Double blessings!

This has been a wonderful day! Glenn and I are in New Jersey now, visiting Chris and Kate and our first grandchild, Jazmine Eliza, and we got word this morning of the arrival of our second grandchild, Alec Glenn, born in Dakar, Senegal. We are doubly blessed, for sure!

I have a few photos to show you, but they start out back in Budapest.

The day before our departure, I went to Campona Mall to get my hair cut. While I was riding the escalator up to Klier Salon, I took this picture of a new ride for little kids! The animals are motorized and so move around, but I wasn't close enough to figure out how they are turned.

When we were at the airport to catch our flight to America, we grabbed a bite to eat at Burger King. Because sizes of food and drinks are so small here in Europe, when I was asked if I wanted to "upsize" my drink, I said, "yes, please". I was ASTOUNDED at the size of the Burger King drinks! I don't think they are this big in America!! I was expecting it to go from a small drink (16 oz.) to a medium (22 oz.), but it went to a 38 oz. drink!!!

Our flights from Budapest to London and then on to JFK in New York went without any problems, but the second we touched down in N.Y., our plane skidded to a stop way out on the runway and just sat there for the longest time. The pilot announced that we'd had a "mechanical failure" upon landing. We'd landed in the middle of a terrible thunderstorm, with grayness all around and sheets of rain blocking our visibility. However, I don't think the rain or wind had anything to do with our problem. We ended up having to sit way out on the runway for 30-45 minutes while we waited on the storm to subside and the vehicle to arrive that could tow our plane to the gate.

We spent Saturday just resting and hanging around the house. Glenn and Chris played some Boules in the backyard while I finished the book I'd started on the plane.

We've gone for several walks in the neighborhood. Jazmine loves our walks but she also has a tendency to sleep through most of them!

It's been quite warm here so little Jazmine stays cool by wearing nothing but a diaper most of the time. She's beautiful and I'm enjoying holding her!!!

We're here for another week so more pictures to come. For pictures of little Alec, you can find them on Kari's blog or her Facebook page. :-)

A great week!

As we've had lots of young families staying at the Eden House for the past two weeks, Glenn and I have had quite a few families over for meals and let their young children swim in our kiddie pool. We've even done a fair amount of babysitting...

Glenn and I kept Bethany and Ethan twice while their parents went out with some friends and to a movie. The kids were great both times. Bethany rolled around contentedly on the floor in the living room and then out in the mud room, having a two-sided conversation with her dog, just having a great old time...until the Sandman overtook her. She fell asleep on the floor in the mud room! As soon as I realized she'd fallen asleep, I got a blanket for her to lay on. Neither of my kids EVER fell asleep while playing!

And Ethan? Well, he slept most of the time he was with us.

We must be boring. I'll have to work on that now that we have a grandchild. Give me a week or two and we will have grandchildren.

I just loved Bethany's teeny tiny purple and pink backpack. I'm going to have so much fun buying stuff like this for my grandchildren. (Don't worry, Kari and Jonathan. I'll buy a man purse for your little boy!)

Scott and JoEllen are on vacation this week so Glenn and I are covering for them at the Eden House. This morning we picked everyone up and took them to Danube International Baptist Church for worship (in English). This afternoon we will meet a couple in an hour or two to let them in, give them their room key, complete the paperwork, and show them to their room. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, we will be taking various families to their doctor's appointments at First Med Centers. Busy, busy, busy!

Our blackberry bushes are slowly getting ripe. I hope a lot of them ripen in the next couple of days but I fear we will miss them entirely this year! Later this week we will be going to New Jersey to see Chris and Kate and meet our granddaughter, Jazmine, and then on to Senegal to see Kari and Jonathan and meet our grandson. (He's due Aug. 1 so we don't know his name yet!)

As you can see, unless they ripen quickly, we will not be able to enjoy very many of them this year!

The Doyles had to make an unplanned trip to the U.S. last week and so they gave us all their fruits and vegetables from their refrigerator. We've saved some to eat fresh during this coming week but Glenn chopped up the extras to put into our freezer for use when we get back.

These peppers are very, very hot and will burn your skin if you handle them much. We use these peppers to make our spicy salsa!

While Glenn was chopping peppers, I washed dishes from lunch and then started to pack a few things for going to Senegal. The suitcase of things going to New Jersey is upstairs. I have to keep them separated so that I don't put things in the wrong suitcase. We will visit in New Jersey for 10 days, make a quick trip to Atlanta to check on our parents, then fly back to BP for less than 24 hours before heading out for Senegal. Because we won't have much time here in BP in between trips, we are packing ahead of time for Senegal. I hope I remember to pack the cheese and sausage for Kari when we come back through BP!

Hope you have a great week!

Precious in pink!

