picnic

Simon and Jesse came in to Newcastle yesterday for lunch. Simon had already had his, but the three of us sat near the water while Jesse and I ate our sandwiches. We tried to get Simon to play in the grass, but he was much more interested in ripping off pieces of my sandwich to munch on :) He eventually bear-crawled after us on the limited shady sidewalk we found, and we played such fun games as peek-a-boo and upside downs.

I write this, because although we didn't take any photos, or do anything particularly out of the ordinary, it was a great family outing. Amazing how one little hour in the day can bring so much joy and perspective :)

We're camping

This past weekend was our District Youth Retreat at the beach. We had a great time camping, and had the perfect weather for it (quite sunny and warm, perhaps a little chillier at night than we would like). Simon thoroughly enjoyed all the attention he received, and it was helpful to me to have many willing entertainers for him :)

I had my first experience with meal planning and execution for over 30 people!! Jesse and I planned the food together, I made a shopping list on Coles Online, and we took said shopping list to Aldi. This accomplished a couple of things; we knew what amounts we wanted of everything, and we also knew how much we were saving by shopping at Aldi (for the record, $330 worth of groceries at Coles cost us $200 at Aldi!). We underestimated the amount of milk necessary (well, I think I technically underestimated the ability of teenage boys to drown their cereal in milk) and overestimated the amount of greens/salad necessary (yeah, should have thought that through). Also overestimated was the ratio of chips/cookies to sandwiches people wanted to eat; we had to ration the seconds. In the end, we had to buy more sausages and milk, and a few more drinks on the Saturday, but I don't think anyone went hungry.

Growing up, we always went to our District Family Camp at Chambers Camp near Corning, NY. We had a campsite right next to our good friends, and whether it was trailer-camping or tent-camping, had a great time. We have photos of my birthday at family camp, all 6 of us kids "napping" on a blanket in the shade, and siblings receiving "baths" in plastic buckets of some variety. Whenever someone would complain, or realize something had been left at home, our moms would sing a little song that went something like this, "We're camping, we're camping, we're ca-amping."

In the midst of all the various food situations this last weekend, I only wished I'd remembered that little song. The teens probably would have thought I was crazy (they'd be right), but having a little song to sing when things aren't going just right can provide a fresh dose of perspective, or at least lighten the situation a bit.

tag-teaming and teeth

Today was Thursday, the day I go in to work. Jesse and Simon picked me up from the train a little after 6, and he had to be to church by 7 for a meeting. I got home and took care of putting Simon down for an overdue nap while Jesse made dinner. We traded quick stories, wolfed down the fried rice, and Jesse headed off to work. Talk about tag-teaming the parenting!

Simon woke up after a short nap, ate, played a little, smiled a lot, then got tired. He took awhile to get to sleep, mostly because of the two little bottom teeth that are trying to make their way up through his gums. As I sat and rocked him, his little hand reached up and rubbed my neck. Those little teeth might be making life tough for all of us, but that doesn't mean there aren't great moments along the way too.

The latest adventures

Whew! Where have the past few months gone? Into a growing little boy, I think.

I've started back at work! I'm really enjoying the opportunity to get back into things. I have taken over the kitchen table with my laptop, laptop stand, wireless mouse and keyboard (a birthday gift from Jesse) and love my new "home office." I'm doing slightly different things than I was before (as my old role was filled with another full-time employee, who I trained before I left), and I've found the new position to be challenging and rewarding. Jesse and Simon had a great time while I was gone last week, so here's hoping tomorrow and the other Thursdays will be the same :)

Simon is growing by leaps and bounds. He plays peek-a-boo, and has started to do it himself sometimes (pulling a towel/curtain/whatever over his face, then removing it and expecting a reaction). It's clear that he wants to be more mobile than he is, but he breaks into a triumphant grin after rolling/wiggling off my lap after he eats. At my mothers' group today, he and one of the little girls carried on a "conversation" with each other; it was so cute. He's started wanting to gnaw on things, although he's generally disinterested in teething toys (Mom and Dad's knuckles are far more satisfying). We're hoping to get him into swimming lessons soon for Thursdays while I'm at work.

