If you're happy and you know it...

Here is a video of Carli and one of her German-speaking friends singing "If you're happy and you know it" in English. So not only is Carli excited to learn German but her friends are also excited to learn English!

God's Family

Some of you may be wondering why I am posting on our blog, or you may be wondering why I have not been posting on our blog all along. Well, frankly, Kim is a better storyteller than I am, and she is more diligent to post. There are those rare occasions where I feel the need to share something or when Kim asks me to. So, here we are.

Kim made the comment the other day as we were driving on the autobahn that she is so glad to be a part of God's family and cannot imagine what it must be like for people moving to a foreign country and not immediately having people who are willing to befriend and embrace them. God has blessed us with several people who have reminded us that God's family is a unique type of family where community can exist or form almost immediately.
A few weeks ago, Rudi Krassnig, one of the Christian men at the Inzersdorf congregation here in Vienna, expended much time and effort to help us purchase our car. Multiple times he picked me up from the train station and taxied me to the car dealership and even took me to his house for lunch once. His help through the car-buying process was a great blessing.
Less than a week later Rudi's brother Josef and his wife had our family over to their house for lunch and then coffee and dessert after church. We really enjoyed getting to know this part of the Krassnig family better and are thankful for their kindness as well. All of the Krassnigs in the Inzersdorf church have been extremely kind and encouraging to us.
Because of encounters like these, we quickly thank God for the opportunity to be a part of His family and are further challenged to share God's love with the Viennese so that they too may experience this family.

A Day to Remember

In life there are some days that you simply cannot forget - either because they are so strange, so bad, so fun, or so special. Wednesday, December 12, 2007 was one of those days for me. Early in the morning my children serenaded me with "Happy Birthday" and then led me on a scavenger hunt to find my gift - a new tennis bag. Then, my wife Kimberly, the greatest wife God has ever made, baked me scones for breakfast, and not just any scones but delicious cinnamon scones and a hot latte macchiato. (For those of you who have enjoyed the privilege of tasting my wife's cranberry-orange scones, imagine something even better.) During breakfast the postman delivered three boxes full of gifts from our families in the States. Later in the day we also ate cornbread and beans, an ideal meal on a cold Vienna day. After picking up the kids from school, we purchased a Christmas tree and decorated it just before I left for German class. Though years down the road I may forget the food we ate, the gifts I opened, or even the Christmas-tree hunting experience, I will surely not forget the loving and serving attitude of my wife. Her efforts to make this day a special birthday will always be remembered.

Christmas Trees

We bought our first Austrian Christmas tree today! And let me tell you, they are very different than American Christmas trees. We went to 7 different tree lots before deciding on one. There were trees ranging from 2 feet to 10 feet tall and the price was determined by the thickness of the tree, not the height. So if you wanted a tall skinny tree with very few branches, then expect to pay around 10-20 Euros, but if you wanted a medium size tree with lots of branches, then expect to pay 45-60 Euros. Josh and I had a hard time paying the equivalent of $90 on a tree that in a month we would throw in the trash! So, after walking in the rain with our umbrellas through 7 tree lots, we found the perfect "first Christmas in Vienna" tree. The kids had a blast playing in the mud and getting soaked by the rain as we sang Jingle Bells and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Field Trip

Today, I went with Carli's class on a field trip to the Christmas market at the Rathaus. It was a lot of fun, but stressful at times. We had 22 six year olds going from bus to Strassenbahn, to U-Bahn, and it was a little crazy at times. Not to mention the fact that if a kid was out of line, I couldn't tell him to get back, in a way that he could understand! But I'm still working on that. We actually went inside the Rathaus and they had little stations set up for kids to do crafts. Carli went to the Cookie station and made sugar cookies and cut them out with cookie cutters. She had a lot of fun.

Great day!

