Confession

of a hopeless furniture rearranger. I did it AGAIN today.

Yes, that's me. I am publicly confessing that I LOVE to rearrange furniture, it's actually a hobby. Small scale or large. Rugs and couches. Containers and cereal boxes. Speakers and plants. Take your pick! I've rearranged it at least a couple times in our 900 square foot flat downtown Vienna.

Our living room has had 5 different arrangements since we moved here in August of 2004. I've rearranged Cole's room 3 times and the kitchen once. Our bedroom has only received minor alterations over our short stint here, yet those still count! Whew.

Each rearrangement has come for a purpose, just so you know. My hobby is goal oriented. The first time we (yes, WE) rearranged our living room because we bought a TV and needed the sitting furniture closer to the cable box. The second time my dad rearranged after I saw something in a magazine while they visited when Cole was born. The third time I rearranged to get the coffee table out of the middle of our living room so Cole could have a place to frolic and play. And today's had a dual purpose. I'm getting good at this stuff. The first purpose was to provide a place for the playpen to live in Cole's room. The second was to give Chris a comfortable place to do his accounting homework in our bedroom. See, it's strategic.

I think this hobby of mine drives Chris crazy, and is soon to drive Cole crazy once he figures it out. I constantly devise new ways to store our stuff, too, which leaves Chris looking for something in it's old location often (old is used very loosely here).

A couple good things emerge from my realization. One, I could call this hobby decorative creativity. Two, it's very very cheap. Rearrange what you already have and voila! A fresh look for 0 Euros. And three, I sure do keep our friends on their toes. Every time people come over they say, "Wow, you moved things around...again." I'm just helping them with their observation skills.

McDonald's Treat

I stopped at McDonald's today for a drink, and Cole got his first ever treat from McDonald's...a balloon! It's amazing what fascinates him.

Lovin' the cup

This is Cole chilling on the couch today after his nap with his cup. You may think he relaxes for a while, but usually the cup is gone in 2 minutes flat. Speed drinker!

Zoom!

On Saturday we took Cole to the Zoom Kindermuseum in Vienna. There is an exhibit made for little kids called Ozean, which is all about the ocean. Cole had fun, and we had fun too! There was a huge area set up like the ocean floor with animals and toys, and there was a large ship on the second floor with ropes, mirrors, and lots of fish!

Joy

Elementary chapel was about joy today. Not happiness that comes when you get a package in the mail or a friend calls from far away. Or the happiness that comes when you get an A on a final or someone drops $10 in your mailbox so you can grab a no whip skim caramel latte on your way home sometime.
Joy is something deeper...a calm delight in your heart's deepest spot. That's what we talked about today. We talked about Psalm 126:3 "The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy." That's why we can be filled with joy. The Lord has done great things for us. What great things has the Lord done for you? I asked the kids that today, and the responses floored me. Here are a few...

David (2nd grade) "God helped me trust Him when I was scared because my mom was going the hospital."

Lizzy (2nd grade) "God gave me the chance to come from America and live in Vienna."

Then we talked about how Romans 15:13 says that God will make your joy overflow. You don't make your joy overflow. He does. So I showed them what overflowing is like with some buckets and water and big tub to shield the water from the floor. Make sense?

We are like gas tanks in that our joy needs to be filled up. It's a good thing, though, that we're not like gas tanks, too. If gas tanks overflowed all the time, there would be serious problems.

Did I also mention that I broke the microphone as I was talking today? Yes. Laughter erupted. Fortunately, kids are a forgiving audience.

A Few New Discoveries

Today was a day of new discoveries at our house! Cole discovered kleenex packets and gave them a once over with his teeth. I discovered that Cole looks really cute wearing Chris's brown beanie. I also discovered that I can make a successful cheesecake. And last but NOT least, I put some butternut squash & cereal on the spoon Cole was chewing on during dinner and he ate it by himself right of the spoon! He ate the second bite, threw the third bite, ate the fourth bite, and so on. What a victory!

GO COLTS!!!!

THE Chocolate Shop

So, now I've told you a little about my chocolate-craziness.
Tonight, we're hosting our 2nd chocolate tasting party. We're due to have about 15 people here and so I decided to go shopping for so good chocolates yesterday afternoon. I had always gone to Julius Meinl for my high quality chocolates. But since I did some research for chocolate shops in Vienna that carry the good stuff, I found a handful that have more variety and cheaper prices than Julius Meinl.

