Snapshots of Our Week

We have been out and about this week trying to learn more about our new city.  After church Sunday we decided to take a drive along the river.  It was a beautiful day and the views were amazing.  However, the road was a bit more curvy than we expected and our 2 hour Sunday afternoon drive turned into more like a 5 hour excursion.

We were able to spend a lovely evening in the home of one of the local pastors.  It was nice to visit with them and hear their hearts.  We are so grateful for the opportunity to build these relationships.

Today we headed downtown to a local market and shopping area.  It was fun to be out and about.  August is a high traffic holiday month, so the area was full of locals and tourists.

 

Tonight we set out for a small town to the south of Porto.  We have freinds there who invited us to a local medieval festival.  It was so neat and the boys had a blast.

FINALLY - VACATION PICTURES

I tried my hand at making a movie this time. Our trip was great, fabulous, wonderful, refreshing, inspiring, overwhelming, marvelous, extrodinary, and oh so much more! I will write more about our experiences later, but for now PICTURES!

Parabens o Meu Pai

Today my dad turns 6?, so this post is dedicated to him.
Happy Birthday PopPop.
We love you and hope you have a great day.
PARABENS E FELIZ DIA DO ANO!!

A lilttle Bit of the USA in Lisbon

Last Saturday was a great day for our family. We spent the day with our language teacher and her family. Our first stop was a little known children's musuem. It was great - and cheap! The boys had a blast. It was very hands on and the seasonal exibition was about space. The boys were able to take space walks, control a space ship and direct a moon rover. However, the highlight of our day was seeing a basketball game with the HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS! It was great. It was like a little bit of the US right here in Lisbon. You can tell by the pictures we all had fun.

Espetos de Vitela e Queijo em Barra

That means Veal Skewers and Cheese Rolled Inside

I must admit that one of the most frustrating things for me has been preparing meals. In the beginning it was due to a lack of kitchen equipment (1 small pot & 1 small pan) and learning to navigate the grocery stores. I have always enjoyed cooking, but never realized how much I depended on prepackaged mixes and canned items and how little I used fresh produce. Now that the crate has arrived and I have my trusty cast-iron skillet and my wok in hand, as well as a better knowledge of the grocery store, I have begun to attempt cooking some Portuguese dishes. Don't get me wrong, the pre-packaged stuff is great and we have a stash for those nights when I'm just not up to cooking and translating directions, but we do live here now and I need to attempt cooking with what is avaliable (and that is quite a bit). So tonight I attempted this veal dish. It is basically veal cutletts pounded flat with presunto and cheese rolled inside, drizzled with olive oil and then baked in the oven. All plates returned tot he kitchen clean, so I guess it gets a thumbs up.

My how time flies

I know it has been awhile since we have posted and sent pictures, so this may be a long one!

We were pleasently suprised by a knock at our door a few days ago and opened to find the postman and a large box. We were so excited to see what was inside. AH! the flavors of home! The Reeces cups have been a big hit as we have shared them with neighbors who have never tasted this fine delicacy. WIth chocolate chips and marshmellows we can now have cookies and rice krispy treats - YUMMY! (thanks Nana)


Our language lessons are coming along rather well as you can see by our new reading material. HAHA!


Over the last weekend we were able to travel north to with some other colleagues to visit a few churches in the area we will eventually be working in. While driving down the road we spotted this tower and had to stop for a picture. Anybody in East TN recognize this? It was too crazy!!!


Here is a video of our trip. Look closely, some of you may recognize places in the pictures from Porto.

Make a Smilebox photobook

RECONNECTED!!

After almost 3 weeks without internet, we are finally reconnected.

We have begun settling into our new apartment and a fairly good daily routine. Both the boys like their schools and seem to be making freinds. Ethan says the thing he misses most is the playground. Here the play areas are all concrete - even the soccer field area. Micah is walking back and forth from school to home and is enjoying the freedom his new school offers. He has been suprised at the open campus. He can come and go when he does not have class and there is also a students break room where they have a snack bar and ping-pong table. This is for the kids that don't leave for lunch (they have an hour).

