June 12-28, 2012- Time’s a Flying and The Wedding Wind-Up!

     That week that I blogged about before I left and just posted today upon getting ready to write this one…well, you can see what I meant about it going by fast, so fast it was like a dream that I woke up concerned about remembering than promptly forgot about.  So, we made it safely to Oregon on June 18, although it was not completely hapless. My littlest one has a stomach like his mom’s; a bit nervous and queasy whenever traveling is involved.  He actually did really well until the very end of the last long leg of the trip from Hawaii to California.  Upon landing, and literally upon landing, he made that “I’m about to puke” face, so I grabbed one of the “sturdy” airplane barf bags and let him rip, then held onto the bag until we could get off the plane and into some fresh air.  He was fine after that or so we thought….until he slept through the last flight to Oregon and sat peacefully through the entire hour drive to the grandparents house, then threw up again over the back of the front seat, which consequently contained my fiancé, while the grandparents stood outside the car watching the chaos. We’re home; here’s what we brought you! J Oh well, jet lag is tough, and it’s especially tough when you have a sensitive stomach.  This year that jet lag had us sluggish and sickly feeling for a couple of days, but now that we’ve been here over a week (11 days to be exact), we are finally settling in, just as the weather is warming up!

     The past few days we’ve been focusing on getting all our details settled for the wedding, including meeting with the caterer here at the wedding venue and settling our bill, getting the wedding license, and touching base with our officiate (who happens to be my cousin) one more time before the big day. These tasks took place without a hitch, but I can’t say that was the case with everything else.  Before we arrived, we were informed by my soon to be mother-in-law that the nursery from which we had chosen our centerpiece plants was closing in June, but not to worry, she picked up the plants early to avert that potential crisis. However, we still wanted a few more, so we went over there to pick out some and found things so picked over that there was no longer much to choose from. Good thing we are not that particular about the plants, as we will simply have a variety on our tables now.  The cake was our next very important task to take care of, and that turned out to be an adventure. We drove to the old storefront in Stayton where our wonderful “Lovin Oven” baker had his shop last year and discovered he was no longer there. Uh-Oh! Luckily, there was a sign to explain what had happened to them. They started a new economy grocery, but were still in the business of cakes too. After finding the new store and the baker, he said all his information on our cakes was back at the original storefront, so we drove back to where we originally started and had a very successful meeting of the minds on our delicious cakes, and of course, settled our bill there too. J  Next was testing out the music software and wireless system my fiancé obtained back in the islands and expected to be able to work with no problems back in the real world of wireless and updated digital technology. Well, no such luck…we are still trying to figure out why that doesn’t work.  Finally, making a contingency plan for inclement weather has been fully on our brains since we arrived and settled into the rainy, wet days of an Oregon summer. Ugh! It just stopped raining yesterday, but the forecast is still predicting more.  All we can do at this point is hope and pray for the best, and prepare for the worse case scenario.  So, that’s where we are at…It’s now only 10 days until the big event, so there’s no slowing down.  Still trying to figure out what my baby boys are going to wear, but really that’s the least of my worries…as long as they are comfortable and happy. The rings, dress, suit, wedding license, officiate, and all our family and friends are here or on their way in a few days, so no matter what kind of weather, flowers, cake, or music we end up with, we will still walk away as Mr. And Mrs. and begin our new lives together, which is all we’ve ever wanted anyway. 

June 1-11, 2012 One Week to Go…

     One week from today, next Monday, we take off for Oregon. We will actually be doing a bit of time traveling as we arrive in Oregon a couple of hours before we are scheduled to take off from Kwajalein and due to the time difference, and the fact that we will not be making any overnight or other lengthy stops along the way, we arrive there before we left. Freaky, huh?!?!  So, now it’s down to the wire, and it’s one of the busiest weeks at work for the entire year so far, even though it was supposed to be slowing down with the onset of summer. I am so ready for this vacation!! Getting through this week successfully and being prepared to leave with all my work and personal affairs in order is my only goal right now. There is so much still to do once we arrive in Oregon and begin preparing for our upcoming marriage, but for now, all that matters is today.  One day, one step, one decision and preparation for the future at a time, and we’ll get there eventually.  Life often moves slower or faster than we want it to, but it is always perfect timing for God.  It’s really just a matter of whether or not we can be patient and stay calm enough to accept that His timing is not usually the same as ours, but it is focused on what’s best for us.  That being said, I know the week will go by in a flash and before we know it, we’ll be with our precious family back in the states!  

May 24-May 31, 2012-Summer Cometh with Wedding Bells!!

