Busy, busy, busy!

Hello my long lost loves, I'm back to fill you in on the exciting details of our new life! Okay, besides the ache in my heart from missing Christian so deeply, Christmas was wonderful and we all had a great time. Wynter got plenty of gifts and she was thrilled with her stocking. (The one that I stayed up 'til 2:30am to make with Hosy tutoring me on more efficient, time saving stitches, ahem.) We did a show on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day so by the time dinner came around at 7:30, we were all ready to relax but that didn't happen until like 11pm after all the kids were down and we could just chill. So, it was fun, we danced a lot and celebrated the amazing things that happened during the Christmas season. I have so many good memories of going singing, we had an awesome group. The guys actually know how to sing really well here and they perform great, one of them plays bongos so we sounded terrific in my opinion. Willy got to join the group after his persistance and determination to show off his musical skills. :) He did great, mouthing the words he didn't know (which were many.) Anyway, David, Hosy, kids & my dear brother Danny are leaving today for the States and they're supposed to be gone a month but I'm praying less because there's a good possibility they're bringing Christian back with them! Sings: "Daddy, please come home, Mommy can't make it on her own. Little Wynter needs you too, we're not a family without you!" I'd sing more but the tears will flow and then the keyboard (which isn't mine) will get destroyed...a definite no-no. Okay, I'm in a slightly odd mood today so I'll cut off here, I'm gonna try to post some pix of our Christmas singing, such a fun time!! I love you all, write me if you feel the urge. A little reminder: Mysticsand2@yahoo.com Oh, no making fun of the email address. I've had it since I was 13. It used to be mysticsand@aol but then I couldn't afford the monthly fee and I went for the freebie with the addition of the number 2 at the end of my sands of mysticness. Ciao!

We're Home!

So the most amazing thing happened! We were in a minivan. The four of us "older people" with 5 children, these are their ages: 7, 4, 2 1/2, 21 months & 4 months. All girls. So, the amazing thing that happened is that NOTHING happened! --Nothing bad that is. Tons of good stuff happened which leads me to believe you all were praying for us double time, THANK YOU! We spent 6 days on the road making stops in San Antonio, Harlingen (where Wynter got to meet her grandpa for the first time, Christian's dad.), Tampico, Vera Cruz, Arriaga and now we're home in Guatemala City, we love it here already! Everyone we stayed with was full of hospitality and gave from their hearts, really sweet. The house here is huge and beautiful and the people are great, we're truly blessed. I've gotta go now but I'll come back to tell more of our travels, there are plenty of great stories...Willy probably has a lead role in most of them so they're sure to be entertaining. Ciao!

At last!

You just wouldn't believe it! We are in San Antonio on our way to the border and from there through Mexico & on to Guatemala! Thank you for your prayers but please keep praying for Christian as he's not with us yet, still raising funds. I don't have anymore time but I love you! XOXOX!

News

We're on our way! We picked up Willy's & Wynter's passports today & sang for some old friends. On Monday we'll be picked up by Tim & Sharie to travel down to the border with them & stay in Brownsville for a day or two. There we will be seeing Christian's father for the first time & he'll get to see his grand daughter (is that supposed to be 2 words?). From there we'll be driving through Mexico with them (Tim, Sharie & 4 daughters) until we arrive in Guatemala City, yippee! It's bittersweet of course, because our Christian isn't here with us to experience all these new things but we're thankful for the progress & we trust that we'll be reunited with him soon. I'll write more soon!

Timing

So we're leaving for Houston (again) tomorrow at 10am. We have an appointment at the passport agency there on Tuesday & we're praying that all the documentation comes through for that before then. I know, this is boring--sorry. :)
Maureen & I went to H-E-B a few minutes ago & as we're walking in, lo & behold Vas himself is walking out! So fun to see a friendly face in a place where you'd only expect strangers to dwell. We hugged, laughed, shared quick stories of the day & then before he left he gave me a silver coin from his native Mexico, I'm RICH!!! Well, in friends at least. :) Timing is a God-appointed thing sometimes, isn't it?
Anyway, pray for our long drive to Houston tomorrow that Wynter is an angel & that we're protected & calm. I'm gonna go chill with my sister now that packing's out of the way. XOXO!

