cruisin'

2 weeks ago, ismael got a bike. here's what it looks like. this isn't it but it is very similar. the back tire on his bike is thicker than the one on this bike. we can't ride together yet because his bike is missing the foot pegs for the passenger but they have been ordered, so you may see us riding around GR pretty soon (hopefully we can take advantage of the weather before the cold comes!!!)

busy

phew, it has been a crazy busy couple weeks for me. work has started in full swing (prep for Fridays, hiring tour guides, hiring hosts, etc). grad school has started for me again but this is my last semester, I'm writing my thesis this semester and I am super excited about that!!! students have moved into the house and it has been an amazing experience, our retreat went really well and we all seem to be getting along great. ismael has started classes again as well, one at GRCC and one at Calvin and he'll be going full swing at Calvin in the spring =) God is good, he has blessed us with so much in the past few years. we are in awe of how much He has done for us!!!

looking ahead, work will continue to busy and schoolwork will be keeping us busy but we are looking forward to the week of thanksgiving: going down to orlando, fl. we've also been talking about going to miami for a week and to pennsylvania for a week at christmas break. ismael's cousin, cynthia had back surgery and is awaiting her next surgery (has been in the hospital for a couple months now) and we really want to try and get over there to see her. PLEASE keep her in your prayers that her back is healed quickly and that she does not become restless in her hospital bed.

thanks for keeping up with us!

life as a child

it's amazing how the years pass by. there are days where i wish i could return to my childhood but then i realize that we're all headed in the same direction and that God has an individual plan for all of us. memories are a wonderful gift that He has given us. enjoy the moments while they last.

camera

today i decided that my camera must be in my purse at all times. we were driving home from the mall in grandville and saw the most beautiful sunset EVER. i'll attempt to describe it here but my words won't be enough. to my left the sky was dark (like nighttime) to the right the sun was setting (awesome shades of red and orange) with some light and dark clouds. the moon was out while the sun was setting and it was the thinnest crescent moon i've ever seen, if you would've blinked you would've missed it. beautiful. this is why my camera will always be with me from now on.

vanessa

is summer almost over?

summer is by far my favorite season. i also enjoy fall and spring (not winter so much) but absolutely LOVE summer. this summer we traveled to the bahamas and the dominican republic and have taken some trips to lake michigan, which i've come to appreciate much more this year. in past summers, i haven't been very fond of swimming in lakes but this summer was a blast. this past weekend we had project neighborhood mentor training at big star lake. here's the beautiful sunrise:

i am super excited for what's ahead in the fall. project neighborhood. finishing grad school. ismael begins engineering program @ calvin. thanksgiving. christmas. orlando. disney. miami. pennsylvania. road trips. can't wait.

chipotle!

on wednesday i didn't bring a lunch to work and i didn't like the food they had on campus so i decided that i would go to chipotle for a burrito (2nd time i've been there!). let me back up and say that i was wearing my calvin admissions cardigan that day. so, i go to pay at the register and the manager starts commenting about how students are coming back soon and then he offers to give my student team free burritos. of course i was like sweet, but what's the catch? so he said they just want publicity, so i gave him my business card to set it all up. he called after lunch and said he wants to do this free lunch thing next week but my students don't get here until september so he asked how many people were in my office....and that's how i got 50 FREE burritos for my office for next week...all thanks to my lucky admissions cardigan...

you learn something new everyday

today, i went out to lunch with some fabulous ladies from work for pupusas. here's a picture:



it is a traditional meal from El Salvador and very tasty! loroco is one of the fillings you can get in pupusas but we didn't get a very good explanation of what it is from our server, so i found it here:
http://www.worldcrops.org/crops/Loroco.cfm

if you've never tried pupusas, you need to go NOW!
2046 Division Ave S
Grand Rapids, MI 49507

if you're even more adventurous, try one with cheese & loroco...happy eating.