She's Only Happy In the Sun

I know, I know. It's been forever. And I'm sorry, but you don't understand. We're living like pioneers these days. Snow came to our little town in full force resulting in fickle electricity and even more fickle internet access. But before I go into that let me share with you a couple pics of life before the snow. Emily and I were in Delhi attending a meeting and we got to enjoy quality time with some of our dearest friends. It was kind of a sad time because we had to say goodbye to Karen who recently moved back to America. There aren't really words to describe Karen or what a joy it is to have her as a friend. Sometimes words aren't enough. So all I will say is that we miss you already Karen and it just isn't the same here without you.



Now for the snow. While in Delhi we got word that there was a major snowstorm up in the mountains and we may not make it home. What did we do? Well, we decided to try and get home anyways. Emily's friends, Erin and Janae, were visiting from America and two of our other friends, Paul and John, were also with us--so the six of us began the LONG journey back to the Himalayas. It took about 24 hours. We took two buses and a taxi and then got stuck about two kilometers outside our town in some wicked traffic. After waiting for an hour Paul and I took some of our things and began trekking to town. The others waited awhile longer and then got horses to haul the rest of our luggage to our house. It was like a virtual reality game...only not virtual. Dodge all the donkeys, cows, and horses. Try not to fall over when Indian men throw snowballs at you. Strategically step on pieces of ice so you don't sink four feet into the snow. And when you finally get home guess what? No power! The power was out for four days, but thankfully we missed three of them. We wrapped up in fleece and sat next to the gas heater. We lit candles. We made pancakes in the dark. We finally got power back later that night!

It was good to just hang out for a few days. We played cards and watched The Office. Our local friends came over to hang out so we made Indian food and learned some local dances. We also celebrated Emily's 25th birthday with cinnamon rolls and more of The Office. I got her the third season...now that is the gift that keeps on giving. All our friends are gone now and we're currently in the middle of another snowstorm. I go on vacation in a few days so I'm wondering how the heck I'm gonna get out of here.

Here's a conversation Emily and I had this afternoon.
Emily: I think I might take a shower
Julie: I took one the day before yesterday
Emily: I think the last time I took one was Wednesday
Julie: Well, I want to take one tomorrow too and I don't want to take one both days
Emily: Yeah, you should wait. Well, you might not want to wait because the electricity could go out and you wouldn't have hot water.
Julie: I think I'll wait. If it goes out I just won't take one at all.

I promise I won't be this gross when I come back to America.










It's been an adventurous winter, but I'm looking forward to summertime (I'm not sure we get a spring up here). Five months of fleece and wool socks and topis and mufflers... Please come quickly sunshine!

Did you find what you were after?
The pain and the laughter brought you to your knees
But if the sun sets you free, sets you free
You'll be free indeed, Indeed

She's only happy in the sun
She's only happy in the sun
--Ben Harper