-:-No Man is an Island-:-

Palenque!!

2012-02-05T13:49:00.005-07:00

While descending steps into lower levels of Palenque we heard a noise that I thought had to be a recording of a lion's roar blaring from someone's speakers... but lo and behold -- it was a howler monkey. We were actually able to see several of the monkeys up in a tree. Who would have ever thought that they could roar like that? It was so powerful!

Colorful Campeche

2012-02-05T13:41:00.009-07:00

Coast to Coast - the Yucatan

2012-01-23T23:18:00.006-07:00

Edzna = awesome/empty Mayan ruins outside of Campeche. We arrived just before noon to find the place vacant except for a handful of tourists. It was a powerful experience.

And we ate tamales in the rain on Christmas Eve under the shelter of the portico of the Catholic church.

Feliz Navidad y Feliz Ano Nuevo

2012-01-14T17:31:00.006-07:00

We encountered a man that would spend all day carving out a sand sculpture only to watch it wash away the next day. He didn't ask for money; he just seemed to love what he did. gloriously wasteful.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

Christmas, what a wonderful time of year. (my favorite). Matt and I have unintentionally started a bit of a tradition: Latin America during Christmas break. We've actually been in Playa del Carmen for the last two Christmases and before that Lago Atitlan in Guatemala. We had a wonderful time carpe-diem-ing our last big break before Matt starts nursing school. (way to go, Matt!!) We flew into Cozumel and then took the ferry over to Playa, where we stayed for four days. It was so nice to eat fish tacos on the beach by candlelight, running our barefeet in the sand with a glorious breeze. ah-yah-yah.

Here are some photos of our first stop on the trip:::

view of the island of Cozumel from the ferry

How to Paint Laminate Furniture

2011-11-28T17:54:00.014-07:00

note the rope handles that Matt made to add rustic-flair at a tiny cost
i love it!

