following an unknown path

"culture moments"

Being a foreigner provides a life where nothing--not even buying bread--is dull.  Even after living here 4 years, I still run into "culture moments."

This weekend, I went to buy some bread to make some sandwhiches.  The little bakery near my house sells wheat bread in a package labled in English "brown toast."  I saw the package, grabbed a loaf, went to the counter and paid. 

When I got home to make my comfort food--PBJ--I pulled out two slices of bread.  But it was not wheat bread like I was expecting.  No, it was raisin bread.  They had put rasin bread in the "brown toast" package.  Now, granted there was probably a sign on the shelf at the bakery saying "rasin bread"--but I didn't stop to try to decipher it.  So, as I slathered the extra-crunchy peanut butter on my knife, I sighed and thought "never a dull moment." 

Another thing that is NEVER dull for me is using an elevator.  At school now, I ride the elevator often (my office is on the 9th floor).  4 out of 5 times I ride the elevator, I have a "not dull" moment. :)

Yesterday, the conversation was in English with, I guess, a teacher from another department. 

Stranger: "Are you happy?"
Amanda (looking around, unsure question was for her and unsure how to answer and thinking "what kinda  question is that for someone you don't even know"): "Uh . . Sure."
Stranger: "Good.  I am not happy."
Amanda: "hmm."
Stranger: "I am not happy because I have to go to work."
Amanda: "I see."  (gets off the elevator)
Stranger: "Nice to meet you.  Bye."  (doors close)

Last week, the most memorable encounter was with students.  The elevator was going down--and it was FULL by an American's opinion.  (I must add here: If the elevator is an "American full," it is probably only about half of a "Taiwanese full.")  So anyway, the elevator was full--all engineering students (AKA all boys). 

When it got to the English department floor (4th floor) the boys moved over, making some room for the foreign English teacher and said in English, "Come on, come on."  I got in, and as the doors shut there was a chorus of giggles.  Then from the back, one of them whispered in Chinese, "Watch out!  Careful what you say, she understands Chinese."  I nodded a yes and waited for the first floor to arrive.

I think the thing with the elevators at school is that everyone knows who I am--I kinda stand out, you know.  But, I don't know them.  So to me they are strangers, but they feel like they "know me."  So, I am always having awkward-to-me conversations in the elevators.  (However, just for the record, awkward conversations in elevators also occur off school porperty.)

Ahh . .. culture moments.  Gotta love em.

10 Choices

Suzy's meme I found on Andie's blog.

1. Tea or coffee? uh . . . BOTH!!
   
2. Read a book or watch TV?  uh . . . BOTH!!
3. Morning or evening?  depends--morning for bike rides, quite times, and cleaning.  evening for playing with dog, taking a walk, or just doing nothing.
   
4. Laptop or desktop? laptop
   
5. Country or town? country (with easy town access)
   
6. Wild rollercoaster or gentle merry-go-round? wild roller coaster
   
7. Crochet or knit? neither
   
8. Listen quietly or sing along? sing along
   
9. Action movie or romantic comedy? romantic comedy
   
10. Phone or email? email

tag!  you're it if you wanna be.

from the rising of the sun

From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised! (Psalm 113:3)

For from the rising of the sun to its setting, my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 1:11)

why would you need to post this?

One of the great things life in Taiwan offers--and my brother and many other foreigners would agree with me--are really cool stationary-ish stores.  You can buy everything from office supplies to bathing suits, from the latest Japanese pens to stuffed animals, from awesome clipboards to Christmas tree decorations all in one fun to browse store.  In fact, Sam and I hit several while he was here.  If I ever asked if he wanted to stop and look in one his answer was always an enthusiastic yes.

Ok, back to the main point of this post.  One thing that I like to look at whenever I go into one of these stores is their collection of signs.  I am always on the look out for a good "please take off your shoes" sign (haven't found one I liked yet).  And, most of the time I can find one or two that entertain me. 

Take for example, this one:

Despite the fact that infuse does not mean 沖洗 (chong xi), which is better translated in this situation as "rinse" . . .  despite the fact that infuse actually means something like "to steep or soak in a liquid so as to extract the soluble properties or ingredients"  . . . 

Yeah, despite all that, where exactly would someone need to put a sign that says "after you have thrown up, please rinse"? 

where i park (2)

Here is the second installment of my random series about where I park my moped here in Taiwan.