     The end of May has arrived with a whirlwind of activities to end the school year and take us into the quieter months of summer on the atoll. It’s a bit like a college town on the island in the timeframe of late June through early August.  Families leave by the droves for vacation and visits to families all over the world. The 3 flights a week that go toward Hawaii are usually booked solid for the first couple of weeks after school ends, and this year is no different.  Unlike many, who can’t stand too much quiet and the lack of people and events going on, I love the summers here.  It slows down to the pace I’d prefer to live my life all the time, but only get to when forced to slow down by summer’s inactivity.  Of course, this year, my summer will start off with many exciting events off the atoll, mainly my upcoming wedding on July7th, but after that, in late July, I look forward to coming back home and settling down for a while before life picks up again in the Fall. I desperately miss diving with my fiancé, spending an entire weekend in the house watching movies and reading books, going to the beach to sit in the warm sun and relax, and just taking the time to be with each other.  I think he feels it too….that there’s been precious little time for us between attending and helping with all the kids’ activities as well as keeping up with our own, so it’s time to get back to it.  Some of that bonding time may have to wait until we leave, but hopefully in the weeks we have left before mid-June, we’ll fit in some quality time together to tide us over for a bit longer. 

     We have only 3 weekends left before we leave for Oregon and only a little over a month before the wedding. I can’t believe it’s almost here, a summer to remember when my fiancé and I will take the next big step in our relationship. I have never been more sure about anything in my life except for my faith in God and my devotion to my boys.  We just fit together so naturally. I know that marriage is not always easy, and I know we will have our ups and downs, but the highs and especially the lows don’t panic me as they have in past relationships because of my confidence in our love and the commitment we already have to each other, even without that marriage license.  I’ve never known or felt that kind of unwavering trust or sense of ease about the future with any person before.  It will be a big change for us, to hopefully, be living on the same island and in the same household in just a couple of months from now, but I know we’ll weather the changes, positive and negative, compromising where we can and accepting each other as we are, quirks, faults, and all.    I look forward to seeing how far we’ve come in 5 or 10 years from now.  I look forward to my future with him and the life we have decided to share.  I look forward to love and marriage with the kind of man that just a few short years ago I never thought I’d find, but am so glad each day when I wake up that I did.  J  

May 22-23, 2012-And the Journey Continues…

     No matter what each day brings, difficulties at work, stress at home, not-stop tasks and duties to complete until you fall in bed exhausted at night, life goes on.  The journey continues even when your life is falling apart or when it’s coming together just as you always wanted.  People still have to pay their bills, take care of their families, eat, sleep, and hopefully, head home to laugh and love together.  I am thankful today for food, however simple it may be. I am thankful for phones to connect us to those we love. I am thankful for my children who bring so much joy to my heart just by the smiles on their faces and the stories they are always bursting to tell when they come home from a day full of adventures. I am thankful for God and His faithfulness, which is new every morning and always there for me and for all of His children. I am thankful for words, which give voice to my most inner thoughts and feelings and allow me to share my joys and sorrows with my family around the world.  I am thankful for life, health, and my ability to work and take care of my family and myself each and every day I wake up on earth. 

     I’ve written it before in this blog, and I’ll write it again. Starting and ending your day on a positive note, being thankful for what you have instead of focusing on what you don’t can and will completely change your life.  Not to be harsh, but think of it this way, life will go on whether you continue in it or not, so why not make it a good day, find joy in the little things, seek out peace wherever you can find it, be thankful that you are alive and well, make the most of it.  God intended us to live life to the fullest as Jesus states in John 10:10, “…I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”  When you look up the definition for abundantly, of course since it is an adverb, derived from the root word abundant, it says, “in an abundant manner,” which doesn’t really tell us much about what that means, but when you look up synonyms for the same word, you will find things like, “plentifully, generously, inexhaustibly, and richly.” I love the fact that generously and inexhaustibly are included with the other synonyms because that’s what I feel most closely resembles living life abundantly, giving to others daily and being generous with our time, talents, and whatever God has blessed us with as well as being tireless in those efforts are what living life to the fullest is really all about.  God does not intend for us to mope through life, but to enjoy the world He created for us. My favorite verse and in fact, the one that is forever inked within my high school yearbook beside my senior picture is Jeremiah 29:11 which says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” God wants the best for us, and so, we should strive to obtain that best for ourselves as well.  No matter what obstacles life sends your way, take the lemons and make lemonade out of it and share this optimistic attitude with others. As you do so, watch how blessed your life suddenly becomes, whether in plenty or in need, you’ll be living life abundantly!!     

