July 24th, 2010 - Daddy's Birthday

I woke in the early hours full of longing, four countries and an ocean between me and the hug I want to give you on this, your 83rd birthday. I have been searching for a gift I can send you, something you would enjoy, something to let you know I am thinking of you and missing being with you, something to celebrate what should be a wonderful milestone marking a life filled with, among other things, seeing to my needs. I am still searching, for the truth is that the things that reach you now are as basic as a touch, a kiss, a back rub. The real truth is that the distance between us is not the miles but your mind being able to access the memories that keep you connected to me, and those memories are slipping quickly. Daddy, I remember! I remember walking with my small hand in your big warm one, stretching my stride as far and fast as I could to keep pace with you as we walked on ahead of mama. I was so proud when I could keep up - to this day I tend to walk briskly where ever I am walking. I remember you with nails in your mouth and a hammer in your hand as you built and fixed and remodeled our houses. I thought you could do anything! I remember how you carried me home from conference at The Tabernacle, my head nestled on your shoulder, smelling Old Spice and feeling safe and loved. I remember you in a crisp white shirt and tie, sitting on the stand at church or walking out the door to work. I remember family home evenings - my favorites being the ones where you got down and played with us, becoming the big bad wolf to our little pig selves. I remember you doing gymnastics with us, going hiking, going camping. Oh how I loved our camping trips with you pitching our tents (I can still smell the heavy canvas one that had only the dirt for our floor), building our fires and cooking those amazing breakfasts! I remember you with a camera in your capable hands - how many of my memories are set firmly in place because of the pictures you took? These are the sweet tender memories that shimmer with rose color and warmth. There are also the other memories...of long car trips with few stops regardless of an aching bladder, and tight lipped conversations and clenched teeth. Memories of anger flashing quick and hot and the uncertainty of what might bring it on. I remember wanting so much to make you break into that brilliant smile yet fearing the rage that seemed to simmer just beneath the surface. I learned to walk lightly, blend in, not make waves. - longing for your embrace yet flinching away. All of this is what shaped my life and helped make me who I am. I hold each memory, good and bad, tenderly, grateful for remembering - knowing now that what connects us to the world is memory. And there you are, having lived your entire life taking care of others; your mom, our mom, us kids, all the pets and people that mom brought in for you to provide for, being the best son, husband, father and man you knew how to be. Imperfect. Vulnerable. Human. And now you spend your time with nights and days blending into simply moments of wakefulness and sleep, locked in a body whose brain is becoming so disconnected that the very memories who let you know who you are and what your life has been are virtually unreachable. Like an infant, dependent on others to meet your needs and where people only exist to you when they walk into your line of vision.
I remember standing next to you in your dark room in Brigham, amazed as you dipped white paper into trays of chemicals and seeing images appear like magic, enchanted when the photo's you liked were dipped into the final tray that fixed the picture and then clipped to the wire to dry, forever captured. Remember too, the way the photos that weren't submerged into that final bath of liquid would begin to fade until they disappeared. Is that what you feared daddy, when you learned of this disease? Did you try and fix your memories in such a way you could sort through each one? I think of how it must have felt as you began to watch each one fade away, unable to make them stick. If I was there with you, as I long so much to be, I would hold you in my arms, hum some familiar tune so you would dance with me. I'd rest my cheek against your soft stubbled one, savoring each precious moment. I'd pull back and gaze into your familiar blue eyes, hoping they would light up, even briefly with recognition that I was someone important to you, accepting when your gaze became distant and vague. Hoping that as your mind wandered that you were walking through the best parts of the life you have lived. I'm searching for that perfect gift for your birthday daddy. In truth, all I can give you on this day is to remember. Remember you, remember the stories I've been told of you, remember who you are and were. I will do for you what you can't, for as long as I can. I love you daddy. Thank you for everything!
Love, Duayna Lee

First trip to Vienna - July 16-18, 2010

I was so excited to be going to our first "destination" weekend trip, and very excited that it was Vienna! We had talked about going somewhere fun with Luis,a single guy Eric works with. He's a pilot on a short tour and since it's no fun to go to new places alone he hadn't been very far from Papa on his time off. The Burnetts, our friends from WA state that are also here on a short tour decided to go to Vienna too so we made plans to all go together (in two cars of course).

