tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-201119782009-07-08T15:44:08.704-04:00what gets you goin' in the morning, or keeps you up until 3 a.m.?marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095628627055710389noreply@blogger.comBlogger195125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20111978.post-22295199890519872892009-07-06T18:10:00.006-04:002009-07-06T18:20:40.774-04:00

My friends asked the local government of the town where they live, how a group of visiting Americans could help out. The answer: pooper scoopers & instructions on the environmental dangers of letting your dog "do his thing" just anywhere. So, with a group of several Americans doing a cultural exchange. We even got an official T-shirt! :-)Thankfully my friend Jose was also there to help us explain

marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095628627055710389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20111978.post-22076409617597268782009-07-03T19:31:00.005-04:002009-07-03T20:04:38.044-04:00

What happens when, as you're checking out an overlook for the Alhambra at night, you stumble upon 3 guys taking a last "fling" trip after high school graduation? A serendipitous chance to make new friends from Belgium! These guys are from Flanders, so speak Dutch, English, German & French... and were totally informative and kind. I got some hints about night photography from Vincent, & we invited

marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095628627055710389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20111978.post-63635830284664065232009-07-01T19:16:00.001-04:002009-07-01T19:20:03.717-04:00

So... I was hanging out in the city one evening with my friend Jose Maria (on left) when we ran into Carlos hanging out in Starbucks (actually, believe it or not he was studying!). And then about 90 minutes later, we ran into him again on the pedestrian zone!! So we all went together to try out the food at the Latin American festival!

marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095628627055710389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20111978.post-38196486220695051982009-07-01T19:11:00.002-04:002009-07-01T19:16:25.891-04:00

I recently got to become a "fan" of some music from the state of Andalucia which is marvelous. And these lovely fans are not just for show-- it is really HOT here. And women still do use them. You could see such movement in the stands as Yasmin, Rosa & I watched an awesome concert (modern flamenco, by 3 bands including Pitingo and Chambao). Yes, people were dancing some, but I mean the movement

marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095628627055710389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20111978.post-59104333445385846272009-06-23T14:48:00.009-04:002009-06-23T15:08:32.732-04:00

One plaza in our downtown was filled recently around midnight-- with the arrival of a huge statue of Mary. One day you have to experience what the Church is like in Europe... this was the night before Corpus Christi day (which was my birthday). First of all the picture below is of a playground around midnight-- yes, with mothers on the side area & kids playing!! Yes, in Spain (and with the heat

marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095628627055710389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20111978.post-46600722916338317812009-06-23T14:16:00.012-04:002009-06-23T14:48:42.931-04:00

Loved my birthday barbecue!! Thanks to all my fun friends for making it a very, very special and relaxing day! Sean did a fantastic job of making hamburgers-- in 90- something degree heat! And what fun "kids" ... including Carlos & Fran below with the blue balloon!! Yasmin made a delicious chocolate cake-- and my mom sent the mix with Bruce when he came to Germany in May to speak (but the icing

marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095628627055710389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20111978.post-41254831326476167042009-06-05T17:54:00.003-04:002009-06-05T17:57:07.878-04:00

Many of our friends are having final exams now in the university-- so we decided to deliver a few 'anti- stress kits' to them, filled with a few chocolate chip cookies, a highlighter pen, a candle and a verse. Laura was our amazing baker (in 80 -something degree heat, with no A/C). Yas and I jumped in the car the next day, taking them to campus or the apartment of a friend.

marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095628627055710389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20111978.post-56780049947731272922009-06-05T17:38:00.006-04:002009-06-05T17:49:09.737-04:00

Above are Dani, Agueda and Fran. Our friend and former Connexxion staffer Inga began something in January called "CookIng-a" (also referred to now as "Just Cook") which is a sort of shared cooking class in our apartment every week or so. We take turns --different ones of us share a favorite recipe & teach the rest to make it. We did an unusual one this week, to bake 2 birthday cakes for our good

marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095628627055710389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20111978.post-29618626360999812542009-06-04T20:00:00.006-04:002009-06-04T20:10:30.926-04:00

