Canada eh?

Hello from GORGEOUS Canada!!! What can I say-I'm having an incredible time. I didn't realize how much I would value this last big family event emmediately before my departure to Colombia. What a precious time. Words don't do it justice....so I put up pictures. In all honestly-they don't do it justice either. But they are the best I could do. Enjoy!
p.s. the video is of me and my brother after a LONG day....enjoy the laugh! (its only 45 seconds)

Travel upsets...

As a person who has the slightest touch of OCD, I'm taking this opportunity to vent. Oh don't worry, this venting session is rated G and in all honesty is probably pointless. But I need an outlet for my frustration and figured that some of you might get a laugh out of it. So...here goes

THIS:

Is the backpack that I recently ordered. It is NEW, but being where this is the land of the "I want it now" and "I can find it cheaper on Amazon.com" I decided to use my trusty ole cyber friend and get the same backpack for half the price. And, in the spirit of fast food, I ordered it to arrive on expedited shipping so that I could have it before my Canada Trip. You see, I am traveling with the luggage Nazi, otherwise known as Derryck McLuhan. I say this lightly because I, in fact, am also generally quite anal when it comes to traveling light. But this is NOT one of my missions adventures, its vacation. I want OPTIONS people. I don't want to wear the same shirt 3 days in a row like I do in Colombia. I want cute pictures with my big family in lovely Canada and want them taken in STYLE! Well, "the Mcluhan family never checks on luggage when there are connecting flights involved" (says daddy earlier this evening). So I'm thinking...oh good, if my backpack gets here in time I can pack a large amount of clothes into a smaller space and still use it as a carry-on. Right? WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why? Because it's not coming. Yup, that's right. I checked the status today and, even though I ordered it SUNDAY, the silly company didn't send it out until THIS AFTERNOON. The other funny part is that my backpack will arrive some time on Friday when I'm already in Canada. It will sit in its not-so-inconspicuous box on my front porch for EIGHT FULL DAYS! Ugh

What can we learn from this lesson? We can learn that when you want something done right, do it the old fashioned way....GO TO THE STORE and PAY MORE! Yes, can't you just hear your grandfather going on and on about how we rush too much in this day and age. "We didn't even have backpack when i was a boy..." So, back to the ole rolling, heavy, and not space efficient suitcase. Guess my backpack will have to be broken in during my move to Colombia.

Tune in next week for pictures from Canada!

Books and Brushes

Let the heat waves come, I'm staying INDOORS! So, as I continue with my fairly uneventful summer, I'm headed straight into a weekend filled with, well, absolutely nothing.
In my boredom, I volunteered to paint my grandparents' kitchen and 1/2 bath. Actually, I do enjoy painting and seeing as I painted 5 rooms of my parents' current home, I do have a little experience. Why this weekend? My parents are going away for a four-day beach getaway with some friends and my only at-home sibling is staying at a friend's. And so, it was either stay alone in a 3-story vacuum of space, or try and busy myself. Gaddis Kitchen, here I come!


The other thing I'm doing a lot of this summer is reading. I enjoy great fiction but rarely have time to delve into it. I'v been getting various recommendations from friends and, for those who may be interested, here's what's on my summer reading list:
Currently reading: "Angels Fall" by Nora Roberts
Next up: "The Shack" by William P. Young
Later on: "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini
"The Russians" series by Michael Phillips
Any suggestions? Leave a comment and let me know!!!

Oh-my sister does a "quote" at the end of her blogs and I really like reading them. So, I'm copying her idea. Sorry Jill!
Quote: "Life can only be understood backwards, but it has to be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

Summer has landed!

I sit here in the lovely 90 degree weather ready to move out of this heat and into the mountains of Bogota. Soon enough! You may have heard that I bought my ticket. Well, its true!!! If all goes well, I'll be leaving July 17th.

I started the visa process a while ago, but yesterday I really started getting into it. Talk about red tape. They are NOT making this an easy move for me. Do any of you out there know what it means to have a document apostilled? Well, I do, and it goes something like this. Apostille: the process of going through every governmental branch possible in order to confirm and re-confirm that a person is who they say they are and assures that by the time the process is over, that person has already died from stress and there is no need to issue a visa any longer.

Something like that. But, it'll get done. Louisianna was a great success! I spoke at one of my supporting churches and got a new supporter! I also got a new supporter yesterday so I am gradually climbing that ladder. I'm busy at home working on my paperwork. There is so much to be done and I am starting to realize how little time I have left. So, here's to visas, paperwork, and coffee!

Blessings to all and enjoy the heat!

Shreveport

I'm back in Shreveport, LA visiting family and speaking at a church on Sunday. I'm fairly busy and so I will post a better blog on Monday night when I get back. My youngest brother Josiah has come along for the ride and what a ride its been. Keep ya posted!
Zoe