Today is Monday which means it’s time for the Inspirational song of the week.
This picture was taken the night of our ninth wedding anniversary. We had just moved to Brasil the month before and were still in the process of getting settled in. That night we had some friends watch Garrett so we could drive into nearby Sorocaba for dinner and a movie. We figured we’d find some place nice to eat on the way to the movie. I don’t exactly remember why we ended up eating in the mall, but I do remember being frustrated and crabby because I had to settle for a lousy cheeseburger at the food court for dinner. (I’m saying it’s lousy because compared to American burgers, it was.)
Although I was feeling cranky, I was trying very hard not to take it out on my darling husband Blake. I think I was just coming down from all of the excitment of moving and still struggling to switch gears. (Kind of like Christmas, moving out of the country takes a lot of time and planning).
As we sat there eating, I heard this song come on over the speakers in the food court.
“You’ve made me so very happy. I’m so glad you came into my life.”
Something clicked. Instead of wallowing in my discomfort, I suddenly realized how incredibly lucky I was to be married to this wonderful man.
It was like a fog lifted and I physically (and mentally) felt better.
I could actually feel how very lucky I was to be with my man.
Never mind the lousy cheeseburgers. I was still happily married and that’s what really mattered to both of us.
This picture was taken about 20 minutes later.
Whatever you’re going through on this day after Christmas, I hope you can take a moment to appreciate the loving people in your life. Give them a hug and tell them how lucky you feel to have them in your life. It’ll make you both happy!
Have a wonderful day and I’ll be back later this week with the Inspirational word of the week… Appreciate.
xoxo Pam
p.s. Thank you for reading along, my friendly blog reader! I truly appreciate knowing you’re there!! xoxoxo
Instead of doing the Inspirational word of the week, I’m doing a series based on the prayer from my Stretch…..”Stay open to the balance of energies and show patience for time to do it’s work. Embrace the place where life happens. By recognizing graciousness, kindness, generosity and bravery, we discover the power to create a better future is contained in the present moment.” This week, we’re looking at kindness.
I was walking last weekend, thinking about today’s post, when the memory of home-schooling Garrett came up.
I have to admit, home-schooling was very difficult. Even after discovering “the Boat” and trying to keep my attitude ‘adjusted appropriately’, I became very frustrated when my son didn’t learn as quickly as I thought he should. Although I had lots of curriculum for his grade, he didn’t show much interest in any of it. I tried to keep up with what he would be learning if he was still in ‘regular’ school in the States, but we quickly fell behind. It took me a while (too long, unfortunately) to realize that I was crushing my son’s spirit by pointing out everything he did wrong. (ugh!)
Neither one of us was enjoying school and I had to find a solution.
Thankfully I found Havi Brooks’ blog The Fluent Self and her Destuckification Station. (you can find it by clicking on the link. It’s an affiliate link so if you purchase it, I get a little something) Her e-book helped me to see our dilemma with fresh eyes. It pointed out that people learn better when they are being treated with kindness and respect. When I realized I had not been treating my son or myself with much kindness, it made me change my perspective.
What exactly was my most important goal? Did I want to teach him to read and write and do his multiplication tables, or did I want a happy family? Ultimately, I wanted a happy family. And I wanted to get back to Michigan still loving and respecting each other. I knew my son is a smart kid and would eventually learn to read and do his multiplication tables.
So I eased up on the school work and broke it up into smaller chunks of time.
We took a half-hour walk around our neighborhood every day before starting 2 hours of class work. Although we stuck to the basics, we only worked for no more than 20 minutes at a time before moving on to something else. Whew! That really helped!
I had him to take pictures with my camera and we made a scrapbook of all the cool stuff we saw. (We still have it and love to show it to anyone willing to look!!) Instead of sticking to the school books for curriculum, we bought the entire series of Captain Underpants comic books and he absolutely loved them! He finally looked forward to reading! I found an on-line website where he could play math games and we played a lot of Monopoly and Blackjack 21. When we went shopping, I had him help me figure out the best prices on stuff and he learned fractions from cutting up apples. He took tennis lessons from an instructor who only spoke Portuguese and he studied Portuguese with a wonderful lady in the neighborhood. We both enjoyed school a lot more when I gave up trying to do everything ‘right’.
Most importantly, I learned that in order to motivate my son, I had to start with kindness. Although he would do the work when I forced him to, his heart wasn’t in it, so the lessons wouldn’t stick.
When I let go of trying to teach ‘by the book’ and instead focused on doing what was best for Garrett, he blossomed!! We were both so much happier! Instead of dreading every day, we focused on enjoying our adventure together in Brasil.
So the lesson from this story is….
Kindness can be recognized when the desire to be helpful is greater than the desire to be right.
We both learned a lot that year. Ever since, I’ve really tried to be more kind with my son and myself. Even though he’s back in school, I’m still responsible for teaching him how to be a strong, healthy young man. He’s doing very well!
Speaking of teaching.
Jen Louden and Michelle Christensen are doing their Teach Now program again!! I took it last March and really got a ton out of it. In fact, I still have the recordings. It’s nice to go back and listen to them, especially when I’m preparing a You’re the Boat workshop. (I’ll be doing another one again very soon!! Stay tuned for details) If you’re interested in becoming more confident in your teaching, whether as a teacher or a parent, seriously consider taking this Teach Now program. You’ll be glad you did! You’ll find both Jen and Michelle to be very kind teachers with a passion for helping their students. Click this link here Teach Now to learn more about it! (BTW, this is an affiliate link, which means if you purchase it, I’ll get a little something)
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post, my friendly blog reader.
Have a wonderful week and I’ll be back next Monday.
I’m considering taking a break from doing the Inspirational song of the week and instead finding the Inspirational person or group of the week.
Although I usually post on Wednesday, I pushed it because I didn’t have enough time to write. Honestly, I was so busy yesterday that I knew if I tried to force myself to sit down and write this, it wouldn’t be any good because my heart wouldn’t be in it. So now here I sit, ready to write, but still nervous that I’ll say too much or not enough. However, my heart is open to sharing this idea so, here we go…..
To get you caught up (my friendly blog reader), I came up with an analogy back in May of 2008 I call You are the Boat. It came to me when I was home-schooling my son because we were moving to Brasil for a year for my darling husband’s work.
