Someday I will have it all figured out, but for today I am back at square one. I am frustrated . God help me.

Nevah Forget!

well.  its sunday, one week after my drop into new normal.  not sure i feel settled or even normal.  honestly, thats about all i can say.  dont have a job yet or super clear picture of how it will look when the dust settles.  but i do feel i belong here and for some odd reason thats enough right now.

so i get to say adios to this wandering life and hello to a new (probably more challenging for me) normal
existence.  my prayer is that i would be able to stay me and bring the beautiful things i have learned into my fresh adulthood.

dad has this tshirt that he got from the church we went to in Hawaii (Hope Church, I think?).  

its says, "nevah, nevah, forget!"  kind of funny how his goofy tshirts have made a statement over the years.  like the one he has about evolution.  that one made the announcements at King's High School in 1997.  

all i can tell you is that he doesnt think we came from an amoeba.  

anyway!

"nevah forget!" says dads hawaiian t-shirt.  nevah forget how i got here.  nevah forget who brought me here safely.  nevah forget who has walked with me all this way.  nevah forget the fragility of our existence and awesome blessing we experience everyday.  nevah forget to hope for things unseen and often impossible.
nevah forget the importance of the people around you. and nevah forget Who it is that makes you who you are.

here is a little tribute to what will surely become the good ole' days in dc.
a few dc memories

Psalm 19:1-2 

“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 reveal knowledge.”

-thanks mar. =)

follow me on my new blog at:
happily normal

e road.

You know the moment when you reach your max, but you realize you are not done yet? I am there. Lord help me keep it movin for just a few more days on th

Lineage

Does it really matter who your ancestors are?  I have to admit, I find myself a little obsessed by the search for my ancestors every now and then.  Seems like we know so little. 
Thanks to Ancestry.com I recently learned we are Cuban.  How funny is that.  For years I have heard about my Grandfather from Madrid.  Well he may have descended from a Spanish line, but I am at my great great grandparents and they are still in Havana.  Hmm m m ...this might explain my dad's obsession with an island.  Maybe we really are Cuban.  He is just finding home. =)

And on my mom's side I always thought she was equal parts English and Irish.  Actually, she is mostly if not all Northern Irish.  The English names belied her pretty darn Irish roots.
After spending a week in Dublin, I have to tell you I have one of THE most Irish mothers there ever was.
I love it.  We will go back soon. That place suits her so well.  The fantastic tea, simple organic food, gorgeous greenery and lovely streets with classic architecture.

Is it a coincidence that my parents have become who they are?  Neither one new half of the information that I have been able to collect.  Mom and I even connected some long spread apart dots about whether my Great Grandmother was actually my Grandfather's mother.  She is, definitely.   Even my Grandpa never really was sure.  Would it have helped him if he knew?

Somehow, knowing all these things really helps me.  I feel more comfortable in my own skin and find a bit of reason with who I am naturally and instinctually. Like its okay to be the oddity of me. 

Here's to a lovely Irish Mom, who I will get to see in a week!=)

rounding the last curve

literally have a week to go in this place.  dear lord, help me to do it right.

i am moving home.  did you know?  and its happening fast.
barring any oddities at my workplace (one postal CEO), I will be leaving
on june 3 with a little 95 green honda, two hound dogs, some space bag shrunk clothes, and my bialetti.
coffee maker is not optional baggage.
kind of what i came with, actually. =) 

my job is not solidified, much to my chagrin and i think my dad and b's stress.  but i feel confident and actually have 2 opportunities that are viable on the table. 
i have less money in my savings account than i had hoped, but i am counting on God to use that one to my benefit and not my downfall. 

cant talk about it too much (or i will cry and i am at work.), but leaving this place is so bittersweet.  i know i am supposed to go to seattle, but leaving my wonderful little dc family behind is killing me.  cant we all just start a great company, be rich and live in seattle and travel for fun?  well i am praying for it!

in the mean time and i flying at work, hosting 2 major events next week at work.  then giving my boss
news that i am leaving and not coming back. that is honestly the most stressful part of this whole transition.

i did make a checklist of issues that need to be ironed out before i exit.  got about half of them done. 
next week is going to be a little busy. =)

dear lord, can you prepare the way for me? i know that i am doing the right thing, but failure does not sound fun.  can you keep me from falling?  i am counting on it.
amen.

