In Transit

So we are gone from Sitka and at Mom's house. Pretty much we're homeless. It all went smoothly. In fact, the weirdest part was how not weird it all was. It just felt like any normal day which, I guess, is good. We had a great last Sunday and just said goodbye to everyone. I made all the ladies come out so I could take a picture of us all. I got to see a bunch of people just randomly the last week, so that was fun saying goodbye. Mostly, I have realized that I like moving and being excited about something new. So once I remembered that and got into the groove, it's all been pretty easy. There are still a couple of times that I think of what a great place Sitka was, but then there is just something else fun to think about. I used to think that if I didn't do the huge teary goodbyes I wouldn't feel it enough, nor would the other people think I cared about them enough. But with the transient life we lead, that is just too exhausting. The simple goodbyes are much nicer and easier. It took me long enough to figure that out. Plus I figure I will see them again, even if it is in the hereafter. So we will be friends and family for eternity-- I can wait that long to see them again if I have too.

So we are gone from Sitka and at Mom's house. Pretty much we're homeless. It all went smoothly. In fact, the weirdest part was how not weird it all was. It just felt like any normal day which, I guess, is good. We had a great last Sunday and just said goodbye to everyone. I made all the ladies come out so I could take a picture of us all. I got to see a bunch of people just randomly the last week, so that was fun saying goodbye. Mostly, I have realized that I like moving and being excited about something new. So once I remembered that and got into the groove, it's all been pretty easy. There are still a couple of times that I think of what a great place Sitka was, but then there is just something else fun to think about. I used to think that if I didn't do the huge teary goodbyes I wouldn't feel it enough, nor would the other people think I cared about them enough. But with the transient life we lead, that is just too exhausting. The simple goodbyes are much nicer and easier. It took me long enough to figure that out. Plus I figure I will see them again, even if it is in the hereafter. So we will be friends and family for eternity-- I can wait that long to see them again if I have too.

Funny Kids

I was cleaning out my planner and found a sticky note that I had put in there during our vacation at Dad's (Roger) last summer. It had some funny things that the kids had said.

We were on the boat and Ryan said in her dramatic little voice: I am as cold as I could ever be!
Later that night in bed, Adam asked if she was still cold and she responded: No, now I am as warm as I could ever be.

Seth and Ryan were making noises with their chins on their life vests and after a loud noise, Seth said to Ryan, "Yeah, that was a good one!"

Ryan was supposed to be looking for something, but like normal, was getting a little distracted. So I said, "Sweetheart, I want you to focus." In her most exasperated voice, she corrected, "Mom, I am focusing!"

What we can learn from them...

We went to watch Seth's puppet show at Fine Arts Camp this morning. Adam and Ryan left for her swim lesson and I stayed to finish off the class. After puppet class, all the kids went to the quad for snacks and I stood and watched them for the 20 minutes. As adults, we could really learn something from them. At first, I saw Seth standing by himself eating his go-gurt. I was sad that he wasn't with any of his friends. He didn't seem to notice or care-- he was focusing on enjoying his snack. Then he would wander to some friends. After being there for a bit, he would wander away or they would. I started watching some of the other kids I knew and they were doing the same. When someone would walk away, the kids didn't seem to notice or care, they just went somewhere else or even stood by themselves for awhile. I wouldn't have felt that way. I would have been embarrased that I was by myself and would have stressed to find someone else to be with. Even standing in the middle of the quad, I was enjoying just watching the kids, but when I thought of someone else seeing me and wondering what I was doing just standing there and why I was all by myself, I laughed at myself for starting to be self-conscious. I realized (as always) that we care too much about what others think. The kids haven't got that yet. They didn't stop to think what they looked like to others, they just enjoyed themselves. One more reason that Christ tells us to become like little children!

Got a new laptop!

I got a new laptop because now that I'm blogging (so 21st century) I hated having to wait to use Adam's laptop at night (because it was his) and I didn't want to go sit at my computer. So I have my own now, so I can sit on the couch, watch Whale Wars and blog. Yeah!!

Touch Tank

Ryan and I went with Seth's class on another field trip to the touch tanks. Sitka it such a great place when it comes to hands on stuff. There are just fewer rules here than there would be anywhere else. The kids could touch and pick up anything-- just keep it close to the water. We got to see anemones, crabs, sea cucumbers, sea stars, urchins... I'm so glad that Adam works hard (like my dad) so I can stay home and do all this with the kids. I love being able to be there with them and their friends.

At the end of the year, his class went to Totem Park to the seashore and we went beach combing. Two Coasties also went diving and brought some bigger creatures up into two small swimming pools for the kids to touch. Along the shore we found so much stuff- worms, tiny fish and lots of crabs (those are probably the kids favorites-- they can collect crabs for hours). The kids are adorably excited finding stuff, calling each other over to show them stuff, running to the next discovery. It is a great place to be excited about learning.

