The Schlatt Family

 Here today, in the northern hemisphere, it's the winter solstice.  Few of us, perhaps, have noticed this. Here in Kentucky, we are out enjoying the sunshine, squeezing in some last minute shopping errands, savoring whatever bits of outdoor playground time we can grab, for tomorrow the weather will turn and we will be forced inside. And though few of us may have noticed, the shortest day of the year is upon us. The day with the least amount of sunshine. The middle of the darkest season.  and for some of us, that feels just about right.  This Christmas time feels strange and complicated for our family. Hoping to be move to Albania sometime in the spring or fall of next year, we are keenly aware that this will be our last Christmas stateside for awhile.  Everything feels super important this year. Middle is keeping track of how many of our Christmas traditions have not yet been accomplished. (Check Firehouse lights off the list as of last night. ;) )  Firehou...

  We're here... we're back... we're processing... but most of all, we're together again.  While in Tirana, we saw a lot... we walked a lot... we talked a lot.  And we drank a lot of coffee and tea.  (Tigey McTigerson traveled with us. Each of our kiddos had an identical stuffed animal at home. It was a little bit of each of them on the trip with us.) Even though parts of the country try to function like a European city, Albania still has a tribal culture background. Because of this, it is still a highly relational culture. "Oh, you need something fixed? I got a guy." We laughed the number of times our team leaders said "we got a guy" when we asked them how certain parts of life function in Tirana. If you want to have a chat with someone, you meet them at a coffee shop.  If you want to discuss a business deal, you meet them at a coffee shop. If you're a man and you don't have anywhere else to be, you meet people at the coffee shop. (Unless you...

New blog, new community, new country.  Same faithful God.  Hello and welcome to the first post on the brand new blog!  Husband and I are sitting in our local coffee shop, where we sit almost every Friday morning, wrapping up all the things for our vision trip to Albania tomorrow  THIS afternoon. The lists are getting checked off, the gifts are getting wrapped, the bags are being packed. And all the big, BIG feelings are happening in the family. Oldest has been counting down the days every morning... "Mom, it's almost the weekend... only 3 more days... only 2 more days..." Youngest has been finding us in the middle of the nights or asking for extra snuggles at bedtime. Middle has quit accepting bedtime hugs from us... "Hug, buddy?" "No, thank you." And I cried... when I finished buying the groceries to leave for the baby sitters... when I checked off the "clothes for kids"... when I finished the laundry for the trip. It's hard for our fami...