• Home
  • Posts
  • Contact

Ask Mandi Jo

~ Faith, Love, Life's Journey…

Ask Mandi Jo

Tag Archives: road trip

Spring Break…

15 Friday Mar 2013

Posted by askmandijo in Daily Life

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

2013, ALash, beautiful, belief, Busy, Canada, Central Park, College, EMHS, EMU, Faith, family, Far Rockaway New York, Food, friend, God, hope, Hurricane Sandy, Joplin Missouri, love, MDS, Mennonite Disaster Service, New York, New York City, Plan B, Relationships, road trip, Soup and Arts Fest, stories, Times Square, Travel, Tuva, Tuvan Throat Singing, United States, You Are My Sunshine

Dear Friend,

As you know, I was in a bit of a panic before break, I had piles of things to do, and a multitude of things to think about. Spring Break became not only a literal removal of myself from the chaos, but a mental one as well. You see I purposefully did not bring any homework along with me, I left my computer locked away in my dorm room, and I took off on my trip with a bunch of people with a plan to focus on working with MDS, and nothing else.  (In case you don’t know, MDS stands for Mennonite Disaster Service and does relief work throughout the United States and Canada.) Originally, our group was planning on leaving Friday night at midnight, and driving through Saturday and into Sunday, towards Joplin Missouri for tornado clean-up. However, on Thursday, we learned the MDS had shut down the MDS sites in Missouri due to snow, warm days in the weather forecast, and the ensuing mud bath that would inevitably come along with that. So we were sent to Far Rockaway New York to work on Hurricane Sandy work instead. This change was quickly welcomed by us, especially since it meant a LOT less time in the car, and we were excited to be so close to New York City (Far Rockaway is on the eastern most island in the group of islands that make-up and surround NYC.

First of all, this was much better as far as my sleep schedule goes. I had given up several hours of sleep that week to finish homework, and leaving at midnight that Friday would not have, by any means, been very healthy for me. In fact, we didn’t leave until Sunday morning, which allowed for me to go to EMHS’ Soup and Arts Fest, which is this wonderful experience where you look at all of the students artwork (grades k-12), eat from the delicious soup buffet (all donated from various H-burg restaurants), listen to various music groups, and finish it off with a scrumptious piece of Mrs. Bender’s peanut butter pie (There are other dessert options, baklava, red velvet cake balls, key lime pie squares, etc. but none of them compare to the peanut butter pie) Then, after Soup and Arts Fest, my family headed out to Broadway’s Plan B to attend the concert of the best Tuvan Throat Singing group in the world, Alash. We love them, but I will admit, that while I love hearing them live, the cd I have just do them justice so I don’t really like it, that being said, you should stop by and take a listen sometime…

Anywhoo, so on Sunday morning we packed up into vans and headed off on our short (ok, 6 hour) drive up to the city. When we got there we had a quick orientation and pizza dinner before heading off to bed and settling into the week’s routine. Every morning we woke up at 6am (please note: I am a night owl… I hate mornings) and met up in the dining hall/food pantry/office by 6:30 to pack our lunch for the day and then, as soon as everyone was done with that, we would eat a breakfast of fruit (my favorite), toast, and other yummy delights. After breakfast, we would be led in a time of singing and devotions before heading out to our work sites (by 8am). My work site was in a basement apartment, about 50 ft from the boardwalk lining the Atlantic coast… it was beautiful. Throughout the week my group did some drywall finishing, sanding, priming, and painting (in fact, we finished all of that!!!) some of the “old folk” in our group also put in doors, trimmed windows, and put in kitchen cabinets! We would often take a break at 10:30ish, and then again at 2:30ish for snack and a moment of respite (arms feel much heavier when they’ve been above your head for several hours…). When it was warm enough Jon, Carissa and I would sit on the boardwalk to eat our lunch. The first time we did this, the seagulls attempted to lay siege and eat all of our food, but weren’t too bad later on in the week. On about Wednesday, construction workers began to tear up what was remaining of the boardwalk so that it could be redone (most of it was torn away in the storm)… so we would go around them to be on the beach. After our days work was completed, we would head back to camp (we’d always be back by 5pm). The crew leaders would have a meeting with the project director from 5-5:30 and supper was served at 6pm. After supper (always quite delicious) someone from each crew shared about their group’s activities for the day. After dinner we would play games and just hang out until we headed of to bed (often around 10pm).

