Out of Egypt...

The Holy Lands....

Strollin' the Shore of the Sea of Galilee

A few pictures to get you started....


Fishing Boys at Alex, Egypt


Alexander the Great's Bathing Area at Alex, Egypt


Women and a Man at Alexandria, Egypt


The Harbor at Alex, Egypt


Parking Man at Cairo, Eqypt


Boy in Cairo, Egypt


Mountains of Sinai, Home of the Bedouin Tribe Jabale


Sunset Rocks on the Sea of Galilee


View of Tiberias from the Galilean Shore


Tower of David at David's City, Jerusalem, Israel


Flags of Jerusalem


Went to the Holy Lands. Found out they are called the Holy Land for a reason. Wow. Incredible. The Journey followed the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, thru Jordan and on into Israel. I loved the Galilee--and i am pretty sure I could spend the rest of my life in a kibbutz there (a community farm), but I guess we will have to wait and see what His plans are :)

There is so much to tell about this trip. I felt like my brain was swirling the entire time, trying desperately to soak it all in without missing anything. We did a lot of hiking and walking, which was wonderful experiencing the desert and the heat. Now I have a little more understanding why God led His people there. Before we left, our rabbi (group leader) advised us to compile a few answers to the "How was your trip?" question. A 30-second answer, 2-minute, 10-minute and 2+ hour answer.... He kept calling us investments and reminded us that everyone may not have the opportunity to go on a trip such as this, and it would be our responsibility and his hope, that when we return, we find a network with whom to share what we learned.

So I thought, what better place to develop and work through these answers than here... For the 2-hour answer, you may have to actually meet with me, or wait for subsequent posts. As I am still working through all the information, I will make more posts regarding the "faith lessons" and I will share them here.

To Begin:

How Was Your Trip (In 30 Seconds)
I came away with a completely new way of studying the text. WHen I place myself in the context in which it is written, everything makes so much more sense. Just as in literature, it is helpful the know the time and culture of when a certain book was written and who it was written for, this information is actually quite vital to understanding the Bible. I have a new commitment to putting in my heart the text and living everyday with a passion to God and Christ. I am more in love with God than I have ever been. Jesus has always been easier for me to love, but now, seeing God's great sublime mystery, and His incredibly crafted plan for His people, I am in absolute wonderment. God is Good.

So there is the 30 Second (If you read SUPER FAST!) MOre to come later... and there is SO MUCH MORE! BLessings...
Shema and Shalom...
in the dust of His steps,
*brittney

Life's Like That, yeah...

Oh, sometimes cheesy pop punkers do say it best (referring to Avril Lavigne). Anyhow-- for most of you that would be reading this, you most certainly already know that I have relocated back to the good 'ole Red White and Blue. It is truly a blessing to be back. I loved every moment I was in Spain, and there are t=days when I still miss it so much it hurts, but I could not be more thankful for the time being here has afforded me to spend with friends and family. I am so blessed.

So, here's the run-down on la vida... Working at Houston Crating with the Pops. Loving it because I am a nobody there, as far as what I really offer the company (meaning I have no real skill sets besides making pretty letterhead and Excel spreadsheets) but I am learning a lot quickly. It's nice, the position I am in because I am, like I said, doing pretty entry-level work, but I am really getting a view of the business from the top, considering I live with the owner. I am not embarrassed or ashamed to ask him any question and we ride to and form work together (actually I drive my dad!) so we discuss the things that are taking place everyday. It's pretty cool. Not something I really ever foresaw myself in, but I am truly loving the learning-the-business aspect of it all.

It's funny, because in the export crating industry, it is rare to find a young, college-educated girl. This industry thrives more on experience than diplomas, so whenever I show up in a truck to deliver a crate, I am always greeted with the most interesting reactions. Nights in shining armor everywhere--trying to hold doors, carry boxes for me, say yes ma'am and the works, although I am almost certain if we were put in any other sphere of encounter, these gestures would be far from occurrence! Oh, he delights of my job!

