emunah

I Haven't Forgotten You, You're On My To-Do List...

2011-02-01T00:02:00.001-06:00

No we have not been eaten by crocodiles, nor have we fallen off the face of the Earth (although some days Landon would dispute this especially when his only functioning form of communication is a satellite phone). We have just been downright busy! To be completely honest, with my health having a mind of its own, my last few months have consisted of running like a chicken with my head cut off (which is how I prefer it) and then lying in recovery the next few days waiting patiently (ok so sometimes the patient part isn't quite so true) for my body to catch up with the pace my mind wants to keep. So just know that we have not forgotten about our long lost blog and all of you who thankfully read these random stories of our even more random life. You have made the To-Do list for the week, soooo hopefully by this time next week you will have had your fill of Hoppe adventures and will be all caught up!

The Purest Form of Joy...

2010-08-02T00:17:00.000-05:00

The other week I had the wonderful chance to spend a few days with my nephew, Vimmer, while my sister and her husband escaped on a "babymoon" (the hip term for one last hoorah before your little one arrives - Sarah is due September 24th!!!). Vimmer and I had so much fun together and I cherish the time that I had with him. He and William (and very soon Paxton) are the closest thing to children that Landon and I have and they bring such pure innocent joy into our lives, not to mention a lot of laughs! One day in particular we enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of fine dining and dancing!

He apparently really enjoyed his ravioli and thus we headed straight to the bath after this!

The next video is absolutely adorable in my opinion (but I've been told I am bit biased). You get a little of all Vimmer's tricks...if you listen carefully you'll even hear him saying "cheese" repeatedly for the camera (it's the word that sounds like "teee"). Sorry for the shakiness - I was kneeling down when he decided to tackle me - and forgive the loud laughter towards the end - he was literally bouncing on my stomach. He is such a precious turkey!!!

Landon's Trip Home...

2010-07-21T15:45:00.000-05:00

Landon got to make a trip home for vacation and to celebrate his younger brother's high school graduation at the end of May/beginning of June. After cheering on his brother (who graduated 1st in his class and will be attending Rice in the fall, sorry just had to brag on him for a second...) we headed down to Punta Cana for some much needed time alone just relaxing together. We had not had that kind of time alone together in well over 2 years. It was so nice to just sleep and lay by the pool or ocean! The trip was truly made perfect when we stumbled across a monkey at our resort (for those of you who don't know, Landon has a slight obsession with monkeys). His name was Mario and he was absolutely adorable!! He worked for apples and happily sat in your hand (or on your head) as long as he had an apple. When his trainer ran out of apples, Mario started hunting for apples in Landon's shirt. It made us want a monkey all the more!!

While we were in Punta Cana, we also celebrated my 25th birthday! Landon completely surprised me with an entire day of activity planned. He started my day out my favorite way...breakfast in bed!!! Then we went and had massages at the resort spa. It was our first time having "real" massages. We have had massages in China but you wear these pajama type garments the whole time and they never touch your bare skin, always keeping a sheet between their hand and your body. The whole experience was always extremely modest. So, needless to say, this was our first full fledge "only wrapped in a sheet" massage. We were in heaven!!! I was pleasantly surprised that my body reacted well and I was not overly sensitive to the touch (some days the slightest touch hurts extremely bad and Landon was so worried that he was going to end up hurting me by taking me for the massage instead of relaxing me). Afterward, I was ready to hit the pool and enjoy my relaxed state. Later in the afternoon when we returned to our room I was greeted with a beautiful flower arrangement, a happy birthday sign, balloons covering our floor, and the best part was that Landon ordered me a bath (yeah I didn't really know you could do such a thing, but you can). So, apparently while we were out our butler came in and filled our Jacuzzi to just the perfect temperature (and I mean it was spot on exactly right), added bubbles and flowers and even candles. The whole setting was just picturesque. After I enjoyed my prepared bath, Landon took me to the best part of the day! He surprised me with a private beach front dinner for just the two of us. The most romantic part was that he orchestrated the whole thing including the menu so we had several of my favorite dishes, particularly lobster. I can still taste the food as I am typing this. It was one of the most breathtaking and memorable dinners I have ever had with Landon. The night was truly perfect. When I say that it really carries weight with us because most nights when Landon and I eat out I am in such pain or discomfort I cut the meal short, leaving my poor husband to always have to scarf his food down (if I have even let us make it to the restaurant to begin with). He always happily complies in order to keep me from being uncomfortable in public but I feel so guilty that he can't just enjoy a normal dinner out. However, that night, God came along side me and gave me (and Landon) an amazing birthday gift of a simple pain free dinner where we ate slowly, talked as long as we wanted, and left the table feeling connected and satisfied rather than rushed and tortured. My wonderful, amazing, precious husband made my birthday so special and I will never forget it!

In all we thoroughly enjoyed our trip and cherished the time to reconnect before being separated again. Knowing we would be apart for 6 months, this trip came at the perfect time. God continues to amaze us in that He knows how much our marriage can take and when we need nourishment or time together. He continually strengthens our relationship and reminds us that as long as we are seeking Him everything else will fall into place. To see all our pics from our trip visit our photo website.

Long Absence...

2010-07-14T04:19:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe 4 months have passed since I last blogged! Obviously I have a bit of catching up to do so I will have to make several posts over the next week or so. The biggest change in our life has been our location. We officially moved from Sarajevo (and yes that comes with much sadness as it feels as though I didn't get much time to enjoy living there, particularly with all the unexpected time spent back stateside).

The project in Sarajevo has been wrapping up for the past few months so we knew that sooner or later they would no longer need Landon there, it was just a question of when. After the date was changed several times, Landon finally nailed down a definite departure from Sarajevo when he came home for vacation at the end of May. So Landon left Sarajevo, came home for vacation, then flew to Istanbul, Turkey for a two week business trip (oh, for those who are curious, he really enjoyed Istanbul. It is a beautiful city! Pictures from his trip can be found on our photo website), and then finally on to our new home...Bujumbura, Burundi.

For those of you who don't know (like me), Burundi is a small country in southeast Africa (it is bordered by Tanzania and Rwanda, as you can see in the two maps).

With a population of over 8.7 million people and a landmass the size of Maryland, it has a population density of 206.1 persons per square kilometer (that's the second largest population density in sub-Saharan Africa). The thing that makes this nation even more fragile is that it is the 2nd poorest country in the world. I'm sure I will blog more about Burundi and the issues that plague this nation (as I did with Bosnia) at a later date. For now I am just getting acquainted with this new port of call that is growing precious to my heart as it will be our home for a period of our life, no matter how long that may be.

We are definitely nervous about this new chapter in our overseas adventure. The first hurdle we have been faced with is my health and deciding if I will ever be well enough to go to Africa. We have no plans as of right now for me to attempt going to Burundi before December (that is when Landon has vacation time again). After that we will see where God leads us (whether that is that I am healthy enough to join Landon in Africa, whether another project arises that is more health friendly, or whether we have to come back to the States to focus on my health). I have learned to just trust and know that even in this crazy transient and sometimes confusing life that Landon and I lead, God is still there making careful plans for us.

ALL CLEAR...

2010-03-24T19:48:00.000-05:00

Well the waiting is finally over and Landon has received the all clear, praise God!!!

We saw the Neurologist this morning and he said that all of Landon’s tests came back normal. The CTA showed no blockage or slowed blood flow to the brain. The clotting studies came back normal, meaning he does not have any clotting disorder. And the EEG showed no slowing of brain function, which means that for now the cyst is not causing any problems. He did say that Landon should have another scan done of the cyst in 6 months to a year to see if it is growing. This Neurologist also consulted with the team of Neurosurgeons that had previously looked at Landon’s films and again they all reiterated this same opinion (the cyst 80% to 90% of the time will never be a problem but that he does need to have another scan done to be safe).

As far as the “episode” it was most likely a migraine. The Neurologist said that as long as he only has an episode like this every few years there is really no reason to treat with medication as migraine medication actually can increase your risk of stroke. So essentially we just know that Landon has the potential to have some pretty crazy migraines.

On a side note, Landon did get to visit my Applied Kinesiologist in Austin on Tuesday. Our main purpose or goal in taking Landon there is that this doctor is able to test for food allergies and vitamin deficiencies, both of which were mentioned by the Neurologist as causes for migraines this severe. Interestingly, the Applied Kinesiologist found that Landon does indeed have food allergies, particularly to chocolate and coffee, but otherwise is exceptionally healthy. He suggested Landon cut out all coffee and chocolate and see if his headaches get better. He seems to think that in general Landon will feel better. He explained that food allergies, in most cases, are not a sudden onset (like eat the food, have reaction), but rather a long time process of buildup over months or years. He said that when we are allergic or slightly allergic to a food that our body produces antibodies to that food and as we eat it more and more these antibodies build in our system causing symptoms. Overall he reiterated that Landon is healthy!

So we are extremely relieved and thankful! Landon is going to cut coffee and chocolate from his diet and see how he feels over the next two months. Unfortunately this means that he will be returning to Sarajevo (unfortunate only because that means we must part ways again). He actually just got his return flight scheduled for Friday, the day after tomorrow. He will come back to the States again in May, when his younger brother graduates from high school, and we will then be able to reassess how he is feeling, and should he need to revisit any doctors, he will be able to do so at that time. Thank you to all of you for your time spent worrying, favors called in, prayers, love, and support during this whole drawn out process. We are daily amazed by all that God holds in His hands and are incredibly blessed to know that we are resting there in his palms. Thank you again!!!

With Calmed Fears, Quieted Nerves, and Peaceful Hearts,

Landon and Shannon

Day 4 Update...

2010-03-19T17:28:00.000-05:00

I am sitting in another waiting room in the Med Center and thought I would use this time to type up a quick update (however I will not be able to post it until I have internet access again)(this was written on Thursday but I just now got a chance to post it). There really isn't much new information to share but I thought I would toss out a line to keep people from worrying.

As mentioned in my previous update, we spent Tuesday in the Med Center having a CTA done. Just as we had gotten back to the north side of town, the radiologist calls looking for his films from his MRA (he needed them for comparison). We explained that we tried to leave the films but that no one wanted to take them. Long story short, Landon had to drive back to the Med Center on Wednesday just to take the films (we had no other appointments in the Med Center that day). We are becoming well acquainted with the Med Center and their staff (which on a side note have been absolutely fantastic!)

Thursday we returned to the Med Center to have Landon's EEG completed. The comical side to this is that Landon was only allowed to have 4 hours of sleep the night before. Being told not to sleep only made him sleepier and I was left poking him in the side every few minutes in order to keep him awake. Needless to say by the time that afternoon rolled around he was delirious and not feeling well. The EEG is an important test for me as it is the only one that will definitively show that the cyst is causing no slowing or issues with brain activity. The technician did say after the test was completed that everything looked good but that someone will still look at the results. We took this as a positive!

Friday we do not have any doctor's visits or tests scheduled. The doctor will most likely get back to us on Monday and we will go from there. As of right now we have completed the marathon week of back and forth to the Med Center and as long as everything comes back great we do not have any other tests to complete. Now comes the waiting game and we pray that it will be preempted. Until then we are taking a hiatus from sickness (regardless of what our bodies may yell at us) and are going to try and enjoy the weekend together!

Day 1 Update...

2010-03-16T18:03:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to take a few minutes and update everyone on the progress we have made thus far with doctors. Yesterday was a very encouraging day and we are really thankful!

Yesterday morning was filled with waiting and more waiting and then hurry up! Not having heard from the doctor yet, Landon called his office and explained our convoluted situation. The doctor’s office explained that they would call us back once they had talked to the doctor because they did not have any openings until April. Then around 1:00 the doctor’s office called and let us know that they had a last minute cancelation today at 3:00 and asked if we could we be there by then. Of course we said yes and jumped in the car. Thank you God for opening up that slot.
The appointment went really well. Landon and I both felt encouraged and comfortable with the doctor. According to Landon’s symptoms during his “episode”, the doctor feels it was a migraine. If it had been a stroke the symptoms Landon experienced (inability to talk, right side numbness, headache) would have all come on at one time. However, Landon experienced each thing individually (as one was resolving the next would begin).