I woke up yesterday to my kids singing me "Happy Birthday" and Josh carrying a heart-shaped pancake with orange juice and flowers on a tray. I was so impressed that not only did Josh make me pancakes, but he even made it into a heart! We had a family devotional in the morning and had team church in the afternoon, we played Candyland, drank coffee, ordered a pizza, and then Josh and I went out to dinner. We had a romantic Italian dinner and walked around Vienna looking at Christmas lights and caught the end of a Christmas market. It was a wonderful first birthday in Vienna!

One thing I miss...

One of my favorite things to eat for breakfast is bacon. When we lived in Edmond, our neighbor sold us some Blue and Gold bacon and I was hooked! It is so thick and flavorful, and I ordered some anytime I had the opportunity! Here in Austria, the bacon is very different. Instead of nice thick slices, it is paper thin. If you're not careful, the first piece that you put down on the pan will burn by the time you put the others down. Oh, how I miss Blue and Gold!

Taxi Service

Today was my first day as a taxi driver/ mini-van mom in a foreign country. We started off the day dropping Carli and Caleb off at school and then we enjoyed a nice breakfast at the bakery across from Carli's school. I had my favorite Schokocroissant with a Latte Macchiato and Josh had his usual Vanilleschnecke also with a Latte Macchiato and Cotter had a Donuts Zimt (cinnamon sugar donut). We then went to the mall and ran a few more errands before it was time to pick up the kids. All of that was very enjoyable, because Josh was driving. Then, we switched places and he went to work on the internet while I picked up lunch and then Carli and I went to Toys R' Us to pick up a present for a birthday party that she was going to later today. Then we picked up Caleb to take him to a birthday party that he had, wrapped presents in a grocery store parking lot, dropped Caleb off, then Carli, enjoyed more coffee with a friend, picked them both up and finally came home. The driving here really stresses me out. The roads are very narrow so I constantly feel like I am going to hit something, the signs are very confusing so I'm never quite sure if I'm going the right direction on the road, and everyone is in such a hurry! The pace of life for the Austrians is very slow and calm, except when they drive. After today, I think that I am going to sign up for a Driving in Vienna class!

It's finally here...

After a long time of waiting, Telekom Austria has pulled through. We now officially have internet in our house! After many long phone calls (in English and German) made to the other internet company in Wien, and after they cancelled our order without us telling them to, we decided to go with someone else. Two weeks later, Josh and I are sitting side by side in our office, enjoying the fact that we don't have to worry about how much data we are sending or receiving. God has definitely taught us patience through this whole ordeal! Now you are all going to be sick and tired of all the blogs there will be.

Dogs

One thing there are a lot of in Vienna are dogs. That is why the other three families on our team who brought their dogs fit right in. In fact, some Austrians like dogs more than kids. In some restaurants, it would be more appropriate to bring your dog, than bring your kids. I went to a really nice cafe one time, full of chandeliers and everything. Before I knew it, someone brought their dog in and I thought to myself, "Surely the dog is not allowed in here." Not only was the dog allowed, they brought out a jewel covered water dish and set it down in front of the dog. I guess I am just going to have to get used to it!
Tonight, Caleb and Cotter were playing and I came to see what they were doing, and Caleb had found a black strap and attached it to Cotter's shirt and tied it to the railing on our stairs. He was pretending that Cotter was his dog and he had gone into the grocery store (which is one place that dogs are not allowed). Cotter was barking and everything! It was pretty funny.

It begins...

I went up to Carli's room yesterday and this sign was posted outside of her room. It says:

Carli Zimmer (room)

No Caleb.

The days of annoying little brothers has begun!

Woo Hoo!!

Today was a very happy day because WE GOT A CAR!!!!! I am so excited! We are now the proud owners of a Ford Galaxy mini-van! I remember saying at one point in my life that I would never drive a mini-van and I have never been more excited to be wrong! Now I just need a bumper sticker that says "Soccer Mom" and I'll be set! (I guess I need kids in soccer first)! Josh did a fantastic job figuring out everything that had to happen in order to buy a car in Vienna (which was quite complicated) and he drove it home today! I am pretty sure that our kids are just as happy as I am!


