Jet Plane

For about a year now there has been this plain white wall surrounding an area in my neighborhood. I kept thinking that there was some construction going on there but honestly now that I think about it I never see anyone working there. Well I had a lovely surprise the other day when I came out of the train station all sorts of different people from my neighborhood were painting the wall!! I love it now and now every time I come out of the Franklin subway station I smile.

All day yesterday at work I was singing… "I’m leaving on a jet plane!" I am pretty sure I am driving my co-workers crazy as I feel the impulse to constantly remind them I’m going to England for a week. This summer I played tour guide to some lovely Brits that I met through my friend Darren. In turn they said I must come over and I am looking forward to seeing them all again. I like to think I am doing my part to keep our alliance with the UK strong. :)

I have also been day dreaming about this lovely restaurant...

I first went there back in what must have been 2003 and I am always forgetting the name but never forgetting my favorite dish...

Crispy Aromatic Szechvan Duck served with Spring Onion, Cucumber, Pancakes, and hoi Sin Sauce. Every time I return it is a must for me. It is probably my favorite restaurant I have ever been to in my 31 years of life. I know sounds dramatic but there is just something that special about it.

I am also looking forward to seeing these familiar streets in Tunbridge Wells...

Packing for me last night was quiet an ordeal...



But in the end I made it work...



I am counting my blessings today because I always seem to be given much more than I deserve.

I will be returning the 30th and promise to post lots of pics. :)

Shopping!

Contrary to popular believe not all women love shopping. I speak for that small percentage of women that could careless if she ever stepped foot in another store. I find it overwhelming and the crowds stressful but yet it must be done so I set out…

I love my Brooklyn Museum train station! In my opinion one of the nicest as far tile work goes..




I went to the nearest shopping center Atlantic Mall...



One sure sign that the season is changing is when you notice the shoe displays changing...



It was one successful trip with my favorite purchase being these…



They kinda make me want to go line dancing! :)

Dog For Sale

Dog For Sale!! Just kidding....sort of :)

Once again...Bradley is guilty as charged!

The last few days I have been looking all over the place for my lipstick. This evening I found it under my bed in this sad state. If only there was a job opening for a cute furry dog with an amazing ability to destroy things...Bradley could be making the big bucks.

When I looked up advise on how to get your dog to stop chewing so much it suggested that sometimes it is a lack of exercise. So to keep myself from going crazy I am trying to take him on longer walks.

He likes to sit on my foot when we are waiting to cross the road. I think the NY traffic scares him.

The following are a few shots from our walk...

Tonight I noticed they painted this sign on the corner. It doesn't say much for us that someone thinks we need to be reminded to "look". I thought anyone who could read would already have that concept down.

Dogs have an amazing ability to sense just when you are about to strangle them because that is just when they decide to give a I'm sorry and cute face.

Empire State Building

One thing I really enjoy about the location of my job is that when I walk out at night I can see the empire state building. The building is often displaying different colored lights. My co-workers and I stare and comment on the beauty of the lights and how we wonder what they mean? I knew the colors are always representative of something but I never got around to looking it up.

Today I found the lighting schedule on the main website for the Empire State Building…
http://www.esbnyc.com/tourism/tourism_lightingschedule.cfm

And this fun website which shows the colors everyday..

http://whatcoloristheempirestatebuilding.com/ie.html

So now I can impress my co-workers with my amazing knowledge! ;)

Recent Reads

There are two things that I really love about using public transportation:

1.) It is so affordable! I only pay $89 a month total for my transportation cost.
2.) Not having to pay attention to the road provides so much time for reading!

I have been going through so many books lately that I started to realize I was spending as much purchasing books to read as I was for my transportation. So to remedy that I have been borrowing books from others or some people leave boxes of books on their stoop when they don’t want them anymore. I also enjoy used book stores.

The three most recent reads have been…



Click

What made this book interesting for me was that it was written by ten different authors. Each chapter was written by someone else which gave it a different feel than any other book I have read. It was an easy read but still thought it was a fun story. The proceeds for the book benefit Amnesty International.



Good Grief by Lolly Winston

I picked this book up from a free book drive. The title caught my interest because I find grief to be an interesting topic. At one point or another every person experiences grief in their live yet the majority of the time we don’t even recognize it. This novel is about a young widow and how she works through her grief. I found the beginning half of the book to be informative in the way it described her denial, depression, anger, regret but on the other hand the second half of the book was predictable. It was a nice story just predictable in the end and felt a little like the author was in a rush and uninspired.



The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank

This book was another freebie. I usually love books that make the New York Bestseller list but this one was just so so. It was a tale about a girl growing up and learning about life and herself. I found it a little hard to follow at times just because it jumped from different stages of her life leaving gapes. I imagine maybe for someone who lived a life more similar to hers might find the story more profound.



