Remodeling....

I loved the process of building our home.  The fun memories. The early mornings and late nights.  The chop saw in the living room.  The old and new friendships forged.  Beautiful trim work.  A puzzle of putting cabinets in working to make the kitchen perfect.  All the many pieces put together to make a beautiful home.
Now, much sooner than I ever thought and in a way that I never planned for, I am remodeling my home.  I built a house with a guest room, a school room and an office upstairs and a master, kid room and family room downstairs in the walk out basement.  No extra bedroom that could easily be made into a nursery.  So I have had a fun and interesting time playing with my house.  I needed to combine some rooms.  So I moved my couch and TV family room up to combine with the guest room upstairs.  Crispin came over one day and built (I elfed) a murphy bed cabinet in the guest room so that now this room does double duty.  I have a comfortable Queen bed for a guest bed when our many guests are here, but I have a great family room for the rest of the time.  Downstairs, with a friend I put together a bunch of the cube type shelving units and built a wall.  We backed it with tongue in groove cedar boards creating a new room.  Very cute.  Very functional.  Provides storage space as well as a dresser for those many items that babies need and use!  I set up the crib. The changing table.  I think I am about as ready as I can get.  I even packed a diaper bag and a bag to go to the hospital with me.  Hoping we don't have to grab and go with it though! 

Field Trips....

Went on a fun field trip today.  We have started school as I am trying at least to get a little ahead of the train that is coming down my track this winter and so while we still have some fun summer activities planned we are also beginning school!  I love field trips!  They are one of my favorite things about homeschooling is the ability to make real life applications to school and go and see and do things that are so applicable to life.  We last year studied about lots of gold rushes and gold mining and that sort of topic.  One near and dear to my family as Dad was a geologist.  We went to Idaho City today and explored around there with some other homeschool kids.  So much history.  A small town now that once was the biggest city in the Northwest.  A true boom town.  Once the capital of Idaho.  It was fun roaming around and exploring.  Explaining the different parts of mining.  What a dredge is and what it does.  How a stamp mill operates.  Surface land rights and Mineral rights.  Just lots of different things.  It was fun.  We all had fun.  It was odd too.  I could almost see my Dad there with us, as he totally would have been there if I could have asked him.  Explaining all these things.  Showing them how to pan for gold.  Doing all the things that I know about, but that he knew so well.  We would have had such fun roaming through the cemetery wondering together what the stories of some of these people were.  Natives of other countries.  Coming here to die over a century ago in some small Idaho wilderness area mining boom town.  Interesting times.  Fun memories.  Life is interesting.

This years Shock!

I really should have posted this about a month ago, but simply was not quite brave enough to. 

As many of you all know, after my son was born in making his dramatic and very traumatic entrance into this world I have never been too excited about the idea of having any more kids.  After two miscarriages I was pretty sure that was the end of that project and was quite content with my one!  Needless to say though  the IUD stayed in place to do its job.  So it came as an incredible shock to see on the ultrasound screen, when I went in to check out some things, a small baby right next to the IUD, hanging out and growing and very healthy.  The range of emotions has been wide and rollercoasterish.   From Anger, to shock, to complete disbelief, with petrified being the constant.  I so desperately wanted to call Dad.  I so do not want to go down this path again.  But, I am, so I am getting used to it a little bit.  Still not too excited, but I can at least think about it without crying.   Not a whole lot I can do about it – I guess that is why it takes a while to grow a baby.  I think I will get to the excited stage sometime before he gets here.  Anyway, I did have a genetic test done to see if there was anything going on that way = and HE is healthy and fine.  And yes, he is a HE.  That was a good bit of news.  We have been thinking on names.  Thinking on how to have a baby room in a house I just designed and finished building for 3.  He is due on Dec. 3.  But will be a planned C-section, a little earlier.  My 10 year was shocked – though I don’t think as much as his Mom, and he is excited too.  So that is good.  I did not tell him until he was back from his trip.  I had an ultrasound on July 8^th.  So far, I am looking mostly normal depending on what shirt I wear.  I can wear my regular jeans that were about to be too big, but were still comfortable.  I have only gained about 5 pounds, but he is beginning to readjust my insides.  So far this has been a great pregnancy as far as that goes.  No sickness or anything. 

     Based on that Due date Christmas and Thanksgiving will be interesting this year. 

Care Packages . . . .

