christmas in canada.

It's about time for another blog post. It takes us a long time to get around to these. This one is about Christmas. It was two months ago. We are slow. Sorry.

Christmas morning stockings.

We had the pleasure (thanks to our wonderful parents) to visit Canada for a couple weeks over the Christmas break. We hadn’t planned to be back home this early, but it was a wonderful time seeing family and friends. We knew that we had limited time, and it was our vacation/Christmas, so we didn’t want to pack too much in trying to see and do everything. So we focused on family, church, and were lucky to connect with some friends – although we wish we could’ve have seen more. Apologies to everyone we didn’t get to see. But also, if you really wanted to see us you would come to Colombia.😜

Boys showing gingerbread men of themselves.

The main flight from Colombia to Canada flies overnight (leaving at 11:30pm) from Bogota to Toronto. Sleeping on a plane is always the worst, and I (Matt) am always too hot. This time I was lucky enough to have Judson lying on me the whole time, which made it even hotter. But we did make it eventually.

Boys love flying/screens.

We spent our first week in Vancouver. I forgot about how dark Vancouver can be during the wintertime. Our first few days it was rainy and overcast, and as a contrast to almost always sunny Cali, I kept thinking to myself, “Where is the sun?” But we eventually got to see the sun and it reminded us of how beautiful BC is. 

Lolo Frans and Judson with his new puzzle.

Before we left we brainstormed with the boys some of the things we wanted to see and do while at home. For the boys, the clear winner was to go to the aquarium as well as to eat sushi - two natural enemies. It was Judson’s birthday while we were in Vancouver so on that day, we headed downtown to the aquarium. It was extra nice for Kristin's cousin Hannah to come with us.

Classic aquarium pose.

Ceph Rogen, the resident octopus, coming out from hiding.

Of course, one of our favourite foods living in Vancouver was sushi. It is hard to find good sushi in Colombia, and what you can find is expensive, so we had to make sure we went to our old favourite sushi restaurant on Commercial Drive.

Sushi leftovers.

Family birthday party for Judson - lucked out and found the only Angry Birds cake in the Lower Mainland (probably).

Another highlight was seeing Melanie, Jess, Ryan, and the girls from our old community house – visiting them at the Brooksdale location of A Rocha Canada where Jess and Ryan now live. We grew close to and loved everyone who was a part of the community house over the years and there is a special bond with this group as the boys also had community members their age. It did not take 10 seconds before the kids were back where they left off. 

The old house back together. We miss these people.

Psuedo siblings.

It was a little bittersweet seeing life on the farm and being reminded of the things that we don't have in Colombia, like nature close by, simplicity, and homegrown food. I never took full advantage of our garden space and friends' gardening knowledge while at the community house (to be fair, we were pretty busy with everything in life) – but we sure miss benefiting by knowing Ryan, Jess, and Mel being experts at growing their own food. We definitely took advantage of the outdoors and nature when in Vancouver and that is probably one of the harder things about being in Cali. It's extra frustrating because we are, in theory, fairly close to beautiful nature living in one of the most biodiverse places in the world. But in practice, it's actually quite difficult to access these places and we don’t do it nearly as much as I wish I could. It is one of my goals this year to try to explore the outdoors more.

Life on the farm.

Taking a walk around Brooksdale.

The best part of being home is getting to spend time with family. We always look forward to Christmas breakfast and a big gathering with Kristin's family. There is usually no shortage of events happening. We took advantage of Kristin's cousin Josh's new townhouse where he hosted Christmas breakfast this year. The boys were very sad to leave Vancouver but we had to keep moving and see the other side of the family in Saskatoon.

Waiting for present-opening to begin.

Sad to leave.

We knew Saskatoon would be cold and that we wouldn’t be prepared for it. And we weren’t. But I (at least) love the cold. We went sledding a few times, something we only were rarely able to do in Vancouver when our street froze over – and definitely never in Colombia. I don’t know if Judson had ever really done it before. Of course, he loved it - at least until his hands and legs started to burn from the cold. Then he cried.

