at all times

listen here on yahoo.music: http://new.music.yahoo.com/vicky-beeching/tracks/at-all-times--41031277 In the summer of life, in the laughter and light I will love You, I will trust You When I'm weary and dry, in the souls darkest night I will love You, I will trust You You are my strength and my song Always giving me hope to go on And at all times I will sing in Your greatness And at all times I will sing of Your love And at all times I will say You are faithful For Your goodness remains and Your love is the same at all times On the mountain of joy where the view is so clear I will love You, I will trust You When I feel all alone in the valley of tears I will love You, I will trust You You are my strength and my song Always giving me hope to go on And at all times I will sing in Your greatness At all times I will sing of Your love And at all times I will say You are faithful For Your goodness remains and Your love is the same Whatever life brings still I will sing You are good, You are good, You are good Whatever life brings still I will sing You are good, You are good, You are good Whatever life brings still I will sing You are good, You are good, You are good And at all times I will sing in Your greatness At all times I will sing of Your love And at all times I will say You are faithful For Your goodness remains and Your love is the same At all times I will sing in Your greatness And at all times I will sing of Your love And at all times I will say You are faithful For Your goodness remains and Your love is the same at all times At all times I will sing in Your greatness And at all times I will sing of Your love At all times I will say You are faithful For Your goodness remains and Your love is the same at all times -V. Beeching, © Vineyard Songs (uk/eire)

thanks

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving; Let us make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. (psalm 95:2) I confess it's been a real and constant challenge to enter into my heavenly Father's presence with thanksgiving since moving WAY out of my comfort zone and "normal" life almost two months ago. The pictures i've carefully chosen to share with you show a very glamorous and exciting side of this life here in Honduras. I hope you've found them enjoyable and that they are enticing enough for you to hurry and book a flight here soon! We miss you! The other side of life here, unphotographed and not easily revealed has been incredibly exhausting and a daily challenge. I've joked with some of you that I can't believe how many health related things have happened to me since deciding to move internationally, but truthfully, it has been hard. A fractured wrist, parasitic stomach, fungal skin infection covering my back, and crashing my scooter into the mud represent only a few of the ways I've been physically challenged. Emotionally, I am tired and having a hard time refilling myself with what I need to be able to continuously give of myself. I've experienced what can only be explained as a panic attack, twice. Once at school, and once on vacation while I was struggling to conquer my fears of all things crawly and creepy. Imagine: bats, gheckos, scorpions, ant/termite like creatures, tarantulas, rats and roaches. My literal worst nightmare. Then top it all off with a constant list of apartment challenges: broken fridge, moldy food, leaking window, broken toilet, SUPER high electric bill, no A/C, cold water, leaking fridge (again and again), ants everywhere!, creatures inside because the fumigator never comes when they say they will, spotty Internet service making me feel even less connected, and the list could go on... This weekend i have challenged myself to be thankful in the midst of all of it. Thankful as I clean up the mess that a leaking fridge makes (again). Thankful as I mop the kitchen floor on a Friday night trying to kill the constant stream off ants that is pouring through a crack in the cement wall. Thankful to cook with pots covered in rust. Thankful to be able to wake up this morning refreshed and able to surprise my husband with banana, chocolate chip pancakes for his birthday. Thankful to be able to sit inside as the daily storm moves in to provide relief from the heat. Thankful that there's so much to enjoy about teaching in San Pedro. Thankful that we've met people here to pass the time with. Thankful that God created Jason to be such a patient and affirming husband. Thankful that God has given me all I need for godliness and life here in Honduras. So, daily I am confronted with a choice, a decision to make regardless of the circumstances or challenges I face. Hang my head, cry, panic and grow in anger? Or, find reasons to approach God with a heart of thankfulness...for I know He has blessed me with enough to thank Him continuously for the rest of my life. In this time I am learning it's far better to be thankful. I'm learning I can handle a lot more than I ever thought possible. I'm learning that I "need" a lot less than I'd considered necessary to be content. I'm learning that I already have all I need to be satisfied in this life. I choose to be thankful. What are you thankful for?

la isla de roatan

i have had many "half ideas" for more thoughtful-type blog posts lately, but i'm going to start with updating you on our most recent adventure to Honduras' island of paradise, Roatan. Last Wednesday, September 14th we had a half day of school, in honor of Honduras (and most of the rest of CA's) Independence Day, which was September 15th. A group of about 21 foreign hire teachers reserved the EIS school bus (not a yellow bus. actually, more like an older more "used" version of a coach/shuttle bus sportin' a HUGE American Flag decal on the front windshield. i think it's there to provide some relief from the sun, but it also serves as an ever present reminder that 20 something "american"/canadian teachers are aboard and going somewhere pretty fancy). awesome. we boarded the bus at 12 from school, and drove all along the northern coast of Honduras, to a port city, La Ceiba, where we hoping to catch a 4:30 ferry to the island. at this point we were parting ways with some of our bus-mates who were heading to the "other" island, Utila :) and had to take a different ferry. if we missed the ferry, we'd have to stay overnight in Ceiba and try again in the morning. not such a poor deal after all since i've heard it said that: "in san pedro we work and in la ceiba we play". we couldn't find out whether or not that description proved true, since we (along with hundreds of other expectant hondurans) boarded the ferry on time and left for Roatan exactly at 4:30....actually we may have left late, since time is relative here. i hardly ever check my watch anymore. even scheduled events, like a school wide Independence Day parade, clearly communicated to begin at 8:20 am, will easily start 10 or more minutes early (or late), all you can do is be flexible :)