Stuff

Today is my niece Leona's birthday, she's 9 now! Which makes me feel older but still not old. :) Did some Pilates today, love it. Always have loved it but don't get around to it like I should. All the travel we've been doing has cut back on rituals & routine--that'll change soon I think. We got to see Heidi, Cody, Joni, Vas & their beautiful kids & his sister Angela, they're passing through on a visa trip. Gotta love those guys, such givers. No one can make me laugh like Vas, he's a trip! And Heidi & Joni are such beautiful souls, they're perfect company.
Well, please keep praying for us: for the car to sell in Puerto Rico, for Christian's last job to start & finish fast & for Wynter to get healed, she's sick right now. Thanks so much, we believe in your prayers & look forward to the miracles!

Salvation

I forgot to blog about this when it happened but last week Wynter asked Jesus into her heart! It was so adorable, I wish I could have filmed it. She's talking and understands things so well now that I figured it was time to pray the salvation prayer with her. I asked her if she wanted to pray a special prayer and she said "yes" very definitely. Then after explaining to her that she needed to repeat after me she folded her hands in a way too cute kind of way and scrunched up her eyes really tight to pray. She repeated every word so perfectly that I didn't want it to be over, so after she was done I asked her if she wanted to do it again and she wanted to so I go "Jesus, come into my heart..." she repeats and then I say "forgive me"...she says "fa-give me", then I say "for" and she says "five"---hahahah! I cracked up and then we finished the prayer the right way. Anyway, it was one of those moments where I felt like being a mom is the best thing in the world.
Christian drove off for Atlanta today and we miss him already but I believe that this time he'll be away shorter and we'll be together in our new home soon. It really makes a difference to think positively and being a pisces, if I do anything but that I sink real fast. :) Thank you for all your prayers for us, we feel them.

Thank You

My God, I have never thanked Thee for my thorn! I have thanked Thee a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorn. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear. Teach me the value of my thorns. Show me that I have climbed to Thee by the path of pain. Show me that my tears have made my rainbow. —George Matheson (1842-1906)

Thank You, God, for my cesarean. Thank You for the last year of financial difficulty. Thank You for the humbling circumstances we found ourselves in. Thank You for the loss of friends because it's made our friendship so much deeper. Thank You for the absence of my other half because it's given us a reason to work on being more whole. Thank You for taking a past love home to be with You, I know he's happy now. Thank You for the many long days & nights that Wynter was sick, we feel so much stronger from it. Thank You for the insecurity of not being home yet. Thank You for the frustration of not knowing when we'll be done here & able to start again. Thank You for the thorns because Your roses reach our hearts with a much fuller scent now. We love You.

SURPRISE!!!

Okay, the biggest thing happened to me yesterday morning. I was scrambling around in the closet with Wynter at my side, looking for nail polish to paint her stubby toe nails and prepare her for a Thanksgiving photo shoot, so that her Papa could at least see her since he wouldn't be with us. I have to admit that the way I looked was less than fair--grungy would be a good way to describe it--hair scrunched up in a ball, day-before make up and "clean the house clothes". Anyway, there I am all serious about finding the right hue for her toes when I feel a tap on my shoulder. The first thing I think is that it's Willy because he happened to be the only other human in the apartment besides Wynter & I. But no, this stranger has a beard?? Who--what?--how--no.....YESSSSSS!!!!!!!!!! No WAY!!!!! I don't deserve this but it's totally happening and there in front of me is my amazing, tall, strong, completely loving husband Christian! He had driven all night long, 16 hours in total to come see his wife & daughter. Movie script, anyone? I feel like a princess who's been rescued by the knight of her dreams but it's better than that because I've exchanged vows with my knight, and I'll have him forever. Thank you, Baby, for being the most spontaneous person I know. For cutting through normal day life and creating a fairy tale for the ones you love. Anyone who knows me knows I love surprises so this has been the BEST Thanksgiving I've ever had and hey, Christmas doesn't have to be that great anymore because I feel like I've already had my Christmas--Christian. "Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me, for the Bible tells me so."
The pictures are the ones Maureen took of us on our way out the door to go to Thanksgiving dinner at Fiesta Home.

