So Long Ordinary

A few weeks ago, I had an opportunity to go along with Sean on a survey trip interior.    I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into, but I'd been wanting to go interior for a long time. We live in a pretty modern city that is nothing like the villages Sean flies to each day, and I wanted to see that world, meet those people. This was a crazy trip to volunteer to go on, and if I'd known what I was getting into, I'd have said "no way!"  I decided to go rather spontaneously and then spent the next three days freaking out.  I didn't let myself talk myself out of it, though, and I'm glad I didn't.   This trip changed my life. A bit too dramatic?  Maybe.  But I'm telling you that three weeks later, I'm  still  processing what I saw and experienced on that trip.   We flew deep into "the heart of Borneo"  to check the river for possible future MAF service in one of the most isolated villages in Central Kalimantan (a 2.5 hour trip upriv

Last week, we needed a little something special.  Our regular homeschool routine was feeling a little dull and lifeless, so I decided it was time for a tea party. When you have little girls, tea parties are the easiest go-to cure for whatever - for bad days or grumpy attitudes or boredom or celebration.  It always works.    We whipped up some scones (and added chocolate chips, of course) and some Ginger Lemon tea. I put on some peaceful music to play.  We donned our favorite dresses, brought the dollies to the table, and set out our nicest tea set.  A flowery sheet was our tablecloth.  I pulled some of our favorite poetry books off the shelf and we took turns reading poems to one another, giggling at silly lines and talking together about what the poem might be saying.   We didn't linger too long.  It started to get hot and our dresses began to feel itchy.  But when we went back to normal life - cleaning up our mess, tackling math and spelling again - it didn't feel like such a

Without a whole lot of other perks or forms of entertainment, we get pretty excited about new restaurants opening in our city.  Even better is when the restaurant wants to cater to homesick foreigners as well as introduce fun local foods. Our neighbors recently opened a new restaurant and it's by far the best place in town now.  They make a pretty stinking amazing Mie Tarik  or homemade, pulled noodles that you can watch them make right in front of you.  Since we've eaten there, they've added fajitas, nachos, and burgers to their menu and we hear it's all good.  Can you say "giddy?!" When we first tried out the new place, we were surprised to see that they have a real, wood-fired pizza oven.  Their pizza has...real cheese!  In a town where the closest thing we've had to a order-out pizza was a weird pizza crust smothered in a sweet ketchup sauce and topped with fake cheese and hot dogs, this is a big deal.  We make pizza at home every week but sometimes, N

When I was growing up, my parents always brought my sister and I along on their anniversary dates.  The four of us would dress up and head out together for a fancy dinner.  We celebrated what God had done - this family that He had held together through many storms. I’ll never forget that bitter cold February morning 10 years ago when Sean and I loaded our own little family up into the car to head to the airport - first to MAF headquarters, then to Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, and eventually on to Indonesia.  As we turned out of their driveway after a frantic and emotional morning, the hard lump in my chest suddenly exploded as I realized the date – my parent’s anniversary.  With a bitter swallow, I knew that the new normal for us would not include being together on February 19.  There have been a few special years.  I surprised my parents for their 40 th year together, bringing my toddler and newborn on an ill-advised (but worthwhile) journey from Ecuador.  One year, Sean’s training br

Some days, my Indonesian language skills are woefully inadequate for the conversations I'm having.  Okay, most days.  Ugh!  I wish there was a way to transplant what I actually mean into the brains of the people I'm conversing with...or that I'd wake up with a miraculously improved Indonesian vocabulary that would flow from my mouth freely, elegantly, and perfectly pronounced.  That'd work too.  As it is, I blubber along, feeling like a huge goofy dork.  Because I am.  There's really no getting around this. Granted, I am suddenly having deeper conversations on subjects I've never spoken of in Indonesian before.  I should be happy that things are going deeper, that I'm being allowed into a deeper level of knowing and connection with my Indonesian friends.  But instead, I just feel dorky.  They are pouring out their hearts and I'm saying things like "Well, that's hard."  or "I don't know." or "What does that mean?" or

Where to start?   Madison and I were just chatting about some visitors from the States coming to our house tomorrow.  This is a couple that does Member Care for MAF and just wants to spend some time getting to know us and see what life is like for us here. We're looking forward to having them.  When I told Maddie that the guests are arriving tomorrow she said, "So, when I wake up there will just be people with big noses standing outside my door?"  Ummm... I had to ask why she thinks these people will have big noses (she hasn't met them yet) and she said, "Because they're Americans!"   We've been back in Indonesia for four months!  It's been a rough adjustment back to life here.  I think we're finally getting there, though. Honestly, we just got too spoiled on furlough. Those things we were used to before furlough (heat, humidity, ants, separation from loved ones, crazy driving) are taking some time to get used to again.  Homeschool has been g