It's a nice Saturday afternoon here. Not a single cloud in this bright blue sky and a crisp 72 degrees. Harrison is napping, Lainey is watching a Barbie movie, Lindsey is on her computer in her room, Sam is off to his first "footie" game with Rob (new friends) and because of this invite is hanging out in the BHP corporate suite at the stadium in Fremantle. And I'm chatting here with you.
I asked myself if it was a good idea to sit down and type this post because I've actually already cried a couple of times today. I sometimes get emotional at the end of the post, but I don't usually start off too terribly bad. Today is a bit backwards. We got word on our house that the appraisal came in much lower than the negotiated price and because the people buying our home are using FHA, our worst nightmare about botched appraisals is coming true. I think the words to our realtor, Sam and my parents were GUT-PUNCHED. It's very difficult to "give your house away." I'm fearful of the market, that it won't turn around in the next year, and in fact, it may be worse. We can't rent it - too difficult to be a landlord that lives on the other side of the world and couldn't get enough in rent to cover the costs having someone manage it for us. So we take that deep breath in and just go forward.
I posted on Facebook and many of you took a moment from your day to encourage me with scripture, prayer, thoughts and kind words. I love you for that. Thank you.
Monday the container is coming!!! To get away from the thoughts in my head today, we went to Ikea and picked up a few inexpensive storage items for our closets because the closet in our (purple) Master bedroom is very small. I'm going to have to get creative on how to make it all fit. The kids were behaved today - they must have known I needed good behavior out of them. With items bought,we were able to fit it all in the car - including me. LOL! I have to say, the car ride home, uncomfortable as it was, got a good chuckle out of Sam and I both (and probably all those standing on the loading dock watching us trying to get it all in - just that no one was bold enough to laugh out loud). It's always nice when you catch that needed emotional break from all the things that are horribly wrong at the moment.
But I guess that's it isn't it? It's just a moment, just a day, just another few weeks until we close on the house and put this behind us. And then the pangs of guilt. I am not fighting a battle with cancer, like my friend Karen is, I am not homeless, don't feel forgotten by this world and I am healthy with 3 extremly loving and beautiful children. I have a strong loving husband at my side. And hey, let's face it, I can cook pretty darn well and I have FOOD in the pantry to cook...we are not starving. So there's my silver lining isn't it? God is good. Stay focused. Love each other. Make the best of each day. Live the adventure. Pay it forward.
(Oh yeah...and stop crying!)
Love you all,
Wendy
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Friday, March 23, 2012
2 Months - Surviving?
So are we surviving? Of course we are surviving, so maybe the question is...are we thriving? By Webster's definition - to do well or prosper - the short answer is an enthusiastic YES!
We have a great house, live in an amazing suburb (every time we drive to our house, we come over a hill and the Indian Ocean, in all it's turquoise wonder, is laid out before us), have made two new sets of friends that both have kids Lainey & Harrison's age (so that is 4 new friends for Lainey & Harrison as well), Lindsey and Lainey are doing fantastic in school, Sam works with wonderful people, I'm learning my way around and how to effectively shop and we've found a church home. As we pass the 2 month mark, I'm feeling extremely blessed and proud of Sam and I for staying positive in this process and loving and encouraging each other. The homesickness is always with you, but it's a bit like a roller coaster. Some days are really good days, and then some days are really bad days. I have to say that I've tried really hard to not get too far down and depressed. What good does it do to allow myself to go there anyway? We are here, and we are tasked with making the best of this adventure. And as a parent, it's my job to never let the kids see me sad. Their need to see me be strong about the move has really made it easier for me to stay strong.
So what have we been up to this last month (since I've clearly been too busy to blog since March 1st)? I'll touch on the highlights. We've been to the beach - Yanchep (the lagoon). Yes, it is the same beach that the showed the shark frenzy at a couple of weeks ago. I have several of you mention they showed that on the news. Keep in mind they were not Great White Sharks, but yes, sharks nonetheless. All I can say is that we don't typically get very far in, never go out past the sand bar (which you can see in the picture below - where the water is breaking in the distance), and thank goodness for the air & land patrols that keep a look-out for the dark shadows in the sea.
Here are a few pics from that adventure - like always you'll find more on Facebook.
