jordan pics

kristi how do you feel about waking up late?...

k and erin. in the back of a truck. headed for the bedouin tent

tk and kurtis are excited about being in the desert where we spent the night
tk gets ups early on day 2 and climbs up high.

tk's view of our camp (bottom right)
driving back the next day
tk and me, with jeff smiling too
kurtis and erin

having coffee in another village
goat cheese...
wadi dana, a view of where we spent our second night


hope you enjoyed the pictures. we had a great time in jordan.

jordan, moment 1

wake up. sunny outside. look at clock. 5:56. supposed to be at the bus at 6:00. oh crap.

change clothes. run. run fast. ahead of tk. hoping the bus hasn't left.

6:11. arrive at bus stop. apologize to everyone for being late. tim arrives 6:13 with our backpack.

6:30. feeling sick on the bus. ask tk for a bag. ask him to get the bag faster. think due to quick up and run.

7:00. feeling better. thanks to a nice soft back rub by tk and trying to relax. didn't get sick. almost but no. and we haven't even had anything sketch to eat.

noon. arrive in jordan.

3:00. watch 2 sheep slaughtered.

4:00. tk fights with kurtis on a rock - screen to camera broken. bummer. (kurtis would like to add he is not responsible for breakage. tim was putting rocks in kurtis' shoes...)

6:30. play rook with kurtis and erin.

8:30. eat sheep.

10:30 - sleep under the stars. outside of a bedouin tent.

day one finished.

today - home safe and sound. going to watch lost with kurtis and erin and ben.

got-to-go. more tomorrow.

jordan

on another note. just wanted to let you all know tomorrow early, early (at the bus at 6:00 am), we are leaving for jordan for 3 days. we will be in the desert. hot, i know. staying with a bedouin family for one night and in a nature reserve park for another night. should be good times. all part of tk's cultural backgrounds of the bible class (which i took while we were here in 2001 and the coolest thing we did then was go to a cultural dinner). and get this, to get to the tents we have to take jeeps. jeeps in the desert, what could be more fun?! so we are pretty excited. don't worry - we will drink lots of water, wear sunscreen and take lots of pictures.

so have a great weekend. pics to come on sunday pm (jerusalem time).

venting

maybe this is dumb but i don't care. i just wanted you all to know i am frustrated with America. America in the sense of all the crazy teenage girls that are voting for jason on American idol. what the heck?! the guy has done (in my opinion) horribly, especially last night. and yet he remains safe on the show. granted carly was my number one girl and i am super bummed that she got kicked off - but i think i am more frustrated that jason remains. the thought crossed my mind to stop watching the show to boycott. but i don't think i will go that far. but please friends if you are voting for jason - stop, or at least explain to me what you see in him musically. he didn't even know the song he sang last night was from Cats until Andrew Loyd Weber told him so. unbelievable. humph.

ok. i am done. i still think carly rocks. and thankfully i think there is no chance in anything that jason will actually win. go brooke. go syesha. go dave. go david. boo jason.

bible study

last night we had our last bible study where we all will be together. jody (far right) is going home tuesday for her graduation. and we wanted some pictures of all of us.
from the left: amanda, molly, me (they wanted me in the middle), christina (in the back), anna, and jody.
fake laugh. classic.
being silly.

it has truly been an honor for me to lead this group of women. each week we have dinner together (we take turns being in charge), we read a few chapters from Matthew and discuss it, one of us shares our story and finish with a time of prayer. i am deeply touched each week by their insight, vulnerability, care for one another, excitement to be together and passion to seek the Lord and their love for Him. i told them last night that i believe they are each in a very special time in their relationship with the Lord. there is something miraculous that happens when we leave home and claim our relationship with Him for our own, separate from our families. and I know that He desires to speak deep into their hearts and minds about who they are as treasured, sought after, loved, daughters of the King. I am thankful for the Lord's work in their lives and for this opportunity to continue to speak His truth to them. and He has used them to bless me as well.

we will have two more times together. i would continue to covet your prayers for those times and for the Lord to continue to reveal His love to each one.

tk goes to school...

for those of you who voted for long hair - just wanted you to know this is how tim went to take his physical settings final today. haha. he said something like not feeling like putting on a hat. haha.

forgiveness

forgiveness means that i continually am willing to forgive the other person for not being God - for not fulfilling all my needs.

henri nouwen

i appreciated reading this earlier today - thought you might all too.

thought you all might too appreciate that currently my feet are covered in vaseline and wrapped in plastic. franswa suggested it to me to help with my dry feet - apparently she does this all the time. i took some pictures but i thought they all looked weired. will let you know how it goes.

7 years

7 years tomorrow. that's how long tk and i have been together. crazy. and good. just wanted you all to know. :)

the night we started dating i came back to nico's and my room at JUC to find a sweet sticky note from her, which i still have in my journal from 2001 - says something like, "good night friend. hope you had a nice talk with tk. can't wait to hear all about it."

tim and i actually kept our dating a secret for a few days. and only told nicole and mike. the night we "revealed" our dating we were with our friends headed to the new city to join in on the independence of israel festivities. tk and i stayed back holding hands, while nicole and mike prompted them all to look back at us. poor mike. he got such a hard time. bekah and i still laugh at the scolding she gave him.

good memories. maybe tk and i will even go out for iced coffees from aromas (icy romas we used to call them... i think) to celebrate. the very drinks we got on our first date as a couple. sigh.

ok enough. enough. i think too much time at school has got me a little bored. :)

beach day

we had a great day saturday with erin and kurtis on the beach in tel aviv. made it home to watch juno and have dinner together. today tim and i are at school where he is working away at his intertestamental lit paper. go tim.

the smiths and other life

tim and i had dinner with carolyn and conley smith last night. here we are outside the restaurant. it was wonderful to be with them. they are dear friends of my great uncle jim here on tour.
new black boots. yeah!
new hair cut thanks to jamil!!

an attempt at an artistic shot of the top :)

ALSO -ken created a blog to display the over 50 hats he received in the past few weeks - check it out!! http://www.kenslids.blogspot.com/

tomorrow we are going to the beach!! sunday we will be studying, well tim will be studying. have a great weekend one and all.

the many faces of tk

tim forgot camera. borrowed kurtis'. lull time on a field study. decided to leave kurtis a photograph montage present. too funny not to share.

life of pi

i am reading life of pi right now. erin loaned it to me. after the first 75 pages or so it has me hooked and i am almost done. tk and i have had a relaxing morning. he is off to class now. but i wanted to share these quotes from my time of reading -

faith in God is an opening up, a letting go, a deep trust, a free act of love - but sometimes it is so hard to love.

the blackness would stir and eventually go away, and God would remain, a shining point of light in my heart. i would go on loving.

yann martel

jordan part two

we are home. a little tired but thankful for such a great time in jordan. 4 very full days. here is just a glance...

remains at ammon

jerash (nt gerasa)



yeah for coke! great treat to end the day (now a 4 hour bus trip down to petra)
andrew - even though you all don't know him i thought this picture was too funny not to include.

petra - the treasury
the monastery
hiking back to the bus through a wadi with lots of obstacles...
on the bus :)
day 4 on mt. nebo

with the girls on my bible study who are in our physical settings class (from the left - amanada, anna, me, molly, christina)

this trip was a wonderful end to a extremely memorable class. crazy to believe the semester is coming to a close. in two weeks we will be back in jordan for tim's cultural backgrounds of the bible class. i will post more stories and things tomorrow. time for bed.