So Long Ordinary

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....

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 b...

Sean's been gone to Spokane for training in the Kodiak for almost two weeks and we're missing him something terrible!  Praise the Lord, we are DONE with our homeschool year and the girls and I are hitting the road this weekend to head up to Nampa where we'll meet up with Sean at MAF headquarters.  It'll be fun to hang out at the MAF apartments until Sean finishes up some more training and then as a family we will drive back to Colorado by way of Yellowstone, the Tetons, and maybe a few more National Parks if we can. More nature, more camping!  Hooray! These are the last of my favorite family pictures from our camping trip in Moab.  Ahhh...such great memories to treasure.  Sean also has some awesome scenery shots but I'll let him share them on his own blog.   Landscape Arch Pine Tree Arch Love thems.... Her joy is pretty contagious! Running down a steep hill of sand...can you think of anything more fun for kids?   See?  Contagious Joy.

After Easter, we took off on a camping trip to celebrate Sean's birthday...and just to enjoy some real nature and fun outdoors as a family for pretty much the first time in 4 years.   We've been re-discovering our love of nature and outdoor activity on this furlough and it has been so rejuvenating.  Ironically, we don't get to enjoy much nature in Borneo, other than the occasional boat ride to see orangutans or taking a dip in the swamp or river.  We just can't spend this kind of time outdoors in Indonesia because a)it's Asia, there are people everywhere, b) most "National Parks" in Indonesia are pretty inaccessible to a family like ours, c) it's too hot and humid to really enjoy ourselves camping, and d) we couldn't get the ingredients for s'mores anyway, so what's the point? All joking aside, we really have been LOVING America's National Parks and wildlife areas.  Our time at Arches National Park in Moab, Utah was just what we needed....

Thanks for the sweet comments on my last blog post.  Yes, if there is one thing this overseas life has taught me (but there are waaaaaayyy more than one) it is that "home" is not here on this earth.  And I am so glad! I came across this article full of quotes for third culture kids ...but it applies to all of us living overseas so well. There are many good quotes that struck a chord with me, but this one from C.S. Lewis hits the nail on the head: Image by RachelPiehJones {link to http://www.babble.com/contributor/rachelpiehjones} We had an awesome week last week and I'm still just trying to crawl out from under the laundry pile.  We took a family trip to Moab, Utah....but more on that later!  First, some pictures from our Easter!  We had a great Easter with my family and even got to go to our home church - an awesome treat.  The girls enjoyed having an Easter egg hunt with their cousin, Audrey.  We may or may not have enjoyed a tasty ham. Pork Pro...

You know it's bad when you see people you haven't seen in four years and all they have to say to you is, "You haven't blogged in a very long time!" Okay, yes, I've been a little quiet on this space these past few months. To tell the truth, furlough has been a bit of a roller coaster for me, and I'm still trying to find my bearings here in the land of plenty.  America, you are way too much for me.  Truly, I still have panic attacks every time I walk into a store.  I want it ALL - because it is there to buy.  And then, I realize, I don't need that - it doesn't fit into a suitcase...or, I'd be sweating buckets if I wore that in Indonesia....or, maybe bowls made out of bacon aren't exactly the best use of my money.  Or are they? Building a snow man with cousin Audrey (February 2014) Can I tell you how much I am loving waking up in my parents' house every morning, hearing my kids teasing my Dad or my Mom reading a book to them in her little ...

Last night was a night I won't soon forget.  It was special - a celebration of 47 years together for my parents.  These two.  They've been through an awful lot.  But here they stand, 47 years later, still in love - probably more in love than they were way back when, right before they moved to Savannah, not long before he headed out to war while Mom stayed back in Kansas and waited.   Last night, it was just the four of us, around a small table at a rickety steak house in a little mountain town up the road. With brief flurries of snow falling outside, warm, twinkly lights inside, and the constant flow of decaf coffee delivered by a slow and careful waitress, we laughed and joked and ate and remembered.    The four of us.  We've been through an awful lot.  We've added to our numbers - husbands and five little girls, each of them a treasure - but for just one night it was the four of us again, and I was taken back to when I was a kid, and we all...

The girls and Ester.  Ester is a sweet, shy, quiet little girl from next door.  She's also our helper's daughter, so she comes over almost everyday to play with the girls while her mom works.  On Friday, she just wanted so badly to spend as much time as possible with us, so we brought her with us to the MAF dock to say our good-byes.  All four girls spent the time at the dock playing around in the grass.  (Remember that post of the girls playing in the water a few weeks ago?  This is that same area, now bone-dry.) We're going to miss Ester...and so many other friends here. I'm not going to mention how very much we will miss our MAF family. (okay, guess I just did)   Sniff. Well, what a surreal feeling.  Our house is pretty echo-y.  Since we're having the interior painted while we're gone, I took down all of our pictures and wall hangings.  I also put away breakables and special items that might get damaged just sitting around the house f...

