Christmas Travels

Well hello again. Wondering where I've been? Everywhere, so it may seem. 

This post has been promised to you, and without a doubt, a long time coming. So, let me take you back. All the way back to Christmas, when we traveled to Italy and Turkey.

Warning: this post is long.

On December 27th we boarded a plane, two planes to be exact, that took us to Rome, Italy. We had a connecting flight in Istanbul, in which I took full last-minute advantage of the airport Starbucks and ordered myself a white-chocolate-mocha-with skim milk-hold the whip please. Whatever, I can be particular, Starbucks and I have been separated for months. 

The first plane ride was 6 hours, the connecting flight was 2 1/2 hours. After begging a one-year-old to take nap on the plane, eat something besides crackers, be a little quieter, and finally, change a diaper on my lap...we made it. Italy at last. 

For the next three days, we explored Rome. We explored hard. From before sun-up, because our baby woke up at 3:30am due to jet lag, to sun-down. 

AG understood that we were in Italy and needed to take advantage of our time here, so she napped in the stroller. Bless her. 

Let me just say, being a history major, I LOVED Rome. This city is incredible. Even if you aren't a History major, check it out. Save every penny you have, and even if you are 70 years old when you finally have enough money, go. Everyone should visit this place. 

Our first night in Rome, we went to a cute little local Italian restaurant where the bruschetta was amazing. By the way, did you know it's pronounced bru-SKetta and not bru-SHetta? Who knew! Well, apparently the Italians.. 

Our first morning in Rome we were out by 5:00am due to jet lag. So we went to a local cafe, and explored the city pretty much by ourselves, since everyone was still sleeping. 

This is a "five o'clock in the morning selfie." Didn't know that was a thing? 

A few hours later, after everyone in Rome woke up, we ventured to the Colosseum area to spend the day. This day was so fun. Since we opted out of a tour guide (so not our thing), we bought a few books on the Colosseum and the surrounding area so we could have the freedom to do as we please. After we walked through the Colosseum, we ventured outside and explored the other ancient ruins of all the palaces.

Addie loved playing on the ancient ruins...






We spent all day around the Colosseum area of the city. We then walked towards the Trevi Fountain, you know, that place where you throw a coin? We were lame a didn't throw one...too many people.

We didn't know the Trevi Fountain was going to be such a big hit so we fled the scene pretty quickly. Luckily, there are tons of shops in this area, so we escaped to rooms filled with purses made of Italian leather, scarves, jewelry, and lots of other fun things. I loved it. The shops were nestled into narrow alleyways, made of streets of cobblestone and lined with old buildings of various colors and scalloped rooftops.  

A few hours and miles later, we decided to plant ourselves at a local cafe in the middle of the square to sit for a while. As we were enjoying a snack, two men with a guitar and accordion walked directly in front of us to play and sing a couple of songs...while staring at us. After they graced us with their performance, they decided they deserved payment, so one of the men walked up to us and held out his hand for money. Yes, we gave him some money. We figured he needed it more than us.

The following day we took the metro to the Vatican and St. Peters Church. If you have a baby, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Don't wait in line. No really, don't. We bypassed a two hour wait to get into the Vatican AND and three hour wait for St. Peters Church, because we had a baby. 

The Vatican museum is HUGE. So huge, that I became a bit of a grump. Probably because (1) I don't appreciate art (2) Hundreds of busts made of marble all begin to look the same (3) All I wanted was to see the Sistine Chapel...which was at the VERY END of the tour (4) All painted ceilings begin to look like...a painted ceiling (5) my husband wanted to look at EVERY SINGLE THING (6) I had an irritable baby to console (7) some rooms were so packed you couldn't move (8) ALL I WANTED TO SEE WAS THE SISTINE CHAPEL (9) Finally!! The Sistine Chapel!!...and you aren't allowed to take pictures so when I pulled out my camera I got yelled at by a guard (10) I was already stressed because I had a grumpy baby and the tour was taking FOREVER, so finally when we got to the Sistine Chapel and I got yelled at...I cried (11) I cried 

After the Vatican, we bypassed the three hour wait for St. Peters Church (largest church in the world) and briefly explored the grand building made of the finest of materials. We walked below, to where the former Popes are buried, which was...interesting(?). 

That evening, we went to dinner at this cute, romantic cafe. Afterwards, we strolled back to our hotel and got gelato (duh) on the way back. We may have eaten gelato EVERY DAY. 

After a few days in Rome, we took a taxi, plane, and boat to our hotel in Venice. Venice was so beautiful. SO beautiful. This was the relaxing part of our vacation. 

We arrived on Christmas Eve and basically just walked, shopped, ate, and slept for the next couple of days. Venice is a sinking city. In the morning, the entire city is covered in about a foot of water. You know who the locals are because they are wearing waders. Shoot. Forgot to bring my waders to Italy. 

