LA PLAYA!

Well I suppose it's time for another update from the world of la Pura Vida. This past weekend (10-12) I traveled to Manuel Antonio, in the province of Puntarenas, with two of the students, Rachel Brown and Lauren Drake. I had never been there before, so it was a new experience for all of us, which was exciting to share! Trevor (one of the staff members here) drew me what came to be called "The Magic Trevor Map" which was basically one of the most detailed, well-drawn maps I've ever seen. Haha. But seriously! He told us lots of good places to stay, good beaches to go to, and good places to eat. And boy, was he right! We basically just followed the map around for all the things we wanted to do. It was a life saver, because none of us knew anything about Manuel Antonio before we arrived!

Saturday morning we left early from San Jose, for the 4 hour bus ride. Once we got to Manuel Antonio/Quepos area, we began the 2 hours of walking around looking for somewhere to stay. The first place we walked in offered us $60 a night, but we had no view, so we thought we could find something better. Thus, we wandered up and down this road for a while, finding places from $85-185 a night (and this is the low travel season). Eventually we were hot, tired, and wanted to be at the beach. So we wandered back to the first place, who then told us they now had a room with a view available (it was always available, they just weren't going to give it to us in the first place unless we haggled a little). We took it, done deal, with a pool and breakfast included. Awesome. So we wandered around after dropping off our stuff, and spent most of the afternoon at this very secluded beach called Playa Biesanz, which was nice. That night we hit up a Tapas bar called Salsipuedes, then headed back to relax in the AC of our room. Awesome.
Sunday we got up early for a delicious breakfast, then headed to el Parque de Manuel Antonio, which basically is jungle/beach area all in one. The first beach we got to was awwweeesome (see picture) and we stayed there most of the day before heading to the other side of the peninsula to the other beach, where we had fun exploring on the rocks. Then we hit up this place called Barba Roja (Red Beard's) for a yummy supper and dessert. Loved it.

Our last morning (Monday) we got up, ate breakfast, then spent an hour in the pool, since we had to check out early and head back to Quepos to catch a bus to San Jose. We just had a great time wandering all around and getting to know the place. It was a wonderful, relaxing weekend, and I finally worked on my tan a little. :) It's nice to break up the monotony of life once in a while with these trips! :)

Yesterday (Friday) was the students' last day at ICADS (spanish classes) and so we went over in the afternoon for their graduation, which was fun! :) Then I went out with Trevor and Laura for a little snack time and relaxation after a crazy couple of weeks.

I also have been going to the gym now, which is awesome! I just signed up on the 9th, it's a brand new gym just a little up the hill from LASP, so I usually walk there from work most days. It has been great to work out, and since I paid for it, I really make myself go all the time. I am liking it, and looking forward to see how my "training plan" will help me out! :)

Basically, life is going really well here! I am truly feeling comfortable now, and really enjoying what I am doing and especially the people that I am working with! The only cruddy part is that I know I'm only here until May..and so now I've got to start applying to different things I may want to do after this experience..but I really have no clue at all what I would like to do. Bah. Asi es life, right? We'll see how that goes in the coming weeks. :)

Well, I love you all and miss you like crazy! I can't wait to hear from you!!!
Peace.

Nicaragua: Lots of food. Lots of love.

Well, we just returned from a 12 day trip to the beautiful country of Nicaragua. As usual, it has opened my eyes anew to love and hospitality. In Nicaragua, food = love. Well, maybe it's more accurate to say that food is a Nicaraguan love language. They show us their love and hospitality with plates filled with gallo pinto, eggs, and the infamously salty strong-smelling Nicaraguan cheese. They sit and watch us eat, as we smile and shove the food down our already-full throats, our stomaches literally expanding minute by minute. They kill one of their chickens, just to feed us chicken. They run to the pulperia for Coke, just so we can drink it. Nicaraguan food is not just sustenense, it's a labor of love for the visitor; a hallmark of great Nicaraguan hospitality.

We were welcomed into this world of hospitality for one week during our Nicaraguan trip, when we all lived near/around the capital city of Managua with different host families. I lived with a pastor and his wife outside of the city of Masaya, sharing time with them and their 5 year old daughter Genesis. It was a week of being: sitting in a chair with a fan pointed on me (more hospitality) while my host sister and I colored and drew pictures. A week of sharing with my host mom, when she was less shy and talked to me more, a week of riding in the back of pickups, a week of drinking more Coke than I have in the last 4 years (literally) and loving it, a week of processing and thinking about what life looks like here. I had a great time sharing with my family and learning from them, as well as learning from the other students in my group and their families.

