faux journal, day three

dear faux journal,
after we went down to the market for another pint of blueberries this morning, we caught the bus to get to the hotel in Wisla.
As we were riding in the bus I saw apple trees everywhere - - in backyards, in public parks, next to bus stops . . . why did no one ever tell me that lovely little detail about Poland before? who would have guessed?
N
p.s my kids sure are cheerful travelers; I'm thankful for that!

faux journal, day two

dear faux journal
Krakow in Spanish is Krakovia; I think that's much nicer than Krakow, don't you? Joshua used his mad, mad internet skills to find a three bedroom apartment in the heart Krakovia where we will stay for two nights before we head to the conference; there was the sweetest little market that set up every day in a little plaza just down the street from our Polish summer home (the way I like to think of it). they had blueberries! BLUEBERRIES! Eating blueberries wasn't the only exciting thing we did in the city today; we also:

• managed to find and buy cooking oil using only hand motions and sound effects to communicate.
  
• took a ride in a huge hot air balloon
  
• took a boat tour down the river that runs through the city, and mooch food and drink off of some unsuspecting locals (Selma)
  
• saw about five men that looked my Papi
• bought an umbrella and survived a downpour

I need to go and spend a couple of hours ironing all of our wet clothes so that they dry before our 3 hour bus ride to the conference tomorrow.
XOXOXO
Naomi

an American, still getting used to summer life in Spain

Wednesday, past midnight

dear parents of the neighborhood 10 year olds,
if you are looking for your kids, they are in the plaza behind our bedroom window.
hope this helps,
your friendly Neighbor,
Noemi

faux journal, day one

Dear faux journal,
day one - - travel day. we met an Italian man in the airport today. cheeky Selma kept running over to him and patting him on the leg and then running away. When Malachai came back from the bathroom, he apparently thought the man could be trusted too and sat next to him - - and asked him the scoop on European football - - which team's stats had just been posted on the TV? and who did the man root for? and, guess what! we are going to Poland. . . but just for a week because we live in Spain . . .

sometimes I feel freaked out about how quickly my kids warm up to total strangers; but mostly I think it's nice.
the Italian man (who spoke excellent Spanish) eventually came over to where the rest of us were sitting and sorted out the details of his conversation with Malachai. I gave him the general outline about who we are and what we do, and why were were headed to Poland.
"so what do you think?" I asked.
I was surprised at how humbly and candidly this man expressed dissatisfaction with religion as he knew it, but also a tremendous disquiet about the afterlife. I wanted to hear more about him; I wanted to ask him more questions, but we were called to board our flight.

Well now, I know I am a young punk. but I DO have a perfect hope and peace about my life after death; I had to, had to say something before we left . . .
"don't stop looking" I begged him. "don't give up! pick up you bible and scour it!"
and that was that.
and I am thankful that God's work in this man's life goes beyond what I have to offer.

love, N

p.s. we got fed nice little sandwiches both legs of our trip. Luftansa, we think you are super!

hey, phew.
we've been to Poland and come back again.
the EFCA organizes a missionary summer camp of sorts every year or two, and that's where we've been.
the trip to Poland started with a train to Madrid where took a flight to Frankfurt. In Frankfurt we caught a flight to Krakow. Joshua (good man!) sat next to the boys on this flight, and Rachel and I sat across the aisle from them along side of a pleasant woman from Barcelona; Rachel and I grilled her on all of Barcelona's hot spots - - where to eat, where to shop, where to find Spain's best quirky cute shoes.
We asked her about her trip to Poland and tried to explain why exactly we are living in Spain and why exactly we were traveling to Poland. we told her about how we love Jesus, his world, and his church; we told her about our Christian community in Pamplona - and how we study the bible to better understand what Christ's church should look like, how we are willing to abandon tradition for tradition sake, and how we are trying every day of every week to live out what we see the church to be in the bible.
we told her how we wonder if Europe as a whole is rejecting Christianity partly because they are mistaken about who Christ really was and about what he called his church to be. we told her how excited we were to be going to this conference to engage with other Christians who are taking seriously their responsibility to communicate the true gospel as well as working hard to understand their respective cultures so as to communicate that good gospel in a way that would be heard and understood.

we said our inevitable good-by's at the end of the flight, and told her we wished we would be flying back together so that we could hear her evaluation of Polish food at the end of her three week tour (she suspected it would be fairly bland partly due to the fact that they don't use olive oil)
and for your enjoyment, over this next week, I'll be writing about some of my favorite bits of our Poland trip.
maybe.
if things aren't too crazy around here.
we'll see . . .

a day full of blessings

Thank you, Malachai for making you and Josu a snack while I was taking a nap this afternoon (raisins on butter was not a bad choice!)
Thank you Josu, for getting down from the dinner table three times to kiss me (you give the sweetest 3 year old kisses, my sweet boy!)
Thank you, Selma for waving and blowing kisses to everyone we passed at the grocery store (it made my shopping trip a lot more enjoyable!)
Thank you, Joshua for dancing thriller through the kitchen window for me today (you are one.hot.dancer!)

