Family Vacation!

Our 2nd annual family reunion is coming up in just a few short days. All of my moms' side of the family are heading to Galveston, TX for a week of fun in the sun! Last year we went on a 7 day cruise to Cozumel, the Grand Cayman Islands, and Jamaica! Here are a few pictures from last year.












This year we will be staying in Galveston and hanging out at the bay house. Since we can't all sleep at the bay house, we are staying at the Diamond Beach Resort! It is absolutely beautiful. It has three pools and a lazy river that I am sure to enjoy. Since Pops lives on the bay, we will be able to see all the 4th of July fireworks that go off in Gavleston, Kema, and Houston! It will be a great show. We are planning a girls shopping day in Houston and a family trip to Schlitterbahn, which is an awesome water park in town.

All of the cousins are so excited, and we are so thankful for our time together. The Lord has blessed us with a close-knit family, and they are priceless. I know that it will be a week filled with laughter, fun times, and many memories! My moms sister, Bonnie, lives in Oregon so we don't get to see their family as often as we would like. Marie also moved out to California, so we don't get to see her often anymore either. Even though it's only once a year, we cherish our time together. I am so happy to know that I not only call my cousins my family, but my friends as well. There is nothing that we would not do for each other, and for that I am certainly blessed!

I am flying out tomorrow and will arrive a few days before the rest of the crew gets to the island. I am going to help Nana and Pops get ready for 26 people to bombard their house! We have lots of errands to run and grocery/Sam's Club shopping to do. I am looking forward to my last week of vacation because when I get back its time to get a head start on the school year!!!

Praise the Lord!

As I put on Facebook earlier, I am now an employee of the Yazoo County School District. I am beyond thrilled! The school that I am working at was my top choice of schools, and I am so thankful to be working there. I found out while I was in Switzerland (how cool is that?) that they wanted to offer me a 4th grade position. It was the only place where we had Internet 24/7, so I was able to communicate with the principal very quickly.
Once I got home, I called the school to make sure they had emailed the right person! HA. It was just so hard to wrap my head around it while on the trip. I talked with the principal and she encouraged me and said that she was excited to have me. This past week I was able to see my classroom and meet two of the teachers who I will be working with. There are four 4th grade teachers, so thankfully I will have 3 other teachers as my support system!
I am slightly (ok maybe extremely) overwhelmed! I am not sure what I need to do for preparation, and it is not something that the other teachers can just tell me to do. They were able to answer my questions, but it seemed with every answer I had more questions! I didn't want to be annoying so I tried to keep my questions down to a minimum. If you know me, then you know this was not easy! I am a planner, and a "big picture" girl. Right now, I am not sure what to be planning for and I have no idea of any type of "picture" of how the school year will go.
I am very excited to start looking at the curriculum and frameworks. I also can't wait to decorate my classroom! My mom has given me some great canvas paintings over the last few months, and I can't wait to put those on my walls to spruce up the place a bit.
I am over the moon about teaching, but I am also terrified! I know that I will mess up, but I will put my heart and soul into teaching those precious children. God has given me a gift of loving children, and I want to do all that I can for them. I am praying for my students right now. I know that they will be in my classroom for a reason, and I hope that I can show the love of Jesus to those kiddos. I know this year will be rough (for many, many reasons), but I am confident that I can do the job. I loved student teaching, and I am excited about having my own classroom.

Thank you Jesus for my job!!!!!