Gazpacho is a traditional, cold tomato soup -- I just found out a week ago, when our fun friend Rosa came over to make it, that it's not cooked. You use raw ingredients, puree them together, and eat it from a bowl or glass. It was so fun to help make it for the first time!! Tomatoes, bread, green peppers (a thinner variety), raw garlic, olive oil, vinegar, & cucumbers...If you don't know WHY they

marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095628627055710389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20111978.post-80197325183157241292009-06-04T19:34:00.011-04:002009-06-04T19:58:54.552-04:00

Yes, I splurged (about 4 Euro) on a baby pool to cool our feet on the balcony (anyone ready for a swim? -- it's still here!)! And to go along with our "beach" theme for the barbecue!What's Spain without a traditional "Sevillanas" dance done by a couple of friends!?Silvia, Encarni (left side), Carmen & Mary Alice (rt.) -- the best part about a group meal is the fun & fellowship!Sergio (from the

marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095628627055710389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20111978.post-85471975516501200372009-05-21T05:15:00.008-04:002009-05-21T05:31:22.623-04:00

Above are Agueda & my roomie Yasmin-- Agueda speaks German which was fun for me to try out again with a Spaniard. Below Dani and I are showing off our theme "look." Never at a loss for party ideas, we had a "black and white" party with foods, clothing and decorations keeping the theme (along with slow jazz music and songs from the 40's!). Yasmin took favorite pics and printed them out in black

marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095628627055710389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20111978.post-82625491029072751872009-05-20T19:41:00.010-04:002009-05-20T19:59:36.396-04:00

Holy Week before Easter is celebrated with no greater pomp and passion than in Sevilla. It's called "semana santa" and is accompanied by about 50 parades of large statues of Jesus and the Virgin Mary ... sometimes of 1,000 people (for ONE parade) marching through the streets of Sevilla...who are all members of a society called an "hermandad." They do sort of a penance pilgrimage to the Cathedral

marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095628627055710389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20111978.post-26265074575591640322009-05-20T19:28:00.006-04:002009-05-20T19:41:25.821-04:00

Inga & Carlos are looking very dramatic? And aren't Carmen & Yasmin getting into the mood with those decorated fans??! ( Did you know that women really use them nowadays, in the heat of the summer?) This region of Spain is known for flamenco dancing and a famous festival every April in the city-- a fair lasting all week where women dress in flamenco dresses and people dance a famous style of

marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095628627055710389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20111978.post-59484658825841900142009-05-20T19:19:00.007-04:002009-05-20T19:28:49.341-04:00

We had an awesome time in Germany in early May, with 34 attending our Connexxion retreat for students... and then followed that event with another retreat for our 9 staff & interns directly after it (see left-- Vincent, Vera, Birthe, Cheryl, Anja, Anja K.; bottom row: me, Yasmin, Thomas with baby Immanuel) ... I then spent some extra days, too, in Braunschweig in the north, in my old "stompin'

marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095628627055710389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20111978.post-46948362754088640462009-03-03T19:09:00.007-05:002009-03-03T19:18:57.734-05:00

What could be more typical in Spain, to start the day, than friends & café con leche? It is often served hot in a glass (not a mug). Coffee with milk, half and half doses. And believe you me, mine is always ordered with MORE milk, which is called a "manchado" (= "stained"). And on the other side of café con leche is coffee with just a touch of milk (they order a "cortado" meaning "cut"). Or you

marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095628627055710389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20111978.post-32815814438280466872009-03-03T18:58:00.007-05:002009-03-03T19:07:59.509-05:00

Last week Inga had a birthday on Friday; and our friend Francisco had his on Thursday-- so they threw a party together at Inga's apartment! It was fun to celebrate with them, with various friends coming & going during the evening (Yasmin & I made pasta salad together, and Yas made brownies & a cake!). Under the long tablecloth is a space heater (electric), which is a typical method in Spain to

marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095628627055710389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20111978.post-62935581132027880842009-03-03T18:40:00.007-05:002009-03-03T18:57:57.871-05:00

