My Pizza, My Love (numero uno)

I just made pizza for my family in Chicago. My sister was able to help and give me some suggestions while I made my famous pizza crust. I've actually never watched anybody make pizza dough before and this was a good chance for me to analyze how I make mine. It actually turned out pretty well, probably the best so far. I've decided that this recipe has been tested and re-tested enough for me post my recipe on the world wide web.

Mix together in a small bowl:
1 Tb. cake yeast or 1 package dry yeast
1/4 warm water
1 tsp. sugar
(let sit while you work on other things)

Mix together in a medium bowl:
3/4 c. water (room temperature)
1 tsp. salt
2 tbs. vegetable oil

In a large bowl mix in 3 cups of flour with the two bowls of liquids. Use a wooden spoon to mix it all together. Once the mixture starts sticking, go ahead and put it all on a floured counter and start kneading it for about 5 or 8 minutes. Make sure you keep kneading the dough until it is nice and soft. Spread oil or butter on the inside of a large bowl. Roll the dough around and make sure it is coated with either the oil or butter. Seal the top of the bowl with cling wrap so that air won't dry out the dough. Let the dough raise for about an hour. I usually warm up some water in pan and place the bowl on top.

Once the dough has risen to about double its size, punch it down and cut it into two balls. Place the two balls back into the bowl and let them sit there for 5 minutes. Set your oven on 350 degrees F. Roll out your two pieces of dough into the shape that you want (on a floured surface) and place on lightly oiled pans. Place into the oven for about 10 min or until the dough is a bit crusty (but not browned!). After taking out the crusts from the oven, decorate with sauce, cheese, and other goodies. After all of the decorating, place pizzas back into the oven for about 20 minutes or until the crusts are slightly browned at the edges. Yum and enjoy! I'll be posting a few other ideas concerning sauces and toppings.

Another Santa

Papa Noel has many faces. Santa can be a greedy capitalist to some, but to others he can be just about anyone with a red suit. I'm trying to become as legal as I possibly can, so I'm going to go ahead and say that I got this comic from here. All other White Ninja comics in this blog come from here as well. There, everyone is happy now. :) Oh yea, if you can't see the comic very well, click on it to get a better view.

Some Names

Some of the names that I've been called within the past week:

• Butch
• Jachi
• Josué
• Josh
• Joshers
• Josuey
  
• Jud
• Lelo (grandpa)
  
• Judson
• Uncle Lio
• Uncle Tio

Some make sense (Uncle Tio, Josué, etc) while the others I've adopted over time.

Feliz Navidad, Jo Jo Jo

I hate watching television and listening to the radio during the holidays. Consumerism is lame, especially when people feel it is necessary to remove words from carols and replace them with: "Buy here and she will love you for ever!" Ha, whatever. I know the original words to that song and they talk of true love, not watches and diamonds. I don't want to sound like a Scrooge, but I really don't think that remembering Jesus' birth should be seasonal.

On a lighter note, I'm having a good time here in Chicago. David, Sara, and I decided that since we were never allowed to open gifts during Christmas Eve as kids, we were now old enough to decide for ourselves. We opened one gift each. :) Maybe when I have my own family we will celebrate in October.

Merry Christmas, and make sure you don't over-do the eggnog.

Going to Chicago/Mexico

I'm taking the train to Chicago to spend the holidays with my sister. This is going to be the fourth house for me to sleep in since break has started. First Soup House, second Grandparents, third Kalamazoo Greenmans, and fourth Chicago. When will I be able to unpack my bag and rest my weary head on a stable pillow? Lithuania in January. :) I won't lie, I am a bit nervous.

Some things that I am looking forward to in Chicago:

• Miriam!
  
• Clean kitchen and bathroom
• Good food
  
• Tasty coffee
• Diverse environment (as long as I can build up my courage to get of the apartment)
  
• Meeting up with friends
• Reading
• Teasing my sister
  

A Day or Two in Michigan

I thought that my time here in Sparta was going to be dull, but it has been quite the opposite. Traditionally this sleepy little town hasn't been too full of activities, and the truth is that it remains this way. My solution to this problem? Get out of town! I've been driving around lately, even getting to Lake Michigan to visit my friend Renee (who taught me English in high school). Yesterday I was able to get up to Sand Lake to visit both my Aunt Leta and Uncle Henry. It's always interesting to visit them since I really don't know what to talk about but always manage to keep them entertained. It should be fun to send them a few postcards from Lithuania, where their parents originally immigrated from. It kind of surprised me when they couldn't find Lithuania on a map. Soon I'll be tromping all over the country-side trying to find my long lost family. :) I doubt I'll find anybody.

