AND SO IT BEGINS...and we are thankful...our long-awaited year away for Brad's research leave from Union University, with our 3 adventurous teens (Caleb-17, Daniel-15, Victoria-13)...and so, without further adieu...

HELLO FROM CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND!! 

FIRST WEEK HIGHLIGHTS:

1. Boston. We arrived here safely last Sunday (July 3, 2016) after an unexpected 24-hour layover in Boston, where we had (we all agree) one of the best nights of sleep EVER! Never mind that the airlines put us up in a 4-star hotel--- we would have slept just as soundly anywhere! We spent a beautiful Saturday following the Freedom Trail, a 2.5-mile route that highlights the rich history of the American Revolution, with seeing Paul Revere's grave being among the highlights. It was most exciting to be in Boston for the fourth of July weekend!! 

2. Jetlag.  Coming from a visit with our family in Alaska, the 9-hour time difference threw us for more of a loop than we anticipated.  We will all remember the morning we were all awake and eating LASAGNA at 5am. Oh my!

3. Picnics, Punting, and Parties. When we arrived, we dropped off our luggage at our flat, and went immediately to a church picnic.  We passed by our church, Eden Baptist, as the morning service was just ending, and though we were travel-weary, it was so fun to pop in and see so many of our friends within a couple of hours of arriving.  That very afternoon many of us went punting (a punt is an open flat-bottom boat, used in shallow waters and propelled by a long pole).  Usually when we have gone punting, we have paid for a guide to punt for us, but this time, Brad and Caleb decided to try their hands at it.  All Brad's tennis training paid off, as he did a marvelous job of control...well, that is until his pole got stuck on something lurking under the water, and he decided to try to save the pole.   What happened next was movie-worthy, as he fell in the water with great fanfare, and to the delight of many all around (note the tourists taking pictures of Brad in the background of the photo with Brad in the water). :)

July 4th. Another first-week highlight would be the 4th of July party with our American friends the Robertsons, whom we had met in 2014.  They had a garden (what the British call the back-yard) full of friends, and the most memorable part of the evening was when Elliott, their 15-yr-old son, stood on the back roof of their house overlooking the garden, and played The Star-Spangled Banner on his saxophone. 

IMPRESSIONS:

1. Our first impressions back after being gone for 2 years is that much is the same, and for that we are most grateful.  Tyndale House, where we live and where Brad studies, has a high turnover as students/scholars/others come here for varying amounts of short-term assignments.  The max that a family stays here is usually 3 years (those working on Ph.Ds), but there are also a slew of folks that only come for a week or two at a time, so one

never knows how many--if any--of the same people will still be here from one visit to the next.  Thankfully, most all of our really close friends from 2014 are still here, so this first week has been full of wonderful reunions over supper, delightful conversations over tea, and moments of reacquainting in the beautiful Tyndale garden.

FAMILY/REAL LIFE:

Victoria's love for organizing was given the opportunity to shine this week as together she and I organized/sorted/cleaned all of Flat 8 to make it a most warm and welcoming abode.  This 2-bedroom flat has never been more tidy!  She also loves children, and has been able to spend several hours this week with many of the children here.  I do believe she brought an entire suitcase solely filled with things to do with all the children here.  She really is amazing on that front, as caring for them comes so naturally for her, and she enjoys it to no end.

Daniel and Caleb have also adjusted quickly to being back.  They have had numerous outings to the park with friends, watched the Euro Cup soccer finals, and given countless piggy-back rides to the aforementioned children at Tyndale House who absolutely adore these towering, good-natured, fun-loving, and handsome (Daniel added this one) boys. I do love the fact that my teen boys love on the kids here.  Caleb and Daniel are like rock stars, really, among the boys here.  Last night when we were all watching the Euro Cup Soccer Finals, Leo, an 11-yr-old friend said, when one of the French players made a great play, "Oh, Caleb and Daniel could have done THAT.  EASY.  I couldn't help but smile.  

They are also getting to use their muscles whilst (good British word) here.  They went with a family friend to London this week to help move things into her daughter's flat.  She was most appreciative, and the boys felt very manly. Which they are. And I'm thankful.

All the children are in the same youth group bracket at church this year, which really makes it nice, and when they went to the first gathering were told, "We've been counting down the weeks until you arrived!!" It was at that point that the children's heads began inflating.  All 3 have felt very welcomed and included, which makes mama bear most happy.

Brad just returned from a 4-day conference. He is absolutely in his element here: Cambridge + Tyndale House + unrushed time with family and fellow researchers.  He is one happy man, and we in the family often tease him, as he is still in the giddy stage of being here. There is something of a simplicity here that we are so very thankful for.  Even though life is more difficult in many ways, it is also more simple, and for that we are grateful.

