the return to normalcy or at least a version of it!

Sorry! Sorry! It's been a bit since my last post. Trying to settle in here is still taking time - more time than originally planned but it is getting easier. More days are good then bad, although I do still have my "I hate Macedonia" moments like today when I slipped and fell down the stairs of our apartment building with a stroller in one hand and Cal in the other - twisting my ankle pretty bad in the process. There are obviously things about living here that are not like living in OHIO, but I will say that this past week was the first point where I started to feel a bit normal - as normal as one can feel in a foreign country when you are still unable to speak the language. I think something that has helped me on my way to normalcy is that I am no longer feeling intimidated about going about life here. I kinda felt paralyzed a bit in these past weeks so unsure of where to go, what I could say (or not say); afraid of just about everything which for me is no NORMAL! I pride myself on being pretty independent and industrious - but here I was sorta feeling like I was back at my first day of high school (I think most of us can relate to this feeling... it's what I refer to a a "LOST" feeling).

Another BIG factor in my return to normalcy was a little reminder of it... Upon moving to Macedonia we were told that there was another Crusade couple in the capitol and that we had to of course meet them and their boys. So this is just what John and I did. We went to Skopje (pronounced scopia), which like I said is the capital of Macedonia to visit Scott and Jennifer Matthews and their boys Ely & Noah who are the exact ages as our boys! Just arriving in Skopje you know your no longer in little Strumica since it's just a scosh bigger than we have become accustomed to in the past month. As we drove up to the Matthew's house... a house and not an apartment... with real grass in the backyard... well let's just say I was so excited. To make things better we were greeted with two smiling boys ready to tire out our two boys and the smell of fresh-baked cookies. Then the cherry on top... a babysitter would be coming in two hours to watch all the boys so we could go out to dinner! We were thrilled for ourselves and the boys. Our dinner btw was magnificent. We went to a fun little cuban place in the middle of downtown where John and I both had a wonderful steak and not just for Macedonian standards. Then we had this delicious chocolate cake that immediatly upon cutting into erupted with fudge - it was a truly great night. We were out for almost 5 hours (the longest we have both been without the kids in weeks)... we are looking forward to doing it again real soon.

We drove home the next day and Brady said "that was really fun... i think we should move to here, I just know we can find a new hotel to live in here"! Yes, a hotel... Brady think we are living in a hotel because the building is five levels - it's both funny and cute - whatever works; all he knows is that it's different!

So now that the "LOST" feeling has become somewhat removed and although I cannot say it is totally gone, and it may never be which I think that I am OK with. I am an after all American (proud to be) and not Macedonian but I hope that the two will continue to meld together and my time here will be fruitful in so many ways.