After browsing extensively on Pinterest.com I was inspired to paint some really ugly, cheap furniture we had around the apartment, and I am SO glad I did!

~~~~~~~
Step 1: Sand the entire surface with a very fine grain sand paper (I used 250 grit)
Sand until you see white flecks and the shine of laminate begins to fade.
** Note, oil based primers usually don't require pre-sanding, but they are messier to clean up.

Step 2: Wipe the surface clean with a tack cloth.

Step 3: Coat the surface with primer. You may have to do two coats. Here's the hard part: you have to wait one full week for water based primers to cure. As I said oil-based primers cure in 45 minutes, but as I live in an apartment with no extra sink or easy way to clean with mineral spirits, I chose water based paints.

Step 4: Paint!! I did two coats about 45 minutes apart. Voila!

Before...

during...

After

Before...

During

After

Everything's Amazing and Nobody's Happy

2011-11-28T12:59:00.003-07:00

This is hilarious and reminds us to be amazed and to be grateful!

Opening Lines

2011-11-03T10:34:00.004-06:00

I have been reading a book off-and-on called, Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose. She says that writing involves "putting every word on trial for its life." This has inspired me to analyze and consider why a writer's work survives. To sample their genius I have collected the opening lines of a few classic, tried and true authors. I like to consider their approaches. Do they open with suspense? Do they name their characters right away? What is the tone?

Enjoy and consider these opening lines:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." ~ Anna Karenina

2. "Stately, plump Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed. A yellow dressinggown, ungirdled, was sustained gently behind him on the mild morning air. He held the bowl aloft and intoned:" ~ Ulysses

3. "One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin." ~ Metamorphosis

4. "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." (this is a famous one, who knows it?)

5. "Alexey Fyodorovitch Karamazov was the third son of Fyodor Pavlovitch Karamazov, a land owner well known in our district in his own day, and still remembered among us owing to his gloomy and tragic death, which happened thirteen years ago, and which I shall describe in its proper place." ~ Brothers Karamazov

6. "Towards the end of November, during a thaw, at nine o'clock one morning, a train on the Warsaw and Petersburg railway was approaching the latter city at full speed. " ~ The Idiot

7. "In 1815, M. Charles-Francois-Bienvenu Myriel was Bishop of D—— He was an old man of about seventy-five years of age; he had occupied the see of D—— since 1806.

Although this detail has no connection whatever with the real substance of what we are about to relate, it will not be superfluous, if merely for the sake of exactness in all points, to mention here the various rumors and remarks which had been in circulation about him from the very moment when he arrived in the diocese. True or false, that which is said of men often occupies as important a place in their lives, and above all in their destinies, as that which they do. " ~ Les Miserables

8. "Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, 'and what is the use of a book,' thought Alice 'without pictures or conversation?' " from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

9. "Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her." ~ from Emma

10. "A throng of bearded men, in sad-coloured garments and grey steeple-crowned hats, inter-mixed with women, some wearing hoods, and others bareheaded, was assembled in front of a wooden edifice, the door of which was heavily timbered with oak, and studded with iron spikes." ~ The Scarlet Letter

11. "There was no possibility of taking a walk that day. We had been wandering, indeed, in the leafless shrubbery an hour in the morning; but since dinner (Mrs. Reed, when there was no company, dined early) the cold winter wind had brought with it clouds so sombre, and a rain so penetrating, that further out-door exercise was now out of the question." ~ Jane Eyre

Winter Wonderland #2

2011-11-03T10:17:00.006-06:00

Tip: If you count Winter Wonderlands rather than winter snowstorms, it makes everything more magical.

Denver skyline from our rooftop

up to my-lower-shins-deep in snow

The Bed-n-Breakfast we admire from our window

New Website for Inspirations

2011-10-12T21:14:00.003-06:00

I am usually not too into new websites and technological gadgets, BUT I recently found out about www.pinterest.com, and I find it to be an exceptional resource for ideas/inspiration for just about any creative field. You can add and organize ideas for projects or inspiring images to your "board" for future reference. And most images have links to original websites, blogs, etc... Check it out!

New Job !!!

2011-09-27T20:45:00.003-06:00

I was recently hired as an adult ESL teacher at ELS Language Center on the Front Range Community College campus, and I never knew you could love going to work so much! Seriously, I LOVE MY JOB. It's semi-temporary and dependent on student enrollment. So, I'm hoping for a high enrollment next month so I can still teach! I have 2 classes, each with 8 students. The students come from: Brazil, Haiti, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Gabon, Vietnam, South Korea and Venezuela. It's amazing getting to teach language, which I love, and to be able to interact with people from all over the world! I'm clearly in the "honeymoon" phase right now, or who knows, maybe I've found my long-term education-niche.

CREMA Coffee House

2011-09-25T12:38:00.006-06:00

CREMA Coffee House has been a Denver hot-spot for a while on upper Larimer (between LoDo and Five Points), but our friend, Jon Power (formerly of Olivea and Root Down), has recently designed a menu and begun serving breakfast and lunch as well! We were delighted to patronize Crema this morning for breakfast. The coffee is prepared French Press style, and it was about as exquisite as I have ever had, EVER. The breakfast/lunch menu offers simple, creative, gourmet and affordable options. You must check it out!

Phases of Happiness

2011-09-23T11:04:00.001-06:00

In Gretchen Rubin's book, The Happiness Project, she proposes four stages of happiness to eke out the most from any experience:

1. Anticipation - talking, planning, dreaming, preparing, searching for background info on the net, looking at pictures of the proposed destination, what's called "rosy prospection"

2. Savoring - the moment as it unfolds, being present, pausing, looking around

3. Expressing - You can relive the experience as you tell people about it. Say it aloud. Express gratitude.

4. Remembering - through photographs, videos, reminiscing, memory book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This blog mostly involves phase 3 and some 4. It brings me joy to express my happy experiences. It helps me not forget and causes me to be more present, more cognizant of sweet and precious moments.

Denver Now Recycles More than EVER!

2011-09-19T20:20:00.002-06:00

Denver used to just recycle Plastics #1 & #2 whose openings were smaller than the whole container (basically bottles). I secretly used to hate seeing people put other types of containers in the recycling bins because I knew Denver was so strict, but now you can recycle all Plastics #1 - #7! Hooray!! Visit website: Denver Recycling

Eats, Shoots, and Leaves

2011-09-15T12:19:00.000-06:00

A panda walks into a cafe. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air.

"Why?" asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.

"I'm a panda," he says at the door. "Look it up."

The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explanation.

"Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves."

So, punctuation really does matter, even if it is only occasionally a matter of life and death.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is the story on the back of the book, Eats, Shoots and Leaves: the Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, by Lynne Truss. I look forward to reading this when I get the chance. I was reminded of this book last night, when at church on the overhead screen, a line in a worship song stated, "its raining, its raining, its raining." And it admitedly distracted and disappointed me.

The New Book Club

2011-09-13T10:51:00.005-06:00

So, I've dreamed of being part of a Book Club for ages, but I never really knew of any, and I didn't want to start my own without any other experience. And, well, I am so thankful to have met Tim and Abby who recently moved to the neighborhood and brought with them a well of creativity, thoughtfulness and authenticity. We're reading the Classics, which I am generally not as drawn to, but they have proven to be delightful indeed. Here is a list of books read so far, I joined in July:

March - Great Gatsby
April - Jane Eyre
May - Fahrenheit 451 ( I think)
July - Alice in Wonderland and Candide
August - Great Expectations
September - The Alchemist and The Awakening

And the marrow of the experience is: Responding to the novel in some creative, meaningful way (food, art, song, anything it inspires you to do), which you can share with the group when we meet. There's a blog for the Book Club on the right, but it is a bit outdated.

For Whom the Bell Tolls

2011-09-11T22:06:00.006-06:00

No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.

John Donne wrote this while on what he thought was his death bed (it wasn't) as he had been struck by the plague. And he constantly heard the bells tolling for someone's funeral during those times. He was saying that it didn't matter whose funeral it was because we, mankind, are all the less with this man's passing.

I think of this passage because our downstairs neighbor passed away last week. We came home on Friday to a terrible, all-encompassing stench and policemen all around the building. Of course we commented that it smelled like death, but you never think that it actually would be ... It wasn't until today that I discovered that our downstairs neighbor had passed away five days prior to being found. I just saw the lady in 204 on the rooftop on my birthday and we small talked a bit. And to think that in the past few days I had made a loud step and felt self-conscious about disturbing her downstairs, and I didn't even know that she had passed away...

ORR family Vaca!

2011-09-08T12:00:00.003-06:00

In August we got to spend a week at Matt's parents' new house in North Myrtle Beach!! It was everything you would hope for in a family beach vacation! I'm serious, my heart overflows with warm memories. We got to spend ample time at the beach and the water was the perfect temp - so I probably spent more time in the actual ocean than ever before. We ate lunch and dinner outside everyday and sometimes breakfast too. We rode cruiser bikes around the neighborhood, we went swimming and hot tubbing. We played tennis and bocce ball. We went for walks in the woods, along the beach, along the golf course. It was so relaxing and rejuvenating. I can't wait for the next Orr family vacation.

Umcompahgre! 14,314ft

2011-09-06T10:41:00.013-06:00

During our road trip we also summited Umcompahgre Peak (the 6th highest mtn. in CO). It was so spectacular I thought it deserved its own slot for pictures.

SW Colorado Roadtrip

2011-09-06T09:52:00.021-06:00

Matt and I both had a busy summer full of reading, writing and showing up to class. I admit that Matt's terms and books were much bigger than mine. But we finally got to have a break at the end of the summer and we wanted to head for Southwest Colorado and to be outside as much as possible. Within the first day we: floated down a river, had a picnic in a park, picked up a hitch hiker and summited the highest sand dune. It was perfect. Here are some photos:

backpacking Crater Lake Trail in San Juan Mountains

camp site near Lake City

same camp site

soaking in the last bit of sun at Crater Lake

driving along the Alpine Loop between Silverton and Lake City

fresh, organic strawberries!

along the Alpine Loop

reading Grapes of Wrath in the sunlight

reflection in Crater Lake

we backpacked 13 miles in two days.
it was so GREEN!

Language Learning

2011-08-01T17:19:00.005-06:00

So, I'm almost thirty; I'm quite nearly tri-lingual (Spanish, German); I'm recently unemployed, and I'm studying French and studying for the Spanish CLEP test. And let me tell you two wonderful things about learning a language:

1. Yabla.com
This is one of my favorite pasttimes! It offers hundreds of videos in the target language for only $10/month. The videos have interactive subtitles, that allow you to click on words you don't know, which opens a side window dictionary. There is also a slow motion button. The website is user friendly with a 1-5 star difficulty rating system. The Spanish version sorts the videos according to difficulty, topic and country of origin. The website also generates interactive quizzes based upon past words that you did not understand in the subtitles. imagínete!

2. Pimsleur Language Programs
This program offers a conversationally contextualized approach to learning a language. The Spanish program really helped me and Matt prepare for Guatemala. There are three levels for each language, with 30 lessons per level. Each lesson is 30 minutes, so it is quite a time committment, but imagine the empowerment of learning a new language!! The best part is that your public library probably has the Pimsleur Language Program CDs, which you can check out for free!! (By the way, I own the complete Spanish Levels I-III in Rosetta Stone, and it is so elementary and slow compared to Pimsleur).

Birthday summitting

2011-07-31T12:48:00.009-06:00

My dear friend Allison recently had a birthday, and wanted to hike Pike's Peak to celebrate. It's fun to summit mountains that you see on a regular basis, and to remember the awe you experienced on top. I can even see Pike's Peak from the park in our neighborhood in Denver; it's incredible!! The vistas were spectacular, the weather nice, and the colors stunning due to recent rainfall. When we entered the warming house/gift shop at the summit, it felt nice knowing we had walked to the top on our own two feet; where as most everyone else either took the train or drove their large SUV.

Complimenting Girls/Women

2011-07-20T10:37:00.004-06:00

::: This article really made me think = What is the first thing I usually say to girls/women when I see them?? Isn't it usually something about their cute appearance?? It's not that it's bad to compliment girls/women on their appearance, I just don't want to be sending the message that that's all that matters. I want to be mindful of admiring deeper qualities first in girls/women.

==> Love and Empowerment for everyone! <==

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I went to a dinner party at a friend's home last weekend, and met her five-year-old daughter for the first time.

Little Maya was all curly brown hair, doe-like dark eyes, and adorable in her shiny pink nightgown. I wanted to squeal, "Maya, you're so cute! Look at you! Turn around and model that pretty ruffled gown, you gorgeous thing!"

But I didn't. I squelched myself. As I always bite my tongue when I meet little girls, restraining myself from my first impulse, which is to tell them how darn cute/ pretty/ beautiful/ well-dressed/ well-manicured/ well-coiffed they are.

What's wrong with that? It's our culture's standard talking-to-little-girls icebreaker, isn't it? And why not give them a sincere compliment to boost their self-esteem? Because they are so darling I just want to burst when I meet them, honestly.

Hold that thought for just a moment.

This week ABC News reported that nearly half of all three- to six-year-old girls worry about being fat. In my book, Think: Straight Talk for Women to Stay Smart in a Dumbed-Down World, I reveal that 15 to 18 percent of girls under 12 now wear mascara, eyeliner and lipstick regularly; eating disorders are up and self-esteem is down; and 25 percent of young American women would rather win America's Next Top Model than the Nobel Peace Prize. Even bright, successful college women say they'd rather be hot than smart. A Miami mom just died from cosmetic surgery, leaving behind two teenagers. This keeps happening, and it breaks my heart.

Teaching girls that their appearance is the first thing you notice tells them that looks are more important than anything. It sets them up for dieting at age 5 and foundation at age 11 and boob jobs at 17 and Botox at 23. As our cultural imperative for girls to be hot 24/7 has become the new normal, American women have become increasingly unhappy. What's missing? A life of meaning, a life of ideas and reading books and being valued for our thoughts and accomplishments.

That's why I force myself to talk to little girls as follows.

"Maya," I said, crouching down at her level, looking into her eyes, "very nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," she said, in that trained, polite, talking-to-adults good girl voice.

"Hey, what are you reading?" I asked, a twinkle in my eyes. I love books. I'm nuts for them. I let that show.

Her eyes got bigger, and the practiced, polite facial expression gave way to genuine excitement over this topic. She paused, though, a little shy of me, a stranger.

"I LOVE books," I said. "Do you?"

Most kids do.

"YES," she said. "And I can read them all by myself now!"

"Wow, amazing!" I said. And it is, for a five-year-old. You go on with your bad self, Maya.

"What's your favorite book?" I asked.

"I'll go get it! Can I read it to you?"

Purplicious was Maya's pick and a new one to me, as Maya snuggled next to me on the sofa and proudly read aloud every word, about our heroine who loves pink but is tormented by a group of girls at school who only wear black. Alas, it was about girls and what they wore, and how their wardrobe choices defined their identities. But after Maya closed the final page, I steered the conversation to the deeper issues in the book: mean girls and peer pressure and not going along with the group. I told her my favorite color in the world is green, because I love nature, and she was down with that.

Not once did we discuss clothes or hair or bodies or who was pretty. It's surprising how hard it is to stay away from those topics with little girls, but I'm stubborn.

I told her that I'd just written a book, and that I hoped she'd write one too one day. She was fairly psyched about that idea. We were both sad when Maya had to go to bed, but I told her next time to choose another book and we'd read it and talk about it. Oops. That got her too amped up to sleep, and she came down from her bedroom a few times, all jazzed up.

So, one tiny bit of opposition to a culture that sends all the wrong messages to our girls. One tiny nudge towards valuing female brains. One brief moment of intentional role modeling. Will my few minutes with Maya change our multibillion dollar beauty industry, reality shows that demean women, our celebrity-manic culture? No. But I did change Maya's perspective for at least that evening.

Try this the next time you meet a little girl. She may be surprised and unsure at first, because few ask her about her mind, but be patient and stick with it. Ask her what she's reading. What does she like and dislike, and why? There are no wrong answers. You're just generating an intelligent conversation that respects her brain. For older girls, ask her about current events issues: pollution, wars, school budgets slashed. What bothers her out there in the world? How would she fix it if she had a magic wand? You may get some intriguing answers. Tell her about your ideas and accomplishments and your favorite books. Model for her what a thinking woman says and does.

And let me know the response you get at www.Twitter.com/lisabloom and Facebook.

Here's to changing the world, one little girl at a time.

For many more tips on how keep yourself and your daughter smart, check out my new book, Think: Straight Talk for Women to Stay Smart in a Dumbed-Down World, www.Think.tv.

Follow Lisa Bloom on Twitter: www.twitter.com/LisaBloom

A Retreat into Nature

2011-06-29T17:20:00.009-06:00

To ensure that we did indeed make it outside into nature this summer (as it is quickly passing us by) Matt and I went to explore a new (as of 1993) wilderness area within a quick drive to Denver. We hiked a 12 mile loop in the Buffalo Peaks Wilderness. I am currently studying Assessments in Education, and I would say according to this most recent backpacking-assessment my endurance has certainly increased against all odds. My data: I did not even need to stop and rest much at all, and I could have kept on hiking the full loop, except that we wanted to camp out in the wilderness rather than back at the car. So, we did 8 miles the first day and 4 the next morning. It felt great on many levels and I'm thankful for the retreat.

this is, you know, one of those photos where you capture somebody jumping in the air, or at least you get the idea.

one of many river crossings

the lovely valley

These are a few of my favorite things: reading a book, sitting by a campfire, simple living.

and drinking coffee from a camping-pot, ahh.

Linguistic Look at Social Relationships

2011-06-24T10:29:00.006-06:00

I had never heard of RSAnimate until yesterday. What a fascinating tool! It's perfect for visual learners and entertaining for everyone. My professor last night showed us this video lecture given by Steven Pinker, a leading voice on linguistics and cognitive science at MIT. The format of the video is as equally entertaining as the content of the lecture.

At least check it out, it's very interesting:::

A Funny Thing About Negation

2011-06-21T19:45:00.005-06:00

A funny thing about negation is that some words that exist in negative forms have no correlating affirmative counterpart, which is really amazing and potentially hilarious. The following is an excerpt from Jack Winter's essay in the New Yorker, entitled "How I Met My Wife" (July 25, 1984, p. 82).
:::
It had been a rough day, so when I walked into the party I was very chalant, despite my efforts to appear gruntled and consolate.

I was furling my wieldy umbrella for the coat check when I saw her standing alone in a corner. She was a descript person, a woman in a sate of total array. Her hair was kempt, her clothing shevelled, and she moved in a gainly way.
:::
How fascinating that these words only exist in the negative. I love you, English, and your intricately evolving ways!

So, I've been a bit consumed ...

2011-06-21T19:39:00.002-06:00

So, I've been a bit consumed with Linguistics lately. I'm taking a graduate course: Linguistic Analysis of English. And this is about as nerdy as I get =). I love language and languages and it's an intense course. So, if I'm going to share it will have to be about Linguistics! yea!

In general, my main impression has been: wow, English is way more complicated than I ever imagined! But I'm loving learning about all of the nuances and underlying rules that we unconsciously adhere to. Pat yourself on the back for speaking English if you do, it's quite an accomplishment. I will try to only mention instances that would be entertaining to a broad audience of English speakers.

Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope

2011-06-10T13:16:00.006-06:00

It's been a while, but I just ran across this story through the TED talks website, which features videos from around the world about ideas worth spreading, if you are unfamiliar with TED, click here. William's story inspired "the undifferentiated torso/shoulder shake" in me which either precedes one of those cry for the sake of beauty cries or a heavy laugh. Here is a short video on youtube which tells his story. He also co-authored a book, called, The Boy who Harnessed the Wind, evidently it was a best seller, maybe I was out of the country at the time.

Here's the video::: Be Inspired!

William Kamkwamba's website: www.williamkamkwamba.typepad.com

Writing in the Margins

2011-05-10T19:27:00.003-06:00

Writing in the margins may not be as profound or progressive as writing about life at the margins. But it has been a big shift in the way I live my life this year. I've started writing in the margins of books I'm reading, even fiction books. I'm making two dimensional notes: the first dimension being the subject of the writing, the second being the authors technique or style. I feel like life is short and we don't always have time to come back and re-read those books that once changed our lives, but if we want to recall something that added life to our internal current we can easily skim our personal handwriting at the tops of pages of a beloved book and be reminded of the glimpse of brilliance we once encountered. I write in the margins to remember a beautiful thought or picture, to further research an unfamiliar topic, to highlight interesting word choices and to marvel at an author's literary techniques.

Patti Digh, author of Life is a Verb and Creative is a Verb, says that, "Marginalia is a way of carrying on a larger, broader conversation" (p. ix). She goes on to say, "Instead of a book, what if we're actually writing (or not writing) in the margins of our lives? What if our lives are books? What is the sign of our presence? Are we pressing into the margins our interpretations and questions? Are we circling offending verbs and drawing furious arrows to the margin where we srawl "irony," "frustration," "voiceless," "unfair!" Or do we simply turn the pages, passively receiving what's given, furiously disagreeing but remaining silent about it? (p. ix)"

May we all write in the margins, may we take time and courage to engage with life and with books, to speak, to remember, to marvel.
~ Molly

Desperate Measures

2011-04-27T18:21:00.012-06:00

quiet Sayulita

As I've alluded to earlier, this year has been the hardest and lowest for me: mentally, socially, emotionally and spiritually. And desperate times call for desperate measures. Therefore, Matt and I returned to our Mexican beach vacation of the year part 2. Over Spring Break we flew into Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and it was truly a time of heart and soul renewal. Although, the miles we traveled on roads and water were significant it was the escape in my spirit and mind that made the difference. I read two books lying in the shade on the sand: The Help and The Secret Daughter (more to come on those). I tried not to think about my life-sucking job at Lake Middle School and it worked I was finally able to feel young and free again indeed.

We caught a bus directly outside of the airport to the town of Sayulita, an expat oasis with rugged dirt roads, sweet and spicy locally caught fish tacos and quiet beach and a quaint plaza. After four days we returned to the throbbing and smoggy, Puerto Vallarta and caught a lancha (small, motorized boat) to Yelapa, a remote, quiet village only recently touched by electricity and small-scale tourism. Yelapa reminded my heart and soul of our time in pristine Guatemala, the relatively untouched beauty of a cascading waterfall, hilly, cobblestone streets, typical, tiny convenient stores and numerous tiny beaches dotted with handsome rocks and fine sand. We cooked most of our meals at our place. And it was simple, early to bed, refreshing drink, book-reading, hamock-rocking goodness that my soul so needed.

We ate fish tacos here every night in Sayulita!

Welcome to Yelapa! This restaurant totally reminded me of everything to do with the colorful, hippy Panajachel, Guatemala.

quaint and lovely walk around the bay in Yelapa

Matt's birthday dinner with homeade pineapple cocktails at sunset.

Everybody Needs Female Friends

2011-03-17T21:46:00.007-06:00

I have gotten to have some quality girl talk this week over coffee, walks in the park and even while erasing pencil marks on CSAP test booklets with coworkers, and it really makes a difference to my sense of well-being. I am a verbal processor/thinker, and it sure helps to have someone to process life with, especially the difficult questions and the dreaming questions... Of course I'm always processing out loud to Matt and he's super empathetic =) but it's nice to get some female feedback! Here is what Gretchen Rubin has to say about contact with women in The Happiness Project::

"Perhaps because men have this low standard for what qualifies as intimacy, both men and women find relationships with women to be more intimate and enjoyable than those with men. Women have more feelings of empathy for other people than men do. In fact, for both men and women -- and this finding struck me as highly significant -- the most reliable predictor of not being lonely is the amount of contact with women. Time spent with men doesn't seem to make a difference" (p. 52).

Haha, of course I want no male to be offended, we need you too! But it is the female-feedback that is precious and priceless!

Prayers for CHristchurCH

2011-02-28T09:31:00.002-07:00

I'm sure everyone has heard about the awful earthquake that rocked Christchurch, New Zealand last week. I spent a lot of time following updates from my dear friends, the Cremisinos, and it's hard to know what to say, but check out their website: noahandkate.com and Kate's Blog to hear some first hand accounts about life after the quake and how you can be praying for the community of Christchurch.

Cross-cultural Literacy Development

2011-02-26T16:53:00.008-07:00

So, I was teaching some students in the after-school writing club about Shakespeare the other day. And when I asked who had heard of him before only 2 out of 10 sixth grade students had, which was shocking! Yet, it wasn't until later that I realized that by the time I was their age I had not only been introduced to Shakespeare, but I had visited his birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon, England, toured the museum, bought a book about his life and work, which I treasured and I had started to memorize lines from famous scenes in Hamlet and Romeo & Juliet!! So, the contrast of our upbringings just astonishes me. When I was in high school I visited the modern reconstruction of the Globe Theater in London. And in high school and several times since I have visited Juliet's house and balcony in Verona, Italy.

These thoughts come on the eve of a reflective paper I have to write for grad school contrasting my own literacy development in light of the students with whom I'm working. And it's almost as if I grew up in a different world than them. Naturally, I'm not saying my experiences were better or make me better, but I can say that my experiences certainly set me up for academic success in American schools. And, therefore, the contrast of my background versus my students is staggering.

the Capulet house, Giulietta's balcony in Verona, Italy

calling out to my lover

Tourists are supposed to rub the right breast for good luck, there was a long line.

Easy to Hate, Hard to Love

2011-02-17T00:18:00.001-07:00

It's easy to Hate, hard to Love

Easy to be Heavy, Hard to be Light

2011-02-16T09:52:00.000-07:00

Easy to be Heavy, Hardy to be light

This is a quote by G.K. Chesterton as cited in Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project. As I've alluded to before this is one of my current resolutions:: to be more light-hearted in the Denver Public School environment.
:
It's easy to be angry and
it's hard to have hope
it's natural to feel burn-out
it's hard to not take their anger personally
it's easy to give up
it's hard to remain stable
it's easy to make war
it's hard to keep peace
it's easy to gossip
and hard to let go
:
Students (girls) often approach me complaining to me about so-and-so and how she's not their friend anymore because of such-and-such and how she's being rude. And I've started telling the girls - It's easy to hate and hard to be nice.

The "Me Too" Factor

2011-02-02T17:50:00.007-07:00

Recently I have talked with two different wonderful and generally optimistic individuals who had similar feelings of misery, disappointment and gloom concerning their first year in Denver Public Schools (DPS). And hearing them essentially say "me too" felt comforting. It's nice to know I'm not alone in my disappointment and gloom (which I am definitely trying to remedy).

One of my friends was a professional counselor, who, while dealing with heavy, dark gang related issues of the students had to face down right mean, unappreciative and very burnt-out coworkers, teachers and supervisors.

My other friend was also a paraprofessional as I am and her stories of the lack of support, order, direction, communication, accompanied with a general sense of disarray definitely topped my experiences.

There is a semi-toxic aura in our building partly because 50% of the 7th grade staff are about to lose their jobs (due to the "turn around" nature of our school) and partly because so many people are so angry and burnt out with urban school children and all of the pressures placed on them from above. It's definitely a threat to my personal happiness, so I am having to be more intentional about remaining light-hearted and positive.

The "me too" factor showed me that I'm not alone and I'm not crazy and that this actually IS a difficult but worthy environment (DPS in general and Lake Middle School in particular).

Happy 3rd Anniversary to Us!

2011-01-26T18:22:00.008-07:00

Matt and I celebrated our third anniversary in a cute cabin in the woods in Estes Park, the town in which we were married. It was perfectly charming with wild life all around, a cozy fire place inside and a community hot tub, which we were happy to patronize. We went cross-country skiing for the first time since pre-Guatemala and it was wonderful!! I love it so much!!

This is a small lake near Sprague Lake in Rocky Mtn. Nat'l Park. It was the perfect trail for gliding and getting into the rythm.

We stopped at the Warming House about a mile in for hot chocolate and mountain conversation with the host, a member of the Colorado Mtn. Society, which I think Matt and I should join so we could stay in one of these remote cabins for the weekend and host snow-shoers and skiers.

Here is an action shot of me cross-country skiing.
I'm amazed I'm not a blur, I was going so fast!

Here is the original Estes-Elk-butt-honeymoon-picture

And here we are three years later we are still attracted to a: each other and b: winter cabins in Estes with snowy landscapes sprinkled with wildlife and wonders.

Our three day third anniversary cabin, ahhh.

A "Just Right" Book

2011-01-12T16:28:00.007-07:00

When teaching kids about literacy and reading, we often teach them about "just right" books. A "just right" book is one that is first of all interesting and secondly it must be at the correct level (which of course is a complex issue), but I usually tell kids, "If there are less than five words that you don't understand on the first page (the "sticky fingers" test), then it is probably 'just right' for you."

The Happiness Project has been just right for me coming into a new year full of possibilities for positive change. I have been reading this book the past few weeks and it has been just what I was wanting. This book is not necessarily brilliant and I think the author and I don't have a lot in common personality-wise, but she offers an inspiring story and measurable, practical advice for mood-boosting. I highly recommend this book if you're trying to get out of a "slump" or looking for ways to challenge yourself in positive ways (I love the self-help section of a bookstore!)

La Playa !

2011-01-04T16:44:00.011-07:00

I have been curious about the Yucatan and the Mayan Riviera for several years and it has never worked out until two weeks ago. When our plane landed in Cozumel, we still hadn't decided where we wanted to stay: Isla Mujeres, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen or Tulum. We decided on Playa because it was well, beautiful and right there. There were loads of affordable places to stay and a real mix of European/American/Mexican tourists and locals. We got to speak a lot of Spanish naturally, which is so rewarding now that we have both "just-about-arrived" in fluency.

This is the main stretch of beach in the center of town, lined with cafes and restaurants, which are so charming (and almost empty) at night, with lanterns, soft music and a warm ocean breeze.

Matt made a chair in the sand to support his lower back.

These are some Mayan ruins right on the beach outside of the town of Tulum.

the public beach within the National Mayan site

One of my goals for the week was to go to a "swing bar" where you can let loose the child and adult in you while swinging barefoot in the sand and sipping a corona, ahh.

? Tuscany or Texas ?

2011-01-04T15:42:00.009-07:00

Matt and I got to spend 5 days hanging out at my brother's house in the Texas Hill Country, West of Austin. We were delighted to discover 3 lovely wineries within twenty minutes of his house!

