We are finally enjoying better weather here in Cleveland!! It's been in the 70s the past week or so... hopefully it sticks around and we don't have to get the winter coats out again, but no guarantees!!
I had the opportunity to go down to Costa Rica and Nicaragua in early April with three friends from Westmont. It was one of the sweetest times I've had with them! One of my friends' mom is originally from Nicaragua and she has a house down there. Another friend is in Costa Rica teaching English. We flew into Costa Rica and crossed the border into Nicaragua where we spent most of our time. We went zip lining down a volcano, walked around a lot of different markets, went to beaches, and just hung around their house and enjoyed awesome food and sunshine. And, laughed a lot... It has been a struggle being here away from my friends and family, so it was truly such a blessing to be able to spend some girl time with some of the greatest friends I will ever have. :) Enjoy some pictures below. I definitely missed Luke, and I know he missed me, while I was gone. But, I came back with some presents. I got a hammock, which Nicaragua is known for, and Luke and I hung it up on our patio. It is so nice to sit out there and read or just lounge. As much as I would love to be with my friends again, I am back here and busy at work. Ambassadors gets busier with the coming of summer. I've been putting in extra hours getting things done. And, I'm also busy keeping my husband healthy and rested for the summer...
As many of you know, the Cleveland City Stars season is under way!! Luke is busy training with the team and getting to know some of the new guys on the team. The Stars had the opportunity to scrimmage the Columbus Crew (MLS team) two weeks ago, and Luke scored an awesome goal!!! I wish we had a recording of it that we could play for you guys. It's in the running for best goal of the year already. You can read about it on the Stars homepage. The mention of the Stars game (and Luke's goal!!) was on three local Cleveland news stations that night, and Luke's picture was in the main Cleveland newspaper. He's already a star, and the season has barely started. :) The Stars had their first league game last Saturday night against the new Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Even though it was not their best game, they won 2-1 with a last minute goal. There is a lot of anticipation of this season being a promising one for the Stars. Luke is doing really well and feeling great. He's liking all the guys on the team and already having a lot of fun with them. Pray that Luke and some of the other Christian guys will have the opportunity to share Christ with some of the others on the team.
Luke's dad had the opportunity to come up for the first home game - it was awesome to see him and spend some time with him. The Williams family will be coming up the weekend of May 10th to catch a game and celebrate Sara's birthday. My mom is also coming up next weekend to see us and catch a game. We are so excited to have our families out here soon. We are so blessed by their love and support for us!
We'll keep you posted on the games and summer happenings. Blessings!!
This monkey jumped in our boat on a tour of Lake Nicaragua. We named Bertram... and he ended up biting Christie's arm!! No wonder I have a scared look on my face... but it's a hilarious story!
