BROOKIE ;)

8 hour ride!!!

2006-09-23T22:45:00.000-04:00

~*~this should have been posted on Sept. 23, but i had some problems publishing it so here it is now~*~

Might i start by saying that today was the funnest (is that a word?) day of my entire life. A group of us (Andrea and Melvin, Jose and Chastity, Me and Christian, Gio, Jochi, and Wiliam) left this morning at 9:00 to make the long trip up to Constansa on bike. Us three girls were very nervous at first, but it didn't take us long to relax. This picture is of the first place we stopped to take a break...we are looking down on Jarabacoa. This is me and Christian! He asked me about two weeks ago if i would go with him up to Constansa. He has become a really good friend of mine! After we got to Constansa we went up the mountain to a waterfall called "agua blanca". Once we crested (that word is for you alicia) over the mountain, Cristian pointed out something off in the distance...i just smiled, not knowing what exactly i was to be looking at then he told me that that was were we were going. It looked like a sheet of silver sticking into the side of the mountain, but the closer we got i realized it was a waterfall. Makes sense now why it is called 'Agua Blanca' (white water). It was so beautiful/breathe taking and the biggest waterfall that i have seen here! I love God's creation (it gives me warm fuzzy feelings inside...hehe)! I am sure he was looking down from Heaven smiling and saying "yea, i did that for you!" Sometimes i forget to stop and take the time to look for God's little love messages to us, but this one took my breathe away! God is a romantic God!
On some of the roads there were big mud puddles and the guys thought it would be funny to see how dirty we could get. Yep...they got us pretty dirty, but it was so much fun and we (us girls) couldn't stop smiling. On the way up to this really amazing look out place (which we ended up not getting through) Cristian layed the bike down. I was so scared, but couldn't stop laughing. Everything kinda hurt at first, but i didn't get hurt...just a few little scratches and bruises. Cristian cut his knee open, but all in all we were both fine. That has always been my worse fear when riding, but God protected us both...for that i am thankful.

2006-09-23T22:01:00.000-04:00

55 roses! From who you might ask?!? yeah, i am still wondering the same thing. Tuesday they were delievered to me at the school with a small card attached. The card said "I can't help falling in love with you, Bruck! att: Dr. Peurlte (Nathan)" I must admit that it really grates on me the way people spell my name here, but aside from that who is this Doctor?!? i'll admit at first i had no clue who nathan was, but then i remembered from the day before when Mecho (the director of the school) told me that a guy named Nathan (Natan) was in love with me. Turns out that the roses were from this guy that goes to the same church as me, but i don't even know him and just a week earlier we had been introduced for the first time. The only thing he knows about me is that my name is Brooke (or Bruck). We are not even friends so it made receiving 55 roses from him really ackward. Good thing he is a Doctor (or more so, dentist) because i was informed that the roses i received where well over 1,500 pesos (more then $50)! Seems like you would want to wait to spend that much money until you at least had a friendship going. whatever! i will just have to enjoy them till they die! hehe!

lazy day

2006-09-10T23:24:00.000-04:00

Saturday morning we (ryan, lynn, anna, kent, anthony, chastity, and andrea) went and hiked up to the antenna. it was kinda a hard hike up 'cuz it was so steep, but it was a lot of fun. we spent a little over an hour at the top hanging out and then came back down to go to Biaguate waterfall. then from there we went to 'la confluencia'! i really like going there because it is where two rivers meet. the one river is warmer, but dirtier then the one that it flows into which is cold, but usually really blue! it was a long day, but a lot of fun getting to know 'the americans' (hehe) better!

R.I.P. Terron ~ sniff, sniff!

2006-09-10T23:21:00.000-04:00

~*~Grab a kleenex and a hand to hold before you read~*~
Saturday i had spent the day with some friends (as you can see in the post above) and returned back to the house later in the afternoon. When i walked through the door i expected to be greeted by mitsy (the dog), but she was nowhere to be found so i made my way back to my room and at the end of the hall i was horrified to see mitsy guarding some black rodent on her bed. I was for sure it was a mouse as shivers crawled down my back, but as i drew nearer i realized that it was no mouse at all, but a bat! BUT GOD, WHY? "please not terron" i gasped. my heart fell to the bottom of my stomach as i grieved the lose of a faithful midnight friend. Our times together came together as a movie in my head and as i knelt down, i remembered the first time we met and the first time he scared me so bad that i hid under the table. i remembered all the laughs we had as he flew above us and all the reassuring we had to do to other people because of their fear of him. All in all, he was a faithful friend. May he rest in peace!
okay! so for real though, i came walking back to my room and mitsy was guarding it like it was her job. i freaked out a bit and went and got arlene. we thought it was dead so we had our heads right down by it when it moved...which sent us running and screaming down the hall. we returned moments later, after brainstorming, with a garbage can. the plan was that arlene would pick up the cushion and hold it over the trash while i scraped it off the cushion into the trash can with the lid. trial and error. the bat fall off as soon as arlene picked up the cushion which once again sent us running and screaming. we returned moments later to see mitsy pawing at it and it was kinda making this screaching sound. it started to crawl around using his arm thingies, but we thought he was dying so i grabed the dust pan and the tiny broom and swept him into it and put him in the trash and closed the lid. we were so proud of ourselves to be told moments later that we had trapped a live and healthy bat by the guy that was to much of a pansiy to help us. we kinda forgot the fact that bats can't see during the day. i tried to defend our actions by telling him that he could have flown at us, but he shot me down with the fact that bats are not like birds....they have to crawl up to a high place and then fall/guide down. so if you come over, don't open the trash can outside!

God's Faithfulness!

2006-09-03T13:42:00.000-04:00

Now that summer groups are over and Kevin and Joel have left, the house seems really quiet. It feels good to slow down and have more time to relax, but i really miss all the friendships from this summer. Troyers leave on thursday to go back to the states for two and a half weeks and i have been praying that things would go smoothly for them and that they would have a wonderful time, but also that time would go fast for me (since alicia won't be here to do crazy stuff with) ! God is so faithful...last thursday night we had an american family over for supper (because the dad will be teaching alicia geometry) and they have five kids (ages 20~Lynn,17~Kent,15~Ryan,13~Anna,10~Sara). alicia and i had a lot of fun with there two sons and later when their daughter came, we hit it off right away! You would have thought we knew each other for years. Yesterday we all went to the river for the afternoon and then last night we went and ate chinese and watched a movie back at their house. I am excited to get to know them better! this pic is off Lynn, Alicia, and me!

Last weekend!

2006-09-01T17:30:00.000-04:00

Last weekend all the SI staff went to the beach as a way to end the summer. Needless to say...it was AMAZING! Chatty, Andrea, Alicia, and I (a.k.a. the fab 4) stayed in the same room (even though chatty and andrea had another room) and hung out the whole time together. We spent most of our time laying out, swimming, and drinking pina coladas :0) during the day and then at night we would eat early so that we could sit out on the beach and watch the sun set....which was the most amazing/incredible/stunning/breathtaking/beautiful moment from the whole weekend. just to sit there in awe of God's art work and talk about how incredible it was, and then to find ourselves moments later in silence because we were speechless. It warmed my heart (for lack of better words) to know that God did that just for me...just for each one of us. He had to have been sitting up in Heaven with a smile on His face to see us girls enjoy his creation! THANK YOU, GOD! may i never become so busy that i don't take time to sit in awe of You and your creation. may i never forget the moments that your beauty took my breath away! and may i always remember that those little moments when i stand in awe of you and your art work and remember that those are your love messages to me!
Okay...back to the weekend...so my most memorable night (and favorite night) was the last night....oh where do i start? lets start with Kevin and Joel working their 'magic' to get us into the italian restaurant that required reservations...so we sit there for awhile, eat some cake stuff, and then Kevin points at me and gets these two guys to come over and sing and play the guitar...crazy! joel was talking with some old guy so we left him there and went to lay in the hammocks which got old so us girls went out on the beach where we heard music coming from one of the buildings so we walked up there and here is this five man band so we stood and watched them. they all had braids down to their butts with top hats and looked indian. eventually the guys found us and hung out with us. after that ended we headed back to our rooms because there was nothing better to do. i had WAY to much energy and wanted to do something crazy, but no one else was feeling it...to make a long story short Kevin ended up picking me up and acted like he was going to throw me into the pool, but then Joel comes running up behind him and all three of us ended up in the pool. No one is to be in the pool after 7pm and it is 11:30/12:00pm! so we all decided that it would be fun to go swimming in the bubbling pools out closer to the ocean (so that we don't get caught), so we all went and changed and met back out by the pools, but the little pools were FREEZING cold so we tried to get down on the beach, but only to be stopped by the security guard...so joel and kevin begin to work their 'magic', and we probably could have gotten down on the beach to go swimming, but we didn't want to waste anymore time and so we headed over to sosua's beach and swam over there. I was SOOOOOOOO scared! swimming in a pool at night is one thing, but in the ocean at 1:30am is a total nother thing. i was freaked out. and then kevin and joel made up this big lie about lightening bugs in the ocean and i believed them and blah blah blah...so funny! but yeah! it was one heck of a night and a good end to the summer!

