MY WIFE

I realize something as I sit next to this beautiful woman foolish enough to marry me...she's mean.  I also was just struck.  Not stricken.  I was punched.  She's now mocking my grammar.  She does not seem to think I would post this, so now I have no option.

Christmas Card Pictures

Claire had been screaming for about 20 pictures.  This is the
closest I got to getting her smiling all afternoon.
Obviously, this won't be on our Christmas card.

Yesterday afternoon, we made an attempt to take pictures for our Christmas card.  (Yes, Emily has chosen this years Christmas cards already.)  We took the kids over to the ruins of a nearby abbey.  It's one of my favorite places in Belgium.  The setting was great.  Emily had chosen coordinating outfits.  (Yes, Isaac and I were both embarassed about that).  First, I realized that part of the tripod had been left attached to my video camera, so I had to position my camera on a rock.  Then, Claire decided that she wasn't interested in any part of the process.  In over 300 photos, only two were even worth considering. Isaac actually did ok.  Claire would screem and get up.  Without fail, as she walked off she would look at me and smile.  I physically felt my blood pressure going up.

Guys Weekend

 

This weekend, I'm in Dover & Canterbury with a friend of mine.  I have a few minutes to kill before anywhere opens up where we can eat breakfast, so I thought I'd post a couple of pictures.  Obviously, I'm standing on the White Cliff's of Dover on the right.  Joe & I hiked about five miles along the cliffs.  If time (and weather) allowed, I would have kept going.  The cliffs where pretty.  The constant flow of ferries across the English Channel didn't really add to the picturesque seen, but it was a nice hike.  It did rain on us for the last mile, but that seems to have made the experience complete.  Some of you are now questioning my common sense, which is a perfectly sensible response.  Dover Castle was also interesting.  I've toured enough castles that it really wasn't that different from others.  However, there are a series of tunnels under the Castle that were begun during the Napoleonic Wars as barracks for soldiers positioned to repell a French invasion.  During WWII, this became an underground hospital as well as a command post for Operation Dynamo (evacuation of the British and French armies after the Battle for France was won by Germany in WWII).

 

Not a bad first day.  Today I'll get to see Canterbury Cathedral, which rounds out the last major European church I had on my list.  I'd still like to see the Hagia Sophia, but it hasn't been a church since 1453, so I don't have to technically include it in my list of churches.

 

Balls, Inpections, and Broken Bones

The picture is from the Air Force & Navy Ball for SHAPE.  A friend of mine was on the planning committee and had me do the invocation.  I have to admit, they did a great party.
Otherwise, let me retrace the last couple of weeks.  Since my last post, I'm still doing physical therapy.  My ankle is improving, but it's getting old and tedious.  We completed our Command Inspection Program.  For those not in the army, it just means our higher headquarters comes down to inspect our records, supplies, and whatever other random thing they decide to examine.  We passed with 100% (by that, I mean my assistant and I).  He did 90% of the work.  Considering that this is his first unit and he's been here less than a year, He did an amazing job.

Turns out Isaac's arm is not only broken, but he'll have to have a pin put into his wrist for a few weeks so the bone sets straight.  I found that little gem out this afternoon.

I don't guess I should really complain.  Em ran the Paris to Versailles Road Race this weekend, which left me with the kids.  It's always fun to have a couple of days of playing with them.  (It's easy for me to say since I also have several trips each year without them). 

 

Speaking of the kids, Isaac is at the table imitating the noises of random bodily functions.  I guess I should get up to be a good father and explain that it's a little disgusting.  I still owe him ice cream from when they had to draw blood this afternoon anyway.

 

Hectic Week

The last week has been hectic, to say the least.  Let's start with last Saturday.  Emily was out running errands when I hear Isaac crying.  He had fallen while trying to carry a large toy truck up to the top bunk (I have no idea why).  I checked the arm and didn't think it was broken.  On Sunday morning, Emily has a minor car accident.  No one was hurt, but it has had us down to one vehicle.  By Monday, Isaac still isn't using his arm.  The earliest appointment we can get him is for Thursday.

Throughout this, I am trying to catch up from being gone to Garmisch the week before.  (I'm still not caught up, if you're wondering).  A Europe-wide suicide stand down absorbed most of my week through Thursday.

 

On Thursday, Emily calls when I'm in a meeting and Isaac's arm is broken.  (I win "father of the year" for that one, I'm sure.). 

