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...