This one is entitled: Exhibit B: I park any where I want.

Specifically, my moped is parked in front of a "burner" where Taiwanese people burn money to gods or spirits.  (Charolette or others who know Chinese: what is the Chinese name or more technical English term for this thing?)

Check out Other Installments of Where I Park:
Exhibit A: "i park underground in a moped only parking lot."
Exhibit C: coming soon to a blog near you

64 (mostly random) facts about my name

1. Amanda means "beloved, worthy to be loved, loveable."
   
   
2. Amanda comes from Latin.
    
3. I remember the day in Latin class when we finally learned a deravitive that when added to the base verb for "love" was my name.  It was a cool moment.
      
4. My mom thought she was giving me a old fashioned name--not a trendy name.
   
   
5. Little did she know she was starting a trend. :)  From 1976 to 1995, Amanda was in the top 10 list of names given to little girl babies in the States.
   
   
6. My sister and brother both have bibical first names: Sarah and Samuel. I have always been envious of this fact.
    
7. Mom tries to console me by saying that she gave me the two names that were most beautiful to her.
    
8. Guinevere and Daisy were other possibilities.  Yes, I am a child of the 70's.
    
9. If I had been a boy, I would be Dustin Ray--they would've called me Dusty.
   
   
10. My sister and brother also both have first names that start with S.  I have always been envious of this fact too.
     
11. Mom tries to console me by saying that this was not intential.
    
    
12. Most people just call me "Amanda" (even my students).
     
13. My little friends call me "Miss Amanda."
     
14. Taiwanese people often misspell my name as "AmEnda." 
     
15. When I was in college, I had many international friends.  I could tell you which country someone was from simply by the way they (mis)pronounced my name.
     
16. To me, these "misprounciations" of my name are endearing.  I wouldn't want them to change. 
     
17. Many people do leave off the first "a," so I am known to many as "Manda."
     
18. I like being called "Manda."
    
    
19. In ninth grade, I told my English teacher to call me Manda--I even used it on all my homework and tests in his course.  Why?  I don't know.  Maybe that was my rebellious teenage act.  And, why only his?  In all other classes, I still went by Amanda.
     
20. My own "unique" Amanda nicknames from the past include "Danda" and "Minda.
       
21. Both come from my younger brother as he was learning to speak.
       
22. My sister still sometimes calls me Minda.
     
23. I called myself "Nana" when I was learning to speak.
     
24. My sister calls me "Nana Cole" on rare occasions.
     
25. I have been called "Manda Panda" before.
     
26. No one calls me Mandy.  No one ever has.
     
27. Growing up (Sam didn't come till I was 15), I was the only one in my family with a middle name that didn't start with the letter "E."  So, my "keep out" signs usually read something like "only those whose middle names do not start with E may enter this room."  Ok, yeah, you're right "keep out" would've been easier (but not near as much fun). ;)
    
    
28. I am secretly glad they didn't give Sam a middle name with an "E."  If I'd been the only child without the initials SEP and the only member of the family without a middle name starting with "E" the envy would just be too much for me to handle. :)  There would be no hope at consoling me.
     
29. Parmley is not a common family name.  In fact, my PawPaw (dad's dad) always told me that if I met another "Parmley" they were somehow related to me.
     
30. When searching for genelogy a few years ago, I found out that is has also been spelled "Parmlee," "Parmalee" and "Parmelee" in the past.
     
31. In 1920 several Parmley families lived in Texas.  In 1840, most of the Parmley families were in Kentucky.  Nifty.
    
    
32. Taiwanese people think my English name is LONG!  My full name in English is 7 syllables--that is more than twice the average Chinese name.  Names here in Taiwan are typically three characters long--one (first one) is the family name (or surname) and the next two are the given name.  Each character is one syllable, so most names here in Taiwan are only three syllables.  I guess each year I have at least one student with only 2 characters (syllables) in their name--everyone else 3. 
     
33. And I have seen some married women add their husband's surname to their name giving them a four character (syllable) name.  Most Taiwanese women don't change their family name when they get married.  This is not a feminism thing--just a cultural thing. 
    
