She Can Fly! She Can Fly! She Can Fly!

[Wendy:]
But Peter, how do we get to Neverland?

[Peter:] Fly, of course!

[Wendy:] Fly?

[Peter:]
It's easy! You think of a wonderful thought!

[The children:] Any happy little thought?

[Peter:] Uh, huh

[Wendy:]
Like toys at Christmas?

[John:] Sleighbells,snow?

[Peter:] Yeah, watch me now, here I go!
It's easier than pie.

[Wendy:] He can fly!

[John:] He can fly!

[Michael:] He flew!!

[Peter:] Now you try!

[Wendy:]
I'll think of a mermaid lagoon.
Ahhh, underneath the magic moon!

[John:] I'll think I'm in a pirate's cave!

[Michael:] I think I'll be an indian brave!

[Peter:] Now, everybody try!

[All:] One, two, three!

[Children:] We can fly, we can fly, we can fly!

(they all crash)

[Peter:]
This won't do. What's the matter with you?
All it takes is faith and trust...
Oh, and something I forgot! Dust!

[Wendy and John:] Dust?

[Michael:] Dust?

[Peter:]
Yep, just a little bit of pixie dust!
Now, think of the happiest things...
It's the same as having wings!

[Wendy:]
Let's all try it... just once more.

[John:]
Look, we're rising off the floor!

[Michael:] Giminee

[Wendy:] Oh,my!

[Wendy:] We can fly,

[Peter:] You can fly!

[All:] We can fly!!!

[Peter:]
C'mon everybody, here we go! Off to neverland!!!

[Choir:]
Think of a wonderful thought
Any merry little thought
Think of Christmas, think of snow
Think of sleigh bells Here we go!
Like a reindeer in the sky

You can fly! You can fly!
You can fly! You can fly!

Soon you'll zoom all around the room
All it takes is faith and trust
But the thing that's a positive must
Is a little bit of pixie dust
The dust is a positive must

You can fly! You can fly!
You can fly! You can fly!

When there's a smile in your heart
There's no better time to start
It's a very simple plan
You can do what the birdies can
At least it's worth a try

You can fly! You can fly!
You can fly! You can fly!

My next adventure begins in London where I learn how to fly! I have the best teacher. You'll be meeting him soon enough. My adventure contains every sort of transportation possible, plane, boat, taxi, train, the "tube" or metro, and an English car [you know how they drive on the left side of the road and have their steering wheel on our passenger side]. So many pictures where to begin?




Here we have the classic red telephone booth in London. What's really funny is that this was our meeting spot for our Fat Tire Bike Tour, but we realized this after we had finished taking our pictures. For another pose, P and I were in each phone booth pretending to talk to one another and I actually started talking to myself to get into character...;-)









Here we have a youth getting a head shake from the "Bobby." P and I learned this phrase from P's cousin who we stayed with while we were in London. Can you believe these uniforms are for real? I just couldn't help but giggle every time I saw them. Actually, I would often stand in the street in a fit of giggles or I would try to decide if it was okay to take pictures of them.















Here we have the famous Rosetta Stone! I learned about this in my Humanities I class at UNI. This was just so cool to see in person.















Now as I mentioned earlier my travels included using the train. Who can pass up platform 9 & 3/4? I must tell you that this was in a pretty ridiculous location, but P and I managed to find it on our own. It was cool to see, but not quite what I had expected. In reality, P and I used the train at St. Pancreas not King's Cross.









This was too pretty to pass by. So I thought I'd play Alice and pose amongst the daffodils. It was a bit chilly though so I only had my winter coat of for the picture. This was in Kensington Gardens which were beautiful. I would have loved to have just strolled through this park more or just leaned up against a tree and read a book.




Alright here we have him. Peter Pan! I can't believe that I walked through the very park where Peter Pan was written. It was a fabulous park for inspiration and exercising your imagination. I enjoyed taking flight even if it was briefly.














