Monday, March 29, 2010
A New Generation of Jedi
Monday, March 22, 2010
Slow Coffee
Until now! A few weeks ago, a new coffee shop opened right in the heart of campus. I am pretty sure it is British-owned, but it is like walking into Starbucks! It was obviously designed as a place for students to hang out, with lots of knooks and big, comfy chairs. Here's a picture of Ben hanging out in one:
Not only is the atmosphere great (and spacious--there are three seperate sitting rooms), but they make flavored coffee drinks! I got a mocha this morning (they call it a Creative Chocolate), and it was just pretty darn good. A regular Italian cappucino takes about four swigs to down. . . this was a Starbucks-sized tall. And you can get a cup of "American coffee" if you'd like (regular brewed coffee). Wow!
So obviously our tastebuds are pretty excited about this new discovery, but even more fantastic than the fun coffee and great atmosphere is that is right in the heart of campus. Every time we've been in there, it has been packed with college students. We have been dying to find a place like this where we can just hang out with students! Without a doubt, this place is going to change the way we do ministry.
A win-win, any way you look at it. The only down side is paying 3 Euro for my Creative Coffee, instead of 1.30 for an Italian cappuccino. Again, it's a good thing we don't live closer. . .
Monday, March 15, 2010
Happy Birthday Benjamin!
After getting up and having pumpking pancakes for breakfast, he tore into his presents. Christmas was a good warm-up for his birthday because he loved opening his gifts! That was almost as much fun as discovering what was under the wrapping. Ben's really into figuring out how things work these days and playing with his "tools," so he had a Handy Manny themed birthday. It was great to hear him "oooh, woooooow!" when he would see the Handy Manny logo. He also got a toddler easel with a chalkboard and a dry erase board, in hopes of introducing him to a more appropriate medium for him to practice his artistic skills. :)
After a much-needed nap, we went to some friends' house across town, who are Americans in Bologna working for Catapillar, and grilled burgers and enjoyed a few more hours of birthday love. One of things we've learned about Ben in the past year is that he would pick salty over sweet almost any day. He LOVES chips. And when you have a BBQ, there are bound to be chips. I'm pretty sure he ate an entire bag by himself, just by sneaking to table and grabbing some from the bowl. When it came time for this birthday cake (Pat the Hammer from Handy Manny--mom spent hours trying to figure out a way to make this guy!), he wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. Wouldn't eat a bite! Oh well, at least his birthday was a reason for us to have birthday cake. . .
Today, we celebrate this precious life God has blessed us with! Benjamin definitely keeps us on our toes, but he also makes us laugh and dance and wrestle and savor every moment of his new discoveries.Wednesday, March 10, 2010
The Honeymoon is Over
And yet, here we are March 10, and I think it's fair to say we're in the middle of a blizzard. Oh, for crying out loud! The honeymoon with snow is definitely over.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Italian Non-Verbals--Child's Play
That being said, it is also vital to learn some of the common non-verbals almost every Italian has in their repretoire. If you don't, you will most likely miss out on some very important communication. Cody's been working on his facial non-verbals, but recently, we've noticed just how many the kids have picked up. They have graciously volunteered to give a little tutorial.
This is done by shaking the open hand up and down, and roughly means "come on. . . " (seriously, I'm saying something true)
Again, this is done by shaking the hands up and down and is used when you can hardly believe something is true or you're exaserbated.
You can probably picture this one--the finger wagging back and forth. Hannah knows this one so well because it's a favorite of her teachers at school. It means "No way, Buster" in a polite and superior way.
Monday, March 1, 2010
If it's not one thing. . .
Looking at this picture, you're probably thinking, "What went wrong?" Indeed. We have written many times about the crazy spiritual warfare we have encountered since we arrived in Italy. One of the many ways we experience that is in the most random physical issues. For instance, the day after Thanksgiving this past November, my right knee suddenly swelled to twice its normal size. It was so painful I could hardly walk. No fall brough it on, no accident I could blame it on. I hadn't even done much walking in the days before. Totally random. I finally had to go to the doctor, and he was baffled. Five days on a super-powered anti-inflammatory seemed to do the trick, and it hasn't bothered me since.