Blog Abuse

If there were a law regarding neglect of one's blog, I would be the prime offender. Better late than never!

Well, I'll TRY to provide a brief update. Brevity is painful when you love details.

Ok, since September ---

• We celebrated my birthday in October. Melvin threw a party for me at a lounge here called The Rio. It was a fun night and we closed the place down.
• We moved! Ok, it was only 1 block down from our old apartment, but it was a big step because we moved into a house. It's a perfect size, 3 bedroom, 2 and a half bathroom, 2 story house with a patio and yard space. One of the first things we did was buy a barbecue and patio table set because we were so excited to have the patio area!
• I hosted my first Thanksgiving! It was fun to bring the Thanksgiving tradition to Honduras and sharing it with Melvin's family (and some friends) for the first time. Melvin and I were up until midnight the night before preparing the turkey and side dishes. I love having a husband who not only cooks, but is amazingly good at it and actually enjoys it!
• It was our turn to spend Christmas in California, so that's what we did! We had a great time visiting my family and connecting with friends. We spent New Year's in Vegas (thanks to my Mom) and got to see Cirque de Soleil's "O" thanks to my Dad. I miss everyone, but I'll be back in June!
• Getting back into the groove the first week back to school wasn't easy for me or for the students. Apart from leaving some of our brains behind at break, the new schedule change (7:30 start time) was an adjustment! While getting out at 2:30 rocks, waking up before the sun comes up doesn't! I am SO not a morning person and I am bitter that I have to wake up first.
• Earlier this month I went to Baxter Institute/James Moody Clinic to check out some of the newly arrived audiology equipment! We have a brand new sound booth, audiometer, and impedance equipment! The area where the audiology section of the clinic will be is being repainted and there is still some more equipment on the way! This is an answer to prayer for me. I prayed that God would use my skills here, and he answered.
• Another piece of exciting news is that I will be working as the speech and hearing specialist at The American School next year! I am organizing a speech/language therapy evaluation and therapy pull-out program, as well as a hearing screening program! I am extremely excited and blessed to have the opportunity to work in these areas, where my passion truly lies. I spent this week researching resources I will be needing next year and checking out my office/therapy space! Now let's pray that everything on the list can be covered by the budget!
• Oh no, folks! It's not over yet! Call me crazy, but I've signed up for another Master's program. The American School sponsors a Master of Science in Multidisciplinary Studies/International Education from the State University of New York, Buffalo for faculty members. Professors fly in to give intensive courses every few months and our tuition is covered by the school with the stipulation that you agree to work for the school for a period of 3 years. It is my philosophy that one should never cease to learn, and since the school is footing the bill, I jumped on the bandwagon! I'm not worried about the 3 years because as long as we're here I plan on maintaining a relationship with the school. After all, our future kids will be going there!

My cup overfloweth. Peace and blessings,

Michelle

5-Day Weekend

Everyone enjoyed a 3-day weekend here in Honduras since yesterday was Independence Day for all of Central America. Those at The American School, myself included, enjoy a 5-day weekend in honor of Independence Day and National Teacher's Day.

Melvin and I have been taking it easy, watching TV and movies. He is back to work now, but going anywhere would have been pushing it. Plus, I need to get to working on progress reports which are due Thursday. I can't believe we've been in school 5 weeks already ... time is flying! Christmas will be here in no time!

Peace and blessings!

Melvin's Birthday

Melvin's birthday was August 3rd, but I just got to uploading the pictures. Well, better late than never right? I got him a Batman cake because that's his favorite comic book character, and the latest Batman movie had just come out so it was fitting.

The family shot!

He's so old now that he ran out of breath!

Surgery Update

Melvin went into surgery yesterday at 8am. I was at school, desperately awaiting the call that surgery was complete which finally came in around 11:30. The surgery took a little bit longer than the Dr. had anticipated. Apparently, Melvin's veins were very enlarged and more likely to bleed which made it more difficult for the doctor to reach the vertebral disc to remove it. He finally removed it and replaced it with a metal plate and 4 screws.

I spoke to Melvin around 4pm. His throat was extremely sore since they had to move it out of the way for surgery, but other than that and some stinging from the cut, he is doing fine. He should be out of the hospital by tomorrow, and on his way home by Tuesday.

My Tia is also in the hospital with a small blood clot in her chest due to her blood disorder, and for monitoring of her blood levels. Her blood level is still too thin for her to be released, but we expect she will be released soon.

It's been a difficult week to try and keep everything together, but it's over now. I'm looking forward to next week!

Peace and blessings.

I Survived!

Well, I survived the first week of school. It's been a tiring week, but the kids are great! Melvin left yesterday for Houston. He meets with the surgeon on Monday, and his surgery is scheduled for next Friday the 22nd. I'm sad that I can't be with him, but thankfully his Mom was able to go with him. He has been extremely stressed, which doesn't help his neck at all. The insurance company has been acting a little bit funny, but I think that's always the case.

Teaching is pretty hard work. I've always appreciated my teachers, but now that I am in their position I appreciate them even more! For their first assignment, I had the kids write me an All About Me letter to introduce themselves. I wrote one to them as well! I'm looking forward to reading them this weekend.

Well, it's been a tiring but a successful week. Worrying about Melvin makes me even more tired but I know everything will be fine.

Peace and blessings!

Walking an Emotional Tightrope

Have you ever had something exciting and something disturbing happen at the same time? It's an odd sentiment being caught between the two, or in our case, the four!

Things we are happy about:

• Our first BIG purchase ... a new car! (See previous blog)
• My new teaching job at The American School

Things we are upset about:

• My "Tia's" adoption falling through ... we were hoping to begin the process adoption anew here in Honduras, but it seems that it was not God's will for it to happen
• Discovering that Melvin needs neck surgery, which will have to be in the U.S., and most probably I will not be able to go with him

With all life's highs and lows, it is important to remember that God alone is what makes us whole ... not a feeling, or an item, or an event, or a person. Never let a high or low define who you are ... let your relationship with God define you.

Peace and blessings.

Taking the Plunge

Well, I'm way past due updating my thoughts, but we've been in the middle of lots of exciting things!

I've been offered a position at The American School of Tegucigalpa, Melvin's alma mater. It is by far the most prestigious private school here. I will be teaching 6th grade English this school year to fill in a vacancy, and then will transition to working in the speech/language/hearing educational realm. I've never taught 6th graders before, but I'm diving in with all my energy!

Now that I'll be working full-time, we definitely will need a 2nd car. We've decided on the 2008 Honda CRV in pearl white. Hopefully we'll be getting it next week!

We finally arranged our apartment the way we've wanted. We now have a TV for each room, so any visitors are assured a comfortable stay that includes cable. We've acquired quite a collection of paintings to decorate the walls of our entryway, living room and dining room -- a total of 5, all from popular latin american painters (Sandre, Ciseron, Gomez, Diaz). I will try to remember to upload some pictures soon.

I've also been working with Dr. White, the President of Baxter Institute, to set up an audiology wing at the James Moody Clinic on campus there. The clinic provides great services for many people who would not otherwise be able to afford it. Medical, dental, and nutritional needs are addressed. Soon, Lord willing, we will be able to provide hearing care services. There are even programs in place to help those who are interested to learn a trade such as haircutting or sewing. We should be starting to receive equipment next month, including a sound booth which is very exciting! Please pray for the success of this endeavor because it will be a blessing to many people.

It may be rainy out, but the path ahead looks bright!