2006-08-31T16:14:00.000-04:00

Wait for him...
Wait for a guy who calls you beautiful not hot...
Who calls you back when you hang up on him...
Who will stay up just to watch you sleep...
Wait for the guy who kisses you on your forehead...
Who wants to show you off to the world when you are in your sweats...
Who holds your hand in front of his friends...
Wait for the one who is constantly reminding you of how much he cares about you and how lucky he is to have you...
Wait for the one who turns to his friends and says "yeah, that's her"...

NEEDLESS TO SAY ~ I AM STILL WAITING, BUT I AM CONTENT IN WAITING!

TPING! :0)

2006-08-30T17:59:00.000-04:00

WHO SAYS YOU CAN'T T.P. IN THE D.R.?!?!? Socorro had the brilliant idea of tping brian and sissy one sunday night during a baseball game! So we all piled in the little red truck, huey, and headed to the nearest supermarket to buy up on toilet paper. But Brian got word of it and met us at his house so we made a lap around the block and came back and finished the job...little did we know that he was filling each one of our beds with baby powder. Like the smart person i am, i come home and find all this powder in my bed and call Kevin into my room to figure out what the heck happened. I couldn't image how it got there or why someone would put it there. It smelled fresh and clean so i thought maybe we were having a problem with a mold smell and Cheryl put it in our beds, but it was just really not making sense. Kevin told me to just go to bed and not to worry about it, but then i was afraid i would wake up in the morning with a rash or something. Long story short...it was worth it!

Where to start?!?!

2006-08-22T11:14:00.000-04:00

~AT THE ZOO~

July 28, 2006

we took all 30 kids to Santo Domingo Zoo and to some building thing. It was a hot day and extremely stressful, but the kids loved it and made the whole thing worth it. I was in charge of Daniel and Raully. Thank goodness Raully didn't need much taking care of because Daniel would cry everytime i put him down, so i ended up carrying him all day...which i really didn't mind...i would do anything for that kid. We visited some building...i am really not sure what it was....first and then got back in the bus just in time for it to start raining and then we got lost on the way to the zoo, but by the time we finally got there the rain had stopped and we ate lunch and then went through the zoo. the hippos were my favorite! it was so incredibly hott. For all of you that know me really well, you know that i hate sweat and don't sweat very much...so this next pic shows just how hot it was...ewwww!Then we made the long three hour ride back home...Daniel slept the whole way and i sang to him....but i couldn't wait to get back home because my mom flew in at 2:30 and it was already 6 by the time we got back. needless to say i finally got to see my mom and i was so excited. the next three weeks flew by. we stayed up many nights talking and laughing. i forgot how much me and my mom are alike. it was so good to be able to share EVERYTHING with her and know that she would not judge me for a bad attitude, but would encourage me to lean on Jesus. My mom is such an amazing women of God and i hope that i can be just like her when i grow up.~July 24 - August 5, 2006

Our second to last group was four different groups ALL FROM CALIFORNIA! omg...i felt a little overwhelmed at first, but soon i was sucked into believing that California is the best state (but only 'cuz they have the biggest zoo)! it was actually a God-thing because i have been praying about attending a discipleship school out there next september, but one of my biggest things was that i don't know ANYONE from there...well, now i do and i have made a lot of really good friendships. the two girls that worked in physical thearopy at the special ed. school are amazing and so beautiful! to be honest i was a little intimidated at first, but by the end i realized just how much i loved them. they are amazing! Then there was my incrediboy ~ Bryan! he is so funny and we had a really good time together, but don't you think he looks like incrediboy off of Incredibles? ohh...i think so!

...and yet another goodbye!

2006-07-22T13:41:00.000-04:00

I just said goodbye to our fifth group of the summer and it was difficult. It has been awesome to meet so many new people from so many different places, but I hate the feeling that is left as i watch the group leave. This was a mixed group of 45 people...we had groups from Nebraska, New York, Fresno. Cali., and Florida...all bringing something new to the group as a whole. I really enjoyed the girls that worked in sped (special education) with me. One of the girls, Brittney, was down here three years ago and remembered one of the boys, Rojelio, but this boy is no longer going to the school. I, as well, was here three years ago and remember this boy so we had something to talk about. The best part is that Mercedes took us to go and see him and then he came and spent a whole day at the school. He is now 15 years old and has grown up so much. i think he is such a doll! Another hard part about this weekend is that i also had to say goodbye to Kit-Kat (katilyn) this morning. She was a summer intern and worked in the school with me. She had such a heart for the kids and loved them with everything she had. I am really going to miss her and all the good times and talks that we had. TEAR! The good part about my weekend was the two-hour ride with austin. He is also leaving, but not until tomorrow afternoon so he wanted to go out one last time on Jose's bike! omg...it was amazing. we went up and over the mountains and the view was incredible. i love to ride and it is so much better here 'cuz you don't go as fast and you don't have to wear a helmet so we were able to talk the whole time. the weather was also AMAZING! awww....i love it here.

my brothers!

2006-07-14T22:00:00.000-04:00

So i dedicate this blog to my brothers, who i love and adore so much. I have been missing them like crazy and it hasn't helped that i just missed two special b-days within the last month. Markie (Peanut) turned 18 and Jason turned the big 21. I wish i could have been there to celebrate. Me and my brothers may be as different as night and day, but i don't love anyone like i love my boys. I couldn't have wished for a better childhood. My brothers turned EVERYTHING into an advanture, whether it was building forts in the woods or building castles out of legos. We cried and laughed together, won and lost together, got in and out of trouble together and the list goes on. Summer is always full of wonderful memories for me. Seemed like we didn't have a care in the world. Mom and Dad would be at work and we would tear the house apart and have it all cleaned up before mom and dad got home. i will never forget when we were making bombs and one of them went off early in the kitchen and we couldn't get it off the ceiling...or the time we locked ourselves in the attic and couldn't get down...mark ended up peeing out of the window and it got all over the side of the house...dad was not happy. we spent hours climbing trees, building forts, setting up the tent in the back yard, riding our bikes or the tractor, playing baseball in the garden before we would plant it....! all the good memories kinda erase the bad, but you boys can't forget the countless times you locked me in the tack room in the barn or made me climb really high up in the tree and then left me there when i couldn't get down. I love you for being my brothers. Jason has always stood up for me and always made me feel beautiful. I know that in my brothers eyes i will always be beautiful and i will always be his princess ~ ALWAYS! Markie has always been the one to make me laugh. Sometimes i get to worked up about something, but he would always tell me to chill out. i miss the mornings in my car on the way to school when we would turn that crappy little radio in my saturn up as high as it would go and we would sing at the top of our lungs to the craziest songs (mostly holdfast)...and then on the bad days we would sing sappy love songs together. and you can't forget about all the tuesday nights that we went to BWW's together. i miss you both so much. sending you all my love from an ocean away!

What a cutie!

