Guatemala trip

Nancy and I at McDonald's in the outdoor play area- with fountains and everything- oh, that's the Volcano Agua in the background.
mom, nancy,and i on our terrace after eating breakfast.
Santo Domingo
mom taking pictures of the Marimba band inside our hotel

peeling mangos
mom and i outside our hotel room at Don Rodrigo- one of the oldest hotels in antigua
Catholic church in Central Park- we went while conducting mass
Volcano Agua peeping threw the clouds
art exhibit about the Argentina concentration camps

MAy 23-28 Mother and i went to Guatemala to visit Nancy and Manuel Gonzalez. It was a difficult journey to get there, but so glad we did. First of all, our flight was out of Atlanta- we didn't leave Nashville until 8pm and we got lost trying to find our hotel. our flight to miami was fine... then our flight was canceled to Guatemala City after waiting in MIA for over 4 hours. We spent the night in Miami (thanks, American Airlines- they put us up in the Downtown Marriott (near South Beach) since everything was full b/c of Memorial Day weekend. The hotel was beautiful and the only negative was that we didn't have our luggage. The next morning- early am- we caught the shuttle and were off - well, with Continental airlines to Houston to Guatemala City. We finally arrived in Guatemala greeted by no luggage but friendly faces of Nancy and Manuel. We went to eat in a great typical restuarant Kakao and then off to their house. Later we peeled mango (50 of them) for the church fund raiser to sell after church. Church was so uplifting. It was about Honoring your parents. Mom told me to listen and mentioned the fact that she was there wasn't she? the singing in Central America is awesome. it's hard to decsribe unless witnessed what whole-hearted sining feels like. often we here in the States get too concerned about what it sounds like and not what we're doing- praising GOD. I encourage everyone to go to a church in Latin America and see this for yourselves. anyway, after church manuel went to the airport to get our luggage- poos guy it took forever but i really appreciate it. when my bag came, it looked a little funny. the entire frame was broken- shattered really. oh, well. at least the things didn't come out of it! That evening we all went to Antigua, Guatemala. Nancy decided to join Mom and I. Antigua is one of the most beautiful places i have ever been to. they have prefectly preserved the old Colonial feel mixed with the great Mayan cultures. The next day, we shopped tourewd some old churches, exhibits, ruinas, and shopped some more. there is a huge market with lots of cool stuff. the next day, we toured an old convent turned hotel Santo Domingo where Ryan Nikolaus got married and the Jade house.Manuel gave later in the day picked us up and we went back to Nancy's house to pack and left the next morning. after arriving in atlanta at 6 we were finally headed home.

i checked the mail and there it was. the letter i had been waiting on for months. my acceptance letter from Vanderbilt for the master's program in nursing. i start in the fall.

also, i closed on my house yesterday - 5-29-08. how many times did i write that? anyway, things are changing and my plan is becoming clearer. hope all is well with whomever reads this. Dios le bendiga.

update on a routine life

i have been told 3 times in a week that i should update. well, here i am, updating. i really don't have a lot to say or report on what i have done. Transitioning back to a life in such routine has been well, boring. It's been difficult to go from constantly going to being inside Children's all the time. I don't seem to have the same since of pride and accomplishment as i did before while in Honduras. It was instant gratification knowning how and what i did mattered, here it a much longer process. hard to explain. it's difficult to have such a clear vision of one's purpose and then it changes. I am adjusting, though. I have been looking for another house. i think i found one - more to come on that when it actually happens. i am ready to start another chapter. well, i better get back to work. hope all is well in cyber-land.