Tapas!

We just had such a fun night here in Roquetas! At 7:30, some friends came over to show my parents what one of our tapas dinners looks like :) We had chorizo (spicy and sweet - btw a future dog of mine will be called chorizo), olives (stuffed with pimentos and jalapenos), tortilla, bacon-wrapped dates, ham/tomato/cheese sandwich bites, manchego cheese, almonds, peanuts, crab and pineapple dip and sangria! For dessert, Sarah made angel food cake and we had some napolitanitos! It was so fun and I think the parents really enjoyed getting to meet the people I've met and get to eat some delicious Spanish food! Jeanne, Paul, Necole, Sofie, Emilie and Sarah were there - just for my memory later on haha
Earlier today we went back to Bar Spinnaker and my parents absolutely love that place! Dave and Jan are of course so much fun to be around and Millie/Ellie the gorgeous English Spaniels. They are so cute :) I am really glad my parents got to enjoy some time in the "British pub." Also, today, we decided to go to Gibraltar tomorrow! I am so pumped! And Jessica apparently got Final Four tickets from UNC... lucky dog! She is driving the 12 hours (well worth it!) to Detroit and they are staying in Ontario with Witmer. SO FUN! They will have a blast and my sister's stalkage of Tyler Hansbrough can continue. yuck. ha!
Time to watch Heroes, then Chuck, and then sleep/packing for tomorrow :) I love road-trips with the parentals. A great way to spend our last day together here in Andalucia!

Much love to my family and friends at home and especially SSS!

Another Splendid Day!

Today, the parents got to check out Angel Frigola! I went into school at 8:30 as usual and was with Yolanda and the 3rd grade! We checked their science homework and then I spent a while teaching them one of my favorite camp songs as a kid... LITTLE CABIN IN THE WOODS! It is such a good song and they loved getting to talk in a baby voice and a big booming voice. The motions got them pretty excited too. We practiced and when my parents came over at 11:30, they got a special performance! Then the kids asked all of us for our autographs hahahaha
They met the teachers who were all so sweet to them, then we went to Rebujito so they could have their infamous chilled glass. The iciest glass I've ever seen. We split calamares, jibia and lomo! Then we went grocery shopping and stocked up on water (8 liters for 85 cents!) and food for tapas dinner tomorrow night. By the time we got back to Roquetas, the temperature had dropped at least 7 or 8 degrees and the sun had disappeared. They went running while I dragged their porch chair into their room and read/napped haha
We went to the British bar and split some fries, a chicken sandwich and a burger. Delish. They stayed and chatted with Dave while I went and showered. The sisters called after that and then we headed back out to try the Indian Restaurant again with Sarah. There was no birthday party there tonight so we got to eat and it was delicious! The pom-whatever things that are like crisps you can spread chutney on were delicious. The spicy sauce at this restaurant did not make people want to vomit like the one on Stephen's birthday. I had a cobra and Sarah and I split a spiiiiiicy chicken and rice. We all split some curry veggies and garlic nan - so good! Then we came back and watched the Christmas episode of "Big Bang Theory" - my parents' fav show and one of my rising favorites. Sheldon is so funny. Then they left because my dad was pretty sleepy and Sarah and I finalized the tapas menu for tomorrow. I finally figured out how to delete things from my IPOD and then went to bed! Debating getting up for Chuck at 2... ha.

Mama's Birthday

What a fantastic day! Woke up and thought the day would be raining and cold as predicted but it was sunny as ever! The wind was strong but it's Roquetas... that's normal!
Went and had breakfast with the parents in their hotel and then we walked down to check out a restaurant for later tonight to go out for Mom's birthday. I also wanted to walk down there to get their birthday cake! Since I won't be home for Dad's bday in May, I got the cake made for both of them!
Then we walked back and sat out by the pool. We were the only ones out there but it was warm and wonderful! I got to listen to a fantastic sermon on David and Bathsheba by Josh and just hung with the parents! Then we got dressed and went to Bar Spinnaker for a drink and to meet Dave and Jan. Stephen went with us and I think my Dad liked having a guy to talk to haha
I showed Mom and Dad how to get to La Mojonera (they have to make it there on their own tomorrow - ahhh we'll see how that goes!) and then we picked up the roomies and headed to dinner.
Apparently, someone else's birthday was being celebrated at the Indian restaurant we were planning to go to... Mom's eyes got so big and terrified when she saw "Happy Birthday" banners and balloons haha Instead, we went to La Grappa (gross name - ha) and had a wonderful, wonderful Italian dinner! Sangria, bruschetta, mozzarella and tomatoes, garlic bread, bread with some blue cheese butter, pasta - goodness!
We came back to the house and pulled up the bball games and got the champagne and cake ready for Mom and Dad! Got to surprise them and sing Happy Birthday and they liked it! Sarah actually made a chocolate cake as backup just in case something had happened with the bakery one - SO NICE OF HER TO DO! - and so we had two bits of cake haha It was fun!! Then we watched basketball and they headed out just a few minutes ago! I really had such a fun day with them and can't wait for tomorrow. Stephen left tonight for his trip with Antonio and the 6th graders - won't see him for about two weeks which is crazy! I'm sure they'll have a great trip though!
Tomorrow I am teaching the 3rd graders "Little Cabin in the Woods" - my all-time favorite camp song! It should be fun and it's got great motions to it so I am really excited haha

Cordoba!

Wow. The mezquita in Cordoba is beautiful. Truly beautiful. We headed there with a little late start... the rents woke up at 4am to watch the 2nd half of the UNC game. It is nice to know I get that from someone haha It was funny to see them over in the corner of the hotel room sharing ear plugs and quietly applauding whatever "magnificent, marvelous, spectacular" thing Tyler Hansbrough did. I'm glad they got to see it!
We headed out and took the 2 hour drive to Cordoba through beautiful hills and landscapes. We passed a bunch of man-made forests that we are not sure why they build them... And we passed lots of solar and wind energy - go alternative energy! We got to Cordoba a lot more easily than Granada and found good parking and headed to the old quarter. We passed the old fortress and found the jewel of the town... La Mezquita. Originally a Visigothic church, the Moors built the Mezquita over this church site in 784 (?) AD. In the 1200s when Christians re-took Cordoba in the Reconquista, Charles V had a church built right smack in the middle of the Mezquita. Later, when he actually went and visited the site, he said "You have destroyed something unique in the world and built something that can be found anywhere." True, the church is an eye sore in the midst of the red arches, but the church itself is quite beautiful. It was a remarkable place and the mihrab was so ornately decorated it was just gorgeous. It was worth the drive!
We grabbed lunch and walked a bit more but by 4pm we were back in the car ready to head to Roquetas!!! I felt bad sweeping the rents off straight from the airport but they were happy to see what we saw and now can just sit back and relax! I am very happy I waited and took in Granada and Cordoba with them - they will definitely be memories that will stay with me :)
We got them checked in at their hotel in Roquetas and we grabbed dinner at the pizzeria near my house. The man gave us so many tapas before our pizzas came that we couldn't eat all of them (my Hawaiian was DELISH)! After dinner, he gave us each a goodbye drink and mine was pink lemonadish. I asked him what it was and he said it's a home secret so I must come back to have more haha Cute little old Spanish man! Then we came back to the house, gave them the tour and they met the roomies and we checked the bball schedule for tomorrow. Looks like we'll be watching the UNC-OK game here tomorrow :) I am pumped! We have daylight savings time tonight too so the time change will go back to 6 hours :( Tomorrow is the mom's bday so hoping to make it a special day for her (and a little celebration with the pops as well since he'll be at home for his)!
Lovin' life - so happy the parents are here :) Can't wait til June 1 when the sisters will join in as well!!!!!

THE PARENTS ARE HERE!

Greetings from Granada and a beautiful hotel with fresh water showers haha! I picked the rents up at the airport this at 11:30 this morning and we have been non-stop! We made it to Granada and then finally to our hotel (right near the Alhambra!) and then we spent the day exploring the big, gorgeous Alhambra palace! Now we are going to go eat and then sleep, sleep, sleep! I will write more tomorrow about today's excursions - we are all exhausted. Oh and Duke lost last night by 23 points! And UNC plays tonight... at 3 am... my dad says he's getting up but I have a feeling that won't be happening ha! We'll see!

The Waiting Game

Well it is just about 13 hours until I will be hugging my parents :) Then we are off to Granada and the Alhambra!! These next two days will be whirlwind with a quick stop there and then on to Cordoba and the Mezquita on Saturday! I am so excited to see these two cities (the two I have been waiting to see since getting here!) and to get to share that with my 'rents!

