Confession.

Ok, I haven't been writing much on the blog lately, but there's a good reason. Baby Miser #2 is on the way!! So, I haven't been feeling great and haven't been doing much of anything that is blog-worthy. In fact, I've been doing so little of anything that it's starting to become a little bit depressing. When you're mildly sick most days, all day and very lethargic to boot, taking care of the one baby is about all that happens. But, I don't have the energy to do anything fun with her or to be creative, so I kinda start to feel like a bad mommy. Throw in a little crankiness and I start to resemble a bad wife, too. I won't even get started about how lame I feel as a missionary. Anyway, these are just some feelings that come and go and I know I'm not completely useless and, of course, God's grace is so much greater than I often remember and covers me even in these times of pregnancy "icks". I should have started by saying how thrilled we are, how blessed we feel to be welcoming another baby into our lives and family and how good God is, all the time. I'm on the doctor hunt at the moment, hoping to find someone in La Paz that would be willing to give me a good shot at a VBAC. So far, I've been a bit discouraged in that area, too. A missionary friend of ours who has lived here for over 20 years says he's never heard of anyone having a VBAC before. Not good odds. But, maybe I'll be the first! So, if you want to pray for us- ask the Lord to send us a doctor we can trust that has been able to brush up on what "new" things have come out medically in the last 20 years or so....cause most doctors here haven't had that chance. So, hooray for our Christmas baby! And, P.S.- we're not ready to go FB public yet- so keep your comments to the blog. :) Thanks.

16 de Julio

On Thursdays and Sundays, El Alto has a market called July 16th. It's huge and wonderful and has everything you could ever imagine you could ever want... for a third world country (meaning no good chocolate or blueberries or nice stationary). Anyway, what interests me is the blocks and blocks of used, American clothes. Natty needed a few items and since Scotty was heading up on Thursday to close the sale of his Landcruiser (gasp!), I decided to have Feli, our househelp, come in and watch Natty for the morning. We left as early as we could, 9ish, cause it's always more of an effort to get up to El Alto than we think. It doesn't seem so far away- Feli, in fact, comes down every morning with her girls to Mallasilla to drop them off at school. As we left our sunny neighborhood and began the 2,000ft. ascent, it began getting more and more grey. El Alto is cold in the summer, colder in the winter, and almost unbearable if it's raining. I prayed it wouldn't rain. When we finally plateau, we're socked in by clouds and fog...not great shopping weather, I think, but maybe the crowds will be thin. Then we begin the journey to our destination. As we drive, the road's becoming thicker with traffic and pedestrians. No matter what time of day or where you are in El Alto, you will get stuck in a traffic jam. We're in a particularly bad one at one point that is only allowing one car from our direction through the light. As we approach our turn, we can see why. When the light is green for crossing traffic, the cars pull out as fast as possible into the intersection and then get stuck there when their lane stops moving. Our light turns green and our lanes do the same. So, a more and more intricate and ugly jam is forming and slowing down everyone but heating up lots of tempers. Traffic lights and foresight don't mean a lot here. Pedestrians, at their own risk, weave in and out and between the almost touching cars. I never cease to be amazed at how the public transport drivers almost instinctively know their cars limits- they can squeeze close enough to other drivers to smell on their breath what they had for breakfast! Anyway, I decide to get out at one point on Scotty's recommendation and walk the rest of the way to the market. However, I was born with a lack of direction- I think my mom ate too much chocolate during pregnancy- and El Alto all looks the same to me. Grey, depressing, nothing green growing, brick buildings, people, vehicles, fried chicken, stray dogs. Scotty gives me directions as best as he can from where we think we are, I pray for God's guidance, and head off with the masses. Where I'm used to walking, I am not the only tall person or the only light-skinned person. I feel like I must not stick out much. Here, there is no other gringo in sight and I feel I must look quite obvious in my bright green rain jacket, towering at least a head above everyone else. I walk briskly, mostly because it's cold and I don't want to look like an easy pickpocketing target, and keep praying I'm going in the right direction. About 20 blocks later, I find the market! I get stuck in the car section for a while and am too timid to ask any of these manly-men selling their cars where the used clothing is. On a hunch, and a sixth phone call to Scotty, I take a left. I'm pretty sure there was a beam coming out of heaven on the first table of baby clothes I see. Unlike the Gap, these clothes look like they have just been shaken out of the huge sack they just came off the plane in, onto a table. Usually they are somewhat organised piles, ages 0-6, for example, which still makes searching a task. I start digging. And digging. I find a few things here and there, pay the few coins to the good woman who continually pulls out more stuff for me, having no idea what size or gender is my child, and am on my way. I do this for a couple hours before it starts to rain. And then it rains harder. And then I wish I wore my wool socks but I habitually underestimate how cold this city is. And then I try to remind myself of how blessed I was to have been able to come up in the first place, without Natty and actually find stuff for her. And then, after half an hour or so, when I can't feel my toes and I am imagining myself in bed for 3 days with a fever and chills, I call Scotty and tell him I'm ready and he better be too. Thankfully, he was just about done with his transactions and I start heading in the general direction from which I think I had come. Yes, I decide after 10 minutes of walking, I think I've seen these cars before. Yes! This is the major highway I crossed! And there's Scotty! I'm saved! We huddle together, dripping, and wait for a free taxi. We find a warm one and as we head back into familiar territory, I show off my loot (several shirts, a skirt, a dress, a rain jacket, and a keyboard- all for Natty- all for less than $10 total). Hot chocolate and a hot shower to wrap up the morning/afternoon.

