New Pictures!

Hi guys! Someone at Wordstock told me "oh, yeah, I've seen your blog I think. It was really boring or something.." Hahaha. If that's true, I'm really sorry. I guess if I had more time I would add more flashy news or pictures but usually it's a late night, last minute thing if I post anything, so if in that event the end result is less than entertaining, I apologize. Sigh.

Anyway, we took 7 days to get home because one of the small towns in the South of Mexico that we were driving through was rioting and closed down the only road through. We spent the night in a cute little hotel that was amazingly clean and affordable, thank God! Wynter loves hotels just like her Mom & Dad. Some of our favorite things are driving together and being in a hotel so it worked out well. :)

I truly am blessed to have such a beautiful family. (As you'll see in the pix.) Most of the pictures are from our trip up to the States and then our reunion in California. Well, I love you all and pray that your week will be full of adventure, fulfilling work and relaxing afterwards.

A little info on our trip

Hello again, I'm gonna successfully post something, I just know I am. I've been thinking of what to say the past few weeks but it's been difficult because there's just so much going on. What's a girl to choose? We drove from Guatemala to Texas in 2 days, Wynter was an angel the whole trip. We got to stay with Anita and our brother Seth & his beloved Liz & baby Avicus, so precious. Chelsea and Grandpa Nick were also there, it was great! They were so hospitable and fun to be with, we had a really enjoyable time. Christian, Wynter & I drove from Texas to California to our family reunion. It was great to see everyone again and find out what each one is doing now, so many talented relatives. On the last night of the reunion we had a big talent night and my parents, uncles, aunts, cousins, brothers, sisters, friends and I performed. My cousins who live in Africa are breathtakingly talented, you just can't know what I'm talking about unless you see them--I'll have them send me a clip to upload! They dance professionally to support their volunteer work in Kenya and I was SOOOO impressed by them, I was speechless. They did 3 numbers, each one amazing and unique. I am so proud to be part of the family.
I played keyboard and Danny backed me up on guitar to "Just Hold Me", it was like time stood still. I was nervous at first, standing in front of my big Irish family but then calm came over me and I closed my eyes and enjoyed every word of the song, really special. My sister filmed all of this so maybe I'll get her to give me some clips somehow to put on here, we'll see.
After the reunion we drove back to Texas to attend Wordstock, performed an hour set on one of the nights and met lots of people, good times. I had a horrible cough and sore throat the whole time but miraculously, God let me sing (albeit scratchily). The highlight of it all for me was watching Willy play drums, making no mistakes and performing so well, a dream come true for me. Another special thing that happened was that my dear, longtime friend Heidi came up from Mexico to do back up vocals for us, she did such a good job too. Love you, Heidelicious!
Johnny came all the way from Costa Rica and left his family for almost a month to play lead for us and Tim agreed to drum for us even though he was already playing with 3 other bands, so I feel truly blessed and honored to have such wonderful and talented friends.
Now we'll be driving home on Tuesday if all goes well, a huge thank you to all of you who helped us get here, you are so loved.

Ange & Kevin's Wedding

Here are some recent pix from Ange & Kevin's wedding. It was a beautiful day with beautiful vows that made me cry. Kevin read a poem he'd written to Ange about how she's his queen and it was so romantic. Sigh. Anyway, we had fun but sadly our camera shut down for lack of battery power five minutes into the event. That is why there are no pictures of the bride and groom but I'll get some from them and post later, ok? Just in case, the pictures are L 2 R: Wynter, Hosy w/ Wynter, Christian and I, Premi.