 

Friday, was a good day.  I had three soldiers and myself helping a soup kitchen in Mons tear out some old ceiling and plaster so they can expand their ministry.  You see us sitting with the debris we pulled out of the building in the picture.  I haven't been that physically exhausted in a long, long time.

 

On top of it, I had 1-1.5 hours of physical therapy on my ankle three days this week.  Apparently, I wasn't supposed to just run through the pain for the last year and a half.  The physical therapist all but called me stupid during the initial consulation.  She was less than thrilled when I told her I didn't have time to come to the clinic on Thursday or Friday.

 

OK, there's my massive dump of information.  Hopefully, this week will be better.  When Em and I looked at schedules, I'm not sure this one will move any slower.  If we can just avoid any extra conversations with hospitals or police officers, it'll be an improvement.

Birthdays

I think these two pictures sum up a lot of what you see at children's birthdays at a certain age.  There are moments where everything is unbelievably exciting and here is a happiness that is almost beyond expression. 

However, the sugar buzz, excitement and  constant stimulation of the crowd and new toys in the house at least a few times create a huge crash.  All of a sudden, the tears are pouring.  There's no clear understanding of what is wrong (at least that's my perspective).  Since it was Isaac's birthday, I put the smiling picture of him.  I actually do have pictures of either child in either phase.



CAST-E

2nd Signal Battalion, 5th Signal Command UMTs

So, the past few days have been spent in Garmisch, Germany at Chaplain's Annual Sustainment Training (CAST-E).  If you're wondering, a week of briefings aren't exactly exciting.  There were some interesting briefings, but it's mostly stuff they could have given us in writing just as effectively.  It's always nice to see some old friends and the other chaplains in our brigade.  That's the real benefit to this training.  I remember almost none of the training because my retention disappears quickly after 4 hours sitting in a conference room.  This is especially true when the sessions focus on army field manuals and doctrine.  I understand that it matters and is necessary for chaplains to understand.  It's just not exactly something most of us get excited to hear about.  I'm utterly exhausted after a week of being around people constantly.  Yesterday, the drive back took 11 hours thanks to road repairs throughout Germany. 





SHAPE Fest 2012

I’ve always been told that having a third child is a game-changer.  This weekend, we’re keeping some friends’ little girl (Claire’s age).  Their junior-high daughter is also staying with us, so she has been amazingly helpful at the house.  However, we spent this afternoon at SHAPE Fest.  The big sister hung out with her friends (as she should have) and Emily and I had three kids to watch.  Even with the double stroller we were outnumbered.  There’s definitely a huge difference between two and three children. 

Em actually reminded me once that she was the one that had wanted to stop at two.

 

This week is one of those that I dread each year.  I have to go to Germany for a few days for Chaplain's Annual Sustainment Training.  I'm sure once I get there, I'll enjoy getting to see some friends again.  I just hate being away from work and family for a week.  It's not a workaholic thing.  I'm good with being on vacation with my family instead of at work.  I just will spend the majority of the next week sitting through briefings that provide minimal new information.  The scenery will be amazing (Garmisch, Germany).  The lodging will be nice enough.  It'll just be a long, long drive to start and end a long, tedious week.

 







Greatest Race Ever

So, yesterday I ran the "Troll Extreme Run" here in Belgium.  Troll is the sponser.  The run is a 12k run through the woods with a couple of dozen obstacles.  I notice another huge difference between the States and Europe about a mile into the race.  We were climbing over a pill of tires with wires hanging down over the pile. One of the guys on my team (to the right) bumped a wire.  It was had electric current running through it.  No race in the States would have actually electric shocks as one of the obstacles.  It took over 2 hours to go 7+ miles.  Running on the streets, 7 miles would take about half that long.  I realized how dirty I was the first time we swam across a canal.  I got out, looked down, and realized that I still had mud down my shins.  By the third time across the canal, I was relatively clean.  I like this type of race far more than a marathon.

Another Sign of Age

Well, today another sign of middle age creeped into my life...my reading glasses arrived.  They were ordered over 5 weeks (military efficiency).  The doc wasn't kidding.  I really was seeing everything much smaller than it really is.  Not sure what the next step into middle-age is, but I'm sure I'll find out soon enough.  (I already complain about not understanding current music and fashion if you're wondering).