White powder!

Sledding. Somehow no one got hurt.

Saskatoon was lower key than Vancouver. With fewer friends to try to visit, it was nice to fill it with family activities. Being around family and watching the boys play with their cousins filled my heart. Under normal circumstances, we would have missed not being at the cabin this year, but I think we were all too busy enjoying just being together to really think about it.

It's not Christmas if we don't play crokinole.

Boys rock climbing while their cousin Knox takes a break.

And of course no trip to Saskatoon (or Christmas vacation) is complete without a visit to the Western Development Museum. Somehow, every time it still gets a little bit creepier (Depression-era Christmas robots not pictured).

Cousins rolling together.

Minecraft Lego face.

It was hard for us to leave but we did have some things to look forward to when heading back home to Colombia, like warm weather and routine. Unfortunately, our flight from Toronto to Bogota was delayed, and although we were originally scheduled to arrive and get to our hotel well before midnight on Dec 31st, we ended up being in the air when New Years struck. It was fun/annoying that they woke everyone up, turned on the lights, and counted down to midnight. Once we finally did get into Bogota, we were lucky enough to stay in one of the worst hotels I have ever booked (you're welcome, Family). Then Ezra got sick on the flight back to Cali. And then we all got sick getting home and needed at least a week to recover. So it all ended in disaster, as all good things do.

Cato Family.

Wall Family.

Colombia is known as the land of fruits, but they don't have Saskatoon berries. So really, what's the point?

It was all worth it for this home-made Saskatoon berry pie, though.

it's inevitable, i guess.

Me: I tried giving Ezra steamed sweet potato in chunks.  He was able to gum it and eat it.

Matt: Hmm.

Me: That means I don't have to puree all his food now.  He can start eating more lumpy and mashed foods.

Matt: Worst.

Me: What?! Why?

Matt: It means he's growing up.

(Awwwwww.)

nutella lovers, unite.

Did you know there is a World Nutella Day?  It's February 5.  Of course, I celebrated because I heart nutella very much.  I had high hopes of making nutella brownies, but alas, making baby puree all afternoon trumped that plan.  However, I couldn't let the day end without fitting in nutella somehow.  So, I kept it simple and ate it like I most often do...spread over vanilla ice cream.  Yes, it has to be vanilla to bring out all that choco-hazelnutty goodness.

pink.

What happens when you eat beet soup...

This came out of my body.

I had resolved to not make any resolutions for 2013 because I have a poor track record when it comes to keeping them.  If I know anything about myself, it's that I'm a much better starter than a finisher.  I get excited about the next new thing, but I tend to eventually lose interest or get distracted by the next shiny new thing.  But perhaps the reality is, I lack discipline (ouch...that's right, the truth hurts, Kristin). 

It's not that I don't finish things...I have two degrees, made one of these, and have sent out my wedding and baby gift thank yous.  But when it comes to new year resolutions, I begin with such fervour, only to end up petering out.  I think I tend to fail my new year resolutions because I choose something that requires a task to be done consecutively through a year (e.g. read a book a month, take a photo a day) and I just don't think I do long-term commitment very well.  In the end, I feel like a lame-o when I don't accomplish what I had set out to do.  But, in defense of failing last year's resolution, I did have a good excuse.  However, choosing to read a book a month in the same year I was expecting to birth a human was not thought out well on my part.  I guess I thought I would have all this "free time" on my hands since I'd be on maternity leave for a year, so a book a month...no problem.  Ha.  Joke's on me.

