Then we headed out to a second-hand sports store we'd heard about, but it was closed. There is a woman's bicycle here for us to use, left by a previous American lector, so we'd like to find a used bike for Tim that won't be too expensive. Lots of people bike here, and it would be a great way for us to get exercise and explore the area. We found another bike store, but they didn't carry used bikes. Hopefully we'll find something soon.
Pat'ka and her daughter, Rivi (age 9, soon to be 10), stopped by for a visit Saturday afternoon, and it was fun meeting Pat'ka's "mini-me" with the same big blue eyes. Rivi is a cutie, and she is just starting to speak a little English. We had planned to do some hiking in the mountains with them, but Rivi sprained an ankle after school Friday, so we just chatted.
I made some cheesy cauliflower soup Saturday night, which wasn't as good as back home because the cheese I shredded didn't melt very well, so it was kind of gloppy nodules of cheese. Oh well. It was a big batch, so we'll keep eating it for leftovers anyway. :-) We did put some spinach in it, which helped - fresh from Pat'ka's garden. She also brought a huge zucchini and a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers from her garden.
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| Patka's sunflowers are such cheery blooms!! So pretty!! |
This morning was a special service at church, honoring four Slovaks who evidently were significant in the Lutheran church and in Slovak independence. Of course we didn't understand much, but since it was a 2- hour service, we had some time during speeches to look up some words in the program - faith - freedom - nation - etc., which helped us catch on. It was also really easy to follow along with the liturgy and hymns because there was a multi-page bulletin/program for the service. The scripture readings were listed, so we got to read along with those in our English Bible we brought. There were also 2 choirs - one mens' and one women's - who sang a cappella numbers. A trumpet played along with the organ for the prelude, postlude, and some of the hymns. It was a pretty impressive service!
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| This is the men's choir - for some reason the video I took won't load. Sorry! |
After church we walked with Carol and had late brunch/early lunch at a mall food court restaurant which was good. We stopped and picked up a few groceries there before walking home again. it was really warming up and getting sunnier, so Tim and I decided to take advantage of the nicest part of the day to go running. We did our usual run up into the mountains to Trstene and back. This time we brought along a Hy-Vee bag and picked some apples from the trees lining the sides of the road towards the end of our route. We will take some apples to share at school for snacks in the teacher workroom, and have plenty for our fridge too. Being non-cultivated trees, the apples are quite small, but still tasty!
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| On the way back from church/lunch today - mountains in the background. Tim wanted me to show my new purse, and the bargain scarf I got for warmth - less than $5 for 70% cashmere, 30% silk --- so soft!! |
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| This pretty garden was on our walk home - flowers, apples, and mountains in the distance. Cute stork too! :-) |
We did some skyping last night and hope to do more today - we do miss home despite how much we enjoy everything here. :-) It's great to feel like we're sitting in the same room with people, chatting with them back in the USA!!
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| We needed bar soap for the shower, and we got this brand because I figured it's for SINGING in the shower, right Lisa, Mary, and Chris?? :-) |
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