The first thing to do was find a hotel with three rooms meeting our requirements (one for a family of four, one for a family of three and a room for one) that was affordable. Sounds easy, eh? Not so much. Remember this is Europe and the hotels are renovated buildings that were built sometimes hundreds of years before. Another thing we learned from our stay in the Panzio for our 4th of July party was that air conditioning is a good thing - and a rare thing as well. And screens on windows is also rare. After much research by both Toni and Eric, the choices were narrowed down.

The next thing was what to do with Chip. Normally we would just find a dog friendly place (pretty easy in Europe) and bring him with. But it was going to be another hot, muggy weekend so the hotel could get miserable during the day and the pavement would be scorching. Lucky for us Laura, one of our friends here was at the house Fri morning for our weekly playdate which I was hosting and she said she and her girls would be willing to take care of Chip during the day and stay over at night. We have a/c in our bedrooms and they don't and the girls wanted to swim in our little pool to beat the heat so it was a win/win! Playdate over, Eric picked up early and things ready for having Luis and the Burnetts over for pizza and playtime (the kids played upstairs and the men 'played' in Eric's Man Room....watching TV and playing loud metal music whilst eating pizza and drinking beer) = no packing for our trip til morning time! Totally worth it!

Saturday morning came too early and I was in a rush to straighten up the house, change the sheets on the bed for Laura and her girls and get TJ and I packed and snacks together. It was a huge relief not to have to worry about Chip this time around so that helped. The Burnetts and Luis were here by 8:15 - time to nail down the hotel. Each new thing is a learning experience and this was no exception. Lesson for the day: if you want three rooms AND air conditioning, book early! After much juggling of sites and phone calls we finally got rooms at a Best Western, sans air conditioning. Oh well, you do what you have to do to have fun, right? Finally got on our way and made the drive, stopping for the required vingettes (it's like paying a toll to use certain major roads) and making a side trip to the airport to drop off the rental car Luis had been using and wouldn't need while he was doing training in the states til the end of Aug. John and Toni and gone on while we did the car rental thing so arrived at the hotel and got us all checked in. Nice! We scored parking on the street right in front (parking in Vienna can be costly and difficult) and we took our bags inside. The elevator was one of the old fashioned kind with a wooden door and little room for many people and luggage. Taking the stairs up three flights to our room seemed like a great idea until the elevator proved to be reliable.

As we walked up the marble steps we could feel the air become warmer and I wondered how it would be trying to sleep without the comfort of air conditioning. Eric worked the lock to our room with a combination of holding the handle at just the right angle, pushing on the door and jiggling the only key. Locks can be tricky in Eurpoe. The door swung open and I was instantly charmed by the beds neatly made with crisp white linen, the large wood framed windows that swung open into the room and the large tile and marble bathroom, complete with bidet! The slight breeze on my face gave me hope that air conditioning wouldn't be an issue. Anxious to start exploring, we unloaded our luggage, stashed a few things in the little fridge and headed down to the lobby to meet up with the gang.

As soon as we hit the street we felt fine drops of misty rain. No big deal - all of us were from Washington state at some point and this felt like home. Much better than hot and humid - we raised our umbrella's and set out to explore Vienna! I tried to take it all in, the sights, the sounds, the smells of this city. Such a mixture of past and present. I imagine everyone born to such a "young" country as America feels much as I do when walking amongst building that have been standing so long in a place that was a bustling city when the 13 colonies hadn't yet been established. The architecture is stunning. Church spires that soar towards heaven (as was the intention), statues carved in such amazing detail scattered throughout the city, gracing not only the parks and streets but also the tops of the buildings everywhere you look. Gargoyles glare fiercely next to intricately carved flowers and graceful arches adorned with amazing designs. Each building an obvious tribute to the purpose it was erected. The Theatre. The Opera. The Sciences. The Parliment. And then there are the fountains! Granite and marble, brushed in gold or left naked to show the beauty of the stone. Carved with elaborate robes, others barely draped to reveal immodest glimpses, many completely nude with only water cascading over marble skin. All glorious tributes to the human form and spirit.

