What do we miss?

I am sure little Tiana is saying, "Where did they go?"



We miss our friends in Mexico!

We miss the breath taking views!

We really miss the tacos!!

We miss our sweet neighbor's mutt. I KNOW he is thinking, "Where did they go?"

We miss the corn!! Although, we have enjoyed the corn in America too!!

We miss the roadside taco stands where the family can eat for under $10! (and be STUFFED)

Did I mention we missed the tacos?

We miss the sloooooow and simple life of Mexico.

So, for all of you who have asked me what we miss about Mexico, we really miss our friends there, but aside from our friends, that would sum it up. We had similar answers when asked about what we missed about the US when we were there. It was the food, the scenery, the cleanliness, the convenience of everything, the food, the grass, the simple things here. Ya know the other day I actually went out in the middle of a baseball field and lay down in the grass and just enjoyed lying there. I felt at complete peace. It was awesome! I am trying to remember those things I longed for and not take them for granted now that I am here.

The boys have their second game tomorrow. They are excited. They have new uniforms, they were given their permanent numbers this week. Jerod is number 77 and Alex is number 33. Annie is ready to cheer them on, she is ready to wear her red shirt and cheer! I will try and take more strategic pics this week! Just so you don't get bored! I will write more Purepecha stories soon. That was my goal tonight, but I was just too tired. Hope you are all having a restful weekend! Love you! Missy

So you had a bad day?

You would think that a mom of a burn patient would no better than to let this happen! I am soooo stupid!


Reassurance!


You know that song that was sung at the end of American Idol? So ya had a bad day, dadadada.....? Well, it pops into my head quite often. Sometimes for someone in a full leg cast, sometimes for someone who is pulled over by the cops, and then sometimes I sing it for myself.

Yesterday I was singing it for many people. The people I saw in a car accident, my friend who was rear ended by someone, my other friend who pulled off the road to let a trooper pass who was on his way to a suicide call and she wound up in a ditch and almost had her van tipped, for a little boy who found out he was allergic to bees and swelled up from head to toe (he was also in the van that almost tipped) for the family of another friend who took his life due to depression and me because I am a stupid woman! ( look at photo number 1) :o)

Yesterday just wasn't one of those really good days for many people. In the midst of all that was going on, I felt like I was swimming upstream in a very rough current. I just felt like things were so out of control. So I started praying on my way to get Annie from school and I was begging God to just assure me that everything was okay and that He was still in control even though to my tiny eyes it was looking pretty messy down here. I can't understand so many things. Why good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people. It's just cause we live in a very imperfect world. However....I rounded the corner and looked up and was astounded at what I saw. It was, well... breath taking. It was what is in picture number 2. Except in real life it looked A LOT bigger! He assured me He was still in control. He was still on the throne and although it looked messy to me, He was still right here with me walking through the mess each and every day right by my side. I was encouraged and felt so in love with MY Savior! Hope you are encouraged too! SO....Have a good day! Love, Missy

funny story

When we first arrived in our village we relied on our prayers for "people of peace" to gain entry into the village. We had been living among our people for a few months and had some new friends. We had come into the village and everyone was looking to take advantage of the gringos living among them. We were asked for "loans", asked for jobs, food, you name it. I am generally very giving but was tired of this! However we had decided to donate some sports equipment to the elementary school as a "good will" offering. As we were dropping this equipment off at the school a woman came to our car with her two daughters. I was sitting in the front seat with the window down and she began to tell me how her husband left her to go to the United States 5 years ago and had never sent her any money. Of course my defenses went up and I was already trying to figure out what I would say. She told me she needed new shoes for her daughters and had no money. I think smoke was coming out of my ears as I again was feeling used. So I kindly explained that most of the village had similar needs and we couldn't meet all of those needs. About that time my discerning husband came around the car and asked her what it was she needed. She told him the same story. He then asked her if she could go into town with me the next day. Then in English asked me if that was okay. Hmmmm.... well... I guess since you already asked her, I guess I will go. (Very submissive wife, I am!!) She said she would be ready in the morning.

So, the next day I had a better attitude and went to pick her up. She climbed in the car with her two children and we headed off for the nearest city. We talked the whole time and we started getting to know eachother. My heart started to melt for her as I realized just how tough her life really was. We went shoe shopping and generally had a good time. As we drove through town, she kept doing her "persignarse" or crossing herself, like they do over her chest. I told her I didn't understand much of her religion and asked her why she did that. She said because Jesus lived in the temple and we had passed a temple. I explained that I wasn't Catholic but I really wanted to learn more about what she believed. I asked her if we could start studying the Bible together so that she could help me understand more about her beliefs. She was so excited and said she would love to study the Bible. So, the next week she came to our home with her girls and we started listening to Bible stories. After studying with us for about 6 months she gave her heart to the Lord. That was 3 years ago, since then God has used this uneducated, unhappy, unloved lady to begin His work in our village. Little by little she would bring more and more people to our home. God had a larger plan when all I saw was a woman needing shoes.

