posting comments

P.S. I think I have successfully changed the settings so any of you can comment, even if you're not a registered user of blogspot.
There, I think we've got it!

one day left...

Well, our good friend and in this case, engineer, Jeff Duffield, did a heroic job of putting all 15 accompaniment tracks on a CD, sent it off by "good old US post" by express mail. He was assured that we would receive it on Tuesday by 10am. You'll never guess what! It did not come. What a surprise that is...the post office not delivering something on time......anyway, we called them and were told they would deliver it to us on Wednesday. Oh well, best laid plans, etc. They did NOT deliver it and we had to make a special trip back "down the mountain"...and believe me, this is a trek, to pick it up, at the Post Office. That got it back here just at dinnertime. Not that I need the practice (especially for these songs that I've never played before....and of course my husband the arranger has to write these awesome-sounding arrangements that one can't just pick up in a day!) Needless to say, I'm just a bit more stressed.....have been practicing for hours in between thinking of "just one more thing" that I need to pack. Weighed my suitcase and it's just a bit over 50 pounds, which makes me think I should leave something behind......but what? I'm already leaving Terry behind! Maybe it'll come to me in a dream tonight. Meanwhile, Lisa (Geeting) and I have touched base....I'm flying out of Atlanta into Charlotte, where we meet up and board our Lufthansa flight to Munich, changing planes into Bucharest, where we'll be met by Eugenia and Carla. I'm just hoping they'll remember to bring me Alex's curling iron! I have my own European hair dryer, but haven't purchased a curling iron yet. As my dad used to say, "what price beauty!"
As if I needed more stress, for some strange reason, as organized as I've always been, I have misplaced my frequent flier card and we went through all 4 desks and several boxes today looking for it. I've got every other card imaginable but not the one for USAir, who apparently "cooperates" with Lufthansa. Would you believe that late this evening I received one of those "fly somewhere with us" advertising emails from USAir that had my FF # on it??? Does God have a sense of humor? I think I singlehandedly provide Him with lots of laughs and head shakes every day!
Now I'm hoping that sleep will come...the last few days haven't netted me much rest, and so I'm praying that there will be several uninterrupted hours of good solid zzzzzs.
Just a thank you to all of you who have written such wonderful emails. One of our friends mentioned that she tried to leave a comment on the blog but wasn't able, so just emailed me instead. By whatever means, I'm always thrilled to hear that you are praying for me and will continue to do so.
We're going to stay somewhere in Atlanta tomorrow night.......I don't know where just yet because it's the eve of our 11th anniversary, so Terry has cooked up some kind of surprise. He's always so sweet that way, and I really hated to leave on that special day but it was the best fare, so we adjust and celebrate early..... 'course we celebrate the first of every month...one thing we've done for each month we've been married. It's usually just something little, doesn't break the bank, but it sure is fun.
So, goodnight and pleasant dreams to us all.

countdown to romania

Wow, time is moving so swiftly I can't keep up with myself....today was spent trying on a lot of clothes...figuring out which things I need to bring for proper Romanian parliament wear, and which things I can "mix & match" for playing in the churches and other meetings....think I'm going to take the bigger suitcase! I've been putting things in a pile that I wanted to be sure to take, but now it's really time to begin packing....today for the first time I guess I had time to actually feel the excitement....I'm this way with all my trips. I wait as long as I can before getting excited....don't know why I do that, but I just do. I'm thinking this is the part where I should be getting nervous that I'll forget something, or not get everything finished before I leave, but I've got such a wonderful hubby who has taken most of the other responsibilities off my shoulders and pitched in to help around the house even more than he usually does. The only thing he's worried about is.....yep, killing my plants! He wants complete lists, diagrams, with pictures even, of what needs to be done. Well, he'll probably get a list! With all the rain we got today, he can probably coast for a while, though. We got a deluge, and it was really neat blowing across the valleys and mountains off our deck. God has given us a constantly changing panoramic view and we really do savor it. With all the rain we've had lately, everything looks so lush and green.....I am ever amazed at all the different colors of green that God has in his paintbox!

Found out yesterday that Terry has been invited to play in the Montreaux Jazz Festival in Switzerland this June and July!!!
Wow! I am so thrilled for him I can hardly stand it! He will sit "jazz chair" and enjoy seeing a bunch of the guys he used to play with when we lived in Wisconsin and here's the best part...the trip is entirely paid for! The money has been raised by the band in Wisconsin, and while in Europe, the guys will be staying in the homes of Rotarians.....the band will give ticketed concerts in London, Paris, and Montreaux....all the monies being raised by Rotary International to help eradicate polio around the world. What an honor for my hubby and I'm soooo proud of him. He has mentioned something about me joining him.....possibly in Paris, which is where we got married 11 years ago this May 1, so that would make it extra-special for me.