We were also invited over to one of Carli's friends houses for coffee and cake. They were so very kind and we enjoyed some homemade apple strudel and some krapfens and a nut roll. (All are authentic Austrian snacks). They have daughter in Carli's class at school and a son around Caleb's age and a daughter around Cotter's age, so our kids had a blast. We got to spend time talking about Austrian Christmas traditions and had the opportunity to talk about why we are here in Vienna. Please pray that God will bless our relationship with this family and provide more opportunities to talk about Christ with them.

Happy Thanksgiving!

A little late, I know, but we hope that you all had a great time with friends and family and were able to spend time thinking about all that you are thankful for. For us, Thanksgiving day was just another ordinary day. We all got up and went to school and then Josh ran some errands and I brought the kids home and went to bed. We did, however, get to spend some good time talking to our families on Skype. It was so good to see everyone, but it was also hard seeing what we were missing. We did go to TGIFriday's for lunch in hopes of a big Thanksgiving meal, and they had one- for dinner, not for lunch, so we missed it. Maybe next year! We did really enjoy our meal anyways.
We celebrated Thanksgiving with our team on Saturday. Everyone brought favorite dishes and also tried some new ones. I was able to make green bean casserole and creamed corn and mashed potatoes. We had turkey (or course) and lots of homemade bread and mac and cheese (Carli loved it!) and pies and more. The food was amazing! We played a game of Pictionary after dinner and I think everyone had a good time. I know that this was a hard year for everyone on our team because it was the first big holiday away from family. We still had a great time together (like we always do) and made some new holiday memories.

Let the Christmas spirit begin...

Last night, Kari and Alisha and I went to my first Christmas Market. Everyone talks about how amazing they are and it was amazing. We went to the one that all of the locals avoid. It is at the Rathaus and I think that it is the biggest one. All of the locals think that it is too touristy and all of the things that they sell are not made in Austria, but are made in China! Nevertheless, we decided to be tourists this time, and Austrians later.
One thing that the markets are known for is the punch. You buy a mug and they fill it with whatever flavor you want (but make sure you ask for Kinderpunch, because everything else has alcohol in it) and then you can return the mug if you want and get your money back. It was so good! The booths are full of cookies and candies and ornaments and toys and so much more. All of the trees are filled with lights and there is a huge tree in the middle of the market. We even ate chestnuts that were roasting on an open fire. It really got me in the Christmas spirit!

Snow Pictures

What a day!

Today was a great day! It snowed all day long and the kids played outside with one of the neighbor kids and built a snowman! We had pancakes for breakfast, chili for lunch, chocolate chip cookies for a snack, and we started painting our basement. Then Carli lost her first tooth! She was so excited! She doesn't think that her friends will recognize her at school with her new hole!

On days like today, we are reminded just how blessed we are. We have a nice place to live that keeps us very warm on cold days like today, we are blessed with three healthy children, and we have the opportunity to share God's love in this beautiful place. The little neighbor boy, who played with our kids outside today, ate lunch with us. Josh said a prayer before we ate and I think that was the first time that he had ever prayed. He seemed very confused, but still held Caleb's and Cotter's hands and bowed his head. Josh even prayed in German so that he could understand. Josh also had the opportunity to talk with a neighbor for quite some time today. We continue to see God working here in Vienna. Thanks for all of your prayers.

Let it snow!

We got our first snow today!! It started out in the morning as rain with a few small flakes and then within an hour, huge beautiful flakes were falling! It was so wonderful and the kids absolutely loved it. Caleb said "I love living in Vienna! Christmas comes much sooner here! Mom, we need to go buy a Christmas tree today!" I told him that it is not quite time to buy a tree and Christmas in Vienna still comes the same time as it does in Oklahoma. I did, however, decide that we are not yet ready for a Vienna winter. We all need to go buy some snow boots!

We worshiped today with the Inzersdorf congregation (which is the largest congregation in Vienna) and we had a fellowship meal after services. Then, this evening, we met with our team for a time of singing, scripture, and prayer. It was a great day full of beautiful snow, great food, and new-found friendships.