On Christmas day, we woke up, ate breakfast, and let Addie Grace open her gifts. Since we were traveling...and she's ONE...we got her three things: A stuffed puppy, a mechanical puppy, and a squishy ball. She loves animals and balls right now, so all of her gifts seemed fitting for her stage of life. Guess what her favorite gift was? The one that cost $1: the squishy ball. 

She was terrified of the mechanical puppy. Eric and I just knew she would love it. We would talk about her opening the gift, her reaction, how her eyes would light up and a huge smile would spread across her face. Nope. She cried. Then ran away.

Oh yes, we have a video. Christmas Day 2013 . It's kind of long, so if you want to watch only the part of her opening the dog, scroll to around 7:40. Don't judge us for laughing.

The rest of Christmas day, we strolled around beautiful Venice. It was very relaxing, and we really had no agenda.

After Venice, we flew to Istanbul where we crashed for the next week. We relaxed this entire week, ordered in food, walked to Starbucks, and ate Krispy Kreme. One evening we took a walk by the Bosporus and let Addie play in the park.  Another day, we took the ferry to the Grand Bazaar, where we bartered for lots of fun souvenirs. A Turkish man asked Eric if he was Iranian. 

Istanbul was a time for recuperating before we spent week three in Antalya, Turkey. Antalya is a city on the Mediterranean Sea. Rough life, I know. It was such a refreshing time, meeting people serving in all areas of Central Asia. We gathered together for a time of worship, teaching, and pr-ying. I believe all of our hearts were full at the end.



The day we left, Addie gets sick. She threw up twice in the hotel before we left, then more on the bus ride to the airport, then again at the airport. There was nothing left in her little body, so she didn't throw up any more and pretty much slept the entire plane ride home. We thoroughly enjoyed our travels and are so thankful for such a wonderful experience!

Life Lately

So, here's the deal. I STILL haven't finished our travels post. I know, it's taking me forever. Did you know it's so much easier to post pictures straight from my ipad/phone than to hook up the camera to the computer and upload pictures?...hence the reason for the delay. We took so many pictures on our real camera that I want to use for the post about Italy/Turkey. 

In the meantime, here's what's been going on in our world! 

(AG is 15-16 months in the following pictures)

Everyday, I come home from school around 12:00 to meet up with my best little friend. 

Every Sunday, we have our house ch-rch, where we entertain AG every possible way. Here, play with these...pearls.

I just love this picture. AG loves to eat our food. If we are eating anything, she will come up to us and expect us to give her a bite. So sweet daddy shares his cereal.

It snows here. A lot. But life must go on. You like my earpuffs? A purchase I made in Italy when I WAS SO COLD.

AG likes to get ready with me in the morning. As I sit to put on my makeup, she waits for me to either pick her up, or give her a make up brush. This day, I did both.

Curly pigtails. 

My 16-month old girl. So big. Every Tuesday and Thursday, I come back to the school for basketball practice. I bring AG with me to hand her over to Eric. 

A friend took this picture. I'm thinking it may have been at a soccer tournament held in November.

Starting Small

Man, it sure has been awhile huh? We have been traveling for the past three weeks, so the blog has been put on the back burner. I'm in the midst of blogging about our travels, but since we were gone so long, it is a lengthy post filled with lots of commentary and pictures...so to keep from becoming overwhelmed, I am writing little bits at a time. So, stay tuned if you are interested in our adventures over the last few weeks, it's coming!

Meanwhile, I'm going to write a little blurb about exercise. Yep...don't freak out or roll your eyes. Give me a chance to encourage you!

If you know me at all, you know that I really love fitness and exercise. It's something that I feel strongly about and eventually when we return, I hope to become a certified personal trainer.

If you don't like/enjoy fitness, then this post is for you! Getting into shape can seem like a daunting task, especially if you haven't worked out in awhile. When we arrived in this new country in September, a few things occurred that put to a stop my ability to exercise...so that means I have been out of commission for 4 months. Yikes! This new year, I am back at it again, however, I feel as if I have to start all over.

When this happens, it's good to ease in gradually. Don't overwhelm yourself with the first workout, instead, work your way up. Start small. Gradually increase expectations for yourself as you become better in shape.

So, let me encourage you to try this workout. I did it yesterday...and I am sore. If you do it correctly, you will be sore! The good thing about this workout is that you go at your own pace. If you are pretty in shape, you can go faster and do more!

