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?