After meandering through old Vienna for awhile (we never made it to the new part of the city I guess. Didn't realize this until we returned home and someone asked what we'd seen), the kids began to complain of being hot and tired. We had put the umbrella's away and the sun and humidity wrapped around us like a cloak. John and Toni suggested we catch one of the open car tours and we all jumped onboard. We drove in a large loop through the streets, passing historic buildings and learning a little bit about the most prominent ones. It was a perfect way to see the city while resting our feet and containing the kids. Totally worth the money!

When the tour was over we hopped off and began searching for a place to eat. Toni and I had purchased tickets from one of the costumed "Mozarts" in front of the Opera House for an early evening performance of Orchestra, Opera and Ballet. They promised we could attend dressed as is, the kids got in free and there would be air conditioning. Sold! Thanks to Eric's impeccable map reading and sense of direction, we made it through the walking district and found a restaurant that was not only across from the performance but also had a wonderful park for the kids to burn off their energy. Perfect!

The park had a zipline and even better, John jumped right in playing with the kids and kept them running, jumping, swinging and climbing while we crossed the street and ordered our food (always a long casual ordeal over here). By the time the food came the kids were hungry and thirsty and ready to settle down a bit. We barely had time to eat before we needed to head over for an hour and a half of Mozart and Strauss with Lauren and TJ. Johnny stayed with John, Eric and Luis - a trade that John felt was totally worth it not to have to endure opera and ballet. The palace was beautiful and ornate. I'll be honest, I was expecting more of a theater with descending rows and a large stage and cool air wafting over us. In reality it was a long beautiful room with rows of plush folding chairs facing a smallish raised stage with none of the promised air conditioning. The Viennese orchestra consisted of a flute, an oboe, a clarinet, some violins and cello's. The conductor was also a violinist and she stood in front as the rest were seated behind her. The next 1 1/2 hours drifted by with the music of Mozart and Strauss, a couple who came on stage every few songs to dance ballet and another couple who came on stage during other compositions to sing opera. I had to smile as I watched TJ struggling to be quiet and to realize that Eric had thought his son's first concert would more likely be closer to his genre of Metal than this one. TJ did remarkably well for a six year old boy and I enjoyed it all. After it was over we went back outside to wait for the guys to meet up with us. Walking back to the hotel we stopped at a little bakery for gelato and Sacher-Torte, a must try chocolate cake Vienna is famous for. A wonderful way to end an evening! It was John's birthday so the mommy's settled the kids in bed and the daddy's (and Luis) set out to a nearby bar for a few additional hours of fun and music. I laid in bed with the windows thrown wide, listening to the rain pound the pavement and thunder chase the lightening flashes, smiling to myself. I was in VIENNA!

Sunday morning came earlier than I would have liked with TJ whispering for me to wake up, he was hungry. Shortly afterwards I got a text from Toni saying her kids were up and raring to go. Being nice wives, we got the kids dressed and left our sleeping husbands to enjoy a little more quiet while we enjoyed the hotel breakfast. Besides the typical european offerings of rolls and meat and cheese and yogurt, we could also choose pastries and cereal, fruit, juices, milk and coffee and hot chocolate for the kids. I could really get used to coming downstairs each morning to find a beautiful breakfast waiting for us and someone bringing us whatever we asked for! It was still a bit drizzly but not enough to keep us from walking the kids to a nearby park. They were disappointed it wasn't the really fun one with the zipline, but as kids always do, they made the best of it and managed to have fun regardless. Soon Eric and Luis joined us at the park and eventually we walked back to the hotel to wake up John, get packed and check out. The plan had been to stop at the outlet Mall on the way home but like many places of business in Europe, it is closed on Sunday. A bit anti-climatic, but still a wonderful weekend.

One of the things I loved was to watch the kids skip ahead through the streets and splash each other as they leaned over the fountains - oblivious to the history but alive with the joy of this place. Love that we can bring Thomas to places like this, making his connection to the world more intimate, more concrete. Each new experience changes us and we are hoping to make his life richer and his view point more open with each opportunity.

Tuesday and Wednesday

Tuesday - Jumped in the shower first thing and soon wondered why I bothered. It's so hot and humid lately that you always have a thin layer of sweat on your skin. No moisturizer needed! I am finding I need to get more sundresses as that is the coolest thing to wear. TJ was bouncing off the walls waiting for it to be time for Toni and the kids to stop by and take us over to Kelly's. Another day to play with Lauren and the little kids under the watchful eye of Kelly's nanny meant another fun mommy's day out with the girls - we were all happy campers!