The following exercises should be completed back to back
Warm up (jog for a minute) then stretch
30 seconds all out sprint (this means, run as fast as you can for 30 seconds)
30 seconds of push ups (you can go at your own pace, whether that be you do 10 push ups or 30!)
1 minute all out sprint (again, run as fast as you can for 1 minute)
1 minute of lunges (right leg then left leg. Repeat for 1 minute)
1.5 minutes of sprinting (run as fast as you can for 1 minute and 30 seconds)
1.5 minutes of jump squats (sit down into a squat  (your knees should not pass your feet), then jump as high as you can. Repeat)
2 minutes all out sprint
2 minutes of crunches

If you are a beginner, you can stop here. See how short this workout is?! TEN MINUTES! Not overwhelming, but I guarantee, if you do it correctly, you will be sore the following day.

As you become accustomed to working out, gradually increase this exercise. The way this workout is intended to work, is once you reach 2 minutes, you then go backwards to 30 seconds.

 For example:

You reach 2 minutes then...
1.5 minutes all out sprint
1.5 minutes strength
1 minute all out sprint
1 minute strength
30 second all out sprint
30 second strength
Note: "strength" is the exercise you complete after you sprint.

If you are really in shape, then repeat the entire workout! You can also interchange the strength portion with a variety of exercises. You can also add weights or just use body weight.

A workout that combines both sprinting and strength (one that allows for the heart rate to be elevated throughout the entire workout) is an exercise that actually allows you to burn calories all day long. Yes, even when you stop exercising. A common misconception is that in order to lose weight or get into shape, one has to run miles upon miles. Not true! Long distance running burns calories once- while you are running. Sprinting and strength burns calories all day long! Did you hear me people?! ALL DAY LONG!

So, I say, start small. Work your way up. Don't overwhelm yourself or you will dread exercising.

You can do it!

Just Because

 As a child, I wanted to be liked by everyone. Obedience was my best friend and rules became a gift to me. Not a gift where you are so excited you can't put it down, but more like a gift you know is necessary so you appreciate it. Kind of like new underwear. Rules told me exactly what I had to do for someone to be proud of me. I didn't necessarily love rules, but they didn't leave me guessing. If I followed them, I knew exactly where I stood with the person who enforced them. 

If I made you proud, then I knew I was loved. It was evident by the pats on the back, the trust I gained, and the affirming words that made my heart glad. I am good, therefore, I am loved. 

Ask my mom and dad. I was very obedient. 

If I made someone upset, it destroyed me. 

If I saw someone sad or left out, it bothered me. 

One Christmas, I had such a difficult time enjoying my gifts because I could not stop thinking about the millions of kids who received nothing. 

One year on my mom's birthday, no one made her a cake, so I poured her a bowl of frosted flakes and pretended it was her cake. 

If I did something wrong, I would tell on myself. 

I said my first cuss word when I was 11, so I confessed to my mom. 

I cheated on my spelling test in second grade, got caught (because I told on myself), and walked away with a heavy heart and my tail between my legs. 

Condemnation made me cry, not spankings. Well, spankings did make me cry, but usually I didn't need a spanking because condemnation alone was enough to turn this girl around. 

Then I grew up and although my rule-following desire wasn't as intense, it was still there. I did stop telling on myself (most of the time), and I tried to brush it off my shoulders if someone wasn't happy with me. Although if I'm honest, most times it still bothered me deep down. 

Rules are good. It's good to obey. It's good to care for others. It's good to have a sensitive heart. But sometimes things that appear relatively good can be used to distort the truth about God. 

This innate desire within me to please and gain love through obedience has bred within me a false belief about God. One that I constantly have to fight, and it started at birth. Desires that are ultimately good on the surface became the thorn in my side. A thorn that deceives me into believing I need to be good for God to love me. 

So here I am. Once again having to learn the same truth over and over again. 

I confess that since living over here I have questioned whether God truly loves me. Of course I know this isn't true, but to feel His love pouring over me is something I have struggled with here. 

And I know why. 

I am more than inadequate over here. I cannot speak the language.  I cannot drive anywhere to help  someone who is in need. I am constantly living in cultural stress which means I spend my energy surviving rather than thriving. I simply cannot Do. 

I am able to do nothing to gain His love. 

So, once again, through my inadequacy He is teaching me about love. 

He loves me because He just does. There is absolutely nothing I do or don't do for Him to love me any more or any less. Even when I'm up to my eyeballs in the dirtiness in my heart, He still loves me just the same. 

This may be one of the hardest Truths for me to fully grasp. Maybe because we humans often love people only when they are good to us, so sometimes without even realizing it I think God is the same. 

To limit God in his ability to love based on whether or not we are good enough, is to completely distort His character and reduce Him to the level of a mere human. 

God is teaching me again, in a different way, that He loves me for no other reason besides grace. He has put me in an environment where I have no abilities to do anything to try and earn His favor, so He can patiently remind me again. 

And I'm here to tell you, whether you follow rules or follow trouble, whether you are an atheist or a Muslim, whether you are gay or straight, politician or prostitute...He loves you. So much so that He wants to know you. He sent His son J-sus to die for you, to wipe away every bad thing that you have ever done, SO that He can know you. He doesn't ask for you to get your life perfect before you come to know Him. Let Him worry about the mess in our lives. Just run to Him. 

