This Week

We have had a fun week with Garth’s sister and niece visiting us from Virginia.  They arrived here on Tuesday missing the earthquake in the East, but weren’t sure how Irene would affect their travel plans back.  Thankfully, it all worked out and we had a great time hanging out.

My sister and her husband rented a boat as a joint birthday present for all of the kids.  So we were able to spend glorious, sunny Wednesday out on the water, tubing, and then picnicking at the park.  It was perfect!

Tomorrow I am going to the hospital for two procedures, one of them is a colonoscopy and the other is an endoscopy.  Hopefully, we will find out what has been causing my stomach problems.  Please pray that the doctor will find the issues and be able to treat them.  Thanks.

Love,

Rachel

What We Have Been Doing

I have been trying to figure out exactly what to write to you.  I knew that I could tell you all about our fun tour of the Jelly Belly factory, complete with the official hats and a sample of some of their horrendous jelly beans:  Barf, skunk spray, toothpaste and soap.  What made that day extra fun is that Mom and Dad and Annie came with us.

I could tell you about a beautiful day we had at the park complete with turns in the hammock, dips in the lake, a yummy picnic and two rounds of frisbaseball.

And I could tell you about the incredible night we had celebrating two people being joined as one!!  It was such a beautiful expression of their lives, their faith, and their love of family!

Or I could tell you about the culture shock we are still going through, the nights the kids are missing Indo, the intense overwhelming feeling I have about all that needs to be done and how behind I feel.  Dental appts., Cale still needs a shot, school supplies, shoes!!!! (That is a big one cuz the kids are so used to being barefoot), paperwork that needs to be filled out for soccer, and transferring medical records and school records, and life…ugh!  I am usually the type of person that charges into all situations with my battery at full power, but this adjustment back into American culture makes me feel like my battery is always low.  I know it takes time.  I am well aware.  I read the books.  I can’t imagine how people do this without a huge support system like we have, and all this loving family around.  That makes it all so much easier. 

I know the best advice right now is to take one day at time. I am trying. 

I really am happy to be here, so happy to be around all those I love.  To be back in my house, my church, my town.  I love it.  Even with (as my kids would say) this “cold weather” we are all enjoying it.  It just takes awhile to get our head, and heart in sync with our new world.

Love you all

Rachel

The Latest Scoop

Here are some final pictures from our time in New York.  This is the whole clan (almost-there was one missing),  Garth, and his Dad with Cale, the beautiful Bed-N-Breakfast, and Keuka Lake.

We got home from New York on Monday and left for Rhinelander, Wisconsin to go to my Grandpa’s cabin on Wednesday.  We went with my sister, and her husband and their little girl Annie.  It is one of the only cabins on the lake.  So serene and heavenly.  It was perfect!  We went hiking, boating, fishing, swimming, tubing at my Uncle’s place, had campfires and s ‘mores, slept in, played games, and enjoyed all of the wildlife that the woods can bring.  I have been going to the cabin since I was small so it was loads of fun to be there with the kids.  Time went by too quickly and before I knew it we were packing up to come back home.

Here are some pictures:

Another Trip?

I didn’t even unpack all of our bags from New York for this trip up north.  I am just going to take the same things.  I am so excited to be going up north.  My Grandfather built this cabin when my Mom was only 8.  It is so secluded and beautiful-exactly what you would need to relax and unwind.  It is such a part of my childhood and I love taking the kids to see it.  Especially Cale because he doesn’t really remember it.

There is no internet connection so I will write about it when we get back.

Love you all

Rachel

New York

There was such a blend of worlds at our family reunion.  And quite a few different time zones as well.  We had Garth's step-brother Eric, his wife and two daughters along with his son Adas and his friend Alex from Poland.  Garth's step-sister and her two daughters from Seattle, his sister from Virginia with her two daughters, his step-brother from Utah, his Dad and Priscilla and the six of us.  It was such an amazing time to go tubing and skiing, jump off the rope swing, go in the hot tub, swim to the raft, eat fantastic food, and laugh.  Hanging out on the lawn, getting caught up on each others' lives, laughing at all the funny things the kids have done throughout the year is my favorite part.  Reconnecting.  Helping the roots go down deeper in our family tree. 

