August 19, 2008
Good News..."Bad News"...
Good News...last week, my Hemoglobin levels rose...woohoo! Today, Dr. T called to give me the results from my Ferritin test. Apparently, I have stored up enough iron that I can stop taking the supplements! I was not expecting that!! So, Dr. T said that she will continue keeping an eye on it, and if it goes low again, I will go back on the supplements just as this past time.
"Bad" News...my glucose screening came back a little high, so I have to go in for the 'real' test tomorrow. Not looking forward to it!! I can't eat anything before, and I have to sit at the Doctor's office for 2 hours, and have my blood taken 3 times!! Bummer.
More news later, once the results from tomorrow come back.
August 10, 2008
Afternoon Tea
One day this week, I was able to come home a bit early. Upon arriving home, I noticed that Jana was having a "low iron" day. As you may have seen from our latest email, Jana is very low on energy, not just from the pregnancy, but also from her blood disorder which is made worse by the pregnancy. On this day, Jana was particularly tired.
I looked in the kitchen for what we could snack on to give her energy. Noticing the time, I realized that an afternoon tea was perfect. Since the ingredients were available, I made scones! We made some Earl Gray French Blue, Jana's favorite, and enjoyed fresh, warm scones.
Sorry, I cannot share through the web, so enjoy the picture!
August 8, 2008
Happy 8!!!
I just thought you could take a moment with me and celebrate the occurence of a moment of 8s! If you did not notice, at this moment it is the 8th second of the 8th minute of the 8th day of the 8th month of the 8th year of 2000.
Enjoy the day!
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August 7, 2008
Guide to Praying for Europe
A Praying for Europe (Western, Eastern, and Russia) website was recently launched by our Global Media Outreach team. It is concise and easy to navigate, with individual country pages allowing you to ‘record’ that you have prayed for a particular country. If interested, you can also sign up to receive an E-Newsletter.
Please join us in praying for the countries throughout Europe:
http://prayeurope.com
August 5, 2008
Praying for Jana and Baby
After writing our latest letter, a medical concern came to light that we were not able to ‘squeeze’ into the prayer requests. Without going into minute medical details, basically Jana’s hemoglobin levels dropped to an alarming low (due to her blood disorder, Thalassemia Minor, they tend to be naturally low). A praise that surrounds this concern is that she now has three doctors (including a blood specialist) keeping an eye on her.
Continue reading "Praying for Jana and Baby"
August 4, 2008
Laugh Out Loud - Culture Check
Cultural check: When recently having dinner with friends, we had a startling realization of living cross-culturally. Sitting on a terrace in Germany, hosted by our Finnish friends, eating a delicious imported Scottish Salmon prepared with some spices from India...Fins really know their fish, savoring a dessert of ice cream topped with an Estonian liqueur (not Jana’s of course!), and to top it all off — they played country music especially for us!
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July 2008
Planning
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July 18, 2008
What is Thad reading?
Normally, I try to stick to my reading list, which I normally update online. I have neglected that recently... not the reading. Just the updating information about it. I fixed that yesterday!
If you look at my section of the site, you will see that I have updated my profile to include my current reading list. Yes, it is different than what was there! There were a few books that I did not complete, while this list is nearly, completely new.
At this moment, I am reading "Foundation and Empire" by Isaac Asimov. This is the second book in the "Foundation" series. If you enjoy Sci-Fi, this series is a must read, since much of modern Sci-Fi comes directly form these early works. There is a lot of social commentary and observation of the human condition that is fascinating to me.
My next book is one that Jana bought while in New York for a Creativity conference. It is "A Wizard of Earthsea" written by Ursula K. Le Guin. You can find information here... A Wizard of Earthsea (The Earthsea Cycle, Book 1)
And finally, after that is Book 6 of the "Wheel of Time" series, the Lord of Chaos. This series is very much like Lord of the Rings, but more detailed and larger scale.
After that, I have no idea. It may be one of the books on my
list or something new may come along.
That's it! Enjoy your reading!
June 26, 2008
Stau
So, the German language is not typically known for shortening a word or saying or sentence. But, there is one German word which I think should be universally adopted.
That word is Stau.
Picture this, your sitting on a freeway full of backed-up cars. No one is moving. Now, when you think to yourself about the situation, in English, well at least in American English, the phrase that comes to mind is "traffic jam". Does "traffic jam" really convey the emotion of the situation? I mean, to me, it sounds so light, effervescent almost sweet. And when your in a "traffic jam", sometimes it's one of those where you just want to shake a fist (at no one in particular) and let it all out in one, strong word. Sometimes, you're just dejected, and saying something like "traffic jam" just seems too happy. Sometimes, you're okay with the traffic, but it's just a matter of wanting to be efficient when calling someone to say you are late. So, here's the solution:
We should all start using Stau!!
