December 31, 1997: Grenada

Grandpa, Mom, and I took a tour of Grenada.  Grenada is an English speaking island. They drive on the left side of the street. Grenada is known as the Isle of Spice because it is the largest spice-producing island in the Western Hemisphere.   The nutmeg tree was introduced here in 1843. This island is 21 miles by 12 miles wide.   Approximately 95,000 people live on the island with 27,000 living in St. George.  The island is full of beautiful tropical forests, but it looks like a very poor country.   As we drove, we were called 'Satan' and flicked off by the locals.   I guess they don't like Americans.  We got to see an egg cactus.  We took small minivans on the tour.   We went through the mountain rainforest where we saw homes built on stilts.  The natives homes looked shabby.   Went to Annandale Falls where we saw some locals diving into the falls and stopped at Fort Frederick.  We took a huge boat back to ship as there were so many passengers needing to get back.

We had a seat left over on the tender boat, so this kids asked if he could sit there.  He was a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania and wanting to major in psychiatry.  He's from a small town near Westchester, NY.   He listened to us and said I had an accent so I asked how it sounded, as I thought the Midwest accent was dull.  He said I had a definite accent and it sounded like a perpetually happy accent.   It must be my Chicago accent.   

Charlene, Kelsey, Matt, and I went up to the deck for the New Years Eve party.   There were 2,000 people on this ship.  I swear about half of them were at this party.  I had never seen so many streamers intertwined in my life.    Peole were on the 12th and 14th decks throwing streamers.  We counted down to the new year.   

Charlene and I did the congo line and stood on the side of the pool and did the macarena dance.  Then, we went to the 'Jammers' nightclub and felt so old there.  One guy was drunk and had thrown up all over the couch. We danced there for about 1/2 hour.   By 1:30 a.m., people were going crazy and jumping in the pool with their tuxedos or dresses on.  One lady was stripping and jumped in the pool. Then, we went to the buffet and a lady took a whole cake to her table. I think she was drunk.

December 30, 1997: Venezuela

Our ship landed at the port of La Guaira, Venezuelas, which was the capital city.   Venezuela was bordered by Colombia to the west and southwest; Brazil to the south and southeast; Guyana to the east and the Caribbean Sea to the north.   Venezuela had a population of around 21 million people, about 20% of whom lived in Caracas and were of European, Indian, and African ancestry.  Venezuela was the richest nation in Latin America.   It was the largest oil producer in the world.   
Spanish was the official language.   

Charlene, Grandpa, Matt, Kelsey, and I took the 4-wheel drive coastal adventure. It was the 'Romancing the Stone' like tour.   We took this Land Rover jeep through the mountains to Los Caracas.  We stopped at this village where we were able to have a boa constrictor snake wrapped around our  neck.   Charlene, Kelsey, and I did that and got our pictures taken.  Then, we stopped at this awesome beach where the undertoe was high.  The waves were huge and could carry you out to sea if you weren't careful.  I've never seen such intense waves in my life.   Then, we stopped in this fishing village of La Sabana.   Then, we went to this natural river pool where Grandpa accidentally dropped my camera in the water.   Luckily, this kid got in to fetch it.  But, the camera didn't work.  It was quite a bumpy ride back.  We had a man and his son from New York on our jeep.    

Mom and Grandma went on the city tour of Caracas which was a 45 minute drive one way from our boat.  Mom and I skipped the formal dinner and had pizza in the pizzeria on the boat. It was delicious.  

December 29, 1997: Aruba

Our stop today was on the island of Aruba. It's average temperature was 82 degrees.   It was a small island at 19.6 miles long and 6 miles across at its widest point.     Aruba was the 'A' in the ABC islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao.  The population was about 67,000 on the island. About 10,000 people lived in the capital, Oranjestad.   The official language was Dutch, Engliash, Spanish, and a local dialect, Papamiento.  

We got off the boat at Oranjestad and took the Aruba Town and Country tour from 8-11 a.m.    On our drive, I noticed this island full of cactuses. It was a pretty dry island.  We stopped at an aloe vera factory.  This was one of their biggest industries.  We stopped at Aruba's Natural Bridge, carved by the surf from solid rock.  Then, we made a stop at the rock formations of Casibari.  Our last stop was at Santa Anna's Church.  The altar was made with beautiful solid oak.   The altar was completed in 1850.   Afterwards, my mom and I took Grandma Thomas back to the boat. 