The last 2-3 days have been in the low 90s.  I know that doesn't sound bad to my friends and family in the southeastern US.  However, most of them haven't lived in a house and worked in an office without air conditioning in quite a while.  It was also a great weekend at home with Emily and the kids.  We did a little cleaning.  The kids played in the pool.  I tried to do a long run and discovered that I'm not acclimated to 90 F (thanks Belgium).

That's the overview of the last couple of weeks.  The picture you see is from a trip the kids & I took to the zoo.  It was kind of nice to send Em of to work for a change while I got to take the kids on an outing.  Sadly, I think I was more excited to watch the hippo walk on the bottom of the pond and then surface.

Em's Birthday

This week was Emily's birthday.  We went low key this year.  Isaac chose the cake from the bakery.  I insisted on putting the correct number of candles on the cake.  When Em got home from work, we had cake and put the kids to bed.  We then made paella from a recipe book that one of Emily's Spanish children from last year gave to her.  I seriously doubt she'll be thrilled about the picture that went online.

Today was an off day for me, so I took the kids to the zoo again.  They seem to have a new section opened each time we go.  Isaac loved they hippo.  I'll try to get some pictures online over the next few days. 

Olympic Observations

OK, I normally don't watch this much of the Olympics.  Basically, I normally watch track and field and a few swimming events.  If I can't tell who won, I generally don't watch.  However, I only have 6 channels right now, so I pretty much watch anything that looks like a sport.  I'm also currently in Europe so I actually know people from Great Britain, Germany, etc.  It makes the whole thing more interesting.  Here are a few observations from the first few days...

1.  Rowing crew - I definitely want to be the person sitting in the back not paddling.  I think I would be good at yelling, "Go Faster, we're getting beat by the Netherlands."  I'm just saying...I think I could pull that off.

2.  Equestrian Events - I'm completely confused by the scoring.  It doesn't seem to have anything to do with speed.  The commentary didn't explain anything.  Apparently they couldn't find broadcasters that understood it eaither.

3.  Women's Shooting - I watch a woman hit 99/100 clay pigeons.  There is absolutely no sarcastic comment I can make.  I'm a fan.

4.  I couldn't care less about Michael Phelps' "legacy."  If another friend of mine begins ranting about how he should have stopped while he was "untouchable" my head may physically explode.  I hope he wins (I do cheer for the US, obviously), but his "legacy" is his business.  I have no vested interest in how he goes down in Olympic history.  I just want to see someone from the US win.

5.  Not sure why a National Health Care System is included in the opening ceremony.  Some friends from Northern Ireland explained it (Thanks Broddles).  I still don't really understand it...sorry to any Brits that come across this.

6.  Water Polo requires a level of strength and fitness I cannot begin to fathom.  However, I have no idea what the official is constantly blowing his whistle about.  The best I can tell, the players all just keep going through 80% of the whistles.

Summer Arrives

For those of you living in the southeastern United States, summer probably arrived sometime in April.  You probably went swimming for the first time around Easter.  You may be hoping cooler weather will arrive in the next couple of weeks.  For us, we saw 80 degrees F for the first time this week.  Emily found the inflatible pool in the basement and went through the trouble of blowing it up for the first time in 2 years.  The kids have enjoyed the warm snap. 

I, however, have realized how much I like air conditioning when going to bed at night.  I have woken up around 0130 each morning this week covered in sweat.  Hopefully tonight will be better as the rain has returned and the temperatures have also begun sliding back to the 70s, which is closer to normal for Belgium this time of year.

Otherwise, there is little new in our lives.  My battalion got a new commander this week.  The new battalion commander has said all the right things about balancing family, faith, and mission.  The kids continue to grow (obviously).  Emily is getting ready for the start of school.

This week is VBS at the SHAPE International Chapel.  It's always a fun week b/c my only responsibility is to be there in case needed.  I'll spend every morning this week basically visiting with the leaders, kids, and parents.

80s Night

Tonight, my beautiful wife is at a "girls night" with an 80s theme.  Considering she was born in 1983, her memories of 1980s fashion are sketchy, at best.  However, I have to give her credit.  The outfit turned out remarkably well. 

This blog has not been updated recently because I'm having some difficulty with blogger.  It hasn't wanted to load pictures, which makes me a little lazy about blogging.  (Honestly, that's all most people are looking for anyway).

