Constanta, Romania circa 2002

 

Our House - the front part anyway. There is more to the side.  I'll have to find that picture later.

 

Gabriel playing basketball on the street outside.
 

  

All house are gated

  

A little neighborhood store that Gabriel walked to and bought whatever we were out of.  Truly a convenience store!

Gabriel learned to handle Romanian money quickly. (Gabriel -age 11)

 View from the little store.  Our street is the one on the right.  Our house is about half way down.

 The Black Sea was about 2 miles away. (Holly age 4)

 (Hannah - age 9)

 There was a park within walking distance from our house.

 One of my favorite pictures of Hannah and Holly were taken at that park.

 The mountains were about 6 hours away.  This particular one was only opened a few weeks out of the year.

My favorite picture of Gabriel and Holly.

 Someone gave us a bunny for May Day. (Thaaannks.....)

 The kids and their friend Catalin in our yard.  The swing was everyone's favorite.

 Holly's first day of kindergarten. Changing shoes was a daily routine.  Kids never wore their street shoes in the school.

Christmas program at Holly's kindergarten!

Brasov, Romania and Nearby Places

Most of these pictures were taken around 1997-1999. 

 Blocks (apartments)

 Shopping

 City Driving

 Bran Castle - aka Dracula's Castle

Gabriel playing in our yard

 Holly at Ildi's house (held by Ildi's mom)

Gabriel being his silly self

 The Black Church

 Hannah in the Snow

 Typical site . . .

 Don't remember the name of this mountain.  It was so high it was only opened about 2 months out of the year.

 Road to get up and down the mountain

 Castle Palesti

 A picnic we had with some sheep who decided to join us

 John reading to the kids in our living room.  Notice the huge green ceramic heater.

 More mountains

Me and My Busy Life

Hello, dear deprived blog! So sorry that I've neglected you. Life stays busy. Like this weekend for example. We had cantata practice on Saturday. John, Holly and I sang in the choir. None of us had speaking parts this year for a change. Then on Wednesday, the lady playing Anna the prophetess became seriously ill and was hospitalized. So on Friday I volunteered to do her part. Thankfully, I just had to read it and not memorize it! It went great! Afterwards we had a huge dinner - I brought sweet potato casserole. Yum! Now it's time to relax. I'd like to promise to write more often but with Gabriel and Hannah coming home THIS SATURDAY and my new etsy shop - Crafty Homeschoolers - I'm sure I'll be busier than ever! But I'll try. Because I miss you!!

Birthdays

We have always celebrated the kids' birthdays by giving them a day off of school. Traditional schools take off for Washington's, Lincoln's and Martin Luther King's birthdays, so why not celebrate our own instead? That has been our custom since our first kindergarten years in the mid 1990's. Each and every year the kids tried to convince me to take my own birthday off as well. Anything for a free day, right? No. I was adamant. I LIKED teaching! And what better way to spend my birthday than doing something I liked!

I don't remember if it was last year or this year, but Holly figured out that with Gabriel and Hannah being gone she didn't get the same number of "school holidays". So she convinced me to take off for my birthday and John's too. She's always been my little negotiator. Gabriel and Hannah now have to attend classes on their birthdays. Hannah hardly gets to even celebrate hers because it comes right in the middle of mid-terms!

This morning I enjoyed sleeping in late (until 7:30), uninterrupted devotions, and some quiet time to myself. Holly does have a co-op class today, birthday holiday or not. She is taking high school art this year. Later John, Holly and I will go see the new Sherwood Films movie Courageous. It opens today! I don't go to the theater often but this is one film I want to support. After the movie we'll have one of my favorite foods - Pizza!

Long Story Short Version

My longtime blogging friend PlainJane asked me recently if I am still working outside the home. I was a stay-at-home mom for many years, beginning shortly before our first child was born. It has always been my personal conviction that mothers should be home with their children unless their income was needed to put food on the table. I understand that most Americans do not share my feelings on that point but I am not here to change anyone's mind, I'm simply stating what is right for our family.


