Flashback Friday -- Falling for New York

Time: Spring Break 2003

Place: Madison Square Garden, New York City


In college, Chris and I were members of a group called Redmen for Christ. Every year during Spring Break, RFC conducts a Spring Break campaign somewhere in the US. In 2003, we had traveled to New York City for the second year in a row.

We had spent the entire week volunteering at a local elementary school during the days and conducting a Children's Bible School for a local church in the evenings. We took Friday as a fun day to see some sights before returning home on Saturday.

Here I am with some of the students from the class I volunteered with at the elementary school:

Several of our group (about a dozen or so) had tickets to a New York Knicks basketball game at Madison Square Garden that evening.

I even have a photo of my ticket... {I haven't changed much!} *grin*

This included Chris, Jeremy, Shawna, Jordan, baby Kaylee, and myself. The game didn't start until 8:00pm, so by the time it was over, it was about 11pm. Our seats were waaaaaaaaaaaaaay up in the nose-bleed section of the massive arena, and as soon as the game ended, people were flooding out by the thousands. We were trying hard to stay together in the huge crowd, and I had little Jordan (about 2 1/2 at the time) by the hand. I was really scared that he was going to get swept off in the crowd and we were getting ready to go down stairs, so I picked him up, slung him on my hip, and continued on. Shawna was right next to me as we walked down flights and flights and flights of stairs. I had just turned to her and said, "Watch out, the stairs are wet. I hope nobody falls."

Can you guess what happened next?

Yes... really... I did. I slipped on the wet and fell. Down the stairs. With Jordan in my arms.

Yes, I did.

As I lay there sprawled on the ground, Jeremy, Shawna, and Chris grab Jordan and drag me out of the path of the crowd before we got trampled. Jordan was fine, just shaken up, and I was so horrified that I had fallen with him in my arms that I couldn't even think straight. I did know, however, that my arm was hurting... badly... and my fingers were swelling.

The MSG EMTs came with a stretcher and everything, but I decided to just walk to their little station. They checked us both out, and assessed that Jordan was fine, but I needed to go to the hospital for my arm. They wanted to take me in an ambulance, but I refused. It was just my arm. I mean, I have two of them *grin*.

We did end up going to the emergency room at a hospital in Brooklyn (upon the recommendation of a parking garage attendant). By this time, it was well past midnight, and that emergency room was SCARY. Lisa -- who had gone to a Broadway Play instead of the game -- took the kids back to the hotel, while Jeremy, Shawna, and Chris all stayed with me for hours while I waited to see someone. They did x-rays and decided my arm was not broken, but I did have a bone bruise and would have to wear a sling for a week or so.

We arrived back at the hotel just in time to pack our bags and catch our flight home. We were so exhausted, my arm was throbbing, and we still had a day of travel ahead of us.

Here is Lisa, myself, and Chris on the plane. I'm wearing the sling given to me at the hospital... high tech!

Our group was very grateful that the injury wasn't serious and that Jordan was okay. I was especially grateful that it happened on our last night in the City and not earlier in our trip. At least my Spring Break wasn't ruined!!!

Pictured below: Chris, Jeremy, Kaylee, Lisa, Jordan, Chelle, and Shawna at the top of the Empire State Building.

Flashback Friday -- A Ukrainian Experience

I decided that for my first Ukrainian Flashback Friday, I would just open the journal from my first trip and write what was written on that page.

Hee-hee... maybe I should have thought about that a little more. Please remember that I was young when I wrote this... and had a bad attitude about writing it...



Saturday, November 19, 1994

I woke up this morning at Luda's house. I slept very good. Luda fed us a huge breakfast, and afterwards we went with Tommy and Eddie for a tour of the city. I personally was not very impressed. Kharkov isn't near as beautiful as Kiev. In the metro building, I slipped and fell down the stairs. I felt so dumb! I hurt my arm, and it still hurts really bad. Hopefully nothing serious. We came back to Luda's and she fed us what she called a "snack". We played cards with Bogdan for a while until Tommy came back. Then we ate again. I was so full. Without losing a beat, we continued on to Tommy's office for a Bible study. There were about 25 people there. It lasted for about two hours. We were escorted back home by 2 Ukrainians named Artiome and Marina. Tommy and Eddie also came. They are still here. Dad and Tommy need to talk about some things.

Here we are playing cards that evening. I'm not in the photo because I'm taking it.
Okay, so my journal (from my first trip especially) really lacks any emotion or detail. As I read through that, I remember some things pretty clearly, like playing cards with Bogdan and Luda's "snack" that was a big meal complete with chocolates filled with liquor. Oh, and I remember falling down the stairs in the Metro building. That's just so me. No one will doubt how ridiculously clumsy I am as probably half of Flashback Fridays will somehow include me falling. *sigh*

Flashback Friday -- Heavy on the Flash

For my first Flashback Friday, I'm going easy on the back and heavy on the flash.

Time: Summer of 2007

Place: MRU Enrollment Office

Late summer is one of our busiest times at MRU. This day, the Enrollment Office was buzzing with students gearing up for fall semester. I was wearing a cute, knee-length summer skirt and one of my favorite pair of flippy heels. I don't have a printer in my office, so my practice was (and still is) to print a whole batch of papers at once and be-bop out to the lobby to retrieve my documents from the printer about once an hour. This gives me a chance to look away from my computer screen, get out of my office every so often, and see if there's anything exciting going on.

This particular day the lobby was especially busy (as was I), so I started high-tailing it back to my office hoping to avoid getting caught by student out there. I am be-bopping away from the lobby full of students, back toward my office, when suddenly my shoe slips out from under me. I try, desperately, but in vain, to catch myself as all the papers in my hand go flying above my head. Somehow (and I really don't know how *sigh*) I end up on the ground, legs in the air, FACING the lobby, one shoe completely off, and papers everywhere.

Remember the part where I said I was wearing a skirt? Yeah.

This whole fiasco takes place right in front of my co-worker's office. AND she's not in there alone. Ooooh nooooo... there were students in her office as well. I mean, of course there were, right? Would my luck have it any other way?

As quickly as I could, I scramble into my own office (I am only about 4 steps away). I leave my shoe, I leave the papers, and I leave my dignity in the hall.

I sit down in my chair just in time for my co-worker to come running in to see if I'm ok. She saw everything. The students in her office saw everything. The students in the lobby saw everything.

I. was. mortified.

AND bleeding. I had cut my arm on the wall as I was trying to catch myself. I really needed to go to the bathroom to wash the blood and dirt off. Unfortunately, the only way to the bathroom is through the lobby.

So, I did what I had to do. I put on my shoe, picked up my papers, straightened my shoulders, swallowed my tears, and walked right through the lobby -- right through all the people that saw my unmentionables because my skirt was around my neck -- and went to the bathroom.

My co-workers (who laughed shamelessly at me for this later) said to look at the bright side: After that incident, enrollment will surely be up!