Well I've Moved

Both literally and figuratively. I now live in Chicago and I now blog at www.naphandlys.com so check me out there!

Pay to Blog for realz?

So my hubby suggested that I check out if I can get paid to write because apparently I'm not to shabby at it. I was writing a cover letter mock up for him and some basic pointers he should emphasize in his resume. So that triggered something. It could have been the handsome man speaking to me, or the fact that we are in dire need of money but I figured I'd seek it out...what's it take from me? A few words? My ideas? I mean really...not to shabby me thinks.
So I'm researching it and checking stuff out and think that a circus freak has a 3rd leg so why not?

lovies

The Decisions We Make

Well we just have to be ok with the decisions we make right? That is what I'm struggling with right now. We had two choices. Stay in a small town while I worked full time in a call center. It was good pay but that didn't really matter since our cost of living was, ironically, so high. Such is the cost of living in an old drafty house, the rent may be cheap but there is a reason! So it was either work 40 hrs a week and be alone, in a small house, in a small town, with my closests friends at least 1hr away, and my husband on tour with the band for a month. OR move to Chicago on our tax return, be together for almost 2 weeks, have hubby leave on tour, have no income whatsoever but also have minimal bills (which don't seem so minimal when you have no income, get it?), look for jobs for over a month straight with no leads, but at least be in the city we know we're going to be staying in.

Difficult I know! Things have improved a bit. I have a job for about 8 hrs a week working with a concert production agency. This is great because it's in the line of work that I want to do. It's not great because it doesn't pay much, takes me 45 minutes to get there and I have to pay tolls. But at least it's something right? So I've gotten a call back from two retail stores and finally have an interview with good ol' Starbucks for a management position but I'm not holding my breath. Both retail stores are part time. In fact one called me and offered me the job but said I was over qualified and thinks that I should decline, which I did because they couldn't pay me enough for us to live. The other retail store has me on an interview tomorrow but again, it's part time and they probably aren't going to offer me enough for us to survive in the city. I'm holding out for coffee connection.

I was talking to Naph about this the other day, how it's hard for me to see other couples who've been married half the time we are doing twice as good. Generally this is because the dude in the relationship works full time and we agreed that if Naph was going to pursue the band thing then he wouldn't be able to work, at least not at the beginning. So now he is finally available to take part time jobs but again, it's a hard economy. I think he'll find a job faster than I will because he has mad skills in design and has a great portfolio, but again, he can't work full time.

And in this current climate, generally women get paid $.70 to ever $1.00 that men get paid and I'm really seeing that reverberate in all the jobs I've checked out. It's discouraging. So how do we see God in all of this? How do we know this is what we're suppose to be doing, and where we're suppose to be? When will we get our own place? When will we get jobs? When will I be able to start the career I've been thinking and praying about for so long? Everything seems so elusive. When will I even get time to send out our support letters so that we can go on the missions trip we've already guaranteed being part of?

I mainly wanted to bring you in on this because I really need prayer. The longer we go with waiting the smaller my faith gets. I need to be in the word and on my knees a lot more but my discouraged heart finds it hard to even do that. I know for a fact that I'll look back on this one day and see how much God has been in control of things, but right now my blinders are on!

Either way, my heart is hardening and this isn't good. My husband is trying to console me and my mind tells me he has no idea what he's talking about even though I know for a fact he does. I need a little reality check, a blessing check, and a faith check....

The New Irvin's

well I had the opportunity to be a bridesmaid in the wedding of one of my dearest friends. You may remember the engagement shoot that I did, yeah...it's that couple. Anyways, they got married last weekend and it was awesome! You know when there are two people in love that marriage is just the natural next step for them, yeah these two people are like that!
So I did a few pics for them when I wasn't bridesmaidzing. Luckily they had a real photographer there so the pressure was off.

Anyways, enjoy these pics and I'll write an update tomorrow on how the transition is going with our move to Chicago and my sweetheart's major festival tour is going.

Lovies

Awesome Abigail

So I've told you about this fantastic girl.

