Big City Traffic

I haven’t lived in NYC for 15 years. I was used to driving on the highways and could weave with the best of them. Now I’m older and I’ve learned to leave earlier to have enough time to reach my destination. I found driving in Dallas challenging. Sometimes I felt like I was taking my life into my own hands.

I’ve noticed that there are many cops on the side of the roads, doing their jobs (or should I say waiting to trap people speeding). So why do it? Why speed? To me it’s not worth the ticket. I do have to be careful not to go with the flow of traffic because they tend to drive 10 miles above speed limit. So I do the speed limit and get to where I’m going safely.

What I absolutely love is when cars race up behind me and ride my bumper just so they can pass me three minutes later. Do they think that driving that close to my bum will make me speed up? Do they believe that if traffic stopped short (which I learned the hard way) in front of me, they have adequate time to step on their break? Should I be intimated by them?

Driving on the road of life, I try not to head too fast unless God changed the speed limit. I f0und if I move ahead of Him, I’ve crashed and burn. If I lag behind Him, I tend not to catch up in time. Driving along with Him at the correct speed gets me to where I’m going.

Sometimes that road has bumps. It sometimes has unexpected road signs, “Detour,” “Yield,” “Construction Ahead,” etc. Right now I’m not sure where the road we are on is taking us. I don’t understand what appear to be road blocks in our path. This I know, I’ll follow the signs He lays out the best I can. My desire is to follow Him and stay on track.

© Nadine Zawacki 2009

BOOK GIVEAWAY

My friend Cherrye at My Bella Vita is hosting a book giveaway of Prisoner of Circumstance. She posted an author interview and her giveaway will last a week. So if you haven’t purchased a copy yet and would like another chance to win, please visit Cherrye’s blog. Cherrye has a flair for writing and often writes about her life in Italy. Along with her husband, Peppe, she owns and operates a Bed and Breakfast.

UPDATE - ANOTHER GIVEAWAY

My friend over at In A Garden is having a giveaway of her own of my book Prisoner of Circumstance. Hop over to her blog if you want yet another chance to win a copy. She has a lovely blog where she often posts pictures of beautiful family and gardens and shares her faith.

Meeting Karen & Thank You

I want to tell you about a lovely woman I met yesterday named Karen. We got connected through Diane who I met back in November. Diane had been a long time blog friend.

Karen and I met at an Argentina Bakery in Irving. We talked over empanadas and coffee. Karen works with many Christian speakers and authors. She has two blogs you can check out here and here. I really enjoyed her company. We got to share life and talked for over four hours. This was the second time I met someone from blogland and I was not disappointed.

I would like to thank two lovely blog friends for three awards. The first two came from Karen W. from Such a Time as Now. Karen was a missionary and home schools her children. She blogs about life and faith. She’s a lovely woman. Pay her a visit when you get a chance. She gave these two awards.


The next one is from Bebe. She has a lovely blog and she also has an antique business that she runs on line. Do stop by and pay her a visit. She is delightful and has elegant taste. Her posts are always interesting and fun with lots of pictures.
This is more about this award: "This blog invests and believes in the Proximity ~ nearness in space, time, and relationships. These blogs are extremely charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give attention to these writers."

Each of these awards ask that I pass them on to fellow bloggers. I always have a hard time with this part because over the years I’ve come to know so many bloggers and I love them all for various reasons. I hope you pay attention to the blog posts that come up on my sidebar and visit some of these excellent bloggers. If I visit you on a regular basis please consider yourself to have a fabulous blog and enjoy your award.

© Nadine Zawacki 2009

Cruise Wrap-up

On the third day of the cruise we docked at Nassau. There was plenty to do but we just ventured out a little bit and decided to just relax which gave us the chance to meet with lots of people.

I thought about all my friends who love to shop - this sign is for you.
This private yacht called, Ice, was parked next to our ship. Notice the helicopter on the back.
That night on board the ship we had a pool party, complete with carved fruit and ice sculptures. Lots of good food too.
Our last day on the ship was a day at sea. We relaxed and met with people. It was a good day. At night after dinner it was karaoke time. The last time at karaoke we had Mojitos, unless you're from Alabama. In Alabama they call them Mojitters. In this picture Courtney and Ben do they impression of Sonny and Cher singing, Babe.
The star of the night was my good friend Elisa. She bought down the house and got a standing ovation with her rendition of Heartbreaker. She not only sang but had some great moves. She's my hero and she has a lovely singing voice to boot. Elisa you rock.
Tom, Mike, Mandy and Robert. On our last day before leaving for the airport.
Thank you all for sharing the experience with me. I hope you enjoyed the pictures. Have a great weekend.

© Nadine Zawacki

Part II of ABC Cruise

The view of the ship in the above photo is from a smaller boat that took us on shore of Coco Cay, a private island owned by Royal Caribbean.

After we got into the boat from the ship we noticed the clouds above. Soon we felt raindrops. When we looked up, we realized it wasn't raining. It was a couple of window washers and when they sprayed it trickled down on us.
In this picture, we are approaching Coco Cay. It was a smooth ride to the island. No Oceanic survivors could be seen.