Home-schooling wasn’t nearly as easy, or as much fun as I had hoped it would be. Although I knew my son deserved a positive influence, I wasn’t sure I was up to the task. We hadn’t even left the States yet and I was already feeling stuck and helpless. I knew I wanted to be happy and successful, I just didn’t know how to get there.
As I got ready to take my dog Tootsie out for our walk, I thought to myself “How am I supposed to get through this?”
The next thought that came to my head was “You know, your attitude is like the rudder on a ship. If you can keep it adjusted appropriately, you can get where you need to go. If it gets stuck, you’ll just go in circles and never get anywhere. You’ll frustrate yourself, and everyone around you.”
As I took my walk, the rest of this boat came to me. Different parts of the boat symbolizing different parts of life. When I got home, I took out my colored pencils and drew it out. ->
When I showed it to my darling husband and wonderful son, they said they liked it and that it made sense to them. I kept the drawing out where I could see it and started working on keeping my attitude adjusted appropriately.
Although I originally thought the Boat started with the Rudder/Attitude, it wasn’t until I was talking about it with a lady friend this past summer that I realized, the analogy doesn’t really start there.
It all started when I opened up my heart and asked for help.
Despite the fear and confusion in my mind, (more likely because of it) my heart cried out for help.
I wanted to be better than I was. To feel like I had some control over where I was going. To know I was on the right track.
Most importantly, I wanted to be a good influence on my son.
I needed to find hope that I could become the mother, teacher, person I wanted to be.
By opening up my heart and asking for help, I made room for guidance to step in.
In this analogy, the Ships wheel/heart is steered by theCaptain/God, so I’m learning to listen to my hearts desire (direction) thru my connection to the Captain/God (more about this in next weeks post).
I also had to learn to trust in myself and my connection to my Captain/God. (I’m still working on this part)
Although I still struggle with day to day stuff, I’ve finally figured out what my heart wants.
My hearts desire is to have a positive influence on my family, friends, community, country and planet. And to help other people (especially YOU, my friendly blog reader!!) to find their hearts desire, too! Writing this series about the different parts of the Boat is my way to get started.
Although I’m wearing my heart on my sleeve by telling you this, I believe I’m suppose to share this Boat analogy (in fact, that’s why I started writing this blog in the first place!). I’ve put together a power point presentation and a workbook. I’ve just done my first presentation at our local library, and there’s another one scheduled for the end of this month in Oxford, Michigan. I’m also sharing the Boat, a Make your own Magic Wand class and the Stretch through our Community Ed classes next month.
If you’re interested in coming to a class, please contact me at pambelding at gmail dot com.
I’m following my heart and hoping for the best! After all, my Captain knows where to go.
So, what does your heart want most?…….
I would LOVE to hear about your hearts desire!!
xoxo
Pam
p.s. I’ll be back on Monday with the Inspirational song of the week.
p.p.s. I’ll be writing about the Captain/God in the next of the series. xoxo
p.p.p.s. A wonderful lady named Hiro Boga is offering a class about ruling your world from the inside out! I thought the Queen of Hearts seemed appropriate!! Check it out!!
Last week, I talked about my top 3 needs here, and although I didn’t link to it in the first post, I also wrote about one of my basic needs, Acceptance, in the Inspirational word of the week here.
In no particular order, the 9 Basic Human Needs are
Security = Asks lots of questions and demands more information.
Adventure = Always looking for a new way of doing things.
Freedom = Needs to make their own choices. Resists rules.
Exchange = Works well with others to share values.
Power = Strong leadership tendencies. Good organizers and accept responsibility.
Expansion = Needs to build and grow. Recognizes value.
Acceptance = Friendly and tolerant. Smiling and whistling is normal.
Community = Likes to be around other people. Nurturing and helpful.
Expression = Creative with words, art, or even computer stuff.
Last Friday night at the Beets, Beats & Eats Farmers market, with a great deal of help from my friends, we held the very first Enjoy the Process Coloring Contest! Wweeeeeeee!!!! It went so well!! Our winner is a lady named Gayle Dodds, a new artist, and vendor at the BB&E. Out of the 26 entries, her piece received the most votes from all of the people in the park. The prize was a collection of all of the entry fees, which totaled $26. (My prize was seeing her beautiful smile light up the park! ) She had never won anything before, and she was absolutely tickled pink! She happily floated around for the rest of the night and promised to enter into next years contest as well! I couldn’t be happier for her and I’m completely thrilled with the excitement and enthusiasm of all of the people who participated!
So next year I’m planning on adding categories for different ages as well as mediums, including glitter & glue, beads, seeds, stones, fabrics and mosaic tiles! It’s great to have something fun to look forward to!!!
“It’s good to be doing what I’m supposed to be doing with the people I’m doing it with”
When I first read through the 9 Basic Human Needs, I first thought I needed Community because I like to be around people, (which is one of the requirements), but later, as I continued reading, I realized that I have more of a need for Exchange because, according to Barbara Taylor’s article “People with a need for exchange are concerned about the flow of energy in all types of relationships. They like to see things “moving” in some way that expresses balanced equality, integrity and an equal exchange.”
When I decided last November to put together this coloring contest, I had no idea that this was because of my need for Exchange.It just seemed like something I’m supposed to be doing. I needed to give people something special to do in a fun atmosphere. Ever since I had my epiphany in Mexico, I’ve hosted art classes for kids and grown-ups, as well as English and cooking classes while I was living in Brasil. That was when I started writing this blog.
Which leads me to my 3rd basic need, Expression. My need of Expression first manifested itself when I started making my burlap art in Mexico. I took a simple project I had first done in the fourth grade and expanded on it by making and adding beads, fur, flowers, leather strap, hand-made paper and lace.
I use art and writing as therapy to help me get through the really tough parts of life. And unlike pharmaceuticals, art therapy works most of the time with very mild side-effects. For instance now I have a dresser full of scrap material, my friends always give me cool stuff they’ve found, and my art cabinet is stuffed with beads, pine-cones, seeds, stones and other found items! Those are way better side-effects than dry-mouth, sleepiness or oily discharge!! :)
“Art builds community and the community creates value for all.”Seth Godin
Art and writing have given me something beautiful to focus on as well as a chance to express myself and make friends.
So there it is, my friendly blog reader, my top 3 basic needs and how I figured them out.
What do you think? Do you know what your top 3 basic needs are?
I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments!
Have a wonderful week and I’ll be back on Monday with the Inspirational song of the week.