~~~
???Which is Texas, which is Tuscany???
???

The answer::: the top is Tuscany (Nov. '09), the bottom is Texas (Dec. '10). I was blown away by the old world Italian charm of this particular vineyard, the Duchman Family Winery. I mean the facilities, the landscape and the vineyard were stunning.

Not that I like drinking in the middle of the day, but there's something about everything Italian, in particular, everything to do with wine, with vineyards and grapes and rolling hills, with subtle flavors and smoky, white cheese and earthy, bright colors that makes me go weak in the knees. I think I'd like to live in Italy someday...

Paradise Lost

2011-01-02T09:50:00.006-07:00

These past four months have been the least happy in my life.
For so long each phase was getting better and better.
:::
I remember thinking after the Summer of 2000 when I volunteered at the International Christian Pavilion at the Worlds Fair (EXPO 2000) in Hanover, Germany, that I would probably never top that. I thought that this was probably the pinnacle of my life. Haha. But I have had a blast topping that Summer ever since. I have always been amazed by meeting new people and enjoying good friends, deep thoughts, beautiful sites and scenery, good books, new experiences, challenges and adventures, all very positive and completely enjoyable. And then I turned 29, started working as a paraprofessional in Denver Public Schools and taking grad classes two nights a week without a clearly defined community or church body... and all was lost.

This is really my first life slump and I'm hating it. But thank God for this two week Christmas vacation to think, breath and dream again. With the help of God, some inspiring self-help books about happiness and creativity and beautiful afternoons on a pristine Mexican beach I want to turn things around.
:::
I have to make some changes and I have to write.
I need to find beauty and be thankful.
I need friends and I need to pray.
Thank you God for a second chance.

Mini Fall Break

2010-10-28T11:42:00.003-06:00

I have a four day weekend! woo hoo!

So, my goals for this four day Fall break:

- experiment with two new chocolate chip cookie recipes
- experiment with homemade pumpkin spice latte recipe
- finish the 2nd part of my "Biography of a Bilingual" ASAP
- finish my 2nd "Techniques for Teaching ESL" paper
- make blueberry pancakes
- visit thrift store, keep my eyes out for cute boots
- collect dead pine beetle wood for our fireplace from forest
- roast chestnuts from neighbor's tree in oven (or over open fire?)
- help Nate and Sarah clean out their old apartment
- celebrate Christi's birth with her family
- write Kate in our pen-pal journal
- play guitar
- assist at Cumleys' photo shoot
- borrow the Cumleys' vacuum
- take a stroll in Cheesman Park
- take similar stroll in Botanic Gardens

~~~~~~~~ I LOVE THE FALL!!!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Along the Way

2010-10-02T19:53:00.007-06:00

I first fell in love with this poem five years ago in the bathroom reading section of some pretty inspiring people. And then I lost this poem and meanwhile I began to lose inspiration. I feel drained and I miss all of the "free time" I used to have for reading, contemplating and writing. And I found this poem in a tattered and taped-up notepad from days gone by and I know that I have to stop complaining, even in my thoughts, I have to learn to appreciate this season of life and how it fits in with all of the other seasons and how this current job situation isn't the point, but LIFE is the point, the JOURNEY is the point and thanks be to GOD for being with me and showering me with glimpses of His beauty and glory ALONG THE WAY.

As you journey through life,
choose your destination well,
but do not hurry there.
You will arrive soon enough.
Wander the back roads and forgotten paths,
keeping your destination in your heart
like the fixed point of a compass.
Seek out new voices, strange sights,
and ideas foreign to your own.
Such things are riches for the soul.
And if upon arrival, you find your destination is not exactly as you dreamed,
do not be disappointed. Think of all you would have missed if not for the journey there, and know that the true worth of your travels lies not in where you come to be at journey's end, but in who you come to be ALONG THE WAY.

Wednesdays are for Labyrinths

2010-09-21T19:22:00.007-06:00

I take the 20 to and from work. On the bus ride home I pass the Saint Paul Lutheran Church on 17th and Grant. Besides the general peaceful/tranquil aura which illuminates from the magnificent edifice, there is a giant maroon banner inviting passersby to participate in a labyrinth on Wednesdays from 11:30 - 2:30.

Ouch, it hurts to pass this by and to know that I can never attend. I can't think about anything else I'd rather do on Wednesdays at noon. But the job (working with middle school English Language Learners - ELLs) that rips my heart out and brings me to my knees daily prevents me from attending this labyrinth. I prefer the symbolic path towards God in a tranquil, candlelit atmosphere which brings me towards the center rather than the socio-educational path that brings me to my knees in the teachers' bathroom on the second floor.

I know I can create a "labyrinth-experience" with God anytime and anywhere, but right now it sure would be nice to just "show up" somewhere spiritual. What I loved about House Church was the ideas of "being the church" rather than just "showing up at a church," but right now working a crazy-stressful job, transitioning back to Denver-life and taking two nightly grad school classes every week, I feel like I don't have time for anything but "showing up." So, it's not a labyrinth, but I'm planning on showing up at Mass at the Catholic Cathedral down the street tomorrow night and my soul is ready.

Donnerstags are for Deutsch!

2010-09-21T17:25:00.009-06:00

("Thursdays are for German", in German)

My professor last night was talking about some recent studies concluding that going back and forth between different languages - or code switching - can actually delay the onset of Alzheimer's Disease; which is personally encouraging as I approach 30 (one more year away). It is like taking your brain to the gym and pumping it up. So, in my quest for trilingualism by 30, which I admit is no big deal to my German friends, I am thinking about making Donnerstags for Deutsch Day. Practically this means I will listen to German podcasts and try to situate my thinking into German and maybe glance over a book or something. I get Spanish exposure and practice everyday at work, which is awesome, but I have to make time for German or it won't happen.

SO, learn a new language and keep practicing it so you can exercise your brain and live longer without going crazy.

:::

Here are some great foreign language online resources:::

BBC Languages:
--------- Excellent multimedia programs in 36 languages for free!

German Site:
------ podcasts & more i like: Alltagsdeutsch and Langsam gesprochene Nachrichten

Notes in Spanish:
------ podcasts & topical conversations in easy to understand Spain Spanish

The Grass is Always Greener...

2010-09-05T16:59:00.004-06:00

the fleeting glory of a typical sunset

when we invited the neighborhood mothers over for coffee and a presentation of typical kids' club (one of my top five highlights of our whole time: it felt so holistic: to be including the whole family)

What I miss about Guatemala:::
-
- Matt and I having SO MUCH time together
- open air pick-up rides
- cheap/frequent/crowded/lively chicken bus rides
- the fog descending upon the surrounding area
- vibrant sunsets behind volcanoes, over looking the Lake
- abundant avocado and mango consumption
- the slow pace of things
- Spanish class with Diego
- Nohemi, Yovardo, Juan Manuel and other kids from the neighborhood
- re-fried Chuchitos from street vendors
- drinking cold, sparkling water on a hot day
- colorful native clothing
- passing farmers on our walks through the countryside
- the campesino lifestyle & agricultural scenery
- taking the dogs for a walk around the farm
- day trips to Panajachel ("gringo-tenango")
- riding on a boat on the lake
- hospitality of neighbors
- Guillermo and Dianna's inventive enthusiasm
- Dianna's pumpkin scones and flavored lattes
- browsing artisan shops

What I enjoy about life in Colorado:::
- hanging with friends
- tent camping and National Forest access
- infinite gourmet foods and vegetarian cuisine
- good beer and access to restaurants
- the freedom of having a car
- wildlife viewing
- the safety of travel and hiking/exploring
- easy access to internet and other media

Wedding Weekend Extravaganza

2010-08-03T18:19:00.005-06:00

Chris and Sarah's (Matt's sister) lovely rehearsal dinner

The new immediate family! I love my in-laws!

and sweet baby Mary, kept playing with her pasta and was loving all the laughs she was getting.

"Call me right when it happens."

2010-07-15T19:36:00.006-06:00

This is what I told my mom just now.
My grandmother is slowly passing away in my mother's living room.
She's certainly old (94) and definitely ready.
But it's always hard to say good-bye for real.
:::::

I started writing this poem about my grandma when I was homesick and living in Switzerland back in '03 and finished it just right now:::

a muffled whistle and a jigsaw puzzle,
and a book I could always read again.
a tire swing and a parfait pie,
an alligator cup in my hand.

dominoes and skip-bos,
and American Movie Classics.
you bathed me and you sang to me,
growing up, as i was fragile.

a bloody toe in a baking pan,
the shovel of disaster.
lots of love and forgiveness,
wrecking trucks in the pasture.

snapping peas in patio rockers,
picking pecans with my hands.
rollerskating, driveway circles,
infinity in our hands.

you were blessed to be loved twice,
by two kind and loving men.
i am hurt to think you gone,
but richer to have you mine.