The beach was really pretty. Lots of coconut trees and sand.
Even on a small island there is shopping.
This picture was taken by Tom from the beach. The person para sailing is me. Didn't he get a great shot of me in the air. Now if you believe that, I have a bridge in Brooklyn I'll like to sell you.
When we got back they held a little 70's night complete with customers (dig the fro man) and the Village People. Sorry no pictures of the Village People - I was too busy dancing to take pictures.
This is Chris and her hubby Ron. Chris did a great job taking pictures of the trip and was generous enough to share and do a great slide show for all of us. Some of the photos I used were provided by Chris.
Carol sang at karaoke, belting out a song. That woman has some great pipes. She sings beautifully.
Sam and Robert didn't want to be left out and got up to do a duet. Don't fear more karaoke pictures next time. Robert changed out of his tux by this point. He had looked just as dapper as Sam.
When we got back to our room we found this on our bed. Don't you just love towel animals? Our stateroom attendant, Roy, was the best. He took great care of us during our trip.
I hope you enjoyed this part of my trip. Next up Nassau.

© Nadine Zawacki 2009

ABC Cruise

You all probably thought I fell off the face of the earth, but Tom and I were on a cruise. We went to the Bahamas for his job. It was a cruise/conference for the pastors and leaders of the Association of Bridge Churches (ABC). I know, I know, it sounds like a tough job, but someone had to do. Seriously, I was concerned with Tom’s health how he would do with all the traveling and the running of things. He did well. When we could rest, we did and that helped lots. Monday he will have his second round of chemo.

It was great to see people we haven’t seen since the last year’s conference again. These were a great bunch of people to go on a cruise with. Some of our favorite moments were when we had a chance to sit and talk to different people. I took lots of pictures of course. So I thought I would “show” you the cruise in pictures. It was a four day cruise so this will be done in either two or three parts.

We arrived a couple of days early. This is the view from our room. I thought of you Tina.
I looked out the window from my hotel room and saw these ducks swimming around in the pool. Aren't they cute?
One of the things I helped with was get people on the bus. We didn't want to leave anyone behind. Tom and I waiting on the buses.
The buses arrived at Port Canaveral where our ship left from.
A close look of Monarch of the Sea, a Royal Caribbean ship. If you ever get a chance to go on a cruise I would suggest Royal Caribbean. This was their smallest ship.
This was the first time that we cruised and had a window in our stateroom. It was nice because the room was spacious. This is the view from our stateroom before we set sail.
By the elevators there stood a model of the ship. It listed all the floors and what were on them.
Before you can set sail, you have to do a life boat drill. Everyone always look so comfortable in their life jackets, but it's good to know what to do in case of an emergency. Below in life vests are Ron, Chris, Ben, John & Sara

The rock climbing wall at night. The only activity that I had with this wall was walking past it and taking a picture.
Dinner time was fun. We sat with this lovely pastor and his wife from England, Tony & Dwee. If you are ever sad, visit England and spend time with them. They will have you laughing within seconds.
Jodi and Josh (Josh is worship leader who I blogged about before) and Joni and Eric who run the intern program for Streams Canada.
Tom with Michael French. He is a pastor from Alabama and has a great sense of humor. Stay tuned for his lovely wife Elisa who can rock it in karaoke.
© Nadine Zawacki 2009

What Does Love Mean?

My hubby found this in his email and shared it with me. I’m not sure who did this study. If anyone out there has seen this before and knows who to give credit to, let me know.

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of four to eight year olds - "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love." Rebecca- age 8

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth." Billy - age 4

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other." Karl - age 5

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs." Chrissy - age 6

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." Terri - age 4

"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." Danny - age 7

"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss." Emily - age 8

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen." Bobby - age 7

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate."
Nikka - age 6

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it… everyday."
Noelle - age 7

"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."
Tommy - age 6

"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore." Cindy - age 8

"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night." Claire - age 6

"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken." Elaine - age 5

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford." Chris - age 7

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." Mary Ann - age 4

"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones." Lauren - age 4

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." Karen - age 7

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross."
Mark - age 6

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."
Jessica - age 8

And the final one - author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry."

Blessings,
Nadine

Look Inside

You will probably think I’m a big geek, but the “Look Inside” feature is now operational on my Amazon page. I love this feature. When I’m checking out a new book it lets me take a peek at the first few pages or it randomly picks a section for me to read. I take this opportunity to thank those of you who have read the book already and did reviews on Amazon. Thank you for your kind words, but more on that later.

I was wondering what if we came with a “Look Inside” feature? When someone meets us for the first time they can take a peek at the type of person we are. This could help when you are dating. Imagine how much time it can save you from dating those guys who pretend to be studs but really are big duds.

