Austria Trip - Good Ol' Terra Firma

The flight from Finland to Vienna went just as smoothly as the first Finnair flight. The leg room on these planes is to be commended. When taking off from Finland I viewed the beautiful landscape. Lots of trees, lots of water. It is the "Land of a Thousand Lakes." It's beautiful. I'd love to come back to Finland some day (other than our return trip...in which we have an overnight layover) and view it all.

We had a wonderful meal on this flight. It was a curry chicken salad sandwich on dense bread. Delicious! I was able to sleep on this flight as well and woke up to us descending into Austria. It was a beautiful, drizzly day, and cool. We got off the plane and wove through the airport. We didn't have to go through customs or anything. My only disappointment in that was that I wouldn't get another stamp in my passport (trivial, I know).

Candie & Crystal

We walked out of the main terminal and found Todd waiting for us. He was a welcome sight to these two weary travelers. By now the adrenaline had kicked in and we were ready & excited for what awaited us. Todd & Sarah had informed us before we left that they had a Bible study/Prayer meeting on Friday nights. We would be whisked away from the airport and ushered into the church service. I dressed accordingly in a comfortable linen skirt. We told Todd that we hoped we wouldn't make him late for church! He said that the service had been cancelled. Hopefully he didn't do that on our account! He assured us that after a busy week of Kids' Club (their equivalent of VBS), some had notified them that they weren't going to be attending, some were out of town and others were attending some other event that night. So, they didn't feel guilty in cancelling.

Todd drove us home and I took in the scenery. It seemed industrial at first but once we got to the heart of Vienna, I was in awe of the beauty. Todd deliberately drove us by many landmarks and told us what they were (Mozart's memorial, Habsburg Palace, cathedrals). It was amazing.

Meg, Crystal & Tammy

When we arrived home, we were met by Sarah, Nate (the oldest son), Benny (the youngest in the family) and family friends Meg, Tammy and Candie. Meg and Tammy have both served here in Vienna as short-term missionaries. Tammy is going to be headed back to the states here soon to raise support so she can come back full-time (Anyone needing to take on another missionary for support? She's your girl!). Meg and Tammy, I was to learn, are tremendous helpers to Todd & Sarah, both in the church and in the home. Dishes, laundry and cleaning just magically get done when they are around. Candie is a friend visiting from South Africa. She and her husband (they are U.S. citizens) had been in Vienna for a term on business and just loved the Hudsons and their ministry. His work then took them to South Africa, but she was up for a visit. It was a joy to meet her. I instantly fell in love with these three ladies. I knew Tammy from college, but this would be the most concentrated amount of time that I've ever had with her.

The table was set for dinner. It was now pushing 8:30, but they had all waited to eat until we got there. Sarah had made some hearty, delicious stew and the warm meal felt comforting and nourishing. The laughter around the table was contagious and we fit right in. Todd and Taigen have similar senses of humor so I now have my work cut out for me. I could see they would be a bad influence on each other. Ha ha!

During the discussion around dinner, Todd and Sarah expressed an interest in showing us some of Vienna. They had just finished up with an exhausting week and needed a little break from work themselves. What should we do? Well, it came out that Otto van Habsburg had died (July 4th) and his funeral was going to be Saturday (the 16th). Traffic would be crazy around the inner circle of Vienna so it was determined that we would avoid it. Apparently, Otto was the last of the remaining heads of the royal Habsburg family. His body was going to be buried in Vienna, but (get this) his heart would be buried in Hungary. Odd tradition, hmmm?

We let the Hudsons decide what to do and they sent us off upstairs to our bedroom. It really is Kathryn and Claire's bedroom (they were over at friends' houses), and they graciously gave it up so we could use it. We were very comfortable! We finally got access to wi-fi. We downloaded all of our emails, sent off news to various and sundry family members, and updated our Facebook statuses so that all knew we were safe and sound. After a busy two days, we were ready for a good night's rest. It was good to be in Vienna.

Note: These pictures that I'm adding aren't necessarily from this day, but I took SO many that I thought I would add them here.

