Tag Archives: Travel

Saturday & Sunday

Posted on by


Saturday was largely a driving around day – drove to Floyd & borrowed some internet to post the “Friday & Floyd”. Then headed out to the Blue Ridge Parkway to drive the beautiful Blue Ridge Hills, & also to check out a couple of the viewpoints that the locals love so much. On our drive, we visited the Villa Appalaccia Winery, & also the Chateau Morrisette. The “Villa” is set in the Blue Ridge Hills like an Italian Villa – very beautiful, the kind of place that theBean thought would be a great place to visit for a picnic lunch, complete with the gingham patterned tablecloth to sit on. Incredible views, & a small, cozy, family type atmosphere, where they grow all their own grapes (a rarity) & work the vineyards themselves.



The Chateau was the opposite of the Villa – & is the biggest wine producer in Virginia (180,000 gallons/year.) They import from Oregon & California, & have a tour, a tasting, & a 4-star restaurant to go with it (which we didn’t eat at.) It was a tourist attraction :), & it was fun to see – ran into people from Massachusetts, Ohio, & Maryland on the tour (the New Clairvaux tour was better…) We enjoyed going at a snail’s pace, both on the tour, & on the drive home. We ended up with some breathtaking postcard-like pictures, & also a sense of accomplishment at finding just what it was we were looking for on the drive, even though there were NO identification signs anywhere…

There are a lot of difficult things about being gone from home – the hardest is being away from our kids – they are troopers & for the most part can navigate through just about any & every situation, but it is still really heartbreaking being separated, even for this short 10 day time period – it is hardest when they’re in a point of need: when Pasty gets hurt at football practice & needs some bandaging up; when Joey needs a bit of directional attention; when Weez wants to celebrate her undefeated soccer team. Knowing that we have to (get to?) be here for this time makes it easier for me, but not so much for theBean… or for the kids. Sigh.

Sunday – we got up & went to church at The Bridge a Foursquare Church located on the Crosspointe Campus…. It made me miss being home more than ever; theBean & I talked quite a bit about this… esp. how church really is about people – the people that we know & have relationships with… real friendships that have gone through the wringer of pain, hurt, grace, & healing together. People that we love. Can’t wait to get home :).

We were feeling a bit melancholy, missing the kids & missing our church family, so we went to Blacksburg for wings & Starbucks… found the “best wings in town” at a place called Sharkey’s. Not sure if they’re THE best, but they kick butt on Buffalo Wild Wings, & they had a great patio where we got to sit so we didn’t have to watch the Olympics. :)

Spent an hour or so walking downtown Blacksburg, definitely our favorite spot of all the favorite spots, & camped for a bit at the Kent Square Starbucks – theBean took a few more pictures of the Square & its outdoor seating area…


Thanks for your prayers – we really need them.

We’re going “low-key” tonight – do the laundry & the dishes, vacuum, & maybe watch a little TV. We’ll hang around the campus – I might shoot some hoop later on.

Friday & Floyd…

Posted on by

We’ve been smitten with intermittent internet – which of course means that when I want to get on & check for pictures of Weezer’s soccer game, or set my fantasy baseball lineup, or check out the Blue Ridge Highway vineyards, it’s not available. Usually, it’s only dysfunctional for about 2 hours at a time, but today we’ve been experiencing a higher level of unavailability. Sigh.

NOTE: I ended up posting this on our way to the Villa Appalachia Winery – found some free internet advertised, & borrowed it for 10 minutes. Thanks, Al Gore.

Yesterday, we took the afternoon to head the 22 miles on 8S to go to Floyd, Virginia. Floyd only has 1 stoplight, but it is quite the Mecca for music & the arts – the entire downtown (all 3 blocks) is set up for street musicians – with little brick cul-de-sacs & benches set up for visitors & locals to wander by & listen. In our 20 minute walk, we came upon 3 separate art galleries, where many local artists have their work displayed. Sculptures, photographs, paintings, & drawings.

