Random photos of Carol

It was so nice to be able to spend the day outdoors and enjoy the nice weather...

We even saw a leopard...

Thankfully he was tame....haha

Butterfly garden

Butterfly gardens are really popular in Costa Rica.

I don't know if you can see the one who landed on my shoulder. He was looking for a place to rest.

As we were leaving the garden there was a mirror with a sign which said check your clothing to make sure you aren't taking any butterflies with you.

Satuday sunning

It was neat to see this family of turtles on the rock sunbathing.

Boa constrictor birthday party

You read it right...Today I went to a park called INBIO (biological, environmental) and while there I got to go to a 1 year old birthday party for two boa constrictors. They were born last year on this day along with 31 sisters!

There was cake, balloons and drinks, a real party.

I thought a birthday party for a dog who turned 1 earlier this week. A birthday party for two snakes...What's next??

Timmy after the party

Timmy had a really good time celebrating his first birthday but he was tired at the end of the party...He was asleep at our feet under the table.

Dora and two of the grandkids.

Here's a photo of Dora and two of her grandchildren. The girl was just elected today to be president of her school. She's 11 years old. I was very impressed and of course everyone at the party was proud of her.

Dora and Carol

For Timmy's birthday party we enjoyed a meal of rice, beans, potato salad and pork. It was really good. Dora, my Costa Rican friend, is in the photo with me.

Birthday party for Timmy

Tonight I went to a birthday for Timmy.....Who's Timmy? Well, he happens to be a French Poodle. He's the "grandson" of a good Costa Rican friend of mine. It was fun. It reminded me of something we would do in my family for the pets. The lady in the photo is Astrid. Timmy is her "baby". She's the daughter of my Costa Rican friend, Dora.

Devotion

Today I was reading in a devotional a statement that really made sense and hit home with me. It said the meat is to fear God, not men in circumstances or the what-ifs of life. God is in control and He is the ultimate authority. This fear or reverence for God's power and sovereignty is the meat of who we are as Christians. It protects us as Christians as as citizens. I thought this was really good because so many times I get caught up in the what-ifs. What if this happens, what if that happens, what if I don't do good on that test, what if I make a mistake....It just has to come down to my saying what if that happens, it doesn't matter because God has it under control and under better control than I do.

Is there a doctor in the house?

There was a section at the museum where the kids could dress up in doctor's outfits and work on the patients.

Enjoying ice cream

Daniel enjoyed some ice cream after our trip to the museum.

Entertainment for a small fee

This guy entertained us by striking a pose. Then of course he held out his hand for us to give him a tip for entertaining us. He was funny even if the picture didn't fully capture it.

Which right do you think is most important?

Vote for the right that you think is most important: life, liberty, health, studies, nationality or play.

Moms and sons

Carol and Christopher Columbus

Carol and Christopher Columbus, a very important person in the discovery of many countries.

Taking a train ride

You could even check out a train at the museum.

Photos of Carol

In the top photo I'm enjoying taking a break. In the bottom photo I'm in the helicopter with my friend Yaneth.

Enjoying some food

One of the fun things was an area set up with "play" food like pizza, tacos, fish, spaghetti and a sandwich. It was fun pretending that we were eating.

Fun photos

Spiderman

Isaac and Daneil loved getting their faces painted like Spiderman.

A trip to the dentist

At the museum there was a part where you could walk inside of a mouth. It was really neat. Also they had a big set of teeth and a brush where you could practice brushing the teeth.

Fun day at the Children's Museum

Today, I went to the Children's Museum in San Jose. It was a fun trip. It is defintely an interactive museum. I think the adults had as much or more fun as the kids. The museum used to be a prison and it was converted into the museum in the 1990's.

Lunch with friends

Today I was able to do something which I have missed doing. I made lunch for friends. I invited Erica, a friend from Nicaragua, Dora, a Costa Rican lady, and Karen another student from Oklahoma. It was a nice time of enjoying good food and fellowship. It was interesting to hear how food is different in different cultures. For example Dora commented that she never uses the oven, she lives by herself and she said it takes too much electricity to use the oven. Here in Costa Rica it's a common thing not to use the oven. I said in the US we usually use the oven often. We enjoyed lasagna, salad, bread and brownies. It was a good time and a good mix of cultures.

I bought a pet monkey!

I bet that got your attention....It's a good thing it was a stuffed animal monkey...

haha

The exact amount

The other day I was going out to visit a friend and then I was going to buy a cantaloupe at the fruit market. I didn't want to take my bag so I just put some coins in my pocket. I got to the fruit market and bought a cantaloupe and two bananas. And yes you guessed it, the amount came to the exact amount that I had in my pocket. I think it's neat when God works out things like that...

Happy animals

At Abraham's house they have two dogs and a cat. Of course I enjoyed playing with them. The dog reminds me of Coconut, a dog which I had when I was in Mozambique. The cat was especially happy sunning in the sun before the rain started in the afternoon.

Birthday gift and cake

Abraham's birthday was last week so we were also able to celebrate his birthday when I visited on Saturday. I had a North Carolina visor which I was able to give him and he loved it. If you notice his shirt says Cheescake Factory. I didn't give him that but I said with the North Carolina visor and that shirt, he is "almost gringo-a person from the United States". haha

I made him a chocolate cake with vanilla icing. I enjoyed it and they did too.

An enjoyable visit

I had the opportunity Saturday to visit with Abraham and his family. It was an enjoyable day. This is a picture of him in the white shirt, his wife in front of him in the red shirt, middle son in the red shirt and the youngest son in the blue shirt. I met him after he got off work at 7:30 am and then went with him to his house. It takes about an hour for him to get to his house. We walked some and then took a bus to get to his house.

God's place, God's time

When my parents and friends were here visiting before Easter, we met this man named Edward. He was so excited to meet fellow missionaries. I hadn't seen him since then, until this past Saturday. I went downtown shopping while there I had some pictures developed. One of the pictures I developed was of Edward but I didn't have any idea when I would see him. A little while in the day, I walked into the Christian bookstore and guess who was there? Edward. He was so excited to see me and I was so excited to be able to give him the photo of him. I thought we were both in God's place at the right time.

Carol on the bus

Here's a picture of me on the bus..

Barb and the birds

A new group of students arrived recently. This is a picture of Barb, the lady who I am a big sister to. Today we went to downtown San Jose and she had the true "tourist" experience of having the birds on her. The park is a large area and there are 100's of birds around the park. I think it's a good picture and it looks like she enjoyed it.

Classes again..

Classes have started once again for me. Today was the first day of classes after a break of about a week and a half. The classes went good. I think grammar class will once again be challenging...It is nice to think that at the end of this trimester in August I will be on my way to Guatemala. Thanks for your continuing prayers!

Psalm 42:1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul thirsts for you, O God.

Carol in Cartago

Cartago is an historical town located about 40 minutes from San Jose downtown. It was the capital of Costa Rica until 1823, it is the country's oldest city. It is home to a beautiful building, Costa Rica's national shrine.

Can you name this animal?

Can you see the shape of the pig? I thought it was creative cutting. If you are old enough you might remember the movie, Edward Scissorhands. He was able to use his hands to cut and shape shubery. I remember it from my early college days.

Take time to enjoy the flowers

Today I had the opportunity to stop and enjoy the flowers...