It seems we have one thing or another going on from now until Christmas! In some ways, the lack of Thanksgiving here means that the holiday season sneaks up on me. In others, though, it's surprising because with no Halloween (or very little Halloween) or Thanksgiving, the Christmas stuff is already dominating some of the stores. I've been making use of Amazon.com's Universal Gift List, but I've found that many things on that list are baby-related (Ergo baby carrier, food processor/steamer for baby food, etc.). Guess I'm a real mom now ;)

With that, I'm going to go make a mug cake (go ahead, google it! They're quick and tasty) and have some ice cream. There is a fantastic rain storm, Simon's napping, and Jesse's out. Might as well make use of the ability to eat lots of food before Simon starts solids :)

July, here we are!

Well, June basically didn't happen. Did it?

For those who are unaware, little Simon Richard joined our little family on May 26th at a whopping not-quite-7-pounds after a surprise/emergency c-section. Despite things not going as planned (there's a 10-page birth story for the interested, but I decided not to unleash it to the public domain, partly because of the personal nature, and partly because I barely had time to write it, let alone edit it to the point where I'm happy enough with it), I felt well taken care of for the most part. My parents arrived the day after Simon's birth, and that was such a blessing. They really carried us through the first weeks at home as I recovered and we all got used to each other. Jesse's mom has been with us for a week and a half, and has a few more days here still. Family is wonderful!

I've also had my birthday, which was celebrated in stages; on the day of, Jesse and I went to the mall and made some present-purchases (including a stand for my laptop and wireless keyboard and mouse, so I can set up on a desk like a desktop and not destroy my back all the time, among other things) while Simon hung out with his Grammie at home. Saturday, friends came up from Sydney and we celebrated again with a pinata. Thankfully, their daughter is one year older and was not quite as traumatized by the pinata-hitting activities this year :)

I was realizing the other day that in this coming year of life, I will miss two reunions (college and high school), the birth of my cousin's son, my sister's 21st birthday, and who knows what other events. What's really tough is realizing that friends and family in the US are missing out on life with Simon. But we have much to be thankful for; deepening friendships here, a job I enjoy and look forward to continuing (albeit in a reduced role), a brand new fridge (ok, so that's kind of shallow, but I'm excited about it), and generally a good life where God wants us to be.

While it's difficult to miss those shared moments, when we dedicate our children to the Lord (as my parents did with me, and we did with Simon), we commit to teaching our children to serve God with their whole lives, and the best way to teach that is to live it. There is a certain amount of letting go that must happen, of acknowledging that their gifts and talents might not always lead them close to home. We still cherish the time we have with loved ones (as I write, I'm watching Simon sleep in the lap of his Grammie, who has fallen asleep sitting on the couch :) and do our best to support each other wherever we find ourselves.

In the next year, I know that Simon will continue to grow and change. My hope is that Jesse and I will be able to grow and change too, as we pursue God in our new little family.

is it really April?

Well, March wasn't exactly "in like a lion and out like a lamb" at our house. Weather notwithstanding, it was more like "a lion in a decathalon of some sort" with church events, baby classes, hospital checkups, and work. (Ok, that was lame, but I tried. Moving on.)

We had the opportunity to go to a Newcastle Knights (rugby league) game with tickets from work, which included dinner in the corporate suite and some pretty good seats. That was cool; I've missed going to Amerks and Red Wings games like I used to with Deloitte. Jesse had a decent understanding of the game, and we sorted the rest out together. It wasn't quite as amusing as the time Laura and I went to a Knighthawks (lacrosse) game in Rochester, and affectionately dubbed the sport "baskesocckey" as we attempted to decipher the rules, but it was still a good time. I did get a bit stiff with my ever-heavier body in the plastic chair, but was able to put my feet up for the second half of the game, which we watched from the box.

I'm not sure if it was in March or late February, but we've encountered a previously unanticipated benefit of pastoring a country-ish church: a family in our church "came into some beef" and we have been enjoying some of the most tender steaks I've ever had since then. (Well, steak, and a roast, and some ground beef too :) Our little freezer, at one point, was full of meat. We've been alternating with chicken and experimenting some with marinades to keep things exciting, and Jesse is becoming an expert at grilling the steaks. He also made chicken parmigiana this week when I missed the train coming home from work and we had guests coming over for dinner. That turned out very good; recent experiments of mine (including satay chicken and a peach-chicken dish I didn't fully think through ahead of time) have been less successful. Edible, but less successful.