All of the businesses we visited, from the coffee house/bookstore combo (The Black Water) to the Oddfella’s – restaurant offering French cuisine with an Appalachian flavor – there were musicians playing – some from Floyd, but many who were driving in from as far as 100 miles away for the Friday night happenings.

The main ‘event’ in town, the one that Floyd is famous for happens at the Floyd Country Store, & is called the Friday night Jamboree. People started showing up for the 6:30 event at 3:30; fortunately, theBean & I were able to get a helpful running commentary from the regulars – a group of very welcoming, friendly people, who explained in detail what was going on to us & the other 1st timers.

From 5:30 on, the Floyd Country Store shuts down the back ½ of the store, & sets up a dance floor around a mini-stage. There’s also about 200 chairs around the dance floor – we made our way to our seats about 20 minutes early & it’s a good thing, as the whole room was filled. At 6:30, the STATEMENTS (a band made up of 4, 16-22 year olds) led off the evening with the customary 1 hour of blue-grass gospel music, which people can sing along to, but that no one gets up & dances to. The songs ranged from “I’ll Fly Away” to “Amazing Grace,” & there were lots of songs about heaven & what comes next. Before you start bemoaning the experience that we ‘got’ to sit through, let me tell you: it was one of the most incredible musical performances I’ve witnessed personally. There was phenomenal flatpicking on the acoustic guitar, mandolin & banjo. Guys growing up in other places in the US might hope to become guitar heroes. Here, in the Appalachians, they aspire to master the banjo. And as hokie as you might think that sounds, it was really impressive to watch, & a privilege to be a part of. Wow!

After an hour of gospel, band change – 2Old, 2Young – 2 old guys, 2 young guys. I was informed that this was “the dance band,” made up of violin (fiddle) stand up bass, guitar, & 5 string banjo. This is when the dancing started – the clogging & flat-footing. It is accentuated by the noise made by the taps on the bottoms of shoes. Incredible, with an occasional square dance thrown in.

It was fun for me, knowing the history & a bit of background about those that settled in the Appalachians: largely Irish & Scottish immigrants. It was easy to hear the influence of ‘Celtic’ music in the bluegrass; then, watching the clogging/flat-footing, you can see the similarities with Irish step-dancing. People of all ages, 3 to 90, danced solo, danced with partners, danced in 4somes. They danced with their arms by the sides, & the guys often had their hands in their pockets. Really, a sight to behold.

We hung out for a couple of hours, then went for a walk in the rain – back to our car. I had something in my right eye that turned it blood red (no, don’t think it was peroxide. This time.) So we went home to watch the Olympics.

Every day, including Friday, we’ve spent a chunk of time in counseling, talking through & about how we communicate. I think that we’re both seeing that we are growing from even where we were 1 year ago. And we’re understanding each other. It helps to get an evaluation from someone like Chuck too – someone that knows us & has for years. He encouraged us that we’re doing really well in how we’re working through our stuff – as people, as a couple, & as a team. For me, I want to grow… to know & love God more… to know & be known by others; to love people.

We have talked about church as well – in general, & with some specifics (which is fun, because Chuck knows our local context, Hillside, too.) And to hear his observations about us & Hillside… that we’re following a ‘simple call’ to a “long obedience in the same direction.” I thought that was cool, as that’s the book I’ve been revisiting this week, & have recommended to about 4 people in the last month – & to have him use that as his analogy, & to have him recommend it to both of us to read was a point of encouragement & confirmation that we’re on a good track, albeit one that is different than many; a unique journey, one where’s there’s not many footsteps of others to follow or to walk in.

And that’s ok.





Musings on a Thursday…

Posted on by

Coffee tastes better in a “for here cup” than in a “to-go cup.” The Starbucks @ Kent Square also has a great atmosphere that makes the coffee better. Truly. And just around the corner, hidden away, is a great cookie store called Crumb & Get It. TheBean had a chocolate/chocolate-chip, warmed up, along with her Grande Pike Place. I picked out some of the chips; think that they were bittersweet chocolate, instead of the semi-sweet (read: Nestle Tollhouse) that I’m used to sniping at home. A great store. Thanks for the heads up on it Shontell.

