2013

You always have to get a bit sentimental and sort of look back at the closing year before you can look ahead at what is to come.  2013 wasn't our best year.  In many ways it started out hard, and I was really just plain sad.

But, the Lord is faithful, and He is with me in the valleys and the peaks.

In April, I did one of the most exciting things in my life.  I flew halfway around the world to surprise my mom for her 70th birthday.  Having married and procreated young, I really haven't traveled or had many adventures on my own.  So this trip was a balm for my soul.  Not to mention, it was so amazingly fun to just get to follow my mom around for 2 weeks and be a part of her life.  We laughed and talked and shopped and laughed some more.  It was one of the best times in my life!

Our summer in the States was a really good time to reconnect with friends, family, and our churches.  My kids finally got to meet their cousin.   We had some of the best times with our families I've ever experienced.

We got to share what the Lord is doing here and invite people to pray for this nation and the folks that we rub elbows with.  Each time we got to share our hearts and vision, it served to rekindle our passion as well.  It was exhausting but refueling at the same time!

We returned in September ready to go deep.  For some time I felt like the Lord had been stirring my heart, but I couldn't see what He had in store.  October brought some answers as Justin and I both felt clearly called to pioneer into a new town.   We felt our hearts pulled to the town, but didn't have any flexibility due to Justin's job.  Not a week later, the company that Justin worked for decided to close his regional branch office.  The fear of a lost job was overshadowed by the freedom to pursue something new.

The Lord confirmed His call and strengthened my faith in November.  I was sharing my doubts and the long list of things that would have to be in place for a move to even begin to be remotely possible.  The Lord clearly answered me, "Am I not able?"  From that word on it has been full steam ahead.  I am trying my best to trust Him in faith as we work toward a big move this summer.

December brought the excitement and anticipation of Christmas.  Sharing special time as a family was definitely the highlight.  We've settled into our own traditions and patterns.  Being so far from our beloved extended families, those types of things carry us through and help to make the season meaningful and enjoyable.

Truthfully, 2013 wasn't so great.  But there were great parts...

* I returned to blogging after a bit of a hiatus.
* We went on several class picnics.
*Callie swindled the tooth fairy.
*Noah was invited to fly by himself to spend the week with a friend.
*Lucy was in a music video.
*I was reunited with my true love... the Walmarts.
*I forced Justin to have some fun on his birthday and Noah flew off on an adventure by himself.
*My competitive side came roaring out!
*We explored the coast.
*We celebrated Deb's 60th birthday.
*Noah, Callie, and Lucy finally got to meet Cam.
*We rode some major roller coasters!
*Had the best rainy days you can imagine!
*Spent time with precious friends.
*Made peace with our inner hillbilly.
*Said goodbye to a dear friend.
*Started a new school year.
*Battled Satan's best friend.
*Threw one heck of a party.
*Fell in love.
*Hung off the side of a cliff.
*Took a whopper of a road trip.
*Heard from the Lord.
*Given thanks.
*Celebrated traditions.
*Called our friends' baby ugly names!
*Ingested cold animal fat.
*Had a beautiful Christmas!


I am choosing to focus on the good things and try to learn from the bad.

It was a year in which I heard from the Lord and I saw His faithfulness regularly.  It was a year where He rekindled my heart and I am practically bursting with excitement to see what 2014 brings.  I know it won't be all raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.  The big move and subsequent resettlement will most likely be excruciating.  But, we are confident that it is the Lord's best for us, and that's all we want in 2014!

Why?! Why I Ask!!

Why is it that when I decide to slow down, to take a few days off, (as if a mother can really even do that), the dirty clothes go and multiply?  I have been slapped in the face with a dirty clothes pile that possibly rivals Everest!  I know how I'll be ringing in the New Year!

Sunday Sneak Peek: Sıla's Birthday Party

Yesterday we went to two different birthday celebrations.  

The first one was for Lucy's friend, Sıla.  Sıla's mom wanted to invite the entire class (53 kids!), but couldn't host even 1/4 that many in her home.  She and I talked about all sorts of options.  In the end, she decided to have the party at a little cafe in our local shopping mall.  The cafe she picked was small, but she figured that only about 1/3 of the class would come with their mothers.

Well, with the exception of two kids, the entire class showed up, with their mothers, siblings, and, in a few cases, cousins.  The teacher also came with her son (who is in a different class) and her 70 year old mother who had a broken arm.

I would estimate 110 people in a space meant for 30.

It was chaos!!

It took an hour just to get folks situated.  I think the cafe staff were ready to freak out.  I know I was!  HA!