Lichterfest

At Caleb's Kindergarten, they had a light festival. All of the kids decorated lanterns and t-shirts and they sang songs and carried their lanterns around. They passed out candles to all of the families and at the end, my dad went to Caleb and lit his candle. It was really neat and I was so glad that my parents were here for it. Caleb sang his song so loud (in German) and was watching to make sure that we were watching him. Afterwards, they had hot cider and cookies. It was a special night for Caleb. In the picture is Caleb and his good friend Lukas.

Lesson Learned

The other day, we went to an Abbey that dates back to the 1100's. It was a beautiful building full of art and sculptures hundreds of years old. We decided to take a tour of the Abbey so that we could really learn about all of the history. There were a lot of stairs so we decided not to put Cotter in the stroller. As you can imagine, the kids were absolutely bored. We were in the last part of the museum where there were separate rooms with antique furniture. There was a large red rope that sectioned off each room. Well, I guess Cotter thought that the 800 year old chair looked pretty comfortable because he took off under the rope and ran straight to the chair! We all screamed his name in unison and he froze wondering what was wrong. I slowly said "Cotter, come away from the chair." He started to walk back to me and as soon as I could reach him from under the rope, I grabbed him from his jacket and swung him back on the other side. I sat him in the corner and told him not to ever go under the rope again. He had no idea what he did wrong. He was just tired of walking so he saw a comfy chair to sit in, so he was going to help himself. Next thing he knew, he was flying through the air by his jacket!

We definitely learned that next time, we will take the stroller!

Albertina

Yesterday we went to the Albertina museum located in the center of Vienna. They have just started a new exhibit called Monet to Picasso. It is actually one family's collection that they have loaned to the Albertina for a permanent display. We saw original paintings from all of my favorite artists like Monet, Renoir, Degas, Matisse, Kandinsky, Dürer, Rothko, Pollock, and more. It was amazing. There is just something about seeing the originals of all of the paintings that I have studied for years. We saw one of Monet's waterlily paintings. I could actually see each brush stroke that he did while painting that painting in 1917. It was amazing. Carli brought her pad of paper and sat down in front of a drawing by Renoir and started to draw what she saw. I think that she loved the museum as much as I did.

The boys, however, had a very different experience....

Happy Halloween!

They have only celebrated Halloween in Vienna for the last few years. So really, there are not a lot of people who participate. In fact, one lady that I talked to said that on Halloween night, she turns off all of the lights in her house and pretends she is not home. I went to Toys R' Us the other day and I found out why. The Halloween that has been brought to Vienna from the United States, is very dark and scary. All of the costumes are witches and vampires and lots of blood and gore. We were so upset because we wanted the Austrians to see how much fun Halloween can be. So instead of going trick or treating, Alisha had a Halloween party for our kids. We went over to their apartment and she had it all decorated and the kids watched It's a Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown and decorated pumpkin cookies. They had a blast!

Kürbisfest

We have decided that Austria loves to celebrate! One thing that we love about Vienna are all of the festivals. My parents are here visiting and we decided to go to a pumpkin festival just outside of Vienna. It had to be the coolest festival I have ever been to. It was in an area of Austria where there are a lot of vineyards, so there were rows of grapes as far as you could see. The leaves are all changing colors and so the trees are absolutely beautiful. When we got to the festival, there were pumpkins everywhere! There were booths set up and people were selling anything and everything pumpkin. We ate chocolate covered pumpkin seeds, pumpkin strudel, pumpkin hot dogs, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cake, pumpkin cream soup.... and the list goes on. There was a parade and the kids got to get their faces painted and ride on a zip line at the playground. So, as you can see, we really enjoyed the pumpkin festival!

Bratislava

A few weeks ago, we decided to take a short day trip to another country! The closest country is Slovakia and so one Saturday, we hopped on the train and rode for about an hour and crossed the Austrian boarder. We sat next to a nice couple from Brazil and Carli immediately started drawing them pictures. When we arrived in Bratislava, we really had no plans other than we knew there was a castle that we wanted to see. So we found a really good pizza shop and ate a good lunch and then with a mixture of English and German, we found directions to the castle. It was a beautiful day so we walked around the castle, took a few pictures and then got back on the train and came home. It was a great day!