Today was another winner for the allergies. I thought I would have been so out of it and impatient in my last hour's class with two teachers (Amador and Asun). They tend to get into arguments and I was not wanting to have to sit in the middle of those haha But it turned out to be quite a good time and a good hour of communication! Also, my director told me yesterday that I do not need to bother coming in on Wednesday for my one hour of work so yahoooo another day to spend with the parents!!!

I have posted once before about Club Trillion and I do not think I explained what that is excactly. Mark Titus is a player for the Ohio State basketball team who rides the bench and has a blog. That's about it. Oh, and he's HILARIOUS. His most recent blog is one for the ages so check it out!

If you want to cry (tears of joy I might add), watch this video.

Exhaustion

Allergies. Gross. They just drain every ounce of energy out of me. So today has been full of siestas!

Got a call from home with some bad news. Dr. Griffin has a brain tumor and his surgery yesterday could not remove it all. Things don't look too good. If anyone reads this, please pray for him and his family. That he knows Jesus. That they feel His comfort. Dr. Griffin's got two kids - one my age and one a few years younger. It just made me stop in my tracks and think, "Goodness it could have been me." Times like that make me so anxious about friends and family but Paul's words "do not be anxious about anything" reminds to be thankful for the time I have each day. And it makes me so very happy and excited about my parents coming. I am even thankful that I now will make sure not to take this time for granted. Any day could be our last... live it like it is. Tell people how much they matter to you. Hold on to a hug for a little longer.

I'm finishing up Shame Off You and it's definitely packing the punch at the end. Wright goes into the difference between the old covenant with between God and Israel and the New Covenant of which we are heirs. This covenant, however, does not involve us. It is between God the Son and God the Father. What great day to realize that the covenant "is finished" and nothing can change that. Nothing I do can effect that. Something he challenges readers to do at the end of the chapter:
A Commitment to Keep - I choose today to focus on what Christ has done for me rather than all that I have yet to do for Him.

Rest in the Lord. Let His joy fill you - fill you with grace and truth. Fill you with life :) Love and blessings!!

The Colbert Space Wing

Hahahaha Colbert Nation has gone universal! NASA held a contest in regards to naming the newly finished wing of the space station and who came in first? None other than "Colbert" Fantastic!
Today I got a crash course in Easter celebrations in Spain. It's quite unlike the Episcopalian way of doing things that I have grown accustomed to (aka a service every day, one even involving washing each others feet - check it out!). Processions and parades of statues are huge here. Semana Santa is definitely a week of celebration, and with what we commemorate on Easter Sunday, how can you not celebrate??
Sevilla is a big spot to head to for Semana Santa. Same with Malaga. In Almeria, they apparently have a procession at 1 am on Tuesday night that is completely silent. People dress in black and walk around barefoot in complete silence, contemplating their sins and the walk that Jesus made to the hill of Calvary. I can only imagine how powerful that would be to see. On the other end of the spectrum, there are men called Nazarenos who dress up in tall capes. These costumes vary depending on where you go, but make no doubt that these costumes are probably older than our country. Not the exact costumes but the idea behind them... One style is a long robe that drapes down to your feet. The other is knee high and requires the man or woman nowadays to wear bright stockings! Then, the belly of the robe is stuffed with caramels that the nazareno will throw out during the parade! How fun is that?? Here's a video of Malaga 2008.
Another traditional party they have here (not Easter week) is towards the end of June on Saint Juan Day. Everyone goes out on the beach, makes bonfires, and at midnight everyone heads into the sea! It's tradition to bathe in the water and then spend the night around the fire with family. I would like to bring this back to the States haha! That would be so fun :) Until a shark eats you.
Not too much else today. I stayed up and watched Chuck live again and it's just not as fun with commercials. So thankfully I think I have talked myself out of having to do that again haha
TWO days until the parents will be on their way here :) :) :) Can't wait! And I just got assigned a project on William Shakespeare at the high school so I might end up stopping by the Globe Theatre in London after all.
BIG NEWS for any soccer fans - Chelsea and AC Milan (hopefully with Beckham still?) are coming to the USA! The World Football Challenge is coming this July!

Going Into Battle

Today has been a pretty incredible day :)

To start, last night as I was falling to sleep, random memories from college came flooding to mind and one involved four ladies at around 3 or 4 am on the Quad... the feeling of that moment and the utter, jaw-dropping realization of being found out came rushing to mind and I burst out laughing. Priceless! And Stephen probably thinks I laugh in my sleep. (Our walls are super thin!)

Then today, in 3rd grade, I got a snapshot view of my time as a 5th grader at Jefferson Elementary School. In 5th grade, my best friend's name was Drew Hinkle. We hung out all the time in school and were in charge of our class' garden scarecrow-man. This means that we got to miss class for a few minutes every day going to set him out and check our garden patch. We also became trash duty and would take the trash out to the dumpster at the end of the day and waste time just goofing off. One day, we got a trash bag stuck in a tree and that was hilarious! Also, Drew used to tell me that I could sing so well that I used to "sound like that girl who sings MmmBop." Good, good times. Two kids, Jose Antonio and Gladys, in the third grade at Angel Frigola remind me so much of Drew and myself back in the good ol' days. They laugh and try and steal small chatter behind a computer thinking we can't see them but we totally can. It was such a cool feeling to remember those moments and the fun I had growing up and hanging out with Drew in Ms. Gillis' class!

The last bit of today was just an insight into how much time I have been getting to spend in the Word. It has been incredible and this weekend was no different. I am getting so filled with messages of love and grace and hope! I've gotten a crash-course in Heaven that has been so amazing. I'm once again reminded that the physicalness of Heaven pales in comparison to the emotional and spiritual fulfillment that will exist on the day we are reunited with Jesus Christ :) No more guilt, no more shame, no more suffering or pain, no more rejection, no more loneliness... doesn't that sound so sweet? It's making me pray that God literally starts scaring the Hell out of people more and more. A powerful thing I heard recently: in the end, you either stand alone or you stand with Jesus.

Also, I have been getting reminders to call myself into battle over my soul day after day. It's an ongoing battle. Some things I read today in Shame Off You:

You may have your moments of miraculous accomplishment. You may stand on the platform with the Olympic gold upon our neck. You may become the president of your kindergarten class, the president of the PTA, or the president of the United States. You may win the lottery, win the hand of your beloved, or win the admiration of a whole society. But this side of Heaven, there will never be a season so sweet, nor a platform so high that you will be exempt from the attack of the enemy. (p 146)

Never be tempted to excuse yourself from the battle. Never, while you live in this broken world, imagine there will be a day when you can safely shed your spiritual armor and declare the war to be over... No matter what level of spiritual maturity you might attain, the enemy of your soul will fight and contend with you until your last breath. Why should you find that encouraging? Because once you realize that the battle will never be won in this life, once you realize that you will always be in process, yet never achieve perfection, then you'll be ready for the Jezebels. (p 149)

In some of the sermons I have been listening to, the pastor spoke about Galatians 5:16-26 (the fruits of the Spirit). In it, he highlights that there is a choice that must be made. In verses 16, 18 and 25, the choice is to: live by the Spirit or gratify the desires of the flesh; be led by the voice of the Spirit or be led by the flesh; be in step with the Spirit or go my own way.
So how do we go into battle for our soul? Prayer, pruning (John 15), power and partnership with God! Prayer helps us in moments of choosing whether to respond in the fruits of the Spirit or in the flesh. It reminds us that we need God's help in attempting to act like Him! Pruning puts the shears in our hands and allows us to cut out the sin that is taking grip in our souls. The power of the Spirit reminds us we cannot do this alone: if we go to spiritual battle without God, WE WILL LOSE. We must have the power of God to help defeat the enemy! And finally, partnership. He leads, I follow. He instructs, I obey.
Every time I say no to the flesh, I up the power of my armor against the enemy. Every time I give into the things of this world, I turn my heart a little further from God. That message has been sobering and it's going to lead to a very cool, hard, interesting next few weeks or months or years as I try and remain conscious of the battle raging, of the fact that there is so much more going on than what my eyes can see.

Have hope in Him - He will not lose!

Yay for Days like Today

To start, a beautiful sunrise. Though I did not technically get to see the sun, and I am pretty sure that I woke up 30 minutes too early so was not the happiest camper in the beginning darkness, the color change of the sky was worth every second of sleep I was not getting.

the sea turns a little greener
loses its dark blue
the sky goes from red to fire
i think You use every hue
what a triumphant waking
it shows the power of Your hand
how with just a beam of sunlight
You illuminate the land
now Jesus tell me something
as i turn and fix my eyes
is this how You felt
when You Yourself did rise?
i imagine the sun says
"hold on and just you see=.,
those in darkness i am coming,
just you wait for me.
i will wrap you in my presence,
i will warm you through and through.
just imagine my beaming face,
as i come to meet with you."

