The Day a Dust Storm Went Through Our Bathroom

I got home late after one of the longest days I've yet to face. It looked like a dust storm had been through our bathroom rather than a repair man. Whatever he used to saw through our tile, it must have been seriously high powered. Every square inch of our bathroom was covered in dust. I'm so glad Kadian and I took everything out of the bathroom in the morning. It was so dusty I could write my name on the wall.

Dirty, dusty, everywhere

I got right to work. I scrubbed the entire bathroom from top to bottom. Twice.

Yep, that's dust.

What a mess

But as with most messes, a little hard work does the trick. Look at that shine :)

All nice and clean. Ready for my much needed shower.

Days like these make me extremely grateful that I have roommates. I can't imagine what I would have felt like if I would have had to fix supper after all this scrubbing.

And it wasn't even I Love Ashely Day!

Every Wednesday is I Love Ashely Day. However, on Monday, November 29th, we decided we'd celebrate Ashley. Even though it wasn't a Wednesday, it was her 22nd birthday! It was like Thanksgiving all over again--we prepared chicken, mash potatoes, corn on the cob, biscuits, steamed broccoli, and pink lemonade. The girls made salad and apple crisp (I may have forgotten something...there was a LOT of food). We were so caught up in the over-abundance of food that we almost forgot to get a candle and sing 'Happy Birthday'. Luckily, someone remembered before Ash finished her dessert.

Make a wish!

Me, Cia, Kadian, Ashley, Nelly, Emily, & David (what a lucky guy.). Notice the sign--her favorite color is green :)

Did I mention David is a lucky guy? I don't know how he managed to be invited to a party full of girls ;)

a good case of the giggles..

Kadian surrounded by her 2nd favorite Americans (because I win first favorite, of course. I am her twin).

awww

Too much love? Never!

Cia & Nelly, I always have to get a good twin picture :)

Christmas postcard

Ash & Em by their lovely Christmas tree

Trying to capture just the write pose...

So cute

So Ashley thought this was a little cheesy--but it's cute! :)

We gave her a chair to open her present from David

She had to bring it close to the couch so she didn't feel so far away

Having trouble ripping the paper off. She's one of those people. The kind that carefully open their presents, fearful that a centimeter of gift wrap might be damaged. Just kidding, Ashley ;) lol

David

After a little while she gave up and tore it open

*OOohh* *Ahhh*

Hooray! A lovely Honduran jersey.

Then Ashely and Emily did a good ole' country line dance for us

And David gave Ashley her first salsa lesson

Emily had to hold the music closer, because it was too quiet

Ashley caught on very quickly and did splendidly

Then we all told Kadian it was her turn.

After a little prodding, she obliged. So fun to see them dance. Kadian looked so happy :)

Unlike when I wanted to take a picture with her :P haha

our angelic pose

Kadian was still being difficult

Aw, there we go. A cute "twin" picture.

:)

They brought up something scary...

Birthday girl!

Using one of her favorite words, "This is precious."

Brain Mush

Have you ever been in a Facebook coma? Let me describe it to you, and maybe you'll be able to relate. Sometimes, I start by checking my Facebook. Then I look at the news feed and click on whatever intrigues me. Before I know it I'm looking at someone's cousin's friend's wedding pictures. Minutes slip into an hour or more. Where does the time go? How and why do I waste so much time looking at other people's lives, even people I don't know?!  Looking at other people's lives extensively doesn't make me feel content or thrilled to be where I am. Thinking up an interesting status to write or posting pictures of every detail of my life doesn't give me a sense of fulfillment.

Don't even try to come in my room and talk to me when I'm on Facebook. It will be of no use, my brain has long since become mush. Too much Facebook, my friends, is not a good past time. Speaking of friends, do I really even care to "keep in touch" with all 500+ of my "friends"? It's such a trap. Facebook seems like a great way to keep in touch with people. That's the really tragic part. We can tell ourselves, 'Oh, I need to check Facebook'. However, nothing on Facebook will ever mean more than a letter. Nothing on Facebook will ever be more meaningful than an actual conversation. Nothing on Facebook will ever inspire me as much as going for a walk outside. Although the statistics vary a little, research shows that about 50% of communication is body language, 40% is in how we say it (tone), and 10% is our actual words. Aj talked about this in our Intro to Overseas class, and ended by saying something to the effect of, "Ten percent guys, really?" I think it's pretty hard to justify that we're truly "keeping in touch" when 10% is all we have to work with. Not to say that nothing on Facebook can be meaningful, but it's really not worth as much time as I often find myself devoting to keeping up with it.

