Catching Up...June

The end of school was fast and furious as usual.  We survived through the parties, exams, field trips and goodbyes.  Emma graduated from elementary school...which is a big deal at ICS covered by a luncheon and graduation.  We will miss Mrs. Hunter very much. She gave Emma a lot of challenge and confidence, as well as super preparation for Middle School.  Grace was honored at the end of the year, receiving the award for Member of the Global Society for her missions work...doing trips to Indonesia, Philippines and Cambodia.  Abby had a super year and finished it off strong.  We all loved Mrs. Miller and will continue to stop by for hugs (both Abby and Mom:) And Josh made it through a challenging year, but didn't let it change him too much, as he was awarded the Compassionate
Award.

Emma and Kaylie at the 5th grade graduation lunch

The day after school ended, Sarah and I were on a plane for home.  It was a very LONG 15 1/2 hours direct to Newark, NJ...then a 2 1/2 hour drive to my brother's house where I picked up our car and drove another 2 hours to my parents house outside of Harrisburg.  Needless to say, we finally arrived around 8pm and I was exhausted.  Sarah was a trooper and did great with jet lag, as did I.

Saying goodbye to "Meena" for the summer

Sarah made some new friends at the gate as we waited to board

We had a great week with my parents and sister, and it was super nice to be there just the two of us...getting in a lot of quality time. The following Friday is when the rest of the family made it stateside, so Sarah and I met them at my brother's house, where we stayed overnight that weekend before moving into a hotel. Unfortunately, Abby got sick just before landing...and thus began a virus that fortunately did not include a stomach bug, but it did include a high temperature for 5-7 days.  This basically took our family out of commission for most of that following week, which was a bummer since we were planning on doing sports and arts camp at our church.

By the end of the week, Andy and I had finally recovered (we were the last to get it), and just in time because Andy and friends had put together a surprise party for my 40th birthday...and I was actually truly surprised! We had celebrated earlier in the day with my family and then he told me that my brother and sister in law were going to watch the kids while we went out.  I thought we were meeting some friends for dinner, but we went to this amazing Mexican restaurant in Kennett to find a room full of my friends.  It was such a great night, and while there were a few out of town friends that were missing, it was a joy to visit with the people who were there...and fun for them to meet and talk to each other...worlds colliding:)

Finally, Grace and I left on another plane the following Monday for Seattle...first stop, Olympia, WA and the Gilday Family!  I had gotten to see Jen the summer before, but it was so fun to see this family who lived life with us as our family's grew in DE.  Emmie and Jack enjoyed Grace's company and the three of them got along very well while Jen and I chatted away.  Of course, while we were there we got to see the U.S. Women's World Cup team beat Germany! We tubed down a creek, went to the pool, and did a little shopping...all things you do in unseasonably hot weather in Washington. It was such a great visit...picking up where we had left off like no time had passed.  I'm very grateful for friendships like that:)

Catching Up...July

So July 1st brought a huge adventure to fruition...I went to Young Life camp as a leader, again!  My friend Jen brought Grace and I (and three HK teens we picked up from the airport on our way) to a beautiful home north of Seattle where our group was gathering for a picnic.  What followed was a rapid paced tour of Seattle, filled with the Starbucks Corporation, Boeing Factory, the Gates Foundation, University of Washington, an MLS Sounders game, and ended with an epic 4th of July celebration on the water with a clam bake and fireworks.  It was amazing!!! The morning of July 5th, we boarded a bus and drove 6 hours to Antelope, Oregon where Washington Family Ranch is located.  We had a fabulous week with 38 teens from HK, hanging out and having awesome conversations.  Lives were changed as we got to share the truth of Jesus with them, and we all came out of the experience bonded...and tired:) Here are a few other highlights of July...

Visits from Ron and Rebecca Werner and Paul and Linda Puffenberger!  It is always so wonderful to visit with the Werner's...we our forever bonded, not just because Ron knows Andy almost as well as I do, and thus appreciates me:) and Rebecca and I share tips on how to love our similarly type-casted husbands well, but they have spent the most time in HK with us and understand that part of our lives.  We had a great time with them, and even got to spend a beautiful day at Hershey Park.  Andy's parents came a couple days after the Werner's left, and it was so nice to catch up with them. They are in the middle of transition, as well, so our time was short.  But we crammed in as much quality time as we could, and even did some shopping and a trip to the trampoline park.

The following week, Andy and I were out catching up with friends every single night.  We had some wonderful meals and enjoyed catching up and having quality time with people we miss during the year.  During the midst of this week, the kids were doing Wipeout Camp.  I volunteered a few days as well...and yes, by the end of each day we were all wiped out.  Another highlight of this week was Andy and I got to go to New York City with three friends to see U2 in concert.  What a fabulous day!!  Luckily, we went with people that knew how to get around.  We also went with out an agenda, but after getting up there, decided we wanted to see the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. What a powerful experience.  I couldn't believe how fast it takes you back to that day, as I clearly remembered holding/nursing a three month old Grace while I was glued to the tv as the events unfolded.  After the Museum, we got a quick bite to eat and then we were off to Madison Square Garden to watch U2...what an amazing concert.  And the kicker was that Jimmy Fallon made a surprise appearance!

My final highlight was a week's vacation in Myrtle Beach with my family. We left at the crazy hour of 4:30am and it still took us 13 hours, but it was worth it.  We had gorgeous weather and it was wonderful to spend the week with my parents, and my brother and his family, and our dearest friends, the Hertzlers.  We missed my sister a ton, but was so glad she was able to meet us when we got back.

All in all, our summer was another crazy circus.  I changed locations more than five times, and I spent time with countless people.  It was great to be connecting with the community that we will be a part of again, but it is nice to be home in HK.  We won't be able to call HK home much longer, but for now, we will soak it in and enjoy and appreciate every day we are able to be a part of life here.

My Last Day with a Two Year Old

It's interesting to me that this has been a little more challenging than I expected.  When Sarah turned one, I wasn't emotional.  And when she turned two, I didn't really give it much thought.  But now she will be three...why is this so different?

One reason could be that her birth is so entrenched with our transition to HK, and now that this is our last year, it is emotional and bittersweet. When Sarah, Abby and I came, Sarah was six weeks old. This is her home and the life she knows.  Now that she is older and talking, she verbalizes this.  Over the summer we heard, "I miss Meena (Marina)" and "I want rice." And with all this transition, I have definitely been more lax in some behaviors.  She will be my first three year old who is not potty trained.  At first this was frustrating to me...I'm tired of changing diapers and I'm tired of buying them, too.  But, I can't blame her for not taking that step.  The girl just took her 13th, 15+hour plane ride...and she is three.  Let me tell you how convenient it is for that trip that she is wearing a diaper.  The other behavior is she still uses a binky...or we call it a sass (thanks Chesemores:) Another very useful tool on the formentioned flights.  Both these will be worked on in the coming year...hopefully this fall:)

But with these behaviors my little girl keeps that "baby" quality just a little bit longer.  She will always be my baby...and the last child that was a part of me for nine months. And as time has gone on, I've gotten used to that idea...even become a fan of that idea.  But on special days such as this one, it's easy to become nostalgic and want to stop time...even for just a little bit. Sarah Jane Puffenberger is turning three.  This idea seemed so far away when we first moved here to HK, but now it is right in front of us. And it reminds us that our time living here has almost come to an end, as well. So we will be excited for age three and all that comes with it...including soaking up every moment we are here:)