Radiant!

A bus load of fun was had by every girl that attended this weekend girls' retreat 

put on by the Wesleyan churches around the area. 

Xalt participated for the third year in a row and every time we have an absolute blast!! 

Xalt Girls at Radiant 2012!!

This Year's theme was Soul Spa, hence the sleep masks. 

We like to bring our own props along for extra fun!! 

I thought the spa references would all be figurative toward our relationship with Christ 

so imagine my delight when a full out spa experience arrived. 

I love when themes run throughout an event, plus who doesn't enjoy a little pampering!!

 

It's impossible not to have fun when a chocolate fountain is involved!

Yes, these girls did chug the chocolate!!

Other than having an absolute amazing time.  

We learned a lot about allowing our heart's and soul's to be still in the Lord.

Not striving in our own strength or becoming stagnant

but resting in Jesus' peace and allowing His power to move us forward in this journey.

 

Love these girls!!

NYC: Brooklyn to Central Park!

Spending 20 hours in line didn't stop us from making the most of New York for the rest of Saturday and Sunday.  Saturday we had a late brunch with my friends from Brooklyn, who I stayed with while I interned at Miller Evangelical Church a few summers ago.  We had a great visit with them!  

Chase and I took the subway headed back to Manhattan, our first stop was Ground Zero.  We walked around a church that is right across the street from the site, inside there were stations all around calling the passerby's to remember, pray, and honor those who lost their lives.  From there we walked toward Wall St. where we passed the famous bull.  Once we entered the Port area, where tourists go to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, we joined a crowd of spectators watching four men break dance and putting on a show.  One of the guys jump/flipped over 6 people...woah! All of that was on our way to the Staten Island Ferry which is free and provides a great view of Liberty, herself.  This also gave us a chance to sit and relax our legs while taking in the view.  

We turned into tourist robots, after that.  We haggled in Chinatown, ate Italian in Little Italy, and even (I'm slightly embarrassed to admit this) got a caricature of us done!! Chase is playing a banjo shaped instrument with six strings and I look like I'm singing down at the smoke filled jazz club. LOL!

(INSERT SNL experience...again The Chase Place is where it's at)

Saturday turned into a late late night and Sunday had to be early in order to feel any sense of accomplishment.  Central Park started off our morning, we walked about half way through it until we reached this beauty given to the U.S. by Egypt in the 1800's.  A plaque beneath it quotes the hieroglyphics, that are still visible in the stone.  

 Every person in our generation has an urge to walk the steps of Kevin, from Home Alone, through F.A.O Schwarz.  Highlights from the immaculate toy store:

Insane Lego Talent!

The BIG Piano

The Trump Tower, Tiffany's (including a lady getting her picture taken while eating breakfast), and  Magnolia Bakery (featured in The Devil Wear's Prada) were all part of the scenic route back to our hotel.  We did all of this with plenty of time to spare before check out! Holla!! 

  

NYC: NBC!

Last Friday morning, we were up and at em' bright and early. We walked the few blocks from our hotel to 30 Rock, where we had an NBC Studio Tour scheduled. Chase is a huge film, TV, entertainment buff so he was looking forward to this tour. I really ended up enjoying it too.

Interesting TV Tid + Bits:

• We sat inside Jimmy Fallon's studio which is the most green studio at NBC. He even used recycled audience chairs from Radio City Music Hall.

• We toured the studio where Brian Williams hosts the NBC Nightly News.  Since they film in HD, everything in the studio is covered in blankets when it isn't in use because the cameras would pick up on every dust particle or smudge.

• In case of breaking news, Brian Williams arrives at the studio everyday at 9 am, immediately has his make up done and stays until 9 pm that night. Crazy!! That is DEF not the job for me.

We also viewed the Saturday Night Live studio from behind a glass window, Chase shared a post about the long process of penetrating that glass.
Consequently to hear the rest of our Friday Adventure in The Big Apple refer to the enthusiastic musings of my amazed husband.

NYC: Broadway!!

WOW!!! What a trip! Chase and I had a blast in New York City!!Our trip began with an 

Amtrak train ride to the city.  Overall, it seemed like a great ride there was the occasional 

rowdy kid and spacious but only mildly comfortable chairs 

but we made it to the city with no problem.

The first  item on our itinerary: Dinner at The Modern. The Modern, located in the Museum of Modern Art, has an open dining area, contemporary seating and decor, and fancy "rich" food.  Our meal came with a choice of three items. Neither of us could try more than one bite of the Foie Gras...duck liver.  I'm not even sure how to describe the taste, sour, bitter, it seriously left me lost for words.  The next two items were our entrees.  We feasted on pasta with lobster tail and roasted duck.  Simply Delicious.

