travel and world views

time at my parents was relaxing, as usual. we had a good time just being together-we always do. puzzles, t.v. and projects. while i was home, mom asked if i would eat the cranberries...i suggested making a cranberry salad and what i would add to it. she looked at me and said, "who did you come from?" my parents aren't super adventurous when it comes to food...you may or may not recall the time i got them to go to get sushi with me...that won't ever happen again. but back to the point, it was good to be with them.

favorite parents ever!

the day before i left, i was able to make it into nixa to get my chacos (the actual flip flops, not my dog, thank you kristi!) and visit with robin, chris's wife, their daughters, and martha, the rees matriarch (smile). it was good to catch up, as i feel like every time i'm in town, time just flies by and we never get to touch base. the weather was a bit treacherous that evening, and there were all sorts of warnings, as the rain was ridiculous. in case you need background, we were on the mission field together with the rees family, and carmen was probably one of my first and dearest friends when we arrived to tegucigalpa. and chris and david, my brother were besties too. can you say that about guys? too late...i guess i can.

the next morning, i made my way home in a full 8 hours of rain. yea. the dogs were troopers, because we couldn't get out to walk at any point-the rain was stupid. i had to get home for a dental appt. that was scheduled for today, and it's good to be home.

travel. it is the best time to think (at least when i'm not mentally-or verbally making harsh comments about rude drivers around me...hopefully the boys don't pick up on my bad habits). anyhoo...i've been reading a book: generation me, which mentions bobos in paradise, which i own and have been meaning to read-now i am even more inclined to read it...but it really is interesting, in that it explains a lot about behavior that i notice, but had never really thought too deeply about.

one of the things mentioned is that the culture has changed to being a very self-centered culture, deciding what's good for 'me,' and the basis of decisions comes from a self-determined set of principles. while this is evident everywhere i look, it seems like such an ill-founded concept.

it made me think about my world views, and i have come to the conclusion that pretty much all of my world views are founded within scripture.

wisdom: from the time i read/heard the story of king solomon being asked what one thing he wanted and it would be granted to him, he chose WISDOM...i knew that was important. also james 3:13-18
keeping promises: let your yes be yes, and your no be no- james 5:12
work ethic: whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men...col.3:23
service: though i am free and belong to no man, i make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible I cor. 9:19
humility: do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. phil. 2:3-4
peace (personal): through following God's laws- great peace have they who love your law and NOTHING can make them stumble psalm 119:165
peace-making: let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. rom. 14:19
friendship: actually, all of these things fall into the idea of friendships and relationships, but the stories that stuck in my mind from sunday school were the friendships of david and jonathan, ruth and naomi, Jesus, john, peter...
edification: therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. I thes. 5:11
generosity: the macedonian churches who gave generously even in their difficulties II cor. 8, the widow who gave what she had
sexual immorality: I cor. 6:12-20

i could go on and on, but the point is, my world views come from a higher standard. not having a higher authority on your basic principles seems problematic. am i where i need to be by these standards? by no means!  i have work to do in every area, and i'm okay with that...the bigger point is that i have these principles embedded in my heart, and i know that it is by the grace of God and nothing that i can do to reach further and continue to grow!

ok, so i need to finish this book so that i can move on to bobos, recommended by my dear friend nika, years ago!

project going strong...just a few days, and lots to do!

this morning was a bit chilly out, but i decided i was going to try to run anyway. i do not enjoy the cold...i was breathing into my sleeve half the way around the park-must invest in a scarf or something like..i don't know, maybe a miniature heater for my face! (needless to say, it was rough going-ready for dallas weather again).

i heated up a tamale and took it with me so that i could eat on the way to my next stop...

courtesy of ms. samarripa's lady who does tamales--they were not bad, not bad at all!

i was going to stop at an antique store to look for some drawer pulls, but unfortunately, they were closed, so i drove down i-44 because i knew that i'd seen a billboard for one the other day. unfortunately it was further than i thought. and they didn't really have what i was looking for. so on the return, i stopped at lowes for some additional materials that i needed ... i asked this one employee if he could help me with some hinges..i should've known better than to ask anyone for help, because the guy came over, looked at all of the hinges, and pulled out a regular old hinge and said, "this should work, you just put it on the inside like this..." i smiled, nodded and thought, 'please leave so i can look this up on google and get it right.' should.have.known. anyhoo-got my things, came home, and mom and dad had already left to go drop of Christmas things for some of the families at the trailer park-church ministry. 