Trying to find space for all the kids.

Finally a clown arrived and brought out the cake.

 Once the kids each had a slice of cake and some juice they were told to get out of the way.  The mothers were seated and served.  (It's a cultural thing, but everyone must be served.  I think that in America, the moms would be fine without a piece of cake.  They would just stand around talking or whatever while the kids were enjoying themselves.  That is not how it goes here.)

First off, it drove many of the women crazy that most of us had to stand for awhile.  Everyone wanted to be seated.  That was clearly not an option.  But, the ladies kept trying to find and make space for everyone to sit.  Since none of them are magicians, that did not happen.

Anyhow, they shooed the kids away to be entertained by the clown, and the ladies took their places at the tables.

Now, we were in a tiny cafe that we had already filled well past capacity.  So, when the big shift occurred the only place for the kids to go was out into the mall.  No problem.  Most of the boys had already been running around the mall like crazies anyhow.

First up, face painting!

We weren't sure wether Lucy was a kitty or rabbit!

The shopping mall had all sorts of special events for families and children for New Years.  So, as families walked by and saw a clown painting faces they started putting their kids in the line!  Finally one of the mothers had to stand at the back and tell people they couldn't get their kids' faces painted. 

That went over like a lead balloon!

Then the clown led the kids in some games.  There were sack races, some sort of shouting thing, and a boys verses girls race...

In the middle of the very busy shopping mall.

Again, it was chaos!

I am sure my friend had to take about 20 nerve pills by the time she got home with her daughter and a pile of presents that were never even opened!

But, Lucy had a good time!  So I guess that's a win!

Callie's Christmas Cake

Every year Callie and I make a Happy Birthday Jesus cake.  This year she wanted to do it all by herself. I wasn't even in the kitchen! 

I didn't think she was quite ready to make a cake from scratch all by herself.  Luckily, Grandma send a cake mix and frosting in our box of Christmas presents.  So, sweet Callie, got to work, and did a terrific  job!

She's so clever!  She found some green sprinkles in the cabinet and used those for grass in the stable.  She put Mary, Joseph, and Jesus in little cupcake papers so that they wouldn't get frosting all over them.  

The cake was delicious, and Callie was really proud of herself!

Christmas Day Photos

Christmas Day has arrived!  YAY!

First thing in the morning, we opened our stockings.

Then we had a big breakfast feast!
I've been squirreling special foods away since the summer for our special breakfast.

This looks a bit more like the Adams Family rather than the Leonard Family!
But, this was the best one, so on the blog it goes!
(My photography seems to be going downhill!  I need to take some more classes!)

Callie led us in some Christmas Carols before we opened presents.

Justin was really impressed with the nose hair trimmer that the kids gave him!  HA!

Noah loved the knife that Tayne picked out for him.

And the Kindle was quite a hit, too!

Don't tell Lucy that my parents found this beautiful riding hat for $1 at an estate sale!
She loves it!

The rainbow loom was a hit.

The girls worked together all afternoon figuring it out.

The finished product!

Thanks for the book, Wilsons.  Justin loves it!

Noah got the 8 DVD set of Harry Potter.  We pretty much never saw him again after that!  HA!

One of my favorite memories this year was Noah's gifts to the family.  We had a Christmas party the previous Sunday with our colleagues.  One of the families brought 3 boxes of books, toys, etc. to give away for another family who was leaving the country.  Noah secretly went through the boxes and picked special things for each of us.  He did such a good job picking things that we would like, and didn't have to spend a penny!  I really appreciated his thoughtfulness.  It was a fun surprise!

Christmas Eve Photos

Supper Time!

Reading Luke 2

Peanut Butter Pie!  Yum!

Callie contemplating her next move at dominos.

Justin realizing that it may be about time to call it quits!
Everyone was just too tired to play nicely.

For Us!

For a child has been born—for us!
    the gift of a son—for us!
He’ll take over
    the running of the world.
His names will be: Amazing Counselor,
    Strong God,
Eternal Father,
    Prince of Wholeness.
His ruling authority will grow,
    and there’ll be no limits to the wholeness he brings.

Isaiah 9:6 The Message

A Savior Has Been Born

“I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!"

“Glory to God in highest heaven,

    and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

from Luke 2

The Harsh Reality

The dream is to achieve  Rockwell.

But the reality looks a bit more like Orwell!

Source

God Is With Us

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child!

    She will give birth to a son,

and they will call him Immanuel,

    which means ‘God is with us.’”

