Sweet tea or mate.

spread the love.

2012-02-14T18:25:00.000-05:00

happy lovey day

my dear friends!

i'm not too

into a "couples" vday.

i actually consider it more of

a family holiday.

i think it was the way

my sisters & i were raised.

i remember as a kid

my mom once bought a box of

v-day cards & had us help her

string them all around my dad's car.

every valentine's day

{yes every even when we were away in college}

my dad would have a

heart shaped box of chocolates

and a card waiting for us when we

woke up from school.

my dad was my first valentine.

the first example of how

my valentine was to make

me feel special & loved.

i am so thankful i found my

forever valentine 6{ish} years ago.

who shows me that i am loved.

and makes me feel valued.

don't limit the spreading

the love to your spouse this year.

take time out to show your kids

how special they are in this world.

teach them young that they are loved.

& i love you

for staying interested in me & this blog!! :)

xo!!

valley girl

2012-02-09T21:04:00.000-05:00

hello from california.

i use to think flying

was so cool & the more you fly

the more "cultured" you were.

*use to is the key word.

i'm. over. flying.

i'm over being subject

to seeing girls in VS PINK pants

hoodies & flip flops.

i am writing a letter

to the TSA about the

safety concerns regarding

the above matter.

i don't know if you know this

but people from california

do not call their state "cali"

also.

we ate a lot of pizza in 2011

i know this because

i've been given the task

of entering in last years receipts.

oh and you can't

mark coca-cola

as medicine on your tax deductions.

which i disagree with of course.

my great-grandmother

and grandmother use

to tell us "a coke a day keeps the dr. away."

also a coke a day keeps

the caffeine headaches away.

. . . that sounds like meds to me!

*have a happy thursday my friend.

until then. . .

2012-01-25T15:41:00.000-05:00

culture shock is wearing off.

yes. it is possible to get culture shock

coming home to your "mother land"

i accidentally keep slipping into spanish.

my brain just can't catch up to my location.

we've been back

. . .not even a month yet.

it has been a whirlwind of events.

we are in a weird stage in our life.

we don't have a home

. . .

actually we do!

we found a great apartment.

in a nice neighborhood.

close to my parents.

so close in fact, I just have to

walk up the stairs to see them. ;)

to answer the popular question of "what's next?"

*we have applied to become full time missionaries.

*we are waiting to met the missions board to be approved.

until then. . .

we are happy as a clam.

enjoying this awkward stage.

we are embracing the weird.

and enjoying having family near.

we have been traveling around

ministering in churches.

we are blessed.

i am thankful.

thank you for your prayers.

thank you for being

involved in us.

i am happy you're still

interested in us

& you still care.

"How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." Philippians 4:10-13

what i have to show.

2011-12-27T18:07:00.001-05:00

our life is packed up.

. . .

our life fits into a 5 piece luggage set.

i sat today.

looking at our

5 piece luggage life.

is it a bragging point?

or a depressing realization?

tears welled up.

thinking. . . 5 pieces.

that's what i have to show.

as you can see/read.

i went with the

"depressing realization" route. ;)

then. had to shake myself.

. . .my life is not stuff.

my life is not measured by my belongs.

God. Help me to always live by what You spoke to us:

"Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being."

I always feel the need to do a disclaimer. ;)

I do not think that to be a good 'treasures-in-heaven Christian' means = you need to be without. I do not have any problems with a "100+ boxes" life. Just for us. now. in this chapter. a "5 suitcase style life" is what it takes to be able to do what we love.

I wanna wish you a . . .

2011-12-25T08:20:00.000-05:00

¡Feliz Navidad!

On this Christmas day we would like to thank you all for the sacrifices you have made to reach the country of Uruguay with us. Because of your support, many people this year have been introduced to the King who was born in a humble manger.

"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace."

. . .is it weird?

2011-12-16T08:49:00.004-05:00

hello friday.

i actually have

majority of my clothes packed.

we have 11 days & a wake up

until we are at the airport.

i started packing early

since i am leaving bags of clothes here.

. . . when we first left california

i cried leaving my DIY-er furniture, clothes, first home.

. . .when we left virginia

i took a long time figuring out what clothes, pictures to take with us.

. . .when we're leaving uruguay

i shrug &toss into the "give away pile"

. . . is it weird.

that i'm use to moving

and having no clue what is going to happen next?

if i think about it for a long time.

then "worry *wanda" comes out.

& puts thoughts in my head.

but wanda is starting to know her place. ;)

& when she says things like:

"this is going to fall apart."

"this is when y'alls life will blow up in your face."

i have found the best solution is to say:

"this is where we follow Jesus."

