Wow, it has been wayyyy too long since I last posted. So much has happened since the last post. Too much to really fill you all in on! Right now, where we stand, I am back in America and Josh is on his way to Israel to, Lord willing, collect the money his team from last year still owes him.
I came back after 8 lovely months in France. I think Josh and I can agree that we will miss the friends we made there and the family we had a chance to see in Amsterdam! It was a stable environment that was very supportive and understanding. We can only pray that God will continue to bless us with such stability and love in all the places He will take us!
I must quickly ramble about some of my favorite adventures (in quick format)
1. Story 1: Over X-mas we decided to DRIVE to Amsterdam...normally no more than a 5 hour trip. Well...we decided to do it when Northern Europe experienced its worst snow storm in decades...yea we drove in a blizzard...it was crazy and it took 10 hours and with God as my witness we never went over 30km UNTIL we actually got into Amsterdam...we hit 50. You think road crews are bad in America...they are nearly non-existent in France, Belgium and the Netherlands! The storm was so bad London, Amsterdam, Antwerp, and small cities in northern France ran out of salt supplies for the road... I cannot lie...it was an amazing trip, a beautiful and snow filled trip! It was like the old Christmas movies. We stopped in traffic, made friends stuck with us, saw beautiful deer, elk like animals and Clydesdales along the way. I loved every moment of that trip! I am so glad we packed food!!!
2. My husband is not just a basketball player, but a handyman too!!!! My husband performed his first 'house maintenance task' when he broke our toilet seat in half (no lie) and had to replace it...sounds easy, but try doing it with directions in french (before I could read it) and on a toilet that is VERY different than ones in the states. It was a task, but he did it successfully and wonderfully! I was so proud and so was he!
3. Washer Wipeout: It was a game, we didn't invent...it came with the apartment! We had such horrible luck with our washer! It would gush water that would explode (by every definition of the word) ALL OVER the house...we would try and trap it in buckets, with towels, you name it we did it. We had game plans for washing days and tactics we would study and attempt...It became a game...not always a fun one, but a fun one now to remember...now that it is finally fixed! We spent many nights sitting in the hallway, talking and eating snacks just waiting....for that sound that indicated that in 1.2 seconds old faithful would go off! It's nights like that that create some of the best memories! Sure we could have been upset and irritated, but what would that solve...we found a way to make the best of it and bond over our own personal geyser!
4. Police bust: We had a little run in with the police 2x this year...once leaving a club for our first time. We decided to go with the team to celebrate some team birthdays. The clubs are usually the last place you would find Josh or myself...but it seemed like something we should experience, and glad that we did, it was pretty fun...except when we left.
Upon leaving we went through a round about before coming to the light that would put us on the main highway home. There were about 5 police cars in one of the exits...apparently we were supposed to stop for breathalyzers...but in America when it appears a road is closed down, you go around so to avoid hitting people along the road or being nosy...not the case in France...you must stop...well after already blowing through the barricade (that we were unaware of), our friends car was stopped. We pulled over to wait for them...they were released and we went on. Just a bit down the road a stoplight turned red, our friends pulled beside us and said, "Josh, how did you not get stopped by the police?" Josh's reply, "I just drove past them why?" James: "man, that was a barricade, you can't just roll through those they will tag your plates and send you a ticket..." Josh: "oh...well its a good thing I went through it, I wouldn't know what they wanted anyway!"
There are so many stories equally as funny and interesting, I suppose next season I will have to do a better job of keeping track of them! Until late, bonne nuit!
I came back after 8 lovely months in France. I think Josh and I can agree that we will miss the friends we made there and the family we had a chance to see in Amsterdam! It was a stable environment that was very supportive and understanding. We can only pray that God will continue to bless us with such stability and love in all the places He will take us!
I must quickly ramble about some of my favorite adventures (in quick format)
1. Story 1: Over X-mas we decided to DRIVE to Amsterdam...normally no more than a 5 hour trip. Well...we decided to do it when Northern Europe experienced its worst snow storm in decades...yea we drove in a blizzard...it was crazy and it took 10 hours and with God as my witness we never went over 30km UNTIL we actually got into Amsterdam...we hit 50. You think road crews are bad in America...they are nearly non-existent in France, Belgium and the Netherlands! The storm was so bad London, Amsterdam, Antwerp, and small cities in northern France ran out of salt supplies for the road... I cannot lie...it was an amazing trip, a beautiful and snow filled trip! It was like the old Christmas movies. We stopped in traffic, made friends stuck with us, saw beautiful deer, elk like animals and Clydesdales along the way. I loved every moment of that trip! I am so glad we packed food!!!
2. My husband is not just a basketball player, but a handyman too!!!! My husband performed his first 'house maintenance task' when he broke our toilet seat in half (no lie) and had to replace it...sounds easy, but try doing it with directions in french (before I could read it) and on a toilet that is VERY different than ones in the states. It was a task, but he did it successfully and wonderfully! I was so proud and so was he!
3. Washer Wipeout: It was a game, we didn't invent...it came with the apartment! We had such horrible luck with our washer! It would gush water that would explode (by every definition of the word) ALL OVER the house...we would try and trap it in buckets, with towels, you name it we did it. We had game plans for washing days and tactics we would study and attempt...It became a game...not always a fun one, but a fun one now to remember...now that it is finally fixed! We spent many nights sitting in the hallway, talking and eating snacks just waiting....for that sound that indicated that in 1.2 seconds old faithful would go off! It's nights like that that create some of the best memories! Sure we could have been upset and irritated, but what would that solve...we found a way to make the best of it and bond over our own personal geyser!
4. Police bust: We had a little run in with the police 2x this year...once leaving a club for our first time. We decided to go with the team to celebrate some team birthdays. The clubs are usually the last place you would find Josh or myself...but it seemed like something we should experience, and glad that we did, it was pretty fun...except when we left.
Upon leaving we went through a round about before coming to the light that would put us on the main highway home. There were about 5 police cars in one of the exits...apparently we were supposed to stop for breathalyzers...but in America when it appears a road is closed down, you go around so to avoid hitting people along the road or being nosy...not the case in France...you must stop...well after already blowing through the barricade (that we were unaware of), our friends car was stopped. We pulled over to wait for them...they were released and we went on. Just a bit down the road a stoplight turned red, our friends pulled beside us and said, "Josh, how did you not get stopped by the police?" Josh's reply, "I just drove past them why?" James: "man, that was a barricade, you can't just roll through those they will tag your plates and send you a ticket..." Josh: "oh...well its a good thing I went through it, I wouldn't know what they wanted anyway!"
There are so many stories equally as funny and interesting, I suppose next season I will have to do a better job of keeping track of them! Until late, bonne nuit!
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