slawrence5's Xanga

no time to explain!

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 04:41:04 GMT

Congrats Kristin and Gary and Happy Birthday to Me

Mon, 18 May 2009 01:14:40 GMT

Hi All,

Just wanted to share some pics of Kristin and Gary's wedding back home in Ohio and also some pics from my birthday here in Honduras...

My favorite ladies-- thanks so much for your help with my emcee job love you lots

Do we look like future airplane mechanics?

Well, now that Ben and Amy have been married for almost a year, I finally decided to give him the Thumbs Up. I'm sure he is so relieved... :)

I always enjoy seeing amanda while I am in Ohio. Who knew turquoise was the color this spring?! and who knew I would actually be catching this fashion trend at its peak! How unlike me :)

LOVE YOU!

Turquoise again!

Sam, David and I impersonating my dad when he was 25 and in the airforce. Are we convincing? :) This was pretty much all we did the afternoon of Mother's day. How's that for a mother's day gift, mom? Let's just say there was a lot of laughter, and I am not allowed to publish all the pictures.... :)

Thank you friends for a special birthday here in Honduras!

Here I am with Julia and Rachel, the best ex-roommies ever, and yes, that is Osama in the background. Could I get in trouble for helping him hide?

Current roommie Grace came as my 1974 Super Beetle! hilarious!

A friend commented about my costume on Facebook: "what a great costume! hahahaha warm and addictive personality, fits you well :D"

I will take that as a compliment :)

Cheers,

Sarah

Indy!

Mon, 04 May 2009 00:59:36 GMT

Well, Thanks to Erin Buehrer, 7 months ago I signed up to run the Indianapolis 1/2 marathon (13.1 miles or 21 km) which was yesterday May 2.

I trained diligently over these past months and it really paid off! I ran the race in 1:56:23- which averages out to an 8:53 average mile pace. It was faster than I had even hoped to run!

Thanks to everyone who has encouraged me! I couldn't have done it without you!

sarah

Wow! It's been over two months!

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 17:42:40 GMT

Sorry to keep all you adoring fans waiting so long :)

As usual- a mostly photo filled blog!

In Feb. I went to Mexico City to visit friends and renew my travel visa for Honduras. Then in March my parents visited! and so far in April, Semana Santa has been great!

Mom got a kick out of the cows on the beach. I Blame the Spanish!

Grandma's world famous chocolate crackers!

Access road to the Hotel in La Ceiba. My parents thought I was taking them to the bush!

Searching for the crashed helicopter used to transport supplies for the Italien reality survivor show!

Me reading the newspaper article in La Prensa about us searching for the crashed Italien reality show helicopter

Artistic shot by mom

Copan Ruins with the Rents

View from my front porch

Parque España with Faith and Neil

Delmy!

Our visit to a small coffee plantation

My home- the bottom apartment of this building

Semana Santa with Orbelina and Co. in La Tigra! Que Rico

RANDOM SHOTS:

I was with these two Danish young women the night that Barack Obama was elected President of the United States of America. Thank you Bethany for your long distance coverage of the election night!

Celebrating Womanhood with these lovely ladies

My dad the Hearse Driver

Notice the box of ashes on the front seat. I swear, my parents need to write a book!

See some of you in May! Wish me luck in the Half Marathon in Indianapolis on May 2!!

Love,

sarah >>-C-C->

The facebook infiltrates the blog

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 03:58:16 GMT

This is currently popular on the Facebook. Since I went to the work of putting the list together, I wanted to share it with you too!

love you all
---------------------------------------------
Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)
.....

One of the main reasons I think this is popular right now is because people desire community- wanting to know and be known- even if it is virtual. That’s why I’m doing this anyway. And that is probably also why I wrote more than 25 things. So here you go.

1) Barbara Kingsolver is my favorite author. This is on my mind right now because I just finished The Poisonwood Bible for the second time. Anyone who has lived in another culture should read this book.

2) My perfect Sunday afternoon would be as follows: Lunch with friends from church, an afternoon hike in El Hatillo, Catholic Mass at 6, and post-Mass pupusas and a Port Royal with Bayron.

3) I love the food in Honduras, although admittedly even after almost 5 years here, I know how to cook little of it.

4) I spend most of my disposable income on: coffee, books, traveling and eating out (mostly to get the Honduran food I haven’t taken the time to learn to cook and also some international dishes as well).

