Here, There, and Everywhere

Happy New Year!!

2012-01-09T11:33:00.000-08:00

Let me begin by saying, "Happy Thanksgiving!", "Merry Christmas!", and "Happy New Year!". There. I think I covered all of the holidays that I missed. Once again, November and December flew into my life like Hank the Cowdog chasing Pete the barn cat and just created havoc to my schedule! I'm going to be doing an end-of-year update for you all soon.

I wanted to mention to all of you that I am on Instagram. If you happen to have that app, my user name is: tebracken. I would love to have you follow me and to even follow some of you! It is such a quick and easy way to post pictures! Tonight I posted a great picture of my homemade chicken alfredo pizza. It was truly great!

May God bless your new year and may your laundry learn to wash itself!

Vicksburg MS- 2010

2011-10-30T23:47:00.001-07:00

As some of you may know, our home church is in Vicksburg, MS. Pastor Tipton is our pastor. Right now, I would just like to say that I have a great amount of sympathy for the rest of you who do not have Pastor Tipton as your pastor. I met pastor Tipton when I was a student at JCM. He was Chris' pastor prior to us getting married and became my pastor while we were dating. One of our favorite things to do is to just ask him a question and get him started talking. I always feel a hundred times smarter after wards. We also have some great friends in his son, Dathan, and his family. They have three lovely kids. Well, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

HEHE... Actually, we had all gone to a place called Gattytown (Maybe?) and convinced our kids to trade in their tickets for fake redneck teeth. The irony of this is that they all used the rest of their tickets to get suckers! I had some pictures of all of the kids, but they came out blurry! My kids adore these three kids of the younger Tiptons. My favorite part is that Ethan nor Abbey have ever referred to the twins as anything other than "Katelyn and Kaylee, the girls that look alike". Can you tell that these were the first twins they had ever seen? Here is a picture of all of them together.

We always have a lot of fun in Vicksburg, but we are still waiting for all of them to come over to Taiwan so we can play host. (*not so thinly veiled hint)

Next up: My dad's house

Time Travel... kinda

2011-10-30T23:39:00.000-07:00

Do you all remember that last year about this time, we went back to the USA? And I was going to blog about every place we covered in three weeks and then, well, after Idaho, Lodi, and Fresno, I never covered the other stops? Guess what?! I too, remember all of that! And I am going to cover those last stops now. I know some people might be wondering why I would cover something that happened almost a year ago and this is the reason why. Those last stops were the pleasure, not business, stops of the trip. Actually, Lodi was pleasure also. In those last stops, we visited our home church in the States, went to see my dad and had an early Thanksgiving meal with my mom and step-dad and brothers and grandmas. Since this blog is also a way for me to keep memories and even keep a time line of our lives, I am going to blog old content. But it is totally new to you!! So, here we go!

The Long Awaited Rome Post

2011-09-26T10:33:00.000-07:00

As many of you already know from a previous post, Chris and I were blessed with a trip to Rome for our 10th wedding anniversary. Dad and Mom Bracken gave us tickets and a hotel room using their frequent flier and hotel points. Another pastor blessed us with an offering that covered all the land cost. Like I said, it was a total blessing! I have been trying to get this post together for about 3 months now and I apologize to you that have been waiting. So, let's just dive right in, shall we?

Day 1: We slept in after an exhausting Sunday night flight and full day in Paris on Monday. When we did get up, we just grabbed a map and went walking. The map was to get back home with more than anything else. After first locating a sidewalk cafe and eating pizza and ravioli to our hearts content, we wandered down one street and up another. Somewhere we found this building that had been converted into a government building. We tried out a little artistic photography.

We stumbled upon an afternoon market and I got an the coolest watch. It is smooth and black and made from a coconut shell. Not exactly quality, but every time I wear it, I feel like I am back in Rome. There many have also been an awesome leather purse that came home with me. Then we crossed these bridges that were quite beautiful. Chris convinced me to pose and we also brought home this somewhat lame picture of me posing. Please focus on the bridge behind me.

Thinking that this was a pretty scenic street, we tried out a bit more artistic photography. It turns out that the building in the background is St. Peter's Basilica. We did not actually visit the Vatican City since with was already closed.

After a few more turns, we discovered a Piazza that was in full swing for the night. We watched a artist paint some beautiful paintings (a few which we bought for gifts because we could not believe how cheap they were) and met a Chinese man that was surprised that we could speak Chinese. He was kind enough to tell me that my husband's Chinese is better than mine. Just give me 20 more years! We then left the piazza heading south, but thinking that we were headed north. Our hotel was north. When we once again reached the river, we discovered our mistake. Since walking back would have been an hour trek and we were worn out from having already been walking for about 7 hours, we decided to figure out the bus system. Fortunately, it is very tourist friendly and since we were the only ones on the bus, the driver ask where we wanted to go and took us straight there! Awesome. I have to say that the Italian people were so friendly and eager to please.

Day 2: Today we have goals! We started with the Colosseum, then moved on the the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill and Circus Maximus. On a map, these areas look relatively small. They are not. Do not be fooled. But first, the Colosseum. It was so much bigger than what I had envisioned. Look, the sun is in our faces!

In this picture, you can see where they have reconstructed a portion of flooring over the ruins. This is what the original would have looked like. To the spectators, the floor looked solid, but was actually constructed of moving parts. This way, things, people or animals could "magically" appear in the middle of the arena during performances. The Colosseum was mainly used for festivals and outrageous performances. And by Outrageous, I mean 50 bears at one time.

You can see here that under the floor was actually a network of rooms and hallways. They used pulleys to lift things up onto the arena floor. I have to tell you a little funny. Chris and I were listening to their audio guide and Chris nudged me and said, "Look! There is still a wild animal down in the ruins!" When I looked, there was a very calm, very domesticated cat strolling around like it owned the place!

Just a little view of the different ruins outside of the Colosseum. I was on the second floor when I took these pictures. Before the ruins crumbled, there was actually a third floor to the Colosseum. As I mentioned, it was quite large.

This is the Arch of Constantine. It is located just outside the Colosseum and was erected to declare Constantine's triumph in a certain battle. This was the purpose of Arches.

Just a little view of Palatine Hill. It was so lush and beautiful that it was easy to see why the Caesars chose this location. If you are unfamiliar with Roman history, Palatine Hill is the center most hill of the seven hills of Rome. It has the Roman Forum on one side and Circus Maximus on the other side. It was also the location of the residence of Caesars and affluent Romans. The Roman Forum was of course where all the government buildings were located.

In the Roman Forum, there was an arch that caught my eye. Actually, it was the menorah depicted that caught my eye. This arch was to commemorate a victory in the Parthian wars in 203 AD. It is call the Arch of Septimius Severus. I know that the battle was at Mesapotamia, but does anyone know more than wikipedia about this?

While resting at the arch, I took this picture to remind myself not to buy new shoes before a trip. Does anyone want these shoes? I can't even think about them without my feet hurting.

Circus Maximus was under some construction, so we only got to peek at it from the road. On the way back to our hotel, I captured a great street view. We were staying at the top of the Spanish steps.

Day 3: We started the day by once again navigating the bus system to go visit a catacomb. There are dozens of catacombs in Rome and we chose what is believed to be the oldest and largest, which is called "Catacomb of Priscilla". How it got this name is a little conflicting. The tour guide told us that it was named for a wealthy lady that donated the land to Christians for burial. Most accounts I have read in other placed say that it was named for this lady because she was probably the wife of the Consul Acilius who became a Christian and was killed on the orders of Domitian. It does have some of the oldest paintings of Mary with the baby Jesus. Interesting enough, there was no paintings or symbols of the cross in the catacombs because the early Christians did not focus on the death of Christ, but instead on his resurrection! They did not allow pictures down in the catacombs, but you see some online hereAfter leaving the Catacombs, we wandered around until we found a little restaurant. We were pretty far out of the tourist-y areas and enjoyed some down home cooking. No one spoke English, so we had lots of fun pointing and figuring it out. From there, we caught a bus and just rode until we saw something interesting. If we saw something out the window we liked, we just hopped off at the next stop and explored. And really, that is what we like best about going to another country. Just jumping into the culture and figuring it out.

That night, we went out to a special place to eat for our actual anniversary dinner. The restaurant had an incredible view of the city. After wards, we tried to take a picture, but it was a little too dark. I tried to lighten it, but it just came out looking photo-shopped!! Oh well, enjoy!

It was a short but wonderful trip that I would be again in a heartbeat. Chris would go back for the food alone!

Uh, say what?

2011-08-23T08:53:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, I saw a teenager here in Taiwan wearing a rather interesting T-shirt. I only wish I had gotten a picture for you all. He was obviously Taiwanese and his shirt read, "I am the Black American dream". At first I thought, "Uh, perhaps he needs a few more English classes." But you know what? That T-shirt has secretly thrilled me for months. Every time I think about it, I giggle! I never knew that the black American dream is to be Chinese!

Oh the Logic! It's hurting my head...

2011-08-22T09:49:00.000-07:00

See this kid? This one right here:

I may have mentioned before that he is logical. He is the kid that ask me if Jesus wears clothes. He is also the kid that went through a terrifically long stage of asking "why" about everything. A stage that I almost didn't survive. Well, I can think of no other way to tell you just how logical his is than to tell you a joke that he made up on Sunday. It goes like this:

"Why did the cloud go to the doctor?"

and the answer?

"He didn't because clouds are in the sky and they don't need doctors."

The end.

A Pentecostal Purse

2011-08-21T23:59:00.000-07:00

Do you all want to know a secret? One of the reasons that this blog got neglected was because we were back in the USA for about two weeks at the beginning of August. Probably about ten or so of you already know that little secret. We went back for an ADMIT conference in Tulsa and Arkansas Campmeeting in North Little Rock. Both conferences were an absolute blessing to attend. But, that is not what I am here to talk about today. If you have already heard the story, (Mom Bracken told it when she was speaking at the Ladies Meeting in North Little Rock.) just come back tomorrow.

The first day that we got to the US, Abbey told me very emphatically that she needed a "Pentecostal Purse". "A what??", I replied. "What is a Pentecostal Purse?" After she gave me the come-on-Mom look, she said, "It is BIG, black and shiny." Much like this:

Except not a Prada, obviously. Well, before we left Tulsa, a dear friend of ours gave Abbey money for her to buy a "Pentecostal Purse". So, in Little Rock, we headed to TJ Maxx (seriously, I love that place!) to find the perfect purse. And that was when I knew for sure that she was really my daughter in heart, not just in blood. She had forty dollars and she searched until she found a purse on sale. And what did she do with the extra cash? Well, bought a new wallet and a new notepad, of course!

And if don't think she has her finger on the pulse of Pentecostal Ladies, next time you are in a Pentecostal church, look around and count all the big, black, shiny purses!

I should also mention this story as a side note. After Mom Bracken spoke in Little Rock, we were chatting with a lady we met in the bathroom (Honestly, I think that is a such a girl thing, you know, to make friends in the bathroom!) and she told us that she was in the car with her husband headed back to the hotel and she said, "I think I might have to get me one of those Pentecostal Purses!" To which he replied, "A say what??" Now I know how trends get spread!

Resurrection

2011-08-19T23:33:00.001-07:00

Dear Readers,
I apologise that this blog has been, how shall I put it, stale? slacking? overlooked? neglected? Dead.

I am going to remedy this today. Today, I am getting back on schedule. I have a ton of blogs coming up about Taiwan, our trip to Rome, and some pretty funny things that have been happening around the Bracken Zoo.

For now, I am going to leave you with some awesome pictures created by a Chinese artist. He aptly calls his art "Blending In". Hope you enjoy!