Maybe it is a bit under-achieving of me to not make resolutions because I fear failure?  Why set myself up for the inevitable?  But the thing is I like setting goals for myself and striving for something.  Whether it's daily or life-long, I like feeling like I've accomplished something and it feels good putting a check mark beside a task or goal as "done."  So I don't want to say I've made resolutions, but I do have a little list of things I'd like to work at this year.  And if I don't get to these things or accomplish them, it's okay.  I can always try for the next year.  As the saying goes..."If at first you don't succeed, try, try again."  I think "try" is written twice for people like me...who may find themselves trying again and again because they lost interest or got distracted or just flat out failed.  But you know, I think it's okay sometimes.  Cause the idea of getting another chance (or giving yourself another chance) to do something is better than feeling like a putz for failing and never striving for other goals for yourself again.

So here's my simple list of things I would like do in the next year:
-finish knitting Ez's baby blanket
-drink more water
-read The Great Gatsby
-learn to bake bread and a delicious pie crust
-post backlogged and new photos on this blog (which also implies, take more photos)

I look at this list and some of these things I will do/start and I may very well accomplish.  Some will probably not be consistent but I think if at least I tried, I'd be happy.  And some just seem daunting but I want one thing that will challenge and grow me (I'm talking to you, pie crust).  I think it'll help not setting out to do something consecutively, like learn to make a new pastry every week, cause then, I might as well quit now.  But with this list, I suppose I can resolve to do my best and hopefully, I'll be able to put check marks beside each one and call it a year.

june book.

Okay, I confess that I didn't quite get to finishing my May book, Out of the Silent Planet.  I had to put it down for a bit to get to another book that has been sitting on my shelf for a few months now.  Considering I'm having a baby in two weeks (can you believe it!), theoretically, I figured I should get to this book sooner than later or it defeats the purpose of me having bought it.  I do admit that although it had taken me a while to warm up to the C.S. Lewis sci-fi, I was starting to sort of get into it when the characters finally made it to the other planet.  The lengthy description of the flying craft and even the set up of the characters' initial encounter at the beginning of the book were giving me little hope that I would enjoy this book (read: yawn).  Once I finish my June book, I will make a hearty attempt to finish the May book if middle of the night feedings and lack of sleep don't kill me first.

So, to the June book...

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth

by Ina May Gaskin

This came highly recommended to me from friends and from other sources as THE book to read to get you ready for childbirth, especially since we're using a team of midwives as our primary care providers for this birth.  The first part of the book are stories of women who experienced natural births, for the most part positive experiences, which encourages me that I'm going to survive this birthing deal.  The second part of the book are the ins and outs of the birthing process, from the mind and body connection to what to expect and the practicalities.  I only hope that I can get it done before baby's born, but even so, the pictures of the women smiling and appearing to be in a state of ecstasy while the baby's head is crowning are enough to help me believe that giving birth may not all be as terrifying as I think it's going to be.

may book.

Out of the Silent Planet

by C.S. Lewis

The last time I read C.S. Lewis was The Great Divorce.  Even though that book was less than 200 pages, it still took me about two years to finish it.  I pretty much forgot the beginning and middle as I got to the end because I kept putting it down for long periods of time...not so much because I needed the time to process it, I just got easily distracted and much rather watched Chopped.  I know for some people that may be shameful considering it is Mr. C.S. Lewis, but I can't tell you how many other times I had attempted to read his books and never finished them.  Mere Christianity, Screwtape Letters...but those were at times in my life that my feeble student mind just could not wrap my head around such profound thoughts.  One day, I'll read them.  One day.

Some may gasp when they read this next thing...I've never read the Chronicles of Narnia either.  Oh, I've watched the movies and am happy someone made the movies otherwise, I would still be in the dark about them.  But it's in our to-do list as future parents, that we would read these together with our kidling(s), so I'll save them for now.  Until then, I'm branching into another fiction by Mr. Lewis because it happens to be on our bookshelf and doesn't require me going out to get it at the library.  I've heard good things about this book, but I'm a little unsure how I'm going to take to the sci-fi genre.  I'm encouraged that this book is only 160 pages long but when I flipped through it and saw how tiny the font was, it all of a sudden felt like a daunting task.

