What's Said on the Bus Stays on the Bus!

I cannot believe I've been in Greece for almost 5 days! We have been venturing into downtown Athens for the past few days and I have seen some fun things. There have only been a small group of us hanging out together since most of the people here are still taking class. As you all know, you start to get pretty close if you travel together in any capacity. This has held true for us as well and we have laughed a lot while traveling on the bus. Oh the joys, and smells, of public transportation! And I have to say, the Greeks love to drive as if the police are chasing them! They must feel like it's more entertaining or something. All I know is that I fear for my life multiple times a day while walking or riding. At least it keeps the blood flowing. ;)

Yesterday, we went into downtown to do a little shopping. The jewelry and handbags and clothes were beautiful and so colorful. We are going to go back another day because it takes more than one day to see everything. Here are some fun pics from this adventure.

Nick or Niko or Nikki are popular Greek names. I must look a little Greek because I get stopped quite often for directions and such. Unfortunately, I have NO idea what they are saying. It's quite hilarious.

One of the coolest things about being here is seeing the ancient artifacts that are dug up. Here is a working aquaduct that was around during the time of Christ! I love being over on this side of the world!

In the Metro Station

Last night most of us decided to go to a small Brittish Pub that was only a 15 minute walk away. We spent most of the time in the beer garden laughing and sharing stories. I must say that this little pub was totally charming and had loads of character. Here are a few pictures from the evenings festivities.

A beautiful sunset unfolded before us as we walked to the pub

Tiffany and I at the pub

Today a group of us went into downtown Athens to go see the changing of the guard in front of the parliament building at Syntagma Square. It was one of the more interesting things that I have seen.

The guards are not allowed to move or smile. I could never do this job!

We start the morning tomorrow with a church service where I get to help lead worship. I love leading worship. It does something for my soul and I hope it makes God smile.
After that, we go to the Acropolis so I hope to have some fun pictures and stories to share with you.

Some of my favorite things about Greece so far:

*Tzatziki sauce....YUM! It goes well with everything.

*Venetti's.... a pastry and coffee shop. Delicious!

*When I'm here, I'm not working. :)

*Traveling with Dr. Lawson

*New friends

Some of my NOT so favorite things about Greece so far:

*It's hard to shave my legs in the shower

*The dollar to Euro exchange rate is TERRIBLE right now.

Have a great day!

The Ice Cream Walk of Death

Today was a very interesting day here in Athens. I am here as a guest to Tiffany so while she is in class, the rest of us are out and about in the city. This morning we went to a "Flea Market," which was pretty much like a Farmer's Market with amazing fruits and vegetables and other homemade things. Here are a few pictures of the market.

Opa!

Some of the most delicious strawberries I have ever tasted!

Olives are big here.....obviously.

After about 35 minutes, we had seen all there was to see of the market. We then decided that because our ride would not be there for another hour and a half, we needed to find a place to have some coffee. We found this cute little restaurant that had an outdoor patio covered in grapevines. I even had my first Greek cold coffee called a Frappe. I had to keep asking for sugar since I like a little coffee with my coffee and cream. I think the owner thought I was a little crazy.

Sipping my first Frappe.

When it became 2 hrs and no van, we began to wonder what we should do. One of the professors tried calling the college on several different phones and the call would not go through. Finally, one of the host ladies came to pick us up in a car. All 13 of us...in 1 car. Obviously, that was not going to work so she took 4 people in the group and was going to come back in shifts. We were about 20-25 mins from the campus so we just sat at the restaurant and waited. After another hour, and more failed phone calls, we decided that we needed to find the bus to take us back. Now we are HOT and hungry and have walked nearly 3 miles to the main street to catch the bus. At this point, we knew we were not making it back for lunch, so we decided to eat at one of the best Gyros places in Athens. Yum! I am glad to say that we made it home just fine and we even had an adventure. If you aren't a flexible person you may not want to travel internationally. It's all about going with the flow!

*Sidenote: The van had broken down and that is why another host came with the car. When she was told to come back to get the rest of us, she heard that we were going to take the bus instead. Language barriers are FUN!