He also did not see anything in the MRA that would suggest a problem with blood flow (as the Bosnian doctors did) but in order to be on the safe side and to ensure it was not a TIA he did go ahead and order a CTA, which will definitively show if there are any problems with blood flow to the brain. He also ordered several blood tests to make sure that Landon does not have any sort of clotting disorder that would be causing a migraine this severe. Also, Landon’s neurological exam was completely normal.

The doctor even investigated a concern that I have had for a while and never made me feel silly for being concerned. Landon has for a long time had very different blood pressures in his arms (155 in one and 130 in the other). When the doctor first took his blood pressures he found the same thing and even asked Landon what his blood pressure is normally. Then, he got an idea. He pulled out a large cuff and re-tested Landon’s blood pressure. After changing cuff sizes, Landon’s blood pressure measured 120 over 70 in both arms (perfect). The doctor said to never have his blood pressure taken with a small cuff (or if we do to not believe it). We were really encouraged by this because we had been worried that Landon had high blood pressure. Come to find out he just has really big arms :)

As far as the cyst is concerned the doctor described it as a “red herring”. He said that the cyst is on the right side of Landon’s head but the headache was on the left side. The cyst was most likely an incidental finding. However, he said that he would do an EEG to make sure there is no slowing on the right side of the brain and he suggested we get the cyst re-scanned in a year to make sure it is not growing. We will most likely never know what caused the cyst and just need to keep an eye on it.

So, the doctor is now trying to figure out what would cause such a severe migraine. He mentioned that migraines like this can sometimes (in a small percentage of cases) cause brain damage so they are not to be dismissed. He also told Landon to never take migraine medication (like Imitrex) because it increases the risk of stroke and he already has an increase risk for strokes because of the migraines he is having. So the reasons that one has a migraine this intense range from hereditary predispositions to food allergies to blood flow issues. Therefore, the doctor is ensuring that the cause is not a blood flow problem by performing the CTA and the clotting study.

As I write this right now we are back down at the Med Center sitting in the waiting area waiting for the CTA to be performed. We feel much more encouraged and calm after meeting with the doctor yesterday. The results from the CTA should be back by Thursday and the clotting study by Friday. Until then we just wait some more. However, knowing that the doctor feels this is not a stroke of some sort and that Landon’s neurological exam was great really helps us to take a deep breath. So that is all we know as of right now. We will let you know as soon as we hear anything else (as of right now we are not thinking we will hear anything until Thursday). Thank you again (I know we keep saying this, but we truly mean it) for all your prayers and support!

The Eagle Has Landed...

2010-03-14T23:50:00.000-05:00

Yes, that means that Landon has made it safely back to the States! He arrived Friday night at 11:30 after a non-eventful trip (thank God). His bags even managed to make it all the way too (the airline usually loses them in Chicago and they have to be delivered the next day). We have been enjoying our weekend together and just trying to relax before the chaos of this next week begins.

On that note, the plans for Monday continue to change but we know that God has the entire situation n His hands. The original Neurosurgeon we have been working with will be out of town for Spring Break. However, he called in some favors and discussed our case with two doctors at Memorial Herman in the Med Center. The three doctors feel that we need to see a particular neurologist in the Med Center first. As of right now the Neurologist is supposed to call us tomorrow morning and we will go from there. If we can manage to expedite all the testing while staying out of the hospital that would be great (we would rather stay in a hotel in the Med Center than sit in a hospital room, call us crazy!)

So we our next step is to make contact with the Neurologist and then proceed according to his advice. Please pray for God to continue to take control of this situation and ease our anxiety over the unknown. Also please pray that the doctors will contact us in a timely manner, that we will have quality professionals, and that the diagnostic process is expedited and smooth (as we are working under a tight schedule). We thank everyone again for their continued support and encouragement! We love you all!

Day 9 - Thursday, February 25th

2010-02-26T02:35:00.000-06:00

I finally have a few minutes to sit down and update everyone on Landon (albeit it is 1 AM but I will joyfully take the spare seconds anywhere I can grab them these days – this week was filled to the max including a trip to my doctor in Dallas).

I want to start by first apologizing for taking so long to post this update. We know that so many people have been lifting Landon up in prayer and anxiously awaiting the next bit of news so we truly apologize if it seems we “left you hanging”. This past week was filled with frustration, no news, some news, decisions to be made, and decisions to be unmade. What I am trying to say is that we wanted to wait and update everyone once we knew for certain information was accurate and plans were actually solid.

On Monday Landon did get to meet with a Neurologist and Neurosurgeon, although not the original Neurologist he first saw. In concise terms, the two doctors didn’t tell Landon anything. Using Landon’s driver as a translator, they basically told Landon he was fine with nothing to worry about, just take some blood thinners and all will be forgotten. They never gave him a reason for the blood thinners (would not confirm whether or not there is a blockage) nor did they go over his blood work. This obviously did not satisfy us and Landon was left feeling like they were trying to push him out the door. In the end, they did ask Landon to return the next day for an EEG (although they did not explain why).

On Tuesday Landon returned to the hospital for his EEG and was told he would have the results by Friday.

On the home front, we are continuing to work closely with a highly qualified Neurosurgeon, who has been an amazing blessing (thank you so much Vim and Sarah, we really have no words to express how blessed we have been to have ya’ll lead us to him and put in as much work as you have acting as point of contact). He has continued to pour over Landon’s test results, spent countless hours emailing with us, and has even called and checked in on how things are going. He suggested Landon have a CTA (CT Angiography) done as the next diagnostic test in order to clearly show whether or not there is a blockage or narrowing of the artery. The arterial Doppler in his opinion is only as sensitive or accurate as the technician performing the test (unlike the MRI and CT Scan) and is therefore semi-unreliable since we do not know the standards of the Bosnian technicians or machines. However, when Landon mentioned this test to the Bosnian physicians they didn’t seem to comprehend or understand exactly what he was wanting. That added with the fact that the CTA is a contrast test using a radioactive dye and we do not trust Bosnia injecting anything into Landon, we have decided to wait until Landon returns to the States to have that test performed.

And finally, on that note, Landon is returning to the States, Praise God!!! He will be flying back on March 12th and we will hit the ground running to get this thoroughly checked out and solved. All the doctors that have looked at his results, and particularly the Neurosurgeon and Neuroradiologist, feel that it is safe for Landon to fly back but that he should be on an Aspirin regimen just in case there is any blockage. Once Landon is here the plan, as of now but you know how often things change, is to check him into the hospital for efficiency purposes. This will allow the Neurosurgeon to have tests and test results completed in a more timely manner, us to also consult with any other doctors (i.e. Cardiologist or Artery specialist) should the need arise, and allow Landon to be observed more carefully to ensure everything has returned to “normal”. Like I said, as of right now this is the Neurosurgeon’s and our plan, but could possibly change as the time gets closer.

Thank you to everyone for the continued prayers and love. We really feel we are inadequate when we say “thank you” so please know that those words hold so much weight. We know that God’s faithfulness is the only thing carrying us through this right now and your prayers have truly helped strengthen, uplift, and encourage us throughout this crazy time. As I mentioned, Landon should get his EEG results back on Friday (which I guess is technically today). However, we have no idea if the report will be in English or Bosnian so please bear with us if we do not have any new information through the weekend. Most likely it will be a quiet next two weeks of just playing the waiting game as we do not have any plans for further testing at the time. Please pray for a quiet two weeks, that Landon will stay feeling well, and that the time would pass very quickly. Thank you again!!

Day 3 - Friday, February 19th

2010-02-19T23:22:00.000-06:00

There is really no new news today.

Landon did have a Transcranial Doppler done today and again the doctor doing the ultrasound mentioned blockage in the right vertebral artery. Landon did not get to see the Neurologist today as his blood work was not back yet. He will see her on Monday and hopefully she will give him her take on everything (as she is the only one who physically has her hands on him right now).

We continue to receive reports from doctors here in the States. The main theme throughout all of them is that the cyst may or may not be the cause of the symptoms and no artery blockage can be seen on the MRI or CT Scan (however none of them have seen his Doppler reports). At the same time, all of them suggest him come back to the States to have a thorough work up completed. We have heard back from the wife of the Neurosurgeon husband and wife team (the wife is a Neuro radiologist and the husband is an excellent Neurosurgeon). She feels that more testing, particularly an EEG, needs to be done to ensure that the cyst is not causing any further problems.

That in a nutshell is pretty much where we stand right now. We still are not 100% sure what our game plan is. We will see what the doctor says on Monday and then make our next plan of attack. Like I mentioned in my last update, we truly just have to take this one day at a time since so many things are uncertain right now and so much information is flying in at one time. Since Landon is not having any testing done over the weekend we will most likely not have any updates. If we receive any new pertinent information over the weekend I will let you all know. Otherwise just know that nothing has changed and we are still doing fine.

We Love You All,
Shannon

Day 2 - Thursday, February 18th

2010-02-19T23:09:00.000-06:00

Well the closing bells have rung and we have made it through another roller coaster of a day and have ended on a positive note, or at least we think so.

This morning Landon went back to the hospital to have an arterial Doppler done of his carotid artery. The physician who did the test told Landon that he had “significant” blockage and recommended Landon explore taking blood thinners. Landon is not comfortable starting blood thinners solely on the recommendation of the Bosnian doctors and therefore declined (we will await the opinion of the 3 sets of physicians that are reviewing his test results here). Landon returned home with the physicians “interpretation” of the ultrasound. Unlike the MRI and CT Scan this is the only piece of the test that Landon was able to come away with (no actual images). Therefore, we are left having to trust the Bosnian physician’s skill in administering and “reading” (for lack of a better word) the Doppler. The other obstacle is that the report is written in Bosnian, so we are currently working on getting that translated. However, using Google translate Landon and I were able to read the doctor’s final conclusion (even though it is not the best grammatical English) which was:

Conclusion: This is a relatively orderly finding of the common carotid artery, both sides without major interference in the flow. At the vertebral artery system there is attenuation of the flow speed on both sides particularly on the right (no artery Doppler display).

Landon returns to the hospital tomorrow for another round of tests (we think he is having an EEG but once again translation is making it difficult to be certain). He will also meet with his neurologists to go over all the test results and discuss with her her findings/diagnosis.

On the home front here we currently have sent Landon’s MRI and CT Scan to 3 different groups of doctors (all highly qualified, in my humble opinion). The preliminary consensus among them thus far is that Landon’s cyst is an Arachnoid cyst that has most likely been there most if not all of his life and may or may not be the cause of his symptoms (more likely NOT the cause). 2 of the groups have viewed the images in detail and we are waiting on the 3rd. However, of the two that have seen the images they both did not see anything that would indicate to them that there is a problem with the arteries (however we are confused because of the abnormal findings in the Doppler today, so this requires more investigation on our part) and apart from the cyst, no other issues in the brain (i.e. no bleeding or sign of stroke). So this was extremely positive news today and gave us a little boost to keep going! Below I have included the synopsis from one of the doctors whom Roy met with (told through Roy, Landon’s dad).

I just spent half an hour with a radiologist at Hermann and it was his opinion that the lesion in Landon's brain is an Arachnoid Cyst. He feels that it is congenital and has been there since birth. He feels that due to the lack of edema around the cyst, that it has been stable for years, so no increased growth anytime recent. He did say that it could be responsible for Landon's headaches, but also not. Usually the cysts are incidental and surgeons usually stay away from them unless they are symptomatic. The radiologist indicated that this cyst has a bivalve connection to the cerebral spinal fluid, which can allow the fluid to enter but not exit the cyst. If there is established that there is significant pressure that should be reduced, then the procedure is to drain it.
We also went over all the arteries and he felt they were all patent and the one area were the Bosnian doctor said was possibly calcium, was, he felt a radiological artifact since all the other arteries looked very good. He also looked for any recent bleeds or blood vessel inflammation and found none. In his opinion, nothing that he found on the MRI was consistent with any of the symptomology that Landon just went through other than possibly the headache connection.

