I really, really hope you know this...

God is incredibly amazing and good!!!!

Of course, I would have reason to say that... Tiago and I have been hoping for and planning on him coming to the States at the beginning of next year to meet my family, friends, etc. But it has all been contingent on whether or not he gets a visa. Well, today was the day for his interview at the American Embassy, and he got it!! God is good!

But then, what about my friend who I just learned had a miscarriage recently? And the lady at church who, despite her loving parents and husband who love the Lord, is plagued by an addiction to drugs? What about her family, her children? And how about the countless people who are on the streets night after night in the bitter cold of winter?

Is God still incredibly amazing and good?

Yes!!

I know what you're thinking: "It's easy for you to say that. You have a wonderful family, people you love and who love you. Your boyfriend whom you haven't seen in months will be visiting you soon. You have a job, steady income, and can still travel around the world...."

Yes, that is all true. Life isn't always easy, but right now it certainly is a blessing.

But here's the thing...

As I have been reading in Psalms during the past hour or so, all I see, over and over, is David praising the Lord and giving Him glory for always being in control. Throughout the 10 or 15 Psalms I have read, he is at times praising God for a recent victory, and at times praising Him for a victory that he can't see yet, as he is surrounded by his enemies.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me...

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies...

The earth is the Lord's, and all it contains...

You are the God of my salvation...

Good and upright is the Lord; therefore He instructs sinners in the way...

One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple...

Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord....

To You, O Lord, I call: My rock, do not be deaf to me, For if You are silent to me, I will become like those who go down to the pit...

The Lord is my light and my salvation...

How great is your goodness, which You have stored up for those who fear You...

And I could go on and on.

But the point is this:

Romans 8:28

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

So whether you're praising Him for a victory, or praising Him in the midst of trials, praise Him!! If you have given your heart to the Lord, the victory is already yours - whether you can see it yet or not! And if you haven't, it's time. Today is the day of salvation.

And if you're having trouble keeping faith, read a little bit further:

Romans 8:32

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

Or in other words, He already paid the greatest price - Christ's life - for you! He bought you with a price, now do you really think He's just going to forget His love for you? No way!!

The greatest good for us is Christ Jesus and His Name glorified! "Seek ye first the kingdom of God..."

As Tiago pointed out to me last week: Psalm 23 starts with the Lord and ends with the Lord. Everything in between is what happens in life. There are good times, and there are bad times, but what remains forever is the Lord!

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want... And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

What a wonderful week!

Mom and I flew out to Tennessee last Wednesday to spend Thanksgiving with "Kevin & Co." We arrived home yesterday. It was such a wonderful week! I had such a great time with everyone - and dad was even able to join us Sunday night! We played games, laughed, went shopping, talked, went to church, changed diapers... haha. It was such a joy to meet my new baby niece Adalyn. She is beautiful just like her sister and her parents!

One of the highlights was definitely hanging out with Emery. I'm sure I can't even do her justice, but here are some"quotable quotes" from Emery this past week:

When Adalyn started crying in from the bedroom, Emery, in her highchair at the table, looked at her mom and said, "Would you go check on my baby please?"

After playing with her new remote control car from Papa Dennis: "Ok, I don't want to do it a-more again. I'm done now. Thank you."

When she didn't want to take a picture with Santa Claus at the riverwalk, we asked her why. Her response: "He smells like cheese."

"Mommy's pretty, and I'm beautiful!"

Multiple times throughout the week, for no apparent reason, and with no related context at all, I heard, "I not say someping, I just said, baby, baby, baby."

After an hour drive to Nashville, playing with her in the backseat the whole way, she very sincerely said, "Thank you for praying (playing) with me."

While mom and I were in the very back of the car, and Em in the middle row: "Um, Grandma and Kara, whatchya doin?" "We're just hanging out. What are you doing?" "Oh, I'm just hanging out in my car seat."

And when we told her she had lots of money (2 dollars and changed), she replied, "Thank you!"

...just to name a few.

