Frustration!

That's my middle name. I am so depressed and feel like I have no purpose. I'm not working and that is a major part of why I'm the way I am. However, I would be working if the wheels of bureaucratic Bologna would spin around a complete circle, but alas, we're asking for the impossible.

I took the test to add my hazardous material endorsement onto my CDL driver's license. After many complications r/t being unable to pass the eye exam because of having a recent CK procedure, I finally was able to complete all that was being asked of me. Now I'm told it takes 2-3 months to get through the background check.

And then my husband, Harold, calls me and says, I can't believe no one has called you. They are DESPERATE for drivers here. Watkins brought down a straight truck just in case someone with a class B license comes in.

I said, Harold. Honey. As soon as I get my TX endorsement I'm going to go back and let all know that I now have it. However, I'm no good to anyone without the hazardous materials endorsement.

Of course, Harold's boss, Jack, is in such dire straight he'd have put me on. Boy would that have been easy, initially anyway. No interview. However, I don't believe it'd be such a good idea for me to work with my husband.

Meanwhile, ...

I interrupt this program to bring you ...

... Some important information. My husband, Harold, has entered the truck driving championship here in the state of Florida. We've been busy as beavers practicing every weekend for quite a while now. We just spent the last weekend in Jacksonville, FL practicing with all the guys that have entered the trucking rodeo from Conway Southern Express, the company my husband works for. Florida's state contest is June 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in Tampa. Here is a group picture of all the guys. They're from all over the state. Give them a hand as they've been working hard, and all on their own time.

This is a precision driving contest and points are gained with getting inches from your mark. Harold entered in the flatbed division. Being that he has logged 2 1/2 million miles in one it just made sense to do that. He is going to take a trophy in Tampa. I know he can. I know he will. I know he can. I know he will. I know ...
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Thank you Ann!

I know I took pictures of Billy and Jeanette together, but with my speed set so slow on my camera they were a blur. I bugged Ann and that is the reason why I've been absent. She was working a ton of 12 hour shifts in a row and couldn't get to me. I managed to get a hold of her last night and said, YOU'RE HOLDING UP MY BLOG!!! And her response was, I finally have a night off. I will do it now.

So here it is. Billy and Jeanette, our host family. Billy is sitting down and that's Jeanette standing next to Dave. Hmmm ... I believe you've met all now. I can get back to telling the story.

Except ...
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Dr. Rene Cruz is from the Orlando, Florida area. He is a quiet, soft spoken man. Initially, he did not want to go to Colombia, but then called Renea back saying he had changed his mind. And just because of the way God works, since then he has met a beautiful woman from COLOMBIA and they are now engaged to be married. Rene was a good man to work with.
PS. Ignore that clown on the left!
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Fabian and Jeanie

They're from the east coast of Florida. Neither has much of a medical/dental background, but both are fluent in Spanish. Jeanie worked with Denyse in the women's clinic. A great match as she could translate and assist Denyse. Fabian assisted with translation when the people first came in and he also was The Burro's assistant. They were also going to go to Honduras last summer and transferred to the Colombia trip when the hurricane canceled our flight out. And also, Fabian is from Colombia, although he's been in the states since he was a boy.
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Ann and Denyse

Ann and Denyse are the two gals I went to Colombia with. Ann, on the right, is the one who mentioned going on a missionary trip and that is what got the ball rolling. She's a nurse at a local hospital and has worked oncology for years. Denyse, is a Physician's Assistant and has worked in OB/GYN for many years and is now working with an oncological surgical physician's group.
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Do not, absolutely, DO NOT let this sweet expression fool you!

Meet Dave, the dentist I was assigned to assist for the week. What a piece of work!!! And of course, when I saw that I didn't have to be the shy, obedient, demur nurse, I joined right in with him. We had a blast. We both were acting like comedians. Too much.

Anyway, Dave is from Sarasota, FL also and he and Pat go to the same church. He is the one that told her about this trip.

Dave goes on many, many mission trips and has been to numerous countries. He doesn't even attempt to do the dental work we're accustomed to in the U.S. His goal is to get people out of pain with antibiotics and extractions.
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Meet Ms. Pat

The ironic thing about this lady is how she resembled a nurse that recently retired from the hospital I used to work at. And her name was Pat also. I said to Ann, doesn't she look like Pat? And Renea said, you mean that Pat looks like Pat? Ha ha ha ...

Pat is a recent widow from the Sarasota, Florida area. She heard about this mission trip and that was that. She had to come. She worked for many years in pediatrics as a nurse. Currently she works for the elections committees.
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Me

This is me during a quiet moment in our dentist's room. How I loved going on this trip and am hooked on Colombia. I want to go back!
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The burro and his wife

This is Rick and Marla from Kenosha, Wisconsin. A lovely couple. Marla is a nurse and her husband, Rick is in computers, but for our trip he came as the 'burro' and did all the heavy work. I know he was glad as the week wore on and our load got lighter and lighter as we used our supplies up. We sure had a lot.
,
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He did it again!