She is an awe inspiring lassy let me just say. So here's how the story I've been dying to tell you goes:

Abby is currently homeschooling with these awesome parents of hers:

They also happen to be Naph and my kind of life coaches, mission trip leaders, reasons that we think we can be cool someday and all round Godsends.(They are also champions at the game Ninja pictured above.) They are also amazing parents. Rebecca did, for a fact, go to school to become a rocket scientist..yeah...she's wicked smaat (Smart for those of you not from Maine).
So anyways, Abby took this test. This test is unlike any other test I've heard of in my life and if I ever had to take it I would crawl into the fetal position, cry and loose all self respect in my level of intelligence.

So Abby needed to know seven subjects. She found out about this test and decided she wanted to make a run at it...four weeks before the actual test. Now you say, "silly Alyssa, tricks are for kids. And that is way enough time to study...psh I study the night before." And to that I would say "Well you're better than I am, I study 10 minutes before." BUT This is not just any ordinary test...this was an Oral Test...and  its a Rebecca Larsen FACT that, if you did not breath you could complete this test in approximately 2 hours. Abby finished it in 1hr and 30 minutes...yeah..awesome #1.
Before I go into these subjects it is worth noting that this was quite the feat not only for Abby but for her ever supportive padres. They had to help her memorize and learn tons of information! So, to commend her for her brilliant efforts, they gave her a precious gift! The charm bracelet below.
Rebecca made an agreement with Abby: for each subject she passed she would get a charm and when it was time to tell her sweet papito she would simply show him the charms that reflected those subject.
So OK, if you quickly flip through these pictures you say " Lys, darling, you said there were seven topics but you show 8 charms."
Well let me tell you. Most students had a whole year to prepare for this test. Abby did it in 4 weeks.
About a week before the test "those people" said that now, in order for a student to receive a certificate, they would have to pass the test 100% rather than a lower percentage that they had stated at the beginning of the year. DEFEAT, I CRY, DEFEAT! Rebecca said at this point Abby would get most of the stuff right when they quizzed her at home but there were still some things that were very difficult for her.

Well they kicked it into full gear, day and night and night and day they toiled and memorized and danced and pulled out their hair. THEN Test day came!

Before going into her test Abby's sweet supportive Mommy gave her this charm:

It represents the amount of heart and umph that this girl showed. Rebecca & Eric wanted Abby to know that going into that test she had already succeeded because she decided to try. Even if she didn't get all her subjects her parents would still be so proud of her for even having the nerve. She wasn't allowed to come out and say what she didn't pass but rather would come out saying "I came, I saw, I conquered...even if I didn't pass all the subjects."
SO Let me show you what subjects she passed and what she had to know to pass them. Remember this was an oral test. (You may already know because well..I always give too much away, story of my life.)
1. Eiffel Tower

Subject: Geography. Abby had to know all the capitals and countries of pretty much the whole world. Her hardest part was South America which Naphtali and I vicariously helped her with due to our extensive and exciting lives in SA. She may have also learned a rap that was even more cool than us...but that is neither here nor there. She also had to know most lakes and rivers and large bodies of waters...globally!
(I would already have failed)

2. Fleur De Li's

Subject: Latin. This was the only written part she had and she had to know..um...I think 30 different Latin words. She could either recite or write, she chose to write.

3. Key

Subject: History/Christian timeline: Abby had to know 160 events in history, in order starting from creation and ending...well I dont' remember where..my brain hurt after they told me she had to know 160 of them.

4. Crown
(The charm for this one fell off but has been replaced)
Subject: History sentences: She had to know 24 sentences regarding history. And I don't mean Alyssa sentences. They were long winded run on sentences that I can't even remember.
She also had to know all the presidents. In order for Abby to retain this her mother wrote a SWEET poem. I shall have to get that and post it...or she shall have to copyright it and produce it because its SWEET!

5. Fish

Subject: Science: Oceanography, animals plants etc:: She had to know anything there is to know about the animals that live under the ocean, the plants and habitat and all these other facts that I can't retain in my brain.

6. Dice

Subject: math: times table 15, squares and cubes, geometry: OK..so math is my worst subject and I wanted to kiss her feet after this.