Jude 1.24
Doxology


24 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
 
Bible study at my house on tuesday.  every since i rearranged my bedroom, we never sit in the living room.  we ate sushi and baby crepes in my bed.  kind of gross actually.  but it was like a mini slumber party.
i love my girls so much.  thank you lord for such sweet friendships.

this is an instant classic.  freaking hilarious.

faith for real.

I am starting with a verse because I need one.

Matthew 17.14-20
¹⁴ When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. ¹⁵“Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. ¹⁶ I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”

   ¹⁷ “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” ¹⁸ Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.

 ¹⁹ Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

 ²⁰ He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” 

Amen, amen, amen.  I really have no need or desire cast out demons or move actual mountains. 

But I guess if you think about, I guess we do this every day.

Talking customers off the ledge of despair with their Cherry Veneer (wood) hutches instead of white they had in their head but did not communicate.  Evil despair cast out.

Making those same hutches reappear with white doors.  Mountain moved!

It sort of hollywood-esque to say, just believe and it will happen.  Honestly not sure that I am into mind control and moving mountains with your brain.  But what about Faith. Believing in the unseen and often impossible.  Mari prays for faith every time we have Bible study.  I always laugh and say, I think we will call you Faith. =)  

I think I have learned not have faith in anything, unless its written, data perfect information proving it.

Ask anyone who is bothered by me.  They will say, she asks a lot of questions.  And I do, I even hassle mari and malia when they state facts or give out info.  Nothing is to be believed.  Left at Connecticut, are you sure?? I dont think so.  

Yikes.  that is not how I really feel all the time, but its gotten to be a blanket reaction.

I rarely trust people and even more rarely trust people with me (you know the real me, inside guts, imperfections and faults exposed).

Big deep breath.  Another new habit.  I need the faith even as small as a mustard seed.  This dust size faith is not doing me justice.  First real practice of this faith, to believe that God has a plan worked out for me in Seattle.  

I feel confident about going and the timing of the June-ish.  But I just haven't seen the clear round green light of job on the dotted line. Place to live. Rent or Own.  

So nerdily enough, i am asking, praying and reciting my faith.

I have some in there somewhere.

new habit.  learn to trust and believe without fear.

Easter. . .

We had fun!

we walked to meet janet, mark and miss karen.  what a beautiful day!

home made fried chicken tenders and amazing real whip cream!

I am sped, but it actually works.  Rice Krispy eggs with whoppers in the middle.

blonde chicks

at the carwash today, a pretty little white mercedes pulled in front of me to go thru the best carwash ever.  flagship on connecticut.  seriously, the minute i saw the car, i started making judgement calls.  was actually wondering what a nice car like that was doing going thru the car was and not getting detailed by some swanky shop.

the driver was none other than yet another scrawny (by scrawny I mean, eat something dang it!), blonde lady in her late 30s.  perfectly matched work out outfit (yellow nikes, yellow tback top) and nice underarmor sweatshirt.  okay, i liked the sweatshirt.

but as i walked up behind her in line to pay my $16. she was so tiny and perfect, like a doll.  even a comb in the back of her stylish ponytail to keep the strays below in line.  hanging from her delicate elbow was a pretty blue yves saint laurent bag to carry her gym stuff.
so i am walking, judging, walking, judging and we get to the cash window.  she stops and takes her time.
super polite with the guy behind the window.  she says oops i forgot my coupon.  is this weather amazing?  how are you doing today?  all rather sincere too.  the heavy set mexican dude didn't seem that interested, but she was really trying to make conversation.
when she walked out to her car she took a few minutes talking with the scraggly looking older man that was wiping down the outside of her car.  it was like she really wanted to talk to someone.
i think she might be lonely?
then i felt so bad for be miss judgy.  dude, just because she has all that stuff and rocks a ysl bag for her gym stuff, doesn't make her happy or fulfilled.  the more i thought about it, the sadder i got.