Now if you're wondering how to pronounce this little golden nugget of a word, then let me help. Shh-t-ow (that's "ow" as in "owl"). Say it out-loud, just once, and you will see what I mean.
It now has a permanent fix in my brain, and even when speaking English, I just say Stau, and it conveys just what I want quite efficiently!
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June 24, 2008
Big Thanks to a Little Sister!!
We have not written much in the past week because Jana's mom, Kay, has been in town. We have taken her to see as much as we could in the few days she is here, so days have been packed a bit!
One joy we had that she brought with her was some presents from Jana's sister, Sheena. Talk about going above and beyond! She went shopping for Jana at a few clothing stores, one of which was a maternity store. We do not have pictures of the event, but she even put on a "belly" at the maternity store, so she could try on the clothes for Jana! (Steve, I want pictures!!!)
We have been fortunate and blessed by our families, as they have helped us by sending some maternity clothes across the Atlantic. Jana was preparing to go clothing shopping with her mom though, since she was running low on things that would fit over the growing belly. In comes Sheena! Sheena went above and beyond and bought Jana what can only be described as a wardrobe of clothes, some specifically maternity, some that will be worn after!
She individually packed each item, wrote notes and "clues" on each one! The time and effort alone brought tears to all of our eyes. For Jana, that was a couple of Christmases and birthdays rolled into one!
Thank you Sheena and Steve!!
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June 17, 2008
Craving #3
Melon. Honey Melon. Watermelon. Cantaloupe. I start eating them, but I can't stop!!
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June 16, 2008
Laugh Out Loud - Mein Baum
So I’m in my ballet class and struggling a bit with maintaining the right posture. My instructor pats my tummy and says to keep trying but to be careful. I laughingly try to say that I can’t use my stomach muscles so well...unfortunately, this is what came out of my mouth: “Ich kann nicht so gut machen mit mein baum”. She chuckled a little, which seems to be normal for me. Now I know that sentence wasn’t grammatically correct, but it’s hard to dance and speak in another language. I move along laughing at my poor German, when it hits me. “Baum” isn’t the word for stomach, “Bauch” is!!! So basically, what I said to her was: I can not use my tree so well.
June 2008
Work . . . and play
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Sunday Fest
Jana and I were able to enjoy a Fest in Kandern Sunday afternoon. Like all fests in Kandern, it was on Hauptstrasse, just outside our building. This fest is for the shops in town. This is a sight for anyone that has been in Germany over a few Sundays... the shops are open!!
We walked around, taking in the crowds of "fest goers." Of course, we had to eat Fest Food for lunch. Our wurst were from a stand setup by the local butcher we use. They were fantastic!
Fests are always fun. When people visit, we hope and pray there will be a fest in Kandern or somewhere close. It never happens that way. This one was sandwiched between my brothers family and Jana's mom (arriving Wednesday!).
Our highlight for this fest was a band that was walking around with a big speaker/amp and their instruments. When we first heard them playing in front of our building, we just thought "great sounding group!" That was until the main trumpet player started singing. We turned very suddenly turned our heads, expecting to see Louis Armstrong standing just behind us. My second thought, after not seeing Louis Armstrong, was that they were playing a CD. Sure enough, it was one of the band! They were awesome!
Of course they have a website... http://dixie-surprise.ch/
June 12, 2008
ASP .Net and other stuff
Updates on Jana are after the technical stuff. Or maybe in the middle! Read everything!!!!
Once again, I find myself learning another language. This time, it is a programming language. This will be the second this year, for programming. I am working on a programming project that is the more a "proof of concept" at the moment. Since I need to get something done quickly, I turned to an old friend, of sorts. I have decent experience with Microsoft programming languages, so this is the shortest step.
Why write that here? Where else am I going to put it?
I am returning to another good friend, and that is Database design. Since I am designing, writing, and implementing this phase of the project, that means that I get to do just about everything. Now, in the case of database design, I am not that sad. I enjoy databases. This part if fun. I just need to find someone to write the program that gets the data. Volunteers?
Ok, so I left the part about Jana for the end. Cruel, yes, but I know what you really want to know!
Jana is doing very well! The belly is expanding and she is getting her energy back. That is about it. I will get her to write about "Art Basel" from last weekend. We have some pics of us at that. Of course, Jana looks radiant!
