Baby Carrot 1 comment
I might have pulled this one a little early…
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Auf Wiedersehen! 1 comment
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!
Things You Can See While Your Husband Runs a Marathon No comments yet
Clockwise from Top Left:
A grown man dressed as a baby, running a marathon.
A tree, being chased by an orangutan with an ax, running a marathon.
A man running a marathon in his silk boxers.
A 60 something gentleman, on a motorcycle that is airbrushed with a castle in the clouds, wearing leather pants and a helmet with a woman airbrushed on it, blaring George Michael from his stereo, leading the marathon.
More pics here: Vienna Marathon
Running Through the Streets 1 comment
This past Sunday the city shut down for the Vienna City Marathon. Over 30,000 people flooded the streets of Vienna, .
A student and I decided to train for the half-marathon this year, and despite a rushed training schedule, were able to finish the race without too much trouble. I achieved my goal of under 2 hours, just barely, coming in at 1:56:22. Good enough to beat the Kenyans leading the marathon pack. Of course they only needed 12 extra minutes to run twice as far as me, but that’s another story.
After a 2 year hiatus from any run longer 5K, it was a lot of fun to train and run this race, and I’m hoping it’ll be a springboard to other runs in my ongoing struggle to maintain motivation.
It was also neat to see a student of mine, who only started running two years ago, get really excited about training and running this race. He’s come a long way in such a short amount of time.
A Grieved Heart 5 comments
Facebook is a funny thing. It’s been such a blessing to me since being overseas because it’s a great way to keep up with the people I love. It’s one way that I can still feel connected while being so far away. It has also allowed me to let friends and family in on our lives over here. However, there are a few downsides to being connected. Lately, I’ve been saddened almost every time I log in. The main reason for this sadness is that I see my Christian friends joining groups, making statements, or supporting causes that are hate driven. This is not what Christ calls us to. Opinions are good. Thinking is good. Approaching your faith from the heart and the mind is good. Being politically active is good. Expressing opinions about others with undertones of hate or disdain is not good. Today I logged on to find that several people had joined the group:
DEAR LORD, THIS YEAR YOU TOOK MY FAVORITE ACTOR, PATRICK SWAYZIE. YOU TOOK MY FAVORITE ACTRESS, FARAH FAWCETT. YOU TOOK MY FAVORITE SINGER, MICHAEL JACKSON. I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, MY FAVORITE PRESIDENT IS BARACK OBAMA. AMEN.
First off, Patrick Swayze and Farah Fawcett? Really? But that is not what grieves me. What grieves me is how ugly this statement is. It grieves me even more to note that with one exception every friend who joined this group is a Christian. Somehow we’ve come to a point where we believe that if we taint something with humor, it’s OK to be ugly. I think God has a different view.
Psalm 19:14 ~ “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
Psalm 141:3-4 ~ “Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips. Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers; let me not eat of their delicacies.”
Proverbs 4:23-25 ~ “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.”
Proverbs 10:10-12 ~ “He who winks maliciously causes grief, and a chattering fool comes to ruin. The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.”
Ephesians 4:29-32 ~ “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
The words we type are still our words. They are generally longer lasting than the words we speak. If we want to proclaim Christ, we need to guard our tongues – and our keyboards. Maybe tomorrow I’ll log in and see that people have joined a group called “I Pray for the President.” Wouldn’t that be refreshing?
Final Dental Update No comments yet
So, I’ve had my new teeth for a couple of weeks now. They are getting to the point where hot and cold drinks/food aren’t painful, so I’m super excited about that. They are also kind of pretty. I mean, as much as teeth can be pretty. They look like the real deal, which is great. In the end the dentist did not feel sorry for me, at least not enough to lower my bill. The final tab was €1,900 ($2,526). Ouch! This is a good advertisement for dental insurance. While I’m excited about my new teeth, I’m a little disappointed that with a price tag like that, I don’t look like this:
Ein Besuch zum Zahnarzt No comments yet
Today was my second visit to the dentist. He removed the bad fillings then took impressions and ordered my new inlays. As usual, I took more novocaine than should be necessary. He said it was enough to numb a crocodile. 
Also, as usual, about halfway through it started to wear off. He said he was amazed at my bodies ability to “eat drugs.” The same thing happened when I had surgery. The doctors had to give me crazy doses of morphine, and they were amazed it didn’t work. I’d like to believe this is some kind of superpower, but I don’t really see how it’s useful for anything. On the plus side, the dentist felt really sorry for me and kept stroking my head and saying, “Oh, you poor thing.” Maybe he’ll feel sorry enough to lower the cost of my bill. Hmmm…
BOTM – Beer Bread 1 comment
The bread of the month for February was Beer Bread. I wasn’t really sure how I’d feel about this bread because, well, I kind of think beer is gross. However, I’ve heard good things about beer bread, so I gave it a whirl. Turns out beer bread is really yummy. Also, beer bread might be the easiest bread in the world to make. I got the recipe from Honest Fare. She even gives you a printable recipe here: Beer Bread. It literally took mere minutes to make this bread. It’s sweet with just a hint of beer flavor. I took Honest Fare’s recommendation and ate it with a little freshly ground pepper. Yummy! Later in the evening Matt and our friend Whitney couldn’t stop themselves and they ate the whole top half of the bread. Yes, that’s right, the top half. They scalped the poor thing, but it was confirmation for me that this bread is worth making again.
A Trip to the Dentist 1 comment
Pros:
- I now have clean teeth. Yay!
- The hygienist who cleaned my teeth was amazing. The best cleaning I think I’ve ever had.
- I really like the dentist.
- Everyone spoke English, but was willing to teach me dental words in German. (dental floss = die Zahnseide)
- I got a new toothbrush.
- I don’t have any cavities.
- The dentist and the hygienist both said I have very nice teeth.
Cons:
- On the way to the dentist, I had to watch a woman on the u-bahn continuously take out her dentures and play with them. Not encouraging.
- While I don’t have any cavities, there is a reason for my toothache. The three fillings I do have are all loose and have to be redone. Ugh!
- The brown spot that showed up on my crown a few weeks ago is actually a scratch that has to be filed down.
- No dental insurance means we have to find a way to pay the €1.400 ($1,900) bill we are going to get next week.
Anyone getting a tax return that they don’t know what to do with?
Disco + Tanktop = Progress in Pictures No comments yet
It’s been a while. I’m sure many of you had given up hope of ever seeing another disco-themed progress report on my ongoing shoulder recovery. Some of you were probably thankful. Rumors abounded that I had run out of tank tops. Today, I put those rumors to rest.
I continue to make a lot of improvement through physical therapy, but still don’t quite have full range of motion. It seems like it’s taking longer to get that last 5-10% of motion than it has to get this far. But I’m sure that’s more perception than reality.
If you’re so inclined you could pray for healing and that I stay motivated to do my stretches everyday. Thanks!
Here they are, my progress in pictures:
