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Showing posts with label New Year. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Year. Show all posts

Sunday, December 31, 2006

Happy New Year!

Happy%202007
Happy 2007!

In 2006 we had many trials and joys. We hope that you have enjoyed reading about them as much as we have had fun telling you our story.

We have had 2,009 visits since early April, and you all viewed 3,031 pages. The post most visited (in one day) was "On The Way," which in retrospect was probably a bit of a deceptive title. I hope you did not think I was trying to be that way.

By the way, we have both recently updated our profiles. Karl's is in English, and Nádya's is in Portuguese. Also, our 100th post is this one (which makes the post you are reading post number 101).

Have fun ringing in the new year, wherever in the world you are.

[Edit: How could I have forgotten that I made the front cover of Time Magazine?]

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Monday, January 02, 2006

How we spent the first hours of 2006

Nyna, Nádya, and KarlSo, here we are a couple of days into the New Year, and I am already behind. Sounds like me. At any rate, here are some pictures from our New Year celebration.

We exchanged hugs and kisses at midnight, then went to a pizza place sometime after midnight, and had pizza and soda. A fun time was had by all.

This first photo is of me, my wife, and her sister (right to left). No, that is not beer in front of us--it is guarana, a flavor of soda. Yes, that is a beer advertisement near my head—no, I was not thinking about beer.

80951339 9E7546F81FHere are my in-laws. Nilson and Carmelia. This photo is a bit blurry at larger sizes, as my camera did not focus correctly, but its the best I have of them.

80951279 65Db7117C4Junior is Nádya's brother, Romea is his girlfriend (right), and Yluscka (next photo, right) is their daughter (separate picture because she moves to fast to capture with her parents).
80951406 06Db7E8658Yluscka is 4, and has tons of energy and spunk. I think i have only met one other child who has close to equal her energy--his name is Josh.

80951222 4774Ac79FbFinally, but not least, Allan and Hérika. Nádya's sister, and her husband were there as well.

The pizza was really good; something different about the pizza here is that it does not come with tomato sauce, and often comes with corn on it. This pizza had some sort of cheese stuffed in the crust, which was very good, but the odd thing was that it had a consistency similar to very thick mayonnaise. We ate so late that I was extremely hungry, and once I ate I was completely ready to hit the sack. It was an excellent way to ring in the new year, though.

For the last photo of this post, here is a picture of the restaurant's fountain that was kind of the centerpiece of the entrance. It added a nice ambiance to the evening, so I thought I would share it with you. All these people join me in wishing you a happy and prosperous 2006.
80950518 951Dc0C70C

[posted with ecto]


Saturday, December 31, 2005

2005: Our Year in Review

So many new and different (though not necessarily exciting) things have happened to us in the past year or so, I thought I would put together a list. It may end up being a little long, but this is what we have been through in the past year [New Year greetings at the end.]:

  • Got engaged (a little more than a year ago).
  • I (Karl) spent my first Christmas in Brazil.
  • I spent my first birthday in Brazil.
  • I had to leave Brazil.
  • As soon as I got home (within the first hour of being in Portland) I learned that I had lost my job.
  • Tons of instant messaging, email, international phone calls, etc.
  • I found a job, and a living situation that was... passable(?)
  • Plane tickets purchased (in May).
  • Quit my job, packed my things, and flew to Brazil.
  • Soon found out that the wedding would not take place on the date we originally planned for.
  • We were asked for a bribe by a government official--which we ended up avoiding.
  • Went to Forteleza to start the visa process--and found out that we wasted our money.
  • We had to postpone the wedding a second time.
  • We got married!
  • Karl applies for Brazilian permanent residence.
  • We went to Recife to see if we could start the visa process there.
  • We were soundly rejected (yet another waste of money).
  • Karl applies for several jobs at English teaching schools (legally).
  • One school interviews, but does not need Karl in the near-term (Not enough advanced students.)
  • Karl's application for permanent residence is temporarily rejected (pending a document authorization).
  • Another school is interested in Karl's English skills (should know more after Monday).

That looks like enough to me for one year. We are looking forward with anticipation to see where God leads us, and how he leads us there. We are looking forward to seeing His provision in all the little ways that He has provided us with in 2005.

Additionally, we pray the same for you; that you would have a happy and prosperous New Year. That you would trust Him with your needs--and that should you fail to trust him for a moment (who doesn't?), that you would see His light in the midst of your dark moments.

Feliz Ano Novo! Feliz 2006!

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