Tim and Jeni

Teacher Tim

>> Monday, October 17, 2011

Tim has been teaching for a few weeks now. He's enjoying his students, which makes it all worthwhile! He comes home with some fun stories!

He teaches a beginning level course and the students have been learning how to pronounce words correctly. It makes me think about our time as language students. I felt so funny pronouncing sounds that I wasn't used to! 

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What is a village?

We live in a country that has a lot of little villages. My idea of a village is different than the villages here.

It is about the size of a neighborhood, sometimes bigger. But it's very dense with families. Often times when a son gets married the father will build an apartment above the house for the couple to live in.

These villages are all close to each other, not out in the middle of nowhere. This picture of our village shows the city in the background. The city center is only about 15 to 20 minutes away.

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Our Home

We are finally completely settled into our home! God has been so good to give us a wonderful place to call home. We're glad to have our furniture back in place and a few new things too! Here are a few pictures of our place...enjoy!

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New Dryer

A few weeks ago I was excited to get a new dryer!! Before we got our new dryer we were hanging out our clothes on this drying rack.

The problem for getting a dryer in this area is that many of the homes don't have a place to put the vent. So we opted to buy a "condenser dryer" that doesn't need a vent.



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Megan & Jared

>> Sunday, October 16, 2011

In the last couple of weeks we have had the opportunity to have Megan & Jared Breneman at our house!!

We were glad for them to stay with us for a few days when their parents took a vacation to celebrate 20 years of marriage!! Both Megan and Jared are really great with our kids. Joseph and Faith love having them around.


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Mejilis Cushions!!

Yesterday our new Mejilis cushions finally arrived!! We are so excited to have a place to sit that's much more comfortable than the floor! When you walk through the front door in our house there's a big entry way. We decided to use this space for a traditional mejilis, sitting room, with cushions that are on the floor.


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Names

>> Friday, October 14, 2011


Names are a big deal here in the Middle East. It’s always a great conversation starter when I ask someone where his or her name came from. They like to hear our names, especially our children’s names. Women are not quick to share their names, but it's easy to talk about the children's names. 


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Where did my Arabic go?

>> Saturday, October 1, 2011

We were away from Arabic for nine months and now we're having to start all over again. Ok, actually some things have been coming back to us naturally, but other times I go to say something and just can't seem to think of the word! ugh!! Tim is doing better than I am. I just need to make friends in our neighborhood that I can walk to visit them when Tim is gone.

I feel like I'm speaking like a one year old. Like Jonathan did before he turned two:

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First Week of Teaching!

 I noticed that in my last two posts I used the word "busy." So, I'll try not to use that word again here. Instead of busy, I'll use the word adjustment!

This week was Tim's first week teaching at the English Institute called ILC. It was a big adjustment for our family, especially for him. He teaches every evening for this 5 week session. So, it's an adjustment to have him home in the mornings and gone in the evenings. Three days he gets home around 9:30pm, so the kids don't get to say good night to him those days.
He does some one on one tutoring as well as some classroom teaching. One class has 4 Arab guys who speak very little English. It's an intro class.

I have enjoyed hearing him talk about his students and his experiences! We are proud of Tim for stepping out of his comfort zone and teaching!

There are three other teachers at this small institute and we've only been open for a few sessions now. It's fun to watch this business grow!


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Moved In!!!

>> Friday, September 23, 2011

These last couple weeks have been so busy for us. In the midst of getting over jet lag we started house hunting. God provided a wonderful place for our family and we are so thankful!!

I had forgotten how exhausting it is to find a house and move in. We are thankful to be in and unpacked! We still have a few things to do like buy a new table since our old kitchen table is too small.


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Happy Birthday to Tim!

>> Sunday, September 11, 2011

Tim's birthday is September 10th. We've been so busy with finding a home that his birthday totally snuck up on us.

We were thankful to be able to go out on a date before all of the moving starts! I love this man and I'm so thankful for his life! He is worth celebrating!

After dinner we went out for chocolate fondu! What a special treat!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TIMMY! I LOVE YOU!!



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Good to be back!

Several people have asked us, "Is it good to be back?" We have answered quickly, "Yes it is!" We are back in the Middle East...the place that we call home. We are back and it feels so good to be here. 

But, we're not back to the same place we left. So much happened in this place while we were gone. I don't know if I can really put it into words, but my heart really hurts for the people here. 

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Traveling Overseas

Traveling overseas is always an adventure, especially when you're moving overseas! Packing takes on a whole new meaning when there are so many bags that need to be 50lbs or less. We were so thankful that the lady who checked us in let us get away with a couple bags that were 51lbs!

Our flight to London was delayed so we missed our connecting flight. That meant that we had an extra 10 hours in London. The airline put us up in a hotel and we all took a 4 hour nap! It was nice! We arrived back in the Middle East at 6:30 in the morning with all of our luggage!!

We have been able to successfully go house hunting and celebrate two birthdays despite the fact that we've been dealing with jet lag. We were so glad to get back home!