June 3, 2008
Celebrating Tuesday
It is said that Tuesday is the most productive day of the week. Yeah! Happy Tuesday! Now, Get Back to Work!!!
May 12, 2008
A Week in Italy
So, as you may have noticed from Thad's recent post, we are in Florence, Italy for the week. Agape has an office here, and both of us are helping the team get a few things sorted out.
Thad is setting up some donations systems. As well, he is helping them with some network trouble that they have not been able to sort out. He's also checking one of their financial systems to make sure it is set-up and running properly. Basically, he's in his element and enjoying the problem solving as well as tech-talk.
As for me, I will be helping a lady learn to use some of Adobe's CS3 programs. Along with that, they are working on creating a new look for their Four Spiritual Laws, so I'm also going to take a look at their thoughts and see what advice/direction I can give. Lastly, they are trying to renovate their office and need some professional advice on a few things, so I am turning on my Interior Design brain to do some space planning and such.
Overall, it is a busy, varied week, but we are excited to help where we can and as well see this beautiful city.
I tired myself out a bit with all the walking this weekend, so if you could pray for me--both for healthy energy and knowing when to take a break. I'm still trying to get used to the whole "can't go and do as much as I used to"...which is particularly difficult when traveling. My doctor said that the tiredness should ware off soon, but I'm still battling with it. That's okay though, it just means little baby Hoskins is being taken care of...and it's just an excuse to sit down and have some yummy Gelato.
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May 10, 2008
First time in Italy!
After getting up at 3:15 AM, heading to the airport, and changing in Zurich we arrived in Florence, Italy! We met Henry at the City Center bus station. He escorted us to where are staying for part of the week. Then we all ate some breakfast and drank some coffee, then Jana and I were on our own to tour Florence.
I will give recaps later, if I can remember where we went and what we saw, but to amuse you, here is the link to our photos on our Picasa site. There are 57 of them, but my favorite is included here. This picture is perfect (for me, anyway!).
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May 4, 2008
First Baby Gift
These cute little shoes were on my desk at the office the day after we announced we were expecting. Our friend, Merja, who is from Finland, made them for us once she heard the news. So sweet and preciously cute.
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May 2, 2008
It was Inevitable...
When you live in an apartment with a door that locks automatically, it is inevitable that one day you will lock yourself out.
Last night, after enjoying a beautiful May Day holiday, we popped over to a friends house (practically across the street) to watch a movie. Our standard question when leaving the apartment is: "Do you have the keys?" Thad checked his pocket, heard the jingle and said "Yup, I've got 'em."
After enjoying the movie, complete with popcorn and cookies, we wandered back to our place. Thad pulled out his keys and said "oh no." I knew immediately what had happened. He had gone for a bicycle ride with Brad that afternoon, and the apartment key was sitting inside the pocket on his cycling jersey.
Oh well, we can try the balcony door...it's usually open. So, Thad climbed the wall (a little precariously, but he has had to do the same 3 times before) and went to our kitchen door. Locked. Wandered further down the balcony to our bedroom door, locked. Checked the windows, none were cracked.
Okay, well, we were pretty sure we had hidden a key somewhere on the balcony, but that was so long ago, that we couldn't remember where. Thankfully, there was a light to help Thad search while I waited below, looking up, hoping to hear a "woohoo!!". He searched and searched and searched. At this point it was pretty late, and I was worried that we were already going to have to wake someone up.
Thad continued looking for a while because the climb back down the balcony is not as easy as the climb up (he's never had to climb back down before...we usually have something open!!). Eventually, he gave up.
We wandered across the street to see if our friends lights were still on, all darkness. Thankfully, since he had his set of keys, we were able to go to our office and call around without having to wander from house to house scaring people by buzzing their door. Praise God, our first call, they were awake--nearing midnight. Phew, we had a place to sleep.
So, today, we are still waiting to hear from our Landlord--hoping to avoid calling a locksmith, they are as pricey here as they are in the States. We also have another option of trying to unlock our door with a card, since we didn't double-lock it. Praying it will work.
Oh, and to top it all off. Since we were just popping over to watch a movie, I didn't grab my purse, Thad didn't grab his wallet or jacket. So, we are reliant upon our gracious friends at the office for our 'food provisions' today. Mama Miller sent us to the office with fully tummies from Breakfast, so that was certainly appreciated. She had some fresh farm bread...soooo yummy!
All of that to say, it was inevitable. We knew it would happen one day... It just happened to be last night, unfortunately rather late.
