January 28, 2009
Today I was walking up the escalator in the mall and delighted because the person in front of me was walking, not just standing still. I have never liked escalators. It has nothing to do with fear but everything to do with being stuck. When I am on an escalator, I am at the mercy of the people in front of me. If they do not move, all that I can do is stand still and enjoy the ride. Except I rarely enjoy it. For this reason I always look to take the stairs whenever possible. They permit more freedom, exercise, and who knows what else. But as I walked up the escalator today, I had the very common passing thought, "I wonder if there is an analogy here?" And as I thought about stairs versus escalators, I had to reflect on when God is moving or at work. I want to be where God is working and active. I want to be emersed in what He is doing and go wherever He leads me. But I picture it more like stairs than an escalator. Unless God says to "wait and be still" I think my walk with God is active and moving. His path directs me and determines where I go, but action is involved in my part. I have to walk or climb the stairs. I do not just stand still and go for a ride. I have heard it said that even in "waiting" we should not just sit around and do nothing. We can wait actively pursuing Him and the things of Him.
At least those are my initial thoughts after reflecting on escalators and stairs. The escalators would not be so bad if I could keep taking steps and not be limited by the pace of the electrical units. Hmm... maybe I am simply too independent (or impatient) and it carries over to my relationship with God. I do want Him to be in control and so I am sure that from time to time that means "standing still on the escalator and moving at what I consider a very slow pace." Perhaps there should be a balance between the stairs and the escalator.
Anyway those are my ramblings and very unrefined thoughts. I would welcome any feedback or further musings on the topic.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Pretending It's Winter
January 27, 2009
I am getting word that in the north there has been some snow and is chance of more although for dear Lancaster county it may change to sleet and rain. Quite sad. But it is also sad that here in Honduras I was dressed yesterday as if it was winter. Since my return from the States the weather has stayed relatively cool here and after a morning run and a mostly cold shower, I was rather chilly. And so I covered my wet head with my snowflake winter hat. Whenever it is even slightly cold, one has to dress for the occasion and pretend it is cold. Of course the beautiful orchid pictured below was blooming on the same day as the "winter" weather which goes to show just what winter is like down here.
Life will be changing for me here in Honduras, come tomorrow. Evelin and her one year old daughter are moving in with me here in the city. She could no longer stay with her sister's family and the only option she had would have led her to back down the road she is trying to leave. After much prayer, I felt like God was saying to invite her in and try to help her connect with other people so that she can grow in the Lord and begin looking for a job. Until then I will have a very clean apartment since she will be cleaning for me. This is probably my last night of peace and quiet though. I have so much to learn as I help Evelin learn. I know that God will probably be doing just as much work in me as He is in her.
As for everything else that I was going to write about, I cannot remember since it is entirely too late for me. Maybe it was to say that I finally returned to basketball practice tonight to reconnect with some of the team members. I am not planning to play since I do not have the time to commit to it, but next weekend is the National Honduras Tournament for men's and women's basketball. It is too bad I am not still playing because I could have participated in Nationals. Maybe I can still sit the bench (which really is no fun at all) or simply watch a game or two.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Good News
January 21, 2009
It has been a rather long two weeks but yesterday I got some good news. I went to the Immigration office to renew my visa well in advance because I was slightly afraid that they would deny it to me on the basis of me having a new passport number or whatever. Once there I asked the woman working if there was indeed a new law by which foriegners only receive 30 days in the country. She said no and that I should have gotten a 90 day visa. Her suggestion was to not get in the Customs line of the woman who stamped my passport ever again. She perhaps has a record of not giving the visa due a person. At least I do not have to travel to the capital for an extension nor leave the country in 60 days. My lawyer mentioned to me last week that I may still be lacking some signature or paper for my residency but at this point I am wondering if it will even be worth trying to get it. It took a year and a half to reach this moment, and I do not know much longer I will be in the country. We will see what happens I guess.
In the meantime I am still looking for an apartment and with that trying to discern what God is calling me to in regards to having Evelin and her daughter live with me. They are here in the city for a few days with me this week and it is proving to be interesting and a good test. I find myself wanting to step in and provide the one year old with some discipline though. Right now she is the one in control. What is God asking of me though, that is the question. Thankfully I did find out this morning that if I have not found another apartment by the end of the month, I can stay here a little longer.