so i jumped right in and got to work on my project. i finished sanding and started painting...i kinda' changed up my original plan and it morphed into something artistic--sorry dad. he put up with these changes, and i certainly do appreciate that he is working on this with me, because i would've gone strictly by: OH, THAT LOOKS PRETTY GOOD...whereas, he, being the perfectionist that he is, and math person, measured everything-fractionated (new word for whatever he was doing with the fractions...don't judge). and then did the major cuts...he was having a hard time envisioning what i had in mind, so i had to do a mock layout for him, now we're on the same page...and i'm a mess.

oddly enough, the colors are not that indicative of what i am working on...i know..weird, right?

had to share a pic of the boys for jo anne, because i couldn't leave them with her (my parents would have been disappointed!)

they are thrilled to be at mom and dad's they cozied right up to the new house.

so after working all afternoon, i ran out of something, so i had to sneak back into town, and when i came out, there was a beautiful sunset, and i'm so glad i didn't miss it! i am a sucker for beauty, and sunrises and sunsets take my breath away!

even at the lowe's parking lot!

i'd be lying if i said i wasn't missing my people in dallas a little...but there are still things to be done here, and time to be well spent! i am going to make my best effort to get down to nixa on saturday afternoon to see the rest of the rees family--it's been a long time trying to connect, so i am going to do whatever i can to make it happen this time! (carmen's family)...i was reminded by chris that they have been storing my flip flops since the last time i was there! i'd clearly forgotten about them, but i am now somewhat excited to be reacquainted with this stellar footwear. i'm pretty sure they kept them hidden away in the back of the closet as a way to tempt me and lure me back...it worked! saturday, it's a date!

and tonight i had the sweetest voice message from my 'lil sis' sheryl...we have been trying get a call together via skype, but timing just hasn't worked out, so she sent the most endearing message. to the moon and back, dear friend, to the moon and back! 

happy Christmas Eve! get to bed, or santa can't leave toys...go! now!

julie

bucket lists and friends for life in the most random of places

today was great--i was able to get up at a decent hour, even though i didn't really want to. but it was worth it. i was able to contact carmen, who lives here in lebanon. we've know each other since i was in 6th grade and she was in 7th and have been friends through that time. i am grateful for that, because it's a comfort to be able to have that much history with someone. it's been years since we've been able to catch up in person, so our time together was precious. we will certainly be doing this again. her family is family to me-that's the way missionary families work. and i love it that hers all live so close-next time hopefully we can arrange it so that we can all get together, because i think the world of her parents, and i absolutely adore chris' wife, robin-we've only met in person once, but i'd choose her for a friend any day of the week; she's one of those people who just has a certain charisma that attracts people to her! and carrie-i miss that one too-sassy with an adorable family!

carmen is one of the sweetest, kindest friends that i know. she has a tender heart and is a positive influence on so many of her friends and students she works with. i am honored to call her friend!

we had a lot of catching up to do, and i brought up something that i'd actually been thinking about on the trip here, and she kinda' had the same inclination toward it as i did-and for good reason-

bucket lists. i love the idea, but i have never made one...at least not physically. maybe it's because if i actually put it out there on paper, it becomes a commitment and a personal expectation and i don't want to disappoint myself by not getting around to it......well, i really don't know why. there are tons of things that i'd love to do and see, but i suppose, i just don't put a ton of stock in major events. don't hear me wrong, i LOVE events and doing things, but in my experience, life is more about the small moments that happen than the big event in-and-of-itself. i think it's because i am highly relational. for me it's the car ride, the plane ride, the jokes, the serious moments, the laughter, the random facts, the waiting in line, the accidents, the frustrations, the sincerity, the music, the art, the food, the relaxation, the exhaustion...it's the authentic moments that make up the best parts of my life, not so much the big events.

