Our House

Here is a video tour of our house. I am really happy about it and feel like it is everything I had hoped it would be. It's a true blessing from the Lord and the price we got was amazing for here. Since we moved here when Greeks don't want to move we were able to get a great deal. Tonight we put up our first picture on the wall. It's a big landscape of NYC with Pier 17 and the Brooklyn Bridge which has some great memories for us. It makes me really happy. It didn't make the video but it is a good moment in settling down, hanging pictures.

Super Market Resolution

This isn't a huge deal but I discovered something about grocery shopping that has relieved my stress. Apparently certain stores do things a certain way and if you just know what they expect from you it relieves a ton of anxiety. The store Lidl I mentioned in an earlier blog happens to be a German store therefore efficiency is key. The process is that you unload your grocieries and the scan girl does her thing as fast as possible while you put them back in your cart. They you take them over to the windows where there are shelves and you bag them yourself thus keeping the line moving. I don't like it but it is so nice to know what they expect. I'm not trying to change the system, just trying to figure it out.

Kitty Cats

Brady and Mac have been pretending to be kitty cats for a week now. I only write it down because I hope to never forget their little game of pretend. They meow all the time and call each other kitty cat. They'll refer to each other in the third person and say "the kitty cat is hungry" or "the kitty cat needs to go potty". Mac is always saying "hold me kitty cat" to Brady which is a precious thing to watch when he actually does it.

Mr. Incredible

Brady watched the Incredibles last night. We found it in Greek and English and thought it would be good practice for our language. He is obsessed. He says that he is Dash (the little boy who runs fast) and bolts all over the house sometimes running into things. He refers to Tony as Mr. Incredible almost every time. Some of his favorites lines are "That was totally wicked" and "Honey, where is my SUPER SUIT". it is pretty funny.

In Style

We brought 12 suitcases to Greece most of them filled with clothes and a few things it was too hard to leave behind - but mostly clothes. That was sort of a mistake. I wouldn't say that I am the most stylish of almost 30 year olds but I do try to keep up with things. Unfortunately here I dress more like the 60 year old women which wouldn't matter if I was going home in a few days but since I live here I am going to have to try. These sunglasses I fell in love with when we visited the Cullens in Houston. Through some ebay sales I was able to buy them from the Sunglass Hut and back home I really didn't see anyone else with them or really with even a similar style which made me feel like perhaps I had made a bad choice. The good news is they are a very popular style here and so when my clothes don't fit in at least my sunglasses do. You see they wear things very tight here, which is a little slinky back home. Before we left I lost some weight too so my clothes were already a little too big and now they are about 2 sizes too big. Another thing that they do here is boots over their tight pants - every day, everywhere. I am not against this fashion choice I just never felt like it was me - but now I am in the market for some over the jeans boots. Even older ladies are more fashionable so this Christmas I am going to try and Europeanize my waredrobe, Tony is too so who knows what we'll be wearing the next time we're back.

The Zoo

I know that Tony wrote a blog on the zoo in Skopia but I thought I would add this video because it is so cute and funny. Brady didn't really like to feed the animals because they were "scary" but Mac was very into it and would have feed them his hand if we let him. We had a really fun time there and a blast with the White's who were so kind to take care of us as we hit the ground.

The Coolest Thing Ever

Pretty much living in Greece is the coolest thing ever. We have only been here a month and we have seen so much and the things we are going to do this year are really exciting. Perhaps I'll write more about each thing we've done and what I've learned but here is the overview. First we joined the Area Directors for an 8 hour tour of Philippi which is just under 2 hours from where we live. We saw the ancient city and walked on the same ground Paul walked on, we saw the prison he was kept in and a place that once held 50 toilets (impressive). We saw Lydia's pool there and the Lion of Amphipolis which Paul passed as he made his way from Philippi to Thessaloniki. We spent Thanksgiving with our new best friends in Athens (the Wislockys) and walked saw the Acropolis with the ever famous Parthenon which was the center of the Greek world for so many years, we stepped foot on Mars Hill, and saw the ancient theater. The next day we spent in Corinth and though it was rainy we had the best time ever. The sophistication of the ancient Greeks is simply astounding to think that some places today are not even as advanced as they were thousands of years ago. There was a huge mountain above Corinth which is where the temple of Aphrodite was were the pagans would go to "worship". There is the remains of a pretty impressive fortress there today and we could have easily spent a whole day climbing around up there. It was sort of steep and scary with the boys but perhaps we'll have a chance to trek around with some college kids some day. On our way back to Thess from Athens we stopped at Delphi which in the religion of the Greek gods was the place where god was closest to man and used to speak in very mystical/demonic ways through an oracle. The ruins there were pretty amazing and the view of the mountains surrounding it was breathtaking. We didn't have time to go through some of the shops but they looked so neat, perhaps we'll get to stay over night sometime. Driving all over Greece has been a trip too, I can't believe that people used to walk these roads. I really didn't know how mountainous the terrain is and some of the effort that people put towards their pagan religion is mind boggling especially considering some Christians find it too big of a chore to make it to church. Anyways I have had many eye opening God moments that perhaps I'll share later. Next, we will spend a day in Katerini and visit Mt. Olympus, everyday is an adventure learning the lay of the land.

