Go Fly a Kite

On Friday at 5:30 am, Michael and I left for South Padre Island in Texas with our friend, Steve Grant. Michael recently adopted a new sport - kite boarding. South Padre has a nice bay with a lot of wind and calm waters. The bay is very shallow - you can walk a long way out before it gets deep. I hear it only gets to about 4-feet deep.

We got to the island around 11 am. Michael and Steve set up their kites and I took a lot of pictures. Michael is still learning how to get up on the board. He was able to stand up quite a few times. He did crash his kite hard on the first day and ripped it. So he bought another one. This one is bigger and he found it easier to get out of the water and up on his board.

We camped out on the beach in tents. It was beautiful. The sand was a little hard, which made sleeping a bit uncomfortable. But I love falling asleep to the sound of the ocean. And the stars seemed so much brighter there.

After another day of kite boarding - and me, trying not to fry on the beach - we headed back to Mexico around 6 pm. Here are a few pictures of our trip.

Setting up the kites

Other kite boarders parked on the beach

On the second day, the beach was flooded. We parked where this kite boarder is standing on the first day

Steve flying his kite in the sunset

The next few pictures are of Steve - he started kite boarding in December. He's getting really good!

Michael preparing to get on his board - keep that kite in the air!

Oops - a lot of crashes happen when you're learning!

Face plant in the salt water

That's better!

Looking good

The wind took Michael far into the bay. Good thing it's shallow so he could walk back to shore.

I started to get a little bored so I started taking lots of pictures. Here's a little hermit crab I found in the water.

Then I found a bigger hermit crab and put the smaller one inside. It wasn't as exciting as I anticipated.

My shadow

I found a pair of bird prints, then walked by them. Hey, I was entertaining myself.

The ocean in the morning - beautiful. I love taking walks along the shore, looking for seashells.

Michael showed me how to fly his practice kite. Not as easy as it looks. I crashed it a few times.

It was fun, though. Maybe someday I'll try it in the water.

Put your arms up to get the kite above you - out of the power zone.

Here's our campsite on the beach. We just drove our car until we found a secluded spot.

Footprints in the sand

Walking out in the shallow - and very warm - water

Walking on water?

I played around with these images

Another beautiful sunset on the island

AZ Vay-Cay

It's official. Our television channels are gone. I've been holding my breath each morning when I turn the TV on. The number of channels dwindled down each day - until today. They're gone. Fortunately, I have a couple movies and nearly every season of Dawson's Creek and the Gilmore Girls. I started season one of the Gilmore Girls today - thanks, Jessica!

I meant to update my blog yesterday - didn't happen. Last Friday, I met three of my best friends in Arizona. We stayed in a beautiful condo in Scottsdale - it's owned by one of my friend's in-laws. The Summertime Girls (there were seven of us who lived together in college) all came out to Arizona two years ago and vowed we would come back. Only four of us could make it this year, but we plan to keep the tradition going in years to come.

The four of us relaxed in the pool and hot tub, went shopping, ate a lot (ha ha - Flo's chinese, In & Out Burger, Phil's Grille, The Good Egg, Streets of New York Pizza...), and had some great conversation. I returned to Mexico on Tuesday. Here are some pictures of our trip.

Our first night at Phil's Grille on the beautiful golf course - me, Kate aka Steeny, Christi aka Champ, and Cindi aka Lu.

The famous HUGE Phil's margarita.

Me and Christi at Phil's

Me and Steen sitting on our patio

The walk from the pool to our condo

Sitting outside our favorite dessert place - Yogurtology. Yum!

You pay for the frozen yogurt by the ounce - they had a whole bunch of flavors and even more toppings.

Shopping at the fancy shops in Scottsdale. I couldn't afford the prices but it was fun to look. They have misters that spray water over the walkway to relieve shoppers from the heat - although, we were told we picked a cool June to visit. Temps high of 98 degrees instead of the usual 110 degrees.

After a day of shopping, we decided to order a pizza instead of go out for dinner. It was pretty large - but so good!

Me and the twins hanging out by the pool.

Group shot on our floaty rafts. We spent a lot of time in the pool since it was too hot to sit in the sun.

Floating in the warm water with a cool beverage with good friends. Can't get much better than that!

Me and Cindi

Our favorite spot - sitting outside on the patio

"Kidding" around

Thought I'd post some pictures from our dinner last night. We had a gathering at Paul's house with our main course: Goat aka cabrio.

Raul, one of the guys who works at Innotec, was the chef for the evening. His family owns a restaurant and he seemed to know what he was doing. The goat wasn't too bad. I did graciously pass on the eyeballs and brain, though. Yeah. That was a bit too much for me to stomach.

Look closely and you can see two heads in this bowl of uncooked goat meat. mmmm....

This goat head was cut in half then cooked.

Raul scoops the brain out of the skull. Apparently this is the best part. I decided to let others find out how tasty the brain and eyeballs were. No thanks.

Storms

It's another peaceful day in Mexico.

I started a load of laundry then enjoyed a cup of coffee early this morning - before it got too hot. I sat down at my computer and read some emails and facebook messages from friends and family back home. You have no idea how exciting it is to receive "mail." Thank you!

The weather has been strange the past couple days. Yesterday felt ridiculously hot. I sat on my purple sofa with the fan blowing on me. Once in a while, I would go to the kitchen sink and splash some water on my face. I joked about getting an inflatable kiddie pool down here. It's not sounding like such a silly idea anymore! Although, I'm sure it wouldn't last long with four dogs. They would either swim in it - gross... or, more likely, they would eat it. So for now, I'll stick with the fan.