Surprise

I came home the other day to the most beautiful bouquet of flowers sitting on my dining room table! It was a very nice surprise!

Visitors

We have been blessed to have our first visitors! Jack and Wynona Skaggs and Charlie and Joy Cleek we here for a short visit and we were able to spend some time with them over lunch and over coffee and apple strudel. We were so thankful to see some familiar faces and their encouragement was greatly appreciated.

Then Dudley and Vicki Chancey came to Vienna during their fall break, and we were able to have pizza together and we really enjoyed our time with them as well.

And then, Bart and Tamika and Izabela came for a quick visit. We were able to spend some really good time with them.

I know that these visits have really helped me during a time where reality is really hitting hard. German is getting harder and harder for me and I keep thinking that it should start clicking soon, but it doesn't seem to be. I look up the same word in the dictionary 20 times and I still can't remember what it means. Josh is doing a really good job at encouraging me and helping me form simple sentences in German. I know that in time, I will be able to communicate with those around me.
The kids continue to amaze me in their ability to learn German. Carli is able to form sentences that I am learning how to do in my German classes. She went to her first Austrian birthday party and had a blast!

Drawings

Here is one of Carli's latest drawings that she made for Caleb. It is Spiderman, Batman, and Superman with Goblin in the cage on the top.

Here is a drawing that Caleb did of Thomas the Train. I was really impressed!

And here is Cotter's latest drawing. It is hard to see but he drew all over his sheet on his bed! He must have thought that it looked like a huge white canvas!

Is there someone else?

We have a pizza shop that our team is keeping in business. It is close to our house and it is super cheap! We can get a large pizza and a can of Pepsi for 5 Euros. Kari and Ira and our family go in there pretty often so we have started to get to know the owners of the store. One night, Josh and I and the kids went in there to get a pizza to go. It was getting late, so after we ordered, the kids and I went home, while Josh waited for the pizza. After I left, the man making the pizza asked Josh if I was his wife. He asked it in German first and then in English to make sure that Josh understood what he meant. He assured him that I was his wife. He acted very confused and then finally asked, "Well who is that other girl you are always with?"
Josh thought about it for awhile and said that I was the only one he ever came with. The man said the other girl is shorter with dark hair. After awhile, he figured out that he was getting Ira and him confused! They look a lot alike to someone who doesn't know them very well, so the pizza guy got them mixed up. Josh then explained the mix up and there were no more questions asked!

First Trip to the Hospital

Well, with three kids (two of them boys, one of them Caleb) it was bound to happen. This was just a little sooner than I had hoped. So here is what happened...
Caleb and Cotter have bunk beds in their room. Caleb sleeps on the top and Cotter sleeps on the bottom. One day during naps, Cotter climbed up onto Caleb's bed. There was a blanket that was falling off the bed and Cotter tried to catch it and fell head first off the top bunk onto the wood floors. I don't think that he was able to break his fall at all. Of course he cried harder than I have ever heard him cry, and then he became very tired. We tried to keep him awake but we had a hard time. So we started going straight to the hospital and then within about 15 minutes, he woke up and wanted to play. It was so strange. He was not quite himself, but he was very alert and was walking and talking fine. So instead of going to the hospital, we took him to a pediatrician. We got right in, and she checked him out and said that he looked fine, but based on the fact that he was falling asleep earlier, she thought he needed to go to the hospital and stay for one or two nights. We went home and packed some clothes and some diapers and went to the hospital. When we got there, we waited in the waiting room for awhile and then we saw a doctor who was so nice. She spoke in German to us, while Josh explained what happened in German. Then she started talking in English to Cotter and to me. She said that he did not need to stay the night at the hospital and we needed to make him sit still for 48 hours. She said no running or jumping or playing, just sit still. Has anyone tried to keep a two-year-old still for 48 hours? It was difficult. He also had to sleep with us for that same amount of time, which meant that I did not get any sleep because I was listening to every breath he took. By the next day he was fine but we continued to keep him still and he has had no problems since, except for a black eye.
We are so thankful, it could have been much worse.