Something that has popped up a lot in my studies & preparations (reading Job, Galatians, & the 1, 2, & 3 Johns; & works by Eugene Peterson, and Henri Nouwen, and Jerry Cook, et al) has been the idea & need of people to be known & understood… & how this ‘understanding’ is often tied to ‘agreeing’ with someone. Can it be that there is ‘understanding’ without ‘agreeing’? I think so, but it seems that the two often get tied together… & thus conflict arises & develops where one strives for ‘agreement’ in the name of ‘understanding’…

On that note – one of the major challenges for me (& for the Christ-follower in general) is to learn to differentiate between “agreement” & “acceptance”. We often equate ‘acceptance’ of a person, (esp. those that are different than us in their morals, values, choices, political outlook, preferences,) with ‘agreeing’ with the person. And don’t want to be associated with the person’s views, values, etc. that we DON’T agree with, so there’s no acceptance. And we end up hanging out with or including only those that agree with us. E.G. It’s the bone that the religious legalists had to pick with Jesus – in that He hung with people whose lives were disagreeable to their idea of propriety – one’s that they didn’t agree with. And couldn’t see how Jesus could accept them knowing the points of obvious disagreement, that Jesus HAD to see. To me, its a life-calling for everyone that wants to walk in Jesus’ footsteps: extend acceptance, w/o condescension or judgment. At the least, it’s food for thought.

Even though there is a lot of ‘down’ time, we’re filling it with silence (reading &/or thinking,) hanging out in beautiful, warm spots on the VTU campus, & having shared experiences, (ala the baseball trips, walking the Blacksburg Farmer’s Market, cruising the “Mall”, sitting at TOTS, & having long talks about nothing & everything. It’s feeding & watering to the soul, & is a blessed respite for the two of us.

As time goes by, I become more & more aware that good friends are to be treasured.

Again, I’m reminded that Reno is a great place to live. Hmmm. Contented sigh.

Craving movie popcorn for the last couple of days. I think I need.

Day 3

Posted on by

Started the morning with some link sausage & eggs, covered with whipped cream. Either my taste buds are wacky now, or I’ve discovered one of those little joys of how certain foods go well together, even when they may not be usually paired together. Went to my 1st solo appointment with Chuck – hit the ground running (ok, talking) & really enjoyed the conversation… it really was a time of ‘connecting the dots’ for me – esp. in light of the EHS materials that I’ve been going over for the last while.

Finished up & had to process – lots of processing – lucky for me, the gym was open, so I went in & ran around for about an hour, shot some hoop, & checked out the ‘weight room;’ decided “No Thanks!” on the weights & shot some more. It was sweltering in the gym – which is almost the perfect atmosphere for what I was doing.

After getting cleaned up, theBean & I went to WalMart to return some defective hair product, then headed back to our favorite spot that we’ve discovered so far: the Starbucks @ Kent Square. TheBean picked up a magazine or two from the VTU student union building, & I dove back into A Long Obedience… We hung out outside until our parking stub had to be re-validated.

By that time, we were pretty hungry; & I was craving wings – & thought that I’d seen an ad for a Buffalo Wild Wings somewhere in Blacksburg. We didn’t know for sure, but were both feeling pretty adventurous – & decided to try & deduce where a Buffalo Wild Wings SHOULD be, & then go find it. We both agreed that the best place for such a business would be in close proximity to the campus in order to take advantage of the ‘locusts’ – kinda like you see around the UNR campus.

So, we had a plan, & a general idea, & started driving. Did a couple of switchbacks & U-Turns, & found a street that looked promising – boom. There it is. Total search time: 10 minutes. Nice. We are awesome.