So that is a little bit of what is up, but only a little bit. Who knows when I will catch up with writing. Oh, and included is a photo that I took with my new camera. I am so excited because I can take very close-up photos.
Friday, January 16, 2009
A Tiger or Two at Large
January 16, 2009
So I got some interesting news this afternoon. A tiger escaped from a small community circus probably about 3 miles away. And the circus has now left town, leaving the tiger... at large. Not only that but a male tiger (the first one mentioned was female) escaped from another circus, also not too far away. And I wonder where these tigers will end up. The mountain that camp is on is more highly vegetated than many of the surrounding areas. It seems like a prime hideout for a tiger or two. I am thinking twice now before my solo walks from one side of camp to the other. But not too long or hard. Tonight camp is full with a weekend group of 70 youth so there should be enough noise and commotion to keep the tigers at bay. I think I will carry my camera everywhere I go though so that I am ready if I ever do see a tiger.
As for other events of the week, I feel as if I am driving a new car. The headlights work and I have a new windshield. It took a while to reach this point though with lots of taxi rides and waiting. Today I had planned to train a group of leaders for leading on the ropes course tomorrow but they had car trouble and other complications and did not arrive until hours and hours after the planned time. So tomorrow morning there is a 6:00AM training. Fun, fun. This whole system definitely needs improved. In order to be ready for tomorrow's early training, I think I am off to sleep.
So I got some interesting news this afternoon. A tiger escaped from a small community circus probably about 3 miles away. And the circus has now left town, leaving the tiger... at large. Not only that but a male tiger (the first one mentioned was female) escaped from another circus, also not too far away. And I wonder where these tigers will end up. The mountain that camp is on is more highly vegetated than many of the surrounding areas. It seems like a prime hideout for a tiger or two. I am thinking twice now before my solo walks from one side of camp to the other. But not too long or hard. Tonight camp is full with a weekend group of 70 youth so there should be enough noise and commotion to keep the tigers at bay. I think I will carry my camera everywhere I go though so that I am ready if I ever do see a tiger.
As for other events of the week, I feel as if I am driving a new car. The headlights work and I have a new windshield. It took a while to reach this point though with lots of taxi rides and waiting. Today I had planned to train a group of leaders for leading on the ropes course tomorrow but they had car trouble and other complications and did not arrive until hours and hours after the planned time. So tomorrow morning there is a 6:00AM training. Fun, fun. This whole system definitely needs improved. In order to be ready for tomorrow's early training, I think I am off to sleep.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Feeling Trapped
January 10, 2009
If I have not mentioned it before, my car has been having troubles. (Actually I think I did refer to a few of the problems earlier today). When I first opened the car on Wednesday morning after being gone for not quite 3 weeks, I almost died because of the smell that escaped from inside. Everything was covered with mold! I could not believe how disgusting it was. Since I did not have the time nor the equipment for doing a good cleaning, I took the car to a nearby car wash. Thankfully with the coconut air freshner that I have inside, it smells much better.
But their is a greater problem that has confined me to my house on this Saturday evening when I wanted to take a drive and see how the apartments I am interested in look at night. You can getter a better glimpse of the kind of neighborhood and how well lit things are if you drive by at night. Early evening, just after dusk, I took two friends to their house and noticed that once again one of my headlights was out. Really it is not burned out, the connection just get loose when the car jostles, which is frequently on these roads. As I drove home from their house, the other headlight suddenly went out too (I think I hit a bump). I had to turn my bright lights on to make myself seen and to see the roadway myself. Once at home I wiggled the wires around and got the left light back on.
A few minutes ago I decided to leave and check out the apartments and also be ready in case my one friend called and had a little time to get together. But as soon as I pulled out of the garage, both lights went out. And I could not get the hood open (a frequent problem also this week) to do any jiggling. I think that I am about ready to turn my car in for something new with no problems. The problem free life would not last long enough to make it worth it though. I think that there are a few too many challenges happening all at the same time and so my attitude is not the best at the moment. I think that I had better take a few minutes to do some introspection and ask the Lord for help. As Evelin said to me this morning, I am feeling discouraged. And it is for her sake too that I also feel discouraged because I do no know what these next few weeks hold for her, considering her decision to move back to Progresso. The words of Isaiah 30:15 come to mind as I think of how I need to trust her life and mine (car included) to the Lord. "In repentence and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength." So I will go be quiet and listen.
If I have not mentioned it before, my car has been having troubles. (Actually I think I did refer to a few of the problems earlier today). When I first opened the car on Wednesday morning after being gone for not quite 3 weeks, I almost died because of the smell that escaped from inside. Everything was covered with mold! I could not believe how disgusting it was. Since I did not have the time nor the equipment for doing a good cleaning, I took the car to a nearby car wash. Thankfully with the coconut air freshner that I have inside, it smells much better.
But their is a greater problem that has confined me to my house on this Saturday evening when I wanted to take a drive and see how the apartments I am interested in look at night. You can getter a better glimpse of the kind of neighborhood and how well lit things are if you drive by at night. Early evening, just after dusk, I took two friends to their house and noticed that once again one of my headlights was out. Really it is not burned out, the connection just get loose when the car jostles, which is frequently on these roads. As I drove home from their house, the other headlight suddenly went out too (I think I hit a bump). I had to turn my bright lights on to make myself seen and to see the roadway myself. Once at home I wiggled the wires around and got the left light back on.
A few minutes ago I decided to leave and check out the apartments and also be ready in case my one friend called and had a little time to get together. But as soon as I pulled out of the garage, both lights went out. And I could not get the hood open (a frequent problem also this week) to do any jiggling. I think that I am about ready to turn my car in for something new with no problems. The problem free life would not last long enough to make it worth it though. I think that there are a few too many challenges happening all at the same time and so my attitude is not the best at the moment. I think that I had better take a few minutes to do some introspection and ask the Lord for help. As Evelin said to me this morning, I am feeling discouraged. And it is for her sake too that I also feel discouraged because I do no know what these next few weeks hold for her, considering her decision to move back to Progresso. The words of Isaiah 30:15 come to mind as I think of how I need to trust her life and mine (car included) to the Lord. "In repentence and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength." So I will go be quiet and listen.
The Fun of Police Checkpoints
January 10, 2009
This morning I journeyed from camp to the city (and tomorrow and Monday I will make the trek again). It was one of those days where traffic was moving slowly and there were no good passing zones but in general the trip was going pretty well. As I neared the city I came upon a police checkpoint and though on Thursday they let me by without stopping me, this time I was flagged over. I was pretty confident though because I have a new passport with a valid visa stamp and so until February 6, I should be good to go.
I handed the police officer my license and car registration but then he asked me if I have "triangulos." I looked at him blankly and then realized that I did not have my hazards on. That was not what he wanted though. He kept asking if I had any cones in my car, which of course I did not. I had to get out of the car and open the trunk so that he could look to see if I had "triangulos" (which turns out to be the red triangles you set up on the road if you have a problem). They were not there. I had not known it was a law to carry them but the one officer found the law for me in his little book. I would love to read that book sometime. Maybe it is something you receive when you get a Honduran driver's license. But since I do not have the latter, I do not have the book.
The policemen politely told me that I was in violation (all my claims of ignorance -- which were true -- did not help) and that they would have to take my license and I could get it back by paying about $35. Of course my license was going to end up in some little town between camp and the city and they could not give me the direction or the number for the office. And then came the offer. "You could pay the fine right now and only pay half." Ah, the bribes. I am so glad that I know more now than the first time I was fined because I politely said that I would pay it in the office and not on the road. I was hoping that as often happens, they would not even bother writing up the fine, because what they want is the bribe. The chief was even there and he asked me where I work so I explained. In doing so I mentioned the church I am associated with in the city and the pastor's name, and the chief looked down at the papers and then told me I could go. Thank you Lord! Upon reaching the city, I did buy "triangulos" so that next time things should go smoother. I am sure that there is another law that I will not be in accord with though and I will have to go through the system once again. It may be my cracked windshield but that I plan to fix next week since anything hitting it at this point could cause it to shatter. (That is thanks to the cold water at the carwash further cracking the hot glass). I definitely have had enough car issues for the month.
