quiet weekend

I've spent the majority of my weekend in my apartment resting, reading and resting.  I have needed this deeply.  Its the first time I've finished my homework before 10pm in a long time on a Sunday.  I now have the evening to grade and clean. 

Its a rarity in life when we can just get away to our own apartments and be still. I had to give up a weekend in beautiful Tihany with close friends but it was worth it because of the time I spent with God and the rest I would not have gotten. :) 

Sharon's Visit in Pics

I ran my first 3.5K

While in Prague, I mentioned that I had been running. Well, I've kept it up. I decided to run a 3.5K with my school. My colleague and I ran together and I encouraged her as much as I could in Hungarian. We ran the whole thing in 28 minutes. I was proud of her and me. I know its not a fast time but I was super excited I could run that whole time!

These are some fun pics that show the great event!

Coffee House with Students

This was the first time that any of my students had come to coffee house with me. Patience and Prayer are definitely answered here. These students are part of my 10C class which is pretty high up there on my favorite list. We were able to chat, laugh, drink some hot chocolate and enjoy each other's company. I've invited them for this Friday as well and a few different students are coming! I'm so thankful for this precious time before I leave.

jogging

I've recently taken up jogging. I think I might get my inspiration from LVV.  While in Prague I was pretty consistent and jogged more than I thought I could.  Today I increased it to 3K jogging, 2K fast walking.  I sure hope to get up to 10K. I enjoy this time of de-stressing and being outside. Good times. :) 

In other news. My friend Matt will be taking my place here and I'm so excited about it! There is a lot of transition and change going on! Its a place to remain faithful and trust in what God has. 

Happy Easter!!

Today was a great day! It started with Sasha waking me up outside my door saying.. Happy Easter Antie Jo Jo! Its time to wake up! 

So, Joanna had thoughtfully made me an Easter basket full of yummy goodies. Then, Sasha and I had an Easter egg hunt in the living room :) 

We had a yummy breakfast and just hung out all morning.  I went for a jog in the nearby park. It was beautiful and I increased my jogging time by 3 minutes! I loved being outside. 

Church was at 430pm and I was excited to go to the new building and see how things were different. It has been so great to see this little church grow over the past two years. There weren't enough chairs for everyone on this Easter afternoon! So cool. Phil brought a great message about not fearing and living a Resurrection faith. Very pertinent to my life! 

This evening, we hung out with Jason and Zach. Pizzas, Calzones and Ice cream Sundays. Then we watched a bit of tv and now I'm winding down. 

The best part of my day was jogging in the park to some great worship(except when I get really tired I gotta listen to Rianna :)) and sitting on the terrace reading the word. 

Saturday

Yesterday, I got to go to an Easter Market with my friend Jason. We were on a mission to find easter eggs, painted traditional wooden easter eggs. Normally, they use real eggs and paint them but wooden eggs are far easier to pack and carry. :) 

After great success and yummy grilled bread we returned home. 

I got to join Mark, Jason and a new friend Al at a Monestary in the Castle district for 

some specialty Easter Beer. It is brewed there at the Monestary and its served starting on Good Friday. It was yummy and great company. Afterwards, we

 walked down the castle hill to view the 

beautiful sights of Prague at night. My camera wasn't so great at taking the view but I'll still post a few pictures :) 

**My pics are all out of order.. oh well :) 

Friday:relaxing with great friends

Getting some yummy easter candy. Izaak is 1 week and 1 day old. Every day after nap we eat ice cream :) Yum.

Spring Break

I'm on Spring Break now. Yesterday morning at 5:28am my train left Budapest to go north to Prague.  I slept most of the way on the train. (that was my goal) I love changing pace and places it helps reduce stress and keep the monotony out of life.  

I'm visiting my friends' the Stewarts who just had their baby.  His name is Izaak and he is too precious. I don't know if I've ever held such a little baby before. He's just 1 week. He's so sweet and snuggly I love it :) Sasha (their three year old) loves having his Antie Jo Jo around and this morning before he left for school he told me that when he comes home we are going to play play play and watch movies movies movies.  

I'll take some pics today. I'm going to go for a jog now in the beautiful park down the street and enjoy this amazing weather! 

Today is Good Friday and I want to reflect upon that for a bit too. 

I just hope my allergies don't kill me!!

Blueberry Muffins

Ready In: 35 Minutes Servings: 12

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats 1/2 cup orange juice 1 egg 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup sugar 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries* TOPPING: 2 tablespoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

1.

In a large bowl, combine oats and orange juice; let stand for 5 minutes. Beat in the egg, oil and sugar until blended. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; stir into oat mixture just until moistened. Fold in blueberries. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Combine topping ingredients; sprinkle over batter. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. These are so tasty! I love them :)  Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Great Weekend in Vienna

I went to Vienna for the weekend to spend some time with some good friends. Sharon, Leslie and I went to college together and lived together for a summer. It was a blast. Sharon has been in Korea for the past year and has come to visit friends in Europe. Vienna was her first stop and I came to surprise her with Leslie. We went for walks, ate ice cream and spent lots of time cathching up. It was wonderful, refreshing and I cannot wait till Sharon is here in a two weeks!

how we know spring is here...

-you can now see more than just eyes of children (most kids are bundled head to toe)

-my former chilly room is now so warm i had to remove the plastic 

-flowers are starting to come

-people are sitting on benches..let me rephrase that..making out on benches

-i keep my windows open

-its light till 720 pm yippiee!!

-i haven't worn a winter scarf or coat!!