Live from Fresnillo...Midweek Update!

Here are a few random thoughts for this week...

• I have had several successful accomplishments and breakthroughs this week: the Drano is making a difference in my shower, I figured out how to connect my computer to the printer we recently inherited (thanks, Mary!) even without the installation CD (actually this was my smart Mac's accomplishment, not mine), and I got to cross off several projects/tasks on my list today. These may seem like small things to most people, but it's amazing what kind of difference they make especially if you have been showering in ankle-deep water, need to print your newsletter later this week, and have had some seemingly-inefficient days lately where you couldn't finish anything.
• Even predictable people you know very well can still surprise you. Yesterday, I surprised myself with a thought that was very uncharacteristic of me. I was opening one of my drawers, saw some winter clothes, and thought almost subconsciously, "Oh, winter! It will be nice when it's winter again." What?! Where did this come from? I pretty much hate winter and spring can never come quickly enough again for me each year! I suppose the thought (which was very fleeting and quickly corrected by my conscious mind) came mostly from seeing some winter clothes that I hadn't worn in awhile. This part is not very surprising since I always look longingly at my skirts and flip-flops each January, wishing it could be spring again. Apparently, while I might occasionally have whimsical, out-of-the-blue thoughts, some things do not change.
• I used to sometimes watch SNL when I lived in the U.S., hence the title tribute. I loved being on central time because it came on earlier, and I almost always turned it off after Weekend Update and then went to bed...which is where I am off to now!

June Snapshots

As you might suspect from my lack of blog activity, June was a busy month. I thought I’d share a few pictures that tell some of the highlights…

My Birthday

On June 13th, I enjoyed celebrating my first birthday in Mexico. Highlights from the day were Meredith's cupcakes on my birthday eve at youth group, fresh Gerber daisies and yummy homemade caramel rolls by Karen in the morning, receiving lots of hugs and birthday greetings at church, seeing a movie (in English) in Zacatecas in the afternoon with Elizabeth and Felicia, and then eating at the delicious Italian restaurant in Zac with all 3 of my roommates and Sergio and Faby, our sweet neighbors.

ÉXITO end of the year party

My weekly academic class for 4th-6th graders ended in June. We read Charlotte's Web this semester and for our last class, we had a party and watched the movie. Teaching ÉXITO this semester has definitely been one of my favorite parts of my job, and the last day felt a little bittersweet--kind of like the last day of school before summer when I was a teacher. I love the special place in my heart these kids have, just like all my old 4th graders still do.

Club T-shirt Give-away

Also in June, we finished Club for the summer. Every year, the kids that learn all of the verses (about one a month) and also have good attendance, receive a t-shirt at the end of the Club year. We have a big celebration for them and give all the shirts away on a Saturday in June. The verse that is on the shirt for this year is John 10:27. I was excited that a lot of my girls were able to learn all their verses and receive shirts. Here we are above sporting the new Club shirt. :)

Texas Trip 2010

At the end of June, part of our team headed to McAllen, TX. My roommates Felicia and Karen that are moving back to the U.S. were going to fly home from Texas, and we also had to sell one van, transfer the title of another van, and do LOTS of ministry supply shopping. We left Fresnillo on Sunday, and Karen and Felicia flew home on Wednesday. (See above picture from the airport.) However, for the Jones family and myself, the Texas trip turned into a little adventure thanks to Hurricane Alex...we decided to remain in McAllen until Friday instead of leaving Thursday as we'd originally planned, but after a few hours on the road on Friday, we had to turn around because the highway was closed. We headed to Laredo this time since it is slightly closer than McAllen and spent the weekend there. Thankfully, we were able to get back to Fresnillo on Sunday. While it was somewhat frustrating to be "stuck" in Texas a few days, I know the Lord is sovereign and has a purpose in every situation and could have been protecting us from lots of things. I also think it's a good sign that I was so eager to get back to Fresnillo! My highlights from the trip were enjoying a few more days with Karen and Felicia before they left, eating at yummy U.S. restaurants, finding a fabulous sale at GAP in the McAllen mall, and spending some great bonding time with the Jones family. :)