Soon we had the kids settled (if you can call having them run wild in Kelly's backyard settled) and Kelly, Toni and I climbed into Summer's SUV for our outing to Gyor. I'm not usually much of a shopper but having a chance to do more than walk by all those fun shops on the walking street (like I do when I go with Eric) was going to be fun. Sumer was making it a girl day with her 3 1/2 year old Jocelyn and I found myself in the seat next to her on our way to Gyor. When you think of a day out without kids it doesn't sound fun to have a 3 year old tag along, but she is so adorable it was fun. When childless couples begin longing to reproduce, this child is what they are envisioning. She is sweet and quiet and happy to be coming along. Sumer claims that much of the credit goes to the early schooling in the Hungarian pre-school and Kindergarten. The children are kindly but firmly expected to take turns, be respectful and follow instructions. She could be right that some of that helped, but I think combined with good parenting that Jocie basically came this way.

Gyor is so beautiful with it's centuries old buildings and flowers everywhere. The walking street is perfect to just stroll and talk and wander in and out of shops. I even tried on a few things and ended up buying some shorts and a top. I assumed they accepted visa (wrong, silly me) but luckily I had enough forint on me. We made the mandatory stop to get gelato (to die for here and sooooo cheap) and then a few more shops. None are air conditioned so you really have to find something you love to be motivated enough to try things on - after the first shop I was done, but it was fun watching the others. By the time we got to the big plaza we were ready to eat and picked a restaurant that had outdoor seating with plenty of shade. I ordered the salmon for the first time since moving to this land-locked country and was delighted to find it cooked perfectly. Lunch of course was like every restaurant meal here, long and casual. Thank heavens the nanny was happy to stay longer so we could extend our fun. By the time we got back to pick up the kids and go back home we were all wiped out. I told TJ he could watch TV or play his Wii but that I was going to take a nap in my cool air conditioned bedroom! As it turned out I only slept for about 10 min but it felt good to just relax. When I woke up I saw I had missed a call from an unknown number. I flipped on the computer to check Facebook (a major source of communication here with each other) and saw a message about a girls night of dinner and a movie (DVD of course) that had been thrown together as a last one for Dawn before she left for the states. A quick check with Eric to make sure he was up to have TJ and Sean for the evening, a change into a cool shirt (my pj top wouldn't fly) and Dawn swung by to get me for another girls night out. FUN!

Dinner was at The Storks Nest (the first place Eric, TJ and I ate the day we arrived in Papa) which is aptly named due to the giant stork nest on the roofs' chimney, complete with stork and babies. We ate outside and were treated to the mama stork's interesting sound when she landed to to feed the babies. I found it fascinating and borrowed Kelly's camera to take several pics. She was less than thrilled by the stork - she hates birds of all kinds but finds large ones with long beaks particularly creepy. Dinner was a few hours long followed by walking over to The Family Center and picking from their selection of movies. We settled on Alex and Emma (or is it Emma and Alex???) which turned out to be looooonnnnggg and booorrrriiinnnnggg. It got to the point where we had invested too much of our lives watching it to just turn it off so we put on the sub-title feature and fast forward until it mercifully concluded. It was fun nonetheless. I met a few new women from the HAW and got to share Dawn's last movie night. Too bad it was spent watching such a boring movie. By the time I got back home Eric had dropped Sean off to his dad, tucked TJ in to bed and was fast asleep himself.

Wednesday - Another early morning taking Eric to work. I sooooo want to find a cheap 2nd car he can drive back and forth to work in, especially before winter! I needed the car because it was the weekly playdate at The Thermal Baths. It was so much hotter than last week so we swam in the outdoor pools. TJ is doing so well simming under water that I think by the end of summer he'll be able to be in water over his head. If not then he'll probably get the whole swimming with his head above the surface in swim class during school. After awhile Dawn offered to keep an eye on TJ so I could swim a few laps in the deep pool. Wow, I feel like I've really recovered from my surgery in March until I do something like that. My stomach muscles are sooooo weak! I need to go swim laps every morning to stretch out and get strong again - maybe when Patty comes. After several hours of swimming and going down the outdoor slide things started to get crowded. Large busloads of kids were arriving and soon it felt like all the people in Papa that weren't at work were coming to the pool. Can't blame them, it's a great way to beat the heat!