Cochabamba

I know I have written several times about how much we love Cochabamba, but it's not going to stop me from writing yet another blog about it. We decided to escape on Friday from our community that throws a 3-day, drunken, loud, up-super-late-and-stumble-home party, seemingly right outside our bedroom window this weekend every year. What better place to go and visit old friends than Cocha? So, we packed up the station wagon, loaded the child and left a bit earlier than planned cause we heard whisperings of blockades. They did not materialize on our trip, thankfully. We rolled into Mauge's house, our old (meaning previous, not chronologically) Spanish teacher, about 5 hours after starting our trip. Here's a smattering of what I enjoyed most:

-the hospitality of Mauge and Jorge

-laughing with Mauge

-Mauge's pancakes

-Mauge's steak on the grill

-getting to stay in a house that has enough room to give Natty her own space

-not having to get ready to go anywhere early in the morning

-getting swallowed up by the used clothes section in Latin America's largest market (and buying pink and green camo pants for Natty)

-my husband watching the semi-sick baby while I go used clothes shopping with the girls

-warmth and sun

-seeing old and meeting new friends

-watching Natty play, really interact, with a little girl her age

-sitting on the backporch and shooting the breeze all afternoon on Sunday

-strolling the main plaza and watching my daughter throw bird seed at, not to, the pigeons

-finding my Oakleys after almost losing them

-singing 100 bottles of beer on the wall with Scotty, all the way through, on the way home

-actually sounding progressively more drunk as we tried to sing faster to get the song over with

-the look of stupor on Natalie's face after her parents have sung one song for 11 minutes (yes, I timed it) and then saying, "more".

So, Cochabamba, the city of eternal spring and great memories, once again came through for us. Can't wait to go back.

P.S. Don't wait for pictures. I must have said 20 times while we were there, "can't believe we forgot the memory card". Grrrr.

Parque infantil

It was about 4:30 when Natty and I got to the park this afternoon. It was deserted and as I sat down on a low, cement wall to watch Natty play, I noticed for the first time how sad that park can look. One of the swings was hanging unevenly while the other one had both chains broken with no seat in sight. The once colorful wooden play equipment was faded from the harsh La Paz sun and had a few nails sticking out here and there. The slides were thoroughly rusted and there was a half-dressed baby doll lying face down in the dirt. Sparse chunks of dead grass were scattered here and there with popsickle sticks and trash dotted in between. I wondered for a moment where Natty might be playing if we lived in the US. However, she didn't seem to notice that anything wasn't as it should be and happily played with rocks and dirt for half an hour or so. A lot of kids live around the park in one or two room, shabby brick houses. They come to play, usually bringing along a brother, sister or cousin that looks hardly old enough to walk. I met a 6 year-old named Jenny the other day who had the stature of a 3 year-old. She asked me to take her to the zoo and although we set up a time to meet, she never showed and I wondered if she had to cook dinner for her family or babysit a sibling. Today, as I enjoyed the last bit of warmth before fall sets in hard, I looked over to the world's highest golf course, literally separated from the park and most of Mallasilla by a deep gulf, and wondered if the folks playing there ever let their kids play in parks like this one. I wondered if they noticed our neighbor who lives in a basement without running water tending to the grounds as they putted by. He and his wife always greet us with a smile and although we share water with them and small talk, I can't say that we've shared anything terribly meaningful beyond that. Sometimes I forget, in our relatively luxurious lifestyle, how the other 2/3 live. I pray that God would continue to challenge my comfort and security and give me a generous heart toward those around me who have so little.

What's going on with me...