Then, we went back to town and took a taxi to San Nicholas to Charlie's Restaurant and Bar. Harold Klee said we had to go there as it was a hole in the wall.   It cost us $20 for the cab ride there.  This restaurant was all that there was in this town.   Inside the restaurant, there were tons of memorabilia from tourists.   You could post something anywhere in the restaurant, so I posted my transit card with my name and city up on this lantern above the first table as you walk in.    They had delicious food.  We were so surprised to see Kelsey and Matt come.  Kelsey and Matt took the bus and it was only $1.75 each, so we waited with the locals for a bus back to the big city.   It was pretty interesting taking the bus with the locals through the towns on the way to Oranjestad.   As you got on the bus, there was a turnstile.  The seats were hard as a rock.  Mom and I got an ice cream cone at Baskin Robbins and then went shopping.   

December 28, 1997: Day at Sea

This was our only day at sea. Slept in until 10 a.m.    Mom was annoying me with her not finding things and ironing her clothes on my bed while I was trying to sleep. I am not a morning person. I prefer to stay up late in the evening.

Went to the library and wrote in my journal.   Then, I went out on the deck to soak up the sun.    Matt was playing basketball.   Kelsey and I think the two guys sitting at our dinner table last night were gay.    Had a lunch buffet with Kelsey, Matt, and Charlene.    In the evening, we had our formal dinner.    The oriental acrobats performed the evening show.   

December 27, 1997: Old San Juan

In the morning, I walked down the street to check out New San Juan and walked on this pier behind the convention center.   Then, I walked back to our hotel. Charlene found a great place to take pictures. We went outside behind the hotel where there was a hammock.  I sat in the hammock and she took a picture.  It was so relaxing sitting in the hammock.   At 12, we took the shuttle to our boat.    It took about an hour to get to the port.    Charlene and I got our picture taken together before boarding the ship.    Charlene stayed in Grandpa and Grandma's mini suite.   Charlene and I took a quick look at the boat before getting off and exploring Old San Juan.  

Charlene and I took a little trolley around Old San Juan and then walked up to the famous fort. The grounds there were huge.  There was a neat cemetery next to the fort that had all white gravestones.   The Catholic Church was white, too.    We did a little shopping and got back on the boat.   The rest of the family came around 5:30.    We had dinner at 7 and watched a Puerto Rican dancing show.

December 26, 1997: El Yunque, Louqillo Beach, Fajardo

Charlene and I got up quite early and walked down to the car rental place.  We were the first in line and to our luck, we got the last rental car and the last map.   Charlene drove and we stopped at a Kmart to get a few items.   The people in Puerto Rico are slow paced.    We drove up to the tropical rain forest, 'El Yunque.'  There were several winding roads up there.   We stopped at the visitors center and made it in time for the film.  We learned that the Puerto Rican parrot was becoming an endangered specie.    There were 44 parrots found in this forest.  Charlene and I walked up to Mt. Britton.  It was quite a walk.   It took about 45 minutes each way.  

Continued on the highway to Louqillo Beach.   It was a beautiful beach.   The entrance to the beach had palm trees on each side.   We hung out on the beach for about an hour.  Then, I took over the driving and we went to this absolutely gorgeous hotel, 'El Conquistador' in Fajardo.    We've never seen such a beautiful hotel like this in our lives.   It overlooked the Atlantic Ocean.   On our way out, the singing group 'Temptations' pulled up in a limousine at the entrance.   They were giving a concert tomorrow.    We had dinner at 'Pollo de sandwich' restaurant.   The menu was all in Spanish.   Charlene and I couldn't remember the word for butter even after Grandma Thomas had always told us her little Spanish, 'Pase la matequilla, por favor.', which meant 'Please pass the butter'.   

I drove us back to San Juan which was about a 45 minute ride.    The Puerto Ricans drove like maniacs.  They didn't put on their blinkers and drove in the median on the right side of the road.   I can't believe we got back to our hotel with no problems.   We had a hard time finding how to get back to the car rental place.    First, I took a wrong turn and we ended up on this highway. Then, when we'd get off to get onto a side street, we'd get onto another highway. We kept getting further and further away from the Condado section of Puerto Rico. Finally, we stopped at a 7-11 and I tried to get directions back.   The worker couldn't speak English and I couldn't speak much Spanish, so it was frustrating.  Charlene said the look on my face was priceless.    Both of us were using hand signals to communicate.   I don't know how I figured out the directions, but we went down 5 traffic lights and turned left and ended up where we had to bring the car back.   

