oh, the joys of good ink

A few drorings from the time in Oman...playing with new pens.

My dear friend Sara is visiting from the states - the first close friend to come to Dubai. It's only been a day so far but we are enjoying each other's company :)

love,
cait

déan tú féin sa bhaile

[make yourself at home]

mmmm it is sweet to be home.
I arrived last night, after a long day of driving and uncertainty, from Khasab.
The children will be missed, their frustrations not so much, but my own growth will remain!
- Reward enough for long weeks away.

I have missed family, blogging, dressing up, good coffee. Contentedness in simpler surroundings is a joy though, and natural beauty is an added pleasure in the mountains. Though I realize how I enjoy and am blessed by the material things and aesthetic happiness, I'm reminded of their ultimate meaninglessness!

I did do some painting in Oman, and drawing with my new rapidograph Koh-i-noor pens (eeee!) and that will be shared later. For now, how are you all?

incense

Crinkly smell of incense

Warm and pungent

Burning

Spreads through the house.

Welcome.

Baby’s cries from incensed houses

Fragrance covering lies.

The neighbors bustle, lives of happy fear.

And I lie awake to the sound of cats, shrieking as they fight.

A Note of Thanks

- for all of your lovely, sweet comments.
I miss you!

[there was much painting of mushrooms and cupcakes,
and cutting up of paper (the Shakespeare variety) on my day off,
so hopefully I'll have something to show soon]

until I return

Now that Christmas is past, packages have been received and opened and I can share two more special gifts of this year. These were created for two of my dearest friends; Katie and Sara. They are small scrapbooks made from simple photoalbums filled with cards of art, Shakespeare, quotes, passages of Scripture, glitter, lace, and love. Here are a few examples of the pages.

I am off to Oman again for about three weeks.

Leaving my family again is not ideal but I am excited to serve them again, and to see the baby and invest in the little girls' lives. The culture there is so beautiful too and I am thankful to experience it more. I will have limited internet access but will come by when able!

Much love to you all. Tell me how your January goes!!
Cait

A New Year

Already New Years Day, how strange that seems right now. Years never seem to be concise; the starts and finishes are never quite proper in my mind and the in between stretches out to be forever, or yesterday.
You grow a lot in a year, hopefully forward. This year God protected my heart, and transformed it, took things out and put things in and moved Himself closer to the center where He belongs.
There were new friends, more challenging and meaningful conversations than ever before, learning from each other.
There was increased family vision, and the pain of seeing our mistakes, looking ahead to the slow process of grace reinventing us.

I found out that people would actually buy my art. I realized that some of my best friends are held captive by the tragic lies of this world's priorities.


I drank a lot of tea.

I spent a lot of money on Starbucks, and a lot of my parents' money on paint.
Giving became a lot more important than receiving.
I became a yankee seccesionist. Hehe. I fell in love with Dutch clouds and Omani stars and incense, and the example of NieNie.

I will graduate and I will stay home to learn and serve and prepare.
God will continue to be faithful and amaze me with his steadfastness.

And hopefully I will continue to blog and get to know all of you.
Much love for this new year,
Cait