Big Sky, Montana

Greetings earthlings... ahem, excuse me. Greetings friends and family.
Big Sky, Montana.
Melissa and Brady on the lift.


Well, we have now completed 3 days of skiing here in Big Sky. Today I seriously thought my toes were going to fall off because they were so cold this morning on the mountain that I could barely feel them. Dad and I went in to warm them up and they were purple. My boots had somehow gotten a bit wet and froze my toes. We got new socks... it's getting better.

I am a Boggle champion. That's right folks... My family wanted to take me on 5 to 1 but I thought that unfair. So after total domination on my part playing singles, my mom and I took on the other two pairs and still won. Who wants to take me on? Segulja? B Hens (you don't even read this...)?

Tomorrow we go to Yellowstone... the last day of 2008. So weird. It's been one crazy year and 2009 is bound to be very different... just with changes and graduation and what not... I've realized something about myself... challenges either scare me or I face them very intensely head on. Usually my approach is based on the supposed outcome. For instance, I rarely go for things where I have the option of failing. Fear. It can cripple you... Realizing this about myself makes me so much more aware how I depend on my own abilities often times. But ya know... the more I think about the future, the less I can depend on myself. It's a good feeling to know God has a plan for 2009 because I sure as heck don't. I'm learning to trust in God's plan... we all are... one day at a time. Tomorrow the day just happens to be a "turning" point. But then again, everyday can be a turning point... I guess you just have to not be afraid to trust.

The things you can accomplish in 2 weeks.

It has been two weeks since I got back in the U.S. and I don't feel like things have slowed done a bit yet. Since getting back in the U.S. I have:

• spent 2 days in Wichita Falls, unpacking and repacking
• went to College Station for 3 days to visit friends and a few other things...
• traveled to Tyler, Texas for Pine Cove's Christmas weekend with campers.
  
• drove to Dallas for less than 24 hours where I went to the Dallas Christmas Symphony, ice skated in the Galleria and had lunch with 2 of my roommates from last year
• home to Wichita Falls for Christmas with the family and a few hangouts with dear friends
• traveled to Big Sky, Montana via 2 flights and an hour in a rent-a-car with the immediate family... that is where I am now.
  

These past 14 days have been non-stop but so wonderful. To see and talk with SO MANY of my dearest friends and to go to some of my favorite places I missed for what seemed forever has just been a treat. I have loved every minute of it.

Christmas was wonderful... I just love Christmas and everything that led up to it. And I must say... If you have never been to the Dallas Christmas Symphony, you should go. I would love to make it a tradition. Though the vagueness of my future may not be something that allows for that. I am not getting my hopes up. :)

Favorite Moments:
Jake (Squirmy), Me (Funky Chick'n... obviously) and Todd (Pied Typer) at the Towers... my dear friends/ skit compadres
Kyndell (Mohawk) and I at the Towers. :)
With Kristen in Dallas before the Symphony
Ice skating with Kristen at the Galleria
Lunch at Corner Bakery in the Galleria with Kristen and Ashley (Smash)
HIGH SCHOOL REUNION! At one of my many married friends homes (the Mrs. Sarah Johnson). Sarah, Cass, Emily, Lauren, Me and Lacy

more photos to come... especially of Montana... Skiing starts tomorrow!

back in the USA!

As suggested by the title and the over zealous countdown I had going in my former posts, I am back in the United States of America. And yes, it is as wonderful as I had imagined. Be it the wonderful greeting in the airport by friends and family (which definitely brought tears) or the wonderful fires and hot chocolate, or the actual cold weather and Christmas music... I am loving being home.

As promised, I have highlight photos from my trip! Here they are... captions and all... enjoy!
Claudia, Me, and Gloria... my family from Mexico. The Cervantes family...
Nancy, Me, and Ketty... host mom and sister in Peru. They took us out to eat the 4th week we were there. It was wonderful! They were wonderful! I miss them a lot actually. Teryn, Susana, Me... our last night in Argentina. Teryn and I took our host mom, Susana, out to eat. Please note the Christmas tree to the left... also note our short sleeves (That is one reason I am glad to be home)
My dear friend Jessie took this photo of me at Machu Picchu. Of all the photos I am in from that day, this is one of my favorites because it was basically how I looked the entire day. I have 251 pictures from that day. And everyone is so unique to me in its own way. I just like this photo a lot. It is from our trip to Iguazu Falls. The bee just was hovering for such a long period of time, it helped me get the photo. Thanks Mr. Bee.
A butterfly shot. Easily a favorite for me. I took this one afternoon we were at an estancia having BBQ and relaxing. The butterfly lingered for a long while... I enjoyed it thoroughly. From a tribe we went to Sunday morning of Iguazu trip. This boy was just precious.
Cusco, Peru. The Plaza Mayor (or main plaza in town). The flags are the traditional Inca flag on the left and the Peruvian flag on the right. The main cathedral. The fountain which sits in the center of the plaza. I just really like the water and the colors and how everything is included.

