Rome & Paris 2012

Here are the pictures from my spring break trip to Rome & Paris.  I went with my good friend Andrea.  We had a really good time.  The weather was fantastic and we were able to see everything we planned on.  Rome was just as special the second time around for me :-)  I also really enjoyed Paris.  The city was very easy to navigate using the underground metro.  The people were friendly and there was no shortage of delicious pastries and crepes :-)
I can't really pick out a favorite place, but I did enjoy touring Versailles and learning some of the history behind it.  We also went to several museums and saw some very famous paintings by Monet, Picaso, Renoir, etc.  Most of those pieces we weren't able to take any pictures of.
Overall, it was another very successful and exciting travel adventure for me!!

New Year, New Adventures

I am really looking forward to 2012 and what adventures lie ahead. I started this blog in 2009 after traveling to South Africa for a volunteer abroad trip. In the past 2 1/2 years I have managed to continue my travels (Rome, Costa Rica, New York City(twice), and a cruise to Mexico). As long as this list is the list of places I still want to see is longer :-) So I am not slowing down. In late March I will be going back to Rome and seeing a new city - PARIS!!! I will be using my week off for spring break. My friend, Andrea, will be going with me. We are going to Rome first for a couple of days. This will be Andrea's first time there and I couldn't say no to more pizza, pasta, and gelato! We will be spening the rest of our trip in Paris exploring the big sites of the city.

In 2011 I joined the Youth Ministry Leadership Team at my church and have helped in planning a mission trip to Nashville, TN for this summer. We have about 30 youth signed up to go and I will be joining them as an adult leader. I am really excited for this trip. It will be my first mission trip in the US.

In addition, I plan to do another Half-Marathon this year making it my 4th!! I am also looking forward to lots of time spent with friends and family this year. Watching my nieces and nephews grow up and soaking up as much Aunt Dena time as I can! I am very blessed and I think 2012 is going to be a great year!

Half Marathon

This morning was the Evansville Half Marathon. This was my second year participating as a run/walker. I started with a run 7 minutes/walk 3 minutes pace. I kept that going for a little over half of the race which is a total of 13.1 miles. My main goal was to finish under 3 hours. An extra goal was to try and beat my time from last year. I wasn't feeling very confident about the second goal since my knee has been bothering me and I did not get all of my training runs in over the past 2 weeks, but somehow I managed to do it!! I finished in 2 hours 44 min. 13 seconds, which is 2 minutes faster than last year. Considering the tough time I had leading up to the race I am very proud of my results.

My good friend, Andrea, also competed and finished under 2 hours so she was waiting at the finish to cheer me on. As was my boss/friend Davi and her friend Susan who I ran with throughout training. To my surprise Nathan & Amber also came out to see me finish the race. I am really glad the race is behind me and I can now focus on the arrival of my little niece, Abigail, who I am axiously waiting to meet.

Running Update

For the second year in a row I am training for the Evansville Half-Marathon. This year's race is on October 9, 2011. We had a 10K warm up race this past Saturday. My goal was to improve my time from last year and I am happy to say I did it!! I completed the 6.2 mile race in 1 hour 12 min. and 20 seconds. The half-marathon is 13.1 miles so I will have to do more than double the 10K distance. My training runs have been going well. I was slowed down by some knee pain, but it is feeling fine now. Besides some blisters I am pysically holding up really well this year. Mentally I am staying strong also and am looking forward to the race. My goal is to again improve on my time last year, but ultimately I will just be happy to finish.

New York City Photos

These are just the photos. Below is another post telling you more about the trip!

New York City the Second Time

I went to NYC in December and got to see the city at Christmas! I left knowing I HAD to return and experience the city during a warmer season as well. My good friends, Ted and Daniel, were gracious enough to let me sleep on their couch again. They were wonderful hosts and we had a great time!

