The End is Near

Well here's a quick picture-less post to update you on what's going on. We thoroughly enjoyed the rest of our time in AZ with our immediate family. Christa came in town to celebrate Christmas and we enjoyed our traditional Christmas Eve dinner of appetizers after a wonderful service at church. We exchanged some presents - including some we opened on Skype so my sisters could be there virtually. Over the week we also made Christmas cookies, hiked, saw Narnia, and much more. Christmas day Joesph came home and we later went out to dinner at a fun Italian restaurant, which we've never done for Christmas before, but it was fun and easy.

Sunday we drove up to CA and stopped by to visit with one of our supporters on the way and in the evening arrived and Johnny and Krista's house. We had a fun day with them yesterday and in a few hours we're headed to the airport to catch our flight to NJ. We'll arrive there around noon and probably be exhausted from the red-eye! Good thing we don't have plans for tomorrow except enjoying our three year anniversary! We're so excited to be celebrating three married years together. It feels like a big accomplishment considering how many changes and new challenges we've faced together. I also feel like three years is a good landmark where we cross over from being newlyweds to being semi experienced and established as a married couple. Do you know what I mean? We're excited and so happy and blessed to spend this life together.

Anyway, we'll have time in NJ through Monday, and on Tuesday we'll leave for Brazil! We have a lot of last minute things to accomplish while we're in NJ - picking up last minute things from people and from stores, saying goodbye to relatives, packing and more. We have a lot to accomplish which will be extra challenging over the holiday weekend and only a part-time car (my Grandma plans to lend us hers when she doesn't need it which will be good) but one way or the other I know it will all get done and we'll be on our way before we know it.

So are we feeling ready? Absolutely! I feel like we've done, visited, purchased, and eaten everything we wanted to and more. We feel relaxed, revved up, encouraged, and ready to hit the ground running. Of course we'll miss things, places, and people, but we feel called to Brazil so we can't wait to get back. I also can't wait to have the most blissful sleep in 4 1/2 months....in our own bed at last!! I also can't wait to get back to a bit of a routine and some healthy eating again. It's been absolutely stellar here....I mean completely awesomely terrific...but it is SO time to go home. But in the meantime, we have one more week of fun and tasks ahead.

One week left in Arizona

I can't believe we only have about a week left here in AZ with family! It has been so much fun to be here with Mom and Dad and Joe. The events of the past days have included hiking, a visit to the Grand Canyon, shopping for some last minute things and gifts we want to bring to Brazil, spending time with 3 of our friends from Moody who live out here, moving Joe to a group home instead of the facility he was at (great new place!), and much more. It's been going by so fast and every day I am feeling a strange mix of emotions. I'm feeling sad about leaving family and friends behind, saying goodbye to the many conveniences and foods I love, but at the same time I feel made to do what we do in Brazil and I feel anxious to get back! I feel like a big part of me is missing while I'm away from our new home and ministry. I think that's a good sign! Mostly I feel like we timed our return perfectly. I feel like I have a little more soaking up to do here with family, but Jan 4th I will be excited to jump on our plane. It's just perfect!

On other news, we're making progress with our goal of monthly support. We now only have $335 of monthly committments to go to be at 100% of our goal. It's been awesome to see how and who God chooses to add to our team and excited to see how He provides the rest.

Ok now time for a few pictures of our trip to the Grand Canyon:

We met some guys from Argentina who have been making their way around North and South America...by motorcycle! They left home in Argentina December 2009 and have been biking around, stopping anywhere interesting, sleeping wherever is offered, and just having fun. They plan to be back home by March 2011. Can you imagine? And I thought WE'D been traveling for a long time being gone 4 months! We had fun chatting with them. Jeyson spoke with them in Spanish and I spoke in Portuguese, which they could understand really well since they had just been biking through Brazil on their way up this summer.

We stayed overnight in Flagstaff on the way home, where surprisingly the weather was much colder! We actually had to scrap our windshield. Jeyson was really excited to experience at least a tiny bit of cold weather.

Our next plans are to enjoy Christmas with my parents, Joe, and my sister Christa who is coming in town. Then, Dec 26th well drive back up to CA to drop off our car with Johnny and Krista, spend a few days with them, and Dec 28th we're heading back to NJ to get our flight to Brazil. Crazy how fast time is going!

Fantastic Family

Our time here in the States is winding down. We've had an incredibly wonderful (and sometimes incredibly exhausting) time. We're starting to feel ready to go home, but the part that makes us saddest to leave is it means we'll have to say goodbye to family for likely a few years. So in these last weeks we have and will continue to soak in every bit of family time possible. (hence the lack of blogging :) Right now we're in Arizona, where my parents now live.

Over Thanksgiving, all of my sisters and their husbands/boyfriend came in town and we had a few days just PACKED with fun! It even included a trip to Sedona. Here's me with my mom and oldest sister, Danielle. Dad and Mom as we did some fun window shopping

Some of the best times though were just hanging out at my parents' new home with the whole gang. Also with my sisters, Jamie and Christa. We enjoyed a lovely evening having shrimp cocktail and broccoli soup as a tribute to Grandma Longo...since those were two of her specialties.

There was no shortage of hanging out time!

The three son-in-laws (so far!) with Dad....I'm pretty sure they were brainstorming for their upcoming day shooting in the desert.

The mini Ciotta family minus Mom (since she was sick) on Thanksgiving day

Well what can I say? Family...it's the best! Being far away from them is the hardest part of doing what we do! We'll miss you a ton over the next few years. But it's not over yet....still ahead we have a few more weeks with Mom, Dad, and Joe. And we're so glad Christa will be back in town for Christmas!