5) I own a 1974 Red Volkswagen Beetle which I alternately refer to as Fresita or Abuela, depending.

6) I have started running again to train for the ½ marathon in Indianapolis on May 2, 2009. This is after almost a 10 year hiatus.

7) I enjoyed teaching 5th grade and wish I had given it a second year. I generally enjoy the satisfaction of doing something better the second time around.

8) I am a better roommate now than I was during college. This is my official apology to all my college roommates from Kalsbeek and 2628 Ardmore for being so uptight.

9) In my current apartment I have an original piece of artwork painted by an acquaintance in which one of the focal points is the shadow of a hanging man. The overall message of the painting is actually quite hopeful.

10) There is a new land invasion right by my house of at least 30 homes that do not have running water or electricity. These homes mostly have dirt floors and are made out of whatever material the inhabitants could find that could be held together by a few rusty nails. Not only does my simple apartment have the most basic things my neighbors are lacking, I also have a washing machine in my home that we share among the volunteers.

11) Other than people, about the only thing I miss from the US is the seasonal fruits that do not grow here as we know them- Blueberries, cherries, peaches mainly. Although all those fruits have wonderful replacements here- Mangos especially and mango season is just beginning!

12) I can see quite a few advantages to never having children, although I imagine that if I get married during my childbearing years I will probably like to try to have a family.

13) I rarely watch TV or movies or purchase new music. The Office is the current exception as far as TV goes, and I usually wait for a movie to be recommended to me several times before making the effort to see it. I would watch the Daily Show more often if it was easier from down here. The free downloads are only available if you are within the US. I completely rely on others to help me find decent music to listen to.

14) I regularly pose as a Marriot Hotel guest in order to pick up a copy of the New York Times Digest that they print daily off the internet.

15) The complexities of the state of the world and injustice weigh on me heavily when I read the news and pause in my daily life to consider them. The amount of money some people have at their disposal while others are literally starving is completely mind boggling.

16) I am struggling with finding what I would call a Vocation. This is an incredible privilege to have so many options, yet it also contributes to a certain level of discontentment and adds to the temporariness of my life, which is tiring.

17) On any given day, I am most likely to be seen wearing sandals, jeans and a solid color top (absolutely no button down or polo shirts for me!), accessorised by rings, bracelets and earrings and the occasional necklace I have collected over time from all around the world. Thank you to those of you who have contributed to the collection over the years.

18) I wish I understood the world’s religions clearly, especially how they currently impact the global political climate, and along with that, I wish I knew world history.

19) I like to read National Geographic in Spanish. I love Spanish in general. All languages really.

20) I am quick to jump to conclusions and make statements that are based on incomplete understanding of the subject at hand, and I tend to interrupt people. My apologies dear friends and acquaintances. This is something that I am working on believe it or not!

21) Seemingly in contrast, I also enjoy being a good listener. I love learning about people’s life experiences that are different than mine. I love learning about other places and ways of life. I particularly enjoy listening to how things used to be10, 20, and 50+ years ago. If I can keep my mouth shut, I can be held captive for long periods of time by others’ stories. I love hearing about other people’s experiences living and traveling abroad.

22) If I had one wish, it would be that everyone in the world had Enough. Whatever that is. Along those lines, the main things I would change around here would be: the rampant corruption, congested traffic and the smog/pollution.

23) I like projects and the satisfaction of completing a concrete task. Other than my language abilities, I am very much a right-brained person. I wish I had a more natural appreciation for the arts.

24) I prefer mountains, forests and plant life over a trip to the beach. I love being outside and staying active. I don’t like being wet or laying in the sun.

25) A rigid 8-5 work day spent mostly in an office for extended periods of time is the death of my spirit.

26) I love sharing my knowledge of living in Honduras with people who are new here. I love getting people connected to others- I love being the reason people know each other.

27) I love running in to people I know while I’m out around town.

28) I regularly wish that I had been able to know my Grandma and Grandpa Lawrence as an adult. They both passed away while I was in highschool.

29) I love making young children feel special.

30) I find it a chore if I have to “get ready” more than once a day.

31) I consider myself to be somewhat “green” if you will, but I often realize in the evenings that I have practically every light in my apartment turned on.

Monday Morning Sorpresa!