(mullet - - bottom right corner)

Pamplona rocks the mullets.
it's true.
we giggled a lot about it when we first got here, but, quite honestly, over the years we stopped noticing. In fact, I -- the Smith family hairdresser -- have plenty to do around the house and am quite willing to overlook my boy's hair as it starts growing over their collars. ("when in spain . . . . " if you know what I'm saying . . . )

So when my brother Noah came to visit this summer, his fresh eyes reminded us of the startling quantity, quality, and variety of mullets in Pamplona; and we all had a good chuckle at the expense of Pamplona's hair tendencies.

Malachai approached me today - - concerned that he had a mullet (indeed he did)
I snipped that bad boy off in a heartbeat
Thanks, Noah, for keeping us in the know about appropriate fashion across the great blue sea.
p.s. what about temporary tattoos? are those cool or not, because Malachai got one, and he said that he thought that you would say "I liiiiike that"

Sunday, the day after Joshua gets home

I was up early this morning.
I was pulled out of bed by a yelling Selma. I had hoped to get to her before she woke anyone else up.
Alas, Malachai followed immediately after, desperate for some breakfast
(I knew I should have set her crib up in the kitchen last night!)
eventually Josu appeared, asking for some group snuggling on the couch.
So we've had a bit of a lazy morning . . .
Selma has been happy to follow us from room to room, stacking blocks where she can find them,
Malachai and Josu have been busy about swordplay, taking breaks between the epic battles to sheath their swords down their pants (sounds dangerous, huh? don't worry, all was carefully monitored and reasonably safe)

I have mostly been in the kitchen, cleaning up from last night's dinner; and even though Joshua isn't awake yet, my heart is calm and my heart is glad. he's here.
he'll be up with us soon

excuse me, I'm off to hang up the sheets.

Joshua comes home tomorrow afternoon.
if I clean the house tonight, then tomorrow morning I won't worry at all about cleaning; I will go to the coffee shop with my boys; we will read the books we checked out of the library this week; Malachai will be captivated - - new books do that to him. and I'll surprise the boys and I'll get them a couple of Kinder eggs; Selma will see the chocolate and beg for some. I will ask Josu to share some with her; he'll give her a piece the size of a grain of sand; I'll remind him to be generous and he'll give her some more. . . . she'll ask for more and I will tell her no, and she will cry until a tenderhearted coffee drinker at a neighboring table will insist, insist on getting her a croissant. that will take us to the end of the book, and then we'll take our soccer balls out to the park and practiced the techniques we read about in the library book. While we're at the park we'll run into all the friends and neighbors who chose not to spend their morning at the local pool. . .
and we'll talk about Joshua. and about how giddy I am to see him after two weeks of him being gone, and maybe someone will ask about what it is exactly that he is studying, and I'll explain about Joshua being a theologian who tries his hardest to put it all in practice, or maybe I'll get to tell them about the project he is doing for one of his classes - - using Spain's civil war propaganda posters as part of a contemporary confession of faith, written in light of the the Spanish way of living and thinking and viewing the world. . .
(I'm very proud of him)

it probably won't work out exactly like that, but it will probably be something similar. that would be a good morning for me.

that is why I am cleaning the house tonight.

loving our neighbor: a family affair

Joshua is off gallivanting (gallivanting of the scholarly kind) in Philadelphia for a couple of weeks.
he skyped me last night; it had been a long day for me.
"Tuesday movie rentals are half off" he reminded me . . . "put a movie on for the boys tomorrow" he urged. (good man)
on our way to the video store, Malachai had asked if we could invite the neighbor boys over to watch the movie with us.
I said yes.
do you know why I said yes?
I thought that their parents would say no.
sad but true. (the bit about me, I mean)
we've tried before, and it hasn't worked.
letting your kids hang out at someone else's place seems to be a huge, relational trust step around here. (um . . . understandably so, but it's been seven years now!)
well, the neighbors said yes this time.
so we popped some popcorn and made a party of it all.
I'm thankful for Malachai's persistent initiative.

it's been a week now since we said goodbye to Luke (my brother) and Gabrielle (my sister-in-law - - who is more sister than sister-in-law, but really, it wouldn't do to say that my brother was married to my sister, now would it?). it's been a week now, and we miss them.