So I just can't seem to get enough of traveling. Now I'm in San Antonio visiting Maureen & her girls to get some business done. She's a big help when it comes to narrowing things down and actually doing them, wheras I am a little bit of a romantic when it comes to executing details. Thank God we're not all the same. Anyway, I'm posting some pix of a fun night we had last week. Sisters, drinks, friends & laughter--good stuff.
This will be the first Thanksgiving Christian & I spend apart since we got together 6 years ago. We've been calling eachother, frantically trying to figure out a way to be together: cheap last minute flights/bus contacts/hitchhiking, and it doesn't look like it's gonna work out. I'm missing my husband dearly & so is Wynter Jane. I just asked her this morning "Do you know who we're gonna see for Thanksgiving??" & she quickly replied with huge, wide eyes "Papa!!!" Then I felt stupid and had to tell her no, that it was the goats I was referring to. Poor baby. But you know kids, they snap out of things so much quicker than we do. Goats are now the 1st thing on her mind, bless her heart.
We're gonna be celebrating Thanksgiving with the Fiesta Home tomorrow, looking forward to seeing old and new friends. Thank you, dear reader for your prayers for our final departure preparations.

Natalie

I'm gonna be posting pix soon, I've been taking them faithfully lately (for a change) but I haven't been able to upload them yet. I'm at Natalie's house in Houston, visiting her & her man, Mike. Her son Dylan (my godson) popped in for a minute to collect some needed items & it was crazy to see how grown up he's become. I've been a bad godmother, so negligent. I will change though, I'm working on it. I was 13 when he was born & was the first to visit when he was born, sigh. Anyway, it's good to see old friends and renew the ties that bonded us together in the first place. I'm supposedly recording all day tomorrow, we'll see! Have a wonderful weekend everyone, muah!

H-Town

I'm here in Houston (or the outskirts thereof) and I'm not sure I'll be blogging too much for a while. It's odd that when there's plenty to blog about there's not plenty of time to do so, so alas, I am forced to be at a loss for words because of a time issue. Anyway, I'm not making sense because I'm trying to do this as fast as I can so that someone else can use the computer. Should I have just skipped this? Okay, in a nutshell, I got in 3 days ago and I'm adjusting to new weather, faces & ways of life. Change is a good thing of course but didn't Grandpa say it's also like dying? Hmmm. Anyway, I miss my husband. Love you all. It'll be Thanksgiving soon...yay!!!!!!!!!!!

We had a wonderful weekend. We got back last night from visiting Feli (best friend for as long as I can remember), her guy Gabe & their dashing young one, Kevin (almost 4). We hadn't seen them for over 2 years so it was very special for us to be able to meet up before leaving for Guatemala. Feli's the reason I moved to the Dominican Republic back when I was 18. She's also the reason Christian and I are together because she played a very active game of matchmaker, ahem! Feli & I were daily outreach partners and before Christian and I had had our first kiss, Feli would tell me in between stores what mine & Christian's kids were gonna look like! Crazy but effective if I may say so myself. :) Feli arranged our first date & came along with us as I was so freaked out of being alone with "one of them". (The way I looked at guys at the time, with horror.) If there is such a thing as a completely loyal friend from whom you never hear things said about you behind your back, I would have to nominate Feli as 1st prize winner, she's great. Anyway, I could write a book about the adventures of Feli & Julie--hey, maybe I will! But for now I'll leave you with some pictures of our Blue Ridge Mountain hideaway.