7.Little Girl

Subject: English: She had to know all the crazy things about the English language.I don't even remember all the things she needed to know for this but she still can recite them and she does it so quickly you have to kind of look stupid while you're trying to comprehend them all.

So...as you can see, she got all the charms because she got 100% on this test!
She passed, quickly, correctly efficiently and she's retained it!
She rocks my socks. Not only because she passed, but because she passed of her own accord. She wasn't pressured she wasn't forced, she just wanted to, so she did.

So now you know why I've been so humbled not only academically but my determination level and confidence. This girl's got it! And she couldn't have done it with out supportive parents. Which she had 100%. They are her biggest fans. The coolest thing is that Rebecca loves learning so much that she finds great ways to teach and she really circles it around the type of person she's teaching not the material she's teaching so each person is treated individually for what they can do. It's a formula for success pretty much..pretty much.

Now...go and feel stupid and know that a 12 year old can totally kick your butt in any subject. At least I know Spanish...wait...she's learning that too...danget.

I Want His babies

You know how you and your spouse set up a "5 year plan" until you think you will be ready to have children? Well that was our plan, it's been all along and it isn't changing any time soon. *Hint hint* I'm not preggers. But I have to tell you about something that just melted my heart into pieces and, as PW would say "I died." So here's the scenario. My amazing husband and I were hanging out this weekend with some dear close friends of ours (they did our marriage counseling and are pretty much the main reason we are as awesome as we are...really it's by association.) Anyways, they have these four marvelous girls, yes four...all under the ages of 12, four girls, two parents, one house and us. This is our birth control...except for this last trip. But I'm getting ahead of myself. First I have to tell you that I'm going to be writing a little blog about the oldest Larsen daughter who is an amazing woman! Let's just say she puts anyone who ever wants to learn anything about school to shame because she just rocks. Pretty much. 

Anyways, so I was hanging out with Larsen ladies 1-3 when I was trying to figure out where Larsen lady #4 was. She is five, her birthday is the day before mine, she is the baby of the family and she steals my heart. We quote her often in the NM household. Anyways I had been snapping shots of the Larsen ladies #1-3 and went to find #4. And this is what I saw:

Can I have his babies now please? Oh my word, seriously, he was teaching her how to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star...which, by the way, he didn't know so he learned it on the spot for her. Ugh...I"m in love and my ovaries just flipped.
Ok..that is all I wanted to share with you. I promise to become much more dedicated to these blog posting, I have quite a bit to show you! Lovies.

6 Years for Realz!

So I have done lots of editing for my favorite newly engaged couple, but, first and foremost, I wanted to let you in on a new link of ours. Alas it is not the new website yet, but that is in the deep throws of development and hopefully will arise glorious and beautiful very soon!

BUT seriously, the site I wanted to show you was our new Flickr account because I just don't want to inundate my whole blog with so many pictures in a smaller format so you can't really see them. So you can check the full M & T album out at here. It is our new Flickr account. Apparently I had this one from way back when which has our favorite wedding and honeymoon pictures (apparently way back when was less than two years ago) and then I deleted my Yahoo! account. I tried to get back in so we could take that Url off so we could use it on our new Flickr account, but alas yet again...no such luck.

Now on to what really matters...my hubby and I. (Well for this post at least).

Today is our 6 year anniversary, not marriage but dating. We met way back when in Ecuador South America and since then we've been to Maine, Alabama and all the states in between and even some beyond, Malaysia, Spain (I was there vicariously), Chile (where my heart lies) and the Dominican Republic. We've lived in two locations since being married not to mention the handful with our respective roomies before we got married, we've been to lots of festivals, wasted lots of miles on our car, traveled to Chicago and back too many times to count and joined in the frequent miles club with Amtrak.

We've been in the biggest fights with each other, with others, with ourselves. We've been to concerts, pubs, restaurants, parks, parking lots ;-), beaches, mountains, churches, friend's homes whew..we've been every where and back again (Thank you Bilbo).

I intend to write our story on here at some point. It will be a chapter by chapter deal (copying PW is what I do, she is my blogging role model). There is so much to put in there, so many stories, feelings, conversations that it will take a while and, to my great demise, I am way to detail oriented when telling stories.