the ferry was pretty uneventful. thankfully. we heard HORROR stories of people getting "sick" all over the ferry, inside the main closed compartment, and outside off the balcony ledges. i was super nervous, as i frequently experience motion sickness. but, three dramamine tablets later i was passed out like a baby on that ferry. i woke up totally disoriented and remained that way the rest of the night. good thing we didn't have to think very much :) we did however have to call the resort that confirmed with us they'd pick us up from the ferry, only 9 of us at this point, since half of the roatan group rented the "mansion". after we waited a half an hour, and the ferry depot had completely evacuated except for a few confused crewmen, we knew we were in trouble. some cabbies approached us and promised that if we took their cab to Foster's Bay Resort, they would be compensated by the resort. we weren't so sure. thanks to my Moon Honduras guidebook, we had a few different numbers to try and call. none worked. then we used a friends "BB" to look up their phone number from the website. no luck. then a very kind ferry crewman pulled out a directory of the island and called that number instead. no answer. i must have called a half a dozen times before we realized: it was dark, we had no idea where we were (or where we were going), the ferry terminal was shutting down, and we had no other option than the cabbies patiently watching the whole situation unfold, ready to take action. so...we bartered to the best of our ability, not even understanding how long the taxi trip should take, and prayed that Foster's was waiting for us at the other end of that long, winding ride across the island. we made it, don't worry. :)

Foster's Bay Resort was a wonderful place to stay! Mr. Foster was extremely welcoming and accommodating. you would frequently hear him greeting newcomers with a kind, "welcome home". the morning after our first night in our beach front cabana, we realized that we were sharing our accommodations with dozens of bees and even more bats. i could hardly walk across the deck and down the flight of stairs without dodging several flying and swooping bats coming or going. needless to say, that was not going to work for me. Mr. Foster was wonderful. we "upgraded", free of charge, to another newer and more modern cabana, only about 20 more steps away from the beach front. This cabana had a large master bedroom with a california king sized bed, modern bathroom, decent living room and kitchen, loft second bedroom with balcony, and a wrap around porch set up with hammocks for swinging in the lazy afternoon sun. we enjoyed a couple of card nights with our roommates, sara and mike, playing "up and down the river". they couldn't get enough of it! we lounged in the hammocks, thanks to larm for our sweet wedding present, we had our own! mike made us a delicious tuna and salmon salad for sandwiches, so we could enjoy a nice home cooked lunch each day. staying at Foster's was almost story-less, but leave it to our next door neighbors to give us some late night "entertainment", better yet, the hibbie jibbies as we lived in such close proximity to them for 4 long nights. enough said on that. :)

our hotel was in the West Bay of Honduras, home to the most premiere beaches on the island, and the second largest barrier reef in the world! we had plenty of time to lay in the sun, swim in the crystal clear, turquoise, warm waters of the caribbean, snorkel amidst a literal maze of intricate coral and multi colored fish, jump off two-story docks, take leisurely walks down the beach front, and sample delicious meal after delicious meal during our four days in paradise. happy hour ran daily from 4-6 pm, and my favorite by far was the "monkey lala", recommended by our neighbor in SPS, Jackie. it's like the island's equivalent to a mudslide, but world's better! thursday night was lobster night, so jason and i both tried lobster tails for the first time. delicious! we loved the island's version of rice and beans. wish i would have asked for the recipe. soooo yummy!! each morning we savored every bite of a breakfast baleada with eggs and bacon. tocino, rather. mmm!!! man have i missed bacon! and we ended the week in style, half off shrimp night. as you may have guessed, jason looked forward to this meal all week! coconut shrimp made from fresh coconut based batter is indescribable (or so he let me know) :) gluten free was hardly an option. another night we ate yummy, but very, very rare, tuna caught by some of our friends earlier that day.