I am most definitely thankful for my amazing family! I am truly blessed. Praise God! He is good!!

Crazy, crazy days!

I arrived in Albuquerque on Sunday, October 11, and was scheduled to leave on Friday the 16th. I wound up waiting until Saturday to leave because I was flying standby and the planes were all overbooked on Friday. I got stuck in Chicago on Saturday night, and flew out Sunday night, arriving in Brazil on Monday, Oct 19. A group arrived to visit Hope Unlimited and do a work project on Tuesday, which kept me in sync with my regular theme of hitting the ground running.

It was a busy and challenging two weeks! A few days after arrival, one gentleman returned home upon hearing of his daughter-in-law who was pregnant with twins - she lost one twin at 24 weeks and they are keeping their eyes open for complications with the second baby. Another member from the group was diagnosed with meningitis and has been in the hospital since Saturday, a week and a half ago. She has to have someone with her 24 hours a day, so we have all been chipping in and spending days and nights in the hospital with her. Marc (Philip's 6-year-old son) broke a tooth last week and had to have a root canal. A couple days later he got sick and had a fever of 102. A couple days after that, baby Isabella got sick with a fever of 102. Philip was in Vitoria and stuck there due to a 5-day rain storm that flooded the area and closed the airport for days on end.

When it rains it pours!

We kept quite busy with the group - so busy in fact that Natalia and I had 30 minutes on Saturday to go home after dropping the group off at the hotel, take showers, get ready for a wedding, and return to the hotel to pick up the group. So, we timed our showers to see who could finish faster. It was close, but I took the gold:

My time:

Natalia's time:

We made great time and arrived about 20 minutes before the ceremony was supposed to start at 7pm. The ceremony didn't actually start until about 9. But hey - it wasn't because we were late!

Despite the challenges, the group was a tremendous blessing and returned home on Monday. I had a day off yesterday and am back in the office today and for the rest of the week.

The Longest Day of My Life

I flew home from Sydney today. Or yesterday. Or something.

My flight left at 2:50 on Sunday afternoon, and I arrived in LA around 10:00 on Sunday morning... weird. It's funny because I lived the hours of 10am to 3pm on Sunday twice. Quite weird. Mom and I both had thought I would arrive on Monday evening, but thankfully we figured out that I was arriving on Sunday. So she picked me, and I am home again. :o)

Sydney was wonderful! A beautiful city, and so great to spend time with Tiago. Here are couple more pictures... enjoy!

Darling Harbour at night:

A going away barbecue on Bronte Beach for Wellington (on left). This picture was taken during the few brief moments of sunshine. Most of the day was raining, windy, and cold!!

Me and Tiago for a nice night out on Friday:

Possibly the most amazing place on earth

So, I thought I liked Brazil. And I do. I love Brazil. But I have found a new love: Sydney, Australia.

I arrived last Wednesday morning (Tuesday afternoon back home in Albuquerque). The day I arrived also happened to be the day that a freak dust storm covered Sydney in a blanket of red - the worst dust storm in 70 years! We were about 15 minutes from landing in Sydney and had to turn around and fly up to Brisbane to refuel. We then headed back down to Sydney and were in a holding pattern for a while until the tower gave us the thumbs up to land. I was so praying that we would be able to land! Poor Tiago had to wait 4 hours for me at the airport!

The dust cleared by the afternoon, and I began to be able to see just how beautiful the city is. During this last week I have gotten to see the Featherdale zoo - complete with kangaroos, tazmanian devils, koalas, and other strange animals! Had dinner with friends in the Sydney Tower revolving restaurant - comparable to Seattle's Space Needle. Coogee Beach, (I have never seen such a beautiful deep blue sea as the one here) Manly Beach, the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, Darling Harbour, a couple weekend services at Hillsong church.. and the list goes on. I don't think anything has fallen short of amazing yet!

It's probably a good thing I already have a ticket home.... :o)

A Simple Demonstration of Love

A few weeks ago, I had the wonderful and rare opportunity to spend the weekend at our girls ranch. Seven visiting American girls and I packed our bags and headed out to the ranch on Saturday afternoon for a couple days of fun, games, smiles, and reminders of God’s love.

