A New Rythym

Menton, France

I have never really thought much about vacations before. Every summer growing up we would take a family vacation, and I have years of great memories. But Cody and I took one "real" vacation in the first nine years of our marriage. Because we travel so much for our job, and because we're missionaries and don't make much, vacations just didn't seem "necessary."

And then we moved overseas.
I know what you're thinking, "Yea, you have so many great places to go visit now." Though that is true, and we love learning about the incredible history and culture that surrounds us, that is actually one of the very last motivators for us. The bottom line is, we just plain NEED vacations on a regular basis. Not week-long vacations, just little getaways and respites from the stress of life here.

It is shocking to us--SHOCKING--how exhausted we become in just doing life. Part, I think, is just due to all of the cultural and language stresses we face all day, every day. Part is also the extra emotional and physical energy required for almost any task. Accomplishing even menial tasks here are never "easy." But part of the exhaustion also comes from the isolation we are in. We have several really good Italian and ex-pat friends, whom we really enjoy hanging out with, but it is different than hanging out with friends who really know us well and speak encouragement to our hearts.

Our kids don't get a Spring Break, they get an Easter Break. They have the Thursday before Easter through the Tuesday following Easter off from school. So this year we spent five days in Menton, France. It is literally 2km across the French border (about 5 hours from here), so it looks like France but everyone still speaks Italian. I found a little apartment we were able to rent for next to nothing since it was low season. It is on the French Riviera, right next to Monaco. It was beautiful! Incredible!

Parks! Parks! Parks! We found them all. We spent as much time outside as we could, now that the cold and snowy winter is FINALLY over.

Since we really just needed to relax, we spent a lot of time finally enjoying some sun and playing outside. The kids had a blast enjoying the beach, and Cody and I enjoyed the simplicity of walking around the quaint little town, cooking French cuisine at the apartment and savoring some down-time. It fed our souls!

Dad, teaching the kids how to skip rocks. It quickly devolved into just throwing rocks into the water, but the kids still had a great time.

As our time in Menton came to a close, I realized just how much I had needed a little time away. Our lives look so different here than they ever looked while living in the States! I think one of those differences is prioritizing some regular getaways. If we are going to be here long-term and thrive, we have to build in time for refreshment. That just doesn't happen in our current environment in Bologna.

The water color was the most perfect blue

So maybe I am learning a new rythym to life. Work hard. Pray hard. Trust hard. And then relax and refill.

And it doesn't hurt that in this season of life we get to refill on the coast of the French Riviera. Never in a million years would I have thought this would be my life.

This was the quaint little street our apartment was on. Rue Longue.

Gavin could play on a beach for days--no matter what the temperature was. These clothes were soaked within 15 minutes.

This was actually in Nice, which was only 20 minutes away. It was nice, but we liked the smaller Menton better.

An Easter Outreach

Last month, we had a team from Switzerland come to Bologna to help us with an outreach geared toward helping students develop better study habits and acheive their goals of graduating from university. The main speaker at our two night seminar has a Ph.D in engineering and has given this seminar all over the world. Yet, he remains on staff with Agape Europe (CCC in Europe) full-time and loves working with students. During one of our meals together, he asked if we were doing anything that allowed Italian students to see and be exposed to the community that we have as believers...something that allowed them to see Christ at work in our lives through our relationships.


That thought stayed with me (Cody) and our team for sometime. What could we host that we could invite our friends to that would let them experince Christ's love through community? We eventually landed on having a dinner or "apperitivi" during the week leading up to Easter and showing the Jesus Film. Our team all committed to being there regardless of who else came but also committed to inviting the students we work with to come and join us. We came together as a team to prepare a feast and be a family. It was great. We had a handful of students join us for dinner and stayed to watch the life of Jesus. From that stemmed a conversation that ran almost to midnight.

It was a real encouragement to all of us, as it allowed us to see that Christ is moving here in Bologna. The work here is slow, and every opportunity we have to talk about the gospel bolsters our faith and encourages us to continue on. The gospel of Christ is being proclaimed in this city! That is ultimately why we came, and we praise God for the hope He has given us to share.

A New Generation of Jedi

This was just so cute I couldn't help but post it. Yes, our young jedi padawon, Gavin, has now become a Master to his youngling, Ben.

For the most part, Benjamin just seems to bother Gavin. He gets into his stuff, knocks down his creations and wakes him up a few minutes too early in the morning. Not until Ben picked up a lightsaber did Gavin see the potential of his little brother.

Benjamin is at this place where he loves to do whatever he sees someone else doing. That comes in really handy when it comes to dumping the trash. . . not so handy when it comes to using scissors. Gavin has demonstrated a lightsaber duel well to his little brother. Ben even attempts to make the same sounds Gavin makes. And though I tried many times to get a picture of it, I failed to capture his favorite part of this role-playing game--dying. It's hilarious to watch Ben get wounded and fall to the ground!

The weather is finally shining gloriously Spring-like, and with the time change finally happening this past weekend, we're soaking up the extra daylight. We leave on Thursday for an Easter trip just across the border into France. For those of you who know of Cody's previous disdain for anything French, you'll recognize what a momentous trip this will be! Seriously, we are really looking forward to some time away, exploring a new place, eating different food, and just playing together as a family. Next week's blog will be delayed a few days, since we won't be getting back to Bologna until Tuesday evening.

