Snow Day

Drake and Alex

Luke on his sled shoes

Drake fying

Drake on sled shoes

Alex

Jack and Drake...I think Drake was the sled.

The woods were so peaceful and quiet.

The view toward our house.

We got a great snow Sunday, and with this being the kids' ski week, we decided to hit a hill a couple of minutes from our house.  With the sun shining, the 20 degrees didn't feel too bad, but we did only stay out about an hour.  Jack, Drake's good friend came with us.  Here are some pics of the fun the kids had.  I am so glad my kids are tough...snow in their mouths, down their jackets, in their boots, etc and no complaints or tears.  These make for some fun days!

Baseball, Slovenia style

The field.

Drake at 3rd.

Baseball in February... Slovenia style.  Both of the boys play on a baseball team here in LJ...Team Long Bridge.  They are having a great time with many local children sharing their passion for the game and teaching them how to holler and "look like"  American baseball players.  Would you believe there aren't Slovene baseball words...they shout, "out, strike, foul, etc".  It makes it easier for us to follow, especially when some of the indoor rules are a little different. 

Luke at bat.

When we heard the team practiced through the winter we wondered what that would be like....then we heard they actually had tournaments in the winter.  We soon came to discover that the tournaments were held inside basketball gyms.  While the "field" is smaller and they play with a rubber core baseball, the boys still have a great time.  Bases get taped to the floor and it is coach pitch.  Luke normally plays second base and Drake usually plays first or third base.  On a day like today, we were all glad that we were indoors.  If you look closely at the gym picture, you will see snow falling in the trees.  It fell all day and didn't get much above 22 degrees.  Definitely not baseball weather. 

The "dugout"

Roma visit to Bostanj Castle Ruins

For the second time we joined up with some that we worship with on Sundays, to visit a Roma settlement and take them on a "field trip".  We had been 2 weeks earlier and had just hung out with the kids and had gotten to celebrate one of the girl's birthdays.  There was a young boy Blaz there who Alex kept trying to play with.  He would run away everytime we got close.  It has been so fun to have Alex with us on these visits, because she is a great ice breaker.  She has no inhibition towards anyone and goes right up to all of them.  They in turn are mesmerized by her and want to know where she is from.  This visit we were even asked if she was Roma, as she looked like darker Roma from close to the coast.

This visit we took the children on a hike up to the remains of a castle.  Blaz and 3 other boys joined us as well as a group of 2 girls.  The rest of the group was our Sunday morning gang.  We outnumbered them, but I pray that they felt loved and not forgotten. 

Becca, Alex and me

Alex and the boys

Luckily, the weather wasn't too cold and it was pretty dry.  We set out to the castle and except for having to call the boys back to us a few times, it went well.  I loved seeing the remains and the kids had a good time exploring. We hiked back down and the kids played a soccer game all together.  After playing for a bit, we headed back to the settlement to share some good ol' American brownies with the kids and their parents.  On the walk back home, it was obvious the boys didn't understand boundaries too much.  The boys would walk right up to a porch of someone else, or begin to play right at a front door of a home.  It reminded me very much of how Alex acted when we first got home from Peru.  On the walk home however, the boys began to become more comfortable with us.  They loved having their pictures taken and looking at them and Blaz even hugged Alex in a picture.  She recognized what that meant and was thrilled that he had accepted her.  The brownies went over well (more so with the kids than with the adults) and after sharing, we headed home.  As we headed home, we pondered something that had been pointed out to us.  After being in one of the homes, we realized, there were small kitchens, but no bathrooms.  No wonder the kids especially have such a hard time plugging into mainstream schools.  Again, I couldn't help but think of our time in Peru and seeing so many shanti towns.

Lili, the social worker who works with the Roma, and the girls!

I don't know how much we can change while we are here, but if we can take the love of Christ to these people, their lives will be changed from the inside out.  My heart is that they know that even though they view themselves as outcasts, they will know they are not forgotten.  With these visits, we as a family are reminded how blessed we are and that we have done nothing to deserve the blessing of being born into the familes and life that we were born into.  Serving on the outcasts and forgotten is truly a privilege. 

The whole gang

Idrija Field Trip

Tags the original miners used as they went down into the mine.