When I arrived Thursday late afternoon I had reserved a spot on a van to take me to Grand Central Station where I would meet up with Daniel. He got stuck on a business call so it was up to me to get myself to their apartment. I decided to be brave and use the subway since it was a quick trip with no transfers. Well, it was rush hour and due to some delays with one of the other trains I basically got stuck in the subway station. I also get no cell service in the subway so I had no way to let Daniel know where I was. So I managed to navigate through the crowd and get back outside. I took a cab from there, but made it :-) That night I went to see an off-off-broadway production of one scene plays at the Red Room Theatre in the East Village. Ted directed one of the plays and it was really good!

Friday we headed to Coney Island way out in Brooklyn! It was a good day to go because it was not very crowded. The weather was humid and hazy, but still nice enough to be outside. We spent time on the beach, walking the boardwalk, riding the Wonder Wheel & Cyclone, and of coarse eating! First up was a Cheese & Bacon Hot Dog from Nathan's Famous, then we had fried oreos and ice cream. It rained in the afternoon so we went to the NY Aquarium which is just off the boardwalk. We decided a little snack was in order before our long subway ride back to the city so we ate at Nathan's Famous once again :-)



Saturday morning we walked downtown to the piers along the Hudson River. It was sunny and clear all day! During the summer a few of the boathouses offer free kayaking in the river. We had a great view of downtown while in the water and we could even see the Statue of Liberty and Jersey City! After lunch I took the subway to the Upper West Side to the American Museum of Natural History. I spent a couple hours making my way through the exhibits. My favorite was the Hall of African Mammals. Afterwards I walked to the Lincoln Center campus where I saw Juliard and the Metropolitan Opera House. I then kept on walking right down Broadway until I reached Times Square. It was completely packed, but I did come across the infamous Naked Cowboy. That night Ted and Daniel took me to a really great restaraunt called Westville. They serve lots of fresh meats and vegetables with the menu changing daily based on what they have. It was delicious!

Sunday was another beautiful sunny day so we headed to Central Park and rented some bicycles. Ted used to give bike tours in the park so he was the perfect guide. We saw Conservatory Waters, the Alice in Wonderland statue, Bethesda Terrace/Fountain, the Boathouse, the Mall, and more. Since we had the bikes we even rode to the northern most part of the park where there were some beautiful gardens. Central Park is so big that even after three hours I still didn't see everything! After lunch I headed to see Wicked at the Gershwin Theatre. It was fantastic and well worth it! That night Ted was able to get us free tickets to see Blue Man Group. There show was really funny and energetic. I definitely recommend them. There wasn't time for me to do much on Monday since I was pretty anxious to make sure I got to the airport on time to avoid the horrible experience I had last time. Needless to say I made it with time to spare and arrived home safely and on time!

I couldn't have asked for a better trip and I am so glad to have met Ted and Daniel last summer on my Costa Rica trip. They are very kind and generous friends. I always have a good time with them. I also feel very blessed to have the opportunity to travel as much as I have these past two years.

Coney Island Photo Booth

Summer Plans

It is hard to believe that it has been 2 years since my traveling adventures began in South Africa. Everyone who said I would catch the "travel bug" was right because this is the first summer in two years I have no plans to leave the country :-) With all my time off this summer I am definitely going to make the most of it. Here's a little preview.

I have already enjoyed the 2nd annual Lucas and Aunt Dena Day. He has such a good memory he insisted we go to the exact same places we went last year (the Library, Chuck E Cheese and Ritzy's for lunch). He refused to take a nap, but it was a very fun day for both of us. Now that Adam is 2 years old we will have our special day later this summer.

I really enjoyed my pre-Christmas trip to New York City so I couldn't resist the opportunity to return this summer! My good friends, Ted and Daniel, are letting me stay with them yet again so I will be spending another 3 days in Manhattan. I plan to explore Central Park and have bought tickets to see Wicked!!

I will also be spending a big part of the summer in training for the Evansville Half-Marathon in October. I ran/walked the entire 13.1 miles last year and my goal is to improve my time. So I am doing the JumpStart training through the YMCA with official training starting in July.

I have many more things I am looking forward to this summer including the birth of my friend Holly's 3rd little boy and my friend Vicki's first little boy. AND helping to plan my sister-in-law, Amber's, baby shower. She and my brother are expecting a little girl in October!! I feel very blessed to have a job that allows me the time to travel and spend so much time with family and friends.