Lotion and padded envelopes

So, winter has quickly descended on Hungary, it seems. Today the radiators in my apartment finally came on, which is good because it was like 50 degrees in our apartment. I drank lots of hot beverage and used my smart camping woman skills to stay warm. The trick is to save your warmest clothes for when you can't be under a blanket. When you go to bed, sleep in shorts and a tank top because your body will warm you up as you sleep under blankets (or in a sleeping bag...or under your down comforter/duvet like moi!). Then in the morning when you get out of bed, you can change into sweatpants, sweatshirt, and fuzzy socks and you'll be warm.

One downside of winter is that my skin gets dry, cracked, and painful. My hands are nearly the state where they start bleeding (never fun) and I can't find any really good lotion here. They have Jergen's (I think...I am forgetting now and I am not at home to check), but it feels like glue and it doesn't deeply mositurize. I put it on and it feels really thick but I can feel that it hasn't really done much to help my hands. If you would like to send me some travel sized lotion (that is good), that would be amazing:) If you don't know what is good, ask someone who knows;) They sell a green one at Walmart that is some herbal something...it's supposed to be long lasting...I can't remember all the specifics. If I find any left over ones in my travel toiletries case I'll try to post a picture online.

Also, if you want to send me anything in the mail, more than just a letter, padded envelopes are the way to go. They are soooo much cheaper to send than boxes of any kind. Even two or 3 padded envelopes are cheaper than a small box, from what I hear. I'm not really expecting people to send me packages, I just wanted people to know what I would love, in case they wanted to know. Some people already anticipated what I would need and planned to send it before I posted about it. Those people are awesome:) As are the rest of you!

I gave my testimony today to the staff and I think it went well. At least that's what other people said. I felt like I didn't really say all the things I wanted to say and was all over the place. I don't even know what I ended up saying. I did say "how did I get here? I never thought I would be a single missionary teacher. I always "knew" that if God wanted me to be a missionary overseas it would be with my missionary husband." That was obviously before I graduated grad school and applied to teach in Hungary, without a husband, ha. Anyway, hopefully God was glorified and I made some amount of coherent sense. I didn't get much sleep last night and I went home and took a 2 hour nap after school today. It was good.

I am now finishing up at school and going home to try to get in bed early. Wish me luck!

I miss you.

Monday afternoon thoughts

Today has been so full of stuff. I was up late using the vonage phone but I had some good conversations. I didn't get to bed until 2:30am though! God has been so good and today has gone well. I didn't really feel like I was ready for today but God gave me the words to say and everything went smoothly. Praise the Lord. I do still feel insanely tired. I don't know how late I'll be up tonight. We'll see. I have to give my testimony tomorrow morning, which I am always nervous about. I gotta make sure I know what I'm going to say....

In other news, Hungary has finally turned on the radiators. Yes, there is seriously a day when they turn them all on. I thought I was going to freeze this past week but I am so glad to be feeling the amazing heat now. Only downside-- my classroom is warm and toasty, hence encouraging my class to pass out in sleepy comas while I am teaching. Good thing I have so much extra energy to keep them ultra-engaged;)

Funny comment in the teacher workroom:

"What I need is 4 or 5 really smart monkeys constantly organizing my papers. [does a visual of monkeys running around organizing] It has to be monkeys too. It'd be even better if they were always getting frustrated" [another humorous visual of frustrated monkeys]
-The always crazy Mr. Branson

I need to see the nurse. I might have strep.

Attention citizens

Check our my October 3rd entry b/c it's new but I started it on October 3rd so it's stuck down there.

two months...

I HAVE BEEN IN HUNGARY FOR TWO WHOLE MONTHS. How crazy. In case you haven't gotten my prayer letter, I am trying to attach it. Hmm, I actually can't. Well, if you want me prayer letter but haven't gotten it yet, give me your email address and I'll send it to you.

It's been quite a two months but I am adjusting well and I like it for the most part. I am currently getting sick, which is yucky.


These are the Gerber Daisies on our table in the kitchen. They make me happy.







One of my kids enjoying his Fruit by the Foot that I brought over.















Sabrina peeling hers.















They really loved the games and fun stuff on the paper.










So, now I am off to bed because I need sleep and I have an intense headache. So much for getting anything (ie. schoolwork) done OR going to bed early. I did get some important non-school things done though.

That is all. Goodnight.

Mail love

Send me love in the mail! I need some happy mail.

Here are a list of things I would love to recieve in the mail:
-decaffinated English Breakfast Tea
-Kool-aid packets
-crystal light
-peanut butter--crunchy
-stickers
-Roasted garlic triscuits
-american candy
-skittles
-purple pens (or other really fun colors)
-sloppy joe mix packets
-anything in a care package! (try padded envelopes--they're cheaper to send than boxes)

I have no words.

"If your whole life you have learned war, you'll find yourself ill prepared to dance."
-J.O.

story within a story

marriage....that blessed arrangement...that dream, within a dream....

Oh sorry, wrong story.

So I have to start with the original story first. So I really like this band called Family Force 5 and I heard they were going to be on tv. I was all excited and I told me mom she had to watch too. So they come on in thier normal crazy looking clothes and sing "Love Addict," which is their best song (in my opinion) but they are doing their normal performance behavior and just throwing themselves all over the stage. Like...well, just go to their myspace page and watch their love addict video...it was like that. At one point the lead singer is practically on the ground wiggling around or something. Needless to say, the whole time my mom is like "what on earth" and is not enjoying it. On top of that, you really couldn't understand what they were singing so it just sounded really intense. I enjoyed it but I was also thinking "why did i want my mom to see this...it's clear she wouldn't like it." After it was over my mom told me she didn't see how this was my favorite band and I told her they were a Christian band and I just thought their songs were fun. She did not see the appeal.

So by itself, that might be a funny story if you know both my mom and FF5, but it is probably kind of a dull story if you aren't familiar with one or both of the above named people; however, it gets better. This is where the story within a story part becomes evident. So I decided, for whatever reason, to tell this story (that I just told above) to Paula and Parker one night. I was getting into it and I was going to demonstrate how FF5 was dancing and such. Well I go to do the intense headbanging guitar part and halfway into the first headbang, it hits me, literally, that I still have on my computer-carrier backpack. What reminded me of that was the computer slamming into the back of my head! It hurt a lot but Paula and Parker thought it was hilarious, which, in hindsight it was. I stopped telling the story until my head stopped hurting but by that point the computer smashing into my head was way more entertaining than my original story.

So now you know.

Change, and my life

Change is inevitable-except from a vending machine. -Robert C. Gallagher

I liked this quote. It's good and it relates to my life.

LOST season 3 starts this week! I'm gonna have to arrange my time so I can watch it every week! So exciting.

My prayer letter is almost ready to get sent out, so that is very good!

More soon.


Me enjoying a heated beverage at the staff retreat last weekend.













Austin, Emily, and I after getting pastries in town Friday













Me, Paula, Em, Mary, Annah Kate, Sarah, and Laura at Fisherman's Bastion.

Sarah, a friend from pre-field orientation, was in town visiting for a student leadership conference in Budapest.