Mary K.'s Blog

It has been a year now

2009-10-30T15:15:00.003-02:00

Sorry for the length of time it has been since I have written. I normally only have time when I am at my parents though now mom has lent us a mobile connection and I have been able to access at home on the laptop.

So, it has been 6 months since we were all in the states and a year since my precious little C was born. Granted she was born at night so she is not officially one yet but today is the day. I am amazed that a year has passed and so many things have happened.

Lets see, Chelsea is walking and recognizing words in both languages. She knows some sign language too so she can communicate some other things as well. We are working on amplifying the sign language vocabulary. Her hair is finally growing and it will be curly. She is 10 kilos and 74 centimeters. She is rotten to the core but what child is not. We are in a moment of transition as she does and does not want her morning nap and if she does nap, it messes with her afternoon nap as it is doing with her as I type. C is very loving and knows very few strangers. We will have to be careful with that in the future. She goes into the church's nursery without a problem. She is a GREAT eater. She eats everything and is desiring to feed herself these days. She obeys pretty darn well but does throw a good little fit every now and again. Today, her birthday, she nursed for the last time. Her first six months were completely nursing then we have used the Brazilian method of introducing food. She eats everything and with her 8 teeth and molar wanting to come out I don't have to mash anything at all.

She is a cutie and we love her to bits and pieces.

I will try to keep you better updated than I have.

Getting ready

2009-04-03T19:16:00.002-03:00

Hello all, or those faithful few who stop by to see if I have written.

We are in the process of getting ready to make our first trip to the US as a larger family. Thank God for all the blessings He has showered down on us for us to be able to come up north. I am anxious about the trip. There are so many things to try to pack and so many things to consider. I am askign for your prayers as we get ready.

Also, if you are in the Lexington area and would like to meet the rest of my family, drop a note here or give a ring to my brother's abode and we will put you on the calendar.

Love you all. Thank you for your prayers.

The girl

2009-03-27T14:16:00.004-03:00

Here are some pics and a video of the girl. Hope you enjoy.

Just a cutie with a really big head.

Ana Luisa came for a visit

Play in the exersaucer that arrive. She loves it.

Practicing being a big girl in the highchair.
Getting her used to it before we start to use it for real.

Just a cutie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

God is still a God of Miracles

2009-03-18T09:15:00.003-03:00

Alright, to some of you this may seem pretty mundane and simple but to me, I see God's hands all over my current situations and it is pretty darn cool.

Let me take you back to the beginning of this whole story of potentially - now a certainty - of coming to the US. A friend of the family offered to pay my and little C's way to the US to help my parents with some stuff and so my Grandma/C's Great-Grand-Ma could see her. W said he wanted to be part of bringing lil C to the states so we began to pray and look at our situation, financially and spiritually. We wanted to make sure we were walking in His will not ours and that when we returned from the visit we did not regret the decision in a financial fashion, ie having spent our reserve money on the trip. As we prayed, I went about finding out if my SkyMiles were still in my account so we could get a ticket for W. I called SkyMiles only to find out that my miles had been cancelled, erased, thrown away because of my inactivity. I cried like a baby because it was a "no" response to my prayers of travelling to the US. I was sad and at the same time calm in knowing God had responded. But wait, God said "no" to this part but had more waiting in the wings. Not long later the same family friend called to see about life here and such and asked about me and W and lil C coming and my mom told mhim we had encoutered some obstacles and he offered financial help. God is so good. We got on-line and liiked at my dad's SkyMiles account and he had enough miles for W to have a ticket, so we were back on and with the financial assistance of the family friend, we could afford to get lil C's paperwork and W's new visa. YEAH GOD!!!

The miracles do not end here. We started on the programming a trip to the American Consulate and such right away and it felt like it would be an eternity before W could get an appointment. We went about getting the Brazilian passport for my baby and the paperwork together for our Consulate visit. On the 11th of March, we went up the hill and to São Paulo. (My first time up the hill in over a year.) The trip went smoothly and lil C did well. Her appointment was first and we offered all the documentation to prove that she is my child so she can be recognized as an American and gain an American passport. All the fees paid and we got her certificate of American Birth Abroad and "viola" an American exists. Yeah, lil C an American!!!!!! That afternoon was W's turn at the Consulate. Because we had lil C with us, they let us in a little early. It is nice to gain preferencial treatment because you have a small child with you. So we went in and got in the first line, went fast. Sat for the second item, Pre-Interview window, went quickly. Fortunately for us, all this occured during lil C's wake and nap time so she behaved and then slept well. We sat again to wait for the second window, Finger print window. After wthis window is the Interview window and then the cashier for any extra fees and as we exit, the mail window to have your passport mailed to you upon completion. LOTS of windows and lines to be in. So, the Fingerprint window was slow and then the girl behind the window went on break and another girl came, our number was a long way away. A second window opened and it looked like things would pick up in pace, it did a little. It appeared that the Fingerprint window was doing interviewing as well because the people behind the window were chatting a lot with the applicants. This was a bit frustrating as we were sitting there thinking we had the interview yet to come and the cashier and mail lines to batte as well. W's number came up and we all went to the window. He was mildly interviewed, as we were asking to change his visa type and low and behold, the man behind the window said W was approved!!! APPROVED!! No Interview window. All we had to do was pay the extra fee and take the envelope to the mail line and we were done. I was shocked and amazed and thrilled and praising God!!!!! We paid the fee, gave the receipt to the man behind the window, went to pay the mailing fee and we were out of there, in under 2 hours!!!!! No interview, we did not have to show the paperwork we had gathered and the visa W now has is valid for 5 years and it is Tourism/Business. W can come to a conference or just on vacation without having to ask for a new visa for 5 years!!!! Yeah, 5 years!!!!

Wait, there is one more miracle. The passports were scheduled to take 6-7 working days for W's and 15 working days for lil C's. They arrived yesterday - 4 working days!!!!! Both of them came yesterday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! God is soooooooooooo good and still works miracles!!! Again, I about passed out with joy and surprise. Thank you Lord for your goodness to we who don't deserve it.

So, now we are working on our plans for getting to the US and what to do for the 20 days we are there. Pray for us that the trip goes smoothly and lil C does well on the plane, oh the plane - another miracle. We were able to get our seats together and, get this, a baby bed for lil C. Our planes have seating where they offer a bassinet for babies and we have those reserved on all the flights.

God is a God of miracles even today!!!!!

Here is my lil C, all 8.330 Kilos and 63.5 cm of her.

Her new Exersaucer

Practising sitting in her highchair

A friend's visit. Chillin' with Ana Luisa

Hanging with dad in the pool in the front yard.

Please pray

2009-03-10T18:50:00.002-03:00

I am sitting here going over what is needed tomorrow for our first trip up the hill and it will be all the way to São Paulo. We are going tot he US Consulate to get little C registered as an American citizen and for W to interview for a new visa. I am nervous that I will forget something, that something will go wrong, that W will get denied. I am full of nerves. Please pray for us and especially ME.

Thanks.

Will let you know the results of our trip when we get back.

My baby is on the move...

2009-01-22T19:11:00.002-02:00

Here is the rolling in action. Tried to upload this yesterday and it just would not do it. Watch and enjoy the getting older of my baby.

love and hugs

My baby is getting so big

2009-01-21T14:49:00.003-02:00

The three newest dads and there daughters.
From l to r: Leo & Sofia, Walmir & Chelsea, Breno & Ana Luisa
This is also from oldest to youngest.

Mothers and Grandmother of the same gals. I was counting tithes so I was unavailable so my mom stepped in for me. It is Marcia with Sofia and Isamara with Ana Luisa

Chelsea - today - Jan 21st 2009

Today was a monumental day in the life of Little C. I don't know if I can call her that any more, she rolled over from her front to back today. She is not so little, she is 6.7 kilos and 60 cm. She is getting so big so fast and is so cute and smart. She does well with "Tummy Time" and for that reason I feel like she was good in her rolling over from belly to back. She is growing and hitting her milestones so well. She still is not reaching out for things quite yet but she is grasping her clothes and lifting up her dress skirts (we will have to work on that in the future, hehe) Chels is also doing very well in sleeping through the night and living on a schedule. We are a "BabyWise" family and are doing very well with that. She still ifghts a bit to nap but that is nothing huge. She is also entering the second phase of stretching out her sleeping of the evening - YEAH!

Well, as my life is mostly about the baby, that is pretty much it. Hope you like the pics.

Love hugs and licks to you all!!!!!

Merry Christmas to you

2008-12-25T15:00:00.002-02:00

Sending you Christmas greetings from our side of the equator. We have had our Christmas lunch and I am taking advantage of a moment while Chelsea is fighting sleep. She is wrapped and in the grandparents' bed.

We pray that you are all being blessed by Our Heavenly Father!! May you enjoy the season be it hot, cold, snowy, rainy or whatever.

Hope you enjoy seeing our little C with our Santa here.

Love and hugs to you all!!!!!!!!!

I have reappeared

2008-12-17T12:16:00.003-02:00

I know I have disappeared and it is for a good reason, Chelsea Isabel made her way onto the scene. It has been a busy and trying 6 weeks. She is a blessing beyond words. There have been moments of great trial and wounds in places where wounds should not be and are very sensitive.

Nevertheless, we are starting to have a fairly regular routine now and the wounds are on the mend, thank the Lord. Since everyone is wanting to see her, I am adding pics of her here for you.

Not long after being born

Getting Vaccinated

Just being cute in my "made in Brasil" onesie

With mom after getting ears pierced

First pic with Santa and being out on the town.

Week 37

2008-10-15T15:15:00.002-03:00

Okay, I have been writing more than normal and that is because I have been at the parents' house more than normal. My wonderful hubby does not want me at home alone now that we have reached a critical moment in the pregnancy. I will be at 38 weeks on Monday coming up and at that moment, little C can be born and not considered premature. Granted, she is already a big girl so if she were born today she would only be premature in name only. We went for our next to last ultrasound Monday and she is a big girl. She has been head down since week 14 and that has not changed. My inner thighs hurt more often than not so I feel as though she has engaged in the pelvis. She has a big head, thanks to her dad, and she is doing well with her weight. The ultrasound showed she is about 3.440 kilos give or take a half a kilo. So what that means is she is anywhere from 3 to 4 kilos which is anywhere from 6.6 to 8.8 pounds. She is a healthy gal. I hope she is nice to her momma on the way out.

Keep us in your prayers and we will keep you posted.

Love and hugs to you all!!!!!

We know where she will be born now

2008-10-13T12:39:00.002-03:00

Not like we are going to say at home or anything like that. Though with our front gate in the condition it is in, not wanting to open, a home birth is unfortunately possible. hehe Really now that is a stretch. W and I went to São Sebastião this morning to visit the hospital there as it is a place that accepts my health plan. The hospital there and the place here in town are like apples and oranges. So we will be driving the 30+ minutes tot he hospital in São Sebastião for little C to meet the world there. The hospital there is very nice, well equipped, well staffed and our doc feels more at ease there than the location here in town. All of these add up to a sense of relief and wellbeing for me. W is happy 'cause I'm happy so all is well.

We also double/triple checked to make sure that an epidural is covered in my health plan and provided all the proper criteria for an epi are going well, it is covered so we won't have to pay extra for it. Yeah again!!!! Since natural childbirth is still not as widely sought here as in the US I was worried that certain things like an epi would not be covered by a health plan. So we thank Jesus for taking care of us even before we needed it.

Love and hugs to you all!!!!!

Bigger every day

2008-10-11T11:47:00.002-03:00

Yep, this parade float is actually me at 8 1/2 months pregnant. I am getting bigger every day because little C is getting bigger every day.

We are doing pretty well. My uterus is now 38cm high which is considered above average. What can I say, out little girl is already an above average individual. hehe She is active every day so I am not too worried about her health. We went to the doc this past week and his only big concern is my swelling of the feet and legs. Actually, it bugs me too. I have been trying to keep them elevated but that is not helping too very much. I have had the fortune of only gaining 10.6 kilos which is about 25 - 27 pounds. Not bad for this fluffy girl. Little C's room is built and I have finally washed all the clothes that we have received, even the ones for when she is older. Yeah. I have just about packed her bag for the hospital and I am sort of packing mine. It is weird because it just makes it even nore real. Not that the thumps from the inside aren't real enough, just it is freaky to think there will be this little one joining our family here in a matter of WEEKS. I feel ready and not ready all at the same time. Please pray for us, all of us.

The grandparents are working on the remodel of their home so they are focused on their stuff while staying connected to what is going on in the Q family. Their new home is really lovely and coming along at break-neck speed. Yeah.

The weather had a cold snap here the past week or so with some uncharacteristic rain. I hope that has passed though I am not relishing the warm up in store. Spring here is a bit crazy but that is life here. It looks like a very toasty summer is on the way so pray that I don't melt and suffer too much. Thank the Lord in Heaven that I was not pregnant in summer here, I would have suffered A LOT!

Well, honestly, there is not much more going on in life here. We are waiting for our princess to decide to make an appearance. We are going to see her on Monday at an ultrasound and who knows how much longer after that in real life. Wow.

Love and hugs to you all.

Doc's visit yesterday

2008-09-10T15:25:00.002-03:00

Hello you faithful few.

Just an update on the ongoing pregnancy. We had our regular office visit yesterday and honestly I was ready to hear an earful from my doctor. He has lived preaching about pre-eclampsia and other scary pregnancy things to me this entire time. Well, it was the most docile appointment to date. I did not gain weight from last month to this month though little C has surely grown. (I feel as though I look like a whale.) My blood pressure is stable as it has been and after a touch examination, we know there are no contraindications to a natural birth. YEAH!!!!!! My doctor even said he no longer considers me a possible high risk pregnancy. DOUBLE YEAH!!!!! God is good and He is watching over us in a way we don't deserve but graciously accept.

Little C's room is about finished and we hope to paint it by the end of the week. SUPER YEAH!!! We can start to put her stuff in her room!!!!!

She is an active girl though not disturbing my sleep too much, thank you Jesus. I am staying hot and tired these days but I am living through it.

That's about it. Love and hugs to you all.

mk and lil c

Sorry its been a while

2008-09-04T13:58:00.002-03:00

So here is our current update on we three.

Here we are the three of us as of yesterday (3rd of Sept). I feel as though I am as big as a house and when I expressed that to others, they reminded me, I kinda am a house as I have someone living inside of me. hehe

I am in my 31st week and doing well. Our little girl, Chelsea Isabel Hensley Quaresma is doing great. She is a bit big for her gestational age but that is because she has a tall father. The doctor has had me tested for gestational diabetes and I don't have it. He is also on my case about preecclampsia and I also don't have that. Thank you Jesus. I am just a chubby pregnant woman having a rather healthy pregnancy. Yeah! Chelsea is due on the 5th of November but could arrive any time from the 20th of October and forward. Nothing else of great note about the pregnancy.

Walmir talks to his little girl all the time and she even gets more active when he talks to her so we know she will recognize her daddy by voice when she comes to meet us here. He is so precious when interacting with his little girl. He is going to be a "mother hen" of a father. hehe

The baby's room is about done, praise God. W is helping with putting in the inside door and finishing touched this week so we have been staying with mom and dad to not sleep in the dust created by the working.

That is pretty much it from here. I hope God is caring for and blessing you all as He is doing the same for us here. Love you all and God bless!!

Our Baby Girl

2008-07-31T11:40:00.003-03:00

Hi there those few faithful friends out there in cyberworld. Hope all is well with you.

Just wanted to send out an update on the growth of our family here in the southern hemisphere. W and I went for my routine ultrasound today and all is well with CIHQ. She is a beautiful baby girl (100% certainty now), who is about 2 1/2 pounds. She enjoys staying in the head down position in the womb and sucked her thumb during the ultrasound. The doctor said that right now she is more long than chubby. Also, the estimated date of delivery, according to size alone would be around the 25th of Oct. My OB/GYN puts the date at the 5th of Nov but said I can deliver from the 20th of Oct and forward without problems. She is a bigger girl as my uterus is 2cm above the average size. We ask that you join us in prayer over my delivery as we desire a natural delivery if at all possible. My doctor hedges his bets about a C-section so we are in prayer and leave in in Our Lord's hands to work it out. I have put the scanned images here too so you can see the super cute cheeks that I will pinch and lick and love and bite and love some more. The last pic on the right are her feet. We are all well here and pray that you are all well there as well.