    
34. Here in Taiwan, if someone is using Chinese to say "Amanda," I get called "阿曼達" (ah-man (like the Jamacian pronouncation of "man") -da ("da" not "duh" like in English)
     
35. This means graceful (or slow--choice is yours) and clear.
      
36. If I want new people to know my English name, I start with "Amanda" but then say "阿曼達" if they have trouble with the English only pronunciation version.
     
37. Some have even shortened this to just "阿曼" (ah-man).
     
38. Which I find interesting because in English the first "a" gets dropped, but in Chinese the final "da" gets dropped since the "ah" is used to make nicknames (kinda like we add an "ie" or "y" to the end of names).
     
39. I also have a Chinese name.  It is "李樂恩" (Lee Le-En). 
       
40. Lee is a common Chinese surname--my Chinese teacher choose it because of the "lee" sound at the end of Parmley.
    
    
41. The "Le-En" part of the name is the given name and means "joyous grace." 
     
42. I like my Chinese name. 
    
    
43. Here in Taiwan, when people ask for my name, I will ask if they want my English name or my Chinese name.  I am fine going by either.
     
44. In the community most people do not call me by any of these names.  Most everyone I talk to in my building and neighborhood calls me "老師" (lao shi, teacher).  Even though I don't teach them or anyone they know--this is my relationship to the community.
    
    
45. At first it took me a long time to get used to being called 老師 by the person I was buying breakfast from, but now I am accustumed to it and even enjoy it a little.
     
46. If my students want to call me "Amanda 老師" it is ok with me, but I don't let them call me "Amanda Teacher."  And if they call me just "老師," I tell them, they can call me "Amanda" if they want (but don't force them to call me by my given name).
    
    
47. It is odd for me when grown men and women show me such great repespect by calling me" 老師" in the classroom.  I don't know why out the community I am ok being called "老師," but actually in my classroom, I would prefer to be called "Amanda" or "Amanda 老師."  Uh-oh, something new for me to analyze.
     
48. There are 5 people in the USA with the name "Amanda Parmley." (How many have your name?)
     
    
49. Two of these other "Amanda Parmley"s have actually emailed me. They googled our name, found my website, and emailed me to say hi. Isn't that cool?
    
    
50. The year I was born, Amanda was the sixth most popular name for baby girls in the USA; Jennifer, Jessica, and Melissa were the top three.
    
    
51. 10 years before I was born, Amanda was the 132nd most popular.
     
52. 10 years after I was born, Amanda was the 3rd most popular.
     
53. So, there are a lot more people younger than me named Amanda than older than me.
     
54. There are 605,937 people in the U.S. with the first name Amanda.
     
55. Statistically, Amanda is the 80th most popular first name.
     
56. 0.404% of females in the US are named Amanda.
     
57. More than 99.9 percent of people with the first name Amanda are female.
     
58. There are 2,370 people in the U.S. with the last name Parmley.
     
59. Statistically, Parmley is 12,913th most popular last name (tied with 211 other last names).
     
60. I have only had two friends named Amanda.  One went by Mandi, but the other goes by Amanda. 
    
    
61. In nine years of teaching, I have had only one student with the English name Amanda.
     
62. There is a country love song about "Amanda."  The only lyrics I know in the song are "Amanda, light of my life. . . "  I have never actually heard the real song.
     
63. I like my name.  Always have.  Hopefully, always will.
     
64. However, I would love to add a new last name to it sometime in near future. :)

What about you? Feel free to share a story or fact about your name!!  I know I just told you more than you ever wished to know about mine. :)

[H.T. Leslie at Lux Venit]

dreaming

I dream that one day the throne room of heaven will be filled with the praises of many Taiwanese people as they proclaim  who is the Most High God.

"I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb" (Rev. 7:9).

Original Photos On my Flickr:
1. A Temple Keeper, 2. Woman with child, 3. Hakka woman, 4. A Fruit Vendor

made to worship

Chris Tomlin's CD "See the Morning" has been playing on my itunes all afternoon. 

The song "Made to Worship" starts:

Before the day, before the light,
before the world revolved around the sun,
God on High, stepped down into time,
and wrote the story of His Love for everyone

I also am really liking the song entitled "Uncreated One."

This evening, I was teaching a new Taiwanese believer about the Uncreated One.  The One who made the universe--all things seen and unseen.  The One who existed before there was such thing as day and night, earth and sky.  We also saw how because God is good, all that He created was good.