So before I tell you more about Israel, I have to tell you this story……….Way back when Garrett had just turned 4 months old, we were driving back to Michigan from Pennsylvania. We had been living there for a month with Blake, while he finished up a project. So, I’m following Blake in my Honda with Garrett strapped into the toddler seat in the back, when this big redneck truck comes roaring onto the freeway and almost knocks us off of the road. Of course, it scared the hell out of me, so I reached my hand out of the window and flipped the guy off.
This totally pissed him off!!!!! (of course!) Apparently he and his buddy had nothing better to do than to harass me for the next hour. I didn’t have a cell phone to call Blake (I sure got one right after that) and tell him what was happening, so he didn’t see the guy driving up real close to me, yelling insults out the window about how I should show some f&%$ing respect and what kind of a B%$& do I think I am flipping him off. I didn’t know what else to do, so I just tried to keep up with Blake and stay as cool as I could. I’ve never been more relieved than when he came to his exit and finally left us alone.
Now, I fully admit to flipping the guy off. I totally disrespected him because I felt justified in my anger. After all, he did almost run me off the road.
HOWEVER, what I learned from that was just because someone pisses me off, doesn’t mean I have to react negatively to it. Reacting the way I did put me and my newborn son in jeopardy. A smarter reaction would have been to thank God he didn’t actually hurt us and let it go.
Now, today is Wednesday, which means it’s time for the the inspirational word of the week.
I’ve chosen this word very carefully because of our trip last week through the Holy Land.
Respect: (noun)
1. deference to someone or something.
2. proper courtesy or acknowledgment.
3. the condition of being esteemed.
(verb)
1. to hold in esteem or honor.
2. to show regard or consideration for.
3. to refrain from intruding upon, or interfering with.
The day after Jerusalem, we drove 3 hours down to the Dead Sea. Along the way, we saw rows after rows of farms, irrigated by the Jordan river, which eventually pours into the Dead Sea.
Unfortunately, there are so many farms that the Dead Sea is dropping 3 feet every year. It has been estimated that the Sea will dry up within 50 years. I hate to think that the people in Israel are so short-sighted that they are willing to forfeit one of their greatest assets, for what really, big palm trees and banana’s?! I understand the need to feed your people, but trying to grow banana’s in that climate seems seems very disrespectful of the environment.
As a tourist, I didn’t feel like I could do anything but stare in shock. Since being back home, I’ve read a little about the Israeli water law but ultimately, I have to let it go. If I continue to focus on trying to teach the Israeli’s how to run their country, I would be wasting my time as well as ignoring the problems I do have control of right here in Michigan. My family and I were fortunate enough to be able to see this awesome place, as well as float around in it. Our grandchildren may not be so lucky.
So what I can tell them, and you, my friendly blog reader is that the water was warm and the ground underneath it was hard and crusty from the salt. Garrett and I tasted the water and both think it is the nastiest, saltiest thing we have ever tasted ever!!! When I walked into it up to my waist, I sat down and felt my feet come out from underneath me! Garrett kept getting flipped over onto his belly. He had a great time smearing the mineral-rich mud on me and Blake. Once we rinsed off the salt and mud, we all thought that our skin felt softer than ever. It was incredible!
The day after we visited the Dead Sea, we went to visit the Manara Cliffs, a really neat family friendly destination that has bungees and trampoline’s for the little kids, a mountain slide coaster (which was fun) and cable cars which take you all the way to the top of the cliffs. Half-way down, the cable cars stopped to let us off so we could go zip-lining!
The jeep ride back up to where we met the cable cars was almost as thrilling as the zip-line! Bouncy!!!!!!
We drove from the Manara cliffs, along the Lebanon border to Rosh Hanikra. It was pretty wild to look out the
window of the car to see rows of border fence, Israeli farms on one side and the scrub trees of Lebanon on the other.
It took us about an hour’s drive to get to Rosh Hanikra, which is on the northern most point of Israel, on the Mediterranean coast.We had a very nice lunch and then took the steepest cable car ride in the world down to the grotto’s. The grotto’s are naturally formed caves cut into the side of the chalk and limestone cliffs.
We had such a great time together! The drive home only took an hour. When we got back to the hotel, we ordered snacks at the bar and called it dinner. I love that about vacations!! And the smiles are priceless!!
The next day, after breakfast and homework (Garrett’s teacher gave him homework so he wouldn’t be totally behind when he got back to class. It was NOT our favorite part of the trip!) we headed off to go sailing in Caesaria on the coast of the Mediterranean. The weather was pretty windy and at first the man who was renting us the katamarand wasn’t sure about letting us rent it. Fortunately, Blake owned one many years ago and has plenty of experience handling one. When we showed up, the man realized Blake wasn’t going to go away, so he relented and let us take the boat out. It was exhilarating!! Blake steered the rudder, I handled the main-sail and Garrett had the jib. The water crashed up from beneath us and got us all soaked as we tacked back and forth within sight of our spot on the beach. Poor Garrett was shivering so bad his teeth were chattering! We were out for just over an hour and it took a while for us to finally warm up. We had lunch at this place right next to the boat rental place on the beach.
Later we drove to these ancient Roman aqua ducts where Blake and Garrett played in the water and skipped stones while I took the most incredible nap ever! It was AWESOME!! I was so tired that as soon as I laid myself down upon that warm, soft sand, it was impossible to keep myself awake. I think I must have slept for at least half an hour. The warm sun and warm sand just sucked the energy right out of me. When I woke up, Blake and Garrett were very happily skipping stones and laughing. We saw some muslims (fully dressed in suits and shoes) out there on the beach, as well.
We stayed the night at the Dan Caesaria hotel, right down the street from the beach. The rooms were all set on an angle, which I thought was very peculiar so I took a picture of it. ————-> Later that night we had dinner at Uri Buri a fish restaurant in Acco, past Haifa about an hour from Caesaria. BEST SEAFOOD EVER! Totally fresh with a simply divine menu. Check out this link to a story about it on NPR.
The following day, we had a wonderful breakfast buffet, worked on some homework and then headed back to Nazareth. By now, I was getting really tired and I knew we had a long trip ahead of us. Our flight didn’t leave until 10:30pm, so we toured around Nazareth. We had lunch and then looked around the Church of the Anunciation, built around the cave where the Angel Gabriel came to tell Mary about her role as Jesus’ mother. There were paintings and mosaic representations of St. Mary covering almost every surface of the church and it’s surrounding walls. I took some pictures, but to be honest, I was pretty tired and shaky so they didn’t turn out as well as I’d hoped. I’ll share the best of the bunch with you.