why dont i look so perfectly put together?  money? not really, i am an awesome shopper and thrift stores treat me right with some amazing finds. honestly i dont end up that perfectly put together, because i dont have time.  i am always running to an event, to see mar and malia, or run a dog.  i always have somewhere to be.  which by my account is wealth.  i belong somewhere to someone.
this cute blonde lady didn't seem to belong anywhere and certainly felt lacking.  whatever her story, i got to stop judging the blonde chicks.  they just people too. =)

dear jesus,
will you find a way to bless the lady in front of me at the carwash today?
she needs something, not sure what, but she feels without.  she needs you for sure.
bless her richly with belonging and comfort in her heart.
amen.

ireland complete!

i guess i owe you something in writing.

i am very eeyore ish. . .=)  kind of ho hum, sort happy, sort of blue.  semi up, semi down.
how bout i break it down in terms of news.

good news first. . .
i got a new attorney to handle my financial situation.  he is awesome.  never wants to see how my day is or make sure i am doing alright.  he is all business.  a man after my own heart.  geez i love that. he follows up or has his assistant call me to make sure i have the details.  i have new court date and sadly/happily enough he cost exactly half of what the other guy cost.  shop around for attorneys people.  i should have!

if i can hang on to it, i will have a decent little savings pot of gold over the next few months.  miracle upon miracle, money seems to be coming towards me, not away from me.  wierd and a little hard to get used to, but i am beyond grateful.

i have another (hopefully final) interview on may 6 with a bright company i would be proud to be a part of.
there are plenty of things i am sure i will hate about it, but they can teach me a lot.  that i can respect for at least 2 years.  no laughing!!  i know you are.  i am growing up, i swear.

i am learning to pray when i am impatient, instead of just jumping off into freak out fest or lay into someone who wont know what the heck i am raging about. it is agony, but usually there is a reasonable conversation laying on the other side of the a couple days of praying out an issue that is poking my side.

bad news. . .
the gutter fell off the side of my townhouse and hit the neighbors deck.  the best part is my uber smart (and very wealthy and important, by her own account) landlord sent and email stating that it was too hard to find someone to fix it.  instead she offered us $25 to push the gutter (old school heavy piping, not the new light aluminum) away from the neighbors deck.  then she would it address it in june, when she comes to remodel our ancient townhouse.
ever since she came up with this delightful recipe for disaster, we have had heavy rain, wind and flooding.  every time the wind blows i hear the big fallen pipe rub against the tree its leaning on.  it sounds like a horror flick. really wouldnt care, but it will cause so much more damaged if it pushes that tall skinny tree over.
additionally, i have a bit of potomac in my back yard, since the water has no where else to go.
never knew how much i liked my gutters.

honestly, thats about it for bad news.  just seems we are all so in between.  malia sort of going to med school, but maybe becoming a researcher instead.  mari working and in between man friends (not enough drama.  usually this keeps us going for weeks!)  me moving-ish and finding a new job, while nursing the existing one.  lets get going, i say!



^{Isaiah 43
1} But now, this is what the LORD says— 
   he who created you, Jacob, 
   he who formed you, Israel: 
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; 
   I have summoned you by name; you are mine. 
² When you pass through the waters, 
   I will be with you; 
and when you pass through the rivers, 
   they will not sweep over you. 
When you walk through the fire, 
   you will not be burned; 
   the flames will not set you ablaze. 
Amen!

Me and Walter at his Thousand Words exhibition, last night at the Atlas Theater.  Super cool benefit for Breast cancer.  He did portraits with their own words of grief, strength, hope, and humor displayed.  Pretty cool.

new habits.

Man, I slept so much better last night.  I left my laptop on the table in the living room. Turned off the lights one at a time, until it was just dark on my way down the hall to my little bedroom.

For about 5 and 1/2 years I slept next to someone who could not go to sleep without the tv on.  I absolutely hated it.  Couldn't get to sleep for the life of me.
Finally got used to it and have until recently been a little dependent on stupid tv to go to sleep.
I usually wake up in the middle of the night to turn my laptop off.  Funny how old habits die hard, even if you never really liked the habit in the first place.