as i was thinking about this tonight, my recent trips came to mind. when i visited HONDURAS, it wasn't the trip in and of itself, and seeing home and feeling home, it was the moments with yani, juan pablo, sheryl, carolina,  erika and their loved ones that made the trip...visiting carrie in va...there are tons of things to do in va and dc, but truly just sitting at their table, drinking coffee was heaven, and sitting around the fire pit watching the fire and the embers die-that's where the memories were. miami with karla, jacy and hellen-dinner time..then just running errands with hellen and enjoying her presence doing the daily routine-full heart. orlando-brandy...putting pictures on the wall, eating, driving around...lots to do in orlando, but you know what? i was more content just to share time, memories and conversation...now shea on the other hand..she loves to do! so we did a ton! but even with that, it was the laughter and personal time that made all the difference.

that said, i think i may actually create this bucket list, but the most important part of this endeavor will be getting the right people to be part of the adventures, because that's where the magic happens. relationships are bigger than events. events are more fun with the right people. and i have a lot of 'right people', they're just a little spread out.

what else did i do today? well, i got to shoot.

got new ears- now i'm seriously wanting a rifle...i know...i know, let's not get crazy.

need to tighten up my shots (did fine with the 9mm, but when i went down to the .22, i was a little hasty and the gun is lighter, so my adjustment was not ideal..)

my dad always tries to set me up to shoot when i come home. this time he figured the wood pile behind several wooden boards, and a tin door from an old freezer....and a piece of plywood on the back side...and well... it still wasn't enough....

so...some of the shots must've sneaked through the holes in the wood pile, because i'm pretty sure these bullet-sized indentations were not there prior to my practice...oops. good thing it was just the back of the garage...and better thing that dad is such a good sport and really laid back about stuff like that! we have a little researching to do! 

fun fact: carmen and her husband enjoy going to the range to shoot as well!! maybe we'll make a fun day of it next trip to town!

and back at the ranch (that's not a ranch..just an old house in the country with no cell service for me), we also got some father-daughter bonding time in today, as we began to work on some shelves-my dad is pretty much jack of all trades-he especially loves woodwork, and has the tools to play. so he enjoys helping me make things! this is a great thing! we measured it all out and got started, then the electricity went out in the workshop area, so we delayed for a bit...tomorrow i continue with the sanding and possibly staining the wood--thinking dark...or light...or natural...(does that narrow it down?)

love the power tools

nothing beats a good power sander!!

so we're getting it all prepared, pre-drilling holes, finding the right hardware, and basically it will be ready to piece together when i return home to dallas. i just had an idea for it that makes it even more exciting--not sharing...until it's done!

may your days be merry and bright!

julie

Christmas break 2015--just keepin' it real

ok, i have been 'home' since sunday, only it isn't really home, it is mom and dad's new place. i try to get over to see my parents as often as possible, because they are special to me (is there really any other reason?). anyhoo. for some reason this time has been more difficult than usual. i love being with them, i love relaxing and having 0 responsibilities...so why so difficult?

i think unwinding is hard. i'd gotten used to the pace, and going, going, going and now not having anywhere to go or anyone to go with is a hard change of pace. but i know it's good to reboot.

i have enjoyed finding a spot to run, regardless of how slow my pace is, at least i'm doing it..i also did a lap around the little neighborhood on the other side of the road with ranger-the dog i named. i'm really growing quite fond of him! he accompanied me from mom and dad's and just kinda took off, staying about 25-50 ft from me. then a huge mastiff came running up behind us and got a little too close to ranger so i ran up to him because ranger is not an alpha, he's a sweetie...and i yelled at the other dog to go home and pointed him home until he obeyed...then the same thing happened a little further up with a boxer, who was a little less friendly, but he ended up listening and leaving as well. so we believe that ranger is a herding dog, and i was going to share a video of him, as proof, but alas, i think there were file-size problems...and now everything is slow, so i can't even upload the pics that i wanted to of just the dog. boo, rural missouri. boo.

so, this is the one i'd take home! smart one, he is!

and this is the park i've been frequenting while here in lebanon. it's cute. it's quaint. it works!

