Every Fall Brings Changes...

Every fall brings about changes here in Romania....  Changes in the temperature (hooray-finally we are not sweltering from the heat)...Changes in the trees (oh, how beautiful they are)...Changes in the programming and living arrangements (I like my new schedule). 

We were driving past this park the other day and I pulled out my camera to capture the beauty of the trees and their changing colors.

Yes, my schedule has changed.  I now live at the team house because most of my activities take place in and around Bucharest this year.  We have three mommies in our H2H family now and so I have started a mommies group to help them learn how to take care of their babies, to feed them spiritually, and to spend time with them.  They are enjoying the times we are spending together and we all look forward to Tuesday mornings!

These two gals are 9-months pregnant.  We were getting ready to leave a couple of weeks ago after our first meeting and we were in the hallway putting on our shoes.  It was so cute...Alina (mommy on the left) had her husband Roby with her (he actually came to help us do some outside work...thanks Roby!).  He bent down to tie her shoes for her because she couldn't anymore.  I thought to myself what a sweet gesture that was that he would serve her in that way.  I'm going to miss these girls as I get ready to go home for a one month visit, but they are excited to start our group back up in January after everything settles back down from the holidays.

Another Great Vacation!

This summer, I had the opportunity to have a relaxing vacation.  My friend, Krista, and I decided to go on a Western Mediterranean cruise.  It was so nice to get away, relax on the boat, and see a little bit of Italy and Spain.  I really loved Palma de Mallorca...Palma is such a lovely little town on the island of Mallorca.  We visited a beautiful church there and walked around close to the water.  Another highlight was visiting Rome.  There is so much history there and it was so interesting to see Vatican City.  The Trevi Fountain was lovely to see there, too.  I'll have to go back to Rome, though, as there was just too much to see in a short six hours.

Just before boarding the Norwegian Jade

The spa is where I spent most of my time while on the ship

Krista and I at Vatican City

At Palma de Mallorca

Last night on the ship and a perfect sunset

Another summer highlight...

Another highlight from this summer was seeing another one of my girls from GTH get baptized.  Adriana was my girl at Peris and continues to be my girl today.  I'm so glad she has chosen to follow the ONE who gives us new life!  I was so honored to be at her baptism!

Summer Highlights...

TEN camps, 36 days, about 140 kids...and it is finished!  August 6th was AWWWWWW day!!

Everyone knows I love PINK!!  So, when I started planning the princess scavenger hunt, I just knew that somehow a pink princess would need to be involved and that I would be the pink princess...

The summer started with two "Girly" camps.  The staff and I handpicked 12 girls for each camp and I had a team of ladies that had all been to Romania and served with H2H in the past....except for our beloved crazy Cyndee and she just fit right in!  It was a great 8 days of camp.  The girls had one on one attention, enjoyed a swim party and of course the princess scavenger hunt, an excursion to the mountains, and a spa day complete with a tea party in the backyard.  I loved hanging out and spending time with all these girls!

I am the pink princess!!

Our team with the girls after the spa day...they are all dolled up!!

Our wonderful, marvelous, fabulous girly camp team!!!

I won't lie, I won't try to sugar coat things.....the kid's camps were a bit difficult for me.  I did however enjoy getting to know some kids and renewing friendships with others.

This is Luci...who I so lovingly called Lucica Dulcica (which means sweet Luci).  She had this high pitched scream everytime she got excited about something...it was cute!  Everyone kept saying she could be my daughter...I don't think I have that scream....

Lucica Dulcica and I in the pool!  By the end of this day, I would swim across the pool with her on my back...she loved it!

And then there was Georgiana.  She as in the group with the littlest kids.  One of the evening we were sitting around on the front porch.  She came up to me and said she wanted pony tails all over her head.  Her hair was pretty short, but I put 6 pony tails in anyways.  She was so cute....

After Georgiana's pigtails, the hair salon opened and all the girls had to have them...We had 6 little girls running around with pigtails going every which direction!

And then it was my turn....the things we do for these kids...

The kids were encouraged to stay in their tents until 8 am....with the little kids, this was pretty much a lost cause.  I went downstairs about 7:30am and was starting to hear rumblings in the tents.  I must of said something and pretty soon I hear coming from Georgiana's tent, "Jenny, will you do my hair for me again today?"  I smiled and told her yes of course.  The sunglasses were a big hit with this group too.  They got them from the pinata and they wore them everywhere!  They were so cute!

The last picture of the summer....a little comic relief!!  Krista and I with our new hats!

Delinquency!

For the past few months I've been delinquent in my blogging....so today I did a catch up day!  You can read all about what I've been up to in Romania on this blog:  www.jennyjoinromania.blogspot.com or my H2H blog: http://www.h2hint.org/index.php/h2h/staff_bio/index.php?username=jenny

Enjoy!!

A New Hobby!

With all the weddings, babies, birthdays and such I have taken up a new hobby....cake making and decorating!  Here are some of my attempts, although, I think I need some classes!

Wedding Cake for Robi and Alina's Wedding

Baby Rebeca's 1st Birthday Cake

Robi and Alina's Civil Ceremony Cake

Costel's Birthday Cake

Andreea's Birthday Cake

Extra Cake for Robi and Alina's wedding

Wedding of the Century

On May 8th, H2H hosted its first Christian wedding ceremony at the team house.  Robi and Alina commited their lives to each other for better or worse, through sickness and health, in richer and poorer, till death do they part.  It was fun to be apart of all the preparations and program.  Pictures are worth a thousand words so here is the day from all the pictures taken on this day...

Jim walked her down the aisle

With this ring, I thee wed

Lovely flute music

Mr and Mrs. Robert Vaduva

H2H staff with the bride and groom

This is the cake I made for the big day.  It was three tiers and I hear it was really good.  It was gone by the time I served it all...

No wedding is complete without games!  Games?  Yes, as is typical Romanian fashion we had games.  Since Robi and Alina will be becoming parents in October or November we wanted to see who would be dressing the baby.  I think Alina will be doing the task!

Don't jump!!  Really it was a joke!

May the Lord bless this new family!