So our next step in eating this elephant is to do his test tomorrow, meet with the Bosnian neurologist and get her diagnosis, and hear back from our 3rd group of doctors here. After this will we see where we stand again and tackle whatever hurdle comes next.

Thank you all for your continued prayers and love and support. We are so blessed to have such a loving and comforting family helping us through this confusing muck! Our prayer for tomorrow is that God will grant the Bosnian neurologist wisdom in helping us to figure in the artery piece of this puzzle as it is the last one that doesn’t seem to “fit”.

Taking It One Step At a Time,

Shannon

Day 1 - Wednesday, February 17th...

2010-02-19T22:56:00.000-06:00

With everything going on I thought it would be easiest to update everyone via email (I might switch to the blog later just because it is easier). With that being said I am going to start at the beginning so that everyone is on the same page so I apologize if some of this information is repetitive for you. I also apologize if you are hearing this for the first time through this email. The past two days have been crazy with most of my time spent on the phone with Landon or researching.

On Tuesday, February 16th, Landon had some sort of “episode” (we are still not sure what caused this). While eating lunch he was suddenly unable to talk. He was clear minded and was able to think of words but was unable to get his mouth to speak the words. The guys sitting at his table said it sounded like he was trying to talk with a mouthful of food. As this was starting to happen his vision became unclear and cloudy. Feeling a bit weirded out, he headed back to his office to see if it would stop. While walking back to his office he realized that his right arm was tingling and going numb as well as the right side of his body including the right half of his tongue and face. He went to the nurse on the jobsite who took his blood pressure (which was 140). Sometime in the midst of all this he also began to have a headache. As this continued he decided he needed to go to the hospital (which is huge for Landon since he NEVER misses work). Using one of the company’s drivers, Landon was turned away by 3 different hospitals before ending up at a clinic that our company has contracted with (gotta love socialized medicine). After convincing the clinic that he would pay them cash, they sent him to neurology who ran a CT Scan and an EKG. His EKG was normal. His CT Scan, on the other hand, revealed a cyst on his brain and an issue with his arteries (we are not really clear in this issue; the doctor described his arteries as “old people arteries”). The doctor explained to him that the cyst may or may not be an issue. It could be something that he was born with or got at a very young age or it could be something newer. She felt like the cause of the problems was something with his arteries. (You have to remember two things: 1) we are dealing with a doctor whose native language is not English, so things are lost in translation and 2) Bosnia’s healthcare is about 30 years behind ours (admitted to me by a nurse in Sarajevo)). He went home for the night with testing set-up for the next day.

On Wednesday, February 17th, Landon had blood work done and an MRI. The blood work results will be back on Friday. We discovered that there is a 6 month wait in Bosnia for an MRI as there are only two MRI machines in the country. Because Landon is an American and they know he will pay cash, he was rushed to the head of the line, so this is a blessing (although Landon said he felt horribly guilty). We really didn’t learn anything new on Wednesday as he didn’t see the actual doctor. He did get a copy of the MRI and CT Scan sent over to me and I was able to see the actual cyst for the first time. (I have included 3 images from the MRI which show the cyst and its location. It is the large bright white spot and I have placed an arrow pointing it out.) Landon’s father is going to send the CT Scan and MRI to a colleague who specializes in reading neurological radiology.

On Thursday, February 18th, Landon will have an ultrasound of his arteries to explore the doctor’s suspicions of the “episode” being caused by an issue in his arteries.

On Friday, February 19th, Landon will meet with the doctor to go over the results of the blood work, MRI, and arterial ultrasound.

We ask for your prayers in giving this doctor wisdom, peace for all of us in trusting God throughout all of this, and comfort in the knowledge that God is in control of everything and is holding Landon is His arms. Of course I would love to snap my fingers and have Landon back here in the States surrounded by doctors that I KNOW are of a certain caliber. However, Landon and I want to be calm and smart through this process and want to make sure that flying is not hazardous to his health before we explore bringing him home for further testing. One doctor suggested that the stresses of flying (i.e. increase in pressure and changes in altitude) might exacerbate the issue depending on the cause. Therefore, we are going to take it one day at a time and see what the doctor says on Friday. In the mean time, I am trying to have a few doctors review the test results he does have and give us their opinion on what our next step should be (i.e. can he fly?) If anyone knows a reputable neurosurgeon we are open to referrals.

Thank you to everyone for your prayers and constant outpouring of love. We will try our best to keep everyone informed with any new information.

In Him,

Shannon Hoppe

Updates on Landon...

2010-02-19T22:32:00.000-06:00

As word has quickly spread around the water cooler about Landon's health issues this week, we have decided that it will be easiest to update everyone via our blog. With more and more of our very supportive friends and family learning of this through the grapevine we want to make sure that everyone is given accurate information and we feel the best way to do this is through the blog.

Being that I am a tad swamped at the moment, I am going to post some of the same email updates that I have previously sent out so I apologize if this is redundant for some of you. From here on out I will just post updates on this site rather than trying to make sure that all are included in emails (that way if I am missing people they still have access to the updates).

We love you all and truly appreciate the outpouring of support and encouragement over the last few days!

Return from a Long Absence...

2010-02-18T03:08:00.000-06:00

My absence again has been long and I apologize. The holidays flew by this year and suddenly I found myself halfway through February when I realized I had not blogged in forever. It is really hard to blog when you don't have anything witty or exciting to blog about. These days, I think of something witty but by the time I get to my computer I have forgotten what I was even doing. Needless to say, I have finally decided to break the blogging "block" with a generic "catch up" posting.

The holidays were wonderful and we were blessed to get to come home and be with our families. After Landon and I spent last Christmas apart we were so thankful to have this Christmas together! I returned to the States on December 11th (to see my doctor) and Landon followed on the 21st. Our holiday was jam packed but we managed to cram in pretty much everything we had hoped to do (except spend any alone time together). Our photo website has all our pictures from the holidays including some really fun ones from our New Year's Eve Party. Click here to go to our picture site.

The holidays quickly came to a halt and I put Landon back on a plane to Sarajevo on January 6th. My health has taken a turn and I am too ill to make the flight back and forth at the moment. So, for the time being I am seeing my doctor more frequently, trying some new treatments, and attempting to take care of myself as much as possible. Even though I thought I would have plenty of time to relax and focus on getting better, I have somehow managed to still run around like a chicken with my head cut off (maybe it's my personality). Landon continues to work his rear end off. Thankfully, he has continued to cultivate his friendships with the other guys, going out to dinner and such several times a week. I am so thrilled that God has brought these men into his life and that he is not all alone in the apartment every night.

And with that you are officially caught up on the life and times of the Hoppe family! Exciting isn't it?!?!

Flat Stanley's Adventures...

2009-12-17T15:36:00.000-06:00

I know some of you have been waiting for me to post the link to the book I wrote and designed for my nephew. Well, wait no longer!

If you click here it will take you to our photo website. At the top of the left hand column you will see a photo book labeled "Flat Stanley" - that's the one! I hope you all enjoy reading of the various sights in Sarajevo through a 1st grade vocabulary.

P.S. This was why I was absent from blogging for most of November.

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble...

2009-12-08T10:38:00.000-06:00

A bout of insomnia has finally provided me with a few minutes to update everyone on our Thanksgiving festivities. It’s around 4 in the morning here so please forgive any typos!

Our Thanksgiving was absolutely wonderful and endlessly reminded us of all the blessings God has given us this year. We actually extended our Thanksgiving into two days and celebrated Thursday with dinner at a co-worker’s home and then I made all our favorites Friday.

The first sign that Thanksgiving was quickly approaching came Tuesday night as I boiled vinegar and beet juice! As the smell rapidly filled the apartment and Landon rushed to open every window, the warm tingling of the holiday season spread over me. If you have no idea what I am talking about then you or your family most likely does not come from the north. I’m talking about the glorious PICKLED EGG!!! As a kid I can remember the smell of beet juice and vinegar always aromatically declaring Thanksgiving’s arrival. I also remember liking to look at the pretty eggs much more than I enjoyed eating them. That quickly changed and a relish tray just isn’t complete anymore without the purple and yellow hue of pickled eggs. This year I pickled 5 eggs thinking that Landon would ceremoniously eat a half of one (he didn’t really enjoy them in years past) and I would eat the rest over the next week. However, Landon’s taste buds joined the pickled egg club this year and he polished off at least 3 of the eggs by himself and all were gone within two days. He informed that he really enjoyed them this year and that I could make them other times than just the holidays.

Our holiday celebration continued Thursday morning with the baking of pies and cookies. However, as you know, there is no simple cooking experience here in Sarajevo. The predicament with the pies came when we were unable to find more than one pie plate (apparently pie plates are a rarity in this country). But, have no fear, using our noggins we (well actually Landon) made two pie plates by using aluminum trays and an actual ceramic pie plate as a mold. The main feat was bending and shaping the aluminum while trying not to slice yourself open on the sharp edges. The other hiccup occurred while trying to roll out the pie crust and transfer it to the pie plate without tearing the whole thing. Thankfully my ever patient husband stood by me, rubbing my back, and offering me words of encouragement until I had three successful pie crusts. In the end, the pies and cookies turned out surprisingly wonderful and tasted amazing. I made two chocolate pies (one to take to our co-workers), an apple pie, and poppy seed cookies. Our Thursday concluded with a wonderful dinner of all our friends here gathered together.

Friday morning I woke up a bit nervous and extremely excited. I had never made Thanksgiving dinner all on my own before and was anxious to prove myself as a wife! My first priority was to get the turkey in the oven. We, shockingly, found an 8 pound turkey at our local grocery store and were ecstatic that our meat was no mystery this holiday (remember the “grey” meat at Easter?) The only downside was this turkey had been frozen a while (packaged in August of 2008) and sadly had quite a bit of freezer burn. Nonetheless, I was just excited that the bird was edible looking and not covered in feathers (as my luck would usually have it here). As I mixed the stuffing, Landon buttered up Tom and began prepping him for baking. Being that we are both rookies at this, we forgot to unfold the turkey’s legs and stuff him up the bottom. Instead we found the only hole available (the neck) and used a spoon to shove as much stuffing as we could down inside. In the middle of our process (Landon would load in a wad of stuffing and I would pack it down with the spoon, yes we looked like we were loading a cannon) the light bulb went off in my head and I just started dying laughing. As I unfolded the legs and exposed the much more spacious access point, Landon just looked up at me smiling and said, “That makes things a WHOLE lot easier!” We finished stuffing Tom (correctly) and shoved him in the oven. Now all that was left to do was wait and remember to baste every so often...wait a minute, baste?? Another gadget that would be really handy to have around! So Landon once again used his ingenuity and made a baster for me out of a water bottle (and it worked beautifully). We let Tom bake up to a nice plump golden brown and he turned out great. I was extremely happy with my first turkey attempt.

While the bird was in the oven, Landon and I watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (we had TiVoed it from Thursday) and I slowly finished the rest of dinner. One of Landon’s family traditions is called kloesse, a German dish much like a potato dumpling. In the States, his mother and grandmother make the kloesse from a box mix, which of course I could not find here, so I took on the task of making them from scratch. It was fairly simple (first you make mashed potatoes, make dough out of it, and then form dumplings) but I really should have let the potatoes cook a bit longer before mashing them as we ended up with a few lumps in our dumplings. In the end, Landon enjoyed them and they were pretty close to the kloesse he so enjoys during the holidays.

Another of Landon’s favorites is rot kohl, or red cabbage. This one was a bit easier and a sure fire win as cabbage is over abundantly available here (they use it as lettuce). This dish always adds so much color to the table and is absolutely delicious.

And my last “from scratch” feat were dinner rolls! You see, I am a fan of really soft, fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth breads and rolls. Unfortunately that is an oxymoron in this country as all breads here are throw-against-a-wall-and-they-won’t-break hard. Therefore, ever since I got back in October I have been making a lot of our breads from scratch. The rolls I made for Thanksgiving are outstanding, our favorites, and really simple, you just can’t get any better than that (if interested here is the recipe). They turned out great and with the extra time to rise, extremely fluffy!