Culture Shock - The 7 things I hate about shopping

One of the toughest things about living here is grocery shopping. I go to this store that is close to my house and I am still learning how to buy things. The first thing that slightly annoys me is the carts. You have to put in a Euro (equivalent to $1.30) in order to disconnect them from the other carts. When you put your cart back it gives you your coin back. In a way this is genius because everyone takes their carts back but it has been a tough thing to get used to and I am always the idiot searching for a coin. Once I even asked a lady for her cart as she was returning it, she did not give me a very nice look. Secondly I walk up and down the isles trying to figure stuff out and it is very tough. Thirdly, if you want produce you have to get a produce person to weigh and tag it and if you don't do it before you get to the check out they treat you like a big idiot. Fourthly, by the time I get everything that I think I need I go to the check out and if anyone has less items then you they automatically go ahead of you which sometimes is perfectly alright but today 3 people went ahead of me and I really didn't have that much stuff. Fifth, the check out ladies are not nice or helpful - I have not meet one yet so after suffering through the store and all of this I have to deal with their bad attitudes. Sixth, you have to pay for your bags to carry your stuff home - learned that the hard way. Lastly, nobody helps you pack your stuff and there is inadequate space for stuff that has been scanned. Even with Tony and I both bagging we can't clear it away fast enough. The check out girls sit on a little stole and push all your stuff over into this little area and stare at you annoyed with your very existence. If there is someone behind you they just keep going pushing everyone's stuff together. If there isn't anyone behind you they still don't help you they just stare. All that to say I hate grocery shopping here -- but I will master it -- oh I will.

Furniture Shopping with Brady & Mac

I remember furniture shopping when I was a kid. My brother, sister and I would get spanked every time and I never knew why, until now. It's like my kids have a crazy switch that they turn on every time we walk into a furniture store. They are out of control and it is highly embarrassing. I never realized how loud Brady talks but I feel like we are always telling him to talk quieter. The try to jump on every couch and climb on every table - they are animals and I have yet to find a way to make them behave. It is a loosing battle. Praise the Lord for IKEA. This has been our most visited store. Thess has a ton of furniture stores but they are so expensive and we have a limited budget - besides what you pay for what you get is outrageous. So having looked around we have come to the conclusion that IKEA is about half the price of the other stores and about 1/3 more from the states so all things considered we've bought about 90% of our stuff from there. Needless to say we've been putting together a lot of stuff since we moved in and Tony is beginning to think like IKEA.

The best part about IKEA is that they have a kids play place that you can drop your kids off while you shop. Kids have to be 3 years old so Mac doesn't qualify which upsets him but Brady loves it. The first time we went to the store I told Brady that he could only go in there if he went by himself and that nobody could go with him. He wasn't ready but by trip 3 he begged us to go in, understanding that he would be alone. I didn't want to discourage him even though I knew it would be hard since most 3-10 year olds are not bilingual. It turned out that he had a great time and has gone in to play every time since. I have to admit, I was shocked and very pleased that he did this all on his own. He will often ask to go back to IKEA and play, so I can't wait till Mac can go too. Actually, Tony asked Brady what country we live in and he said IKEA - and Mac can spot the building.

Thanksgiving

Oh my do we have so much to be thankful for. It rolls over and over in my mind minute after minute. Truthfully, I do not believe that things could have been any better, however, the uncertainty was a very heavy burden to bear. Right now I am sitting at my kitchen table typing my thoughts on my home internet in my own house. Really just that is so much to be thankful for. We came to Europe on Nov. 5. We flew into Skopia and adjusted for a few days. We came to Thess on Sunday and found a house by Wed. On Thursday we moved in and have been working to get settled ever since. The days between Sunday and Wednesday were overwhelmed with uncertainty though. There is a lady here named Sophie, she is an amazing woman and has helped us do everything here, we would not be where we are without her. Before we found a house she allowed us to stay at her aunts apartment which saved us so much money. Those were the hardest days. It is a difficult thing learning a new culture and without our own place it was maddening. The boys were always getting in trouble, and we couldn't rest. We were stressed and depressed and disconnected. One night I was praying with the boys, and I ALWAYS begin my prayers with thanksgiving - but as they were both laying on this pull out couch in granny's apartment I could think of nothing to say besides "Help us Jesus" with tears rolling down my checks trying to be positive and strong. Now I am a little embarrassed by my lack of thanksgiving because in reality there is always so much but that has been my spiritual low and I am sure Christ understands, for he answered my prayers and has helped us tremendously. The very next day we found our house and have been moving forward ever since. So this Thanksgiving didn't feel very much like our traditional Turkey Day but we have oh so much to be thankful for. On another positive note: There is an American Farm School here in Thess and I've been told you can buy Turkeys there for Thanksgiving and Christmas - oh la la