Andy and I have been on a few field trips with our language class in the last few weeks. We visited a monestary, a castle and the local market. I think the market has been my favorite. It was just like being at a West TN flea market - and they have it twice a week!! You can find anything - curtinas, linens, kitchen stuff, clothes, DVDs, toys, fresh produce, anything.

We are finally beginning to feel HOME!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Our New Best Friend

Meet Susan. She is our new best friend. We don't go anywhere in Lisbon without her. She has been a lifesaver on many a dark, wet drive home.

A GPS can be one of a missionaries most importance resourses. Driving can still be a challenge (because few people follow the traffic rules) but our faithful GPS gives us the freedom to get lost and still find our way home or to our destination.

We have really become tired of the rain and cold, but today as we were driving to language class, God showed us his beauty in the rain - A FULL RAINBOW. We stopped to take a picture as we drove down into the valley.

Since the boys are not in school yet, they have been attending language classes with us. We decided that they had had enough work and needed a little playtime, so we set off for a park in our new neighborhood. Here are a few random pictures.

Make a Smilebox postcard

Our Day at Cascais

Tuesday we took a 30 minute train ride to the beautiful city of Cascais. It is right on the water and a huge tourist and surfing area. One M couple on our team is working with the surfers in the area. They, along with one of our J-girls, showed us around the quaint little city and the seaside as well. The views were amazing. The waves were crashing so hard that it sounded like thunder at times. I told them that I had a new place to add on my list of favorite places. It is nice to know in just 30 minutes we can be out of the city and in this beautiful place. I told them they would not have to twist my arm for us to come back. Below are some of the pictures we took along the way. They can not do the beauty of this place justice.

Tomorrow we take an open-top bus tour of the city. The boys are so excited. Look for more pictures to come and hopefully a video tour of our apartment. (If I can figure the camera out.)

Happy Trails

3 more days. It is hard to believe that in 3 more days we will be on our way to Portugal. We have had a wonderful time with family and the last few dasy have been busy. We wanted to share some of the highlights with you.

Yes, our last few days have been full - haircuts, packing, college basketball games, packing, eating out at our favorite places, packing, playing ball at the YMCA and of course, packing. We will also be sharing with 2 churches on Sunday before leaving from Charlotte around noon on Monday (thank goodness it is not an early flight). We are almost packed - 13 bags, 4 carry-ons and one guitar to be exact. What an adventure that has been. We started with 10 bags and have made numerous "last trips" to Walmart. I think the greeter knows us by name now! Hopefully won't have to return anytime soon.

Please pray for us as we travel and that us and all our luggage will arrive safely. This is the first time the boys have ever flown and I think they are excited, but a little nervous too. We also still have good-byes to say. Pray that we will survive it all and be ready to hit the ground running.

Last Day in Williamsburg

We had a wonderful time this morning worshiping at Smith Memorial Baptist Church. Pastor Wade is an IMB trustee and on the Western Europe committee. We were able to share about Portugal and ask them to pray for us as we prepare to go. Ethan went to children's church and they decided to be pen-pals with him. He is so excited. After lunch we went back to Old Williamsburg and watched some dramatizations. I think the kids enjoyed this part best - history in action.

Tomorrow we will head to Richmond for orientation. We have enjoyed traveling but have grown a little weary of living out of a suitcase and eating out. The thought of being in the same bed for 8 weeks sounds wonderful right now. Pray for us as we move in, see old friends and meet new ones. We will all start classes on Wednesday morning. The kids are so excited about that - NOT! It maybe a few days before we update as we begin a new schedule, but check back soon.

Williamsburg

Today started out quite cold (40 something degrees)and it never got much warmer. The boys commented that they could see their breath. We spent the majority of the day in Old Williamsburg. Ethan got to help make wooden shingles, Andy got to be a judge in the courthouse and Micah was chosen to be a rooster in the storytelling area. For those of you who know Micah well, it was way out of his comfort zone, but he hung in there. We also visited museums, homes and stores. We've really enjoyed the slower pace compared to the last few days in DC. We've learned the background of a few of our sayings. "Passing the bar" came from the concept that the judge had to ask you to cross the railing (the bar) in order to be heard. It was all very interesting.