*One time Renaissance Man asked me to write out how he proposed to me and it took over three pages. He made me get it into 3 paragraphs. It wasn't as good as the original. *

Anyways, I just think back on how many years we've dated and how we're going on two years of marriage and it's just flown by. Life is ever changing for us. We've been in some what of a stagnant place recently with our current location but from it we've learned patience, faith and trust. We've had time to grow with each other and spend quality time with each other.

I know many couples who in the first several years, if not over the course of their whole marriage, they've only been separated a few times by work trips, tours, etc. But in our relationship RM is on the road several weeks most months, and when he's not gone for weeks he'll be gone for a few weekends. So we've had the torture of separation but the ecstasy of reunion. That feeling, when he walks in the door even if I haven't seen him for 4 days, is just the best. He is SO HOT!

Learning to take part of my alone time as time for me rather than time for self pity and loneliness has been vital to getting through those times. Which will be a whole blog unto itself.

But all this to say, the man I fell in love with 6 years ago and married almost 2 years ago, is still stealing my heart away each day.

Well, I could write a novel more but I will stop here b/c I'm sure many of you are just about the hurl. Thanks Renaissance man for picking me. *He would say "I didn't pick you, we were predestined to be together ;-)*

A Few More

Well I have a few more pics done. They are pretty darn awesome if I do say so myself. Photography is just so much easier when you have a super attractive couple to help! So here you go!

This was taken at the Civil Court.

The joys of the Citygarden

For real, this couple is so sexy!

And of course the ring!

The colors are a little off b/c I manipulated them for web, but the couple will have the originals and hopefully they like them. I'll probably put the pics up on Facebook but I know the colors will not be completely attuned.

Oh well. I hope you like!

Miranda & Troy

So this adorable awesome amazing couple got engaged yesterday...and I took pics of them today. AWESOME! It was totally not planned at all and just spontaneously worked out and I got over 1,000 pics for my first ever official shoot!

I'm totally pumped and stoked and excited and nervous and encouraged and well...you get the drift.

So I couldn't wait and did a quick edit on a picture that so far is my most favorite of my 100 favorite (I couldn't choose just 25 for realz!)

They are planning on getting married this summer! So they are getting really close to the date but it's going to be beautiful and they are going to be such a great marriage!

Anyways, enjoy this picture and I promise more will come soon...potentially along with the big reveal of our new website which is looking SWEEEEET!

Cuban Coffee or Cortadito

(* Clarification from my wonderful Tia Lisi: Mom and I were just perusing your blog. just a couple of points of clarification. Cafe Bustelo is cuban coffee, not Italian. also we don't usually use condensed milk...we use either regular or evaporated. The "experts" make a "pumita" by steaming the milk so its nice and foamy. me alegro mucho que esten disfrutando las tacitas de cafe!*keep this in mind as you read :-) sorry!)

My husband is half Cuban. His grandparents are Cuban refugees who've been living in this free country for over 40 years. They had a wonderful life in Cuba: an hacienda, careers, extended family, earth that belonged to them and someday to their children. All that changed with the rising power of Fidel. They brought with them few possessions but many memories, traditions and stories.

A few months after Naphtali and I got married a package arrived for us...at the wrong house. Abuela had sent it to the only address of ours she had but we had recently moved. Thanks to sweet retired truck driver Lloyd, we got our packaged. Lloyd is one of those guys who has just a caring heart and happens to be married to the funniest polish woman I've ever known. Lloyd has an illegal CV radio in his house so he can listen to what the Cops are doing. :-) Anyway, Lloyd called us and told us we had a couple packages. One of which was from Abuela which held something invaluable.

She had given us a set of six espresso cups and saucers. She gave us this precious set which she had brought with her to the United States so many years ago when fleeing her mother land. Naph and I haven't used them since we got them because we've been too nervous but today that changed. We made cuban coffee and used these heirlooms. It was delightful!

My sweet man, who I think I shall dub my Rock Star from here on out (we'll toy around with the names..), will be making me a LEGIT blog at some point and we'll transfer all this over there along with, hopefully, a story about these cups..I have to get with Abuela on that one :-).

