All up now

Save for a few more that will make their appearance along with stories here, photos from the drill trip to Nicaragua are all up! Go here to see the whole set.

Belize photos are coming soon. :) Hope everyone had a lovely Canada day!

27 years.

(One last intermission before getting back to Central America.)

Last week my parents celebrated their wedding anniversary, and since I wasn't working or in school during the day, I got to put together a simple brunch for them. I don't often put much effort into cooking breakfast/brunch (breakfast/brunch is Mum's specialty.... I am a leftovers-in-the-morning kinda girl! That, or a I'm-way-too-late-to-have-breakfast sorta girl), so this was really fun to plan and put together, and very simple to do too.

Growing up, I was taught that wedding anniversaries were days to celebrate. I thought of them like birthdays.... each year you remember the day that something special officially began. They are special enough days I guess. At any rate, I make sure to remember my parents' anniversary, if for nothing other than it was what I grew up always doing. In the past few years though, I find that this annual celebration has taken on new weight for me.

I am understanding a little more what being in this relationship actually means. What each person must pour into it to make it work. How it is more than rose-coloured glasses and happy endings. How ugly it can get when two imperfect people are to live as one unit. How the sole purpose of this relationship - as is everything else - is supposed to be a reflection of His glory (and not for my self-gratification or happiness). How it can be the greatest shaping tool that God will use to knock off the stubborn sin in our hearts, and how painful a process that is. How difficult it can be to stay together - to win together. But - oh - how sweet this hard-won victory is. Staying married is hard, but I am still convinced that there is nothing sweeter.

So yes - a wedding anniversary marks the passing of another year in a marriage. But it's so much more than that too...... it means a year of growth. It means that through the tears and the smiles, two people are still holding on to each other. It means that they have not given up - on each other, nor - more importantly - on a God that is faithful to complete the work that He starts. It is a testament to an entire year of His goodness.

27. That's alot of years. I can't wait for 50, Mum and Daddy!

Tuesday's finish.

Remember Monday's little project? Here they are today, all finished! I printed out some shots from our big trip and framed them up. I sure hope the recipients enjoy these little souvenirs from our travels. :) These are so simple and affordable to do..... and (to me) they mean alot more than cheap trinkets! I'll report back on whether the giftee's think so too.

ps: If you're wondering why all the frames are hidden behind each other and blurred out, that's completely my intent. The full shots will (eventually) make their way to flickr.... after these get gifted. ;)

Monday at home.....

Something different today - an intermission of sorts. :)

Today's project....

Today's colour....

Today's lunch.

It's nice to see and shoot something different, isn't it? I've been looking at trip photos non-stop lately, so today was definitely a good break for me! Hopefully you too. We'll get back to Nicaragua (and Belize! It's coming too!) shortly. ^^

More glimpses.

More like faces this time. ;) The most recent batch of uploads are portraits of some of the people we met in Telica (see the set in-progress here). More to come, naturally!

4 days of photos down.... 3 more to go........

Glimpses of Nicaragua.....

Trying my hardest these days to get through all the photos from our drill trip. I've been posting some here, and attempting to be less cryptic about what's going on in the photos too - compared to the first trip to Guatemala. Check back often! Sooner or later the whole set will make it up. And then hopefully, the stories will follow too. :)

aaaand we're back.

We made it home! After almost-three wonderful, adventure-filled weeks, Miss Jean and I are home again. We're getting re-situated into Ottawa-life, and I'm getting into the herculean task of processing a mountain load of photos. Fortunately (for Franki), there are some imposed-by-others deadlines for getting the photos done as soon as possible, so it won't be forever and a half before they see the light of day. ;) I'm hoping to post some photos along with little stories here too.... I have lots of half-formed ideas about that, but more to come.

For now, I'm wishing that a loud alarm would go off whenever your skin was in the process of getting sun-burned. Or that there would at least be a loud sizzling noise. It sure would help..... especially when the burning involves one's scalp.