what else has been difficult? well, seeing friends doing things with family and friends and the close bonds and affection. i love it that so many of my friends have such tight-knit families- if i were being 100% honest, i long for that. my family has never been super affectionate; i am more than anyone in my immediate family, and i find that i desire and miss that-that's my HONDURAN side showing through. this is why it's at times like this that i really wish i had a sister. now this is nothing new. i've always wished i had a sister; thankfully i have sheryl and erika, who are like sisters-only sadly they are both thousands of miles away. boo. i miss them greatly and often (and i don't tell them nearly enough). seeing so many friends-classmates and schoolmates back in sps getting together and getting the opportunity to reunite-that's always difficult! (note to self, must set up a skype or hangout with sheryl tomorrow and erika and hellen soon for a coffee date! next best thing!)

i re-read a blog post  from last year that added to the feeling of unsettled-ness...sorry, hopefully this isn't a bummer, there is good to come, hang tight. but the blog post was speaking to the love/hate relationship with Christmas. parts of it resonated with me, and i think the important thing that i need to keep bringing myself back to is that this season is not about me! nothing about Christmas is about me...i need to keep my focus and remember that! i love the last advent service that i went to-it was about joy--not only the joy of the remembrance that our Savior was born, but even a bigger JOY in looking to the future and the fact that he is coming again! that is where i need to focus.

i truly did enjoy the candle-light service and was very proud of my mom, who sang O Holy Night 

and then mom makes bearclaws (a favorite)

and cranberry bread-hard to pass up...

another difficulty is the food. but it's a yummy problem to have...mom loves to cook and bake more than i do, and it's all so delicious, that i have to really monitor myself to ensure that it's all in moderation! yikes.
that 'real struggle' that everyone's been talkin' about...yep...it's real.

so i've been trying to do well, but this isn't quite as good...

and i may be at my wits end with my phone-it has been a little on the lame side the past few days...it may just need a new battery, i may just need a new phone. she's been good to me, but we may have to put her down gently.

so....one of the best things about this break to date was getting a text from one of my good friends this morning-it lifted my spirit, just to hear from a friend--i thrive on these things! it was a simple text, but that's all i needed, because it was thoughtful. she is starting a book that we spoke about over our orlando trip, and i am so excited for her to finish it! my hope is that it will be as good of a tool for her in understanding and meeting others' needs as it has been for me! i first read this book when trish, my mentor and friend, introduced it to me years ago- i remember seeing it on her shelf at the old house--good read! and because she sent that text this morning, it inspired me to want to sit and read over break...only i didn't bring some of the reads i wanted to get to-i may need to take another trip into springfield tomorrow to barnes and noble!

alrighty then...this is where i call it a night! blessings!
julie

not getting everything done as planned is not always a bad thing

the truth of the matter is that i should be packing. actually i should have been packed...ok, i should have been packed and left early this morning. aaaaannnnnnddd it's noon. the best part about being an adult is that you can change your plans--which is something i love about being me. spontaneity doesn't scare me. changes to plans happen...flexibility is a necessity. 

that said, i am okay with leaving a little later than originally planned, because the things that kept me from being ready were completely worth it.spending time with friends running errands, Christmas shows, running errands, late-night grocery shopping...writing cards (still behind-some of those things may turn into new years cards! *please see paragraph one and work with me-flexibility ya'all). seriously though, one of my major love languages is quality time-and to be quite honest, quality time for me is so easy because it ranges from just driving around taking in the sights or just sitting around chatting over coffee to rock-climbing, caving, splashing in the ocean...i'm pretty easy, i just like being around friends; in my mind, i'm pretty low maintenance, as little drama as possible. (i don't think i'm delusional...i'm pretty sure that's accurate, if not, someone please correct me!) 

so Christmas enjoyment was pretty much packed into one week-as far as the shows go. a friend and i went to the nutcracker for the first time (originally three of us were going, but friend #3 ended up not being able to go, which made me so sad, as i KNOW she would've loved it! no worries, there will be other fun events). so we made our way to bass hall in fort worth, looking for places to eat-nothing really anywhere was open, and it was close to showtime, so we just went straight to the parking garage (and by straight, i mean i pretty much didn't follow the signs diligently, nor listen to my co-pilot very well, so straight is just a figure of speech...but after several turns, through the one way maze that is ft. worth, we made it to the parking garage).

