Mem's wedding...and the rest of the trip =)

When the clinic gives you a letter that looks like this:

 And sends you home with a giant bag of meds like this:

You're left with gratitude for a husband who can keep all things running on the home front while you sleep and cough the weekend away, and appreciate the extra time to catch up on blogging.

So, where were we?

Oh yes. This is little cutie and I got to sit next to each other on the three hour drive to Seattle.

Sweet sleeping angel never even made a peep the whole trip!

I on the other hand was super noisy, because I like to talk =)

We arrived ahead of schedule (**miracle**) and stopped by the Church to see who we could visit with before heading to the hotel to change. 

Lucky for us, we ran into our sister Vanessa...

...and our Daddy!

I even had the chance to hug the groom-to-be prior to the ceremony...

He's good people, that one. I'm so glad my sister snagged him up, and it does not go unrecognized to me that I genuinely love and like all four of my brothers in law. HUGE blessing!

These two are pretty great, and God is going to do great things through them. I feel so incredibly blessed I was able to witness their special day!

We popped over to get our fancy wedding clothes on, and then it was back to the Church for the ceremony!

A HUGE bonus of this day was also getting to see my in laws! David and I are ridiculously lucky that our families are close.

My dad walking his fifth daughter down the aisle...

It was a lovely ceremony, and I did my best not to cry...which was not very good, as I made it about 3.2 seconds before the tears came.

All five of us, together.

I'm so lucky to have such wonderful sisters! Growing up with four sisters was not always easy, but man, it was never boring ;). And having four adult sisters is awesome. 

I love this one because it looks like our poor new bro in law is quite distressed over what he possibly married into...

My beautiful Mom and Aunt...

The reception was next door and loads of fun. I mean, any wedding reception that has donuts instead of cake has got to be a blast, right??

I missed my man and kids so much at this point! They would have LOVED dancing around with all of us! 

The Fab Five.

Love my sweet in-laws...

Three aunties doting on baby LJ...

The fun had to end at some point, and then it time to head to the hotel and catch some zzz's...

 My dad and stepmom had rented a lovely flat that had space for me as well =), so I crashed at their place, which also allowed for us to have breakfast the next morning with my in laws...

Then it was off to the airport for the long journey back to Kuwait...

 (that reads "ADMITTED POO" and I felt the need to note it and photograph it, because I am very mature)

The flight from Seattle to Amsterdam was ten hours, and our plane was two seats/five seats/two seats. The seat next to me was EMPTY because Jesus loves me.

So I traded out my shoes for slippers, and settled in with a book and some earplugs...

Landing in Amsterdam...lovely looking, isn't it? I hope to go back and see more than the airport someday...

I had a five hour layover in Amsterdam, and I spent five minutes of those five hours relaxing in one of these thingys...

Then a trip to Saudi Arabia, very short layover there, and then finally a short flight back to Kuwait...

BOOM. Home. Just like that.

It was a really large amount of travel in a short amount of time, but totally worth it. I feel so blessed I was able to see so many people I love so much!

I of course also missed my people here in Kuwait like crazy as well, and did not come home empty handed =)

I brought Sister a Hiccup costume...

...and Brother a Kylo Ren mask and lightsaber...

I also had a suitcase full of things I'd ordered from Amazon and Zulily to be sent to my sister's house.  

Have we talked about how there is no postal system here?

I can't remember, and I'm far too lazy busy to look, but the basics are this; there is zero postal system here. Like, we do not have a mailing address. David's work has said we can use his work's address, but the head of the mail department has told him they have about a 40% success rate. 

40%.

That means SIXTY PERCENT of what is mailed to them is simply not received.

This is just accepted as fact here.

Forget that Kuwait is among the wealthiest countries in the world, they just do not see the need for a postal system.

Because Kuwait.

So I had several things for Christmas sent to Natalie's that I then brought home with me to Kuwait =). 

Also I stocked up on things like vitamins (crazy expensive here), and bought a new water bottle ($10 at Target)

($26.22 here for the EXACT same bottle)

And I brought back new sandals!