Yes here I am imagining myself as Robin Hood. I think I look pretty natural don't you? Although I need to get some green going. This was at the Tower of London. What a fun filled day of history and loads of stories!






More pictures...Sherlock Holmes are you home?, London Bridge, The Eye, and my good friend P!



Hasta Luego!

Where's Carol?

Ah yes Paris known as the city of Romance and wonder. 13 of us piled into a bus for our 17 hour ride to Paris. I rather enjoyed the great view of the mountains, valleys, and the ocean. I met so many wonderful people from Australia and New Zealand! Every day my friend B and I met a family or couple from Australia. We saw so many things and used our energy up to the last drop everyday, and I thought Disneyworld was draining...

The first stop B and I made was to Notre Dame. This would be the back view. Notice how the one tower is really black, well just a few years ago lasers were used to clean the centuries of dirt that had accumulated on this noble structure, but they decided to leave this one tower untouched to show the contrast. We didn't have to wait long to reach the bell tower of the infamous Quasimodo. It was a pretty chilly weekend in Paris, probably the coldest we have been since living in Europe.









See if you can find me! Here is the front view which I'm sure more of you are familiar with. At this point my legs were shaking because the decent with the winding spiral staircase made our leg muscles go nuts. From here our journey continues, but where you might be asking yourself? Follow me.








B and I spent 4 hours in the Louvre and still didn't see it all! Oh yes here is the famous Mona Lisa. For those of you who are educated this size probably doesn't shock you, but I was a little shocked considering that they used this huge wall for this very small painting. Across the room there was another painting that covered a wall this size. I have to admit though seeing this in person was really cool!







I couldn't resist posing with this great noble. Actually I don't know who he was, but I thought he looked pretty sweet so I'd join him in looking dignified. Sadly, I didn't have a sword so I improvised. This was in the Palace of Versailles.











Here we have Marie Antoinette's estate. Pretty sweet. I found that this estate would suit my best friend J. It had both her fav colors pink and yellow. I liked her taste because each room was so colorful. This was Day 2. I feel like there might be something I'm forgetting...hmmm...






Sweet crepes sooo yummy. I know that A will want some when we go to Paris in a few short weeks. I think I'm starting to remember that thing that was buggin' me earlier, but still can't quite put my finger on it. It'll come to me.










Ohhhh yeah that's it, The Eiffel Tower! I took so many pictures of it and will show some more off. I've grown a few inches since I've been in Europe as you can tell. This could be a problem fitting on the plane when I fly back, but I'm sure they can find room for me. Actually my clever friend J took this picture. My feet were exhausted since we walked and walked and just for fun walked a little more.





Now I've put a few more pictures in that I thought ya'll might like.






Hasta luego! ;-)

Sunny with a high of 75 ;-)

I have so much to catch you up on anddddd lots of new pictures. After many hours, I have finally freed up the much needed memory space on my laptop. Last Friday we reached 75 degrees, but if you had gone out in the streets and not known the temperature you would have thought it was still winter. Upon seeing me in shorts, a t-shirt, and sandals you would have thought I was nuts. I enjoyed giggling as people gave me funny looks or when I looked at how warm they were dressed sooo denying this warm weather. Here I am with my bear friends while I was in the mountains. Apparently, my friends and I have a knack for going into the no trespassing zones in which this is the 2nd incident. For the record, we had no idea until we were kicked out so I shouldn't have been able to get this close ;-)




Clearly our non marked secret path we took caused us to miss this sign. Whoops!









So this is my best picture from the mountains which were huge! It was pretty chilly up here. My friend J and I started a snowball fight which the Spaniards thought was immature or totally crazy. We just laughed saying, "We're from Iowa, this is how we roll."








Seriously how can you top this? This was from Carnival weekend and the great parade that I watched with B. Oh my goodness they go all out here. This was one of the coolest costuming jobs.







Here are the coolest kids I know in Spain. Last weekend my host parents and I went to a small town where we had a 40th surprise party for their oldest, Miguel. I had a blast playing with the kids all day. Afterwards I was worn out. So from left to right we have Roberto (8), Marina(2), Jose(3), Miguel(5), and David(4). Normally, I see Miguel, Marina, and Jose quite often. Oh and Jose just gets so excited when he sees me too!