We also went to Lansdale Farm with some of our new friends and their kids. We had a fantastic Sunday afternoon! The farm is large with a petting area at least 2 acres. They have chickens (actually enjoy letting the kids touch them), cows, sheep & goats that wander around freely and also like to be pet, pigs, ponies and fish. They grow fresh vegetables and Lainey loved this part - said this was like Grandpa B.'s garden in Needville. (Forgot to take my camera with me - so no pictures of this little adventure.) :-(
I've been having the kids do activities here at home. We made sun catchers to send back to some of our family (we just mailed them Wednesday - so they are on the way). Lainey has been working on writing her name and I must say she has nailed it, except her N is backwards, but hey she's doing great! She's already adding numbers...I think she's going to be a little math whiz - like her daddy. That would be just fine with me! I didn't think we had a Build-A-Bear here (but I have since been told we actually do) so I made the kids sock animals - Charlie the monkey for Harrison & Alice the rabbit for Lainey. They love them and sleep with them every night. Today we made Easter hats for the Easter Parade that she will be participating in at school. Naturally I made Harrison one too. I figured he can wear his when we go watch Lainey's parade. Here are pictures of the creations (Lainey dictated the placement of every single item on both hats and you KNOW the hats had to be glittery):
I've been cooking a lot and loving it, as always. I made homemade cinnamon rolls yesterday and oh my....SO GOOD! The dough was absolutely perfect! Yum just yum! It's funny the things that remind you of home. They don't have cinnamon rolls here, which is one of the MANY things I'm finding they don't have. I've order a few things we wanted from the USA Foods store in Melbourne, but they were out of a lot of stock, so I was limited on what I can buy. Besides that, it is very expensive to buy from there...so I had to stick with buying a few treats - like Bisquick! :-)
Updates on a few logistics - our container is HERE, but not technically HERE. It has currently cleared customs and is now in quarantine for who knows how long. We are praying we get it before Easter. We are waiting on the call from Crown Relocations to tell us a delivery date. It seems like that is still so far away even though I pray it is any day now. I know I've said in previous blogs that I've been told it will feel like Christmas when we get our stuff, I'm not so sure. I mean, I'm DYING to have my bed back, as I've totally over sleeping on Ikea foam, but I am also worried it is going to make me miss home more than I already do. I don't know...something about seeing all our things...in this house...and not in 2012 Stapleton Drive. <sigh> We'll see how I feel when the delivery truck pulls up! We have a contract on our house in Friendswood and hope to close by mid April. However, with changes in banking/lender laws since the credit crisis, many appraisals are being botched (coming in way lower than fair market value) and people are having to give their houses away if they want to sell them. PLEASE pray our appraisal goes through without a hitch and the house appraises for the negotiated price. We really need to sell the house in order to be at financial peace here. I am now working with the recruiter to find a job. I've laid out the hours I want to work, salary requirements, etc. Now all I have to do is wait to see what's out there. I am very hesitant about putting the kids in daycare. I've visited a few and one I liked and the other I didn't. I walked out of there with tears in my eyes...this particular one just wasn't for my kids. I didn't feel good about it in my gut. Please pray the one I have chosen still has openings when the time comes for me to start working.
Thank you all for your kind words of support. We appreciate you staying connected with us! We love and miss you all.
Cheers,
Wendy
We have a great house, live in an amazing suburb (every time we drive to our house, we come over a hill and the Indian Ocean, in all it's turquoise wonder, is laid out before us), have made two new sets of friends that both have kids Lainey & Harrison's age (so that is 4 new friends for Lainey & Harrison as well), Lindsey and Lainey are doing fantastic in school, Sam works with wonderful people, I'm learning my way around and how to effectively shop and we've found a church home. As we pass the 2 month mark, I'm feeling extremely blessed and proud of Sam and I for staying positive in this process and loving and encouraging each other. The homesickness is always with you, but it's a bit like a roller coaster. Some days are really good days, and then some days are really bad days. I have to say that I've tried really hard to not get too far down and depressed. What good does it do to allow myself to go there anyway? We are here, and we are tasked with making the best of this adventure. And as a parent, it's my job to never let the kids see me sad. Their need to see me be strong about the move has really made it easier for me to stay strong.
So what have we been up to this last month (since I've clearly been too busy to blog since March 1st)? I'll touch on the highlights. We've been to the beach - Yanchep (the lagoon). Yes, it is the same beach that the showed the shark frenzy at a couple of weeks ago. I have several of you mention they showed that on the news. Keep in mind they were not Great White Sharks, but yes, sharks nonetheless. All I can say is that we don't typically get very far in, never go out past the sand bar (which you can see in the picture below - where the water is breaking in the distance), and thank goodness for the air & land patrols that keep a look-out for the dark shadows in the sea.
Here are a few pics from that adventure - like always you'll find more on Facebook.