Good-bye, Target sandals I bought for less than $20 over eight years ago.

You served me well, and I loved you dearly. But you were no match for the harsh desert.

They'd been like this for over a month prior to my trip, but I just couldn't justify buying another pair of sandals when I knew I had a pair waiting for me in Oregon. So I walked around in these and prayed I didn't break any more toes.

Hello, new, non-busted, Toms sandals...

...you complete me.



Alright so there you have it. My whirlwind trip to the Pacific Northwest and then back to the Middle East. 
It was hard to say goodbye to all things "home" again, but good to catch a glimpse of it, and also good to realize we are but literally a days travel away from being back. I'm trying to use that perceptive to make the most of our time left here. Lots to see and do while we are on this side of the Earth =)

Without pretense.

I've been feeling blue lately.

I think it's a number of things.

Big things, like all the anger currently in the U.S., and the deep sadness I feel about all that. 

Then bigger things, like realizing there are mothers in Africa trying to decide how to feed their children today and only wish their problems were *just* political. 

I think a lot of it also stems from being back in Kuwait after a whirlwind trip back home.

Don't get me wrong, I'm SOOOOO glad I got to go, and I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. But, it was a crazy amount of travel in a short amount of time, which messed with me.

Also, it was incredibly special to get to see my family and friends.

I feel like I got filled up on so much love and great times with my people, and I'm grateful.

But the downside of that is remembering all that we're missing while being here.

And man do I miss our people sometimes. I miss our families, I miss our friends. I miss our stores and our restaurants and trees and our couch and our rain and our doctor's office and our TV channels.

I miss the warm, fuzzy feelings I have when I'm surrounded by our loved ones.

So all that has made for weird, blue days lately.

I've tried many things to fight these blues.

I've been intentional about being happy! Finding joy! Counting blessings! Focusing on gratitude!

It helped temporarily.

I've tried to love my family well. Create a warm environment in our home. Candles lit. Lamps on instead of rude overhead lighting. Fresh sheets for everyone. Long, warm showers and clean jammies. Comfort foods.

It helped some.

I've tried to restore order to my surroundings, thinking that might be helpful. I've scrubbed surfaces and purged items we don't need or use. I've dusted and dusted again.

It offered a feeling of temporary control. 

I've read my Bible, and my encouraging book, I've prayed and carried on long conversations with the Lord about all that I'm feeling.
(In all honesty, a part of me feels compelled to tell you that these things - God's Word and time with Him- cured all that was ailing me... that it tidied everything up with a neat little bow and all is well now...it nearly feels like blasphemy to admit otherwise, which is crazy, because I believe my God already knows my heart, and longs for my honest dialogue with Him in all things. He is transparent, and I believe He asks for the same in me. He wants me, all of me, without pretense. He can handle my doubts and fears, and so I tell you that while it did help a great amount, it has not (yet) restored my peace, nor my joy.)

I've allowed myself to feel the sorrow. I've decided to dive head first into it and just let it have it's space for a bit...which has given way to bursting into spontaneous tears. Twice at home, once at the grocery store (God bless sunglasses), and once at work on my lunch break.

This didn't bring the release I'd been hoping for.

My dad always says when you're hurting, the best way to heal is to lift others up. 

I've spent time intentionally smiling at others. I've reached out to people I know who are down. I've tipped generously at any opportunity given.  

This has helped...but I've still felt empty. 

I've stared out the window at the sea, savoring each long sip of hot coffee, thinking through my feelings and allowing them all space...where do they stem from? What can I do about them?

I can trace most my sadness to all the reasons listed at the top of all this ranting, and also acknowledge that my subconscious is always aware of seasons and dates, and that it was exactly ten years ago today that we learned the baby inside of me no longer had a beating heart. 

But I think most of it is all the general brokenness in the world right now. All the hurt. 

And so today, I declared a Sabbath.