The second picture me look like I'm wearing a little dress or something, right? Well, actually I wasn't. Ha! I was actually wearing my grandmother's apron so that I wouldn't get flour all over myself while I made pizza dough. :) I was disappointed with the dough though, it didn't raise! I'm not sure what went wrong. It could have been that the water I used to activate the yeast wasn't warm enough. No se. Instead of two pizzas I ended up making one large one. It turned out pretty yummy because I loaded it with cheese, corn, red peppers, and some ham. Yum.

I leave for Kalamazoo tomorrow. Please pray while I look for a place to park my car.

Visiting in Michigan

I got in to Michigan last night at around 6 pm. The trip up from Indiana was long, but overall quite restful. Our expected departure time was 10 a.m., but because of a huge amount of snow and ice we weren't able to leave until 11 or so. It was kind of funny and frustrating at the same time because I couldn't open either the front doors or trunk.

Because of an all-nighter which I had pulled off to complete my packing, I was exhausted all day Monday. My brain was still alert, but my eyes needed to be rested. Of the four hour drive, I must have slept two. I used to be able to sleep quite easily during car and plane rides, but now I find it quite difficult. It was good that I had kept my goose-down coat with me because it served as a wonderful pillow.

Rachael (a friend who needed a ride to Michigan) and I ate at a little restaurant called "The Blue Dolphin." By the time that we made it into the restaurant, it was 3 p.m. and we were the only customers. I ordered a french toast sandwich with ham which could be dunked in a bowl of maple syrup. It was actually pretty good.

My cousin Ben's family had just got in from Argentina on Saturday and it was fun to hang out with them. The last time that I had seen them was one year ago for New Year. It was fun to tease my cousins while they tried to make Christmas cookies. My quota was one, but I got away with three. :P After dinner we all trekked over to the dollar store where I found some great colognes that were only a few dollars (their original price was a lot more). I am currently thinking about taking a few to Lithuania with me and give them away as gifts.

Ben and his family left this morning for Kentucky to spend Christmas with their family. My to-do list while I'm here includes: eating lunch with Renee (my English teacher in high-school), maybe hanging out with Amy Laur (who is going with me to Lithuania), delivering gifts to my aunt and uncle on my mom's side of the family, figuring out where to leave my car for the following 9 months, changing my insurance (parked status), making sure that my banks know that I will be abroad, resting and relaxing. :) Amy lent me a few books which I am looking forward to reading. It's been a while since I've been able to just sit around and read for fun. I should be heading out to Kalamazoo this Friday and then to Chicago on the 24th. Chaucito.

Why am I still in Upland?!

I'm sorry if I haven't been updating very much lately. As you already know I just finished finals, which were actually quite difficult this semester. Thankfully, I didn't have to move out of the dorms right away since I have been living off campus this semester. I've given myself until Monday to pack everything up. I really hate packing, and this is a lot harder than usual. I've decided to get rid a lot of my "junk" to relieve myself of some of the clutter that has been accumulating over time. You know how that works though...it might be useful down the road someday. I want to get rid of stuff, but I'm not sure where to draw the line between "junk" and "usefulness." I have a bunch of notes that were given to me while I was in Argentina last year. They ask me how my day was going, why I was so quiet at the time, etc. Good memories...but they take up space! Nah, I'm keeping them, including the postcards. I've decided to get rid of all of my sticky notes and other bits of junk though.

Once I sort through all of my things, I'm supposed to decide what to take to Lithuania. I'll be gone for 9 months (I'll be back at the end of August) and in three different continents. The thing that I most worried about is the temperature change. The other students who are going with me to Lithuania only need to worry about cold weather, but I need to be prepared for all sorts of temperature changes. I think I've finally convinced myself that no matter where I am, I can always buy warmer weather clothing.

As you can see from the photos above, my friends and I spent a day in Indianapolis yesterday. We got to climb to the top of a huge monument that commemorates some solider guys. I'm surprised that I didn't pass out on the way up. I had my big wool coat on plus I was carrying my maté bag. We all made it though...thankfully. After that we sat on the steps in the front of the monument as I prepared some good matecito. I got yelled at by Amy for wanting to throw the yerba out on the grass (where it would be invisible to everyone). Instead I had to run down to the sidewalk to through the yerba in a real trash can. Good thing my friends look out for me, or else I would have ended up in jail. After the monument we headed out to a huge mall where the girls shopped their hearts out. Ben and I just chilled and walked around for a while looking at the stores.