Some irregularities in the week: On Wednesday, Jon and I went shopping at Lowe’s with the Project director, Harold, before meeting up with the rest of our crew, I then drove around with Rody (pronounced with an “oo” sound, the spelling confused me too), our crew leader, to retrieve a table saw, a shop vac, and nails for the nail gun. All in all, I didn’t get to help out at the house at all that morning. Then, on Thursday several things happened. First, we had a house owner eat dinner with us and then share his story. It was amazing to hear him tell us about how quickly the water rose, and yet how quickly it disappeared (leaving destruction in it’s wake)… A bit later in the evening, we held a variety show including almost everyone in camp. A bunch of the girls sang “cups”, my crew group whistled “Come Thou Fount”  while I sang, The boy’s cabin sang T-Swift’s “You Belong With Me”, Our house owner guest told us the story of how he met his late wife, we were indulged in a beautiful song about MDS from Harold, Sandra, and Lena Mae, we also heard animal noises from MDS director Kevin, watched the “Not-So-Newlywed Game” created by Bethany and Savanna, and ended as we had to watch as Andrew wiped Peanut Butter over all sorts of people in a mock-infomercial that ended in someone licking peanut butter out of another person’s armpit (names not mentioned, because that’s just too gross to go too public). Friday was much less disgusting, and ended with our home owner taking pictures with us and giving us all hugs, I didn’t have the opportunity to spend much time talking to her, but I could see just how grateful she was to have us there, and I’m grateful for the opportunity I had to do what I could to help. That night, we took off immediately after dinner to head on into the city. I didn’t realize it at first, but I was one of only 2-3 people who had actually been in NYC before, and this is out of the 11 of us who went! It runs out that this was beneficial for me because, despite having a buddy system going on, the group left me at M&M World. You see I wanted to get a bag of brown peanut M&M’s (because I prefer the brown ones) so I filled up my bag from the large bulk dispensers along the wall, and Jia saw that I had a bag of M&M’s and assumed that I had already paid for them, actually I was just passing the group on my way to pay for them, and as I waited in line… the group took off. They didn’t realize I wasn’t with them, but I knew they had left the second I turned around after paying for my brown peanut goodness, so I called/texted to check in and at first they didn’t respond… I decided to call once more, but wasn’t too worried because I knew 2 things (A) If I absolutely had to, I could get myself back on my own, this was the benefit of having been the NYC before, and just the pure fact that I’m really good at public transportation, directions, figuring out where I am, etc (B) I also knew that eventually, if I stayed there long enough, the group would figure out that I was missing, realize they hadn’t seen me since the M&M store and either come back, or call. So I made one more call and it was answered with “We are SO sorry…” now, I didn’t think it was all that bad, but that’s just me. Andrew, Jon, and Jia left the rest of the group to retrieve me, and then we walked to Central Park to meet up with the rest of the group… Central Park was beautiful, especially when we saw a white crane gliding over the pond. Then, Saturday morning before we headed home, we drove to the beach where a bunch of crazy people from our group ran and jumped into the water (I should point out that there was some SNOW on the ground).

There really is no way to explain how amazing the week was. I feel like I’ve known the people in the group so much longer than a week. We were like a little mini family that week, and it was so much fun. They’ve seen me at 6 in the morning, when I’m not even awake and am just sleep walking on autopilot! We’ve laid on the beach basking in the sun together, celebrated birthdays, and had a snowball fight…er fights. We played pranks on each other, told ridiculous bedtime stories, and sang distorted versions of “You Are My Sunshine” to each other. I wish it wouldn’t have ended…

To see a bit about the Far Rockaway MDS site visit: http://mds.mennonite.net/projects/farrockawayny/

Love, Mandi Jo

Share me!