The last day that we had together we took a walk beside the river that runs behind our building. There was sun, and there was shade; there were wheat fields to roam through, and cherry trees to climb; and there were flowers. oh yes, there were flowers;
and we picked flowers.
and that evening when we got home, I made dinner and Gabrielle pitted the cherries while Luke arranged the flowers into a vase.
The flowers traveled from the porch table to our coffee table later on that night as we stayed up late drinking coffee, eating Gab's amazing -we-picked-these-cherries-ourselves! cherry crisp, and probing Luke and Gabrielle to give their general impressions of our life and ministry here in Pamplona.

(why did it have to end?)

well, throughout the course of the week the flowers have made their rounds - - onto the dining room table, then on the bookshelf, and then into the kitchen - - ever evolving as the wilting buds were pulled out and the remaining flowers reshuffled.
Today I tossed the last of the bouquet; aaaaahh . . . little bouquet, you've been good to me. thanks for lingering reminder of sweet times with our family.

(why did it have to end?)

six

We packed up Malachai's birthday cake on a bit of a whim this afternoon and took it along with us to the park. we ran into a couple of friends along the way and invited them to join in on the birthday fun (who can say no to chocolate cake?) we found a nice shaded spot and settled down for some cake and football.
good party.
Happy Birthday my sweet Malachai; thank you for telling me that even though you are now six, you can still sit on my lap; I love you!

I mopped my porch today.
I suspect that a good Spanish housewife mops her porch several times a week.
my poor porch doesn't get such tender loving care,
except on special occasions
like when family comes to visit.
yeah . .
today I mopped my porch.

Good boy! (I think? . . . )

I was a little bit appalled
but mostly really proud of Malachai
when he told me that he told his entire Basque class (in Euskera!) the story about how last week,

Selma pooped in the bathtub when they were all having a bath together

letters to a sister

Dear Rachel,
Thank you, thank you, thank you for watching our three sweets!
I really do believe that they are sweet, but I know that my sweets also come with the crazies; and I do believe that your agreeing to watch them for six days (six beautiful days!) has got to be one of the greatest expressions of loving sacrifice that I could ever, ever receive from you!
and, here we are in Greece! I can't help wondering how you are doing. We think of you often . . .
"our ten year anniversary" we tell people
"and your children?" they ask
"safe with my sister" I assure them
"ooooooh, you are lucky! very, very lucky" they tell me
"I know, I know!" I repeat
over
and over
and over again

So we stepped into this dingy little jewelry store in Athens ("original Greek art!" the woman at the door assured me) and I spent a pleasant hour sifting through the dusty, tarnished jewelry that the woman's father had spent his lifetime making. Meanwhile Joshua chatted it up with the woman's 85 year old mother . .
"1o years? Bravo! Bravo"
out came the picture of the kids
"three? Bravo! Bravo!"
"and the children? with your sister?"
"ooooooh! Bravo! Bravo! . . . very, very lucky!"
Well, I can't wait to show you the gift I chose for you! it's not enough, of course, but I hope you will be pleased, and mostly, I hope that every time you wear it, you think of us, thinking of you, with our hearts
full
full
full to the brim
thank you sister!
we love you,
N
p.s. thanks for the tights. I've pretty much worn them every. single. day.

Artichokes were everywhere at the local market this week; they are a local grown favorite here in our region of Spain. I bought a dozen - - that's how they come. I don't know much about preparing artichokes. I should . . . from what I hear from Rachel, the first time that Mom's high class family met Papi, he was camping out in an artichoke field.
Romantic, yeah?
and you would think that there would be more artichoke family recipes in the repituar, right?

but I always just steam them.

I steamed the first six on Tuesday.
and arranged the remaining seven (they must have given me a generous dozen) into a lovely local flora bouquet.
and tonight I tore it apart and tried something new - -
I peeled several layers of leaves off, and cut off the tips,
quartered them,
tossed them with olive oil, course salt, and minced garlic,
roasted them at 425 for 20 minutes
or maybe 30
till they were all toasty.
and squeezed a lemon over them.
I think I liked them better roasted than steamed
aha. now I know how to steam and roast artichokes.
building up the repertoire.

we are hobbit-smitten

Josu manages to insert a "golem" into every cough

Malachai tells people that he is just like hobbits - - because he likes to eat several breakfasts a day, and has asked about when he can start smoking a pipe

I find that my ddpw (dragon drawings per week) quota has risen significantly

Joshua has taken to ocasional hobbit-isms, and has already ordered the trilogy for Malachai's birthday (any day now; it should come any day!)

