More fun and friends

I had a great visit to Minnesota to visit old friends! God blessed me with seeing my best friend from high school, after 17 years, and my best friend from university! Such a wonderful time...but way too short!

Remember the song "Georgia on My Mind"? Well, I'm in Georgia enjoying relaxation and meeting friends before heading back to Hungary. Again, blessings abound!

Last leg of the journey

Blessings galore! I'm here in Hiram, Georgia on the last leg of my U.S. trip this summer! Every flight has been on time, and my luggage has arrived with me!
I enjoyed a WONDERFUL couple of days in Minnesota with old college buddies and a precious afternoon with my best friend from high school, the first meeting in 17 years.
I was able to worship, live, at Trinity Chapel here in Georgia this morning and it was great! I've been lazing around, watching movies and relaxing. God is good!

Family, friends, and fellowship

The blessings of family are immeasurable! I was able to see some of my family in Colorado, including some extended family! The picture above shows dad, mom, cousin, aunt, brother and sister-in-law. Please pray for my aunt who is being treated for cancer.

We got to celebrate one of my neice's birthdays with a backward party...we wore clothes backwards, ate cake first, and had a BALL!

At IHOP in Kansas City, God just HAPPENED to have one of my very best friends in the entire world "passing through" with her 5 boys on her way out to Colorado to visit her father. We "just happened" to be there at the exact hours she was going to be there!!!

In addition, we got to know a WONDERFUL couple, Luis and Jill Cataldo and they graciously hosted me and a couple of friends at their home while we enjoyed days of fellowship, prayer and worship!

Now I'm in Minnesota visiting old and dear friends from my university days! The blessings just keep on being poured out!!!!

IHOP

No, I'm not at a famous pancake place, but rather at one of the most incredible places in the U.S. called International House of Prayer. Go to www.IHOP.org to check it out for yourself.

Rocky Mountain High...

Colorado!!! What beauty...every time I come to Colorado, I wonder in the back of my mind why I ever left this beautiful state....hmmm. Even though it's been in the 90s and folks here are saying how hot it is, with no humidity, I'm finding it quite pleasant! So far we've celebrated my neice's 9th birthday with a "backward" party....we had to wear our clothes backwards, and everything was done backwards...so of course, we ate dessert first! What fun! I also had the joy and privilege of meeting the Bible study group my brother and his wife are a part of here. Today, we travelled to my hometown, Colorado Springs, where we had lunch with a cousin and my Aunt Jean, who has been diagnosed with cancer and the outcome does not look medically very favorable. I must admit it was very difficult giving her a hug good-bye in the parking lot of the restaurant....
We then visited some old friends and drove up to our old house that my parents designed MANY years ago! Arriving home, we discovered that the baby robins, which hatched about 3 weeks ago, had flown the nest.....it has been amazing to watch their growth over the past 4 days, doubling in size.
I'm writing my blog, if you haven't figured it out already, for those who have asked me to keep them posted on my American travels this summer. So, not too many deep thoughts and lots of just daily stuff. Sorry no pix........using someone else's computer.

Beach, birds, crabs and kite-surfing

What a great time we've had at the beach here in North Carolina! We've found shark teeth on the beach, ridden waves on boogie boards, watched crabs skitter across the sand, endured gale force winds, walked for miles, enjoyed GREAT food, sunshine and kite surfing entertainment! We've been blessed!

Celebrating the 4th of July!

Independence Day! Red, white and blue is everywhere! Flags are flying, patriotic songs are playing, people are having cookouts, and of course, when darkness falls, the fireworks begin! I was blessed to be able to have a front-row seat, along with about 50 other people, in the yard of a wonderful couple who "open" their yard on the 4th to those who want to come and have a "perfect" view of the fireworks! I didn't try to capture the fireworks, but I did capture the home-grown ones we set off around the yard! It's a real community affair as we were offered frozen Snickers bars, and everyone got a glow-stick! I was taking a picture of myself and my friend Jeannette and at the last second raised my glow-stick so it too could be in the picture! Well, as you can see, it looks like it is straight up her nose!! I couldn't get that pose again if I tried! I could fill this blog with lots of thoughts about freedom and independence, but instead, I'll just let it remain as is...a report on my summer fun!

Fun in the sun!