Love and hugs to you all,
mk, w & ci

Let's get reaquainted.....

2008-07-22T15:25:00.002-03:00

Hi, I'm MK married to the great W living here in Brazil. Just thought I'd let you know that those facts have not changed since you last heard from me in the blogging realm.

Sorry it has been so long, a great many things have conspired against me to keep me from the keyboard, laziness being the biggest culprit. hehe Beyond my general laziness, I stay tired these days. That can be attributed tot he fact that we are 6 months into an arduous task, housing my yet to be born. It is amazing what God does inside the female body to generate a new life. For those of you who have not yet been informed, we are 80% sure it is a girl. She will be CIHQ. Let me tell you, she is letting herself be know to me. She is wiggling, rolling, flipping, kicking, maybe even waving cause you never know which appendage is bing used in your side. It is neat and weird all at the same time. It makes me nervous to think that she will be here around the end of Oct the beginning of Nov and that will begin the roller coaster of parenthood for W and I. (This is where if you are a parent, you chuckle and begin to pray for us and if you are not yet a parent you laugh and begin to pray for us as well. hehe)

Let see, we have also had a small bevy of visitors at the parents so that has kept us busy as well. E Rob has been with us again this year and as always, she is a joy and it will be super sad to see her head back to the US tomorrow but she is starting college and is following what God has been setting forth in her life to be done. Good luck my Baby Girl, you are going to be fine.

Other new news, I HAVE MY PERMANENT VISA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am officially a definitive resident of Brazil. Woo Hoo! Now the next thing we will deal with are naturalization so I can have double citizenship. YEAH!!!!! I cannot be thrown out of the country, not that I thought I would be but there is always that small fear in the back of your mind that someone somewhere could get ticked at you and get you kicked out. Now I ask your prayers for the definitive papers for my folks. Their paperwork got put in a little after mine so theirs should be along any day now. It is a relief beyond relief to have my Brazilian identification card for foreigners in my possession. YEAH again!!!

Let's see, anything else?????? I don't think so. The baby, the visa, life in general. We are good. W is staying busy. Mom and Dad are good.

Love you all and miss you too. Come visit sometime.

So, yeah some rough times of late

2008-06-03T12:50:00.002-03:00

So the past couple of weeks have been a bit rough, actually more than a bit.

Other than the normal running around, there has been a rash of deaths in the church. First one of the men from the mission point in Barranco Alto. I was not there but W was preaching there the night the gentleman has a stroke. Then on the 22nd, W and his family lost his dad, Gibson. We all happened to be at W's parents' house that day. We were picking fruit and just having a good time. Unfortunately for us but fortunately for my father-in-law, our God called him home. It was a very rough afternoon and evening for all the family. Fortunately, God was already at work because a lot of the family was coming in town for the holiday weekend. The funeral was equally rough but I can say that a lot of people heard about the love of God and how Jesus can be their eternal salvation that day. After this, the next day a father of one of out church members passed away as well. For the pastors of our church, they saw way too much of the cemetery this past week and a half.

Please keep all of us in your prayers. My in-laws are on the road to healing from this loss but it will take a long time for the pain to go away. We are all making it one day to the next and being comforted by the Great Comforter.

Praise be for friends like y'all.

Hugs and love to you.

Yes, she lives

2008-05-09T13:13:00.003-03:00

So sorry, I did not realize it had been as long as it has since I last blogged here. I guess posting for the parents does not count. hehe

Gosh, where to start. Well, we went to the States for Christmas and part of January and had a great time. W got to meet most all the family, even the newest addition to the Hensley clan, Briley Alaine - Bry and Jill's newest joy. She came at the last moment but praise God we got to meet her.

We have been back and W has been super busy with church and everything his job entails. Me, on the other hand, I have been a bit of a slug. I have a little bit of an excuse but I am using it a bit too much. I am now in my 14th week of pregnancy and let me tell you, I am glad the 1st trimester is over. It is no pic-nic and you do look forward to less tired days and days when you can look at food and don't get nauseous. We all are doing fine. I scanned to latest ultrasound. You will see from left to right then top to bottom the legs, belly, head and heartbeat of our 8.5cm child. Still to early to tell if it is a he or a she. I fell "he" but most everyone here thinks "she". Only time will tell. Here is the pic. I can tell you he/she was not pleased with the invasion of privacy and kept his/her legs poker straight almost the whole time. It was cute and funny.

So cute, all is well with us and I can tell you that right now I still don't look pregnant, just fatter. At least the pictures prove it. hehe

Now much else going on.

Love and hugs to all.

Tired, melting and about to freeze my buns off

2007-12-08T22:25:00.000-02:00

My life is a bit of a hurricane at the moment. I am tired from the planning and packing involved in a trip to the States. The heat here is also taking a toll on me again. That is part of the tired and the melting part too. My hair is in a clip or pony tail, all the time.

In 3 days we will be setting foot in Kentucky. There is snow there. W has never seen snow. He is going to freeze. I'm going to freeze too, though I am melting I am getting used tot he heat.

Pray for us and the parents, we are all traveling together.

I will write more as we arrive in the States.

Love and hugs.

Happy Anniversary to us

2007-11-17T14:59:00.000-02:00

I am a day early in writing this but I won't be near a puter tomorrow.

Tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of my marriage to the most wonderful handsome man I know and love very much.

W and I have had our moments and many more blessings than moments. Thank you our Saviour Jesus.

We are going to Ubatuba for the weekend.

Thanks for your prayers and support.

hugs, love and licks.

mkhq

Comin' to the States

2007-11-14T07:49:00.000-02:00

Yeah, okay, the countdown is under 30 days now for the US tour of the Hensley-Quaresma family. Plans are underway and work is being done on this side of the fence.

Whoa, in under a month we will be in the US for a visit. It will be W's first trip outside Brazil and his 3rd time on a plane. We are flying through Chicago to our final destination and I hope it is not too cold there for our layover. W will be in shock of the temps and I have reminded him of that frequently. He is doing well in English classes but don't expect fluency or anything close. You will still need to speak slowly to him. I am trying to get everything wrapped up here in the work I have to get done for the parents. Pray for us as we prepare for this trip. I am nervous so please pray.

Love and hugs to you all.

Reader's Digest version

2007-11-09T18:25:00.000-02:00

Now much has been going on here in my life on my side of the world lately. I am going about my everyday just like everyday. There is laundry to do, vegetables to buy, lunch to fix, bills to pay for the parents and computer stuff to do for them too.

W is studying English 5 days a week and starting to absorb it pretty well. He will still have some issues when we travel in Dec. He will be overwhelmed with English in the states but that is what it is. He will also miss rice and beans for lunch and dinner. I am sure I will be fixing some beans and rice in the later evening so he does not go through withdraw. hehe

We started paying for me to have a health plan. I dread the social health system here and now with this health plan, I can go to the hospital and not face a waiting line and receive more prompt care of particular doctors. Yeah. This allows me to feel better about having a child here. There is a timeline to the things I can have and having a child is a 10 month thing. That means I should not think about getting pregnant for at least 2 months so that when I come to term - if I got pregnant fast- the health plan will have been active for 10 months or more. So, the beginning steps have been taken for the expansion of our family.

So, anyway, we are looking towards our trip to the states in December. Hope all is well with you all.

Hugs, kisses and licks.
mkhq

Post #100 (and no, this is not about a pregnancy)

2007-09-18T19:59:00.000-03:00

Okay, for those faithful few who still read my blog (thank you T for being one of those), here is the big news...

W and I are coming to visit the US!!!!!!!

He and I went to the Consulate last Monday and he was granted a single entry visa!!!!! WOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

We will arrive in December and leave in January. Our visit will be for about 40 days and cover such holiday as Christmas, New Years and most importantly, my birthday!!!!!!

Let me tell you about the consulate visit. We all, my parents, W and I went the night before to be certain to have no driving complications. We stayed with some other pastor friends and went to their church that Sunday night. Monday bright and early we rose (about 0630) and got ready for the visit. All of us had stuff to get done at the consulate. I still had to put to rights some stuff to get my new SSN card and the folks had to get some paperwork notarized. So, I went in with W. Entering I had forgotten the page showing the appointment and I got more nervous than I already was. There was a girl with a list and she confirmed our appointment so that was better. Then we got in a line to pay the fee and the window was supposed to open at 8 but it didn't until 8:30. That let I don't know how many more people in front of us. Oh well, life is a lot of lines here in Brazil. So we entered and got to the next line for W and I needed to go to another sector in the consulate for my stuff. When I got back, W was sitting in line for the pre-interview window. I walked in line with him even though a worker out front said I couldn't. That first window was to check the validity of the passport and to take the forms to be passed on to another window. So, that line went fast and we waited for his number (145) to be called for fingerprints to be taken and he got back his passport and forms. After this waiting, we were waiting for his number to come up for the real interview. When we first sat down to wait for fingerprints they were at number 60-something. The numbers kept rolling along. It was going very steady as there were probably 6 to 10 interview windows. The guy who was in front of W in line gave him some good advise to give the interviewer everything you brought to show because you will not have a second chance to show your paperwork. I was nervous because of what the girl outside said about me being part of the interview. (She said I could cause his visa to be denied if I went up with him.) So I asked W to ask the interviewer if I could be by him. So the numbers kept rolling along at a steady pace and I got nervous, had to fight back nervous tears, thank you Jesus I did not cry. W's number came up and to the window we went. He put all the paperwork in the tray (and it was a lot of paperwork). Our interviewer was a lady and her face was a bit harsh but she has to be, it's her job. W asked if I could be there and said he married an American, our interviewer's face changed and the interview began. She opened up and asked W about 5 or 6 questions and then asked me the rest. At one point I mentioned my parents because it was because of them we met. She wanted to know more about them and I said, they are here would you like to ask them directly. Needless to say she was surprised. I motioned to the folks to come here and there were there lickitysplit. Mom said dad jumped over the barrier chain. The interview continued with all four of in participation. It became a family affair. W was asked the fewest questions of all of us. In the end, as I said, he was granted a tourist visa with a single entry. For future visits we will have to go through the process again but it will be much easier since we will have gone and returned showing we are not a risk. We were all relieved, especially me. I didn't let out a WOO HOO cause we were inside the consulate and didn't want to create a stir. Pray for the passport to make it here safely cause we did not return home with it, just the mail confirmation.

All in all WOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! W got his visa and we are going to the US for a visit.

Now pray for his English lessons so he doesn't feel so isolated when we are there.

Love you all and see you in Dec.

Love and hugs from my side of the equator.

My 99th Post

2007-09-15T12:25:00.000-03:00

Okay, this is my 99th post and it is just going to be about my 99th post. I am trying to take up some blogging space to let the 100th be a little more important. hehehe

So, just to let you know, I am well and so is the hubby. Parents are good and the weather is turning hot. Our spring starts in about a week and the temps here have been bordering summer heat, bordering. I am in shorts and a tank writing this post.

I love you and check back soon for the 100th post.

Love and hugs!!!!
Amor e abraços!!!!

Bundle of nerves

2007-08-07T16:56:00.000-03:00

I am just a bundle of nerves these days. I am feeling stress.

I covet your prayers over the yet to be planned but thought about and working on trip of W and I. We were thinking of a time in this the later part of the year though family desires arose and it looks like December into January is the preferred time of the visit. I went online today and filled out the paperwork for W and scheduled the interview and we still don't have tickets in hand. Thankfully the interview is not until September 10th at 0830. Still there are a lot of other things we need to get done for this to go well. I am such a worry-wort that there is a knot in my stomach even now.

Please pray.

RLTB

2007-07-30T12:51:00.000-03:00

I was just reading Jungle Pop and he titled his blog RLTB - Real Life Trumped Blogging. How true that has been for my life lately. I did not realize it had been a month and a half since my last post. There has been a lot of little things, all of which have added up to little to no time to post on my blog. My apologies. Maybe this week I will catch you up on some of what has been going on in my life since my husband will be out of town at a conference and I will be staying at the parents house.

Our pastor, my dad and my husband will be traveling Tuesday and be at the conference Tuesday evening through Friday. Keep them in your prayers.

Anyway, short tidbits, Em was here and left. (Happy then sad). She is home safe and sound and practicing for this Senior Year in band and school. Keep her in your prayers as life keeps rolling and she is doing her best to roll in the direction God has carved out for her. B & J (bro & sis-in-law) are preggers. Keep then in your prayers as there are some risks and they are both taking the necessary precautions and supporting one another. Us - W & I are good, we got a new sofa which may be no big to others but is to us, that will be its own post as it was a turmoil to get this. We are looking at our travel plans to the US and it is still so up in the air I won't go into too much detail. Please be in prayer that his visa application goes smoothly once we get it started. Still haven;t started it quite yet. hehe.

So anyway, I am at the parents today getting some stuff done for the hubby to take with him to the conference. I hope those few of you who still read this blog are well. I miss you.

I covet your prayers cause there is another underlying current to my lack of blogging. I have been in a battle emotionally and spiritually. So, please pray that God will provide the protection and answers I need.

Thank you.

Love you!!!!

mkhq

Emily is here, safe and sound

2007-06-06T13:41:00.001-03:00

Emily has finally made it to Caragua. I am so proud of her. For someone who does not like to fly and has not done a ton of traveling, she came by herself to a foreign country. She was seen off by her family in Cinci and she went from there to Houston and Houston to Brasil. We thank God in heaven that she had a nice lady sit next to her on the long flight because she was alone on the first flight. She made it through customs and all the airports on her own and with out an international incident. Yeah her!!!!!

We went in to the city of Sao Paulo on her first day and she got to experience the metro (subway) and the crowded streets of our country. No Dorothy - you are not in Kansas anymore.

For those of you who know Em, who I call Amorzinha, you can rest assured she is in good hands and we will take good care of her. I ask all of my few readers, keep her and all of us in your prayers for her to learn more of God and for her to enjoy her time with the fam here in Brasil.

Love to you all.

mkhq

Quick note from my side of the equator

2007-05-28T14:42:00.000-03:00

Hello all. I am not currently at home. My wonderful husband and I are in a town called Natividade da Serra where we are at a LAN House checking up on the world. Hello world!!!

We have not yet returned to our own home since the need for our travels came up a couple of days before we were thinking about moving back inthe house. When we return from here we will do a clean up and move back in our own home!!! WOO HOO!!!!! It has been over 3 months since I have slept in my own bed. Ah well, this is my life and I do love it.

Before we left Caraguá, I did ride my bike for the first time. I am now truly Brazilian. Dad dropped me off in town and I paid some bills and then I rode the bike back to the parents house. It is not close to town. I lived and it was fun. I even had to put the chain back on as it slipped off.

Well, not muchis going on here besides the house and not being home.

Hugs and love.

(Licks to those who understand.)

mkhq

The internet is up and running but I am a bit on the blink...

2007-05-10T10:24:00.000-03:00

Hello to those of you who do still frequent my page and those of you who subscribe to a reader to know when I have posted. It is nice to see you here again. Sorry it has been a while since my last post. The internet has been unkind and red tape has strangled me at moments but there is now a broadband connection at my parents' home where I can now post with little to no problem. Now my only excuse will be life in general.

Speaking of life in general, it is not in the total realm of normal. My parents' have returned from their jaunt to the US (I was not part of this trip despite false sightings). With their return one would normally pack their things and return to their own home, but not me and W. Our home became infested with ticks, rendering it a not so livable location for me. Let me tell you, I did melt down and I am still not in a great mental place because of it all. I haven' seen the light at the end of the tunnel in the return to the Director's home. Please keep this in your prayers cause I need my home and I lost the rhythm of my life and it will be a struggle to get it back. W and I are still in residence at my parents, and I thank my Lord that I have a place to stay while those little vermin-pest-evil things are being killed by my husband spraying pesticide in and outside the house. I was so super stressed and still am even with the return of my parents. That which could go wrong probably did go wrong while my parents were traveling. The little stuff that is.