We got back and had some time to rest and then we ate dinner together. I love that we get to eat all of our meals with each other! Living in community is tough, but I believe it was the way God intended us to live. After dinner, we were informed that we were going to walk to this amazing ice cream shop. I do NOT do ice cream at home, but I was told that the milk processing is different here and I should be fine. That got me excited..... until we started to make the trek to the shop. No one told us it would be about a 2 1/2 mile walk on a road with no sidewalks and HUGE barking dogs around every bend. These dogs were so large that they looked more like horses! Also, did you know that the Greeks don't care much for rules such as speed limits or traffic lights? We practically had to jump out of the way many times so that we were not run over.....while the dogs were looking at us like we were dinner. We did arrive safely to the ice cream shop and while we ate our ice cream, I chickened out and went for sorbet, I was wondering how we were going to get home in the dark? The road we walked on was not what you would call paved. Well, almost too quickly, I got my answer. We were going to try and walk some on the main road to cut off a little time and then head to the back roads after that. This way was even more terrifying than the way over! We were pretty much playing chicken trying to get across the main street and were straddling the guardrail while we waited to cross. Did I mention that Greeks don't care much for rules?! For a different take on this trip and this incident, see my friend Tiffany's Blog (just click on her name).

Well, I am happy to say that I am back in the dorm safe and now just getting ready for bed. I will leave you with a few of my favorite, and not so favorite, things about Greece.

What I do NOT like so much about Greece:

*Older Greek woman who yell, or encourage strongly, at you for singing on the bus. I wasn't quite sure what she was saying since I do not speak Greek.

*The lack of deodorant used. I am breathing through my mouth a lot!

What I LOVE about Greece:

And to all a good night!

I am in Greece!

I am in Greece!

Well, after 24 hrs of traveling, I made it to Athens! We rode a bus from Orlando to Miami, flew from Miami to Paris, and then from Paris to Athens. The flight to Paris was a little over 8hrs and we flew Air France. I even learned a few things from flying Air France:

1. The food is generally pretty good. Actually, very good for airline food.

2. They play interesting movies. They played the Justin Bieber movie and "Big Mommas House." I watched the Justing Bieber movie, out of curiosity of course, and found it to be pretty good. Not quite sure what they were thinking with those choices.

3. They mostly have male flight attendants.... who are NOT ugly! That helped the time go by quicker as well. :) Don't judge....

4. When they get on the speaker to say that we are about to go through some turbulance, even though it's in French and sounds pretty, it still sucks to go through trubulance!

When we got to Athens, we were picked up by the couple who are hosting us at the Greek Bible College. Most of the cars and buses are Mercedes so I have to say that we got to ride through Athens in style and comfort. The Bible college where we are staying is so beautiful and well kept. Before we even got moved into our rooms they decided to feed us some of their amazing food. Here are a few things that were waiting for us.

Greece is known for it's olives. They have such a strong flavor.

Isn't is all so colorful and lovely! And SO fresh!

The rest of the day was spent unpacking and trying to stay awake until at least 9p.m. Greece time, which is 7 hrs later than Florida time. This is to help with jet-lag and to get on their schedule faster. I made it until about 8:45 p.m. and then I was DONE! I slept until about 7:45 a.m. today and feel so much better!

Today we awoke to a beautiful breakfast of fresh Greek yogurt and honey, cheese, bread and apricot jam, and coffee!!

This was the big bowl of thick and delicious Greek yogurt and juices and milk.

The honey for the yogurt. Yum!

After breakfast the guests of the students got to go into Athens to get a taste of the public transportation. It was a short time, but just enough to get a small sample of the city. We rode the bus and the metra and could pretty much get anywhere we wanted using these 2 systems. Europe in general does public transportation much better than we do back home.

These types of architectural gems are everywhere. It's crazy to think of how old some of this stuff is.

Me and T-bone right before a delicious lunch. I love that we are here together!

Lunch! Fish (I don't eat fish), fries, salad, and bread.

Some of my favorite things about Greece so far:
*Almost NO humidity! I LOVE not sweating every second.
*We eat outside a lot! Eating outside is one of my favorite things to do!