Next discovery of the day... Bethany Dillon is married. She is married to Shane Barnard and has been for a year. I did not know this!

I was chatting with Stephen today about how fun I think a guy roommate is and how I will honestly miss having his perspective and get to see life through the eyes of someone so completely different than me. We were talking about our time over here and I was saying that I really do believe that I will look back on this year and go, "THANK YOU God for that year of relaxation and for the preparation You made in my heart!" Stephen made a cool comment saying that time like this makes you more aware of what makes you happy and what you want in your life. I couldn't agree more. Here is what I have found so far:
1) I am so excited to start my job. Even if this fall I am not going to be going into YL as I hoped (don't know yet!), I know I am called to work with high school kids and to pursue them for Jesus :) I am so ready to get back there and get after it! A quote I just read on my friend Nora's facebook wall sums up my feeling exactly: Be a warrior! Desire something powerfully! Saddle your horse and get ready for the quest! - Sanai.
2) I want to be in civilization. I feel like I have escaped from the "real world" somehow but all I want is to get back to it. Maybe in a few months of being back I will wish for the opposite, ha!
3) I want to make time with my family an absolute priority and set aside certain weeks every summer for time with all of them. They are what matters most to me in this world and I cannot wait to get back to being in close proximity to them.
4) I want to take a trip to Ohio.
5) I want to be able to go to sporting events on a regular basis. Wake Forest events if I'm lucky, pro baseball if I am doubly-lucky. Maybe throw some hockey in there too.
6) I want to spend much less time watching TV and much more time having conversations with people. (the unfortunate cancelling of Chuck will help reduce my TV viewing time for sure)
7) I want to do battle for my soul every day - I want the good fruit.
8) Reading makes me happy.
9) I will one day watch a space shuttle take off in Florida.

One change I have certainly noticed during this Tourney is that my hatred for Duke has decreased dramatically. I caught myself admiring Coach K the other day - WHAT?!?! I think Tyler Hansbrough has definitely received the brunt of my bitter scorn this year, but even he has received less than normal. Maybe, hopefully, my "hatred" is lessening and I am more concerned in my team doing well than tearing down another team. Can't say my sentiments towards the Patriots have changed at all though... sorry Steph.

SIX DAYS

That's right. Six days til the parents get here! Dad surprised me with a call last night - so cute to see him reaching out in small ways :)

So I have been continuing with the Knockin' on Heaven's Door series and it has been such a blessing!! A few highlights so far:

- the only things we can take with us to Heaven are people!
- Heaven isn't a place, it's a reign; follow a new way of life; if it's a reign, we can experience some of it NOW!
- as far as the whole, what will we look like thing... if God made us in His image, with my own God-infused personality, THAT part of me will remain when He restores. Luke 16 - rich man recognizes Abraham and Lazarus, disciples recognize Moses and Elijah during transfiguration, 1 Corinthians 13 - we will KNOW as we have been KNOWN; disciples saw Jesus and Jesus' new body following His resurrection - 1 Corinthians 15:20 - He is the firstfruits, He is our prototype
- all of what God did through Jesus in the resurrection is He defeated our worst enemy, death; that death is working its toll on our lives right now, every day, and all of that is swallowed up in victory, so we get new bodies when the curse is reversed, when Heaven is our home (1 Corinthians 15:42-44)
- do people in Heaven see us down here on earth? Hebrews 12 - as we run our race, there's a cloud of witnesses watching us

And a joke he said when talking about our new bodies in Heaven:

Ole, Lena, and little Ole went to the big City for the first time. They were walking down the street and looking in the windows of the big buildings. Little Ole spotted something that caught his eye and ran into a building. Big Ole and Lena followed him. There they all stood in front of a shiny metal door that was cut into a wall of black marble. A chubby, elderly, gray haired lady walked up and pushed a button on the wall next to the door. The door opened and she walked into the little room behind the shiny door. The door closed and the numbers above the door counted up and then down again. The shiny doors opened and a beautiful, well built, young lady walked out.

Little Ole said, "What kind of machine is dat, Dad?"

Big Ole replied, "I don't know little Ole, but push dat button and shove your Ma in there."

HA! I'm also getting into the book Shame Off You which is so far so good. It is incredible to see how strongly today's culture, even parents without knowing it!, rely on shame to encourage someone to succeed. Why do we feel the need to be successful to feel loved? And it seems that shame has been around ever since humans existed... After the fall in Genesis, 3:7 says "Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves" - they were ashamed of their appearance. aSHAMEd. Everyone has their demons, everyone has their reasons for feeling shameful, but what a day in Heaven when all this shame will be gone!

And to avoid casting shame upon someone, I have admitted any comments regarding last night's basketball games... LOVE.

Workin for a Livin

Today I headed into school - it was a lonnnnnnng day. I don't know if it is because I am used to the older, more respectful kids now or what but I headed back to the first grade and it was almost too much! ha! It was computer day and maybe that is why they were CRAZY. I don't remember them being that crazy. I was pretty pooped after 2 hours of that though so I came home and slept a bit out in the sun :)
I'm looking forward to saving some money by doing absolutely nothing this weekend (only a 2 day one this week!) and besides... the circus coming to town has no animals. Usually, I am against the treatment of circus animals. All the time they spend in TINY cages is ridiculous. But let's face it, what is a circus without tiptoeing elephants or tigers in a circle that follow the command of a whip. Those poor, entertaining animals.
Speaking of animals, check out this lion cuteness! My friend Lauren sent me this link today and it is such a remarkable story. So precious.
Also in the news, I don't know if it's been made a big deal elsewhere but an earthquake near Tonga caused an underwater volcano to erupt and it spit ash and dust 13 miles into the air (a plane normally goes around 7 miles up)!!! Here's the link to the story and pics and VIDEO: tonga volcano
That is nuts.

Highlight of day: got to chat with Jamie :) less than 2.5 months til I see my sisters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It Begins.

So far... 3 for 3. We'll see how the rest of the games continue. THE MADNESS HAS BEGUN :)

Finally, Club Trillion had a new post up and this hilariousness was on there!

It's been an interesting 24 hours. I finished a book that had a heartwrenching ending. Then I got the news that Natasha Richardson died. Obviously I did not know her but hearing that someone who I have seen before (granted that was in the newer version of Parent Trap) and someone with two children and a husband has died is heartbreaking. What a horrifying future to face as a child who has lost your mother. Who has lost the feeling of her wrapping her arms around you in a hug. And for a husband to lose his love. It really hurts my heart to think of that.

In thinking today after that rough end to the night, I was thinking about the stages of grief:

shock and denial; pain and guilt; anger and bargaining; depression, reflection, loneliness; the upward turn; reconstruction and working through; acceptance and hope.

In thinking about certain things that have happened in my life, I can see that yea, these are actually true. And it all happens without you even thinking that you are following some pattern that actually exists. Random. But the thoughts that were running through my head today.

I am heading into work tomorrow (Friday - supposed to not work). But I am really excited because I get to work with the older kids and the 1st graders with the computer (my babies!!!). I am pumped. And tomorrow will be one week until my parents will get here :) Only two weeks til London!

I started a sermon series today: Knockin' on Heaven's Door. It's all about Heaven and what the Bible tells us about it. Today's sermon said that Heaven is three things: Hope, Home and Him. Heaven is Jesus. A quote a liked that the pastor quoted was "Jesus, if I could have Heaven without You, it would be Hell. If I could be in Hell and still have You, it would be Heaven. For You are all the Heaven I want." Someone who has had a recent little scuffle with the thought of death and wondered about the promise that is Heaven, I am pumped to hear the rest of this series. And to remember that I am a citizen of Heaven.

Happy basketball watching :)

Wednesday

I started a new book yesterday... "My Sister's Keeper." It's a pretty crazy story about a baby girl being genetically picked out to be a capable donor for her older sister with leukemia. Apparently, a boy was born in Spain recently and is essentially making this work of fiction a reality. Crazy.
Today was a fun day! We played telefono roto (telephone) in 5th grade and the kids were hysterical. I started it and one was "the tiger eats dogs" and it ended up turning into one word that sounded like something in the French language. Ha! It was fun!
A fun idea I read about: trying to have a conversation with someone without using the letter "s" - also getting in a car and making random turns until you reach a destination and spend the weekend there. How FUN would that be!!!!
Something Stephen found today that is HILARIOUS!!!

Asun came over today to work with Stephen and she is so funny! Her laugh is hilarious! Still pondering whether or not to go into work on Friday (not required but the weekends are SO long haha) - TOURNEY STARTS TOMORROW :)

Oh! Today was a fast day - the best one I've had yet. Meaning the most I have been hungry and the most conscience I've been of why I am fasting!

