Boundary Lines

Farewell to Beijing

Ok, so the Olympics have been over for a few days already, but this entry has been percolating in my head since they started on oh-so-auspicious 8*8*08. Those childhood Olympic memories that come back every time the torch is lit and I am once again captivated by the Games. 

There is one memory in particular that I think about the whole time the Games are on. I'm not exactly sure how old I was -- somewhere between 10 and 17 as I don't think I was in college yet, and we were living on "Portsmouth". My Dad and I were sitting in our front room, watching one of the finals for swimming. Who knows, maybe Janet Evans was swimming? I don't know. But it was a big race, and being a family of competitive swimmers, we were glued to the TV. 

My Dad sat down in his baby blue La-Z-Boy chair (which he still has btw) right before the race began with a HUGE bowl of Dennison's Chili (I've linked to this in particular, because the can on the top is what the cans used to look like back in the day). Yep, we used to eat this nasty-ass chili all the time, lol! 

Anyways, Dad sat down with his big bowl of chili ... and the gun went off. I don't remember who was swimming, but it was an incredibly exciting race, whoever it was. Like the race Michael Phels won by 1/100 of a second. A nail-biting, yelling, cheering GO!GO!GO!GO! kinduva race. Absolutely thrilling. 

I don't remember who was swimming, or who won the race, though. So why is it burned into my memory?

Because when the race was over, Dad looked down at his bowl of chili and it was ALL GONE.

And he didn't remember eating a single bite of it.

He had gotten so excited, and so sucked into the race that he shoveled the whole bowl down in the time it took for the race to start and finish. Which is to say, in less than 2 minutes. Can you say "Gut- Busting Stomach Ache?" Lol! I never laughed so hard in my life

(Btw, I don't think Dad would have believed that he had actually eaten the chili if I hadn't seen him do it. I think he thought for a minute that he'd THOUGHT he had made himself a bowl and then changed his mind or something ... or I'd taken the bowl from him when he wasn't looking??) 

So that is one of my very favorite "Olympic" memories. What is one of yours?

P.S. I'll be putting up another new look around here very soon, but thought I'd put something "sporty" up in honor of the Olympics and this entry. 

Calistoga 2008

Well, after Nino spanked me for not posting more often, I thought I'd send up a quick "What We're Up To" before I get sent to my room. ;)

I am sitting in my favorite cafe on the face of the planet, Calistoga Roastery, on the last morning of our annual family trip to Napa with my parents. 9 years running, and other than Thanksgiving or Christmas, this is absolutely the highlight of my year. Relaxing, fun, YUMMY and ... did I mention relaxing? Precious time with precious people, it is.

We've been splashing in the pools, running after Ronan (who does.not.stop.moving.EVER.), eating WAY too much at the CIA (this too has become a tradition on this trip ... 4 years now!), slathering and re-slathering the boys with sunscreen, laying on the beds hanging out and watching TV and just generally loving one another's company. It really doesn't get better than that, does it? 

Oh, and my SIL sent me here for a massage for my birthday. God bless that woman. It was amaaaazing.

We're heading to my parent's place tonight, where my grandparents have been spending the week after the fires up here temporarily displaced them from their RV. Tomorrow, we head back this way to spend some more time with T's parents before heading over to my SIL's place outside of SF. It had been 7 months since we last saw their family, and I almost burst into tears when we saw them last week. 7 months is TOO LONG. Never again. Our move to SF can't come fast enough.

One of these days I'll post some pictures of our trip out West and this vacation. I don't have the cord to upload with me, so ya may have to wait a bit. In the meantime, I hope all of you are doing well. 

Be back soon!

Like Fried Eggs

We arrived safely (but perhaps not so sane?) in Phoenix last week. Our cross-country drive was fun and breathtakingly beautiful but also hard. Screaming 18 month olds (and their hormonal mommies) add quite a touch of .... how do you say ... STRRREEEESSSS ... to trips such as those, lol. But we made it without actually killing one another and are happily settling in.

To date, this is by far the easiest move we've ever had. Our family has a history of absolutely horrific moves, if you remember. But this one? It makes my heart skip a beat just thinking about how smoothly it has gone. We've had a terrific amount of help, first from my amazing mom, and also from the church here. One of our friends leads a care group (Bible study) for singles, and after the meeting he showed up with about 15 of them, and they proceeded to help us move in all of our heavy furniture and MY KITCHEN. Oh my word, I was so thankful! 

Do you want to know what the key to a great move is? 

Having a garage.

It's true!

