Pictures from our trip to Aegina, Greece...

We went to Greece 2 1/2 years ago. One of our stops was to Aegina where St. Nektarios began a women's monastery and where there is a beautiful church dedicated to him AND where his relics are located. Here are some pictures of that trip (in honor of yesterday being the feast day of St. Nektarios). Every time my dad goes to Greece he always makes a stop in Aegina. My parents just returned from Greece and, I think, they were in Aegina this last weekend.

AND WE ARE HAVING A...

boy! So Pavlos will be big brother to a little brother who will be named Petros (after my dad). We are very excited! And he's a mover, let me tell you. The tech had a hard time with the ultrasound because he kept moving around so much. He has a very small hole in his heart, but my doctor is not worried. We will go in again in three weeks. My mom was born with a hole in her heart which she had surgery to repair. And my niece was born with a small hole in her heart that repaired itself by the time she was 6 weeks old. Everything else looks great!

I was going to write...

I was going to write about this article, written by one of our catechumen’s (Rhett/Jude). I’ve been planning to comment on it for, oh, probably almost a week now, but life is just getting a little busy for me. My four month “sabbatical” from the world due to morning sickness and exhaustion is OVER.

I was going to write how when I read the above article it also made me angry/upset/sad. I was angry for the way a mother would treat her own child. Now I know that I am not a perfect mother but there are good ways to handle your children when they are doing something wrong and there are bad ways. Belittling and calling names is never a good way. Talking to your child about WHY what they did was wrong is a better way. And taking them outside if they are throwing a tantrum is also a good thing (nothing like a child throwing a tantrum in a public place to put you on edge). But it doesn’t seem like this little boy was throwing a tantrum. And he is five… just explaining that what he did was wrong should be sufficient enough.

I was going to write how maybe that’s all this mom knows how to raise her children. Maybe she was belittled and called names when she was young. And, now, this will be all that her children know what to do… it can become a vicious cycle. And someone needs to break it (the mom) before her children pass it onto their own children (unless they are able to recognize and break that cycle of emotional abuse).

I was going to write how maybe that little boy did it on purpose because all the attention he gets is negative attention from his mother. And any attention is better than no attention, right?

I was going to write how maybe this woman became pregnant because all she wanted was to be loved… by the father, by a child, by anyone. Children do not love their parents in that way, though.

I was going to write how this really made me angry (the part about the mom not loving her children/taking her children for granted). It made me angry for all the women in the world who want, desperately want to have a child but for whatever reason are unable. My mom used to work in the labor room of a hospital. A labor room has great joy and great sorrow. And there were times when, she says, the sorrow was handed to the “wrong” people. Like the 16 year old girl, having her third or fourth child (different fathers) and the stable married couple who have been trying for years to conceive and once they do, lose the baby. I know that I am making generalizations… I mean, who’s to say the married couple wouldn’t turn out to be a bunch of loonies or something?

I was going to write how if you just go to your local mall (or Wal Mart), you can find lots of mom’s taking their children for granted (ok, I know that sounds really judgmental, but that’s what I was thinking when I read this article).

And the part about the consequences of sex… when we are taught, from a young age, that pregnancy should be avoided, at all costs, but that sex feels good so we should “just do it” of course we are going to think that when we do get pregnant that it’s a mistake/accident/whoops… either my mom or my sister (can’t remember who) always says that there is no such thing as “accidentally getting pregnant”. And the only way to avoid “accidentally getting pregnant” is to not have sex. Simple as that. But try teaching that in your local public school. HA!

I think that was all I was going to write about that. Just some “off the top of my head” thoughts. With a little bit of venting mixed in (because of my personal experiences).

Annual Women's Retreat Nov. 11th and 12th...

The St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church annual women's retreat will be on Fri. Nov. 11th to Sat. Nov. 12th. Mother Cassiana from Protection of the Holy Virgin Monastery in Colorado will be the speaker. On Friday, she will talk about Marriage and Monasticism from 7pm-9pm. This session is open to everyone (meaning... men are invited). On Saturday she will be speaking on the Holy Theotokos from 9:30am to 4pm (Vesper's will begin at 4pm). This session is only for women and young ladies. Cost is $15 for Saturday (which includes lunch and snacks). If you are interested, please contact Presv. Stacey Dorrance at 503-590-6109 or Jennifer Davis at 503-292-9976 to make a reservation. In the past we have been able to find accomadations for out of town guests but I'm not sure about this year's arrangements. To view the pdf flyer please go here and scroll down until you see the 4th Annual Women's Retreat (there is a flyer you can click on). Hope to see you there!!!

