It Wasn't Me...

After using my new (used) sewing machine (thanks Margie :) !!) to sew an envelope out of a shower curtain for part of a wedding present, the pressure foot refused to remain or even raise up. I wonder if this is a common problem. Anyway, I hope to finally take it to the sewing machine store this week to get it looked at and repaired!

Summer Happenings

Ratings: 1-5 (low to high)

• Germanfest (3.5...only because of friends)
• Strawberry Fest in Coldwater, MI (4.5)
• Riverfest at IPFW in Fort Wayne. Ever seen a cardboard regatta (real people in cardboard boats racing on a river)? Hilarious! (5)
• Doing legal paperwork (1)
• Having all paperwork completed (5)
• Learning the ins and outs of Microsoft Excel at the public library (4...it makes me feel smart!)
• Interviewing and not getting calls back (2)
• Applying to jobs (1.5)
• Finding a job position where I am happy! (5.5...I started July 8th)
• Isma actually liking his math class. (5)
• A coworker who gives me free produce from his garden. (5)
• Going to the lake. (4.5)
• Fourth of July with Collins clan!! (5)
• Going to the pool. (4)
• Finishing some projects. (4)
• Collins Family Treasures "auction" to help my grandparents move. (4)

I'll share some of the projects that I finished recently and pictures from Coldwater coming up! 

Camera Fun

This is what Elijah does when you ask him to smile.

Smile with teeth gets better results. :)

Elijah?

Or Colin?

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.

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!

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 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!

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/

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!

Conclusion

Last entry I told you about one of my friends who was trying to raise money to get music stands for class...well, he reached the goal and the stands will be shortly on the way. I'm surprised but happy that he was able to raise the money so quickly, that people responded so well to the school's need. Congratulations Matthew and all of your students! Here's his thank-you letter:

Dear All,

I can't thank you enough for how much you all have reached out with such amazing generosity so quickly. I was able to get my project fully funded in a week, and that is a testament to the compassion of so many great people who care so much about music, especially in my community. When I asked for your help, you all gave so quickly that I didn't even have time to reach out to all possible donors--you beat them to the punch! This is benevolence at its best: people practically competing to see who can do the most good the fastest. My students will also be incredibly grateful. This is a need that the band has that would not have been met if not for your compassion, and it will meet the needs of future students for several years. This outpouring of support for the importance of music in our schools, especially here, will be an incredible encouragement to students showing how much they and their pursuits concern others; this is exactly the kind of support students need at this age.


I am privileged to know many of you already and regretful for those whom I don't.
With gratitude,
Mr. C

Needed: Music Stands

Back in college I had the rare privilege of having many music major friends. And while some of those interesting friends graduated to become starving artists (though if you ask for a name, I could not help you), quite a larger number grew up to be starving band teachers. Starving may be an exaggeration, but it will do for my post today.

I want to highlight what one of my friends, Matthew Carnagua, is trying to do for his band class. Due to budget cuts, the school can't afford new music stands to have enough for all of the students, so he's decided to raise money himself for the class. He explains the circumstances much better in his page on DonorChoose.org. Go check it out and help their music class!

Here is a link to Matthew's page on DonorChoose.org...click here to see more information.

Back from Egypt

No, I haven't been to Egypt. Angelita's granddaughter just got married to an Egyptian, and she brought back some traditional garb. One, a blue dress, was a gift from the groom's mother and sister. The other was also a gift. That is, if you call a gift something a street vendor gives you and then forces you to pay for it. At least she only had to pay one euro for the headdress. We just had to try them out:

I realize that it is a strange outfit, being that the dress is for a woman (and HUGE on me) and the headdress for a man. It just makes things more interesting!

Countries Rise

I'm sure you all have read, listened to, or seen the news about the uproar in the MidEast. Egypt peacefully protested and succeeded in removing their dictator of so many years. Libya´s people are painfully revolting. Morocco, Spain's neighbor to the south, is beginning to awake as well. I've been so near and yet so far from it all.

A young woman close to my friends has been living in Egypt for better half of the last year, engaged to be married to an Egyptian. When the protests and revolt began, her grandmother and friends called and called, worrying about her safety, what would happen. Thank God there was no need for evacuation of Spanish citizens, so she is still safe there and will be married this spring surrounded by family from Spain and friends.

Can you imagine living in such history-making circumstances? Living in such nerve-wracking and yet exciting times? What would you do: stay at home nursing the pager given to you by the embassy, sneak a peek out the window of the protests, catch the next plane home, join the protests? Or if it happened in your own state? It's beyond my imagination. So close and yet so far away.

Rain Day

Today is the start of a four day weekend for me...so how did I spend it? Doing laundry and then off to Isma's house to eat with his family (aka not cooking myself), lay on the bed and play a game, watch Isma and Guille play flight simulator, and basically do nothing. Did I mention that it's been raining all day? That perhaps explains it. Rain makes for lazy people.

