NYC 1.5 (part 1)

Over spring break this past week, I flew out to Pittsburgh ("Hellloooooo, Pittsburrrrrggggghhh!" Ando, that's for you. Can anyone else name that movie?) to visit Erika and Kyle in their new home. During that time, Shorty and I made plans to road-trip to NYC. Because, why not? We passed the time in the car by re-living our childhood and singing along to High School Musical and Hillary Duff.

We arrived mid-afternoon in New Jersey, checked into our hotel, and headed for the city. We were pretty stoked! We had 1.5 days to see as much as we possibly could and we were READY!

When we stepped out of our bus stop, I saw this. Whoah. How does one get to be a journalist with the New York Times? Takes more intelligence and political savvy than I can claim, that's for sure.

Our first official stop was Central Park, and we passed the Museum of Natural History on the way.

Central Park, with the leftovers of winter snow melting and the spring sun shining, was gorgeous!

Walking through Central Park  made me want to burst into song and dance, but we had no time for that! We had a tight schedule and were off for Park Avenue.

As we walked by these buildings, I told Erika they reminded me of the ones in Paris. Sure enough, the little plaque on the wall said they were inspired by French Renaissance architecture. #proudfrenchteachermoment

These buildings, however...not so much...

 

 
Our next metro subway (do Americans say metro?) stop took us to Grand Central Station. (By the way, Erika was Miss Navigator, having been to NYC a couple of times before. She did an amazing job! #shoutouttoshorty )

We were on our way to Times Square when we passed the Sofitel!!!!! Shorty and I both got excited, as it was the hotel our family would stay in for vacation when we lived in Ouaga. I'll be honest, I had no idea they existed in New York.

As we walked, I couldn't help glancing up, hoping to see Spiderman.

Finally, we arrived in Times Square!

Still no Spiderman...

Right by Times Square is the M&M Store. I absolutely love m&m's. This place had walls of various colors and flavors! Fun fact: did you know m&m's were initially made exclusively for the military, so that the soldiers' chocolate wouldn't melt? (Erika and I did some research on our way home on the history behind m&m's.)

We had one last stop before heading back to our hotel for the night: Macy's. But first, we needed something to eat. Erika helped herself to a traditional New York hotdog and claims it was quite good.

I chose the gyro sandwich--partly because after watching Jimmy Fallon and Luke Bryan's music video, I felt empowered to order the delicious sandwich with confidence in my pronunciation of it. Somehow, though, I still got it wrong. But the sandwich still tasted delicious!

Did the rest of you grow up watching Miracle on 34th Street every Christmas?

The old wooden escalators are pretty neat!

Once we had ridden the historic escalators and searched for the Christmas section that did not exist, we decided maybe it was time to head back to the hotel.

This is as close as we got to the Empire State Building.

We grabbed some coffee (merci Dad!), took the wrong bus back to the hotel (rookie mistake), but an hour later (and completely safe, Mom), we crashed into our beds anticipating our 5AM wake-up call.

~ O Shepherd of my Soul ~

O Shepherd of my soul,

     You know the way I take;

     How prone I am to wander,

     And Your green pasture forsake.

O Shepherd of my soul,

     You know my wayward heart;

     How quickly I forsake Thee,

     And from Your words depart.

O Shepherd of my soul,

     You bid me come and rest;

     When I am hurt and weary,

     You hold me to your chest.

O Shepherd of my soul,

     You have promised to keep;

     Never will You cast away,

     The one You call Your sheep.

O Shepherd of my soul,

     To You I bring this plea:

     Teach me joy and contentment,

     When all I have is Thee. 

"Like a shepherd He will tend His flock,

In His arm He will gather the lambs

And carry them in His bosom;

He will gently lead the nursing ewes." - Isaiah 40:11

le 2 juin

Today is Melissa's birthday, and as she is all the way in France, (and because I forgot to send a card), I thought I would write a little birthday blog post in her honor. It's a conglomeration of things I love about her, and a few of the memories we've shared together. 

Melissa is hardworking. She gets up early, and after a cup of coffee and time spent in God's Word, she is busy and productive all day. I am always impressed with how efficient she is. She gets so much done.

