Dancing in the leaves

Fall comes on suddenly here
One day you wake up and the weather is cool
Then one day almost like magic the colors have changed
The air is painted with the very colors of Autumn
Glistening golds, brilliant reds, deep purples, vivid oranges, warm browns
The ground is strewn with colors
as if a careless painter was not watching where he dripped paint
This is my favorite time – a time for dancing in the leaves
What a reminder of the Creator God
He even planed it so that the leaves would cry out his majesty as the season turns
How amazing that the God of the universe would chose to give us color
Post -Soviet Central Asia can be depressing in its lack of aesthetic beauty
Until Fall . . . Until it is time for dancing in the leaves
Now it is as if colors were dripped on everything!
I smile just because the change is extraordinary
My feet cannot help but dance as if they must soak in the beauty before it disappears
It is not for long but for these few days the world is beautiful
and I get to be in it - dancing in the leaves

Fall has come to CA!

A taste of Fall!!! This is my favorite season here. The colors are briliant and even in the rain the leaves are beautiful!

This is the window for my apartment.

The last of the flowers in the rain.

First day of school (this year!)

My new class (they are so small!)

Having fun in class!!!!!!!!!

Pictures from My trip to Texas

You know you are back in Amarillo when you see the horses!

My wonderful grandparents

Little Blythe – I baby-sat Bethany when she was literally a baby and people used to say she looked like she could be my daughter. Now people at fellowship call her “Little Blythe”!

Emily’s rehearsal dinner

Taking Gladys to Cracker Barrel

Me and Mom

The Fam!

Don't we clean up nice?!

Together again

Cortney SK and Me

Emily and Phil’s first dance

My Central Asia family

One last rommie picture

The quilt my grand mother made for me – I don’t get to keep it until I am either married or 30 (which ever comes first)!

Isn't it beautiful?!

I always dreamed of driving red car and thanks to Nancy I got to while I was back in Texas

My sweet silly boy – Grant can make a toy out of any thing even my neck pillow

Oh how big my boys have gotten – they will always be my boys no matter how big they get I will always be “my Blythe” to them

One last picture together before the tears started and it was time to leave

Thoughts on going "home"

Thoughts on going “home”

I am mix up mess of feelings
For months I have dreamt of going home – Texas
What I would eat, where I would shop, people I would see – these thoughts and lists filed my day dreams
I lived for going home - I counted down the days
And then – and then …
I was home
It was strange and wonderful and different
But I was different – not so much in a physical way but in the way I looked at the world
Now I don’t know how to be in this familiar place and be this different person
The sights the sounds that food, the fact that people actually follow traffic rules – all of this and so much more overwhelms me
How in two short years did I forget hoe things work and how many choices American consumers have
How did I change so much
Why does this not fell the same anymore
This place I love and have longed for – my home – no longer feels quite so much like home
Now I am not so sure where home is
Is it this crazy place half way around the world where I will never look like a local
Or is it Texas where I grew up, where my family is
Where is home now?
I am so glad that I came back even if it is only for a visit
But now I have more questions than before
So may be I have turned in to a bit of a nomad – a wanderer – no real home
It does make one thing abundantly clear – Oh how wonderful Heaven will be!
We will be HOME
No more musings about where home is
Wow – what a comfort to this nomad who will hold on to the promise of a home prepared for her!

writing poetry

An act of greatness –

Some times I feel like beating my head against the wall,
Miss Blythe she … He isn’t … They’re not… They’re so …– Tattle tailing
I HATE it
It is self-centered and at times down right mean
I plan lessons to counter act it, I make them say nice things to each other,
I beat my head against the wall – will they ever listen, will they ever learn
They are five and six but this is not good
What happened to love one another?