With all the food prepared we sat down to dinner and enjoyed our first Thanksgiving alone. It actually turned out extremely pleasant and we were shocked when everything tasted just as it would in the states (even down to the baby dill pickles on the relish tray, it is impossible to find “normal” tasting pickles here). We ended our day by cheering on our Aggies as they played texas (once again, TiVoed from Thursday…what would we do without technology) and enjoying dessert.

Our two day celebration gave us countless opportunities to express our love to each other whether by stuffing a bird together or rolling out pie crusts. We have so much to be grateful for and are daily amazed that Christ continues to pour out his unconditional, unfathomable love over us. We are blessed to have so many loved ones, family, and friends constantly encouraging, uplifting, and praying for us in our daily struggles while celebrating beside us throughout our amazing blessings. Thank you for leaving an indelible footprint on our life.

Sorry for the Long Absence, Again...

2009-12-06T14:31:00.000-06:00

Once again I have let the blogging take a back seat. I apologize to all of you who have been anxiously awaiting Thanksgiving updates (I promise they are coming). Life around here has been a little hectic lately. I haven't been feeling very well so that has slowed me down a bit also. My days lately have been filled with writing and creating a book for my nephew (I will post a link to it in a few days), trying to organize our 80+ GB of music, and attempting to pack our belongings.

As this year comes to a close it has become apparent to us that we will most likely (if all goes as planned) only be in Sarajevo until February or March. No, we still do not know where we will be going after this and are continuing to seek God's plan for us and where He desires us to be (we will update everyone as soon as we know anything). With my decline in health, we are preparing ourselves for the possibility that I will not be able to come back here. Therefore, I am doing my best to pack as much as I can before I leave in hopes of not leaving Landon with too much to take care of on his own. During this process we have come to two conclusions: 1) we have too much stuff and 2) I have too many clothes!

So that gives you a brief glimpse into my life for the past few weeks. We are excited to be heading home for Christmas (I leave on December 10th and Landon will follow on December 22nd) and are blessed to get to share this Christmas together (as we were apart last year).

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words...

2009-11-01T14:27:00.000-06:00

While walking around town today Landon and I both stopped dead in our tracks as we passed the below poster hanging in the window of the Federal Building. Landon wished to pass the chuckles on to all of you. The poster is obviously warning of diabetes. What do you think the symptoms are?

Another Food Victory...

2009-11-01T13:57:00.001-06:00

I had another victory in cooking this weekend and thought I would share!

I made cinnamon rolls (for recipe click here) and they turned out AMAZING! I was very happy considering I had to search high and low for something that was similar to cream cheese here. Landon found a very close alternative and the rolls were heavenly. Since making so many things from scratch here, I have decided my first "wish list" item when we get back to the states is a bread maker!

This past week included a few more food successes like chicken parmesean, turkey meatloaf, and homemade dinner rolls. I might be old fashioned but nothing gives me the same pleasure in life as making sure my husband is well fed. I love having the time right now to spend all day in the kitchen making all these familiar foods for my man who hasn't had anything "familiar" in close to 5 months. What can I say? I LOVE BEING A WIFE!!!!

The Ghosts of War Always Linger...

2009-10-21T08:37:00.000-05:00

As I am blessed with so much time to myself lately, I have been trying to take full advantage of this rare gift (no matter how unwelcome it seems at the moment, someday it will be a rarity...I pray). Therefore, I came back to Sarajevo armed with books, projects, and even a Beth Moore bible study of Esther.

When we first learned that we would be moving to Sarajevo, I immediately wanted to learn more about the war that was waged here from 1992 to 1996. Being that I was 11 when the war finally ended, I don't remember any specific details or politics or reasons for the atrocities I heard occurred. We have lived here for over 10 months now and I still had not found the time to read about the events that transpired in the streets just outside our apartment more than 14 years ago. I have had several co-workers tell me their personal stories and each time I am deeply touched that they would share such painful and personal experience with me, encouraging me all the more to dive into the war deeper. Now, finally I have the time to curl up with books and the laptop (as I am having to stop and research as I read) and try to grasp the events that left so many dead or scarred for life. I have barely set foot on the road of my historical journey and already I am in shock. Not knowing how to begin eating this elephant, I decided to dive in head first and start with the war. No prejudice, no historical bias, no political understanding of either side, just cold hard facts and viewing all sides as human beings. After this I will trudge through the history of Bosnia beginning with the Slavic migration into Bosnia in the 7th century and work my way back up through the war, this time wearing glasses of “historical context”. This being said, if any of my facts are a bit off in this blog, please forgive me as I have just barely scraped the surface.

The books I have begun reading are telling of mass murders by snipers on the streets our apartment overlooks. I have never read about genocide or war as I am physically looking at or part of the setting where these events took place, let alone so soon afterwards. These accounts I am reading happened 14 years ago. There are children the same age as me at the time (7 to 11) running from gunfire and mortar shells, all the while I was safe and sound in my insulated world. Sure I remember “hearing” of Bosnia when I was a kid and I knew we sent some troops to help out, but Bosnia could have been on Mars in my world for everything seems more distant when you are young. This is the freshest scent of war I have ever smelled and I am trying to absorb it as quickly as I can.

It is very difficult to not think about what it was like here, not so long ago. I just can’t drive down Zmaja od Bosne (the main street through town) without hearing the faint sound of gunfire and a mother screaming, and I wasn’t even here for it. The bombed out buildings are still ever present markers of how much has been restored while at the same time reminding of the not so distant destruction. You can’t look into peoples’ eyes without seeing a scarred, forever changed person starring back (and rightfully so, most have seen more violence and depravity than any human should ever glimpse).

For the longest time Landon and I have struggled in describing the Bosnian people to those back in the States. At first glance they are the same as you and me. They are polite, sweet, welcoming, kind. Many of the girls I worked with were very friendly with me, always asking me to hang out, and still keep in touch. But in all of this description something is missing. There is something underlying in the Bosnian people, just below the surface, that makes it impossible to accurately describe their demeanor, their essence. I always mention to Landon that their eyes tell of great tragedy but are not the stereotypical “sad” eyes one would think of – they are not empty. One of the books I am reading, My War Gone By, I Miss It So by Anthony Loyd (a British photographer in Bosnia during the war), discusses this very concept and hits the nail on the head as to this indescribable “look” in the Bosnian peoples’ eyes. “Anyone who stayed in Bosnia during the war had their face change on a level beyond the purely physical. It would be so trite, so inappropriate to say that the eyes lost something as they witnessed the whole madness of it all, to talk of empty stares and children with hollow gazes. But it was not what people lost in Bosnia that you noticed in their eyes; it was what some of them gained. Whether it is your own or someone else’s, the taste of evil leaves an indelible mark on the iris. You can see it flickering in moments of introspection as the muscles relax.” Their eyes are forever scarred by the atrocities, the evil witnessed here. Let me be perfectly clear in that I do not think the Bosnian people are evil. However, the kind of evil and depravity that surrounds not only war but genocide leaves a permanent scar that can be realized sometimes only through the eyes.

As I am writing this I am sitting at our dining room table looking at the Holiday Inn and just beyond that Zmaja od Bosne (the main thoroughfare through town) and just beyond that the Parliament Building – all three were intricate locations during the siege of Sarajevo (lasting from April 1992 to February 1996 – the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare). The picture below is taken from our balcony. This, along with the map, should help you envision the events about to be described.

This exact scene that you are looking at was the location of one of the first horrific acts of evil as described by Robert J. Donia and John V.A. Fine, Jr. in their book, Bosnia and Hercegovina: A Tradition Betrayed. “On April 6, 1992, a crowd of demonstrators estimated at over 50,000 gathered in front of the Bosnian Parliament Building in Sarajevo to demonstrate for peace in Bosnia and Hercegovina. The demonstrators were members of all three of Bosnia’s largest nationalities: Serbs, Croats, and Bosnian Muslims. Directly across the street, from the upper floors of the ultra-modern Holiday Inn built for the 1984 Winter Olympics, heavily-armed Serbian militiamen fired randomly into the crowd, killing and wounding dozens of peace demonstrators.” The resulting deaths are considered the first casualties of the war. The street, Zmaja od Bosne, where the demonstrators marched quickly became known as “Sniper’s Alley” and was avoided by all means possible. The side of the river where our old apartment was (south side – suburb called Grbavica) was taken over by Serbian forces. From this vantage point and several other strategic locations, Serbian forces were able to blockade the entire city shutting down all major roads into and out of Sarajevo, effectively cutting off all utilities and limiting supplies such as food and medicine. The hills right out the windows of our apartment crawled with Serbian snipers just waiting for anyone to step out from hiding. For the young people my age, dodging bullets or learning to zigzag through alleys in order to avoid snipers was just another lesson in growing up. Each time I listen to a co-worker recount these stories, I get chills up and down my spine. Innocent people (many children) died in this city and I would at least like to try and understand why. However, my fear is that there is no reason why, or at least not one that justifies the cost. So I am left asking, “Which side was right and which side was wrong?” As with my first question, I fear this one has no simple answer either. This world is evil and always will be until Jesus Christ comes back and conquers Satan once and for all.

The Parliament Building (taken from the Holiday Inn) after enduring tank fire in 1992.

Part of Grbavica, a suburb occupied by the Serbian forces. Our first apartment was near this location.

Food (Is There Anything Else to Life?)...

2009-10-21T08:11:00.000-05:00

Another food post... Yes, I feel like I am always posting some great victory in our never-ending hunt for "normal" food. We just get so excited when we find/make food that tastes as it would in the States. When you live overseas and are craving something from the States or a "comfort" food, often times you find something that is sooo close but just doesn't quite make it (and other times you find something that just totally misses the mark). We found that it was much easier to find said food items in China than here in Sarajevo. It has been nearly impossible to find many foods here that taste as they would or close to what they would in the States. This being said, I am very excited to have some time now to attempt to make things from scratch when we are craving them.

As you saw in the chicken nugget post, Landon has a few tricks that he has mastered while bacheloring it for the last 4 months. One of these tricks is breakfast burritos. Upon finding tortillas and bacon (it's actually Pancetta) a few months ago, Landon has become the king of breakfast burritos. He makes about 30 at a time and freezes them individually thus allowing him to enjoy an endless supply of reheatable breakfasts. Here he is working his assembly line to make his most recent batch.

And of course I had to make something as well, so last Saturday I tried my hand at creating doughnuts from scratch. I was extremely proud of my ingenuity as I don't have a cookie cutter, biscuit cutter, and certainly no doughnut cutter. But my momma taught me there is always more than one way to skin a cat and this cat was skinned using a glass and a bottle cap. Amazingly they came out tasting pretty darn close to a Krispy Kreme and have definitely been added to the "Landon Approved" recipe list.

Happy Birthday Mommy...

2009-10-14T06:28:00.000-05:00

Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear Mommy, Happy birthday to you!

Thank you for always being there for me cheering me on! I love you!

Redefining the Definition of Fall...

2009-10-13T08:57:00.000-05:00

As I was cleaning the kitchen last night, I happened to glance out a window that looks down on some street lights and was met by an intriguing/disappointing/crazy sight. There in the gleam of the street lights snow flurries were rapidly descending upon our unsuspecting little town. It continued to snow throughout the night blanketing the ground with a good 4 - 6 inches of snow. As I awoke this morning I was greeted by the crisp white snow and the sound of rain drops pelting the window. Talk about a nasty day!!!

Ever since I can remember fall has been my absolutely most favorite time of year. The first cold front comes whisking into town as leaves start changing colors and gently falling to the ground. Fall decorations of scarecrows and pumpkins begin popping up and children begin excitedly planning their Halloween costumes. I can just close my eyes and smell the scent of fall, a crisp clean cool fresh air smell. In Houston, fall was always the "cool" beautiful outdoor season savored as much as possible before the gray nasty rainy winter hit. It was the only time of year that I spent more time outdoors than indoors.

