Sweatin' it out...for now

Lost

2010-02-09T14:41:00.000-08:00

I'm not content, but trying hard to be. God is gracious, and that is enough, definitely more than I deserve.

Spuring one another on...

2008-11-05T09:20:00.000-08:00

Since I can't say it any better, may I present Kevin Jack Smith's thoughts on the matter: Having voted mightily against this gentleman, now it is my duty to obey and honor him. He is God sent, to accomplish God's purpose. God raised up the Assyrians and Babylonians for His own will, and Barak Obama can do no less. "Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor." -God PS- The guy Peter said to honor wrapped some Christians in animal skins and threw them to dogs, and lit others on fire while crucified. So I think we should be able to manage a little honor for Barak Obama.

2008-09-08T05:56:00.000-07:00

This is an exerpt from a newsletter I just received from a favorite musical artist of mine. It reminds me of the writing of a famous author I know...SD Smith perhaps? Anyway, enjoy! "I just bit into the first real apple of the season -- no real apple is harvested before September -- and I'm now ready for Fall. Who says Autumn when you can say Fall? Fall is clearly the only choice. Now, I'm the first to admit that Autumn is a pretty word, cool and crisp, even has something of a color to it, like a mixture of auburn and tan. But it's also pretentious -- that 'mn' at the end is downright snooty. Not to mention, any word beginning with THAT sound, the 'aw' sound, is an elitist's dream (see 'haughty'). "Harold darling, what is your favorite season to drink tea?" "By the crown, I believe it's AUGHtumn." Plus, the word doesn't flow. Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall drifts along, a boat upon the waves. Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn? Clunk. Shipwreck. Death and dismemberment. Anyway, back to apples. Am I the only applist out there who believes the Red Delicious to be a gross misnomer? How about Red Tasteless? Or Waxy Waste of Jaw Musculature? I'm still stuck on the noble Macintosh, and it's not because I'm under some subliminal influence of all things Steve Jobs. (Although, turn this around and see what you get -- would the company really have christened all its PCs after a mediocre species of apple?) The pop, the initial tartness, the subsequent, balancing sweetness, the way the red and the green bleed together, like an oil painting left out in the rain. Truly my desert island food. I'm a fan of science at least half the time, and I am happy to add my name to the Let's Keep Crossbreeding Apples Declaration. Many have tried the cheerfully-named, sounds-like-a-breakfast-cereal Honeycrisp, and most have been pleased with the results. But have you ever had a Haralson, the most brilliant pie-apple ever engineered? Sometimes, the lab IS better. Granny Smith are good, although it's hard not to feel old eating one, both because of the name and for the way you have to screw up your face to cope with the sour. Golden Delicious are a decent choice; a bit bland, but still good enough to earn the dubious "better than a candy bar" rating. (Kind of like describing a movie as a 'renter.') It breaks my heart to see this heavenly fruit adulterated by such dastardly entities as Mott's and Veryfine. More like Veryfake. What part of apple do you not understand? I mean, let's all agree the biggest fruit & vegetable martyrs are potatoes captured by McDonald's, but apples destined for Mott's run a close second. (Recall your favorite Robert Frost poem here.)" I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. It makes me feel like it's fall time down here in the land of eternal heat and summer. Wow, two posts in one day. I'm on a role.

2008-09-08T05:05:00.000-07:00

I thought this was very interesting. Too bad my eyesight is so bad I can't wear rimless glasses. Hey everybody!!

Great Blog

2008-07-19T06:44:00.000-07:00

This is a quilt givaway that my friend Gina put on her blog. There are so many entrants that I doubt there's a good chance of winning now, but who knows. the Blog is really cool so you should check it out anyway. And here's to my reentrance into the bloging world. Sometimes it takes greed to get you back into the swing of things =)

So I'm a bad blogger.

2007-03-29T18:48:00.000-07:00

Ok, ok, I know that I've REALLY let the ball drop with this blog. I don't think that my life is very interesting right now but at least I could have told everyone that. I'm just working at a local bookstore, trying to pay off my school debt (still) and learning to be content wherever God has me. I'd love to do something more exciting but this is it right now. I am loving being with my family and my little brother Jack is even living back here for a few months while he getts his career going. Free Starbucks baby! That's about it, I still think that if anyone needs good blog reading material you should link to the Adagio County Independant. That's all for now.