Last week, all of a sudden, I had an incredible spike in the number of viewers to my blog. Up from 23 a day to 66. I couldn't figure out why so many people were checking out my blog until someone mentioned they were all looking for pictures of my first grandchild. (Hey, let's get real. My blog isn't all that spectacular...especially if you read mine after Senegal Daily and Life in Jersey!)

So here she is, Jazmine Eliza Borderz. :-) She is the daughter of my son, Chris and his wife, Kate.

Before we saw any pictures of her, we asked Chris who she looked like, him or Kate??? Well, in keeping with Chris's typical response, he said, "She looks like a baby." Well, she definitely looks like a baby...

but she also definitely looks just like him when he was an infant!!!

We will be flying to New Jersey to see Chris and Kate and to meet our first grandchild on July 29. And yes, I'm counting down the days! 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!

We're really getting into this grand-parenting thing. Yesterday, we went to Ikea to buy some toys, among other things. Glenn says they are for when the grandchildren visit and when families with young children come to visit, but I'm not so sure.

Glenn couldn't wait to get home to try them out!

I do have to admit that we have had a lot of company over for meals and to swim in our kiddie pool for the past week and we've wished we had some toys for their children. Actually, since July 6th, we've had one or two families over for lunch or dinner almost every single day, and tonight we had several families over for homemade ice cream.

It's been hot here for the past week so the pool has been a hit with the kids!

Big kids and little kids, alike!

During our ice cream fest, Glenn practiced feeding the Brummit's son while the men had lifeguard duty.

Little Bethany takes a break from swimming for a little snack.

And on a totally different note...a house is being built in the lot directly across the street from ours. Glenn has particularly enjoyed watching the men build it and comments almost daily about some of the differences in the way things are done here in Hungary as opposed to in the U.S. . There are several things they do that wouldn't be OSHA approved, such as working on the construction site shirtless and in your panties! I'm just glad he's not wearing a Speedo!

For family and friends who are keeping tabs on our grandchildren, Kari is counting down the days too! Her baby boy is due August 1, but I think she is hoping he will come a little early!

We're home this week, and you will find me in the kitchen!

I'm a grandmother!

We arrived back in Budapest, well, I'm not sure when exactly. The summer is flying by so fast that I can't keep up with the days of the week at all. Glenn has to tell me that it is Saturday and time to take my weekly bath because the next morning we go to church. Well, it's not that bad, but almost! It goes more like this. "What day of the week is it?" "Hmmm, yesterday I went bike riding with Istvan, and his day off is on Wednesdays, so today must be Thursday."

When I ended my blog last week, I still had a bunch of photos from our trip to Turkey that I wanted to show you. Rather than show you ALL the photos I took, I am selecting a few of my favorites and breaking them into two blog updates. So here are a few more, and the last of this trip to Turkey.

I had the privilege of meeting Kelsey, one of our young ladies who serves in the Russian cluster, and then doing her member care appointment. One of the neat things about her is that she is from Cartersville, Georgia, just 20-25 minutes from us in Marietta! How cool is that?

One day we watched the hotel personnel set up the pool deck for a huge dinner banquet. We found out that it was a circumcision celebration for a young muslim boy, I'd guess around 8-10 years old. There was a huge crowd that gathered that night and we enjoyed watching from the balcony of the dining area that overlooked the pool, and oohing and ahhing over the ladies' gorgeous dresses. The evening had a beautiful sunset, perfect weather, and lots of loud music for dancing.

a real fixer upper!

We stayed a couple of extra days to get to know David and Debbie, our two newest members to the member care team. Glenn needed to "orient" them, such as how to write their annual goals, how the annual evaluation would be done, which countries and personnel would fall under their responsibilities, how to budget and what to budget for...and so on. They would work in the mornings and into the afternoons, and then take a break. During the break time, we'd often go for walks through town. That is the way I like to "sightsee".

On our last day in town, we ate at a neighborhood cafe so that we could eat some traditional Turkish food. The food was good in the hotel, but it was the same food day after day, for both lunch and dinner, so after a week (14 meals all tasting the same), I talked Glenn into eating out!

Traditional Turkish food is the kebab, which is grilled chicken or lamb, served with a salad of shredded carrots and cabbage, and a side of rice or french fries. Oh, and the most delicious pita bread placed on top! Yum!

Good thing we ate before we saw these hanging in the window next door! As we walked past the window with the carcasses hanging, I looked back to see Glenn with his fist closed, and his thumb pointing up and then down, then up again. I figured out he was trying to remember the way we learned in Africa to distinguish whether an animal (live) was a goat or a sheep: Goats tails are short and go up, and sheep tails are a little longer and go down. So, Glenn was looking at the tails and trying to decide if these were goats or sheep. I think he decided they were goats.