So big prayer request for me is that I would continue to run hard and forget what is behind me. (Phil 3:13-14) I am halfway done and also need prayers for continuing to trust God's will for my life here. I had a very difficult day yesterday in which I felt weak and weary, but God has brought peace and a new hope to my soul. This week we should be hitting the 70s and I went running this morning!!!!! Ah yes, love those endorphins ;-)

Hasta Luego...

March Madness!!!!! The Tar Heels and Panthers are saying, "Let's Dance."

Here's my boyz! So sorry I haven't posted in over a week. I haven't gotten a camera cord/card reader yet. I am so thrilled it's March!!!!! For those of you who don't know[which is not possible] I was born a Tar Heel and this month is one of my favorites for several reasons, March Madness, J's birthday, A's birthday, spring time, just to name a few. However, since it's pretty much been spring time since I arrived, I won't be experiencing a major change in season maybe some higher temps I'm sure. So how is Spain you may ask? Swimming in another language is exercise for sure. My comprehension is getting better with each day even though I feel it's a bit slow. I love hearing, reading, listening to, and speaking Spanish so much. These are the 4 basic elements that my translation professor keeps reminding us to do. What I get out of this experience is what I put into it.

Here is what the scene has looked like for you since I've been here. However, my scene has not been like this so I'm not sure if I'll get as stir crazy about spring as the rest of you. Actually, I would say I've just been ahead of the game for a few months. Oh I almost forgot, I need to post some pictures of my 80s weekend.






So here are T, B, and me. B lived next door to me last year. Why don't we dress like this anymore? Seriously, I'm bringing back the 80s, colors galore. This weekend was fun but very challenging for me. I was called to serve in a way that was trying on my spirit for sure. I took care of friend who couldn't take care of herself. I experienced my 1 night of partying and decided that is enough for me. I thank God that He is providing me with other areas in which I can grow in relationships. I had fun busting some moves to some of my favorite tunes.



Here's another cool group picture from Barcelona while the 10 of us were on our Fat Tire Bike Tour. I will be going on another in Paris at the end of this month. Wow, I can't believe I'm going to Paris so soon! Today was beautiful and sunny, and after what seems like a long time I got to look at the mountains behind my apartment. Even though it's been super sunny, it's been misty so I couldn't really look at these mountains. Albi has been joining for meals lately, and I am enjoying visiting with her more. She made apple/lemon sorbet the other night which was fantastic. Oh and sometime she is going to teach me how to make Spanish tortillas! I will be making these once I'm back for sure. Something, I realized walking home today is that I need prayer coverage for my initial shock when I arrive back in the States. I'm not sure what this will entail, but am glad that God will understand.


This week is pretty laid back, I took yet another test and got an A! Albi says I'm a responsible student ;-) Well I need to be getting to bed since P and I are running in the morning. Also, I could use prayers for my upcoming travels because once I start traveling at the end of this month, I'm hitting the ground running. Here's one more cool picture of Paris! I hope I have some gorgeous days for this if not this time, maybe in May. That's right I'm going twice ;-)

Oh how could I forget...So the reason I'm going to Paris a second time is because A, my boyfriend, is coming to see me so we are flying home together! I thought since he's coming all this way, we may as well go to Paris since I know he wants to go and he took some French in high school. I'm so glad to have A traveling back with me. So many things to plan for before he gets here though. I know there are some things in Oviedo that I haven't done yet that we can do together. God is good.

Here is the first verse I ever read in Spanish.

Marcos 1:35 Muy de madrugada, cuando todavía estaba oscuro, Jesús se levantó, salió de la casa y se fue a un lugar solitario, donde se puse a orar.
Mark 1:35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

Hasta Luego...;-)

There she was just a walkin' down the street...

