Our Brazilian Adventure

New Year's Eve 2011

2012-01-27T09:48:00.000-02:00

New Year's Eve was a lot of fun this year! Dad and Kim hosted a Oyster Roast! Everyone says the oysters were fantastic! (and I'll take their word for it!) My favorite part, however, was getting to see everyone that I hadn't seen in years!! I miss you all already!!

Mauri and I

Dad roasting oysters

Kim with all the New Year's Eve festive attire!

Ron especially loved the oysters! And Lin was busy helping out with the oyster roast! (Keeping Ron happy!)

Nook, me, and Dorothea!!

Stephanie, me, and Minnick!

Me and Bonus Grandma Frances!

Me and the Daddy

Sonia and Joe

The kids were not into the grown ups. They stayed outside by the fire where they could hang out in peace!

New Year's Eve Festiveness

Thanks to Dad and Kim for a GREAT TIME! I loved every minute of it!!

Boone Hall Plantation

2012-01-26T00:02:00.001-02:00

On down to South Carolina! Woo hoo! We had a really great time and got to do some fun things! So something I had never done was go to Charleston. Which is really terrible since I lived in Myrtle Beach for 2 years. But anyway we got to go on a girl's outing and we had a great time!

First we stopped by Charleston's Cafe for breakfast. GO. It is delicious. My little sister, Ashlee, had the strawberry pancakes. Go devour them now. We were all chowing down on her plate...what little she left anyway! (All of it was great...but those pancakes...we talked about those the rest of my trip home!)

Next stop on our big adventure was Boone Hall Plantation. It was amazing. I could have stayed there the rest of the day! You may have previously seen Boone Hall Plantation in movies like The Notebook. Or those who may know some good ol southern movies that are a little older like Queen or the series North and South. Actually I believe they are closed this month because the show Army Wives is filming there.

Anyway, you can learn all kinds of things about Boone Hall here with good ol wikipedia. (STOP SOPA!)

This WONDERFUL performer taught us so many things about the Lowcountry Gullah culture brought in by slaves. It was really insightful and I really learned a lot. Not only that but she is a fantastic presenter. If you go to Boone Hall, make sure the first thing you see is this presentation. It gives a lot of insight and history into the rest of the tour.

Of course, we had to take pictures by the oak trees. The pictures don't do them justice. They are BEAUTIFUL.

Here in Charleston, they are known for their famous sweet grass baskets. They are crazy expensive, but they are all hand made and beautiful. One day I will own one. I will say they are cheaper here at Boone Hall than they are in downtown Charleston. (just as a side note for anyone wanting one). The woman making the baskets here, told me it takes her anywhere from 10-15 hours to make one medium sized basket!!

Boone Hall Plantation. Surprisingly small on the inside...though we weren't allowed upstairs. Or allowed to take pictures...I hate when that happens. It was decorated beautifully for Christmas though!

Look HOW HUGE those trunks are!!

They had a beautiful garden! I can't believe these flowers were blooming in the cold! And although it wasn't below freezing...it was still pretty cold.

Out by the waterway was my favorite spot. It was absolutely gorgeous.

We took a truck tour of the rest of Boone Hall Plantation. It is HUGE. They plant TONS of crops all through the year. People in the area (and from out of town) can come and harvest all they want. The rest is harvested and given to food banks and area shelters in need. Here in this picture is a photo of the corn maze they had last year in commemoration of the Boeing plane for Halloween. Crazy right? Can you imagine trying to get through this thing in the dark??

LOVE THOSE TREES!!!

After Boone Hall Planation, we went to downtown Charleston. We had a great time! We got to visit the flea markets...so many cool things! Definitely go there with some cash! We went on a carriage ride through historic downtown Charleston and got to see lots of historic homes. It got dark before we got to the Battery, but that is on the list for next time!! It was such a GREAT trip. Of course, we weren't finished though. After Charleston, we went to James Island County Park for their Christmas Festival of Lights drive through show! Look at some of the cool displays!

This is kind of blurry, but this is a display of the bridge connecting Mt. Pleasant and Charleston. A Charleston Landmark.

Who doesn't love a unicorn? Or a gingerbread house/man.

The South Carolina palm tree and crescent moon.

Good ol U.S. of A.

It would just not be Christmas in SC if we didn't have a sand sculpture of an underwater Santa. Seriously I don't know how people have the patience to do these things (nor the talent...I'd get about almost done and knock something unfixable off)

I had a GREAT Charleston Girl's Day!!! A HUGE thanks to Kim for making that happen! I LOVED IT!

Don't think the fun stopped there (well on that day it did...that was a action packed full day)! Still more to come!!!

Virginia Part 1

2012-01-17T19:48:00.001-02:00

I had such a fabulous time on the first leg of my journey. I got to spend time with my Mom, my Grandma, the rest of my family, and some great friends. I got to eat way too much, shopped too much, and just had a good time in general!

Richmond organizes houses with crazy lights every year and calls it the "Tacky Light Tour". People get in groups, ride around in limos (get drunk) and look at the lights. We did it the cheap way and just got in our vehicle and it was great! The is the best house around. A mom and her son who live side by side put up all these crazy lights. They sell hot chocolate, give tours, and must have a monstrosity of a light bill!

My grandma and I! And her little dog, Baby. It has been so much fun to spend time with her. She has been through a lot the past couple of years I've been gone and it was a relief to see her doing well.

We took a day out to go and put out flowers on my Grandfather's grave. Even after 5 years it's still strange not to have him around. I miss him so much, but I know how proud he would be of me.

I got to take a day out and have lunch with a blast from the past! Jennifer and I were inseperable in 10th grade. She moved in and out for just that year. The miracle that is the internet has kept us in touch with one another and she was passing through Richmond. We had lunch and got a chance to catch up! Not to mention at Cheesecake Factory and it was DEE-LISH-US.

Another fun activity was the Cake 101 Class my Mom and I took. Don't we look cute in our aprons?? It was a lot of fun and I learned to make an awesome chocolate cake. Seriously, best chocolate cake I've ever had.

My Mom had all kinds of things planned. Busch Gardens Christmas Town was my absolute favorite! The lights were beautiful and the shows were great! Look at those lights! This was a ride called Pompei, It is a water ride. Can you imagine how many lights it took to make that?? We could see it from the highway!

This picture is typical me. Don't worry, I waited my turn in line with all the little kids to take this picture.

So many pretty Christmas trees!

My friend Miranda graciously hosted a Christmas party at her house. Here we are, the 3 musketeers. (Rachel, Miranda, and I were best friends through high school. Rachel and I have been best friends since the 3rd grade, we lived around the corner from one another growing up.)

I was able to see a bunch of people I hadn't seen from high school and it was fun to catch up with them! Just so you all know, we all went to a high school that was less than 500 people. My class in particular was 75 people. We lived in a tiny little town and we had all been together since kindergarten. We grew up together and I love that we still keep in touch.

Christmas Eve has always been my Mom's family Christmas party. This year my aunt hosted it. It was so much fun to catch up with everyone. Here in the picture (back row) is my cousin Amanda, my Mom, my Grandma, my Aunt Darlene, (front row) my cousin Cameron, and me! The only girl missing was my sister :( There is nothing like family. We drive each other crazy, but at the end of the day, they're mine. And I miss them.

This was just the first leg of my trip. I can't believe I have been able to pack so much into such a little time. But there is a LOT MORE to tell you about! Next up, South Carolina!

The Trip Here

2011-12-12T12:09:00.000-02:00

The trip here was SO exhausting! And LONG. Though I suppose it is all worth it....I really hate how long the flight is! Anyway, we started off in Belo Horizonte (actually we started off on the drive there...but I'm skipping the death highway stories).

Saying Goodbye...never easy to do.

I took a plane from BH to Rio. I never expected the plane to ACTUALLY be a Rio plane! Take a look!!

From the movie Rio! Cute right??

Flying above the rain...I think it's so interesting that under all those clouds is a rainy, ugly day. A good thing for me to remeber when I'm having a rainy day!!

When I arrived in Rio it was sooooo weird!! Everyone was speaking in English. The Gringoes were in full force! It made me laugh a little bit! Anyway, while waiting in the airport, I had the good fortune of meeting a great couple named Bob and Alice! How I met them was interesting. I was sitting, playing Sudoku, dying of the sheer boredom of waiting, when Bob came and sat across from me. Being the curious people watcher that I am, I watched him take off his shoes and try to change his socks into circulation socks for the impending airplane ride. I watched him struggle for a good two minutes, while I internally struggled with going over to help him or not. I mean who is going to let a weird girl they don't know put on their socks? Well Bob apparently! I worked up quite a sweat helping him put those things on, but it was worth it! Bob and Alice are a really interesting couple! They have been travelling the world and had just finished a really interesting trip that I believe started in Spain and ended in Brazil! They spent the day in Rio, tromping all over Sugarloaf in torrential downpours before ending their journey with me in the Rio airport! There was another guy sitting close to us named Bruno. Of course after watching the weird girl put on Bob's socks, he wanted in on the conversation too. So the next hour or so we spent getting to know one another and it was a lot of fun! Here we are before boarding:

Of course when I boarded the plane, guess who I was sitting beside?? BOB! I know, right?!? We were destined to be friends! Thank you Bob and Alice for making my journey a little sweeter! I had a great time!!

I arrived in Charlotte the next morning, spent my time making phone calls to everyone to let them know I landed safely!

While waiting a few minutes to board my plane to Richmond, I saw my luggage!! In reality I saw only 1 suitcase! Which of course I was like ummmm, hello! Where is the other one. On this tiny plane, we went out to the tarmac, so I stopped the girl who was loading baggage and told her they were missing one! And she was like oh, yeah! I know, what's your name? We lost it! Which I thought ironic since I had just re-checked both of them an hour ago. I thought if they were going to be lost it would be in Brazil where chaos reigns supreme. See what you get for judging a book?

Anyway I landed safely in Richmond. Met another Brazilian who was going as an exchange program, talked to him until my feet hit the floor in the airport and took off to find my Momma! I spotted her and took off running! It was so wonderful to hug her...makes me cry even thinking about it. And of course she cried and then we laughed and spent the rest of the day happily ever after :) You know where she made me all my favorite foods! Starting of course, with Biscuits and Gravy. YUM.

Stay tuned! More adventures to come!

My beautiful Momma, her baby Molly, and Christmas lights!!

PS- It's cold here. I knew that. I just forgot what cold meant. My fingers have yet to warm up! :)

I'm a lucky girl!

2011-10-26T06:25:00.001-02:00

There is something about Halloween oreos… I don’t know what it is, but they are my absolute favorite!!

Amelia’s Mom recently sent her a box for her birthday. And inside I got a treat too!!

Leanna, thank you so much for thinking of me! It absolutely made my day!! I was so surprised and so tickled! They of course were immediately devoured. Seriously, in two days, GONE. (in my defense, I had a little bit of help. But just a little! haha)

Good snacks, even better friends. Life is good and I feel so blessed! Thank you so much!!

Gracie

2011-09-07T12:34:00.000-03:00

My beautiful girl is gone. Those words echo inside my head, inside my heart. They can't have meaning. They can't be true. Every single bone, muscle, everything aches.

On my birthday 8.8.2011 (4 years old)

Thursday morning, I woke up like normal. Said goodbye to Sidnei and went to go let Gracie outside to go to the bathroom, eat, play with her, brush her hair before work etc. This is our normal routine every morning. The difference that morning is that when I went inside to get ready, I heard Gracie crying in agony about 10 minutes later. Gracie had found rat poison that had been set out by my mother in law (she found a mouse the night before) and she ate it... I never saw it. It was on the ground on the veranda and I never saw it....It was the most terrifying thing for me. We mixed milk and oil, gave it to gracie and she threw everything up. Thankfully my brother in law was home, lives right up the street, and he rushed us to the vet. The vet was able to give Gracie medicine, she stayed for observation, and survived. I couldnt believe she survived, I thought surely she would die. The next couple of days were spent taking care of her, giving her medicine, trying to coax her to eat, to drink etc. She seemed to be getting better, getting stronger. Fast forward to Monday...I gave her all her medicine in the morning, fed her, etc. I came home for lunch, she met me at the door (i was so happy because she had been laying down and not wanting to get up a lot) and followed me around while I was home. My mother in law told me, she was up and following her around in the afternoon too. However, by the time I got home from work, Gracie was sick. It happened really fast, in less than an hour, she started breathing very labored, and quickly. She was making a noise like she was in pain. We called the vet to meet us at her clinic. By the time she arrived, Gracie had stopped breathing. She got her breathing again and The vet said her lungs were filled with fluid. She decided to take Gracie to her hospital in the next town over. They made it and tried to do everything they could to save her, but the damage was too much. It was too much for her heart. They said she suffered pulmonary cardiac arrest. She passed away early Tuesday morning. We thought she was going to be okay, but the venom she at was just too strong for her little body. It did too much damage to her organs.

