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Community & Happy December

The week of Thanksgiving, I was out of town at a training and didn't really get a chance to think about what I was truly thankful for. But since Thanksgiving, I have had time to think and I have decided that what I am most thankful for are relationships. If anyone knows me well- you know that I am a relational person. It is who I am. I am a loyal- I can't help it.

In the month of November, the idea of community has been on my heart. Not sure why- but I can't seem to stop thinking about the beauty of community- especially among the people of God. I love my independence along with millions of other Americans. I think this is why deep and genuine community is becoming extinct. Community to me is one of the most crucial elements of the authenticity of Jesus followers. After the coming of the Holy Spirit- the first believers exemplified True community- it was inspiring.

I am thankful for the community that exists for me both here in India and in Texas. I have such a great community of Indians here that I love and I call family along with several Americans, but here are some specifics....

This is Hannah. She was my college roomie for three years. She is one my dearest best friends in the world. We can talk for hours even if I talked to her a week before. She always asks the right questions and understands me without much explanation. I also appreciate Hannah because she is just as loyal as I am and loves the phone as much as I do. Thanks for always calling!

This is my roomie now! She is like a spouse- we do everything together and she has chosen to love me unconditionally. She is pretty much amazing and puts up with all my random quirks - which makes her that much more amazing. She is one of the most selfless people I know. She makes India fun.

This is Kelley. She is my accountability partner and sweet sweet friend. She is one of the most disciplined people you will ever meet and really does a great job of encouraging me and challenging me in my walk with the Lord. My favorite things to do with her are playing late night card games and babysitting her adorable baby Kiran!!

This is Julie. My best friend in India and my former FPO roomie. She is a God-send. There is no topic for julie and I that is off-limits. We share the beauty of life together and she will be one of those life-long friends. My favorite things to do with her is to east chocolate chip cookies and drink sweet tea while discussing the meaning of life. I love julie because she really appeals to my deeper philosophical side.

Last but not least my family! I have always been close to my family, but I feel like the distance has brought my family so much closer together. I just value the importance and time with family so much more than I ever did before. So as much as I hate the distance, I love that it is has brought us closer. They are such an amazing support- You are the best.

Happy December! I can't believe it's here. 2007 is just around the corner!! Right now as I type, I am wearing warm pajama pants and a fleece sweater...it's actually COLD here!! This is what I love about this winter season:

1. Christmas trees

2. sweatshirt hoodies ( a simple joy of mine)

3. hot chocolate & chai

4. socks

5. sharing about the birth of Jesus

6. cuddling under covers

7. really hot showers

8. baking

9. slippers

10. Christmas music

Happy Holidays!!!

Christmas Cards- Is it a lost art?

For those of you who still value the giving of Christmas cards- DON'T FORGET ABOUT ME!!

Q: How expensive is it to send a card/letter to you, Alicia?
A: It ONLY cost 80 cents!! Who knew?

Q: How long will it take to get to you Alicia?
A: ONLY one week!!

Q: Is there anything special I should do Alicia?
A: Make sure they stamp it AIR MAIL. Or it will go by boat and I will get it in three months!

EMAIL ME IF YOU WANT MY ADDRESS!!! Hint Hint

It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas!!!

Christmas has arrived in B-603!! Today was my first attempt at getting into the Holiday spirit!! Lindsey and I purchased a tree and all the trimmings today AND I started listening to Christmas music!! My friend Karen and Lindsey also invited us over for Cornbread and Chilli- two very rare delicacies these days. Don't you just love Christmas?!


Me separating the branches...something I enjoy least.


Random decorations from last year's Christmas gifts! Thanks Jan and The Sweets!!

Lindsey putting on the ribbon

The final product. Of course the picture doesn't do the tree justice. Isn't it pretty?

Right now I am missing my family. They are all having breakfast together because all of the extended family is in town. I would give anything to be there right now!! I think this season will be harder than last year to be away. But I am thankful that I have lots of family here and that I get to share the REASON for the SEASON with so many Indians!! I will be spending the next few days planning and thinking about Christmas activities for this next month. I am also really anticipating my vacation to Singapore and Thailand in about 30 days!! Wahoo.