thankfully they had sippy cups, so we were able to take our drinks into the show. once we found our seats-which were not too bad, there was a slight annoyance behind us called: coughing, sneezing child... is there an etiquette thing about that? anyhoo...being the first experience of this particular ballet, i wasn't sure exactly what to expect (apart from knowing all of the music-one of my favorite Christmas listens)...so the first scene was so difficult to take in because there was so much going on, and i didn't know where to focus my attention. there were some particularly funny parts, and let's not lie about it, when they got to the different countries, those china-men-dancers were amazing! i was impressed-

beautiful theater

thankful for sippy cups at artistic events!

so, yes, there were some funny moments in the program, (i.e. the girl cradling the nutcracker like a baby doll and treating the ugly thing with the utmost of care...slightly amusing)...but one of the funniest moments of the night was when we were going back and trying to remember which floor we'd parked on...so we got of on one floor, looked around, then decided it would be quickest to use the key fob to see if we could hear the car a floor above or below...please note that everyone else was doing the same thing, and there were horns going off all over the place, so with a well timed try, it worked! but that's not the funny part. the comedy was when we were waiting for the elevator to go up to the next floor, and someone-i won't mention names..cough cough nicolette cough was admiring her new coat in the window and saying something about how much she loved it, as the elevator door was open, waiting for us-but her back was turned, so she didn't realize there was an elevator full of people watching her admire her coat...i couldn't contain my laughter, even as we got into the elevator..i tried, but when you try to stifle laughter, it's even worse! now, to her credit, I LOVE HER COAT TOO- it is fabulous...i just didn't realize that she was still working through her feelings for it...after out stifled giggles died down and we found the car, then we grabbed something to eat afterward, as by this point i think we were both a little hungry.

another necessary task- i found a day to give the boys a trim-they were getting to look like ewoks, and that is usually the indicator that something should be done. as you know, i am all about doing it myself-why pay someone else, when you can do a butcher job yourself? they love/hate it, the only part that they love is that i don't put crazy accessories on after the fact (we save those for special occasions-and it's been awhile).

bruno actually thanked me-shows his maturity...chaco tried to convince me that the girls are into long and shaggy....i explained that girls who like long and shaggy probably aren't right for him.

midweek was elf, the musical. i was a little skeptical at first, as loving the movie so much could be a negative. and i wasn't certain where all of the music was going to come from. it had its moments..artistic liberties. some funny ad lib...but what it comes down to is that it wasn't will ferrel (e sounds like a long a, because of the double r...in case you were wondering...emphasis on the first syllable). but i would say it is a great family show!

worth it just to experience it!

the past two weeks were long, and arduous at school because we had a ridiculous amount of testing for our students-my sympathies to students and teachers alike. it was rough.

and i just looked at my last post to see what i had included, and since it was posted on the 3rd, i realized that i haven't mentioned UIL. i inadvertently got involved with this effort-but now i am glad i was conned into it, because i really like the students who are participating-they are rock stars! and i will get a chance to work with them through our next competition-which is the real deal in april. they participated off the cuff, as we had no time to really prep, so they kinda went in blind, but they got their feet wet and i believe they enjoyed just being able to hang out and enjoy each other. it was a full saturday for sure. and we got their results-we really weren't expecting anything, but two of our 4th graders placed in the top to out of 99 and 100!! that was incredibly exciting! proud of them!!

fun kids-they were so excited to get outside to play (december 5th with short sleeve shirts-thx tx!)

 we made a list of must-haves for next time-we were a little unprepared-thanks to having to go through a middle man! but it's all good-it was a good first experience!

this girl put a lot of work into registering and getting everything ready for the kids to be able to participate-barely meeting deadlines- no one told her to close her eyes, but it's indicative of the exhaustion of the week!

and like i said, the last couple of weeks were crazy with all of the testing, then there was the winter carnival-which was very successful! kudos to the pta, mrs. estrada, and admin. for doing a great job in promoting this effort! they raised a significant amount for our campus! and a huge shout-out to our staff who manned the games, as it never would've functioned without them!! and lastly, the clean-up crew a couple of dedicated teachers-you know who you are, and some amazing parents!!