We are so very very heartbroken. I dont even know the right words to say. I just know I miss her so so so much. She has been with me for four years. She has been a constant for four years. She was the beginning of Sidnei and I. She was my constant companion. She was there when Sidnei couldn't be. She was here at the beginning of our journey to Brazil. She was there through all the tears. And now she's not and it's my fault. She was my responsibility. I was supposed to take care of her, keep her safe. I was supposed to know she was so sick. I know there are many people who will feel my pain and many who will not understand it. She was more than my dog. She was part of my family. She was part of my heart.

I don't really know what else to say except that I really hate using the past tense.

Cows

2011-08-10T08:00:00.000-03:00

Cows
I have a thing for cows. I didn't realize this until I got to Brazil. I think that is because here they tend to be in lots of random places. For instance, in the middle of our city, next to a busy road, where I wait for the bus, were these guys:

Have you ever seen a calico cow? (do you consider that calico? I couldn't think of another word to call the coloring) But I thought he was pretty!

I love the babies even more. They haven't quite grown into their floppy ears. I love the ears!

As a side note, people watching me take pictures of the cows, probably think I'm insane. And I felt a little silly taking them and then taking my place at the bus stop with everyone staring...but they were too cute!

A good day for soccer

2011-08-08T11:20:00.000-03:00

Last weekend, we went to Ipatingão (the soccer stadium here), which has since been renamed apparently...but I forgot the name. Anyway, we went to go watch the Ipatinga Serie B championships. It was two different games and it made for a long afternoon/ evening. But the weather was perfect, the sky beautiful, and the games were pretty exciting!

Flags: On the far left is Ipatinga, the middle is Brazil, and the right is Minas Gerais.
I took particular notice because they replaced the flags with new ones. I was grateful because the old ones were pretty bad looking. I have a thing about flags and respect and etc.
Here is another thought...no one here stands for the national anthem. I always make Sidnei stand with me out of respect. I also would like to learn the words...but..it's a really long song! Maybe I'll make it one of my 2012 resolutions..

The mascot is a Chapinha...you know, like our birds .

Fun day! We hadn't been to the stadium for a game in a while, so it was nice to do something different! We are hoping one of these days we are going to win a motorcycle (of course, to sell). They gave away 5 motorcycles during the half times. We didn't have the lucky ticket...but one day we will!

First Wave

2011-08-01T06:00:00.000-03:00

This last semester, I really loved teaching. I started teaching kids from age 7-9. Their group is called First Wave! It was really SO MUCH FUN. Here are some things we did this semester.

Here is one group, showing off their actors they made for the story, "The Emperor's New Clothes"

This group is my youngest...they are a lot of fun...but challenging at the same time!
These three girls have been at the school together since they were 3. We had good times, we had bad times. Sweet faces right? Let's just say.... we all survived this semester!
Don't tell anyone, but this is by far my FAVORITE group. They were so much fun! And I get to be their teacher again this semester! Here they are dancing to the music we have to sing every.single.class. Every once in a while I let them go crazy with the dancing..it was one of those days.
At the end of the semester, we combined two groups for a movie day. So after filling them with soda and popcorn, right before lunch, we also gave them a big fat cupcake. They loved it. And well frankly, so did I!

Monday starts another semester and while I'm sad vacation is over, I'm excited to start classes with the kiddos!! Some classes I have the same (same kids, next level), others are new! I am slowly but surely pushing out adults and getting more kid's classes. The school really isn't thrilled since "I have such a high level of English, they would rather put me in higher levels", but I really love it. And I want what I want! Not only that, but I have heard horror stories about teaching the teenagers...and I'm just not quite ready for that. The kids don't really understand that I don't understand all their portuguese (especially because zomygoodness, they talk REALLY fast), so they don't use it to their advantage. Teenagers however, in my opinion would have a field day. We had a spanish teacher one year when I was a sophomore in high school and english was her third language...and not her best. We were NOT nice. Regrettably.

Anyway, good times were had! More good times coming up this semester! Wish me luck for my first day of school!

Newest Residents

2011-07-31T11:19:00.001-03:00

So last weekend, Sidnei received a phone call at the awful hour of 9 AM. (Don't judge, it was the weekend, we are waking up every weekday at 5:30, k?) Generally my husband is one who loves to wallow in the bed until about 11 or so (stop judging)...but after this phone call, he jumps up, yells at me to "put some clothes on and get in the car". Curious enough to do this, but too sleepy to ask why, I did.

We get to the downtown of Ipatinga and we are looking for someone...who, I might ask? "A friend." Helpful.

We finally find this friend. He has a bag. With a box in it. When I open the bag, I discover the box also has holes, which I find alarming. So of course my immediate question is, "is there something alive in here"??? I guess I should have been asking, "was" ....Thankfully, despite our smart friend, no harm done. Everyone made it out alive.

Let me introduce you:

Here in Minas, we call them Chapinha. They are also known as Canário da terra . (At the top left of that page, you can switch it to English)

I'm not really a bird fan. I like to look at them..in their natural habitat. They are beautiful. But in all honesty, I don't love them in cages. I feel really bad for them. At first they were really nervous. They seem to have adjusted. I have not...I don't know why birds make me nervous but they do. But when I call them now, they chirp at me, which I think is cute. And Sidnei loves his birds. He goes to them before he leaves for work and it's the first thing he comes to see when he gets home (because Im not home of course ;)). I've known for a while that he's been wanting birds, he's always liked them. I just didn't want to have to clean up after anything else. Of course he swears that will be his job. But ha. Just ha.

I want to name them. I can't think of any good names though...help? Any suggestions?

It's a LONG one.

2011-07-29T06:39:00.003-03:00

So it's been a while...like the better part of a year.

Sorry.

Let's start slowly okay? There's so much I need to tell you!

1. I started teaching kids at school and I LOVE IT. But it has kept me super, super busy (hence the lack of posting). I will do an entire separate post on that.

2. Sidnei started working with a company called Delta! It is a construction company that works all over Minas Gerais. Right now they are working here in Ipatinga at the steel company, Usiminas. His construction company did really well in the beginning, but towards the end of last year, things had started to slow down. Work wasn't coming in as quickly as before, creating a shortage of cash flow. So we started job searching (for him).
It took a while, but thank goodness we waited! It was really an answer to our prayers! He is a supervisor, which means no more heavy physical labor for him. That took some getting used to for him since now he stands around watching everyone else do it, but he seems to be adjusting just fine! Also he works from 7-5. Another blessing since the other jobs we were looking at had around the clock shifts. Meaning one shift from 7am-3pm, another from 3pm-11pm, and the over night shift from 11pm-7am.
He has already started receiving great feedback from his managers. Last Friday, they pulled him aside and congratulated him on what a great job he is doing. The safety employees from Usiminas told his bosses at Delta, that in his areas (he has more than one) they are the most well kept and without safety violations. He was so proud of himself, it was so cute! And I was proud of him too! Of course, he humbly told his bosses, that it was the men who worked for him (which he absolutely means, but you could totally see the pride beaming out of him).

3. Why in the world haven't I come home yet??
Can I just say, what a nightmare the process for receiving my permanent residency has been? *sigh* The first thing is that, when you come here, all American documents have to first be sent to the Brazilian consulate, so they can put a (very expensive) sticker on it, saying that it is, in fact, a legal document.
To apply for residency one must have an FBI record stating that you are not a criminal. I forgot to get it stickered. It only lasts for 90 days and therefore expired. The process to ask for an FBI record is fairly simple. You need to get fingerprinted and send it in. However, the police here did NOT want to fingerprint me. The FBI form for some reason scared them, no matter how much I tried to reassure. So Sidnei and I did it at home. Let me tell you, it is REALLY hard to fingerprint someone. Who knew? The prints got rejected twice and finally accepted a third time. (all those tries took almost a year! The FBI waits at least 12 weeks before they give you a response, not to mention, postal time...the mail here is S L O W)

So that was the first thing. After finally getting the FBI thing straight, I went to the Federal Police (they are the ones you register with). Everything went really great! I got my temporary documents and I was waiting for them to come visit my home. You have to have a home interview to prove that you are living together and are in a real relationship (since my request for permanent residency is based on Sidnei). While waiting, I received a letter stating my documents had a name discrepancy. So the very ~~long~~ short version is...the marriage certificate here in Brazil is used as a type of identification for lots of different things..jobs, banks, opening accounts, etc. When you receive a marriage certificate here, it comes with your married name. In South Carolina, my marriage certificate had my maiden name, and then I used the certificate to change my name. Which means, now, all my documents except my marriage certificate had my married name.

I tried explaining why. They didn't care. They told me to call the US and have them change my marriage certificate (I laughed). Then they told me to have the catorio (the place where you get married, register children, register marriage, etc) change it, except they don't really have the authority to change documents. So you can see what a trial this has been. I have been running around for the better part of a month (I had a 30 day deadline to resolve this) explaining this situation to sooooo many people (the catorio, the Brazilian consulate in the US, the American consulate in Brazil, the Federal Police, anybody who will listen, etc etc). When I told the Federal Police that I was a foreigner and my documents were different, they told me that it didn't matter, I was asking for Brazilian documents and it needed to be what they wanted. I was miffed. There was wailing and gnashing of teeth (poor Sidnei). In the end, the catorio finally helped me (after long hours spent in their office...and after much wailing and gnashing of teeth). They sent a letter to the judge asking permission to change my Brazilian marriage certificate (just the translated version) based on a bunch of other documents proving I am who I say I am. They then gave me a declaration telling the Federal Police what they were doing (since my deadline was 2 days away and the response from the judge would take a couple of weeks).

Well so I went to the Federal Police on Wednesday. The girl that I normally work with (whom I am so very fond of...) was sick or on vacation or just didn't want to talk to me, who knows. So I was dealing with a different guy. So I once again explained my long, drawn out explanation. And do you know what? He said, "no problem". Let's take a copy of your original, of your old and new social security cards (thank goodness I had them), and that should be enough for Brasilia (the nation's capital). After picking my jaw up off the floor, I asked if my process would continue without a problem. He said yes! The only thing is the Federal Police would need to come back to my house to do my interview again (they came last Thursday)since I wasn't home. I needed to be there (they spoke with my sister in law and Sidnei). For real? All that drama? For nothing. The biggest problem here is that depending on who you speak to, is how your process goes. It's really very frustrating. But thankfully now, things are moving forward! Let's hope they come to visit me sooner rather than later. The first visit took a little over two months...so I hope they come back soon!

So basically I was on vacation this week, but really I wasn't since I spent all week in government offices trying to get this taken care of. I'm sad my week is gone, but glad things are going to be okay. I start school again on Monday. I had a LONG meeting yesterday for school and got my slam packed schedule! So I will be spending the weekend planning classes!

Oh, and I am trying to come home in February. I am planning to go back to the Federal Police to ask for special permission to travel, depending on where my documents are. Let's hope they are sympathetic! Pray for open hearts, this girl misses you all so much!

I promise I have lots of posts coming up for you! Sorry I disappeared! Anyone still out there??

2010-12-15T13:23:00.002-02:00

If you remember back in June, Gracie was given the worst haircut EVER .

That was June.

I have been letting it grow back out. I have REFUSED to let anyone cut her hair. Despite the complaints about her hair, despite the fact that it takes me an hour to wash and dry her two times a week, I did not want to cut. EVER AGAIN. And of course that is a little drastic, but we were both scarred after that last cut. Anyway her hair had gotten really long and we had our first really hot day on Friday. She spent all day long laying in the floor trying to keep cool. And I felt like a bad dog momma. So off to the groomers we go.

Someone at work recommended a new place and I am so glad they did! I think she looks so great and they were so good with her!

Without further ado:

Not too short, not too long. Gracie is cool, Stephanie is happy. Win Win all around.

A little bit of pink

2010-12-15T13:23:00.001-02:00

On my walk to work one day, before spring arrived, amongst all the dry, brown foliage (from the extreme lack of rain) were these flowers hanging over my head. They made me happy.

Last minute beach trip (in November)

2010-12-15T13:15:00.001-02:00

We arrived on Friday with sunny skies! I wanted to go to the beach, but everyone wanted to rest (I always hate the first day rest, it bores me). So we rested. That night we went to Wal Mart. First Wal Mart I've been in since I've been in the states. Even though they had Brazilian products, it still made me homesick. I'm not one of those people that loathes Wal Mart. I miss it's one stop shopping, cheap prices, and who doesn't love People of Walmart's website with the crazy pictures? (but let's get real, no one likes the lines) Anyway we got SO MUCH FOOD. And that was a good thing since the rest of the weekend rained, rained away. I was sad, I was hoping to get a little sun! But seriously people, we ate ourselves silly.

We decided to stay an extra day (and when I say we, I mean everyone else) since Monday was a holiday and no one had to work on Tuesday (and when I say no one, I mean no one but me). Thankfully the rain let up a little (but not the cold) and so we went shopping and took a little walk on the beach.

Tuesday we left early, got home safe and sound (Despite my concerns about dying in a head on collision..) and I went straight to school to teach. I was a tired girl.