Rome

Rome was really great. Out of all of the Italian cities that we went to, it was the most "city" like. It was very Americanized and was extremely touristy. We arrived in Rome around 4pm. We had to wait on the street for about 45 minutes for someone to come let us in our apartment. The area that we stayed in was not unsafe, but we felt like it was because we were targets with all of our stuff sitting on the street. It was like we were yelling "3 girls are staying ALONE in an apartment with all of their stuff!" Not good. Anyways, someone finally came and she spoke no English. We got on an elevator that was probably installed the year that elevators came out and rode to the 5th floor. (Note-we used the stairs the rest of the trip.) The lady showed us to our apartment which was not great but not terrible. We decided that we needed some food and we needed to go explore Rome a little bit! I suggested that we try our key to make sure that it worked and we knew how to use it before everyone went out of the apartment. Thankfully we did that because we literally could not get our key to open the door. All 3 of us tried to open it for like 45 minutes. We then spent another 45 minutes trying to communicate with a company who only has Italian speaking employees. We finally got in touch with someone and they said that a man would come by around 8pm to let us in our apartment. We were exhausted, frustrated, and starving. We decided to leave and go get dinner from a nearby place and then go back to the apartment at 8. Well the only place around there was a a place that is not even a restaurant. Imagine an American gas station but without having gas. That is where we ate. It was disgusting. We were all pretty discouraged and very unhappy. BUT we sat there for a few moments and then we all decided to change our attitudes! WE WERE IN ROME!!! So we laughed (sorta) and reminded ourselves that we would one day laugh about that night. We split a pizza and decided to really go eat after we figured out how to get in our apartment. Long story short (kinda) the man let us in, and off we went to explore! We found a nice restaurant a couple of blocks away and had dinner. We walked back at like 10pm, and we didn't quite feel very comfortable. We basically ran back to our apartment, ran up the stairs, and locked the door! We got ready for bed, promised to readjust our attitudes (again) for the next few days and hit the hay.

The next morning we stopped by a coffee/pastry shop and then headed to the Colosseum! It was an incredible experience. Aside from communion in Westminster Abbey, this was my favorite touristy thing that we did the whole trip. Knowing the history that had happened in the colosseum, especially what happened to christians in there made the whole experience very real. I have read A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers a million times, and the way that she brings the colosseum to life is vivid. When I walked into the colosseum I pictured what she had written about and I was in awe. I almost felt bad to take a picture and smile inside of there because so much evil had gone on in the arena. I was moved to tears at one point just because of the emotions that were running through me. We then headed to the Roman Forum and Capital Hill. We stopped by Mamertine Prison which is where Peter and Paul were held in jail.

We saw the Pantheon and we loved that area of town. If you are heading to Rome, then stay in that area! It had lots of quaint restaurants and a fun atmosphere. We got gelato from Giolitti's which is Rome's most famous and oldest gelato place! It was AMAZING. I got a pistachio and chocolate cone the first time and then a chocolate and cinnamon cone the next time. They also put a dollop of fresh whip cream right on the cone. Delicous! My mouth is watering just thinking about it. We walked by the Spanish Steps and there were tons of people sitting on them. They were also a lot smaller than what I was envisioning.

Rome was a great city, but I would not necessarily want to go back. There are other parts of Italy that I would want to go back to and lots of new places that I want to go to. I am so thankful for the opportunity to go, and I will always remember my time in Rome!

Italy!

I wrote this post on my phone, so I am sure that there are lots of errors! It's
not very detailed either.
 
Italy has been amazing! We have eaten the best food, met the best people, and it's cheap. My kind of place! We started out in Monterossa, which is part of the Cinque Terre. The Cinque Terre js a 7-mile part of the Italian west coast, and is made up of 5 very small towns. We stayed in the one most North. We arrived in Monterossa around 4, and we were greeted with a beautiful view of the mediterranean sea in front of us, and mountains behind us. It was the perfect vacation spot. There were lots of Americans and visitors, but it felt authentically Italian. We walked around the town, and then went to dinner. I ordered a caprese salad and pesto pasta. Amazing! The tomatos in the salad were the best I have ever had. They were fresh and a vibrant red. The mozzerella was tender, salty, and yummy. The pasta was not overpowering with basal in the pesto, but just the right amount. We then headed out for some gelato!
 
The following day we hiked through the 5 towns, starting in Monterossa. The first two hikes were hard, but oh so worth it! We walked through small Italian farms on the sides of the mountains, and we had the view of the ocean the whole time. After our hike, we headed back to Monterossa. We pretty much bought out the town! Ha. I bought some wine from that region, evoo, pesto, and the cutest coffee cups! We decided to go get some wine. In Italy when you order wine, they bring you olives, potato chips, and peanuts. All very random, but delicous. We stayed and ate dinner there. We then headed back to pack up! 