All Saints Eve Party

So at our church (St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Portland, OR), instead of Halloween, we have an All Saints Eve party. The children all come dressed up as their favorite saint or Biblical character (including animals from the Bible). We eat dinner, play games, get lots of candy, and the kids have a great time:) This year Pavlos decided to be St. Nektarios (the last two years, mommy decided he would be St. Paul (Pavlos) and St. Seraphim). Pavlos' middle name is Nektarios and he has an icon of St. Nektarios over his bed (along with his icon of St. Paul). We have even been to Aegina when we were last in Greece (two and a half years ago) and were able to go to the Church dedicated to him and see his relics. My dad, who goes to Greece at least once a year, always makes a stop to Aegina to visit his "friend" St. Nektarios. And he always brings me back holy oil. Thanks, dad.
Back to the All Saints party. Pavlos had a great time. Here is a picture of him dressed as St. Nektarios... And, yes, our little St. Nektarios has a sucker in his mouth:) We video tape each of the children telling us which saint they are and something about the saint. Pavlos said he was St. Nektarios and when we asked him what St. Nektarios did, he replied, "played the drums". So there you have it... a little known fact about St. Nektarios (in fact, I think Pavlos is the only person to ever know this little fact). Here are pictures of Pavlos as St. Paul (2003) and St. Seraphim (2004).
Today is the feast of the Holy Unmercenaries Kosmas and Damianos. They were two of my yiayia's favorite saints. I remember hearing her pray to them (and to the Theotokos). Pavlos and I went to Liturgy this morning in honor of yiayia. May her memory be eternal! As Pavlos entered into the communion line he looked at me and said, "I love communion." And then headed on up to receive communion (later, we met papa for lunch and Pavlos told him that he loved something else (something fairly unimportant but I can't remember what it is)... so Pavlos loves many things).

Potty Training...

I have not been able to post because Pavlos and I are in the midst of potty training. I am hoping to send him to preschool in the winter (and he will need to be potty trained in order to go). Yesterday was horrible, this morning was horrible, this afternoon has been better:) I have a few future posts that I am working on (when I have time)...

thanks for your patience (I am learning the meaning of the word patience as we speak:)

May her memory be eternal...

My yiayia passed away this morning at 11:30 am (pacific time). I was talking to my mom, on the phone, and I could hear my sister in the background saying, "Pete's here." Pete is my uncle who has been taking care of her. And I knew that the only reason he would leave their home would be to find my dad and tell him that she had reposed. I guess she had a stroke last night and really went downhill fast (not eating, drinking, etc.). I have too many thoughts and emotions swirling in my head to try to write a decent post on her and her life. But, that will be for the future, I imagine. Please remember Ekaterina in your prayers, espcially during the next forty days. Thank you.

tag...

I have been tagged (also, my first time being tagged) by Elizabeth. Here are my answers....

Five things I plan to do before I die:
1. Go to Tinos, Greece
2. Set foot on every continent (been to three already)
3. Go on a long backpacking trip
4. Have more children
5. Go on a mission trip or long term missionary with OCMC
6. (yes, it only said 5 but i'm adding a 6th) open a Greek pastry/coffee/bookstore (with Orthodox books, supplies, and other great books, too).

Five things I can do:
1. Teach middle school and high school kids
2. cook a wide variety of foods (like baklava, granma’s scalloped potatoes, etc.)
3. multi-task
4. argue, oh, wait, I mean… discuss
5. put my whole fist into my mouth (my sister can do it, too)

Five things I cannot do:
1. Sing
2. draw (anything that requires artistic talent)
3. decorate
4. learn foreign languages
5. knit/crochet (but I would love to learn)

Five things that attract me to the opposite sex:
1. intelligence
2. faith
3. eyes
4. patience
5. love of family

Five things I say most often:
1. I love you
2. Pavlos!
3. Kyrie eleison (exasperatedly)
4. come on, let’s go…
5. I’m counting to three…1…2….

Five Celebrity Crushes:
1. Ewan McGregor (as Obi Wan)
2. Colin Firth (as Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice)
3. Bono (as himself)
4. Harrison Ford (not lately… in Star Wars and Indiana Jones)
5. Matt Damon (don’t like many movies he’s in, but he’s boyishly cute)

I'm not going to tag anyone because there are only about three people who read my blog:) And I think they have all been tagged...

McChurches...