The trip was really nice (despite my complaints) and relaxing. Though next time I think a little planning is in order (like checking the weather..since that was everyone's biggest complaint...although I'd like to point out that I did and I knew, but what are you going to do at midnight and you're leaving at 3 am?) We didn't take too many pictures, but here is one of Sidnei and I!

And here is everyone:
Me, Sidnei, Sidnei's Uncle, aunt, and cousin (there is another cousin, but she's taking the picture) my sister in law, and Sidnei's brother!

Good Times...

How to die from embarrassment properly...

2010-12-15T13:14:00.003-02:00

Just so you know, many of these were written a while back...I'm just now getting around to publishing them...

Step 1
Take a shower

Step 2
Take your time towel drying

Step 3
Here someone approach the door, but ignore it since the door is locked.

Step 4
Stand pretty much naked in front of your brother in law since the door is not locked.

Step 5
Die from embarrassment.

Step 6
Wonder what he actually saw since you were too shocked to properly cover anything up. (pretty sure he got a boob, if not more)

Step 7
Curse living in a house with others as you slap your head into the palm of your hand.

Step 8
Consider not leaving the bathroom ever again.

Step 9
Die from embarrassment all over again.

Step 10
Continue to do the head into palm as you can not stop reliving the moment of horror. Die from embarrassment.

Pico da Ibituruna

2010-12-15T13:05:00.000-02:00

A couple of weeks ago, Sidnei and I got invited to go with Amelia’s family to see Pico da Ibituruna. It is in Governador Valadares and it is known as being the home of “vôo livre”or free flight. In other words, lots of people hang glide and paraglide! It is absolutely gorgeous!

Here is our day in pictures!

We stopped about halfway up the mountain to give our poor van a break! It was hot and thirsty. Our trusty mechanics here, making sure everything is okay. (it was)

We stopped a little park halfway up the mountain for lunch and some fun! Here are the guys hanging out in the shade after lunch! This is Amelia’s husband Wallace, Sidnei, and Wallace’s Dad.

Beautiful family! Brian (stepdad), Sally(sister), Amelia, and Leanna(mom)!

We decided to be adventurous and get suited up for the zip line!

This is Brian doing down first!

This is Amelia! (try clicking to make the images bigger!)

This is me, arriving, after I was saying, I don’t think Im going to stop!! (in my defense I came in really fast!)

And this is Sally with her cute pointed feet!

You know I can never resist these pictures. We’re just too good looking together.

Driving…making our way back up, the scenery is breath taking!

We made it to the top!!

Wallace and Sidnei taking in the view

Isn’t the view incredible??

It never fails, no matter who I’m with, I’m always the whitest one in the crowd.

Sisters!

Wallace and Amelia

Amelia and I on the platform. You take your glider and run right off the edge of this! I didn’t see anyone do it that day, but I want to go back so I can!

Amelia’s cute mom, Leanna!!

Everyone hanging out before going home!

We got to see two paraglider’s jump (they don’t use the platform though, just the hang gliders) before we went home! If all goes well, I may be doing this for my birthday! I can not wait!

And of course, thanks to Amelia and her great family for letting us tag along! It was amazing to see and such a great day!

Thanksgiving

2010-12-15T13:01:00.001-02:00

Thanksgiving day has come and gone. We didn’t do anything special. My schedule has been really busy and honestly,it's hard to cook a huge meal when you dont have the day off.

I do have a Thanksgiving story though. It was a rainy day (as they are often here lately) and I was getting ready to leave. When I say it was rainy, I mean like the pouring type. But thankfully by the time I had to leave, it had let up. So I got my trusty little umbrella and off I go.

Sidnei called me and asked if it was raining. I told him it was, but it wasn’t bad. He told me to go home he was going to come get me and take me to work. I assured him it was no problem, to stay there. I was almost there anyway.

Halfway to the bus stop, the heavens opened, and it was pouring so hard, I could barely hold up my umbrella. My jeans were soaked all the way up to my knees and I thought that is really going to suck when I’m in my air conditioned class room. (I teach mainly guys and they are always wanting the air…and I'm usually freezing, but in the spirit of Thanksgiving I'm absolutely thankful for AC. Best thing ever. I’d rather be cold than hot any day. Unless there’s a beach around.) Despite the wetness I continued on.

Almost to the bus stop and just when I thought things couldn’t possibly get anyway worse, it started to rain harder than before…I had no idea that was possible. And to top it off, the wind started blowing non stop. So it was horizontal rain. I kid you not. Meaning the shelter the bus stop offered did nothing. Nor did my poor little umbrella.

I thought maybe it would stop after a few minutes, but this tempest kept right on raging. When I was finally soaked down to every inch, I broke down and called Sidnei. He could barely hear me over the noise of the rain. Once I got off the phone, I looked around me at the driving rain, the flooding streets, at the two guys with me trying to be shielded by my tiny umbrella and I bust out laughing. I’m sure they thought I was insane, but I couldn’t help it.

It took Sidnei longer than expected because all the streets were flooded, but we finally both made it home. I couldn’t resist taking a picture for posterity’s sake.

Can you even tell I'm soaking wet? I have no idea…but I was. It felt like I had jumped in a pool with all my clothes on. Needless to say, later that night I was giving thanks for my blow dryer since all my books and notebooks for school were soaking wet.

Rain, rain go away and a wedding!

2010-12-15T12:59:00.000-02:00

Here lately, there has been so much that I have wanted to tell you about! Unfortunately, my internet is not cooperating…I have taken for granted my great internet connection these last few months. I forgot how AWFUL it is during this time of year. I’m not one hundred percent sure, but I think it has to do with the rain. But today it’s not raining, it’s relatively clear.

So the biggest and best thing is that Amelia’s family came down and over to Brazil for Amelia’s wedding!! It is so nice to finally meet people face to face that you have been facebooking with! They are just as wonderful as Amelia is and I am so glad to have met them! They were very gracious guests, learning bits and pieces of the language, and in general loving Brazil!

But of course the highlight of this post has to be the wedding! Despite the rain that decided it was a good day for a visit, it turned out just beautiful!

Congratulations Amelia and Wallace!! Everything turned out fantastic and you were a beautiful bride! Thanks for being such a great friend and letting me be part of your big day!!

PS- Are there any chocolates left?

Ipatinga Country

2010-08-27T08:38:00.000-03:00

About a month ago we decided to head out with some friends and go to Ipatinga Country! We had a good time! We thought we were just there to see a concert, however, before it started there was a rodeo!

After they had a pretty impressive fireworks show! It had been a while since I had seen fireworks (the big kind) and surprising they made me really homesick! (But I only got a picture of the very beginning!)

After all that then it was time for the concert! The concert did not end up starting until almost 12!

Eduardo Costa was playing. I am not very familiar with his music, but he is a good performer. The ladies love Eduardo Costa, they were going crazy!! We got lucky because our tickets were basically VIP, so we were really close to the stage and we were sectioned off from the other concert attendees! It was a small group, so it was really nice!

All in all, it was a good night...albeit a LONG one! I think we got home a little before 3! We haven't stayed out that late since..well long enough that I can't remember! It was fun and something different! Next time I'll have to get my cowboy hat and boots out :)

Learning how I do best...

2010-08-04T18:44:00.001-03:00

So this is essentially what my MIL's freezer is supposed to look like:

But generally it basically looks like this:

So what's my point?

Saturday we went to the store to stock up on meat since they were a having a sale. Literally the size of the freezer is the picture above....combined with the ice build up of picture #2...there's not much room. So I did what any girl in my position would do! I hit that handy dandy defrost button!

Or at least that is what I wish I had done. Instead I grabbed one of these:

Did you all know there are tubes that are filled with gas inside your fridge and freezer that keeps everything cold?

Do you see where I am going with this?

Here I am happily stabbing away at the ice and the next thing I know, I hear this loud hissing noise, cold air is streaming out at me. Of course the first thing I think is, holy crap! How did all that air get trapped under that ice?! Then the second thing (immeadiately following I swear) was, oh crap, that air has a smell...and that's when I called Sidnei.

He then proceeded to melt into a bubbling puddle of....but WHY?!?!?! would you do that?

So thankfully five bags of ice, an expensive styrofoam cooler, nothing cold to drink, three days later, and 200 reais less in the bank...we have our fridge back.

Expensive lesson learned.

Only me. I swear.

So let's count real quick:

Things Stephanie has broken that belong to her MIL since arriving in Brazil:

1 plaque with a religious saying
1 glass goose, broken in several places...fixed with crazy glue, a sharpie..never to be the same again.
1 blender
1 spatula (blenderized...need I say more?)
1 fridge
3-4 little glass cups (i lost count)

I'm sure something is missing from this list...

I'm also pretty sure my MIL will be as relieved as I am when we finally move out.

Trekking

2010-07-12T14:41:00.001-03:00

Back in May, my school put on a “trekking”…I’m not sure why they didn’t call it a hike..but sure. So we trekked through the beautiful mountains here in Ipatinga!

What we did was actually a competition. There were nine groups, with crazy looking maps, compasses, and timers…the goal was to find our way through the woods, using the exact amount of time to get from point to point, where there were people waiting to clock us in. Whoever did things at the correct time were the winners.

Guess who won????

Well it certainly wasn’t my team. Where did we place? Last. Dead last. Why? Because instead of letting the kids take over and have a good time, we bunch of controlling Moms, who wanted nothing more than for their babies to win. Who also thought they knew better than the instructors and anyone else who tried to help them. But, I digress.

We managed to have a good time despite all the competitiveness. Here is proof:

My cute group before we started

The Mommas helping us win

After we reached the summit

One of the other teachers and I

*Also let it be known I’m all about national pride, but that color yellow, on my pasty white skin…not cute.

I didn’t get a picture of us when we finished, but let’s say it had been raining all night the night before and stopped just in time for us to start our trekking. So the way down was slippery and quite treacherous. A lot of people fell, a few got hurt. After close to five hours, we were tired, muddy, and hungry. Thankfully for the winning team and the professors (woo hoo!) we went to a FABULOUS rodizio, and it was all paid for. We were definitely grateful for that! It was well earned!

Monkeying Around

2010-07-07T10:38:00.001-03:00

So the other day we decided the weather was beautiful and we were going to take the dog for a walk. We picked a little path by the river. It was beautiful, green, peaceful, and picturesque. I loved it! As we were nearing the end of our walk, I discovered these:

Look how cute! We saw them in the trees above us and stopped to look at them! They came down because they thought we were going to feed them. And I probably would have (though Sidnei says it’s not the best idea) but I had no food. Anyway, they were really interested in my camera. This guy kept tilting his head when my camera would click and it made me laugh!

I really had fun taking pictures of them and playing. They got so close and truth be told they made me a little nervous, but it was so fun to see them playing. Their curiosity was so funny! This guy made me laugh, I took a couple of pictures of him, but he’s what we nicknamed “the blinker”! He couldn’t keep his eyes open!

So it was a fun little day! Gracie had a good time too, though she had to go wait in the car while we played with the monkeys! She was so sad!

Thankfully her hair is growing back….albeit slowly.

And I couldn’t leave you without a photo of us!

Madness

2010-06-28T10:31:00.001-03:00

World Cup Madness reigns supreme here in Brazil. Businesses are decked out in yellow and green. People have decorated their homes, are flying their flags, and pimping out their vehicles. All the patriotism is nice to see .

In all reality, I love the World Cup. It has really been nice to experience it with a country that really has love for the sport that is unmatched by just about anything I have seen. Because seriously watching 3 games a day…that takes dedication people. I wouldn’t know, I bowed out. It was too much for me in one day. I just catch snippets walking in and out now.

One thing I don’t really love about World Cup, or I should say this particular World Cup is the vuvuzela. Seriously, there weren’t enough noisemakers already? Don’t worry the adult here love it just as much as the kids. And they are driving me absolutely insane…at all hours of the day. And with Brazil playing today, it has started that much earlier, with that much more intensity.

Today I leave you with a video made by some kids at the school I work for. Not our particular school, this one is in Belo Horizonte, but I thought it was cute! Enjoy!

She has arrived!

2010-06-23T09:27:00.001-03:00

On June 9, Ana Beatriz arrived at 11:45pm! Her original due date was June 24, but no one was surprised she came early! Poor little girl had a rough start coming in! My SIL’s placenta detached, she started hemorrhaging, and the baby swallowed a lot of blood. She had to be in the nursery for the first 5 day, but she is doing great! And Momma is too! They both came home one week later! I feel like I waited so long for her to get here and at the same time, she got here so quickly! Without further ado, I introduce you to Ana…

Here she was just a little yellow and had to take the “light bath in the hospital!

And here she is with Tio Sidnei!

She is so cute and tiny! I’m sure as the months pass there will be more and more about little Ana!

Talk about a bad haircut…

2010-06-03T09:29:00.001-03:00

Okay, so there are lots of things I want to tell you!

But that will have to wait. Because I am traumatized. (but not more than Gracie..)

This was my cute. fluffy dog just one month ago.

How could you NOT love that face??

I’ll tell you how.