Public Transportation

The public transportation in Vienna is amazing. It is so different than the public transportation in the States. Here, everyone rides it. Since we have spent so much time on the U-Bahns and buses and Strassenbahns, we have had the opportunity to do a lot of people watching. I have learned that if you ride the U-Bahn in the morning, you have to read the newspaper. I was the only one not reading a newspaper and I got some weird looks. So lately, I have been picking up a paper and looking at the pictures so I can fit in!
No one really talks to each other on the U-Bahns either. An occasional phone will ring and someone will whisper into it. But this is not the case for my kids. They view an U-Bahn ride as a great opportunity to meet people. I should take notes!
The other day we were coming back from church and Josh and I were standing up with Cotter in the stroller and Carli and Caleb sat down right by us. There was a man sitting across from them and they immediately said "Hello". He said hello back and they asked him if he spoke English and he said that he did. They were so excited! They asked him if he was coming back from church and he said "no". They asked him why not and he said that he didn't go to church. Carli asked him if he knew God and Jesus and he said that he did. So then, Caleb said "If you know God and Jesus then why didn't you go to church?!" He just smiled and said that he didn't know. Then he got off the U-Bahn.
This was a great reminder to me of how easy it should be to share our faith. Why do we make it so hard?

Potty Training

For all of you parents out there who have shared in the joys of teaching your child to use the toilet, you may well have realized that bribery is sometimes the most effective method. In Vienna, we have excellent ice cream (as some of you know). Our children's favorite part of Vienna is the ice cream. Therefore, ice cream is clearly the best bribe for Cotter. And as you can see from the pictures, it seems to be working!

Erntedankfest (part 2)

This festival was amazing. There was a parade with floats and marching bands and instead of throwing candy from the floats, they threw flowers and bunches of wheat wrapped in ribbon. There was a fashion show with all of the authentic Austrian clothes and there were lumberjacks that were carving animals out of tree stumps with chainsaws. And there was no shortage of food. We tried three different Austrian dishes and for dessert, a man walked around with skewers full of chocolate-dipped fruits and nuts. I, of course, got the chocolate-dipped raspberries. They were amazing! The theme of the festival was "So schmeckt Österreich" which means so tastes Austria. All of the food came from the different regions in Austria, so you could get a "taste" of the different foods in Austria. Es war wunderbar und lecker!

Erntedankfest

Here is the one and only picture we were able to take at this most splendid festival because the batteries in our camera died soon after. More information about this festival to come soon, so check back later and look for an article about Erntedankfest in our September newsletter coming out soon as well.

Schultüte

Here in Vienna, they have a tradition that we thought was a great idea. On the first day of first grade, each child gets to bring a Schultüte to school with them. This is a huge cone shaped box that we as parents get to fill with anything that we want. Some of them are little and some are bigger than the kids! We had to get Carli one of the bigger ones, although hers was not the biggest! We filled it with candy and school supplies, little stuffed animals and other things and then as she was leaving for her first day, we surprised her with it and she took it to school with her. The first day of school was only one hour and the parents went with their children. Then after it was over, everyone got to open their Schultüte. She loved it!

Internet!!!

We finally have internet access in our house!!
It is not the service that we signed up for months ago (still no word from them). We ended up getting a mobile modem thing (ask Josh for details). All I know is that I can check e-mail and post blogs from the comfort of my own home!

So much has happened since the last time we posted that I'm not sure where to begin. Today Josh and I finished our first month of German class. I think that it was a great class and we both learned a lot. Josh's German is so good that he has actually been mistaken for an Austrian! Mine, on the other hand, is just beginning. I will go to a store and try to use my German, and they immediately switch over to English. At least I am trying.
Carli and Caleb are both loving school. They have made good friends and have both been invited into their friends homes. We have been able to have some of their friends into our home as well (besides the usual neighbor kids). They continue to amaze me by how quickly they make friends, even though they cannot speak each others language.

