thursday...

And I'm in the backyard, enjoying a fantastic summer night.









I'm exhausted - last week I got in from Nicaragua at 2 AM on Tuesday night. Fortunately, I have amazing roommates and one of them got out of bed to pick me up from the airport. Seriously - I owe that girl. I didn't feel great last weekend (I think it was the pupusas) and this week has been midnight to bed every night. I'm on my way to a little concert in a few, and will try to be in bed before 11. We'll see how that goes...

I went to Spanish conversation group last night, which I love. I get to practice listening, speaking and we have pretty interesting conversation. Last night, we discussed the coup in Honduras - if you think it's difficult to discuss in English, try Spanish. But I loved hearing the different perspectives. I'm not sure yet if I totally oppose it - but would love to hear your thoughts...

My next trip is to Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo from August 28 through Labor Day. I cannot wait. I'm planning on a real beach (yeah, that's what I said), pool time, a little humidity and some serious family time. And I'm thinking about a little jaunt to SoCal this fall. We will see.

A few extras: Just bought and read A Praying Life by Paul Miller - excellent book, I recommend it. Also just bought (and I mean like 4 minutes ago) Phoenix's Wolfgang Amadeus album from iTunes. Another good find. Recently read Relentless Pursuit - about life with Teach for America. I think I'm ready for some fiction. Suggestions?

nica!

It's warm - maybe 84 and I'm waiting for dinner. Beth is taking a shower after a day at the markets in Masaya and an amazing swim in Laguna de Apoyo - a lake created by a volcanic implosion about 23,000 years ago. I did a handstand, so I guess I can say that I touched a volcano with my hand. Boo-ya.

Nicaragua is beautiful. It's hot, tropical and Latin and I love it. I am practicing my Spanish with Beth which has been awesome and in the market today too. Some things remind me so much of Chile!

Beth and I just got upgraded to private rooms - instead of the dorm - at our hostel. Last night we were in an open air dorm with three other girls - it is the closest to the water, so we basically fell asleep listening to the waves.

So why Nicaragua? My friend Beth is working with an organization in Managua that provides community health services. She specifically coordinates trips for groups that come down to travel around and provide various medical, dental or construction services. And she'll be here for three years - so I thought I should come see what she's up to!

I can't say enough how fortunate I feel to be able to travel, and especially to be able to visit someone I know. God is providing for her in so many ways and it's humbling to see that. Even the people we've been talking to here at the hostel share their stories about the work they're doing and I see that God is moving here. Gracias a Dios!

the underdogs

Today was a fantastic day for US soccer - the men's team upset Spain, beating them 2-0 in a game they were largely expected to lose. I don't know what happens when I watch those games, but I get all antsy and my heart beats really fast and I "say" things like my dad - Switch fields! Outside, outside!! Be there!!!

Fortunately, we have a big TV in our office, so we watched during lunch and I am not lying when I say that I literally jumped out of my chair when we scored the second goal. Here are some highlights: Footytube (just click on it). I don't know what language it is, but all you need to know is that US's goalie had a phenomenal game and the foul at the end was a ridiculous call.

I leave for Nicaragua in exactly one week and I cannot wait - to see Beth, to meet Nicaragua, to speak Spanish and to relax. The plan is to head to Laguna de Apoyo and stay for a couple of nights at Crater's Edge and it looks amazing. Hopefully we don't get rained out.

Two last things: FutureMe - a website that allows you to write emails to yourself in the future, provided that you keep the same email address. I think I might do it. And the verse I've been looking at all week on our new kitchen message board:

oh the irony

I don't think my roommates found this as funny as I did. Maybe it was because I was trying to talk to them while they were on their computers.

