Icicles

Tenía Isma miedo de que los carambonos hagan daño a alguien.

Así que tomó la oportunidad para jugar con ellos. 

Isma was afraid that our icicles would fall on someone.

So he took the opportunity to destroy and play with them. 

Chula

Doesn't she look funny?

That's it...no deep thought. The picture just makes me giggle.

June and July Storms

June 29th, my friend Beth and I were just ready to run to the grocery store to get a surprise for Justine before her wedding rehearsal, when the sky turned black and it started to rain. Not keen on looking like a drowned rat, I decided to hold off until the rain subsided. Rather than calming down, though, a wind picked up and began to howl. As we looked out the window, we saw the patio umbrella swoosh up into the sky and land on the other side of the house. I guess that was the sign to get away from the windows. Soon, Mom, Dad, Beth, and I were all huddled in our "tornado shelter," which is actually our downstairs powder room, to wait out the storm. Beth sat on the toilet seat, Mom and Dad on kitchen chairs, and I perched like a monkey on the bathroom sink. After the winds ceased, we walked outside, pulled a gigantic branch from under her car that the wind had shoved there like a child cleaning his room by shoving the mess in a small closet, and drove to the store. As we went I could see the damage the storm had wreaked: trees down, collapsed roofs, curled shingles, a fallen pillar, and a twisted gutter. The most amazing thing, I think, was the McDonald's sign. The plastic had completely blown out, leaving only an outline of their colossal sign. The power was off in most of the city, as well as the grocery store (failed mission for Beth and I), but luckily the church and Justine and Justin's reception hall was unaffected. I have some pictures of the effects (our table) from the first storm, and my dad and I cleaning up from the second big storm of the summer.

The table shattered, and the umbrella broke when it flew over the house.

Mom and Dad vacuumed up the glass for Chula. :P

"Proof" that I helped carry the pine branches to the trailer.

The blue spruce out back came down.

Dad chopped, and I carried.

Circle Back

Back in the United States, things have been different than I've expected. Plans have changed that no longer include Chicago, and that has led me back to where I began before going to Spain. When I left to go to Spain, my dream was to learn to speak Spanish more fluidly, immerse myself in the culture, and return to Fort Wayne to work at the Spanish immersion school here where I student-taught. It seemed so exciting and interesting. After four years in Spain, that dream began to fade, like a mirage that fades away when you examine it more closely. I explored other opportunities, as life does change and old dreams need to be revised, never dreaming that my path would come in full circle. Recently, I applied for a 5th grade teaching position at the school I'd dreamed of teaching at and was offered the position pending school board approval. Excitement, butterflies, and an almost frightening sense of responsibility fill my body as I prepare to lead and teach beginning in a few weeks. Please pray for me in this new endeavor. I know it will be as challenging as it will be rewarding.

I Can Cry If I Want To

Do you know the song from the title? Mom always had a couple songs she'd sing around the house: "I'm a nut in a rut," "It's my birthday and I can cry if I want to..." and "Leaving on a Jet Plane." She only ever sung about eight words from any of them, so I am left with the inherited ability to belt out the same whenever I feel like it.

Though the topic today isn't singing badly with my Mom, it does go hand in hand with music. Bollywood. More specifically, the film Baabul. (you can watch it on youtube with English subtitles)

I was sick all last week and the week before, missed two days of work, and spent every evening after work lying on the couch. It was, how do I say it, BORING. And that is how I ended up watching sob-inducing, dance party filled, awesome Indian clothes adorned, Baabul. If you like Bollywood I guess I'd recommend the movie, since you can watch it for free, but if you don't like crying your eyes out, stay away. Stay far away. My favorite part was the clothes and dance scenes, though I'm not sure that the 2 hours I spent watching it was worth that. Too much crying!

Resolutions Month 4

It's that time again! ...drumroll... Oh, I know you're excited...

Here's the summary!

