The 2 Post-Europe Weeks

After the slew of photos, I think it's time for a few words.

We arrived home from Europe almost 2 weeks ago now. I had thought that it might be a slow return from our whirlwind vacations but it seems that we're not the best at minimizing productivity. But, first, a few thoughts on Europe.

I love Europe. I love that it ties into our own culture, ways of being, ways of thinking, of studying, of living. I think it's fun to listen to languages and sift through cultures. Some people ask if I ever get tired of traveling. And, as far as seeing new cultures is concerned - I don't! I love it and hope to do it until the day I die. Traveling with an open heart and mind gives me a different grip on reality, of life. It helps me remember that there are a lot of people that live very differently from me , that my "normal" isn't the only normal. It also helps me remember that, fundamentally, people share a lot in common. I love celebrating both the diversity and the similarity. In a book I read recently, I suppose that I'm postmodern in that - I love the discourse, the talk, of it all. I'm not as interested as I once was in the politics of it.

A few things I noticed in Europe:

Fashion: Wow. Italian fashion was somewhat overwhelming. Like someone dumped a closet on the floor, grabbed a blindfold, and started layering as many different clothes and colors as they could. I can't really get into that, but I definitely found it fun to people watch in train stations and public places! But then when it came to coats: try black or...black. And boots: try black...or black. I felt a bit out of place in my off-white coat but I was glad I brought black shoes! And when it comes to earrings - dangly and big is OUT! Keep it small or keep it off. And forget make-up, unless it's for your eyes. I may not try too hard in the fashion department myself, but I like to see it all!

Food: Expensive. Expensive in grocery stores, expensive in restaurants, and I love donors, cheese and olives! We had lots of "picnics" to keep in our budget but we did dine out a few times too! In the Czech Republic, the "dumplings" were slices of steamed bread, smothered in gravy. Kind of odd. But not bad. In France, we ate donors and they were SO good. In Italy, well pasta of course...and veal...and beans...and wine. Yum. In Greece - please, please give me a Greek salad everyday. Also, amazingly good. In Brussels we had the best Thai food that we'd had since Thailand - authentic, spicy and oh so good!

Hotels: Italian hotels offer great deals to be had, Paris hotels not so much. We love finding deals and we found some good ones. But if you're going to go low-end, try to find the newest hotel you can...the beds are better. And if you're going to go higher-end, make sure the weather is nice so you can enjoy your balcony!

There were a lot of things I was going to blog about...but in the midst of letting my hair down and truly going on vacation, I didn't. I didn't journal. But they're probably in the photos that I didn't post somewhere...:)

Now, we're back. And here's what has transpired in the last 2 weeks:

1. While I was in Europe and shortly after returning, I was honored to have 3 offers for fully-funded graduate study in my chosen field: Communication (with an international/intercultural and language and identity emphasis). That's led to LOTS of conversations and thoughts about how to process our next step. I officially turned down Cardiff U. (in England) and U. of Massachusetts (in Amherst) last week, so we are down to 2 options: the U. of Washington in Seattle and Washington State U. in Pullman. We are planning a trip in a couple weeks to visit both campuses and communities to make a final decision. I am very excited about going back to school and getting to study and research in my favorite field! Please pray for wisdom as I need to make a final decision and sign a contract by April 15th.

2. We sorted our entire house and have had a moving sale the last week with it culminating today. Whew. Talk about energy draining to open every cabinet and sort through every drawer! Those who've moved (I think that includes just about everyone who reads this) knows how exhausting that is. But we are very excited to have downsized significantly and we think we're about ready for the move now and could pack up our entire house and sell the rest of our stuff in 72 hours or less. That's a good feeling of readiness!

3. We found a realtor, signed a contract with her, took pictures, and are putting our house on the market tomorrow! But, before it even goes on the market, we've already had a potential buyer look through it twice...and she's considering what to do as we speak. We're praying that if she is the right one she makes a very good offer that we can't refuse. How great would it be if God had already lined up a buyer for us before we even listed?!

4. Jason is job hunting and has applied to several positions in Seattle (and from that you can see which way we are leaning in #1). Please pray that he'll find just the right place, the right community, the right work. He has so many skills and it would be great if he could find great fulfillment in using them!

5. We are house hunting and getting pre-approved for a loan with our bank. It's hard to really engage fully in the house-hunt because a lot of it will depend on where Jason ends up working. If we end up in Seattle, we will have the benefit of UW giving all their students a free pass to all public transportation in the Seattle area. And, with an extensive network, that's a great thing and makes it very easy for me to commute! Pray that we'll be wise in choosing and that all the details and timing will work out for when we need to leave this house and choose one there!

We're going to miss Longmont, our friends, and having family close by...but we are very excited to see what God is doing and just how He has and continues to take care of us and bless us past what we can imagine. We felt that way when we got our new vehicle last year - sold ours and got an amazing deal on a new one in about 1 week. We feel, again, like God's timing is overwhelmingly perfect this year...and are trusting that He'll take care of the details day-by-day because we sure can't!

We'll keep you posted as things develop more in coming weeks! Thanks for praying.