Sermon Jams

I always love that there are creative ways in sharing the truth of Jesus Christ. A friend led me to this website and I thought I would pass it on. Take some time and check it out. I think you will think it's worth it.

http://www.sermonjams.com" target="blank">

Relevant Revolutions is a network of high caliber multimedia designed to reach the current culture with kingdom truth, grace and good news. Sermon Jams is a subsection which combines thought provoking sermons onto music.

Check it out

I have recently been reconnected with my friend Kelly. We were friends in high school and also shared many memories between cheerleading and yearbook!! Kelly's mother was also a huge mentor and my favorite teacher ever. Needless to say, I have a great love for all of Kelly's family.

Last time I saw Kelly was her wedding! Now she has recently moved to England and we have reconnected via World Wide Web. I have really enjoyed reading her blog. I especially liked Kelly's entry that she posted today. You should check it out... Kelly Shearon: American Ambassador to Birmingham, England.

http://www.shearons.com/kellyblog/

Softball Update # 8- Victory Again

Today was my last official softball game. sad. In two weeks, however, we will have a tournament to decide who will take home the trophies!!

Today we played Subway and we barely beat them 10 to 8. This game was the best competition we have had in awhile. We really had to word hard to win, but it resulted in great satisfaction. Unfortunately, Lindsey was gone these past two games, but our team is looking forward to having her back for the tournament!!

Raman is Engaged!!!

Tonight I attended Raman's engagement ceremony!! Raman is a good friend of mine and works with us. He is officially engaged to a girl from Bhutan. These are some pics from the night.

Anju and I.

Paul and Sadhu Ji- other co-workers

Happy Early Thanksgiving!!

Yesterday I participated in a full-on Thanksgiving dinner!! It was absolutely amazing. My friend Karen's parent came to visit and with them they brought everything necessary to have a traditional AMERICAN Thanksgiving dinner. Yes, they even brought a TURKEY in their suitcase along with many other delicacies only found in America!!!

We had an amazing spread of delicious food that tasted like it came straight out of America... PURE BLISS. We enjoyed turkey, dressing, green bean casserole, seven layer salad, sweet potato casserole, rolls, fruit salad, German chocolate cake, pecan pie, and last but not least Dr. Pepper!!!

Look at how beautiful the table looks. Karen's sister does flowers professionally so she blessed us with her amazing talent! The fall flowers added to whole ambiance...it was perfect.

If any of you live overseas you know exactly how blisfull this whole day was! Thank you Walker family!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Softball Update #7 "Alicia! Alicia! Alicia!"

Every time that you play a sport, you always have this secret hidden wish that you will perform in such a way that will be impressive resulting in having people chant your name. "Alicia!" "Alicia!" "Alicia!" Let me elaborate. The bases are loaded and it's my turn to bat. As I approach the plate, I am visioning me hitting the ball to the fence, bringing everyone home, and getting a home run. "Alicia!" "Alicia!" "Alicia!" We all long for that glory. Or while standing in the outfield, I vision myself standing in the outfield and very casually catching that pop fly. "Alicia!" "Alicia!" "Alicia!" Am I right?

So today was my day of glory. No I didn't bring everyone home...(I actually had all the bases loaded and I was up to bat, but i struck out on the third out- bummer), BUT I did catch the pop fly!! "Alicia!" "Alicia!" "Alicia!" The ball actually made it past infield and I very casually put my left hand out and caught it! Then before I knew it...people were running to me, hugging me, and giving me high fives!! Glory!! I was honestly really proud of myself.

See when you play in the outfield- you never get any glory unless you catch a pop fly! So now I can end the season and be happy!! I had my first and now fleeting moment of glory.

By the way, we won our game 15 to 0!! Whoop. And my super and amazing friends Jonathan and Kelley and Kiran came to watch! Kiran was definetly our team mascot and drew a lot of attention at 2 months old. I mean she is so stinkin beautiful...its hard for her not to not steal the show...soon they were chanting "Kiran!" "Kiran!" "Kiran". ha... just kidding.

a day in the life of alicia

Friday is one of my favorite days because I usually go with Mona to pick up Erica from school. I love to see her face light up when she sees me! It's priceless and is always accompanied by a HUGE hug! After we pick her up, the three of us always do something out. Today we got coffee together at Barrista. On the way home, we SANG CHRISTMAS CAROLS!! Actually I am teaching her Christmas carols. I love nothing more than singing carols while in transport. Yes, it's true...I am already in the holiday spirit.

