I am excited to say that we have been in our new house for two nights now. It is definitely a change from the temp housing that we had here on base. And there are a few things that we are already having to get use to.
For example, natures cuckoo clocks. In temp house and in the states, we have alarms that we pick the time of and set...here, the church bells start chiming at 7:00am and the roosters start their business at sunrise. We love being next to the church. It is beautiful and we feel safe as if God's eyes were really upon us and we ALWAYS know what time it is. We will get use to the 7:00am wake up call, so I am not worried. And the roosters will eventually be white noise much like the cows have already become :)
Another adjustment we have made is to our driving. On base, most of the driving rules we have in the states are obeyed...unless your Portuguese and then they are only obeyed if some one is watching...however OFF base...DUDE...it is crazy. They have round-a-bouts instead of stop lights, which keep traffic flowing pretty well. We have had a couple of moments like that in European Vacation with Chevy Chase...oh, look kids there's Big Ben and Parliment...but so far we manage them well. The traffic jams that would frustrate us back in the states are made of cows here...no kidding...we have cow traffic jams instead of cars. I have heard that if they surround you, you could lose a rearview mirror, but so far that hasn't happened to us. Wish us luck! The most intriguing driving difference thus far is how people just stop their cars WHERE EVER to stop and talk with someone, park, you name it they will stop in the middle of the street and you go around them. The funny thing, is that nobody gets mad! It is such common practice, you just go around them as if you knew that was going to happen! Back in the states, an act like that would be followed by the finger, cussing or honking if not all three. But here, it is what it is and you move on. The other funny thing is that people just stand in the road. They are not worried that a car is going to come by and kill them, they are just talking with each other. No big deal. The best was this weekend when we saw a drunk guy stumbling his way home walking in the middle of the street...he could have cared less that there were cars behind him and in front of him and that he was holding up traffic...again, no honking, no fingers...just some good laughs and we all moved on! Nao Faz Mal (No problem). We are learning to live by this phrase!
As in most European places the showers are little water pressure, the washer and dryer are small (at least we have them...most local nationals just hang their clothes out to dry...but the humidity makes that take FOREVER), and the streets are tiny. We have had to get use to how cold having all tile floors make the house, but again...Nao Faz Mal. This is all part of the adventure.
Well, I need to run. We are going to a Pink Tie Gala for breast cancer on Saturday and we have to find and purchase local and formal attire. Wish me luck finding shoes for my GIGANTIC feet...the women are short with small feet here...no size 12's I'm sure. So maybe I will go barefoot...anything goes here and that is part of it's charm! We really do love it here! Best adventure by far!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
2 Weeks on the Island
Wow! I can't believe that we have been here two weeks! So much has happened in that time. Since our arrival, we have gotten to know and love Jill and Patrick. Jill is the OT that I am working with here and Patrick is her hubby. She and Patrick, besides being super cool, have gone out of their way to introduce us to all the beauty of this island and much of the Portuguese culture. The Air Force does an 8 hour island tour...Jill and Patrick did a 3 day tour! It was fantastic. They took us to places that those assigned here 3 months to 2 years haven't discovered or visited yet. My favorite spot so far is the castle playground in Angra (the capital). Not only is it a fantastic playground for the kiddos, it overlooks the Atlantic Ocean and Split Rock and is at the bottom of Monte Brasil which is an old castle itself. I also love Biscoitos (pronounced bish-coit-ish) which is a Rock Beach. The waves come crashing down on the rocks and the ocean spray from it looks like white fireworks. It is beautiful! When looking at our photos my BFF Aaron said it looks like the Irish countryside meets Meditteranian villages...that's about right! We just love it here!
One of my "jobs" in the first few weeks here has been to find a house. Check...it is done! We got keys on Sunday, cooked our first dinner there Monday and will be sleeping in it from this point on tonight (Tuesday). It is exactly what I wanted. It is so European and in the middle of a village amoungst the Azorean community. The house is hard to describe, but it is covered with tile and marble. It is next to a Catholic Church in the middle of the village. The view from our backyard is countryside and ocean. I think we are going to be very happy there. I hope to post pictures on FB later so folks can see.
