The Heart of the Matter

MGM Studios was a lot of fun -- GREAT new ride called the Rock 'n Roller Coaster.  The premise is that we're late to a concert and Aerosmith's manager has booked us all a "fast ride."  This was incredible -- the car went from 0 to 58 in 2.8 seconds.  Naturally a picture was taken as we began, and, yes, I looked terrified.  Wished I had reviewed what to expect!!

Jim was a willing subject for my attempts at trick photography.  He is nowhere near the guitar, but he kept moving an inch at a time until I THOUGHT that his hand was on the volume control.  Actually turned out okay.

Tower of Terror.  Yes, another terrified picture.  It makes no difference how many times I have been in that elevator shaft, I STILL react just the way they designed it! 

Caught Beauty and the Beast, Great Movie Ride, MuppetVision 3-D, lunch at Mama Melrose's, Sounds Dangerous, Star Tours.  Not to mention just strolling the area noticing small details...it is amazing what you see when you're NOT racing from ride to ride! 

And have I mentioned that we laughed our heads off?

Once we all got settled on Sunday evening, we met for dinner at the Big River Grille on the Boardwalk.  With 4 out of the 6 of us needing to watch our food intake (some on diets; some reacting to different foods) this looked like a safe bet.  We continued to laugh, and rather frequently we would just look at each other and shake our heads -- this trip has been planned for nearly a year and it was FINALLY HAPPENING!!  We know the week will go quickly so we are savoring every moment.

After dinner we went to Jellyrolls -- the home of dueling pianos and sing-a-longs.  When we first saw this place listed in the Disney info we were reading to prepare for the trip, we knew this had to be a stop.  And we were NOT disappointed.  Two pianos were constantly being played, and the repertoire depended solely upon requests.  When two "players" needed a break, two fresh voices and fingers came in.  Lots of Billy Joel.  Some crowd participation -- hand motions, etc.  A kickline from the audience to New York, New York.  This is my kind of fun...music, music, music, and laughter.  We had so much fun that we got our second wind and actually stayed there until close to midnight.  We considered closing the place once we had stayed that long, but we learned that it stays open until 2a.m. or thereabouts.  Never mind.  We have much to do at MGM on Monday!

(Hmmm, not sure why the picture from Jellyrolls won't show up...click STATESIDE album on sidebar)

After four weeks of itineration, we drove to Orlando where we met longtime friends Gary and Karen Brown, and picked up Marianna's sister Janet and her husband David at the airport on Sunday.  Mom has blessed us with a week at her timeshare, and we are so enjoying the downtime and the laughter!  We laughed hard with our friends over the last weeks, but we are doubling over with uncontrollable laughter, unable to even talk from time-to-time as we enjoy each other's company.

Gary and Karen presented us with ears...to the Marijanets, birthday boy David (hence the GOLD ears) and Dr. Jeem.  She also gave us all matching Mickey Mouse pajamas.  Spoiled or what?

We have internet here at the Villa so we will be posting LOTS of fun shots as well as pictures from our last month.  If some of you have not taken some time off lately (I know, who are we to call the kettle black?), I encourage you to get away and LAUGH.  It is good for the soul!  No wonder Scripture compares a cheerful heart to good medicine (Proverbs 17:22).  Trust me -- no other medication is needed here!

(Click on picture for enlargement; click Stateside album for additional pictures) 

Oh, Brother.  I had imagined that I would be blogging across the States, keeping everyone informed of what's happening on a day-to-day basis.  God had other ideas, and so the computer refused to allow me to spend time online.  BUT, I have managed to keep a diary of sorts written in a small notebook.  (And even with that, I am so far behind!!) SOOO, please bear with me as I try to bring you up-to-date. 

Donna Houston, from Lifeline Adoption Center, picked us up at the Marriott and drove us to the adoption agency.  We spent a couple of hours getting to know each other and understanding what we each do in regards to the couples coming to Ukraine to adopt.  Jim shared about the current uncertainty of laws...and with the upcoming elections -- who knows?

They took us to lunch at the Tavern (see above picture) where we began making plans to meet in Ukraine to further discuss adoptions.  They want to meet with the "powers that be" so that they will be able to better inform prospective parents about the guaranteed roller coaster ride they will experience once they land in Ukraine.

After lunch, Donna delivered us to Heath and Nikki Morris's home.  They adopted sweet Karson last summer, and we had the privilege to spend extended time with them in Kyiv.  Good news and bad news.  If we had TIME with couples, it meant that they were stuck in some part of the process...on hold.  These times were not without stress but they were also not without laughter.  Fortunately, Heath and Nikki knew without a doubt that God was in control of their situation...and once they met Karson they knew exactly why they had to go through some of the delays and struggles.  Had they NOT, they might not have ever met Karson!