The first night, we’d gone to Salem to catch a Carolina League, “High” Class A baseball game; tonight we wanted to try something different, a trip to Pulaski for a Rookie League game. Drove about 20 minutes to the I-81 exit, & then drove through town, looking for the park where the game would be held. It was only 6 p.m. but the streets were totally barren, like everyone had been raptured but us. Nothing & no one anywhere. We drove for about 30 minutes looking for the park, driving up & down insanely steep hills, through neighborhoods that made me wish I warn’t so ‘city-fied’. Finally, we found a service station, & a nice guy named Doug that pointed us in the direction of the park. Took 5 minutes to get there.

All I can say is that Calfree Park, home of the Pulaski Mariners, is as far from the Salem experience we had, as is the east from the west. Wow. For theBean, who loves people watching, we entered a gold mine. It was “Halloween In August” night at the game, which meant lots of people dressed up in all sorts of costumes, with a Mayberry flair (& I mean that in a good way.) Other highlights from the night:

  • There was 6 feet difference between the general admission seats & the box seats.
  • One of the “Reserved Box Seats” was called the “No Red Sox” Box. No fans of the Sox were allowed inside it.
  • The ball game seemed to be a social highlight, so there was all kinds of strutting going on, from the teen girl squad, to the pseudo-jock crowd, to the good old boys, to the ‘looking back at the glory days’ group – pretty amazing. (Again, a gold mine.)
  • The announcer (& press box crew) took every opportunity to show off their ability to use technology (sound effects, including some from movies, & music) to poke fun at the other team – the Bluefield Orioles. For example, one of the guys (the oldest players are 21 & 22; some are 17 & 18) had a Giambi-like mustache; whenever he came to the plate, the announcer would play the Magnum PI theme song. Priceless. And for a strike out? Wayne & Garth saying “Schwing!”
  • The two 10-12 year old boys behind us had a running commentary going on – think Opie meets the Dukes of Hazzard. Then they got onto the topic of which one of them was “sexier” than the other. Finally, one of them said, “I am soooo sexy, that I’ve got two middle names. Sexy & sexy.” I lost it when they then fought over which one had the sexiest mother.
  • TheBean, in her people watching, had a couple of gems as well; she asked, “Are these people all related? Because they all look alike. Especially the small noses…”

    Good times. The home team lost a pitchers duel (2-0) but it was a great experience. Again. We’ll probably catch at least one more game while we’re here… probably in Salem.

    Ended the night with Double Cheeseburgers, 47 Pound Rooster, & the Office. And some deep talks. Very nice. Here’s some pics.





    • Day 2 – VTU & the Ballgame…

    Posted on by

    Bean & I started our trek into Blacksburg with a stop at Starbucks, a beautiful brick building on the edge of campus – interesting to see the area almost totally empty, knowing that in about 3 days, all of that is going to change as students descend on the campus for the Fall semester. A person we talked to described it as the ‘coming of the locusts.’ I hope to see it… from a safe distance of course. From there it was on to the Campus Store, where one can purchase all things Hokie, (no pun intended). All I could see was wave after wave of orange & brown. I picked up a couple of hats & a shirt for the kids. Don’t tell them, as it’s a surprise.


    We walked the area around the campus entrance for a few minutes & took the requisite pictures in front of the sign at the entrance.

    Actually, we took more than a few pictures, but with the combo of our camera, the time of day (about 4:30 which isn’t late, no, no, it’s early, early…) & my technical expertise, we didn’t manage to get any usable ones. Which, for fans of digital cameras, you can know is quite the accomplishment. Yay me.

    Suffice it to say: lots of rolling green grass, row upon row of trees… a really nice place… & almost completely devoid of people. Except a couple of over-achiever early arrivals (probably engineering students…)

    Baseball is beautiful.

    We left for Salem, VA to catch the Avalanche game with the Braves affiliate from Myrtle Beach – the Pelicans (who wore a baby blue ensemble that would have made Stacy & Clinton cringe.) Bought box seats ($8/each) in the 4th row behind the home dugout. Turns out the Avs are in last place. There was a lack of energy in the place, (dugout included) that even theBean noticed. Throughout the game the ‘energy lack’ showed up with uninspired play at times, a few defensive miscues, 3 separate baserunning (or base-coaching) issues, 3 times having the bases loaded, 3 times not scoring. Ouch.

