Canapé Ile

In case you don't speak French, like me, Canape Ile means Couch Island. (Google Translate comes in handy!) Canape Ile is where Sienna and I have spent the week. As luxurious as this sounds (because everything sounds better in French) I can tell you that it is not a place to vacation. I will be posting my critique on Travel Advisor later today. But because I care so much about you all, I want you to hear it first hand. Do not travel to Canape Ile. Here is a short review:

Environment: Used tissues surround me. To the left, I see a used tissue. To the right, you guess it! A used tissue. Dirty dishes and random items like bottles of nail polish linger around. They really need to hire more maids for this resort.

Entertainment: Entertainment consists of Tangled, Curious George, Blues Clues, Cat in the Hat, and the occasional adult show while my travel companion is napping. Luckily the accommodations include WiFi, but one can only look at FaceBook, Pinterest, other random sites for so long before going crazy.

Language: The primary language spoken at Canape Ile is English. However, at times another language is spoken that I am not familiar with and Google Translator can help this time! The best way I can describe the language is tribal-like, with some whining and pointing.

Travel Companions: If I were stuck on an island or Ile, if you will, I wouldn't want to be with anyone else besides Sienna (other than Nick and Eastan, of course). Despite our living conditions and current health, she has been a trooper. Probably a better patient than me.

Conclusion - Two thumbs down for Canape Ile.

         

What do I know...of Holy?

Nick likes to tease me about how I can meet a stranger and quickly befriend them. My involvement with Project H.O.P.E. has blessed me with friendships that under different circumstances, I would never have met these people. One person that I am so blessed to call my friend is Shyanne Thompson. Although she is only 20 (yes she was born when I was in 7th grade), she inspires me more than many of my elders. I met Shyanne last summer while she interned for Project H.O.P.E. in Nicaragua. We only spent one week together, but kept in contact throughout the summer. I was able to spend an entire week with her in September.

I will be the first to admit that Shyanne and I don't have a lot in common. She is a single girl, has grown up as a daughter of missionaries, she is loves to shop at the Goodwill, is a very talented photographer, her lip is pierced...I could go on and on. Despite the differences, I admire Shyanne for so many reasons but I admire her most for her love for God.

Shyanne was recently accepted to The World Race and will be traveling to 11 countries during an 11 month period. Why would she want to do this? I'll let her tell you:
"I want to be a radical who sways to the movement of God’s hand. I don’t want to be a part of the traditional American dream. I want more. I want to go to the places that most wouldn't. I want to be the warrior that challenges the enemy and know that I am covered in the armor of God. I want to be in the places doing the things that most don’t even want to acknowledge the existence of. I want to be challenged and stretched. I want to experience God’s love and magnificence in a way that I have never experienced it before. I want God to be in complete control of my life."  


That is one of the many reasons Shyanne inspires me. Her latest blog post also inspired me. I created this blog to share and capture the random things that happen in our family, but I never thought about sharing my faith with others, even my close friends. But when I read Shyanne's post, I thought, "Wow. She is so bold in sharing her faith. Why don't I ever write about my faith in God or what God is doing in my life or in my family's life?"

It's really a simple question for me to answer. I don't do it because I'm scared. I'm scared that I will sound "too religious" or "too preachy" or "too corny." I'm not going to do that anymore. God is my life. My relationship with Him is everything to me.  I do not deserve to have the life that I have now but because of God's grace, I am blessed with an amazing husband and two amazing kids.

I'm at a point in my life where I feel God is calling me to do so much more for Him. As a wife and mom of two children, I know that I can't join The World Race but I know there is always more for me to do. I'm praying  daily that God shows Nick and me what we can do more as a family to serve Him and share His love with others. I'll keep you updated!

In the meantime, read this post from Shyanne. It's based off of one of my favorite songs by Addison Road.
What do I know of Holy?

Six Months

Although I have the best of intentions to post blogs on a weekly basis, it has been SIX months since my last post. I feel like I should be making a confession to my small group of followers: Dear followers, it has been six months since my last post. Please forgive me.

