beauty all around.

over the past few weeks i've had the joy and privilege of being witness to beauty.

a crazy beautiful sunset.

beautiful flowers in a mason jar.

the beauty of the guatemalan countryside.

bridesmaid bouquet of flowers that looked and smelled out-of-this-world beautiful.

one of my best friends as a beautiful bride.

adventure.

"La aventura puede ser loca, el aventurero no."

(The adventure can be crazy, but not the adventurer.)

from the book Historia de una maestra by Josefina Aldecoa

my goodness.

oh my. it's been a while and a lot has happened since i last posted. and although that means many possible blogging topics it also became somewhat overwhelming. with so much that has gone on and changed in the past few weeks i'm not quite sure where to start. there are currently so many emotions and thoughts all jumbled up in my head. so maybe i'll go off of some pictures, that seems like a good place to start.

luna is getting bigger. although unfortunately she is still in the stage where she feels the need to bite EVERYTHING - whether it moves or not. i've gotten used to it, but when friends come over they get a little startled.

i went to senior formal with some lovely ladies. i was in charge of driving into boston, but luckily i had ellen as my co-pilot who gave me GREAT instructions as to which lane to be in and when i needed to merge. and thank the LORD there wasn't much traffic because i definitely crossed four lanes in a matter of seconds - it was necessary (thank you boston). but after we arrived safely we scored an awesome spot in the parking garage right by the elevator. we went and at dinner at quincy market and then went to the formal where we proceeded to dance the night away! so much fun!

and now on to the main attraction of these past few weeks: GRADUATION.

these three ladies right here, let me tell you - they are the best friends a girl could ask for. we all met our freshman year when we lived on the same floor in wilson, (shout out to W1N!) and we've been best friends ever since. this is what has made my college experience so worth-while - the relationships i have made. whether we are thousands of miles apart (during various study abroad experiences) or just down the hall from each other, i know that i will always find a friend in these girls. and for that i am truly grateful.

and then there is sam. who in all honesty i wouldn't have considered to be a friend a year ago, just a classmate. but oh my! how much has changed! sam and i get each other, you know what i mean? we both studied in lima last semester and so she's been like my little piece of peru here in the states. we talk about our peruvian friends, reminisce about our adventures, speak in spanish, make tres leches together, and swear in spanish together. she's awesome. i love her. and i'm going to miss her next year as she travels to guatemala to teach english at at orphanage.

and of course some family pictures, because i love my family ever so much.

me with my siblings, i am the last of 5 kids - my sister is the oldest, i'm the youngest and we've got three brothers in between. and while we're on the subject of graduation can i just say that it was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL day on saturday? and can i get an AMEN? amen. the whole week leading up was gray and cloudy and rainy. but something happened up there (in the sky) and the sun came out on saturday and it was absolutely glorious. it was totally God. next day? yucky and cloudy and rainy again. but that doesn't really matter. saturday was the important day with graduation and my par-tay, which was fabulous. there were a bunch of people who came to wish me congratulations and celebrate with me. most of the bunch of people were related to me in some way or another - a few of them i wasn't aware of, but now i know.

the rest of that weekend was spent with my family. here i am with my nephew micah and niece cadyn on their trampoline. it is just such a nice feeling to be DONE with school. i'm feel so free and unburdened. of course being done brings on a whole new set of stresses of trying to figure out the next step, but i'm also simply enjoying myself.

and for those of you who may be curious as to where my next steps will lead me...the answer right now is: i'm not sure. i've got a few options that could possibly lead me to other countries or right around here. the big thing right now is simply making a decision. i am blessed to have supportive family and friends who have offered me solid advice and have helped me along in this process. i feel confident that i am where God wants me to be and that wherever i choose to go He will go with me. i don't think that any of my choices are necessarily wrong and i can see God working in every option. so i'm not necessarily concerned or stressed about making the "right" decision, i'd just like to make "a" decision. but unfortunately my head is going one way and my heart is pulling me another. i think i should do one thing, but i want to do another. so where do i go from here? i'm not sure yet. and that's ok. for now i will continue to pray, and seek wisdom and advice from trusted friends, and take silly photobooth pictures.

why saturday was such a good day.

this is why:

definition of cool:

3 words

storm.trooper.masks.

my brothers and i spotted them while watching my nephew's baseball game. but wait, it gets better - they had voice boxes with programmed sayings. my kids are definitely getting some of those one day.

so that was then...and this is now:

doing some serious ensayo-writing for my spanish492 class. gotta bang out three pages in the next 3 and a half hours. have no fear, it will get done.

it's still there.

peru.

it's still on my mind.

little details that i still recall - street names, micro numbers, restaurants, name, faces, smells, sights. they're with me. and they sometimes flood my memory and overwhelm my mind and i get lost in thought. lost in images and memories...

and i desperately hope that it never goes away.

currently addicted to

1. easter candy. especially tootsie rolls and smarties.

