I wanted to get the word out on the Passion. I talked about this last year around this time. It's what I like to call a Living Stations meets Jesus Christ Superstar with a little less Rock & Roll. Basically, it's the re-telling of the Crucifixion with Contemporary Christian Music. Again this year, there's a lot of great music and it's going to be awesome (in the best sense of that word). This is a great way to prepare yourself for the end of the Lenten Season.

So here are the details:
The Re-Enactment of the Lord's Passion
Friday April 7th
Mass from 6:30 to 7. Preludes start very shortly after
Show starts at 7:30

St. Mary's Landover Hills
7401 Buchanan Street
Landover Hills, MD 20784

Directions:
Take 495
Take Exit 20 - Annapolis Road West
At the end of the ramp, take a right then immediately get out of that lane. It's a turn only lane.
Turn Left at the 7th traffic light - Ardwick-Ardmore Rd. At this point you'll see the church in front of you.


Hope to see you there!

Well, the Classic is over. Even though the Dominican Republic didn't win, I still enjoyed it. Congratulations to Japan for winning the first ever WBC. I didn't see that one coming. From the beginning, I was willing to bet the DR or Venzuela was going to win the whole thing. But the best thing about the tournament was the fact that I got a renewed sense of country and national pride. Never before had I been so proud to be Dominican. And to see my Dad's country show so well in the tournament was awesome. I'm so ready for the baseball season to start! 12 more days 'til the Yankees home opener!!! Go Yankees!! And it will be the Dominican Republic WBC 2010 Champions! Mark my words...

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am about the World Baseball Classic. I'm sure you've seen it in my profile and wondered what the heck is that? Right now, baseball and softball are on the cutting block from the Summer Olympics. Major League Baseball and 15 other countries have united to create a 16 team tournament. It's a lot like soccer's World Cup, same principle. The tournament started March 3rd in Japan, and this afternoon, the Dominican Republic will take on Venezuela (a re-match of the Caribbean World Series). Every player gets to play for the pride of their country. And to me, that's the best part. I wish baseball was still big in the US, but unfortunately it's fallen to the wayside thanks to football. But baseball will always be my first love :) And the Dominicans know baseball :) That's why I'm so excited. Many of the Latino players in the Major Leagues are Dominican - from Albert Pujols to Pedro Martinez, Moises Alou to Alfonso Soriano just to name a few. Now, is it 1:00 yet? :)

4 kids, 2 cats, and a bunny :-) Let me explain. So, my boss and her husband received an all expense paid 5-day trip to St. Kitts, and she asked me to watch her kids while they were gone. I went from 23yr old single person to a 23 year old "mother" of 4, ages 7 - 15, with a house, 2 cats, and a bunny. The bunny was the easy part (I've had lots of training there!) But I managed to survive. And they survived my cooking! I had a crash course in the real world (and cooking, for that matter)! Getting up at 5:45am was no fun,but I did feel like I accomplished a lot more in a day. And everyone was right... I don't plan of having kids anytime soon! But you know what, I do (eventually) want kids and I want to be a stay at home mom. I enjoyed picking them up from school, but the cooking did get a little old :-) Now it's back to normal life (and finding a full-time job...).

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I can't believe I didn't update about this earlier, but I BOUGHT A NEW CAR!!! My Geo died on me a couple weeks ago. And with Ravens starting, my parents didn't trust that car to get me to and from Owings Mills every week. So, now I have a red 2006 Toyota Corolla!!!

We only have 3 babies now :( The runt of the family died early this evening. Dave and I just burried it.

Rest in peace little guy... you're in a better place now.

Wow... Almost 2 months since my last update. A bit too long if you ask me. No big developments in my life. Still working part-time, I need to fix that STAT.

In other news, my family is growing. I have a cousin and a second cousin on the way. And my animal family has grown, thanks to Amber. Kathy gave Amber a hamster. Then that hamster had a couple babies. Then, turns out that Amber's boyfriend is allergic to them, so she had to get rid of them. Enter Dave. Dave took the three hamsters. Then the hamster saga continues. The momma had more babies. So now Dave has Ralph and Tripod. And I have Momma and the babies. I'm running my own maternity ward here. So, if anyone is interested in a hamster, let me know. We're trying to find homes for these babies. I've already found a couple prospective homes. I can't keep 'em. My dad will shoot me if I keep another furry little animal. And, plus, Chestnut hates them. They scare the crap out of him when they're in their hamster balls.