It's dark outside. It's not usually threatening to rain this time of year, as rainy season is mostly on its way out and cool winds have arrived. The temperature seems to shift rapidly from intense warm afternoons to waking up with crisp air hovering around the bed, daring me to get out without socks and a sweatshirt. The climate change always seems to bring about colds, even Natty is suffering with one right now. She's snoozing away later into the afternoon then normal, evidently needing her rest. I'm happy for a moment to catch up on the blog. I've become more aware in the last year how many people read my blog and so I seem to be, without wanting to, much more timid in posting. I tend to shrink back a little when I know eyes are on me, afraid of what judgments might come from what I say or how I say it. I find that to be a problem when speaking Spanish in front of more than one or two people. Ultimately, I want my life to count and I want that to be obvious in the things I write about. I must admit, I am going through somewhat of a lull at the moment- not in a bad way, but in a way that has me frequently asking myself if I'm taking advantage of all the opportunities God is sending my way. There are definitely some issues that friends in our small group are going through that I want to be more dedicated to keeping up with. We've spent some really neat times lately with a few families but I am feeling challenged to push outside of the circle that we mainly focus on to include a few that keep popping up, not altogether coincidentally. And yet, how do I do that when I need to also spend even more time with those we are immediately "responsible" for in the church? The impending home assignment of our close friends and colleagues, the Hursts, is having us re-think how we use our time and how we can be involved in some of the relationships that they are involved in. There are so many needs, but so few who can really pour into the families in our church. I've come to understand a whole different level of intimacy and dependence from what I was used to experiencing in independent America and it challenges me almost daily. I am used to my space, my control, my freedom. But Bolivians push those boundaries in a way that is wonderful and maybe more like how God meant for the body of Christ to function and relate. This doesn't make it easy for me, of course. But it makes it worthwhile to try. So, the eternal question of balancing life, family, ministry, "me-time" (and this one is where I grip too tightly) and friendships outside of ministry continues to prod and poke and make me uncomfortable. But, I think this is where God likes me to be and where He teaches me more about Himself and His plans for my life. Apart from all that, I am daily challenged by the realization that I need to know more of God's word so that I can impart it to my child. So that I can discipline her correctly. So that I can love her well and lead her into her own love for the Lord. Sadly, I've never quite felt this desperation to really know the scriptures, until realizing that I am responsible for passing them on to my children. Better late than never, they say!

On a lighter note, I have rekindled my passion for cooking! Not having my own kitchen for 7 months quelled the desires I usually have to experiment with food, but now that we're back home, I am finding all sorts of new recipes and trying to eat more vegetarian because meat is much pricier than it used to be. We had tofu for a handful of meals a couple weeks ago- there is a nice little Japanese shop that sells all manner of things with Japanese writing and pictures of fish on the packaging, and also happens to have cheap blocks of tofu. I find recipes that refer to "firm" or "soft" but all I have is what Mrs. Japanese Bolivian lady sells me, which seems rather soft. It works, mostly. Beans and lentils are always nice, too. I've recently found a wonderful, fantastic, sweet, godly, pastor's wife to help me two days a week in cleaning (OK, she does all the really hard work) and sometimes I wonder if she balks at the meatless lunches I serve (I do the big meal of the day at lunch when she's with us, since that is what Bolivians are used to). However, she always compliments the dishes and I enjoy lingering around the table with her long after I've finished and she's on her second helping and listening to her stories about life and her family and all that God has taught her over the years. She is a new facet in ministry that I am really enjoying. And Natty is getting used to her and already picking up a bit more Spanish as they talk. I praise God for bringing Feli to us. We've got some fun times coming up soon with visitors this month and a short trip to Cochabamba at the end of April. God is so good to us.

Proof of Life

Forgotten in the excitement of a papaya smoothie.

For an explanation of this series, click here.

Lisa turns 30!

I turned 30 yesterday. I'm now in the same decade as Scotty, for the first time ever. I have a wonderful husband, an adorable, sweet baby girl and live in an incredibly beautiful place where God is at work around us. I am content at 30. Although, it does feel weird to say I'm 30...

We ran some errands in town on Friday and took a break to play with the rocks in the "park" outside of the office. Natty LOVES rocks. She wants to marry them. There are tears when you take her away from them. It's tragic.
She enjoyed sharing rocks with this cute little girl who was hanging out with her mom at the park. A couple poor ladies hang out in this 8-10 car parking lot everyday, all day, hoping to "watch" the cars that park there and get paid about $.15 or $.20 to make sure the cars don't get stolen or damaged...I'm not sure what would happen if someone attempted it.
Let the festivities begin. Apparently, this copious, American-style breakfast buffet has existed for eons at a nice hotel in town- but we never knew about it. We do now. And we ate until ready to pop. It was glorious and Natalie was an angel.
They bribed her with Mickey Mouse-esque pancakes. She really liked the "mit", which is how she says "meat".
Good friend Andrea, along with her husband, Andy, and their four adorable boys joined us over a leisurely all-you-care-to-eat pigout.
Once Natty finished the "mit", she headed outside to try to get as wet as possible and soil the white, velour pants I put on her that morning in a moment of insanity.
Can you tell that Natty has passed her morning nap time? She was still an angel.
After Scotty volunteered to get up early, as I usually do, to make coffee and get Natty, he presented me with this funky, cool ring. I love it.
We rounded out the day with a visit to the "MegaCenter"- La Paz's new mall which houses a beautiful, new movie theatre. We saw Alice in Wonderland in 3D because they didn't have it in English in the normal 2D...who cares to watch Johnny Depp dubbed in Spanish?? Not me. We adored the movie.