Life is in an odd rhythm because I don't feel like I have my own. I am struggling with self-pity as you can see. I covet your prayers. I do hope to return to the home soon. Please also pray for my church here. There are issues just as any church has issues but our are are a big scale right now.

I have tried to upload some new pics in flikr so they should be showing up in the side badge thingy and on my page there.. Sorry I am not keeping y'all in the loop so well.

I will end with saying I love you all. You folks in my "Within 20 years" group, you are about to only have 19. Get to work. hehe.

Love and miss you all.
mkhq

Sorry it took so long - An update

2007-03-30T10:43:00.000-03:00

I am writing most of this off-line to copy it into Blogger when I do get a good connection where I can log on. I have been absent for so long for many reasons: internet is at my parent’s house, there have been 2 groups of Americans here, my grandfather passed away and now my parents are traveling. It has been a crazy time. I will recap.

I will begin in January to have a good starting point. The New Year came in very well with the Watch Night service church. I got to bring in my New Year with my two loves, God and Walmir. (Yeah!) Then there was a group of 12 or 13 women from Kentucky who arrived on my birthday (Jan. 13 for those who don’t know). I know most of them and got to know the rest. They split into a couple of groups in order to lead a Backyard Bible School in one of the areas where the home church here has a congregational church. They also did some renovation to a church member’s home and recovered her couch as well. I helped with the translation for the BBS. It was a bit of a challenge but I did pretty well. During this time, I was at the parent’s house most all the time so my house was a bit as was my husband. He was great because he understood. As a result of the BBS, there were 13 more souls entering the kingdom. After the women left, was a sort of a week of decompression cause it is always crazy when there is a group here and then you sort of fall apart a bit after they leave. It is like company “on crack”. ;7)

With February we knew we were going to have two more groups coming for about 15 days. The first would be 4 men, 3 of whom were old hat to coming here and 1 newbie. They were great. A couple of days after the men arrived we would have another group with 6, 2 chiropractors & their wives and another lady and another gentleman. Before we could get to the planning of much, my parents received a call from my brother on a Sunday afternoon. My grandfather had what looked to be a stroke and was in the hospital. When I and my husband arrived at the house for some pool time that day we entered a serious house with the uncertainty of what was going on in the US. To not drag on this part of my life in review, my grandfather passed fairly quickly because it was that afternoon. I was able to alter the flights for both of my parents and they were on a plane to the US that very night. I was freaked and grieving at the same time because the 4 men would arrive on Tuesday or Wednesday. The men arrived and other friends helped to pick them up at the airport. My W lead them in the work of fixing the leaning wall at one of the congregational churches we have here. The floor was re-leveled and the wall buttressed. Fortunately for me, my dad did manage a flight back here right after the funeral so he arrived the same day as the second wave of Americans. With the arrival of the second group there was finishing work done on the second congregational church and the chiropractors adjusted in the evenings at the central church. The days my dad was gone, W and I lived at the parent’s house and then when dad returned, we were at the parent’s the majority of the time. I was driver and translator for the better part of this trip. Then we got to wind down again.

While the group was here in February, W was ordained as a pastor along with another gentleman, J. They were ordained on February 17. It was a great service and a very proud time for me, J’s wife and the church.

The second congregational church has its inaugural meeting and there were over 100 in attendance. We are in prayer that this work will continue to draw interest in the area and draw men to our Lord and Savior.

Dad left to return to the US in mid March and W and I returned to live at the parent’s house. He is keeping busy and I feel a bit floaty in an odd way. I still am looking for my place in all of things here so I covet your prayers over this. I also feel bad cause W and I have been living an odd life though God has revealed to me that our life will never be any sort of normal so I am learning to be cool with this. I am working on where I belong.

The heat is not my friend. I have been sick a couple of times where the heat and cold combined have put me down. The mosquitoes and friends still love my legs and it unfortunately shows. My legs look like they have been in a war zone. I try not to pay to much attention but it is pretty bad right now.

My paperwork for my definitive visa has been published!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, you are probably scratching your head saying so what. Well, in December I filled out the first part of paperwork to be sent to Brasilia (the capital of Brasil). After it goes there, it is analyzed, processed etc. You can go online and see where your papers are in process if they have been entered in the system. Mine have been published!!!!!!!!!!!! That means I have my definitive visa!!!! In about 3 months I have my visa. Of course there is some more to be done, paperwork, taxes to pay etc. But I have been published!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It cannot be taken back!!!! W and I have to go to the Consulate in São Paulo in order to get the past piece of paper I need in order to submit the last step for my visa and identification card. A trip, some more money that is they way it is here. You have to pay fees out the wazoo. Fortunately, I have a marvelous husband and we sat down to get the date scheduled. I will also work on the other things I need done at the consulate like a new passport with my new name, start on a new SSN card and authenticate the wedding certificate. We will soon start on what W needs for a visa to the US and then from there start looking at dates to see you all.

Mom is in the states with my wedding pic proofs so when she is back at the end of April, I will be able to get some of them on the web for you to see if you don’t get to see her.

I love and miss you all. I have been dreaming a lot about back there so know I have been praying for y’all a lot.

Hugs and kisses.

Abraços e beijos.

Update on the goings on, on the other side of the Equator

2006-12-21T09:18:00.000-02:00

Hello all!!! I am sorry it has been a long time since I have blogged. It is hard when your only source of internet is at the house of another. I am thankful and greatful that I have access to the internet. (Thanks mom & dad)

So, to update you from the last post of mine that was dire and drear. Finally after 2 failed tries at registering our marriage, W & I signed the book on the third attempt and the wedding certificate is in our posession!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! We are now completely married and I have the paper to prove it. Yes-sir-ee bobby!!! There was a moment when I held my breath because the man that was reviewing the document made a very long pause over part of the document but then he went on and went to get the book we had to sign.

Now, with the marriage certificate in hand, I have gone to the Federal Police office and have made my official request to recieve my permanent visa. I now have a little protocol paper that says I get to be here until the information is posted that I am permanent and then I will get a new stamp in my passport. Yeah!!!! The semi-sad part of this is that I will probably get my permanent papers before my parents who are waiting for the same type of publication.

W & I are still settling into the house. Dad still has a handful of things to get fixed there. Otherwise it is a wonderful life this being married thing. W takes very good care of me and I am trying to do the same. Please pray for the many new ans about to be new-ly weds at our church. Our advesary, satan, is at work in a major way to mess up our lives. He is very present here and he is working hard. Some marriages are in crisis and others are having issues getting all the paperwork they need in order to get married and that is causing great stress. I am fighting for them in my prayers and it has brought a result of greater warfare in my life as well so keep us all in prayer please.

The weather here is turning hotter every day. It is so VERY hard for me to believe that it is December much less Christmas in a matter of days. (Yeah, my first Christmas as a wife. Woo Hoo! Yes mel-in God's time.) I did my Christmas shopping before I left the states so I brought it with me and not shopping adds to the unbelief that it is Christmas.

Well, let me send Christmas blessing and prayers over your New Year from my part of the planet. I love you all and miss you too. (You could write you know. ;7) ) May God's blessing and grace be abundant in your every day and may His mercy bring you through all that you encounter.

Love and hugs,
Mrs. Q.

Please pray for me

2006-12-07T13:16:00.000-02:00

I am writing this blog post begging for your prayers for me. I covet your prayers because everything that could be going wrong is going wrong, or it sure feels like it.

Here in Brazil you have to get married in a civil ceremony or you are not married. In the US, the religious cerimony serves for this but here it does not so you have to either have the civil part at the wedding (like I did) or you go to the Registro Civil and take care of the paperwork there. I am wishing now that we had done the second thing. When you get civily married at the church, you sign a paper with the pastor and 2 witnesses. This paper has to be registered with an official signature then taken to the Registro Civil by the couple for the Registro Civil to review the paperwork and then have the couple sign another book to make the wedding and marriage completely official. We took the paperwork to the RC and there were errors. We corrected the errors but the pastor was traveling to Manaus so we sent the paperwork to him next day mail. He sent it back, we got the other signatures and went today to finalize things as I have to have the marriage certificate to start my other paperwork in order to live here permanently. There were still other errors. I left out of the RC in tears. My time on my tourist visa is ending and I don't have what I need for my permanent and it is still wrong and the pastor is getting ready to return but not for a few more days. Not enough time for express mail. I have a feaer of being expulsed from Brazil to not be allowed to return becasue of all the issues my parents have had with their visa. So, I went back home to get my passport and mom and I left for Sao Sebastiao for the Federal Police office so I could get my tourist visa extended another 3 months. On the way there, the little truck had the emergency light on and it started to rain. Once we were there, they started the paperwork, mom went to pay the tax for the extention and while I was waiting, the young man asked about a fee I was levied in Sao Paulo. This fee came from a mistake 7 years ago and I was told all was cancelled from this error. I got scared but he made copies of all my passport pages. Mom arrived and I got my extention.

I am still stressed and stretched to beyond my limits so please pray for me because the wedding paperwork is still not settled.

I am having issues settling into how red tape works here in Brazil and that red tpae is strangling me.

I love you all and hope to have a happy post soon.

I'm an old married woman now

2006-11-27T13:09:00.000-02:00

Well, hello to all. Here is my first post after gaining a new identity.

WOO HOO, I got married.

Let me tell you, there were A LOT of hitches in the giddy-up getting to the date of the 18th of November. There were tears cried. Battles fought (mostly spiritual) and won. Fabulously, in the end, I am now the wife of one of the most amazing men on the planet.

I don't have any pictures yet to post since I did not carry a camera down the aisle, just the bouquet. hehe I was greatly blessed by my group of friends from the US who were able to attend my wedding. I am looking forward to seeing their pictures they took. After the wedding they stayed and helped the parents with some mission stuff. It turned out to be an amazing trip for all!!!

Well, we are living in our house and it is ROYAL mess right now. We don't have a clothing armoire yet so part of my clothes are still at the parents' house. There are piles of stuff in all parts of the house and even though it needs it, you canno see enough of the floor to sweep it.

Thanks for the hearts in the bed and the rice in the baggage. Those of you who did this, you know who you are. I did like it. hehe.

My internet options are limited these days to using the computer at the parents so please forgive any lack of blogging.

I did take some pics on the honeymoon and I will try to post them soon. Trust me they will all be g-rated. We went to another beach town further south and it was lovely.

Well, my time is limited so I will sign off for mow. I will try to write off line and copy and paste in the future.

Love and Hugs!!!

mkh quaresma

Countdown

2006-11-18T19:00:00.000-02:00

Not much longer...

5 days

2006-11-13T11:53:00.000-02:00

Just 5 more days and I will be wed to the most amazing man I have ever been blessed to know. God sure did measure out a blessing of mercy and grace beyond compare for me with my beloved. I cannot imagine going forward in life without him. Yes, I am in that disgusting, super-sweet kinda love with him. YEAH!!!!

I am writing to give a mini-update. Plans are plans. Some are going well and others not so well. Please keep me in your prayers because last week I was brought to tears at least 3 or 4 times. Not from anything from my beloved, other folks and things. The parents are gone to the big town of Sao Paulo to deal with stuff so I am home with L and the other boys are at the lot and the house dealing with things. Still a fair amount of little things need to be done with the house but it is livable right now.

Five days left of my single life. That is such an odd thought. I guess it is compounded by the fact that I will never (probably never) again live in the country in which I was born. My children will probably speak 2 languages. I won't see snow except on TV unless I visit in winter. Christmas will always be tank-top weather. Life is a whole other rhythm now. Odd and delicious at the same time.

I miss you all.
T - I miss your office too. Can't just run downstairs to hide or just chat. Hope Nellie and John are good.
MyLis - I just plain ol' miss you. I hope you are well, you have been in my prayers.
Deb - I get to pinch you Friday!!!!!!!
KayKay - Huge, HUGE, hUGE, huGE, HUGE hug from me to you. You are my fave.
heater - You are one of the best! Sorry little bit had to come home. Tell J I love her when you get to see her and give N a lick from me.
L & J - hope the church is good. Hope the jobs and school are good. I love you and am greatful for my weekend with y'all.
Ash - you are a precious one and I am praying for BSHS and you and that man of yours too.
There are so many more of you I need to send a note to, just know you are in my heart and prayers.

Love and hugs, mk

Almost to the single digits

2006-11-07T11:58:00.000-02:00

Sorry about the lack of posts, it may become a common issue as the computer connections we have had here have been TERRIBLE!! Today is a good day, I got online. WOO HOOO!!

That being said, just dropped in to give a quick run down. 11 DAYS!!!! Almost single digits. There are still a ton of little things to be done and the number of people coming seems to continue to grow. I am a bit annoyed with some things and happy with others. That is life here in the south. Ah well. The house has a septic tank - YEAH!!!!! - and now running water. Yes that exists here in Brasil. I will upload more pictures when time allows. Had a bridal shower (cha da cozinha) here this past Sunday. We did it a bit American style with Brasilian flavor. I will share more later. Going to run into town later today to get the hotel reservations for the honeymoon in Camburiu and deal with flower issues.

I miss you all lots. Will see some of you soon. YEAH! Hope to see the rest of you in the future.

love and hugs - mk

Update

2006-10-24T22:44:00.000-03:00

The internet connection has been down so I have mot been able to write. I have also been painting the house. Here are some pics.

Side view of the houseBedroom colors

Kitchen

Check out flickr for others.

Love and hugs

The paper is on the wall!!!!

2006-10-04T11:20:00.000-03:00

Yes, you read that right, the paper is on the wall. Not the writing is on the wall though you could almost say that. Hehe. What this means to you living above the equator is that I am now officially registered to get married to W. APPLAUSE - CHEERING - SCREAMS OF THANKS TO GOD !!!

W and I (mom and our 2 witnesses) returned to the Registro Civil yesterday after going to pick up my registered documents required for me to be able to get married. Backtrack note - before we left the house, I prayed that God would help the ugly lady be nice to us. So, we arrive at the Registro and the ugly lady was not there, the nice lady was. Woo hoo!!!! Thank you Jesus!!! So, W and I give her the needed paperwork. She asked to see some of my other paperwork that the ugly lady said I would not need, but thank you my Lord, I brought it with me. I showed her those accompanying pages and she began entering information into the computer. Alleluiah!!!! W and I gave our addresses, parents names & ages, etc. The nice lady then went into the explanation that is it no longer required for anyone to take the other's name in marriage, you can if you want or you can take each other's name. I of course will add W's last name to mine. It is cool, I don't have to drop my maiden name - just add his. And then the lady was like did he want to add my last name to his, putting my maiden name at the end of his. I emphatically said NO cause that would be weird. Instead, he is taking my maiden name for his middle name (cause he does not have a middle name right now). Isn't that totally cool. He cannot pronounce it quite right but he will be a Hensley too. (I think he already holds some Hensley traits and I am not sure how good that is. ;7P)

So the thing about the paper on the wall, after you check that your names and information are right, you sign this page that is posted on the wall. It is posted for 15 days and anyone can come in and see who is getting married. This is done to make sure no one is already married. So W put our paper on the wall. Yeah!!

So, I am officially set to be a married woman. YEAH! Now God just needs to make sure I make a good wife. hehe

So the getting able to be married is done and then after the wedding will be the being recognized as the wife and permanent residence everything. Please keep all this in your prayers.

Thank you and I love you all.

mk

Red Tape......GRRRRRRRRRRR

2006-10-03T11:56:00.000-03:00

I know I worked for the government and I have had to work and at times be part of the bureaucratic system - red tape - so I know it is there and have worked through it before.

Well, Welcome to a WHOLE new level!!

