Thank you, Mr. Twain. It's nice to be reminded.

"...Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover..."

.something new.

lately, there have been a lot of new things. new faces and friends with whom I have learned to be in community. New dancing partners and conversation starters and fellow hand&foot players. There have been new vegetables in the market and new tennis shoes on my feet. There have been new class schedules and work schedules and water aerobics instructors. There have been new recipes and new roommates and new marriages to celebrate. There have been new homes and new bicycles and new journals just ready to have their pages filled. There have been lots of new things. Sometimes I find myself overwhelmed by the new things. Fresh and fun as they might be, I sometimes miss my old&comfortable. I miss my old home and my old friends and even my old tennis shoes. Learning process = hard. Growing up = difficult. Old, I miss you. New, I need you. I am sure this year holds lots of lessons. Ready or not, here I come.

dwindling.

it may sound silly, but chocolate yogurt is my new weakness. I thought it might be like pudding at first, but I quickly found that chocolate yogurt is a completely separate entity in itself. Chocolate yogurt is the perfect blend of that tart yogurt taste that I love, and rich swiss chocolate powder that creates fudge like ripples. The best part is the bottom, where the fudge is the most dominant. I have an addiction. Not serious, but it may create issue when I come home and do not have a Lid'l five minutes down the road that can supply for all of my chocolate yogurt-needs. in other news, spring is here. Although we had a very tardy snow flurry this morning, the trees and flowers are poking out their heads to wave hello. I do hope they hurry and come before Easter, so that we can have a colorful party for Him. A new session has begun, and I am thoroughly enjoying my Johannine Literature class. We are deep into the study of John's gospel presently, and I feel like every session is an opportunity to get to know Jesus better. I love that. Every class should feel that way. We've begun a walking club. Every afternoon, we head out to explore the fields and river banks and tiny villages that are nestled in this sweet little corner of Switzerland. Yesterday, we found some beautiful trails that wove through the pastures and into the forests. Even though the wind was strong, it was surprisingly warm. I am excited about my next adventure which will begin any moment now. I thank you for your prayers and thoughts and encouragement. The days are dwindling now, and it seems almost unreal that home is just over a month away. Until then, I will do my very best to live a deliberate and love-filled life - not missing any opportunities for adventure or relationship. I do love you all, and look forward to May. Peace.

a very happy un-birthday.

well, yesterday was my birthday (and sort of today, I guess). It started with a phone call from my mom and Mexican friends at far too early of an hour on a Saturday morning. However, it was wonderful to see all of them. A few moments after hanging up, I heard little footsteps in the hallway. The door opened, and Sara appeared with a miniature chocolate cake and candles. She sang a birthday song, and then we moved to the kitchen for breakfast. Carlita, Cesy, Signe, Sara and I sat around the table laughing and eating delicious French toast. I received a lovely red apron, with a white cross (Swiss flag) from Brady and Victor, and spent the afternoon welcoming spring with the girls on the river. We sat and read, did homework and even watched a hot air balloon. How delightful. We played with the swans, and walked in the sunshine. In the evening, we had a delicious pasta-dinner, a surprise made by Sara and the girls for Brady and I. We spent the rest of the night walking through the village, listening and watching the colorful Fasnacht parties, and singing on our beloved dock. Late last night, the best surprise of all came along. Around one in the morning, my room filled with singing girls and candles. Cesy had made tiramisu from scratch, and we all sat around with spoons. It was gone in minutes. In all, it was the most lovely birthday. I received many cards and calls from those that I love, and made memories with new friends. I heard the birthday song in eight different languages, and wore a light t-shirt while sitting by the river. I saw a hot air balloon, and danced under the stars with girlfriends. I will cherish the memories, and the beautiful friends that were here to make them with me.

by request.

(This is for you, Mexico crew) Last night I went on an adventure. This was no typical adventure (well, at least for an almost-21-year-old American young person). Along with fifteen other hungry and anxious-to-do-something-wonderful mismatched persons, I drove to Singen. Upon arrival, we bypassed all of the Fausnacht parties, and went straight the local's favorite coffee house - McDonalds. We then spent four hours in the colorful and exciting (as many strange Fausnacht characters came in to get their cappuccino and cheeseburger...including three clowns and a band of lionesses...rawr) lobby of the restaurant. Over coffees and icecream, we talked and played and enjoyed being done with finals. The conversations ranged from unfinished papers to spring break plans (I will most likely be spending the break in Spain and hopefully Portugal)to home life. After a few hours of relatively quiet activities, we decided to partake in the old youth group favorite - Mafia. I had absolutely no idea that this game was international. However, the later it got...the more graphic the stories of killing became. Our group became progressively louder and louder, and soon had the attention of most of the restaurant (who probably thought we were having some strange sort of worship service). It was really a hoot. Well. That is really all that happened on the adventure. After four hours of laughing, playing and talking (and eating scrumptious foods), we drove through the windy-woodsy roads and came home. It was a lovely night. I hope your travels were safe today. Please wave hello to the streetlight, eat lots of quesotacos and hug all of my friends for me. Oh, and I'd very much like a bolie. Thank you.

candy hearts.

This was the first year that I can remember not eating a single candy heart on Valentine's day. Typically, my February diet consists mainly of sweet caffeinated beverages, chocolate (in many shapes and sizes) and yellow candy hearts. (I am partial to the yellow ones, although I will have an orange here and there.In my personal opinion, there are not really any other colors worth my time). This Valentine's day was different. Although chocolate and sweets were not hard to find, I never came across a candy heart. I tried to get over this sad reality, as there were many other things to enjoy. This week, however, I was very pleasantly surprised when I received a delightful little envelope in my usually quite uninhabited mailbox (I do love letters, send me one if you like...). This envelope was from a very special someone, and had inside a curious green dusting over each little paper. At first, I was quite confused. I soon remembered that he had a mentioned a candy heart that he had found just for me. I smiled as I realized that the green dust was the one and only candy heart that I had encountered this February season. In fact, I was so excited that I carefully collected the green dust into a small jar and set it next to Ella - my flower-plant (who is doing quite well these days, despite cold weather and an over-protective mother). I wake up every morning to my little jar of fairy dust, and smile. I am not really sad that I didn't get to eat it, because I don't care for the green kind anyway. This post may be considered quite un-inspirational to some, but then (again) they've never had the boy they love send them a candy heart from across the sea. Just a little thought, and a lot of love from a girl who can't stop thinking about you. Have a nice day.

it's simple.

Jesus is the answer. for the world today. Above Him there's no other. Jesus is the way. It is funny how often I forget.