One girl lived with a family who makes hammocks and sells them for a living. Basically the whole family works together to make hammocks/bracelets, and they make a total of about 10 hammocks a month. When we were at the border I saw people selling hammocks for $5 each. So, if this family sells theirs for $5 each, and they actually sell all 10, that would be $50. For a large family. For a month. Yeah. They were just the sweetest, most awesome people ever. So happy, always laughing and smiling, and always happy to share with us. Hermana Marta (the woman who makes the hammocks) even was paid by our host families to make one for each of us. How awesome is that, to have a hammock from the woman I know made it? And how challenging to look at it everyday and realize the reality that her family lives in. Now that's a gift.

This is the Nicaraguan adventure: sharing with people, making comparisons, trying not to rush to judgements about culture/poverty/etc, feeling lost, frustrated, and confused. And at the same time, feeling loved in ways we never imagined we would feel. This is why we do it, this is why we love it: Nicaragua.

On a side note that isn't so deeply reflective, I also celebrated my 23 birthday in Nicaragua! So that was really exciting! We were in Granada, and on my birthday we took a tour of the little islands that are along the shore in Lake Nicaragua (one of the largest freshwater lakes in the entire world, where a canal was originally supposed to have been built instead of in Panama, but that's another story entirely) and it was GORGEOUS and so fun! :) I had a great time just relaxing with the students as we all worked to process our week in Nicaragua, and just enjoyed living life together in a new place. We had some awesome lunch on an island, had a monkey commandeer our boat, and ended the night with some great pizza and cheesecake! (I know, I could hardly believe it either!) :)

All in all, it was a great 12 days that I wouldn't trade for anything. Glory to God for all the relationships formed and lessons only begun to be learned from this trip. What a blessing we all have been given through these opportunities. :)

Amor to you all. I miss you mucho mucho. :)

PS: If you don't have facebook and would like to see fotos, check out this link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2014222&id=137900097&l=1cb2fc74fb

It's supposedly supposed to allow you to see pictures on facebook even if you don't have facebook. test it out and let me know. :) LOVE!

We went to Limon!!! Now....Nicaragua!!!

Sooo...we went to the beach! Playa Cahuita, to be exact, in the Limon province. It was great!! So let's just do this day-by-day :)
-Friday: We headed towards the Atlantic coast on Friday morning after a charla with Alex Grant about race/diversity in Costa Rica, specifically in the Limon province. It was a great thought-provoking charla, that allowed us to be honest about some previously held ideas about race and racial interactions in our own context. On our 3 hour drive to Limon (yes, that means Lemon), we stopped at coffee, pineapple, and banana plantations. Did you know pineapples grow on the ground and not in a tree? True story. And a banana "tree" is actually a banana PLANT. Keep 'em straight. Anyway, at the banana plantation it was so weird to be there (for my 2nd time) and to just see again all the people that work everyday packaging bananas for the US and Europe. We wanted to go out and walk among the banana plants like we did my semester, but they had just sprayed pesticides, and so we weren't allowed to go into the field. Hm. But there were workers out there, and we EAT the bananas out there, but we couldn't walk among them? I don't know, that's just weird to me. People always ask, but isn't it better that these people are being given "good" jobs instead of just left alone? I don't know, is it really better to work in a job where you don't get paid a fair wage, where you're exposed to pesticides that can cause sicknesses? Complicated.
So the rest of Friday was spent getting to Limon, and then I went out with the staff for a good supper at the Black Star Line Restaurante, where we had some good rice and beans (they say it in english in limon!) and then we headed to TCBY for some yummy desert! :)
-Saturday: We traveled from the center of Limon to the Kekoldi BriBri reservation, where for the first time I translated (!!!) that was so exciting! It went a lot better than I had thought, the time flew by, it felt like 2 minutes to me but really she talked to us for 2 hours! Crazy! :) We went to the beach, which was beautiful, and it only rained just a lil bit! :) Haha then we saw some monkeys, who got really close to us and tried to steal all our delicious fruits! Jerks. But they were cute (minus when they were hissing at us and showing their sharp little teeth!) Then that night we all ate together at the same Black Star restaurant, and we danced the night away, sweating our butts off in the hot humid weather, and we even had an impromptu limbo contest, which was awesome!! :) Then we headed back to the hotel and I chilled on the porch with a bunch of students, talking about deep stuff and not so deep stuff, and just sharing life together. It was great! :)
-Sunday: We headed to a Methodist church in the morning, where they sang hymns (totally awesome!) and the people were sooo amazing, they made us feel totally and completely welcome! :) On the drive back we watched Monsters inc, which was a great bonding experience as usual! :) Then we all finally arrived back in San Jose and headed back to our host families after a great weekend of activity and yet, relaxation. :)
So now things are in a bit of a whirlwind at the office as we prepare to head to nicaragua at 6:30 am monday morning! :) I am very excited, and not as anxious about it as the first time around, I think now I'm a little more able to do this "one day at a time" thing, and not worry about anything until it's actually happening to me. :) So pray for open hearts, and for us to see how God is working through us and in us. Pray for our host families, that we will not too badly disrupt their lives, and that we can show them hospitality and compassion like they are going to show us. :)
Thanks for reading, know that you are all daily in my thoughts and always in my prayers!!!
Con Amor.