"this is where we step into Him."

many have asked:

"what's next? . . . "where are you going to live?". . ."how are you going to live?". . ."why are you doing this?"

my response:

we asked to renew our term to live here for 4 years.

until we get the thumbs up for those 4 years. . .

we live. . . by faith.

faith in God's timing.

faith that He has our best interest in mind.

"But I am trusting You, O Lord, saying,

"You are my God!" My future is in Your hands"

- Psalm 31

*wanda is not a real person.

if your name, your daughter's,

grandmother's name is wanda

it has no association with you

or any other wanda. don't worry, wanda ;)

i'm not talking about you, honey.

made in uruguay.

2011-12-01T08:55:00.000-05:00

happy december first!

you know we bought our

tickets back "home", yeah?

well. we did.

we are leaving uruguay

december 29th.

since we are leaving 4 days

after christmas there is no need

to spend our monthly income

on a fake charlie brown tree.

*serioulsy the trees here are

super expensive!! I can't believe it!!

thanks to pinterest

I have been able to

add the christmas spirit

around our "house"

this is the entrance into our Kitchen.

our christmas trees :)

a few uruguayans let me know

"we don't start decorating until december 6th"

ha.

I just smile & say "aw how nice!"

while hanging my 12th snowflake.

( 28 days until we will have free refills)

in that moment.

2011-11-25T08:12:00.000-05:00

it has been a roller coaster of emotions this week.

my Granddaddy went on to be with Jesus

early tuesday morning.

we had just gotten over

the fact that it would be

our first no-family thanksgiving.

then. this happened.

a time where you are suppose to be with your family.

a time to receive strength from family.

a time when family joins together.

and we . . . are here.

they are there.

5,000+ miles between us.

wednesday I called Jake

up into the bedroom where

i laid in darkness.

& embarrassingly asked him

if he could pray for me.

because i felt that my

grieving was headed towards

a dark place . . . it was turning into anger.

while jacob wrapped his arms

around me he prayed over my thoughts.

i felt God speak to me in that moment.

"cast your cares upon me."

because to be honest.

every prayer I prayed to Him

since Tuesday was an upset prayer.

holding onto my feelings and not giving them to God.

I was okay knowing Granddaddy had passed on.

but I was becoming bitter that I was not there.

that I was "stuck" in Uruguay.

so in that moment I gave God

my emotions and told Him.

"I can't handle these feelings.

You have got to help me."

I still am sad.

but I am handling it better.

today is Granddaddy's viewing.

saturday is his Funeral Service.

cobbler - not the shoe guy.

2011-11-16T09:07:00.000-05:00

tuesday is our

grocery shopping day.

it is a big event.

we walk 2 blocks from the apt.

to an open air market.

has pretty much everything:

-garden fresh veggies

with garden fresh slugs attached :)

-underwear

-fresh eggs

with sharpie smiley faces on them

sold from a wrinkly old man with

no front teeth

-grated {in front of you} cheeses

-meat

notice the word fresh

wasn't used to describe the meat :)

yesterday the stand

where we get our weekly fruit

had reasonably priced fresh blackberries.

growing up we lived on

church property and on the property

there were raspberry & blackberry trees

that I use to go snack on.

. . .at least I think they were berries

. . . I don't know

I normally blacked out

after eating them

and saw a bunch of funky colors

;)

I bought the blackberries

washed off all the little buggies.

and to my disappointment they

weren't sweet nor tart.

pretty much had no flavor.

so I decided I would

put the batch in a cobbler.

dessert cobbler.

not to be confused with the shoe guy.

that wouldn't be kind to put a

batch of blackberries in him. ;)

yes. those are my hands.

and today after 100+ washes

I look like a mechanic.

& the cobbler? eh

wasn't worth the trouble.

but we ate it.

ate my whole bowl

& said "eh"

I obviously don't have

too high of standards

since I finished my serving.

book decorations.

2011-11-04T14:19:00.001-04:00

maybe for some of you
the used book page DIYers
are getting redundant . . .

but I'm LOVING it!!

since we are leaving Uruguay
a little after Christmas.

we of course are not

going to have a Christmas tree

or buy Christmas decorations.

*our 1st Christmas treeless :(

but pinterest came to my rescue

&& after a days work I've been

crafting up little Christmas decorations.

this one is my latest

super easy - just a couple nights of work & funky monkey!
this is where I got my tips.

oh yeah! & the cost?
zip

for now it's in our room
but it will be moved soon
into the kitchen with some other
DIY Christmas cheer.

~~merry christmas~~
happy weekend!

eleven.

2011-11-01T12:15:00.000-04:00