Pee.

Chris and I had a pleasant evening last night. We came home from church and settled in to watch a movie. We probably started the movie around 9. We let Lewis lay with us on the couch because he was clean and flea-free at the moment, and he is a good cuddler, and it was cold. :) Well, after the movie, we decided to just go ahead and go to bed; it was around 11:00 or so. Lewis sleeps on a blanket in our bedroom floor, and he just did not want to lay down. He kept walking from my side of the bed to Chris's side of the bed, and back forth, and back and forth...Well, I just thought he wanted to get in bed with us because we had let him on the couch, so I went to sleep. At about 12:30 AM, I awoke to a very weird noise. You know when you wake up and are a bit addled? That was how I felt. I wasn't exactly sure what had woken me at first, but it soon dawned on me that it wasn't pleasant. Chris also woke up, which he never does unless I disturb his slumber. After asking me what the noise was, I came to a realization that went something like this: "Oh no! It's Lewis...he's peeing!!!!!!" We immediately and simultaneously turned out lamps to shed light on the issue, and sure enough, there he was...peeing...in all his glory. He was at the foot of our bed by now, and he was letting loose all over the rug. Chris jumped out of bed (as if to make him stop), and consequently stepped in pee. Lewis had begun peeing by Chris's side of the bed, walked into the bathroom, walked on the rug toward my side of the bed, turned around, and become content with relieving himself the rest of the way on our pretty rug. Chris was saying things like, "No." "Stop." "Lewis, stop." If I recall correctly, he was also standing away from the rug trying to swat at Lewis. None of these things stopped Lewis from finishing. Chris opened the bedroom door, and Lewis practically ran down the hallway to get outside; I am not really sure why he was running so urgently...hadn't he already completely relieved himself? Once Lewis was outside, we had to clean-up (Did I mention is was now like 12:45ish in the morning?). Chris lifted the bed while I pulled the rug out from under it, and he took the rug outside, hosed it off, and laid it out to dry on top of the grill. Meanwhile, I sopped up Lewis's pee with towels and disinfected the floor. Wow. I have never seen so much pee in my life. It was EVERYWHERE!!!

We think that Lewis has been drinking from a bucket of rainwater outside. We send him out to do his business, and he does, but he also goes and drinks to his hearts content. So, when he comes back inside, his bladder is already filling up again...evidently he was drinking from the bucket when we let him out before bed...what a night.

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School Today...

I am sitting in my classroom right now. We just came back from sitting in the hallway for about an hour or so because of threatening tornados. We have had some really bad weather lately, and I am not a huge fan. It scares me that these tornado threats don't scare me. I think it is because I didn't live here when several tornados hit, and I have never been involved in an actual tornado. Growing up, we always had tornado warnings, but we never did have an actual tornado. I think I would definitely feel differently had that been a different story. So, as I sit here, I ponder all the many things I need to be doing. I need to be finishing grading poetry books. I need to be cleaning my classroom. I need to be cleaning my house. Etc. Etc. Etc. But, I can't help but just sit here and listen to the rain fall on the roof of my portable. I feel the urgent need to take a nap on the couch that is in this room, but I fear there are ants and spiders in it because I have been seeing a lot of those around here lately. I think the rain drives them in. I guess I will get to work on something..all for now.
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Give it up.

There was this one time when I was little that I colored all over myself with sharpies. I took off all my clothes except my diaper and just marked everywhere. My mom proceeded to take my picture as I stood red-faced and crying, bottom lip poked out, standing in the kitchen. She said I immediately began to cry when she walked around the corner. I was caught...I knew what I had done was bad. I like to look back at that picture. I think that it is funny that my mom took the time to get her camera while I stood, wailing, in the kitchen. I wish I remember what was going through my head the whole time I was drawing on my body. I wish I remember the whole thing. If I could assume, I would say that I knew it was bad the whole time, but I did it anyway. Isn't that the way life always is. We do things that we know are wrong, but it really isn't until we get caught (or think we are going to get caught) that we cry and cause a scene. We think that we might can get out of it if we appear as though we are sorry, as though we are ashamed and worthy of grace. But, the thing is, is that we are never truly "worthy" of grace. When we are caught in a situation, red-handed so to speak, we are "caught" because we have done something wrong. And, even though we are not worthy of grace, God gives it to us anyway. Every time we mess up, every time we sin, every time we completely color all over ourselves with sharpies, God takes it all away if we ask him to. You know, my mom says that I had to stay in the bathtub all afternoon to get most of the sharpie off. She says that she had to keep letting the cold water out and filling it up with warm water. But, after staying in the tub all afternoon and getting a good scrubbing by Mom, I still had traces of sharpie. It had to wear off. When I sin, when I totally fall on my face, God makes it all go away--if I ask him to, if I ask him for forgiveness. He leaves no traces of it on my soul. Only he can wash it clean. When I try to take care of things on my own, it is like the sharpies...it never fully goes away.