Finally pictures have arrived! I know you all have been waiting soooo patiently. This was my first weekend to go to the beach [technically my second weekend in Spain]. I am with my host mom, Albi. The waves were pretty wicked this day. This was a fun visit because we drove 20 minutes to walk along the peer/take pictures for about 20 minutes and then hopped back in their French car. I should take a picture of that too! I got to see lots of little towns "pueblos" in the mountains. This was not a day for swimming 1) It was still 50 degrees 2) the waves were huge!!!! Surf's up ;-)


So here behind my apartment building it was snowing like crazy! For those of you who have been wanting to see what my place looks like, its just like this. The snow actually stayed on the ground in slush form, and for some reason I thought I should walk to school in my tennis shoes=bad idea. By the time classes were over, there was no snow to be found. However, seeing my host mom's face and my Lit professor's face: Priceless. They were so excited to have snow because it's so rare here and couldn't get enough of it. I was glad to have 1 snow day.



Here I am in Barcelona on my Fat Tire Bike! These are great tours that are really cheap. I was excited to have a red bike. I could have had yellow but got the color that suits me well. This day was sunny but as you can see I still needed my winter coat.





Ahh yes the Mediterranean Sea. I did take off my left shoe and sock to dip my toes into it and of coures felt it with my hands. For those of you who don't know I'm a "South paw" so I favor the left. Oh my goodness, this is just the beginning of beauty. I have several more trips planned one of which will be spent on an island. Those stories will come later. Here I discovered for lunch that I do not like blue cheese. I did have a sweet dessert though and my favorite European drink Fanta limon or Lemon Fanta as we would say in the States.

Yay! This is my lovely room. I hope you'll all notice how clean it is, and I make my bed everyday! Typically, I have the philosophy that the bed is way more comfortable when I don't make it, but I'm only here for a few months right. Notice: my favorite purse on my bed and another handmade gift which is hung on the back of my chair from someone I like to call, "MOM". I enjoy keeping my window open most days. This week has been 'colder' for them, but gorgeous for me. I keep asking myself each morning, "Am I really living in Spain and this is winter? Bring on spring!"

This weekend most of the UNI students are going hiking in the mountains on Saturday with Paula and Luna who are natives of Oviedo who we meet with each week. We'll all be staying in a hostel, and then that night we'll be dressing up 80's style for a fun filled night of dancing like it's 1999...well the 1980's you know. I can't wait to assemble my outfit and am looking forward to having some fun. Carnival/Carnaval is coming up next week on Tuesday which means class on Monday but no class Tuesday. They give us the days of like Tuesday or Wednesday, yeah I'm going to talk to them about this.

Funny thing I've noticed: When I'm waiting at cross walks people don't mind invading your personal space, especially when there is no one else waiting! I just laugh thinking, "Whew, I'm sure glad you moved an inch in front of me so you can get across the street that much quicker!" However, most people here are really laid back, and everyday is a Sunday walk for most people. I had a blast on Valentine's day hanging out with my friends from church in Gijon, which is where I'm at in the picture with my host mom. After service, they wanted to hang out at...dare I say it...Burger King. There goes my vow to not eat American food here, but don't plan on going there again since it cost about $10 for a whopper meal, and my drink was a small size! I am loving speaking Spanish more and more. My friends and I often interrupt each other saying in Spanish, "What I'm sorry I don't understand English..."It's great! ;-)

Hasta Luego...

Spanish on my mind

Hey ya'll! So as I spend more time here, I fall more in love with this culture, this language, these people, this short journey in my life, where I live "across the pond" as my dear friend has called my current location. This phrase draws me closer to all of you and reminds me of how much I love each of you and am so fourtunate to have you in my life. I am reminded each day of the "army praying for me" back home in the states thanks to K ;-)

Last week I ventured with T to the evangelical church that is only about 10 minutes from my piso/apartment. I'm realizing more and more that Spanish phrases are like the British vocabulary. Spaniards are to Brits as South Americans are to Americans as far as accents and vocabulary. Okay so we get to church, and as I'm listening to the sermon, I shed some tears. Now mind you I'm hearing this all in Spanish and God is moving me through another language. You know when you're listening to a really moving message and just feel the Holy Spirit's presence, okay now imagine that in another language. This is one of the most exilirating feelings I have ever experienced thanks to God's grace.