I was glad that I had been listening to these songs today.  I always knew that God was Creator--that we was and is and always will be.  But, I had never heard Him reffered to as "the Uncreated One."  I was able to use that name for Him tonight. 

Also, yesterday, I attended a training session with my mission team.  The leader kept referring to God in this way, "and we call this God the Most High God, 上帝 (shang di)." 

So, now I have two "new" names to use for God--the Uncreated One and the Most High God. 

Ok, back to why I started this post . . . the song "Made to Worship."  As I heard this line from the song by the same title, I was reminded again of how true this is.  The Uncreated One created us with the desire to worship built in.  Each human being longs to worship--it is a part of who we are as humans.  I see people all around me all the time worshipping.   They worship false gods; they worship their ancestors; they worship idols that cost small fortunes but were made by the hands of a mere man.  The point is--they worship.  They were made to worship--so that is what they do. 

Oh, Most High God, will you please help me to scatter the seed of the Gospel widely this week?  Give me boldness to speak Your Good News to those around me.  Give me more and more opportunities to share the story of the Uncreated One who is the Most High God with more and more Taiwanese.  Soften their hearts so that the seed will fall onto good soil.  Soften their hearts and open their eyes--have mercy on the Taiwanese so that they can worship You--the One True God who reigns on high.   

four little words

eija tagged me eons ago (actually only 12 days ago--but that is like eons in blogville).   

She was given four words to write about what they mean to her, and in return gave me and three others four words to write about what they mean to us.  So, the words she randomly picked for us are: Show, Money, Then, Chocolate.

The first thing that popped into my "I'm so glad it's the weekend" brain was "Show me the money, then I will share my chocolate with you." or what about "Show me the chocolate, then I will decide if it is worth spending my money on."

But, I don't think that is exactly how the game is played.  ;)

Show.  給你看看. As a self-proclaimed recovering people-pleasing perfectionist, I struggle with the dichotomy of who I really am and who I show myself to be.  The new discovery of the truth that grace applies to believers too has allowed me to confess sin and embrace Christ all over again.  What a great place to be!  Grace--lets me show more of the real me to others.  And you know what?  I like that; I like that a lot.

Money. 錢. Something I don't manage well, but long to.  Something I don't really care about like to think about.  Bills paid.  Needs met.  Even some wants granted. I'm good to go.  I recently bought Money, Possessions, and Eternity by Randy Alcorn.  It is in my must read next stack.  I long to be a good steward of all that God gives me.

Then. 然後. I love to plan.  I am constantly thinking "After I . . . ., then I will . . . ."  The problem with this is that I put something that needs to/should be done soon in the "then I will" spot and something I don't want to do in the "after I . . . " spot.  THEN, because I don't want to do it, I add another "oh I will do that after I . . . " in front of the first "after I . . . ."  And, thus, I forever seem to not be doing the things I want and doing the things I don't.  Perhaps I need some re-flywashing.

Chocolate. 巧克力.  Yes please. Preferably dark if you have it.  Got any with nuts? 

Tag--you're it!
I tag Kristy, rejoyce, Claire, Michelle, and Charlotte (but I don't know if Charlotte does tags).  (Mom if you wanna do it, you could answer in the comments--I didn't tag you only cuz you don't blog.)

Here are your four words: directions, lovely, improve, once. 
I took these words from the packaging of the bottle of "Shiny Syrup" I bought tonight for Gilby's tear-stain issue.  Be thankful I didn't pick "Indirations" [sic] or "kelogram" [sic]. ;)

sisters-in-Christ

I've wanted to post all week long about so many things but each moment I've had a "break" I don't have enough brain-power left to write anything worth reading. :)

So, night I am going to keep it real simple. 

I want to just show you three pictures from the past weekend (more will be posted soon with lots of culture explained).  For now, I just want to show you some of my best friends in the world.

I love these girls.  We are all Belivers, sisters in Christ, and alumni of Dallas Baptist University.  I met each of these lovely ladies in America, but they are all Taiwanese (well, one is from Hong Kong).  They each have played a very significant role in my life.  I have been blessed because God let them be a part of my life.

Below is a picture of me with the bride, Lydia.  She is one of my dearest friends.  I met her my sophomore year in college, and we were roommates my junior year.  I have always thought she was so beautiful (inside and out).  She is a great listener and very easy to be around.  I am so happy for her and her new husband.

