Inca Ruins

In Bolivia, if you are upset about anything really, the way to get your point across is through a road blockade.  What does it do?  Well, it just makes things a little more difficult and makes people curious (or annoyed) at whatever stance you are trying to make.

So on Wednesday, since we had road blockades (and therefore no school or work for the team), a group of us went out to see some ancient Inca ruins outside of Cochabamba.  It took about 1.5 hours to get there, mainly on a windy road going up through mountains.  It was a fun adventure and a great way to get outside of the city and enjoy the holiday protests!

M.I.A.

Sorry I have been MIA for the last month. God has been challenging me with various twists and turns of life and I think I have been avoiding sharing due to my own sense of pride. First of all, as to my health, my pathology report came back irregular after my D&C. Turns out, I may have had a partial molar pregnancy, but the doctors are not sure. Because "moles" can become cancerous, the doctors are monitoring my hormone levels for the next six months. JM and I are on strict orders not to get pregnant as chemo and babies don't mix well. The chances of cancer are low and 100% curable with chemo, but I am praying we don't have to go through any of that. The good news is that recently my hormones levels have been under a 10 so that is very promising.

However, the main reason for my blog hiatus has been the bar exam. Yes, I found out in October that I did not pass when I took it last July. Hence, my days have been back to the books and I am overwhelmed to say the least. I am taking the Virginia bar again on February 24th and 25th. As if that's not humbling enough, I also found out that my ethics exam that I passed in law school has become outdated. Therefore, a week and a half after the bar, I have to retake the standardized ethics exam on March 7th.

Besides the crazy law exams, I have just recently found out that my grandmother is dying. She has been ill for awhile, but it's looking very serious these days. I will be flying down to Dallas this next week for about 5-6 days to "cheer her up." The worst part about the situation is that I still really need to study. My oldest child tendencies to manage and help my parents have to be suppressed for the time being and it kills me. I hate how the bar exam forces me to be selfish with my time.

Even with all this, my husband has been wonderful and challenging me to see God's will and His perfect timing in all things. I wonder if this is like the blind man that Jesus heals. As Christ explains, the only reason the man was born blind was to reveal God's glory when he was healed. I am wondering if all of this is going on now so that if I do pass the bar, it will be nothing but a miracle and therefore a showing of God's glory. We will see.

Sorry for the grim report on life these days. I know we all go through our challenges, that they are good for us, and that it produces growth. However, in a very human way, I think I'm just weary and sad. Any prayer you could lift up for my family and I would be much appreciated!

Oh, and my sister, Ivey, is due this next week with her little girl, Audrey Kate. I will be very excited to meet my new niece! In other random news, I decided to get on the bandwagon and join twitter. I use it for Spotlights On... for updates on sales/discounts/etc so that I don't have to write another feature on the same product. If you want to follow it, go here. And please let me know if you are a fellow twitter-er so that I can follow you.

Hopefully, very soon, there will be much rejoicing and I will have a chance to catch-up this blog with all of my fun holiday pictures.

I'm Back

So I apologize for those of you who have been checking this site only to find no new posts for over a month! It has been a very busy time, mainly from working full time for McCain-Palin 2008. It's a sad defeat, but a wonderful experience I am excited to blog about soon. I am about to hop on a plane from OH back to DC, but will be back in the blogging world pronto!

Old Salem

This last weekend JM headed down to Florida to get some more of our things which we now have room for and need such as the guest bed my mom will be sleeping in next weekend. I had been funny all week about staying the weekend in DC by myself and last minute decided to go visit my sister and her husband in Winston-Salem, NC. They had been living in Chapel Hill (which is a closer drive), but moved this summer for Matt to attend PA school at Wake Forest. They bought a house and I have been really wanting to see it. Anyway, I drove all of Friday evening after dropping JM off at the airport. I arrived late Friday night at the cutest home and all I could think off was how grown-up and sophisticated my sister Leslie has become (call it older-sister-syndrome). Anyway, Lol and I got to chat that night until the wee hours which is pretty much a tradition for us sisters (we missed you Ives). On Saturday, Matt and Leslie returned from a city soccer game as I was pretty much waking up. Since Matt had to study, Lol and I went to grab some lunch and headed to Old Salem. It is a cute part of town where the Moravian faith was established. It kind of reminds me of Amish country, but these people (I think) are there more to show the history. My family has a fun tradition of taking pictures together so if you see us out, expect alot of cameras as well. Anyway, here is a sampling of the pics I got (the rest are posted on facebook) & Leslie got some great ones as well.







That night Wake beat FSU, but unfortunately Auburn could not pull off a win against LSU. We went to watch both games at a local pub. Sunday, after a wonderful home-made brunch, Matt hit the books again and Lol and I went to the park before I had to leave. We took the dogs, Daisy and Senator and we all had a great time.