The last week of February, we attended the National Pastors' Conference in Tweed Heads (on the border of NSW and QLD). It was my first time into Queensland (unless you count the Brisbane airport), as our hotel was technically in NSW but across the street from Queensland. We had a great room with a beautiful view of the water, and I got to catch up with a high school friend who is pastoring a church in Perth with her husband. Who would have thought that Fillmore grads would find each other on the other side of the world? Anyway, that was a good trip. We took our time coming home and spent a couple of days in Port Macquarie, where we had the pleasure of wallabies playing in the backyard of our rented cabin/house.

The conference fun didn't end there, though. The first weekend in March was our District Women's Retreat, in a retreat center on Lake Macquarie. It was fun to get to know some other women from around the state, and hang out with a friend and her two-week-old baby.

I only have 3 weeks left of work (actually, it's only 12 work days, with one holiday and two Fridays off) before it's time to come home and wait for baby! We got a lot done yesterday in preparation for his/her arrival, and there's still more to do. I've been reading up on childhood vaccinations and have been trying to formulate a plan for those. I don't mean to make anyone nervous; we are planning on our child receiving all the recommended vaccines, perhaps slightly delayed from the planned schedule. What I'm struggling with at the moment is why my newborn baby needs a Hepatitis B shot. I haven't found anything that compels me to believe this is critical for a newborn, other than that it was the easiest way to make sure everyone is immunized against it. If anyone has an idea on this, I'm all ears.

And so all of this brings us to nearly the middle of April, with just over 5 weeks to go (give or take) until the baby's room is occupied. Crazy!

just for a moment

I have a few, rare, quiet moments to myself. I'm sitting on the couch, the dishes are done, Jesse's not back yet, and I'm enjoying hanging out with our little baby. S/he's moving around a bit (as usual), and I just sit here and wonder who this person is, who is already so much a part of our lives. Life has been very busy for both Jesse and me lately, and it's nice to slow down and think about what the not-so-distant future holds, and play with (read: poke) the baby a little.

cat = out of bag

Well, my extreme lack of posting for the last few months was not without good reason. We had a wonderful visit back in the US with friends and family around Thanksgiving; it was great to combine a break from work with seeing familiar people and being ourselves with them.

But the main reason I couldn't think to post was that we weren't quite ready to announce my pregnancy to the internet masses ;) I've received a couple of requests for detailed accounts of the pregnancy, but will keep them to the fact that morning sickness found me in a rather violent way around week 7 and didn't leave until week 17, so I didn't want to keep updating with "still sick" and such things. Jesse and my coworkers can all attest to the rough shape I was in during much of that time. But we are very happy to report that I haven't been sick for a few weeks now, and the baby is now using movement to remind us of his/her presence rather than the sickness. It kicked Jesse's arm the other morning, which was cool and the first time he'd felt it move.

For those who are wondering, the due date is May 16th. We're planning on keeping the gender a mystery until the baby's birth, although we think it's a boy based on a combination of old wives' tales and hunches. (And hey, why not make a guess, with a 50/50 chance). We got a peek at the baby around 9 weeks, and have heard its heartbeat twice. In a little under a week, we'll have another look and see how s/he's doing in there.

Aside from the baby, things are going well. We celebrated Christmas on our own in the morning, and then with friends in Sydney in the afternoon/evening and for Boxing Day. It was a great chance to hang out and have fun, and also try out my new Super Mario Bros. Wii game. I had yesterday off work for the Boxing Day holiday, and we rearranged our front rooms in anticipation of the arrival of a friend of Jesse's at the end of this week, and eventually with the idea of a nursery :)

So, thanks to all those who posted excited congrats on facebook today; I really enjoyed hearing from all of you!

October

Two months later. Yikes. Jesse and I had a great trip at the beginning of September to the Barrington Tops. We went on a hike that definitely pushed the boundaries of the shape I was in, but it was fun to get away and relax for a few days. Jesse surprised me by bringing some of our nice clothes to have a candlelight dinner one of the nights; it was a great celebration of our almost-anniversary.

For those who don't know, our visa was approved the first week of October, so a lot of that worry/phone calling/stress has died down. At least we get two more years now until we have to go through it again. It's been nice not having to haggle through another employment extension every month, and to have all of my paperwork now in my married name and new passport (I think health insurance still needs to be changed... and maybe some frequent flier club memberships, but that's it.)

