More pics and flowers

here are the videos

More pictures and videos part 2

Finally Pictures and a video part 1

Here are some pictures of our trip to Cyprus

Finally

We have our buggy! We were able to get a buggy on Wednesday. We got there 10 minutes before closing (since they had a half day on Wednesday) at 1pm. Finally we are able to settle down. Today Ashley finally got the chance to laz around the pool and soak up the sun. I got in with Jake and we played in the big pool. It was cold since it is a sun heated pool, but the sun was out and it wasn't too windy. We played and had fun! Afterwards, Jake had a nice 3 hour nap. We are hoping to actually do some sight-seeing tomorrow. Or, we can just hang out on our last day here. Who knows, we are on vacation.

Another day...

Well, we are still loving it here even though our search for a "buggy," or "push chair," or "stroller," has turned into a quest. We have found a two places in Pafos that sell strollers, but they are always closed. Whether it is 10:30am or 2:45pm, they have been closed each day. We will try tomorrow and since British Airways will be reimbursing us, we will be looking for a really good one. Not having one is starting to become a big issue as Jakey has decided that he doesn't like to walk ALL THE TIME. Plus, we would like to go and visit ruins and it is easier if we don't have to worry about him taking off and playing with all of the old stuff! But...we are thoroughly enjoying ourselves and are having a very relaxed time. Jake loves the pool, and we will go swimming a little later today.

Cheers to all!

WE MADE IT!!!!

Okay, so this is Ashley, I am attempting my first ever blogging experience. So, we made it! We are in Cypress and our Holiday has officially begun! Getting here was an adventure all on its own!! I will begin with leaving Aberdeen on Friday. Our dear friend, Mary, drove us through TERRIBLE weather to the airport, it felt like we were going to get blown over any minute and God was pelting us with what appeared to be "Dippin' Dots," remember those? Well, they don't feel so great getting blown into your face from ten different directions. Just a side note, the wind in Scotland does not blow in one direction, it blows in at least 5 at any given time! So, needless, to say we were glad to be leaving to head for the warm and sunny climate of Cypress. We have no problems checking in and the flight from Aberdeen to London Heathrow was fairly uneventful, until we get off the plane and wait for our luggage. Oh, on the plane we did learn that we no longer need to use the car seat since Jake is now 2, I thought he did since he was still so small, but that was good news since it is one less thing we were going to have to lug on the next flight. Anyway, we get all of our luggage no problem. But we begin to wait and wait for our stroller. We took it out the plane (or the steps outside that go up into the plane) in Abderdeen where is was taken from us by a grounds crew to be stored below the plane, this is normal and we have done it several times. Well, this time, something went terribly wrong. In the 20 feet from the base of the stairs to the luggage compartment on the plane, it was apparently lost! How? you ask. We have no earthly idea! The poor guy at Heathrow was as helpful as possible, but it wasn't his fault. He called Aberdeen, he called our gate we came in on. No one had any clue where it was. They only had one double stroller left for us to use, which we turned down because we though certainly they would find it by the next morning before we leave for Cypress....Plus, we didn't want to bother with a double stroller. He took our number and hotel info and promised to call if it was found. Later that night, no call. The next morning we call Heathrow, they haven't heard anything. We try Aberdeen, apparently their baggage service department is closed on the weekends, or something like that. We go to the airport for our 9:40am flight, we have to wake Jake up early, but he slept well through the night so he did fine. He had to walk quite a bit, but we figured that is good for him, it will make him grow up a little. (we are trying to find the silver lining). We check in and find out our flight is delayed a little bit, not too bad. The airline gives us a voucher for about 6 pounds each to get food and drinks. That's actually pretty good since not all their airport food is too expensive. We go to hang out for a bit in the center of the airport, they don't post your gate until 1 hour before the flight boards. There are plenty of shops and eateries to keep us occupied. Oh, BTW, security was a breeze, especially without the stroller, so that was kind of nice. We finally decide to go eat at a little cafe. We give Jake some milk, and then some food, nothing heavy. We then made the grave mistake of giving him juice too soon after his milk. He threw up all over himself, it was a mess! Fortunately, Derek had decided to pack some extra clothes in our diaper bag, so we were set. Derek took him to the bathroom to clean him up and I cleaned up the mess at our table. We figured it was better that he did this before we got on the plane. We look up at the flights to see ours has been delayed a bit again. Okay, we can handle that. We decide to finish eating our meal at the cafe. We ask the waiter for some water in Jake's sippy cup, to help get the yucky taste out of his mouth and get some fluids. It takes a while, but he finally returns with it. I had a weird feeling about it, but didn't say anything. Next thing I know, Jake is screaming and steam is flying in his face. I run around the table and grab the sippy cup from him. It was filled with boiling water! The pressure had built up and when he went to take a sip it blew up in his face. The poor little guy was so scared and he still has some minor burns from it. Apparently there was a mix up when the waiter asked the girl behind the bar for water in it and she filled it with the hot water. The cup is so insulated that it only felt a little warm to the touch on the outside, so no one knew. The poor girl was so upset by the accident (she was crazy busy behind the counter and just made a mistake), she was crying for a long time. The manager came out and called the paramedic, just as a precaution. Jake was fine, just some minor surface burns on the side of his face, mostly he was just scared. We had our meal comped and we got the information of the general manager. I think they were a little afraid we would suel; that is not something we would have done. If there had been any medical costs, then we would have had them pay for that, but we are not exactly the suing type, it was just an accident. We went over to show the girl that Jake was okay and to offer her some comfort; she was extremely shaken. Anyway, after all the drama at the cafe we go to sit down. Then more fabulous news, apparently our plane was broken down and they couldn't fix it without a new part being flown in from Manchester. Our 9:40am flight was now schedule to about 6pm! There were a lot of families with children around us and some of the kids played together. There was a little table with some toys on it by us that Jake loved. He was such a trooper!! He never cried, unless he took him away from the toys. He couldn't take a nap since we didn't have his stroller and lying down on the bench didn't work for him since it was so loud and so much going on. We had some kids shows on our computer that he watched and some books. They had a toy store and I bought him a new Thomas train since he was being so good. Then, our flight gets delayed again. We finally get to board our plane around 9:40pm!! Our flight had been delayed 12 hours!!! Jake didn't sleep at all during that time and he had been up since 6:30am. He did so great!! We get on the plane and he does well, he eventually sleeps for about 2 and a half hours of the flight (supposed to be a little over 4 hours, but the pilot booked it and we got there in about 3 and a half hours). Then he woke up screaming. It was hard to console him, but he calmed down a little bit. Then freaked out again. Then calmed down, then his ears hurt as we descended. All in all, I'd say he was due a good cry. So we get to the Larnaka airport, which is about 2 hours from Pafos. We wait for a long time to get out rental car, and get the last one they have, a van. Oh well, no extra charge. We load up and head out. (quick note: it is a lot cheaper to fly into Larnaka than Pafos). Derek is driving and Jake falls asleep. I try to stay awake, but struggle towards the end. The sun comes up as we are driving. (Cypress is 2 hours later than the UK, so it was about 5am when we left the airport driving). It is a lovely Island. We get a little lost once in Pafos, but we find our resort. We had called them from London to let them know we would be late and they had set up the cot for Jake already. we got in, got some milk for him from the shop that wasn't supposed to be open yet, and went to bed. We rested the whole day and enjoyed the resort. The food is fabulous!!! Everyone here is very nice. Our place is very nice, too! we have a great room, it has a separate living and sleeping area and a little kitchen. The floors are all marble. It is not super fancy, but very nice. The pool is great, which Jake just loves; he went in with Daddy this afternoon. Earlier we explored Pafos to find a store to buy a new stroller. We found it, but it was closed so we will go back tomorrow. British Air has officially lost our stroller and will compensate us for a new one. I have no problem buying a very nice one! For the inconvenience we have had, I think we deserve it! Also, Cypress Air is supposed to offer some sort of compensation, we just need to file a complaint or something. Apparently, others who have flown with them say they are very accomodating, so it shouldn't be a problem. We will be adding some pics soon so you can all see this lovely place! I am so blown away that we are actually staying in a city that the Apostle Paul did!!! The weather is great, though a bit dusty today, apparently there is a wind coming in from Egypt causing it. How cool!! We are very close to Israel, too! I should get going so we can go get dinner. We will keep you posted on our continuing adventure. we love you all!

