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?