don't worry... we did far more than just eat. :) our co-workers and bus-mates, who rented "the mansion", hosted a bbq/pool party one night. they had a large infinity pool, equipped with waterfalls and overlooking another gorgeous bay on the island. i compared it in my mind to a destination from "the bachelor". :) don't judge. we also rented scooters for 24 hours, and were able to explore more of the island that way. we drove down the main highway through a couple of other towns, spending most of our time in the West End. this is likely where we'd stay if we ever returned to roatan, it's significantly cheaper, has a greater variety of restaurants and things to do. there was an international fishing tournament going on when we were there, and we were able to see the 50 lb tuna caught by the contestants. incredible! we had delicious pad thai, reviewed as the best thai in honduras, at "Tong's", and breakfast one morning at Rudy's: cheese and bacon omelet, and banana pancakes, respectfully. i'll let you guess who ate what :) both of us were well-fed! back to the scootin' though. it was crazy fun to have the wind blowing through your hair, and taking the curves of the road in stride. don't worry mom, we both wore helmets. the helmet didn't do much good though, when i took a spill in the mud. the mud provided the best cushion of all :) remember it's rainy season here? and if you've ever been to latin america, you understand the quality of the roads. well, we were scootin' through a very hilly neighborhood, on the hunt for the best monkey lala in all of honduras, at Luna Beach, when we came upon one long stretch of thick, brown, gooey mud. the bike wobbled like crazy. it's extremely heavy and difficult to maneuver. as long as you're maintaining speed, balance is okay, but enter mud in to the equation and i didn't stand a chance. fortunately, i had asked jason to get off the bike a few minutes earlier, thinking it would make it easier for me to control, not easy enough :) a local passerby, kind enough to help me up, felt it necessary to remind me to "conduce mas depacio y cuidadate!" thanks, got that. :) don't worry, no broken bones this time (i don't think).. just some crazy bruises and hurt pride. i got back on the horse later though, and battled my fears of falling again. truthfully, i was MUCH more comfortable as the driver, than as the passenger :) surprised?

okay, i think that about covers the highlights... sunday we had some final beach time, before returning to the ferry and then bussing from la ceiba to san pedro. we showered and literally fell in to bed. monday morning was rough, this morning a little easier. if only we didn't have to work so much, there are so many opportunities to play :)

copan and a birthday

well, it's been a couple of weeks since my last post. some quick updates:
1. my cast is off! woo hoo! 5/10 days of physical therapy, and i'm taking a little break. i have some home exercises to do, and can start working out, so i'm hopeful that the healing will continue quickly and thoroughly. i really loved meeting with ana at physical therapy. i could practice my spanish, take some power naps while the machines were doing their job on my elbow, and i even benefited from some of her marriage advice (in spanish) she was great! also, i loved the walks home with jason. we RARELY walk here, but it was only about a mile home, and down a busy street, past a school. we felt pretty safe, so we walked. it was a dream come true. being outside free and able to just take in our surroundings. this hasn't happened too much in the city.
2. we have been having some fridge drama. the first one we were given leaked water everywhere, mostly inside but also outside at times. our food wasn't cold. and our energy bill was through the roof. so, we did what anyone else would do in our situation. we requested it to be fixed. hmm... not sure we'll do that again any time soon :) our latest fridge is bordered with a thick layer of rust and lacks a strong enough door seal to stay closed. at least it's cold enough ;) oh well...living in honduras is building my patience daily, and increasing my tolerance for the inconvenient. i hope.
3. jason planned a wonderful 29th birthday for me! he woke me up with breakfast in bed and my favorite u2 song. it's was a beautiful day, of course. after school, we rushed home in a cab so we could steal away some time together before our busy night with new friends. he surprised with me with treasures from guamalito (honduran market), including (all local): a shirt, headband, bracelet, wallet and necklace. good work jas, good work! then i was able to treat myself to a mani/pedi thanks to my super thoughtful sister, larm! "sand in my suit" and "you don't know jacque" all the way in honduras. awesome. then dinner at a local mexican restaurant with some teacher friends. all in all, a great day. definitely not the same... didn't really feel like a birthday without home. but enough to help me realize another year has come and gone. so grateful for this year and all that it means...
4. we're getting pretty excited for the honduran independence day holiday coming up this week! we're off to Roatan on wednesday with some other teachers. hope to post some pretty incredible pics from paradise! a much needed escape from so much work and stress that always accompanies the start of a new year.
5. i'm really missing home these days. i wish i could be there with my friends who are about to dive into motherhood. feels wrong to miss this. i wish i was experiencing the many joys at home right now: owning your first home, 3rd grade, 1st grade, 1+ years of beautiful life, experiencing new homes, as well as homecoming returns, fall, school, work, the daily grind and so many new challenges. i miss you all and my heart aches without you here.
6. to end on a positive note... jas and i spent a couple weekends ago in Copan Ruinas, Honduras; the site of the ancient Honduran Mayan ruins. we didn't actually see the ruins, but we did enjoy the pace of the rural (and safe) town. the cobble streets reminded me of galavanting around Europe. the calm in the air reminded me of home. i can't wait to go back. hope you enjoy our most favorite moments...https://picasaweb.google.com/107299224727339466941/Copan