And now, I am sitting here in my living room peering out at gray foggy skies hovering above snow-covered streets even though it's October and still "fall". I am wrapped in a blanket and shivering as our radiators have decided to take the day off. There is no sunshine in sight, no smell of crisp air, and no "cool" weather (just downright cold weather) and my body is screaming, "Hey we skipped a season!!! Where did fall go?" This poor body went from 90 degree weather in Houston to the current temperature of 39 in Sarajevo. These events have forced me to redefine my opinion of fall. I now have added a location clause to my statement of loving fall. "Fall is my absolutely most favorite time of year in Texas." I can only name Texas as this is the only region that I have to compare to and has passed my standards of approval. My hope is that the list of approved regions will grow as we travel more. Otherwise, I will be heading back to Texas every fall. You think jet lag is bad, wait until your body skips a whole season! I am still holding out hope that this snow will melt away, the gray fog will blow out, and the fall I know and love will sweep into town, maybe just maybe.

Here is Landon trying to talk our radiator into showing up for work. Obviously our radiator didn't feel the need to comply.

The Sweetest Husband in the World...

2009-10-13T08:47:00.000-05:00

Since arriving back in Sarajevo I have been feeling a bit under the weather. Landon has been so precious and nurturing, getting me my meds and just making sure my every need is taken care of. The other night I was feeling very nauseated and nothing sounded good for dinner but I needed to eat in order to take my meds. Being the sweet husband Landon is, he jumped in the kitchen and made me chicken nuggets from scratch!! I am so blessed and thankful to have this amazing man by my side. Thank you baby!

Back In The Arms of the One I Love...

2009-10-13T07:50:00.000-05:00

Landon and I are finally back under the same roof and we are both so thankful! He was even able to take off the first few days I was back and we were blessed with four solid days to relax, watch some Aggie football, eat some chili, and just be together.

My flight over was not too painful and my body cooperated, for the most part. I wasn't expecting my joints to hurt as badly as they did but I survived and have been able to just take it easy and recharge (as traveling takes a lot out of me). Fortunately I was not alone on my journey and enjoyed the company of a travel companion.

His name is Flat Stanley and he will be "living" with us until December. He even sported his maroon for the Aggie game on Saturday.

For those of you not familiar with Flat Stanley, he is a character in a children's book written by Jeff Brown who mails himself around the world after being flattened by a bulletin board. Many teachers use this book as a tool to teach geography to young students, asking them to send their personalized Flat Stanley to a relative or friend from another state or country. My nephew, who is in 1st Grade, is excited to hear about the adventures that his Flat Stanley will have while here in Sarajevo with Landon and I.

God is Good (as Always)....

2009-09-30T21:33:00.000-05:00

This past Friday, September 25th, my doctor gave me the okay to return to Sarajevo until December!! Landon and I will thankfully be reunited on October 7th and I am furiously running around like the proverbial chicken with its head cut off trying to get everything in order.

Since I last blogged of doctor's visits, I have seen my doctor two times. Realizing that something had changed in my health we set out to find a new regiment that my body would react to best (both of my doctors firmly believe that God intelligently created our bodies which are able to communicate many problems and by simply knowing how to correctly read the body a lot of issues can be solved. God has thankfully brought two very talented doctors into my life that not only believe in Him but also practice Applied Kinesiology, which I give much credit to for my progress). During this process both my doctor in Dallas and my doctor in Austin came to the conclusion that I am now most likely struggling with a malaria-like co-infection called Babesia, which is often transmitted along with Lyme. Because this infection is parasitic it was not responding to the anti-biotic treatments we were using to target the Lyme. Therefore, I have started an entirely new protocol which thankfully includes more natural plant extracts (Olive Leaf Extract and Super Artemisinin). Along with the new found "Babs" issue (as we refer to it), my doctor in Dallas discovered my Influenza B levels were through the roof. Unfortunately with Lyme patients, the immune system is fighting so fiercely against the Lyme that many times viruses creep in and flourish. Often these are normal, everyday viruses that we all encounter, fight off, and never even realize were in our system. However, because Lyme patients are often immune compromised these viruses can linger and multiply, as with me. So, in the end of August I began this new regiment and slowly but surely I have started feeling a bit better. I am still easily fatigued but am in a lot less pain and am able to function so I have absolutely no complaints!

Jesus continues to be my healer and conqueror as well as faithfully directing my doctors in treating me. I am excited to have the next two months with my best friend, my partner in life, my husband. Thank you all for your continuous prayers through out this entire process. Landon and I are truly grateful for each and every one of you!

Exciting Week...

2009-08-24T16:06:00.000-05:00

This week is an exciting week for many of our friends and family who will embark on new adventures and challenges.

Our nephew William returns to school (as do most children this week, but hey they aren't my nephews) and is officially a 1st grader!! He is super excited and his mother is just as happy to finally have a routine back in her house (this summer was a crazy one for our family). Our other nephew Vim will continue the grueling task of cutting in his first two teeth (come on give the kid a break...he's only 6 months old).

My youngest sister, Samantha, also returns to school, or rather classes, at Texas A&M and is keyed up to see what God has in store for her sophomore year. Honestly, I am so jealous of her! I LOVED college (and particularly A&M) and I sorely miss the challenges of school. I have always said that if someone would pay me to be a student, I would make it my career (yes I'm a nerd...please don't make fun of me).

Joining the ranks of those returning to school is Landon's younger brother, Connor. He is setting off on the journey of his senior year! This year will be full of anticipation and bated breath as he unveils what the future holds. We pray God directs His path and helps ease the stress of choosing a college (we all remember how stressful that can be).

And finally, Landon's sister, Kirsten, leaves on Friday for a semester long mission trip to Tanzania! We are so proud of her and have loved witnessing the Lord growing her and shaping her for His purposes. Our prayer is that God will protect her, giving her a safe trip over, comfort her when times are rough, and use her to complete His work. We are so excited for her and just cannot wait for her to return in December full of stories of God's incredible faithfulness.

And this is the excitement that surrounds us! There is something about "back to school" time that feels so fresh and untarnished. Almost as if a new beginning brings endless possibilities and forced change for those of us who fight it as much as possible. To everyone embarking on a new adventure…Enjoy, the ride will be over before you know it.

Grounded Again...

2009-08-10T13:35:00.000-05:00

Last Friday, I made my monthly “doctor” trek to Dallas in hopes of shedding a small amount of light onto why I have felt so terrible. Long story short, there is no new news…I am still too sick to go back to Sarajevo and my doctor can’t figure out why my body is responding this way. He adjusted some of my meds again but really we need my body to just kick in and start fighting. I go back to see him again the beginning of September and hopefully by then I will be on the uphill climb of this whole journey. Landon and I are hopeful that by October I will be well enough to go back to Sarajevo and stay at least until Christmas. Until then, my number one priority is giving my body all the support it needs to fight as hard as possible.

Encouragingly, God led me to a Houston Lyme support group which I attended on Saturday. It was a breath of fresh air to just be with people that truly could sympathize with one another allowing them to encourage each other effectively. I find myself already looking forward to next month’s meeting and am so thankful for this seemingly minor piece of manna from God.

Landon and I are quickly realizing that this stint apart will be the longest we have ever gone without seeing one another (including China), something which we were completely unprepared for when we last parted. Day by day, God is teaching us to completely and totally rely on Him as neither of us ever knows what tomorrow holds. We ask for prayer that God continues helping us to nurture our marriage, encouraging one another, despite the distance and that He continues giving me (and Landon) the strength to fight this ongoing battle. As said previously, we know that God has a plan for and His hand on every detail of our life and in the end He will be glorified and that is more than enough encouragement to keep us going.

Now That's What I Call Box Wine...

2009-07-29T22:50:00.001-05:00

While grocery shopping one Saturday I stumbled upon the funniest site (now, many may not find this funny so please humor me and pretend to laugh). In order to fully appreciate this anecdote one has to understand that in Sarajevo all liquid groceries (i.e. juice, soup, tomato sauce, milk) come in identical boxes that resemble a box of chicken stock bought in the States. My pantry is full of boxes and not a single tin can. Now with this mindset, I was walking down the wine aisle when I spotted one of these infamous boxes with white grapes on it. Stopping dead in my tracks and almost mistaking it for grape juice, I thought to myself, "Now THAT is a box of wine." I quickly picked it up, purchasing it for only 2 KM (approximately $1.30), knowing that Landon would get a kick out of it and it would provide a fun blog posting. No, we have not tried the expensive and rare box of wine but we will be sure to write an extensive review sharing of its tremendous body and intense flavors.

Adventures in Cooking (Do They Ever Stop?)...

2009-07-29T22:25:00.000-05:00

Though I am not in Sarajevo at the moment, my heart (also known as Landon) and much of my life still lingers there. This post was one that I intended on making just days before my whirlwind trip back to the states and while it no longer fits in chronologically it provides comic relief and another glimpse into life abroad.

Many people know that I LOVE cooking and especially baking. Unfortunately, as seen in my Easter blog, I have had some trouble deciphering the local cooking ingredients and the lack of most baking staples. One of Landon's favorites (and how I finally won his heart) is my chocolate chip cookies. My first obstacle when I arrived in Sarajevo was realizing that they do not have brown sugar. How does one survive without brown sugar? Being a problem solver, I quickly looked for a substitute in molasses and white sugar. Slight problem....Sarajevo doesn't have brown sugar and they most definitely have never heard of molasses. But have no fear; I quickly added 4 lbs. of brown sugar to my bags when I was in the States in March. Finally, equipped with brown sugar I set out to make my oh so deserving hubby his favorite chocolate chip cookies. Until I hit another hiccup...no chocolate chips. How does a country not have milk chocolate morsels? Do they know what they are missing out on? Still I pressed on using my ingenuity. If they don't have chocolate chips, I'll make my own! Finally, after almost an hour, several bars of milk chocolate, a hammer, and a Ziploc bag later I had chocolate chips! After pounding for about 15 minutes I quickly realized my arms were not going to stick with me at which time I called in back-up. He loves me so much and always is so happy to jump in and help me with whenever my body gives out on me. I love you babe, thanks for all you do for me!

Lyme Update...

2009-07-18T16:18:00.001-05:00

After several people have asked, I figured it was time for another update on our ongoing saga with my Lyme battle. God is still good (as always) and we are daily reminding ourselves to trust His wisdom and the wisdom of the doctor He has placed in our life despite a recent set back.

I believe the last time I mentioned my Lyme in a blog was back in February after we went skiing. As previously stated, January and February were the best months in my life. I woke up with absolutely no pain (a feeling I never have experienced as I was having severe jaw problems before the Lyme ever became symptomatic). I truly believe God blessed me with these two months to encourage me to keep fighting as one day I will be completely pain free. It was as if He was whispering, “Keep going! This is but a glimpse of what lies ahead.” As March rolled around I noticed I was moving a bit more sluggishly in the mornings and instead of beating the alarm clock I was waking up several minutes late. Thinking that I was just hitting a minor slump, I kept my head down and continued on my trek. By the time Landon and I came home in May I knew that the Lyme had returned with a vengeance but kept silent, praying I was wrong. I was still able to work (though I had to start coming in an hour later) and pretty much functioning (though it was taking me twice as long to do things). Little by little I noticed old familiar symptoms creeping back in like light-headiness in the mornings, gagging, nausea, and memory loss or "brain fogs". Finally by June, I was asking Landon when I could quit working as every morning I woke up in tears as I was having to drag myself out of bed and move despite my body yelling at me. Then, when my grandfather died, we realized I would not be able to make the trip back to Sarajevo and I informed my boss that I would be quitting. On June 20th, I got some odd looking bug bites (that have still not healed, close to a month later). The next morning I awoke feeling as though I had traveled in a time machine back about a year to when I had no treatment for the Lyme. Despite heading to bed at about 11 the night before, I was unable to wake up until about 11 the next morning. After this all my symptoms began spiraling out of control finally resting where I started over a year ago.

