In between . . . Evee time (again)!

After a month of spending time in Slovakia, Bosnia, and Croatia, we were ready to get back to life in the states. We spent a few days in Indy with the family (plus Clint's brother Dean visiting from AU). We got in on Dean's 22nd birthday . . .



Evee has grown and gives us lots of smiles and coos. Here's some recent pics of her.

Evee can't take it without Grandma



Content in Grandma's arms

Now, onto the 3rd block of Dennis' sabbatical . . .

My Thoughts, too . . .

Since Dennis recently gave the lowdown on his daily routine here on the island of Hvar, I thought I might as well join him with my own (check out his blog for his list).

• I sleep up to 9 – 10 hrs/night – about 10 min. more than I get back home.
• Every morning (well, late morning) I enjoy the warm breeze on the terrace just outside our room while eating yogurt with peaches and bananas.
• I journal, not always daily, but when I do, it ends up being several pages.
• Taking communion together daily is a new thing for us – a brief time of remembrance that I’m sure has impacted our marriage more than we realize.
• I get sun daily. I don’t think I’ve had this much consistent sun in my life – 14 days straight of purely sunshiny days – no rain, hardly a cloud, with a breeze. Whether on the beach, on a scooter, taking a walk, your skin soaks in the rays. Expect us glowing when we return. (Dennis doesn’t mind these beaches so much – no sand.)
• Three different days we rented a scooter which has been crazy fun riding all over the island.
• I’ve read 7 books since my April graduation – 4 of these since we left for Europe. I’d recommend all of them as great books. Reading is a sacred pathway for me – I learn about God, I learn about myself, I learn about life, history and others, and hopefully my learning makes a difference in how I view the world. If interested, check out the book list below.
• I eat ice cream everyday (this is very unusual for me – I’m normally not a big ice cream eater, but there’s something about this ice cream that keeps me coming back for more). But, I don’t get as many dips as Dennis. The pounds I hoped to lose . . . well . . . maybe the 2- 4 mile daily walks will help.
• I let Dennis cook our meals (something we started as empty nesters) and I do the clean up, which I’d rather do than cook.
• I tell God everyday that I trust Him – a simple prayer, but of great significance.
• Every night we prop the bed pillows up (wait, what were you thinking?) and watch a movie on the laptop at the foot end of our bed. Dennis brought all action movies, except for Sleepless in Seattle. You would think a guy for romance would know better, but then this sunny island has plenty of atmosphere to keep the romance flowing.
  
  The Testament – John Grisham
  Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close – Jonathan Safran Foer
  The Source – James Michener (beware, this novel is just under a 1,000 pgs long)
  The Ultimate Blessing – JoAnne Lyon
  The Return of the Prodigal Son – Henri Nouwen
  Contrarian’s Guide to Knowing God (Spirituality for the Rest of Us) – Larry Osborne
  A Generous Orthodoxy – Brian McLaren

I love my Keens!

Many of you have heard me say this, but I can't help it. I really do love the versatility they give me. I bought them 2 years ago for a trip to China, in fact the only pair of "shoes" I took with me on that trip and I've never had sore feet, blisters or lost any toe nails (unlike my hiking shoes).

Now I wear them for just about everything - they were great for hiking in Glacier (through creeks, snow patches, etc.), they are great for swimming here in the Adriatic Sea with its rocky bottom, comfortable to walk in or ride a scooter - just great all-around shoes.

Have I told you how much I love my Keens?