We visited St. Joseph’s workshop, also a church, but much, much smaller and located in the back. I’ve always found it sad that Jesus’ father never gets the same kind of respect that Mary did. After all, he did make an honest woman of Mary, he raised Jesus as his own son and he made sure that Jesus and Mary both were taken care of.
So after looking at the churches we decided to go back to the hotel for a rest before the long trip home.
The drive to the Tel Aviv airport takes just over an hour. Garrett and I gave Blake big hugs and kisses good-bye and then headed into the terminal. It took a couple of hours to get through security because there are many check points, not just one and they ask lots of questions. Although they gave the lady in front of us the 3rd degree, when it came our turn, they let us off with just a cursory few. I already had my journal and camera out ready to show them what we’d been up to! Once we made it through security and got rid of our luggage, we actually went to MacDonald’s. We were curious to see if it tasted the same as it does in the States (it does in Brasil and Mexico). But since all meals were kosher, (apparently in kosher meals there can never be a mix of meat and dairy) there was no cheese on any of the burgers. My Big Mac was a little dry, as was Garrett’s chicken sandwich. The fries were still tasty tho!
We had another hour and a half to kill before we boarded the plane, we hung out, read and walked around. The flight to Atlanta was 14 hours long. Fortunately, Garrett was seated next to me, and we met a wonderful older lady named Ingrid on her way home to North Carolina after visiting her sister in Israel for a month. She sat on the other side of Garrett, and when she needed help figuring out how to get her light turned on, or her headset plugged in, Garrett was right there to help her. She was very nice and really a treat to sit with on this painfully long flight.
When we arrived in Atlanta, we had to re-check our luggage and then wait for our next flight. What was supposed to be a 3 hour lay-over turned into a 5 hour lay-over because of a hydraulic leak. We weren’t even sure if we were going to be able to take this plane, so when the lady at the ticket counter told us that we might have to take the flight 5 hours later, Garrett turned to me and said “What are we supposed to do now!? I can’t take this anymore, don’t they know….” I quickly turned to him and said “Getting pissed off at me is not going to fix the plane. I know your tired, so am I. Just handle it because blowing up is only going to make things worse.” He backed off, sat down and covered his face with his hat. Fortunately, we did get to board the plane about half an hour later. Better late than never.
So after 26 hours of traveling, we finally made it back home to Ortonville.
I’ve had people ask me if it was violent over there. I wouldn’t say I noticed any violence, but the differences were very intense. Like how their day starts the night before, and how their language reads from right to left, and they open books backwards from the way we do here in the west. I saw some women covered from head to foot, as well as some dressed up in skimpy tops and hi-heels. The food was delicious, but had lots of rules with it about what you could eat and when. The Islamic prayers were beautiful, but really too early in the morning for me.
It was an experience my family and I will never forget.
Thanks for following along, my friendly blog reader. I hope you’ve found this entertaining and informational. I would love to invite you to click the links above to learn more about the places I’ve described here in this blog. And remember, if you’re ever in Israel and you need a guide, check out Adrian at his website . Tell him Pam, Blake and Garrett sent you!
shalom,
Pam
p.s. I’ll be at a Main Street Conference in Oklahoma City, OK next week, so I’m going to try pre-posting and see how that works! It’s always good to try something new!
My dear blog reader, as I write this, I am tired and sore from my past week’s adventures. My spine feels like Cracker Jacks and I have been fighting a headache since we got home. I want to tell you about our trip to Israel, but I’m afraid of writing too much, or not enough. Please be patient with me as I try to give you something worth reading, while not overwhelming you with too many details. Thanks
Garrett and I flew out of Flint, Michigan to Atlanta, Geogia. From Atlanta, we flew to Tel Aviv. Unfortunately, our seats were not together. Garrett sat next to a very nice couple on their way to tour the Holy Land. I sat between two equally lovely pilgrims 5 rows ahead of them. After our 12 1/2 hour flight, the lady who sat next to Garrett told me he was “incredibly well-behaved the whole way. Really, he was fantastic to sit with.” Aaaaaaaahhhhh! My heart just got paid!
It was wonderful to see Blake’s shining face at the airport after our very long, boring flight! He drove us to the Golden Crown hotel in Nazareth, where he’s been living since February. We went out to eat Sushi at a really nice restaurant in the mall where we unexpectedly met Doron, an Israeli guy who works with Blake, and his wife, Iris. As we ate dinner, I chatted with Iris, eventually telling her about the boat. I even gave her my card and invited her to read this blog! HELLO IRIS!!!!! We Guardian wives need to stick together! xoxo
We went to sleep fairly quickly, but when the Mullah started singing at 4:30am, (click the link to hear a YouTube version) I was awake and not going back to sleep. Damn jet lag!!
On our first day, Blake gave Garrett his B-day present, a roller-surfer and pads, which he took down to the court yard to play with. The weather, as you can tell from the picture, is dry and in the hi 70’s. Afterwards, we drove for half an hour to Zippori, the hometown of Jesus’ mother Mary, known for it’s mosaics.
We climbed the path to the top of the hill, walking through this incredible cactus garden along the way.
After Zippori, we drove to Mt. Tabor, historically, the spot where Jesus re-appeared 3 days after his Crucifixion.
Garrett didn’t seem too tired, but by mid-afternoon, I was exhausted, so we headed back to the hotel, so I could nap.
The following day, Sunday, we got up early, drove toward Jerusalem and picked up our tour guide, Adrian, a British ex-patriate licensed by the State of Israel to give tours through the Holy city. Check him out at www.adrianw.co.il
We started at the Mt. of Olives where Adrian pulled out maps and described in detail how the city started out small and then grew and grew over the years. He did a great job explaining everything, I just can’t remember it all!
Next, we drove to Gethsemane (the garden Christ prayed in the night before his Crucifixion) with 1800 year old olive trees, next to the Church of all Nations. While inside the church, we were astounded to hear some Finish pilgrims singing a liturgy. It was amazingly beautiful!
From there, we drove further into the city and parked the car. The rest of the day was all on foot!
We saw Mary’s Tomb,
King David’s tomb ……………and the Hall of the last supper.
Everywhere we went, there were pilgrims from all parts of the world, come to pay their respects.
Here is a picture of some Korean Muslims on a tour.
