Erica Magdalein

27th Birthday

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 10:00:00 -0500

I cannot believe that my Birthday is exactly one month away. At the risk of sounding pretentious I have created a birthday wish list. Click here to view it.

A snapshot of our weekend diving in West Palm (02/20/10)

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 20:17:00 -0500

A snapshot of our weekend diving in West Palm (02/20/10)

Rescue Diver

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:13:00 -0500

Yesterday I ventured south to Crystal River, FL to finish up the open water portion of my Rescue Diving Certification. Dad decided to tag along with Dave (my dive instructor) and I and we all made the 2 1/2 hour drive together. We met a friend, Gary, down there and took his pontoon boat to 3 Sisters Springs which is a refugee for manatees. This time of year is mating season for them and there were literally hundreds of mom’s and calf’s! We were not able to go more than idle speed and even then we were constantly dodging them.

Before we dove we spent about an hour snorkeling and enjoying the manatees. It was my first experience swimming with them and it was amazing. The river was about a quarter of a mile wide, 10 feet deep, and there were hundreds of them congregating in one area. It was crowded to say the least. I kept bumping into them as I swam and vice versa. I cant tell you how many times I was hit by one of their massive tails. The best part was when we stood in waist deep water they came to us and wanted to be scratched. One even rolled over and let me scratch his belly. Dad got tired and sat down thinking it was a rock, but when it moved realized he was sitting on a manatee.

After we played with the gentle giants we donned our scuba gear and I did rescue scenarios with Dave. The area we moved to to do the scenarios had zero visibility which made it extremely difficult. I was literally feeling my way along the bottom trying to find Dave who was acting like a lost diver in distress. Once I found him and brought him to the surface it was much easier to tow him to the boat.

The good news is I passed! I am now working toward becoming a Divemaster which should take a few weeks but I will continue to keep you updated.

Dream

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:23:00 -0500

I am blogging this upon Scott’s request.

Last night must have been the night of weird dreams. Boyd was just over here and he was saying how he had one of those dreams were he was bawling the whole time. He woke up in a bad mood that he just couldn’t shake. When he left I told Scott that I had a bad dream as well. Here’s how the conversation went:

me: I had a dream that I was trapped in a air duct and this scary guy was crawling toward me. He could make the floor spark with his fingertips and he looked like he wanted to eat me alive.

Scott: How did you get in there?

me: Denzel Washington led me in there!

You know what put me in the worst mood when I woke up? It wasn’t the fact that I had just had a nightmare. It was the fact that before last night I was under the impression that Denzel was a nice guy! He completely sold me out in my dream. I have always liked Denzel for his conservative values and somewhat Christian world view but not anymore. I will never forget what he did to me…in my dream.

Well, hello stranger

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:00:00 -0500

Last week I had an adventure and took a road trip by myself. The trip had a purpose, to get my Advanced Open Water Dive Certification, but it was a solo trip non-the-less. I was a little apprehensive at first since I had never done anything like it in my life. But you know what? I had a blast! I was trying to put my finger on why I had such a fun time, and as I was reading a magazine article it donned on me what it was.

Strangers.

I was surrounded by strangers the whole time! Naturally, I am curious person. I love learning and exploring new things, and strangers are uncharted territory. My life had become a comfortable routine which didn’t leave room to meet new people. This trip forced me to interact with strangers. As I was driving down I-95 I wanted to lean out of my window and yell to the cars next to me, “Where are you going? Why? What are going to do when you get there?” I would see a small car crammed with stuff sporting a Quebec license plate and would make up a story about that person with the clues I gathered. She is from Canada and she is chasing her ex-boyfriend down south to tell him she loves him and wants him back.

Over the next 3 days I made acquaintances with countless people. I enjoyed talking to the clerk in the hotel lobby and learning about how she lived in Stuart her whole life and her sister runs a Sea Turtle rescue operation. She had amazing turtle rescue stories to tell and I wondered if the Sea Turtle I saw on my dive was alive because of the efforts of that lady’s sister. The guy at the Chili’s bar had an intriguing story about how he works on boats for a living. I was mesmerized by the couple on my dive boat who gave up their life in NY and moved to the keys to do what they love…dive. The pictures of their dive experiences were fascinating and inspiring. It’s amazing that you can learn so much from people in such a short period of time.

Then there was Donna, my dive instructor. She started off as a stranger but after 2 days of hanging out she was my new BFF. We had a fun time together and I was blown away by her story. I hope to see her again in order to share my ultimate story of finding life and joy in Jesus Christ.

When I got home Scott and I went on a lunch date and we had so much to tell each other. When I’d left for the trip we had become the ultra comfortable couple who always did things together. Now we were both telling stories-me of the strangers I’d met, the experiences I had; him about his adventures with his job. I had no idea how his stories would end and he had no idea how mine would. It was like we had become strangers again and that was fun!

New Things

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 21:50:00 -0500

Some of you may have heard by now that I am working toward getting my scuba instructor certification. This should take a few months, but once I am done I am hoping to make this my new career. I am so excited about this new journey in life! I will be two thing that I love: traveling and diving. For instance, I will be taking a road trip by myself to south Florida this weekend to get my Advanced Open Water Certification. I have never done this before but the independence of it all excites me. I will have time to think, pray, and relax with no interruptions. I may even go out to eat by myself…gasp! I have a feeling that this new career will introduce me many new experiences and firsts in life, and I cant wait! I am hoping to document my experiences on this blog through pictures and writing so keep checking back often.