2006-07-10T06:30:00.000-04:00

~*~Dedicated to BROCK MICHAEL CLINE~*~
So our last group (ohio) left saturday morning and i am pretty down about that. I enjoyed this group so much and spent all my time getting to know them. Brock thinks that i need to put this picture up, but i would have to agree with him because it is pretty much amazing. Brock worked in Physical Theropy (which is at the special ed. school) so i got to know him really well. He was amazing with the kids and all the girls at Genesis fell in love with him. My favorite times were the ones at lunch when we would sit around telling stories. Brock is one of those guys that you can't help but love. He has an amazing sense of humor and his momma taught him well in respecting girls/women! What a cutie...he melts my heart! By the way, Brock - Kevin said something about having your hat...so whatever that means. I hope all is going well for you and that you are getting re-adjusted to things back in Ohio. Don't be afraid to share with people the things God did in your life while you were here. Miss you bunches! Be Strong! ;)

Ohio Group!

2006-07-07T16:14:00.000-04:00

<-- Jessie and Me) This has been such an amazing high school group. They have been so energetic and really gotten involved in everything. It is kinda funny 'cuz after the last group left i didn't want to get close to any more people that i would have to say goodbye too 'cuz it is just to hard for me and i end up crying (way to much)...so i kinda was like 'oh, i will just not be as friendly!', but that didn't work...i walked through the door and andrea was like 'do you remember jessie?' I flipped to say the least....she was here last year in November and was one of the first groups that i experienced. We hit it off first thing and had an amazing time together and saying goodbye to her was so hard, but little did i know then that it would only get harder. Jessie knew that she was coming, but didn't tell me and just let me be surprised...to say the least, it was the best surprise. So even though i miss the JMU group soo soo soo soo very much (I LOVE YOU SARAH!!), i am happy that i have gotten to know this group and have made some pretty cool friends. The best part is that they only live 4hr. and 23 min. (261 miles) away from me in a nice little place called Hartville. This is a picture of Brock. I LOVE THIS KID...really really really! he reminds me so much of my older brother and i have had a blast getting to know him as well as his younger brother, Zack, who is also in this outreach.

The best day of my month!

2006-07-04T23:19:00.000-04:00

This should have been posted in June, but life has been so crazy here and i haven't had time until now. So a little background first. Luz Mercedes is my 3 1/2 year old that is autistic. She has never ate food before...her mom has given her a bottle since she was born. So our job was to get her eating food and away from the bottle. Thursday of last week i sat down with Luz Mercedes and began to pray in my head that this would not take me three hours to feed Luzi a few spoon fulls of rice because i was hungry and didn't want to sit there all day just to have her spit the food back at me. I love her dearly, but i was becoming discouraged, thinking that she would never eat. To my surprise she eagerly opened her mouth before i even had food on the spoon. i couldn't believe it and thought i was seeing things. i put a spoon full of mashed up banana in her mouth before she closed it and luzi began to chew it and swallow it all by herself. i still didn't believe what i was seeing so i gave her some rice and she chewed and swallowed on her own. she continued to eat all the rice and a half of a banana. i sat there with tears in my eyes thanking God for being so faithful when i lost faith. It is so encouraging to see my kids improve. AUH, what a feeling. All things are possible through Jesus Christ our Lord! PRAISE HIM!

JMU!

2006-06-23T16:14:00.000-04:00

Tonight is the end of yet another two week outreach. This has been, by far, my favorite outreach this summer. The picture above is of Vanesa, Sarah, Me, and Daniel. Sarah worked with me in my class and we hit it off first thing. I am so thankful for the hard work she did the past two weeks, but even more then that i am thankful for the friendship that we built. He had some pretty amazing talks while she was here and it is killing me that tonight i have to say goodbye. Sarah is so genuine and has an amazing personality. There is no way i can forget her laugh either. My favorite times were during our siesta...the words sangre, club house (crackers), and b. wax have a whole new meaning :0) I LOVE YOU SARAH! this next picture is of Sarah and me with our amazing hats from the pulga!
This next picture is off the coolest SPED (SPecial EDucation) girls ever! Summer staffer, Kit Kat (Katilyn), Kathrine, ME, Sarah, and Linsey. We had so much fun together. We are on Samuel's (one of the teachers at Genesis) new bike...DOMINICAN STYLE...it's pretty nice...hehe!

All in God's timing!

2006-06-16T23:42:00.001-04:00

Just in this week i have went through a couple rough things and don't really understand why. One of the things was actually quiet hurtful and i felt kinda used and dropped...especially by God because He had heard my prayers every day and night about guarding my heart...He knows my heart desire. But i just have to trust God that He doesn't let anything happen without a reason. Not in my timing, but in God's! Like my daddy always tells me ~ "The right thing at the wrong time is still the wrong thing!" (not saying that it was right or will be right....just saying that i should always wait on the timing of God/the will of God!)
Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

POOL DAY!

2006-06-16T16:09:00.000-04:00

Today was our day at the pool with the kids. Today seemed to be uneventful compared to last pool day when Henny puked in the pool, Vanesa fell off her chair and busted up her eye, and Luz Mercedes pee'd on me...not to mention more then a dozen kids peeing in the pool...hehe! Today went really well and it is always good to see the kids thrilled. Even on the worst day (or days) when i just want to stay in my room and cry, i can go to school and forget about everything until i leave. I LOVE MY KIDS! Also, today, Mercedes asked me to cut Julia's (her daughter) hair. She has a fro....i was a little nervous, but it looks really nice.

Group #3

2006-06-15T16:35:00.000-04:00

HEY! i know it has been forever since i updated my blog...sorry! We are now into our third group of the summer. This pic is of Katilyn (Kit-Kat...summer staffer), me, Sara, and Lynsey (two girls from the group that is here right now). Sara is working in my class...she is totally awesome. Tonight was dinner in the community...all i have to say about that is we had some interesting conversations about guys and how romantic/unromantic they can be and some other girl stuff....ya gotta love a group of girls :0)

Mi Nairoby

2006-05-30T16:26:00.000-04:00

I love Nairoby so much. He begged to be in my class with me all day today so after lunch i told him he could come in. He of course sat there covering me in kisses and pushing my hair away from my eyes. He wanted me to take a picture of his foot to show to my mom (i don't know why)...so here it is...it looks a lot better then what it did (imagine that)! He is such a strong little boy. He didn't even cry when it happened and he has started to walk on it. I am so proud of him. What a strong little guy.

~Jewlys~

2006-05-29T20:31:00.000-04:00

Today when i came home from school, cheryl called me out to the washing machine. I was a little hesitant at what she found until i saw the little black puppy. AWWWW! she is so cute. Cheryl wasn't sure she wanted me to pick her up in case she bit me or something, but i couldn't help myself. alicia and i brought her in and gave her milk and then a really good bath. We decided to name her 'Jewlys' even though Joan wanted us to name her blacky (how stupid...hehe)! The first thing he said when he saw her was "she is skinnier then me!" For all you that know Joan, that is really funny 'cuz i don't now any guy skinnier then him....hehe! She is now one spoiled puppy. Right now she is sitting on my lap crying 'cuz i am not petting her. Lowell isn't to happy about it so we have to find her a home. How sad :( This is Jewlys giving me a kiss...she loves me! alicia is playing with her and now she has the hiccups...how cute is that...i love puppies!
She is still really skinny, but she already has her energy back! AWWWWWWW! I love you Jewlys!

Henny's B-day!

2006-05-29T20:16:00.000-04:00

My little girl, Henny Manuela, just turned eight! we had a beautiful cake and a party for her. i have never seen her so excited. Her mom bought her a brand new white dress as well! She looked beautiful! Poor little Daniel ate so much cake... his stomach was huge...hehe!

MI LUZ!