Jerusalem is filled with people from all over the world. I heard languages of all different kinds being spoken. Russian, German, Hebrew and Arabic. Fortunately, most everyone we talked with knew at least some English, or could find someone close-by who could.
We had lunch at a wonderful restaurant overlooking the old city. Then we went on a tour of the Burnt House, where we watched a movie about how the Romans burned down Jerusalem in order to take it over. The movie re-enacts the story of a priests family who lived in this house which was later excavated in the 1970’s. The charred remains of the house and a girls arm holding a spear had been unearthed. Creepy!
We then went to another place where more houses have been excavated directly underneath apartment buildings currently being lived in.
We walked out toward the Temple on the Mount and the wailing wall.
All around us were pilgrims, tour guides and hundreds of Israeli troops preparing for the Memorial Day services to be held the following day. (quick note, the days in Israel start the night before at dusk. Once you can see 3 stars in the night sky, it’s tomorrow. It was really strange and hard to get used to, but all part of the adventure)
We saw Robinson’s Arch, the only remaining part of the original entrance into the Temple.
We also saw Harrod’s road, the actual road built by King Harrod over 2ooo years ago.
And we saw a replica of a catapult.
We had Adrian take us through the new Davidson Center, located right next to the Temple on the Mount. It’s a subterranean (air-conditioned!) museum built with an endowment from Guardians (now deceased) owner William Davidson. It had artifacts (coins) from the site, informative films and computer animated recreations of the Second Temple. We were really glad to have seen this and very proud of Mr. Davidson for making it all possible. Thanks Mr. D, we miss you!
The sun was starting to go down as we came out of the museum and we still had a lot more to see. Adrian did a fantastic job taking us through the Muslim quarter,
the Christian quarter (somewhere along all of this, was the Via Del la Rosa, a path traced by pilgrims meant to portray Christ’s carrying of the cross. Adrian explained that because of the growth of the city, the actual way doesn’t really exist anymore) The Church of the Holy Sepulchre
(check out the 13 century grafitti!) was built in the 3rd century by Constantine, at his mother Queen Helena’s urging. She is the one who actually went into the tombs and found a cross and pronounced it “the” cross upon which Christ was Crucified. She had it mounted on a stone and that became Golgatha. This became the very first Christian church in the world. (by the way, if I screw up any of the history here, it is totally my fault and not our tour guide Adrian’s. He was phenomenal and just brimming with information. Really! Go check him out www.adrianw.co.il He is AWESOME!!!)
Inside the church we saw the actual stone where pilgrims wait in line to kiss the spot where Christ was Crucified, as well as a gorgeous mosaic mural depicting the crucifixion. (sorry the picture doesn’t do it justice)
Here’s a picture of the exact spot where Jesus was entombed.We saw many, many more things inside this church, but for the life of me I can’t name them all.
We had cappuccino at the Austrian Hospice, which is actually owned and controlled by the Vatican. Here’s a picture of the view from the top, overlooking the city. Pretty cool, huh!
It seemed like the day would never end. Adrian was amazing in his knowledge of all of the history and architecture, stopping to point out tons of things I’ve since completely forgotten. Garrett was fantastic at keeping up with us the entire time, even when he was obviously getting tired and bored. I’m so proud of him!!!!
It was dark by the time we got back to the car and drove Adrian back to his motorcycle. We drove back to Nazareth, only to find out that the hotel was not longer serving dinner because of the Memorial day holiday. Most other restaurants were closed as well, so we had to drive into downtown to get an Arab sandwich at Mr. Schwarma. It’s made fresh, (like Subway), with grilled, spiced lamb on a baguette with lettuce, tomatoes and pickles and a spicy curry/mango sauce. Delicious!!!
That’s about it for today, my friendly blog reader. I’ll be back on Wednesday for part two of our Israel trip. Have a marvelous Monday!
The last dream I remembered this morning was of me panicking because my phone battery died and my husband was supposed to be calling to come pick me up. I don’t remember where I was, but I knew I was supposed to be somewhere else.
Now, it’s true that I’m down to my last nerve with my phone batteries because lately, I can’t seem to keep any of them charged up for very long. (I’ll be picking up a new phone this week, and a better one, at that!) But the rest of it doesn’t make sense. Blake has been very good at calling as close to every day as possible. He called last week to let me know that the news was going to be talking about a bombing and not to worry because he is at least 4 to 5 hours away from it. He also reminded me that there are more than 7 million people who live in that country full-time. They didn’t seem overly concerned, so I shouldn’t be. “Worrying is the devils work”, so I decided to just let it go.
I got up and filled the Easter baskets with candy and toys. Instead of a bunny, I got Garrett a Madagascar penguin because he’s going to be 10 years old next week and he really doesn’t think bunnies are cool, but a penguin that likes to puke up chainsaws, now that’s cool!
After a breakfast of chocolate, peeps and hard-boiled eggs, I took my walk around the lake with Tootsie.
The weather was absolutely stunning! There was a nice light breeze, blue skies and birds singing. I saw the crocuses are finally coming up, which means the tulips will be here soon!!!
After I got back, Blake called. It was such a relief to hear his voice! He sounded good and chatted with me and Garrett for a few minutes before he had to get back to work. I told him about my dream, and he said he was sorry and that he misses me too. We both know this situation won’t last forever, just a few more weeks. It’s just the dream and the holiday and the fact that Sundays are always the hardest, left me feeling a little extra sensitive today. (I guess that’s good because it reminds me of how much I really love my husband.) I told him that Garrett and I were going to go watch the new movie “How to Train your Dragon” (in 3D) movie and then go out to dinner. Blake was completely thrilled to hear that we were going to go out and have a good time. He’s a great husband, despite the distance!
So that is just what we did. We saw the movie (which was really wonderful story about being true to yourself) and then we had dinner at the Japanese teppanyaki restaurant Miyako at the Great Lakes Crossing Mall. Mmmmm, shrimp and steak! And the chef was very entertaining! He even flipped rice into my sons mouth! Super cool!
We came home and napped on the couch for a couple of hours and then went back outside to enjoy the sunshine. Garrett went to go play with his buddies and I threw the ball for Tootsie and trimmed some bushes.
Overall, it was a very enjoyable holiday.
Despite waking up panicked, the whole rest of the day was truly peaceful.
Now here it is, dark and late. Time for me to say good night to another Sunday without my husband.
Fortunately this week is spring break, so I’ll get to hang out with Garrett all week! Maybe I’ll get him to help me do some gardening.
