Extendedstay Westview Drive Frederick

... I'm committed to going to China. There is absolutely no backing out now! I also booked my hotel room in Hong Kong. I was originally going to try to stay at the Peninsula or the JW Marriott. I also looked into the InterContinental. All of them were a bit outside of what I'm able to save for the trip. Then I looked into the two Langham hotels: the Langham and the Langham Place. The Langham is in Tsim ...

... made it worth it, I hope.

And that was it. From there, we pulled out and left Frederick. All in all, it was another refreshing week working with Youth for Christ. But that's it for a while. Now we're on our own again.

* * *

That night, at a gas station en route to our next hotel, we met a man who was also filling up. Come to find out, he's a pastor of a local church. He gave us his card, and we said we'd try to make it to his church this weekend. To be continued :)

... murals of stonework (the mural was on a flat wall, but was painted to look like stonework--fascinating). We browsed some little specialty shops, where I got a Christmas present for my dad--he's hard to shop for, so I snagged it. I also got a little something for myself. I got a new watch! Actually, I haven't owned a watch for years, so it's something to get used to. But I couldn't pass it up--especially for only ...

... my bags are already checked on the plane to Newark! A tall, skinny black man with those giant orange plastic ear muffs on sees me freaking out and he helps me find my bag. Meanwhile, a big black lady with massive cornrows and hardcore sunglasses is frantically gesturing at me to get out from behind the wing of the aircraft. The short Asian guy that checked my ticket at the ticket counter is waving at me to tell me to get onto the plane to Ottawa. The first man grabs me and MAKES me ...

... Cool :) It's neat how being a positive voice and sharing truth, even without using Christ's name still reflects what He's all about. Any Christians watching the show can see biblical principles clearly. Any non-Christians watching the show can still be empowered to make right decisions.

Tonight we enjoyed a wonderful dinner with the Bjorndals and a low-key evening at home. More to come :)

Today was our first day with YFC in Frederick, Maryland. We're staying with the Bjorndals--a nice long stretch of a homestay. Their daughter is getting married within the year, so we've been able to share some of our recent experience with that process.

We're sticking to our standard busy schedule--about two schools a day this week, and we're doing the same sort of thing as we did in Scranton ...

This is the day I waited for for at least six months! I haven't been on a big vacation for quite a while so I was excited. I just completed my first marathon, the Marine Corp Marathon, a little more than a week ago. How do you top a life accomplishment? How about with another life experience! Two weeks in Japan!

The day started with ...

... visa again as I am planning on travelling around China and South East Asia for a couple of months. It went pretty smooth despite the fact that the embassy was busy with applicants.  After the embassy I headed to Union Station and took a bus to NYC where I stayed 2 days with my friend Heather in Queens and 2 days with Irene in Hartsdale.  NYC was hot and humid and crowded with tourists so I had no desire to be  a tourist. I met with my friend Linda who ...

... B/W, and drawings done in pencil. 31 Euros. Pitti Caffé Right across the street from the Pitti Palace (with green awning) I ordered the 15 Euro special: Risotto con frutta di mare; ensalata caprese; 1/4 liter of white wine (4 euros). The buffalo mozzarella was huge and very fresh and was served with ripe tomatoes and lettuce with basil leaves. Nice balsamic and olive oil. 19 ...

... in. The dogs were happy to have company. I picked up John's guitar and Audrey and I sang a few songs. John and Emily drove up on the third song. The dogs went nuts. The four of us sat around talking for more than an hour. My falling asleep prompted everyone to go to bed. I slept in the spare bedroom and Audrey got the sofa. I was out in no time.