~~~~

i hope she understands how much it all meant to me.

when you were 12

2010-07-03T18:05:00.009-06:00

A friend of mine, Allison, once said when trying to figure out your life's vocation you should think back to what you were doing when you were twelve::

What were you interested in?
What were you dreaming about?

Me? I was listening to my "French at a Glance" cassette tapes like crazy. Repeating my numbers, une a dix, over the sound of the shower, listening to greetings while falling asleep and designing quizzes on my bedroom floor for all the nouns and adjectives in between. Later it was German words and phrases taped all over my college dorm room and car and then came Spanish with a little Bengali, Russian and Nepali in between. SOO, as daunting as it has been to choose just one field of study for grad school (Linguistically Diverse Education aka "ESL"), I'm thinking this has been a subject that I have consistently been interested in since I was at least 11 or 12 so it should be safe.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

Recent Encouragement: maybe this is a sign::: So far this summer I have had kids in my group who speak: Hebrew, Korean, British English, French, Swiss German, German German, Afrikaans and American Sign Language (that's right no Spanish, the camp's in Boulder not Denver). So, I have just loved getting the kids to teach the others some key phrases for fun.

We have finished four weeks with Avid 4 Adventure and I am really enjoying it. I have great co-workers (especially the husband), which makes all the difference and the kids are kids, which is always fun and exhausting.
~:~
I have so much.
I am grateful.

Our Neck of the Woods

2010-06-05T09:00:00.005-06:00

So, life update::: Matt and I are working for Avid4Adventure (an outdoor educational summer adventure day camp) in Boulder, Colorado.

and we are living in the National Forest outside of Boulder in our tent.

I've always dreamed of living in a tent for a season

and it's working out great
livin' the dream, trying to live a good story.

so, here are some of our sights so far:::

Elk grazing in an Aspen meadow

mother and cub looking both ways before crossing the road

crossing the road about 20 yards in front of us

big momma

From Brokenness to No Regrets

2010-06-04T18:27:00.005-06:00

ok, this is a bit of a heavier topic, but it's life and sometimes we need to talk about the harder things (and i juxtapose it with a happier poem of life and love). I ran across this first poem on the movie Into the Wild, and in Anne Lammot's book, Bird by Bird.

This poem must be close to the hearts and minds of children from broken families. The thought process goes like this: i can't imagine how my parents were ever in love or how they got together, but I'm glad they did because otherwise i wouldn't be here.

I Go Back to May, 1936 (by Sharon Olds)

I see them standing at the formal gates of their colleges,
I see my father strolling out
under the ochre sandstone arch, the
red tiles glinting like bent
plates of blood behind his head, I
see my mother with a few light books at her hip
standing at the pillar made of tiny bricks with the
wrought-iron gate still open behind her, its
sword-tips black in the May air,
they are about to graduate, they are about to get married,
they are kids, they are dumb, all they know is they are
innocent, they would never hurt anybody.
I want to go up to them and say Stop,
don't do it--she's the wrong woman,
he's the wrong man, you are going to do things
you cannot imagine you would ever do,
you are going to do bad things to children,
you are going to suffer in ways you never heard of,
you are going to want to die. I want to go
up to them there in the late May sunlight and say it,
her hungry pretty blank face turning to me,
her pitiful beautiful untouched body,
his arrogant handsome blind face turning to me,
his pitiful beautiful untouched body,
but I don't do it. I want to live. I
take them up like the male and female
paper dolls and bang them together
at the hips like chips of flint as if to
strike sparks from them, I say
Do what you are going to do, and I will tell about it.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

Excerpt from Everything is Illuminated, (completely fascinating work of genius)

"The Book of Recurrent Dreams"
The dream of falling in love, marriage, death, love. This dream seems as if it lasts for hours, although it always takes place in the five minutes between my returning from the field and being woken for dinner. I dream of when I met my wife, fifty years ago, and it's exactly as it happened. I dream of our marriage, and I can even see my father's tear of pride. It's all there, just as it was. But then I dream of my own death, which I have heard is impossible to do, but you must believe me. I dream of my wife telling me on my deathbed that she loves me, and even though she thinks I can't hear her, I can, and she says she wouldn't have changed anything. It feels like a moment I've lived a thousand times before, as if everything is familiar, right up to the moment of my death, that it will happen again an infinite number of times, that we will meet, marry, have our children, succeed in the ways we have, fail in the ways we have, all exactly the same, always unable to change a thing. I am again at the bottom of an unstoppable wheel, and when I feel my eyes close for death, as they have and will a thousand times, I awake.

~~~ this is a more beautiful perspective of what it could be like to look back on marriage after decades of together-ness and this of course is what I desire

i have to mention this...

2010-05-16T14:43:00.010-06:00

We had an RV for a week, it was only a week, but it sure was jam-packed with stress and anxiety, cleaning, re-upholstering and planning and dreaming, a little bit of excitement but mostly over-shadowed by the threat of a possible break down. Anyways, here are the photos of the RV we had for a week:

We were planning on living in the RV this summer, but we didn't have the time to get it ready engine-wise to drive to Colorado... so we had to pass it on.

our dear little Minnie Winnie, that was ours for a week

the dining area before reupholstering

After reupholstering and our first and last romantic dinner in the driveway of my mother's house. The marathon-sowing-weekend was a little frustrating for an amateur seamstress but a lot of fun at the same time

we could've been so happy in here

~:~:~:~:~

oh, well, for now we're traveling in the Subaru back to Denver, we're in Durango today and there just happened to be a lovely street festival - I've only been here twice and each time we were greeted by a sunny eco-chic festival with locally brewed beers and good eats. oh, how i love your Durango ways. and we found lovely camping outside of Pagosa Springs.

downtown Durango

oh how i have missed the Rocky Mountains.
thanks for the American flag camping chairs, Aunt Beryl.

Central American Travels.

2010-05-03T16:42:00.018-06:00

This part is hard for me to write.

because change is hard,
change is good and a sign of life,
but i am so easily adaptable and attachable
that i didn't want to leave Guatemala.
i mean in a lot of ways i knew our time was "up"
but it's never easy to turn that corner
stomach turning with the aching of things gone by
and the uncertainty of things ahead.
but we turned the corner,
we boarded a chicken bus and we left Guatemala.

sample chicken bus.

this sums up a lot of our travels, overheating and lying in front of the fan all over Central America.

a lady in San Salvador, El Salvador preparing for a days work, these short colorful aprons were common

horse and cart in Grenada, Nicaragua, the oldest Colonial town in Central America

no, not the ocean, this is Lake Nicaragua on the Island of Ometepe. we chose Playa Santo Domingo, there was a crazy thick layer of bugs constantly swarming until the evening breezes swept them away and then i understood. This island is made up of two large volcanoes and a connecting ithmus and incredible sand beaches and warm fresh water waves.

the highlight experience for me in our travels:: staying at "the monkey hut" on Lago Apoyo, a crater lake inside of a giant volcano (right outside of Grenada, Nicaragua), the water was impressively warm and calm. i just adore floating in an inner tube, which we got to do a lot of.

this is funny, i didn't even realize what i was standing in front of but Matt did, haha, my hands are on my hips because i was hot and tired and my chacos were falling apart and giving me blisters

this was our beach of choice and our only Costa Rican beach experience: Playa Samara on the Nicoya Penninsula

welcome to the jungle, kind of the closest i've ever been. after too much heat at the beach we headed for the highlands of Costa Rica::: Monteverde Nat'l Reserve, a

here we are hiking through the Nat'l Reserve with two great Swiss guys we met at our hostel. the bridge allowed us to look down over the top of the canopy of the cloud forest.

-----

i could upload a photo of the colorful furry tarantulas we saw if you wanted, but then i would be too frightened to check my own sight.

Family Time!

2010-04-15T18:06:00.013-06:00

Matt's parents and my brother CAME TO VISIT!!

man, oh man, there is nothing like being with family in a foreign land! i'm telling you - i cannot get enough family time. all that stuff about in-laws being annoying or something does not apply to my life -- i absolutely love Mark and D.J. -- and i can't even begin to tell you the depth of my love for my brother, what an incredible guy! I didn't want our time with them to end. maybe heaven will be a lot like that - like an old family get together.

Here we are exploring some of the ruins of the Spanish-colonial city of Antigua. a must see on any trip to Central America. Antigua is full of luscious, verdant gardens hidden in lovely European stucco courtyards. Nothing is casual in Antigua - only absolutely extraordinarily old and beautiful.

Mark and DJ treated us to a super charming colonial-style hotel. matt and i just almost didn't want to leave our room it was that nice.

My brother actually traveled to Lake Atitlan in a chicken bus (pictured above) by himself with hardly any Spanish and it worked - we found him. he was the only gringo on every bus he took and everything seemed to go very smoothly. way to be efficient and user-friendly, Guatemala.

here we are at our fav restaurant in Panajachel on the Lake. everything is wonderfully whole grain, with great meat substitutes and everything is hecho a mano (made by hand). and don't even get me started on the tropical/botanical-garden ambience with celtic or classical music playing in the background. i absolutely love this place.

We also celebrated Matt's 26th birthday together which was SUPER SPECIAL!!

We also got to visit CASA DEL MUNDO, a hotel right across the lake, which if you're ever on Lake Atitlan I would now totally recommend. A completely whimsically tropical, paradisical setting.

hammock = pure bliss

with a labyrinth of beautiful, Italian-villa style dun decks.

and because the owner of the hotel is friends with the couple we are volunteering with, we got to kayak for free!

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

THANK YOU, FAMILY (and those who weren't able to come) = you mean the world to us. your love, generosity and kindness for us and others inspires us to no end! If i could bottle of that time we had together i would - all those warm feelings of togetherness and belonging and freedom and awareness = completely priceless = i love you!

The Quest for the Holy Wash Basin

2010-04-14T08:29:00.008-06:00

The holy grail we all know of, but what of the holy-foot-washing-basin? Through reading over the stories of Jesus' last week in the gospels I realized that John does not have an account of Jesus breaking bread and sharing wine at the last supper instead the gospel writer tells of Jesus washing the disciples' feet. So in John's gospel the foot-washing-basin replaced the chalice as the sacred vessel of God's new covenant with his people.
:
I see a connection between these two sacred vessels: if we want to remember Jesus and drink the cup of sacrifice we should also turn in humble service and love to our brothers and sisters in Christ. the second part is perhaps the most challenging: "submitting to one another out of love for Christ."
:
to set the scene John writes "Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love." LOVE:LOVE:LOVE
:

The French writer Charles Peguy said, "Everything begins with mysticism and ends in politics." (excerpt from The Ascent of the Mountain of God)

I don't have to remind anyone how we've seen politics play out in the church: it always becomes my way of doing things vs. your way; us vs. them; etc, etc..

~:~:~:~:~

my prayer: Father, let the water of the Holy Wash Basin of humble service and love flow over your church today. give us new eyesight and divine love for one another. help us to be gracious and humble towards one another. amen.

Semana Santa

2010-04-04T10:55:00.011-06:00

Semana Santa (Holy Week) is the biggest holiday in all of Latin America and Guatemala in particular is famous for making Alfombras (rugs) of beautiful, vibrant colors over which walk the Easter floats which are carried on people's shoulders. The Alfombras are made of painted or dyed sawdust pieced together using stensils. All week in almost all towns around the country in the middle of the roads you will find these lavish rugs.

Here is the main "Jesus Float" about to walk over an Alfombra depicting Jesus' face.

the men carrying the Jesus float on their shoulders, with the soldiers who arrested Jesus walking alongside

Here are the women dressed in mourning clothes (black and white) carrying Mary's float, there were scores of women dressed in mourning clothes walking in front of the float and the whole parade crowd was very silent, it was a very somber procession very different from a festive 4th of July parade.

Here are the kiddos we took with us to watch the parades in Antigua. They had never been to Antigua and were a bit shell shocked most of the time, with all the crowds and beautiful buildings and processiones (parades).

Antigua, Guatemala in particular is most famous for the best Processiones and the best Alfombras. Hotel rooms in Antigua for Semana Santa are booked over a year in advance.

Kid's CLUB

2010-04-01T09:27:00.010-06:00

In addition to all of the construction projects that Matt has gotten to work on the biggest draw for me to volunteer at the Opal House has been the opportunity to interact with the kids from down the street!!

Here are some photos of our times together:::

Here is a group shot of the pequenas, the little ones, who come every Friday for three hours of play, nutritous snack, Bible story and craft, these guys are adorably fun!

These are some of the older kids who come every Saturday for three hours of similar fun. they absolutely love art projects. there is no such thing at their local school.

here we are singing:: "Mi Dios es tan Grande"

(my God is so big)
i absolutely love teaching kids about worship and then singing together!

Here is a group shot of the kids who sleep over every Tuesday.

They come over right after school to play, then we help them with their homework, then a nutritious dinner, then a warm shower and bedtime stories and breakfast in the morning before school.

here we are showing off one of our art projects.

another art project. that day we planted sun flower seeds and then we danced around to Bob Marley and made artistic flowers out of scrap materials and trash.

Love these girls!

Then not just my hands, but my face as well

2010-03-17T10:51:00.004-06:00

We told them to wash their hands for dinner, but they were so thrilled with the clean, warm water they wanted to bathe their whole bodies!

A Hard Workin' Man

2010-03-17T09:39:00.010-06:00

Here are some of the projects that Matt has been working on over the last few weeks:::

building a Tienda (store) for the lady, Veronica, living here as a micro-finance operation

here's Matt helping the guys roll this ginormous tree up the hill, which will be cut into paneling for the Escuelita (little school) in the future

this is the main construction crew
after rolling the entire tree up the hill by hand

helping work on the tree house for the kids
it's so whimsical - the best tree house i've ever played in for sure

he made a fence for the compost pile which will be used to help revitalize the over-fertilized corn fields into something more productive

here he is painting the courtyard area

we HAD to GO to MEXICO

2010-03-04T15:32:00.010-07:00

With a tourist visa every three months we EITHER have to go to Guatemala City for about two days of standing in lines and transferring papers to different offices OR we have to leave the country. but it's not even "just leave the country" because Honduras, Belize, El Salvador and Nicaragua don't count as leaving the country. SO, we Had to GO to MEXICO!!

We had a lovely time reveling in the cleanliness of the towns, the paved-ness of the roads and the delicous-ness of the food!

This is the town center of Comitan, Chiapas - we were completely surprised and enchanted by the atmosphere and beauty of this city. we always have great luck in Mexico finding street festivals and celebrations, maybe it's not us, maybe it's just Mexico, There were fire works and Mariachi bands and street vendors all throughout the city. It was partly a Valentine's Day/weekend celebration and partly something else. when we asked someone what the celebrating was for he responded in English, "it is a festival for, oh what is the man version of a virgin? ..." and i hesitated and then thought, oh maybe a saint, which turned out to be correct.

And here we are in our beloved San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas. This was our second time visiting the city which is completely "mexico" and "hippy-fied" at the same time, which means bright colors, cobble stoned streets, latin music, cold beer, wonderful hippy-food like falafel, organic, whole grain and herbal anything and everything, scrumptious European pastries and super-affordable prices.

Here is a lovely church on top of a high hill, which made for a lovely pic-nic and a breath taking view.

You gotta love the Mexican Plaza: they know how to be chill, they know how to sit in the shade and they know how to get together.

~:~:~Viva la Mexico!~:~:~

A Diary of Private Prayer

2010-03-01T09:44:00.006-07:00

this prayer is the first morning prayer in a series of 30 which Matt and I have been reading most days here in Guate. I consider this book, A Diary of Private Prayer, one of those miraculous findings: several years ago a friend of mine, Camille, read to our Bible study group from this book and then later that very week I went to a used bookstore looking for it. The book store turned out to be completely chaotic and unorganized, you know the kind which are fun to visit but hard to find anything except by accident. Well, it was one of those and I was overwhelmed and just about to leave, when I nearly tripped over this very book lying on the floor right by the exit:: miraculous. and these prayers have blessed me as they have challenged and inspired me, so now I will share one:::

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Eternal Father of my soul, let my first thought today be of Thee, let my first impulse be to worship Thee, let my first speech be Thy name, let my first action be to kneel before Thee in prayer.

For Thy perfect wisdom and perfect goodness:
For the love wherewith Thou lovest mankind:
For the love wherewith Thou lovest me:
For the great and mysterious opportunity of my life:
For the indwelling of Thy Spirit in my heart:
For the sevenfold gifts of Thy Spirit:
I praise and worship Thee, O Lord.

Yet let me not, when this morning prayer is said, think my worship ended and spend the day in forgetfulness of Thee. Rather from these moments of quietness let light go forth, and joy, and power, that will remain with me through all the hours of the day;

Keeping me chaste in thought:
Keeping me temperate and truthful in speech:
Keeping me faithful and diligent in my work:
Keeping me humble in my estimation of myself:
Keeping me honorable and generous in my dealings with others:
Keeping me loyal to every hallowed memory of the past:
Keeping me mindful of my eternal destiny as a child of Thine.

O God, who hast been the Refuge of my fathers through many generations, be my Refuge today in every time and circumstance of need. Be my Guide through all that is dark and doubtful. Be my Guard against all that threatens my spirit's welfare. Be my Strength in time of testing. Gladden my heart with Thy peace; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

Finalmente!

2010-02-25T13:20:00.007-07:00

I finally learned the Subjunctive Mood in Spanish!! I've been hearing about this integral and daunting part of Spanish grammar possibly since high school and definitely since early college from my Spanish-learning-friends and now I TOO KNOW HOW TO SPEAK IN SUBJUNCTIVE!

woo hoo ! I feel like our Spanish is finally getting somewhere. I say "our" because Matt and I have been right about the same level throughout our entire spanish-learning-relationship.

We went to Xela (pronounced "shay-la"), Guatemala to study Spanish for a week recently and we studied at the same school, Celas Maya, where we studied for a few weeks three years ago. It was so wonderful revisiting all of our favorite hang outs in Xela from three years before and revisiting all of our wonderful "when we were falling in love in Guatemala" memories.

This is the courtyard of the school where we studied one-on-one with a local for five hours per day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We also had the privilege of studying with our new friends: Jordan and Laura, who are currently long-term volunteers at the San Lucas Mission about 30 minutes around the lake from us here at The Opal House. It was fun having friends for a week - we really enjoyed studying and chatting over fair-trade coffees with them!