Every thursday I go to dinner with some girls from ACU. We meet up at a different local each week and catch up. And we seem to always have the most colorful waiters! Our first week was my choice--we went to Sake, a sushi place uptown and.. I am gonna have a hard time capturing this one, but our waiter was the most dramatic, outspoken, overly catering and equally rude man I have ever encountered! He was such a mix! Example--Jessica is not much of a sushi eater, and wanted to go for something safe, chicken skewers. He actually reprimanded her and told her she was not getting a good deal for her money. When she stuck with her guns because she knew what she wanted, he just haughtily jotted her order down on his note pad, pursed his lips and said, "O-kaaay, whatever" as he gave an exasperated exhale! WHAT?!?! Who does that. Then he moved to unfold each of our napkins like a Spanish bullfighter and smooth them over our laps! So strange. And this is merely one episode our our weird waiter acquaintances!

My Nannie and George, along with my parents are going to Vegas this weekend. Not cool. I am here in The Ville baby-sitting puppies and they get to see the Cris Angel show. Nannie likes Cris a lot. I mean a lot. She will tell you-that Holly (yes, the Playmate) is no good for him. She has plans in the works to steal him during her stay in the City of Lights, I am sure. I think that is why she really wants to go to vegas. not gonna lie--i think my spitfire Nannie has a shot! :) Go get 'em, girl.

And finally--I am taking art lessons with my Aunt Leana. She is great, and a really talented artist. SHout out to her--HOLLLAAA ! haha. just kidding. BUt you guys should check out her stuff. SHe's got skillz :) http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/leana-gadboissills.html
I am doing color wheels with oil paints and wasting paper with my nonsense drawings and paintings, but she is patient and I actually am learning. Whether I am getting any better or not is a different issue, however! I mean--art runs in my blood. I sure hope i didn't get completely shafted. I figure I have it in me somewhere--its just a matter of finding it---even if it does turn out to be Crayola crayons :)

Oh, and Bailey. How i am LOVING being with my perfect precious pup again! She is adorable and I have fallen in love all over! I can't wait til we go to Colorado again this summer (Year 7 for me! Crazy!). She is kinda fat and is such a food hound! The girl will do ANYTHING for a treat. She can be seemingly dead asleep, lights out on the couch and maybe someone on TV says the word "Treat" and she about concurs whiplash jerking her body to attention so quickly. She can be anywhere in the house, yet hear the rustling of plastic or shaking of food and she is within a foot of the sound peering up desperately as if she hasn't eating in a week within seconds! She has a talent, I tell you.

Well, that is about all. Oh, the people at Starbuck's are starting to greet me on a first name basis and ask relevant personal questions from day-to-day. I am pretty sure that's bad. Once all my giftcards I have been collecting over the past 2 years run out, I may go through a period of withdraw. I will keep you updated on that. I just can't allow myself to consume 5 dollars of liquid in 20 minutes no matter how good it tastes. Well, that's a lie. I can. But I still need to give up SBs once I run out of them cards! Love you all and thanks for reading. Blessings, *B

Time to Catch...Up...

sooo... here I am.. I have been missing you all a lot lately... it's funny because things have not been rolling quite my way, as I will ashamedly admit I am a bit used to, but also with the feelings that naturally come with 'Tis the season, which has already begun here, i miss you... something about all the christmas cheer... it is in full bloom... i know, i know--only mid-November, you say? well, I have a theory for that... i decided that is because there is no defining day, like we have--being thanksgiving--to really begin the Christmas season, they begin decorating before Halloween in some parts! it is actually absurd, and takes away a bit of the novelty and excitement of Christmas when they celebrate it for a fourth of the year!

anyhow, back to how I was missing you guys. You are great, and things are still wonderful here, but finding work has just not proved to be as... possible... as I thought it would be! :) I say wonderful because I am really learning the meaning of being happy in all circumstances... One may think it is a joke to speak of "learning to be content" while living in Granada and having a fairly light work schedule, but it is not this that is the struggle... it is the sense that I am not really DOING anything here. I am convinced idleness for me signifies stale feelings. That is the best I think I can describe it... I just have a stirring within me to go build a house for someone or clean out a water tank or something completely primeval yet necessary because all I am doing here seems to have lost sight of what I like to think is really important to me. BUt then I think to myself that it is good I am thinking like this because I am re-assessing where I am and what I am doing and re-installing purpose into my being here. When these feelings began to overwhelm me a bit, I just took a deep breath, wrote a couple (okay, more than a couple) pages in my blog, made myself some hot chocolate, and promised myself to start fresh. I made a list of things I want to accomplish while here, and some plans for ensuring these things happen... so here we go...