Isaiah 7:14

Ready and Waiting

We are all ready and waiting for Christmas!  The anticipation is so fun!  Today when the kids got home from school I had wrapped a few more gifts and put them under the tree.  They were delirious they were so excited!  Praise the Lord, for the first time ever, I have kept up with the gift wrapping.  Every single gift is wrapped and under the tree!  Cue the Hallelujah chorus!

Tomorrow I have a bit of cooking and cleaning to do.  When the kids get home from school we'll have our Leonard Family traditional Turkey Bisque soup.  Then we'll have some family worship time and follow it up with a few games!

We've gotten the kids excused from school for Wednesday and Thursday!  Wednesday we'll do all of our family traditions, and then early in the evening we'll head over to our friends' flat.  I think we'll eat and fellowship, maybe even worship a bit and/or play some games.  It should be a low-key sort of thing.

We hope to be home by 9:00 so that we can Skype with all my side of the family.  They'll be just finishing up their festivities at my parents' house.

Our goal for Thursday is to stay snuggled up inside all day!  If no one has to change out of their jammies, then it'll be considered a win!

Merry Christmas to you and yours!!  How are you planning to celebrate?

Sunday Sneak Peek: Party Time

Once again this year, I organized the Christmas Party for our colleagues.  The last few years, I've had a friend helping me, but his year I was on my own.  It wasn't such a big deal since I knew what to expect and had been doing little bits of preparation for months.

For me, this party is so special because it's our only chance to worship corporately.  Christmas Carols are ten times better when sung with a group!

I think it was our best party yet.  I hope everyone else thinks so, too!  If all goes according to plan and we end up moving, I will be handing over my "Party-Boss" torch to someone else next year.  I think that'll be a mixed blessing!

Here are three of my favorite party guests:

The Great Winter Clean Out!

Today I woke up ready to tackle one of my biggest projects of the year... the big clean out!  I do it twice a year, once before Christmas and in June when the kids are gone to camp.  We have very limited space, and not one closet in our entire apartment.  So, I tell the kids that new Christmas stuff cannot come into our home until we make space for it by getting rid of everything that they no longer need or want is gone.  They are highly motivated to make a lot of space!  We go through their clothes and make sure that they only have what fits and what they need.  Then we go through everything, literally everything, in their rooms and make sure that it should stay.  The end result is a beautifully clean room, that without all the excess junk, is much easier to keep clean!

Today we ended up with 3 big bags of trash, 2 big bags of Callie's clothes that were handed down to Lucy and are now being handed down to my friend's daughter, and these six bags of clothes, shoes, and toys that are headed to Syrian refugees!

There is something so cathartic about purging!  I keep things simple and to a minimum! I figure, if something has time to sit around and collect dust, someone else probably needs it more than me!  We love being able to bless those around us with nice things, too!

Making Christmas Special for our Family

Today over at Kelly's Korner she is talking about favorite holiday traditions.  Growing up Justin and I each had lots of special things that we did with our families.  Of course, once we got married we tried our best to blend the traditions so that everyone was happy, including ourselves!

However, since we've moved half way across the world to a place where Christmas is not celebrated, we are still trying to find the right mix of traditions to suit our family.  The good thing is that we started out here with a completely clean slate- no one to please, and nothing the we had to do.  The bad thing is that it's sometimes hard to go against the flow and make Christmas a special celebration when it's just a completely normal day for everyone else.  (This year Noah and Callie both have math tests on Christmas Day this year.  We talked to their teachers and they are going to to get to take them on a different day.  Also, Callie's best friend's birthday was on Christmas day so Callie never got to go to her birthday parties.)

So, everything isn't always holly jolly.  Being so far away from our families can be excruciatingly difficult.  But we try to make the best of it.  Having family traditions really helps.  So, here are the traditions that we love:

1. Family Fun Night- We make some pizza and snuggle in to watch a movie together.  So, the first Friday after Thanksgiving we switch to Christmas movies!  We have to start with Elf because it is the best movie ever.

2. Decorating the Flat- Every year I am chomping at the bit to get our few Christmas decorations  out and add a little Christmas cheer around here.  This year we decorated on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  (We didn't celebrate Thanksgiving until Saturday because the kids were in school.)  I do have to confess, I started listening to Christmas carols as I was baking for Thanksgiving!  I just couldn't wait any longer!

3. Celebration of Advent- We light an advent wreath and read an advent devotion each night.  We've used Ann Voskamp's Jesse Tree Devotion in the past.  This year we are reading a Focus on the Family Scripture guide.  I really like hearing the story of the coming Christ starting with the prophecies.  The kids really like it, too.  It helps to really get the big picture of just how amazing Christ's birth really is!!

