.events.of.a.day.

Two things made today memorable.

Around 11AM, Nina started getting really fussy. I mean, REEEAAAALLY. She is not a fussy child. But now she is drooling, she has a runny nose, she is crying for EVERYTHING, the whole deal. Pretty soon I knew that we are about to welcome a new tooth. Or two. (She has all eight of her incisors since last month, so the next step in teething are either the molars or the canines, all of which are much more painful than the incisors). After that, the poor little one's whole day was just miserable, she even has a little fever. We hope the tooth comes out fast, and we get our sweet, even-tempered daughter back.

The other thing is, that this afternoon, I killed 18 (yes, eighteen) wasps by one of our living-room windows. They were all the same exact size, and the funny thing is that no window had been open the whole time. So we finally figured out that their "mom" must have flown in in the fall and layed the eggs somewhere in the wood (part of the wall is covered with wood) under the window, and now they are all coming out. Really weird thing, but there is simply no other explanation to this phenomenon. So while Nina is sleeping now, I sprayed every crack I could find. I honestly hope and pray that this will not be a lasting problem, as I really don't want Nina to be stung by a wasp on top of everything else. Or ever at all.

And that's all I wanted to share about today with you, dear readers. Have a good night, y'all. Special love to all our Texan friends (wherever y'all live at the moment).

.walking.aid.

Nina's motoric skills are developing surprisingly fast. I am in continual amazement, but I am sure most parents are, when talking about their own child.

It was only a month ago that she started crawling and now she is already walking - truly, it is with aid, but it is walking nonetheless.

.home.

We spent the past week visiting both our parents in Serbia.

It was our first longer visit (nine days!) in quite a while, and being there for longer than the usual few days gave us more time to spend in the town. The town where I grew up, Subotica. Going about different errands, or just walking around lake Palić with my parents brought back so many memories. I caught myself walking - or actually, running - down memory lane soooo many times - when strolling down the walking street called Korzo, I was reminded of all the times I strolled down there as a little girl with my mom or dad, as well as the times I was there as a teenager with my girlfriends - yes, you guessed, checking out the boys! And then, while we were sipping iced-coffee by the lake the other day, they started playing music from my oh, so important teenage years. One song after the other revoked memories that flooded my mind, almost to the point of overwhelming.

But each time memory-lane hit, there was something wrong, and it took me a while to put my finger on it: the places look the same, but that's about it. Everything else has changed. For starters, the country is very different than it used to be (and it's not just the name that's changed from Yugoslavia to Serbia). Not worse, just different. The people have changed. So many familiar faces that I used to see on those strolls are gone now, and there are so many new faces that I don't know.

And then: I have changed. I realized that more than ever before on this trip. I am a very different person now than I was when I left for college in Budapest at the age of eighteen. God has changed me, and the experiences I have gone through with Him, living in a different country, meeting so many people have all influenced who I am today.

Realizing and thinking about all this made me feel a bit homeless, which, in all reality, I am. All Christians are - here on earth. Our home is elsewhere, and it is so much more amazing than any place here on this planet, even one that evokes emotional memories.

All this made me remember a verse that the Lord gave me years ago, confirming my call to missions:

Blessed are those whose strength is in You, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. (Psalm 84:5)

.why.the.silence.

It's been a while. We know. The last month or so has just simply been incredibly busy for us. Since returning from Bosnia (exactly a month ago), we got very busy with things at the school. The last few weeks of a semester are always crazy at the Bible College - trying to make the most of the time we have left with the students, grading, etc. On top of all this, Nina started standing and for now limits herself to walking around the coffee-table, but has become very mobile, and thus requires extra supervision. Even with all this, she did manage to get a few bruises, but all in all, she is her smiley self - if not even more than before. I think she really enjoys figuring out the whole walking thing. It is so fun to watch! Here she is, hard at work ...

Oh, and another thing we have been doing a lot - in our little spare-time, is baking. I have been baking for the coffee-shop here, so the students can enjoy some good, home-baked flavors, plus we like to have some goodies every time we have friends over (and that's often). Below is the picture of some amazing Chocolate Chip Cookies that Arpi made last week (while I was hanging out with Nina) - I know, my husband is amazing.

We got this recipe from a friend, and I must say, it is the best one for these cookies I have come across so far, so I'll post the recipe too.

Dianne’s Famous Among Her Friends Cookies

1 cup butter
1¾ cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cream butter and brown sugar, then add eggs and vanilla.

2 cups whole wheat flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups regular oats (not quick cooking)
In separate bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, salt and oats.

1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans
Blend wet and dry ingredients together and add chocolate chips and pecans.
Bake at 375ºF (190ºC) for 8 to 11 minutes.

Enjoy!

We'll try to write more soon, but for now, I must go. Little Missie has just woken up from her nap, and I suspect she wants to do some walking around :)