Thankful list :: Summer 2014

I don't even want to check when the last time I wrote a blog post was!  I have no problem admitting that I'm not good at keeping up on this, and really have no plans to get any better. So enjoy the posts when they come, Mom ;)

Probably everyone knows now, we're pregnant and we just bought a flat in a village outside Bratislava. So, lots of change and transitions, and still more to come for Erik and me.  I started writing this (admittedly incomplete) thankful list at the beginning of June when we came back from a vacation in Holland and started to move out of our old place in Petrzalka and into the new place.

"Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow"  James 1:17

• The perfect vacation
• All the things we learned and realized, and the ways we were blessed and encouraged and refreshed during our perfect vacation
• The Garmin GPS from Jacob and Adrianna (It's been perfect!!) :)
• During our vacation, getting to stay with and learn from a couple who we consider to be "perfect parents"
• We were approved for the home loan- just in time!
• My raise
• We didn't spend all our budgeted money during our vacation
• The nice HR lady who took the time to double check that everything was okay on my old payslip,
• Food tickets from both our works
• Time off on a Friday to go to Ikea to plan our kitchen when it's not too crowded
• The kitchen will cost less than we expected
• Our old flat is getting sprayed for bedbugs (yes, again) before the Hotel Higgins is booked, so we can stay for several nights :)
• My work presentation is done with and went pretty well
• Our CSOB (bank) guy who can explain things with patience in a way we understand
• The good interest rate on our loan
• All our friends with cars who are willing to help us on moving day
• Finally the ladies handing out free juice outside of work gave me a bottle that didn't have red cabbage in it (it was still gross, but it was nice to try a different flavor) 
• A productive but enjoyable weekend (and several more since then)
• We actually had the money to pay the extremely expensive notary fee
• We can already get the keys to the new flat
• Clearance area microwave stand - the exact one we were going to buy for full-price
• Peter, Paja, Stano helping us build the more complicated furniture pieces
• More and more grace in our marriage for when the curtain rod just won't stay attached to the wall and the bookshelf doors don't hang perfectly straight
• Our new appliances, especially the washing machine
• Another person's unfortunate experience turned into a blessing for us (I hope that doesn't sound cruel. Sometimes God gives me the grace to hope that something bad in my life will work out for good for someone down the line, so it was encouraging to see that happen for once, and especially nice to be on the good side of it.) (Story below...)
• The perfect car, way better than we hoped for
• Peace about staying in Slovakia for the next 33 years (that's how long our mortgage is set for) 
• We found a container big enough to keep Robin happy that he can't climb out of
• Experiences lately that show my current level of language is "sufficient" 
• The occasional reminder that I still have lots of Slovak left to learn
• The feeling that I really do love Slovak language and want to see it everyday on billboards and learn it completely some day
• Friends who relentlessly speak Slovak to me as if I understand everything
• Erik's heart for evangelism (even if he doesn't realize he has that)
• The people around me lately whose stories show that Jesus made the difference in their lives
• Good left turns - I always pray for those, and eventually always get them
• Kristi's testimony and other small glimpses of Adonai-Shalom to contrast the constant reminders of what a broken and fearful world we're in
• A relatively easy pregnancy
• The nice ultrasound technician who spoke English and let Erik watch the ultrasound, and his sweet nurse who said I'm pretty
• Clearance sales
• Elastic waists are in style (or at least the used to be- I found them all over the clearance racks!)
• Grocery stores with extra wide parking spaces near the front that are reserved for families with children
• The junk yard/recycling place in our village, and their little goats
• My new pregnant friend here in Slovakia
• The nice ladies at the Obecny Urad (village office)
• The nice foreign police officers in Dunajska Streda (and all the other wonderful and easy aspects of going to the foreign police there instead of in Bratislava)

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The bad thing that happened to someone else, that turned into a blessing for us:
Our sweet friend Evka, who sells insurance, has a client who had a problem in her home with the electricity (I don't know what) that fried all her appliances. Unfortunately, the client didn't have the type of insurance that covers appliances and Evka had to tell her the bad news that she wouldn't be getting money to replace them. Since dear Evka is so sweet, she really felt awful for her client and wanted to do something nice for someone else after delivering the bad news.What nice thing did she do? She immediately called Erik and offered to lend us her car the weekend we were moving! And her car is an automatic, and Erik fell in love with driving automatic cars that weekend which inspired us to pray and look for an automatic car.  Sorry client, we wish we could help :/ But thanks a bunch to Evka! 

Happy Homeowners

We're so happy our living room doesn't look like that any more!

Our new car, "Višňa"

Hana Catherine Raczova... 22 weeks blurry ultrasound. I thought that was the profile of her face, but maybe not. Don't be worried based off this confusing picture- the doctor's sure all her pieces are there :)