1. Go hiking and skiing in the Sierra Nevadas (Audrey, David and I went on an excursion yesterday, check!)
2. Find a mentor in the church I have recently begun attending
3. Paint and read more...
4. Go to the gym
5. Find some ways to help people
6. Invest myself in someone and allow people to continue affecting me
7. Continue to immerse myself in Spanish
8. Really soak up all the unique aspects of this city

So these are all the original reasons I set out here, but in the run of every day here and there, I seem to have lost track a bit, and in course, lost the purpose of being here. Lost sounds so desperate. So not lost. Just fogged over. I was still doing all these things, but I had lost the impetus, the focus and reasoning I had for doing them.... So my rededication is here on this blog, and in my heart, awww... what cheese! No, but for real, it is important for me to know the reason for doing things and where I am headed, so this little heart-to-mind get-together I had for myself was important! And now, as promised... PICTURES... we have internet in the house now, so I don't mind so much sitting around waiting for them to load! Enjoy!

Still Here...

Audz looking angelic out in the mountains on day when we were visiting a friend's house for Sunday lunch!


David being the Monhombre (MonkeyMan) he is....!


Crazy spider, cool foto...


The Alhambra... such a blessing to just walk up on any given night and see it...


the two spanish boys I babysit on out way to Flamenco guitar class... check out that view.. ahh, the snow.. Glorious




Well.... good day, all!

So.. the new news... I have found more work, but the people are pretty scattered and tend to call and cancel, so it has not proven to be so dependable.. However, I HAVE applied to work at a ski resort in the Sierra Nevadas, which are a mere 30 minutes from town and tons of people commute, so it could be really great! I would work in the mornings and help people check in and get their gear, and then I could ski the afternoons! haha.. pretty rad, but who knows, it is actually kind of late to be interviewing for jobs up there since the ski season is actually fairly soon to start! A lot of people commute from Granada to the mountains, so it would be no problem getting there either--much better than taking the bus all the time, which is what I am doing now, running around to all the pueblos around Granada giving lessons..!

So, for Halloween, me, Audz, and the two Catalanyas--Maria and Estefania--went out together... they were Waldo, (here Wally) from Where's Waldo, Audz was a pirate, and I was AMy Winehouse... yeah... it was a bit ridiculous, and I really looked NOTHING like here, but they aren't as familiar with here over here--more just that she has tattoos, crazy hair and a missing tooth and says "NO, No, NO...!" so I pulled it off, but probably not something I would have gone for in the US...!

Audz and I have been at work in our piso... i moved rooms, to the smaller room that was gonna be the living room area because the other one was just too great of a hang-out space, but I really love my room now.. our house is coming together and it feels so much better to be there!

Also, I found a church that I really love and met some wonderful people there! I am really excited because they have a really large and active group of people my age, so it is really exciting and I cant wait to get back there! It was actually kind of emotional really being there because I have just so greatly missed a church family over this past year, so this really was such a blessing to find! Well, that is about all that is new for now... I think about you all often and really really do miss you deeply... Paz al mundo!

Livin' in Granada...

That's me.. AUdz caught me on the street heading up to the piso one morning..
Jsut kidding... just a random passerby observed from our balcony!


Well, hello all... Today is a beautiful Saturday morning here in Spain (12:30 still counts as morning here!) and Audrey and I our sitting in one of our favorite coffee spots in the Plaza Fuente near the grand entrance arc that opens into the winding world of the old Moorish Alabycin.... The two worlds of Granada are separated by a mere block, as the posh and happening Gran Via runs directly parallel to Calle Elvira, the heart of the hippie nightlife. Last week was a bit monumental for me here... instead of my previous month of pulling money out of my American Bank account to live, I was able to actually make a deposit! It felt AMAZING to work again and see those numbers rise rather than fall... ! Last week, I was able to do a few odd jobs, that I think will end up being pretty steady work... I helped a friend clean and work on her touristic apartments a couple days, I am baby-sitting two kids for a professor two days a week--one is 9 and the other 11... they are precious. The reason I was hired was to speak English with the boys; their dad speaks wonderfully! But we play games on the bus such as 'I Spy' and '20 Questions.' I pick them up from school and then we go to their music classes one day and back home and the other day we go to English class! It is so fun walking through the streets with them, and the little one is just a doll and so interested in learning English! What else? Ah... I have signs up ALL OVER TOWN offering English lessons... I have had about 4 or 5 interested thus far, but it is a bit difficult to actually get them signed up and scheduled weekly...