We have all been on the receiving end of care packages.  Always makes you feel loved... Blessed... Encouraged.  Whether these are the fun candy bar with a post it note or a much more elaborate job, we are all blessed to be on the receiving end of a package.  When we lived in Mongolia, we were very blessed many times by various people sending us packages.  With a wide variety of contents.  My Dad and Mom loved packing these boxes and it was always a treat to open them and see what sort of treasures there would be.  When we were building our house - we got wire nuts - unheard of there.  Potty training when we only had an outhouse - we got a port-a-loo bucket kit.  There was always some sort of candy.  A fun Thomas the tank engine pieces for my son.  Good books. Some sort of spices.  A tool.  But these packages were always a wonderful treat!


Over the last few months Dustin has been accumulating items to go in a huge care package.  Not that we are financing this one, mostly people are shipping some of their own stuff to us to load although there are quite a few items that they have sent the list and the cash and asked us to find the items.  This all culminated last week when a 40 foot long shipping container showed up at our loading dock to be loaded.  Dustin was concerned that it all would not fit.  Instead the opposite was true - there was empty air space.  We don't want to send air, so lets try to fill the space.  This container has all sorts of things.  From farm equipment, seeds, plastic sheeting, greenhouse supplies, plant materials, 2 wood burning stoves, stove pipe, 2 pallets of dog food.  A trailer.  A baler. It has been a fun group activity filling this container.  The guys at the local building supply let me use their strapping material to tie the stuff together.  The guy who built our road came out with his little skid steer to help get stuff packed in.  Dustin loaded and stacked.  I helped.  I ran errands.  Picked up random pieces of stuff to go in the container.  Today was a funny day getting a last biggish item - a 4 wheeler.  A combination of lots of looking on craigslist.  Lots of phone calls. Texting. International calling.  And a "just in" trade in knowing a friend who knew a place to get a good deal.  Thank God for all the fun friendships we have made.  People who have helped us out.  People who have contributed to a work half way around the world to be a blessing.  To fill a big care package!  Thanks all!

When in the Caribbean....

We have been having a wonderful trip so far.  Have very much enjoyed the getting warm.  Especially  
when I learned this morning that it snowed 3 inches last night at home. . . . As we are in the Caribbean I appropriately got a little sunshine . . . it is already brown.  . . . It did look VERY red for about a day though.  Our room steward was teasing me though when he saw my tan line that I looked like his country flag with my white feet and red shoulders.   

When I had very long hair, I always thought it would be fun to get my hair put in cornrows or braids with beads.  I never did.  Too much hair.  Would have taken more patience and time than I was willing to give.  But Mom and I went and got the top parts of our hair braided.  I guess when in the Caribbean….  We have gotten SO many comments on it.  From all colors of people.  On and off the boat.  Has been pretty funny.  Not sure what my beautician will say when we have to take them out, but it was certainly fun. 

While we are very much enjoying a vacation, life back to “normal” is sounding appealing.  While having no schedule is nice and enjoyable, I am missing having a check off list.  Talked to friends today who life is hitting their fan and it is hard.  Sometimes life throws those curve balls.  I have gotten hit with a lot of them in the last few years and I know they hurt.  I have been very grateful that my soul is anchored deep.  I have thought that I was drifting loose a few times and that my ropes had been cut, but always even in some big storms there was an anchor holding me.  People are going to fail me.  Friends will too.  But I know my soul is anchored firmly and there is always that hope.  It can always be well with my soul even when life is hitting my fan. 

Sizes... What is BIG?

In my family I am the smallest person.  All my siblings are taller.  My one nephew has passed me up and I figure that most of them will as my son is now trying to as well.   And in reality will pass me sooner than later.  In my husband’s family though, I am as tall or taller than all the men.  As I have worked out and worked hard all my life I am pretty strong as well and not a small delicate frame.  Making me a capable and active person.  I enjoyed this last couple of years  in projects.  Of making a dream into a reality.  Turning pictures in my head into one on the ground.  My size didn’t hurt in getting things done even if the contractors did call me an elf. 

As we have been traveling the last few days we have seen a variety of sizes.  In people for sure.  But also in man made things.  We flew out of Boise on a medium size plane.  Still seating over 250 people.  In Denver  landing on a runway near a newer airport.  Also huge.  Arriving Miami and walking – according to Mom’s pedometer over a half mile one way to get to the other end of the baggage claim area.  Feeling small.  Arriving at the docks to find our boat.  Semi –trucks and shipping containers – full sized – usually seeming huge now dwarfed by the gigantic ship.   Huge cargo ships next dock over.  Dwarfing the cranes and containers.  The true meaning of PanaMAX.  Getting on a cruise ship is like moving into a new town.  Wandering around a bit lost.  Figuring out where to go for what.  Important things like where is the stateroom.  The kids play area.  The promenade deck that you can make 3 laps around and you have walked a mile.  A big ship.  19 decks. Most you can enter.  Some are not full decks, but still a big boat.  A floating city.  As we left Miami though and are now a whole days sailing from the mainland you realize how small we really are.  As people.  Here we are on the seemingly huge boat and now in the middle of the VAST ocean feeling so small.  So insignificant.  So puny.  So vulnerable.  In the big picture of the world we are so tiny.  And yet all our thoughts are important.  There is a BIG God who does care for each and every one of us.  Who wants us to make good choices.  Who desires us to follow him.  Who cares about us more deeply than we can imagine.  Truly amazing. 