and I think that is is quite possible that Selma's ears are a little more Elvish than they were last month

thinking, thinking, thinking, but not alone

yesterday I went to pick Josu up from school. while there I had some interaction with a student teacher that has been helping out in his class.

what really happened:
the student teacher approached me, holding Josu's hand.
she said "today, during the afternoon session, Josu's class is planning a special goodbye party for me because I am leaving"
I said "oh?"
she said "yes, and I know Josu doesn't normally come back to the afternoon session, but we were wondering if he could come back today because I think it would be fun for him and fun for me"
and I said "well, I think that would be totally fine; I'll check with Joshua and see what he thinks, and if everything works out, we'll bring Josu back for the party"

what I wish had happened:
the student teacher approached me, holding Josu's hand
she said " "today, during the afternoon session, Josu's class is planning a special good bye party for me because I am leaving"
I said "oh really!? I'm sorry, after all this time, I don't even know your name! what's your name?"
she said "Maite"
I said "wow, Maite I really, really appriciate your help with Josu's class; I know it can can be wearing chasing after three year olds all day; I bet they'll miss you"
she said "well, I know Josu doesn't normally come back to the afternoon session, but we were wondering if he could come back today because I think it would be fun for him and fun for me"
and I said "well, I think that would be totally fine; (smiling face, warm eyes) I'll check with Joshua and see what he thinks; Josu is so lovey towards people who spend time with him, and I am certain he would enjoy that time with you; besides, we ALL know how much Josu appreciates a good piece of party cake! (chuckle, chuckel)"

what I feel happened:
the student teacher timidly approached me, clinging to Josu's hand. (she's heard about this mother before - - the American who refuses to ever bring her son to class for the afternoon sessions)
she stumbled over her words and said "today, during the afternoon session, Josu's class is planning a special good bye party for me because, uh, I am leaving"
I snatched Josu's hand out of hers and said "hmph"
she said "uh, mmmmm . . . well, I know Josu doesn't normally come back to the afternoon session, but we were wondering if he could come back today - - just for today, because I think it would be fun for him and fun for me"
and I narrowed my eyes suspicioulsy at her and said "well, maybe; I'll check with his faaaaaaather and see what he thinks, and if every single detail works out, maybe we'll bring Josu back for the party. maybe"

sigh.so I think most of you know that I haven't been feeling so good.
I'm getting some tests done to try and figure out why I have been sleeping so much and why, when I am awake, I feel like I only have energy enough to sit on the couch and read. there are some indications it might be some small thyroid issue. we'll see.
my Spanish friends all ask me "are you depressed? are you depressed?" (depression is, I believe the #1 cause for temporary workplace medical disability here in Spain) and no, I don't feel depressed, but when I am tired I do have a hard time being hopeful, or even just seeing things they way they really are.
I work hard to think about what is good and true
but God didn't ask me to work alone. he put me in community - - he gave me a church family; they help me too. I'm thankful for them.
some of them are here, some of you are there. thank you.

out on the streets (together)

Brett is part of our Christian community.
Brett and Francesca study architecture together.
yesterday,Francesca called Brett to see if he wanted to have lunch after the morning conference given by some Portuguese architect.
Brett called us to see if we wanted to join them both for lunch.
Joshua watched the kids so that I could join Rachel
joining Brett
joining Francesca.
So we had lunch together,
and talked about all things relevant to life - - including:

• methods and mechanisms for making the best coffee (of course we talked about that - - Francesca is Italian)

• racism in Spain, and in Italy, and in the US, and in our own lives.

• chandeliers.

• what it means to care for the physical world without having that care overwhelm our care for people.

• the hideous wallpaper in Francesca's apartment and wallpaper's apparent comeback.

(see? important stuff)
and then, after the post lunch coffee, Brett and Francesca showed us the architecture building on campus,
and we ran into Isabel who comes to our place for movie nights . . . and Raul who we met at Brett's raging housewarming party.

it's good to be together.

The thing about Joshua

"the thing about Joshua," I told a friend today,
"is that as he studies modern society, he is overwhelmed with the intellectual complacency that exists; he believes that as a whole we are failing to ask enough questions as well as failing to think critically when questions are asked of us"
"mmmmm . . . " said the friend.
"and Joshua wants to stir up the waters" I told her.
"maybe I'll bring a friend with me" she said.

so he's at it again - - Joshua has been preparing a talk to present this Friday evening at our community's cultural center. This time it's titled:
Catholic without Catholicism?
reflections of a "separated brother"

please pray for Joshua tomorrow! Pray that he will provoke the right questions, that he will be able to share grace and truth as questions are asked of him, and that God will use Joshua in our community to sharpen and woo the minds that God has created to adore Himself.