Anyway, the last few weeks have been busy.  We went to Paris for a long weekend.  This time, we hit the Louvre, Catacombs, climbed teh Eiffel Tower, and saw Versailles.  These were all of the things we had left on our "to do" list for Paris.  There's not much left that we want to see in Paris.  Emily & Katie went at night.  I still haven't gotten to see it at night.  Katie left to get back to the States today.  It's been great having her with us this summer. 

The Zoo & Org Day



Yesterday was our first trip to the zoo for the summer.  Isaac actually managed to feed the giraffe a bite.  Rain had been forcast, but managed to hold off long enough for us to get a good day in the park.  It's always fun to watch the kids with the animals.  Claire is probably still a little young to really enjoy the park.  The giraffe was all she really seemed to get excited about, but that was the animal she was able to get nearest.  Isaac enjoyed imitating the elephants, as always.  That's left from their school program at the end of the year. 







Isaac feeding the giraffe

Today was Org Day with my unit.  Basically, it's a day of sports competition between the companies.  Other than hanging out and taking pictures, I didn't really do anything this year.  HHD won again this year, in case you can't sleep without knowing.



Parenthood

Emily and I have an ongoing disagreement over one particular household chore.  (Actually, we have several, but that's not relevant right now).  This particular disagreement is that after mopping a room, she will leave the mop water out and wait until she can do the next room.  This is no problem except that sometime it is there overnight. 

Yesterday morning, my lovely one year old daughter decided my cell phone needed to be cleaned.  She promptly threw it into the mop water at the end of the hall (left from the day before).  When I looked at the phone, water was pooled under the screen.  Obviously, the phone ceased to work.

I pulled it apart and put it in a bowl of uncooked rice.  I'd heard it would pull the moisture out of the phone.  This morning, I put the phone back together and it works fine.  I can't believe it worked.

Speaking of Claire, she's also developed a taste for crayons.  We've caught her eating a purple and a green crayon.  If you've never had that experience, it can make for some surprising diaper changes.


(In case you're interested, I will never really argue with Emily about mop water because I personally don't like to mop.)

Home Again

OK, so we learned a valuable lesson over the last two weeks.  A teenager can be a great asset in traveling with small children.  My neice has been visiting for the last couple of weeks, and we've taken a massive road trip that Em & I have talked about for a while.  We left Belgium and went to Prague, Krakow, drove through Slovakia to Budapest, and went to Salzburg and Bavaria.  For those doing a quick count, that's seven countries. 

Katie made the trip much easier.  We saw some truly amazing cities.  I want to go back to Budapest.  Most of the museums were closed the days we were there, and the weather didn't cooperate.  Em & I are talking about trying to make another trip in a few months for a long weekend. 

Today has been washing clothing, mowing, and basically trying to recover from travel.  Tomorrow, we should actually finish the unpacking process.  There are a bunch of pictures in my online photo albums if you're interested.

Another Anniversary Down

Em & I spent the last few days celebrating our eighth anniversary in Rome.  Experience has taught me that a couple of weekends away each year get me a pass from Emily on certain events (such as Valentine's Day and a few stupid comments here and there).  It was my second time to visit Rome and it's the second city I've gone to that I really thought would be fun to return to a second time.  Actually, I would still like to go back a third time.


We stayed in an apartment just off Camp di Fiori.  We could look down into the market each morning.  We walked, and walked each day.  I got to show Emily a lot of the sites i saw back in October.  We saw a couple of new things (don't worry with the Marmitime Prison).  I need another day at St Peter's Basilica.  We ate massive amounts of pasta, gelato, and cappicino.  Overall, it was a great weekend with the woman I love (and who was foolish enough to get stuck with me).

The Mystery of Preaching

Parts of ministry remain a mystery to me.  Perhaps the biggest point of confusion is a bad sermon.  This past Sunday's sermon focused on 1 Kings 21.  Basically, Jezebel was willing to use deception, manipulation, and intimidation as soon as her feelings of power and entitlement were threatened.  I compared this to our response in the "kingdoms" we set up for ourselves in churches, work, or social settings.  The basic points were legitimate.  The subpoints and explanations could have been better.  The illustrations were a complete and total failure.  My weakness in the pulpit isn't the mystery.  I'm aware of my own weaknesses.  The confusion is that the weakest sermons I preach are the ones people come to me to talk about or share stories of how it applied.  The last time I was this frustrated with a sermon, a friend who provided me constructive criticism (at my request) refered to it as the best sermon she'd heard me preach.  In the last three days, I've had four people stop me to mention something about that sermon.  While I'm grateful the Holy Spirit uses scripture to speak to people, I almost always feel like I've failed to adequately explain or illustrate the simplest points of any passage.  Please, anyone who actually reads this...indulge this public whining on my part.  I promise not to make too much of a habit of it.  I don't need any reassurance of my calling or usefulness.  I just wanted to vent.