Here's a slide show of our travel adventures: 

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August

August was such a busy month for us, but it was a lot of fun!! Tim was taking a 4-week course for teaching English as a second language. It was an intensive course and we didn't get to see him very much, so we spent our time catching up with friends and spending some extra time with family!

It was a lot of fun for us, but a lot of work for Tim. He ended up getting bronchitis at the end and was trying to recover as we finished packing and traveled back to the Middle East. Thankfully he seems to be almost completely better now!

I wish I could sum up all that we did in words, but pictures will have to do this time! Enjoy this slideshow of our time in Denver:

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Five Favorites

>> Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Here are five of our favorite places that we will miss from Albuquerque! We've really enjoyed New Mexican food, breakfast burritos, green chili in biscuits & gravy, and green chili on our pizza! 



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10 Indications that we're ready to go back

>> Monday, August 1, 2011

1. 108 degree weather was familiar and comforting in a strange way.
2. We miss seeing our little boy in a dress.
3. We're starting to have dreams in Arabic again.
4. It seems so natural to say "Salaamtik" when someone sneezes!
5. We're sad we missed Eli's birthday party. :(
6. Joseph was jumping up and down when he got to have hummus for dinner.
7. Seeing a Saudi flag made us excited.
8. At McDonalds we were wishing we had hummus instead of ketchup to dip our fries.
9. It's tempting to flash our lights at someone who is driving slow in the fast lane.
10. The kids are singing the Arabic Alphabet nonstop! 

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Greeley Stampede

>> Saturday, July 9, 2011

Last Sunday we went to the Greeley Stampede! We took two full car loads with my parents, our family, Tim's parents, Tim's sister Karla and her kids.





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Grampa Day!

>> Thursday, July 7, 2011

Last Saturday was a special day! We celebrated Father's Day and Grampa's birthday. We called in Grampa Day! It was fun to celebrate my dad! The kids loved having Grampa Day! Grampa's birthday is Friday, July 8th!! We're so thankful that he was born on this day...so thankful that God placed him in our family!

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Fourth of July!!

>> Wednesday, July 6, 2011


We had such a great time on July 4th!! We haven't been able to celebrate America's Independence Day in the States since 2006. It was extra special for us to be able to be in the States this year! We put on our red, white, and blue and went to the parade in Greeley, Colorado! We have enjoyed the parade in this farming community in the past and so we were looking forward to it! We met our friends, the Napiers, who had found us a good spot the day before! 

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Glenwood Springs

>> Sunday, July 3, 2011

This week we had a special time with my (Jeni) side of the family! We went with my parents and my brother Andrew to Glenwood Springs, CO. Growing up we would drive up to this fun mountain town every once in a while. I have so many memories here and it was fun to go back with my kids!

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Father's Day 2011

>> Thursday, June 23, 2011

We have a fun tradition of going bowling on Father's Day! The kids love it and so do we! :) This year it was fun to celebrate Father's Day in New Mexico with Tim's Dad too! (That's the New Mexico flag in the picture.)


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Family time

Last week we got to spend some more time with Tim's sister's family another time before we go back overseas. We're so grateful for the time that we got to spend with them!!
One day we went swimming. Another day we went to the children's museum and the last day we went to the splash pad. We also got to enjoy lots of hanging out time! :)

You can see more pictures of our time below...


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Surprising Kelly

We were so excited to surprise my cousin Kelly!! We happened to be in the same place at the same time and so we met up for breakfast. She was just telling my uncle, "I wonder if I'll get to meet Joseph and Faith before they go into highschool." Little did she know that they were waiting for her at the restaurant!!  

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Time with Nana and Uncle Dan

Last week we got to spend some time with Jeni's Grandma and Uncle Dan! They sure love Joseph and Faith. They spoil these two kiddos and Faith and Joseph love it!

They call my grandma "Nana" a name that Joseph insisted on when he was a baby! They have so much fun with Nana. She gave Faith a set of play jewelry, which was so cute! She loved wearing her tiara, earings, necklace and ring. Faith is such a girly girl!

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Papa's Birthday

It's not hard for us to remember Papa's birthday because it's the same day as our anniversary!! We were glad to get to celebrate his birthday with him this year! We celebrated a few days late since we were in Washington DC on June 3rd. We went to Chilis and introduced him to the Molten Chocolate Cake!! YUM!!


Below are a few more pictures of our time!

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Washington DC

>> Sunday, June 5, 2011

Last week we left Joseph and Faith in Albuquerque with grandparents. We flew to Washington DC, just the two of us! It was such a nice time together!

We loved getting to catch up with friends!! We were close to Elizabeth when she was living in the Middle East in the same city that we were in. What a special friendship with a wonderful friend!

We also got to catch up with some friends we got to know in Albuquerque. Shaun & Anna recently adopted a precious baby girl! We got to meet this sweet baby and rejoice with them in how God has worked in their family!