*I get to see real Olive Trees that have been around for a VERY long time.

*I have seen pottery that is so old it was around in the time of Moses.

Some of my NOT so favorite things about Greece so far:

*Not being able to throw toilet paper in the toilet. Yes, you have to

throw it in the garbage. I will try not to take flushing things for granted at home.

*Greeks like to talk LOUDLY and yell. I have to get used to this. =)

Well, this about covers my first day and a half here. I feel so blessed that I get to be here and experience a new culture and place. Traveling is one of my biggest passions, and I am truly thankful for this time. We are off to a cute little coffee and pastry shop after dinner. I will let you know how it is.

Thanks for the prayers!

Until next time.....

Goin' To Greece and Stuff

OH.MY.GOSH, I'm leaving for Greece in 5 days!!

It has been FOREVER since I have put up a blog, but honestly I have been living la vida loca...(what else is new?) This season has found me working full time at American Idol, singing over at Harry Potter, teaching SINGS workshops for Disney, and singing in my friend Joshua's new community choir. It makes me tired to even type that all out. Let me catch you up on a few details.

The opportunity to go to Greece came up earlier this year when Tiffany let me know that her class goes every summer and she could bring someone. She is in graduate school at Palm Beach Atlantic studying to be a Christian Counselor. While we are there she will be taking a class the first week that will go towards her degree. We will be staying in Athens, but will have the opportunity to see some other parts of the country as well. There is so much Biblical history there and I cannot wait to see places like Corinth and possibly Patmos. This is a trip of a lifetime and I could not be more excited about it! We will be gone for 16 days and the break from routine will be SO nice. I am going to try and keep a traveling photo blog going while we are gone so check back next week for an update.

Did I mention that I'm excited??!!

I do want to give a shout out to my fabulous mom as she starts a new chapter and retires this year from teaching. I was not able to be there for her party, but I wanted her to know that I was with her in spirit. She is so great with the kids and I know her students and fellow teachers are going to miss her very much. Congratulations, mom on making a difference in so many young lives.

I also wanted to give a shout out to my little brother who isn't so little anymore. He is graduating from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago in less than 2 weeks with his masters degree in health systems management. I so wanted to be there when he graduated, but I will be in Greece at that time. He also has already started a job as the operations manager for the section of vascular surgery at the University of Chicago. Here is a pic of my cute brother.

I am so proud of you Eric! I love that you are my brother.

Also, I could not leave you without showing off my beautiful nieces. They are growing so fast and are so much fun to be around! Now they are both walking....

Again, I will be trying to keep pictures and updates of my travels here over the next 2 weeks.

I covet your prayers for Tiffany and I over the next few weeks. Oh, and by the way, we are going to be moving across town at the end of August. We wouldn't mind some prayers for that as well. At least life is NEVER dull around here. :)

Here's to living life to the fullest!

REAL

Good Evening! It's late and I'm cold, yes I said cold, but I just couldn't sleep without getting some thoughts out of my head. Do you ever have times where there is such a jumbled array of thoughts shooting around in your brain, that you just know you have to let them out or they will explode? Yeah? Me too....

I have had some recent events in my life that have caused me to stop and think again about what I REALLY believe. I mean, when push comes to shove, am I REALLY willing to give up everything and follow the One who saved me from myself? And when I say the word everything, I mean just that...

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it."

I don't know about you but, more times than not, I don't want to do this! I don't want to give up things that make me feel good. Am I alone here? Seriously, I have lost things for the sake of my faith and, I have to say, it hurts. Don't misunderstand me, I am not having a pity party here. I guess I just needed to say this out loud and have someone else say, "I get it." Loss hurts. Period. Even if it's for my good.

I would think that most people who do not know Him would probably think that it's a crazy thing to deny yourself. Life is all about happiness and instant gratification in our culture and sometimes I just want to jump on this bandwagon. I hate that this is true. Lately, I am totally into quoting people who are smarter than me because they somehow say what I'm thinking, only much prettier. =) Donald Miller says, "The problem with Christian belief-I mean REAL Christian belief, the belief that there is a God and a devil and a heaven and a hell-is that it is not a fashionable thing to believe." Nope. Not popular, especially where I'm living, and not easy.