I'm sure you have had many sleepless nights wondering what has been going on in the Hill family. Here is a quick rundown, so you can now sleep at night:

• Eastan turned 13! Yes, he is a teenager!
• Nick and I went with our good friends Jim and Heather to Las Vegas
• Nick turned 31 and we celebrated in Vegas. 
• We got to spend much needed quality time with our dear friends Nick and Aubrey
• The entire family traveled with my parents and my grandma to Florida. Sienna had her first beach experience and loved it.

I promise to have more creative posts later. I write them in my head all the time (I'm crazy like that), they just don't come to fruition on paper, er...computer.

Nick, Aubrey, Ashley & Nick

My dad, Sienna, Nick and Eastan

My grandma and mom

Even teenagers love to play in the sand.

Doughnuts are always better in Florida!

Sienna & Papa

Sunset in Florida

Vegas love

Jim and Heather

PB&J Face

Sienna loves her PB&J. She has a very specific way to eat the sandwich, too. She pulls it apart and licks all the peanut butter and jelly off the bread. This usually ends up with her smearing the peanut butter and jelly ALL OVER her face. Once she gets all of the inside goodness, she will proceed to eat the bread. It's the cutest thing but not fun to clean up. I love that girl!

A Time to Rest

Eastan is now in 7th grade. Where does the time go? He started Cross Country and has practice every day after school. On the first full week of school, Eastan came to me with a very serious request. It was around 8:30 p.m. and I was sitting in the kitchen catching up on my work email. The conversation went like this:

Eastan: Mom, can we sit down and plan a time for me to have just, like 30 minutes of down time. You know, where I can just relax and not do anything.

Me: (Remember, I am at my computer...answering emails...just finished making dinner, cleaning up dinner, etc) What do you mean?

Eastan: Well, I just had to run around all day after school and then when I got home, I didn't have any time to relax. Each time I started to relax, I had to get up and jump over another fence.

Me: Sure, we can do that. Didn't you watch a movie in your room for like 45 minutes?

Eastan: Well, I did but I had to stop because Dad told me I had to sweep off the back porch.

Me: (Trying to be as sweet as possible without laughing in his face) Ok, we will sit down and plan a time for you to relax.

Eastan then went off to bed and I finished answering emails. Oh, to be a seventh grader!

Random Thoughts

I went to the gym yesterday. It was a dreary and cold day. The kind of day where all you really want to do is throw on your comfy clothes and eat comfort food. But, I summed up all the positive energy I had inside me (which was NOT a lot) and made myself go. While I was there I had a few random thoughts.

1. Wouldn't it be awesome if there was some one standing at the door when you entered the gym cheering you on? Something like this, "Good job! Way to drag yourself to the gym! You are going to feel so much better when you are done! You're a rockstar!"

2. Hairy legs are bad when all you have in your gym bag are shorts. When you combine that with legs that haven't seen the sun in about seven months, it gets worse. The unltimate is hairy legs, that haven't seen the sun in seven months with sock and jean lines!

3. A few people from the gym acted like they hadn't seen me in forever...probably because they haven't. But I felt the need to tell them that I HAVE been working out at home. Why do I feel the need to convience them of that???

4. In the same respect as #1...There should be a person standing at the door when you leave congratulating you of your accomplishment. "Look at you! You did it! Don't you feel better? You already look skinnier than you did when you walked in the door! You are going to look HOT in a swimsuit this summer!" Some people might think that's a little over the top and borderline harrassment but not me! I'm vain like that.

Nothing Like This

Last night, I went to a Rascal Flatts concert with my long time friend Allison. Here are a few things I learned.

1. If you are a popular male country singer, you can get away with wearing glittery jeans and button up shirt.


2. Rain is a good thing


3. A guy named Joe Don can actually be cute...well, maybe only if he is in a popular country band and plays a guitar


4. Although it's been a long time since I've listened to country music, I'm still pretty fond of it!


5. Some friends you can go years without seeing (literally years) and pick up right where you left off. Those are the kind of friends you will have forever. Cherish those friendships. Thanks Allison for a great night!