We arrived home exhausted, but happy. This morning both Ben and Ruwe left and it's just Amy and I left. I really hate that feeling...one by one my friends leave. I need to look on the bright side of things, I'll be in Lithuania in 24 days.

Finished

Yep, I'm done w/ finals. My Reformation and Enlightenment final took me two whole hours to complete. Now to see what I got on it.

I'm going to start packing soon. Not yet though, I'm too tired to even think about that.

Thanks for your prayers.

Finals

Current status: studying.
Tomorrows status: studying.
Tuesday's status: studying.
Wednesday's status: studying.
Thursday's status: FINISHED (by 2 pm).

Things today and yesterday

1) Morning Dew. We had a good number show up this morning. Not sure if it will continue on next semester, I hope it does. My friend Amy noted that different TCKs (and non) showed up who do not usually attend MuKappa events. This is great because M. D. is not a MuKappa event.

2) Ivanhoes. Mr. and Mrs. Aguilar took me out to Ivanhoes to discuss a trip to Jujuy, where I grew up. This was my first time to Ivanhoes, a popular restaurant in the area. I can't say I was terribly impressed, but then again I got a pasta salad and not one of their famous sundaes.

3) Potosi. My paper is finished and turned in. You can read it here. I feel pretty good about it, even though my thesis statement could be a bit stronger.

4) Immigration to America. I had my last class today. We had some great discussion concerning illegal immigration. I made a few good comments (at least it made the teacher and others think a little) defending immigrants.
One person was stating how illegal immigrants take advantage of the U.S. American schools and don't contribute to society. I replied, "Are they taking advantage of us...or are we taking advantage of them?"
A different person was expressing that she thought that people should have to speak English to be able to vote. I replied, "We had better make sure that they are land owners too."
Smart? No. Did I feel like we had a good discussion today? Yes.

5) Guyana. Jeff, Fernando, and I are giving our presentation tomorrow. It needs to go for 50 min. since it is in place of a final. It's going to be fun, even though a lot of work. Click here to see a video that we are showing. Yes, I know it's cheesy.

6) Study. I'm starting to study for my finals, which are next week. I still have to watch a few videos (three hours worth) for History of England but I should have those completed tomorrow.

It's that snow time of the year

It's been snowing for the past four or five hours, and should keep snowing until later today. I really hate being called a "trend setter" but sometimes I notice that once I do something...people sometimes copy. In the past, the Soup House has been a "no shoe" house. You could always find a pile of shoes by the door. If you were good, you could tell who all was in the house by just looking at the pile. This shoe removal ensured that the carpet stayed nice and clean. This summer I started keeping my shoes on while in the house...and have since then noticed that only Anna Perkins and a few other visitors take their shoes off now.

Where I grew up, we never took our shoes off indoors when visiting people's houses. It's rude, and your feet would get really dirty and cold (no carpet). I will admit that I would get BLACK feet during the summers when I would run around barefoot in my house, but I have since outgrown that practice. I've always felt uncomfortable visiting people's houses and having to take my shoes off. I do realize that I might get their carpets dirty if I don't though. I do suffer from chronic flat feet, so after a while my feet start aching and it is extremely painful to walk.

So, two excuses as to why I don't take my shoes off in the Soup House: 1) I have flat feet. 2) I'm Latino! Others though have been blessed with good arches, and can afford to walk w/ out shoes on. Keeping those folks in mind, I printed this out a few minutes ago and plan on sticking it to the front door:


Time to start up old traditions...

Saying Good-Bye to China One

I've had to say a lot of good-byes in my lifetime and I'm sure that there will be quite a few more down the road. I've heard quite a few people tell me that saying goodbye and taking pictures of the places that you will miss actually helps with the process. My friends and I decided to head over to China One for one of my potentially last visits before my trip to Lithuania. That restaurant holds a lot of memories and deserved to be photographed.

While I was at China One, I ate some delicious noodles. Well, I thought that until I felt my lips swelling up and my throat started getting a little scratchy. Interesting sensation really. I went back to the buffet and realized to my horror that there were a LOT of shrimp mixed in. I'm extremely allergic to shrimp and almost died when I was in 5th grade. My cousin Ben called campus-safety to see where the closest ER was, just in case I have a fatal reaction. I guess I didn't eat enough shrimp because my lips didn't swell to enormous proportions and I only got a few hives. :) I had the hardest time digesting the food last night though, my stomach felt full until 2 a.m. or so.