So, my birthday was all I hoped it would be. I am blessed.

Proof of Life

Check out the scratch at the top of the drawer. Natty bites when she gets mad.

For an explanation of this post, look here.

Privileged

This weekend was busy. We knew from Friday on the days would be full of meetings and Bible studies and get-togethers and even though they would take most of our waking minutes (or the preparation for them), we were excited to be involved with our teammates and the ones God has sent us here to serve, our fellow church members. We had one particular meeting that lasted almost 5 hours with the leaders of IBM. Greg started us out by asking fantastic, challenging questions about our dreams and goals and I found myself wondering why those words scare me. I don't consider myself a visionary and even though I am a type of leader, I don't consider myself the one that launches out to start new ministries. I found it difficult to think, off the top of my head, in terms of a specific plan I would want to put into place if I had to leave La Paz in one year. I found myself thinking of the common, daily interactions I seek out with women in the neighborhood (which aren't yet daily, but I'm hoping they will become), inviting people over for dinner and talking about life, hosting events, baking for those who just had a baby. These are things I love to do but I can't say that I have a plan of action regarding them, other than praying that God would more and more give me His heart for these women and families and more of a pure passion to serve them. I felt a little guilty that I didn't seem to have the same kind of vision as others in the group. I'm still wrestling with what all of it means for me...

One thing I found rather encouraging was when my pastor began to remind everyone that even these handful of hours we were spending together was a small sacrifice for our church. He talked of the missionaries, including us, who have left behind our country and our families, sacrificing time that grandparents get to spend with their grandchildren, birthdays, sad occasions, celebrations, etc... in order to come here and live and work alongside Bolivians. I found what he was saying to be true, but instead of a self-satisfaction in being recognized as one who has given up much, I instead found myself thinking of how generous God has been with me and Scotty to invite us to be a part of His kingdom in La Paz. How privileged we are that God would choose such imperfect creatures to be a part of a perfect plan. How blessed we are to be friends with our friends and experience a culture that is so rich in love, hospitality and generosity. We have given up much, but we have been given so much more.

Sometimes we just need to slow down.

Natty and I went into town today to do a bit of grocery shopping and to see a friend who runs a store near the grocery. The sun was behind the clouds and it was still early enough (I'm still surprised that at least half of the stores are still not open at almost 10:30) to make for a nice, cool, low-traffic moment. So, I put Natty down to tread the concrete with her cute, pink tennies. She reached up to hold my hand and we began our slow saunter down the sidewalk. And, I mean SLOW. Natty, at 17 months, is just starting to get into walking. She still needs a hand to do it well, but is trying to get around a bit more on her own, on two feet. As we walked, I found myself observing things I usually am too busy to see. I have always been a fast walker, so I know that there are things I've walked by a hundred times and not noticed. Waiting for Natty's little steps, I took my time to watch people, look in store windows and notice nooks and crannies I had never noticed. I don't think having a toddler usually makes a mommy feel like the world is slowing down and she can take time to smell the roses, but God gave us this nice little 20 minutes or so to wander... Most people were dashing about and usually only the elderly (who were a bit more at Natty's pace) or young women noticed my cute little daughter plodding along. She got some smiles and a few "bebe!", but she was also too busy noticing things inside the stores- a cat on a Wii game box, "meow", Natty responds, trendy wallets, new shoes. I felt serenely out of the mad rush scene of people scurrying on and off public transport, no doubt running to their places of work or to classes. We passed by an old man who always sits on the edge of a planter by the ice cream parlor, playing a wooden flute instrument of some kind. I usually walk by, never sure of who I should give coins to and who I shouldn't. Today, we approached him so much more slowly and he caught Natty's eye long before we reached him. She stared as we got nearer and I noticed he had a pretty nice coat on and rubber boots. I usually see old men who beg with the standard sandals made from old tires, but this man had smallish rainboots. Interesting. Natty stopped in front of him and I saw that his ball cap already had about 10 B's worth of coins in it. I told her to say "hi" and she instantly shot up her hand and gave him a friendly wave. His flute playing stopped and he grinned a little and waved back. Then, we continued on as he began to make music again. I would like to take time like that more frequently, especially to become aware of those that are so often ignored. And more, I want my daughter to grow up recognizing those who have been forgotten. How much I still need to learn to pass on this value.