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

The Best Weekend Ever (So Far)

09 Tuesday Oct 2012

Posted by askmandijo in Daily Life

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

2012, Bowling, Busy, Food, friend, Game Night, Games, Hiking, James Bond, JMU, music, Photos, road trip, Singing, VOCHES8, Weekend

 

Dear Friend,

As I wrote last week, this past weekend was crazy busy. In fact, I even did a few unplanned activities!  You see on Friday I got a call from Christophe, who invited me to go bowling with him and his friend Erwin! We bowled 5 games in 2 hours. I don’t think I’ve ever bowled so much in such a short amount of time, but best of all is that one of those games, I kicked butt! Seriously, it was a high score game for me with 143 at the end (I’m usually in the mid 90’s) and I was just feeling it. The rest of the night I was sitting closer to my normal score range, but that was just fine by me, I went to have fun, not embarrass them all night. In general it was a fun night of victory dances, mockery, and attempts to “spin” the ball… which, surprisingly enough, was actually successful sometimes. Then we went to Cookout and grabbed milkshakes before heading back to our respective schools.

The next morning was the Relief Sale! Seriously, I think the only thing I ever accomplish is eating some really yummy food, and buying a pair of earrings from Ten Thousand Villages, this year I got myself a picture frame too! (Which I haven’t yet filled, but I’ll figure that out later.) Not 5 minutes after returning from the sale, I headed out with Lenore, Morgan, and Ryan (a friend of Morgan’s who was visiting over the weekend) to Massanutten Ridge to go hiking! It was a beautiful day and while I usually despise hiking, I actually enjoyed myself because I got to mosey around a bit and take pictures as I went. When we returned, we played Hearts until the Game Night Crew showed up at 9. Rather than play games like usual, we watched the video that Everett and various other people I know made when they were in 10th grade, Robin Hood. It was hilarious! I hadn’t seen it since it’s original viewing “back in the day” and I must say, it’s funnier now, when I can laugh at how much everyone has changed in addition to the hilarity that naturally ensues when high school boys get their hands on a camera.

In the morning I headed back over to JMU for brunch with Christophe. You see I had made a deal with him, that I’d get him donuts from the Relief Sale (because they’re delicious) and he was busy Saturday night, so he asked if I could bring them over Sunday morning instead. I figure brunch for donuts is a pretty good trade. Then that afternoon, I headed back down to Richmond to pick my mom up from the airport! James Bond day was this past week, so I celebrated by playing VOCHES8 in my car all weekend, and this trip was the perfect opportunity to just sing for hours! Or at least 2 of them (hours, that is).

I was feeling a little tired by Monday morning, but I think the awesomeness of the weekend was most definitely worth it.

Lots of Love, Mandi Jo

 

Share me!

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

It’s a Crazy, Crazy Life…

03 Wednesday Oct 2012

Posted by askmandijo in Daily Life

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

2012, Babies, family, flowers, NEEDTOBREATHE, Phoenix, Photos, quotes, road trip, scripture

Dear Friend,

This week has been, and will continue to be a crazy rush of events. On Sunday afternoon/evening Morgan and I went down to Richmond (well, and back… singing NEEDTOBREATHE the entire time… good times, good times) to take my mom to the airport. She was headed off to Phoenix (where my parents grew up, and my sister and I were born.) so she could help my grandparents pack up all their stuff because they’re moving here! This will be the first time I’ve lived near them since I was 4, so I’m pretty excited nevermind that it means I get some furniture that won’t fit in their new house, but is my inheritance… hehehe I LOVE household items!!!

Seriously, I love them… so explain this fully, you have to understand that this summer I used my birthday money to buy myself glass dinner plates, salad plates, bowls, tumblers, and glasses, not to mention the silverware and that when my grandma asked what I wanted for my birthday I said “An electric hand mixer.” as if this was a normal request for people turning 20. So to sum it all up, I can now set a table for 4 properly, with both salad and dinner forks, soup, dinner, and iced tea spoons, and a table knife. The only problem is that I have enough glasses for 8, so I’m thinking I might just have to complete my set for 8 over the next year.