Not a roller coaster.  Just Brooklyn and one of our Indonesian MAF staff taking a quick boat ride at sunset. If there's one thing I've learned, its that life is full of ups and downs, bitters and sweets, incongruities and inconsistencies.  Now multiply that by 1,000 and you have missionary life in a nutshell.  I'm learning to be okay with all the mixed emotions constantly ebbing and flowing in my heart - the longing for other places, the love for where I am, the gut-wrenching loss of time with family, the thrill of new friends becoming like family, the dream of leading a life following hard after Jesus, the tears that come as I count the cost. Right now, I'm a wreck.  Full of emotions that I expected and other emotions that have taken me off guard. I want to go.  Yesterday.  And I also want to... stay ? I absolutely love that we are going "home" to Colorado.  There just aren't words that express the kind of excitement I feel about our upcoming furlough...

Let me catch my breath here.  I'm kinda (very) grossed out. The vet just left and.... s hudder . If you've followed this blog for long, you may have picked up on an unavoidable fact of life in the tropics.  At least for our family, pets have been a decidedly disappointing venture pretty much all 'round. Kittens.  We found some kittens at the dock just after we moved to Palangkaraya.  They were so cute!  (And look how cute and little Paige and Madison were!)  But they ran away pretty quickly. Chickens?  Um, do you mean oversized disgusting vulture birds? They were cute little chicks but we gave them to our helper when they got big and pooped all over our pump house next to our porch where we eat dinner.  Our helper loves them.  She named the mean rooster "Rocky."  We are happy her family can enjoy the eggs. Rabbits?  We  tried the cute little baby bunnies from the pet store.  They all died within days.  Not a fun ordea...

First of all, you may have noticed some odd goings-on here with my blog and also with Sean's.  Somehow, we got a virus-y type bug on our computer that was making blogging nearly impossible (plus, we were just insanely busy so it has taken us awhile to even be able to sit down in front of the computer).  Anyway, Sean figured out the issue and now we're back in business!  Woo-hoo!  We are still busy - and will be - for the next month as we prepare to go on furlough in late January, but we're both trying to catch up with our blogging.  Be sure to check back in here and also regularly visit Sean's blog for even more pictures! More than two months ago, on October 7, we celebrated our Madison's 7th birthday.  We reserved a room at the local "fancy" hotel with direct access to probably the cleanest, nicest pool in the area.  It was a special treat for all of us! For as long as I can remember, Maddie has been a huge fan of pie crust.  She'll steal it fro...

I'm just dropping in here between travel engagements  (I love travel!)  to share a huge praise - our house is rented!!!  We're relieved that it won't be sitting empty over the winter.  We'd still love to sell it altogether so please continue to pray with us that a buyer comes along ready to take that burden off our hands. I said I was "between travel engagements."  Yup!  I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Jakarta for more dental work this morning and tomorrow, our family is headed out for our first vacation in nearly two years. Hooray!  We so need this break.  I'm thankful to God for His provision so that we can take this time away to just be a family - with no responsibility other than making ourselves rest  and have fun together.  Can't wait to play the part of the tourist, to travel as a family, to see a new part of Indonesia, to get away from the smokey air, to take a break from homeschooling, to step away from all the responsi...

Oh, we've had a great few weeks since my last post!  I mean truly   great weeks with all sorts of little blessings that have shot our end-of-term weary arms full of the energy we need to reach our furlough in just FIVE more months. I think I'll start with the most obvious..... I mean, really.  Who ever would have thought? I know I never imagined meeting Harrison Ford in Central Borneo. I'm just blown away by this life we live.  It's amazing.  Sean and I often talk about how crazy our work in Indonesia has been - dealing with the rich and powerful as well as the most down-trodden and needy.  It really throws us sometimes. Three years in, we're still learning how to navigate two such different worlds - neither of which is our comfort zone. Mr. Ford really impressed us, though.  Not because he's a huge movie star (though I was most certainly starstruck), but his attitude was so humble and kind. He's a normal guy.  I was touched at how he took the ti...

I'm just gushing over here.  My second-born took a big step today and made a decision for Christ!  We were having a talk in the car on the way to the store about heaven and next thing I know she's over there quietly folding her hands and whispering a prayer to Jesus. When she was done, she looked over at me with a big smile and said, "I have so many blessings from God, Mommy!" Indeed. Happy Born Again Day, Madison Elizabeth!  We love you so much.  

Paige had a blast on the water (without Mom there to ruin the fun) and I'd say the older kids had even more fun, if that were possible.  Again, I'm just glad I wasn't there.  They all came back alive, sopping wet, and giddy with excitement.  Can't really argue with that now, can I? Life jackets, Becca.  Life jackets. Maddie and Brooklyn take a turn. Then the boys jump on board! It's getting more fun! Uh-oh! And... they're off! Let's play spot the kids in the ginormous Borneo river! Life jackets. And really great Daddies watching out for the kids while also helping them have the time of their lives and make memories they'll never forget.