I guess China One didn't want to see me leave either.

International Taylor

Check out the international scene at Taylor University:

Cool video eh? The reason why I say "um" so much is because I said everything off the top of my head. The video was made by my friend Ian for a class project.

Only one more week of classes!

Internship update!

Some good news: I've gotten my internship approved by the history department. What a relief! I can't say what exactly I will be working on until I get to Lithuania, but what I do know is that I will be helping at the Lithuania Minor Historical Institute with the director, Dr. SilvaPociute . I hear rumors that I will be helping them with a publication/book in English. I might even be listed as a collaborator! Another activity in which I might help out with is writing up international grant proposals. These are all steps (shuffles) towards knowing what I can or can't do, and finding out what I enjoy or don't enjoy doing with history.

Friday is only a day (or two) away.

I need to survive until Friday. I will have turned in three essays and completed two tests this week. I really hope I don't get sick due to my lack of sleep. Friday seems so close...and yet so far away due to the work that I need to complete before then. I really hate staying up late when I can't sleep in but I'm afraid that I'm going to have to push myself if I want to make it. Since I get out of my study abroad meeting at 11 pm, I'm sure the rest of the night will be spent touching up my 16 page paper on the Spanish influence on the Incan culture. Thankfully my friend Rebekka has agreed to stay up to help me. Please pray for a clear and diligent mind.

Back in Indiana

I made it in last night sometime around 1:30 am. To say the least, I'm feeling really tired and have a lot to do this week. I would appreciate it if you could keep me in your prayers these next two weeks. Things due this week: three essays, one test, five current events journals, etc. One of the essays is 15 pages long and worth about 15-20% of my grade.

For videos of my trip to Rhode Island click here.

For photos click here:

Thanksgiving in Rhode Island

If you have any questions concerning the photos just let me know. :)

Lazy Butt

This morning I was awakened by my friend Seth's dad yelling, "TIME TO GET UP YOU SLUGGARDS! TIME TO WORK! Well....not Josh because he is our guest."

:)

I'm here now, finishing up the last touches on my History of England essay and what effect the (affect? effect? Same thing to me!) Corn Laws of 1815 had on the economy, and how they were repealed (not terribly interesting to say the least). This is probably one of the worst essays that I have ever written, but Lithuania is too close for me to concentrate 100% percent.

From where I sit I watch all three sons picking up leaves, taking trash out, cutting wood, etc., in preparation of a party with their youth-group. They look like little ants, preparing for winter. Brr its cold out there: 28 degrees F. It's a nice change to not have to be working my tail off and be in charge to get anything done. I took full advantage (without being a jerk of course) of the Rambikur's willingness to take care of me.

I made four pizzas last night which turned out pretty descent. Some of the girls who were visiting enjoyed putting the toppings on and hearing about my baking experiences. It felt weird, they really thought I was the real deal as far as baking goes. To be honest I was embarrased when the pizza crusts got extremely inflated, which seems to happen quite often with my recipe. Maybe I should look for a new one...

I'm flying out of Boston tomorrow to Indianapolis where my friend Ruwe will be picking me up from the airport. We should be getting into Taylor at around 12:30 am, if all goes well. I have class Monday morning at 8 and I hope to turn my paper in then. I will be posting some photos and videos of my trip as soon as I get some free time, so make sure you check back within the next week.

Thanksgiving in Rhode Island

I hope you are all having a great thanksgiving day! I'm spending mine in Rhode Island and will be here until Sunday. I'll be posting some photos and videos of my trip here as soon as I get back to Indiana. Don't over-eat! Remember guys, gluttony is a sin.

Extra-credit

I had to write a short paragraph (which turned into three short paragraphs) about my trip to the Indianapolis Art Museum. Extra-credit was offered to those who saw the Roman art exhibit. You might think that an extra-credit paragraph should be boring. I think my prof will like mine (this was for History of England):

My trip to the Indianapolis Art Museum was quite interesting and enlightening. What struck me was the proximity of the art without those velvet ropes that so commonly separate me from history. I’m not going to confess to touching some of the pieces, but I’m sure that some people gave in to temptation. I saw one girl actually touch a map while showing her journeys through Greece and Italy. I was about to call security but didn’t, because I soon realized that it was a modern map, not one from the Roman times. It also helped that she was my friend, and I didn’t want her to get into trouble.