84 Years

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 09:12:00 -0500

(written on January 7)

Tonight I was with my precious Papa as he took his last breath. After living an incredible life the Lord decided to call him home on January 7th 2010. He was surrounded by his wife of 64 years, 3 children, their spouses, and his grandchildren. We were all there holding his hands, stroking his face, and whispering words of hope. It was a peaceful and pain-free moment when his spirit left his body, and afterward we sang Amazing Grace. I will always remember that moment as long as I live. We were able to celebrate because we know that he is in heaven having the time of his life. As soon as his spirit left his body he was being ushered through the gates of heaven by a heavenly host of angels. He was an amazing man of God who lived by example. He loved his wife and family unconditionally and was a role model to us all. He taught us the value of hard work and the importance of laughter. He always had a humorous story to tell or a birthday card to twist in own words.

It’s unfortunate, but sometimes it takes a tragedy to remind you what is really important in life.

Papa, I will miss you dearly but until I’m with you I’ll carry on.

Merry Christmas!

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 11:22:01 -0500

I hope everyone is having a fantastic Holiday Season. This year has been wonderful and The Lord has blessed me beyond what I deserve.

Last night we celebrated Christmas with my side of the family and it was bitter sweet. Papa is in the hospital and it was the first time he has not been with us. It definitely was not the same without him, and we all missed him dearly. We did have an special time of prayer/reminiscing for him and it was one of the most special times we have had together as a family. We laughed and cried all grew closer to each other. I love my family so much!

Christmas Wish List

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:04:01 -0500

here it is

I came across this little guy on Anthro’s website and I...

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:06:48 -0400

I came across this little guy on Anthro’s website and I immediately fell in love. He is so cute that I want to squeeze his head off! I have not seen it in the store and I am not quite sure what you would do with it but I still want him.

He is so precious.

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:11:36 -0400

He is so precious.

I love the fact that Anthropologie has a ton of Scottish Terrier...

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:35:00 -0400

Scottie Romper

jacket has orange print Scottie lining

I love the fact that Anthropologie has a ton of Scottish Terrier items for sale. I want to buy them all but that would break the bank, and also classify me as the crazy dog lady. There is also a Scottie dish towel but I couldn’t find a picture on the website.

Anthropologie, I knew liked you for a reason!!!

Christmas

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:32:00 -0400

As crazy as it seems, you can’t deny the fact that Christmas is right around the corner. Its never to early to start thinking about what you want. Click here to view my wish list. Keep checking back periodically because I will be adding and deleting items.

Hubby

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:32:29 -0400

I would like to take a second to brag on my husband. I am one proud wife for many reasons but I will only name a few.

1. I love his ambition and drive, which has led him to this new Lifechurch job. Not only did he strive for the seemingly unreachable, but he is doing an amazing job so far.

2. He is serious about getting healthier by working out and eating right. I know he can do it…

Free tube of mascara!!! I just went and got mine and it was so...

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:12:12 -0400

Free tube of mascara!!! I just went and got mine and it was so easy to do.

Starting today September 15, 2009, bring the October 2009 cover of Seventeen or a printout of the seventeen.com home page to any participating ULTA store to receive a full-size tube of Benefit BADgal Blue Mascara (approximate retail value: $19). One per person. Giveaway ends October 19, 2009, or while supplies last. Once all mascaras are distributed, there will be no substitute product given away. If I were you, I would be there the first day of the giveaway. I’m betting these will go superfast.

Photo

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:41:31 -0400

Get Wisdom Part II

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:40:00 -0400

I asked my grandmother the secret to being married for 64 years and here is her insightful answer.

“I think my secret for staying married for 64 years is having respect for your mate and never saying anything in anger to hurt the other person. Working together as a team and giving 100% to the marriage. We must also let God have his rightful place in our lives. I’m afraid young couples today don’t take their marriage vows as seriously as they should. They should never loose sight of the fact that they loved each other when they got married, and work at regaining that love no matter what conflicts might occur. Any marriage is worth fighting for. It’s a matter of putting yourself in the other person’s place and listening to their point of view. They also need to pray and seek God’s will for their lives. How did I handle conflict?We were blessed to have so much in common. We were both from the same kind of background and were raised in christian homes Our parents never fought with each other so we were not used to conflicts in the home. I don’t want say that we never had any disagreements but I refused to argue, and pretty soon the whole thing was forgotten. We always respected each other’s point of view. When I was first married and came to Florida as a 19 year old I was so homesick I wanted to go back home but I knew I had married for better or worse so I just had to make the best of it. It wasn’t long until things got better and we’ve had a wonderful life together.”

I can only pray that I will be able to say the same thing one day.

Get Wisdom

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 14:25:00 -0400

My grandmother inspires me. She is an 83 year old woman who has had a relationship with Christ longer than I have been alive. I asked her how she was able to maintain her faith all these years because, quite frankly, I want someone to ask me this when I am 83 and I need to know what to say.

“Erica,

You asked me how I maintained my faith in Christ all these 83 years. Well, that is a very easy question to answer. Having been brought up by Christian parents I always knew that I loved God and he loved me. I know that when I’ve had difficult times in my life like loosing my parents my sisters and brother my faith brought me closer to Christ. I learned to trust God in everything especially since my dear husband has been ill. At times I tend to feel sorry for myself but then I turn to God and start thanking him for his many blessing. He has been so good to me through the years.

My favorite verses are:

I’st Thessalonians 5: 16,17,& 18

Rejoice in everthing

Pray constantly

Give thanks in everything for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

What an amazing woman!!

This was my security word and it made me laugh so hard.

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:58:00 -0400

This was my security word and it made me laugh so hard.

Save Money

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 10:15:14 -0400

This blog gives you ways to save money and get free stuff.It is pretty cool. Click here