Things we take for granted...

Today I've decided to just list a few things that most of us, Americans, take for granted:

• Dryers (and LARGE washing machines)
• A large selection of breakfast cereals at any grocery store we go to
• Cream for our coffee (in various flavors)
• Dishwashers
• Variety of meat at the grocery store
• Refills on soda at a restaurant
• Being served our drinks in LARGE glasses/containers
• Thick mattresses
• Regular sized pillows (as opposed to what IKEA offers in the 1/2 size pillow)
• Watching TV and understanding it
• Kitchens that have enough counter space to bake and prepare foods on them
• Loading up our cars with groceries and making only one trip per week (or so)
• Elevators when there are more than two flights of stairs (we have 80 stairs to walk up every time we go to our apartment!) 
• Not needing to have a gate at our front door or bars on our windows (to keep unwanted people out)

The longer we're here, the more we become acclimated to life in Budapest. However, the longer we're here, the more we miss some of the things we've come to take for granted in the States. I'd encourage each of you to stop and thank the Lord today for the many things you have in your life that you take for granted. Machines that help you do your daily work, extra soda when you go out to eat, a comfortable bed to sleep on, and grocery stores that carry FAR more than we could ever use, but give us an option when shopping. 


 The gate to our apartment building.

Our washing machine. It holds about 4 large towels at a time. If we're washing jeans, it will hold two pair (adult size) and about two t-shirts. Needless to say, I'm doing laundry several times a day. ; ) And then it has to be laid out over drying racks. Jeans take about two days to dry fully.