Taking the Effort to be Green Too Far...

2011-07-17T17:42:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the text being a little too small to see! Let me quote the most important sentence from above:

"Please throw other wasters in the trash bin outside."

In other words, don't be a waster or we will waste you! Perhaps being green has gone too far?

I'm telling you, I don't even go around looking for these kinds of things! They just find me. (Note to self: Find a way to take that click-I'm-taking-a-picture sound off of iphone. It is awkward when taking pictures of Chinglish in a bathroom stall.)

Does it make sense?

2011-07-11T04:21:00.001-07:00

A local store is selling this T-shirts. I'm guessing that it might be a good idea to ask a native English speaker to check your English before you print 10,000 of these babies. I think that they were wanting of instead of or. At least, I hope they were. Chinglish is alive and well!

A Super-Duper Supermarket!

2011-07-03T06:50:00.000-07:00

A new Wong's Supermarket recently opened here in Kaohsiung. It has some really awesome features that most other grocery stores around here don't have. Actually, it's been called the "Superstar of Supermarkets."

Top notch quality!

For instance,
It has an automatic water mister to keep the produce fresh. Just before it goes on, you hear the distant sound of thunder and the smell of fresh rain in the air.

When you pass the milk cases, you hear cows mooing and you experience the scent of fresh cut hay.

In the meat department there is the aroma of charcoal grilled steaks and smoked ribs.

In the seafood department, the fresh, clean, crisp smell of the ocean and the sound of waves slapping the shoreline greets you.

When you approach the egg case, you hear hens cluck and cackle and the air is filled with the pleasing aroma of bacon and eggs frying.

The bread department features the tantalizing smell of fresh baked bread & cookies.

However, I've stopped buying toilet paper there...

(HaHaHa... Okay, I feel that I should confess that I ripped this off of another blog! Don't worry, I ask permission first and he then confessed that he actually ripped it off of an e-mail. However, if you would like to check out the blog of an AIMer with a pretty great sense of humor, just click right here.)

Quick Funny

2011-07-02T08:45:00.001-07:00

The other day Chris and I were chatting and I discovered a totally nice way to say something not so nice! It was so amazing that I really must share. What was the sentence?

"Pardon me, it appears that you have lost your clue."

In other words,

"You ain't gotta clue!"

That's me, just trying to make the world a nicer place! (Just for the record, we were bantering and equally thought this sentence to be hilarious!)

Paris

2011-06-29T08:20:00.000-07:00

As most of you know from an older post, Chris and I got the chance to go to Rome for a week. However, at the last minute, we ended up with a full day in Paris between flights. How much can you do in Paris in one day? Well, actually a lot of you don't mind running and you don't get caught up in the details!

Our first excursion was through Gard du Nord. This is a huge train/subway/High Speed Rail station in Paris. Because we didn't really want to drag our suitcases all over Paris and we needed to take a train from Gard du Nord to our exit airport, we decided to store our luggage here. Easier said than done. I should mention that the station is about 5 or so levels, 3 below ground and two above. Or maybe that was two underground and three above, I forget right now. Anyways, after a nice 2 hour excursion inside the station, we found where to store the luggage and headed out. By the way, if you need a tour guide for this station, I am willing to offer my services. After 2 and a half hours, I have a pretty good handle on the layout. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture.

First thing, we headed out to the Eiffel tower. It was cool and rainy, but that didn't slow us down at all.

Here is the base of the tower. I was amazed at how large it actually was. I'm not sure what I had in mind, but since it was originally build for an exposition and meant to be temporary, I was expecting it to be smaller. I think Chris was also because before we left, he ask me if I wanted to walk to the top. He was pretty gung-ho until he read online that it has 1631 steps to the top. We took the elevator.

Parisians initially hated the Eiffel Tower. They wanted it removed because it messed up the skyline. However, when they realized how popular it was and how much tourism it could generate, they embraced it wholeheartedly. It is the most visited paid monument in the world.

It was also a great way to see the city and I imagine that the view would have been even better at night. However, we didn't have a night in Paris. When our flight left at 9:30 p.m., the sun had not fully set and it was still light out. Here's Chris and I. If you know how much he hates pictures, you will be amazed at the amount I got of him on this trip!

From the Tower, we caught a boat ride down the Seine River.

I absolutely love French Architecture! I kept taking pictures of buildings and when we got home, some friends ask, "What's this building?". The only answer I had was, "I don't know, but doesn't it look cool?". It was something about all the windows. I'm sure that window washers make a fortune in that city!

Our next stop was Notre Dame. Actually, before we headed inside, we were starved and wondered around until we found this cafe whose specialty was tarts. (I had a savory one of spinach and goat cheese and a sweet one of dark and white chocolate. Yum!) Imagine our surprise when we discovered that the owners were Chinese! They were equally surprised when we spoke Chinese.

This is a side view of the church taken from across the river.

This is the entryway. I secretly wish that all churches today were still built like this.

I mean, who wouldn't want to worship under stain glass windows?

After this, we headed to the Louvre. Our sole intent was to see the Mona Lisa and then head back out to the city. However, we got lost in the museum. We were on the ground floor and could not find an exit that was not sealed off! After about 30 minutes of wondering and following endless signs that said, "Sortie!" (Exit), we found ourselves in the underground mall. There I found an awesome tea shop called "Mariage Freres". I have had their tea at a French restaurant here in Taiwan and absolutely love it. I left with some French Breakfast Tea.

From the mall, we hopped the subway back to Gard du Nord, picked up our luggage and rode a train an hour north to a little city of Beauvais. There we caught our plane to Rome. It was really nice to be able to see the countryside somewhat from the train. Each town the train stopped in seemed to be small hamlets or villages. If we would have had time, it would have been great to just jump off the train at one of the stops and just explore.

Our next stop: Roma Italia!

Help me, what's the secret here?

2011-06-19T11:11:00.002-07:00

See this cute girl? This really, really cute girl? She is mine. At eight, she doesn't really have any secrets to keep, but I have a feeling that she isn't going to be good at keeping them. My Grandma Eckles (my dad's mom) is horrible at keeping secrets. If you start to tell her a secret, she will tell you right up front that she can't keep secrets and if you truly don't want it to told, then don't tell her. At least she is honest about it! But, back to Abbey.

The other day she had this little piece of paper. The conversation when down like this:

A: "Me and Eimi and Karin have a secret written on this paper."

M: "Oh really?"

A: "Do you want me to read it to you?"

M: "Sure"

A: "It says, 'In ten years, I will be 18 and in ten years, Eimi will be 17 and in ten years, Karin will be 19." (At this point she just stopped reading and looked at me.

M: "Is that your secret?"

A: "Yep"

End of Convo.

Hummmmm.... so what was the secret? Chris surmised that the secret was that they could count. I personally think that the secret might be a few vocabulary lessons this summer.

I'm back!

2011-06-17T23:58:00.000-07:00

Hello, hello, hello! Let me start by saying that I am so sorry for the two month break. It was unplanned. I was busy, then sick, then tired, then gone, then rinse and repeat. BUT... I have so many things to tell you all and I am going to be back on schedule this week. Plus, all the news from our Paris/Rome trip!

And for all of you that still read this blog... THANK YOU!

Smells I Like to Smell...

2011-04-13T17:16:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by Mary, so here's a post to the smells that I love. There seems to be a theme...

I LOVE the smell of clean laundry. I have been known to stick my head in the washer after a nice clean load and hang out for awhile.

Chocolate! Sometimes I like smelling it more than I like eating it.

My husband would say that I am addicted to the smell of these. He is probably right...

Ahh, the smell of clean kids right after their bath! I just want to squeeze them and sniff their clean hair. Most of the time they let me.

And who doesn't love the smell of clean cats? Probably the cats.

One of my new favorite smells is this Hawaii Coconut from Bath and Body Works.

And my favorite standby? Island Cotton. It smells like clean clothes!

But the smell that is me is this perfume. I have been wearing Curve for over 12 years now. Once a lady at church was in the elevator after me and she said that she knew I had just been there because she could smell my perfume. It has a nice, fresh, clean smell.

Did you get the theme? I never realized I was so obsessed with things smelling clean! Thanks Mary, this was great fun!

What I Learned at Bible College

2011-04-12T10:47:00.000-07:00

Another blogger, Classic Mary Moments (see her in the blog roll at right), did a post called just this. Her's was 95% serious. It made me think of the things I learned in Bible College. So here is my list. Warning! It is 95% unserious.

10. A good roommate is important. A bad one will yell at you. A good one will still yell at you, but you can yell back.

9. She will probably yell if you turn on the radio early in the morning.

8. It is possible to live on ramen noodles, mac and cheese and Spagetti-os. But only if you work for a good restaurant where you get a nice discount.

7. Some teachers do not read every essay. You can test this theory by slipping a paragraph about Little Red Riding Hood into the middle of your Bible Survey paper. If you get a 99%, they didn't read all of your paper.

6. Some teachers will read every word that every student writes. It will be a joy to write papers for them.

5. If the switch to the bathroom is on the outside of the bathroom, store a flashlight in the bathroom.

4. If you blow a candle out 10 seconds before room check, the dorm mom will still guess that you had a candle burning.

3. If you climb on top of the closet and lift the ceiling tiles to spy on you suitemate, you might get hung on a nail trying to get down.

2. A good roommate will help you down. Your roommate will laugh and take your picture. You will have to tape her singing in the shower to recover said picture.

1. You CAN be a totally different person in three years! (In a good way!)

In all honesty, Bible College changed my life. I had a lot of fun, but a lot of serious moments also. It was there that God took all of the bitterness I had in my heart out, there that I knew I was going to be in Asia one day, and there that I had a vision about the revival that is beginning here now. I made great friends that I am still in contact with 11 years later and still think of as some of my greatest friends. Rest in Peace JCM!

I'm going on Va-cay-shun!

2011-04-12T10:18:00.000-07:00

This year, Chris and I will celebrate 10 years of marriage. Mama and Dad Bracken came up to us about a month ago and said something like this, "Hey, we have enough flier miles for two free tickets and enough points with a hotel company to get four or five nights free and we want to give these to you for your anniversary, so where do you want to go?" (Yes, I did hit the in-law jackpot! UH, I mean blessingpot!) After convincing Chris and debating about where to go, we decided on this place. Can you guess it? here is clue number 1:

Still not sure? Here is another hint:

Okay, the final hint. You should get it for sure now:

YES! We are going to Rome in June! I am so excited! Of course with Rome being built on seven hills and expecting tons of walking, I am seriously visiting the exercise room in our building about 5 times a week. Counting last week, I have 9 weeks to train. Last week, I lost 3 pounds and will try to keep you all updated.

Rome! Man, I can't believe it!

***In case you are wondering, the first picture is the Colosseum, the second is the Pantheon and the third, well, it's a map!

Oh My Hallelujah, Guess What!

2011-03-30T02:27:00.000-07:00

One of the people in the above picture got the HOLY GHOST last Sunday night. Can you guess who?

Here is another hint. He wanted to get baptized right after church. Am I one happy momma? Oh yeah, you better believe it!

I recently told Chris, "If you do not want the Holy Ghost, you had better not show up at our church, because everyone showing up without it is leaving with it!" Hallelujah!

Conference Reporting...

2011-03-25T03:37:00.000-07:00

Okay, let me explain the title. It is not incorrect English. I have learned from teaching English (certainly never from studying English!) that when we use -ing, it is called Present Continues es and indicates that something started in the past and is still continuing at this present time. (Aren't I smart? See, Alabama girls can be smart!) Soooo, this is my report of our National Conference and its continuing effects!