But, back to packing...are you a roller or a folder?

start packing...

Wow...yesterday we drove back from Nashville....had the most incredible time staying at our friends' house. Troy and Rhonda Madge have been friends since 3 summers ago when I met them on a missions trip to Ukraine. This weekend happened to be prom weekend for their daughter, and it sure was fun getting in on the excitement...nails, makeup, hair, gorgeous dress, and I think the rain stopped enough for Taylor to get in and out of the place without getting wet! Anyway, Troy and Rhonda know Beni Lup and also want to take a trip to Romania with me...Rhonda is anxious to go very soon...Troy has a trip to Ukraine this summer so maybe his Romanian trip will have to be delayed a bit. I write about them because Troy is going to be heading up a group of guys who will travel to Romania to build a house for Carla Preda, Beni and Eugenia's partner in their ministry! Carla is in need of a new and bigger place to live, and Troy's heart was touched by her story. Stay tuned because I'll let everyone know when that trip is as well...we'll be in need of guys who want to help. Troy also "loaned" me 5 months' worth of MAX because Beni and Eugenia have noticed they're feeling much better since they've been taking this awesome supplement, so I'll bring these 5 boxes this time, and whoever goes on the next trip can bring some more, and by then my next shipment will have arrived. On our way home, we went to my cousin's house for a shower for her nephew's fiancee....ended up staying into the early evening, so I did absolutely nothing in preparation for the trip. Ok, we did bring up suitcases from the basement!
Today seemed the best day to buy all the little travel-sized toiletries and as an early anniversary gift (our 11th is May 1, my travel day) Terry bought me a new camera! It has more "bells and whistles" than my little pocket point and shoot camera, and we've waited a long time before doing this.....so now I've got 4 days to figure out how to use it!!! On the way home, we took a wrong turn (still learning our way around) and ended up in a charming little town with a neat main street that had some cute shops. So, we took our walk there and thoroughly enjoyed it! I love those little serendipities!
So many of you have indicated either in person, or by email/phone that you'll be praying for me and I hope you know how much I really appreciate that. There have been other times when I have requested lots of prayer, and it is very evident when you do pray. God answers prayer, I know that, and I can't do a thing without total dependence on Him.

minus 2 more days!

Yesterday was a day of "errands", packing, and driving to Nashville for a Nashville Praise Symphony concert at Brentwood Baptist Church. It's always fun to play with everyone, but more fun to get to spend time with all our friends. This time Terry got to play because one of the regular trumpets couldn't be there. Wonderful to have Jim Gray conduct us playing his arrangement of "Simple Gifts", and of course great to see Camp and Fran Kirkland, David Winkler, and most of all, my fellow strings.....you guys rock! That said, I never did get to write anything yesterday about my upcoming trip....which, as I see by the calendar is now 2 days sooner. The sweetest people emailed me back and assured me of your prayers, and I am so grateful. Not knowing what kind of internet connections I will have while overseas or how long I will have, I would so love to have your comments on this blogsite where I can read everything all together.....that helps because many times depending on the village I'm in, there is just sporadic connection....i.e. read one email, try to go back to read another and poof! no more connection. So, thanks for subscribing and posting your comments here.
One friend, who had not been to Romania in 12 years, remembered being so sad at the conditions......since my first trip was over 20 years ago.....right after the coup, in fact, I have vivid memories of walking through the main business section of Bucharest and seeing totally empty storefronts. Funny story (well, not at the time) I flew in on Delta connecting through Frankfurt and when we got to Bucharest, my suitcase was nowhere to be found. Went to the apartment where I was staying with a lovely lady named Rita, and each morning I would call Delta. About the 3rd day, I received a call from one of the "higher up" officials who said, "don't worry about it, just go and purchase whatever you need and we'll reimburse you". Now that was a laugh.....as I said, the entire city of Bucharest had nothing to buy.......you had to wait in line at one store to buy bread. Then if you were lucky you could wait in line at another store to buy eggs, and possibly another store for milk. Where in the world was I going to buy clothes to wear? Those were very sad conditions, but today, the mood to me is hopeful. After the revolution, which started in Timisoara, the people, who were gathered in the square, began to shout, "There IS a God! There IS a God!" Jesus is the only hope for any of us, and they knew it then, and they know it even more today. In the churches Terry and I visited last June, there is much hope and joy! In fact, I wish everyone could take a trip of this kind, to see just how much the Romanian people love going to church and how joyfully they join in with the worship, especially the music!
I could go on and on about how much I love the Romanian people and how wonderful it is to be with my fellow believers........ well, just get me started!