BUT . . . Today I saw it - Kindness, Compassion, Gentleness - come to life

He had fallen down and skinned his knee
He was sitting there on the ground cradling his leg - the tears streaking through the dirt on this cheeks
Then she came up – a fellow kindergartener younger than he
She kneels down and puts her arms around him
She rubs his back
She sends some one off to get me
As I was walk up I hear “I know it hurts – it really hurts to skin your knee! But don’t cry I will help you”
Together we help him up and I give a hug
She speaks again “See it’s not so bad, we will walk to class together, it really will be alright”
Together hand in hand we three walk to class
When asked why she did it
She replied with a shrug “He needed help”

There are days when being a kindergarten teacher is the most awe inspiring job on earth
In those brief seconds
I saw growth and change
I saw one child excel
I saw Jesus demonstrated

This was a good day – one to be cherished
One day to learn from
Let you Kindness, Compassion, and Gentleness be evident to all

My class - I love these Kids

Don't they look like sweet hearts (most days that is!)

A student from last year who is moving back to the United States


Fun dressing up

Who says teachers can't have fun too?

Shall we dance?!

Cinderella and her prince (no really - that is what they were playing!)

Funny Guy!


She is just a sweet-heart

Let's read together!

Look at me!

Me Too!!!

Can you tell we have fun in Kindergarten!!!!!!!!!!!!

Things that I LOVE!

I recently looked at a friend's blog (this is for you Suz) and was inspired by her list of things that she loves. The more I thought about my life here, that more things I cam eup with that I liked. This list has inspired a lot of thankful thoughts to the Father! So here is my list ( also known as things that make me smile!) in no particular order.

1. when the sun finally comes out!
2. Days were there is no smog and the mountains glisten in the sunshine.
3. green grass (this s a big deal when it has been five months since I have seen the ground!)
4. watching kindergarteners share the swings with out me telling them to!
5. listening to my kindergarteners laugh.
6. Being mobbed and hugged by my kiddos.
7. opening new scented candle.
8. lighting candles because I want to and not because there is no electricity.
9. finding granola bars and pop tarts at Ramstore.
10. watching the snow make the world beautiful.
11. the muffled quiet that pervades the city the morning after a fresh snow fall.
12. fun socks.
13. Sitting on the grass and not getting yelled at.
14. talking to friends from home.
15. my once a week phone date with my family!
16. warm blankets (lots of warm blankets)
17. listening to Josh Groban on my i-pod.
18. remembering the Russian word for what I want and saying it correctly (this is a rare occasion)
19. Mac & cheese (from a box!)
20. Boxes with treats from America.
21. Wind (I live where the wind rarely blows and the other day we had a freak wind storm - I went outside to dance in the wind.)
22. watching the snow fall straight down (not kidding).
23. wearing p.j.'s all day long.
24. watching a new (that term is relative) movie with Sally Katherine (my room mate).
25. learning to cook new things.
26. getting lost in a new book for hours!
27. Being called "Aunt Blythe" !
28. deep conversations that challenge me
29. a snickers and a coke light after a long day at school.
30. laughing with friends!

ouch, easter, Nachoooooo, crazy hair and orphanage!

So I was fixing a main dish to take with me to house group when the light went off in my kitchen (this was not surprising because all the light bulbs had burned out except one). Thinking that I could just replace the light bulb and fix the problem, I grabbed a stool and unscrewed the bulb. While putting the new one in, I rested the metal part of the old one on my arm (can you say BAD IDEA). Well you guessed it, it thoroughly burned my arm, ouch! I survived but I am walking around with the imprint of the threads on a light bulb on my arm:( To add insult to injury, the light bulb was not the problem the whole light fixture had shorted out. Oh well next time I am going to wear a sweater when changing the light bulbs!



For a friend's birthday we decided to take a "fun" or maybe funny picture. Toot those horns girls!


Happy Easter!!!
My sweet mom sent me an egg dying kit; we had a blast decorating tons of eggs!

The egg artists

Look at those beautiful colors!

Treasure found!

The hunt is on!

I love being "Aunt Blythe" to these wonderful kids!

can you say sweet?!

The spirit day this month was Crazy hair day!!! These are my boys acting as crazy as their hair. Aren't they so cute!!!! I just have to laugh everytime I look at this picture!

Crazy girls

And a crazy class!!!

Nachoooooooooooooo! This one's for you Kaitlin. James loves his mask; it was a big hit. I think he wore it all night!

I am a fierce man!!

watch out!!



these are some of the kids at the new orphanage we started going to. They are quite cute!