Monday, October 28, 2024

Castles, late books, and expats galore

Sunday, October 20, 2024

We get no sabbath, which we miss. Today continues yesterday's discussions about potential security issues for those who live abroad.

I pluck some greens off a tree and put them on the table to unknot my mind as we review potential dangers.

We enjoy lunches with other expats and make new connections. People who live globally have interesting stories.

One day we eat wonderful Chinese food. Another day we try a Peruvian restaurant housed in a classic Springfield building. We eat leftovers from each place for at least one or two more meals. The bill is normally $30-40 for the two of us. We keenly feel the sticker shock; we'd feed a small group for that back home.

Look at this tin ceiling and the old chandelier.
The wood carvings on the old bar are intact.
We walk back to training and spot a wasp nest forming in a painted doorway. Most Midwest construction is brick, unlike the wood used on the West Coast. Despite attempts at revitalization, few shops and restaurants are open Sunday or Monday.
For another lunch, we eat Dutch crepes served with smoked sausage, potatoes, raisins, and bananas. I take a picture so I can replicate the unusual mix when we get home.
The rose bushes along the parking lot are fragrant in the hot afternoon sunshine.
By the time we're headed back to the hotel, it's often dark.
W is curious about Bucky's, a midwest "thing." So we go in one day after work.
Its shelves carry high-calorie snacks and ranch-style souvenirs. In the center, some guys are barbecuing beef and chopping it for sandwiches. They make a noisy production of yelling at each other and slamming down the knife. Must be a boy thing.
Want the Western look? You may find it here. We leave empty-handed.
Tuesday
We fly to Seattle late Monday night after a final day about practical risk management. We unlock the door to our flat and haul in our luggage after 1:30 a.m., toss in a load of laundry, and fall asleep after 2:00.

We wake up this morning in our own beds, eat breakfast, and open the mail. My book series arrived while we were gone, too late to take along for those who asked for a copy. (We forgot to order them before we came - too much to do back then?) I'll stash them until our next visit.

It's a chore and pre-packing day. I start to refill a bottle from the tap in the laundry room and forget about it, flooding the floor. Mopping up the dust accumulating in the corners over time is an unexpected win! hehe We toss wet carpets and towels into the washing machine.

W has caught a cold as usual after travel. I avoid close proximity for a day or two. I don't want it! We prepare for Sunday's talk and sort through books.

The guys brought a bookshelf from upstairs into my basement office. The grandkids carry down loads as I take them off the upper shelves.  I'm deciding what to keep, rehome, or toss. The books make me smile: they contain memories of what I've learned, seen, and absorbed on their pages. I make a few giveaway piles and shelve the rest.

Kirsten is sorting her photos and finds a pic my Dad sent to our kids years ago. He included this tagline: Wow! Too bad you didn't know her sooner (= me as a little girl.) Lucky for them: I was a tomboyish whirlwind in pretty dresses, thanks to Mom. Looks like that day, Dad was preparing for summer by putting away the storm windows.
The younger grandkids sleep over tonight. They fall asleep quickly and without fuss. Good kiddos! (or Good Parents!) Their older sister is at orchestra practice and their older brother is browsing a book we bought at Windsor Castle (think: real knight armor, castle photos, and turrets.)

Wednesday
Sleepover is a success. The kids and W are sick so I sleep on my office sofa. I hear the hacking and coughing a few times in the night. (I'm trying to prevent getting ill as I have one more chance to see my mom who is very frail. That's this weekend.)

We empty two bookshelves from upstairs. The kids run down our books as I pull them off the shelves. What a boost! If I had to run them down, it would take a lot longer. I shelve mine of put them in giveaway bags.

The kids pile W's books and magazines in heaps before I get downstairs. Unfortunately, his office is completely full; when I come down, they've stacked his books in my office until he gets to them.
The kids head up to lunch, which their mom made before heading out to work. (She's amazing.) I tidy up, remake the sofa bed, and cook lunch for us: an omelet and a chopped salad. W is "under the weather" so he takes a shower and preps the PPT for Sunday's talk before resting.

I clear my books and W gets to his after a few days. The library file cabinet is still going strong; art and office supplies are easy to find.
Read more:

*You are my witnesses, says the Lord. Isaiah 43:10

*Jesus said [to his followers], “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  Acts 1:8

Moravian Prayer: Lord, you said you are the vine, and we are the branches. You ask us to carry your message and share it with those we encounter. At times, the mission is arduous, but your grace and our faith in you is constant. Be with us. Amen.

Friday, October 18, 2024

Sweet times and itching to learn

Monday, October 14, 2024

We have a mandatory trip to Springfield for security training that bites a chunk off our annual month of itineration. We hopped a plane yesterday after speaking at a morning service and lunch with a pastor.  Mt Rainier does not disappoint as we leave SeaTac.