Another job was to find transportation. People refer to available cars as island bombs. They have basically been driven by a number of people stationed here and nobody knows when they are going to explode from overuse. Automatics are very hard to come by but highly desired as the hills and narrow streets make it a challenge to drive a stick. We got very lucky and found an automatic...it is a burgandy, Honda Accord 1991...we paid more for it than we got for Matt's Honda Accord 1999 (not by much though), but it will get us from home to base and back again. The funny thing is we aren't driving that car yet. The soldier selling it to us doesn't PCS (that means leave for her next assignment) until Nov. 11th, so we were potentially without a car until the 11th. Step in one of the many fabulous and generous people here, Glynn a DoDDs school teacher who just gave us his wife's car to have for a week. They carpool to work, so they said they don't really need it that much. We just met them, and they just handed it over. It is awesome. The trust and sense of sharing here is amazing. Our van and our household goods get into port November 24th. So we are also without a bed in the house and our temp housing time is up. Step in our new landlord who left us a complete full bed and an additional full size top mattress. They also left a ton of beautiful antique furniture in the house for us to just use while we live there! It is crazy! This place and it's people and the military/civilian personnel are amazing!! I guess they know it is an island and small enough that everybody knows everybody else's business so if something happened to the car or the furniture...chances are they would know before you told them.
As I said our things and van come in at the end of the month. It will be nice to set up our house with our things and have two cars. So far having only one car hasn't been inconveniencing as we are in temp housing on base and I just walk to work. But as of tomorrow when we are in the house, we shall see. I have loved walking on base. Although there are a ton of hills, you can't help but love being outside here. You can almost always see the ocean no matter what building you step out of! And there is something so calming about that. The weather is fickle! They say they have all the seasons in a day and it is true. It will start out rainy in the morning much like your spring showers, turn into a beautiful summer day, change to a windy fall day and then end with a chilly winter evening. You never know what you are going to get. So I take my umbrella everywhere. It is coming up on the rainy season, and apparently it rains sideways here because of the wind, so we have that to look forward to.
Matt, the kids and I are slowly learning Portuguese. It is such an interesting language. It looks like Spanish if you read it and I have been lucky to that I retained more of my Spanish learning that I would have thought...it has some French sounding words thrown in there...but then it sounds very Russian. Matt and I are looking forward to taking the language class offered on base in the new year. The kids already know how to say hello, good day, good afternoon, good evening, good-bye, thank you and your welcome, so they are well on their way. I am evening thinking about putting them in a Portuguese preschool in Jan. We will see.
I started working last Monday. Jill kept me busy with learning all things associated with the company, the base and the military. This week she has gone to a conference so I am on my own. I kept busy the first two days with paperwork and red tape, but things have slowed slowed down considerable and my work has consisted more of shopping online (the shopping is very limited here), writing up program ideas for the families on base, and a field trip to the shopette with a buddy to get coffee. I am not able to see kiddos yet due to a hiccup with paperwork (not my error thankfully) and I don't have computer access from my office. So I am filling my time as best I can and looking forward to the time when I can work with kiddos and their families.
Well, that's it for now! This has been an awesome first two weeks! In some ways I feel as though I have been here forever with how comfortable everything is. We are so glad that we made this leap of faith to experience the world and acquaint ourselves with folks serving in the military. There are truly some impressive people here! We are having fun! Carpe Diem in the Azores (that's for you Elizabeth!)
One of my "jobs" in the first few weeks here has been to find a house. Check...it is done! We got keys on Sunday, cooked our first dinner there Monday and will be sleeping in it from this point on tonight (Tuesday). It is exactly what I wanted. It is so European and in the middle of a village amoungst the Azorean community. The house is hard to describe, but it is covered with tile and marble. It is next to a Catholic Church in the middle of the village. The view from our backyard is countryside and ocean. I think we are going to be very happy there. I hope to post pictures on FB later so folks can see.
Another job was to find transportation. People refer to available cars as island bombs. They have basically been driven by a number of people stationed here and nobody knows when they are going to explode from overuse. Automatics are very hard to come by but highly desired as the hills and narrow streets make it a challenge to drive a stick. We got very lucky and found an automatic...it is a burgandy, Honda Accord 1991...we paid more for it than we got for Matt's Honda Accord 1999 (not by much though), but it will get us from home to base and back again. The funny thing is we aren't driving that car yet. The soldier selling it to us doesn't PCS (that means leave for her next assignment) until Nov. 11th, so we were potentially without a car until the 11th. Step in one of the many fabulous and generous people here, Glynn a DoDDs school teacher who just gave us his wife's car to have for a week. They carpool to work, so they said they don't really need it that much. We just met them, and they just handed it over. It is awesome. The trust and sense of sharing here is amazing. Our van and our household goods get into port November 24th. So we are also without a bed in the house and our temp housing time is up. Step in our new landlord who left us a complete full bed and an additional full size top mattress. They also left a ton of beautiful antique furniture in the house for us to just use while we live there! It is crazy! This place and it's people and the military/civilian personnel are amazing!! I guess they know it is an island and small enough that everybody knows everybody else's business so if something happened to the car or the furniture...chances are they would know before you told them.