I got to celebrate the 4th of July with some friends at beautiful Lake Monticello this year! Every year on the 4th there is a "swim across the lake" which entails swimming a little less than 1/2 a mile; I decided to join in the festivities of swimming since I'd been swimming 1000 meters a couple of times a week. We all received numbers (for body count at the end of the swim I suppose) and you can see me and two of my swimming buddies here posing, post-swim, sporting our numbers! Of course we had to do the "prissy" pose as well as the "tough girl" pose! My stay at the lake was just what I needed; I had a full day of rest, and the third picture shows the view I had one morning as I enjoyed my coffee and time with the Lord.

Suffering....not!

As I type this, I'm looking out over one of the most beautiful lakes in all of Virginia...or at least according to me! I wish I knew how to hook up my camera to this computer and could download pictures for this blog. Oh well, you'll simply have to wait to see the pictures later.

What a week it has been! Whew! I've really been suffering......NOT!! I've met new people, gotten together with old friends, eaten at some of my "old favorite" restaurants and been introduced to a couple of new places. I've laughed a lot, had some serious talks, had friends drive long distances to see me, experienced amazing hospitality, watched a great fireworks display for the 4th of July, and I've even participated in a "swim across the lake" here at Lake Monticello!!!

Last evening my friends and I took a trip to another friend's house where, basically, all my worldly possessions are being stored in a corner in his basement. I went through a few boxes, tossed two garbage bags full of stuff, and took a short walk down memory lane. I found a prized possession: the family genealogy my cousin so diligently worked on years ago which proves that our family came to North America on the Mayflower! Can't wait to use it in class back in Hungary!

Today is complete rest day. I'm not going anywhere...I'm going to go and sit outside and enjoy being alone with my Lord, and drink in the beauty of this place! I'm so very blessed...I can't even begin to understand it.

Learning through lost luggage

I'm now on the U.S. side of the Atlantic, after a very eventful adventure getting here. I'm not quite sure I want to fly through Charles DeGaulle airport ever again as that seems to be where the issues began...from having to wait about 20 min. on the airplane after landing for the busses to arrive; then boarding busses and being driven to the terminal, where we were not allowed to get off the busses for another 20 min. for whatever reason; to missing my connecting flight to the U.S. as a result...along with about 20 other people who missed their connections.

My circuitous route took me from Paris to JFK in NY, where I waited an hour for my luggage, which never arrived; there was a nice man standing there with slips of paper in his hand for those of us whose luggage had not made the flight...so upon going to the Air France lost luggage counter, I learned my luggage supposedly never left Budapest. Interesting. BUT, they promised to get it on the next flight to the U.S. and it would arrive the next day...in the meantime, I'd already missed my flight from JFK to Washington....but good old Delta was able to get me a flight from LaGuardia to Washington Reagan, where, when I arrived, I was to submit a claim for my missing luggage. Problem: there is no Air France desk at Reagan airport......so I did it through Delta, hoping the partner companies would communicate with each other. So, after 24 hours of travel, I finally got to my friends' house and had a hot shower and hit the bed, luggage-less.

I was encouraged by the wonderful woman, with whom I spoke the next morning, at Air France, to drive out to Washington Dulles and submit another claim at the Air France desk. So this I did and lo and behold, they had tracked my bags to....... PARIS!!!! My bags had finally made it to Paris!!! They were scheduled to be on the last flight on Sunday night, arriving at 7:30 in the evening, and would be delivered to me that night!!!!

Sunday night: no luggage....returning my rental car to the airport in Charlottesville, I decided to inquire at the Delta counter about my luggage. Yes, it was in the U.S. and would be arriving on a flight in Charlottesville on MONDAY night at 5:30, from Atlanta!!!!!!!!!

So, Monday night, the phone rings at my friend's house, and it's the luggage delivery people asking for directions.....my luggage arrived at 6:30, completely intact, nothing missing, and nothing broken....WOW!!!

In the past, I would have been freaking out, frustrated, and worrying. For some wonderful reason, God's amazing grace maybe???? I was calm, confident and unconcerned, for the most part, believing that somehow, the Lord was going to bring those bags and all would be well and intact. And He did. I lost no sleep over these missing bags, I did not lose my temper, and I gained a great appreciation for those who have very few clothes, which they must LEARN to be satisfied with and wear again and again. There really is nothing you can do about lost luggage EXCEPT trust the Lord, and I pray in some small, or maybe large way, I've grown in my trust in Him a bit more through this lost luggage adventure.