2006-05-24T16:25:00.000-04:00

This is my new little girl, Luz Mercedes (i just woke her up so she looks a little mad). She is so adorable and i love having her in my class. She is three 1/2 and is autistic. She has already made progress since her first day which is very encouraging. I am also very proud of Vladimir for moving from my class to the next grade. :0) My precios little Nairoby....i love him more then words can say. The other day we were asking him what he wants to be when he grows up and he said "when i grow up i am going to marry Brooke!" awwwwww....how cute is he? Yesterday he had an accident on his dad's moto and tore open the back of his foot (a little above his heal)! All his nerves and tendons were exposed, but they got it stiched closed (it still looks really bad), but my little boy is a strong one and didn't even cry. It just broke my heart to see him so sad. I went and visited him lastnight and he was so excited. I took him some presents to make him feel better which worked like magic. I am just glad he is okay. I would die if something ever happened to mi amor lindo!

rAnDoM sTuFf :0)

2006-05-20T23:04:00.000-04:00

these two pics are of me and my baby doll, Jonathan! i have a thing for down syndrom kids!this pic is of Stacee. she was in a one week group from Cali. we hit it off first thing and it really sucks that i am saying goodbye to her tomorrow. TEAR!
this is my baby girl, luz mercedes! MI LUZ! she is 3 (soon to be 4) and is autistic. i love her so much and we had a lot of fun in the pool ;)
friday night, calla and i, went to DeliCafe. we split this chocolate cake that was AMAZING! yummy!
these next two pics are of this nasty beetle thing that Jose found. It was dead so i wasn't AS grossed out as i would have been if it were alive, but it was still pretty nasty. (it is the bug bus off of 'a bug's life')
this is my little brother, Michael, and i love him so much! he can always always put a smile on my face and he keeps all my secrets safe ;) (my mom gave him the shirt he has on) and sorry daddy, but my blood runs green (John Deere) not red (Toro)! COUNTRY GIRL AND PROUD OF IT!

this is the hottie that alicia and i spotted on the beach...sorry alicia, but i called him first~he is mine! ;) this is Evan Stahley. he is a really good friend of mine from home and he came down to be with amber...i guess i was just a plus...oh well! it was amazing being able to hang out with him and calla (just like the ol' days)

this was in Santo Domingo. evan, amber, calla, and i felt the urge to confess. it is no secret what i was confessing about though ~ those men in uniform (marines) were causing me to stumble so i had to confess and drink the holy water (yummy)!
this was an amazing car that went by the front of our house and i flipped...got to love a good muscle car (especially a old mustang)
this is me and my lil' sis' alicia. she is so beautiful! she doesn't wear skirts very often so we had to get a pic. I LOVE YOU, GIRL!
this is my amazing friend, Austin! we grew up together, so we go way back. he is going to be here until July 23 as summer staff. it will be really hard for me to see him go :( but when he leaves i get to keep his amazing shirt that has only the best number in the world on it...yeah!
Joselito (red party) just won the election here in Jarabacoa. it was a little crazy here. they were celebrating every where. a lot of people stayed home on thursday because the purple party offered the red party 30 million pesos if they would step down and let the purple party take office. but the red party showed integrity and said no which is good because if they would have said yes, town would have gotten crazy with rioters. I kinda miss the security men in uniform now (hotties)...hehe!
this is Manuel....this kid cracks me up and i love him to death. there is never a dull moment when he is around and he will do anything to make me laugh...(even when we are in church)
this is my best friend, Calla Jo! she leaves tomorrow morning and i am dreading it. i don't want to say good-bye. i am tired of always having to say good-bye to the people i love (at least calla will still write)! she is sad in this picture 'cuz she doesn't want to leave me again. only 7 more months and then i will see her again. i love you calla and i am so proud of you. stick with nursing...i know you can do it. God is your strength and all things are possible in Him. run to him when you feel tired and weak. LOVE YOU HUN!

My first pie!

2006-05-18T17:06:00.000-04:00

I made my first apple pie yesterday for my pastor and his wife. The other day, Popin told me that he loves apple pie so i really wanted to try and make him one. I was so excited. I love to cook and i love being in the kitchen. my mom would be so proud of me! Then that night Rueben asked me to dye his hair blonde, so that is exactly what i did. Two of the summer staff came over to witness the event, Cam-Cam and Austin. It was a lot of fun and all that's important is that Rueben likes it...even if i don't...hehe! It is kinda a gold color :0) ohh and that is Evan Stahley (amber's 'friend') that is poking his head in the pic. I am really excited about today. We are going to take our kids (from Genesis) to the pool. I will have to post pictures of that tonight. LOVEYOU!

CALLA IS HERE!

2006-05-16T23:30:00.000-04:00

This is my very best friend ~ Calla Jo Lantz. I am so happy that she here. We have had a lot of fun catching up on everything. I didn't realize how much i missed her until she was here. There are some things that just never EVER change. I don't know where i will be in a year or in five years, but i know Calla will forever be my best friend. Calla called me on my birthday (5 months ago) and told me that she got her passport and that she was flying down to see me...we have had a count down going since then and now she is finally here. YEAH! We went to Santo Domingo on Saturday. We kinda went site seeing (i don't know what else to call it)! I really liked 'Los Tres Ojos' except for the REALLY scary boat ride in the dark....i never want to do that again. I was for sure i would die! We ate at Expresso Jade that night....YUMMY! Yesterday (Monday) we went to Salto Biaguate and then to La Confluencia (MY FAVORITE SPOT IN THE D.R.) okay so maybe i am stretching that...but i do love going there. Alvaro and Anthony took shampoo to wash there hair and they squirted it into my hair and into Alicia's hair so we had to wash our hair in the river...there is a first time for everything. The river was really cold, but alicia and i had SO MUCH FUN! :0) LOVE YOU ALL!

BeAcH ..._(:)0)

2006-05-12T15:24:00.000-04:00

WoW! where do i start? we had an amazing time at the beach. I know my mom wants to know all about it, but there isn't really much to tell. We did a whole lot of nothing for three days. I think that was the best part about it. We would spend the whole day laying out on the beach and then playing sequence and hand n' foot at night. The picture below is of alicia and i playing hand n' foot! :)
Amber, Alicia, and I played against Lowell, Cheryl, and Rueben. Lowell would be talking it up about how they were going to win, but us girls knew it was only talk because we smoked them. Poor Lowell hates to lose and had an excuss for everything...like in Sequence "We could win too if we had all the two-eyed jacks!" and in hand n' foot "if you wouldn't pick up the pile everytime we would have a chance!" We had too much fun picking on Lowell. This next picture is one of our many pictures on the beach. Austin voted that it should be a facebook picture, but i am not cool because i don't have facebook. SORRY!
This is Me and Amber Lynn! She is just so beautiful, hu? LOVEYOUHUN! We got Rueben to take the picture below. We look so serious, hu? If you look deep enough into our eyes, you will see that we are gazing off into the distance...what you don't know or see is that there was this really hot, old man with a speedo thong on. Boom Shakalaka!
For some reason no one believed us girls when we said that we were going to get up early and walk along the beach, but you know what? we did! We walked down to this rock and sat on it for awhile just looking out at the ocean. It was mesmerizing, hearing the waves crash up against the shore. aMaZiNg! i am in love with the ocean and the sun! :0)

Yo soy freca!

2006-05-07T23:43:00.000-04:00

Alicia and I are having all kinds of fun with Amber. We are so excited that tomorrow we are going to the ocean for three days. Today was Amber's birthday. !!!!HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMBER LYNN!!!! So now on to the point of this blog ~ Tonight after church we went to a baseball game. I always LOVE going to the games 'cuz i love baseball...tonight was going really good (even though we were losing) and we were all having a lot of fun. Some guy who i didn't really know was there and had a little baby hawk...it was so cool and he let me hold it. Alicia and I want little birdies like that now too :) I had my camera out for a little bit and took a picture of the birdie. I have this crazy friend, Manuel, who was sitting in the outfield because the ball never seemed to go his way. So i was going to see if i could take a picture of him 'cuz he looked really funny, but it wasn't working so i just put it away. Then like an 30 min. later i heard this lady behind me talking about passports and some girl that was 'freca'! i turned around and she was all like "SI, tu eres freca!" (yeah, your fresh/a flirt)! and so i just turned around and was like 'whatever'! then she kept going and going. All of a sudden she stands up and walks down to where i am sitting and starts yelling at me and telling me that i am so freca and that i think i am all that 'cuz i am american and have a passport. She went off on me for taking pictures of her husband (who was prolly the ugliest guy out there with tighter then tight yellow pants on and a huge belt buckle...i mean, come on, who wears that to a baseball game?) and told me that she is going to take my camera and i should have respect and that alicia and i can go eat poop (but she used the bad word)! It was horrible and i felt so bad, but all alicia and i could do was turn our faces and laugh 'cuz it was kinda funny too. Finally Alfonso grabs alicia and i and pulled us to the other side of the bleachers. It was so stupid 'cuz she thought i wanted her man, which was so not the case! Alicia and I can now say that we have been cused out by a Dominican woman. About 15 min. later we had to leave 'cuz the lady still wasn't over it and wanted to fight with alicia and i or something. ONLY IN THE DOMINICAN!