Over on Slate, yesterday(Sunday), there was a slide show on America's megachurches. A megachurch really is only a very large church. And, as the author points out in the intro. of the slide show, really large churches have been around for ages (Hagia Sophia, St. Peter's Basilica, etc.). So I think it is safe to call what is happening to architecture in American churches... the McChurch (cute, isn't it... it took me a long time to think that one up:). And the reason I call them the McChurch is because of the fact that really big churches have existed for a very long time, and that these earlier churches were built for one reason... to glorify God in architecture. A visual representation of the kingdom of heaven on earth. A place that when one enters, they feel as if they are in the presence of God. The McChurch is obviously built without those ideas in mind (obviously, this is my own opinion). They seem to be built to stage a show, with the latest technology as far as lighting, sound, laser shows (I don't really know if they do laser shows, but some of the pictured examples look like you could have a really great laser show in the church), and for seating capacity. Now, seating/standing capacity is important. Don't think that the last 2000 years of Christians did not think of how many people they could fit into a church. If seating/standing capacity were not important, then Hagia Sophia and St. Peter's Basilica would never have been built (ok, maybe those architectures where thinking more in lines of bigger means glorifying God better, I don't really know). But if these McChurches were really looking for bigger seating/standing areas, why not rebuild a replica of St. Peter's Basilica (which can hold 60,000 people)? The people in the Côte d'Ivoire thought it was a good idea. Hope you enjoy the slide show!


UPDATE: Here is the link to the marriage retreat held at St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church back in May. These are audio files. Dr. Philip Mamalakis, a professor at Holy Cross, was the speaker. There are three sessions covering two days. Enjoy!

Family made it to Greece...

My sister, Katherine, and her two children, Pavel (5) and Maria (3) made it to Greece. Kudos to Katherine for travelling 15 hours alone with Pavel and Maria. Paul and I did it with Pavlos when he was one. It's tough... being cooped up on an airplane (airplanes are only interesting for about 10 minutes), flying at odd hours of the day (night), and the time change is a killer (even for an adult, let alone children). It's a ten hour time difference between here (Portland, OR) and Athens, Greece. But, now that Katherine is IN Greece, she has mom and dad to help out with the kids. And mom and dad are the best. So the ratio of kids to adults is good... 2:3.
Now, they are on their way to Ios, the island that my dad is from (it's only a ten hour ferry trip:) Lots of travelling in the last few days for them.

Just sitting at the computer...

I'm just sitting here, unable to nap today (that sometimes happens to me). Just had word from my parents that they have arrived in Athens. I'm tired and my eyes hurt and I'm hungry. I want to eat, I just don't know what I want to eat. It's a problem I have even when I am not pregnant. With Pavlos, I didn't have terrible cravings for any type of food, really. Sometimes I just wanted something sweet. With this baby, I started out craving meat (weird) but now I don't seem to have any cravings. And I have a wonderful husband who keeps telling me that he will run out and get me whatever I want to eat, but I just do not know what I want to eat.

The other day he came home late from a meeting at church and he had missed lunch so he had stopped at Taco Bell. It smelled really good. I think it smelled so good because I have been eating somewhat bland food for the last four months. It's sort of like during Lent, when you are fasting and food smells amost bowl you over (at least, they do me).

Enough food talk for now... the St. John's website will be expanded. Paul recorded our marriage retreat (from last May) and the Basics in Orthodoxy class that was offered during Lent this year. The sound files are in the process of being uploaded onto the new, expanded space on the website. So, at some point, I will put a link to that new stuff for you all.

My mom's blog...

I just returned from dropping my parents off at the airport. They are going to Greece (my sister and her two little one's will meet also be leaving for Greece tomorrow). My mom decided to keep a blog/online diary of their trip. They are only going one place (aside from Athens because when you go to Greece, you pretty much have to at least land there)... Ios... the island that my dad is from. My yiayia is very sick with pancreatic cancer. And my pappous is 89 years young. I bet that my uncle, who moved back to Greece this summer to take care of my grandparents, will be so relieved to have my mom, dad, and sister there. He has undertaken a tremendous load. I will write more later... it's naptime at our house right now (which includes mommy). Please pray for Petros, Susan, Katherine, Pavel, and Maria as they travel. Please also continue to pray for them throughout the next month because I know this will is a difficult trip to make (and add Katerina, Ioannis, and Panayiotis to the list as well (my grandparents and my uncle). thanks...

What's in a name UPDATE!

Actor Nicholas Cage and his wife have a new baby boy. And they named him after Superman. So is Superman his "patron saint"? The weirdness of names continues on...

What's in a name?

Because my last blog entry was so lame and unorganized, I figured I owed it to everyone to post a decent piece (although the information in the last entry is very exciting, I might add).