Josh and I are also trying to get to know the people around us. There is a neighbor who really enjoys talking to Josh and I had coffee with one of Caleb's friends mom. One thing that I have been having a hard time with is being so far away from friends. I think God is helping us with that. The language is still a barrier for me, so please pray that I will learn German quickly.

I have many stories to share, so I will start posting them one by one. So make sure you check back often.

Here are a few random pictures for you....





This last one is the view from our bedroom window at sunset. It is so beautiful.

The Unpacking Continues...

We have so many boxes and so much paper from all of the boxes that our kids are having a blast playing in it. The hard part is recycling is a HUGE deal in Vienna. We have to make several trips a day to the Altpapier recycling bin at the end of the street which we also share with half the neighborhood. It is going to be a long time before all of the paper is gone!

Quick update

Well, as you have probably guessed, we still do not have internet at our house. That is why many of you think that we have dropped off the face of the earth. We are trying to find any wireless signal to use to send a quick email here and there, but it is quite difficult. You should have seen Josh the other day walking around a park with his laptop in the air trying to find a signal! It was pretty funny. We actually found one, and just as I sat down to check my email, the kids were hungry and Carli had to go to the bathroom, so I didn't get to do much. Today, Ira was so nice to bring us his laptop to use with his little wireless thing that lets him find a signal wherever he is. So I have a little more time. (That is until the kids need something!)

We finally recieved the things that we shipped! Praise God! It is a little like Christmas around here as we open all the boxes. The kids are so happy to have their toys. Now we are trying to figure out where to put everything. I did ship some of my pans that do not fit in my little European oven, so the kids might get to use those as sleds this winter! It is not until you move to a different place that you realize how much you don't need.

On Saturday, we did take a break from all of our unpacking to go to one of my favorite places in Vienna- Schoenbrunn Palace. We went to a bakery for breakfast and packed a lunch and brought our Nerf football and spent the day out there. Then the kids and I went to the zoo which is also right there at the palace. (Josh went to pick his team for Fantasy football). We had a lot of fun and it was a great break.

The kids have made some friends with the neighbor kids. Every day they go outside to ride their scooters and play with them. They cannot speak English and our kids can't speak German (yet) so they are constantly running inside asking Josh how to say certain words. It is amazing how kids can make friends so quickly and how language is not a barrier.

We enrolled in German classes last week. Josh and I will be at the same school (different levels of course) and he will go in the morning and I will go in the afternoon, so we will not have to find babysitters. We start classes on Sept. 3rd. We are both very excited.

That is a quick overview of what we have been up to. We should hopefully have our internet set up this week so we will be able to write more regularly. Meanwhile, please pray that God will continue to use us here in Vienna.

Happy Assumption Day!

Today the Austrians are celebrating Assumption Day. Apparently, today is the day that they set aside to commemorate the Virgin Mary's assumption into heaven. What that exactly means, I'm not quite sure. But what that does mean to me, is that everything in Vienna is closed. I had no idea and Josh went out to run errands and returned soon thereafter. So we have have a nice relaxing afternoon and plan to pick right back up tomorrow in getting settled. Maybe I should buy an Austrian calendar.