Austria Trip - Finland (Helsinki Vantaa Airport)

We got onto our flight for Finland and the first thing I noticed was the super-friendly staff. While the entire trip was booked through Finnair, our first leg was American Airlines. This flight that we were now on  was actually a Finnair plane, run by Finnish staff. They even looked Scandinavian! Each flight attendant had blond hair.

The second thing I noticed when I sat down. There was more leg room!!! This might not seem like a huge deal to you, but to me it was nothing but pure luxury. Thank you, Lord! I sat there relaxing immediately. Finnair plays some nebulous sounding relaxing music as you get on that accompanies a slideshow on the TV monitors. Pictures of Finland were scrolling, the music was playing and I was already starting to nod.

We took off and started into the flight. I was already falling asleep when one of the flight attendants asked Taigen and me if we would like to go to an empty row and spread out for comfort. Would we?!?!? This was a blessing. We hadn't asked at all. This dumbfounded us, but of course we accepted. I was able to sleep immediately following the yummy meal until almost touchdown in Finland. That sleep was much needed and felt so good.

In Finland, the airport was clean and pretty quiet. It was very easy to find our way around. We had to go through customs and I got my first official stamp in the passport. Even the customs agent was friendly! Helsinki-Vantaa Airport is a major hub for those continuing their travel to Asia (specifically to the Orient). I loved listening to all of the different languages and really enjoyed reading...or attempting to read the Finnish language. So many vowels! Some languages you can somewhat make out what is being said, but here, I didn't have a clue. Thankfully, they marked things in English as well so we could still find our way.

We got to our gate and tried again, unsuccessfully to connect to the free wi-fi to let our folks back home know we were alive and kicking (though...a with a little less energy). I brushed my hair and pulled it back in clips and also brushed my teeth. I freshened up my make-up so that we wouldn't scare the Hudsons when we arrived.

Only one more leg of this trip!

Austria Trip - The Long Journey Across the Pond

On Thursday we got up and leisurely got ready. Our flight wasn't going to leave until that evening so we had almost a whole day to enjoy Jon and Janelle's company. We had slept in the guest room to spare me the trouble of washing two sets of sheets the day we were to leave.

The plan was to leave the house in time to make it to C&J Bus Terminal in Dover by 3:30 to catch our ride into Boston. Since we were travelling internationally, we wanted to give ourselves two hours at the airport to check in, go through security and then board at 7:30. The benefit of traveling by bus was that we could park there for free, no one would have to make the long haul into the city to drop us off and then pick us up!

I loved traveling by bus. It had free wi-fi and enabled us to finally catch our breath from a hectic week prior to our leaving. We shot off last minute emails and watched The Addams Family reruns that were showing on the TV screens on the bus. My mind was going a million miles a second. Now, if only the flight would go that fast, eh?

We made it into Boston on time and got checked in. We blitzed through security and didn't have to have the pat-down or the "special" screening via the body scanners. It pays to take off the belts, shoes, watches, etc.

Once in our terminal we waited. Our first leg of the journey would be a six and a half hours. We were headed to London! It was recommended to us to set our watches to where we were going and try to set our body clocks to that time as well. Once on the plane our first goal was to go to sleep! This is a great goal and would've been a little more probable if there had been a skosh more room for my knees. We deliberately purchased aisle seats so that at least we could stand and stretch occasionally. Six hours is a long time to sit with your knees rubbing against the seat in front of you. Taigen, who has the odd knack of being able to sleep ANYWHERE, fell asleep as if on cue. I nodded off here and there. Finally, after about 5 hours I put a pillow between my knees and the seat in front of me and that helped considerably. I fell asleep.

