well . . .

i'm back in southern california and i swear i have blogger's block. it's the freaking tv. we've been watching 24 for days on end now and jack bauer has saved the world 30 times! that guy's amazing. but i really don't know what else to tell y'all. sad days. i'll post when my head clears!

on Christ-mas day...

yesterday morning my family was a bit surprised when my dad's little brother (he's little in the same way elias is "little" to me) called to say that yes, they could join us for Christ-mas dinner! growing up, we were really close to my uncle paul, anut julie, and their three boys, so we were really excited to hear that they were going to come see us. my aunt julie had a recent bout with breast cancer and the Lord brought her out on top, so again, we were really excited to spend some time with them! we have so many reasons to celebrate!





it was a wonderful day to spend with my family and our friends from church (both from hollister and oakhurst). my dad, the great stroyteller, livened up the evening with tales of their childhood which are always worth listening to. my mama, of course, cooked and cooked all day; some of the most delicious food you've ever had. and elias and i took a mallet to some candy canes!
we skipped the whole present thing as a family this year which doesn't mean in the least that we weren't blessed or given incredible gifts. i mean, i was given the gift of vacation by the board of directors for three angels and anne, who is graciously taking my place while i'm away!! we were blessed to be together in a warm home to celebrate the birth of our Lord. and we have the greatest gift, the Holy Spirit, who helps us understand the magnitude of the love and sacrifice of Jesus!

how blessed are we?



plus, aunt julie and i have the same shoes!

it's a chilly 79 in port au prince and 46 here in coarsegold, ca.

it's hard to believe i was in tank tops earlier this week!

joyeux noel

it was very odd coming from the tropics to chilly northern california; i lost a couple toes to frostbite in the process! but i'm here now at my parents house and we've sucessfully decorated the trees (they got three this year) and we're having some great hot chocolate! i built a roaring fire and it's keeping me toasty!




thanks for your prayers for our safe trip home. my brother and i almost got on the plane to norfolk, virginia but decided at the last minute that california sounded better. love you all. merry Christ-mas!

guerda is adorable... no?

too cool for school

cutest kids ever

update

well, at 3:45 am zimbolo took a suicidal leap of the balcony (while still tied up). i saved her, but she's no longer on a rope. why a rope you ask? it's the haitian way of training a cat to stay around. maybe because no building was really built to be closed all the way and there's always a means of escape. but anyhow, she's been hiding in the storage room all day which doesn't bother me a bit, so long as if a rat passes she kills it! i told her she can eat the cockroaches too! she came out tonight to visit with MY BROTHER and i!

that's right, my brother is in haiti! he's reading his bible right now and when i'm done posting he's going to tell me about his adventures! it's been a good time with him here so far and i am so thrilled to have him here! we had dinner with the whole group over at st joseph's tonight and then watched the dance theater, which was great! i'll post pics tomorrow!

i can't remember... have i posted a picture of bethany yet?

noah, you-you, jojo

these are my boys!

okay, i'm sorry, but i really think this is a cute picture!

zimbolo

so i got a cat. that's right: i got a cat. she's supposed to eat the rats. it's a big job. yesterday one of the cooks brought her to me in a bag.... i never thought i'd get a cat in a bag, but it's haiti! anyhow, angela and all the rest of the kids have a name that they call each other and basically anything and it's "zimbolo." when she asked me what the cat's name was i just thought, "zimbolo" and said it to her. she was so excited! everyone loves to say the cat's name because they are all so happy that i named her that. (pronounced "zeem bo lo" stress on "bo")

papi!

jonas has a papa! does this look like a happy greeting or what? praise God! (and his mom looks on.)

orchids!

question. should i have purchased a flower that's incredibly hard to maintain just before leaving for three weeks? hmm....

okay, don't tell me if you can take care of orchids easily. it'll really hurt my pride. once i buy them, they never blossom again. but these look really healthy and i can see new shoots. and some are just growing right in the neighbor's yard, so they made it look easy for me!

jonas

no, it hasn't been raining, but he sure loves this coat!

bethany

this is my little girl. i don't really have the words to say how much i love her! she is the most precious, most adorable...
i just thought you'd like to see her some more. i sure do.

jean bernard and vedrine

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