Photo Essay Part 1

Once again I am too jazzed to fall asleep. I'll give you one chance to guess what's keeping me awake...What else? Natal, of course! However, it occurred to me that, although I can talk about how excited I am to no end, really you, my reader(s) (the singular is probably more accurrate...) have no earthly idea of specifically what I am excited about. Allow me introduce to you what, or, rather, who, keeps me awake at night:

These are my two friends, Michelle (left) and Patricia (right). They are my Brazilian soulmates. They were the first two readers I met at the Information meeting and they instantly became like sisters to me. Michelle is more sarcastic than I am...and clearly there will be no need for further explanation for why I love her so much. :) Patricia is one of the godliest women I have ever known. She is a breast cancer survivor, single mother of three boys, owns her own business, and still manages to pour love and kindness over everyone she meets. Michelle and Patricia are the first faces I see when I think about Natal.

This is Andre. Andre lived with us at the church building and basically kept us alive for the month we were there. He taught us how to quit blowing the fuse every day, avoid running out of hot water, showed us the cheapest but most delightful neighborhood restaurants, and served as an excellent bodyguard any time we needed him (that's a joke, Mom) simply because he's oh, about 6'4. Andre and I became good friends and laughed together A LOT! He is an engineering student at the local university and teaches English. He was very interested in American slang, and would pick up on any new word or phrase he heard us use. His favorite new phrase was "I'm coughing up phlegm." My favorite phrase that we taught him was "I'm blowing up" any time his phone rang. Hahahaha...it's still hilarious to me. :) This picture was taken the last night we were in Natal, about 4 hours before we left to come home. I was a bit emotional that night (as you'll be able to tell in future pictures) so excuse my appearance please.

Look forward to a continuation of this photo essay over the next few days. I want you to know my friends and the reason why I just can't wait to be with them again. Adios!