Gone but not forgotten

I've been away from technology... really away. We were living in a village (dirt roads, horse and buggies, etc) for the last few days in the south of Romania. At least by night we were in the village. By day we were all over the town of Rosiori de Vede, playing music for orphans and running around like chickens with our heads cut off. And it was so much fun!

I will post more about our adventures (and misadventures) once I retrieve my head and start to put all the events of the last few days in to some sort of order. Until then, I'll give you a shopping list of some of the things that happened:

-I played a lot of music- and it was great!
-I cooked lunch and dinner for 20 people on my own... and no one got sick (that I know of)
-We got in a car accident- which was scary.
-We overtook a Romanian Baptist church and turned it into a giant game room for orphans and village kids... and we didn't get in trouble (that I know of)
-We loved God and loved lots of kids.

Pictures and stories to come... but just a teaser to let you know I still exist... and blog and all that.

-CtF

Made it

The team made it- all twenty nine of them. Surprisingly they only lost one piece of luggage and the tuba. Orientation and then half the team to Rosiori tomorrow. The tuba flies in at midnight tonight ( hopefully!!).

what I did today

-made a menu to feed 40 + people
-shopped for food for 40 + people (think 3 LARGE home-depot sized shopping carts full)
-loaded the truck completely full of food for 40+ people
-carried and put away food for 40+ people from the truck to the house
-wandered around a Romanian Home Depot store looking for plumbing parts and little screws
-went to Ikea and bought a zillion napkins
-moved boxes of clothing, toys, hygiene, and craft supplies from one spot to another
-cooked and chopped up a lot of meat
-practiced my trumpet
-ate a Snickers bar for dinner and collapsed on the couch

Team comes tomorrow afternoon... Here's what I have to get done before they come:
-make chicken sald for 40 + people
-pre-make potato salad
-slice lunch meat (lots of lunch meat)
-grind many pots-worth of coffee
-vacuum and mop our living room and dining room floors
-check all 8 bathrooms for toilet paper and trash
-bake cookies or something for 40+ people


And that's all before the team arrives around 4... once they get here, I have to help direct people and luggage, haul people and luggage, load/unload vans, get dinner on the table, answer questions, track down missing items, etc... but it will be worth it!

Hai Romania!

Made it to Romania- yippee (still not enough sleep to merit a decent blog entry)! Was able to sleep hard on the last 2-hour flight and then stumble blindly through customs and passport control. All the luggage made it too... we think. One of our plastic bins was demolished somewhere during its travels and arrived to us with a huge hole in the bottom... so we think everything made it but its possible something fell out. Nothing we've missed so far.

Sooo... our team arrives on Monday. The next few days are preparation and cleaning up for the group... although things around the H2H Team House look fabulous, thanks to the hard work of our staff. We'll probably make a big shopping trip for food and supplies and wrap a few logistical loose ends. Be praying for the team and that all of their luggage makes it! (instruments, supplies, etc)

If I ruled the world...

...all air plane seats would have foot rests.

... I meant to list my bright travel ideas but after sitting here staring into space trying to think of my next 'action item' for when I start running things, it became clear that jet lag was winning the battle of wits. So I will leave it at the fact that I am traveling once again... in fact right this very moment I am in the Amsterdam airport typing this on the tiny keyboard on my iPod.

Once my brain gets a little more sleep (and I find a real computer) I will write a real blog entry. Till then- pleasant travels to my multitudes of readers (the sarcastic part of my brain is alive and kicking apparently).

the bane of my existence!

Mr. Incredible often mutters this phrase at inanimate objects- usually while he's fixing something around the house or yard. 

So I've started a list of things that are 'the bane of his existence.'

Crane flys- these BIG bugs swoop into our house at night.  They don't bite or even make noise but they fly around and land on the walls.  Mr. Incredible spends time each night walking around with one shoe on his foot and the other in his hand, smashing them.  Yuck.

Dallisgrass- this weed is suppose to only grow in the southern US... but it grows in our yard.  Austin has poisoned, roto-tilled, dug up, etc but it still prevails.  He has also dug up a big one and brought to our local garden shop to ask for advice.  (The advice was- "those things don't grow here."  Thanks.)

