pondering

Why is our memory so unreliable? And I'm not just talking about the 318 test I probably just failed... Our memory of people. It's like I take the good, forget the bad and mold them in my mind to this person who they aren't, then continue to be disappointed in them. I have an overactive imagination, it is a huge downfall of mine. My expectations become overblown based on any good interactions I may have had. I just expect too much from people I guess.

calling all Panama peeps!

Party at the Gatlins at 6 pm. That's an hour and 20 minutes from now, don't forget!!!!!!!!!!! So if you're reading this, quit, and come on over. Gonna be fun, can't wait to see you all again.

change of plans

Josh is sick, so no dinner with friends. Any of you girls going out?? I'm not sick :-)
Otherwise I'll be home studying for our 318 test... on a friday night..so sad...

yeah

So yesterday i was up at the church from 12:30 - 10pm, so nothing wildly exciting to report there. Tonight we have a dinner with some new friends then we have to be in New Braunfels at an ungodly hour for a volleyball tounament Saturday morning.
oh joy...

Pastor Joe is right.

Let it go. If it is brought back to you, it was meant to be, if not, it wasn't yours to begin with. I'm preaching to myself here... I let go of a couple of things tonight. We'll see what happens. If nothing shows up, then I'll move on. Don't want to waste my time on something that wasn't supposed to be on my path anyway.

It's a sad day when you realize you've lost your super powers...

Yo

Hey husband! I know you read this. Quit watching basketball and come hang out with the wife you claim to like so much. I will quote the words you wrote to me just hours ago... "...you're interesting. what can i say. i am interested."
hmmm, maybe I have something intriguing to say or do...... and you're missing it.
:-)

weather

It was such a beautiful day today, I had to steal my husbands convertible and put the top down, plug in the ipod and just drive. I took the longest route I could find to all my errands. I never knew it could take an hour to get to my bank :-). It just doesn't get any nicer outside. My hair is a tangled wreck, but it's kinda awesome looking like this. Kinda like I just went surfing and let it dry on a windy beach. Man that sounds good right now... Then, after about 4 hours in the convertible, I came home and went running. Not as much fun, but necessary.
I wish I could go to church tonight in Panama, and take a boat home...

"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain."

more pics

our hotel



the main church

more pics

this is Gregg and I pulling Zach out of the ocean. Why? Because he fell out of our little boat in the middle of the ocean.

huge starfish

the 3 amigas bringing it

village people

our plane

traditional Kuna dress

trip report pt1

So Panama was an absolute blast. Don't get the wrong idea, we preached, taught, ministered, prayed, etc.. but it was just FUN. The team totally gelled, there were no personality conflicts, and we had just enough downtime so that things never got too heavy or stressful. It was like the dream team, the team you hope for when planning these kinds of trips.
On Sunday we split up into 3 teams of 3 to go to 3 separate islands to preach in church. Our (Johanna, Thad and I) island was the smallest of the 3 and furthest away. I remember thinking when the boat and the missionaries left us, "please come back for us", I don't know that I could have retained my sanity on such a small island for more than a while. If I was a moderately strong guy, I could have thrown a rock from any beach and hit the opposite beach. But during our stay on this little island on Sunday morning, I was blessed with some beautiful shells, a handbeaded bracelet that was sown on, and a visit to the chief of the island who was so grateful we were there that he began to cry when he spoke to us.

friend pics in Panama

ok

just a couple of favorites before I go get some sleep. I am sooo tired.

home from Panama

Awesome, wonderful trip! Will post more details later. I'm currently uploading photos. There are so many good ones, I need to find a better way to post them this time...
You gotta hear the song Josh wrote... (below)