When it looks like this:

or this:

That is some scary face people.

Look at her, she is just plain defeated by this cut.

And quite honestly, I have just gotten to the point where I can talk about this, because on Friday, when she came home..there were nothing but tears. Seriously, she’s so ugly, I cried.

SO how did all this happen? I’ll tell you how. This is what happens when you ask your husband to call the groomers, but you don’t sit there listening to exactly what he tells them. So when they ask how much they want taken off and he says everything, this is what happens. It’s supposed to be everything but the head and the tail. They just get a trim. We have all learned a good lesson. And it’s cold here now. And she is freezing. My poor ugly, E.T. baby.

Immigration Reform (or the lack thereof)

2010-05-18T15:03:00.001-03:00

I don’t often talk about my views on immigration reform. A lot because it is a very controversial topic. One that my friends and family feel very strongly about and it’s just one of those things that we all know about each other and choose not to "rock the boat”.

However, mainly I don’t talk about it because I chose not to make it the focus of why we are here. We are here because we choose to be together. And this is where we can be together. It’s as simple and as complicated as that. But that doesn't mean that I don't pray for someone (*cough cough*, Obama, *cough cough*)to make changes that will allow us to return one day (sooner rather than later).

Today Corin, another american girl here in a similar situation, posted some articles that she had read online. The one in particular I really like is from the The Huffington Post .** I hope you will take a minute and read it. I think it really could be an eye opener for a lot of people. I think there is a lot of misinformation and stereotypes (as in they are not all drug dealers and free loaders taking advantage of the system...just as an example..)that people place on immigrants- and of course particularly illegal immigrants.

That being said, I am really grateful for the internet. It has allowed me to find others who are in similar situations and honestly? It is a relief. It makes me feel more "normal" in a way and it is nice to be able to talk with others who are in similar experiences. And surprisingly, our numbers are larger than expected. One day when I have more time I will post everyone's blogs here, so that you can go and read their stories too!

**I do ask that if you choose to read the article and you have strong opinoins that may or may not differ that you are constructive in what you say. If you aren't...well you know the drill.

You’re doing it wrong….

2010-05-14T16:31:00.001-03:00

Gracie has some crazy sleeping positions. (this one not as much crazy as correct..and cute…) She sleeps on her back. (And she was dead asleep when I took this picture.)

She sleeps half in/half out of the bed…but this is new. I haven’t ever seen her lay beside her bed with her head tucked behind it…

Sleep*: You’re doing it wrong.

*technically she is sleeping correctly. However sleeping your bed didn’t sound as good as just sleeping. Go with me here.

Do you see it??

2010-04-07T09:37:00.001-03:00

You know that HUGE white thing I’m all cuddled up to…..do you understand what this means people? Ignore the zit, the fact that I haven’t brushed my teeth or my hair…concentrate people..!

It officially felt like winter here last night. And by winter I mean it was a cool 65 degrees. Alright as night set in, it was probably 60. Hence the need of the big white cover (for me, not for Sidnei). I cannot even describe the happiness that this makes. I miss sleeping with blankets. And I have been SO SO SO hot. Thank goodness for the reprieve that is “winter” here. And honestly, we kind of just got the perfect storm of weather because it had been hot and humid all day. But a great thunderstorm blew in, bringing all kinds of rain and the blessed WIND! The wind was cold and cooled everything off. 60 degree weather is about as cool as we get…at night. During the day it hoovers somewhere between 75-90. More towards 75 if we’re lucky!

Anyway, I’ve never been so grateful for winter. Just thought I’d share my enthusiasm.

My New Ride

2010-03-28T17:33:00.001-03:00

Saturday was a great day for Sidnei and I. We started off the day by going to Centro to measure a job for Sidnei and then we just goofed off together running errands.

Somehow we ended up in the bike shop…and then we each ended up with a bike. I felt like a little kid, but I was so excited. So here is my Caloi Ventura Aro 26, silver and lilac. Complete with bell. And her basket on the front. A must.

Somehow my husband ended up with this speed bike. Why, I have NO idea. He just liked it. Never mind the cost factor. I made him promise me he’d use it. However, I have a feeling it will end up like my Dad’s very expensive bike. Hanging out in the garage, dry rotting, with NO ONE allowed to use it. When asked about it, swears it gets used, and it’s HIS! So we’ll see.

I’m just glad he has a bike again. He complained ALL THE TIME about the one I left in Myrtle Beach that I had bought him. Guess how many times that one got used? Other than the night I gave it to him? Try once.

I figure it’s a great way for us to spend time together and save a little gas too! Plus when I want to run out quickly (like to grab something from the store, the bakery, or maybe a video) it will be SO MUCH faster than walking. They haven’t been delivered yet, but I’m sure there will be more pictures when they do get here!

No matter where you go…

2010-03-24T13:52:00.001-03:00

There are just some things that don’t change.

Take for instance, people not paying attention when they drive. Or more specifically talking on the cell phone while driving. Problem in the states (albeit slightly bigger in my opinion) and problem here.

How about the sound two cars make when they collide? Nope, it’s the same here too.

Dealing with insurance companies and body shops? PAIN. BIG, FAT PAIN.

So since life never likes things to get to dull, we got a little shake up on Monday.

Sidnei was driving me to work and BAM! This kid runs a stop sign and runs smack into us. But honestly, I KNEW he was going to run that stop sign. How? Because I think everyone crossing over isn’t going to stop. Why? Because of my own accident two years ago. So every single time we cross an intersection with moving vehicles I’m grabbing onto something. I’m a real treat to ride in a vehicle with.

But do you know the absolute worst thing about getting in an accident? Well there are two things for me. The first one is the slow down. Where you brain literally slows everything down for a second and you can see with the perfect clarity what is going to happen and how it is going to happen. And then the impact. It’s the noise, people. I hate it. It’s awful and literally I have nightmares about it. *insert shudder here*

Thankfully all is well. Sidnei’s back is hurting a little and I have a pretty big goose egg on my shin that is going to give me a good looking bruise on these white legs, but other than that, we were not injured. Neither was the other guy. Our car got the least of the damage. It was hit on the drivers side light and is looking crunchy, but the car still runs and is driveable (unlike the other vehicle which no longer runs). Just not at night because the light is busted. The other thing we have to be thankful for is the other guy had insurance! Which is slightly miraculous seeing as it is not required here and there are many horror stories about people trying to get the money to pay for their vehicles.

So all in all, we are really thankful it wasn’t more serious and that we have an insurance company to deal with (even if they are a pain).

Unemployment is for the birds…

2010-03-18T10:37:00.001-03:00

See that smile right there? It’s laid back, it’s happy, it’s CONTENT. I love content.

Do you know why I am so content? I’ll tell you.

People, I have joined the ranks of the employed. You are looking at a teacher of Business English, here in Ipatinga. Okay, honestly, what you are really looking at is a girl who is content because she FINALLY got a little time on the beach to read a book, because thank goodness her husband’s uncle came with us, and she didn’t have to listen to, “Why do you like to read so much?” or “How come you don’t want to talk to me?” or “When do you want to go back to the hotel?” GAHHHHHHHHH, can a girl get a little peace to do one of her most favorite things in the world (read on the beach)? Can we get a little self entertainment please? Someone remind me to bring the boy some magazines next time.

Back to the point—I have a job! I’m getting paid! And most importantly, though it’s only the first week, I’m really enjoying myself!

Though as a disclaimer, Sidnei would like the entire world to know (because his breadwinner, man of the house, macho-ness is sensitive) that it’s not because I NEED to work. He can provide for me. I WANT to work. Alright? Good. (Though a little padding at the end of the month never hurt anyone right? Exactly.) Moving on.

I started teaching on Monday, which was quite the surprise. Before we left for vacation, the school called, desperate for another teacher, so I rushed around taking English reading, writing, and listening tests. Interviewing, discussing terms, hours, etc. I was supposed to train the Friday and Saturday before we took off and start the Monday I got back, but they just couldn’t make it happen. So they never called and I just figured they had to cancel it.

Well lo and behold, on the Sunday we got home, I received a phone call from the coordinator asking me if I was still coming to teach the next day. Although surprised…and not really surprised all at the same time (unorganized chaos tends to rule supreme here)…I was still excited and eager.

So I’ve been teaching the last couple of days and I love my Monday and Wednesday group the best. One of the best things for me, is finally being able to teach instead of learn. I have been on a steep learning curve (new city, language, culture, etc) for almost 10 months now. It’s refreshing. I feel like I have some purpose, direction. Friday and Saturday I will spend all day training and next week we will begin “official” lessons.

Can I just say the funniest thing (and I mean that in a positive way) is having them call me ‘teacher’ even after telling them repeatedly to just call me Stephanie (that’s my M&W group, 3 nerdy engineers..they are so very endearing!)

Seriously, even though it’s just a couple hours a week, I’m so glad to have a job! Staying at home has not been very ideal for me. Especially seeing as I have no house (of my own) and no kids. It’s just me. And when that’s the case…as the title states..it’s for the birds.

Vitória, Espirito Santo

2010-03-16T15:55:00.001-03:00

On Saturday night, we made the trip from Ipatinga, Minas Gerais, to the coast of Vitória, Espirito Santo!

In light of recent events (the death of some members of our church who made the same trip) we decided it would be safer if we took the bus instead of driving. The road to Vitória is two lane most of the way with many, buses and tractor trailers. But we are so glad we did! The buses are VERY nice, comfortable, and VERY air conditioned!

Our bus makes an overnight trip so here we are at 11, getting ready to leave the station! The bus was SO COLD, we ended up using our oversized beach towels as blankets! Next time I’ll remember to bring a blanket!

A little after 6 AM, we arrived in Vitória, though not well rested…it’s not easy to sleep on the bus..not for me anyway. We took a Taxi to our hotel, checked in early, and slept most of the day away! Not before taking some pictures of the view of course!

For the next couple of days, we took in the beach…

We played in the pool…

We had a great 2 year anniversary dinner at a stuffy Italian Restaurant (we both agreed that we miss Carrabas!)

We also did things like eat pepperoni pizza (which I can NOT find in Ipatinga! It was so greasy delicious! Sidnei opted for catupiry (a soft cheese, very good!) and ham)

We were giddy at the fact that Vitória had a Sam’s club! I thought maybe they would have some American things, and they did have some, but it was mainly bulk Brazilian things, which was fine and still exciting! It also happened to be Women’s Day, so I got a rose too!

We also went to Vitória’s big shopping mall, that had a BIG Cinemark! Woo hoo! (we have a theater in Ipatinga, it’s small, and we’ve just never been) We went to see Avatar in 3D! As a bonus (for me), it was in English with Portuguese subtitles! It was a really good movie and we both really enjoyed ourselves!!

On Wednesday morning we checked out of our hotel, and headed for a town about 20 minutes from Vitória, called Serra. Sidnei’s aunt lives there. We stayed with her and her family until Saturday night, when we had to take the bus back home! Since they had to work, it was pretty low key, but we had a good time!

One day we took a bike ride. I LOVE this picture below. I was hot and sweaty and did NOT want to take a picture. Is this not the perfect picture of my disgust?

Followed by my fake smile…

We went to a beach called Jacaripe, which we’ve both decided we like better than the beaches Vitória and will be coming here next time!

We had SUCH a great time! I was so sad to come home! I have missed the beach so much! We definitely spoiled ourselves and it felt so great! Sidnei’s is much more rested and the quality time we spent together was much needed! We can’t wait to go on vacation again!

Driven to Distraction…

2010-03-04T16:18:00.001-03:00

I love getting my nails done here in Brazil. While I don’t do it as often as I should, mainly because I’m lazy and it takes the better part of two hours, it is definitely an experience. Here I get my hands and feet done for 10 reais…or about $6 give or take. Usually I’m pretty boring. I like french manicures. It’s simple, it’s safe, it goes with everything. Today I got a little crazy and told the girl to do whatever she wanted.

And she did just that.

I got hot pink, decorated with flowers, topped off with a healthy coat of color glitter, and toes to match! I have a hard time not looking at them, they are the busiest thing in the room! I feel so very…Brazilian. Though maybe I should say Minera…or Ipatingian…Is it just here? Everyone seems to have VERY busy fingers here. Here More is More. And Less is Less. Though I must say I am impressed with her hand painting with her teeny tiny paint brush! I think though next time I’ll stick with my boring french manicure…I’m so easily distracted….

Good things are happening people…

2010-03-02T00:30:00.001-03:00

Apparently it’s my style to post, post, post and then drop off. Apparently.

So good things are happening!

First things first, I finally got hubby on the moving wagon. Seriously. We are proud owners of these things:

For our apartment! (Stove, fridge, cabinets)In the next two weeks we’ll be purchasing a washing machine and sofa. I’m hoping that by the end of March we’ll FINALLY be in a place! YAY!

The next GREAT thing is that next week we will be here:

and here:

It’s okay to be jealous. Really.

The best part???

Our hotel has AC. Bliss people. Pure, cool, bliss.

We are going to celebrate our two year anniversary.

