wordless wednesday

merry christmamericazilian

The Eloi family generously hosted yet another celebratory gathering for us on Christmas Eve. We enjoyed amazing food, playing with and laughing at the chicken pocked kiddos, drinking too much wine, and cherishing our time together.

holiday greetings

a big thanks!

In lieu of this week's regularly scheduled meeting, the not-yet-holiday-traveled homegroupers attended Andy's match on Tuesday night. I would have been perfectly content with a down and dirty win in three, but the Spacer's dudes had something much more anxiety-producing exciting in mind.

barcelona

Friends and family, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. It's been far too long since my last update and I'm sure all 4 of you frequent readers have been hungry for a little Hein family life update. Patience is a virtue. After once-a-day blogging for an entire month, I convinced myself I had earned a short - albeit unnecessary (let's be honest, what else do I have to do...?) - break from the blogosphere.

As teased at the end of November, Alejandro convinced me to join him on a quick trip to Barcelona while Andy was away for the French Cup. We braved the rain and "Hotel" Coronado ("hotel" because it cost 12 euro per night per person), and enjoyed an awesome little getaway.

We were sure to act as touristy as possible. We powered through day one by visiting Las Ramblas, the Columbus Monument, the Gothic Quarter, the Arc de Triomf, the Parc de la Ciutadella and the Sagrada Familia cathedral.

wordless wednesday

on to the next one...

the best way to spread christmas cheer...

We were pleased as punch to host our small group's Christmas celebration. In an attempt to make a somewhat lonely (dramatic, I know) holiday season a bit brighter, I decided to "Christmas the heck" out of our apartment. The festive decorations, wonderful friends, and treats for days made for a perfect evening.

because one thanksgiving wasn't enough

Every year, in an effort to reach out to the community we are a part of, the "young adults" in our church host a Thanksgiving dinner. Sign up sheets were passed around for the weeks leading up to our belated grubfest, cute little invites made for handing out to friends, colleagues, and classmates, and a few fabulous elder couples in the church worked their butts off to facilitate an incredible night of fellowship.