Vamos a la playa!

We are going to the beach!
Well, okay, not right now, but on Saturday we will be in Limon ("we" meaning the whole group) and at the BEACH. Ahh. I'm psyched, obviously. :) But in other news...
So, I talked to Andres on Monday night, and it was actually a really good convo. I confronted him about ignoring us, and he told me that if I hadn't been with the other girls (who his gf doesn't like, and vice versa) that they would've come to say hi, but his gf feels really weird around them. So, I guess I could partly accept that, but not totally. Whatever. And I apologized for also not taking the initiative and going up to greet them, but I didn't really feel like it was my place. Sort of awkward. But we talked it through, which was good. And then he told me that he and his gf are thinking about going to another church, where they can make some mutual friends and she won't have to feel so awkward, which sounds like it would probably be the best situation. So anyways, it's over for good, but I think that at least some friendship remains, which is what I hoped most for. Whew. Complication-over.
Laura Frey is completely back on the market, folks. Tell your friends.
Haha okay well don't get that extreme. ;)
Thanks again for reading and praying! Know that I am missing you all and praying for you as well!! Much love and peace to you all!!! HUGS!

When your heart speaks, take good notes. -Judith Campbell

I like this quote (see blog title). It's so true, and it's something I'm always trying to do more of. Whenever I'm unsure/lost/confused/sad/happy/seeking/whatever, I find myself scribbling in my journal late at night. Taking notes "of my heart," if you will. And whew, does it help. It's like therapy sometimes, seriously. And boy, after this weekend, did I need that therapy! :)
Sooo I went to Naranjo (again!) this past weekend, and it was a weekend of really good times, and really..not so good times. I digress...
Friday I showed up at the church, because Friday nights there is a time of prayer, and that's where my host family was. Anyways, so I showed up, didn't notice at all that Andres was there until the very end, and he hardly talked to any of us, which was weird. Afterwards my host sister said to me, "Que Grinch estuvo andres hoy, verdad?" (what a grinch andres was tonight, yea?) Which I heartily agreed with, because he was. Haha. So then comes Saturday...
Saturday was a nice day, I relaxed a little, then helped move stuff from my host sister Kris' house back to her parents house, because a few days ago she and her husband decided to get divorced. When I was here a year ago they were separated, but then got back together, but now are definitely going to get divorced. And she's the same age as me. Yeah. Yikes. Sad stuff. Then Saturday evening we had a activity at the church for the young people (high schoolers & anyone not married who's under 40 basically) which was awesome. We played some games, one of which I won (think Simon Says). It was awesome. :) And Andres was there, and actually was like, almost totally normal with me. And I just thought in my head, WHEW, finally, we're getting to a normal stage where we can just be friends, great, everything's going to get better from here. (Save the next step of that story for sunday). So after church, we headed back to Kris' house to watch the CR vs. Mexico game, in which CR lost terribly (the national team isn't so great, and Mexico is pretty awesome) so that sucked, 0-3. But we had a great time yelling at the TV and eating dinner together. It actually made me feel like I was at home watching some OSU game, so that was nice. :) Fast forward to....Sunday.
Sunday: We show up at church, and I knew that Andres' girlfriend was going to be there with him, so I basically was mentally prepared to feel awkward. I had told him earlier in the week (after he told me she would be there) that it was going to be nice to finally meet her. Well, Sunday comes along....and nothing. Andres completely and totally ignored all of us (the group of friends who all usually hang out together). Yeah. And in this culture, you always greet everyone, right? Yea. It was like we didn't even exist. Needless to say, I was a) shocked and b) ticked. I mean, what is that about, right? Ugh. I was basically just kind of disgusted with the whole thing, because you know what, friends are friends. You don't just ignore people who are your friends because your significant other may get mad, or if whoever else you are with doesn't like them, right? If I've ever ignored any of you for that reason, I immediately ask forgiveness, because it feels like crap to be the person ignored, that's for sure!
So now what? That's the question I keep asking myself. Tonight's plan is to call Andres and get this all out in the open. But from where I stand: it's over. Which actually breaks my heart, a lot, more than I thought it would (yesterday I went from mad to crying myself to sleep, to mad again today). Ah. But really, I just can't stand people that act one way around some people, and totally different around them another day. I mean, what is that about? Ugh. So me, practically the queen of awkward relationships, will be hard at work tonight trying to keep from completely losing what I think could be a great friendship. But any more than that? I don't know anymore if that's a possibility I would even want.......