~~~~~

This is the Parque Central in Xela. It is quite charming and beautiful with its' neo-classical architecture, it kind of reminds us of a miniature Rome without all the traffic and noise.

Living a Good Story - The Pursuit of Content

2010-02-03T06:52:00.009-07:00

forward from A Million Miles in a Thousand Years:What I Learned While Editing my Life by Donald Miller

(author of Blue Like Jazz)

:::::

If you watched a movie about a guy who wanted a Volvo and worked for years to get it, you wouldn't cry at the end when he drove off the lot, testing the windshield wipers. You wouldn't tell your friends you saw a beautiful movie or go home and put a record on to think about the story you'd seen. The truth is, you wouldn't remember that movie a week later, except you'd feel robbed and want your money back. Nobody cries at the end of a movie about a guy who wants a Volvo.

But we spend years actually living those stories, and expect our lives to feel meaningful. The truth is, if what we choose to do with our lives won't make a story meaningful, it won't make a life meaningful either. Here's what I mean by that:

--------------------------------

This was an excellent read and an even better story and idea. seriously this is the kind of content that changes things. His thesis meant so much to me. It was perfect timing in my life. And not only did he talk about the beauty of living a meaningful story, but he shared meaningful stories along the way. I seriously full-on cried for beauty about 8 times while reading this book. And Beauty Tears are what I long for. (We can talk more about how my personality most likely plays into this later).

As I get older (drum roll please) happiness seems to be more illusive. Maybe it's just that I think about it more or it's because I'm already married which is what occupied many of my pre-marrital thoughts. Maybe it's that I'm feeling culturally, linguistically, relationally lonely here on the farm in Guatemala. Maybe it's that I don't really know what I want to "do" with my life. It could be lots of things, but it's ok, I'm not going to let this search get me down. I just want to be more pro-active about living a good story. I'm a sucker for meaningful moments in life as well as in movies. Yet so often I just wonder through the day, not looking for the beauty, not creating beautiful encounters with those around me.

another excerpt:

"I had a friend in town for six weeks this year. She was visiting Oregon and doing some work here, and over the six weeks we rented some movies and went to coffee and ate at a few restaurants. We had great conversations. But honestly when I think back on those six weeks, what I really remember are the few times when we made an extra effort to do something memorable. We took my dog Lucy for a hike and introduced her to her first waterfall. We took the kayaks out on the river and strapped them together to have a floating picnic. When we look back on our lives, what we will remember are the crazy things we did, the times we worked harder to make a day stand out."

I like this, I want to make things "stand out." and i need inspiration as well so I love reading other people's blogs (please write things down, everyone) and hearing other people's stories (please keep sharing).

thank you.

Whole Wheat Quick Bread

2010-01-29T07:28:00.005-07:00

This recipe has come to be my scrumptulescent friend:::

::::::
2 Cups whole wheat flour
1 Cup white flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 Cup water
1/4 Cup oil
1/4 Cup brown sugar
2 Tbs honey

* Combine ingredients in a bowl. Place desired size of glob on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes.

IN and OUT of doors

2010-01-29T06:55:00.009-07:00

I've been baking a lot lately. Perhaps because it has been a long time since i've had the chance (four months without access to a kitchen). But now that we are house sitting at The Opal House I have become a mad woman in the kitchen.

One afternoon I was entertaining a couple neighborhood kids IN DOORS and thought they might enjoy baking something. We made oatmeal raisin cookies, not my favorite but we had no chocolate chips. I was playing the role of teacher, showing the kids how to break the eggs and how to measure the flour and so on.

And after we put the cookies in the oven we went OUT of DOORS to pick some oranges to make some juice. And this is when our roles switched. The kids got really excited walking among the trees and telling me about them. They pointed out a lemmon tree that I had failed to notice. And after asking permission they tore into the lemmons, started peeling them right there and tossing the slices into their mouths. I followed suit and it was refreshing but naturally sour. They helped me distinguish between the lime tree and the orange tree (because the fruit on the orange trees are often green too and the word they use for lemon, Lima, is what the dictionary would say is a lime and the word they use for lime, Limon, is what the dictionary would say is a lemon, so the citrus is all kind of confusing here) and then there was the avocado tree and the mysterious fruit tree whose name I didn't recognize and there was no more fruit on it so I'll have to wait to find out what kind of tree it is.

So, I just thought it was interesting how our roles changed IN and OUT of DOORS. Inside I was the teacher of appliances, ingredients, methods and OUT of Doors they were the reminding me of the beauty of barefoot fruit sampling and finding joy in sour citrus.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

You see, we both need each other. No Man Is an Island.

Introducing::: The Opal House

2010-01-21T19:00:00.003-07:00

One of my favorite things in life is finding out about wonderful things other people around the world are doing. Por ejemplo: since arriving here it's been great learning about other development projects and compassionate undertakings. One that we have stumbled upon is: The Opal House.

Opal: a precious stone whose brilliance is accentuated by the fissures throughout. the cracks allow for more light to shine through. this was the heart of Will and Diane Boegel's (from Seattle) mission here in Guatemala, to reach out to those who have experienced brokenness in hopes of the light of God shining into and through them.

The Opal House is a 59 acre organic fruit farm with housing for women and children in need. It has evolved much since Will and Diane followed God's call to Lake Atitlan. They are planning on starting an after-school program in a few weeks because they have seen the need to engage the children in their neighborhood. We have been helping out at their Bible Club on Saturday afternoons for about a month now.

The Bible Club is mostly made up of girls because the guys are mostly out working in the fields.

Did I mention that the property has the most incredible view of the lake?

We had a sleep over a couple of weeks ago and Matt and I had the privelege of spending the night in the very same room as the 17 excited Mayan children.

Here we are eating panqueques the morning after the sleep over.

THE EXCITING NEWS:: Will and Diane have gone back to the states for two weeks and they asked us to house sit for them!! woo hoo! more to come on our adventures running the Bible Clubs and general upkeep of 59 acre farm. =)

Living on a Lake

2010-01-12T09:47:00.012-07:00

Lately I´ve been Liking Living on a Lake.

Lake Atitlán in all her glory as seen from across the lake in San Marcos.

this is an awesome shot of the lancha docked in Panajachel.

a long term volunteer bought a bike while we were visiting

the other side of the lake.
i absolutely love riding in these boats.
I´m a sucker for an early morning lancha ride.

If there is a short term group volunteering here for a week

they always take a lancha ride on Sundays and we as

long term volunteers are always welcomed to join

which is an excellent perk for a solid week of manual labor.