I have to tell you something funny that happened on that trip. We didn't have Internet at the time, so when we would go into town we would stop by some apartments that had wireless Internet and with their permission we would use it to check our email. So, before we headed back to our village I told my new friends I had to make a quick stop. So, I pulled up to these apartments and I got out my laptop. I was checking my email and I think I probably responded to a few really short ones. So during that time they were talking back and forth in their mother tongue and I had no clue what they were saying so I finished what I was doing and we headed home. Now, about 6 months ago these friends of mine confessed to me that during that time they thought that I was having them sold to some Americans. They really thought I was sending someone some kind of message to come and get them and take them to America to be their slaves. Now we all laugh hysterically over this as they beg us to take them to the US and promise to work for us for free! ;o) Soooo funny! It is amazing how little we know about culture. We are scared they are going to kidnap us and they are sure we are going to do the same. So, there is my first story from way back when! Kinda funny, huh?

Julia/Julia

Hi friends! 3 times in one day, man am I making up for lost time or what? I needed to get away tonight and my precious husband sent me away to do whatever I wanted to do. Isn't he sweet? So, I tried to find a friend to accompany me first, and then decided extrovert or not, I am really happy going places by myself. So, I went to see the movie Julia/Julia by myself. It was such a cute movie. A little bad language but it was overall really good. I enjoyed myself. I picked wherever I wanted to sit and ate popcorn all by myself and drank 1/2 Mr. Pibb and 1/2 Coke Zero. I even ate some Milk Duds. I know, I said I was going to try and lose 20 pounds by October but I think 1/2 of me losing it is confessing to you that I did that! ;o) So, I will start again tomorrow and try and be a little better and exercise a little harder.

So, in this movie a girl named Julia is blogging as she tries to make Julia Child's recipes from her cookbook. She has a heart for writing and decided that since she wrote a book and no one published it, she would just start blogging. I won't tell you the rest, so you can see the movie yourself. However, it got me more pumped up about writing/blogging. I realized that I love blogging when I am telling you all about my people and the things we did or were doing. Then it dawned on me that I didn't start doing that until 2 years into my time in Mexico. Hmm..... I have a lot of stories NONE (or almost none) of you have heard. So, I thought I could start bringing to life some of the very fun and interesting stories that went on in 2006 and 2007.

It will be a little hard writing them in the present since they did happen in the past, but I will do my best to make it as interesting as possible. Ya know, all of you out there, you faithful blog readers, I really do feel connected to you in some weird sort of sisterly way. Maybe brotherly too, I don't know how many of you are men, I do know a few men read this, but I don't know how many. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read and I will bring back to your memory all of the wonderful people that are so vivid in my mind. Or maybe I will be introducing you for the first time. Either way, enjoy! Love, Missy

WE WON!!!

WARNING these photos will probably be too much for most people! UNLESS you are a grandparent! I just had to put them on here for all to see, but I know there are WAY too many! Sorry! If you do want to enjoy them they are much better if you click on them to enlarge them!
Alex played defensive lineman and Jerod played offensive lineman.

This is my new friend Teresia and her precious little Faith! Her sons Josh and David have become great friends with Alex and Jerod and her other daughter, Hope has become good friends with Annie. She has another daughter, Grace, but I just couldn't keep up with her! I was going to tell you something funny Hope said today! She is 4 and she went into the Porta John to go potty. I asked " Do you need help?" She said, " Yep." So I asked her what she needed and she sheepishly looked at me and said, " How do you flush it?" Poor thing was thinking that was the most clogged potty she had ever seen! It was too funny! Ya gotta love kids!!


Jerod is #67, he is the one in the middle of the 3 reds.

Jerod again in the middle.

Jerod in front of #19.

Coach Wood. So serious! He didn't know I took this picture. ;o)

Now for Alex, he is number 38! Maybe smaller, but that didn't stop him!! That started off having one person blocking him.

And now we have 2 people blocking him. Not bad for his first game, smallest and youngest on the team!! :o) Oh he wants to play professional so bad he can taste it!! I guess he could be the mascot during half time! ;o)

Alex says, "You ain't nuthin'!"

Alex and his buddy waiting for someone to get up.

I am pretty sure Alex is thinking, wonder why he isn't telling me any really cool stuff?

"Good job Alex!"

There is Jerod going after his man!

Jerod again in the middle of things. He was always at the other end of the field so it was hard to get really good pictures of him. Maybe next week!

Jerod in the huddle.

Alex says, "I may be small, but I can hit hard!!" Not really those are my words but I think he thinks that!

What studs!

This is Alex going head to head!

This is number 70 next to Jerod, we thought he was quite tall!

Number 70 next to Alex.

Okay, so we thought that number 70 was big until we say number 46!

All I could think about was, I am so glad he didn't hurt my baby!

So, it was a GREAT first game! 20 to 12 was the final score! We were very happy! I wasn't near as nervous as I thought I would be after I saw they seemed to know what they were doing. We really enjoyed the fellowship after the game as well. We had a picnic and the kids played more football with their friends while Annie played with her friends in the sand box. All in all, it was the perfect day! Thanks for praying! I love you all and you are all invited to any game!

The Big Game Day!

Hi everyone! Today is our first official football game! Alex woke up a half an hour early he was so excited! The game will be at 11am today and I will be praying from 10-12! I am a little nervous since I am not used to seeing my babies thrown around on a field! Please pray that they will stay safe and have a ton of fun! I will post pictures tonight! PROMISE! Love you! Missy

Okay I know I am an idiot, but....

Okay, it would take me longer to google this, and I don't have time so I just thought I would ask all of you. What is Ikea? Just curious, cuz I hear it all the time and have no idea what an Ikea is. So, would someone enlighten me? Thanks!