Marriage Retreats and Window Washing



Glass blower in Willingen, Germany.


A few hours ago, we got back from a Strong Bonds Retreat in Willingen, Germany.  For those who aren't in the military, Strong Bonds Retreats are relationship skills retreats for singles, families, or couples in the army.  I end up leading 2-3 most years.  This past weekend was a marriage retreat.  We took 13 couples and almost 40 of their kids to Willigen on Friday.  The resort was great.  The food was amazing.  I'm still uncomfortably full.  I'm not sure how the classes were.  I'm probably not the best to evaluate those.  I'll read everyone else's evaluations tomorrow.

During a few hours off, Em and I walked down to watch a local artisan that makes glass.  I agreed to go in order to be a good husband, assuming this time would be better spent doing anything else.  It was actually really interesting to watch the skill with which this guy worked.  I'd like to go back during ski season to spend a few days on the slopes.

As for family news from the last week or so, Isaac helped me wash windows last week.  Emily says she's done nothing interesting this week.  Isaac's potty training is still moving very slowly.  The next month should be busy, so things may get more interesting (assuming I have time to actually blog).

An overrated classic movie

Last Friday, at lunch Emily and some friends of ours discovered that I have never seen "The Sound of Music."  Conveniently, our friends had the movie.  Friday and Saturday night, we watched The Sound of Music and a Quentin Tarrentino movie.  I can honestly say, I doubt I will ever watch The Sound of Music again.  It's not the worst movie I've ever seen, but I spent most of the movie hoping I was watching the last scene.  It's not really that the movie was bad.  I just never got interested.  I appreciate the soundtrack, just didn't really care that much about the characters.  I laughed throughout the Tarrentino movie (not typing the name b/c it involves profanity).  Emily laughed through most of it, but got angry when the movie ended the way most Tarrentino movies end.

Otherwise, I had another new experience this weekend.  I drove to a monestary near Brussels to provide a worship service for the end of a Protestant Women of the Chapel Retreat.  I realized that in almost 13 years of working in churches, this is the first women's group I'd ever preached to.  Somewhat of an intimidating experience for whatever reason.  The monestary grounds were amazing.  I'd love to use the monestary for a personal or group retreat.  The grounds were beautiful.  I never saw any of the monks.  I think most of their areas are in wings other than the ones used for retreats.

Crossage, No FB, and another milestone

OK, since my last post, I spent a few days with soldiers in Germany.  Insomnia has returned (even less fun than I remembered it).  I found a new favorite game, and Claire has successfully rolled over.  The last two are the only things on that list that are really that interesting. 

The first picture is from one of the streets of Chievres, Belgium.  You can see me in the orange jacket in the middle of the picture.  The game is called "crossage."  Basically, you have a large, wooden mallet (rabot) and a large, oblong, wooden ball (chollette).  The streets are closed to traffic, you whack the ball toward kegs in the street and yell "chollette!!!" with each stroke.  This is a useless cry because there are always 2-5 other groups playing the same stretch of the street.  As often as not, they're hitting in your direction and vice versa.  There is no taking turns, you just walk out, hit your chollette and hope you don't get hit in the forehead by someone else's chollette.  I could never discern any consistent set of rules.  Everyone kind of made up their own method of competing.  I don't have a lot of picture b/c my camera cost way more than I'm willing to lose when it gets smacked by a large wooden mallet.  I'll post a few pictures in the photo albums next week when I get more.

The second picture is Claire's first time to roll completely over.  She cried briefly.  Emily got me out of the backyard to see.  Claire had fallen asleep during the intervening 30 seconds, so we let her sleep like this.

The only other exciting thing I've had is getting to speak two consecutive Sundays in chapel.  Em pointed out that I referenced the sermon I'd preached the previous week.  It's nice to be able to consistently share from scripture.  This weekend, I'll go to Brussels to speak at a worship service with the Protestant Women of the Chapel.  I've definitely missed getting to speak this consistently.

I did try an experiment this week.  I deactivated my Facebook account.  Emily noticed the next day.  My mother noticed 3-4 days later.  Other than that, I think I made it under the radar.

Another Isaac Story



Isaac watching traffic go by from the kitchen window.
If you look, he's snacking on a block of parmesean
cheese (In his left hand).

Isaac seems to be continually learning new habits and ways of making us laugh (or scream). Let's recap the day. This morning, I couldn't find him for a couple of minutes. The doors were still locked, so I knew he wasn't playing in the street. I found Isaac standing in the windowsill in the kitchen. He had used a chair to climb up and was standing behind the curtain while eating a block of parmesean cheese and waving at the passing traffic. Tonight, we had friends over for dinner. When I had not heard him in a few minutes, I checked the kitchen. He was sitting on the counter, shaking the last of a half bottle of red wine vinegar onto the cabinet. He proudly proclaimed, "I making pink." The red color of the vinegar was diluted on the counter. After cleaning that, he played in his room until he eased back into the kitchen without us realizing. This time he was found eating the cherry pie our friends had brought for dessert.  His explanation..."I eat it.  It good."

 

Isaac helping himself to cherry pie.



Holland



The watch shop that was owned
by the Ten Boom family.  Their home
is upstairs and adjacent.


It's been a while since I posted.  A lot of that has been that for whatever reason, I've been frustrated with several things at work lately.  I try not to get into that online.  It's just not beneficial.

This weekend, we went to Amsterdam for the first time.  On Saturday, we drove to Haarlam, Holland to visit the Corrie Ten Boom Museum.  Amazing experience.  It's the only museum I've ever been to that allows visitors to touch and photograph pretty much anything.  Isaac and I crawled into the hiding place where six Jews and Dutch Resistence workers hid during a Nazi raid.

That afternoon, we went the the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.  Emily enjoyed that.  I've already seen a lot of his major works, but this museum has the largest collections of his works in the world. 

This morning, we visited the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam.  Another amazing experience.  I was surprised at the size of their hiding place.  They had more room than I had always assumed based on reading the dairy and play in junior high.  The building is completely unfurnished, per Otto Frank (Anne's Father), but many of the photos that are in the museum really bring their story to life. 

After that, I walked my wife and kids through on of the Red Light Districts in Amsterdam.  (Not a destination you might expect from a minister).  It was appropriately dull for 10 am on a Sunday morning.  It's just one of those things we wanted to say we had done.  Emily also wanted to stop for coffee at one of Amsterdam's "coffee bars."  I had to explain that any coffee house in Amsterdam with Bob Marley pictures on the window probably doesn't make money from coffee beans.