20 for 20

Here is the January 2014 installment of my monthly miscellaneous post. :)  These posts are so much fun, partly because I include some of my favorite things of the month!  Forgive my overuse of the word "fun" throughout the post.

1.  Giving gifts is fun!  The Christmas ornament crochet chain that I mentioned in my December miscellaneous post was for my sister's family.  It was fun to be able to give it to them in person . . . even if it was three weeks past Christmas!  I also gave a bilum (string bag) that I made to a friend.  That one was mailed, but it was fun to share; here's a picture of it:

These colors are from the PNG flag.

 2.  Head colds are silly.  I'm trying to convince my body that it does not need to succumb to the massive head/sinus cold that is encroaching.  I stopped by a drugstore to buy some kleenex and sinus medication, partly because I'm in a country where I can find a store like that, and partly because in the chaos of a road trip and going through things in storage I have no idea where anything is.  As I was paying for my purchase, the cashier told me to have a good day and stay well.  At first I thought it was just the standard greeting; but now several hours later, I think it might have had something to do with the items I bought (kleenex, sinus medicine, and zinc lozenges).  I catch on quick sometimes. :)

3.  I love chips and salsa!  This is pretty self-explanatory. :)  We arrived in Dallas this afternoon (my parents and I have been on a bit of a road trip to visit my siblings and a couple of churches) and guess where we went to eat . . . yup, Mexican!  It was delicious!

4.  Snow, snow, snow.  It's been quite an adventure to have my visit to the U.S. fall in the middle of winter.  It has been a blessing to have some pretty mild winter weather for much of the time, but there has also been a lot of snow.  I can't say that I mind that, except for the day that it blizzarded while we were trying to drive. 

Enjoying the snow in Wyoming!

5. Speaking of snow . . . snowflakes!  Don't you just love snowflakes?  I sure do!  Last week, there were a couple of days that had nice big snowflakes that fluttered all day long.  It was gorgeous.  These pictures are from one of those days. 

Snowflakes on the car.

Oh so stunning!!!!

Wow!

6.  It's tennis season!  Yup, I love tennis . . . a lot!  Somehow, I missed the start of the Australian Open tournament this month.  It might have had something to do with losing track of days and traveling and such, but still I think it was the first time that has happened in more than a decade.  I am currently taking advantage of some free internet and listening to the AO Radio broadcast of a match while I write this post.  :)  Lovely. 

7.  Go Broncos!  And while I'm speaking of sports, I can't help but give a shout out to a great football team that is going to the Superbowl.  This year there is no doubt which team I am rooting for.

8.  Socks!  One of the things I have done during this visit to the States is to go through the items I have in storage.  The main reason was that I was looking for a couple of items including a set of sheets that I want to take with me back to PNG.  It was fun to find some things that I had forgotten about and enjoy some things that I had put away, like my fun socks.  I'm not entirely sure why I was surprised by the quantity of socks I have, but I was.  And I have been enjoying wearing them.

One of my favorite pairs! :)

9.  Fun connections.  I had the privilege of sharing at a church this past weekend.  It was a blessing to spend time with people who pray for the work I am doing and who want to hear how things are going.  While I was there, I met a lady who went to college with several MK's (missionary kids) from PNG and we were able to talk about things and people we both knew.  I love small world connections like that.

10.  Museum fun.  While I was visiting my older brother and his family we went to a children's museum near where they live.  It was fun to see how much my niece and nephew love the museum and the hands on activities.  I tried out the paper pulp presses with limited success. 

A swirl and a gear. 

11.  Psalm 33:20-22.  "We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.  In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.  May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you." 

12.  Lunch with a friend.  A few days ago, I was blessed to be able to meet a dear friend for lunch.  We've been friends for almost 19 years and I am so thankful for our friendship! 

With Christina!

13.  Kleenex from bamboo?  Did you know that they make some kleenex/tissue things from bamboo and sugarcane husk?  I wonder if the person who dreamed that up has ever come into contact with those things in their original form . . . they are not the least bit soft or forgiving.  In fact, I have a large scar in my leg from tripping over bamboo many years ago.  While these tissues are not necessarily as soft as others I have used, they are softer than I would have thought they would be. 

14.  Puzzles.  I love to do puzzles and some of my favorite memories of time spent at my Grandparents' house have to do with puzzles.  During this visit, I was blessed to spend a couple of weeks with them and we did several puzzles.  A few days before I was going to leave my Grandma remembered a puzzle she had put aside a several months before to try again when I was there.  It was a fun one. :)

It's a Charles Wysocki puzzle, which is one of my favorite kinds.

15.  Grandparents!  What a blessing it was to spend time with my Grandparents.  We played games, ate food, watched Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, put puzzles together, and laughed a lot.  What a treasure time is.

January 2014 in Wyoming

16.  Old haunts.  It's interesting to be back in Dallas, and Texas.  This was home for more than four years and this evening we drove past an apartment complex that I used to live in.  Not much has changed there and yet, when I think about the past 20 months since I moved out of that apartment, so much has changed in my life.  It's an interesting mix. 

17.  Aunt time!  I have had the privilege of visiting my nine nieces and nephews over the past week and a half.  I love being Aunt Susie.  What a blessing!  Here are a couple of pictures from some of the time (although I didn't remember to get my camera out during the first visit and don't have a picture with the niece and nephew mentioned in #10). 

With my sister and her seven kids.  And amazingly we are all smiling and looking at the camera!

Laughing with Emmalyn!  She has sure grown since I last saw her!

18.  Skunk dog?  Today on the road, a truck passed our car and in the front passenger side a lady was holding a dog.  All I could see was the top of the dog's head and honestly, it looked like a skunk!  I had to do a double take before I realized that it was just interesting coloring of a dog.  A while later, we were switching drivers at a rest area and I saw them walking!  The dog's head does look like a skunk, how unfortunate!

19.  Sibling time.  It's been wonderful to visit with each of my siblings.  Each of them are such a blessing to me.  I am thankful, oh so thankful, to have them. 

With my sister, Martha.

20.  The bear song.  There is a repeat-after-me, camping style song about meeting a bear in the woods.  It's one that we would often sing on road trips when I was growing up . . . and any other time we could get our Dad to go along with it since he leads the song best.  The other day (which by the way is how the song starts), I heard my Dad singing it with my nieces and nephews and it made me smile.  Although, now it is stuck in my head.