I finally had the chance to sit down and update our AIA Soccer blog so go check it out if you want to follow along with us. AIA Soccer Blog :o)

we're here!

We made it to Nicaragua without any hiccups! Thanks for your prayers. It's funny how little things can grow and grow in your mind and you're convinced that something is going to go wrong in an irreversible way... but it's only in your mind. I also love the fact that God has a sense of humor. Earlier in another blog I expressed my concerns about carrying the laptops over the border into the US. I was convinced in my mind that they were going to go through every single bag, find 11 laptops that all look exactly alike, take Brian and me in for questioning and then force us to surrender the computers at the border and reprimand us severely. For the last few hours before we left our house, I spent time praying, committing our trip and all of its details to the Lord (especially the border crossing). And I felt slightly better... but not really. Then, when we were driving to the meeting point where we would all load a bus and head down to Seattle, we passed a church whose message board on the road said, "Don't worry. There is a God and He loves you."

Pretty simple yet perfect. And I felt like God put it there just for me and then chuckled a bit when I read it. I love that.

So, yeah, we're here and it's been beautiful weather so far, not too hot, lots of wind, and cloudy. Thanks for your prayers! I'll be updating the AIA Blog, so check that out to get the guys' perspectives on tour. AIA Soccer Blog :o)

5 hours

So we're all packed and ready to go. ...and now we just wait. It's a pretty good feeling but at the same time aggravating. I get to sit here for a few hours and think about all the things I may have forgotten. But at least I get to do it watching my favorite TV shows!

Please do keep us in your prayers for smooth sailing. Also, you can keep up with our AIA Soccer blog here: http://www.athletesinaction.com/athletesinaction/myweb.php?hls=10311

We'll begin updating it once we get there. And thanks for your support!

2 days

Today has been a fairly productive day so far. My goal is to get lots of laundry done and start packing things in bags. Yesterday we received 11 laptops that are being donated by a local businessman to the CCC director in Nicaragua. So we're planning to take them to him, giving each one of our guy's a laptop to put in their checked luggage. But for some reason I'm feeling very anxious about crossing the border with them. I just keep envisioning the border patrol searching each of our bags (this will be around 2:30-3:00AM on Friday), finding a bunch of computers that all look alike, and then holding us at the border for it. Really, they shouldn't need to look in any of our luggage at all because none of it is staying in the US. I just always seem to be "greeted" by the grumpy border patrol people. I'm also afraid that one of our guys will say something not smart and draw attention to it. But more than this, I don't want to spread my anxiety to anyone else. I know I shouldn't be anxious. I know people have been carrying "contraband" into closed countries for years, and this situation isn't nearly as risky! Will you keep us in your prayers for smooth border crossings? Perhaps as you fall asleep on Thursday, or if you're on the East coast as you wake up on Friday morning, send up a little prayer for us. Thanks.

3 days

Ok here's my day so far:

• 7:30 - wake up late and have a pillow crease on my face for a good hour and a half but go into the office proudly nonetheless.
• 8:30 - start to enjoy a cup of freshly brewed Starbucks Christmas blend because Vicki has spoiled us and I just can't stomach the "coffee" that the office brews for free.
• 9:00 - drive over to WalMart to drop the car off for an oil change before we drive to Seattle
  
• 9:30 - get back to the office after walking back from WalMart; answer a few emails and write a few letters including one that will hopefully make our border crossing easier... *fingers crossed*
  
• 10:00 - walk to Costco to get a few items. Costco is right next door, no biggie. I didn't think I'd be there for more than 30 minutes total.
• 10:10 - walk up to the Optometrist counter to pick up Brian's contacts.
• 11:00 - finally get contacts and pay for them. Yes, I stood and waited for 45 minutes while the only man working attempted to fix a pair of glasses, knowing that as soon as I walked away he'd be done. Vicki was helpful and went to get things while I stood. Flash backs to my childhood while mom waited in line for something and I went in search of her items.
  
• 11:30 - walk to lunch with a friend. Very nice break.
• 12:30 - back in the office and answer a few more emails.
• 1:00 - walk back to WalMart, purchase $130 worth of items that barely fill two grocery bags... That's an awful feeling, but it was mostly medications for all the potential scenarios we'll face in Nicaragua. Then pick up the car which ended up being more than a simple oil change. Not too surprised.
• 2:00 - pick up Brian to run to the bank
• 2:30 - treat myself to a tall raspberry java chip frappuccino blended coffee for a job well done.
• 3:00 - I'm writing this blog because I'm amazed at how much I've gotten done! And every time I left the building or came back I took the stairs! Except this last time because we were carrying lots of gear that has now made our trunk smell like soccer. Soccer does not smell good.
  

:o)

3.5 days

I was trying my hardest all day to remember the things I need to get before we leave... and as soon as I sat down to make my list, all I could remember is granola bars. But I ran hard at the gym and now my body and mind are feeling like mush. So I played a little Mario Kart Wii which got the blood pumping. I was told to stop playing at 8:53 because 24 starts at 9:00. Phew. That could have been a close one. So I'm sitting here still trying to make my list...

