I'll be home for Christmas...:)

That's it, even Javie is bundled up and ready to head home for Christmas!! We're so excited, can hardly wait to be with friends and family, in the white, for the holidays!!!

...8 days

and we're homeward bound!!

Can't Every Day Be Christmas?!

Ha, I've broken out my Holiday tunes again, CANNOT WAIT to be home next week!!! Holy cow! Yep, I'm already partially packed and soooo excited! I love Guatemala, but there's no place like home for the holidays... Plus, my nephew is waiting for me to start to walk and talk so... it's kind of a big deal lol!

<- mis sobrinos guapos :)

Ello!

Oookay... One more from while Ashlie was here :)

Friday we climbed the hill of the cross (which I think I already mentioned), with my roommate Rachel, her mom, and friend (and Jen!)... It was a nice, brief hike, but the altitude made it a small bit more challenging than one might have thought. But it was beautiful and this is the statue we first made it to before heading down just a bit to view the cross. I don't really know what the statue is of but... Ash and Rachel's mom, Connie, commented on this man's abnormally small head while other's theorized that he was the headless horseman... lol - who knows!?

Us.

The cross overlooking Antigua = BeaUtiful

It was a sweet view.

And this is me and Ash again but... I don't really remember where we were when I took this lol

This was taken while we were touring the ruins behind San Francisco Church, the sky looked really cool, so I wanted to include it.

Saturday Ash and I camped out up in the mountains at Earth Lodge -

a lovely little avocado farm in the mountains just outside of Antigua.

They have two huge dogs who live there, but they're not be fear because, they're super lazy!

Our tent on the mountainside.

This I took at the ruins behind La Merced Church, I really liked these ruins, it was a sunny day, quiet, and delightful with my best friend.

I took this there too!

And this fountain was at the center of the ruins...

that little speck is me :)

This is La Merced from the front... the large, bright yellow church, hehe

And I just love the streets of Antigua,

in spite of how incredibly bad they are for one's back alignment, feet, and knees...

And this day you could see Volcan Agua pretty well!

So lots of stuff happening this week, but my goal is pro-duc-tivity!!!

Working on wrapping up classes with Paul, dreading final papers/exams but... ready to go home and well, these must come first..

But also trying to soak up as much sun and Guatemalan culture as possible before I leave for the holidays, we all know it's going to be insane culture shock while I'm back in the states...

Gonna run for now, tchau!

Volcan Poas

Ok, figured it's been long enough without posting these, here are a few more pictures from my time in Costa Rica with Ale... My last day there we headed up Volan Poas to see Central America's largest crater! And when we at 8am that morning, the weather was lovely... but by the time we made it up it was down pouring, bleh! Still, it was a fun experience. Wet, by fun!

Ale-Vero (her sister)-Me

On our way up the mountain...excited and dry!

When we first got up the mountain it was a complete bummer because you couldn't see a thing, the crated was covered in cloud and, Ale was so bummed at the day...

So we hiked to this lagoon,

and we could see some of it but... got slightly damp taking this pic...

see, the lagoon!

The water is supposedly super blue...

I had a river inside my shoes,

poor little Toms were SOAKED

But I sang in the ran

...and danced a little too :)

And so did Ale and her sister, we definitely made the best of it

After we were thoroughly frozen, we treated ourselves to a delicious packed lunch-that Ale prepared-and indulged in some sweetness while we waited for the bus, but it turned out the battery had died in the bus and we were stuck for an unsaid extra amount of time = lame!

But after about an hour, not quite so lame because, the sun came out and we hiked back up to the crater and it was clear!

Saweet!

Trip complete.

Then we got to play with this little guy...

what a scavenger but,

he totally performed for Ale's emanadas - haha!

Super cute!!

After like, forever the bus man finally called a second bus to come up and get us... it was kind of a bummer having to sit at the top of the mountain for 2 hours waiting but.. still definitely a great experience & and really fun day.

AND, now I can say that I have seen the largest crater in Central America!! :)

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN:

12 more days till I'm back in Michigan!!!

21 days till Christmas ;)

-Hasta Luego-

with credits to ashlie...

Some more pics from this past week...enjoy! :)

volcan agua from the hill of the cross

this is me...

ashlie has an incredible eye for photos,

i didn't even know she was taking this

then she caught me mid-dancing lol

funny, rachel (my roommate)'s mom, Connie, kept thinking that our road was called

"Doble Via" because she was seeing this sign all the time.. hahahha

birds of paradise = sawEEt flower!

we're best friends

this is 'killer'

he tried camping out with us in the mountains saturday night...

volcanoes everywhere

ello!

from the ruins of la merced (church)

something beautiful inside hotel santo domingo

the fountain at hotel santo domingo...

i could reach the top of this arch!!

these were some cool paintings...

and pretty flower petals

i'm short with words today, but hope you enjoyed these photos!

and as my junior high principal used to always say...

hope you all have a stupendous day ;)

pero sus zapatos son sucios!

So the other day I was sitting in a cafe with my best friend and this young guatemalan child walks up to me with a shoe-shiner box in hand... he looks down at my (once used to be cream-colored) TOMS shoes as I speak out, "no gracias!" and says, "pero sue zapatos son sucios!" hahaha

Now, this is true but... it's also true that his little shoe-shining kit would do absolutely nothing for my dirty white shoes... so the waitress lady gives him the look and so holding his head down he grabs his box and heads back out into the chill of the night... [how sad]...

I really didn't need a shoe-shine but, that little boy needed to see God's love shine... so.. as if it were an instant heart reaction, Ash and I agreed, we should definitely snag him a cookie. I hollered to him, "Venga!" and he snook back over to me and I handed him the bag... As we walked out to head home we passed him a couple stores down, peaking into the bag and, he looked up with the most joy-filled smile that melted my heart...

I've been thinking about this smile ever since and, decided to share, just because it's so beautiful to think about how, the very very simple things we do... the 5Q, less than a dollar, we may spend, can make the world of a difference in the life of someone else and... likewise, it's in the small things - the simple glimpse of God in you that holds the power to change things... to change people... :)

Now, I have a sneak-peak update, it's been a delightful week having Ashlie here with me, and now I am SO behind in blog-updates with lots to share! (and still some from Costa Rica so...) I'm working on it!! small ps- 11 days and I'll be home, yoo-hoo!

Cerro de la Cruz

(Hill of the Cross)

Best Friends...

BeaUtiful scenery,

camping in the mountains

i heart photography

Volan... Agua (I think!)

OH! And Kirra (my teacher's cat) had kittens Monday morning!!!

Ash and I headed over there for dinner that night and I got to hold them, SO cute... SO small...

Awe, momma Kirra :)

Slug-Bug!

Yes, I love her!

So glad she got to come see Antigua, it was great to have her here!

Also great to have Rachel's mom and friend Jenna last week... we had a terrific traditional Thanksgiving with old friends, new friends, and family :)

Gotta run, will write again soon!! LOVE.