Once upon a time, almost two years ago (only two years ago? Wow) I moved back to the States. But I took pictures/got pictures taken by others first. Like these two pictures. Yeah, they're from almost two years ago.

The thing is, it seems that my heart didn't really completely leave Puerto Rico.

That first week back in the States, I remember telling Nicole that I was trying not to compare my life in the States to that in Puerto Rico. Ha, I might have been crying while I said that, at least sometime in the conversation.

Working at camp, I liked the water of the lake. It somehow was a tie to Puerto Rico. Somebody understood. Remembered her former island home a bit like I remembered mine.

That fall, I started college. But I still missed Puerto Rico. I remember that fall thinking that I was pretty sure God wanted me to continue going to college for the spring semester. Then I figured out that if I did it right, I could graduate by the end of the following fall semester. It seemed foolish to quit after the spring semester if I could finish an Associate degree in the fall. Over Christmas break, I got my wisdom teeth out. That was on my list of things to do before I returned for more than a short visit to Puerto Rico.

Spring break, I visited Puerto Rico. I wondered if I'd idealized it. I knew I didn't like change and wondered if the pull back to Puerto Rico was significantly because I didn't want to change. When I went to ESD, it was like going home. At first, I'd cry at night, how can it feel so much like home when I'm supposed to leave so soon? But then, a miracle occured, and the ache/burden I'd struggled with since leaving Puerto Rico went away, at least for a time. At the end of my spring break, I headed home to finish my semester. I finished my Associate degree last fall semester.

I found a church that I wanted to be my home church in the States. I've joined, and it really is my home church now.

I have been going through my church's process to pursue being a missionary, and I still have a ways to go. I appreciate prayers for God's guidance and provision and for Him to open the doors He wants open when He wants them open.

the sun has returned

It's amazing what alot of sunshine can do. I actually considered that I might almost enjoy excersizing - later.

I'm happy for the work week coming again. I enjoy my job. (And yes, I had that sort of weekend that leaves one thinking the work week is really a good thing.)

Isn't it pretty? I love how pretty this mountain can be, especially with sunrises and sunsets.

Note the road. Yes, I prefer to drive this way. Yes, I got stuck once trying to come home this winter on this road. I was driving and then the car started sliding and pretty soon I got the car perpendicular to the one lane plowed out on the road. My dad and a brother came and helped dig me out. Yes, it was in the dark. Of course. But this picture is from today! And I didn't get stuck today (though I did miss a turn onto a different road because I tried to slow down, but should have started sooner, because it was icy and the car started slipping, so I went on straight and turned around a little farther on).
Here is a picture to try to show how much snow we have left. Not really too helpful, because some of the snow is from shoveling off the driveway. Recently it has snowed a little, which is why the driveway and the road above are so white.

Ah, beautiful. Sunset time.

I have taken my mid-term exam for my missions class! That is very nice to have finished. Now I think I will do fine test-wise for this class (though I don't have the results back yet from the exam). The remaining wild card for my grade is the paper I need to work on (but not today!).

Friday :)

Another work week has been survived! I'm still coughing, but I think less today than yesterday. Who would have thought that working with children could actually separate you from children (thinking of the baby twins I want to see, but I don't want to cough on).

No pictures for today's entry. Just words.

It has been an interesting week. I've been thinking. (Haha, are you surprised?)

I've been thinking I've seen the New Perspective on Paul again, in something I read. I've been thinking about how serious is it. I've been thinking about how to respond. It really is an idea set (you can look it up on the Internet, info for and against it), and I really disagree with it.

And I've been working. Overtime. Art of the week: Monday, paint with fingers. Tuesday, I forget. (Or did I forget Monday and paint Tuesday?) Wednesday, paint with watery watercolor and paint brushes (actually, I still haven't finished cleaning up from that). Thursday, crayons. Friday, markers.

Now... wash dishes maybe?

On Tuesday (if I have the day right), I took a picture from a wide place on the dirt roads on my way home from work.

On Thursday, I worked later and stopped at the Library to drop off books, CD, and video (and then I picked two new books), but I took a picture from the same stretch of road.

Then today, I got off work really delightfully early (I've been sick all week and working late and today was able to leave early). I took another picture. My hope was that the pictures would show a little of my life and would show how the road conditions on the back roads are changing. Maybe you can see between Tuesday and Thursday that there was melting. Maybe you can't, but it seemed like it to me.

Anyhow, I went home and slept! So nice.

Reading somebody else's blog. Somebody who was out of the States for a year-ish and came back. Somebody who dared to have a posting about being homesick (for their out of the States location).

I look American, because I am American. And English is by far my most fluent language. But I wanted the speaker at my class to speak in Spanish. Even though I wouldn't have understood it all (might have missed ALOT). But he spoke English. Duh. It's an American class with American students (he may not even know more than a few words in Spanish, if that). But somebody came and sang a song in some language that was not Spanish or English.

Advice for the teacher of 1 (to early 2)-year-olds

1. Rice (originally) placed in the sensory table makes a fabulous (and hazerdous) mess, especially if you haven't established pretty good classroom control yet. Rice scattered liberally accross the floor by young hands enables people to slip more easily.

2. Cottonballs sound much cleaner, and are, but don't overlook the fact that they can be ripped into smaller (messier) pieces.