a vestige of thought...

This is Nubia, the seven-year-old Nicaraguan girl that I sponsor through Compassion International. For Christmas I sent her $10 and with that she bought the dress and ponytail twisties she is wearing and the umbrella and cologne she is holding. It's absolutely amazing how far $10 can go in a third world country. I like that she's smiling in this picture. In the last picture Compassion sent me, she was just kind of staring off into space. It's so nice to see that the check I send off every month is actually helping to accomplish something.

I had an adventure this afternoon. I intended to simply to get my hair cut (in Harrison). I'd never driven out there before, so Mom gave me very direct instructions. I got there with no problems, got my hair cut, and started to drive home. Everything was going wonderfully and then a sign appeared that said "Welcome to Cincinnati" and suddenly I was downtown. Oops. So I called my mother (thank goodness for cell phones!) and she directed me to a place that I am familiar with and (over an hour after I left the salon) I was able to find my way home. The good side of this is that I am now slightly more familiar with the downtown area. Maybe I should start losing myself regularly, and soon I'll know the whole city like the back of my hand.

It's time for bed. Have a nice sleep! And for any Finneytown people who read this before Wednesday, I wish you the very best of luck on your exams.