Gracias a Dios

Things have been a little cray cray.

There has been a lot of:

friends and coworkers sick with Chikungunya,

lesson planning,

gathering with friends,

spraying every inch of skin with bug spray,

and eating avocados, mangos, and waffles.  

Life has been good,

filled with adventure and routine.  

But I've also felt funky and a little bit off.

It's not super easy to adjust back to life here.  

But it's good and there is SO MUCH to be grateful for.

Thank you God...

for super silly neighbors who make us laugh daily.

for a cozy living room to do life in.

Thank you for the color of chinolas 

and friends to call mine.

for Sunday sermons in bed

and the amazing smell of my candle.

for the peace that organized books give me.

Thank you Lord for 

night-before-first-day-of-school-skype-dates

that are made up of:

1/3 me sobbing

1/3 Kaia and Kayla speaking truth into me

1/3 prayer 

for calmed anxiety and paint.

I am so grateful for this Kindergarten Family 

and the ways we are showing Jesus to each other already.

for Starbucks Passion Tea Lemonade in the DR.

Thank you God for GATHER summer 2014,

a full house,

dancing,

and wonderful friends with big smiles :)

Gratitude does the heart and mind good.

What are you grateful for??

in my backpack

Last year I thought I would be able to read

book after book after book.

Turns out I was wrong.

I was in the thick of 

teaching little wee ones,

learning a new language,

teaching the wee ones a new language,

moving to a new town for the first time,

making all new friends,

and desperately missing my family and friends from the mainland.  

That didn't leave much time for leisure reading.

Around April I received a very generous gift.

A nook!

I finally was at a point where I could jump back into 

one of my very favorite hobbies.  

And boy was it wonderful.

I read 5 books before the school year even ended.

It felt comforting to get lost in a good book again.

Before returning for year 2 in Jarabacoa

I loaded up with books.  

[the nook is ready for when my paperbacks run out!]

first up was Donald Miller's "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years"

A.mazing.  

Read it if you haven't already.

It has impacted my life.

The good kind of impact :)

Next up is the Narnia series.  

I am stoked.

[thank you Kaia, for sharing your books well]

I have a confession.

I stunk at reading my bible this summer.

I was so busy and it just rarely made it into my day.

Horrible.

I didn't like that.

I wouldn't recommend that.

This book is good.

and important.

I am doing better now that I'm back in Jarabacoa.

Thank goodness.

I've been s.l.o.w.l.y. reading Acts for 2 years now.

I know I know.

That might seem crazy.

But I like it.

I've read lots of book throughout,

but Acts has been a constant.  

I'm back in the Acts game.

[chapter 18 to be exact]

Have you read any of these books?

Did you like them?

What are you reading right now?  

[please please please answer, I really would LOVE to know]

Discoveries

As I have been transitioning back into life in Jarabacoa

I have been overwhelmed with differences.

Different smells.

Different tastes.

Different traffic.

Different cultural norms.

BUT 

I've also been overwhelmed with the familiarity of it all.

I have lived here before.

I have smelt that before.

I have seen people do that before.  

I have heard that super loud song before.

Different yet familiar.  

This year will bring new discoveries of it's own.

Yes, it will be different from last year,

but I pray I continue to discover along the way.  

Always get a Caramel Mocha before the last flight.

[I can still taste that flavor for months and months]

Flying alone stinks.  

Fly with friends or family every chance you get.

Even the highest level English learners will forget some of 

their mad skills over their 7 week summer.  

My love for Cresly [and all my students] goes far beyond 

being their teacher.  

Boy Meets World is not only addictive for me

but my roommates included.  

[I believe it is on in all 3 of our rooms before we fall asleep]

Painting the Doulos library white and gray/blue 

will make it look wonderfully like pottery barn.

My blue jars are definitely my favorite stateside summer purchase.

And if you wrap a strip of old t-shirt around something,

people automatically think your crafty.  

When you warm up leftover pizza on the stovetop

the bottom gets perfectly crispy.

This is so so yummy.

Paired with Boy Meets World in bed…

so so so so yummy :)

I have discovered that this is 

The Year of the Waffle.  

Thank you to our sponsors:

Tim and Whitney Scarborough

and

PriceMart's giant bag of waffle mix

If the door is open…

these three cutie neighbors will be over.

[Xioelis, Xiomelis, Xioemelis… yes, those are their names]

freshly polished fingernails will cheer me up

when I'm transitioning.  

If I leave Lissette alone for too long

she will fall fast asleep.

Setting up a classroom isn't easy,

even the 5th time around.  

Sticking my feet out the window is a grand idea

for cooling off.

I am looking forward to a year of familiar yet different discoveries.

And maybe a few waffles too.