Just pray for a pure heart, to trust God's leading of my heart and words, and for boldness to speak the truth. Once again, thanks for reading as always. :) much love and peace to you all!

Michael Landon? In costa rica??

Graffitti is so weird. (see above picture). I found this in what used to be a restaurant when I went to Naranjo to visit my host family from last year. I highly doubt the actual Michael landon wrote that, and why would anyone want to write that for him? Strrrange.

In other news, the students are here, and they are doing great! So far, so good! They all seem super tranquilos, and really nice too! I am excited about getting to know them a little more, it should be great! On the 11 of Sept we head to Limon, on the Caribbean coast, so that should provide us with a little more group bonding, which im psyched for! =)

So since the students arrived last tuesday night (1 week ago, whoa!) things have been non stop insanity around this place. Wednesday we had orientation all day, then Thursday we had to meet in downtown San Jose so the students could go around and explore the city, then Friday we were in LASP all day until 420, and then I left right away to head to Naranjo to hang out with the host family again, and was with them all weekend! So needless to say, after I had dinner last night with Trevor & Laura (the couple I work with) I came home and was OUT. It was the best Ive slept the whole time Ive been here, which was great! (Perhaps it was the wine...haha).

The Naranjo trip was great this weekend, though things were still a little awkward with Andres. But, I just mentally decided that someone had to get over it, and that someone might as well be me. Haha. So I just acted normal, like I always had before, and I think that made a big difference. Basically I just get the vibe that we are both unsure of what to do in this situation, so any prayer about clarity would be much appreciated. I told him this past week how I feel, and so basically the ball is in his court. We will see what happens, I am in constant prayer for a new heart and new eyes to see my place in Gods love story for Gods world. Theres always something new to learn in life, yea? =)

Well I hope that all is well with you all, thanks again for reading and keeping up on the life and times of Laura. =) I miss fall, I cant believe for 2 years I have not experienced fall or the Fulton Co. Fair. So make sure to watch a football game, wrap up in a cozy sweatshirt, play in some leaves, and eat a funnel cake and drink and milkshake for me. =) Love you all!
Paz y amor.

Today's the day!

Have you ever eaten sauerkraut on a hot dog for breakfast? I did today. Not too shabby, actually, though i'm not the biggest sauerkraut fan. But pair that with some fresh pineapple, a glass of grape juice, and some coffee, and you've got yourself the breakfast of champions. ;)

The students arrive TONIGHT! Crazy!! I am so anxious to meet them all. Life has been so calm around here thus far that I can't really imagine how much it's going to speed up in the coming days! It's so strange, I feel like I'm waiting for all the students from MY semester to get here, then I realize I don't know any of these crazies that are coming. ;) Haha but it's exciting, I am looking forward to it! They arrive at 8:45 pm, then we all spend the night together in this center thing, then tomorrow begins the craziness of orientation week..ahh, how I remember that week, just a year ago........

