the adventure continues...

We are always trying to find unique ways to have fun around here and it seems that picnics are the easiest way to get people together as well as enjoy this beautiful spring weather! Everything is in full bloom and we try to spend as much time outside as possible.

Today we headed up to the base of one of the mountains that surrounds our city. Today we chose a place that had a great park for the kids to play at as well as level ground for us to set up our table and chairs. We had some guests from the States with us and gave them the full picnic experience, including a big meal, tea and dancing. It was alot of fun. We did our best with the dancing considering there weren't any local people with us to lead the way!



We've been trying to dive into life a little more lately and experience new things. The other night we went to a local amusement park. It was really something else! We had arrived kind of late, so the park was absolutely empty except for us, the workers and maybe one or two other groups. We started out going through this cheesy "ghost house" where you went through on a roller coaster type deal that took you through pitch black until you came to a robot that lit up and made scary noises. As lame as it was, it was a little scary because we had no idea what to expect. We went on to enjoy some fun with bumper cars. Some of us got banged up a little since when you would crash your knees would hit up against the dash board area and also because they went a little faster than they were probably supposed to run! Then we rode the ferris wheel and where able to look out over the city at night, which was very cool. The workers would follow us around to each ride and make us buy tickets each time instead of just charging us all at once. You gotta respect process, I suppose. We ended our evening with the most terrifying ride I"ve ever been on. It wasn't that the ride itself was all that bad, it was that the standard of safety isn't what I am used to. I realized that a fundimental difference between the general thrill seeking that I've always enjoyed in the past and the fear I experienced the other night is trust. You can have fun and get wrapped up in being scared when you don't really believe that your life is at risk! This ride was one where you sat on a row of chairs that circled a large pole. It then would swing from side to side and then start to spin at the same time. The first thing that concerned me was that the support poles that housed the whole unit were close enough that you could reach out and touch them as you swung by, or even catch them with your leg and subsiquently crush it! Then the creeking started as it swung back and forth...still, not the worst part. The worst part was as it swung up you were looking down at a large, dirt pit where this ancient-looking motor was running with all its might and with this view came the smell of burning rubber! I yelled "stop-stop" to the operators (in their OWN language) and all they did was laugh and run the ride longer, taxing the already worn system even more! It was absolutely horrifying! It took me sometime to quick shaking when it was all over with!

As you can see, life is quite the adventure, many of which we never could have anticipated. However, even when these adventures are awkward, frustrating or even scary we continue to trust God with our lives and try to live to the fullest that He intended! This really is the motto of our life and we are grateful for everything that God brings our way!


**this is a picture of zeke with his new haircut and enjoying his favorite afternoon snack of cheddar cheese [thanks auntie rachel:-)]!