December 25, 1997: Puerto Rico

Charlene and I left on Northwestern Airlines at 5:40 a.m. from Grand Rapids bound for Detroit.   We had a 2 hour layover there.  We talked with this guy who met his wife in Puerto Rico.  He used to live in Puerto Rico for years so he told us what we should see there.  He had this cute gorilla doll that sang the Macarena song.   We got to Puerto Rico around 2:45 p.m.   Their time was 1 hour ahead of the Eastern time zone.   The temperature was around 80-85 degrees.      

We stayed at the El Conquistador Hotel and Casino in New San Juan.  There were several pools around the hotel.  Inside the lobby, there was this huge aquarium with several Caribbean fish inside.   On the Mezzanine level, there were several shops and a casino. 

Charlene and I took a nap and then walked to this lighted bridge to check out the Caribe Hilton.   We had Italian food  at a restaurant inside the Caribe Hilton.   After dinner, we went outside and noticed a bunch of people gathering, so wanted to check it out.  It was a big festival near the capital building where they had camels, a manger scene, and food.    Charlene went to get a Coke and saw that one of the booths was selling the Macarena dolls so we each got one.   We had problems catching a cab back to the hotel.

December 24, 1997: Christmas Eve

Today, I talked to Grandma Gonyo on the phone. She's going with her boyfriend, Norm, to his nephew's house for Christmas dinner.Visited Sue and Ashley. Her mom was going to make me a cheesecake, but I was in a rush to get home and get over to Mike and LouAnn's house.   Sue got me this journal and her mom made me a cute tree skirt for my Christmas tree.  Ashley gave me a Christmas photo of herself.  

Had a wonderful dinner at Mike and Lou Anns. We went on a hayride and talked with Stacy.   The trees were glistened with snow and it was beautiful. We sang Christmas carols and passed around Butterscotch snapps.  Rode with Steve and Charlene to Grand Rapids, as I was leaving with Charlene to Puerto Rico the next morning.   The roads were horrible on our way to Grand Rapids.  We had received 6-8 inches of snow so the roads weren't quite plowed.

December 23, 1997: Home

It was very hard today to get through work with going home and the caribbean cruise coming.  Wayne Onak, my co-worker, said if I didn't finish my brand file that I couldn't go to Puerto Rico.   I knew he was just kidding.    Peggy Ryan who used to work in RDS was leaving for Florida today to visit her parents.

Took Amtrak home after work.  The train was completely full.  Passengers had to sit in the lounge car or on the floor.   Got into Holland around 9:45 p.m. and was so surprised to see my best friend Kara Filius there to also greet me along with my mom.  

October 10, 1997: Dinner at the Everest with Peter

I had the most wonderful evening with Peter Schumacher.    We met at the Daley Center.  Then, we took a cab to the Board of Trade and walked over to this bar at 401 S. Lasalle and had a few drinks and talked. Our bill there came to $22.   Then, we went to the Everest Restaurant at 440 S. Lasalle.   It was a gorgeous French restaurant overlooking the city.   We got wine with our meals.   I had beef tenderloin and Peter had fish.   The service was excellent.   He said he's learned to take life as it comes and not worry about finding a mate.   He was telling me about a friend who was 22 yrs old and going with a rich man, who treated her awful.  She was on the brink of a mental breakdown.   He said 23 is too young to get married.     Anyway, he thanked me again for helping him on the paper.    He said he liked taking me out to the Everest as I was such a nice person.  The bill for dinner came to $234.  That was the nicest dinners I had ever had with a guy.      He even paid for my cab ride home.   He was studying criminal justice at the University of Illinois.  

September 27, 1997: Kelsey & Matt's Wedding

 

Our relatives, Carol and Eddy Wong, and Elsie Lang flew to Muskegon from Los Angeles for my cousin, Kelsey's wedding.    Kelsey and Matt had a beautiful outdoor wedding.   Devon was around 1 yrs old and looked so handsome in his little suit.     The reception was at Pietros in Grand Rapids.    I enjoyed my time with the family.   

Before the wedding, Eddy, Carol, and Elsie came to visit me in Chicago.   They got to see my apartment on Dearborn St.    Then, they came to Muskegon and spent a week with my Mom, Grandpa, and Grandma Thomas.   They went up to Sleeping Bear Dunes, Baldwin, Gwen Frostic's store, and around Muskegon and Norton Shores.