Immediately I called my doctor who saw me the next week. He determined that I have relapsed and that whatever was in the bug bites (he thinks there is a possibility I re-infected myself) my body could not fight it off thus triggering the full-fledge Lyme attack. He has doubled my antibiotics and tweaked several of my other medications in hopes of heading this off. Unfortunately, he does not feel comfortable with me going back to Sarajevo this sick in fear that if I were to get worse I would not be able to make the trip home and the doctors there would have no idea how to treat me (which Landon and I agree with). Therefore, I am grounded until he releases me to fly back. I am scheduled to see him August 7th and if I have made "significant" improvements he will let me make my planned trip back home on August 24th. If I am still this sick he will bump me back another month and we will just have to take it month by month. Landon and I are praying that my body will begin responding and fighting back so that I can join him again and rejoin life. Until then I am focusing on strictly following my daily regiment and giving all that I have to fight off the Lyme. I know that God is in control of this entire process, He already knows what tomorrow holds, and whatever His will is I know it will bring glory to Him. Therefore, we take it one day at a time!

It's Good for the Soul...

2009-06-23T18:36:00.000-05:00

After a long week riding an emotional roller coaster of shock, denial, tears, and thankfully laughter my sisters and I began looking for ways to release some of our emotional pain and weariness. Sarah coined the phrase, "It's good for the soul...." to describe our activities of release.

Our first "soul-healing" entailed each of us girls taking a spin on the swing on my grandparents' land. The greatest part of this was watching the person responsible for the "swinging" run up and down the embankment all the while trying not to fall (you can kind of make this out in the background of the pictures).

Our second activity was inspired by William, my nephew. The other morning all of us girls were getting dressed in my mom's bathroom when we hear what sounds like an elephant falling down the stairs. As we go running to see what the commotion is about, we realize William is sliding down the stairs in a sleeping bag. Being the "cool" aunt that I am, I let him convince me to join him and head down the stairs on my backside. After hitting every single step with my butt, I finally reach the bottom of the stairs laughing so hard I am crying all the while realizing that my tail bone feels extremely bruised. Using Sarah's phrase against her, "but, it's good for the soul", Samantha and I convince her that we all need to slide down the stairs (this time on our stomachs in hopes of sacrificing our knees to save our tushies). The below videos speak for themselves.

Tears, Grief, and Disbelief...

2009-06-23T17:37:00.000-05:00

I have admittedly fallen behind on blogging! At first it was because our life was uneventful and boring (get up, go to work, come home, eat pizza, and go to bed). Now, it is because our life has been crazily spiraling out of control. Below is an entry I wrote in my journal on June 18th that should summarize and clarify why we have been MIA for the past two months.

June 18, 2009 (5:30 AM Sarajevo Time = June 17, 2009 10:30 PM Houston Time)

I am sitting in the Sarajevo airport about to make the trip back to the States, the same trip I returned from less than two weeks ago. Two weeks ago (June 6th) Landon and I were just returning to Sarajevo from a long, relaxing, quality vacation with our families. Two weeks ago my world was very different.

Unknown to our families, Landon came home with me for one of my doctor’s appointments. The joy on everyone’s faces as each and every one realized he had accompanied me is something we will never forget. Our mothers screamed and cried and our siblings were in disbelief. You see, we all thought that Landon would not be returning home until perhaps Christmas or project completion (March 2010) due to tax reasons. However, Landon discovered in about April that he could manage a trip home and that is when we began scheming. Our trip was just over 2 weeks but felt like a month. We somehow managed to squeeze in quality time with both our families, a surprise 50th birthday for my dad, a trip to the shooting range, several lunches with friends, a jog up to College Station to see Amanda Zuccarini, and we even managed to celebrate our 2 year anniversary with a few days on the Riverwalk. In all we were extremely satisfied and returned to Sarajevo feeling that God truly allowed us to make the most of our time in the States. (To see pictures from our trip you can visit Our Picture Website).

So why am I sitting in the same airport about to make the trip back to the States? ....Because my Pop-Pop (my dad’s father) is dying. Even now as I actually put those words on paper it feels surreal. I am almost hesitant to write at this moment as if somehow avoiding the written words will keep it untrue. “This has all been a horrible nightmare and it is time to wake up,” I say to myself with clenched eyes. I slowly open my eyes hoping and praying for a miracle, for all this to wash away. But as my eyes gradually adjust to the light I find myself sitting in the same airport with a gnawing ache in my stomach reminding me that I am losing a very amazing man. A one of a kind man who showed each of his granddaughters exactly how they should be treasured by a man; who could tear apart any piece of equipment, have it running in thirty minutes and then with those same rough hands gently stroke his grandbabies’ tears away. A husband who despite 53 years of marriage would still get caught checking his wife out as she bent over the dishwasher or stealing a pinch or a tender kiss on the cheek. All my brain is able to process at this moment is the thought, “This CANNOT be happening! I need one more hug!” But it is happening, like it or not.

Oh my concern is not for Pop-Pop but completely for my Mimi, our family, myself, and my unborn children who will not know Pop-Pop personally. I worry not for my grandfather as I know he is going to be and may already be (unknown to me at the time, he passed away just shortly after I boarded my flight) in a place where he feels no pain; where his face is warmed by the magnificence of our Lord God; a place where his rose bushes, garden, and bluebonnets perpetually bloom; and a place where there is always a great game of 42 going on somewhere. No, I know my Pop-Pop is resting in Jesus’ arms, has been made a new creation, and is experiencing more joy now than his happiest times here on Earth. Does this take away my pain, our pain? No, but it helps me to grieve with HOPE. The hope of knowing that Christ’s death sufficiently paid the debt for my sins allowing us to spend eternity fellowshipping with God. It helps me to know that whatever God’s plan is for this seemingly horrible situation (and I know He has one), He will be glorified, He is in control, and He knew this time and these tears were coming before He even created the Heavens and Earth. Yes, Pop-Pop will be missed, grieved, ached for, and mourned here on Earth and it will not be easy to go through day to day and special occasions without him. But, when the tears are dry and the sadness has weakened, I will take heart in knowing that one day, I will see my Pop-Pop again. I just hope heaven knows what an amazing, tender-hearted, loving man they have just welcomed home!

As mentioned above, shortly after I boarded the flight my grandfather went home to be with the Lord. The memorial service was this past weekend, June 20th. Thankfully, Landon was able to make it in for the services and just returned to Sarajevo today, June 23rd. I will remain in Houston until mid-August as I have a doctor's appointment the beginning of August and am not physically able to fly this close together. Thank you to all our friends and family for your prayers during this time and the outpouring of support and love you have shown us.

An Easter for the Books...

2009-04-19T08:52:00.000-05:00

This Easter was a new experience for us and one that will always be remembered as "Our Easter in Sarajevo". So many things went wrong or turned out to be stressful ordeals that were not planned for but at the end of the day our Savior still conquered the grave securing our eternal salvation and giving us more than enough to celebrate.

Thankfully, we did get to attend church service at the only English service in town which is unfortunately held on the air force base here. I say unfortunately because Landon has access there but I do not. Therefore, we have to go through a long process to get in for the service and it can be stressful. The service itself was nice, about 20 people, and gave us the fellowship and spiritual connection we have really been missing here. We did not expect to have such a difficult time finding a church here after Landon easily found several services in Beijing. Hopefully, by May I will also have access at the base and we can start attending regularly.

The week before Easter, Landon and I excitedly sat down and planned out a menu for Easter Sunday dinner. The phrase "the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry" quickly comes to mind.

On Saturday, I made our dessert which was supposed to be a S'more-like cake requiring marshmallows. After hunting in the grocery store, we found multi-colored marshmallows on the candy aisle thinking, "Ok our dessert will just be Easter themed." When we got home Landon taste-tested a mallow to ensure that it was right. After Landon gave the mallows the thumbs up, I proceeded with covering our dessert in them and toasting them under the broiler. One slight problem is that our oven is not calibrated correctly and thus flambéed the marshmallows. I opened the oven door only to realize the mallows were on fire at which point I began hollering, "Landon, fire!" and reaching for the closet liquid. Thankfully, Landon is much quicker than me and he simply blew the marshmallows out. As we assessed the damage we realized just the top layer of marshmallows was burnt and simply peeled the charred remains away leaving an edible dessert. Thinking Landon had just saved Easter, we covered the dessert and headed to bed. Sunday afternoon, I uncovered the dessert and was met by what looked like chewed bubble gum. As I cut into the cake I realized the sugar content of the marshmallows here is obviously different than the mallows we are used to since the marshmallows turned into a stringy, sugary mess. I think the picture does justice....

For our main course we decided to have a standing rib roast. After overcoming the task of actually getting the roast (a guy at work went to the butcher for us with several pictures), we thought we would be in the clear. When I first unwrapped the roast, I told Landon I thought it looked odd and we dismissed it thinking the cut was just a bit off. I began preparing the roast which included cooking it in red wine. As I asked Landon to open the bottle of wine, we realized we do not have a cork screw in our kitchen. Being a terrific husband, he ran down to the market in search for one but came back empty handed. The next hour was spent trying to open the bottle of wine with a knife, a pair of scissors, and a potato peeler. In the end, the wine was opened. Note the cork floating in the bottle....

Once the wine ordeal was handled, I finished preparing the roast and put it in the oven to bake. After about 45 minutes the outside was completely brown so I decided to check the middle. As I cut into the roast I realized the texture of the meat was a bit odd. As I cut further I realized the texture was not the only concern and asked Landon to just cut into the entire roast. As we opened it up we were met with grey meat that was still bleeding. First of all, I have never had beef that was this texture (it was much closer texture to pork; however it is impossible to get pork here due to the Muslim traditions, so we are fairly certain it was not pork). Secondly, I have never had beef that was still rare and bleeding but grey in color. Landon and I concluded that it was either a) not beef or b) very poor quality beef. Either way, we decided we have both had enough food poisoning here and opted for a pizza. Our Easter dinner ended up being garlic mashed potatoes, salad, rolls, and pizza.

The roast before it was canned.

Our Easter Feast...

Landon enjoying his pizza. And yes, that is tartar sauce on his pizza (one of the new habits he has picked up).

In all it was an Easter we look back on and laugh. We have decided that I will not become the next Wolfgang Puck in this kitchen and agreed to stick to the successful meals we can prepare here: spaghetti, chili, and pancakes. Hopefully, this list will continue to grow but roast will not be making the cut.

Our Day Around Town...

2009-04-19T08:19:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we finally had two days off together, giving us the long overdue chance to explore Sarajevo. We started the morning off by going to the grocery store to get the remaining ingredients needed for our Easter dinner. Here is the "big" grocery store we shop at about once a month. (There is a smaller store just across the street from our apartment that suffices for milk, cereal, etc.)

We then headed downtown to a part of town known as Baščaršija or Old Town. This city has truly come to life since the weather has warmed up. All along the sidewalks outdoor cafes have sprung up and the population of the city has seemingly doubled.

The effects of the war are still easily seen around the city. This is one example of such effects that we walk by every day. Look closely at the white fence...the holes are bullet holes.

Visit our picture web page to see the rest of our day around town.

OCD to the Rescue...

2009-04-04T08:34:00.001-05:00

When we moved into our new apartment we were so thrilled to find we now have a dryer!! I truly thank God every day for this seemingly minor modern convenience. However, there is a slight tiny issue...all the settings are in Turkish.

Landon and I can never remember what cycle fully dries the clothes and forget about changing temperature settings! We have been awoken several times in the middle of the night by a persistent beeping coming from the dryer trying to warn us of something of which we have no clue. Picking a dryer setting is kind of like the lottery around here...sometimes you win and sometimes you come back 4 hours later to find your clothes still wet.

But, have no fear...my OCD has saved our clothes (and our sanity). I think the picture explains everything.

Déjà vu All Over Again...

2009-03-31T11:24:00.000-05:00

This morning Landon and I received a nice, peaceful wake-up call at 4:00 AM....another earthquake (who knew Bosnia was so prone to earthquakes??)

