More New Foods

One of the great things about living in a new country is all of the new and interesting foods. We are having a great time tasting all sorts of things. Some things have looked really yummy, but tasted awful.....FYI: not all things that look like donuts are donuts - good to know in Asia. However, the opposite is true, too. The "sandwich" shop on the corner is really a great place. It will be even better when I can learn how to say, "hold the pickles please", but our Papa will really like it when he comes to visit. Also, the ice cream is a cool treat, but Bob it is not BlueBell. It tastes more like frozen Cool Whip. Our favorite find this week would be the sesame bread circles. They are sold all over by street venders and are a VERY cheap treat.


Cheers to Exploring!
AT

First Package From the States!

The kids are thrilled to have received their first packages. When you walk into our building there is a ledge built into the wall where mail is left. We simply sort through it all and see if anything is addressed to us. So far, the only things that have been addressed to us are bills....typical! What fun days the kids had when first William and then Grace found large envelopes with their names on them. Grace loves her new dress and matching doll dress, William has already read his 2 new Nate the Great books multiple times through. Thanks Grandma! Love you, AT

PS: Notice William's new (very short) hair cut...we have a barber shop under us. They are super helpful. Matt is enjoying sitting around having tea with them! It is quite amazing!

Because of HIM

I don't want to call William a "little man" because I so desperately do not wish to take away any of his childhood; however, my little boy is growing so much. He often has wisdom beyond him. I know that the Father is speaking to him and truly working in his life.

Our family has been strategically visiting all the shops that surround us. We are looking for friends, possible language helpers, people of peace, and just trying to figure out how to get our basic needs met. We have been abundantly surprised by all the doors that God is opening. However, it came as a harsh reality last Friday when rejection was abundantly clear. It happened the third time that I had tried to shop in a small grocery store closest to our building. The first two times I noticed that the owners were not helpful, but on this visit we were shunned and most defiantly rejected. William and I were alone. I won't go into the details, but even with a little language we new we were not wanted. William looked at me at one point in the store and said, "This is a dark place." Since I already had the few things I wanted, I decided to not look around any longer and just leave. We paid for our items and were trying to bag things to leave when William was grabbed and shoved towards the door. Of course, my heart was racing, and I was furious! But of my sweet William.....

Once on the street, he looked at me and said, "Momma, we cannot expect everyone to love us and want what we have. We'll find another store." As he patted ME on the arm, I wanted to cry. I should be the one comforting him!

We walked back to the "sweets shop" next to our house to order a little baklava. The man hugged, kissed William (and I guess told him he was happy to see him again!) and gave him some fruit baklava to try. William said, "See Momma; it's okay."

He is right; it is "okay". God is in control. We found another store a little way from our flat, but not too far. It happens to be a better store all around. (more variety, a helpful butcher, etc.) BUT more than that we are growing and learning and allowing the Father to work in and through us. We are truly grateful for this adventure even on the hard days!

AT

New SMILE!

Grace finally lost her front teeth! Most of you remember that they were damaged when she was 18 months old. After multiple trips to the dentist and several x-rays, they decided that since the nerves were still "mostly" attached, she should keep her teeth until they fell out naturally. Of course, they thought it would happen before she was 2 years old. Well for the last 4+ years, she has really struggled with sensitive teeth. NOW, they are finally out and she is SOOO happy.
Loving my girl's new smile!
AT

Friday Night Take-Out

Today was an adventure. I had hoped to save us some money by getting a used vacuum cleaner from a friend. I knew that it was on its last leg, but I had hoped that we could get by with it for a little while. Well, my new wool rug did it in! (No, laughing....I know I am not having luck with rugs right now!) Yes, I blew up the vacuum cleaner and cut off part of the electricity in the flat in the process! Matt fixed the electricity - just a breaker issue - and we decided to head across town to the mall to find a vacuum. We found one on sale that is hopefully a good brand and proceeded to haul the thing back across town on the minibus. It was a long crazy/hot trip that put us back here at the flat just in time for dinner....After opening the salon window and finding there was no breeze, I decided I just didn't think I was physically going to be able to stand in the hot kitchen. We either needed to wait and eat dinner at 10pm or figure out something for take-out. We had eaten last week at the restaurant where the workers had rescued and return my purse (read A few random things from our first 10 days for the story). It was wonderful food, and we realized that you could get things to go. Matt went in tonight and they were so helpful. He came home with a pizza. It was cheese and beef with tomatoes and a wonderful sauce. They made it all right in front of him. The crust was awesome. Matt also brought home my new favorite thing.....Baklava! They make all kinds. The chocolate was yummy, but the original was heavenly. I have had the kind of baklava that people send you at Christmas with a basket of fruit....that is usually awful. This was flaky, sweet, rich...amazing! Come visit us and I'll buy you some... AT

A Few More Random Things...