As I said our things and van come in at the end of the month. It will be nice to set up our house with our things and have two cars. So far having only one car hasn't been inconveniencing as we are in temp housing on base and I just walk to work. But as of tomorrow when we are in the house, we shall see. I have loved walking on base. Although there are a ton of hills, you can't help but love being outside here. You can almost always see the ocean no matter what building you step out of! And there is something so calming about that. The weather is fickle! They say they have all the seasons in a day and it is true. It will start out rainy in the morning much like your spring showers, turn into a beautiful summer day, change to a windy fall day and then end with a chilly winter evening. You never know what you are going to get. So I take my umbrella everywhere. It is coming up on the rainy season, and apparently it rains sideways here because of the wind, so we have that to look forward to.
Matt, the kids and I are slowly learning Portuguese. It is such an interesting language. It looks like Spanish if you read it and I have been lucky to that I retained more of my Spanish learning that I would have thought...it has some French sounding words thrown in there...but then it sounds very Russian. Matt and I are looking forward to taking the language class offered on base in the new year. The kids already know how to say hello, good day, good afternoon, good evening, good-bye, thank you and your welcome, so they are well on their way. I am evening thinking about putting them in a Portuguese preschool in Jan. We will see.
I started working last Monday. Jill kept me busy with learning all things associated with the company, the base and the military. This week she has gone to a conference so I am on my own. I kept busy the first two days with paperwork and red tape, but things have slowed slowed down considerable and my work has consisted more of shopping online (the shopping is very limited here), writing up program ideas for the families on base, and a field trip to the shopette with a buddy to get coffee. I am not able to see kiddos yet due to a hiccup with paperwork (not my error thankfully) and I don't have computer access from my office. So I am filling my time as best I can and looking forward to the time when I can work with kiddos and their families.
Well, that's it for now! This has been an awesome first two weeks! In some ways I feel as though I have been here forever with how comfortable everything is. We are so glad that we made this leap of faith to experience the world and acquaint ourselves with folks serving in the military. There are truly some impressive people here! We are having fun! Carpe Diem in the Azores (that's for you Elizabeth!)
Monday, October 19, 2009
The Chicken with it's head cut off and I have much in common...
...in less than 36 hours we will be getting on a plane to go to the middle of the northern Atlantic! In less than 60 hours, we will be living in the Azores! Why is it when somebody changes your perspective from days to hours it seems so much closer? 60 is larger than 3, so why does 60 hours seem so much sooner than 3 days? It's crazy!
Well we have officially said see ya laters to our nearest and dearest with the exception of Matt's parents and aunt who will be taking us to the airport. I have seriously not cried this much in...well, ever. It has always been easy (relatively) to let people float in and out of my life. As a mililtary brat who never lived any place longer than 3 and a half years, you develop coping strategies for the inevitable goodbye and your friendships are typically as long as your time in that place. I have always been good at making friends, but never kept many beyond my move to the next location. It was that way when we left England in 1989, leaving high school in 1993, leaving college roommates (with the exceptions of course with my beloved boys of the TBC Aaron, Kermit, Mike and Eric)...it is just how I learned to adapt to arriving somewhere and knowing that I was going to leave 1 or 2 or 3 years later. Of course that was all before the internet and the glorious reconnecter that is Facebook (which as connected me with many lost friendships from England on...so cool!). But with all those years of leaving people and friendships behind...this time when Matt and I settled in Coppell we developed roots...something that I have never done before. Growing up, home was always where my immediate family was...mainly my mom, so roots never took form until Coppell. Everything we did in Coppell, every friendship made, purchase made, all was done with the idea that we were going to raise our family there...for as long as we could imagine. We have a church family there, a neighborhood family, a mommy support group family, a preschool family, our college buddies, Matt's family...everything we know is centered around our little bubble in the Dallas metroplex. I suspect that is why I cried so much this time. Even though it is a see you in a couple of years more than a goodbye it is hard to imagine my life without all those friends, neighbors, parks, doctors, and surroundings. So, it is with tears in my eyes that I am so glad to say that my roots will stay in Coppell, and that we plan without a doubt to come back from our adventure to raise our family in a small city that we have come to know and love. That's why we rented our house instead of selling it. Coppell is the center of our universe filled with hands down some of the best people that I have ever met in my life! So even though this bird has always had wings to fly and meet new people and experience old things, I plan to return to my nest when the time is right! See you all in a couple of years!