That afternoon, I left to meet JM on the highway. We tried to time so that with my 5.5 hour drive and his 10 hour drive, that we would meet on I-95 at the same time. We were about 10 miles away from each other for a couple of hours until I made a wrong turn. Thankfully, I was able to get back on course, and got to see JM driving the moving truck as we were both getting off at our exit ramp. Oh well! That night and Monday morning we unpacked the second round of furniture. It feels like we are moving all over again with trying to rearrange things. However, I am so excited to have some of my favorite things again...like our dining room table (which means much more entertaining) and my sewing machine!

In other news, after trying for the last month to figure out what to do, we have decided that we are going to throw the Ultimate Halloween Party for the sixth year in a row. Honestly, I sometimes wonder if I am a bad Christian for getting so excited about Halloween. I guess for me I love that people still dress up (oh how I miss those college days), the candy (hello Reece's Pieces) and anything pumpkin! The party is going to be Oct. 17th, location TBA. Come if you can- it is truly an event not to be missed! The other big news is that we are going to my ten-year high school reunion, so now we can get excited about seeing friends and family in Dallas. Now I just need to book those airplane tickets...

Kickin' it in Cabo!

So JM and I just got back late Sunday night from a fabulous vacation in Los Cabos, Mexico. We had many reasons to celebrate our trip, Deighton and Adrian's wedding, me being finished with the bar, and on Sunday JM and I celebrated being married for six years!

We stayed at a great all-inclusive place, the Riu Palace, which is where Deighton and Adrian got married on Friday (8-8-08). It was beautiful! Let's just say that within minutes of checking in we were greeted with great margaritas! That first day we took the time to check out the resort (which was huge) and the ocean. We learned after a quick swim why the ocean there is typically not recommended for swimming....I had fun getting all that sand out of my bathing suit. Too bad the water was just so beautiful! That night we met up with everyone for a great meal at the resort Japanese restaurant. Then for a nightcap I went with JM and Adrian horseback riding on the beach.

The next day started with breakfast in bed. Those who know me know that I am obsessed with room service!!! The rest of the day was all about the pool and laying out in the water! We alternated between Mojitos and Pina Coladas....YUM! The resort was amazing in that someone was always there to assist you, take your drink order and there were plenty of sun chairs. Best of all, when we got tired, hours after a big buffet lunch, we just went back to the room, cooled down, and ordered a snack or two. At the risk of totally sounding like an alcoholic, we were also amazed that in every room there was a refrigerator full of beer, sodas, and water and also a mini bar of liquor in upside down bottles. I decided to poor myself some scotch just to try it (never have) and upon drinking it, started to choke, couch and could barely swallow it....ah, free is nice because if you don't like it, you just poor it out (which I promptly did). That night was the rehearsal dinner which was at the resort steakhouse. The food was fabulous and it was fun to sit at a table with Deighton's other married friends....even the singles' table was not laughing as hard as we were!

On Friday was Deighton and Adrian's wedding! JM and I hung out by the pool in the morning and then I went to help the bride and bridesmaids get dressed (my favorite part of a wedding). I got some great pics and became quite a master of getting sashes tied just right.

We then went down the beach for the ceremony which of course was beautiful! D&A were awesome and so excited to finally tie the knot!

After the ceremony, we had the entire gourmet Mexican restaurant for the reception. Adrian's Mom surprised the couple with a Mariachi Band when they first arrived. Then we ate like pigs on such amazing food and watched the cutest slide show of D&A. Finally, we all headed over to the discotheque for dancing and drinks. The couple had their first dance, family dances and then totally surprised us (and anyone else who has never been to a Mexican wedding) by breaking this huge bag of toys/favors....I don't even know what to call it. There were hats, sunglasses, glow bracelets, flashing tiaras.....if for even one second you thought you were too tired to dance, this changed your mind! It was hilarious seeing everyone looking crazy and dancing their tails off! Little did I know that this is a Mexican tradition where the weddings go until 6am in morning. I think D&A lasted until 4am, at which point JM and I had been asleep for a couple of hours!Saturday, most of the guests had to leave early on the charter so only a handful of us where still at the resort. We met up with D&A for lunch and then JM and I went with our friend Josephine on a snorkeling/tour trip. We took a glass bottom boat to a nearby beach, Santa Maria, and snorkeled for about an hour. The fish were amazing, although at one point I swear they were following me and I got a little freaked out. After snorkeling we took the boat to Lover's Beach which I think is the most southern tip of the Baja Peninsula. OMG, it was so so amazingly gorgeous!!! We took as many pictures as possible and were mesmerized by the waves crashing into the rocks. Oh, and there were also seals all laying out on a rock. John, Deighton's little bro, refers to them a dogs of the ocean since they love to play and bark.

After our trip, we decided to go help D&A move their luggage into their honeymoon suite. They are staying at the Sheraton this whole week and Adrian gave us a tour. It is also a beautiful resort and of course we took pictures.

That night we went out on the town. We ate dinner at a great taco place and then took a tour of the nightclubs, including El Squid Roe.

On Sunday JM and had a great last meal at the resort and then caught a plane back to DC. We were so sad to leave...but after gaining 5 pounds I guess it was time. Can't wait to vacation again in Cabo! Happy wedding D&A!