So in the meantime, if you want to know how to make a "cortadito", or "small one."Here is how you do it.

First a "cortadito" is espresso made with a percolator and then mixed with sweet and condensed milk...which we didn't have any of so we improvised. It was still ever so tasty.

You will need: a cuban coffee maker or percolator, good fine espresso coffee, water, patience, cups that make you feel nostalgic, sweet and condensed milk or 1/2 & 1/2 or whole milk which we used today, sugar-preferably as close to sugar in the raw that you can get (if you are using S & C milk you won't need sugar), and time to enjoy this piece of heaven.

First get a good espresso coffee. We are partial to Cafe Bustelo which is delicious and finely ground, 100% italian coffee

.

Then you pack it into the base of the percolator.

Fill the base of the percolator with water. It should have level marks on it so take it to the highest one if you want a good 4-6 small cups out of it.

Then put the coffee in the base of the percolator.

Screw the to of the percolator on (I know these are in depth but I just got a new camera and I am obsessed...bear with me :-))

Put the stove on Medium:

Let it percolate:

Isn't it beautiful?!

Get out your espresso cups:

Aren't they beautiful?

Add the milk:

And Sugar:

Pour the Coffee:

Then all you need to do next is marry a Cuban:

And enjoy!

New Pictures

I've been starting to take and edit pictures thanks to the help of my darling Husband who has been teaching me Photoshop. I'm really excited and I'm thinkin...I'm not to bad. We got a new pro pro camera. A Canon 20D. We're definitely satisfied right now with it though we can tell we'll definitely want to upgrade. This one has a few glithces and I've not had tons of time to check it out completely.

Anyway I got two great models, Troy and Miranda to let me shoot them after a little birthday celebration for him at a great sushi restaurant downtown. We went out until about midnight and I'm sure I would have had a ton more quality pictures of I knew how to shoot at night but practice makes perfect right?!

These first two, the first is the edited and the second is the original. Vice versa for the second set. My Cuban Rock Star is making me a special website so I can make it a little more fancy looking so for now I'm sorry you have to deal with my technological handicaps. :-)

Stateside Once More

Well we've been back over 24 hours now. Naphtali has just finished the show that we came back to the States for and we're trying to keep our attitudes in check. We've had a hard time transitioning back. We...well mainly I was pretty nervous about seeing the house as we had a little bit of drama with the girls that were taking care of it. But things are generally in order, a few broken things here and there which I guess is to be expected.
Our biggest adjustment has been our attitudes for sure. Now that I know this part of my husband's life, I want to have it forever. I've never had as hard of a time leaving a place as I did leaving Chile. When we arrived in Dallas for our connection flight one of the welcomers said "Welcome Home" and Naphtali just got so frustrated.
But we're starting to reconnect with friends, praying more about where we are suppose to be in life and know that God has a bigger plan than this. I'm trying to keep my tongue in check because I'm still having hard feelings towards these girls and gossip is rampant in this town.
So we're back, we're bitter, we're praying and hopefully we'll be thankful before the sun goes down.
Thanks for prayers!
Lys

Time Flies

I'm dying here friends! I can't believe we only have a week left! Hypothetically of course, because we still haven't gotten our tickets! Hopefully that isn't going to be a problem.
Eric Larsen came down to visit for a couple days on his way back from some conferences he was having in Colombia. Eric and his wife Rebecah are our marriage councelors and life partners. Eric has lead two missions trips that we've been on and there are going to be plenty more. He is in charge of a new branch in MTW (Mission to The World, Naph's parent's mission) called GYFM (Global Youth and Family). He goes to different country and talks to people about the struggles and realities of third culture kids.
It was really special to be able to spend some time with him even though we really missed the rest of the family.
Sadly I got a bit sick and am still fighting a little cold right now. Tonight I went to the music practice at Naphtali's old church here in Chile and had a great time, though now I really have practically no voice.
Tomorrow the kids have a program full of dancing and entertainment at their school because the day after that is the Chilean independence day and through out this week there are tons of different activities. It's going to be quite fun.

