Sunday - Not A Day Of Rest For Everyone

Sunday morning, pretty early, I arrived back in my beautiful Budapest!  As soon as I landed at Ferighy I always get excited, but once I get in the taxi and pass the wonderfully amazing Museum of Fine Arts, I get this excited rush of "being home".  I love love this city - and these people!

I got to the hotel, quick showered and then met John and Debbie Davis from our group who had arrived the evening before.  We then hopped the 7E to Blaha to attend church at Golgota (which is Calvary Chapel).  The church is pastored by an American guy, Phil Metzger, who has been in Budapest for ages so the service is a great mix of Hungarian and English.  The service was from Mark about how nothing we do can 

After service, we went around the corner for lunch and then headed back for some rest and for me to meet up with some other friends I hadn't seen in a while.  

By 1:30 the rest of our Crossroads group was supposed to have arrived in Budapest, however, sadly, the had been delayed from Chicago to London and so they missed their connection to Budapest  and weren't able to get on a flight out until 8:55 pm so they didn't even get in to Budapest until after midnight.  Poor people!  

But the good news is- they did get in safe and sound and all their bags as well!  A rough start - but a good start!!!!!

Sunrise And Kaffe

It's 7:15 a.m. In Frankfurt Au Main.  Typical flight from Chicago.  Took my food on, watched a movie or two, read, tried (operative word being tried) to sleep... My flight left half an hour late which meant we got in at 6:30 and my Budapest flight was supposed to leave at 7:30.  But God is good and the flight was delayed until 7:40.  It's actually nice to travel internationally because I purposefully don't look at my phone, ergo know the time.  So as I stood in the eternally long customs line I just smiled because I had no clue what time it was and I couldn't do anything about it even if I did.  Ah - vacation...?

I'm now sitting on the flight to Budapest and I'm determined to finish enjoying my Kaffe and croissant while I read the book of James in preparation for a great BHHP week!!

Puszi!

And Here I Sit And Wait... AHHHH!!!!!!!!

I'm going a little crazy as of this past week and it won't be stopping anytime soon...:(

Last week was crazy work week and when you're out of town that means that your personal life is crazy as well as you don't really get anything done on the home front.

This week is not any better....

I have so much to do for work and I haven't even started packing for Hungary yet - I just have my bags sitting downstairs - empty and making Calvin all depressed.  I leave in Saturday and I'm barely home before then.

I've been frantically working on a training presentation for a new customer we have in China.  I finally finished it up today but I'm sure they'll all find plenty wrong with it before I give the presentation.  

I had decided that I wanted to be ahead of the game so I figured that I'd get to the Chinese consulate before I leave for Hungary and put in for my visa as when I get back my schedule is crazy for getting downtown.  

I printed my application off, got my pictures, my invite letter - all was good.  I called on one of my Chicago accounts in the morning and then went over to the consulate to catch them when they got back at 1pm from lunch.  I sat there and waited - the windows opened and they started calling numbers.  I'm listening as they're all taking and I hear things about copies of passports and flight info and hotel info - none of which I had.  I start texting my boss as he'd been there a few months before.  He doesn't remember what he needed but he does say "aren't you going out of country this weekend?" "Yes" I say.  "Then how can you get your visa?"  Duh!!!!! I totally didnt even remember that they need to keep my passport to do a visa!  Ah!!! All that time sitting there and all I could say when I finally got to the window (which dog gone I finished my waiting time since I had sat there so long already!) was "is the any chance I can get my visa by this Friday?  No?  Thanks! Bye!"  

How do you say "darn it!!!" In Chinese?..:( 

Well - that's back on my plate for when I get home!

Oh - an aside.. If I ever commit some horrible crime - I finally have a picture that the evening news can use with my headline story... And you'll never see it unless that horrible crime happens or - you can secretly nab my passport....:). I can take good good pictures, but I like to do things well so when I do take a bad picture, I take an extremely good bad picture.... Those Chinese will have a good lunch break laugh when I do turn my paperwork in.....

You Ever Wonder!

Have you ever wondered what it's like to "business travel" in Iowa?

So everyone - EVERYONE - is nice to you.  Not just like nice but like, oh my word, someone not from Iowa has come to see us!  And then they give you slobbery wet kisses like a puppy.. Well not quite, but close.

One time when I flew into Dubuque or Ames or some "medium sized" city like that - I was on a small commuter planewith about 10 men and we landed, got off the plane and right in front of us were the rental car counters.  I used to rent Budget  then and so as I'm walking off the plane, the woman at the Budget counter loudly and eagerly says "Alison?"

In the winter they have these gates across the highway entrances and exits and they close the highway down if there's too much snow or ice - which is often.

People move VERY slowly here.

The hospital I'm at, the vendors have to wear red bouffant hats instead of blue and so I'm back in the department today and another woman vendor walks in and stares at me incredulously and then comes over and says "I never see other females in red hats!..."  (That is not a national typical - there are plenty of women sales reps in the rest of the country...)

And this made me laugh yesterday when I flew into Des Moines .  I was so concerned about getting in and getting over to my account.  I landed at 7:30 and I had to be there around 8:30/9.  I rush out and sign in with my rental car and then I go to space B15 and I look up and this is what I see....

I'm standing at my rental car, looking at the plane I just flew in on.... Crazy!!!!!:). Oh by the way - I landed at 7:30 and was sitting in the hospital lobby 5 minutes to 8...

Have a good day wherever you are - and I'm presuming its someplace bigger than where I'm at - but probably not friendlier!...

I've Lost Track....

I know - I've become a horrible poster... I've just lost interest - but I'm trying to rally! :)

So - I'll go back to what I can remember.  Lets see - I've been in Minneapolis for a very long, very exciting (not) week.  It was hot, but then there were some great little rainshowers that kept on pushing up these awesome rainbows..

And then last week I flew into DC/Dulles and drove down to Richmond and Norfolk, VA.  While there, I got to catch up with some friends who are temporarily living there.  I had their two youngest in my Sunday School class so we were all happy to be reunited and we sang some song and colored some pictures and felt all rosy for a while... :)  Oh - and we even got to celebrate a birthday! :)

And then I headed up through DC and to Delaware where I crossed the Bay Bridge....

And roamed into the state of no taxes... yes - here's a little piece of info that not all of you know.  Delaware, the first state, has NO taxes!  On anything.  I checked all my receipts because I mentioned it and someone called me a liar... I"M NOT A LIAR!  Gas, Wal-Mart - nothing had taxes!  I know this too because my Philly friends often drive an hour down when they've got a big purchase....

And then when I flew home, I got in by 4 so I had a chance to over to Elgin and go to dinner with a friend who is attending Judson College there.  Ah - good times with Alana!  We're actually going bike riding this Saturday!  She's become some amazing marathon biker so I'm getting ready to get my tail kicked...

No pictures for this week because - well - because I worked in Effingham, IL and tomorrow Munster, IN.  You tell me why I've got no pictures to show :)

I'll try to update again next week, but then the week after is take over for Budapest for my mission trip! More to come on that!