Ok so I haven't posted in awhile. Things have been a little crazy. We had this long Brazilian holiday two weekends ago, and we were off from school Friday through Wednesday. During that time, we relaxed, enjoyed Angra, and prepared for Joe's departure. This past week, we had a random Thursday holiday but worked today--Friday. I feel completely out of sync. When I woke this morning, before my alarm, I seriously needed about 5 minutes to remember what day of the week it was and where I was supposed to be. I think starting next week,. we will have two full weeks of classes without much for schedule changes, so I should be back to normal by next Wednesday.

In the middle of all of this, Joe decided it was time for him to take a break from Brazilian life. He has been investigating different educational options for the past couple of months, and he still isn't decided about what he will do. However, in the meantime he is hanging out with Dana and her family in VA, working for my brother-in-law and re-acclimating to American life. It is an adjustment to say the least.

Our friends Mara and Rodrigo were married last Sat. in a beautiful bilingual Catholic wedding in this amazing old church in the center of the city. The reception was up in a neighborhood called Santa Tereza--considered to be the last real Bohemian neighborhood in Rio--with spectacular views of Guanabara Bay, Sugar Loaf mountain, and Christ the Redeemer. It was a bit strange attending without Joe, but I was in the company of many great friends and overall the evening was lovely. (I should photoshop Joe into this picture of me before I left for the wedding.)

Here are a few of the ladies from school--Parrish, Suzanne and Ana. It is always fun to have events like this with colleagues, seeing everyone dressed up, hair done, and with make up is a welcomed change to the daily grind we normally find ourselves in.

And the events just continue...Taking advantage of the Thursday holiday, I decided to prepare a Mexican style dinner for a few friends Wednesday night since I have this absurd amount of flour tortillas stashed in my freezer. It was phenomenal! I have started cooking again since Joe is no longer here, and I have to admit, I really enjoy it. I had forgotten how much fun it is.

I have to say I outdid myself on this meal. I prepared: beef tacos with all the fixins, chicken fajitas, spanish rice (from scratch not a box by the way), and fresh guacamole. It was divine.Throughout the Mexican fiesta, Sierra and her friend Luisa played with the digital camera in her room, creating their own unique "photo shoot". This shot is one from that series. I can hear the laughter ringing through this picture; her smile is so big.

So we find ourselves in the weekend once again with very little plans other than to relax and read and be...moving one moment at a time. We have faced some intense and serious decisions in the past 2 weeks. What I have learned is that life is largely unpredictable. We assume that every thing is status quo, moving along as planned, but without any warning, things change. Learning how to react to that is the challenge we face. In the meantime, remembering all that is good and all there is to be grateful for is of utmost importance.