Here we are on a hike on Cerra de Orro (hill of gold),

which is just one quick pick-up ride away from San Lucas.

The water is smooth like glass early in the morning,

This particular morning we got to

watch the sun come pouring over the mountains

as we paddled in its warmth.

Here is a photo of Matt and I waiting for a boat

at the dock of a neighboring town, Santiago Atitlán.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

The SAD TRUTH::: is that Lake Atitlán is very contaminated. the three main contaminents being:

1 - fertilizers with phosphates seeping into the water from surrounding farms,

2 - the soap which is used for many things particularly washing clothes in the lake also has phosphates

3 - there are no sewage treatment plants on the lake and few septic tanks so the sewage from hotels and entire communities just flows right back into the water.

Read this article to learn more about the situation.

Recipe::: Chai Tea Mix

2010-01-10T10:20:00.012-07:00

Chai Tea

Mix

1 Cup nonfat milk powder
1 Cup non-dairy creamer
1/2 Cup sugar

1/2 Cup French vanilla powdered creamer OR

2 Tbs. vanilla extract (pour extract over sugar, let dry, then break apart)

4 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 tsp. ground allspice
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cardamom
1 tsp. ground cloves

::::::::
1. In a large bowl, combine milk powder, non-dairy creamer, vanilla flavored creamer, and sugar. Stir in spices. In a blender or coffee grinder, blend a bit at a time, until mixture is the consistency of fine powder.

2. To serve: Stir 2 heaping tablespoons of Chai tea mixture into a mug of hot water with one black tea bag.

Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año

2010-01-04T18:26:00.013-07:00

This photo is of the parish church here in San Lucas.

(see if you can find me in the bottom right corner)

Here are some of the local kids getting ready for the Christmas Posada (parade).
It was such a beautiful experience, there was a posada each night during the twelve days leading up to Christmas. The parade is symbolic of Mary and Joseph wandering through Bethlehem looking for a place to rest. Each night the crowd walks around town, singing Christmas carols, carrying these candle-lanterns and ends up at a different person´s house, inquiring if there is any room for us (and the nativity set powered by a loud, smoky generator carried in a wheelbarrel behind the crowd).

It was quite a beautiful picture: we the parade sang a stanza explaining that we were Mary and Joseph looking for a place to stay and then the people inside the house would sing back to us that there was no room and then we would sing, "but please, it is very cold and Mary is expecting a baby" and so on back and forth AND finally in the last stanza the people inside the house decide to open their doors and LET US IN and there is much rejoicing as the parade is welcomed to partake of the warm company, the popcorn in a bag andthe Caliente (hot yummy, Christmas drink of pineapple and cinnamon origin).

Here is the hostess one night passing out the Caliente.

::::::::::::::::::::

Celebrating the Tamale:

In preparation for the Christmas season, I asked different people how they and their families celebrated Christmas and the only answer I ever got (although I know many people in the markets are buying little Christmas gifts for friends and family), the main focus is on the ::: TAMALES!!

Tamales are the quintessential Christmas cuisine here in Guatemala, but they don´t look like the tamales common to Mexico/Texas wrapped in corn husks, instead they are wrapped in large green leaves, tied up with twine like a present and inside each one you find a secret prune, raisin, piece of chicken and two green olives smothered in the traditional tamale sauce mixed with corn meal)

mmm, mnmm, seriously these were indeed such a treat. I think I got to eat about five different TAMALES throughout the Christmas week.

4 Stages of Culure Shock::

2009-12-18T14:17:00.018-07:00

4 STAGES OF CULTURE SHOCK:::
(excerpts from Center for Global Education Handbook)

-:- HONEYMOON -:- HOSTILITY -:- HUMOR -:- HOME -:-

1) HONEYMOON: everything is exciting and exotic
- "people seem so relaxed, unrushed; they really have their priorities right."
- "the tropical plants are gorgeous."
- "despite their poverty, people are incredibly generous."
- "People really know how to enjoy life."

2) HOSTILITY: everything is dreadfully chaotic and frustrating
- "People (systems/traffic/etc.) here are irrational."
- "Things are so untidy here / people are so dirty."
- "Things are so inefficient/people don´t plan ahead/people are lazy."
- "People here are supposed to be open and warm, but they´re actually very cold."

** in a reverse-hostility situation a sojourner´s hostility may also be directed towards one´s home culture. **(which we actually see quite a bit of here)

3) HUMOR: is reached when the sojourner is willing to make light of his or her confusion and discomfort. =) laughter eases the tension of not knowing what is appropriate or how to make sense of something. Easing the tension in turn, frees one to ask questions and continue learning

4) HOME: indicates that the cultural sojourner has reached a general level of comfort within her new context. there may still be questions and akward moments, but she has grown comfortable with a certain level of discomfort. she experiments with strategies to learn what she needs to know. She recognizes strengths and weaknesses of the cultures of both her home and new contexts.

MOLLY::: somewhere between hostility and humor. I´ve mostly been in the hostile stage admittedly - feeling that everything happens a bit too slowly and haphazardly around here, but i noticed myself crossing into the Humor stage a bit lately - making light of the constant fire crackers exploding outside of our windows, or while walking down the street for example. =) Anyways, I certainly don´t feel at home here. I think the key step towards progress in this are is: RELATIONSHIPS, the more people we get to know, the more we will trust we will build between us. I think TRUST is key to overcoming culture shock.

OTHERS::: Everyone who is living abroad is somewhere in regards to their new culture, any comments?

Shakin it up in Guatemala

2009-12-01T16:27:00.005-07:00

interesting events from the past week::

- we had a small earth quake // tremor in the middle of Thanksgiving mass in a crowded room with about 100 people. it was one of the craziest sensations, i felt dizzy afterwards and confused until it dawned on me that it wasn´t just my chair that turned to noodles, it was everyones´ and well, it wasn´t the chairs that were moving, it was the ground! it was quite the rush.

- yesterday evening we had another slighter tremor, but i was sitting on the bed for that one. the door to our room started shaking in its frame and i was bouncing around on the bed, which is more vulnerable to shakiness anyways. this one was more scary, i asked matt to hold me and told him i didn´t want to die.

anyways, here´s a photo of the room we´re staying in, it is one of many rooms that make up Señora Rolanda´s lovely courtyard of a house.

A Different Kind of Coffee House

2009-11-26T10:38:00.006-07:00

This is what we call "la casa de cafe" (i can´t find the accent symbol for the "e")

This is the building where they do the processing of coffee beans: peeling, drying, shelling, roasting, grinding and packaging. I´m sure I will have many more posts about coffee production because the harvest season is quickly approaching and in December I hope to help out with the picking or whatever else is possible.
---
Here are some shots of the road we´ve been working on. There are three short-term mission groups here this week and one of the three projects people are working on this week is: building a road from the back of la casa de cafe up to the coffee plantation. This road is important because since they started processing the coffee cooperatively through the church each of the farmers/harversters has had to carry the 100 lb. bags of coffee beans down the hill on their backs. And because the mission is planning on expanding the coffee production, they find that a road would be a very helpful endeavor, ergonomically speaking.

I had heard we were going to be working on the coffee road, but when i got to the actual sight, I was shocked at the steep, rocky surfaces and had a hard time imagining that this would ever be a navigatable road.

:::::

It was great to watch all the teenagers and other long term volunteers working so hard together.

We´ve Moved...

2009-11-19T18:32:00.005-07:00

Lately it has been hard to blog at the pace that we´ve been living life and traveling::: through Europe, visiting old friends in Germany and Switzerland, and exploring rich scenery in Italy and Paris, New England with family and Texas with family. So I feel like i´ve left things out, but oh well, maybe i will ocasionally reflect anachronistically.

Anyways, we´ve moved to San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala on Lake Atitlàn for 6 or so months. We are volunteering-serving at the San Lucas Mission mostly to watch and learn about all of the wonderful things that this church parish is doing to reach out to the community in the love of Jesus. It seems like every week of our time here will look different.

Today is DAY 3: We had the privilege of accompanying 2 dentists to a small village about 20 minutes away by the back of a pick-up truck. There was an American and a Guatemalan dentist extracting teeth today. Matt and I helped set up the area, sanitized the utensils and assisted in patient care. Here are some photos.

This is Matt and another long term volunteer, Garret, carrying a large table from a family´s home to the local school where we set up the dental clinic for the day.

This is a shot of the set-up before we started. Notice how long the line is: many, many Guatemalans suffer from tooth aches and decay and some waited in line for hours to see the dentists. The two dentists working with us today saw 45 patients and extracted 75 rotting teeth.

Here we are at the sanatizing station, God gave both of our stomachs much grace watching teeth get pulled and cleaning supplies all day long. =) Once again, we were so privileged to get to tag along and experience this.

*** My main question was: how do they organize all this? and the answer seems to be that most of these villages at least in this area have a "health promoter" who has contact with a local coordinator who is in touch with medical groups in the area. So the coordinator calls up a village "health promoter" and tells him to spread word in the village that a dentist is coming next Tuesday at 10:00am to pull out any rotting teeth in this example. I was super impressed at the communication between villages.

Apple-Pickin-Goodness

2009-11-17T09:18:00.005-07:00

~ : ~ I Heart Connecticut ~ : ~

We went apple picking with Matt's parents while visiting them last week. It was such a refreshing time.

Even though most of the apple trees were already well-picked through and most of the leaves had already fallen -- I love New England in the Fall. I feel like i come alive in thickly forested areas. Leaves make my heart sing.

I'm so glad we got a taste of Fall before heading off to the tropical, highlands of Guatemala.

Under the Tuscan Sun

2009-11-11T12:52:00.009-07:00

This was a much needed breath of fresh air, gazing out over the Tuscan countryside on a wonderfully sunny day. The rental and navagation of the tiny white auto was quite intense and stressful - so i am very thankful that we had nice weather and lovely vistas to enjoy as we detoxed from our stressful travels.

The perfect end to a satisfying day, sipping a glass of wine at a family run restaurant with the dog shuffling along at our feet.

I noticed as we were bathing in the light of the sunset that the family dog was equally interested in the beautiful sunset. I didn't have time to perfectly frame the photo, but i loved catching the dog catching the sunset. it struck me as quite the beautiful scenario.

Here we are at Rocca della Macie, our favorite "visit a vineyard, sample their wine" experience for sure. They actually sell this wine at the Olive Garden and we were shocked to find out that a few Olive Garden chefs actually visit the vineyard every year to study Tuscan cooking-haha.

a quaint and ancient Chiesa in San Dalmazio, Tuscany, Italy

Mini-Me s

2009-10-29T02:05:00.003-06:00

Oh man, i have many small thoughts::: It would be easy to write if I could show you some photos - but we haven't had the chance to upload photos in a while. So, we will have to catch up on visual effects later. Here are some samples of my would-be-blog-titles-if-i-had-the-time-to-blog:::

The Hours Inbetween::
It has been, believe it or not, difficult to embrace this present stage of life, traveling around Europe because I feel so torn about saying goodbye to people in Denver and I am apprehensive about what life (and relationships) will be like in Guatemala. So, as much as traveling around Europe with my Love is a dream - it is also still "life." We still have struggles and I still get sad sometimes. I totally buy into the philosophy of "embrace the MOMENT, don't fight it" but for some reason I've been fighting this "moment in time" - this chance to enjoy traveling and exploring new places with Matt...

Under the Olive Trees::
Italy really is a place for the five senses. In Florence we camped under a row of olive trees, looking out over the valley below, complete with the most lovely of Duomos and skylines. Matt and I are both suckers for the lovely culinary fragrances, peeping out around every corner. Matt has quite the sense of how far away the next wood-fired pizzeria is. And so did one of the local cats, who crawled under our tent and dragged away our leftover wood-fired pizza. I would have never known a sweet little kitty would do something like that! Matt is still a bit torn-up over it.

Thresholds:::
We are currently staying at a Seminario (an old monestary) in Volterra, Italy. Above our door is a fresco of an old monch, who presumably used to live in our room. It reminds me of this adorable little Inn in Twin Lakes, Colorado: ((Anyone who is in-love in Colorado should ask me about this romantic getaway.)) At the Inn in Twin Lakes, there was also a picture of a woman who used to live and
"work" in our room - if you know what i mean. And I just smile at the contrast of Ancestrial-thresholds in ancient Italy and the mining days of Colorado.

ççççççççççççççççççççççççççççççççççççççççççç

Anyways, we've rented a little super old FIAT Panda for the day and we are looking forward to exploring the Chianti region of Tuscany. Ciao, ciao and much love to all.

East of Eden = Five Stars

2009-10-24T03:12:00.005-06:00

The book starts off with a letter from John Steinback, the author, to someone named Pat.

it goes:::

Dear Pat,
You came upon me carving some kind of little figure out of wood and you said, "Why don't you make something for me?"
I asked you what you wanted, and you said, "A box."
"What for?"
"To put things in."
"What things?"
"Whatever you have," you said.
Well, here's your box. Nearly everything I have is in it, and it is not full. Pain and excitement are in it, and feeling good or bad and evil thoughts and good thoughts—the pleasure of design and some despair and the indescribable joy of creation.
And on top of these are all the gratitude and love I have for you.
And still, the box is not full.

