#SRP2015 Day 1: GET. TO. PANAMA.

{{ DISCLAIMER }}

The next 8 entries will have been posted after-the-fact. Any details that appear out of place are absolutely due to the fact that I'm piecing this week together via what journaling I accomplished along the way, and the photographic evidence I have, hahah... ;)
#SonRisePanama2015

Finally, English: Black Font (Or gray). Spanish: Red Font.
ENJOY! 

{{ RENUNCIA }}

Los próximos 8 entradas se han publicado después de los hechos. Cualquier detalle que parecen fuera de lugar son absolutamente debido al heco de que estoy armando juntos semana a través de un diario lo que he logrado en el camino, y la evidencia fotográfica que tengo.. jajaj... ;) 
#SonRisePanama2015

Además, Inglés: Fuente negro (O gris). Español: Fuente rojo.
¡DISFRUTA DE!

let's go!
¡vamos!

So yeah!
We traded North America for South America today, but not without a fight. 

It was around 6am when I woke up and started moving this morning. My bags were packed and waiting by the front door, so I busied myself with last minute checking and re-checking. I figured I had everything [even though I would later realize that I left MY BIBLE on the side table next to the front door. MY. BIBLE. On a Mission Trip. That's me, to a T right there.] Good start, yeah? 

Anyway, Chris, Quinn and Tana arrived to pick me up, followed by us gathering Marissa & Chris, and then bee-lining it to the Dayton International Airport. Our bags were checked and in a short time we boarded our first flight of the 6 total we would tally of this journey. I was most immediately excited for Quinn; this was his first time on an airplane [let alone a total of 6], first trip out of the country, first missions trip [and with his dad, to boot!], and to top it off? He turned 11 on the Friday we spent in Panama. What a blessing! 

Así que sí!
Nos intercambio de América del Norte para América del Sur hoy, pero no sin una lucha.

Fue alrededor de las 6, cuando me desperté y empecé a mover esta mañana. Mis maletas estaban llenas y esperando por la puerta principal, así que me ocupé con la comprobación de última hora y repetirá la comprobación. Pensé que tenía todo lo que [a pesar de que más tarde darse cuenta de que me fui de mi Biblia en la mesita junto a la puerta principal. MI. BIBLIA. En una misión de viaje. Ese soy yo, a una T allí.] Buen comienzo, sí?

De todos modos, Chris Quinn y Tana llegaron a recogerme, seguido reuniéndonos Marissa & Chris, y entonces al Aeropuerto Internacional de Dayton. Nuestras maletas estaban controlados y en poco tiempo nos subieron a nuestro primer vuelo del total 6 nos recuento de este viaje. Yo estaba emocionado de manera más inmediata para Quinn; esta era su primera vez en un avión [por no hablar de un total de 6], primer viaje fuera del país, primer viaje misionero [y con su padre, para arrancar!], y por si fuera poco? Él cumplió 11 años el viernes que pasamos en Panamá. ¡Qué bendición!

Ah, y Marissa, Chris y Aaron me enseñaron cómo jugar Euchre. AMIGOS ... por fin sabemos cómo jugar este juego. Nunca pensé que volvería a suceder ... jaja.

goodbye for now, north america!
¡adíos por hora, norteamérica!

see you next weekend, dayton
nos vemos la próxima semana, dayton

euchre!
(euchre)

Our flight from Dayton to Newark was nothing exceptional, other than I don't remember it being anything too long. I broke out the brand new comp book I'd purchased for the trip and penned the first words into its pages. [The book is now 3/4 filled, but that's for the coming days..] 

We landed in Newark with the expectation of a brief lunch before boarding our 4:30 connection. 

Well..... 

4:30... turned into 6:30. 

And then 6:30... turned into 8:30. 

And then... the threat of an overnight delay. 

Nuestro vuelo de Dayton a Newark era nada excepcional, que no sea yo no recuerdo que era algo demasiado largo. Rompí el nuevo libro de un borrador de la marca que había comprado para el viaje y escribí las primeras palabras en sus páginas. [El libro es ahora 3/4 lleno, pero eso es para los próximos días ..]