Holy Cow, Brazil is its own reason that the rainforests are being torn down. The amount or paperwork and copies that are made is monstrous. I said I would update you on the adventure that is my attempt of getting registered to be able to get married. (Cause here you have to get registered at least 15 days before you are married, then you can get married. Gotta make sure you don't have a wife or husband out there you know.) Well, prior to yesterday, my mom and I had taken my paperwork to the Registro Civil to see if I had what was needed and the lady said yes, just get it translated and it is all good. Well, yesterday we (W, me, mom and our 2 witnesses) went to the Registro to register and of the probably 15 pieces of paper representing my birthcertificate and the letter of singleness, they only wanted 5 pieces. Then the lady there, who is a thorn, said we forgot to get those 5 sheets (representing 2 things) official registered. You know, she could have told me and mom that the other day cause we have had my paperwork ready from the translator for about 5 or 6 days. So we went to the other office to see about getting the paperwork registered. We had to leave the paperwork and it cost another 84 reais. Holy cow I am going to be a pauper by the time I can actually get married.

So, here I am, sitting here waiting on lunch being fixed by L and waiting for time to pass today. Mom and I did go into town today and buy some stuff and stop by a florist here to see what flowers will be in season in November. I also needed some anti-allergy cream cause the bugs think I am sweet meat. Itchy, itchy, itchy.

This afternoon we will try again. We will go pick up the registered paperwork at around 2:30 and go back to the Registro to see if W and I can get registered to be able to get married.

Your prayers and thoughts are felt and continually welcome. I love and miss you all.

Ate mais tarde.

Why, hello, good to see you too

2006-09-27T14:13:00.000-03:00

Hello there, it is nice to see you too. I hope you are well as all is well with me. I still feel like I am on vacation so please excuse the lack of bloggin or updates. I will now give you the Reader's Digest version of my next step so far.

I arrived safe and sound and actually got through customs without a hitch and a little help from the porters inside. It was nice to glide right through with all 5 pieces of luggage. My man, my dad and one of my man's sisters were there to meet me. It was so nice to actually be in his arms. That same evening, I went to the Women's Retreat. That was nice but very difficult because of the emotions I was in the middle of.

My first Sunday night was actually easier than I thought it would be, I had my anchor by my side - that helped. I did still miss you all.

I have not done too very much else than hang around the house. Well, dealing with my paperwork has taken a fair amount of time (and money). I received my paperwork from the Brazilian Embassy in Washington the day before I left - Yeah God!!! Once here, I had to get the paperwork officially translated before I can go to register to get married. My mom and I went to the next town and left the papers to be translated. We went back to get them yesterday (Tuesday). Once translated the translator has to arrange the papers in order of the original and the translation, then he has to stamp each page and either sign or initial the stamp. For translation here, you pay per line translated. There were almost 200 lines that had to be translated. Then after you get the paperwork translated and signed by the translator, you have to take it to another place to have his signature authenticated. At this place you have to get the original paperwork copied first (25 centavos a page - about 13 cents). Then at this location, they look at the signature and verify that it is from the translator. Here they then place a sticker on the front of the group of documents, I had three groups, and a stamp on each page of the copy (32 pages). Then there is ONE man that has to initial each of the stamps. Then I pay for this service. After all this, my paperwork is ready to be submitted to the "Registro Civil" so that W and I can register our marriage. That will be another adventure in the world of redtape. Woo Hoo!!!

I have had a couple of hissy fits with W but it has all worked out for the best cause it opened doors of communication.

The house is coming along well. I will try to get pictues soon.

I feel a bit out of sorts and un-associated without a job, a phone, a place to call my own. That will all change soon enough but please continue praying for me as I work though all this. I am praying over what God would have me do in church and all.

I covet your prayers for my life and for W's life and for our coming marriage. I am anxious and full of joy for what is to come while at the same time, I miss what was.

I look forward to hearing from y'all. Keep in touch.

Love and hugs, mk

The joy of being gainfully unemployed

2006-09-05T19:13:00.000-03:00

Lunch was heaven.

I also slept in.

Okay, don't stop reading here just cause you are not liking me for not being employed. There are a couple of perks to being gainfully unemployed and one of those is lunching with dear friends. M is looking and preparing to move just as I am preparing for my move. In order to get some M-time before we must part ways, I lunched with her today. (We are also mini-spa-ing next week). Normally, we are the World's WORST at making a decision as to where to dine but this one came easy. We went to Cosi in Hamburg. If you have not been - oh my goodness - you need to go. It is a very pleasant restaurant with a good menu, great food, and fabulous atmosphere! Just go. We both enjoyed something different and each others company. My friendship with M is timeless. I also told her that though it will be difficult to part, I know in the next 20 years she will come to see me, of that I am sure.

Well, not only did we have a great repast and conversation, M splurged to get us S'mores for 2. Oh my great goodness - that was the bombdigity. I jokingly told M it was blogworthy and well, here is the blog to prove it. It was so much fun and sooooooo good. We roaste marshmellows over the fire-gel and put it on the graham crackers and Hershey chocolate. Waht wonderful memories of childhood. I even charred up my extra marshmellows, just the way I love them. It was such ooey-gooey fun.

I have needs to end this post as there is packing to get done and sitting here making my memory permanent won't get it done and I cannot just shovel it all into a big plastic bag and drag it with me. (hehe)

Love and Hugs

I am surviving

2006-09-02T10:22:00.000-03:00

Well, the days are rolling by and I am still here. I made it through the last day of work without totally loosing it. Of course I cried. Having a lot to do to check out helped me not over dwell on what was going on. It is an odd feeling to be unemployed and unemployed for a bigger reason.

I have been saying bye to friends, LF just left for the mission field and I saw her for the last tome Wednesday. I am hanging with LP and JP this weekend. I love them. I will be going to King's Island on Monday, YEAH!! Then I have to get to packing for real! EEK!

One other item of major note... I got my paperwork squared away and sent off to the Brazilian Embassy Friday afternoon. I spent almost all, well ALL Friday afternoon making my way around Frankfort getting the needed paperwork and then the necessary authentications. That was some foot work and my pupies were tired. BUT YEAH, YEAH the paperwork is in the mail with its return envelope.

I am starting to get exctied for real instead of the, I know I supposed to feel excited stuff. I am also nervous but hey, who wouldn't be in my position.

Well, now that I am an international vagabond, I may post more. Hard to say.

Love and hugs.

Again and louder - OH MY GEEZE!!!!!!!!

2006-08-29T22:52:00.000-03:00

Can I say how almost on the verge of absolutely freaked out I am.

I am under 20 days before I move my life to another country. I only have this week left at work and that is just crazy.

I am holding together pretty well for now but I expect it to be very emotional on Thursday, my last day at work.

I finally packed a bag and I have one trunk almost packed. I will get more done on Thursday evening, if I am not crying like a little baby. The back bedroom of the homestead is still an abyss but it is my abyss.

I covet your prayers as I am moving ever closer to this transition in my life.

Thank you for your love and support.

Pity - Party of one

2006-07-27T23:49:00.000-03:00

Okay, so I have been gone for a while. Life has overwhelmed me and I feel lost in my own life right now.

I am overcome with so much emotion I don’t know what to do. I am scared to cry much because I am afraid I won’t be able to stop. I cry a bit but then I do my best to stick the finger in the crack of the dam. I am in a pity party over a lot of things. I am glad that I will be seeing my therapist tomorrow. I will be making notes to take to her. I don’t like who I am right now and I don’t like what is going on right now either. I understand that my life is changing and I am moving. I just feel as though I am being cut out of my life in a way that is unnatural and VERY painful.

Please pray for me, my fiancé, my family and my mental state. I am trying not to pluck out my hair due to stress and trying not to melt down and become a bigger puddle than I already feel like on the inside.

Sad little closet

2006-06-30T10:24:00.000-03:00

Here is what remained in my closet just as I moved out of the Richmond apartment. It was a sad little closet. I kept 2 outfits as I moved to the remainder of my things to the Homestead on Monday. I have moved all of my stuff to the Homestead in Lex now. That is where you will find me.

It is only about 2 1/2 months before I leave and I am trying not to absolutely wig out and throw all my stuff away for not wanting to have to deal with it.

I have moved my crud to Lex. I had to pack it just to unpack and then repack for Brazil. It is in the sitting there staring at me phase in room at the Homestead. I am at a point of just wanting to pitch it all. I know that is not the answer, at least not the good/right answer. ;7) Any prayers made for me right now are greatly appreciated and actually highly coveted. I am on the edge and the rope I am holding on to is getting a frayed.

In the midst of the anxiety and fear, I am excited about what the future holds. I have a man who loves me beyond my ability to understand why. I have a God who loves me even more than that and He has me in the palm of His hand. I am asking Him to cover me with that other hand, I could use the protection.

I also have great friends like y'all. It may be a sad little closet but I am a happy girl (when I am not freaking out).

Love and hugs.

Oh my geez......

2006-06-22T16:16:00.000-03:00

I know it has been far too long a time so please don't scold me.

I know I have spent far too long a time away from my blog. Thank you to those of you who continue to peek and see if I have added anything new or not. The redesign took a lot out of me and I am not fully happy with it all. More changes to come now that I have a little breathing room.

Here is the update on life…

I took my parents to the airport this past Monday (19th). They are back in Brazil safe and sound. Dad had a kidney stone attack on the plane though it appears all is well for the time being. I miss them and I am envious because they are in Brazil and I am not.

Wedding plans are progressing. Mom carried the dress to Brazil so it is there. So are the invitations, the lembranças, most of the tulle and clothe to be used in decorating. There are still some other bags out there on their way to Brazil and there are still a lot of bags here for others to take down at one time or another. I helped mom pack up some of my shower gifts and other household goods and there are duffels galore in the garage. I have another shower at church and I will have to do the packing of those items and my personal items when the time arrives. Walmir and mom are going to deal with the honeymoon plans and mom is looking into someone to cater the reception. The less work the better cause it is already big.

I am moving in with my brother and sister in law by the end of the month so I can save some more money. I am dealing with all the itty bitty crap at my house and am half of a mind to just pitch it all in a trash bag and be done with it. I will go through it all and see if it is to pitch or not. It is just a hassle. As Ash told me on the phone, her now husband made an astute statement that the last 15% of your stuff takes 85% of your time in dealing with it. How unfortunately true. I will be working through that tonight and the next few days.

I have turned in my resignation at work and the 31st of august will be my final day there. I am glad to see they have requested an overlapping period for the person they will hire in my spot. I would rather train than leave a training manual.

Anyway, now that the parents are back in Brazil I have a little more time to me cause I am not hanging with them. I am trying not to spaz about moving to Lex then Brazil. I am trying not to spaz about wedding plans. I am trying not to spaz over the thought of getting married and being a good wife to my man. I am trying not spaz over all the little things that still need to be done and I have not figured out what they are. My rope is a little frayed at the end but God tied a knot in it and I am holding on.

Love to you all.

178…100…115…

2006-05-23T11:36:00.000-03:00

Holy Crap how time flies.

I was asked by a co-worker today how many days? Honestly, though I have a running countdown on the blog and in a calendar I have, I have not looked for about a week and a half because I have been in a “freak out” over it all. Well, after the question was posed, I looked at my calendar and marked off the appropriately finished days. Let’s just say, my freak out has not been helped with this action.

I am thrilled and scared at what is to come. I know I am striving to be in the midst of the will of God, though I feel far from Him right now. I know God has ordained my every step and He directs them as well. I also know He will not see me disgraced. This is what is helping me to stay sane. No, this is my sanity right now.

I have begun the arduous journey of “lasts”. It is painful, bittersweet and downright almost more than I can bear. This past Sunday evening, my church had its closing/award ceremony for our AWANA program. I have been the director for the Sparks, K-2, for the past few years. I have seen children learn more about the Lord, commit the Bible to their hearts and grow in grace and truth. Before we presented the awards, our group sang the Sparks theme song. I could barely get through it for tearing up. The kids have been great and my leaders, well they have been my joy as well. I will miss them all. The friendships that have grown from our collaborative work in the Lord are bonds I will not ever forget or lose. I did cry and I felt the pain of loss. I won’t get to see Parker as a Sparkie next year, I won’t be able to see Sophia complete her second then third books to get her Sparks Award. I love these kids and I mourn my loss of getting to work with them. This Wednesday my last time with my kids choir will roll around. The Melody Makers are 3, 4, 5 and 6 years in age. This is a precious time where we sing praises to the King and He is pleased to know His word is going into young hearts through song. I feel some pain even today for this last time. I am feeling a little bit sorry for myself cause I am losing my children. I know that God will provide someone to take my place, of that I am certain. I just will miss it. I love them. I am trying to look to the future where I may have similar groups at my new church in Brazil. I will still grant myself some time of mourning over my loss.

So, yeah, your prayers are coveted and GREATLY appreciated. I am doing my best to rely on God but I will admit lately I have been a bit too self reliant.

Love and hugs to you all.

Defining moments

2006-05-20T22:47:00.000-03:00

Okay, yeah, I am alive but there are days it feels like just barely. I am trying my best to get through the next couple of months to the next the next defining moment in my life.

Defining moments are scarier than I can explain. I am in the middle of a good time in my life though very stressed filled. I am looking towards the most amazing moment, marrying the man I love who loves me. I am moving, first back to Lexington to save some money and then I am moving out of the country. I am scared. I have had so much going through my head and several things going on in my life. I am struggling with a few things as well.

I covet your prayers as I seek God and the direction He is blazing for me.

120…135…198

2006-05-03T10:20:00.000-03:00

Those may be innocuous numbers to all of you but they represent most of the timeline of my life right now.

Sorry I have not been blogging for a while. It has been a roller coaster, more below on that.

Back to the numbers. It is 120 days from today when I will work my last day at DOCJT. It will have been a little over 6 years. Wow. Six years. That is the longest stint at a single job for me, prior to 6 it was 4. Well, I will be moving on to my next job which will encompass missionary/pastor’s wife/vocational school director. Please pray for me. It is 135 from today when I will step onto a plane and depart the US only to return as a visitor. I will be moving my life out of this country. Several parts of my heart will always remain here with y’all, my friends and surrogate family. This is the hardest part of the moving process, leaving my people. I try to not dwell on it too long or I have an episode. (Episodes are not pretty.)Please pray for me. It is 198 days from today when I will walk down an aisle and embark on an exciting and scary journey with the man God gave me for my life. Wow, under 200 days. That is crazy!!! I am working hard here to do what I need to do for the wedding/life there and I feel behind. Please pray for me.

My lack of blogging is tied to the many things I need to do to move my life, etc. More than that, I have felt very mundane and overly ordinary - monotonous, and who wants to read about the mundane and ordinary? I have been greatly underinspired. That is, until the other day when reading my fave blogs I was reminded that God is just as much in the monotony as He is in the fabulous and extraordinary. I know this and have reminded many a friend of the same thing, though somehow, I had forgotten it myself. The monotony is not uninspiring, it is awe inspiring.

The parents arrive back in the country today. They will be taking their first REAL vacation in a decade. They are traveling with some friends to Europe. Thank you ASBC, Virginia for making my parents go on vaca. They need it. The parents also padded in some time for the fam and for church visits so they will be helping me continue to pack up my life. I am looking forward to seeing them because I miss them.

Well, that is me right now. I am stamping invitations, working on invitation lists, packing, purging, selling, buying, going to church, trying to have a little bit of a social life, working my 9 to 5.

I love you all. Take care and God bless

Where I will live

2006-04-04T15:40:00.000-03:00

Director's house
Originally uploaded by DaisyMay13.

My mom just sent me this pic today. It was taken yesterday. This is the Director's House on the vocational school's property. Otherwise know as MY HOUSE. This is where I will live when I get married.

Walmir and others have been hard at work getting this well under way. It is a one-bedroo, one-bathroom house. It will have the ability to built on in a verticat fashion in the future.

The smaller window on the left is the bedroom window and the large one on the right is the living room. I can see the pantry opening in the picture as well.

Yeah, I won't be living on the street. Not that I even thought I would.

Anyway, please pray for me, I have been suffering from self induced stress attacks. I need to let it go and let it happen. Thank you for your prayers.

Love to you all.

I have been tagged and tagged and tagged and tagged

2006-03-20T17:46:00.000-03:00

I have been tagged well over four times with this particular meme. So I will finally provide you with the info for which you have been waiting.