2. this song.

3. this song, too.

4. and embarrassingly enough, this one as well.

(such a varied taste in music, huh?)

5. NOT doing homework. (unfortunately)

i'm experimenting...and it just might work!

according to my mother, this is the first year in her 42 years of marriage that she is not dying (dyeing??) easter eggs. but fear not! she has come up with another plan:

brownie easter eggs.

(as in brownies cut in the shape of eggs and then frosted)

and i have been left in charge of this easter experiment.

so i made the brownie batter - no big deal.

then came the question of what to cook them in...

...on a cookie sheet?

...in a regular brownie pan?

we want them to be thin, but i was a bit skeptical. i decided on a cookie sheet. i only put on half the batter just in case it was a bust. i didn't want to sacrifice all of the deliciousness.

well lo and behold, IT WORKED. they look like giant cookies.

now onto cutting out easter egg shapes.

oh wait...mom doesn't seem to have a cookie cutter in the shape of an egg. we have a pumpkin? no, not good enough.

so i chose all the other shapes that could possibly be related to easter:

bunny, chick, flower, cross, heart and buffalo...oops i mean that thing over in the bottom left corner, mom claims it's a sheep. i have my doubts.

check it out! i am feeling quite successful. and please notice the easter buffalo...err i mean lamb of God. my dad's reaction: "i think maybe we should just eat that one."

i think i'll hold off on frosting until tomorrow. but i will be sure to update with photos. enjoy the easter weekend!!

a few more pics:

luna was very interested.

what it looks like outside.

**update: pics of decorated brownies**

sneezing while driving and visits to the vet.

so what are you supposed to do when you have to sneeze while driving? it always freaks me out because i'm afraid that in that split second that my eyes are closed someone will speed out of a side street and hit me or an animal will jump out of the woods and onto my car. i guess the possibilities of either of those options happening are rather slim, but it still freaks me out a bit.

on another completely different note, i got a kitten for my birthday.

her name is luna. and she is wonderful. she can be a bit crazy sometimes so it's a good thing she's so cute or else i probably would've strangled her by now. unfortunately she is usually in her frisky mood right when i'm getting ready to go to bed.

another unfortunate turn of events was a few days ago when she stopped eating. which then led to visits to the vet. now what i am wondering about is what name am i supposed to give to the receptionist when i arrive? my name? even though the appointment obviously isn't for me. but i feel a little silly saying that luna is here for her appointment. it's not like she picked up the phone and dialed and decided on a time that didn't conflict with my class schedule. but have no fear. little luna is getting better and is back to her frisky self.

more good news: spring seems a little bit closer each and every day.

little letters.

dear professors,

instead of giving me a maximum word or page count for an assignment, how about telling me the minimum of what is expected? i prefer knowing how much i have to do as opposed to putting a limit on it.

dear snow,

you are beautiful and lovely, but we've got plenty right now so you can just hold off for a while.

dear people,

when clearing off your cars and driveways, please don't throw the snow into the street. it really is not helpful.

dear peruvian friends,

i'm totally jealous that you are currently on summer vacation and enjoying the warm beach weather. not fair.

dear fotocopiadoras,

i miss you becasue i'm not very good at using the copy machine.

dear amelia,

i really hope you come up for spring break.

dear gordon college,

it's good to be back, but i've noticed that we've both changed a bit.

dear friends,

please be my friends.

dear la casa,

i think of you everyday and am desperately looking for a way to get back.

dear water,

i love that you are free at restaurants and that i can drink you straight out of the faucet. thanks for being so wonderful.

dear english,

you're great and all and i'll always have a special connection with you, but to be honest i kind of miss speaking spanish.

dear TOMS shoes,

i can't wait till springtime when i can walk around in you everyday.

dear introductory phonology textbook,

where are you? why are you taking so long to get here?

dear girl i saw in lane yesterday,

why on earth were you wearing flip-flops? did you not notice the 3 feet of snow covering the ground outside?

dear french professor,

i am sorry that i decided to drop my french class this semester. i do miss taking a class with you, but right now i just need as much spanish as i can get.