- John

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I've really enjoyed reading this book and it has got me excited to try more classics in the near future. This is an excellent book by an incredible writer - the kind that shines through time. I will always remember the plot line intertwined with the places we were as we were reading this novel. (Matt and I have been reading it together). Riding the train in the Swiss Alps through tunnels and valleys, we read about forgiveness and brotherhood. Lying in the tent outside of Venice in the rain, we read of the terrible foreboding union of Cathy and Adam. and so on. Thanks for the recommendation: Jon and Emily.

Wieder-zu-sehen = To See Again

2009-10-19T09:27:00.005-06:00

It's been great to see-everything & everyone - again. I haven't been back to Germany since my year abroad back in '04 - '05. So it was great everything wiederzusehen (to see again).

Here is a classic shot of the Heidelberg Castle, it's actually quite small - but look for it in the background.
******

Here we are on the bridge - we really enjoyed strolling around this super charming old part of the city.
******

Here we are biking in the Black Forest with my old neighbor, Matthias, from the dorms, he grew up in the Black Forest and always was and still is SO nice and hospitable.
******

Here we are being tourists in Karlsruhe, walking around the palace gardens.
******

Here is another shot of the Karlruhe Castle. I lived in a dorm 2 blocks from the Castle and the surrounding gardens. I will always treasure having had so much unique and antique beauty at my door step while living in Germany.

We asked for a recommendation from a local and we were SO delighted with the beauty and quaintness. At night all of the stores and cafés set out candles to set the most romantic mood.
******

Here is more of romantically, charming and beautifully cobble-stoned Ladenburg, i believe it was.

Germany ~ Switzerland

2009-10-15T10:28:00.002-06:00

Grusse, Grusse from Switzerland and earlier from Germany!

Unfortunately we have not had much time to be on the internet = it's complicated in Europe and when we've been with friends, well, we've been with friends and then we've spent most of our time trying to figure out how to get to the next town and what to do when we get there. Here's our itinerary so far:::

Day 1: PERSON: Steffi! PLACE: Mainz and Kolonge
highlight: eating a traditional German meal with fried potatoes and Fleischkaese in a big dark wood, timber restaurant and drinking the local Kologne beer: Koelsch

Day 2: PERSON: sweet Esther and her new husband Manu; PLACE: Heidelberg!!

Day 3: PERSON: me and Matt; PLACE: Heidelberg and exploring the ruins of the castle

Day 4: PERSON: Matthias & Oli; PLACE:: all of our old hangouts in Karlsruhe, Germany where I studied abroad four years ago

Day 5: PERSON: Matthias & Miri & Dennis; PLACE: biking around the Black Forest and sampling local wines

Day 6: trainride through the Black Forest with Matty!

Day 7: PERSON: Dina (old coworker and friend from the Swiss grocery store where i worked Summer '03); PLACE: Basel, Switzerland on the border of Germany, France and Switzerland

Day 8: PLACE: Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland = the most beautiful valley in the Swiss Alps for sure!! We hiked through the lush mountain faces for about 7 hours!

Day 9: PLACE: Lauterbrunnen and Gimmelwald in the same wonderful valley + an optional trip to the top of Schilthorn - a viewing point of the highest Swiss Alp peaks

Day 10: PLACE: Gimmelwald - Langnau (where my old Swiss host family lives!)

the Rest: TBD

Thank You and We Love You

2009-10-13T04:30:00.003-06:00

Here is a full of LOVE video, that our dear friend, Kate Cremisino, put together for us. It captures many precious moments with our church community over the past two years = this is one of the most special gifts I have ever received. Kate is so good about capturing moments: through photography, video and words. She has inspired me to be a better memory keeper myself, which is why I now have a simple video recorder via my ipod. And I hope to share some of the videos of our Europe trip so far whenever we have a good enough Internet connection. So, thank you, Kate, for this wonderful tribute - our hearts are full to overflowing for sure.

A Tribute to Matt + Molly Orr from Kate Cremisino on Vimeo.

Bittersweet pretty much just means Bitter

2009-10-08T00:51:00.004-06:00

This was the same title I used on my first ever Blog Entry. I wrote it as i was moving from Germany and saying good-bye to all the friends and the life I had made. Everyone would ask me then, "Are you excited to return home to America?" And I would think - "excited? of course not - saying goodbye is so hard to do."

And it's the same thing this time. People have asked, "ARe you excited for Guatemala and even Europe??" And i think, "of course not - saying goodbye is so hard to do."

But like my friend, Kate, had said as soon as we actually DID the thing I feared the most (leaving friends and a comfortable life) and after we actually loaded up the car and drove out of Denver - it did get easier and I was able to crack a bit of a smile thinking about what lies ahead for us.

I miss everyone reading this for sure! Much love to you all!

Matt's Colorado Trail Video

2009-09-24T10:41:00.001-06:00

Here is a video that Matt made to commemorate his time on the trail::: He did a great job: on hiking and on the video. =)

I'm so proud of you, Matty!!

It's about 12 minutes, please enjoy:::

Matt's Colorado Trail from Molly Orr on Vimeo.

No, not Africa, this is Guatemala

2009-09-21T09:51:00.011-06:00

I opened the Economist last week and saw this photo: the caption read, "No, not Africa, this is Guatemala."

The August 27th article was titled: "Malnutrition in Guatemala: A National Shame."

We are going to be living in a rural, Mayan village starting November 11th.
(( Here is the original article ))

IT IS hardly one of Latin America’s poorest countries, but according to Unicef almost half of Guatemala’s children are chronically malnourished—the sixth-worst performance in the world. In parts of rural Guatemala, where the population is overwhelmingly of Mayan descent, the incidence of child malnutrition reaches 80%. A diet of little more than tortillas does permanent damage.

This chronic problem has become acute. Higher world prices for food have coincided with a recession-induced fall in money sent back from Guatemalans working in the United States (remittances equal 12% of Guatemala’s GDP). Drought in eastern Guatemala has made things worse still. Many families can scarcely afford beans, an important source of protein, and must sell eggs from their hens rather than feed them to their children.

The government and aid donors are providing emergency food supplies for 300,000 people scattered in some 700 villages. Up to 400,000 more may need help. In Jocotán, in the east, rehabilitation centres have admitted dozens of children who are so malnourished that their black hair has turned blond, their faces are chubby from fluid build-up as their organs fail, the veins in their legs become a visible black spider-web and their face muscles are too weak to smile.

What makes this even more distressing is that Guatemala is rich enough to prevent it. Other Latin American countries, such as Bolivia, Peru and Brazil, have reduced child hunger. Yet according to Unicef, the incidence of stunting—a common indicator of chronic malnutrition—in Guatemala is twice what it is in Haiti, where income per head is only a quarter as high. Stunting is not genetic: a study by the World Bank found that Mayans in southern Mexico are taller than those over the border.

That points to a failure of government in Guatemala. The Mayan population were the main victims of a long-running civil war between military dictatorships and left-wing guerrillas. Although democracy came, and eventually peace, social conditions have been slow to improve. Income inequality remains extreme, even by Latin American standards. Two-thirds of the rural population remains poor. Guatemala came second to bottom of a new index measuring inequality of opportunity in Latin America published by the World Bank last year. Whereas Guatemala City has shiny shopping malls, gated mansions and trendy restaurants, many indigenous Guatemalans scratch an inadequate living as sharecropping subsistence farmers. “These people were totally abandoned in the mountains with no infrastructure, no education, no health,” says Rafael Espada, the vice-president.

Much research shows that children who are undernourished tend to suffer from learning difficulties and end up poorer. So proper feeding is the first step in breaking the cycle of poverty. But schooling is vital too. Guatemala lags behind in educating girls in particular. As a result, mothers may not prepare corn-soya feeding supplements correctly, and may share them among all their children rather than favouring the malnourished.

The government fails to collect enough taxes from wealthier Guatemalans to provide good schools and health care for the majority, let alone the kind of targeted cash-transfer programme that has helped to cut poverty in Mexico, Brazil and elsewhere in the region. But urban Guatemalans are more worried about rampant crime, much of it by drug gangs. The government, like its predecessor, is full of good intentions. But several attempts at tax reform over the past decade have foundered in the face of entrenched political resistance. So malnutrition looks set to continue in a country in which it ought to be a cause of national shame.

The BEAUTY of DISENTANGLEMENT

2009-09-13T20:16:00.009-06:00

I was telling a friend about our future move to Guatemala. And she shared about how specifically foreign missions had always been a dream of hers. I was quite surprised. You know sometimes you just assume people who are doing cool things are living out their dreams, but she shared that she and her family (two children) had become too settled, too established. She said they were too ENTANGLED in responsibilities and possessions and familiarities, which of course is beautiful in many ways. -- but I was so shocked that she was admitting that she had dreamed of something else.

So, I want to celebrate this occasion - to celebrate the FREEDOM OF DISENTANGLEMENT. It's not something that I take lightly - I realize it's hard and that we've had it easy because:::

a. We've had a month-to-month lease with a wonderful and understanding Lanlord

b. Most of our furniture, appliances and accessories we found down the hall and were able to use free of charge

c. The rest of our furniture we either made, found in the Alleyway or it was given to us by generous friends (shout out to Ian & Camille for the futon of my dreams!)

d. We've lived close enough to work that we survived with one car

~~~~ So, we are not too thoroughly entangled yet for which i am grateful. ~~~

I think of our current possessions/provisions like God wanted the Israelites to think about the manna from heaven. (Exodus 16) God sent just enough manna to the ground morning after morning and each family gathered according to its need. So, i look at it like God gave us just enough of everything we needed in this phase and as we let go, and move on, He will also provide in this next phase of life according to our needs. Thank you, Jehova Jireh, which means the Lord will provide!!

A Golden Birthday to Remember!

2009-09-06T13:59:00.008-06:00

Thanks to my lovely friends down in Colorado Springs - i had a super, special Golden 28th Birthday. some people have asked - "what is a golden birthday?" Well, for me it was turning 28 on the 28th, for others it's turning 19 on the 19th and so on. So, if your birth date is a single digit - you probably don't remember your golden birthday. But anyways, it's just another reason to celebrate:::

Nice shot, Al, you should think about making a career out of this.

this shot was not staged - this is my completely organic reaction to the fact that Allison wrapped up and gifted me my camera that i left at her place over six months ago

a lovely double-decker-dark-chocolate cake
made with LOVE and choc. chips

~~~
I love you, girls !!!!!

YELLOWSTONE roadtrip '09

2009-08-27T09:12:00.016-06:00

Here are some pics from the
Jr. High YELLOWSTONE roadtrip of Open Door Awesomeness '09:::

The Grand Prismatic Spring - the largest hot spring in the world - i had seen it photographed from above, but i had never seen it up close and personal!

some of the girls at Inspiration Point

the guys at Inspiration Point

the breathtaking boat-ride across Jenny Lake in Grand Teton Nat'l Park !!

the boat ride back was even better!

in front of the much anticipated eruption of Old Faithful !!

This is Obama leaving on a helicopter - we almost got to see the President! we watched his motorcade exit the area and we had fun spying the Secret Service agents hiding in the trees and on top of buildings - it was pretty exciting.

The Upper or Lower Falls at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, I forget which one, Gary.

Here's the "hard corp" group that hiked to the bottom of the canyon with the Falls in the background so we could feel the mist on our faces.

Being surrounded by a herd of Bison was one of the kids' highlights for sure.

A classic Yellowstone shot at Mammoth Hot Springs by the North Entrance.

This is Lake Isabelle::: it straddels the Continental Divide, so half of the water in this lake drains into the Atlantic via the Missouri River, which runs into the Mississippi and the other half drains into the Pacific via the Snake River, which runs into the Columbia, pretty cool, eh?

ON THE TRAIL, pt. 1

2009-08-22T14:40:00.019-06:00

My Hubby is Hiking the Colorado Trail:::

**Matt is hiking from Durango to Denver (the opposite direction of what most people do) 500 miles and who knows exactly how many days.**

WEEK 1 ::: Saturday, August 15th
Day 1: Durango::: 13 miles (Segment 28A)
Day 2: 10 miles (Seg. 28B)
Day 3: 20 miles (Seg. 27)
Day 4: 11 miles (Seg. 26) ** resupply in Silverton
Day 5: 20 miles (Seg. 25)
Day 6: 22 miles (Seg. 24)
Day 7: 22 miles (Seg. 23)

WEEK 2 ::: Saturday, August 22nd
Day 8: 12.2 miles (Seg. 22)
Day 9: 17.1 miles (Seg 21)
Day 10: 10 miles ** resupply in Creede
Day 11: 22 miles (Seg 20, 19A)
Day 12: 17.9 miles (Seg 19B/18)
Day 13: 20.4 miles (Seg 17)
Day 14: 15.2 miles (Seg 16)

WEEK 3::: Saturday, August 29th
Day 15: 14.2 miles (Seg 15) !! meet in Salida !!
Day 16: with my honey in !! SALIDA !!
Day 17:(Seg 14)
Day 18:(Seg 13)
Day 19:(Seg 12)
Day 20:(Seg 11)
Day 21:(Seg 10)

WEEK 4::: Saturday, September 5th
Day 22: !! meet in Twin Lakes !!
Day 23: !! hang in Leadville !!
Day 24: (Seg 9)
Day 25: (Seg 8)
Day 26: (Seg 7)
Day 27: (Seg 6) !! Meet in Breckenridge !!
Day 28: "0" day in Breckenridge

WEEK 5::: Saturday, September 12th
Day 29: (Seg 5)
Day 30: (Seg 4)
Day 31: (Seg 3)
Day 32: !! Meet in Bailey !!
Day 33: (Seg 2) // drop off Matt's dad so he can hike the last full day
Day 34: (Seg 1) 16.8 miles = meet at Waterton Canyon in Littleton

Guess Where I get to go with my Job???