Seriously..how pathetic am I to be intimidated by a little fiction book even if it is about aliens and written by one of the greatest authors in history (as I shake my head in disgrace of myself).

april book.

Start Something That Matters

by Blake Mycoskie

Well, I'm a little behind with my book reading resolution.  But I finally finished the last one and am promptly starting this new one.  I came across this book's recommendation in a newspaper and found myself intrigued.  I was reminded of it recently perusing a blog with various book recommendations, which recommended this one also.  So I thought, well then, I should read this book.  Probably mostly because the author was a contestant in the Amazing Race, which I love.  Note to self: watch that season.

There's a part of me that loves working with my hands.  That's why I loved my undergrad in technical and design theatre, where I spent hours painting plywood to look like a brick wall, or shaping modeling clay into hands in yoga positions (to be attached to the arms of a ganesh costume), or painting details on a tribal mask, or making sausages out of nylons and stuffing.  I love getting my hands creatively dirty. Plus I love the theatre.

For a while now, I've been craving a creative outlet of some sort.  Sure, I can snap some photos, but there's something about getting my hands on a project that involves manipulating, shaping, forming a lump of nothing into something.  I'd love to take a pottery class or learn how to knit.  But I make excuses, and in the end, I'm just lazy.  So when I saw this video, I felt a bit of a kick in the bum.  But I was also inspired.  Hope you are too.

This is Sentayehu Teshale, a craftsman at work, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Stools from Mark Morgan on Vimeo.

via andrew and carissa

march book.

Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year
by Anne Lamott

I'm a big fan of Anne Lamott.  For a non-reader, I've actually read two of her other books already (Traveling Mercies, Bird by Bird).  Her writing, full of wit, honesty, and deep insight, ranges from the every day things of life to the spiritually profound.  I've heard good things about this book and as a future parent, I figured it's a good time to give it a whirl.

guess what.

If you don't already know, we'd like to introduce you to Peanut.

Peanut may look like a floating alien spine, but we're pretty excited about him/her.  At this point, Peanut is about 13 weeks old.

And here, Peanut is about 21 weeks old.  I can't really tell what all the pictures are, but you can see for the most part, Peanut is looking less alien.

If you haven't figured it out yet...we're pregos!!!  Yahtzee!

So our two is becoming three.  If I was a better "blogger" I would have written all about this development...from pre-discovery and how I was hit with morning sickness before I even knew I was with child, to confirmation after taking two pregnancy tests and a pee test, to keeping it a secret/lying for three months.  We're expecting Peanut to arrive June 23.  Crazy how time is flying.

During the first trimester, it seemed surreal with only a glorified muffin top to show forth.  But now, at just under six months along, my belly's definitely popped into a nice round pregnant tummy.  We decided to be surprised and not know the gender ahead of time, so we have the task of coming up with a girl AND a boy name.  Is it just me or are boy names harder to think of?  Many people have given their guesses or seem to be sure of whether it will be a girl or a boy, based on the shape of my stomach to the look of my complexion, and one gender isn't necessarily coming out a sure contender.  Either way, I'm dressing this kid in whatever hand-me downs we collect.  Who says a girl wouldn't look cute in a sailor outfit?  Or a boy wouldn't look cute in a skirt/kilt?

Our little Peanut can be felt now with his/her little kicks and punches; and it's getting harder to feel comfortable in most positions I place my body in.  Overall, I've been lucky and have been doing well, even though I get winded from three flights of stairs.  However, best maternity discovery ever...maternity pants.  I thought I could make due with wearing my pants undone with a belt to hold them up and using a belly band to cover up my indecency, but I splurged and bought maternity jeans, luckily on sale, and I won't ever look back.

And if you're curious, cause people seem to always ask me this, but no weird food cravings.  Although the smell of anything fried makes me want to vomit now.  

Check out the bump...

february book.