You know you do it!

please excues the typos

I think I was an English teacher in my last life. Or at least an editor. I have a thing for words - I'm kind of spelling spaz, I'm always fake-typing when I'm bored and it drives me crazy to see typos and easy grammatical errors - especially in public places. Maybe I need to define "public place" but recently I came across a blog where the author excuses her spelling errors because it's just a blog. Granted, she writes every day, but it's not like it's a blog about her dog or the pie she made last weekend. It's more like professional career advice, writing about jobs and work - where a typo can cost someone an interview or a new client.

Some might argue that if one's point is made, if the idea is conveyed, then the minor details are a moot point. But quality is quality - from the tiniest of details to the grandest of ideas. And I'm worried that we're increasingly satisfied with decreasing standards.

So, in a small act of quality control, I urge you to be conscious of what you are sharing with the world - whether it's an email to your friend, a birthday card for your daughter or a blog post about how cool it is to be Dutch. If we don't insist on the best, who will?

a few things:

1. I promise to write more - if not for your enjoyment, for my much-needed practice.
2. God is good. He has given me so much in Portland, and though I miss my family like crazy, I am here, and present.
3. Some of the craziness that I call my life lately:

• my girl Steph visited last weekend, and even though the weather was not great, we went to the coast, hiked in the Gorge, got a tour of a brewery and ate out SO GOOD. She and I are kindergarten buddies, and she will always be a close, close friend.
• My car is on clutch #2 - in nine months!
• Nina Simone rocks my world.
• I am headed to Nicaragua in 3 weeks to visit my friend Beth!
• I had a visit from my volunteer bud Christy on Sunday - I miss that girl (and her hilarious laugh!)

On a more serious note, I know a lovely couple in Grand Rapids who recently found out that one of them has a brain tumor. David and Amy are two amazing people, and David's courage and faith is reminding me about who God is and who he calls us to be.

I've also been thinking about purpose, drive, passion and reality lately. After I graduated from college (8 years ago!), I worked in marketing and it was an interesting experience. But I chose to quit my job and move to Chile for four months - now I'm not sure where I stand. I'm not sure what I truly want to pursue, although I know that there is something that I am passionate about. It's just escaping me, or I'm afraid to go after whatever it is. I'm needing courage right now, determination, and a healthy dose of reality...

lenting

i'm writing on a deliciously portland evening - finally, it's rainy and gray and it feels very northwest. my roommates are out of the house - and i'm resisting the urge to turn on anything with noise. so it's me, the ticking clocks and the rain.

i say delicious because i have been consumed with food lately. or maybe i've been consuming a lot of food? either way, all of my reading lately has inspired a compost bin, a csa (community supported agriculture) membership with my roommate, and some tasty treats like tomato jam with goat cheese, lynnie's roasted red pepper dip and valentine's day eggs in a nest :)

i have a few books in the hopper - exposed, about chemicals, our health and politics (scary!), the omnivore's dilemma (the prequel to "in defense of food" which was fantastic) and orthodoxy by g.k. chesterton. the last is one that i've been struggling to read (confession: i read it when i need to fall asleep). but i have faith that it will eventually get rolling and i will be as impressed as everyone else.

what else? i just watched "king corn" this weekend, an interesting documentary about how much corn we grow and eat and process here in the states. i am grimacing right now, partly because of how ubiquitous corn is and we don't even know it, and partly because i had greasy, butter popcorn this afternoon and loved it. anyway, it's a good film - rent it.

so, tomorrow is ash wednesday... and i'm debating whether or not to give up anything. two years ago i gave up coffee, then ended up visiting seattle for the first time (coffee capital!) in the middle of lent. i was there with a pastor, so i asked his professional opinion on whether or not i could break the fast. i mean, come on - i was in seattle. he kind of rolled his eyes, sighed, and asked me why i was fasting in the first place. and i really had no other answer than that i was doing what you're supposed to do at lent. two hours later, i was drinking coffee, strolling down the street towards pike place market - and then spilled all over my shirt. it was like getting the stink-eye from god. moral of the story? don't give up something unless you really mean it...

happy lent!