HAPPY ST PATRICK'S DAY :)

Well, today has been one of the best Tuesdays I have had yet. No, I am not strange in picking out my Tuesdays especially, but Tuesdays are high school days and they tend to stand out as not the most stellar of days. BUT today was fantastic! I think the kids are really loving getting to miss normal class and listen to Jonas Brothers music while filling in blanks to their lyrics. Ha! I find myself loving "Burnin' Up" more every day as well haha
I got to pinch some folks today... silly non-green wearing Spaniards. This afternoon I went to the Aloha cafe with the guys (Edgar, Paul and Stephen) and we had a mini St. Patty's day celebration! I had my first mojito which was surprisingly good. The biggest straw I have ever seen came with it as well as a fake bird... It was a fun little acknowledgment to the ol' Irish either way! I saw a clip of Chicago's river getting dyed green and it was crazy!! So pretty :) One day I'll have to check that out, as well as the Irish Pub restaurant in downtown Richmond! I still have not forgotten about that place!
I read some cool stories today in 1 Samuel (David, Saul, Jonathan). It's fun to see some sayings that people reference later on in the Word. And it's always crazy to read about David STEPPING UP and GETTING IT DONE with Goliath. Also, the friendship between Jonathan and David is inspiring and always makes me smile and think of how lucky I am to have the friends I have :)
Tonight I am starting a devotional with a friend entitled "Adventurous Prayer" and I am PUMPED! I am truly so excited to get into the material and get to go through it with her! I certainly try and take any chance to delve deeper into my time spent in prayer and I am hoping for some good changes coming my way.
Only 10 days til the parentals make their way across the Atlantic!!! And today I found some cheap tix for James McAvoy so maybe I will get to see his play before I stalk him at the stage door haha Then it will be about 4ish days before I hear about Young Life - goodness is it already here?? Time is flyyyyyyyying by. Incredible. I'm excited to see what is going to come about concerning YL - we'll see where God takes me :)
I'm listening to the new Rascal Flatts single "Here Comes Goodbye." I watched the video this weekend and I almost cried. I bawled when I first saw their video for "What Hurts the Most" - seriously, so sad - and this one was almost there. But good to hear a new single from the Ohio boys! ALSO, in bigger music news, Brad Paisley will be coming out with a new album this year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! His new single is called "Then" and it is a cute love song!
Well, halfway through the week just about! Here's a new invention that is sure to get your heads spinning!

P.S.

another random but goody:

Manliness at its core

What up.

I got to watch the space shuttle take off last night and it was quite stellar. My aunt and cousins got to watch it IN FLORIDA off their hotel balcony!! One day I will get to see it live :)

The parentals and Jamie got back safely from their trip and was so excited to get to chat with my parents! Hopefully at some point this week Jamie and I will get connected in some way!!! Always good to catch up with the grandparents and High Point's best RD as well!

Today was a fun day at school. Mercedes was back - she had been out for the past 3 months after thyroid surgery! It was a great surprise and made my day :) I've decided that I have too much free time (something I am sure I will crave once I'm stateside again) so I am going to start working on Fridays. Or at least this Friday. Next Friday my parents will be here! Then I will be on Easter break for the next two Fridays... so come April I will work on Fridays haha Not only will this let me spend more time with the babies, but it will also keep me from spending pointless amounts of money. Holla!

Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day - a day that the Spaniards do not celebrate. I will be pinching, they will just not know why... I will very possibly have some awkward stories written up here tomorrow ha! Also, sad news... I think CHUCK might be getting cancelled. It's so sad to see such quality television go unappreciated. What will I do without my weekly dose of the NerdHerd?

Random findings:

I want to fly on this man's plane.

This is wrong... but plane-related as well.

BRACKETS

Another beautiful day here in Spain! I woke up for the sunrise and it was cool to see because I could also see the moon. Such a comforting thought to know that I'm looking up at the same moon as people back at home... makes 6 hours (now 5 until March 29 thank you daylight savings time!) and an ocean seem like not so far away at all :) I could see bits and pieces of the sun through clouds and finally it burst into the sky with what looked like a crown of glowing clouds above it. Pretty!

This weekend I read "What's So Amazing About Grace?" and it was a really powerful book. I think I am going to reread it in a few days. Simply an incredible reminder about the beauty of grace and how grace is the one thing that sets Christianity apart from any other religion. There are some good quotes from there and I'll put those up soon. One idea it mentioned was that every year, Fortune magazine lists the 500 richest people in the world. What if one year they listed the 500 poorest? Would that get people's attention?

The author, Yancey, talked a lot about how far grace extends and this, of course, brought up Hitler. When I visited Berlin, I went on a WW2 tour that included standing over the site of Hitler's bunker aka grave. I like to think I am a person who does not hate. But I tell you, the feeling I felt standing in that spot weree the strongest feelings of hate I have ever experienced. Having to suppress the desire to spit on someone's resting place is something I'd never had to do before and have not had to do since. The truth is though... Hitler was one of the lost just as I am. Grace is given to him just as it is given to me. The apostle Paul - a terrorist against Christ - was saved by grace and grace alone and he lets you know it time and time again in his letters. Grace. Such a beautiful, beautiful gift. Something that goes against every single notion that exists in this world. What's so amazing about it? Absolutely everything.

In honor of tonight's space shuttle launch (7:40pm EST), here's a video! I apologize for some of the language but HOLY SMOKES this is a video of someone on an Air Canada flight seeing a space shuttle take off!!!!! AHH!!! COOL!!!

Happy Pi Day!

Well yesterday did not end the way I had hoped... UNC and Duke won while Wake made an embarrassing attempt at playing the game of basketball and therefore lost. It was still a fun day thought! My roommates can't really understand why I'd want to watch 3-4 basketball games and they just don't realize that it's pretty much what everyone does in Winston or NC when the ACC Tourney rolls around. I remember in school when we'd have class going on and the tv would be turned on but muted for the early ACC games. It's a way of life haha and I love it!!!
I got an email from YL yesterday and should be hearing about placement by April 15 (less than 1 month!!!!!!!!!!) AH! I am excited. And now, the countdown officially on, my parents arrive in 13 DAYS :) I am beyond excited!
Sarah and I walked to a British grocery store today and found one of the most sought-after women in the world... Betty Crocker. We will now be treating ourselves to scrumpcious brownies! I seriously hit the jack-pot with roomies... one would love to start his own restaurant and one loveeeees to bake! Yay for Ashley haha
In other sports news, although there is really nothing else worth mentioning when it is March Madness, Tiger's return has gotten some interesting reactions in the golf world. One player even stripped naked! Awkward... Jeff Gordon is at the top of the Sprint Cup Standings (gross I think I just vomited a little) and Junior is coasting a slim 237 points behind. We've got a long season ahead of us. Let's see what else have I discovered - oh! duh! only 23 more days until regular season with the Red Sox starts!! Things are starting to get going :)
Well back to basketball... let's go Noles, let's go Buckeyes and let's go Terps!!!!!

Today is a Great Day :)

I am writing this post from my prime-ACC Tourney viewing area aka our garage! Set up around the ping pong table, I have been able to yell without reserve and relax comfortably into my porch chair. Only thing wrong so far is UNC coming back and beating Virginia Tech.


The Deacs play in a few hours and I cannot wait! What better way to spend the weekend than watching some good basketball? I feel like I'm at home :)
Yesterday I read something pretty cool that I thought I'd share. It's a quote from the book "What's So Amazing About Grace?" --

"If John were to be asked, 'What is your primary identity in life?' he would not reply, 'I am a disciple, an apostle, an evangelist, an author of one of the four Gospels,' but rather, 'I am the one Jesus loves.'"

What would it mean if I too came to the place where I saw my primary identity in life as "the one Jesus love"? How different would I view myself at the end of the day?

Isn't that a great little reminder of how much our Creator loves us?? It is my goal this week, and hopefully from here on out, to remember this and see myself through the eyes of my God, through the eyes of the One who loves me best... to remember what has been done for me and that I am called to do more in this life than I am currently doing. Also, to remember that someone is there for me and gives me strength in all that I attempt!
I just listened to a sermon from Mountain Christian entitled "Walk Across the Room" and one point the pastor was making is to "be obedient to His nudgings." How much easier and inspiring is it to be obedient to the one who loves me, for I am "the one who Jesus loves." Cool little tie-in there. God is good about those moments. I'm excited to see what is in store in that regard this weekend and week.
I still don't think anyone reads this, but if you are reading it and are near Asheboro, NC in May, check this out! It's going to be really special and a great way to really feel connected to people around the world who are in need of help! My good friend Allie B spent some time in South Africa at the end of last year and is really passionate about this upcoming event at her church! So if you are around, check it out!