A Million Little Pieces by James Frey

I just started this book yesterday and am loving it. I LOVE memoirs and this one is a memoir of a recovering drug addict. I am only on page 47 so I will have to keep you posted but so far so good!



Remember when I went on before about my great finds on the sidewalks of Brooklyn? Well the little lamp pictured above is my most recent find!

Love 146

Disclaimer: This post is not a pleasant topic and not appropriate for children to read but it is reality. It is a reality that has been heavy on my heart the last few years.

Slavery still exists and that thought to me is so painful. It lives in the shadows and the dark places of this world therefore we don’t encounter it in our daily lives. I think because we aren’t forced to face the reality of it, it feels more like someone else’s problem a someone who lives far away and is out of our reach which is why we are not compelled to do more.

Love 146 is one organization I have been following the last year in their fight to end child sex slavery and exploitation. They are one organization that I admire for their work because they do not only provide aftercare but they also work on preventative services.

Check out their website http://love146.org/ and watch a couple of their videos. I believe it is so important for us to be educated and within our own ability stand up for what we know to be right and just. Standing up can look different for everyone whether that is remembering the victims in your prayers, getting involved in a fund raiser, making those around you aware, or looking up organizations or groups in your own community that are trying to make a difference.

Knowledge is power.
Sir Francis Bacon

Cafe Grumpy

I am pretty sure that I could try a new Cafe every day and never grow bored. ::sigh:: I love coffee! Pictured below is the Mocha latte I ordered and it was AMAZING! I savored every sip.

http://www.cafegrumpy.com/ Received two thumbs up from me!!

I met two of my lovely friends there Yolanda and Karla. After enjoying some delicious coffee we sat outside for awhile and enjoyed the change in weather. We started talking about how we missed our friend Claire that recently moved to Austin, TX.



Karla drew a picture of Claire and we took pictures with her..to send to her.

Just so she would know how much we wished she was there.

Another cafe down about a thousand more to go...

Bryant Park / Library

I know I know I have raved about Bryant Park before but it is just one park that will always stay close to my heart! There is just something special about it I think because it is like a haven in the midst of busy 42nd street. No matter what season it is I find its beautiful. The park is located right behind the well known Public Library on 5th Ave. A library that has found its way into many movies.

So with that being said last Tuesday I went to the park early afternoon and sat for awhile than wandered over to the library. It made for a very relaxing time.

I'm not sure why but birds on statues always make me laugh...it doesn't matter how many times I see it. :)

My Rich Life

Who ran to help me when I fell, And would some pretty story tell, Or kiss the place to make it well? My Mother.-Jane and Ann Taylor Original Poems for Infant Minds "My Mother"

I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life. -Abraham Lincoln

The older I become, the more I think about my mother.-Ingmar Bergman

I laughed when I first read the above quote because I have found it to be so true! More with each year that passes and especially in my field of work I find my heart growing in thankfulness for the loving supportive family God has blessed me with. Even if my family is currently living in all different states and we don’t see each other often I know if I need advise or encouragement or a good laugh each of them is only a phone call away.

I don’t talk about my work much mostly because of confidentiality reasons I am not aloud to share much. But in someway I want to today because I would like my family to know how much I appreciate their love and that their love helps me to in turn love so many. I love because I have been loved.

With each homeless youth that comes through I have to complete a comprehensive assessment to assess where we can best help them. There is one question that I have to ask them that gets me every time. The question is..” How many people in your family would you say have been supportive to you?” Under supportive it lists different types of support such as emotional, financial, clothing, shelter, food, etc. About 95% of the time they respond by saying, “None”. The remaining 5% list an Aunt, Grandparent, never a father or a mother. I thank God every day that if any one ever asked me that question there would be too many to list. God has blessed me with a rich life.

The other day at work I was explaining to a young man that had not followed some of the rules that he was going to have to speak to my supervisor about his consequence. I was trying to lighten the mood and joked with him that it is kind of like when you are a kid and you have to wait for your dad to get home for your punishment. The young man looked at me with a confused face and responded with,” I didn’t ever have that privilege. I never had a dad.”

I was talking with a young man I have been working with about job searching and interviews. In the middle of our conversation he asked, "Miss Elizabeth, Are you a mother?" I said, "No". There was a moment of silence then I asked him, "Do I seem like it?" He said, "Yea that's why I asked." I thought about his statement for a moment before letting him in on something I don't say often and that is, "Well I feel like I have been a mother a hundred times over." He paused in thought then said, “Why because of all of us?" I said, "Yes because of the way I love all of you."

I always wanted to be the mother my mother is to me. I see now that God has answered that prayer. Every day I wake up and I have this amazing opportunity to be my mother to so many young people that have no one.





I feel honored to have so many kids to love. I feel honored that God has given me this job to not only let them know they are not invisible but they are loved. They are loved more than they know.