Natty has taken to "helping" me in the kitchen. She loves to be involved in what I am doing and I've found if I can get her on her stool and busy watching what I'm doing, I have to tell her "no" much less often. I ask her to bring her stool to where I am, she pushes it over, climbs up and usually rests her hands on the counter to watch me chop or mix or whatever. She likes to grab the vegetables and skins and play in the flour that may have spilled out when I was measuring for cookies. Then I help her down and she pushes her stool over to the sink where she revels in getting as wet as possible while I wash dishes. She even helps me throw away the trash. I think she'll be a great cook when she gets older and it's fun that she's at an age to participate with me.

Valentine's Day

Here's a photo montage of our V-day, celebrated the day before. In the afternoon, we dropped Natty of with Faith and the girls and went to go see a movie at the new theater- awesome! Then we picked up soft, buttery pretzels, just like you find in the malls in the US...I'm crumpling into a little, happy ball as I think about it. Scotty bought me Belgian and Swiss chocolates and cinnamon roll pop tarts for Sunday...love that man.

Lilies- my favorite.

"Do we have to take a drive through the country?"

Flat tire on the way up.

Sleepy baby misses the pretty scenery as we head up the hill to a small town near Mallasilla.

Wake up! We're at the lake and ready for a hike.

These were the boats still floating. We saw a handful that had been left a foot under water.

Then Scotty takes Natty into a public restroom. He said this was the kind with a hole and a footprint on each side.

Love the flower gardens!

Until recently, we were thrilled to enjoy a week or so straight with sunny skies and warm temps! We took advantage of that to drive up to Achocalla, the closest countryside to us- a mere 5 minutes from our small community. It winds all the way up to El Alto, 2,000ft. above us, but passes through some beautiful hills and neighborhoods with lots of animals for Natty to see. It was a lovely way to spend the morning.

Trauma

It all started with a chicken. A dead, featherless (almost), cold, kinda stinky, chicken. I used to buy chicken breasts, without the bone, because I like the ease of just sticking one in the oven without much work, like the snipping of organs and ligaments. However, all the stores have gone on a boneless chicken breast strike and there are none to be found. So, a few weeks ago I ventured out and bought a whole chicken, with the promise from some stranger's blog that it can be dumped into a crock pot, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and left to cook all day. Ta-da! Lots of chicken meat with little work. Well, the first time I did this, it turned out alright, except after it was cooked I realized there must have been organs in the cavity because it was quite reddish brown and there was some mushy, yucky stuff in there. So, this morning, as I'm taking the bird out of the fridge to throw in said pot, I decide to work on removing the organs from the cavity- must like dissecting a frog, I promise myself (which was never a big deal to me). However, as I unwrap the legs, I see something unexpected inside. Now, I know there are many of you out there who have killed chickens, bought whole chickens with the same dilemma, or lived in a third world country and have dealt with this, but it was all new to me. Yes, I've lived almost 30 years without encountering such a sight. Back to the bird. As I unwrap the legs, I find that someone has done me the favor of also shoving long claws down there.

Big legs, with big nails- huge. I pull one out and immediately drop it on the counter- I'm pretty sure I saw a toe twitch. I yell to Natty, who is hovering above the kitty's food bowl, contemplating disobeying me again by playing in the water. She seems to get a kick out of my disgust. I pull out the other leg and it drops to the floor...I yelp a little. I pick it up before it has time to grab me and put both legs on a Bran Flakes box.
I'll just leave those there for Scotty to find when he comes into the kitchen, I decide. At this point, my heart is beating a little faster than normal but I calm down upon remembering my new kitchen shears and how much less disgusting the organs seem. Out come the shears and into the cavity they go. Snipping brown things and a heart and some stringy stuff and trying to scoop it all out with a spoon. Now I decide that the big stuff is out and it might be helpful to rinse out the inside of this poor, dead creature. I take it in the plastic bag over to the sink, run some water in it and pull it the rest of the way out of the bag. As I'm pulling, I notice a long, dangly thing at the other end. What is this strangeness, I wonder? Then it hits me, like a blow to the stomach. I see dead eyes, and a beak. No, it can't be...it's a long neck...and...the head! At this point I drop the bird into the sink, yell, like a little girl, and encourage Natty to come with me. I'm feeling a little queasy and wondering how I'm going to dispatch the head and neck of this thing. That means cutting or hacking my way through tubes and flesh and I don't know what else. It's all too much to handle at 7:30 in the morning. Scotty seems concerned at the screaming and inquires about what is going on. I explain my predicament and demand that he do something about it, immediately. Natty comes crawling in whimpering, a bit confused as to why her mommy is screaming. In a few minutes, the bird is taken care of, thanks to my brave husband, and I am cutting off skin, but looking at dinner in a way I never have before.