We had an awesome conference! This year we had a Nationalization Service conducted by Bro. Howell and Bro. Shalm. Taiwan is now an official nationalized work and that means that we are totally self-governing. What an awesome step for the work and ministry here in Taiwan.

We had incredible services with Bro. Stoneking and about 10 people received the Holy Ghost. I am not sure if I really believe this number because my husband and I have had this exact conversation at least 5 times.

Chris: "You know that _____________ got the Holy Ghost at national conference, right?"

Me: "Really? I didn't know! I am so excited!"

Chris: "Yeah, I thought you knew."

And repeat 4 more times.

Now for the best part! We have had 6 people to be baptized at our church since the conference and 6 people to receive the Holy Ghost. I have also heard reports from the other churches of people receiving the Holy Ghost and being baptized. There hasn't been a Sunday since conference that there hasn't been someone receive the Holy Ghost or get baptized at at least one, if not more, of our churches in Taiwan! Last Sunday, we had a man from Mainland China to get the Holy Ghost!! He is an exchange student that some people from our HsinChu (a city just south of Taipei. Refer to map above.) bible class met and invited to church. He travel south for about 5 hours to get to our church and God filled him! He will soon return to China.

The Sunday after conference, the new church in Chia-I(a city about two hours north of Kaohsiung. Refer to map above.) had their church dedication. I believe I counted about 70 people at the dedication. It was hard to count with all of the people standing in the back and around the sides because of the lack of chairs! (or I should say, the lack of room for more chairs!) Also, the first Sunday in April, our Taipei church will have its dedication! In less than four years, we have gone from 2 churches to 6 churches with another one in the works! I can't tell you thrill of excitement that I feel just typing that sentence! How many will it be next year?

Sleep Warnings...

2011-03-19T00:10:00.000-07:00

If you are ever laying on your stomach across your bed reading a book, NEVER fall asleep with your legs from the knees down hanging off the bed and your face buried flat into the pillow. If you do, you will dream that you are trying to fly uncooperative planes, drive uncooperative cars, and dress uncooperative babies. But most frustrating with be the uncooperative conversations you will have. Why could that lady not just understand that she had to buy the "Sand Vase", a word I apparently made up in my dream, at the hotel gift shop, then come to my store and buy her sand? I can't help it that we do not sell the Sand Vases because the gift shop is the only one with a permit to do such!! (Yes, it appears that I have a vivid and detailed imagination)

And my final warning? Never make it a habit to fall asleep face down. Were I to ever croak and fall on the bed, my family would just assume I was sleep for at least a good 8 hours or so...

Bubbly Ethan

2011-03-10T05:41:00.000-08:00

My kids and I have a deal. IF they can finish their homework for the week before Thursday night, they can play in the jacuzzi in my bathroom. Doubly special since their bathroom doesn't have a bathtub, just a shower. Tonight I came to get Ethan out and found this:

Do you think he followed the rule about not getting anymore soap?

My Abbey

2011-03-10T05:20:00.000-08:00

My kids do and will do loads of things that make me happy, but nothing makes me happier than this:

The Icing on the Cake... Literally

2011-02-27T09:51:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I wanted to make a cake and I didn't really want to make my own icing. The powdered sugar I can get here is not as fine as the stuff from the States and well, the icing just doesn't come out as smooth. Sooo, I went over to our bakery supply store hoping that I would find some American canned icing or perhaps a Taiwan equivalent. And I did indeed find some icing. Take a look:

Also notice that this is a 5 kg container! And how much does it cost? Just $1040 dollars! Of course that is in Taiwan dollars, but it comes out to over $30 bucks USD!! I picked up powdered sugar for about $2 USD, went home and made my own. But if I ever need icing for 30 cakes, I know where to get it!

PS... Is anyone else disturbed that it calls this "icing" paste?

And the Winner is....

2011-02-12T16:28:00.000-08:00

SARBOO!!

Congrats to you and thank you everyone for commenting!

Sarboo, if you could email me at tebracken@yahoo.com, I will get your card off to you. PLease tell me which store you chose. Some sites like amazon and apple let me e-mail you the card, just something to keep in mind! You have a week to reply before I give it away to someone else!

3 Year Anniversary

2011-02-09T09:13:00.000-08:00

Today, February 9th, is the three year anniversary of this blog!! To celebrate, I am giving away a

$30 USD gift card.

To enter, you only have to comment on this blog post and then on Saturday, February 12th, I will chose a winner using random.org. You can chose the store that your gift card will come from. I just need to be able to purchase said card online.

When I started this blog, I had no idea that I would still be writing it three year later. I thought it would be a fun way to remember everything that was happening on deputation. Obviously, I would have chosen an easier URL had I realized I was going to like writing so much and that some people were actually going to be reading this. So once again, thank you so much for reading! This contest is just a little bit of my gratitude to you.

BIG NEWS...

2011-02-07T08:50:00.000-08:00

Coming on Feb. 9th!! Be sure to check back then!

Missions Update

2011-02-07T08:09:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, I haven't updated you all on what we are doing here in Taiwan lately, so I thought I would try to get things caught up!

1. In December, at my English class' Christmas party, we had 72 guest!!! Last year we had 50 and I thought that was outrageous! In case you have missed a previous explanation, this class is an outreach that I teach once a month. Lots of people want to learn English and this is a free class with a free meal afterwards. Thanks again to Vivian for being an awesome helper, to Rachel for inviting all of your students and to Katelyn for letting me treat you like family and not really like a guest.

2. In January, we signed a one year contact on a location in Taipei!! Our first service will be in March. We have been having classes in a coffee shop for about a year and a half. Excited does not begin to explain how we feel. Of course, with Chris pastoring three churches, tired might start to explain how we feel!! But when God opens the door, you have to walk through and trust him to give you the energy!

3. Yesterday at the LiGang church, a lady received the Holy Ghost. No matter how many times I have seen someone receive the Holy Ghost, it never fails to feel amazing!

4. The third weekend in February, we will be having our annual National Conference. We have lots of guest coming and it is going to be a great conference. I will update afterwards.

5. The last Sunday in February, the new church in ChiaYi will be having its dedication. This church was started by a young lady in our church and the Tainan church (the one that Dad Bracken pastors). They have been meeting in a classroom at school for over a year and are so excited to get into a more permanent location. So, that right, we will be having back to back dedications for new churches at the end of this month and the beginning of March!!

6. We just had one of our sisters leave Taiwan and go to another country to do missions work for six months. She is being supported by the churches here in Taiwan for the entire six months and perhaps longer if God opens the door. I can't tell you which country because it could endanger her, but I do ask for your prayers for her.

I just want to take this time and say a quick thank you to everyone who supports us and ED Asia. Without your support, we could not travel to these locations on a weekly basis, rent new locations to start churches, and be able to set up these churches to have church in. Thank you and to God be all the Glory and Honor!!

Bracken Blurbs

2011-01-29T09:50:00.000-08:00

#1- The other day I was talking with a girl in our church and I called her by her English name "Faye". Abbey over heard me and ask, "Her name is Fei, like fly?" (Fei, pronounced "Faye" means to fly in Chinese.) And then we had a good 5 minute discussion about how her name was "Faye", an English name, not "Fei" the Chinese word meaning to fly. Yeah... we are American, but not.

#2- Last night at my English Class, Ethan was incredibly hyper. Honestly, I do not let him have any caffeine and I greatly restrict his sugar! At the end of the night I told him, "Ethan, don't make any more messes. I don't have the energy to clean any more up." His reply? "Don't worry, Mama. I don't have any more energy to make any more messes." I didn't even know that was possible!

#3- I was at Costco recently with a friend and I was telling her how the last time I had been at Costco a lady had ran over the back of my foot with her cart. As I was explaining how bad it hurt and how I tried to shrug it off because the lady was so embarrassed and how people should watch where they are going, I ran over the back of the foot of the lady in front of me. Humiliating!! I'm sure there is a lesson about not complaining and seeing things from the other person's perspective in this story some where.

Stop #3- West Coast Conference

2011-01-22T22:25:00.001-08:00

One of our main reason for going back to the States last November was to attend West Coast Conference. Chris' family has a lot of ties with Bro. Morton and the church in Fresno. Chris even received the Holy Ghost in Bro. Morton church when he was 6 years old. I had my own "experience" in Fresno that you can read about here. (Ethan is the first story and Fresno is the church. In the last two years of blogging, I have started naming names. I guess I was shy about that in the beginning.)

This was my first time to go to WCC and it was an incredible conference. I got something out of ever service and it was nice to just be able to enjoy the services without any real responsibilities. I also met a lot of you and that was a true blessing. Before WCC, I had this idea that I would take pictures of my readers. In reality, I was too shy to ask for their pictures. However, now I greatly regret not taking the pictures. But... THANK YOU FOR READING!!!

I did take one picture at WCC. (And yes, that is literal. Only one picture!) There are a couple of blogs that I enjoy reading. Many of you that read my blog are here because of these two ladies that I finally got to meet in person. It was a little strange to meet them in person because I already felt like I knew them so well from their blogs.

The lady in the gold jacket is Sis. Kathy. You can read her blog here. I love, love, love her blog and loved, loved, loved meeting her.

The lady in the middle is Sis. Mary. You can read her blog here. Mary is funny and zany and just plain crazy (in a good way)! We didn't get to talk but for a moment because her brother was hungry. (Mary and Kathy will get this!)

Oh yeah, that one in black and blue is me and you obviously do not need a link to her blog. And the cute girl in front is mine. So cute and is going to live with her mama forever. Boys beware, her Baba is even more protective than I am.

Next Stop... Vicksburg!

Kitty Cat Honesty

2011-01-08T23:01:00.000-08:00

(To everyone who read the previous title: I am so sorry!! I had no idea that phrase meant something bad until a kind soul told me.)

How do you know if you new house slippers might be terribly hideous?

If the cat backs up and hisses the first time she sees them.

Just guessing.

HIs Hands

2010-12-30T10:45:00.000-08:00

I want to introduce you all to a non profit organization that we help out from time to time. It is a home for unwed mothers and an adotion agency for their babies. Two ladies, one American and one Canadian, started His Hands when they realized how many abortions take place in Taiwan each year. (280,000 legal abortions and 300,000 illegal abortions equaling over 500,000 abortions each year!!) Here is a link to their website with all the information and pictures of cute babies! Click here!

We currently have a two month old (Baby Jakeb) with us for the week so that the nannies could have a much deserved break during Christmas and New Years. He is such a cuddly cutie! When I was talking with one of the ladies setting up when I would get the baby and such, I ask her, "Will I have a car seat and a stroller for the baby?" In the past, they have given me these items to use for the time that I will have the baby. She told me that they have enough car seats to send one with each baby, but a lot of their strollers have broken recently. They use these strollers for when volunteers come over to the House of Hope to take the babies out for a walk or when babies go home with a volunteer for the weekend. They currently have nine babies and 3 strollers.

Our local church has been given the opportunity to give an offering to help purchase strollers for His Hands and I would like to extend this opportunity to you. If you want to donate money to His Hands, you can send it to my palpay (ladiel79@hotmail.com) and I will use 100% of it to buy new strollers for them. If you just want to help them out, you can do that through their website. The sheer amount of diapers and formula they use daily is amazing.

As Christians, we have a responsibility to not just say, "Be clothed, be full, or abortions are wrong", but to provide clothes, food and a different option. His Hands is providing a different option that is making a difference in the lives of so many babies. I know it sure has made a difference for Baby Jakeb!

We Wish You a Merry Christmas...

2010-12-25T07:37:00.000-08:00

And a happy new year! Hopefully your day will be filled with love and joy and remembering that Jesus is the center of it all. GOD BLESS YOU!