On the Boat

 The sea here is so incredibly blue.  Dark. Rich. Today it was choppy and Mom was a bit seasick.  So not so fun.  I was fine.  I do pretty good in the bad ocean.    Lots of people on this boat.  Lot of people who are older.  Folks who are drinking way too much.  People who have no business wearing 2 piece bathing suits wearing them and laying out in the sun.  Funny.  Older people.  Younger folks.  A few families.  Not too many kids.  Pretty quiet.  Interesting entertainment.  Interesting people.  Met several folks from Oregon.  A guy this morning from Idaho.  So near at home.  Meeting in the Caribbean.  Good Food.  Almost all you can eat at almost any time.  And very good.  A variety of options.  Different cultures food.  Today there was Indian curry.  Good.  And of course seafood.  Seafood is always amazing of course.  Dad always  said that if we are within 400 miles of the ocean always is a good chance of having good seafood.  As we are on the ocean I guess we are close enough.  Salmon omelets for breakfast.  Shrimp for dinner.  I am a lover of seafood.  So is my family and so we are all very much enjoying that!  We have been having fun meeting some of our fellow travelers.  Our son is enjoying the fun activities on the kids program.  As we did school ahead all we have to do is math.  This is making his vacation wonderful.  It has been fun.  We have been playing some games and reading some interesting books.  Played croquet on the rocking deck number 19.  Made for some new creative rules as our “lawn” was rocking.  We have walked the deck and enjoyed the sun.  It was supposed to be 7 degrees at home and so wearing a tank top and sandals sounds and feels amazing! Our room is small and not too interesting.   We are enjoying the outside and the decks and all.  It is warm and so being outside has been so fun.  Working on my tan.  Haven’t gotten burned yet.  A bit pink.    

Dedication ... In Honor ...

Monday this week was a wonderful day but a different one.  A dedication of a gift.  A Legacy passed on to many. A Legacy outlives a life.  A Legacy continues.  The Gift continues to give.  We as a family were so blessed to share a day of life with friends and family.  Good friends with lots of support and love.  We enjoyed a day of fun and memories shared.  Dedicated a plane to send to Indonesia with MAF.  In memory of my Dad.  MAF made the day very special with a couple of speeches, some interesting tours and presentations.  Thank you to so many who worked to make the day possible.  Thank you to all my friends who came and showed support to me, to my family.  Thank you to my Dad.  A memory shared of a life lived well. A legacy passed on.  One who loved much and passed on that love and those gifts.  Thank you Dad. 

Writing . . . Notes . . .

Notes are funny.  They sometimes mean things and have history others would understand and sometimes... Not so much.  Grocery lists.  Questions that need an answer. Important things on good paper - or a post it note.  We all have distinctive handwriting.  Some legible. Some not.  Some childish.  Cursive. Print. Somewhere in between.  Distinct.  Unique. 

In the last few weeks looking through and working on different things I have discovered notes written by my Grandparents and Dad.  One - a note of history explained on an old horse collar from a harness.  My Grandpas distinctive handwriting telling the history of who bought and used this particular piece of equipment.  Interesting.  Lots of life in that note! As precious as the antique itself.
Another - looking for a card in my card notebook.  My Mom had kept track and sent Birthday cards for us when we lived in Mongolia.  I found a random note stuck in there by my Dad.  Again his distinctive script.  Asking a question to himself that he must have thought of.  Caring.  About me an my family.  A question to ask me.  Wondering.  Always thinking of others.  I could hear him asking the questions.  Thinking the thoughts.  Could read his care in needing the answer. 

Notes . . . I guess we should keep them.  Interesting for people to find.  To see.  To remind.  To bring a smile or a tear.  Not that I am going to keep all my random notes - I write plenty - but it has just been fun and interesting.  Discovering bits of life that brings back memories.  Interesting though.  I was ready to call Dad up and answer his question.  Couldn't.  So that was interesting.  Not quite as raw.  But life.