Here Comes the New Year and With it New Events

It is hard to believe that it has been four years since we made the big move to international living.  This marks our fourth Christmas in the Land of Sand, but it is also marking our LAST Christmas.  We knew that it would eventually happen, but we didn't know when. Just a couple of years ago the oil industry did a nose dive off a cliff and left so many without jobs.  We were lucky at the time because Clint (aka hubby) was secure in this international position.  But we weren't unscathed from the impact of the decline of the oil market.  It affected even those living abroad.  We were just thankful that his job was still intact.  Now the job here is complete and we are once again thankful that his position with his company is safe…..but it comes with a transition.  So we begin the process once again of relocating. To where? That is not clear just yet.  So we face the future again as another adventure and hopeful for what lies ahead.

At the same time that we will be transitioning back to the US, we will also be transitioning to a new stage in life…our oldest, Clay, will be transitioning into adulthood and college life! We will officially have one baby bird leaving the nest!  It's hard to believe that we are quickly approaching this moment.  So we must cherish the next 6-8 months as a collective family of 5 under one "roof".

This transition also impacts our other two boys, as they will be going through readjustments to public school, friends, and day to day living.  Living abroad has a lot of similarities to where we are from but on the flip side of that coin, it is also vastly different.  The school system is different, the teaching styles are different, the cultural exposure is different, the level of cultural diversity is different, the level of acceptance of others is different and unique, the experiences and opportunities are different, and these differences shape your mindset and expectations. Joshua will be entering the 10th grade in the fall of 2017 and Denver will be entering 8th grade.  

I will also be making adjustments.  I will need to find a teaching position.  I have been teaching here in the Land of Sand but as much as it is the same it too is vastly different than what I was used to in Texas.  I have been very specialized over the past 4 years in my teaching position. I have been the sole education provider for one little girl so that she can be immersed in the mainstream classroom of her peers.  I have modified lessons and skills on the spot for her while sitting next to her in the classroom that is led by the grade level classroom teacher.  My position is very unique, even for the Land of Sand.  I am looking forward to getting back to being "the teacher", but I will forever be changed by my time with this very special little girl and her sweet family. I am hoping to get back to teaching Family and Consumer Science.  This is the field I love, but it is very specific and often hard to find open positions.  So I have to start my search from abroad, but being I do not know specifically where we may relocate to, I am unable to fully start this search.  I have realized that in the four years that we have been abroad, that many things have changed in the education system back home, so this means I am a little behind on some things.  I know that I will learn quickly what I need to know but I still feel uneasy about being behind the curve in some areas.  Like I said….adjustments.

Clint, my hubby, will also be adjusting.  He will be making adjustments to a new position, a new working team, more responsibilities of the position, and making the transition from international to domestic domains.  All of these adjustments will be compounded on top of what we will need to do as a family unit. He will also be finishing up his degree in whatever free moments he can find.  So his plate is full!

I am sharing all of these thoughts because if you have never uprooted your life and your family's life, it is hard to really understand what emotions or thoughts we may be having.  I wanted to share a glimpse of what weighs on my mind and my heart as we begin making these changes and adjustments.  Although we make no decision on a whim or take anything lightly, our boys are somewhat at the mercy of what we do. Will we all be stronger in the end?  Yes, I am positive that we will be, but that doesn't mean that the transition or the journey is easy.  So keep us all in your thoughts and prayers.  Be kind and considerate if we do not always seem as excited about things as you are or as you think we should be.  If we seem distracted, please be patient….we are trying.

There's a lot going on….BUT we still love you all and are thankful that you are part of our lives!

Bring on 2017…We are ready! Where the will of God takes us, His mercy and grace will surely protect us!

Just Keep Going

The school year has been ticking away at a rapid pace.  Clay is in full senior year mode.  He is applying to universities and making future plans.  Joshua is tackling his freshman year, currently trying out for JV basketball and doing very well.  Denver is continuing the middle school journey, enjoyed an amazing trip to Sicily, and is doing a great job.  They are all growing and maturing so fast.  Clint and I are just marveling at how blessed we are.  Blessed with three amazing boys who are developing into amazing young men….and so handsome (yes, I'm partial).