4. Christmas Party- We have a Christmas Party with all our co-workers in the region.  I've organized it the last three years, and I love it!  It's our only opportunity to share Christmas with a group.  The best part is singing Christmas Carols!

5. Soup and Games on Christmas Eve- When Justin and I began dating, in 11th grade, he invited me to his family's Christmas Eve tradition.  His mother and grandmother would make a huge pot of delicious Turkey Bisque Soup and we'd have soup, fresh bread, cold cuts, cheeses, veggies, etc.  It was the perfect Christmas Eve meal- light and delicious!  Then we'd play cards until it was time to go to the late night Christmas Eve service.  I've tried my best to keep that going.  Some years I have to be creative because I can't get wild rice here and have a hard time finding turkey.  But, this year my dear Minnesotan friends gave us a box of wild rice, so I am set!  YAY!  

This is a stock photo from the recipe site.  I'd never waste precious bacon on a soup that's already yummy!

I wish we had a church service to go to with a big beautiful church all decorated for Christmas and a big group of people singing Christmas Carols.  Since we don't, we've started doing family church on Christmas Eve.  The best thing about it is that Callie has taken the lead on it the past few years and completely organized and led us in worship!  It has been the highlight of Christmas!

6. Stockings- Growing up my mom/ Santa always stuck a coloring book and new crayons in our stockings. Of course we always woke up at the crack of dawn.  So, we were allowed to go through our stockings and color until Mom and Dad woke up.  I still do that for my kids.  Also, Mom used to get a quarter in her stocking growing up.  So, she always put a quarter in ours.  Now I put a lira (it's about the size of a quarter) in my kids' stockings!

7. Breakfast Feast- After everyone is awake and has opened their stockings, its time to feast!  Growing up we had pancakes (my Dad was the pancake chef and he would make little silver dollar pancakes for me!), grits, eggs, sausage, bacon, and biscuits.  Since we've been here, I have to sort of scrape together whatever I can.  For the past two years, Justin has had to travel to London for work in December and I given him the directive to not come home without bacon and cheddar cheese.  This year he is unemployed, but I was able to find some bacon and cheddar cheese at an event for international women.  Miracle!!!  We always have gorilla bread.  It is my kids favorite thing on earth and it is soooo yummy!  This year we'll have the bacon (Praise the Lord!!!), an egg casserole, and manna from heaven, otherwise known as gorilla bread!

This photo does not do this stuff justice.  It is like monkey bread, all cinnamony and sugary, with delicious pecans and little dabs of cream cheese inside each little dough ball.  The savory cream cheese sends this dish over the edge!
Try it!

8. Gifts- Our families and friends are very generous.  Not only do they shower us with gifts, they ship them over here!  We are very blessed to have such amazing people in our lives!!! 

9. Small Group Get-together- Since our team is our family here, we gather with them in the late afternoon to fellowship and worship.  Every year its been a little bit different, but its always a relaxed time with people we love.

10. Skype- Finally, we always Skype with our families!  We usually Skype with Justin's parents in the early afternoon- morning for them.  Then we Skype with my family, who are all gathered at my parents' house, in the evening- early afternoon for them.

These are our must-do parts of the Christmas Season.  Like I said, sometimes its difficult to be the only folks celebrating Christmas.  But, the advantage is that it is much easier to focus on the real reason of the season.  Since we're not bombarded with Santa and all the commercialization of Christmas, we can keep things simple and focused!

I pray that you and your family have a very Merry Christmas!  May the peace and joy of our Savior, born for all, be with you!!

The Report is Good

Justin arrived home late last night.  He was exhausted!  Since he's an introvert, spending two days meeting new people and talking non-stop is quite an uphill battle.  Not to mention, he actually fought an uphill battle!

Our (hopefully!) future town has a bit of flat land right at the sea.  Then the mountains start, and they go right up to heaven, practically.  So, when Justin wasn't talking to new people, he was walking, exploring, and praying.  He went to visit a school and get some information.  However, this school was inland a bit.  This means that Justin had about 4 near heart attacks as he climbed the hill trying to reach the school!  HA!  Poor boy!

In the end, he came home with a good report.  The local officials were pretty unwelcoming at first.  But when they looked up our records in the system, they saw that we had worked really hard to follow all the rules, had consistent residence visas, and a work visa for Justin.  So, they softened a bit, and gave Justin very good advice on how to obtain permission and the correct visas to live there!  Praise the Lord!