I did have a couple of part time jobs when John was in college. He also worked full time, making a little above minimum wage. I did Mother's Day Out 2 days a week and brought Gabriel and Hannah along with me. After that I cleaned our church occasionally. I was a substitute janitor! I got the kids up early, took them to my mom's and was at the church by 5:30 A.M. Money was always tight. We didn't have fancy cars and have never taken a luxury vacation. But watching God work miracles in our lives has been more fascinating than any exotic excursion could ever be.


Fast forward to 2007 - We had just returned from Romania and made the decision to move to Virginia. We came here in faith that John would be hired by the Virginia State Police. Until then, John found a job working security. Two week's pay only paid for two-thirds of our rent. We decided I would be a substitute teacher. It was a good plan. I worked from 7:00-3:00. The kids did their school work and I would go over it with them in the afternoon. John worked from 4:00-Midnight.


Money was still tight. We still didn't have fancy cars. Vacations consisted of going to see family. Schedules were also tight. Trying to squeeze in homeschooling between my work and the kids' jobs was tough. Reading aloud went out the window and I really missed it. But John was eventually hired by VSP and I didn't need to work as much.


I worked some during our third year in Virginia. Gabriel and Hannah were seniors in high school and college expenses were on the horizon. I'm not sure if I worked ten days last year. With Gabriel and Hannah gone and John working days, there were few occasions when he could be home with Holly so I could go to work. Last week, I received my substitute letter. I discussed it with John, "Do you want me to sub again?" We would have the same dilemma - what do we do with Holly? So the answer is a decisive "No."



To sum up the story, I will once again be a stay-at-home mom. I will look for other ways to earn some extra income - selling things on ebay and clipping coupons. But mostly, I will be watching how God will provide in His miraculous ways. And stand in awe.

Dear Blog

Dear Blog,

I am sorry for my four years of neglect and my sporadic attempts of keeping this blog going. I feel I have some valid excuses but they are, in the end, simply excuses. I blogged faithfully in Romania; almost daily. I was busy there too but somehow life was different. And you, dear blog, were a connection to reality, to family, friends and peers who spoke English.

Leaving Romania not only broke my heart but it destroyed my routine. I haven't found a new one yet as life has constantly been changing. We moved to Virginia and John worked a security job while waiting to be hired by the State Police. We found it necessary for me to work as well. I worked a combination of part and full time jobs substituting in the public schools - and homeschooled my children at the same time. Then John was in the academy and only home on weekends. A new routine was needed. January 2010 was his graduation. Gabriel and Hannah were seniors in high school. June was their turn to flip their tassels. And the following September they found wings and flew away to college. How life changed with only one child at home!

Amongst the business there has also been heartache, frustration and sorrow. There were days that I might have had time to write but I did not have the heart. Not that all my days have been somber. Many have been filled with happiness , laughter and good times. But too often, the enemy would step in and steal my joy.

Those first four years were also years of apartment living. And this spring, we decided (God did actually but that is another story entirely!) that it was time to move. So God led us to a nice house and we are still in the process of getting moved in - and finding a routine. I am hoping that blogging will be a part of my new procedure.

.