It is hard to believe that in just a few more months we will have a high school graduate!  It was just yesterday that he started Pre-K, well at least it seems that way.  Now we are planning majors and tracking GPA's. I express my concern to my hubby all the time that I worry that I haven't done enough as a mom for our boys, that I need to squeeze more and more love into them. Then one of them says magical words that mean so much to me and they don't even realize it.  Let me explain… Clint has been in Texas for a week and still has one more week to be there before coming back to join us here in the Land of Sand.  So it is like being back in the days where Clint was offshore, and it was all on me to take care of everything. It has been a little stressful juggling my schedule and the boys schedule.  I was trying to help Clay fulfill a requirement for a student organization that he is part of, and it just wasn't working out for us.  So I took a deep breath and let it out. Clay says "What's wrong mom?" I reply that 

"I am just tired and a little stressed."  He says "Why are you stressed mom?" So I explain to him how things just are more difficult when you are on your own to help everyone do what needs to be done. Here's where his words made such an impact, one that he wasn't even aware of.  He said "Mom you are strong and independent.  You don't need dad to do all these things.  You have handled this stuff all our lives, and you will handle this too."  He was right! It made this momma's heart so happy!  It was confirmation and affirmation that my boys know how much we do for them.  I realized that they recognize that I am strong and I believe they are proud of me.  Although he didn't realize it, his words made me feel like some of the stress dissipated a little bit, and made me see that we must be doing something right!  

So what do we do when we hit those stress walls?  I still have lots of stress walls to climb but with my family in my corner I will  JUST KEEP GOING!

Summertime Fun….Rollercoaster Madness

Me and my beautiful sisters

Another summer is in the books….

Yet again we were spread across the globe doing various baseball related things.  Haven't you heard? Baseball is LIFE!  HAHAHA

Clay (our oldest) started his summer off playing baseball with a travel team out of Perth, Australia, which required him to play in multiple games at locations ranging from Oregon, Idaho, and California.  He made great friends and created amazing memories through all his experiences along the way. Then he finally made his way to our Texas home to join me and his brothers for a little while.  He was given a great opportunity to have his first "real" summer job, and his performance there was impressive enough that he was told to come back next summer if he was interested.  During his high school years here in the Land of Sand he has been taking Spanish courses.  They paid off during the summer while working.  The majority of his coworkers were Hispanic, and this allowed for them to communicate a lot easier. They really appreciated his willingness to communicate with them in their native language.

Clay playing 1st base

Clay playing catcher

Joshua (our second born) started his summer off staying with a friend in Oklahoma and working on baseball skills at camp.  They spent time riding Razor ATVs and just having a good ole time.  Then he joined us in Texas to soak up a little bit of home.  Church camp was a must do on the summer time list. He and Denver (our youngest) ventured off with our home church to spend time with friends and learn more about our Lord.  Fun was had, memories were made, and hearts were fed! Joshua also had the opportunity to work this summer.  He worked for a couple of weeks and was thrilled to have a little change in his pocket!  (WOW, you mean work means money?!!?)

Off to Church Camp

Team picture with the S. Korean team

Denver (our youngest) started his summer off with a trip to S. Korea to participate in the Little League World Series qualifying tournament.  Clint and I went with him on this adventure.  It was a great trip! (I will write a separate blog entry just about that trip.)  He and his team played hard and although they did not win, they have the memories and the pictures that they can tell the stories someday about this moment in their lives. After S. Korea, we made the journey back to the Land of Sand and then the next morning Denver and I set off for Texas.  Let the jet-lag begin!

Denver and I landed in Texas and set off to get things settled at our house.  Our first visit of the summer to our home resulted in being greeted by hundreds, YES HUNDREDS, of spiders in my living room and kitchen!!!  UGH!!!  I hate those little sneaky critters…yes they kept the moth population down but now I had to attack them with a vengeance!  There were so many that there was no way I was staying the night there…NO WAY!!! Denver and I returned the next day and began cleaning.  Sweeping cobwebs and 8-legged critters out of all the corners and edges.  We sucked them into the vacuum cleaner until sadly, RIP the vacuum. The vacuum gave up the fight so off to WalMart we go!  While we are there I grabbed bug bombs and 4 devices that you plug into outlets that send out an ultrasonic sound waves to run off the critters!  So we set the bombs off and leave to return the next day to clean up the aftermath.  Thank goodness my beautiful sister lives just 10minutes away and loved having us stay with them. The bug bombs did the trick!! Plugged the outlet devices in and went to cleaning everything. Now we had to clean up dead critters and wipe all bug bomb residue from all the services. Finally all done and the house was once again a place I didn't mind sleeping in.  Denver turned to me as we finished and said "Once Clay and Joshua get back here they are responsible for all the chores…I have done way more than my part!"  LOL, crazy kid!