So there's a mini update to keep my journal active:) Hopefully, I can do this on a more regular basis!

I went Christmas shopping and didn't find anything for my dad and my brother (the whole point of this shopping trip was to find something for them). The only thing I bought was a gift for my 12 year old cousin. So, on the way home I was feeling a little defeated (not quite as bad as the other day). And then I had a perfect Izzi Christmas moment: I was driving home, sipping on some Christmas Crack (also known as a Gingerbread Latte from Starbucks), and then Josh Groban's "Believe" comes on the radio. Now, I'm ready for Round 2 of shopping!

Tonight was absolutely wonderful:) Right before Thanksgiving, I received an e-mail for help in a proposal. So I helped him out and this is how the story goes:

There was a group of 13 carolers, made up of Brothers and Sisters (she's an alumni sister), singing on the steps of the Chapel. He had to "go get papers signed in Mary Mount". She hesitated at the Chapel, but there was no time to watch the carolers. They had dinner reservations. Then I asked him if he could take a picture of me and Dave with the Chapel and the carolers in the background. He said absolutely. Then the carolers began singing, "Here Comes Santa Claus" and the special guest arrived. Santa handed out candy canes to everyone there. But he had a special present for Stef. As she opens the present, the carolers began singing "Christmas Bride". The ring was inside a box containing a Collector's Edition of Princess Leah in a beautiful white/blue gown. He said a few words to her and then got on bended knee and asked her to marry him. And of course, she said yes. She was in complete shock. She had no idea what was going on:) We found out later that he bought that figurine 6 years ago. When he asked her out, he did so with Star Wars characters (she's a huge Star Wars fan). He told her that he had one more present for her, but she would have to wait until they were married. That was the figurine he used tonight.

It couldn't have been any better. I was so worried that I was going to have a very small group of carolers, but the Brothers and Sisters pulled through. The carols were beautiful. Everything worked out in the end and it was perfect.

I just bought my tickets for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire!!! Friday at 9:55pm :)

So I've been trying to change my LJ format for months now. I'd try one layout but then My Friends page would be in the old format, etc. It was just frustrating. So I tried today, and this is what I ended up with:) And I decided to try out a new LJ icon:)

And for those who were interested, I did not go to my HS reunion. I'll probably update about that later...

To go or not to go to my 5 year High School Reunion... today... Now, I didn't RSVP, nor did I care to. But, honestly, it's because I'm not really sure that I want to go. Part of me says I should go, but most of me says f*ck no! Mind you, I didn't like 95% of my class and I rarely hung out with them. There are only 4 people in the Class of 2000 that I care to see. One of whom told me he wasn't going. The other three I'm not sure of. But is it really worth taking the chance to see 3 people? I feel my time would be better spent if I were to call them or IM them and hang out on our own terms. Looking at my year book, yeah I like to know where some of my classmates are now, but really? I'm not dying to know. And like I said, who's to say they're gonna show up?? Traditionally, not many people from Spalding tend to go to the 5 year reunion. I heard the response from the Class of 2000 wasn't that great either. And, apparently it's going to be in the school cafeteria?! $20 per person (open bar) in the school cafeteria... I don't know how I feel about that. I don't think I would feel right about it. What's the problem? They couldn't spring a few bucks to have a nice little reception in a restaurant?? I know for a fact that Jaspers in Crofton has a reception room that can hold 250 (we were a class of 225!) that has a bar and everything. I guess this is where my background in event planning rears its head. (I always critique other people's work) I guess what it boils down to is that I'm not that impressed with the event.
But on the other hand, this would be a tremendous opportunity in networking for me. If I take about 100 business cards with me, I could do a killing. We're all out of college and the next step is marriage, need a wedding planner?? I just feel that networking isn't a good enough reason to go. I don't have a great job to brag about it. Don't get me wrong, I love my job, but I'm still not working full time. I really haven't done anything with my life yet that would warrant bragging at a reunion. I dunno. I welcome any comments. Please let me know what you think...