We have to give our burdens to the Lord. We must. He, and only he, can take away our pain and our mistakes. James 5:13-16

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Random...

My Uncle Eddie is going to France tomorrow. I have to admit that I am insanely jealous. You see, we spent our honeymoon in France, and I would give anything to go back...well, not anything, but you know what I mean.

I received an amazing email today from Tim--the Guyana trip planner. He was pleased to inform me that my trip balance was paid in full. PAID IN FULL! I talked to two men from my home church last night on the phone, and one of them had called him this morning and said that he wanted to pay for the whole trip. God is so amazing, and people are so incredible. I want to thank Dan for his generous and Godly heart. I feel as though a burden has been lifted. I wasn't "worried" about getting the money...but I was. :) I didn't realize how much so until I received that email this morning. I shouted out loud in my English Honors class and clapped my hands. I am sure they thought I was going crazy, but I am also sure it wouldn't be the first time they thought that.

Today marked school day #7 with no AC in our classrooms. You see, there are 3 of us teachers in one portable classroom building, and our AC has been broken since Fridays a week ago...It has been insanely hot, and I have some large Junior boys come in and out of my room. Needless to say, they have not quite kept their complaints to themselves. :) For the past week or so, my room has been so sticky I am surprised we are not all wilted and unable to function. Oh wait... :) I have gotten very skillful at tying my door open with an old computer cord, and if you place the big box fan in the doorway, it pulls in the cooler air from outside. It's rather nice. But, I am very thankful to have a job and a room to teach in, so I guess I should just can it. But, it has been hot...we are all inclined to some complaints, right?

Chris gave Lewis a bath tonight. We noticed some fleas on him, so that can only mean 2 things...Spring is here, and it is bath time!! I always laugh out loud when Lewis comes bounding into the living room after his bath. You would think he was out of control. He shakes and sneezes like a maniac. It is rather entertaining. Maybe I will record it next time because it is the same every time.

Alright. Goodnight All.

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Adventures

This summer is going to be an adventure...to say the least. Here is a summer rundown: End of May--trip to FL to see everyone there. June 18-July 4--Trip out west with the Bentleys. July 9-16--Mission trip to Guyana, South America. July 29-August 2--Atlantis with the girls. August 8--Inservice and August 12--School starts. Ahhhh.

To add to the excitement, we are building our own teardrop camper. Yes, you read correctly, we are building it. Do not worry, though, I will keep you up to date on here with pictures and news. So far, we have bought the base trailer and built the floor. And when I say we, I hope you realize that I mean Chris and John Bentley. I have had nothing to do with the building of this...which is how it should be. I have, however, been being a little on the crafty side. I made a pillow for my niece's 3rd birthday, and I have to say that it is my favorite pillow I have made as of yet. And, I made a guitar out of fabric and string for my uncle's new music room. Chris framed it for me. :) I am a little sad that I forgot to take a picture of the guitar in the frame. But, here is the pillow. The back is multi-colored polka dots.

I am really excited about the busy summer, but I am also a little nervous about it all. That is a lot for one summer!

I have decided that I might like to sell some of these things that I have gotten pretty good at making. I looked into selling on Etsy.com, but it charges you. So, I will put some pictures up on here as I make things, and if anyone reading would like to purchase something or have me make something special, I will. We'll see. Night to all.

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Well...