In just a couple of weeks, Garrett and I will be traveling to Israel to go see Blake! Now there’s something to look forward to!
Have a wonderful evening and I’ll be back in the morning with the Inspirational song of the week!
Today is Wednesday, which means it’s time for the Inspirational word of the day.
Patience: (noun) 1. quiet, steady perseverance. 2. the ability to suppress restlessness. 3. the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune or pain without complaint.
I made this project way back in 2004, while I was still living in Mexico. I used Mexican jute, hand-made paper, leather strap and beads, some of which I made and some I took off of a necklace. The saying in the middle says “Actively pursue patience” with little black swirls made from Sculpey clay encircling it. (The black velvet “dress” didn’t get added until years later).
Honestly, I hated this project when I first made it. It seemed uneven and top-heavy. Although I liked the colors of the beads, paper and fabric before it came together, once I made it, I just hated it. The saying on it came from somewhere in my head. It could be the Universe, Allah, God, or my sub-conscious was trying to teach me something! (ya think?)
So I stuffed it into a box and forgot about it until after we moved back to Michigan. I came across it again a couple of years later while looking for something else. When I first saw it, I seriously considered throwing it out, until I thought “What it needs is just a little black dress.” So I cut the shape out of some scrap velvet I had laying around and put it together.
That made all the difference in the world.
This project is now one of my most favorite pieces, especially because I know how much I really hated it at first.
As a naturally energetic person, I have a tendency to get very restless when I feel stressed. My default reaction is to do more, do something, anything to feel like I have some control over whatever it is that’s causing my anxiety.
I have learned that sometimes doing more can make things worse,because freaking out and losing control only makes things harder because of the extra damage they cause.
Making this project (along with many, many others) has helped to teach me to “actively pursue patience” instead of trying to fix everything at once.
The sliding window above has prayer flags in it. Some of my most favorite things in the whole world are Tibetan prayer flags. They are not only beautiful, but also auspicious symbols said to bring happiness, long life and prosperity to the flag planter and those in the vicinity. I have some available for purchase. If you are interested , please contact me at pambelding AT gmail DOT com .
The Tiger, who symbolizes unconditional confidence, a natural sense of satisfaction and fulfillment through disciplined awareness, kindness and modesty. Measures 18″ x 18″($10 plus shipping)
The Snow Lion symbolizes beauty and dignity, the body and mind in synchronicity with a youthful vibrant energy of goodness and a natural sense of delight. Measures 18″ x 18″($10 plus shipping)
The Turquoise Dragon symbolizes complete communication and compassion. To display a Turquoise Dragon is said to enhance ones fame and reputation. Measures 28″ x 13″ ($10 plus shipping)
The Sky Dragon is energetic, powerful and unwavering, yet gentle and playful. It represents generosity, spontaneous achievement, elegance and equanimity. Measures 18″ x 18″ ($10 plus shipping)
The Garuda is daring and fearless, possessing great strength and power and a mind free from hopes and dreams. Measures 18″ x 18″ ($10 plus shipping)
This set of 4 contains the Garuda, Sky Dragon, Snow Lion and Tiger. Measures 24″ x 24″ ($14 plus shipping)
The Kharmapa Dream flag symbolizes the union of wisdom and compassion - the ultimate realization of one’s true nature. Measures 24″ x 14″ ($18 plus shipping)
I would love to spread these beautiful symbols all over the world. Please contact me at pambelding@gmail.com to order them.
I think Simba has got to be one of the luckiest kitties on the planet!
My girlfriend Simone found him and turned him over to our friends, Paula and Leandro. They kept him for a week, while Simone did the paperwork to send him back. Our friend Craig, a Guardian guy who lives not too far from us, went down to Brasil. He agreed to bring Simba home, and even went over to Paula and Leandro’s to get to know him.
Long story short, Simba is home again and currently snuggling up to Garrett in bed.
Thanks Simone, Paula, Leandro, and Craig for bringing our kitty back. You all ROCK!!!!!!
I first recognized “Pink” while I was living in Mexico with my husband and son. My husband was building a glass factory and so we were going to be living there for about 14 months.
We had been there for at least 6 months at this point. My dear husband had been working many, many long hours on site, and my girlfriends had all left for their summer vacations, so I was feeling pretty darned lonely, frustrated, angry and defensive which is not the way I wanted to be spending my life, especially trying to raise a young, impressionable child. I was frustrated because I felt like I “should” being doing something else, what that was I didn’t know. I was angry because I was frustrated and I was defensive because I felt guilty for not being content with what I had, which was a FREAKING AWESOME LIFE! The front part of my brain knew that I “should be happy” but there was a nagging discontent that was making me short-tempered, irritable and snappy. I wasn’t happy and my attitude was poisoning my life. I knew something had to change, I just didn’t know what.
I was taking my walk, when I noticed the sky. There were just enough clouds on the horizon to create one of those picture-perfect sunsets with yellow rays of sunlight shining through hot pink clouds against an apricot sky. Stunning, really stunning.
It was then that I felt a feeling of lightness. Like a marionette, I could feel the sunset pulling all the tension and pain off of my shoulders.
I was wearing an MP3 player and the song playing at that very moment was Pink by Aerosmith.
I was speechless, floating along the street, listening to Steven Tyler sing…
“And I think everything is going to be all right, no matter what we do tonight” and I got it. I totally understood just what exactly it was that I was supposed to learn.
I could hold onto my loneliness, anger, frustration and defensiveness and continue to feel horrible.
Or I could let it go, even for just a few moments and feel better. The choice was completely up to me! Amazing! I had to be strong enough to surrender and let it all go. I had to have enough faith in myself and the Universe to figure out what it was I really needed, as well as, the patience and determination to go out and get it. Essentially, I had to let my life become something different, something better.
I started by taking control of my attitude. Doing this allowed me to develop appreciation for my life. It hasn’t happened all at once, but it HAS happened. Just like muscles are strengthened by regular use, I had to practice living joyfully day to day. I had to go out and find the Pink things. As a matter of fact, I started creating art (making Pink things ) to represent my gratitude for the Pink things in my life. The piece at the top of this essay was just the first of many projects I’ve made to say THANK YOU to the Universe. I built up my happiness muscles and I USE them!
God wants me to be happy. She’ll throw out clues to remind me. It’s my job to look for them.
Pink is my reminder of why life is worth living. It’s a naturally occurring phenomenon produced by the Universe. Like a birthday present, it’s wrapped up in the mundane events of daily life just waiting to be opened.
