I Haven't Forgotten You, You're On My To-Do List...

No we have not been eaten by crocodiles, nor have we fallen off the face of the Earth (although some days Landon would dispute this especially when his only functioning form of communication is a satellite phone).  We have just been downright busy!  To be completely honest, with my health having a mind of its own, my last few months have consisted of running like a chicken with my head cut off (which is how I prefer it) and then lying in recovery the next few days waiting patiently (ok so sometimes the patient part isn't quite so true) for my body to catch up with the pace my mind wants to keep.  So just know that we have not forgotten about our long lost blog and all of you who thankfully read these random stories of our even more random life.  You have made the To-Do list for the week, soooo hopefully by this time next week you will have had your fill of Hoppe adventures and will be all caught up!

The Purest Form of Joy...

The other week I had the wonderful chance to spend a few days with my nephew, Vimmer, while my sister and her husband escaped on a "babymoon" (the hip term for one last hoorah before your little one arrives - Sarah is due September 24th!!!). Vimmer and I had so much fun together and I cherish the time that I had with him. He and William (and very soon Paxton) are the closest thing to children that Landon and I have and they bring such pure innocent joy into our lives, not to mention a lot of laughs! One day in particular we enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of fine dining and dancing!

He apparently really enjoyed his ravioli and thus we headed straight to the bath after this!

The next video is absolutely adorable in my opinion (but I've been told I am bit biased). You get a little of all Vimmer's tricks...if you listen carefully you'll even hear him saying "cheese" repeatedly for the camera (it's the word that sounds like "teee"). Sorry for the shakiness - I was kneeling down when he decided to tackle me - and forgive the loud laughter towards the end - he was literally bouncing on my stomach. He is such a precious turkey!!!

Landon's Trip Home...

Landon got to make a trip home for vacation and to celebrate his younger brother's high school graduation at the end of May/beginning of June. After cheering on his brother (who graduated 1st in his class and will be attending Rice in the fall, sorry just had to brag on him for a second...) we headed down to Punta Cana for some much needed time alone just relaxing together. We had not had that kind of time alone together in well over 2 years. It was so nice to just sleep and lay by the pool or ocean! The trip was truly made perfect when we stumbled across a monkey at our resort (for those of you who don't know, Landon has a slight obsession with monkeys). His name was Mario and he was absolutely adorable!! He worked for apples and happily sat in your hand (or on your head) as long as he had an apple. When his trainer ran out of apples, Mario started hunting for apples in Landon's shirt. It made us want a monkey all the more!!

While we were in Punta Cana, we also celebrated my 25th birthday! Landon completely surprised me with an entire day of activity planned. He started my day out my favorite way...breakfast in bed!!! Then we went and had massages at the resort spa. It was our first time having "real" massages. We have had massages in China but you wear these pajama type garments the whole time and they never touch your bare skin, always keeping a sheet between their hand and your body. The whole experience was always extremely modest. So, needless to say, this was our first full fledge "only wrapped in a sheet" massage. We were in heaven!!! I was pleasantly surprised that my body reacted well and I was not overly sensitive to the touch (some days the slightest touch hurts extremely bad and Landon was so worried that he was going to end up hurting me by taking me for the massage instead of relaxing me). Afterward, I was ready to hit the pool and enjoy my relaxed state. Later in the afternoon when we returned to our room I was greeted with a beautiful flower arrangement, a happy birthday sign, balloons covering our floor, and the best part was that Landon ordered me a bath (yeah I didn't really know you could do such a thing, but you can). So, apparently while we were out our butler came in and filled our Jacuzzi to just the perfect temperature (and I mean it was spot on exactly right), added bubbles and flowers and even candles. The whole setting was just picturesque. After I enjoyed my prepared bath, Landon took me to the best part of the day! He surprised me with a private beach front dinner for just the two of us. The most romantic part was that he orchestrated the whole thing including the menu so we had several of my favorite dishes, particularly lobster. I can still taste the food as I am typing this. It was one of the most breathtaking and memorable dinners I have ever had with Landon. The night was truly perfect. When I say that it really carries weight with us because most nights when Landon and I eat out I am in such pain or discomfort I cut the meal short, leaving my poor husband to always have to scarf his food down (if I have even let us make it to the restaurant to begin with). He always happily complies in order to keep me from being uncomfortable in public but I feel so guilty that he can't just enjoy a normal dinner out. However, that night, God came along side me and gave me (and Landon) an amazing birthday gift of a simple pain free dinner where we ate slowly, talked as long as we wanted, and left the table feeling connected and satisfied rather than rushed and tortured. My wonderful, amazing, precious husband made my birthday so special and I will never forget it!

