Home Sweet Home

Well, my trip home was glorious. Like I said before, the first couple days were dedicated to resting up and getting my taxes taken care of. But then I was off like a shot, and I didn't slow down until I got back here to Cofradia! The first week I spent in Richmond with my family and friends there. Then I headed to Fredericksburg to be with my church family and see friends and family up that way! It was a little weird because I spent so much time driving from one place to the next, one coffee date to the next, that it felt like I never left. Almost like life just sort of paused itself while I was in Mexico and then hit play as soon as I landed back in the country. It's so easy to get caught back up into all that busy-ness, especially when I have such a short time to cram so much into. But every minute of it was enjoyable and refreshing!

I loved being with the church family at New Life, and we ended up having the monthly pot-blessing that Sunday right after the service. So, I was able to take my time after the service was over and see people and chat and share about what's been going on, etc. That was very wonderful. Then, I headed back down to Fred to The Townhouse, where several of my girlfriends from college live and where I was staying while in Fred. Jen, who owns the house, had agreed to put together and host a gather of my Fred/Small Group friends that evening, so that was much fun as well. I even got to see a couple of friends/supporters from my old job at Northrop Grumman! Yea for shin-digs! The rest of the week I spent driving around, visiting with friends, and holding newborn babies! Several of my friends had babies in January and February, so by the time I got home, there were 4 of them for me to meet. One was my new neice, Alison, and sadly I was unable to meet her. She was born Feb 10, and since I was sick during the week I was home, I didn't go and see her in order to not pass on my germs to one so new and susceptible! But I'm looking forward to meeting her in August!

Meet Eliana Grace Nagy. She was less than a week old in this pic! Her mom and I became friends singing on the worship team together!

This is Jae Keegan Tobias McElvy. He was born in the middle of January, and I had a blast holding him during the church service. After having a mid-morning "snack", he slept in my arms the entire service! Glorious! I worked with his parents in the youth group at my church!

That Monday night, I had the wonderful privelege of having dinner with a girlfrind from college. We have been frinds since the beginning of our freshman year together, and this was especially wonderful because I was able to meet her wonderful boyfriend! We had a good time at dinner and some great conversation! Tuesday I went and spent a night with my grandmother and my aunt in Culpeper. Since my aunt was here from Minnesota staying with my grandma at her house, this was a precious opportunity to be with just the two of them at my grandma's house. She normally lives with my parents now, but every so often, my aunt comes and stays with her at her own house so she can be there and see her friends and do the things she misses doing! So, we had a good time. We watched the video of the Rose Bowl Parade since my cousin's band was one of the invited bands, and I didn't get to see that in Mexico! We cross-stitched and chatted and just had a good time together.

My grandmother's backyard, and the home of many happy childhood memories...covered in ice! Those houses in the background used to be nothing but open fields..

Then on Wedensday I headed back to Fred to hang out with my friend Peggy. We went to coffee, but I accidentally locked my keys in my car, so when we finished coffee, we went and sat by my car and waited for the AAA guy to arrive. Then we walked around downtown Fred, something I haven't done in forever and missed terribly. Finally we headed to her daughter's basketball game, and I had a chance to talk some with her husband about what I'm doing here in Mexico. It was a great afternoon and evening. God is so abundant in his blessings!

Then I headed home because the next day, Thursday, was HEATHER DAY!!! My sister and I got up that morning and got all gussied up to get portraits taken together. We've been talking about doing this for about 6 years now, but everytime we decide to do it someone doesn't have the money or someone won't be home or whatever. So, Heather decided that we weren't missing the opportunity this time. I had just gotten a new hair cut also, so this was especially fun cuz the look was totally different than ever before! When I get my copies, I'll post one! After that we headed into the mall to do some serious shopping. I had a list, and thankfully I was able to get just about everything I had planned to get. Here's the amazing part: we all know that while we're here in Mexico it's not so hard to keep to our budget, but when we go home we pretty much know that we're going to blow the budget out of the water. That's what happened, though I stayed within the amount I had planned for. That was miracle #1. However, for January and so far in March, my spending in Mexico has been under budget, pretty much making up the difference that I overspent at home in Feb. That is miracle #2. THEN, because of how my taxes worked out, I ended up not having to pay as much as I had set aside, and in the end was able to finally pay off my credit card (which was pretty high) including all that I had spent while home. That's miracle #3!! I go home and blow my budget, but in the end the budget not only balances out but I end up getting out of debt also!!! God is just too good to me!! So, that has been a wonderful load off!