This last quote pretty much helps me to come to terms with why I am usually dissatisfied. I am content in my circumstances, but not satisfied. How about you?

"If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world. -C.S. Lewis

I just wish I could make everyone see that we were ALL made for another world. Not just some of us, ALL of us. I think this is where most of my tears come from these days. When people walk around and don't know their Daddy, their REAL Daddy, this makes my heart sad. Believing this changes everything!

Well, I feel better now that I've gotten that out of my head. I wish I was a more eloquent writer, but perhaps I will improve as time goes on. I hope you are enjoying your December.

Here's to REAL change!

Nikki

Blessed With Work

Ok, I'm just gonna admit that I SUCK AT BLOGGING!! There, I said it and I feel so much better now. ;) I am sitting here humbled and thankful for what God has been doing in my life the past few months. Since April, I have been working at the American Idol Experience at Disney's Hollywood Studios. I have been full time since August and I am loving every minute of it! Here I am on the job.


As you can see, as far as Disney uniforms go, I am pretty lucky!

My other new job is singing in the Frog Choir at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! I am singing in a quartet as the soprano from Slytherin. I know, I know.... nobody really wants to be a Slytherin, but if you read the end of the book, it's really not so bad. I usually have to pinch myself that I get paid to sing! God, You really know how to bless this girl. Here I am in my HOTT (literally and fashionably speaking) costume. Yes, I am wearing a wool vest and YES this is in Florida.... and NO, it's not a mole, it's a microphone. =)

And last, but certainly not least, today was my first shadow day for learning to be a Disney Sings Workshop Clinician. I told you God was blessing me abundantly! I took my kids from Hillgrove to this particular workshop the last year that I taught there and LOVED it! My first teaching day is December 18th... prayers are welcome for sure!

I have SO much more to share, but I refuse to put up a loooooonnng blog. I have just been so busy with work, you didn't hear that from me a year ago, that I have had little down time lately.

I hope that this finds you and yours healthy and content in wherever God has you.

His way is the best way....I am learning that more and more each day!

Much love to you....

Encore Presents...... Dream Our Dreams!!

My oh my, how time flies! I cannot believe it has been so long since my last post, but life has been BUSY!! I like that I have been busy because it makes me feel like I am finally making Orlando home. The end of June marked 1 year down here in Orlando. I really do not know how a year went by so quickly, but God has been faithful and even deeper healing has happened. The master physician has been hard at work and it makes me grateful that I am not the one with the scalpel in my hand!

One of the best things that has happened this year has been my new job at Disney. I am a Casting Director at the American Idol Experience at Disney's Hollywood Studios and I'm loving it! I am the first person to listen to a guest sing and then put them through to the Producer if they are a strong singer. The Producer then puts that guest in one of our seven shows of the day if they like them enough....very much like going to "Hollywood" on the real American Idol show. More importantly, I get work with some of the best people and have already made some heart connecting friends. Everyday is different and I get to meet people from all over the world!

Being a Disney Cast Member also allowed me to be a part of the Encore Choir. Encore is an organization made up of Disney Cast Members and their families. We were almost 500 people strong including orchestra, dancers, actors, and production/tech team. We rehearsed from May to August and just had our 4 shows this past weekend. All proceeds from the show went to the Make a Wish Foundation. I had the honor of helping lead the female sectionals a few times and also getting to be a part of a quintet singing "Human Again" from Beauty and the Beast on Broadway. I got to play the french maid Babette. How fun! Here are some pictures from this amazing experience.

Here are many of my friends who work at Idol with me!


I love Joshua Vickery!

Me and our show director Clay Price. He is the best!

My "Human Again" Quintet. Love these folks!


More of my new friends.

It was many long nights and hard work, but the show was amazing! I am now in Chicago visiting my family and getting some much needed r & r. I get back to Orlando late on Friday and get to start full time hours at American Idol on Sunday. Thank you God for providing and allowing me to have so much fun in the process.

Until next time,

Nikki