The Stairway

It seems that once again I have great reason to thank God for protecting me and my family. Traveling to Sophia's ballet class by taxi means being dropped off downtown, walking a few blocks, and then facing the dauntingly steep staircase that snakes up the hill to the ballet school.

I'd heard many stories of people being attacked on the staircase, as the dense foliage on either side can conceal robbers who "pop out of nowhere". Though I was always alert and cautious using the staircase, I never actually felt in danger. The sun shines through the tall trees on either side, and usually Sophia and Edison loudly count off the steps in either Spanish or English to pass the time. My greatest concern was just making sure neither of them took a tumble down the unforgiving concrete steps.

Yesterday I climbed up the stairs with Sophia in mid-afternoon; on our way to a ballet end-of-the-year ceremony. Halfway up, three young men came walking out of the foliage to my left, which startled me, but I just made certain to make eye contact with each one as if to say I see you, I'll remember your face so don't even think about it. I was glad to reach the ballet school without incident.

After the ceremony, I felt that I should ask my friend Daniela if she was driving straight home, and if so, if she would drop us off (they live close to us). She heartily agreed and proceeded to invite us over for coffee so our little ones could play together. We had a wonderful time.

Today I was told that after the ballet ceremony, one of the male students went walking down the staircase (where Sophia and I would have been if we hadn't gone with Daniela), and was attacked, stabbed, and robbed by an unknown number of assailants. He is doing fine; the wound was not serious, praise God!

I don't know of course whether they would have attacked me, Sophia being with me, but if they would stab someone just to steal, I can't imagine they'd have many scruples to begin with. Either way, I thank God that he led us away from that area and that he protected the young man from serious harm.

Thanks for your continued prayers for our family!

Sarah

Locked-In....

To My Most Amiable Readers....

I am locked-in my house so I figured I might as well update my blog. Yes, locked-in, well, in order not to be locked-out. Dustin left for a three day trip in the Andes and I discovered I don't have any keys. And I've got those handy doors that automatically lock when you shut them. And two happy-go-lucky-door-shutting kids. So....

Our digital camera died. On our roadtrip up north it up and froze on me, not even retreating the lens back into the camera body...just...capput. It was then that I realized how photo-dependent I'd become when it comes to blogging...I don't blog until I have a picture to tell the story.

In other news, it's summer here! The kids and I have been spending lots of time outside (when not locked-in), running through sprinklers, drawing with sidewalk chalk, and chatting with the neighbors. Today Sophia gave away one of her My Little Ponies to our neighbor's daughter. I almost stopped her (what? you can't just give your toys away?!), then realized that she's living out what we teach her; to share, to give even when it hurts, to give joyfully. I'm glad God dwells in her, and that He teaches me through her sometimes.

Edison is in the throes of potty-training, which means I'm in the throes of washing lots of soiled linens...ewwww. I know, I know...this too shall pass.

Reuben is learning how to smile : ). It starts in the eyes..they get all squinty and cheery and then the mouth starts to wiggle and all of a sudden...blissful smile. I absolutely eat it up.

Do you feel like you know me well? For some odd reason I've been having this inner dialogue where I interview myself: "What is your favorite place to be when it's raining?", self responds: "I would have to say....in a warm bath by candlelight, but with a window open so I can smell and hear the rain". "The oddest thing you like to snack on?", self responds: "water crackers smeared with cream cheese with a dollop of jam on top". "Where would you go at a moment's notice if you could?", self responds: "Italy, Egypt, Israel, Zimbabwe, Thailand, India, Brazil, The Caribbean, France, Croatia....was I supposed to only pick one?". Why am I doing this? Does anyone else have such inner madness going on?

Ok...."Should you go to bed now, before you start scaring your readers?"

Probably.

Your Most Devoted,
Sarah

Look! A Reuben Sandwich!!

Hola to my most amiable readers!
We just returned from a wonderful vacation to the sunny north of Chile. We needed to go to Santiago to go to the embassy to get Reuben's paperwork filed, so decided to make a fun road trip out of it. First stop was Chillan, a beautiful ski area where we rented a cabana and enjoyed the mountain views and the acclaimed street market. Then we headed north to Santiago, visiting the embassy to do paperwork and enjoying the urban landscape. What architecture!!! Leaving Santiago we enjoyed endless miles of vineyards in the thick of wine country. I could just feel my soggy Puerto Montt lungs drying out, and my feet were quite happy to be in flip-flops again. (For those who don't know, Puerto Montt is like Seattle in rainfall, and in general makes one feel like a living sponge.) Heading further north we poked around Vina del Mar and Valparaiso, admiring the stunning beaches and towering buildings. From there we headed down to Pichilemu, a surfer's heaven, where the waves hit 25 feet high during our visit. From there we found an awesome cabana...hammocks everywhere, beautiful plants and flowers, fountains, pools, and cheerful proprietors. What a trip!

Along the coast in Vina del Mar.

A fine merlot in front of the vines it came from.

Sophia and Edison at the street market in Chillan.