This guy is Tio Jaime, Renea's uncle, an 84 year old fella that would put a lot of us to shame. He worked diligently in the pharmacy counting pills. His stamina is remarkable and would put a lot of us to shame. We walked through the salt mines and Renea had gotten him a wheelchair as she felt he'd be fine going down into the mine, but have trouble climbing back out. This young man would have nothing to do with that chair and was very insulted to see it. We wheeled it around with us just in case, but let me tell you this. He climbed out of that mine and nobody saw him huff or puff once. And I sure can't say that about myself! And instead of taking the ramp I took the stairs. No 84 year old man was going to show me up!

And his antics and voice. It was about day 3 or 4 when it finally came to me. He not only resembled, but sounded like Mr. Magoo. And just like Mr. Magoo, he lost his glasses on a regular basis. When I brought this up everyone hooted and hollered in agreement. You betcha. Mr Magoo, he did it again.
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Meet Renea

It's time I introduced my missionary team.

Renea was the team leader for our missionary team. She has given over her life to do work with Missionary Ventures and go to different countries helping the poor both physically and spiritually. What an amazing woman. In this picture she is working in our make shift pharmacy. That is her with the blue flowered nurse jacket.
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Sunday morning in Colombia

It's this woman here that was my first spiritual inspiration in Colombia. She's the pastor's wife at a Pentecostal church we visited. The strength of her spirit made the hair raise on my arms. I was dumbfounded. Tears sprang to my eyes. I was in a trance. And it all came back to me in an instant -- the power of God. I'd turned my back on him when my late husband died in 1995. He was just 42 years old and way too young to be needing a heart transplant. Ten years later the Lord is filling my soul again. He'd been there all along waiting for me to heal.

I knew with my job as a hospice nurse that I was more in tune to the 'other side' of this life time. You can't do that job and have no faith. It took this medical/dental missionary trip to pull it the rest of the way out. At least that's the way I see it right now.

And by the way, if you could see this church. They had/have nothing much in tangible items. As a matter of fact their microphone/music system had been stolen and they were asking for 50,000 pesos to be able to keep the one they had borrowed for the day. If 20 people would pledge ... And we did. Then one person, Rick, came up and paid the whole amount, so that church, on that particular day, was highly blessed.

I wish I could remember how much money that was. I believe I'm close when I say it was a bit less than $20/person.

PS. Sorry for the blurry pictures. My camera's speed was set too low.

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Even if I haven't been in it!

I'd say I wish I was there, but it's cold again there and my pool water is 88 degrees.
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And spring has sprung!

I wish I remembered what was happening at this time. It looked like it was fun.
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And he never saw it happening

I'll probably have a black eye next time I see him. Ha ha ha ...
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What was the sense of the azalea bush?

Here is a picture of my daughter and granddaughter. See? I was having a good time in the communist state over by the mega university. It was warm (thank you God!) when I arrived as I brought the sunshine in my pocket and it's cold again now that I've left.
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My Hiatus

My friends, please excuse my tardiness. I had CK vision surgery today and my eye is so blurry and scratchy.

>>>Remember when I couldn't read a cotton pickin thing Dave? That's about to change. <<<

But anyway, tomorrow I leave for Ohio to see my daughter and the grandbabies (Thanks Delta!!!). Plus there will be short delays while I wait to see if Ann has an appropriate picture. She supplied the bus picture after I realized I wanted more pictures than what I had taken. This is teaching me how to take pictures when I want to put a story together and next time I will do better. Anyway, I'll be back next Monday and will start getting busy then.

Love and peace,
Alicia

Unique cuisine

Breakfast that first morning (Sunday) was all new to me. Every meal had fresh squeezed juice. This morning it was papaya and orange juice along with eggs, sausage, and arepa (sounds like ah-ray-pa). The arepa is made out of ground corn and then fried and looks like a pancake. The sausage is unique to Colombia and is quite tasty. I was looking forward to tasting the different ethnic foods in this wild and glamorous country.

I like hot water!

Next thing I knew, light was filtering into the room where all 7 of us women were staying. I was refreshed and ready to start the day. The view in the daylight was breathtakingly beautiful. Perhaps it would be an adequate swap for the fact there was no hot water. Period. NO HOT WATER. And if I thought I was refreshed before my shower, there are no words to describe how I felt after my shower. It literally took my breath away. Needless to say, I didn't stay in the shower very long.
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The mini-bus ride

This is the mini-bus we rode in from Bogota airport to La Mesa, Colombia, at least a one and a half hour drive down a long and winding two lane highway. Look how bright eyed and excited we are even though we've all been traveling now for at least 15 hours. You can see anticipation in our eyes. I'm waaaaaay in the back sitting next to Dave, the dentist, who unbeknownst to me at the time, I would be assisting for the whole week. Look at the stack of luggage. Yes. Some did come sliding down on my head. And my legs were out in the aisle where there was more luggage. It was a tight squeeze. We made it though. Cramped, but happy. And I slept like a rock!
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