As for me, I am soaking up every minute of reuniting with people I love, and enjoying meeting others I feel I will surely grow to love.  One such family, the Sinnett family, lives just above us, and we met them at the weekly Tyndale barbque.  They are a family of 6 (kids ages 9 and under) from Seattle, where he is a church planter.  They just arrived 2 days ago, and are here for 5 weeks. Oh!  We can't wait to get to know them!  We have also enjoyed getting to know the Evans, a couple from the US who organized a conference here at Tyndale this week.  The children and I will be forever grateful to them for introducing us to the delectable hot chocolate at Hotel du Chocolate here in Cambridge, and showing us where the Krispy Kreme donut shop is, where YOU TOO can have any donut you'd like for £2.75, which is almost $4.00!  

BEST QUOTE:

When I asked my English friend Katie Myers how her 2 boys are liking their new baby brother, she responded, "Oh!  They are UTTERLY BESOTTED!!!"  Well, I haven't stopped laughing YET over that phrase, I mean, really, when was the last time that YOU were utterly besotted??? 

PRAYER POINTS:

If the Lord brings us to mind, please pray for patience and graciousness among the Green tribe, as living in close quarters for an extended period of time, has historically led to murders, revolutions, torture, and bloodshed.  Please pray that this will not be our case. 

And so it begins...and we are thankful...

With love from Cambridge,

Brad, Dianne, Caleb, Daniel, and Victoria

Random Ramblings and Ramifications

The Greek trip blessing all began with Brad being invited to teach for a week-long intensive course at the Greek Bible College near Athens.  Here is my man in action, along with Jeff Baldwin, our friend and Brad's interpreter for the week. 

These are all Brad's students for the week, along with the fam and Jeff Baldwin, who also happens to be the Academic Dean for the Greek Bible College.

Jeff and the students presented Brad with this bust of Aristotle for his week here...they also gave the kids replicas of marbles from ancient Athens...really cool...

I love this shot here on the campus.  Brad and Victoria are talking with Mrs. Helen, who was the unofficial Green Family Coordinator while we were there.  She loved on us, spoiled us, and kept us abreast of things all week...she was SUCH a blessing!!

The kids snagged this shot...LOTS of compact cars in Greece.  Point of interest about this type of car is that they are so small that they do not have to parallel park in such parking spaces...they can just pull in straight to the curb! 

The primary religion in Greece is Greek Orthodox, and this Greek Orthodox Church is just down the street from the Greek Bible College.  Only 0.3% of the population is evangelical. 

Inside, Greek Orthodox Churches are very ornate, as is this one, with many icons and other decor...

Our dear friend Myrto, whom we met in Cambridge, treated us to English tea one afternoon at her place, and Victoria helped her prepare the whole affair, even going to the bakery with her.  Myrto is a complete delight, and served our tea on china she brought back from Cambridge, and served us baklava and other irresistable Greek pastries.  We laughed and reminisced of our days in Cambridge...pure joy...

One of our fondest memories is eating dinner and spending the evening with the Mark Doebler family.  Mark is Dean of Students and a professor at the Greek Bible College, and does an outstanding job leading worship there as well.  His daughter Christina and Victoria are the same age and really hit it off...

While the girls were playing with the hamster...

the boys were outside having a massive Nerf gun fight.  My boys felt right at home...next to Caleb is Phillip Doebler and the blonde on the right in the white t-shirt is his brother Stephan.  They were great guys, and really made the boys feel welcome.  I learned that Greek and American 10-yr-olds and 12-yr-olds are VERY much the same...

Half of Catarina Doebler, Mark's wife, is seen in this photo...she prepared a FEAST for us, and was such a joy to get to know...did I mention she prepared FOUR different desserts for us?!?

Here's the adult half of the table, along with the two youngest Doebler boys...their family of seven seemed quite normal to us, but is not the norm at all in Greece, where the average number of children per family is 1.2...

 These slippers win for favorite new custom...while we were visiting the Doeblers, we slipped off our shoes, as is the custom, and they gave us slippers to wear around the house while we were there.  Our toes were so warm and toasty.  (Brad is in the pair that is stepping on my pair. :) )  We're thinking of incorporating this into winter life in Tennessee when friends come a'calling...

Dancing With The Stars, Here We Come!!

So, we went to this dinner theatre-type restaurant in Athens with several friends from the Bible College on Wednesday evening, and oh! the fun we had!  It was a delectable feast of traditional Greek food, and 8 traditional dances were performed as the entertainment, with the dancers in the traditional costume for each particular dance.