We looked through a house that's closer to the church (essentially in its backyard), but so far it looks like we can't afford to move there. Housing prices are very high over here, particularly in comparison to the Rochester area (where I was once house hunting a couple of years ago), so it's hard to swallow the cost of some of them. The area hasn't been hit by the financial crisis nearly like most places in the US, and it's believed by some that there is still somewhat of a housing bubble to be burst. Combine that with the fact that someone working in the mines could be making upwards of $1,700AUD/week, and ta-da, expensive housing. So we are staying put for the time being, but on the lookout.

I haven't done much reading lately, but I have appropriated Jesse's ipod shuffle for the ride to and from work, which has been nice. It was particularly useful yesterday when some drunk man near the front of the carriage was "singing" very loudly for a good half of the ride. One day when I was NOT listening to the ipod, a very dark-skinned man wearing a heavy Christmassy sweater came an sat next to me at the University stop (most people were wearing a light jacket, at most). Through my scholar-servant powers of reasoning, I deduced that he was likely from Africa. He's originally from Nigeria, spent some time in Ghana, and was hear to do a master's in education. I don't usually strike up conversations with fellow train-goers, but it was nice to have a bit of a cross-cultural experience on the way home.

Jesse and I discovered a new restaurant near where I work, which touts itself as a "pizza and pasta bar". This sounded very good to me. I had a creamy chicken penne with baby spinach and pesto sauce - yum! Jesse had a four-cheese pizza, and we watched a Chicago Bulls game on the HDTV. I think we both prefer college to pro basketball, but a chance to watch familiar sports over here is one we will take. We've started getting reception on a channel that shows basketball and NFL football, and have even watched a couple of NFL games (although the commercial breaks are never timed quite right, and we end up missing parts of the game. We get back from the break and have to figure out what just happened). All in all, the pizza and pasta bar was a success.

(Oh, for those who are wondering, our delusions of garden have been crushed by lack of effort before they even fully materialized. I think we have managed to kill another herb plant, though.)

Today, I am looking forward to a massage and a chiropractor visit. It's been a year since I've gone to either, and I'm feeling it. I actually found this place via tv commercial - not where I would typically look for a doctor - but their clinic offers both and is open 1/2 day on Saturdays, so here's hoping it will be good.

August

Another month come and gone. Before I get into what we've been up to, I need to put in a plug for a life-saving cookbook, which I know I've done before, but here it is: What to Eat When You Can't Eat Anything. I've not been feeling the greatest lately, so it's back to a strict diet for me. One of the things I like about this cookbook is that it categorizes recipes based on how you're feeling - ultrasensitive, sensitive, and unsensitive. So I can turn to the ultrasensitive section and pick out recipes until I start feeling better, then add in the sensitive recipes, etc.

But enough about my food issues. I received an employment extension from the government, which allows me to continue working for a few more weeks at my current job. I'm not sure whether they will grant an additional extension if Jesse's visa isn't approved by then, however. This is still a matter for prayer, but I am confident that God will continue to provide for us/me, even if it's not in a way I'm expecting.

Our volleyball competition ended, and we were at the bottom of the A-grade at the end. Funny; we won the B-grade in our first "comp" (as they say here), and then lost the A-grade. The sports center is in the process of relocating to a new facility (which is not yet built), so in the meantime, we have freed up another weeknight. That's been nice.

The weather's been unseasonably warm for August. We're talking about trying to put a small garden in the backyard (those who've seen our backyard know that it could only be small!). Neither of us has a particularly green thumb (and I killed one herb plant last year by giving it too much sun in the sauna that is the back of our house), so I'm thinking of getting some plants that can grow in the shade of our tree. (Also, I don't want to necessarily be in direct sunlight while taking care of it in the hot summer sun.) I want to grow veggies or herbs of some kind. Any suggestions from the audience?

We had a great time at a birthday party for a friend yesterday. Jesse and I "designed" the card ourselves and I think we may have been more pleased with it than the recipient, but he seemed to enjoy it as well.

Well, off to prepare for church. Thanks for reading, and I'm looking forward to the gardening recommendations!