I'm not sure if it was watching this movie last night or what, (If you didn't like The Hangover, you will not like that movie. If you thought The Hangover was funny, you will laugh at this one)

but when I went to wake my daughter this morning at the unGodly hour of 5:45am, and she said "Momma? I'm too tried. Can you please tell Ms. M that I don't feel good and can not come to school today?" 

I said "sure." I mean, let's quit trying so hard. Let's just take a break.

Here's the thing about Sister...she LOVES school. I'm not even exaggerating, Girlfriend hops out of bed each morning, giddy to head to school. The very first Thankful Leaf she put on our tree was for "getting to go to school". She recently told me that she tries not to go to the bathroom very often during the school day because she "doesn't want to miss the learning" (she 100% gets that from David). So when she doesn't want to go to school, I listen. 

Also, when she is tired, she lacks coping skills (she 100% gets that from me).

We were all coughing yesterday and whining about sore throats last night,  so it wasn't a stretch to decide to keep us all home today.

And as I went to text my boss that I wasn't coming in, and the kids' teacher that they'd be home today, I realized maybe this was something we all needed.

A day of rest.

No chores.

Paper plates, leaving zero dishes to be done.

Dinner ordered in.

Comfy clothes.

Movies.

Blankets straight out of the dryer, warm and cozy.

No one leaves the house.

Lots of cuddles.

Rest, rest, rest.

And here it is, nighttime, again.

Did today help? 

Yes, it did. I feel calmer...less anxious.

But peace? Joy?

No.
I still feel just generally...meh.

This is not a post to say I have it bad, because I do not. It's just to be real. To be candid. To say I'm not quite well and I don't have the answers as to how to get there.
Will it all be okay?
Most definitely. 

Until then, I'm left with this...

The new Commander In Chief

So.

How could I possibly journal our time here in Kuwait without mentioning such a historical election.

I have a few things to say.

Actually, that's a lie. I have a million things to say.

But I'm going to try and limit it to a few.

Because I've tried to talk things out with people of opposing views in the days prior to the election, and in the days since, and it's rarely fruitful.
People feel the way they feel, and there is no convincing them otherwise.
Me included.

My most recent conversation went like this...

I lamented to a co-worker that I was so disappointed Trump had won the election, and 

her response was "I just don't think he's really who the media portrays him to be!"

I just stared at her, blinking, like a pigeon.

"But...it's not the stories I've read or media recounts that I have a problem with..." I tried to explain..."...it's the direct quotes that I've heard from his mouth with my own ears or things I've watched him do with my own eyes...like mock the disabled reporter, to name just one..."

And she brushed that off as a media spin.

So, we were going to have to disagree.


Today, I'm choosing to focus on the positives of it all. One being that America is a democracy. We get to vote. 
Even overseas!



Two being that I have enjoyed the conversations I've been able to have with people from different countries about this election. I was discussing my disappointment in the election with a coworker from Egypt, and she was remarking how lucky we are to have a history of a peaceful transition of power. 
She's so right. I mean, look at Egypt's political history, even in the last five years.

Living in Kuwait has afforded me the opportunity to be surrounded by people from all over the globe, and I've become fascinated with how their countries differ from mine. 
We as Americans are blessed.

I was so shocked when the official tally was in, and my computer screen looked like this:

But I'm grateful we have the right and ability to vote, and I'm grateful we have rules in place for term limits. 



For me, for now, what it all comes down to is these two things: 
(an exert from The ScrewTape Letters by C.S. Lewis)

  

May God reveal to me the work that needs to be done in me. 



And second, 

Jen Hatmaker posted this back in March, and it made me cry when I read it the first time, and makes me cry again today...

No matter what happens these next six months then the four-year term after, WE STILL DO THE WORK, good friends. We love, we include, we protect, we intervene, we defend, we champion. Honestly? In Christian terms, the kingdom of Jesus - truly good news for every human, especially the vulnerable - has never advanced from the top down. Ever. It has always and will always come from the bottom up. It exists in neighborhoods and around dinner tables, in sanctuaries and in safe spaces. It will not be mastered by cruel leadership, it will not be silenced by fear-mongering.