We also went to Lansdale Farm with some of our new friends and their kids. We had a fantastic Sunday afternoon! The farm is large with a petting area at least 2 acres. They have chickens (actually enjoy letting the kids touch them), cows, sheep & goats that wander around freely and also like to be pet, pigs, ponies and fish. They grow fresh vegetables and Lainey loved this part - said this was like Grandpa B.'s garden in Needville. (Forgot to take my camera with me - so no pictures of this little adventure.) :-(
I've been having the kids do activities here at home. We made sun catchers to send back to some of our family (we just mailed them Wednesday - so they are on the way). Lainey has been working on writing her name and I must say she has nailed it, except her N is backwards, but hey she's doing great! She's already adding numbers...I think she's going to be a little math whiz - like her daddy. That would be just fine with me! I didn't think we had a Build-A-Bear here (but I have since been told we actually do) so I made the kids sock animals - Charlie the monkey for Harrison & Alice the rabbit for Lainey. They love them and sleep with them every night. Today we made Easter hats for the Easter Parade that she will be participating in at school. Naturally I made Harrison one too. I figured he can wear his when we go watch Lainey's parade. Here are pictures of the creations (Lainey dictated the placement of every single item on both hats and you KNOW the hats had to be glittery):
I've been cooking a lot and loving it, as always. I made homemade cinnamon rolls yesterday and oh my....SO GOOD! The dough was absolutely perfect! Yum just yum! It's funny the things that remind you of home. They don't have cinnamon rolls here, which is one of the MANY things I'm finding they don't have. I've order a few things we wanted from the USA Foods store in Melbourne, but they were out of a lot of stock, so I was limited on what I can buy. Besides that, it is very expensive to buy from there...so I had to stick with buying a few treats - like Bisquick! :-)
Updates on a few logistics - our container is HERE, but not technically HERE. It has currently cleared customs and is now in quarantine for who knows how long. We are praying we get it before Easter. We are waiting on the call from Crown Relocations to tell us a delivery date. It seems like that is still so far away even though I pray it is any day now. I know I've said in previous blogs that I've been told it will feel like Christmas when we get our stuff, I'm not so sure. I mean, I'm DYING to have my bed back, as I've totally over sleeping on Ikea foam, but I am also worried it is going to make me miss home more than I already do. I don't know...something about seeing all our things...in this house...and not in 2012 Stapleton Drive. <sigh> We'll see how I feel when the delivery truck pulls up! We have a contract on our house in Friendswood and hope to close by mid April. However, with changes in banking/lender laws since the credit crisis, many appraisals are being botched (coming in way lower than fair market value) and people are having to give their houses away if they want to sell them. PLEASE pray our appraisal goes through without a hitch and the house appraises for the negotiated price. We really need to sell the house in order to be at financial peace here. I am now working with the recruiter to find a job. I've laid out the hours I want to work, salary requirements, etc. Now all I have to do is wait to see what's out there. I am very hesitant about putting the kids in daycare. I've visited a few and one I liked and the other I didn't. I walked out of there with tears in my eyes...this particular one just wasn't for my kids. I didn't feel good about it in my gut. Please pray the one I have chosen still has openings when the time comes for me to start working.
Thank you all for your kind words of support. We appreciate you staying connected with us! We love and miss you all.
Cheers,
Wendy
Thursday, March 1, 2012
One Month
We've been in Australia a month and we are trying to find some semblance of a routine, but things are still new and I think we are all still trying to get our bearings.
The kids are doing well in school. Lindsey's doing great, better than all of us probably. She's got nice friends, already had a sleepover at a friend's house, and went snorkeling for P.E. today. Not too shabby. Lainey loves her school and is looking forward to a Bear Picnic next Friday. She is VERY excited about this event and can't stop talking about it. She told her MiMi she wanted to be an astronaut, as we checked out some really cool books from the library - one of which happened to be about an astronaut. However, today she told me she wants to be a teacher. :-) Sounds good to me...I know some really great teachers out there! Harrison still talks about going home every day. Some days he likes this house, some days he doesn't. It seems to be he likes it on the days that we swim in the pool! HA! Sam is doing alright - he's still adjusting to work and trying to finish up his last 3 classes to get his MBA! He is thrilled about completing his last class this summer. He's worked so hard and I'm so proud of him! I think he'll FINALLY be done with his last degree, as all that would be left is a doctorate! Me well...
Sleep...it's something I'm having a hard time doing lately. It's very strange because now that I don't work, I should have less stress = less thoughts running through my head when I'm trying to go to bed right? Ugh. No longer do I have to worry about clients, my work to-do list, and making sure I balance my work life with my family life, so that's fine and dandy, so why no sleep?
I suppose I try to keep myself so busy with the kids, keeping house, running errands, and settling in these days, that when I lay my head on the pillow, that's when the thoughts that have been suppressed for the day are ready to surface. Someone dear to Sam and I is fighting cancer with everything she has and it saddens me that she has to face such a battle at a young age. I've been stopping to pray for her throughout my day, but you realize just how blessed you are as the day closes and you have your health, let alone all the other countless blessings our family has been given. Next up, Harrison jumped in the pool the other day, with all the confidence that he is the best swimmer in the world, sending me into the pool to snatch him from the water and throw him on the side of the pool. Granted I was outside, cleaning the pool (while he was supposed to be waiting patiently to get in when I was done) and we have locks on the windows and doors that the kids can't open, but now I'm completely paranoid. I got up last night, as if they would ever try to go outside at night in the dark by themselves, to check all the locks...not once, but twice. Closing my eyes equals me replaying him gulping for air as he struggles to "swim" to keep his head above the water. Yes, swimming lessons are high on the priority list! Booking flights for Lindsey is proving to an (expensive) challenge, as all the discount flight outlets consider her a minor and will not allow us to book through them, thus costing significantly more money. Ah, I digress. I just may have to take a sleeping pill and get over it. LOL!