I haven't had one since getting married, and it makes all the difference in the world. Having a place to keep our boxes and all the odds and ends has made me feel so much better. Before, everything was piled in and around us, and it didn't matter how much progress we made ... at the end of the day, there was still a pile of CRAP sitting next to us until we were completely finished. (Which is never, because there are always one or two boxes that I don't know what to do with.) You couldn't get away from all the stuff that still needed to be tended to. I don't think I ever truly felt at home in our second apartment in Brooklyn because of how awful it was moving into it. It gives me the creepy crawlies just thinking about it.

This time? Oh, it is beautifully different. This time, we have been able to retrieve one box at a time, as needed, and close the door on whatever we're not ready for. My new home has been neat and tidy and pretty darn organized from the get-go. The relief I have felt, the peace that has washed over me when I think of how different this move has been from all the others, literally makes my legs tingle. I am so, so thankful!

The rest of our "settling in" has gone equally as well. T took the first few days off to help us get the house ready, and started working at the church last week. His main responsibility is going to be preparing for San Francisco. Writing sermons, planning the budget, meeting with people who are interested in going with us, etc. The other guys at the church are just great, and a lot of fun to be with. We will really enjoy getting to know them and their families while we are here.

As for me, other then putting all of our things away, I've been signing the boys up for swim lessons and joining a gym, both of which were only a 5-minute drive from our home. Actually, EVERYTHING is within five minutes from here. Every single major store or restaurant that you could imagine is that close to our home. I thought I'd lived in a "everything at your fingertips" kinda place in San Diego, but this area is CRAZY. It's almost too much, actually. 

So, things are going very well and we are going to be so happy living here. Still, we miss the friends we made in Maryland and our hearts are definitely in California. I miss my SIL and her family, and my in-laws and my family so much it hurts sometimes. The next few months are going to be great, for sure. 

But I am ready to go home. 

P.S. The title to this entry needs no explanation. We feel like fried eggs out here. Yowza!

The Beginning of the Rest of Our Lives

Our time in Maryland has officially come to an end. T graduated in a beautifully celebratory and highly-emotional ceremony Sunday evening, and less than 24 hours later we were on the rode to NYC. (We left 8 hours later than we had planned, because I continue to reign as the worst mover EVER, but that's another story.) I am sitting in a gorgeous vacation rental apartment T found on Craig'sList, 35 floors up with spectacular views of the Hudson River and Times Square (we're literally on 42nd St. and can see all the flashy billboards from where I am sitting.) As I write this, the Shookie is with my Mom at the matinee showing of The Lion King and T is taking my Dad on a bike tour of Central Park. T and I saw Spamalot last night ... hysterical! This morning we had a scrumptious breakfast at Alice's Tea Cup and we're eating dinner at the Shake Shack this evening. Not a bad way to start off our trip to AZ, eh? 

Next stop ... Amish country! 

The Next Step(s)

I'm going to stop apologizing for my lack of entries. I really wish I was the kind of person who could sit down and slam out an entry in short time -- there are often a handful of things I would like to write about floating around -- but I it almost always takes me for-EVAH to start and finish these dang things. Oh well, I hope I'm at least getting to the stuff I want to have recorded for posterity's sake. And I hope you'll keep checking in!

So, we're nearing the end of our time here in Maryland, something I'm increasingly trying to ignore. Don't get me wrong, I am excited about what's around the corner for us, but our lives have become so closely knit with our friends here and we have had such an overwhelmingly awesome experience at the church and with everything we have learned, it is reeaaally sad to think about leaving!

I know we are all meant to go our separate ways, and that we have made many life-long friends, but I also realize that this year was just for this year. We won't ever experience it again, things will never be quite like this and it is even possible that we won't see some of our friends ever again (one couple is returning to a very difficult situation in Myanmar). I think I am doing a good job overall, keeping everything in perspective, enjoying the time we have remaining and having faith for whatever the future may hold.

I'd be lying though, if I didn't admit to a liiiittle anxiety/panic occasionally welling up in my chest. I've never been a big fan of change. Spending the first 23 years of my life in the same town, attending the same church and not traveling a whole lot didn't exactly help me in that arena. I am a completely different person in that regard since getting married and living all over the place, but wanting to feel in control and everything to stay the same same same (at least in terms of where I live -- I'll never want to stop traveling!!) will always be something I struggle with, I think.

Those feeling quickly pass though, when I think about living close to our families again, and moving to SF. We've had to get used to living so far from our loved ones, but in some ways it has gotten harder as time has gone by. Anyhow, we're coming around the bend and our final destination is (almost) in sight!