We finally pulled the kids away from the water and had lunch at the little cafe attached to the Thermal Baths. When we got home, TJ and I both sighed with relief to be in our nice cool house. I told him no more playdates for the rest of the day, but then the phone rang and Aga was calling on behalf of Sandor. He had Panka at the house and wanted to know if TJ could come over and play. It was too hot to go out again and besides, he was always going there, so I had Aga ask if she could instead come to our house until I went to pick Eric up from work. Not long after Sandor and G delievered Panka and the kids ran off to play. I chatted with the guys for a bit about not wanting Eric to simply get a scooter to get back and forth to work because he can't drive it in bad weather (which is when I most want to NOT have to take him to work). I told them I was pushing a Maruti on him but Sandor said we need to look at Trabant's instead. They are much cooler beater cars than Maruti's I guess, although to me they look about the same. It was good to get this opinion I could pass on to Eric. I don't care what kind of car he gets as long as it makes it to the base and back every work day for the next 2 years!

After the kids played in our pool and then chased around the house with nerf guns, I dropped Panka off and picked up Eric. We had a relaxing evening of puttering around the house, organizing a few things and visiting with Eve and Tamara when they stopped by to get the rent. We showed them the dirt piles that keep springing up in the lawn from some little critter, likely a mole or something. Apparently they have fought the beast for years to no avail. They showed us the latest weapon, a small alarm mounted on the garage that emits a high pitched noise that is suppose to drive all such critters away. Obviously it's not working. Eric stomped the mounds down last night but I noticed a fresh one has risen in the same location this morning (Thursday). I am beginning to take it personally and am going to read up on what our next move could be.

Herends

I have two minutes to post this so it's actually current. Took a mommy day sans kids. Toni and I dropped our kids off at Kelly's so her nanny could watch them all and along with Cherub and Logan (who is too small and too cute to leave with the nanny) came along on our tour of Herends Porcelain Factory in Herend, Hungary. It was nice getting away without the kids and the factory was really interesting. Makde me appreciate the beautiful porcelain so much more after seeing how much work goes into each piece (although not enough to pay for any of the finer stuff - very pricey). Made me think of my mama so much, she would have loved being there today and seeing it all. It was very much her style!

Got back by 2 (the nanny had a date we needed to get back for) and I picked up Sean to come play with TJ while I waited for the dishwasher repairman to come see if ours could be fixed. He finally arrived about the same time Eric got home from work and with only a few mishaps due to not speaking the same language, it got fixed.

We all had such a fun day and the kids enjoyed playing so much we're going to do another mommy's day out tomorrow, but this time to Gyor. All those shops in the walking district are calling to us!

TJ is tucked into bed and sleeping peacefully, Eric is reading in bed and beginning to doze and here I sit, torn between wanting to go upstairs and crawl into bed and needing to get this blog caught up. Sleep can wait (can't it always?)

Wednesday - June 23rd brought the movers with all the rest of our household goods as well as our shipment from Aviano (fridge, microwave, washer and dryer, wadrobes and most important - AFN receiver and dish to get a few US TV stations!). Busy, hectic day. I'm sure the neighbors on our very narrow street were less than thrilled to have the big moving truck parked all day in front of the house and virtually blocking the road. Unlike NJ, in Papa we have to pay for garbage removal by the square meter so it was necessary to have the movers unbox and unwrap as much as possible and haul it off. The main problem with this is suddenly all our stuff was piled in rooms all over the house without benefit of a neatly labelled box saying what was inside and where it went. I can't even begin to describe how overwhelming it is to end the day walking from room to room faced with mountains of stuff and no idea where you're going to put it. It felt like I had been dropped into an episode of "Hoarder's - Best of the Worst!" I just wanted to walk out and lock the door behind me!

