Well, once again, I find myself at the end of August realizing that we have been to busy to share about our lives or keep this blog up to date. I think the summer that we keep on top of things will deserve some kind of reward. Possibly involving ice cream.
Here’s a snapshot of what was happening with us during the end of May and the month of June.
This year we had a mustache themed birthday party for Matt. Mustaches are always fun!
Then of course, there was the senior trip to Croatia, but you already know about that.
The day after we returned from Croatia, I turned 40. Yes. 40. Sigh. Matt and some of our friends threw me a 39.39393939… birthday party. Matt said I don’t I have to turn 40 if I don’t want to. I kinda don’t want to.
Then the seniors graduated! Wahoo! You can see by all the smiles that they were definitely ready for this day. More pics here: Graduation 2010
During the month of June we had a few friends visiting. Sally, Bekah, and Becca are some of our favorite people, so it was great to see them.
On June 19, our friends Felix and Leslie got married. They asked me to be one of the wedding photographers. Lots of pressure, but I learned a ton. I especially learned that this is NOT what I want to do for a living. Yikes!
We spent the rest of June helping our friends Jeff and Bethany get moved into their new apartment. This was super exciting for us because now they live in our building. Yay!
Stay tuned to for stories from July and August. Things did not slow down. I need a nap.
Many of you probably already know that Manute Bol passed away recently. How many of you knew that he was a devout Christian. I didn’t. The Wall Street Journal has a great article about Bol and how he gave his all for Christ. You should read it here: Manute Bol’s Radical Christianity
A few more pictures here: Last Senior Party
I’ve found two new cooking blogs, Recipe Look and They Draw and Cook, that I think are really fun. They are both sites where people submit their illustrated recipes. Maybe someday I’ll have enough time to create some of these. Until then, I’ll enjoy what others have done. 
Here are two that caught my eye:
The hardest part of living here in Vienna is that we are constantly saying goodbye to people that we love, people that have impacted our lives in amazing ways, people that have changed us. The Lord has provided us with so many amazing relationships and it just never gets any easier to say goodbye. These are the faces of the people who are leaving us this year. We are going to miss each and every one of them (already do!), but we are so grateful for the time we’ve had here with them. Be well friends! We love you!
Summer has started which means I finally have some time to update the blog. Yes, I know, this is very exciting for everyone! I think I can hear some of you cheering.
May 29 – June 4 was the senior trip. We got to spend the week in Umag, Croatia. It was beautiful! Thank you so much to those of you who prayed for safety, fun, and quality time. It was an incredible trip.
We took two side trips while we were there. One day we went to Pula to see the Roman Amphitheatre. Another day we took a cruise down the coast of Croatia to the city of Rovinj. Beautiful!
By far the best thing about the trip was the opportunity for the students to spend time together and start saying their goodbyes. We had time each evening to talk with them about transition and life after high school. You can continue to pray for them in the coming months as they start school, jobs, and military service. It’s going to be a big year for each of them.
You can see lots of pictures here: CROATIA!
May 13th was Ascension Day, and in Austria that’s a national holiday. Each year on Ascension Day VCS has a school-wide picnic called Family Fun Day. It’s one of my favorite days of the year because everyone is there: students, parents, siblings, friends. The weather was great this year, so there was plenty going on. Kids and adults alike were playing basketball, soccer, and badminton. There were also water fights, frisbee games, and skateboarding. One of the best parts of the day is eating all the delicious foods that the families bring. Filipino noodles = YUM! What a fantastic day!
More pictures here: Family Fun Day
Vienna was once again named the best city to live in by the Mercer Quality of Living Survey. Yay Vienna! You can read the CNN article here: Vienna Rocks!
As part of a biography project with the third and fourth graders, I asked them to tell me one thing they know is true about God. Here are some of their answers:
- He is always with me forever and he is my best friend.
- He died for my sins.
- I know that God loves me.
- He is my father and he is with us all the time.
- He loves us always.
- I know that God is my king.
- I know that Jesus loves me and that he was on the cross.
- God loves us no matter what we do. God is with us wherever we are.
- I know that God is with me forever.
- I know that God is my father and I am his child.
- He is the BEST of all because he created the whole world.
- He is my savior.
- He is everlasting.
- God is always guiding me anywhere I go.
- He gives me wisdom.
- He is almighty.
- He can do anything.
- God is WONDEROUS!!!
Amen.