Things Fall Apart
by Chinua Achebe

The husband highly recommended this contemporary classic to me, saying if you have any aspirations to do cross-cultural work abroad, you need to read this book.  Considering he's read it twice, I figured this would be a good book to take on next.  I'm in need of some good fiction since the last book, even though it had some elements of fiction, had a good chunk of heady real life commentary that I found a bit difficult to wrap my head around at times.  So, here's to enjoying a good story with some insight on understanding and interacting with other cultures.

january book.

The Orthodox Heretic: And Other Impossible Tales
By Peter Rollins

"Parables do not substitute sense for nonsense, or
order for disorder. Rather, they point beyond these
distinctions, inviting us to engage in a mode of
reflection that has less to do with fixing meaning
than rendering meaning fluid and affective.
 
A parable does not primarily provide information
about our world. Rather, if we allow
it to do its work within us, it will change our
world—breaking it open to ever-new possibilities
by refusing to be held by the categories that
currently exist within that world. In this way the
parable transforms the way we hold reality, and
thus changes reality itself." ~an excerpt from the Introduction

resolutions shmezolutions.

I generally don’t make resolutions because I know myself well enough that, although I may have good intentions at the start, I often tend to not finish well/at all with what I set out to do.  I tried two years in a row to take a photo a day.  During the first year it was great for developing skills but I knew it was going to pot when I…well, stopped taking pictures.  It started with a gradual waning of motivation, and then a complete stop.  The second year’s attempt had me starting from where I left off the year before, so I sort of cheated by not starting at the beginning of the year.  But it didn’t matter in the end because I didn’t complete that year either.  I technically didn’t have a full year to take pictures, so you’d think I could have done this.  But I didn’t.  Lame me.

Hence, I generally don’t consider New Year’s resolutions because I assume I won’t keep them.  But Matt made a suggestion for 2012 which at first, I balked at because it seemed so unimaginable for me.  However, I kind of got excited about the challenge.  I decided to bite the bullet and do it, just to see if I have it in me.

If you know me well, you know that I am not a reader.  Oh, I appreciate books, I love libraries for the knowledge they contain, I even own books, but reading them…it’s a chore for me.  I much prefer watching a movie based on a book even though we all know that the book is usually better than the movie.  Even more so, I’d rather curl up on a couch in pajama pants and a blanket…to watch TV, rather than read a good book, like I hear so many people saying they apparently love to do.  I am a hardcore TV junkie, and if it wasn’t for internet streaming, our cable-less apartment would seem so much more inadequate to me.

So, my 2012 resolution is..ta da…to read a book…a month (gulp!).  For some of you, this may not seem as daunting a feat as I think it is.  Like I said, I’m not a reader and if I did read, I’m picky about what I read (i.e. I won’t read any book more than an inch thick; it doesn't have to have pictures but it makes is so much more enjoyable for me) and just like other endeavours in my life (every paper I ever wrote in all my higher education years, where I picked the paper topic in the first week of school but was scrambling to write the actual paper the night before and after its due date), I may start well, but I drag my feet when it comes to finishing.  What may take a “normal” reading person 2-3 weeks to read, usually takes me 1-2 years, if not more.  No joke.  And because I’m very easily distracted and soooo slow at reading I often forget what the book is about and I get to the point where I’m just trying to finish it so I don’t feel like too much of a failure.

Maybe I’ll even get to the seminary books I didn’t finish/didn’t read sometime during this year.  Or maybe not.  Well, probably not.  But I’ve always had a list of books in my head that I would like to read in my lifetime and now here’s my chance.  No more excuses, right?…well, until I start getting sleepy after reading two pages, which is my regular pattern.  So you can imagine this is a big deal resolution for me, a self-professed non-reader.  Hopefully the result will see a more informed, enlightened, entertained, educated, and disciplined me by the end of the year.

I’ll let you know what I’m reading each month.  And feel free to ask me how it’s going.  Accountability and encouragement would be helpful.  You can tell me I’ll gain cool points if I keep up with the reading.  That always motivates me.  You can even make book suggestions.  But let’s start out with books that aren’t more than an inch thick.

helluuuuu again.