Well after a lovely weekend, mostly at home and on my own.  I slowly turned out lights, brushed my teeth, let the dogs out one last time, and climbed in bed in the dark with peace of mind.  By far the biggest luxury of this new life is how chilled out my brain gets at night.

Lights out. Close your eyes.  Lay still. Enjoy breathing with no sound or light to break your concentration on rest.  Maybe I will try one of those nerdy sleep (eye) masks tonight.  I like the dark. =)

oh!  Dude, it is about 80 degrees today.  We are running to the river and having a little impromptu bbq after work.  and by we, i guess i mean me and kelley and clyde.  mar has the flu and malia might not be down for the 6 mile round trip.  but we will see.=)

and a few more ireland pics. =) this is the day we went to the hugh lane gallery.  really, really enjoyed it.

quote of Sir Francis Bacon.  they had a ton of his works at Hugh Lane.  

francis bacons studio preserved. =)

garden of remembrance across the street from the gallery.  beautiful pool in the shape of a cross.

cool sculpture at right.  

cool people at center.

^{Isaiah 26.3-4
3} You will keep in perfect peace 
   those whose minds are steadfast, 
   because they trust in you. 
⁴ Trust in the LORD forever, 
   for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal. 

In Just a Little While

I al-freaking-most have a plan.  Almost have a job.  Almost have all the resources figured out.
Know what?  That is actually amazing.  Plan is easy.  Job is hard. Resources have been near impossible and all of the sudden they have started to pile up.  I am not exactly sponsoring a village in Africa yet, but I might have more than a hundred bucks in my savings account for a change.  Might have get CD or something.
Dear Lord!  This is too normal.  Maybe I need to find another wagon, white bread guy, and 2.5 kids and join the masses of SPU grads of 2001.  Or not! =)  I am so, so grateful a slight grade of downhill.  I can't tell you.  I got a little gusto left, but this downhill gives me a good blood sugar boost.

Funny how circumstances can turn good, bad, perfect, horrible and chill within such a short amount of time.  God take me thru it all and help me make the best in each situation.

For now, I will cautiously proceed and pray for a the last miracle.  A job.  Something I can't quite give myself right now.  Verse I am hanging onto this week.  Its in Hebrews.  You know, that book is a little severe.  Its actually Paul delivering news and a bit of education to the Hebrews on life in Christ.  They had lived a long time in serving God, but at such a distance.  This was a pretty big switch and I can imagine they were afraid of change.  Like me. =)

 Hebrews 10: 32-39
 ³² Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. ³³ Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. ³⁴ You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. ³⁵ So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

 ³⁶ You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. ³⁷For,

   “In just a little while,
   he who is coming will come
   and will not delay.”^[f]

 ³⁸ And,

   “But my righteous^[g] one will live by faith.
   And I take no pleasure
   in the one who shrinks back.”^[h]

³⁹ But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.


Thank you Lord!

I promise to write more.  I need more therapy. =)

Here is a little teaser from Ireland:

me and b at the top of blarney castle.  which btw, was one of the coolest things we did. rick steves vehemently recommended you not go.  we did not listen. =)

B kissing the Blarney Stone with fervor.  There might have been some French in his kiss.  Then he asked for some alcohol for his lips.  haha!

Less French, more laughing.  The older man at right was making all kinds of cracks.  

ancient blarney castle built into the rock.  if you look close, there is a seam down the middle.

fleeting thoughts

surely i am just tired, but dang i can't keep a thought in my head long.
at my desk, i turn right to review a drawing.  as soon as i turn left to my laptop, i can't remember what i needed to do next.  i know it was important and urgent, but frick, what was it!?

think i need to clean up my desk and organize well enough for my dimentia'd self.  maybe post its everywhere. . .
huh, what was i thinking?

geez.  is it the weekend yet? =)

If God can help Jeremiah speak, maybe he can help me think. =)

^{Jeremiah 1.4}

⁴ The word of the LORD came to me, saying,

 ⁵ “Before I formed you in the womb I knew^[a] you,
   before you were born I set you apart;
   I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

 ⁶ “Alas, Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”

 ⁷ But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. ⁸ Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD.

