quatrieme mois

blurry devin keeping warm by a warming station in france

snow cancelled our church meetings today. we slept in. made american pancakes. got on our comfy church clothes. you know the ones, the comfy dress your mom would wear after church. i now have one, it's the kind that you can nap in-and we did that: napped. we caught a few snowflakes out our windows:) i only remember church being cancelled once  while growing up because it snowed about three feet in utah. here in beligum we only have 3 inches. sadly, instead of being with saints we watched this and this. great feasting anyway.

we've made it through our most comfortable month overseas yet. it's heartening to know we are 2/3 of the way done-less than two months left:)

highlights

-festively decorating our apartment in scads of white paper.

-watching the belgians react to what utahns consider a little snow.

-the same old meals we make are getting old. i'm really ready for my kitchen again.

-slacked in my letter writing, but not journaling. selfish i know.

-haven't started on my christmas cards yet.

-wished they had black friday over here.

-caving-we got a dryer. i think i miss line drying. wondering if i'll be loco to try it in ut.

-trying to figure out my plans for post-europe. decisions are not my forte.

-bought a french plate for my mother in law for her very own plate collection.

-blamed things on the weather, like less weekend day trips, loss of exercise motivation, and now no church.

-our first handmade thanksgiving. homemade pumpkin puree and all.

-seeing christmas from a different culture's perspective.

-tried the most famous super ultra dark belgian chocolate. no wonder they don't eat chocolate like it's is a food group. if i only had that stuff, i too would eat a teaspoon about every other full moon.

-counting down the days to our european yuletide. we are planning that this fifth month will be the best of all: scourging for our last needed gifts in our favorite antique flooded antwerp, taking our first holiday for our anniversary in bruges, ornament buying in brussels at their famous flea markets, and christmas celebrating with foreign friends.