September 22, 1997: Mel Gibson Filming

After work, my friend, Shawn Young and I ate at Dublin's Restaurant on State St.   Then, we went to see Mel Gibson filming his next movie, 'Mercury Rising' on Elm St. (between State St and Lakeshore Dr.).   He stood only about 35ft away from us.    He waved to us, which was nice.       Shawn lived on Elm St.  and I lived on Dearborn.

September 20, 1997: Wendy & Todd's Wedding

Kim, Marianne, Joy, and I got our hair done at JCPenneys.    Wendy's sister-in-law, Michelle, was working on Wendy, April, and Sarah's hair.    The wedding was at 2 p.m.   Michelle, April, Kim, Wendy, Joy, Sherry, and I were in the wedding party.  I walked down the aisle with Todd's brother, Ryan.      After the wedding, we went to Outwiggers bar in front of the hotel that the relatives were staying at.   

I got to see everyone at the reception.   Johnny Morrison from Brunswick was there.       It was nice to see Grandma and my mom there, too.   The Lawvers and Klees were there, too.     Got to do 2 slow dances with Jase Lawver.    He wasn't big on dancing, but danced with all of us.   

September 18, 1997: Carol, Eddy and Elsie's Visit to Chicago

Today, Carol, Eddy and Aunt Elsie were in Chicago.   They were staying at a Holiday Inn in Forest Park.   They came around 8 p.m. and we went to dinner at Benihanas Restaurant.   The cook did all of the cooking out on the table and some tricks.    They liked the warm, cool weather we had here.   Carol said she loved my laugh and said that she loved the area where I lived.   She agreed that living where I'm at was great for a young person.   She said I'm living like a person in a book or on TV in a big city.    I had them drive along Lakeshore Dr and Lincoln Park.    They were amazed at how nice it was in Chicago.  Carol said downtown LA was dead at night and not happening like Chicago.

September 6, 1997: Signing Princess Diana book at British Consolate

I went to the movies on Michigan Ave.   Then, I went to the British Consolate on Michigan Ave and signed the condolence book for Princess Diana.    There had been people in line all week to sign this book.   I watched the funeral on TV for Princess Diana.  The entire city of London was crowded and in mourning for their princess.   I liked the speech that Diana's brother gave at the funeral.   Queen Elizabeth seemed really heartless.  Poor Diana has had to live with these snobby people.     Diana's sons seem to have taken after her, which was wonderful.

September 4, 1997: Harold Washington Community College

After work, I went to my photography class at Harold Washington Community College. I met Adenike in that class.    The class was from 5:30-8:10.   Peter called me tonight and said he didn't get his army check, so couldn't do anything this weekend.    There was one excuse after another with him.     

September 3, 1997: IRI World

Today was IRI World.  Lilly and I took the tour of IRI's Wooddale, IL location.   It was the largest marketing research plant in Illinois.    I got to see all of the UNIX boxes out there.    At lunch, Lilly and I wandered around downtown.     We saw a bunch of people outside the Lyric Opera House and wondered what was going on.   Michael Jordan was outside filming a commercial.      Chris Blackwell and Tony Dragel walked down to the opera house to see Michael Jordan, but he was inside doing filming.   

August 31, 1997: Princess Diana's Death in Paris

Kara and Sarah Systema came over for a visit.      Earlier in the morning, I turned on the news and saw that Princess Diana and her boyfriend, Dode Fiad, were killed in a car accident in Paris.   I was shocked.    She was 36 yrs old.   She was chased by the paparazzis in Paris.    The car crashed into a wall in this tunnel.   

I remember watching the wedding of Princess Diana as a kid and said I wanted to have a wedding just like that.  The train on the dress was 25 ft long.   

August 29, 1997: My Review at Work

My supervisor, Yolanda Thomas, gave me a great review.  She said I was a hard-worker, fast learner, and did a great job on the stat directions. I couldn't have done it without God in my life.     Then, I took the Amtrak to Holland for Labor Day weekend.   

August 9-10, 1997: Camping with the Gonyos, Klees and Lawvers

Stopped at the deli at Plumbs and spoke with Lela, Cindy, and Kendra Kirk.    Then, I drove up to Sleeping Bear Dunes (Platte River) for the annual camping trip.      Skip, Jo, George, Marianne, Dawn, Joy, and I went to Beulah, Michigan, to look at the flea market and antique store.    Jo said Chad was doing well in Mexico, but didn't like students that were there drinking. He hung out with just a few people.    He didn't care for the host family he was staying with because they were not receptive.    Jase was sweeping parking lots.     Skip just bought a 7 yr old boat for $27,000.   We went to the Cherry Restaurant and got some pies.    Wendy was living and working up in Empire, Michigan at the time.  