One of those is called Xocolat. It's really an amazing place - high ceilings, very tall dark wood shelves, 2 and a half stories of just chocolate, and a huge variety of outstanding chocolates. If there were a chocolate shop the Harry Potter stories, it might look like this. I had a hard time not spending over an hour just walking around, gazing, inspecting, and being overwhelmed by this place. I know there are a few other places in Vienna with good chocolates too, but I'm thinking this one will have a hard time being beat as the best.

So after choosing some good chocolates for the party (Pralus, Tiroler Edle, Green & Black's, Amedei, Bonnat, and Blanxart), I decided to ask the lady for help finding the best milk chocolate. The small lady was very nice and helpful and pointed out a couple to me. We talked for a while (mostly in German), but when she first heard me speak German, she asked if she should speak French with me. I said no - English. But her English was only so-so, about like my German. Anyhow, she let me taste a kind of chocolate I'd never had, and then even a whole cacao bean for free. Then when she found out I was having a tasting party, she asked how many people were coming. Then she gave me half a bag of cacao beans for free so everyone at the tasting could have one. So cool!

I might just have to become friends with this lady :)

What does Cole do all day?

Wednesday, January 17, 2007




Cole has definitely kept us on our toes lately. He's pulling himself up on everything, crawling everywhere, opening drawers, perusing our DVD selection, and drumming. It seems like just overnight he turned out of a baby and into a little boy.
A few other things...
I've been listening to a book called Velvet Elvis, by Rob Bell, on my iPod. I'm hooked.
Chris and I have been trying to eat healthier lately.
At the top of our list? spinach, blueberries, flax seed, red peppers, oranges, and dried apricots
I took Cole to the doctor today. He weighed in at 23.1 pounds and 30 3/4 inches. The stairs up to our apartment are taking me longer and longer as Cole grows heavier and heavier. I can't wait for the day when he can walk up them himself. Then, though, the trek will take about 50 times longer I'm sure.
Tomorrow we're learning about the fruit of the Spirit LOVE in elementary chapel. Jesus showed love once by healing a man with leprosy and a paralytic, among others. He lived it. He didn't just feel it. Just like a balloon doesn't do much without air, we don't do much loving without God's Spirit in our hearts. So I'm going to show the kids a balloon, deflated and inflated. Piece of cake, huh?
That's all. Over and out good buddy.

Monday January 15th!!!

It's Anne's birthday tomorrow (the 15th) so why don't you give her a call or write her an email to wish her a happy one!

Thanks for playing :)

L.A. needs more celebrities

don't you think?

Let's throw in a European soccer player - that'll add some spice if you know what I mean. Hint: click on spice and scroll down to Personal Life.
It's enough to make me want to get to a Galaxy game - but I'm guessing they'll sell out like hotcakes. Funny - I remember going to a Galaxy game back in their first season - 96 or 97 I think. It was at the Rose Bowl and I was impressed with how many people were there. The big name was Jorge Campos I think - a Mexican goalkeeper. He was flamboyant and good - and he knew it.

Mr. Mom

Today, Anne went shopping for a while since it's her Birthday Weekend! I stayed with Cole and we had a good time dancing, playing, stuff like that. I noticed something new today:
when I left him for 5 or 10 seconds to walk into the other room and get something, he'd start crying. Woah - he only does that for mom, I thought. Then, when I walked back and sat down next to him, he stopped and wanted to crawl up on me again or have me help him stand and walk.
Amazing - I've reached a new status in Cole-Man's opinion. now THAT is cool

USA Bound

Yes, we are moving back to the USA in August! You may be thinking… “What? They just told us they were staying 2 more years!” You’re right. A few months ago we felt compelled to pray about the option of leaving VCS at the end of this school year. So we prayed. Through that, we found freedom to make the decision to go. We believe God led us to this point, and we want to trust Him for what’s next. So what is next? We DO know that we will stay here to help with staff transitions. We’re considering moving to Indiana or California since we have family in both places. Chris desires to pursue business in some form. That’s pretty much all we know right now. We would greatly appreciate your prayers with us as we trust God for the next steps in this process. Thanks!