T and I were greeted by Seraphine who is the youth pastor who speaks English very well. However, he is being kind and will speak only in Spanish with us apart from occasion misunderstanding/mistranslations/having a deer in headlights look ;-) We also met Sally from England, Shirley from Venezuela, Luis ( the pastor), Maria del Mar (Maria of the Sea) the pastor's wife, Vicky from Ecuador, Abel from the Dominican Republic, Junior from Brazil, Niami from Oviedo, and Lydia (the pastor's daughter), along with many many more. I hope I got their countries right, but I love having some South American spanish because it is a bit more clear for me. Wednesday T and I went to Bible study which started at 830 and went til 930 but we were visiting afterwards till almost 11pm= super late dinners for us.

This weekend I knew I would be on my own for church since T and several other UNI students went to Granada. So yesterday I was busy all day with P making plans and booking flights and buses for traveling over our spring break/ semana santa which is from April 2-April 13. We will be going to London and Dublin!!!! I'll get to see where my ancestors ventured from! There is a slight chance of visiting Scotland as well, but everything is booked now. Oh yeah Platform 9 & 3/4 here we come for you Harry Potter fans.

As P and I were walking to the mall, we ran into my friend Shirley which was so cool/que guay. I forgot that we have a social night on Saturdays for chruch. I was able to hear a really moving message last night about discerning what God is speaking to me right now and was posed with the question, "What are you doing with God's direction?" Once again I was challenged and so moved to tears by the Holy Spirit. I went and took a step of faith with God holding my hand. I owe my evening to God and His provision. I had a blast and was able to communicate well with my new friends and made even more new friends last night! Iris, and George, Tony, Tisa, Seraphine's wife, etc. So we had food, fun, and watched a movie called Oh, Jeruselam, that was of course in Spanish. I'm finding that watching lots of movies in Spanish is really helping me out a lot. So apart from asking Sally, Seraphine, and his wife some questions in English, all my conversations were in Spanish!

I can't believe how God is providing for me like He provided the miracle of feeding the five thousand (Luke 10: 10-17)
17They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

I had so much fun last night and enjoyed speaking in Spanish and was encouraged by the kindness that was extended to me all evening. I enjoyed laughing and understanding more and more as I listened to different conversations. Thanks to a dear family, I learned the art of listening to multiple people talking at the same time. Now I'm learning to use this same skill but in Spanish. It is challenging for sure, and interupting is the way to talk so thanks to my upbringing (I won't say which side) I can get back into this habit. I apologize right now if I interupt you in conversation upon my return to the States. I was fortunate to have a more heartfelt conversation with Shirley last night who asked me if P is a Christian. I'm not sure if P is a Christian but know she grew up in chruch and told Shirley I want to invite P to church.

I was given a ride home with Niomi and George. I was able to converse with George once after a minor malfunction when he first spoke to me after the movie at 2:15a.m.! I was thinking,"Come on brain turn back on to Spanish!" God wanted me to understand more and converse in Spanish for a few more minutes so He allowed me the ability to talk in Spanish even at this crazy hour. He can do anything!

Jeremiah 32:17,26 (read it all!) 17"Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you." 26Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah 27 "I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?"

These are verses I am praying over this week: Psalm 119:33-37
33Teach me, O Lord, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end.
34Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart.
35Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.
36Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.
37Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.

This morning when I finally went to bed my brain was working in Spanish and wouldn't turn off. This could have been due the fact I was listening to my Spanish radio on my phone. I like this perk for paying a little more for my phone. I'm actually listening to a Spanish Christian radio station right now ;-) I was really close to having a dream in Spanish last night. I think it's coming soon. Please pray about this with me. Love ya'll!