We are going to go see a movie for the first time in almost a year!

So I’m excited. It’s been good things. And I have more good things in the works…another post later this week!

Exciting times people, exciting times!

Aerobics- Take One

2010-02-12T12:21:00.001-02:00

Recently while visiting with Sidnei’s Aunt, she mentioned that she was starting a water aerobics class. Since I have been feeling rather homebound lately, I decided I would join and invited my MIL to come with us as well. I figured that this was a good thing for me, as I have been rather inactive lately. (Read: Couch potato) Not only that, but it’s been HOT, and I couldn’t think of anything better than getting in a pool!

So this past Monday, we all dragged ourselves out of bed…Israel’s Mom now stays home with him, so he hasn’t been here…and thus we have taken full advantage by going back to bed after the men go off to work. It has been full of wonderful, heavenly, lay in the middle of the bed spread eagle, sleep. But never mind that, off we went because our class started at 9. We arrived, stripped down, and hopped in the pool. The water was absolutely delicious at that time in the morning. I was thoroughly enjoying myself as it has been quite a while. Though the pool rapidly became FULL, we had about 30 people in the water. Almost everyone was 50 or older.

So first, let’s start out with the obvious. I am WHITE. And everyone here notices and is always concerned. Did I put on sun block? Where is my hat? I really need to shade my face. And my eyes are sooo beautiful, but my light eyes need to be shaded from the sun, I need to use sunglasses! Okay, they were right about the sun glasses, I completely forgot and was pretty much blind with the rising sun. I did use sun block…70 spf. And for only being in the pool for one hour, I still burnt my shoulders and back a little. At 9 AM. Now don’t get me wrong, in the states I burnt pretty easy as well, however, it was usually after a couple of hours, and somewhere between the hours of 12-3.

The actual workout was not challenging AT ALL. Which is alright, it was challenging for a lot of other people there, including my MIL, and I am glad. Part of the problem is the teacher. She only had about 5 different exercises, which we just repeated over and over and over. And over. So I was pretty disappointed by that. She rode in on her motorcycle (literally), she is very fit, and looked very promising. Maybe she doesn’t do more because the women are older? That is very likely, but I still think she could have included some different exercises. Really the only thing we did, was running in place. To the front. To the back. To the front again. And then the opening and closing of the legs…all the while using our arms to push the water. And I am sorry I don’t know more technical terms for these exercises.

Anyway, truly I was slightly disappointed. I had done water aerobics back home and it had surprisingly (for me my first time) kicked my butt. I was hoping this would do the same. But anyway like I said, it helps my MIL who has a lot of back pain, and if I go, she’ll go. And plus on Mondays and Wednesdays, I get to play in the pool. When it’s over, everyone scurries out, I do a couple of laps, play around like the little fish I used to be and climb out happy!

Fast and Testimony Meeting

2010-02-08T17:17:00.002-02:00

Yesterday, after trying to explain what the Godhead is and how the Holy Spirit helps us in Portuguese to a 2 and 3 year old, helping color and glue, stopping tears, getting snacks, singing songs, I was tired. Not only was I tired, but I was alone. (Poor Sidnei had over worked himself all day and night Saturday and when I tried to wake him up on Sunday, he literally just didn’t even stir. Not even a little bit. So I let him be.) Walking up the stairs to the (hello I am drawing a blank here..the more I learn Portuguese, the more I forget English words) place where we take Sacrament (isn’t there a word for that room?) I had decided that I would just take the Sacrament and drive home.

As I was sitting in Sacrament, I was watching the same little boys that I had just taught, running up and down the aisle…and I thought, I should pull him aside and ask him if he thought the Holy Ghost would like him running around during Sacrament. And then what do you know, that all knowing little voice said, “Maybe you should ask yourself the same question.” Meaning, should I really be taking off after Sacrament? Crrraappp.

So I stayed. Honestly, I’m so glad I did. Every month I’m always pleased that I listened to everyone’s testimony. I love watching how eager the kids are (primary and YM, YW) to get up and share their testimonies. I love the simple, yet profound statements that come from them. I honestly, really love listening to these people, so different from myself in so many aspects, who know and profess the same things I know and believe.

I am so grateful to have the gospel in my life. This gospel that creates similarities, that gives me a home away from home. It creates a love and friendship that I wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else. And I take comfort knowing that no matter where I am, no matter where I go, the gospel will be the same and I will always have instant family and friends.

**There may be those reading that don’t know me personally or know me well so if you are confused, I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. (I’m Mormon) Please feel free to ask me any questions or share any thoughts. However, I do ask, that all comments here and anywhere else on my blog, be respectful.**

Belo Horizonte...Take 1

2010-02-08T09:00:00.000-02:00

Remember that trip I took back at the beginning of January to Belo Horizonte with my MIL? Well let’s just say, I will only be traveling as long as Sidnei is with me or unless I just go alone. We will leave the details to that. Because as Thumper said, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.”

So here is the nice stuff.

We took a train on the way there ~~and despite it being suffocatingly hot~~ the scenery was beautiful! With the rolling mountains, blue skies, and the array of green everywhere, everything, it is a sight to behold. Truly. I didn’t start taking any pictures until the sun was setting. Mostly because it was too hot to hold anything but water. In fact, I stripped down on the train. Next time we’ll be taking an air conditioned unit. This is Sidnei’s gorgeous cousin, Taina (ty-na), can you believe she’s only 14??

The train is SUPER long. Can you see it heading into the sunset on the bend?

One of the FABULOUS parts of Belo Horizonte is how much cooler it is than Ipatinga. I enjoyed that part VERY much. I even slept without a fan and I was cool in the mornings. I needed my jacket. Heaven people.

The other FABULOUS part was I got to meet Corinne! I was so excited to be able to hang out with someone and speak English to my heart’s content! And get tips and pointers on doing things! That is always a plus! And we went to Outback Steakhouse and had a blooming onion. It was REALLY good. (I’m going to be the girl that goes to visit home and comes back 20 pounds heavier. I miss my processed American food. So sue me. I want a funfetti cupcake people. And that’s not to say I don’t enjoy the food here, I do! But I want sour cream! Tortilla chips and salsa!…you get the picture) Anyway Corinne was fabulous enough to put up with the ‘guidelines’ that were given to me by my in-laws, give me lots of great information, and even extended an invite back! I can’t wait to come back, go see the sites, and partake in the big city fun! Thanks Corinne!

Here are pictures from my trip!

Here we are in Parque Municipal in downtown Ipatinga.

Me in Praca do Liberdade!

The view from where we were staying at night…

Day time…

Me with Sidnei’s Aunt Lete and cousin

The glorious dawn on the day we were leaving!

I am excited to go back to Belo Horizonte to be able to see more! Hopefully we’ll be making that trip soon! There is so much to do and see!

#26 Off to a good start!

2010-02-05T09:00:00.000-02:00

First, thank you for all my birthday wishes! It was a really great day!

Sidnei woke me up at 1:30 a.m. to tell me Happy Birthday, which was sweet…but you know me, I’m good at 7 a.m. too. Sidnei went to work, so my day was pretty normal, got up, cleaned, all that good stuff.

My parents called (both sets) and sang me Happy Birthday. I can’t tell you how much I miss my family. I have a big, gaping hole and it just aches and aches. It makes me all weepy on holidays, celebrations.…even just sometimes when all of Sidnei’s family is together. My plan is to go home in August and I’m counting down the months. Hopefully the next 7 will pass as quickly as the first 8.

Sidnei came home at mid day and brought home a big bouquet of roses! They were just beautiful and made me feel special!

I also got a beautiful card filled with money! So I can go on a shopping spree for clothes (all mine are too big now)!

The rest of the day was filled with errands and shopping for my party! And of course a milk shake…or two…

True to form, I ran around like crazy getting everything ready, just to get all hot and sweaty. Let me just say…it was hot! But I really had a great time. We set the party for 8, so of course everyone arrived about 9:30. We had about 30 people there (all family except 2) and they were so cute. They sang to me Happy Birthday in English and Portuguese! It was so funny and terribly sweet!

Enjoy the pictures!

The new do

2010-02-03T12:01:00.001-02:00

Gracie finally got her hair cut! She got her first one in October and her hair had gotten so long!

Not to mention the crazy heat all day…! Let me just say, it was time.

The people did a really good job this time. They used the machine instead of the scissors. In fact they did such a good job, she’s practically naked. Look! You can see her freckles!

Needless to say, she was not thrilled with me and would not “speak” with me upon her arrival. But she did give me the stink eye…see?

Of course I wasn’t very nice either. I think there was some comment about my dog now looking like a bobble head. But I have no idea who would have said such a thing.

Now ignore the mess and tell me these two aren’t precious?

Wish you were here...

2009-12-23T01:01:00.000-02:00

Or I was there...

Something to that effect.

So really I wanted to show you a picture of us on the beach, with big fat coconuts, and swaying palm trees. But we haven't quite made it there. Soon, I am told.

Here is our holiday recap letter we didnt send:

Things here in Brazil are going really well. Sidnei opened his own company and literally hasn't stopped since he started! We have felt so truly blessed because of this! I am so proud of him and how hard he has been working! Not to mention so impressed because half the time, I'm all, "I didn't know you knew how to do that!"

I am adjusting well, though I am really feeling 'saudades' about missing Christmas back home. My Portuguese has really come along in the last couple of months, especially the ability to understand! (Thank goodness!) I'm not working yet, but we have high hopes that I will start teaching at an English school soon! I have been keeping busy learning how to be domestically fabulous and finding my way around centro (downtown) so that I can ~~shop~~ pay bills.

We are so very grateful to be spending the holidays together this year! It has been a long trek, though our journey has just begun, and we are looking forward to enjoying many more holidays together! We would be remiss not to tell you how grateful we are for all the support you gave us these past (almost) 2 years! We love being able to have the internet and keep in touch with you all!

All of our love,

Always playing catch up!

2009-12-22T01:01:00.002-02:00

I can't believe it's been over a month since I posted! The next couple of days, I'll be playing catch up! So today I will post pictures of my super cute nephew's 2nd birthday party. This was at the end of last month (the 28th) and it was so fun because he was so excited.

Just so you know, people blow out kid's birthdays BIG time here. I think I mentioned this before. It is themed, with hundreds of balloons, decorations, huge cakes, and lots of candies. It is quite a spectacular to behold. However, this year Israel's parents decided to keep it simple with just family. So we DIY everything. It didn't take long and they saved a LOT of money. They want to wait until he remembers it all which I think is very wise. The HUGE birthdays here costs thousands of reais. And thousands of anything (dollars, pounds, reais) are just hard to come by these days.

So without further ado, check out how excited this little boy was. He is so stinking cute and has gotten so big since I've been here. It has been fun to watch him learn and grow every day (My MIL takes care of Israel every day Tues-Sat 8-7). And to be honest, he has taught me a lot of portuguese. We are learning together!

Israel LOVES to sing and clap. Here he is waiting for us to begin singing!

Here I think I was watching Israel open presents!

I love this photo because when Israel wants to be cute, he cocks his head to the side just like this!

This is the one where my husband thinks it's funny to make faces and I don't know. If there were a picture after this, I would NOT be amused. Though I am now. But at the time, I was tired. See?

I got Israel "Pingu" the Penguin. He watches Pingu on his DVD. Pingu doesn't actually talk in a specific language. More like the teacher from Charlie Brown. You don't know what the heck she's saying but you get the gist? So Israel is in LOVE with Pingu. He was SO excited. He is still carrying it around and loves when Sidnei will play and make the noises for him!

Singing and clapping to Parabens..with all of his beloved presents on the table with him!

This is the third time he's going to blow out the candles! We sang to him three times that night! He kept saying mais, mais (more,more)! It was so funny! I'm so glad he had fun!

One of the funniest things about Israel turning two, is that you can ask in him Portuguese or in English how old he is and he will answer in English and say TWO (and hold up three fingers)! And if you ask him to say dois, he will say NO! Two! Love it!

They Love Me...Part II

2009-11-19T06:00:00.001-02:00

The Mosquitoes. The mosquitoes here range from very tiny to very HUGE. And they all love me. I know I have complained about the mosquitos before.. But seriously people. They love me. No matter where I am they find me. No matter how much repellent, no matter what brand, no matter...they love me. Constantly ALL THE TIME people chuckle at the sight of my white legs with bright pink circles all over them and say 'sangue novo'....Ha Ha. Yeah, that doesn't get old EVER.

But can you blame them?

The last count was 64. 64. That is ridiculous. The pictures just don't do my legs justice.

Brasileira in the making

2009-11-18T06:00:00.000-02:00

There have been lots of different discoveries I have had since coming to Ipatinga. One of them is my new found love for soccer. Actually, I think it is going to the soccer games. Because I still can't stand watching any sport on television.