We did have a good weekend this past weekend, and I am officially a fan of Turkish food! It was fantastic and I can't wait to go back. Perhaps it was also the time with Sam...going on a date was nice. We took the train down to Fremantle (a suburb on the ocean south of Perth). It's an ecclectic place with a lot of bars and restaurants. What's great about public transportation is that you can take your own wine, drink the whole bottle if you want, and then hop back on a train. The train station is about 2 miles from our house. I really do love the whole (clean) public transport thing they have going on here. It would be so nice to see more of that in the U.S.
Up on the agenda this weekend is the Perth Zoo. Then maybe Monday we'll head to the beach. Monday is a holiday for us here, so we are looking forward to Sam being home to spend the day with us. I'll hopefully have plenty of pictures to upload, so keep a look out on here and on Facebook.
We've "survived" one month in the midst of spiders, sharks and the other top ten deadly animals. Not too shabby I guess.
Cheers,
Wendy
The kids are doing well in school. Lindsey's doing great, better than all of us probably. She's got nice friends, already had a sleepover at a friend's house, and went snorkeling for P.E. today. Not too shabby. Lainey loves her school and is looking forward to a Bear Picnic next Friday. She is VERY excited about this event and can't stop talking about it. She told her MiMi she wanted to be an astronaut, as we checked out some really cool books from the library - one of which happened to be about an astronaut. However, today she told me she wants to be a teacher. :-) Sounds good to me...I know some really great teachers out there! Harrison still talks about going home every day. Some days he likes this house, some days he doesn't. It seems to be he likes it on the days that we swim in the pool! HA! Sam is doing alright - he's still adjusting to work and trying to finish up his last 3 classes to get his MBA! He is thrilled about completing his last class this summer. He's worked so hard and I'm so proud of him! I think he'll FINALLY be done with his last degree, as all that would be left is a doctorate! Me well...
Sleep...it's something I'm having a hard time doing lately. It's very strange because now that I don't work, I should have less stress = less thoughts running through my head when I'm trying to go to bed right? Ugh. No longer do I have to worry about clients, my work to-do list, and making sure I balance my work life with my family life, so that's fine and dandy, so why no sleep?
I suppose I try to keep myself so busy with the kids, keeping house, running errands, and settling in these days, that when I lay my head on the pillow, that's when the thoughts that have been suppressed for the day are ready to surface. Someone dear to Sam and I is fighting cancer with everything she has and it saddens me that she has to face such a battle at a young age. I've been stopping to pray for her throughout my day, but you realize just how blessed you are as the day closes and you have your health, let alone all the other countless blessings our family has been given. Next up, Harrison jumped in the pool the other day, with all the confidence that he is the best swimmer in the world, sending me into the pool to snatch him from the water and throw him on the side of the pool. Granted I was outside, cleaning the pool (while he was supposed to be waiting patiently to get in when I was done) and we have locks on the windows and doors that the kids can't open, but now I'm completely paranoid. I got up last night, as if they would ever try to go outside at night in the dark by themselves, to check all the locks...not once, but twice. Closing my eyes equals me replaying him gulping for air as he struggles to "swim" to keep his head above the water. Yes, swimming lessons are high on the priority list! Booking flights for Lindsey is proving to an (expensive) challenge, as all the discount flight outlets consider her a minor and will not allow us to book through them, thus costing significantly more money. Ah, I digress. I just may have to take a sleeping pill and get over it. LOL!
We did have a good weekend this past weekend, and I am officially a fan of Turkish food! It was fantastic and I can't wait to go back. Perhaps it was also the time with Sam...going on a date was nice. We took the train down to Fremantle (a suburb on the ocean south of Perth). It's an ecclectic place with a lot of bars and restaurants. What's great about public transportation is that you can take your own wine, drink the whole bottle if you want, and then hop back on a train. The train station is about 2 miles from our house. I really do love the whole (clean) public transport thing they have going on here. It would be so nice to see more of that in the U.S.
Up on the agenda this weekend is the Perth Zoo. Then maybe Monday we'll head to the beach. Monday is a holiday for us here, so we are looking forward to Sam being home to spend the day with us. I'll hopefully have plenty of pictures to upload, so keep a look out on here and on Facebook.
We've "survived" one month in the midst of spiders, sharks and the other top ten deadly animals. Not too shabby I guess.
Cheers,
Wendy
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