Christmas, Cats and Chaos

2010-12-21T09:14:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, I am finally back from the land of viruses and sickness! And just on the behalf of married women everywhere, I want to say, "Sometimes we have the misfortune to catch a virus that makes us throw up. This does not in anyway mean that we are expecting our third child, because we are not. Thank you."

I was looking for one of my more famous stories to give you all the link and realized that I never, ever wrote it on my blog! Most people know about it because of a lesson I have taught that is called "Medicine Moments". Anyways, it must go into blog history, so here it is.

Way back in 2008, we had a chaotic Christmas. It all started one night about a month before Christmas when Chris and I decided that the church needed to have a Christmas musical that year. Yes, I did indeed say one month. What followed was the two of us writing a musical, finding songs, having them translated, rehearsals, making costumes, breaking one sewing machine and almost two, rehearsals, and "oh yeah, by the way Honey, I think we should have a cast party here at the house after the final performance on Sunday night"! Right in the middle of all of this, our six month old cat went into heat. On a Friday night. The vet couldn't get her in until Monday. We have two cats. A male and a female. Jango, the girl, was locked in the bathroom to keep her from Vader, the male. We had no desire for kittens to be arriving in a few months. She meowed. And meowed. And meowed. And meowed for 24 hours straight. I even tried to drug her with infant Tylenol, but it had no affect whatsoever. (I only wanted her to sleep, so I could sleep.)

Well, we got the cats fixed and here in Taiwan they do things a little different. In the States, I believe the vet would place a cone shaped thing around the cat's head to keep it from disturbing the wound. Our vet took an old x-ray film and cut a hole in the middle of it. She then slipped it over the cats head. The result was a large black square around their necks that totally obscured their bodies. Walking heads, if you will. Remember this, it will be important later.

Well, the Sunday of the Musical arrived and it was busy to say the least. Jango had found a nice safe place to sleep away from all the hectic rushing underneath the Christmas tree (which was sitting on a small table). As I was grabbing the last few things I needed to take to church and calling to the kids to get their shoes on, Ethan decided to be a boy. For no apparent reason that I could see, he just walked over to the Christmas tree, bent down and yelled "RRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAA"!!! What ensued can not fully be described in words. Jango flew up from her nap and tried to get away. That x-ray film got caught in the lights and the cat and the tree when to the floor. She continued to struggle as I tried to untangle her. Once set free, she took off like a pack of dogs were after her. The Christmas tree was now void of all ornaments and the living room floor was littered with Christmas balls and ribbon and flowers. Both kids just stood in shock as I tried to right the tree back on to the table. I should also mention that the top half of the tree was dangerously crooked. Realizing that I didn't have time to deal with this right now, I told the kids, "Just put your shoes on and let's go."

The Musical was a great success. When I returned home, Chris had beaten me there and was trying to fix the tree. The first thing he said when I opened the door was, "Honey, I think the cats must have gotten into the tree". Maybe it was the stress or the ornaments ever where or just the memory of that cat struggling to get free, but I started laughing hysterically and the kids had to tell him what happened!

Say what?

2010-12-13T06:11:00.000-08:00

Humm... Can't say that I would like to have my skin and hair care products come from this place. The origins seem a little... odd? What do you think they might have been trying to say?

Stop #2- Lodi

2010-12-07T14:59:00.000-08:00

In Lodi, We squeezed in a couple of days of cousins time! Those two lovelies with my children are Andy's (Chris' older brother) kids. We hadn't seen Kyler since he was a baby, so it was a shock to the kids to see him so big and grown up.

Abbey and Ethan love to go to Uncle Andy's house not only for the cousins, but for the backyard (where they dug a huge mud pit and got disgracefully dirty) and the tire swing! Here, Uncle Andy is doing the pushing. Kyler is still a little bit too little for the tire, but Abbey, Kailan and Ethan were having a blast!

We were also excited to see Uncle Josh! He came down (over?) from San Fran. We put him right to work! Josh is a good sport and all the kids love him.

We always have fun in Lodi, so you can imagine that there were tears when it was time to leave. Maybe next time, the cousins can play together in Taiwan! (hint hint)

Next stop... Fresno and West Coast Conference

Stop #1- Idaho!

2010-12-07T06:02:00.001-08:00

Some of you have probably been waiting to hear how our trip to the States went. For the rest of you that really don't care, Sorry!

Our first stop was in Twin Falls, Idaho. We were with Bro. and Sis. Collins and had a great time. Abbey and Ethan were hoping for snow, but no such luck. It snowed the day after we left. Chris greatly rejoiced over this since he hates to be cold.

The church in Twin Falls is an awesome church! In the evening service, a young girl received the Holy Ghost and was baptized in Jesus name! Everyone was so friendly and Ethan learned how real cowboys wear their cowboy boots to church (Pants over the outside, not tucked in) from some of the men in the church.

In the Twin Falls mall, Abbey discovered Bath and Body Works. She is now addicted. I can't blame her though. I still remember when I discover Sun-kissed Raspberry and thought I was in heaven. Man, I wish they still sold that scent for old times sake!

Next stop... Lodi!

Back in the Saddle...metaphorically

2010-11-30T14:56:00.000-08:00

Well, I bet some of you were wondering if I was still alive, weren't you? At times, so was I! Especially on our trip back to Taiwan when three of our four planes were delayed and we literally ran through every single airport! Let's just say that one plane was delayed because when we got on the runway, we were facing two planes lined up to take off. It seems that they wanted to go east from the runway and we wanted to go west. That took an hour to correct. But we are back!!

I have stories and pictures from our US travels and will be getting them up for you guys, but I just want to say this really quick. THANK YOU to everyone who reads this and stopped by and told me so!! It was so encouraging to meet you!

Now, there is one last suitcase calling my name...

Bracken Blurbs

2010-11-12T07:54:00.000-08:00

This installment of Bracken Blurbs is devoted to Ethan. Mr. Logical-to-a-fault. You might be able to tell some kids that their father is the milkman and they will believe you, but Ethan would probably just tell you that his Baba is a preacher, not a milkman!

1. Once, during church, I gave Ethan a hug and a kiss. He then turned around with his "flirty" eyes and said, "If you want to keep kissing me, you can". Well, son of mine, thanks for the permission! Now, off to the convent!

2. A few weeks ago, someone bought Ethan and Abbey a cup of Dong Gwa tea. You guys don't have this stuff in America, but I actually love it if it has lemon juice added. Ethan was not so fond of it. After he took a drink, he wrinkled up his face and asked Chris if he liked that kind of tea. Chris, wanting to be polite because the giver of the tea was standing nearby, answered, "Yeah, sometimes." (Translation: "I only like it if someone gives it to me and stands there to see if I am going to drink it!") Ethan then replied, "Well, I hate this stuff!" Did I mention that he is honest to a fault, too?

3. If you have ever seen Chris preach, you know that he gets somewhat excited. He has a hard time standing still, to say the least. Can I get an "amen", Kaohsiung? After one pretty exciting service, Ethan went straight up to Chris after dismissal and asked Chris if he needed to go to the bathroom. When Chris said no, Ethan very seriously told him that he looked like he had to go pee when he was preaching. Well, at least he was paying attention!

Hello From Idaho!

2010-11-05T07:53:00.001-07:00

That's right! I am writing this post from Idaho. We are going to be in the States for three weeks and if you are going to be at one of the following places, please come and tell me hello! Here is the schedule:

11/5-11/8 Twin Falls, Idaho

11/8-11/10 Lodi, CA

11/10-11/13 Fresno, CA at West Coast Conference

11/13-11/16 Vicksburg, MS

11/16 Biloxi, MS

11/17-11/23 Florence, AL

11/23 Die from Exhaustion

I hope to meet some of you!

Okay, I have some free time and I am in the States. Where is Walmart?

New Winner...

2010-11-02T00:29:00.000-07:00

Well, Zhe Que, you didn't e-mail me or leave a comment before the 31st, so we have to choose a new winner.

Random.org has given me the number 2, soooooo The new winner is:

Mary Francis

Please e-mail me at tebracken@yahoo.com and let me know if you want your gift card to iTunes, Amazon or Wal-mart. And I will need an address. If I don't hear from you by November 25th, I will forced to once again choose a new winner. Don't let me down!!

Congrats!

Disturbing...

2010-11-02T00:25:00.000-07:00

There is just something strangely disturbing about pulling open a drawer in your kids room to put away some toys and hearing this:

"Remember me? I am the MEGATRON!"

It begged a reply, so I said this as I shut the drawer:

"Remember me? I am the MOMMY"

Life with boys is never boring.

Taiwan Tuesday #3

2010-10-26T13:49:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Kenting! It is pronounced cun (as in cunning)-ding. When we want to get away and relax, this is where we go. It is located on the southern most tip of Taiwan and so much fun! What do we do first? The beach of course! Because we normally go down when the kids are on fall or spring break, and the American school they attend isn't on the same schedule as local school, we normally get the whole beach to ourselves! This is the western side of Taiwan and the best place to get your feet wet!

Oh, man, look at that water! Kenting is a beautiful place and the water is incredibly clear, that is, unless a typhoon has just came through. Then, it is all sandy and brown.

Then we grab some food. Squid on a stick anyone? I am just kidding, I have never eaten this! But it is quite popular to see it being sold and eaten in Kenting or really at any night market here in Taiwan.

At night, the main road through Kenting city turns into a night market. You can throw darts at balloons, buy anything from t-shirts to sunglasses, or get something to eat at the many restaurants. Abbey and Ethan love the ice cream vendors, of course. Chris and I like the Starbucks. Yes, even Kenting has a Starbucks.

Venture a little bit off the beaten path and you can go to this place. Gas is naturally seeping out of the ground, but the quality is too law to make it worth anyone's trouble. So, what did they do? They set it on fire and it burns continually. People love to go there and roast hot dogs, marshmallows, jiffy pop popcorn and of course, squid on a stick!

This platform is the southern most point of Taiwan. From here, you can see the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea collide. The Pacific is blue and the South China Sea is green. There is a distinct line going from the point of Taiwan down through the ocean because the waves do not crash into the shore, but into each other! It is so weird to see the waves crashing parallel with the shore. If you ever make it to Kenting, do not leave without seeing this.

This is Sail Rock. It is a natural formation completely formed of coral. It is about 18 meters or 59 feet tall. See that tiny little ledge about halfway up? I have watch Chris and his brothers climb up to it and jump off into the ocean.

The main attractions of Kenting are on the western side of the island, but if you drive around the tip and up the cliffs, you can get a great picture of the east coast. Most of Taiwan's East coast is just like this, mountains that drop straight into the ocean. Beautiful, but mostly uninhabited. This is a perfect place for a picnic during the day or to watch the stars at night.

I am sorry, but none of these pictures are mine. I haven't been down there since I got my new camera and I can't get the pictures I have on my old camera off because the usb cord ran off of its own accord. BUT, I do have pictures just like these! I hope you enjoyed a little sunshine here in the middle of fall!

Oh, That Flirting Fellow

2010-10-25T07:12:00.000-07:00

Ethan is such a cutie pie that I dread the teen years. As for Abbey, well, that problem is already solved. We are forming a Pentecostal Convent and she will be residing there from age 12 until 30. Focusing on God and only God. At 30, she can marry the guy that her father chooses. If he finds one that is good enough. Do I think that we are being overprotective? Overprotective? What is this word? I am unfamiliar with it.

