A Christmas Full of Surprises

Well, Luis surprised me with a trip to SC for Christmas, so I decided to surprise my family with my arrival in SC for Christmas. Great fun!! I called a family friend (Miss Barb) who immediately went nuts about being in on the surprise. She promptly found us a fabulous ticket (non-stop from Santiago to Atlanta), borrowed some warm clothes for Mia, and found a car seat for us to use while here, and then made the trek to Atlanta to pick us up. I have video of the look on my parent's faces when they walked into Miss Barb's house for Sunday lunch, only to find Mia & me sitting in the floor, but I'm not quite sure how to post it yet. My mother cried like I've never seen her cry, and my dad stood there speechless...It was great!! Here are some pics we've taken over the last week and a half. Memommy and Mia just after the surprise!!

Mia giving her Papa some lovin

Mia's cute Christmas Eve outfit. She looks like a candy cane!

Exploring the tree on Christmas morning.

The gorgeous dress Miss Barb got for her!!

Surprise Under the Christmas Tree!!

The other morning, I was changing Mia's diaper on the couch here in the den. In the blink of an eye, she flipped over, climbed the side of the couch and got right up under the Christmas tree! Gives all new meaning to unwrapping a gift beneath the tree! :-)

Finger-Lickin Good!!

Here's a couple of shots of Mia enjoying a bone from a nice set of baby-back ribs her daddy was eating on! Yumm-o!!

Mia Gets Stuck

Mia managed to wedge herself in between the column and the wall in our apartment. Like any good parent, I took pictures before I rescued her. :-)

Christmas Fun

A couple of weeks ago (yes, it was BEFORE Thanksgiving!!) we invited our friends, Darin and Tracy, over on a Sunday evening to decorate the Christmas tree. It was cold outside (70 degrees Farenheit or so) and rainy, so the chili we had for dinner was fantastic! We also made cookies and poppycock (is that how you spell it, Darin?) and hot chocolate and snacked on them while we listened to Christmas music and decorated the tree. It was so much fun!!

Darin putting the finishing touches on the tree.

Luis hanging out the lights on the balcony.

Tracy very graciously attempting to find that one burnt out lightbulb.

Luis giving me a kiss next to the finished product!! :-)

Unfortunately, Mia had to go to sleep before the night was over, so we still need to get a family picture next to the tree. We've got it up on top of a cabinet in the den so that Mia can't get to it without some help from us. Thanks, Darin & Tracy, for helping to make this a memorable Christmas for our family!!

How Big is Mia??

Sooooooo Biiiiiiig!!!!!!

Happy Birthday, Luis!!!

Today is my hubby's 26th birthday! In honor of this great day, I'm going to share 26 things about him that many people don't know. I hope this will help you get to know him, as many of you still haven't met him in person!!

1) He is incredibly musically gifted. He plays the piano/keyboard, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, and drums...self-taught on all of them.

2) He is incredibly artistically gifted. He can draw, paint, airbrush, and do wood carvings.

3) He has 1 sister and 1 brother. His sister lives in Miami with her family and his brother lives in Santiago, DR, with his family.

4) His nephew and niece were both born on Christmas day...one year apart.

5) He loves to sing and rap. Oh, did I mention that he writes music, too?? Yep, he does!!

6) His dad is a pastor of two churches.

7) He likes to wear big, baggy clothes...the "gangsta" look. I must interject here, though, that he looks very presentable and nice. He wears a belt...so he's not always trying to hold up his pants with one hand. This small thing (the belt) makes certain members of my family happy, but I won't mention their names here.

8) He is obsessed with his hair. He has these beautiful ringlets that frame his face, and it is absolutely gorgeous. Obsessed is the only word I know to describe it....he honestly takes longer than I do to get ready to go out.

9) We call him the "slash" guy at work. He works for TEARS as the construction/maintenance/messenger/PR/translator/gopher guy.

10) He now loves Dr. Pepper (thanks to yours truly). It's not sold here in the DR, but we occasionally find it in some random, hole-in-the-wall place....or someone ships some to us. On those rare occasions when it is actually present in our home, it is a fight to see who will drink it!! In the meantime, our Dr. Pepper-flavored Jelly Bellies sustain us! :-)

11) He cooks an AMAZING spaghetti sauce that melts in your mouth!!