Time is too quickly passing us by-summer will soon be over.  I don't know about you but I am not sure how I feel about that.  This is the time of the summer that we are usually getting ready to leave America to go back to Indonesia.  All of our friends there are getting ready to begin school.  It starts on the 10th.  I feel so unprepared for all of this, but the weird thing is that it will come whether I am ready or not.

It has been wonderful to have so many "distractions" of fun things to do this summer.  We have one more family trip planned to my Grandpa's cabin up north next week.  Then the County Fair, a visit from Garth's sister and niece, and the start of school.  And just like that, summer's over.  Right now we are driving back from New York trying to decide if we should drive it straight and get home at 2 am or if we should stop.  It is already 9:30 pm and we are pretty bushed so I think we will be stopping.

When we get home I will send you pictures of the trip.  It was so beautiful.

Rachel

New York Family Reunion

We are having a wonderful time connecting with family and relaxing here in New York.  Garth’s Dad and Priscilla have an amazing Bed-N-Breakfast that they open up for a family reunion once a year.  This year was extra special because we had family fly in from Poland with their little girls we had never met before. Also Garth’s step-brother Jason flew in and surprised us all. One of the boys here from Poland had never been to America before.  It has been so much fun for the kids to teach him Indonesian words and learn some of his Polish words.

Today and yesterday were spent out on the boat in the water tubing and trying to learn how to ski.  Some of the kids got it right away and others did a fantastic job trying.  There is one more family arriving tonight and then we will total 21.  That is a houseful!

Here are some pictures:

Getting Acclimated

We have been in Wisconsin a month now.  I know that I am making progress.  Last week I went to Wal-Mart  twice to get groceries and didn’t freak out.  That is a big step.  I know that a friend of mine from Papua said that when she was in America on furlough she would sit in the car and her husband would run into Wal-Mart because it was just too overwhelming for her.  I know exactly how she feels.

The other day we went to the bank and Cale was going to leave his shoes at the door.  In Indo you would take off your shoes before going into most stores and homes.  I told him that here you have to leave them on or they might ask you to leave.  Cale keeps saying things like, “When we get back to Indo…”  So, I don’t think he gets it.  The older kids are doing ok.  Emma has still been crying herself to sleep.  Wyatt has been acting out more.  Sophie seems to be ok.  She is happy that she met some girls at her church class. Cale is the most reluctant to try American food.  They all miss having rice at most meals.  It was so wonderful to have some rain here.  We were all missing rain.  We are used to having that sound on our roof regularly.  I took Cale to my parents garden and he loved it.  He said it was way better than the pasar (Indo market).  Remember the pictures of us at the pasar?  That seems like so long ago. Cale thinks the gumball machine is one of the best inventions in America.  How funny?  He always walks into Wal-Mart with his quarter.

My Mom has been trying to teach the kids their address and phone number.  They never had to know it before.  They are learning the Pledge of Allegiance, all about income taxes, drinking laws, the American money system, speed limits, how nice and speedy real internet can be, and how awesome it is to be around family all the time.

When we went to Wal-Mart, Garth noticed that on the little payment screen it said you could pick a language.  He asked the teller if he could pick Indonesian.   She chuckled slightly and said no. 

It was funny; a few weeks ago I got an email from our church saying that they had received some Indonesian money in the offering.  They wanted to know what they should do with it.  Haha.

So, we are getting acclimated a little bit at a time.  It sure isn’t as smooth and easy as I thought it would be.

Right now we are on our way to New York for a family reunion with Garth’s family.  A wonderful family from church is letting us borrow their vehicle since we still haven’t found one that fits us all.

It should be a nice time reconnecting with family we haven’t seen for quite some time.

I will send you pictures.

Love

Rachel