Anywhoo… that was a major tangent. So this Sunday I will be returning to the airport to pick my Mom back up, and that will be the end of my crazy week. The past 2 days have been pretty normal other than finding out that my cousin is engaged and that her dad (My uncle) fell off a horse and fractured 6 ribs, but today I took Eli to Sweet Bees in celebration of his birthday (It was actually a few weeks ago, but I created a coupon book with 12 coupons in it, and he gets to use one every month.) After returning Eli home, I went to dinner, realized I had forgotten my bag at home so I headed home, but decided to stop at the gas station along the way. I like paying in cash before filling up, so I went inside and handed over what I thought was 20 dollars, went outside and started filling up. But lo and behold, once it reached 20 dollars worth of gas, it kept going!!! I was feeling more than a little confused, so I stopped the pump and went inside, but when I told the lady which pump I was at she handed me MONEY!?!? At this point I was confused, so I decided I should probably check my wallet and see how much I had actually given her, and it turns out I had handed over 40 dollars, not 20. So the little bit I went over 20 cuts into my spending money for this weekend at the relief sale, but that’s ok, I just have more gas than I expected.

In just a few minutes (around 7 pm), a friend is coming so we can work on a project for Survey of Economics, then at 8 Northlawn is having an open house to entice people into our dorm… I don’t think I will ever understand, don’t ask me to explain. Then at 9, I’m going to Common Grounds to watch the first Presidential debate of the season between Obama and Romney… today’s topic: Domestic Policy. This is partially because I’m interested, and partially because my least favorite class, Intro to Politics, requires me to be there… on the upside, this is only the second assignment we’ve had in that class so far. (Yes, I know we’re 1/3 of the way through the semester. Yes, I am counting correctly.)

Tomorrow, I will be participating in regular Thursday activities, like working out with Jia between 10 and 11, as well as Politics after lunch at 1pm. But then I will be headed out to Rally In The Valley, which is a conference for Social Work Students in the Shenandoah Valley. I’m not sure if I have to be there from 3-9 ish, or from 7-9 ish… so I need to figure that out, but in general I plan on not really doing anything other than being there tomorrow afternoon.

Then Friday is pretty normal… But Saturday is the Relief Sale!!! I love the relief sale it is just an amazing time to spend money for a good cause, not to mention that it’s a tradition that October wouldn’t be the same without. Donuts, Quilts, People, pure awesomeness… Check. Now Eli has a soccer game that morning so I might end up being needed to help transport him, but in general, Saturday is Relief Sale Day, until the afternoon that is, when some of us might be going on a hike! Normally I don’t like hikes, but I am determined to go because I want to be a more active person, and hikes help me achieve that!

I’m also hoping to find some time to go take pictures. This is for several reasons including the fact that  I recently started a second blog (It’s in the list of links I have down at the bottom of the page) which is in existence purely to motivate me to take pictures. After all, I need to be taking pictures for my Aunt, and just using my camera more in general. So I post a photo everyday, and sometimes add a short poem (created on the spot, by me) or a quote, bit of scripture, etc. But the main reason I need to take pictures soon, is because the field in front of my family’s home is full of these tiny white daisy-like flowers and I’m thinking that if I brought my big red chair down there, it would look amazing!!!

On a completely separate topic, 3 infants joined our church this week! I can’t wait to see all the roses on our church piano this Sunday as we celebrate their arrival into the world.

So that’s my crazy, crazy life…

Love, Mandi Jo

Share me!

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
← Older posts
  • View @askmandijo’s profile on Twitter
  • View askmandijo’s profile on Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn

Follow Ask Mandi Jo on WordPress.com

Posts About…

  • Daily Life
    • The Bucket List
  • Misc.
  • Photography
  • Recipes

Enter your email address to receive notifications of new posts by email.

MJ is Reading…

Instagram

Counting Down…

My Thirties...August 2, 2022
18 months to go.

What’s New?

  • Week 3 – Working From Home
  • Week 2 – Connection
  • Week 1 – Social Distancing
  • Finding Hope In My Community
  • Celebration and Community

Archives

Search

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 57 other followers

Various WordPress Links

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Create a website or blog at WordPress.com

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
Cancel