Pictures...Finally

So, after weeks of trying to:
1. Have enough time to download the pictures onto my computer
2. Find a way to transfer them to another computer that is online to post
3. Finding a computer that is not surrounded by kids, sparks, and other random things that seem to come my way... I have finally gotten the ability to post some pictures.

Enjoy what you are about to see as I type this blog telling the story of each picture.

ONE: This picture is indeed my small bedroom. In fact it is so small I can almost touch the door from my bed (which they are on opposite sides of the room). In this picture you can see my wardrobe (yes, I have a wardrobe...that is so cool) and the corner of my bed.
That is the width of my room. You are pretty much seeing it all. I don't spend much time in my room generally. I like it though the size may be small, but there is rarely time for me to spend just chilling in my room. Although it is a great hideaway when needed. As you can see I brought a lot of comforts from home to make my room feel more like me.

TWO: This is a fuller picture of my bed with the small but very important window (closed) that looks out to the front of the house. The street I live on, Blunt Street, is very peaceful and I rather like looking out and watch people pass by.My room is on the second floor so I feel more sneaking spying on the pedestrians below. But as stated before there is not much time to just sit anymore and so my peeping neighbor days are well over.

THREE and FOUR: When I do find a moment to spare and if perchance there is some sun, I find myself either walking to one of two places. I either go to a public field that is relatively close by and frolic among the sheep paths (no pictures of that yet). Or I go to Bitts Park. Bitts park can be found on the other side of the city center of Carlisle. It is not huge, but a beautiful change to the life of the indoors. I either bring a book or my journal and read while the sun kisses my cheeks.
English gardens and parks are kept so nice. I constantly see someone working on them. It would be a job that I don't mind having, especially when it is cold outside. It is fun to watch people as they walk there dog, play with their child or just stroll along the carefully kept paths. This is one of my favorite places thus far in Carlisle.

FIVE: Most of my days are not spent looking out of my window, in my room, or at Bitt's park. I spend more time with three energy and precious children. They can be a challenge at times but I have really started to get to know them more and have bonded with them more than I thought. This is a picture of Devin. He is the oldest and thus far requires the most energy. He is an active child that like to keep me on my toes. He is a smart child that sometimes likes to challenge me with it. Other times he can be the sweetest angel. Pushing boundaries is his game. His loves of life are drawing sharks, making up worlds, and turning anything into a weapon. It is fun seeing him change and grow up even within the weeks I have been here.

SIX: Kylie is the middle child, though she likes to take over and I see more first born tendencies in her. Though Devin may tend to act up more, Kylie has won the whiner award of the century. She likes to complain and whine her way into every one's heart. She also knows everything and has fun telling me this frequently. Oh, I love this girl, she makes me laugh a lot with her imagination and her joy of life (when she is not whining). She loves to cuddle, go on fairy hunts, and do everything Devin does. Her favorite color is raspberry (not pink) and she loves to sing. Sleeping Beauty is her favorite princess and she loves to ask questions about everything she hears.

SEVEN: Maja (pronounced liked Mia or Maya) is the baby. She is not yet of the speaking age and so all day long we communicate through grunting. Before I came to work with them I was under the impression that she was older (talking, etc.). If there is one age group that I struggle with it is indeed where Maja is in life. It is hard when she does not use words and needs something. God knows what I need though, and to be honest, I have probably bonded with Maja the most. I spend the most time with her throughout my days. One of her favorite things to do is read with me...more she makes the sound "lie...lie...lie" as we read through Veggies Tales, Noah's Ark, and Good Night Moon. WE can sit on the blue comfy chair for hours making different sound effects with our mouths. One of her favorites is the hushing motion. We have a lot of fun together. I am starting to see her rebellious streaks come through, she is human after all. It is very interesting watch the development of a human being unfold. I read about it in my books and now I am seeing it with my eyes.

EIGHT: When I am not with the family, you could probably find me hanging out with this girl...Elouise. She has become my closet friend here. She is from South Africa and is full of spirit. I like this girl a lot. We make a good team, though we are rather different from each other. Here we are in Scotland shopping in Gretna Greene. It is a beautiful area. We have a lot of fun together and I feel very blessed to have her in my life.

SIDE NOTE:
I have been able to travel while in England. I have been to Scotland, the lake district and Germany. I am planning on still going to Lithuania, Switzerland, and possibly Holland. I am not sure yet. The next set of pictures I will be focusing on my trip to Germany I went through Scotland for this trip too. To be honest my hands are getting tired of typing a lot so I will be narrating less.

NINE and TEN: I actually had a rather eventful trip to Germany. It took me about 25 hours to get there from England. I only traveled 5 of those hours and waited up to 20 hours for my modes of transportation. I will have to tell that story in more detail later. Below is a picture from my train of the beautiful landscape of Scotland. It was a pretty...NO...gorgious day!

ELEVEN: In Germany I was visiting my great friend Hope Maglich from Oxford, Ohio. This semester she is student teaching at a military base in Germany. I took a well needed break to visit her. Below is her classroom (along with my crazy experimental shoots with my new camera). She teaches first grade. The best part of the trip was to be spending time with a fellow believer, who is a female, and knows me. It was great praying for each other every night and refocusing on Christ together. Being there was like getting a cup of fresh water. I was in great need of that...the Lord knows!

TWELVE: We did not do a lot of exploring when I visited her, which was exactly what I needed. I needed to rest and be re-filled. We did though venture out to the Birkenstock factory where we stopped at the Rhine River for a quick pick-me up. Come it...It is the Rhine River...how cool is that?

THIRTEEN and FOURTEEN: To end our time together, we walked through a German Park after we filled our tummies with amazing Chinese food. This restaurant was completely empty and we were given the best of service. Our host and waiter were very gracious and the food was gorgeous. Taking a walk through this park ended my Germany adventure very well as Hope and I "debriefed" about our times in Europe and shared with each other the beautiful testimonies of our God's goodness to us while living abroad. This is also the park we had a fantastic photo shoot at...below being just one of them... can I just say I love this girl? I love her. We laughed, cried, and encouraged one another so much in the short amount of time we were together. It was so wonderful!

I hope you enjoyed that rather long blog. The pictures do add a lot. I hope you leave this blog with a smile on your face and are filled with joy. Blessings all! Grace and Peace.