Fun with Friends!

On Wednesday night I had a chance to hang out with friends that I first met in Kazakhstan several summers ago. We enjoyed a meal together and a wonderful dessert! It was a fun night of sharing stories and catching up. I also really enjoyed having the chance to get to know Christine's fiance. It was such an enjoyable evening and I am looking forward to spending time with them again in the near future!


Our meal included one of the best strawberry pies I have ever eaten. I found a local bakery that is wonderful - although I am a bit concerned that it might be a bit too close to my house. So much for exercising regularly. Maybe I can just roller blade to the bakery, buy a doughnut, and then roller blade home.

March Madness!

The best thing about being in the States in March is basketball! I have not been here during this time since I first moved to Kazakhstan almost six years ago. I had forgotten how much I missed just getting to watch playoff basketball for a month.


Thursday afternoon I took Daniel Knauss and his friend to the new Lucas Oil Stadium in Indy. Indy is hosting the regional Sweet Sixteen. There will be four teams facing off tonight. Thursday afternoon each team had an open practice that was free to the public. We had such a great time. We were sitting in the third row for much of the time and had great views of some pretty impressive players. We got to see Kansas, Michigan State and Louisville practice. We had a really fun afternoon.


I even got home in time to watch Thursday night's games as well. How fun!

My Mommy!

I just have to brag on my mommy!  She has such creative ideas.  Among other things (like doing foster care), she is a professional organizer and has written several short books on organizing.  She has a web page and a blog and even twitters (which I don't even do).  It has been fun trying to keep up with all her ideas of ways to help people better organize their lives.  There are so many things that she has taught me (far beyond organizing).  I am so grateful for the way she has helped shape my life. 

I thought those of you that know mom, might want to know about her new project.   Recently, she came up with another idea that she calls Mom Audience.  Mom Audience is a "weekly email where you can list (free of charge) your new products, blogs, websites, social networks, discounts/sales and lots more.  There will also be opportunities to sponsor Mom Audience and place sidebar ads."  Her blog on the topic gives a few more details if anyone is interested.  Also, she is having some free giveaways that end tomorrow (Friday).  The info on these giveaways can be found in her more recent blogs.


I am so grateful for the family that God has blessed me with. 

A Time to Treasure

While in Pennsylvania, I had the opportunity to visit my grandma and grandpa Coggins.  It was so fun to visit with them.  They live in a retirement home in PA.  My parents and I were able to join them for lunch in their dining hall.  It was kind of funny to see many of the other residents watch us and hear them tell each other about us. 

Sometimes it is hard to see my grandparents get older.  Both of them now use walker’s and are in the assisted living part of the home.  It is reassuring to know that they are being well taken care of.  I treasure my time with them, especially since I never know how many more visits I will have with them.  They have shaped my life in so many ways and I am grateful for their love and care over the years.

Friends for Life

During my time in MD/PA, I was able to see many friends that I hadn’t seen for years.  I hadn’t seen some of them since graduating from high school.  A friend of our family allowed us to use her house to host an open house.  It was fun to catch up with people that have meant so much in my life.  I am blessed to have so many good friends.

A Forever Family

I had the opportunity to spend dinner with Amina and her family during my time in PA.  Amina is a young girl who was adopted from Kazakhstan about a year ago.  Although our company has nothing to do with adoptions, we often get to meet the families of the children that are adopted from the orphanages.  Amina’s family had done a good job helping her keep in touch with her friends at the orphanage.  I met Amina almost 6 years ago when I first moved to Kazakhstan.  She always greeted us with a smile and a hug. 

Amina is in sixth grade and is adjusting really well to life in the States.  It was fun to hear her speak English so fluently.  She rarely struggled to express herself. This was amazing to me because she didn’t know any English before being adopted one year ago.  It was also really fun to watch her as she interacted with her younger sisters and her parents.  I could see how much she loved them.  It brought me so much joy to see a child that was so long forgotten with a family that will be hers for the rest of her life.

Escalators, Older Women, and Large Suitcases (NOT A GOOD COMBINATION)

My friend Eileen and I went to D.C. in order to go to several museums.  We had a great time hanging out together and I even got some great pictures of the capital building.  We visited the Capital, the Library of Congress, the Natural History Museum, and the National Archives.  It was a fun day, but nothing was as exciting as the beginning of our journey.

Eileen and I were on the metro riding into D.C.  We had to change trains, so we got off one train and took a short escalator up to our next train.  Since an older woman in front of us had a suitcase and was taking up the entire escalator, we stood next to each other about 2 rows behind the woman and her suitcase.  As we stood there talking, suddenly the woman in front of us ended up in our arms.  She fell back without bending her knees and landed directly in Eileen’s arms (lying horizontally).  I caught her suitcase, which she was still holding onto as if it was going to keep her from falling.  By the time we realized that we had caught her we were about half way up the escalator that seemed much shorter than it had a few moments below.  My brain was trying to figure out ways to get this woman standing again.  Pushing her up (with her legs still completely straight) was not doing anything.  Thankfully, just before we reached the top of the escalator, a man came running up behind us and pushed Eileen and I up the stairs moving the woman into a standing position.  He then walked off quietly while we made sure the woman was okay.  Although it provided us with a lot of laughter as we thought back on it, we were also grateful for all the things God put into place that allowed her to get back onto her feet before we reached the end of the escalator.  The important lesson to learn from this is that if you have a suitcase that is heavier than you, it is better to take the extra time and find the elevator.

 
It was an exciting day spent with a good friend.  It was probably the most fun I have ever had going to museums.  Thanks Eileen!

Unpacking

I arrived in Muncie on Tuesday night and have finally been able to start unpacking.  I have a lot of stories to share with you of my last few weeks and will try to do that in these next couple weeks.  I did want to let you know that God provided a car for me to use.  Someone that has come over to Kazakhstan on a delegation had an extra car and has agreed to let me use it during my time in Muncie.  I am pretty tired after all my traveling, but I really did enjoy getting to see many friends.  I am looking forward to some rest during these next couple weeks.