The funny thing about these previous two pictures is that this dancer was standing on OUR table to do this--right in front of me--OH MY!!  

Well, the advantage of being at a table right next to the stage was that we had a great view of all the dances...the DISADVANTAGE was that when they choose people to come up on stage, folks from those close tables were chosen...So, here is yours truly trying some sort of Greek move with traditional Greek music...you see Brad up there too...oh yes, FOUR of us from our table were sacrificed to the stage...

Brad was a natural, even adding twists and turns...I was proud of my man!!

Next up were Myrto, who not only danced, but sang with the gentleman in white, and Viorica...

...who very wisely opted to cheer on Myrto, thereby not having to sing with the Greek crooner..

Brad's rave of the evening...this gentleman was a master on his instrument 

Caleb and Viorica enjoying the show...

Our friends Robert and Myrto...

On our way home we stopped by the Olympic stadium there in Athens where the 2004 Olympic games were held.  This stadium was built over the earliest Greek stadium where the games were originally held.  Still today the corridors underneath thru which the runners run to enter the field are THE SAME ONES used by the ancient Greeks at the first games...impressive...

Scenic Sounio and the Temple of Poseidon

(Special note from Dianne:  My family is giving me great grief that the title of today's post sounds like the next edition in the Harry Potter series...)

Tuesday's highlight involved a family trip by car to the nearby coastal village of Sounio.  Oh, what an adventure!!  We passed SEVERAL Greek towns along the way...in fact, many that most folks NEVER see on THEIR way to Sounio.  We just considered them added bonuses to our trek. :)  The thing the boys will always remember about our trip down was this make-shift road block we came upon, managed by men in masks and camo suits, who were allowing some cars to pass thru and guiding others (like ours) into another roadblocked section of the highway.  After making sure all doors were locked and windows up, Brad quickly got us out of there.  We never knew for sure exactly what was going on, but the boys found it all very exhilarating!!

Thanks to Brad's adept navigational skills and in spite of countless uncharted roads, we did, in fact finally make it to Sounio, and it was well worth it...from every direction we saw scenes such as this...we were, to use the phrase of a dear friend, completely "gob-smacked" by the beauty around us. 

It's no wonder the ancient Greeks chose this site to build the temple of Poseidon.  Literally all around are sheer cliffs tumbling into the Aegean Sea, so this was an ideal site for worship of the powerful god of the sea.  We, on the other hand, found it an ideal site for worship of the God who created the sea.

We took the scenic route home, along a highway right along the coast, and with the sun setting, it was breathtaking...we stopped at a grill near the beach on our way home and had none other than gyros pita and souvlakis.  Don't think we've missed a day yet without eating these two favored Greek staples...And, as for the rest of our trip home, suffice it to say that many new trails were blazed, some more than once (grinning), and a good time was had by all...

Marathon Man Monday

So, Monday was a bit of a slower day after the Athens extravaganza on Siunday...we chose to stay closer to home...this is the "Marathon Man" and it is a statue very near the Bible College that represents the 1/2 marathon mark--13.1 miles--from the city of Marathon to the stadium in Athens.  As the story goes, when 25,000 Persians arrived at the Bay of Marathon in 490 B.C., it seemed impossible that the 10,000 Greeks could defeat them.  Greek victory was won by enclosing the Persians on all sides and driving them out to see, where 6000 Persians died and only 192 Athenians.  The origins of the marathon run date from this Battle of Marathon.  News of the victory was relayed by a runner who covered the 26.2 miles back to Athens in full armour before dying of exhaustion.

Just across from the Marathon Man is the largest and best bakery I have ever been in IN MY LIFE!!  It went on and on and on...heavenly...they boys each chose an ENORMOUS donut covered in sugar, Victoria chose a pastry with Merenda (Greek-brand Nutella) within, and Brad and I went with the homade baklava...I think we've been back every day since! (The owners were so kind...when they realized we were Americans visiting the Greek Bible College, they insisted we try a couple other of their pastries as their gift to us.  Talk about an example of showing kindness to foreigners!) 

After our venture to Beneth, the bakery, we went to our neighborhood underground grocery store, where the first thing that greets you is octopus, straight from the Aegean Sea.  I do so enjoy going into grocery stores wherever we may be, from a country story in Tennessee, to the corner market in Greece, I always find the experience completely delightful.

Even daily activities here have a Greek flair, which we are so enjoying, like hanging out our clean laundry...on the roof!...

...and playing hide and seek in 2 foot tall clover!...

...and climbing unknown (olive?) trees...

The Greek Bible College has many amenities for the students, among them this basketball/volleyball court.  We had loads of fun here...

...and here as mom is whoopin' up on Daniel...WAY TO GO, MOM!!