Life Here

So we'll take a break from Europe for now (as if I haven't taken a break from blogging for the past two weeks...oops...) I'll fill you all in on some details of life as we know it currently.

We live on a farm pretty much. We're out in the boonies, which means our cell phones don't really work. So if you try to call us and we don't answer, that's why. If you're just dying to talk to us or have a pressing matter of importance, try e-mail. A thrilling point of our day was when one of our techie quad-mates (see following paragraph for definition of "quad-mate") set up a router so we could get internet without making a trip in the cold to the computer lab. Gotta love techie people!

Life here feels like a mixture of camp and college. The parents, on the other hand, do not agree with the camp/college assessment of life here. They have it tough! We love to help out with the kids here. In fact, we got to babysit some friend's kiddos tonight and take them to dinner at the cafeteria (see, I told you it was like college!) While I kept the two year-old from launching his ball across the room, the wee baby fell asleep in Kevin's arms. How sweet! We's gonna make a good papa! (someday that is. that was not a feeble attempt to inform blog world of a Peek in the pod!).

Classes are going well. We meet from about 9 AM-3 PM. It can make for a long day, and I must confess that more often than I would like, I identify with Eutychus from Acts 20. If you're not sure what exactly I mean by that, click here and you'll see!

Last weekend, I ran the Richmond Half-Marathon with a friend here. The weather was super humid and the course was a bit mundane but overall I just love race day! There's so much adrenaline and excitement. Some of our quad-mates even came to cheer me on at the finish line. I finished in 2:01, which honestly I was a bit disappointed with. I was trying to break my PR of 1:56 but it just wasn't in me that day. Oh well. It was still a good time!

Speaking of running, I'm not sure if I've shared this on the blog yet but I committed to the big one...I'm training for a full marathon! OK so technically I've been training since August and most of you already know but I thought I'm make an official announcement. The race is on January 1 (yes, three days before we leave the country!) It will be in Kingwood, TX (right outside of Houston) so if anyone wants to come cheer me on, you're more than welcome! I did my longest training run of 22 miles this past weekend. I never in a million years thought I could or would want to run that far but I've realized quite the opposite. I had a lot of fun and am looking forward to the full race.

I'll try to get some more Europe pics up soon! Don't give up on us!

Viva Europe: trip to Thun

When spending three weeks solid with your spouse, it’s inevitable not to learn a thing or two about each other. One of the things that we learned was that our vacationing styles are very different. For example:

Becky on vacation: “We’ve only got a few days in this city! Let’s get out there and see & do it! Go, go, go!

Kevin on vacation: “Things to do…things to see…let’s sit and read.”

Kevin won the debate of how to spend our last day in Interlaken. We relaxed and set out for an easy hike during the late morning. There were not mountains like there were the day before but the bird’s eye view of the town below was gorgeous.

Around 5 PM, I was getting a bit restless with Kevin-style vacationing. I was ready for another European adventure! When we checked into our campsite, we were given a free bus pass so I figured what better way to see the city! Buses run on routes so from where they leave, they have to return, right? Right? So I convinced Kevin to hop on a bus with me. The views were indeed breathtaking. We watched the sun sink behind the mountains, its last rays of the day spreading a glimmer over the massive lake. After about 45 minutes, Kev starting getting antsy about my joyride. I told him to relax and gave him my logic about bus routes. Sure enough, we made it to the end and the bus turned around…or so we thought! The driver must have noticed this off couple who had been sitting on his bus for over an hour: the clueless & content wife with the naïve grin on her face & the quiet husband with the concerned, furrowed brow.

“Where are you going?” the driver asked in broken English.
“To Interlaken,” Kev replied.
“No! no!”

That was all it took for me to panic! We were stranded on a bus! We ended up returning to the town called Thun (pronounced Toon) and having to purchase train tickets back home. I felt just awful. My “free” sightseeing tour completely backfired, and I had even chided Kevin for his misgivings. But I was so thankful for Kevin’s graciousness. He never said “I told you so” or rubbed in my mistake. He even told me that he’d like to be able to laugh about it. So to honor my husband’s request, a poem retelling our (honestly my) folly:

The fools down in Thun-ville
The tall and the small
Had gotten on a bus
Just to see it all
But alas when the bus did not turn ‘round
The small fool let out quite a sound
“Oh no!” she said, “What are we to do?”
“We’d be back at home if I’d listened to you.”
“No worries,” he said to assuage her fears
as she did her best to control the tears.
So the fools stuck in Thun-ville
The tall and the small
Wait for a train—
The savior of all!
A lesson learned: It’s quite worth knowin’
What the driver says when asked “Where ya goin’?”

Here are our friends, the Swiss gnomes.