Owen, Kim, Dawn, Joy, and I decided to go tubing. It cost us $55 for the 5 of us to go. We tied the tubes together and floated down the river. It was alot of fun. 

On Sunday, I went to church with Cheryl, Harold, and Dawn.     Dawn said she had been lazy lately and just coming home from work and watching TV

Her roommate moved out in October, so she liked having the apartment to herself.    

When I got back to Muskegon, Sarah Systema came for a visit.   I hated to leave, but had a 3 1/2 hour drive back to Chicago.   

July 31, 1997: Lilly Martinez Dunson/Bruce Willis

A new girl at work, Lilly Martinez and I went through the Metra station to the Amtrak station to get a ticket for my return trip to Kalamazoo on Sunday.    I happened to listen to the radio station, 100.3 that said Bruce Willis was filming his next movie, 'Simon' on the corner of Wacker and Wabash so I told everyone at work.   Josh Bulak said he liked Demi Moore.  Dave said he was going to check it out.    I called my friend, Shawn Young, who said she would roller blade down there and meet me at 5:30.  I was able to see Bruce Willis very well.   He was only about 50 ft. away from me.   The scene he was taping showed him in a brown leather jacket walking with a young boy in the movie.   

July 26, 1997: Venetian Festival

I went to the Venetian Festival downtown Chicago.    On my way there, it started to storm.  I had to wait under an awning on Michigan Ave.   I saw the boat parade.  All of the boats were decorated and got voted on.   They also did some fantastic fireworks, that echoed off the buildings.  It was great for people watching.  

July 25, 1997: Peter Schumacher

I met Peter Schumacher through Kim and Owen.  Peter and I walked down the aisle at Kim and Owen's wedding.      Anyway, last night, Peter came over for help on typing up a paper for school.  He came around 10:30 p.m.    We finally finished it in the early morning. He took me to breakfast in Greektown before work.      My supervisor, Yolanda Thomas, couldn't believe that I hadn't fallen asleep at my desk, as I hadn't slept since Wednesday night.     Also,  I went to the eye doctor today and had my eyes dilated and then went home.    I was exhausted.    I went to sleep at 6:30 p.m. and slept for 12 hours.   This was the first time I ever stayed awake for 24 hours straight and hopefully it would be the last time.

July 18-20, 1997: Mom and Charlene's Visit to Chicago

At Information Resources, we had flex time where we could work an extra hour Mon-Thurs each week and get every other Friday off, which was fantastic for when I had visitors and went back to Michigan.     

Today, I had a half day of work, as my Mom and Aunt Charlene were coming to visit me.    When I got home, I came to this beautiful plant sitting on my table from Grandpa, Grandma, and Charlene.   Mom brought me some magazines to read.    

We took the 'El' to Marshall Fields because I had a haircut appointment.   My mom bought a Coach purse.   It was raining and thundering outside.  I showed them around the Merchandise Mart.    Charlene was quite impressed with how well I was getting around the city in just the short time I had lived there.     We had dinner at the Thai restaurant on Huron and State.    I showed them the Cathedral on State St and around my neighborhood. 

On Saturday,  Charlene, Mom, and I walked down to Lake Michigan via the Division Street pedestrian way and walked around North Beach.

We walked around the Drake Hotel.   Then, we took the brown line up to the Armitage stop to the Sheffield Garden Walk.   We saw Charlene's brother-in-law, Eric; nephew, Brandon; and Eric's wife, Jenny.   We got to see Eric's first apartment building he owned.    Met Jenny's friend, Carol, who had been an extra in many films such as 'My Best Friend's Wedding".    They used to pay extras $100/day, but then when they started getting too many people, they paid only $45/day.    We got our faces painted.   

Took the 'El' back downtown and ran into a movie being made, starring Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Downey Jr.  They changed the license plates on the cars in the background to New York City.    They changed the Chicago Board of Trade to the New York Board of Trade.    It was so cool seeing the extras dressed in suits and beginning to walk in the background.  They kept doing this scene over and over.  I stood right next to Tommy Lee Jones and tried to get an autograph.  A lady gave him a dollar to get his autograph and his response was that he doesn't take US currency.   I didn't think he was very friendly at all.    Charlene managed to get a good close up picture of Tommy Lee Jones, though.         We had dinner at Portillos.   