Home in West Virginia

2006-10-27T18:25:00.000-07:00

This is me finally walking through the gate at Yeager Airport in Charleston, WV...

and these are the beautiful WV fall colors that I was afraid I'd missed.

I just wanted to say HI, and let everyone know that I did make it home, safe and sound, even though a day late. I'll post some pictures of Bridge Day when I get a chance and also try to keep everyone posted on my job situation. I've got several good leads and God has provided me with a part-time job while I'm looking, so I'm just trusting Him to do what He feels is best.

2006-10-14T15:22:00.000-07:00

This article is very interesting. I can't wait to see how things turn out.

In Your Dreams

2006-10-06T12:59:00.000-07:00

Hat Tip (this assuming that I even wear a hat, whichI almost never do, and also assuming that it is culturally relavent to tip one's hat in acknowledgement, which it generally isn't): The ACI

Happy Birthday Diana!

2006-09-30T15:37:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Diana's Birthday today with tea, pastries, and strawberries for breakfast along with our regular eggs, toast, and kipper for Saturday morning tea. Her actual birthday was on Wednesday, but because she (and we) had school that day we only did some small things that day. Don't you wish you were here this morning?

As you can see, only some of us are awake yet =)

2006-09-16T07:33:00.000-07:00

I found this very interesting. Can you find Jesus' face in the foam? The poster makes reference to the worldwide trend for finding holy images in everyday objects from the face of Jesus in a frying pan, to Christ on a fish finger, the Virgin Mary on a toasted cheese sandwich and even Mother Teresa in a cinnamon bun.

Visitors from north of the border

2006-09-06T16:52:00.000-07:00

We just had a wonderful interlude to our normal lives here in Mexico. My sister and her husband, with their baby of course, came down for a visit. As a surprise treat for the kids, they brought some of the Harer children's best friends with them as well on the trip. All were here for about 10 days and it was AMAZING!!! We had so much fun and saw so much that we hadn't already seen, plus things that we had already experienced and loved we were able to share with them. Here are some pictures that just scratch the surface of the things we did, saw, and ate. I miss everyone now more than I did before, but it was well worth the visit. I will hopefully post some more pictures of scenery etc. now that I have them (picture taking seemed to be the thing to do while everyone was here so now I have lots to share).

The boys are on top of the world! Ok, ok, so they're only on top of a mountain. But it's pretty high up still. We girls decided to not slow them down since time was limited and they wanted to reach the top. Gabe, you would have loved it. They hiked, climbed, and ran the equivalent of the New River Gorge, plus some, in about 45 minutes.

In these next three pictures, the Harer children are on the right, American friends on the left.

Lauren and Christina

Morgan and Maria

Noah and Daniel

All of us eating at "La Gringa", our favorite Mexican resturant (more pictures of it to follow in future posts, I hope)

My nephew Elijah, whom I miss very much! He was the happiest and most content baby you could ask for on an international trip. He was such a trooper!

This is my sister Jessi, her husband Josiah, and baby Elijah. Mmm, fingers tast sooooo good, especially germ-covered ones ;-)

Jessi and I (with baby, of course) hanging out at the garden

The latest Harer family photo

The girls at the park. There were some nasty looking ducks just out of camera shot (thankfully)

The boys...

...and the rest of us enjoy the WV v. Marshall game on Saturday.

2006-08-15T06:01:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here at the computer this morning and randomly I keep hearing cannon fire and fire works in the background over the hills. I guess today is a very special religious holiday because this is what happens every time. It's just weird because every time it happens I automatically think 4th of July. Anyway, that's all for now.

I know, I know, it's been a long time...

2006-08-09T18:16:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm not the most consistant blogger. but I warned everyone about this when I first started this thing, so don't get too upset. I've been hanging out with some friends because it was their last week here and then I've also been a bit under the weather, but an antibiotic should take care of that. I want to write more about my friends being here, but that will have to wait. (I have some e-mailing to catch up on). But until then, this picture should give you a pretty good view of our Friday evenings. Just me and the fam, sitting around waiting for the home-made pizzas to get done so we can start on another "Andy Griffith Show" (The Harers have 4 seasons of it, for now. I think they have ordered more). Fridays are our end of the week have fun and relax time. We even get to have ice cream, every Friday night (he he he).