Who's boss?

2006-05-04T22:47:00.000-04:00

Lastnight we played Sequence. Amber, Alicia, and I were on one team and then Lowell, Cheryl, and Rueben played on a team against us. Who do you think won? Ohh thats right, us girls did. Lowell was being a big talker, but we showed him what was up. All i have to say to my girls is "We are not sore losers, we just hate losing!" I said that after the one, AND ONLY, round that we lost. It was pretty funny! Today was an amazing day. I went to the school this morning and this afternoon to do some planning for the summer, but then this afternoon Alicia and I walked over to Rossy's house and met her and Anthony there. Then we walked to 'La Confluencia'! It was a long long long walk, but it was a lot of fun. Anthony is one of my very best guy friends. He has an elephant and he learned how to drive an elephant while he was in India. He also learned how to read minds so i have to be very careful around him. If you can't tell he has an amazing sense of humor and knows how to make people laugh. The first time i met him he was really shy, but the shy anthony doesn't exist around me. Alicia and I wore flip-flops so now we have blisters on our feet and we are kinda walking funny with bandaids all over our feet, but today was worth it. Then we went to anija and I tore it up on the court. I was on fire. Anthony has been talking trash and saying that i don't know how to play, but my first three shots were amazing (if i do say so myself) and i think i really surprised him because before we got out there he was talking trash and then after my three shots he was all like "you showed me who's boss!" I did lose at horse though...sad i know! He had a slight advantage when we played one on one though 'cuz i had flip-flops on and my feet were so sore so we are going to have a rematch....between you and me, i will probably still lose, but i love playing! Then tonight we celebrated Amber's 19th b-day and then watched 'Coach Charter'! i think that is one of my new favorite movies. I really really liked it. I, for some reason, thought i had already seen it, but then realized once it started that i hadn't. What a good movie...especially if you like basketball. Hey alicia...remember tonight when we were picking up Sami's toys and i sat on one of the pokie ones and it hurt really REALLY bad and you just laughed at me? That wasn't funny!

I AM FLIPPING OUT!

2006-05-04T22:06:00.000-04:00

I JUST MET A FAMOUS PERSON! OH MY WORD...i am flipping out. SERGIO SCATAGLINI! My heart was pounding so hard. He shook my hand...he touched me! omg!!!! and his voice was amazing. While he was praying he prayed blessings over SI and he prayed that SI would be "The Destiny of this Nation!" OMG! Okay...so maybe you don't think it is cool, but alicia and i were flipping out. Alicia....i can't believe we met him....in our p.j.s! WoW! and he is going to stay here the rest of the weekend. aMaZiNg!

and yet another night in Santiago!

2006-05-03T13:54:00.000-04:00

I am so excited to have Amber here! The first night we stayed up really late just talking. It was good to hear about her first year of college and to talk about things from back home. Yesterday we just bumbed around the house. The typical picture was amber and i reading and alicia on the computer. (alicia~holy big reading!) Then we went to Santiago for the evening. Don't get scared, Alicia and i were on our best behavior (almost)! But the later it got the crazier we got. We went into 'payless shoes', which is more like 'paymore shoes' here, and started trying on all the ugly shoes. We even had Cheryl picking out her favorite pair of ugly shoes. We were all laughing so hard and this lady comes up to us and is like "you speak spanish" in the funniest accent ever and we all just looked at her and then amber pipes up and says yeah and then she tells us that they are closing...we laughed so hard (once she walked away of course)!
This is me with my incredibly cool giraffe backpack. I really wanted to buy it, but alicia wouldn't let me! You should see her fuzzy frog one she had on...hopefully she will post that pic on her blog. There was this huge barrel full of really really really soft stuffed animals. There was this really big floppy doggie and it was my favorite. On that note, this is my addvice for all you boys out there that have a gf (if you don't have one, make a mental note)! One ~ buy your girlfriend jewerly because she will cherish it forever (it doesn't have to be diamonds or really expensive, just something nice and thoughtful), two ~ give her a teddy bear, she will cuddle it when she misses you, three ~ give her one of your t-shirts, she will wear it to bed. Alicia, Amber, and I all decided that this is very good advice. Okay....this last pic is for the one and only amazing SOCORRO! Socy, I know you are crunchy all the way, but i think i am a little more puffy. What do you think? hehe! I LOVE YOU, GIRL! (don't forget that)

Tommy got married ;)

2006-05-02T13:36:00.000-04:00

This is my second cousin Tommy. He got married April 22nd and my great grandma just sent me pictures. His wife's name is Jackie and those are his parents, Jim and Gloria, in the picture as well. I wish so badly i could have been home for this wedding. I love my grandma's brothers...there is never a dull moment with them around. Congrats Tommy :0) luv you all!

Survey :)