Ryan's ballet recital

Ryan just loves to dance. She is actually pretty good too. She is getting quite good with her turns and leaps, but mostly she loves to spin and leap with arms so gracefully out in the air. She just has so much fun being silly to music. She also loves to dance with us in the kitchen when we are making dinner twith he music on or dance with us like the princesses do (spinning around in a waltz). This was her second year of dance and her second recital. I love the tiaras and little skirts. Seth and I decided to give her pretend flowers so they wouldn't die. She thought it was a great idea too. He still finds them around the house now and gives them back to her. She also got the movie "Ballet Shoes" (which I know now is actually a little old for her, but I've really enjoyed walking on the treadmill to it) as a performance gift. During the recital, she was the only one to do her spin inside the circle and give us all a curtsy with her hands so delicate.

Exploding FHE and Johnny Cash

We had a third round of an exploding FHE. The first one was a cup of vinegar and in went a spoonful of baking soda-- bubbles, bubbles everywhere! It was about having a good attitude and making the best (bubbles) of things. The second was Seth's volcano kid kit and it was a dud-- red bubbles came blobbing out. So our third was on getting as much education as possible and what we all wanted to learn about. Adam said more helicopter stuff, I said info on Islam (Adam and I read Nine Parts of Desire: Islamic Women and it was so interesting), Seth said science and Ryan said dancing, ballet, being a mom, cheerleading... She wants to learn lots of things. But last time Adam and Seth decided to make it more exciting by zip-tying a balloon to the topof the bottle so it would shoot off. But we hypothesized that it was the dish soap that make it thick. So we took it all outside and it still didn't work great because the balloon leaked. Next time we are going to seal the balloon around the bottle. But it was still fun just trying to do it all fast enough not to make a disaster. We love working as a team. The kids get so excited to help and love doing stuff with us.

Before we started I asked what we wanted to sing-- maybe an explosive song, or fire song. Seth has been at Fine Arts camp this week (music, theater, art, puppets) and said let's sing "Ring of Fire". I told him we didn't know that song, so let's choose a Primary song. We kept thinking and he repeated a couple of time "Ring of Fire". I asked if he could teach us. He said he couldn't sing it, but he remembered the words... I fell into a burning ring of fire... at which point, Adam, Drew and I in hysterics joined in singing "I went down, down, down...". So Johnny Cash was our opening song for FHE.

Last night, I was baking a bunch of homemade bread for Enrichment (which I was very proud of myself for doing-- three homemade breads, wow! Yes, I know nobody else thinks it's that cool, but I was proud none-the-less) The kids were in the art room and I ran upstairs. As I was coming down, Seth was repeating something which I realized was "mud on your face". I asked him if that was what he was saying and he comfirmed with a little embarrased smile. So I sang with a big knowing smile back "Buddy, you're a young man, odd man, playin' in the street, gonna be a big man someday, ya' got mud on your face, a big disgrace, kickin' your can all over this place, singin', we will, we will rock you..." They thought it was very cool that he had learned a song that I already knew. Ryan reminded me that at her old preschool that she had come home repeating "We will, we will rock you". It was fun being the cool, knowing mom. I loved it when my mom always seemed to know everything already and just knew the cool stuff! Seth and Ryan, I don't know everything, but I do know a bit from living longer. It's just like my mom usually knew more than I did before I did! Gotta love time and wisdom. How will we be with a few extra millenia. What a great plan the Lord has for us!

Beautiful Sitka

So it is getting really close now. The movers come on Tuesday. The weather has been so beautiful the last two weeks. It makes me so grateful that we have gotten to live here. I will never be able to capture the peace and beauty that surrounds us here. Just driving around, the same street I've driven a million times, I looked over and saw the most gorgeous view... I stopped and took a picture. But what is even cooler is to know that this is just our simple life. The tourists come here because it is so great and we get to be here for just life- school, church, family life.

This is the stuff that stresses me is that the kids are going to grow up and I won't be able to recapture these amazing places and moments. I take comfort in knowing that we will somehow be able to "remember" it all when we get to heaven together.

Yeah, our friends!

Drew and Travi are here and we are reminiscing about the college days. Lots of laughs-- Scott's Fung, gross boys dorm pranks, hacky sack, spotlighting... I can't focus because everyone keeps talking about funny things. Ha ha ha ha!

Ryan loves Grandma

I took the kids to see "Up" last night after we decorated Adam's office for his birthday. Close to the end I was explaining how we can have adventures no matter where we are or what we are living in. I told them that they were my adventure. And Ryan said, "Grandma is my adventure. I love going to Grandma's house."