Original entrance

Heading Down

 One of the many blessings of being stationed overseas is that field trips for Luke mean field trips for Mom too. Yesterday, I got to chaperon a day trip to Idrija, Slovenia.  We started the day visiting one of the oldest mines in Europe where mercury was mined for 500 years after being found in 1508. 
We started the tour with a video explaining the process and history of Idrija, but I must confess I was anxious to get under ground. 







After the video, we donned our jackets and hard hats and entered through the original entrance.  You will see the word srecno over the entrance...this means Good Luck.  We headed into the main shaft, Anthony's Main Road and into the mine.





After the main hallway, we entered a room with a chapel where the miners would stop and pray.  

Chapel inside the mine where the miners stopped to pray before going further down into the mine.

While inside, we learned that the miners mined the cinnabar a red rock out of the mine and then heated it up to burn off the mercury.  

Some of the mercury also came right out of the shale and this was mined as well.  I couldn't help but think about the 7 dwarfs as I saw all of the rails that the mining cars used to use to get the heavy cinnabar out of the mine with.  After we climbed the 100 steps out of the mine, (glad that we didn't have to use 1000 steps like the original miners did), we headed to the local gostilna. For lunch we we had zlikrofi,  a dumpling with potato filling, famous in this part of Idrija.  After lunch we headed up the hill to visit a traditional miner's home.  

An original Idrija miner's home.

These homes would usually be occupied by 3 local mining families.  Idrija is speckled with these homes.  We then went "across town" to the castle, where we got to see many samples of cinnabar and mercury as well as instruments used in mining.  There was also an amazing area dedicated to the craft Idrija is known for, lace making.  

The bobbins tatting Idrija lace.

When miners flocked from across Europe to Idrija to become miners, their wives brought their talents with them.  Lace making from around Europe was perfected in the area.  Idrija lace is one of the traditional Slovenian gifts and the art of tatting continues to be handed down through the generations. 

Luke's class

Matejaz Snow Castle Competition

Becca and Deb

Luke and William working from the inside.

The Lord's Supper

The snow slide

King Matjaz

Last Saturday afternoon, we were invited to help a team with Layne's boss to build a snow fort in a local village competition. We had no snow on the ground in LJ and we heard the kids could go up and play in the snow while we built, so we thought, "hey, this will be fun!".  Little did we know what we were heading to. After a 2 hour car ride, we arrived in northern Slovenia, close to the Austrian border.  Crna na Koroskem is a small village nestled in a cozy valley, that was begun as a mining town.  As legend has it, King Matjaz is alseep in a local cave and when the appointed time comes, he will awake and take his throne again.  He will need a castle of course, so every year, local teams build their best to see if he will pick theirs.  There were over 100 teams ranging from 4 people up to what seemed to be 100.  Teams came and set up camp for the day complete with camp fires, tables and chairs, and of course the local winter favorite, kuhano vino, hot mulled wine.  Some teams had members cooking for them and some had brought their squeeze box  to cheer their teams along.  At 10am, there was a countdown and the building began.  There were 2 huge piles of frozen snow, that teams  cut snow blocks out of the pile and hauled them to their building location.   After these blocks were stacked, water was poured over them to make them smooth.  Sculpting then began and as you can see from the pictures, there were some quite talented sculpters.  While the building was going on, you could grab a drink at the snow bar, built out of snow and the kids could slide down the 2 story slide built out of snow.  The town had been preparing for weeks.  Our castle building was a family affair as all 6 Trospers joined with the McKinney family to build our castle.  Teams built right up until 4pm, when all building had to stop.  By this point, literally hundreds of people were pouring into this village to behold the snow creations.   According to a local, this town of 3500 would end up hosting thousands of guests over the weekend.  As the sun set, torches were lit at each castle and the village turned into a beautiful glow of orange and yellow as the flames reflected off the white snow.  While our toes were frozen by this point, and we were ready for a hot fire, we all realized we had gotten to take part in a really fun tradition in this part of Sovenia.  It was truly an amazing day, we won't forget.  

Alex even helped out.

