When a Teacher Becomes the Student...

I can't believe how fast the summer flew by. Was it really two months ago that we finished out the school year and all headed different directions? I spent half of my time at home catching up from one trip and preparing for the next one. This summer I focused on reconnecting- reconnecting with family I hadn't seen in several years and reconnecting with friends I hadn't seen for too long. Being away for months at a time reminds me that tomorrow is never promised. I need to say what I want to say to people before it's too late. I loved being back home- not just in the U.S. but in my momma's house! She made sure I got to eat all of my favorite foods (especially fresh corn on the cob)- and the numbers on the scale quickly proved she did just that. My mom and I traveled to Indiana to spend several days with my aunt and uncle. While we were there we made a trip to see my grandma and visit with her a bit.

three generations

This was really special since I hadn't seen her in over 15 years. It was great to catch up with them and we had a lot of fun shopping at all the local thrift stores. Trying to figure out how to get it all to the Dominican Republic was a challenge we faced later in the summer.

I had the wonderful opportunity to make a trip out East, by train, to see one of the teachers I work with in the DR and spend some time with her family. She took me all over the states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. We toured Gettysburg, which had some really neat demonstrations since it was the 4th of July weekend.

I LOVE history, so this was one of the big highlights of the trip for me. I was introduced to all of the best ice cream places. I don't think I went one day without ice cream on this trip. When I first arrived we went camping one night and stopped in Hershey, Pennsylvania, on the way. We actually were asked to do some official taste testing in a back room of the store. We pretended we were part of some undercover project. I was in chocolate heaven.

our beautiful campsite for a night

no, I did not buy it

can't camp without smores

breakfast over the fire

Later in the week I spend some time with a good friend who lived in Lancaster and got to see her "neck of the woods". She took me all around Amishland. It was great to catch up on life. On Monday we celebrated the 4th of July with food and fireworks.

The last few days I was out East Carrie and I spent with her grandparents in New Jersey. They took us to Ocean City for some shell finding (I love collecting sea shells!).

I must say, having lived in the DR, that my expectations of beaches are really high (maybe too high). After walking along the beach for a while, hunger set in and we headed to the boardwalk.

It had all kinds of places to eat, shop, and play games. We had pizza for dinner. The slices were huge! Everyone said I had to go to the salt water taffy store to see how it was made and try some. I couldn't pick just a few pieces, so I bought one (or two) of EVERY flavor.

They just laughed at me. The sad thing is that it wouldn't fit in my luggage to come back to the DR, so my mom has a bag (or had a bag) of taffy in her refrigerator to enjoy. We got a tub of the famous caramel popcorn for me to try (and it didn't last for more than 24 hours). We finished out the evening with Polar Ice. It was so good! (They heard that a lot during the days I was visiting). And of course we couldn't leave without some last minute pictures on the beach with the sunset.

What a tiring fun-filled day! Everyone was so kind and generous. I've fallen in love with this family. There were so many firsts for me and they loved seeing my excitement about things that were normal for them. The next day was one of the best days of my trip. We took the metro into Philadelphia to begin our walk through history.

We toured Congress Hall (where the Declaration of Independence was signed) and the area surrounding it, including the Liberty Bell. You used to be able to touch it, but now it is encased in glass.

It was very interesting to see, since it is an important symbol of the U.S.  Carrie and I were able to tour the U.S. Mint. It is still in operation today, so we couldn't take pics or video. I learned how coins are made and what happens to the ones that are messed up. We both agreed it was one of our top stops during the day.

We saw the Betsy Ross House and Ben Franklin's Workshop (with a demonstration of the printing press).

We finished by going to the Constitution Center. Carrie and I took pictures pretending to be judges and presidents. We did silly poses with the statues of important people. (Sorry I can't post them all!)

It was a very busy day with a lot of walking, but it was so worth it. I even got to try a Philly cheese steak sandwich for the first time. It was so good!

Back at the house we watched "National Treasure", because part of it took place in Philadelphia. Lastly, before Carrie took me to the train station the next day, we had to stop for pretzels. They were my snack on the train ride back to Illinois. What a crazy week, but the history geek side of me was so happy!

This summer I also got to stay with my sister and her family for a few days. She had some really fun things planned. I actually got to celebrate her birthday with her this year, which doesn't happen often. We went out for lunch, shopping, and ice cream. All very important things for a birthday.

very surprised by my welcome party

valuable time with my big sis

I got to go be a kid with my nieces and nephew at Chuck E. Cheese's. We spent hours doing game after game. The kids loved to see the tickets spit out. One of the top things my niece loved to do was take her picture. I think she had close to twenty by the time we left, each with a different pose. At the end they each got to pick out a few special prizes. Fun was had by all!

Later that evening, Becky and I took the kids up to Wisconsin to a fair at the Jelly Belly factory. We went on carnival rides (kid's size), drank lemon shake-ups, and ate deep fried oreos (which the kids didn't like). And of course we couldn't leave without some bags of jellybeans.

Auntie Sarah trying not to freak out on the ferris wheel

Mommy won a monkey!!!! He fit right in with her other monkeys!

Someone else is more excited about the ride than me!

We took the kids to the pool, where they splashed and played and made things in the sand.

Fun in the sand

Pre-swimming excitement

My limited time with them is so precious! I got a second chance to spend some time with them, right before I came back to the DR.  We took the kids to Santa's Village.

waiting for the firetruck ride

hold tight for the caterpillar ride

my happy place

We went on several rides (thankfully they were kid sized, so I wasn't too motion sick). Mommy took the kids on the ones I couldn't handle. It warms this auntie's heart to see the kids smile and hear them laugh. There was one incident where the goats "attacked" the kids trying to get the food they held, and one freaked out. No more animals after that. We saw Santa in his summer house and touched the north pole (a pole of ice). We couldn't leave without getting ice cream. We spent my last morning at a place with inflatable jump houses. I sure got my workout. Leaving them is always very difficult and results in tears from both sides. The older they get the harder it is for them to let me go.

I was incredibly blessed to be able to go visit my camp family at BABR in New Mexico before I left the states. It was awesome to spend some quality time with so many of my close friends.

home away from home

my sister, friend, and mentor

Their camp season was beginning to wrap up. It was a different kind of visit for me. In my past summers here, I was a counselor and only saw a "piece" of camp (the part that involved my campers). This was a week to step back and see the vision of camp as a whole. It gave me time to encourage the staff to finish strong and pray for the ongoing work God is doing. I needed this visit more than I knew when I booked the flight. I had desperately missed my friends, the camp itself, and campers that I had grown to love over the years. It was very hard to leave after just a week, but I was so thankful for each conversation I was able to have. The late nights and early mornings were definitely worth it!

I was glad to spend time with each person in my family, whether it was chatting during a pedicure, going out to dinner, or watching a movie. How I wished for more hours to a day! Time just slipped by too quickly.

My summer was coming to a close. It was time to pack (and repack) and say goodbye. This summer was unlike any other summer, but I wouldn't have changed a thing. In traveling through many states and visiting many people, I found peace and rest. I was ready to return to my home in the Dominican Republic...