Like the soft, pink of baby toes,
and the light-hearted earnestness of “Octopuses Garden” by the Beatles,
my son’s laughter,
and my husband’s smile,
the sexiness of Steven Tyler singing “Pink”,
and the hot, pink flowers on a bougainvillea vine,
the resilient attitude of SpongeBob SquarePants,
and the warm, buzzing feeling in my muscles after an intense work-out,
Pink reminds me that my happiness is completely up to me and I can unwrap it whenever I want to.
That day transformed my life. I love my life and feel so very blessed. I admit, there are days that are difficult, some of which are downright painful. Sometimes I look around and don’t see anything Pink.
I finally realized what it is I am supposed to be doing. I have to be the Pink thing, the reminder of why life is beautiful and worth living.
“Wait!” you say. “How can you be so unrealistic? Real life is hard, difficult and filled with dissappointment. Aren’t you sticking your head in the sand with all of this Pink crap? Aren’t your afraid of being made a fool of?”
Thanks for asking and I’m really glad you’re here. Without you, I would just be talking to myself and that would be really boring.
Let me be more specific about what I think Pink means.
Pink is my way to describe an overall-workable scheme to create a life worth looking forward to, as well as looking back upon. Pink is about momentum, not about perfection.
Let me offer three ideas that really help develop the philosophy of Pink;
desire, equanimity and resilience.
Desire is a very powerful force. Desire doesn’t sit in the corner waiting to be fulfilled. Desire pushes and prods relentlessly. Like a hungry cat rubbing around your legs, desire gets noticed, dammit!
Equanimity is the relationship in your life between what is happening to you and what you are doing about it. For example, if you spend every day of the week making chocolate chip cookies, you may become a very good baker, but you will not become a Kung Fu Master. Basically, you become what you do everyday.
Resilience is the ability to bounce back after hardship. You practice resilience by getting back up again, and again……and again……….
“You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down.” ~ Mary Pickford
Pink is the combination of all three of these. Pink is not afraid of what everyone else thinks. Pink wants to be noticed and appreciated. Pink has something better to offer than fear. Pink promises fulfillment. Pink is beautiful, funny, inspiring, strong, joyful, soothing and confident. Pink ROCKS!!
I hope that you will go out and look for the Pink things in your life. Even if your Pink things arePurple, Turquoise, or Neon Green, they long for your attention and want to inspire you.
The best part is that once you find them, everyone benefits!
John Lennon and the Beatles said it best when they sang “And in the end. The love you take, is equal to the love you make.”
May peace be with you and keep you safe and happy.
Pam Belding
p.s. Paula Pryke has a new book called”Simply Pink” and it is GORGEOUS!
The name of this project is Denim. I made it using a frame a girlfriend gifted me from her basement (Thanks Jen!), some muslin I dyed scarlet, American burlap (as opposed to Mexican jute which I love and hope to get more of,…. hint, hint), and my husbands jeans after I went at them with a pair of scissors. (What a treat!!) One of his belt buckles shows off the in-seam, while I used a needle and thread to sew on the waist band.
This is one of my oldest projects, dating back to 2005. Having carried back and forth to Art shows and Craft fairs, it has become one of my most favorite, as well as the many people who have commented on it.
After moving back home from Brasil, I am now becoming acquainted with my Michigan home all over again ( cue “Reunited“). This project lives in my dining room, (along with a lot of others) and I found myself staring at it the other day.
This project really helps showcase the answer to the question “What is the difference between change and transformation?”
Anyone can change their pants. That doesn’t change who they are. It doesn’t even change the pants.
Transformation takes time, tools and vision. It requires development and focus.
Think about a Thanksgiving turkey. First thing in the morning, before it has been cooked, a turkey is just a dead, cold, slimy, heavy thing with removable guts. ick!!
It’s Monday, which means time for the Inspirational song of the week.
My family and I have been back home in Michigan for almost 4 days now, and I must admit to being absolutely thrilled! WOOOHOOOOO!!!!! Baby, I couldn’t be happier if I were twins! ;P On my walk this morning I heard this song and almost skipped down the street…..arms swinging….singing along! I want everyone to feel like this!!!!
Have a most awesome week! xoxoxoxoxooxox
Pam
p.s. I heart Harry!!! ;P
Harry Connick Jr.
Miscellaneous
A Wink And A Smile
I remember the days of just keeping time
Of hanging around in sleepy town
Forever back roads empty for miles
Well you can’t have a dream and cut it to fit
But when I saw you I knew
We’d go together, like a wink and a smile
Leave your old jalopy by the railroad track
We’ll get a hip double-dip hip Topy two seat Pontiac
So you can rev her up, don’t go slow
It’s only green lights and all rights
Let’s go together like a wink and a smile
Give me a wink and a smile
We go together like a wink and a smile
Now my heart is music, such a simple song
Sing it again the notes never end this is where I belong
Just the sound of your voice the light in your eyes
They’re so far away from yesterday
Together like a wink and a smile
We go together like a wink and a smile
[ Harry Connick Jr. Lyrics are found on www.songlyrics.com ]
My family had been living in Tatui, Brasil since June of 2008, until last Wednesday the 29th of July. After just a few days of packing and cleaning, we all moved back home to Michigan.
Well, not all of us. Our cat, Simba, really hates to travel. He managed to escape at the last minute and run and hide in the roof of my neighbor’s churrasco (barbeque). I climbed the wall and looked inside the hole he dissappeared into. The neighbor lady and I spent half an hour begging and pleading him to come out. I even sat patiently and quietly by the hole for ten minutes. Finally, an hour late, we had to leave for the drive to Sao Paolo. With assurances from my neighbor that she would keep an eye out for him and feed him, we reluctantly got in the shuttle bus to go to the airport.
We are heart-broken. Simba had been a part of our family for 4 years and he was the perfect cat. He didn’t bite or scratch. He didn’t ruin the furniture with his claws and he never peed on anything. He was a wonderful cuddler and loved to snuggle up to our bellies and just spend time with us. He even put up with “upside down cat” when my husband would turn him upside down and rub his belly! He loved us and we loved him.
The 2 hours it took us to get the the airport went by in a blur of tears and tissues. My son asked why we had to lose Simba. I couldn’t answer him right away. I just said something about making sacrifices and then kept crying with him.
