Christmas Party

It wouldn't be Christmas without a Christmas Party and today we got to spend the afternoon with our Embassy community at the Ambassador's residence. It is always fun to watch Alex at these events, even though patience is not her strong suit. Candy and deserts everywhere, tons of presents under the tree...who can blame her? When Santa came in her eyes lit up and she couldn't have been happier to see him! It was hard for her to wait her turn, but with a little help from Luke she got up to the front of the line and climbed on his lap. It is so fun to watch Christmas through the eyes of a child. The rest of us enjoyed it as well, getting to catch up with friends and watch the excitement of the little ones. Becca and Drake were of great help by helping many of the younger ones with the crafts.   It is fun to see just how down to earth people are and that we really are all the same, no matter what our position. I am thankful to be having this experience with my family and to be celebrating this Christmas season in this beautiful country. (Though some snow would be nice!)

Roma Village Visit

Today our family was blessed to be able to visit a Roma village outside Ljubljana and share Christmas with them. Our Embassy organized an opportunity for the Embassy community to take them donated food and clothing and toys and have a party with them. There were probably 18 or so children and as many adults that came. They knew we were coming and we were greeted with a great reception. We started our party with activities, making pipe cleaner and bead necklaces, cutting paper snowflakes, and playing with play dough. It seemed to be such a treat for them and some of the boys even enjoyed learning how to make paper snowflakes. They also made a large paper chain which we used along with the snowflakes to decorate their community room. We passed out American cupcakes complete with frosting and sprinkles which the kids gobbled down. We concluded with a large Congo line type dance that reminded me very much of our days in Peru. Roma is the official name for what I (ashamedly) previously would have called gypsies. These particular Roma do not move around, but have settled in this area in their rural villages. The one we visited today has electricity and a small community building with toys and books for the children and heat. Their homes are very small and basic with some in small trailers. This is not the only Roma village and I understand some do not live as well as these. The Roma have not assimilated well into society and are very much ostracized here. We are hoping we can make this a more routine thing and continue to share with them and reach out to the younger generation and encourage education in order to break the cycle they are in. I personally was reminded how much God desires for us to love on those around us, especially the ones that may feel unloved and forgotten, to be His hands and feet here on Earth. I also couldn't help but wonder what they were thinking about Alex and her darker complexion. The Roma are a darker complexion than Slovenes and Alex is darker than the Roma are. I pray that somehow it got translated to them who she was and that her adoption story is a picture to them of God's love and redemption. He sees and loves those who society may forget or ignore. I pray that our family can carry that message in wherever we go during our time stationed here.

Make new friends but keep the old...

Make new friends,
but keep the old,
one is silver
and the other gold.

I remember singing this song in girl scouts, but I don't think I fully understood. As we have moved around over the last 18 years, I think I grasp it a little more each move. This last weekend we were blessed to have friends visit us that are stationed in Germany. We met 6 summers ago sitting at the Millbrook YMCA with our boys. I can honestly say we never thought we would be sitting in Slovenia with our families, seeing the sights and enjoying the food, especially not staying at our home. One thing I love about the Air Force/military is that friends are family wherever you are stationed. There have been special friends at each place we have lived and the Millikens were one of those from our Alabama season. I have come to see that God has something different at each assignment fo us. It hasn't always been easy for me to see that though. There are places that have been so comfortable, it can be hard to move on. I have stayed stuck before trying to make the new place just like the old one. You can't imagine my frustration! God had to show me HE likes to do new things sometimes. They may be new and different (which can be scary) but there are blessings waiting. My walk with Him can be the same. When I am in a comfortable place, I don't always want to move on. If I have had a good season and that is changing, I try to do whatever I can to resist the change. I try to think of what can I do to make it like it was. Change can be scary! I love that our Father in Heaven knows us though. Just like He brought us together with old friends last weekend to encourage us, He also knows what encourages us in our walk with Him. So make new friends, wherever you are in life, but keep the old. In the same way, let God take you to new places with Him, while remembering what He has blessed you with in the past! One is silver and the other gold, but they are both priceless!

I had no idea!

