And we hope you had a merry Christmas! We spent the holy day in Budapest, at home, with the girls. We’re pretty sure that was the first time we did not have to be anywhere on Christmas Day – EVER! It was so nice… we even stayed in our pajamas until 5:00. Woo-hoo! We had a wonderful day of waking up to treat-filled stockings and fantastic presents from Santa, grandparents, and parents.
So, now that you’re caught up on the BIG day, let me fill you in briefly on what we’ve been up to since the last post… three months ago!
OCTOBER
We went back to Texas! It was such a busy time to get prepared for the trip that I didn’t even make time to send out a message that we were going to be in town! We were there for three weeks (put 3,000 miles on Mamie & Paw-Paw’s minivan!) and had a wonderful time. It was so great to see friends and family while we were there, and we loved every minute of it. If we missed you while we were in town, we ask your forgiveness and look forward to seeing you next year!
Then, winter showed up. A full-on snow storm fell on Budapest, and it was awesome! It snowed for three days, off and on. We loved the view from our living room – didn’t even have to go outside to see it all. Beautiful! We managed to squeeze in some ice-skating (indoors) on the first “snow day.”
And, Elizabeth is 9 months old today… Happy Nine Months, Baby!
We also had the pleasant surprise of Christmas morning calls (middle-of-the-night for the callers) from two sets of grandparents! After a full day of unintentionally staying busy (cooking, playing, and multiple phone calls to and from grandparents), we had a beautiful, peaceful birthday party for Jesus. We turned off all the lights – except for the Christmas tree – and lit candles all around the living room. Lee read the story of Jesus’ birth from Hurlbut’s Story of the Bible. Then, we lit three candles on a little brownie cake, sang the birthday song for Jesus, and Abigail blew out the candles. It was all so sweet – the perfect way to end a perfect day…
So, now that you’re caught up on the BIG day, let me fill you in briefly on what we’ve been up to since the last post… three months ago!
OCTOBER
We went back to Texas! It was such a busy time to get prepared for the trip that I didn’t even make time to send out a message that we were going to be in town! We were there for three weeks (put 3,000 miles on Mamie & Paw-Paw’s minivan!) and had a wonderful time. It was so great to see friends and family while we were there, and we loved every minute of it. If we missed you while we were in town, we ask your forgiveness and look forward to seeing you next year!
NOVEMBER
Thanksgiving in Budapest… an American holiday in Hungary. We had a guest – Jason, a Delta pilot – who joined us for the special occasion, and we’re so glad he did! He was away from home, and we were honored that he chose to spend the day with us (pursuant to Aunt Lynne’s suggestion, of course!). What’s Thanksgiving without friends, family and turkey?! Fortunately, turkey is very popular here, so there was no trouble finding a place to deliver one. Yes – deliver – with some important sides – all cooked. Don’t think I didn’t cook, though! You can’t get green bean casserole, homemade stuffing, and pecan pie from any Hungarian restaurant!
Thanksgiving in Budapest… an American holiday in Hungary. We had a guest – Jason, a Delta pilot – who joined us for the special occasion, and we’re so glad he did! He was away from home, and we were honored that he chose to spend the day with us (pursuant to Aunt Lynne’s suggestion, of course!). What’s Thanksgiving without friends, family and turkey?! Fortunately, turkey is very popular here, so there was no trouble finding a place to deliver one. Yes – deliver – with some important sides – all cooked. Don’t think I didn’t cook, though! You can’t get green bean casserole, homemade stuffing, and pecan pie from any Hungarian restaurant!
Then, winter showed up. A full-on snow storm fell on Budapest, and it was awesome! It snowed for three days, off and on. We loved the view from our living room – didn’t even have to go outside to see it all. Beautiful! We managed to squeeze in some ice-skating (indoors) on the first “snow day.”
DECEMBER
Busy, Busy, Busy! We cooked, attended parties, baked cookies (my first successful cut-out sugar cookies ever!), shopped, put up Christmas decorations, wrapped & mailed presents, shopped some more, went apartment-hunting, negotiated on a new apartment, said farewell to the Dowiaks (our first friends in Budapest), shopped even more, visited Mikulás (Hungary’s Santa Claus), finished shopping, attended a very Hungarian Christmas play, went ice-skating – twice, and Abigail got her ears pierced!
Busy, Busy, Busy! We cooked, attended parties, baked cookies (my first successful cut-out sugar cookies ever!), shopped, put up Christmas decorations, wrapped & mailed presents, shopped some more, went apartment-hunting, negotiated on a new apartment, said farewell to the Dowiaks (our first friends in Budapest), shopped even more, visited Mikulás (Hungary’s Santa Claus), finished shopping, attended a very Hungarian Christmas play, went ice-skating – twice, and Abigail got her ears pierced!
JANUARY… so far
We welcomed 2009 with snow and sleet, just enough to make everything pretty and white. And, of course, we stayed in for New Year’s Eve – watched some of the locals put on their (rather impressive, yet illegal) amateur fireworks shows right outside our windows. We’re going to miss our fabulous view when we move!
We thank God for all of you and wish you all a Happy 2009.
By the way, today is John’s birthday… HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PJ!!!!
We welcomed 2009 with snow and sleet, just enough to make everything pretty and white. And, of course, we stayed in for New Year’s Eve – watched some of the locals put on their (rather impressive, yet illegal) amateur fireworks shows right outside our windows. We’re going to miss our fabulous view when we move!
We thank God for all of you and wish you all a Happy 2009.
By the way, today is John’s birthday… HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PJ!!!!
And, Elizabeth is 9 months old today… Happy Nine Months, Baby!
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