My Mom

I just got through looking at these pictures of my Mom & eldest sister, Chelsea. Mom went to visit Chelsea & her girlfriend of almost 10 years last month and they obviously had a blast. To anyone who doesn't know my mom, it'd be hard to explain just how different she is. For starters, she'll never believe she's getting older and you wouldn't believe it either if you talked with her, she's crazy--in the good kind of way. She wears T-shirts that say "I bite" and "I love Irish boys". She talks and prays really loud when we go on walks together through a neighborhood (sometimes hers, sometimes not.) She has a soup addiction and sometimes can't bring herself to cook anything else. She pulls people aside that she's only known for 2 minutes and asks them if they have Jesus in their heart. If they say no, she insists that they've got to have Him. She makes special names for anyone she loves and says them in the most love-filled way, it makes you think you're this incredible person. Anyway, I just feel so special to have a mother that I can talk to about ANYTHING and have her say "Oh, I've done that twice." Unconditional love comes naturally to this woman and I've never felt more comfortable, beautiful, accepted and cherished as when I'm with her. She's sees the talent, ability and drive that I never see in myself and she's always pushed me to use it--thanks Mom, I love you.

What's up with us

The Lord is good to us! Christian should be starting his last job here in less than a week and that's supposed to take a week so we should be on our way really soon! Wynter & I will be visiting my parent's Home in Houston for a bit before Christian joins us to drive to Guatemala. Please pray for all the details to fall into place, like the funds to come in and for the car to sell in Puerto Rico and for us to find an economy car to drive down in. Thank you so much!
Latest happenings here would include Wynter doing better with her sleeping habits. She still goes to bed very late for a toddler but it's becoming more common for her to sleep 8 or 9 straight hours during the night, very new thing for her! Right now Christian is building a dock and he needs to drive these metal stakes into a lake bed but the wet suits they have aren't big enough for him so his helper has to do it but alas, his helper is too short to stand in the water! Funny situations he has to be in.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MAUREEN!!!

I was given a gift the day Maureen was born, and I hadn't even come into the world yet! Maybe she was my incentive to go down to the place where I'd learn so much and also enjoy so much. Sometimes when I hear other people tell their childhood stories or memories I get shocked at the things I hear because I didn't know how random it actually is to have an almost perfect childhood. We really were blessed growing up, with travel, music, performing and being treated like royalty in many cases even though we've been called the paupers. I have so many pictures in my mind of times spent with Maureen, in most of them we're laughing uncontrollably. She never treated me like I was beneath her or younger than her, I was always her equal and we shared eachothers joys and sorrows. To be given a sister who is also your best friend is a gift that never gets old, only better with time. Life has gotten tougher and we don't laugh as often as we did when we were kids but when we do, it's hard to stop. Maureen knows my deepest secrets because I know they're safe with her. She's never judged me for the times in my life when I didn't even know who I was and hurt her in the process, she forgives and forgets and builds on tomorrow. Thank you, Maureen, for choosing to come down here and be my protector, my prayer warrior, my best friend and my counselor. And thank you for going through the extra rough times you've been through because you saved me from going through the same things, I'm always learning something new. :) I pray this new year is filled with the answers to your prayers. You're dearly treasured. I love you.

Dawnie & her girls, Michelle & Cheryl

The Inlaws

I have grown quite close to Christian's family, so much so that I will miss them when we leave. We've been staying with his Mom & sister, Dawn, & it's been really good for me to get to know them the way I have. Dawnie's 2 daughters, Michelle & Cheryl, are precious girls & Wynter calls them her cuzzies & cries for them when they're gone. We got close to them during the summer because Willy & I took care of them so Dawnie could work. (Dawn is in her last 7 months of 4 years of college to become a Dental Hygenist, works at the same time & is a single mom. What a woman!) Anyway, I'm just feeling thankful that while we're facing this difficult time in our lives we can be with family & feel loved, it's really meant a lot to me. Up until last week I kept expecting my mother in law to freak out & tell us we're too much, we've ruined her quiet, etc, but she's done no such thing & says she loves having us. :) I think that God gave us family & parents to represent how He never stops loving us, no matter what we do. As a new mom I've realized this even more, like when Wynter's acting horribly, staying up all night and screaming or throwing a huge fit, I still can't help be kiss her all over her face & squeeze her chubby little body. I've noticed that when people understand me it makes me want to please them because they know the effort I've gone to in trying harder. I pray that I can grow into every bit the mother that Christian's mom has been to us & mine has been to me. Let motherly love continue!

