Even More Rain

It has rained nonstop with today giving us the most heavy. I think we all feel damp to the bone.

The clinics this week have been relatively close so we've been able to come back to the ministry center. As always, we've had some great experiences. The people here are so kind and give us such a warm welcome....and, the food has been pretty good, too.

I look forward to sharing stories and pictures soon.

Rain, Rain and More Rain

If you don't believe in the power of prayer, you should come to Guatemala. As we were about to go through security, Hermann called to say we might land because the weather map was purple. They started praying they facebooked people here to pray because a pilot once told him they never land when it's purple.

You all know I fly a lot. I can't remember a smoother landing. No turbulence. Amazing and very cool.

It has rained a lot but then it is the rainy season. We visited a new church plant this morning in Antigua. Great service. It was their 3rd meeting and they already are having 2 services. Because we were in Antigua and had an bour to kill while waiting for the 2nd service, we were able to wander around a little . Stories and pictures to come.

The afternoon was at the children's home. More heart-wrenching than unusual since it was the day parents could visit. More on that, too. You may to skip that one...a heartbreaker.

Last Minute Update

This is absolutely a record. 9:15 and I'm practically done packing. I am never really totally done until we walk out the door, but I'm feeling pretty good about things.

We plan to send updates so check out the blog. Should be interesting since a hurricane is bearing down on Honduras. When we get back, I'll give you a geography lesson. Let's just leave it at we were about 10 miles from the Honduras border the first time we went.

I look forward to keeping you updated!

Striiiike!

Oh, my. Watching your son pitch is one heart-wrenching experience. Christopher had decided at the end of the summer, pitching might be ok. Last Saturday, Coach Swope called him in.

You could see the nervousness on his. The faces he would make when the pitch didn't go exactly the way he wanted it....they just made you want to go sweep him up and give him a hug.

He struck out two. I love that face. It's an ever so slight smirk and a quick fist pump. Love it. Of course, no pictures of that. Maybe that just a better memory in mind.

That first inning was one for the books. A batter did get on base. (We reminded him that if they're hitting it, it was probably a strike. Got to depend on your team.) That batter eventually stole all the way to third.

An awesome play at home.....he was OUT! A shutout inning for the Dodgers and for Christopher.

For mom, it was whew.

Out at Home

Pressure was on. Christopher was called in to pitch. He has been off and about whether he wanted to pitch, but he has been practicing with Coach Clint, just in case. We were very behind and Coach Swope needed a pitcher.

He clearly had not been pitching a lot, but he was getting it across the plate. The inning went pretty quickly...he had a strike out. Some of the batters were able to hit him since he was getting it across the plate.

One thing that is hard to get your head around in minors is covering a base since you can steal for the first time. Coach is constantly yelling at guys. One thing that definitely doesn't come naturally is for the pitcher to cover home plate when the catcher doesn't snag the pitch.

I was too busy watching to catch it on film, but Christopher and the catcher pulled off a brilliant out at home. The umpire even came over to tell Coach that he hardly ever sees that in this league, but that both of them did exactly what they were supposed to. Way to go, Christopher!!

James and the Trash

Life has gotten totally crazy...I'll give you a full update on our little project downstairs, but take my word for it that it's taking a lot of time. Today also started the gathering of items for Guatemala. We're now less than a week away.

So, in the interest of time (and the fact that I don't have all the photos uploaded from Christopher's baseball game this morning), I am cheating today.

Here's a link to another blog where James got a shout out.

Cool baseball pictures to come.

Suurprise!

With two boys at home who are somewhat creative in their own ways, I cease to never be surprised at so many things. The most recent surprise was when I was getting my camera ready for Fall Ball Opening Day. (Yes, I am very far behind on keeping you updated, but I promise, I will catch you up on all our doings.)

Any way, I picked up my camera and looked to see which pictures were on the card and found this....

Now, for those of you who aren't around my children a lot (James in particular) you won't catch the nuanced funny thing here. My Christopher, who loves to dress up is totally dressed in James's clothes. James is very particular about what he wears and definitely has some favorites. This outfit, modeled by Christopher, is one of his favorites right down to the socks and shoes. I found this very humorous.

Even funnier, kind of, was the next set of photos.

This would be Christopher in his gangsta constume. Right down to the plastic gun in his pants. I have heard that he had some help from his older sibling in designing this ensemble, but I must say the attitude makes it complete. (Well, almost. No one in our house has adequate bling for this outfit but I thought it wasn't bad given what they had to work with.) Still not sure what I think of the plastic gun, but it is plastic and it is dress up.

Look for some posts beginning September 25th...James and I are headed back to Guatemala. (I know, I know, we didn't get letters out this year - you can pray for us any way.) Between some home projects and the trip, it's been hard to be regular. My fall resolution is to do better.

Hope you have a wonderful and we'll catch you soon.

Road Atlanta

Road Atlanta. Hmmm. You might be thinking, "I didn't know the Todds were into car racing." There was a time that we watched NASCAR when James was small, but that was back when we had time to sit and just nap/watch TV on Sunday afternoons. No, today we really don't follow car racing of any sort. So why, you ask, is she posting anything about Road Atlanta. (Come to think of it, if you don't live in Atlanta you probably weren't thinking any of this...)

There is actually a bike race on this road course. It runs backwards from what the cars do and is fairly intense.

As you look at this picture, it may strike you that something is wrong. If you dig back into the recesses of your mind....well, before Oregon (or maybe it was interspersed with Oregon)....you may remember that James catted up to Category 4. This process infamously strikes fear into the hearts of the moms of junior cyclists everywhere, especially 12-year-old ones. Category 4 means you're riding with...you guessed it....MEN. Big men. Men that are sometimes 3 times the size of your child. (Not very often because it is very hard to ride very far on a bike if you weigh over 200 pounds.)

This was James's second Cat 4 race. I was very glad that I was out of town, because 1) it was unbelievably hot the last week of July and 2) I was very nervous about this race. It's a long course and they just keep riding around it (I think it was 45 minutes, but I could be wrong). If you get dropped from the group, it can be a very long, lonely day.

Did I mention a very long, lonely day? James was such an incredible trooper. He just didn't give up. His junior teammates dropped out, but he just kept on pedaling.

I was so proud of him for just finishing the race. I am positive that I wouldn't have made it 2 feet.

This was the first race of Gwinnett BikeFest...the first of 5 races in 5 days that James would do. Guess what our next post will be? You guys are so smart.