I've started having slight epiphanies/obvious revelations. I've been rather attached to this girl with whom I've had a slight miscommunication. Now, though I thought everything was discussed, I'm getting more of a cold shoulder. I've had a rough time with this because for me, it is hard to find good girlfriends who are stable and constant. But after talking to my in-laws and my husband I have a bit more of a peace about it. I've decided not to take responsibility for more than I can. At this point I can only apologize for a few things. Whereas I feel like, just because we are having a hard time, I need to apologize for everything so that we can be friends again.
Naphtali and I were talking a bit about that last sentence a bit today. I tell you it's so good to have a guys perspective on things, it's so different and really refreshing. We are beginning to see how friends are for different seasons, which is really hard for me to grasp.
Some friends, especially when you are at different levels (i.e. someone who is still finding themselves and is single and a few years younger, vs someone who's married and has matured in different areas that come along with that). And especially in these types of circumstances there may never be ronciliation until my friend is in our shoes. There will just never be any comprehension on her part until that happens.
So, yeah it's hard but I'm relying on the Lord to allow me to grow from it, refrain from hurting so much about it and allowing it to consume all my thoughts as they so often do at night and I'm going to try and enjoy my last 7 days here because they'll be the last for quite a while and I need to make the most of it. Obviously prayers are always welcome!

To finish things off I've left you a few pictures I've taken recently. There are thousands so these are just a small fraction of what we've see.











1. The view of the coast from our apartment when we were on our vacation to the coast.












2. A seagull on a fishing boat. The colors were amazing! I got some great shots there I'm going to have to work on a bit.













3. The sunset hitting the mountains. This was taken on our ride in from the coast. A beautiful end to a great couple days alone together.














4. A picture of us. We met this woman at the same place where #2 was taken. She said she had one of these cameras back home and asked if she could take pictures of us. Well she took a ton and they all turned out really great. It was a huge blessing!

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Bueno, life just always throws curve balls eh? Naphtali and I have a hypothetical 2 1/2 more weeks here in Chile. I say hypothetical because now that I don't have a job waiting for me back in Greenville and he only has one show forcing us to go back by the end of September, well we're just really tempted to cancel everything and stay down here for good...or at least for another 2 weeks.

Yes, losing my upcoming job was one of those curve balls. I was going to be taking over a dear friend of mine's maternity leave. We had it all worked out and I pretty much had the job starting this upcoming November. But the school went on a hiring freeze as well as laid off over 30 people while I've been here in Chile...so obviously they denied her request for an external fill for her maternity leave despite my qualifications!

But I have to tell you, when I got the e-mail from my friend I wasn't super suprised. I was actually slightly relieved. Is that bad? I was so thankful for the flexibility. That was when I found out. Now I'm realizing we have no income other than Naph's business which is still picking up and we still have bills in the States, so we have to get back and get some mula at some point soon!
Still, I know that God has a much bigger plan for us. I have several different job opportunities in Chicago that could move us up there much much sooner than March 2010 which is when we were projecting getting up there before. Now we've considered possibly going as early as the end of October or middle of November.
Coincidentally three other band members and their spouses have actually had an equivalent unstable change of plans as well. In fact one couple just moved in to their apartment in Chi-town two days ago. The other couple is still figuring out what they are doing, one guy found out his lease is up in October and can't renew and one is close enough he can drive in. So we are all sensing God has a bigger plans for us and we are trying to be faithful and listen. I feel like this is easier said than done the closer we get to returning Stateside.

Either way this time here in Chile has been going by at just the right pace. Obviously we'd love more time but I think if I was here much longer I'd be ready for us to get our own place and set up house for good! It's been wonderful getting to know Naphtali's family in a new and more intimate way. We've done touristy things and we've done normal every day things too. I've gotten comfy with driving down here, getting myself to the malls, having phone conversations and paying for things all by myself with out feeling like a complete retard. I know that sounds odd being I'm in a Spanish speaking nation and I grew up speaking Spanish, but let me tell you! Even the Chilenos agree that they eat their words. It's rather hard to follow a conversation when they go from word to word in one single breath! But I'm catching on to all the phrases, and in fact, I'm back to that place where I can think a little bit better in Spanish than in English...it's just easier to express myself I think.

