Weekend Wrap Up ~ Happy Halloween

It's the last day of October!  The happiest way to say Happy Halloween, without all the creepy aspects, are through the happiest characters.....Disney and the Peanuts gang!

No one in our family is dressing up tonight, but if we were and had the resources, this outfit above would be so fun because it is one of our favorite Tonight Show skits.

There are plenty of other things to indulge in here, so thankfully, they don't actually sell fun sized packs of candy here!  Actually, the Halloween candy here is strange to us because 99% of it is not chocolate.  

Backing up to our weekend re-cap, Avery has been overseeing construction projects at United Church of Bogota.  Here he is with Andrew, our teammate and the pastor of the church, as they are observing work being done on the new playground. Avery worked Friday and Saturday at the church.  Friday night, the girls had a joint youth group.  Avery and I ate pizza with the youth folks then hung out at Juan Valdez, our coffee/hot chocolate spot here. 

While Avery was working Saturday, Brook spent the day with Mariale at her house and they went out for lunch as well. Mariale's mom sent me these pictures from their day:

Such sweet friends & pretty girls!

Meanwhile, Isabella and I did some packing.  I spent time organizing and throwing things away and filling more duffle bags.  They fill up so fast!! While packing, I was listening to WRVR (radio station from Memphis) on my computer. 

Saturday night, we all shared this candy bar I received last month from my teammate who had been to Memphis.   

Sunday, we went to church and then had lunch with our friends, the Encisos, the family that introduced us to Colombia.

Here is a snapshot of our weather.  I'm just waiting on Memphis weather to be out of the 80's...then I will come home :)

We had a 5.2 earthquake Sunday night and then felt the aftershocks here about 2 hours later (my best estimation is the epicenter was about 3 hours south of Bogota).  It was bizarre.  This morning at 6am, this was the view from our window.  Needless to say, visibility was pretty low.  

Stepping on our balcony, a few buildings came into view, but you couldn't see far at all.

And if you need a smile for your Monday morning, check out this photo I saw this weekend of my great nephew!  Also, we decided I would be called tia, which means aunt in Spanish.  

Friday Favorites

I have realized I don't do a good job of taking pictures when I am out of the house.  Maybe that will change once I am stateside??  Here are some highlights from my week so far.....

Meals with friends

Monday, I had lunch with Angela, my teammate.  Tuesday, I had lunch with Alicia, a friend from bible study.  Tuesday night, Avery and I had dinner with the Winfrees, our teammates.  Thursday afternoon, I met my friend Sarah for a visit.

It has been good to get in some one on time with friends here before I move.

Isabella is officially registered as a homeschool student in the state of Tennessee.  Books have been ordered, and she is enrolled in homeschool classes to begin in January. I am thankful to have school decisions made for next semester.

A not so favorite part of the week was talking with Isabella's school here and finding out we had to go to the Colombia migracion office to get another stamp in our passport to make our visas legal.  The bright part of that was that we were able to take Isabella out of school for the day, which always means a more relaxed evening and morning.

The best part of the week was getting a text and a facetime with my niece.  She and her husband adopted this precious baby this week, so I am a great aunt!

Today is errands at the mall, Spanish class with Clara, youth groups & date night. Saturday and Sunday are packing and lunch with friends.

Have a great weekend!  

What's Up Wednesday ~ October Edition

Every month I think, how is it already the end of another month??  And now that month is October.  That means the next month is November.  I move back to the USA in November.  Oh wow...here we go.......

What we're eating this week..........

Monday - turkey sausage link (found at Pricesmart for the first time this fall), veggies, along with all the other leftovers in the fridge

Tuesday - going out for dinner with teammates

Wednesday - chicken and zuchinni
Thursday - cereal/Ramen noodle night because we have tutoring

Friday - date night for Avery and I because the girls have dinner at youth group

What I'm reminiscing about..............

that time Brook and I went to NYC & met my parents there

What I'm loving..............

After today, only 11 more days of school in Colombia for Isabella

What we've been up to..................

Normal life stuff, like school, work, household chores, in the midst of packing

What I'm dreading..................

No water in our apartment tomorrow and a few goodbyes on November 13th

What I'm working on....................