Progress Report

To all our dear loved ones and friends, thank you so much for caring about us and how we get to Wordstock! So far, we've recieved blessed donations from (drum roll, please): Anita Roselle! Mike & Nina! Esther Korkames! Caleb & Sylvia! Jenna the Rocker! Michael & Martin, my dear cousins! We are so thankful to all of you who have helped and the Lord is totally getting us there! Altogether, for our whole team to make it to Wordstock and back home safely we need around $2,500. That includes gas there and back, entrance fees for Wordstock and expenses. At present we have recieved $1, 050 through your loving donations. We are still in need of $1, 450 which we know the Lord will definitely supply. If you feel a tug in your heart, calling you to be one of those treasured ones who we affectionately call our sponsors, please answer! In exchange for your much needed gift, we'll give you a gift in return. We are finishing up production on our first album and you will be one of the first to recieve it, in appreciation for your help. Some of the songs included on this CD will be "Bend Me", "Soul Mate", "I'm Alive" & "You're Enough". We feel the Lord's blessing so strong right now as we record and follow His leadings in the production of this project, He is amazing. One of the top producers in Guatemala has been sacrificing his time to produce this CD and we are so thankful for the opportunity to work with him. I'll be posting pictures of our recording sessions and the road to the finished product soon. I love you so much, we're looking forward to your comments. :) P.S.: You might think that your $10 donation would only be a drop in the bucket but trust me, each drop in the bucket plays its part in filling it up! We need you.

The Rio Dulce Road Team

Me, Danny, Pablo, Tina, Renae (in middle) & David

So This Is What Happened....(my longest post so far)

You have no idea what type of road trip we just got back from. Hmmm, how can I recap this? Apparently, Semana Santa is a BIG deal here in Central America. Umm, I'm pretty sure my companeros knew of this before we started off on our lovely trek to Rio Dulce to help the locals celebrate their holiday with our intention of bringing good cheer through our rousing music and offering CDs of every type of music imaginable. Sadly though, because Semana Santa is such a BIG deal there was nowhere to stay. I repeat NOWHERE to stay. We honestly felt like Mary & Joseph seeking lodging in Bethlehem. We left home at 8am Thursday morning and arrived in Rio Dulce, a bay town at around 12pm. From 12pm till midnight we knocked on every door in the city, I'm serious when I say every door and there was No room at any Inn. Our plan was to drive into the city, get set up in our hotel, read something, shower and change into singing clothes (not clothes that sing but rather clothes meant to sing in), and then head on out to the restaurants that let these guys sing during Semana Santa last year. This good plan did not pan out. God works in mysterious ways and sometimes that mystery can be painful. :) However, ALL things do work together for good, which is what kept me smiling and hopeful the whole long day. We started out just asking people if they had room, then we were telling people we knew they had no room but that we were in need of a miracle, then we were begging people to search the recesses of their minds for extra space at the Inn but to no avail. Renae even got in touch with an old friend of hers of great wealth who graciously gave her permission to let us stay at his good friend's resort home since his hotel was all full. He gave Renae directions, the name of the lady of the house and told us he'd call ahead and tell this woman that we were his guests and to let us stay with her. So, this was at about 11pm. We were brave, we were. No tears were shed, just lots of prayers and then utter thankfulness when Renae gave us the good news of a promised place to lay our weary heads, the same heads whose ears had heard the word "NO" one too many times. But we did not give up.
So, we make it to this vacation home that Renae's friend spoke of, it was so easy to find that we were thrilled. Renae and I jump out of the van in happy anticipation and climb the steps to the home of hearts that we longed for. Unfortunately for us the lady of the house was nowhere to be found so we gingerly walk over to the next door neighbors whose front door was open, showing the light from within. We knock on the door and see two less than friendly women who have had far too much sun in their long lives, missing teeth and all, drinking alcoholic beverages. After looking at us in disdain for a few minutes, we receive approval from the man of the house for entrance and proceed to explain our dire need for a roof and floor for the night. This man happens to be the brother of the woman we had been searching for. He explained that his sister was out of the country and so we start asking them if we can stay at her house anyway since they're related and in charge. You have to understand how desperate we were at this point. Did I fail to mention that Rio Dulce is not a sweet river at all, but actually holds firm in my mind as "Bitter Waters" and I tasted them one too many times. Why so many of Guatemala's finest retreat to this city during Easter weekend every year is beyond my understanding and I will just have to walk by faith, not sight. The city is muggy, dirty and hot as Hades, I assure you. So finding a place to stay, not just any place but a place with at least a fan was tops on our list. Back to the brother of the woman we wished to find. He wants to say yes and is beginning to lovingly tell us so when we are interrupted by the two women with overly taxed skin saying "No, No" quite loudly and defiantly. Sad. We step outside to let them decide and the prettier of the two women comes outside to tell us that although they would LOVE to have the foreigners for a night or two they are sadly out of space for us. Sigh. We thank them for understanding and not calling the cops and then return to the same van we'd spent the majority of our day jumping out of in search of lodging. To make a long story short, we ended up driving to the next little city whose streets were dark and had underfed men sporting large guns roaming the (if it weren't for them) empty streets. Oh boy, do I sound pessimistic? It gets better. After finding out that every room in every Inn in the next city was taken, David & Pablo started asking the night guards at the hotels if they could ask their bosses for permission for us to be able to park our van inside their gates, enabling us to "sleep" inside the van without the fear of scary people interrupting our humid rest. These nightguards tried their best but their bosses said another "no" and we were all the more desperate because this isn't like the States where you can just park in a Walmart parking lot and sleep your night out in relative peace. To make this long story shorter than it should be, my brother Danny finally speaks up and tells us that he thinks we should go back to one of the hotels we'd already discovered was full. So we did and guess what? The night manager, a sweet woman named Umpara, told us that she had 1 tiny room left! My jaw literally dropped, honestly it was a miracle! We knew there shouldn't have been a room left anywhere but here we were facing a miracle. But no, the fight wasn't over yet. Yes, there was a room but Umpara told us that only 2 people could sleep in it or else she'd get in trouble from the boss. I proceeded to tell her that "most of us are family, we can sleep in 1 room..." to which she agreed that yes, 4 people could sleep in the room. So, my brother Danny & I offered to be the ones to sleep in the muggy, hot, humid van and I was totally fine with the personal sacrifice until I walked into the hotel room and felt the aircon that I had believed in all day long, I had never given up hope of deliverance and here I was in the promised land I had waited for and in that moment I decided that the Lord was going to give me exactly what I'd expected---and He did! Right then when I was about to cry because I realized just how much aircon, a shower and a bed meant to me at the moment, Pablo & David came in to pour the good news on me: all 6 of us could sleep in the room if we could get out of the room by 6 am. Oh, yes. Yes, I will rise at 5 if I have to just to know that my prayers were answered and I was delivered from the battle. Thank You, Jesus for being real and for coming through for us even if it does go against natural reasoning sometimes and we have to wait a little longer than we're used to. I'm a spoiled girl, I've realized this on our special road trip. We are so used to getting everything we pray for from our wonderful God but sometimes He might want to see us believe before we receive. I believe, help Thou mine unbelief. I love You, Jesus. :)