The rest of the travel went very smoothly. Our dog, Tootsie did her time in the crate, travelling as cargo in the belly of the airplanes. We picked her up in Cleveland and she was sitting up in her crate, waiting expectantly for us to come get her. (This was her second time travelling like this, so she knew we would.) We then packed her, her crate, and our 5 monster suitcases into the rental SUV and then drove 4 hours home to Ortonville, Michigan. After 30 hours of travel, we finally arrived home safe and sound and completely worn out.
The next morning I awoke fairly early and took out my journal. I needed to work out in my head, just what it was I was suppose to learn from losing the cat. I believe God does things for a reason, so I went looking for that reason by writing in my journal. After 3 pages, it came to me that the loss of our beloved cat was God’s way of encouraging me to focus on what I still have and to really appreciate having it. I didn’t want to lose him, and I’m sure he doesn’t want to lose us either, but he didn’t want to be stuck in the cat carrier more. He chose to stay in Brasil. Although it hurts, ( and yes, it still does and it probably will for a while longer) losing him amplified the wonderful adventure we had, the strong, healthy family we still are, and the closing of one chapter leading into the next. If he is meant to come back to live with us, I will take him back in a heart-beat. Like I said, he is the perfect cat. But for now, I just have to thank God for the time we had with him, and have faith that he will be safe and healthy in Brasil. We have many more adventures ahead of us to look forward to.
Good-bye Simba. God be with you and watch over you. You will be missed.
After living in Tatui, in the state of Sao Paolo in Brasil, my family and I are packed up and ready to move back home to Michigan.
This has brought with it many heartfelt good-byes, tears and “of course, I’ll keep in touch. You have my e-mail, right?”
Sitting down to dinner a couple of nights ago, my husband and I were talking with our son about all of the people and things we would miss about Brasil, as well as all of the things we are looking forward to when we go back home.
The best way to describe the feeling associated with this time in our lives is
Bittersweet: pleasure mingled with pain or regret: the bittersweet of parting.
We have had the pleasure of meeting some truly wonderful people here in Brasil, who have made our time here most enjoyable.
Just to name a few; Egle, Lida, Ana Paula, Marcella, Heather, Eliu, Austin, Evan, Braden, Carson, Christiane, Gyro, Leticia, Enrique, Simone, Roberta, Guillerme, and Penha.
We will never forget the fun we had here. We will miss all of our friends.
I pass these flowers every day on my walk around the perimeter of my neighborhood, here in Brasil. On the day that I took this photo, I was particularly struck by the vibrancy of these flowers. Their petals took on an extraordinary significance and my finger longed to reach up and touch them. The small, yellow orchids behind the larger, white ones practically screamed for my attention.
That’s when the realization hit me.
The menacing sky in the background encouraged me to focus my attention upon the beautiful blossoms right in front of me. Although I passed these flowers everyday, the intensity of their charm wasn’t truly apparent until I saw them contrasted against the threat of the oncoming storm.
It was an epiphany!
Life is going to be hard sometimes and it’s during these times when the truth is revealed.
What really matters is the focus of my attention. Although it’s important to recognize the approaching storm and prepare accordingly, I can’t allow my fear to blind me to the amazing splendor of life. Instead, I choose to use that fear as an amplifier, a distinguishing feature of the landscape, a contrast to better accentuate the beauty along my path.
So with this knowledge, I choose to focus on the beautiful.
I will recognize the challenge of the difficulty as an opportunity to see the extraordinary in the mundane.
What do you think? What is the beautiful thing in your life can you focus on?
I have used this word to help my son and I get through our daily life. Because my son is 9 years old, to help him understand this concept more clearly, I have made up my own definition, which is as follows;
Equanimity is the relationship in your life between what is happening to you and what you are doing about it.
For instance, if the back of your hand itches and you scratch it, you are demonstrating equanimity.
Doing something about it, instead of whining and waiting for someone else to fix it.
You get out of life whatever you put into it.
So whatever you focus your attention on the most will define what kind of a life you end up with.
It’s imperative to make sure you decide what kind of a life you want, and then be determined to live it.
*I have learned that focusing on someone else’s faults, quirks, habits and misbehavior is counter productive and toxic to both of you. I strive to practice kindness because ultimately it will come back to serve everyone. Find balance and others will thank you for it.*
My family and I are determined to have a happy life together. No matter where we live, ultimately, we love each other by showing respect for one another. It’s a healthy cycle that defines our daily life and allows light and love into our home.
Although we have had some very challenging days (as if home-schooling weren’t enough, throw in the fact that we live in Brasil), overall our adventure here has been wonderfully full of friends and fun.
We are getting ready to move back to Michigan next Wednesday. We will spend our remaining time hanging out with our friends, eating our favorite Brasilian foods and marvelling at the beauty of this country. We will also be filling out paperwork, packing up the suitcases and cleaning the house. Busy, busy, busy!
Have you ever heard of this word before? Leave me a comment and let me know what you think! I look forward to your opinions!
Warning!!! This is NOT health food. This is only for people who love to eat. If you are on a diet, you won’t be by the time you finish eating this!
My girlfriend Egle made this cake for my mother-in-law, Diana, when she came to visit. We all had such a lovely time chatting and drinking coffee. It was one of the special memories I will always have about Brasil.
Thanks Egle and Diana.
Cake
6 eggs
6 Tablespoons sugar
8 Tablespoons powdered chocolate drink mix (Nestle’s Quick works well)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup grated coconut
Put all ingredients into a blender and mix on High for 2-3 minutes. Pour into a greased bundt pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Brigadeiro Topping
1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 Tablespoons powdered chocolate drink mix
2 Tablespoons butter
In a 2 quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in chocolate and then stir in condensed milk. Blend well and stir over medium heat until it becomes the consistency of caramel. Pour it over the cake and save whatever is left in a jar. Keep it in the fridge for up to 2 months.
Serve this cake warm with ice cream on the side.
Add a hot cup of coffee and you got yourself party!! Bon Appetite
This picture was taken the night of our ninth wedding anniversary. We had just moved to Brasil the month before and were still in the process of getting settled in. That night we had some friends watch Garrett so we could drive into nearby Sorocaba for dinner and a movie. We figured we’d find some place nice to eat on the way to the movie. I don’t exactly remember why we ended up eating in the mall, but I do remember being frustrated and crabby because I had to settle for a lousy cheeseburger at the food court for dinner. (I’m saying it’s lousy because compared to American burgers, it was.)