It lives and breathes through ordinary people loving in brave, ordinary ways. It lives when we stand up and say NO. When we choose courage over silence. When we open our arms and open our homes to people we are led to fear.

No one can take this work from us. No one can do this work for us. It is ours. If we are facing a day in which minorities, women, refugees, Muslims, immigrants, and vulnerable people are openly vilified and threatened, then we roll up our sleeves and stand by them in strength and courage. We use the good voices we've been given and demonstrate a credible witness to the kind of Savior we serve: the one who loved every sort of unfairly outcasted and rejected person despite the leadership of His day. We become an army of love in the name of Jesus and in honor of the beautiful life He lived to set us all free.

This has always been our task, and now we simply engage with renewed commitment.

My marching orders as a Christian have not changed. May I do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with my God.

Plane rides, a newborn and a wedding...oh my!

The last week in October, I went home to Oregon for a visit.

I know!! I said we wouldn't be returning to the States until our time in Kuwait was done!

I also said I'd never drive here...and then look at me, driving around.

Basically, you should know I'm prone to declarations that I'll later contradict on a whim.

It's super annoying.

Anyways. 

We *had* planned to not return until Dave's contract was up and we were returning for good. We felt that way because:

A) It is over 24 hours of travel

B) It is an 11 hour time difference

C) We didn't want to go back home for a visit, and realize just how much we missed everyone and everything there, and then be depressed to come back to Kuwait

D) We figured our time and money would be better spent traveling to other destinations around here, while we are on this side of the globe.

Good reasons, no? 

But then, my baby sister, Emily, got engaged, and that changed things.

Add in a brand new niece, and all bets were off =)

David and I talked about it a bunch, and both agreed I should be at the wedding. All four of my sisters would be there - and my newborn niece - and it would just be so special to attend. Emily is such an awesome, selfless person, and not only did she spend her hard earned money to come here and visit us, but we love her and her fiance so much and wanted (at least one of us) to witness their wedding in person! 

We knew David would not be able to take such a chunk of time off work, and also that it would be a LOT of travel in a short amount of time for the twins.

We (and by "we", I totally mean "me"...Dave, as usual, was more rational from the beginning) went back and forth about whether or not I should take the kids with me. I felt really bad leaving for eight days...that is the longest I've ever been away from them! I felt bad for leaving David to single-parent for eight days. I felt bad for getting to experience all that is "home" without them! They wanted to see their grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends too! 

But ultimately, I agreed it would just be too challenging to do so.

Could I manage two six-year-olds during 26+ hours of travel by myself? 

Yes, I *could*. 

But likely not very well.

There would probably have been lots of crying and fit-throwing.

Some of it even from the children.

Also the time difference. 11 hours is a BIG difference. Day is night and night is day. 

For a 35 year old, I could just drink coffee to wake up during the day, and take meds to sleep at night. Six year olds can't really do that. And with only five days actually there, it would not serve as enough time for them to adjust to the time difference. And we couldn't really make the trip longer, as I have a job now and the kids have school.

So...it was decided I was going by myself!

(Even though a certain cutie tried to stowaway in my suitcase...)

Me, flying across the planet, over oceans and everything, by myself, voluntarily...??? Who is this person?!?!

Alas, I offer up two explanations.

 One, I've figured out how to get over a fear of flying...just do it a crap-ton. I've now taken off in a plane 17 times in just over a year. 

I'm over it.

Two, I was pretty desperate for some alone time. 

I'm not really an introvert by nature, but my world has just been a little too peopley lately. From the time I get up in the morning, until I go to bed at night, I have people around me.

We usually have at least one of our cherubs join us in our bed sometime in the middle of the night, so no matter how early I set my alarm and try and sneak out into the living room for some quiet time by myself, it's fruitless. They hear my alarm go off and refuse to miss out on anything =). 

Then I have both kids with me in my morning commute. We walk into the school together. Then I work with people all day long.

Then my kids and I walk out together, and are together in the commute home.

And then we're all home together for the late afternoon and rest of the evening.

The kids even often join me at the gym downstairs.