And the last one is some of the DBU ladies with Lydia and her new husband--right after the wedding cermony.  Oh, which, by the way, we were a part of.  We sang a song at their wedding--I solo-ed the English version of the song, and we all sang the Chinese version together.  So does that make me a wedding singer? ;)

the goings on

I promised myself I would leave around 3:00 but considering it is now just about 3, I think I'm going to be a little late.  Yet, still I wanna leave a quick note to tell yall what's up.

This week was only 2 days for me.  We had a five day weekend last weekend--Friday was a lunar holiday, Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, and Tuesday was a national holiday, Double 10 or Independance Day.  These two holidays don't normally fall so close together, but since they fell on the same weekend the government gave everyone Monday off as long as they made it up this coming Saturday. 

Anywho, I was in Kenting for 5 days with my mission team--it was great chance to meet new team memebers, worship together, and pray for each other and the Taiwanese people--oh and of course play at the beach. Then I worked two days, and today I have tried to get come errands and chores completed, but my "to do list" still seems longer than my "did it list."  And, like I mentioned earlier in the post, I am planning on leaving this afternoon.  This time I will be heading northward for the wedding of one of my college roommates.

I had several posts set to auto-post last weekend--you didn't even know I was out of town did you?  Anyway, I had it together last week and don't this week. :)  I barely got out my really short little post yesterday. Which is funny, because it has gathered more comments than most of my posts do. (Thanks elde for the youba tip--I learned something new.)

Anywho, I have a whole list of post ideas to write up (including one tag from ejia) and tons of photos to share.  But, I just don't have the time this week to do it.  However, it is for good reasons--worship, spiritual retreat, playing at the beach, the celebration of marriage, seeing old friends, and making new ones.  So, I guess I can cope. ;)

But before you click away, feel free to go find yourself on the map and tell me which one you think is you like Kristy and Claire did.  (If there is not a dot on your location--you can still tell me where abouts it should be if you wanna.)

See ya next week!  Happy Weekend!!

hotpot fixins . . .

When I last posted about hotpot, Leslie asked about all the stuff around the pumpkin hotpot. 

I added notes to the picture on flikr.  You can run your mouse over the boxes on the picture to see what all the other stuff is. :)

If you wanna try pumpkin hotpot, well . . . you better come on over and vist me. :)

my recent visitors--yes, that means YOU!

Thanks to sitemeter, I can see where in the whole wide world my last 100 visitors have come from.

I just wanted to let you know you are welcome here.  Several people--some who I know well and others who I don't know so well--"admitted" to reading my blog when I was home in the States this summer.   

I just wanted to let you know that you don't have to feel guilty reading my blog--you aren't a peeking tom; you are a welcomed guest.  :) (My best guess is that some people who don't blog feel a kind of guilt reading other people's blogs.)

I see my blog as a way to share what is happening in my life with my family and friends back in the States, but I also see my blog as a way for me to share Taiwan and my heart for the Taiwanese people with others, as a way to share a few of my hobbies (photography and writing) with others, and as a way to connect with other Christian ladies since where I live these kinds of relationships are rare.  It is also a way for me to record in words and pictures my journey and adventures along this unknown path. 

So, if you read my blog often--thanks!  If you stop by occasionally--thanks!!  If this happens to be your first visit--well, thanks and hope you come back for more! 

No matter how often you stop by, please don't be afraid to comment; however, if you wanna keep lurking (reading but not commenting) that is perfectly ok too.  Just one thing I ask, please don't feel that stopping by is a guilty pleasure.  Remember, you are more than welcome here!! :)

Edited to add: I had already edited this post--but apparently it didn't get saved.  I had added the map that is now above, and also added something along the lines of even though I don't always get a chance to reply or respond to comments, I do read them all and appreciate them greatly.

pumpkin hot pot

This is the pumpkin hot pot I mentioned awhile back.  I love this stuff.  It is GREAT!!

I took Veronica there so she could try it too.  It was yummy!!

In all honesty, being able to eat Taiwanese hot pot is a great example of what I have mentioned before--that God has changed me.  My first year here--as an exchange student in 1999--I absoluetly hated hotpot.  I would barely touch the stuff. 

Now, I eagerly choose it and enjoy it.  Granted, I still do pass on a few of the items that can be put in the hotpot--take for example the congealed ducks blood--but overall I love this dish. 