Friday - June 25th, 2010 was a party at Sandor's. I can't remember if I have mentioned that although our ex-landlords name is pronounced Shandor, it is actually spelled Sandor (S is pronounced Sh in Hungarian), so I will be careful to write it correctly from now on. Anyway, with his wine cellar/party room and covered patio it's a great place for our parties. He continues to develop it making more improvements every time we go back! The playground for the kids is complete and makes it great to bring the entire family to the get-togethers. It was great meeting more of the people from the HAW and to have a chance to hang out with my Hungarian friends as well. For a time I sat on the patio with Sumer, Aga, Jeannie (I need to find out how to spell her name - it's pronounced zsa-nay), Sandor and G (we can never pronounce his sons name so it's G from now on). With the help of Aga and G translating I learned a few things about Gypsies. I didn't realize that there are both Romainian Gypsies (whose women tend to wear the bright colored long sleeve blouses and long colorful skirts) and Hungarian Gypsies (who tend to have darker complexions and wear tighter clothing). It was interesting to hear their stories and opinions, to discover that dogs are good to have because gypsies are afraid of them, and it's often safer to live by them than in a neighborhood where none live, because as I was told, "Gypsies don't steal from their neighbors!" I laughingly said I needed to hire a few to come take all my stuff so I didn't have to figure out where in my house to put things. Sandor's immediate reply, "How do you know they aren't there right now doing just that?" LOL Aga even offered to teach me a good Polish curse so if I ever offend a gypsy and they put a curse on me, I can yell one even better back! As the night wore on I was cajoled into trying Palinka for the first time. Not a fan!

I know we were busy doing something every single day through the end of the month but I can't remember when we did what. I know there was a trip to Gyor where we went to McDonalds, much to TJ's delight. We also stumbled upon a small festival with knights and swords. TJ got to do a little sword fighting, despite the fact they all spoke only Hungarian. We had The Lingens over for a playdate and Sean (8) and Amy
(11) hung out in the pool with TJ while Dawn and I talked about McGuire and Papa. TJ got the courage to actually put his face in the water and then learned to hold his breath and swim under water. He now wants to spend all his free time in the pool! It's been delightful to watch him go from being fearful to fearless.

Friday - July 2nd, 2010 - another party at Sandor's! They are all fun, but this one was exceptional. John's wife and kids had flown in on Wednesday from WA state for a two month visit. Eric and John hit it off from the very beginning, their friendship nurtured on their shared love of Heavy Metal bands and WA state. We'd been anticipating the arrival of Toni (his wife) and Lauren (6) and Johnny (2 1/2) for a few weeks so it was great finally meeting them. TJ and Lauren were already friends since Eric had taken him to John's the evening before so they ran off to play while Toni and I got a chance to talk. I could tell right away that this was a person I was going to enjoy hanging out with. She's really laid back, easy to talk to and interesting. A few of the girls decided it would be fun to have a girls night out so we got our husbands on-board to watch the kids and we walked downtown for dinner. It's been a long time since I've done something like that - it was a blast. There were 6 of us in our group but lots more from the HAW at the restaurant. As we got talking we found out that all of us had huge WA state connections. In fact I think I was the only one who hadn't grown up and gone to school in WA! It felt a little surreal to realize that I was making friends in Hungary that I will maintain when we move back to WA. Funny how life happens. We ended up taking the party to a little basement bar a few blocks away and just hung out and talked as more people joined our group, also from WA. LOL We finally walked back to Sandor's to get the kids and our husbands by midnight and get back home. We needed to get some sleep so we could go to the big Independence Day celebration the next day!

Saturday - July 3rd, 2010 I tried to sleep in but that didn't happen. Got a few things done around the house and got packed up for the party and our overnight stay. Around 3 PM the Burnett's and Luis met us at the house and we caravaned about 30 miles away to The Brown's. They live in a beautiful home overlooking a valley that looks like Tuscany (at least like Tuscany looks in the movies I've seen). We had made reservations at their landlord's Panzio next door (it's like a hotel/bed and breakfast with a dining room that serves breakfast). We got checked in and put Chip's dog bed and food in the room, then we all went up the hill to the party. They hosted a July 4th party last year so everyone who has been here since the beginning was familar with their place. It was fun to have such a big mix of people from different countries sharing their favorite dishes. The food was amazing and never ending and everyone seemed to have a great time. They had a bouncy house and face painting/temporary tattoos for the kids and they all had a blast running around. Chip went to the party at first but it was hot and there were so many people he soon became nervous and tired. As much as I knew he would hate being separated from me and left alone in the room. I knew it would be far better than him having to deal with so much going on, so I took him to the Panzio, turned the fan on and left him in our quiet room. Later on when things wound down and it cooled off I brought him back and he was fine. It was such a fun party and so nice not to have to make the drive home when we were all tired and ready for bed.