This morning I journeyed from camp to the city (and tomorrow and Monday I will make the trek again). It was one of those days where traffic was moving slowly and there were no good passing zones but in general the trip was going pretty well. As I neared the city I came upon a police checkpoint and though on Thursday they let me by without stopping me, this time I was flagged over. I was pretty confident though because I have a new passport with a valid visa stamp and so until February 6, I should be good to go.
I handed the police officer my license and car registration but then he asked me if I have "triangulos." I looked at him blankly and then realized that I did not have my hazards on. That was not what he wanted though. He kept asking if I had any cones in my car, which of course I did not. I had to get out of the car and open the trunk so that he could look to see if I had "triangulos" (which turns out to be the red triangles you set up on the road if you have a problem). They were not there. I had not known it was a law to carry them but the one officer found the law for me in his little book. I would love to read that book sometime. Maybe it is something you receive when you get a Honduran driver's license. But since I do not have the latter, I do not have the book.
The policemen politely told me that I was in violation (all my claims of ignorance -- which were true -- did not help) and that they would have to take my license and I could get it back by paying about $35. Of course my license was going to end up in some little town between camp and the city and they could not give me the direction or the number for the office. And then came the offer. "You could pay the fine right now and only pay half." Ah, the bribes. I am so glad that I know more now than the first time I was fined because I politely said that I would pay it in the office and not on the road. I was hoping that as often happens, they would not even bother writing up the fine, because what they want is the bribe. The chief was even there and he asked me where I work so I explained. In doing so I mentioned the church I am associated with in the city and the pastor's name, and the chief looked down at the papers and then told me I could go. Thank you Lord! Upon reaching the city, I did buy "triangulos" so that next time things should go smoother. I am sure that there is another law that I will not be in accord with though and I will have to go through the system once again. It may be my cracked windshield but that I plan to fix next week since anything hitting it at this point could cause it to shatter. (That is thanks to the cold water at the carwash further cracking the hot glass). I definitely have had enough car issues for the month.
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Passports & Allergy Testing
January 1, 2009
Perhaps at some point I will do a more profound entry with thoughts on the past year or this upcoming year. For the moment though, there are stories to be told of the this past week's events.
My time in Pennsylvania has involved lots of visiting with friends, playing early morning basketball and working on necessary details for Honduras. The primary task was to get myself a new passport since I had recently discovered that I could not re-enter Honduras with my existing one. Monday, December 29th, I caught an early morning train to Philly and with the aid of a conductor and fellow passenger, found my way to the US Customs House in downtown. Other than the money it required, the process of renewal was rather painless. I had turned in my paperwork by 9:30AM and they told me to return at 11:30AM for the passport. I spent the next 2 hours wandering around the city. I stumbled upon a PA Driver’s License Center which was perfect because I needed a new photo for my new license.
When I returned to the Customs House, they handed me my new passport. As I checked it over for any mistakes, my heart sank because I saw that they had given me a new passport number. The security guard assured me that it was the common procedure. For me though it will likely pose a big obstacle because all of my paperwork in process for residency in Honduras has my old passport number. I think that even the letter which has permitted me to stay in the country past 90 days will be nullified, meaning that I have to start leaving every 3-4 months again. Ah… the joys of paperwork and red tape.
Tuesday morning I went to my Allergist and got retested to determine whether I still needed to take allergy shots against yellow jacket stings. Much to my delight, the tests showed that I was no longer allergic so no more trying to find people to give me shots in Honduras. The doctor did warn me that the allergy could return after being stung several times, but for now I rejoice in not having to worry about shots or allergic reactions to stings.
For New Year's Eve I headed to my cousin's house in Baltimore with another cousin. We spent the evening visiting and remaining indoors, away from the raging wind. The fireworks were postponed in the city due to the wind. And today I need to finalize plans for a trip to a cabin tomorrow and start the packing process for returning to Honduras. Yesterday I was blessed to see a few snow flurries as I was hiking around Black Rock Retreat with a college friend, but this weekend I hope to experience the real thing along with some ice skating. I have been in the Honduran sunshine for a little too long.
Perhaps at some point I will do a more profound entry with thoughts on the past year or this upcoming year. For the moment though, there are stories to be told of the this past week's events.