Last week we had an awesome band visiting us from Texas. It was fun to have them do a little "jam session" on 2 campuses during the day. That night 3 friends of mine, Bea, Rebecca & Esther, came to the concert in a nearby town with Yasmin & I.

marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095628627055710389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20111978.post-58227012164027151712009-03-01T16:02:00.010-05:002009-03-01T16:27:35.660-05:00

One evening we went to a flamenco place (the show starts at 11 p.m.! but it's free). Here are my friends Dani (Daniel) and Rosa, with her pal Jose Manuel. He looked so theatrical I thought if he went onto the stage to sing, people would have gotten quiet. After the show, we encouraged Inga to play some tunes - she is wonderfully gifted and creative in art & music!I love these amazing ladies...

marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095628627055710389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20111978.post-6567318585847543382009-03-01T15:47:00.011-05:002009-03-01T16:01:40.629-05:00

My first soccer game in Spain was last weekend, in the city of Huelva, about 1 hour away. "Fran" (Francisco) is a friend of ours who is from there and has season tix. Before that we had already had a full day-- a worship service in a pueblo across the river, with a visiting band from Texas. Followed by the biggest paella (yellow rice with meat & mussels) I've ever seen!Then a short visit to the

marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095628627055710389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20111978.post-56063987452334827322009-03-01T15:34:00.007-05:002009-03-01T15:45:53.860-05:00

It was truly a big treat to have Maria R. from Jena come visit us from Germany. She & I used to be in the same discipleship group with Connexxion for several years there and are special friends. She also did an internship with the Bapt. Student Union in Norman, OK a couple of years back, where she was the roommate of Yasmin (my cool, present roommie!!). So we had a fun reunion and those two plus

marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095628627055710389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20111978.post-80001344456722908392009-02-20T03:57:00.002-05:002009-02-20T04:11:30.050-05:00

Growing up my Mom would lament the sometimes crazy and un-tidy nature of our home on Dixon Avenue. Particularly since she had 3 kids, one of whom was mentally handicapped, my precious brother Paul. She would quote this verse, Proverbs 14:4 - "Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest" (for my friends in Deutschland- "Wo keine Rinder

marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095628627055710389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20111978.post-27486270541503945922009-02-19T17:40:00.006-05:002009-02-19T17:50:14.126-05:00

Our college semester kick-off party this week was a belated Valentine's party in Sevilla. It included an interesting poetry match with 2 teams competing to create the most unique Valentine's poem (they even acted it out!), using the same 5 words (beauty, bicycle, etc.). I was really glad that so many students came from our friends as well as those attending our English Clubs.

marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095628627055710389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20111978.post-43867339260890145052009-02-08T18:16:00.009-05:002009-02-08T18:31:45.589-05:00

Inga has a new apartment just down the street -- and I got to have brunch on her BALCONY with our friend Francisco last week -- yahoo!! On the only day that it's been warm enough in awhile to do that.An hour later it started to POUR down rain so we continued talking inside ... but Fran was kind enough to pose for a photo beside the railing, showing you the difference! (see both views of same shot)

marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095628627055710389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20111978.post-49290182399420588782009-02-08T17:28:00.008-05:002009-02-08T18:15:20.865-05:00

A few photos to show you another kind of "tortilla"-- the kind that they have in all the Mom & Pop bars & restaurants in Spain. It's served cold, made only with eggs & chopped up potatoes (sometimes with onions, too; & a few people eat it with mayonnaise on the side). Well, the mayonnaise touch is from the city of Huelva where my friend "Fran" -- short for Francisco-- is from. Inga started a

marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095628627055710389noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20111978.post-61645225430781518252009-01-25T21:44:00.006-05:002009-01-25T23:50:08.558-05:00

The wording on this sign is all over Spain: "Ud. no tiene la prioridad." You find this written by many traffic circles. "You don't have the priority." It means that those cars already in the roundabout have the right of way (not the vehicles entering the circle, like moi!). If I missed that, I could cause a wreck. It seemed to me a metaphor. Another way of saying, life is not about me. The world

marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095628627055710389noreply@blogger.com2