London was foggy and rainy. Big surprise there, hmm? I didn't care. I was in England and SO excited! We disembarked and navigated our way through the airport. There's construction going on at London Heathrow so it seemed a little crazy. We went through security again (which wasn't as tight as in the US) and made our way toward the right terminal. Funny thing about London Heathrow. They don't post the gate of your flight until about 40 minutes before take-off. You're herded into this mall-like area where you wait with everyone else. Maybe this is because of construction, but to me, it seemed like a deliberate decision to get people to frequent the stores. The first item on my agenda: Starbucks. I had my gift-card left over from Christmas that I used. Coffee never tasted SO good. I was exhausted, but jubilant to be there. The shops weren't your typical airport stores. They had places like Cartier, Tiffany's, Harrods, Burberry, Chanel, Armani, Gucci and the like. Do people really get off the planes and think, "I'm going to go into Cartier and buy a watch"? Maybe I'm just an ol' girl from the sticks, but this seems outlandish to me. My big splurge was a tall mocha at Starbucks with my leftover gift card from Christmas!

We went into one of the stores (the duty-free, souvenir-type one) and looked around. Taigen ended up getting Marshall and Shaylen a small magnet for the fridge. Nothing else really struck our fancy, but we wanted to get them something from England. We sat down in the common area and in the middle of the hustle and bustle, I nodded off. I didn't fall asleep, mind you, but my body sure wanted to. Even though it was posted that there was free wi-fi, we were unable to connect and let people know we arrived safely. I guess they'd figure we made it if nothing appeared on the news.

Finally our gate was posted and we went to catch our flight to Helsinki. Only two more legs to go and we'd arrive in Vienna!

Austria Trip - Preparation

The past two or three years, we have had several of our church's missionaries back in the states on furlough. It's always wonderful to get a glimpse into their ministry from the past four years. They usually show a DVD/Slideshow and preach. If any of you have read this blog for any amount of time, you know that we often have them into our home to stay, or at least in to eat a meal or two!

Two of the missionary families that came to our church at different points mentioned that if we really wanted a church that had a heart for missions, we needed to send the pastor and wife to visit their missionaries. This struck a chord with our Heritage family. The bug had been planted in our ears and plans started. There was money already allotted in the budget for such things, but nothing had ever come from it in the past. The question was raised in a meeting (both church business meeting and deacon's meeting) and we all realized that we were going to try to make this happen. It was very exciting.

I contacted two of our missionary wives that are in Austria and asked if it was even a possibility for Taigen and me to come for a visit. My thought was that if our church did go through with this, we could "kill two birds with one stone" on this very first pastoral missions trip. The two ladies (Sarah and Grace) responded positively and the planning started. The emails flew back and forth between the three of us and we finally came down on a set of dates that would work for all of us. We would aim for a trip that would take place mid-July. Now all I needed to do was procure a place for Marshall and Shaylen to stay, or someone to stay with them.

Offhandedly, I emailed Janelle and told her how I wished she was in NH. I could really use her. If anyone knows how this house runs and how Marshall and Shaylen tick, it's Janelle. I told her the dates that we would be gone and she said, "You know, I am going to be in town for a wedding." That set the emails flying back and forth with her as well and in a matter of a couple of days I was able to solidify that Jon and Janelle would come and stay with the kids! Isnt' God good? They would be out here on vacation for a week and a half and were willing to drag the kids along as they visited with family and friends. So, we had most of the time taken care of. There were four days left when Jon and Janelle would need to return to MI and the kid would need someone to watch them. We asked one of our families in the church if they would be willing to house Marshall and Shaylen during those days. We were so thankful when they agreed to do it. It is one of our deacons and his wife. They are both fantastic teachers and Marshall and Shaylen LOVE them. With them agreeing, everything was taken care of!

It was pretty nerve-wracking to click the "Purchase" button on the computer that booked our tickets. We found them for a pretty good deal, but that button sealed the deal. I have to admit, I did have butterflies in my stomach. I clicked the mouse and made the whole thing official. We would leave Thursday, July 14th from Boston, fly to London, then Helsinki (Finland) and eventually end up in Vienna, Austria on Friday evening. We would stay four days with the Hudsons, spend one night in a hotel (per a request from our deacons), and then finish up our visit by staying with the Sheltons on the other side of Vienna.

Taigen and I applied for our passports, asked several worldwide travelers for advice, and planned. The emails flew back and forth between the missionaries and us and we prepared ourselves to hit the ground running when we got there. We wanted to emphasize to them that we were not coming as tourists, but to come and encourage them. Whatever they wanted us to do, be it toilet cleaning, laundry, painting, whatever, we wanted to be a help and not a burden.