• The applications continue. I'm looking into Linked-in. Need contacts in Chicago in the schools...haven't heard back on any job leads yet.
• No comment on wedding photo hand-out.
• Prayer: God and I need to talk more...I need to make more time.
• Same as the previous. I have set aside Sunday afternoons to do things around the house and to spend with God. 
• Blog...I'm up to two a month! I'm thinking that this month may be a little more saturated by content than the previous.
• Calling: being sick for a week or more has put a damper on calls. I didn't feel kind toward anyone. But, hopefully Colin will finish school soon and we'll be able to talk.
• Exercise: Pshaw. No time!

And there you have it folks. My resolutions in a nutshell. Probably would go a little better if I thought about them more than when I write the monthly blog about it!

Calm in the Storm

Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"
He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
The men were amazed and asked, "What sort of man is this?  Even the winds and the waves obey him!

Matthew 8:23-37 NIV

One, Jesus is calm in storms. Two, Jesus controls storms. And three, Jesus makes storms calm but that is not the point. Not the point? God isn't our personal get-out-of-sticky-situations card?

"You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Jesus says. Does it not seem that he wants them to trust him in the storm? When the boat is threatening to sink and it seems that God is not paying attention, that's when we need to have faith. Even then, God is with us. How often do I freak out and ask God to calm the storms in my life that threaten to sink me instead of trusting him in the midst of it all? How often do I praise God for what he takes away and forget to praise him for what he's helped me walk through, that which makes me a stronger woman when I come out on the other side?

 

 

Resolutions Month 3

Here comes April's update. A little late, but at least it's still April!

• About a month ago my provisional teaching license from Illinois arrived, which means I can legally teach in Illinois schools as long as I finish the requirements I'm missing by June 2014. Those requirements are some college classes and a few standardized tests. I can see these next few years to be busy. Or perhaps I'll be able to do the studies over the summers. I've applied for some school systems and keep adding more, edging further out of the city. As a side note, who would know that school system applications could take about 4 hours each???
• Oops.
• Spring break should have been a time for lots of reading and prayer since we didn't go on vacation. Have I mentioned that I'm highly distractible? I continue to enjoy the journaling and learning with God. I'll post something from my journal soon.
• Still reading Matthew. :)
• And the blog...nope...not once a week.
• I got to talk to Colin this week. :) He's getting married in December!
• Writing friends...about the same. However, I am getting faster at replying to emails.
• Although I am convinced that my daily commute counts as my daily exercise quotient, this week I've done a half hour in Wii-Fit  two times. I love the games, though the music is a little annoying.

Puzzle Making

My mom is an expert puzzle-er. Puzzle-maker? Puzzler? 

Never mind. My mom is awesome at putting puzzles together. She is not only skilled, she could write a manual on how one must put puzzles together.

1. Take out all of the edge pieces. Proceed to connect them.

2. Make sure all of the pieces are face up and separate by colors.

3. DON'T LOOK AT THE PICTURE!

4. Fight over the pieces.

5. Whoever approach the puzzle table must put together at least 10 pieces.

Tamy and I didn't exactly follow Mom's instructions, but we're doing pretty well. I have been told that under no uncertain circumstances may I undo the puzzle once we've finished. We'll give it to a friend's mom to hang on the wall, because I have no idea what I'd do with a finished puzzle that I'm not allowed to put back in the box.

Resolutions Month 2

I know you just can't wait for March's update!

• No news news on the job search. Still sending the papers in and waiting for transcripts. The latest hitch in the road was trying to get money orders from Spain that are valid in the US. Note to self: don't try again. I ended up convincing friends and family to do it for me. It would be so much easier to pay for paperwork by bank transfer or debit card!
• Wedding album came in! It's HUGE...I'll bring it home over the summer if I don't break my back first. Photos for others...to be continued.
• My friend Meggan lent me a book called, "Praying in Color," which has an interesting way to pray for others and stay concentrated by doodling. My journal has been resurrected and is now full of colorful prayers, meditations on verses, and self-reflections. I can see God using the prayer time in my life to help me love others more and to slowly change other attitudes as well. 
• With the girls I disciple at church, I've pledged to read at least one verse a week. I'm reading Matthew, a few verses a day, and then write and journal and draw about one about every day. It's enriching.
• The blog...AHHHH!!! By updating you, I am faithful in telling you how terribly I'm doing.
• Calling family: Stayed the same...need to talk more!
• Friends: Jenny and Naila...I should be writing you soon. Or perhaps you could write me to remind me to write to you?
• Exercise: pitiful. I have tried to do more yoga in the living room. Isma walked in on me one day and gave me an extremely strange look. We went to play airsoft and run around in the countryside shooting at each other. Although it's not a work-out routine, I had sore muscles for half a week.