2006-04-29T16:26:00.000-04:00

+ Clothes and stuff
~ What do people tend to label you as (i.e., Chav (townie) Prep, trendy, punk, Goth, mambo, skater etc): prep
~ Do you choose to label yourself (if you do, what as?): not really
~ Describe your dress sense: i may not follow the rules, but i wear what i like
~ What are you wearing right now: capris and a shirt
~ What jewellery are you wearing: my promise ring and class ring and my heart locket from my parents
~ What are you most known for wearing: crazy things
~ Friends wise – do you hang around with people who dress the same as you? the way people dress has nothing to do with whether i hang out with them or not
~ What particular clothes style do you hate and why: goth and punk
~ Describe your hair: brown, medium length, and curly (right now...naturally straight)
~ Do you take pride in your appearance? not necessarily pride, but i do like to look nice
+ The opposite sex (Or same, depending)
~ Would you say you were straight, gay or bi? VERY STRAIGHT
~ What is your attitude to gay relationships if you’re straight? morally wrong
~ Do you know anyone who is gay or bi? yes
~ Who? friend from highschool
~ Are you currently in a relationship? no
~ If your answer is no – do you want to be? in God's timing
~ Do you have a specific type in guys? strong christian
~ What kind of guy will you NOT go out with? unequally yoked guys are a BIG no on my list
~ What kind of guy would you LOVE to go out with? one that can make me laugh, christian (of course), strong, he has to like the Red Sox and Redskins (jk), strong leader, desire and passion for God's will and future plans...etc.
~ Do you have crushes (if so, who are they :::describe:::): ohh, well there is this one guy in Santiago...he is quiet the hottie (isn't that right tear bear?!? ~hehe...you know who i am talking about)
~ What song do you think is romantic? When God Made You by Newsong
~ What’s your age limit (you won’t go out with people older than…)? umm....not over 25 or under 18
~ Would you go out with people younger than you? maybe a year yonger, but not any younger
~ Are you in love? only with Jesus Christ and my precious kids at Genesis
~ Have you ever been in love with someone who wasn’t available to you? umm....i don't know that i have ever really really been in love
+ Music
~ What song are you listening to now? Follow Me by Uncle Cracker (this use to be my favorite song in eigth grade) it is on this amazing c.d. that socky gave me for my b-day
~ Name 6 of your favourite bands and singers: Bethany Dillion, Jeremy Camp, Sin Bandera, Kenny Chesney, Lifehouse, and whoever sings wonderwall (i can't think tonight)
~ How often do you listen to music: all the time
~ How would you describe your music taste: random...i like just about anything
~ Is the music you like a strong representation of you and your personality? no, because i like LOTS of different music
~ Can you sing, or are you in a band? i can sing...whether good or bad, i don't know!
+ Favourites
~ Favourite Films (list a minimum of 3): Pearl Harbor, Italian Job, Ladder 49, John Q., You've Got Mail ;)
~ Favourite T.V shows (list 3): C.S.I., House, Without a Trace
~ Favourite Drinks (list 3): raspberry tea, peach tea, apple juice
~ Favourite Ethnic Food: egg drop soup, egg rolls
~ Favourite Snack Items (list 3): m&ms, apples, grapes
~ Favourite Books: Sophia's Heart, One Tuesday Morning, Beyond Tuesday Morning
~ Favourite Drawing Medium (ie. Pencil, Pastels, Conte, Charcoal): Pencil and Charcoal
~ Favourite Cereals (list 2): Cheryl's granola and honey cheerios (i don't like any other cereals)
+ Family Friends
~ Do you have a big family? not really
~ Who are you closest to in your family? hard question...probably my momma...she is my best friend
~ Do you get along with your siblings? yes
~ Who lives with you? right now i am living with Lowell, Cheryl, and Alicia
~ Are your parents divorced? no
~ One best friend or a lot of friends? i have a lot of really good friends, but i also have two best friends (Calla Jo and Alicia)
~ Who was the last friend you hung out with, and what did you do? Alicia~we layed out and then went for a walk
~ Who was the last friend you chatted with on the phone? umm...it wasn't really chatting, but Joan
~ Is there one particular thing you can do with one friend that you can’t do with any of the others? Well, i have never been able to have fun washing a car with anyone one else except for Calla
~ Who can you tell all your secrets to? my momma, alicia, and calla
~ Which friend do you share most in common with? calla and i am beginning to realize i have a LOT in common with amanda ;)
+ Random questions
~ Do you have a mobile phone? yes
~ What make is it? wHaT?
~ What do you use it for? getting ahold of my friends...duh!
~ Who is the first person listed in your phone (book): Andre
~ What’s the situation with the weather right now, where you are? rainy
~ Do you like rain? love it
~ What time is it? 11:34 PM
~ What are you having for dinner? i already ate supper and i had a sloppy joe and corn
~ What are you going to do tomorrow? sleep till 11:30, lay out, go to church, and then pick up Lowell and Amber :0)
~ What was the last movie you watched? Mona Lisa Smile
~ What are your favourite names? Boys~Blake, Brice, Ryse, Clayton Reed, Ashton, Chase, Drew Girls~Destiny Lanka, Jasmine Rose
~ Name a few people you can’t stand: Big bootie (alicia knows who i am talking about)
~ When was the last time you laughed hysterically and why? had to have been last night at 12:30 when alicia and i decided to make cookies and we started laughing about something and then alicia snorted really loud...it was only funny cuz it was so late. Oh and then today at the church, Chatty and I were just sitting there and Estevan walks up with the mike and sticks it in Chatty's face so she says "i just want to thank all my supporters" but she didn't know that the mike was on and that everyone in the church heard her...maybe you would have just had to have been there
~ When was the last time you were scared and why? when i went to pick up alicia from church today and it was raining so hard that i couldn't see the road and it was windy too...i prayed the whole way there
~ What’s your nearest church called? Amor a Quisqueya
~ The last time you ate birthday cake? last month
~ The last book you read? In the Shadows
~ The next book you’re going to read? The Negotiator
~ Who was the last person who showed you affection? affection? what is that? no just kidding...umm, i don't remember!
~ What’s your favourite Shakespeare play? Romeo and Juliet for sure
~ When you go into a bookshop, which section do you head for? depends on how much time i have and who i am with...
~ When was the last time you were so overly annoyed, you wanted to scream blue murder: i have never scream blue murder, but alicia and i were overly annoyed today and wanted to scream
~ Who was the last person you spoke to through IM: Anthony Reyes
~ What’s the date today? April 29, 2006

2006-04-29T13:56:00.000-04:00

!!!Lowell and Amber fly in tomorrow!!!! :O) yeah

Mail Day!

2006-04-25T20:37:00.000-04:00

No pictures today...just a big thanks to my amazing family back home. I have been here for a little over seven months now and i have received one or two hand-written letters from my grandma every single mail day (which is every two weeks). Today i received three and they made my day....i laughed and cried through all three of them. My grandma loves me so much and is so faithful to not just pray for me, but also for my future husband (i am glad my grandma has faith in there being a future husband...jk) what were her words exactly you ask? A spirit-filled, tall, handsome, loving young man with a kindred spirit, vision and desire for the future that matches the one i carry in my heart and that God has chosen for our future. She went on to pray God's blessing over my children and my home! I love my grandma! She makes me excited about getting older and being a grandma....she is the coolest, with a lot of spunk and energy left! A huge thanks to my best friend for the two cards she sent. She always picks out the best cards (honestly sweetie...it doesn't matter that you stand in the card section at Target for an hour...as long as you are having fun...hehe)! I can't wait to see her May 12th! I receieved letters from friends/family in my home church and also from some of the locals that came in the restaurant i worked at for four years. The best one out of all of them was from my family. I don't get them every mail day so it makes them that much more special. It started out with my little brother telling me about the land he just bought on the river and catching 13 dogfish (peanut...that means nothing to me. what is a dogfish? is it a dog that can swim or a fish that can bark? hehe..jk) then he realizes at the end of the card that he is suppose to be wishing me a happy easter (that is what the card was for), but he didn't even realize that holiday was coming up...your such a nut markie...i think that is why your nickname has always been 'peanut'! He drew a little picture of him hiding the easter eggs for my little cousins to find, but of course mark hide them in the tree just out of the kids reach...hehe! your so evil mark, but i love you with all my heart! Then my older brother Jason sent two pictures of his girlfriend, crystal. She is so beautiful! I can't wait to meet her in December. Jason says that he really really loves her, but that i will always hold the #1 spot in his heart....awww....jason...i love you, hun! My brothers are way to sweet to me. Then my daddy did a wonderful job of reminding me how much he loves me and how beautiful he thinks i am (he has to think i am beautiful...hehe...i am his only girl)! I don't care if no one else thinks that, as long as my daddy does that is good enough for me. My mom had to tell me how she missed my help in the kitchen during Easter...we always had so much fun in the kitchen. Mom, remember the one time i got potato skins all over the window and wall 'cuz i went a little crazy with my peeling. It gets a little crazy after 15 pounds of potatoes....i miss your mashed potatoes! yummy! they also sent me a package, but i wont go into that, but Markie did send me a c.d. with his favorite song on it....he told me about this song and said that he likes to listen to it when he feels like his life is falling apart 'cuz it makes him feel better. I didn't know what to expect, but it was a really good song by Carri Underwood called 'Jesus Take the Wheel'! good song markie! I LOVE YOU ALL AND MISS YOU! thanks for not forgetting about me ;)

shopping in santiago!

2006-04-24T19:43:00.000-04:00

Today Jannett took Cheryl, Alicia, and I to the mall and a bunch of other cute shops in Santiago. We had so much fun being silly and trying on clothes. I must say 'Anthony' was my favorite store. I did not find anthing to buy that was, oh how do i say, in my price range (hehe), but i did happen to find my mr. prince charming. He got a little freco with me, but i think we will work it out! I didn't realize how much i missed shopping in the states until today. It has been good to get away from all the 'spending money' in the states because that was something i didn't control well, but it is hard here when there is something your looking for and can't find it or find a really cute shirt but know that it probably won't come out of the wash in one piece. It is always good to be with Alicia...she makes me laugh! I knew it was going to be a good day when we hadn't even left Jarabacoa and we seen this guy that had a million palm branches stacked up on the back of his moto and Alicia was like "oh look, a peacock!" It was hilarious...he honestly looked like a runaway bush! ~guess you would have had to been there! We had a few good laughs in the dressing room and outside the dressing room (under the security camera). Alicia, what is that smell? Ohh and don't forget the guy that didn't even work at the store that tried to sell me sunglasses and the chicken insident on Isle 14 (was he really that ugly?) and the guy we hissed at (i don't know about the rest of the girls out there, but Alicia and I hate to be hissed at. For one we are not animals and two...when was the last time that worked for you? We put up with it long enough and decided we were going to hiss at this guy before he hissed at us just to see what his reaction would be....and i think we confussed him 'cuz he just got this really dumb, shocked look on his face)! All the silly pics are priceless and you can't forget all the ugly shoes we saw either! oh and Alicia, just out of curiousity...are you excited to get married so you can dress your husband...or....? hehe! We are all just thankful that Cheryl is still alive being that a car backed into her. We didn't even know what happened, just heard her scream! Then there was the dancing in the van when Jannett and Cheryl ran into the store quick...thanks for warning me that they were back alicia...oh no...you just let me keep going! Oh, it was a good day!

circumstances and people change, but i still love you Socky!