I love this pic. So the short Asian guy is my supervisor. And the three tall non-Asian men are a group of men from Mississippi that came to help us out this past week. Bobby- the Asian- looks just like Mr. Miyagi in the movie "Karate Kid". Need I say more?

This is the kids trying to strike the same pose as above. Precious.

This is Nancy. She is one of my co-workers. She is the beautiful mother of all the white kids in my photos. The tall Mississippi boys treated our team to dinner at Ruby Tuesdays. Yummy yummy american food.

While eating, Sadhu- an indian friend, gave me my prediction on my life based on my favorite animal and favorite bird. This is what he said...

"I am sharp and am always looking for and taking opportunities. My husband will be good looking, talkative, and naughty. ha ha.... I laughed for about 5 minutes. "

Softball Update # 6- HUGE WIN!!!

Lindsey and I took pictures of ourselves before our game so you could see our jerseys. We also look half asleep because our game was early in the morning. I am going to try to find a way to bring a camera for at least one of our games...we will see.

Today we played the American Embassy School (AES) girls team. So basically we played against a bunch of high schoolers. My team, the Nirwal VJ Jewelers, were determined not to let a bunch of 15 year olds beat us! We decided that we had more life experience to beat them even if they were younger. Also, we chose to be there...where I think they play us because they have to play for high school credit.

The final score of the game was 27 to 12!!
In fact, the score board didn't even go past 24!!
This was my best game!! I didn't strike out or get any outs!! I either hit them or I got walked. My hitting has definitely improved! I was really proud of myself and so was Lindsey. Speaking of Lindsey, she is an AMAZING hitter. She can hit them to the fence...she is quite impressive and one of our best hitters!

In case any of you were curious, when I am not hitting, I play Center field. Usually there isn't much action, but today I got a lot because we were short players. I think I will be sore tomorrow. The sad thing about playing center is you don't ever get credit for anything unless you catch a fly ball. Once again, Lindsey noticed my efforts and encouraged me!

For the past two weeks there has been no Dr. Pepper in the concession stand. Sad.

Tagged

My sweet friend Amanda tagged me in her blog in her post titled "What a Weirdo". So now it is my job to describe to you "9 weird things meme" about myself...so here they are in no particular order.

1. I have this weird obsession with cleaning my ears. It's a daily habit to always clean my ears with a Q-tip after I get out of the shower.

2. I like to moon people (close girlfriends) for shock value.

3. I have incredibly obnoxious sneezes and rarely ever sneeze just once! Sometimes people can't tell if I am coughing or sneezing.

4. I love to talk ghetto and secretly wish that I was black sometimes.

5. I have never been kissed.

6. My first trip to the dentist was when I was 16.

7. I still have my baby blanket and slept I with it until I moved to India.

8. I usually hate collections because I am not a "stuff" person, BUT I do have a new Starbucks mug collection from different cities in the world. I like this collection because its useful (Chaing Mai, Seoul, and Germany now thanks to the germany team).

9. I have lived in India for a year and still have not thrown up!

Ok...so now I get to tag some people!! Lindsey, Kelly In England, Amber, Shannon, Julie, Kelley, Kim, and Coop!
Feel free to post a comment and let me know random quirks or facts about YOU!!

I love Germans!

So...here is a GREAT shot of my new German friends who came to visit. The last two nights Lindsey and I had all 6 of them sleeping in our home!! It was great. I am realizing more and more how important community is. The body of Christ really is an amazing thing!! It brought me such great joy to have all them sit around my table to fellowship and eat together! They are home now, but I can only hope that the Lord will cross my path with theirs someday!

Ericka is FIVE!!!

My favorite Indian kid had a birthday!!!

Here is Ericka in her BEAUTIFUL dress!! She looks just like a princess!!

Cutting the cake. Ericka had about 20 kids and 10 adults at her party. She is quite popular at 5.

It is tradition at Indian birthday parties to feed or smear cake on the birthday cake to the birthday girl!! Then Ericka fed her parents. It is also tradition that you give everyone at the party a gift! This was my first Indian birthday party.

Softball Update # 5

I hate to even post this...

We lost our game today. The score is too embarassing to share. Our pitcher wasn't able to come and she is what holds our team together (and strikes everyone out).