Road Trip

I'm on my way out the door to Rio Dulce on a road trip with David, Pablo, Danny, Tina & Renae. We'll be gone 3 days. Hopefully, we'll be singing for the rush of people who go there for Semana Santa. I will miss Wynter & Christian. I just remembered to bring my camera so I can show you what happened when we return. Pray for us!

Our Valentine's Day

These are pix from this year's annual Valentine's Day benefit meal for the underprivileged, downtown Guatemala City.

THANKFULNESS!!

I am sitting here in SHOCKED amazement!! The picture has posted and it's working, it's WORKING!!! YAYYYYYYYY!! Thank You, God! And may I add---
THANK YOU--Anita! Mike & Nina! Sylvia & Caleb! Alisa & Josh! Joe Henderson! Jenna the Rocker! Esther Korkames! My uncle Danny! My cousins, Michael & Martin & Wives!
The above wonderfuls are being thanked for their loving donations and promises of donations, we will be traveling and singing because of you, XOXOXOXO!
For all those interested, we are still in need of loving donations to be able to get the whole way there--are you one of the beautiful people due for a HUGE blessing? If so, our PayPal is Mysticsand2@yahoo.com & I'll email our bank account info to you in great speed once you give them the go ahead.
P.S.--Pray for our recording, it's on it's way and will be in your giving hands as soon as possible. WE LOVE YOU!
Thank you, dear Renae for your 1 Quetzal donation, this 12 cent donation is going to change our lives.
Now that I know the pictures post, they'll be flowing--yes, they'll be flowing.