So in other news, I went to Naranjo this weekend to visit the host family that I lived with last November. It was AWESOME, to say the least, to see them all again! It was so weird, it felt so normal, but it was weird because so much time had passed and so many things had changed, me included! I arrived Saturday afternoon, had a good lunch, then spent the afternoon catching up. My host sisters, Kris, Yorleny and I, then picked up some tacos for supper and watched two movies together (17 again, and "My super ex-gf") The first movie: thumbs up. 2nd movie: not so much. But it was GREAT to hang out with them and get to talk with them!! :) Sunday we all went to church together, and it was sooo awesome to see everyone from the church! My host mom told me that no one really thought I was going to come back, at least not so soon, so they were all super surprised to see me! It felt really good to actually complete my promise, to actually come back again. I don't know if I've ever really felt so good to actually hold true to my word. Hm. But it was great! And I saw the infamous Andres, hahaha. :) It was really good to see him, just so weird that when I did, everything just sort of flooded back over me. Whew. Strong stuff. But it was awesome, we walked to the pulperia (little store) together before church, got some candy, talked: it was great. Ahh. Then I spend the afternoon with the family and the neighborhood children, who are crazy and adorable :), got to play with like, three six-month olds! (yay, love babies!) :) And then boarded the bus at 4:30 to head back to San Jose.....Ahhh. It was great to reconnect, and I am excited to see over the next 10 months how friendships will grow and change with my friends in Naranjo. :) The plan is to head out this weekend on Friday and stay until Sunday, since the church service this week is saturday afternoon. Que chiva!

I am super pumped for all that is to come, as we ready ourselves to get to know the students, prepare the office for their arrival, and as I grow more comfortable in my role at work, with my host family, and in the country in general. Here's to the excitement of change!!

Dia Tres!

Just some pictures from my house of my room, the view from my room, and my office!! :)

Well, today is officially day THREE of work! whoa, how the time has flown thus far! :) And so far, so good!
I still love being with my host family, I am trying to soak in this super-tranquilo (calm) time with them before the students arrive, although it's kind of hard sometimes too, just to be reading or watching TV while my sister studies (she has a LOT to study!). But I don't mind it too terribly, I do love reading! Plus Laura, (yes, I work with someone named Laura. ay. We need to find some good nickname for me, and fast. Hahaha :) but anyways, she has tons of awesome books, and she just loaned me this one called "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle." I read 2 chapters the other day (one about asparagus, haha not as boring as it sounds!) and it's super interesting! I definitely recommend it to anyone. It will greatly challenge your food choices. It's good. :) Anywho, yea. My host mom and I (since I've been getting home so early) have been watching this telenovela together that starts at like, 4:00 and ends at 5. I usually catch the 2nd half, so she catches me up on what's going on, we watch, we talk, then she goes to cook "supper" / cafecito. So it's really just chill.

Work is awesome as well, so far so good! Thus far I have organized some library books (and am going to be helping set up the new organization system for that), sent some emails, did some research on how to improve our website, typed in some reviews of the "Mini-LASP" that some professors just did here, and other randomness. I like working in this kind of environment, where I'm given things to do, but then have some independence to do them. It's exciting. :) And it's exciting to think that the students will be here in less than a week, but I'm also just enjoying this time of calm before the storm. ;) Hahaha. I don't mean that in a negative way! It will just be way crazier around here. :)

The first day the head honcho, Don Antonio, told me that I should think through what some of my goals/priorities/expectations are for this experience, so I know now what I want to be working at. Hmm. So I've been thinking about that for a while. 1) Work on my Spanish. I'm planning to be tutored like, 1 hour a week specifically to work on some Spanish, which should be great. 2) Get to know the staff on a new level. They are the ones I'll be around the most, and I want to learn from their experiences what it's like living and working in a foreign country, and what it's been like working with college students in this type of environment, since it's something I may want to do. 3) Get to know students. I do want to get to know the students, and spend time with them and let them feel like they can tell me about anything. But I guess I don't want to just get totally and completely wrapped up in hanging out with them. Which brings me to #4) Getting closer with my host family/ with the friends I have now in Naranjo and Grecia. I would like to spend some weekends out in Naranjo and Grecia, though not all of them; maybe not even a majority of them. But i guess 1-2 times a month I would like to go out there and reconnect with everyone, just because they were so special to me, and I would like to continue getting to know them and spend time with them over the next 10 months. Yea. Well so after thinking about it, I guess that mostly sums up the main part of my goals here. Plus, get some job experience, travel experience, and maybe sort of search around to see what kinds of jobs are lurking around in Central America, just in case I want to work here someday. :) Which is possible! Anything's possible!

Well, I sincerely thank you for reading my ramblings. :) Know that I miss you and want to hear from you any time!! Oh, and I'm going to post a few pictures at the bottom of this post, just views from my house, views of my office, and of my room. All the pictures I have for now. :) May God bless you today and onward, and I thank you for your friendship and for reading my blog. :) Amor y paz.