The reason for this post, also, is that on the drive home from church we started talking about what was discussed during Theology 101 (adult Sunday school) and my husband wanted to know why I had not given such a great and elaborate answer to the following discussion as I just did in the car. So I will impart these words of “wisdom” to you. The topic ended up on names. I believe the original question had something to do with why Simon was changed to Peter (herein referred to as Petros just in case my dad ever reads my blog he won’t be offended (his name is Petros… but more on my dad in a second). First, Father pointed out that my dad, Petros, came up to him at the end of the service and asked why Father referred to Simon as Simon and not Petros (and my dad probably pointed out to Father Theodore, for the millionth time, that St. Petros is the only apostle that Christ named during his earthly ministry or something like that). And Father Theodore gave a reasonable enough answer to my dad, I am sure.
So what is in a name? Greeks have a tendency to be very “in” to their names. According to my husband, he has never seen someone so into their own name as my dad. My dad feels a kinship to St. Petros… as if they share the same struggles and are the same people. And this probably has something to do with the fact that in my family the name Petros goes back many, many generations. In fact, our family church is named Agios Petros. And no one knows how old the church really is (but we do know that the new addition on my grandparents home is 400 years old… ahem… that’s the NEW addition). So let’s say that the name Petros has been in my family for 600 years. That’s 600 years of my ancestors praying to St. Petros, celebrating the feast day of Sts. Petros and Pavlos, naming their first born sons Petros. No wonder my dad is so keen on his own name AND on his patron saint. And that goes for many Greek families that I grew up with… the names are all repeated through generations. Antique icons are passed down of these saints from generation to generation. Churches are built for these saints. Name days are huge family events (because half your cousins have the same name as you) celebrating these saints. And it’s not looked on as weird or funny to name a child after a particular saint if a miracle has occurred in your life through prayers to that saint. It’s like naming that child after a favorite great aunt or uncle. Our son’s middle name is after St. Nektarios because of the easy pregnancy I had with him (when doctors predicted a horrible pregnancy because of some health problems I have).
Now I don’t want to glorify Greece (because I have lived there and been there numerous times and I see the Western influences that have crept into this beautiful country). And I don’t know much about other Orthodox practices. But it seems to me that in the U.S., we have a tendency to name our children after the latest Disney character. What kind of a name is that to live up to? Or, I have heard people say that they like a name because it sounds nice. Where’s the history? Granted, there are many people that do use family names (which I think is a beautiful tradition). But my mom, who used to work in the labor room, would come home with the most hysterical stories of names people have given to their children.
Anyway, this post is already getting to long. We do hope to continue the tradition of using the name Petros in our family, if we are having a boy. Pavlos is named after his grandpa (my father in law). Let us all live up to the name that either we have been given or we have chosen for ourselves!

Anyone still reading this?

Just checking to see if anyone still checks out my siteJ Just kidding…
I haven’t posted because I guess I haven’t felt like there is anything to post. Obviously, there are always things to post, but my brain seems to have been fizzling out lately. Our biggest news is that we are expecting… that makes four of us at church, pregnant, at the same time. (and, actually, there was a new baby born two weeks ago so we had five at one time). We like to keep God busy watching over us, I guess. We are due April 5 and we are, of course, very excited. So now begins my many doctor visits and lab tests and ultrasounds. I forgot how tired being pregnant makes a person. That’s part of the reason for not posting any news (and I’m really only posting this because Katie posted that she’s pregnant on her blog).

Other than that… we are in our new home. Very exciting. We got rid of one care just in time for the gas prices to jump way up (Paul takes public transportation to work). Pavlos is three. My parents, my sister, and her two children (age 3 and 5) are all going to Greece in two weeks (I have to admit that I am a bit envious, but I know I will get back there someday… but I would love to go with them… we haven’t gone as a family in many, many years… actually, when I was 15 we went together, minus dad so we haven’t ever really gone as a whole family).

My grandmother has lived beyond what the doctors thought she would. She is not doing well, but she is still alive (and she may still be alive when my family goes to visit). It shows her strength of character. She has not had an easy life and because she has survived so much (poverty, famine, civil wars, dictatorship, etc.) her will to live is so strong and admirable. Although, I have to admit there were times when I was living in Greece that she drove me absolutely CRAZY like only a Greek yiayia can do.

My ten year college reunion is this weekend so we are heading to Walla Walla for Saturday to Sunday. This is going to be so clichéd, but… where has the time flown? I can’t believe it’s been ten years!!! It will be interesting and I am excited to show Paul and Pavlos Walla Walla and the Whitman College campus.

That’s all for now… here’s hoping that this rather disjointed post will lead to something more profound in the near future…