I realize that as a 40 year old mom raised before the age of computers and digital technology I still have a way to go to catch up to all that is out there. Today as I was talking to a friend, I was told that you could see on your blog how many people went to your blog each day and where they were from. So out of curiousity I looked. I had no idea! Who knew? I enjoy reading others' blogs and being encouraged, but could I have things to share as well? I had to wonder why I am so inconsistent about blogging. I pondered this today and I think I have narrowed it down to two reasons....my perfectionism and feeling overwhelmed. I have a tendency to be perfectionistic in my approach to things...if I can't do it great and well, then I sometimes don't even start. Flawed I know, but real none the less. I also have so many things I want to share, I have a hard time narrowing it down and it seems overwhelming. So, I figure it is best to just come back to it later (which as you can see, doesn't usually happen). Sometimes I wonder if my prayer life doesn't reflect this same thinking. If I can't do it perfectly, then I have a harder time starting. If I don't have a huge chunk of time or a great quiet place or I am not "feeling like it" I can tend to just go on with my day. On the otherhand, there are other times that there is SO much I need to discuss with Jesus that I don't know where to start so I feel overwhelmed and just don't start. What flawed thinking on my part! God desires for us to come to Him all the time and share our heart with Him, not for His sake, but for ours! He never expects perfection. He knows better than I do about my imperfections. He knows we feel overwhelmed, but only He can take what seems like a mountain of "stuff" and sort it out and lift our burden! So with these realizations today, I am going to take the advice my husband shares often ...to "Lighten up" and not take myself so seriously and not let perfectionism and feeling overwhelmed slow me down. Be looking for more updates on what our family is doing, what God is doing in our family and what it is like living in this great country. But first I must go "lighten up" in the area of prayer. I have a feeling He will spiritually lighten me up as I lay my concerns at the cross of Jesus. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 Want to join me?

Krizna Cave Trip

Perhaps the most adventuresome day I have had in a very long time occured this past Tuesday. A friend of mine, Michelle, who also loves photography, emailed me last minute with an offer from her photography "teacher" Luka. It stated the following: "Michelle, waters in Krizna cave are in perfect condition for photography. Are you in for a 5 hour adventure underground? There is room for only two persons if we go

to the most beautiful part of the cave... Of course you will need a tripod ;)". How could I say no to that? After our wonderful husbands agreed to pick up the kids for us after school, we began our planning. It was going to be cold, so what would we wear? Our ski pants were going to be too bulky, but regular pants wouldn't be warm enough. Enter our 1990s era stirup wool ski pants. We were both thrilled we still fit into them and had kept them all these years. (Not to mention, move them around multiple times.) Doning our stirups and our 3 pairs of ski socks we set out for the cave after school drop off. Luka drove us and the area we went to in of itself was amazing! Once we got to the cave we were met by our guide who ushered us into a small wooden hut that was toasty warm from the wood iron stove burning. We put on our caving suits, rubber boots (a couple sizes bigger to fit over all the socks) and our helmet complete with head lamp and battery pack that we wore like a side purse. We were ready to go. We entered the cave and headed down into another world. We hiked the first part which in of itself was already amazing. Then we got to the water. It was so clear, you couldn't tell where it began. We had to take a series of boats into the farther part of the cave and at one point had to balance on a 6 inch ledge while holding a rope to get around the water. We climbed in and out of the boat numerous times while crossing all of the dams. Our wonderful guide carried the boat for us each time as we were juggling our camera backpacks and tripods. It was quite a sight and I was secretly thrilled I never once ate it into or out of the boat. We got some amazing shots thanks to Luka's expertise in photography. At one point we were in ankle deep water balancing our tripods while we leaned back against a ledge to keep from falling in the frigid water. The pictures do the cave justice, but not the experience. Quietly being paddled down a crystal clear river ito an amazing Creation underground was truly surreal. All I could think of was how God had created this amazing place and how so few people get to see it! (They only let 600 people a year into this part.) It is truly a hidden inner place of the earth that has never been hidden from God! We are the same way. He knows our inner parts, better than we know ourselves, nothing is hidden from Him. There is such peace in that! It was truly a once in a lifetime day, that I will cherish forever. Thanks Michelle for inviting me and Luka for being so patient with me and my very novice skills.