    No matter. We were at a baseball game. The weather was beautiful, the setting was next to perfect. No one was around for 3 or 4 rows, though Annie Savoy was in the front row, greeting all the players (& coaches) every time they ran off of the field. Living out the local version of Bull Durham… Weird.

    By the 6th inning beer goggles & beer muscles were in full-effect. TheBean & I laughed constantly, esp. because the Appalachian accent gets more pronounced in proportion to the amount of beer consumed. Very nice.

    All kidding aside – there were many, many highlights from the night – one of which was watching the ‘community’ – people who attend the games with season tickets – interacting with each other, catching up, being in each others lives. Made me long for next year when Reno gets our own team (actually Tucson’s team. Thanks Tucson!) To be able to hang with family & friends is something that I’m really looking forward to.

    Again, baseball is beautiful. I took some pictures of the field, & got a semi-closeup of Koby Clemens, catcher for the Avs – he didn’t play, but…

    After the game (stayed through the last out, baby!) we exited the parking lot without any trouble – & drove the 25 minutes ‘home’ to CSR, with only a stop by McDonald’s for dinner. I needed to get my 5 Double Cheeseburgers for $5. In our living room, theBean ate leftover scallops from Outback, while I scarfed my burgers. We shared some Gnarly Head Cab & watch a couple episodes of “The Office” – Season 3, w/the deleted scenes. The Diwali episode was priceless.

    Ahhh. All in all, a very nice day.

    And now the pics – enjoy!





    Day 2

    Posted on by

    TheBean & I got up about 8 local time, meaning that we’re probably one day away from being acclimated to the time difference on EST… Found that the campus has a gym (parque’ floor, ala the old Boston Garden) with glass backboards, & an atmosphere like Hickory High‘s gym… I checked in & found that it is ok to shoot there, so I’ll be headed up this afternoon before the ‘city league’ games start.

    Then I found the weight room with treadmill… ahhh… no sedentary 10 days for me.

    Our appointment with Chuck was at 11:15, so we made our way up to his office & waited for the previous appointments to leave. When our time came, we ended up just sitting down for 30 seconds or so, before Chuck decided he was hungry & then, so were we. We decided to hit Ruby Tuesday’s for lunch – & found that it sure has changed since we last went there. But I digress.

    Most of the meal & for about an hour after we were done, we talked about what we hope to accomplish while we’re here in Christiansburg, the reason that we made the trek across the country. We want to see a new way of relating to each other emerge, take shape. In the areas of being husband/wife, friends, partners in ministry, & in leading Hillside. And, we talked quite a bit about how we believe the last year to 18 months has gone… leading up to & since the Sabbath break. A good time was had by all. :)

    Tomorrow at 9 a.m., I’m going in solo; & I’m greatly looking forward to it.

    We’re hoping to head into Blacksburg to go to the Hokie Spoke a student store for VTU, where one can pick up all kinds of football & other paraphenalia… legal paraphenalia that is. Then later, we’re off to see either the Salem Avalanche or the Pulaski Mariners – as I found out that there is YET ANOTHER place to catch Minor League Baseball within about 20 minutes. Joy! We’re going to talk about it a bit, then head out for the afternoon.

    Arrivaderci!

    Day 1, Addendum…

    Posted on by

    We found our way to Starbucks; the familiarity (& the caffeine) of the quad grande Americano with room helped orient me to travel & explore mode. Sat for about 40 minutes enjoying the fruit of the Java bean, & then got onto ‘Main St.” & decided to take it wherever it went. Ate at the Cracker Barrell. Shopped for the bare necessities (called Breakfast & 2nd breakfast) at Walmart, as we’re doing all our own food while we’re here. Apart from the occasional eat out, its link sausages & whipped cream for me, & Yoplait with toast & eggs for the Bean.