But Ethan, he is quickly working his way into the Convent. Last Sunday night, during pre-service prayer, he was smiling and flirting with Amber. Theirs is a relationship that I have been trying to figure out how to write about for many years. They are two months apart in age. From the time they could sit up, they have been sharing toys and fighting over toys and one day loving each other to death and the next day hating each other with a hate that normally only happens in siblings. You never know how it is going to go. But, there is one thing for sure, they know how to push each others buttons. Once, Amber sat down beside Ethan and he immediately started crying. When David (Amber's dad) ask Ethan what was wrong, he replied, "I don't want her sitting beside me because she talks too much!" Yeah... like I said, a love hate relationship.

Anyway, last Sunday night was a "love" day. Ethan was flirting up a storm and Amber was loving it. When I ask Ethan if he was flirting, he ask me what flirting was. I told him that it was when you "smile and make pretty eyes at a girl". He promptly looked at me and started smiling and batting his eyelashes! Ahh, a flirt and a quick learner. Yeah, he is definitely joining his sister in the convent!!

Taiwan Tuesday #2

2010-10-19T10:06:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Taipei 101! It is the second largest building in the world and gives you a great, if somewhat foggy (read pollution!) view of the sprawling city of Taipei. In June, for our 9th anniversary, Chris surprised me with a 3 day trip to Taipei. Because of everything I had heard about Taipei 101, I was dying to go up for a look-see. Well, we waited in line for about 30 minutes to go up, looked around and took these pictures for about 15 minutes and then waited in another line for 15 minutes to get to come back down. The elevator does travel at 37 miles per hour, so it is a quick ride. So, to save you the wait, here are pictures taken from the four directions (N,S,E,W). I do not have the pictures in order because I honestly have no clue. Sorry! They were taken from the 89th floor, which is the indoor observatory. I later heard that there was an outdoor observatory on the 91st floor.

Fun Fact: Chris and I lived in Taipei for almost two years when we first got married and came back to Taiwan. Being there, just the two of us, felt like I was on my honeymoon again.

I love the mountains! They surround the city so that Taipei sits in the middle of a "bowl". However, as you can imagine, the pollution has no where to go.

Yes! Taipei is huge. I should know, I walked all over it in those three days.

This last picture is of the damper that hangs from the 91st floor to the 88th floor. We finally figured out that its function is to keep the top of the tower from swaying in the wind. As far as I know, it is just a huge steel ball. Hey! This is a blog, not a science class!

If you want to read more about Taipei 101 or that huge steel damper, click here

Find the Difference Answer

2010-10-19T10:03:00.000-07:00

If you were wondering what you should be looking at, it is the CRUTCHES!!! I found it hilarious that Chris was driving his motorcycle with his crutches looped through the handle of his backpack. For those who do not know, he has an accident about 6 weeks ago and tore a tendon in his knee halfway. Poor hubby is waiting for it to heal, but determined to have his freedom.

Find the Difference

2010-10-15T02:20:00.000-07:00

Do you remember when you were a kid playing the "Find the Difference" game? There would be two pictures and you would have to find 5 differences in the second picture. I always thought they were great fun, but I wasn't above turning the paqe around and looking for the answers at the bottom. (The answers were always written upside down.) Well, here is a picture for you. Just one picture, just one big problem. Can you find it?

I will give you the answer tomorrow.

Taiwan Tuesdays

2010-10-12T05:41:00.000-07:00

Taiwan is such a beautiful and interesting place and since some of you may never have the time or money to visit, I thought that I might dedicate Tuesdays to Taiwan. I have been here for over 9 years and when people ask me what I think about it, the only word that comes to mind is "home". Sure, some things are different and may seem weird, but I view those things just as I would a bag of Pork Rinds in Alabama. It is weird, I wouldn't eat it, but it belongs there and without it, something would be missing. (If you have no idea what pork rinds are, well, I don't think I can explain it, but they are definitely a southern thing!)

Anyways, back to Taiwan! Here is a shot of Kaohsiung, the city I live in, from the freeway. Ahh, home!

And the Winner is...

2010-10-10T16:09:00.000-07:00

The winner of my "Follow this Blog Contest is...........

ZHU QUE

Please contact me at tebracken@yahoo.com and tell me if you prefer a gift card to Amazon.com, iTunes, or Walmart. You have until October 31st to contact me. After that, I will select a new winner if I haven't heard from you. Congratulations!!

A BIG thank you to everyone who follows the blog and also to those of you who may be a little shy to follow, but still read it faithfully.

(Winner was chosen using random.org. The random number generated was 16.)

My Sunday

2010-10-10T07:24:00.000-07:00

As some of you are just beginning your Sunday, mine has almost ended. But it was a wonderful Sunday. Anytime three people get baptized, it is a good Sunday.

The first to get baptized was a 5 year old little girl named Rebekah. Chris doesn't routinely baptize children, but after talking with her, he felt that she really understood what was going on and did indeed want to get baptized. Abbey was baptized when she was 4, but she had received the Holy Ghost earlier that night.

The next to get baptized was Rebekah's grandmother, Huang Mama. Today was her birthday and she is 65. Talk about going from one end to the other of the age spectrum! (I am particularly proud of the underwater shot I got!)

The next young lady is from our new work in LiGang. She is the first to be baptized from the church we started there in April of this year.

Finally, how do you know if you had good church?

If you look like this afterwards!!

Who says English is Easy?

2010-10-06T11:07:00.000-07:00

I read this on another website and had to post it. The Author is unknown. It is an excerpt from, "The Kingfisher Book of Children’s Poetry" selected by Michael Rosen. If English isn't your first language, I hope this isn't too confusing.

I take it you already know

Of tough and bough and cough and dough?

Others may stumble, but not you

On hiccough, thorough, laugh and through?

I write in case you wish perhaps

To learn of less familiar traps:

Beware of heard, a dreadful word

That looks like beard and sounds like bird.

And dead: it’s said like bed, not bead;

For goodness’ sake, don’t call it “deed”!

Watch out for meat and great and threat

(They rhyme with suite and straight and debt).

A moth is not a moth in mother

Nor both in bother, broth in brother.

And here is not a match for there,

Nor dear for bear, or fear for pear.

There’s a dose and rose, there’s also lose

(Just look them up), and goose, and choose,

And cork and work, and card and ward,

And font and front, and word and sword,

And do and go and thwart and cart -

Come come, I’ve barely made a start!

A dreadful language? Man alive,

I’d mastered it when I was five!

This is makes me glad that English is my first language!!

Song Scramble

2010-10-04T20:36:00.000-07:00

Abbey and Ethan have been providing me with so many "Confused Words Songs" that I think I could make Song Scramble a weekly thing! Here is the latest installment:

1. Ethan and Abbey were listening to one of my old cds. Does anyone out there remember Anointed and their song "For the Sake of the Call"? Well, there is a line that says, "No turning back, looking straight ahead...". Ethan chose to sing it as, "No turning back, I'm gonna shave my head." I guess that is a big thing to him.

2. Another old cd of 4-Him has a song where they are singing either "Hey God, Hey God" or "Yea God, Yea God". Abbey was singing it as "Hey girl, Hey girl" when Ethan quickly corrected her. His corrected version? "Make up, Make up". Needless to say, I was giggling it up around the corner!

Contest Time!!

2010-09-29T17:15:00.001-07:00

Because I am so happy about Fall, I am going to have a contest. The winner will get a $25 gift card for Amazon or iTunes (Winners choice. If these companies are not available in your country, we can figure out something!) or if they live in Taiwan, they can choose a cool $1000NT. Here's what you have to do.

Just follow this blog!!

Then, on 10/10, Taiwan's Independence Day, I will use the random number generator on random.org. I will then take that number and count down the list to decide the lucky (or blessed) winner. Best wishes and Thanks!!

Happy, Happy Fall

2010-09-29T16:52:00.000-07:00

If you remember this post from last year, you will also remember my addiction to Fall. Or Autumn, depending on where you live. And guess what!? It is Fall again. (Yes, I know. It happens every year. Sorry to state the obvious.) While I am once again dredging up memories from America for my Fall experience, this year we may actually go back in November. Abbey and Ethan are hoping for snow, but I am hoping for crunchy leaves and chilly nights and early evenings. Okay, and a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks.

So, what is your favorite season of the year?

Magic Markers?

2010-09-27T22:30:00.000-07:00

The other day, Abbey was showing me a picture that she drew at school. The following conversation was so great that I immediately began writing this blog in my head. Here is what she told me:

"Mom, I drew this at school. And you know what? It said that the markers were magic markers, but when I used them, they just colored blue and green and stuff. They weren't MAGIC at all!"

Oh, how to explain?

Ethan's Birthday

2010-09-13T07:41:00.000-07:00

Hey, do you remember Ethan's birthday? You don't? Well, I guess that is because I never blogged about it. So, in typical Tiffany fashion, I bring you Ethan's birthday. Two months late. (On a side note, my grandmother has predicted that I will be late to my own funeral. Thank God for that!)

Our first stop was at a petting zoo where Ethan could fulfill his dreams of being a farmer.

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He was just standing there scratching this goat's back and thinking about life when I got this picture

Ethan is so brave. He held this bird without one qualm. Abbey was hiding behind us and cringing for him.

At least he got to ride a horse!

Then we moved on to a tiny amusement park that is located strangely enough on the roof of a department store. The building is about 14 floors high.

Here he is with Ye-Ye and Nai-Nai. We were on the Viking ship and I quickly remembered why I stopped riding those kinds of things. Mom Bracken and I both sat the next one out.

The robot cake. This was one of the easiest things I have ever done for a birthday.

And now, he is officially 5 years old!!

Texting

2010-09-07T10:56:00.000-07:00

Last month, my brother started college. I wanted to call him and just see how it was going, so I got his number from my step dad. To make sure that Trey wasn't in class, I sent him this text:

"Are you in class? This is your sister."

To which he replied:

"Who is this?"

I then, in big sister fashion, replied:

"How many sisters do you have?"

Followed by:

"I'll give you a hint. My name starts with a T and I remember the first time you cursed."

(He was 2 or 3 and it was directed at me. I plan to never let him forget it.)

I got this reply:

"WHO IS THIS?"

I, now taken back, replied:

"Trey, calm down. This is Tiffany. I got your number from Mike."

He chose not to reply to this, so I decided to just call and see what was going on. We tease each other a lot, but never seriously fight. When I called, it went to voice mail and this is what I heard:

"Hi! This is Angie..."

Yep. I had the wrong number. And I had gotten smart with her. I quickly sent her a text profusely apologizing. When I got the corrected number, I tried again with:

"Are you in class? This is your sister."

To which I received this response:

"I only have half a sister."

Which totally confirmed that I did have my brother that time.

Bracken Blurbs

2010-08-17T01:54:00.000-07:00

Sunday night after church, Abbey wanted to tell everyone our Bible words from Sunday School that morning. When she had every ones attention, she began, "Receive the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7" Then she smiled very big, so proud of herself. After I stopped giggling behind Chris' back I told her that I was very happy that she wanted to say her Bible words, but that the first word was "Resist".

Today, when I picked the kids up from the bus stop, I handed them a bag of baby carrots and cherry tomatoes to snack on. After a few minutes Ethan told me that he really liked the "orange pickles"! Can you tell that baby carrots aren't very common here in Taiwan?

Back to School Time!

2010-08-17T01:42:00.000-07:00

This week, Abbey and Ethan both head off to all day school. That means that their momma has all day pretty much alone! I have looked forward to this time all summer and thought about all the projects I can do and how the house will stay nice and clean. On day one, I tried to finish every goal I have for the next month. On day two, I missed hugging Abbey and mussing Ethan's hair. Alas, it seems that it this freedom might take a little time to adjust to.

But, hey, if you are headed off to school this fall, may many A's come your way and may all the bad lunches far from you stay!