Most of the art pieces were of either famous men or women, and sometimes of commoners. They were constructed out of marble, which is why they stayed so well intact through the years. I thought it was intersecting how some people found different pieces of statues and connected them together. One of the first statues that I saw had a head that was not made at the same time as the body but was still connected as one. I also enjoyed the mosaics and marveled at the amount of time that it took to put them together. Even the number of different colors used is quite impressive.

I’m glad I made the long trek to the art museum. The time that I spent there helped me understand the amount of power and influence that the Romans had over the British Isles. Many of the statues were actually found in current day Britain in large Roman villas.

A busy weekend

Some happenings this weekend:

A trip to Paynes, a local coffee shop, to discuss the history of coffee. I had some frozen white chocolate custard with raspberries on top. Yum!



After a trip to the airport to drop off my friend Amy we then went to the Indianapolis Museum of Art where there was en expo of Roman art from the Louvre. As usual, I got got in trouble with one of the security guards. I acted like I didn't speak much English, I think it might of helped. I also walked up to a guard to ask him where the Latin American art was. Poor guy had fallen asleep on his feet and I woke him from his nap. He wasn't too happy about that. ;)

Drinking maté on the way back from the museum. I had forgotten to pack the sugar, but we were still able to enjoy it.

When we (Ben, Ruwe, and myself) got back from the museum we cooked up some Italian ñoquis and potatoes.

Spanglisher

I had one of those days today (make believe this was posted late on Thursday night...not early Friday morning) where everything comes out wrong. Today in the language lab I had the hardest time decided if the conjugated verb was supposed to have an o or a at the end of it. I can´t remember the exact word now...because its one of those days. Was there too much English in my mind today?

Too much of what? I was talking a little bit with my neighbor Amy tonight, and I quote: "Because.........it makes me mixed up with English." Too much Spanish?

See what I mean?

Tomorrow is a new day, maybe I'll be able to speak clearly in both languages again!

Towards the End

Things are starting to wind down.

I'm just about finished with all of my large projects (I have two or three left). It seems like yesterday that I was looking through my syllabuses and filling in all of the project's due dates in my planner. They seemed to be looming over me, always down the road. I expected to be crying from stress, sweating blood and losing weight. I did get a bit nervous about assignments a few times (and have actually lost a few pounds). Overall though, I've survived unscathed and without too much sleep deprivation.

I'm starting to say goodbye to my familiar surroundings and friends. I get a sinking feeling every time people start talking about an event...stop...because they realize that I won't be around to partake in all of their fun and pleasures. This isn't exactly dampening my expectations of Lithuania in any way but it still makes me feel a little bad knowing that I will be missing something that everyone else will be enjoying. It's going to be weird not being in on all of the inside jokes which so frequently surround me.

Another step in life. I'm an old hand at moving and don't always enjoy it. I've sometimes used moving as a way of escaping from something. I get a new beginning. Who will I be in Lithuania? Serious? Nerdy? Foolish U.S. American? Hairy Argentine? Someone who asks too many rhetorical questions? Labas? Viso Gero? No ones knows except you know who... I'm not running from anything now.

It has to happen though. I need to get out of America and see the world. I need to taste new foods, hear cartoons in new languages, and see where my grandparents grew up and had their first kiss. I filled out my visa application yesterday. I had to apply for a student visa to Bolivia once, but that wasn't in a language that I didn't understand.

Things are going to be ok though. I want to know how to balance my friendships. I want to know how to live fully in Lithuania and yet not return to a bunch of people that I used to know 8 months before. I also don't want to leave Lithuania not having truly met anyone after being there a whole semester. My plea to God is that He show me these things, give me peace of heart about leaving loved ones behind, and reassure me about these new steps in life.

Give me this opportunity and I will try with all my might to make the most of it. Watch me.

*I write this as I listen to music from home, sit in my living room in Upland, and dream of being in Europe. Things are starting to pick up...*

Maybe You're Right

One of my favorite Cat Stevens songs...

Now maybe you're right and maybe you're wrong

But I ain't gonna argue with you no more
I've done it for too long.
It was getting so good why then, where did it go?
I can't think about it no more tell me if you know.
You were loving me, I was loving you
But now there aint nothing but regretting
nothing, nothing but regretting everything we do.

I put up with your lies like you put up with mine,
But God knows we should have stopped somewhere,
we could have taken the time,
But time has turned, yes, some call it the end.
So tell me, tell me did you really love me like a friend?
You know you don't have to pretend,
It's all over now It'll never happen again, no no no,
it'll never happen again , it won't happen again
Never, never, never, it'll never happen again
No, no, no, no.....