One of the many activities that filled the weekend was a movie night we put on for the girls on Saturday. I rented a few videos and took my laptop, speakers, and a projector out to the ranch. Together with Bel, the ranch director, and her husband Carlos, we nailed and hammered to put up a makeshift outdoor screen (a white sheet), and went searching for all the right extension cords, plugs, and other necessary equipment for the “movie theater” to come together. As we worked, many girls wandered over from time to time, curious to know what was going on, and if they would be invited. One girl’s comment particularly touched me:

Bruna* is 12 years old and has a little bit of a lisp. She is a sweet little girl with a certain air of maturity beyond her years – she seems too serious to be a 12-year-old girl. She doesn’t know who her father is and probably never will. Her mother, with no place to live and seeing no other option, left her and her younger sister at a church and hasn’t been seen since.

As I was finishing set-up and about to test the projector, Bruna walked up and, with much curiosity, asked, “What is that?” “We’re going to watch a movie,” I answered, as I continued setting up the computer. “Oh, cool,” was her reply. And then she added, “Is this a sign that you like us?” I was taken back by the question, which made me immediately stop everything I was doing and turn my full attention to little Bruna. Her question hit me like a ton of bricks; I was appalled as I realized her uncertainty of acceptance, and the fact that a simple movie night could mean so much to her. With great enthusiasm and a tight hug and kiss on her forehead, I confirmed, “Yes, it is!” Then, very matter-of-factly, little 12-year-old Joice looked up at me and said, “Oh. Thank you,” and returned to her house.

Within an hour, the whole lawn was covered with girls wrapped up in blankets as the night continued to cool. Giggles and chatter could be heard throughout the ranch, as we waited for everyone to arrive and get settled for the movie. Popcorn was passed around, and the joy of that special night could be felt in the air. Little Bruna sat close to me, and we shared a bowl of popcorn with a few other girls around us. Although we didn’t exchange any more words, I knew what a huge impact this simple act of putting on a movie night had had on Bruna. And I pray that she would know not only the love that I have for her, nor that the rest of our staff has for her, but the love that the Father has for her. He gave her that movie night, as a sign that He loves her. And He will never abandon her.

*Her name has been changed for her protection.

I still hate coffee

But I have to admit I hate it less than I used to. Perhaps it's because it has come to my aid on days when I had barely slept the night before. Or maybe because it relieved a headache I had had all day long the other day. Regardless, I am hating it less. And I think the best thing about coffee in Brazil is the size of the cups! :o)

Everybody loves taco night!

...even Brazilians!

On Saturday night, I had some people over after church - Tiago, his brother Diogo, Natalia, Mariana, Flavia, Marcos ("Kinho"), and Zé - for tacos and a movie. I ran home after service was over to start cooking and finish up what I wasn't able to get done before leaving for church. It wasn't long before everyone arrived. Tiago and Natalia helped me in the kitchen, cutting tomatoes, grating cheese, and making fruit salad, while I got the meat going and finished organizing things for dinner. The rest of the crew transformed my apartment while we were in the kitchen. They moved the couches and took things of my wall so we could set up a projector, connected to a laptop and watch Batman on "the big screen."

When it came time to eat, I had to teach them how to put their tacos together! About 5 of the 7 had never eaten tacos before!! These poor, deprived people. Now I know why God has brought me to Brazil... to bring the good news to them about tacos! haha... ok, ok, maybe there's more to His plan than that.

I think all of them asked at one point or another if the fruit salad went inside the tacos or not... haha! Even though I told them no, Natalia and Mariana both tried strawberries in their tacos. They said they liked it, too... I don't know about these Brazilians...

A Birthday Gift

So my birthday was a month and a half ago now, but I just came across something I wanted to share.  It's a mad lib entitled "Guess what your birthday gift is!"  My mom wrote it, and we as a family filled it in before I found and opened my last birthday gift.   Enjoy!