We were lying in bed peacefully sleeping when all of a sudden it felt like someone was jumping on the bed, shaking and tugging at the foot, and rocking it from side to side all at once. However, we quickly realized the entire building was moving not just our bed as windows, doors, and furniture began rattling around us. We clung to each other completely freaked out, all the while I was saying, "I told you so! I told you so!"

When I shared with Landon yesterday how the first earthquake felt to me in our apartment, he thought I was maybe embellishing slightly (of course, he didn't tell me this at the time, but I could tell by his reaction to the second quake that he was quickly realizing I was not making it up). This time the quake was stronger and did manage to knock our clock off the TV and make some small pieces of plaster fall on our couches. In all we are very lucky that the two earthquakes were weak and left little destruction.

The earthquake on Monday registered 3.3 on the Richter scale (according to the news article, although the European-Mediterranean Seismic Center rated it as a 4.0) while the quake Tuesday morning registered 4.1. We realized that the U.S. Geological Survey Earthquakes Hazard Program only records world earthquakes over 4.5 in magnitude (thankfully we didn't rate, that's one list I am happy to be excluded from).

Duck and Cover...

2009-03-30T13:24:00.000-05:00

Today we experienced our first "earthquake". I use this term lightly because if I had ever experienced a full-fledged quake I probably would have thought this was just a slight tremor. Nonetheless, we have never experienced even a slight shake so this felt as close to an earthquake as we have ever come.

Still dealing with the effects of a cold, I never returned to work after lunch today and was therefore at home on the couch while Landon was at the job site. Landon described his encounter as, "feeling like someone had slammed a door really hard which left the walls shaking slightly". The shaking only last a few seconds to him, just long enough to create a buzz around the office. The general consensus was that we had just experienced an earthquake (even though the U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program still has not registered any seismic activity in the area).

I, on the other hand, was seven floors up in our apartment building sitting on the couch when the entire building started swaying. The glass in the windows began to rattle and howl as if an extremely strong gust of wind was passing through. I would describe the sensation as if the entire building was set on a gigantic glider rocking to and fro. The swaying lasted at least 7 seconds, long enough for my thoughts to begin running away. "What in blue blazes is going on? Do I need to get out of here? What if this thing falls down?" It was one of the oddest, most vulnerable, most shaky feelings I have ever experienced. It was as if the floor could have just given way, had the shaking been stronger and lasted longer.

Needless to say, it scared the willies out of us, left us a bit shaky, and gave us just enough of a taste of an earthquake to add that to our list of natural disasters that we do not want to experience.

New Meaning to the Word "Football"...

2009-03-30T11:58:00.000-05:00

As many people know, thanks in part to David Beckham, soccer is THE sport everywhere else in the world apart from the United States (although the fan base is growing). It is, I believe now after living in Europe, of an even greater magnitude than football in the States!

We are quickly realizing just how passionate soccer fans are about this beloved past time. It truly is a rallying point for many and has morphed into an issue not just of sports but of national pride.

Each time the Bosnian soccer team plays at home a parade of boisterous fans march through the middle of town waving the Bosnian flag. We have been told many times to avoid this crowd as it tends to get out of control, proven by the police escorts required.

This past Saturday night Bosnia beat Belgium 4 to 2 in a World Cup qualifying match. Landon and I happened to be out with some friends providing us a front row seat to the excitement, celebration, and mayhem that ensued for hours after the win. Car horns blared, people shouted, and fireworks rang out well into the wee hours of the morning. Overall triumphant energy oozed forth all over the city causing us to stop and ponder how the same city will react during a disappointing loss.

Shannon's Trip Home...

2009-03-30T11:56:00.003-05:00

On March 2nd I made a trip back to the States for the quarterly doctor's appointment. The appointment went well and my doctor was very pleased with my progress. However, he still wants to see me every 3 months as some of my circulation issues have not gone away and he needs to be able to closely monitor the effects of all my medication on my body (I really can't blame him). So I will be returning to the States around May 28th.

The rest of my trip was jam-packed with gathering prescriptions and supplies that we cannot get here (like brown sugar, make-up, etc.).....and oh yeah, enjoying my new nephew!!!! There were so many people I did not get to see when I was home and I want everyone to know I am so sorry and will try my best to plan better in May. It is amazing how quickly two weeks can fly when you have been gone for a few months.

For those of you who have not heard, on February 26th my older sister Sarah and her husband Vim had a beautiful baby boy, Vim X Head II (named after his daddy). I had perfect timing as I arrived just 4 days later! He is absolutely perfect and we are all so thankful that he arrived healthy and safely (Sarah had to have an emergency C-Section after the doctor realized Vim's cord was wrapped twice around his neck).

In all it was a GREAT trip and I cannot wait to return in May!!!

View the Entire Album at Our New Photo Site

Our Adventure to Dubrovnik, Croatia...

2009-03-30T11:56:00.001-05:00

On February 28th, Landon and I had the amazing opportunity to take a short road trip to Dubrovnik, Croatia. Due to Landon's visa still being processed, he had to leave the country after 90 days providing us the perfect weekend getaway.

We rented a car and made the 4 1/2 hour drive, enjoying the scenery all the way...it was absolutely breath taking! As we hit the coast, our jaws hit the floor! We both agree this has to be one of the most beautiful cities we have ever visited. Knowing we had less than 24 hours in the serene locale, we hurriedly raced throughout the city snapping pictures. The whole time I kept missing Samantha, my younger sister, as she has an amazing eye and ability to capture the true beauty of scenery creatively in photographs. However, we did our best with my out-dated Canon (which convinced us we should really invest in a new camera). We plan on returning to this gorgeous city when we have a little more time to fully absorb all that it has to offer.

Landon, the Olympic Skier...

2009-03-23T14:46:00.000-05:00

I have received several threatening emails complaining that people cannot stalk us if we don't post on our blog! I cannot believe that it has been a month since I have had a chance to sit down and blog, but the past month has been a crazy whirlwind and it will take until next weekend to post everything that has taken place (so please bear with me...)

I will start off where I left off....February 22nd:

Not wanting to miss a once in a lifetime opportunity, Landon and I decided to go skiing. There is something so enticing to the both of us about hitting an Olympic ski run (not that we can do it well), but just to be able to say we did. On top of that, we live in this gorgeous city surrounded by mountains, trudge through snow every day, and deal with frigid temperatures...the least we can do is enjoy one of the perks of living in a winter climate.

We left our apartment about 8:30 on Sunday morning, took an hour long bus ride up the mountain to Jahorina, and were on the slopes by 10:00.

Landon, never having skied before, fearlessly got on the lift with me straight to the top and then asked as we are sitting on the lift, "Okay, now how do I work these?"

As we reached the top of the mountain, our fears came true. We had been warned by several friends that Jahorina is a very difficult mountain to ski with only one way down and no marked trails. There are no signs courtesly pointing out the easiest way down the mountain which also means there are no signs warning you that the trail below guarantees at least one good wipe out. All of us Americans agree that the trails are equivalently translated to hard blues and easy blacks. This is where Landon got to try out skiing for the first time! Don't let the picture below fool you...just behind the mountain on the left the run drops off very steeply with the added obstacle of moggles! What fun for a first time skier (or for me, for that matter)!!

Landon did such an amazing job all day! At first his whole mentality was to head straight down the mountain and find an uphill slope to let gravity slow him down. This worked the first time, but not so much the second....

He ended up in a bank of snow up past his knees with both of his skis buried. Thankfully, we had a friend with us who helped me pull Landon out of the snow (but not before we all three ended up sunk and immobile). After this we all took a minute to practice snow plowing and turning.

In the end Landon had a successful day and really enjoyed skiing. I really didn't have any doubts, mainly because my husband can do anything he sets his mind to, but also because he ice skates so well which really gave him a leg up.

Our biggest shock of the day was that I was able to ski effortlessly. We almost didn't attempt skiing because we were so worried health-wise if I was physically ready/able to keep up. However, I promised myself a long time ago to not be held back in life out of fear or Lyme and told Landon we should at least give it a shot. When Landon looked at me and asked, "Are you not tired? My legs are killing me!" I just smiled and thanked God so joyfully because I was in no pain whatsoever. 5 months ago I really questioned whether or not I would ever be able to do physical things, like skiing again. I now have my answer and just cannot express my gratitude to God for bringing me through this.

We now cannot wait to go skiing in the States (where they have trail maps clearly letting you know what you are committing to).

And In With the New...

2009-02-21T09:01:00.001-06:00

Here are the highly anticipated and long awaited pictures of the NEW apartment. We hope everyone enjoys!!!

The Realized Importance of Mud Rooms...

2009-02-21T08:04:00.001-06:00

Our family and friends that live in the north will surely laugh at this post, but to those of us southern folk who have never had to deal with snow this post will be well understood. Every day Landon and I spend about 10 minutes methodically layering up in preparation for our walk to work. It is during this time that he and I finally realized the true purpose and importance of Mud Rooms.

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful...

2009-02-21T07:14:00.000-06:00

This past two weeks Winter returned to Sarajevo and dumped close to a foot of snow on the peaceful little town. This also means very cold temperatures returned (-6 and -8 degrees Celsius) and the dreaded ice covered sidewalks reappeared. Most Bosnians complain every time it snows and vocalize how much they cannot wait for winter to be over. However, Landon and I have decided (for the time being) we LOVE the snow. You go to sleep at night and when you wake up in the morning everything is white and beautiful. It’s an instant facelift!

We of course could not pass up the chance to take some fun pictures on our balcony enjoying the snow. What the pictures don't show is that shortly afterwards we engaged in a snow ball fight which resulted in snow in our apartment (small casualty of the seizing the moment).

Happy Birthday to Landon FINALLY...

2009-02-15T13:00:00.000-06:00

We finally celebrated Landon's birthday last weekend. On Saturday we went to dinner at a very nice restaurant which is situated on the side of one of the surrounding mountains giving diners a breath-taking view of Sarajevo. Unfortunately the outer decks are not open during the winter months so we did not get any pictures. But have no fear, we are certain to revisit this restaurant several times as it serves mouth-watering Venison!

After dinner, we returned home for cake and a movie (thank you SlingBox). I had a co-worker help me order Landon's cake from a local bakery and was a bit disappointed when it turned out to not be what I was hoping for (again, lost in translation...) It was also hard on me as this was the first birthday I have not handmade Landon's cake and felt like I was failing as a wife (I know, I know...) He loved the cake and kept telling me he was extremely surprised.

The next morning I woke up and made him his traditional breakfast in bed of Eggs Benedict. However, he heard me up clanging around in the kitchen and thus breakfast in bed morphed into breakfast on the couch. Again, this simple task proved to be challenging as Canadian Bacon and English Muffins are non-existent here (or at least they have escaped me). I ended up using something that resembled Canadian Bacon (it was round and looked like bacon, although we think it was Chicken) and some kind of roll/biscuit which ended up being extremely hard. I also ruined the Hollandaise sauce when the pilot light on the stove went on the fritz (we have to hold down an ignition switch while turning the gas to light the stove and I still have not mastered how to keep the flame lit and at a constant heat, I have resigned to using the two electric burners.) Later that day I made a large pot of spaghetti and we enjoyed a small taste of home.

In the end, Landon seemed to enjoy his birthday and was very happy to have a few comfort foods even if they were a bit improvised.

Out With The Old...

2009-02-15T11:16:00.000-06:00

You can breathe a sigh of relief...we are FINALLY posting pictures of our old apartment (we moved out on February 2nd). I know that several people have been waiting and asking for these so I am at last getting them posted. It was hard leaving our small apartment (we had just gotten settled there) but we knew that the things we loved about the place did not out weigh the issues we were having (the elevator, the disappearing water, the lack of hot water...) and reluctantly moved on to greener pastures (or at least ones that aren't on the 13th floor)...

This is the entry. The front door is on the left and the living room is through the brick opening on the right.