I am literally living like a little poor person, and it is weird, but good for me at the same time.. I have never NOT had my room cute and decorated and feeling really "homie" and my place now is just not there yet because it is more important that I make rent than have a cute room! Learning a lot here. It is curious to me when I realize I am CHOOSING to live like this. But I then realize it is a season. One day I am sure I will want stability and a fixed income where I dont have to take everyside job that comes my way to make rent, but for now, just being here and even the experiences I gain while I am working have proved to be well worth it!

So.. enough of money and job talk.. on to a great subject---FRIENDS.. it has been wonderfully easy to make friends here, which I must admit I was a little worried about! One night we went to a language exchange through the University, and we met tons of other people interested in languages and from all around the world! And they are looking for friends, too, so we actually DO things together like talk night walks to the Alhambra look-out points, go see ld showings of silent movies, the other day we saw Shakespere's Merchant of Venice in theatre and in Spanish! We walk around a lot, meet up for coffees with people, go hang out in Plaza Nueva and watch all the street performers... I am speaking more Spanish, too than ever before because Audrey and I are the only ones we know that really speak English and most of our others friends are international and Spanish is our common language! It's so nice to not have to work so hard in Spanish just to communicate... I still have A LOT to learn, but my goodness, I feel like I am really capable of relationships through Spanish now...

Last night Audz and I went to see (in SPanish) El Niño con Pijama de Rayas or The Boy With the Striped Pajamas.... wow... when Audz and I left the theatre, we just didn't really even feel like talking or walking... sometimes movies or books so moving and convicting just almost leave a part of you feeling empty when the credits roll or the last page is turned. It's like.. there is so much we should and COULD do, but I am just living my life... I realize that the injustices of the Holocaust happened many years ago, but the reality is that a different for of genocide is happing in our world today, and we are standing around again and letting it happen. I know a lot of people are doing a lot to try and change things, but I wouldn't doubt that a lot of people back then were trying to change things, too. It's just not enough. I just get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach when I realize that we REALLY DO have the resources within our power to END WORLD HUNGER and END POVERTY, yet we don't. I know there is more to it than just that, than POOF: no more Hunger, no more Death, no more Poverty, but I just feel like our coming generations are going to look back on us and say, "WHAT were they thinking? How could they just sit there and watch and allow these things to happen?" and I also am assured that one day there will be a generation that says NO. NO MORE. and pulls together and changes this world... Wouldn't it be wonderful to be a part of that? Well, wow,,, I am gonna step off my little Soap Box now... Last night was just a hard-hitter... I know we all do what we can, but what if we could do more, ya know?




Thes two are my room.. I loooove the built in shelve.. i have plans to paint the walls a mocha color and the inner space of the shelves the colors in my beadspread.. a nice Sunday kind of project!


That's one of our in-home dinner nights.. mmm.. mediterranean salad...mmm, I'm hungry now ! :)


The PRECIOUS Romanian daughter, Gabriella, of the painter Jaun, who had to repaint everything white the first week we were there... he's sweet, and basically lived with us that first week!

Well, this turned into a bit more of a journal than a blog, and sorry to unload on all of you, but if you are reading this, it is because I love you, and you love me, so I am okay if you know what I have been thinking about... well, I will work on making the next post a bit more light-hearted! :) I love you all and thanks for reading! *britt

Espana de Nuevo

The Crew from Pequeno Saltemontes, our favorite local spot.. we pretty much meet there every night of the weekend--these guys are fabulous!


So that would be me--dancing at the feria.. There are little "Casetas" set up--much like rodeo tents, where you dance (not s much eat) and this is the Tomate Caseta!I think it is like 9 at night, which is "perfect Tomate time" as we were told by the veterans!


Another picture of the crew.. wonderful, beautiful, fun people.. such a blessing to share this experience with them.. of coure they have all been a part of the feria since infancy, so we had a lot to learn and had to work double hard to hang with their no-stop, keep going hours!


And this is "the hair." The bottle is slightly visible in this one to give you a better picture of what is goin on up there... also.. please focus your attention on everyone BESIDES me, whose eyes are fixated on this creation in wonder and amusement (and maybe a bit of confusion!)