Mola mucho-sweet [for a little vocab lesson]
Oh it's getting hard to not write more of this in Spanish which a great sign.

Hasta Luego!

St. Thomas, Salsa dancing, Movies, Church

This was a shorter school week because on Wednesday we didn't have classes in honor of our patron saint, St. Thomas, who is a saint of students, according to my host mom. That day I went running with P while it was a light mizzle/drizzle. To natives, we looked funny due to the fact that we were mainly running in the streets and not parks! This city, though it's smaller than most, has some serious hills. Afterwards, we did this fun partner ab work out which left its mark on me. The next day it even hurt to laugh, but it was a good soreness. Her initial question: "So how girly are you?" My response: "Not very. Why?" What I had agreed to was this workout laying down on the wet pavement, but it was a blast. I have a huge park behind my apartment which I need to start taking advantage of so I can start running more.

That day I just curled up with a good book I'm reading which was nice. Currently, I'm working on a Bible study by Jerry Bridges called the Fruitful Life which is already revealing scriptures and truths that I need to cling to. Here are some great passages on submission which is a topic that I often need to reminded about: Colossians 3:22, 1 Peter 2:13, and Ephesians 5:21.

Here is a verse that has a get pumped up feel: Col 1:29 "I labor, struggling with all His energy, which so powerfully works in me."

I have to share these remarks by Jerry Bridges in the first chapter. "To the qualities listed in Galations 5- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control- we can add such traits as holiness, humility, compassion, forbearance, contentment, thankfulness, considerateness, sincerity, and perseverance...This is an awesome list of character traits to pursue, and our first reaction, if we are realistic at all, is probably to say, 'I can't work on all of these.' That is indeed true, if we were left to our own devices. But these traits are the fruit of the Spirit, the result of His work within us. This means not that we bear no responsibility for the development of Christian character but rather that we fulfill our responsibility under His direction and by His enablement."

Get ready to have your socks knocked off...ready? Are you sure because you look a little nervous? Okay, so I went salsa dancing on Thursday night! Dude it was sweet and so freeing to just let go and step out to try something new. Now I'm obviously still learning the basics, but it was so much fun and a work out. Sadly the floor was super slick so that made dancing a bit difficult. Please continue to pray for my classmates who are indulging in too much drinking. I love them dearly and am praying that they will see that there is "more to life than chasing down every temporary high", this is from a contemporary Christian artist, Stacie, Orrico.
Friday night I went over to T's house to watch a movie in Spanish which is good practice for learning how to say common phrases and for listening. This weekend I have been watching Zoey 101 in Spanish which is pretty funny. Yesterday I went exploring with T to find the Evangelical church which is conviently right in between our apartments. So far we have 3 of us going to the service tonight at 630pm which would be around the time most of you will be getting out of service for the morning. I've had a pretty laid back week. So you know how it was raining all day on Wednesday...well sunny with a high of 68 on Thursday and Friday! I walked to school with my t-shirt soaking up some vitamin D. Temperatures have gone back down for us which means the 50s ;-)
I know you all are waiting patiently for pictures, and I promise they are coming, but I still need to clear some memory space on my computer. I'm actively seeking out my classmates for some assistance. I do now have a card reader to put my pictures on here though so that's great.

This week's prayer request: Loving my classmates where they are at, seeking God as my hope, strength, and assurance, reviewing Ecclesiastes 3:1-11, and getting a conversation partner this week [This would be a Spanish student from the univeristy who would meet with me each week to speak in Spanish].

Some insight and wisdom for you who are univeristy students: Take compassion on the international students at your university. Reach out to them. Invite them to stuff. Being an international student, I know the longing to be included in the culture I'm living in, wanting to know the slang, wanting to make friends who speak the language, and just wanting someone to reach out to me. Thank you for reaching out to men and women from around the world and seeing God's heart for the nations. He created the world, not just the United States. Do you see how He is brining parts of the world to you? Love them. Reach out.

Mat 7:13	"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
Mat 7:14	But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

John 14:27 My peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Hasta luego...
God's Servant