Friends

We spent Saturday night at Nik & Carmel's place & it was great to see them and their darling kids again. Jade & Kenny are growing up so fast & Kenny has a bleach-blonde mohawk to match his gushing personality. Darling. Wynter didn't behave as well as we would have liked but for the amount of change she's endured in her little life, I can't complain. Laughed my head off on the phone w/ my sister (Maureen) last night. Christian is a vile creature when he talks to her or tells me what messages he wants me to pass on to her. He draws from her "timid, good girl" side and begs for a reaction. Let's just say his comments are beyond foolish & he needs prayer. After that we watched part of "Rome" the mini series, it's good! Got a letter from Heidi (Cody's mom) yesterday, she's such a beautiful person. It always makes me feel unworthy when I have people like her in my life. I'm so happy Haven is back at her place so she can blog and keep me informed on her happenings, the love. Friendship is a gift that I haven't cherished enough in my life, I'm learning about that. People are much more worthy of my time than the laundry, the money we're trying to raise or things I hate about myself. Thank You Jesus for the love of friends.

Brrrrrrr

There's a cold front here for the weekend. We're cold but I think we like it. The tropics can do that to you. Too much of a good thing can be bad at times. There's just something about curling up under a blanket, snuggling with your honey and drinking hot stuff, fun. Christian made a huge tent for Wynter last night and she kept wanting me to go in there and sit on her lap! Any type of control is what she's after, little tyke! She slept all night for the first time last night, without waking up to battle it out with her Papa (she had this darling habit of waking up at 3 and staying up til 7 every morning). We were giving in to her for quite some time & then we woke up to the fact that we wanted our sleep. Discipline works!
We're going over to visit Nik & Carmel tonight, have a few drinks and hang out. It's a long drive but good friends are worth more than that. Anyway, we'll have more to write about when we're on our way down to Guatemala--let the excitement begin!

Sorry Mike!

So today I discovered there's more to blogging then just typing--you actually have to use your brain. Pity. I had my settings set in such a way that only Blogspot account holders could comment on our beautiful postings, the shame! All things change though, and now all is well--Mike, we're looking forward to hearing from you.
So, what's new with us ? We'll be going to Nashville next week, Christian was given a job that entails building a bridge and 2 arbors. Our deadline for being in the States is 'til the beginning of November so we're expecting miracles!
Wynter has a pure hatred for my guitar so it's a rare gem of a moment when I can play it, so the miracle I'd like to testify of is that the Lord just gave me a song the day before yesterday in the midst of my daughter's spite. PHN! (Praise His Name) But really, she hates the guitar, it's absurd. She beats it and screams at me when I play it--I think she wants to be the only one I play with--so not gonna happen. Anyway, the song is called "To The World" and it's an LJ song I wrote about a vision I have quite frequently, mostly when meditating.
Umm, I made Curried Split Pea Soup w/ Cornbread Muffins lastnight. I try to keep dinner original w/ all sorts of health benefits so that we don't have guilty tastebuds. I think it was a success--with the exception of Wynter. I think she thought I was trying to get her to eat something else if you know what I mean, Split Pea Soup bears a distinct resemblance to that thing we should never discuss at the dinner table (or on my blog.) Ahem! I should go now. Love y'all!

The latest

So we're still in Atlanta fundraising. Yes, yes, we know we've been here too long and we like to believe that's not our fault. :) Have mercy dear ones and send up a prayer on our behalf: 1.For needed funds to come through 2. For our car to sell in Puerto Rico 3. For us to obtain an economy car to drive down to our new Home (they need one badly as they only have 2 gas guzzling vans). So, if you intercede for us we'll intercede for you--gladly! We love you. Kisses.

Happiness is growing!

Welcome to our world!

So this is the beginning of our commitment to keep in touch with our friends. We are horrible at staying in touch with those we love so we're challenging ourselves in this department. Anyway, we are just now being introduced to the blogworld so we'll see how this goes. We love you. :)