Well, this blog once a day for a year isn't working out very well. It is really hard to catch up...Nicaragua got me a little off track, so I have revised my statement. I will blog at least 365 entries before this time next year. I forget the date that I started, but by that date. You know, it is really odd to be home after such a trip. Things in America are so very different than things in Nicaragua. It is more fast-paced and things are just "easier." By easier, I don't mean better.

I just mean more convenient. So, I wonder. Is convenience good or bad? Do I rely so much on things that are convenient that I don't know how to just roll with the punches (so to speak)? I get so inconvenienced by the smallest things. The Internet is slow, my cell phone doesn't call quick enough, the line is too long, etc.etc.etc. Sometimes I am really good about relaxing and taking things as they come, but more often than not, I get worked up over things that do not matter.

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March 23--Day 6

This morning I woke up feeling better than yesterday morning--just more stuffy. I was sad to see that we had to have breakfast in the basement again, but it was tasty. Again, I was very thankful for Dr. Amy's Dayquil. When we got to school, some of the girls immediately started trimming the back of Building 3 and the sides of Buildings 1 and 2. These girls have really worked hard at painting, and I am really proud of them! Even though we probably weren't supposed to, we also began rolling the backside of Building 3. I helped Summer and Kim take some pictures for students for their sponsors. They were SO cute! Oh My! I SO want a Nicaraguan child--they are the most beautiful children I have ever seen. Summer and Kim are taking good pictures of the children because the usual sponsor photos look like mug shots. Recess today was super short--which made me really sad. Gilesa (the same little girl from last year who I held while she cried), ran to me at recess, and I held her for a minute or so, and then we played various games with the kids. It is always a blast! After recess, I really got to painting on the backside of Building 3--Feeling rather accomplished, I was very much looking forward to lunch. Well, that feeling of accomplishment didn't last long because we ran out of paint...completely out of paint! And, we still had one more building to go. We didn't think we did, but we did have one more. So, we took a break for lunch--PB&J! :) And, we decided to start with new paint and new rollers and brushes after lunch. After lunch, Simmer took some of us to the neighborhood right by the school. We walked around and gathered up the children of the neighborhood, and we went to the middle of the neighborhood. The boys all played soccer, and the girls drew and colored. I drew with Rosita for most of the time, and she told us all of the words and numbers she knows in English. She can count to 10, and she can repeat almost any word you tell her. She is very smart. The neighborhood...the kids of this neighborhood--one of the poorest in Leon--are some of the happiest and most content people I have ever met. It is not because they want for nothing; it is because God has blessed them with a spirit of contentedness. It was awesome being in the kids' neighborhood! After we left the neighborhood, we came back to finish painting We only got to go in the neighborhood because we were waiting on new supplies, and I am so glad we had to wait. So...once again, we painted and painted and painted and painted some more. And, we finally FINISHED! :) We didn't paint the red trim at the bottom or the silver bars, but we painted all the green! When we left the school, we were filthy! It was really nice to take a shower. I called mom and checked in, took a shower, and left for this Eskimo restaurant. It was in the middle of Leon--downtown. I was a little wary of it before we got there. When we did arrive, my skepticism was confirmed. The kids were approached by 2 different males from the community. The younger male had been sniffing glue, and he made all of the girls very uncomfortable, and the older man was wanting money or food. It made me really sad that this little boy was high. Yather said that it was a common habit of young kids on the streets--even as young as 7 years old. I think it is good for our kids to see things like that, just like it is good for them to see people living in ways that are different from their own, but it was an incredibly uncomfortable situation. After we ate our dinner, we got ice cream--I got coffee ice cream, and it was wonderful, but I have never been so happy to be back on the bus! I held Yather's little girl all the way back to the hotel, and we danced, and it made me miss Aidyn. I really wish I could communicate better with Yather's wife. She is so sweet. Before bed, we had a devo by the pool. The stars were so incredibly bright. They were so beautiful. I wish the stars could be seen like that in Jackson--in our backyard! Cynthia and Summer played Banagrams for a few minutes. Cynthia played English and Spanish words. After devo, we played some more Banagrams, and then we had to send James back to the house to get the air mattress pump. Summer spent the night with me!!! :)

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