The games are on - I'm going to watch - click here for a laugh!

be obedient to His nudgings.

A Lesson in Camels

Wow... has it really been another week of work? Time is flying by so quickly. Real quick... last night Stephen and I went to Charro's apartment for dinner with some teachers! Her apartment was huge and has rooftop access which we sooooo desire. She had a ridiculous amount of food for us. To start, we had more meat than I could ever imagine in one meal. We had jamón, lomo, pato (DUCK!) and chorizo that was made by Yolanda's grandmother! On Tuesday I got the lowdown on the pig and how Spaniards are particularly prideful in their love and use of said pig. I was told that homemade chorizo involves making sausage and then cleaning the linings of the intestine (cleaning very, very well) and then using the lining as the casing for the sausage. However it is made, it is delicious!
So we had those meats with cheese, bread, some weird tuna fish thing I did not try and ensalada rusa (some cheesy potato salad looking thing with pineapples, shrimp and crab - yum!). Then she brought out a seafood tortilla (potato cake with shrimp). Then she had the best porkchops this side of the Atlantic and a chicken dish with mushrooms. I'm not a huge funghi fan but these mushrooms were la bomba. Then we had some wine from Asun's village and it was just a fantastic way to break my fast :) Really fun. We were over there for 3.5 hours and when we left at midnight, two other teachers stayed until FOUR IN THE MORNING. They couldn't believe I try and get 8 hours of sleep a night... they average about 4. How Estrella works with 3 year-olds on 4 hours of sleep is beyond me. Power to her!
Okay, now on to the camels! Some of you may know this little fella who hails from North Carolina:

But he is not the camel we will be talking about. This camel looks more like this:

He lives in the Middle East as is called a dromedary camel. The Bactrian camel is typically found in Asia and has 2 humps. Dromedary has 1.

Now for the camel lesson! (These facts are straight out of "Walking the Bible" p 252-253)
1) the camel is the only mammal capable of surviving without water for as much as two weeks in the summer and TWO MONTHS in the winter
2) unlike most people think, the hump of the camel does not store water. the camel stores water in its tissues and cells and conserves water by constantly increading its body temperature to match the climate (as much as 12 degrees farenheit) AKA it does not need to use water to cool itself down like humans (who must maintain a steady body temperature)
3) the hump of the camel is filled with fat - as much as 80 pounds of fat - and allows the camel to live without food for long periods of time
4) camels have broad feet so that they do not sink in the sand and they have tight nostrils to block out sand during sandstorms
5) the camel's forehead has thick bone visors that block the sunlight from the camel's eyes
6) by far the coolest... the camel has extra eyelids that move from side to side like a windshield wiper to remove sand from its eyeballs. the camel can actually close its third eyelid and see through it during a sandstorm - ridiculous.

Other interesting quotes from this book (there are LOTS so if you don't care, scroll down to the bottom for a funny video!):

• Agatha Christie (who was married to an archaeologist): "The great thing about being married to an archaeologist is that the older you get, the more he loves you."

• A proverb in Giza: "Things dread time. Time dreads the pyramids."

• I learned the terms "Egpytmania" and "Pyramidiots"

• "Earth collapses with the engineering of the ants; lizards smack the pebbles with their tails; the sun fires seeds in salvos from their pods; pigeons misconnect with dry branches; and stones, left loosely to their own devices, can find the muscle to descend the hill. The desert may be empty, but it's the least quiet place I've ever been."

• When your god is self-reliance, and you let yourself down, there is nowhere else to turn.

• And whatever route they may have taken, this terrain would have been ideal as a place of revelation. Come face-to-face with the high mountains of southern Sinai, and whatever one's orientation, one pauses with anticipation. The Bible says that when the Israelites beheld Mount Sinai, they "trembled." At the moment, I could understand why.

• Water becomes wisdom. Food becomes salvation. And sandstorms become poetry...

• Bedouin philosophy of hospitality: host first, ask questions later (like Abraham when he invites 3 unknown visitors into his tent)

• "So what feature of this house are you most proud of?" "If you have such a house, your wife is pleased, so you are pleased. I think it's the same everywhere you go."

• the origin of the term "stiff-necked" - reference to an ox that refuses to lower its neck, which it must do to be properly fitted into a yoke

• "For as long as we were in the Sinai, we talked about food. We talked about the food we were eating. We talked about the food we wanted to eat. And mostly we talked about how we couldn't complain about the food we were eating because that would make us too much like the Israelites. Misspeak and we'd be eating manna for forty years."

• Science is never going to prove the divine, but it's never going to disprove it either. We can explain many things, but we can't explain what's inside the human soul. That's God.

• Most Muslims don't know why the Jews care about the Holy Land. They don't know that the Jews believe it was promised to them (in reference to the fact that Moses in the Koran has no sense of purpose for leading the Jews to the Promised Land - in fact, there is no Promised Land at all)

• Just like the Israelites had to go around Gaza to enter Israel from the Sinai, the British in World War I could not capture Gaza either and had to go around as well. - this is a pretty cool story, you'll have to read the book to get the whole picture!

• Ben-Gurion "My whole philosophy is strongly influenced by the Bible. What is clear to me is that there is a physical world and a spiritual world, and I am saddened that our perception of the spiritual world is very primitive. It hasn't evolved at the same rate as our perception of the physical world."

• King Abdullah II of Jordan was a 43rd generation direct descendant of Mohammed, the founder of Islam

• The Bible lives today, not because it's untouchable, but precisely because it has been touched - it has been challenged - and it remains undefeated.

• The Israelites begin their trek to the Promised Land, but at each step along the way, they resist putting their faith in God. Finally, after the spies, God gets so fed up that He lashes out. And what punishment does He levy? He doesn't kill them. He doesn't send them back to Egypt. He doesn't even rescind His oath of land. Instead, He banishes them to four decades in the desert. Only by spending that additional time in the wilderness will they fully purge themselves of their past and become a nation of God.

• A leadership lesson from the life of Moses: Moses could easily have gone to the Promised Land with God, but without the people. He could easily have gone with the people, but without God. Instead, he chose to go with both, and the only way to do that was to stay in the desert until both sides learned to get along. That's why they stuck around for forty years.

• When you live in the city, you can control everything. You control the temperature, you control the food, you control the water. In the desert, you have to take things as they are. So why stay? Because we don't control everything. When you live in the bubble, you see just what human beings make. When you live here you see things other people don't. It's difficult. Sometimes you get frustrated. You want to press a button and make things better. But you can't. I invite you in the winter, to see a flood, and you will see that we are not masters of the world. It's the most destructive thing I've ever seen, and the most beautiful. It comes out of nowhere. No signal. No warning. Just suddenly the skies open and the water starts to fall... when I saw it for the first time, I almost cried. I know all the things it was washing away. But I also knew what it would bring in the spring.

• In the end, I believe the essential spirit that animates those places also animates me. If that spirit is God, then I found God in the course of my journey. If that spirit is life, then I found life. If that spirit is awe, then I found awe. Part of me suspects it's all three, and that none can exist without the other.

• All I had to do was remember, for what I was looking for I somehow already knew.

And that's a wrap.

And in closing, I offer this blessing found in Numbers:

"May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord shine His face upon you and favor you. May the Lord lift up His face toward you and grant you peace."

Tourney Time :)

I read today that Ty Lawson's toe is swollen and this might bench him for a game or two of the ACC Tournament. I'm all about playing teams at their greatest strength because then when you beat them you really beat them, but... Mr. Lawson not playing would greatly change the dynamic of this year's ACC Tournament. I guess we will see what happens on Friday! I am beyond excited for brackets to come out!!!

Countdown til parents arrive: 16 days! WOOOOT!