So maybe you're right, and maybe you're wrong
But I ain't gonna argue with you no more
I've done it for too long.
It was getting so good why then, where did it go?
I can't think about it no more tell me if you know.
You were loving me, I was loving you
But now there aint nothing but regretting
nothing, nothing but regretting everything we do.

The face changes

Over the years... A little experimentation never hurt anyone.

A few of the things that I'm working on...in living color

A few of the challenges that God has placed in front of me:

1) 12-15 pages about how the Spanish Empire has influenced the Incan culture, focusing on religious and socio-political aspects, and mining techniques. I'm currently working with 4 primary sources and 6 secondary sources. I'm trying to focus on the city of Potosí.




2) 10-12 page essay about the Corn Laws (1815-1846) and their effect on English society.


3) An inter-cultural journal where I talk and examine my experience with a person from a different culture (a tck from Africa who was born in Kenya, was raised in Tanzania, and who finished high school in Uganda). I need another entry, plus I need to analyze the way that we've communicated with one another.


4) History and religion of Guyana. I'm doing this as a group with my roommate Jeffery and Ecuadorian friend Francisco. It should total 15 pages or so. We will brainstorming about our presentation which is right before finals.


5) World Politics- test on Friday, paper due the 21 (or so), several current events paragraphs.


6) Trying to figure out what classes to take in Lithuania (I'm currently able to take two).


And there you have it, my life in living color. The list could go on, but I need to get to sleep so that I can start doing research on the Mitas of Potosí. Pray for me!

I'm 'N MK ok?

"Gorillaman85" makes some good points, even though my story has some differences... For one, I didn't have a group of friends to accept me every time I came back. Second, I grew up in a more devolved country with people that looked similar to me (even though I was always the white boy that need a little more of a tan). I still remember feeling angry though that I had been brought up in Argentina because I felt like I had received the short end of the deal. I have experienced so many life shaping things that I wouldn't change for anything.

To be honest, I miss home quite often. I can spend hours on Google Earth and listen to radio stations, catching up on weather reports and Argentine music (yes, even pop). I'm looking forward to going home in June...

Gifts for Lithuania

The right thing to do while visiting another culture is to bring little gifts from one's "home" culture. As I am a poor college student, I can't afford any fancy gifts for my European roommates, hosts, friends, etc. I would love to be able to give people dvds, cds, cakes, Coca Cola, etc and other products from the United States. I need something unique, something useful, and something that would allow them to remember me for months to come. I'm still brainstorming...

This is a little 2 0.z. bottle of Dr. Bronner's magic tea tree soap. I am a fan of Dr. Bronners and their products. They strive to take care of the environment and promote hemp use in everyday products. They have 6 flavors to chose from, which include, almond, baby-mild, eucalyptus, lavender, peppermint, and tea-tree. Each bottle costs $2.50, with free shipping with orders over $20.

What do you think? What should I take to Europe?

New Favicon, New Name

That is supposed to be me about two years ago. It is a little cartoon drawn by my cousin Beth. I've decided to use as my own Favicon (short of Favorite Icon). You can see it up on the top of your browser where you type in the url address.

Another change is the name of my blog. Random Thoughts is too vague, too random, and too thoughtful. For now I just have my domain name as the title of my blog. I will probably change it as soon as I come up with a better title. If you have any ideas, let me know (nothing too cheesy please!).

Please pray for me as I need to get some serious studying done this week and haven't been able to concentrate that well this week. Its something that I've always struggled with, and it doesn't help when I have pages and pages to read and write. My goal is to get an A in Reformation and at least a B+ in England. I'll let you know if I accomplished those goals when I get my report card.

Geography Lesson- The Giant's Bellybutton

I've fallen in love with Google Earth. Sometimes when I am feeling homesick I can get on Google Earth and retrace steps. Their 3-D views are amazing, as can be seen with the above picture. What are you looking at? When my sister and I were little we would always look for the giant's bellybutton on the road between Tilcara and Huacalera (where my family has a cabin). The bellybutton is a huge hole in the side of the mountain, most likely created by water flowing though there. I've only been up there once, when I was a lot younger. It's cool because you can walk into the hole and actually get under the ledge quite a bit. These hills are great for exploring since there aren't too many people around. I'll be posting more photos from Google Earth as time goes on.