Aterrizamos en Newark con la expectativa de un breve almuerzo antes de abordar nuestra conexión 16:30.

Bueno .....

16:30 ... se convirtió en 18:30.Y entonces...
18:30 convertido en 20:30...
Y entonces ... la amenaza de un retraso durante la noche.

after 7 hours in the newark airport
después de 7 horas en el aeropuerto de newark

BUT,

God is faithful, like always. We sent our prayers up that we would make it to Panama tonight, for the sake of not missing a full day in the mountains due to travelling. We boarded the plane from New Jersey to Panama and were in the air by 9:30pm.

SINO QUE,

Dios es fiel, como siempre. Enviamos nuestras oraciones hasta que íbamos a llegar a Panamá esta noche , en aras de no perder un día completo en las montañas debido a los viajes. Abordamos el avión de Nueva Jersey a Panamá y estábamos en el aire antes de las 21:30.

FINALLY.
FIN.

panama city!!!
¡panamá!

beautiful lights inside the ríande hotel | panama city, panama
hermosas luces dentro del hotel ríande | ciudad de panamá, panamá

this was all the writing i could do...
todo esto era la escritura que podía hacer...

It is technically Sunday when we finally arrive at the Riánde Hotel, where the minutes to sleep are to be few before a start tomorrow.

Es técnicamente  domingo  cuando por fin llegamos a la Riande Hotel, donde los minutos de sueño deben ser pocos antes una salida de mañana. 

summary of day 1: stuck in new jersey, but here now!
resumen del día 1: atascado en nueva jersy, pero aquí ahora

It doesn't matter: WE MADE IT.
Day 1: GET TO PANAMA.
Check.
God is GOOD.

No importa: LO HEMOS CONSEQUIDO.
Día 1: LLEGAR A PANAMÁ.
Hecho.
Dios es BUENO 

xo | cmd
♥ | cmd

The "Last Lunch" [For NOW, That Is...]

Just.. in.. case you've found yourself here, on my blog for the first time, I'll catch you up to speed in just a few words:

I'm leaving TOMORROW for a week-long missions trip. To Panama. 

It's only one week, yes, but this is far from a little venture. There is a lot ahead of us over the next seven days, and while I'm excited, I'm still human, and have struggled on and off for the past couple of weeks with the anticipation, inklings of worry and doubt that I've deliberately had to focus to dismiss. Not suppress, but completely dismiss. With what we'll be doing, there is no room for the human hesitations to cloud the beautiful work that is in store. 

Today was a fair wrap-up to a week that's been rightfully challenging. There is more truth than imaginable that when we intentionally set out to pursue a course of sharing Christ with the world, the opposing forces retaliate in full force to try and derail us. To demotivate and discourage. To cripple, tarnish and destroy our work, and to strip us of our resolve. It has never been more clearly evident of that happening than the past two weeks. 

That being said, I am here after a day of winding down and last-minute preparation for my team at work, and at home, too. During the day, Elisa, Carri and I finally made it over to Elisa's stomping grounds for our traditional Friday lunch - J. Alexander's! A veggie burger with some orzo & rice certainly isn't a bad "last lunch" before a week of Cliff Bars and free-range mountain fare. :) 

yummmm! 

^ Nom nom nom NOM. Elisa, I really don't know how you work there and don't weigh 500 pounds. Honestly. Haha. :) 

I met my parents and Sydni back on the homefront, where Mom [sidenote: if you know my mom, you know she comes bearing food like.... everywhere. I mean... yeah, everywhere] had dinner plans in the works. We went through the usual formalities of our visits: Pictures, catching up on the past several weeks in which we haven't seen each other, and sharing the most recent news from both sides. I so under-express how much I truly appreciate my parents, and how I hope to model them more and more as I continue to mature into my own life. Syd is headed to spend her Spring Break next week with them; I'm jealous of that time, but know they'll both have a blast! 