So, what exactly is the next step for us? Well, T will graduate from the Pastor's College in almost one month exactly. Most of our belongings are still in storage from our HORRIFIC move last year. We're checking out those "pod" things, where you load your belongings up in a storage box thing, and the company picks it up and moves it to wherever you're going. We are still not 100% sure if we are going to drive Arizona, or fly. This is dependent on whether or not the friends who have lent us the car we have used this year are able to sell us the car. They WANT to sell it to us, but their finances are very tight and they may need to sell their other car and drive this one.

If we drive, and we're pretty sure we will, we have started to plan a really great road-trip from NY to AZ. So far, we plan to stop in:
1) Akron, Ohio - where our pastor from our old church in Brooklyn is relocating in the next few weeks.
2) Muskeegon, Michigan - where T's aunt and uncle and second-cousins. We've wanted to come to their place for years and years and now it looks like it is finally going to happen!
3) Wisconsin -- We're finally going to see the dairy farms T's family and also spend some time with friends from the PC who live in Kenosha.
4) CHICAGO! - TFY ladies, our visit a few years ago left me dying to return to Oprah's hometown. I can't wait!
5) South Dakota - Mt. Rushmore, etc.
6) Jackson, Wyoming - I intend to learn how to fly fish. And I DON'T plan on setting my camera down for one second while we are there.
7) Billings, Montana - I have wanted to visit this beautiful state for years and years and years. I can not wait to finally look upon it's spectacular mountains, streams, valleys and star-lit skies. I think I am most looking forward to this stop over all the others.
8) Vegas, baby! The summer we moved from San Diego, we drove from AZ to T's parent's home in NV and spent the night at the Paris Hotel. We had so much fun, we're gonna stop there again. Woot! =)

Please, if you have any suggestions about things we can do at any of these locations (local restaurants, things to do with the kids, places to stay, etc.), pass them along! And if we're coming close to your neck of the woods, please let me know! It would be fun to try to meet some of you along the way. =)

As for Arizona, we don't know for sure how long we will be there, but we would love to leave there for San Francisco around Christmastime. It's POSSIBLE we'll be there as long as a year, but we really, really hope that's not the case. We're dying to be living back in our home state again!!

Alright, it's one in the morning, so this is going up as is. I want to answer some of your questions from my previous entry next time, and any you may have about our future plans as well, so please ask away! God bless, my friends ...

Our Lives Here - Part 2

Hi all! How is everyone out there doing? I hope you had a beautiful Easter and beginning to your spring. We spent Easter Sunday with a few of our friends from our class, enjoying a scrumptious potluck (seriously, T and I agreed that the food our friends brought was easily as good as any Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner we've ever had) and a lively egg hunt in the playground behind the church. I tried very hard to stay "in the moment" that day, realizing that celebrating Easter with these particular friends was truly a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. It is SO bittersweet thinking that our time here is almost over!

I was happy to hear that you enjoyed reading a bit about our lives here this year. I feel like I've kept things kind of under wraps, which hasn't been my intention at all. It's just that we've been SO busy and I have felt like I've been trying to drink out of a fire hose most of the time. All of it has been good, spectacularly so, but I think I've been doing so much learning and growing and changing and definitely also struggling, that I haven't been in a place mentally or otherwise to put much of it into words here. I hope to write more about some of the things I've been learning here, but that will probably take awhile to put together. For now, here are more highlights from our lives here:

Gym Day. Every Thursday morning, the church opens up one of the gym areas for the wives and kids to hang out/play/run off some steam together for an hour. This is definitely one of the highlights of the week for the kids and I! All the kids have a blast running around together and the moms sit together and talk and talk and talk. The best part of Gym Day though, is when the Dads come and join us at the end. We all miss them so much during the week, getting to see them in the middle of the day, even for just 15 minutes, is precious time indeed. The kids start looking out for them as the time for their arrival approaches, and absolutely lose their ever-lovin' minds when the first Dad is spotted. They go running and yelling for them, jump in their arms and just about hug them to death. It's fun to see all the Dads running around with the kids, throwing balls and getting down on the floor for a quick wrestling match.

When it's time for the Dads to go back down to class, all the kids line up for a race around the gym. It's not uncommon for the younger kids to do their lap bobbing around in their Dad's arms or on their back. I've watched the Ronanator's head almost snap off a couple of times as T tucked him under his arm and took off at the blow of the whistle. The Shookie is actually quite fast, but hasn't discovered his competitive streak yet and tends to run his lap smiling and enjoying running with his friends rather than trying to win the race. Such a sweet boy he is!