The sermons from the church I was talking about last night have, again, been good so far! I'm about to listen to the third part of the Pure Sex series and it's all about the inner lives of women... maybe some real insight into the ever-changing minds of us women! Ha!
In other news, today is the second day of fasting with my sister and so far it's going pretty well. I am still doing fast-lite by not eating between sunup and sundown. Tonight we have a big teacher dinner so I'm glad that this week is still a fast-lite and I can participate in that! My roommate, Sarah, made cookies recently though and they have been staring at me all afternoon. Around 8:00 I will scarf one or two down and it. will. be. delicious! The fasting thing has taken me by surprise. I really had no idea what to expect and it is a pretty cool experience. We are doing it to consciously spend time praying for our family and it's really cool to have that connection with my sister and also to feel a bit of sacrifice for the ones I love.
Last night, for the first time since sophomore year of college, I had a freak-out moment about dying. I used to have these all the time back in high school where I'd literally have to pace around my room and bathroom trying to get my mind into something else. Last night, I was reading Isaiah 35 which is subtitled "Joy of the Redeemed," when it happened. I'm still not sure why I had one of these moments, but I pretty much jumped out of my bed, ran down the stairs to the other side of the house and finally knelt on the ground and prayed. It was an odd experience because, as a Christian, you would think that my hope and my desire would be to leave this world as quickly as possible and be with my King. I'll say now that that is not the case in my heart (at this moment). I'm praying for a faith like Paul's, Philippians 1:23 - I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far.
I try and live my life and communicate with people as if today is my last. I cannot stand the thought of departing this world without first being able to tell everyone how they make me feel. This "freak-out" was a little different though in that it had nothing to do with this. Thankfully, I felt love and assurance sweep over me as soon as I brought my heart to God. Maybe all the reading I am doing about burial places and archaeology is seeping into my unconsciousness...
Well, off to the sermons!

Close Call

Folks... I thought I was going to have to break a Lent thing tonight. Our internet has not been working for the past hour and I thought I was not going to be able to blog! All afternoon too I kept saying, "I should blog now... nah I'll wait." Definitely a lesson in not procrastinating!
Today has been a wonderful afternoon of learning. I was facebook stalking a friend yesterday and saw that she recommended a certain sermon series. I went to the church's website and found THE SERMON MOTHERLOAD. All afternoon I downloaded them and today I listened to 2/3 of the series... Pure Sex. Yes, I felt awkward glancing down at my toolbar and seeing a folder titled "PureSex." But so far, the series has been great! The second part was called "For Women" and it was all about getting into the inner lives of men. I learned things I never would have imagined learning about how entirely different a man's perspective and a woman's perspective can be.
The church is Mountain Christian Church in Joppa, Maryland and I highly recommend checking it out! I am worried that the connection is failing so I'll sign off for now - more to come later tonight or tomorrow!

A Case of the Mondays

Oh man if I could have slept all day today, I think I would have. I just had a beautiful siesta on the couch haha
To start things off, I'd like to quote a song on my much acclaimed itunes' "party mix"...

i run my city
i aint talkin marathons
i am not P.Diddy

That made me laugh today. Also, the song "When God Fearing Women Get the Blues" came on just now and that made me think back to a year ago... the cruise... so fun!
Seeing as though it is Monday, not too many thoughts are bouncing around in my head. But I will mention a few lingering things from this weekend! First off, I really, really, REALLY want to travel to Egypt and Israel. Probably two of the most dangerous places to travel at the moment, but I've got to go! Who knows when, but I am looking for trips and ways to get there. When I was studying in Venice, we were this |-----| close to going to Egypt but it was quite pricey. As I mentioned yesterday I think, I am reading a book about a man's journey through the Pentateuch by actually going to sites in the Middle East. It's bringing about the realization that going to these spots and seeing places that truly make the Bible jump out of its pages would be incredible. I want that experience and that way of discovering the Word and so yea, sign me up, I'm going. Besides, how cool are those pyramids?? I've done my research... I love the Mummy movies haha Seriously though, you'll find me there soon I hope!
Another thing would be that I have been reading about loveeeeeee in Corinthians and Romans and came upon a verse that I have probably read multiple times but have never been hit by until now. I've definitely gone through books before and looked for things that would be appropriate to say in certain situations, one of those being wedding vows. Yes, a little pre-emptive there I know haha But there is something crazy cool about the Bible that it will speak to you about things when you lay them down and remove them from your thoughts and worries. Case in point:

1 Corinthians 13:7
It (love) always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Quite possibly the most beautiful description of love I have ever read. As I am here and continually trying to wholly surrender my heart to God and be in relationship with Him, I truly do hope to have that kind of love for Him - protective, trusting, hopeful, everlasting :)

Runner-up to 1 Corinthians 13:7... of course, this!

Day of Rest

7:20 a.m. Phone alarm vibrates on my bed-side table. I am up and ready to see the sunrise! I open the door and it looks like some rain fell on Roquetas last night. I make my way around the building (we still don't know why it's there) and encounter a massive amount of fog. I'm in my usual spot for sunrises but today I cannot even see the sea. I can't see the mountains above Aguadulce. I can see some orange and yellow tints to the sky but am not sure if I'll even be able to see the sun. I stand and wait and slowly see the mist start to draw back towards the horizon. I can hear the waves and suddenly I see the sea start to shine! A few boats start heading out to sea, most of which I can only hear still, and I notice that the sky has started to lose it's "sunrise" color. It has all accumulated at one spot where the sun will rise. Bordered below by gray fog, the cloud of orange seems to burst straight up into clouds and I really do not know how to explain it. All the power of the sun seems to be concentrated in that one spot and it is breathtaking! I keep my eyes locked in on that spot and all of a sudden, this sight will never get old, a burst of orange-hot energy comes creeping out of no-where. The sun! It truly looks like a gift from God in all of its colorful splendor and its ability to dissolve the fog and bring clarity and light into the morning sky. I've been trying to limit my use of the word "awesome" because in reality, only God is awesome. His works are awesome. This sunrise was awesome :) It's amazing to me as well that not one sunrise I have seen yet has resembled another.
I was reading in Judges today and what do you know, a verse about the sunrise! It pretty much explains the one I saw this morning:

Judges 5:31 "So may all your enemies perish, O Lord!
But may they who love you be like the sun
when it rises in its strength."

Pretty cool! Also in Judges though, um some of these judges were pretty brutal in their killing of the enemy kings. For example, Ehud who made a double-edged sword and plunged it into the fat of the Moab king. Then there is Jael who took a hammer and drilled a tent peg into the temple of Sisera, the army commander of the Caananites. It really is reading out like a movie at the moment!

I'm reading a book called "Walking the Bible" as well and it's about this man's journey to discover the first 5 books (the Pentateuch) by going to the sites in Egypt, Israel, Syria, etc. It is an incredible read so far - really cool to learn about all the places that archaeologists believe where this or weren't. While reading it, I've noticed how passionately I believe in miracles. They talk about the plagues, the parting of the Sea, Moses spouting water from rocks, etc. and they are trying to prove these through archaeology of some sort. To me it seems frivolous... you cannot prove miracles. Their very definition is something that goes against nature. I've always believed in miracles but until now, I have never noticed how much the miracles of the past and miracles of today actually affect me. A really cool discovery while sitting by the pool soaking up the Spanish sun :) Later tonight, off to salsa dancing and GO DEACS!

The Guillermo and Pepe Show

Last night we headed into Aguadulce "Sweet Water" to the port for Indian food. There were 13 of us and 3 countries represented (France, Spain and US!) and ate a ton! We all ordered different things and passed around the plates - true Spanish style! We got there at 10 and didn't leave to go dancing until 1 am - again, true Spanish style! I will miss the whole "event" that is eating when I get back home. I am hoping to incorporate at least a little of that from now on in my life :) The coolest thing though is how amazing our Spanish friends are! Pepe, the 27ish year old teacher at our school, made Stephen a cheesecake! And someone brought cava (champagne) and they gave him a book and a bottle of rum with a card. It was INCREDIBLE! So nice and thoughtful!
After dinner, Stephen and I went with the Spaniards to go dancing for a bit! Every time I ride a bus into Almeria at night, I see the port of Aguadulce and there is a building that is always lit up by Christmas lights. I have always wanted to go there and last night I finally did! It's a discoteca named Havana and it's hugeeeeeeee! We found a little corner and pretty much watched Guillermo and Pepe dance for an hour haha They were hysterical! The music in Spanish discos is much different to the rap-infested bars of America (my experience in bars is limited so maybe this isn't true in all American bars) and it's very techno I guess. The rest of us moved here and there but Guillermo and Pepe were all over the place. They threw themselves on the ground, Guillermo (a man in his 30s!) tried to breakdance and they did all these robotic movements haha It was worth the extra 1.5 hours staying out just to see them dance :) I left with Yolanda, Natalia and Guillermo and had a great ride back getting to talk with Yolanda about Young Life and our families! I made it back around 2:45 and some how jumped out of bed for the sunrise this morning!

WORTH IT. I have had some songs come to mind recently when watching the sunrise. They are...