Anyway we have been going to Estadio Ipatinga on the weekends to watch our local team play (in white, on the right). I love being surrounded by all the people, I love the feeling of camaraderie that comes with supporting a team together! They have people who play drums in the stands...and they never seem to stop. They have a whole gang of people playing drums, others dancing to the drums, and others setting off fireworks. They put on quite a show. In fact, this past weekend, they started a fire in the stands with what looked like the toilet paper they had been waving around. It was quite interesting. And dangerous looking. When you enter the stadium, they do have security checking bags, but I suppose the only thing they are looking for is guns, everything else pretty much seems to be allowed.

Besides watching the game, I love to people watch. And Estadio Ipatinga provides plenty of interesting spectators to gawk at. My absolute favorite is "the rant-er." He is my all time favorite. He is at every single game. And he yells pretty much the entire game. He waves his hands around, yells at the team, yells at the refrees, and when all else fails turns to someone if they are willing to listen to his rants. He paces the stadium back and forth all game long, but I usually see him around half time. (Is it called half time in soccer?) We sit in the middle of the field, close to where the players leave to go to the locker room. So out of the woodworks he comes to give them a piece of his mind. Next time I'll get a picture of him in action. Seriously, my favorite. I'm always excited to see him.

Now although he is most definitely got a couple of screws loose, he does have something to yell about. Ipatinga is absolutely terrible. Meaning, even I, who knows close to nothing about soccer, knows that they are terrible. They are terrible about passing successfully, the fans are constantly yelling to 'play to the front' since they like to kick the ball around down field...it's amazing they ever get the goal to be honest. Thankfully the won this time around (1-0) since Sidnei vowed to never come to another game if they kept losing! Though I think he was bluffing. Even though they are terrible, it's still fun!

Sidnei's Dad complimented me by saying that I was definitely a 'Brasileira in the making' except he said it in Portuguese. And he told me that I would also need to come to the popular side of the family and be a fan of Cruziero. My husband is all about Sao Paulo. I have been forbidden to join the ranks of Cruzeiro.

I haven't made up my mind yet.

Pretentious Pizza

2009-11-16T16:57:00.001-02:00

Seriously love when the weekends rolls around!

Tonight we decided to live a little and go to a "real" restaurant. You know the kind where they have real waiters?

Here in Brazil there are a couple of types of places to eat...

Lanchonetes- these places are found ALL over every corner of Ipatinga. You can find them from small to big, having things varying from pastel and coxinha, to hamburgers, pizza, soups, and ice cream.

Boteco- I actually like the boteco that we have down the road from us. These are also all over every corner of Ipatinga. These places are sort of a mix between a bar and restaurant. Some people come to drink. Some people come to eat. Most do both. The boteco sets out plastic tables and chairs, often has live music (here anyway) and my favorite place does churrasco every night that is fantastic! Though they aren't all nice..some are pretty dumpy looking.

Restaurante por kilo- Buffet style restaurante by weight. Serves all kinds of meats, veggies, sometimes salad, rice, beans, farofa, potatoes..etc. I like to go to places like this for lunch. But really, not great for me since my eyes are always bigger than my stomach...and I really hate wasting.

Restaurante- A place in rare form in Ipatinga. I think we seriously have like 5 "real" restaurants here. Where you go, sit down, given a menu, order with a waiter, and have more choices than hamburgers and pizza.

So anyway, Sidnei picked a restaurant that we have been admiring from afar to go to tonight. The outside is beautiful (I wish I had gotten a picture), with big glass walls to see inside, pretty decorating, and it just looks NICE. Like a real establishment. Anyway so I'm all excited. We walk in, we are greeted by a hostess (!) and taken to our seats. Everything smells SO good. The waiters look all nice and crisp in their uniforms. The table cloths (!) are pressed. Everyone around us is dressed nicely and having a nice time. Not to mention they had a big bottle of olive oil in the middle of the table, making me think I might get bread (you know, like at an Italian restaurant). Did I mention this is the first time we've been to a real restaurant in the five months I've been here??

The waiter hands us our menu and asks what we would like to drink. He gives us the house special for the day. I think it was some kind of fish. We open the menu...and to our surprise...the place we are at is a PIZZERIA. I almost died laughing. Sidnei was irritated. Seriously the restaurant looks so pretty. The waiters are SO formal. I would have never guessed. And just so you know, they don't have any signs outside except for one that says Bohemia which is an alcoholic drink they serve there. Ahhh well. What's a girl to do? So we order a pizza...my style. Quatro Quiejos (four cheeses) because I like to keep it simple. And thankfully our overpriced, pretentious pizza, was the best I've had since I've been here. Though, I don't think Sidnei will be back.

*Just as a side note, in different cities, the eating scenario varies in different places and in bigger cities(so I have heard) it is much different. We just don't have many options in this small town.

Brazil's Independence Day!

2009-11-09T13:37:00.000-02:00

Since I am behind, I am catching up. That means Independence Day is coming to you late. While all of you were lounging around, grilling out, pooling it, beaching it, or wherever you were celebrating Labor Day, we were celebrating Brasil's Independence Day (Septemer 7th).

I think in other places they do more. Here the only real celebration was the parade! Which I was excited to go to! I always loved the parades in our little hometown of Crewe, VA. There is nothing in the world like tractors pulling beauty queens, shriners in their tiny cars and 6 year olds from Mrs. Carrington's Dance class tap dancing down the street...I miss my little town!

So backtracking...the parade wasn't really all that different from my little town. It actually made me laugh a little. But in a nice, friendly way, promise.

My saintly husband, got up bright and early, to get on the bus (before car), and take me to the parade!

No Parade complete without the band! The Policia Militar band!

We had I believe the ENTIRE police force go by us. And let me tell you, this city employs LOTS of police. But here they are with their awkward, yet surprisingly cute march.

Here is Sidnei's big brother Ney and the dog he trained Apache. He brought Apache to the house one day. I love that dog. So friendly AND obedient. Gracie could use a few lessons.

My favorite since I was a little girl...always the horses!

But I always felt bad for this guy: The worst job in the parade...cleaning up after the horses.

The Bombeiros!!! Or the trusty firemen! I have to say, the ones in full get up, must have been HOT!

And here is where I start the inappropriateness that is me...
Here we are making others aware of epilepsy. Which is not funny. But I swear, here I see more things illustrated than anywhere else. Like someone having an epileptic seizure. The people behind the banner, were also wearing t-shirts of the exact same thing. The t-shirts is what really got me. To be fair, Sidnei did tell me there are many people here who believe that you can physically catch (like a cold) something like epilepsy.

Then there was this guy. He was blind, carrying the Brasilian flag down the road. And his walking cane. Which I just wish someone would have taken from him to help him, because he was having issues with both. However, I think it was being used as a prop to say, "See? He's really blind!" I don't really understand who these guy's were. I need to do some research. Sidnei informed me that they were the sons of Masons. I was part of the Daughters of Job when I was younger, and I don't remember the boy's organization. But Sidnei seems to think they worship the devil. Along with the other people that boo'ed them. What the heck? Does anyone know? I just thought they were doing a cute rendition of Harry Potter.

This guy was my favorite!!!! He was part of the literacy campaign! And even though it was hot and muggy, he was so fun and cute! Look how cute his little buddy is!

Trip to the Fazenda

2009-11-04T09:59:00.002-02:00

This past weekend, we had the pleasure to go to a family's fazenda (farm). And it was so great! We really had a nice time! Of course as always, there was the famous churrasco! But for me, the best part, was when I got to go horseback riding! I have loved horses as long as I can remember and we had a really good time together!

Tell you the truth, I was SHOCKED that Sidnei got on to ride the horse! But here he is, my favorite part, is that he and the horse are making the same face!

Here is Sidnei's Dad (Jose), Mom (Marlene), his Uncle (who is also named Sidnei), and Sidnei waiting for the food! They were starving!

Sidnei and I! We even got someone to actually take the picture for us!

Here we are in the backyard, I just thought everything looked so lush, green, and pretty!

This picture here, is to show you that I have really learned my lesson! As you can see, I have very burnt arms...and though you can't tell, I came home with lobster red arms, chest, and face. It's all very cute and painless, even days later. My parents always said I never would learn anything the easy way.

Here are all the goodies we got to bring home! I love going to the country and bringing home all the fresh produce. I promise to write a post on the foods here VERY soon!

This is Gil's Dad, Gil (who is marrying Sidnei's Uncle Sidnei) and Sidnei's Mom Marlene.

At this point we went hiking in the mountains to go to the lagao (the lake) and fish! We were not lucky. This is the way back...and if you can't tell, I'm burnt and so over it all. Ready to head home!

Here is Sidnei throughly enjoying himself and trying to convince me to stay overnight so he can fish at night, when he is SURE the fish will bite. HA HA!

There are no more pictures because we went home!

Seriously good day with friends and family!

Lagoa Silvano

2009-10-21T10:33:00.000-02:00

So back in...July was it? When it was still "cold" (think high 70's and 80's...compared to right now, it's heaven) here, we took a nice break on one of the warmest days and went to the lake!

The lake grounds are really nice. They have pavilions where of course we had a place for churrasco (no get together is complete without it). I really thought the lake was really pretty. The pavilion was set on a hill, so you walked down to the lake, where they have a little sandy beach. I didn't get in the water (never did like lake water much...read: chicken), but it was so nice to lay out in the sun, eat (my favorite is grilled pineapple), and hang out.

View on top of the hill where the pavilion is...the slide never opened that day or I would have thought more seriously about getting in!

But they did open the little kiddie water park! The kids came running and screaming! They were so funny to watch! (That is my sister in law's brother and child by the way, not just some random people)

Those my friends are big swan boats!! I was so excited! I wanted to go find out where they were and go ride them. Unfortunately Sidnei had a MAJOR headache and laid on a table top for most of the time.

Can you tell he's feeling icky here? He got off the table top to go home so I snagged him to take pictures first. You can tell he was thrilled with that idea.

These next two were before the sickness ensued.

This really made me miss our times on the beach back home, but glad we have a place here too!

This was one of the craziest birds, wandering around the park. It had a crazy ~~scary scream~~ call and would go on for 20 minutes at a time. I would try to find out what it is, but I have no idea how...My Brasilian friends..do you know? I wish I had a better picture of it. It had a crazy mohawk feather thing going on!

Hopefully we'll be going back to Lagoa Silvano now that it's warmed up quite a bit!

Parque do Ipanema

2009-10-20T06:00:00.000-02:00

Once upon a time, about two months ago, I uploaded these pictures. And never did anything with them.

So now, let me introduce (better late than never) Parque do Ipanema (ironically located in Ipatinga, MG). It is really the only "scenic" or pretty place to walk in Ipatinga. It really is a very nice park and kept really clean by the city. We love to go in the evenings right before it gets dark. We walk around, people watch (one of our favorite activities) and settle in later at one of the many vendors that are selling numerous things, including, but not limited to, hot dogs, hamburgers, churrasco on a stick (beef or pork), popcorn, fried bananas (like little chips), drinks (all varities), popsicles, and (my personal favorite) filled churros (you can fill them with chocolate or doce de leite (or dulce de leite or similar to caramel if you are more familiar). YUM.

Anywho, here we are:

This is a very peculiar. It is a little island with a windmil. I dont really understand it, but I hope to one day see the time when the paddle boats at the bottom are open on the pond you can't see here.

I thought this was rather picturesque at the time...but at least you can see the pond/lake I was talking about.

So of course I made Sidnei stand there (because of the picturesque-ness).

Pensive Husband, wife who thinks she's creative. If I look close I can make out his face in the darkness. In my defense it looked better on the camera screen.

An ending much like the beginning...self portraits.

Realizations--The Life Lesson Kind

2009-10-19T05:00:00.000-02:00

Moving to a different country provides a lot of different opportunities for a person to learn and grow. For me, one of the biggest things I learning is about myself. And it's not all roses and sunshine. But let's start with that part anyway.

I have realized my capacity to learn is endless. And I love that. Every day, I learn more words and learn to say different things in portuguese. I am understanding more and more every day as well. I am proud of myself for learning so quickly. Though I am eager to be able to communicate effectively (it's probably one of the biggest things I miss) I am surprised how patient I am. When I don't understand (usually in a big group of people, where conversation moves back and forth rapidly), I don't get upset. I sit, I listen, try to find words and a way to understand what is going on. That is until my brain gets tired, shuts off, and wanders else where. But I try.

Another big thing I am proud of myself for. I am trying all sorts of different things. I have this thing about looking stupid in front of others...yes, yes, I know we all do, but a lot of times it has prevented me from reaching out and trying new things. Here that is not the case. I speak, even though I know I sound like a toddler trying to put sentences together with my limited vocabulary, hoping someome will understand what I am saying. I am trying new foods. I am eating vegetables (Mom...you still with me? Take a deep breath, shocking I know) and liking them (MOM..yes..it's still me. I promise to call and verify this over skype...aliens have not...nevermind).