July: poof

Where has July gone? It was a busy month at work and church, that's for sure. It began with a celebration of my 26th birthday, which started with "presents in bed" (a few dvd's, books, and nice warm slippers from Jesse), ended with a friend's exhibit opening, Mexican food, and watching one of said dvd's, with "afternoon tea" at work in the middle. They were going to make me a sugar-free cake, but the woman who would've made it was sick, so they bought a spinach quiche and stuck candles in it. I think, along with the list I maintain of "places I've spent my birthday" I may make note of this unique "cake-replacement". :)

Friends came up to help celebrate the Saturday after my birthday, which turned out to be day 2 of the worst flu I remember having. I still participated in the "birthday game" (pinata) Jesse had so proudly put together. We have some great photos of our friends' poor daughter, distraught after her daddy knocked the pinata down from its hanging place on our clothesline. And also some great photos of Jesse decapitating the pinata. Its head currently rests on our mantle in triumph. (Said friends gave me a great tv series, called "Lost in Austen", for my birthday, about a woman who gets caught up in Pride and Prejudice. I loved it.)

The rest of the month saw year-end stuff at work for me, a work bee at church, the church annual meeting, a celebration of life at the passing of a young member of our congregation, and the start of a new/revived prayer ministry.

In reading news, I read My Seventh Monsoon by Naomi Reed, about time she and her family spent in Nepal, and loved it. I may post some quotes on my profile; she has an acute sense of the seasons of our lives, and had a lot to say about transition that meant a lot to me. I'm currently reading Jesse's copy of The Salmon of Doubt, a collection of writings by Douglas Adams. Of course, he's quite clever and funny, but it's also given me an interesting perspective on his atheism and how he, for lack of a better term, "wore" that.

All of this brings us to August. At the outset, it doesn't appear to be quite as packed as July, but we will see.

one man's trash is another man's clutter

So, visit with family = good. Took them around, they took lots of photos, they helped out a lot with projects we'd been meaning to get to around the house (or, more accurately, projects we'd been hoping they'd help with... yeah). It's good to have family around. As an added bonus, we are now experienced tour guides, and have a better idea of where to send/take visitors. (Your package will include, but is not limited to, a day in Sydney walking around the Circular Quay, a visit to a quaint country petting zoo with Aussie animals, a minimum of one Australian barbeque with a REAL Aussie family, and the opportunity to make us feel like we have friends.)

Today, we had a garage sale for the youth to raise money for camp in a few weeks. We actually did reasonably well - we earned more money than I had expected we would. The kids and adults from the church worked well together in putting it on, which was cool. As I looked through the hall at the massive amounts of stuff, I couldn't believe the sheer volume. But people came by and found treasures; toys, vases, books, clothes. And our teens who helped should have their camp trips mostly paid for.

After napping off the exhaustion of this morning, Jesse and I are awaiting our Saturday night Pizza Hut pizza. I think we will be on a first-name basis with the delivery girl very soon. I get deep dish pepperoni, he gets thin crust cheese, and we watch movies and/or Aussie Rules on tv. (Aussie Rules = Aussie Rules football, known as footy in Victoria, but not here, where footy refers to Rugby League.)

Trip to Lae, and up to today

Our time in Ukarumpa is fast coming to an end. Since I last posted, we’ve been on a trip to Lae, out on the coast of PNG. While there, we spent one day doing work, and another half day sightseeing at The Rainforest Habitat, which is near the campus of the University of Lae. There was a large aviary under a net outside, and I saw all kinds of birds – beautiful blue Victorian Crowned Pigeons, a Toucan (it was perched on the sidewalk railings, and one in our group stood there petting it!), lorikeets, a parrot, and a bird of paradise (he apparently sheds his long, beautiful feathers some times of the year, and this, unfortunately, was one of those times). Aside from the aviary, there was also an outdoor habitat with a few more birds (cockatoo, cuckoo, and a few others not coming to mind at this point which were in cages), cassowaries, a couple of tree kangaroos, and a big fat crocodile. It just laid in its habitat with its mouth wide open. In the indoor facility, aside from lots of local crafts, there were 3 pythons (2 adults and a young one) in glass cages; some in our group had the “pleasure” of observing the feeding of little chicks to these snakes, although I declined. They also had a large python, probably about 7 feet or so long, which they brought out to their store counter and allowed to curl up around one of the posts. I was brave enough to touch it for about a second. Another girl in our group, who had previously had a pet python, stood next to it and petted it for awhile longer. She eventually held the snake; I was satisfied with the level of bravery my one touch had required.

