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.

Caselli Family Prayer

Summer 2014 has come to an end.

I'm back in Jarabacoa

and it is good.

I found myself,

several times over the summer,

standing around a table

in a large circle

holding the hands of people I love.

We would sing,

smile,

laugh at the little ones.

It is something I will hold onto this year.

Please don't think my summer was peachy perfect.

It wasn't.

Nothing is.

But those times around the table were pretty close...

"oh the Lord is good to me"

"and so I thank the Lord"

"for giving me the things I need"

"the sun"

"the rain"

"and the appleseed"

"the Lord is good to me"

"amen"

"amen"

"amen"

"amen"

"amen"

"AAAAAMEN"

Does your family ever say/sing this prayer?

A different one?

What traditions do you have around meals?  

Sonrisa

There has been a lot of smiling this summer… 

We smile as we pedal down neighborhood roads

while we sing, "Sugar sugar, ah, honey honey…"

and while we sit on the curb eating ice cream cones. 

We are smiling as we watch Gilmore Girls 

in the back porch with the twinkle lights on.

We have smiles on our lips while we drink coffee 

and talk about real life.

We smiled while we caught up on life happenings 

and laughed until we cried like always.

We are smiling as we play catch in the driveway 

and cheer from the front porch.

Even Hanalei is all smiles at my 

27th birthday baseball game at the park.

We smile while we tread water at the pool,

roast marshmallows over the fire,

and play games way too late into the night.  

We are smiling as we sit in "our spot" at Coffea

and talk for as long as we possibly can.  

We smiled on an oddly cool walk to meet Kaia for lunch.  

There was SO MUCH smiling as we laid on our backs

in the grass two nights in a row 

enjoying friendship and fireworks.  

We smile as we enjoy our walks to the

Saturday morning Farmers Market 

and chase each other through the playground.  

What is one thing that has made you smile lately?  

[hint: I really actually DO want you to answer]

Gracias a Dios

Sioux Falls seriously rocks my socks.

I just love this city.

I've been romping around this lovely place for 4 weeks now.

It's real good.

Gratitude has come easy.

Thank you Jesus...

for a passport not forgotten.

[I forgot my passport coming home at Christmas…

lots of shaking was involved]

Thank You for friends who send books in the mail,

Delta, and Biscoff cookies.

for Target trips for no good reason 

other than… IT'S TARGET!

also the sky, that's a beautiful thing too.  

I'm grateful for my sleeping two year old nephew.  

[seriously, two year olds are cray cray]

for selfie togetherness.  

Thank You for morning snuggles 

and waking up with my family.

for the opportunity to drink coffee and

watch Liam catch his first fish.

[NOT through an iMessage video]

[although I am grateful for that too…]

Lots of gratitude for T-Pain and 

friends that enjoy spontaneous bridge dance parties.

for candles, quietness, and clean water.

I'm thankful for walks through downtown to the farmers market,

blueberry turnovers,

and friends to enjoy both with.  

What is something you are grateful for this summer?  

[Kayla, this is 2 days late.  

I'm so sorry.

Will you forgive me?]