A Night to Remember

On Monday evening, 6 men came to our house at David's invitation. This June, he will be 13 years old (and shortly after that, his Dad will hit the big 4-0, but we will save that for another blog). To honor and challenge him as he moves into a new phase of life, we sat down and made a list of people who he knows, respects and wanted to learn from about some the biggest issues in life. He chose 6 men here and 15 family and friends in the US. They each were asked to write a letter about what it means to be a godly man. Each man was given a second topic about one of the big issues, such as: money, balancing time with all of life's demands, friendship, girls/dating/marriage, how to grow in your daily walk with the Lord and finding your calling in life.
These men came to encourage David to seek out His best in all areas of life. I challenged him to realize that as he gains more freedom in his life, he will also be given greater responsibility. I will move more from being a teacher to being a coach in his life. I had told David several times that I hoped it would be a milestone in his life that he would always remember. As he went to bed that night, I told him I never thought it would be a night I would always remember too! One of the last things I told him was, "This is my son, in whom I am well pleased!"

Morning Rush Hour

As I stood on the bus and drove to the center of the city, I experienced
another "first" in life overseas. While the bus inched its way through
the morning rush hour traffic, cars are literally inches apart!

No worry, though, because the first rule of thumb on the road is simple: the bigger the vehicle, the more right-of-way you have. Thus, you would think a bus would be given first passage...unless there happens to be a taxi going the same way at the same time. The bus was turning a corner and the taxi wanted to make sure he was right behind the bus. The only problem: he was! And we dragged the taxi about 4 or 5 feet. Then, the fun began as the two drivers met at the scene and discussed why they were right and the other driver was wrong. After that, people on the bus started defending their driver and asked how they were supposed to get to work now that their bus couldn't take them. Horns honked and honked and honked and honked longer and in unison. For a little culture lesson, I wanted to stay but since I am having a lunch date with the prettiest lady in the city, I left to finish what needed to be done so I could enjoy lunch with my best half of the last 15+ years!

elevator fun

We've got an extra 5-year old, 3-year old, and 1 1/2 year old while their parents are out of town for 3 days. So I went to get them from their apartment, and we crammed into a small elevator to go down 7 stories. At the 4th story the elevator stopped and a young twenty-something guy hopped on. Hair slicked back. Cologne splashed on. And on. And on.

Once the elevator door closed and we were trapped with the cologne fumes, the 3-year old piped up. "EWWWWW. What's the smell?" Her brother added, "Yeah, it stinks."

Can you say awkward moment? We can only hope he didn't know English.

A Tradition Unlike Any Other

For those of us who love golf, this past weekend was the one we most often look forward to enjoying as the Masters takes place. For me, Augusta, GA, is the one golf course I'd most like to see. And for those of you who cannot understand, we golf lovers even enjoy watching it on television. No, it is not liking watching paint dry or watching a chess tournament! It is exciting and worth every minute.
To prove my point, I told Lisa that I would be "staying up late". As I watched a Kentucky guy lead for most of the day (Kenny Perry) and another northern Kentucky boy who actually played on his high school golf team while I played on my high school golf team (Steve Flesch), I could not turn the television off. Unfortunately, 11pm became midnight, Sunday became Monday, 1am became 2am, 18 holes became a 3-man playoff for 2 sudden death holes and I finally went to sleep at about 2:30am local time. I DO hope this becomes a tradition unlike any other...because I hope I never have to do it again....at least until it is on TV again next April!

Top 10 Excuses for not blogging

Has it REALLY been nearly 3 months since my last post? I am shocked that anyone is still checking this blog, so count yourself as a REALLY good friend for continuing to check in. Here are my top 10 excuses for not blogging:

10. Been taking care of sick kids during the winter months. Some create their own reading spots in unusual places in the house. Some have good quality reading to keep them busy; others don't. I'm ashamed to admit I actually bought that book here.









9. Been wrapping rice, meat, and spices into grape leaves.









8. Been selling girl scout cookies. You thought they were popular in the states? Try selling them to people who haven't have access to American sweets. It's good to be a hero.









7. Been to a first dance. Sniff sniff. By the way, this is proof that Mike still remembers how to tie a tie. It's been a while, but he's still got it!












6. Been doing schoolwork with the kids. This one is CLASSIC! Emma brought it home in her backpack. I'm framing this proud piece of kindergarten work! She had to write something she does that's fun, and she explained, "WrEst2ing DaD" complete with a picture of her celebrating in victory over her dad flat as a pancake on the floor.












5. Been making friends with shepherds.









4. Been eating our new favorite vegetable. Brussel sprouts are rocking our world right now. I'm not kidding! I used to boil them to death and then put butter on them, but no one ate them. I found a new recipe, and our kids are now fighting over who gets the last ones. It was an amazing transformation. So, the basic jist is this: cover the bottom of your skillet with a thin layer of olive oil. Slice your brussel sprouts in half (you may need to take off a couple of old tattered outside leaves). Fry in skillet until nicely caramelized (fancy lingo for kind of brown). Flip. Saute just a little longer. Add salt. Wah-lah. They should be just a tad bit crispy. These are so delicious you won't believe they're brussel sprouts!









3. Been saying hello to spring.









2. Been saying hello to ice cream (ok, we never really said good-bye).









1. Been celebrating Easter!