Austria Trip - Squishing Apricots

Must've been up too late last night because I got up later than usual this morning. The shower felt nice and I got ready for the day. When I came downstairs, Todd had krapfen waiting on the table.  These are basically donuts, but oh so much better! Taigen and Benny were already sitting and enjoying them, so I had better hurry if I want some too. Ha!

Today was Candie's last day in Austria. She needed to get back to South Africa to be with her husband. Sarah had gone out for coffee and breakfast with her. I was invited to go, but I opted to let them have their time alone. When they came home, we all chatted until it was time to take Candie to the airport. Breakfast dishes awaited when they left so I cleaned those up and then helped fold laundry.

Tammy asked if I would like to take a walk up the street and see her apartment. This is happily situated not too far from the Hudsons. Maybe a three minute walk. It is so cute! It is a perfect situation for her since she does a lot of helping around at the Hudsons. I'm sure it's nice to be so close. Tammy pointed to the different apartments surrounding hers and mentioned certain people by name that she's had contact with. As we talked I thought that it was good to get a feel for the ministry from her perspective as well.  It is very apparent that she loves the Hudsons and is desirous to come back full-time as soon as possible. They are all such a good fit.

When Sarah came back, we got some coffee and decided to do some squishing. Yes, squishing. Apricots. It was apricot season here and someone came and left three very large containers full of apricot drops. Sarah had asked folks at the church picnic to pick through them and take some home. She was begging them to take them! They did, but even after they were done, there were tons left over. It was an overwhelming task for Sarah to even think about. I told her if she would man me with a bowl, I would do it. Tammy was looking up a jam recipe and Meg was going to be making dinner for that night. Sarah got us some bowls and it was decided that we would sit and chat and squish the ripe fruit. Now, you might ask, "Why squish? Shouldn't you peel it?" Well, typically, that is what is done, but since the fruit was so ripe and they were drops anyway, they were particularly soft. So we simply squished it through our hands and tried to get all the peel off, the seed out and the fruit in the bowl. It was quite an undertaking! Both of us got completely filthy. In fact, I got so juicy, and slimy and fruity that my arm started sticking to the table. Whenever I lifted it up, it made a velcro-like noise. It was so hilarious. I can honestly say that it was so much fun. I got Sarah all to myself for that time, and loved the conversation. Just look at these photos! You can tell I was loving life!

Taigen and Todd went off to get lunch and they came back with Kebabs. These are delicious. I'm think they are actually middle eastern in origin, but they are quite popular in Vienna. It's basically meat that's been on an upright rotisserie of sorts, then sliced off thinly into a pita bread (think gyro). They add lettuce & tomato and then there's some sort of mystery sauce in it. I didn't ask what the sauce was. I just ate it all up and let's just say it was all good!

After lunch, Sarah and I finished up with the apricots and Tammy made two huge batches of yummy jam. Meg got busy making her mom's cheesy meatloaf. While she was busy in the kitchen, Sarah went to take a nap. I was so glad for her sake that she could get some rest. She definitely needed it. For the first time on this trip, we were able to Skype Marshall and Shaylen. They looked so good! I wanted to cry because I missed them so much, but I had to hold it together while I was talking to them. Can't wait to see, hug & smooch my two favorite little buddies! Jon and Janelle are taking excellent care of them and so I know I have nothing to worry about.

Dinner was excellent: cheesy meatloaf, mashed potatoes, fresh bread and salad. Meg did a fantastic job of preparing it for all of us. I'm not thinking there were many leftovers, if any.

After dinner, Todd asked if Taigen and I could sing "Fels des Heils" again (Rock of Ages). He wanted to record it for something. This then turned into a big singspiration time that was so neat. We sang some of our duets and solos that we had brought along, then we sang out of the German hymnal with Sarah, Meg & Claire. Tammy is an excellent sightreader, so she whipped out the accompaniments with no problems. I loved this time and it is now such a special memory for me.

Todd served us all his very special chocolate cake with coffee/chocolate frosting after our song time. WOW! This was so rich and decadent. By now it was late and we had been busy all day. I loved sitting at the table and just glancing at faces as we laughed, joked, listened to stories, or just talked. This is a great combination (Hudsons, Meg & Tammy) and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to come and see for myself their special ministry. I am going to miss being with them.