1) "Here Comes the Sun" by the Beatles - lyrics:
Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun and I say... it's all right
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun and I say... it's all right

2) "A New Day Has Come" by Celine - lyrics:
Through the darkness and good times
I knew I'd make it through
And the world that I had it all
But I was waiting for you
Hush, love, I see a light in the sky
Oh, it's almost blinding me
I can't believe I've been touched by an angel with love
Let the rain come down and wash away my tears
Let it fill my soul and drown my fears
Let it shatter the walls for a new, new son
A new day has come
Where it was dark now there's light
Where there was pain now there's joy

and my favorite...
3) "Amazing Grace" by Jars of Clay - lyrics:
Amazing grace I feel you coming up slowly now
Like the sun is rising, heat on my face
Oh love that keeps on shining, don't let the shadow come
You know I gotta feel your healing rays

While I was looking up the lyrics for these songs, I got on Facebook and my little cousin had just posted a note that hellooooooo was titled "How the Sun is Like God" - so cool! Right here I'll post the part about the sunrise and then at the end I'm going to post all of it because it is such a cool thing to read. The part about the moon - I have always said that I want to be like the moon for God. I want to reflect His love and His glory on this world!

-- But the earth revolves, daybreak comes, and God's light returns with a brilliant display of colors—grace, love, forgiveness...everything good and whole. It left at dusk with this great wonder, but at dawn, the greatness is felt far more as it returns. The sun never leaves, never moves; it is unmovable. It never abandons us; it just shows itself in different ways. And for those who have held out through the night, who have clung to their hope that the light will return, the brilliant display will mean more than anything you could ever imagine.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.” Psalm 19: 1. --

Read below for the whole thing! To close, other hot summer movies to look forward to: TRANSFORMERS 2 and 17 Again!

"How the Sun is Like God" - Maggie Daves

The whole world is written with God's glory; glory that lies right before our eyes all day, every day, and every season of every year. All we need to do is look for it, and the depth of its meaning will overwhelm our minds. For example, the sun is like God.

When the sun's rays (God's glory, his love, his mercy, his comfort) shine down upon us from a clear, perfect sky, our hearts are filled with joy, and we easily praise him and delight in his love like we delight in a warm, clear summer day. It is during this time that we are free of hardships and worries.

But just as storms are necessary for life to continue, so, too, are hardships and troubles necessary for our faith to grow. When the clouds of fear, uncertainty, lies, and hate cloud the sky, they block God's light from our view. Feeling that the sun has abandoned us, we retreat inside ourselves, thinking that the only way to survive is to hide, trying to keep dry as we lock ourselves up in our houses and minds. We fight so hard to change things we cannot…things in our lives that we have no control over.

What we often don't see is that if we accept what we cannot change; and if we embrace the hardships that are coming upon us—for if it is God's will for us to undergo these troubles, they will come—and if we join together, stepping out of our shelters as one and into the storm, we will find that hiding in our houses does not even begin to compare with dancing in the rain.

And then, just as every storm must end, God's light eventually will break through the clouds and shine upon the world once again. It hadn't ever left…not really. We just couldn’t see it. It was always there, waiting patiently for just the right moment to shine through...the moment when it would mean the most to those below. Who will feel the change more? Those outside, soaked to the bone and weary from living, whose bodies are warmed as the light touches their faces; or those hidden inside, their houses set to a neutral temperature, not too hot, not too cold…just "comfortable"? Lukewarm, you might say.
When night falls, the sun seems to abandon you. Yet it hasn't really left; it is simply shining on others. At this time, the sun shares his glory with a servant, the moon. Reflected on this servant are the sun's love, light, and glory. It does not shine as brightly as God himself, and the glory is not so great. Of course not; the servant’s light never could compare to the original. Yet the light is there, giving you a constant reminder throughout the night that the sun will return.

There are times when the moon—the servant—stands bright and clear, bold in its borrowed glory. More often, however, the servant is not fully there; she moves in odd directions around the earth, casting shadows over herself as she turns away from the sun. She fears being different, being rejected, and standing out from the smaller beams of light beside her—the stars. So although the sun's light always shines upon her, the moon travels around the earth, around the people there, pulled by empty promises, unable to escape her orbit and move closer to the sun; she is only as close to the sun as the Earth chooses to be. She moves away, so the sun's light comes at an angle, and most of the moon is cast into shadows. Her glory becomes less than it should be, no longer displaying the sun's perfect light. The shared glory becomes less glorious.

But the earth revolves, daybreak comes, and God's light returns with a brilliant display of colors—grace, love, forgiveness...everything good and whole. It left at dusk with this great wonder, but at dawn, the greatness is felt far more as it returns. The sun never leaves, never moves; it is unmovable. It never abandons us; it just shows itself in different ways. And for those who have held out through the night, who have clung to their hope that the light will return, the brilliant display will mean more than anything you could ever imagine.

The sun is far bigger than any of us, yet its light gives us life and hope. At times, it will burn you; at times, it will seem like the light is a curse rather than a blessing, as hardships fall upon you. But the burn it gives it uses to remind you of its awesome power; of the fact that we are set apart. And eventually that burn fades into a tan; for those who seek Light, the tan is in our hearts and sets us apart. But if we flee from the light and continue to do so, the tan fades and we return even further to our sinful ways, blending in with everyone else. So we try to seek the light every day, even in winter when it seems as if there is no light left to seek.

The sun is like God. Not to say the sun is God or could ever compare to him—it is simply one part of creation that represents his glory; just as most of the universe is. Just as the wind, and the seasons, and the ocean and rivers reflect God in their own ways, the sun displays his glory all day, every day, every season of every year. It's right before our eyes, never hidden, never masked.
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.” Psalm 19: 1.

Stephen's Day of Birth

Howdy! What a beautiful day today :) Got up JUST in time for the sunrise and it was fantastic. The sky was purple and pink and the water was so calm. It was a great change from the strong winds of yesterday! Today was hot and gorgeous and really just a good, relaxing day. Tonight we are heading to an Indian Restaurant at 10 pm (how very Spanish of us) to celebrate Stephen's 25th bday - maybe some dancing afterwards!
I have been craving some chocolate all day so I have decided that tomorrow morning is sunrise and churros day :) Last night we went to the restaurant next to Bar Spinnaker called Popeye's. We've been there before for the hot dogs but this time we tried the hamburgers... bigger than my face! No lie. They were hammered down to a couple mms thick haha So really your normal amount of meat just a ginormous bun and burger. I'll have a pic up in the next few days.

Current things going on...
1) I am quasi-obsessed with Miley Cyrus' new single "The Climb." Check it out.
2) I just finished reading Joshua today and man what a book! What a great demonstration of the power of God! A few things come to mind...

Joshua 3-4 Israel crossed the Jordan River - and God stopped the water from flowing!
Chpt 6 - the city wall of Jericho fell to the ground because of trumpets and marching.
10:11 - God fights for Israel; 10:12-13 God stops the sun from moving!
Joshua 12 - 31 kings were defeated by Israel to take over the Promised Land - 31 kings!
21:43-45 God's promises are fulfilled :)
Joshua 22:5 "to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul"
3) And finally, something to look forward to this summer!

I'll take you to foggy Londontown

To start off today, I left out a few fun facts from the aquarium that I found on a piece of paper in my jacket... yes I take notes when visiting things haha I learned the difference between a manta ray and a sting ray (manta ray is the one that looks like it has two prongs jutting out of its body), I was reminded that male sea horses are the ones who give birth to little sea horse babies, a certain type of shark (that I failed to right down) becomes pregnant with many babies but it is survival of the fittest in there because only two are born and the rest have been eaten by these two, and finally... I saw an octopus snoring. I could not hear it but some string of something was in a tentacle of some sorts and every time it exhaled out came the string. It was actually pretty precious.

Ok those are all the aquarium facts I have. Today has been an interesting day in Roquetas. We have been in CODE ORANGE wind advisory for the past two days and today we did not have power at our school. Take a look at the wind Spain experienced in February to get a little taste... glad I was not on this plane! I think the wind will be dying down this weekend though.

Today I got to plan my trip for Easter break and I am PUMPED! I'm taking in quite a few shows up in London and touring the football stadium of Chelsea, but even more exciting is that... I will be stalking James McAvoy. Yes, yes I will. He will be in London doing a play and thanks to learning the ropes from my older sister and our encounter with Luke Perry, I will be going out solo in hopes of a photo! I mean come on ladies, who would not have on their agenda to go look for this:


BTW Lost was fantastic last night. Oh and I had a cute run-in with an old Spanish man named Antonio at a bakery today - yay cute old people!

Aquariums & Sushi: A Wrap-Up of Lisbon!