So there are some of my favorite photos from the trip! If you are ever with me, ask to see my soon to be photo album, though it will mainly contain my more artistic photos and not so much a play by play of the semester... I can give that as well if you would like. :)

Glad to be home. Text me! Let's be face to face friends again!

heading home...

It is a bit surreal that I am writing the post titled, "heading home..." Starting tomorrow at 10 a.m. I will begin seeing tons of people whom I know so well and love so deeply on a very regular basis. I will begin receiving text messages and voice mails on the phone I haven't used in 16 weeks (feel free to leave me voice mails so I can have some when I turn my phone on tomorrow!). I will drive my car around the state of Texas. I won't have to speak in Spanish unless I want to. I will sleep in a home that really is my "home." All of those things are just so hard to believe...

Teryn and I took our host mom out to dinner last night, and we were talking (yes, in Spanish) about how fast the time has gone and yet how incredibly slow it has felt at times. I remember thinking at different times this semester how I wish time would pass much faster. And yet, I know that each and every moment on this trip has taught me things. I wouldn't trade this semester for anything... the incredible highs and hard lows.

I leave Latin America tonight... for the first time in 16 weeks. 16 weeks really doesn't sound all that long. Though each week served a purpose in my life. There are so many reasons I am excited to come home... really, hundreds. And yet I do love these countries deeply. They each have such different things I love about them. I am so grateful for this experience. Incredibly, incredibly grateful.

I will continue posting... especially with my life still in so much transition, from coming home to Christmas break festivities to a final semester of college and who knows what after May. I love blogging and hope you enjoy following my life.

... and I promise "highlight" photos as soon as I am in a place with consistent internet connection! See you soon!

Happy 18th Birthday Zach!!!

Gosh... my little bruver turns 18 today. That is just so hard for me to believe... He is seriously one of the coolest people I know. Sometimes I feel so goofy showing people pictures of him or talking about him because I am either super impressed by things he does or says or I just want people to think I'm cooler because of my brother.
(who knows when this photo was taken... probably my sophomore year of college... watch Zach grow up in these photos... it's quite humorous. )

There are definitely perks to being the middle child. Aside from things like getting to do things sooner than say Melissa because she blazed the trail for me (thanks again for that!)... one of the biggest benefits to being the middle child is the proximity in age I have to both of my siblings. I am 3 1/2 years from Melissa and 4 1/2 from Zach. This has allowed me time with both of them individually... Zach for most of my high school because Melissa was in college and I got to drive Zach around. In college I got to be near Melissa a lot. It has been one of the biggest blessings in my life to get to know my siblings as friends.
I could not be prouder of Zach and more excited for him for so many reasons... a senior in high school... extremely smart, his test scores make me look bad (I just claim the creative child card when that comes up). He is just really respectable. I think high school is hard... let's be honest, aside from the pains of junior high, there is a peer pressure peak in high school that is unworldly. And I think my brother has done a great job in the midst of what high school can become for people.
This photo is from my junior (?) year of college at a family friend's wedding reception.
This is definitely Easter... again... I think my junior year.... is that the same shirt as the previous photo? I kinda think it is. So these photos were definitely taken within months of each other.
This last golden photo is from the last night I saw my brother... and foreshadowing... He is now going to be an Aggie! Whoop! Gig 'em Zach man! I will get to see my little brother again in about 48 hours (whoa...) after he finishes a half-marathon. Run hard! Happy 18th! See you soon... I love you Zach!

December 10th... oh yes.

Man... can you believe it is December 10th? I leave South America on the 13th. Those numbers are extremely close...

Yet today is also my cousin Stephanie's 18th birthday! How crazy is that! 18... and a senior in high school. That is just hard to comprehend at times. I didn't have a good photo with Steph (something I can fix over Christmas break) but I did have this one that I found humorous. It's more a shout out to the hot dog roast at Thanksgiving than a portrait in honor of a birthday... but it is what it is. Technically, Granddaddy's face is the only clear one in the photo. But somehow I caught Steph shaking her head for the photo.

In other news, tomorrow is my final day of classes for the semester! And boy am I ready for that... switching classes in every country has been a good change of pace but the courses definitely "run their course" during the 5 weeks.