Yeay President Bush!!!!

2006-07-20T06:03:00.000-07:00

I am proud of my president for using his veto power for the first time in his six-year term to protect human life. Here is a link, if anyone cares to check it out, further pointing out that there are other, more effective ways to find cures for diseases and cancers than killing inocent human life. http://www.stemcellresearch.org/facts/treatments.htm (Hat tip: Jimmi Glidden via ACI.)

for your informataion

2006-07-12T15:36:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, JUST A REMINDER....12 days from today, all cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sale calls. .YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS.... To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone: 888-382-1222. It is the National DO NOT CALL list. It will only take a minute of your time. You can also go to www.donotcall.gov It will block your number for five (5) years. Do with this information what you will =) Oh, and go to www.kneelingwetriumph.com and navigate to the journal to see our new puppy!

Popo Volcano

2006-07-05T13:56:00.000-07:00

So I've had a request to post some pics of the local volcano, Popo. There she blows! If you look closely, you can see the snow on top. This is a typical sunrise view after a rainy night. < We can generally only see the volcano in the morning, before the smog and haze set in, and then only if it rained the night before. Our guess is that the rain settles the smog and smoke (slash and burn is still the policy here) enough for us to see that far. It really is spectacular in person. I hope everyone had a great 4th!

Profile Picture

2006-06-28T15:02:00.000-07:00

I figured it out! Yipeeee!!!!!!!!!

Psalms and Songs

2006-06-28T14:41:00.000-07:00

So to start out with, I am terribly frustrated right now because I have twice spent more that 30 minutes trying to post a picture, any picture, on my profile page, but have been unable to do so because every single picture that I can get my hands on "exceeds the 68 character maximum limit" that has arbitrarily been placed upon it by blogger.com! Now that this is off my chest, on to more important things. I have been reading in Psalms for the last two months or so and have just recently come across some verses that really struck me. The first is Psalm 84:5 and it says:Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage." (NIV) Now I know some of you are not so happy with NIV, but after reading several translations of this verse, I think this one states it most clearly. Some others simply say "whose heart is the highway" and others add to this "to Zion", with a footnote that says these words are not in the original Hebrew. None the less, I really like the thought that my heart should be set on pilgrimage, on the fact that I am just temporarily going through this earth. I really love to travel and I like the thought of being a traveling pilgrim. In fact, if any of you know of a job in which I can do this regularly, please let me know. I have noticed that when I stay in one place for too long, I let my thoughts get bogged down with what is going on right here around me in my life and don't focus nearly enough on the big picture, the picture of Pilgrimage. And I want my strength to be in God! OK, on to the next Psalm: 33. This one helps me to remember that God has put the dream of being a literal pilgrim, a traveler, in my heart, and I can trust Him to fulfill his purpose for me, whatever it is. Verse 20 Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. 21 For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. 22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you. (ESV) This one was pretty much the same in both versions, so I chose the one that is usually more reliable. I love that thought of hope in the last line. I can trust God, and hope for the desires He has put in my heart, trusting that He will either fulfill them in His time, give me the strenght to live without them, or replace them with new desires. I can't wait to see what He has for me next! Now, on to other things. While I have been trying to untangle this picture mess and also catching up on some e-mailing, I have had the time to listen to two of my favorite musical artists today, via the web. I have conveniently placed links to both of thier sites for you, faithful readers, on the LEFT of this post. Over the Rhine is having some phenominal sales right now, for example, 3 CDs for $25. Wow! And I discovered that Jake Armerding has a myspace music page where you can hear 3 of his best old songs, as well as a new cover, full length and free. I don't have a myspace page and was able to access it, so I guess anyone can. You can link to it from the News section of his website. I heartily recomend listening to "Little Boy Blue" if you only have time for one selection. I love you all! Lates

Politics Politics

2006-06-24T09:01:00.000-07:00

Check out the Adagio Co. Independent today for a very insightful note on the hypocritical political climate in our country right now. There is a link to the right, I mean left, if you care to use it. Mexico Mentionable: Mexicans with weak stomachs or who get sick easily are said to have "American Stomachs".