4 Jobs I have had in my life

Administrative Specialist for the State of Kentucky. I am in this job currently. I have been here 5 years so I am vested and when I leave this job later this year to start a new job of wife, I get to take some of my benefits with me. Woo hoo, I am leaving this job!!!!!
Motor Clothes Manager at Harley-Davidson Lexington. Here I was the principle purchaser and merchandiser of all things non-motor cycle related. I learned a lot about bikes and by the end of my time there, I could work the parts counter with the best of them. It was a fun time. I learned how to ride while I was there. It was a good time.
Chief Operating/Finacial/Administrative Officer for Hensley International. This is just a feel good title for taking care of my parents' business while their are missionarying abroad.
Section Manager at Service Merchandise. Or as those of us who worked there like to call it, Circus Merchandise.

4 Goals I set for this year

Plan, pay for and participate in my wedding.
Move out of the country.
Not go bald from the stress
Help with the start up of a professional school in Brazil

4 Movies I could watch over and over

The Princess Bride
Legall Blonde (1&2)
Miss Congeniality
Ever After

4 places I have lived

Lexington, KY
Richmond, KY
Garca, Brazil
Caraguatatuba, Brazil (this is my final destinaiton)

4 TV shows I love to watch

Gilmore Girls
Grey's Anatomy
Lost
Extreme Home Makeover

4 places I've been on vaca

Vero Beach, FL
Washington, DC
Brazil
Memphis, TN

4 websites I visit daily (I'm not linking)

MSN comics
Goggle
eBay (cause I am looking for a lot and eBay has everything)
various blogs

4 of my fave foods

Mexican (just about any of it)
Pudim
Guarana (it is really a drink but I like it a lot)
pizza

4 places I would rather be right now

Anywhere besides work
Caraguatatuba, Brazil
Home in bed, napping
Anywhere besides work

4 people I will tag

I have been tagged time and time again with this one so I say, if you have not done this meme, tag ---- you're it.

Changing format

2006-03-14T13:02:00.000-03:00

There is a lot of change going on in my life right now so I thought I would add my blog to that list of stuff.

For those interested individuals, there are specific dates for those changes.

November 18, 2006 - I am getting married to the greatest guy for me. God did good.
September 15, 2006 - I leave from the Lexington Airport to begin my life in another country.
August 31, 2006 - My last day at my job here in the US.

There looks like a lot of time but I knw that in all honesty, there is not much time and these dates will be here before I realize it. Please keep me in your prayers over these oh so many changes. There is a large amount of stress in my life.

I will do my best to keep you better informed of the process in the coming months

Love and hugs. mk

Eleven Duffle Bags

2006-03-07T10:49:00.000-03:00

Part of my major freakout and stress event reflected in the previous entry is I am working towards moving out of the country, for good. I am getting married to the most amazing and perfect man for me. God prepared a great one and W would get all over me for saying I don’t deserve him, I don’t feel like I do because he is way too right for me.

Well, this past Friday, my parents came over to my townhouse and we began the exodus of my stuff. We began to go through things in my kitchen that needed to be prepared for some type of transit to my final destination. I had already begun with my china and some other smaller items. This time, it was more for real. We hauled a van full of stuff back to the homestead where my mom had cleared out her bedroom in preparation for my stuff. To let you know the level of this beginning step let me tell you what I have in the way of cooking instruments. I currently have one black plastic fork to eat with and the middle size sauce pan for cooking. I kept the baby size cheap cookie sheet cause I am sending the good stuff to my destination. I do have my dishes because I decided that to try to haul them would not be beneficial. I have several glasses but my faves are packed and ready to send. The KitchenAid is packed as well. I kept out a couple of things to help in cooking but when you go from a large utensil crock to a plastic cup holding your cooking utensils, it is a shock. My kitchen has bare spots now. It is freaky, odd and exciting all at the same time.

How does this lend itself to the title of eleven duffle bags? Good question. My mom called me yesterday to let me know that my things and the sundry wedding items we had gathered at the homestead has been duly packed into 11 duffle bags and those things are ready to begin their journey to my destination in front of me. It is odd and comforting to know that my things will be ready for me upon my arrival at my destination. I still have several things to buy for the wedding and several things to pack. The first wave is ready to go.

I still feel as though I am going to wake from this dream. I am in the middle of living my largest fantasy. I am engaged to marry the perfect man for me. I am in the process of heading to the destination I knew God had been preparing for me. I am going to participate in and continue the work my parents have engaged in for the past 10 years. I am seeking God’s will and following where He is directing. My exit from my current location will not be easy and I already feel the pain of the move. God will grant the comfort and He has already provided the everything we will all need.

Eleven duffle bags. Odd how it feels like my life can be equated to 11 duffles. Thankfully, my Lord and Savior has provided the means and those 11 duffles will take an amazing journey.

Thank you for your prayers and patience. Keep on praying, I know I need it.

Love you all.

I covet your prayers

2006-03-02T16:59:00.000-03:00

More than I can express in these few words. It has been a while since my last post and I feel as though my life is working its way out of control.

I am working on wedding plans while also trying to either pack or sell what is in my apartment. My parents are in country so this is a help but they are traveling a great deal themselves. Trying to decide what you want to take with you when you move and realizing what you can take is not the easiest of tasks. Then there is packing those items in such a way that some friends can help you take them to their destination so you don't incur large shipping fees. There is the buying of items here in the US that are way to expensive in your destination country and pondering how to get them to the destination as well. All the while trying to save or earn money to buy these things with cash. I do believe I have more grey hair than before.

Work, well that is chaotic as well. I am temporarily in another office due to work on the HVAC in my office and the surrounding offices. Though I now have a window and enjoy the view, it is a stress to be out of my working environs in the middle of my busy work time. There is a class graduation this week, a new class came in this week and the GMACPA is gearing up as well.

Passion Play is coming up at church as well and those practices for the drama portion have begun. This on top of out pastor retiring. It is an energetic and stressful time there.

I am at my limit and actually feel taken beyond them. I know my Lord God is in control and He has shown me great provision. I still feel very frayed around all the edges. My emotions are out of control.

Please keep me in your prayers. I need them right now.

Thank you.

Another thought...

2006-02-09T13:49:00.000-02:00

So much is running through this pea brain of mine and I am trying to get it all down to share. That is why I am on a blogging rampage. Here is another profundity from God.

He knows what He is doing even when we cannot see what is going on through the fog of ourselves.

I wrote this line ages ago when I am many of my friends and family were in the middle of that personal fog. Some are still in there and some have seen the light of day and the fog is clearing. The cool thing about being in any of these given situations is that in spite of the fog, God is there and always will be.

Okay, that bears repeating.

God is there and always will be.

Just as with my post on clarity and knowing, there is a divine action and interaction interwoven throughout it all. God is in control. He reminds us of that fact in Isaiah 55:8

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the
Lord.

He also reminds us that He knows what He is doing in Psalm 138:8

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord,
endures forever.

I am in awe of how My Savior moves through my life and the lives of others. He is profound and purposeful. He holds on to our faith even when we cannot. He protects us when we cower under the weight of life. He is there with you and me. He wants to walk with you through the circumstances of your life. As your Lord and Savior, He is there.

Isaiah 41:13 NLT
I am holding you by your right hand – I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, “Do not be afraid. I am here to help you.”

Isaiah 43:2 NLT
When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you.

Psalm 91:14
Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name.

James 1:3 NLT
For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.

It is my earnest prayer that if you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior, you will head the call of your heart and search for him because he will be found. In Acts, the Lord says Believe on the Lord and you shall be saved.

My prayer also reaches out to those in whatever fog you find yourself. Seek the Lord and his face. Lay down your life and He will be found. He will grant favor, protection, clarity, direction. Whatever you NEED (not want, need) He will provide in His divine timeframe. May we all catch up to the many victories and blessings He has planned for us.

Interesting thought

2006-02-09T02:20:00.000-02:00

Tonight, I spent a couple of hours talking with a very precious friend. In the process of this conversation, God revealed a great many things to both of us. Well, I can say for certain for me that there was some good words from God.

One of the things that was made clear and I feel the need to share is about "knowing". I don't know about you, but I heard all my life that, "when you meet him you will just know." I heard it till I could vomit. Then in that irony of life, it came true. When I met him (my W, he is great) I did just know. Now I have to tell others that as much as I hate to admit it, everyone is right, you will know. I realized how this "knowing" happens. Where one is not in the will of God, doubt can and will exist. This doubt can cause great strife, confusion, fear and a litany of negative/unhealthy things. When the very thing that God has for you comes into your life at the time God has planned, assurance and affirmation enters and the doubt melts away. Doubt melts away and all that is left is that certainty and God's confirmation.

You just know.

There are many other things but I will leave you with this, I pray that whatever the situation in your life that you know, you just know. May God's direction in your life be so clear that doubt and fear melt away. May His protection cover you as you walk in the path He has cleared for you.

Yes, it has been a while

2006-02-02T18:46:00.000-02:00

Thank you heater for the loving, yet mean push to update my blog. It has been very hard readjusting to the tempo of life in the States after a month of bliss in the country of my heart, Brasil. I still feel like I cannot quite catch up. The house is messy, work is busy, I am making time for friends, planning a great departure and trying to maintain my sanity. That last one is hard enough on its own now with all the other added on top, it is becoming elusive. hehe

Well, for those of you who I have not had the change to catch up with, here is the current dish. (Some of this will be new to those of you in the loop as it is new intel.)

W and I have com to a consensus over a month, no date in that month yet. We will wed in November. (That is 9 months from now. Holy Cow!!!) Everyone is invited, you just have to get down there. I will find a place to put you up. I will keep you updated as to any more wedding news. Yeah we have a month, it was a bit hard getting him to settle on a month, we will see what it is like to get a date out of him.

The walls to the house will will live in will begin to go up in the next 2 weeks. Yeah, we will have a place to live. We may not have much in that house but we will have a place to live. It will be onto he Vocational School property as it will be a part of my salary as the Director of the school.

I have begun work on my internet course where I am learning to teach English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). I am finished with the first 3 parts of a 10 part course. I am waiting on the score of the 3 module before I can progress. Yeah, I finally got off my butt to get this done.

I am working on selling my stuff. I have a list and I may begin to post some stuff. It is mostly furniture so if you are interested, drop me an email, we will chat. Most everything has to go as I cannot ship due to the exorbitant cost.

My parents will be Stateside on the 11th and will be in the States through March. They will be travelling a great deal on the weekends but it will be nice to see them some.

I have created a large list with several internal lists of things I need to do and lists of things I need to buy or people I need to contact, etc. It is a long list and daunting at times but it helps to have it.

I have a timeline half mapped out concerning my exodus. Please be in prayer over that cause it is a big deal.

I am staying sane, by the grace of God. My relationship with God has been the glue keeping my life together.

I hope to see most of you all multiple times before I move. Drop me a line and lets mark a time to get together.

Love you all.

My Promise Ring

2006-01-06T10:26:00.000-02:00

My Promise Ring
Originally uploaded by DaisyMay13.

Hello All!!! Just wanted to share the good news. I received my promise ring on the 2nd of January. It is a lovely silver band I will be wearing on my right hand. It has W's name inscribed in it with the date he asked me to date him, 19 November 2005. Cool thing is that he is wearing one too, with my name and the same date. Yeah!!!! We are promised. He is the best thing that has happened to me. He is a blessing beyond words. Please keep us in your prayers as we work on our plans for the future.

Much love and hugs.

Yes, miracles happen

2006-01-04T10:42:00.000-02:00

Hello and hi there from the Southern Hemisphere. The weather is still hot but today (January 4th) it is rainy. That is a good thin since I got a burn on the 31st and am trying to recuperate. I may actually have a real tan when I get home if this burn soaks in. (That would be a miracle)

Quick update for those out there in blogdom, I know I have said I found him whom I will marry before. Well, it is true and he has expressed his desire to marry me. W is such an amazing guy that words fail me. On the 3rd, I received my Brazilian promise ring. I have a pic of my hand and will try to upload it in the next couple of days. He is amazing. We don’t have a date save for it will be this year, 2006, and somewhere towards the end of the year. We both have things we need to arrange and prepare before we can wed.

Woo Hoo!!!!!! I am going to get married, that is truly miraculous.

I will be returning to the States on the 10th so please pray for me that is won’t be as painful as I am thinking it will be. (Cause right now I am in a pity party place) I am such a crybaby so bear with me for a while then tell me to suck it up, I get to be with W for the rest of my life. YEAH!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, I need to keep it brief since this connection is not the unlimited kind.

Love and Hugs to all!!!!!

mk

Update from the Southern Hemisphere

2005-12-23T16:23:00.000-02:00

Okay, so I am here in Brazil where it does not even feel like December because I am in shorts and a tank top. Yeah, yeah, I hear you all even now, poor thing, just suffering while we freeze here in the northern hemisphere. It is just odd but you would think with having been here the past 3 years I would be used to it by now. I need to get used to it since I know I am called to live here when it is God’s time to allow that. ;)

So anyway, here is the update. Sorry no more photos to post. My hands are busy holding those of my beloved so I have not been taking any.

I am taking in some sun but not too much so as to get sun poisoning to which I am prone. I get to see my beloved each day and I love him more and more each day. I am dreading my return to the States because I will be separated from him but I will enjoy seeing and hearing from you guys again.

Last Saturday my beloved and I were part of a wedding party here at the church. I had to get a whole new outfit for the occasion. (Darn the luck. ;p) They dress to the nines here for such occasions and I had packed no such clothes. We looked so cute together walking down the isle to the front of the church. Wedding are a bit different here, there are couples that stand up for you as the wedding party instead of bridesmaids and groomsmen. I like it a bit better. It was very hot even with the fans going. I cannot imagine being the bride with all the heat. It was a great ceremony and it was an honor to be part. It did lead to thoughts about my future nuptials and how those will go. That is for an entirely other post.

Last night we (mom, dad, Fernanda, Walmir and I) went to the circus. There is a small one ring circus in town and it was really cute. I don’t think W had been to a circus before. It was cute to watch him watch the circus. It was “Circo do Stankowich”.

Tonight Fer and I will be going to the youth meeting. My beloved will be there also. The girls are to bring a sweet or salty thing and the guys get to bring drinks. What luck to be a man and not have to make something to bring. I made “pudim” a Brazilian dessert and Fernanda was nervous about getting something made with all her chores and not getting home from work early enough so I made a “torte de limao”, lemon torte for her to bring. We will have a gift exchange, “amigos segredos”, secret friend style. I drew Fernanda’s name.

I will be spending Christmas Eve with my beloved and his family. That is how they do Christmas here it is on Christmas Eve and you are with your family and have a large meal just after midnight. We will then go to church as usual on Sunday and Sunday afternoon, my beloved will join the family here for a more American style Christmas repast at lunch with an American style gift exchange.

Well, sorry nothing juicy or extremely important. That is for e-mails.

Love you all.

Me and my graduate

2005-12-15T11:18:00.000-02:00

Me and my graduate
Originally uploaded by DaisyMay13.

Isn't he just cute as a button in his graduation robe? For those of you who have not met, I am pleased to introduce my boyfriend, Walmir Quaresma. He graduated from seminary Saturday the 9th of December. I made it to Brazil just in time to travel back and forth for the graduation.

Walmir is one of the best things that has ever happened in my life outside of my salvation. He is the best.

Yes he is bending over because he is much taller than this short gal.

Love you all. More later.

I missed my own blog anniversary

2005-12-14T10:52:00.000-02:00

Well, the 11th of this month was my one year anniversary and I had fogotten all about it until today. Ah well, I was busy with other things here in the Southern Hemisphere.

I will wax nostalgic for a moment. I have enjoyed this blog thing and will continue with it for time to come. I thank all those who have passed through here and hope to give a funny or encouraging word to those who will continue to travle with me.

I love you all. I will update about Brasil in a later post.

Take care and stay warm.

Tomorrow is not soon enough

2005-12-07T18:53:00.000-02:00

Okay, I had some template issue and chose to go to a blogger template for the time being. In the transition, my countdown bar got lost. For your information

I leave TOMORROW

and it is not soon enough.