In all, it was a great trip out there. We picked up some crocodile meat at the supermarket (an experience unto itself; wall-to-wall people, security guards, and more employees than we could count!) to bring back to Ukarumpa, and a few supplies for our stay. I made breakfast for us in the mornings, and was relatively pleased with the banana pancakes I “invented” (not having the benefit of any kind of recipe, I was just relieved that what I made had resembled pancakes!). I also made a beef stew for our dinner on Saturday night, the leftovers from which we stuffed into a juice container and froze to preserve for our road trip back.

Since returning, we’ve been able to largely wrap up the audit work and enjoy a few more days with our new friends. I spent an evening with a college friend who’s recently moved over here, and it was so nice to hang out with a friend! We convinced the couple that manages the guest house to join us for a game of Apples to Apples last night (we’ve played a lot of Phase 10 on this trip, and the change of game alone was a treat :) which was also a lot of fun. I will attempt to post photos at some point in the future, but internet here is limited so it may have to wait until I’m back in the swing of things in Australia.

Sunday

Today has been nice. (I just wrote this post, then lost it. Sad.) We attended the English-speaking worship service here in Ukarumpa this morning, and it was special to be able to worship with the community. The 12th-grade girls had put together the songs and led worship, and a man spoke who is a pastor in the States but has spent some time here with his family too (I heard these snippets second-hand, can you tell?). Due to the varied denominational backgrounds of many here, there is no pastor per se, but various people will take the service each week.

After service, we had a great lunch at the guest house and another chance to chat with the leaders of a drama team from George Fox University, which is visiting various places in PNG and leading workshops on creating stories and performances. We also had the chance, after lunch, for some casual chatting amongst our own team, which was nice.

Around 3, we headed down to the high school oval (sports ground), where a group gathers each Sunday to play ultimate frisbee. While I wasn't interested in participating, I did my part by putting one baby to sleep while his parents played, and then plucking a little girl out of a muddy ditch after an unfortunate fall. Splotched with mud, I headed for the guest house and cleaned myself up. I happily discovered that the internet was working again, and here we are!

In all, it's been a relaxing, refreshing weekend; exactly what I needed to gear up for the coming week.

Hi from PNG!

**Note: I wrote this post last night, when the internet was down. So, here it is**

So much to tell! We arrived here in Ukarumpa safely on Tuesday, following my first trip on a missionary airplane. It seated 12 normally, but we had the 5 from our team, a family of 3, and the pilot, plus all our stuff and numerous blue bags of mail. We landed on the dirt airstrip at Aiyura (elevation 5,000 feet), and while our bags were unpacked, watched some men loading large bags of coffee onto a truck. The price of coffee is apparently high these days, and some of the MAF airplanes were carrying coffee from the villages here, I think for processing.
Since our initial arrival, we’ve been chipping away at the audit. I’m enjoying the foray into familiar territory, and it’s been fun to remember all of the auditing techniques I’ve learned over the past few years. We’ve also been hosted by several missionaries in their homes for dinner, which has been a great opportunity to get to know some of the people around here. I’ve reconnected with a college friend who’s recently begun her assignment here, and that’s been a lot of fun.
There’s some unrest in the area, so we weren’t able to have a full-fledged market trip today, but we did spend some time at the nearby Kainantu Cultural Center, where local people spin wool for rugs and make beautiful pottery. Although the potters don’t typically work today, one of them graciously walked us through the process, explaining where they find the clay, how it’s dried, cleaned, dried again, compressed to remove air bubbles, and then – finally – thrown! It was awesome to watch him at work, and he made a beautiful pot on the wheel. I had to hold myself back from spending far too much money on pottery! My one course in ceramics at Houghton has given me a lifelong love of pottery, I think. I did buy a blue gravy bowl, to add to my collection of blue things for my kitchen from various parts of the world.
In short, things are going well. I had the chance to sit and read this afternoon, and have a game night with a couple of girls my own age this evening. That was really fun, even though I did narrowly lose a game of Settlers. :)

yesterday was a month ago

Where has the time gone?