2006-04-22T15:01:00.000-04:00

I met Socorro on Dec. 9th, but we had been e-mailing for some time before that. We hit it off the first time i saw her and i have been encouraged and inspired by her over and over again. We have both learned that sometimes life goes our way and other times it doesn't. We were both touched in an unbelievable way by the death of Jordy. I just want to encourage you Soc to walk in the JOY of the Lord. It's a good day (even if things are not going our way) because Jesus is still Lord, God is still in control, and we are still saved from the death we deserve. Life throws so many suprises that it could make or break us, but God is our constant hope and peace and because of who He is and because we are His, I will continue to walk with Him and put my trust in Him. The world did not give us the joy that we have, so do not let the world take it away. Soc is an amazing person and no one (EVER) could replace her. I have made a lot of friendships in life, but no one like Soc! Just to give you an idea of what i am talking about ~ countless times she has dropped what she was doing to encourage me or to just talk. She is the only one that truely understands my love for the kids at Genesis, because she has the same love for them. She prayers for me EVERYDAY! She sends me the most wonderful, long e-mails that make me laugh and cry before i finish reading the e-mail. She understands my fear of my future, but has encouraged me to not fear it, but walk right into it. She backs everything up with scripture. She knows how to have an amazing time, but knows when to be serious. I could tell her anything and know that it never leaves our conversation. I miss all the amazing times we had while she was down here and can't wait till she comes back. I am so thankful for the friendship i have in her and wouldn't trade it for the world. ohh, how could i forget this? I saw a commercial the other day and guess what it was? "Happy cows come from California!" omg...i still have to get me a happy cow shirt...hehe! Soc is the reason the west coast is so dang cool...rockin' it out in her board shorts and flip-flops and most likely an amazing Soc hat! You may be an ocean apart, but you are still and always will be in my heart ~ and in the heart of a lot of Dominican guys ;)
I LOVE YOU!

CrAzY nIgHt ;)

2006-04-18T21:26:00.000-04:00

Alicia and I are the reason "A picture is worth a thousand words" is a well known phrase! You may be wondering what the heck happened to us....but don't worry! This is very common for alicia and i and there is only one side affect to a night like this and that is sore abs in the morning from all the laughing. You may be thinking "when will those girls ever grow up?" but don't blame us for our behavior. Cheryl is the one that gave us chocolate tonight and Rueben is the one who didn't want to do anything with us...so you do the math. Two girls hyped up on chocolate with nothing to do. Alicia and i found this hidden talent one night during supper. Just when i thought God forgot to give me a talent He goes and blows me away with my amazing ability and even better that my little sister is gifted in the same way. What a ministry! All i have to say is "Thank God that i am not 20 yet, because i don't know if this is acceptable at that age?" hehe! I was told to make my last year as a teenager memorable...is this what they meant? If only Lowell would have let us go into town...

SANTIAGO!

2006-04-16T11:15:00.000-04:00

This last week was 'semana santa' (holy week) so we didn't have bible study on wednesday night and Jose asked us girls if we wanted to go see a movie. Rueben, Brian and Sissy and their girls, Lowell and Cheryl, and Nate and Maggie also went with us. You would think that we never got out...we were so excited to eat fast food and see a movie...heehee! Us girls ate and then walked around that mall taking funny pictures. We got a lot of funny looks, but we were having fun and that is all that matters. We saw 'Yours, Mine, and Ours'. It was a really good movie and made us all laugh. Us girls want to be lighthouse keepers and have 18 kids now....hehe!

My Family

2006-04-12T15:35:00.000-04:00

This is my family ~ my dad, Rick, my mom, Shari, my older brother, Jason, and my little brother, Mark. My dad is the associate pastor and the head youth leader at my home church in the states and my mom works at a little store in the town i grew up in, Shipshewana. My parents are in love just as much as they were when they got married. I just hope someday i can find a guy like my daddy and that i can be an amazing mother like my momma. My older brother will be 21 soon and lays concrete. My younger brother will soon be 18 and is a Junior in Highschool. He works as a landscaper and just bought 12 acres of land on the river. Jason is into cars, art, and girls. Mark is into hunting and fishing. Then you have me! Us three are as different as night and day, but i have never loved anyone like i love my two brothers. They are two of my very best friends. People often think that i was deprived as a child because i am such a country girl, but they are so wrong. I would never trade my childhood days of making forts in the woods, picnics, playing in the barn with all our random animals, climing trees, legos, etc. I am amazed at the things we found to do and the amount of trouble we could always get ourselves into. We didn't have a t.v. growning up and i don't regret that for one second. Family is the most important thing in life whether you live right next door or an ocean apart. My family is the only thing from home that i really really really miss, but having their support and love makes it so much easier. I left home seven months ago thinking that i would keep the same friends forever and it hurts to know that that is the farthest thing from true. Thank God i still have my best friend, Calla Jo, and my family! They always make time to write or call even when their lives are so full and busy. :) Calla is coming May 12th so i will have to post pictures of her while she is here.

Feels like Summer :)

2006-04-08T21:12:00.000-04:00

Today Alicia and i went to the base to hang out with some of our friends. It was so much fun to be out in the sun. After a couple hours, we decided to go to a waterfall. Alfonso, Anthony, Michael, and Rueben went with us. We walked down to one waterfall, but only stayed for a half and hour because the river was pretty muddy and extremely cold. Then we drove another 20 min. to a different waterfall and we got up there and the road to the waterfall was closed....so we drove to the river and spent the rest of our time there. The river there was just as cold...but we still went swimming and had a good time. It was fun to not have a plan and to be able to do whatever we wanted. The only bad part of the day was that we got so much more attention (which is not a good thing here) because me and alicia (two american girls) were with four dominican guys (well, Rueben is not dominican, but he looks like he could be)! That and also Alfonso sticking a snake in my face....ewww! After a week of rain, it was nice to have the sun out and shining and have a free day with our friends. :)

mi muchachito se morio!

2006-04-06T15:47:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was one of the hardest and longest days of my life. I found out at 7am that Jordy had passed away during the night and then by 6 o'clock that night he was burried. My heart is seriously being ripped from my chest. I loved that boy and will continue to love him with all my heart. It really hit me lastnight that he is dead and that i am never going to see his smile that lights up a room or his big bright eyes. Jordy brought so much laughter and joy to the school and today seemed empty without him. I am going to miss hearing him say my name and his hugs and kisses. I loved when he would go by my class and blow me a kiss. Him and Nirobis would always fight over who was my boyfriend. I am for sure going to miss that too. It still doesn't seem all that real that he really could be gone. After lunch today, we took the kids to his house to see his parents. This was clearly a lot harder then yesterday. To see one of the strongest, toughest boys in the school drop to the floor and weep tour my heart out. I cried for two hours this morning before i went to school, but decided that i had to hold it together for the kids, but when i saw Emillo break down, i couldn't hold the tears any longer. Jordy's mom cried as the kids walked into the room...each one of them reminding her of her son and how each student meant so much to Jordy. When she saw me she threw her arms up in the air and began to scream/cry. All she could say at the moment was "La novia de mi hijo....hay Jordy tu novia esta aqui!" (the girlfriend of my son...ohh Jordy your girlfriend is here!)! I have never cried so hard in my life. After she had calmed down she told me that i meant so much to her son and that he cherished the picture i gave him of me. Ohh God, why does this have to hurt so bad? Gabriel asked me why Jordy had to leave and with tears in my eyes i told him that God missed Jordy and wanted Jordy to come stay with him. I told him that now Jordy is walking and running with God and playing all the games that he could never play before. Gabriel just looked at me and said "why couldn't God let Jordy walk and run here with us? We could play games with him!" Oh God, your ways are not ours. Send Your peace and comfort to all those who loved and adored Jordy! ~*~When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like seas billows roll, whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul!"~*~

4ever and always in my heart! I LOVE YOU JORDY!

best day of the year (4-4-06)

2006-04-04T18:11:00.000-04:00

Today is by far the best day of the year! Fourth day of the fourth month! YEAH! Nothing really extra special has happened today so i guess this year isn't as lucky as the last three! oh well~the night is still young...hehe!