Can I actually eat this thing now that I've seen it looking so much like a dead animal? A dead animal that I butchered? Ick.

Calle Uyustus

So check out this sweet Columbia jacket I picked up today for $18.50. I saw it on a mannequin at a used clothing store as we were driving to the market today, tried it on, and it was a perfect fit! You can never have too many jackets in La Paz. Score!

So, this was our first trip up to the market since coming back. Going to the market in town, about a 25 minute drive from our house- once you brave the traffic, the people darting about, the crazy public transport drivers, and the STINKY market- is quite an experience...in more ways than I just listed. When we lived up that way, I would go from time to time, mostly curious about what strange, little treasures I might find along with whatever necessity I was looking for. There is a witch market, a tool section, a housewear section, an aluminum, big-pot section, a plastics section, an office supply section, a wedding dress/cake making section, an electronics section, etc... This is a seriously large area of ground I'm talking about- miles and miles wide and long. Today, we were headed to Uyustus- the find-anything-you-could-possibly-want-and-a-whole-lot-you-don't section. We had a variety of things in mind, many of which we didn't find. But, don't fret! We did find a handful of stuff we didn't know/remember we needed until we got there (i.e. a nice, Columbia jacket). This street starts wide at the top, and narrows, as well as splits, as you head downhill. There are booths on each side and then in the middle further down, as well as some stores behind the side rows- both hidden and barely noticeable and then others that open into entire little malls. I've never ventured into half of the stores that lie beyond the main walkway and I'm sure would be quite surprised to know what is sold there. There are lots of men carrying way too much on their backs that you always have to watch out for, as well as one particularly horrific part where some sort of fried meat is sold for those who dare. One whiff almost caused Scotty and I to lose our lunch. There are some people who push past in a hurry, causing you to press into a booth of Brazilian plastic shoes or women's sweaters, and those that amble along- doing some form of window shopping in a place without windows. A stray dog here and there will trot past while a little baby toddles about making you wonder who is watching over her. The men and women who man the booths usually sit high amidst their merchandise, sometimes blending in so well you don't notice anyone is there at first. The walk down is brisk and interesting. By the time you get to the bottom you are on sensory overload, burned out by the intense sun (which was surprising for us today, as it is usually raining every afternoon), and not too excited to have to walk back uphill to find the car. I am always delighted by new things I see when I go to Uyustus. Today I noticed a better selection of kitchen goods and baby items than I've seen before. I walked into a small store that held 3, brightly colored glass bongs among the wine openers and pretty porcelain dishes. Weird! Natty was a champ, happily sitting in my Moby wrap, waving to the passers-by and taking it all in stride.

Weekend activities

Friday was a holiday, our president being inaugurated into office, again. We called up our friends, the Ramirez family, to see if they wanted to hang out in the afternoon and take a hike. They did a bit of shifting of their schedule and we took off mid-afternoon and headed down toward their house. They live about 20 mins from here and the scenery changes pretty dramatically as you get closer to their home. There are tall trees and green grass and open spaces and a big river and impressive cliffs. We love to go out there cause it makes us feel like we're in another part of the country that is more wild and lush.

Our view as we set out...we ended up on the far left, by the river.

It was nice to enjoy a rain-free day (we aren't getting many of those as rainy season really shows its stuff) with our friends and celebrate their sons' birthday. Saturday we had a wedding, which I spent most of exploring the church with Natalie, who wasn't feeling like sitting quietly. Then some more prep for a double baby shower I was hosting at our house on Sunday. Church was awesome and because Natty slept through most of the service, she was awake enough for me to spend a good amount of time at the end catching up with friends I haven't had a chance to talk to since we returned. I love my church! Some more cleaning and prep in the afternoon and then the baby shower in the evening- starting about an hour and a half later than the stated starting time... Lots of ladies showed up to party and celebrate the lives of these 2 little boys that will be coming into the world in a matter of days. One woman, Claudia, is a friend that lives one street over and I will enjoy visiting her and the newborn and helping in whatever ways I can. It's good that God has created us to live together and serve each other.

Now, I am finding today a restful day- cleaning up around the house, catching up on emails, reading a handful of challenging and encouraging stuff from desiringgod.org. Natty seems to have some sort of stomach bug and is sleeping most of the day, which makes it even more restful for me

Natty discovers the art of dipping french fries in ketchup.