In the afternoon, a thunderstorm rolled in. It got windy and HUGE drops of rain began to fall. By the time I looked outside and thought, "Hummm... it's raining," the big drops turned into a torrential downpour! It was amazing! I ran around shutting the windows because the rain was blowing in. Then I went outside and stood under our little eave at the front of the house and just watched the storm. The air had turned cool and the breeze felt wonderful on my face. The water poured off our roof and splashed over my toes. I listened to the gentle rumble of thunder, watched the lightening in the distance, and breathed in the fresh scent of rain - meanwhile, the sun continued to shine brightly. And a faint rainbow rose from the mountains.

What a powerful display. It reminded me of God's faithfulness. Life gets hot - it can be difficult and frustrating. Even when circumstances change, I have to remember that God does not. He is the same God when everything is going well and when there are struggles.

He brings relief.

Sometimes it comes through a storm.

As I stood in awe, watching the rain pour down and the dark clouds looming overhead, I wondered how it was possible for the sun to shine brighter in a rain storm than when there was not a cloud in the sky.

That's what happens, sometimes doesn't it? We tend to see the Son more clearly in the midst of trials - in the middle of a storm. If we let him, he will show us mercy and grace. He can bring peace on a stormy day just as well as when there's not a cloud in the sky.

I was sure by now, God, You would have
reached down
and wiped our tears away,
stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen
and it's still raining
as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away.

And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

- Casting Crowns

Not Funny

I promised some people I would post the following pictures.

It's actually not easy for me to do.

It wasn't easy for me to take these pictures, either.

However, I thought some of you would be interested to know that the clowns continue to stalk me - even in a different county.

I've been afraid of clowns for as long as I can remember. I don't know why. I don't recall having a traumatic experience. I just don't like them. I don't like their crazy hair, their over-sized shoes, and especially their face paint.

I remember trembling as I stood, clutching my dad's pant-leg, waiting for the clown to make me a balloon animal at a Hart & Cooley Christmas party. For some reason, I have never outgrown those anxious feelings when I see a clown. Or anything with face paint, for that matter. (I don't like mimes either, thank you very much.)

I know.

It's weird.

I also know that I'm not the only one who thinks clowns are creapy.

So imagine my shock and horror when I learned that Saltillo, Mexico has street clowns. It's true. I see this guy a lot. He juggles on street corners that I frequent often.

I get a sinking feeling in my stomach every time I get a red light. Trapped. No where to go. Cars in front of me. Cars behind me. Then... out of nowhere he emerges. Where does he come from?! I see him weaving through the stopped cars. It's like he's on a hunt for the trembling gringa praying for a green light.

I try not to notice him. I fumble for my Capstick. Change the radio station. Maybe if I don't look he won't come so close. Wrong.

He stands directly in front of my car. He smiles. Ahhhhh.... Creapy!! He begins to juggle. I try to smile. I feel my heart beating. Am I sweating? Then he comes to my open window. Is it too late to roll it up? Yes. Even I do not have the heart to be rude to the clown.

I find a few pecos and quickly shove my hand out the window. He thinks I'm paying for the entertainment. I'm just hoping that will make him go away.

Weekend

If you've ever had a Jehovah's Witness come to your door, you know how difficult it can be to talk with them. Now imagine if they only spoke Spanish. Yesterday two Jehovah's Witnesses came to our house clad in full business suits in the scorching sun. We explained in our broken Spanish that we went to church and knew God. They tried to minister to us - but we said we didn't understand. So they talked about coming back again later - as if I'll be able to comprehend what they're saying next time? Funny.

Jehovah's Witnesses contemplate their next move under the shade of their umbrella.

This weekend went pretty fast. Robin Mulder, who works for Innotec, was here and stayed with us for the weekend. On Saturday, we went to the market in Saltillo during the day. At night, we had dinner and a campfire at Paul's house. On Sunday, Michael, Robin, and I went downtown Monterrey to see Fundidora Park. The park used to be an old steel factory and still has the buildings and some equipment on display. There are walking trails, water fountains, playground areas, trolley rides, and boat rides. We had a good time but it was SO hot! I thought I better include a few pictures since I promised Marianne I would!

We liked how the "no food" picture is represented by a taco. Yep. We're in Mexico.

Standing in front of the old steel plant.

Riverwalk with fun water features and fountains.

Robin and me on the crowded boat. It was so hot!

Safe Arrival

I am back in Mexico.

It was hard to leave my friends and family in Michigan, but I know that this is where I need to be right now. I forgot how peaceful it can be here. This morning I sat with a cup of coffee and listened to the birds singing outside our window. I have decided to use this time to my advantage.

For the past couple weeks, I've really been thinking about my relationship with God. It's been a struggle for a while. Everyone has times when they stray. I feel like I've had a long dry spell. While I was home, I started to reconnect. It's been a difficult process. It's been a rewarding process.

I'm not normally this candid on my blog. I don't even know who reads this blog. However, if you were brought to this page today, I would appreciate some extra prayers. Some of you have already been praying for me. Thank you!

Things are going to be tough here this week. We don't have a car - which leaves me stranded here all day and makes it difficult to go anywhere at night. Our television channels have been disappearing (good thing I brought some DVDs!) My cat, Vino, was attacked by the dogs two days before I returned and died. I couldn't get the oven to work today so my chicken nugget craving went unmet. There are cockroaches everywhere! Some small things, some bigger things... However, I have felt a strange peace today and I am so thankful for that.

Please continue to keep me in your prayers. Pray for a positive attitude, for wisdom, and for a continued sense of peace.