We found some beautiful Clematis vines growing on the front wall of one of the yards. I don't know how anyone can look at the detail of something like this flower and not realize there has to be a Creator to design something so intricate and beautiful as these flowers. I'd never seen a Clematis like this...until I got home, that is! Turns out that the one we bought and planted earlier in the spring in our yard was blooming when we got home and is the same species!!! What a nice surprise!!

So, now we're back in Budapest and back to our local "work". Glenn and I took Ryan and his two older children (who have been staying at the Eden House) to the hospital to visit his wife and their new son who was born on July 4th! Mom and baby are doing well. I am practicing being a grandmother by babysitting the older two this week while mom and dad go to the Embassy to get a passport for the new baby.

It's important that I practice being a grandmother a lot because I AM A GRANDMOTHER NOW!

Chris (our son) and Kate welcomed their beautiful daughter, Jazmine Eliza, into the world on July 4th (also!) Kate and Jazzy are doing well, and Chris, the proud daddy, is so glad to have mom and baby home "where they belong". So, now I need to practice being a grandmother so I can be a great one to my grandkids!

Pictures to come next week. If you can't wait a week to see them, click on the link to Chris and Kate's blog.

There's another family up at the Eden House with young children. We invited them down for a meal, and because it has been sooo hot here, we bought a small pool for them to play in. Speaking of hot, we hit 100 degrees yesterday, but mercifully, it is down to 87 degrees today. I WANTED to put on my bathing suit and get in the pool with the kids, but I had to settle for wearing shorts. Anyway, I am practicing being a grandmother. "Yes, you can go up there." "Yes, you can have a piece of candy." "Yes, I'll get in the pool with you."

I should be real good by time we get to New Jersey on July 29th to see Chris, Kate and Jazzy!

Glenn's real good with kids too, but we have to watch him. He likes to skirt those child labor laws and put kids to work. Somehow, he convinces them that they want to help him water the plants with the pool water! He must be related to Tom Sawyer!

Do we look old enough to be grandparents? If you think so, don't comment. :-)

Hungary,Turkey, Hungary

Well, I'm late again! Sorry :-(

Two weeks ago we were in Budapest and I noticed how "up-town" we'd become! On both sides of our neighborhood we found these beautiful signs that welcome everyone to Budafok. We've gone big time!

When we were at the Budapest airport to fly to Turkey, I saw this huge poster and pondered on what the guy in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower was advertising with a baguette up against his ear and a map spread out before him. Maybe he was lost and was using the map to find his way? Well, the map won't help him because he's in the wrong country. It is a map of Rome! Yes, a map of Rome (it's written on the front of the map!)

We flew into Istanbul and then caught a taxi out to a small town about 45 minutes away called Selimpasa. It's on the coast of the Sea of Marmara. (We are here for the Russian cluster meeting, to do member care appointments.)

We met an American couple that run a travel agency here in Turkey. I go to the other side of the world and meet someone from Marietta, Georgia! How crazy is that? Chris and Angela were from Indian Hills on the other side of Cobb County. It is truly a small world.

Our hotel was small, overlooked the sea, and had, as found in most hotels in Europe, twin beds in each room. The pool was nice, but I never got in. Instead, I preferred to lay out by the sea in lounge chairs during the afternoon breaks. As always, I enjoy reading the funny wording on signs!

The dining room was huge, and half of the tables were outside on a covered porch overlooking the Sea of Marmara. Most days the weather was beautiful, but there were a few days that were cool (cold) and rainy, and boy, the wind blowing off the sea was a bit chilly!!!

Situated on the beach, the lone hotel was surrounded by quaint vacation villas covered with flowering vines and colorful bushes. We enjoyed walking through the neighborhood and ohhhing and ahhhing over all the beautifully landscaped yards.

There isn't a lot of commerce in the nearby town so I'm assuming most folks drive into Istanbul to work. There is, however, an open-air market on Sundays for the local folks to buy gorgeous fresh fruits and vegetables, and a host of other "necessities". Glenn and I bought a melon, peaches, cashews, and plums to snack on during the days here.

Because Turkey is a muslim country where modesty is a big deal, I was surprised to see a man selling the bras.

Locally made cheese for sale. I wasn't brave enough to try any.

Dried fruits, nuts, spices, cookies and so on...

And I loved the GAP jerseys! Of course, chances are pretty good they are either knock-offs or genuine fakes :-).

Glenn patiently walked with me through the housewares but I think he much preferred the tools, gadgets and hardware!

I saw some really neat kitchen items but I didn't NEED anything so all I did was browse. Any time I want to buy something, Glenn asks me if I'd rather buy it or go visit my children. Children win every time!

It is definitely watermelon season here and they are cheap! Our hotel had watermelon slices on the buffet line for every lunch and dinner meal since we arrived here over a week ago. I love watermelon so I've eaten it for dessert every day, twice a day!

We head back to BP tomorrow morning but I still have some pictures of this trip to show you so I may update before next Sunday. Stay tuned for more pictures of our time in Turkey.