I wanted to share one more sweet story...

I had been dreading telling the kids that we were thinking about moving.  I thought they would flip out, especially Noah.  Surprisingly, they were fine with it, happy even.  After a bit, Lucy began crying.  When I asked her what was making her feel sad she said that she didn't want to stop horseback riding.  We tried to comfort her and go over some of the advantages of getting out of the city, and she seemed to be ok.

Fast forward to Justin's exploration visit.

(A bit of background info: In our quest for adequate local schooling for our kids, one of the things we were looking for was a broader education- not just math, science, and language arts.  I am a firm believer that a good education should consist of 6 parts- classroom learning, foreign language, lots of reading, a sport, an instrument, and travel.  This is not the local way.  However, we did find one school system that had the same wholistic philosophy as us.  We enrolled Noah last year as he began middle school, and Callie this year as she began middle school.  And, Praise the Lord, this school system has opened a branch in our (hopefully) future town last year!  This is no small thing.  Truthfully, it may be the main factor that gave me the faith boost to pursue this big move!  If the Lord will give me a school for my kids, the only branch on the entire coast, (even though there are other much bigger cities) situated beautifully in the town that we want to live in, I really can trust Him to provide for our needs!!!)

Now, fast forward to Justin's exploration visit...

One of the first places he went was to school to which we hope to send the kids.  It is only two years old and the facilities are absolutely beautiful.  The school has all the same facilities and amenities as our current school at a lower price! Besides the sea views, it has one additional perk...  It has a riding stable!  Isn't the Lord so good?!  The one thing my sweet Lucy was sad about will be returned to her!

We are so grateful to the Lord for His goodness to our family!  He truly cares for us and looks after our every need, and lots of wants, too!!

 “Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn’t a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing. You’re at least decent to your own children. So don’t you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better?"

Matthew 7:7-11 The Message

Scouting Out the Land

Justin is in our future (hopefully!) town of service scouting out the land and praying.  We have a few contacts that he is meeting with there.  Also, there is a branch of Noah and Callie's school there.  So, Justin stopped by the school.  Tomorrow he will drop by the local officials' offices and hopefully a few renter's agents.  We are just trying to gather as much information about the town as possible, make as many contacts as possible, and pray, pray, pray.

The crazy thing is, last week when it snowed here in our city, the other town received a record amount of snow.  Justin said that there is still a meter (about 3 feet) of snow on the ground!  It is a very rare snowfall for the town, which is located at sea level.  Of course, just inland, the province is extremely mountainous.  There is lots of snow in the mountains throughout the winter.

Anyhow, here are a few picks of our snowy destination:

Justin took these first two from the bus window as it was moving down the coastal road.  So, they're not the best quality.

That's snow on the beach!

Snowy mountains in the distance.

source

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We are waiting and praying to see what the Lord will do!!

 ^"Look! He has placed the land in front of you. Go and occupy it as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you. Don’t be afraid! Don’t be discouraged!’

 “But you all came to me and said, ‘First, let’s send out scouts to explore the land for us. They will advise us on the best route to take and which towns we should enter.’  

Deuteronomy 1:21-22

Sunday Sneak Peek: Getting into the Christmas Spirit

Last year, after Noah finished reading the Lord of the Rings series we let him watch the movies.  So, we did the same with the Hobbit.  Of course, he loved all of the movies and has been borderline obsessed ever since.  He has been counting the seconds until the second Hobbit movie was to be released.  Thankfully, the movie released here the same day that it released in America.

After a nice time at our fellowship group, I had a date with my boy!

Can you tell he was excited!  I thought we were having an earthquake because he kept shaking in his seat as the movie was starting!

After the movie, Justin and the girls picked us up from the mall and we headed out to look at Christmas lights.  That's a bit of a joke, as most of our Christmas lights look like this:

But, there is one street in the fanciest part of town that is all lit up.  It's our city's version of Rodeo Drive or Michigan Avenue.  The stores that line it are Tiffany's, Carte Blanc, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, etc.  Not our typical stomping ground to say the least!

The Leonards are ready for some fun!

We bundled up and endured Saturday night traffic on the other side for the opportunity to drive down this special street.  

It was worth it.  The entire street is a tunnel of lights.  It was so pretty!

Then we went to another richy-rich part of town to visit the new Cold Stone Creamery!

Can I just stop right here and give the Lord a shout of praise for the beautiful goodness that is Cold Stone Creamery?!!!

I had the peanut butter cup perfection, and it was absolute perfection!

We have to be really creative over here.  This was a prefect Christmas family adventure.