I decided.

Its time.  Time to move on.  Once I settle the last lingering physical evidence of a sad married life (my finances), I am changing up my blog therapy.  Plus it gives me a goal to look forward too. =)

Not that I am totally rescued and healed or anything.  But I need to move out of this in between stage and just live.  Forgetting what is behind me and striving for the present and future.  God is good, so I am confident.

For now:  Mom is here!  Last night was Nora.  Yum and a bit more expensive than Popeyes dinner Malia requested for her birthday, but so worth it.  They even printed her name on our menus.   Love it!
Happy Birthday little sister.  I love you so much.


Happily Normal coming you way very soon. . .

In the mean time, cry a couple tears with me as we wrap up this little bummer fest.

adult is good

yah, i love being adult.  there are plenty of whine worthy moments.  but overall i am free, happy, and engaged in a great life.

i think being in ireland with b might have reset my perspective a bit.  can you tell? =)
i feel thoroughly refreshed and mom is coming tomorrow to continue the joy!

by the way, ireland is really, really cool.  food was great. people were quite hospitable and the scenery was gorgeous.  zero complaints about celebrating a birthday in ireland.  more photos of course.  they are trapped on a camera in kirkland right now. . .;-)

From Mar 18, 2011

(video link, just in case:  https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/3tK7l2pwftlQH4XF0Yhud-4ko2Xc0qXtoVWTwvlcZYY?feat=directlink)

here we are on the floor by the bathroom, on the way to Cork.  the train was so packed there wasnt even room in the hallway.  we were lucky to find a "seat" (aka floor space) near a door to the dining car.  B got more leg room anyway. =)

But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”” - Jeremiah 17:7-8

work release

we are always renaming clyde. . .
jo-jo
lester the molester
malia's boyfriend
special ed
cleetus
licker

he really is a loyal dear dog.  but last night we decided on the perfect new fit for him.
work release =)

kelley is a girly girl and proper to the core.  meanwhile he has stinky feet, sticks to you like glue.  licks you at all the wrong times. overly affectionate to just about everyone he passes.  constantly trying to climb into your lap.  and destroys something of yours when you push him past his limits of time alone.
think the only thing he is really missing is a prison tat.  although he does have an actual heart on his left side! =)

seriously never saw myself as a dog person, but these silly animals make my life such joy on a regular basis.
thank you lord for blessing even in the sweetest ways.

authentic life

maybe this painting looks a bit archaic. it should it was painted in the very early 1300s. the amazing thing about it is the simplicity and emotion. this painting was done at a time when gold crowns topped nearly every head in church art (check out below). byzantine, flat, 2 dimensional art reigned supreme still, even in this same church (Santa Croce).

Giotto's Death of St. Francis is pretty much my favorite painting of all time.  There are so many I love, but this one shares so much emotion.  While studying in Florence, I went back to this painting about 10 times.  Any excuse I could make to find a restaurant, shoe store or antique market on this older, less desirable side of town.  The church itself a bit more sedate from the outside than that massive Duomo at the center of Florence that tourist flock to in hoards.  Maybe it had to more to do with less people, but there is something so endearing about it.

Imperfection can be such a painful part of life, but can you imagine us all walking around with gold crowns on.  Smiling and nodding as if nothing could penetrate our perfect exteriors or remove that dang piece of metal on our heads.  A little pat on your perfect shoulder and polite stepford smile and you are on your way.
Yeah, thats not what I want.

I have been hashing thru some of the real things that are a part of my history.  Honestly I hate (and I do mean hate in the impolite way) some of it still.  But on the advice of a friend, am hoping to face it head on find a way put it peacefully to rest and not to haunt.  Just have to remind myself once in awhile. . . so here are a couple sweet moments from my history that would have happened without the detours I have taken. =)

me and dad on labor day a couple years back at snow lake.  thats actually kind of a hard hike, but worth it.  a little embarrassing that my dad still kicks my rear on a hike, but its hopeful for my future!=)

Ice Cream with my girls (Payton and Hailey) at Westport in August 2009

Christmas at Aunt Janet's (December 2009) with my favorite little trouble maker, Miss Evan.  That girl is truly after my own heart.  Run em all down little lady! I got your back. =)

Happy Monday, almost St Patrick's Day and almost on my way to Ireland!

m

Psalm the St Francis sang as he passed into heaven. . .