So her I am: On my couch in a silent house. Rob's taken off with the pups to see his family and friends for a couple days; my parents and Sydni left a few hours ago and I've circled out and back to finish the last two errands on the list. 

If you came here, and you're reading this sometime while I'm away in Panama, please take a quick moment to pray for my team. Please pray that we'll be kept safe in our travels throughout the week, that our stomachs will agree with the sudden change in diets ;) and that the creatures and critters of the mountains understand we're there as friends.. haha. All of those things would be great, but more and most importantly, please pray that our audience is not only open ears, but open minds and receptive hearts. Please pray that we are able to contribute in tangible ways to the furthering of their church community, already in the making well before any of us committed to this trip. 

Please pray for us. In all arenas of this next week: physically, emotionally and of course spiritually. I know that I can confidently speak on behalf of myself and my entire team when I say that the amount of support we've received is overwhelming. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU all for the love, donations and prayer you've sent our way over the past several weeks. 

Rob & Sydni, this week will fly by & I'll see you both soon. My energy is devoted to this trip, but you are both my home and I already look forward to coming home to you two. ♥

This girl... is out. 

See ya in a week, tech world :).

Love, Honor & BLESSINGS!

xo | cmd

Two-Day Thursday

I'm down to two days and counting for departure to Panama!

I headed into work today, rushed as usual after having a night out much later than necessary last night, which of course led to a sluggish start to the morning. I wasn't able to really catch Rob on the way out as we both hustled to get ourselves to our jobs by go-time. 

As I sat at my desk mid-morning, this sporty little thing came strolling up to the front row of my office: 

say what? 

The guy driving that car [RENTAL, let's be clear.. hahaha..] came right into my office, had some small talk with Elisa and then headed back to my little space. That guy is more than I've ever deserved; he came across town from his office, a clear 25+minute detour from our house, to see me before heading back home to pack his stuff and load up the dogs for a mini getaway to STL. He hit the road today, while I was still working, but made it a point to see me before he left. I won't see him again until next Saturday... *sigh. 

((p.s. - I get to marry that guy!! ♥♥))

see ya in a week, loves! 

With Rob & the furballs out for the evening, Sydni and I made our version of Thursday, complete with dinner, books, MLP dolls and snuggles. Seriously. This girl...

love her! 

It's been a crazy week so far. Nana & Pappy come in town tomorrow, and it's finally Friday... time for bed!

xo | cmd

Breathing.. In The City

ault park

I'll lead with that. I took a break today. It's only Wednesday. I gave in today to the pressure of a week that's barely started, and found myself in a steep downward spiral into an attitude and aggressively negative mindset. By the time noon rolled around, it seemed as though the stresses just three days into the week were succeeding at cracking me and turning me against myself. Today clashed with the type of energy I want to project; I forgot to count my blessings when I woke up today, and lost track of them in the shuffle.

Fortunately, we have several spots of reprieve nestled right here in the Queen City.. that even though we've got the asphalt and bricks that define us as a metro, we can still escape if we need. Ault Park, one of those gems, was my solace today. At Elisa's suggesting, I gathered what little composure I had left when my lunch hour came knocking, and made a bee-line for the hill. I partked myself for a good 45 minutes on a stone wall overlooking a split view: The far left a green plain, marked with a pasture and a treeline. The middle was a field of dirt, resurrected there by the lone Caterpillar parked off to the side. Another small strip of green right of that, and then a sharp incline straight up the retaining wall and onto the highwway. Nearly a full range of the city offerings, in one panoramic.

Fast-forward about an hour, after a light stroll around the place, sans shoes, but with 60 minutes worth of deep inhales and exhales, sunlight and birds, breeze and fellow passersby replacing the ringing phones and buzz of conversation. It was peaceful and still, yet still bustling with the energy of other people out to enjoy the weather.

I took that one on the way back to my car, barefoot [my favorite]. It struck me as funny that there is such a clear definition of the the construction and the au naturale [ok, yes, I get that mulch is not a naturally-occurring element... just... shshshoosh, mk?], and that in three days, I'll be making a very drastic switch between the two, when I head out with my team to Panama.