It’s easy to see the bad, but it takes effort to see people the way God sees them. If they had a “Look Inside” feature, than maybe we can see the good that’s there…or the pain…or the betrayal they suffered…or how lonely they may be. I’ve written before about the outreaches we’ve done at the fair and the boat race back in Washington. Giving people an encouraging word at a booth is easy because they approach you – doing it at a restaurant to the waitress is not (at least not the first time). When I’m truly listening to God, He will sometimes tell me to “Look Inside” more deeply at the person in line at the grocery store or the guy at Starbucks. Then He urges me to go and give them that word of encouragement.

Sometimes, people just need a “word hug.” What I mean is a word that gives them hope. I know my weaknesses, but I’m not always sure about my strengths. A word of support goes a long way.
It’s like the reviews on my book. They have encouraged me and spurred me to start another book. I’m enjoying this new project. Hopefully this one won’t take as long to write.

“Look Inside” and what do you see?

© Nadine Zawacki 2009

Sing

I’ll like you all to take a walk down memory lane with me. I grew up in Brooklyn, NY. I went to an all girl Catholic high school, called St. Brendan’s for three years. Why three years do you ask? My beloved school closed its doors in my junior year because it ran out of money and tuition would have been too expensive. I had the option to graduate early if I went to summer school for English. Then I would I receive my diploma by mail. I didn’t want to get cheated out of the cap and gown thing and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go to college at the time. So I decided to go to another high school for my senior year, but that is another blog post.

Back to St. Brendan’s. Those of you out in blogland who grew up in Brooklyn might have heard of Sing. It’s a student run musical production. In our school each year (freshman, sophomore, junior and senior) competed against each other.

The students wrote the script (usually based on an already existing play, movie or book) – the character names were changed to protect the innocent. Music was added (which were usually songs of the times with the words changed to fit the story) – as well dance numbers. Students designed the sets, made the costumes, played in the band, acted, directed, and sang. Sounds like fun, right?

Everyone in your year was required to participate. There was something for everyone to do. For the first two years, I just sang in the chorus. The chorus was the place they stuck you if you didn’t have talent for anything else.

I mentioned that my junior year was going to be my last. I wanted to go out with a bang and did things that were unexpected of me. You remember high school? Everyone fell into a category - there was the jock, the cheerleader, the rocker, the brain, etc. I somehow fell in the brain category. No one expected “brains” to do anything except study. We use to do things and would never get blamed for it, because no one suspected us – sweet. I auditioned for an acting part. Our theme was Star Wars and I played Darth Vader or better known as Bart Radar. That’s right, that’s how the “writers” changed the name. Anyway, it was lots of fun. Our class didn’t win that year – the seniors did, I think. Who can remember that far back? The point is I was brilliant and I got to do two fight scenes with plastic light sabers.

Anyone have any high school memories that were unique to their area?

© Nadine Zawacki 2009

Portrait by Scarlet

Today I got a very nice surprise in the mail. Scarlet, who became a friend through blogland, is an up and coming artist (she wouldn’t call herself that, but I would). Believe it or not the portrait above is her very first colored pencil sketch. She has been taking art classes for about a year (correct me if I’m wrong Scarlet). I think she’s very talented and amazing to pursue something she loves doing.

So how did I end up with a Portrait by Scarlet? She has from time to time posted her art work. She did a Marilyn Monroe pencil sketch that I thought was awesome but she was harshly criticized in my opinion by an artist she respected. So many people have sketched Marilyn – she’s an icon and I guess he thought it wasn’t up to par. She decided she would draw “real people” that a million other people haven’t sketched before. I volunteered very quickly. I never had anyone do a portrait of me before, so I thought it would be a cool thing to have happen. Little did I know how thrilled I would be and how awesome it would come out.

Thank you Scarlet for this beautiful gift that I will treasure always. Now I’ll have to get a nice frame for it.

© Nadine Zawacki 2009

Dealy Plaza

While the kids were here for Christmas, we thought it would be interesting to see a famous Dallas landmark. Granted visiting where JFK was shot and killed doesn’t sound like a “Christmas” thing to do, but my children are grown and very interested in our history.

We went the day after Christmas. There were many people who had the same idea. It was a very sobering experience for the four of us. It was a part of our history that was dark, surrounded by much conspiracy.

Standing on the grassy knoll and looking at the spot where the 1st and 2nd shot came gave us all a moment for pause. We were totally amazed by some of the people there. It was almost like a circus atmosphere. It was disturbing. I mean people stood on the “X” spots in the middle of the street smiling as their picture were taken. Seriously. Where is the respect for our former president and his family? I took pictures of everything I could but not to celebrate but to remember.

We also went to the museum on the sixth floor of the former Texas School Book Depository. The exhibits were very interesting and worth the time. It covered everything from the Kennedy family, years in the White House, the assassination and the events that followed. My kids were enthralled and exhibited respect for history. They looked, listened to the videos and then wanted to discuss this period of time with us.

No pictures were allowed inside the museum, but here are some pictures we took outside.

The front of the former Texas School Book Depository. Presently Dallas County Administration Building.
The sixth floor where the sniper's rifle was found.

The grassy knoll.
Close up of fence on grassy knoll.
© 2009 Nadine Zawacki