On Sunday, Mom, Charlene, and I went to church at Park Community Church in Lincoln Park.    The pastor said that you have to have a little conflict in any kind of relationship in order for it to strengthen.   He said not to stand alone and that often in our society, we are taught to be individuals, but each of us needs someone to help us out.    God is our #1 friend.  

Charlene and my mom really liked my church.  They said it was so fun to see so many young people going to church.    

We had breakfast at West Egg Omelette on State Street, near my apartment.  We had lunch at Maggianos restaurant on Clark Street.

Charlene's  nephew, Brandon, and his mom, Liz, came to my apartment for a visit.  It was sad to see my mom and aunt go back to Michigan, as I had such a fun time with them this weekend.

May 1997: First Full-Time Job at Information Resources

I was so excited that I had a full-time job lined up when I got my diploma.   I moved to Chicago a week after graduation from Western Michigan University and started my new job as a Retail Database Specialist.     My work station was next to Yolanda Thomas and Tony Dragel.          I took the 'El' to work.       I was so nervous about switching trains, but was so glad I had taken the route a few days before to make sure I had it down.    

Information Resources was located at 150 N. Clinton in downtown Chicago.     It was near the Metra Station.  

The original members of my team were:  Chris Blackwell, Yolanda Thomas, Tony Dragel, Wayne Onak, Jeanette Walls, Dave, and Alison Basista. A few months later Josh Bulak and Lilly Martinez joined the group.      Then, Jennifer and Ed Slivinskas started in our department.    Bryan Kerr, Don, Liz, Joe Idstein , Ceylon Hayes, and Crystal Cooper were the last members to begin in our group. Right before I left, Ian Stevens and Darren Hobson were transferred into our group, along with several others.    

This was the best group of people to work with.  We had so much fun together after work.    We went out for lunches to celebrate birthdays and went out occasionally after work.      

My position was to work on running reports and fixing the data for different grocery store item categories.  Each of us had a group of retailer accounts that we worked on.    We had to use the Unix system to run the reports.     On the weekends, we were on a rotational schedule and were responsible for monitoring the systems.   There were some weekends where I would spend 8 hours on Saturdays and 4 hours on Sundays working.     We didn't get paid for the weekend work, as we were salaried.  Some time later, we got paid a small amount for our weekend work which was really nice.

Our company had flex schedules, as well as every other Friday off, if we put in an extra hour Monday-Thursday each week.  I was on that schedule which was so nice for me, as I took the train home many weekends over the 4 years that I worked in Chicago.      

May 1, 1997: Moving to Chicago

My goal was to have a full-time job lined up when I got my diploma from Western Michigan University.   In fact, just a few days after graduation, I was packing up to move to Chicago.      My first full-time job was at Information Resources at 150 N. Clinton in Chicago.

My friends, Deyoung Yap and Fontrise, came with my Mom and I to Chicago a few weeks prior to look at apartments. I fell in love with the studio apartment at 1030 N. Dearborn.   I was on the 2nd floor in a 325 sq. ft apartment that had recently been renovated.      I paid $595/month.

My Mom and Aunt Charlene came to help me move in.  I was able to fill 2 cars full of my stuff.      When we got to my new apartment in Chicago, I had no furniture. I had to order a couch and kitchen table and chairs.     I had a small TV and my computer that I brought with me, along with my clothes.   

When we got to the apartment, we went inside and thought we had the wrong apartment as it looked so small.  We asked the lady at the front desk and she said that was the correct one.   I guess we had forgotten how small it was.       

The first night, Charlene, my  Mom and I slept on the hardwood floor which was so uncomfortable.  I bought a cheap swimming raft and slept on that for about the first 2 weeks I lived in Chicago.   

I will never forget my Mom and Charlene leaving to go home and here I was in this big city all alone.  I wanted to run after their car and go home.

I bought a couch at Jennifer Convertibles and had a major problem with the delivery.    The company stopped at my apartment, but no one was in the office, so they left after 5 minutes. Then, they wanted to charge me an additional delivery fee and I was so mad, so I cancelled the whole order. I ended up losing 20% of my money, which made me even more mad.    So, I went to Marshall Field's and ordered a creme colored sleeper sofa for about $600.     

The apartment complex turned off the heat on April 1st, so I had no heat in May.   My mom ended up having to ship my electric blanket to me so I would not freeze at night.      

I was so happy when Shawn Young, whom I met in college in Phi Chi Theta, called me about a week after moving to Chicago.   She was such a blessing.   Shawn and I hung out all the time in Chicago.  She only lived about a block away from me.   I know that God was watching over me.