Well we have officially said see ya laters to our nearest and dearest with the exception of Matt's parents and aunt who will be taking us to the airport. I have seriously not cried this much in...well, ever. It has always been easy (relatively) to let people float in and out of my life. As a mililtary brat who never lived any place longer than 3 and a half years, you develop coping strategies for the inevitable goodbye and your friendships are typically as long as your time in that place. I have always been good at making friends, but never kept many beyond my move to the next location. It was that way when we left England in 1989, leaving high school in 1993, leaving college roommates (with the exceptions of course with my beloved boys of the TBC Aaron, Kermit, Mike and Eric)...it is just how I learned to adapt to arriving somewhere and knowing that I was going to leave 1 or 2 or 3 years later. Of course that was all before the internet and the glorious reconnecter that is Facebook (which as connected me with many lost friendships from England on...so cool!). But with all those years of leaving people and friendships behind...this time when Matt and I settled in Coppell we developed roots...something that I have never done before. Growing up, home was always where my immediate family was...mainly my mom, so roots never took form until Coppell. Everything we did in Coppell, every friendship made, purchase made, all was done with the idea that we were going to raise our family there...for as long as we could imagine. We have a church family there, a neighborhood family, a mommy support group family, a preschool family, our college buddies, Matt's family...everything we know is centered around our little bubble in the Dallas metroplex. I suspect that is why I cried so much this time. Even though it is a see you in a couple of years more than a goodbye it is hard to imagine my life without all those friends, neighbors, parks, doctors, and surroundings. So, it is with tears in my eyes that I am so glad to say that my roots will stay in Coppell, and that we plan without a doubt to come back from our adventure to raise our family in a small city that we have come to know and love. That's why we rented our house instead of selling it. Coppell is the center of our universe filled with hands down some of the best people that I have ever met in my life! So even though this bird has always had wings to fly and meet new people and experience old things, I plan to return to my nest when the time is right! See you all in a couple of years!
Monday, October 5, 2009
The Flip-Flopping of My Emotions
As I sit here typing, I realize that there are only 16 more days until we leave for Terceira, Azores...16 more days!!! In some ways that seems like forever and in others it is no time at all. There is still so much to do and so many "see you laters" to say. We are staying with my in-laws who have been nothing but gracious hosts since our arrival last Wednesday (Tuesday for Matt and the kids). The kids are adjusting, but needless to say with their whole world turned upside down, behaviors and boundries are being tested. They are doing their best to work it all out. On the positive side, they have really started playing and cooperating with each other a lot more! It is so cute to see. Last night and again this morning, they turned a climbing structure into an airplane, packed their bags and piloted to California...not sure why California as we have not been there...I speculate it has something to do with Anderson's BFF going earlier this year. Either way CA or Azores, there piloting the plane is super sweet! Maryn of course is the co-pilot/flight attendant.
Last Monday, I said my first "see ya laters." As I have begun the process to say goodbye, I am humbled by how many people I am blessed to know in the Dallas area and how they have touched my life and made me a better person. Monday I said good-bye to several patients and their families. Tuesday was followed by the same. Thursday was even harder as I said adios to the Stringfellow Board members, director and my chidren's teachers...I bawled for an hour before I even got there, just thinking of all the things that this group of women have meant to my family and done for my children. Their love, support and Christian guidance is endless and I adore each of them! That same evening I said goodbye to my beloved OT Aubrie. The Dynamic Duo of feeding therapy is the Dynamic Uno she reminded me. Sobs were heard all over Coppell as we engaged in the ugly cry that only women can do when part of them is leaving. She is one of the most amazing professionals and people I have ever met and it is hard to break up the team.
As I look at my left wrist it is adorned with a beautiful silver bracelet one of my patient's mothers made for me, also given to me last Thursday. The words on it are Faith, Hope, and Love. These three things get us through the most tumultuous of times and help us know that all will be okay in the future. The family that made it for me is very special. They have taught me what it looks like to live with faith, hope and true love. They are the true definition of a family, bonded by blood, but rooted in religion and love. So special and I will miss each one of them! Especially my Noe-Noe!
Friday ushered in a totally different goodbye, as I met Rockstar Mommies at the Blue Goose in Highland Village for dinner and drinks. This group of women has been my sanity during my years of motherhood. Words cannot even begin to describe my appreciation and love for them! They have been friends, teachers, counselors, sisters and mentors for me. Without them I would not be the parent I am today. We come from all different backgrounds, political views, personalities, and for some reason it just clicked. Although I held off crying until the end when we were saying our goodbyes...yes, again it was the ugly cry that sort of sounds like dolphins...I was comforted by the fact that I will see them again. They are too important to let go of. I am encouraged by a saying on the beautiful bracelet that they gave me jingling on my right wrist that says "It's kind of fun to do the impossible." Boy is that true! The anxiety of trying something new can almost be crippling, but if you change the way you look at it and put one foot in front of the other...soon you will be dancing toward the door! I will look to these words often for inspiration and courage as they are from the best group of women I know!
This is only the beginning of my so longs. There are more to come and more flip flopping of my emotions from I can't believe we are doing this...scared! To I can't believe we are doing this...excited! There is still so much to do and so much to say, but I find that I have cried enough for the moment and need to move on to organizing. So I leave you with this quote which makes me feel blessed to have some many special people to miss and say goodbye too!