We arrived at their home just before Karson's nap, so we had a brief time with him, and then time with the parents.  Jim even had a short nap (as did I later).  Burgers on the grill.  Yum.  And THEN, folks started arriving with desserts to share.  Pecan pie.  Key lime pie.  Fruit.  Brownies.  Temptations galore.  I stayed out of the kitchen, determined NOT to begin adding back the 20 pounds that it had taken since November to lose!

We enjoyed wonderful fellowship with new friends from Oak Mountain Presbyterian.  One sweet new mom had served as a single in Kathmandu and had connected with the OM team.  She knew well our Anna's team leaders.  Small world.  They are currently raising funds to serve with MTW in Australia.

Nikki began to feel weak, and we learned that the day before she had been sick as a dog, was on antibiotics, but had overdone it a bit on this day.  We quickly cleaned the kitchen and everyone snuggled in for a good night's sleep. 

March 1 found us driving 100 miles from Cincinnati to the Columbus airport to catch a flight to Chicago where we transferred to a flight that flew through Louisville to Birmingham, Alabama.  We left Mom's house around 7:30 a.m. (6:30 in Alabama) and arrived in sunny and warm Alabama mid-afternoon.  We were so excited to finally arrive in Birmingham and see Andrea Bevill waiting to whisk us away.

While we collected our luggage, she retrieved her vehicle and we exited the airport en route to a certain printing company (best left unnamed!) to pick up a few brochures that they printed for us (our main supply would be arriving the next day), and then on to her church for dinner, a Bible study, and a brief time for us to share about our work in Ukraine. 

We hadn't travelled far when a man in the next lane of bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic signalled to us that we had a flat tire.  Andrea was so funny -- she looked at him, understood what he said, and then looked forward saying "I do NOT have a flat tire.  I had one two weeks ago.  I do NOT have a flat tire."  The man kept pointing at our tire so we pulled over to the side of the road between an onramp and the main highway.  She called for assistance only to discover that it would be at least 45 minutes.  No problem.  I had Ukrainian chocolate.  Andrea savored a piece and all was well.

We actually might have had time to catch up with news about each other's families except that her youngest daughter kept calling her cell phone to remind Andrea that she needed to pick up hairspray (red!) before school tomorrow -- Dr. Seuss day.  It became so frequent that Andrea threatened to not go at all if she called one more time!

With the tire eventually changed (with Jim's assistance in replacing the tire UNDER the car), we headed to the printer.  We only needed 50 brochures to hold us until our large shipment arrived.  We were prepared to spend several dollars per brochure because of the color, the tri-fold, etc. but I must say we were in shock when the cashier said $500!  $10 per brochure!!  They were nice, but come on!!  What could we do but pay and quickly head to the church.  I immediately called my friend Karen when we got in the car and I asked her if she knew how much they charged us.  She said that they should have charged us NOTHING because she had prepaid!  And when I told her the amount, she too went into cardiac arrest.  We went into the dinner/study/talk confident that Karen would have it all under control.  With a big 10 minutes to spare, we arrived and set-up our powerpoint, and tried to look calm as we handed out $10 brochures!  I wanted to know if they each REALLY wanted it...don't just be nice and take one if you're not interested!!

Anyway, bottom line:  Karen got it all straightened out (we think!).  And Andrea and friends treated Jim and me to a night at a beautiful Marriott in Birmingham, complete with the breakfast buffet the next morning.  I had no idea how tired I was until I snuggled down into the EIGHT pillows on the bed, turned on the TV, and fell asleep within 15 minutes.  I didn't wake up until 5:30 the next morning!  A wonderfully refreshed way (not to mention SPOILED way) to continue on with our schedule...THANK YOU!!

CLICK "Stateside" album on sidebar for pictures...

Jim and I arrived in the States on Thursday, February 23rd.  We are here to take part in two missions conferences as well as to share our work in Ukraine with friends throughout Ohio, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, Florida and Indiana.  It is a whirlwind, to be sure, but we love seeing everybody.

Please pray for us during this time...Beginning today, March 1, we are in a different home each night for 2-1/2 weeks, with the exception of the time spent at the conferences.  We have just had our "easy" time: staying with Mom in Glendale, visiting friends and family, speaking in a Sunday School class, meeting with ministry partners to begin the logistics of two medical conferences in the fall, and simply relaxing.

Today we fly to Birmingham, Alabama.  We know so many precious families there that it's beginning to feel like a second or third home to us.  We look forward to catching up with everyone.  For these next weeks we will function on automatic pilot.  We have six meetings scheduled BEFORE the beginning of the first conference on Saturday!  Yes, do pray for endurance.  For clarity.  For our hosts!  For wisdom to know when to speak and when to listen!  For God's glory in all we do.