Psalm 141

A psalm of David. 

¹ I call to you, LORD, come quickly to me;
   hear me when I call to you.
² May my prayer be set before you like incense;
   may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.
 ³ Set a guard over my mouth, LORD;
   keep watch over the door of my lips.
⁴ Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil
   so that I take part in wicked deeds
along with those who are evildoers;
   do not let me eat their delicacies.
 ⁵ Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness;
   let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head.
My head will not refuse it,
   for my prayer will still be against the deeds of evildoers.
 ⁶ Their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs,
   and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken.
⁷ They will say, “As one plows and breaks up the earth,
   so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of the grave.”
 ⁸ But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign LORD;
   in you I take refuge—do not give me over to death.
⁹ Keep me safe from the traps set by evildoers,
   from the snares they have laid for me.
¹⁰ Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
   while I pass by in safety.

girls.

We are a funny bunch. That is for sure.
Tonight we had PGBS (Pretty Girls Bible Study) at Malia's house.  As usual, she dazzled our palates with a fresh middle eastern wild rice salad.  Sounds complex, but the fresh orange and lime zest were amazing.  Plus dates!  I know they will kill you, but I could eat dates until I am dead.  They are hands down better than chocolate any day.  Anyway, food was good.
Although we gathered to study the Bible, we pretty much just watched Sex and the City and made Malia give us a fashion show for her med school interview outfit.  Normally we are more on task, but tonight we were exhausted between sickness (Malia), work travel and oddball dates (Mar) and walking home from downtown after being on a jobsite all day (idiota =)) - we were down for the count.  But still it was so therapeutic.  Right before we rushed home to get in bed by 1015pm.  We talked about our prayer needs and prayed for each other.
I can't really explain the rhythm we have found as a little DC family.  But its exactly what we need and it is amazing.  Somehow we always manage to together.  Sometimes in duo, sometimes in trio, but always together like little nucleus. =)
Monday night I needed to go to Pentagon City Mall and asked Mar if she needed anything.  She didn't even respond to my question.  She just said sure, I'll come. We ended up finding a great little hoody Japanese spot to eat, took a trip to the Sweet Factory (ohh junior high how i miss thee) and finally pondering gynormous fake ring jewelry.  One of which almost had to buy because it wouldn't come off her finger.
Tomorrow night I will hook up with Malia to send her off to Roanoke in style and encouragement.  She says to me tonight, yeah, we can do shooters.  Hahaha! Sure.  We talk about drinking our troubles away all the time, but rarely do every make it that far.  In fact we have been meaning to go to this bar in dupont for like a year.  Unfortunately for the bar, its right across the street from Tangy Sweet (our beloved yogurt spot).  After lounging over some yogurt, fruit, and honey, we feel more relaxed and have chatted and ready to go home.  No bar, not today.
Oh and for Lent, we are giving up swearing.  I dont know when it happened, but we sound like a truck stop in Bozeman, Montana.  Wow.  But Lent doesn't start until March 16th (I am told), so I have committed to the most amount of swearing possible until then.  It really hasn't been much of a struggle, this commitment. ;-)

All of this is to say, wow.  For the rest of my life I will look back at this time as one of the most amazing periods in my little history.  Randomness, closeness, encouragement, occasional skirmishes, tears, way more laughter, food, errands, new years eve dinners, cute dresses, horrible hair, leisurely brunches, horrible work days and a lot of love.
Thank you Lord so much for surrounding me with a beloved family on the far side of the earth.
Keep us together somehow, even when start to spread our wings this year to different destinations.

my birthday princess hats.  yes, i am 32. haha!

New Years Eve at Nora in the booth.  Did I mention we didn't decide where to go until 830pm? Classic.

sledding in Pennsylvania or Maryland.  I have no idea where we were, but it was fun.  the best part is the photo got tagged on facebook.  someone, not me! tagged mari (far middle) as "large man".  nice.

mali, mar and janet at july 4th.  yeah, it was a while ago, but crap that was the best july 4th i have had in a while. =) we didn't miss anything!