Tears and Laughter

John's graduation from the Virginia State Police academy is this Friday!! Excitement is in the air at the Woodward house. We have several families coming from Rochester, NY - John's two brothers and a high school friend. We have so much cleaning and shopping to do. John and I were talking about plans for the party afterward. I am already starting to get emotional. For those of you who do not know me in real life, I cry easily and frequently. I cry on both joyful and sorrowful occasions. And I just can't help it. I have read romance books where a woman bites her lip to keep herself from crying. It just doesn't work for me. When the tears want to come, they do and I can't stop them. Emotional occasions such as the one coming up on Friday are the perfect opportunity too. It reminds me of my wedding day. A day when I was sure it would be Niagara Falls. But something else happened. I was up on stage in front of everyone, facing John, when something struck me as funny. I don't know what. Perhaps it was just nerves. But I started laughing. It wasn't an out loud guffaw as seen on you tube of late. But I was afraid it would end up like that. I couldn't even look at John. I looked over his shoulder and said my vows while trying not to bust out laughing. I actually pulled a muscle in my side in my attempt to hold the laughter in. I tried to think of something sad but couldn't'. Then I looked at my older brother and he had a tear coming down his cheek. Awww!! His love and care for me did the trick and I was able to make it through the rest of the ceremony. But what will I do on Friday? I am not ashamed to allow a few tears of joy to run down my face. But I don't want to be there boo-hooing buckets either. And I certainly don't want to laugh! I think I need to watch a really sad movie and get all the tears out of my system. Meanwhile, I think I'll get a good night's sleep. Any suggestions for a good tear jerker?

My Life in a List - Brief Highlights of the Last 25 Years

1984 - Finished college at Liberty Baptist College

1985 - Hired to teach 3rd and 4th grade at a small Christian school in Richmond, VA
- Gradation ceremony at Liberty in May

1986 - Still at Christian school
- Summer job as a DJ at a Christian radio station - Most favorite job ever - should have majored in broadcasting
- Met John in August - we were engaged the following month

1987 - Married in April

1988 - John was hired by Virginia State Police

1989 - We moved to Oilville, VA - lived in a small rented farmhouse

1990 - Bought our first home in Goochland, VA

1991 - Our first child and only son, Gabriel was born

1992 - John is called into the ministry
- We moved to a house in Richmond
- Hannah was born
- John resigned from Virginia State Police

1993 - Moved to Alabama
- John began working on a degree in Biblical Studies

1994 - Bought a house in Decatur, AL

1996 - John graduated from Louisiana Baptist University
- John and I took a survey trip to Romania

1997 - Moved to Brasov, Romania as missionaries

1998 - Holly was born (in Alabama)

1999 - Returned to Alabama

2000- Began considering a ministry in Constanta, Romania

2002- Moved to Constanta, Romania as missionaries

2007 - Returned to States in March and sought God's direction for the next step
-Moved to Virginia in June for John to be rehired by Virginia State Police
- I began substitute teaching

2008 - John was finally hired by the State Police in December

2009 - Waiting to hear where John will be stationed

Vacations

Since writing about my never ending quest to organize my house isn't very interesting, I thought I would try Friend Makin' Monday.

Today task ~ VACATIONS!!

This task has two parts {numbered ever-so-nicely for you}. You can do either one or both ~ it's up to you!

1. Tell us about the best {or worst} vacation that you've ever taken.

2. Tell us FIVE places/vacations that you would like to take at some point your life. It doesn't have to be next year...maybe it's the vacation of a lifetime or somewhere you just dream of going years from now.

1. Well, I don't know if I've ever had a really bad vacation. My mom might say it was when we went camping in Arizona and it was freezing. But I had fun snuggled up to the cookstove, drinking hot chocolate. Good memories. Perhaps I could mention an incident at Natural Bridge, Virginia when I was 16. It was just a small portion of our family vacation. One more stop when I was ready to just go home. I found the place boring. So I took off my sandals and walked along the two foot wall that bordered a creek. In one spot there was a bush. I looked down so that I wouldn't trip and there, just an inch away from my big toe, was a snake. I screamed. Everyone heard. I screamed so loudly that I scared the snake. It swam quickly away in the creek. I heard one man say, "That's a Cotton Mouth!" That is definitely the worst thing that ever happened to me on vacation.

2. Five places that I would like to go on vacation would include (and not necessarily in this order):

• Hawaii
• Mexico
• San Diego
• Venice
  
• Romania
  

For more Friend Makin' Monday, visit Jolanthe at No Ordinary Moments