Growing Up

Last weekend, I let a Strong Bonds Retreat.  I suppose it's supposed to be called a "Training Event" now.  Apparently, the term "retreat" has religious connotations that the chaplain corp wants to avoid using.  It is frustrating when someone asks if they should bring their Bible to the class, and I have to say it's not needed.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy teaching, so the classes are fun to lead.  The problem is how wide a berth I'm expected to make around anything that is religious.  It's frustrating talking about building stronger marriages without discussing the significance of Christ within the covenant of marriage.  I've thought a lot about this over the last few days.  On Monday, I took part in a renewal of vows ceremony with a group who have been going through a Bible study on marriage with the chapel group here on SHAPE.  It is just interesting to look at the two groups and compare their approach to marriage.

Anyway, as you can see from the picture, Claire got to go swimming for the first time.  She took to the water immediately.  I'd throw her up and let her go under.  She'd hold onto my shoulders while I swam and kick while I pulled her around.  We realized how much she's growing up.  We'll soon be done with the baby phase of parenthood.

Routine

It's been a couple of weeks since I posted, so I'll try to hit the high points.  I suppose we're back in somewhat of a routine, at least for a couple of weeks.  I'm not exactly sure if that's even possible at the moment.

I've started teaching a cooking class for guys who can't cook with one of the members of the chapel service I attend.  Keith knows far more than I do about cooking, but it's really not the point of the class.  We're hoping to get a few more of the soldiers in our barracks to simply build relationships with one another.  Preparing and sharing a meal seems like as good of a way as any other.  Tomorrow is week two.

We're getting ready for a Strong Bonds event.  For those who aren't in the military, this is a weekend retreat that focuses on building strong relationships in military families.  This particualr retreat is a family event. The logistics for this particular event have been a massive difficulty.  My assistants have done a great job, but getting people to understand that Belgium doesn't work like Germany is amazingly difficult.

Friday, I took a group of 14 soldiers to visit a Waterloo battlefield and the ruins of an 8th century circtercian abbey.  It's always interesting what comparisons they draw from these events. 

I think that sums the last couple of weeks up.

Normandy & Keukenhof

My parents came for a visit last weekend, so we've done a little traveling with them.  When we were stationed in Belgium, my father told me he wanted to see Normandy Beach and Keukenhof.  OK, he actually said he wanted to see the Tulip Festival in Holland. 
On this trip, we've done both.  The Keukenhof trip was a day trip last weekend.  The tulips were a couple of weeks from being completely in bloom, but the gardens have every conceivable flower that grows in Holland, so it was still beautiful.  The bottom picture is in front of a tulip field near the park.  You can make out several different colors of tulip in the fields.

The Normandy trip turned out to be better than I honestly expected.  We visited Omaha Beach and the American Cemetary there.  The picture on the beach was taken there.  We visited the German Cemetary nearby.  Seeing both gives you perspective on the masses of people killed there on both sides.  I think I may have enjoyed Point du Hoc more than Omaha Beach (Dad disagrees).  The craters left from the naval bombardment are huge sixty years after the fact.  The fact that they successfully climbed that cliff confirms most of my suspicions about the general sanity of most Rangers.

We also made a quick trip over to see Mont St Michel.  The abbey was pretty, but I've seen abbeys.  The mount is an amazing view.  The actual visit out to the island was nice, but didn't add much.  We were there for about half a day.  This picture doesn't show that it is a tidal island.  The sun really came out and hit the island as we were driving off, so we stopped for one last picture.

Going...

Going.....

 ....Going.....

....Gone.




It was unintentional, but oh so funny.  The fact that she immediately got back into the wagon (while still crying) doesn't bode well for her future judgment.

Family Time

This weekend, we had absolutely nothing required of us.  On Friday, Em & I went on a date.  We tried a Greek restaurant some friends had recommended.  It was amazing.