Meanwhile, Lola is literally going crazy. I wish we owned a video camera. She is out of control. Sprinting across our small living room + slippery laminate floors = sliding into the wall around the table like someone on the downhill luge. She has had some ridiculous jumps, at least 10 feet across in the air, slo-mo, Air-Jordan style and I'm not exaggerating. Serious, neck-breaking binkies, sprinting around the table, running straight into my feet. Man I wish I had a video camera! There she goes again!

4 Days

We have been busy preparing for our first tour of the year... and we're only getting busier. We leave this Friday at 1:00AM and should arrive in Managua, Nicaragua late Friday night. We're flying out of Seattle Tacoma and we found out this weekend that there is a massive amount of construction on I-5 Southbound--the highway that leads from Vancouver to Seattle.

We also had one last meeting with a bunch of the guys last night. Things are coming together, but to be honest a few of the guys we're taking seem to be lacking what I refer to as "life skills." These skills come in to play when one needs to arrive certain places at certain times with certain documents. These skills are necessary for survival when one is in higher education, traveling (abroad or just in general), making it to a doctor's appointment, etc. So keep us in your prayers for smooth sailing all the way to Nicaragua, please.

Today my goal is to get our monthly newsletter out, catch up on preparations still underway for our Paraguay tours, star packing, and not go insane as they saw through some metal vents that connect to a vent-bypass that is right next to my desk. :o)

Seriously the most fun in the whole wide world!

Last night I figured out how to play Wii Mario Kart with friends in Virginia online! It was seriously the most fun I've had all year. If you have a Wii and access to WiFi, please let me know and we can play sometime! And Bickhams, let's make a date!

When did Google become a verb?

Everyone knows someone who likes to email unnecessary amounts of forwards with content that is typically gloom and doom, threaten ultimate death, or grant you a wish. I have one in my extended family. (If you're reading this, it's not you.) Fortunately, I don't feel bad about deleting them without paying much attention to their content. My mom, who is not said person, recently sent me a forward that I actually enjoyed. It was definitely forwardable. But I thought, rather than forwarding it on and being labled a forwardiot, that I would share just a little bit of it with you so you could enjoy a chuckle or two. :o)

Do you know a Grady? If so, jump on that!

I'm not even sure what they meant to write...

Remember Mr. Yuk?

Easy mistake.

Bahaha! I'm reminded of a joke: How do you get a one-armed blonde out of a tree?
Wave.

Thanks anyway.

Yeesh.

I love playing this in the grocery store!

This has small town written all over it.

Good question.

Maybe when he gets out of the clink he could get a job as a plumber.

Definitely in my top 5 from this list.
...mmm Qdoba sounds great for dinner.

I was going to quote my favorite lines... but it's pretty much all of them.
He's offering to pay, but not until we get back. Smart. Thinking ahead. I like that.
What kind of weapons travel well through the fourth dimension? I know, a bow staff.
Safety not guaranteed. Oh, of course.
I find a little bit of comfort in the fact that he's done it before. Clearly he learned that it's too dangerous to go back alone and unarmed.

Creepy Governator.

I have a row of bookmarks across the top of my internet browser window of sites that I check frequently throughout the day including my gmail, Flickr, CNN.com, and (you guessed it) Facebook. I feel quite connected with the rest of the world when I'm able to catch up on things this way. Especially since we live on the West coast of the Great White North, I feel disconnected to my friends and family back home, so I count heavily on Facebook and CNN.com to keep me up-to-date with the latest headlines.

Last night I was checking out CNN.com and saw this headline:

A 10-Year-Old Divorcée Takes Paris

How could I not click the link and try to understand what this very odd title is referring to?

It's about a little girl named Nujood Ali from Yemen who was, until recently, the youngest known divorced person on this planet. My heart broke as I continued to read her story written up in this TIME magazine article. It goes on to explain her escape from a marriage to a man three times her age who beat and raped her every night. Her bravery has opened doors to matrimonial prisons similar to hers and our eyes to a world that has previously been kept under shrouds and sand.

I feel like God has been opening my eyes to this culture. In the last little bit I read The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, Blink by Ted Dekker, and watched Kingdom of Heaven, all taking place in the middle east at various times in history. That area of the world has such rich, deep history steeped in traditions and rituals. I'm overwhelmed at the thought that everything I believe as Truth comes from a Man who belongs in that culture.

Salaam `alaykum, Nujood.

Today, like everyone else, I'm quite interested to get a look at the Superbowl commercials that I missed. Yesterday I was so excited to hang out with friends, watch a little bit of football, and laugh at lots of highly-anticipated, over-priced commercials. But this year Canadian television was filtered so that we got plain old everyday Canadian commercials during the Superbowl. Thank you, CTV. I wonder how much they charged the Canadian Government for the Canadian Forces commercial they played every break? Or how much they charged PetroCan and the Olympic committee for their commercial for the 2010 Olympics Glasses that they're pushing? I do believe... that it's going to be crazy around here in about a year.

Seriously, I scanned every channel from 1-999 before and during the first dozen commercial breaks. All CTV.

But I'm thankful that Fox Sports has them all readily available to watch, and in Canada even! (I can't tell you how frustrating it is to miss a TV show that I follow religiously (The Office) and not be able to catch it online (NBC.com) simply because I live 15 miles north of the border. And I don't feel like taking the time to find it elsewhere in the plethora of "watch TV online" sites.)

What was your favorite commercial? So far, mine is Pepsi Max: I'm Good.