My time in Pennsylvania has involved lots of visiting with friends, playing early morning basketball and working on necessary details for Honduras. The primary task was to get myself a new passport since I had recently discovered that I could not re-enter Honduras with my existing one. Monday, December 29th, I caught an early morning train to Philly and with the aid of a conductor and fellow passenger, found my way to the US Customs House in downtown. Other than the money it required, the process of renewal was rather painless. I had turned in my paperwork by 9:30AM and they told me to return at 11:30AM for the passport. I spent the next 2 hours wandering around the city. I stumbled upon a PA Driver’s License Center which was perfect because I needed a new photo for my new license.
When I returned to the Customs House, they handed me my new passport. As I checked it over for any mistakes, my heart sank because I saw that they had given me a new passport number. The security guard assured me that it was the common procedure. For me though it will likely pose a big obstacle because all of my paperwork in process for residency in Honduras has my old passport number. I think that even the letter which has permitted me to stay in the country past 90 days will be nullified, meaning that I have to start leaving every 3-4 months again. Ah… the joys of paperwork and red tape.
Tuesday morning I went to my Allergist and got retested to determine whether I still needed to take allergy shots against yellow jacket stings. Much to my delight, the tests showed that I was no longer allergic so no more trying to find people to give me shots in Honduras. The doctor did warn me that the allergy could return after being stung several times, but for now I rejoice in not having to worry about shots or allergic reactions to stings.
For New Year's Eve I headed to my cousin's house in Baltimore with another cousin. We spent the evening visiting and remaining indoors, away from the raging wind. The fireworks were postponed in the city due to the wind. And today I need to finalize plans for a trip to a cabin tomorrow and start the packing process for returning to Honduras. Yesterday I was blessed to see a few snow flurries as I was hiking around Black Rock Retreat with a college friend, but this weekend I hope to experience the real thing along with some ice skating. I have been in the Honduran sunshine for a little too long.
Christmas in Florida (part 2)
To continue the story of December 24, 2008, after dinner my sister Val and her husband began the arduous task of organizing a trip to the movies for 17 indecisive cousins, ranging in age from 5 to 33. It was Christmas Eve so theaters closed early. Once permission was granted for going to the movies and a theater was found, two cars were loaded, and a vote was taken (including a vote with eyes closed) we found ourselves buying tickets for the “Tale of Despereaux. “A group of this size is so rare on Christmas Eve that they gave us a discount. After purchases of drinks, popcorn, and mounds of candy we settled down to watch the movie. I thought the mice were cute but it definitely was not a thrilling movie and some members of the party were disgruntled that we had not chosen “Bolt” in 3D. Nonetheless it was another memory.
Christmas Day involved the usual gift exchange were half the family loses the gift that they really wanted to another family member. Late afternoon we headed to a nearby school gym for multiple games of volleyball. I took my one cousin on in one-on-one basketball and lost sorely. His words were, had we kept playing, I would have worn him out eventually. During volleyball to live up to my hummingbird reputation, I ran in place in between plays. After dinner that night, we were made aware that there was lots of ham left and since it was the young people’s turn to cook dinner the next night, we were encouraged to somehow use it. This threw a wrench in the original plan for baleadas (a Honduran dish). For some reason, Val and I, (the main culprits in volunteering to make the dinner) decided to enlist the help of everyone else in deciding what to cook. And so it was that the young people gathered around the tables in the garage to discuss the menu options. Nathan led us in the Democratic Process, which involves first brainstorming and then eliminating options. The process took a good 40 minutes and included such suggestions as Ham-Berry Shortcake, delivered pizza with ham thrown on top (which Val and I vetoed), and Strawberry Shortcake (as the main course – as if we did not already have 10 pies to eat). Despite these amazing suggestions, we settled on hamburgers on the grill which did nothing to alleviate the abundance of ham. Before making the decision, we asked about the grill and propane and were assured that they were in working order.
Come Friday afternoon, the young people gathered in the kitchen to make hamburgers and various other foods. About 10 minutes before the estimated time for dinner, we started the grill. Within minutes we discovered that it was not really working and the flame reached only one small area of the grill at a time – basically one hamburger. We decided to do some of the burgers on the stovetop. Meanwhile my one aunt ran over to the neighbor’s house, a coworker of hers, to inquire about the availability of a grill. As it turned out, they had a state of the art grill which finished off the burgers in one shot. Dinner was delayed by no more than an hour. Our parents were glad it happened to the younger generation since we are more flexible – in their opinion. The situation reminded me of Honduras where the best laid plans often go awry. The other difficulty of the week was a septic system that could not sustain the number of people in and out of the house. I wanted to implement the Honduran way which is – all toilet paper goes in the trash can – but it was not approved and we simply tried use the bathroom less. All in all it was a good time with the family and our travel home took even less time than the trip down.