Selling & scheduling delivery of things from our apartment

As an update, the past few months I've responded with "working on our Colombian visas".  We successfully have those now!!

What I'm excited about.................

Lots of hellos November 14th going forward!

What I'm watching/reading.....................

I'm trying to watch The Voice this season when I can find it on tv here. I am reading in my 1 Peter bible study, trying to stay caught up before I leave.

What I'm listening to..................

Endless car horns

What I'm wearing...................

I know this answer gets boring because the weather never changes.  So you guessed it...I have on sweater, jeans and boots today. It is that or leggins, tunic, scarf and boots!

What I'm doing this weekend..................

Dinner with Avery Friday night, packing Saturday, church and lunch with friends Sunday

What I'm looking forward to next month..................

There is so much......

1. My birthday

2. Moving to the states

3. Driving a car

4. Frozen yogurt

5. Thanksgiving

6. Road trip

7. House hunting

8. Being around family and friends

9. Blending in

10. English 24/7

What else is new.....................

We have plenty of change happening all around us here and there.  We are just living day to day, enjoying the moments with people.  My next edition of this will be from the USA.

Weekend WrapUP

Good Monday morning to you!  

We are back to a normal week here in Bogota.  Isabella is back at school for a full week & Brook is back at school for a full week at home.  Avery is at work and I am doing my thing....homeschool, housework, bible study, and spending time with friends this week all with a little packing!

Speaking of packing......

Saturday morning, we pulled out our supply of duffle bags to begin the packing process.  Let's just say I hope we return with less than the 32 bags we came with!  

I tore off luggage tags from the day we left Memphis for Bogota.

Here is the pile of bags soon to be filled!

Saturday, Brook's friend, Mariale, spent the day with us.  For the last part of the day, they played with Brook's birthday balloons.  I am so thankful Brook has a good friend here.

 

Isabella babysat Saturday afternoon/evening.

Sunday, we went to church and to lunch with 2 of our new MTW interns here.  These are 2 sweet girls in their 20's who moved to Bogota in September to work with the youth at the International church. We really enjoyed our time with them.

Backing up to Friday, we officially received our Colombian visas in our passports, which was a good thing and we didn't have to wait too long at immigration!  Brook had Spanish class in the afternoon, then we took Isabella to youth group.  While she was there, Avery, Brook and I went to eat pizza and a friend of mine from bible study who also has a daughter in the youth group joined us, so that was nice.  

Later that night, I found out a dear lady had passed away.  Mrs. Kathleen was like a third grandmother to me these past 13 years.  I am sad I am 3 weeks away from arriving in Memphis and I am missing being there for her funeral today, but they understand and I can support them when I arrive.  Pray for her husband of 71 years, Mr. John.  Yes, 71 years.  They also have one daughter who has been communicating with me.  So thankful I knew this sweet British lady!

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday!  Here are a few of our favorites from the week....

Colombia celebrated Columbus Day on Monday.  Translation:  holiday = no school

The 4 of us spent the day inside.  Like we didn't even open the door.  It was rare and great.

We celebrated this girl's birthday on Tuesday.  

Seeing this from the sky this week reminded me God is in control of this big world and my life. 

We are taking Isabella out of school today, which was only a half day anyway due to parent teacher conferences.  Instead, we are going to the immigration office to register our visas.  We are hoping this is the final step in this long process for us.

The weekend plans included youth group for Isabella, beginning to pack and a possibility for Brook to visit with her friend. 

 Hope you all are enjoying fall temperatures!

Brook's Birthday Celebration

Tuesday, October 18th was Brook's 12th birthday.  

We started the day with 2 birthday traditions in our home....decorating the door and breakfast in bed.

We have used streamers in the past, but this year, I recycled this background we used for her last birthday.

She requested blueberry muffins and bacon.

Up next, Brook requested lunch at her favorite restaurant at the mall and shopping. 

We spent the evening at home as a family and had a birthday dinner together. 

BBQ, criolla potatoes, strawberries, and croissants. 

Then she opened cards & gifts.... 

Her shirt says "Not my problem" and her bag says "literally do not care".  Oh my!!

What currency is that??

Opening cards

 Then we had her bithday dessert of choice....arequipe ice cream and brownies!

She was received lots of birthday greetings via social media and already has her countdown to her 13th birthday!