Pray for us tomorrow as we visit a local Williamsburg church. The pastor is an IMB trustee that is on our Western Europe committee.

Last Day in DC

Today was our last day in DC. The weather had dropped by 20 degrees, as you can see by the change in our clothing. As we left town we stopped at the Jefferson Memorial. The view across the river was beautiful. We then drove by the Pentagon Memorial and stopped at Arlington National Cemetery. We knew it was big, but didn't really grasp how big. We were there almost 3 hours and only saw a portion. We saw where President Kennedy and President Taft are buried, the Arlington House (Robert E. Lee's former home) and the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The ceremony at the Tomb was so moving. Everyone was silent as it took place and then taps was played. As the bugle rose above the cemetery, it was truly moving. Once back on the road to Williamsburg we were able to experience a taste of Washington traffic. OH MY! It was only 2:00 in the afternoon but it took us 2 hours to travel about 50 miles, then it began to rain. Needless to say we were glad to finally get to Wiliamsburg. The rain has brought even cooler weather and the leaves are in full color, so we feel like falll has finally arrived!

Thursday in Washington

We have again had a full day. It began with an unusual encounter on the shuttle from the hotel to the metro train. We met a man from FL who was on his way to Sen. Obama's office and he was VERY opinionated. He rambled on for a while and then asked where we were from and what Andy did. When he realized that Andy was a minister he began to give his opinion on clergy and how the ones he had met were hypocritical and only out for money. Once we got to the Metro train he got on and sat behind us. The conversation continued and we tried to talk to him, but he always had a strong opinion about anything we said. He finally told Andy that he did not believe Jesus was born of a virgin and that Jesus was just a good man. WOW! Once he exited, we hoped we had at least given him a more favorable impression of ministers and Christians, so maybe the next time he encounters a Christian he will be more willing to listen to the gospel.

The rest of our day was spent seeing the rest of the Air & Space Museum (we only saw part yesterday), touring the the capital (thanks to Sen. Alexander) and visiting the US Postal Museum. Tomorrow we leave for Williamsburg and plan to stop and see the Jefferson Memorial and Arlington Cemetery on the way.

Wednesday in Washington

Today started out with an unexpected side trip. We had a 9:00am scheduled tour at the National Cathedral. We knew the train ride in would be at least 30-45minutes. We left in plenty of time, but there was a problem on the train line and we were delayed. When we finally got off at the stop where we thought the Cathedral was, we found we were 10 blocks away and it was 9:15. We decided to go ahead and try to catch a later tour, but we never found the church. 30 minutes later(after walking how far?!), we finally found another train stop. We gave up, got on the train, and headed back to the Lincoln Monument. It was so amazing! Ethan kept calling it Lincoln's house. We then went to the Vietnam and WWII Memorials. Wow! What a wonderful tribute to our service men and women. Since Andy's grandfather served in WWII, it was especially meaningful. A tour group of veterans there and it was interesting to watch them and hear them share memories. Later (after a $35 McDonald's lunch) we went to the National Air & Space Museum. I think this has been the boys' favorite so far. There are so many hands on things that we did not even make it to the 2nd floor, so we'll go back tomorrow. Well, I've rambled enough. Check out the pictures of our adventures today.

Washington, D.C. Vacation

We have finally made it to Washington, D.C. I am going to try and keep a daily log of the week so that our family and friends can see what all we have done. We left North Carolina on Sunday afternoon and stopped over night in the Shenandoah Valley. The ride up was beautiful as the leaves on the trees have begun to turn (and we found gas for $2.95!!!) We stopped to visit Mt. Vernon (George Washington's home) on Monday afternoon before going on into D.C. It was a beautiful day to be out on the Potomac River. Below is a slide show of our visit.

Today we began our walking tour of D.C. We began at the Library of Congress and continued past the Supreme Court and Capital Buildings to the Museum of Natural History. The boys really loved seeing the animal and ocean exhibits. During our lunch detour we found the Ford Theatre and the house where President Lincoln died. We wrapped up the day with a visit to the Washington Monument and the White House. It was a long first day, but the boys were troopers. They complained very little and kept up every step of the way. Below are pictures from Day One.