Christmas Day involved the usual gift exchange were half the family loses the gift that they really wanted to another family member. Late afternoon we headed to a nearby school gym for multiple games of volleyball. I took my one cousin on in one-on-one basketball and lost sorely. His words were, had we kept playing, I would have worn him out eventually. During volleyball to live up to my hummingbird reputation, I ran in place in between plays. After dinner that night, we were made aware that there was lots of ham left and since it was the young people’s turn to cook dinner the next night, we were encouraged to somehow use it. This threw a wrench in the original plan for baleadas (a Honduran dish). For some reason, Val and I, (the main culprits in volunteering to make the dinner) decided to enlist the help of everyone else in deciding what to cook. And so it was that the young people gathered around the tables in the garage to discuss the menu options. Nathan led us in the Democratic Process, which involves first brainstorming and then eliminating options. The process took a good 40 minutes and included such suggestions as Ham-Berry Shortcake, delivered pizza with ham thrown on top (which Val and I vetoed), and Strawberry Shortcake (as the main course – as if we did not already have 10 pies to eat). Despite these amazing suggestions, we settled on hamburgers on the grill which did nothing to alleviate the abundance of ham. Before making the decision, we asked about the grill and propane and were assured that they were in working order.
Come Friday afternoon, the young people gathered in the kitchen to make hamburgers and various other foods. About 10 minutes before the estimated time for dinner, we started the grill. Within minutes we discovered that it was not really working and the flame reached only one small area of the grill at a time – basically one hamburger. We decided to do some of the burgers on the stovetop. Meanwhile my one aunt ran over to the neighbor’s house, a coworker of hers, to inquire about the availability of a grill. As it turned out, they had a state of the art grill which finished off the burgers in one shot. Dinner was delayed by no more than an hour. Our parents were glad it happened to the younger generation since we are more flexible – in their opinion. The situation reminded me of Honduras where the best laid plans often go awry. The other difficulty of the week was a septic system that could not sustain the number of people in and out of the house. I wanted to implement the Honduran way which is – all toilet paper goes in the trash can – but it was not approved and we simply tried use the bathroom less. All in all it was a good time with the family and our travel home took even less time than the trip down.
Christmas in Florida (part 1)
So it is about time to re-cap a few of the adventures of Florida last week over Christmas. On Monday morning, December 21 at 12:00AM my sisters, their spouses, and I gathered at my parents’ house to begin the journey south in an eleven passenger van (there were seven of us). Because I had a seat to myself, I was able to sleep until almost 7:00AM which was great. My waking hours I spent stuffing and addressing my Christmas letters. We had time to play a game or two as well. Sixteen and a half hours later we arrived in Sarasota, Florida and met up with family. Less of my cousins live in Florida now so there is less space for those of us who are from out of state. This year we had to stay in a hotel, but it worked out pretty well.
My time in Florida basically consists of endless hours with about 36 other family members. During the day fewer of us were together but in the evenings we gathered for dinner at my aunt and uncle’s. This was the year of the young adults (those in their late 20’s and early 30’s) being present which always leads to a little more adventure. Two years ago we had taken all of the younger cousins to a movie which was a highlight in spite of the fact that the movie was a bit cheesy. Spilled popcorn and practically scrapping the roof of my dad’s van in the parking garage were the added bonuses that year.
Tuesday was a calm day with puzzles, strawberry-mango smoothies, board and card games, and a slow game of Kick-the-can. Wednesday proved to be more unforgettable – as childhood trauma was relived. Having grown up in Florida, I for some reason never developed a love for the beach. I hate the S’s about it – sand, salt, and sun. And until last week I forgot about the sea gulls. The beach is enjoyable if you are staying nearby and do not have to drive home with all of your sand but that is not the case in Florida. My “twin” cousin Ben feels similarly about the beach so we did not head out there right away with all of the other cousins. I did convince him to drive us out there though because I thought we could play some volleyball. Just as we were going to leave my sister called to say that they were hungry (that is 12 young people) so we stopped and picked up three pizzas. When we arrived, the beach was packed, as was the parking lot. Even the Amish were at the beach enjoying the warm sunshine the day before Christmas.