We were able to spend some time with friends down in Sydney this weekend, as I had to be in the city for a day of training on Thursday. I successfully navigated the bus and train to and from the training site (thanks to the company of a friend who works nearby), which was cause for excitement. We saw and enjoyed the new Star Trek movie Thursday night, and did some running around on Friday to get ready for my upcoming trip! I needed a couple of skirts for my trip to Papua New Guinea, and I found some at a thrift store, so that was good.

My trip - I'm leaving on Tuesday! It's hard to believe May has come along so quickly. I'm going as a volunteer auditor for a mission organization, performing an audit similar to the one we did in Thailand a few years ago. Wow, 6 years ago now. Yikes. Not only will I have the chance to spend time with some friends who are leading the trip, but 2 college students will be joining us and helping with the audit. One of my friends from college has joined the organization and is based in PNG, so I will get to see her as well. Two days after I get back, a sampling of Spears will be arriving for a visit. So there is much to look forward to in the next few weeks.

In the craziness of the past few weeks, this song has been a great comfort to me, as have been the words of friends and family members. Just thought I'd share them in case they speak to where any of you find yourselves.

rain, lawnmowers, and other stuff

This afternoon, Jesse and I decided to take a walk around Maitland. Festivities from the Steamfest (think steam engine festival; at one point this weekend, I commented, "it sounds like there's a steam engine coming down our street." I was not incorrect.) were finishing up, people getting ready to go home. We walked over to the park and just sort of wandered, until we decided to head back toward High Street and potentially the video shop. It started to sprinkle, and then rain. There was the most beautiful rainbow across the sky, over the train tracks and the highway. We were soaked by the time we got home (I nixed walking all the way to the video store), but it was great to see the rainbow, and even great to get a little wet. We changed, made a list, and went grocery shopping, and right after we returned, there was another downpour. While I enjoyed the first experience, I was grateful to be home and dry.

Yesterday, we decided to buy a lawnmower. We had thought a weedwhacker (whipper snipper for you Aussies) might do the trick, since our lawn is so small, but it didn't really cut it. We headed to Bunnings and purchased the recommended electric lawnmower. We arrived home, I helped Jesse to get it out of the box, and then curled up on the couch under a blanket with a book. He took it outside, worked on getting it all plugged in, and then realized that the prong on the mower plug was bent. He tried to bend it back, and it seemed to crack. Great. Back to Bunnings we went, mower, folded-up box, and receipt in tow. They took a look at it, and told us we could go grab another one. No luck. They bent the prong back itself (apparently, it hadn't broken when Jesse bent it... even though we saw a crack there, it had to do with something else), tested the mower, and deemed it workable. So, back to the house we went (leaving the box with them). He headed outdoors once again to tackle the lawn. I heard clicking noises, but no mower. I found the owner's manual just as Jesse came in looking for it. He went back outside. I sat inside praying it would start. I have never been so happy to hear the whirring of a lawnmower! Not only did he cut the lawn, but took a saw to a few large weeds/shrubs/trees growing in front of and behind the house. Yay!

Jesse had a great visit at Coffs Harbour last week, and returned bearing many carob goods for me! I've been munching on some carob-covered popcorn while I wait for dinner (I'm a terrible pre-dinner snacker) and enjoying it immensely. He is now in the kitchen, making a new batch of salsa. His favorite foods to prepare are salsa and breakfast potatoes, with the related "McSkillet Burritos" (apologies to Macca's) coming in a close 3rd, I think. He's learned his lesson with chopping the hot peppers, though, and has commandeered a pair of my dishwashing gloves to prevent eye-burning on removal of his contacts.

I've continued doing some family history research on Jesse's side, and have enjoyed finding various relatives and learning more about the stories of those in his ancestry. Families and names have always fascinated me, and since Dad and I had done some research on our lineage, I've found it interesting to dig into Jesse's a bit. One thing's for sure: it would be a lot easier if he weren't a 3rd generation only child on one side, since then there would potentially be other people out there looking for the same answers as me. But it's been an enjoyable hobby.

Speaking of hobbies, we had our second craft day at church, and it was pretty well attended. I enjoyed scrapbooking some of the Christmas photos and birth announcements I've received from friends and family. Our scrapbookers have ranged in age from 6-60's, so it's been fun to have an intergenerational feel to it. We may learn flower arranging in June, which could be cool.

That's all I've got for now. There are some enchiladas that need to be eaten!

Happy Easter!