The weekend before we left we had a missionary family in. We really had a great time with them. They were excited about our upcoming trip and thought the whole thing was a great idea. Since we had company that weekend, I really didn't get a chance to think about the whole trip and what we would need to take until Monday afternoon and Tuesday. Finally on Wednesday night we had the suitcases filled, all the shopping done (for stuff to take over to our friends/missionaries) and we were ready to go. Jon and Janelle arrived and the excitement mounted.

Some of you might wonder about the twins. What was their response to all of this? Well, to be honest, that's why I was really wishing for Janelle to be in town. I knew that if she were here (and Uncle Jon), the kids would be perfectly fine. When we told Marshall and Shaylen that we would be headed to Austria and Jon and Janelle would be here with them, they were SO excited. We didn't get one whimper or tear. As the trip got closer I occasionally heard from Shaylen that she would miss me, but there were no worries. This is something that makes a Mommy's heart relieved!

History In the Making - I Love the Internet

I love the internet. It makes things so much easier. I consider it a valuable tool to do so many things. I can quickly do research on something for homeschooling. I can read articles. I can look up recipes. I catch up on the news without commercials, sell old curriculum on eBay, talk on the phone with someone in New Zealand, Austria, South Africa, Afghanistan. I can send a message instantaneously. Okay, okay. You get my point, but I really could go on and on. Do you know what else? The internet also makes me into Super Answer Mom. Many times the kids come up with these, "Hey Mom! Why..." and often enough, I am able to look it up on the internet via Google and procure the answer...within seconds. Ah! I love the internet.

With the help of the internet, the kids were able to watch history in the making today. We were able to watch via a live video stream, the last shuttle launch. The kids and I watched Atlantis soar into space for the last time today and it was an awesome experience to share with them. They were so excited to count down with NASA. Who said you can't homeschool during the summer? We sure did, from the comfort of our kitchen and with a little help from our computer and the good ol' internet. It was awesome!

29 Years Old...Plus Tax

Well, there's no avoiding it. As hard as I try every year, July 5th always arrives and with it, I turn one year older. Taigen and the twins, and family hither and yon (and many, many well-wishes from my friends on Facebook) made my day extra special. I got breakfast in bed and a delicious dinner made by my husband. I didn't have to lift a finger (well, I actually made the dessert the night before, but that's because Taigen doesn't know how to make peanut butter pie). It was a I-am-so-spoiled-rotten-and-loved day.

Fourth of July Festivities

Dear friends from church invited us up to their place to enjoy the Fourth of July with them. They were headed to the lake nearby and wanted us to join them for some kayaking and canoeing and swimming for the kiddos. Afterwards, there would be a grill-out back at their house. It sounded like a wonderful fun-filled day. Taigen was going to join us later on in the day because he was taking our teens up to The Wilds of New England for a week of camp. I gathered up drinks, cookies and chips and took off with the kids. I attempted to take the short-cut, but that ended up getting me lost. No matter, it didn't spoil our day.

The kids got to get into the lake and swim while the adults chatted. The swimming only lasted about 15 minutes before the life guards heard the approaching storm & accompanying thunder. Everyone was ordered out of the swimming area. It took a while, but the rain did come. We gathered up our stuff and dashed for the van. We got drenched! While we waited for the storm to pass, we passed around cookies and joked and laughed. The rain didn't last long and when it was gone, the air was so much cooler!

Eventually the kids got to go out in the canoe. They had a blast! They were asking on the way home when we could buy a boat. Ha!

After our fun in the sand and sun, we all drove back to the house and enjoyed a relaxing time of fellowship. The kids ran around and got sweaty, but had a blast. To their surprise, sparklers were pulled out at the end! It was such a terrific day and we loved the extra time spent with dear friends.

Fourth of July Buddies

Shaylen had gotten a hand-me-down dress that was perfect for the Fourth of July weekend. I just had to have her wear it on Sunday, July 3rd. We had a wonderful Sunday morning service and then a church potluck afterwards. It was a beautiful, warm day.