My baby turns 5 today!

On a completly different note,( Ok... I'll bite... )

So it was my full intention to clean my room and do laundry after work today. But, my father took it upon himself to throw all my dirty laundry across my floor, so that I couldn't even open the door, and proceeds to tell me to clean my room... ARRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

So... if anyone is looking for a roommate in the near future, keep me in mind.... >:-(

Your Birthdate: September 8

Born on the 8th day of the month, you have a special gift for business, as you can conceive and plan on a grand scale. You have good executive skills and you're a good judge of values. You should try to own your own business, because you have such a strong desire to be in control. You are generally reliable when it comes to handling money; you can be trusted in this regard. Idealistic by nature, you are never too busy to spend some time on worthwhile causes, especially if managerial support are needed. There is much potential for material success associated with this number.

Another accurate reading:

The Keys to Your Heart

You are attracted to those who have a split personality - cold as ice on the outside but hot as fire in the heart. In love, you feel the most alive when things are straight-forward, and you're told that you're loved. You'd like to your lover to think you are stylish and alluring. You would be forced to break up with someone who was emotional, moody, and difficult to please. Your ideal relationship is comforting. You crave a relationship where you always feel warmth and love. Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment. You think of marriage as something precious. You'll treasure marriage and treat it as sacred. In this moment, you think of love as something you don't need. You just feel like flirting around and playing right now.

Today's Pre-Game was beyond awesome. First of all, the stadium was packed, not an empty seat in the place at Pre-Game!!! Normally the stadium is half full and by the time we finish our show, it's full just in time for kick-off. Not today, all 70,501 people were in there seats. Then, Lee Greenwood sang "God Bless the USA". That's when the crowd went nuts. With us spelling out USA on the field, and the honor guards from every branch of the military and veterans and Lee Greenwood, it couldn't have been better. I've never experienced anything like that. After the player intros, Lee Greenwood sang the "Star Spangled Banner". By far, this was my favorite Pre-Game all-time.

Just wanted to say hi and give a quick update from Mexico! I'm having a blast in Cancun. Everything is beautiful here. I'll post pictures when I get back to the States. I'm having so much fun meeting my family, j/k. You knew there had to be a Mexican joke somewhere. I miss everyone tremendously. And everybody that's at Early Week, I hope you're having fun. I'll hopefully be at a rehearsal on Monday or Tuesday. I get back on Saturday, so leave me fun messages to get home to!

6 hours til my flight:) Here's the tour of the resort. Yay!!!

That's right... In 5 days, I'll be on the beaches of Cancun, Mexico!!!


Be jealous:) While most of my friends are at Early Week, I'll be on the beach:) There's no better way to spend my first EW away from the band...

So... not much to update with. Only news in my life so far is that I'm going to Kentucky tomorrow. Spending a whole week with sisters. This will definitely make my summer eventful :)

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Now I leave you with fun quotes from last Sunday's trip to Bethany with Dave and Am:

Am: I'm going to get a Henna tattoo that says 'French Toast' or 'Hash Browns are Key.'

Rest in Peace, Joe Evans. You were a great neighbor. Joe! No, it's okay, Joe. No need to get up. Just... chill out.

Me: Yeah, when I came over the border, I took off my sombrero and gazed up at the sky.
Mitchell: You're French?

Me: You have freckles now.
Michelle: I always have freckles. They make me look like I'm four.
Am: *pause* Your...freckles make you look like a whore?

Am: *in horrible Spanish accent* Ohhhh we're going to see the beeeeaches. The beeeeaches are so nice. The beeeeeaches smell so good. I loooove the beeeeaches.

Am: Out of the way, beeeeeaches!

Am: The road disappeared. Fantastic.
Me: Fan-fucking-tastic.

Am is a Masterburper :)

So, I call up Am and say, "We're on our way. And, I'm bringing a guest!" Dave, Chestnut, and I hung out with Am and David and did absolutely nothing but watch TV:) That's right, Chestnut came along for the ride. And got a good bit of exercise. He was out, roaming around Am's apartment for about 4 hours:) Poor little guy is probably passed out in the dining room now:) And L-Bow got to meet him, too. I <3 Chestnut.