A Day of Surprises

2010-08-12T16:25:00.000-07:00

Thursday, I was reminded of just how much a child can mature in just one year. Abbey and Ethan needed some booster shots before going back to school and, frankly, I was dreading it like a 200 mile run. Last year, when Abbey got shots, I couldn't even blog about the experience because I was too embarrassed. The short story is that she spun in circles in my arms, screaming and spitting. Yes, I said spitting. Chris ended up holding her legs, I held her upper body and another nurse helped us. When we went back in to the lobby, all the children were sitting in their mother's laps and it was dead quiet. I escaped as quickly as I could and let Chris handle the bill. This year she sat quietly listening to my ipod and rested her head on my shoulder. She didn't even cry. When it was over, she told us that it hurt, but she seemed more concerned with getting a band-aid. (If you don't have kids, then I should tell you that getting a band-aid is super cool to them.) Chris and I walked out of the doctor's office looking at each other in shock. Good shock, but shock none the less.

In case you are wondering how Ethan did, well, he is fearless. Last year and this year, he calmly took his shots and then jumped up and wanted to know when he could get his toy. In fact, when we went to the doctor on Wednesday to get shots and they didn't have the one that Ethan needed, he cried all the way out of the doctor's office because he was going to have to wait a day to get a new toy! Boys!

Abbey and her music

2010-08-05T23:46:00.000-07:00

Abbey loves music. Her greatest desire lately is to have an iphone (NOT going to happen!). She is willing to settle for an mp3 player (probably going to happen). However, if you ever read this post ,you will know that she sometimes mixes up the words or makes up her own words. I must confess, this probably comes from me more than from Chris. I still remember riding home from church with my roommate in college and us, still feeling somewhat serious from the service, singing a popular worship song together. I totally ruined the mood when I sang a complete line of the song wrong and realized I had singing it wrong for years. Wrong for years, in church!

Well, the other night, we were listening to something and Abbey didn't catch what the singer said. When she ask me, I told her I didn't know either because I hadn't really been listening. She brushed it off by saying, "I think he is just making it up anyways!" And really, isn't that what all the song writers are doing, just making it up?

My Sunday Morning

2010-07-24T23:44:00.000-07:00

This morning in church, Chris almost preached the house down! Literally. We had a 5.4 earthquake right in the middle of preaching. I was thinking about rewarding Chris a million points for not stopping and just keeping on preaching. However, after church, when I mentioned the earthquake, he replied, "Earthquake? We had an earthquake?" So, I guess I will give the million points to the church people who continued to listen and "Amen!" thus enabling their pastor to completely miss the earthquake.

Bible Stories Revised

2010-07-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

Ethan and Abbey have been playing church a lot lately. I watch them and remember doing the same thing as a kid. However, we never had "sermons" as interesting as the ones that Ethan has been preaching. My favorite was the one about Joshua. Let me just tell it like he did.

"Now GOOOODDDD told Joshua to blow a horn and all the city would fall down. So Joshua went and got a BIIIGGG horn and when he blew it a BOMB flew out and all the city fell down."

I'm guessing the real story was a little unbelievable to him.

Abbey's Belated Birthday Post

2010-07-14T02:39:00.001-07:00

As I was preparing to do a post on Ethan's birthday, I realized that I never did one on Abbey's birthday back in November. Yes, I said November. You heard me right. It was right about that time that I lost the USB cord to my camera and from the look of my blog, I must have been busy. Poor blog. It was terribly neglected! So, here a few pictures!

The Man with the Taser

2010-06-25T23:06:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, the kids and I were at Ikea. (WooHoo for Ikea! I love that place. Seriously.) A couple of men from the bank were restocking the ATM. One man was doing the actual restocking of cash while the second man stood behind him with a Taser aimed and ready. I assume this was to deter us shoppers from attacking the man and it was a very good deterrent. Ethan immediately noticed that the man's "gun" seemed to be deformed and had lots of questions. After I explained that it wasn't really a gun but a taser and then explained what a taser was for and then explained why the man had a taser (that question came from Abbey), Ethan had just one more question. "Hey, Mama, if you taser someone, will they be dedicated?" To which I replied, "Probably not, but if that were the case, Mama could make a fortune selling it to pastors."

Revival in Taipei

2010-06-25T22:41:00.000-07:00

Everyone, I am so excited about Taipei!!! Before I get to the good part, let me give you a little history.

When Chris and I first came back to Taiwan as a married couple 9 years ago, we moved to Taipei to start a church. We were 22 at the time and I think the experience was more to let us know that we didn't know Jack. Needless to say, a church did not get started and we eventually came down to Kaohsuing. Now, fast forward to last year. We had an evangelist from the States, who felt a great burden for Taipei, help us with some outreach that resulted in a weekly Bible Study Class in Taipei. Taipei is 6 hours driving from Kaohsiung, but thank God we have the bullet train which takes about an hour and a half to two hours. Chris has been going up every Saturday (along with Jing Hwa) and teaching this class. That means an early morning and a long day right before Sunday. (If you have read the LiGang Report here , you know we have three services on Sunday.)

Now, for the exciting part!! Chris just baptized the first person in Taipei this month!! We had two of our Taipei people to receive the Holy Ghost at our national conference back in February, but this is the first baptism. And, for the REALLY BIG NEWS, Chris will start having services there later this year! There is going to finally be an Apostolic, Chinese church in Taipei!!

God's Soldier

2010-06-14T10:33:00.000-07:00

I overheard this conversation recently.

Ethan to Abbey: "Hey! Let's pretend I'm a soldier, a soldier for God. Now, SIT DOWN AND TELL ME WHAT BIBLE STORIES YOU'VE LEARNED!!"

Man, I sure hope she has been listening in Sunday School!

Droplets of Doubt

2010-06-10T10:09:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been thinking about something. I am going to try and put it into words, but if I fail, I apologize. CAUTION: Potential Rambling Ahead.

Lately, I catch myself like Peter walking on the water. I am "walking" and then in the middle of some action, doubt sneaks in like a horde of gnats. Small, yet still annoying. Just for example. As most of you know, I am currently studying Chinese. I have been in Taiwan for almost 9 years, but I haven't had a chance to officially start studying Chinese until last November. (By the by, THANK YOU so much ED Asia supporters for making it possible!) I have one teacher that has a lot of faith in my ability to understand Chinese. We have great conversations. Our class is two hours long and somewhere around one hour, I will have a moment where doubt sneaks in. She will be talking and I will be understanding everything, then my brain will suddenly say, "Hey! Wait, is she speaking Chinese? You can't understand this much Chinese! Hold on!" And in that moment, I will FORGET EVERY CHINESE WORD I KNOW!!!! I have to literally give myself a pep talk and say, "You can do this. You can understand her just fine. Pull yourself together." Now, while this is annoying, I have just been figuring that my brain was on overload and not really thinking to much about these little episodes. Until Sunday.

We had an incredible service Sunday night. If you missed it, poor, poor you. I mean, it would have been worth the flight from the States for just that service. During a time of deep prayer and God was doing awesome things in every ones lives, I was talking with God. I know God's voice. I know how He speaks to me. But right in the middle of our conversation, that same voice of doubt popped up and said, "Are you really sure that you are talking to God? Maybe you have just been talking to yourself for all these years." WHOA! Hold on a minute. I can accept that my brain is on overload with Chinese, but on overload with God? Not happening. And in that moment, I realized that voice of doubt was my enemy. An enemy that would not like to see me succeed in learning Chinese, would not like to see me succeed in my ministry and certainly would not like to see me succeed in hearing the voice of God. Something I had been writing off was trying to plant seeds in my mind that I do not want there.

As Christians, I think we can never take our eyes off of the ultimate goal. Heaven, people, that is the ultimate goal. Don't forget it.

LiGang Report

2010-06-05T02:49:00.001-07:00

You all, I meant to post this blog a few months ago, but I wanted to post pictures with it and that turned into a BIG fiasco! After messing with the pictures forever, I forgot that I didn't actually post this! So, 3 months late, here is the wonderful news I wanted to share!

March 21st, we had our first service in LiGang (pronounced Lee Gah-ng), about 45 minutes Northeast of Kaohsiung. Chris has been teaching a Bible study class there since December 2009, and we had two people from this Bible study receive the Holy Ghost at our national conference this year in February. One of the ladies who attends the class is currently loaning us, free of charge, the first floor of a building she owns. God bless her!

Chris wasn't sure what to expect for the first service, but God amazed and astounded us! We had 39 people in attendance, with only 13 of those being from the Kaohsuing church! Then, then, we had two people receive the Holy Ghost for the first time!! There was such an awesome move of God's spirit and confirmation that this was the right step to take. So, praise God and keep us in prayer (especially Chris) as Sunday now has three back to back services.

We had our official church dedication last month and I am sorry to say that I forgot how many people we had in attendance, but we ran out of chairs and several of us stood for the whole service. Dad Bracken preached for us and once again, we had a wonderful move of God's spirit. Oh yeah, here is the slide show that I wanted to post before.

Camera Woes

2010-05-31T08:49:00.000-07:00

I haven't post any picture on here in about a million years because I am a lazy bum and I lost the usb cord to my camera, in that order. I believe in honesty, can you tell? But, the other day, Jing Hwa was nice enough to put some of her pictures on my flash drive, so here is a little look-see. Just for a little background, these pictures are from Easter and Ethan practically lives in those boots. Everyday, his outfit consist of a shirt, a belt, jeans, and those boots. And saints perserve us if all of his jeans are dirty.

Cat Tales

2010-05-27T07:48:00.000-07:00

There once were two cats who roamed the house at will, hiding and stalking and chasing and fighting at night. Only at night. And sleeping and sleeping and sleeping during the day. They also sharpened their claws on a couch. A couch that did not belong to their reluctant owners. A couch that these same owners had to pay to have recovered when they moved. And they had to pay a lot. Enough to almost have bought themselves a new couch. So they invested in a Kitty Condo. Four levels of kitty fun enclosed in a white wire frame with a door. And all was well in the world.

Especially in the world of a certain little boy. In times past, those wily cats had avoided too much contact with said little boy. Mainly because he thinks he is a super hero and they are the nasty villains. Oh, but now, he could get to those cats and pet them when no one was looking and run away when he thought someone was. One morning, he climbed on top of the Kitty Condo and discovered that it has wheels. It went left and sadly he went right. After he recovered, he took the cats for a ride. I know this because of the great meowing and hissing and falling cat sounds I heard from another room. And now, that same little boy is banned from looking at the cats or talking to the cats and most of all, from touching the Kitty Condo. Finally, all is well in the cat's world.

Rigged Chairs and the Fun that Followed

2010-05-24T06:34:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Chris, the kids and I were at Carrefour. Carrefour is the French version of Walmart. Why we have a French store instead of just Walmart baffles me, but that is a different post. Anyways, Chris and I are never there together because of his aversion to shopping, however, we needed an office chair and he needed to be there to try it out. He was walking ahead of me and passed a display of little, square, wooden stools. He bumped one. Three fell. He tried to replace the three and five fell. I was hiding a couple of aisles back giggling. He finally got everything back in place and we went on the look at the chairs, which happen to be on the aisle right next to the rigged display. A few minutes later, a lady came along and started looking at the stools. Chris walked up behind me and started mumbling, "Watch out for those chairs, lady, they are rigged. They fall easily. Oh, see, I told you they were rigged." The last line was mumbled just as a few chairs came crashing down. I suddenly became really interested in a catalogue and Chris began studying the chairs like there was a pop quiz later. The lady tried to replace the fallen stools only to have more fall down. As this point, we had recovered from giggling like grade schoolers and went over to help her. Chris ended up redoing their display in such a way that did not promote tumbling stools. We wondered if the Carrefour workers had been hiding and laughing it up all day long.

