Outside "El Museo Historico"

This is my dear friend, Ely. We have been friends since my very first trip to Chile in 1992. We spent this day walking around downtown Santiago, perusing a historical museaum, checking out the cathedrals, eating ice cream, talking, laughing, and cherishing the blessings of this long distance friendship.

At home in Chile--playing UNO with my little brothers.

Who better than to share my first (in 2 years) game night experience with, than my best friend (and avid baseball fan), Vickie!!

One of the highlights of being "home", was this night at Busch Stadium. Even though it was probably one of the hottest nights of the year, it was sooo great to be welcomed back to baseball land!

Look who I ran into a week after I arrived back into the States! (I know this looks like a jungle setting, but we were really only in the mall!)

Fashion Alert

This just in...

Although I have yet to see the August edition of "InStyle," after being at the mall last week, I would swear that the ever-so-popular (IN THE 80's) "koolats" are making a comeback!

And upon talking this over with my fashion consultant, Vickie, today, she agreed. She said she saw them in another catalogue but they were called "gaucho pants."

Yes, I know I've been out of the country for quite some time. Yes, I know I have a tendency to fall victim to the latest fashion trends. But, all I have to say to this is that it doesn't matter what you call them....PEOPLE, YOU ARE STILL WEARING "KOOLATS!!!" Shorts-skirts by any other name are still koolats!

Have we lost all sense of creativity that we have no where else to turn but to the 80's? Don't people know that the 80's is the era that we look back on in the fashion world and cringe? Trust me on this one, this is a big mistake. Huge.

Well, I have to go shopping now.

Love...Hate

I LOVE the fact that I can go to the Dairy Queen any time that I want now.
I HATE the fact that my "wants" can quickly turn into "pounds" now.

I LOVE it that those I love most in the world are regularly blogging again.
I HATE it that I still have to read their thoughts online. (Because, while we may be on the same continent, physical distance still divides us....Can't we all just move to the same place?)

I LOVE it that I'm back to my addiction with reality t.v.
I HATE it that one simple little box can steal away the hours in my day.

I LOVE it that a week from today I'll be hanging out in Chile...having "oncé" with my family and trying desperately not to confuse my Spanish with Dari.
I HATE it that I'll be saying goodbye, yet again, at the end of those two weeks.

I LOVE it that I went to open another checking account yesterday and the bankteller had to ask me if I was over 18 (And YES, she was for real!).
I HATE it that I am so OVER 18.

I LOVE it that for a few brief days I looked tan.
I HATE it that my "tan" is now all peeling away.

I LOVE it that I'm procrastinating from a million other more pressing issues.
I HATE it that in order to attempt to complete any of those "pressing issues," I first need to clean my disastrous room.

I LOVE it that when I get tired, I have a tendency to ramble.
I HATE it that when I get tired, those ramblings eventually just beckon me to bed.

Missing

I think it was Suzie that gave me the nickname of "Shuffle" due to my ability to have any number of songs in my head or spewing from my mouth at any given time. And as I sit here, worn out from the day, I wish it didn't hold true. But it does. So as these lyrics are running through my head: "You don't know what you've got, till it's gone. You don't know what it's like, till...???" I'm thinking two things.

1. I wish Ben, Sarah and Suzie were here to help me finish this song. Anybody out there remember the rest? I probably will wake up in the middle of the night bursting out the words, but for now, I'm at a loss! I need a good 80's and 90's sing-along...especially the ones that we try to translate! ;-)

2. The reason this song even came into my head in the first place, had nothing to do with what you may think. No, people were not involved. Now, I told you in my last post that I am having very random thoughts and revelations these days. So are you ready for this? ....The reason this song popped into my head was because of roadkill. Yep. You read that correctly. In my nearly 2 years in K-town, I don't think I once saw any. Why? Don't animals ever get killed there? I have no answers to these perplexing questions. I just know that this was something that I never even knew I was missing...not until it was "gone", but until it was "found"...on nearly every drive I've made thus far.

Hmm... These deep thoughts were brought to you by "The Strawberry Blonde"

You Can Never Go Home Again

That world famous quote holds true, once again, as I find myself back at my parents' house after nearly 2 years in K-town. Although I lived in this same house from the summer before my fifth grade year until high school graduation (and then some summers in between...oh yeah, and the six months before I moved overseas), it still feels a bit strange to be here. Don't get me wrong, I'm loving it...it's just funny how what should be so familiar, can all at once seem so foreign. Of course, I'm processing most of these feelings internally, because I'm pretty sure if I were to voice these crazy thoughts, people would definitely think I've gone off the deep end.

Nonetheless, I'm happy to be back. And to honor that fact, I've decided to make aTop 10 list (in no particular order) of just some of the little pleasures of life that have brought me great joy in the 3 days I've been here:
1. Sunkissed skin.
2. Bike rides.
3. Cornfields (especially as the sun sets in the evening, shining it's golden rays on the bright green stalks).
4. Talking to my friends and family on the phone and not worrying about the cost.
5. Washer and Drier--The fact that I did about 5 loads of laundry in a 3 hour period yesterday was nothing short of a miracle.
6. Food options--ice cream, grilled pork chops, sonic drinks, etc.
7. Starbucks Mint Mocha Chip Frappuccinos.
8. Air Conditioning.
9. Clean Air.
10. Fields of fireflies illuminating the night.

I'm sure I'll add to this list as the days tarry on, but for now, I'll just say....
"There's no place like home."

I hate goodbyes.

It's Friday and I'm In Love

Not really, but that song keeps running through my mind. It is a Wednesday/Friday afternoon here and we just finished another week of school and a staff meeting to boot! Now there's only one more full week to go!

So is it bad that in the midst of these final days, I'm longing to be back in the States? And maybe it's not so much to be in the States, but the benefits that can be found there.

Right now I'm really missing my friends from home...people who know me deeply and love me inspite of myself. People who I can be real with...laugh with...cry with (although you know I don't like to do that!)...be silent with...and chill with.

I'm missing my freedoms...to walk around without my head uncovered...wearing short sleeves...flip-flops. I want to go out to eat...ride my bike...play tennis...sleep in...lay out...watch a movie...eat Starbucks' Java Chip ice cream.

I know all these things are coming soon, and I'm sure when I finally reach that place, I'll wonder how the time passed so quickly. But right now, I'm feeling a little bit sad and I thought maybe verbalizing these thoughts via this blog might help me in some small way. I know I'm looking for consolation in the wrong place...I should go pray instead.

Wedding Fun

Below you will find some pics from the wedding. It was great fun. Nothing like I've ever experienced before. The focus was so cool and I know that He was honored and glorified through it all.

And for all of you who were worried about my "shoe dilemma," I'm sorry to say that, much to my chagrin, I went with my black wedges. Uggh. What's a girl to do?! Suicide bomber...new shoes?? Luckily my dress covered most of my feet!

Before the prom...err, I mean wedding....and before I put this head covering on and mess everything up!

Check out the bling-bling! Would you call it "controlled?" This is a fancier dress than I wore to prom. :-) T, wish you could have been here for this occasion! You would have loved it!

I hope you're not all blinded by our pink! I'm not sure if you can see my friend in the middle's hair--but it's really cool.

This is my sweet little friend. Check out how dolled up she is! Complete with mascara!!

Cutting the cake...or should I say tower?

The Happy Couple!--Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. W!

Who's Bad?....Ok, I know it's me. :-) These are two of my students. We had dinner at their house the other night and I couldn't resist a little playtime! Their father is the Chief of Staff for the President of this country...He didn't seem to mind.