The next morning all of us that stayed at the Panzio (5 families in all) ended up down eating breakfast around the same time, then went back up to the Browns to hang out, enjoy Dunkin Donuts coffee and chat for a bit before heading home. We had a few hours to get organized before the Burnetts and Luis came for a little BBQ in honor of the 4th. Fun weekend!!!

The next week consisted of play dates and swimming at the Thermal Baths (awesome pools in Papa) and very little cleaning and organizing of the house. We're just having way too much fun to stay home! Eric got to fly for the first time from Papa -left early Monday morning (TJ and I took him to the base at 1:30 AM....yawn) and got back Thursday early evening.

Friday, July 6th, 2010 No party at Sandor's, weird, huh? I had planned on having leftovers for dinner so when Eric suggested we could go out I jumped at the chance. We ended up meeting up with Luis, The Langs and the Burnetts and ran into a few other couples there as well. It's a kid friendly restaurant with a little TV playing kids shows in a small room upfront, so the adults sat outside talking while the kids hung out, watched TV and played. It's such a different environment here, so casual. We hung out for almost an hour before they took our order, then dinner was long and casual with the kids eating then going back to their area while we took our time. It was a relaxed 3 hour meal with no one needing to rush back to watch a show or something they DVR'd. I love this place and our life.

Saturday and Sunday were the slowest we've had since moving here - but only because Eric insisted on NOT making plans to go away anywhere. It was kind of nice actually. We did end up making a trip in to Gyor on Saturday since we had several things we needed for the house. Took Luis with us since he hasn't ever been there yet and won't be here much longer. Found the walking street and several of the more famous statues and building in Gyor. It's a beautiful city with some fun shops and restaurants and gelato stands everywhere!!! It was a hot day but fun.

Catching Up - June 16th - 22nd

We were without internet for over 2 weeks so I started just writing my blog on word with the intention of keeping track every day....but that didn't happen. So here are the few posts that I wrote and I will do a new one from memory. I also have some new pics to add to the photo's at the bottom of the page but I need to remember how to add them. :-)

Wednesday, June 16, 2010
We moved to the house yesterday and slept here for the first time last night. TJ was soooooo excited! He kept telling us how much he loved our new house. I think part of the charm is he was excited to have so much space after living in a one bedroom apartment for 1 ½ weeks. Even more, he likes how accessible Eric and I are to him all of a sudden. We took breaks sitting together on the porch swing, He and I played WAR on the couch (thank you USO in Philly for the deck of cards) and his favorite activity – he and Eric spent an house riding on the scooters around the large detatched garage and down the long driveway. There’s NOTHING better than fun time with daddy!
Eric and I were discussing the sad fact that among all the other things that are on the boat in our household goods is our cork screw, making it difficult to toast our first night in our Hungarian home with our newly bought Hungarian wine (from the Balaton region, thank you very much)! Eric was debating if he wanted to make a run to the store to get a cheap cork screw when TJ announced we should have a party! I asked him how we would go about having a party and he suggested that we go outside on the porch swing and drink. Eric and I looked at each other a bit sheepishly at this and I hesitantly asked him what he thought we should drink. He thought for a minute and then suggested, “soda?” With a sigh of relief from the parents, Eric asked if he thought they should run to the store for some of the yummy orange soda they liked along with some ice cream to make orange cream floats!? He was totally onboard! So daddy and TJ went to the store, got the goodies (along with the necessary corkscrew) and after returning and a much needed bath for TJ (so much for those showers that he loooovvvveed), the 3 of us sat out on the porch swing, ate orange cream floats and took turns saying what we loved about living in Hungary. It ended up being a pretty perfect first day, all things considered.
TJ was excited to sleep in his new room in his new bed. I had had the foresight to pack his favorite airplane sheets and comforter and the pillow with our family picture on the pillow case, so even though it was so new it also felt very comfy to him. Eric laid by him and talked about guys stuff while I showered. By the time I was out, TJ was asleep and Chip had been carried up the open wooden staircase (which freaked the poor dog out). Nice!


