It's All Grace

a journey with the Thomason family

Passports, Patience, and a Party

Today was officially our 9th wedding anniversary, and it’s a good thing we did all of our celebrating earlier this week because today was kind of crazy.

I walked with Titus to school this morning in the dark. It was his first day back in over a week because last week he was too sick and this week we were out of town. So this morning we walked in the cold, but Titus was in a really good mood. He was laughing and racing me so I go the photo above of him as we were playing. Since it had been a few days he was a little more clingy to me as I was leaving him this morning, but he didn’t cry.

As soon as I walked back to the house, Bethany and Avery and I jumped in to the car and headed off to the foreign police in Ostrava. Ostrava is about 30 minutes from our house, so it’s a bit of a drive. We were scheduled to meet our friend Katka to get all of the paperwork in for our 2 year visa application. Katka texted me this morning and said, “Make sure you bring all of your passports.” I said, “Will do” and added, “Do we need anything else?” She wrote back, “Just passports and patience.” Any time you’re working with government offices in Czech you need patience! Above is a photo of Avery practicing patience while playing the iPad while we waited.

We have been working on all of the paperwork for weeks, but it’s funny how you can still forget things. There were still forms we forgot to sign and things that needed to be filled in. Above you can see Katka writing in something that I honestly can’t remember. Thankfully the man helping us was very helpful and Katka said he was very thorough. Here’s the guy who helped us, along with our passports sitting on his desk. We’re not sure if he was be sarcastic or was just unhappy, but he said it was going to take him a few hours to finish up the paperwork and said, “I guess you can go and not wait for me.” Thanks, pal!

Bethany drove me straight to the JV office where I had meetings this afternoon and she headed home to pick up Titus from school and get things ready for tonight. On her checklist: 1) find a babysitter for tonight 2) clean the house 3) make dinner for the kids and the sitter 4) find and wrap a white elephant gift 5) make an appetizer and dessert for a party tonight. Incredibly, she got it all done! I don’t know how she did it, but she drove back to the JV office around 6pm to pick me up and head over to the international team Christmas party tonight.

We had turkey and a lot of fun food that everyone brought. There was also a white elephant gift exchange that, to be honest, was a lot nicer than most I have been to. Bethany and I had a joint gift so we were working together on the choosing of the bags. We got a bag with a big pole sticking out of it which contained a curtain rod, a new curtain, a can of paint, and some ends to a curtain rod. It was actually hilarious and you can see me with the rod in the photo above and the curtain in the photo below.

Besides the silliness of curtain rods and paint, we had a good time sharing about Christmas memories and asking each other questions related to Christmas. Everyone has such unique traditions and favorite things from playing Monopoly on Christmas morning before presents to watching a Finnish Christmas movie about an orphan. It really is so fascinating to listen to people from different cultures and even missionaries who have made this place their new home and how they do traditions and Christmas. For me, it was a learning time and a way to experience other cultures.

Here’s a few photos we took at the very end of the night. Thanks to Connie Patty for emailing me these tonight, along with the photos of me opening the white elephant gift. Be sure to check out her blog for lots more photos of all the fun.

December 17, 2014
Driving Home

Today was mostly spent in a car. Bethany and I left Krakow early this morning around after checking out of our little rented apartment, we headed back to Katowice where our kids were staying. We had a great time together but it was a lot of fun to see the kids after two nights away.

When we got to the Millers house, I saw Avery come around the corner of one of the room and I would’ve sworn she had grown. Both Bethany and I genuinely think they have grown a little since Sunday. Maybe this happens to a lot of parents, but it’s kind of bizarre to experience. Maybe we should change the phrase, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder” to “Absence makes the kids grow taller?” Or maybe there’s something in the water in Poland? I don’t know, but they look bigger.

With a few days out of town, the rest of the week is shaping up to be a little busy. We have a visa application thing tomorrow for our 2-year visas, a Christmas party, haircuts tomorrow, Bethany has another doctor appointment to check on the growing baby, and Titus apparently has something going on at his school. I don’t know what’s got to give at this point, but as we get ready to depart for the States next week I fear something will have to. Well, I guess I’ll see you on the flip side.

December 16, 2014
Day Two in Krakow

Our second and final day in Krakow has been a lot of fun. We had our first uninterrupted night of sleep in…well, since Titus was born? I can’t really remember, but it was amazing. The apartment where we’re staying has an incredible shower where it has the shower head on the ceiling and the water falls on top of you. It’s amazing what a nice shower (or shower head) will do to kick off your day!

We skipped breakfast (aka: slept in) and grabbed lunch in the town square. Afterwards we went around for another stroll through the Christmas market. We saw a lot of it last night, but felt a little rushed, so it was nice to take more time today and find some things for our kids and just take it all in at a slower pace. I had my camera this time and the the daylight, so here’s a few photos of our time today (as always, captions are below each).

Don’t tell Titus but we ended up buying him a knight’s shield and a sword for Christmas. They are all made of wood by the neato blacksmith guys that we saw last night. I may just have to buy one for me so we can battle!

We bought these amazing cinnamon and sugar things to snack on while we were walking around. The little shop had Italian flags out front and the people that worked there were really friendly. The little roll things were yummy!

Here’s Bethany going for a bite of some cinnamon and sugar goodness!