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 15:44:04 GMT

Well, let it be known that my life is anything but predictable. Predictably unpredictable!

I showed up at the office for devotions this morning, and this is what followed:

And Today, Allison is coming!

Yeah!

over due post!

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 21:41:03 GMT

Happy New Year Everyone!

Here are just a few of this things I have been able to do so far this year:

I had Alexa spend the night- we made creative meals and snacks, played games, and watched a movie

I received a very diverse care package:

Gel filled bike seat cover, Stride gum, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, Calvin's alumni magazine, math flashcards, and don't forget..... about 27 Recorders. Yes, recorders. For the school kids! Not me of course :) Please notice my wonderful friends amongst all the recorders.

Thanks everybody!

Orbelina, my Christmas Angel, also had me over to learn how to make Torrejas. That same evening, I learned how to prepare tongue. Cow tongue that my friend Sharon gave me. Delicious!

And in keeping with my Orbelina Style Christmas Vacation, we all went to La Tigra. Kevin is my most recent hilarious and chatty soulmate. Where DO his conversation topics come from!

Post-hike Baleadas! What a treat!

and post the post-hike baleadas was a foto shoot with Franklin and Omar. I stumbled upon them in the office when I got back from hiking...

This first picture is one of the strangest pictures that I have ever seen of myself. And I wonder why the Hondurans say I have a Turkish nose!? Check that thing out! Watch out chin, you are getting a run for your "most-prominent-facial-feature" money

Poor Franklin tiene que aguantar el olor de mis tenis...

And my personal favorite..... Omar thinks he his God's Gift to women. WELL. Here is how I fell about THAT matter:

I crack myself up every time I see this picture!

And, last but not least, I also had the privilege of chaperoning the Calvin College Interim trip to Copan Ruinas.

I enjoyed the students so much, and reminiscing about college days and college pranks and professors and so much more. The highlight of the trip for me was when all 18 of us gringos AND Maribel took a 2 hour "horse"back ride to a small indigenous village outside the town of Copan. I put "horse" in quotes because, well, less than half the animals we were riding could actually be defined as horses. It was quite a sight, all 19 of us. I don't think any of us stopped laughing the whole afternoon! :)

We are busy planning for groups to visit the project this year and getting ready for our new long term volunteers. People are in good spirits, although money is tighter than ever.

I hope you have all had a good start to 2009

love, sarah

Christmas!

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 01:20:08 GMT

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Today I spent the day with a former co-worker of mine and her family playing games and eating chicken soup. It was a blessing!

Take a look at this amazing Danish Christmas meal I shared yesterday with our dear volunteers and some of our neighbors!

Thank you Luise and Rasmus! Love you both

LOOK! I am eating DUCK!! 2008 has been the year of other white meats!! Love it

And now for some pictures of our fun office Christmas party. We had a beautiful time of sharing before the gift exchange, meal and karaoke:

Omar! What is with your XXXXL chumpa?

As always, Yoni el Payaso!

And now the saddest news of all my holiday season- My dear friend and co-worker Alex died in a motorcylce accident on Sunday Dec. 21. Here Alex is on the left, pictured with Carlos. This was just 3 days before his death.

Let each of us value every moment we have with our loved ones.

Blessings to you all this Christmas and New Year

love,

sarah

weekend activity

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 23:52:16 GMT

Hello all,

First, my own personal advent "wreath" and my Danish Christmas Candle:

And now the weekend activity. Thank you Macayla for your help, inspiration and company!

Before:

and during:

And the final product- still wet. I love contemplating the result of our efforts!

it has been a slow start to the week, friends. Even so, I am thankful for many things- A visit from our friends Arne and Helle from Denmark for example and a wonderful Sunday afternoon with Bayron and Julia, and spontaneous hospitality from Rachel and Ronal. Love you all.

Celebration

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:21:00 GMT

It was such a joy to celebrate with Abe and Cinthya this weekend! Congrats!

Poor Marvin- this was his only bit of chicken.... It was still a bit pink!

Abram's Honduran Fam and good friends of all of us at the office:

And now the fun part!!!

My friend a co-worker Nelson, who stepped straight out of the 80's :) Love it!

....and beyond...

So much fun!

Who's next? I am completely out of dresses. Be forewarned that I will be wearing pants to all further formal functions.

ha ha

love you all