There is more love and forgiveness in Him than there is sin in you. 

And He wants you to know that He loves you. Just because. 

15 month update

We no longer have a baby folks...Full-fledged toddler on our hands. I love this little girl so much.

Walking! We have a walker! She has been walking for a couple of months now. It started maybe right around her 13 month birthday. We were at our House Fellowship, she took a few steps, and everyone errupted in cheers. Since then she has practiced everyday, and now it is becoming her primary mode of transportation.

Sleep: We have tried to experiment with a morning nap, but she's just not having it. She won't fall asleep and if she does, well, that means she won't take an afternoon nap. So because her mom values an afternoon nap more than a morning one, we will just stick with sleeping around 12:30-1:00. She usually naps for 2-3 hours. She loves her sleep. She doesn't want to be rocked...when she's ready, she's ready. I give her her baby doll and try to rock her, but she just holds her hands out to her crib. I lay her down, she doesn't fuss, she lays there and goes straight to sleep. She does this for naps and at night. So thankful. 

Eating: It comes and goes. She loves her milk. LOVES. Some days she eats everything, others she eats two bites then is done. I just keep in mind that this is just a phase and am thankful that she loves her milk. Because she drinks so much milk, and therefore doesn't want to eat, we allow her milk after she finishes her meals. Seems to work!

Personality: Shy and hilarious. She has been this way since her personality started to show when she was just a few months old. She is quiet and observant, then when she warms up to her surroundings, she is so friendly and hilarious. She is a girl of many expressions, laughs, and has so much personality. She will play with anyone and let anyone hold her after she has warmed up. She makes me laugh all the time. She is so joyful most of the time then of course, like any one year old, she can be a grump. She has her days where she whines and just wants to snuggle, but I love my snuggles :). She has so much personality it's ridiculous. After she has warmed up, she is miss independent.

Talking: When I change her diaper, I play a game with her where I say, "Say ____," and she'll repeat words. I usually have all her attention when I'm changing her diaper, so it's the best time to play this game. Usually when I say "milk, more, food, or please" she'll sign it instead of say it. I love that she does this. Her two new words this month: Cheese, apple, banana "nana", papa and cracker. 

She loves her nanny

She loves peanut butter on a spoon

Meltdown for no reason

I told our nanny it was Thanksgiving, so she dressed AG accordingly...

Her two favorite things: her baby and her milk

Thanksgiving

Curls and moccasins...Uzbek moccasins 

Commit to Pr-y

Living on this side of the world and being immersed into the community to which we are succumbed , I have heard more stories of the persecution of believers in the last four months than I have heard in my entire life.

Pastors being arrested for simply preaching the G-spel in a ch-rch. 

People being kidnapped and never being seen again. 

Sharing the truth to those under a certain age being illegal. 

People sitting in prison cells for no other reason other than their belief in J-sus. 

Being super careful about your language in order to remain safe. 

This list could go on. Yet the list would be incomplete if I simply left it at that. I have also heard amazing conversion stories...

Conversion through dreams. 

Conversion through simply reading. 

Conversion at the sake of being beaten by your own family. 

Conversion at the sake of becoming "dead" to your own family. 

Conversion with the possibility of death. 

Conversion because the truth is greater than any persecution one might face. 

Any rejection than one might experience

Any physical pain that could be inflicted

And because the truth is greater than death

...and in this region of the world, if one believes, it is with these things in mind that truth is received. 

I can't help but wonder that if all of these were factors in claiming J-sus, how this would reveal the truth within the hearts of many around the "easier" parts of the world (when it comes to freedoms, that is). 

This morning I was reading in Galatians 1 and couldn't help be moved by Paul's writing, 

"For I would have you know brothers, that the g-spel that was preached by me is not mans g-spel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received through a revelation of J-sus Chr-st. For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the ch-rch of G-d violently and tried to destroy it. And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. But when he who has set me apart before I was born, and wih called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles...(vs 23) They only were hearing it said, "He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy." And they glorified G-d because of me.

Paul persecuted. 

He believed. 

He preached. 

He was persecuted. 

He preached. 

And was persecuted. 

He still preached. 

What if we all began to fervently pr-y for oppressive leaders, the greatest persecutors of the G-spel, to believe.

Everyday. 

We commit to that pr-yer. 

What if thousands committed to that pr-yer. All around the world.

Paul, a man who once was the greatest persecutor of Chr-st followers, became one of the greatest men used to advance the G-spel by G-d. 

So let's do it. Pick an oppressed country. Pick an oppressive leader. And pr-y them to bodly proclaim Chr-st. 

Ask your friends to do the same.