Saturday night we went and ate with Santi and Emily at a restaurant near Rossio Station - full of locals! I got the best calamares I've had in Europe so far and fried bacalao with salad. Pretty good food (not quality of Spanish though if I dare say) and it was a great time getting to hang out with people from the hostel. We went back to the hostel and picked up Jeanne and a map of the Alfama area (one of the two neighborhoods that survived the earthquake of 1755) for FADO! Thanks to Rick Steves we knew we could try and sneak into a fado restaurant dinner-theater thing at about 10:30 and get in free. We did! It was great - A Baiuco. The owner was so nice and was actually one of the women who got up and sang! We stayed until 12:20ish listening to the music, which is only a singer and two guitars (one had 12 strings and looked like a lute!). A fantastic night!
Earlier on Saturday we went on the tour in Belem and were successful in finding the one Starbucks in Lisbon - yes! Still no peppermint flavoring... I will not give up hope on finding a peppermint mocha! It was a tasty pairing with the pastel de Belem and our lunch at the pasteleria de Belem. Sunday night, we took the downtown elevator ride up to see a view of the city at night! It was created by the apprentice of Mr. Eiffel, who you may recognize as the designer of the little tower in Paris.
Monday we had the whole day to spend in Lisbon before our flight at 8:30. We headed to the modern section of the town which was super cool! We went to the oceanarium which is a huge aquarium tank and then in the four corners they try and recreate the four oceans. It was huge!
The highlights:
1) A sunfish that is the weirdest looking fish because it has no tailfin. It can weigh up to 2 tons!

2) Sea otters that were literally swimming laps in their little pool. Not this cute but still cute.
3) I saw a shark poop.
4) They had electric fish and a sea dragon - so cool!
5) There is a sushi restaurant right next door where we ate lunch... mmmmmmm. But we felt sketchy, like the fish in the aquarium were watching us. Seriously though, this barbecue lemon piece of fish on the buffet was so good.
Then we made our way to the airport just as our flight was starting to board! Thankfully the flight landed 30 minutes before scheduled time and we made it easily to the bus station for our overnight bus back to Almeria! I had a fantastic trip and loved Lisbon, Sintra, the Traveller's House and all the delicious pastries that I am glad will not be available to me for the remainder of my time here in Europe ha! Now only 3 weeks til the parental unit arrives and then Holy Week so off to London I go! I only have 12 more weeks over here, 11 of those working weeks. I cannot believe how fast time is flying by!
Here are some Lisbon pics!

Sarah, Jeanne, Rudi and me at the Se Cathedral

FOUND: Spiderman lives in Lisbon!

Pesticos night!

Discoveries Monument

I do not hate America

Now that level heads have prevailed, and my dear friend Joy helped me sort through my experiences this weekend, I want to make it clear that I. DO. NOT. HATE. AMERICA. I think anyone and everyone who is born and lives in America is blessed beyond belief to be given the freedom that we have. At the same time though, I do not believe that God has blessed us or our nation more than He blesses anyone else. The USA is not God's country, but the world is God's world.
However, due to my incredibly harsh blog yesterday, I would like to post some things that make me proud to be from the USA and excited to be back returning HOME come June.

1) Sweet tea and all foods southern. This weekend I was talking with some people from the North and how they love going to their little local restaurants for good organic, wholesome food. I enlightened them that I too love the local restaurants in NC but that if I only went to those places, I would die in less than 10 years. I was proud to admit this haha Nothing like sweet tea, barbecue, fried okra and strawberry cake - mmm Ted's Kickin' Chicken! Also, crabcakes. Go Maryland!
2) American football. While watching rubgy on and off here, I just cannot think of any good reason why people play that sport. It might seem less manly to wear padding, as is true in American football, but really? I like a man with teeth.
3) The Star-Spangled Banner. Enough said.
4) Our founding fathers... my sister and Joy have reminded me that we have a truly unique history and a bunch of radical Christians to thank for our country. The Constitution in the eyes of these men of God is an amazing thing and I am definitely looking forward to getting to read about their struggle for freedom and the whole Revolutionary movement :)
5) Disney World - an imagination that shows how happiness and laughter are the best medicine and the true language of love.
6) Country music. Nothing quite like going to an outdoor country concert in the middle of the summer and having a good ol time! Also, nothing like driving with the windows down and singing at the top of your lungs - which might happen all around the world but I believe we Americans have got the top spot on driver seat serenades.
7) Change. We still have a lot of changes to be made (health care, equal education opportunities, energy resources, etc.), but we are a persistent people who will see this change through. In the words of our new President, "We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness."
8) I do not believe all Americans are selfish and greedy. While the mentality of our capitalist economy and the past has been, "me, me, me," I believe compassion is on the rise in our country and that this world will be better for it. Again, as Obama pointed out in his inaugural address, our country is about "the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break; the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate."
9) OF COURSE MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS. I love and miss you all.

I truly cannot wait to be back in my home in the USofA. It is where I want to live my life and I recognize the beauty of the freedom I am given by the fact that I can freely write comments about how I do not agree with certain aspects of our country. While I am out of the country, my eyes have been fixed on certain things that I do believe need to change. Regardless, America is my home and at the end of the day, I am happy and proud to tell people "I am from America." I am grateful for the opportunity and privilege to get to come home and see about bringing some change along with me.

LOVE. That's the name of the game. Whether I am in America, Spain, Mongolia, etc. the point is to love. Big ol Americans need lovin too and I intend to get home in June and do all I can to love, love, love. Bring on the Lazarus Generation. Bring on the love.

The Pros of Traveling

This morning has been a rough morning. It is sunny, I got lots of sleep, my eggs and toast were delicious... but it has been a rough morning. One of the truly greatest things about traveling and hosteling is getting to meet so many people who have traveled the world and experienced ridiculous things. Why was my morning so tough? Because once again I have heard people saying that America has it all wrong. It seems to be something that just keeps coming up in conversations I am having, books I am reading, etc. And I am absolutely beginning to see truth in everything I am coming into contact with.
A woman this morning was born in Africa, highly educated in Britain in economics, and has been traveling the world for years (all over too). She was talking about China this morning with a man from Canton and it was eye-opening to hear all she had to say. It is amazing how much propaganda still exists in the world. Something she said that hit me pretty hard, because I do love where I am from but I am more and more conscious of how greedy and selfish America is, is she said that the worst thing she has ever heard is when America says it wants people to have the opportunity of the "American way of life." She said this for many reasons... the American way of life is more more more. Hello mortgage crisis. Hello failing economy. Hello wars that are started to keep the price of oil down in our own country while we obliterate the people and the lives of another country. (A comment she made that I intend to research... when a recession is on the rise, we go to war - something all economists are taught and shown throughout history).
I have read and seen how lots of Civil Rights history has been swept under the rug. Now I am becoming more aware of how ignorant a population we really are in America. Kids who are 18 here in Europe leave home and travel the world... most kids who are 18 in America are wondering what kind of car they are getting for graduation. Could anyone tell me the history of Taiwan and what is actually happening in China (that their economic system is actually working and has already beaten out the American way of living - and that terrifies our country...)? I know I could not. But I am making it priority to get out of the news and the terror-spreading comments that are on repeat in America. These are people. These are their lives. Our government might have wanted to scare the crap out of us with China because they know that we cannot compete with them. Is that really a reason to spread hate and deceive a people? Isn't this our world to share? Let's try doing that in the future.

Portuguese Chihuahua Labor Unions

This blog will be short because I am super tired at the moment. A few occurrences worth mentioning over the last 24ish hours though.
First, last night we headed out to dinner and were asked if we would like to purchase drugs 4 different times. Our total amount of time walking from the hostel to the restaurant was 10 minutes. The drug dealers of Lisbon are on top of their game.
Second, and the purpose behind this post's title, there are many street musicians here who play accordions. But instead of having a box for people to throw change in, they have chihuahuas that hold little glass cans in their mouths! They are irresistibly cute but have made me consider creating PCLUs (Portuguese Chihuahua Labor Unions) in hopes of getting them properly fed, not overworked, and a uniform dress code for all chihuahuas. Who knew life could get worse for a chihuahua outside of Beverly Hills or the Paris Hilton household?
Third, today we went to Sintra. This is the highlight of Sintra:


I pretty much walked around CandyLand today. It was gorgeous. The inside is even more spectacular than this outside view because every single wall and roof is covered in tiles. B-e-a-utiful!
Fourth, Portugal has ridonkulous pastries. In Lisbon, the area to check out is Belem and the pasteleria de Belem (these are little custard treats that they top with cinnamon and powdered sugar... YUM). Next you've got Sintra where the queijades and travesseiros are delish. The queijades were pretty much little apple pies!
Fifth, Rick Steves is the man. We took his advice and headed out to a Fado restaurant at around 10:30 last night hoping to get to sneak into the scene without having to pay 25 euros. It worked! We got to spend 2 hours listening to this wonderful Portuguese music for absolutely nothing! Way to go Rick!
I will write more tomorrow - ciao!