Little Monster

We have a little monster on our hands these days! It seems like just overnight Cole figured a million things out. His new favorite hangout is the bathroom. As you can see above, he likes hiding behind the shower curtain, especially while Chris is getting ready for work in the morning! He also likes playing with dad's shoes, my hair brush, and the volleyball. Yesterday I turned my head for just a second and turned back to find him emptying an entire basket of movies and sticking his little fingers in the VHS tape holes. Yikes!

Crispy stuff

So, it's been a while since I've really blogged more than a random picture or joke or something.

Thinking back, when I was working at IU, I had more free time to wander around on the internet and I found out about blogs. I started one and enjoyed blogging about all kinds of random and funny things. I kept bugging Anne to blog, but she just didn't for a long long time. Then sometime in the last year or maybe 2, she picked up the blogging thing and I faded off stage left. I'm not saying this is going to change again, but just remembering.

What's up with me?
Chocolate.
Random thoughts.
More chocolate.

Let me tell you about this. I've always loved chocolate, and have been told I was a chocoholic since a young age. Chocoholic probably isn't technically the right word, but good enough. Anyhow, since being here in Europe, I've discovered a whole new world of REAL chocolate. Quality stuff made of higher percentages of cocoa beans, better quality of cocoa beans, or both. Chocolate is becoming like wine in the sense of there being connoisseurs, beans coming from one special plantation, etc. I've gone from thinking Hershey's Special Dark was the best ever to not ever wanting to touch that stuff again - even with a 39 1/2 foot pole. They use the lowest/cheapest quality beans, probably over-roast them, put in way too much sugar to cover up the taste, and throw in some unnecessary chemicals and artificial flavors. Yuck.

Some random thoughts.
This was a Christmas break of extremes. One extreme was having family from both sides here for Christmas. Lots of people, presents, attention for Cole, food, etc. It was great. Then they all left and we have lots of time just for us 3. Reading, sleeping, hanging out with Cole and watching him learn to crawl, stand, put his finger in anything that resembels a hole, try to eat plants, and just being his normal curious self. Now that he's kinda mobile, it's getting dangerous.

I've gotten pretty interested in photography - as a hobby. I have a nice digital SLR camera and an extra lens that allows for much higher zooming capabilities. It's fun to walk around Vienna and take pictures of whatever - signs, architechure, people, etc. This city is full of old buildings, history, lots of cultures, un-American signs and customs, so it makes for good photography opportunities.

I got a soccer game for the computer. It's very cool and fun and very much eye-candy material. Problem is I can't score. Even if I choose the best team with Rooney, Ronaldo, Rialdino (sp?), etc. - a dream team - and I play against some sorry team in a low level league with terrible defense. I still can score one stinkin goal! ugh. I still have to learn the right buttons and stuff. Eventually I will... but I just hoped that during Christmas break I would have learned more with the free time. But the free time went mostly to being with Anne, Cole, and...

CHOCOLATE. Seriously people - I'm crazy about this. Not only am I a budding connoiseur, but I have ideas about future business possibilities. I've been taking notes about my ideas as well as the "notes" I taste in chocolate. The look, mold, smell, break, first taste, melt, second taste, texture, after taste, etc. It's amazing how much there is to premium chocolate. Anne gave me a book for Christmas called The Chocolate Connoisseur. It was a great book for me - it encouraged me in what I already knew and whet my choco-appetite for so much more about the beans, growth, production, the small companies that make the good stuff, conferences and festivals, and more. I've been realizing that living in Europe is awesome because most of the great premium chocolate in the world is made here - France, Italy, Germany, etc. I'm oozing with ideas of making trips to chocolate factories. But I better stop there - cause I don't want to write too much and I kinda want to go read more of another chocolate book I have.

Now THAT was a serious post!

2007 Cole Man

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos So, the last few days have been full of Cole moving around our apartment! He's an official crawler now - not just doing the army crawl. This has given us more motivation to really Cole-proof our apartment. We bought some little gadgets to keep some drawers and things closed for Cole's curious little hands. But the bummer is that they don't fit like we hoped (this is actually the second time this has happened.) Double sad. But Cole sure is being cute. He prefers to walk with our help over crawling.