Thursday, June 17, 2010
Owwww – chhhhhhh! Waking up this morning was painful. The mattress on the bed the home owners left for us while we wait for our furniture is terrible! It is only slightly better than box springs. I had major surgery the first of March and my body still needs to be pampered. The beds at the apt were very new and very European (i.e. FIRM) but 1000% better than the one here. Regardless of how I felt, TJ and I needed to get going as we were taking Eric into work today. The air conditioner guys were coming at 9 AM to install 2 new units in our bedrooms upstairs, but I figured when they were done TJ and I could take the car and go on an adventure – code for exploring new territory. After dropping Eric off outside the gate at the base, we hurried home and got a few things don while we had the house to ourselves. Around 8:45 AM I heard a car stop and saw a dark haired girl get out. The driver left and she remained in front of the house. Hmmmm TJ and I discussed who this stranger might be. His guesses were interesting but my guess that it was our landlords college age English speaking daughter was the correct one. I went outside to confirm my guess. She said her dad had dropped her off but had neglected to tell her why she was there. It made me laugh. I explained that I suspected she was going to be our interpreter and that workers would be arriving soon. We stood outside waiting and getting to know each other.
It was wonderful to have someone to ask many of the questions we had had (like how old the house was and how close her parents lived). She had just graduated with her Bachelor’s in Psychology and was planning on going for a Masters in the fall. She would be living with her parents over the summer which meant we would have someone to translate for us for the next several months. After awhile she excused herself, explaining she had to study for some tests. I suspected that she had stayed as long as she had out of politeness. Selfishly, I didn’t care. It was nice having her to visit with and make that connection. When she was leaving she mentioned she would like to return sometime to play with TJ, possibly bring a 10 yr old cousin with her as well. I asked if she babysat. She said not for money, just because she enjoys children. WOW I had promised TJ we would go on an adventure when the workers were done, but they finished barely in time for us to run to Inter Spar for some dinner and then to the base to get Eric. Sometimes adventures must wait til another day. On the way home Eric reminded me he was going to Vienna in a few hours to pick Dan and Cherub up from the airport. Good. I’m anxious to meet them in person.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010
It’s funny how not being connected to the internet has changed my focus on keeping up with my blog. Even though I know I can cut and paste this from a word document once I’m re-connected. Somehow it’s not the same and I have lost the intensity. I guess the instant gratification of having it posted is part of the draw, not just keeping track of our experience. So almost a week since my last post I will attempt to capture the highlights. Last Thurs when Eric got back from the airport he had the most wonderful thing in the world under his arm…a thick foam mattress topper! He had mentioned to the Langs that I was needing something to cushion my poor body from the hard mattress that was on our bed. They offered to let us borrow the foam and I have slept wonderfully ever since! On Friday a guy came to install screens on two of the three sun room windows. We can now get a breeze from that direction sans mosquitoes. For dinner we went to pick up John to go to dinner. Once there I discovered (I say I, and not we because I suspect this was no surprise to my sneaky husband) that he was hanging out with his neighbor and fellow military guy who had tickets to attend a huge metal concert in Prague, and was working on getting 2 more tickets so John and Eric could go as well. Of course Eric was playing all innocent and making sure I was ok with it, but I get the feeling that was more out of coutesy than anything else. LOL So we left John behind to get things worked out and Eric, TJ and I went to the Hotel Classica for dinner. I wanted to try it because this is the place we would have stayed if Dan hadn’t hooked us up at Shandor’s apartment. We sat outside (of course) and ordered our meal. This was a little more expensive than most of the other places we have eaten at but they had a big flat screen playing the soccer game – USA vs some other country (I’m not yet a fan – I’m sure I’ll pick it up though). Shortly after our drinks came but before our meal the skies began to get dark, the wind picked up and the rain began. We were under cover so I wasn’t too worried, but then a few people came out to turn off the TV and cover it. Before they were done a bright flash of light was followed almost immediately by a giant clap of thunder (the kind that deafens you) and we decided it might be safer to go inside after all. The food was fine, although not remarkable. The highlight of the meal was that TJ tried his huge mound of mashed potatoes and declared them WONDERFUL! The child hasn’t allowed a mashed potato to pass his lips since he was 2 ½….Hungary is doing great things for his appetite!