The Hallway...Our bedrooms is the door straight ahead and the bathroom is the door on the right.

This is our bedroom...Nothing spectacular. However, that bed is as hard as a rock!

This is the bathroom...You have already been introduced to this room via other postings.

This is our dryer...It was always a balancing act to get all of Landon's underwear and socks spread out enough to actually dry.

This is back out in the entry...the toilet is separate from the shower portion of the bathroom thus creating a half bath.

This is the doorway to the living room, kitchen, and guest bedroom.

This is the living room...The kitchen is on the far back wall and the guest bedroom is actually right where the picture is being taken from.

Here is our closet, I mean kitchen...It actually was a very nice kitchen as far as the appliances were brand new and such, but as you can see the space was a bit limited.

Another view of the living room from the entry...The door to the guest room is in the far left corner.

And lastly, the guest bedroom....

Lost in Translation...

2009-02-15T10:55:00.000-06:00

Being that neither Landon nor I are up to speed on our Bosnian skills, cooking over here (or rather shopping for ingredients) has proved very interesting. Grocery shopping takes almost double the time it would take in the states and we leave feeling very ignorant and humbled.

Landon's first error in translation rewarded him with a Tuna Fish Pizza, a mistake you don't make twice. (He claims the picture looked like beef.) My first misstep found me with a weird tomato sauce (not sure how to describe it) instead of tomato paste. However, our funniest error I had to capture on film. Just after recovering from being sick, one of the only things that sounded halfway appetizing was French fries. So Landon, being such a wonderful husband, trekked down to the local market and picked up what he thought was a bag of French fries.

Do not be deceived...these are NOT French fries. They are yellow wax beans or something like that. For those of you who do not know, I am not a fan of beans and was therefore VERY disappointed when I realized there would be no French fries for me.

The View With Our Room....

2009-02-01T14:11:00.000-06:00

Before we move Landon wanted to take some pictures of the view from our current apartment. Here are a few:

Water, Water Everywhere But Not A Drop In Our Apartment...

2009-02-01T13:55:00.000-06:00

This morning we woke up to discover a new perk of our ailing apartment (remember the elevator is less than reliable). We had no water. Landon had the water disappear on him one other time but it was restored within one hour so we patiently waited one, two, three hours. By two o'clock Landon went exploring just to make sure the rest of the building was in the same boat we were (we were afraid the company forgot to pay our water bill). He quickly found our neighbors hauling water from the roof and was informed that someone was trying to fix the water. Thankfully our water was restored by about three o'clock but not before we were reminded how greatful we are to be moving this week (yes we are moving on Monday and Tuesday so by Wednesday I should have pictures).

Landon playing Marco Polo with the water.

Slowly Getting Back on the Horse...

2009-02-01T13:45:00.000-06:00

Thank you to everyone for your prayers and well wishes this past week. For those of you who don't know, I was sick with an extremely fun stomach virus on Wednesday and Thursday (can you hear the sarcasm?). Today was the first day I was able to really eat a meal and I am starting to feel much better. If you have a calendar handy you will realize that Thursday was Landon's birthday... perfect time to get sick. I felt so horrible! My poor husband had take-out for his birthday dinner and for dessert he got to hold his wife's hair :/ This coming week I am planning on properly celebrating his birthday and will be sure to post pics.

Birds of a Feather...

2009-02-01T13:09:00.000-06:00

The city of Sarajevo is divided in two by a river serving as the point of reference when giving directions. "It's on this side of the river" or "It's up the river from..." Currently we must cross this river every morning to go to work (as mentioned in a previous blog). In the past two months Landon has really taken a liking to the ducks that call this river home. I guess he is more so fascinated by the fact that they can stay in this river despite the freezing temperatures. We thought ducks flew south for the winter (maybe we are "south")...

Anyway, last week we had a massive melting of all the snow causing the river to rise. For several days Landon looked for the ducks hoping they had wised up and moved on to warmer waters. Then last weekend we were walking to lunch when we spotted our billed friends huddled together on a rock in the river. It quickly became apparent to us exactly how these winged creatures manage to stay warm in the icy water...

My Husband, The Big Kid...

2009-01-17T16:27:00.000-06:00

Tonight we met up with some friends at the local brewery, Sarajevska, for a great dinner not knowing Landon would stumble upon a childlike fantasy. After looking the menu over, Landon decided to order the Veal Shank (Veal is as common here as ground beef is in the States) despite warnings from several guys that it was a large "Flintstones-like" piece of meat. Let's just let the pictures do the talking...

Landon proudly displaying his leg of Veal.

Landon digging into his shank. Of course he had to eat it right off the bone (no fork and knife for a true man!)

Landon thought it would be hilarious to make me hold his prize Veal (along with everyone else at the table). I could barely hold the thing up...it weighed over 4 pounds (talk about gettin' a workout in while eating)!!

Showering in Europe...

2009-01-17T10:04:00.000-06:00

The shower conditions here are, shall we say...interesting. As I understand, what I have encountered is usual in Europe, however I have never showered in Europe (except in Germany, and I did NOT have this memorable experience). In our shower we have a large hot water heater (pictured below)…

Do not be deceived by the substantial size. It takes well over 8 hours to re-fill, thus making spontaneous showering a thing of the past (unless you would like to join the Polar Bear Club). The first day I took a shower I was gifted 5 minutes of hot water and the rest was beyond freezing. I think the water would have been warmer if it had ice cubes in it. I retreated from the shower with half my conditioner still remaining in my hair, prickly legs (even though I had attempted to shave them, girls you know what I am talking about), a large goose egg on my head from the fore mentioned water “heater” being secured in the most convient place, and hypothermia.

During my second encounter with the shower, I thought to myself, “I can do this. I camp for crying out loud!” This time, I turned the radiator up full blast, hoping to syke myself into thinking the water was warmer because the air around me was warmer. I also figured if all else failed I would be exiting the shower freezing and would need warmth soon.

I rationed my “warm” water this time making myself learn new standards for showering temperatures. I began with the coldest water I could stand (my gauge was when my teeth stopped chattering) and gradually throughout the shower increased the water temperature. I guess I am easily fooled because anything felt warmer than the beginning temperature of frigid. Thankfully, at the end, I had rationed well enough to have a solid minute of WARM water raining down on my head which quickly washed away any remaining goose bumps and memories of just how cold that shower had begun. Now, if I can only muster up the courage to conduct this ritual daily. I have also re-thought my hasty judgment of European women with leg hair (not that I am looking to conform anytime soon)!

P.S. If you are thinking to yourself, "Is she going to post something EVERY day?", I have four words for you, "I start work Monday".

A Taste of Sarajevo...

2009-01-17T09:48:00.000-06:00

Well, the sky has finally cleared enough that I can post a picture of our view from our apartment. Because the gas was shut off, many people resorted to burning other things to stay warm which added to the already foggy conditions here in the winter. I discovered yesterday that I was the last plane to land in Sarajevo because of this.

This is the view from our bedroom window. The tall building is called the Avaz Twist Tower and the foot bridge in the lower left-hand corner is the path Landon (and soon I) takes to work every day. When the sky clears some more I will post pictures of the surrounding mountains.

House Hunters International...

2009-01-16T10:26:00.000-06:00

Over the past two days Landon and I have been looking at various apartments (or flats, as the natives refer to them). Our current apartment is beautiful, but is located on the 13th floor of a building whose elevator fails to work at least once a week. We never thought we would be excited to find an apartment with a kitchen the size of a walk-in closet (our current kitchen does not hold two people) or heating that is run from both gas and electricity (this has become quite popular due to the events of the last month)! Thus, we have been left to feel as though we are on an episode of House Hunters International (if you have no idea what I am talking about, you should really brush up on your HGTv watching). This is how we imagined our episode going:

"Will they choose the ski-chalet style apartment that requires a hike (the apartment is half-way up a "hill" as they call it, pretty sure it is just the lower half of a mountain), the trendy downtown apartment that is far from work (this one is a 45 minute walk to the job site), or the large but over priced apartment just around the corner from work (we are working on getting the landlord to lower the rent)? We will reveal their decision after the break."

Shannon's Arrival...

2009-01-15T11:53:00.000-06:00

Everything is right in the world again!! Landon and I are finally back together after being apart since December 1st. My trek here, though extremely long and exhausting, was thankfully uneventful. I did learn a few useful tips to pass on to all of you:

A trip that totals 15 hours is somehow worse than a trip totaling over 24 hours.

Landon and I both agree that the trip to Sarajevo is more exhausting than the to Beijing even though the later is longer. The three separate legs might have something to do with this as well as the 5 hour layover in Vienna, Austria.

The European definition of a carry-on is entirely different than the American.

After being told that my rolling suitcase was nowhere near a carry-on and was in fact a piece of luggage (yes, the same rolling bags that everyone carries in the states, has flown with me since high school, and was allowed with me on my first leg from Houston to Washington DC), I was forced to check all the way through to Sarajevo. The only problem was that I had put all of our “precious” belongings in it as most everyone does since I was carrying it. So in the middle of the airport, along with numerous other annoyed Americans, I am rifling through and deciding what is replaceable and what is not. I made the decision to keep my jewelry with me thus adding ten pounds to my shoulder bag, which was also stared down as being too large. Obviously they need to brush up on the latest fashion, which dictates that bags are now growing larger and larger.

Austrian airlines has the smallest seats possible.

Being that I am 5’ 10” tall with all my height in my legs, I am particularly sensitive to the leg room in aircrafts. However, the 5’ 6” man sitting beside me could barely get his legs behind the seat which told me I was not insane. I now have bruises on my knees from having to cram them behind the seat for over 7 hours. I just kept thinking of my 6’ 3” father and how much worse it would be for him (there is always a silver lining to every situation).

According to my passport I have been to Vienna, Austria.

I am not quite sure how this is a tip but more just a funny aside. Yes, the country of Austria has half of their terminals “in country” and half “out” (meaning you don’t have to clear passport control). Originally, my connecting flight to Sarajevo was in the terminal which did not require us to clear passport control (makes sense). However, they switched the terminal causing us to have to clear passport control (doesn’t make sense). Therefore, I have stamps in my passport saying that I entered and exited Austria. That was the quickest whirlwind vacation I have ever been on!

DO NOT, under any circumstances, travel to Europe without you coat in hand.

Trying to be light on the carry-ons (especially since they tried taking everything away from me), I packed my coat in the top of my suitcase thinking I would just take it out before leaving the airport in Sarajevo. Lugging a huge coat through four airports did not sound fun to me. Great plan, until I had to de-plane on the tarmac in Washington DC (29 degrees) and Vienna (14 degrees and snowing hard with 6 inches on the ground) and then board again on the tarmac to leave Vienna (5 hours after arriving and 5 hours of added snow). People kept looking at me like, “Stupid American! Where is her coat?” Silly me, I didn’t know that walking out on the tarmac has now become so popular. (If you are reading this and thinking, “Duh, I knew that!” Then I say to you, “Why didn’t you tell me??”)

And finally, it is common practice in Europe to buy a plane ticket for a destination only to be taken somewhere else.

I want to see how this would work in the US. “I’m sorry sir. I know you bought a ticket to Chicago but weather there is not permitting us to land. Instead we are taking you to Philadelphia.” Literally, we were being told an hour before our flight that if we could not land in Sarajevo they would have to take us somewhere else from which we could take a 6 hour bus trip to Sarajevo. We watched this happen to three flights before ours! Thankfully, we were able to land in Sarajevo. So, if you are thinking of coming to visit us, just keep this in mind as you plan your packing…you might be hauling all of it to a bus station.

In the end, I have arrived safely with all my luggage in tow and cannot complain about the end result. Our next feat is getting our 250 lb. shipment out of Bosnian customs…

The Beginning...

2008-12-23T02:14:00.000-06:00

To our dear family and friends:

We hope this blog helps keep you up to date as our life progresses and take us farther away. We will attempt to update the posts often but no guarantees are in place as this is our first time blogging. From what we hear it can quickly consume your life! We love you all and look forward to a great adventure ahead of us.