First days

Well, we feel more settled in now, although it still looks like our suitcases exploded all over the house. We've picked up our cats, who seem to have settled in like we never left and don't seem surprised that there's a toddler around squealing and flailing a large spoon at them. We've made a few trips into town and are busily working on figuring out what visa to apply for next, since the one we came in with only gives us only 30 days. Apparently, a lot of things will be changing on the 22nd, since our president was re-elected into office and managed to win a majority in the senate which means his party has almost complete control with no opposition. We aren't quite sure what this means. We're praying for a miracle in the visa department. Natty is loving her new surroundings and is enamored with the abundance of stray dogs and sheep that trot about our street. She's taken to calling almost everyone "dada". She also has started trying to repeat the words we say and has labeled avocado (which are the most delicious, buttery, amazing fruits here in Bolivia) "caca". That one's pretty funny. Our landlords downstairs seem genuinely happy to have us back and are thrilled to see how Natty has grown. I was informed the other day by a Bolivian friend that I'm too skinny. "Skinny is ugly." I'm not sure how to respond to that. However, as I was driving home last night, I heard angels singing and saw to my left a little place called "The Donut Factory". I might not stay ugly for long. So, we are getting back into the swing of things little by little and have enjoyed the short interactions we've had with our friends, awaiting more lengthy times together in the near future and getting back into ministry as well.

Home.

It's a quiet moment here in our apartment in Mallasilla. Scotty and Natalie are taking nap #2 and I am unpacking and cleaning up around the kitchen. The kitchen is that space in my house that makes me feel like things are somewhat in order and clean if it is clean. The last 2 days have been absolute insanity, but also so clearly under the guiding hand of the Lord. You might not want this much detail, but here we go: Thursday morning we find out that we possibly need a special visa to get back into the country because our visa is no longer valid (because we were out of Bolivia for more than 90 days) and because the country is no longer giving out missionary visas. We're a bit alarmed at this news, but convinced that there must be some way to take care of it from within Bolivia's borders, without needing to postpone our trip. We were scheduled to leave Orlando Friday afternoon. As we are reading over this information, a guy who works in the SIM office here skypes us to talk about it. We are able to find out in a matter of minutes that we do, in fact, need to reschedule our flights and get this documentation taken care of. Strangely, and amazingly, we are not too shaken by this, even though our minds were well into Bolivia-mode and we had already said our good-byes and were looking forward to being back in La Paz. We do some searching on the Bolivian embassy website both in Miami and D.C. and find that only D.C. does this kind of visa and they state to allow 6 weeks prior to departure for the transaction. Mom and I had a date planned, so I leave Scotty to cancel our flight and try to talk to someone in the embassy to see how quickly we can get this done. As mom and I sit in the nail salon, we talk about potentially going to the zoo this weekend and maybe even being around for her birthday a week or so later. Getting back into the car to head over to lunch, Scotty calls to say that in that hour that transpired, he was able to get through to the consulate in Miami (thanks to my brother who knows a guy) who informs him that the paperwork can be done there and if we could show up the next morning at 9am, he can make it happen in time for our flight that evening. Whoa! This is where the flight of the bumblebee music starts and we kick it into high gear. Mom and I head home and all of these things happen between 1pm and 5pm: finish a significant amount of packing, rent a car, book a hotel room, cancel Orlando-Miami leg of the flight, run to Walgreens to take photos for visa documents, connect with the dr.'s office where I had just been the day before to find out results of blood test (which usually doesn't come back for a couple days), pick up prescription drug at Walgreens (which usually can't be processed so quickly) as well as passport photos, call a good friend to say a final "good-bye", pick up rental SUV, pack it up nice and a final farewell to my parents. Then we have 6 hours on the road to think about all that just happened. But it happened so fast that we didn't even know how to process it and spent most of the time in silence. Are you amazed at what God has done so far? Then Scotty happens to throw a "hey, man" to the guy standing next to us at Subway with his lovely wife and 3 children and within a matter of 5 minutes they find out we're missionaries, we find out they run marathons for charities and we get another family praying for us. Love it! After a very rough night with Natty who didn't want to sleep in her hotel crib or in bed with us, we book it out early to get to the embassy downtown. Bad traffic and expensive parking later, we find that the embassy is no longer downtown (that would be helpful information to convey on the website) and we proceed to go to the new address which is mere blocks from our hotel. Oh, well. The consul is awesome, he gives us his personal cell number in case we need some strings pulled on the Bolivian end and we have our visa in 15 minutes. I wish I could say we spent the rest of the day wandering around balmy Miami and strolling the beach, but we had to get our rental car back in by 3, so instead, we spent from 3pm-11pm sitting in the Miami airport. Never want to do that again.

The only way we could get Natty to fall asleep in the airport was to backpack her around for half an hour.

And we're here! Tired, dirty, and with lots of stuff to unpack and organize in the house. But, so thankful. We are floored by how it all turned out and even Natalie didn't suffer any ill-effects from altitude like last time. Our friendly neighbor, Sergio, came to get us, stocked our fridge and left us to rest. It's good to be home.

Technology

You know on Napolean Dynamite when Kip sings the song to Lafawnda at their wedding about how much he loves technology? That's pretty funny...

