Hola Miami

I headed down to Miami for Christmas, and was greeted by a nice 78* blanket of warmth, at night.  It was somewhat of an unplanned trip as I did not think I would be able to go down for the break, but God provided.  I got to enjoy seeing family and friends whom I had not seen in quite a while.  I also got to enjoy some of the foods not found around Waverly, such as "fritanga," pastelitos, cortaditos, empanadas, nacatamales and a few others.  It felt a bit odd being home, almost as if I were a visitor.  It was interesting to see Miami from a tourists point of view, everything seemed fresh and a bit more interesting then before.  Sometimes it is nice to take a step back from any situation, and take a fresh perspective of it.  You can see things never seen before, notice things that were not there before.  Going through the same routine over and over again can create somewhat of a blindness.  You learn to appreciate some things more, and learn how you can improve in other areas as well.  Many things changed since I left, some for the better, others unfortunately, for the worse, but it is all a part of life, nothing left to do but to pray.  I got to spend a lot of time with my family and share some of the great experiences of my first semester at ZMI. There was so much to tell and yet much of it was impossible to put into words, but I tried nonetheless.  It was sad to leave again as I was there for a quick week and did not get to see everyone I had hoped to see, but the journey must continue.  I have gotten farther than originally planned as God continues to extend this journey for another semester.  As this year comes to a close, I look back and realize just how God had been setting up everything to get me to this point.  He has truly taken good care of me and has been merciful, all I can do is be thankful and continue to put Him first, no matter the cost.