We finally gather all of us back into one spot in our hometown in Alto, TX.  Clint, my hubby, was able to join us at this point for a couple of weeks.  He was so looking forward to getting on his tractor and mowing. (He's still a good ole country boy.) We took a family trip up to Oklahoma for a work function for Clint.  Enjoyed the lake and the open road together without beginning World War III in the truck.  It seems to be getting closer to our boys becoming friends with each other, rather than annoyances to each other. (Thank you Lord!)  Clint had to return to the Land of Sand before the rest of us, but it was nice that he finally got more than 2 days at home.

We were also able to show off our beloved Texas to Clay's friend from Norway.  He and Clay became friends when we moved to the Land of Sand.  Clay spent his Spring Break holiday in Norway with him, so we said you must come spend time in Texas with us.  So he did! It was great having him.  We took him to his first Major League baseball game, the spring-fed swimming hole called Camp Tonkawa, a little fishing in a neighbors pond, and introduced him a Texas staple--Whataburger!!! He loved it!!

Before our summer was over Denver was invited to go play some more baseball….MORE baseball!! The same group that Clay had played with at the beginning of the summer out of Australia had

Look who made the news!

also put together a 12U team and were in need of a player because another player had been injured.  So we said sure, why not! The planning began for travel and supplies.  It was a great opportunity for Denver.  He went and joined the team on his own.  Two flights (flew unaccompanied minor--the airline makes sure he gets where he is supposed to be) later he was safe with the coach in New Jersey.  Denver made some wonderful friendships with the guys on the team (Aussies are cool!). I joined him a few days later after getting Clay and Joshua on a flight back to the Land of Sand.  Denver and I saw/experienced Niagara Falls, Pittsburgh Pirates game, road trips in the van across 2-3 states, games against various teams troughout those states, a game on the Original field where Little League began, watched a couple of games at the 2016 Little League World Series, and just had an overall good time.  Denver was able to experience NY city before I arrived.  I was a tad jealous of that actually. He saw the memorial of the Twin Towers, Times Square, the Statue of Liberty (from a distance), and the Empire State Building.  So very cool!!!  We wrapped up our baseball tour, said goodbye to new friends, and headed back to the Land of Sand.  The trip back to the Land of Sand required us to end our summer the same way we began….a flight from one location to another, a layover and then a 15+ hour flight to our final destination.  More jet lag….but that's just all part of it! (It was a very busy summer!)

As soon as we returned to Abu Dhabi we had to be ready to begin work and school the very next day…YIKES!!  In the end it probably is best to just force the time change rather than allowing yourself days of sleeping in and being lazy!  So stay tuned to posts from this year, it is going to be an emotional one.  Clay is a senior in high school, so we are in prep mode for college and leaving the nest.  It is going to be a rollercoaster for me and for Clint.  So keep us all in your prayers as we make our way through this part of our life, the joys and the tears.

Still Trying to be Patient

My last post was about being patient.  That seems to be the trend of our lives lately….soooo here I am STILL TRYING TO BE PATIENT!

I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason.  I believe that God knows what is best for each of us.  He has a plan for us.  I also believe that life isn't just guided by a two option point in the road.  Now don't get me wrong, there are definitely paths that are totally wrong, but I also believe that there are several right paths.  I believe that all of those different "right" paths are God designed.  He created us.  He gave us free will.  He allows choice.  Sometimes the choices we have in life remind me of those books we read as kids that allowed you to choose how a story would go by reading to the end of a page, then choosing one of two options.  Option A turn to page 27…Option B turn to page 30.  Do you remember those?

Well although we always have options, it seems that those options lead to more options.  As you reach the end of each option's page or section, you then have two more options.  All of these require PATIENCE!  You may be wondering why does that require patience?  It requires patience because no one said you would know immediately if you should choose option A or option B.  So then you have to wait….pray…think…wait…pray…stress (but try not to), wait, pray some more, think some more, and WAIT some more.  You are waiting for confirmation, waiting for approval, waiting for inner peace, waiting for the payment to clear, waiting for the phone to ring, waiting for the check in the mail, waiting…..etc…

That patience is tested by all kinds of outside forces.  It is a battle that wears on both your mental state as well as your emotions.  Again God has a plan…not our will but His! The tricky part is knowing when to stop trying to open doors and windows that God keeps shutting…..

Trying To Be Patient

My mind seems to be constantly consumed with schedules, dates, events, plans, no plans, no dates, what events, where, why, or when did that happen?.. I know that this is pretty normal for most women, and it is normal for me.  It is something I try to keep in order as much as I can.  Sometimes the feeling is one of impatience…not knowing…anticipation…stress/worry.  Sometimes it builds up and becomes overwhelming.  I am constantly trying to remind myself that things will work out and all will be fine, or it is what it is, right?!