after that, i needed to unwind, so i took a little drive, and that's when i saw this off to the side-this pic doesn't do it justice, it was so pretty, it caught my eye, and i had to go back to get a pic. i need to do this more often!

magical 

oh! and i was so excited that my order came in with some of my favorite things-thanks to lindsey wheeler, and her amazing ministry bottle of tears... very simple ornament with personal message inside-i loved them when i saw them! they were perfect.

thanks linds, for being such an inspiration!!

on that note, i leave you-
julie

still walking: i fie on thee, cold weather!

alrighty then...december has arrived...and i am behind on my Christmas cards...only because i insist on writing an actual letter in every single one of them! i need to stop procrastinating, because i really like these cards!!

so. things continue to be busy and i am not surprised. i will say that i have had a great time being in classrooms to teach/co-teach/model! i have really enjoyed the kids this year. i'd forgotten how much fun it is to interact with them and just enjoy them and let them know that they are special...when did that happen? shame on me. (not even joking). like they say at momentous, chase the WHY. always try to find something positive (even if it's just that they spelled the cuss word correctly...baby, you seem to have a grip on your spelling-, now let's talk about that).

i find it hard to believe that last week was Thanksgiving-it seems like that was so long ago. i would like to take this opportunity to say that i have continued on my morning walks-and to be quite clear, i probably wouldn't be so faithful were it not for having an accountability partner, because 4:00 comes early when walking begins at 5! but i wouldn't have it any other way. i think she nailed it on the head this morning-it really does make my day 100X better to start out exercising (and i add: with a friend and just touching base in the morning to jump-start the day). so yes, consistency has been good-even in the chill of the morning. (now, if i were in iowa, this could never happen b/c we'd be ice statues as our blood would coagulate before we made our route!)

that said, i did go to get new shoes- i told the guy, "walking/light jogging" and so he pointed out two pair, and so i asked him which one he suggested, which led me to the pair that was on sale. awesome. [a side-note- i saw a student while i was there, and it was fine, because it was a student who could actually carry on a conversation, not just sit there staring awkwardly]. so i proceeded to wear these and sure enough-it never fails: blisters-good thing i had blister bandaids from orlando still! i may have to invest in more, so i am switching shoes back and forth until they get broken in. but here's something crazy, i went out this evening to walk/jog the intervals, and surprisingly the rub was more while i was walking-it felt much better on my feet when i was actually moving. (unintended motivation? perhaps.)

did a little running around to get there, but we got
there, and it wasn't a surprise ending...i didn't read the
books, but i'm pretty good with those predictions..

unfortunately, friday it rained all day and into the night, so that was kind of a bummer. i did run that morning-in the rain, but the lighting ceremony was off, so instead, we opted to catch mockingjay II. the theater that we were hoping to watch it at was not playing, so we found another close to school, and must've caught the kiddie show, because the teen-young adult boys behind us were 3 year old girls. jerks.

every once in awhile after church, there is a detour to
cane's for fries..ok, pretty consistent...good thing for walking!

saturday-full day of errands, culminating with church-which was the beginning of advent. excited about that, but it was strange, because it seems like the study that they were doing just kinda' abruptly stopped-perhaps it will pick back up.

sunday we were going to go walking, but it was raining all morning, so we postponed and ended up going later in the afternoon. only we didn't do the usual route. "julie, wanna' walk to school just to see how long it takes?" me:SURE! i was actually surprised that it really didn't take that long, and it wasn't as far as i'd anticipated. so on the return we decided to take the long way around and while it was a great walk, it would've been better if there'd been sidewalks the entire way, because at one point, while traversing a huge puddle, i worried that i was about to lose my walking partner-she's a trooper! wet socks, shoes and all!! at least it didn't begin to rain until we pretty much reached home base! perfect timing...which calls for a reward--i think reward that day was soup! something to warm up-and this was the point where my tooth was killing me! (i didn't mention it had been sensitive since thursday, but sunday it was as if every nerve ending was under attack!).

i scheduled a dental appt for tuesday, then i had to go in wednesday. that is a post all on it's own, so i will close for today and we'll have that conversation seperately!

from tonight's walk/jog- it was great weather!

night!
julie