Time flies when you're doing life. For those of you who are curious, a little update:

~Matt started his MBA at Trinity Western U. specializing in Non-Profit Management.  It was a bit of a rough start (how fun can financial accounting and management really be), but I think he's settled in and enjoying it just a little bit more than before with courses that actually have to do with "non-profity" subjects.  I have to say, I think he's a much better student than I was; he gets his papers and assignments in on time. 
~He's still working at Pacific Academy as an Educational Assistant for the high school.  Next year, he'll be taking a group of students to help with UrbanPromise Honduras for their spring break trip.  Needless to say, I'm excited for/jealous of him.

~I've changed jobs from being an ESL teacher downtown to working with Union Gospel Mission in the downtown Eastside.  Why the change?  1. I got a layoff notice in the Fall and needed a back-up plan. 2. Lesson prep was filling up my evenings and weekends and I was beginning to resent it. 3. I was feeling more frustrated than fulfilled in my job.  What am I doing?  I'm working at the Women and Families Centre implementing a new program that involves coordinating a team of support for someone with complex needs to help with long-term improvement.  It's pretty cool, but a bit overwhelming.  So much to learn.  But I don't have to take work home with me which is pretty sweet.  And I have my own real office!

Here are a few pics from the past couple of months.  I realize I'm uber behind in going through my photos and posting some...all the way back to my time in Korea.  I've lost any motivation to take pictures because I'm so backlogged and taking new pictures just means getting behind even further.  However...I'm going to attempt to pull out my old photos and start posting them.  I have so much to show you from my/our past travels, and life in general, in the last couple of years.  So here begins a a whole lot o' flashbacking...

A day at the PNE with barnyard animals and Peking Acrobats.

And a day trip to Fairhaven, Bellingham with friends.  Wandered through antique stores and touristy shops,
and ended up at Rocket Donuts for a sweet treat.That's a bacon maple bar...that's right...'bacon.'  Weirdly enough, it was so good.

In lieu of the everymonday photo, I wanted to share yet another rockstar gift given to me by my rockstar husband.  As I was getting ready for bed after our anniversary date night, I noticed Matt sitting on the bed as if he had something on his mind.  Out of the blue, he asks me if I wanted my gift.  Now I was a little shocked because I thought we had agreed on no gifts this time around.  He proceeded to go into the closet and grab my guitar.  My eyes widened as I thought he was going to sing the song that I had always hoped he would write for me.  Close.

I've mentioned before a song that we love and played at our wedding.  Home by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros means a lot to us because with all the travels we've done in our lives so far, the saying, "Home is where the heart is," has grown to a have a profound and special meaning to us.  We have had to learn to invest and settle into many different places around the world that had eventually become home to us.  Now "home" has come to mean what we've become to each other; that no matter where we are or where we're going, we have a place of love, warmth, and security in each others' hearts.

And here's Matt's rewrite.  I had to sing it with him, which was a big deal cause Matt thinks he can't sing, nor does he sing in front of other people.  It was beyond amazing. 

Home 

(rewritten by Matt) 

Alabama, Arkansas, I do love my Ma & Pa

Not the way that I do love you

Well, holy moley, me, oh my, you’re the apple of my eye
Girl, I’ve never loved one like you

Man, oh man, you’re my best friend, I scream it to the nothingness
There ain’t nothin’ that I need

Well, peanut butter, baleadas, coco flan, cafe granitas
There ain’t nothin’ please me more than you

Chorus:
Ahh, Home
Let me come Home
Home is wherever I’m with you
(2x)
La la la la, take me Home
Mama, I’m coming Home

Costa Rica and Cheongju, Philippines, Honduras, too
I've been everywhere with you

I'll follow you in wilderness, spider babies, mosquito nets
Boy, I never loved one like you 

