I am thankful for...

God's creation

 boys who always seem to find sticks

good friends
chubby hands that hold on tight
our little girl

walks in the woods

flowers picked just for me

a time away from the city

good food

my family

(these photos were all taken this weekend at Hohe Wand, which is about one hour outside of Wien)

Summer Entertainment

It's raining. Which means no park today. Vienna has great parks and usually our afternoons are spent playing at one. Instead, today we are crafting.I practically brought enough supplies to open a craft store-but I am so glad I did, because there are not an abundance of stores like these

Oh how I miss those aisles of colored cotton balls and cheesy seasonal decorations...

ok-back to what is keeping our kiddos entertained this summer...


1. Investing in our friends we made at school this year. Here is Abby at the zoo, walking hand and hand with her buddies..

2. This is Levi's favorite website.

3. Even though our friend/teammate, Jodie pretended she was blind as a result of this show, it hasn't stopped us from watching countless epidodes of Little House on the Prairie.

4. As a family we have started reading "The Star of Kazan" before bed. It is set in Vienna-and
everytime Brad or I read the word "Vienna"-everyone cheers! Yes, it doesn't take much to entertain us :)

5. We do try to provide some structure...with lists that kids have to complete daily (some days we get more done than others)

6. Play-Doh parties with the neighbors...

7. Fussball! Luke heads to camp for a few days next week-but anytime he gets a chance, he is playing. These are his really cool new shoes. (he now wears the same size as me!)

8.Last week we checked this place out. It has the fastest waterslide I have ever been on, and gave the biggest water wedgies ever!

9. Helping in the kitchen... (yes, we tried to make a cherry pie from scratch...way more work than it is worth!)


10. Dressing-up is still fun for even our oldest rugrat...
May they never grow up...

Views from vacation...

Hallstatt is one of those places wherever you look you see beauty...
I loved the view when I looked out of my room window...
Abby loved the view from the diving board...
the steeple that watches over the city...
little legs freshly dipped in the icy cold water...
surrounded by mountains and nestled on a lake...
flowers displayed in many quaint ways...
the billowing clouds reflect in an old barn window...
there are so many ways to enjoy the view...

Prague Interns

Every summer World Harvest sends out interns to many of their teams.  It didn't quite work out for us to have internships this summer, but we still got to have a visit from the Prague interns.  (If you remember, it was the Prague interns from last summer who helped us get some of our Ikea furniture together when we first moved into our flat!)

We had lots of fun showing them the city and giving them our vision for how we would like to see Vienna renewed by the Gospel.  It was also great to be around such an encouraging group who really want to use their gifts for the kingdom.  They also took the time to love on our kids, which means a lot to us!

Fortunately, we will get to see them again in a few weeks in Poland, as we will all be attending a spiritual retreat together. 

Friday Favorites-Donauturm

While the Glam Grams were here, we had a great time seeing more of the sites in the city.  We had told the kids that if they did well on their report cards, that we would take them for dessert in the Donau Turm
The view from this tower is amazing.  Here is Luke trying to find our apartment!
Levi loved pointing at all of the sites too.
Brad, Abby and I all ate kaiserschmarrn, while everyone else had ice cream!  While you are eating, the restaurant turns...so you really get to see everything!
This weekend we will also be out and about the city showing the Prague interns around!  They are just here for the weekend, but we look forward to our time with them.

Have a good weekend everyone!

This one is for you Miss Shannon!

I have very fond memories of eating lots and lots of these little pesto baguettes with my friend Shannon. Full of flavor and crunchiness, and just the right size for popping into your mouth!

Here is what you need:
a baguette
cream cheese
pesto
parmesan cheese
basil for garnish (if you desire)

Cut your baguette into bite sized pieces and spread out on a cookie sheet...bake at 350 for about 7-10 minutes...checking to make sure they don't get too brown.

While your bread is getting crunchy, mix in your food processor the softened cream cheese, a few tablespoons of pesto and about 1/4 cup shredded cheese. Blend until smooth. If you don't happen to have pesto on hand, (which usually I don't) you can improvise with a little italian salad dressing, a few basil leaves and maybe even a little garlic if you are feeling daring. There is no wrong way to create this...so have at it. Enjoy!

Shannon, I hope you are not currently on a strike from carbs...as this post will probably make you want to run to Publix to get a baguette...love and miss you!

A normal day is good...

I thought we all would be reeling a bit after saying goodbye to the Glam Grams, but so far everyone is having a "normal day". It has felt good to regroup, organize, do laundry, go get groceries, run a few errands and get some routine back.

This morning I received a call from one of my neighbors asking we if could bring her son home from kindergarten, as she was out and running late. A few minutes later I got a call from my other neighbor asking if we could watch her kids for her tomorrow, as she has a meeting. One of the moms from Abby's class called a few days ago to plan a day at the zoo together and tomorrow night we are headed out for a (pretty infrequent) date night with friends. We are building a little community with those who God has brought our way.

It feels good.
Normal.
As though we are becoming a part of "here".

I know it has been a year since we moved to Vienna, and for the most part our transition overseas has been smooth, but there are still many times throughout the day that I feel I am not a part...different on more than one level.

I am sure the days of feeling insecure with my language ability or just not feeling a "part" are bound to come again...maybe even tomorrow. But today my heart overflows as I answer my phone and am able to drive to where I need to go to without asking Brad to take me there!

Today has felt like a "normal day", and a normal day is good.

More of the Glam Grams

Wedding fun, traveling together, enjoying the view with one another, laughing, eating, taking time to listen, snuggling, eating, sewing projects, slumber parties in the living room with storytime, did I mention eating;)
                                                          Saying goodbye always stinks!

I might be in trouble...

Flip flops are the only thing I wear in the summer...and they were the only thing I wore when we lived in Florida.  I am addicted to their comfort and really don't enjoy wearing shoes anymore...I think I might be in trouble!

These are my favorite.

Recovering...

Yesterday we did head to the Spanish Riding School where the Lipizzan Stallions perform, but I must admit that the link I posted was way more impressive than what we got to see.  Actually, the REAL deal stallions are on vacation...no, I 'm not joking, so we got to see some of the trainees...the up and comings!  Don't get me wrong, it was still impressive (and less expensive) and fun to watch these beautiful horses prance around and interact with one another. 
Here is Abby dreaming big dreams I am sure, as she watches the show.

Here are some of the Mamas with their 2 and 3 month old babies.  I was surprised that they start out brown and then eventually turn white.

Our 4th evening was spent with our friends, the Baileys and we had our share of hamburgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob, baked beans, watermelon and apple pie.  We even ate some s'mores just for good measure!  (Hence the title, recovering...from all we ate!)

We all were a bit surprised when dusk occurred and there were 3 different sets of fireworks in the city that we could see from our terrace!  
It was great fun celebrating the 4th with so much to be thankful for...

freedom, family, food and the fellowship of new friends!

Home, but the vacation continues...

We have returned from Hallstatt, and here are a few stats to report...

Mornings slept in past 8 am... all!

Amount of ice cream eaten... too much to admit!

Number of times the coldness of the lake took our breath away... everytime!:)

Today is the Fourth and we will celebrate as best we can living out of the States...

we already attended a parade of sorts... the Lipizzan Stallions 

and soon an apple pie will be in the oven for fellow Americans, as we grill and spit seeds of watermelon together!  

Happy Fourth to all of our friends in the States!