Austin hates the vacuum.  He leaves the house if he can when I use it.  Big baby.

This little screw driver has been the subject of many curses, words of frustration, and hours of time lost.  Mr. Incredible uses it when he's jerry-rigging his fish tank.  On more than one occasion, the little screwdriver rolls away- either under the tank or into the center of the room... or Mr. Incredible misplaces it.  That's when the curses and hours of searching for it takes place.

These are my slippers.  I always kick them off in the middle of the closet.  Mr. Incredible thinks they need to be left somewhere else... like with the other shoes.  It took me a long time to figure out what he was muttering about every morning in the closet.

And finally- our trash can.  Mr. Incredible ALWAYS mutters whenever he has to wrestle the trash out to the curb...

I'll try to keep the list going- I think its helpful to our marriage to track the various items that are the 'bane of his existence' and make sure that I'm not on that list!

memories

My dad.  There were few things on this earth that my dad could not fix, build, remodel, or reinvent.  His many skills were honed from years of building houses, fixing cars, doing fine woodworking, being involved in boy scouts, working on film crews, doing upholstery- you name, he's done it.  He embodied the typical manly-man in terms of doing things with his hands with as few words as possible.  The one anomaly in the typical manly activities of my dad was his utter disinterest in professional sports.  Growing up, baseball, basketball, and football games were NEVER on our TV.  Sunday afternoons were NEVER spent watching the game.  We rarely went to watch our local teams play- and if we did it was with someone else's dad.  My brother was not pushed or encouraged to join the high school sports teams and it wasn't until I was married that I could tell you when football season or baseball season began/ended.  (Or which teams played which sports for that matter).

So nostalgic memories of playing catch with my dad in the backyard, or cheering for the Superbowl are non-existent in my childhood memory lane.  What is present, however, is a thorough knowledge of all things Star Trek.  By the time I was of 'TV watching-age' (whatever that is) I recall watching old episodes of Star Trek with my dad.  They must have been on around 5 pm- as I remember my mom calling us to dinner while the final credits rolled on each episode.  As a result of being exposed to Klingons and Romulons from an early age, my brother and I developed an interesting imagination.  Much of our play was centered around Star Trek themes.  

My parents had a 1984 brown and tan VW Vanagon.  The pull-down arm rests and 'special features in the back seat (flip up ask trays and hand-crank windows) were perfect for recreating Star Trek adventures.  I distinctly recall commanding (yes, of course I was the captain!) our Starship VW to warp speed ("Warp speed- ENGAGE!" (pause...) Mom, I said ENGAGE!").  Our adventures in the vanagon were always to explore a strange new world (cross country road trips to family in IL), to seek out new life and new civilizations (midwest relatives and CA friends), and to boldly go where no kid has gone before (like In N Out burger or to our family's cabin in Wisconsin!).

The Starship VW

Last night The Incredible Austin and I went with my parents and brother to see the new Star Trek.  I liked it.  My dad liked.  I'm not a movie reviewer (I'll save that for my film-y cousin ) so I'll skip the plot synopsis- but it was fun to remember all those old episodes with my dad, and commanding the Starship VW with my brother across the US all those years ago.

Live long and prosper!

-CtF

Realized Dreams...

We spent the weekend away at Incredible's parent's place in Mexico.  They have a house built on the Rio Hardy and enjoy wake boarding, jet skiing, and celebrating happy hour each day.  

We decided we needed a weekend of this life style and packed up the dog and some sunscreen and headed south of the border.  While the relaxation, happy hours, and company were great, the highlight for me was having one of my life-long dreams realized before my very eyes.  

After very little coaxing, it became clear that my Nora Nora is a water dog.

And not just a swimming- water dog. 

But a run- and- jump- off- the- end- of- the- dock- after- a- tennis- ball- water dog.

My heart welled with pride as Nora launched into the water time after time.  All my life I wanted a water dog... one that would not only swim, but chase the hose and attack the sprinklers.  Well I've finally got my wish.  Diving Dog Competition- here we come!