Ya llegue a costa rica!!!

Here I find myself once again the land of PURA VIDA! I am so excited to be back in CR, though of course it was insanely hard to leave home and my family and friends. I am going to miss you all SO MUCH, but like my mom told me on the day I left, its easier because I know Im following Gods call.
So far, everything is GREAT here! When I arrived on Friday, my co worker Laura picked me up at the airport, and we talked the whole way to the office. It was great to see all the professors again, and to know that I will get to know them on such a different level this time around! Im very excited. Then I settled a bit into my OFFICE (with a window, ooo) =) Haha which Ill post some pics of later.
Then they took me to my host familys home, which is just about 10 minute drive up the hill, and it is so pretty! They used to run a restaurant out of their home, and it is so beautiful here! The view is insane (which ill post pictures of later) and they are the sweetest people! My host dads name is Oto, and he teaches at a sort of vocational school. My host mom, Beatrice, is an awesome cook. I will not be going hungry! Then my host sister Maria Fernanda is 18 years old, and is studying in her first year of medical school! They are all super nice. Yesterday, because it was Mothers Day in Costa Rica, we went ALL over and visited family! Awesome, but needless to say, a bit tiring for me! =) We went to Santa Ana to visit la familia de Beatriz, and stayed there for a few hours (we even ate KFC for lunch, totally made me think of home!) and then in the afternoon-evening we went just down the road from my house to Otos parents house, where his huge family all gathered for some cafecito and lots of laughter! All in all, it was a great time!!
Now today is sunday, and my family doesnt really go to church. So, i think I might have to do a little searching, and see where I can go on Sundays, because I think i will miss it way too much not to do anything for 10 months! This morning I just decided I would read from Psalms, to focus on praising and just on God this morning. It was really good, and I think ill probably read the same ones again tonight, just to get them in my head. I like having this time set apart to really get more into the word. This next weekend im thinking about visiting my host family and friends in Naranjo, and ill definitely go to church there! So well see what happens. =)
Tomorrow is my first day of work, so im glad i have today to just sort of chill and relax, update you all on facebook (we do have internet in my house, so im on my sisters laptop right now), and just spend some time. My sister is actually gone right now, because shes taking lessons to get her drivers license! Crazy crazy! And my host dad is actually at work all day, pobrecito! So its just me and my host mom, whos doing some laundry and cooking something that smells AH mazing. shoot. im going to have to find some way to work out around here. =)
well, i suppose this is all for today. as soon as i finish decorating the office, and i upload some pics from the house, ill be sure to send it all your way. =) i miss you all soooo much, and thanks for taking the time to read my wandering thoughts. =) muuucho amor y muuuuchos abrazos y besitos!!!!!!!

Wow I'm bad at this.

Yikes people. The last post on this blog? February. Yikes again. Lo siento (I'm sorry!)
Well, here it is, the 23rd of may (24th technically) and I cannot believe where I am in life. Graduated from college. Moving to costa rica in 2 months. Friends getting married. People spreading across the globe. My sister going into jr high. *sigh* sigh*sigh*. Ch-ch-changes are always coming along, aren't they? I feel pretty prepared for most of them at this point in time. I mean, graduating college was weird, but it was most definitely time for it to happen, so I'm good with that. I mean, of course I will (and do) miss being surrounded by all of my friends, but you can't stay in one place forever. I find that as bigger changes come and go in my life, I learn how to take them a little more easily, or at least I can find new ways to handle the stress and fear that comes with change. One day at a time. I realized the complete truth and importance of this little phrase during my study abroad experience in Central America, and I try to remind myself of it every single day, in every minute that I feel scared about the future or begin overthinking life just a tad too much. One day at a time. Here I am, in this moment. How can I love God? How can I love people? WHAT is most important in this very moment that I find myself in? These are the questions that I have to learn to ask myself. What is this moment meaning for my life? What will I give in the time that I have in this one day? I don't need to freak out about the future, because I can't control it. Heck, I can't even control the present, really. And oddly enough, I am becoming more and more comfortable with that fact. Hm. It feels nice when God displaces worry at the center of our lives. :) I am here on purpose; with a purpose; to love God and love people. Finito: the end. Fin. Love is life, and life is about loving. Yeah, I can sleep well with that on the brain. :)