Distance never seperates two hearts that really care, for our memories span the miles and in seconds we are there. But whenever I start feeling sad cuz I miss you I remind myself how lucky I am to have someone so special to miss.”
Last Monday, I said my first "see ya laters." As I have begun the process to say goodbye, I am humbled by how many people I am blessed to know in the Dallas area and how they have touched my life and made me a better person. Monday I said good-bye to several patients and their families. Tuesday was followed by the same. Thursday was even harder as I said adios to the Stringfellow Board members, director and my chidren's teachers...I bawled for an hour before I even got there, just thinking of all the things that this group of women have meant to my family and done for my children. Their love, support and Christian guidance is endless and I adore each of them! That same evening I said goodbye to my beloved OT Aubrie. The Dynamic Duo of feeding therapy is the Dynamic Uno she reminded me. Sobs were heard all over Coppell as we engaged in the ugly cry that only women can do when part of them is leaving. She is one of the most amazing professionals and people I have ever met and it is hard to break up the team.
As I look at my left wrist it is adorned with a beautiful silver bracelet one of my patient's mothers made for me, also given to me last Thursday. The words on it are Faith, Hope, and Love. These three things get us through the most tumultuous of times and help us know that all will be okay in the future. The family that made it for me is very special. They have taught me what it looks like to live with faith, hope and true love. They are the true definition of a family, bonded by blood, but rooted in religion and love. So special and I will miss each one of them! Especially my Noe-Noe!
Friday ushered in a totally different goodbye, as I met Rockstar Mommies at the Blue Goose in Highland Village for dinner and drinks. This group of women has been my sanity during my years of motherhood. Words cannot even begin to describe my appreciation and love for them! They have been friends, teachers, counselors, sisters and mentors for me. Without them I would not be the parent I am today. We come from all different backgrounds, political views, personalities, and for some reason it just clicked. Although I held off crying until the end when we were saying our goodbyes...yes, again it was the ugly cry that sort of sounds like dolphins...I was comforted by the fact that I will see them again. They are too important to let go of. I am encouraged by a saying on the beautiful bracelet that they gave me jingling on my right wrist that says "It's kind of fun to do the impossible." Boy is that true! The anxiety of trying something new can almost be crippling, but if you change the way you look at it and put one foot in front of the other...soon you will be dancing toward the door! I will look to these words often for inspiration and courage as they are from the best group of women I know!
This is only the beginning of my so longs. There are more to come and more flip flopping of my emotions from I can't believe we are doing this...scared! To I can't believe we are doing this...excited! There is still so much to do and so much to say, but I find that I have cried enough for the moment and need to move on to organizing. So I leave you with this quote which makes me feel blessed to have some many special people to miss and say goodbye too!
Distance never seperates two hearts that really care, for our memories span the miles and in seconds we are there. But whenever I start feeling sad cuz I miss you I remind myself how lucky I am to have someone so special to miss.”
Monday, September 28, 2009
My life equates to a bunch of boxes...
I am sitting here in my house with no pictures on the walls, no decorations watching strangers pack up my life. It is overwhelming. We have spent the last several weeks slowly weeding out things that we didn't need, and then more recently, the last 4 days quickly and frantically getting rid of even more things we didn't need, want, or even know that we had half the time. It has been crazy deciding what we need for the next 3 weeks before we leave for the island (Texas weather clothes and island clothes), what we need immediately when we get there (things we are shipping to my coworker), what we need in 8 weeks on the island (things the packers are packing and taking...including my van), what we want when we come back (storage) and what we don't need at all(garage sale, Goodwill, trash). It has given me a true appreciation for people that move every couple of years, like my sister-in-law and all military families.
It has been an exhausting couple of days entirely. Matt even pulled an all-nighter last night to make sure the garage was properly sorted into shipping/storage piles. He is now passed out on the couch enjoying the cool breeze that the open windows are offering him. I finally left the house for the first time in 4 days to run errands...of course associated with the move (everything these days for us is associated with the move). Grandma has taken the kids to the park, and suddenly, I am here with not that much to do. How did that happen? It is not that I have nothing truly to do, it is just that for the first time in several days I can sit for a second without thinking "Oh crap, I forgot to do this, or that or the other." Now those thoughts are coming every few minutes. It is a welcome change.
