Visit Chicago for just $60

I did!! and you can too!! :)

Over spring break (the first week of March) I planned to visit my friend Annie who recently had moved to Chicago and was living in an apartment with two other gals.
I wanted to go but my goal was to spend next to nothing. So, this is how I spent 3.5 days in Chicago for only $59.50

Transportation to/from Chicago: bus ride from detroit to chicago - $2.50 (no joke!)
I like using Megabus - check it out at www.megabus.com
They generally have SUPER cheap tickets if you look far enough in advance, if not you can still find good deals!
Getting around while in the city: bought a couple day passes - $11.50
Housing: of course I was able to stay with my friends(Annie & her roomies) - FREE
So, try to hook up with a friend or even a friend-of-a-friend...it's always funner this way too. :)
Food: Be creative! I packed a sack lunch to eat on my bus ride there. Then I just shared/mooched off the girls' food ( I pitched some $ in though). :) breakfast: we made waffles & eggs one morning, another morning we had yogurt & granola, or a banana w/ peanut butter. lunch: I bought a sandwich and juice at a cafe, or a smoothie. one day we just had DQ blizzards! dinners: we cooked @ home: spaghetti, etc. Bought an inexpensive breakfast & lunch on my bus ride home.
total for food - $45.50
Other: there were no other expenses. For real! I could have chose to buy some other things like clothes (cause we did go shopping one day) or whatever, but chose not to. We also went to the zoo one day and that was FREE! So, that's it.
Total spent = $59.50

Have fun & let me know if you go to Chi-town any time soon...and how much you spend! :)

Love, P

~ Springtime in Virginia ~

Oma Jane with Patrick ~ enjoying the fun sidewalk chalk!

My little sweet Erin ~ 1 yrs old now!

Vos Family ~ some of my awesome family.


~ Springtime in Virgina ~

Every Spring we take a trip down to the lovely state of Virginia
to visit my older brother & his family, & this year was no exception.
My parents, older sis Charis, lil sis Promise & I packed up and drove down to
Roanoke, VA on May 6th. We enjoyed the lovely weather, many walks with
the kiddos, playing & reading & coloring w/ chalk, family meal times with
Daniel and Rebekah, and overall just had a relaxing time. I, for one, was thankful
for the time away to relax as I had just finished final exams the day we left!
On the drive home we stopped over in Ohio to stay a night at Aunt MB's house.
It was also good to catch up with her, uncle Dave and cousin Terra.
It was Mother's Day ~ so we got enjoy a late dinner of their
leftovers...mmm! Uncle Dave is a great cook. :)
We drove the second half in the morning.

Since my brother began college in 2000 we have taken 2-3 trips down
per year to visit him. And then he got a job, got married,
bought a house, and began a family...and we still continue to go down to
visit regularly. And I hope we ALWAYS will. I have taken a couple
trips down on my own as well. It's always seems
to be a nice time away and wonderful to spend time together!

Love, P

Serving

This past year I have been serving by volunteering at Children's Hospital of Michigan (in downtown Detroit). Since last June I have been going almost every Monday for 3 hrs. I spent time helping in the playroom/activity centers by playing with children and helping them do crafts, in patients rooms at bedside reading to them or playing games or holding/cuddling/feeding the babies, & once a month or so I would bring in my violin and play music in the main lobby area. People would hear me as they walked in or out...many positive comments were made to me about how lovely my music was and how much they enjoyed it. I'm thankful to have touched so many lives through volunteering at CHM! Here are a couple photos of me in the hospital on a typical day. :) I am currently in school to become a nurse and hope to finish my degree in the next few years and then use my skills in Africa eventually. I am thankful for the opportunity to have been able to see more of what goes on in a hospital through my volunteer experience at CHM this past year.



"I tend to think of serving God in terms of grand, heroic acts -- but serving Him daily, in all the everyday and trivial events of my life, actually requires far more discipline and commitment. Something as ordinary as doing the laundry or cleaning a bathroom can lead my heart to God, so long as I offer everything I do up to Him." -Elizabeth Prentiss