Colombia - Day 8 & 9

Day 8 - Our last full day in Colombia - it came too fast! We started the day off with breakfast at the hotel  and then we walked over to La Esperanza where we were able to see school in session.   

We got a tour of the school, met some of the children, visited a couple of the classrooms, and met with the leaders of the school. It was neat to see how similar yet different school was here.

We walked in one classroom and saw a student sharing a power point presentation. The children had notes and pictures all over their notebooks, just like kids here do. They were excited to have an interruption to class and enjoyed showing off their English by asking us questions.

  

The school was four stories tall. On the top floor, there was an open air gym, with a beautiful view of the ocean. 

While we were there, we saw Wilbur,one of the men who went with us to Uribia. We presented him with a saw, as a gift of thanks for his help and guidance during our time in the desert. 

As we were touring the school, we noticed most of the girls were carrying flowers. We were told that they were celebrating "Dia de la mujer" - Women's day! When we walked into the administrators office, all of of the women were given a brownie and scoop of ice cream! Yum!- March 8th is now one of my new favorite days :) 

While we were enjoying our ice cream, Allen and Matthew enjoyed playing ball in the courtyard with one of the little boys. It was fun to watch. They are both so great with kids!

After we left the school, we went out for our last Colombian meal. The chicken and rice was delicious and one of my favorites of the week. 

Once we'd finished eating, we headed to Rododera to do some shopping and visit the beach... Jeff even went for a swim! Allen was so excited to finally get a chance to barter - he'd been looking forward to it all week!

 After spending some time walking around Rododera, we took taxis to the Ocean Mall, to do a little bit more shopping. They had a grocery store in the mall, so we were able to buy some Colombian coffee, candy, and vanilla! 

Then, the girls split off from the guys and headed to a nail salon, where we got pedicures for $7 US dollars! Not only was it only $7, but it has been one of the best pedicures I've had - I still have the polish on almost a month later! 

When we left the nail salon, we stopped to get Angela a birthday card (her birthday was the next day and she was still getting her nails done). This was so different from buying a card in the US. We went to a little stand in the middle of a shopping center. We picked out a card (thanks to help from our new friend, Margarita read them and told us if they were good choices or not!) After we picked out our card, the lady asked us who we were giving it to. Then, she wrote Angela's name on the envelope with a paint pen, decorated it, and used a hair dryer to dry the paint before we left! Pretty neat!

Then, we walked back to the hotel, met up with the group and headed out for our last meal in Colombia - Pizza! It was delicious! Bubba had arranged for one of the ladies at La Esperanza to make a cake for Angela, so we ate dinner and cake and celebrated Angela's 40th birthday! 

 When we got back to the hotel we all sat out on the terrace talking about the week, remembering, reflecting, and sharing the amazing things we saw, did, and experienced. It was such a fun day and an awesome way to end the trip!

The next morning, we got up and spent the day traveling home (and celebrating Angela's birthday!) During our travels we were able to continue to share and grow in relationship with our new friends. I know this trip wouldn't have been the same without the people who we were able to travel with. Allen and I both feel so blessed to have met so many amazing, Godly people. They each have a special place in our hearts. 

SAM Missionaries - so thankful for these people!

Back home!

We are so enormously thankful for this entire experience. We can't thank our friends and family enough for the thoughts, prayers, and financial support, that helped allow us to go on this journey. We are grateful to God for taking us to Colombia. This week truly changed our lives and we are so happy to have had this opportunity and we are looking forward to hopefully going back again soon! 

Allen's 28th!

On February 21st Allen turned 28! We both had pretty busy days planned, so we woke up early and he opened presents and then ate his annual breakfast casserole before heading to work. 

After work we drove to Charlotte to meet Allen's parents and brother for dinner at Nakatos Japanese Steakhouse. It was great to see them and spend time with them and we both appreciated them driving down to help us celebrate his big day! 

As I've said before, I am so blessed to be married to this man and celebrating his life and the day he was born is one of my favorite things to do! 

So -sorry this is late, A - but Happy 28th! I love you!

Dobbs!

On Tuesday, February 12, Gentry Dobbs Eddings III joined the world! 

Dobbs was due on February 5 so we had been waiting for his arrival and we were so excited when he finally arrived! 

Here are a few pictures of us meeting Dobbs for the first time! 

We already love him so much and we are so excited for our friends and excited be a part of Dobbs' life - we can't wait to watch and see this sweet boy grow! 

Kyle's Birthday!

Allen's cousin Kyle turned 28 at the beginning of February. The morning of his birthday, we drove down to surprise him. The guys went golfing for the day, and that night we all had dinner at one of Kyle's favorite restaurants - Mellow Mushroom before heading back to Granny and Papa's for cake, ice cream and presents! Here are some pictures from Kyle's big day! 

Congo turns 4!

It's been a while since I've blogged so I have a lot to catch up on. In January we celebrated Congo's 4th birthday. My mom had given me a dog treat maker for Christmas so I looked up a recipe in the book and we made dog treats and icing to celebrate   :) Congo got a couple of new toys and got (extra) spoiled throughout the day! Here are a few pictures from the day :