So today they are packing us up, tomorrow they are moving it all out, and we begin cleaning for our renters to move in on late Wednesday night. And then we are living with the in-laws. It is for about a week and a half. We are so fortunate that they have a pool and a playroom for the kiddos. Anybody want to do a playdate in Dallas? On the 12th-16th we go to Hot Springs, Arkansas. My mom has rented a cabin in the woods so that my sister-in-law with my niece and nephew in tow can meet us there and the kids can say good-bye to each other. It is going to be so nice, but so hard. Then the 16th after we are dropped off back in Dallas, I say good-bye to my mom. It is making me tear up just thinking about it. I have been able to push leaving her to the farthest part of my brain so that I can handle all this moving stuff...but typing it now brings streams of tears down my cheeks. She has been such a help...such a God send...not just for the move, but for my life and I sad that I won't be able to see her until February. But that is the silver lining, at least she has plans to come visit every 6 monts. The time will go faster than I realize.
There is so much excitement in this adventure, I have to remind myself. We are going to an amazingly gorgeous place, emersing ourself in a totally different culture, and learning a new language. We are also going to have such an amazing opportunity to get to know people going through the same thing. I am looking forward to meeting my FB friends Donna Posey and Jill Bowman (my future co-worker). It is nice that I am already familiar with folks over there. There is comfort in that.
We are also going to have the opportunity to introduce our family and friends to all that we discover there. My mom is planning to visit February, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law already have plane tickets and hotel reserved for May, my mom and stepdad in August, and my in-laws in September. It will so great to show them "our" island.
We are sad to say good-bye for now to friends and family, but excited for all the adventure to come. Please pray for smooth travel and transition for us. We will take all the prayers we can get!
It has been an exhausting couple of days entirely. Matt even pulled an all-nighter last night to make sure the garage was properly sorted into shipping/storage piles. He is now passed out on the couch enjoying the cool breeze that the open windows are offering him. I finally left the house for the first time in 4 days to run errands...of course associated with the move (everything these days for us is associated with the move). Grandma has taken the kids to the park, and suddenly, I am here with not that much to do. How did that happen? It is not that I have nothing truly to do, it is just that for the first time in several days I can sit for a second without thinking "Oh crap, I forgot to do this, or that or the other." Now those thoughts are coming every few minutes. It is a welcome change.
So today they are packing us up, tomorrow they are moving it all out, and we begin cleaning for our renters to move in on late Wednesday night. And then we are living with the in-laws. It is for about a week and a half. We are so fortunate that they have a pool and a playroom for the kiddos. Anybody want to do a playdate in Dallas? On the 12th-16th we go to Hot Springs, Arkansas. My mom has rented a cabin in the woods so that my sister-in-law with my niece and nephew in tow can meet us there and the kids can say good-bye to each other. It is going to be so nice, but so hard. Then the 16th after we are dropped off back in Dallas, I say good-bye to my mom. It is making me tear up just thinking about it. I have been able to push leaving her to the farthest part of my brain so that I can handle all this moving stuff...but typing it now brings streams of tears down my cheeks. She has been such a help...such a God send...not just for the move, but for my life and I sad that I won't be able to see her until February. But that is the silver lining, at least she has plans to come visit every 6 monts. The time will go faster than I realize.
There is so much excitement in this adventure, I have to remind myself. We are going to an amazingly gorgeous place, emersing ourself in a totally different culture, and learning a new language. We are also going to have such an amazing opportunity to get to know people going through the same thing. I am looking forward to meeting my FB friends Donna Posey and Jill Bowman (my future co-worker). It is nice that I am already familiar with folks over there. There is comfort in that.
We are also going to have the opportunity to introduce our family and friends to all that we discover there. My mom is planning to visit February, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law already have plane tickets and hotel reserved for May, my mom and stepdad in August, and my in-laws in September. It will so great to show them "our" island.
We are sad to say good-bye for now to friends and family, but excited for all the adventure to come. Please pray for smooth travel and transition for us. We will take all the prayers we can get!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Meant to be...
I am a firm believer in the philosophy that everything happens for a reason...it is not always a good reason, mind you, but there is a reason nonetheless. So I found it incredibly exciting when I threw in my hat for the position in the Azores and things slowly fell into place that this is exactly what I needed to be doing.
It was initially confirmed by a sermon that my pastor gave regarding "big adventures." It seemed as though he was talking right to me. Don't limit yourself, don't miss out on new things, and always be willing to open the door and hear him out if Mr. Opportunity comes knocking. Another sense of confirmation came when I did a little research on the internet and actually found the person who is in the current position that I would be taking over, Elizabeth Scherple. She was impressed with my detective skills. But honestly, I am not a super sleuth. All I needed was the Air Base website and the division name that I would be a part of...and low and behold, there her name was. Not wanting to over step bounds and contact her using her base email, I checked on the fabulous social network of Facebook...maybe you have heard of it :) ...and there she was. I just shot her a quick message introducing myself and inquiring about the island, job, etc. Boy, was I delighted not only when she responded back, but she has kept an updated blog on her entire 3 and a half year experience on the island, with pictures included! We corresponded back and forth on the ins and outs of all things job related and living related on the island! She has been a wealth of information, and as a speech-language pathologist herself she likes details and loves to talk! Oh, and she was also the person that conducted my phone interview a month later...talk about already establishing a rapport!