Ding, Ding, Ding... We Have a Winner!!!

2010-05-22T17:21:00.000-07:00

According to Random.org (a site that generates random numbers, much like the ole' put- the- numbers- in- a- hat- and- draw- one- out trick) our winner is......

Number 10- Sis. Hathaway!!!

Sis. Hathaway, if you could please send me an e-mail to LadieL79@hotmail.com and give me your address, I will get it in the mail!

Thank you everyone SO MUCH for commenting and for reading this blog. So many of you tell me that it makes you laugh and for that, I am thankful. Now, on with the Medicine Moments.

Sign in Info

2010-05-19T08:36:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone! Someone told me that to leave a comment, they were ask to provide my e-mail. So, if you have had the same problem, here is my e-mail.

LadieL79@hotmail.com

Please do not put me on your forwards list or SPAM me! If you do, God will get you!

Should I Be Embarrassed?

2010-05-16T08:08:00.000-07:00

A couple of Sundays ago, I showed up at church wearing my new headband. Imagine my surprise when someone else was wearing the same exact headband. This story wouldn't be notable, except.... she is 4 and I am not even close to 4.

This is my 100th post!! Want to win something? Leave a comment and I will randomly choose a winner to win a $25.00 (That's 100 quarters!!) gift card to Amazon. If you live here in Taiwan, you can choose the gift card or a cool $1000 NT in cash. I will stop taking comments on Saturday, May 22nd Taiwan time, which is Friday night Stateside time. A BIG thank you to everyone who reads this faithfully and keeps the dots on my map growing!

No Cats in This Game

2010-05-08T17:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Abbey wanted to introduce a new game to Ethan. It is called "Copycat" and you basically copy everything that the leader does. Much like "Follow the Leader" except you are sitting instead of walking around. Things were going great until about two minutes into the game when the name of the game suddenly hit Ethan. "Hey", he said, "I don't want to play copyCAT, I want to play copyDOG!" Abbey explained that you can't just change the name of the game, but then Ethan remembered that she is currently in love with Chihuahuas. "Hey, what if we call it CopyChihuahua?" And just like that, I guess you really can change the name of the game. Anyone up for a game of "CopyChihuahua"?

Hi, Do I Know You?

2010-04-29T09:44:00.000-07:00

Hi. My name is Tiffany. You may remember me as the sometimes writer of this blog. Since it has been a coon's age (what does that really mean?) since I last posted, I thought we might need to be reintroduced.

Okay, really. Guys, I have a list a mile long of blogs I want to write, but haven't been able to find the time. We are right in the middle of moving to a new apartment and moving is so much fun!! Yay!! (Please do not drown in the sarcasm.) Honestly, I love our new apartment. It has a huge courtyard with a little park for the kids. Since it is next to impossible to have a yard here in Taiwan, having a great courtyard is second best. We are really blessed to be able to rent the apartment we are moving to. I will try to get pictures up for you all. Try. But don't hold your breath. I wouldn't want that kind of pressure.

I promise that I am going to get all of the stories that you love up here soon, but give me a week to get moved into our new house and to get the Internet up and running.

Until then, here's a little mind morsel: God always gives you a choice, but sometimes He makes you miserable until you choose the right thing. Don't believe me? Just ask Jonah. God to Jonah: "Hey, how's the belly? Nineveh's looking pretty good right about now, huh?"

A Wii, a Wha, a What?

2010-03-24T21:02:00.000-07:00

Abbey is our sweetheart. Our romantic. Our math whiz. She, however, is not our linguist. Ethan has that department completely covered. We were reminded of this again the other day when she started telling a story to Chris. It was about a book she had saw at the library and she was attempting to describe a person in the book. See if you can figure out what she was trying to say from this conversation.

"Uh, Baba, there was this wii in the book. Wait, not a wii, a wha. No, not a wha, a WIC! It was a WISH! A really bad WISH! You know, like a mean lady. A bad wish."

At this point, Chris helped her with the word she was looking for, a Witch! Sadly enough, I couldn't help because I was hiding in the kitchen giggling myself to death. There is nothing in this world like a BAD WISH!!!

National Conference Update

2010-03-09T02:35:00.000-08:00

Hey all! I just wanted to give you a quick update on our National Conference last weekend. We had an awesome, awesome conference. This year, Bro. Robinette, a missionary to Austria, was our guest speaker. He is so full of focus and vision that it was like a breath of fresh air to our own visions for Taiwan. In the conference itself, we had 29 receive the Holy Ghost for the first time and many more be renewed. From our Bible Study in Taipei, one man came down and he received the Holy Ghost. Then from the Bible Study that Chris is doing in a town about 30 minutes northeast of Kaohsiung, three people came and received the Holy Ghost. AND, we are starting a services there THIS month. I can not put into words how excited I am about everything that happened and everything that I believe will happen as a result of this conference. Please keep us in prayer that we, as a church, will retain our outward focus and that many new churches will be planted this year. Hold on to your seat because revival is sweeping Taiwan!

I'm Just like Who?

2010-03-09T02:30:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, I was "encouraging" the kids to clean their room. When they would stop and dally or try out a marker to see what color it writes, I would say to them, "Come on, keep picking up. You have to get your room clean today." After about three or four time of telling this, Ethan grumbled, "You are just like Pharaoh, always telling God's people to keep working." While I am glad to see that he is listening in Sunday School, I'm not so sure I like the way he is applying it!

Early Morning Earthquake Anyone?

2010-03-03T21:20:00.000-08:00

This morning, we had a 6.4 earthquake. It was centered about 44 miles ENE from where we live. And still live. I am happy to report that other than giving us a little scare, we are indeed fine and so are our church people. I had the great misfortune to be in the shower when it started. And all I could think was, "Oh Jesus, please don't let this be a big one. I don't want to be pulled from the rubble with no clothes on." I have faith that if I die, I will go to heaven, but I don't want to leave that kind of story behind. (No pun intended.)

Later, I ask Ethan if he was scared during the earthquake. He calmly replied that he wasn't because he knew that Jesus would take care of him. It is moments like these that I get a glimmer of hope that all the lesson and Sunday School is getting through.

I Have a Confession or Two...

2010-02-25T09:01:00.000-08:00

I confess, I didn't take one single picture while Baby Owen was with us. Not one. I don't even know where my camera is. I also forgot what it was like to not sleep through the night and to try and comfort a baby that has set his mind on crying. I'm not saying we didn't have fun, because we did, but (whispering) it was mostly fun because we knew it was short term. There, I said it. We are sticking with two. End of story.

Also, I have another confession. It's embarrassing, but we are friends, right? I bought some new colored pens for the kids. When I tried one out, I discovered that they have glitter ink and that they smell like blueberry and strawberry and orange and Chocolate. And.... and... I hid them. I have let the kids play with them under supervision, but they have no idea that I bought the pens for them. I might have even doodled up a couple of pieces of paper and sat around sniffing the pens, but that kind of confession is a bit personal.

One more tiny confession. We just got Dunkin Doughnuts in Kaohsiung. I went to just have a little look see and was seduced by the doughnut holes. I may have created an addict for doughnut holes in Ethan. But I was good. I let him have the last one. Mainly because I was feeling guilty that I have hidden glitter pens in my room.

Realizations concerning Confusion

2010-02-16T22:05:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I was talking with a lady. She is super brilliant, but seems to move through life by going from one bad choice, one bad relationship, to another bad choice or relationship. As she was talking, I kept thinking to myself, how can one person who is so intelligent make such bad decisions. Have you ever met someone like this? Suddenly, it was like a light turned on. This is what a life without prayer looks like. I prayed before I started dating my husband. I prayed before I chose which college to attend. I prayed before I got married, had children, came to Taiwan, and any other major decision in my life. I still pray before I teach a class, cook a meal, go to study Chinese and a hundred other little decisions that make up my life. Prayer is such a go to place before deciding things in my life that I had forgotten that some people never pray about such things. They follow their logic or intuition or emotions and hope for the best. When things turn upside down, they blame it on fate or "never- meant- to- be's" or the other person. And for me, that is kinda like deciding to go on a trip and not checking the mileage and filling up on gas. Then when you run out of gas, blaming it on the car. So, what am I trying to say in my rambling way? Folks, if you want to avoid a lot of problems and broken hearts (yours!), you might want to consider prayer. There is no decision to large or small to pray about. I can't take credit for the good things in my life, only for knowing the one who knows it all.

Incidentally, Chris would say that he never prayed about getting the cats and has been suffering ever since. So, let that be a lesson to you.

A Story of Jealousy

2010-02-08T05:28:00.000-08:00

This is a story of jealousy and how it always punishes you more than the other person. As you know, we have two cats in the Bracken household. Two cats that I have always assumed were a little two dumb to process the concept of jealousy. However....

The other day, Vader crawled between me and the arm of the couch for a little nap. It was a bit chilly and I believe he was looking for the warmest spot in the house more than experiencing actual affection for me. After a while, I started talking to him in my "kitty come hither" voice. In case you are wondering, it is the same high pitched voice most people use on animals and a few even use on babies. A genetic defect of all humans. Jango heard me and assumed I must be talking to her. She came over, meowing and purring and winding herself around my ankles. It wasn't until she put her front paws on the couch as she prepared to jump up that she noticed Vader and realized I had been petting him. The look on her face as she looked from him to me was one of pure kitty betrayal. Gone was the purring, gone was the meowing. She backed back down to the floor and walked over to the rug. As she sat facing away from me, I tried to entice her to come back over and join us. She glanced over he shoulder with a "you've got to be kidding me" look. When I stood up and walked over to pet her, she sensed I wasn't sorry and went to hide under the couch and pout. Fortunately, her memory is about a minute long on a good day and she soon came out from under the couch looking for her food bowl. Which was fitting, since that truly is her first love.

On to the Antics

2010-02-02T06:19:00.000-08:00

Needing a dose of Bracken shorts? Here you go...

1. Abbey showed some kids at school her panties "just for fun". Obviously their fun, not ours.

2. Ethan wants to know if you drink coffee and it goes to your brain and stays there forever, what will happen. I imagine I would be able to get more work done were that the case.

3. Today, in lesson 14 of my Chinese book, I learned how to say, "How do you say _____ in Chinese?" I feel that this should have been in lesson one or two, how about you?

4. The other day, Ethan was gearing up to cry and I told him not to because some "big boys" were going to see him. After telling him that two or three times, he looked at me and say, "I'm going to do it. I just going to cry." When I reminded him that they would be looking at him, not me, he decided not to follow through.

We are going to have a baby...

2010-02-02T06:02:00.000-08:00

for Chinese New Year! Do you remember me talking about a crisis pregnancy center that we helped over Christmas? Well, His Hands are wanting to give their workers a holiday break and we are going to be taking care of one of the babies for about a week and a half! I will definitely post pictures.

I really think helping a place like this is so important. It is easy to tell people that abortion is wrong, but if you aren't trying to provide another option, it is like telling someone who is hungry to be full and not giving them any food. So, it is an understatement to say that we are excited.

And you guys didn't REALLY think we were going to have another kid, did you? Obviously you haven't been reading my post about the antics we currently face with the two we have. I'm telling you, I sure am paying for Chris' childhood!

Songs that Stick

2010-01-21T08:40:00.000-08:00

Don't you just love it when a song gets stuck in your head? And you try to sing another song, but can't think of the words to just one different song? Yeah, I hate it too! The other day I had the worst song stuck in my head. Do you remember the kids program called Lambchops and how they would sing "The Song that Never Ends" at the end of every program? You know how it goes,

"This is the song that never ends.
It just goes on and on, my friend.
Some people started singing it not knowing what it was,
And they'll continue singing it forever just because,
This is the song that never ends..."