12) He hates to read (in his words, "I strongly dislike it.")

13) He learned to speak English by watching TV. Among his favorite English shows? Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond, House, and the Cosby Show.

14) He doesn't like sweets very much. They make his teeth hurt.

15) His current toothbrush is blue and white.

16) He likes to play Scrabble (preferably in Spanish).

17) He LOVES to work puzzles.

18) His favorite foods include tacos, fajitas, and chili.

19) His favorite Bible verse is Romans 8:28.

20) He eats corn on his hot dogs (a very common thing here in the DR).

21) When he drinks coffee in the morning, he likes it with milk and sugar. When he drinks it in the afternoon, he likes it with sugar only.

22) He likes science fiction movies and shows.

23) He loves computers and anything that has to do with graphics on the computer. PhotoShop, AfterEffects, Premier, etc.

24) He likes to match his clothes...hat, shirt, shoes, etc....this is all part of the "gangsta" look (refer to #7). My friend, Joy, calls this "matchy, matchy, poo-poo" and that makes me laugh!!!! :-)

25) He has a very strong sense of taste. He can tell you all the ingredients of any food he puts in his mouth.

26) He likes country music!!!!! yay!!! He once wrote me a country song (available in stores: July 3020).

And one to grow on: in his own words, "I love my girls more than life itself!"

Happy Birthday, Baby! I love you!!!!!

Fun In a Box

Who said you have to spend lots of money on toys for kids??? Random household items are always Mia's favorites! Like this box, for instance....

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

In general, Thanksgiving isn't celebrated here in the Dominican Republic (since it's an American holiday and all), but we usually find a way to celebrate it somehow. In the past, our mail service has always paid for us to get turkeys and fixings and all that good stuff (as turkeys are VERY expensive here). This year we were unable to have turkey, but we DID have some great chicken, rice, and beans!! (For those of you who don't know, that is the staple meal here in the DR.) We got together out at Rod & Twila's house with the whole TEARS staff and ate the whole afternoon and evening away. I learned how to play a great new game called Farkle, and now I'm addicted!! Below is a picture of Mia Grace hanging out with her "Aunt" Tracy and eating (or gnawing on) an oatmeal cookie.

Monte Cristi

On our way back from Dajabón, we stopped in Monte Cristi to do a little bit of sightseeing. Monte Cristi is located on the northwest coast of the island. These scenic pictures are actually from the outskirts of the city. I had never been here before, so it was nice to see another part of the island.

These are the salt flats by the ocean. The sea water is let into the flats, and then the natural drying process occurs in the sun, leaving only salt crystals behind.

A beautiful pier with a gazebo at the end.

Another shot of the same pier.

Standing on the pier and looking to the left, you could see the fishing boats lined up along the coast.

A Visit To Dajabón

On November 12th, I had the opportunity to head out to Dajabón, DR, to see my husband and meet with the leader of the team he was working with. We picked her brain on some pretty interesting ministry stuff, all the way from grant-writing to tools we can give to the impoverished to help them break the vicious cycle they are in. I had a great time seeing my husband (of course) and meeting the team of Rotarians from Alberta, Canada that he was working with.
I think the thing that may have impacted me most on this trip, though, was seeing the Haitian/Dominican border crossing there in Dajabón. Rod, Darin, and I walked out on the bridge and took some pictures, and as I stared across the border into Haiti, which is considered a 4th-world country, I felt a wrenching in my gut as I realized how privileged I am just to be able to stand on the other side of the fence. The opportunities for me and my family here in the DR are endless in comparison to our neighbors in Haiti.

Looking through the guard station at the border patrol.

As I watched the Haitians standing at the gate and begging us for just one dollar, I could not imagine life where my freedom ends at the borders of my country. I could not imagine standing at the border of Canada or Mexico and knowing that I could not enter and have a shot at a better life.

Darin standing at the gate that separates the two countries. You can see two Haitian guys standing on the other side of the gate. They were begging us for money.

