Crossing Borders....

Before Hary left for Syria we took a day together and went to cross the border into France...a little more than an hour away. We went for KFC!! He had never eaten there since we don't have one in Belgium. And he had never been to France before either. But one day soon we will have to take a train to Paris. There are so many things I want him to see...how will we ever have time. I guess it's a good thing our marriage is forever!!!

Welcome to my Surprise...

Here I am welcoming one of 20 Arab women who snuck into my house to surprise me with their version of an American baby shower. It was much different than anything I have been to, but it was so sweet of them to think about doing something from my side of the world. We ate good food and talked a lot. And they all chipped in and gave Phoebe a car seat for when she is about 6 months old. A good day!

House for Sale...

Here is the for sale sign they posted. Anyone have an extra $900,000 plus about $200,000 for repairs? Yeah me neither...and they asked.

Youthful Games...

Here are our teenagers on a Friday night. They are on the top floor balcony. Their assignment was to use materials we gave them to secure that a normal egg could be dropped from the 3rd floor and not break. I must say the girls were more creative than the boys!

Signed and Payed for...

This the day that Hary payed his 17 euros to the government offices for his 5 year identity card. After waiting 10 years he asked the guy in the office if he could take his picture with him. Understanding the length of his wait, the man said yes. Can you tell how happy Hary is??

Oostende...

Hary and I went to Oostende near the sea in Belgium to spend the night and celebrate our second wedding anniversary. It was nice to have time away from the big city, if only for a day. And here we are on our carriage ride tour of Oostende.

It Finally Arrived!

This is it!! After a 10 year wait, the postcard for Hary to go to the government offices to get his identity card finally came. I just wanted to show the proof that the spelling of his name was corrected and it is "K" Khano!!

Happy Couple...

Here are our friends at their wedding in Holland. They are both Syrian, she is from Holland and he lives in Belgium. They were married in her town and will move to his home in Antwerp. This is a friend who is closer than a brother to Hary and did so much to help us out with our wedding. It was nice to return the favor.

Playing for Love...

One of our dear friends got married the 21st of August. He is much like a brother to Hary and so we drove 3 hours to be at his wedding. I played and sang in the wedding and Hary was the go-to man for just about everything else the couple needed. We were glad we could be with him on his happy day.

Armenian Wedding...

This summer has been packed with weddings of all kinds for us to attend. In August I went to my first Armenian wedding. This wedding tended to be more extravagant than others. It was held in a castle by a lake just outside Brussels. They have their own traditions and customs. Their dances were diffent than any of the Arabic traditional dances that I have seen. To my surpise, I was very entertained by the various styles of music. When I see Eastern music being played, it is rarely played by people who understand music...how to read it and play it. The music is normally produced by a programmed keyboard and the push of a button. Here in this photo is a picture of a man who played the saxophone, clarinet and various traditional flutes. It was a nice musical treat for me.

Pathetic!!

August 8 was my birthday. Hary has been working and working so much and long hours this summer that the only gift I wanted was to spend a day (with cell phones off) with my husband. So on August 9th I woke up for this much anticipated day together looking like this. Apparently I have always just been too sweet because mosquitos and spiders in all countries have always loved to bite me on my face during the night. And so I woke up to celebrate my birthday with one big swollen and painful eye in a addition to the constant dizziness I had been experiencing with my pregnancy too. So I was a pathetic, one-eyed, dizzy, old birthday girl this year!

Snapping the Perfect Shot...

There was a recent conference in Waterloo with a well-known television speaker from Sudan. Hary loves to listen and learn from this man, so he wanted to get a snapshot with him. Here he is sneeking up behind him to grab the shot. Later we got a nice one of just the two of them, but this one was much more fun to take!

A Teaching Moment...

Hary has many teaching moments in his life and work here. In this picture he is with our Jordanian friend explaining some truths to him.

Visiting...

Hary's dad has had many medical problems and now lives in a nursing home in Brussels. Now that my nausea has subsided, we went together to visit him. Before he always asked when I would get pregnant, so we decided to go and let him see that it has finally happened. Although Hary had already told him the news almost 3 months ago and he was very confused why we didn't bring the baby to visit him. We explained that after November she would come to visit!

Kids' Camp

We had a kids' camp in the neighborhood during the month of July. About 50+ kids came all of the 5 days of the camp. I was even able to bring my little 7 year old neighbor with me each day...which was a treat for both of us.

A Reason for Celebration...

One Sunday not too long ago, our Moroccan friend (in the center of the picture) particpated in an event worth eternal celebration. Here is an "after" shot with him, another Moroccan friend and Hary (on the right). They all look pretty happy!

Turkish Wedding...

Spring and summer are certainly the seasons for weddings. We have been invited to more than I care to count. But here is a photo of a Turkish celebration. The music is always loud and the food never comes before midnight, but people look like they are having fun.

Children...

Obviously children can be full of energy and sometimes rowdy. But here is one my favorite moments of some of "our" kids. After a long day of play and seeing friends, here in one of my chairs, watching The Lion King, the two of them look so calm and innocent. Pictures can be deceiving!!

Teen Time...

Two times a year, I lead the teenagers in a retreat. Here is my group from the last time we all went to Waterloo. We always have times of study, reflection and of course fun and games!

It's Always Time for Dinner...

Here is just a picture of different friends helping me to prepare for a big dinner at our house. When you feed a lot of people, it is always nice to have some helping hands!