Being from Oklahoma, and having the legendary Gary England as my local Meteorologist, I love all things weather. In fact, I have a secret ambition of being a storm chaser one day, but that's a different story for another blog. Such a devoted fan of Gary England, I recently emailed him a question about the weather in Austria. He emailed me back ... personally! I now have a new BFF! (I am joking about the BFF but not joking about him personally emailing me!) He connected me with one of his assistants and we've been in communication. This is just one of many famous people I am now acquainted with ... do you know I've met Beth Moore ... and again, that's another story for another blog!

So, we've been anticipating the warm summer in Wien. Central air conditioning is a rare precious find. I can think of only one public place I've been in that has air conditioning ... my local grocery store. Oh, I take that back. Sometimes you can catch a brand new train on the Ubahn (subway) that is air conditioned. You pay for having a.c. by the rough and tumble ride you must endure ... we still haven't figured out why the new trains are so bumpy!

All public office buildings, schools, stores, malls, etc. do not have a.c. That also means that private homes do not have a.c. We are so grateful for the cross-winds we get in our flat. We open the widows wide in the morning to capture all the cool air we can get and then leave them open a little during the day to get a breeze. It's actually not that bad ... because the weather is dry and so hot here is not like hot in Oklahoma when the humidity is bad.

Well, this is technically the first real week of summer we've had. Let me say that again ... THIS IS TECHNICALLY THE FIRST REAL WEEK OF SUMMER WE'VE HAD! For the month of June, Wien received more rain than the entire last year combined! We had flooding on the Donau River near our home. It's safe to say that for 3 weeks straight we got rain every day at some point during each day. The temperatures have been fall-like, hitting 68 for daytime highs. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! I personally think this was God's gift to the Elledge Family ... but then again my perspective could be a bit skewed!

So, in honor of our first real week of summer, I've included summer photos. We have the privilege of having 2 patio's and one balcony. We've made the patio outside our main living room a second living space.

Also, wanted to include some photos of our new favorite thing: Nutella. Yes, you can buy it in America, but it's just not the same as the real thing!

And, please keep my sister, Bettina and her husband, Rodney in your thoughts and prayers. They are back in Houston as Rodney is not doing well. God has shown me that distance makes me feel more vulnerable under these circumstances, while at the same time feel more empowered by the one thing I can do so far away - pray!

Just want to share a quote from a "Christy" episode I recently watched. One of the main characters is praising a mentor. She says this about him: "The Reverend put hands and feet to faith for me." Oh that someone would say that about me one day!