World Class, I mean Cup, hair

2006-06-23T18:33:00.000-07:00

I have been voraciously watching the World Cup matches over the last few weeks. Yes, I said voraciously. I think it's good to dust off a few long words now and then. I found some very interesting things at espn.com, the following being a prime example. A link to the full page is here, if you care to check it out further. Diego Maradona, ArgentinaStyle: Thick 'n' curly. Sorta like armpit hair. Status: Actively expanding, same as Maradona's waistline. Inspired by: "CHiPs"-era Erik Estrada. Fellow World Cup travelers: Too many to count. But Team Argentina is a good place to start. Resembles: A department store wig; a semidry Jheri curl. Fashion statement: Ha -- let's see Pele grow a pelt like this! Practical value: Pushy autograph seekers are easy to avoid. Just put on a muumuu and pretend to be a middle-aged woman. For best results: Combine with cocaine and food addictions. That way, you have an excuse for not finding a better stylist. Possible complications: If not properly conditioned every 48 hours, hair might spontaneously combust.

Jodi's Chicken Rice and Bean Chowder deluxe

2006-06-16T11:16:00.000-07:00

Well, that's the name Daniel gave it anyway. Last night we had chicken and Daniel asked his mother if we could have chicken noodle soup with the leftovers. PB&J sandwiches were on the menu, but Diana said that if I wanted to try something, go right ahead. Well, I haven't made soup for a very long time, and really have never cooked without a recipe, but since Daniel wanted it so badly and we did have a backup plan if all failed, I decided to accept the adventure. So, around 11:15, out came the leftovers. We didn't have noodles so I decided to use the salsa rice from last night that we had with the chicken. There was a lot of it and I knew we would never eat it this weekend. Also, my mom had put rice in soup before, so why not try it. Then, I put in the last of the refried beans, about half a cup, and the last two pieces of chicken from last night, de-boned of course. Well, I added some water and some garlic and onion, a few spices and let it heat up and simmer. Meanwhile, I got out the few corn tortillas left from last night and fried them on the griddle to make chips. I found out that this is not the best way to fry them in that it does not achieve maximum crunchiness, but they were still good. I'll have to do some more experimenting with that one. Maybe more oil and less surface area will do the trick. Well, around noon the soup was ready and everyone came over to have a look. Hmmm. Looks a little bit scary, kind of like chickeny water and soggy rice. But, Daniel and I decide to give it a try anyway while the girls start on the PB&J. We just added a little cheese, a little sour cream, and some fried tortilla bits on top, and you have Jodi's Chicken, Rice and Bean Chowder Deluxe. I must say that despite the looks and humble beginnings, it was very good. Daniel even declared that it was one of the best soup lunches he had ever had and had a second bowl! Of course, he is a growing teenage boy and probably would eat his shoe if he has hungry enough, but my was it tasty. So, that's my adventure for the day. Mexico Mentionable: The grass smells different here when it is cut. It is less sweet, more strong and bitter. It looks the same though except that it is greener.

Flog

2006-06-15T05:42:00.000-07:00

So, I played flog the other day with some friends. I know, it sounds violent, but it is actually something that most of you in my readership have enjoyed playing in the past, at least on a small scale. Read the word again: flog. Now read it backward: flog. Now you know what I played, only the put-put version. I can't quite get it strait if this is what put-put is called everywhere, or just at this particular place. Anyway though, it was fun.

Info about Nalgene

2006-06-12T07:12:00.000-07:00

Hey, I know this has nothing to do with Mexico, but Daniel was curious about the origins of my Nalgene bottle and so we did a bit of research on the net and found THIS!!!!! It's really scary. I'm not sure if it's true or not, but let me know what you think. Mexico Mentionable: It rained here four days last week, wich is highly uncharacteristic. We have heard that there are usually only about six rainy days a year here. (During rainy season it mostly rains at night)

