Happy Late Birthday, Scottland!

Glad I got to spend it with you!

Good-bye CCC

Many of you prayed for the last chapel of the 1st semester, the one that I was speaking in. Thanks so much. It not only went really well, I feel like God gave me more hindsight perspective about my life. It was the end of my 14th year when things started to turn around, so my life can roughly be divided into two halves.

I call my first half the "King Saul" half because the similarities are too numerous to count: head-strong, seeking the praise of men, sacrificing what cost me little - to name a few. It's fitting that it was a week's worth of devotionals on King David's life that was a key factor in my conversion because I'd like so much for the 2nd half (and the rest) of my life to mirror the 2nd king more than the 1st, to be a woman after God's own heart.

Anyway, after my devotional, my students surprised me with cake and a huge card, presents, and a pose for a picture for me. I'm going to miss them so much! May they become men and women after God's heart!

Canyoning

a.k.a. strapping yourself into a tight harness attached to some flimsy rope, and either a) throwing yourself backwards over a steep cliff, preferably right down the middle of a waterfall, or b) sliding down a bunch of sharp rocks into a poor of water below. What fun!!!!

Lasts and Firsts

Lasts I still need to accomplish before I leave Ecuador:
- barter for fruits and vegetables at the market
- buy myself yet another Ecuadorian bag (love them)
- the mountain of grading next to my desk
- lead one last Spotlight
- have a fluent conversation in Spanish (running out of time on that one)
- see a movie for $3
- ride in a taxi for $1
- EAT at CREPES & WAFFLES!!!

Firsts I can't wait to do in the States:
- sit in a Barnes & Noble's
- eat CHIPOTLE
- drive
- have a fluent conversation in English
- go to my church!
- locate the Milka stash under my bed
- hug Wolfi

Sick?

What is it if you throw up in the middle of the night, but only once, so it's not food poisoning, and there's no fever, so it's not the flu?

How to apply for a driver's license from a foreign country

Step 1: Call the DMV five million times till you get to the "Exceptions department."
Step 2: Call back when you get disconnected.
Step 3: Spell your foreign address for the lady ten million times.
Step 4: Wait three weeks for the Ecuadorian postal service to deliver your mail.
Step 5: Realize you need to have an eye exam for the application.
Step 6: Wait a week for the next available appointment.
Step 7: Use hands and feet to communicate to doctor what you need to have done.
Step 8: Frantically mail in application via express service.
Step 9: Wait three weeks.
Step 10: Have application show back up in your mailbox, highlighting the missing notary signature you need.
Step 11: Drive around all of Quito begging notaries to sign your document only to be turned down, mainly because the signature in your passport from when you were 18 doesn't match your 28-year-old signature anymore.
Step 12: Find out U.S. Embassy has a notary.
Step 13: Wait four days for next "business day."
Step 14: Use three taxis to get to embassy.
Step 15: Go through security fifteen million times and wait in long lines in between.
Step 16: Have notary mock you for living in a state that still requires notary signatures on driver's license applications.
Step 17: Frantically run back to express mail service.

To be continued ... (actually, hopefully not).