Back in Business

Blog Post from March 2021

Now that we had cabinets (and more importantly, a sink), we could host people again!

On March 12, we had a good time having a group of people over for dinner and studying.

 

And Doug had more time to cut little-girl-hair since he was done re-hanging blinds and organizing workers delivering cabinets.

March 12, 2021

Holiday Travels to See Family

Blog About Winter 2020

After the weekend of ballet performances, we continued on with school, activities and visiting with people.  We had a friend in from Alaska who had been instrumental in leading me to my relationship with the Lord. It was nice to catch up and hear what the Lord is doing in her life and those around her.

One of the benefits of being in America was also being able to travel to see family, so on Tuesday, Doug, Keira, and I headed over to Doug's parent's to help them decorate for Christmas. Doug worked outside, and Keira and I helped inside.

December 8, 2020

The next day when we were leaving, Keira decided she wanted to spend the night away (for the first time) at her grandparents. We really wanted her to have this opportunity, so even though we were going to drive an hour and a half back home and have to return an hour and a half the next day, we said, "Yes." 

They hung out by the fire.

And she enjoyed riding her grandmother's scooter up and down the driveway.

And of course, the next day, when I returned, she wasn't ready to leave.

 

We reminded her that we were going to Dallas to visit cousins in two days, so she decided it would be best to come "home." 

Two days later my brother and his wife greeted us with hugs, laughter, and a charcuterie board. This was my first to see in person since the item had become such a popular thing in America.  I'm definitely a fan!

The next night, a friend of my brother and sister-in-law came and set up a massive "Grinch" themed party for her kids, my brother's kids, and my kids. We left them all to enjoy it while we went to a restaurant in Flower Mound called 1845: Taste Texas. 

That lady's husband is the drummer for a band my brother is in called The Poor Kings, and they were playing that night outside at 1845.  It was SO cold! The guitar player couldn't tell if his hands were playing the right chords or not because his hands were numb.  The surprising thing was that the outside courtyard had a continuous flow of people eating all night. They weren't deterred by the cold and they seemed to enjoy the music and dancing.

December 11, 2020

With the help of a friend in Texas (the son of the couple who hosted Doug's 50th), Caleb built his own computer, which we have since brought with us overseas. Here he is working at school on his new computer on his last day before Christmas holidays.

December 17, 2020

We heard of a friend of a friend who was in school to be a hairdresser, and she needed clients. Kylie, Karis and I all went. It took longer than usual because her teacher would come and inspect and ask questions, but she did a good job, and it was a lot cheaper than normal :)

December 20, 2020

We were so glad to have Kylie home and excited for Christmas.

Life is a Highway

Blog Post about Summer 2020

The house where we stayed while we were in America was a little removed from city life, and we loved it. I don't know if Keira missed all the busyness of the city or what, but a couple of times I saw her perched on the fence at the end of the driveway either reading a book or looking like she was waiting for visitors.

Back in July, when we arrived back in America, Kylie took a trip to Florida to see some ballet friends, and while she was gone, Doug did some car shopping.

On July 8th, we bought her a car, but she didn't see it until July 25th when we arrived back in Texas, and then she had to learn how to get in it with her leg brace.  She had four days to figure out how to get in comfortably because we had already scheduled her driving test before we knew about her surgery. 

In case you didn't know, it was difficult for many people trying to get driver's licenses or car tags during the early days of Covid. DMV offices were sometimes booked two months in advance!

On Monday, July 27th, Kylie started physical therapy back in Texas.

On Tuesday, July 28th, we drove to my hometown to see some of my side of the family, and then

On Wednesday, July 29th, Kylie took her driving test and Karis got her driving permit!

Another thing we try to squeeze in when we go to America is haircuts.

The first night we arrived (the 28th), we stayed outside and social distanced. We (my family and my brother's family) were also all staying at hotels or guest houses to make sure we were Covid-safe.

My sister and her family couldn't come in because the numbers in Texas were a little too scary at the time, but we surely missed having them there; however, we were finally reunited with Caleb after he had spent one month in Dallas with his cousins.

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One thing that happens when you live overseas is that sometimes you order things that you want but that can't be or you don't want shipped overseas. That was the case with Caleb.

He had saved his money and bought a specially designed light saber, but he didn't get to see it for over six months until we got to Texas. His cousin already had one and they had grand battles planned together.

While we were at my parents' house, these boys wrote, filmed, and edited a small movie about Siths and the Dark Side. We were all pretty impressed. These are some still-shots from the video.

We also sat around while my brother read us a funny story. It took him forever to get through it because he kept cracking himself up, and I think all of us ended up crying we were laughing so hard. 

We were missing three cousins, but for the seven present, these birth order heights seem to have changed a bit over the last couple of years.

