Visit photos, part 1

I've been delaying this string of posts for a few days because I have no idea how I will choose a handful of pictures to share online and enter into the blog book for the kids.  Visiting family or being visited by family when living in the States was special.  But there is something extra special about the sacrifice that has to be made to visit across the world -- change of time, cost of travel, physical wear of international travel and cultural confusion, and of course the increase in vulnerability to new and strange illnesses.  But never-the-less, we consistently have our family making those sacrifices and visiting us.  This Christmas was no exception.  My parents, sister, and brother-in-law enjoyed a second Christmas in Vienna, and it was such a huge encouragement to us.  I tried to fill the week with special outings and activities, and the kids did the rest to keep us all entertained.  With six smartphone cameras and three hand-held cameras, we have a ton of pictures.  Here goes my attempt to capture a tidbit of our time together.  (Prior posts have already addressed a few themes during their visit.)

First, here are some of my favorite photos from just hanging out together at home.  There are a lot...

Puzzles and cuddles with Grandma

Joining in on the fun with puzzles

 I'm pretty sure this was the first morning after they arrived; Nathanael could hardly wait to play with Legos with Grandpa.  (Notice the coffee cup in Grandpa's hand and the hard-hat, of course.)

 This little girl loved being with her Grandpa!

The kids loved sitting with Grandpa and watching video clips on his phone. 

And they were often seen either standing at the door to Grandpa and Grandma's room, asking to come in and play, or sprawled out on their bed playing.

It was no surprise that these two were often together.
(Isn't his "smile" pitifully adorable?!)

But these two often stole the show! 

 We were sooo excited to have Uncle Drew and Auntie Carrie join us!

And they quickly joined in on the fun and silliness!

Anytime Eva saw Drew's water bottle around, she would pick it up and proudly take it to him.  It was adorable.  I think this picture was after one of those instances.

 Nathanael received two great Lego sets for Christmas from both sets of Grandparents, and these three spent hours entertaining themselves with them!

A Nathanael Quote

A conversation with Nathanael tonight greatly illustrated how confusing (and funny) life can be with kids living in two languages (and cultures):

Nathanael: "Mom, I don't want to be a Pfarrer.  Can you pray that I won't be a Pfarrer?"

Kim: (I couldn't make out the word he was saying and didn't realize he was using a German word.)  A what, dear?
N: A Pfarrer.  Can you pray to Jesus that I won't have to be one?
K: I'm not understanding that word, Nathanael.  Can you explain it to me?
N: A Pfarrer.  A person who leads God's people.
K: (I still wasn't getting it.  I thought to myself, "Is he asking me to pray that he won't be a follower of Jesus?!  Oh my!")  Oh, and why don't you want to be one?
N: Because I want to get married one day.  Will you pray to Jesus that I won't have to be one, Mom?
K: (light coming on! Pfarrer is preist/pastor/minister in German!)  Oh, Nathanael!  If God calls you to be a Pfarrer, you can still get married!  (And then I went on to explain with examples of people he knows...)

Nathanael was relieved. :)

Apparently in Kindergarten on Friday, some of his friends were talking about becoming a priest, and Nathanael must have been a bit distraught about it.  I'm so glad he asked me to pray for him about it and that I was finally able to catch on!

Planning retreat

We escaped to the mountains last weekend for our annual planning retreat with colleagues in Austria. The location was the JUFA Hotel at Bruck an der Mur.  The train trip there was stunning, up over the Semmering mountain pass and all through snow-covered mountains.  Sheer bliss!

The kids did really well with the two-hour train ride.

 

JUFA Hotels are incredibly kid-friendly, as seen by the view from our hotel room patio.

Once we arrived, we put Eva down for a nap, showed Nathanael the play room, and sat down together to watch the snow fall and drink a Melange (Viennese cappuccino).

The kids had their own program, run by some gifted friends of ours.  They did, however, get to join us for snack time!  Eva looked so grown up, joining in with the bigger kids!

This is how Eva and I spent a couple of the meetings.

I took this picture to show the view of the forest from the meeting room.

And here was the only non-blurry picture I managed to take on the train-ride home (with a sleeping baby in my arms).

 

I promise, we did have a lot of productive and helpful meetings.  I just didn't think to take any pictures of that part.

Diving back in

Since the summer of 2010, when we first began applying to move to Vienna, I have resisted picking up my Turkish language materials in order to focus on learning German.  This week, I gave myself permission to dive back into Turkish!  The anticipation leading up to this week has been great, along with a healthy dose of anxiety.