Guess what your birthday gift is!

Here are some hints about your birthday HOOK:

It is too big to SPLASH in Buddy's SIBERIAN HUSKIE. 

It is too INFLATABLE to hide in a THICK warehouse. 

It comes in a package of ONE HALF.  It SQUATS. It TAKES A PICTURE.

It loves to DANCE.  It is colored like a PINK, bleeding OSPREY. 

Any guesses?  Well, ask your FEROCIOUS CLOWN or MR. ROGERS.

They both know because it is from them. 

P.S. It is in the LEASH in a GOOD POOP just the right size for hiding there. 

If you're still at a loss as to what I got for my birthday - or where it was hiding - here's the real story:

Here are some hints about your birthday gift:

It is too big to hide in Buddy's crate.

It is too small to hide in a huge warehouse. 

It come in a package of four.  It zips.  It rolls.

It loves to travel.  It is colored like a chic, bleeding zebra. 

Any guesses?  Well, ask your mom or dad.  

They both know because it is from them. 

P.S. It is in the shed in a box just the right size for hiding there. 

NOTE: The update on this blog was just to fix a few typos I noticed after I posted it.  I guess that's what I get for not reading it before I posted it.  

And she hits the ground running...

Friday night: rodeo in a neighboring city with a few friends - Tomas, Wagner, me and Vitor

Saturday: Hippie Fair with Aunt Donna and Jennifer, an unsuccessful search for 2 dogs to adopt for the girls' ranch, back home, dinner, exercise, and to bed

Sunday: pick Jennifer and Donna up from the girls' ranch, lunch with Donna while Jennifer met with some friends, a successful search for 1 dog to adopt for the girls' ranch, a lot of happy girls with a new dog, dinner, church, out with friends, and to bed

Monday: my first full day back in the office, an outing with the birthday boys from Hope and with Donna and Jennifer, and back home and to bed

Tuesday (today): another full day of work, a 10-minute nap, house cleaning, dinner, dance class, and blogging. :o)

I already have more invitations for stuff to do this weekend than I know what to do with.  I'd say I have two lives... in two different countries and two different languages.  Life is crazy.  And our God is so good to bless us with fun adventures!

A long trip

As I told people before I left, I was super excited to come to Brazil but dreading the trip itself.  And rightly so... haha.  I got up at 4:45 on Thursday, was at the airport shortly after 6, my plane left at 8:40, and I arrived in Atlanta about 1:30 (Eastern time).  I had an 8-hour layover in the Atlanta airport, which is always fun (not.)  So I came up with a way to help pass the time. 

As soon as I arrived at the airport, I posted a message on my Facebook page for all to see: So here's the game: I have about 7 hours in the Atlanta airport until my plane leaves.  (9:20 pm eastern time).  Help me pass the time by leaving a comment which lists an item I must find and take a picture of while I'm here.  (you know, like a scavenger hunt)  Ready, set, GO!  

Within a minute or two, I had about 10 responses.  So I got my camera ready and set out on "The Great Atlanta Airport Scavenger Hunt," as I dubbed it.  I can't post all of the results in this blog, but I will share some highlights.  If you want to see the full results, you can visit Facebook. 

"an elephant of any size"

"a lady with three children" (the third one is in the stroller in the front..)

"a moose!"

"a he-mullet"

"a 'car' backpack"

Awkward!

Emery was over last night, and, as is common to do with a 2-year-old, my mom at one point said, "Emery, I'm going to check your diaper," as she pulled the back of her diaper open to see if Em had left any "presents."  While she was doing that, I said, "Hey, Emery, say, 'Awkward!'"  And she promptly repeated, "Awkward!"  I just about died laughing!  We kept practicing, and I told her any time someone looks in her diaper to say, "Awkward!"  She got to where she would do it without even being prompted, but the later it got, the more difficult it was for her to remember her new vocabulary word.  I was a little worried that all our hard work wouldn't be paying off just yet... 