My Plea

Oh, please, oh, please---if you have the burning desire to send me a donation to get to Wordstock, please help us! We're completely, 100% depending on miracles so if you feel a halo glistening above your glorious head, please answer the call of my heart and reach deep (or shallowly) into your pocket (or purse). I know the blessings will come pouring down in full measure on your life if you are meant to give. I will be your earnest prayer warrior, in gratefulness to you. THANK YOU, oh, thank you. (Moment of silence.) A HUGE shout out and MUCHAS GRACIAS!!! to Mike (of Nina) & Anita for pledging to help with something, you guys are bringing magic to our lives through your generosity and kindness. We're practicing for our future recording session and yours will be the first hands to receive our first album, yay!! Remember, anything helps, anything at all--even your left over change. WE LOVE YOU!!! We have a PayPal account if you're interested.

Weekly Report :)

Hello everyone! I've realized that this blogging thing has sadly become a weekly adventure for me. I can't bring myself to post more often than that lately because we've been so busy! We're all loading up the moving truck tomorrow to transfer our possessions to our new abode. We'll be spending our first night there tomorrow as well so our material things won't be alone. :) How are you all doing? Comments have been low this season so I need to liven things up around here somehow, what do you want to hear about?? Tell me what you'd be interested in me writing about and I'll humbly oblige.
Practice went so well last night, I actually enjoyed it. Usually practice is way more work than fun but I felt the spirit last night so it made things so much easier. Christian is still building the kitchen in the new house, I don't see him all day long--reminds me of Atlanta! But when he gets home with sawdust and white paint sprinkles all over him it's like a dream come true, what more could you want? He's a real man.
Wynter is becoming increasingly gorgeous with each passing day and she has a sense of humor like you wouldn't believe. Yesterday Christian and I were with her and I left the room to get something but she didn't want me to leave so she started whining for me. I told her I'd be right back but she made up her mind that she was upset at me. So when I returned all of 2 minutes later, she tells me firmly with a smug look on her face as she hugs her Papa, "Papa is my favorite, Mommy." Hahahahah, she's too much.
We're going singing today, we'll be leaving in like an hour so I'll let you know how that went later. It's always fun to harmonize and laugh at the same time, I love it. When you're performing with your friends, there's nothing like it, it's a good experience. If you want to see pictures, they're on flickr, I've been posting new ones quite regularly. I'll have more interesting things to blog about soon. Ciao, friends!

Life in Guatemala

I'm hanging out with Christian and my brothers right now and I'm waiting for Flickr to upload my photos. La dee da. Taught school and then went singing today (after giving the class over to Premi who does an incredible job with the girls.) There were top international bankers lurking the streets of our singing haunts so the police force was in high demand, meaning that our little minstrel team had to change direction and go to a place we usually don't go to on Friday. Results? Good times, 12 CDs sold and contact information exchanged between me and the directora of a large social institution here that focuses on children who were raised in conflict--that doesn't sound right in English but I think she was saying that they work with abused children. My Spanish is actually getting better, believe it or not. David is teaching me and Hosy is brutal with her corrections when I say things horribly. Hahahaha, Hosy, I really do appreciate your help but I'm allowed to exaggerate. It's my blog. :)
Upon return home I practiced with David for Wordstock and we're making progress, thank God. Coffee helps too. Christian has been building a kitchen with Tim at our new house so we can move in next week. It's so cool to have a talented husband, he's got skills. The only downside is that I have to miss him all day but it's worth it. The landlords went down on the rent from $2500 to $1500, really nice people. The house is brand new, never lived in and that's why they're building a kitchen. Someone donated the cabinet doors so things are going well in answer to our many prayers.
Wynter's new love is the Disney movie, "Dinosaur". She has a distinct love for all things animal. It breaks her heart when they go through their turmoil and she's not scared of bad parts. She's so in tune that she knows they're looking for a new home when theirs gets destroyed by meteorites and she sits watching quietly yet cuddling close to her Dan Dan (my brother Danny), who's probably in the same world right about then. They look at each other and nod, all is well in Guatemala. Continue watching, I insist, because this means I can finish folding our laundry. Oh, one last thing: Wynter felt bad for the ugly monkey who was left alone on his swinging vine along with his also single friend, the huge dinosaur that in any other case would have eaten him for snack. Ahhh, Disney. Everyone finds their own in the end.
Willy is disturbingly obsessed with basketball. We're teaching him patience, self control and love through the many menial jobs he does daily. He is incredibly hardworking though and leaves a floor shining like you wouldn't believe. He goes to the market twice a week every week and never complains, loves it. He has a better Spanish accent than I do (which I shouldn't be advertising) and he keeps everyone in stitches when he, well when he's just being him.
Oh, another new thing! We (Hosy, Sharie, Willy, Danny, me, etc.) play Volley Ball on Thursday nights now. We are hmmmmm, let me see.... horrible!!! Well, at least I am. We left the court last night promising to each other that we will return every week to get just a tad bit better. We must. Failure is not an option, especially not when you're playing against people that have had knee surgery. (45 year olds and older, I assure you. I'm not one to brag.) We will overcome and they will fear us soon. Hurrah! We are learning this sport due to our dear Katina de Comas who invited us to her children's school's vast indoor court. Friends are important. :)
We might be playing gigs in local restaurants/bars soon, we have 2 possibilities. I'll keep you posted. Love you mucho and I'll try to be more faithful with this posting stuff. XOXOXO!