Jakey's birthday party

Well, Jakey's big birthday party day came and went. Some of his best friends showed up: Hannah Eilers and Peter Reed. Also, his friend Ethan came as well. We all had a great day and wish that all of you could have come. Here are some pictures and a video. Below is a picture of Jake and his buddies; also, a nice picture of Derek's Oreo chocolate cake; there is a picture of Jakey eating his third Thomas the tank engine cupcake, as well as a picture of Jake oogling his new thomas books.

Sad, but no St. Andrews

Due to our upcoming trip to Cyprus on March 22, we have decided to not go to St. Andrews. Plus, my LAX game got canceled anyways. So we are sticking it out here in Aberdeen. Ash is doing great and is excited about going to the Arbonne National convention in Atlanta in April. I believe the dates are April 9-14th or something like that. Totally sweet for her but stinks for me. I would love to simply get a taste of some nice American culture.

The more that I am here, the more I realize that I love being an American. There are many great things about the UK (like not getting charged for incoming calls and texts on the cell phone) but I am an American at heart. It has caused me to think a bit about how each of us is shaped by our culture. Even our religious views are relative to our culture. The Christian culture here has a different feel than in America. On the theological level, they fight different battles here in theology than in the states. It has really helped to expand my view of a godly community I can tell you that!

Here are some funny pictures of Jake who will be turning 2 next Monday, 10th. Amazing!

Here is Jake and Hannah playing some good ol' fashion football - notice Jake's big kick is no where near the ball. But as they say here, aces for trying!



Here is Jake helping mom with her Arbonne party!



Here is a picture of Jake making sure he understands the basic essentials of Liberation Theology - he also is helping out his friend Mary with her book review!



Here is the first fist-bump of the Resler boys!