I'm including a slide show of our pictures below.

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Friends & Family

In May we were blessed to get to catch up with some more friends and family! It was great to finally spend some time with Beth & Jamin Mayer and their five kids. Here is a picture of Beth and her two girls, Shannon and Renee. Jeni and Beth are childhood friends and then went to college together. That's where Beth met Jamin and Jeni met Tim. We have so many memories together!!















We were also so glad that Tim's cousin Valerie came to New Mexico. She lives in Lake Tahoe. Neither Joseph nor Faith have had the opportunity to meet her yet! The kids fell in love with her right away!! 




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Cabin Time

We were so thankful to be able to spend 5 days at a cabin near Jemez Springs, NM! Its a cabin that Tim and his family has been going to for many years. It was so quiet and relaxing! The trees and the mountain air were such a nice change of scenery. It was a nice time for our family! The last couple days we got to have Tim's parents around, which was a blessing!

I'm including a slideshow of the pictures below. :)

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Time to get away!

In the last last month we have had some opportunities to get away! We have had some quiet reflection time. It's been so nice! It's been such a nice time of renewing for us.



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Mothers Day!

>> Sunday, May 8, 2011

Celebrating Mothers Day today was special! Tim was so good...he really made it a special day for me! The kids made a card that was really cute. They were excited to make it a happy day! :)

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About This Culture: Food

>> Wednesday, April 27, 2011


Some people have asked us about the kind of food we eat in the Middle East. We love the food that we get to eat! We haven't had much of it since we've been in the States and we miss it. 

Often times it is chicken or lamb with rice. Our Arab friends eat a lot of rice and they always tell us that we should eat some more! 

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Time with friends!

>> Monday, March 28, 2011

In the last week we have enjoyed some wonderful time with friends! 

Taz & Brandy Painter came to Albuquerque and we got to spend some great time with them and their kids! 

We also got to have some great quality time with Mark & Renee Horlbeck and their boys! 

We're really so thankful for great friends! 

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Disney World

We were so blessed to get to go to Disney World with Grandma & Grampa! I'm pretty sure that the grandparents had more fun than the kids did!! I think my favorite part was watching Faith get so excited about seeing Minnie Mouse!!

Click "read more" to see more pictures!


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IN-N-OUT

>> Saturday, February 26, 2011

We were excited to go to In-N-Out while we were in Phoenix!!! They have such tasty burgers and fries. Thanks to Tonya, we knew to order our cheese burgers "animal style," which means extra sauce, extra pickles, and grilled onions...yum!!!

Even though it was great food, we were so glad to share it with our wonderful family! We went twice...once with Tonya and her kids and another time with my grandma!

Enjoy the pictures!

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Reconnecting With College Friends

Last week we were in Phoenix to visit family and to reconnect with friends from college! Some of these friends we hadn't seen for 9 or 10 years...wow, time sure passes by quickly.

I felt like we were back in college laughing and joking with these friends. The funny thing was there were a bunch of kiddos running around and two of them were mine.

The picture to the right is Tim and his three roommates.

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Railroad Park

>> Thursday, February 24, 2011

On Monday morning we took a trip with Tim's sister Tonya's family to the Railroad Park in Phoenix! We packed a lunch of peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and loaded up two vans full of kids. We followed James & Tonya in their new blue van that said "B Bunch" on the back window.

Joseph was excited to ride on the train. Faith kept saying, "Train! Choo choo!!" We got our tickets and Joseph sat down next to Daddy while Faith sat between her cousins Tori and Jackie. We had a fun time waving at people. Joseph screamed as we went through the tunnel...silly boy!

After the train ride we went to the carrousel. Tim held on to Joseph, but I had to ride the horse with Faith. The kids played on the playground before we ate lunch. Then after lunch the boys played catch in the field, while the girls whisked Faith away to go down the slide some more.

It was a fun day! We're grateful to be able to spend this time with family, making lots of fun memories!

Enjoy some pictures below:

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note from Emma

>> Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Look at this sweet note from our niece, Emma! We've had it on our car window for a week. Every time I see it, I feel loved! :) 


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Snow Pictures!!

I love snow! When we were in Colorado we got to see so much snow!!! I couldn't stop taking pictures with my new camera! I'm including a few of my favorites in this post. 

I hope you enjoy the pictures of the beautiful snow as much as I do! 

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Chick fil-a

>> Saturday, February 12, 2011

We have enjoyed eating at some restaurants that we can't find in the Middle East. Chick fil a is one of our favorites! I'm sure we'll be sick of it by the time we go back overseas. 

The kids love to play in their play area. They always hope that the cow will be around so they can shake his hand and give him a hug!

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Time with family

>> Thursday, January 20, 2011

We have had a fun and busy couple of months! We've enjoyed time with family around Christmas time. It's been so fun to catch up with both of our families. It's been a whole year since we've seen most everyone. Last time we were in the States Faith was so new to us and still so tiny and malnourished.
Here are some pictures of our time with family:

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