Resolutions Month 1

Well, a month has past since I made my first New Year's Resolutions in many years, and for my own accountability, here's my report.

• The new job in Chicago is going slowly. Slowly, as in I haven't finished the job applications. See, I got my new 5-year professional teaching license in Indiana last week, (Yay!) but I am waiting on getting the license transfer to Illinois' system to finish applications. My thought process is that no school system is going to jump up in down in excitement to hire me if I can't legally teach for them yet.
• The photos of the wedding to everyone...so sorry! I think this one may take a bit more time. The job comes first. On a happier note, I think we'll have the wedding album in less than a month, and we'll be able to show it this summer.
• Praying more fervently has it's ebbs and flows, though I've been enjoying praying for the youth at church and family on my daily commute. That is, when I don't become a space cadet for the entire time...maybe I need more work on that.
• Creating a devotional routine: not happened yet. 
• Write one blog entry a week?? Hmmm...not so hot either. But this one is definitely not the biggest priority in my life.
• Call my family more often: ummmm...uncomfortable silence...This one has definitely stayed the same. Neither less nor more. Will work on this. Colin, call me!!
• Call or write friends more: has improved slightly. VERY slightly. 
• And last but not least, the exercise routine. How do you think this is going?? Pitifully! It is probably the last thing on my mind. However, I have half convinced myself that it isn't necessary by counting up the physical activity I do every day. At eight-thirty in the morning I leave home and walk 10-15 minutes to the subway, ride for 10 minutes, walk 5 more minutes, ride for 1 minute, and then walk for 5 more. During the day I walk up three flights of steps and back down several times. And at 5:00 in the evening I repeat the morning routine. That is AT LEAST 40 minutes of exercise every day. Though yoga would be so nice... 

I'll report again in March if my fifth resolution stays firm!

Amsterdam

Over Christmas break, Isma and I flew to the US for the holidays and to make the trip there lighter, we stopped off in Amsterdam for the night. A friend of Isma's, Vivianne, showed us around and kept us good company. The food is like traditional American food (liver, beets, chicken, cooked carrots, salad, apple sauce) and their cheese is good too! We got to see Anne Frank's house from the outside, since it was much too late in the evening to go inside and visit. We walked by the red light district as well, though it was a bit scary and saddened me to think of the women who work there, their broken spirits and used bodies. 

But leaving all of that aside, I'd say the one true characteristic of Amsterdam is the bikes. They are everywhere! There is even a two-story bike parking garage next to the central train station. There are many more bikes than cars, and perhaps almost as many bikes as people. It's no surprise though, as the city is so flat that biking is not as difficult as in Spain or other hilly places.

It seems like the city hasn't changed.

Beautiful lights and the shops by the canals.

Our Dutch friend Vivianne

The red-light district.

Complexities

Have you ever tried to move from one state to the other? After living in Spain, I've come to realize that moving from one state to the next is almost as complicated as moving from one European country to another. First, you need new IDs: in Europe that means going to get a residency paper, in the US that means getting a new driver's license. And second, you have to transfer professional licenses: I have to get an Illinois teaching license even though I have an Indiana teaching license.


I can't decide whether to rejoice at the states' independence from each other or bemoan the fact that now I have to fill out a stack of paperwork, take exams, and pay for a new license all before I can be hired for a teaching job in Chicago. If only Chicago was in Indiana!! Yes, redrawing state lines sounds like the perfect solution...

