What Might Have Been

Side points: 1. I found the Frosty recipe! Haven't tried it yet. 2. We got Thadeus' picture taken for his passport today. He is too adorable!

Getting to the point... I've often wondered what things might have been like if I hadn't been saved at a young age. What if I had some miraculous testimony of how God took me up out of some horrible circumstances? Since moving here and making new friends I've had moments when I've wondered if I love God at all. Pretty much all of them did drugs. Some of them were prostitutes or homosexuals, and to see them now and how much they love the Lord it brings home Luke 7:46. Sometimes I'm down right jealous.

Since Ivana has come into our home I've had to face things about myself that I didn't appreciate having to look at. Does that make sense? That girl can drive me absolutely crazy, but the truth is she's just like me. It really is like having a teenage daughter.

Tonight Timothy and I were sitting in the theater waiting for the movie to start and it dawned on me what my life could have been. Her life up until four years ago was not pretty. I won't go into details since most of my friends who read this don't know her personally, but I'm glad...thankful...ever so grateful that I was born into a Christian home and that I did ask Jesus into my heart when I was six.

Ivana said something today that made the past 13 months worth while. I had responded a little strong (Timothy's words) to a bit of news she had given us about the center where she had gotten help for her drug addiction and met the Lord. I was trying to let her know that I did understand the emotional pull she has for Spain and that center by comparing it to my experience in Scotland and the Bible College. She said something to the effect of that place still being very special to her, but "...I've grown more here in one year than I did in three years there." Ahhh, we're not failing!

Frosty's!

This morning I got a craving for Wendy's frosty's. I'm going to google a recipe.

Yesterday afternoon I was trying to feed Thad and once again he just looks at me and gives me the biggest, cheesiest grin. I'm sure the size of his mouth could go in the Guiness Book! I can't get mad or discipline him when he does this b/c he's too young. Not too little, too young. So I laughed instead. In a fraction of a second his enormous grin went to an enormous frown. The bottom lip came out and he started to cry. Mommy hurt his feelings. Of course, that made me laugh even more, which made him cry harder...

Zerbits!

Sitting in church on a Sunday morning my almost-two-year-old climbs into my lap, wraps his little arms around my neck, pulls me close and zerbits my cheek. During the sermon this is quite a funny noise, but it was still hard for me to tell him "Not right now!".

Today was on-again, off-again sunshine. Aiko and her two kids, me and my two kids and Ivana went to a near by park, but the weather decided to get cloudy and windy so we couldn't stay the whole afternoon like we had planned. Shortly before we left I noticed a family walking by that looked so familiar. I wondered if they were some that had visited church recently, but I knew that wasn't right. Then it hit me, she had been one of the two women in my hospital room when Thad was born. She recognized me too and we were able to chat for a short bit. Neat!

I'm a Driver; I Drive!

I've been practicing driving stick shift. To say the term "stick shift" sounds so redneck, but it's easier than saying "manual transmission". I could give it a cool name and change it to "double S", but that sounds like a code and no one would understand so there's no point in doing that.

I'm starting to get the hang of it, but am seriously wishing that I'd learned when I was younger. I drove to church today without any stalls or nervousness; even with other cars following me. I have plans to drive to the plant nursery tomorrow morning. I'm trying to plan some place to go every day.

The deadline for foreigners to get their Slovene licenses is February. After that I'd have to go to the driving school and all that. As it is now I can practice with an instructor and then take a test and get the license, which is good until I turn 80 or something like that.

This morning our landlords brought a couch over for the family room upstairs. Now we can use it for more than kicking a ball back and forth. We need some more furniture, but I'm reluctant to ask the landlords for it. Long story. It's all small stuff and there are pretty good discount places to shop (or we could go to Austria) so I'll probably get it myself and then we'll have some of our own.

Timothy and I worked out yesterday morning. I'm sore!

It's Been So Long...

It's 6:30 a.m. and I really don't have time to blog, but I will...

Yesterday I laid a teething Clay down for a nap. He had a temperature all day and wasn't quite himself. When I was walking out of the room we shared the following dialogue.
"In Jesus' name you're going to be 100% better when you wake up! Say 'yes'."
"Yes!"
"Amen!"
"Ahmen!"
Laughing: "I love you."
"Ahmen!"

Thadeus has a big mouth...and uses it; usually to smile:) I'll put more pictures on an album in another week or so. I got some good ones of him smiling and a short video of him talking to the valve on the washing machine. The valve is to him what Owen's shelf used to be to Owen. A first friend. Someone, or something, to talk to when you're getting your diaper changed.

I have clothes lines in my basement and do a load of laundry every night. Just before going to bed I hang the clothes up so they're dry by morning. The dryers here are convection and work pretty slowly and use a lot of energy. I like this system better.

Timothy is very behind, and quite stressed, at work. I think it's going better for him than last year, as far as having done it before and being faster, but it's frustrating to know your work won't be caught up for months. His job is turning into a year round occupation, but in order for that to happen the schools would have to have year round accountants. He does a great job and has become a major asset to the headquarters here.

Gotta go wake Timothy up and get the clothes.