My lovely boyfirned sent me a couple of e-cards today and he is looking forward to my arrival in Brazil almost as much as I am looking forward to arriving there.

I love that country and I truly love him. I will move there some point in the future, God knows and will reveal it in the appropriate time. Yeah God!!!!!

I will try to blog while I am there. I may be better at it since I won't have a pesky job in the way. Or school. ;7P

WOOOO HOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! I leave tomorrow afternoon. the snow better hold off until I get out of town.

Much love to you all.

Hello - Yes, I live...

2005-12-05T14:00:00.000-02:00

Sorry for not blogging in such a long time. I have been over stimulated with work, school, church and getting ready to go on vacation for a month. I am heading to Brazil for the holidays again and this time it will be for a month ;7D

Here is a mini catch-up:
Work: Bus with a new curriculum for which I am compiling the new resource guide, orientation manual, updating the rules and reg book and all related materials, of which there are many. Attitude about work has improved thought I think that is due more in part to the fact that I am leaving it for a month.

School: Last class is this Tuesday then the final. The final is online so that will help since I am leaving on Thursday. It has been a good class but I am not taking a class next semester for many reasons. Timeline being a big one.

Church: I am busy as ever and sometimes that is annoying but not. Please pray for my church as there is a fair amount of strife and being a committee chair, I hear about a lot of it. My committee (Missions) is in the fray of the strife as well. Please also pray for me because I have a child in my SS class I teach that is stretching me to almost beyond what I can handle. I almost snatched her up this past Sunday. Your prayers are coveted and I thank you for them.

Vaca: WOOOOO HOOOOO!!!!!!!! I am leaving on the 8th and I could not be more excited. I am overwhelmed but excited. My Christmas shopping is of course done cause I have to take it with me. I am about half packed and hope to finish tonight. Great goodness, I am so ready to have a type of rest though I am sure I will run around a lot in Brazil.

Other big news: I am officially a girlfriend to W now. He asked my parents for their blessing and on the 19th of November, we began to date. To some of you this may be silly though in the Brazilian culture, it is a big deal.

I will try to post from Brazil.

Hugs and love

Random, Odd - Me.....brokenness & treasure

2005-11-02T11:34:00.000-02:00

My blog has been pretty random and sporadic but that is the nature of me, random – sporadic – just plain odd. I have used it to keep others up with me, not so well but I have tried. One of my dearest most important friends has been wrestling with some things and she pours herself out in such a way that I am in awe and inspired. I responded to a post of hers with what it to follow. I felt it was important enough to share with others and I need it to serve as a reminder of the truth of God. Thank you Baby Girl, you rock.

There has been a great deal of the discussion on brokenness and it reminds me of two examples that were given me in the past when I was living in brokenness. One comes from "My Utmost for His Highest" and I don't remember about the other one.

Anyway, first one, when we look at the example of the feeding of the 5000 by Jesus we may miss a poignant detail that Oswald Chambers did not. The child gave all he had in the 5 loaves and 2 fish just as Christians we give all we have in our lives, ourselves. Christ accepts the willing offering, blesses it and then.....

wait for it.....

The offering is broken. Without being broken, the offering would not, could not meet the needs of the 5000, the world. We have to be broken, live in brokenness to accomplish the grander plan of Christ in our lives. This often is a head knowledge issue, making it a heart knowledge is the harder part. Here we saw the boy had his own plan of having lunch while listening to our Savior while our Savior knew His plan was much bigger, better and it would take the sacrifice and the brokenness offered. When I get all stoved up and in the pain of brokenness, I am reminded that it is only through the brokenness that God can make me of greater use in His kingdom.

Second, I either read this story or heard it and I don't remember the full thing but the larger point is the thing so bear with me.

When you see the china urns from eras such as the Ming Dynasty, we know those are precious and of great value but they were not the greatest of value. Those urns that were more highly sought and treasured were those that had a particular working upon them. The valuable urns were ones that had been broken apart. The beauty of these urns were that after they were broken, they were built together again using gold as the filling agent giving the urn a distinctive beauty and greater value. It was not until the urn was broken, could its creator piece it back together and make it something substantially more than it would have been in its original form.

If you are living in brokenness and Jesus is your Savior, He is there by your side. (Especially if you feel like He is not.) You my friend, are a treasure of the Lord's and through your brokenness, He is glorified and He is remaking you into something even better than you could have dared imagine. Letting go is the HARDEST thing ever, I know all too well. His plans go beyond any imagining you, me or any other person could do.

If you are living in brokenness and do not know of this Jesus or don’t accept Him as your Savior, I am praying that you come to know and accept him. It starts with admitting you are a sinner (we all are), then you make a choice to believe that Christ died to pay for your sins. Then there is confession (admission) and repentance (turning from) of those sins. This is the first step in a lifetime journey of a relationship with God. Find a Bible and a church. God will be blessed by your seeking Him.

He will be found when you seek Him. He will be praised by all the nations.

You are more than ordinary

2005-10-27T08:19:00.000-02:00

This came to me via e-mail from a good friend. It was profound for me to read so I wanted to share it with you. May God bless you and keep you and may today, you feel His safety and protection as never before.

To my sisters in the Lord.....

There comes a time in every woman's life when she has to take a close look at herself.

Not at her circumstance, not at what she did, not how unfair life is, or at who made you do it.

She has to just look at herself in all her glory and imperfection.

Have you ever admired a woman who has been through changes in her life? Or have you made up in your mind that she is just messed up. Before you make this mistake, take a closer look. A woman who has endured the most unusual life is someone of wisdom, someone who has been chosen by God to go through things that have made her stronger.

Think of all the great women in the Bible: Mary Magdalene, Ruth and Naomi, the woman with an issue of blood flow, and Esther, to name a few. Mary was a prostitute, a very uneasy woman. But by the time Jesus was done with her, she was His closest follower. Esther was unfortunate in marrying an abusive man, but by the time God was done with her, she had married one of the wealthiest men in the land.

Women are so quick to beat the next one down instead of trying to hold her up. Before you wonder, "What's up with her?" ask yourself, "What's up with me?" That woman could be my mother, sister, aunt, in-law, stepmother, niece, grandmother, great-grandmother, neighbor, friend, or co-worker, etc. That woman could be ME.

Women are the carriers of life, not the channels of death. Let's build and encourage each other, as did Ruth and Naomi. Pass this to all the women in your life. Encourage and love, forgive and forget, and trust that the woman that receives this will be touched in some way.

May the peace and love of Christ be upon you!

I am alive

2005-10-11T22:51:00.000-03:00

Hello to all out there. Thank you for those of you who are still making your way back to see if I will ever pop up again in the blogosphere.

I am alive and I have my computer back at home. The sad thing is that the computer is on its way to a slow death. Th hard drive is going bad. Sad days. I am saving my work often.

This is just a short note to let you know I love you all and am praying over you. I will write more soon.

Life without a home computer

2005-09-17T11:07:00.000-03:00

I have been without a home computer for 2 weeks now and it has not been pretty. I am creating this blog entry from the public library in Madison County. Thank the good Lord that they have internet access there. .:clapping, cheering:.

Just wanted to let y'all know I have had limited access and ability in the internet world since at work they watch you like a hawk as though everyone wanted to check out porn or defraud the government. Ah well, such is life. I hope to ge the computer back sometime this week. Until then, I live a bit of a disjointed life.

It has been interesting to see what it is like to only have limited access to what feels like a life-line. I am trying to learn a moderate to minimal dependance on the computer and internet. It is not easy.

Anyway, that is my poor pitiful me story so I owe you a quarter. Thanks for listening.

You are in my thoughts and prayers.

LoveLoveLove for you all.

Hey there, I live but just barely

2005-09-13T17:11:00.000-03:00

Hello all who travel here and peek through my window. I hope all is well with you.

I am swamped in ways that are crazy. Please pray for my health (nothing serious but BAD allergy issues). I also covet your prayers for my spirit. I am in the midst of a spiritual battle I did not expect and it is its own kind of overwhelming. God has and is being more gracious than I deserve. I am finding myself overcommitted and under-supported. That is a dangerous combiniation. Hence the request for prayer.

Just wanted to let you know I am around, a bit down (pressed down) and not out (at least not yet).

Love to all y'all

Let's kick it off a little early Edited to the 100

2005-08-25T14:13:00.000-03:00

I had a brief e-mail discussion with Melissa the other day about something to do for her upcoming birthday (Saturday the 27th) and with her schedule we won't be able to do anything for a while and she said she was giong to milk this b-day for all it was worth. So I am putting out this post to start it a little bit early. ::me giggling::

I was trying to get to 100 but after a while it feels very repeditive. (You will understand in a couple of lines what I mean.)

Here are the oh so many things I love about Melissa. ::drumroll::

The oh so many things I love about Melissa

1. She is so darn cute!!!
2. She is a sister in the Lord.
3. She is so very creative.
4. She encourages me all the time.
5. She blesses me every time I hear her voice, even if it is just her voice mail lead in.
6. She loves the Lord with all her heart!
7. She is waiting on God to write her love story.
8. She has the greatest curly hair.
9. She cares about others more than herself.
10. She listens to hear where God is leading.
11. She is not going to live in KY for the rest of her life.
12. She will make movies.
13. I will be able to say, “I knew Melissa when…”
14. She calls me “Darlin Precious”
15. She is a safe place for me.
16. She is so darn cute.
17. She has such a sweet voice.
18. She knows how to throw a darn good party.
19. She is willing to trust God.
20. She has a great laugh.
21. She smiles all the way to her eyes.
22. Did I mention she is cute?!?!?
23. Actually she is more than lovely.
24. She writes very well.
25. She loves her family very much.
26. She would fight to the death for you if you needed her to.
27. She cares enough about me to be completely honest.
28. We can have a good time while we don’t make decisions.
29. She is loyal.
30. She is amazing beyond words.
31. She is a jewel straight from the crown of God.
32. She brings color to another wise grey day.
33. She is vibrant.
34. She has an “Easter Egg” in the family living room.
35. She loves Christmas so very much.
36. I just love her.
37. She is very clever.
38. She does not shy away from the truth.
39. She is courageous and is working on following her dreams.
40. She is an August baby.
41. She lets me call her “Baby Girl”.
42. She is a dynamic individual.
43. She will listen.
44. She is silly with me.
45. She cares so very deeply for her friends.
46. She is willing to bare her soul to others.
47. She will stand beside you when you need it.
48. She has a Lord that thinks she is captivating and so do I.
49. She is a darn good cook.
50. I cannot imagine my life without her in it in some way shape or form.
51. She is a blessing beyond measure.
52. She is great.
53. She is a rest-stop God put on my path.
54. Just thinking about her brings a smile to my face.
55. She gives very good hugs.
56. She is sincere in action.
57. She has a passion for Native Americans.
58. She does things no one even notices and the world is better for it.
59. She is very supportive.
60. She is a good dresser.
61. She is willing to step out of her comfort zone and follow her dream.
62. She lets me be me (and trust me, I am odd)
63. She is fierce in so many different ways.
64. She has a very quiet spirit at times.
65. She has a very gracious nature.
66. She has a great accent.
67. She prays for me.
68. She loves the Lord with all her heart.
69. She has a deep appreciation for God’s creation.
70. She has a deep appreciation for silliness.
71. She is elegant.
72. She gives me Kool-Aid when I am at her house.
73. She is full of grace.
74. She is full of mercy.
75. She is honest.

Added by Becky

#76 She is a gifted encourager

#77 She is sassy

#78 She loves Melissa Gilbert

#79 She is a gifted writer

#80 She lives life in a beautiful way engaging people and allowing them to be who they are.

Back to me

81. She if Fabulous.

82. She is captivating.

83. She has caught her Saviour's heart.

84. She makes me happy.

85. Knowing her makes me a better person.

Here is some more

From Gayla

86. She's very real and transparent

From Kat

87. She leaves the most awesome voice mail messages on your phone that you save for weeks at a time and listen to over and over when you need a pick-me-up.

(Kat, what happened to 88?)

89. She maintains eye contact the entire time you're talking to her.

90. She graciously drives all over Kentucky to visit friends who freak out about driving all over Kentucky.

91. She's not afraid to meet strangers that you call friends and actually gets to know them.

92. She makes the ordinary person's passion look like a caffiene high.

93. Any plan you make is the best plan she's ever heard before.

94. She gets the hook-up at Starbucks and B&N and passes it along to all her buddies.

95. She's never ashamed of her crazy wild friends who come into B&N no matter how her coworkers look at her.

96. Her taste in music is impeccable.

97. Around her, it's easy to drop the pride and you strive to be as humble and loving as she is.

98. She's genuinly interested in people's lives and what's going on with their walk with Christ.

99. There are over 100 reasons to love her that are simple to find and write down and more than a million if we all took the time.

100. She's so darn cute.

The Parents

2005-08-24T10:50:00.000-03:00

Mom & Dad
Originally uploaded by DaisyMay13.

Hey there folks, I know crazy, I am a bloggin fool today. I wanted to put a picture out there.

Just want you to see the very cute people I call my parents. Alex and Barbara Hensley. They are pretty amazing people. Keep them in your prayers please as they cnotinue to serve the Lord in southern Brazil.

Aren't they just adorable?

Flickr

2005-08-24T10:42:00.000-03:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Living with intention

2005-08-24T10:14:00.000-03:00

I have been pondering of late my life and how directionless it feels. Granted, there is structure in my life but there are certain things I have let go willy-nilly style outside of that existing structure.

I have not been living as intentionally as I could. I have been letting my life, live itself out rather than me living that life out. I have not let others know what they mean to me. I have not undertaken to follow those things I love as passionately as I can.

Quite some time ago, God let me know that I am to let those others in my life know what they mean to me and to Him. I do my best to let folks know that I adore them with my entire being and to let them know that God loves them beyond measure. To that end, in the weeks to come, I will be posting concerning the oh so many things I love about certain people. I was originally inspired by Ashlee in her blog when she wrote about people in her life. There will be more to come. I hope to impart encouragement in their lives and a sense that not everything goes unnoticed. I have started some of the lists already and I am about to bust to put them on here so stay tuned one will be up soon.

As to the living my life intentionally rather than the passive fashion I have been taking as of late. Please keep me in your prayers as I seek more of My Father's will in my life. I am seeking Him and at times, it is scary just as it is exciting.

More than anything, I pray God's blessings and mercy on your life gracious reader.

Tagged

2005-08-22T16:09:00.000-03:00

I was tagged by Melissa and let me tell you, I feel old after reading her response to her tag.

10 years ago… I was 22 and in the real world of employment, working at Service Merchandise as an Area Manager of the Showroom. I still lived at home and I was preparing for my parents to leave for the mission field. I was frightened about being in charge of not only myself but everything concerning them as well. I was engaged to who I thought was the love of my life (still single so that was a “no”). I thought I had the world by the tail most days. It was a bright spot before some rough times.

5 years ago…. I was 27 and it was the new millennium. Woo hoo. I was starting a new job with the state in Richmond (still here). And I was being cyber stalked by an old boyfriend.

1 year ago….I was 31 and still at the same job for the state. I got up the courage to let my crush know I liked him. I was wondering about my own blog.

Yesterday….I spent the day at church as Sundays are that way. Heard 2 great sermons and hopefully saw the turn of a church’s heart to a mission mindedness.

5 snacks I enjoy…Cheez-its, peanut butter m & m’s, Popcorn with lots of butter, reese cups and just about anything that has dark chocolate in it.

5 songs I know all the words too… Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns (sang it at church recently), several praise songs and hymns (love to sing at church)

5 things I would do with 100 million dollars…Tithe no less than 15% to my church (boy would they love me), pay off all debt held by any family member, finance several endeavors in Brazil and then tuck the rest in investments to be able to live without fear through my future.

5 places I would run away to…anywhere in Brazil, Australia, Venice, Italy, Brazil and oh yeah, Brazil.

5 things I would never wear…thong bathing suit, poncho, leather underwear, a sheer shirt with only a bra on under it, and Ugg boots

5 fave TV shows…Sue Thomas: F. B. Eye, actually, I am trying to un-favorite TV so only the one.