I am quite excited to celebrate Easter this year. We've been thinking a lot about what it means to fast, what the purpose is of the Lenten fast in particular, and how the practice of fasting shapes who we are. (For those who don't know, Jesse and I gave up meat for Lent this year.) The first week, for me, was by far the hardest. I just wanted meat. I felt drained of energy and extra-irritable. Jesse was preaching through Numbers, and we found ourselves crying out for meat along with the Israelites, complaining of the taste of the vegetarian food we were preparing, and ultimately, humbled to find ourselves in their proverbial shoes. I think I like to look at the Old Testament Jews as "the ones who didn't get it," who seemed never to make the connection between ritual and meaning, between requirements and relationships, between God's provision and their needs. And yet - there I was, too. Humbling.

Another thought on this year's Lenten fast: my devotional life. With my energy largely gone (I have much more respect for vegetarians now; it was hard work to ensure I got enough protein without relying solely on eggs!), my devotional life took a back burner to everything else. I needed more sleep, and so devotions went from 15 minutes to 10 to 5 to "I should..." without anything actually happening. It makes me think of a funny list on KLP's door at Houghton, which took Hymn titles and adapated them to be the way we tend to think of things: "Sweet [5 minutes] of Prayer". Ironic, that a Lenten discipline seemed to take me further away from where I wanted to be: identifying with Christ. Showing myself faithful while going without, just as he did.

So what's the answer: have I done an appropriate fast? If it drove me away from a devotional life for this time, is it in any way redemptive? Perhaps. I think I came face to face with my own weaknesses and humanity through Lent. While giving up meat seems to pale in comparison to the sufferings of Christ, I have a new appreciation for His faithfulness after fasting in the desert. As we celebrate Easter today, I'm setting up some new boundaries in my life to protect the devotional/prayer time. Having come face-to-face with some of the worst of myself, I have a renewed appreciation for Christ's faithfulness, and a desire to follow in His steps.

He is risen!

a Friday night

If I told you I spent Friday evening in the company of some friends and some strangers, in a blacklit room smelling of BO, where would you think I spent it?

You guessed it - laser tag with the youth group. Lucky for me (and for the chance that I will ever play again), we played two rounds. The first round, I was completely hopeless. I kept forgetting to put my left hand on my gun, and was therefore frustrated when the gun wouldn't shoot. By the last few minutes, I'd finally realized this (even though we'd been told beforehand) and was starting to get the hang of it. The second round, I tagged along with Jesse, covering each other, and even shot one of the bases (although apparently not enough times to get the points... rookie mistake :) We then defended a small stretch of the upstairs with the other youth leaders. That round - where I felt more competent and remembered to hold my gun correctly - was a lot more fun.

As for everything else - it goes! We are very excited for Easter in just over a week. It will be nice to have a long weekend and a chance to celebrate. Mom's Easter package arrived this week, including a 'Reeseter Bunny' for Jesse and sugar-free peeps for me. I was ecstatic; peeps were my favorite, and I haven't been able to eat them for the past 4 Easters. (For the uninitiated, wikipedia on peeps.)

Now we're enjoying watching AFL on our new-to-us tv, which is sitting in our new-to-us tv cabinet, courtesy of friends who were remodeling. We should be going to bed... but it's fun to pretend we're not old and boring.

imposter!

No, this post is not about identity theft.

Maybe.

It's merely a brief shout-out to my fellow recent brides (or even not-so-recent, or even a couple of grooms I know of, but I digress...) who have changed their last names since being married. No one at my new place of employment knows me by my maiden name; in fact, I think I could count on one hand the number of people in this country who remember it. Even a few months after the fact, I still stare rather confusedly (word?) at my facebook page, or my work email address; I fight looking perplexed when introduced to others around the workplace. I feel like an imposter, going by this new name. Perhaps it's intensified by the fact that my husband's first name is similar to my own, so I really have taken his whole name.

Just a thought.

Oh, and tail-end funny story that has nothing to do with the rest of this post. There was a guy on the train going home the other day who was playing songs loudly on his mobile phone. Some of the other passengers and possibly a train-person asked him to quiet down, and he didn't like it. His response to their request to turn it off: "What do you think this is, America?" What indeed. Certainly, there would be a hefty punishment for such blatant noise on any train in America. [huh?] I just laughed to myself, and continued reading my book.