While all of these things are great, like I said, not all roses and sunshine. What has really been on my mind lately, and the way I am trying to really grow, is I realized how selfish I am. In fact, it has been on my mind constantly the last week or so. Here, in this family, we share. Everything. Big things, little things, no matter. We share. And the stupid thing is, I am the kind of person that will help you in anyway possible. Truly. I love my family, I love my friends, and I would do anything for them. But please don't ask me to share my THINGS. No, I don't want you to use my computer. No, I don't want to share my candy with you. Our boxes arrived a while ago. My MIL fell in LOVE with one of my blankets. I can't seem to part with it. Don't worry, I packed like four.

And here I am. Living with this family, that has opened their hearts, their homes. They would give me absolutely anything. In fact they have. My SIL especially. She has endlessly helped Sidnei over the years. She is the one that really tries to have a relationship with me. We go to the store on Saturday nights, to prepare for Sunday dinners, we always seem to detour and get ice cream. She always pays. The other day, she brought me home a pair of shoes, just because. She brings chocolate home, she gives some to everyone. She does all the laundry, every Saturday. In fact she spends her entire Saturday washing clothes and then Sunday ironing. Monday through Friday she works 8-7. She always puts her family first, and herself last. Always. She ordered two pizzas the other night for seven people. BIL and wife showed up, right when the pizza arrived. Perfect timing. She literally served everyone else and picked at what was leftover on the box. She gave everyone two pieces, I tried to tell her I only needed one (which was true, eating two whole pieces would be a miracle), but she wouldn't hear it. Not to say she is a saint, she's not. She's bossy and sometimes scary. She is the kind of person where you want to stay on her good side. But she is truly one of the most unselfish people I have ever met. And I truly admire that.

Just so you know, I am not terrible. Promise. I do share. The thing I hate, is the unwillingness I feel to do so. If someone asks to use my computer or camera, I want to say sure, and not think twice about it. Instead I am on the inside saying NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...! And you want to know where it comes from? It comes from having too much. Never having had to share a lot because I've always had my own room, my own toys, pretty much my own everything. (Thanks Mom and Dad, not sarcastically, literally. I'm sorry I was never more grateful)

So I am learning. I learning from people who have enough, but they have enough because they share. I am learning to be the kind of person that recognizes just how blessed I truly was and am. I am in no way suffering by being here. I am just learning the difference between necessity and luxury. I am learning with Sidnei, to start from the bottom and work our way up. I am learning to share the blessings I've been given with others. I want to learn that things, are just that. Things. In the scheme of life, they don't matter. Things do not bring me the happiness I crave. Today I was going to write a post and give you pictures of all the things I was excited about from my boxes. But I realized it didn't matter. It was fleeting happiness.

Because I am realizing that really I am happy when my family is happy and we do this:

(This is everyone minus my SIL and her husband, Sidnei and I..we are behind the camera)
Celebrating my BIL's birthday. We were all sitting around, talking, laughing, having a good time. We didn't have much. We had some meat for churrasco, a couple of sodas, the fire...and eachother. (and rice, there's always rice)

"Happiness is like the old man told me
Look for it, but you’ll never find it all
Let it go, live your life and leave it
Then one day, wake up and she’ll be home"
-Happiness- The Fray

Birthday Pictures and Meet the Fam!

2009-10-16T12:11:00.003-03:00

Us and the store bought cake...since my cake making ventures haven't exactly been successful here.

Israel (our nephew) LOVES when everyone sings Happy Birthday!

Here is Sidnei and his immediate family.
Starting Left:
Adriano (Sidnei's brother in law)
Julianne (Sidnei's sister in law and Israel's Mom)
Lucelio (Julianne's husband and Sidnei's youngest brother and Israel's Dad)
Marlene (Sidnei's Mom)
Jose (Sidnei's Dad)
Sidnei (He is child #3 (in case you were wondering) and Israel in his lap)
Lucinha (Sidnei's sister, the oldest in the bunch)
Amarildo Ney (we call him Ney(pronounced Neigh like what a horse does. I know that sounds terrible, its the only thing I can compare it too), he is #2 and Sidnei's older brother)
Angelica (Sidnei's sister in law, Ney's wife, sitting in Lucinha's lap)

Were you able to follow all that?

This year we had a nice low key birthday. Next year when I am more familiar with everything, I hope to party it up a little more! You all know how I love to celebrate!

Happy Birthday Sidnei!

2009-10-05T17:40:00.000-03:00

Today I get to celebrate the life of a man who is good and kind and wonderful. I feel so fortunate to be here with him today. One year ago the only thing we wished for was to be together to celebrate days like this. Today we remember this and we hug a little tighter. And I still cry, but only because I am grateful to share his day with him.

Happy Birthday Sidnei! My world is a better place with you in it and I am grateful to have you in my life every single day; to learn and grow with you. Thank you for a million different things, but mainly for loving me so completely, dreaming big, and working hard.

In response to requests: here are pictures of us from the last couple of months. Mostly just of our faces because we don't have anyone to take the picture for us!

A visit to the country

A friend's birthday

Lagao Silvano (Lake Silvano)

Sidnei's Favorite thing to do: Churrasco (BBQ)

Trombini (The traveling amusement park!)

Up early for the Independence Day Parade

Visiting Friend's in the country

Our first soccer game last friday night!!

The One about the Car

2009-09-27T23:30:00.001-03:00

So I told you all about the husband's dreaming of motorcycles and how I would not give in. Just to let you know I ALMOST DID. Common sense prevailed and we started looking at the difference of prices when financing a car. The difference was not big enough so we started looking at cars more seriously. Seriously, he had cars on the brain. For the past couple of weeks that is ALL he has talked about. Granted, he really does need one for work. It is difficult to get around to his different jobs, to be able to go measure, etc with only a bike. Too much distance, not enough time. Fair enough.

Sidnei has a family friend in Belo Horizonte who works at a car dealership. We proceeded looking at cars they had on their lots and after several, we found one that we liked, was affordable, and a good deal. We gave all the information to finance and found out it was a go. That was Monday at 4 pm. Monday at 5:40 pm we were on a bus to Belo Horizonte. No kidding.

Arriving in Belo Horizonte about 10:30 (Believe it or not, I REALLY enjoyed myself on the bus!) and the friend was there to pick us up in our new car. To tell you the truth, I was not crazy about the car when I saw it, aesthetically on the inside there were some issues, and there were more kilometers than I had originally thought (my issue, got my cars mixed up). But I was happy enough to have a car.

The plan originally was to get the car and go back to Ipatinga that night as Sidnei had to work in the morning. Does it surprise anyone that that is NOT what happened? The car had no gas. The gas stations were closed. So Sidnei made the executive decision we would stay with them and leave at 4:30 in the morning. Let me tell you. I was NOT happy. I had nothing with me. I couldn't brush my teeth effectively. I was in a skirt and heels (because I didn't have time to change before we left) and I was all around just not happy. To top it all off, when we got to the friend's house, to look over the paperwork, we realized the bank didn't finance as much as we thought which about doubled our down payment. By this time it is 1 in the morning. This for me is a downward spiral. I was adamantly against buying this car. I was looking into the face of needing to live with my in laws for the next year while we paid off the down payment and the car payment at the same time. I told Sidnei if it was really what he wanted to do and he thought it was a good idea then it was his decision. All the while what I really mean is, Don't do it!!!!!!!

So by 3 in the morning we lay down to sleep for an hour or so. We get up at 4:15. (By the way, we found someone willing to get us some gas in the car..I don't ask) We pack everyone in the car because the friend's wife and daughter are coming back to Ipatinga with us to visit their family. Friend's wife is 7 months pregnant and daughter is 5. All of us with only about an hour of sleep. So off we go. For about twenty minutes. When the clutch goes out. Seriously. (But even better I'm thanking the good Lord because this was not the car I wanted and I knew it wasn't a good idea to buy it) We are on a dark highway with no lights, a 7 month pregnant lady, and a 5 year old. OH and did I mention no phone? Our battery died. GREAT. I didn't think it was a great idea to go traipsing down the road with everyone, but friend's wife was too scared to stay. So we all trek back to the house and make it back about 6:15.

By eight we had the car towed and we were at the car dealership looking at other vehicles. And we found one! The down payment was seriously a quarter of what the other one was, the payment is only 10 reais more per month. The car is 5 years newer, and though it doesn't have electric windows or locks, it looks better, and has less miles. I was SO happy! By 10:30 we were on our way back home (finally!) and arrived in Ipatinga about 3!

So without further ado here is our 2004 Chevy Celta!

And of course this is the first thing we did when we got home. Wash the new baby.

And we have been successfully doing things for the car EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

Dreamin'...

2009-08-24T05:00:00.000-03:00

In Ipatinga (and I think in many areas of Brazil) motorcycles (or motos) are an extremely important mode of transportation. Not only do a large majority of people use them, but they are used largely for taxis as well. They are fast and cheap (not to mention dangerous). Also a lot of people purchase motorcycles because compared to cars, they are more affordable with a month to month payment. But with all these things come reservations....All I can see as they fly by me are death machines.

The motos here scare the heck out of me. They weave in and out of traffic. Squeeze and ride on the sides of the road to pass cars, trucks, and buses. When waiting for lights they often weave in and out to get to the front. And then they take off before the light turns green. EVERY. TIME.

And every day, what do I see? Car and moto accidents. Moto and bicycle (another important mode of transportation) accidents, only moto accidents (usually from trying to avoid car, bus, bicycle, pedestrian). There is SO MUCH going on all the time on these streets.

Cars, motos, buses, they all ride EXTREMELY close to one another, pass eachother in tight quarters, make their own lanes according to need. I dont know how I'll ever learn to drive here. One thing I have noticed though, and only can say for the few cars I have rode in, here in Ipatinga, is there are no cup holders. Well there really isn't much of anything. I think mainly because the cars are so small. But there seems to be less to distract them. I have only seen one driver so far on a cell phone while driving (I'm SURE there are more, but not nearly as many as in the US), I have yet to see anyone eating. And in general it seems people here pay more attention, because if you weren't, you would for sure get in an accident.

There are auto schools EVERYWHERE in Ipatinga. So my question is, do they teach you to drive this way? In my opinoin aggressive. Or is it a natural Brazilian trait? I can tell you this much...I understand my husbands driving SO MUCH more now. And his disdain at the way we drive in the states. Not that I condone it. I prefer our spacious, slow ways.

So even though my husband would LOVE to have this yellow, very fast ~~death machine~~ motorcycle (since he is moto-ing it with no motor i.e. bicycle) I put my foot down. We will wait. And save. And buy a practical, somewhere in the late 90's model car. So that when I start to learn to drive, (and be a passenger) here, I can do so feeling a little more protected.

Until then, I will watch this, then look into puppy dog chestnut brown eyes and say....NO.

**Another important note to be made: Here they do need to wear helmets, which I am all for. If you are going to ride one of these things, helmets ARE necessary. For me so is fully protective clothing. Jeans, long sleeves, and close toed shoes. However, we are in Brazil.

***Another important note: I like motorcycles. My dad has a Goldwing (which for those who aren't familiar, it's a touring bike. You know the motorcycle with the big travel boxes on the side?) and we went on a trip together where we rode for days. I really enjoyed myself. But they bikes that go from 0 to 60 in a matter of seconds are insane. And dangerous if not trained properly and used properly. A huge factor that makes me biased is one of my best friend's from college Tori. Our freshmen year, she got into an accident on a motorcycle, she had major damage to her brain, lost ability to use the right side of her body, talk, walk, eat, etc. She has been going through years of rehabilitation and it has drastically changed her life. I am amazed at the leaps and bounds she has made in recovery and I am proud of her every day. However this makes me an advocate for safety and gives me the realization of what that 0 to 60 can do to your life in the flash of an eye.

Around the neighborhood

2009-08-21T07:00:00.000-03:00

Today I thought I'd just give you a glimpse of the things I see just about everyday. Gracie and I have been walking almost every day looking for things to capture!

Here it is REALLY difficult to capture a sunset or any skyline for that matter without either a satellite dish or power lines! So I was excited this particular one turned out well!

Did you know poinsettia's could grow into a pretty decent sized tree? I kid..I really have no idea what it is 'technically', but it looks like a poinsettia to me!

See what I mean about the power lines? If you look off in the distance, the tents you see are the traveling feira that comes to our neighborhood every Thursday! I really like going to see what all the vendors have set up. For the most part it is clothing, shoes, veggies, fruit, sweets...actually it has a lot. Just about any kind of thing you need for the kitchen, pots, pans, spices...Anyway you just have to be careful. It is a little walk way and all the considerate people of Ipatinga bring in bicycles, strollers, carts, etc. Better to go early and avoid the crowd...and the sticky fingers--if ya get what I'm sayin'. That later it gets, the stickier they are.

Just a beautiful red and yellow splash among all the colorless clay earth!

This is a sunset picture from my sister in law's kitchen window upstairs.

The moon is out just about every afternoon!