Persistence

 For most children, learning to ride a bike is a rite of passage.  This past fall for Alexandra, it was so much more than this.  When she came into our family at 4 yrs old,  pedaling any time of bike was very hard for her.  After lots of tears and persistence, she learned to ride with training wheels. 

As she started Kindergarten (Year 1 here) we decided she could learn this important task.  There were many days filled with "I can'ts" and tears (from her and me) as she struggled with this task. She saw it as just too difficult for her.  With her sweet Daddy's help and encouragement, she did not let herself give up.  These pictures are from the day she decided she could do this!  She came home from school and announced she was ready to try again.  There was cheering from all of us, including Becca, Drake, and Luke.  This was just the beginning of Alex learning how working hard toward something really pays off.  Since this day, one of her favorite activities is to go on rides with Daddy. 

Note:  She quickly got to the curb as this car approached!  :)

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.

POT Trail

I know what you are thinking and "NO" that is not this kind of POT. "Pot" can be translated "path" in Slovene. This trail is also known as the Path of Rememberance and Comradeship. In 1942 Slovenia was occupied by Italian forces during WW2. In order to keep there from being any resistence, the Italians put up a barbed wire fence around the entire city to keep everyone in (almost 33 kilometers). Thi

s was a thick line of wire, complete with watch-towers and bunkers so that anyone coming in or out was thoroughly searched. The Germans kept it up when they occupied Slovenia after the Italians, but in 1945 when the Liberation Army came, the fence began being dismantled. So that they wouldn't forget, they have left posts and a few buildings to remind them of that occupance. There are posts with the dates 1942-1945 written on them along the path, where there were bunkers of the occupying army. As we rode our bikes along this path I couldn't help but think, that in America we know political/religious freedom like no other. We have never been fenced into our own cities, we have never been occupied, we have never been fearful to own a Bible, and we really have never had to live in the fear of any of that happening. While taking those freedoms for granted, I realize we HAVE been bound in different areas though. Fears, addictions, thought processes can all hold us in spiritual bondage. As my eyes begin to open, I realize how big this world is that we live in and how important it is for people to understand freedom. Not just freedom in our lands which I know I have taken for granted, but more importantly freedom in Christ. The freedom that erases all those fears and breaks those bondages. The only access to that kind of freedom is in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ! I pray you know Him as Saviour and Bondage Breaker! May He tear down the barbed wire fences in all of our lives.

Autumn Delights

Saturday was a sunny, cool, crisp fall day with leaves falling elegantly to the ground. Of course, we couldn't say inside, so we rode our bikes to a small local Pumpkin Festival. It was at a local farm market that sells bedding plants, herbs, and of course, in the fall, pumpkins. Slovenia does not "do" Halloween, so it was all about the harvest of the pumpkin crop. There was nothing for sale except what they normally sold (pumpkins, herbs, plants, etc). They had all kinds of free food made from different kinds of pumpkins. There was a pumpkin slaw made with shredded pumpkin, garlic and pumpkin oil. It looked delicious, but was gone by the time we got there. They were roasting slices of pumpkin, onion and tomatoes and serving them with pumpkin oil drizzled on top. So yummy. Pumpkin Oil is a local Slovene product. Picture olive oil, but much darker with a nutty taste. It is served with bread or drizzled over salads and is definitely my favorite find here so far. The kids could buy a pumpkin (only 2 euro) and carve/decorate it and they even had a table where Alex made a doll out of corn. It was so rustic and non-comercial, it was literally a breath of fresh air. To top it off we found the local moste (pronouced mosht) which is only found this time of year. It is the wine that has just begun to ferment, but is very sweet. It tastes to me like the sparking apple juice we get for the kids on special holidays, but with just a tad (1.5%) alcohol. It is sold in large plastic 3 liter containers that they fill up, literally while you wait, from a giant tapped keg in the grocery store. Definitely a new experience for us. This all made for a beautiful autumn day filled with all the sights, smells and tastes of Fall. How I love the changes in seasons (not just in the physical sense, but in the spiritual as well.) I know I occasionaly need to shed some old leaves and move into a new season in my life spiritually. I can get so comfortable and stagnant after a bit of time. I love that our God is never leaving us where we are, but taking us into a new season, even when it stretches us beyond where we think we can go. I pray you are enjoying the season He has you in right now!