• How much will I remember?
• How long will it take to become comfortable in basic conversation again?  What about complex conversation?
• Who will be my language helpers?
• Will my brain ever be able to sort out the multiple foreign languages, or will it always be a confusing mess?  
• How am I going to make time for this?
• and on and on...

One thing is already clear.  I love this language.  Reading and speaking and hearing it makes me miss my dear Turkish friends around the world even more.  For example:

• pronunciation of the Turkish letters -- I think about my first tutor in Waco, Hatice, and how she allowed me to record her pronouncing the o's and u's (o, ö, u, ü).  I listened to that over and over and over in college, trying to train my ears to hear it and speak it.
• pembe şemsiye (pink umbrella) - My friend Sheryl taught me this as I was preparing to move to Istanbul.  She saw me flipping through flashcards, and when I asked her how to say "umbrella" correctly, she told me that she learned these two words together.  I have never forgotten either word.
• boşver (never mind) - I remember my friend Derya teaching me this word when we were speaking about religion once.  She wanted me to understand that she just didn't care.  She made me repeat it to her multiple times, and I have never forgotten it nor her consistent lack of interest to speak with me about what matters most to me in my life.
• correct usage of verbs - on the back of my verb flashcards, I have sentences that my first tutor in Istanbul, Berivan, helped me write in order to make sure I learned how to use the verbs rightly.  She didn't let me get away with any mistakes.  She was a wonderful teacher.

When I pulled out my Turkish language resources, two letters fell out from between a couple books.  Two of my dearest friends from living in Istanbul (Nuriye and Ecehan) had written me letters after I returned to the States for my wedding.  I can't quite make out all of the content now, but I am so excited to regain that proficiency and read those letters fully again one day!

This is a language of relationship for me.  And for that reason it is a secondary heart language.  One I have set aside for five years.  I rejoice that I can finally fill my desk and my mind again with Turkish!

Festive Food

As I was looking through photos to post from my family's visit, I noticed a handful of fun photos with the theme of food.  So here are some of the food highlights.

Punch, Cocoa, and Gluhwein at a Christmas market

Making "Muddy Feet" with Grandma; he almost had no animal crackers left to "dip"!  We were laughing!

As the only German speaker, he ordered himself some ice cream while out with the grandparents, Uncle and Auntie!

I think he did most of the ordering for the meal as well. ;)

A Christmas day tradition for us - Raclette!

A traditional Austrian brunch out with my sister

 Popcorn and a movie (The Jungle Book)

One of our favorite bakeries

 And their meals are spectacular as well!

Viennese coffee

Merry Christmas from Hope Fellowship

On Sunday morning, the 21st, just after my sister and brother-in-law arrived via taxi, and minutes before we headed out the door for church and Eva's baby dedication, our doorbell rang.  What a fun surprise to receive a huge Christmas box from our church in Boston!  We opened it on the 24th (when Austrians traditionally open gifts).  I don't know if I can accurately express how much fun it was to dig through and find treasures, to open the gifts, and to simply see such a tangible expression of love and support.  Wow.  It means so much to us.  It also means that we have tons of fresh Hope and Boston reminders all over our home now.  And I simply love that.  It makes me all the more excited to come back next year for a few months!

We feel so loved.  Thank you, dear Hope friends.  We can't wait to see you all in 2016!

Hiking in the Alps

This adventure was definitely a highlight of our family's visit.  Grandpa and Grandma spent the day with the kids (a huge blessing!), and Drew, Carrie, Gregory and I headed outside of Vienna to the Rax Alps.  We were scheduled to have a snowshoe hike with a guide, but seeing as there simply was not enough snow, we took a winter hike instead.  It was quite surreal, hiking in the Alps.  The air, the views, the exercise, the company.  It all came together to create a remarkable, unforgettable experience for us all.

We would highly recommend our guide, if you're interested in doing this one day!

Before we headed out, we had to find appropriate winter hiking gear.  I managed to borrow most of what we needed so that Drew and Carrie wouldn't have to pack everything.  Here's what Carrie came out wearing the night before the hike, and Drew's reaction was priceless!

(She didn't actually wear it.)

On the train

  

On the gondola (this photo cracks me up!)

 

Album photo cover attempt one

(Gregory missed the memo.)

 

Album photo cover attempt two, at the top of Jakob's hill

 

Some of the views

 

 

Heading back down the gondola as the sun was disappearing behind the mountains