Looking down into the valley of our Bairro (the city is divided into different areas called bairros)

Same here..this afternoon was hot, you can tell by the "haziness" (or pollution, whichever way your glass is looking) The big strip of green you see is divided between the different blocks and is used on Saturdays by everyone to play soccer. I am always so impressed with how clean they are. In ipatinga the cleaning crews are out all day long picking up trash from houses and from the streets (though if people would just use a trashcan....anyway) and they do a really good job of keeping things clean..seriously. Because everyone litters here. It's really annoying. (not that they didn't back home, I just have more time to notice it now)

This is from our backyard looking up. We are surrounded by mountains and most likely when you look up, you always see this beautiful, rich, blue sky. And some days, the cows.

The moon rising

Different night, I believe this is what they refer to as 'blood around the moon' In any case, it looked really incredible live. The picture doesn't do it justice!

For now that's all I have. Not terribly exciting, but it is beautiful here in it's own right. I feel lucky to live in this particular area. We are not plagued with crime (like a lot of other bairros) and I feel safe. We live in an area where everyone has lived here forever and all the neighbors know each other. As far as I can tell, the same people (on our street) have been here 20 plus years! And for a city that's only 45 years old, that's pretty good!

Oh Glorious Day!!!!

2009-08-18T15:12:00.001-03:00

Today is the day I have been waiting for since I have arrived here in Brasil!

This morning as I am laying in bed halfway in and out of slumber, a noise registers in my brain...a very large, loud, rumbling truck. (Which immediately puts my mind on high alert as it has been for several weeks now, awaiting the arrival) The next thing I hear is the doorbell. I promptly jumped out of bed, threw my jacket on, and ran out the door.

In all it's glory was a shipping truck, two men ~~smelling slightly of booze and cigarettes~~ that I was very excited to see, unloading my very heavy BOXES!

THEY ARE HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was so excited!!

I am trying very hard to wait until Sidnei gets home from work tonight to open the boxes together ~~never mind that I've already opened 3~~ .

I only have three more hours to wait.

I can't wait.

P.S. I have also been trying very hard to download pictures with this post. However, blogger and/or my Internet hates me. And refuses to download anything even after several ~~thousand~~ attempts.

P.P.S. But not that you care...because they are pictures of boxes. And you don't care about seeing boxes. But you might care about seeing how cute Gracie is in her bed that she was so excited to get back! She has been laying down in it alllll day!

P.P.S.S. One of the boxes that I couldn't wait to open had our Christmas ornaments in them...and them seem to have made it all in one piece! Amazing!! (Now I'm just waiting to find my dishes....)

P.P.P.S.S. I'm so excited!!

But I still hate my Internet connection.

Welcome to Ipatinga!

2009-08-13T15:51:00.000-03:00

In Brazil, we are located in the southeast...see red states

Minas Gerais

This is a blown up Map of Minas Gerais, where we are located again, in the red.

So to answer the question I get asked most often...we are not close to the ocean. Though there is a very nice lake that we like to go to that I will blog about soon...

Also we are not close to Sao Paulo, Rio de Janiero, or the Amazon. (Please see map above) We are probably a good 8-9 hours in either direction from Sao Paulo or Rio. And I have no clue about the Amazon.

For quite some time, I have been meaning to introduce to you where I live. First here are the wiki stats:
Ipatinga is a city and municipality located in eastern Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The city was founded in 1962 and covers a total area of 166.5 km² (or 64.29 sq.mi.). Its population is 240,338 (IBGE 2001). It is part of the Vale do Aço Metropolitan Area (population 430,700).

Ipatinga is located at the site where the Piracicaba River flows into the Doce River, 217 km. (or 135 miles) from the state capital of Belo Horizonte. It is served by highway and railroad connections (Minas-Vitória). There is also a medium sized airport, Usiminas Airport [1] in the area of the neighbor city Santana do Paraíso, that serves the Steel Valley and can receive small and medium sized planes, including jets like the Boeing 737 and the Fokker 100.

Elevation: 220 mts. (or 721 ft.)
Climate: Tropical sub-hot and sub-dry
Average annual temperature: 23º C (or 73.4ºF)

Here is a video put out by Ipatinga's Tourism Board. You can see Ipatinga from an Aerial perspective. (It is only slightly less interesting than those movies they made you watch in biology of microorganisms.)

I am in process of trying to upload pictures that I have taken from where I actually am, to give you a glimpse of the neighborhood. However, I don't know if it is blogger or my Internet connection that doesn't want to play. But I promise they will be up soon!

Best Friends

2009-07-17T06:00:00.000-03:00

Gracie has made a new best friend!!

This is our nephew, Israel. Which is pronounced here as Is-hi-el...or at least thats how I pronounce it. And Sidnei hasn't corrected me (which he does frequently, so I must be saying it correctly...)!

Israel fell in love with Gracie the minute he saw her! He was never afraid of her! And Gracie loves him too...except when he pulls on her hair. She in turn chews on his hand.

This picture below is my FAVORITE. How could you not love that?? Gracie keeps a watchful eye on the traffic outside, with Israel by her side!

This is Gracie and Israel playing. No doubt Israel pulled on Gracies hair and Gracie is attacking his hands. A favorite game of hers...

Me and Israel! My new buddy! My favorite is when he has just woken from his nap and wants to be held. He puts his little head on my shoulder, wraps his fingers in my hair and plays with it. He still calls me (and everyone else) Mae (portuguese for Mom)...we're working on titia (pronounced ch-chia, or aunt)!

The things married people do...

2009-07-06T06:00:00.001-03:00

We cook....err...Or at least proceed to tell each other how to cook.

Last week, I decided that I would cook "American" spaghetti for Sidnei's family. I guess I should really just call it, my spaghetti, I suppose spaghetti in itself is not that American. But here in Brazil...at least from what I've had, the spaghetti isn't quite done the same. It has a very tiny bit of sauce and is served as a side, rather than the main course, with rice, and some sort of meat.

So we took the recipe my Dad gave me and did a little more of a spicy spin off! We had to improvise a little because we don't have access to all the ingredients we had at home, but everything worked out perfect! We had a lot of fun ~~telling each other what to do~~ and made quite the mess! I think we spent more time washing dishes than actually cooking! The results turned out fantastic and I think we'll have to do it again soon!

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T11:37:00.001-03:00

My patriotism is something that has run strong within me since I was a child. I owe learning my patriotic songs by heart to my first grade teacher, Mrs. Copley. She was probably the most strict teacher I've ever had, but we learned a lot from her. And patriotism was one of them. Every morning we sang the national anthem, My Country 'Tis of Thee, This Land is Your Land,and a few others.

I have fond memories of going on base to the movie theater, and standing before every show with my hand over my heart, singing the national anthem. The same with going to the Richmond Brave games. Standing every day before the official school day started and saying the pledge of allegiance. I have always loved learning American History and more particularly about the individuals that made history for our country.

Fourth of July has always been such a fun day. Growing up, we had block parties, or we grilled out with the neighbors, went to the pool, and we would go to Meherrin to watch the fireworks at the old drive in theater, or the side of the road, wherever you could find a place! There were sparklers and late nights. Running around with the neighborhood friends relishing the fact that we were out late. Sticky, watermelon hands...and truthfully not much has changed. I grew up, but we did the same things on the fourth, though sometimes the scenery was different.

All of these great memories that instilled my patriotism, could have never prepared me for the immense pride I would have as an American living outside the United States. My heart is swollen with the love I have of a country that has given me so much and provided so many opportunities.

Today, I find myself a little homesick, wishing I was celebrating with my family and friends. Today, I find myself, hoping that one day, together, Sidnei and I will have the opportunity to return and live in the United States. Because no matter how well I adjust to living here in Brazil and no matter how much I love it here...I'll always long for a warm summer night on a wrap around porch, watching 24 hours of A Christmas Story wishing for a white Christmas, and 4th of July with the smell of the grill, sparklers, and sticky watermelon hands.

~~OH, and Krispy Kreme doughnuts.~~

They love me, they really love me...

2009-07-02T15:43:00.000-03:00

Monday, I woke up. It was not a happy Monday morning..and not the usual Monday blues. Nope. I was itching. ALL OVER. Seems during the night, I had gotten hot. So I took the covers off. Which resulted in the blood suckers (and I am not talking about the good kind) hunted my scent down and devoured me. My arms, my legs, my stomach, I am covered in mosquito bites. And I happen to be highly allergic to them so I itch like a mad woman. For weeks.

Through his laughter, my husband said I needed to wear repellent. To which my reply was that I do. Every day. I spray myself with it quite often. When I get up. After I shower. After I eat lunch. Before dinner. Before I go to bed. I am a little worried that it's too much and that I myself will start to be toxic...ANYWAY, after he was finished laughing ~~because I was miserable, itchy, and on the verge of tears~~ , he felt sorry for me.

Because this isn't even the worst of it:

So before my window looked like this:

And when Sidnei came home after work, this is what he did:

And now my window looks like this:

And now this is the picture of a happy girl:

Because now she doesnt worry mosquitos will eat her ~~or that she will eat a spider~~ and she can be cover free!

The Low Down

2009-06-24T06:00:00.002-03:00

I'm sure you are all wondering what in the world is exactly going on down here...so here is our situation:

First and foremost, we are in Brazil for an undetermined amount of time. We are working on Sidnei's papers to return to the US, but there is no expected time of when that might happen. All we do know is that Homeland Security or USCIS or whoever is in charge takes their time!

Right now, we living a little city called Ipatinga in the state of Minas Gerais (interior Brazil)! It is beautiful, nestled on the hills of the rolling green mountains here. I don't know why, but the sky seems SO blue here. Some days it is breath taking just how vivid the color is. I try to capture it with the camera, but it is just not the same! I promise to post pictures soon!

Here we are fortunate enough to stay at Sidnei's parent's house, while we get our feet on the ground. It doesn't necessarily sound ideal, but it really is. For myself, I am getting acquainted with my surroundings, trying to get a grasp on the language, and working on bringing out the domestic goddess in me. Living with Sidnei's parents gives me an opportunity to do those things, instead of sitting in an apartment by myself homesick. Life for me has definitely slowed it's pace, but I am enjoying it. There is a LOT going on and I am grateful to be able to have the time to let it sink in.

Sidnei is in the process of job hunting right now. He has applied in a LOT of different places, online and in person. We are hoping that something shakes loose for him soon. This past weekend he attended Escola de Formacao de Vigilantes--which is a Vigilante School. Before he left for the states he was a security guard. Here is Brazil this a good job. Mainly because they use security guards for EVERYTHING. They are in all the government buildings, all of the banks, the shopping mall, they are everywhere. Sidnei, though, is applying for a job with the armoured trucks division since he has a connection there. Of course this requires one more school...gun school B, so he has training on the "big guns" since I don't know the portuguese names!

The past couple of weeks we have spent getting everything set up! We bought our first bed and despite it being a little hard, we love it! We also bought a guarda roupa, or a wardrobe...no closets here! So this is where basically everything goes! Clothes, shoes, perfumes, etc! And of course we had to go buy all the things we didnt think of like sheets, bedspread, towels, hangers, etc etc etc! It was fun for me to go around the city and shop! Poor Sidnei was a trooper! The furniture here is so different and has a very modern look. So needless to say it took me many, many furniture stores (maybe most of the stores in the city) to find what I liked! But I am very pleased with what we bought! Pictures of the set up, soon to come!

When we receive our container shipment (60-90 days from the end of May) and Sidnei is set up in a job, we will be moving to an apartment!

The church here is so wonderful! We are set up in the Ipatinga Branch and the members have been so nice to us! It is really different to hear church, the hymns, everything in a different language, but it truly is by far one of the most comforting things about being here. Different language or not, the gospel and spirit are the same. Elder and Sister Call are our American Missionaries here and they have really been so helpful and have really given me some great advice on how different things work here!

That is really all I can think of for now! But any and all questions please send them our way! We would love to know what you are interested in knowing about Brazil, what is going on with us, or anything that you have in mind!

Embracing the Journey

2009-06-23T00:43:00.000-03:00

Oddly enough, I never really thought of myself as much of a planner. I don't think many of us do. I'm not talking about day to day, the minutia of it all. I'm talking about the road map, the direction our lives are supposed to take. I never really thought I had a "plan" until I realized that my life course was changed. Until all the "plans" I didn't know I had made, were gone.

It took me a while to realize this was one of those "life lessons" that everyone has to learn. You plan, life detours. It happens to everyone. Though not all detours are quite as drastic as ours, it happens. In the November 2008 Ensign , Joseph B. Wirthlin said, "...every life has peaks and shadows and times when it seems that the birds don’t sing and bells don’t ring. Yet in spite of discouragement and adversity, those who are happiest seem to have a way of learning from difficult times, becoming stronger, wiser, and happier as a result." (Nov. 2008 Ensign, Come What May, and Love It)

So it is with this, that I introduce to you our blog. Before I left for Brazil, I ran across this bracelet from Brighton Jewelry

Every day I wear this bracelet to remind me that its not about the things, the plans...it's about the journey, it's about happiness.

Know that I missing you all every step of the way. But that I am happy, we are happy. Where this adventure will take us, I'm not sure yet. But I hope that journaling our adventure will keep us close with loved ones and friends, that you can experience a bit of our joy through stories and pictures!

Welcome to Brazil!