We'd love your prayers for a really refreshing time for all of us--especially that no one would get sick and that we'd have safe travels. Bon Voyage! (That's French, isn't it?)

Slow Coffee

We have often commented that one of the many differences between Italy and the U.S. is that in America, we have slow coffee (big cups with roomy and comfortable coffee shops) and fast food (don't think I need to say more). In Italy, there is only fast coffee (they are called coffee bars because you literally stand at a bar, throw back your coffee and walk out the door) and slow food (aside from the occasional McDonald's and some pizzerias, there are no other restaurants where you can take your food to go). It has fascinated us that in a country that places such a high value on coffee, there isn't a venue to linger over it. . .

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!

Gavin, Benjamin and I stopped in for a snack this morning. It's a good thing this place is not especially close to our apartment! It's called Itit, which in Italian is pronounced Eateat. We thought that was kind of funny. :)

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. . .

Happy Birthday Benjamin!

We started this little blog with the beautiful story of Benjamin's arrival into our family. It feels almost unbelievable it's already been two years, though an incredible amount of life has happened in that time! This past Saturday was our little Boo's birthday, and he had a great day.

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 enjoying new toys for awhile, we went to a Chicco store just outside town that has a "Chiccolandia." It's this giant soft-padded play area designed just for toddlers. We hadn't been in a while, so it was great fun for us to see how much more independent Ben is now. He just did laps going down the slide! By the time we left, he was sweating (which is really a no-no for Italian children!), and really the only inticement away from such fun was the promise of McDonald's for lunch.

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.

The Honeymoon is Over

I remember fondly back to December when we got our first significant snow. Cody and the kids could not get their boots on fast enough to get outside to enjoy the winter wonderland. Coming from Houston, snow was a delight the kids had never known. Gavin, especially, LOVES snow.

This winter it has snowed, and snowed, and snowed. We learned quickly that snow is really much more fun to watch falling from your window and playing in before it's been marred by dirt and exhaust. After the first 12 hours, the reality of the fact that you have to get out and dredge through it to get anywhere sets in, and it's not so exciting anymore.

Last year, as we experienced our first Italian winter (grey and cold and days with limited hours of sun), we had an American friend tell us, "Just keep March 1 in front of you. It all gets better then." And she was right! Right around March 1, it warmed up, the days became longer, and we began to have some sunny days again. As this winter has been even colder, with even more snow, we had a big red circle around March 1 on the calendar. We couldn't wait for it to get here. Sure enough, the first two days of March were glorious.

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.

Today also happens to be the first day of a two-day outreach we have been planning for months. We've brought in three Swiss to lead a seminar on Effective Studying. We've invested a lot of time and money in this first attempt to hold a large-scale outreach. And though it is being held near campus, it is going to be incredibly challenging for students to attend. Travel around town is horrible. Since it seems crazy to actually get in your car, everyone is riding the buses. Not that they can go much faster.

Crazy. My only hope is that such a long, cold winter means a shorter, cooler summer. . . One can hope anyway.

Italian Non-Verbals--Child's Play

One of the great things about Italian is that you can get by without understanding word for word what someone is telling you because of how animated Italians tend to be. We have been so thankful for this great aspect of Italian culture, as we've been working on growing in our language skills!

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.

Hands are held in this position and moved around kind of like directing music. Hannah uses it for emphasis when she's really getting worked up about something.

Classic Italian. And Gavin has it down. . . usually accompanied by a "Mamma Mia." Roughly it means, "Unbelievable," or sometimes "You're bustin' my chops!"


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.

There you go. Italian Non-Verbals 101. We have been shocked to see how the kids effortlessly look exactly like the Italians we know when communicating with these daily gestures. Just like they sound native-Italian when they speak. Cody and I make our attempts. . .

If it's not one thing. . .

I'll confess now, this is going to be a vulnerable blog. And a little weird. Just trying to keep it real. . .

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.

For the past several months, our latest medical mystery has been Cody's growing arthritis problem. He's had arthritis in his thumbs for several years, and they are often quite swollen. It's now spreading to most of the joints in his hands. It has gotten so bad that in the morning he is unable to write with a pen or pour his coffee. It is debilitating to point of great discouragement. Knowing a lot of tests will have to be done to determine the problem, he is waiting until we are home for the summer to have it looked into further. He's only 32 for crying out loud!

And then yesterday, I woke up in pain every time I blinked. In the outside corner of my eye, something wacky is going on. This morning, it looks like this--swollen all around. It only hurts in that one spot, but boy doesn't that look attractive! I thought it might be a sty, but I'm not so sure. I don't even know who I would go see if it doesn't get better! Crazy as it sounds, I think I would go to the emergency room so that I could be referred to a opthamologist.

Thus, my title for today's blog. . . If it's not one thing, it's another. The hard thing (though a blessing, don't get me wrong!) is that none of these things are major ordeals. They are just really annoying inconveniences that can contribute to wearing us down. Never in our lives have we experienced such random, wacky physical challenges. If the Lord brings us to mind, would you mind praying over us? Pray for our whole family's physical protection. Pray especially for long-term relief for Cody's arthritis.

I told you, a weird blog today. Thanks for reading and for praying. Welcome to all the realities of our life overseas! We are choosing to praise God in the midst of it all.