Despite the overwhelming nature of the day, the evening proved to be the exact opposite. I'd made a strong resolve at the park at lunch to approach the rest of the day with a renewed sense of positivity and grace, to ensure that I ruled the day, and not the other way around. It's all about where we set our minds, really.

Thankfully, I had Paul, Martin and Beth to help re-focus me, when we rallied together for our first session run as a team in the sand at good old Grand Sands. It was a reunion of sorts, but the perfect second-to-last stop of the day.

grand sands.. we're baaaaack! ;) 

Rob, as always, was there to show his support, and afterwards let me accompany him back down to Northside to rendezvous with Becky & Co. for a nightcap at Northside Tavern. Karaoke night + quesadillas from The Comet? I think so. I think... so ;)

It shaped up to be a beautiful day. With the refresher course of humility and patience [hard-learned, self-inflicted] this morning, followed by the turnaround from the second half, I'd have to say I leave this one behind with no complaints.

Oh, and three days.
We have three short days remaining to take-off for Panama. Please continue to pray for us! :)

xo | cmd

CLIF. BARS.

Guys, I wasn't kidding yesterday when I said I was going to buy Clif Bars in bulk today:

that happened.. 

FOUR DAYS.
I leave in FOUR DAYS.

panama! 

See you in a few days, Panama!

xo | cmd

Coffee, Pills & Trail Mix.....

How's THAT for a semi-intriguing, far-misleading click-bait title?!

But seriously.

Today started off with coffee and breakfast from Community Blend, because a) I'm obsessed with that place, and b) I wanted something outside of our parking lot options [aka, Kroger or McDonald's]. Win? Win.

ten thousand villages @ community blend!
cincinnati, oh 

^ One other thing that I love about CB is their partnership with Ten Thousand Villages, an organization advocating for fair trade artisans and their work. Their shelves are always politely adorned with the work of a artists from a specific country.

Which reminds me..... I'M GOING TO PANAMA IN FIVE DAYS.

That brings me to the pills part of this: Don't let that tricky tagline get ya... Yes, I've been on a pill regimen for the past like, 12 days or something like that... but they are malaria pills and I am taking them so that I don't get malaria.

Today I celebrated the taking of the LAST pill in that set, and swallowed it down along with the fervent hope that these suckers will do their job and keep the virus at bay.

malaria pills.. done and done!! 

Lastly, I stopped at REI for a reason completely unrelated to Clif Bars, but walked out with two of them anyway because they are the featured bar of the month now at REI. That probably means nothing to most of you, but given that they're typically in the range of $1.35-$1.50 each nowadays, finding them for $.98/ea is a no-brainer. Say hello to what I'll be coming back tomorrow to buy in bulk:

clif bars.. subaru... guys, i am so rei right now..
... hahaha :p 

And there ya have it; I'm going to Panama in 5 days, and am tying up all the loose ends as I can each day.

Please, please please continue to pray for this, for me and for my team.

That's a wrap, folks!

xo | cmd

Happy Birthday, Catie!!!

Happy birthday, CATIE!!!

love this girl.. happy birthday, catie!!! ♥

As it should happen, whilst cleaning yesterday, I found an ancient artifact dating back to the reason I met Catie, nearly a decade ago...

wow... just... wow.
#flashback #itsoverthankfully

^ Remember that? There was a day, believe it or not, when I worked for Kiss 107, and that's where I met Catie. Only those who worked in that place will ever be able to fully understand the.... chaos that was life with CC, but I'm thankful to have shared that experience with Catie... hahah :)

Here at home, it was a day of rest, relaxation and prayer that this sinus issues I've been having for the past four-ish days now will go AWAY, so I don't have to take it with me to Panama. [Any and all prayers are gratefully welcome!;) ]

Sydni, to make me feel better, arranged a "concert" in my honor, performed by the cast of her MLP girls:

my thoughtful girl... and her dolls 

She's so thoughtful.. ♥♥

Here's to a solid start to the work week for all of us, and to everyone out there staying healthy!!
Happy Sunday!

xo | cmd