The square wasn’t as busy during the day, but even on Monday there was a good amount of foot traffic.

As we were browsing, we could watch the horse and carriages make their way around. So…

A photo posted by Shay Thomason (@shaycam) on Dec 12, 2014 at 8:37am PST

We went for a 30 minute carriage ride! Above is a shot we took on the carriage. It had nice, comfy seats and they gave us a lap blanket to keep us warm. But you and I both know it was really our love that kept us warm….awwwwwwwww.

Here’s a photo of our carriage that I took while we were walking away. It was really fun and we almost wish we could’ve brought our kids with us…almost.

We took a little break this afternoon and went back out this evening for a walk and some coffee. The town square comes alive at night with lights and shows. Actually, they had a bunch of Polish dancing and doing something on stage that we didn’t understand, but it was still fun to see.

Above is the dinner we created from the street vendors. The chunks of meat you see were basically the most tender pieces of ham I have ever eaten. Bethany and I split those and added mushroom, veggies, and potatoes as sides. We brought it all back to our apartment and enjoyed a little meal inside. For dessert we got waffles at a little shop topped with powdered sugar and raspberries. We didn’t finish it all, but it was fun!

Tomorrow we’ll head back to pick our kids from the Millers house, but we have had a great time the past 24 hours. Right now we’re watching a favorite TV show and just hanging out together. Even though we’re in a great city in Poland, it’s just nice to rest and enjoy time together.

December 15, 2014
Day One in Krakow

Thanks to kind friends, Bethany and I are spending today and tomorrow in Krakow, Poland. Our 9th wedding anniversary is this coming Wednesday and we were hoping to do something fun and get away for a little rest. Yes, I guess “rest” is the theme of the 9th wedding anniversary when you have two young kids and another baby on the way. Our friends, the Millers, are watching Titus and Avery for the next two days so we’re staying in a little apartment here in the old town square of Krakow.

We arrived here around 5:30pm and after figuring out the apartment rental situation (which, by the way, is the only way to travel!), we started walking around the town square. The whole square is lively with Christmas things and a big market. Oh, and as you can see in the photo above, apparently a huge semi-truck with a Coca-Cola logo and a picture of Santa (ironically, not pictured here) with a huge Christmas tree behind it really says, “Merry Christmas from Poland!”

We enjoyed a great meal at a place in the square that a friend recommended to us. Both of us tried traditional European dishes that we really liked. Afterwards, we roamed around the Christmas market just enjoying all the different things the little shops. Below are some photos of what we saw (captions below each).

I liked these blacksmith guys. That is all.

Handmade Polish ornaments were readily available.

This wood shop was amazing. But hey, nobody light a match!

We spent way too much time in the Polish pottery shop. They had some incredible stuff, especially these little Christmas trees which we really liked.

Notice just how they pack in the Polish pottery at the shop. You have to really dig through stuff, carefully of course, to find what you want but it can actually be fun. Bethany stressed me out just a little with her gloves and picking up pottery. She was kind enough to take them off after about the third or fourth time of me saying, “…be careful.” Oh, marriage…

On our way back to our apartment we considered taking a horse and carriage for a spin, but our cold hands had other plans. We’re staying up a little late tonight enjoying one of our favorite TV shows and we’ll see how tomorrow goes!

December 14, 2014
Slowing Down

There’s something about Saturdays here in Czech that have been much different than the ones I remember in the States. I realize we’ve only been here just under six months, but more than ever I am finding that Saturdays here really cause us to slow down. Oh sure, we’re still working around the house and getting things done, and maybe it’s mostly in my head, but I feel like today especially got to just take in the day and enjoy my family.

The photo above is proof positive of what I’m talking about. The weather was strangely warm today (high 40s). Oh sure we were still bundled up, but in comparison to freezing rain temps it’s like a heatwave. We walked to the little grocery store near our place as a family and on the way we were passing a little restaurant that we like. It was actually around lunch time and even though Bethany and I weren’t that hungry we decided to go in and have the kids split a pizza while us parents ordered just soup. Normally we don’t just stop what we’re doing and go eat at a restaurant like this, but I think we were just walking, enjoy each other, and thought, “Hey, why not?” I guess for that’s slowing down for us. Anyways, I just love Bethany’s face as she’s looking at Titus while he searches the menu for the pizza he thinks he wants.

Maybe it’s the walking? Czechs walk everywhere and when it’s all so close it makes it really easy. Walking makes you slow down. You have to be patient to get to your destination. You don’t have to stress out about finding a parking place. Walking makes you move slower by default and forces you to take in things at a slower pace. Maybe that’s what I really liked about today? Even as we walked by the church we see ten times every day, I took this photo of the kids (above). Bethany said, “I don’t know what it is about that church, but I think it’s pretty.” That’s what slowing down does. Even when you’ve seen something a thousand times, you might see it in a different light when you’re just slowing down and enjoying it.

I think the church is pretty too. I love when the golden sun shines on it. I don’t know how many photos I have taken of it out of our kitchen window, but I found myself grabbing my iPhone and shooting another oner today (below).

We’re going to be doing a little more slowing down the next few days which will be really nice. Bethany and I have some planned time away and thanks to some friends it’ll just be us two for about a day and a half. But I’ll save all that for another blog.

December 13, 2014