5 bad habits…Chewing my cuticles when I am nervous or agitated, procrastinating, not spending time in the Word every day, overeating, and over committing.

5 biggest joys…family, my close friends, singing, W, and children

5 fave toys…mp-3 player, computer, rubber stamps, as a kid, the sit and spin and the “My Friend” dolls.

5 people I tag… Ashlee , Heather, Patrick , Robin, and Jimmy.

Yes, it is a post of note...

2005-08-01T11:35:00.000-03:00

I have been very spotty in my posting as of late and for that I apologize to those 5 of you who read this. I will do my best to give you the Reader’s Digest version.

Blog - Have settled on a skin I like very well that is clear to read. Woo hoo. I will probably be tweaking on the colors and fonts in the days and weeks to come so comments are appreciated.

Work - Well, it is work. The schedule for next year is being worked on and I am able to help with that via my database that was poo pooed upon earlier. One day, they will see that it is a great tool. Ah well, apparently not in this lifetime. I was struck by Melissa’s blog post and the thought of making God my portion at work as well as in the rest of my life. I hope to be able to prayerwalk my place of employ since I have the gripping about it down to a science. ;) I am praying for a positive attitude as that is the only thing I have power over. Circumstances are out of my control. God has those in His hands, I don’t need to try to control them, cause I cannot. No matter how much I want to.

Church - We did an off-rite VBS at a local school. It was amazing to be allowed into this venue. One of our church members is a teacher there and we were able to get into the school with his help. The week was hectic going back and forth from R-mond to Lex but it was very beneficial. The children had a good time, the church volunteers saw a new arena of service, the community saw our desire to invest our time in them, and the principal invited us back and said we could come back more often than once a year. How absolutely God is that?!?!?!?!?!!!!!! I am praying that certain negative sentiment within the church be turned around so that we can glorify God in greater ways. I have been struggling again as to stay or go and as God has constantly answered, I am to stay where I am and continue in what He has given me to do. Please keep this in your prayers.

Parents - The parents are doing well. I try to e-mail their newsletter out to most of you all. If you don’t get it you can go to their mission board’s website. Click on Missionaries then click on the Hensleys and you can read through their past newsletters as well. The church in Salesopolis is rolling, slowly but surely.

My Life - Well, this is the part that is not so easy to condense. Work has been a plague to me. I am unhappy and am seeking God to restore my joy. He will do it, I know He is faithful. Church is going well as you can see. My personal life is being filled by those who love me. I am an unofficial member of the “F” family. I spent the weekend at their place and I felt so loved and cared for. (Granted, my apartment is a wreck and could have been cleaned – this was better.) I also have a standing e-date with the love of my life. Thursdays, you will find me online chatting with W from 4-5. So don’t be offended if you see me online for chat and I don’t respond quickly or at all. You see. I am sooooooooooo in love I almost make myself sick. ;) I have often wondered why God in His infinite wisdom has brought me to this point in my life, still single. I have struggled with this a lot. God has been faithful all the while and He was waiting for my obedience. I have been pondering, due to conversations with A, about the entire “THE ONE” concept that we as Christians have set forth. There is a stigma that seems to follow in the shadow, you can screw up and miss THE ONE and then what? I lived in that for a very long time. In God’s mercy, He revealed to me through others, that each relationship was a stepping stone to make me, me. I would have loved to be married with children by now but that was not what needed to happen to being God the greater glory. I needed to learn more about obedience and submission to my Lord and Savior. When I found where obedience, submission, peace & contentment lived, I also found immeasurable indescribable blessings. One such blessing is the relationship with W. He is an amazing man of God and that is what I have been praying for all this time. I am still struggling with feeling worthy of the relationship so please pray for that for me. I am also greatly blessed by the friends and family God has given me along the way. (Stay tuned for future shout outs to those I love) I am still seeking to find more of God each and every day. I have fallen behind in this lately. I am up against a wall of fear I have come to know all too well. More on that at another time if I am lead to share the rest of the story…

Wrap Up - So, I am doing pretty well in the overall. I covet your prayers as I endeavor to find more of God and to give Him the glory.

Just so you know, LOVE Y’ALL bunches.

Don't adjust your screen...

2005-07-29T16:09:00.000-03:00

I am messing with my blog skin so please bear with me.

I will also catch up on my life after I have wrestled this template.

Hugs and love.

Summer class

2005-07-19T22:13:00.000-03:00

So, tonight I made my presentation on economic development and Fayette County and turned in my final exam. I feel pretty good about my presentation and fair aabout my final. I got a B+ on my mid-term so that was not so bad. I am hoping for the best. All that is left is one more class meeting on Thursday as a wrap up and then the grade. I hope all goes well.

This class was not the most interesting in the world but I did gain a great deal of insight into many other areas. I found out that North Carolina has a big movie industry and I got to share that with Mel. ::Yeah!!:: I have been able to understand more about about some recent trend in the world.. It is very interesting. Ah well. I am hoping for the best.

I don't think I am going to take a class in the fall because I am looking at time frames and payment of classes. Right now the state is paying for my education and I don't want to have to pay them back and that takes a 6 month window.

Anyway, that is my semi-sad story but happy at the same time.

New Design

2005-07-11T22:35:00.000-03:00

Hello and welcome to the start of a new design. I am still tinkering with the finer points of the sidebar, etc. I know enough to be dangerous so I am trying to go slow so I don't mess things up much.

I hope that this does not hurt your eyes. Please leave me some notes what you think. Leave your suggestions. If you know some color numbers for the sidebar stuff that you think would work better, let me know what they are. That would be great.

I hope all is well with you all.

Friday Feast

2005-07-01T09:11:00.000-03:00

A little meal for you...

Appetizer
Where do you plan to go on vacation this year, or where would you want to go?

I plan on returning to Caraguatatuba Brazil for December. This is where my parents live. (W is there too ::hehehe::) It is where I love and would be there now if finances and life circumstances allowed.

Soup
What color is your bedroom? If you could redecorate it, what would you change?

It is a white walled rental. I do have a wall hanging and a couple of pictures. The color theme is caramel, burgundy and navy with hints of green and pale yellow. I like the colors. I would love to paint one of the walls in the burgandy, but alas, RENTAL.

Salad
Do you have a bumper sticker on your vehicle? What does it say?

I do but it is on my back window, I have removal issues. It is oval and has “W04” on it.

Main Course
What's the worst pain you've ever been in?

The worst pain I have ever been in was not purely physical. It was when I was 21 and my then fiancé broke up with me over the phone. He added insult to injury telling me he never loved me at all. My heart hurt, my head hurt, darn it my whole body hurt for quite sometime after that.

Dessert
Who is your favorite celebrity? What do they do that inspires you?

Right now I would have to say Reese Witherspoon. Her body of work is pretty good. She appears to be striving to be a great wife and mother in the middle of the pressure cooker that is Hollywood.

Hello, yes I'm new around here. Let me introduce myself.

2005-06-24T11:15:00.000-03:00

Why hello. The name is Mary K. Nice to meet you. ::good hand shake:: Oh no, the pleasure is all mine. Hope to be seen a bit more often. Thanks for coming by.

No, please don't fall out of your chair in shock or fall over because it is the big one. This is really a new post. It may not have much substance since I am reaquainting myself with posting. Nevertheless, I am here.

Sorry for the length of the lapse. Lots going on. Always the roller coaster. In this interim, I actually road some real roller coasters too. Yeah BeastBuzz 2005.

Let's see, to reaquaint myself with you the reader I will do the obligatory mini update.

Work - stressful and not the most positive environment. (December 8th) There are a couple of "Pollys" that are there and they make life difficult. (December 8th) If you want to kow what a Polly is, e-mail me and I will send the description. I am plugging along, trying to get it all done and trying to help others along the way. I am doing my best to be a Pollyanna

School - Got an A in the Spring class I took. Yeah!! ::cheering:: I am taking a summer class as well. It is not as engaging as the class I had in the spring. I am reevaluating the whole school thing. I will not take any fall classes because I will be going on vacation just before finals would occur. (December 8th) So I will be looking at taking an online course where I will learn to teach English as a foreign language

Church - here is where a great deal of your prayers are covetted. Things there feel like "As the Stomach Turns". There is a great deal of spiritual warfare going on. There is also some power struggle stuff and just some outright dissention in the body. Please pray for healing, humbling and a return to giving God the glory. thanks

Personal - Here is where a lot has gone on. First, big deal, I cancelledmy cable so I could save money and work on not watching so much TV. It is not easy being an adult. Second, I am still working within God's will while learning what a healthly romantic relationship should be. I really like and am liked back by W and it is great. We are at a critical point where we are on our knees before God seeking the next step and asking if the direction is pointing towards a permanent relationship. I hesitate to discuss this too much because I am learning to let W lead this relationship and he is investigating my thoughts and relating his thoughts back to me. No decisions have been made. Just LOTS of prayerful consideration. Also, I will be leaving on vacation on December 8th to go to Brazil where I will get to see W. He is graduating from seminary on the 10th of December. YEAH!!! ::cheering&jumping&dancing::

Spiritual - I have been in the Word on a regular basis and have been hearing God give me a little something everyday. That is GREAT! Where I am struggling is in a couple of historic sins that have had me bound for some time. I am praying for His guidance and His victory. I have been wavering between melancholy, joyful, exuberant and a fuzzy something that defies words. He will pull me through, even if it is kicking and screaming. :)

Well, that covers most of it and that is more than I expected. Thank you for the friendship you offer by reading adn keeping up with me.

May God's blessings fill your days and His mercy fill your life.

LoveLoveLove

Blog fam to just fam...yeah ::clapping::

2005-05-28T00:35:00.000-03:00

I must say, God has an amazing sense of humor to let us live our lives like we do. We get to enjoy each other through our blog connections amd them there are those wonderful times when the bolg fam gets to turn into real fam.

Tonight I had such a wonderful evening that there are just not enough words in the English or Portuguese language to explain. I had dinner with, Mel and, Jimmy. I cooked and we just had a great time hanging out. M and I have been friends for years now and we just love each other. ::sniff:: ::wiping the tear:: We had the joy of meeting J through other blog fam and round and round that goes. Well J was in state for what may be the last of a long while. He is visiting family before he begins his mission apprenticeship in Mosambique. (Please pray for his time and team there.) J knew he was going to be in the area and M and I live close to each other so we finally got our acts together to get together. Woo Hoo!! Praise God. We were able to just spend time with each other, getting to know each other better, encouraging one another, enjoying our God together. It was just one of the best darn evenings I have had in a coon's age. Yes, I was the neurotic cute self that I am. M was just the precious treasure of heaven that she is no matter the circumstance and J was just revealed to us as another piece of the richness of heaven here on earth.

I am constantly amazed at the ease of God in letting the family of God get to know one another. It is like built in knowledge having the same Father. I am thrilled to bits and pieces to be able to say I have met another family member tonight.

J you know M and I love you lots and we will be praying for you diaramente diante no trono de Deus. You are a super special guy and I am so blessed to have been able to have met and spent time with you this evening.

Like I said, there are just not words that can accurately or fully express the amazingness of God. Maybe I need to work on some new words for it. Like "monazing" which would be monstrous and amazing. That is God, filling to overflowing and pouring out on our saucers, His blessing of His love through family. Thank you Father.

Life right now

2005-05-08T23:31:00.000-03:00

Life right now...

Life has been a roller coaster lately. The ups and downs have been interesting. There have been some twists and turns as well.

I have finished my first class of the Master's program I am taking. It was challening and fun at the same time. I checked my grades on-line and the project part of the grade was listed and I got an A on it. Yeah, I have an A on themid-term and an A in participation. I am waiting on the grade from my final exam to see my final grade. I have to get at least a B in the class so that I do not have to pay the state back fo my tuition assitance. I think I am doing well. I know my final was not my most stellar work but it was still good. I will be taking a summer course as well. So far continuing school has been a good thing. It was a step of obedience. I knew a year ago I should have done this. God is so gracious in spite of my stuborn nature. I am relieved to know that God helps me.

Work has been very rocky. "Polly" has been becoming her imperious self again lately. If it is not her idea or her way, it is not worth anything. She is very manipulative and it is definitely all about her. I am working on doing my best to be humble and patient. It is not easy because I dislike being guided and handled. I actually almost took another job. I did a not so good thing and put a "fleece" out to God. I said that if I could get more time off with at my present job, I would stay and turn soen the other job, so I asked. They said yes and then I could not find a date to switch to I was freaking out and I had worked myself into dither over it all. I was second guessing myself and wondering if God was testing my obedience or if he was blessing me in spite of myself. It was so rough for a couple of days. I ended turning the job down and God blessed even more abundantly with a longer amount of time off than I would have ever had the courage to ask for myself. I am amazed. I am a little burnt around the edges at work so the knowledge that I have the time off is a blessing. It will also be a blessing to see family and friends.

Speaking of the friends. I do have a special friend who is ever so dear to me. He is amazing and we are working on getting to know each other and we are seeking God's will in the midst of it all. It is pretty great to know that someone is praying for my wellbeing and my spiritual life. Most of all, we want to be certain that God is in the middle of the relationship. If God is not glorified by our individual lives nor out relationship, then we need to change something. I want him to search for God first and foremost, then other things will lead to God's glory and God's blessing. W is great. I will get to see him in December. He is graduating from seminary and I get to be there. Woo hoo!!!!

I have been working on relationships and God has been very gracious. I am working on keping those that are important in the loop. Mel is such a blessing and treasure straight from God. Yeah God for making her!!! I saw an old friend in Wally World and it was a good thing. It had been a couple of years and I did not know if she was still in Lexington. She has a one year old and looks great. It was pretty nice to be able to be able to start to mend a fence that was demolished. Pretty cool.

I am doing my best to keep my appointment with God every day and it makes sucha difference. I am at the end of the Gospel of John and look to continue on to Acts for my next book to read. I am search for more of God everyday and I am looking to fall more in love with Him.

So, I am feeling minty.

Finally, the final

2005-05-03T22:23:00.000-03:00

I just finished my final for POL801 and my brain is about to fall out of my ears. I think I will watch TV for the remainder of the evening. It took me most of my alloted 3 hours to answer the 2 essay questions. I did real well on the first question then I started to run out of gas on the second question. Over all I feel alright about my work. It was not stellar but it was alright.

Thank you Lord for you protection of this sorry girl. I do nt deserve your mercy or grace and that is why I am thankful for them. Amen.

Loss of Another American Icon

2005-04-26T16:23:00.000-03:00

It is with saddest heart that I pass on the following news. Please join me in remembering a great icon of the entertainment community.

Pillsbury Doughboy died yesterday of a yeast infection, and complications from repeated pokes in the belly. He was 71. Doughboy is survived by his wife, Play Dough, two children, John Dough and Jane Dough, who has a bun in the oven. He is also survived by his elderly father, Pop Tart.

Doughboy was buried in a lightly greased coffin.

Dozens of celebrities turned out to pay their respects, including Mrs. Butterworth, Hungry Jack, The California Raisins, Betty Crocker, the Hostess Twinkies and Captain Crunch. The grave site was piled high with flours.

Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy, and lovingly described Doughboy as a man who never knew how much he was kneaded. Doughboy rose quickly in show business, but his later life was filled with turnovers. He was not considered a very smart "cookie", wasting much of his dough on half-baked schemes.

Despite being a little flaky at times, he still, as a crusty old man, was considered a roll model for millions.

The funeral was held at 3:50 for about 20 minutes.

Cyber tag, gotta love it.

2005-04-24T22:54:00.000-03:00

I have to pick 5 or more of the following occupations and post my answers here. Then, I tag 3 other people to post their answers on their blog. Got it? Sounds like fun, huh?Here goes....The "questions":
If I could be a scientist...If I could be a farmer...If I could be a musician...If I could be a doctor...If I could be a painter...If I could be a gardener...If I could be a missionary...If I could be a chef...If I could be an architect...If I could be a linguist...If I could be a psychologist...If I could be a librarian...If I could be an athlete...If I could be a lawyer...If I could be an inn-keeper...If I could be a professor...If I could be a writer...If I could be a llama-rider...If I could be a bonnie pirate...If I could be an astronaut...If I could be a world famous blogger...If I could be a justice on any one court in the world...If I could be married to any current famous political figure...