Fast forward a few weeks, and yet another little touch of God, showing me this is all going to work out...renting our house. We were feeling the time crunch of renting our property come the beginning of Sept. Matt and I had already talked with a neighbor of ours about renting vs. selling and had settled on renting in hopes of coming back to Coppell after my assignment at Lajes is complete. Usher in a crazy couple of weeks where Matt accummulated 70 hours of comp. time, me working evenings and my role playing a single mom...boy do I have a lot more respect for those women...we had not had time to put our house up for rent because of all the chaos in our work lives. One night an amazing friend of mine (fellow Stringfellow board member, church member and all around bad ass) texted me asking about the specifics on our house. Come to find out that the new youth minister at our church was looking for a place here in Coppell and wasn't happy with what he was shown. She had instantly thought of me and our house as the timing of us going and them coming seemed to fit. A phone call later, a friend of the new youth minister was coming to look at our house to tell him all about it. Then his in-laws came in that weekend to look at it and by that afternoon we had renters! Only had to super clean my house once! YEAH! The thought of having to keep a spotless house for viewing while managing kids was not a pretty one in my head. We were delighted that it all worked out.
Finally, working out things at work...Matt is going to be able to do some contract work with his department at UT Southwestern Medical Center while we are gone. And I found a fantastic replacement for me to work with the patients and families that I see. She began shadowing me last Thursday and may be ready to go on her own next week, leaving me able to finish up working by Oct. 2nd.
All the cards are falling into place. It is still stressful. There have been a fair share of hiccups with paperwork, red tape, and timelines, but everything seems to be okay as long as I am doing my part to get things completed and submitted in a timely fashion.
So our next week...Movers come Monday/Tuesday to take our household goods and my van, Tuesday/Wednesday clean house for renter, Wednesday move in with in-laws, Oct. 9th finish work (at least for now), Oct. 12-16 meet mother and sister-in-law in Arkansas cabins to say good-bye, Oct. 21st fly the heck out of here. And lots of saying good-bye to family and friends in between! We are going to miss everything Texas and Coppell, but are excited for our adventure!
It was initially confirmed by a sermon that my pastor gave regarding "big adventures." It seemed as though he was talking right to me. Don't limit yourself, don't miss out on new things, and always be willing to open the door and hear him out if Mr. Opportunity comes knocking. Another sense of confirmation came when I did a little research on the internet and actually found the person who is in the current position that I would be taking over, Elizabeth Scherple. She was impressed with my detective skills. But honestly, I am not a super sleuth. All I needed was the Air Base website and the division name that I would be a part of...and low and behold, there her name was. Not wanting to over step bounds and contact her using her base email, I checked on the fabulous social network of Facebook...maybe you have heard of it :) ...and there she was. I just shot her a quick message introducing myself and inquiring about the island, job, etc. Boy, was I delighted not only when she responded back, but she has kept an updated blog on her entire 3 and a half year experience on the island, with pictures included! We corresponded back and forth on the ins and outs of all things job related and living related on the island! She has been a wealth of information, and as a speech-language pathologist herself she likes details and loves to talk! Oh, and she was also the person that conducted my phone interview a month later...talk about already establishing a rapport!
Fast forward a few weeks, and yet another little touch of God, showing me this is all going to work out...renting our house. We were feeling the time crunch of renting our property come the beginning of Sept. Matt and I had already talked with a neighbor of ours about renting vs. selling and had settled on renting in hopes of coming back to Coppell after my assignment at Lajes is complete. Usher in a crazy couple of weeks where Matt accummulated 70 hours of comp. time, me working evenings and my role playing a single mom...boy do I have a lot more respect for those women...we had not had time to put our house up for rent because of all the chaos in our work lives. One night an amazing friend of mine (fellow Stringfellow board member, church member and all around bad ass) texted me asking about the specifics on our house. Come to find out that the new youth minister at our church was looking for a place here in Coppell and wasn't happy with what he was shown. She had instantly thought of me and our house as the timing of us going and them coming seemed to fit. A phone call later, a friend of the new youth minister was coming to look at our house to tell him all about it. Then his in-laws came in that weekend to look at it and by that afternoon we had renters! Only had to super clean my house once! YEAH! The thought of having to keep a spotless house for viewing while managing kids was not a pretty one in my head. We were delighted that it all worked out.
Finally, working out things at work...Matt is going to be able to do some contract work with his department at UT Southwestern Medical Center while we are gone. And I found a fantastic replacement for me to work with the patients and families that I see. She began shadowing me last Thursday and may be ready to go on her own next week, leaving me able to finish up working by Oct. 2nd.