First Trip to the Doctor

I don't know if you all remember that Josh had an ingrown toenail right before we left for Vienna, and he had to have it removed... (sorry for the details). Anyway, it must have been contagious, because soon after we got here, I got one too. It was very painful and all the walking that we have to do, did not help it at all. So I decided to find a doctor. I asked my new landlord if she new of a doctor who spoke English that I could go to. She gave me the name of her doctor who was from Egypt. She assured me that he spoke English and that he could fix my toe. At that point, I did not care who the doctor was, I just wanted some relief. So the next day I went out looking for the doctor's office. I had a few directions and a map and I started on the search. After getting on the wrong bus and then having to get on the U-Bahn for one stop and then getting on the wrong Strassenbahn, I was very lost. You see, I usually just follow Josh and he gets us where we need to go. I decided that he should stay home with the kids, and I would go by myself this time. Wrong choice!
I finally made it to the doctors office (which was on the second floor of an apartment building) and I bravely walked up to the receptionist desk. I asked her if she spoke English and she said no, so I just started talking in English anyway. After a brief description of what was wrong with me, she told me to stop talking. So I did. She said "Insurance". So I gave her my card. She handed it right back to me and said "Give me thirty euro". I said OK and then she told to sit down. So I did.
One minute later, I heard someone in the back say "Hensal". So I stood up and walked back to the back room and there was the doctor. I asked him if he spoke English and he said "A little bit". He asked what was wrong, so I told him my toe hurts. He looked at it and then he said "I do operation". I said, "Excuse me"? He said "You take medicine for one week, and I do operation. But, I go on Urlaub.." (vacation) "so you find new doctor". Then he told me to go back and sit down. Then he called me back and put a band-aid on my toe and told me to sit back down. I did and then the receptionist said "Hensal- thirty Euro" so I gave it to her and she gave me a prescription and I left.
I called Josh and started bawling! It was the worst culture shock day for me so far!
I have just finished the medicine, so now I am trying to decide if I need "operation" or not. It is feeling much better, so we will have to see.

New House

We are officially into our new house! Well, we have beds to sleep in and one couch to sit on and one coffee table to eat on, but we are out of our temporary housing! The kids love their new beds and this is the first time Cotter is in his big boy bed! He gets up a million times a night, but that is expected. We are now trying to get the rest of the things we need, and the things that we shipped should be here soon. We are doing well, and we will try to keep you all updated. We will have limited access to email for the next few weeks until we get everything set up at our house. Please continue to keep our team in your prayers as we all try to get settled.

Is it genius or laziness?

As we were walking down the street from our new house, we saw something in our neighbors yard that we have never seen before - so we took a picture and now we are sharing it with you. You know those vacuum cleaners that are like robots? You know, you just push the start button and they vacuum your house with no effort on your part whatsoever? Well, they had one of those in their backyard that was mowing their yard! I have never heard of such a thing! So you decide- genius or laziness?

The Painting Begins

We have started painting in our house. It is amazing what a new coat of paint does to a wall! I have decided that I want this house to be bright and full of color, so we painted the entry way a bright blue color. It will take some getting used to, but the kids love it! They also loved helping!

Mir ist heiss!!!

That means "I am hot"! It is unusually hot in Vienna this summer and we just happened to have moved here right in the middle of it. Each day, it is in the upper 90's and it has even reached 100! And no one has air conditioning! Not even the stores. It never gets hot enough here to need it, until this summer. So we have been trying to find ways to stay cool. We have gone down to the Danube river and gone swimming a couple of times. The water feels great and the kids absolutely love it. If it were up to them, we would do that all day, everyday! Instead, we have been dragging them all over Vienna, trying to find furniture for our new house. We are going to start painting tomorrow and hopefully move into our house by the end of this week. We are very excited to get settled and stop living out of our suitcases.

We made it!

It has officially been two weeks since we arrived in Vienna. It is sometimes hard to believe. We are currently staying in our temporary housing and trying to figure out all of the new things surrounding us. We don't have a car, so we travel everywhere on public transportation. Thankfully, it is amazing here, so we can get almost anywhere we need to be fairly quickly. Our kids have never walked this much (nor have we) so we are very aware of how blessed -or spoiled- we were in Edmond with our Yukon!
We have actually found a place to live already and we are very excited about it. We will be renting a house that has four other families living in it. We have our own entrance and backyard with fruit trees in it, so we are excited about our little piece of Vienna. We will move in Aug. 1st.
We are planning to post entries on this site pretty regularly so that we can keep everyone updated on what is going on. I will also add pictures from time to time. Thank you all for your constant prayers and encouragement. We would love to hear how God is working in your lives too, so send us emails! We love you all and miss you tons.