So Long Ordinary

Wow. Time has flown by and here we are on our last day in Oaxaca. The past two weeks have been busy (an acceptable amount of busy, actually) and we're basically ready to head out the door to the airport tomorrow morning. Our shipment went out a few days ago - our life in 10 tubs and a computer box. Some missionary friends of ours once said that three moves are as good as a fire...so true! When we packed our first shipment as new missionaries leaving for the field for the first time we had 15 tubs and 4 crates packed to the gills! As the years have gone by, we've learned there isn't much need for certain things...and let's also admit that there is much more available to us on the other end of this move than the others! Our shipment is basically just the sentimental stuff now - stuff that can't be replaced at Wal-Mart or Target. We also sent off Sean's toolbox separately and we do have a few tubs that Sean is going to bring when he drives our car up in a few...

As you can imagine, we're very busy these days! It's a good busy. We like busy. Not TOO busy, but properly busy.... We have a house guest this week. John is in college and hopes to be a missionary pilot someday. He also happens to be a bit of a photographer himself, and offered to get a family portrait. Wow! It was much easier with him behind the camera than trying to get Madison to look at a tripod (which we've tried so many times and yet never come up with a decent family picture)! Madison wasn't exactly cooperative even still, but we got one or two good shots...even if she isn't smiling! Time is moving right along, very quickly. We only have three weeks left in Oaxaca. That is hard to believe! The girls are doing well with things so far, if a bit confused! We've already sorted through most of what we just finished getting from Ecuador and even sold some of it already! Brooklyn is very excited to go to the States - I think mostly because I've ...

I have to tell you, little girls are the best! I'm so loving being mommy to my two precious girls. If this baby ends up being a girl, I for one will not be disappointed! I would love to experience having a son, but I'm also quite content with my girls. Sean is flabbergasted and at a loss for words about 99% of the time, but I'm in heaven! Did I mention how cute these two are when they play "house" together? Both of them prancing around with purses over their shoulders and enough jewels to make the Queen of England jealous. Toting around babies and puppies and Barbies and Polly Pockets, and, of course, their pink and purple teacups.... I did some shopping for Brooklyn's birthday - wow, it's next week! It will be a princess birthday! Brooklyn hasn't grown out of princesses yet, so we'll just keep having these princess birthdays until she's had enough. I was able to find a few princess Barbies and a princess box to keep them in, princess...

What a whirlwind week this has been! It has been a good week - we're busy planning the move back to the States, selling our household goods (again), welcoming team members back to Mexico, and still sorting out that shipment (or at least washing jungle mold out of the linens and clothes)! It is hard to believe we only have 4.5 weeks left in Oaxaca. There is so much to do! But that doesn't mean we can't take a little "break" from it all. On August 5, Sean and I will celebrate a whole 8 - count 'em, EIGHT - years of marriage. This past Monday, Sean took the day off from work, we found a babysitter, and we celebrated just a touch early. We went to the Guelaguetza , which was an extravagant festival featuring cultural dances from the seven different regions in the state of Oaxaca. What a great time! We feel like we got a good feel for the many cultures represented in this small state of Mexico. So many different languages, customs, clothing, and traditions....

Our shipment made it here today!!! We are reveling in tubs and tubs of toys,books, clothes, and many other things we were beginning to wonder if we would ever see again. Four months and 2 days after arriving in Mexico it is all here. Uck. Too long. Anyway, it all looks good. Nothing was missing or broken. We're quite happy...and busy. Woo-hoo!

At this moment, a man from an international moving company is here measuring our furniture in order to give us a quote on moving our stuff from Oaxaca, Mexico to Alamosa, Colorado. You read that right. How's that for dropping a bomb on ya?! Alright. So here is what is happening. A few weeks ago, after months of praying and discussing, Sean and I finally came to the decision that the time for us to leave the mission field is now. We feel it is best for our family and it is what we want to do - but most importantly, we are 100% convinced that this is a step God wants us to take. Our "term" is drawing to a close and as we contemplated the future, we didn't see staying in Oaxaca as the best choice for us. It really is as simple as feeling strongly that God has plans for us elsewhere. You may or may not know that a lot of missionaries leave the field because of something bad that happened or bad health or mental/spiritual/emotional breakdown or some other really bad...