Our God is a God of details.  And the detail of helping me love Taiwanese food is one I am very, very grateful for!!  My first month here in 1997 . . . I lived on shrimp, rice, eggs, and peanut butter.  Yeah, He has done some major work on my taste buds!! :)

Below is a pic of Veronica enjoying her pumpkin hotpot:

sleeping

This is not a particulary flattering photo . . . but I like it.  Right before I left Taiwan for a month this summer, I clung to Gilby wanting to savor every moment with my little pup.  The night before our parting, I actually made him my pillow, and he didn't seem to mind.

where i park (1)

I was going to start this "series" (or show this collection later when it was complete), but there is no time like the present, eh?   And showing this video, made me want to show you the above photo as well.

The theme of this series is "where I park."  I want to show you some of the places my moped gets parked.  Why?  Because I think it is interesting.  It's an off beat way to share a little bit of Taiwan's culture with you.  When you live in over populated area you park in some mighty fine places.  In fact, I park my little scooter in places I would never have conceived of parking a vehicle before coming to Taiwan.  So, I hereby officially welcome you to join me as I park my moped around Taiwan (well, probably just around Kaohsiung). 

Without further ado, for the first installment of my (probably random) series, "where i park," I proudly give you the photo above as Exhibit A: "i park underground in a moped only parking lot." 

P.S. Bonus points go to whoever can point out (add a note on flickr) which moped is mine.

logic

I already knew I loved logic and enjoyed good logic puzzles.  And, any one of my family members will tell you I don't pass up the opportunity to debate the logicality of something.  But I didn't know it was to this extent . . .

You Are Incredibly Logical

Move over Spock - you're the new master of logic. You think rationally, clearly, and quickly. A seasoned problem solver, your mind is like a computer!

How Logical Are You?

[HT: Rebecca Writes (who also happens to be incredibly logical)]

an elevator for the handicapped

Today, on my way to the parking garage to get my moped and go home, I had to take the elevator (ok, I didn't have to--I could have taken the stairs). 

I park near the "handicapped elevator."  One advantage of this elevator is that unlike the other elevators in the building it actually stops on all floors (a very special feature that few elevators in our school posses).  Other modifications to the handicapped elevator include Chinese braille, hand rails, a second set of buttons at wheelchair level, and a recorded voice. 

The voice tells you when you are arriving on another floor which floor you are at and that the door "wants" to open and it also warns you when the doors "want" to close (Chinese doesn't have the future tense like English does)--in not one but two languages.  It speakers to its passengers in Mandarin (what I speak) and Taiwanese (what I want to learn). 

Have a listen . . .

Just FYI, outside of the door of the handicapped elevator on each floor is special raised pebble tiling so those who can't see can "feel" where the opening is.

a friend's visit

This weekend (Friday to Monday night) I was blessed to have a guest in my home.  A friend from my home church in Texas was sent by her company to Taiwan for a week.  After she had completed her work obligations in Taipei, she came on down to Kaohsuing to see me.

Veronica and I have known each other for a long time.  Her uncle was one of my Sunday school teachers when I was in middle school.  But, in recent years as life has transplanted both of us outside of the great state of Texas, we haven't seen each other much or even really talked much.  However, it was WONDERFUL having her visit me for a few days.

We talked.  We laughed.  We cried.  We ate Taiwanese food.  We took moped rides.  We took Gilby for walks.  We went sight seeing.  We shared our faith.  We worshipped.  We prayed.  It was just awesome!

Veronica did an great job asking lots and lots of questions allowing me to share my love for the Taiwanese and for Taiwan with her.  She helped me see afreash some of the things I now take for granted.  She helped me see how blessed I am--just how much God has changed me and given me in the past few years. 

I was tempted when she left to complain: "why can't I have that kind of friend to hang out with all the time?"  But, I quickly repented and turned my heart to thankfulness: "Thank you, Abba Fu (Daddy God) for giving me precious time to be with Veronica this weekend.  You sure did bless me with this special friend.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you!!" 

1. Veronica braved my moped,
2. Veronica, Gilby, and Me at the East Gate in Meinong,
3. Veronica exercised with this grandma,

4. Veronica with some of my students,
5. Veronica talks to my class,
6. Veronica and Gilby