All the cards are falling into place. It is still stressful. There have been a fair share of hiccups with paperwork, red tape, and timelines, but everything seems to be okay as long as I am doing my part to get things completed and submitted in a timely fashion.
So our next week...Movers come Monday/Tuesday to take our household goods and my van, Tuesday/Wednesday clean house for renter, Wednesday move in with in-laws, Oct. 9th finish work (at least for now), Oct. 12-16 meet mother and sister-in-law in Arkansas cabins to say good-bye, Oct. 21st fly the heck out of here. And lots of saying good-bye to family and friends in between! We are going to miss everything Texas and Coppell, but are excited for our adventure!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
How did I get to this point?
All this craziness started with a couch...a wonderful friend of mine, Heather, was turning her second living room into a playroom and was looking for a home for her couch and big chair. As she is very generous of heart, she thought of me and offered it to us for free. It matched our decor perfectly, as she knew it would (she has a good eye for those things). So what to do with our old set...craigslist it! We had a woman come and look at our furniture. She mentioned that she wanted it for staging to sell her home. After inquiring where she was moving, and hearing Idaho...Matt and I began to dream...Idaho...ahhh! Mind you, it was the beginning of June in Texas and we knew what we were in for with the heat, so anything up north would sound good. Well that got our minds wandering about an opportunity that I had inquired after 3 years ago with a company called Sterling Medical. The find therapist jobs working with military families stationed a the various American bases overseas. 3 years ago when I applied, I didn't have the experience with the age group birth to 1 year that they were looking for. The recruiter had mentioned liking my resume, so that if I obtained that experience to please reapply. Since that time, have had the opportunity to increase my experience with the needed age group.
So there we were, thinking of cooler places climate wise and cooler places asthetics wise...and we decided to check out the website. Low and behold, a Germany position was available, so I submitted my resume...not really expecting too much and not really taking it seriously as we enjoy Coppell and the life that we have established here.
Well wouldn't you know it, I got an email back asking me to complete an application, convert my resume into a more government friendly format and submit a technical interview (lots of questions about my experience, that frankly would have been easier to answer in person that to write down, but what are you going to do). I received this email days before Matt, the kids and I were about to leave for a 2 week trek to TN, KY, VA, NC, and GA to visit family and vacation. I decided to focus on packing and getting ready for the trip, figuring I would have lots of down time in the car to work on everything. Well, it didn't dawn on me that all the down time that I was counting on would be filled with entertaining the kids, answering questions, taking potty breaks, getting snacks ready, making lunch, etc. Needless to say it took me the whole trip to get things done.
Once I finally submitted everything, I got an email back asking if I was interested in the current positions available in either S. Korea (nope, too close to N. Korea), Turkey (nope, too close to Iran and Iraq) and the Azores (uh, where?). What?! Where was Germany...England? Apparently, I took long enough that those positions were filled. Feeling disappointed, I originally told them no, but asked it they would keep me in mind if another Germany position came available. Then, curiousity got to me and I googled the Azores. Once I started researching these islands, I fell in love. Island living for a couple of years, I could do that. Matt agreed that he was up for it, so I threw my hat in.
And that has been just the beginning...
So there we were, thinking of cooler places climate wise and cooler places asthetics wise...and we decided to check out the website. Low and behold, a Germany position was available, so I submitted my resume...not really expecting too much and not really taking it seriously as we enjoy Coppell and the life that we have established here.
Well wouldn't you know it, I got an email back asking me to complete an application, convert my resume into a more government friendly format and submit a technical interview (lots of questions about my experience, that frankly would have been easier to answer in person that to write down, but what are you going to do). I received this email days before Matt, the kids and I were about to leave for a 2 week trek to TN, KY, VA, NC, and GA to visit family and vacation. I decided to focus on packing and getting ready for the trip, figuring I would have lots of down time in the car to work on everything. Well, it didn't dawn on me that all the down time that I was counting on would be filled with entertaining the kids, answering questions, taking potty breaks, getting snacks ready, making lunch, etc. Needless to say it took me the whole trip to get things done.
Once I finally submitted everything, I got an email back asking if I was interested in the current positions available in either S. Korea (nope, too close to N. Korea), Turkey (nope, too close to Iran and Iraq) and the Azores (uh, where?). What?! Where was Germany...England? Apparently, I took long enough that those positions were filled. Feeling disappointed, I originally told them no, but asked it they would keep me in mind if another Germany position came available. Then, curiousity got to me and I googled the Azores. Once I started researching these islands, I fell in love. Island living for a couple of years, I could do that. Matt agreed that he was up for it, so I threw my hat in.
And that has been just the beginning...
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