Holidays

The weather here in Baku has been HOT this summer. Although it is always hot in the summer with very little rain this summer has been exceptional. I have seen 100 degree days more consistently than I ever have growing up in the mid-west. Well,that changed today. Today as we started our day it was 65 degrees out side and it had rained much of the night. It was a breath of fresh air! When the weather begins to change I can't help but think of the new season

and of course, the holiday that is fast approaching. As I was recently looking through some of our summer pictures I came across our photos from the Fourth of July. It's a holiday that we almost forget when we are living here. It is not because we don't value it or what it stands for actually we probably value it and what it represents more than ever. The fact is there is nothing t

o remind us the holiday is approaching. No one is putting out red, white and blue decorations or preparing for their Fourth of July BBQ. There are no advertisements about the annual fireworks show down at the lake or at the local high school. Even though our holidays here are often not as

elaborate as they would be if we were in the States they are still special. This year wecelebrated with good friends. We had all the normal "stuff" that should be at a 4th of July party, hamburgers, grilled chicken, corn on the cob, cherry cobbler (cherries provided by the tree in our own backyard) and of course watermelon. Thanks to some advance planning the last time we were in the States we bought red, white and blue sprinkles to add to our cupcakes. Made things look just a little more festive.Although it didn't happen on the 4th of July, later this Summer we were able to participate in an evening of baseball with some friends. Baseball has not yet made a name for itself in this part of the world so our kids never see anyone play and rarely play baseball themselves. So getting together to play was a real treat. Those of you who know me(Chastidy) from my school years probably remember how much I LOVED to play softball. So, needless to say I so enjoyed seeing my boys

play. Hannah decided to just watch from the side lines. You'll notice my left-handed Noah (picture on the far left) is batting right handed. It took me half way through the evening to realize and help him switch to his lefty position. That is exactly the way I started out even though I am a lefty. No one asked me they just handed me a right handed glove and a bat and told me how to standlike a right handed batter. Of course it was all wrong for a lefty. Nevertheless, I played softball for 10 years right handed! Anyway, the point of this blog, that is growing a bit too lengthy, is that I adjusted. I wasn't right handed but I adapted. Sometimes things in our home a way from home seem awkward like a lefty trying to wear a righty's glove. The difference is that we have a great Coach and Father that shows us how to bat right handed even when in the natural we'd be a little more comfortable on the other side of the plate! Although being comfortable is ALWAYS our goal it is not always our Fathers and he definitely seems to know best. If I do say so myself, I was a pretty good softball player for a lefty in a right handed world.