And... today I am returning my bike that I rented during my first day of school. It is sad to think that I am done with my bike here, and yet, refreshing to think I go home to MY bike on Sunday. Yesterday I went for a long ride home enjoying the parks and my bike and I's time together. This is a photo of me and my bike in our kitchen. Every night my bike got parked right against that wall. Did I ever mention that I have to carry it up and down a flight of stairs everyday. That is not something I will miss...
... another post coming Friday (I wonder what for...?... ahem, Zach)

free days in Buenos Aires

Yesterday, Monday, not only being 5 more days til I am home, was also a national holiday (refer to previous post). So I slept in, went to the zoo , a market in Recoleta where I bought even more things for people (a bad habit), and went to read and journal in the park. Something I have said before but will continue to reiterate... people here take more advantage of their parks than anywhere I have ever seen in the U.S. I love going to the parks here. Granted listening to music as my skin is cooked in the sun isn't the most December-like thing I've ever done but nevertheless, I do enjoy the parks.
at the zoo
You can ride in a horse drawn carriage, or rent a bike as these girls below. I just rode my bike around after a while of laying down and listening to music.

"He who appoints the sun
to shine by day,
who decrees the moon and stars
to shine by night,
who stirs up the sea
so that its waves roar—
the LORD Almighty is his name."
Jeremiah 31: 35

Sometimes I wish I could capture the feelings I have when I am doing something here to bring home. If I could, I would put them in a jar and share each and every memory I have with each of you. Yet I know that is impossible. I WILL bring home photos, stories, things I have written down throughout this process. Gosh... I want to share with all of you what is going in my life, yet I know that as I am processing for myself what has even happened this fall, I cannot put many of them into words. I hope to be able to put into words this semester... but realize that questions are always appreciated. Questions help me process (an ongoing thing) and not just give a vague answer to, "how was your semester?" That question will almost always elicit the response of my pausing, and not having any words that would begin to describe living in 3 countries, speaking a language not my own for the past 110 days, living with different families, traveling and sharing experiences with 19 others who none of yall know (Melissa sort of). That last sentence in itself elicits so many feelings and stories... I look forward to attempting to put into words this experience.

4 days!

National Holiday

Today is a national holiday here in Argentina, celebrating the immaculate conception, thus, Immaculate Conception Day. We don't have school... on our last week of the semester, so that's pretty cool. I'll be honest, today's not having school pales in comparison to the excitement of coming home in 5 days... we leave late Saturday night and fly all night til we land early Sunday in Houston. Then, it's a flight at 9am to Dallas where I will be able to see friends and family!

But enough of my excitement about that. I have today to live, and tomorrow and the next few... to live in Argentina. I am going to the zoo and to a few parks today, on my bike. It is SOO hot and sunny here. A change I know will be drastic but in many ways appreciated. I was trying to sing Christmas carols on my bike yesterday and it just isn't the same when you are pouring sweat and getting a sun burn.

These photos are from the awesome bookstore I went to last week for class... This one is of the bookstore itself. Note the balconies (it was a theater before) where they now have books.
These are some of my friends, from left to right: Jane, Teryn (roommate in Mexico and Argentina) and Michelle.
This next photo is me, my friend Jessie, and our professor... who is so cool. I mean, we went to a cafe for class because she likes it so much. Then later we forced her to talk to us in English because she only can talk to us in Spanish... it's Spanish class. It was awesome... she would start giggling kind of when she spoke in English because she likes it so much. haha.
I plan on posting more this week than usual... who knows how that will go. I love you all... VERY SOON!!

Happy Birthday Melissa!!

Today is my dear, dear sister's birthday! She is turning 26... The crazy thing is I just saw her a week ago... unlike everyone else I know. She is the best sister I could ever ask for. People always tell me when they first meet us how similar we look and speak. But give them some time to get to know us both and it becomes evident that we are different in many ways. I thought, along with photos, it'd be fun for me to point out the things in Melissa that are the things I am grateful for ...[This photo is the night Melissa got engaged to Brady... we are in what was then Brady's house, followed by Melissa and Brady's house, is currently my house at school, and perhaps could be Zach's one day... now that he is an AGGIE! Whoop!]

She is a great friend. To me and to others. You know those people who call you to tell you things when they've thought of you, or who see something and get it because they think of you when they see it. That's Melissa. She loves to get people the perfect gift. And the perfect card... Hallmark does well with her as their customer (so when you get a card from Melissa, it means more than the average person). I have things from Melissa that I know she specifically picked out when she thought of me in some location. They mean more for some reason...
[This photo is from when I got my Aggie ring.]