After dinner, we walked to Times Square where we found the Minskoff Theater to watch The Lion King, a terrific show. The costumes were incredible and the songs beautiful. The two children who played young Nala and young Simba did an outstanding job! So when the adult Simba made his first appearance during "Hakuna Matata" it blew me away that he was just as impressive. He entered with such enthusiasm and energy! A lady played the part of Rafiki, she sang with a strong and beautiful voice.  The part of Zazu was played by a man dressed in a blue suit holding a puppet-like bird.  Zazu's character strayed from the movie because at times they separated the man from the bird. The man usually spoke as if he were Zazu but occasionally he spoke from his own mind as a separate character, for comic relief.  I loved Timon and Pumbaa, one of Disney's funniest duos.  

Our vacation trip package came with two vouchers to different tourist sights in the city.  We used our first voucher to see New York from a Bird's Eye View.  After all of the traveling and the 2am train departure, we needed to refuel with some McDonald's before heading off to the Empire State building.  We witnessed an amazing view of the endless landscape of skyscrapers and lights.  I'm not sure if the experience was breathtaking because of the amazing view or the fact that it was freezing up there!

WOW!!

New York Preview

What is Chase eating?
How was The Lion King?
Why am I refueling with the ever popular but never healthy McDonalds?
Why are we joined with a line of people on the street?

Stay tuned for the answer to these questions and many fun facts about our trip to NYC!!

Spring in Salisbury: A Visitor's Guide

Easter weekend serves as the perfect visit weekend for my family.  My sister has a few days off from college and my dad and brother have spring break.  Just a note...Spring Break up north means Thursday and Good Friday, no more no less. I'm a big fan of how Spring Break is done down south!!
This past weekend their visit could probably be found in a tourist brochure for Salisbury, we hit all of the highlights!

Downtown Salisbury is home to a variety of antique stores.  Our favorite is near the Amtrak Station, Salisbury Emporium. The whole atmosphere is neat, surrounded by old brick buildings with advertisements painted on the side of them.  Next, we parked by the library to walk by the mural and up Main Street.

As soon as we jumped out of the car, Haps was in the air.  So we window shopped down the block stopping in some Main Street faves.  Anything you like you can find down Main Street from theater to gag gifts and from athletic apparel to books.  Of course, Haps never disappoints as long as you're in the mood for a good ole' hot dog all the way, you can even get a hamburger with chilly on it!

In the evening, we played a friendly game of volleyball at Trinity. If you live in the area you should stop by for some sand volleyball.  The beautiful spring weather makes playing outdoor irresistible.

The blue sky and warm weather made it perfect for outdoor activities.  We took a scenic walk of the trail behind Catawba College.  The wide path is kept very clear and trees frame both sides as you walk as if you're perpetually walking under an arch of greenery. We filled our stomachs with Village Inn Pizza, always a hit if you prefer thin crust.  Then we burnt off some of those carbs by enjoying the Frisbee Golf Course at Kelsey Scott Park.  This nine hole course set among trees and hills, allows for a pleasant walk and makes exercise fun!

Last but not least, our final meal together took place at the delicious Katana.  Katana cannot be beat when it comes to bang for your buck.  The portions are very filling.  The next time you go, try an order of Spring Rolls or Edamame with your entree...yum yum!!  

Our visit was incredible, I loved spending the time with my fam! We would have made fun out of any situation, it's just nice that Salisbury makes it easy for some family fun in the Spring!!

If you know of any Salisbury jewels...or jewels of your own hometown...please share!!

Assistant Cheers!!

I suppose if you have to go to training days they might as well be this entertaining!!! The Rockwell Assistants are quite the cut ups and always bring fun to the table!   Our speaker Kimberly Johnson helped make the sessions interesting.  If you have a chance check her out by clicking her name above.

Here are some of the things she had us do:

Homework Cheer!!

 

Reading Cheer!! 

Excuse my D...allergies had destroyed my voice.

 

Vowel Cheer!!

America's Fave Past-time

Falcons Varsity Baseball Team!!

Enjoying some chat time before the game!

One of our students warming up for the game!

Tonight we went to see two Xalt Students play Baseball!
Fun! Fun!

(No pic of the younger brother because someone ruined the pic with the no look duck face)

A few reasons I think baseball is fun fun:

Baseball season means Spring is coming!

The air is warming up.

You can never understand what a true baseball fan is yelling.

The umps grunting and pointing like cavemen. 

The smell of hotdogs on a grill. 

All of these factors were a part of the evening...

We enjoyed watching the games with their family!

Weekend Recap

Friday:
Dinner with some new friends. We made our own pizzas and played Balderdash. Scurryfunger?!

Saturday:
Chase wanted to see what all the hype was about The Hunger Games so we caught a matinee.
Later that evening, we went swimming in a heated outdoor pool. Fun! Fun! except for the all out squirt gun war.

Sunday:
Church! Casa Grande with a great family! Chill time! Xamine! (our student leadership bible study.) And Lord of the Rings. Return of the Jedi or something like that! Lol!