This morning, however, I got a text from Kevin when I arrived in Atlanta: We asked Emery this morning what she says when we check her diaper.  She said, "Awkward!"

'Atta girl, Emery! :oD

still on the go

Well, I kept with theme of "going out with a bang" until the very end, I'd say...

Monday night, my friends convinced me to go salsa dancing.  We had fun!  Definitely glad I went!

Tuesday, I worked all day, went to the eye doctor, from there to the Stone Age for 45 minutes of climbing before my "body sculpting" class, then straight to Staci's house for an excellent dinner, on to swing dancing, and out to Frontier after.  

On Wednesday, I did what I needed to for work and then got to packing.  My dad picked me up about 5:30 and we went to get my new glasses.  

Then I convinced him to get his first pedicure with me. :o)  (He enjoyed it despite the fact that he has VERY ticklish feet!)  

We grabbed a bite for dinner at Fuddruckers.  Then we stopped at Walmart to get some odds and ends before I finished packing.  We raced the clock:

Then was Albertson's for a 3-month's supply of Jelly Belly sours.  We also raced the clock there:

Then it was home again, home again.  Emery was over, so we spent some time with her.  Then I finished packing and was in bed in record time!  10:25 pm!  I have NEVER gotten to bed that early the night before a trip to Brazil.  The sad part is, I didn't get to sleep until about 1 am. boo.  Then up at 4:45 and on my way...

"Going out with a bang"

This was my last weekend in Albuquerque... until August, anyway.  I'll be back in the States at the end of August for a good friend's wedding (yay!).  It's always nice to "go out with a bang," as they say, and I think I managed to do that.  

Friday night I hung out with some friends, mostly from church.  We went to my friend Ricky's house and had a little barbecue and played some games.  There were about 10 of us, and it couldn't have been better.  A great mix of people and a great time.  

I got to spend all day Saturday with dad and Kevin.  Jenn and Em started the day out with us but had to leave early because Em wasn't feeling well.  We went to Sandia National Lab's Family day and got to see some pretty cool stuff.  Security is very high at SNL (employee's can't even take their cell phones on campus), so it was a treat!  Kev, dad, and I went to a movie afterwards.  You should definitely see it, if you like action movies: Taken.

In the evening I went to a party for the Christian fraternity (KYX): The Stache Bash.  As I'm sure you can deduce from the pictures and name, the theme was mustaches.  Everyone was supposed to wear a mustache, although not quite everyone complied.  It made me very thankful I don't have a 'stache!  but it was fun while it lasted. :o)

After that, I went out with some Brazilian friends.  Fernanda just finished her master's at UNM, graduating yesterday.  And of course that calls for a celebration.  Brazil Night at one of the bars was just the place for it - samba, capoeira, and all!

Sunday was church in the morning, and nice, relaxing afternoon with Kev, Jenn, Em, and mom at home, and then church in the evening and to bed.  I was exhausted!  

I am trying to economize my time this week, so I worked from 5am-1pm today and will probably have a similar schedule the next couple days, so I can get as much done as possible.  The countdown to Thursday morning seems to be moving very quickly!

It's all lies, obviously...

This is definitely old "news," but I think it's still worth sharing...  When I came home for Christmas, I had a lot of lying to do in order to keep my visit a secret from my parents.  Since I am usually online to talk to them over the weekend, I decided my alibi would be that I was going to Iguassu Falls for the weekend (since I would, in fact, be traveling).  I thought it would be fun to post a blog, including pictures... to really have them fooled!  I wound up not posting it after all (since it's pretty easy to tell they're not real), but I had a fun time doing the "photo shoot" in my living room at my apartment in Brazil.  I used Photobooth, which allows you choose a background for your picture to be on top of when you take it... if that makes sense... Here are some of the highlights... (notice it even got "windy"...)