If I could be a musician, the instrument would be my voice and I would sing praises to God all the day long. I would travel everywhere they would let me so I could share the praise of my risen Lord and Saviour so others would be able to spend eternity with me, continuing to sing praises to God.

If I could be a linguist, (yes there is a small amount of hidden desire to be this) I would learn the machinations of as many languages as possible and translate Bibles into languages that have yet to have that done. I would travel to remote parts of the world and meet people that have no way of speaking with the “outside” world and create a bridge by deciphering their language. Then I would get the Bible to them in their language.

If I could be an athlete, first I would finally know what fit is. HeeHee. I would be a soccer (futebol) player and travel the world kicking around. Love soccer.

If I llama-rider, I would have the best of times getting around Peru and the Incan ruins in Manchu Pichu. I would help give llama-riding tours and as a side-line, I would harvest the llama wool and make clothes to sell to people after their riding tour.

If I could be a missionary, I would go to Brazil and follow whatever else God has in mind for me to do there. Oh wait, that is what God has said is going to happen so no real “if” in that statement. ;)

Okay, now that part where I tag another. I have seen this on several other’s sites already so I will try a couple of folks I hope read my blog at least on occasion. Heater, LL and Ashlee, you have been tagged. Have fun and have a great day.

Overwhelmed and melancholy

2005-04-20T08:00:00.000-03:00

Those are the two words I would use to describe my state of being right now.

I am overwhelmed with school. I have not been in school in over a decade and everything with this class has me on edge. I am doing well and enjoying it for the most part. I just don't want to mess up. That hangs over my head. Satan likes to whisper words of failure and incompetence.

I am also overwhelmed with work. It is irritating and I am being micromanaged by a multitude of people. That makes me feel like the world is trying to crash down around my ears.

I am melancholy because things don't feel like they are going well in my life. Again, satan likes to whisper lies in my ear and when I feel blah or sad, I tend to listen. My mom is leaving to return to Brazil today and that adds to my melancholy also.

All of these things have me looking to the Lord. I have not been seeking Him with a fervent heart. I hav held Him at a distance and I am feeling that in my life.

Sorry for the somber, just trying to be honest. See, I do feel a little better even now for having been honest in this open forum.

Have a blessed day and seek the Lord with all your heart and being.

Procrastinating

2005-04-11T22:26:00.000-03:00

I am so trying to put off putting together the information I need to deal with for my part of the group project for my class. I have the information collected and read now I need to put in a cohesive order and I just don't want to deal with it at all.

UGH!!

So please pray for me to get this done.

New Links

2005-04-04T17:52:00.000-03:00

Look, I did it, I added some links. Thanks H, I copied some source off your blog and got my links started. I feel like a technoplegic with this blog sometimes. I will do better. I may add and take away now that i feel a bit more comfortable with this.

May God bless your day in an unexpected fashion. Look for him in the silence and in the small things, he is there.

Love, love, love.

Hello there

2005-04-04T14:10:00.000-03:00

I have dropped home to heat up my amazing leftovers from the other night. Woo hoo, real food for lunch and I don't have to pay and arm and a leg for. Even better.

I thought I would take a moment to relfect on stuff.

God is good!!!!

Mom is home for a visit and I am loving having her here. As always it will be hard when she leaves. We are going to Virginia this upcoming weekend to go to achurch there that will be sending a group this summer. I enjoy seeing who loves my parents almost as much as me. I will be more just along for the ride but I will get that time with mom.

I got to see some old college friends this past weekend. Went up to Independence to H's house and was part of a Girl's weekend. Got to meet K and see S again. It was fun times. I am glad to start to reestablish old relationships. Girls, I am praying for each of your lives and for God's direction and protection over your lives.

I am doing well. About a week ago, I got the CPAP (continuous positive air pressure) machine to use as I sleep. I am using it pretty well and am begining to feel the positive benifit of it. Yeah!!

I am probably overactive in church but God is blessing. I am working on giving Him the glory becuase that is where it belongs in the first place. God is gracious because I have been able to see Him working in other friends' lives as well and that is absolutely AMAZING.

Just a little ditty. Love you all and I am praying for God's blessings in all your lives.

What book of the Bible are you?

2005-03-31T17:58:00.000-03:00

You are Psalms.

Which book of the Bible are you?
brought to you by

God's Passion for me

2005-03-23T00:30:00.000-03:00

I am truly amazed at what God/Jesus went through just so I could be part of His family. He was so passionate about wanting a relationship with me that he endured the cross.

My church I attend puts on The Lexington Passion Play and has done so for several years. I have had the privilege of being part for the past 3 years and again this year. The story we tell is always the same. Christ Jesus came to this earth and he submitted himself to the cross to pay the price for our sins. Having completed the payment, Christ rose again and offers us the chance to believe in him and receive eternal life. Praise the Lord, I believe and am now a joint heir with Christ. The participants in the play have been presenting the play since last week, we have 5 more performances. Five more opportunities to visually depict the gospel. When we went through our first full rehearsal, I wept like a baby and was hit with the awesome thing Christ did for me.

Having grown up in the church, I have read and heard the story hundreds of times. I cannot explain why this particular moment, at the dress rehearsal I was weighed down with the largeness of this action. Praise the Lord!! He rose again.

I hope that you enjoy this holiday season and that God blesses you greatly. May his act of love on the cross be real to you each and every day. May the glory be His and His alone.

Where is my stunt double?

2005-03-08T11:12:00.000-03:00

Don't you wish you had a stunt double in life. I sure did the evening a group from church went to Perfect North Slopes in Indiana. I would have called in my stunt double for all the spills and not so thrills. I thought I would give snowboarding a chance. I am working on not being so timid of new and adventurous situations. Snowboarding would be that. I can ski decent, not well and not bad. Well, snowboarding got the better of me. As I was attempting to get down the bunny slope, yet again, I turned where my back was leading and the board dug into the snow. Note - I would have inserted the stunt double at the place where I started leading by my back side. As the board dug into the snow, I quit sliding and started to be vaulted forward in a header just not face first, head first. I hit hard and at least twice. My tongue is still recovering as I bit it in the process of bouncing. I hope to have full feeling in the tongue by tomorrow. I know that picturing the situation is rather humorous, I even chuckle when I think about me bouncing off the ice. I would have preferred watching my stunt double doing this but she has yet to be cast. Please pray that my body heals as I am very sore and bruised.

I say all of this to, yes try to garner sympathy from the few of you who read this and to say that even in the trauma and trials of life, God is showing me his greater mercy and profound grace. I don't have a stunt double and so I am the one who is in charge of my glorifying the Lord and how I share him with the world at large. I have been struggling with this point in life. Our soon to be new Director of Youth at GBC spoke about God and His glory and how God is concerned first with his name and his glory. Yes, he has concern for me but what am I doing to show God's glory or to bring him glory? This is starting down a random track so I will bring it back to my greater point. God is gracious and His mercy abounds. He will do what is needed for his glory and if I have to be a bit bruised and beaten to return to the place to bring him all the glory, I will be glad that God casts no stunt doubles in this life.

Love and blessings to you all.

Please pray

2005-03-01T08:55:00.000-03:00

I spoke with my mom yesterday trying to iron out some business matters. In the midst of that discussion she let me know that they need to be prayed for right now. There are some issues swirling around them and I ask that you pray for God's guidance, intervention and strength through this right now. I am sorry to be so cryptic but I am not at liberty to go over details right now. Please join me in praying for them.

I also covet your prayers for myself. I have been fleeing from the divine presence of my Holy Father and he by his grace and mercy has drawn me back. I ask that you pray for me as I seek his face and his direction in my life.

Thank you for all you do. May God richly bless your day as you all bless mine.

Heater I don't want you to die

2005-02-27T09:49:00.000-03:00

Especially before I post another Blog entry. Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you, this is a blog entry from the long absent Mary K. I apologize to those few faithful who check here to keep tabs on me. To attempt to catch you up would be a fruitless endeavor and it would cause me to enter into so unhealthy thought patterns I am attempting to a victor over with the aid of Christ.

Suffice it to say, I have been fairly self-absorbed for an extended period of time. Then the Holy Spirit laid a smack down on me. (Kerpow - LF that is for you if you are reading) He showed me He is here and God is truly incharge of it all. My vain and feeble attempts at running what I thought was my life are just that vain and feeble. I was running from God not wanting Him to take back the wonderful vingettes of the future He shared. How dumb am I? Pretty dumb to thing that God is that fickle and capricious. I have seen the err of my ways and am returning to the right relationship I should have with my Lord and Savior. I am still struggling with some old thought patterns the devil likes to get going in my head so please pray for the destruction of those strongholds. I have also been living in stress city with work, school and church obligations mounting. I had my first mid-term test in about a decade. It went well. I cannot say it went "A" well though I am hoping it went "B" well. I would not be pleased with a "C".

Thank you to all of you who have been praying for me even without knowing my issues. I am thrilled to have you as friends. I hope to return to a semi-regular schedule of posting.

Mel, I know you are off-line at the moment but I love you to pieces and you are foundational to me.

H, I am thrilled beyond words that I get to see you again, keep the countdown going. You are a bright spot for me.

Atoti, you are a treasure straight from the treasure chest of heaven. I thank God for placing you in my life.

LL, you are a pillar of strength. I know you don't want to be placed on an alter so I won't, I'll just let you know I love you and I love God in you.

There are so many more of you, I thank God for all of you.

Death age

2005-02-09T18:23:00.000-02:00

Yes you are right, I had nothing better to do with my time, yeah right. I just needed a little brainless time and this quiz was a welcome mental diversion. It is cute though. Enjoy.

Ordinary.....

2005-02-02T11:57:00.000-02:00

I was reading my friend Melissa's blog and re-lived the joy of having watched the TV movie, "The Magic of Ordinary Days" as she recounted her experience of watching it as well. I was moved by her honestly and emotion about it all. I was caught in thought about how much we tend to overlook what we deem "ordinary". I am just as big a culprit of doing this as many others are as well.

I then continued on my morning blog and comment reading adventure to read the UK BSU blog and was hit again about how I view my life in this post modern world. I often view my life in a way where I expect so many things and take a great many of my things and opportunities for granted. Having the privilege of experiencing another culture outside our American culture has been a blessing. Seeing how joyfully others can live without many of the material entanglements. Seeing how others stop to enjoy the ordinary things of life. Seeing other struggle with some of the same struggles in the different environment. It all causes me to re-evaluate in a healthy way.

Having recently returned from another country, revisiting my goals in life - physical, emotional & spiritual, submitting myself to be accountable to another Christian, reading the blogs and comments this morning, working on my walk witht he Lord my God and Savior. All of this has been adding up and fitting together in my head in that odd way that only things can add up for me. ;7)

I see where I need to reach out and take hold of friends, family and most of all my Lord. I am learning where to let go and turn away. The path the Lord has laid out is at times a fantastic journey, full of adventure and intrigue. At other times, this path is full of the ordinary which for me is really God's amazing splendor made real and understandable for dumb old me.

Thank you my God for those ordinary and extra-ordinary things in life.

Cute Quiz findings

2005-02-02T11:54:00.000-02:00

Here are some cute findings from quizes I have recently taken. I was a bit surprized that I am only lightly nerdy. I have usually considered myself rather nerdy. Ah well. I hope you enjoy the humor.

You are a drumstick.

Absolutely insane. That is how most would describe you. You aren't afraid to take risks, and enjoy putting yourself in strange situations. Most people hang out with you because of your hilarious sense of humour. You light up any bad situation, and can help all of your friends with their problems, except for your own. Because of this, you enjoy being around people like you. Many shut you out for your very weird, random personality, but honestly, you shouldn't care.

Most compatible with: Guitar, and another drumstick.

Click here -- What Random Object Represents Your Inner Self?

What age.....

2005-01-28T10:54:00.000-02:00

What Age Do You Act?

Score, this is about how old I feel like so that is GREAT!!! Have a great day!

You Are 26 Years Old

26

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe.

13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world.

20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences.

30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more!

40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

Hello, oh yes you are right this is a blog post

2005-01-21T09:51:00.000-02:00

I have been over stimulated as of late. I have had so many things run through my mind that I would like to blog about and I have had little to no time to do it. My evenings have become so very precious to me as they are my private time and my time to spend with God. I have been a gad about lately and my blog is taking the toll full force. I read Ashlee’s blog today and felt very guilty for my lack of posting so here is a stab at it.

Okay, here is a brief catch up.

I turned 32 (yes I will tell my true age, I don’t like it but at the same time I
don’t feel like it either.)
Over the weekend I went to Louisville for
the Song of Solomon conference. That was amazing. I have not ever
encountered anyone who taught the Song of Solomon in a literal fashion. I
enjoyed it. I took notes on those things which are to come in my
life. Hopefully I can fight fair in a relationship.
I read all
evening Monday for my class on Tuesday. My class on Public Administration
will be great in spite of the mountain of reading I will have to do.
Tuesday was class for 3 hours. I did laundry when I got
home.
Wednesday was church and then to Bryan and Jill’s to watch Alias and to
get my birthday presents from them.
Today, I went to see an Ear, Nose
and Throat doctor. I am going to have a sleep study in
February.
Tonight Bryan, Jill and I are going out to eat (on the parent’s
money) to have a late b-day celebration for me.
When I get home
tonight I need to do some homework reading and try to get my kitchen table
cleared off.
Of course in the mix of this is my full time job, I am reading 2
books outside of my school reading and I am working on my Portuguese skills.

When I prayed for a life outside of work I never knew it would come all at once. I am enjoying it though I am still in a bit of a haze over it all. I am enjoying keeping busy, it is a nice thing.

I am still in a mini-melancholy over not being in Brazil. That is a bit of a perpetual thing. Praise God for my great friends here. I would be in a mini-melancholy over them if I were in Brazil. God is working it out.

Thank you for caring and may God bless your day.

And then came 32

2005-01-14T02:49:00.000-02:00

Yes, it true, for those of you who did not know, it is my birthday. I am now a 32 year old woman. An adult if you may say. Though I in no way feel like a real adult and by no means feel like I am 32. Anyway, it is GREAT to be 32, alive and well and in the hand of my Lord God and Savior.

It was a lovely day for a birthday. Though the weather was not so lovely the day was. I started with a call from my dearest mother who informed me that what I thought was the birthday gifts of my sister-in-law were actually my birthday presents. Lovely earrings and pendant. I also got to talk to Joyce since she showed up at mom's while we were on the phone. (Yes, I did cry from missing her and Brasil.) Work was nice as well. I did not get much done though I received many well wishes from my coworkers. I felt energized all day long. God was propelling me along in the day. I received several e-mail greetings from here and from Brasil as well. That helped to sooth my heartsickness for there. God continued to propel me along. On my way to dinner, my dad called to wish me a happy birthday and we had a lovely conversation about his day looking at buses and talking about seminary course for the church in Caragua. He and the pastor are thrilled about implementing prayerwalking in the seminary teaching and then in the church as a whole. I got to help in that. What a thrill to my soul. Then I went to have diner with my friend Jennifer D. as we were going to the UK Women's basketball game. Much to my joy, I found 3 other AMAZING friends joined our dinner. (Thank you Sheila, Cindy and Debbie.) That just made my already overflowing cup, overflow that much more. Thank you God for the amazing people you have placed in my life. Then there was the basketball game. UK versus Georgia. UK played a great game and BEAT Georgia. Yes, I did say that UK won and in Rupp Arena. It was spectaclar. Then to top the evening off, I ran by Ashlee's to drop off a gift to her and just to see her as I have missed her. She makes my heart smile. I don't believe that God could have orchestrated a better birthday. It was amazing. My cup is beyond overflowing.

Thank you to all of you who have wished me well and prayed God's blessing on my life. May God bless you richly as you go throughout your days.