October 2022. All of our travel hints for Colombia are on our COLOMBIA page so. be sure to check that out if you need some travel fun! We are in full swing at school and our putt putt mini golf course is getting ready to be expanded with a super duper Kid Zone. The best part about working on the course is listening to and watching the river because you never know what might fly by! I was able to get some good shots of the Turbulent Ducks with their patitos.

July 2022. The summer was busy with the golf course and travel. The rain seems to have finally given us a break and we were able to really enjoy our time away from "work". We went to Santa Marta, Taganga, Minca, and San Andres Island, all without leaving Colombia! God blessed us with good weather and wonderful sights.
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Pictures from San Andres Island, one of two islands off the coast of Colombia.

We were blessed to see three different types of Toucans on our various trips. The Aracari, Mountain, and Keel-Billed Toucans. Plus a Jacamar!

Pictures from nature around the countryside. We visited a coffee and cacao farm to see the process and get a chocolate facial. We also went tubing down the Palomino River and rafting on the Quindio River. Colombia has something to offer for everyone! Our hope is to host lots of friends and family when we have our house complete in the spring. It is a slow process but we believe it will be worth it in the end and be a perfect place to retire, or at least live until we get tired of working!

April 2022. We have been busy building a mini golf course here in Colombia as an investment we hope will last well into the future. It has taken us 3.5 months, but we are ready to open and excited about the possibilities! It has been months of rain and challenges but God is faithful and there is joy in the house of the Lord today!
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December 2021. The Christmas season brought lots of changes as the year draws to a close. Lots of time with family was good though this year was the first without my dad as he has relocated to another place where we will see him when it is our time. I am glad he has no more pain and that God is in control, but it is always hard when it is quick and unexpected. 
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It reminds me that you have to enjoy the moments you have in the present because you don't know if you are going to have "next year" or "another time" when it comes to interacting with the people in your life, especially your family. There will always be things to do that you feel are important but as Jesus said to Martha, "Mary has chosen what is better," to spend her time on what is truly of value and not all the busy work that sometimes commands all our attention.
We are excited about the changes in Colombia as we start our own business and look to try some new ventures in 2022. We continue to look to God to guide our lives and pray for His blessing as we go out in faith in a new direction. 

October 2021. October went by like the wind with an October break in the states that was a refreshing change from the one season of green here in Colombia. We were able to go back to ATL for a week of perfect fall weather with colorful leaves, blustery breezes, and that crisp smell that is fall. One of goals of moving back to Colombia was the ability to be able to spend more time with family since we are only a short (much shorter) flight away. Hopefully the light at the end of the COVID tunnel will be coming soon and we can get away from all the extra requirements and masks to travel but we aren't letting that keep us from traveling. Besides our regular work, we are working on some other projects that we hope will be not only fun but good investment opportunities for the future. Christmas decorations are already up here at the malls and shopping centers so we will have to be thankful for November on our own time while others prepare for the holiday season a little early for us!

September 2021. It is always interesting when you return to a place you have been before to see what is the same and what is different. Sometimes what you remember the most and has the fondest memories, is no longer there, so you have to make new memories or realize it can never be the same again. There is nothing like being in the countryside of Colombia though for that sense of peace and relaxation that co-existing with nature can bring. It is sad to see so much deforestation and "progress" that has been taking away a lot of the green spaces, but it is still as beautiful and lush as it once was in many places.

COVID has changed many aspects of life but we all can learn from what has happened and adapt in hopefully new and better ways. School is school (as it is everywhere) so the challenge becomes being the best influence you can where you are with what God has given you to make a positive difference. It is amazing how much you can see within a short distance from where we live, for example, our monkey friend above! Not just every hiking trail has howler monkeys and tropical birds overhead.

It has been great to have a classroom that is a window to nature every morning. The students are the wildlife in the afternoons (jaja) but the birds sing a pleasant song outside each morning before the controlled chaos begins inside. I never get tired of hearing the flocks of parrots overhead and every once in a while, I can see one up close.
​We like to take drives in the countryside on the weekends and we found a new place that was a fun weekend trip.  We went to Recuca which is a scenic coffee plantation featuring a cultural tour, a coffee experience & a traditional eatery. You can see below the pictures from the motorized "villages" that told the story of coffee and the Jipao or Yipao, the Willys jeeps that are used for all types of agriculture and merchandise transportation. Steve is even out picking coffee!
If you find yourself with nothing to do in December, come and enjoy the Alumbrados which kick off the season of Navidad. This video gives you a good idea of what you might see. There is something every season to enjoy here in Colombia!

 August 2021. As we settle into a somewhat comfortable routine here in Colombia, I find I am asking myself what my purpose is here for God. I am not the most patient person so I often have to be still and listen and know that there is a time for every purpose under heaven, including what I have been created to do here.

We, of course, are always on the outlook for our feathered friends! The Glossy Ibis and the Caravana birds like to hang out in the cow pastures. The Blue Necked Tanager likes to flit about in and out the trees outside my classroom. The Buff Necked Ibis is a migratory bird that usually is found in Peru but we have seen them quite often this month in the cow pastures and valley near our apartment building.

The school here in Armenia has a nice campus with an open concept so my classroom has a balcony that looks out on a beautiful view of the countryside. So we look forward to what is to come and hope that we can be a positive influence and learn and share with those that we meet!
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July 2021. We are back home in Armenia after a 10 year jaunt around the world that included Guatemala, the US, Honduras, China, and South Korea. If I said it was like returning home I wouldn't be lying because it truly is. We have gotten the science of moving down to an art and can make it work anywhere with ten suitcases between us. The trick is in being able to actually navigate the airports and destinations obstacles with the luggage! Armenia still has the small town country charm that we love with friendly people and lots of birds and nature.

View from our apartment balcony.           People waiting to get the vaccine on every corner.    The luggage awaits its next assignment.

The more we travel the world, the more I can see the parallels to heaven. I know that may seem strange to some, but I have found that if you look at each place we have been, we have left behind parts of ourselves, but once we are gone, it doesn't really matter because what is important is what is ahead. Each place had its purpose and lessons to learn, but there is always more ahead. As much as people say they will stay in touch, it is hard and truly "out of sight, out of mind" becomes the norm and that is okay. People need to live in the presence and apply anything good that others have shared when they were there.

We always look forward to the next place as it is a new adventure with unknown elements and challenges with the excitement of something new and different. I think heaven will be like that journey and be better than I could have ever imagined it, the last stop on our travels, a final destination that will be all that and more. When God is done with me here on this earth, I look forward to being taken to the that place without having to worry about what my baggage weighs.

All photographs copyrighted - cathleen l carpenter photography 2022