My day

I owe you yet another apology for my procrastination in blogging. It's really just the fact that I can't post pictures. It makes me feel like my posts are boring with photos but I'll try better from now on to just start typing more often.
School is going very well. I'm grading today. We're moving to our new house by the end of the month, please pray for that because it's a HUGE job to move out of where we're living right now--this place has like 12 bedrooms and it's monstrous!
Practice needs to pick up the pace a bit if we want to sound Wordstock worthy so I'm looking into how I can fit more of that into the busy days and nights. Tonight I am going to play Volleyball with a friend, Katina. She's in real estate and is the beautiful woman who found our house for us. Because I was the one house hunting, I got to know her really well and I was worried that after we'd found the house we wouldn't keep in touch but she called and invited me to play Volleyball with her group on Thursday nights so who knows, maybe I'll get good at it. :)
I've gotta go get my girls, they're having recess and there is excess school to be done so away with me! I'll blog about more interesting stuff later, love you!!

Excercise & WORDSTOCK

Today was good, I did Tae Bo, haven't done that it awhile. Used to be SO faithful. Well, at least I've picked up jogging (thanks to Dawnie) and I WAS extremely faithful with that until I got sick last month. Now I'm starting up again with jogging and other forms of exercise. I always feel so much better when I'm active. Teaching is going well, my girls are learning but I think I'm learning more than they are, which is good because they'll benefit from that in the long run. :) Tomorrow's my birthday so I was joking with their mothers that I was thinking of creating a holiday tomorrow, no school for my class, just play time, snacks and laughter. Hmmm, I don't think it went over so well because I got the fake laughter thing with the forced smile that reads "I hope you're not serious". Hahahah, no, they're great but I don't think I'll do that to them this year--maybe next year when I'm indispensable, hehehehe!
Guess what? Our Home voted yes for us to go to Wordstock! Because we're living in Guatemala now and we can't just go out and raise the amount that we need, we're praying for miracle money to get there. So, if you're someone who has one of those extra soft hearts and you feel a little voice in your heart suggesting that you send me a donation towards us getting there , I will pray down the beauty of heaven on your life, I mean it. Nothing is too small and if you're interested, please write me at mysticsand2@yahoo.com and I'll send you bank account info. Also, I know it's not much but if you do decide to give something towards this, you'll get the first or one of the first copies of our new album (which should have at least 10 of the most recent songs I've written, we're producing it by faith within the next 2 months.) Gosh, that was hard! I hate talking about myself but especially regarding music, rough stuff. Anyway, it needed to be done so I did it! :) I love you all so very much and thank you for reading this blog that desperately needs more pictures. (Blogger is still not working.) Thank you for your friendship!