Letters, on the other hand, never leave me feeling like I just wasted precious hours of my life. There is something so special about a handwritten letter. Yes, we may still just be working with words, but read this:

In our modern world of instant communication and immediate access to tweets, texts, status updates and instant messaging, something is lost, and it is something wonderful, that is very romantic and meaningful. It is the thoughtful expression of sincere sentiment that can be view time and again. Technology also limits the experience of viewing these sentiments in loving hand-formed words. There is something very personal about a hand-written letter. It is an art and is arguable that it is in itself a loving act. --Mary Tucker

I encourage you to remember all the joys life has to share that make your soul feel alive. Whether by singing, writing, drawing, cooking, climbing a tree, going for a run, taking pictures, being in nature, volunteering your time, solving a puzzle, etc.

Here's to spending more time in real life, with my brain intact--Cheers! 

Most Important Questions

Thanksgiving Day. I woke up and tried to think of what I was thankful for. Why don't we live like that everyday? Wouldn't each day be better if I had a renewed sense of contentment, a fresh spark of joy in things often taken for granted, appreciation for all those around me that make my live so full. Everyone always says, "The older you get, the faster time flies!" With each passing year that cliche rings louder in my ears, and I wish for time to slow down. Then logic pops up, invited and impossible to ignore. Well friends, I've decided there is only one way we can combat this flying time. I'm not going to say, "Live every moment to the fullest!", "Make every minute count!" or the ever popular "Live. Laugh. Love.". Pllllease. Those might have made you think the first time you heard them. However, now they are so over-used that hearing them makes your eyes glaze over and your ears cry for something new. Or maybe that's just me. Haha.

Well anyway, I digress. The secret to being okay with the speed of time is to really live. How do you do that? Be at peace with the fact you could die any moment. I'm not saying you need to write your will and say your goodbyes--no. Ask yourself these questions: Do the people that matter most in my life know that I love them? Does my life have purpose? Am I reaching out to the people around me? [insert your own most important questions here]. What really matters in life is relationships, and I'm not talking about romance here (though that's great too!). Material things, success, power--true joy doesn't come from these things. For me, my purpose comes from God. He is the source of my love for others; thus, the more I know God, the more love I have to give. The more love I have to give, the stronger my relationships with people become. The stronger my relationships with others people, the more joy I have.


Much of this thinking was caused by a book I recently finished titled Tuesdays with Morrie. It's a true story that inspires some deep thinking. In the book, Morrie (the author's favorite college professor) talks about how our culture today doesn't make people feel good about themselves. If you buy into what American culture is selling, you will never be content. I really don't want to share a lot more about it, because I think you should read it for yourself. Reading about Morrie really made me think about all of the influential teachers I have been blessed with. The kind of subjects that Morrie talked about and how he said things really reminded me of my College Writing I professor, Dr. Fitts. Morrie kept bringing up the importance of community and relationships with the people around you, just like Dr. Fitts did in our writing class. I didn't fully grasp the message then. I think perhaps I needed to be in Honduras--away from my community, close friends, and family--to see how much relationships really matter.

God has blessed me abundantly with such a loving community here in Honduras. When I first came, I couldn't imagine crying when I left in the some distant day that seemed like an eternity away. Now, I'm having a hard time thinking about saying goodbye. This Thanksgiving, I felt more thankful than I ever have before. I baked up five batches of biscuits and as soon as the last one came out of the oven, we headed over to the Brewster's house to have Thanksgiving dinner. They help run a mission that helps women with mental disabilities and teenage mothers. The women and the babies live in a large apartment complex with Emily's parents. They were all joining us, along with our Spanish teacher and her husband, and David. We had around 35 people total. To be honest, when I first heard the number and thought of all the biscuits I would need to bake, I was thinking 'No, this is not the kind of Thanksgiving I had in mind.'

However, God had better things in mind. And there we were, serving up plates, buttering biscuits, pouring drinks when all of a sudden--the lights went out! The room irrupted in chatter, exclamations, and laughter. Within moments half a dozen cell phones came out to light up the room. Before too long, candles were out on the tables and a special kind of cozy glow settled down over the room. After all the plates had been served, we sat down and I had my first actual turkey Thanksgiving. We went around the table and all said what we were thankful for. The dinner ended with adorable little mini personal pan pumpkin pies with a squirt of whip cream on top. Ashley and I made the clean plate club. I never expected to be so full or to feel so thankful. After the dinner, we went outside to take more pictures and visit. Some of the women with special needs were so loving, constantly hugging us and holding our hands. Seeing their smiles and feeling so welcomed by these ladies that had just met me really got to my heart. As Mr. Brewster took us home, I was full of questions (those of you that know me best know how inquisitive I can be). We heard most of the stories of the teenage moms living there. The majority of them are about 14, each with a tragic story of their own.

This Thanksgiving was a lot more than I was anticipating. Getting to interact with the people at the mission really tugged at my heart. I don't have much free time, but I want to visit more often. Not because I think they need me. I want to visit because I think I need to learn from them. Ask yourself your most important questions, time isn't slowing down.