Finally, on Friday I headed to Virginia Beach/Norfolk to spend some time with my mom and my girlfriend Beth, another very close college friend and co-English Lit major. I had such a great time with my mom. We did Christmas/birthday, since she saved those gifts knowing I'd be home in Feb, and I showed her all that I'd bought and pics and videos from down here in Mexico. And we just had a good time catching up and talking and being together. We ordered lunch and just relaxed and it was a ton of fun. Then I headed to Beth's appartment that evening, and we hit the town! We got all dressed up in cocktail dresses and went to this great restaurant where I ate the most divine, celestial meal I've ever tasted in my life. It was some kind of shrimp linguini dish with watercress on the side and the sauce was absolutely indescribable! It was truly amazing. Beth's sister Sara joined us there as well, and we had SUCH a wonderful time talking and letting the waiter flirt with us. :) I even enjoyed half a glass of white wine with my dinner, which is totally unheard of; but this wine was GOOD! After dinner Beth and I headed to a bar in downtown Norfolk to attend a fund-raising event for Hope House where another college girlfriend, Dana, works. They had a blues band playing that night, and we had been told that they'd be playing until around 11. We got there around 10-10:30 hoping to catch the last of the band, and that we did: we caught the last 30 seconds of their very last song for the night! HAH! But anyway, we had fun catching up with Dana and watching folks dancing and having a good time. Finally, the two of us headed back to her appartment after picking up oreo pie and some girly alcohol, where we put on our PJs and put on Sense and Sensibility while eating our desert. Saturday we slept in, did some shopping, and then I headed back to Fredericksburg to spend the night at Elena's for church on Sunday.

Beth and I out on the town...oh was it fun to get all dressed up again! I know it's silly, but sometimes I really miss that! Oh, and note the new haircut! I love my bangs!

Little did I know that church was not to happen. It SNOWED that night...real snow, not just ice. And it snowed GOOD. I woke up Sunday morning to about 4-6 inches of beautiful, white, fluffy snow, and IT WAS STILL COMING DOWN! Church services were canceled, and part of me was a little worried about getting my car dug out and getting home because the roads were very slick and icy. But Elena and I enjoyed a leisurely morning and even went out to stand in the snow and watch the kids sled and throw snow balls. We even took a little video so I could share it with the girls down here, as one of their dreams is to one day see snow for themselves! I laughed at myself and my too-little faith. I looked at that snow and stood in it thinking to myself, "I settle for second-best far too often." I had prayed for the Lord to send snow while I was home. When I arrived, the ground was white, but it was all ice. When you walked on it, though it looked like snow, it was hard as a rock and you didn't even leave footprints! But I was okay with that because at least God had sent something, right? Well, that Sunday as I pondered this surprise snow storm, I felt like the Lord was telling me, "stop settling for second-best. You ask me for something dear to your heart and then you settle for something less than my best for you! Trust me to answer your WHOLE prayer, and not just part of it!" Oh it was glorious to stand in that snow and know that God had answered ALL of my silly prayers for snow!

Breakfast at Elena's...she feeds her family well!

Me and the snow on Elena's back deck!

The roads didn't look good at first, but once on the interstate it was smooth sailing all the way home!

I made it home safe and sound to Richmond where it had done nothing but rain all day! HAH! And I spent the rest of the evening packing and getting ready to head to the airport on Monday morning for my flight back to Mexico. The Oscars were on, so my sister and I watched those together while I packed, and my dad and I had a good trip to the airport the next morning. I miss my family, but it was so wonderful to be with them for the short time I was able, and I'm looking forward to being with them longer this summer/fall when I'm home for 4-6 weeks!

Anyway, I flew back to Guadalajara that Monday, and the language school was on vacation that week. Sally had left the Friday right before to move back to Tennessee to live with her family since she had graduated the school. So, it was a little weird to be at Romel and Angeles' house but without my roommate! Erika and I got to hang out all day on Tuesday. I had business to take care of for a short-term team that is coming, so she went with me all over town. We had some good talking and enjoyed each other's company. Then we went back to the house and hung out with the family for a little while and had a good time until she had to head home. The next day I completed my business, and she spent time with her brother, Israel, who is here in Cofradia now spending a month in the home of Jan and Doug. My bus ride back to Cofradia was smooth and it's wonderful to be back home! I got back in town in time to go to the worship practice in Arrayanes. The girls were both playing on Sunday, and neither of them knew that I had come back to town yet. So, they got a great surprise when they got on the truck to head to the church. They saw me and stopped in their tracks! I LOVE surprising people like that! Especially when I know there will be a great reaction to it!

Life is back to normal now, and we're getting ready for the arrival of Cy-Fair Christian Church in just a few days. They are a great youth group who come every year and do construction and youth ministry! They have a stellar outreach planned, and I can't wait to see how it all comes out. The kids are excited for their arrival as well since they have friends on this team!


God is good. Let us never forget it! :)