Another large part of our time here are the many meetings we go to every month (at least one a week, sometimes two.)  Like I told you in my last entry, the ladies meet by themselves the first Saturday of the month with one of the dearest women I've ever known. Once a month the guys and the girls also have what I've nicknamed "Meeting w/ the M's", where we have 2+ hours to ask the president/leader of our family of churches and his wife ANYTHING we want to. From how he chooses sermon topics to traditions they have honored as a family throughout the years to their opinions on books/authors to personal disciplines that have most helped them as a husband/wife/father/mother/pastor/friend -- it is all fair game. The emphasis is on the practical, and I'm telling you, by the time these evenings are over, my hand is almost cramping up from writing down all the "pearls of wisdom" we've been given.

The class has also been split up into 3 care groups, and each of these care groups groups is split into even smaller fellowship groups. The care groups (ours has 8 couples I think) meet once a month with dear B. and her husband, where we dig even deeper into our marriages. Not only have these meetings helped T and I to start looking at and talking about areas of our marriage that we need to work on, but I've seen my friend's marriages being changed in huge ways as well.

I also meet twice a month with 3 ladies from our care group/fellowship group. And yes, you guessed it, the three of us dig in even deeper. It is an opportunity to share more specifically the struggles, triumphs, joys and difficulties of our day-to-day lives, and to pray for each other. I have benefited immensely from the relationships that have formed from this group, and with at least one of the ladies (my friend from Germany that I mentioned before), I think I have found a life-long friend. Such a blessing!

Last night, at another "Meeting w/ the M's", I was looking around the room and my heart was filled with such affection and thankfulness for our new "family". Just 8 months ago I didn't know who most of these dear people were, and now I can't imagine my life without them! 

There is a verse in the book of Luke that says, "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap." This picture of God's blessings being poured out in such a way that they cannot be contained describes our time here to a T. Certainly, there have been difficult times -- being away from family, moving to a new town, not having our own space -- but not for one second would I ever trade this experience. Not for all the treasures in the world.   

As you've read this, if you have any questions about what I've said here, please ask! I'm sure some of it sounds a bit odd, and knowing me, I've probably been a bit unclear at points. Still, I hope you've enjoyed this little peek into our crazy lives!

Our Lives Here - Part 1

I recently realized that you guys have NO idea what our lives here in Merry-land look like. What T is studying, what I'm studying, the kinda stuff we do as a family during the week. Those sort of things. Actually, maybe that sounds really boring to you! In the spirit of not-wanting-to-forget but also not wanting to shove everything into one never-ending entry, I'm going to split this into two (hopefully more readable) parts. So please come back for Part 2!

To start with, there are 21 students in our class in total, all but one of whom is married, and even the token single guy got engaged over Christmas. Most of us are somewhere in our 30's, with the oldest couple hitting close to 50 and the youngest being one of my closest friends here -- the baby of the group at 20 years old! We come from all over the world, though the vast majority hail from the East Coast, with Germany, Australia, Canada, the Bahamas, and Myanmar (Burma) being represented.

No surprise, T and I have loved getting to know our international friends. Before we got here we joked that on the first day in class T was going to stand up in class and say, "No offense to the rest of you, but we will only be spending time with those of you who live in locations that we would like to travel to in the future!" =) As it turns out, some of our closest friends here are the German and Aussie couple. I swear we didn't do that on purpose, lol! (We're still working on the Bahamian couple. ;) )

The guys tackle different topics in one-week chunks. For example: Biblical Theology (the systematic study of God as revealed in Scripture), Homiletics (the study of preaching), Old Testament/New Testament studies, Church History, etc. Many of these classes are broken up into 2-3 weeks, spread throughout the nine month course schedule. There are also week-long classes on topics such as marriage and parenting. These classes, which were strategically placed at the beginning of the year have had a tremendous impact on everyone's families, down to a person. It has been such a joy watching my friends fall more in love with their husbands with each passing month, and also their children!   

The wives have monthly meetings together the first Saturday of every month that the wife of the "pastor" for the guys leads. I just sent my mom an email describing these meetings as "the best way to start the month that I could ever think of". This is very, very true. Not only is it a time for all of us to get together and catch up without the kids around, it is also a time where we can ask ANY questions we may have about growing as wives, mothers, women, the wife of a (future) pastor, etc. I love that dear B. (the woman who leads the group) says over and over again, "There is NO SUCH THING AS A STUPID QUESTION." This has made all of us feel like we can be ourselves and ask whatever is really on our hearts and minds. Our time together and with dear B. has been invaluable. Other than the friendships I have made here, I think it is these "Ladies w/ B." meetings that I will miss the most when we leave.

Well, I think I'll leave it at that for now. I hope you've enjoyed this peek into our lives here. Part 2 is already mostly written, so come back before too long to read about another highlight of our lives here ... Gym Day!