Home Vacation - The Final Day

Yes, I know I am almost a month late in posting this, but when the flurry of posts from July come through, you'll know why. I have a valid excuse, I promise.

Our final day of vacation happened to be Taigen's day off...Monday, July 1st. We headed over/down to Hampton Beach to view the sand sculptures from this year. I have to be honest and say we were a little disappointed this year. First of all, they moved them further down the walk so it was a long way from where we parked. Second of all, it was a very hot day. Did I mention how long the walk was from where we parked? Did I also mention that none of us had really good walking shoes on? Third of all, the sculptures were a little vague, so sometimes we were a little lost in deciphering what the artists were trying to communicate. Those that we DID understand were somewhat depressing. Anyway, the sculptures themselves were amazing, but I think we liked the advertising sculptures the best (see the last picture). I'm sure I could never do that! Here's hoping that next year's are a little more clear for interpretation and upbeat.

Home Vacation - Day Five

The kids so enjoy Legos and Playmobil. I enjoy it because they use their imaginations and they come up with the most hilarious scenarios! During our stay-at-home vacation one day when we couldn't go anywhere due to other obligations (i.e. my secretarial work in preparation for our upcoming trip to Austria), the kids put together something that Marshall got for Christmas this past year: a ferris wheel! It took them quite a while, but once it got done (with a little help from Mom and Dad), they had/and will continue to have hours of entertainment with it.

Home Vacation - Day Five

On Thursday, it was supposed to be rainy again, so we decided that today was the perfect day to trek on over to Manchester and visit the SEE Science Center. We've heard great things about it, but the most important thing we wanted to see was the ginormous Lego Millyard Project that they have displayed there. Marshall was so excited to see it, he almost glazed over all of the exhibits that they have set up.

On the upstairs level the had a big dental/tooth display, some mind puzzles and a play area for little kids. There were more mind puzzles, an open piano, a whisper chamber, a huge bubble maker, musical tubes, a robot and simplistic replica of a submarine. However, what we came to see was THE LEGOS!!! We were not disappointed.

Right as you come down the stairs it's there on the right. You cannot miss it and you are blown away at the size of it all! It is a replica of Manchester's mill town as it would have looked back in the early 1900's, complete with the minifigure ladies having dresses with bustles, mill, church, bank, homes, apartments, a marching band, farmer's market, baseball diamond, park, a barbershop quartet, an amusement park complete with roller coaster, ferris wheel and carosel and much, much more. I loved how they recreated the downtown and made sure to get every detail correct. It's so neat! I think we could've spent the entire time examining every aspect of this wonderful creation!

  

On our way home, we promised the kids that we would hit a McD's with a playland. They have been wanting to do this for SO long. We got our food and they scarfed it up quickly and headed in. Taigen and I were able to relax and chat as we watched them go in and out of the tunnels. It was a wonderful day!

Home Vacation - Day Four

Thursday was going to be rainy. At least that's what our Weather Channel app was saying, so we planned on an indoor activity. We decided to do something that the kids have never done before: bowling. We went to our local bowling alley. They have both candlepin bowling and (what I call) regular bowling, or ten-pin bowling. (Never heard of candlepin bowling? You have GOT to click on the link I provided and learn more! If you're ever in the area, you should try it. I'm thinking it's only in Canada and New England.)

Indeed, the weather was very rainy on Thursday so our planning was perfect. We all had a blast. Marshall and Shaylen not only loved bowling, but they loved the computer up above that would send some animated bowling pin across the screen doing crazy things after each turn. (Can you tell that they don't watch a bunch of TV?)

Of course, Taigen beat us all. Maybe I should have him try bowling left-handed for this as well as putt-putt, but it doesn't matter. We had a great time. The kids are eager to try their hand at it again someday. And that is exactly what we wanted: To create a vacation where family memories were made, using relatively little money, and just spending quality time together. Something we could do again...often.

