October 2002: Connecticut/New York City/Hershey, PA

My friend, Deyoung Yap, from Western Michigan University had moved to Stamford, Connecticut after living in Chicago.  He had been asking for me to come visit him for some time, so I finally decided that my mom and I should go and visit him before he moved to Pasadena, CA.        It took us over 12 hours to get to Connecticut.  I did the driving around New York City, which was horrible, as it was rush hour.       I thought the drive through New Jersey was gorgeous.  I never realized how hilly and curvy the roads were through New Jersey and around New York City.  We got to Stamford, CT shortly after sunset, which made it hard for driving.  I called Deyoung to let us know we were almost there.  He lived at 1 Reynolds St in Stamford.  When we got to his house, it was dark.   I called him again and he said he was out looking at cars. We were shocked that he was doing that when he knew we were coming to visit him.

We got inside his house, which was a mess, since he was moving to California in the next few weeks.  He had no toilet paper or food, so we all had to go to the grocery store to get that.   We both thought that was strange, too, especially when he knew we were coming to visit.   We went out to dinner with him the first night at a restaurant in Stamford.

Deyoung had to work on Friday, so he dropped my mom and I off at the train station and we took the train into New York City.

The first day in NYC, we walked around Rockefeller Center, by Times Square, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and through Macys, etc.    Security was quite tight on the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island tour.   We couldn't go inside the statue this time.   We took the train back to Stamford in the evening and had to take a cab ride back to Deyoung's house.   

Deyoung had other plans on Saturday, so mom and I took the train back to NYC for the day.  The Gonyos had told us about this guy, Gary, who gave tours of the World Trade Center disaster site, so we set up a time with him.   He gave us a very informative tour of the site and what happened on 9/11/2001. I will never forget the terrorist attack on the twin towers in NYC in 2001.   

Mom and I had a wonderful lunch at the Tavern on the Green in Central Park. We went to this restaurant back in 1987 when we were in town. We had to walk around Strawberry Fields, which was right across the street from where the Beatles star, John Lennon lived and was murdered.

We were going to spend an extra day with Deyoung, but after him not spending much time with us, we decided to leave the next day and go to Hershey, PA.     

On Sunday, we drove to Hershey, PA, to go on a tour of the Hershey plant and surroundings, as well as the hotel.  The lanterns in the city are in the shape of a Hershey kiss.     We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Hershey.  The factory tour was excellent. They even gave us a Hershey bar at the end of the tour, which was an added bonus.

March 28-April 4, 2002: Tahiti Cruise

Our next cruise was going to be to Tahiti.   We left on March 28th and  flew into Los Angeles and spent the night at the Hilton, as it is a long flight from LA to Tahiti.   Carol and Eddy Wong met us at the hotel and we had dinner and fellowship together. It was really nice to see them.   

On March 29, we took our flight from Los Angeles to Papeete, Tahiti.  What a long flight! We didn't get to Tahiti until 9:30 p.m.     We stayed at Le Meridien hotel which was gorgeous.     

On March 30th (Saturday), we went sightseeing around Papeete.   We went through one of the markets before boarding the cruise ship.  When we got to our room on the ship, there was a beautiful Easter basket waiting for us with a bunch of chocolates.

March 31st was Easter Sunday.  We went to the Easter service on the ship.  The girls were all dressed in white and sang beautiful music.   They were wonderful.     We took a 4 wheel drive in Raiatea.  The forest was so lush there.     Took a canoe ride with Charlene, Grandpa, and Marnie Stuart.

On Monday, April 1, we went around Tahaa and Motu Mahana.   We took another 4 wheel drive tour.    We were taught how to do Polynesian dancing.  Then, the boat stopped at their private island, Motu, where Marnie and I went kayaking around the island.   

On Tuesday, April 2nd,  we were in Bora Bora.  I took an off road adventure tour with Charlene and my mom.    It was really bumpy. We all held on tight for dear life.     We stopped at the Bloody Mary Restaurant, which is a famous restaurant there that many movie stars have visited.    Charlene, Marnie, Mom and I rented a car and drove around Bora Bora.   We each got our black pearls, which is what they are famous for.      My mom's pearls cost her $100. They were Class B.  I also got a pearl, but it was this beautiful green color. They tell you to get the pearl like the color of your eyes.

On Wednesday, April 3rd, we went on a tour to see the stingrays.    We got to go swimming with the stingrays.  I was so scared when the fish came around me.  They were so slimy.  You don't want to ever step on their tail, as that alerts them that there is a predator.    Marnie got a great picture of herself with one of the stingrays.     

We all had a wonderful time in Tahiti.  I have never seen such beautiful blue water like this in my life.

On Thursday, we were back in the big island of Tahiti.  Charlene and Marnie's room in the hotel was taken, so they were upgraded to one of the large straw huts that is built on the water.    We all hung out at their place as it was so beautiful.   I will never forget sitting in one of the hammocks looking up at the stars and praying to God that he would guide me through life, take care of me, and help me find a good man.  Now, every time I look at the stars, I think of that night in Tahiti.   

February 25, 2002: Equalization Department

When I moved back to Muskegon from Chicago, I thought I would have a job right away, just like I did when I got out of college. I soon found out that it wasn't that easy, especially around Muskegon, where the unemployment has been one of the highest in the state.       I worked part-time at Sears from July 2001 until June 2002.   I took the clerical test at the County of Muskegon and got in the top 5, which were chosen for interviews.  I ended up getting a clerk position in the Equalization Department for the County of Muskegon.    I started there on February 25, 2002.   My first day was quite interesting, as I had no prior knowledge about real estate.    I answered the phone calls and had to give out information on property records.  In some cases, I had to read the legal descriptions, which I had never read before.   There were many abbreviations that I needed to learn.        

Equalization was in the same building at Community Mental Health Youth Services, which is where my mom worked.     My mom and I commuted to work together many times.      I met some nice people there, such as Tom VanBruggen, Heather Singleton, Jamie Huston, Dan Vanderkooi, Sue Bowen, Jerry Groeneveld, etc.    I learned quite a bit on this job, to which I was blessed.   Tom's wife, Gina, got my mom and I into scrap booking.  She had parties at her house and we bought quite a few things.

Some days were stressful at work, especially during the Board of Review season.   We got many phone calls, mapped out legal descriptions, and made maps for the clients.      Some of the legal descriptions could be difficult to map out.  That is when we would go to Tom VanBruggen, who was the expert in that.

I was in the Equalization Department from Feb. 2002 until around October 2003.  Due to budget cuts in Equalization, they had to eliminate a position. Since I was on the bottom of the totem pole, I had to bump out into a different department.  That is when I was transferred to the Health Department.