Something I am grateful for. Melissa has more or less paved the way for me in my life. Be it jr. high, high school, Kappa at A&M, Grace Bible Church, A&M in general. For the start, this may seem unimportant, but Melissa is such a hard worker and so loyal to the things she gives her time to, that to follow in her footsteps has made my life 100 times easier. In high school, being called Melissa on accident, wasn't a put-down. In fact, it probably helped me out more than I know.

Melissa is really good with numbers and math. Granted, I am horrible at things like accounting or simply converting money, but she is REALLY good. She graduated with a masters in finance after 4 1/2 years of college. Then she got a CPA. That's really accomplished if you ask me. Even when she was here she kept talking about the exchange rate and she made a deal with me about converting the pesos she had so she didn't lose money. I don't know how to explain it... all I know is I am glad I have a sister who can help me with my taxes. :) haha.
Melissa can pack bags like you wouldn't believe. She could win contests with how she packs. I remember in high school I would always have her help me pack because she can find space out of nothing. She also is very efficient... with packing, and bringing things. She is very reliable. If you ask her to do something, it always gets done. And correctly.

She loves kids and works so well with them. She will devote herself to things so fully. Soccer, gosh, she loves soccer. And other sports. I thought this was untrue for a while, as I just faux-liked sports until I realized I didn't like them as much as the people who are watching them (haha... that gets more true every time I write it). But she really likes sports. She knows stats and stuff sometimes. It blew my mind when we were sitting in College Station one weekend a few years ago and I realized, she really likes this (I think we were watching a basketball game at Tim and Tara's)!! Now I love it... I love that she loves sports.

Something else I really love about Melissa is that she knows me really well. There are times when something happens or I am trying to make some decision and she can really make me think twice about what I am doing, in the best way possible. I can be a little impulsive, she thinks through things and IS the oldest child (in so many ways)... whereas I AM the middle child. I am grateful that she is my sister... and not only that, but a best friend. (tear)
Happy Birthday dear Sister!! ... see you in a week! ahhh!!!

midweek thoughts...

I wish I had pictures to post... but lo, I haven't uploaded them to my computer and I am not with my camera because I am at a corner cafe using their wifi. But... today my friends is 10 days until home. That means tomorrow (Thursday) is in the single digits. SINGLE DIGITS!!! I was telling that to one of my professors today as we tried to translate single digits into Spanish. I just couldn't help saying "single digits" with extreme enthusiasm! That also means I have been gone for 100 days... that's crazy to think about.

This week has been really good. I felt a little sick on Monday and Tuesday, I think from exhaustion. Melissa and I just did so much and I am used to moving slowly and taking things in... we like sprinted through this city from sun up until sun down... and it was wonderful!! I saw so much while she was here and we just got to enjoy each other. But... it wore me out.

This week, my 4th week in Buenos Aires, I have had dinner with both one of my roommates' sisters who is living here in Argentina as well as my parents' across the street neighbors. It has been wonderful to see people from my life back home so frequently all the sudden... from Melissa to Meghan (roommate Ashley's older sister) to Wes and Kathryn (Falls town neighbors). It is prepping me in some ways for coming home.

I am at the point where as excited as I am to come home... I know I need to really do some reflecting and really begin processing this semester. In some ways, that will be impossible until I am on the outside of it. In other ways, I need to mentally prepare for this trip to end. That is just weird saying it. I know that 9 days will go incredibly fast. I know that the past 100 have as well. There have been times it couldn't move any slower and vice-versa.

This morning for my Spanish class, we met at this really cool bookstore. It made me miss Barnes and Noble... do you know how many memories I have at Barnes? WAY TO MANY! From going there the morning I left with Mom and Dad, to going there almost every Sunday that I've worked at camp (Tyler Barnes and Noble... how dear you are to me), to studying there so many times in College Station... or not studying because the books seem to call out to you. It's a curse, bookstores. But needless to say, I loved this bookstore. It used to be an old theater. Yes, a theater! The stage is now the cafe! How perfect! The middle is all the books with the wrap around balconies on multiple levels housing even more books. I will return. I MUST return. :)

So many random thoughts running through my mind... but continue emailing me updates because I love being caught up on yall's lives, even when the time away is short. I love you all, my blog-readers, and am getting excited to recall events and photos to you in person. But know, that I will want updates on yall's lives just as much. :)

with love,
kimberly

Beautiful Uruguayan Day Trip

So yesterday, Friday the 28th, Melissa and I headed over to Colonia, Uruguay. It was a 1-hour boat ride on a ferry/cruise ship type of vessel. We got our passports stamped (always a bonus!) and just basically got to relax and walk around a beautiful city all day. We ate a traditional Uruguayan dish we read about. It was a lot of meat, among other things.

