It's a national holiday in Albania. Independence Day, to be exact. So we declared the center closed. We still did school with Ellie and Reni, but this afternoon when Nathan would normally be outside hosting rec time, we are holed up in our apartment. Then later, when we'd normally be having meetings and studies (they are all postponed), who knows what we will be doing? Dinner will be on the table when we feel like it -- not when our schedule dictates.
Last week while our American friends and family celebrated with feasting and shopping and family time, I confess I struggled in my heart that I wasn't getting a holiday. I really wanted a few days with nothing on my slate. Not to sleep in or play board games, but just to catch up. We have had frequent power outages this month, new activities on our agenda, and just plain seasonal busy-ness and it's meant that work has been stacking up. I have a list of thank you notes to write as long as my arm. We have four separate drafts of newsletters sitting in the Cloud, unfinished. And blogging? Well, blogging has always been therapeutic for me but given that I've posted a whopping 11 times in 5 months (which used to be my monthly average)... that should just explain the state of our lives. It's not been for a lack of material. But I know. I know we're not the only ones who are busy, so thanks for understanding.
So while I'm not getting a four-day weekend, I will gladly accept this one afternoon and evening. Right now Pandora is streaming instrumental Christmas tunes, the fire is burning, and Nathan's made me some special (i.e. brought from America) swiss mocha within arm's reach in a pretty Christmas mug. Meanwhile I sit on the couch with the laptop, responding to e-mails, dumping photos, culling images, and now, writing in this space!. The kids are happily playing away in the other room. For at least an hour this afternoon, all feels right and balanced in my world. :-)
I found these gems this afternoon from our last Sunday in America. It may have been one of my favorite days of the entire four months in America. If the Vermont crew had been with us, it would have been perfection.
My parents hosted a cookout with Nathan's family at the farm. Cousin Dan smoked meat and we ate on the back deck after taking some family photos with the Waggoners.
If you look closely, you might be able to tell that the prairie winds were blowing!!
Ellie and Reni adore their Waggoner family. I'm so grateful for the friendships that they have with their like-aged cousins and that the older ones are so understanding and inclusive of them. They are great role models.
Rachel asked me to get a few family pics for them. Of course I was happy to oblige... Next time I'm home Caleb will be graduating from high school and on his way to college (gulp)!
Since our last visit to America, Mom and Dad put a deck on the back of the farm house. It feels like they added an extra room! I think we ate all but one meal out there whenever we'd visit. And somehow, no matter the size of the group, we always fit on the deck!
These two are separated only by 7 months and an ocean, but when they are together, little else keeps them apart.
Thanks, Hannah, for supplying the s'mores ingredients!
Where's Mom?
What is it about fire pits and gatherings?
We eventually all gathered around the fire and sang hymns. It was lovely and beautiful and the perfect way to wrap up our time altogether.
Then (though I missed the apex with my camera), it was as if God smiled down and gave me one more beautiful prairie sunset to enjoy before returning to Albania's beautiful mountains.