July 30, 2020

Unfortunately, we couldn't stay with my family long, because Kylie had physical therapy on the 31st, so we had to get back.

The Party's Over...Literally

I don't know why I can't find time to blog, but it doesn't seem to come first in my list of "to do" items each week. So, since I mainly blog to have a record of our time here, I can't just skip to present day. That means you'll have to bear with me for who knows how long until the timelines of my blog and my real life match up. 

For now, I'm back at the morning after Kylie's graduation party, which is ironic, because we are currently getting ready to start KARIS' senior year.  Crazy!

The morning after, the decorations were were taken down, and we pulled out all the boxes we had been hiding in the basement while the party was going on.

Time to pack.

Before and After.

(If you don't remember, our landlord had asked us to leave so he could try and sell the house.  

Present day (2021), we are 14 months from our move out, and he actually did sell it last month.

Doug told me a doctor bought it and gutted it, so I went to see for myself. 

Sad day.

December 4, 2018                                                                                                                                                                                                        August 10, 2021

They have taken out every tree on the outside and inside of the gate, and torn up the garden that was there. It was also sad for me to see my laundry room tile on the street.

August 10, 2021

Back to 2020, even though we were packing, Doug still made time to cut Karis' and Caleb's hair! This wasn't just a "quarantine cutting." This is something he does all year long for any of us that needs it.

Caleb got a LOT cut.

At this point, we still hadn't found another home to move into, so while we were still looking, we also had a plan put in place to store our belongings in an unused house of a friend if we never found another rental.

Because we were trying to get to America to get Kylie ready to go to college, we decided to get our rugs washed, dried, rolled up and bagged for the months we would be gone.

We took them to a big, open cemented area, and some men rolled them out, told us how much it would cost, and then they were dragged away to be hosed down.

And even though summer 2020 was a relatively mild summer here, it was still warm.

And as you can see, it was almost as hot inside as it was outside.

June 6, 2020

So, Doug, Keira, and I decided to camp in the yard for a couple of nights, and it was actually not bad. The temperatures dropped a night, and it was a lot better than being in our bedrooms.

It was quite the pressure situation.  

Packing. 

Not having a new house to move into. 

Needing to get to America, and at the moment, no way to get there (see picture below).

So, we kept working and kept praying.

Thanksgiving and an Experiment

One evening, right before Thanksgiving, our team went to play laser tag.  Keira was sick, and I stayed home with her; however, on Caleb's birthday in January, we ALL played, and it was a lot of fun!

November 27, 2019

Thanksgiving morning, some Americans (and Dutch) played a game of football. Keira still wasn't feeling 100%, so I stayed home, but Doug and Caleb joined in the festivities.

They were put on opposite teams, and had a fun time covering each other.

Caleb's team won.

Later that day, we decided to have Thanksgiving at a restaurant again.  The chef from the restaurant we celebrated in last year moved to a new restaurant.  Last year, my teammate had helped the chef with the menu, and it was just for us, so with it being publicized for the whole city, we weren't sure what the set-up was going to be.

There was a buffet and plenty of food, but he changed some recipes and used some different spices this year, and it just didn't taste as good to me.

But it was still nice to all eat together, and Keira's fever was down, so she joined the festivities.

November 29, 2019

Right before Thanksgiving, I took a chance on getting my hair colored. 

I had never done that before.

I thought about getting some blonde highlights to make the switch to grey a little bit smoother; however, I was very nervous about getting my hair colored in a country where a majority of the salon's deal only with dark brown or black hair.

I finally found I guy I trusted and held my breath.

And it was quite a process!

Keira was not excited about me getting my hair colored.  

She wasn't sure she was going to like it.

It turns out, he did just what I wanted!

This was five months ago, so when I get to America you'll get to see my roots and grey, but it was fun while it lasted :) 

November 23, 2019

Mountains and Other Notable Things in October

Shortly after her birthday, Keira wanted to get a haircut.


October 28, 2019

Check✔

Where's Waldo Caleb?

October 26, 2019

One afternoon, everyone except Caleb decided to get out of town and take homeschool, reading, dolls, etc to the mountains. 

The older girls downloaded all the things they needed for homeschool.  Doug and I took books and music, and Keira didn't want to be left out, so she drew a computer on a piece of cardboard and pretended to type along with the girls.



She also enjoyed walking around, discovering nature and talking to herself.

She also made time to take care of her baby, which she has named "Kathryn." 💗

As the sun was setting, the girls took this beautiful picture.

It wasn't long before they were photobombed.

And the "third party" kept getting closer to the camera.

She's was really thinking about something.

Then they lost control.

October 30, 2019

It was the best day of homeschool! 

We had blankets, sweaters, a big thermos of hot coffee, and an amazing sunset. 😁

I wish we had more time to have days like this.