The fourteen of us gathered around the pizza and ate it while standing. Meanwhile menacing sea gulls hovered overhead. All of a sudden I was dive bombed by a bold sea gull that swooped in for the steal. I had taken maybe two bites of a slice of pizza and that sea gull yanked the rest from my fingers. It managed to draw blood with its beak as well. As soon as it lifted up, it was attacked by the rest of the sea gulls and in seconds the pizza was gone. There had been no warning or time to react. Why it singled me out, I do not know? I was probably the shortest person there, even though I was also the oldest by almost 15 years. Maybe that was the reason. As a child I lost a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in a similar manner to a similar fate. For this reason the sea gulls are also on that S list. Needless to say the next few minutes were spent guarding the remainder of the pizza and keeping the boxes tightly closed. I think that we were an amusement to the sunbathers around us.
By the time we were done eating, everyone was ready to leave so the trip to the beach for Ben and I was for pizza delivery and furthering of my dislike of the beach. It was a beautiful day though. About 75 degrees Farenheit, sunny, cloudless blue sky, and very cold (compared to Honduran waters) gulf water which a few crazy Northerners braved. I enjoyed the weather much more later that afternoon when we had our annual family Christmas soccer game. I will not recount how many goals I missed, but it was fun as usual with many laughs.
My time in Florida basically consists of endless hours with about 36 other family members. During the day fewer of us were together but in the evenings we gathered for dinner at my aunt and uncle’s. This was the year of the young adults (those in their late 20’s and early 30’s) being present which always leads to a little more adventure. Two years ago we had taken all of the younger cousins to a movie which was a highlight in spite of the fact that the movie was a bit cheesy. Spilled popcorn and practically scrapping the roof of my dad’s van in the parking garage were the added bonuses that year.
Tuesday was a calm day with puzzles, strawberry-mango smoothies, board and card games, and a slow game of Kick-the-can. Wednesday proved to be more unforgettable – as childhood trauma was relived. Having grown up in Florida, I for some reason never developed a love for the beach. I hate the S’s about it – sand, salt, and sun. And until last week I forgot about the sea gulls. The beach is enjoyable if you are staying nearby and do not have to drive home with all of your sand but that is not the case in Florida. My “twin” cousin Ben feels similarly about the beach so we did not head out there right away with all of the other cousins. I did convince him to drive us out there though because I thought we could play some volleyball. Just as we were going to leave my sister called to say that they were hungry (that is 12 young people) so we stopped and picked up three pizzas. When we arrived, the beach was packed, as was the parking lot. Even the Amish were at the beach enjoying the warm sunshine the day before Christmas.
The fourteen of us gathered around the pizza and ate it while standing. Meanwhile menacing sea gulls hovered overhead. All of a sudden I was dive bombed by a bold sea gull that swooped in for the steal. I had taken maybe two bites of a slice of pizza and that sea gull yanked the rest from my fingers. It managed to draw blood with its beak as well. As soon as it lifted up, it was attacked by the rest of the sea gulls and in seconds the pizza was gone. There had been no warning or time to react. Why it singled me out, I do not know? I was probably the shortest person there, even though I was also the oldest by almost 15 years. Maybe that was the reason. As a child I lost a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in a similar manner to a similar fate. For this reason the sea gulls are also on that S list. Needless to say the next few minutes were spent guarding the remainder of the pizza and keeping the boxes tightly closed. I think that we were an amusement to the sunbathers around us.
By the time we were done eating, everyone was ready to leave so the trip to the beach for Ben and I was for pizza delivery and furthering of my dislike of the beach. It was a beautiful day though. About 75 degrees Farenheit, sunny, cloudless blue sky, and very cold (compared to Honduran waters) gulf water which a few crazy Northerners braved. I enjoyed the weather much more later that afternoon when we had our annual family Christmas soccer game. I will not recount how many goals I missed, but it was fun as usual with many laughs.
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