It's been really great to see my hubby interact with his people. This is where his life was for 20 years and he has friends here that he's know that long! It's so cool to see him laugh with them and talk with them as if they'd never been apart. I've seen a more "wild" side of him, in a really good way. He's definitely more alive down here, I think I am too. We both know we were made for something more than the American Dream.
Last night Naphtali and I went an asado (a grill out) and watched a soccer game with a family he'd known since he was very young. The whole family was there, the grandparents, the kids, their kids, the maid, it was just like I remember from growing up. It just feels like this is where we are meant to be, investing in other people, participating in their families, making memories with people who hold such value in the families.

It's been an encouraging trip to say the least. Naphtali and I are going to the coast for 3 days to celebrate our 1 year anniversary...3 months later! But we knew this was when we would want to take the time to do that. I mean it does sound pretty cool to say we celebrated our 1 year anniversary on the coast of Chile! It'll be nice to have a couple days of solitude too!

Well, it's a late one as usual. We'd like to get up early and take advantage of a beautiful day after a full day of rain so I'm going to hit the hay.

Waiting for a Sunny Day

I've had really great days, really great ones since we've been here in Chile. It's been two weeks yesterday and we've gotten to see a lot of the City that my husband grew up in. But sadly, there have been events in the USA that have made me just ache to be back there to settle them.

My husband is a great man, I can't even begin to explain. But through this whole emotional ordeal for me, he has decided to take over and be the mediator. He's so great at speaking wisely and swiftly and with out adding in all these sentences of nonsense that I just can't seem to get myself to avoid.

I'm trying to get over it, so I'll leave you with a couple pictures that I've been taking to enhance my photography skills:

A portrait of my hubs, it took quite a while to get this shot...if only there were enough space to show you all the ones that lead up to this













A picture of a man playing chess in the Plaza de Armas downtown













Artichoke, 5 for $2.00













My two Marshall sisters playing Boche Ball

Transfer of Sights

So on to new beginnings and new screen names! I've changed over to a different e-mail addy and therefore have changed over my blog as well. I figured licialene didn't roll off the tongue so easily and wouldn't be the greatest e-mail to give to an employer.
As I hadn't updated the other sight in quite a while I'll fill you in a bit on what has been going on in the Marshall's lives as of late.
Naphtali and I just hit our 1 year anniversary but weren't really able to celebrate it since it was right during Graduation Weekend. My parents were able to come down and stay with us for a week which was marvelous! My mom made dinner most nights and she did a lot of cleaning and dish washing and general tiding up which was so nice because I was going a bit crazy with all the things I had to do.
Naphtali and I also just recently got tickets to Chile! We will be there for about two months. We have yet to get our return tickets but that is part of the fun and mystery of it all! We actually were blessed hard core by his parents who let us just transfer some of our miles over to them and then they got the tickets with their miles. We will get the return tickets when we get to Chile as it will be off season there so it will require less miles. This is especially exciting for me as I have yet to see any of that part of Naphtali's life from Chile. I'll get to stay in his home (probably even his bedroom ;-)) , meet his friends, see his hang out places and just experience his life. It's going to be great! His parents are also in the process of starting yet another church with a lot of recently married couples so that will be really fun to have a hand in a bit. Naphtali and I have both been really craving some major ministry investing time!
To that end we were able to hang out this weekend with new and old friends that we do our international trips with. Naph went to Spain a little over 2 months ago now and all the leaders from our area were able to get together and have a little hang out time and a debriefing of how the trip went.
It was so fun to meet new people and establish good solid relationships with other Christian couples who are around the same phase of life as we are. It was also awesome to work through different issues and visions that we all share together for this ministry we've been working with over the past 3 years. More on that in a later post.

SO the long and the short of it is that I've graduated college, we're going to Chile for 2 months and Naphtali's job is starting to take off. He is doing free lance work as a web, print and and other multimedia designer. It's all work from home and it's terrifying and exciting all at the same time.

I'll write more later,

Lovies