He's going to talk to me within the upcoming months about my options and he's going to see what car he can get for me! YAY!! No more leases, I'll actually be buying it to own..

Then as we were talking about cars, Matt came by and told him the weather forecast for tomorrow. I asked him where they were going. He told me they are part of the 46ers. For those of you who don't know what that is, there are 46 peaks in the Adirondacks and there's a club called the 46ers and their goal is to climb all of them. ARE YOU SERIOUS??? This is EXACTLY what I wanted to do. I've been researching it, and if you've been reading, you know about my new found love for nature and my extreme desire to start hard core hiking. So he told me they go in groups, and meet up with other people from other churches and stuff too.
I nearly passed out at this point. Lately I've been feeling kinda bummed because I really want to hike, but have no one to go with. WOW! Two huge things in a row.

Then he went inside cause he was going to intercessory prayer from 7-9.

At this point, all the teens were scattered around outside. I went up to one of the groups and stayed with them from 7-8, the whole time we were outside. It went really good. I really had to press through though, but I definitely in time see some awesome relationships formed with some of them. But I'm not going to lie, it's not going to be easy. I could see myself easily becoming discouraged, but I just keep fighting it.

I came inside with them all for praise and worship, and started talking to Stacey, Matt's wife. Come to find out, she eats all organic food, only feeds her kids all organic too. She eats a diet free of wheat, glutens, and dairy. She basically eats the same things I do. As all of you know, this is a topic I could talk about for hours. It's up there with European cars. We sat talking about this stuff for about a half an hour before we all left.

But wow.......God is so faithful. I went literally dreading tonight. Before I went, I prayed for Him to show me (even though I already feel He has), if this is where He truly wants me. And it was like BAM, one thing after another....
I know just because the Pastor likes European cars, and is part of the 46ers, and another woman likes organic food.....I know that may not mean a lot to some of ya's. But for me...it was exactly what I needed, a confirmation.

I'm pretty excited right now about all of this. I've literally been hanging on by a thread lately, just waiting for a breakthrough, waiting for an answer, ANY answer to ANYTHING right now. And as usual, He was faithful.

oh and PS.....I think Freddie and I signed up for the Air Force today at lunch.
more details to come......