Home Vacation - Day Three

We were looking forward to Day Three for a while. We knew we wanted to take the kids somewhere for a picnic and we decided that the weather would be perfect on Wednesday for just that. We drove up to Cape Elizabeth to Ft. Williams. If you've followed this blog for any length of time, you know that this is the place where the Portland Head Light is located. The lighthouse is so beautiful and the grounds are meticulously maintained. We enjoyed a wonderful picnic and spent the remainder of our time there flying kites, playing boccie and reading.

Around dinner time, we drove in to South Portland and met Papa Mac at Cracker Barrell. It's been too long since we saw him last. We loved just sitting around the table and chatting. (It's times like that when I really miss my co-hort in crime, Mom Mac. She and I would always just roll our eyes at the terrible jokes Taigen and Papa would tell!) We enjoyed our time with Papa tremendously.

After dinner we headed over to Cornerstone Baptist Church and enjoyed being in their mid-week service and catching up with friends. We were invited to Coldstone Creamery by Pastor and Judy Endean after the service and we stayed there jabbering and laughing until after 10! We knew we would be exhausted the next day, but this was vacation! We could always sleep a little later, right?

Home Vacation - Day Two, Evening

After a busy afternoon and evening, we enjoyed coming home and playing a game together. Have you ever heard of the game of Qwirkle? It was given to us by friends. We taught it to the kids and they loved it! Marshall decided to use the game bag as a chef's hat which added to the hilarity of the night!

Home Vacation - Day Two

Our goal for this vacation was to make mini-day trips around the area and just spend time as a family. We didn't want to spend a bunch of money, but we did want to make memories!

Tuesday we took the kids up to Wells to a family fun center that had a human maze, two putt-putt golf courses and an arcade. Marshall and Shaylen were SO excited to go! It was a beautiful day, not too hot, and so we took off in the early afternoon.

We had a wonderful time. Taigen and Shaylen beat Marshall and me at the human maze. That was hilarious. You couldn't see over anything so it was purely by guess and by memory. You had to gather four letters: M, A, Z and E and couldn't finish without your card being punched with those letters! It was hilarious.  After the human maze, we all did the easier of golf courses. Taigen clobbered all of us (someone suggested that Taigen play lefty next time), but we had so much fun regardless.

After the maze and golf, we went into the arcade with the complimentary tokens that they gave us and Marshall and Shaylen tried their hand at so many different games. We pretty much had the place to ourselves so that made it more enjoyable (and, I might add, a lot less noisy!).

For dinner we hit The Maine Diner. This had been featured recently on Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Since it was right down the road, and we had never tried it, we decided to give it a try. It was a great meal and a huge hit.

We had a wonderful day together.

Our "Home" Vacation Day One

This week we are taking vacation from responsibilities (kindof...more on that later). We wanted to be able to spend time as a family this summer and it was more cost-effective to just stay home than head off to somewhere like Hershey Park or some other place that would require gas money for travel (or airfare for that matter), hotels and all meals.

We had a very special guest with us this past weekend. Do you remember the Herbsters who were with us back in 2009? They travel all around the United States holding church meetings. Mark Herbster was going to be speaking this week at The Wilds of New England Christian Camp to a group of junior campers. Taigen contacted him early and wanted to know if he could come to our church and preach while he was in town. He was willing! We were so excited to have him here in New England and equally as thrilled that he could come and stay two nights with us here in our home.

Mark, his twin brother Mike, and their families are sweet friends (not to mention so likeminded) that we thoroughly enjoy every moment with them. We personally enjoy just sitting and talking with them, picking their brains on current issues, and, in some cases, singing with them! We only wish they were closer so we could spend more time with them. Mark preached in both our Sunday morning and evening services on Father's Day. We had a special emphasis on the Family and the sermons were both encouraging and challenging. It was a GREAT Sunday.

Marshall and Shaylen LOVED having Mark here at home with us and were ready to head off to camp with him if we had let them. Of course, they are too young, but we know that the time is coming when they will be old enough! Taigen and Mark took off for Deering, NH shortly after lunch on Monday. The kids and I stayed home and had a relaxing afternoon. It was a great first day of vacation. We're off to a great start this week.