In all we thoroughly enjoyed our trip and cherished the time to reconnect before being separated again. Knowing we would be apart for 6 months, this trip came at the perfect time. God continues to amaze us in that He knows how much our marriage can take and when we need nourishment or time together. He continually strengthens our relationship and reminds us that as long as we are seeking Him everything else will fall into place. To see all our pics from our trip visit our photo website.

Long Absence...

I cannot believe 4 months have passed since I last blogged! Obviously I have a bit of catching up to do so I will have to make several posts over the next week or so. The biggest change in our life has been our location. We officially moved from Sarajevo (and yes that comes with much sadness as it feels as though I didn't get much time to enjoy living there, particularly with all the unexpected time spent back stateside).

The project in Sarajevo has been wrapping up for the past few months so we knew that sooner or later they would no longer need Landon there, it was just a question of when. After the date was changed several times, Landon finally nailed down a definite departure from Sarajevo when he came home for vacation at the end of May. So Landon left Sarajevo, came home for vacation, then flew to Istanbul, Turkey for a two week business trip (oh, for those who are curious, he really enjoyed Istanbul. It is a beautiful city! Pictures from his trip can be found on our photo website), and then finally on to our new home...Bujumbura, Burundi.

For those of you who don't know (like me), Burundi is a small country in southeast Africa (it is bordered by Tanzania and Rwanda, as you can see in the two maps).

With a population of over 8.7 million people and a landmass the size of Maryland, it has a population density of 206.1 persons per square kilometer (that's the second largest population density in sub-Saharan Africa). The thing that makes this nation even more fragile is that it is the 2nd poorest country in the world. I'm sure I will blog more about Burundi and the issues that plague this nation (as I did with Bosnia) at a later date. For now I am just getting acquainted with this new port of call that is growing precious to my heart as it will be our home for a period of our life, no matter how long that may be.

We are definitely nervous about this new chapter in our overseas adventure. The first hurdle we have been faced with is my health and deciding if I will ever be well enough to go to Africa. We have no plans as of right now for me to attempt going to Burundi before December (that is when Landon has vacation time again). After that we will see where God leads us (whether that is that I am healthy enough to join Landon in Africa, whether another project arises that is more health friendly, or whether we have to come back to the States to focus on my health). I have learned to just trust and know that even in this crazy transient and sometimes confusing life that Landon and I lead, God is still there making careful plans for us.

ALL CLEAR...

Well the waiting is finally over and Landon has received the all clear, praise God!!!

We saw the Neurologist this morning and he said that all of Landon’s tests came back normal. The CTA showed no blockage or slowed blood flow to the brain. The clotting studies came back normal, meaning he does not have any clotting disorder. And the EEG showed no slowing of brain function, which means that for now the cyst is not causing any problems. He did say that Landon should have another scan done of the cyst in 6 months to a year to see if it is growing. This Neurologist also consulted with the team of Neurosurgeons that had previously looked at Landon’s films and again they all reiterated this same opinion (the cyst 80% to 90% of the time will never be a problem but that he does need to have another scan done to be safe).

As far as the “episode” it was most likely a migraine. The Neurologist said that as long as he only has an episode like this every few years there is really no reason to treat with medication as migraine medication actually can increase your risk of stroke. So essentially we just know that Landon has the potential to have some pretty crazy migraines.

On a side note, Landon did get to visit my Applied Kinesiologist in Austin on Tuesday. Our main purpose or goal in taking Landon there is that this doctor is able to test for food allergies and vitamin deficiencies, both of which were mentioned by the Neurologist as causes for migraines this severe. Interestingly, the Applied Kinesiologist found that Landon does indeed have food allergies, particularly to chocolate and coffee, but otherwise is exceptionally healthy. He suggested Landon cut out all coffee and chocolate and see if his headaches get better. He seems to think that in general Landon will feel better. He explained that food allergies, in most cases, are not a sudden onset (like eat the food, have reaction), but rather a long time process of buildup over months or years. He said that when we are allergic or slightly allergic to a food that our body produces antibodies to that food and as we eat it more and more these antibodies build in our system causing symptoms. Overall he reiterated that Landon is healthy!

So we are extremely relieved and thankful! Landon is going to cut coffee and chocolate from his diet and see how he feels over the next two months. Unfortunately this means that he will be returning to Sarajevo (unfortunate only because that means we must part ways again). He actually just got his return flight scheduled for Friday, the day after tomorrow. He will come back to the States again in May, when his younger brother graduates from high school, and we will then be able to reassess how he is feeling, and should he need to revisit any doctors, he will be able to do so at that time. Thank you to all of you for your time spent worrying, favors called in, prayers, love, and support during this whole drawn out process. We are daily amazed by all that God holds in His hands and are incredibly blessed to know that we are resting there in his palms. Thank you again!!!

With Calmed Fears, Quieted Nerves, and Peaceful Hearts,

Landon and Shannon