    Another note: we didn’t really leave Main Street, so what we saw was all along this route, not to the right or the left…

    What stood out to me:

  • In 1 two block stretch, there were 10 churches of various denominations, all with butt-kicking steeples. it is a snapshot of the sheer number of churches, church buildings in this area. I’ve been to Springfield, MO, home of the Church o’the Nazarene & the A.O.G., but this blew me away, esp. for a city the size of Christiansburg.
  • Also noticed quite a few “Psychic Visions” parlors – not as many as there are churches, but enough to notice.
  • Blacksburg (home of the Virginia Tech campus) is to Christiansburg what Sparks is to Reno.
  • There are at least 5 college campuses within 5 miles.
  • Cracker Barrel would fly in Reno.
  • Ran into Larry the Cable Guy about 300 times. And his brothers. Chilled with them on the porch at the CB.
  • Walmart is Walmart is Walmart. And today, that was a good thing.
  • Virginia Tech has a very cool campus – & it seems that Blacksburg is built around it…

    I’m including a few pictures of our ‘crib’ as well as one of me & the Bean, also at the Cracker Barrell. We’re off for a walk, & hopefully some interaction with others on campus. One of our prayers is that we can make a couple of friends that are at this place this week.










    • Day 1 in Christiansburg…

    Posted on by

    We’re here, in Christiansburg. I’d get into the gory details of our travels, but hey, we made it, none the worse for wear, & without too much confusion, though I-77N & I-77S look really, really similar, especially when its dark…)

    After sleeping in (woke up about 11 local time,) I just spent a few minutes doing some virtual searches on the net for important stuff, like Starbucks & local coffee houses. We’ll be going to the store for some staples, & probably trying to find a place to eat before too long as well.

    The place we’re staying is nice – Bean is taking pictures, but it really is great – much better than our 1st apartment; decorated very nicely (or so I’ve been told,) & with comfy couches, a TV (w/DVD player) full kitchen, dining room, & my own closet to put my stuff in. (This is important.) Also, figured out the wireless internet connection for the building we’re in. Also important.

    We’ll be taking a tour of the grounds at some point today with the Coleman’s (who oversee & care for the campus) & then the rest of the day should be up to us – exploring the town maybe. Or sitting in the inside of buildings with A/C.

    Ciao!

    goodbyes are hard…

    Posted on by

    Aaron & Michelle are moving home for the summer, but they’ll be back in late August just in time for Aaron to subject himself to 21 units at the U of N, & for Miss Michelle to jump in for the opening of the Fall semester of Little Lites. The fact that they’re coming back in a relatively short time (as short as the summers are in Reno,) should temper the loss… but it doesn’t, really. Because I know that when Aaron graduates, they’re moving. And goodbyes are hard…

    So how does one deal with goodbyes? Here’s a couple of my favorites…

  • Avoidance – Some avoid relationships all-together, & become virtual hermits… Bizarro-scoeyd could do that. Has done that. Didn’t work out either, thanks for asking.
  • Denial – pretending its not happening. Creating an artificial reality helps, where people only exist when they’re in your presence. It helps if one has lots of practice at living in their own little world, but it’s pretty tough to sustain this one. Other people keep it complicated.
  • Embracing – kinda like the moment at camp, when the Friends song gets broken out at the end. People claim to hate it, but I think it’s really their favorite part of camp – being able to get all teary & clingy – maybe it’s an artificial grieving, maybe it’s real, but I think it serves a purpose, for at least a segment of the population. Cause people are going to move away. Or die. Or get married. Or I will. (not the married part. Done that.)

    I know that there’s many other means of dealing with goodbyes, but Friends is almost over. I never intended to post this morning, but rather to just roll through my blogs & catch up with friends. So as I read back over it, I feel self-conscious, because there are many more eloquent ways to state what I’ve stated, & if I crafted for a while, I might even find one. But instead, I’m just pondering. And feeling a bit melancholy.

    And setting myself to be a person who lives well. Embraces life. And relationships. They make life so much richer & deeper, which is probably why it hurts so much when a relationship changes, even if its ‘just’ geographic. I’m thankful for you.