We arrived in Florence the next day, and checked into our convent! Ha. We stayed in the convent, and it was so cute. The nuns were so sweet. We have enjoyed Florence! We have all bought lots of leather items, including a great purse that I am so excited about. Yesterday we went to the Academia to see Michealangelo's David. It was impressive, and he was a lot bigger than I thought he would be. We then went to the Uffuzi Gallery. We were told that it takes 2 hours to go through. It took us 20 minutes! 

We are headed to Rome later today, and we are excited. I think that the buildings we see there will mean the most to us because we can relate to the history a lot more. 

The Climb

Today was our last day in Switzerland so we decided that we wanted to go See a few of the mountain towns that Rick recommends. Our plan was to take the train to Lauterbrunnen, hike to Murren and walk around, take a cable car to Gimmelwald and walk around, then take a cable car to Schlithorn train station, walk back to Lauterbrunnen, and then take the train back to Interlaken. In my mind, I'm thinking that it's a lot of walking. I was reassured by our hotel people who said that the hikes were not bad. I also refused to think about it because then I wouldn't do it. If you know me at all, then you know that I am a non-hiking, non-outdoorsy, and non-strenuous activity type of person. 
We arrive in Lauterbrunnen and purchase our lunch. We follow the signs to Murren. The signs point us straight up a mountain, excuse me, an Alp. I thought to myself that maybe this was just the first little bit, it soon became obvious that my wish was not so. The entire hike was uphill. I really wish that someone could have heard the thoughts going on in my head today. It went a little something like this- "I am going to kill Rebekah and Martha for making me do this. I do NOT want to hike up an Alp. I cant do it, I think I might die. Oh crap. I'm having a panic attack, I can't breathe, Lord please help me. Kristin do not say anything out loud or you will regret it. Ok I have 2 ways to do this. The hard way, which is what I have been doing, or I can rely on the strength of my Savior. Ok Jesus, I need help. I can't do this alone, I think I might pass out. Jesus, this mountain is like my everyday life. I have to conquer my sin everday, but I can only do it through you. Please help me to be positive. I'm thankful for these girls that I am with. They don't make me feel bad for slowing them down. They are encouraging and sweet, even though they made me do this. I'm about to pass out, I can't do another step. Kristin, do not get discouraged and do not listen to Satan. Focus on Jesus. Take it one step a time." That is the whole cycle of thoughts that kept going through my head the whole time we were hiking.  Just trying to keep it real! :) Thankfully I was able to give my struggle to Jesus, and he enabled me to conquer that mountain! Towards the end, I was no longer discouraged or defeated. But I still knew that there was no way that I could do anything else today. Thankfully by this point, we were all laughing at ourselves and the never ending mountian. They were ahead of me and I yelled out, "There is no way that y'all are making me walk anymore today! As soon as we get to Murren, I  am getting on a train, cable car, or freaking milk truck and getting back to Interlaken!" They of course bust out laughing. We took our last steep hike, and thankfully hit level ground. Then it started raining. We walked quickly upwards town, and found a lovely little hotel restaurant where we ordered tea, coffee, and lots of water! We got our energy back up, and we walked around town where we were greeted with the most beautiful view of the mountains. We had reached the end-point, and every aching muscle was worth it. We were able to appreciate Gods creation in a deeper way because we had climbed the mountain. 

What we did today is so significant and I can relate it back to my life so well. Life is about climbing a mountain, but the only way to get to the top is through Jesus. What a cool thing to be able to experience in Switzerland. I can't look to the future and get discouraged. When I looked up the path and saw that there was no end in sight, I would start to panic. We can't look ahead and make decisions based on what we see or don't see. Jesus knows what is ahead, and He is the only one who can guide you.

We are so thankful for our time in Switzerland. Being here has given us time to process our stops in the busy cities of London and Paris! It has been peaceful and very relaxing. Tomorrow morning we head to the Cinque Terre in Italy. We are staying there 2 nights, then 2 nights in Florence, and 4 nights in Rome. 

Disclaimer..

I am re-reading my posts for the first time and want to apologize for all of the misspelled/misused words! I am usually on a time crunch because we have to buy Internet time over here. I am usually trying to fly through the blog, and never have time to read over my posts. Just want to explain why there are errors all the time! :)

Thinking...

