Well hey there

Tunes: Iron & Wine

Sorry to all for not writing as often. I've been quite busy with school as exams approach, but that's not the main reason I've been so absent. I've been dealing with anxiety over things I can't control. It's been a struggle to live in the present and trust God with circumstances that are out of my hands. Day-by-day, He's been showing me how to do this, and I've been able to take part in some beautiful things that I could have missed out on.

Take yesterday, for example. I was in my room most of the day because I had quite a load of work, but was tinkering through it slowly, held back by a worrying mind. I finally laid all of it out, and plowed through what needed to be done. After that, I was able to go to the beach--however, as I arrived, so did the clouds. And the rain. But with a filled spirit, an uplifted heart, and some good friends, we decided to stay at the beach. Good choice.

Spaniards don't like bad weather. Almost all of my classmates haven't been to the beach once because it's "too cold." All of the Erasmus students go every day because most don't have beaches close to their homes normally. The rain hitting was quite a spectacle. There were screams, and a large wave of people flooding toward the metro stops. I had to hold back my laughter.

It was Nick, Allison, Caitlin, Julian, Will and me. We packed up all of our stuff (to keep it from getting soaked), and started hitting the volleyball around while laughing at the fleeing beach-goers. (Can I still call them beach-goers in this situation?) Caitlin and I walked barefoot to a restaurant to get some ice cream. When we returned, we decided to play paddle ball in the sand. Made up a sort of paddle ball / 4-square game combination.

Then, we started up a 3v3 game of volleyball. We were such fools the entire time. Whenever announcing the score, we would (try to) make up stupid rhymes. Our team (Nick, Caitlin, and I) lost both times, but I think we had more fun that way. Everything was a joke, and we had no decibel limit. Fun without the sun ftw.

At around 6, we all ran home to shower up and head to church. I love that place. They are a true family there, and we were immediately adopted. After a great message and many kisses, we went back to the girl's place to watch Dear John. Dear reader, don't bother. It was some good fellowship time, though. We know how to enjoy each other.

Bah. I have to get back to grading papers. Hasta pronto