We try to see our kids every year when we come back from Indonesia, especially our daughter in Texas. We see the lights of Austin below as we approach. We arrive at midnight after an uneventful flight. That's the best kind!

A lamp from Grandma's sheds light in the guest room. Year by year, Kirsten is making her home more beautiful and personal. It's a delight to see the memories she collects.

W has only a half-day with Kirsten before he's off to the theology commission in Springfield so he crams in as many repairs or upgrades as he can. She drops him off at the airport after a barbecue lunch YUM and his handyman specials.

Tuesday

Our goal is to find a bathroom rug, change outdated art in K's frames, and spend time together. Kirsten and I hang some pictures. Then we hit the discount stores: at DD's Hispanic discount store I find a Christmas tablecloth for $5.99 (well, a shower curtain with a cute fringe), At Ross' we load up on rug options.

Kirsten tests the rugs out in her bathroom and makes a final selection. There's no return policy in Indonesia. Get the wrong size? Wrong color? Appliance doesn't work? (They usually test it at the store because ...) There's no returns permitted.

Wednesday

We pull up crabgrass and seed the yard until after 11 a.m. We can't figure out what these little seed balls are. Or are they bug incubators? Anyone know?

When we eat at a Mexican restaurant, we're the only non-Hispanics. That's a good indicator of classic Mexican food at reasonable prices.

We return the unwanted rugs for K's bathroom to the Ross discounter.

We stop at TJ Maxx for an electric toothbrush and a few things for the house. It's odd to see that the social distancing introduced by COVID is alive and well in the checkout line.

We find the fabric K is looking for at JoAnn - a cute print of bees and another of the woodland animals that frequent K's yard. 

K's a wonderful cook so we're not losing weight, that's for sure. We take our time eating together.

Keelee's up for a call in the late evening, too. I miss the interactions with friends, often online. Sometimes they're busy; sometime we're not available. When we connect, it's a blessing.

Thursday

Kirsten makes tea sandwiches and scones for breakfast and we finish another round of watering in the seeded yard. 

It's a pleasure to spend time together. We agree that each visit gets sweeter. We laugh when we say the exact responses in unison - how can that be when we've lived apart for most of her life? Like daughter, like mother.

We replace old art in existing frames with new fabrics. I trim and hem a large tablecloth to fit K's tea table. K makes spicy noodles before we collapse onto the sofa to watch a fun renovation episode on Plex.

She drops me at the airport with time to spare. Austin has its own look in shops and the airport: "Modern Cowboy."

Both flights are very cold - it feels like 65o inside the planes and the Dallas lounge. People wear coats or drape themselves in blankets. 

W picks me up from the Springfield airport after midnight. We catch up on his week. He had satisfying meetings with the theology commission and got an incentive to write his book on women in ministry.

Friday

For the week, W has found a fancy Toyota Tacoma for a fraction of the price of car rental. The moon is on the wane but still huge as we open the curtains to a cold morning (43oF/6oC). Brrr. I don't have warm clothes along beyond a jacket and long-sleeved top. When I checked weather last week, it was in the 90s (33o) during the day. Today it may hit 70o (19o).

It's our one day off. We wake at 7:00. I'm feeling a little hungover from a short night. The mattresses are comfortable even in a cheaper hotel. The breakfast options are not appetizing: sugary cereals, white bread, and a slow-cooker full of chalk-grey gravy. The OJ is a tang-like mix. W researches breakfast places before we head out the door.

We end up at Gailey's, a downtown eatery, where meals are so big that we take half to our hotel for tomorrow.

We spot this sign, walking back to the truck. I thought Christians were quoting Jesus, not Gandalf. How odd.

This guy has an old man's chopper well in hand, sans helmet. That's legal in Missouri.
We buy some clothes at my once-a-year stop Half of Half Price. We stop at Aldi for chocolate and German breakfast fixings (bread, sausage, cheese).

Neither of us is hungry when we pause for a mid-afternoon lunch at Corner 21, the best Chinese food in Springfield. But when the food comes, our appetites revive. It's so good! We stash half of that in our hotel fridge, too. Portions in the USA are family-sized.

The ant bites (from working in K's yard) are swollen and irritated. W offers Orajel to soothe the itch.

The room has a bathtub which is a rare luxury. W naps while I soak. When the sun sets at 7:00 p.m., we're almost ready to rest for the hard week ahead.

Read more:
*Better is a dinner of vegetables where love is than a fatted ox and hatred with it. Proverbs 15:17

*Jesus also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. He said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them, for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.” Luke 21:2-4

Moravian Prayer: Holy Spirit, draw us closer to one another. Heaven is a place full of love and healing. It is up to us to bring Heaven to Earth, flooding our spaces with a deep love. Help us in this task. Amen.


Thursday, October 17, 2024

Support LIA - she's finished 30 Ironman competitions in a row (scroll down). WHAT? Yeah, I can hardly believe it either.

