1st Soccer Game- Kangaroos!

Warming up with the team (and Will) before the game.
(Notice the kangaroo hanging from the top of the goal, so the kids knew which goal to run toward!)

A few seconds before he scored his second goal of the game.

Soccer Stud.
(for Tati)

Go Kangaroos!!

Max loved playing soccer. He broke away from the rest of the kids three times and scored twice. Joey and I were quite surprised by how well he was able to dribble the ball. Thanks to Opa, Maxi's cleats make him really fast. When he was on the sideline, he cheered his team on and was so excited anytime they scored. I have to admit, his little team is really strong and big for three-year-olds. I think the Kangaroos might be going all the way this season!
:-)

Pride

Have you ever noticed how pride can really destroy everything? Pride gets in the way of an apology, increasing the tension in a marriage; pride is the hurdle truth sometimes cannot leap over; pride does not release you to let go of whatever “it” you are holding on to. Pride is loud when it should be silent, puffing itself up out of proportion. Pride is the most deafening silence when love needs to be vocal.

I find myself in the school of humility, often unaware of and even oblivious to lessons needed to be learned. I live life day in and day out with never ending lists of demands that need my attention. Some are admittedly self-imposed. Other boxes to check off are essential or else we do not eat.

This evening, in the midst of taking a short break after my shoe-hider and furniture gymnast went to bed, I was mentally giving myself a pep talk and formulating a plan of attack on the kitchen, when I heard dishes clanking and water running. My insides turned. The only person who could be in the kitchen unloading the dishwasher and doing my job was our guest from Austria. Pride penetrated by heart and mind just as quickly as gasoline burns when a match is lit. “I must come across lazy and incompetent. I can’t even manage my own household!” were the lyrics of pride’s song.
But tonight I had the ears to hear God’s song. “You are tired and weary. Let me take care of the “to-do’s.” Child, let go and let me bless.” Clanking dishes kept beat and running water put out pride’s fire. So I joined our guest in the kitchen and worked on the to-do’s of the evening, but instead of an attack, it was more like a dance.

Rascal

Happy Fourth of July!

This 4th of July we found ourselves driving to Greenville to take our Mac to the Apple store for some repair. So we decided to spend a relaxing day there. The pictures show some of our adventures. Mick was with us, too, but he never wanted to be in a photo.
The pics are actually not in chronological order, but I don't think that matters too much. Our day ended with a drink and ice-cream break at Cool Beans, overlooking Reedy Falls Park.

Cooling off in the river. Will and Max both had so much fun. Max tried to catch fish with a cup, and Will had no fear. Joey or I had to be with him at all times. The beach ought to be an adventure later on this summer.


We also climbed the rocks around the waterfall. We all had a much needed day of fun.


Oh, I forgot to mention quite a sight. When we arrived at the mall to go to the Apple store, Joey pulled up to the entrance to let Max and me out so Max could go to the bathroom. I got out of the car, opened Max's door, and somehow a draft was created that lifted my dress all the way up in the air. Joey's comment: "Victoria doesn't have anymore secrets."

Reflections on being an adult MK

Here I am a month and a half away from being 30 years old, and the question of “What is God’s plan for my life?” still plagues me. On a deeper level, my question sounds more like, “What was the purpose of me growing up in a different culture and dearly loving that culture, when everything seems to be pointing to me staying in Columbia, South Carolina?” Why was I given the gift of Vienna? I am still not 100% sure why, but I think it may be slowly becoming clearer for the phase of life I am in at the moment. I think that it is very possible (and probable) that the purpose may change as the phases of my life change.

I am an adult missionary kid. At times I feel that being an adult MK has been more difficult than being a child MK. Yes, completing the 2^nd half of 8^th grade in America, right after having received the most frightening haircut the world has ever seen, was extremely difficult. My insides sometimes turn just thinking back on those experiences. Yes, it was hard saying good-bye to friends and family on either side of the ocean. I never fit in completely there. I definitely did not fit in here. As an adult MK, I find that when I am here, I am void of an American childhood, but when I am in Vienna, I am now void of an Austrian adulthood. Therefore, it is really hard to feel whole. It is almost like being torn between two different existences.

Here, I do not have the luxury of having family close by. My parents are witnessing the growth of my children through a computer screen. I am extremely grateful for Skype, but it is not the same as having grandparents in the same city, state or country for that matter.

So why the heck did I grow up in Austria? I don’t know for sure. But what I do know is that when I was going through countless transitions in North America or Europe, there were people who were always there and always extending love. That is what made the difference. That is why I can look back on my MK childhood and count myself blessed.

Now at almost 30 years of age I am finding that it is now my turn to be that constant person for people coming back to the States, for people whose lives are in upheaval, for people who just don’t fit in. I want to be that person who is always there, always extending love and creating wonderful memories for the people that come and go in my life. Maybe that is why Vienna was allowed to flow through my veins.

Flying into Summer

Getting So Big.