Hello Bloggerville!

My, how times does fly these days! Actually, for a while there, time felt like it crept by. Our internet was out of commission for almost two weeks, so that put a damper on keeping up with the blog. And, in all honesty, I haven't been very blog inspired lately! Even now, I keep switching over to another tab to Google random things. 'Tis so sweet to have Google back. I mean, how else would I find random information like where to store Tahini...in the 'fridge or in a cupboard?!?! (and, in case you're interested, proper Tahini storage is in the 'fridge). Nonetheless, I'll do my best to give you a brief rundown of what's been going on here the past three weeks...

-I spent the week after the three week tour basically recuperating and trying to get things back in order. That Wednesday, team Northeast Poland ventured out to Skansen, an enthniographic park near here (if you're not sure what an ethniographic park is...Google it!). It was very interesting. We saw lots of old artifacts from this area that actually looked pretty similar to old artifacts from Lyme Village in Bellevue, Ohio!
-We've gotten to meet with three of the girls from the youth camp. We're hoping to connect with some more this week
-It's officially turned fall in Poland. The week my parents were here and the following week were H-O-T! It's a good thing I enjoyed it while it lasted, because it's gone now. It's been in the low 60's and kind of cloudy for the past few weeks. It's also getting dark earlier and earlier. I've already found myself wanting to go into hibernation mode and it's only September and Amber has already pulled out her sweaters and used a Hot Hands packet! It's not good, folks! However, on the flip side, I did buy a new pair of black boots for the winter weather and that's always fun...=) (and, by the way...to my Texas cousins--are you familiar with Fat Baby boots??? They are darling and I'm already planning to buy myself a pair as a "welcome back to America" gift when I return!)
-We made an apple pie...well, actually we made two. The first one didn't turn out great, and since we had 7 pounds of apples instead of 7 cups (ummmm...my bad. Guess I should have looked closer at that recipe, eh?) we gave it another shot. This one turned out great. The only downfall is having to use shortening--which Amber's mom brought over since we can't get it here--and I loathe shortening. I hate the smell, look, feel...ugh, it makes me noxious just thinking about it! Even when I was little and would make cookies with my mom, I hated getting the shortening out. Yuck. Ok, moving on.....
-We had a volunteer team here to prayerwalk and it was great. They are wonderful ladies and I had a great time getting to know them a bit as well as praying together. It was a great week. AND, they brought me a 12 pack of Diet Coke w/Lime, because it's of course way easier to have a 12 pack brought several thousands of miles than to actually slice up a lime and put it in a glass of Cola Light!
-ummm...I am taking Flamenco dancing lessons. I cut my lip real bad on the rose I was holding in my teeth. Just kidding. That's not until week 4, of course.
-I am drying out. I miss the water. I miss the Lake. I miss boats. I've been reading a book called Stormy Seas: Triumphs and Tragedies of Great Lakes Ships and it's kind of hitting the spot. But, this is one of my favorite times at the Lake. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE summer at the Lake. But, having lived there for four years, it's always nice when things slow down, the tourists leave, the weekend people close up their houses for the winter, and the weather changes. I love waking up in the morning and being able to hear the waves pounding and the wind blowing (even from my little house down the street from the waterfront!); I love looking out and seeing grey skies that match the color of the water; I love how quiet and desolate the beach is; I love watching the big freighters come in. The good news is that the Stevenson's recently went to Hel. No really. That's the name of the town, and it's right up on the Baltic. I saw some of their pictures and there was a lighthouse and a commercial fishing fleet and it looked beautiful! I can't wait to go next summer. It's on the list of things to do.

Well, for being blogging uninspired, I sure managed to fill this post up with utterly random nonsense. Thanks for sticking with it and I'll try to come up with something more interesting next time (which I think I can follow through on, as we're leaving for Italy in a week!!!!).
In parting, I'll leave you with the beginning from a song I've been listening to a lot lately--what with the nostalgia for the Great Lakes and all--and for which I'm sure I'll be relentlously teased, especially by a certain friend whose name starts with "T" and ends with "eresa"...

"The legend lives on
from the Chippewa on down
of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee"...

Can anyone name that song?????