Here are some stats on Haiti: 1) Half the population is undernourished. 2) The infant mortality rate is 80 per 1000 live births (that's 12.5%). 3) Only 46% of the population has access to clean water. 4) Only 28% of the population has good sanitation. 5) Approximately 1/2 of the population is illiterate. 6) The unemployment rate is approximately 80%.
As Americans, we have the ability to not just put a meal on the table each day but to stock up on food for a week or a month at a time. We have access to some of the most advanced health care in the world. We can turn on our tap at any time and not only know that there will be water coming out but that we can drink it safely. We have the ability to receive not only a basic education but to attend college, as well. And although our economy is suffering right now, we still have access to jobs that can provide for our families. We have the freedom to enter just about any country we would like at any time we would like. All this that we have and we take for granted...yet the majority of us continue to live well above our means, charging up credit cards and drinking $4 cups of coffee every day (hey, I love Starbucks too!!).....and we remain oblivious to the rest of the world, many of whom struggle to even put one meal on the table each day.

Looking across the border into Haiti. The river is the dividing point between the two countries.

Growing up, I assumed the rest of the world was like the US. When I was 17, I went on a mission trip to Venezuela and began to realize that things were different in other parts of the world. It took quite a few more years and several more trips before I realized that the US is unique unto itself. And we are much more privileged than most of us realize.

The river that divides the two countries. If you look closely, you can see the line of Haitian women on the banks of the river in the distance. They are washing their clothes.

I guess the thing that I ponder the most is how I can reach out and truly make a difference. How do I sacrifice in order to give? What do I sacrifice in order to give? Will God ask me and my family to suffer in some way in order to reach out to others less fortunate? And what if He does? Will people think I'm crazy? Should I care if people think I'm crazy?
And, yes, these are all ramblings from a so-called missionary. Maybe I should already have all the answers to these questions figured out. Just goes to show that missionaries are just normal people. :-)
To round this out, I have to say that in my humble opinion (but opinion nonetheless), every teenager should be required to visit a 3rd-world country before they graduate from high school. If you've missed that age cut-off, it's never to late to go! It is a life-changing experience that will change your perspective on everything..if you allow it to.

While Daddy is Away, His Girls Will Play!!!

Luis has been away since last Friday, driving a short-term team around in Dajabon (a DR/Haiti border town). The team is from a rotary club in Canada, and they are putting solar lights in low-income homes in that town. When I talked to Luis last night, he said he was having a great time...which is great because now I don't feel so guilty about my fun beach trip this past weekend! :-) Mia & I were invited to go to the beach with some friends here that work with TEARS. We actually did turn it into a working weekend, as we spent some time tackling the grant proposal process that we are now entering.

Everyone took turns watching Mia and playing with her, which was a great help to me. Too bad no one was awake to help me out when she decided to wake up at 4:30 AM BOTH mornings!! Here's a little of what Mia did all weekend:

She watched Baby Einstein videos with her "Uncle" Darin (who liked them as much as she did, but he didn't want to admit it!) :-)

She tried desperately to pull her booster seat out of the chair.

She drank a bottle by herself, played with her feet and laughed, laughed, laughed.

She spent time in the kitchen cooking with her "Aunt" Tracy.

And she ate at TGI Fridays!!! (which is a BIG treat here!)

All in all, we had a great time. I didn't get any pictures of Mia at the pool or the beach because I was never with her when she went (I was recovering from those 4:30 AM wake-up calls she gave me!) Mia is a little fish, though. She loves to be in the water....pool, ocean, or bathtub!! Oh, and her "Uncle" Rod didn't make it into any of the pictures either. He was always conveniently absent when the camera came out.

And the winner is.....

"Da-Da" !!!!!!!!!! Yep, Mia busted out with the "Da-Da" on Monday afternoon. I took her into another room where Luis was, and she looked at him, smiled, and said "Da-Da." She has yet to use it in context again, but she does wander around saying "da-da-da-da" all the time. Luis is quite pleased about this, of course. We've been told that Mia will be a late talker since she is being "fed" two languages on a continual basis. Either way, this babbling/talking/sign language phase is a BLAST!!

Bathtime Fun

Oh, how my daughter LOVES bathtime!! I decided last night that it was time for a little photo op in the duck tub. Mia is a huge fan of ducks, so I got this tub during our visit to the states over the summer. It's Munchkin-made, WalMart-sold, cute, quacks when you squeeze its beak, and it only costs $10!!