Monday, October 8, 2024

We're in class Monday to Thursday. All the plans we had for meeting people in Eastern Washington fall though. All but one person is sick over there. Is it good stewardship of time and money to drive 600 miles and rent a hotel room for one or two meetings? 

Then another person calls in ill. W says, "That's it. We probably should stay here." So we do.

Kevin Geer and Kathy Cannon present an amazing master class on spiritual and organizational management. There are aha moments that answer what crushed our team momentum or presented an unsolvable puzzle. There is new information. And there are funny stories and a way of speaking that are life lessons. I'm glad we got it all.

Friday
We have our first afternoon and sleepover with the grandchildren. Every October, we try to catch up with the kids and grandkids between business meetings. 

First we walk a long block/s (2 miles/3km) to get some air and drain some energy.
The autumn is in full blaze.
  
I take a closer look at the native shrubs and their seed patterns. We've brought water-whistle toys from Turkey. What a warbling! which makes all the construction guys along the way look up at the electric wires ... until they see the pack of kids whistling at full volume.
Our teen arranges a few chocolate muffins and scones - she has a good eye.
Tea of course is its own treat. The kids have creamer jugs into which we pour tea from the Fitz&Floyd Reigning Cats and Dogs pot gifted to W's mom (and returned to us when she downsized.) The kids love it.
Then the kids race their Indonesian ladder toys: penguins vs Spiderman-s. So noisy! (The toys, not the kids who dance and shout along.)
Saturday
The morning starts with girlfriend's coffee. How I love these women, who speak life into me.
I zip home to get W for the drive to Bellingham. I do an experiment: if I drive in the "slow lane" (the right), how far behind do I get in plugged up freeway traffic? Turns out we pace the left two lanes without the zig-zagging in and out to get ahead. Ha. I suspected but who knew: the cars in the fast lanes pass, fall behind, pass ... there's no difference except that there are fewer cars in the right lane. W, who drives more aggressively, feels the pressure of my relaxed chug-along and tries for a nap. We're happy when we get closer to Bellingham and easy traffic.
My brother and sis-in-law from Switzerland meet us at Red Robin. I am boggled by the big portions of food and the steep food prices. We could feed 15 Indonesians a generous meal with our basic American menu for 4.
It's great to catch up on their recent big band trip to Cuba. My brother is a conductor and arranger, working with his band on an annual trip abroad. This year, his core crew is top musicians from Europe and the USA. They raise funds for their own airfare and the trip - plus a little extra for local musicians who play along. This year's locals can read anything put in front of them. That makes it a lot of fun.

Sunday
We leave the apartment in good order and turn off the lights at 8:00 a.m. "We'll be back!" as we leave for a week in Austin and Springfield, MO. 

First, we're at the Mountain View Gathering this morning. I forgot to take a picture of my brother but this guy is as close as it gets. I do a double-take as we arrive in the hall. We speak about our love for Indonesia and the work we do.
I find a spiritual sister in Keril. t's been good to get to know the congregation in the mountains of Washington. They're partnered with us since we left for Indonesia. The leaders treat us to lunch before a dash to the airport.
We get amazing news. You know how you cheered when someone did their first 5K race? And now cool it is when someone does a marathon. Never mind an Ironman (swimming, biking, and then a running marathon.)

We're staggered when our 50-something friend #LiaDreghiciu FINISHES 30 IRONMANS in 42 days. What?! She's a grandma - but one of the fittest extreme athletes we've met.

Lia wins 2nd place in the Triple DECA Ultra Triathlon Continuous, women’s race, in Italy! Her husband #BenSterciuc has kept us up to date since the beginning of September. Today he posts:
"Today, on October 13, my amazing, petite yet mighty lady (#13), makes history by becoming the 1st American to ever complete this race!
Help me congratulate Lia for completing the following distances in this race:
Swim🏊‍♀️ 114 km ✅( 71 miles) in 94 hrs
Bike 🚴‍♀️5400 km ✅(3,375 ml) in 497 hrs
Run 🏃‍♀️ 1,266 km ✅ (792 ml) in 408 hrs
How could she race for 42 days? For 1,003 hours?
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13."
Oh Lia, Lia!! We pray that you rest well as your body heals; we pray for renewal and invigoration after this feat. 

She's astonishing. What she's accomplished is unbelievable. Would you PLEASE support her charity of choice (Vital Solutions) so her efforts pay off? Be generous ... she has chosen a charity that cares for the poorest as well as disaster victims around the world.
Titik sends a picture from Bandung of her marvel-worthy bouquet for the morning Gathering. She constructs beautiful structures with unusual combinations of greens and blooms.

Read more:

*Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments. Psalm 119:73

Paul wrote: So then, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you. 2 Thessalonians 2:15

Moravian Prayer: Teacher, open our hearts to your teachings so that we may be your disciples. Your lessons bring us comfort and hope; for this, we are grateful. Give us the courage to share your lessons with the world. Amen.