Audz and I -- good times out for Tapas after a week of recovery from the feria!


Soo... this is Audz and I at the feria. It is like 3 in the morning, and I am wearing sunglasses because I had put a bottle in my hair so that it stood up like Marge Simpson or a conehead, and no one in Linares had ever seen anything like it... they were flipping out, so as part of the "costume" I wore my sunglasses to save face a little! haha... as I was walking around people would stop me and ask to take pictures with "Amy Winhouse!" haha... so funny.. Audz played security and would slap people's hands when they tried to touch my hair! good times...


Audz and I out one day in Linares... oh to have nothing to do!


I ride motos! haha...


Surfin Es-pa-na! (to the tune of "Surfin USA") haha... Hang 10, dude! SOOOOO much fun--I'm hooked!

Hey Hey Hey! Well, for those of you that do not know, I was in Colorado this past summer, when my friend Audrey called to inform me that she was applying for grad school in Granada. She followed this announcement with the brilliant news that it would be necessary for her to go there to get/turn in various documents, and invited me along for the two-week tour. I hopped on the opportunity and booked the ticket the following day. THe truth is, I have missed Spain and Spanish since the day I abruptly left, and coming back for a final and proper good-bye seemed like the perfect remedy to my fixation on Spain.

It just so happened that the week we were coming back to the small southern town of Linares, would be their town feria. I must admit, I did not know what to expect, but I could have never imagined something so grand from this little city. The entire town was transformed (and closed) and no one worked for 5 days; they just went to the feria! I guess the best way I could describe it is a Houston Rodeo with everyone you know that NEVER closes and people just gather and dance from 4 pm til 8 am and do it again the next day and the next and the next until the final curtain is drawn and people must return to the non-feria life again. But dont you worry--for about 2 days after the feria, pretty much everything was still closed because "people needed to recover and rest!" haha... I love this culture. People just close their shops for a month to go on vacation or because they are tired. It is both equally frustrating and beautiful!

Besides that, I went surfing last weekend and spent a wonderful 5 day vacation from my vacation on the beach. It is amazing how one can fill their time when there is really nothing that needs to be done! To continue the story... 2 weeks quickly turned into 6, and now after 5 weeks, with my plane scheduled back to the USA on the 8th, I am planning on returning here to work in Granada this coming year. Nothing is final yet, but Audrey and I have been looking for a flat and I have been contacting various people about work, so we shall see! Well, it has been quite an adventure, but I wouldn't want to go about life any other way. Sorry it has been so long since I have written, but I just fall out of habit with things like this and need a good kick to get back in... and this time the kick came from within Mrs. Roxanne Bradford's tummy with the announcement of a coming Little One on May 8th! Congrats, guys... please keep them in your prayers! Love you all and God Bless... *britt

La Corrida

The Stadium


Picador


Matador


Enrique Ponce (he's pretty famous in these parts)


Well, there was a bullfight (una Corrida) in my town of Linares, so Audrey, Caroline and I decided we had to go and could not miss this completely cultural experience! Well, we entered through some side door, not really sure how we did it, but we were with all the Matadors before the run! They were decked out in their traditional gear (their pants were SOOOO tight, i don't even know how they breathed!) But it really was so incredible to see them there right before they were about to go dance with the bulls.

So--I really wasn't too educated in Bullfighting--all the rules and such, but I learned a lot there. There are actually different types--the Picadores ride on horses and fight the bull mounted! This for was particularly incredible to me because the man and the horse really seemed to just move as one--the horse was so obedient to his master even afront to face of a snorting, angry bull! I was amazed! Also, I wasn't really aware that the bull actually died. I thought it was more like a game of "run away from the mad bull!" But no-- they stab it throughout the fight until it keels over. I actually cried the first few bulls because I had never seen anything like that. I honestly didn't really like the feeling too much, but it was an experience I really was glad to have--mainly for cultural sake regardless or my moral beliefs towards the sport. Also, the men don't really so much "fight" the bull... it is more like a superbly elegant dance-- I think it is more art than sport, although I am sure the man standing in front of the bull would disagree! Anyhow.. I am glad I went, and it was especially unique because it was right here in my own town at the bullring I walk past everyday. When I was there, I couldn't help but be reminded that I am indeed in Espana!