    I miss you Dabey… :)

    • 7 Mai…

    Posted on by

    I slept well, & woke up a couple of times in the night to see what time it was… only to find that I still had several hours of sleep available to me. Alex & Linda are on the 5th floor & have an incredible view from their extra large window. A double espresso & a trip on the U7 later, I arrived at TPLF for our 1st meetings with the Roundabout team.

    TPLF is going through a very difficult time right now, as they have lost their pastor, a dear friend of mine (& ours) for an indefinite period of time – as I approached the building, I was overwhelmed with waves of grief… almost like a wet blanket that weighed me down & made it hard to walk. I sobbed for a period of time (I don’t know how long,) then went upstairs to the top floor. The people that make up the Roundabout core team that were able to be here are myself, Sam & Mirjam, Dan & Joy, Petra, & Geert, & We met for about 3 hours, & had a great time catching up. We talked about Roundabout, our schedule, & also how we are working through/processing our own grief & life struggles. A couple of highlights – I got to see my god-daughter, Rebecca Grace, & to hold her – she is very light, & always has the beginnings of a grin on her face. Plus, she can touch her nose with her tongue! Not bad for a 7 month old… She came to me right off (which her mum says she doesn’t normally do,) & was content for quite a while…

    My belly was growling, & at 1 p.m., we made our way over to the Bistro Sahin for Doener Kebaps & mineralwasser, which is water with some light carbonation. Very nice; just like I remembered.

    Sam & I talked for about 2 hours – sitting outside of the Bistro, drinking a coffee @ the “Illy”, taking a walk around the White Tower (by the U of Frankfurt) – we talked about family, marriage, church, personal calling, Sabbath & “pacing” e.g. walking vs. running through life, & also about navigating difficulties, & maintaining/cultivating integrity. I really like the opportunity to talk – & to have interchange of ideas – it reminds me that regardless of where we come from that there are many, many things that we can relate to because we’re both Christ-followers. It makes me thankful that in Christ we really have a depth & breadth of relationship that is based on values that aren’t personality or culture.

    I am also very, very thankful to be a part of Hillside; & that you, my church family, are behind me & believe in & support me, not only at home, but also in coming to Frankfurt. I am so proud to be able to represent you, & to be able to know that I’m loved & am prayed for. And that Hillside is Jesus’ church, & that we’re on the way – becoming who God has shaped us to be. I’m getting teary writing this as I see your faces & think about the wonderful people that you are, & how special you are to me. I am overwhelmed with love & appreciation for you. Thank you for saying “Yes” to God’s process for your life – for being brave, filled with faith, to hear God & to obey Him, both personally, & as a church family.

    Between the hours of noon & 4 p.m. are the lowest times for me – it’s the wee hours of the morning at home (we’re 9 hours ahead) so my body is screaming out for me to “obey’ & go lay down. But I resist, & stand firm, & drink lots & lots of java, hoping & praying for the time in the afternoon, usually about 5:30 p.m., when my body realizes that anywhere I am, its time to get up…

    Tonight we’ll be eating dinner with all of the Roundabout participants – there’s even a couple of people from Romania… maybe I’ll break out my incredible knowledge of the Romanian language, which allows me to say a few words: Please; thank you very much; you’re welcome; I don’t understand; apple pie; French fries; two hamburgers. (Let’s just say I spent a LOT of time at McDonald’s on my trip to Oradea, Romania.) We have worship & prayer, then will take about 2 hours to get to know a bit about each other – as we describe a bit of our life ‘story’ – or what brought us to this place at this time. Then its home to Alex & Linda’s for a cold German beer & watching episodes of The Office. Dwight K. Schrute is funny in any language.

    Tears are very near the surface for me – I find myself blinking them back all the time now… sometimes tears just come out, & I don’t know why.

    It’s 5:30, & I’m emerging from my pseudo-slumber – I’m going downstairs to the erde-geschloss (ground floor) to mingle with the people that are arriving – you know how I love to mingle ☺.

    Thank you for your prayers – & I will update as soon as I can.
    Tschüss!
    Louie