dear micros,

as much as i thought it would be impossible to do so, i actually kind of miss you, and the way i felt more peruvian when riding on you.

dear may 21st,

please hurry up.

dear cold, dry winter air,

i really do not appreciate what you've done to my skin and hair.

dear hot showers,

you are so wonderfully marvelous and i will not take you for granted any more.

dear wi-fi at my house,

i'm amazed by how fast and dependable you are.

dear peru,

i'm happy here, but i miss you very much. and i don't think i'm ever going to stop missing you.

joy, love, hope.

i don't know why it has taken me so long, but i think it's about time that i write about my most recent trip to mexico. now when most people think about mexico thoughts of tacos and mariachi and deserts and such come to mind. and more recently thoughts of drug-trafficking and kidnapping and murders and violence. and especially when the border city of tijuana is mentioned, thoughts immediately jump to drugs and violence, and rightfully so. the city of tijuana is considered as the second most dangerous city in all of mexico and plays a huge part in all the illegal drugs that are brought from mexico to the u.s.

but for me it is a different story. instead of thinking of all that my mind immediately goes to this place:

and to these people:

these beautiful, wonderful, kind, caring, loving, friendly, funny and inspiring people who i have come to know and love over the past four years.

let me share with you some of the people that i have gotten to know.

--m. is reserved, loves joking around, enjoys history and is a good cook.

--l. is a sweetheart who loves to have fun, and can also be dramatic.

--a. is very friendly, a good conversationalist, and a good cook.

--r. is a hard worker who cares about and loves his family very much.

--k. is a typical boy-crazy 15-year-old girl who is overdramatic, she also has a kind heart and loves her family.

--y. is a mature, trustworthy young woman who is gentle and kind with a great laugh.

--c. and j. love having fun, being silly and laughing.

--e. has a sweet heart, a caring personality, and a beautiful smile.

--m. is quiet and mature, and he likes to just spend time with us.

--j. is quiet, but very funny.

--m. is smart, patient, helpful and fun.

--c. has a gentle nature and is also very friendly.

--m. is such a sweetheart, but has a bit of a temper when he doesn't get his way.

--b. is a little jokester and loves attention.

--a. just likes being silly and having fun.

--n. is a diva

--a. is stubborn but has the most adorable smile.

--p. and m. are strict and firm, but they really love the kids and what what is best for them.

--c. seems scary and serious, but she loves joking around and is very patient.

--s. is a little punk who is good at sports.

--j. is quiet, kind and has a beautiful smile.

--e. is a gentle, godly man who cares very much about people.

of course that is not all of the wonderful people that i associate with mexico, but it is a start. it's just a little look at what and who and why i have fallen in love with a country that people are scared of and don't know what to do with. but i have figured out what to do with mexico: love the people. love them in all of their brokenness and pain and hurt. and love them for what they are doing in the midst of such suffering. thats what i love about la casa de la esperanza en tijuana - it's joy in the midst of pain, it's love in the midst of hatred, and it's hope in the midst of despair.

waking up to a winter wonderland.

maybe it's naive or immature, but i still think that there is something almost magical about waking up on a snow morning, peeking through the blinds and seeing your world covered in snowy whiteness.

that is what i woke up to this morning. after a 6 am text message and phone call from gordon letting me know that all classes before 11 am are cancelled. can you believe that? i'm getting snow days in college. never thought that would happen. but it does, and actually quite often. last week my second day of classes got cancelled, which was a nice way to sort of ease into the semester. but even with a rather slow start, i am already overwhelmed by all the work i have. but that usually happens at the start of a new semester. you get the syllabus with all the work and assignments for the whole semester, no wonder i got overwhelmed. so i just took a step back, and realized that i don't need to worry about everything at once. so i'm just taking it one day at a time, making a list for the day and focusing on that. i can't handle any more than that right now.

on the road again

i've been home for 23 days now, i think its about time to get out of here.

don't you think so?

so i'm heading out tonight to meet up with the mexico outreach team from gordon. we leave boston tomorrow morning to fly to san diego. we'll be working with habitat for humanity for two days in san diego then crossing the border into tijuana and we will stay at the orphanage la casa de la esperanza for a week. i don't think i can even begin to describe how incredibly excited i am to return to la casa, to speak spanish again and to see some of the kids.

some of those wonderful kids featured here in a video from two years ago:

la casa de la esperanza is one of my favorite places in the world, and i always just feel right when i'm there. so i'm off to go love on some niños and feel right about myself.