Feeling Minnesota & a Return to Honest Work

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Greetings again everyone~
I hope life is treating you well back home in the States. I see it's been slightly over a month since I last updated the blog, so I figured I should fill you in on what's going on in our lives recently.

If you didn't know, I was recently back in Minnesota for a brief two week visit. The visit was more business than pleasure, as my availability for socializing was curtailed by selling furniture, cleaning out our house, and preparing the place for the next renters to 301 Wyoming. So I apologize if you didn't hear from me while home, but I anticipate that my return trip after Christmas will allow for more relaxed times and socialization.

As you will see below, I did take the opportunity one morning to take some pictures of the Twin Cities area, just so we don't forget what St. Paul is all about while down here in Peru. In addition to the historic sites of St. Paul, you'll also see some pictures of the University of Minnesota's new, wonderful football stadium. It promises to provide some wonderful moments on campus this fall.

The St. Paul skyline:

St. Paul Cathedral:
The Gophers brand new stadium, getting the finishing touches put on:
Irvine Park, where I proposed to Marianella:
Come here and order the Tim Stokes special (Tex-Mex, no onions) and you won't have to eat the rest of the day:
Speaking of fall, it is the season I miss the most in Peru-football being played, hayrides, the changing colors of the trees. And while I wasn't able to enjoy any of those things, the weather when I was home sure reminded me of those crisp fall days & nights. Who would have thought that I should have packed sweatshirts and long pants while visiting in July? It did provide wonderful weather while cleaning out the house though, so I appreciated the cool weather, even if the natives were begging for some warmth.

I returned to Peru late Monday night and began my new job as a high school counselor on Wednesday. You may recall that I was spending some time shadowing the outgoing counselor from February through May, but now it's my office and my caseload, which I'm looking forward to. It's been a whirlwind of a week, as I try to process all the new information that comes when you start a new job, but I'm excited to get going. During this upcoming week we will be celebrating Peru's Independence Day which means we have a very short week at work and then the start date for school has been pushed back due to concerns about the swine flu, so Marianella and I are looking to head towards the mountain area of Huaraz next weekend, which means the blog will return to pictures of Peru very soon.

One last note. . .as stated earlier, our house in St. Paul remains without tenants, so if you know of anyone reliable who may be looking for a rental residence, please let me know! In fact, we've decided to have a contest to see who can produce the tenants to sign on the dotted (leasing) line. If you do so, you may pick from these two wonderful prizes:

1. An original, abstract painting done by yours truly with my signature in the corner verifying its authenticity.
Or. . .
2. An authentic, five course Peruvian meal prepared by my lovely wife Marianella*
*meal can only be redeemed at our residence in San Borja

I'm sure with these wonderful prizes the competition will be strong, so find your prospective renters for us fast!

Look at the beautiful flowers at 301 Wyoming!:

Take care everyone, we hope life is treating you well, and enjoy the rest of the summer! ~Tim & Marianella

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