On Saturday, Mons had its annual Chocolate Festival.  Chocolatiers set up on one of the shopping streets in Mons.  We tried a few things.  The better part of the day is just that the weather was amazing.  The kids both played in the fountain on the Grand Place in Mons.  On Sunday, we had an Easter Egg Hunt with our FRG. 

A Protestant Pilgrimage...sort of

This is the room in Wartburg Castle where Martin Luther
spent ten months working on his translation of the New
Testament.

Since Em & I got to Europe I've talked about doing a tour of of Martin Luther's life.  Somewhere along the way, the plan shifted to a personal retreat weekend for me.  (I think Emily realized I was going to bore her to death talking about Reformation history and theology).  Anyway, I spent the last three days in Wittenberg, Erfurt, and Eisenoch hitting some of the high points of Luther's life.

I learned a few things about planning a personal retreat as well.  I've tried to do this several times since I first read Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster 13 years ago.  The first is having more of a plan.  Previously, my plan was just to pray, journal, and read scripture.  This time, I focused on the book of Romans and a biography of Luther.  Surprisingly, I spent less time thinking about humanities' depravity and more time thinking about God's love and ecclesiology.  Luther got sloppy with his theology of Church polity and I noticed how much of Romans is dedicated to addressing divisions between Jewish and Gentile Christians in the church of Rome.

I probably had too much windshield time, but I used the drives to listen to a sermon series on Romans from Andy Davis, my pastor when I lived in Texas.  The weekend was a great opportunity to rest mentally, physically, and spiritually.  I would have backed out of going last week, but Emily insisted that I go.  I'm greatful that she pushed me into keeping my plans.

Back Home Again

 This evening, I got back from Germany (again).  The past three days, I was in Willengin, Germany with 23 single soldiers from my battalion (and a few other units).  The village you see is the view from my balcony this morning.

I think the retreat went well.  The focus was on making good decisions on choosing a spouse.  Several soldiers seemed to begin thinking about a few of the issues as the impact of family background and prior relationships on marriage.  I'll begin looking at the participant feedback on Monday.  Logistically, my assistants did a great job.  (Yes, for any chaplain friends reading this, I have two assistants for the moment).

Personally, I got to take a long run on some of the mountain roads.  It amazes me how quickly you can reach a point where the only things you hear are the wind in the trees and a few birds.  Germans seem to have figured out how to be close to civilization while you still feel like you're away from everything.  I definitely need to go backpacking after a couple of hours in the woods.

Field Training Exercise

I spent the last two weeks in Schwienfort (sp?), Germany doing field training with my brigade.  The picture to the left is from the worship service on the first Sunday of the training exercise.  I do love getting to lead worship.  I had the opportunity to get to know some of the other chaplains from the brigade.  I've only met most of them once since I've been in Europe because we're a signficant distance from everyone else.

The training itself was ok.  It was probably some of the better training I've received as a chaplain..  A little over half of the week had no training for chaplains, but it did give an opportunity to hang out with my soldiers.  I just hate being away from the family for more than a few days. 

Kids

Being the person that I am, I laughed in my three year old's face tonight.  He was playing with his legos on top of one of my tac boxes.  Claire would pick up a couple of legos.  Isaac would grab them.  She would pick up a lego and drop it on the floor.  Isaac would yell at her and grab the lego.  I made Isaac to leave her alone and share.  His response was to wait a couple of minutes.  He then began crying that Claire was making a mess.  He'd stomp and cry and start to grab the lego before pausing.  All I could do was laugh, loudly.  This is the same child that has no problem laying in dirt for hours.  He has no problem leaving his toys spread over the entire house.  Yet, Claire dropping a couple of legos is the downfall of western civilization.  Eventually, he realized I wasn't going to say anything to Claire and dropped the issue entirely.

Otherwise, I've met with a group of guys to pray and discuss a book (Crazy Love) with a group of for the last couple of weeks.  That group has already been a great encouragement.  It's amazing how much joy and strength comes from sharing the struggles of being fathers, husbands, and men.  Its been one of the things I've missed since I moved to Belgium. 

Winter Arrives

Winter seems to have arrived in this part of Belgium.  Its been a very mild winter, but temperatures have not gotten to 30 F in around a week.  Last night, we got about an inch of snow.  I hit an ice patch coming home from work last night, and managed to get  a sideways before sliding onto the sidewalk.  Thankfully, I got stopped before hitting anything. 