We laugh until we think we’ll die, barefoot on a summer night
Nothin’ new is sweeter than with you

And in the sticks we’re running free, like it’s only you and me
Geez, you’re something to see

Chorus

La la la la, take me Home
Daddy, I’m coming Home

“Kristin?”
“Matthew”
“Do you remember that day you got sick at Toby's?”
“I sure do, you walked me home.”
“Well, you fell into bed, nearly passed out.  Do you remember that?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Well, there’s something I never told you about that night.”
“What didn’t you tell me?”
“While you were lying in bed, thinking it was gonna be your last, I was falling deep, deeply in love with you,
and I never told you ‘til just now.”

Chorus

Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver

adios.

We say goodbye to Honduras today and head back to the Great White North and the cold.  We don't want to say that we'll never be back; one day we hope to return.  We leave behind amazing friends, gringos and Hondurans, and a little piece of our hearts.  We take with us wonderful memories of children's smiles and hugs, sharing crunchy baleadas with friends, people passing you on the street and greeting you, visiting new places, seeing natural wonders, and many unforgettable experiences.

I wish we documented our time here better through this blog.  We did and saw so much.  I wish we could have shared more with you.  It was just too easy to get caught up in the new environment and new experiences.  Even in the slower pace of this place, life still got busy.  Or the heat and hilly terrain just made it harder to feel motivated to write, which is probably a pretty weak excuse, but I'm sticking to it.  I think we were pretty lucky to spend the majority of our first year of marriage in a foreign country.  It was fun and we are so grateful that we had time here learning to be spousal with each other.

So for those of you wondering, the plan is to head to Vancouver via Miami and Dallas.  Two very long layovers.  Gross.  We spend one day in Vancity and then fly to Saskatoon for two weeks, spending Christmas with the Wall-side of the family.  Then we return to the Westcoast for New Year's and wait it out until mid-January when we take a trip to the Philippines, where Matt will get to meet more of his new Filipino family.  We spend a month there, doing the relative circuit and some island hopping.  Then it's back to Canada and figuring out what's next for us.

We spent our last few days in San Pedro Sula.  We went to the championship final for the Honduran National Soccer League, Real Espana vs. Olympia.  We were with our dear friend and Real Espana fan, Luis.  Fans climbing and shaking fences, bonfires in the stands, firecrackers going off in the face of a goalie, drinks being thrown out on the field at the referees, riot police throughout the stadium.  Honduran soccer fans = insanity.  Learned some cusswords in Spanish that day.  Although Olympia scored the first goal, Real Espana won with two goals, the second one in overtime.  A highlight.

guess who's a lucky duck...

because it's her birthday and her stupendous husband surprised her with tickets to...

 !!!

which they'll be watching in NEW YORK!!! on BROADWAY!!!

We're in Camden, NJ for the annual UrbanPromise Summit Conference where all UP branches come together for encouragement and connecting with other UP peeps.  The keynote speaker is Benneth Lee, a former gang leader from Chicago.  It was crazy to think that the stuff he talked about really happened to him.  But by the grace of God and an incredible support system around him during his rehab and after coming out of prison for the last time, he's now a sought-out and highly respected counselor/trainer/conference speaker, specifically in the area of gang members coming out of drug addiction.

(ps. and for those of you who'd care, I shook Shane Claiborne's hand.)

So after the conference, we're going to mozy on over to the Big Apple, after the UPHonduras staff runs a little half marathon in Amish Country to raise money for kids fieldtrips.  Matt and I will be staying till Tuesday.  I thought the trip to New York was my birthday present alone, but I eventually found out the show was my real present.  This is a dream come true for me to finally see this show, having studied Theatre Design in university.  Yes, I have the best husband in the world.  And yes, this year's birthday rocks the Kasbah.

end of an era.

Matt had his final day with the AfterSchool Program last Friday.  He has passed the baton on to Katie, the  new Camp Hope Director.  He'll be wrapping up his time with UPH with a few fun fieldtrips with the kids.  It's bitter sweet, of course.  It always is, having invested so much of your life into something special, investing into people's lives.