Around 7 Isma and I woke up out of our lethargy and went to buy paddles to play Pádel. Or paddle? Or padel tennis? Anyway, it's like tennis but on a smaller court, with raquets that are more like bats, and the balls are depressurized tennis balls. It's exciting thinking about starting a new activity together. We spent half of dinnertime thinking about who could or would want to come play with us. Hopefully it will stop raining next week and we can try out our new paddles!

If you're curious, here's a link about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padel_tennis .

And here's some pictures of us playing in Torre Nostra:



We're not too good at it, and I uploaded the only picture in which I don't have silly looking form, but let's see how this goes!

Bananagrams

It's like banana phone (the song is playing in my head), but without real bananas and very fun to play. Coolest game for word lovers! We found the game a couple years ago, courtesy of some friends (thank you Marti!!!). I'm so excited, I even have a post-game picture from this summer!

El Sol

.
El Sol

A la tierra ha susurrado
el sol se acaricia los
seres que bien arropados
en los pliegues de la tierra
con tranquilidad están durmiendo.
Las plantas bostezan y con
desgana andan hacia la voz.
El brillante sol sonríe a
los flores que con cuidado
miran el aire y florecen.

.

Back from Outer Space

I feel like I've awakened from a month long hibernation. Not that I've been sleeping, doing nothing. I've been working a 5 day week at an adult "day care" (though I hate how that sounds), spending time with my family, helped translate and do VBS in Picaihua, Ecuador, ran in a 5K race (first in division...maybe I was the only 20-30 year old girl courageous enough to run it), and spent 4th of July with my mom's family at the lake. The hibernation I guess refers to responsibilities and my life in Spain, except for phone calls to Isma. But I've woken up now, back to the world, which is a good thing, and hopefully will make better use of the rest of my time back here in the states, without ignoring everyone back in Spain. It feels good to be grounded, back on Earth again. Now if only I can stay here.

This week is "Summer Camp" week at work, and so we're doing crafts and games reminiscent of camp back when everyone was a kid, drinking bug juice and eating hot dogs, singing camp fire songs over a fake campfire (unfortunately someone responsible nixed the real fire idea), and reminiscing about camp days long past. Today most of the clients are away at baseball game, our home team Tin Caps. The name comes from Johnny Appleseed, who's a pretty important man around here. I'm left with a few others to hold up the fort here. We'll see how the game went this afternoon. Take me out to the ball game, take me out to the park.....

Can't wait till Isma flies in to Chicago this Saturday!!
----------------------------------------------------
Siento como si fuera un oso que acaba de despertar despues de hibernar durante un mes. No quiero decir que he estado durmiendo, haciendo nada. Trabajo 5 dias a la semana en un programa que acoge adultos discapacitados durante el dia (como se llama eso??), paso tiempo con mi familia, acabo ayudar interpretar/traducir y hacer una escuela biblica vacacional en Picaihua, Ecuador, corri en una carrera de 5K (y gane primera en mi division...quiza fui la unica chica de 20-30 anyos que tenia bastante coraje competir :P ), y pase el dia de Independencia con la familia de mi madre al lado del lago. Supongo que quiero referir, con eso de la hibernacion, a las responsabilidades y vida en Espanya, excepto las llamadas a Isma. Pero ahora me he despertado, he vuelto al mundo, lo cual esta muy bien, y espero utilizar mejor lo demas del tiempo que me queda aqui en EEUU sin ignorar todos en Espanya. Siente bien estar mas arraigado, estar con los pies en la tierra otra vez. Ahora, si tan solo puedo quedar aqui.

Esta semana es "Campamento de verano" en el trabajo, asi que estamos haciendo manualidades y juegos como los que hicimos en campamentos de ninyo, bebiendo "zumo de insectos" (si se llama asi) y comiendo perros calientes, cantando canciones sobre una fogota de papel (desafortunadamente alguien responsable denego la idea de una fogota de verdad), y compartiendo cuentos de campamentos pasados. Hoy la mayoria de los clientes estan en un partido de beisbol de los Tin Caps, el equipo de Fort Wayne. El nombre viene de Johnny Appleseed (Johnny Semilla de Manzana), quien era un hombre bastante importante por estas partes. Me he quedado aqui con unos pocos. Ya veremos como fue el partido.

No puedo esperar hasta que venga Isma el sabado!!

Goodbye Hello

Tomorrow I'm heading home for part of the summer. First on the agenda is to give everyone a big hug and a pet for Chula, my family's new puppy. A few days later I'll start working at Turnstone, filling in during my vacation for Zlata, whose daughter is having surgery. Then the fourth of July with the extended family and the 5K race. Then missions trip in Ecuador, doing programs with the kids and meeting the church in Ambato. Then the first week of August Isma comes to visit...and before long I'll be back in Spain. My prayer for this summer is to take advantage of every minute, seize every moment, to not think further into the past or into the future than is necessary, and to love the people I'm with and without. Hope the trip goes fast tomorrow!