Mexico Mentionables

2006-06-03T10:20:00.000-07:00

Due to overwhelming requests for "fun facts" about Mexico (ok, so it was just one person. But he happens to be the world renown and critically acclaimed editor of the AGI, not to mention one of my mentors in blogosphere.), I have decided to include, as often as seems necessary, a "Mexico Mentionable" in my posts. So to start of with: Mexico Mentionable: I will never be lonely while doing the laundry in Mexico. There are tiny whitish green, sometimes grey, "laundry spiders" who keep me company. There are usually about one per clothes pin, but sometimes I will be lucky and pick up an empty one. They are very small, not bigger than a centimeter or smaller, and they are very shy. The make every attempt to get back to their clothspin of origin, even if they are still hanging from my arm. They seem to be worse on cloudy days. That is the extent of my knowledge of these spiders. So, how was my first "fun fact"? Maybe you can tell by the domestic nature of my mentionable that I have not been out much this week. Ken and Diana started language school on Monday and so the kidos and I were on our own. We got all of their school done, minus a science experiment, and a good time was had by all. I saw my nephew on the web cam last night and miss him terribly. I like new inventions such as the above mentioned web cam, however they tend to make me homesick. He is growing wonderfully and has the best expressions, especially when he is working on cleaning out his system. I wish I could hold him and kiss his soft little head. So, that's all for now. Perhaps we'll go out this afternoon and I'll have something else to say. Later

Free Grill

2006-05-30T14:35:00.000-07:00

Ok, I just found something great on my brother-in-law's blog. It's a free grill! But not just any grill, you have to see this one to believe it. I'm still not sure how to link things, so just go to his blog (look to the left of the screen and click on "Josiah") and look on the May 30th post. Happy Grilling!

Out on the town

2006-05-29T14:14:00.000-07:00

So, last night I got to go out and see the sights with some of the girls who go to our church. Two of them are language students at the school Ken and Diana go to and the other girl's parents are also in that school. We went to the tourist market and I got a REALLY great necklace. I will post a picture as soon as I figure out how. I also got a carpet bag purse. Again, supper nice. Then we walked around the center of the city, people watching and talking. We almost got lost in a crowd that we soon found out was a political rally concerning the upcoming Mexican presidential elections. Whew! Made it out of that alive. Then, we visited the huge, old Catholic Cathedral. I do believe it is the oldest building I've ever been in. The murals on the wall were so old that they almost looked like stick figures but in really intricate settings. We couldn't get an answer why, but over the main Cathedral doors, right under the main bell tower there is a five to six foot tall skull and cross-bones, like you would see on a pirate ship or poison bottle or something, carved into the wall. Our guess is that since Catholicism has been mixed almost inextricably with native religions and superstitions in this area, and so it is a native influence. Perhaps this is the reason, perhaps not. Next, we went to a beautiful outdoor garden with fountains and arch ways and an archeological sight you can tour. Our final destination was very modern coffee house on the second story of a really cool looking old theatre. Apparently they have plays there and have local film festivals and such there. I will go back hopefully to catch some of this. Well, that was my first official night out on the town. It was much more fun than it sounds in paper and pictures would add a lot. Hopefully soon I can remedy that problem. Hopefully, I'll go back out tonight with the same girls +1 and we'll see what other things there are to see.

Day Two

2006-05-27T13:26:00.000-07:00

Well, it's day two of my new blog and I seem to have already generated some interest. That's fun. I'll do what I can to make things interesting, but right now I'm spending most of my time at home with the kids while Ken and Diana are doing things that need to be done out and about. I learned alot about horses this morning, reading with Maria and that was very interesting. We're also going out to eat tonight at Don Pollos (pronounced "poyos" and means chicken). We've had food from there before and know it won't make us sick but this will be the first time to "dine in". Should be yummy and fun!

2006-05-26T14:23:00.000-07:00

Nevermind. I figured it out, I think.

How do I link things

2006-05-26T13:11:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'm very new at this and would like to know PLEASE how to have links to other web/blog sites listed on the side of my page. I would think this would be fairly easy to find and do as most everyone I know with a blog has this feature, yet I can't figure it out. I'm still not sure that I want to give in to the main stream and go through with this whole blog thing...but just in case, I'd like to know. I mean, I am south of the border and all =)

2006-05-26T10:09:00.000-07:00

Hi, it's me. I'm just trying this for the first time so we'll see what happens!