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Photos

Okay, Solo told me that I need to add a flickr badge here so that you can view the photos I've been uploading there (since they actually let me do that) but I'm having technical difficulty. Maybe I should stop highlighting my hair--but no, that just wouldn't be me. :) Hmmm, I'm gonna add a link here that hopefully will work but please send up some prayers for this blonde disaster. I am in need of a computer tech.
In other news, Wynter's birthday was perfect, no stress (except maybe for Hosy who labored in the kitchen for hours with the decorating of Wynter's ladybug & flowers cake--hey, it was her idea & I did at least bake the cake underneath all the beautiful designs.) I'm posting pictures of the party and Wynter's day on my flickr account so please be sure to stop by & gaze over the faces & places. Wynter got a kite, bubbles, play make up and stuffed animals along with some other gadgets. Laura (11) & Julia (7) baked some delightfully colorful cookies for the party and I made sure to put Wynter's hair in 2 braids so that she'd look grown up. 2 is an achievement for sure. A big thank you to Grandma, Auntie Dawnie & Cuzzies for the darling e-card you sent Wynter, she loves it! She asks me to replay it over & over again so you've touched her heart. Also, thank you to Aunt Maureen who called to talk with the birthday girl, Wynter remembers you very well Reenie, don't ever worry about being forgotten by your only niece.
Another fun thing to mention is that David, Hosy, Christian and I ran away to Antigua again for our day off, it was gorgeous & very relaxing. I'm posting pix of that on flickr too so make way I say, make way. Our room is in need of some severe attention so I'm gonna drop off here to scrub, fold & store. Love you all dearly & hope you know that your comments brighten our day. XOXOXO! LINK TO PICTURES: http://www.flickr.com/photos/70704005@N00/

I know, I've been horribly unfaithful with this blog but here I am, picking up the pieces, returning to you my friends and family. :) Life has been busy! I am now a K4 and 1st grade teacher, ta da!! My students have survived 3 days of my "teaching" and I'm liking it. It's very new for me, this whole staying home thing but I like a good challenge and one of the main perks is that I'll be skilled in the schooling my children thing when Wynter and her future siblings grow old enough to learn Kindergarten and 1st grade. For now she's doing very well being schooled by her Uncle Dan Dan (my brother, Danny) who teaches the 3 toddlers here, they are PRECIOUS and he does an amazing job with them. I have pictures to prove that but blogger is being stubborn still and won't let me post pictures, I'm sorry. That is actually the real reason I haven't been posting, I don't want to bore you guys with mere words. Sigh.
Christian is feeling much better now and he's been doing handyman stuff around the house as we're moving to a new house really soon. Pretty soon he'll get to know the city and be going out a lot more, that'll be cool. Um, what else? Oh yes, our band here (David (of Hosy), Danny, Miguel, Willy, Hosy & I) is asking our team to pray about us going to play at Wordstock this year, I'm leaving it God's reliable hands. I don't like pushing for things that might turn out to be a disaster, hee hee.
Oh, how could I forget! Wynter is turning 2 on Friday! I can't believe we've had her that long, so beautiful. I asked her what kind of cake she wants me to make and she said "A ladybug cake, Mama" so that's what it'll be--hopefully. :) I think I'll make it chocolate because she makes the cutest faces when she devours the stuff--totally worth the sugar high she'll most likely have for a few hours afterwards. Well, more news later. I love you all so very much and miss and pray for you whenever you come to mind (more often than not, I assure you.) Ciao!

Sorry about this but for some reason blogger isn't letting me post pictures, no matter how many times I try. :( I'll keep looking into it and hopefully you'll see the new stuff soon. We just got home from our first visa trip here, it went well. Almost 5 hours to Mexico and then the same back. Wynter was an angel. She just soaked in all our attention and behaved herself. Tomorrow is our day off so I'll post about what we did tomorrow night,ok? Bye for now!

Welcome Home, Baby!

"Honey, I'm home!!" Yes, these words are real and he is home! Christian got back the day before Valentine's Day and he is beautiful! He told me on the phone before getting here that he now weighs 250 lbs and that he needs to get in shape. So I told him that I didn't care what he looked like, I just wanted him home. So, when I spot him at the airport my jaw literally dropped and I was thoroughly shocked by how gorgeous he looked! He had been working out every night for 3 weeks before coming home and he wasn't even able to do cardio because of a knee injury but he looks amazing and I'm so proud of him! Now he's playing basketball with the guys here (2 of them are my brothers) so he's shooting towards perfection. :) It's such a great feeling to be the proud wife of a handsome man.
Wynter Jane is a totally different person since her Papa returned. She's so secure & animated now, she's talking up a storm. Right now she's taking a nap with Christian, he's not feeling well.
We went to Antigua with David & Hosy for our night & day off. We stayed at the house of one of David's friends and it was a really relaxing time. Some of the pictures are from there. I'll try to be more faithful with this blog, okay? Thank you all for your heartfelt concern for us, we really love you and know that we're together again because of your prayers.