WE'RE PREGNANT!

2006-04-03T21:25:00.000-04:00

This was at my surprise birthday party...which turned into six surprise pregnancies...tehehe! How cute are we though? Maybe a little young, but someday down the road we are going to take this same picture again....but we will all really be pregnant...tehehe...jk...!

I AM IN LOVE ;)

2006-04-03T20:19:00.000-04:00

Daniel is by far my most favorite kid in the whole wide world and i would do anything for him. I already love Down Syndrom kids the way it is , but he has to be the most adorable D.S. boy i have even seen! AWWWW! I love to let him run around the class in his diaper 'cuz he is so cute! He has stolen my heart! What a beautiful creation of God.

SHOPPING!

2006-04-02T11:14:00.000-04:00

Last night us girlies decided we wanted to go shop around Jarabacoa. It was so much fun to just be silly and try on fun stuff (even when we couldn't afford it)! All i have to say to Lindsi is "This would be perfect on my honeymoon!" Oh gosh...i luv that girl! hehe! After three hours of shopping we met Ruben at Pica Pollo. While we were sitting there two american guys walked up and joined our table. It is kinda crazy to me how americans can make such a connection with other americans! When was the last time you went out to eat and joined tables with a group of people you didn't know? hehe! He gave us his number at the end of the night and told us to call him if we ever wanted to hang out. Then us girls and Ruben watched movies until two this morning....well, i guess Ruben only made it until eleven...hehe!

Deli Cafe!

2006-03-31T23:42:00.000-04:00

So i finally got to meet the amazing Amanda and i love her. We hit it off first thing thanks to Socky. Amanda and I realized that we had a lot in common and that we think a lot alike (as scary as that is). Amanda was only here for a week, but i felt like i had known her for so much longer and it was difficult to say goodbye. Her last night here, us girls and Ruben (a.k.a. ru ru, ruby, luben) went to Deli Cafe and had an amazing time just laughing and being silly. After that we went to the park just to walk around. Funny moment of the night ~ us girls had just gotten out of the van and were walking towards the cafe when out of no where came this dog. It jumped up on the fence and started barking and growling. Chatty, Alicia, and I screamed so loud. I think Chatty about peed her pants. We couldn't stop laughing and all the people that were sitting outside of the cafe just gave us really weird looks. oh well....thats life! ;)

MI CORAZON, MI GOZO, MI ESPERANZA!

2006-03-29T16:02:00.000-04:00

This morning i was really struggling with the condition that Jordy is in. Honestly it has been hard for me to not be mad at God and question Him. How do you explain to a class room full of kids that their best friend is dying? How do you walk into a room and not look for his beaming smile? How do you explain that God knows best when your heart is being torn from your chest? How do you look into the eyes of his friends and family and tell them God is in control? I don't have those answers, but i know this is part of me learning to trust God more and more. This morning i tried to do my devotions, but my eyes were filled with tears and i couldn't read anything so i fell back on my bed and let the tears roll. I want more then anything for Jordy to be free from pain and to be able to run, jump, skip, and play and not be bound to his wheel chair. So if that means leaving this world then so be it, but then, God, give me the strength to stand. I have been listening to this song all day long ~Your healing flows like a river wide and healing comes from your hands. Helpless/suffering children are safe in your arms. There is none like you!~ It reminds me that God knows best for his children. Keep Jordy in your prayers and that God's Will, above all, would be done!

2006-03-28T21:05:00.000-04:00

My Amazing Little Sister!

2006-03-27T19:44:00.000-04:00

Alicia is my little sister here in the D.R.! All my life growing up, i never wanted a sister because i didn't want to share my daddy. God must have known that i still needed a sister because he gave me Alicia! She has become one of my very best friends. I can not count the times we stayed up till midnight talking about our futures (a.k.a. the great unknown), God and His promises to us, our families, our friends, boys, SOCKY (your amazing girl), frusterations for the day, different struggles we go through, the difference between here and the states, crying 'cuz we are girls and are emotional, etc. I will always remember our goofy faces, laughs, pictures, pretzels, movie nights, making cookies at one in the morning, tanning, huey, singing (especially in the mornings), and flaco/andy (our future husbands). I must say the night we talked about the color of our eyes was one night i will never forget. We came to the conclusion that if i have the most beautiful poop brown eyes and tree trunk brown hair, then she much have the most stunning toliet bowl cleaner blue eyes and honey wheat stalk hair. She is amazing! So i suck at writing poems, but i promised alicia i would write her one so here goes.

MY SISTER ALICIA!
Her eyes are a radient blue
All the boys stick to her like glue

She draws people in with her smile
Her aeropostale clothes show her style

She puts her hope, trust, and faith in God
And would never be found on the cheerleading squad

She may be a little short
And not able to tear it up on the court

But in the kitchen she is amazing
And her modivation for life is worth praising

I love you, Alicia, more than the stars in the sky
And my life will surely end when i have to say good-bye!

~I love you, doll! Your the Life of My Heart! hehe

I'M GETTING MARRIED!

2006-03-27T07:38:00.000-04:00

OMG! Can you believe it? I am getting married! I honestly believed this day would never come. AAAGGGHHH! i am so excited. I had to attach a picture of my hottie as well. You can see by the look of excitment on my face that i am totally in love. He is a real winner, hu? Don't we go together perfectly? He isn't exactly what my parents were expecting so i have not broke the news to them yet, but hopefully they will see what i see in him! Okay, so i am totally just kidding, but i did have to put this pic up. To make a long story short....timmy teased me about him all week long and then at banquet he dared me to take a picture with him...anyone who knows me knows that i couldn't say no to that! But when he slipped his arm around my shoulders i couldn't help the shocked look on my face...hehe!

So I heard you had a disease?!?!

2006-03-26T21:05:00.000-04:00

As a matter of fact, yes i did have a disease, but no this is not a good pick up line (TIMMY)! I had typhoid and gastritis. I ended up staying three days in the clinic here in Jarabacoa and four days in the hospital in Santiago. It sucked really bad and i am so glad that i am now over that. I went through a lot of really sucky tests. The stomach study was the worse. They put me out and stuck all this stuff down my throat to take samples of my stomach wall and also take pictures of it. After 5 blood tests i am no longer afraid of them and I have mastered peeing in a cup. My favorite test was the sonogram. I felt kinda weird sitting in the waiting area with all these pregnant women, but seeing my pancreas and stuff was kinda cool. Because my stomach and intestines were a mess i had a really hard time eating and ended up having to eat things like baby food. Hopefully i will stay away from the hospital for a while now.

i hate to say goodbye!

2006-03-25T15:25:00.001-04:00

Jupiter team just left this morning! I can already tell this summer is going to be bitter sweet. I loved these last two weeks because i was able to meet some incredible people, but the part that sucks is that it only lasted for two weeks and i will prolly never seem them again. I have a lot of good memories with this group and i know i will always remember them. I can't wait to buy Kevin and Tear Bear's 'fluent by friday' spanish cassettes. Timmy gets the award for the best pickup line ~ "So i heard you have a disease, what meds are you on?" Shannon totally gets the golden heart award...especially since she loved on my kids at Genesis! Sierra and Sami are the cutest girls ever! Dave cracked me up everytime he talked. Javier blew me away with his dancing moves...DANG! MaryEllen and Deb are amazing! I have never laughed so hard in my life! I loved to see the way that they related with people and the way people related to them. I admire both of them in a huge way. Tear Bear is the first person to EVER throw me into the pool ~ props to him. Kevin likes the Redskins so he def. chalked some points up in my book. I could go on and on! I am really going to miss this group, but i am thankful for the last two weeks that i was able to spend with them! :)