*And continue singing until Jesus comes back!

Well, I couldn't get out of my head (and you probably can't now) so I just gave in and started singing it out loud in the car. Ethan was with me and thought it was cool the first couple of times. By the third time, he was begging me to stop. Since his begging is worse that my singing, I stopped. However, I had passed the torch of song because in a few minutes, he was humming it. When he found that he couldn't stop, he told me , " I wish you had never sung that song and I had never heard it!" Baby, that makes two of us and maybe more if you are singing it in your head now.

Awesome Sunday!

2010-01-17T20:30:00.000-08:00

We had a incredible Sunday yesterday! Our Assistant Pastor's wife's brother (yeah, yeah, I know that is a long description, but I can't think of a shorter way to say it!) started coming to church about three months ago. Yesterday, he had planned on getting baptized after the service and then, THEN, he got the Holy Ghost during the altar service! I know Joanna has to be so elated and we certainly are. She has been a constant light to her family. In Taiwan, when you get married, there are a lot of traditionally done things that do not line up with the word of God. The bride must wear a lot of make-up for the big wedding meal and must wear tons of jewelry that has been given to her from the grooms family. But she stood for her faith against the pressure of her family and David's family. And yesterday, she had to joy of seeing her brother be born again into God's kingdom!

Hey...

2010-01-10T07:23:00.001-08:00

I've got another idea! How about I actually write some posts instead of just teasing you all!

Friday, while preparing for my English class, I came to a realization. While Paul's motto may have been "whatsoever state I am in, therewith be content", David's seemed to be "whatsoever state I am in, there is always hope in God." I don't know about you, but I am with David!

Idea.....

2010-01-03T17:13:00.000-08:00

Hey all, I have a couple of ideas and I need some feedback.

1. I am thinking of doing something special for my 100th post so I need to know how many of you out there read this. Just leave a comment with your name or a smiley face or something and

2. I am considering trying to write 365 post this year. Do you think ya'll can handle that?

To help you decide, here a few Brackenisms (yes, I just made up that word and no, I am not ashamed!) from the last few weeks...

1. I served cauliflower for dinner one night and Abbey ask what it was. Ethan told her it was white broccoli.

2. Ethan wants to know why Jesus couldn't walk and talk when he was born if God is all powerful.

3. He also wants to know where he was when I was a little girl. After a 4 year old friendly discussion on how he was part of my body, he then wanted to know if he has eggs and will he have a baby one day. Nope and Nope was the answer to that. On the other hand, Abbey's take away from the conversation was that you could have a baby if you eat a chicken egg after you get married. Where did I go wrong?

4. My cats like to "ride" the rugs in my hallway. They will take off running and then sit down on the rug and ride it. This explains why the rugs a mess every morning.

5. They can also scare their tails fuzzy. The other day they somehow caused the metal screen door to the balcony to slam shut and they both ran into the living room with their tails three times its normal size. It was really quite funny. I wish I had a picture to share with you.

Okay, don't forget to comment on my ideas! (Please, please please!)

Well, Hello 2010!

2010-01-02T04:15:00.000-08:00

Oh my blog readers, my dear blog readers! How long I have forsaken you for other things. For tree trimming and turkey baking and for cooking hundreds of cookies and dipping 700 pretzels in white chocolate and birthday parties and gift giving and gift getting and and and.... well, yes, I took a break for a few days after Christmas to revive myself from the previous activities. BUT, today, I am almost back on track. Today, I scrubbed my house and tried to revive my neglected plants and organized various places. And today I will revive this blog. And hope that you come back to check on it and read it! So, here is a quick run down of the last couple of months.

-Abbey turned seven!

-We have been getting a bible study going in Taipei. I mean we as in our church and the Tainan church together. We now have 2 bible classes there every Saturday.

-For Thanksgiving, we invited the church family and church friends over to our house for Dinner. We had 34 people in all. Note to self, a 12 pound turkey isn't big enough for 34 people.

-The ladies Christmas party was a great success with over 50 people in attendance. We went to a great Indian restaurant.

-The English Bible Class had 35 in attendance and we had a ton of fun. I scored an earring in the naughty Santa game. Yes, I said an earring. Look closely, there is a double irony there.

-Our church sponsored a home for teenagers and a crisis pregnancy center for Christmas. I am so proud of the response from our church people in getting behind these projects and making them a success. I personally hope to continue to help the crisis pregnancy center more in the future. I'll tell you more later.

-We invited foreigners that are in Taiwan alone over to our house for Christmas Dinner. I am trying to make this year a conscious effort to focus on people that I may not meet through our church but are lonely. Not neglecting the church family, but expanding our influence, hopefully.

-Our Church Christmas party was great! Thank you Joanna for hosting it!

-Oh yeah, did I mention that I started Chinese classes? I am taking 8 hours a week and I am so excited! Finally after eight and a half year, I am getting to study! Thank you to all of our ED Asia supporters for making this possible!

So, there you have it. A run down of the past month and a half. I have a million little stories to share and I am going to try and get them down before they are forever lost! Happy New Year! Oh, and a question, are you calling this year 20-10 or 2000-10?

Our little vacation to Kenting

2009-10-30T23:45:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month, Abbey had a week off for fall break. So, since we didn't have time for a break during the summer, we went on vacation! A typhoon tried to muddle with our plans, but we were not scared! The first couple of days were spent in Tainan at Ye-ye and Nai-nai's house and the following two and a half spent in Kenting at the beach. We splashed, we played, we had the beach to ourselves, we ate too much Thai food, and it was great. I tried to remember to take pictures, but well, it turns out that may not be my calling! Hope you enjoy the ones I did remember to take!

VBS 2009

2009-10-30T23:25:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know we did this back in July, but I am a little behind in catching you all up to date. Someone had shared all of their pictures from VBS with me, but they also shared a virus that crashed my computer. We had to restore our computer back to the way it was when we brought it home from the store, thus losing every last one of our pictures. I did have these still on the memory card in my camera, I am just sorry that I do not have more of the kids. Oh well, on with the show!

Ethan- Salami Boy

2009-10-05T21:17:00.000-07:00

On our last trip to Costco, we splurged on Salami. (Here in Taiwan, it seems that they value it as gold. At least that is the impression I get from the price.) Well, Ethan loves salami and I have to ration him out or it would all be gone in one day. The other day he ate what I gave him and still wanted more. So, he meandered into the kitchen and said, "I can't tell you how much I like salami. I like salami TOO much." And yes, he did score more salami for being cute.

Why all the bridge hate, you ask?

2009-09-21T02:34:00.000-07:00

Okay, when Chris heard my last post (sometimes I make him listen to them!), he focused mainly on the fact that I was practicing bridge hate. I told him that it isn't all bridges, but just that one. Here is a snippet of that conversation:

C: "Why that bridge?"

M: "Because it is so long and there is a hump in the middle and you can't see the other side."

C: "It's not that long and besides, the one in Louisiana is longer. Do you hate it?"

M: "No, because that one is flat. When I was a kid, I was at someones house and they had a TV. There was some movie on and the only part I saw was the collapsed bridge and cars driving over the hump and flying out into the air. I was always afraid that the bridge was going to be out and because like three people a day drive the Natchez, I was going to be the first to discover that it was out."

(At this point, Chris is scowling and I am imagining my car flying out into thin air.)

And so you have it. That is why I hate that bridge. Logical? Maybe not. But fears rarely are logical in nature.

Later that night, I was thinking about that bridge and realized that there was a spiritual lesson to be learned from it. You see, I was on one side and really wanted to be on the other side. But the bridge had to be crossed. Once on the bridge, I couldn't see the other side, but had to trust that the other side was still there and trust God that the bridge was going to get me there. Sometimes when God ask us to do something, we have to leave a place where we are comfortable to get there. We really want to do what God is asking, but the uncertainty of the bridge scares us. The other side is your success. But on the bridge, that is where you don't know if you will be a success or a failure. Are you going to make it or go flying off into thin air and crash into the water? But, you have to try. Yes, the bridge could have been out (obviously, it never was!), but I never would have gotten home by just sitting on the other side worrying about the bridge. And you will never be a success just sitting where it is comfortable and worrying about the risk.

Fall is in the air!

2009-09-17T09:37:00.001-07:00

So, what do you think of my new look? I am feeling fallish so much that I just want to go out and buy pumpkins and mums and school supplies! And then use the three and make a wacky table arrangement. Here in Taiwan, it doesn't cool down as quickly as it does in the states during fall, but the days get a little shorter and the sun slants in that beguiling fall way and I love it! Why am I so addicted to this time of year? The crunch of leaves (only memories from the States, certain not an experience in the ever so lovely, but ever so green Taiwan), Apple pies, new clothes for school and the hint of a chill in the air just excites me. When I was in college and would head home for a visit, there was this one road that I always took. The little, winding Natchez Trace with its two lanes, 50mph speed limit (who was the drunk that decided on 50?) and gorgeous fall foliage. I can still see in my mind the trees meeting overhead and the afternoon sun peaking through the oranges and yellows and reds of dying leaves. If you live near the Natchez Trace in Northern Mississippi or Alabama, go take a drive. Take one for me and look at the leaves and relax. But when you get to that terminally long bridge near the Florence exit, turn around. I never liked that bridge.

Guess who has started school!

2009-09-14T17:42:00.001-07:00

Last month, Abbey started school at Morrison, an American school here in Taiwan. We had originally thought that we would need to home school her, but at the last moment it became possible for her to go to Morrison. She is so excited and you know what, I am so excited for her. She is making new friends, learning to listen to someone other than her parents (which is a bit sketchy at times) and teasing the boys mercilessly! While I am a full supporter of Homeschooling and may still end up homeschooling my children, I am thankful for this opportunity. On a side note, I am also thankful for a clean house that stays that way pretty much all day.

Typhoon Update

2009-08-11T23:10:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I have had some concerned calls (my parents) and concerned e-mails about how we are faring after the recent typhoon. I am happy to report that we are doing great and did not experience any flooding or mudslides or well, really anything. Here in Kaohsiung, a few trees blew over and we were housebound for about three days because of the rain, wind and basically everything being closed. Mom and Dad Bracken's house did flood on the first floor, but they were not home at the time and are safe and sound. Dad was able to move most of the furniture from the first floor to the second and save it from being ruined. There is a major road construction project on the main road out from their house and most of the people in their neighborhood think that mud was clogging the drainage ditches and caused the back-up of water. All of the people in our church and their houses are fine and we thank God for his protection. I have to honestly say that I had no idea that the typhoon caused so much damage until I saw the report on Yahoo. My dad did not appreciate me laughing off his concern, but it just struck me as funny that my dear father who lives on the gulf cost where a good hurricane can turn everything into toothpicks was worried about us as we sit here in our concrete building. Just think about it for a minute. But we are doing fine and I do appreciate people thinking about us. However, later, if you hear a loud, blood-curdling scream, it is just Abbey getting her booster shot before she goes into first grade. I will just apologize now for the noise.

So Sorry!

2009-07-18T06:19:00.000-07:00

Dear lovely readers, I haven't forgotten you. Honestly, I have thought about this blog plenty of times in the last few days, but I have been too too too busy. We just finished VBS-2009 today and I am happy to say that I will be back to write... next week. Just as soon as I can recover.

The Truth Comes Out...

2009-07-12T01:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we finally got to the heart of why Abbey has been asking so many questions about babies. She ask me, "Momma, do you have any more babies left in your tummy? Because I would really like to have a little sister too." And to this I quickly replied, "No, honey, I don't have any more babies in my tummy. I am happy with the two great ones I have!" And I am. I am totally happy with the two I have.