^{Psalm 91.11 This is true!}

¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you 

   to guard you in all your ways; 

¹² they will lift you up in their hands, 

   so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 

downhill from here

Well thats what I was hoping, but I am having to start over with the job search. . . Super frustrated.  But looking at these pics gives me a bit of refresh and more energy to keep kicking.  So getting over myself and promise to get back to normal writing soon. =)
In the mean time, here are pics from our jaunt to the Caribbean. Enjoy!!

riding on the crazy bus to the fish fry.  they cram about 25 people in 10 person van.  but its 1.50 bajan ($.75 =))

the aloe is the poser in this shot.  became invaluable!  cost $9 US. 

me eating a popsicle at the east side beach.  where they surf!

babes. yes we are.  at maxwells beach.  got ate up by coral right after this shot. 

hamburgers.  we got dressed up to go to the lady vendor who makes the best hamburgers ever.  

best nikes ever.  malia just needs to buy the third color. then it will be a complete set.

a boat parked out in front of out house.  appropriately. =)



last day.  just me and mar left.  we are brown people.



mari's bday cake.  janet and I made strawberry rum cake with barbi  pink frosting.  best cake I have had in a while! just replace water with rum in the recipe.  ps.  the alcohol does not cook out!=)

close your eyes.  bajans are bit obsessed with  butts.  we had fun at the bump and wine!

Birthday Dinner at Pisces.  $734 Bajan bucks.  Ouch.  But best food by a million miles on the island.  I got flying fish. 

coolest rock near Barclays Beach

cool shot at maxwells beach

i am posing, but check out the waves and town behind. . .

Coming out of the Bump and Wine.  Tyrone is in Front, Kurt and Dale in the back.  And of course Miss Janet at right.

Dale and Mar at the Eastside with popsicles

real breakfast with poached eggs and ham.

fish fry.  waited 2 hours for food and no one died.  by far the best mahi mahi i have ever had.  but they called it dolphin. . .still a little creeped out by that.

michael and gene are in ahhh (aka bored) by the girl fiesta we are having for mari's birthday  morning.  both of the boys commented and how amazed they were about how much work went to for each other.  said they didn't have any friends that would do the silly things we did (barbi cake, yogurt parfait like le pain quotidiens etc).  it was so much fun. =) thanks michael and gene for putting up with the fiesta.

somehow i missed the boat on the chairs.  look for a sandy me later. . .

our house, villa jarro

typical island house on the east side of the island

next up!

janet, says"ahh, my little mari".

kids walking to school

plumber man

this little girl kept trying to get the little boy to let go.  she was swinging at him wildly and he just kept holding her hand with a smile on his face.  hularious!

michael is the magenta race

just funny

mari crying a little bit. miss connie (her mom) gave the sweetest birthday gift.  a cameo ring made in italy, just like the one her mom gave her in italy in 1967. 

pisces bday dinner, last table on the second deck.  open to the water and right across the bay from our house.=)

baywatch babes at miami beach.  oops, i forgot my silicon.=)  really is called miami beach. 

michael "shattered" his foot on the coral.  lucky for him it was healed up by the next day.

Pina Coladas!! Every day. =)

best rum ever!

someday i will be the perfect poser. thanks to mar.

in the meantime.  i will keep laughing every time we take a picture. =)

nikki and mari and the cool clouds.

ahh michael.  everywhere we go!

my old friend jose.

St Lawrence Gap at sunset.  Pisces restaurant across the way.

mar made us the coolest valentines.  what a great day. =)

view from the deck.  can't believe it was real.

walking home from the beach.  we never did rent a car.  just jumped the crazy bus/taxies and walked.  it was amazing release from car.

never did try the puddin n souse.  

the stories here are truly a wild tale!  elderly ladies, young men.  disturbing picture.  this place will live in infamy for sure.  by the way, it may be called the absolut watering hole, but all they serve is mount gay rum. =)

happy birthday mari!!!