Everyday at the end of camp, everyone participates in a cheer which is a verse from the bible.  Accompanied with actions, the kids and leaders belt out the words with joy and conviction.  It's crazy and super all together.  Here is a little video of the cheer, on the last day of Camp Hope of this year.

¡Sé fuerte y valiente! ¡No tengas miedo ni te desanimes!
Porque el SEÑOR tu Dios te acompañará dondequiera que vayas.

(Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged,
for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. ~Joshua 1:9).

in a nutshell.

(Dedicated to Rachele...more words.)

West Bay Beach (Roatan).

We honeymooned on Roatan Island (but not before being delayed twice by a blizzard in Saskatoon).  We spent a blissful week vegging, horseback riding, snorkelling (saw a nurse shark and stingray), laying on the beach, encountering dolphins (and being kissed by one), spotting shipwrecks, riding a scooter, frolicking with iguanas, and getting sunburnt.  All around lovely.

Our apartment on the second floor (Copan).

We settled into our new place.  After much cleaning, scrubbing, sweeping away spiders and webs, acquiring storage, and decorating the walls, we finally were able to call it home.  Although our floor isn't tiled, and the hot water comes and goes (mostly goes), and our roof is tin sheeting which creates a deafening noise when it pours, and the power goes out on occassion, and we've had our share of cockroaches, spiders carrying baby sacks, flying June bugs, pooping geckos, millipedes that make their way into the bed, die, and dry up into a curl, and never-ending ant brigades, and other creepy crawlies...we've grown to like it.

We've traveled around a bit.  Went to Santa Rosa, Honduras where we ate delicious pizza, drank atol (traditional hot corn drink), and won second place in a karaoke contest.  Went to Costa Rica where we zip-lined through a cloud forest, spotted a Resplendent Quetzal, cooed over baby sloths, tried to avoid mango-throwing howler monkeys, learned about nocturnal jungle life on a night walk, and experienced an erupting volcano.  Went to Lake Yojoa, Honduras' largest lake, where we trekked behind a giant water fall, jumped off a 25 foot cliff, and ate the best chocolate cake and real blueberry cheesecake ever.  We went to Antigua, Guatemala where we strolled through church ruins, watched a Miss Antigua pageant parade, and hiked on recently hardened lava of an active volcano.  Went to Utila, Honduras where we got scuba certified and to La Ceiba, Honduras where we held a giant stag beetle and tarantula with our bare hands.  Went to Punta Gorda, Belize where we saw Mayan ruins, tubed down a river, watched fire dancing at a crocodile fundraiser, and learned how chocolate is made by hand.

Anthony's Key Resort (Roatan).

Iguana Farm (Roatan)

"Everything I do, I do for you..." (Honduras).

Sloth Sanctuary (Costa Rica).

Pulhapanzak Waterfalls (Honduras).

Volcan Pacaya. Last erupted May 27, 2010 (Guatemala).

Butterfly Museum (La Ceiba).  Overcoming the arachnophobia, just for a moment.

Mayan grave in Nim Li Punit (Belize).  Matt as a Mayan zombie.

Killing a chicken in Llanatios (Honduras).

We made new friends.  We had old friends visit.  We cheered on Honduras during the World Cup.  We had a super soccer tournament with UPH staff, youth leaders, interns, a mission team from Canada, and local supporters, complete with thunder showers and flying bats.  We took a roller-coaster of a ride in the back of a pick-up truck (in the rain) to natural hot springs, where we soaked in naturally hot waters (also in the rain).  We rode horses to a rural village, made pottery, and watched a chicken get its head twisted off by a mission team teenager from Camden, NJ for homemade soup.


And that's the last five months summed up.  Time really has flown.  We have a couple more months to go.  And then it's off to our next adventure, yet to be determined.