She has helped me move into multiple apartments and when moving into this last one, she was the main "assembler" of my furniture--futon, bookcase, etc. And who do you think painted my shelves and table for me? Yep, Melissa. I don't know what I would have done without her. 

 

Erika helped, too.

Melissa is wise, and I often go to her with life's important questions, such as, "Which mattress should I buy?"

But seriously, knowing she is grounded in God's truth, I love having heart-to-heart's with her on the phone, Skype, Facetime, etc. What a blessing of an older sister! She is someone who I love to model my life after. Even when I was little, I copied every thing she did. Melissa loved it! 

Melissa is also super creative. She has helped me organize and decorate not just my apartment, but my classroom on multiple occasions.

She's hilarious and totally goofy. She wears hot pink plastic sunglasses because they were a great deal!

Not only is she funny, but she makes everyone around her laugh and have a good time.

It's a little hard to tell, perhaps, but my brother is dying laughing from something Melissa said or did.

Melissa makes you do crazy things as well.

Like pose as a statue in a French zoo...

 ...and do random one-legged push-ups on the side...

...and jump off of super high dives off the coast of St. Malo.

She is super intelligent and loves to play games. 

Melissa is also a huge encourager. She encourages me in my writing and is the first person to whom I send my new works. When I would go on runs, she would come meet me at the end, cheering me on to finish well.

She loves the country--and thinks she is country! 

She loves with her whole heart.

And personally, I think my sisters are simply stunning!

I was able to spend one summer with her in Rennes, which included picnics on the beach, lunch dates at cute cafés, and castle road trips.

Roadtrips with her are the best. We've been on several. She tolerates my overly enthusiastic (dramatic) appreciation for everything. Our favorite roadtrip pastime was choosing a book neither of us had read, and then my reading out loud to her while she drove. 

I got to spend Melissa's 29th birthday with her in Rennes, and today, I'm sorely wishing I could be back there with her again.

I love you, Ita. 

You're the best big sister a person could ask for.

Happy Birthday!

A Hidden Grief, A Silent Sorrow

Have you ever lost someone who was so close to you that you didn't know how to explain life without mentioning their name? Remember the tears? The twisted anguish--like two metal rods twisting around in your stomach squeezing so tight you weren't sure you would be able to catch a breath? Remember how suddenly alone you felt? 

Remember all this. 

Now, imagine that same person actually isn't dead, but alive. The only problem: you will never see that person again. At least you don't think you will. There is always the possibility, but never the certainty. The hard part is, you can't talk to anyone about this person because they just wouldn't get it. They would try. A few might come close. But unless they actually know the person they will never fully understand the hole they leave.

So, what do you do? 

You cry when no one is looking. You hang up pictures in your room. You talk less about the person in public, but your journals are filled with their name. Years pass. People remark how well you've healed. They don't know that one sight, one smell, or one triggered memory can cause the tears to come flooding back. It's a sorrow you can't explain. The wound is re-opened. The pain is deep. 

For me, a TCK, this grief is not caused by a person, but a place. 

when left alone with my thoughts on a cold winter's night...

The Furlough Year

It is,

a Paradox of Time: 

     at once both exceedingly long and much too

          short.

It is,

a Physical Irony:

     meant for rest and yet constantly

          on-the-go.

It is,

an Emotional Whirlwind:

     sorrowful goodbyes swirling into joy filled

          hellos.

It is,

a Returning Conundrum:

     where is home and do I belong

          there?

It is,

a Weighty Transition:

     pack. what?  settle. temporarily? explain. 

          how?

It is,

an Awkward Intermission:

     Lingering remnants of the past bleeding into unknowns of

          the future.

It is,

a Comical Relief:

     laughing over habits of the third world showing up

          in the first.

It is,

a Distinct Dichotomy:

     belonging here, belonging there, but never belonging

          anywhere.

It is,

an Unspeakable Loneliness:

     cannot be explained, cannot be seen,

          simply is.

It is,

a Well-Versed Speech:

     pictures that show four years of life and ministry,

          any questions?