This morning, we went for a walk in the snow.  The trail to the left is about a half mile from our house.  Emily and Claire walked to the trail and got back out of the cold.  Isaac and I walked down the trail for another 20 minutes or so.  He kept insisting we go forward.  Of course, he also insisted on getting a running start and sliding into the snow every 20 yards.  Eventually, this left him soaking wet with the temperature somewhere in the teens.  His response....lots of crying and repeatedly telling me his hands hurt.  I called Emily to pick us up at the trailhead.  (Isaac is fine)

Friends from the States

This weekend, a friend from the chaplain's basic course came by for the weekend.  Tim was a great support for Emily while I was deployed, and she was excited to finally meet him and his wife, Kim. 

As you see from the picture, we finally went to actually see Mannequn Pis.  It's the small statue of a little boy peeing in a fountain.  It's a well-known landmark in Brussels.  We'd been within 2 blocks of it, and never actually found it.  You can see it's not exactly a large statue.

We never could get Isaac to call Kim anything other than "Mrs Amanda."  I have a friend here that he calls "Mr Tim."  His assumption seems to be that anyone named "Mr Tim" must be married to a "Mrs Amanda."

However, Isaac did ask for "Mr Tim" on the way to and from school this morning.  He was not happy to be told that Mr Tim and Mrs Kim were in Brugge.

35 and counting



Emily and Isaac debating how to properly
spell "Happy Birthday."  I won't tell you
who had the correct spelling.

OK, I'm not actually 35.  I turned 34 a few days ago.  It just irritates my lovely wife when I tell people I'm a year older than I actually am.  It's not something I do on purpose, but I do it a lot for whatever reason.  My chaplain's assistant just says I can't remember numbers.  In a year and a half, I've never learned my own cell phone number and she always has to give it to people when I can't recall it.  That's why God invented business cards.  Really, it's been a fairly quiet week.  The kids are settling back into a routine after the holidays.  Claire is walking more, which means occasionally taking a few steps.  Isaac is just a little more of Isaac.  I'm still not sure what it means, but seems to explain him. 

Poor Timing

OK, so I finished preaching at the chapel service this morning.  I spoke from Ephesians 2 and used an extended illustration of a ship sinking, stranding its passengers in the middle of the ocean.  The illustration ran throughout the entire sermon so it's not one anyone could possibly have missed.  (It's one I've preached before). 

I'm walked down the hall when a couple stops me.  They ask if I've watched the news over the last couple of days.  I told them I had not.  There was a massive cruise ship that sank off the coast of Italy this week.  They were giving me a heads up in case someone else said anything.  (They also got a laugh at my expression).

Oh well...nothing I can do about it now.

My biggest problem living in Europe

This morning marked the first college bowl game that I cared enough about to watch it live.  For those of you trying to do the quick math, we're 7 hours ahead of central time in the States.  That means, the 7 PM kickoff of the Cotton Bowl on Friday night was 2 am on Saturday morning for me.  This is one of my biggest frustrations with living in Europe.  (This actually bothers me more than my inability to speak any language other than English).

One of the officers from the battalion arrived at the house at 2:05, and we watched Arkansas and Kansas State.  I had several realizations about college bowl games in the process.

1.  They add far more commercial breaks during bowl games.  The game didn't end until around 6 am.  That's four hours.  That's way too long.

2.  A month break between the last game and the bowl game is too long of a break.  Neither team looked sharp.  Poor quality football from a good team is annoying when you are wide awake, but infuriates you if you have only had two hours of sleep.

Unfortunately, I will probably repeat this ritual for bowl games all week.  I'll repeat the ritual again when the Super Bowl rolls around.

The Holidays Wind Down

I remember as a kid, the week after Christmas was always a massive let down.  I had the new toys, but the anticipation of Christmas was gone.  In the back of my mind, I knew school would be back the next week.  The decorations came down, and everything just kind of felt anticlimactic.  (I wasn't exactly an optimist even as a kid).

This year, the holidays were completely different.  The last 4-5 days may have been my favorite all year.  We've sat at home and played with the kids.  My interaction with anyone outside of my immediate family has been limited.  Basically, we've relaxed.  The week before Christmas was busy with preparations for our Christmas party as well as the Christmas Eve Service.  This week, we've caught up around the house, but done so without feeling like we were working on our "days off."  I've kind of accepted some of the frustrations with work that I realize are outside of my power to change, and I've still got one more day to enjoy. 

Happy New Year.