And now that I'm working, my only times to go to the grocery store and such are all the busy times when they are CROWDED.

It's just all people, all the time.

Listen, I love my people fiercely. 

My family is the most important thing to me.  

I would be lost without them.

I am so very grateful for my life.

But everybody needs a little quiet from time to time to just finish their thoughts uninterrupted =).

So late one night, I hopped on a plane and flew to Saudi Arabia, then to Amsterdam, then to Portland. 

I was so happy when I finally landed in PDX...

And EVEN HAPPIER when I found these two beautiful girls waiting for me on the other side of customs...

My sweet sister Natalie and her brand new tiny peanut, "LJ" =).

We left the airport and immediately went to Target...ha!

 It'd been over a year since I'd been inside a Target store, and man I'd missed it!  So many options! So many great prices! Good thing I'd brought a mostly empty suitcase with me =).

We went to Natalie's house and I just about wept as I held this sweet girl in my arms...

I love this little family so much!

Isn't she just precious??
(yes, yes she is!)

While I was in town, I managed to have a visit with my fabulous Primary Care Doctor, and get RX's for meds that I either haven't been able to get here, or are crazy expensive here.

Hooray!

I came back to Kuwait with a healthy little stockpile, and it makes me feel much more comfortable spending the next eight months here!

I kept taking pictures of all the beautiful Fall colors and sending them to Dave. I just couldn't get over how gorgeous all the colors were...

...and speaking of gorgeous...DID YOU SEE THIS BABY?!?!...=)

I got to spend an entire day with my sweet friend Jen and her family. They are so incredibly dear to us, and it was such a blessing to be able to have this bonus visit in the middle of our two years in Kuwait.

We went out to breakfast...

(I had bacon. I know, you're shocked)

I continued to take pictures of all the outdoor beauty...

I may or may not have even taken a video of it raining.

That's what happens when you've spent your entire life in the Pacific Northwest and then move to the Middle East =).

This little cutie is one week younger than L and A!  When we were neighbors, the three of them were like peas in a pod =). It was so fun to see her and how much she's grown over the last year!

For dinner, they got me a burrito that was the size of my head! (good Mexican food is seriously lacking in Kuwait)

I was so grateful to get to spend time with them. We've missed them A LOT and can't wait to be back home and hanging out again.

The next evening I got to see a group of friends that I lovingly refer to as "my tribe" =).

These ladies all have twins or triplets, and we all have kids born within six months of each other. They've been an amazing source of encouragement, solidarity, and laughter for me over the last several years, and I honestly can not imagine my life without them in it! 

Two of them picked me up and I made them take me to Costco before we all met up for dinner. 

Oh Costco! How I've missed you!

Some things - like everyday clothes and shoes - are SO expensive here in Kuwait. So, I stocked up on a few things while I was there. I bought the kids Carter's jammies for $9.99. Here they are 8KD ($26.43)

And I bought myself these shoes for $29.99.

Here, the cheapest I've been able to find them for are 22KD ($72.68)

And, I got to laugh at my friend who managed to pull an entire display down while looking for her size... 

(she has six kids...she's used to things like this =) )

These chicks are the coolest. 

We have a blast any time we get together!

Especially when we can devour eat tasty pretzels and cheese...

My wish for every woman is to have a tribe like this one. I am a better momma, wife, friend and person for having these women in life...

The next day I spent as much time as I could snuggling LJ...

...and getting all packed up to head to Seattle in the morning.

Next up: Wedding pictures!

Cantaloupe-a-lanterns

So pumpkins are like, stupid expensive here...(9KD = $29.73), so, my creative spouse came up with an alternative...

Would you have ever thought to carve cantaloupes??? Because I never would have!

The kids totally dug the idea, and they turned out pretty cute!

Kuwait is not real big on Halloween, and even the kids' British school doesn't really acknowledge it in any way, so it's not like our kids felt as though they were missing out in any way for not having pumpkins, but David wanted to do something to celebrate like we used to back home =)

Halloween 2016 on the books =)

And just for fun, here's a peak at our cuties in years past...

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010