Come and See!

I don't know if you've seen my husband (still sounds new!) Isma's website, but I thought I'd show it off before I go to bed today. For the majority, just enjoy looking at his photography, the photos he's particularly proud of. And for those of you practicing Spanish, see how much you can understand of the meat of the site, the blog.


http://iarenzana.com/

Every decision requires a death

About a week ago, Isma received a letter from Moody Bible Institute that he's been accepted for the upcoming school year! We're really excited about the upcoming adventure, though the excitement is tempered with some sadness. A friend of ours, Ben, recently said that for every decision or action we make or do, something else has to die. We are beginning to realize how true the statement is. For Isma to study, his job must die and all of the implications of having such a good job must die as well. For us to move to Chicago and make new friends, some closeness here must die.


But not everything dies. Somethings, rather, change and shift as distance grows for some and closes for others. Some relationships will strengthen with proximity, some will wane as the miles grow between, some will go into hibernation, and others will stay the same. But even change is a death to something, a death to the status quo, to things always being identical to the present. And of that, I am striving to not be afraid.


When June comes, I'll try to accept the odd mixture of sadness, joy, and nervousness and know that the ones we love are doing the same. I pray that everyone in our life will accept the death of yesterday and celebrate the birth of tomorrow.

A New Year

2011 has come to an end, and 2012 is now a week old. I remember when Colin, Mom, Dad and I used to sit down around the kitchen table and tell our New Year's Resolutions while Mom wrote them down on a steno-pad. I think I promised to stop chewing my nails (check), stop hiding to read when I wasn't supposed to (pretty much, check), and read my Bible more (back-slid, uncheck).

After that year, I don't remember making resolutions. But thinking back at the past year and now looking forward to the one to come, I don't think it would be a bad idea to have some goals (and some eyes reading this to perhaps keep me a bit more on track).

This past year was consumed by wedding planning: the dress, the ceremony, the premarital counseling, the trying not to go crazy. Then the wedding itself, the honeymoon, and the first months of marriage getting used to living with the man I've decided to spend my life with. (yes!) That being said, this next year may be a year of many changes as well, so here's what I want to look forward to in 2012 (in no particular order):

• Have a new teaching job in Chicago


• Get photos out to everyone in the wedding photos


• Pray more fervently


• Create a devotional routine


• Write at least one blog entry a week


• Call my family more


• Call or write my friends more


• Start an exercise routine

Here goes!

Chard Cheese Bake

When a friend of ours, Karin Harper, moved from Alcalá de Henares (Madrid) to Austin, Texas she gave me one of her cookbooks that I now LOVE. I like to think that I helped her save the overweight bag charge on the way to the states. It's called Simply in Season and goes through the seasons with reasons according to available local produce (for North America). I've been trying to go through it to find delicious and healthy meals for the two of us, full of disguised vegetables. It's going well!

This one is called Chard Cheese Bake. I'd never had chard in my life before making this recipe. If you took spinach and celery and made their atoms smash together, I think the result would look and taste like chard. It turned out well and would definitely make it again. The biggest problem was what to do with the leftover chard. Any suggestions?


1 pound / 500 g Swiss chard or spinach (chopped)
Cook and throughly drain.
4 eggs (beaten)
1 cup / 250 mL milk
1cup / 250 mL Swiss cheese or another cheese (shredded)
1 cup / 250 mL bread (cubed)
1/2 cup / 125 mL green onions (sliced)
1/4 cup / 60 mL Parmesan cheese (grated)

1. Wash and chop greens.

2. Steam leaves (2-5 min)

3. Steam stems (4-8 min)


4. Chop bread.


5. Combine the rest of the ingredients with the cooked greens.


6. Pour into a greased 2-quart / 2-L baking dish. Cover and bake in preheated oven at 375F / 190C until set, 30-50 min.



This recipe comes from: Simply in Season edited by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert, Herald Press, 2005