Charroux

Today Ryan had the day off so we decided to meander around a small village close by called Charroux.

Once a fortified medieval village, it is now famous for its mustard that is used by several great chefs and exported around the world. We were able to purchase some of the mustards. If you like spicy mustard, these three will definitely clear out the sinuses.

We also picked up some delectable smelling candles. I can't handle the yummy goodness of this Myrtille (blueberry) candle. 

Days are so much better when he's around. She can't get enough of her Dad. Her face on the last one says it all. 

Someday we will look back on these pictures together and we can remind her that these cobblestone streets and vine covered walls were once her playground.

25 weeks have gone by with this little boy inside me. Each week I have to pray for a little more patience as they seem to go by slowly. I feel like this boy bump should fully grown by now, but in reality, I'm actually ahead of the game in comparison with Vera's pregnancy. I'm feeling great and I hardly feel pregnant, except for the little flutters and kicks going on behind my belly button. They are the sweet reminders to me of God's grace and handiwork. It's amazing and quite comforting to me that God already knows and is sovereign over his little life even before he is born. He knows him by name, and we don't even have a name picked out. :/ ...any suggestions? 

Doing It All Over Again

We get to do this all over again. 

We get to live in France for another year. We get to watch and play another basketball season.

 We get to bring home another precious souvenir. 

But this time around it will be a different.

Different city. Different basketball team. Different doctors. 

Two kids instead of one. A baby BOY instead of a baby girl. 

Here' how we found out. 

I wanted pancakes. It's what I miss most overseas (even though I know I can make it myself, it just isn't the same). So it was blueberries vs. strawberries as a topping. We were home with Ryan's family and we gave our secret note to Ryan's younger brother and he topped the yummy pancakes his mom made. He was able to capture our reactions on camera while we closed our eyes and waited for the surprise. 

And it was blueberries. We figured it out beforehand because Vera is obsessed with strawberries and didn't reach for the blueberries while our eyes were closed. 

We couldn't be more thrilled and thankful for another sweet gift from the Lord! 

For those of you who want to know, this weekend I'll be halfway pregnant. Though my belly doesn't show it, I'll be 20 weeks. Somedays I forget I'm pregnant. My symptoms are minimal. My tummy is growing slowly. And my 1.5 yr old keeps me preoccupied. 

For the others that want to know, we are now living in Vichy, France. A small city located in the middle of France. We are living high in the sky on the 17th floor of a 20 story building. We've been here two weeks and already love the city. 

Why are we in Spain?

New posts are becoming scarce these days, and I know many of you are wondering why we are now in Spain and how our time with visitors has gone. Much has happened since Christmas, so allow me to give you quick update on where we are these days.

At the moment we are spending time with family in Spain. We've had an influx of visitors over the last month, starting with Ryan's Aunt Monica and cousin Isabel, then Ryan's parents and younger brother and now my parents. We are having a great time and we will try to do some more posts of what we've gotten to do with them in the near future. 

So... how did we end up in Spain?
We moved to Spain over Christmas. It was something that came as a bit of a surprise but turned out to be quite the blessing in disguise.

Two days before Christmas, Ryan's team in St. Vallier decided they wanted to make multiple roster changes as the season wasn't going how they had hoped. Although we didn't realize it at the time, his release from the team was an answer to our prayers. Something wasn't clicking. With a combination of injuries that left Ryan sitting half the games and the team not using him to the best of his abilities,  frustration was beginning to surface throughout the beginning of the season.

At the time of his release, we couldn't understand where the Lord wanted us, what we were going to do without a job, or how he planned to use us in the future; we couldn't see the bigger picture. But God did. He knew what He was doing. He not only sees the bigger picture, He sees the WHOLE picture. 

Two days later, on Christmas Day, the viewpoint of our "little picture" grew. We received an email from Ryan's Spanish agent saying a team in Spain wanted him and needed him in Ourense the 27th. For those of you who don't know, Spanish ball is some of the best basketball in the world. What's even better is it's a style of play that Ryan thrives in. Smart, skilled and technical. 

Through this globetrotting journey, I've never before seen so often the providential care of my Savior.  What happened over Christmas was nothing short of His care. It leaves me speechless. And yet I continually need to be reminded of it. 

Two weeks before Christmas we made a 5 hour road trip from St. Vallier to Barcelona. Here are a few shots from our time there.

Sagrada Familia

Park Guell

Casa Mila

Subway traveling is always entertaining with Vera.

Views from a cable car on the way up to Montjuic.

The Temple de Sagrat Cor on Tibidabo mountain.

The Gothic Quarter

My favorites.

I loved everything about this city. On the drive back to France I remember saying to Ryan, "I would LOVE to live in Spain. Wouldn't it be cool to live in Spain for a bit?" Little did I know what God had in store for us three weeks later.

One of the first road trips we made after moving to Spain was to Lisbon, Portugal. Portugal has been on my top five places to visit for quite a while, so the trip was a special treat.
I was thoroughly impressed by the different architecture in Lisbon. You will notice the details and variety in some of the pictures below.

Views from the Santa Justa Lift

Rossio Square

Augusta Street

Rooftops of Amalfa

The legendary Tram 28 in Lisbon

Parque das Nacoes

Campo Pequeno Bullring

Belem Tower

Jeronimos Monastery

The famous pastries of Belem

Cascais, a beach town on the outskirts of Lisbon

Sintra. I wish we could have spent more time in this enchanting town.

Pena National Palace in Sintra

Stay tuned for more updates on places we've been since arriving in Spain!