Croatian Vacation...Part 1

Our family loves road trips...there is no denying that.  We seem to pack everything but the kitchen sink...

snacks? (lots of them) check
our pillows? check
goggles, snorkles, etc? check
i-pad, i-touches, i-everything? check
games? check
beach buckets? check
sunscreen? check
sunglasses? check
camera? check
inflatables? check
shoes for hiking, shoes for the water, shoes for the beach? check, check, check
enough underwear for all of the days we are planning to be gone? questionable

Sometimes getting out the door is the hardest part of the trip!

We left last Monday and drove about 6.5 hours to get to our first destination, Apartment Kristina...

It was a lovely bed and breakfast- with lots of green space for the kids to run and play after being trapped in the car for so long!

If you ask the kids the favorite part of that place, they would say this sweet dog that loved to have her belly rubbed...

Anyone who really knows my husband, knows that he loves traveling.  That means that if we are only 15 minutes from the border of another country, then we should go and check it out and get our passports stamped...right? Right!

Welcome to Bosnia!

We found a lovely restaurant on the water, with a nice waiter who spoke German...

He recommended a huge meat platter full of traditional Bosnian meats and breads...It was delicious and extremely filling :)

 

Also while on our little adventure in Bosnia- we stopped at a little roadside mom and pop shop filled with all sorts of creations...

In the end, a little gnome ended up in our car, and will hopefully like it's new home in Wien :)

The next morning we only had to drive a few minutes to get to the national park

From the moment we walked in, it was gorgeous!

We walked for hours around the park on the bumpy path of split beams, loving the turquoise water and the spectacular waterfalls! It was a lovely family day :)

July is always crazy...

July always seems to be a crazy month for us...

it is the end of the school year,  our English camp begins the first week in July, and with our American and international community, we usually have to say some sad goodbyes.

This year a team from Seven Rivers came to help us with our English camp (Dan and Jen's home church.) We were so thankful to be in our new facility and to have their help!

 You can see more pictures HERE

Also here to help is our friend, Jeni...
She came last summer with a team from our home church, St. Andrews, and had so much fun, that she wanted to come back and help again :)

She did an awesome job of face painting every day! 

Mid-week we celebrated the 4th of July with the team and a few of our friends from church

Gotta love hamburgers on the grill, apple pies and flag waving while singing the national anthem!  It was a fantastic week of loving on the kiddos who came to camp- and celebrating with old and new friends!

And speaking of friends...

This weekend we began the process of saying goodbye to some of our dearest friends over the past 4 years. (They actually fly out on Friday) Yvonne and Whitney have been teachers at the school where our kids go, they have been actively involved with our church from the beginning, and we have shared life together in so many ways.  It is so hard to say goodbye- but we look forward to seeing what God has in store for them in the future... they will be dearly missed by our family and by our church!

Here they are being silly at a grill party that some friends threw for them this weekend! 

Luke will head to Florida this Thursday, to stay with my mom for a few weeks and attend a few camps, and we will head to Croatia for a few days next week to try and recover from all of the physically and emotionally draining events over the past few weeks!  :)


 

Last day of school for Levi...

Finally, Levi is out of school for the summer!  It is bittersweet, as he will be joining Luke and Abby at ICSV next year~ and is having to say goodbye to his friends and dear teacher, Miss Gerit.

Here he is going up to accept his grades...

Way to go Levi!

5 years ago...

Almost exactly 5 years ago today, we had just began our adventure in Vienna! It is amazing to think about how far God has brought us.  Sure, this adventure has been filled with many bumps in the road, obstacles to overcome and sad goodbyes~ but we are overwhelmed by God's tender mercies and His faithfulness to our family and our church, New City Wien.

Today we moved into a new facility that can accommodate the needs of our growing congregation!  We are so thankful for everyone who prayed and for those who helped make the renovation and move possible:) 

Happy Father's Day...

to the BEST DAD EVER!

The Construction continues...

Please pray that we get everything finished, so we can move into our new facility next week and have our first worship service there on Sunday, June 24th!

Starting to feel like summer...

While most of our friends in America got out of school a few weeks ago, Luke and Abby just finished on Wednesday and Levi is finished on June 29th.

Yesterday we went to the Alte Donau with some friends, and it finally started to feel like summer.

Abby and So Hye

Andy and Luke

Good friends, sunshine, refreshing cold water and ice cream...let the summer begin :)

Island of the Blue Dolphins Book Report, by Abby

This week I turned in my book report project.  I read "Island of the Blue Dolphins."  I chose to make a diaroma, a book cover, an advertising poster and a paper doll of the main character with different outfits. It was a lot of work, but I was very happy with the end results!

This week...

:: Luke and I had a mini date...dinner at McDonalds and his Track and Field Appreciation Dessert

:: All 3 kiddos had an appointment with an Orthodontist here in Wien...Abby will get her braces on June 12th!

:: I went with Abby's class on a field trip to the zoo

:: I started a new photo challenge

::We made Oreo Cupcakes

::And we ate them as we celebrated our friend Sarah Clark's birthday :)