We bought some cool souvenirs, and just got to take pictures. I have learned, though I already knew this, that photography is something I love very much. It doesn't hurt when you have a beautiful place to photograph, but it is really just so much fun. Perhaps I'll start a photography business (Kristen?)... haha.
One of my favorite stories from the day was when a small boy, holding a kitten next to the road turned to me and said, "hola senora, quiere un gatito?"... which basically, he greeted me like I was an older adult and asked me if I wanted a small cat. I told him no. He then said something to the effect of they were left in a tree. I told him he could keep it. haha. And walked away. It was awesome. Senora... ha. I'm 22.

Today Melissa and I got up and made blueberry pancakes once again. We then headed out to hit up some markets and stores. We made some good purchases and saw some cool stuff. The more I walk around Buenos Aires, the more I am intrigued. There is just so much to do here, and my feet tell me that Melissa and I have definitely done a lot this past week.

Hah. Today we were walking down the street and passed one of the millions of ice cream shops. There was this cardboard man with ice cream as a poster in front of the store, and this little girl passed it and said out loud (and quite cheerfully), "Hola Senor Helado!"... Which translates to, "Hello Ice Cream Man!". Melissa, in her thorough knowledge of Spanish now, even knew what she said and we both laughed out loud. It was great!

el Día de Acción de Gracias (Thanksgiving!!)

Today was Thanksgiving... a day to remember, most definitely. Melissa and I woke up later than usual and made blueberry pancakes for breakfast. I love pancakes and waffles, and have really missed homemade pancakes or waffles since I've been abroad. In Wichita, my Dad makes waffles a lot. And at school, we made pancakes a lot. So breakfast this morning was a great reminder of home.
Then Melissa and I walked around Palermo (our neighborhood) through parks and then got to go paddle boating. It was extremely fun and something that we had been planning on doing for a while. It was a great, fun, relaxing afternoon in the park.
After we paddle boated we ate hot dogs from a park vendor. This was also a great reminder of home, since on Thanksgiving night we always have a hot dog roast and make s'mores as well. It was Thanksgiving "dinner" for lunch...
Melissa and I have been doing the best this week to get all the ingredients we need to be able to make our Grandmommy's ranch biscuits. We finally got everything we thought would be possible, as well as ordering take out from T.G.I.Friday's, and an apple cake and whipped cream, AS WELL AS tang! It was all the things we thought would be necessary to re-create Thanksgiving here in Argentina. The ranch biscuits ended up different from Grandmommy's but were still really good. It was such a blessing to have Melissa here with me in Buenos Aires to be able to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving to all my dear friends and family. I am extremely grateful for each of you and cannot wait to actually hug yall and tell you how much I missed each one of you! I hope you were reminded clearly today about God's blessings in your life. I definitely feel blessed... Love you all.

Today is Tara Suel's Birthday!! (and Sera Suel)

As I walk around different cities and countries... I have this fond love for finding cool trees. One of my dearest friends who shares that same love has a birthday today... THE Tara Suel. Not only do we share a love for trees, but also for random craft items (such as cool pens, journals, paper, buttons, fabric, etc.) but also for coffee and Starbucks. And I might add, there are very few people who I would be willing to wake up for at 5:50am in order to be at an outdoor pool by 6:15am in February... Tara is that person. And yes, we did swim in an outdoor pool last spring... from cold days to warm days. Those were some funny early morning memories. Happy Birthday Tara! Some tree photos in honor of Tara...
On Monday, Melissa and I probably walked more miles than we ever expected. We took a 45 minute bus ride to La Boca in order to see the interesting painting of the buildings. The photo of me is from La Boca... also home to Buenos Aires' beloved soccer team.
Later we walked around, somewhat backtracking at times... to find different spots where we had read about. One of the cooler places was a building that used to be the tallest building in South America. It was supposed to have tours on the hour, but the guide was studying for the day... so we gave ourself a "self-guided" tour and went to the top of this building where the roof was just littered with random items, as if no one had ever stepped foot out there for a tour. It was perhaps one of those moments where you think, should we be here? But then... why not? We WILL take photos of this city... Melissa's photo is from the top.
Later Monday night we went to one of the BEST restaurants I've ever eaten at. Incredible tenderloin, an incredible baked potato and some awesome starter items consisting of different breads with dips. The view of the harbor at sunset helped as well. We enjoyed that meal thoroughly after a long day of walking.