countdown to romania

One day closer...spent lots of time just cleaning up old emails, watering the potted plants and veggies...my sweet hubby went to wash and vacuum the car! Boy did it need to be cleaned...don't know about you but I use the space in front of the passenger's seat as my personal office...frustrating to Terry when I drive, of course, as he has to find a place to "park" his legs and feet. Anyway, that's done. I guess whenever I plan to leave home, especially go out of the country, I become somewhat obsessed with "cleaning", whether it's the car, emails, closets, drawers, weeding the garden. Guess I don't want to leave anything unfinished. In that case, I should finish all the dark chocolate we have in the house as well! I'm getting more excited by the minute, and yesterday Terry finished writing my music out for me. I'll be taking about a dozen old familiar hymn arrangement accompaniment CDs to play at various venues on the trip. The last time we were in Romania and playing hymns at the churches, we were at first puzzled by the humming we heard, then realized it was the people humming along - in beautiful harmony, mind you - to our instrumental selections. Each time this happened, it was hard for us to hold back the tears, just knowing that we are going to share heaven with these wonderful brothers and sisters. So, I am very much looking forward to hearing that heavenly accompaniment to the songs I'm going to play. I'm also looking forward to seeing all my new friends as well...five of them are a great brass quintet we met who asked Terry for some arrangements...he has sent all the music for them to begin practicing, and they are so excited and grateful. Felix, I can't wait to hear you guys play! Also looking forward to meeting Eunice, Ligia's sister, with whom I've spoken on the phone...she was speechless when I told her I was coming, because she had been praying for someone to do music for the conference but it had to be someone with an instrument that could be carried in (not like a piano, harp, or maybe tuba?), so when Beni told her I was going to play my violin, it was a fun phone call. Ok, hubby's hungry...gotta go, but I'll be back!

10 days and counting

Well, just as we were praying this morning for my trip to Romania, our phone rang and it was our good friend Beni, who was just on his way to have a date with his wife and daughter at Starbucks in Timisoara. This is a new thing since our last trip, (the Starbucks, not the "date") and I'm glad to know I'll be able to get my mocha breve! I need to make a little correction because I did not fully understand my "mission"...I think I was so overwhelmed at playing in the Parliament that I confused a few of the facts in my little brain. Beni works with several members of the Parliament...I mis-wrote saying he was a member...and I have been invited by the Human Dignity Commission in the Parliament for the launching of that commission. I, of course, am not the only one...there will be speakers from the U.S. and other countries as well, and we'll all be adding our voices (violin too?) to "endorse" the idea of human dignity among the Romanian people...people I have come to know and love very much even since my first trip there over 20 years ago, when I discovered the daughters that God had waiting for me to adopt. The Romanians are very warm and loving...as are my 2 daughters, who are now lovely grown women...and always so hopeful. One of the vivid memories I have of visiting the country within a month after the coup is the sad, yet open and hopeful faces of the people I encountered on the streets of Bucharest, and even though there was absolutely nothing in any of the stores along the main avenue, many of the people who were walking home after a long day were carrying fresh flowers. They may not have had much, but they were determined to "brighten the corner" where they were, and that really blessed me. We who live in the "land of the free" just seem to find things about which to complain, instead of appreciating the little things...we all nod and affirm those who say "stop and smell the roses", yet, how many of us are actually doing that? God has blessed me with the curiosity to want to notice His creation...I'm always wondering which bird is singing that particular song...as an avid gardener, I love combining colors and textures in my garden beds...as a gourmet cook, I also love combining different herbs and spices to change a dish. I must confess I have almost never "obeyed" a recipe...I admit it. I'm always looking for a new and exciting way to do just about everything...don't even drive the same route if I can help it! I am so fortunate to have a husband who SAVORS life, and the little things...sunrises, sunsets, the myriad colors of green on the mountains opposite our deck...our morning cup of coffee...the list goes on and on...as I know he is already savoring the experiences I am about to encounter on this journey. I am so excited about my trip because it gives me the opportunity once again to be with people who know what they have and are very grateful for every second of it. May I continue to do the same.

countdown to romania

Well, i guess the countdown has officially begun...in 11 days i will be on the plane headed for Bucharest, Romania! Really can't wait, yet, wish I had another couple of weeks to prepare....will be playing my violin in the Parliament and other places around the country. Our good friend Beni Lup has invited me...he's a member of the Romanian Parliament, an attorney, a preacher, loving husband, great dad...and director of WorldTeachRomania, the overseas division of Walk Thru the Bible. Terry and I spent 10 days last June with Beni and his family/ministry team, traveling around the country, playing and giving our testimony in churches, sometimes 3 on a Sunday! What an enormous blessing this was for us! We stayed overnight in the home of the king of the gypsies and his wife...lovely, gracious Christians with a glorious testimony! Hoping to be able to see them again this trip. But for now, just making sure I've got everything I need (like extra violin strings) but not too much to carry! It's ridiculous to have to pay for a bag with the airline ticket prices as high as they are, but I guess everything does point back to the love of money....