Away

We always hear the phrase "where there's a will, there's a way" - this is so true! I came down to Lima last week to be with my mom and help her as she recuperates after going through a terrible infection and complications with the diabetes (which invovled 8 days of hospitalization... I arrived for the last 4)

Before coming down I was concerned about how things were going to play out and what my role in the process was going to be. I was also worried about not knowing "the ropes" of the systems here in Peru, not being familiar with diabetes, not knowing the doctors, etc. Basically I was jumping in to a situation that had already been rolling and I was supposed to pick up the ball and keep going.

It really is amazing how when we want to make something work, we find a way of making it work. This sometimes involves not knowing all the ins and outs, or having all the answers, from the very begining. I think that a key component in order to succeed in situations like these is trust in God. Trust that He will help us make the correct decisions, trust that He will help us adapt and understand quickly (in my situation, I had to quickly understand the difficult medical terms and learn the difficult names of the medicines (and what each was for)... why can't medicines have simple names?)

As human beings, we can manage way more than what we think we are capable of. Many times we are held back by our fears of the unknown.

People Watching

im trying to blog from the airport. i have managed to delete my post 3 times...

im on my way to lima, and have been spending time at both the atlanta and ft lauderdale airports...

why do people wear sunglasses inside? (by "wearing" i dont mean on the top of their heads)

why do people travel (which involves pulling carry ons and lots of walking... sometimes fast) in stilettos? why do they do so in tight clothes?

why do people eat chili dogs at 9am?

why do people talk to strangers when its obvious the strangers do not want to interact?

you can learn a lot (mainly about yourself) while people watching...

PS- why do people think they can get on a flight when its 5 minutes before take off time? why do they make a scene about it when they are the ones that are late? (the were going to la guardia...)

Cookoo for Giblets

The other night we had a baked chicken - the ones that you buy fresh at the store and all of it's insides are in a little baggy. Today looking in the fridge I found the baggy's contents (which grossed me out). Come to find out Norm had boiled the chicken's insides with the idea that they could be used as treats (for Pellet and Cal). It ended up looking like this:

Take 1:


Take 2:

No-Big-Deal Fire

Norm as he's grilling out [in a nonchalant manner] : Do we still have a spray bottle with water?

Me: yeah

Norm: is it safe to spray on food?

Me: sure- it was a windex bottle but it's had water in it for years

Norm: can you please get it so I can put out this fire?

Me: ....

Disclaimer - we all know Norm is an excellent cook, the fire was a bi-product of the chips put in the grill to smoke the ribs

Some are Called Young

Today was my brother's birthday. He would've turned 36, however, he only lived to make it to 23.

Once I was told to not ask God "why?". As hard headed as I am, I have asked Him "why?" and it has taken many years to finally figure out that I just should've listened from the very beginning.

I do not know, let alone understand, why my brother was called so young. All I know is that he lived short, but he lived intense. His life has provided ample examples for all those who knew him.

We miss you Beto!

Deer in the Yard

Looking out our kitchen window we see this...