So, I'm pretty sure Natty's fascination with tech gagets at least rivals, if not surpasses that of Kip. My brother is briefly in town and their first interaction was over his Blackberry. It only took a short amount of time before she was rolling around the tiny mouse ball and pretending like she was talking on the phone. She goes crazy when she sees Scotty's ipod touch and begs to use it...she even knows how to change screens by swiping her finger across. Scary. Anyway, we were at my aunt and uncles' house on Saturday and had put her down for a nap in the back bedroom. I periodically checked the monitor to see if she was going to sleep, sometimes she has a hard time falling asleep in a new spot. At one point, all was quiet, but there was guitar music coming through the monitor. I wondered if my rocker cousin, whose room is next to the one Natty was in, was jammin' on his guitar (at which point I was ready to go back there and give him a piece of my motherly mind). When I peeked in his room, it was empty. I still heard the music. I opened Natalie's door and saw her sitting in her crib, in the dark, her face all aglow with ipod screen. She was sliding her finger across, picking different songs and completely oblivious to my presence. Apparently, Scotty was playing her lullaby music and left the ipod on the bed next to the crib...way too much of a temptation for monkey arms. I was able to sneak back out of the room and get my mom and Scotty in there to see this hilarious sight. She finally looked up with that face like, "What? I'm just listening to some music." I wish I had the camera.

Merry Christmas

Just a quick note to say "Merry Christmas!!". Natty helped me wrap presents yesterday, alternating between begging me for the "to/from:" stickers and stiring the bag of bows with a wooden spoon. She developed a pretty nasty cold yesterday, so I'm just grateful she was able to sit contentedly in her miserable state. Today she is feeling a bit better so we went outside to enjoy the AMAZING, dry, mid-'70s air with blue skies and a nice breeze. There is a big park nearby where Natty could sit and play with the recycled tire pieces on the ground- it's all we ask for when she's still too little to actually walk around and play on things. Tomorrow promises to be even warmer- a standard Florida Christmas. I hope everyone a relaxing day filled with the joy of our risen Savior!

Overheard

I was in Barnes & Noble yesterday, settled into a comfy chair and enjoying the privilege of reading through magazines without buying them. Seated next to the door, I heard many bits of conversations as people exited the building. A black mother and daughter passed by when I heard the girl, of about 8 years old, ask her mom: "Is Jesus really white?". I only caught the beginning of what must have been an interesting conversation, which started with the mom explaining that Jesus isn't really white- it's just a marketing ploy. Anyway, it definitely had me looking differently at the things that look normal to me.

I'm enjoying reading through an advent devotion book written by professors at Gordon Conwell, where Scotty is taking classes, as a way of focusing my thoughts on what is most important this season. I can't say I haven't gotten caught up in the shopping and buying and even expectations of what is "Christmassy". But, with the rare chance to be in the states with family this year, I am more aware of the things that make Christmas truly a blessed season. I also am constantly aware of the trends we set now affecting our children down the road and often ponder how to make this a Christ-centered time.

Natalie has started standing on her own a little bit more and has taken to crawling around the house, not on hands and knees, but hands and feet (much like you would see a monkey walking). It's quite humorous and also makes me think she is getting to like that sensation of her flat feet touching the ground. It won't be long now! My hope is that she can walk around the La Paz airport to show off to our Bolivian friends who come to pick us up...although I'm not sure I'll want her exerting herself at that altitude. Either way, she'll be a hit!

Last days

I feel like I have done a lot of "leaving" or "arriving" posts in the last few years. Although I have mostly adapted to our lifestyle of being here and there and everywhere, sometimes all of that catches up with me and throws my emotions into a tizzy. That happened yesterday. But, today I had a lovely day with my daughter, sharing a buttery, soft pretzel and lemonade in the mall and rough-housing on the bed when she should have been napping. As I sat in the cushy, leather chair feeding Natty little bites of pretzel, I wondered if that same scenario might happen in La Paz and what it might look like. Leather and soft pretzel will not be a part of the equation, I know that much. I have tried to be focused on where we are and what we are doing in each place we have been and not look too far ahead or behind, as that usually overwhelms my fragile mind. But, I can't help the "this is the last time I'll be (fill in the blank)" thoughts that keep springing up these days. We have almost a month in Florida to enjoy with my family before we go back- but I've been in this stage before, and that month is so very little. It gets filled with last minute coffees with people, shopping for things we want to take back, Christmas activities, and hopefully, lots of dates with my husband while we have Nana and Papa to babysit. All those things are wonderful, but speed up time somehow. And so I wonder in these 6 months that we've been here, have I made the most of my time? Have I learned what God wanted me to learn? Have I grown closer to Him and more faithful? Will I be a more effective and goldy wife, mother, friend, missionary when we return?