Public transportation is the way to go in a big city. It is just too crazy to drive! We will have access to a company vehicle in 6 months, but it is not something that we will use on a regular basis. The great thing about our city is that there are so many choices. We live on a pretty busy street and the bus stop is right out front. On our key rings we carry something called an "Ock Bill". You "load" credit onto it, and it acts as a pass to ride the busses, the metro and many of the water busses. When you enter the bus, you simply "ding" it on the receiver. It charges your account and tells you how much you have left. I posted a picture of the ock bill as well as a picture of one of the mini buses and larges buses. I call the mini bus the "short" bus (most of you from the south will know what I mean by that!) because that is how I feel most of the time! : )

Here are two pictures of how our house is coming along. I would love to be decorating and making it "homey", but for now we are simply getting necessary items. We are grateful for larger stores like IKEA. The cost of living is more here than home, so we need to make things stretch. Grace's room is our largest space, so we are dividing it to make a spot for school. As you can see, we have some things on the wall in this room. These are items we brought from the states to help get a jump start on a good learning environment. Our family will begin language school with a tutor in our home on the 27th of this month. We will wait until closer to September to start our "normal" homeschool. The second home picture is of our "salon" or living room. It has a more modern feel than I have ever gone with before, but we are grateful for affordable items. Thankfully, the people in this culture happen to like a firm chair/couch rather than our American big fluffy Lazy Boys...so it works out with our budget. The chairs and the sheers have a small floral pint on them.

The next pictures I think are the best thing about our flat....the VIEW. Here is a picture of the Sea and of the park across the street. I have yet to see more green in the city. We feel very blessed. In the distance you can see the outline of the islands. I have been told the view is better in the winter. I can't wait for the snow!

I have to end with a sweet picture of the kidos. They love Grandpa's DVD player and Aunt Alison's "I love Lucy" episodes. (I know that makes you proud Aunt Jan/Lollie!) I don't see how they still like to snuggle in all this heat, but they manage. You can see William laughing at Lucy...priceless!

Well, I am not sure what everyone wants to hear. Email us with your questions as well as your personal family updates. We miss everyone. AT

Which Door Do You Want To Choose?

Well, that sounds like a spiritual title, but alas this entry will not be deep. God is doing some amazing things that I will write about soon, but for now, this is just a silly update.
Our new lavatory situation is quite different than in the US. When you turn into the first room on the left down our hallway, you enter what we are now calling the decision room. It is a fairly large space considering our square footage in the flat, and yet it simply has upper storage cabinets and a newly added rug (just to make it a happier spot!). Once in this room, you have a choice - Door Number One OR Door Number Two. We'll let you choose when you come visit.....but should you choose option numero uno, you will enter a more "normal" looking western room. There is a western commode & a pedestal sink, but you will also see our unique shower/tub and our front loading, computerize, rug eating (....long story!) washing machine.

HOWEVER, should you choose door numero dos, you will see our wonderful "squatty potty". Yes, these are in most homes and almost all public restrooms. We are still trying to decide if we will have this room open for use, or use it as a cleaning storage closet. We have been told more than likely all of our guests will be comfortable in our western room....but before you send your opinion, let me ask you...Do you like to "sit" where other people have already been? HUMMM...I am finding that door number 2 can be a little more sanitary. Well, let me just say that most of the time it has been a decent public experience....I do not advise anyone to visit the restrooms on the sea shore. It is a trip down into the pit of filth that I was charged money to experience...you have to love 6 year olds!

Well, that is my potty talk for now. : ) Here is a picture of my new quiet spot. My coffee mug did not make it into the shot, but it has the same print as the chair....I love IKEA!

Click HERE to read why "Potty Talk" and a Quiet Time chair might go together...

Spending Time With HIM Each Day!

AT

William Discovered "Nate The Great"

Matt was able to get our bookcases secured to the concrete walls (we have earthquakes here), so the kids and I were able to organize our craft and school supplies. Once unpacked, William immediatly set to reading the chapter books assigned for this year. (I guess we'll need to find more for the Fall!) His favorites this week were Mrs. Piggle Wiggle and Nate the Great. It looks like there are more books in each of these series, so we'll have to see if Amazon can ship overseas. For those of you that have read Nate the Great books, you'll remember that he is a detective that solves kid's mysteries; he also LOVES pancakes! There was a recipe in the back of the book for special detective pancakes. This morning for breakfast I surprised William with this special meal.

We cannot find "syrup" here (or jellies/jams) but they have wonderful preserves. We put strawberry over it....YUMMMMM! Hope you enjoy the sticky smiles!

Because of Him, AT

A few random things from our first 10 days.....

I have so much that I would love to share, but I know everyone's time is precious so I'll just write about a few random things... First of all, thank you for the many prayers. Our travels were wonderful. The airline was amazing. Believe it or not, in 2009, we traveled with 14 checked bags and paid ZERO for them. They were so accomidating. It was a great experience. The kids did a wonderful job and were great helpers.

Our company team mates have been more than helpful in guiding us to get our home set up. It has been a true blessing. As you can see the kids are excited about their new rooms. William got the bunk bed he has "always wanted". Grace has a storage bed....she is VERY happy with her new things. I'll have to post more pictures of the house as we settle in, but we have been able to get basic furnite in each room and a basic kitchen set-up.



Tonight a new friend came over and taught me to make tea. This is a picture of what teapots look like here. It is like a double boiler. There is also a picture of what the tea cups look like. Grace turned 6 on Tuesday. She had a great time opening cards from the States and making cookies.

Tonight we had a party at the sea shore with a few friends. On the way there, God was truly watching over us. I did not get the car door shut tightly and when we turned the corner the door came open! I slammed it shut, but did not realize that my purse had fallen out!! Thankfully, it was right at the cornor of the street we live on and the owners of the resturant noticed. They rushed out to get it out of the street. Minutes later my cell phone called Matt. ????? A man began speaking so Matt handed the phone to our friend. Long story, but my purse was returned and everything was in order!! ONLY GOD!! TRULY AMAZING!

Again, thank you for your many prayers of protection. Over the next week we will continue to settle in and get to know our neighborhood. Then the following week we begin language school. We are excited that the kids will be learning along side us.

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Blessings, AT