I was proud of myself because I actually made bat and ball contact!! Yay for me.

Taboo Anyone?

How many of you know and love the game Taboo? If you don't you should go to Wal-mart and purchase it! I love to play games (well certain ones) and this is one of my absolute favorite games!!

Right now, we have 6 friends from Germany visiting us. Several of the couples have been staying at our home so we have had lots of time to sit and talk. We all communicate in English- although it is limited because they are not quite fluent. So we begin to talk and they can't remember the English word...so they start explaining the word (just like in the game Taboo). Then we throw out words until we get the right word!! It is actually really fun. I feel like I am in ONE REALLY LONG game of Taboo!

This time last year...

... I arrived in India! Happy Anniversary to me! Happy Anniversary to me! Happy One year of survival in India...Happy Anniversary to me!!

(this picture is of us toasting to 1 year and you can't see everyone's face, but thats what you get you use the self-timer on the camera!)

To celebrate the excitement and survival of my past year in India- we decided to celebrate with new friends!! We have 6 amazingly fun and funny friends from Germany visiting us. They spent today recovering from Delhi belly so it allowed for an evening of relaxation and fellowship. So we watched some t.v, laughed, and played SPOONS!!

This is the fun part of my job- I get paid to hang out with all types of people from different countries and places in the world! I have a growing desire to visit Germany now!!

So What Exactly HAPPENS on Divalli ?

I am going to share Divalli with you through pictures so you can get an idea of what happens on this famous festival.


One unique thing about Divalli is that you go around to your friend's home and pay them a visit. Lindsey and I visited our Landlord's house first. We brought them a small gift of Indian sweets and we sat and enjoyed their fellowship. They served us juice and a display of different kind of nuts.

Later that afternoon, we went to visit Anita. She served us chai and Indian sweets as well. We told her that was enough food, but she insisted on feeding us a real meal. So she fed us some chicken- a delicacy for Lindsey and I these days (we have kind of accidentally turned vegetarian) which she informed us that she killed herself. Apparently this was VERY FRESH chicken!

Because Anita is our helper it is appropriate to give more than just sweets. So Lindsey and I had some fun! We strolled through her neighborhood looking like the rich white girls with lots of gifts! We gifted Anita a Sari, a pressure cooker for cooking, and the game Connect Four for the kids!! It was such a joy to see them tear into the gifts!! They LOVED them. It really is more fun to give than recieve sometimes!

Divalli is also the day that families have their own special puja or worship to Laxshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity. Lindsey and I attended Sunjay and Mona's puja time. We sat in the back and watched, but did not participate. The puja lasted about 20 minutes and consisted of bhajins (songs), chants read from a holy book, lighting candles, offering food to the idol, and prayers. It was honestly fascinating and highly depressing to watch.

After the evening puja, it is customary to give gifts! This is Ericka handing me the gift that her family got me! We then also gave gifts to their family along with Juma and Monica. (Gifts are given individually if you have a very close friendship or relationship. Other than that, you gift something for a person's house or a simple Indian sweet).

After puja and gift giving you light dyas. Divalli is known as the "Festival of Lights" because King Ram defeated evil once and for all and returned to his kingdom after being in exile for many years. Traditionally, people lit dyas to welcome his return. The tradition still continues to this day. I lit dyas for Jesus, because He is the True Light which gives light to all men and He defeated death and evil once and for all!

Finally at about 9:oo we went to Mona's parents home. It was firecracker time!! Firecrackers are huge!! The crazy and dangerous thing is that there are NO guidelines or rules so people shoot them off in very dangerous places. Nevertheless, EVERYONE in the whole city enjoys shooting off crackers! Crackers were heard non-stop for hours the night of Divalli!! Fun times. In fact, as I type this, I still hear fireworks going off!!

We had a lot of fun with the spinners!! We like to jump around them. Why not? We shot off fireworks for about two hours from the roof of Mona's parents house!

Here is Lindsey and I "looking so very smart". This is the phrase Indians use when they think you look nice! Do we look Indian yet? We are trying hard these days!! Secretly we love to wear all the big jewelry and bracelets and the bling bling on our clothes!!

After fireworks we were served dinner at about 11:30 PM!! By this point I was absolutely EXHAUSTED as you can see by the picture!!!

HAPPY DIVALLI!!!

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