EVER FEEL THIS WAY?

There seems to always be something that needs to be planned, or maybe it's just that I WANT them to be planned.  This is where I am trying to be patient….

Patient in….

* summer planning (multiple schedules for all of us)

* my own profession

* my hubby's profession

* weightloss or being healthier (yes, I know only I can control this)

* events I have created (who's coming, who's not)

* baseball plans for the boys

* how and when to see family and friends 

It is exhausting!  I tend to be a people pleaser, the welcoming committee, the leader, the planner, the peacekeeper, etc…  I worry about family and friends being upset with us because our summer plans are busy and not 100% free for seeing them during our time home in Texas.  Summer sometimes ends up not being very relaxing.  

Patience is a virtue….however have you ever noticed that there are different types or areas of patience? Or different times of the day where your patience level is higher than other times?  I know I have noticed….  It takes a conscious effort to be patient.  I spend all day maintaining a level of patience for a little girl I teach that has special needs, and by the end of the day I am scrapping at bits of what patience I have left for my family….It's not fair to them, but like said it takes a conscious effort….

AND I am TRYING TO BE PATIENT…

TRYING

TRYING

TRYING

Not Better…Just Different

As a child I would sit with a globe and give it a spin.  I would let my finger glide across the surface with my eyes closed, and when it would stop spinning I would look to see where my finger had landed.   I dreamed I would one day see places around the world.  My dream of travel continued through my teen years, and slowly it became just a wish and a thought.  I never imagined the direction that my life would go one day.  I married young, had our boys young, went to and completed college during this time too.  Then as you all know, life just has a way of taking over.  Diapers, chasing babies, working, cleaning house, community activities, etc…It all becomes a blur.  Then one day we faced the decision of totally changing our lives forever.  We took a leap of faith and followed the opportunity for Clint's career to advance….this meant a move internationally!

We went from rural country living in Texas with 21 acres, 2 dogs, 2 show heifers, a tractor, a travel trailer, Friday Night Lights in our small town, Sunday morning church singing in the choir, and crickets chirping under a starry sky to living in the city of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (aka the Land of Sand).  We now live in a beautiful villa (also known as a townhouse) in a gated community, with a pool and a small yard, access to a small private beach, multicultural community-work-school-friends, with the ability to travel this side of the world, tall buildings, hustle and bustle of city life, church on Fridays, camels passing in trucks, language barriers, and character building adjustments.

I get asked every time we go home to Texas during the summer if we no longer call Texas home?  Of course not!!!  Texas will always be HOME!  I also get asked if our life is better over here?  I always answer with, "It's not better…it's just different." I am a country girl at heart, and we miss our slower paced country way of living BUT while we are here we need to take advantage of the things that are here or nearby.  We know that once we return to our beautiful Texas home, travel will return to being very difficult to accomplish.  It is extremely expensive, as many of you know, to go anywhere from the U.S.  I have now set a new goal…. Upon our return, we will travel to places in the U.S.  Our nation has such a plethora of landmarks, historical sites, unique destinations, and out of the way places.  It would be a shame not to see them.

We have counted our blessings that we have had such a great opportunity to experience the things we have so far, and met the people we have met.  We will continue to enjoy God's blessings and creations within this great big world while we can.  When the time comes to return HOME, we will return with memories that were made, new friendships, and knowledge gained from our time abroad.  God is in control of this journey…and He is the best travel agent!

It's Hard to Believe

It's hard to believe that my oldest baby is 17.

It's hard to believe that he is a junior in high school.

It's hard to believe that we are discussing colleges for real and not just as a thought of the future.

It's hard to believe that we only have a year and a half left as a family of 5 when booking flights or being seated at a restaurants.

It's hard to believe that my baby boy is almost a man.

It's hard to believe that before long his choices will not require our say so or input.

It's hard to believe that time has passed so quickly….I blinked…I only blinked.

It's hard to believe that my rosey cheeked, tan baby boy is now a handsome young man.

It's hard to believe that he has gone from only seeing Texas as a boy to seeing the world as a teen.

It's hard to believe that my husband and I, with the help of our almighty God, has raised such a respectful, responsible, reliable, intelligent, and genuine young man.

It's hard to believe any of these things…..Although we have just 18 more months before he ventures out on his own, I will try not to blink to fast. I will try to cherish every moment between now and June 2017.  I will hug him and squeeze him as much and as often as I can because all of these things are….

HARD TO BELIEVE!