A race against the clock

I have quite a busy day today - not that that's a bad thing; I just have a lot to do.  Mom and I realized yesterday we both needed to get some things at Walmart.  I always dread going to Walmart, because I know it's going to suck 7 hours of my day up.  So I decided we could have a little fun with it.  As soon as we set foot inside of Walmart, I started the stopwatch on my iPod, and the race had begun.  We managed to pick out some items for Emery for Easter, get some groceries, check out, and set foot outside again in 20 minutes, 12.7 seconds.  We were proud. You should be too. 

On the go

Yeah, I know... I'm reeeeeally behind on my blogging.  I'll see if I can keep the update concise.  And then I'll try to get back to blogging regularly. :o)

In the 7 weeks I've been home, I've taken 3 trips.  Such is life for me, huh?  

Upon arrival in the US, I went to Arkansas to visit my grandparents, as seen in my previous blogs.  

A couple weeks later, I went to California to see Eva.  It was a wonderful weekend!  I got to meet her boyfriend Malone, and we had no agenda the entire weekend... but that doesn't mean we didn't have anything to do.  It was relaxing but fun, the perfect pace.  We played cards a lot, went to a movie, hung out with friends of theirs from school, went on a hike, attended two church services, and before we knew it, I was getting on a plane Monday morning to head back to Albuquerque.

  

Last weekend, I went to Austin, TX, for my good friend Janelle's wedding.  It was sooo beautiful! And sooo wonderful to see Janelle and spend time with her, her family, and some friends!  I read Scripture in the cermony (Gen. 2:18-24... for some reason they didn't want me to read verse 25. :oP ) and got to participate in all the pre-wedding activities - bridesmaid's luncheon, rehearsal, rehearsal dinner.  

Between trips, when "real life" happens, I spend my days working from home.  I think I have finally adjusted, although working from home is not my favorite thing by any means.  I have also started going rock climbing at The Stone Age, a rock climbing gym here in Albuquerque.  And of course, I try to make sure to spend some time with the fam.  Em and mom and I had fun Thursday night while Kevin and Jenn were at Renovate, Calvary's college ministry.  In fact, we managed to get all five of us (mom, me, Em, Buddy, and Brutus) on my bed at one time:

All 5 "Girard Girls" will be together this weekend for Easter weekend!  We haven't all 5 been together since we moved out of our house on Girard almost a year ago.  It turns out we will probably all sort of do our own thing on Easter Day, but Saturday will be a fun-filled day of Girard Girls goodness!  Friday can't come soon enough! :oD

Shoes!

I went shoe shopping while I was in Arkansas.  Here's why:

Notice the sole coming off the shoe on top.  And you can't see it too well, but my big toe was starting to come out as well.  On the same shoe, the strap is busted and just sort of hanging out, attached only on one side.  The shoe on the bottom has already had the same problem fixed, and you can see the rip in the side of the shoe. 

Here's the replacement I found: 

This pair is in a little bit better condition, huh?

The old pair went in the trash:

The sad thing is, I had a hard time parting with them.  In fact, I seriously considered bringing them home and continuing to use them!  I stayed strong, though, and said my goodbyes. 

Arkansas!

Dad and I took a trip to Arkansas this weekend to see my grandparents - Papaw and Marilyn.  It was wonderful!  So great to see them.  It's been a couple years already, so it was time to catch up.  We left on Thursday afternoon and got back last night, so we had about 3 days with them.  It was a quiet weekend, but a great one!  We went to Cracker Barrel three times (Friday, Sat, and Sunday).

  

That's sort of their "kitchen" - they always go there.  I love to see Papaw there - he's like a celebrity!  Everyone says, "Hi, Mr. Miller!" and gives him hugs.  I think it's good for him.  His health isn't real great, and he sure doesn't get around like he used to.  So I think Cracker Barrel is a good tradition.  We stopped by the little aquarium at a national park Visitor's Center on Saturday.  

On Sunday we drove up north to Appleton to see where Marilyn grew up.  I'm no photographer, but I had fun attempting some photography, primarily in the shed next to the house - a land mine of old treasures and photo ops...

(This is a hive built by dirt daubers - a new little tid bit of info I learned yesterday.)