May 18-May 21, 2012 Scouting and 4-H End of Year Adventures!

     For the last month, I have been saying, “If I can just get through the month of May, then I’ll have a chance to breath, relax, catch up on my blog and upkeep on my house,” etc…and whew, it’s almost here.  If you have been a follower of my blog in the past, you know how much I tend to take on in terms of work, home, and volunteer commitments.  Some weeks, there is not one evening free to just be at home, and we often don’t eat until almost 8 pm, then it’s straight to bed to try and get some rest for school and work the next day. Yes, even life on an island can be overscheduled.  Just because there’s no malls, movie theaters, or long drives to and from all the after school events our kids are involved in, it seems to make people want to sign up for even more things to fill up their days, me included.  The two things though that I am most pleased about my boys and myself being involved in the last few years is the Cub/Boy Scouts and 4-H Clubs.  I was never a girl scout nor was I in 4-H growing up.  I don’t even think 4-H was ever available to me as I lived in the city, and in Alabama, 4-H is mostly offered in the rural farming areas because kids in the country don’t have all the other after school opportunities available to kids living in a city.  Unfortunately, I think I really missed out in that way, so that’s probably why I’ve enjoyed being a leader in 4-H and Scouts so much because I am learning right along with the kids and being a kid again myself in certain ways that I didn’t have the chance to do before. Don’t get me wrong, I had plenty of extra-curricular activities with piano, dance, gymnastics, church choir and youth group, but my children don’t have as many opportunities for that kind of stuff here, and the scouting and 4-H organizations fill that void in a very meaningful way!

     The past 2 weeks, we finished up our final scouting events, including making and testing our own kites in the Wolf Den for which I am the leader (or Akela as they call it), and we had our last big Pack event with a campout for all the scout, Cubs and Boys down at the beach.  Unfortunately, it started pouring rain on Thursday and hasn’t really stopped until this morning, but that’s okay. We still camped in the rain (although as my fiancé and I watched the rain until late that evening from a covered pavilion near the campsite, several families ended up biking home during one of the lulls in the rain since many of their tents were not made for our “monsoon” type weather and were flattened on the ground or at least leaking heavily), and despite the wet weather, the young boys couldn’t have loved it more. For them, it was an excuse to get out and play in the rain, and what better activities are there in life for some rough and tumble island kids than jumping in puddles and catching crabs on the beach in the warm rain!

     Unlike many of the other families’ tents, the tent my finance and I stayed in made it through despite the fact that we had to set it back up on the patio at home the next morning to dry it out, and my boys both stayed with friends in 2 man tents that held up very well. It was a perfect way to end the scouting year.  I watched my oldest move up from a Webelos Scout to a Boy Scout, which is very exciting for him. And I got to lead my Wolves in becoming Bear Scouts next year, and we had more fun than I ever could have imagined I would as my group of 5 boys are some of the most rambunctious on the atoll, but you gotta love that energy which never fades. J   I’m so proud of them both and proud to have been such a big part of their scouting journey this year.  The scouts provide not only character education, but a wide variety of various experiences and exposure to all aspects of life, academics, and most of all, they teach responsibility and how these boys can take care of themselves and contribute to their families and communities in a big way while having fun doing it!  

     To continue wrapping up my many commitments this year, today we have our final 4-H event of the year, a cookout at the beach! It’s been another great year for me in 4-H leading my Ebeye Citizenship group, and I can’t wait to see them one more time this evening before we are break for the summer.  I’ve lead this club for 4 years now, and every year, I consider whether or not it’s time to pass on the torch or possibly end this chapter in the life of the Citizenship Club, and every year, I decide to keep going, and it always turns out to be worth the effort as I watch our Marshallese and American kids enjoy their monthly meetings together giving back to the community and each other in such a meaningful way.  I have found since living here that I am feel most fulfilled when I am giving back to others in some way, when I am investing time in teaching and guiding people, especially children and young people.  Whether it’s reading to my son’s second grade class and talking about what we have read afterwards or leading a group of kids in planting a garden or cleaning up school grounds and talking about the importance of taking pride in and care of nature and our environments, I am content when doing these things, even when it takes time away from me cleaning my house or getting other important chores done.  It’s these memories I will cherish most when I leave the atoll and when my own children grow up and become too old to be a part of these groups. I do hope their experiences in 4-H and Scouting will stick with them, and that they will find the same joy in teaching others through these types of organizations and maybe, just maybe decide to become leaders for their own children or someone else’s because these are the important things which life is made of, rich character building experiences and camping in the rain while loving every minute of it!