Happy Fall Y'all!

I am way behind on my blog!  The month of October flew by so fast, I can hardly believe it!  My students are doing awesome.  This month brought the end of our first quarter and parent /teacher conferences.  I know my fellow teachers understand the pace of the school year - it picks up fast and won't slow down until the winter break!  Here we are in early November already...time is just zooming by but I am so grateful for the blessings of this season.  

Here are a few updates from my life around here! 

In late September we had an awesome retreat for our entire faculty and staff at school.  It was such a blessing to have a change of scenery!  Some of our time was spent on educational professional development and some time was for spiritual refreshment. We also had some free time each day, worship before each session and plenty of time for sharing meals and fellowship together.  

Apparently, Halloween and fall decor is becoming more popular in Hungary than it used to be.  I was so excited to find a fruit/vegetable stand near our house that was selling pumpkins. 

(the label just reads "Halloween") :) 

In October, I went to my first mall and did some shopping with friends.  I realized that in order to stay warm in this country, I needed to buy more pants!  Fall here feels like the dead of winter in south Texas.  Brrrr!!!!  

This mall is HUGE! I loved the big fall leaf decorations! 

I also enjoyed a Kürtőskalács Festival in the city with friends.  These treats are also known as chimney cakes and they are delicious! 

I shared in a previous post about a spectacular cooking fail (with a crockpot recipe, y'all...really sad).  I am glad to report that I made some adjustments to the recipe and was able to make it successfully a few weeks later.  

(Red Beans and Rice)

 I have cooked a few more things with mediocre success.  I can never adequately express the frustrations I have the entire cooking process here.  All I will say is that I miss HEB more than words.  When I am in Texas in December, I plan to get up early one day and quietly wander the aisles of the brand-new HEB in Kingwood!  

Also in October, I met up with a sweet new friend that I met on Facebook through mutual friends!  Jeanette and her husband have been living here in Budapest for several years and it has been great to connect with them!  Meeting fellow Texans here is so fun! 

This fall has also brought a lot of big things back in Texas that I have missed - baby and wedding showers, the birth of a dear friend's first child, the birth of my cousin's son and my niece's 5th birthday.  Not being there for these moments is really hard for me.  I don't like it one little bit, honestly.  It is also hard to miss all the small moments of life, the little mundane things.  I am happy in my life here and I know that I am right where God wants me to be, but that doesn't change the hard. I am SO thankful for the technology that allows me to stay in touch with people so many miles away!  

Thanks for reading about how things have been going around here! New blog post coming soon about my dad's visit here last weekend! :)