2009-08-11T14:20:00.011-06:00

No, not Disney Land, even better ---

YELLOWSTONE National Park

-- woo hoo !!!!

So, think of me as I'm driving, chaperoning and exploring with 6 Jr. High kids in a van for 20+ hours over the next 5 days.

A + B + C

2009-08-07T08:43:00.009-06:00

A::: THE PRESENT::: Wow, I can't believe it's already the weekend again! Time has been flying by so fast and I don't like it like that. I like to take things slow. I love my job and my boss and the kids and families I work with. I love my House Church and my community of friends. I love living on Washington St. I love hanging out with my husband aka, best friend in our "yellow room" and I love working in our garden with friends. In lots of ways I want to FREEZE time, I don't want things to change. I'm so full to overflowing right now! but alas

B::: The COLORADO TRAIL::: Matt is leaving to hike the Colorado Trai l on Sunday, August 16th. It is a 500 mile hike from Durango, Colorado to Denver over many mountain passes and Wildernesses and glorious landscapes. I am very EXCITED for him. He has wanted to do this for a long time and the timing is perfect right now. It should take him about 7 weeks, which is faster than most people do it - but he is MATT ORR, the fastest hiker I know for sure.

C::: The SAN LUCAS MISSION, GUATEMALA::: Many of those who know us have known that my contract with Open Door Ministries expires at the end of September. And we have known for a while that when it ends we want to go ___________. (somewhere foreign, amongst the poor, mission minded, preferably Spanish-speaking.) We finally feel peace and clarity about our decision. It has certainly been a long journey of figuring out where we should go! ((So, thank you to those of you who listened to me externally verbalize the plethora of possibilities these past 6 months!)) We are planning on being "Long Term Volunteers" at SAN LUCAS MISSION, on Lake Aititlan in Guatemala for about 6 months.

~~~More to come on:::

~ the Here & Now
~ the COLORADO TRAIL
~ the SAN LUCAS MISSION, GUATEMALA

WALK, a poem

2009-08-06T07:27:00.009-06:00

((this is my favorite poem - i ran across it years ago, author unknown))

One summer afternoon i met with you
And we walked all day for months and months
Eating apples and mangoes
'Till our chins dripped with juice

A perpetual picnic of magic and lust
We walked from Canada to Sri Lanka
Through yellow, rouge and blanca.

Hitting the blackest of waters at the end of the day
I closed my eyes and you swam away.

Sometimes when i see you now,
You pick me up and spin me 'round
And put me back where you found me,
Disoriented and dizzy.

One afternoon i met with you
And we walked all day for years and years
Eating apples and excuses
'Till our faces dripped with tears.

~~~~~~~

---- i like how it invokes all of the senses and seasons and different parts of the world. I love the smell and the sticky visuals of juice dripping down the face. It's about relationship and longing and walking and sucking the juice out of LIFE! ---

Good Fiction.

2009-08-05T09:27:00.007-06:00

4.5 STARS !!

I never would have thought I would be interested in time travel - I'm not a Sci-Fi girl, but I couldn't put this book down! Maybe because I eat up love stories which is what this is. There is of course the major motion picture out right now, but I would recommend reading the book first as it certainly imaginative and exercises your brain trying to keep up with the timeline. The book alternates between Henry and Claire's perspectives and so does the narration. The story addresses love, coming of age, longing, loss, marriage and gratitude. An excellent read for sure!!

4 STARS

A compelling read, great character development, with a hilarious premise. Interpersonal mess-ups and relational exploration. The author includes thought provoking questions and book group discussion questions which really add to the experience of "The Accidental Tourist."
(excerpt from Amazon.com) "This thoughtful character novel focuses on Macon Leary, a travel writer who hates to travel, a man who has gone through life observing what is happening, but who has never been truly engaged. Compulsively tidy, Macon has always believed that it is possible to order one's life so effectively that the untidiness, or chaos, that throws life into confusion can be avoided."

2.5 STARS

A short, concise tale about lust, reading and shame in postwar Germany. I had already figured out the punch line through watching the movie trailer, so I found the book predictable and the story line and character development lacking. I, however, did get a degree in Germanic Studies so the postwar, generational shame and denial are indeed interesting, historical topics. The book raises some interesting questions, like:: what does it mean to love those people--parents, grandparents, even lovers--who committed the worst atrocities the world has ever known? And is any atonement possible through literature? The book attempts to bridge this generational gap between the guilty and the innocent between words and silence. I just think the book is not quite bold or profound enough to answer these questions.

Children, Children EVERYWHERE!

2009-07-28T14:37:00.011-06:00

A glimpse into my work-life in the Summertime:::

Here's the "light green" team at Boy Scout Camp! These kids were awesome - i was very impressed with their behavior, well, there's one pouter in the front row in camo - but oh well, you can't make everyone happy. We did a lot of walking and skills training ( We learned some specialized knots, which we could use to make a "lean to" or a raft to float away on). We slept in hard-corp-flapping-in-the-crazy-night-wind-army-tents-on-planks and watched the flag go up and down at dusk and dawn each day. I wish I had taken a picture of the tents - it was a crazy indistinguishable maze of tents and the kids were always getting confused and turned around, which was hilarious.

playing with the i-phone

one of the Loves of my life

playing in the creek is a common event

one can never spend too much time playing with the sand

S-A-S-H-E-T = Tonight I'm Tender

2009-07-14T23:18:00.005-06:00

At House Church sometimes we do this thing to transition or kick off our time where we go around the circle and "check in" with a brief description of where we're at, how we're feeling, using the acronym::: S-A-S-H-E-T (pro. "sa-shay")

S - sad

A - angry

S - scared

H - happy

E - excited

T - tender

And tonight I'm TENDER -- I'm constantly exhausted at the end of the day - partly I should take my Iron supplements and drink lots of water but partly it's inevitable with my current work situation. I'm exhausted from thinking/dreaming/not-planning about what Matt and I are going to do in OCTOBER! I'm exhausted with the poor way that I am dealing with my frustration of not having a plan... I can usually always muster up something positive from deep within -- but I'm drained and it feels good to write it down - now maybe I can go back to sleep. Feel free to share how you're doing. =)

Memoirs and Biographies

2009-07-13T11:15:00.010-06:00

FIVE STARS!!
The Glass Castle is a superb memoir, very well written, hard to put down. The little stories throughout the book are sometimes so crazy, tragic and eccentric it's almost unbelievable, a rare combination of personalities, dreams and illusions which emerge into hopes, gratefulness and simple wonders --- this book gets 5 stars from me. (which is rare and I have only ever given to Poisonwood Bible)

FOUR STARS!
The Heavenly Man is another remarkable true story about Brother Yun, a house church leader in China. This story is about the POWER of God as seen through the life of a man of EXTREME faith. I think every Christian should read this book. The way his experiences [being imprisoned and brutally tortured numerous times and seeing miraculous demonstrations of God's love and provision] bring scripture to life is priceless. He uses familiar Bible verses in this totally high stakes "God's-gotta-come-through-or-I'm-toast" kind of manner that is really challenging and inspiring for someone wanting to follow Jesus more closely.

THREE STARS
Look Me in the Eyes is a fascinating memoir written by a man with Asperger's syndrome, on the Autism spectrum. No one ever understood him, growing up before Asperger's syndrome was diagnosed. He was mostly perceived to be a rebel or a misfit, preferring machines over people. His perspective shines a light on the humanity and humor that lie behind the awkward social interactions.

IDAHO, who knew you were so lovely??

2009-06-30T12:52:00.017-06:00

IDAHO

Roadside Bucket o' Hot Springs

Quintessential Idaho experience - they have a lot of geothermal activity underground and spewing over

Our first campsite down by the river.
there's so much more water in Idaho and it's wonderful!
pouring down from the Sawtooth Range

The marina at Redfish Lake - I finally got to go paddle boating after years of longing.

Hanging out at the beach, it was really that warm and such an unsuspecting treat at such a high elevation.

the most scenic lakeside camping spot ever!!

taking a swim in the lake

Redfish Lake in Sawtooth National Rec. Area!!
we dream of making this destination a summer tradition

Welcome to Stanley, Idaho just north of the Sawtooth Rec. Area
the quintessential Wild West completely remote, rustic Mountain village
a total "spinning around, sound of music" feel for sure

more of Stanley, Idaho

playing boccie ball at the Teton Brewery in Victor, Idaho

The back of the Tetons around Grand Targhee ski mountain in Driggs, Idaho

Wild West Roadtrip

2009-06-29T14:14:00.019-06:00

Matt and I just got back from our second annual :::
Wild West Roadtrip!!
We visited Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming again!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We started out at our dear friend, Scotty's, cabin in the middle of a ranch in Big Piney, Wyoming (the first building built in Sublette County - which is an hour South of Jackson)

First thing after waking up and sipping coffee - we were invited to "shoot guns" right outside - so wanting to fully embrace and experiment with the local culture - Matt aimed the gun (no idea what kind of gun?!) at the clavicle bone of an deceased cow resting on the old, faded fence post.

a glance inside the wonderfully rustic, cozy Wild West cabin

A lovely isolated (Wyoming is the least populated state with only 500,000 people!!!) river bend with a wonderful husband / road-trip-mate.

Later in the day the boys went Fly Fishing while I laid around and enjoyed the big, open sky.

one of the desires of Matt's heart

Here we are trying to hang on to the rusty-metal-bull

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here we are lying flat on our backs - a bit shocked that it went by so fast.

the lonely, muddy road in and out of town.

Ode to Dish Washing Friends

2009-06-15T21:43:00.005-06:00

Ode to Dish-Washing-Friends

because there are some out there

last week at House Church after a tasty dinner:::

I meandered through the kitchen and lo and behold -- Sarah Hoover (and probably Christi K) were slaving over the massive pile of dishes in Paul's sink (thanks for everything, Paul). And I thought of this quote and I still think it's true - the revolutionary-types don't want to do the dishes -- so I'm glad there are lots of different Types out there - we need each other - No Man is an Island! - We're a continent of longing and community.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

So, let's take turns dreaming and doing the dishes.
We'll trade off brainstorming and baking,
Re-imagining and reminding,
Building monuments of turquoise play-dough,
Meandering inner chambers with our neighbors.

Recent Reads.

2009-06-12T13:11:00.001-06:00

Some Book Reviews:::

Revolution and Dishes

2009-06-11T07:59:00.005-06:00

Everyone wants a revolution

but no one wants to do the dishes!

~~~

It takes a community to impact a community.

~~~

When you live or participate in a small, intentional community - you will get hurt and you essentially have to embrace that and move on. And then the beauty becomes the commitment and unity found in the diversity. (super paraphrased)

~~ these are all excerpts from an excellent book I just read:::

Becoming the Answer to our Prayers - by Shane Claiborne and Johnathan Hartsgrove

Summertime is Here!

2009-06-09T07:27:00.002-06:00

Let the Field Trips begin:::

Kayaking at the annual Rodeo Series in Golden, CO - it was quite amazing and hilarious watching the wee ones maneuver the kayaks!!
Hooray for urban kids enjoying outdoor sports!

picnic-ing at the Trail Head - look at all the staff! Hooray for volunteers and college interns!

on the tip top of Devil's Head - don't you love how the kids arranged themselves for the photo.

I love the children so much and I am excited for all of our fun adventures that lie ahead for us this summer. This particular group was really fast getting up the mountain - I was very impressed - it was one of the kid's first hike in the mountains!!

"LISTEN to THAT."

2009-06-04T21:04:00.000-06:00

A quick word on the Howells::: Ian and Camille were the first two Eagle Lakers i met when i arrived on the mountain for the first time back in '04. They were so welcoming and kind. They were dating at the time. We later got to live together at Glen Eyrie Conference Center in Colorado Springs - we shared many good and hard times - i got to sing in their wedding - which attests more to their kindness than to my performance abilities. They are some of the most inspiring and full-of-love people i know for sure.

Camille works in Communication & Development for a DPS charter school - and i just love talking about social justice / community development through education with her -- i so enjoyed talking about educational systems, reforms and ideas. And i got so excited about this particular topic -- and i told her that and this is what she said:::

"LISTEN to THAT."

I love that advice:: "LISTEN to THAT." Whatever it is that gets you so excited, that topic about which you could read a dozen books or have a dozen conversations and enjoy every minute of it. THAT is obviously a passion and maybe a gift or a strength - so listen to it. So thanks, Camille, I love that advice and I will listen to THAT - I'll listen to this call towards education, towards children. I won't forget the importance and beauty of teaching and learning. What I'm saying is::: I WANT TO BE A TEACHER someday. I think education is so vital and beautiful and I want to be a part of it.