blog challenge 2009

I thought I had time for blogging. Apparently I don't. But that's about to change. And the reason is because I'm accepting a challenge. A challenge to blog once a day for the next 30 days about the highlights of 2009. The list is here. And so it begins.

can't wait!!

It's almost time. I leave for Michigan on Thursday night for a lovely red-eye to New Jersey (no, I am not kidding - I love Continental!) then on to the most cool Grand Rapids. I'm very excited - could you tell by my double exclamation points? I rarely do that.

My top five things I want to do:

1. Go to the beach! I'm tired of West Coasters making fun of Michigan's beaches. I miss fresh water that's warm enough to swim in. The Pacific is a huge ocean, yeah yeah yeah - but I can't lay out next to it or jump off a pier into it.

2. Spend some quality time with my niece and nephews. Seriously, Skype is amazing and I'm grateful for it. But I can't give Zach a zerbert, or color with Lauren, or march around with Max unless I'm there in person. Get ready guys!

3. Drive down to Chicago with my sister! I miss that city - it's always been one of my favorite places. I talked about moving there so much that people actually thought I did live there. Oops. Well, maybe someday. If we can, we're going to try to go to Webster's Wine Bar - one of my favorite places of all time. Seriously.

4. Enjoy the drive from Kalamazoo to Grand Rapids and back. Do you have any idea how many times I've made that drive? I love that I know every exit, gas station and where all the cops like to wait.

5. Go swimming in my parents' pool. Holy smokes - it has been in the upper 90s here twice this summer - no one has AC and I have literally almost melted. Well, maybe not. But I did have dreams/mirage-like visions of my parents pool. And I think I will do a cannon ball.

Of course, I can't wait to see so many people (and their new babies!) and drive past my old house and just do life with people I love and miss. See you in four days!

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?