For when two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." This morning I was reading Matthew, and this was one of the verses that I read. This is a very common verse that I think we all quote at somepoint in our lives. Last night the 3 of us were talking about this verse, and it was perfect that I read it this morning. While being on this trip with my friends, I have felt the presence of the Lord at every turn. He has kept us safe, but he has also revealed himself to me in ways that I don't think about while at home.
While seperated from my "normal life," I have had plenty of thinking time! This trip has given me time to reflect on different things in my life. Rebekah was talking about this with us, and she gave a good example. She said that she was laying in bed the other night, and usually she would have the TV on, facebook up, checking twitter on her phone, etc but that night she couldn't. She was on her own, with God. She was able to verablize what I had been thinking. This trip has given all of us quality time with not only each other, but with Christ.
While being surrounded by different cultures, different scenes, and beauty all around us, it gives me cause to fall on my knees in worship. Our normal life is so busy, and full of things that don't really matter. Time flies by, and it is hard to take a breath away from all of the busyness. While being here in Europe, I have had to put my faith and trust in God in many ways. I am always thankful for my friends, but this trip has led me to be thankful in a different way.
We have observed several different types of people at the places we have been at, and there is always at least one person we see that is traveling alone. Can you imagine? Backpacking through Europe by yourself? I surely cannot. I love being able to share this experience with another person. These people that travel alone often strike up converstation with random people and become friends with everyone. That is great, and I am not saying it's bad. But for me, I think it would be very shallow and very depressing. While with my friends, we have been able to discuss things that are on our hearts. We encourage each other, we hold each other accountable, and most of all we base our friendship on Christ.
While I was taking a nap, Rebekah and Martha met 3 people who were all traveling alone and had met yesterday. Rebekah and Martha said that it was fun talking to them, but for the entire hour not one word of Christ came out of the conversation. When I think about all of the conversations that the three of us have had while on this trip, I am grateful for Christian friends! Almost all of our conversations lead back to the Lord. How fortunate we are! I know that my friends will understand what I am thinking. I know that they understand that I sin, they sin, and we all sin. They get me. I cannot imagine not being with at least one person who understands me.
I am awed by the beauty of friendship that Christ has bestowed on me and my friends. I am very blessed and am thankful that He chose to give me these girls (plus many others at home)!
I know this post has been very long, and I hope that I am making some sense out of it all. To end on a good note, I wanted to share with you a few more funny stories from the trip!

In Paris, we ate crepes with nutella quite a few times. A crepe is basically a very thin pancake, and we ususally had ours filled with nutella. Nutella is best described as a "chocolate peanut butter." Well we were sitting at a crepe making place, and Rebekah comments, "He just put white Nutella on the pan." Martha then proceeds to look at her like she is crazy and say, "That is one of the dumber things that you have ever said!" It was hysterial. The man had been putting crepe batter on the pan to make a crepe! Rebekah did not understand how a crepe was made, and thought that you could have a "white nutella." Which you cannot. That girl makes me laugh!

I can't remember when this happened, but I think it was in London. We had just arrived, and we were confused on how the currency thing worked. We were at our first store, and the man gave Rebekah her total and then asked her for the money. Well Rebekah proceeds to hold her hand out (that was filled with money) and says, "Take however much you need becuase I don't know how to do this." Thankfully the person did not take not take all of her money, but took the appropriate amount. Martha and I of course freak out and yell at her for doing this. Rule No. 1 is that you do not do that!!!!

When we arrived in Interlaken, French was still filling our minds. While on the train and walking through town we would still say "Merci", "Bonjour", etc. Well Rebekah says "Por Favor! Oh I didn't even get to use that one while we were in France." We of course look at her and bust out laughing. Por Favor is Spanish!

We were talking to the lady at the hotel this morning trying to figure out a good trail that we could walk on. She shows us on a map, and tell us to stop in Neuhause which to me sounds like "My house." I thought oh wow, her parents must own a cafe over there. Thankfully I did not say this outloud becuase she was just saying the name of the town. Yes Dutch is hard to translate!

We have had a wonderful day of hiking and walking around town. Interlaken is beautiful, and we are so glad that we get to rest and relax here. We are taking a day trip up to the mountains tomorrow.