Wavin' atcha

Hey guys ... I'm still here. I haven't disappeared. Haven't gone anywhere. I guess I'm just at a loss for words. I have a whole post written up about our day-to-day lives here, but for some reason I feel weird posting it. Like I'm invading someone else's privacy by telling you about the program T's in. If I can figure out what is bugging me about the entry, I'll post it.

In the meantime, we're getting ready for the Shookie's SIXTH birthday (this Tuesday) and just picked my parent's up from the airport, kicking off a one-week visit for my Dad and a two-week visit for my Mom.

We're doing well and I am keeping updated on all of you. I'll write something of substance when inspiration strikes. For now, I have to give the computer back to T so he can go study.

Blessings ...

It's Gonna Be A Great Year

Hi all! How YOU doin'? We're doing fine and dandy over here. Well, mostly. Really.

Upon returning from CA (the flight home went as smoothly as could be hoped for, btw -- Ronan slept AND we managed to snag him a seat without paying for it. Score!) T got as sick as I have ever seen him in the 14+ years we've been together. He usually toughs it out, pretending to feel fine even if he's not 100%. Or every once in awhile he gets a lingering dry cough that drives the both of us batty. But this? This kicked his ass. He was flat on his back in bed, in a coma-like stupor with a fever, cough, sinus congestion, aches and total inability to function normally. He told me when he got better that he couldn't have moved if he'd wanted to, closing his eyes "for just a second" only to wake up 3 hours later. He's finally better now, but up until the middle of this week was still feeling pretty wiped out. (Playing 2 rounds of ping pong made him feel like he'd run a race, lol.)

Anyhow, now the boys have the crud. The Shookie is sleeping very fitfully by my side as I write this, ending a day of sluggish fevers and no appetite and coughing coughing coughing sneezing. Ronan isn't much better, though at least he didn't spike a fever today. Oh, and on top of being sick, the poor guy has two top MOLARS coming in. Talk about suffering. Needless to say, sleep has been scarce these past few days.

But you know what? Despite living in an infirmary, we're all doing really well. The kids are troopers and even though I know they feel like crap, are both being so sweet, playing and cuddling and wrestling together. And I am guzzling Airb*rne like crazy (and praying!) and thanking G-d that so far I haven't fallen victim myself.

This feeling welling up in me is far more than thankfulness for not having caught the flu from my family, though. These past few months have been pivotal for me, as I knew they would be, and I am leaning into the time we have remaining here with great anticipation. I feel like I am growing in leaps and bounds -- as a wife, as a mother, as a friend, as a woman. I am spending time with some of the most humble, wise, kind, loving women I have ever known. Women who are freely sharing what they have learned in their 30+ years as wives, mothers, friends and women (and pastor's wives). Thankfulness barely touches how I feel about this. My head literally spins when I really think about it.

But most importantly, my faith is taking root. Questions are being answered, convictions made stronger. I am seeing things I've studied my whole life more clearly. And yet, I hope that I am also becoming more humble. Not a pushover. Not compromising. If anything, I think I am feeling more bold and confident in my beliefs than I ever have. But I hope that my faith is also birthing in me more kindness and care for others, especially my family.

It reminds me of the verse in 1 Corinthians 13 that says , "If I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing". I really believe that everything I am learning here is for nothing if I am not becoming more kind, compassionate, understanding, etc.

I don't know how to tie this up except to say that I am so dang thankful I can hardly stand it. Thankful for the awesome experience our family is having here, thankful for my family, thankful for everything I am learning, thankful for the changes I am beginning to see in my life, thankful for the friends I'm making here, thankful for the life that God has given me.

Yeah, I think that's some love there.

Edited to add: The reason the boys were feeling so poorly? They both had ear infections ... Ronan had two and the Shookie, one. Ouch.

Rollin' on the River

I am lying in a big, comfortable bed next to T, on the first night of our Christmas vacation with his family. We are staying at this beautiful house on the Russian River. (Lots of pictures at that link!) T's Aunt Karen rented it for the whole family to stay at together, so for the next few days much fun and family time will be had. It is sure to be a very special time, and I'm feeling incredibly blessed and thankful to be here in this amazing place with so many loved ones around me. AND both of my cameras (video and DSLR) are working, so I can take record of the many memories we will be making (and share them with all of you as well).

I know it's a busy time for everyone, but I would really love to hear what you have planned for the Holiday, if you can spare a moment to tell me here. Will you be traveling far, or staying at home? Will you be celebrating by yourselves or having a huge gathering like our family? Any traditions you are particularly looking forward to? Any gifts you are looking forward to giving?

I hope you and yours are well, and that you are looking forward to a restful, Happy Holiday with friends and loved ones. Merry Christmas to all!